Lee stood by his hospital bed and looked around his room. Everything had been cleaned and organized to be ready for the next patient. What few belongings he had with him were in a large paper bag that he held in his hand. Aside from his weapons pouch, canteen, and the tattered remains of his green spandex, he only had a tooth brush and comb. Both of the last two items were gifts from the hospital.

Lee sighed and scratched the back of his head as he looked around the bare room. It was like he'd never been here. Sadly, this was the only place he could remember living. This is where he'd slept over the past two weeks, chatted with Sumiko when she wasn't busy, and where he'd eaten until he was well enough to visit the cafeteria. He knew that he had another place to call home, somewhere in Konoha. But for now, this hospital room was the closest thing to a home he could remember.

Lee's expression became dazed as he felt a pang of loneliness ache in his chest. He felt somewhat abandoned, too, if he thought about it. How much of a home did he really have back in Konoha, if they couldn't even come for him two weeks after he'd been found? He knew that he'd been wandering around the desert for a long time before that, perhaps weeks. He'd been lost, wounded, and hopelessly alone, without any understanding of where he was or where he'd come from. He'd been having nightmares lately, after he'd stopped relying on Dr. Hideki's sedatives to put him to sleep. He dreamt that he was still dragging himself across that endless ocean of sand, with no one and nothing around to save him from that desolate void. He'd wake up in a sweat, like he could still feel the unforgiving sun beating and burning him.

"Lee-san? Are you ready to leave?" Sumiko called from the door way.

Lee jumped slightly, yanked out of his thoughts of self pity and dejection. He immediately put on his brave face and grinned at Sumiko from ear to ear.

"As ready as I will ever be! Thank you so much for taking care of me over the past two weeks. I am quite fortunate to have such a wonderful person such as yourself to tend to the flower that represents the springtime of my youth! I would not be in the great condition that I am if it were not for your care. I hope I was not too much trouble to you."

"You're not in that great of condition." Sumiko said, rolling her eyes as she walked to Lee's side. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled softly at him. "You'll have to come back to refill your prescriptions, and I will have to stop by and make sure you're not over exerting yourself. We don't want you to undo all that effort we put into fixing you up, alright?"

"Yes, Sumiko-san." Lee said, looking down at his feet and shuffling his weight around. She'd already had to give him this speech a few other times when she'd caught him doing jumping jacks and sit ups in his room.

She reached up to ruffle his bowl cut with a teasing grin. Then she reached into the pocket of her uniform and pulled out a slip of paper.

"Here, take this. It's my contact information. Come and see me if you're not feeling well, or if you just need to visit a familiar face. You have pockets in your new pants, right?"

Lee nodded and accepted the paper, slipping it into the pocket of his tan pants. Since his green spandex had been torn and stained heavily with his blood, he couldn't wear it. The hospital had supplied him with two new sets of clothes, and one set of pajamas. He was wearing a simple pair of pants and a tee shirt, both in earthy tones. He was wearing his orange leg warmers over his pant legs, against the doctor's advice, and his usual bandages from his hands to his elbows. He didn't know where he'd gotten either of them, but he knew that they held heavy sentimental value. Even if he couldn't place certain things in his mind, he was constantly being bombarded (and often confused) by unexpected waves of emotion. The leg warmers and bandages were somehow an important part of who he is. The occasional appearance of pink would make him yearn for the company of someone he couldn't remember. Gaara's visits had left him aching for a challenge to prove himself worthy of something he couldn't quite describe, and when he looked at his own bowl cut in the mirror he felt the urge to shed manly tears and run into a beautiful sunset. While he did find the last urge a bit odd, he didn't question it.

"Thank you again, Sumiko-san. If there in any way I can return your kindness, please do not hesitate to ask." Lee said, his blinding grin softening into something more like a smile.

"Just visit with me sometime." Sumiko said with a laugh, patting his shoulder. "I'm going to miss you around here, and you don't want me to get lonely, now do you?"

She grinned and pulled Lee down by his shoulder as he spluttered some 'Of course not!'s and a couple 'Of course I will!'s, and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. He turned bright red and spluttered something unintelligible as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I have to get back to work, now, but I'll see you later. If I find out that you're straining yourself, I will start sedating you again. Is that clear?" Sumiko said. Her tone was teasing, but Lee nodded because he knew she was serious. She winked at him before turning and walking out of the room, passing a man on her way out.

The man in the door way was dressed all in black, with a black hood that vaguely reminded Lee of cat ears. He wore a Sand headband across his forehead. The man had purple war paint on his face, and was leaning casually against the door frame as he observed Lee.

"Look like you've made a few friends while you were here." He said casually.

