"I'm supposed to go swimming now."
Lee looks away from the crashing waves and looks over at his red-haired companion. Gaara tugs at his shirt, turning his head at odd directions.
"I'm supposed to go swimming now," Gaara repeats.
He stands up and dusts the sand off his trunks. He walks toward the water. Lee quickly shoves the remaining half of the waffle cone into his mouth and gets up as well.
"We should go over there where the current is not as strong."
Gaara ignores the suggestion. He takes a few steps into the water. He shudders at the cold temperature. Lee follows close behind, keeping an eye out. He can tell that Gaara is a little different from other boys and that he shouldn't be left alone. He runs in front of Gaara, blocking the way.
"Follow me this way." Lee waves at Gaara with a soft grin.
Gaara tilts his head at Lee's knees. Lee backs away slowly and heads toward the small crowd that resides by the calmer portion of the beach.
"This way," Lee says, keeping a steady pace toward the crowd.
Gaara follows obediently. He drags his feet above the muddy sand. Water has soaked through his shoes and drenched his socks. It is getting uncomfortable for him. Gaara stops walking and makes a loud sharp whine.
"What is the matter?" Lee asks. He walks over to Gaara and bends his knees since he is about three inches taller than the redhead.
Gaara thrusts his arms and almost hits Lee. He pulls his hair and twists his body to the left. He looks around anxiously. A wave comes and splashes water on his body, wetting his shirt. Lee keeps a calm and steady grin on his face even though he is shaken and doesn't know what to do exactly. He stands up straight and watches Gaara meticulously combing his hair.
"Everything is fine," Lee says softly. "You should take off your shirt and your shoes so they do not get in the way."
Gaara tugs at his shirt. He reaches for his buttons and starts to undo them. He keeps his eyes on his fingers working down his shirt. Once he has all the buttons, he takes off his shirt. He puts it down on the sand bed and folds it underwater. Lee stifles a chuckle. Gaara leaves the folded shirt in the water and sits down. A wave rushes over and splashes his face with water. He is unwary even though the water level reaches to his elbows. He works at untying his shoes. Lee bends down and takes the shirt out of the water. He holds it and waits for Gaara to get out of his shoes.
"I will take them for you."
Gaara rolls up his socks and puts a ball into each shoe. He picks up his shoes and stands up. Goosebumps mark at his exposed skin. He scans the sand bed, holding one shoe with each hand. Lee puts the wet shirt under his arm and reaches for the shoes. Gaara doesn't resist in handing them over.
"Yosh! Now follow me."
Lee treads through the water, holding Gaara's clothes. He walks sideway so he can see Gaara following behind him. Gaara keeps his head down, staring at the glistening water and how it interplays with the sand. He looks intrigued and mesmerized by the white bubbles that stay behind after the water leaves. Lee guides him back near Kankuro. He walks up to the shore and puts Gaara's clothes on the sand. Gaara stays standing in the water.
"Do you know how to swim?" Lee asks, rejoining Gaara.
"I'm going swimming now."
Lee frowns as he watches Gaara stalks deeper into the water. Gaara shudders again when the water splashes at his chest. He pauses and looks nervously around him. Lee takes the hint and quickly stands next to the redhead. Since he is taller, the water only reaches Lee's abdomen.
"Are you sure you know to swim, Gaara?" Lee furrows his brows with concern.
Gaara ignores the taller teen. He pushes forward, fighting against the current that tries to push him back. Lee tracks his move, making sure that Gaara will be fine. Gaara launches forward on his stomach when the water hits his shoulders. He kicks his arms and legs, imitating the swimmers he has seen on television. His arms and legs, however, move out of sync and don't work together to keep him afloat. Lee watches and follows by pushing himself up on his tip-toes. Gaara pops his head out of the water. Before he has a chance to take a breath, he sinks into the ocean. It doesn't take Lee much time to realize that the younger boy is drowning.
"Gaara!"
