Disclaimer: Alright! The pigeons and hamsters have teamed up! It is now time to move into the final phase of my plan for world domination! So until it is complete, I don't own...

A/N- It's the last chapter! Wow- this took me a long time to write and I've had this chapter sitting around for two weeks...but I finally talked myself into posting it! There is a time skip in this chapter, so you've been warned. Hope you enjoy! (I have another Naruto fic I'm thinking of writing. A canon Au...have to get around to starting it though) Need to throw a party for actually finishing this...

It wasn't fair.

He couldn't move, held back by strong arms. He couldn't feel; he was numb, painfully numb. His voice was raw and he couldn't identify why but someone was screaming. It was a loud, painful sound. It was desperate. It was him.

Lee struggled against the people that held him back, kept him from his goal. The sand had settled in front of them, a looming presence. He wished it would leave.

The world was muted, broken and he wanted no part of it. If they would just let him go then he could find Gaara, find him and bring him back. Please- he pleaded with Temari. Her face was red and blotchy with tears threatening over that she refused to spill. Please let me go; Kankuro met his eyes and tightened his hold. His face reflected a great misery and burden. They all just wanted Gaara back.

Let me go- he begged them, voice cracking. The world was blurred, tears fell, an unhampered wave, down his face. They stared resolutely back not releasing their hold. Please- he sunk to his knees, unable to hold himself up any longer as he sobbed. Please, Gaara- Gaara was supposed to hear him, to be with him. Come back to me.

Lee. Someone whispered. It was a dark, distorted sound. His name was repeated, slightly louder this time.

"Lee!" He jerked his head up, hope flaring through him. It died abruptly when Ino sunk down in front of him. She offered him a watery smile, her eyes saying she was trying to be strong for him, then reached out and pulled him into a hug.

He flinched at the contact, arms held awkwardly at his side as for once he was unsure of what to do. Ino held on, her face burrowed in his shoulder as she refused to let go. Temari and Kankuro stepped back, their hold on him gone as he surrendered to the hug.

"It's not okay." Ino murmured as Lee's arms hesitantly went around her. "It's not okay, but maybe it will be." He choked on a broken sob, tears wracking his frame as he held on for dear life. If he let go now, he wouldn't be able to make it, would never be able to return to Konoha, and never return to his family.

"Gaara!" The name escaped him. It hurt, it hurt so much. Worse than any wound that had ever been inflicted.

"Lee," A heavy hand landed on his shoulder. He pulled back and blinked up at a somber Gai-sensei. "Your friend will live on in your heart." He nodded without feeling the hope for the future his sensei had obviously meant to instill in him. Perhaps this was one time where Gai-sensei didn't truly understand everything. He couldn't see Lee's wound but that didn't mean it was not there.

"But I wish I could still walk beside him." He whispered, pulling gently away from Ino's hug and Gai-sensei's hand. Lee stood slowly, wrapping his arms around himself to stave off the cold descending on him.

Birds sang in the distance, a quiet interruption to the group's silence. They needed to get back to Konoha; he understood that. Naruto and Iruka-sensei needed to be in a hospital, they were hurt and needed more than just what Sakura could offer, even though she was very skilled. They were tired and most of them wounded, some more severe than others; there was a long trip ahead of them. But he could not leave. Not yet. He would not leave Gaara to some unmarked grave.

He did not deserve to be left, to remain forever trapped with Moon. They would give Gaara the funeral he deserved- one no one would ever forget.

He would bring Gaara back.

"Lee?" Temari broke through his haze as he took an uncertain step forwards.

"I need to bring him back." He didn't look at their faces; his steps speeding up in case anyone were to try to stop him. A hand reached for him again but he was faster than them and dodged the grasp.

"Lee, wait!" His feet hit sand but he kept going, feet slipping and sinking into the loose grains. Lee kept going. He ignored the calls of his friends as his feet sunk into the sand. It made it hard to move quickly and he realized he had no way to find Gaara. But he would not leave him there.

The sand pit was large, so large. He stopped far enough away from solid earth and sunk to his knees. His hands tore at the ground, digging a hole that continued to fill in every time he got anywhere.

The sand cascaded back into the hole as a tremor ran through the ground. Lee paused, and then resumed his digging with equal fervor. The sand found its way under his bandages and scratched his skin; it got stuck under his nails and into his mouth as he dug but he kept going. Another tremor ran through the ground.

