Thanks sooo much for the reviews you guys! Just reading your reviews makes me squirm with delight! I appreciate you taking the time to critique. As you can tell, I'm not exactly the best fan-fic writer, but I'll try!!

I forgot to mention to you guys that this is during the Shippuden, after Sasuke leaves and all that good stuff. Sorry.

L0stL0ve: 1) Hm. That' a bit to think about. And yeah, Gaara is turning a bit OOC, I'll have to admit. Well, quite a bit, actually. XD But you know. I kinda like it. =D 2) More detail on that will come in one or two more chapters, don't worry. 3) And same with that... XD It's all set up in the next chapters. Sorry if the chapters are a tad short. Maybe eventually I'll be able to make them longer! But thanks so much for the critique!

inoblueyes2: Haha, I know. I absolutely love this couple. (Even though it's crack.) I have no place to put this in the story right now, so I'll tell you here: Her dream was pretty much just replaying her comrades deaths. She feels like she could have done more. Sorry if I spoiled it!! Thanks so much for the review!

Hanari-chan: ^___^ I don't know what else to say. XD Thank you!

Aaand I think that's everyone?

Once again, I don't own Naruto!

Thanks sooooo much to all who read and review!!!

And if you guys notice any spelling errors... Let me know. XD

Chapter 6: Thoughts

An hour had passed as Ino lay, pretending to sleep as her mind whirled around, jumping from one thought to the other. Gaara, Gaara, Gaara. Of all the things on her mind, each and every thought was somehow tied to Gaara, Gaara of the Desert.

She had heard so many terrifying stories about him, yet they all seemed to lack confirming proof and detail, like they had been told so many times the story had changed. Of course, she had seen him do some horrible things years ago, but nothing since. But yesterday and today had shown her a completely different picture; a whole other side of Gaara. A side no one seemed to know existed.

He had been the one to find her in a broken, bloody heap on the ground; bandage her up, changing them each day; even checking her pulse more than necessary; giving her food and shelter when she had been unable… and… comfort. He had comforted her so willingly once she had woken up from her nightmare. He had embraced her so… caring, and gentle… yet his grip was secure and protective… like he was almost… almost unwilling to let go. She sighed softly, her fingers curling into her blanket. It was so new to her… the feeling of someone other than family caring for her. Of course, Shikamaru and Chouji had comforted her and cared for her, but never quite like this. It was… nice.

She had only shown people that she cared, but never had they been returned. After she helped Sakura out during her delicate years, she had only shoved it back in her face when she betrayed her, putting her feelings for a boy over their friendship. She pretended to fight her for Sasuke's attention only to make her annoyed, fueled by the betrayal when she declared them rivals. Ino sighed, allowing her thoughts to wander more.

After that day, Ino refused to give her the satisfaction of winning, and swore that she would never lose to her. Once Sakura had begun training with Tsunade, Ino had started training on her own, creating a new competition for power herself. Before and after the training sessions with Shikamaru and Chouji, she would always go to the empty training grounds by herself. Though exhausted and growing stronger each day, she wasn't satisfied.

She then had asked Lee to borrow some of his leg and arm weights. He seemed more than willing to lend her them, even training with her sometimes.

"Lee! Come at me more seriously this time!" Ino yelled across the empty grounds to her partner, who was standing uncertain at the other side. "Are you sure, Ino-San?" He called back. "You have a lot of the weights on you right now. And… I don't want to hurt you." Ino shook her head, glancing at the 50 pound weights on each leg and arm. "Nonsense, Lee. It's okay. This is to make me stronger. Just start with some simple attacks if you want. I know you won't kill me!" She called; a grin on her face. He sighed, nodding. "Okay! Here goes!" He darted towards a still grinning Ino, throwing light hits and kicks at her. Ino dodged some, catching others, her grin turning to a smirk.

"Faster Lee! More power!" She demanded, feeling the thrill of adrenaline pulse through her. "Think of Gai-Sensei!" She encouraged when he hesitated, watching his eyes widen, then narrow, nodding as he obeyed, adding some combos in. Ino felt her muscles begin to protest as she dodged, but she gritted her teeth as she continued on. "Okay, great job Lee!" She panted. "Now I want you to land as many hits as you can." The fire in his eyes faltered. "B-But Ino!" Ino caught both of his fists, holding them in hers.

"Lee." She said, breathing hard. "Do this as a favor for me. I don't want you to hold back at all! I need to get stronger! I… I kind of admire you, Lee. You've always been so persistent and dedicated in your training. You've become so incredibly strong. I want that too." She said softly, a small smile on her lips. "Will you teach me?" She asked, tilting her head. His eyes were wide, almost shining as he stared at her, his cheeks turning red. "O-of course I'll teach you, Ino-san!" He stuttered, giving her a grin. She grinned back, releasing his fists.

