Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Photograph ❯ Meaning ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Theme # 5: "ano sa" ("hey, you know....")

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The sun was brutal. Sweat ran into onyx eyes and dripped onto the desert sand. Blood slowly ran down his arm, staining the green cloth to black. His clothing was torn in several locations. His weights were discarded, tossed aside to give him the extra edge he needed for this battle. His muscles ached with strain. The air smelled of ozone from the massive amount of chakra that was being used against him.

Rock Lee was having an absolute blast.

“Try that one again, Kazekage-sama! I believe I have a counter!”

In the background Temari snorted, but Lee disregarded it. He had other things to worry about. Besides, he knew that the blonde was not paying any real attention to the sparring. She had been bouncing pebbles off of her sleeping brother's head for the last ten minutes. Perched on the wall that surrounded the training area, she was supposed to be making sure that the fight did not get out of hand. Since Lee and Gaara were ignoring her completely, she had found something else to entertain her. Kankuro snored on even as the pebbles scored perfect hits on his forehead. He had dozed off in the shade provided by the wall within moments of arriving.

The sand around Lee shifted and rose to form two copies of the sand master in shades of tan. Both of the clones attacked at the same time, trying to trap the jounin between them. Unlike shadow clones, these copies could take a hit and keep on coming. They did not just turn into a poof of smoke and disappear. Lee leapt to get clear, easily soaring twenty feet in the air.

`Wheee!'

While Gaara was occupied controlling the two sand clones, Lee brought the fight to him. The sand leapt to defend him but was struggling to keep up. Strike after strike landed against the sand, forcing the sand to spread itself thin in an attempt to keep up. The Kazekage fell back, trying to put some space between him and the battering blows and pull his clones back into the fray. One of the clones managed to snag an ankle and slow Lee down. Gaara's retreat suddenly reversed and he lunged forward to physically engage the taijutsu master.

Lee tried to yank his ankle free and found himself fighting a death grip on his wrist as well. Now that he had been stopped, things were getting complicated.

`It's like fighting an octopus!' Even as he broke his ankle free, sand was snapping up to grab his waist. Gaara's free hand grabbed onto the jounin's vest. Lee snapped his foot up to plant on his opponent's chest and kick away. He managed to beat the sand that time, landing a hit on the Kazekage. Gaara was sent stumbling back. Even as he stumbled, the sand launched into the air.

`Sand shuriken! This could sting.' Lee dodged like a crazed thing, avoiding all but one. A sharp burn ran across one leg. `Owie.'

“What part of restraint do you two not get?” Temari paused in chucking rocks at Kankuro to holler at the two combatants.

Lee danced in close again. The more space the sand had to work in, the more trouble it caused. Another blast of sand shuriken had him flipping and rolling, almost landing him right in the grasp of the two sand clones that were still running around. “Clever, Kazekage-sama!”

A kunai flashed into existence, slashing through the tendrils of sand that were trying to slow the green clad shinobi down. The two clones continued to attack, trying to herd Lee away from Gaara. Lee jumped over them, landing within a few feet of his opponent. Gaara stepped back, his sand leaping to the defense.

A hand erupted from the sand, grabbing onto a leg warmer clad leg and locking Lee into place. In an instant both of his legs were buried in sand, forcing him to hold still. Black eyes swung around to find Gaara emerging from the sand behind him. The Gaara that Lee had been targeting dissolved into sand, along with the two other clones. A metal kunai was set against his throat even as he broke one leg free of its prison.

“I believe that this match is mine.”

Lee swallowed hard, feeling the sharp metal against his throat. “Definitely.”

The kunai disappeared and the sand fell away. The gourd reconstructed itself, and Gaara shrugged it back into place on his back. Lee had not even been aware that the gourd had disappeared. `How long was I fighting nothing but clones?' Dropping to the sand, he sucked in some deep breaths. His bandages were coming loose, and he started to unwind one so that he could fix it. “That is a new variation, Kazekage-sama! I can see how an opponent could exhaust themselves fighting your sand clones while you lie in wait. When did you learn to add color to one of your sand clones?”

Gaara settled to the ground nearby, watching Lee. “Recently. It is just an illusion on top of a sand clone.”

“And an impressive one! Your youthful determination has served you well in your retraining!” Lee flashed a bright smile and shook out his bandage. So long as it was off, he might as well get some of the sand out of it. A quick glance showed that his new cuts had more then their fair share of sand in them, but not much he could do about it now. While he was studying his arm, the sand started to shift and pull away from him. He looked up to see Gaara holding out one hand, calling the sand away from the injuries. “Thank you, Kazekage-sama.”

“Hm.”

