Naruto and its characters © Masashi Kishimoto

Lee and Gaara sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

Gaara's POV.

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STIGMA

Tre

My father had been murdered and I had, against my wish, become the new head of our family. For my first act as the new Kazekage, I was to avenge my father by killing the man responsible for his death: Orochimaru. It was believed that by killing my father's murderer, I could subsequently establish my status in Suna. With blood on my hands was the only way to be acknowledged in the underworld. For outsiders, our world might look to be filled with lies and deception. But there were strict rules governing the families. There were procedures and regulations. We had established laws to maintain order. To be a respected family, one must play by those rules. Suna had a reputation to uphold. I was not to fall to the sneaky rank of Orochimaru.

We had, as regulations dictated, attempted to schedule a meeting with Orochimaru. Before we received a reply from him, news from Konoha hit us. The old man Hokage had been killed and Orochimaru was once again responsible. The Hokage of Konoha had been in power long before I was born. He was a respectable man who kept his hands clean as much as possible for a mob boss. It was a shame that a traitor did him in.

In addition to balancing the power by damaging Konoha and Suna, it seemed Orochimaru had bore a grudge against his former Kage. Our sources informed us that Orochimaru had wanted the position as head and he was quickly rejected by the Hokage. Konoha functioned a little differently than us. The head of our family was passed down in lineage as much as possible. In Konoha, the most capable one was elected as the next head, regardless of if the current head had children or not. In that sense, they were not technically a family as blood was unimportant in the transfer of power. They believed in bonds, an idea that was ludicrous to Suna. We were very protective of our blood while they believed in democratic election. The sudden assassination of the Hokage, as a result, left Konoha in chaos and completely vulnerable to attacks. Our cities were not allies. If it weren't for my weak stature, Baki would've advised me to launch an assault on our neighbor. Now, we were forced to bond together to withstand whatever Orochimaru had planned under his sleeves.

My meeting with him was thus cancelled. For one, it was simply too dangerous for me to meet him. I would be a lamb put in front of a very hungry tiger. With me gone, Kankuro would be the next in line to take over. As much as I hated to admit, the family would end in his hands. Killing Orochimaru was to be put in the backseat. My road to the top must take a detour. But these were the least of my worries. Before, I was merely the son of a mob boss and was considered a "civilian". I was off-limit, uninvolved in the dealings of the underworld. Now, I was the primary target and perpetrator. I was marked and my moves were closely monitored. It would be a foolish risk to venture into enemy territories.

To put it simply, it would get difficult for me to see Lee.

Fortunately in this time of misfortunes, Lee lived fairly to the border of Konoha and Suna. The Hokage liked to centralize his people. The outskirt was under light surveillance. I could move in and out without rousing an alert. And if something were to happen, I would be able to return to Suna in minutes. Thus it wasn't Konoha's people that I was worried about; it was my own. Baki had been suspicious of my whereabouts. I didn't blame him for being concerned as I did carry a lot of lives on my back. But I would appreciate it if he respected my private life.

Ebizo had been my personal chauffeur since I was a toddler. He was in his late-sixties, had a strange sense of humor, and was loyal as a dog. He had the features of a kind grandfather but always looked half-asleep. I didn't go through any elaborate mean of hiding the fact that I was seeing someone, but he was keeping my frequent visit to Konoha quiet.

"You are a good man. I'm glad to have you."

"Why, thank you, Sir. It's an honor to work for you."

"I appreciate you keeping my visits a private matter."

"Well, I don't see how that's anyone's business but yours. But if you don't mind an old fool rambling, Sir, please cut down on these trips. Things, they have changed."

"I understand that. I will be careful."

Ebizo pulled the limo to the curb and dropped me off. I waited until he drove off before walking the two blocks to Lee's apartment. It had only been a week since I last saw him after my father's funeral. I could not put into words how much I had missed him. How much, in the middle of the night, I wished to have him in my arms, and to wake up to see his smile. He had taken over me and I had gladly accepted to be his.

When he opened the door, I had to control myself from kissing his face off. In an effect to help me grieve, Lee had invited me over for a home-cook dinner.

"I am not a great cook, so please bear with me." Any food he cooked me would taste like ambrosia.

I followed him into the kitchen. While he chopped carrots and celeries into cube, I wrapped my arms around his waist and planted kisses on his neck.

"Gaara, stop. I need to concentrate and not cut off a finger." He chuckled and nudged me away.

Lee returned his attention to the vegetables. I kept my arms around him, pulling him close without distracting him. He was taller than me by a few inches that my head rested perfectly on his shoulder. We stood in comfortable silence. Once he was done with chopping, he moved to work on the steaks for tonight. He marinated the meat and tenderized them with his fingers. A method that he claimed was the best.

"They are ready." He walked to the sink to wash his hands, juiced in marinade and seasonings.

I blocked his way to the sink. I took his finger in my hand and put it in my mouth. His face went red instantaneously and he tried to take his digit back.

"Gaara! What are you doing…? It is not sanitized."

"It tastes good."

I traced my tongue up and down his index finger. Then I took two more fingers into my mouth. Lee was obviously flustered, but he didn't stop me. I sucked on his marinated fingers until the taste was gone and his digits wet with my saliva. I let go of his hand and pulled his mouth to my own. The first contact was deep, and I felt like I could swallow him whole. We interchanged between long and short, deep and swallow kisses. He gripped my shirt collar with one hand, his other dangled in midair. I had my hand behind his neck, pulling him closer toward me. My other hand was slyly finding its way to Lee's firm end. He let out a small whimper when I squeezed him. I grinded up against him, temporarily satisfying my rising need. Lee, as expected, broke the kiss and took a step back. His lips were swollen from our heated kisses.

"The broth is ready. I have to put the vegetables in." He escaped from my arms, washed his hands, and tended to the boiling pot.

I would not pressure him. I had urges that needed to be gratified, but I would not do anything drastic until Lee was ready. I would wait as long as it takes. After all, I did plan to spend the rest of my life with him. I was lucky enough to find that my body had not responded to the point where my desire was visible.

A knock on the door distracted Lee from putting the carrots into the broth. We both frowned, obviously not expecting anyone to interrupt our date.

"Gaara, will you please put the celeries in? I will answer the door." He wiped his hands and walked out of the kitchen.

I did as he wished. I even gave the broth a good stir. Orange and green cubes swam through the pool of golden liquid. Lee returned a moment later, standing at the entryway between the living room and the kitchen.

"There is…someone here to see you."

I knew I was in trouble. Now all I had to find out was if it was a friend or a foe at the door. I stepped out of the kitchen with Lee beside me. Baki was standing next to the couch and he looked furious.

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Boyue's Note: Thank you for your lovely reviews! They fill my day with fuzzy joy. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry to say that I won't be updating as frequent since I have to tend to my schoolwork.

Please review and stay tune!

11.11.08

3:01 AM