What If ~ Chapter 4

'Where could he be?'

Lee looked frantically around herself, standing in front of the school. She had been waiting there for nearly ten minutes, unable to spot the redhead. When the whole school day had gone by without an appearance from him, Lee had decided that she would have to go looking for him; which is why she was still standing here even though almost all the kids had alreadyabandoned the area. How could she talk to him if she could not even find him?

"Hey Pup! You still waiting for that bastard?" Lee nodded, not wanting to have another fight with her friend about it.

Yesterday, after Shino and Tenten had turned onto their own streets, leaving the two alone, Kiba had tried to pull a guilt trip on her so that she wouldn't go to Gaara; it had not worked. She had promised that she would get him to apologize to Kiba! How could she do that if she avoided him? Had either of them been able to hold grudges, the whole day today would have gone by in a thick silence. Luckily they weren't, and like clockwork, Lee had been at the dog breeding center that Kiba's family owned to help with the puppies born a few days ago. A truce had gone unspoken between them: Agree to Disagree.

Kiba sighed, hating that he was about to tie the noose around his friend's neck. "Have you thought, since he owns that bike, that he'd be riding home instead of walking or waiting for a ride?" Kiba watched with a pity as Lee's face went entirely blank, thinking over that useful piece of information. And then Kiba was all alone, his only company the huge building in front of him and Lee a distant figure sharply taking a corner around it. He grumbled under his breath about really stupid ideas and went looking for his boyfriend. At this point, only Akamaru and his buggy boy could make him feel better.

Lee arrived in the parking lot with record timing. Had she had the courage to tell her father without having him going mentally unstable at the idea that she actually went looking for the 'abomination of youth!', it would have been the first thing she shouted after entering her front door. There were still some cars left in the lot, but as far as she could see, there were no bi-…There! But there was no pale redhead with it, maybe it belonged to someone else? No, this was the exact motorcycle she had seen in front of her house the first time she met Gaara. So where was he?

She looked wearily about herself, knowing she wouldn't be surprised if he was behind her again about to grab her around the waist like he seemed to have a habit of doing. Slowly turning fully around, it was surprising to know that her prediction was false; she was the only one here. She began walking through, just to make sure she hadn't missed something. Should she wait here for when he came for his bike? Or should she go looking for him? What could he be doing?

Lee had finally opened her ears in school, never having actually been fond of the gossip, but relying on it now. Sabaku no Gaara was known for being something deadly. People were positive that his family was a powerful one and there were only three people who had the courage to stand up against him: Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji. Out of those three, Lee was relieved to hear, was his friend: Naruto, the boy that had hugged her yesterday.

Lee paused in her search, everything about her going still as she focused herself on hearing that one sound again. When it repeated itself, she dashed towards the source of it, her heart thundering. She leaped over a bush and tackled a large rottweiler to the ground, ignoring how it bit at her, sharp canines coming mere centimeters from her face. She shoved it away from herself, standing quickly and looking down at it with harsh anger. Hanging out with Kiba had taught her how to handle these situations. She pointed away, her gaze locked with two ferocious black orbs.

"You! Leave now!" She showed no fear as she shouted the command at it, waiting for when it knew it wasn't the dominant one in this fight. There were more growls and two false starts toward her, then it whined and trotted away, looking over it's shoulder at her as if trying to say just how evil it thought she was. She didn't move until she could no longer see it, before turning to the victim.

She lowered herself to her knees, carefully reaching out to the panicking child. Blood was seeping out of her arm where she had been brutally bitten by the dog, eyes wide and shedding tears like rainfall. She whimpered before throwing herself into Lee's arms. A sob broke loose as she continued to scream after every other breath she took.

"I want my mommy!" Lee stroked the child's hair, humming a song she liked in hopes of calming her down a bit.

