What If ~ Chapter 5

---------------------------------------------------------------THURSDAY

"Lee."

'White, white…nothing here is what I am looking for…"

"Lee."

'oh gods, this dress is so short…would the school even let me in if I wore this?'

"Lee!"

'This one is even shorter than the other one!'

*smack*

"Ow! Tenten, what was that for?" Lee rubbed at the back of her head, watching Tenten through one eye as she grimaced. A thigh-length, spaghetti strapped, white dress held delicately in the other hand. Tenten stood beside her, hands on hips as she gave her a 'pay attention next time' glare. She held another dress in front of her.

"How about this one?" Tenten held it against Lee, turning her this way and that to see for herself before looking back at Lee questioningly.

Lee gave it her best critical eye; something was…off about the dress. She shook her head regrettably. Tenten huffed and put the dress back, eyeing the long line of prom dresses, the ones in red and green catching her the eye the most, despite Lee telling her that she was looking at only the ones that were white.

This was the fifth boutique they had been to in the past four hours. Lee had known that it would be difficult to find the perfect dress, but no one had told her it would be this difficult. Beside her, Tenten was becoming irritated at how little success Lee had been having. It was the last boutique they could look through before they had to turn back home, seeing as, if they went any further, they would be two towns over from where they had begun.

It was just amazingly difficult to find what Lee was looking for! Tenten was following Lee around, not planning on going herself despite all of Lee's pleading. It wasn't Lee's fault that none of these fit what she was looking for! They were either too classy, too expansive, short, long, too revealing, too classic; there was something wrong with every dress that came close to what Lee was thinking of…even though she didn't honestly know what she was thinking about. It wasn't an image, it was just a feeling: she would know what she was looking for once she found it.

Tenten had begun tapping her foot as she looked at each dress. Something that would suit Lee… She looked out of the boutique window, irritated. For a moment, she just stood there, staring; mentally hitting herself over the head. How had she missed that? Without a word, she walked away from the fretting Lee, touching the fabric and hooking her finger around the price tag to read it. It was too perfect. Where was the guy that was going to suddenly jump out of nowhere and destroy their happiness? No where, as far as Tenten could tell. She ku-kuued as she called her friend over.

"Oh, Lee…" She watched as Lee walked over and as her eyes glazed over with disbelief and awe. Her friend made a grab for the price tag and looked at the price herself. Tenten snickered as the joy spread over her face. "Was this what you were looking for?"

Lee smiled triumphantly, hugging Tenten hard as she did a happy dance in her own head. "Yes, Tenten; this was exactly what I was looking for!" She looked back to the dress with happiness, freeing Tenten so she could call the assistant over to take the dress off the rack and so they could buy it. This was so what Lee had been looking for…even if it was just as short as the dress she had just been looking at.

----------------------------------------------------------FRIDAY

"WHOOO!!!" Now Lee did have her hands over her head, cheering as the bike sped around the corner street. Cold wind hit her in the face and cooled her through her shirt even as she was almost sweating because of the heat she was feeling for the boy behind her. "Faster!" The bike obediently sped up; a roar erupting from the engine as it took another sharp turn. Lee's heart thumped against her chest with every inch they moved forward; causing her to be somewhere close to passing out from the excitement dancing over her. Two arms held her caged safely on the bike, allowing her the freedom to act as she wanted. A chin was jutting into her shoulder, cold breath breathing over her collarbone, just barely noticeable over the wind that was beating her. Lee laughed loudly, enjoying the speed.

All too soon, they were slowing down and turning into the school parking lot; as Lee had learned over the past two days (today being the third), this was Gaara's spot, and only someone with a death wish parked there aside from him. He stopped the bike there and turned off the engine. For a moment, Lee just sat there, breathing heavily as she got over the adrenaline rush. Gaara waited patiently behind her for a few minutes before speaking.

"Can you stand now?" Lee could clearly hear the hidden amusement in his voice.

