As Gaara walked down the street towards the park, he scolded himself.

Why there? Why of all the places in Konoha did he choose there?

Never before had he let someone in so easily, so willingly. Never before had he met someone with such an attractive personality.

Tucking a lock of his hair behind his ear, Gaara stepped up to the gate, and unlatched it before pushing it open. It whined on its hinges and then clanged and clattered against the fencing to its side.

A gust of wind swept dark hair into a mess as Lee hurried to the park. It wasn't a cold afternoon thank goodness but it did hold the promise of a frost to shook a little and pulled his cost tighter just in case. "This better be worth it," he grumbled before he repirmiaded himself. This had been his idea after all beggars can't be choosers. A few leaves were caught in the wind and the flash of reds, oranges, yellows,a nd browns were beautiful. "I love fall."Cars drove down the road carrying happy people to their destinations. Others walked the streets taking advantage of the nice weather before the snow hit.

Gaara sat on a cold, wooden bench sheltered by a stone wall backing it and a slanting roof up top. It's thick, green, lumpy paint was beginning to chip and peel off in places, showing the damp grains of wood. Burying his nose into his scarf in a meek attempt to keep it warm, the red-head frowned and once again scolded himself for his choice. Not only had he brought Lee to this park, he brought him here on a cold day.

He glanced around at the trees and hedges lining the park. It almost brought a smile to his face. Fall was beautiful to him. It was not yet dead, not too young and naïve, not a flourish of greens and heat. But not all aspects of fall suited him. Take for example the sycamore tree over the far left of the park. Its leaves shrivel and turn a tawny colour, lightening the bark they cluster around. Compared to the glorious acid yellow of the leaves on a tree beside Gaara, whose bright and intact leaves darkened the bark to ebony, it was ugly and scathing. Then, look at the gorgeous reds that splattered themselves in an array of coppers to crimsons on the silver birch over by the entrance. Its beauty was rare, pale, glowing bark and swaying, long, weeping branches, dappled in terracotta.

The gate beside the tree swung open with its customary screech and Gaara forced himself to his feet as Lee entered, skin paled and blotched red from the cold.

What seemed like ten thousand watts of electricity lit up Lee's smile as he headed towards what in Lee's opinion was a hunksicle. Gaara was sitting on bench that had seen better days but the fall scene that became the back ground was breath-taking. Gaara seemed right at home in this setting which put the thought in Lee's head that deep down, even though he acted tough, Gaara was softie. Well...maybe a little deeper down but still. He joined him on the bench, sitting a tad closer than he would if it had been Naruto or Kiba but it was chilly. And he wanted to be near to the other the wind settled a red leaf fluttered and landed in Lee's lap. He picked it up and gazed at it before glancing over at Gaara. It was the exact shade of his hair and he said so.

A flutter of a smile passed over Gaara's lips as he thanked the brunette before him.

A moment of silence passed, and a gust of wind blew, showing Lee a kanji mark on Gaara's forehead that had previously been obstructed by strands of crimson hair.

"Is that a tattoo?" Lee asked, reaching out a gloved hand to touch the skin. Gaara quickly shoved his own un-gloved hand over the top of the symbol and looked at Lee with unreadable eyes.

"No." And he was right, as he withdrew his hand, the kanji smudged and left a red blotch on his forehead. Looking at his red hand, Gaara brought it to his mouth and let his tongue run smoothly and flatly over the surface before rubbing it against his other palm quickly.

Lee thought about what he had just witnessed as Gaara's pink tongue ran over the surface of his palm. What was that about? He hadn't known him for long so it wasn't proper for him to pry. He decided to let it rest for the moment. "Here." He took out a tissue and handed it to Gaara. Gaara accepted and went on cleaning his hands."How about we take a walk?" There were a few people in the park but it was relatively quiet. His hand tightened his scarf that had become untied and stood up. He turned, smiled, and held a hand for Gaara. "Well?"

Gaara took the hand in his clean one, the tissue still placed in his palm, and was pulled up to stand with the other boy, who he then realised was another three inches or so taller than him. With a little yawn, they began to wonder over to the bridge that crossed the wide stream down by the shrubbery.

As they walked, Lee hummed a song he'd heard earlier that day. It was a different one than what he usually listened to. The song was 'Animal I have Become' by Three Days Grace and he thought about finding more songs by walked instep with one another as they crossed a bridge and set off into a path that winded through the trees.

The hand still grasped by Lee's snuggled into the warmth of the thick woolen glove. The tissue Lee had handed him was now a tight, useless ball in his clammy palm and his reddened hand was thrust into the pocket of his jacket. Their footsteps rustled the leaves and left them in a worsened state. The occasional clack of another dry leaf falling to the floor accompanied the couple as they walked, and had Gaara looking over his shoulder at intervals, afraid that someone was following them.

The wind blew sparsely and the red-head watched as Lee's longish hair was thrown around and settled again, out of place. It was like watching an advert for a damage repair shampoo.

The comforting silence of the fall forest calmed Lee as he walked on down the beaten path. Belatedly he felt something wiggle in his hand and looked down to realize he still held Gaara's hand. Since he had pulled it back, Lee mentally shrugged and kept walking. It was nice just spending time with someone. He hadn't had time to do it ever since classes had began and his new friend didn't demand he talk like Naruto and Kiba sometimes did.

A couple passed Gaara and Lee, their hands entwined and giddy smiles on their faces. Smiles and nods were exchanged between Lee and them, and then they carried on, soft mumbles of conversation trailing through the air in their wake. Gaara attempted to catch a word or two, but failed miserably.

Just to break the silence to do something other than look at scenery, Lee asked a question. It had been on his mind since Gaara didn't look the part. Well the tortured artist maybe but not quite. It struck him as odd in some way.

