In the Springtime

Of Lively Updates and Trips

2006-05-17T05:41:19Z

This trip has been an interesting, somewhat strange, but over all enjoyable experience.

The heat wasn't so bad once you were used to it-not that it mattered much with much of Suna's activities taing place at night (my biological clock is so off because of this change).

The best part about this trip was being able to spend some time with Gaara though. It seems like when we're in Konoha we're both overly busy we don't get too much time together. It helped us actually get somewhere in our relationship ~~especially the physical area~~.

Gaara zipped his bag close and stood up. And kicked it. The damn thing wouldn't shut the first few tries and only after he hand sat on it did it give in. He dragged it near the door and idly wondered how to get it down the steps.

"You alright there?" Lee had come by earlier, his stuff already packed and ready to go. He was slightly amused by Gaara sitting on his suitcase to get it closed. "Exactly what all did you pack anyway?"

"Just clothes. It's the bag that's small." He dusted his pants seat and took a look around the place. Then he switched off the lights. "I'm ready now." He went up to Lee and touched his lips to his for a second.

"Hmm. Okay then let's get going." Lee smiled brightly, giving Gaara another light kiss before moving to go out the door.

Gaara pulled his bag at an angle and followed Lee outside. When he reached the stairs, he pushed the handle down and carried the bag by its strap.

Lee almost skipped the last few steps, turning around excitedly when he reached the landing. "Come on." He couldn't help but be a little hyper- this would be his first trip in a long time.

"Did you drink coffee today?" Gaara said flatly. They walked out of the apartment complex and out to the street. "Did you remember to get the car?"

"Nope, no coffee for me! And of course I remembered the car." Lee pointed out a car parked a little ways done the street, the only thing setting it apart from others around was the logo of a rental company emblazoned on the side.

Loading everything into the trunk, Gaara slipped into the passenger seat. He took out the map of the roads he had highlighted and encircled the previous night. "It's going to be a long drive so stop over at this point." He pointed to a small symbol of a gas station on the map.

Lee slipped into the driver’s seat, leaning over to take a look at the map. "It doesn't seem like that bad of a drive." He made sure to note where the exit for the gas station was. "So...all set to go?" Lee slipped on his seat belt and wait for Gaara to give the okay.

He nodded and slipped on his own seat belt. "Don't fall asleep at the wheel." He blinked. "Nevermind." Gaara slipped his passport and ID into the compartment in front of him and sank back into the seat.

"Me? Fall asleep at the wheel? Not a chance." Lee started the car, pulled out of the parking spot, and started heading for the first road Gaara had highlighted on the map.

*****************

The car pulled into a parking space in front of the convenience store. While the car was refueled, Lee and Gaara went to lunch.

"Lunch-food..." Lee couldn't say much more than that at the moment, he was too hungry- starved actually.

"I'll get the drinks. You buy our food." Gaara steered Lee towards the varieties of hotdogs, breads, pastries, sandwiches, and other convenience store foods in the deli part of the store. He left Lee to choose and picked out a couple of drinks from the refrigerator. He also took two bottles of water for later on.

Lee stared at the choices, not entirely sure on what to get. He grabbed two sandwiches, some chips, and a few other snacks that could tide them over for the rest of the trip after a moment of contemplation.

Gaara came back after paying for the drinks. He sat on one of the tables and opened his fizzy drink, taking a long drink before setting it on the table.

Lee paid for the food. He spotted Gaara over at one of the tables and made his way over to him. "I come bearing food." He sat down and pulled out the sandwiches. "Which do you want?"

Gaara picked the turkey breast sandwich after a glance. He pushed the plastic bag filled with drinks towards Lee with his foot while he unwrapped his sandwich. "Suna can be really hot around this time of the year. Don't be surprised to see people walking around with barely decent clothes."

Lee picked out one of the flavored drinks and opened it. He was about to take a drink when he heard Gaara's comment. "Barely decent?"

The corners of Gaara's mouth twitched at the look on Lee's face. "Yeah. Some people think being under the sun is better than stuffy clothes. Of course they get sunburn later on." He took a bite out of his sandwich, still looking at Lee.

"Oh..." Lee wondered exactly what kinds of clothes that entailed. "How hot is Suna around now anyway?" Lee took a sip of his drink before taking a bite of the ham sandwich that he had.

"It depends. It can get to body temperature and higher sometimes. But normally it's 32 to 33 degrees." Gaara licked the mayo that got on his hand before biting into his sandwich. "Nights are always cold though."

"Relatively warm then?" Lee took another bite of his sandwich, making a face as some of the dressing dropped from it. He used a napkin to clean it up quickly. "Only bad thing about sandwiches- nothing likes to stay together."

Gaara nodded. "That's why I only brought light clothes." He finished his sandwich and wiped his fingers.

"I have a few outfits that aren't light, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem." Lee finished his sandwich soon after Gaara. "So what's next on the agenda?"

Gaara silently took a tissue and wiped stray dressing on Lee's chin.

"Well we have about an hour or so to go. When we get to the hotel, we can check in then go around Suna."

"Sounds good...we should probably head out soon then." Lee took another swig of his drink looking out the conviniance store's window. "You think the cars refueled and ready to go yet?"

Gaara looked out the window as well. "It should be. Let's go."

"Alright." Lee finished his drink, and tossed it out with the sandwich wrapper. He grabbed the other bags containing the drinks and snacks before heading for the door.

Gaara walked next to Lee and got into the car, letting Lee deal with the payment. He ran a hand through his hair and realized his hair was growing into a mullet.

Lee paid for the fuel before getting into the car. He reached over and tugged lightly on Gaara's hair. "Seatbelt before we head out." Lee moved to buckle his own seatbelt and start the car.

Gaara waved Lee's hand away with mock annoyance. He pulled the belt across himself and peered at the map again. "Take route 6 until you hit 59. Then turn left and just head straight. You're supposed to see a sign for Suna after a couple of miles."

Lee nodded, pulling the car out of the gas station before following Gaara's directions. True to his word signs for Suna were starting to appear after a few miles out.

Leaning on the car window, Gaara could feel the beginnings of lethargy coupled with the rocking motions of the car take its toll on him. He squinted through heavy lids at the sign on the road saying Suna: 5 miles. "...The hotel name is The Dunes. I'm just going to rest my eyes..."

"The Dunes got it." Lee kept his eyes open for the signs, making sure not to miss their exit. Suna: 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile- and finally the exit. After a few wrong turns, and having the nerve to ask for directions, he was finally able to pull into the parking lot for their hotel.

"Gaara, we're here."

"Nnn?" Gaara opened one eye and looked at Lee before stretching awake. "...Let's check in then." He unfastened his seat belt and took the papers in the compartment. He opened the car door and went out.

Lee made sure he had his own papers on him before unfastening his seat belt and made his way out of the car.

Gaara let Lee open the trunk before getting his bag. He waited for Lee to do the same before taking his hand and going into the hotel lobby and up to the receptionist.

Lee gripped Gaara's hand, letting him lead the way to the lobby. He smiled at the receptionist, not noticing the slightly odd look they were treated to.

Gaara went over to one of the free counters and handed the receipt for their reservation. The receptionist took one look at his name and gasped. Gaara stared at the young man. What was his problem?

"No...way...Gaara- what are you doing back here?" The receptionist glanced between the paper and Gaara, a look of surprise on his face.

Gaara still stared at him. Eventually he asked, "Do I know you?" He looked at the nameplate. 'Nakayama Shogi' He tried to remember where he'd heard that name before.

"We were classmates- before you left. Don't expect you to remember me, but everyone here knows your name of course..." He let that sentence die- Gaara probably wouldn't treat that subject too well.

Lee looked between the two slightly confused. The receptionist was Gaara's classmate? Small world.

Gaara's eyes narrowed then became hard. "Just check us in." He said in a crisp voice. He didn't remember this person. But what he said brought back painful memories and such things better left in the past. He had hoped people wouldn't remember him.

"O-of course." The look Gaara had wasn't a pleasant one. Quickly plowing through the check in process, he handed over two keys. "Your room is on the second floor, the room number is on the key. Please enjoy your stay."

Gaara took the keys and strode to the elevators. Only the weight he felt along his arm told him that he was still holding Lee's hand... a little too tightly. He relaxed his hold as they entered the elevator.

Lee looked at Gaara worriedly; especially after the tight grip, his hand was given. "Are you alright?" He asked as soon as they were in the elevator.

Gaara pushed the button for the second floor then leaned back against the elevator wall. "Aa," he said, keeping his eyes on the numbers representing the hotel floors. He licked his dry lips and knew he was back in Suna. This was the only place where everything just felt so...dry.

"You sure?" Lee still held a slightly worried look. From the way Gaara acted with the receptionist, it didn't seem 'okay' to him. The way Gaara's hand tightened its hold on his own was not 'okay.'

The elevator doors opened with a faint 'ding', the brief jostle hinting its age. Gaara looked at Lee from the corner of his eyes. "I'll tell you everything later." He reached out and slid his fingers through the right side of Lee's bangs in an awkward show of affection. "But now, let's just enjoy this trip."

"Alright." Lee brightened slightly, his usual smile starting to show. Gaara had a point anyway, they should enjoy the trip. "Ne, what room do we have anyway?" He asked as he nearly spun out of the elevator, awkwardly grabbing Gaara's hand to drag him along.

Gaara looked at the key in his hand. "213." He looked at the wall opposite the elevators. A sign pointed to the right for 200-210 and to the left for 210-220. He followed...or was dragged by Lee to their room. He slid the key in the electronic lock, pulling it out and getting a red light.

He looked at the key and realized he was pushing it in the wrong way. He slid it in again and finally got the green light, pushing the door open.

Lee laughed slightly when Gaara slid the key in the wrong way, though he tried to hide behind a very unconvincing cough.

As soon as the door was open, he became a human whirlwind again, flying into the room and immediately started to inspect everything he could hold in his sight. Alright so he was more than a little excited to be on a trip.

Gaara watched Lee rush around the room with a hint of amusement. The room was spacious and had a balcony facing the desert catacombs. He sat on the bed. Then stood up and whirled around. There was a queen-sized bed. One bed. He mentally cursed the receptionist for getting them this room.

Lee stopped his whirlwind through the room when he noticed Gaara was staring at the bed. The only bed...and now he was staring too, great. "There's only one?" Well that was a question with an obvious answer.

"...Yes." Gaara stated. He turned to Lee. "Don't worry. I won't need it since I don't sleep much. I'll make an improvised futon."

"No you won't." Lee argued lightly, he was not making Gaara use an improvised futon. "I mean...it's big enough. And it shouldn’t be that big of a deal to share..."

Gaara stared at him. It did sound appealing... and it has been a long while since they've done anything. Gaara decided he was curious enough to find out what would happen if they shared a bed. To hell with consequences. He gave a curt nod, keeping his thoughts from showing on his face.

Lee grinned with Gaara's nod- at least he wasn't going to try and make a futon. Then it hit him that it did indeed mean sharing a bed with Gaara. In an inadvertent attempt to forget those thoughts, Lee jumped on the bed, bouncing slightly before laying down. "So what now?"

"We can go around Suna if you want. Since it's too hot in the morning, everyone does business in the evening." Gaara looked at the clock on the table beside the bed.

"It's 5pm so there won't be too many people around yet."

"That sounds like a plan." Lee cheered happily from his spot on the bed. He was looking forward to going around Suna. "Do you want to go now or rest a bit first? It was a long trip." He wasn't particularly tired, but Gaara had somewhat zoned out on the way here and that normal showed a need for rest.

Just then a knock came from the door and someone called out, "Sirs, your bags are here." Gaara opened the door and let the porter haul their bags in. He slipped a few dollars to the porter before closing the door.

"We can settle in first... have you decided on what sights to go to?"

"I have no clue where to start. Knowing me though I'll probably spot a starting place the moment we set out." Lee laughed slightly. It was true though; he'd jump from place to place based purely on sight alone. "Unless you know a good sight to start from."

