'What the Hell…'
This chapter's disclaimer comes from Littleva;
Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto, otherwise I would have made Gaara have his own kissing booth!
Hm, 'The Kissing Booth' is one of my favourite fanfics as well so good job! Mmm, Gaara...kisses...Ahem! Back to reality!
A.N - Yay! Reviews!
Akizo Miku – Yay indeedy!! And yeah, I love TenTen! So she's gonna be a big part of Gemma's life!
Kitsmits – Yay, a new reviewer!! Someone will give Gaara 'The Talk' but I'm not saying who yet ;) Oh! And here's a link to my livejournal. the-luna-wren./6618.html#cutid1 Gemma's pics are on there. Thanks, I try my best to make my grammar as good as it can be. I hate bad grammar too. And thanks for your comments on the characters. I try my best!
Littleva - …You are aware you've just totally laid out the plot there, aren't ya? No-one read her review unless you want spoilers. Am I that predictable, or are you just psychic? Anyways, yes she is gonna have to leave her Konoha friends behind eventually, but don't worry, they won't be forgotten.
Chapter 26
Secrets of the Sand!
Hey guys, Gemma here! There's a flashback in this (very, very long) chapter, and it's done in the third person (but from Shikamaru's perspective) to avoid confusion. Clear? Great! Ja!
"Really? You can draw from memory? Hm. Alright then! I challenge you to draw...Lee!"
I gave a laugh. "Like Lee's forgettable. Okay then!"
We spent the rest of the morning chatting and (in TenTen's case) being amazed at my drawings.
I couldn't help but feel that, despite my closeness to Gaara and Lee, I'd made my first real friend here.
--Shikamaru POV
"Where the hell is he?"
I winced one eye shut at Kankuro's yell. Lee was only four minutes late.
But whatever this meeting was about (and I had my suspicions) it had the Sand shinobi on edge. Both of them, actually. Temari was currently leaning up against the wall, nails tapping against her fan. She'd removed it from her back as soon as she'd entered, and hadn't looked up once.
"Shut up Kankuro. He's only a few minutes late." She snapped.
"Troublesome." I murmured as I closed my eye, thinking through my suspicions as to what this meeting was leading to.
Obviously it was either about Gaara, Gemma or both. Most likely both. If it were just Gemma the Sand Siblings wouldn't be there. If it were just Gaara I didn't need to be here. Lee was an option towards both.
What then...was it her impending journey to Suna? No, Gaara would be here. The attack? The reports had been handed in. So-
BANG!
"I am sorry!"
The door flying open announced Lee's arrival and I opened my eyes to see him bowing in apology.
"Gemma was a little startled by Gai-sensei, so I was delayed in leaving her." He explained.
"Calm down kid, you're only five minutes late." The Hokage growled. "Now sit. All of you. We have things to discuss."
Needless to say we all obeyed.
"Shizune, set up that barrier and get me my biggest bottle of booze!"
Shizune scowled at the second demand, but nodded and jutsu'd out. Seconds later I felt a wave of Chakra envelop the room. A Chakra barrier. Whatever this meeting was, it was big.
Tsunade waited. But Shizune didn't return to deliver the alcohol.
"Damn her..." Tsunade growled. "Oh well, let's get on with it!"
She turned to face Lee and I. "It goes without saying that nothing I say leaves this room, right?"
I nodded and Lee started balling about youth and promises...until Kankuro reached over and casually slapped a hand over Lee's mouth.
"Thank you." Tsunade mumbled. "Lee, I trust you both implicitly, but it's protocol to give out the standard 'you-tell-you-die' warning, okay? Right! On to business!"
Kankuro removed his hand. Lee didn't seem to notice, too overwhelmed by the Hokage's show of faith.
Something was bugging me at the back of my mind…something to do with Gaara…
A bit of information he had once given me (and Naruto) himself. Something that, until now, I had chalked up to near insanity. But after seeing the results of his battle with Naruto, I wasn't so sure.
"Is this about Gaara's demon?"
Four pairs of eyes turned to me. 'Bingo.' Three of them were shocked, one confused.
"Demon…but Gaara is not-"
"How do you know?" Temari cut Lee off, her voice unusually quiet.
"Gaara. He told me and Naruto once. When we stopped him killing Lee."
Lee's face paled. He'd had trouble sleeping for weeks after Naruto blurted it out to him, and still had nightmares about it today…forgiveness aside, Gaara had done a lot of damage, and not all of it was physical.