The silence stretched out, punctuated by the `pings' of rocks bouncing off of Kankuro. Lee carefully wrapped his arm, trying to keep the sand out of his injuries while he did it.

“I still don't understand.”

“Huh?” Lee looked up. “Understand what, Kazekage-sama?”

“The picture. We ran into each other. Why do they think we are kissing?”

“Well, it looks like our lips are touching.”

Gaara's brow furrowed. “If that is all that a kiss is, then why do people act as though this is something important?”

“Well, the actual physical part is touching lips. There are a lot of emotions tied up in it as well.” Lee tied the bandage off. “It is the ultimate display of youthful love!”

“Love? Kissing is about love?”

A rock pinged off of the back of Lee's head. He turned to see Temari slashing her finger across her throat in the universal signal for `Don't say the `L' word, you freaking idiot!'. Lee blinked a few times, then turned back to Gaara. “Hey, you know what? Let's not worry about what others say. This is just about the two of us, and what we think it means. Okay, Kazekage-sama?”

Gaara's brow was still furrowed. “Then what do you think it means, Lee-san?”

`That didn't work.' Behind him, Lee could hear Temari smack her own forehead. “Well, it was an accident.”

“So kissing me meant nothing to you.”

“No! I mean . . . ” Even Lee was startled by his own loud response. The sand shifted and jumped as its master physically startled back. “Sorry. I just don't want you to think that. I mean, I didn't mean to do that, but . . . you are a respected shinobi in the full bloom of youth, and I am honored to have you as my important friend!”

Another rock pinged off of the back of Lee's head. Evidently, Gaara's sister thought he was blowing this.

“Friend.” Gaara was rolling this thought around in his head. “And if I am your friend, does this mean that you are my friend?”

“That is entirely up to you, Kazekage-sama, but I would be honored if you thought of me like that.”

The sand-nin paused, then slowly nodded. “Friends.”

Lee smiled so broadly that he was afraid his face would split.

“But I am still confused on the kissing.”

Soft curses echoed around the training area as Temari collapsed rather noisily on top of the wall. Lee opted to ignore her again. “Which part, Kazekage-sama?”

“All you do is touch lips, correct?”

“Well, technically, yes . . .” Lee was suddenly cut off by Gaara's lips pressing against his own. Jade green eyes were staring into his. There was no movement and no other contact, just a steady press against his lips with an expression of intense concentration. Gaara looked like he was trying to learn a new and complicated jutsu. The Hidden Leaf shinobi thought his face was going to ignite from the heat of his blush.

“Knock that off, you two!” There was a whisper of movement, probably Temari pulling out her fan. Soon after that there was a crunch, followed by Kankuro's swearing. “Wake up, I need back up.”

Gaara leaned back, studying Lee intently. “Was that a kiss?”

Lee's mouth worked for a second, but no sound came out. For the first time that he could ever remember, he was at a loss for words. “Technically, yes.”

The green eyes narrowed, becoming even more intense. “What part did I do wrong?”

“No, it's not like you did something wrong. It's just usually, softer.”

“Softer?”

“It's hard to explain with words. It's softer, and has more emotion behind it. Oh, and you can't forget to close your eyes! Gai-sensei was very clear on that point. Its two individuals coming together, and there are shooting stars, and birds and bees, and . . . I guess you just have to experience it. I can't describe it.” Lee shrugged helplessly. “Gai-sensei was always much better at this then me.”

“Show me.”

Kankuro started to splutter in the background, loudly. “You woke me up to watch bushy brows make out with our brother? You're a pervert, Temari!”

Lee's mouth opened and closed while he again scrambled for words. “Uh, I don't think I'm the right person for that, Gaara-sama. I mean, kissing is usually reserved for your most important person. I'm sure there is someone . . .”

Gaara withdrew, moving away. His eyes slid to the ground, and he crossed his arms over his chest. It was subtle, and it was not a gesture of anger or defiance, but made Lee think of someone who has been injured and is pulling away from the source of pain. `I'm completely messing this up. He just doesn't understand, and now he thinks I'm rejecting him. Why can't I be good with words like Gai-sensei? I'm only good with actions.'

Before he could second guess himself, Lee reached out and pulled Gaara up to him by the white vest he was wearing. For the third time, Lee found himself with his lips pressed against his friend's. But this time he closed his eyes. Gaara went rigid, but slowly relaxed when he realized Lee was not attacking him. The taijutsu master slowly slid his arms around his friend while his lips moved softly. It was a soft, gentle kiss. Lee was worried about how Gaara would react. However, instinct was alive and well in Gaara, and he responded to the kiss with no further prompting. Lee felt a strong arm tentatively slide up his own arm so that a hand now rested on his shoulder.

“Temari, make them stop!”