Chapter 6

“You’re sure about this, Gaara?” Lee asked for at least the fifth time. They were waiting at a bus stop they’d walked to from Lee’s old house. Gaara sighed before answering this time.

“You can ask that question however many times you want to, Lee. The answer will not change. Yes, I am quite sure.” Gaara looked at Lee, who only muttered out an apology for asking so many times.

“It just seems too good to be true. I feel like I’m going to wake up and be back in the hospital, or in my bed at the apartment.” Lee said, smiling. “There’s no way I could thank you enough, Gaara.”

“I just didn’t want my only friend living in such a place, is all.” Gaara replied, still not used to referring to Lee as his ‘friend’. But that’s what he was. Gaara may not have ever had a friend before, but he decided this is what friendship should’ve felt like. What he and Lee shared had to be friendship. There was no other way to explain the strange mix of emotions they felt around one another.

Lee’s smile only widened at the remark. He couldn’t stop smiling, ever since Gaara had said they were friends. Grinning like a fool he could barely think, he was so happy. They were quite the pair, when looked at from afar. They looked odd, one with his arm in a sling, the other carrying an arm full of books along with a backpack and gym bag. Their story was interesting, of how they’d come to be there, at that moment. People could only speculate the actual circumstances.

The sun was getting closer and closer to setting, and neither of them knew the actual time, since they didn’t have a watch. They could have asked someone, but they didn’t. They had decided to take the bus as a compromise. They’d take the bus to the area where Gaara’s house was and walk from there. Since, according to Gaara, his house was still rather far from any sort of bus stop. Gaara had insisted on the bus, since Lee had so much to carry. Lee had agreed because he didn’t want Gaara walking so much with his injury, even though it had nothing to do with his legs.

The bus pulled up slowly but surely, only a few minutes late. Lee had to fish around in his backpack for some change since Gaara didn’t have almost anything with him. Come to think of it, even the clothes he was wearing weren’t actually his. He’d have to remember to give Naruto his clothes back tomorrow.

“Here ya go.” The bus driver said as he handed Lee their bus tickets. Gaara didn’t understand why they needed tickets for the bus, so Lee explained to him that they were used to transfer onto other buses without having to pay over and over again the same day.

They chose seats closer to the back, Lee using an empty seat to set their stuff down on. He told himself he could fit it all in his lap if the bus got too crowded, though. They sat in a peaceful silence for a while, since the clatter of the bus and other people’s conversations made enough noise. It seemed as though it’d be a peaceful undisturbed bus ride, until they were recognized.

“Gaara? Gaara Sabaku?” A girl said, approaching them from a seat in the front. She took the seat next to Gaara, a huge smile upon her lips, her messy brown hair almost completely covering her eyes. “I heard you were in the hospital!” The girl looked at him as if he should know her. Did he know her? He didn’t think so. But she probably knew him; maybe she was one of his admirers?

“Hey, Matsuri!” Lee said, leaning forward to wave at her from the other side of Gaara. He knew her from a community service club they’d been in together. He also knew she had the biggest crush on Gaara out of all of his fan girls.

“Oh, hi Lee! I didn’t even see you there, with all that stuff in front of you.” She said politely, noticeably not half as excited to see him, as she was to see Gaara. Lee just smiled in reply, not having much to say. Gaara still had no idea who this girl was, except that Lee seemed to know her and her name must have been ‘Matsuri’. What an odd name, he thought.

“What happened to your arm, Gaara?” She said, almost touching it before Gaara moved away. He didn’t know this girl, he didn’t want to know her, and therefore he saw no point in talking to her. Luckily for him, Lee was there to talk for him.

“Ah, it’s from his accident, you know? You said you heard about him being in the hospital?” Lee replied, ready and willing to talk in Gaara’s stead. He could tell by the look Gaara was giving the girl he obviously didn’t know her or didn’t like her. For a moment he thought of how sad that was, since she was so obsessed with his existence, yet he didn’t even recognize hers.

“Oh yes, I heard it was a terrible accident. Gaara even missed school these past couple of days.” She replied, and now Lee felt a little hurt. So no one knew about how he saved Gaara? Or was she just omitting that fact from her reply? She didn’t really care for any sort of information that wasn’t related to Gaara. She was a lot like how Sakura was towards Sasuke, not even bothering to think about anyone but the one they admired.

“Yes, we just got out of the hospital.” Lee said, not knowing how else to talk to her. Gaara was still not interested and just sat there. He didn’t know this woman, but she knew him, and Lee knew her. How did Lee know her? He was acting a bit awkwardly, but that’s how he always acted. Yet… could it be that he liked her? No, preposterous, if Lee liked anyone, it was the pink haired one. But the way they continued to talk, Gaara was feeling a bit… jealous. That was the word for it, he didn’t want them talking anymore. He didn’t even realize they were talking about him.