Turning back to him, he looked like he always did when facing off with anyone; like it just did not matter. A whole week after first having been molested by him, Lee could say that she had learned where to look to see through the ice. She watched the corner of his lips and how the light hit his eyes to know how he felt. She had always been gifted like that, to know exactly what others felt when they felt it. Watching his lips, of course, could be misinterpreted…

A smirk twisted up the corners of those lips and his expression became downright lewd. He leaned forward until their lips almost touched. That jerk, now that she wasn't fighting him, he teased her. Every time she wanted to tell him to stop doing that, the image of his smile popped into her head, rendering her helpless against him.

"Or are you waiting for something?" His tongue flicked out, touching quickly to her lips, before there was no contact again.

Lee 'eeped', squirming till she was free of him. When her feet touched ground, she almost tripped, not quite used to being on solid, unmoving ground again. Gaara wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her steady, snickering under his breath. She glared at him for a moment, before turning stubbornly aside. If he wanted to be mean, she would just ignore him…which never worked against the redhead, as Lee had very quickly learned yesterday, which had caused her father to faint yesterday (long story short, Gaara was being Gaara, and Father had been in too much denial for himself to handle).

She was pressed flat against him as he stood up suddenly, pulling her against him. She shivered as a tongue trailed up the column of her throat. He may blend into the background when he wanted to, but he would be damned if he was ignored when he wanted to be noticed. Gaara's eyes lit with enjoyment as his girl went tense against her. He had been right, she was definitely not plain; she was spicy.

The first bell rang and Lee made a mad dash for it. Making a quick goodbye over her shoulder without turning around.

"See you later, Gaara!" Because no one could claim to being faster than Lee, she made it to class before the first period even took attendance. She ignored all snickers about her blush or what they had seen. She sat down, shaky because she could not wait to see him after school.

Halfway through class, it occurred to her that Gaara had not even asked her about her dress. She stared blankly down at the notes she had been writing; was that normal for a guy to not be naturally curious about what their date was wearing to the dance? He had not even looked as if he wished to ask anything. Even last night, after she had came back from looking for the blood thing, he had asked no questions as he had, with many shocks to her father, picked her up and dragged her out of her own house. She had heard her father screaming for them to come back for 2 blocks…even if it had been worth it; the full moon had been so beautiful, and she had never known about that rooftop. That had been such a gentle kiss…

"- Lee?"

Lee blinked, looking up at the teacher. She was pointing to a problem on the board, her eyes deadly serious as if she knew Lee hadn't been paying attention. People around her began to snicker, again, at her confused face and flushed face. "Umm…" Doing some quick math in her head, she gave a random answer. "5?" The other students burst out laughing, which reminded Lee that she was in English. Math wasn't until third period. The teacher tsked before asking someone else who gave the correct answer. Lee hid behind her literature book for the rest of the period, feeling painfully stupid.

-------------------------------------------------------------LUNCH PERIOD

"He's up to something." Lee frowned at Kiba, who was eating a hamburger even as he spoke. Shino's eyebrows were drawn together in a glare as he frowned too. Kiba had, and will always eat like the dogs he loves with his life. If only Shino's elegance would rub off on him…but Lee was frowning for a different reason.

"How do you get that? Just because he doesn't ask what she's wearing to the prom doesn't mean that he's up to something." Tenten almost flew to Lee's rescue, chewing on her pizza. Lee looked at her hopefully, just to have that hope bite her hard. "But, yes, I think he's up to something too."

"Why is it such a big deal? Just because he did not ask does not mean that something bad is going to happen!" Lee was almost desperate to have them believe that. Honestly, she could believe that Gaara would not ask; it was something that would just not matter to him. It was a dress, as much trouble as she had gone through looking for it, if she was not even allowed to tell him what it looked like, why bother to ask in the first place?

Kiba suddenly slapped his hand on the table, his face lighting up as a thought came to him. Shino scowled at his boyfriend and Tenten looked at him with confusion. What was that about?

"The prom is tomorrow!" His proclamation was met with two blank gazes and a raised eyebrow from his lover.

"Yes, we know…and you are telling us…why?" Tenten urged. Kiba grinned wolfishly.

