A/N: Yeah very, very shaky. I'm worried

Usual apologies.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

The door opened and Kankuro looked away from the television to see his siblings walk into the house.

Temari caught sight of him and lazily strolled over with a slight sway of her hips and a grin so smug, Kankuro knew that nothing good would come from it.

Giving the blond a slightly worried look he spoke, "What?"

Temari placed one hand on her hip while the other extended until it was just underneath his nose, exposing the inside of her palm.

"Pay up."

"For what?"

The girl glanced over her shoulder at Gaara who was hanging up his jacket just before heading straight for the kitchen.

Kankuro's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, confusion marring his features until it hit him and he scowled. "Damn it Gaara! You couldn't stay straight for just one more month?!"

The redhead stuck his head out from around the kitchen door and stared blankly at his brother, before flipping him off and once more disappearing behind the door.

"Thanks a lot."

"Quit complaining and hand it over." Temari said tapping her foot on the floor to show her impatience. Kankuro grumbled, standing up to pull his wallet out of his back pocket.

"Wait a minute," He paused and narrowed his eyes. "How do you know Gaara's gay, did he tell you?"

The blond shrugged, "A customer came in today, a little weird but still a nice kid. He gave Gaara his number."

Kankuro folded his arms over his chest. "So he's sweet on Gaara, that doesn't mean he'll call."

"Yeah? Watch this." Temari tilted her head to the side and called, "Hey Gaara! If you don't call Lee then maybe you should just give Kankuro his number. He just broke up with Sari, I'm sure Lee could cheer him up."

The brunette gave his sister a look of pure shock. "What are yo-"

"Shhh!"

After a few moments of silence Gaara emerged from the kitchen with a bottle of water in his hands, the redhead gave Kankuro a glare so piercing, his brother instinctively took a few steps back.

"C'mon Gaara, she's just messing with you." He said laughing nervously. "You know I don't swing that way."

Temari walked around the couch and whispered in her brothers ear making him jump slightly, "Pay up."

Ignoring the glare that was still fixed on him, Kankuro turned to look at her and growled. "No way! You obviously knew about this."

"I did not!"

"Well then ho-"

"Arguing again?" Karura had walked in to the room giving an exasperated sigh. She stood still with both hands on her hips. "What about this time?"

Karura loves her children.

Loves them more than life itself.

If you asked anyone why the Sabaku's were as happy as they are they'd say it was because of their mother. She was always protecting them and did everything in her power to make sure they were happy.

And they were.

Of course it hasn't always been that way.

They used to be a family of five, until Karura had finally had enough and divorced her husband.

You see Kaze was a bit of an asshole. Sure he had his moments and leaving him really was one of the hardest things that the mother of three has ever had to do.

But her husband had issues, issues which he refused to address. Instead he'd take out his frustrations on the children, especially Gaara.

Kaze owned a multi million dollar mining company and has always wanted one of his children to take over someday. However Temari was a girl and Kankuro defiant, so the man set his sights on Gaara.

He started grooming the boy from the moment he was born, preparing him for what he thought would be the most important thing in Gaara's life.

The rest of the Sabaku's disagreed.

They saw what it was doing to Gaara and after five years of their pleas going on deaf ears and Gaara sinking deeper into enraged seclusion, Karura decided that it was enough.

They got divorced, she became a publisher and eventually did well enough to open up her own bookstore which is why they moved to Konoha.

Gaara walked towards his mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek before moving to the couch and sitting down. It always amazed her to see how much he'd changed from the angry recluse he used to be to what he is now. Sure Gaara was still a bit cold, but he'd made a lot of progress.

"They we're betting on my sexuality."

Karura gasped, a light blush spreading across her face. "Kankuro!"

"What? It wasn't me!" The teen threw his arms up into the air before folding them in a huff.

"I did it, I take full blame. Now hand it over little brother." Temari said proudly showing Kankuro her empty palm.

"Temari." Karura warned as she watched her son take out a few notes from his wallet and hand them over to his sister.

"Oh c'mon Mom, like you haven't been wondering the same thing."

True.

Karura has had her suspicions on Gaara's orientation, but she figured her son would tell her when he's ready.

But since they brought it up...

"Well is anyone going tell me how Temari bet?"

"His name is Lee." Gaara suddenly said from the couch, making Temari smirk and Kankuro growl.

"So it's a he." Karura didn't have a problem with her son being gay, it was actually kind of sweet in some weird twisted way. Its times like these when she's grateful that she left Kaze.

He would not have taken this well.

Karura smiled before sitting down on the couch next to Kankuro who was grumbling about a new cd he wanted to buy. "Where did you meet him?"

"At the bookstore." Temari sat on the arm rest next to her mother. "Lee and his Mom, came in to buy a gift for a family friend today."

Karura titled her head to the side unsure of why Temari had to suppress a giggle when she said, 'Mom'.

"What are they like?"

"You'd love them, I'd say their two of the sweetest guys I've ever seen."

Karura looked up at her daughter, confusion flashing in her features. "I thought you said that Lee and his Mom came in?"

"Yes, yes I did." Temari said giving a bright smile.

The older woman turned a pointed look on Gaara making the redhead give a sigh, "Lee calls his father, Mom."

"Really?! Why?"

Gaara shrugged slightly taking a sip of water from the bottle he was holding.

Lee is an odd one that's for sure.

Gaara couldn't help but smirk when he thought back to what was probably the most uncomfortable hour the raven had ever spent in his entire life.

Lee came bounding up the steps with a ridiculously bright smile on his face. A smile that just screamed friendly people person. Gaara silently cringed when the raven made his way over, fully aware of the fact that his sister had sent the poor boy up there to annoy him

It was the usual routine for his siblings to send some unsuspecting victim his way just to see how he'd react to them. And it would always end up the same way.