“…So you’re the one who took him to the hospital, Lee?” Matsuri asked, Lee having just explained how they ended up in the hospital together. He nodded, happy to reminisce about how he had helped Gaara.

The bus was pulling to a stop, there were few people getting on, a couple getting off. Suddenly, Gaara stood to leave, deciding this upon impulse. He’d rationalize his actions later.

“Oh, I guess this is our stop. I’ll see you later, Matsuri.” Lee said, as he quickly gathered all of their things, stumbling to get out of the bus before it took off again. After he was safely off the bus with Gaara he balanced all of the items he was carrying.

“Bye, Gaara!” They heard Matsuri yell from the bus window. Gaara just gave her a cold stare, Lee wanting to wave, but his hands were very much full.

Gaara started to walk towards his house. He knew they could have taken the bus for a bit longer, but he hadn’t wanted to hear that girl talk any longer. She had annoyed him to no end.

“Is your house close to here?” Lee asked, looking around curiously. It didn’t look like they were very close to the rich suburban area of the city.

“Close enough.” Gaara replied, not sure of how to explain himself. But Lee took this answer without any questions. Gaara was beginning to see how people could say Lee’s ability to trust in others was a fault. He didn’t think it was so much of a fault as it was a naïve belief that nobody lies. Reality was quite the opposite, but he was sure Lee was aware of that and he just held onto his beliefs anyway. Noble, but not so intelligent of a decision.

“Hey Gaara.” Lee started, making sure he had Gaara’s attention before continuing. “Did you know that girl?” Lee asked, actually wanting to know. He thought it sad when Gaara shook his head in response.

“Not really. I recognize her, but nothing more. She seems to know me, though.” Gaara replied. He turned to wait at a crosswalk, since they’d need to be on the other side of the street sooner or later. They didn’t talk while crossing the street, the hum of the cars motors a little too loud to try and talk over. But then Lee picked the conversation right back up.

“Yeah, she knows you. I think you two had some classes together last year, didn’t you?” Lee asked, hoping now that Gaara would remember. He thought it really depressing that her world revolved around him and he couldn’t even remember her name.

“How should I know?” Gaara answered, knowing that Lee probably knew everyone in all of his classes, but it wasn’t the same for him. Rarely did he even participate in class, let alone get to know his classmates. “A better question is why do you care so much?” Gaara let that one slip, actually not making a conscious effort to say it aloud. Lee’s attention to the girl only made the small bit of jealously he had felt fester and grow.

“Gaara, that girl, Matsuri, she was, is, in love with you.” Lee managed to stutter out, blushing as if he were confessing his own love.

Gaara paused. That wasn’t the answer he had been expecting. For a moment he just looked at Lee, discerning his sincerity. Lee wasn’t messing with him or lying, he never did either of the two. But it looked as though he had his information mixed up.

“There’s a big difference between ‘love’ and ‘obsession,’ Lee.” Gaara retorted. He knew there where many girls who probably claimed to ‘love’ him. But it wasn’t really love, they barely even knew him.

“I know, but she’s a little different from the other girls who like you. Did you know you two have shared classes on and off since you were little?” Lee made a comeback, feeling a little awkward talking about this.

“No, and I wonder how you would know that.” Gaara answered, giving Lee a questioning glance. How did Lee know so much about him? He didn’t know half as much about Lee.

“She talks about you constantly. I was the only one who would listen so I ended up being her partner in all of our clubs activities.” Lee said. It was true, the only person who could stand to hear so much about Gaara was him, and that’s because he had secretly wanted to know. Everyone else had thought he was just being nice, like always.  

“And how could we share classes? I switched schools quite a few times.” Gaara asked, now a bit freaked out. This girl just seemed an obsessed admirer, through and through.

“So did she, her family moved a lot. She told me it was fate, destiny, or something that you’d always ended up together.” Lee answered, feeling even more awkward. Why was he still talking? He felt like he was revealing a secret. But he thought Gaara should finally be clued in, since everyone else knew about it. Everyone except him, it seemed. Gaara hadn’t had a clue.

“That’s…a bit frightening to tell you the truth.” Gaara commented. He didn’t find the idea of it all romantic in the slightest. Some people might have said it was destiny, but he just thought of it as odd.

“Still,” Gaara started, deciding to turn away from the stalker talk, “it isn’t love she feels for me.” Just a very creepy crush, Gaara thought.