"I know, I know. Can you tell me where mommy is? I'll take you to her." She looked into the child's large green eyes and smiled comfortingly. "May I see your arm?" The child eyed her for a moment, debating whether or not to hand over the appendage. Finally she did so with many sounds of intense pain, tears flowing faster down her cheeks.

"It..It hurt-ts!" Lee continued to hum, aware of how it actually seemed to calm the child down only somewhat, but it was better than the hard stiffness that was present otherwise.

"I know it does. My friend has a lot of dogs, and some of them bite just as hard as this. I have a few different scars from those rascals." The child looked up at her with pleading eyes.

"Really?" Lee gave a small laugh.

"Oh, yes."

"Can I…can I see them?" Lee moved the child gingerly in her lap so that she could put her other arm in front of her face while the other continued to hold onto the injured arm of the girl. The child looked at the scars with awe. "Did…th-they hurt?"

"mm-hmm, every one of them were extremely painful. It is okay to cry when you are bitten so hard from such large dogs." Her words managed to help calm the child further. Lee continued to hum as she took the bottom part of her shirt into her hands and ripped off a strip. It was a stroke of luck that she wore such a long one today. Carefully, she tied it around the girl's bleeding arm, pulling gently, but tightly. The girl whimpered, but otherwise stayed silent now, eyes large, unfocused, and glassy: shock. It made her gut twist painfully knowing that the girl was going to have to go to the hospital and get stitches.

"…what song are you humming?" Lee's eyebrows rose for a moment in question before the words registered.

"One step at a time by jordin sparks, have you ever heard it before?" The child shook her head no.

"Could you…could you sing it for m-me?" Lee blushed and shook her head. When the child did nothing but look away from her, breathing harsh and uneven, Lee gave in and began singing aloud.

Hurry up and wait

So close, but so far away

Everything that you've always dreamed of

Close enough for you to taste

But you just can't touch

The child's breathing became level, her eyes coming to half-mast. 'She is so brave.' Lee thought to herself. Continuing the song as she took the child into her arms and stood. First to the hospital, and then she could find the child's mother. This needed immediate attention.

You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet

Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it

You know you can if you get the chance

In your face as the door keeps slamming

Now you're feeling more and more frustrated

And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

The child drifted off, despite not having walked three minutes back through the small amount of trees. Shock and pain had pulled her under, poor thing. Lee continued to sing softly to her, just incase she woke up. Lee stepped back out onto the cement of the parking lot, her voice continuing.

We live and we learn to take

One step at a time

There's no need to rush

It's like learning to fly

Or falling in love

It's gonna happen and it's

Supposed to happen and we

Find the reasons why

One step at a time

She blinked, unable to remember anything more of the song. Looking down, she realized that it wasn't necessary; the child was breathing slowly, but heavily, tears tracking stubbornly down her cheeks. But she was asleep, entirely unconscious. Lee gave a deep sigh of relief.

"Will you sing for me?" Lee jumped, upsetting the child enough that she whimpered before settling again. Lee looked behind herself with wide eyes, which became even more wide when she saw the condition the redhead was in.

"What..What happened to you?" His upper lip was busted, a thin line of red sliding down the side of his face from his hairline. Despite the first thing he had told her about having difficulty forming bruises, Lee could see one on his right cheek and another on his arm. Cuts were outlined in one too many places for Lee to be comfortable. He was wrecked.

He shook his head, eyes still watching her. He moved forward, arms reaching out. Lee wanted to take a step back, but Gaara was hurt! She had never liked seeing anyone hurt, not even when she was rather upset with them. Surprisingly, he didn't reach for her, but the child, taking the small girl into his own arms. Lee began a protest, she was in much better condition than him, clearly. Gaara gave her a look, silently telling her to say nothing.

"There was a woman asking for her daughter a few blocks from here, the description matches." The eyes were as sharp as a hawk upon her. "Do you trust me to take her safely there?" Lee looked at him confused.

