Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Opposites Attract
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I am simply borrowing the characters for my own twisted bidding.
Opposites Attract
Lee glanced around the room like a person whom until now had been completely blind. It was his room alright, with it's pale white walls and cherrywood flooring, but something seemed out of place. Taking a step towards the window, he sensed an abnormaly powerful chakra flow bearing down on him. Lee spun around to be greeted by two seafoam eyes, ringed with black.
Gaara was looking at him with a slightly unnerving stare, but not the old one that was racked with murderous intent and hatred, instead it was replaced with a somewhat curious look.
Lee inched back, until he was pressed against the window, where the icy glass seemed to peirce his overheated back.
And then the most unexpected thing happened, Gaara vanished.
Lee awoke from his strange dream in a daze. Why had he dreamt of Sabaku No Gaara? Nothing seemed to make sense anymore, not since Lee, Shikamaru, Naruto and Hinata had been called out for a mission. Though, why the rest of his team-or their's for that matter-hadn't come too was a mystery to him.
Their mission had been to escort an important diplomat from Konohagakure to Sunagakure before the Dry Season started, because if it did before they arrived, they would'nt arrive at all.
The party was already down to their second last canteen of water, and if they ran out it would be as Shikamaru had put it 'rather troublesome', and noone seemed to like the idea of wandering aimlessly through the barren desert searching for an oasis.
Lee sighed at the perdiciment they had managed to squeeze themselves into. It was still a fairly long walk to Suna and Hinata was showing signs of heat exhaustion.
"But Shika!!!I'M THIRSTY!!!"Naruto wailed as Shikamaru grabbed the canteen he had been holding onto.
"We all are, but we need to save the rest for later!"Shikamaru said, whacking Naruto upside the head, "Don't be so selfish, and use your brain once in a while why don't you?"
Naruto managed a half decent dagger glare at the lazy boy who ignored it and placed the half empty canteen in the backpack containing their supplies.
Everyone was starting to get rather annoyed at everyone else, due to the severe heat and the constant removal of sand from places where the don't shine.
Lee felt it his duty to check up on Hinata every so often as Naruto and Shikamaru usualy forgot.
Hinata was sitting behind some large rock formations, their odd shape and general size creating some shade for her.
"Feeling any better?"Lee asked as he squated beside her.
The Hyuga shook her head, reaching for the other canteen and taking a small swig.
"Well, I hope you recover fast"Lee replied, posing with his thumb stuck out in an enthusiastic gesture.
Lee caught a small grin from the pale girl, who brushed her bangs away from her eyes.
"Hey, Lee, Hinata, we had better start moving!"Shikamaru called while Naruto helped their elderly charge to his feat.
Lee helped Hinata to her feet and they started a steady pace forward. If Lee was traveling by himself he could have made it to Sunagakure by now, but since he was accompanied by some not-as-fast-as-him ninja he was foced to stay under twenty miles per hour.
After an hour or so of walking in the smoldering heat of the desert, the gates of Suna came into view.
"Finally"Shikamaru said, wiping sweat from his forehead, "I though we'd never make it"
The small party quickened their pace at the thought of cool, refreshing water and a nice, soft bed.
"I can't w-walk anym-more"Hinata stuttered as she began to sway.
Lightning fast reflexes shot out to catch her and Lee carefully hauled her onto his back.
"C'mon already!"Lee shouted as the thought of food crossed his mind.
In under ten minutes they had reached the gate.
'Beutiful' is not the right word to describe Sunagakure, 'Crowded' 'Busy' and 'Hot' are better terms to use when talking about a village in the middle of the desert.
Suna was rather large, and the streets were filled with merchants and their stands, villagers and the ocassional guard. Everything seemed to be the color of sand and the shops didn't have air-conditioning but Suna did have many food stands.
"RAMEN!"Naruto shouted as he spotted a food stand advertising the ninja's favorite food.
"Make way for the Kazekage and his siblings!"People started to move to the sides of the streets as a guard announced the arival of their precious Kazekage.
Lee and the rest of the group also cleared towards the side, respecting the leader of The Wind Country.
Gaara walked behind the guard, his atire consisting of the blue-and-white Kazekage robe and hat. He looked quite uncomfortable and hot in the formal wear.
Temari and Kankuro walked slightly behind him, wearing their usual sannin gear.
Gaara's head was bowed, the visable red spikes poking out at odd angles under his hat. He didn't seem to really be paying attention to anything, or anyone for that matter.
The foursome made their way past the crowds of people, smiling respectfully at their leader. But when they approached Lee and the others, Gaara stopped.
"Kazekage-sama?"the guard asked, wondering why he had stopped.
