Chapter Four: Fresh Beginnings

I am really sorry if you thought the chapter three was rushed. (I did). Thanks for the reviews. This chapter is going to focus on everyone's beginnings after the war with Sasuke (which is explained in here) the year before, so while Lee and Gaara are definitely in this, there will be some flashbacks from some of the other main characters, just as a break from the main plotline and explaining the couples in more depth.

The Hokage had just finished speaking with some Genins about to go on a mission to find a lost cat. He had done a mission like this one years ago, with Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto grimaced; talking or thinking about Sasuke was still painful. After years of trying to find him, when he came back to Konoha to overthrow it, and destroy it, Naruto knew this was when he had lost his friend, his brother. There was a photo on the desk of the old Team Seven. What had gone wrong?

It was after Naruto had struck the final blow to Sasuke and the battle had come to a close that it was decided he was to become the Hokage. It was strange to think this was only a year ago. The memory hit Naruto like a ton of bricks.

Sasuke was breathing heavily. He hadn't realised how strong Naruto had gotten, and the two of them were still Genins. Almost all of his Chakra was gone, and after Orochimaru's power was removed by Itachi there wasn't any reserve. But Naruto still had plenty and the Demon Fox hadn't even come out yet like it used to when he was mad. There was a pause as the two of them looked at each other. This was his enemy, his best friend, his brother, his rival all in one person. For both of them. But hatred had taken over Sasuke's life.

"Stop this, Sasuke." Naruto's voice was calm, but his eyes were on red alert, waiting for a sudden move. "You can end this right now. Don't hurt any more people."

The Uchiha closed his eyes. "I'm going blind, Naruto. When my eyes are open my vision is only slightly better. My Chakra is almost gone. I can't defeat you." He opened his eyes and smiled wryly. "You've gotten so strong. Itachi was wrong about one thing. He said only an Uchiha can defeat an Uchiha."

Naruto's eye saddened. "Sasuke…"

"I'm sorry, Naruto, you won't be able to look for me anymore." Sasuke laughed, but it was hollow. "Now, let us fight till one of us perishes. Unless…" His speed brought him close to Naruto with his sword. He handed it to Naruto. "Hatred led me to this. It was fate. End it."

The future Hokage knew this. Everyone knew this would happen eventually. "Goodbye, Sasuke." Naruto mumbled, and drove the sword into his stomach, blood seeping out.

"I hate you, you know." These were Sasuke's final words, uttered with the smallest smile, but Naruto saw it.

"I hate you too." Naruto whispered, as Sasuke went limp in his arms.

The sword owned by Sasuke was hung up on the wall. Naruto glanced at it.

***

Lee opened his circular eyes and for a moment forgot where he was. Then as he glanced around began to gather his surroundings. He sat up and pulled on his green jump suit, which was laid out at the end of his bed, done by a servant most likely. There was a huge mirror on the wall next to his double bed and he paused to stand in front of it, thumbs up, a smile on his face. He would head back for Konoha later this evening. There would be just enough time for breakfast, then a run around Suna, lunch, then bidding goodbye to everyone. Lee hoped the Kazekage wouldn't be too busy to say farewell.

The Kazekage…Gaara! Lee gasped out loud. What had happened last night? He distinctly remembered holding hands and blurting something out about love. After that it was a blur.

"Rock Lee?" Someone was knocking on the door. "The Kazekage-sama wishes to speak to you right away."

Did everyone know what a fool of himself Lee had made? And now Gaara wanted to speak with him. Right away. Was he going to be thrown out of Suna? Gai-Sensei would be so disappointed in his student. Lee shook his head to rid himself of any negative thoughts and answered the door. It was an older man with a bald head, who lead Lee to a room just down the stairs, and in a hall to the left, the third door.

"Knock and wait here until the Kazekage-sama orders you to enter." The servant told Lee in a stern voice, then walked away.

Instead of actually having to knock on the door however, it opened and Gaara was stood behind it. His height was so much shorter than Lee's so the Jounin had to look down at him. Lee suddenly had the greatest urge to ruffle Gaara's red hair. As he walked in and closed the door, realising this must be his office, Lee promised himself to never act upon these urges.

"About last night…" Lee started, but Gaara waved a hand to silence him.

"I have been thinking about love. My family taught me about love, but it always mixed with hate. And then Temari told me about attraction and sex." Gaara's tone was calm. "I didn't think there was any difference but apparently love is deeper…more sublime."