Kankuro's mouth had fallen open and seemed determined to stay that way, despite his best efforts. "He…he told you?!" He finally spluttered out.
Tsunade gave a sigh and rested her head in one hand. She closed her eyes and waved at me with her free hand.
"Shikamaru, please tell us as closely as you can what Gaara said and did that day…leave out no details."
I nodded. It wasn't a conversation I was likely to forget…
FLASHBACK!!
Gaara had been paused to kill...his sand surrounding Lee. He was panting hard and freaking Shikamaru out completely.
Luckily he hadn't seemed to have noticed them yet...but he would in a few moments. Shikamaru made a hand sign and watched silently as his shadow extended and captured the child-killer.
He let Gaara continue for a few seconds, watching as he lost control and gave a pained yell. Then his eyes widened as he realised...
"I can't move...my body..."
BAM!
Naruto gave a yell and sent a fist to connect with the left side of Gaara's face. Shikamaru yelled out in pain as the hit affected him as well.
"What the heck do you think you're doing in here, you rat?!"
Shikamaru raised a hand to the side of his face and glanced over at his loud companion. A good question...but he wished it had come without the punch.
"Hey man, go easy! I'm using my Shadow Possession Jutsu so when you're bashing him, you're bashing me too. You got it?"
"Oh." Naruto said sheepishly. "Sorry Shikamaru."
Shikamaru turned to look at his captive. Naruto's punch had been strong enough to crack the sand armour Gaara had placed around his body, and clumps of sand hit the floor as he looked at his two opponents impassively.
Naruto took a few steps back to stand next to Shikamaru and glared at Gaara.
"Out with it! What were you trying to pull?"
Gaara just stared at them, seemingly unbothered by his predicament.
The sand was still plastered to Lee's face and body, but he was slept right through. Not surprising considering all the damage his body had taken.
When Gaara didn't answer Naruto's question, Naruto clenched a fist and gritted his teeth. "Well? Are you gonna tell us what you were gonna do?"
Gaara stared at Naruto intently. "I was going to kill him." He answered simply.
Both Naruto and Shikamaru gasped. "What?"
'This guy's one cool customer...' Shikamaru thought. 'Look at him. He's not even phased by my Shadow Possession Jutsu.' He mentally shook himself and narrowed his eyes.
"You already beat him once in the competition. What's your problem? Wasn't that enough for you? Do you have some kind of personal grudge against him or something?" It was the only reason Shikamaru could see for trying to kill an unarmed, unconscious opponent in the hospital.
"I have nothing against him-" Gaara replied.
"Huh?" Now Shikamaru was confused.
"-it's nothing that complicated. I simply wanna kill him, that's all."
Naruto lost it. "You know what? You're sick in the head! You're crazy!"
"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed, "you think we're just gonna stand by and let you do whatever you want, you sick, selfish psycho?"
'This guy gives me the creeps.' He shivered. 'There's always been something weird about him...scary. If he decides to make a move, I'm not sure we'll be able to stop him!'
Gaara tilted his head as Shikamaru did. "If you don't stay out of my way I'll have to kill you two as well." He stated.
"Oh really!?" Naruto yelled, punching a fist forward in illustration. "Well let's just see you try it!?"
"Hey, whoa kid! Take it easy!" Shikamaru stepped in. If Naruto went head to head with this guy they'd both die. 'Best thing to do is try and bluff our way out of this...' He thought.
Naruto growled, but Shikamaru decided to use his initiative.
"Yeah, yeah." He sneered at Gaara. "We watched your last match against Lee. We know you're tough. But you know, Naruto and I have a few little tricks up our sleeves as well. We were holding back during the competition, there are things you haven't seen yet!" He ignored Naruto's confused look in his direction and prayed the blonde would catch on quick. "On top of that, hey, it's two against one. So don't be a fool, okay? Just take my advice, and go. Quietly."
Gaara just stared at him, face devoid of any emotion. "I'll say it once more," he said, leaning forward "if you get in my way," his eyes narrowed "I'll kill you."
Shikamaru froze in shock. 'Okay, plan B.'
"Ha!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a finger at the lunatic. "And I'll say it again! Let's see you try it!?"