Slowly, he lifted his head to fully meet their eyes. His gaze wandered over each in turn, pausing slightly when he got to Lee, remebering the damage that he had delt to him during the Chuunin Exams. When he had finished his examintion, he nodded to them slightly and continued on his way.
It was only until after Gaara had moved on, that Lee realized he had been holding his breath in fear. He let it out slowly and pulled the bandages around his arms a little tighter.
"Come"Lee looked up to see that the Kazekage had stopped again, waiting for them to follow. The five of them followed after Gaara's command. They seemed to be heading towards the Kazekage tower, where Gaara lived.
Once they had entered the building, Gaara dismissed the guard, who scuried out the building in a flash. Then Gaara set his gaze upon the diplomat.
"Temari, would you escort our guest to his living quarters"Gaara said in his usual monotone.
She nodded and beckoned for the elderly man to follow.
Once they were gone, Gaara settled his gaze back upon the others.
He approached Hinata, who had been placed in a chair after their arrival to the building.
She seemed to tense up a little as he approached her, but she didn't move.
"Kankuro, take her to the medinin, shes suffering from heat exhaustion"Kankuro obeyed his brother's order and helped Hinata out the door. That left the four of them all alone.
"Come, I'll show you to your rooms"Gaara said, walking over to the winding staircase, they obediantly followed him.
The hallway that the stairs led to was fairly long, having about eight doors on each side. Gaara moved to the first one on the left.
"This will be yours"he said, pointing at Naruto.
"Thanks"he said, smiling widly.
Naruto entered the room and left Shikamaru and Lee alone with Gaara.
"This one"Gaara said, approaching the second one on the right, "Is yours"he beckoned to Shikamaru, who walked in and landed with a 'thump' on the soft matress.
Lee and Gaara walked down to the end of the hallway, where the Kazekage opened the last door on the left.
"This is yours"he said, motioning for him to enter. Lee obeyed the silent command and walked into the room, bewildered by it's size.
"Dinner is in an hour"Gaara added, walking down the hall towards the stairs.
It was then that Lee realized just how late it was, the sun seemed to stay up alot later in Sunagakure than it ever did in Konoha.
He sighed and walked into the washroom, where he proceaded to strip himself of his sweat-soaken clothes and hop into the shower.
Lee turned on the cold water and it felt refreshing against his worn out and tired body. Grabbing the soap and a washcloth, he began to scrub at his body, trying desperetly to rid himself of all the dirt and sand stuck to him.
Once he was satisfied, he headed back over to his backpack, and pulled out a pair of green shorts and a white tunic. He sighed as he tossed his beloved jumpsuit into the laundry hamper.
It was then that the thought struck him, the Dry Season was just around the corner, meaning they would never make it home in time. Lee would have to spend a whole three months in Sunagakure. He was going to need some new clothes.
Lee was suuddenly snapped out of his thoughts by a knocking on the door. He hurried over to answer it.
"Lee-san, Dinner is ready"a guard said to him, beckoning for him to come downstairs. Lee nodded and followed the guard to the dinning room, where everyone was already seated.
"Hey Lee, those rooms are awesome, arn't they?!!?"Naruto stated, tearing a bun in half.
"Huh, oh yes"Lee replied absently. He glanced at the Kazekage, who sat opposite him.
"Good,"said Temari, "Since you'll be spending another three months in them"
"What!?!?"Naruto said, fork halfway to his mouth.
"The Dry Season,"Gaara said, "It starts the day after tomorrow"
"What a drag"Shikamaru commented, slouching back into his chair.
"You don't like it here?"Temari wondered aloud, as if that just didn't compute.
"This heat is gonna kill me"he complained, reaching for his glass of water.
"Oh, stop being such a pussy"Kankuro replied, rolling his eyes.
"Kankuro!"Temari said in a harsh voice, whacking him upside the head, "Be nice to our guests, they havn't lived here their whole lives"
Kankuro snorted, "Yeah, but once they get a taste of you, they won't wanna leave"
Temari turned a brilliant red and kicked her brother under the table as hard as she could.
"Ouch! Hey, thats gonna bruise"he remarked, rubbing his ankle.
Temari smirked, "Shut up"
Naruto started to snicker, but held back the histaracle laughter that was sure to follow.
Lee had finished his food long ago, after being out in that desert he had been famished and even the thought of food made him drool. But now, after eating his share, he stared across the table at Gaara, who hadn't, that Lee could see, even touched his chopsticks to his plate. Gaara was sitting with his head on his hand, absent mindedly twirling his chopsticks. The expressionless mask he always wore was on, and he seemed to be off in some far of universe that could only be the twisted, dark and gloomy caverns of his mind.
Temari seemed to have noticed to, after she had finished beating up her other brother.
"Gaara?"she asked sweetly, trying not to startle him.
