Hero

Ok I just want to say one thing before you all start reading this next chapter…THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I was having a bad day but when I got home and read your reviews it made me feel better! So thanks so much again for your support and compliments!!! That’s all!

Enjoy!!!! =^^=

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Gaara!”

The redhead inclined his head slightly at the voice from the hospital room’s doorway. His jade eyes fell upon the only person other then Lee that he actually enjoyed being around, Naruto.

“Oh…what happened to fuzzy eyebrows?” The blond stepped fully in the small room and closed the door softly behind him as if the slight noise would disturb Lee from his sleep.

Gaara had only spared the other boy a slight glance before returning his intense gaze to the object of his guilty conscience. He didn’t reply to Naruto’s question, he knew the nin would understand he wasn’t in the mood to talk about it.

“It doesn’t look bad at all! He’s been through a lot worse when you….” The blond immediately shut his big mouth and looked nervously at Gaara as he caught the Kazekage’s pained wince. He hadn’t meant to but he had successful hit Gaara below the belt…hard.

“I went too far.” Gaara said indifferently continuing to stare down at Lee with a face set in stone but on the inside…he was crying.

“Nahhhh I bet Lee would be happy you tried your best other wise he’d think you pitied him and didn’t take him seriously.” Naruto shrugged and placed his ‘get well soon’ card on the small table next to Lee’s bed, next to a few flowers his other friends had sent.

The words did nothing to sooth his inner depression because he knew Naruto didn’t know what had really happened. Lee wasn’t wounded in battle but while he was protecting his teacher from Gaara’s stupid jealousy.

“He’ll never forgive me.” Gaara muttered mask still intact but only just.

Naruto spun around at hearing that he hated when people gave up it drove the blond crazy.

Naruto’s mind flashed back to when Lee was making his painful recovery…

***

“Lee I’m so sorry…” Naruto had walked tensely over to the green nin as he was looking into his reflection in the river from a small bridge just outside of Konoha.

Lee looked up surprised at his sudden company before smiling warmly at Naruto.

“For what Naruto-kun?” He limped a bit forward to meet Naruto half way across the bridge.

“For what Gaara did to you!” His teeth grit as he remembered his battle with the redhead…oh how he wanted to finish it.

“I don’t blame Gaara.” Lee said confused at his friend’s angry tone of voice.

“What?!” Naruto jerked his eyes down to Lee’s mangled arm and then to his leg, they were literally shattered.

“It was a battle and I chose to fight it, I hold no grudges. Plus Gaara is a great ninja it was a honor to face such a strong foe.” Lee smiled again and flashed his ‘Nice Guy Pose.’

Naruto looked at Lee stunned for a moment before laughing hysterically.

“Your weird fuzzy eyebrows!”

Lee just shrugged and laughed with Naruto.

***
“Don’t say that! Lee talks about you all the time! So how could he not forgive you when he speaks so highly of you?” Naruto walked beside the stunned redhead with his hands on his hips angrily. “Plus he’s not so shallow to hold a grudge agenized an injury inflicted by accident!” With a huff Naruto turned back to the unconscious Lee, annoyed that Gaara had underestimated Lee’s big heart.

Gaara said nothing for a long time and Naruto was just about to leave when the sound of the sand nin’s voice stopped him.

“Does he really talk….highly of me..?” Gaara’s voice was still indifferent but Naruto knew the boy well enough that his answer meant everything to him.

“Yeah…he really does.” With that he pulled open the door and walked out before gently closing it.


Gaara sat there in a wooden chair beside Lee until it became dark outside, all the time thinking critically on what Naruto had said. He felt both miserable and great at the same time. He felt good because what Naruto had said about Lee talking highly of him, and miserable because despite the fact Lee didn’t hold grudges that didn’t change the fact that Lee was laying injured and unconscious in a hospital bed.

Despite the bad Gaara couldn’t help but let his mind run with the idea of Lee thinking about him and talking well of him. This was something that to the redhead was alien…someone actually not hating or blaming him in some way. Even his village feared and still held a grudge agenized him regardless of his heroic act in sacrificing himself to save them awhile back from that demon collecting group. There were girls who fawned over him…yes but only because they were power hungry and only took notice in him for his wealth and fame.

Gaara was so sick of fake people… so sick of indifference to protect himself from people’s cruelties. He just wanted someone to want him…someone to tell him he wasn’t as horrible as everyone believed him to be…someone who if given the chance wouldn’t kill him without a second thought or regret. The Kazekage looked down again at Lee in a desperate expression.

The moon had risen and even though it wasn’t as full as a few nights back it still gave off a bright silvery light that filled the dark room with its dreamlike glow. Gaara smiled innerly as he remembered his and Lee’s time on the roof watching the winter storm and full moon as he had held the green nin.

Lee’s face was illuminated in the moon’s luminosity and to Gaara there was nothing more beautiful then what he saw right then. He felt that old pain in his heart as he continued to stare down at his object of desire... how he wanted him…

Someone who will want me…

He reached out with steady fingers and gently cupped Lee’s warm cheek and he leaned slightly over the smaller boy who was still fast asleep.

Someone to tell him he wasn’t a monster…

He leaned forward until his face was hovering just over Lee’s peaceful one and he wondered absently if Lee would be afraid of him if he were to wake up and see what he
was about to do…


Someone who would be filled with sorrow and regret if he were to parish…


His lips lightly brushed Lee’s collar bone before he pressed them down a bit harder.


Someone…..who could…..


Gaara finally reached his destination…he ghosted his lips over Lee’s ever so slighly.


If Lee could just…want him….like Gaara wanted him…

Lee’s eyes opened slowly as he felt someone pressing agenized him faintly, he was so groggy that at first he couldn’t understand what was happening. A flash of black fabric and a light caress on his cheek only confused him more…then his eyes met a pair of sea green one’s and he distantly put a name to the person who was touching him so lovingly….then the odd feeling of something soft brushing over his lips and hands were placed on his chest as the brushing sensation on his lips increased to a firm and passionate caressing.

‘Gaara?’


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ugh I know another evil cliff hanger…so sorry! I’ll update soon as I always do =^^= I really hope you all are enjoying it so far!!! R&R =^^=