Gaara sat next to Lee on the bed. "We could visit the old catacombs. Or if you want to get souvenirs from the market. I don't know if there are any new sights so you can get brochures from the reception downstairs."

Lee mulled over a plan for a moment before voicing it. "Hm, how about on the way out we grab a brochure and we can look that over on the way to the catacombs? We can save souvenirs for later I think."

"You want to go to the catacombs now?" They were going to stay for a few weeks anyway so Gaara was hoping they could take it easy for a while. He looked out their window and at the catacombs. He remembered he used to walk around inside them when he was a child.

"I'm good to go if you are." Lee replied, stretching slightly. He sat up before following Gaara's gaze out their window. 'Huh...I wonder if those are the catacombs we're going to...'

Gaara stood up and rummaged through his pack. He took out the important things like his papers and extra money then worked on the safe. "Fine. But let's walk around for a while. I want to see what has changed since I've been here."

"Yessir!" Lee replied with a mock salute. He went over to where Gaara was working on the safe, his items of importance already pulled out.

Taking Lee's items, he put everything inside and locked the safe. He stood up, facing Lee and breathed out.

Then he slipped his arms around Lee's neck loosely. "I'm glad you came with me." He said in a hushed voice.

Lee was pleasantly surprised with Gaara's actions. He smiled softly, his arms slipping around Gaara's waist in a loose hold. "I'm glad I came too." He replied in a hushed voice as well.

Gaara ran his hands through Lee's hair, liking the feel of the silky strands against his fingers. He leaned a little closer and whispered, "Maybe the bed is a good thing."

He pulled away suddenly, picked up his ever present sling bag and went out of the room, smirking to himself.

Lee blinked a couple of times, staring blankly at the spot previously occupied by Gaara, before also making his exit. Once he caught up to the red head he bent low to whisper in his ear. "You, my dear Gaara, can be absolutely evil at times."

(PART 2 HERE)

Lee was still the hyper ball of energy he had been since day one, only more so. After all today he finally got to see one up close...yes that's right, Lee got to ride...a Camel!! He found it to be an enjoyable ride, quite comfortable too. Though he didn't know if he could say the same for Gaara, if anything he was looking a bit...worn out as they headed back to their hotel room. "You alright?" he asked.

Gaara clutched at the walls, walking slightly hunched into the room and collapsed on the bed. "...What do you think?" he mumbled into the pillow his face was buried in. Wincing, he turned to his side and tried to get his muscles to stop aching. The damn 'ship of the desert' never appealed to him as a child- being spat on didn't make much of a first impression. But of course Lee just had to ride one.

Gaara sighed as his usually flexible patience was overruled by the spasms of pain in his nether regions.

Lee winced when Gaara collapsed on the bed. He really didn't expect that much pain to come from a simple camel ride- but then again what did he know, he just happened to have the luck of having good muscle control. He made his own way over to the bed, sitting next to Gaara.

"Roll over, on your stomach." Lee said as he kept from mentioning any reasoning to his request.

Gaara stared at him. Then, still looking at him, he straightened out (wincing occasionally) on his stomach. "...What are you going to do?" he kept his face blank but there was a quiver in his voice. Surely Lee wouldn't...at a time like this...

"I'm just going to try and help." Lee muttered, his hands settling on Gaara's shoulders first. His thumbs and occasionally palms pressed into Gaara's back, easing any tension there was in his muscles. His hands slid from Gaara's shoulders in a matter of minutes and were now working on his mid to lower back. "It would be more effective with out the shirt, but..." Lee's sentence dropped off, he hadn't even realized he had said anything.

Oh. His ears felt hot. "...I'll get it off." He carefully eased himself up and slid his shirt over his head, groaning softly at the pop of a muscle somewhere in his back. Then he slid back down.

Gaara clutched at the pillow, trying to ignore his prickling skin exposed to the cool night air. And Lee's stare, if he guessed right.

Lee was sure he had to have seen Gaara without a shirt at some point- though whatever that moment was, it had to have had a different atmosphere than this, if hi slight stare was any indication. Lee mentally shook himself and went back to his self-appointed task. His hands retraced their previous paths, making sure to work out any kink they found, before they reached Gaara's lower back again. "There." he murmured after the pop of one last muscle." Better?"

Gaara relaxed the grip he had on the pillow. He still ached a bit but it was more of a dull pain now. Well, except his thighs and butt. The saddle hadn't exactly done anything to prevent him hurting there.

"Mmmm..." he said, refusing to move from where he was lying down. "Your hands are warm."

Lee chuckled lightly at that comment. He placed a light kiss to one of Gaara's shoulder-since he couldn't reach anywhere else at the moment, before he flopped down in the spot next to Gaara. "Hm...I didn't know ride a camel could cause that much tension though..." he said off-handedly.

Gaara mumbled something incoherent. Then he inched closer to Lee, throwing an arm over Lee's chest. "You know," he said after settling himself into a comfortable place next to Lee, "you're too nice. You don't take advantage at all." He said the last part as he rested his head on Lee's shoulder.

"Hmm? Must be a symptom of the whole "nice guy" persona- the whole...not taking advantage thing I mean." Lee said after a few minutes of thinking on Gaara's comment. "Though, that whole "no taking advantage" thing can find its way out a window if the time calls for it."

Gaara gave him a withering look. Somehow, he doubted that. He was sure... well mostly sure, that they didn't have any hands on experience of doing anything other than the awkward fumble they had... was it a month or months ago? Anyway, it was hard to think of Lee and horny in the same sentence.

"Hmpf." he commented. "I'm in a bed with you half-naked." Gaara stopped there. There were times when even he was surprised by his own forwardness when facing impatience and... frustration.

Lee just cracked a smile to combat Gaara's look. What thoughts came with that look anyway? The smile almost faltered with Gaara's comment before he decided to run with it.

"That's true...,” he murmured, as he pressed closer to Gaara. His lips drop to meet the red head's for a moment, hen to dart across his cheek and down to his jawline. Lee had no idea what exactly he was doing, but that lack of knowledge almost seemed to egg him on.

Gaara shivered when Lee's lips trailed down his face. The hand that was flung around Lee curved to caress Lee's clothed back. The other hand tangled itself in Lee's hair. He craned his head towards Lee and looked at his face, silently taking in every detail.

Lee's lips continued past Gaara's jaw and started down his neck. He paused here for the moment, trying to leave a touch to every inch he could. He reached Gaara's collarbone, where he left a little nip before moving to occupy himself with Gaara's lips.

Gaara's eyes closed as the kisses trailed down his neck. The sudden nip made him wince in surprise, along with a sharp intake of air.

"Lee...wait," he managed to breathe through the kiss. He pushed Lee back slightly. "It still hurts a bit." With Lee leaning his weight down on him, his lower back and hips ached because of their position.

"Then move." Lee said as if it were the simplest thing in the world. It could be too, and he was one to prove it. Lee rolled over, pulling Gaara with him, their position effectively switched. "That better? Or would a different position be better?" And the smile that followed could almost be classified as cheeky- but only if one studied it long enough.

Gaara blinked down at Lee as a slow smirk crept across his face. "Much better." Then he leaned on his elbows on the sides of Lee's head and continued their kiss, biting Lee's lower lip before sucking on it. Despite the cool air, his skin flushed and grew warmer.

Lee's hands came to rest on Gaara's hips, one occasionally moving to slide along his back or sides. His head tilting slightly upwards into the kiss, a low moan working from his throat when Gaara bit and sucked on his lower lip.

He grunted softly at the hands caressing him and summed up enough nerve to dart his tongue in Lee's mouth. It wasn't just warm now; he was starting to sweat at the heat rushing through his body. And it was getting uncomfortable down there.

Gaara lifted his head and gasped for air, panting lightly.

"I want..." He paused to catch his breath. "Lee I want to try it."

Lee looked up at Gaara, breath still coming with a slight hitch and pant. He let his breathing slow just a little more before he responded. "So do I." Lee admitted, one of hands coming up to slide through Gaara's hair and then down to the base of his neck. He lifted himself upwards, leaning in close so his lips barely brushed against Gaara's own. "I want to try it too."

Gaara rested his forehead on Lee's, a tight knot he didn't even know was there unwinding in relief. His lips curved up in one side. "Maybe not all the way right now." he said. He nudged Lee on the cheek with his own and half-purred, half-whispered in Lee's ear. "Well? Impress me."

Lee almost shivered at the half-purr, something about that sound struck him as being undeniably sexy at this moment. He didn't vocally respond to Gaara, but instead used the grip he had on Gaara's hip to pull him down, their hips meeting, as he pulled Gaara into another kiss.

'Ah. Finally.' Gaara thought as he responded to the kiss. A part of him was nagging at him that he was being to eager about this but how could he not be after months of restraint? Despite the dull tinges of protesting muscles, he started rolling his hips down against Lee's and moaned in the kiss. "NNnn...!"

Lee did have a momentary thought of still holding back a light- very momentary considering it was blown clear out of the water when Gaara's hips rolled down into his. "Mnn..." His own moan laced with Gaara's as he rolled his hips upward to start meeting Gaara's movements.

Gaara placed his chin on Lee's shoulder for support. He could feel Lee's own arousal through the thin fabric of his pants, pushing against his own and sending jolts of pleasure through him. For some reason though, it wasn't enough.

"Our clothes..." he said, the last word ending in a groan.

It took a moment for Lee to register exactly what Gaara had said, and another moment to get out a response. "Clothes...right. Not that nmm- you have that much right now." He said, a moan breaking into the middle of his sentence.

Gaara fought for self-control. He stilled his movements and slumped over Lee's body, his face flushed at the cheeks and on the bridge of his nose. He hesitated for a moment before sliding his remaining clothes off, pulling the blanket over their bodies at the same time. No matter how intimate their actions were, there was still a big difference between having something on and being completely naked.

Lee couldn’t help but chuckle light as the blanket was pulled over them. It did help ease some of the awkwardness, but something about the way Gaara did it held an oddly amusing quality. Lee went through his own close removal process quickly enough- even though the pants department lent some difficulty.

Gaara frowned even as his ears turned pink at Lee's chuckle. "...shutup..." he mumbled, sliding back into their previous position. His mouth parted in a silent "ahh" when their groins touched. The feeling of skin against skin brought out Gaara's impatience. He rolled until he was lying on his back, bringing Lee on top of him. "I like it this way." he said, as an explanation, "even if it hurts a bit." Of course, he wasn't going to tell Lee that he also liked it when Lee was on top of him.

Lee's remaining chuckles faded into a soft moan when skin hit skin. He was slightly confused when Gaara changed their positions again, at least until he heard the explanation. "No complaints here." Lee murmured as he started another trail of sorts down Gaara's neck- though now it was more nips and licks instead of brief kisses.

Gaara squirmed at the attention and clutched the sheets for a sense of control. Each nip and lick got a reaction that was either a gasp or a moan. "Why...ah...do you like ...nnn...my neck so mu- haa...." He managed to get out.

"Because it gets reactions like that." Lee replied, he wouldn't admit that he liked the possibility that an 'accidentally' harsh nip could leave marks.

Gaara wrapped his arms around Lee's head, one leg bending up and resting on Lee's back. His restraint was slipping and more and more moans were escaping his lips. He didn't have enough focus to give a sarcastic retort to Lee's reply so he opted for making him shut up this way instead. He arched his hips to remind Lee that there were more pressing matters to attend to than his neck.

Lee gave a shuddery gasp as Gaara's hips met his own, and in reflex, his hips rolled in a downward arch. He rolled his hips again, seeking more of that delicious friction.

Gaara groaned at the pressure, the leg around Lee pushing down gently. His body started to shake at the pleasure he felt with Lee's movements. Their rubbing grew faster and slightly damp with the mixture of sweat and precum.

The build up was almost too much.

Lee moaned as he pressed against Gaara again. The heat, the pleasure, it was becoming too much. His breath was coming in short pants across the juncture of Gaara's neck and shoulder where his head was rested.