"Back off will you!" Shikamaru exclaimed, releasing the copy-hold on Gaara and just holding him still. It was eyrie watching Gaara copy his every move. He laid a hand out to stop Naruto advancing. "We don't wanna go there!" He warned the blonde idiot. "This guy fights like he's mad, like he's a demon or something!"
Naruto grinned and lowered the finger. "He can act like a demon if he wants to, but you know what? I've got the real thing inside of me!"
What the...the real thing? Shikamaru was confused, worried, and close to pissing himself.
Gaara just stared at them, mainly Naruto, was some form of light interest now.
Naruto's grin dissolved into a snarl.
Shikamaru elbowed him. "Idiot. Leave this to me. What's the point of getting him mad?"
Naruto forced his anger down, snarling.
Gaara finally broke their gaze, bowing his head in thought. "A demon, huh?"
Naruto relaxed a little in confusion.
Gaara's eyes were closed and he seemed completely unworried by their proximity and anger.
"My demon is as real as yours is." He said simply.
Shikamaru took a step back in shock. Was the red-head serious?
Gaara raised his head and looked at them again.
"From my birth, my upbringing was not what most people would consider a happy one. To ensure that I became the strongest of shinobi, my Father cast his ninjutsu on me, infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit. I destroyed the life of a woman who gave birth to me." He looked at them both seriously. "I was born a monster."
Naruto's eyes went side with shock.
Shikamaru was pretty shocked too. To go that far, just to ensure your child was strong...madness! 'A sand spirit...?'
Gaara continued, unfazed by their shock. "It's name is Shukaku, and it's the living incarnation of an old monk of the Sand Village who'd been sealed up in a jar of tea."
Shikamaru composed himself and forced a grin. "Yeah. Some kind of demonic jutsu, but to use it on a baby? Before it's even born? Man, that's creepy!"
Naruto stared at him, still in shock. Then turned his gaze to Gaara unsteadily.
"Gee," Shikamaru said sarcastically, still trying to bluff their way out, "what a swell guy your Dad must have been. He really must have loved you a lot."
Gaara stiffened. "You speak of love. Don't measure me by your standards."
Naruto's face was a mixture of wonder, fear and disgust that made Shikamaru worry for him. But he had to concentrate on the killer in front of them. Naruto could be comforted later.
"Love." Gaara continued. "Family. The only emotional ties I have to my family are the ones I'd like to wrap around their necks. They're only ties of hate."
Both Shikamaru and Naruto stiffened. To talk so casually of killing your family...
"Given life by the death of my mother I was brought into being and nurtured as the salvation of my village." Gaara closed his eyes. " I was the Kazekage child. My Father taught me the innermost secrets of the shinobi. He pampered and protected me, leaving me to myself. For a time I thought that was love." His eyes reopened...it was like he was trying not to see the good parts of his past. "And that was when everything started."
Shikamaru frowned. "When what started?" He asked, almost afraid to know the answer.
Gaara didn't reply...just stared at the ground.
"What was it?" Naruto asked stiffly. "Are you gonna tell us or not?"
Still no response.
"So go on!" Naruto insisted. "What started? What was it?"
A demonic grin slowly made it's way across Gaara's face, and when he opened his eyes they were wild and dangerous. "In the six years since I became six year old, my Father tried to destroy me more times than I can count!"
He sounded almost ecstatic at the thought.
Both Naruto and Shikamaru recoiled in horror, shaking.
Shikamaru forced his fear down...something wasn't adding up. "You just finished saying how your Father pampered and protected you. So which is it?"
Gaara's grin was gone, but a dangerous smirk remained. "Those who get to be too strong are apt to become feared." He explained. "The jutsu that gave me birth had unbalanced something in my mind. Even the fools in my village finally realised I had...emotional problems. My Father, the Kazekage, created me as his ultimate weapon, but I eventually became a threat to the very village I was meant to save. By the time I was six I became a figure of terror to the villagers. To them, I was a relic of the past they wished would disappear. So you see I had failed at the one purpose for which I was given life." The smirk had turned into a psychotic smile. "What then was left for me in this existence, why go on living? For a long time I couldn't find an answer to that." His brow furrowed. "But in order to live, you need a purpose. To exist for no reason...that's the same as being dead."
"What is this guy talking about?" Shikamaru asked Naruto...but Naruto looked like he'd made a shocking realisation. His face was full of fear...and a twisted understanding.