"I heard that Sasuke broke up with the pink bitch and has a new date for tomorrow. And it ain't Ino! Apparently, we're all gonna learn about the mystery girl at the dance tomorrow."

Lee frowned, tipping her head slightly to the side as she thought about that. "Kiba…what does that have to do with…well, anything?" She felt she had to ask.

"It stopped us from talkin' about your lover boy, didn't it?" Lee blushed fiery red.

"He is not my lover boy!" She fiddled with the material of her sweat pants, not meeting any of the watchful eyes. "We are… dating. Umm… he is my boyfriend, but we are not lovers." Lee said with total conviction, almost able to believe herself. Her efforts earned a drawl expression from Kiba.

"Yeah…right, Pup. So, all the people in the parking lot made up the same story? They all just happened to have the same twisted imagination? People are just lovin' the bad boy/ good girl thing you two have goin' on." Kiba laughed at Lee's chocked expression. He stopped abruptly and pouted at his boyfriend, rubbing at the back of his head where Shino had just hit him by leaning over the table with the elegance of an Aubrame. "What was that for?"

"For being an idiot." Shino stated matter-of-factly, leaning back into his seat again, eating his food, ignoring the glare the answer received him. After carefully swallowing, he worked to clean the mess his lover had made of the situation. "You should be more careful of where you interact with him; or word will get back to your father, and us." He tilted his head in a caring way. "We do not want to see you hurt…or have Kiba back in the nurse's office trying to hurt him." There was a loud 'Hey!' from the offended dog lover.

Lee stared at Shino with a pained expression. He was not as bad as they all believed him…and did people honestly believe that they were already lovers? Lee flushed, that was unbelievable. As everyone was laughing at her expression, Lee shrank into her seat. They couldn't keep making fun of her, could they? Sometime close to the end of lunch, a little after the laughter abated, Kiba asked the question.

"So, what does your dress look like?" Lee smiled softly at the thought of the dress she and Tenten had found.

"It is beautiful." Gazing absentmindedly into the background, she giggled. It had been the perfect buy. Kiba chuckled at Lee's joy.

"I bet, you look like you won the lottery with it."

"Wait till you see it! It's as if she did win the lottery. Damn, we both knew when we found it for her, it was just that amazing!" Tenten leaned forward, about to go into greater detail, when she stopped. Leaning back in her seat, she glared at the guy coming closer.

Lee, who was watching Tenten, thought that it was Gaara. Tenten always got the sour expression on her face where Gaara was concerned; even if she didn't complain as loudly about it now then before. Turning around, already with a serious look on her face because Gaara was supposed to be in his class right now, was not met with Gaara…but Neji Hyuuga. Across the table sitting beside Tenten, Kiba growled; he never had understood why Tenten went out with that bastard. Beside Lee, Shino sighed; Kiba and Neji could be seen at each other's throats often. It was something that had happened. At least he would be here to restrain Kiba this time…

Neji, as always, looked like a smug jerk. Lee had once tried to be his friend, wanting him to accept her as another human being. That plan had ultimately failed, not even hours of having introduced herself in fifth grade. Always, he treated her like garbage, and that got annoying after a little while! Especially since she hardly spoke to him now. Every word she had ever spoken to him in the past few years had been to give him a message from Tenten or defend one of her friends from his verbal abuse. He was just too…proud. Always, much too proud. When he had first asked Tenten out, Lee had been terrified that he only planned on using her; two years later, she was still waiting for that day. Yes, everyone had a soft spot where others could crawl through, but this man was just evil.

"Tenten, did you pick out your dress for tomorrow?" Lee silently cheered her friend on as she got a hard look on her face and scowled at Neji.

"And you need to know…why?" If Lee had been anyone else, she would have laughed at the shocked look on Neji's face. But she was Lee, so she was kind enough to not point it out. Kiba was another story, and began crowing at the expression.

"My cousin said that you went out for a prom dress yesterday, who would you be going with if not me?"

Tenten scowled and Lee tried her hardest to urge her friend on without talking. This, of course, meant that Lee had both hands clenched in front of her and was staring at her friend with earnest eyes, mouthing 'you can do it' over and over. She knew Tenten wasn't going to the dance, no matter how much she had plead, Tenten had been unmovable. But she was not going to tell Neji that!

