Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Photograph ❯ Fulfilled ( Chapter 24 )

#24: good night

 

----

 

Two weeks. Perhaps, when compared to the average person's life span, two weeks would not seem that long. But when each moment has become agonizing torture, it can seem an eternity.

 

Gaara of the Desert sat on the edge of the walls that surrounded his village, his eyes trained to the north. It had been two weeks since he had heard anything from the team he had sent north on an S-rank mission. Anytime he sent a team on a mission that critical, he would become agitated when contact was lost. Since his brother was on the team, it was worse. With his precious person also on the team, it was pure hell. The northern regions were only four days away. Probably only three days for Lee. With each day that went by, the tension increased.

 

`He promised he would return.' Over and over, Gaara repeated Lee's words to himself. At this point it was the only thing holding him together. Temari had actually thrown him out of a meeting because the sand was threatening the council. Again. Everyone's tempers were at the breaking point. A group of aspiring raiders had decided to attack Sungakure, and Gaara had been more then willing to vent some of his frustrations on them. The sandstone walls were still stained the color of rust as a warning to any that would consider attacking the Kazekage's village.

 

For the first time in years, Gaara longed for Shukaku. With the tanuki in residence, he would have been able to use massive amounts of chakra to scan the desert and find the people he was so anxious to see. With the loss of the bijuu, he could only scan a few miles around the village without tiring himself out. He was the Kazekage, and he could not risk becoming weak. Especially not now, when no one knew what had become of the raiders or the group of top-ranked shinobi that had been sent to destroy them.

 

This was his third day of continuous watch. He had scarcely moved from his spot. Temari would come and check on him, keeping watch with him for an hour or so before returning to her duties. A box of food was sitting next to him, but he had not touched it. `Tomorrow. If they have not returned by tomorrow, we will send out a search party. We need to know what has happened. I need to know.'

 

The sun was setting, turning the desert the color of blood. The sight did nothing to soothe the young man as he continued to scan the horizon. More then anything he wanted to take off to the north and find his precious person. `He promised he would return.'

 

The sun slowly sank below the horizon, turning the sand from maroon, to purple, then to black. In the dark, Gaara would rely on his ability to sense chakra. Just because Lee could not use it did not mean that he did not have any. Kankuro was a strong chakra user, and if he was not shielding himself he was very easy to find. The brothers had been tracking each other by chakra for many years.

 

The stars were lighting up the sky when Gaara felt the first flicker. His body going rigid, he focused in on the faint pulse of chakra that he had felt. It was familiar, almost as familiar as his own. It was to the north.

 

He was on his feet and calling his sand in a heart beat, homing in on that faint trace of power. It was Kankuro, and unless his brother was playing a sick joke, he was injured. When the sand cleared from his vision, he had found the missing shinobi. The ones that were left, anyways. Of the nine shinobi that had been sent, four remained: two of the ANBU, Kankuro, and the unconscious jujitsu master that his brother was carrying. A quick scan showed that the puppet-nin was badly injured, and probably would not make it back to the village on his own.

 

Gaara let his chakra flare in a pulse that made all of the sand around him vibrate. Help would soon be on the way. “Kankuro.”

 

“I have never been so fucking glad to see you in my life, kid.” Carefully, Kankuro lowered Lee to the sand. “The sooner we get bushy brows to a hospital, the better. I've got no idea what he did, but there was all sorts of chakra involved, and he just tore the raiders apart. After that, he's been in and out of consciousness. That was five days ago.”

 

“Forbidden gates.” Gaara knelt next to Lee, gently touching his face. There was dried blood everywhere, and he had no idea what belonged to his precious person and what belonged to the raiders he had destroyed. “I will take him.”

 

Wind blasted, making everyone cover their eyes, as Temari arrived. “Kankuro! Thank gods, you had us worried sick! Don't you know how to send a message? What happened to Lee?”

 

Gaara did not bother to answer. His sister could make sure that the rest made it to the village. Gently, as though handling finely spun glass, he lifted the unconscious shinobi and summoned his sand. He arrived at the front desk of the hospital, staring at a terrified receptionist. “I need a medi-nin. Now.”

 

The hospital came awake, with medi-nins spilling from their offices and examination rooms to tend to the shinobi that the Kazekage had personally delivered. Gaara let them take Lee, rather reluctantly, but followed them into the examination room. No one argued with his decision.

