Pickles
kawaiichiisaikitsune(blackharu2)

Disclaimer:
Me: Can you hear me now?
Person on the line: Yes.
Me: Good.
Person on the line: Okay?
Me: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!
Person on the line: AAAHHHHHH MY EARS!
Me: Ha ha ha ha ha, now you know! -hangs up-
Person on line: Freak.
Me: I HEARD THAT!
Person on the line: AAHHHHH -hangs up-
Me: Ha ha ha! I am soooo good -continues bragging- Oh yeah! -hangs up again-

A/N: Hoped you liked my wonderful little skit. I thought it was hilarious! I'm trying to get at least 2 reviews per chapter now, so please help me out and review! It would mean a lot to me! I might take a while to update later chapters, because of school, but I'll try my best, if you review! MWA HA HA HA! What was that? How odd. Anywayz, knock yourself out with this new chappie!

:-:-:-:Review Replies:-:-:-:

blue leafy-- Thank you so much! Sorry about the bad English stuff. English is worst subject, but I love to write. Thanks again for your review and I hope you like this chapter.
DarkvsLight-- Gaara is so hott, ne! I went crazy making that shower scene. I hope this is enough fluff for you. I thought it was kawaii! Thanks for reviewing and reading.
Harbringe-- Uh, thank you?
Flame-Kunoichi-- OMG! Thank you so much! If Gaara made dopplegangers I'll let you have half and the rest are mine! MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Gomen nasai, my bad. Thanks for the cookie. Here's a brownie. -hands Flame-Kunoichi a brownie- I made it from Devil's Food cake mix. Heeheehee! Well I hope you like this chapter and hope you review again.

Chapter 3: The Date

"Good to see you, Lee-kun," a very bubbly girl greeted him.

"Oi, good to see you too, Sakura-san," Lee replied, opening the door wider for her to step in. The pink headed kunoichi cautiously walked in. She cowered slightly when she noticed Gaara in the room. After she was fully inside the house, the taijutsu master closed the door.

He walked over to her side and put a welcoming hand on her shoulder. "What brings you here?" he asked politely. She turned her head to face his gaze. Sakura remembered what she had come here for. She bowed her head in embarrassment and played with her fingers, somewhat like Hinata did. She drew imaginary circles on the ground with her toes.

"Um..." She started, blushing deeply, "I wanted to know-" a pause as she took a long breath "-if you'd like to go out..."

Before she could finish, Lee screamed in joy. "YAY! OF COURSE I WILL, SAKURA-SAN!"

Sakura smiled at the restless boy who was jumping up and down in happiness. She bowed her head again, this time in thanks. "Thank you Lee-kun." Suddenly, something pulled her attention over to the sand shinobi siblings. Temari and Kankurou were just staring, slightly uninterested, but Gaara, Gaara was glaring at her. And with such strong intensity that she began fidgeting. "Lee-kun," she turned to him, "Would you.. would you like to go for a walk?"

"Do you want to stay here and finish the movie with us?" Lee suggested, settling down slightly. She rotated her head in the direction of his guests, her pink locks whipping around from her movements. Temari and Kankurou weren't looking at Lee or her anymore, they were looking at their brother who appeared to be growling. The Shukaku vessel's turquoise eyes were glaring at her own emerald orbs, the harshness of his glare made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Actually, Lee-kun, I'd rather go for a walk," she concluded slowly, looking away from Gaara.

Lee stuck his hand out, his index and middle finger making a 'V' for Victory. Putting his arm down he walked over to the sand siblings. Gaara looked at him and the sand shinobi's gaze softened. The other two siblings were staring in disbelief at their brother's actions. "You guys okay with this?" the host questioned rather quietly. The puppet master shrugged, as did the fan weilder. The insomniac answered with a grunt that caught Lee's attention. That grunt wasn't a "whatever" grunt or a "just leave me alone" grunt; it was a very mad grunt. The young genin, however, couldn't decipher what the other boy meant.

"Gaara-san, are you okay?" Rock Lee asked timidly. He didn't want to upset his friend. Gaara, noticing what he was doing, quickly replaced his scowl with a stoic look and 'Hn'ed at the naive boy's question. Seeing the change in emotion, Gai's replica sighed in defeat. He never knew how to read Gaara.

Sakura was becoming more scared She knew all those glares and growls were directed at her and only her. "I can come back later," she offered. Lee shook his head rather hard and walked to her.

"No, no, it's fine," he assured, grabbing her hand and walking out the door saying a simple "See you later!" to the guests.

