XxGaaraloverxX
Morning awoke him, as he opened his eyes slowly, registering where he was at. He smelt someone else's scent, and looked up to notice it was Lee that was pressed right up against him. Gaara's eyes widened. What the hell was Lee doing holding him like this? Lee didn't like him that way, did he? Perhaps he did while he was sleeping, yeah. That thought seemed to bring down his spirits a bit, knowing that Lee didn't feel the same as Gaara did to him. Lee was still asleep, though, and he didn't want to wake him, so he blushed and stayed tucked into Lee's grasp, not moving at all, and breathing in his scent. The morning sun shone through the window, signaling that it was around 7-8 or so in the morning. He was surprised that he managed to sleep so soundly. Normally he would wake up in the middle of the night a lot. He is an insomniac, and this is the first time he has ever slept through an entire night in about three weeks. Could all he really needed was someone to hold onto at night?
JapanEmoGirl
Lee awoke. He slowly opened his eyes and yawned a little. He stopped, however, when he felt someone on his side. He blinked and looked to see an awake Gaara. The memories from yesterday hit him like a truck, and he smiled, "Morning Gaara. Did you have a good sleep?"
Lee didn't even realize that he was still holding Gaara. Maybe it was the fact that Lee couldn't even feel anything thing that the moment. His brain was too cluttered with thoughts about the redhead, "This is the first time someone woke up before me. I must have slept in. I normally wake up around 6 or 7 and start working around the house."
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara was really surprised when Lee woke up and didn't freak out when he found the redhead in his arms. He could have sworn that Lee would have shoved him away and yelled at him not to touch him, but instead he just smiled and spoke kindly to him like it was an everyday thing. "G-Good morning, Lee-san. A-Actually… I did. I haven't slept an entire night, like this, in weeks." He said as he smiled back, happy to have had a good night's sleep. Now it was Gaara's turn to ask the question, "Did you sleep well?" he was waiting for Lee to say 'no, I didn't because another man was snuggling up against me all night,' but he knew that Lee wouldn't say such a thing, right?
Gaara didn't know whether to pull away or not, waiting for Lee to make the first move, instead. "Oh, really? That is quite early." He must have known that Lee had a lot of work to do, since he lives on his own.
JapanEmoGirl
Lee thought, trying to remember his dream. He remembers bits of it, and from those bits he remembered it was a good dream, "Oh, yes. It's been year's sense I could sleep in, so it was wonderful. I had a good dream, too."
Lee nodded and slowly slid out of bed. He got some more clothes for himself, "You don't mind wearing those clothes until I wash the ones from yesterday, do you? If not, I can give you some more."
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara blinked, knowing well that the hard working citizens could never have a chance to sleep in. They were too busy working on the farm and trying to survive. "I am glad Lee. And what was your dream about? Could you tell me? I would be glad to hear it." He smiled and looked back up at Lee with a curious look.
When Lee slipped out of his grasp and off of the bed, Gaara frowned at the sudden loss and coldness that filled the air around him. Without Lee's warmth, it felt so lonely all of a sudden; but he sucked it up and moved on, not lingering on it. "N-No, I do not mind wearing these. Take your time; I can wear these all day. They are warm, comfortable, and lose fitting."
JapanEmoGirl
Lee grinned, remembering his dream, "Well, come outside with me if you want to hear about it."
He stepped out the door, and down stairs. He walked into the bathroom, and changed clothes as quickly as he could. He walked back upstairs, and into his room, throwing the used clothes into the basket, and picking it up, "I know the last thing you want to do it watch me work, but I'm afraid I have no other entertainment. I'm going to go wash the clothes in the back with the well. Come with me to hear my dream, if you'd like."
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara smiled and nodded, watching Lee go down the stairs and to the restroom. He stretched and yawned, stepping out of bed, walking towards the window and taking a peek outside. He could see his overbearing castle peering down at him from a distance and it only made him frown in distaste.
When Lee walked back up the stairs, Gaara giggled slightly and spoke back "Not at all. I'll help if you would like me to. I wouldn't mind. Trust me; this is more entertaining than being back at that boring castle." Gaara decided to fallow him outside, and awaited to listen to his dream that he had. His own dream was mostly just a black screen. Not dreaming of anything, but he was curious of what Lee dreamed of.
JapanEmoGirl
Lee walked up to the well, and smiled when he saw that his washboard and tub was still there next to it. He grabbed the bucket that was hanging by a string and tossed it in the well, making a small splash when it reached the bottom. Lee railed the bucket back up, and dumped the water into the tub. He let Gaara's clothes sit in there.