 

“Kazekage-sama, what happened to him?”

 

“He was in a battle, and he opened forbidden gates. I do not know how many.” Gaara crossed his arms, forcing the agitated sand back into its gourd. The room was crowded enough without having everyone trying to hide on one side.

 

“Forbidden gates? Damn. Let's get Akira in here, she's a specialist. Start a saline drip. The suit has to go.” The medi-nin held her hands over Lee's chest, a faint green light glowing around them. “Oh, heavens help us. Yoshiko, go wake up Maki and Goro. There's a lot of internal damage, and I'm going to need help patching this one back together.”

 

In an absent corner of his mind, Gaara noticed that Lee was missing his leg warmers and weights. That was almost as disturbing as the slash across his chest, inexpertly healed, but it was good enough to let him survive the trip back. He would need to remember to thank Kankuro for that. And Temari for forcing him to learn the basics.

 

Machines were wheeled in. More medi-nins rushed into the room, standing around the gurney with chakra pouring from their hands. From the expressions on their faces, it was obvious that Lee was in poor condition. The room became eerily quiet as the work continued. If one the medi-nins would take a break, another would move into the empty space. Hours ticked by with no visible change. The medi-nins did not move, and neither did Lee. Gaara felt like his heart was bleeding with every second spent watching these strangers struggle to save the one person he cared for the most.

 

“Gaara?”

 

It took him a second to realize that someone was actually talking to him, and it was not the nasty whispers of his own mind. He turned his head and found Temari in the doorway, gesturing for him. He went to the doorway, but stopped where he could still see the gurney. “How is Kankuro?”

 

“He's going to be okay. He's pretty beat up, but it's nothing that the medi-nin's can't handle. How's it going with Lee?”

 

“I do not know. They have not said anything in hours.” Gaara looked back to the gurney and the pale shinobi.

 

“I'll see what I can get from the desk. Someone will know how things are going.” Temari set her hand on his shoulder. “How are you holding up?”

 

“I am fine.”

 

Huffing a sigh, Temari shook her head. “I'll be staying here to keep an eye on Kankuro, so I'll be around if you need something.”

 

“How are the ANBU?”

 

Temari smiled weakly. “They are actually in better shape then these two. They're both resting now. The medi-nin said that they'll be going home in a day or two.”

 

With a nod, Gaara resumed his watch over Lee's progress. He would not leave until he knew that his precious person was out of danger.

 

----

 

`Oh, what the . . .'

 

Lee's mind fumbled a bit with reality, then tried again. `I am not moving, so Kankuro is not carrying me anymore. I hurt too much to be dead. So where am I? The last thing I remember was Kankuro talking to me and trying to get me to drink some water.'

 

Slowly, as though engaging in an epic battle, Lee forced one eyelid half way open. When his surroundings swam into focus, he nearly cried. `I am home. They got me home.'

 

The bland walls of the hospital were a beautiful sight. The steady beep of the machines sounded like a symphony. He was alive, and he was back in Sungakure. He took a quick stock of his injuries. From the top of his head to the soles of his feet was endless pain. Not sure he really wanted to see this, Lee looked down to his right arm. It felt heavier then the left. When his eye focused, his heart stopped.

 

A tousled head of red hair was resting against his arm. Few people knew that the distant and powerful Kazekage snored, but Lee was one of the privileged few. Gaara had shoved a desk alongside the bed, and from the look of things, he had tipped over while working. He still had a pen in hand, even as his breath puffed across Lee's bandages.

 

Pain was not enough to stop Lee from lifting his left hand and running his shaking fingers through the blood red locks. Gaara looked so worn, even while sleeping. `How long have I been out? How many days did it take for Kankuro to get me out of the desert?' He could hardly feel anything through the bandages and pain medication, but he continued to touch. He needed this proof that it was real and not another hallucination from his overwhelmed mind.

 

The red head stirred, jade green eyes slowly opening. Lee peered at him through his one open eye and smiled, a pathetic echo of the usual expression. “Hi, Gaara-kun.”

 

Gaara's fingers clenched on the hospital sheets, his eyes widening. Slowly, he reached up with one hand and touched Lee's face. His hand was trembling almost as badly as his boyfriend's. “You were late.”