The redhead jerked his head up at the metion of his name, he looked like he had just woken up in some far off place with strange new creatures after being asleap for a very long time.
"Are you feeling okay?"she asked, which would actually translate into: /Are you going to transform into an evil sand raccoon demon and kill us all?/
Gaara remained silent for a moment, before nodding.
Temari didn't look all that convinced, but she decided to change the subject.
"So, what are you all planning on doing tomorrow?"she asked sweetly.
"What exactly IS there to do in Suna?"Naruto asked, shoveling food into his mouth like a well-oiled machine.
"Lots, actually"Kankuro said, "Theres plenty of shops, you can train, or sleep. You might even decide to get a job, since you'll be staying here for a couple of months"
"Theres also a tavern about a five minute walk from here"Temari added, grinning.
"Is that all?"Naruto asked, sounding astonished. Not that he really thought Suna was going to be that great. "I think I'd rather sleep"
"Theres also the Suna Baths"Gaara said in his monotone, all the while poking at a dumpling on his plate.
"Suna Baths?"Lee asked, wondering what he was talking about. Lee had never once heard about Suna having public baths.
"Yup, Suna's famous for our hotprings"Temari said, sounding proud, "They are quite relaxing"
"Yup"Kankuro agreed happily.
"Can we go?"Hinata asked, hoping for a nice, warm bath.
Temari looked at Gaara, who was twirling his chopsticks once again.
"Gaara,"Temari said. The Kazekage looked up at her. "Do you want to come to?"
Gaara stared at her for a moment as if she had grown another head or some other monstrosity, but after what felt like an hour but was really only a minute or two he sighed.
"Why not?"he replied, returning his attention to his chopsticks.
"Great we'll go after dinner!"Temari said, sounding quite pleased.
The rest of the meal's conversation consisted of their travel through the desert, all the while Gaara was still walking the barren roads of his mind. Most likely trying to find a place where he could be content without having Shukaku pester him.
Lee felt bad for the Kazekage, he really did. Gaara never got to sleep, he was feared even as a child, he had never had a real friend and his father had tried to kill him several times. To never know love, or happiness, it made Lee sad to think of how Gaara's life was, and how it was always going to be.
That was before a brilliant idea struck him, /he/ would be Gaara's friend. If Gaara would let him get close to him, that is. Which Lee doubted, but hey, Gai-sensei had always told him to try, and if Lee didn't try, what exactly did that make him? Some sorry excuise for a decent human being? There was no way he's go down without a fight.
Lee looked up to be greeted by two seafoam eyes ringed in black, the unexpected movement caught him by surprise.
He smiled at the younger boy, hoping to spark a flame in their fire or friendship. Not that he expected a smile in return, Lee knew that Gaara was probably questioning his actions and trying to figure them out, with no results. But Lee thought he saw the slightest twich in the boys jaw.
Did Gaara, THE Gaara, just attempt to smile?!?!No, it could'nt be, it had to be a mussel spasm or something like that. There was no way that Gaara would have tried that.
"Lee?"Hinata said, sounding slightly concerned, "Are you alright?"
Lee nodded and reached for his glass of water, finding it empty. He sighed and waited patiently for the others to finish. And in about five minutes everyone had cleared their plate, except for Gaara, who had claimed he wasn't hungry.
The seven of them headed out, Lee, Hinata, Shikamaru and Naruto stayed in the back, since they had no idea where they were going. But soon enough they had reached a rather large hut of sand, steam was pratically dripping from the few windows that were to high up for peeking adolecences.
There was a heavily built man at the front, standing by the door. He had a clip-board in his hands.
Lee automaticaly walked to the back of the line, prepared for a long wait. But instead, Gaara simply stared at him the same way he had at Temari before grabbing him by the sleeve and pulling him to the very front.
"Oh, welcome Kazekage-sama. Please, go right in, your reserved room is ready"the burly man said, in an almost nervous voice.
Gaara nodded to him and proceeded to walk into the hut, the rest following him like puppies.
"What did he meen by reserved?"Naruto asked, sounding rather confused.
"Gaara's the Kazekage, so his private bathing area is always ready and he never has to wait in lines"Temari replied as if it were the simplest thing.
"Wait, his private bathing area, meaning theres only one bath? What about you and Hinata?"Lee asked, as the group walked down a long corridor. The building was alot larger in the inside.
"Oh, don't worry. Gaara can have whatever his cold little heart desires, they'll clear out a bath for them"Kankuro said, rather amused.
It didn't apear that Gaara had heard since he was to busy being as silent as Kakashi. His eyes seemed to be glazed over, as if deep in thought. Or more likely he was confronting a deep inner conflict for control.