The backyard was perfect for an adult to relax and enjoy the wooded area afar. Children could play and run around, in the tree in the front yard. That showed a sign that Lee was playful. Right in the middle was the well. There was a porch, also, that had two chairs there. Maybe for two people to sit in and see the moon, or horizon.
"Well," Lee started about his dream, "in my dream, there was this man. He was a farmer to this old looking barn, and had miles of garden. Fruits, vegetables, flowers, anything you can think of. He had this dream to go to the castle, though, so every day, he'd fantasize about the princess, whose room was in the tallest tower. He'd sometimes just sit on his porch and just stare at the castle, wanting so much to be in there." Lee stopped. He had some sort of longing in his eyes.
Then, he started again, "One day, he met the Princess. It was love at first sight. But, the Princess was betrothed to someone else. So, their love was not to be. The Princess ran away from the kingdom with the man, and they lived happily ever after..." Lee was washing Gaara's clothing as he told his dream, "The man and Princess gave up their life to be with each other. I think that's the true meaning of love. Wanting to be with someone so much, that you're willing to give up your lifestyle."
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara stayed quite while he listened to the dream that Lee had. His eyes locked onto Lee as he explained what happened in his dream. Strangely, it sounded a lot like his own situation back at the castle. This 'princess' in Lee's story was a lot like him. He was supposed to be betrothed to someone, but ran away. Lee was a lot like the 'farmer' in the story, as Naruto told him that he used to have a crush on Sakura from the castle. So that could only mean that he has had dreams of becoming a part of the castle. The ending was a question, though. It hasn't happened. Lee was still here, living his life, caring for his land, and Gaara has already ran away from his castle home.
Then that other mysterious question remained. Did Lee love him? Would Lee make his dream come true? Would Gaara be his 'princess' and Lee would be Gaara's 'farmer'? Lee has been very generous to care for him while he has ran away from home, but it was strange that Lee hasn't even asked as to why he has. Surely if he were to take in someone let alone the king's son, as a runaway, wouldn't there be a reason. Perhaps Lee didn't care as to why he has left his home. Lee is just happy to have the prince by his side. Or perhaps something a little more than a friend. Gaara didn't know what to think of Lee's dream. It sounded a lot like the current time, almost like he was playing the story, it just wasn't finished yet, and Lee's dream was a becoming future for the both of them. Only time could tell, it seems.
"What a wonderful dream, Lee-san. I hope that someday your dreams come true." Gaara wasn't too sure if Lee was mentioning an actual female 'princess', but it was still a possibility. Gaara nodded, completely agreeing with Lee's logic, "I completely agree with you, Lee-san. True love can only exist if they give up everything just to be with them. Whether rich or poor, love knows no boundaries."
JapanEmoGirl
Lee smiled and nodded, "You know," he stood up and hung the clothes on the clothes line, "it used to be my dream to go to the castle. I wanted to walk through those doors, and be greeted by everyone. I even had a small crush on Princess Sakura..." Lee chuckled, "It's silly. But, it was when I was a kid. Even now, but I recently got over it. I didn't really 'fit in' back then, so of course I had such an unreachable dream."
Lee stared off at the castle with a dreamed look, and then shook his head, getting back to the washing, "But, now that I think about it, I don't think it would be fun if someone did everything for me. I enjoy doing things. I bet you can tell me all about that, huh Gaara-kun?" Lee laughed and stopped, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm going on and on about myself."
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara cringed when Lee mentioned that Sakura, again. It made him sick just thinking about that woman. Speaking of which, he was wondering when the country would go on high alert for Gaara's disappearance. He has never been away from home for more than a day, so it was only a matter of time before the king would send out the army and cavalry to go and search for him. The fate of the kingdom rests in his hands of that marriage, even though he didn't want to go through with it. There was nothing that he could say or do to make them understand that he simply did not love that wretched woman.
Gaara didn't know what more to say when Lee decided to drop his dream, and call it childish. It kind of made him a bit sad that Lee gave up on his childhood dreams. Isn't that one's purpose in life? To never give up on your dreams? No matter how childish they are? He blinked when Lee spoke again, and confirmed himself that, that dream was not wanted, referring back to the prince. "Heh, definitely." Gaara responded, rolling his eyes at the memories that played through his head. If he didn't make such a fuss, he could have sworn that the maids would have bathed him. They did absolutely everything, and never let him be.