"Do you want to say something?" Lee stopped the 'subtle' cheering, turning slowly to the glaring hyuuga. He stared down at her with anger, a scowl curling his lip. Lee smiled guiltily, rubbing the back of her head.

"No, not that I can think of."

"Good." Neji turned away from her, looking back at Tenten who was staring at him with a 'who the hell do you think you are?' glare. "I would hate to waste my time with a whore like you."

The silence that descended on the table was deafening, only rivaled by the silence that seemed to spread through out the whole lunch room; as if they knew that someone was about to die. Lee felt the static on the back of her neck saying so. This…could only get worse, couldn't it? Tenten nearly jumped out of her seat at him, Kiba not to far behind her; both of them pissed at him for saying such a thing. Lee looked at him, pale with the conviction.

"You bastard! How dare you say something like that about Lee!" Someone from a nearby table was stupid enough, but strong enough to get away with it, grabbed the flying Tenten and stopped her from ripping the lilac-eyed devil apart. Shino had to tackle his lover, keeping him away from the smirking man. Lee just sat there, horrified.

"What did you just call me?" The harsh whisper escaped Lee, not even sounding like her.

She had had a lot of bad names directed at her; it was something she had grown tough too, but she had never heard that one before. No one had ever had grounds in which to call her that. It was…so horrifically foreign to be called something like that. Neji chuckled, looking down at Lee as if she were a dying animal he was poking at.

"What? Did you think that you would ever last with Sabaku no Gaara?" He leaned forward so that he was in Lee's personal space, purposefully unnerving the hurt girl. "He can have anyone in this school, even I know that. The most beautiful women here are willing to leave their own boyfriends in the dust for a chance with him; you are nothing more than a pity fuck." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, that is if he feels pity. He hates innocence, so that may be what is happening. Destroying you from the inside out. Your father is a difficult man to get by, maybe he wanted to see if he could conquer you? He is part of a wealthy family and is next to accept inheritance should his father die, maybe he just wants a change of pace from the pricey women throwing themselves at him…"

One hand on his chin, the other planted on his hip, Neji studied the pale, shocked girl staring blankly ahead. He had always known just how pitifully low Lee's self-esteem was. He had known her for years. If he wanted to get to Gaara, he was going to have to attack his girl before he realized that he was only experiencing puppy love and dropped the poor creature like so much shit. People like Gaara could never stay with someone for long. But for now, while he believed that he cared for another, he was going to have to dive in and sink in. If he couldn't beat Gaara's body, then he was going to break his heart.

To make the show better, he put on an understanding expression. "Have you even asked him for anything? I have known you for years, I bet you have not accepted a penny from him…but I do not think he offered either, did he? Of course he had asked nothing of you; there is nothing that you can give him that he does not already have."

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP! Shino, why the hell won't you let me up?! Are you going to keep me down while he keeps talking shit?" Kiba fought against his unsteady lover; he did not want this to continue, but should Kiba be in one more fight, he would be expelled. He knew that Lee understood, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to look her in the face once this was over.

Tenten, on the other hand, was livid enough that she bit the man holding her. With a curse, he let her loose, screaming about crazy bitches and rabies. Tenten could hardly care less as she drove a fist straight into her ex-lover's face. Neji flew three feet away from where he had originally been. Sitting up, he rubbed at the side of his face, his lip turned up in a snarl against Tenten.

"You bitch. This is going to bruise." Tenten looked at him with hatred.

"Sorry for your luck, pretty boy. Gods, what the hell did I see in you!? You are such a jackass! Get the hell out of here!" Tenten took a threatening step towards Neji, who did nothing but sit there and watch.

Neji was a very smart man, not a coward. He weighed the options of leaving so as to fight another day; or just sit back and watch the show. Honestly, he could do both at the same time. But what of his exit?…

There was a squeak of tennis shoes and then a green blur dashed out of the cafeteria. Tenten snapped around to watch it's retreat. Kiba wrestled himself away from his lover, Shino watching the open door where the green blur had disappeared through.