Lee was worried about Gaara. He's been acting stranger than usual and througout the whole day it seemed he had been in that twisted little world of his. Was Shukaku attempting a breakout? Would Gaara transform any moment and devour them all? No, he had to have faith in the Kazekage, after all, he had been living with it for sixteen years now.
Wait a moment, sixteen? Gaara had been put in charge of an entire country at the age of sixteen?
Lee pondered what it would be like, to never have another carefree moment or youthful experience.
"I'll go talk to that guard there"Gaara said, wandering away from the group. When the man saw him, he saluted his leader.
"Kazekage-sama! So nice to see you, what brings you to the baths this fine evening?"the guard didn't seem afraid of Gaara, but then again with most people in Suna it was hard to tell.
"I need you to clear out another bath for my sister and our guest"he replied simply, gesturing behind him, where the others stood waiting.
"Oh, of course"the man said as if the Kazekage hadn't asked for anything more than a scrap of bread. "Right this way"
Temari and Hinata smiled and followed the man down the corridor and to the left.
The rest of them continued walking until they reached the end of the hallway, where there was a door. Gaara reached forward and opened the large, wooden door and walked in. The rest followed.
The first thing Lee noticed about the bathing area was that it was very big. The second was the air, which smelled quite heavily of lavender and rose petals.
"What's that smell?"Lee asked, pulling his shirt off.
"Afrodisiacts"Gaara replied simply, "There's a couples bath right beside mine"
"Oh"was all Lee said, turning slightly pink.
The boys undressed quickly and hopped into the large hotspring. The water didn't burn like the unforgiving desert heat, it soothed and felt good against Lee's skin. It was quite relaxing.
The room was silent and Lee looked around, puzzled. Everyone was staring at Gaara, who seemed to mind.
"What?"he barked, glaring daggers at them. Gaara did not enjoy being stared at as if he were some strange creature.
"You've lived here your whole life, yet you have no tanlines and your as white as the people from the snow country"Naruto said, looking rather puzzled himself.
"It's the sand armour"Gaara said, rather annoyed at the fact that people were questioning his skin tone. "It doesn't only protect me from attacks, you know"And with that he folded his arms over his chest and sunk down a little deeper into the water.
"So your saying you've worn that since you were a baby?"Shikamaru said, "Because if you didn't you'd atleast have a faint tan line"
Gaara glared at him and sighed, "The...him, he interferes with alot of things"
"Oh"was all Naruto said, deciding not ot meet his gaze.
It was then that Lee really looked at Gaara's skin. It was indeed exetremly white. The color reminded him of the pages in some of his older books; not quite white, but a faded sandstone.
When they had decided they were done, the boys got out of the water and dried off.
"Hopefully there're done to"Kankuro said, pulling his hood over his head.
"Hnn, well were're not waiting for them"Gaara replied, pulling the leather strap that harnessed his goard to him a little tighter.
The five walked down the corrodor and to the left. Shikamaru knocked on the door.
After a moment or two, the sound of a door being unlocked came from the other side. The door was then opened by a towel-clad Temari.
Gaara cleared his throat and motioned for them to get dressed. She nodded and closed the door.
They stood out in the hallway for a few minutes, completely and utterly bored until the two women opened the door and walked out, fully dressed.
"Oh, so you found your clothes this time, did you?"Kankuro said, smirking.
Temari glared daggers at him, "Shut up, you"
"What happened last time?"Lee asked, trying to get a conversation started.
"We went to the baths a few weeks ago and someone stole Temari's clothes, she had to wear a towel home. All the men outside the tavern were whistling and hooting at her"Kankuro explained, grinning like a mad man.
Shikamaru snorted and Naruto laughed until his sides hurt. Lee, once again, turned slightly pink.
"So anyways, how did you like the bath?"Temari asked, trying to change the subject.
"It was great!"Naruto said smiling a big, happy smile.
"Good, Hinata told me it felt better than anything she had ever done"Temari said, sounding pleased that her guests enjoyed Suna.
Kankuro snorted, "Then she must be a virgin"
Hinata blushed a dark red and sunk back behind Temari.
"Kankuro, if you keep pesturing our guests I'll be forced to harm you"Gaara said rather calmly.
"Why?"Kankuro asked, wondering why Gaara would care.
"Because"he said, "Temari said if you or I drove our guests crazy she wouldn't make dinner, and I don't know how to cook"
"Oh"Kankuro replied sheepishly.
"Besides, I'm pretty sure we're all virgins"Gaara said, eyeing his brother.
"Uhh, well"Kankuro stammered.
"Yeah, about that"Temari said, scratching the back of her neck.