"Hm, not a problem, Lee-san. I like to listen to you talk. I never get to hear anyone speak so honestly, it is quite intriguing." Gaara giggled, and smiled. "W-Would you like some help? I could assist you with something. Just tell me what to do." He didn't want poor Lee to do all of the work. It made him feel pathetic.
JapanEmoGirl
Lee blinked and looked at Gaara. He doesn't hear people talk? Do people talk to Gaara? He grinned and nodded, "I would like some help, thank you. You see though buckets on the porch? Can you go and get them? Then fill them with water from the well." Lee pointed at the three buckets on the porch.
XxGaaraloverxX
"Alright, I got it." Gaara looked to where Lee pointed and walked over to the buckets, picking up two of them, getting the other one last, since he could only carry two at a time. He placed them down next to the well, and attached the rope to one of the buckets, and dropped it inside of the well. A splash was heard, and Gaara pulled the bucket up, with a heave, and managed to pull it out without any major spills. One down two to go.
Gaara managed to fill up the other two buckets, within around five minutes, and pulled an arm over his forehead. It felt good to actually do something himself for a change. To, not, rely on others for assistance. The three buckets sat near the well, filled completely with water, and Gaara looked back at Lee. "I'm done. Where would you like these buckets? Do you need me to do anything else for you, Lee-san?"
JapanEmoGirl
Lee grinned and dumped the now dirty water out of the tub. He pinned the wet clothes on the clothes line. He put the tub and wash board next to the well, where it was before, and stood up, "Thank you," Lee said, and grabbed two of the buckets, pickings them up, "can you grabbed that bucket and follow me? I got to refill my water tanks in the house."
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara blinked when Lee lifted two of the filled buckets without a sweat. Even he was having a hard time filling them and lifting them up from the well. Lee was very strong, making him blush a bit, and leaned down to grab the last bucket. Gaara grunted and lifted it with a strain. He knew that he wasn't a very strong man, so lifting a big bucket full of water was a hard task for him, but he managed. "C-Coming." He strained, as he fallowed Lee to the water tanks to put some water in his household.
JapanEmoGirl
Lee saw Gaara struggling. But, he didn't say anything. He knew that Gaara wanted to help, so he let him.
The fighting master stepped into the house, holding the door for Gaara, then walked to the kitchen. He sat the buckets down on the wooden floor, "just set the buckets down, this will take a while, Gaara-kun."
Lee opened the small cabinet under the sink, and, with a grunt, pulled out a large metal tank. He unhooked it from the sink, opened the lid, and stood up, "The insides dirty. I'll be right back." he left to the bathroom, and a few minutes later, came back out with a piece of wet cloth. He got down again, and scrubbed the insides of the tank, "Gaara-kun," Lee said quickly, having done with the silence, "do you like horses?"
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara nodded at Lee for holding the door open for him, and walked into the house. When Lee told him to lay the buckets down, he did with a sigh of relief, kneeling down and gently placing the bucket down with the rest of them with a light thud. When he heard that the inside of the tank was dirty, he nodded as Lee walked off to retrieve a wet cloth and started to clean it. Gaara knelt next to Lee, ready to assist whenever he would need him.
When Lee called his hand, he looked towards him again, taking his attention off of Lee cleaning, and looking at the side of his face. "Oh, yes. I love horses. I love to ride. I do jumping and polo, when I was back at the castle. I have my own horse there, too. His name is Shukaku. He's an elite Eventer, and a polo horse, he has a few titles that I have won. Do you like horses, Lee-san?" Just thinking of his steed, made him miss the stables, as a sad look appeared on his face. He loved to go there and just ride bareback on his big Frisian, and gallop the fields. He was wondering if they were treating him ok without him there.
JapanEmoGirl
Lee smiled, "I love horses. When I was young, I had a horse. His name was Lotus. He was a beauty," Lee sighed, "but, one day, he got sick, and my dad had to put him down. It was awful."
When the cleaning was done, Lee put the cloth aside, and stood up. He grabbed one of the buckets, and began to poor slowly, not wanting to get any of the water on the floor, "I never learned any of those tricks, polo, or anything like that. I just liked to ride Lotus bareback. Sometimes, I'd pretend I was a handsome knight and rode my horse to the castle, which was that big tree in the front. My best friends, Naruto, TenTen, and Neji would play with me, and we'd put on shows for our parents, and sometimes the neighbors. Naruto would be the terrible dragon; TenTen would be the story teller, and Neji the fair Princess." Lee laughed at the memory of Neji in that oversized gown, "He still complains about it. I think I have some pictures of back then. My mom would always take photos of us. It was sort of her hobby, I guess."