Gaara bowed his head again, eyes closed. "Then, in time, the answer came to me. To put it simple my reason for living is in the killing of others. For years I lived in fear of those who were sent to murder me. But now I am at peace." His eyes opened, but stayed trained on the floor. "I killed many would-be assassins. And it was why I was doing it that the truth was made clear to me." He looked the boys in the eyes. "I live solely for myself. I love only myself. As it was the death of my Mother that first gave me life, now it is the death of others that sustains me, that makes me almost happy to be alive. And there's no end to it. As long as there are still people to kill in this great, wide, crowded world, I will never disappear!"
By now, Shikamaru was completely creeped out. 'This...freak! He's out of his mind!'
Naruto didn't even look like he was listening anymore. Fear flooded his face, and he took a step back, shaking.
"Hey," Shikamaru asked, looking back at him in concern, "where're you going? What's wrong?!"
The sound of sand brought both their attention back to the murderer before them. It rose up like tentacles around its master.
'He shouldn't be able to do that!' Shikamaru thought in confusion...and panic. 'Not with my Shadow Possession Jutsu on him.'
Naruto froze in fear, panting harshly. The sand swirled towards them as Gaara's eyes flashed with malice.
"Naruto!" Shikamaru yelled out, noticing the sheer terror on his friend's face. "Hey, wake up! Oh man, what a drag! Naruto!"
Naruto didn't even act like he heard him...just stared at the monster attacking them.
"Now, let me feel alive!" Gaara growled out, eyes dancing with madness.
Sand shot towards them. "Incoming!" Shikamaru warned, knowing he couldn't leave Naruto.
Just as it made to hit them...
"Alright, that's enough!"
Three pairs of eyes, two relieved and one furious, looked towards the man as he entered the room.
"Save it 'till tomorrow." Gai said firmly. "That's when the final competition begins. You're just wasting it today, is that what you want?" He walked further into the room and stared at Gaara, whose hands flew to his head as if in pain. His eyes were unfocused. Shikamaru wasn't sure he even remembered they were there.
The sand finally retracted from Lee and hissed back into the gourd. Gaara hunched over, and removed one hand from his head before beginning to skulk out of the room. He looked back as he leant against the doorframe.
"All the same," he warned, "I will kill you. Just you wait. I'll kill you all!"
And then he was gone.
END OF FLASHBACK!!
I sat still for a while after, shuddering internally at the memory. There was stunned silence around me. I didn't think I had a knack for story-telling, but everyone had stayed riveted during my tale.
Finally Lee bowed his head. "I see now…why he is how he is…how he was..." He looked as though he was going to cry, which, given it was Lee, wasn't too farfetched. "To have endured so much pain…" He gave a little shake, and then, to everyone's shock, lifted his head and gave a grim smile. "But it just confirms my suspicions! To have gone through such torment and to have come out the other side a stronger and saner person…Truly, he is one of the strongest people I have ever met!"
Kankuro gave him a look that suggested his brain needed fixing. Temari, however, leaned over behind her brother and gave Lee a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"You're a good kid, Lee." She smiled. "But I'm afraid what he told you of his past was somewhat abridged. It's just the tip of the sand-dune."
"That's all they need, Temari." The Hokage intervened.
All four of us turned to face her.
Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes once more.
"Everything Gaara told you was true. The sand spirit Shukaku was imprisoned inside him before his birth. He was pampered until his sixth year…when something happened to change him. I'm not at a liberty to tell you what. That's Gaara's business and his alone. From then on he was targeted until he passed his Genin exam at the age of twelve. Then Orochimaru took on the persona of the Kazekage and ordered off the assassinations, so that Gaara could be their ace-in-the-hole during the attack on Konoha. You know the rest. But that demon isn't any ordinary demon…it's a Tail. The One-Tailed Tanuki, Shukaku."
'A Tail? Like the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that attacked us years ago? Oh man!'
"I knew this would be troublesome." I sighed.
"Oh, it gets better!" Tsunade smiled grimly. "Because Shukaku is not fully sealed in him, more like built into him, Gaara cannot sleep for more than about twenty minutes voluntarily without the demon taking over his body. That's what caused all the mess last year. He let Shukaku take over."
"So Naruto beat a Tail? How?!" I asked in astonishment.
"Skill, surprises, and a hell of a lot of luck!" Tsunade replied grimly.
"Gaara's body and mind are held together by Chakra he receives from the demon." Temari explained. "But it's a constant battle against the voices in his head for him."
