DR Ch. 23, part two
Read part one first!
"I'm here to see Tsunade. Now."
With that introduction, Gaara went straight over the wall, leaving Lee to trail after him spouting excuses to the various Konoha ANBU who had materialized around them in the hopes he could stop this from ending in violence.
"Sorry! It's okay! This is Gaara-sama, the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Tsunade-sama knows him. Foreign dignitary- means no harm- Don't- please don't stand in front of him- No!...Sorry about that, make sure you wash those scratches out well or they can get infected. Please nobody else grab him like that- Gaara? Wait! Sorry please let us through!"
Fortunately it was well past midnight by the time they'd made it to Konoha on the second day, so there weren't too many potential obstacles to get in Gaara's way as they walked towards the nerve center of the Hidden Village.
They'd made exceedingly good time, but the pace had tested even Lee's strength, and he was more used to purely physical feats of endurance than his boyfriend was. Gaara had been perfectly silent these past two days, not that they'd had the breath for chit-chat. He never complained, and refused all of Lee's offers to take a break and wait for Kankuro and the two ANBU to catch up. Lee didn't know why they were in such a great hurry, but something in Gaara's silence and in the relentless rhythm of their race had drained the questions out of him. He could barely wonder now what they were going to say to the Hokage, or how embarrassing this was going to be; he could only worry about his lover. Gaara was tired, and that was dangerous. To start with, it made him even less civil and patient than he was ordinarily, which was hardly all that much to begin with.
But the ANBU of Konoha were no fools. They shadowed their unexpected visitor as they had since he and Lee had passed Konoha's outer perimeter, but they made no attempts to stop him. They also ran on ahead and made sure the other guards Gaara might encounter were forewarned not to ask for his papers or try to turn him away. Especially violently. Lee glanced back guiltily, though he could no longer see the wall and the guard station they'd passed. Fortunately that Chuunin patroller hadn't been more than lightly sanded when his hand had been slapped away. He really shouldn't have tried to push Gaara around like that anyway; that had been rude.
There was only the ANBU in the administration building, which probably meant they'd discreetly evacuated whatever Shinobi and assistants might still have been working there so late at night. Lee led Gaara up the familiar staircase and along the hall. He remembered walking down this same corridor when the Godaime had summoned him to tell him about the surprising assignment to Suna nearly a year and a half ago. Lee reached the Hokage's office, politely knocked- Gaara came up right behind him, opened the door, took Lee by the wrist and pulled him into the room before the Jounin could protest.
Tsunade-sama was at her desk where she spent most of her time, Shizune a familiar presence at her side. Morino Ibiki, the head of Konoha's ANBU, was at her other shoulder and speaking to her quietly. She'd obviously been waiting for them, she must have known of their presence as soon as they'd entered Konoha territory. But she still managed to look extremely surprised as she noticed their joined hands.
"Shizune, get out my largest bottle of booze. I'm going to need it," the Hokage growled, her head sinking into one hand.
Shizune didn't oblige. She was clutching some folders to her chest and staring at the Kazekage. Gaara's effort at making it to Konoha in so short a time had eroded his usual control, and his chakra was leaking. Even Lee, who loved him dearly, had to admit that Gaara's unleashed presence was a bit alarming. For a sharp and sensitive medi-nin like Shizune-san, it must feel as pleasant as a migraine.
Ibiki straightened up and bowed.
"Kazekage-sama. Is your escort outside our territory, waiting for you?"
"No, but they'll be here in a few hours," Gaara answered, eyes flicking towards the Leaf Jounin.
"I'll see that my men know it." Ibiki made a gesture at someone behind Lee. A sense of movement, and they were alone in Tsunade-sama's office with only Ibiki, Shizune and one other ANBU standing discreetly in the far corner.
Tsunade-sama was staring at them fixedly. "So you two brats decided to give me grey hairs," she suddenly snapped with the tact and diplomacy that characterized her leadership.
Gaara let go of Lee's wrist and crossed his arms over his chest. The movement brought Tsunade's attention fully on him, much to Lee's relief.
"Temari told me there is a rumor circulating about Lee and me," Gaara said without even a greeting.
"Rumor? Is that what it is?" Tsunade asked derisively.
"No," Gaara answered, since he tended to miss things like sarcasm when he was in this kind of dangerous, single-minded mood. "It's true. Lee and I are lovers."
Lee went bright red and Shizune fumbled one of her folders, but nobody else in the room looked particularly shocked or surprised.
"Really?" Tsunade-sama drawled, eyes hard. "Strike me sober if I saw that one coming when you two burst into my office hand in hand."
"Were you planning on recalling Lee?" Gaara interrupted, the monotone barely lifting at the end to mark a question.