"Why would I not trust you? It is not as if you would hurt her." His shoulders became stiff for a moment before losing tension. He turned around and walked stealthily out to the sidewalk so as not to wake the child.

"You are one of a kind, to have such trust in me." Lee could lie and say that it was the heat that made her face become suddenly so warm…but because she wasn't that much of a liar, it wouldn't work.

"Thank you." There was no answer. Lee followed Gaara out of the parking lot and down the sidewalk, passing by Gaara's bike.

Lee knew when they were close, because frantic shouting could be heard even before turning the corner. There was a woman who's hair matched the wildness of her eyes. She was gripping hard onto the shirt of a man, most likely the father, who was telling her to calm down. The woman tore her eyes away from the man with tears shining in them. When she spotted them, her eyes widened almost comically. She pushed past the man and ran towards them.

"My baby!" She grabbed the child out of Gaara's arms, pulling her flush against her own chest. The girl woke up with an almost scream that was quickly snuffled out as she realized who was holding her.

"M-Mommy! A b-big dogg-gy bit me! H-here!" She put her arm into her mother's eye vision, her eyes large and tear-filled. Looking back at Lee and Gaara, the child's eyes widened again. She jutted out a finger at Lee, causing her to blink in confusion. "Sh-she made it g-go away! A-and she show-showed me her s-scars from when…from when huge doggies b-bit her! Sh-she came out of n-n-nowhere and t-tackled it and it tried to- to bite her face off-ff! She wasn't even s-scared and she sa-said that it-s okay to c-cry when huge doggies bite you! She sings really p-pretty."

Center of attention, Lee's face turned entirely red. The mother looked at her with such fear for what could have happened and gratitude for her that she hadn't let it come to it, that Lee turned her eyes to the ground. "It was nothing, truly! My friend's family owns a dog-breeding company and I help them! All you have to do is assert your dominance!" Trying to make herself really small under the scrutiny, Lee formed a half-bow. "She needs stitches, so she will need to go to the hospital as soon as possible." She turned away, walking quickly passed Gaara. Taking one look at his face, a shiver hurt her heart. He looked furious.

"Wait!" Never having been one for rude, Lee stopped and turned slightly around to look at the mother. Tears glistened in her eyes. "Thank you." Lee stared at her for a moment, and then she smiled.

"There is no need, I would do it for anyone." The small family moved away, going to a car and getting in; though Lee didn't see it, she was already back around the corner, walking home. She had completely forgotten the whole reason why she had been in the parking lot in the first place.

"You would do it for anyone." Lee stopped, staring at Gaara with confusion in her eyes. His voice was venomous, and Lee could not understand why.

"Yes." Something flickered across Gaara's face that almost scared her, but she couldn't be sure what the emotion had been before a sadistic expression fell over his face. A smirk twisted up one side of his lips while his eyes regarded her coldly.

"You would do anything to save anyone, wouldn't you?" Lee didn't waste a second.

"Anything."

"Than save me." Shock descended upon Lee's face.

"What?" Gaara walked right up to her, coming so close their chests touched, looking directly into Lee's eyes the whole time.

"Save me."

"…From what?" One pale hand tangled in Lee's hair, bringing her even closer.

"From you." The snarl made Lee blinked in surprise. Why did Gaara need saving from her? Wasn't it the other way around? "What foolish person throws away their own life for a complete stranger? You are reckless, and an idiot. If I ever hear you did something stupid like that again, you do not want to know what I will do to you."

Lee became angry; very angry. She stayed stubbornly still in Gaara's hands as she gave him a piece of her mind. "I am sorry, Gaara, that that upsets you. But that is who I am! I am not going to change myself to please you. I hardly even know you! I am not a dog you can train and order around, I am my own person! I will do what I can to help others because I cannot stand their pain! I will do whatever is asked of me if it makes one more person happy. If that is not what you want, than you can just take your eyes off of me and move on! I am not your walking mat!" Huffing slightly as the exertion she just put herself through, Lee returned his glare with her own determined one.

