Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Boy In The Closet ❯ Pieces of the Puzzle ( Chapter 19 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A.M: Thank you all for reading. And because of the filler chapter that came before this one. There is now one more chapter to go and this story will be over. Again, thanks to anyone who read and reviewed or just read and anyone who plans to review once this is all over and I can't say thanks anymore. I'm gonna go watch video's see ya. Enjoy the chapter. Fantasy.

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Naruto rubbed his tired eyes from sleep. Turning his head with a smile, at his boyfriend, he cocks his brows in wonder at the sour face he's receiving from him. "You're pretty comfortable for a pillow." He said to dispell the uncomfortable situation.

Sasuke rubbed his bruised shoulder with a displeased look on his face but he couldn't be too mad at him it was a long ride home for all of them and he was more than ready to drop off himself if Naruto's mountain of a head didn't crash land on his shoulder first.

Looking out the window, Lee's bored expression turned happy when the scenery became familiar. "There's the house!" He points at the windshield.

"Thank God." Neji says unsnapping his seatbelt. He's had enough sun and surf fun to last him his whole life. Fishing was nice, though, it reminded him of all those times his father took him when he was younger. They never caught anything either, which is why that was the best part of the trip for him- minus the fact that Naruto had gotten them all to eat a worm.

The car rolled to a stop in the driveway of their home and everyone climbed up groaning over their tired legs. Naruto pecked Sasuke on the cheek before saying goodbye to everyone and dashing across the street.

Gai pulled the keys from his pocket. "Aaaah, that was a great trip. Look at the healthy tan I-..." his words staggered to a halt when he opened the door and caught sight of what could only be described as the after effects of a Hurricane playing tag with every item in the house. "Nnnnoooooooooooo!!!!!!!" Screamed Gai. He knew that only one thing could have happened. Hands slapped to his face in a dramatic way, he spins into the house in a display of absolute insanity. "We've been broken into!!!" He declared to the family that was slowly making their way in. "Robbed!" The man continued to whail. "Our personal home infiltrated by shady, bad people who wish nothing but harm upon us!!!!"

"What happened in here?" Says Neji taking a look around.

The place was worse than worse. Chairs knocked onto their sides, lamps fallen one of them is broken the other is turned on but still in tact laying on its side. But from the sound of a blender going in the kitchen the living room wasn't the only place hit.

Gai is still being overly dramatic on the floor, hands and knees crying over the treatchery of mankind. Sasuke stepped into the house, wide-eyed at the site of it. Neji stepped past Gai to turn off the lamp then he went into the kitchen to shut off the other appliances going. Kakashi looked about the place with concern in his face.

"I don't recall any reports about an Earthquake- not to mention we were only five hours away we would have felt it.

"Should I call the police?" Asks his youngest after being brick walled by the condition the place is in.

"Not just yet; first we have to see if anything is missing." Kakashi gathers his weeping lover from the floor giving him a shake as if to say 'snap out of it and help clean up'. "Gai we need to clean up to make sure nothing is missing."

"Right. Of course, duty before tears."

Smiling, Kakashi pats the man on the shoulders. "Something like that."

Lee walked into the house setting their items down getting a look at what all the yelling was about. His mind instantly went to Gaara and he dashed upstairs concerned for his friend.

"Lee's got the right idea, better make sure none of your things were taken Sasuke."

Sasuke, who was setting the table right side up nearly dropped it back on its side hearing that. He didn't know what he'd do if someone took his things, he dashed upstairs with the speed of someone who thought they'd catch the person in the act, Neji went by with much of the same fervor.

Lee shoves his bedroom door open then scans the area for Gaara. He's nowhere in sight. He didn't even bother to pay attention to the fact that his room was completely intact while his brothers were in muted shock at the damage done in theirs, but then again why would his room be trashed, Gaara loves him. But if he loves him then how could he do this to his family he said he wouldn't menace them anymore.

"Gaara?" He called out experimently. "Gaara." He adds a little highten to his voice. "Gaara!" He's at the closet now. Walking inside he sees the boy huddled in the corner, hugging himself. Was he really this lonely? ".....Gaara? Are you ok? Look, I'm back, you don't have to be sad anymore..... Gaara?"

He wasn't moving, not even an inch.

Can he not hear me? Not sense me? Swallowing hard, he reaches out to touch him but withdraws his hand quickly. He's ice cold!! Reaching for him again, he places his hands on the boys shoulders. "Gaara please wake up!! Please!!!" Tears well into his eyes spilling without a second thought. "Please! Don't do this to me! I'm sorry I left you! But please don't ignore me..... Gaara...." all hope in his voice is lost now and he folds into himself on the floor crying.

...................