Lee started to wonder where the Kazekage was going with this. Then he swallowed. "Last night - did anything…happen? I cannot remember much."

"No. Our hands were joint for a short moment, then we didn't speak for ages and I bid you goodnight." Gaara responded, filling Lee with relief but also disappointment. Did he want something to happen between them? Of course I do. I can't fight this anymore. I love Gaara. Lee thought. "Anyway," Gaara continued. "I was thinking about love and then I thought about you saying you might grow to love me. How can you be so sure?"

"Of love?" Lee looked perplexed. "You just know about love! It's all to do with your youth and strength and energy!" He struck the 'nice guy' pose before feeling self conscious and blushing.

Gaara frowned. "That's all, Lee. You can leave now."

The older man bowed, then darted out of the room in an instant, letting out a breath he had been holding for a long time. What would happen now? He didn't know. He also didn't know where to go for breakfast, so went without and started his run around Suna, checking out all of the surroundings as he went, looking at the Sand Ninja and Villagers alike, stores selling all sorts. His pace slowed to a walk as he passed a gift shop. There was a plushie of an owl that had the resemblance of Lee himself.

The shopkeeper was busy with some other customers and Lee didn't want to intrude, so he put the owl back and carried on with his run throughout Suna.

"If I can make it round this village in an hour, and get back to that shop in that time limit, everything will be fine." Lee promised himself, and found his legs speeding up. Pretty soon just a blur of green was spotted running through the village.

***

Temari stifled a yawn as she sat up in bed, her blonde spiky hair tumbling around her shoulders. Last night's makeup was smeared round her face from what she could see in the mirror opposite the bed and her and his clothes were crumpled together on the floor in a pile. His being Shikamaru, the lazy Jounin, who was now fast asleep, his black hair spread out across the pillow like an ebony curtain.

They had finally gotten together (which, according to everyone else, they should have done years ago) about a year ago, during Sasuke's attack on Konoha. Temari grinned as she recalled it.

Shikamaru's shadow caught one of Sasuke's comrades, Karin, so she couldn't move, and stood frozen to the spot, her eyes full of fear. As the Chuunin (he had been made a Jounin shortly after this) sat down and began to think, a noise crept up behind him, but he sensed it as her, the female Sand Ninja. Temari.

Her fan slammed into the ground next to Shikamaru, who smirked. "This one can't do much from what I've observed," Shikamaru told Temari. "However she does have an extensive knowledge and power to do with Chakra. Instead of defeating her, we should capture her and hold her in for questioning with Ibiki."

"Sasuke-kun will defeat all of you!" The trapped ninja shrieked, her voice straining at a high pitch. "He is one of the best ninja in the world! I won't reveal anything to you."

"Shall I shut her up?" Temari asked. Shikamaru rolled his eye but didn't comment, which she took as a yes. Her fan was opened wide and wind was propelled at Karin while she was trapped still, and the sheer pressure of being stood in a place with strong amounts of wind being blown at her made the ninja gasp, scream a loud, terrified scream and faint.

Shikamaru released the technique and sighed. "Your attacks are too loud," he muttered. "Enemy ninja will arrive here shortly now they've heard that scream she gave."

To which Temari retorted, "At least I shut her up, right?" She watched her comrade walk over to the fallen woman, then saw a flash of something. In a second, Temari was at Shikamaru's side, her fan throwing Karin into the air, who had merely pretended to faint and had a kunai ready in her hand to stab Shikamaru, then as she landed caught her so she hit the fan hard, as she had done with Ten Ten, way back in the Chuunin Exam. It had all happened so fast and smoothly that Shikamaru couldn't help but smile as he stared at the now for real knocked out Karin.

"Much better." Shikamaru complimented. Temari glanced around, kissed his lips softly and winked.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled, but there was a twinkle in his eyes.

Temari was wide awake. The memory had made her want Shikamaru right now. She got her pillow and hit him.

"Temari!" The Jounin opened his eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Want to have some fun?" She asked in a seductive tone, a sexy smile on her attractive face.

Shikamaru closed his eyes. "No. I want to sleep." And he turned over.

So he couldn't see the shocked and enraged look on his lover's face.

***

Rock Lee had finished his run on a high, having gotten back to the shop within the time limit task he had set himself. The only slight setback was the owl he had wanted to buy for himself was gone. There was, however, a squirrel with red fur that had dark ringed eyes and looked exactly like Gaara. He bought it as a present for him, but in reality was too scared to actually give it to him. He still wasn't sure what exactly was going on between them.