"Lee!" Kiba ran after her, shocked at her actions. Since when had Lee ever ran away?

Shino did not follow them; he did not have the bond with Lee that Kiba had, he would only hinder the healing process. Instead, he went in search of the principal, despite Neji having done no domestic violence, it would be best if he got there first to explain the situation instead of allowing another to care for it and end in Tenten's suspension. Tenten just stared at her friends retreating to each do their respective duties. She looked to glare at Neji, but he had stood up and sashayed out of the door, so damn proud of himself. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Lee was off somewhere, Kiba was following after her, she had an idea where Shino was going, but not much of one…there was only one thing left to do. Tell the offending party what was said about them. Tenten's hands clenched as she thought about actually confronting the redhead. He sure as hell better know nothing about this. Or there was going to be another reason for calling him 'red'.

----------------------------------------------------------------WE'RE WITH LEE

'Run, just run; it does not matter why, it does not matter where. It does not matter from what, only that I feel like I am flying away.' Lee became aware of the burning in her lungs before it occurred to her that she wasn't at school anymore. For a moment, she just stared at the rooftop she was standing on, slightly blurry for some reason. Wiping furiously at her eyes, she learned that she was crying. Her legs ached, that meant that she must have ran farther than seven miles…funny, she didn't remember running.

Of course, she could remember what Neji had said, and she hated how much it hurt. It couldn't be true, could it? Would Gaara honestly smile like that for anyone? Then again, how much had she known about Gaara before he stole into her life? Oh gods, she couldn't even say that she put up an actual fight! Four days after meeting him, and she was more than happy to make out with him; was she that easy? But…no, Neji was good at manipulating people! She had to remember that; if she didn't…she would have more embarrassing moments such as that. Everyone must be so worried about her…no matter how bad things have ever became, she had never ran away. In all honesty, she could not even remember running. It was…well, it wasn't blank, but it had been a defense mechanism. Always, when ever she had been deeply upset, she ran till she couldn't go another step. If she could not even remember it, then she must be very deeply upset…but she already knew that.

Sniffing, agitated by showing a weakness, she looked around herself. A rooftop? Why was she here….

'"Are we even allowed to be here?" The question was said in a hushed voice, eyes wide as the stared at the redhead instead of the sky as he had suggested she do. He shook his head no. Eyes fixed on the moon shining down on them.

"But no one watches this building either. It has been abandoned for years longer than I have cared to count. I found it when I was looking for a spot far enough away from town that I could see the stars better. It was by luck that I found this place." Lee nodded, turning her head to look at the moon too. As much as she did not want to be here if they were not even allowed to be here, she may as well remain calm about it. It was not as if she had not expected it.

"It's beautiful." Lee watched the moon, awed by how close and bright is seemed. As far away from the lights as they were, it was amazing. There was a shift beside her, warmth captured her one hand and pulled her closer to a living heater. She looked to Gaara questioningly; was he cold? He did not feel like it. As if he could read her mind (which she most definitely could believe), he shook his head.

"You're shivering." Lee blinked in surprise; now that it was brought to her attention, it occurred to her that, yes, she was trembling slightly. It was a very cold night…

She snuggled against Gaara's side, content to be warm and awed at the same time. After only a little time, she was distracted by her moving pillow. As his chest went up and down with each breath, so did her head. After a while, she just laughed. This was distracting her, how was she supposed to be capturing the image of the moon in her head if she could feel his chest move with each breath and hear his heartbeat against her ear. So amazingly distracting…her living pillow stopped for a moment before continuing again. Lee knew he was watching her now. She turned toward him and smiled teasingly, not even aware of it.

"You are the most uncomfortable pillow I have ever had. I would be too busy listening to you breathe to remember to sleep." And it was true; once she was out, there was no waking her. But, before hand, anything could stop her from sleeping. This was more than enough to disrupt her train of thought.