It took them three hours to get some leeway in their home and around hour four the family sits in the living room, exhausted to no end from picking things up and putting them away, moving beds and dressers back to where they belonged. The only person who wasn't exhausted was Lee but he looked to be a complete wreck, which meant something of his must have been taken.

"Neji?" Asks Kakashi, pad and pencil in hand.

"Nothing's missing but the lamp and window are broken."

"Sasuke?"

The boy shakes his head. "Nothing and nothing was broken except for one of the drawers in my desk."

"Lee?"

His mouth starts to move but no words come out, his face just scrunches and he starts to cry.

"Lee!" Gai rushes over to the boy, wrapping his arms around him hugging him close. "There is no need to be afraid, nothing was taken from our home- someone was probably just trying to scare us."

"Yeah." Says Sasuke from beside him.

"Come on now, it'll be ok." Says Gai rubbing the boys back.

Lee nodded but he couldn't stop crying and he surely can't tell them his real reason why. The day went on quietly, but smoothly and the Hatake's sat down to a quick dinner of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Lee barely ate a bite and he retired to his room around six o'clock; face down on his bed, eyes red from crying, face slightly swollen. He tried talking to Gaara but he didn't reply he just remained there in the closet huddled up within himself.

Leaving was the final straw for him.... I broke him when I said that I loved him. How could I be so terrible to him? His eyes try to water but they only burned from lack of liquid to do the simple task, so he could only choke out dry sobs......

The next morning Lee skipped working out with his Gai, infact he slept in all together. He got up around the time Neji and Kakashi usually do. He brushed his teeth, combed his hair, got dressed then left for the bus stop. The Hatake's looked to one another in question of what is wrong with the middle child but no one knew what could be the matter.

"Good morning Gejimayu," greets Naruto when he sees the lanky male come up to the bench.

Normally Lee would have lost it with joy that the once cranky and often evil blond was still treating him so kindly, but today he just wanted everyone to leave him alone. Taking a seat beside Naruto who scooted over, he lowered his head trying to keep back his tears. Cocking his head to see the Hatake childs face, Naruto wonders what's up with him.

"Lee?" He asks.

"I'm fine. Please just leave me alone for a while."

Taken aback, he frowns. "Alright. Feel better man." He pats him on the back.

"Thank you."

"Naruto," says Sasuke when he reaches the bench. "Hey Kiba."

"Mm."

Behind the bench Sasuke points down at Lee but Naruto shakes his head with a shrug. Neji is the next to join them and the bus comes up the street to pick up the school kids. Climbing on, Naruto offers Lee a seat beside him but Kiba scoffs taking the place beside his best friend.

"Hey! That seats taken asshole!" He snapped at the Inuzuka child.

"It's alright Naruto. I wanted to sit in back anyway." He said barely raising his head to properly address him.

Sasuke took a seat beside Neji who is next to Naruto and Kiba's row of seats. Watching Lee head to the back of the bus the blond leans over to his boyfriend to ask. "What's with him?"

"Don't know. Our house was broken into yesterday and he's been acting funny since."

"No way! Did they take anything?"

Shaking his head Sasuke says. "That's the weird part, it just looked like they wanted to trash the place."

"Who does that?"

"Yeah, who does that." Sasuke glares at Kiba who cocks his brows in question.

"What are you looking at me for?! I was with Shino all weekend." Crossing his arms, he turns his nose up. "And if I did break into your house I would have taken at least one thing."

Sasuke supposed that was true. Kiba wasn't one for lying as far as he knew. But still, who breaks into a house but doesn't take anything?

"Maybe Lee's just going through something that we don't understand." Says Neji. "If we leave him alone and act normal, he'll come around."

There was a faint knock on one of the doors in the guidence wing. Shizune had no appointments with any of the students so she wondered who in the world would willingly come to a councelor. Maybe one of the others asking her to join them for lunch, most of the teachers were doing that sort of thing these days. Adults can be so much like children, she thinks while opening the door.

Eyes shocked, she steps back to let the child in. "Lee, what are you doing here? I thought you didn't need my help." She teased a bit.

Blushing, Lee takes a seat on the couch. "I'm sorry about what I said. Please talk with me now, I really need to know about something serious, Miss. Shizune."

"Alright. Go on." She closes the door then returns to her desk.

Lee takes a deep breath then sighs. "It's about my imaginary friend."

"Koutaro wasn't it?" She asks after a thought from their first talk.

Lee shakes his head. "I lied to you, I'm sorry. His name is actually Gaara and.... and I love him very much."

"Ohhh, I see." She says very slowly. She's seen this before.

"He.... He used to talk to me and hang out with me all the time." He sniffled. "But over the weekend my family went on a trip and he asked me not to go but I had to go and I feel guilty because I had so much fun and....." He trailed off.

"Yes."