His mouth opened in a silent scream, his body arched and spasming as he came. Gaara held on to Lee as white sparks flashed behind his closed eyelids. When the spasms stopped, he let out a long shuddery breath. 'So that's an orgasm.' he thought idly.

Lee came soon after Gaara; spasms ran through him, brief flashes of white came through his vision. The spasms slowed, then stopped completely, and Lee let out a breath he seemed have been holding for an eternity.

Gaara pulled Lee up beside him with a grunt then buried himself in Lee's chest. This was the first time he felt weak all over- but in a good way.

Lee chuckled wearily as he apparently became Gaara's pillow. "I feel delightfully boneless." He murmured, a yawn ending his sentence.

"Nn."

And you aren't a talkative one apparently."

Life is a bunch of little Journeys squished in one Gaint Journey

2006-04-27T05:19:03Z

It's late~ very late...But darn it all I can't sleep- may be it's excitement?

I'm leaving on a trip soon, with Gaara- aaaaaalllll the way to Suna...Good thing most of my students are leaving on vacation of their own- makes closing down the school for a bit that much easier.

I haven't been on any trips in awhile...that may explain me being slightly hyper. That and-no offense to Konoha- but a change of scenery might be nice.

I'm not even sure if this is making sense- lack of sleep does not fair well with my language skills...

Healthy again...Yay!

2006-04-08T18:18:15Z

I'm feeling much better ^_^ But that's only because ~~Nurse~~ Gaara took care of me ^^

Now I can get back to being my mormal hyper overactive self...YOSH!

gt_springlotus @ 2006-04-04T16:53:00

2006-04-04T21:25:48Z

I haven't updated in forever...wow... And now that I'm at it again I really don't know what to say...

Things have been going really well so far- well except for today, and the fact I'm starting to feel sick. I never get sick...so it was an odd occurence to wake up with my stomach churning. I may have to put the school on a temporary close if I don't feel better soon...Unless I find someone to take over my classes or me...>< I don't want to be sick ~~...It would mean less time with Gaara ;_;~~

But once again impending illness seems to be the only down side befalling me at the current moment...

Lee was headed over to Gaara's apartment in hopes of helping clean up the mess left from the party he and Naruto had thrown. He expected most it to just be the streamers Naruto had tossed around the majority of the apartment.

Gaara was in one of his moods. He had been cleaning from morning to noon and there were still things scattered about. He had a scowl on his face as he stuffed fistfuls of decorations in a garbage bag. He growled and snatched up one particular streamer trying to hide in the folds of the couch.

Lee bounded up to Gaara's door, knocking loudly before backing away.

Gaara heard the loud knocking and gritted his teeth. If it was another salesman trying to sell him cooking ware someone was going to die. He kicked the sack to the side and strode to the door. Opening the door a bit, he calmed down when he saw Lee. He threw open the door and pulled him inside.

Lee stumbled a bit when he was pulled inside. "Well hello to you too Gaara." He said with a laugh. He looked around the room. "That party did a real number on your apartment huh?"

Gaara shut the door before pushing Lee against it and resting his head on his chest. "It's giving me a headache." he mumbled. They had been together for over a month now. Gaara discovered that Lee could be a good stress absorber- when he wasn't jumping about.

Lee ran his fingers though Gaara's hair in a soothing gesture. "Maybe you should take a break for awhile? How long have you been trying to clean it anyway?"

Gaara breathed against Lee's chest, calmed by the touch. "Couple of hours ago..." he leaned back to smirk at Lee, "A break huh?" His eyes focused on Lee's lips.

Lee had come to recognize Gaara's smirk in the last month, and what ideas it had come to symbolize. "Yeah, a break." A brief kiss followed Lee's words. "Any ideas on how to spend that time?"

"Somewhere more comfortable." Preferably someplace he could reach Lee without raising his heels. Gaara pulled back and looked at his living room slash kitchen slash dining room. 'Too messy' he thought, a jab of irritation coming back. He turned back to Lee with a look that said you-will-do-as-I-say.

"Bedroom."

'The bedroom?' Another look around the room, and the suggestion made a bit more sense. Lee nodded to show his agreement.

Gaara walked to his bedroom, kicking a few balloons out of the way. He ran a hand through his hair.

Lee kicked his shoes off and left them by the door, since he hadn't had the chance to remove them earlier, and followed Gaara to his bedroom.

Gaara sat on the bed and stared at it. He hoisted his legs up and sat cross-legged as he looked at Lee with expectancy and a sudden feeling of apprehension. This was the first time a bed was involved in anything they did.

Lee sat down next to Gaara, feeling a little nervous for some reason. 'I blame it on the presence of a bed.' He shook the thought off and turned towards Gaara.

He scooted closer, leaning in to press his lips to Gaara's. He started slow, trying to work out the fit of nervousness that had pooled in his stomach.

An unexpected shiver ran up Gaara's spine at the kiss. He closed his eyes and let Lee set the pace. The tightness in his stomach was a familiar feeling, but the last time he felt it was before he and Lee got together. Gaara softened his lips, parting them a bit.

The slower movements were beginning to pick up as Lee moved to deepen their kiss. The past month had made these moments seem so natural that it had become a fall back support, and it calmed Lee's nerves considerably.

Gaara's hand went up and rested on Lee's head, pushing gently. His other hand rested on the sheets behind him. He moaned softly when Lee put more pressure on his mouth. Gaara moved his legs to stretch out more comfortably, also allowing closer contact from the way Lee was leaning into him.

The arm supporting him from behind slipped and Gaara fell back against the pillows, eyes wide from the sudden movement. He was breathing slightly faster than normal.

Gaara's fall backwards had inadvertently pulled Lee with him, with the help of the hand Gaara had resting on Lee's head. "Are you alright?" Lee asked slightly out of breath.

He nodded before pulling Lee down with both hands. The addicting motions they had been doing wasn't enough for Gaara. He initiated the kiss this time, sucking now and then before pressing their mouths hard. His eyes had a dark shine in them that was intensified by his bruised lids.

Lee let himself be pulled into the kiss, not that he would have fought it anyway. He kissed Gaara back with his usual determination, trying not to let Gaara have too much of the upper hand.

Gaara slid his hands along Lee's back, scrabbling for a hold as the kiss grew more raw. He could barely hold back the urge to...to do something about the heat rushing through his body right now. He squirmed against Lee, gasping loudly when the action triggered a brief moment of pleasure. The fluttery feeling in his stomach was back again.

Gaara's gasp, and the movements preceding it caused Lee to buckle slightly, a bit surprised at the mixture of heat and pleasure the movement caused. He pulled out of the current kiss to catch his breath before moving in to initiate another.

Gaara pressed back against the bed when Lee moved. Things were getting out of hand but the sudden friction of their bodies was overruling his thoughts. "Lee-" His mouth was covered again and Gaara stopped holding back. He shifted his hips and growled into the kiss as he tried different ways to get that feeling again.

Lee deepened their kiss, his head tilting slightly to the side. He unconsciously pressed closer to Gaara. He wanted that feeling again, that delicious mix of heat and pleasure; and with that want, his body seemed hell bent on moving with Gaara in order to obtain it.

With Lee pressing him on the bed, Gaara couldn't do anything else but push up while pulling him down. His tongue brushed against Lee's as their kiss deepened. He jerked at the contact- hands fisting when his lower body rubbed up in one delicious moment. His face was flushed and hot and his body was reacting...quite...hard.

Gaara took Lee's face in his hands and gently ended their kiss. "Wait" he said between breaths. He stared into Lee's eyes then looked at his eyebrows. '...' His lower lip quivered slightly before he shifted his gaze to the side. "...Are we going to do it?"

Lee was slightly confused with Gaara's words for a moment before the enter situation sunk in. They were on Gaara's bed, quite alone without a possibility of interruption, and judging from what they were just doing things were logically heading in that direction. 'But are we even ready for that yet...?'

Gaara just stared at the wall. He was doing what he could to control the heat rushing down but it was getting hard... figuratively and literally. The flush hadn't gone from his face even if they had stopped moving. Gaara was weighing the situation with almost detached awareness. Was it right...to let Lee be this close so soon? Then again, technically he had waited for years to be with Lee.

And his thoughts were being interrupted with bouts of 'What would it feel like?'

"...I want to be able to be that close to you." Lee started hesitantly. "I want to know what it's like to be with you like that...but I can feel myself hesitating to get that close so soon..." He hoped he was making sense.

'And I'm trying really hard right now not to entirely ditch that hesitancy...' And he really hoped that side of his thoughts would shut up right now.

Gaara's lids lowered halfway before he turned his face back towards Lee. He caressed Lee's face with one of the hands cupping it and slowly leaning up to kiss him gently. "...I understand." The honesty in Lee's voice and in what he said was important to Gaara. It meant Lee wasn't doing this out of blind lust.

A contented smile graced Lee's lips after Gaara's kiss. It was moments like these that mattered; and while frustrating at times Lee supposed the physical aspect of their relationship could wait as long as these moments stayed.

"But I'm not waiting too long." Gaara said, looking at Lee with what could only be described as smoldering. Then he closed his eyes, resting back on the sheets. His body relaxed under Lee's weight and his arms wrapped loosely around him. No one said anything about cuddl- hugging after all.

"That's only because you have impatient tendencies." Lee teased lightly, trying to ignore the look Gaara had given him. He reluctantly rolled off Gaara to rest by his side, one of his arms moving to wrap around his waist.

Gaara shuffled closer and glared at Lee halfheartedly through his bangs. "Nothing wrong with that..." He punched Lee lightly on the arm. "Of course I could wait for a few years."

“Of course there isn't." Lee said, laughing and mock defending against the light punch thrown at his arm. "Wait years?" Why did years seem like a long time in this context?

Gaara smirked. "Years." he said drawling out the word.

Actually, he wouldn't be able to wait. Not after that scene a while ago. But he wanted to worry Lee a bit in compensation.

Gaara bit his lip then said, "I've been thinking about visiting Suna." It seemed better to tell Lee sooner than later. "Not now but maybe after Temari gives birth."

Lee had started to develop a twitch as Gaara drew out the word 'years.' 'If this is some cosmic payback for all of the times I teased him I swear never to do it again.'

Lee refocused after the mention of a visit to Suna. "Any idea how long you would be there?"

"It depends," Gaara's nonexistent brows met, "There are some things I left behind that need to be resolved." He sighed. "The longest would be a month or more."

"Things you need to resolve?" Lee looked at Gaara curiously. 'And a month or more? I hope it really won't be that long...' Lee's thoughts distractedly floated on that tangent for several moments.

Gaara was quiet for a few seconds before he murmured, "Family ties." He knew that sooner or later Lee was going to really delve into his past. Before they got together, he had already been asking innocent questions here and there. At this point, all he really wanted was to see his homeland. He could never stop thinking of Suna as his home even if it never provided him with one. But by going there, he would need to confront his father if he was to have any peace of mind. "And maybe myself as well." he added quietly.

Lee's brows furrowed in confusion. It seemed like Gaara always avoided going into too much detail about his homeland. It left Lee once again wondering what exactly could have happened to make Gaara not want to talk too much about it.

An idea was surfacing but Gaara wasn't sure if Lee would like it. "You...want to know about Suna?" He looked straight at Lee seriously.

Lee perked up. "Yes!...I mean yes I would." He tried hard not to look too eager to hear what Gaara had to say.

"Then will you go with me?"

"Go with you?" If anything Lee just managed to look more excited. "I'd love to go!"

Gaara managed to keep his face from showing any expression. He would give Lee a brief summary later on. It was better to let him think what he'd want to think for now. "Hnf. You'll probably hate the heat there though." He said. "We'll wait for the twins to be born before leaving." 'And after I talk to Temari.' he added silently.

"Hah! Heat is nothing." Lee said defiantly. He could handle a little heat...of course he could. "Ah! Yes the twins. Do you know how they're coming along?"

"Temari's been resting more these days. I think she's going to give birth soon." Gaara trailed a finger along Lee's arm. "Heh. And as for heat..." he leaned in close, "You weren't that resistant to it a while ago." Gaara smirked.