Gaara stared at them. "You both discust me"
^^
A/N:Sadly, I have deleted my old story:By Your Side. I didn't like it and it was my friend's idea anyways(she no have e-mail:'(
But anywho, hope you enjoyed this chapyer, I'll update soon!(feel free to leave a review^^
-Nightsahdow
Opposites Attract
Lee glanced around the room like a person whom until now had been completely blind. It was his room alright, with it's pale white walls and cherrywood flooring, but something seemed out of place. Taking a step towards the window, he sensed an abnormaly powerful chakra flow bearing down on him. Lee spun around to be greeted by two seafoam eyes, ringed with black.
Gaara was looking at him with a slightly unnerving stare, but not the old one that was racked with murderous intent and hatred, instead it was replaced with a somewhat curious look.
Lee inched back, until he was pressed against the window, where the icy glass seemed to peirce his overheated back.
And then the most unexpected thing happened, Gaara vanished.
Lee awoke from his strange dream in a daze. Why had he dreamt of Sabaku No Gaara? Nothing seemed to make sense anymore, not since Lee, Shikamaru, Naruto and Hinata had been called out for a mission. Though, why the rest of his team-or their's for that matter-hadn't come too was a mystery to him.
Their mission had been to escort an important diplomat from Konohagakure to Sunagakure before the Dry Season started, because if it did before they arrived, they would'nt arrive at all.
The party was already down to their second last canteen of water, and if they ran out it would be as Shikamaru had put it 'rather troublesome', and noone seemed to like the idea of wandering aimlessly through the barren desert searching for an oasis.
Lee sighed at the perdiciment they had managed to squeeze themselves into. It was still a fairly long walk to Suna and Hinata was showing signs of heat exhaustion.
"But Shika!!!I'M THIRSTY!!!"Naruto wailed as Shikamaru grabbed the canteen he had been holding onto.
"We all are, but we need to save the rest for later!"Shikamaru said, whacking Naruto upside the head, "Don't be so selfish, and use your brain once in a while why don't you?"
Naruto managed a half decent dagger glare at the lazy boy who ignored it and placed the half empty canteen in the backpack containing their supplies.
Everyone was starting to get rather annoyed at everyone else, due to the severe heat and the constant removal of sand from places where the don't shine.
Lee felt it his duty to check up on Hinata every so often as Naruto and Shikamaru usualy forgot.
Hinata was sitting behind some large rock formations, their odd shape and general size creating some shade for her.
"Feeling any better?"Lee asked as he squated beside her.
The Hyuga shook her head, reaching for the other canteen and taking a small swig.
"Well, I hope you recover fast"Lee replied, posing with his thumb stuck out in an enthusiastic gesture.
Lee caught a small grin from the pale girl, who brushed her bangs away from her eyes.
"Hey, Lee, Hinata, we had better start moving!"Shikamaru called while Naruto helped their elderly charge to his feat.
Lee helped Hinata to her feet and they started a steady pace forward. If Lee was traveling by himself he could have made it to Sunagakure by now, but since he was accompanied by some not-as-fast-as-him ninja he was foced to stay under twenty miles per hour.
After an hour or so of walking in the smoldering heat of the desert, the gates of Suna came into view.
"Finally"Shikamaru said, wiping sweat from his forehead, "I though we'd never make it"
The small party quickened their pace at the thought of cool, refreshing water and a nice, soft bed.
"I can't w-walk anym-more"Hinata stuttered as she began to sway.
Lightning fast reflexes shot out to catch her and Lee carefully hauled her onto his back.
"C'mon already!"Lee shouted as the thought of food crossed his mind.
In under ten minutes they had reached the gate.
'Beutiful' is not the right word to describe Sunagakure, 'Crowded' 'Busy' and 'Hot' are better terms to use when talking about a village in the middle of the desert.
Suna was rather large, and the streets were filled with merchants and their stands, villagers and the ocassional guard. Everything seemed to be the color of sand and the shops didn't have air-conditioning but Suna did have many food stands.
"RAMEN!"Naruto shouted as he spotted a food stand advertising the ninja's favorite food.
"Make way for the Kazekage and his siblings!"People started to move to the sides of the streets as a guard announced the arival of their precious Kazekage.
Lee and the rest of the group also cleared towards the side, respecting the leader of The Wind Country.
Gaara walked behind the guard, his atire consisting of the blue-and-white Kazekage robe and hat. He looked quite uncomfortable and hot in the formal wear.
Temari and Kankuro walked slightly behind him, wearing their usual sannin gear.
Gaara's head was bowed, the visable red spikes poking out at odd angles under his hat. He didn't seem to really be paying attention to anything, or anyone for that matter.
The foursome made their way past the crowds of people, smiling respectfully at their leader. But when they approached Lee and the others, Gaara stopped.
"Kazekage-sama?"the guard asked, wondering why he had stopped.
Slowly, he lifted his head to fully meet their eyes. His gaze wandered over each in turn, pausing slightly when he got to Lee, remebering the damage that he had delt to him during the Chuunin Exams. When he had finished his examintion, he nodded to them slightly and continued on his way.