“How do you know?” Lee asked, not rudely or sarcastically, but really wanting to know. This conversation, learning what turned Gaara away from people, just might help Lee in his secret quest later on.

“Because, we’ve never held a conversation. Ever. When I think about it maybe I’ve said a handful of words to her over the years. Never a conversation, like the one we share at this moment.” Gaara paused, for some reason Lee knew he wasn’t done so he just waited for him to continue.

After a few more moments of silence Gaara finally found the right words to say. “She cannot be in love with me, if she can’t even speak with me. I cannot say she doesn’t know me, for she obviously does. But there is a difference between knowing someone and actually having a possible relationship.” He paused once more before finishing, “And that’s what love is for her, a possible relationship, which it shouldn’t be. That’s not what love is at all.”

It was the most he had ever said on the subject, and Gaara felt it might have been the most he’d ever said period. He didn’t like talking, normally, yet he was being quite the conversationalist. Maybe it was his just having been released from the hospital, or his sudden epiphany on what that girl really felt, but most likely it was the presence of the guy next to him. He found himself, as time went by, acting less and less like himself, around Lee. Was it a bad thing? It didn’t feel bad or wrong, just different. And he wasn’t an idiot who believed change was always bad. He’d just never really changed, and he had never thought there would be a reason to. Yet, maybe it was what he’d needed all along.

“You’re right.” Lee finally commented, because there wasn’t much else he could say. Gaara had made his point, and his point was a reputable one. They continued for a bit in silence, both just drinking in their surroundings, observing everything absent-mindedly. The area was going from stores and businesses to houses and condominiums, the streetlights farther and farther apart with more side streets in between. Gaara knew the area well, since he’d always been one to go for a walk when his mind needed clearing. Lee usually ran to clear his mind, but it didn’t need much clearing and he was usually running, anyway.

“Much farther?” Lee asked, not because he was tired, just because he was curious.

“No, we’re almost there.” Gaara answered, leading them down a few more side streets until they started to pass houses so large and ridiculously furnished that they were fit to be on MTVs ‘Cribs.’

Lee was excited, nervous, and honored all at the same time. The thought of living with Gaara, in a house like one of these, was enough to make his head spin. High off life, people said, and though Lee had never been high, he decided this is what it would feel like. He was so happy he could have busted into song and dance, could have started laughing without reason. But there was a reason, he was so happy, so relieved, that he was sure it had to all be a dream. A very real, sensuous dream, a fantasy, a daydream, something. It was too good to be true. Way too good to be true. He felt light headed and bubbly, he wanted to laugh aloud, but Gaara wouldn’t have appreciated that.

“Thank you so much, Gaara.” Lee chirped happily, and his comment seemed to come out of nowhere in Gaara’s mind. But Gaara nodded, muttering that it wasn’t a problem.

“We’ll go get you new clothes tomorrow. And a gym suit to replace the one I ruined.” Gaara said, knowing they could go to get the clothes after school, on the way home. Home, he had dreaded the place before, had never really wanted to be there. It was so big, spacious, and empty, a constant reminder of how alone he was. Secretly he’d always wanted to bring some sort of animal home, to try and lessen the oppressive, lonely atmosphere. Bringing Lee home was a bit like that, and with Lee acting the way he was Gaara could almost see Lee’s non-existent tail wagging.

“I do not need much, what I have with me is most of my wardrobe, anyway. I usually just wash them often enough so I do not have to buy more.” Lee replied eventually, a little sheepishly. He really didn’t own much; he’d never stop to think about how little he had, he had always just moved forward with what little he did have.

“All the more reason to get you something new.” Gaara said. He didn’t know how to feel about buying all of this stuff for Lee, housing him. He didn’t think of Lee as a pet, even though he’d silently made that tail remark. He wasn’t his ‘sugar daddy’ or whatever those people were called that gave money to their lovers. He wasn’t his parent, which would usually be the one buying these sorts of things. He just wanted to buy Lee things and make his life better. Because, well, in a sort of sense Lee had made his life better, for if Lee hadn’t intervened he wouldn’t be here. Gaara was no longer angry over the matter; he accepted it, because it was the past. There was no use in denying the past unless you had a time machine, and he didn’t have one of those. He wasn’t thankful to Lee for saving his life, he was thankful to him for saving his sanity. Lee had given him the one thing money didn’t really buy, companionship. So Gaara thought it a meager attempt to repay him by giving him the things money could buy.