"Really? That's great!" Lee kept his voice down, his eyes following the movement of Gaara's finger until he spoke again. "I think that heat and Suna's heat qualify as too different kinds of heat...Besides if I remember correctly you weren't fairing too well yourself."

Gaara scowled, ears turning red. "Never said I was."

Contentment Leads to the Need for Entropy

2006-03-20T00:35:21Z

Well the good news is I'm no longer bored, or hyper! That deserves some celebration right? Right? ~~Okay so maybe I fibbed on the hyper part~~

Gaara came to train today. ^_^ It was fun- and it killed my boredom. ~~I like break time.~~

It was a sunny afternoon. The sky was clear and there were sounds of happy children playing around. Gaara was tense. It would be his first time to train with Lee. And as he was making his way over to Lee's dojo, he was mentally preparing himself to overcome such feelings... and hopefully overcome Lee's hyperness as well. He did say that he was hyper today.

Energy was something Lee had an overabundance of, especially these past few days. So here he was, at his dojo, trying to get rid of the excess energy and patiently wait for Gaara to arrive at the same time. Needless to say, it wasn't working all that well.

Gaara arrived in front of the oriental doors of the building. It always amused him to see such doors adorning a modern building- a weak attempt but an attempt nonetheless to give the traditional feel of most dojos. Frankly, he didn't care if the dojo was unconventional. The owner was unconventional already. He knocked on the door.

Lee froze at the knocking sound before heading for the doors. He slid them open, instantly brightening upon seeing his visitor. "Gaara! Come in!" Lee cheered, stepping aside so Gaara could enter the dojo.

Gaara nodded at Lee and walked inside. He looked around the place before saying, "I've come to train." The word 'train' came out a bit forced. Gaara still felt weird when saying that word. It sounded so... well, not like him.

"Of course!" His exclamation held a hyper tone. Lee turned around and moved further into the dojo, absent mindedly picking up equipment he had been using during his attempts at burning energy. "This way."

He placed his bag down. The lightweight beige linen shirt and pants he had on were his clothes back in Suna. He wore them when it got too hot for the usual clothing he had. He followed Lee further inside.

Lee placed the equipment in their rightful place before turning to face Gaara. "First things first. Stretches and warm ups, then we'll go over the first round of basics."

Gaara nodded. "Show me the movements."

"Right. Lunges first." Lee got into a starting position. "We'll work from the same side so it's easier to instruct, right leg in front of you, slightly bent. You left leg behind you at a 45 degree angle- or close to it. Once you're into position put your weight onto the leg in front, bending it more and stretching your back leg. Hold that position for ten seconds before relaxing and repeating with your opposite side."

Gaara placed his right leg in front, leaning forward and stretching his back leg. He counted to ten and repeated the motion with his other leg. He felt his muscles protest just slightly at their sudden use.

"Perfect." Lee moved out of the pose and into another. "Now for waist and torso. Place your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your arms at a slight angle. Now twist to the right, hold for five to ten until you feel a slight burn in the muscle- once again repeat with the other side."

It took a longer pause this time before Gaara did the movements. The exercises weren't new to him. But doing them in front of someone was. And the fact that Lee was carefully monitoring his movements did nothing to help. Gaara didn't want to know how he'd go through the more... spread out stretching positions.

Lee waited patiently for Gaara to finish the stretch before he started the next one. "Right upper arms and shoulders. Stretch the left arm across your chest, gripping with the other. Apply a slight pull with the arm you are using for a grip, hold for ten before repeating with the other side. For good measure repeat on each side twice since these muscles are more difficult to properly stretch."

Gaara pulled his left arm and did the same to his right. He rubbed his shoulders afterwards. The slight pull on each muscle was a little painful but not that much. He looked at Lee, waiting for the next stance. 'At least he doesn't look so hyper anymore' Gaara thought. 'I think.'

"Yosh! Next stretches require you to be in a sitting position." Lee promptly sat on the floor. "Now with your legs slightly spread reach for your right foot, then your left, and then reach as far into the center as you can. Hold each position for ten seconds." Lee turned a shade pink with his instructions. He explained them often enough with new students- but with Gaara it was different.

Gaara slid to the floor slowly and sat on the floor. He stretched his legs to his sides, not looking at Lee while doing so, and stretched to the left, the right, and finally the center. He quickly resumed his normal cross-legged position. At least Lee wasn't in front of him.

Well at least one of the most awkward stretches was over and done with. "Alright final set. Cross your left leg over your right, keep it bent. Now cross with your right arm, using your elbow to apply some pressure to your left leg. Then switch sides. Hold it for ten seconds each." Lee went through the motions of both sides before standing and waiting for Gaara to do the same.

The final movement was easy enough. Gaara did them without pause this time and stood up. He tilted his head to the side a bit. "What's next?" Whatever Lee had planned, he would do what he could to follow. He knew that he wasn't as strong or fast as Lee but this was all born from his lack of things to do. And he got to spend time with Lee.

"Now for the fun part!" Lee cheered. He was still a bit hyper, even if he didn't show it while he was going through their stretches. "I'm going to show you a few punches and kicks, and tell you where they should be aimed. Then you're going to practice them on your sparring partner, aka me."

Gaara winced at the cheer. He really thought Lee was over his hyperactiveness. But since it wasn't so, he could do nothing more than put up with it. "Aa." He trained his eyes on Lee's fists and legs. He wondered, with detached curiosity, what it would feel like to be hit by them.

"Alright first is an uppercut, used most when you're caught in a crouching position, aimed at the jaw." Lee went through the motions, making as if he was actually hitting someone. "It can be switched with a kick if you trust you have enough upper body strength to hold yourself, but don't try it if you have the slightest doubt." Lee then preformed the kick, which without an opponent looked more like a flashy handstand. "Got it?"

"I'll use my hand." Gaara did the punch up, a little slower than what Lee did. He did it again with more force just to get the feel of it. The kick would have to wait. Gaara wasn't one to show off and he knew where his limits were.

"Alright then. Then next is a straight kick, it can be used on the torso, the head, or the lower extremities." Lee did three kicks, one high, one low, and one in between the two. "Of course the same goes for punches as well. Though they are most effective on areas above the waist line." Lee repeated the sequence with punches. He then motioned for Gaara to give it a try.

Gaara lifted his leg and copied Lee's kicks. He did them from the lowest to the highest. His last kick managed to reach as high as his head. The burn in his legs was a strange sensation. But Gaara had ignored it and did the punches Lee had shown him. Afterwards, Gaara was breathing faster without sweating. Years spent in Suna had made him used to heat beating down on his body. The burn from training was something similar.

"Perfect!" They were only the basics, but Gaara caught on quicker than expected. "Alright, do a few more practices with those, then we'll have a small break before we see if you can manage to land a hit on me." Lee normally wouldn't have gone with a break, but he had managed to take note of the change in Gaara's breathing- not that it was anything to worry about, but he didn't want to push too hard.

Gaara gave a quick nod before adopting the stance Lee had shown him earlier. He could feel Lee's eyes on him. First he tried a series of punches. Left, right, right, right, left, uppercut right, left, and left. Then he kicked up high- he was glad he could kick that high. Then he kicked to the side. It was hard to keep balance since his body wasn't used to such movements. But Gaara kept his weight on his legs much like the way he did while he was sculpting while standing on a ladder.

Lee's eyes followed Gaara's movements. He nodded in approval several times, though he knew Gaara wasn't paying attention enough to notice. He watched Gaara do a few more series of punches and kicks before he felt a break would be in order. "Alright Gaara. I declare it to be break time, that's enough practice for now."

Gaara halted in mid-kick, stumbling a bit at the sudden interruption in his concentration. He waited for his breathing to calm down before facing Lee. "I think I know why you like training so much now." He walked over to Lee and stared at him. "It can consume your whole being to the point that you focus only on yourself." That was what he felt during the short time he did everything by himself.

"A-aa. It's absorbing, a distraction but also a form of extreme concentration- so much so you can forget everything around you. Ah, I was rambling again wasn't I?" Lee didn't mean to go on like that sometimes, but if he got caught up in a subject it seemed that he would be able to shut up. "In any case you should repeat some of the stretches you did earlier to help your muscles cool down before we officially begin the break."

Gaara smiled at Lee. When he was talking about something he liked, Lee always got this serious look in his eyes. It was times like those when Gaara would listen to Lee and learn something new about him. He did some stretches with his arms and the lunges. He hesitated before sitting down and stretching in that position.

Lee really wished he hadn't gone over that stretch. 'It has to be necessary why??' He looked away, focusing his attention on anything in the room that did not go by the name Gaara for the moment- or at least until he was done with that stretch.

Gaara finished with the stretch reaching forward. He languidly stood up and saw Lee looking away. He smirked and said, "I'm done already. You can look." He couldn't help but tease Lee. After all, it was just a return volley for the times when he was the one being teased.

Lee looked back at Gaara, a light blush to his cheeks. He childishly stuck his tongue out. He could take teasing just fine, but it was fun to "fight" back with Gaara.

Gaara looked at the tongue with a touch of dryness. 'Childish.' he thought before remembering that he had felt a bit of tongue during their kiss last time. He looked away with a tinge of red on his ears. "...So we're taking a break now?"

"Yeah! Break time!" Lee's hyper mood was back full force, maybe it was the childish actions bringing it on?

Gaara turned his gaze back to Lee and placed his hands on Lee's shoulders. His previous thought had sparked his interest and made him more confident. He pulled himself up to meet Lee's lips with his own in a rough kiss. Then he pulled back. "Yes... break time."

Lee blinked in slight confusion at Gaara's sudden movement before he matched it with a kiss of his own. 'I'm starting to like this break time...' Lee's thoughts drew off on that tangent for a good moment or so.

Gaara tightened his grip on Lee's shoulders and pushed back. He parted his mouth the same way he did before. Kissing was still an unfamiliar experience but Gaara was beginning to think it would be one of his favorite past times. He closed his eyes.

Lee's arms worked their way around Gaara's waist, pulling him close. The parting of Gaara's lips under his own had him repeating that action. A hesitant moment later Lee ran his tongue over the edge of Gaara's lips.

The swipe of Lee's tongue on the edge of his lips made him tremble slightly. He secured his arms behind Lee's neck and pressed himself against Lee. The whole thing was making him high.

Having Gaara press closer to him spurred Lee on a bit. He ran his tongue over Gaara's lips once more before slipping between them.

Gaara's eyes flew open before fluttering close. He let out a soft moan as Lee's tongue entered his mouth. He shyly touched it with his own.

Lee reluctantly pulled out of the kiss. His breathing was a bit shallow, his thought hazy.

Gaara breathed in and out, the kiss making him more breathless than the training. "So.. I guess break time's over?" He licked his moist lips.

Lee looked confused for a moment, before his thought process kicked in. "Huh-oh...um..yeah right. Break time's over." Though Lee wished only seconds later that he had answered differently.

Gaara composed himself, his expression returning to his usual blank one. He was a bit disappointed with Lee's answer but he did come to train. Although the kiss was a plus. He stepped back and stood idly. Lee had said they were going to spar but he didn't exactly know what to expect.

Lee mentally berated himself for another moment, before giving out his next set of instructions. "Alright. If you can land one hit, just one, then you're good for the day. If you can't land a hit, however, twenty laps around the building and then back to more training. There's a time limit of ten minutes. Understood?"

Gaara felt a vein twitch somewhere at the back of his head. Maybe training with Lee wasn't such a good idea. But he decided to go for it- he took the stance he was taught before deciding to switch to another stance. This one was something his uncle had taught him before he died. It was an open fisted stance, one hand up with palm facing down curved slightly and the other hand hip level and palm up, curved as well. He stopped his thought process right there and watched Lee with a calculative look in his eyes. He wasn't going to run around the building. No way.

Lee focused on Gaara's stance. 'Taichi...So he knows a bit more than the basics. This should be fun.' Lee took his own stance, one of his hands raised pointing upwards with the back facing Gaara, the other fisted behind his back. "Ready? Then- Begin."

