Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Voices ❯ Epilog ( Chapter 11 )

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

A.N: This goes out to Jekr_Dementor and harderfasterplease- oohh baby hahaha. I can't promise a sequel because I would know where to start but I can give you an epilog. Hope you enjoy it. Fantasy. P.S. But if any of you wanted to try a sequel for it I say go for it I'd like to read it.

...........

Gaara's stay in the hopsital served as very restful for him. It was in ways upsetting, though, knowing that his family and friends have all been changing without him. Not to mention he'd have to catch up big time in school but during a visit his father assured him that he is not going to be placed into a lower grade by the time school starts again. He'll have to study hard and take many test in order to be academically where his friends are. Its gonna be a rough year. But that's not the only change, Naruto looks so strange tall and serious faced. The guy actually slapped Gaara on the shoulder telling him that he gave him that serious face by not waking up that first year. Gaara apologized for it only to be hugged and told that he, Naruto, was just teasing him about being upset but he was very sad about it. Shikamaru hadn't changed a bit personality wise but his skinny little form got a bit more weight to it than Gaara remembered. The red head wondered if that was because his coma made the boy benge eat. It was a nice thought to be cared about so much. It made what Lee had told him in his dream real; and his mother! The woman stops by everyday and the nurse told him that she's been reading to him stories about this and that, always telling him before she left that she loves him. Gaara was so stunned that his mother broke out of her shell to come to him and continued doing so even after he woke from the coma.

Also being in the hospital allowed Gaara to figure out what the noises were and the ghostly touches he'd received while sleeping. Nurse after nurse passing by his door was the squeeking, the beeping his monitors cutting through his coma's cloud, and the frightening hands were from the nurses giving him weekly massages so his muscles wouldn't rot away. Now that he's awake he has to take scheduled walks to work out his muscle tissue and bone. Getting used to his new body was something else, his legs longer than he would have thought his height would allow, always being short since he could remember; so making friends with Naruto, who's just as short was a big help in that department. Since waking up, Gaara hasn't seen Lee. He wondered if he'd ever see the male again but Shikamaru had told him that Lee was a friend of his boyfriend Neji- whoever he is, and they hang out as a group a lot of times. Being a seventh wheel was NOT going to be fun either.

Lowering the patients arm Nurse Hariyama pats the boy on the head with a smile. "Are you ready for your walk?" Asks the woman.

"Yes."

He's helped out of the bed and into a wheel chair. Just as the nurse begins to wheel him toward the door she stops in her pace as Lee walks into her path. The Rock child looked hopeful and yet nervous about something, smiling when he sees Gaara smiling at him from the seat.

Looking up at the nurse, Lee says in a pleading tone. "I know that visiting hours are over but I want- I mean, I would really like to speak to Gaara and with everyone around its hard to say what I wanna say to him. So can I please visit with him for a little while. I'll be quick as I can and won't disturb anyone."

The nurse looked uncertain if she could allow something like that, but the hospital has never really been strict on the visiting rule- though no one has ever wanted to break that rule before, so its a hard decision to make. But seeing the look on the males face, his round eyes just desperate for some alone time with the hospitalized patient she couldn't say no.

"Very well, you can take him for a walk around the courtyard. Do you know how to get there?"

Mood brightening, Lee nods hard. Of course he knew, he had to amuse himself out there many times while waiting for his surgory date. "Thank you! Thank you really, you won't regret it. I promise." He sticks out his thumb a dazzling smile spreads across his face.

The nurse laughed at how incredibly odd yet sweet this boy could be. She knew that he came everyday to see Gaara, but he never came into the room, he just hung out in the hall as if waiting for the others to leave so that he could have his time with him but the other visitors always stayed the full hour and a half that is allowed for guest so he never got the chance. Nurse Hariyama hoped that Lee would tell Gaara whatever it is that he has to so that the boy can be at ease- both of them, because the red head always seemed to be searching the incoming faces for someone and Lee must be that someone judging by the smile on the boys face when the dark haired male entered the room.

"What do I have to do?" Asks Lee taking the handles on the wheel chair.

"Just walk him around the circle once or twice, but he must remain in the chair the entire trip there and back we wouldn't want to strain him too much.

"Yes." Lee nods. "And thank you again." Pushing the chair out the door, he takes them to the elevator pressing the button for the lobby.

The short trip in the elevator seemed to be about nothing but avoidance between the two. Both having so much to say and yet neither wanted to go first so they averted gaze and remained silent. Lee waved to a few nurses or doctors that he met when he spent time in the hospital many years ago on their way to the courtyard and once outside he found a bench to park the chair next to and with ease helped Gaara stand from the chair. The red head blushed when Lee's hands lower to his hips gripping him lightly.

Cocking his head to the side and down so that Gaara knows he's speaking to him, Lee says. "This way you can swing your arms instead of having on immobile around my shoulders." Standing beside Gaara but a little back, the two begin his walk around the courtyard.

The silence between them could suffocate if it were visible and dense. They walk the large concrete area one shaken step from Gaara at a time. But mostly the red head walked rather well, but he stumbled every now and then being easily supported by Lee.

Yeah this is how Gaara wants to be viewed by his crush. Simple and weak. What's he supposed to say to him. Hi, we were a couple in a very vivid dream I had when in a coma- oh and by the way we had sex too, wanna be my boyfriend? That would never work. Old Gaara would have no problem saying something like that but he's changed so much from dreaming and waking up to a reality so different from what he knew.

"Gaara?" Says Lee during their second trip around the rose bushes.

"Mm."

"...This might sound weird but... How did you know my name?"

"Huh?"