Lee raised a hand. "Excuse me, but much as I feel honoured to learn more about Gaara's past, I fail to see what this has to do with Gemma. You instructed me never to leave her side, but, apart from this minor incident, I would say she is safer with Gaara than with anyone else in the world."
"It's 'cause Gaara's not the only one with something nasty inside them." Kankuro said tiredly.
Lee turned to Kankuro, and then to Tsunade. "Something inside…?"
"The Dragon." I guessed. "That crazy old pervert was telling the truth, wasn't he?"
Tsunade nodded and turned her attention to Lee.
"Gemma is part of a group of…creatures, called Legendaries. They are humans, as far as I can tell, but they have monsters sealed inside them…against their will. Gemma was thrown into this world because she was at risk in her own from those who fight the Legendaries. One of the few powers she's displayed so far is putting Gaara to sleep by singing him a lullaby…which I don't have to remind you is a bad thing."
"So we have to watch out for both her and Gaara?" I groaned. "What a drag!"
"Not entirely…it seems, according to said pervert, that the abilities of the Dragon far surpass those of Shukaku…or any other demon in our world. They were created to protect the dimensions. So they were made strong enough to take anyone and anything down. Even Gaara."
Lee gave a dramatic gasp and Temari raised an eyebrow. I was finding it hard to believe that a kid like Gemma could defeat anyone.
"No way!" Kankuro exclaimed. "You don't know what Gaara's capable of…even without Shukaku! Yeah, Uzumaki beat him but only because-" He was cut off as both Temari's hand fastened themselves around his mouth and Tsunade made to get out of her chair.
Lee looked confused…but I was replaying the conversation with Gaara again…listening to Naruto. "I've got the real thing inside of me!"
'So Naruto has a demon too, huh? Troublesome. I better keep it quiet.' I thought.
Kankuro was forcing Temari's hands away from his mouth with a disgruntled look, as upset with himself as anyone else.
"What Kankuro was trying to say," Temari picked up, " was that Gaara is near impossible to beat normally, let alone without the help of the demon."
"Oh, I dunno. I reckon I could take him!"
All four of us were on our feet at the first intake of breath from the intruder. Lee slipped into a fighting stance, the Crow was half off Kankuro's back and Temari's fan was unsheathed. I myself was hurtling a shadow towards the girl that had slipped in unnoticed.
"Stand down!" Tsunade growled wearily. "She's okay." She turned to the girl. "Do I even wanna know how you got in?"
"Easy!" The girl grinned. She had long brown/black hair and eyes and had so much eye make-up on she resembled Gaara himself. She was dressed in black from head to foot and I pegged her at twenty years old. Not stunning, but not so hard on the eyes. And quite obviously troublesome.
"Your barrier's all well and good when it comes to keeping out ninja, but it's designed to alert you of intruders with Chakra, and I don't have any!" She smirked.
Tsunade shook her head. "I knew I'd need that booze. Why are you here…I forget your name."
"Jenni, Jen, J, Wren, Nix, Kid, whatever you like really. Make one up! It's all fun and games!" The girl sang out, swinging her legs and knocking her heavy boots together. She was perched on top of a cabinet and seemed perfectly at ease.
"Lord Hokage…who is this?" Temari asked, eyes narrowed and fan still out.
"Chill Blondie, I'm a good guy…girl…person!" The girl smiled and gave us a thumbs-up that seemed eerily familiar…
"This is another Legendary…the Phoenix, am I right?"
"Yup! That be me!"
Kankuro blinked and replaced the Crow. "How many of you are there, and are you all hot?"
"Kankuro!" Temari yelled, hitting her brother on the head.
The girl just grinned. "Aw, it's nice to get chatted up instead of captured and bitten for once, but you're not my type kid!"
'Bitten…' I wondered, eyeing the wide choker around the Phoenix's neck.
"I can change! What's your type?" Kankuro continued, ignoring Temari's attempts to kill him.
The girl gave a feral grin, raised a finger and pointed at…
"LEE?!"
Lee's eyes popped out of their sockets at the girl's confirming nod. "Yup! I don't always go for the classic good-looking types. I prefer those who have a little individuality about them. Besides," she winked one eye shut, "he's adorable."
I suddenly realised where I'd seen the thumb's-up before…it was Lee's good-guy pose.
Lee was just mouthing wordlessly. I didn't really blame him.