It was only until after Gaara had moved on, that Lee realized he had been holding his breath in fear. He let it out slowly and pulled the bandages around his arms a little tighter.
"Come"Lee looked up to see that the Kazekage had stopped again, waiting for them to follow. The five of them followed after Gaara's command. They seemed to be heading towards the Kazekage tower, where Gaara lived.
Once they had entered the building, Gaara dismissed the guard, who scuried out the building in a flash. Then Gaara set his gaze upon the diplomat.
"Temari, would you escort our guest to his living quarters"Gaara said in his usual monotone.
She nodded and beckoned for the elderly man to follow.
Once they were gone, Gaara settled his gaze back upon the others.
He approached Hinata, who had been placed in a chair after their arrival to the building.
She seemed to tense up a little as he approached her, but she didn't move.
"Kankuro, take her to the medinin, shes suffering from heat exhaustion"Kankuro obeyed his brother's order and helped Hinata out the door. That left the four of them all alone.
"Come, I'll show you to your rooms"Gaara said, walking over to the winding staircase, they obediantly followed him.
The hallway that the stairs led to was fairly long, having about eight doors on each side. Gaara moved to the first one on the left.
"This will be yours"he said, pointing at Naruto.
"Thanks"he said, smiling widly.
Naruto entered the room and left Shikamaru and Lee alone with Gaara.
"This one"Gaara said, approaching the second one on the right, "Is yours"he beckoned to Shikamaru, who walked in and landed with a 'thump' on the soft matress.
Lee and Gaara walked down to the end of the hallway, where the Kazekage opened the last door on the left.
"This is yours"he said, motioning for him to enter. Lee obeyed the silent command and walked into the room, bewildered by it's size.
"Dinner is in an hour"Gaara added, walking down the hall towards the stairs.
It was then that Lee realized just how late it was, the sun seemed to stay up alot later in Sunagakure than it ever did in Konoha.
He sighed and walked into the washroom, where he proceaded to strip himself of his sweat-soaken clothes and hop into the shower.
Lee turned on the cold water and it felt refreshing against his worn out and tired body. Grabbing the soap and a washcloth, he began to scrub at his body, trying desperetly to rid himself of all the dirt and sand stuck to him.
Once he was satisfied, he headed back over to his backpack, and pulled out a pair of green shorts and a white tunic. He sighed as he tossed his beloved jumpsuit into the laundry hamper.
It was then that the thought struck him, the Dry Season was just around the corner, meaning they would never make it home in time. Lee would have to spend a whole three months in Sunagakure. He was going to need some new clothes.
Lee was suuddenly snapped out of his thoughts by a knocking on the door. He hurried over to answer it.
"Lee-san, Dinner is ready"a guard said to him, beckoning for him to come downstairs. Lee nodded and followed the guard to the dinning room, where everyone was already seated.
"Hey Lee, those rooms are awesome, arn't they?!!?"Naruto stated, tearing a bun in half.
"Huh, oh yes"Lee replied absently. He glanced at the Kazekage, who sat opposite him.
"Good,"said Temari, "Since you'll be spending another three months in them"
"What!?!?"Naruto said, fork halfway to his mouth.
"The Dry Season,"Gaara said, "It starts the day after tomorrow"
"What a drag"Shikamaru commented, slouching back into his chair.
"You don't like it here?"Temari wondered aloud, as if that just didn't compute.
"This heat is gonna kill me"he complained, reaching for his glass of water.
"Oh, stop being such a pussy"Kankuro replied, rolling his eyes.
"Kankuro!"Temari said in a harsh voice, whacking him upside the head, "Be nice to our guests, they havn't lived here their whole lives"
Kankuro snorted, "Yeah, but once they get a taste of you, they won't wanna leave"
Temari turned a brilliant red and kicked her brother under the table as hard as she could.
"Ouch! Hey, thats gonna bruise"he remarked, rubbing his ankle.
Temari smirked, "Shut up"
Naruto started to snicker, but held back the histaracle laughter that was sure to follow.
Lee had finished his food long ago, after being out in that desert he had been famished and even the thought of food made him drool. But now, after eating his share, he stared across the table at Gaara, who hadn't, that Lee could see, even touched his chopsticks to his plate. Gaara was sitting with his head on his hand, absent mindedly twirling his chopsticks. The expressionless mask he always wore was on, and he seemed to be off in some far of universe that could only be the twisted, dark and gloomy caverns of his mind.
Temari seemed to have noticed to, after she had finished beating up her other brother.
"Gaara?"she asked sweetly, trying not to startle him.
The redhead jerked his head up at the metion of his name, he looked like he had just woken up in some far off place with strange new creatures after being asleap for a very long time.