"Oh, yes! Sumiko-san has been very kind to me during my recovery." Lee said quickly, walking up to the Sand shinobi and holding out his hand.

"I am Rock Lee! It is nice to meet you!"

"I'm Kankuro. We've met before." Kankuro said, making no move to take Lee's extended hand.

"Oh! I am sorry! I still cannot remember very much from before I was rescued. Um… were we friends, or…?"

"Just acquaintances. I'm Gaara's brother. I came by to show you where you'll be staying."

"Thank you very much for your hospitality, Kankuro-san! I hope I'm not too much of a bother to you, I would not want to impose."

"It's fine. I just got back from a mission yesterday, and I had some free time. Anything to get me away from the mission reports on my desk." Kankuro turned and started walking down the hospital hallway, indicating that Lee should follow. He did, smiling brightly as he went. He examined Kankuro a bit closer, trying to remember him. He did look familiar, somehow….

"Puppet." Lee muttered, finally making a connection. They were just walking outside the hospital doors and onto the dry Suna streets.

"What was that?" Kankuro asked, raising a painted brow at Lee.

"Oh! I was just trying to remember when I met you before. Is that a puppet on your back? I can vaguely remember you using it in battle some years ago." Lee said, indicating to the large object wrapped in white strips on Kankuro's back.

"Yeah. I control my puppets using chakra strings. You saw me do it during the chunin exams." Kankuro said, shifting the weight of the puppet around on his back. Lee grinned, feeling very proud of himself. It wouldn't be long now before he could even remember his birthday or home address! He was sure of it!

They reached the Kazekage residence in less than an hour. During the walk through the village, Kankuro gave Lee a mini tour. He pointed out the market, a convenience store, the direction to the training field, and a few other places that Lee might need to find by himself, later. Lee felt his fingers itching for a pencil and pad to jot this down with, but settled with repeating Kankuro's words back to him with a nod and firm "Yosh!" to show he had committed it to memory.

Gaara's home was at the edge of the village, just inside the wall that separated them from the greater desert. The Kazekage residence was large, too big to be labeled a house, but too small to be called a mansion. It was the same sandy color as the rest of the buildings of Sunagakure, but it was set apart with the Kazekage's seal on the front door. Lee followed Kankuro inside, being sure to slip out of his shoes in the entryway.

Kankuro gave Lee a quick tour, showing him the kitchen, dining room, the den, Gaara's office, and they were just walking up the stairs to the second floor when Lee found himself facing a woman. She was blonde with no less than four pony tails in her hair. She had a large metal fan strapped to her back, and looked like she had just come back from the dusty training field. She had a bruise just visible on her collar bone, and she was covered in sand and grit.

"Hello, there! I am Rock Lee!" Lee said, holding out his hand toward the blonde woman as he drew level with her at the top of the stairs.

"We've met." She said, smirking and shifting her weight to one hip as she looked him up and down. Her gaze lingered on the orange leg warmers, but she didn't comment.

"Oh! I am sorry! I seem to be doing that a lot today." Lee said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's alright. I heard you got hit in the head pretty hard. You're lucky you didn't lose more than your memory, out there in the desert." She said. Lee nodded in agreement, grinning friendlily.

"I'm Temari. I'm Gaara's sister." The blonde continued. "I live here with Gaara. I need to clean up right now, but Kankuro will show you to your room. Do your own laundry, keep your room clean, be relatively quiet in the house, and we'll have no problems. Alright?"

Lee nodded and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up, complete with 'Yosh!'. Temari just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, and before I forget, Kankuro." Temari said. She turned to her brother with a devious smirk. "Gaara had something he wanted to ask you about. I know you just got back, but make some time for him, okay? It might turn out to be a long talk."

Kankuro raised an eyebrow suspiciously at his sister's smirk, but nodded. She grinned and made her way down the stairs.

"Is Gaara-sama here?" Lee asked as Kankuro led him toward the guest rooms.

"Nah. He usually stays late at the office, doing paperwork, and council meetings, and other Kazekage stuff. He might drop by later to make sure you're settled in, but he doesn't spend very much time at the house."

"Oh, alright, then." Lee said, trying not to sound too disappointed. He'd rather hoped that he would get to spend more time with the red head. But of course someone as important as Gaara would be too busy to spend time with a foreign shinobi with brain damage.

"This is your room. There's the bed, there's the window, there's the dresser, and there's the desk. Any questions?" Kankuro said as he led Lee into his room. It was moderately sized, and very simple. It was probably only used for visiting dignitaries or diplomats.

"I guess not." Lee said. He set his paper bag of meager possessions on the foot of the bed and turned back to Kankuro, at a loss for what to do now.