"When you woke up, you called out for me... I... I've never met you before and yet you woke up and knew my name and my face. I saw the recognition in your eyes when I came up to the bed. At first I thought it was because you had stared at me so hard when I saw you that day on the hill but... it was just so much more different then recognizing someone from a one time passing. Can we sit a minute, I need a rest."

"Yes."

The first bench they saw the two take a seat. Lee catching his breath, Gaara watching him curiously. He hasn't seen Lee lose his breath in his dream. Did that mean?

"Your chest is crackling." Notes the red head. "Didn't you get an opperation to fix that?"

Lee smiled sadly. "I did but... I kind of went over board and ended up having to have it removed from over excertion."

Head lowered for a moment, he then looks back at Lee. "That's very sad." He says sympathetically.

"Is it?" Chuckling a bit, Lee shrugs. "I guess I'm so used to it I don't notice anymore."

Nodding Gaara then says. "When I was in a coma... did you visit me?"

Blushing, Lee averts his gaze. "Not at first- eh, but only because you and me were sharing a room back then so you were just a curtain pull away." Smiling to himself, he then said. "I visited once I was released though.

Everyday.... I must have just spilled everything and anything I could onto you. My life, my friends and stuff we were doing. What is it about knowing no one will respond that makes people so talkative."

Reaching up a hand, he touches Lee's shoulder. "I.... I heard you speaking to me.... I think I must have heard everyone speaking to me."

Bewildered by that, Lee blushed even worse than before. "Everything? ....Guess that explains how you knew my name."

Nodding, Gaara corrects himself a bit to ease Lee's fears. "I might not have heard everything, time was passing so quickly in my dream.... but, the thing that I remember the most is.... is how I felt about you, and how you felt about me."

"Oh.... than I guess you did hear that part."

"What part?"

Picking at the crease on his jeans, he says shyly. "I don't know... I think that I might have asked about you. And why you looked so lonely that day when you were with your friends and I kind of thought outloud and said I'd never make you feel lonely, I'd.... that I'd really like to love you." He burst out laughing. "Isn't that crazy to say to someone you never formally met? I tend to do things like that just blurt out the first thought that pops up in my head. It can be so embarrassing sometimes- Huh?"

Lee gasps as warm hands come up to his cheeks turning his head to the red head. "I can't live a life changed so dramatically from the one I knew for the past four years in my head... Everyone and everything around me is so different but... you... seem the same. You are the same aren't you? All of you are, my mother and father have changed and my friends. Don't be different Lee, for me... please."

Lost for words, Lee opened and closed his mouth thinking of what to say to that. It made no sense to him. How was he that Gaara- someone he actually doesn't really know, doesn't want him to change?

Looking into Lee's confused eyes, Gaara says more clearly. "Your voice brought me back from the darkness I was dropped into, you're love made me stop hiding within myself so that I didn't have to lose anyone. You made me feel important for just being the way I am. If I lose that love... if I lose you" He corrects. "Than my family and friends will go away as well." He lowers his head to Lee's chest, arms wrapping around the males shoulders- they're so much bigger than he remembered feeling in the dream. Its nice and cozy here like this. "You said you love me, and you always took the brunt of my anger and assalt and either threw it back or teased me until I felt better and now that my hiding place is gone I can't go back to it."

Lee listens quietly to the red head, unsure of what to say to such bold confessions. It would seem that in Gaara's unconscious state he somehow dreamt that he and Gaara were in a relationship and it changed him and because of that things changed for him all around and because of that Gaara feels as though he'll lose that if Lee is gone. Its such a big responsibilty... being someone's rock when they never even knew about it. What if he isn't what Gaara expects then what? Will he hurt him? Will Gaara become unhappy and again try to commit suicide? That would hurt Lee greatly to watch someone purposely walk infront of a car because of him. So what should he do?

"Gaara... I... I wanna be there for you like you dreamt but what if things are different. We don't really know each other and things could shift from present to dream with you and just make things confusing for you when it isn't what you expect. I... think that if I'm gonna love you, I need to know that you'll be alright if things don't work out? I need to know that you won't let yourself be hurt because of me."

"You wouldn't hurt m-.."

Cutting him off Lee asks. "But what if I did? Listen to me, look at me. Am I what you remember? Do you feel the same way when you look at me now? Don't think about the dream, think about right now.... Do you really wanna be with me?"

Gaara removes himself from Lee looking him over. The smile of dream gone from this boys face replaced with a frown and concern in his brows replace the light tilt of his dream. Lee's voice is much deeper not heavy just lower, his hair is a big change with the exposed ears and forehead. Thoughts of their night in the tent cloud his mind for a moment but he waves them away. "Who are you?" He asks timidly.

Blinking, Lee smiles. "I'm loud, excitable... sometimes snippy when I think something different from someone else. I can be kind of mean or isolate myself when I'm sad." He says quietly. "Can you love me as I am?"

Smirking, Gaara looks Lee in the eyes and says easily. "I'm a monster wrapped in a boys body. I get upset easily and tend to pout whenever I feel wronged by someone I only show little care for because I'm afraid to lose them if I get any closer to them and they find out that they don't like the luggage underneath the package they see. I can't make funny jokes only stupid ones and I seldom laugh heartily... Can you love someone like that?"

Lee thinks that over, a snicker coming to his mouth. "You're all that and you say I let it slide? Brother I've got some problems." He gives Gaara a little shove to show he's only teasing. "I love anyone who is honest about who they are and since the first day I saw you I thought that you were hiding but you were hiding from fear about your place in life. I've felt that way so many times growing up but coming here I really found a place and I'd like to think that I saw you that day for a reason. I can love you Gaara. I do love you." Hugging the male, he grins and says softly. "Thank you for coming back."

Taking in the full hug, a smile coming across his face and tears filling his mint green eyes. "Thank you for saving me- twice.... Thank you for seeing me, Lee."