One of the little known powers of Shukaku - and the one that Gaara would most sorely miss after the tussle with Akatsuki that forcefully separated the demon from him forever - was the ability to alert Gaara the moment someone stepped a foot into the desert. That was how Gaara came to know, at noon, that the Konoha retinue had arrived in Sunagakure.

The Hokage and five escorts - one of whom was, of course, the bowl-haired boy Gaara knew would come and hence did not need to invite. Naruto was not with them.

Gaara sat down at the edge of his futon and brought a cup of warm liquid to his lips, thinking. Naruto must have left for training; he was sure the gregarious boy would never have rejected an invitation from him. In another lifetime, they might have been brothers.The last time they fought, the boy had attempted to help him conquer himself.

Very bold, Gaara thought, in his quiet, clinical way. Worthy of respect.

His thoughts drifted and he took another sip. The bowl-haired, bushy-browed boy was utterly different, though. With Lee, he had felt no trace of kinship - this boy had no skeletons, no burning desire for recognition; he had fought simply for a love of fighting, out of respect for both himself and his opponent.

The first time they met, they had been opponents. The boy had been the first person to fight him with the intention of defeating but not killing him. Gaara had responded to the boy's grace and courage with rage and bloodlust.

Humiliating, Gaara thought, in retrospect. Fighting without honour and pride - it will not happen again.

And, against all odds, Lee had lived. He was the first shinobi Gaara had failed to kill. He had recovered from the life-threatening injuries Gaara himself had inflicted and, as soon as he could, rushed to the aid a boy he neither liked nor respected, who had betrayed the village he loved.

And why? Gaara had thought, as he raced, unthinking, to the scene of a battle he knew Lee was sure to lose without his help, Why did he do it?

The answer only came to him after the fight was over and they were resting beneath a tree, talking about life. It was the reason he left the talisman where he had, for Lee and only Lee to find.

Lee loved himself and, because of it, had limitless love to give to everything else - his teammates and opponents, his senseis and juniors, his village and, the rest of the world.

Including me, Gaara thought, somewhat amused. Though I only showed him death and despair. Lee defeated me without even fighting. The smile he had begun to form faded at the thought.

You can only give what you yourself have. Gaara lifted a hand slowly to the tattoo on his forehead. It was a light bruise with a heavy meaning he had only just begun to understand.

Gaara walked to the window and was just able to make out the Konoha shinobi approaching on the horizon. It was a clear day of merciless sunlight. A beautiful day.

I don't love myself, Gaara mouthed to the wind. I don't know how. And, for the first time in his life, Gaara felt inexplicably sad.

---

Within twenty paces out of his home, Kankuro realised the situation was dire. Word had got out that the Union Medallion had disappeared and - to his complete disbelief - the news had galvanised the majority of the village girls into some kind of nationwide Treasure Hunt; groups of girls were perched on stone benches, pouring over newspapers and some had started to put up "advertisements".

Kankuro tore one from a nearby lampost. "Union Medallion, please pick me (!!!!11): Yuki Sansuno, Chunin, 16, 4 Tembaku Lane!" He crushed it up in disgust.

The Elders were enraged, less because of the fact that the Medallion had disappeared than the fact that people seemed to be treating it as some kind of frivolous love charm.

Kankuro shook his head and muttered darkly. Either these girls were power hungry and willing to do anything - suffer anything - to be a Kazekage's wife or...because they actually found his brother-

Kankuro swore audibly and refused to complete his train or thought and, as was usually the case at times like this, Gaara materialized right before him.

"You look troubled, aniki," He remarked, tonelessly.

Kankuro's eyes snapped up and they narrowed. For a moment, he forgot to be fearful - or even amazed that Gaara had actually referred to him as "aniki" - and simply growled, "I suppose you're happy about all this then."

"No," Gaara frowned, "I find the entire Union Medallion issue irrelevant to the Induction."

Just like Gaara to completely disregard the enviable position of being No. 1 Bishounen in all of Suna, Kankuro thought testily, Which should be me, anyway. The older boy could no longer hold it in and, in fact, didn't care if he was blasted to smithereens, "Be honest, Gaara, did you take the Medallion?"

Gaara's frown deepened and Kankuro immediately regretted his brief moment of hurt ego, "Are you accusing me of theft?"

"No! I mean -" But Gaara raised a hand and let his lids fall. When he r-eopened them, his eyes looked kinder, "Yes, I did."

There was a awkward moment of silence between the two boys and, since there had been no bloodshed - yet, Kankuro figured he could venture just a little bit deeper.

"Gaara... otouto..." No frown, good. "Why...did you do it?"

"Steal the Medallion?"

"Yes." A knot welled in Kankuro's throat and he pushed it down. Maybe Temari was right; it was embarassing to be frightened of a younger brother. He conveniently forgot 'creepy psychopath'. "Why... don't you want to get married?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Was this a trick question? "Yes."

"I don't know how to love."