Lee hurries over to Gaara, who is drawn away by the current. He grabs the redhead by his shoulders and helps him keep his head above water. Gaara coughs and spits out salty water. He rubs his eyes and takes a quick look at his surroundings.
"You are alright," Lee says, trying to comfort the smaller boy. He wraps an arm around Gaara's waist and tries to lead him back to the shore.
Instead of cooperating, Gaara starts to struggle out of Lee's grip. He elbows Lee in the nose. Despite the hit to his face, Lee doesn't let go knowing that if he did, Gaara will surely submerge again.
"Don't touch Gaara!"
"Please calm down." Lee makes sure to use a calm and in-control voice. He doesn't want to agitate Gaara any further. "I am sorry for touching you."
Lee swims as fast as he can with Gaara smacking his face and body. Once he feels he is back on safe ground and Gaara can stand on his own, Lee lets go of the frightened boy immediately. Gaara gets on his feet and runs toward Kankuro, who has seen what happened and is sprinting over. Kankuro catches Gaara in his arms. He lifts his younger brother off the ground and hugs him tightly. Gaara wails, burying his face in Kankuro's shoulder, slobbering it with snot and tears.
"It's cool," Kankuro shushes, patting Gaara's back. "You're a big boy. Shhh… It's cool. Don't cry. Everything's cool."
"I-I am sorry… I thought he knew how to swim…" Lee bows his head, showing his deepest apology.
"Yeah, don't worry about it…" Kankuro eases Gaara down. He checks to make sure that his little brother isn't hurt before he turns to Lee. "He's just freaked out 'cause you touched him."
"Ah… I figure…" Lee eyes Gaara with remorse. He looks up at Kankuro and says, "But I really am very sorry about what happened… If there is anything you want me to do, please say so!"
"You can go get me his clothes."
"R-Right… Please wait!"
Lee hurries back to pick up Gaara's shirt and shoes on the sand. Kankuro ruffles Gaara's drenched hair, knowing that it usually does the trick to calm his brother down. It doesn't work this time however. Gaara fidgets nervously and starts to pace left and right. He interlaces his fingers and pushes his hands against his chin. His mouth moves and he mutters words quietly.
"Dammit," Kankuro curses under his breath.
"Here you go." Lee returns and hands the clothes over. "Is there anything else you want me to do?"
"No, no, we gotta run." Kankuro turns to Gaara. "C'mon, let's go."
Gaara doesn't move from his spot. He keeps pacing left and right; going left five steps and going back right five steps. He spins when he reaches the end of his perimeter. He keeps his head low, his hands on his chin, and his mouth moves whispering words.
"Is he… hurt? It is my fault…" Lee drops his head. "I am truly, truly sorry!"
"He's just really upset." Kankuro looks over at Gaara and sighs. "He does this thing where he starts to sing cartoon theme songs… But he'll be fine in a bit."
"_Fighting crime, trying to save the world_," Gaara sings quietly. He spins and walks to his left. "_Here they come just in time_…"
"Bro, you ready to go?"
"… _commander and the leader_…"
Gaara slows down his pacing. He stops singing audibly but his mouth still moves. He brings his head a little higher, keeping his eyes on the ground. He doesn't turn around when he reaches his five-step perimeter. He keeps walking and goes away toward the street.
"He's good," Kankuro says.
"I really am s-"
"Yeah, you're sorry, I got it. It's cool, man."
"Please tell him that I am sorry."
Kankuro rolls his eyes in amused frustration. He carries Gaara's clothes and chases after his brother. Lee watches them go and heaves a disappointed sigh at himself. He waits until he sees them standing at the sidewalk before he leaves the beach, feeling a horrible pang in his chest.
Kankuro puts a hand on Gaara's shoulder and stops him from crossing the street as a line of cars speed past. The sun is starting to set. Colorful lights from the stores bring out the night scene. Gaara has stopped singing all-together; his body language, however, tells Kankuro that he's still upset.
"Temari's going to kill me…"
Kankuro finds a note by the telephone. He picks it up and reads the two words that explain so much with so little.