Once he was completely gone, Kankurou and Temari looked at their younger sibling. "What is up with you?" Kankurou questioned carefully, not trying to start a fight. Gaara said nothing. The only thing leaving his mouth was a small grunt. "Why were you growling and glaring?" Kankurou tried again, only to fail once more. He needed a line to make Gaara reply, but not get Gaara angry. "Are you jealous or something?" He honestly didn't think Gaara was homosexual, but he knew Gaara would respond to that.

'Am I jealous?' Gaara's mind asked, 'Why was I so mad at her? Why did I feel like Lee betrayed me? Why do I care?' He questioned himself over and over again. No answers were found and only new questions were arriving. He couldn't understand any of this. Curiousity struck. "What is jealousy?"

Temari and Kankurou just stared at him, wide-eyed. He didn't just ask that. "Well... It's when..." Temaru started explaining, but paused and took some time thinking of the correct definition. None came to mind and she never really experienced it. "Umm.. It's when.. you get mad at someone for having something you don't." Seeing his confused face she tried to describe it better, "Normally jealousy is toward people, but envy means basically the same thing," she concluded thoughtfully.

Gaara was still very confused. "Jealousy is the painful suspicion of the faithfulness of husband, wife, or lover, " Kankurou said with much intelligence. He saw both of their eyes widen and their eyebrows rise. "What?" he asked defensively.

Temari just shook her head. Gaara thought over the whole conversation and suddenly bubbled with rage. "You think I'm... Gay?" he questioned, shocked at his brother's defnitions. 'I'm not gay, I don't like Lee that way! Do I? NO, I DON'T! But, seriously, do I?'

'I don't care, now shut the hell up! I'm trying to take a nap!' Shukaku yelled mentally to him.

'You shut up you damn racoon! Let me think in peace!'

'Stop shouting then! I don't give a damn if you like that guy or not. Just leave me alone!'

'But I don't like that guy! Or do I? No, I don't, do I?'

'ARRRGGGHHH, YOU ASSHOLE! YOU LIKE THIS GUY, OKAY? NOW LET. ME. SLEEP!'

'Fine you selfish racoon!' Gaara fought with the demon inside him for quite a while.

"Gaara?" a voice asked, scared. It was Kankurou. The question brought him out of his thoughts and his face became emotionless. "Temari and I are gonna go to sleep now. You should rest too." Gaara nodded without thinking. The two left to their room and were gone from Gaara's sight. A few minutes later he heard the water running, a sign that showed they were brushing their teeth.

The sand shinobi sat on the couch and placed his legs in front of him, hugging them close. Grabbing the remote, he pressed play and watched the rest of the movie, bored.

:-:-:-:Lee and Sakura's Walk:-:-:-:

Lee bounced along happily with Sakura at his side. He was completely excited about this walk. It was practically a date! He glanced over to her every now and again, just to make sure she was still by his side. There were times when people ran from him. He wasn't sure why people would do that. Gai-sensei told him that it was just the spirit of youth that Lee regenerated into people and they'd run off with youthfullness. Lee, of course, believed him.

Sakura grinned at the boy when she caught him glancing at her. Hesitantly, the pink headed kunoichi grabbed Lee's bandaged hand. She smiled widely when he looked over at her, a surprised, but happy, look on his face. After a second, the pajama clad shinobi grinned madly and gripped her hand in return.

The two Konoha ninjas continued their moon-light walk, idly going towards the park. Silence was all that was heard, but it was a very comfortable silence. They both knew the other well. They loved each other. At least, so they both thought.

Suddenly Sakura tugged at her companion's hand, stopping him from continuing the walk. "Could we sit down, perhaps?" she questioned quietly, motioning to the wooden bench situated nearby the sandy park. Upon seeing him nod acceptingly, she gently pulled him over to the bench where they both sat down. Their hands became unclasped from each other's. Both were quiet, idly wondering what they were suppose to say.

"Lee-kun?" The pink headed girl spoke up, looking at him from the corners of her emerald eyes.

"Yes?" Lee answered, giving her his full attention.

"I was thinking. Since.. since there is no more Sasuke-kun.." She paused, embarrassed and angry at once, "And you've always.. Well.. Um.. Would you like to be my boyf-friend?"

The pajama clad boy sat dumbfounded for a couple of seconds before shooting up from his seat, cheering for himself. After another second or so, he settled himself back down on the bench and grinned madly at the girl. "Of course, Sakura-san!"

She smiled back. Then she started leaning towards him, eyes closed and lips slightly puckered. Lee, seeing this wonderful opportunity for him, began leaning in as well. Slowly he closed his eyes as the two of them inched closer together.