"Why did you pick photography to pursue?"

Gaara pondered for a moment, his hands clenching and unclenching in his pockets, thumb rubbing over the tissue.

"Why?" He asked, "I don't know. I suppose...have you ever glanced across the horizon and seen a picture of ethereal beauty, a scene of overwhelming elegance?" He stopped and glanced at Lee, whose eyes stared back at him, a silent representation of his awe. A small, slow nod was sent his way, and he faced forwards again.

"Whenever I see something like that, something that...makes me want to smile and sit and watch, that makes me want to break this mask, this antisocial behaviour, I try to keep it in my mind...But it breaks, and I can't see it anymore. I see something else...But-but when I'm with Cameron – my camera – I don't have to let it break, I can capture it, and I can share the feeling with others." The red-head suddenly frowned, and passed his hand over his forehead, missing the smudge staining his skin before drawing back into his jacket.

"You see?" He whispered, and turned his head back to the leafy ground.

During the whole explanation while Gaara bared his soul it seemed, Lee was staring at him and thinking about how much more there was to him than he had thought. At first he had only seen a loner who dressed up, seeming like he was begging for attention. Now he saw a very thoughtful. He paid attention to the world instead of wanting people to pay attention to him. In that sense, they were were alike. he loved to help those to needed help and would rather think of their needs before his own. Which he mostly did. It seemed as if he bended over backwards to help them.

"You are a deep thinker and you pay attention to the world in ways most people have forgotten to," he said, his eyes still on the flame haired man.

Gaara's head swivelled towards the brunette's and his eyes struck him with an unsure gaze.

"I suppose." He uttered, then tore his eyes away and back to the path which now began to open up back into the main body of the park, now becoming deserted in the lateness of the hour.

"Well..." Lee started to say. But he stopped since he wasn't sure exactly how he was going to phrase his life's calling. "I'm planning to be a Nurse." Looking around, he noticed how late it was getting and how much colder it was. Pretty soon the sun would set and the darkness would reign all.

"'You wouldn't prefer to be in the operating room?" Gaara asked and then buried his lower face in his scarf so his next speech was muffled, "I hear Nurse's get the arse of the jobs."

Lee shrugged and a toned down smile lit his features. "Well more like just being there for people you know? I love to help others when they are at their most vulnerable.... That's when you can get to know the real person underneath the usual facade they put on in front of others."

"...Hm." Gaara let his eyes stray from the young mans sunlit profile, unknowing as to when he had began to, once more, stare. The steady rhythm of their feet crunching over the fine pebbles of the path changed as Lee led them onto a small arching bridge that crossed over a glistening stream, reflecting the lamp's light.

"I do love to just walk and wander around. It gives a person time to think and appreciate the view," Lee said. As he spoke the last few words, he glanced at Gaara who walked along side him. The setting sun light caught in his s hair, setting fire to the liocks. It looked as if Gaara had a fiery halo surrounding his head. My fiery angel... Appropriate.

Oblivious to Lee's thoughts, Gaara wet his lips with a swipe of his tongue, nodded and then pulled out a small point and press camera from his coat pocket. With a whirr it turned on, and the red head set to adjusting the setting and checking the focusing through the screen.

Chocolate orbs flickered dark as they watched the pink muscle apply moisture to chapped lips. Lee looked away and gulped. All too tempting. What is going to stop me from jumping him when it becomes too much? Trying to focus all his attention to the task of Gaara messing with his camera his eyes widen when he realized one thing. Nothing.

With the photo taken, Gaara let a small fondness warm his being as he once again gazed out over the trickle of water, then stiffened as it disappeared, all too conscious of the sun setting and the night time quickly approaching. He should be at home, his siblings...They would worry.

"It's getting Late." He stated, and turned swiftly to face his classmate.

Blinking in mild confusion, Lee looked around and realized that it was indeed getting dark but only just. "So soon?" His tone showed how reluctant he was to part from Gaara. Already he was getting in too deep. "But it's only just getting dark." Flicking some dark brown hairs that looked ebony in the deepening sky, he wacth the other.

"I have to get back home. My siblings are waiting." Gaara let a soft look grace his features in a form of apology. "I have to contact some people, too." There was a pause as the breeze tousled Lee's hair, throwing it into his young, disappointed face and pushed harshly on the red head's back.

"But we will see each other tomorrow in class." Gaara added, hoping that it was not his words that had caused the brunette's face to droop.

"Oh," Lee said. "Well I guess you probably should get going then." He erased the disappointed look and put on a smile. "Wish I had sibling to worry about me but I'm an only child."He attempted to push down the messy locks but gave up. "What's it like having siblings?"

Yes he knew he should let Gaara go but he just didn't want to. Not this soon.

What was it like?

Well, it was...it was...

"I'm not sure. We were never very close. Recently – " Gaara paused unable to explain the strange interactions between him and his siblings, ones were their lips may split into a fond smile, or when a frown crossed their features and their eyes swirled with an unidentified emotion, "Recently it has been different."

They stood, two dark, bulky figures against the setting autumns' sun, for a while, a strangely comfortable silence only broken by the whistle of wind through baring tree branches filling the chilled air, then Gaara broke it,

"I really should be getting home..."

"Ah..." He started and bit his lip. The wind mussed his hair once again and he sighed before blowing the annoying pieces out of his face. "I guess it is hard to put into words. How having siblings is like that is." Lee noticed how chilly it was getting and it was quite dark out. "Yeah you should. Wouldn't want your family to worry." Grinning, he glanced at the man beside him. "If you want..." Biting his lips again in thought, he finished his sentence. Might as well ask. "I could walk you home if you want."