Lee was in the bedroom he'd been allocated, and was packing up his backpack, when the door burst open and Gaara charged in. There was a servant behind him waiting in the doorway, too nervous to point out what the Kazekage wasn't exactly polite.

"You can leave now." Gaara commanded the servant, who bowed and shut the door, leaving the two of them alone in the bedroom. He sat on the bed and Lee did the same, next to him.

There was an awkward silence that followed, Gaara just staring at Lee for a very long time, while he shifted about uncomfortably. Eventually Gaara brought something out from his pocket and handed it to the Jounin in a flourish. "I couldn't be bothered to wrap it," he told Lee with a shrug.

In Lee's hands was the owl from earlier he had seen in the store, the one that had been sold before he could return. "Gaara-sama, how did you know this was exactly what I wanted?" He asked, placing it in his backpack, which was full to bursting, but not heavy.

"I used my Third Eye Jutsu to follow you around all day, and saw you looking at this. Then you started running and I couldn't keep up, so I ordered one of my servants to go and buy this for you." Gaara answered. He seemed to not be looking at Lee's eyes, more his lips. "It's an ugly toy."

Lee chuckled nervously. "I rather thought it reminded myself of me in all honesty. Which reminds me! I have something for you." He produced the squirrel from where he was keeping it. As Gaara had gotten him a present, it was merely polite to give him this, though it was intended for him in the first place if Lee wasn't so shy. It was strange to think with Sakura he hadn't been shy at all, but with Gaara it was all so different. And of course, Sakura hadn't liked him back, though he realised now that what he felt for Sakura was nothing compared to…this. Whatever it was.

The Kazekage obediently took the squirrel and felt the soft material. "Thank you, Lee. But there's a better present you can give me."

A better present? Maybe I can turn this into a challenge, Lee thought. "What is it, Gaara-sama? I will go and fetch it right away."

Gaara rolled his eyes, but leaned close into Lee's face. "You just know what love is, right?" He checked. "When you feel something, you know whether or not it is love or a mere sexual attraction?"

"Yes." Lee gulped, wondering what he was going to do.

But he needn't have worried. The Kazekage moved that extra bit further and kissed Lee gently on the lips. Softer than the squirrel plushie, Gaara thought, deepening the osculation.

***

Kankuro and Temari were heading back to their village in a matter of minutes, the three day long journey awaiting them. Ino and Choji were accompanying them along the way. Shikamaru stood at the gate and waved goodbye; Kiba was on a mission already. They wondered what their brother had been doing.

"Reckon he'll have dealt with that form I gave him?" Kankuro pondered to Temari, who kept turning around and waving at Shikamaru as they walked up the path.

"No. He said he'd only do it if he had the time." Temari eventually replied.

"Well, there isn't much for the Kazekage to be doing over the past week. What else would he be doing? Keeping Lee company?" Kankuro snorted at the idea. "I bet he used our training grounds aswell."

"Oh leave him be, he lives to train." Temari sighed.

As the two bickered, Ino and Choji exchanged glances at each other, smiling. They were engaged and were planning to get married the following year. Choji promised to slim down. He couldn't help it is crisps kept calling to him.

***

Did Gaara just kiss me or was this just an illusion? Lee thought. He touched his lips and the taste of sand lingered on them. It was no fantasy. The Kazekage really had just kissed him.

"Gaara?" Forgetting his title, Lee uttered his name in amazement with the wind from the open window fluttering through, causing Gaara's hair to swish about.

"Did I do it right?" Gaara broke the silent spell. "I've never kissed anyone before, and have only seen other people do it."

Lee smiled. "Exactly right, Gaara-sama."

"Want to do it again?" He wondered. "And don't call me Gaara-sama. It seems too official."

Of Lee wanted to do it again. He nodded breathlessly and Gaara leaned in once more. The Jounin didn't know how he was going to be able to break away from him now.

Maybe he could stay just one more night.

Author's Note: Right! Not too sure about this chapter. The flashbacks are to cut away from the main plot to give it a bit of a break as it has been constant, but I don't know if I did it all right or not. Would really like some reviews on this chapter. Thanks. OH! And comment on how I handled Gaara and Rock Lee's first kiss, please? Was it okay?