"So… you don't remember anything?" Kankuro asked, after an awkward pause.

"I have a few vague ideas about my past, but I cannot remember specific people or events. There are a few things that I just know about myself, even if I don't remember why. Such as the leg warmers and bandages. They are a part of who I am, but I do not remember how or why I began to wear them." Lee explained, examining the back of his scarred fingers as he spoke.

"That makes sense, I guess. Well, if you need anything from me, feel free to ask. I have my own apartment further into town. You can usually find me there, at the training field, or with my girlfriend. And Temari can help you out, too, when she's around. But for now… wanna catch a late lunch?" Kankuro asked. It was almost two, and he hadn't eaten, yet.

"Yes! I would love a late lunch! Eating full meals every day is one of the key ingredients to staying strong and youthful!" Lee said with a few eager nods.

"Uh… right. Okay. Um… I guess we should see if Temari wants to tag along, too. She'll start bitching if we don't bother to invite her, even if she already ate."

Lee and Kankuro walked downstairs and found Temari sitting on a chair in the kitchen. She had her fan partially open across her lap, and appeared to be cleaning sand out of the hinges. She ignored them as they into the room as she poked and scrubbed at the metal with an oily cloth.

"Hey, Tem, we were wondering if you wanted to catch a late lunch with us. We can go to that restaurant that you like, and the yakisoba's on me." Kankuro said, watching her hands move in firm strokes down the length of the metal. He looked up to her face in alarm when she made a choking noise. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, turning her face away before Kankuro could see her flush. "I- I, um… I'm not interested. I won't be eating yakisoba for quite a while, so you can just forget about that."

"How come? Just last week you were raving about how much you loved it."

"I just can't, alright? I've got some pretty harsh images associated with it now, and I won't be eating it for a while. Go. Have your lunch."

Kankuro raised his brow and looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind and stomped away. Lee followed quickly after him, saying goodbye to Temari over his shoulder. He could just hear Kankuro muttering about women always changing their minds, and wondering why he ever bothered to be nice. Lee hoped he was just venting.

"So, where will we be going, Kankuro-san?"

"I don't know. What do ya feel like eating?"

"Um… I'm fairly certain that I like curry. They had some in the hospital cafeteria, but it wasn't spicy enough." Lee said, trying to remember what foods he might like. He couldn't quite remember what meal to call his favorite, but he knew that he would like something spicy.

He did like curry, Lee had found out. Kankuro had taken him to a small food joint not too far from the Kazekage residence. Lee had ordered curry, asking the owner of the restaurant to make it as spicy as he could. If it was too spicy, Lee figured he could see it as a challenge and make himself eat all of it. That hadn't been necessary, however. He'd downed the whole bowl eagerly with a glass of milk. Kankuro had tried half a spoonful and nearly died choking. He claimed that Lee's taste buds must be made of steel for him not to feel the burn. Lee had shrugged and continued eating while Kankuro scrubbed his tongue with a napkin.

Now Lee was back in the Kazekage residence. It was almost ten o'clock and Lee was ready for bed. Kankuro had shown him around Suna a bit more after lunch, and then left him at a training field. Lee had taken a shower since then (being very consciences of Suna's water restrictions), unwrapped his bandages, and had changed into his pajamas. Temari was already in bed.

Lee lay down in the unfamiliar bed and rolled around until he was comfortable. His mattress was softer than the one in the hospital, and the sheets were of better quality. Lee didn't particularly miss being in the hospital, but right now he was longing for something familiar to ground himself. He was so lonely, right now. Dozens of answerless questions chased each other through his mind.

Did anyone miss him, back in Konoha? If he were there right now, where or who would he go to for comfort? Did he have his own apartment, like Kankuro? Or did he live with family, like Temari? Did he even have a family waiting for him? Did he have friends that wanted to see him again? Had he ever eaten spicy curry in Konoha, like he had today? What was safe anymore? Why couldn't he go home? What even was home to him?

Lee drifted off into a fitful slumber, and a small tear leaked from the corner of his eye.

Gaara stepped silently through the front door of his house. It was two o'clock in the morning, and he'd made a firm decision to sleep tonight. He hadn't gotten very much rest over the past few days, and he was getting annoyed. He'd dealt with worse than this when he'd still had Shukaku to deal with, but his body was already beginning to depend on sleep, however little he could get. He was tired, now, and determined to get at least a whole hour of rest, at least.

He began to walk up the stairs toward the bedrooms. He passed Temari's room, brushing his hand lightly across her door. He could faintly hear her soft breathing. He was just passing one of the guest bedrooms when he heard an alarming noise. Quietly, he uncorked the gourd and shifted into a defensive stance. He extended his senses and his eyes penetrated the darkness around him, searching for the source of his agitation.