"_Gone shopping_." He scoffs. "Why am I not surprised?"
He crumbles the note and tosses it in the trashcan. It misses and tumbles next to Gaara's feet. He has managed to make Gaara put his shoes back on even though it is soaking wet. He goes over and helps Gaara out of them again. He takes the socks, the shirt, and the shoes into the bathroom and hopes to blow dry them. Before he does, he opens the suitcase and takes out a Tupperware box filled with red Lego bricks. He gives the box to Gaara, who takes it with eager excitement. Gaara carries to the box to the coffee table and pushes everything out of the way. He pops open the lid and starts to take out th brick one by one, putting them in a straight line across the table. Kankuro watches for a moment until he is sure that Gaara is completely taken in by the toy bricks. He walks into the bathroom and starts working on drying the clothes.
Gaara finishes setting down the base line. He attaches a square piece onto two of the bottom pieces to make a triangle. He builds the second layer for his flat pyramid and moves on to the third layer. The Tupperware box isn't big enough to carry all the blocks he has at home; besides, there is simply too many of them. Gaara likes the challenge of building a flat pyramid; it's hard to make sure it doesn't fall.
Kankuro dries the socks and puts them on the towel rack. He squeezes the water out from Gaara's shirt and starts to blow dry it. Temari is going to want to know why his clothes are wet and Kankuro needs to come up with an excuse. He'll tell her that the waves came and took them away. Temari will probably scold him for leaving the clothes too close to the water. There is no pleasing his older sister.
Gaara is on his fifth layer when he stops abruptly. He stands up and looks about for the television remote. He finds it on the couch and uses it to turn on the television. He changes the channel to '04'. An old cowboy movie is playing. He looks down at the remote and presses '04' again. The screen flashes back to the same movie.
"It's five o'clock," Gaara whines. He presses his channel a third time. The cowboy is cooing his horse. He whimpers nervously, "It's five o'clock. It's five o'clock."
Gaara throws the remote. It hits the drawers with a loud thud. He thrashes his arms and kicks his legs, throwing a full-on tantrum. He screams loudly at the television screen. He drops on his knees and covers his face with his palms. He cries excessively and non-stop.
Kankuro turns off the blow dryer and hangs the shirt on the towel rack. He drops what he is doing when he hears Gaara's anguish crying. He hurries out to the room and finds Gaara sobbing.
"What's up?"
"It's five-o-two," Gaara hiccups. "It's five-o-three now."
Kankuro looks at the radio clock on the bed stand. He picks up the remote quickly and tries to change the channel. Seeing that it is already on channel 4, he flips to the next channel. It is time for Gaara's cartoon and he never misses it even though he has seen every episode at least five times. Kankuro breathes out of his mouth while Gaara keeps sobbing loudly. Since they are in a different area, Kankuro isn't sure how different the channels are. He is also worried that the channels here have different showing time. He isn't sure how to explain to Gaara why he has to miss his show.
"H-here we go. I found it," Kankuro says with a sigh of relief when the talking yellow sponge shows up on the screen. He keeps in mind that it's on channel 12.
Gaara ceases his sobbing right on cue. He sits cross-legged and stares at the screen in a trance. He mouths the dialogue quietly, telling Kankuro that he has seen this episode before as well. Kankuro doesn't see the appealing in a square-pant-wearing sponge and his pink starfish companion. He puts down the remote next to Gaara and ruffles the damp red hair. He grunts and mentally slaps himself for not telling Gaara to take a shower. If Temari comes back to find Gaara smelling like salt water, she is not going to be pleasant. But he can't tell him to go now. Nothing can break Gaara away from his cartoon.
Kankuro goes back to the bathroom. He comes out with the still-wet pair of shoes and a clean towel. He tosses the shoes by the door; they have packed an extra pair of shoes for Gaara just in case. He sits behind his brother and starts to dry his hair. He isn't going to get caught neglecting Gaara though he does blame himself. He should've kept an eye out for him. If that one-eyed boy weren't there, Gaara would be a goner and he would have to explain to Temari why he let his brother drown. He holds in a sigh, running his fingers to get the moisture out from underneath. Gaara is only twelve and it makes sense that he needs extra care. But what about when he is fifteen, eighteen, twenty-one, or thirty-one? Is he still going to need someone to hold his hands? Is he going to throw a tantrum if he doesn't get to see his cartoons when he is fifty?