"I will find you Gaara." He assured the sand beneath his hands as the hole grew larger. A larger tremor shook the ground this time, the sand he had just moved slipping back into the hole. He paused, staring hard at the ground as a ripple traveled under him like a wave. Ino called out to him, trying to get him to come back. He ignored the calls.

Lee stood, squinting his eyes to see further out onto the sand and was shaken as another tremor traveled underneath him. The ground itself seemed to be shaking itself apart.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee turned, calling out to his mentor. "What is happening?" The ground shook harder this time and continued to shake; trees on the edge of the sand and half buried in the sand rustled, creaking in protest as they were moved. Lee scrambled to remain standing as the density of the sand shifted and he slowly sunk down to his waist.

The wind seemed to pick up as the sand rose and fell, swirling around him. If it didn't stop soon, he realized, he might be buried.

Everything shook, violently; his hands shot out for some sort of handhold as the sand seemed to become a current, sweeping everything in its path backwards. Lee grabbed at the lone branch of a tree and held on for dear life. His friends were shouting for him from the edge; he could see Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei searching for the quickest and safest way to him but- but he knew he would be safe. The feeling did not make any sense, he could not explain how he knew but he did. The sand would not hurt him- it would never again harm him.

And then he saw it, a rise in the sand. Something was fighting its way out. The shape crested, revealing a stone sphere.

Lee froze. If Moon was in the sphere then perhaps there truly was no way to defeat her. They were wounded and no match for her, if she chose to, she would kill them. No- his grip tightened; they would not be beaten by her. They would be victorious. For Konoha. For Gaara.

The stone cracked a loud ominous sound that echoed over the roar of the sand. Lee pulled himself up, balancing on the branch as he waited. His stomach churned a rage boiled through him unchecked, pushing away his lingering fears. He was not used to such anger.

Pieces of stone fell away, sinking into the pit below and swallowed up within seconds. He had few weapons left but the familiar weight of the kunai in his hand was comforting. He would make Moon hurt, make her understand his pain.

"We'll hold her off." Kakashi-sensei appeared nearby, using another buried tree for balance. Lee nodded grimly, hand tightening on his weapon as it warmed in his hand. They would hold her off while Naruto and Iruka-sensei were moved to safety. Ino and Shino would remain despite their own injuries. His only wish was for Sasuke and Kakashi to return to the ones they loved when it was all over. He wished the emptiness he felt on no one.

The stone shell creaked again and then shattered, large chunks of earth flying off and sinking out of sight.

Lee forgot to breathe.

A sphere made of sand replaced the rock, hovering a foot above the swirling pit. Lee stared, fighting the rising hope.

A shower of sand fell, revealing the contents of the sphere slowly, painfully slowly.

"How?" He began, unable to continue. The ground beneath them settled until it was safe to stand on it without sinking. Lee stepped off the branch and took a hesitant step forwards, then another and another until he was running, feet slipping on loose grains.

A person- a person stepped down from the sphere, albeit on shaky legs and Lee launched himself at them. Gaara stumbled under the force as Lee wrapped his arms around the Kazekage's slim body, gripping him tightly. The auburn haired man opened his mouth to speak but no words came out as Lee used the opportunity to press their lips together. It was needy; releasing all of the desperation and pain that he had felt believing him to be dead. Their teeth clashed together as Gaara gripped Lee's shoulders, holding on and letting the kiss be led.

"Gaara." He breathed, tugging the other ninja closer and refusing to let go. "Gaara." He repeated, hands bunching in the rough fabric. Gaara sagged against him, all of his energy used up.

Gaara didn't whisper any words of comfort, just held on as tightly as Lee, conveying the things he could not say aloud, through touch. His left hand stroked the back of Lee's neck saying 'I know, I'm sorry', while his right hand clutched Lee's Jounin vest saying 'I never wanted to leave you. Please don't ever leave me'.

His lips merely said 'Lee'.

BbBbBbBbBbBbBbBbB

He saw the falter right before he fell. Shino put on a burst of speed intent on catching him but he needn't worry.

Kiba straightened up a second later, carrying two large boxes while balancing on one foot. Shino sighed, grabbing one of the boxes so he could see his lovers smirking face.

"Got you, didn't I?" Kiba crowed. He brought the box inside, dropping it next to the others that littered their small apartment. "These are the last of them." He hadn't been expecting Kiba to have had so much stuff when they'd decided to move in together (though in his defense he hadn't been himself at the time).

