Hello everyone! Thank you so much for checking out my newest story!

I have had a most glorious vision! No...not really heehee but it was kinda like one.
I was staying up late, trying not to fall asleep, just playing around online looking up random things, while my best friend APR (AnimeprincessReborn) was writing. She needed Naruto facts from the show and manga and so I'd gone out on a mission looking for them.
I stumbled upon the story of how Minato and Kushina (Naruto's daddy and mommy) had known each other in the academy and she'd thought he was whimpy. But then came the fateful day on which he saved her from kidnappers by following her bright red hair that she'd been plucking out, leaving behind as a trail for someone to follow and find her and save her.
Minato had been the only one to notice this and he had followed her thin red trail and found her, promptly kicking all the butts of the bad kidnapper guys and saving fair maiden Kushina (heh though she wasn't really a fair maiden she had Naruto's personality almost exactly lol).
Kushina hated her red hair because it had been the main source for several mean nicknames but Minato confessed to having always liked it.
So, because he'd been the only one to see her trail and find her, and also for appreciating the one feature she'd hated most about herself she decided he wasn't at all whimpy and that he may actually be a good guy to get to know.
We all know how the story turned out since obviously Minato wooed Kushina somehow and produced the wonderful little gift of baby Naruto.
Yay for great love stories!

Anyways, this beautiful adorable story triggered something in me. Twizzlers! After thinking about thin red lines a while I wanted a Twizzler so bad... so I searched my remaining Halloween candy and found none...boo.
I pouted like any self respecting girl denied a sweet tooth craving. But, as I was pouting about my lack of yummy semi-sweet red licorice, I was hit with this massive story idea!
The red string of fate! The thin tiny red line tied to one person's finger which at the opposite end is tied to some other person's finger as well; representing the belief that fate has people out in the world for everyone and they are meant special for us, always connected to us, forever tied to us as our true love. In short, our other half.
I'm sure most of you know this belief. I for one love it! I think it's beautiful.
So I decided to right a series of stories, just little one shots really, telling the tales of how some of my most supported Naruto couples came to find their other halves, their special person at the end of their red string.
Because it had been my craving for licorice that made me think of all this, and because licorice is alot more yummy than string [bleh! string...] I am calling this collection Licorice Trails.

As some of you may know...I am an avid Sakura Gaara shipper. I adore the couple! Absolutely love the idea! So naturally, I wrote their story first!
Now, I know I have rambled on for far too long but I have one more thing to add.
This Sakura and Gaara story is a fairly different than my other ones, at least to me it was; you guys can let me know if you agree or disagree because you KNOW I LOVE hearing what you guys think! Woo!
lol But seriously, it may seem that I have written them a little OoC and trust me, I hate when that happens just as much as all of you, their characters are so great as is, why change them? Right? Well, the reason for it is, they were never ninjas in this story. They have never experienced the things that made them the people they are in the other stories, most certainly not the anime/manga that's for sure ( T_T so much sadness...so much...) Gaara never held a blood thirsty demon, Sakura never lost someone dear to her. They're just people born and raised in our piddly little normal universe. I did what I could to keep them as themselves, I did. I think it came out ok for the most part, my beta APR almost cried and said this story officially converted her to the SakuGaa ship! WOO! I converted someone! I feel powerful.
But anyway, please do not be bothered by any slight changes I made that seem Ooc. They're there for a reason, I assure XD because despite all appearances I know what I'm doing. Sometimes...

So please, give this story a chance and also when I post them, the next stories to come in this new series.
So without further ado (I know I went WAY overboard on the A.N. this time sorry...) I give you...Licorice Trails: Winds of Change!
Thank you everybody! And really, REALLY, if you read my whole A.N. you are a sweet sweet beautiful person and I love you so much!

Please, I would love to have feedback on this story, it crossed a few new lines for me as far as writing goes and I'd like to know if I did ok.
Oh, and a quick warning, this story is rated M not only for language but a lemon in the middle of the story so... if you don't like reading those watch out for it. When they are heading for the treehouse? Yeah...just skim till the words seem safe to read again. K? Thank you.

Thank you for reading! Please enjoy!
Love FanggirlX