“Thank you, Gaara.” Lee said again. Lee wasn’t sure how many times he’d say it, but he was so grateful. He felt a bit sad, since he couldn’t hug Gaara to express his gratitude, he couldn’t really do anything for Gaara, and Gaara was doing everything for him. All of his dreams were coming true and more. He’d just wanted Gaara to tolerate him, maybe sometimes speak with him and such. Instead he got all of this. It was more than he could really comprehend. He would do anything for Gaara, but he’d already felt that way before. What was more than ‘anything and everything’? He didn’t know, but he owed Gaara big time.

“You don’t have to thank me for everything.” Gaara commented, and he decided to keep a mental note of how many times Lee thanked him.

“Ah, I am sorry.” Lee replied with a blush.

“Or apologize for everything.” Gaara added.

“Oh, I am… I mean, okay.” Lee said, his face a bit more crimson and his 100-watt smile still staying strong.

Gaara knew they were close to his house, and started to wonder how Lee would react. It was awfully big, and he was already looking at these smaller houses agape and awestruck. Maybe he’d faint very girlishly, Gaara joked in his mind. They were now walking up a not so steep hill, but the mansion was atop it, and would soon be in view. Gaara decided he wouldn’t point it out; he’d just walk up to the gates and get them through, having Lee follow him with his jaw on the floor. They were the richest family in the area, and his father had enjoyed flaunting that.

When they reached the top of the hill Gaara started to cross the street towards his home, Lee following behind, and just as Gaara had predicted, he was too amazed to say anything. He assumed it was Gaara’s house, the way he made a beeline for the gate. Gaara was already announcing that they were there through the speaker before Lee was even out of the street.

“Home sweet home, Lee.” Gaara teased, and Lee couldn’t look away, from Gaara or the house.

Lee’s reaction took Gaara by surprise when Lee suddenly fell to the ground. Gaara thought for a moment that maybe he had fainted, but he was scrambling to pick up everything he’d dropped in an instant. He’d tripped on the curb and executed a perfect face plant, nosebleed and all.

Lee looked up once he’d gathered everything in his arms again to see Gaara, concealing what might have been a chuckle, if that wasn’t way too out of character to be possible. He must have been coughing or something, for he surely wasn’t laughing. Was he?

Gaara couldn’t help it, it came a second nature. He’d never actually seen someone do something so foolish, so goofy. He didn’t want to laugh at Lee, but the small fit of chuckling was too strong. He tried to hide it, but couldn’t. It passed almost as quickly as it had come, but Lee caught a glimpse of the small smile that lurked under Gaara’s hand, which he was trying to hide his face with.

“Hey, I saw that!” Lee exclaimed merrily. He’d seen Gaara’s real smile. Not that smirk he gave out sometimes, but a real, almost boyish smile. Lee didn’t even realize his nose was bleeding all over his face, making him look even sillier. Lee stood up quickly, smiling, his lips and teeth turning red from blood.

“I’ll fall on my face more often if I can get you to do that again.” Lee said excitedly as they made their way through the now open gates and up to the house. Lee saw that Gaara still glowed a bit from the tiny fit of laughter. It’d been the most precious thing Lee had ever seen. He’d do anything to make Gaara smile like that more often.

Gaara had gotten control of himself and let out a small sigh; that had taken a bit out of him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed, if he had laughed before. “No, Lee. That’d be wasting a perfectly good face.” It wasn’t until then that Lee realized his face was leaking blood, because it had started to run down his neck. He touched his mouth and his fingers came back red.

“Where am I bleeding from?” Lee asked, a little frightened. He didn’t like blood very much, and he was surprised he hadn’t realized he was bleeding before. Gaara’s smile must have distracted him.

“Your nose, it doesn’t look broken, though. I think you scraped it.” Gaara said, looking at Lee as he tried to keep the blood in his face by pressing his hands to it. “We’ll fix it as soon as we get inside.” Lee nodded, covering his face from the nose down with both hands.

It’d taken them awhile, probably a bit longer than it should have, but they had arrived. The sky was just turning purple, the last of the suns rays disappearing in the distance, so they’d barely made it before nightfall.

Lee was still holding his face as they waited on the doorstep in a very large patio. The walkway was made of white marble, Lee observed, which just made him more worried about dripping blood on it. Gaara said it was okay, someone would clean it up. But Lee really didn’t want to bother anyone more than he had to.

A maid, in full uniform, answered the door. Gaara didn’t like having so much help, so they only had a select few servants left from when their father was alive. This maid in particular was one of his favorites, since she never asked questions and got her job done in silence.

“This is Lee. He’ll be staying with us from now on.” Gaara said, and was pleased when all she did was incline her head a bit in Lee’s direction. Lee felt awkward, since he really couldn’t say anything or smile in reply, so he just nodded his head, smiling under his hands at her.