Gaara inhaled and exhaled until he had a steady rhythm. He shifted his weight on his left foot before stretching his right foot forward. He held his stance for a few seconds to steady his balance before kicking to the left in a clockwise motion, making a crescent kick. It was a low one aiming for the underside of Lee's extended arm. Gaara's hands went down palms facing down as he kicked.

Lee dodged the kick. He moved so that he was behind Gaara, a position that confused most people he tended to spar with. "Too slow, you'll have to pick up your speed if you want to catch me." It was definitely fun if he was able to catch time to tease Gaara.

Gaara spun around, his weight shifting to his right leg as he slid his left leg in an arc around Lee, hand coming up in a ready position in case any attack came. His body followed his leg and he leapt back, giving some distance between them. He kept silent, focusing on keeping his breathing steady. That balance was the key to moving around; at least that's what he had told him, long ago. His right hand straightened and went out in a chopping motion sideways; Lee's shoulder its aim.

Lee's right hand came up, catching Gaara's arm by the wrist and effectively keeping it from making contact with his shoulder. "You'll have to try harder than that Gaara." Lee released his wrist and moved backwards for a few steps, eyes focused on catching Gaara's next move.

Gaara pulled back his wrist when Lee released it. Gaara's eyes widened slightly and took on a glint. He used the force of the pull to turn in a circle then leapt to the floor, kicking out towards Lee's legs. He was glad they did those stretches earlier. The last time he did this was 16 years ago. He knew he was going to hurt later on.

'Oh crap.' That was an unexpected move. At the last second, Lee was able to dodge, leaping off the side and skidding across the floor. At least he hadn't lost his balance. "Seems like I underestimated you a bit..."

Gaara let a smirk creep across is face. He was starting to feel the strain already but at least he had shown that he wasn't small fry. It was good that he still remembered the moves even if he never did them after... He took on another stance, this one with his left leg in front and both knees bent slightly. Both his hands were raised curled inward. He lunged at Lee with his front foot making a small jump and his back leg stepping once to propel him further. He twisted his body around, elbow and right knee aiming for Lee's upper torso.

Lee rolled off to the side, leaving himself in a crouching position. All right so he really underestimated Gaara. If things kept going on like this, he might actually have to start fighting back-something he shouldn't need to do in this exercise."Five minutes left Gaara.'

Gaara blinked a few moments at the reminder as he landed on the spot Lee was just a few seconds ago. He had almost forgotten the time limit. And he was already breathing fast, mouth parted slightly in short pants. He turned to Lee and adopted his first stance. He slid forward into a semi-crouch, one arm supporting him and placed on the ground behind him and the other on the floor in the middle of his body with his leg lashing out aimed at Lee's crouched form.

Lee slid back farther barely keeping out of the reach of Gaara's kick. He needed to find a way to send Gaara off balance and slow him down, throw him off his game for a little bit. Lee focused his attention on now finding weak points in Gaara's stances.

Gaara used his legs to pull himself back up. His breathing was getting heavier but he just swallowed and inhaled deeply. His body was burning but he felt refreshed... which was stupid, he decided. He noticed the sudden focus in Lee's eyes and took another stance. This one had a hand up, palm facing Lee while the other hand was closed in a fist chest-level. His front leg was bent slightly while his back was straight and facing to the side. He kept his weight on the balls of his feet in case he needed to leap back. This time, he waited for Lee to attack.

Lee noticed Gaara wasn't moving towards him. 'He must be waiting for my attack...' Lee studied the stance for a moment before making his move. He bum rushed forward before suddenly dropping down for a low kick to Gaara's front leg.

Gaara jumped back, Lee's leg brushing against his. He counterattacked by kicking axe form downwards.

Lee rolled off to the side again. He then put all of his weight onto his hands and pushed upwards; aiming to use the upward kick he had showed Gaara earlier.

Gaara knew he didn't have very long. His body was protesting already and it was barely past five minutes. His eyes widened at the sudden kick. He leaned to the left and caught the leg pushing up, at the same time his fist pushed out to hit Lee in the face. This time he just did it out of instinct, putting force behind the blow.

Lee's eyes widen when he was caught. In his current position there was no way to avoid getting hit, and he could catch the fist because his hands were busy holding him up. He really didn't want to get punched square in the face though. Lee twisted slightly, just enough so that Gaara's fist missed his face, but it managed to clip the upper part of his shoulder. "Looks like you managed to hit me..."

Gaara let the leg go and crumpled forward on his knees, panting heavily. He wiped the slight dampness from his forehead and turned to Lee. His eyes were bright. "So..haa... I don't have...*swallow* to run..."

"No you don’t have to run." Lee said with a light laugh. "Though you are the first one to be able to hit me on their first try in the exercise. I believe that should justify some sort of reward."

Gaara rolled on his back, still breathing hard. His arms were flung wide. "...Really? Surprise surprise..." He said, a bubble of pride swelling inside him.

Lee shifted to sit cross-legged on the floor, his attention focus on Gaara as he was sprawled on his back. "Yup! Though what would be a fitting reward for such an accomplishment..." Lee's eyes shifted to stare at the ceiling in thought.

Gaara turned sideways and looked at Lee. He didn't really care about such rewards. He was only glad that he didn't have to run those laps. But he was curious about what Lee had in mind.

Lee was half tempted to suggest a repeat of their break- in a prolonged period, but that wouldn't exactly be proper. Maybe a date on him? 'Arg I don't know.' Lee yanked at his hair in confusion. Maybe he should just give Gaara a free pass and let him choose his own reward.

Gaara regained his normal breathing and sat up, crossing his legs and looking at Lee. He looked at his antics with an amused smile. Lee's normally neat bowl cut was being messed up with all his yanking.

Lee stopped yanking on his hair, his mind made up. He looked back at Gaara before leaning forward and kissing him. His right hand moving to rest on Gaara's cheek, and his left holding his balance.

Gaara fell back a bit at the sudden kiss before his hands moved to support him. Then he kissed back, obligingly parting his lips and closing his eyes. This was a nicer activity than sparring.

Lee pushed forward as Gaara fell back, the hand on his cheek sliding down to his hip to help keep him steady. As Gaara's lips parted his did the same, the action almost natural and routine at this point. 'And I suggested and end to break time earlier because...?'

Gaara licked Lee's lips before covering them with his own. The adrenaline rush from their spar hadn't left his system yet and it was urging him to kiss with more pressure. He growled into the kiss, surprising even himself. Where did that come from?

Lee shuddered slightly as Gaara licked his lips- it was an odd but not unpleasant sensation. He heard Gaara's growl, slightly surprised at the noise, but he had to admit it almost fit him.

The position he was in was uncomfortable, especially since his arms were still tired from their sparring. He yanked on Lee's shirt and pulled him down. His blood was rushing through his veins. The spar had affected him too much. He renewed the pressure behind the kiss. It was a nice reward.... And he just knew he was going to be teased about this later on.

Lee's eyes shot open as he was pulled down, a sound of surprise being muffled by their kiss. Not a second later his eyes slid closed again, his surprise forgotten as he responded to the pressure Gaara put behind the kiss with some of his own.

Gaara put his hands on Lee's shoulders to prevent him from totally pressing down on him. He let out a small muffled groan when Lee started responding. He wanted... He didn't know what he wanted. But this was making his body burn much like it did during their spar.

Lee used one of his hands to prop him up and keep his weight off of Gaara. The small sound from Gaara seemed to work its way under his skin, making him heated-warm. This was going a bit far- and fast, and Lee knew this, but he didn't want to pull away.

Gaara let out another growl before suddenly pushing Lee away, hands still holding on to his shoulders. "...Enough." He closed his eyes, breathing heavily again. "...So that's the reward."

Lee blinked confused at suddenly being pushed away.The question was a bit of a surprise as well, and it took Lee a moment to remember exactly what Gaara was talking about. "Uh...no actually. The real reward is a date on me. Anywhere you want to go and anything you want to do."

Gaara looked up at Lee and paused. "...Anything?" He studied Lee for a few more seconds before saying, "Okay. Give me some time to think first."

((OOC: Major edit- Thanks to Regina cause she's awesome and sent me the rest of our RP <3 Now all is right with the world. And since Lj was being ~~a bitch~~ stupid, I had to delete the previous update I had of this ;_; It likes to eat my entries I swear.))

The randomness that is me at the moment

2006-03-15T22:15:48Z

Nothing entirely new around here. It's kind of quiet actually... ~~too quiet~~

I need something to do or I'll go crazy...Maybe I'll go visit Gaara, or Naruto, or Hinata, or....somebody.

Thursday was fun ^^ ~~I miss your cooking already <3~~ We should do something again soon...

The silence is driving me crazy... ~~I guess I'm too hyper for my own good...~~

gt_springlotus @ 2006-03-08T18:51:00

2006-03-08T23:58:34Z

Things have me great lately, so I'm in a good mood. and the other night I went on my first offical date with Gaara. It leaves me wondering if things will only get better ~~or is it times like these where they only get worse??~~

Gaara locked up the store and started walking. The distance between his store and Lee's gym wasn't that long, just a 15 minute walk. Gaara was preparing himself, his breath catching in his throat. It had only been a few days since then but it felt longer for him. He wanted to see Lee.

Lee had just finished with his last class of the day. He was currently ushering the last student out of the doors. The last few days had been busy, with some of his students visiting for practice. Regrettably this left little time for him to visit Gaara, it felt like an eternity since they had last seen each other.

He finally reached Lee's gym. He was across the street, watching as Lee showed his student out. Gaara watched him interact with his student, his caring nature showing like always. He waited for the student to leave before crossing the street. There was this small pressure inside him as he drew nearer to Lee. His gaze turned down. He couldn’t' look straight at him.

Lee looked up after his student left, his attention caught by the red head crossing the street. "Gaara!" he called happily. He had to resist the urge to run up and nearly tackle him if only for the fact Gaara was still in the middle of the street.
Gaara looked up when Lee called him. He stopped walking when he was beside him, standing on the same sidewalk. He was facing the gym, eyes riveted to Lee. "...Hi." He rummaged through his bag and took out a small plastic box. Inside, there was a pot with a green lump in it. "...Here."

Lee's smile faltered a bit when he noticed Gaara wasn't exactly facing him. He was further surprised when he was handed a box. "What...?" It was a potted plant-well a green lump really. "Thanks." Lee placed a kiss to Gaara's cheek- the gift may be...bizarre, but it was from Gaara- and that meant everything.

Gaara, eyes widened when Lee kissed his cheek. He stalled for a bit before facing him. "I didn't know what to get you." Chewing his bottom lip, he tilted his head to the side. "My sources weren't clear with what you're supposed to give. I wasn't getting you that...thing."

"You didn't have to get me anything- but... Thank you." Lee smiled brightly. Lee finally took notice they were still outside. "Uh, you want to head inside?" Lee gestured to the gym behind him.

Gaara nodded. He followed Lee inside, taking off his shoes by the door. He took of his sling bag and placed it near his shoes. "Temari and Shikamaru are back."

Lee removed his shoes at the door as well, the task made slightly more difficult by the fact he refused to set the plant Gaara had given him down. "Ah, they were at the bakery the other day I believe..."

Gaara watched Lee fumble to take of his shoes. He started to look around. The dojo was made of wood. He walked around the training area, scanning over the different equipment on the side. He had never touched any of them before. In the rare times when he'd go to Lee's gym- no dojo is a better word; he had mainly kept to himself, respecting Lee's property.

“You can pick them up and stuff you know. They won't bite." Lee joked as he came up behind Gaara. Lee really didn't mind much about the equipment he had lined up on the sides of the dojo, though always wondered why Gaara just looked at them. Always looking, never bothering touch.

"I don't know how to use them." Gaara answered. He knew he was physically weak compared to other people. But he didn't mind. He had come to rely on his brain and his background for defense when he's in trouble. He crouched and picked up a leg pad. Turning it over in his hands, he said, "...I don't fight."

Lee nodded absently watching Gaara fiddle with the leg pad. "I could teach you how to use them sometime...I mean if you want to learn how..." The sentence died off, more of a mumble near its end.