He stared down at her with a blank look. Gripping her gently by the back of her head, he pulled her up so that they were level. Ever so lightly, so very warm, his lips brushed against hers, gently skimming her lips before finally pressing against them. Lee sighed into his mouth, eyes closing slowly as she just melted. She was too comfortable, too warm, to fight him or even blush. They separated after only a moment, Lee feeling dazed as Gaara looked down at her with something completely different from the heat he usually stared at her with.

"If you do not like listening to me breathe-" He began to move away, removing his arm from around Lee as he looked away regrettably. "-, then I will let you go."

He didn't get at all far, Lee clung to him like a child clings to a life-sized teddy bear; wrapping her whole body around him so he could find no escape, she shoved her face into his neck, snickering at the shudder that came from the contact of her cold nose to his warm skin.

"No, I am just fine with how we are." The arm was wrapped back around her, a chin resting on top of her head.

"I thought so."'

Lee was sitting down at the same exact spot they had lied the night before, her eyes glassy as she stared at the evening sky. School must have been over hours ago. She felt stupid for how she had taken care of the situation. She had let Neji get beneath her skin, and she was annoyed with herself for allowing that. Had she had the guts, she would have walked right back into school and confronted him, tell him that he was a liar and that she believed nothing he said. Would Gaara ever be so gentle and…well, teasing with any of the girls? Maybe, but Lee didn't believe that. Something about this seemed new to him, as if he had never been in a relationship either and was playing it out of the book. The change from molesting her to caring for her had been abrupt…

"Had I known that you remembered how to get here, this would have been the first place I tried." Lee went tense as the stoic voice cut through the silence.

She turned and looked at him, her eyes still slightly red from all the tears she cried. Instantly, Gaara's face lost some of its' hardness, the corner of his lips turning down ever so slightly. He walked forward and knelt beside her, hand coming up to rub at the tear stains on her cheeks. The corner of his lips turned down more as he felt how icy her skin was.

"You have been out here ever since running out of the school, haven't you?" It wasn't actually a question, Gaara knew that was the answer, but it was good to see if he could get a reaction from her.

Lee nodded, eyes closing slightly as she leaned into the touch. But only for a moment, then she turned away; scrubbing at her face with her own hands. She looked at Gaara out of the corner of her eye, watching as his face went hard again. He moved away from her and Lee could understand why. Someone as tough as Gaara wouldn't want someone who literally ran from danger and went into hiding. Even she was disgusted with herself.

"Your friend went looking for me. She did not even finish telling me what had happened before I was already on my way to find you." He looked at her with cold eyes. "You ran because you believed him." He looked up at the sky, furious with himself and her. No one believed in him, no one. "You honestly think that I could pity fuck you." He looked down at the guilty girl and almost snarled, hating how she didn't do anything to defend herself. "Well, shit; you must know me better than I do. I didn't know that I could lie to someone else." He leaned down so that he was level with her again, face twisted in anger. "I fuck with people, not with their minds. I don't play with other's emotions. You're just as bad as Neji for believing that bullshit."

Lee watched as he vented. She never had been one for defending herself verbally; she defended her friends, but she always tried her hardest to ignore others when they tried to hurt her emotionally. Being compared to Neji may have hurt most though… Watching as he just stood there, staring at the barely visible moon with agitation, Lee spoke up; voice scratchy from the long run and the tears.

"For a little while…it was just more believable than you caring for me. And then I remembered last night, looking up at the moon." She turned her head to look at said object, almost hidden by the array of colors following the sunset. "You are as new to this as I am; you would not play games, you would go straight for the point in the middle." She rubbed at her arms, it was so cold lately. "After remembering that, I did not return because I was so ashamed by how I ran away." She turned away from both the moon and him, looking at the dirt and gravel that covered the floor. "I cannot believe how weak I acted; I have never ran away. To let him know that he had upset me…but it was so easy to believe it!…but that is not an excuse, is it? I should have thought about what you would really do than assume. She emitted a watery chuckle. "Assuming destroys relationships, does it not?" She tried to stand on legs that had long since fallen asleep. Stumbling at first, she refused to look at him. "I…understand-" She swallowed hard. "-if you hate me now."