 

The smile grew a bit more. “Sorry, Gaara-kun. The mission got . . . complicated.”

 

“I could not find you.” Gaara slowly stood, leaning over Lee's bed and pressing his hands against the mattress. “I did not know where you were.”

 

“I missed you too, Gaara-kun.” Lee reached up with both hands, grasping Gaara's shoulders and pulling him down to rest against him. “I missed you so much.”

 

“You were hurt. They said you should have died. How many gates did you open?”

 

Lee flinched. “Gaara-kun . . . “

 

The Kazekage snapped his head up, glaring. “How many?”

 

“Seven.” Lee closed his one eye. “There were so many of them. Half of the team was already dead, and I had already opened five gates. Kankuro was hurt. I had to stop them.”

 

“Seven.”

 

“It was all I could do. I could not risk eight.” Lee pressed the side of his face to Gaara. “I had to come home to you. I kept waking up and telling Kankuro that I had to make it home.”

 

The Kazekage shuddered. His eyes were closed and he buried his head in Lee's neck.

 

Lee pulled him closer. “I love you so much.”

 

Gaara went rigid, and Lee realized what he had said. Neither of them used that word. It was too damaged. But he was not willing to take it back. He tightened his grip, ignoring the tearing sensations in his arms. “I love you, Gaara-kun.”

 

The man pressed so tightly against him started to shake. Something hot and wet fell against lee's neck, and he could hear a choked sob. He had never seen Gaara cry.

 

“Please don't cry, Gaara-kun. Please don't cry. Everything is all right.” Lee ran his fingers through the soft hair over and over. “Don't cry.”

 

“You said you love me.”

 

“I do love you, Gaara-kun.”

 

“How do you know?” More tears splashed against Lee's neck, soaking his hospital gown. “Do I love you?”

 

Even though he knew Gaara's history, the question still felt like a blow to the heart. He swallowed hard and whispered, “Only you know that, Gaara-kun.”

 

“I must love you.” Gaara's grip tightened. “Only love could hurt like this.”

 

Lee felt a tear trail down his own face. “Oh, no. No, no, Gaara-kun. Love is not just pain. There are good parts, too. I will show you. I will show you everything.”

 

“I love you?” Tear stained, Gaara lifted his head to look at Lee. “I love you. And you love me.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“That's not possible.”

 

“Yes, it is.” Lee drew Gaara back down so he could brush their lips together, speaking against his skin. “I love you, Gaara of the Desert.”

 

“But . . . “

 

“No `but's. I love you.”

 

One last tear fell from the jade green eyes, trailing down his cheek. “And I love you.”

 

“Yes. It is okay, Gaara-kun.”

 

Trembling, the Kazekage curled up beside Lee on the hospital bed, squeezing into the impossibly tiny space. They were pressed together so tightly, as though they wanted to become a single entity.

 

“Go to sleep, Gaara-kun. I do not think you slept while I was gone.”

 

“Two months,” Gaara mumbled into his pillow.

 

“Then sleep. I am home.”

 

“Will you be here when I wake up?”

 

Lee set his forehead against Gaara's. “Yes. I will be here.”

 

----

 

A single glare sent the councilors hovering around the door scrambling for cover. Sure, Lee's hospital room had become the Kazekage's temporary office, but it was still a hospital. Only emergency meetings were being held until Lee was up and about. Gaara refused to leave his side, and the entire council did not fit in the room. Heavens knew they had tried. Balancing a tray of coffee with cream and sugar, Temari pushed the door open. She was certain that her little brother would be at his temporary desk, working like a fury while watching over Lee.

 

The desk had been abandoned. It took her a moment to figure out where Gaara was. When she spotted him, her knees sagged and the tray tipped dangerously as she leaned against the wall for support. `Thank you. Thank you. To anyone listening. Thank you.'

 

Gaara was curled up in the hospital bed, pressed tightly against his one precious person. Lee was on his side, holding the red head. Obviously, he had woken up in the night.

 

Biting her lip, Temari walked to the desk and set the tray on top. Without a word, she slipped back out. In the hallway, she leaned against the door and shut her eyes. For the first time in weeks, she felt like she could breathe again. Kankuro was safe, and Gaara had Lee back.