”.....” Something was wrong. Something wasn’t right. A letter from Strafe had arrived asking Demi to come to Kumogakure, with Iro in tow, and pick up Kaia before moving on to ‘some place safe’. No actual village mentioned: simply some place safe. Well, Demi knew of a safe place, a safe village: a safe family who would welcome them in instantly and allow them to stay for as long they needed - one with connections to boot. But first… she had to get herself and Iro to Kumogakure so they could get Kaia.

”Iro, dear. Do you remember how your father and I told you to keep a spare bag packed in case an emergency ever came up and we had to leave suddenly? Do you have that dear? We need to leave for Kumogakure, immediately. Your father wants us to pick up Kaia and move on to a safe place…” Typical Demi; she wasn’t sugar coating or lying to her son. No, he had a right to know when things weren’t all rainbows and sunshine - even though she wished they were. Kaia was in danger, hell all of them were really. Kiri was no more safe right now with assassins and the like after half the family then Kumo with what could likely turn into an all out war about to break out. Strafe was right in asking Demi to get the children to a safe haven: and she knew he would figure out exactly where Demi would have taken the children easily enough. The Dogkage was a wonderful person when it came to children, and Demi herself knew several members of the family fairly well, so she didn’t foresee any issues with the choice she made.

However, she was going to keep that choice to herself for right now - just in case the walls had ears. Paranoid? Perhaps.. But Demi was going to play it safe when it came to her children: she would allow no harm to come to them, she would die first. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that, though.

Wordcount: 349

His Mom sat on the couch with a letter in her hand, reading it with a concerned expression. He was starting to pick up on habits or clues they all had about their body language. Something he was quite good at. She then looked up and spoke.

”Iro, dear. Do you remember how your father and I told you to keep a spare bag packed in case an emergency ever came up and we had to leave suddenly? Do you have that dear? We need to leave for Kumogakure, immediately. Your father wants us to pick up Kaia and move on to a safe place…”

He looked in a shock a little bit, but that was just so sudden. He couldn't argue with the decision, as it made sense, he just didn't want to leave Kiri now that it was feeling like home with his family. He quickly recovered and responded. "Yea, i packed it a few days ago. I miss sis so much, I don't care if I have to go on vacation for a while. It if helps dad focus on so many tasks, i'm all for it. He just need to make sure he returns safely when he's done in Kumo." He said stepping up to the challenge with bravery. In the back of his mind, he figured that it might end up being really fun. He wanted to know more about Mom anyway. She didn't have family in the area, so seeing some of her people would be cool.

He put up a finger to signal to wait a a second as he raced upstairs and grabbed his bag. He rushed back down stairs. His yari rested in his left hand as he used the rounded end as a walking stick for fun. "I'm ready Mom!" He said appearing before her once more as he awaited their next course of action. The more he thought about it, the more excited he got about their little trip.

Word Count: 337

Demi watched as a shocked look took form on her son’s face and she could only imagine what he might be thinking. He spoke, and Demi paid close attention to every word he uttered, "Yea, i packed it a few days ago. I miss sis so much, I don't care if I have to go on vacation for a while. It if helps dad focus on so many tasks, i'm all for it. He just need to make sure he returns safely when he's done in Kumo." Vacation… well that was certainly one way to look at it, and she certainly wouldn’t fault him for it: if it made things easier for him then that was good. He put up a finger – a symbol to wait just a moment – before he took off to grab his bag. A gentle smile formed on Demi’s face: despite how startling and worrisome a situation this was at least the children would be back together – she was sure Kaia didn’t enjoy being away from Iro any more than Iro enjoyed being away from her. Plus, they would get to take a trip to Konohagakure later on, so that was always a plus. Iro returned not long after with his already packed back and his yari which she noticed he used like a walking stick: her smile grew bigger across her face.

”Alright, hun. Let’s go… We’ll walk our way to the border, then from there I’ll carry you to Kumo – even with you on my back I can run faster. The sooner we get to Kaia the sooner we can move on elsewhere. I’ll clue you in to where our final location is after we’ve got your sister and we’re far enough away for no one to hear.” Practical, or so Demi was trying to be. Two people traveling toward the border wouldn’t raise the suspicion of those who might be looking to cause harm to Strafe’s family; and afterward Demi could easily get the two of them to Kumo as fast possible. They would grab up Kaia, then bail to their final location – one she wouldn’t utter a single word about until she knew they were all safe. Paranoid. Yup, she did it good.

So, unless Iro had any issues with this plan she would head out; taking it at a casual stroll until they were far enough out that she could let him climb into her back where she would then run the rest of the way to Kumogakure… Running to Kaia.

Wordcount: 421 | 770

”Alright, hun. Let’s go… We’ll walk our way to the border, then from there I’ll carry you to Kumo – even with you on my back I can run faster. The sooner we get to Kaia the sooner we can move on elsewhere. I’ll clue you in to where our final location is after we’ve got your sister and we’re far enough away for no one to hear.”

She spoke with a calm voice, which Iro always found soothing. Regardless of the dangers around them, Demi always seemed to make it seem safe. She was right about being faster, as both his parents were leaps and bounds faster than he was. He was trying to get better, but it would take time. He would nod at her plan, as it all sounded good to him. "Sounds good to me, I'm ready when you are!" his voice was excited and he had a subtle bounce to his stance. He was actually excited to see another village and to be with his sister again. He might even get to see his dad and Momaru while they were there.

Demi then set off for their destination. She was running slow enough for him to keep up, and people were nice and friendly as they moved past them. He hoped they wouldn't be gone too long, but as long as he had his family, he was fine. Eventually, he would climb on his mother's back and ride the rest of the way to Kumogakure. A place full of mountains and clouds had his mind buzzing with curiosity as they sped towards their destination.

[Exit]

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