What the hell is he talking about? Kankuro squirmed a little, "But...the Kazekage marriage isn't about love, is it? I mean, from what the Elders said..."

"Alliance between us and the desert, desert and us. I've heard it and I don't believe it." Gaara blinked, "Do you?"

Kankuro couldn't believe he was having this conversation. There he was, Karasu strapped to his back and ready for action, a fanatic yellow page in his hands and there was his brother, sand gourd visible from behind his right shoulder, dark circles around a pair of unfathomable eyes, legs apart, arms crossed...and they were talking about chicks? Which was what marriage was about right?

Shit.

"I don't know, Gaara. I've never thought about it... love, I mean."

"We don't. Not you, myself, Temari, father - our family doesn't love. Not even that. We don't know what it is."

"...Right. But... you see... marriage is different..." A shiver ran down Kankuro's spine when he realised he was, unwittingly, doing Temari's job for her.

"Father and mother got married without love. This is what happened." Gaara stared hard at Kankuro and the older boy realised his brother was talking about himself. "I don't want to get married."

Kankuro let out a muffled sigh, "Well, I can't argue with that." "No offense, of course," he added quickly. Gaara made no sign that he had taken any.

Relaxing his stance, Kankuro crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, "If you don't want marriage then, well, why don't you just destroy the Medallion? End this menagerie: these girls running around squealing and these disgusting" - he thrust the advertisement at Gaara and the boy took it, "Bulletins!"

Gaara read it, frowned and tossed the paper over his shoulders, "Not possible."

"What?"

Gaara shrugged, "I don't have it anymore. And I don't know where it is." A lie, Gaara thought, and the first one I've made. The realisation made him feel somewhat human - and was quickly banished. He turned and walked away from Kankuro, careful to choose a street devoid of girls of any sort.

Turning back, he gave his confused brother a small smile, "Anyway, it's quite enjoyable watching you suffer...aniki."

---

"We're finally at Suna!" Tsunade exclaimed with great relief, making a gesture that meant Lee should hand over a bottle of sake and a cup, "It hasn't changed one bit." Shizune led the entourage while two senior jounin guarded the rear. Against repeated protests, Tsunade had insisted that Lee was to remain in her sight for the entire journey - in the claustrophobic, rickety carriage.

I wouldn't know, Lee thought, looking out the carriage window at the great expanse of undulating, subdued sand. I've never been here before. He thought he noticed a few stalks of red in the midst of the harsh yellow. What a beautiful country! So youthful!

"What happens now, Tsunade-sama?" He asked carefully, fingering the talisman in his pocket and thinking of all the possible ways he could return it.

Tsunade turned to him with the weariness of a mother, "I've explained it twice, Lee, were you listening?" She repeated it anyway, "A few senior jounin will meet us at the gates and usher us to our quarters. The Induction is in two days so, until then, we may explore Suna - within respectable limits."

"Meaning no pubs and night clubs, that sort of thing?"

"Well certainly not for you!" Tsunade exclaimed, remembering Gai's emotional tale. But probably not for me either, she thought dourly.

"Understood! May I... visit the Academy then?" That would probably be where Gaara would be, if not on some inaccessible roof or killing something - not that Lee thought he was into that sort of thing anymore. Somehow, and Lee didn't know why, he was convinced Gaara was essentially a good person.

"I should think that wouldn't be difficult to arrange - as long as you don't -" Tsunade held back, realising that anything she mentioned next would put the idea in his head and consequently materialise against his noble intentions, "Never mind."

They were approaching the gates and Tsunade turned away from him, completely absorbed in her glass of sake. Lee squinted and was just able to make out six figures - five were tall and clearly in possession of the athletic built of battle-hardened shinobi but the last was short and pale - though hardly less menacing in stance.

Wait a moment.

Lee sharpened his vision with chakra just slightly and immediately recoiled. Impossible! He was either extremely lucky or -

"Tsunade-sama, I believe the senior jounin present to meet us - is none other than the soon-to-be Kazekage himself!"

"Gaara? Really?" Tsunade put down her sake and looked out the window, completely ignorant of the turbulent squall of emotions in the shinobi beside her. "Yes...I think you're right!"

No, I think I'm wrong! I must be wrong! Lee thought desperately, grasping at the talisman just a little more frantically, I'm not prepared to meet him at all! He collapsed heavily against the carriage door - perhaps a little too heavily and, before he could it stop it, the door swung open, ejecting him forcefully into the hot desert air.

"Lee!" Tsunade cried, already forming hand seals.

"Lee!" Shizune cried, quickly bringing the carriage to a grating halt and leaping off her horse.

"Gaara!" Lee cried, holding the talisman tight in one hand and attempting to break his fall with the other. "I have your -"

"Don't say a word!" The harsh order, out of nowhere, was followed by a swift strike across his temples that sent the world reeling. There was a flash of sepia and the pressure of two strong arms beneath him, halting his descent. As everything turned to black, all Lee could remember was a pair of enigmatic blue eyes framed by dark, dark circles gazing into his own.