Coming Home

Chapter Fourteen

   The Kazekage walked quietly through the streets of Konohagakure. Unlike Lee those that saw him didn't go out of their way to smile, or wave, or greet him in any way. And he was okay with that. He just wanted to think by himself.
    The soft breeze through the trees and onto his bare skin, and he had to resist the urge to shiver. It was so much cooler here than in Suna. Suna was hot and scorching and compared to it Konoha almost seemed like a tundra without snow.
    He remembered thinking the same thing when he came for the first time, for the Chunnin Exams. He'd been in Suna his whole life before that, and everything seemed so foreign. Almost like his situation now, which was alien to him.
   The Chunnin Exams were the entire reason he'd ever met Rock Lee in the first place. He cringed at the thought. He'd been horrible to that leaf ninja. Hurt him badly, shattered his dreams (momentarily), and then attempted to murder him.
   Mostly he wished he'd never met Lee. Then he wouldn't get this horrible feeling in his gut whenever he thought about what he did to him. It was true that he felt guilty for all the terrible things he'd done, he was a different person now and that left him with a lot of baggage. A lot of nightmares with the faces of dead people haunting his nights. It was one of the reasons he rarely slept.
   Even though he knew meeting the leaf had caused him a lot of grief, he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit glad. Lee had taught him many things in these past months, and it was the first friendship he had slowly developed. The first person he really got to know and let himself be known by. How lonely would life be without the Jounnin? Hopefully he'd never have to find out.
   He'd grown accustom to their lunch breaks together, their small chats, their walks home, their casual touches. Touching. Something Gaara was completely uncomfortable with. Something that had caused this mess in the first place.
   Lee had kissed him, and Gaara assumed that meant he had romantic desires. But did Gaara have any desires back? It was hard to tell. He'd never made good friends with anyone like this before. Maybe his jealousy had only been platonic. It was probably normal for people making new friends for the first time.
    But that kiss... It had been something completely different from anything he'd felt before. The thought of it almost brought a smile to his lips, which more than bizarre. Is that what liking someone felt like?
   He wrinkled his forehead in perplexed frustration. He didn't understand any of this. The only thing he could understand were the facts:
   He didn't want Lee touching anyone aside from him. Especially not the Haruno girl who he'd claimed to love years ago.
    The casual touches they had shared had begun to bring him comfort.
    Lee was probably the best person he'd ever met. Sometimes he was loud and too energetic, but he always took Gaara's moods, feelings, needs, and preferences into consideration.
    The kiss was the most amazing thing he'd ever felt.
    Those were the facts. But what exactly do they add up to? Do they add up to anything at all?
   He felt something, that's for sure.
    His thoughts were interrupted as he stumbled into another person. "Sorry," he mumbled without looking up completely. He could tell by all the people bustling around that he had reached the center of town. He moved forward, wondering if he'd stumble into Naruto while he was here. As a Kazekage he knew how tiring and time consuming the duties of being the village leader were, so he didn't hold his breath. 
    He found it rather strange, that he was in a village with all different people. Usually he was surrounded by the people of Suna day in and day out. And since Lee had been here it had been mostly him every single day. Yet he was the only one Gaara found himself longing to see.
    As if some cosmic entity had read his mind and intervened, he looked up only to see the black haired jounnin with his blonde friend. His steps slowed into a stop and he watched them laughing together. He felt the corners of his mouth begin to pull up in what must have been an unconscious smile. He walked over swiftly, deciding not to allow Lee the chance to feel uncomfortable.
    "Hello," he called only slightly louder than his normal voice.
    They all looked over to see him, and the green beast offered a smile in response. Gaara must have done all of his thinking, and he wasn't going to ask about it. Hopefully the whole situation would fade away on its own.
   "Hey, Gaara!" Naruto called, releasing Lee's shoulder to give the redhead a hearty clap on the back. "It's been a long time!"
    "It has," the Kazekage agreed with a slight nod. "How is being Hokage going for you?" He asked, seemingly indifferent. He knew he was much better adjusted to the duties and mental tole the job took. He'd been Kazekage much longer, as Naruto had only been promoted within the last year.
    "Ah, it's alright. I can handle it, believe it!" He said with a smile, throwing a glance at Sasuke. Honestly it had made their relationship a little rocky. The time they were able to spend together had decreased drastically and they often found themselves becoming distracted in his office. Even so, Sasuke was always the most understanding a person could be.
   Gaara simply nodded in response before giving Lee a glance of acknowledgement. He looked to be having a good time with his friends, though he still hadn't had the opportunity to see his old teacher.
   Naruto paused as the two exchanged glances, throwing over a smirk to his black haired lover, who returned it knowingly. He couldn't deny that they would be good for each other. If anyone could bring Gaara from his distant indifference, it was Lee. And if anyone could bring the leaf down to Earth a little, it was most definitely this redhead.
    "When are you guys heading back?" The blue eyed boy asked loudly, interrupting the small moment. There was no way they'd be staying long as the Kazekage undoubtedly had to return to his duties soon.
    They all looked at Gaara, expecting an answer to move past his lips. He shrugged uncomfortably, feeling every set of the group's eyes on him. "Whenever he's ready to go," he responded, nodding in the leaf's direction.
    Their head revolved again slowly to look at Lee. This was the first he was hearing of it. "Ah, well-" he stopped abruptly. Way to put him on the spot. "I- I haven't decided yet," he finished awkwardly receiving only a shrug from Naruto in response.
    "Well let's go get some food, I'm starving!" The blonde complained loudly, leading the way to his favorite ramen shop. "You can go see Gai-Sensei after," he said over his shoulder as he walked rather quickly.
    Just as they moved the curtain to expose the seats, Neji gave a start as he was in the midst of exiting. Lee froze upon seeing the Hyuuga. "Neji!" He cheered, rushing forward to give him a strong hug, which the long haired young man returned with a smile.
    Only a moment after the embrace had started, the Jounnin felt a strong jerk pull him away by his collar. Judging by the downward angle, he deducted that it was Gaara before he even had the chance to look.
    The awkward silence which followed seem to last as long as Lee's entire life span. Neji looked throughly confused and surprised, lilac eyes wide in a flabbergasted expression. Naruto looked slightly worried, his eyes darting from the redhead to the long haired ninja, whereas Sasuke merely smirked in obvious amusement.
    And Gaara? Gaara was fuming. Lee could feel the heat of anger emitting from him. His breath was slightly hitched and his brow less forehead scrunched, with eyes that mirrored ice. If looks could kill.
    "Don't touch Lee," the Kazekage growled possessively, looking directly into Neji. "He's mine."