The house had a certain glamour that could only be obtained by being so insanely spacious. Lee had been down in the town hall once, and this entrance, the hallway here, gave him the sort of feeling that building had. One of power that was much greater than yours. He felt very small, and like a bumbling fool in this house, set next to all its beauty. Not to mention he was doing everything he could just to keep his nose from spilling blood on the floor.

“Come on.” Gaara said, and Lee saw that he was already halfway down the hall, holding a door open. As Lee rushed to get over there he noticed it was a bathroom, which was just as clean and spacious as the rest of the house. This bathroom by itself was surely bigger than his bedroom had been. But who could possibly like their bathroom this big? It had a sunk in tub, a shower, a separate area for the toilet, three sinks, and many cabinets. And since if was in the first part of the house, Lee wouldn’t be surprised if it was the smallest or one of the smallest bathrooms in the place. He felt like he was tainting it with his presence. But Gaara was already looking through the cabinets, searching for band-aids, Neosporin, a washcloth, and whatever else he might need.

The washcloth was found first and Gaara tossed it to Lee. It was so white and so clean Lee almost didn’t use it. But after a little hesitation he was wetting it in one of the sinks and washing his face, finally daring to look in one of the many large mirrors. It wasn’t so bad once he’d gotten all the blood wiped away. Just as Gaara had thought, there was a pretty sizable scrape on the tip of his nose, but nothing more, and it was already almost done bleeding. He cleaned up what he could off of the collar of his shirt, and then checked their books and things, for he had still found a way to carry them in there and set them down away from the sink. There was nothing to clean off, and when he turned to help Gaara he found the red head had already found both the band-aids and the Neosporin.

“Here.” Gaara said, handing them to him, taking the now pinkish rag and throwing it in the dirty clothes bin that was in the room. Lee carefully applied the gel and bandage, choosing one that looked a little to big and out of place on his nose.

“Looks like someone tried to chop my nose off.” Lee observed in the mirror, also seeing his still reddish teeth. He quickly licked his teeth clean and spit the blood out and was now okay to smile all he wanted, since he didn’t look like some kind of messy vampire any more. He rinsed the blood off the sink and tried to clean it, but Gaara stopped him.

“You’ll be putting people out of a job it you go around cleaning everything. Don’t worry about it.” Gaara said, putting the bandages and such away before leaving. Lee followed him out the door. He was feeling smaller and smaller in this place by the second, so big and so empty. The only people he saw were one or two maids.

“I know it is obvious, but this place is so big.” Lee said, already lost. He would have already had a hard time finding the front door again.

“My father was a bit eccentric. More than half of these rooms aren’t even used and were never used for much in the first place. All fully furnished and ready for use, though.” Gaara said. Lee wondered if they had different themes or if they were all standard issue classy rooms, with paintings, flowers and such. Soon they reached where the hallway split into three.

“Straight is Temari’s room, left is Kankuro’s, and right is mine. The middle of the house is where my father’s room is. We no longer use that room, or the rooms next to it.” Gaara explained. Lee now knew why Gaara hadn’t shown him any of the rooms; they were too close to the heart of the mansion. They were on the right side of the mansion, and they’d passed the middle.

“So what is on the left side of the house?” Lee asked, Gaara shrugged.

“Family rooms, never used. A dinning hall. The kitchen. Some game rooms. Offices.” Gaara listed. Lee was interested, but didn’t ask to see them immediately. He was going to live here, wasn’t he? He’d have time to find out where everything was. He hoped that he’d be able to make himself a map. The hallways all looked the same; he knew he’d get lost.

Gaara seemed to be waiting for something. Lee tried to figure out what it was, and it took him a couple of moments to remember that he was supposed to be choosing his room.

“I will take one in the same hallway as your room, if that is okay.” Lee said, and Gaara instantly started down the right hallway. This hallway, Gaara’s room, was probably as far away from the center of the house as it could possibly be. But even Lee knew that the two had never really gotten along. It made Lee wonder why Gaara’s father had left everything to him. He didn’t dare ask, and he knew that if he had, there was a good chance not even Gaara knew why it’d been left to him.

“Here’s the room closest to mine.” Gaara said, motioning to the door on the right. It was the last door in the hallway before it ended, where there was a double wide French style door, obviously leading into Gaara’s room. Lee hesitantly opened the door, peering in only to see nothing but darkness. He quickly groped for the switch and turned on the lights.

