Your blood (Gaara love story)

Chapter IV - observer

After fighting a minute he punched Kimimaro, but white spikes grew out and caught his hand. He pulled away, and Kimimaro took advantage of Lee's slower pace [because of his injuries] and kicked him in the face. Lee landed with a heavy thud, still conscious but unable to move. Lots of thin white spikes emerged through Kimimaro's skin, much like senbon, and he prepared to throw. As the senbon flew through the air, I acted on impulse and threw myself between them and Lee, despite Lee trying futily to get up, and his shouts for me to get out the way. I closed my eyes, screwing them up tight, bringing my arms up in a cross shape in front of my face and clenching my jaw as I waited for the stinging burn of the senbon piercing my skin...

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I frowned, keeping my eyes shut. Surely the senbon should of struck by now? Maybe they had hit, and I just hadn't felt it? I started to panic; maybe I was already dead!!! Oh crap, I'm too young and unaccomplished to die!! I've never even kissed a boy!!

I cautiously opened my eyes, and my vision slowly cleared as I saw in fact that I had no senbon sticking out of my flesh. Well, now I feel like a prat.

I quickly whipped round, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw Lee was okay, too. But he had a weird look on his face. He looked like he was focused on something behind me, so I span round, then fell on my ass as I saw a familiar boy with messy red hair and a barricade of sand that had evidently blocked the senbon. Smooth, Kaien. Real smooth.

I gazed up at him in shock, and those aqua eyes that had been stuck irritatingly in my mind since that day met my cerulean ones, and his expression, though still not showing any sign of emotion, seemed calmer, although he still had the dark marks of evidence of his insomnia around his eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a quiet, emotionless voice.

I gulped and nodded, knowing I probably wouldn't be able to form coherent words in my present state, and thinking that I had made enough of a fool of myself as it was. He nodded, then focused his attention back on the fight; meanwhile I butt-shuffled over to Lee, and checked out that he had no serious injuries. I covered my mouth with my hand as I broke into my worst coughing fit yet, curving over and wrapping my free arm tightly around my stomach.

"Kaien-chan! Are you okay?!" Lee asked worriedly, wanting to help but not knowing what to do. I wiped my mouth then looked at Lee and forced a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" I cut off, wincing as my body convulsed with more coughing, blood running down the side of my mouth. I growled and wiped it away, only for more coughing to bring more blood.

Lee sat up too fast, trying to help me, and winced in pain. I went over to him, ignoring the now not-too-subtle ache all through my body, especially in my chest, and ordered him to pull down his shirt... pants... dress... leotard... thing...

Oh, I don't know!! Jeesh!!

"But Kaien-chan! I-" he protested, and I cut him off.

"Just do it." I growled, feeling bad for being so short with a sweetheart like Lee, but my already limited patience was wearing thin, and my time was almost up. I didn't have time for idle chit chat.

Lee did as he was told, allowing the green material to fall down around his waist.

[to those who are lee fangirls like me, just one word= NOM

I gently probed his back, glad of the few lessons Sakura gave me on healing. He gasped in pain, and I figured that was the damaged area. I focused your chakra (through a lot of effort, I never had been the best at controlling my chakra, and this healing thing had to be very precise), forcing back the coughs that threatened to explode, until it glowed around my hands, and let it all flow and heal. I wasn't really able to heal it at all, but Lee insisted that it helped.