Then he came at her much faster and harder than before, and she smirked at his compliance. She had managed to dodge the first 10 or so, and then she began blocking with her arms, knowing she would have bruises once they were done.

Suddenly, there was an explosion to her head, making her stumble back. Then another, striking the other side of her head, making her vision blur in and out. She caught a few more punches, dodging a few more before a hit to below her jaw, snapping her head upwards as she fell back, struggling to stay balanced.

Then Lee took another hit to her chest, sending her flying back into a tree, falling into a crumpled heap. She couldn't breathe for a moment, not moving as Lee ran towards her again, but his gait was different.

"I-Ino!" He was immediately at her side as she slowly sat up, his hand on her shoulder. His eyes went wide as blood trickled from her lips, dripping slowly onto the ground.

"I-Ino! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?! Please forgive me!" He cried, panicking as she sat there blinking slowly as she turned towards him, a lopsided grin on her face. "Lee… don't be sorry! You're helping me out so much! By this, I'm going to get stronger, maybe be able to match your strength!" She said, patting him on the shoulder, laughing as she wiped the blood away.

"Lee! Wipe that weird look off your face. I'm fine!" She laughed, grabbing his hand and pressing it against her chest. "Feel that? That's my heart, Lee. It's still beating."

Lee's face had gone red, his arm limp as Ino held it against her chest, afraid that if he moved, he would get a punch similar to the one Sakura always gave Naruto. He shook his head after a minute, her rapid heart beat bringing him out of his daze. "So… you're okay, Ino?" Ino laughed again. "I'm fine! I just proved it to you. But I may need help up."

Lee broke out into a smile finally upon seeing how cheerful she was. "Right away!" He stood up, pulling gently on the hand that Ino held and steadied her as she stood.

"I'd say that was a pretty good first session, Lee." Ino declared as he helped her home, her arm over his shoulder, his around her waist. "But you can barely walk!" Lee cried; a small smirk on his face. She stuck her tongue out at him. "That's what I have you for, silly!"

They arrived at her house, and Ino was able to hold herself up for a moment. "So, think you can make it same time next week?" She asked. Lee nodded. "Certainly!" He affirmed, giving her the thumbs up. "Thanks again, Lee!" Ino gave him a quick hug, making him blush. He rubbed the back of his head. "It is no problem, Ino-San!"

Ino smiled fondly at the memory, glad that Lee had been such a great help to her, so willing to do that for her. And… now that she thought about it more, she was really grateful to him for that. Because of their intense sessions, along with her own and the one with her team, she had been able to survive the battle. She sighed slowly. She was also glad that she had survived because… because otherwise, she never would have seen the other side of Gaara. The side that made her heart pound.

She jumped as thunder boomed ominously in the sky, the rain pouring now. She turned over slowly, facing Gaara. He looked like he was asleep, his breathing slow, deep, and even. She frowned as his expression tightened. Was he having a bad dream? She stared intently at him for a moment, his expression unchanging. She jumped again as the thunder rolled again, then took a few deep breaths. She had always loved storms, but this one was scaring her. It was incredibly loud, the rain pouring down.

She looked over to Gaara, her eyebrows forming a flat line. "Well he's a deep sleeper. I wish I could sleep through this." She muttered under her breath, stretching for a moment. She looked back to Gaara, trembling slightly as the sky growled again, her heart racing. She contemplated for a minute before beginning to close the space between them, moving slow as her muscles began protesting the strange way she was moving.

Finally she was only inches away; reaching her trembling hand out, hooking it slowly into his collar. She froze when she felt him tense, her hand trembling more fiercely now. 'Did I wake him? Is he angry..?' She wondered, slowly pulling away, releasing her grip on his shirt.

Before she could push herself back, she felt something soft and warm on her lower back, stopping her from moving more. A hand? She looked up to see him looking back, a strange look in his eyes. Almost like he was… sorry? But there was something else too, that she couldn't quite place.

His eyes closed and she felt herself being pulled towards him, his grip becoming more solid when she was against his chest. Ino blinked a few times, unsure of what just happened. A minute passed before Ino relaxed, her fingers returning to his collar, but very lightly, gently, carefully. Gaara's other hand found hers, curing around her fingers, and she closed hers around his collar, her other hand flat against his chest. 'He's… He's… This is not… This is not the Gaara everyone tells me about…' She thought, her heart returning to normal as she slowly drifted to sleep.