The room was mainly white, like most of the house, but accented with a very familiar blue. The curtains, some of the pillows on the private couch and love seat, the sheets and blankets of the bed farther off, and a lot of other little accents were all the very familiar blue.

“They said it’s the exact same color as my eyes. I told them the room was decorated before I was born. They said that just made it all the more ‘special’.” Gaara said, the sarcasm oozing out of the last word. “I had never planed on using it anyway.”

Lee was awed, to say the very, very least. It was a most beautiful room, the area with the couch, love seat, and entertainment center sunken in, the bed on the same level they were, but all the way over by a very large window in the upper right corner. A dresser was next to the bed, and across from all of it, on the left wall by the end of the entertainment center and on the same level as the bed there was a door. Lee assumed it was a closet.

Gaara caught Lee looking over at the door. “That leads to the bathroom. Actually, this room and my room share a bathroom. So we’ll have to lock both doors, I guess. Or you could use the one down the hall.” Gaara quickly explained. Lee was still too in shock, trying to get over the fact that this was his new room, his room! It was so nice; he had to be living in a dream. But he was okay with that. Because Gaara was in this dream, and he hoped that if it was a dream he wouldn’t ever wake up. He realized what that would mean, but he still wished it. Let it be reality or let it be death, if it was this good, he couldn’t complain, now could he? He set down his and Gaara’s things on a table next to the door. He couldn’t contain his joy much longer; he finally gave into the impulse.

Gaara was almost expecting Lee to faint, since it all seemed to be getting to him. Plus that much blood lost from an area so close to the brain… But what Lee did do Gaara was most definitely not expecting. Lee turned towards him, smiling, and tears of happiness threatening to make themselves known. He quickly pulled the red head into a tight embrace before could have been any words of protest.

Lee probably didn’t notice, but he had lifted Gaara off the ground for a little bit with his embrace. Lee quickly put the other boy down, and stepped back, almost falling into the sunken in area of the room. “Sorry.” Lee muttered, smiling and blushing.

“But Gaara, you have given me everything I could have ever asked for.” Lee said, trying to explain himself, hoping Gaara could receive his gratefulness through contact, since he wasn’t very good with words. In his mind, he always seemed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Gaara was going to say something, but Lee continued.

“Not just the room, or any of the other stuff. Not just the fact of being able to live under the same roof as you, none of that. Even without all of this I’d still be happy enough to burst.” Lee said, seeing that Gaara still hadn’t understood his thankfulness through the hug. He tried to explain how he felt in words. But it was much harder.

“Than what?” Gaara muttered, still a bit bewildered by the hug. He was experiencing a lot of his firsts with Lee. He almost getting used to all of these new experiences.

“Just you. I am just glad to finally know you, like a friend, you know? That is all I really wanted, and now all of this. As I said, I am so happy I could burst.” Lee said exuberantly. He really was. He kept wondering when it was that he would finally explode into a million tiny, happy pieces of Lee.

“Please don’t, it’d be tragic.” Gaara replied, really meaning it. After a moment he saw his things left aside on the table. “Here, let’s take my books to my room.” Lee nodded at this idea, and if his smile could have gotten any brighter than it already had been then it did. He was too happy for it to be healthy, yet Gaara was relieved by this fact. He wondered if it was contagious, since he seemed less and less spiteful the more he spent time with Lee. Gaara noted that Lee looked absolutely ridiculous grinning like a fool with that bandage on his nose. He hoped Lee’s nose would heal quickly.

Gaara led them down the hall and opened only one of the two doors, only stopping to flip on the light switch as an afterthought. It seemed he was used to walking through his own room in the dark. With the lights on, the room was on par with the entranceway, if not even more high and grand. It was decorated with crimson and black, but the walls and floor were still white. Gaara had never taken much of his anger out on his room. Why should he? The things in it were all inanimate objects and could easily be replaced or erased. So it was very plain other than the curtains and such, no posters, no photos, no knickknacks, nothing other than what wasn’t necessary, really. It had it’s own entertainment center, couch, and love seat set. There were a few more tables, everything a bit bigger and fancier than what had been in the other room. Even with the white walls and floors it still seemed darker, though. Lee looked up at the high ceilings not only to find beautifully made arcs, but a very expensive looking chandelier. Not as gigantic as the one in the entrance, Lee remembered, but still quite impressive. The bed was a canopy bed, with thick solid black curtains with red trim. It looked as if he used the curtains more often than not, the holders loose with long-term use. It was obvious no one touched the room other than Gaara, for the tiny bit of disarray it was it. Just messed up sheets or unevenly distributed pillows, but it was still a sign.