Kankuro pushes his forehead on Gaara's sticky back. He inhales the scent of the ocean. He sits up straight and takes a breath. It doesn't matter really what the answers are. He is going to take care of Gaara no matter what. He pats Gaara and stands up. He throws the towel back into the bathroom. He sits on the floor and watches the cartoon side-by-side with Gaara. That yellow sponge actually makes him chuckle a few times, and Gaara seems to be having a really good time.
Once the cartoon is over, Kankuro tells Gaara to take a shower. Gaara obeys and takes out his pajama from his drawer. The brothers walk into the bathroom together. Kankuro shows Gaara how to work the tap since it's different from the tap at home.
"Remember to wash your hair. Here's your shampoo."
"Wash my hair." Gaara nods. He yanks off his trunks and folds it in half. He is about to put it in the hamper.
"Hang on, you gotta wash that too."
Gaara looks at the bathroom floor with a confused frown. He has never had to wash his clothes himself before. Kankuro reaches out his hand and takes the heavy trunks.
"Here, I'll take care of it. Get in."
Gaara steps into the bathtub. He stands under the shower head, cleaning him with purified warm water. He looks at the shower curtain and doesn't know what to do with it. They have shower doors at home. Kankuro demonstrates how to draw the curtain and Gaara looks a little less bothered by the flimsy fabric.
Kankuro steps out of the bathroom to give Gaara some privacy. He flops down on the couch and in a few minutes, Temari comes through the door with two bags of new clothes. He eyes the shopping bags and rolls his eyes.
"Did you take Gaara swimming?"
"Sure did. He loves it," Kankuro lies. "He's a fast learner."
Temari looks over at the bathroom. She puts down the bags on her bed and takes out the new addition to her wardrobe. Kankuro isn't really watching her unpacked but he does notice that some of the clothes are for Gaara. Gaara doesn't have a lot of patience when it comes to shopping for new clothes. It's easier if they just pick and choose for him. Gaara will usually wear whatever they get for him; as long as it doesn't have polka dots and it's a button-down shirt. Something about polka dots just upsets Gaara.
"What are we doing tomorrow?"
"I was thinking of taking Gaara to the museum in downtown."
"Oh man," Kankuro grunts, "can't we do something that isn't educational?"
"You know he likes going to museums."
"He also likes chocolate but I don't see you taking him to a chocolate factory."
"You took him swimming against my wish, and now I get to do something against your wish."
"This isn't a competition."
"I never said it is."
"Are you going to come with us tomorrow?"
"Hey," Kankuro sits up, "let's go the theme parks. I want to go on that really kick-ass rollercoaster… what it's called again…"
"No," Temari says coldly. She folds the paper bags up. "You know he is afraid of heights."
"He'll go on the kid rides. He likes that submarine thing with all the fish. I'm sure they got that one here too."
Temari heaves a loud sigh. She throws out the bags in the small trash bin. She walks past the door and sees Gaara's soaked shoes. She looks at Kankuro and shakes her head, gesturing that she doesn't even want to know.
"We can go to the theme park the day after tomorrow," Temari says. She picks up the remote off the floor and puts it back on the coffee table, being careful not to knock down Gaara's pyramid. "We still have three days left. We can take it slow."
"We gotta take him to the water park too. He'll love it."
"He can't swim!"
"So what? He'll learn."
Temari hooks her hand on her waist. She huffs and points at Kankuro with an accusing finger.
"You didn't teach him to swim."
"I… Yeah… but he swam…" Kankuro stammers.
"He could've drowned! I told you not to take him swimming! Why can't you ever listen to me?"
Kankuro decides it's a good idea not to tell Temari that Gaara almost _did_ drown.