There it was again. It was a low whimper sounding from one of the guest bedrooms. It was a quiet and breathy sound, barely audiable to Gaara's trained ears. Gaara stealthily placed a hand on the door knob and turned it slowly. He barely cracked the door open and peered inside. He spotted Lee on the bed under the window, with a distressed look on his face. Lee whimpered again, shuddering in his sleep.

Gaara opened the door fully when he was sure that there was no other presence in the room. He walked to Lee's bedside and examined the jonin's form under the covers, searching for any sign that he was hurt. The moon light shined through the window over Lee's bed, highlighting his distressed expression. There was no smell of blood in the air, and his limbs looked fully intact. Gaara wondered briefly if his head was bothering him.

Lee twitched and shuddered. He turned his head slightly and mouthed something in his sleep. Gaara couldn't hear what he'd said, but he could read lips as well as any proper ninja could.

'Anyone… please…' Lee's lips formed the silent words in his sleep. 'I'm lost… I'm no where… I'm all alone… only me… there's only me here…."

Gaara's dark ringed eyes widened as he watched Lee talk. It appeared that Lee was having a nightmare. He could empathize with what Lee was feeling, which was a very rare thing for Gaara. He flinched slightly as he all too clearly remembered a time when he'd been alone. He'd been living only for himself, and had loved himself because no one else would. But Lee wasn't alone. He had many friends waiting for him in Konoha. His teammates, his annoying sensei, that pink haired girl he'd been so obsessed with…. So why would Lee be having a dream like this one?

Lee began to tremble, and his fist clenched beneath the sheets. He scrunched up his eyes like he was in pain, and a tear slid down his cheek and onto his pillow. Gaara could tell that it wasn't the first tear he'd shed so far tonight, and likely not the last. Lee whimpered softly, and his lips began to form new words.

'It hurts… the sand… it scratches… when will it end? Won't stop… no end… the sun is beating me… it burns, it burns…' the last part was barely spoken out loud, Lee's voice huffing as though he wanted to cry out, but lacked the strength.

Gaara finally realized what Lee was dreaming about. He was still ambling endlessly across the greater desert, completely alone. He didn't even have the memory of his friends for comfort. He didn't know who he was, where he was, how he'd gotten there, or if the long stretch of sand in every direction would ever end. He was alone and trapped in an endless void of nothingness. So hopeless, so helpless… Gaara couldn't let Lee continue to dream of such things. Lee was hurting terribly inside, in a way very familiar to Gaara, and it couldn't be allowed to continue.

Gaara reached out with a cautious hand toward Lee's shoulder. He knew that you should never wake a ninja with anything less than extreme caution, unless you wanted to lose a limb. Shinobi like Lee were trained to be able to go from deep sleep to battle ready in an instant. Gaara placed his hand softly on Lee shoulder, and shook him slightly.

Lee paused his trembling slightly, but then went back to making distressed noises.

"Lee." Gaara whispered softly. He bent down until his lips were next to Lee's ear, and whispered his name again. Lee stopped shaking, but didn't wake up.

Gaara leaned back, bemused. He rubbed Lee's shoulder through the cloth of his blankets and pajamas. Lee barely twitched, but his face loosened and the pain seemed to fade from his expression. His breathing, which had been rapid and strained, was just starting to slow. Believing that Lee was better now, Gaara stood straight and pulled his hand away. Lee barely paused before his body was rigid with the fear and loneliness of his nightmare once again.

Gaara sighed and rubbed his nose. He couldn't rub Lee's shoulder all night to help him relax, and Lee didn't seem able to wake up right now. But he couldn't just Lee him return to his nightmare. He hesitated briefly, and then placed his palm on Lee's cheek, wiping away the wetness of his tears with his thumb. Gaara could see Lee's lips part slightly in the milky moonlight. Lee breathed in deeply, and then turned his head and sighed into Gaara's fingers appreciatively. Like he'd done in the hospital.

Gaara pondered only for a moment why Lee acted this way. He couldn't come up with any logical answer. Gaara silently lowered the gourd to the floor, and then sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. He kept one hand on Lee's face, wiping his cheek dry and running his fingers over his jaw, lips, nose, and impressive brows. He put his other hand on Lee's arm and rubbed soothing circles. Each gentle caress seemed to help Lee relax more and more, until he was completely at peace. Gaara left after almost two hours, feeling sure that Lee would not return to his nightmare.

Gaara crawled into his bed, and had the most peaceful three hours of sleep he'd ever had in his life.