Suddenly, behind his closed lids, he saw something he never expected. Something that shocked him, yet intrigued him. There was Gaara. His arms crossed arrogantly against his chest, aqua green eyes staring emotionlessly, yet filled with emotion. He had his normal garments on, though no gourd strapped to his back and on his lips sat a depressed smirk. Yet, as Lee watched the image carefully, the smirk slowly turned into a genuine smile and his eyes twinkled with unnatural emotion.

Lee grinned at the picture in his head, not realizing where he was at the moment. It didn't matter though, did it? Gaara was on his mind and nothing could make him happier. Then, the taijutsu master suddenly realized where he was and snapped open his dark eyes. He quickly stopped himself from reaching the kunoichi who was still nearing him. He picked up his hands and placed them upon her shoulders, stopping her movement and making her open her eyes.

"Lee-kun?" She began, confused, "What's wrong?"

He just shook his head furiously. "I can't," he said, standing up from the bench, "I must go Sakura-san. Forgive me!" And then he ran off, leaving Sakura sitting alone at the park, completely confused.

She contemplated on what just happened and quickly realized what was going on. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she stood up and ran after Lee, who was already out of sight.

:-:-:-:Lee's House:-:-:-:

Gaara stared blankly at the screen before him. The movie was interesting, yet he was bored. His mind wandered to different things, mainly Lee and... Sakura. He vaguely pictured them walking, but wouldn't read into his own thoughts too far. Shaking his head in hopes to forget about them, he glued his turquoise eyes back to the colorful screen.

BAM! He watched as the young woman was hit against the bedroom furniture, the man walking towards her, inspecting his surroundings carefully. His mind drifted off again, however, not to Lee or Sakura, but rather to his childhood.. The Shukaku vessel finally glanced back at the movie where the man was sitting in a chair, in front of a closet. The man's arms were tied securely to the chair and the wooden seat was nailed to the ground. Closing his eyes the man began to count, slowly and hesitantly, "1... 2... 3... 4... 5..." Music was heard in the background throughout the scene. The main character's eyes suddenly opened as he said the final number, "6." Gaara saw him tightening the grip on the arm rests. The door came flying open as a monster came out...

Knock Knock Knock

The red head paused the movie, somewhat relieved, and lifted himself off the sofa. He walked stiffly to the door and opened the thin door without a second thought.

"Oh, Gaara, do you know where Lee-kun is?" the man on the welcoming mat asked joyfully.

"Not exactly," the sand user replied dully.

"How do you mean?" the man questioned curiously.

"He's with... Sakura, and they are... taking a walk," he answered monotone, with the exceptions of angier tones here and there. He growled deep in his throat and crossed his arms arrogantly over his chest.

"Oh, well, thank you anyway! MAY THE POWER OF YOUTH BE WITH YOU!" no other than Gai said enthusiastically. Gaara proceeded to close the door when they both heard a shout in the distance. Gai visibly shivered, thinking immediately it was a ghost, his other eternal rival. The jounin spun around so fast he almost tripped over his own feet and looked out into the distance. The other boy rolled his eyes and stepped outside. He was greeted by the cold wind hitting against his sand-armored body.

Gai went about his shivering and rambling as the unknown figure approached them. Gaara looked boringly out in the distance, upon seeing nothing unusual he walked back inside. "Can I come in too?" He heard a voice from behind him. No doubt it was Gai and no matter how much that guy got on his nerves he couldn't leave him out there. Wait... Yes he could.

"No," He replied sternly, slamming the door behind him. The Shukaku vessel made his way to the kitchen where he went to the refridgerator and opened it. He looked through all the items and decided something labeled "Dill Pickles" sounded most interesting. He grabbed it, placed it on the marble counter behind him, and closed the refridgerator door. He put a smooth hand on the jar and the other on the lid and twisted and pulled and did all sorts of things. However, the jar wouldn't budge. He glared at the glass jar and the long green things inside it. He wondered what they tasted like, but he couldn't grasp any significant flavor.

Clawing was heard on the door and loud, demanding pleads followed, "Let me in! It's coming closer! AAHHH! LET ME IN!" Gaara chose to keep him outside and proceeded to open that devil of a jar. After trying over and over again, without success, he finally rested upon the idea of having that baffoon do it. He neared the front door and when he reached it, he opened it with as much ease as the first time. He wasn't at all effected by the movie he was watching merely minutes ago.

He saw Lee's sensei crying tears of relief and Lee sitting cross-legged, catching his breath. He looked past them to the background of wildlife and houses and long dirt paths, not to mention a girl running in their direction. She was yelling and waving her arms frantically and she had... pink hair.

"Lee-kun, you went on a date with Sakura? How did it go? I'm so proud of you!" Gai commented.