"Look, he's fine. Nothing happened so calm your ass down."
"I can't leave him with you," Temari grunts through clenched teeth. "You're so irresponsible."
"You're the one who ditched us and went shopping."
The bathroom opens. Hot stream rushes into the room. They stop arguing when Gaara walks out in his matching pajama.
"What's that on his face?" Temari asks, walking over to Gaara.
Gaara has folded a square of toilet paper in half and put it over his left eye. He walks forward and the toilet paper falls off, unfurling as it does. Gaara bends down to pick up the paper. He folds it up again and presses it against his eye. He lets go and the toilet paper falls again. As he is bending down to pick it up again, Temari snatches the square away.
"Don't put toilet paper on your face. It's gross."
Gaara gnaws his lips and walks away from Temari. He walks over to the coffee table and kneels in front it. He starts to work on his pyramid again. Kankuro ruffles his hair with a grin.
"Hey, hey, we gotta blow-dry your hair first."
"Blow-dry my hair first," Gaara echoes.
He stops playing with the blocks and stands up. Kankuro leads him back into the bathroom and sits him down in front of the counter. He takes the dryer and works on Gaara's hair, styling it with his fingers. Gaara doesn't like the roaring of the blow-dryer but tolerates it if there is someone with him. He keeps his eyes on the corner of the mirror and starts to count down from a hundred to pass the time.
Once he's done counting and Kankuro still isn't done with his hair, Gaara reaches over and grabs a tissue out from the tissue box. He folds it into a square and presses it against his left eye. It unfurls quickly and glides to the countertop. Kankuro watches the behavior with a frown. Gaara tries it again but he can't make the tissue stay in a square and over his eye. Kankuro blinks, turning the blow-dryer to the low setting.
"You trying to be a pirate?"
"I'm not a pirate," Gaara mutters, his voice nearly drowned out by the blow-dryer. He slams the tissue on his eye. It doesn't stick.
"Oh… Oh… I know…" Kankuro turns the blow-dryer off completely. "It's that guy you met… He's only got one eye."
"Lee."
"That's his name?" Kankuro ruffles Gaara's half-dried hair. "You like this Lee guy, don't cha?"
"Lee," Gaara mumbles. He tries to stick the makeshift eye-patch on his face again.
Kankuro doesn't stop his little brother. He actually finds it kind of adorable what he is doing. He has never known Gaara to remotely like a stranger. He pinches Gaara's cheek and it manages to make the eye patch stays for a split second before it flies down to the sink. In the short second that it did stay, Gaara beams a happy grin.
"No green onion on his and set the pork on a separate plate, please. Thank you."
Temari hands over the menu to the ramen shop server. Normally, Temari would have insisted on eating somewhere more high-class since they're away from home. Kankuro points out that they have never eaten at a real Japanese ramen restaurant before and should try it. The restaurant is small and crowded and they had to wait thirty minutes before they are seated by the entrance where every time someone opens the door, a gust of sea breeze invades. Temari shivers, regretting not bringing a jacket to accommodate the oceanside weather. She is at least happy that the chef cooks their noodles right in front of them and she can smell the aroma of the soup base.
Gaara is breaking apart his fifth set of wooden chopsticks. The top of the left stick is larger than the right one, and he throws it to the side. The owner watches the wasteful behavior from afar with an annoyed frown. Gaara takes his sixth pair out from the self-serve chopsticks box. He rips open the paper wrap and grips the bottom ends. He pulls and successfully breaks the sticks equally. Everyone around him who has been watching breathes a sigh of relief. Even Gaara is proud of himself.
"So are you excited to go the art museum tomorrow?" Temari asks.
"Who is ever excited about that?"
"I wasn't asking you, Kankuro," the older sister says with a scowl. She turns her head when the door opens to see a teen with a gauze over his eye walks in. The teen gasps and walks out quickly. She looks back at her brothers. "It's showcasing three-dimensional sculptures. It's really amazing."