It was a big step, one his father hadn't been happy about. He'd been living his life for his father for too long though; it was time for a change. Shino was certain there would be times he'd regret the decision but he'd get over it. All that mattered was that he was with Kiba. Plus, this gave him the ability to keep an eye on Kiba; keep him safe.

"Stop thinking." Kiba poked him lightly on the head. "And help me break in the bed." The leer he received as anything but innocent.

"I thought we already did that this morning." Shino dead panned.

"That doesn't count. We've got to get your mind off of things."

"Perhaps you should try thinking more." Shino teased lightly as he allowed himself to be pulled towards their new bedroom.

"Oh, I'm thinking plenty," Kiba raked his eyes obviously up and down Shino's lithe frame. "Just about other things."

Shino still woke in the middle of the night from nightmares and memories alike but Kiba's presence was often enough to settle his racing mind.

"Hey," Kiba's face softened suddenly as he reached out so he was holding both of Shino's hands. "It's long gone now. Everyone is safe." The 'you're safe' was left unsaid. "I bet I could take your mind off it." The hands left his and slid lower, down past Shino's stomach. He had no doubt that he wouldn't be able to remember any of his worries in a few minutes.

EeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeE

It was the simple joys in life, he reflected happily; not that he had any idea what that meant but Iruka-sensei had said it once so it had to be profound. That wasn't the point though; the point was that he had missed ramen. Naruto successfully finished draining his third bowl and reached out for the next one.

Another hand intercepted the bowl before he could grab it.

"I think you've had enough, dobe." Naruto glared over at the other ninja but there wasn't really any anger behind it. He'd been even happier than normal since their return to Konoha.

"Not yet, teme." He reached out and snagged the bowl, digging in with a grin. "You still owe me a bowl for every day you were gone." Sasuke rolled his eyes, reaching out to cuff him affectionately on the back of the head.

"Well you can't eat them all at once- we'd be here for days." Naruto just smirked at him, slurping loudly. "And then you would have to be the one that explained to Tsunade why you missed your meeting with her." Naruto paled at the thought.

"She can be scary when she wants to be." Sasuke nodded in agreement. She had been a little nicer since they had come back; he suspected it had to do with how worried she had been about them. He probably should have teased her less about it.

"It's like the two of you never grew up." They both turned to the healer Nin seated next to Naruto. Sakura neatly placed her chopsticks next to her empty bowl, ignoring their amused looks.

"Ah- Sakura! You wound me!" Naruto cried out, clutching his chest. "You'll have to kiss it better." She flicked her napkin at him in retaliation. "What about you Sasuke? A kiss to make it feel better?"

The raven haired Nin blushed lightly, a familiar glare on his face.

"We need to get going if we're going to be at Iruka-sensei's house on time." Sasuke said instead, ignoring the blonde's pout.

"Kakashi-sensei is already there, you'll want to take your time." Sakura advised them. "I'm going to be at least half an hour late."

"I can think of something we could do for that long." Naruto yelped as Sasuke swatted him again. "I was talking about going to Ino's shop- we could go and bug her and Shikamaru." Sasuke raised an eyebrow with a look that clearly said he didn't believe him.

"You could get Iruka-sensei some 'get well' flowers too." Sakura suggested as Sasuke paid for all their meals and began to physically force the blonde from the shop before he could order more. "Not everyone can heal as fast as you." The blonde quieted at the thought.

The trio turned and walked from the shop, down the busy village street. A cool hand reached out, joining with his own. He offered Sasuke a small smile, squeezing the hands clasped with his own and holding on.

"So, I heard that Shikamaru is taking Ino out for dinner on Friday…" Sakura chatted excitedly next to the pair, clearly ecstatic that it was the three of them once again. Naruto wondered how long it would last though- Sasuke had left before, what if it happened again? How long before one of them was captured on a mission or didn't return home?

"Relax, Naruto." Sasuke leaned his head close to the blondes, whispering lightly to him as Sakura's conversation washed over them. "I'm still here."

Naruto grinned.

KkKkKkKkKkKkKkKkK

The desert sun burned over head, warming everyone in Suna. In the crowded market place the Kazekage strode, welcomed back by everyone there, alongside his siblings and the ambassador from Konoha. No one thought twice of how the Kazekage and the ambassador's arms and hands remained in contact the entire time.

It's the END! So no, I didn't actually kill anyone (well mostly) but hey- I don't really like killing characters that I love. Shino and Gaara cookies for all! Thanks to everyone who stuck by the story even when I didnt update for months and thanks for the reviews!