Mishaps

When Lee and Gaara had thoroughly exhausted themselves they collapsed on the soft, green, trampled grass and panted heavily. They were covered with sweat and unwilling to move. Once Lee had caught a sufficient breath, he began to laugh heartily.

Gaara looked up and smiled uncertainly at the laughing nin.

"Well Gaara-kun? How was your first time?" asked Lee expectantly, pulling a few leaves out of his mussed up black hair.

They had played William Tell happily until Lee had become distracted by a squirrel and threw the kunai without looking.

Gaara had never jumped so fast.

They had then played hide and seek, 'ninja style' Lee had called it. Gaara had been delighted when he snuck up on Lee and the green-clad ninja had screamed like a little kunoichi. (Me: sorry Lee, Lee: you should be)

Caught up in the moment, Lee began chasing Gaara, both laughing heartily.

"That was the most… fun… I've ever had," proclaimed Gaara amazedly. He looked at Lee, his ocean-y eyes no longer held the icy, evil look so many had come to expect, but now they resembled those of a young child and wise sage combined. It was the look of one who had seen so much, but was discovering something joyous that they'd missed for so long.

"Ha!" Lee laughed again, immensely pleased with himself, "You have not seen anything yet, my friend," Lee struck another one of his innumerable 'nice-guy poses.' Which was followed by him dragging Gaara to his, surprisingly tired, feet.

"Follow me!" Lee cried and jumped straight up into the lofty branches above him.

"How does Lee-kun have so much energy?" wondered Gaara before he too disappeared into the feathery green branches. Silently, a shadow detached itself from the nearby foliage and followed the pair.

"Lee-kun, where are we going?" Gaara called to the speeding green blur ahead of him.

"You will see!" Lee shot back over his shoulder as he sped up even more. Then a senbon issued from their shadowy stalker and it shot clean through the branches and into Gaara's still injured side.

'Damn!' Gaara's side spasmed as he clutched his healing ribs.

"Uhn!" Gaara grunted in pain and collapsed, falling 20 feet before he regained the strength to halt his plummet.

"GAARA-KUN!" Lee flipped in mid-air and ricocheted off a branch to Gaara's side. Swiftly delivering his crippled body to a branch large enough to support their weight.

"Gaara-kun!" Lee yelled, "Gaara-kun! Hold on, just relax. You will be okay!"

"AARGG!" Gaara screamed and clutched at his side, writhing in pain.

"Gaara-kun! Why are you in such pain!" Lee felt helpless, nothing he attempted was helping his friend.

"AHHH!" another wave of unimaginable pain swept over Gaara's prone body. Then the young sand nin began to convulse, his body shaking uncontrollably.

"A seizure! J-just got to w-wait it out!" Lee was scared; he didn't know what was wrong. He didn't know how to help his friend. And that's what scared him the most, the fact that he was helpless.

Soon, Gaara lay still, but he was still breathing very shallowly.

"N-no…" tears welled in Lee's black eyes when Gaara stopped breathing completely.