"Gaara can make amazing things out of Lego too. Why doesn't anyone show his works in museums?"
"They're just toys."
"I've seen stuffs made out of trash sold for millions of dollars. Gaara's stuffs are better. We should be loaded by now."
The chef interrupts the conversation when he puts down two bowls of hot ramen for Temari and Kankuro. He puts down a smaller bowl and a plate of pork for Gaara. Temari thanks the chef and eats her noodle hungrily. Kankuro slurps loudly. Gaara can't eat because he doesn't know how to use the chopsticks. He holds them together and spins the hand-made noodle on it. He lifts the sticks up and opens his mouth. The noodle slips off and splashes in the hot soup. Gaara tilts his head at Kankuro's direction. Kankuro wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and gets someone to bring Gaara a fork. The siblings are about to resume dinner when the door opens and a chill hits Temari. She sighs angrily and tries to eat.
"H-Hello," someone behind them says. "I-I am sorry to interrupt your dinner."
Temari and Kankuro turn around. Gaara doesn't and concentrates on eating his ramen. Kankuro puts down his chopsticks in his bowl.
"Oh hey, it's you."
"I-I am sorry for disturbing you," Lee stutters. "But I… I wanted to give this to Gaara."
Lee holds out a clear plastic cup with two scoops of chocolate gelato drizzled with chocolate syrup. A little pink spoon sticks in the top scoop. Temari turns around completely and eyes Lee and the sweet with suspicion.
"Who are you?" she asks rudely.
"I-I… am..."
"He's cool," Kankuro barges in. He taps Gaara on the shoulder. "Hey, look who's here."
Gaara doesn't turn around. He eats his ramen with full concentration. He forks his pork and chews the cooked meat.
"He's a little busy right now, but I'm sure he appreciates it."
Kankuro takes the cup from Lee and puts it on the table in front of Gaara. Gaara doesn't even look it; his eyes are kept on his bowl.
"I am sorry for what I did," Lee says, lowering his head.
"What did you do?" Temari asks with a raised eyebrow.
"I—"
"Nothing," Kankuro interrupts again. He narrows his eyes, trying to get Lee to take the hint. "You didn't do anything…"
"I do not think he enjoys waffle… so I got him one without it," the black-haired teen explains.
"Thanks dude."
"I hope I have not ruined your meals." Lee bows quickly. "Please enjoy it."
Lee hurries out of the ramen restaurant. Temari looks at Kankuro, waiting for an explanation. Kankuro avoids her mean glance and turns back to his dinner.
"What was that all about? Who is that guy? Why did he buy Gaara ice-cream?"
"Can't someone be nice to Gaara for once?"
"I don't know who that is. I don't know what he wants," Temari says with paranoia. "He can kidnap Gaara."
"Why would anyone want to kidnap Gaara?"
"I don't know!" She looks at the gelato. "Don't let him eat that."
She reaches for it but Kankuro gets to it first. He puts it on his side, out of Temari's reach.
"I'm sure he didn't poison the gelato. He's good person or else he couldn't have apologized ten times."
"Apologize for what? What happened? What aren't you telling me?"
"Shut up and eat. Your food is getting cold."
"This isn't over."
Temari huffs and eats angrily. Her mood affects her appetite. The delicious noodle tastes dull to her tongue. Gaara and Kankuro, on the other hand, are enjoying the meal to its fullest. Since he has the smaller bowl and he isn't interrupted, Gaara finishes before his siblings. Kankuro pushes the melting gelato over to him. Gaara looks at it with surprise, not knowing how it got there. But he doesn't care. He takes the plastic spoon and eats the gelato happily.
"Cioccolato," Gaara mutters.
"It's from Lee."
"Cioccolato from Lee." Gaara sucks on his spoon. He grins widely. "Cioccolato from Lee."
Temari stops eating and stares at her grinning brother. She looks over at Kankuro, who is also grinning. She looks down at her bowl with utmost confusion. All appetite has been lost.
"I like cioccolato from Lee," Gaara says, scooping his gelato. "I like Lee."