"When we got home he..... he stopped talking to me." His tears fall to his lap. Shizune brought him over a tissue from the box on her desk. "He isn't talking to me, he's not even looking at me its like he's.... like he's dead." He cries a little louder now.

Shizune rubs his shoulder to comfort him. "Its ok Lee." He continues to cry. "It's ok. This is perfectly normal, it just means that you're ready to give him up and move on to your real friends."

"I'm not ready to give him up!" Snaps the male. "He's my best friend.... he was the only person that treated me kindly when everyone else picked on me... I love him Ms. Shizune and I don't want him to be gone."

"But he is, Lee. You have to accept that at some point we don't need that crutch anymore, that we're ready to be ourselves and hang out with and interact with real people." With a frown she says. "But Lee, you can't confuse your feelings with real love. What you feel for Gaara is love of someone that's just for you."

He nods, though, deep down he flat out ignored it. He does love Gaara and it isn't because he's the only person he's got. Sighing, he says. "But I'm gonna miss him."

"I know, and that's perfectly normal to feel that way." She hugs him. "But we all have to say goodbye sometime."

"I don't want to." He repeated through tears. "I don't want to."

"It'll get easier. I promise." Wiping the boys tears, she looks at him then says. "I want you to try this week without your friend, I'm not saying forget about him. I just want you to see if things will be alright with out him around and if they are then that's great but if you still feel an attachment to him then you do what you can to get him back, I'll even try to help you." She added knowing that such a thing wasn't possible.

But it seemed to get through to the boy somehow. "You will?" He asks hopeful.

"I will."

Breaking into a brilliant smile, Lee cleans his face up. "Then I'm gonna try, Ms. Shizune and thank you." He stands from the seat. "I really am sorry about before." He bows his head down before walking out of the room with a wave. Gaara isn't gone for good and after this week he'll come back. How could I possibly have fun without him anyway.

......................

Hatake Lee expected the day to be like any other school day would have gone but to his surprise Naruto called him over to their table he even offered him a seat between him and Sasuke so he wouldn't have to sit beside Kiba or Bunrashi the weirdest part of all was that Neji and Shikamaru are in the cafeteria as well, they're not at the same table but they're right beside them.

The conversation was light, minus Kiba and Bunrashi grumbling things back and forth to each other, and Neji seemed to be in a particularly talkative mood since he carried most of the conversation with Naruto. Finally comfortable with speaking, Lee chimed in with the talk about hanging out over the weekend. Shikamaru invited them to Minato- his part of the city, so they could have a barbecue with his family this weekend.

"And you'll be there too, right Lee?" Asks the sleepy male.

At a loss for words, Lee nods. "Yes. Thank you." He found his voice to say.

Maybe the councelor was right. Maybe this is a good thing and Gaara.... He trailed off eyes saddening again. What a traitor I am! I can't turn my back on him, he hasn't even given me a reason to shut me out like this.... I have to talk to him and until he tells me himself that this is over I refuse to move on!

Slamming his hands down, Kiba stands up in a huff. "This is disgusting!" With that said he and his fellow lap dog walked off to sit with that weird kid Shino and Chouji.

"Ignore them." Says Naruto. "So how 'bout I come over later Sasuke, you can let me copy your homework. Right?"

"Hn. Its your loss." He shrugs.

"What?"

Taking Kiba's seat, Neji says. "He means if you'd rather just copy it instead of figuring out the answers for yourself then copy it."

"Yeah, yeah. but what teacher is gonna wanna see me again next year?" Mocks the boy. "Let them fail me, I'll raise hell in this place."

He had a point. A lot of them would shove the boy up a grade so as not to see him again. When lunch ended the table parted ways to their rightful class where the rest of the day went by without too much of a problem for Lee as he went back to being ignored- which was fine because he really didn't feel like being noticed today.

In the boys bathroom, Naruto is scrubbing his hands when Kiba walks up behind him. The dog like boy spun him around getting close enough in his face to kiss him with each word. "Have you lost your mind, Uzumaki? We do NOT associate with untouchables."

"Yeah but-...."

Shoving his finger in his face he snarls at him. "There is no 'but' just this.... let that freak of nature sit with us again and you're out on your ass."

"Oooohhh, I'm so scared." Mocked the boy. "Maybe I should bring a change of pants because I might not be able to hold my bladder with that kind of cloud over my head."

"I mean it Naruto! Lee's out! Because if he isn't than everyday here will be hell for you as well."

Swatting the boys hand away he says. "Calm down Kiba. I was only joking." He waves his hands in defense. "The only reason I'm being nice to bobblehead is because of Sasuke, him and me have hooked up and he's got brother issues- I just wanna show him that I'm trust worthy."

"Tch. And why should I believe that? You've been acting really funny lately because of that stupid family and I'm beginning to think they're all a bunch of losers- who cares how good looking they are, sometimes life fucks up."