Gaara stared at her closely, and then came in closer. In the most gentle touch she could ever remember having her whole life, Gaara pressed their lips together. She could feel the cut against her own top lip, and Lee let it happen. It was so strange, to be touched so gently by a boy who had such a reputation for being vicious and brutal. Turning away, hand drifting from Lee's hair to her waist, wrapping around sneakily and pulling her with him. "Come home with me."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 15 minutes later

Lee sighed as she put the slightly red cloth back into the bowl of water, looking at her handy work. There were band-aides every other place, the only one needing a bandage was too high on his head to apply it. Instead, she had applied pressure to it for a good 5 minutes, using the other hand to wipe at the cuts that had longed since stopped bleeding. She smoothed aloe over the bruises and alcohol was put on the miniscule wounds so that they would not get infected. When the head wound stopped bleeding, Lee cleaned it out as well, leaving it at that. The thing that upset her? Gaara still wasn't telling her what happened.

She stared at the silent redhead with annoyance. She could agree to give others their own space, not butt in, but this was serious! Someone had attacked him and actually been able to overpower him for the most part, which Lee thought was somewhat frightening. With all that she had collected about the redhead, no one had ever been able to leave a mark on him. Whoever had gotten to him, had gotten to him good.

She dumped the dirty water down the sink of the bathroom where they were. The house was empty except for them. Lead into the kitchen for ice packs, there had been a sticky note on the refrigerator door stating that the family was out and signed by a temari. Sister? Most likely…

She looked back at Gaara, who had not made one sound since Lee had started cleaning him up, his eyes were relaxed slits, not entirely focused as if he had been experiencing some great pleasure. Maybe it had been? It always made Lee feel warmer when her father looked after her cuts and scratches.

"Now that I am done, I must return home." She had called her father when they had been in the kitchen, saying that she was going to be late coming home. She had, rather stupidly, said who she was with. She had had to hand the phone to Gaara, but she still heard every threat given. Gaara's expression spoke of nothing until he hung up the phone. He had looked at her with amusement before walking upstairs to his own bathroom.

She moved towards the door, about to leave, when her exit was interrupted.

"He had three cousins with him." Lee stopped, but did not look around. "Alone, he is almost too easy to defeat, with three other even more skilled than himself, the fight was unfair from the beginning. I laughed at them and called that pretty boy a coward. I have never turned down a challenge, but I was not going to deal with his sorry attempt of overpowering me. I was walking away, wondering where you were so that I could kiss you again; but then…"

Lee was truly touched, if not slightly embarrassed. Gaara had been looking for her again so that he could assault her? It was actually kind of flattering to know that he turned down a fight and went for her instead. She took a step closer to him when his face became twisted with absolute fury, watching on with concern.

"He began talking about you…it was sickening to hear what he had to say; most of them so unbelievable, it pissed me off that he even bothered. In the end, I kicked all of their asses back to the shithole they crawled out of." A niggling suspicion tickled the very edge of her mind. Moving forward, she knelt so that she was level with the sitting man.

"That is not what made you angry." Teal eyes rose from fisted hands to stare into her own two ebony orbs.

"He said you and that dog boy were lovers." The last word was a growl and Lee stared at him with shock.

"Kiba and I?…Lovers!?!" She looked at Gaara with horror. "Kiba and I are nearly brother and sister! He welcomed me first when I moved here, and we have been friends ever since! And besides that, Kiba does not even like girls like that!" His eyes narrowed in question; Lee answered earnestly. "Do you know Aubrame, Shino? Kiba and him have been a couple since the sixth grade! They are practically inseparable!"

Gaara leaned back against the toilet seat. His eyes thoughtful. "I see." A light bulb went off in Lee's head.

"That reminds me! You need to apologize to Kiba!" If he had eyebrows, Lee was certain they would have shot up.