He's been trying to convince Sakura to go out with him for over a year, and out of nowhere a fairly good-looking, much older and waaayyy powerful (if I understood rightly) woman was saying he was her type and calling him adorable.
Poor guy.
Troublesome women.
"I assume you're not here to discuss your taste in men." Tsunade said wearily.
"Nah." The girl smirked and jumped off the cabinet, landing gracefully.
'Oh, and she's a martial artist too…good luck Lee, you're gonna need it…'
"A little bird told me you wanted to know more about the Dragon and the Legendaries. So ask away!"
"Well," Tsunade began, "we now have a vague idea of what she's capable of-"
"Oh, you've got no clue!" The girl laughed. "You think the little tricks she's done so far are the best she can do? No way. When I started I could set myself and shit around me on fire…now I can start a small fire in your lower intestine and fry you from the inside out!"
We all stared at her.
"What? I can! Get me someone you need dead and I'll demonstrate!"
"No! That's…that's fine, we believe you." Tsunade said quickly. "Just…so far she's deafened half my hospital staff, put Gaara to sleep and blown a rogue ninja out of a fourth story window…what else is she gonna be capable of?"
"Well, I'm guessing here, but I'd say eventually she'll be able to focus her abilities on a singular person, so instead of deafening the room, she hits one person. The wind is a…natural defence. It'll respond when she's in danger. My fire does it too. Same with Susie's psychic blasts. Her powers are offensive though, I can tell you that much. Don't mess with her."
Tsunade laid her head on her desk. "Is she going to destroy my village?"
"Not unless you really piss her off."
"Fine…we'll just have to do as we planned and keep her under twenty-four hour guard. I'm not having her put that brat to sleep again."
"Yeah, wasn't that weird? Have you worked it out yet, by the way?"
"What?"
"Why Shukaku didn't attack."
Tsunade's head flew up. "You know?"
"Fairly obvious once you think about it." The Phoenix replied cheekily.
I ground my brain…there was only one explanation I could think of if Gemma really did somehow put Gaara to sleep…
"She put his demon to sleep too."
Four pairs of eyes stared at me in astonishment.
"She…she can do that?" Kankuro asked, turning to the girl.
"That and more, kitty boy, that and more. She only has to stay here for a bit, then we can take her away and train her."
"No!"
The yell came from Temari. "No. You can't do that to Gaara! You can't give him a possible friend, the only person who isn't afraid of him, and then yank her away back to wherever! It's not fair."
"I know."
The reply was stunningly soft compared to the girl's usual volume. "Believe me I know." She brightened. "But there's the beauty! It's up to Gemma, but because she's in danger in our realm from her own family Those Who Watch are considering letting her stay here permanently! But it is up to her. She'll still need a few years of training though."
Tsunade banged on her desk. "Enough! We'll cross that bridge when we come to it! Right now she's here, she's not in control of her abilities and she has a crush on a demon-ridden brat who puts her in sand coffins…I'd say she has enough to think about. Now!" She turned to Lee and I. "Lee, you'll stay by Gemma's side during the day. Obviously let her go to the toilet and stuff alone, but other than that, stick to her like an explosive tag. Do NOT let her and Gaara be alone! Even if she put Shukaku to sleep this time there's no guarantee she'll do it again." She turned to the girl. "Right?"
"Yeah…first time my power emerged I burnt the flesh of a couple of hundred goblins. The next time I set fire to a church and almost got burnt at the stake!" She shook her head in exasperation. "Burning at the stake…I ask you. I even offered to light it for them. Stupid peasants."
"Anyway!" Tsunade continued. "Shikamaru, you'll be on night duty since you sleep most of the day away anyway. Same rules. Clear?"
"Clear!" Lee and I answered in unison, though Lee also saluted.
The girl chuckled. "See? Adorable!"
Lee froze and flushed red. "Th-thank you…um…what do I call you?"
"Anything you like." The girl winked, then laughed at Lee's look of shock. "Why don't we stick with my name for now. It's Jenni. And I'd better be going. There's a battle in another dimension with my name on it! Gods, I love scrapping!" She waved. "You'll see me again soon, don't worry. Ja!" And with that there was a ripple in the air…and she was gone.
--
A.N – Yep! Me again! And I'd choose Gaara over Lee in real life, but Gaara's Gemma's, so my next fav is Lee. So Kawaii! Please, please, please R&R!