"Are you feeling okay?"she asked, which would actually translate into: /Are you going to transform into an evil sand raccoon demon and kill us all?/
Gaara remained silent for a moment, before nodding.
Temari didn't look all that convinced, but she decided to change the subject.
"So, what are you all planning on doing tomorrow?"she asked sweetly.
"What exactly IS there to do in Suna?"Naruto asked, shoveling food into his mouth like a well-oiled machine.
"Lots, actually"Kankuro said, "Theres plenty of shops, you can train, or sleep. You might even decide to get a job, since you'll be staying here for a couple of months"
"Theres also a tavern about a five minute walk from here"Temari added, grinning.
"Is that all?"Naruto asked, sounding astonished. Not that he really thought Suna was going to be that great. "I think I'd rather sleep"
"Theres also the Suna Baths"Gaara said in his monotone, all the while poking at a dumpling on his plate.
"Suna Baths?"Lee asked, wondering what he was talking about. Lee had never once heard about Suna having public baths.
"Yup, Suna's famous for our hotprings"Temari said, sounding proud, "They are quite relaxing"
"Yup"Kankuro agreed happily.
"Can we go?"Hinata asked, hoping for a nice, warm bath.
Temari looked at Gaara, who was twirling his chopsticks once again.
"Gaara,"Temari said. The Kazekage looked up at her. "Do you want to come to?"
Gaara stared at her for a moment as if she had grown another head or some other monstrosity, but after what felt like an hour but was really only a minute or two he sighed.
"Why not?"he replied, returning his attention to his chopsticks.
"Great we'll go after dinner!"Temari said, sounding quite pleased.
The rest of the meal's conversation consisted of their travel through the desert, all the while Gaara was still walking the barren roads of his mind. Most likely trying to find a place where he could be content without having Shukaku pester him.
Lee felt bad for the Kazekage, he really did. Gaara never got to sleep, he was feared even as a child, he had never had a real friend and his father had tried to kill him several times. To never know love, or happiness, it made Lee sad to think of how Gaara's life was, and how it was always going to be.
That was before a brilliant idea struck him, /he/ would be Gaara's friend. If Gaara would let him get close to him, that is. Which Lee doubted, but hey, Gai-sensei had always told him to try, and if Lee didn't try, what exactly did that make him? Some sorry excuise for a decent human being? There was no way he's go down without a fight.
Lee looked up to be greeted by two seafoam eyes ringed in black, the unexpected movement caught him by surprise.
He smiled at the younger boy, hoping to spark a flame in their fire or friendship. Not that he expected a smile in return, Lee knew that Gaara was probably questioning his actions and trying to figure them out, with no results. But Lee thought he saw the slightest twich in the boys jaw.
Did Gaara, THE Gaara, just attempt to smile?!?!No, it could'nt be, it had to be a mussel spasm or something like that. There was no way that Gaara would have tried that.
"Lee?"Hinata said, sounding slightly concerned, "Are you alright?"
Lee nodded and reached for his glass of water, finding it empty. He sighed and waited patiently for the others to finish. And in about five minutes everyone had cleared their plate, except for Gaara, who had claimed he wasn't hungry.
The seven of them headed out, Lee, Hinata, Shikamaru and Naruto stayed in the back, since they had no idea where they were going. But soon enough they had reached a rather large hut of sand, steam was pratically dripping from the few windows that were to high up for peeking adolecences.
There was a heavily built man at the front, standing by the door. He had a clip-board in his hands.
Lee automaticaly walked to the back of the line, prepared for a long wait. But instead, Gaara simply stared at him the same way he had at Temari before grabbing him by the sleeve and pulling him to the very front.
"Oh, welcome Kazekage-sama. Please, go right in, your reserved room is ready"the burly man said, in an almost nervous voice.
Gaara nodded to him and proceeded to walk into the hut, the rest following him like puppies.
"What did he meen by reserved?"Naruto asked, sounding rather confused.
"Gaara's the Kazekage, so his private bathing area is always ready and he never has to wait in lines"Temari replied as if it were the simplest thing.
"Wait, his private bathing area, meaning theres only one bath? What about you and Hinata?"Lee asked, as the group walked down a long corridor. The building was alot larger in the inside.
"Oh, don't worry. Gaara can have whatever his cold little heart desires, they'll clear out a bath for them"Kankuro said, rather amused.
It didn't apear that Gaara had heard since he was to busy being as silent as Kakashi. His eyes seemed to be glazed over, as if deep in thought. Or more likely he was confronting a deep inner conflict for control.
Lee was worried about Gaara. He's been acting stranger than usual and througout the whole day it seemed he had been in that twisted little world of his. Was Shukaku attempting a breakout? Would Gaara transform any moment and devour them all? No, he had to have faith in the Kazekage, after all, he had been living with it for sixteen years now.