Gaara's hands stilled. He looked back at Lee and let a small smile come to his lips. "Sometime." He placed the pad back on the pile and stood up. "Lee, I want to know what we are now." His bare brows furrowed. "I've asked Naruto-kun but it's not clear yet. What... are we?"

Lee froze at the question- what exactly was he supposed to say to that? "I...well...I would use the term boyfriends- but that sounds awkward at best...partners? No that doesn't fit quite right either." Lee didn't realize he was going through his whole thought process out loud.

Gaara stared at Lee as he rambled on. There were so many terms but none really fit. He didn't know what to call them either. He couldn't compare them to other couples but he couldn't say they were completely different from them either. "...Maybe, we don't need a label."

Lee stopped mid-ramble when Gaara spoke up. "No label?...I think I could live with that." It would have been hard to actually fit them into any one category anyway- and Lee himself wasn't much for labels. "We're us and we're together right? That's all that matters, no labels needed."

Gaara felt bad now. For asking Naruto and Temari over and over. Only to end up with no label. But he agreed. They didn't need a label for what they were. He nodded. "No labels."

Lee shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot. Now that their whole "defining" of their relationship was said and done, he didn't know exactly what he should do with it.

Gaara felt a weight lift off his chest. Now they were getting somewhere. He rubbed the kanji on his forehead absently. "...I just came to visit you. But can we do something together?" It had been quite a while since they've spent time together and besides, they now had something between them that Gaara wanted to explore.

Lee looked at Gaara slightly surprised by the sudden request, but his look of mild surprise was soon replaced with a large smile. "Of course!" It had really been too long since they had spent time together.

Gaara took a few tentative steps towards Lee, looking up at him with his head bent down slightly. "I want to know you. Really know you." He lifted his hand- it twitched once - before placing it against Lee's chest. "...I want- I need you to let me in here. Just as I will."

Lee placed a hand on top of the one Gaara had placed on his chest. "My heart, my past, anything you want or need to know is there for you to know Gaara."

Gaara's face darkened. "It might be a while, before I can open up like that." He lifted his head up again. "But if you can wait... then I'll try."

"Take your time Gaara. Being with you is enough right now." Lee wouldn't admit that he was curious as all hells to know more about Gaara, but he also understood that it would take Gaara some time to open up.

He nodded and tugged his hand back. He let his arms fall to his sides. Sometimes Lee says things that make him part-speechless and part-weirded out. But in a good way.

Lee was a bit disappointed with Gaara pulling his hand back, but he didn't say anything. "So...Where should we go and what should we do?"

Gaara chewed on his lower lip. "Anywhere but that place we went to before." He was going to rely on Lee this time. He didn't want to end up in another strange place.

Lee laughed at the memory. "Yes that place was a bit....odd to say the least."

"Hnf. You looked at home there. With all those spices in the food." Gaara crossed his arms over his chest.

"The food was good! It was the entertainment that was odd." Lee started to laugh again.

Gaara's eye twitched at the memory. That girl had touched his hair as if they knew each other intimately. He decided that forgetting that instant for now would keep the mental stability he had now. "Just pick a quiet place."

"A quiet place...quiet place..." Lee tapped his chin he eyes rolling up to stare at the ceiling in thought. "Ah! I know! There's a small cafe around here somewhere, if that would work..."

"Aa." He nodded.

"Yosh! Just let me close and lock the gym and we are set and ready to go."

He waited for Lee to finish locking up the gym, wearing his shoes by the door and taking his bag. He leaned against the wall, watching Lee's movements.

Lee rushed about straightening a few things before shutting off the few main lights and heading towards the door. He grabbed his shoes and tugged them on, almost toppling over in the process.

Gaara let out a small amused grunt. He straightened up from his position and walked next to Lee. "Clumsy."

“I am not!" Lee cried defensively, despite the fact he had nothing to really back up his side of the argument.

Gaara ignored Lee's protest, a small smile on his face. "Well, where's the cafe?"

Lee moved to the door, holding it open so Gaara could exit first. "Up the street. It's fairly close."

Gaara lifted a nude brow at the gesture. Nevertheless, he walked out the open door first. "You'd better lead. I don't know your neighborhood."

Lee followed, turning around momentarily to lock the door behind him. He turned to start walking up the street. "Aa. It's this way."

Gaara walked next to Lee, unconsciously clutching the strap of his bag. Despite their earlier conversation, he was still feeling strange. He hadn't fully internalized the fact that they were together now. The street was lighted with lamps on both sides. Gaara stayed close to Lee, already used to neighborhoods with criminals lurking around.

Lee glanced at Gaara, noting his proximity and his hold on the strap of his bag. He weighed his choices mentally before slipping an arm around Gaara's waist, pulling him just a little bit closer.

Gaara tensed when Lee slipped an arm around him. He faltered. Then he inhaled deeply, relaxing his taut muscles. He kept his head down, his side tingling where Lee's hand was.

Lee was going to pull his arm back when he felt Gaara tense up, but he kept it where it was when he had relaxed moments later. "There it is!" Lee's delighted cheer broke the silence between them as he pointed out the small cafe.

Gaara followed Lee's gaze and looked at the small cafe. It was a quaint little place. Somehow Gaara couldn't imagine Lee going to such an establishment. Was there something else beneath that hyper happy-go-lucky exterior that DID fit in the cafe? Gaara stole glances at Lee as they made their way into the cafe.

Lee smiled brightly. "I forget when I found this place. I used to come here often..." He led them inside. "Where do you want to sit? They have open seating." Looking around, Lee realized it probably didn't seem like a place he would have frequented.

Gaara listened to Lee quietly, the smell of coffee made him relaxed and a little contemplative. He pointed over to a pair of sofas with a round coffee table between them. "There." His eyes scanned over the menu behind the counter. 'Hmm. So many flavors.' He thought, finally deciding on one of the brewed drinks. He preferred slightly strong, aromatic coffees.

Lee's gaze locked onto the seats Gaara had pointed out. He headed over there and plopped down into one of the sofas. He leaned back, relaxed, he had forgotten how nice this place was.

Gaara sat down on the other sofa. The atmosphere was calming. The hushed voices and the smell of coffee wafting around him were lifting his mood. His eyes riveted to Lee, blinking at the sprawled form.

Lee sat up in his seat after a few more minutes of simple lounging. "Do you like it?" Lee asked, one of his arms moving to show he was talking about their surroundings.

Gaara nodded. He settled into his seat, placing both arms on either of the hand rests beside him. "It's warm." The atmosphere in the cafe was just that. "We should order something."

Lee laughed. "We probably should." Lee took a glance at the menu they had up behind the counter. "Do you know what you're getting yet?"

"Brewed coffee. ...With cinnamon." Gaara's eyes shifted to the pastry menu. "And cheesecake." His fingers played with the loose threads on the arm rests. He sat up a little straighter, before asking, "You?"

"One of their Italian sodas, most likely the passion fruit flavor....they sort of barred me from coffee here." A nervous laugh followed his statement.

A brow arched. "...Barred you from coffee? Oh." Gaara blinked, placing his hands together in his lap. "I see. So alcohol's not the only drink you should avoid." He didn't want to imagine a Lee hyped up on the caffeinated drink. Unless he was at least a few feet away.

"Yeah. I think it has something to do with the caffeine...I tend to...as they had put it 'bounce off the walls.'"

Gaara turned his head to the side. "That's normal for you." He leaned on his hand, looking back at Lee.

What's normal? Me being unable to handle drinks or me bouncing off the walls? And weren't they about to order....oh well.

Gaara stood up, intent on ordering. He started walking towards the counter.

Lee blinked at the empty seat that had once held Gaara before jumping up and following him to the counter. "Wait up..."

Gaara stopped in front of the counter, nudging Lee as he stopped by his side. He pointed to a small sign near the counter. There was a picture of Lee and a coffee cup next to it encircled with a diagonal line passing through it. He smirked.

"Ha-ha, hilarious." Why did they still have to display that sign?

Gaara stared at the counter girl, giving his order with his usual way of speaking. He blinked when she cringed a bit, trying (and failing miserably) to be cheerful and taking Lee's order next.

Lee waved, ordering in what he considered to be a normal tone of voice- one that borderlined on hyper.

They really had different attitudes, he thought. Gaara took out his wallet, counting his half of the payment. He checked the cash register again to see if the total amount was right.

Lee vaguely wondered if he should offer to pay again...but Gaara had already pulled out his wallet. 'Well there goes that idea.'

Gaara paused and turned to Lee. "I'm paying for you this time." He still couldn't shake off the feeling that he had a debt to pay Lee.

"Wha- um...well..." Lee didn't know how to respond to the sudden offer. 'Thank you- the words are thank you Lee.' "Thank you."

Gaara mumbled a soft 'welcome' before handing the girl the money. His brows slanted down when he saw her giggling with a fist covering her mouth, looking at them.

Lee was confused as to why the girl was giggling. Or at least he was confused until he noticed how she was looking at them.

Gaara chose to ignore the girl, taking the receipt for later accounts. He wasn't oc. Of course not. He was just... organized. (Note-for those who don’t know: oc is obsessive, compulsive.)

Lee chuckled lightly when Gaara took the receipt, and most likely slipped somewhere in some organized manner. He held onto the strangest things, it was-'cute, adorable? something that makes want to glomp him?'- something his brain supplied the strangest adjectives for.

Their order came, after some more giggling from the cashier girl, no longer afraid of Gaara. Gaara picked up the tray, looking for the condiments table.

"What are you looking for?" Lee asked after tossing a quick 'thanks' to the girl.

"The stick you use for stirring." Gaara found the table a little to the left; going up to it and taking one stick from the holder. He placed it neatly on top of his coffee cup.

"Come on let’s sit down." Lee said a hint of laughter in his voice. He started to head back to their table.

Gaara lower lip jutted out a bit. "What?" He followed Lee back to their table, which was fortunately left vacant.

"Nothing." Lee replied, still fighting back the laughter bubbling in his throat. He sat down, and waited for Gaara to do the same.

Gaara set the tray on the table and sat down. He took his cup and blew the steam coming out of it. Then he took a few sips, closing his eyes at the taste. He let out a small sigh after separating his lips from the cup.

Lee reached out for his own cup, taking a large gulp of the cool liquid. It wasn't the same as warm coffee, but it was delicious.

Gaara set down his cup, leaning on his chin to observe the people in the cafe. It was already dark outside and more people were coming in for coffee and cakes. The people inside the cafe were usually together by couples. Gaara absently rubbed his chin.

Lee noticed Gaara rub his chin after looking about the cafe- it was what Lee would consider a thinking gesture. He tilted his head in confusion, still sipping on his drink. Lee's eyes darted between Gaara and his cup- Gaara out won his drink in importance. "Something on your mind?" Lee asked after swallowing one last gulp of his drink and setting his cup down.

Gaara's eyes slid towards Lee. "Just observing." He righted his torso and leaned on his hands, elbows resting on his knees. He looked at Lee intently. "Tell me. What did you do, these few days?"

"These few days? Hn...I've been getting my school back under some order- considering the week before I was absolutely distracted trying to find a certain redhead I know. “Lee joked lightly.

Gaara's ears turned red. "Sh-shut up." He took his cup and sipped on it, peering up as he did. "I was busy that week..." he mumbled.

'Then why did I have a hell of a time finding you when everyone else seemed to know where you were?' Lee left his question unasked, he wasn't sure he wanted an answer. He settled for just taking another large gulp from his cup.

Gaara held the cup in front of him, his brows coming together. "...What else could I do?" He chewed on his lower lip. "I didn't know how you'd react... when Naruto-kun asked you that question."

"You were avoiding me then?" Well that made much more sense to Lee. "Did you ask Naruto what I said?"

He shook his head, sliding deeper into his seat. "I didn't want to ruin our friendship." Looking back at what happened, he knew that he had tried to avoid Lee and forget the feeling he had. He had acted on a sudden impulse to bolt ever since he asked Naruto to ask Lee that question.