Regardless of what kind of person they were, whether they were kind, rude, friendly, obnoxious, arrogant or even just plain. It didn't really matter they always either ended up in tears or cowering in fear.

This time Gaara chose to just ignore him, no sense in torturing some random innocent bystander for his sisters amusement. Besides his freakishly dark aura was usually enough to get rid of any pests anyway so why put in the effort.

Lee however didn't get the message.

The boy bounced up to him with a blindingly bright smile and an outstretched hand, moving introducing himself with seemingly limitless enthusiasm.

Gaara planned to just ignored him, to send the raven nothing more than icy silence and a heated glare, however when someone trips and lands face first in your lap you tend to pay attention.

The Sabaku watched as a shade of red even darker than his hair spread on Lee's face as the boy proceeded to word vomit apologies and rambled sentence's all which somehow come out in perfect grammar.

By the time he stopped Gaara had to admit, the kid was adorable.

Lee tried to scramble to his feet and move away when Gaara grabbed his arm forcing him to stay put. Teal drilled into black as Lee's blush got even darker, making the boy look like he was about to explode.

Just adorable.

The redhead smirked leaning forward to breathe against Lee's ear. "Where do you think you're going?"

From there on things just got worse for Lee and better for Gaara. He'd never met anyone so perfectly naïve and innocent yet fiercely independent before in his life.

Maito Lee was certainly interesting Gaara and couldn't wait to see him again.

Meanwhile Karura watched her son while Temari and Kankuro started arguing over the remote, a confused smile spread over her face as she wondered what kind of boy could leave Gaara so completely absorbed in thought.

If this is the kind of effect Lee has on Gaara, she couldn't wait to meet him herself.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tenten quickly tied the laces of her shoes before grabbing the discus that Naruto and Sasuke had bought her for her birthday along with her duffel bag. The girl quickly left her room and turned into Lee's which was right next to hers.

Lee and Tenten have been together since the first day she arrived at the orphanage.

At the time Tenten was devastated. The crash kept playing in her head over and over again.

She could see her mothers twitching figure in the front seat, blood slowly flowing from her head down the side of her arm. Her father's slow rigid movements as he tried to crawl into the back seat and unclasp her seatbelt.

She remembers her parents low and hoarse voices, telling her to quickly crawl out of the window with her refusing to leave them.

Moments later sirens rang and she was pulled out of the wrecked car by a policeman shouting at his partner to get out of the way, when the explosion came. Tossing both of them to the side of the road as flames raged in a horrific display.

That night she slept at the police station, somehow convincing herself that they were O.K. That they would be there to pick her up in the morning, so she could be dragged off to school and that math teacher she hates.

But they never did.

Instead a blond woman named Tsunade, came to pick her up and took her to the orphanage. It was hard and the first night Tenten thought that she would die from the pain that ached in her chest and part of her silently she hoped that she would.

But that night is also the night that Lee found her, took care of her listened as the girl sobbed and talked about her parents. Not caring when she would curse the world or even him.

Lee understood. From that point on they were never separated. Eventually Lee told her about his own mother and the two formed a strong bond. The raven was as much of a brother to her as any she'd ever seen.

Tenten stood in the door and smirked as Lee gave her a bright smile while put his running shoes in a bag.

"So..." The brown eyed girl said eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

Lee looked up at her, confusion spreading on his face. "So what?"

"You made a new friend, huh?"

"A new friend?"

"Red hair, jet black harley, wears a uniform from the highschool downtown." Tenten said as she folded her arms over her chest. "Tried to eye-stab me when I pulled you away."

Lee blushed looking away from the girl, "oh."

"Yeah, oh. So who is he?"

"His name is Sabaku Gaara."

"Sabaku?" Tenten's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Sabaku as in bookstore Sabaku?"

"Yes. We met at the bookstore last week." The raven stuttered when he saw the look on his sisters face. "He- he is just a friend, Tenten."

Tenten tilted her head to the side giving an amused smile, "Of course he is. I'm sure all of your friends make your face light up like the fourth of July."

Lee opened his mouth to speak but after a thought shut it again. Tenten gave him a knowing look, walked over and zipped up Lee's bag, "Does Mom know?"

The raven shook his head and slung the bag over his shoulder, "I just met Gaara. If the relationship grows into something more, then I will tell him."

"O.K. Then, let's go I've only got half an hour for javelin before discus practice today."

"Yosh!" Lee smiled, "we should get going." He darted out the door with Tenten following close behind.

Lee is so sweet. Tenten wants nothing more than to see him happy, for someone to take care of him for once. Sure they had Gai and he was as close to their real parent as anyone could possibly get.

But its not the same thing.

If Gaara could give him that then Tenten would give them her full support.

Of course if mr. Sabaku so much as puts a scratch on her brother, she'd make sure he regrets ever being born.

They got to the bottom of the stairs quickly and the two siblings were about to turn into the kitchen when Tenten suddenly clamped her hand around Lee's mouth and pulled him back against the wall.

The raven gave a confused yelp, before his sister whispered for him to be quiet and nodded towards the kitchen. Lee looked around the entrance to see their neighbour Genma standing in the kitchen door leaning against the door frame as he stared at Gai, who was getting dinner ready blissfully unaware of his audience while he hummed a tune.

Lee smiled while Tenten just rolled her eyes.

Why are the men in this family so oblivious? Even Lee had and still has no idea he was basically being stalked by-

Tenten's thoughts were interrupted when Genma caught sight of them and raised a finger to his mouth. The universal sign for, "Don't tell him he's being watched."

Lee nodded quickly, raven hair flopping up and down and Tenten just gave a sigh before the two quietly slipped through the kitchen and passed their neighbour. Whispering a quick bye, as they left the house.

A/N: tell me what you think

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