Wait a moment, sixteen? Gaara had been put in charge of an entire country at the age of sixteen?
Lee pondered what it would be like, to never have another carefree moment or youthful experience.
"I'll go talk to that guard there"Gaara said, wandering away from the group. When the man saw him, he saluted his leader.
"Kazekage-sama! So nice to see you, what brings you to the baths this fine evening?"the guard didn't seem afraid of Gaara, but then again with most people in Suna it was hard to tell.
"I need you to clear out another bath for my sister and our guest"he replied simply, gesturing behind him, where the others stood waiting.
"Oh, of course"the man said as if the Kazekage hadn't asked for anything more than a scrap of bread. "Right this way"
Temari and Hinata smiled and followed the man down the corridor and to the left.
The rest of them continued walking until they reached the end of the hallway, where there was a door. Gaara reached forward and opened the large, wooden door and walked in. The rest followed.
The first thing Lee noticed about the bathing area was that it was very big. The second was the air, which smelled quite heavily of lavender and rose petals.
"What's that smell?"Lee asked, pulling his shirt off.
"Afrodisiacts"Gaara replied simply, "There's a couples bath right beside mine"
"Oh"was all Lee said, turning slightly pink.
The boys undressed quickly and hopped into the large hotspring. The water didn't burn like the unforgiving desert heat, it soothed and felt good against Lee's skin. It was quite relaxing.
The room was silent and Lee looked around, puzzled. Everyone was staring at Gaara, who seemed to mind.
"What?"he barked, glaring daggers at them. Gaara did not enjoy being stared at as if he were some strange creature.
"You've lived here your whole life, yet you have no tanlines and your as white as the people from the snow country"Naruto said, looking rather puzzled himself.
"It's the sand armour"Gaara said, rather annoyed at the fact that people were questioning his skin tone. "It doesn't only protect me from attacks, you know"And with that he folded his arms over his chest and sunk down a little deeper into the water.
"So your saying you've worn that since you were a baby?"Shikamaru said, "Because if you didn't you'd atleast have a faint tan line"
Gaara glared at him and sighed, "The...him, he interferes with alot of things"
"Oh"was all Naruto said, deciding not ot meet his gaze.
It was then that Lee really looked at Gaara's skin. It was indeed exetremly white. The color reminded him of the pages in some of his older books; not quite white, but a faded sandstone.
When they had decided they were done, the boys got out of the water and dried off.
"Hopefully there're done to"Kankuro said, pulling his hood over his head.
"Hnn, well were're not waiting for them"Gaara replied, pulling the leather strap that harnessed his goard to him a little tighter.
The five walked down the corrodor and to the left. Shikamaru knocked on the door.
After a moment or two, the sound of a door being unlocked came from the other side. The door was then opened by a towel-clad Temari.
Gaara cleared his throat and motioned for them to get dressed. She nodded and closed the door.
They stood out in the hallway for a few minutes, completely and utterly bored until the two women opened the door and walked out, fully dressed.
"Oh, so you found your clothes this time, did you?"Kankuro said, smirking.
Temari glared daggers at him, "Shut up, you"
"What happened last time?"Lee asked, trying to get a conversation started.
"We went to the baths a few weeks ago and someone stole Temari's clothes, she had to wear a towel home. All the men outside the tavern were whistling and hooting at her"Kankuro explained, grinning like a mad man.
Shikamaru snorted and Naruto laughed until his sides hurt. Lee, once again, turned slightly pink.
"So anyways, how did you like the bath?"Temari asked, trying to change the subject.
"It was great!"Naruto said smiling a big, happy smile.
"Good, Hinata told me it felt better than anything she had ever done"Temari said, sounding pleased that her guests enjoyed Suna.
Kankuro snorted, "Then she must be a virgin"
Hinata blushed a dark red and sunk back behind Temari.
"Kankuro, if you keep pesturing our guests I'll be forced to harm you"Gaara said rather calmly.
"Why?"Kankuro asked, wondering why Gaara would care.
"Because"he said, "Temari said if you or I drove our guests crazy she wouldn't make dinner, and I don't know how to cook"
"Oh"Kankuro replied sheepishly.
"Besides, I'm pretty sure we're all virgins"Gaara said, eyeing his brother.
"Uhh, well"Kankuro stammered.
"Yeah, about that"Temari said, scratching the back of her neck.
Gaara stared at them. "You both discust me"
^^
A/N:Sadly, I have deleted my old story:By Your Side. I didn't like it and it was my friend's idea anyways(she no have e-mail:'(
But anywho, hope you enjoyed this chapyer, I'll update soon!(feel free to leave a review^^
-Nightsahdow
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