"I had that thought too, of not wanting to ruin our friendship, but...I'm glad I took my chances." Lee looked away, he was unsure if his words were able to say everything he had wanted to.

Gaara kept silent for a few seconds, looking at Lee while unconsciously pouting. He set down his cup and looked at Lee's turned face and said, "Ore mo. (Me too.)" The fact that Lee had pursued him even if he avoided him comforted him. Someone allegedly loved him enough to keep going after him.

Lee turned back to look at Gaara for a moment before his face lit up with a bright smile. Gaara's words, even if there were only two, struck him somehow with their agreement.

Ears turning redder at the smile, Gaara picked up his fork and started working on his cake. Lee's bright smile was making that strange feeling in his stomach return.

Lee picked up his cup again, intent on finishing the drink. There was still the slight presence of a smile, and while it certainly made drinking harder, Lee couldn't will it to go away.

His eyes half-lidded, Gaara finished his cake. Sugar always got to him quickly. There was no sugar rush or what. Just the sleepy, lethargic feeling afterwards. He licked his lips contentedly.

Lee set down his now empty cup, and could resist the urge to chuckle when he looked at Gaara again. "Well don't you look content?"

"I am." He turned his head angled up, exposing his neck. "I like coffee." He licked his lips again. Then he let out a sigh.

"Great now I'm jealous of coffee." Lee joked, his eyes focusing on the exposed column of Gaara's neck. 'Must resist urges, if I don't...100 laps around Konoha.'
Gaara arched his smooth brow. "What are you looking at?" He consciously rubbed his lips with his hand.

"N-nothing..." Lee mentally cursed his luck at being caught.

Gaara smirked. "That didn't look like nothing." His smirk turned into a small smile.

Damn it all Gaara had one of his smirks. "You must be imagining things." Lee said innocently, though it didn't help with the blush creeping up his neck.

Gaara decided to drop the subject, mentally noting to tease Lee later. 'Ha. Now it's my turn to tease.' he smirked again. "I better head home soon. I still have some commissions to finish."

Lee mentally sighed in relief when Gaara dropped the issue. "Aa, I guess we should head out then?"

Gaara nodded, slowly standing up. He dusted the seat of his pants to get rid of stray crumbs. Then he walked the short distance towards Lee. "Let's go."

Lee stood as well, stretching slightly. "And away we go." He took Gaara's hand and started for the door.

~A Good Day

2006-02-26T04:30:21Z

All of the hectic running around has come to and end. ~~I found him and confessed~~ My nerves are humming in excitement and I don't know what to do with all of my excess energy.

(Private to Gaara)You have no idea what it was like trying to find you this week- I missed you We can take things at your pace- I don't want to...move too fast for you or anything I guess.

(Private to Naruto)Thank you. For talking to me ~~And convincing me to say something to him~~

(I have feelings for you, and I want to be with you. (Gaara and Lee, Saturday night))

gt_springlotus @ 2006-02-22T16:24:00

2006-02-22T22:31:57Z

I stopped by Hinata's bakery the other day. ~~Gaara wasn't there either.~~ Something seemed off, but I'm not sure what...

Hinata sat behind the counter of the bakery, glasses on and a calculator out. She hated doing the books, but with nobody else there it went fast. She got to up check the coffee oblivious to the outside world.

Lee had decided to resume his search for Gaara. He was heading for Hinata's bakery now, he didn't know if Gaara would be there, but maybe Hinata would give him ideas on where to look.

He went inside the bakery, walking up to the counter. He waited for Hinata to notice him while he looked at the different breads on display.

Hinata filled a mug with coffee and slowly turned, She had company. Smiling at Gaara, she blinked. "Hey, your usual regular coffee and a lemon square?"

Lee was almost at the bakery, he could see it off in the distance. He put a little more speed in his walk, he hoped Hinata would be able to help.

"Aa. But take out this time." Gaara paused for a moment. 'Naruto-kun's not here either.' He looked out the window, suddenly feeling tense. He could sense something about to happen.
He turned to Hinata, saying, "I know this sounds strange, but is there somewhere I can hide?"

Hinata got the items and handed them to Gaara, raising her eyebrows at his request. "Yeah, Naru has class, and if you need to hide my office is just before the kitchen." She held up the counter for him, wondering what was up.

Lee slowed down in front of the bakery- he didn't want to apear to be in a hurry. He opened the door, waving cheerily at Hinata as he walked in.

Gaara nodded and ducked into Hinata's office just as the door opened. He closed the door as quietly as he could. Then pressed his ear against it.

Hinata smiled at Lee, waving back. "Hey Lee, what brings you to The Cookie Fairy today?"

"Ah actually I'm looking for Gaara. You haven't seen him have you?" Lee scanned the bakery for the redhead. 'He isn't here...'

Gaara's fists clenched at the sound of Lee's voice. He held a fist up to his mouth and bit lightly on his index finger. He should have known Lee could come looking for him here.

Hinata looked around the pretty empty place. "If he was here I'd have noticed, but it's been dead for about an hour. He usually only comes in when Naruto is working. Why, what's up?"

"I wanted to talk to him but I can't find him anywhere..." This was getting ridiculous, where else could Gaara possible be?

He heard Lee say something about wanting to talk to him. What did Naruto tell him?! Gaara slowly slid down, leaning on the door while sitting.

Hinata smiled softly, wondering why Gaara was avoiding Lee. "Have to tried asking Naru? I'd tell you to call him, but he forgot his cell phone last night. I know he mentioned something about having Gaara hang out at his dorm."

"I haven't had the chance to talk with him since he last visited my gym. Though maybe I could find a way to get ahold of him..." If Gaara was staying at Naruto's dorm then Naruto was who he would have to talk to.

Gaara leaned his head against the door, trying to catch Hinata and Lee's conversation. He kept his eyes open for possible escape routes. 'The window maybe?'

Hinata tapped Naruto's cell phone, thinking. "Well, Naru should be in at some point to pick up his phone, maybe if you want to hang around?"

"Sure." Lee replied happily, at least he was finally gettin somewhere in this little search of his.

As if on cue, Naruto walked into the bakery casually. Automatically, he asked, "Hinata-chan? Have you seen my cell phone?" Then he noticed Lee. "Oh hey Lee, what's up?"

He thought he heard Naruto. 'Shit.' He hoped Lee would stay put and not look around the bakery- specifically the office. The window looked like a good escape right now.

Hinata giggled, holding up the cell phone. "You left it in my office, I found it this morning. Um, Lee was here looking for Gaara, and that's guy I wanted you to interview is waiting in the office."

Naruto grinned happily at the sight of his cell phone. "You are a life saver, Hinata-chan. Thanks a bunch." He walked over and took it from her, lazily shoving it in his pocket. "Guy to interview?"

Lee stayed quiet. He would wait to ask Naruto aout Gaara until after he finished this interview Hinata mentioned.

Hinata sighed, rolling her eyes. "You don't remember me asking you to handle the new hires, especially after last time? Just go see him, he's been waiting."

Naruto blinked at her, clearly not remembering. "...Um ok!" He grinned though, knowing he could handle it.
Hyoukou: He waved to the both of them, heading to the backroom and towards the office. He pulled the door open and walked in.

Hinata sighed. "Geez, you'd think the college kid could remember more..."

Gaara folded his arms on top of his knees. 'How long am I going to stay here?' He debated on whether to run out and hope no one noticed him and jump out the window. Just then, the door opened, pushing him to his side. He caught himself with his hands and looked around, releasing a relieved sigh when he saw Naruto.

"Gaara-kun?" He asked, a little confused. "You're applying for the bakery?"

Hinata picked up her coffee taking a sip. "I should come by your gym Lee. Working in a bakery is a recipe for fatness. I'm amazed i'm not huge."

Gaara sat up, gesturing for Naruto to keep silent with his finger. He did a swishing motion with his hand, urging Naruto to close the door.

Lee laughed. "I don't think you could gain a pound if you tried Hinata, but you're welcome to visit anytime."

Naruto raised a confused eyebrow. "Are you ok? What are you doing here?" He said in his normal voice. But he closed the door behind him and put his bag on the ground.

Hinata laughed happily. "Oh please, if I wasn't here running around or home worrying about here I'd be enormous. So uh, you and Gaara, huh?"

Gaara sighed, turning his eyes up to Naruto. "I'm avoiding him for now."

"Me and Gaara?" Lee was starting to wonder if those comments were always thrown out in the middle of a perfectly normal conversation.

He bit his lower lip before continuing, "What did he tell you anyway?"

Hinata shrugged. "Yeah, I keep track of people who I haven't seen in a while to come in, I'm making a list. I remember easier by saying the names." She blushed, realizing she shouldn't have assumed. "You guys aren't usuals."

Naruto blinked. And then it hit him. "Are you hiding in here cause he's out there??" He let out a sigh and moved to sit down. "He told me he had feelings for you. That he didn't want to ruin the friendship you two have. I swear, it's almost the exact thing you said, Gaara-kun.”

Lee eyed Hinata expecting that wasn't exactly what she meant, but he brushed it off. "I've been meaning to stop by..."

Gaara stared, his mouth parted slightly in a silent gasp. He pulled his knees to his chest once more and rested his chin on them. His thoughts were racing. "Wait...he...told you that?" He could hear his heart beating in his ears.

Hinata caught the look and sighed. "Alright, I'm also curious. Do you know why he took off? You just know him so well..."

"Took off? Hinata, I don't even know where he is..." There has to be somehing she wasn't saying, something she knew and wasn't telling him.

Hinata blinked. "Yeah...hence the took off. I just thought maybe you knew why. He had been the only person to like my lemon squares."

Naruto watched Gaara revert into himself, and his eyes sofened. "Ne. Gaara-kun, it's not a bad thing. He did tell me that. And I don't think he'll change his mind about you, honestly. Lee is that kind of guy." He smiled gently.

Lee shook his head in dismay. "I don't know either."

Hinata nodded, smiling softly. "I"m sure Naru knows something. He's friends with everybody."

He shook his head slowly. "...I can't. I need time to think this over. Everything just happening too fast- " He almost choked on the last word. Panic was starting to set in him.

"I hope he knows something..." Lee returned Hinata's smiles with one of his own.

"Then tell him that. He has to understand and respect your decision to go slow, if he cares, right? It can't be as bad as you think, Gaara-kun." Naruto said softly, knowing what Gaara was feeling.

Hinata felt a moment of awkwardness, realizing she left two guys in her rather plain office. "So, do you want anything while you wait?"

"I want to go." Gaara peered at Naruto from where his face was resting. As much as he was relieved about his feelings being returned, the idea of even voicing it out was rattling him.
Crimson Suna: He needed to calm down. He needed to drink his coffee damnit! It was getting cold.

"Uh...A coffee, light cream?" Lee asked tentatively.

Hinata walked over and got the coffee for Lee, checking her watch. "I really hope that this kid works out, we need a closer."

"Want to go?" Naruto nodded. "I can take you out the back door if you want to really go. It leads to the ally. But... I don't want you to run away either..."

"Let me run for now." Gaara said, a look of sadness passing through his face before he composed himself and stood up. He took his coffee and pastries.

Naruto nodded. "Let's go out the backdoor." He stood and picked up his bag, and quickly scribbled a note for Hinata. He opened the door and peered out quickly.

Gaara waited for Naruto's signal.

Naruto grinned when he didn't see anyone in the hall, and waved for Gaara to come with. He headed at a jog down the short hallway and pushed the back door open, waiting for Gaara to run out first.

Gaara followed Naruto, taking one last look in the direction where he knew Lee was still waiting before running out the back door.

Naruto headed out with him, and shut the back door as quietly as he could.

Lee had been sitting there waiting for Naruto to come back up front. 'Maybe the interview is taking longer than expected?' He waved a quick goodbye to Hinata before leaving. 'I'll just try and talk to him later then.'

gt_springlotus @ 2006-02-21T17:38:00

2006-02-21T22:55:12Z

I stopped by Gaara's shop today- I saw it was temporarily closed... I'm wondering what's going on...