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara smiled when Lee said that he loves horses as much as he did. But he frowned when he told him that the poor horse had to be put down. "Aw, that must have been so horrible. I am so sorry, Lee-san." Gaara put his hand on Lee's shoulder, in empathy. He didn't know what he would do if poor Shukaku was ever put down. He hopes that he will live long and prosper.
When he heard the little story of Lee's fairytales of him being a knight in shining armor, he laughed kindly along with Lee. "That must have been fun~, heh. I would have much rather been playing like that than training. As you know, I didn't have friends growing up, so I had nothing better to do than to train Shukaku. We would train for jumping competitions, and polo games. I would have much rather play games like that than to be forced to train so much." He looked over at Lee, and could imagine him galloping along on one of the cavalry horses.
Lee would be on a white stallion, a paladin cape draping down the horses flanks, as he galloped in from the horizon. The mighty steed would rear up and neigh loudly for the world to head their oncoming presence. Lee would be wearing a body suit of armor, suitable to the knights that they would wear now-a-days. Gaara would be looking down from his bedroom window and witness the knight. With a jolt he would run out of the castle, and leap onto that stallion, and grab onto Lee, hanging on as the horse would rear up again, and gallop off into the distance, taking him away from this horrid castle.
Gaara blinked and shook his head; he had a vivid imagination at times, and hoped that he didn't have a dazed look in his face. "O-Oh, you have pictures? If you could find them, would you care to show me after we finish here?" Gaara asked with a soft smile. He placed his hands on the bottom of the barrel that Lee was holding just in case he was to drop it and spill it on the ground. He just wanted to be safe.
JapanEmoGirl
Lee smiled at how much Gaara was telling him. Now he knows just a little bit about his past, "Well, you can count me and Naruto as a friend, Gaara-kun."
Lee finished, and put the bucket down, hooking the sink back up, and pushed hard at the tank so it was back in place, "Sure," Lee answered Gaaras question, "it would be fun to see old pictures. I think they would be in that guest room. It must be in that box..." Lee shook his head, "Next is the bathroom sink, and shower."
He picked up one of the buckets and led the way to the bathroom, making sure Gaara was following him. Once there, he did the same to the sink as he did the other. Unhooked it, cleaned, refill, hook back up, and put back into place, "Alright, two down, one to go."
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara could only smile, when Lee told him that he would be his friend, and so would that other blond boy that he met the night before. As gently as he could, he put his hand onto Lee's and looked up at him. "Thank you, Lee-kun." This time, he pronounced his name with a –kun, this time. He has grown on Lee, and his feelings for him only grew stronger.
When Lee was finished with this tank, Gaara lifted the other bucket and fallowed Lee into the bathroom, placing it down on the ground next to Lee, as he go to work cleaning out this tank to fill it with water, and place it back. Gaara lifted up the bucket again, and nodded to Lee when they had the last tank to do. He was proud of himself that he could do something on his own, and help others.
JapanEmoGirl
Lee opened the small closet in the bathroom, and in there was another metal tank, "I don't have to unhook this one, so this is the easy part." Lee opened the lid, and took the bucket, pouring slowly. He ran his hand under the water, and lightly splashed Gaara. He chuckled and finished, putting the lid back on, and closing the closet door.
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara put his hands up as he was splashed with water, a laugh escaping from his throat. "Lee-san, ha-ha, stop that~!" He laughed with a joke, he wasn't always such a serious guy; he could play around if he wanted to. The water managed to catch his face, he didn't expect that splash at all. Giggling, he ran his arms over his face to try and wipe away the water. His hair got a bit wet, but it was ok, it was a bit refreshing.
"hehe… Is that all the tanks? Are we done here?" Gaara asked as he smiled up at Lee. He, actually, didn't mind working. As long as he had Lee, he felt like he could do anything.
JapanEmoGirl
Lee smiled and walked out of the bathroom, with all the buckets in his hands, "Yup. We are done. Now, we may have some breakfast. Say, Gaara-kun, do you know how to cook?" Lee asked, a little hit of sly in his voice.