“Are you quite done?” Gaara asked. He had patiently been waiting for Lee to stop analyzing his room, but had decided he’d seen enough.

“Oh yes, sorry.” Lee said, setting Gaara’s things down for him. Just as they were about to leave the phone in the room rang. The ringing seemed to only come from there, and no where else in the house, which was weird to Lee, since he was sure he’d seen phones in the hallway.

“A personal phone. You can answer it.” Gaara said and watched as Lee cautiously picked up the phone and brought it up to his ear.

“Ah, Gaara’s room, Lee speaking?” Lee said into the phone unsurely, his statement turning into a question by his own faltering voice.

“Now how odd does that sound?” A woman’s voice said from the other line, followed by a fit of laughter. It took Lee a minute to place the voice but soon knew it to belong to Gaara’s elder sister, Temari.

“Sorry.” Lee said hesitantly.

“No, it’s fine. That was just unexpected. I didn’t think anyone would answer, really. Gaara hardly uses that thing. But since you’re there would you tell him you two should come eat dinner now? If he tells you he doesn’t know where to go he’s lying.” Temari said, and Lee automatically nodded in response, forgetting he was on the phone.

“Yes, of course.” Lee corrected himself, now flustered, Gaara watching with increasing interest.

“Okay then.” Temari said and then hung up, not waiting for a response. She expected the response to be them appearing in person.

Lee turned to Gaara after he hung up the phone, laughing a bit at himself. “Your sister says we should go eat dinner now.”

“We just ate.” Gaara said, and it took Lee to remember their last lunch at the Hospital.

“That was hours ago, Gaara.” Lee said, but Gaara still seemed resolute on his opinion that they didn’t need to eat again.

“If not for you, at least show me where the dinning room is. Please?” Lee said, and Gaara knew he was trapped. His little dog was giving him those eyes again.

“Fine.” Gaara replied, walking back the way they had come. This time Lee made an effort to commit the route to memory.

“But you have to stay for dinner, or I might get lost going back to my room.” Lee commented, hoping this would convince Gaara to eat with him and his siblings. Actually, Lee was a bit scared to be left alone with Gaara’s older siblings. He knew that most probably thought Gaara was the scariest, but for some reason Lee didn’t want to be left alone to be questioned by the older brother and sister.

“You’d find your way eventually.” Gaara finally retorted, holding back an evil smirk.

“Maybe I should start leaving a trail of bread crumbs before it’s too late…” Lee said jokingly.

“You don’t have and bread.” Gaara observed, continuing the joke.

“Then I’ll just have to start leaving behind pieces of my clothes.” Lee replied, now thinking of it as a strategy game.

“What happens if you run out of clothes?” Gaara asked, an invisible eyebrow raised.

“Ah, is this place really that big?” Lee asked, afraid of the answer.

“Pretty much.” Gaara answered.

“What if they were really tiny pieces?” Lee asked.

“You’d still run out eventually. And then you’d have to have dinner with my siblings naked.” Gaara replied, hiding another evil smirk.

“Then I guess the only solution is for you to stay and have dinner with me.” Lee said, happy with the outcome of the game, even though he had technically lost. Gaara was the one stuck having a meal he didn’t want.

“Or I could leave you to get lost.” Gaara said.

“Now that’s just mean.” Lee pouted.

“Who told you I was nice?” Gaara couldn’t help the smirk now. “Because they lied.”

“Gaara, I know deep down inside you’re just a cuddly, lovable person, aren’t you?” Lee teased.

“If that’s true, then deep down you’re a serial killer.” Gaara replied.

“Just that one time, and I thought we agreed never to mention it again!” Lee joked, his demeanor becoming more and more giddy. Here he was, in Gaara’s house, living with Gaara, having dinner with Gaara, and joking with Gaara. Like they were friends. Because they were friends. He was surprised he hadn’t passed out yet.

They were at the dinning hall already, surprisingly. Lee knew it had to be because time flies when you’re having fun, he just knew it. He opened the door for Gaara, giving him the best gentlemen’s smile he could muster. He followed in after Gaara, entering another extravagant room, with a table that could fit twenty or more, easily. Everything was so grand Lee was finally getting used to it. It seemed both Gaara and Lee were going to have to try and get used to each other, one another’s life styles.

Only the last four places of the table were set, though, Temari and Kankuro already occupied two of the places. “Glad you could make it.” Temari smiled, and Lee took his seat only after Gaara was already seated, so the red head couldn’t make a run for it.

“So, to what honor do we owe this visit?” Kankuro asked Lee, who once again was flustered, giving Kankuro and Temari the wrong impression.