"Seriously." He turns around rinsing his hands to avoid the evil eye his friend is casting him. "Just tell me what to do to prove it to you."

Thinking a moment, Kiba pats his friend on the shoulder. "I'll get back to you on that." Leaving the bathroom he missed Naruto sticking his tongue out at him.

The Hatake sons shared the back seat of the bus; Sasuke and Neji spoke to each other but Lee just looked out the window. When they unloaded the bus, the three of them dropped their things off upstairs, changed from their uniforms, then brought their school books downstairs to do some homework. Lee checked in on Gaara but the boy is still sitting in the closet lost to the world.

Homework went along quietly; Neji was the first to leave just heading up to his bedroom. Sasuke was done next and he went into the living room to call Naruto over. Lee took his time not really having anything to do beyond homework.

What am I supposed to do without you Gaara? That's when it came to him. Gaara said his uncle lives two house down from this one. He had to go talk to him and find out what happened to Gaara and why his family would say that he's at boarding school. Getting up from the table, he closed his notebook in his textbook then stacked it on top of some of his other books. Heading for the door, he slips on his sneakers then bolts out before Sasuke can question him. Going down onto the sidewalk, unsure of how their neighbors feel about people stepping on their lawns, he eyes the houses with a long glance.

There it is. Gathering his nerves he walks up the paved way to the front door. Raising his fist he swallows hard feeling an odd sensation gathering in his stomach. Shaking off the butterflies, he knocks heavily on the door. At first there was no answer but finally someone pulled the door open and before him stood a man that was about 5'11'', hair the color of hay and big eyes that seemed to look right through you. He looked just as surprised as Lee was.

"Yes? Can I help you?" He asked in a, still curious, but kind voice.

"I.... Can I use your bathroom?!" He blurts out mentally smacking himself for it afterwards.

"The bathroom?" Seeing the boys sincere eyes, he stepped aside to let him in. "Its over there on the right." He points.

"Thank you. I won't be long." Says Lee walking in and toward the bathroom. "I was on my way home when it struck me very hard and I didn't think I would make it one more step." He lied lamely.

"Its alright. Take your time."

"Thank you." Closing the door, Lee smacked himself in the head for chickening out like he did. But what else could he do? Something about this man seems a bit- off. Going over to the sink, incase he's listening to the door, he sneaks the water on cupping enough in his hand then he dumped it into the toilet the trickling sound believable enough on the outside end of the bathroom. Then he flushed and turned on the water. Checking his self in the mirror he straightens up then walks out. "Thank you."

"Its really no problem." Says Gaara's uncle. "Would you like a brownie. I just made them a while ago but they're still warm."

Lee wanted to say 'no' and run for the hills but that wouldn't answer his questions. "Yes. Thank you." Taking a seat, he waits for the man to return from the kitchen. His large eyes scanning the place. This was Gaara's uncle alright. There are pictures of the family all over the place the father was the give away since he and his son look a lot alike- oddly enough none of the family members was Gaara. He even has pictures of himself up, which upon further inspection was actually a woman whom must be his twin sister, Gaara's mother.

"I hope you like nuts."

"I do." He takes the offered plate.

Yashamaru sits down on the arm chair and watches Lee eat. "This is nice for me, I'm an uncle you know and I'd usually bake for my niece and nephews but when they moved away things have been kind of lonely."

"I know what you mean." He says absently taking a bite. "This is really good." Shaking it off, he adds. "Speaking of your nephew, I knew him.... he lived in the house two down from here."

Yashamaru lowered his gaze. "Yes, that's right." Looking back up with a false smile he asks. "So you knew Gaara. He never told me about any friends of his from school."

"Oh, that's weird. We were best friends but then the family moved and I haven't heard from him since."

"I heard he went to boarding school in London."

"Do you maybe have the number? I'd like to talk to him again." He pats himself on the back. Maybe I could be a detective after all.

"I can't give it to you."

"Why not?"

"I can't give it to you because I don't have it."

"Than can you call the family and ask them, they must know."

"No. I can't. I lost touch with my brother in law after my sisters death." Standing he takes the plate from the boy. "Now if you don't mind I'd like for you to leave."

"But, I wasn't trying to be rude!" He said as he's being ushered out. "I just wanted to talk with my friend again."

"Gaara's gone; but should anyone from the family call I'll give them your message." The front door was pulled open. "Good bye." With that he slammed it shut.

He knows more than he's letting on, because if he didn't than Temari-san wouldn't have told me that their uncle took Gaara to school. Maybe he's uncomfortable because he was watching Gaara that day it happened and when he left him alone for a bit he came back and found him... well, dead... Or maybe, they reason he lied is because he.... Moving away from the house, not bothering with the pavement, he dashes home to try to get Gaara to talk to him again.