XxGaaraloverxX
He smiled and stood up to walk with Lee to the kitchen. He was starving; he hasn't had a bite to eat since the day before yesterday. But, Gaara paused, his whole world coming to a halt, when Lee asked him that question. He surely did not know how to cook at all. He could probably boil water wrong if it was up to him. That was one thing that he truly never did for himself. When he was in the castle, he would just go to the table and order whatever he wished. Usually, it would be simple stuff like sandwiches, but he still didn't know how to cook for himself. "U-Uh…" Gaara gulped, he was so useless. He was just a burden to Lee, now. "N-N… No…" He whispered out, softly. He was hoping that Lee wouldn't be disappointed in him for not knowing how to cook at all. "I-I am sorry. I really do not know how to cook, at all."
JapanEmoGirl
Lee smiled, "then I'll teach you," he walked out the back door and put the buckets back at their place, and walked back in. He frowned and scratched his head, "i have to go to town for some food, though. You can stay here if you like. I don't think you want to go out there with all those guards everywhere." He chuckled, remembering how he ran from them yesterday.
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara blinked when Lee claimed that he would have to go into town for the food. It made him swallow with fright of being caught. He didn't want to leave, not back to that horrid castle that he ran from. He had to go with Lee, though, to help him carry it back. He didn't seem to own a horse or a wagon to carry stuff in so an extra pair of hands will be helpful for poor Lee. "I-I'll go with you. You don't have to carry it by yourself. I just need to find my hood and I'll be fine." He blinked and looked up at Lee with a caring gaze. Poor Lee was doing everything for him, and it made him feel terrible.
What if the guards were to come by the house? He knew that if his status in missing became publically known then they would be forced to go to homes and search for the missing prince. He didn't know if he could be able to outrun them if they managed to catch him here. He didn't want to worry Lee, though. He will stay if he wants him to. "B-But I will stay if you wish for me to. I just wish to cause as little trouble for you as possible."
JapanEmoGirl
Lee went outside of a moment, the came back in with Gaara's clothes, fully dry, "You're no trouble at all! I love having you here. It's nice to have someone to talk to." he handed Gaara his clothes, and went to the kitchen, grabbed a basket, and went back to Gaara's side.
"Well, I just want to get some more bread and dairy. Naruto threw out my dairy and bread. Must have gone bad." Lee smiled at him. Gaara really was a big help around here. He hadn't had talked to anyone at his house is so long. Of, course, he was gone for over five years, but even before then it was lonely, "it will give us time to get to know each other better."
XxGaaraloverxX
Gaara smiled when Lee brought out his disguise for blending into the scenery of the townsfolk. He nodded in thanks, and listened to his caretaker tear down his current boundary for trying to stay as invisible as possible in Lee's life. The last thing he wanted was to burden Lee with his presence. Perhaps he could pay for Lee's groceries, he had a decent about of gold coins on him, plenty enough to buy a couple of steeds if he wanted. "Thank you, Lee-san. I am happy to be here, and glad that you enjoy my presence." He bowed slightly in thanks.
Gaara nodded in understanding of what he would need from the town, He could definitely afford getting some bread and milk for him. Heck, he could purchase a few cattle for what he is carrying. "Of course, Lee-san. I'll pay for it, it is the least I could do." Gaara gave a sparkling gaze at Lee when he offered to get to know one another, a bit better. He would love to know more about his caretaker. "I would love to." He just felt so giddy from having someone to call a friend for once.
Gaara walked down to the bathroom, closed and locked the door. He quickly dressed, and pulled the cloak over his body, and walked back out without the hood on. He didn't need it now, but when he would step outside he knew that he would have to hide his identity. "I'm ready to go, Lee-san." He spoke up, quietly, folding his hands in front of him; it was a natural reaction, when he was standing still, once he would start moving, he would hope that no one would recognize his stride. He walked with pride, and was raised to show a significance of power, but he didn't mean to do it.
JapanEmoGirl
Lee blinked when Gaara said he'd pay for it. He didn't want to trouble Gaara with having to pay for him. But, he let him. It's just bread and dairy. Nothing big. It would only take ten or so gold coins. And, sense Lee just came home yesterday, he didn't have much money. He just hoped taxes didn't come by his house today.
When Gaara came out, Lee was putting on his shoes. He got up and smiled at the smaller male. A twinkle of love in his eye. Goodness, Gaara was beautiful. Lee wondered why he hadn't seen him in the kingdom before. If he was betrothed to Princess Sakura, shouldn't he live here, and already be married to the pink haired female? Gaara did say that he didn't like her much, why is that? And, why did he run from the castle in the first place? These questions have to be answered; maybe Lee can ask them later.
"Alright then!" Lee, pulling away from his thoughts, happily said, "Let's go." he opened the door, and held it for the Prince, smiling all the way.