“It’s not a visit.” Gaara said in a very bored tone after a moment of Lee struggling for words. “He’s living with us now. I gave him the room next to mine.”

“Oh, alright.” Temari said, Kankuro replying with, “Good for you.” It seemed a bit too easy to Lee, who finally decided it was one of their weird sibling quirks or a rich people thing. He didn’t know, maybe it was a blend of both. But he didn’t dare question it.

“The food should be out any minute, I'll have them get your drinks, too.” Temari said lightly, taking a sip of her own drink.

“What happened to your nose? Looks like someone tried to cut it off.” Kankuro remarked, and Lee nodded.

“That’s what I said! But it’s just a scrape.” Lee answered, smiling.

“He tripped on the curb in front of our house.” Gaara said, amusement apparent in his voice, the smile almost resurfacing at the memory.

“Sorry I missed it. I hope it’s on one of the security tapes. If we still have those things.” Kankuro said, turning towards Temari.

“Yeah, I’m sure we do. I’ll ask. It’ll be our new favorite home movie.” Temari said to Lee, smirking. Now Lee saw where Gaara had gotten his smirk. It was creepier from its original source.

“I want a copy.” Gaara said, the amusement still there in his voice.

“We’ll all get copies.” Temari replied, Lee turning a dark shade of red. Then Temari seemed to remember something, because her face lit up as she turned towards Kankuro.

“Did I tell you what Lee said on the phone when I called?” Temari was obviously amused, Kankuro interested, and Lee turned even redder, if that was possible.

“No, I thought you called Gaara.” Kankuro answered.

“I did. He said ‘Gaara’s room, Lee speaking.’” Temari continued, chuckling at the end of it, Kankuro laughing unabashedly at the comment. ‘They have the wrong idea!’ Lee thought, but didn’t say anything. He just sat there red as a tomato and just as silent as one.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” Kankuro said after he was done laughing. He turned to Lee. “Good job, Lee. Keeping things interesting around here. I’m sure glad you came along.”

“Me too, I was getting worried about our little brother. But you’re such a good influence on him. He’s lucky to have you.” Temari said, giving him a real smile.

“No, I’m the one that’s lucky.” Lee said, surprised he'd been able to say it without stuttering it out. Temari and Kankuro smiled at that, and you could tell they were tempted to go ‘awwwww’. Lee could also tell that they were a bit tipsy, so it must have been wine that they were drinking. That’s why they were so agreeable, or maybe they always were. Lee decided they weren’t so formidable when drunk.

“He’s such the little gentleman, Gaara. I’m a bit jealous.” Temari said it, but it was obvious that it was the liquor talking.

“Get your own.” Gaara said, and he felt quite protective of Lee. No one could have him, especially not his siblings.

“Maybe I will…” Temari replied, a mischievous smile on her lips. “You got any friends that like older women, Lee?”

“Um, I do not really know…” Lee stuttered, not knowing if he should feed her drunken curiosity. Luckily for all of them the food was ready. The waiters set the food and asked Lee what he wanted, he replied water and Gaara did the same. A wise choice, they both said to themselves.

“Ah, finally, food. My one true love.” Kankuro joked, then dug right into his meal. The dinner was eaten in silence, since they were all in fact eating, except Gaara, who only sipped at his water and messed with his food. Maybe he ate two or three bites, at most.

“Well, good night you two.” Kankuro said as he left his seat and headed towards his room. Temari did the same, only she winked before leaving the table.

“Ready?” Gaara asked, obviously bored. Lee nodded in reply, though he felt bad about leaving his dishes for someone else to clean up. Gaara once again made the comment about putting people out of their jobs and they left the room, heading through the maze of hallways.

“Thank you.” Lee said, and when it was apparent that Gaara didn’t know what he was thanking him for this time Lee added, “For not leaving and having dinner with me.” Lee finished, smiling.

“Not a problem.” Gaara said in reply. They were back at their rooms too quickly, Lee thought. He’d been enjoying their comfortable silence.

“Well, good night, Gaara.” Lee said smiling, going towards his new room. His room! He’d never really had his own room…

“Good night, Lee.” Gaara replied, going into his room, this time not bothering with the light.

Lee was in his room, his room! It was so beautiful; he’d almost forgotten how nice it was. He had also forgotten how tired he was. He was exhausted, he didn’t know why, but he was. Maybe it was changing homes, because he hadn’t done much to make his body tired.

He fell down upon his bed, his bed! And crawled under the blankets. Looking at the blue now it was most indeed the same color as Gaara’s eyes. This only made him even more happy, and fell into a peaceful sleep, surrounded by those beautiful blue eyes.