Ok, so I just saw the Gaara vs Kimikaro fight from season five (yes, I'm aware how ridiculously behind I am with episodes). I quite liked Gaara and felt sorry for him after everything he had in common with Naruto but I was still harbouring a grudge for what he did to Lee during the preliminaries. Happy to report he has now redeemed himself! Bushy brows forever!

*ahem*

This is just a little one-shot that takes place during the conversation they had while catching their breath. For those of you who haven't seen this episode in a while, Lee mentions to Gaara earlier in the fight that he had some trouble after their match. This is sort of an expansion of that.

Enjoy the angst!

p.s. OMG how much do you want to be at Lee's 18th so you can get him drunk? Personally, I would lock him in a confined space with Kabuto and watch the fireworks but, hey, that's just me.

Disclaimer: Not mine, despite my evil plans…

"You said earlier…" Lee turned to look at his former rival as the red-haired boy spoke. "You said you had 'some trouble' after our fight, but you didn't hold it against me. What did you mean?"

Turning away from Gaara's piercing deadpan gaze, Lee instead fixed his eyes on the hands in his lap. Gaara of the Sand… He seemed so different from the last time they met. Less… detached. Less cold. Less bloodthirsty - toward him at any rate.

It wasn't easy for him to talk about the past few weeks. Admitting his weakness went against everything he had ever stood for. He had always striven to prove that he could be an excellent ninja with just his taijutsu. To have faced losing everything…

The very thought still scared him.

But Gaara had saved him. He owed it to him to at least answer his question.

Continuing to stare at his hands, Lee began to explain.

"The medical ninja, after our fight, told Guy-sensei… They told him I would never be able to fight again. The damage to my body was too severe. I didn't believe them at first, and tried to keep training. But as time went on…"

He met the pale blue eyes that were still riveted on him. "It was obvious that I couldn't use my taijutsu anymore."

Gaara looked away, focusing instead on the newly-created field of bone and sand. "But you were fighting today. I saw you."

Lee nodded.

"Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun were injured not long after the Chuunin exams. Naruto-kun brought Lady Tsunade back to the village to become Hokage and to heal his friends. I went to see her and she told me…" He paused, not sure if he wanted to share this information. It had been this boy who had hurt him in the first place, after all. But Gaara didn't push him to continue. He wasn't looking for confirmation of his power. He was simply curious.

"She told me she could perform a surgery that may heal me but there was a fifty percent chance I would die."

Gaara's eyes widened. He turned to stare at Lee again, shock clear on his face.

"What…?"

"I had the surgery a few days ago. I was able to walk without crutches for the first time today."

"The first time…?" Gaara seemed a little lost for words. "Why? If you were so hurt, why did you come? Why did you fight?"

Lee grinned. "Sasuke-kun is a ninja of Konoha. He is a comrade and Leaf ninja do not abandon those important to the village!"

A miniscule smile graced Gaara's features. Lee sounded so much like Naruto. Still, he found it hard to believe that someone could have so little regard for their own well-being. A heavy weight settled in his stomach as he thought back over the fight.

Lee was right. He wasn't as strong as before. He had been the first ever to give Gaara a challenge, to force him to his limit. He had felt only anger at the time but now he had a respect for the strange boy and his incredible strength. There had been a fire missing from his actions today, and Gaara had been the one to take it.

"I'm sorry."

Lee raised one massive eyebrow. "For what?"

"I was the one who injured you."

The green-clad ninja shrugged. "You were fighting for the chance to get to the finals. So was I. it was unfortunate that it went so far but…" He smiled again. "It was a great fight!"

Gaara shook his head. "I couldn't have cared less about the exams."

Lee's smile faded a little.

"At that time, my only purpose in life was to kill. It was the only way to validate my existence. It was the only way for me to feel." He averted his eyes. "I even tried to kill you while you lay in the hospital room."

Lee started at that, suddenly wondering if he should be trusting the Sand ninja as much as he was.

"Simply because you almost beat me. I couldn't lose, because that would have meant losing my purpose. But then your friends stopped me."

Lee remembered back to the finals and Naruto pleading with Kakashi-sensei to stop Sasuke and Gaara's fight. He had wondered at the time why Naruto had been so terrified of him.

"I swore to kill them to but then… that boy… Uzumaki Naruto. He showed me there were other reasons to live for. People I could protect. I had a chance to make amends."

Gaara fell silent. Lee didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he should be scared or impressed. Luckily, the turn of the conversation was taken from him by the other boy.

"Why don't you hate me?"

"I told you…"

Gaara stopped Lee's words with another shake of his head. "It's more than simply the luck of the draw. I was nearly responsible for taking away the purpose in your life, and yet you didn't challenge my aid just now. Why?"

"I just…" Lee looked up toward the sky, the perfect blue marred by the jagged white tips of human bone. Somewhere up there, Kimikaro's body still hung lifeless. "I just guess it's not in me to hold grudges."

Ta-da! My first ever Naruto fanfic everybody! I'm not sure if I like it or not - I think they both seen a little OOC but, hey, I can only try, right?

BTW, reading this back it actually sounds incredibly slashy. Not my intention but, you know, take from it what you will.