"I am apologizing…why?"

"You attacked him."

"He provoked me."

"You are just evil!"

"You are too cute for your own good."

"You are- wait, what? No!" Too late, she was on her knees, pulled forward while Gaara bent down to reach her lips with his own.

This one was not gentle like the first one, but not forceful such as the first. It was hard, but not harsh and warm. Lee felt an abrasion against her upper lip as it rubbed against his cracked one. Her hands fisted in the material of his jeans, her heart thundering in her chest. She closed her eyes tightly and moved into the intimacy. She wasn't quite sure why she did, but she just did. Gaara's one hand became wrapped in her hair again, the other sliding around the side of her breasts to her back to hold her closer. Lee ended up situated between his two legs with Gaara bent over her, the moment going from passionate to heated. Lee tore her mouth away when the need to breathe became pressing. Licking her lips, she tasted copper, Gaara's lip had opened back up.

There were many things that were becoming unexplainable for her. One of these things was why she stared straight into Gaara's eyes as she gently wiped the blood from his lip and then leaned forward to lick it clean. It was when his breath caught that she realized what she was doing. She had just touched him intimately of her own free will. Leaping away from him, she sprinted out the door and down the stairs, leaving behind the last look she had seen on Gaara's face: so very hungry.

She didn't stop running till she was through her front door. Her lungs burned and her legs were unstable, not because of the run, but because of the truth…she wanted Gaara too.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WEDNESDAY

Lee stared out into space, walking to school more by memory than actual thought. Her mind was too busy to think about such things as where to turn or not.

She. Wanted. Gaara…Sabaku no Gaara…who had been trying to rule her life from day one…who was utterly, completely unbearable! Why did this happen to her? Had there been a god who looked down at her in her desperation and thought 'I will give her her wish.' but meant it as a really cruel joke? Sabaku no Gaara who had just tried to tell her to stop being herself the day before! As her father put it: 'He is a youth less creature of disaster!' So why, had she woken up after only three hours of sleep, face red as a perfect apple and shaking? Why did she wonder if his cuts hurt? She did not want to care for that jerk! He hadn't even apologized for hurting Kiba!-…He hadn't apologized…

"Well, if he wants a fight, he shall receive it! No one pushes around my friends and thinks they can get away with it! If I do not succeed in getting Gaara to apologize, I shall go to the prom with him of my own free will!!" One fist extended in front of her and a blinding white smile on her face, feet braced apart, Lee swore to it with the good girl pose.

…oh no…she was in trouble.

A motor sounded behind her, dragging her back to reality. Because the road she was walking on had no sidewalk, she moved further into the grass. Either way, she could hear the motor purr to a stop, she turned to look- and speak of the devil.

Gaara stared at her from his bike, the band-aides Lee had placed on him last night still there. Did that mean he didn't change them? He was supposed to change them… Reluctantly, Lee looked up to meet his eyes and they just stared for what felt an eternity. Lee finally looked away with a high-powered blush happening, instead looking at Gaara's boots. They were black and shiny, they looked new…There was a squeak of leather and she looked back up. Gaara had leaned back in his seat.

"Get on." Lee looked at him with confusion. If he wanted her to ride with him, why lean backwards over the passenger seat?

She had ridden with him last night when she went with him to his home, grasping lightly at him. Had it not been her first ride, she possibly would have had her hands up in the air; it had been so much fun to move so fast, feeling the wind whip across her face because Gaara had not had helmets with him, which relieved Lee after only the first few minutes. She had laughed almost the whole way to his house…

She shook her head no. "I shall walk, thank you Gaara." She moved to do just that.

"You're going to start avoiding me. Are you intimidated by my now? Because of how I make you feel? For someone who is willing to wrestle with a dog that is trying to bite their face off, you are being cowardly."

Lee had never been one for backing off of such an obvious challenge. She turned to him, waiting till he gave her room to get on. She refused to admit to the excitement that danced on her skin. When he leaned backwards again, she still didn't understand.