"Yes, I did," A pause from Lee and a grunt from Gaara, "She asked me to be her boyfriend." he admitted this easily. "I agreed," A light growl was heard from Gaara and both Gai and his younger version glanced over at him with confused looks. He continued nonetheless, "We were about to kiss-" Silent cheering came from Gai and even more growling from Gaara. "-but.. I saw something in my head and didn't want to go through with it. So I told Sakura-san I couldn't and apologized," he finished half-heartedly. He always liked Sakura and he always dreamed to be her boyfriend and to kiss her. But, when he got the chance, he let it go--and what for? No matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find something he gained. Nothing at all.

Gai persisted further though. "What did you see? Was it important? What was it?.. Or who was it?" were his main questions.

The taijutsu master thought thoroughly, each question making its appearance one after another. He replied to his sensei, though vaguely, "It was a person; very important, and hopefully very close.." Nothing was really told in that statement, not even the gender was revealed. Gai let out a long, exasperated sigh and shook his head disapprovingly.

"I should go," the jumpsuit clad man began. "Bye!" he added, walking away. He held up a hand and waved a whole-hearted goodbye. "May the power of youth be with you!" was the last phrase out of his mouth. He didn't even notice the familiar person jolting pass him.

The kunoichi ran a little farther before screaming at the top of her lungs, "LEE-KUN!" and speeding up into her fastest sprint. A fast thirty seconds passed as she started to feel light-headed, however, she was standing right in front of Lee now. "Thank goodness. I thought maybe something bad happened," she replied, putting a hand to her racing heart. She thought back on the previous events. "Why did you leave?" she asked sadly.

"I.. don't know, sorry," Lee replied, ashamed of his earlier actions.

She took a small step forward and clasped her hands in front of her chest. "What are you saying? You don't want to be my boyfriend anymore?" She put on her "cutest" face and stared straight into his eyes. When Gaara took a small glance at her his insides felt as though they were being crumpled like a thin piece of paper.

Lee gazed back into her emerald eyes and shook his head slowly, softly repeating his previous statement, "I'm sorry, Sakura-san." He was depressed deeply when he noticed what exactly he was doing. He was just about to protest when that same picture of Gaara swarmed his head. He couldn't help but grin widely at the sight. He closed his eyes and took a simple step forward, that same grin covering his face. Sakura had no clue what he was doing and Gaara watched mildly interested. The kunoichi stared at him confused, then lightly pecked him on the lips, smiling broadly. His charcoal eyes shot open, surprised and scared when he realized what just happened.

The sand shinobi watched the whole thing and pure anger boiled in the pit of his stomach. Reacting on his emotions, his sand burst out from his gourd and wrapped itself around the girl's neck. Easily, the sand picked her up and her only reaction was to throw her hands to her neck and furiously pull away at the sand. She continued ripping bits of sand away, however, there was too much. A faint mumble left her lips, "Need... air... please... I don't... want to... die... air!" She battled against herself for consciousness.

The taijutsu master ran over to his guest and frantically pleaded him to stop. Eventually, the sand disappeared back into his gourd, and the pink headed girl fell to the ground. She stood up and showed her face. She held nothing but hatred and resentment towards the insomniac. Pointing an accusing finger at him she yelled the first words that formed in her mouth, "Stupid monster! I hope you die!" She spun around and fled. She left so fast no other sentences could be exclaimed. No words would reach her ears.

Lee looked to his side where his guest stood. The young genin watched the Shukaku vessel shiver repeatedly. The host walked over to him and gazed down at his face and saw his eyes close tighter and tighter, beads of sweat rolling down his face.

"Let's go inside," Lee offered, backing away slightly. The red head's eyes shot open as he looked towards the other boy. He hesitantly nodded and followed the homeowner into the house. Upon entering, they closed the door behind them and walked through rooms. When they passed by the kitchen Gaara glanced in and remembered the jar. He stopped and walked into the clean and organized room and picked up the all too familiar container.

The replica of Gai realized there was nobody following him anymore and turned around, peering into every room he passed in search of his friend. He noticed Gaara in the kitchen, hovering over a pickle jar and glaring at it harshly. Lee walked up to him and looked at him curiously. He lifted up the jar with one hand and watched as Gaara's eyes stayed in contact with the glass. The sand user finally discovered that someone was holding the jar and his light turquoise eyes met dark black orbs. Lee settled the glass back upon the counter and kept eye contact with Gaara.

"Can you.. Open it?" The Shukaku vessel mumbled quite embarrassed. He watched as the other boy looked at him in disbelief. Then the taijutsu master let a small chuckle leave his mouth.