She tried her hardest to walk past him without showing him the pain she felt. As she was right beside him, she was so proud of herself for not starting to cry again; except her retreat was very rudely interrupted. Not two steps passed him, she was tripped, her foot catching on something she knew had not been there a moment ago. Closing her eyes, she expected to meet the floor with her face, but it didn't happen. On her knees, her arms were held behind herself as her descent was stopped, and for a moment, she didn't understand. And then her eyes widened and her mouth parted in shock. She began shaking, turning around to look at Gaara. He watched her with somber eyes.

"Be careful."

Lee stared for a moment, a smile spreading across her face, before speaking. "Man, You are attractive."

Instead of blinking in surprise as the first time, he smirked. Leaning down, he touched lips with her, beginning to slowly devour her, before pulling away for air.

"I know."

Now Lee laughed, tears trekking down her face. Instead of running such as the first time, she leaned into him, smiling as she reconnected their lips. This kiss infinitely more gentle, just as she liked it. When they parted from that kiss, Lee looked into Gaara's heavy lidded eyes and smiled.

"I know that you know."

Taking his coat off and wrapping it around her, he picked her up and left the building, his girl safely tucked into his chest where she listened to his heartbeat. He took the longest roads he knew of on the way back to her house. She sat in the front, arms above her head as she cheered and shouted, just as it was meant to be.

Arriving at her front door, Gaara kept the engine running. As much as he enjoyed causing her dad pain, now may not be the best night to do so. Leaning over for a quick kiss, he was ready to leave, but the door slammed open…always, that door had to slam open whenever he was in the premises. It was as if the guy had a 'the man molesting my daughter is near!' sensor. Gaara almost growled as he looked at the tall, buff man. He did not move from his perch as Lee's father moved forward. Lee moved between them, not really wanting to see them fight tonight either.

She looked up at her father with earnest eyes. 'Please, do not fight tonight…any other night is just fine…but not tonight.'

Gai looked down at his only child with a grave expression. She had never stood against him before. Lifting a hand, he placed it on her head and ruffled her hair. Moving the same arm, he pulled her into a hug. He never wanted her to go missing like that again. No parent should have to go through that…he looked down at his little lotus, amazed by just how much she had grown. Just yesterday, had she not learned how to finally tie her shoes? Now she was being stolen from him…she was even wearing his jacket.

She leaned away from him to look up at his face, her eyes looking for an answer to a question that Gai knew was being asked. Reaching behind her for the redhead, she went tense; her eyes pleading. The man stealing his daughter made no move to either defend himself or stop the advance. Gai's hand rested on short, red strands of hair, ruffling them with just as much affection as he had his daughter's. He smiled widely.

"YOSH! You may not be a disastrous brat after all. Clearly, you have won the heart of my daughter!" He gave a hearty laugh at the sour expression the attention received him before taking on a serious face again. "You shall be on time to pick her up tomorrow, am I right? I have seen her dress, and I am sure that you do not want to be late." He was held tightly as his daughter clung onto him, a smile on her face as she almost shouted with joy.

Gaara watched the affection between them; refusing to admit that the warm hand petting him did make him feel part of the embrace. When she spun around suddenly, crashing her lips to his, he wasn't about to argue. There was an intense moment where he could feel her father grow impatient instantly. Their lips separated when Lee was dragged away, watching after her heatedly. He chuckled at the glare he was receiving over her head; the fatherly love hadn't lasted long, had it?

"STOP MOLESTING MY DAUGHTER!! YOU HAVE POLLUTED HER MIND!" At the door, he turned back around, staring at the smile he had never before seen on his daughter's face as she waved excitedly at the hooligan that stole her away. He looked back to the redhead that had the slightest smile on his face. On second thought…"REMEMBER! DO NOT BE LATE, OR I SHALL HUNT YOU DOWN AND BREAK YOUR LEGS!!"

He laughed as all the redhead did was snort, riding away. His beautiful lotus watched after him for a moment before moving into the house before him, a goofy smile on her face. Yes, Lee was no longer just his, she belonged to another man now too…