"Get on."

"I would, but you keep leaning over the passenger seat."

"I want you in front."

She refused to rise to the bait of what was obviously meant to be very perverted; she could tell by the Cheschire grin.

"Isn't that illegal?" She was almost positive it was.

"It goes against safety regulations." He smiled. "But you will love the experience." She frowned, but finally got on the bike, sliding in front. It felt…strange…to feel him so close to her…behind her.

She felt him press closer and turned her head slightly when she felt hot air blow against her ear. "Hold on tight." The whisper was enough to make her shiver as she did as she was told. Her hands held tightly to the handlebars, Gaara's hands coming to rest right over hers. Lee realized that he didn't wear gloves…his hands were very cold. Unable to stop herself, she leaned forward and blew over one of them to try and warm them up again. She did this for a small while with only silence as a sound. She heard another squeak of leather as Gaara leaned forward.

"If we don't leave now, we'll be late for school." She was just unable to stop herself from laughing.

"We are ten minutes from there and it doesn't start for another thirty minutes." What she saw when she turned slightly around was so shocking, she just sat there and stared.

"Does that mean we're going to sit here for another twenty minutes while you warm my hands?"

Unable to answer, she just stared, and knew…that she was a goner. No one would be able to run after seeing a true smile from the usually stoic, if not sadistic, redhead. She was doomed, and she couldn't care less. After another moment, the bike sped off, and Lee's thoughts were stolen away with the wind.

If Gaara's hands had not been over her own, they would have been above her head as if she were on a roller coaster. As it was, she couldn't stop herself from laughing and cheering as if she were a child.

Had she been able to see behind her, she would have seen just what emotions showed on the redhead's face, one of them definitely unfamiliar to himself. The same smile that had graced his face when Lee had been looking at him had became larger at Lee's childish behavior.

Effortlessly, he controlled the bike from his position, even with Lee's hair in his face. He became comfortable against her body, his body accommodating to the cold of the biting wind and the heat of his girl's body. This was as good as it could possibly be, couldn't it?

They stopped at the parking lot in Gaara's usual spot, dismounting the red bike. Lee jumped off with the largest smile and a final laugh. She weaved slightly before righting herself, feeling as if on a peripheral high. In her joy, she turned towards the now again stoic redhead. Throwing her arms around his neck, she held on with total abandon, uncaring of the watching people who had turned and stared. Gaara had never arrived with someone else on his bike.

"Can we do that again? Do we have time?" She gave Gaara puppy eyes, causing him to -not on the outside - groan. She was too cute for her own good.

"I will pick you up after school." He watched with desperate attention to the happiness that lit her eyes like wildfire. She laughed again before releasing Gaara…for the most part. She kept hold of his hand as she dragged him for once.

They got to the front door of the school before Lee's euphoria wore out. She released Gaara's hand with a blush…or would have if Gaara had released her in turn. When he lowered his head, Lee prepared herself for another kiss. But, when he only pressed their lips together, Lee opened her eyes in confusion. He looked focused on something…

"Do you have a dress yet?" Which brought Lee fully back down to earth. Well, there was no more fighting it.

"Well…no, not really. Tenten and I were going to go this Thursday…" The words 'if I found a date' floated in her head like a terrible teaser. Gaara only nodded.

"White."

Lee's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "White?" Gaara nodded again. He turned and went down the hall opposite that Lee had to go, watching after him curiously. …White…She looked down at her usual green…well everything: sweat pants and a T-shirt, even her shoes. She couldn't help that green was her favorite color.

She walked half-way down the hall before she stopped suddenly. Wait a minute! She wasn't supposed to be enjoying this!…but than again…it was all his fault for letting her ride shotgun.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lee still laughed at herself, causing some people wandering the halls to give her weird looks. Yep, it had certainly been his smile that had won her over.