Coming Home

Chapter Six

  By the time the sunlight began peeking through the window Lee had started to sweat uncomfortably. It was hot already, and this caused him to groan as he rolled away from the sunlight. He was a heavy sleeper. He always had been, his whole life, but it didn't affect his ability to respond to danger. He was just as vigilant as other Shinobi, he just wasn't conscious of it.
  Allowing himself to slowly rise into a sitting position, he rubbed his eyes in a vigorous attempt to waken himself further. As he peered around the well light room, it dawned on him that he would need to get curtains- soon.
  His internal clock informed him that it was close to 8:00am and that he needed to get himself up and around. The Kazekage's office would be opening soon, and he was burning with excitement about the first day of his new mission. He hopped up all at once and bounced from his bed.
  When he got into the bathroom he made sure to have a towel and washcloth ready before turning on the water. As he snaked his hand behind the curtain he felt a cool and steady stream fall against the top of his scarred appendage. Satisfied with the temperature, he stepped into the cool water and let it beat lightly against his bare chest.
  As he washed and rinsed himself he thought of the Kazekage. He was sure Gaara didn't sleep at all last night. He probably hadn't eaten either. The sand ninja had seemed eager to get back to his work, so he was probably still busy. Lee made a silent promise to himself to go check on the young man before he started his work. He would probably have had to anyways, as he had no clue where to find his office.
  After he finished showering and dressing he grabbed an apple from his bag, and quickly headed out of the door. He felt that he had plenty of time, so he strolled to the Kazekage building at a leisurely pace. The people of the sand village looked at him incredulously, particularly eyeing his orange leg warmers. He was starting to feel a little ridiculous himself. There was already perspiration dripping from his forehead and thighs in the harsh heat of the desert.
  As he neared the building he silently hoped nobody would be around. But as he walked in he felt, rather than saw, the hustle and bustle around him. Sand ninja were moving back and forth with papers and files. No one was paying him any mind as he found his way through the narrow halls. After walking for a few minutes he finally saw what he assumed to be the Kazekage's office.
  He peeked his head around the corner of the open doorway tentatively. "Gaara-san?" He whispered at the motionless figure sitting at the desk. Gaara had a paper in his two hands and was reading with a blank expression. He looked tired, he always looked tired. Lee was sure that being Kazekage was a stressful job, how could it not be? He'd seen first hand what being a kage could do to a person as far as stress goes. If only Gaara could get a few days sleep.
  The Kazekage looked up in surprise, though Lee would never know it with that stoic expression. "Ah, hello Lee," he said, setting down his paper. He looked weary, even the leaf could tell. "Do you like your apartment?" He asked with no particular emotion or curiosity in his voice. The green clad ninja nodded earnestly with a genuine smile. He appreciated that Gaara was attempting to be friendly, despite not being very good at it.
  They stood for a moment, absolutely silent and keeping eye contact. "Well..." Lee said, breaking the silence and eye contact simultaneously, "I was hoping you could show me my office." He smiled and raised his bushy eyebrows. As Gaara nodded and led the way out of the room the leaf ninja followed quietly.
  It wasn't a far walk, it was only three offices down, on the opposite side of the Kazekage's office. Stepping into the office, he turned to bid his comrade goodbye, but the young man was already out of the door and down the hall. Lee smiled after him, before turning to see a large stack of papers already adorning his desk. He internally groaned. He had only been here half a day, how could there be so much work?! He rubbed the back of his neck, summoning the will to dive feet first into the paperwork.
  'If I can not finish this work by lunch time, I will do two hundred laps around Suna with a coat on!' He told himself earnestly. The thought alone of doing such a thing made him sweat. It was barely past eight o'clock and already hellishly hot.
  With this in mind he delved into his paperwork. Reading through all types of information. Some things were sent by the administration, purely meant for him to read and be aware of Suna's regulations and customs. Other things were sent over from Konoha, processing paperwork. They all required his signature, and some called for the Kazekage's. He worked through the mountain vigorously, until all that was left was a small stack of papers that needed signed by the leader himself.
  He peeled the papers off of his desk, glancing at the clock before exiting his office. He smiled triumphantly to himself as he walked down the hall- it was still four minutes to lunch time.
  Once he reached the end of the beige hall, he knocked tentatively at the door once again. He hated to disturb Gaara while he was doing his work. The poor leader probably had an endless supply of it to get through. He heard a faint affirmation of entrance from the other side of the door and walked in, heading for the desk.
  "These papers must be signed by you, Gaara-san," he stated with the utmost professionalism. As he stood up straight, after setting down said papers, he realized that his comment had sounded too expectant. "Ah! I mean please sign them whenever you have the time. Do not rush yourself!" He pushed these couple sentences out quickly, in an attempt to keep the Kazekage from getting offended.
  Gaara just stood in front of him blankly, glancing from him to the papers, and then back again. Lee flushed slightly upon having the intense gaze of the green eyes directed at him, and looked down awkwardly. "Thank you very much, sir!" He half shouted, due to his embarrassment, as he began fleeing to the door with his gaze fixed onto the floor.
  "Lee," the sand ninja stated, his voice seeming a bit unusual. The green beast paused and turned slowly to meet his gaze. The intense eyes diverted their gaze for less than a second before finding Lee's brown ones once again. Had he imagined that? Gaara didn't typically avoid eye contact for any amount of time. Lee guessed that the latter never felt the need to.
  "Let's have lunch together," The voice broke him away from his thoughts as it made itself known. He froze, replaying the words back in his head. Was the Kazekage inviting him to another meal? Perhaps he didn't like to eat alone? That was understandable, meals always tastes more delicious with other people. Perhaps the pale ninja was seeking out his companionship. Or maybe he was just attempting to be a normal host again. Either way, Lee would take it.
  "Yosh!" He replied with a large and happy grin on his face.
  Gaara nodded as stoically as ever, but the leaf could almost swear he saw the flash of a brief and small smile grace the young ninja's features.