Lee had stopped by Gaara's shop wondering idly if he could talk to him. He was a bit surprised however to find a sign on the door announcing the place to be temporarily closed. '...Where could he be?'

Gaara was still pulling tarp over his displays and checking if he left anything else uncovered. He was about to go out when he saw the top of someone's head over his sign. Whoever it was had a bowl cut- and there was only one person who would visit him with that cut. Gaara felt his chest start to tighten. He quickly made his way out the fire escape at the back.

Lee could have sworn he saw movement through the doorway. 'Could he still be in there?' He made his way around to the other side of the building, but he didn't see anything. 'I could have sworn...'

He was walking quickly. Almost on the verge of running. 'Did he see me? ...I must get to Naruto's dorm.' He turned right into an alley only he and Naruto knew would be a shortcut through the neighborhood. He paused and peeked at the side of the wall. Lee was still looking around the shop area. 'God. I didn't want to see him this early. What with the thing I made Naruto-kun ask him.'

"Oi, where else would Gaara-kun be?" Lee wondered out loud. 'I really need to talk to him too. It's just my luck.' He was about to give up looking around the shop area when he noticed a mop of red hair dart around the corner into an alleyway. 'I may be imagining things but...' "Gaara-kun?" Lee may his way over to the alleyway slowly hoping it was Gaara he saw.

Turn left. Climb up the wall. Jump down. Turn right. Enter a building and leave by the front. Gaara went through the familiar passages until he was finally walking through the park, on his way to the university. He passed through the forested area, just in case. He knew Lee was persistent. He might have followed him even up to there.

Lee had made his way through the alleyway, every time swearing he saw a familar red head dart around the corner but always seeming to miss him. He sighed loudly realizing he had gotten lost with that of the twists and turns he made. 'I'll just find Naruto later and ask if he's seen him...'

Gaara relaxed when he finally entered the campus grounds. He didn't know why he was feeling like this. He didn't want to see Lee- no, he did want to see him. But he felt panic run through him whenever he did. The old feelings were back, though he started to think they never left in the first place. At this point, he didn't want them back. Too many things were at stake, his heart on top of the list.

Lee was more than slightly frustrated when he finally found his way out of the alleyways and into an area he reconized. 'I hope I can find him soon.' The truth was that while he was nervous about talking to Gaara he felt that he needed to. 'Why do things have to be so difficult?'

Lost

2006-02-20T07:58:08Z

Things lately have turned the world upside down.

~~Who knew relationships could leave you so confused before they even began?~~

So here I am up so late/early, wondering what I can even do---may be I should just let it go for awhile---I don't know.

What can this outing even be called

2006-02-18T09:09:25Z

So I visited Gaara today. It was fun, and we hung out after he left work...Some parts of the evening got awkward ~~I really have to learn to keep my mouth shut~~

Lee was once again visiting Gaara at his shop. He had been coming here more often recently. "Ne Gaara, are you free anytime soon?" He asked.

Gaara checked the clock on the desk. "...In a while." He was writing the day's balance in his logbooks. And just like almost everyday this month, Lee was visiting him.

"Do you want do something?" He walked over to lean on the desk, taking a quick glance at the clock as well.

He looked up from his work to raise a hairless brow at Lee. "What do you plan to do?"

Lee gave a shrug. "I wasn't quite sure actually, I thought maybe we could think of something together."

"...Well, we can eat." Gaara checked the clock again and put down his pen with a sigh. "No one's going to buy anything at this time anyway."

"Great!" Lee practically jumped from his spot against the desk. "Anywhere particular you want to go?"

Gaara winced at Lee's sudden exclamation. He stood up and picked up his sling bag. "You pick." He walked around the desk and headed for the door, knowing that Lee would soon follow.

Lee moved quickly to walk beside Gaara. "Well...I don't normally eat out much- so I don't know many places around here..."

Gaara glanced sideways at Lee. "I'm not picky." He noticed how Lee easily caught up to him, and once again was reminded of their height difference.

" 'I'm not picky'" Lee mocked with a laugh. "Fine fine, first place we spot will be where we eat."

He glared at Lee. "Don't mock me..." He looked around and saw a place with a gold sign hanging from the wall. "There." Gaara pointed with his finger.

"But mocking you is such fun." The comment came out in a teasing tone. Lee looked to where Gaara had pointed. "Alright then! Let's go, I'm hungry!"

Sometimes Lee could be so...insufferable. Gaara sighed and walked next to Lee. When they were standing in front of the restaurant, his face was expressionless. It was a Lebanese restaurant, and on the door was a poster of a bellydancer. "...No."

Lee laughed. "You're the one who spotted it, but we can move on if you want."

Gaara pushed the door open and stepped in. He wasn't going to back out of their agreement. First restaurant. Damnit. Of all places.... He crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at the man, asking him where he wanted to sit.

Lee followed Gaara into the restaurant. He noticed Gaara glaring at the waiter and quickly told him it was only two and a seat anywhere was fine before the poor man lost some limbs.

Gaara followed the waiter who was holding up his tray onto his chest. They were led to a semi-circle couch lined with carpets and fake furs. In the middle was a small bronze table. Gaara sat on the other side of the couch and looked at the menu the nervous waiter handed to him.

Lee sat opposite of Gaara, taking the other menu from the waiter before watching him dart off. "I think you scared the poor man Gaara." Lee stared blankly at the menu before setting it aside.

"Heh." Gaara glanced at the list on the menu. There was a translation on the side. "...Where's that waiter? Have him order for us."

Lee glanced around the restaurant, but he couldn't spot the man that seated them. He spotted a different waiter and called him over instead.

Gaara fixed his gaze on the waiter and said, "Get me something good." He held out the menu and promptly ignored the waiter. He didn't think he needed to expound.

Lee chuckled at the expression the waiter held. "I'll have what ever you decide to bring him." He handed the menu back with a polite smile.

Leaning back against the furs, Gaara looked at all the bronze items and paintings decorating the restaurant. The different shapes made his fingers twitch. He wanted to carve those figures in his glass art.

Lee had leaned forward and now had and elbow on the table and his chin resting on his palm. He saw Gaara's eyes flicker over the walls- more than likely looking at the decorations. "They would look better in glass."

He looked at Lee, leaning on the table. "Aa." He sank down onto the furs and waited for their food to arrive.

Lee had grown used to the pauses in conversation with Gaara, the silence more of a comfort than a moment of awkwardness. He took this moment to scan the restaurant again, taking note of all the bronze in the place. 'Don't the know about any other metals?' Lee found himself thinking.

Suddenly, kaballah music started to play from the speakers. Gaara started from his slouch and looked at Lee as if he was the one playing it. Then he noticed the other guests start to clap their hands. "What?"

Lee sat up his attention now focused on what could be going on. "Gaara...do you have any idea as to what is happening right now?"

Gaara shook his head, eyes widening when a scantily clad woman suddenly came out from the back of the restaurant. He glared at her as she passed by them. Then he turned to Lee. "Where's our food?"

"I-I don't know." Well the poster on the door made much more sense now. 'And this had to be the first restaurant why?' That thought swam in his head until the waiter finally came back with their food.

Gaara picked up a stick with what looked like chicken speared on it. He started to bite it. Then he stiffened, turned his head and narrowed his eyes at the dancing woman who had caressed his hair.

Lee almost choked on the bite of- whatever it was on the stick when he saw the glare resurfaced on Gaara's face. He couldn't help it if Gaara glaring was amusing when it wasn't you as the glare's target, but it would help to swallow his food before trying to laugh or comment on it.

He turned his glare towards Lee who he saw was choking. He just knew he was laughing at him. He resumed his assault on his stick, his patience wearing thin.

Lee had managed to swallow properly after a moment. "Maybe it would be best to finish here quickly so you don't turn everyone to stone with your glares ne Gaara?" Lee's lips stretched into an amused grin.

Gaara just continued eating, ignoring Lee for the moment. The food was good...at least by his standards. He shifted his foot a bit, brushing against something. He paused, blinked, then reached for another stick.

Lee paused in the middle of chewing his food when he felt something brush against his leg- he mentally shrugged before he swallowed
heavily and grabbed another stick. The actual restaurant may be odd, but at least the food tasted good.

As soon as Gaara finished his stick, he drank the sweet honey drink provided by the restaurant. Then he said, "Now what?" He couldn't help it, he wanted to get out of the place fast.

Lee finished up quickly as well and called the waiter over for the bill. "Well, first we get out of here. Then we worry about what's next."

Gaara took out his wallet, intent on paying for half the bill.

"Ah, Gaara I've got it." Lee pulled out his own wallet while gesturing for Gaara to put his away.

Gaara didn't budge. "Lee, I can pay for myself."

"Ah I know...I guess I just wanted to treat you is all." He was rubbing the back of his head now, nervous laughter following his sentence.

Lee's nervous laughter made him look at Lee. Then he nodded. "I'll pay you back another time." Gaara thought, 'Lee must be securing his own 'treat' in the future. How practical.'

Lee was about to explain that he really expect- nor need- to be paid back, but he figured it was a conversation better suited for another time. He carefully tucked the correct payment, along with a tip, into the bill folder the waiter left on the table. He then moved out of his side of the booth and waited for Gaara to do the same.

Gaara followed Lee out of the booth and out of the restaurant. He slung his bag around his shoulders. He looked at Lee and said, "Lee, you have sauce on your mouth." He leaned over and wiped it off with his hand. Then took a tissue he took from their table and wiped his hand clean.

"Thanks." A light blush rose on Lee's cheeks. 'Ah, why am I blushing.' The thought only made Lee turn a darker shade of red. "Uh, so what now?"

Gaara didn't see Lee's blush, already moving to walk down the street. "...You decide." Really, Lee was the one who wanted to 'hang out' as they call it, with him. He should decide where they would go next.

"This probably sounds stupid- but do you want to see a movie? I mean if you don't want to that's fine..." The whole sentence had come out awkward and unsure- something Lee never expected of himself. 'Just what exactly has me so flustered today?'

A movie? Well, there was supposed to be a really good movie showing right now...Gaara turned around. "Okay. But nothing weird."

Lee nodded in agreement. "Nothing weird gotcha--wait...what exactly constitutes as weird for you?"

Gaara eyed Lee. "...Aliens. And those stupid movies where 30 year old women act as 13 year old girls."

"Alright then! No aliens and 30 year olds with teenage complexes." Lee gave Gaara a thumbs up and a smile- the classic "good-guy" pose.

Gaara looked at the thumb jerked upwards before dismissing it. He was shown that pose too many times, although it still made him want to
rub his head in annoyance.

"So what are we standing around here for anyway?" Lee turned toward the direction of the local cinema and started walking.

Gaara followed Lee, glancing sideways every now and then. He was glad Lee didn't tire of their companionship. Even after all these years.

"Ne Gaara, mind if I ask you something?"

"...Sure." He turned his head to look at Lee.

"You don't have to really answer, I'm just curious- but are you interested in anyone?" Lee looked at Gaara out of the corner of his eye. "I mean romantically..."

He stopped walking, turning his head quickly to glance at Lee. "What?" He felt his chest tighten again. Unlike in college, he knew that it was a signal he was getting flustered.

"Are you interested in anyone romantically?---You don't have to answer, I shouldn't have asked...I mean, never mind." Lee didn't even know why he asked that stupid question in the first place.

He didn't know how to answer that. He couldn't answer that. He turned back towards the path. "...I'll tell you another time." He started walking again. Unknown to him, the tip of his ears were pink.

Lee followed behind Gaara a bit and took notice of the pink tint to the tips of Gaara's ears- wait was Gaara blushing. 'Can a pink tint to the top of the ears even be considered blushing?' As Lee pondered the wonderment and many levels of blushing he didn't notice that he and once again caught up to Gaara.
(TBC)

Part II Part III

A start

2006-02-15T00:00:08Z

I decided to get a journal. There really isn't a reason behind it, though supposedly its a good way to check up on friends and it's therapeutic... It's a bit sad to be spending time on this when it's Valentine's Day though...