"Yes I was, actually. I thought the whole thing was a joke, but I wanted him back here so that he could stand up before the Konoha council and tell them to stop smoking whatever they'd put in their pipes. More fool me, I guess."
"Are you going to recall him now?"
"Now more than ever," Tsunade answered shortly.
Gaara didn't look surprised at her answer, but Lee certainly was. Surprised and horrified. He'd concentrated on running these past two days, the rhythm and pulse of his chakra and the burn in his body distracting him. He'd had one goal in mind, on which he'd focused entirely; get back to Konoha, talk to Tsunade-sama, explain, and then it would all be All Right.
Lee had never contemplated the fact that it might not be All Right even after they'd explained.
"I will not have him prosecuted or sanctioned just because some politician is playing a powergame against you," Gaara started to say, voice flat, unhurried and with disquieting undertones.
"He won't be," Tsunade-sama interrupted. Her eyes had flashed and she'd crossed her fingers beneath her chin with the deliberation of a warrior drawing a weapon. "It was my decision to send Lee to Suna. I'll accept the consequences. I won't make a scapegoat out of one of my own men. I'll protect him. Even from his own bad decisions."
Her eyes rested briefly on Lee, cold and stern and with just a flicker of regret. Lee had the feeling this conversation had dangerous undercurrents he could not see but that were just waiting to pull him under. His own bad decisions? What was Tsunade-sama talking about?
"He's coming back to Suna with me," Gaara stated. Once more Lee had the oddest feeling he'd missed half the conversation, yet his ears were wide open.
"Just like that?" Tsunade snapped. "What did you suggest, that he become a missing-"
"I would be very careful about what you say next," Gaara said softly.
"Are you threatening me?" Tsunade asked with a ragged smile that showed a lot of teeth.
"No, I'm warning you. There's a difference."
Lee closed his eyes and lifted a hand to call attention to himself, while he tried to think of a way he could possibly apologize for his boyfriend's behavior without having to cut off his little finger in atonement, or some other ancient ritual of exoneration.
Everybody ignored him.
"Kazekage-sama," Tsunade said, her fingers tightening on each other. The honorific had sounded anything but polite. "You may be the ally of my village, but Lee is my responsibility, and-"
Then she tilted her head, sat back in her chair and her hands slid apart to flip up as if she was tossing something away.
"Fine. Whatever. If he's no longer a Shinobi, then he'll drop beneath everyone's radar and I won't care what he does. He can go back to Suna with you as a civilian. Would that work for you, Kazekage-sama?"
What...?
"Not acceptable."
Gaara's words had cracked around the room like a whip almost before Tsunade had stopped talking. He hadn't even glanced at Lee. But his hand had fastened on Lee's fingers, nearly crushing them.
The faint pain was a slender lifeline that he clung to. He was dizzy, and his body felt hollow and cold. He barely noticed how the ANBU in the corner stiffened and Ibiki's hand casually dropped beneath his coat as Gaara's chakra flared and burned.
"I thought you might suggest that," Gaara said in a voice as cold as a death threat. "It's what Suna would expect of him if he were one of ours. But for Lee, that is not possible. Being a Shinobi has always been his dream, the justification of his existence. And he is an excellent Shinobi. Stripping him of that is not an option."
Tsunade was staring at him. There was surprise in her eyes.
"Yeah, I know," she finally said. Her eyes didn't leave Gaara, but she made an irritated 'stand down' gesture at Ibiki, whose hand drifted out from under his coat again. "I should know, I'm the one who put him back together again six years ago when someone almost took that dream away from him. Remember that? You know, it's funny, I could swear you were involved."
Lee felt Gaara's flinch through the hold on his fingers. He squeezed Gaara's hand instinctively.
Tsunade stared at them both, her face unreadable, and then she shook her head.
"Even if Lee said he'd accept such a solution, I wouldn't let him," she concluded without her previous biting sarcasm. "I'm glad you see that too, Gaara. But beyond that, I'm afraid you are being rather short-sighted. You're eighteen, so I guess that's normal. You obviously realize that Lee is of Konoha and you are of Suna, and that this fling of yours can’t possibly have a future, but you're still hoping the world will turn out the way you want it to." There was something tired and bitter in Tsunade-sama's expression now, but her anger at Gaara seemed to have passed. "I learned when I wasn't much older than you are that it just doesn't work that way."
"We have to make it work that way," Gaara stated shortly.
"You're not listening, kid."
"We have to. I need him. And Lee has told me that he needs me too. But I cannot ask him to do this. I will not make him choose between me and his dream. We have to find a way out of this. Please."
Tsunade stared at him, and Lee hoped she finally realized that Gaara might be blunt - his voice was still a cutting monotone as charming as the buzz of a drill - but that behind it there was a real plea he just could not formulate any other way.
"Ugh, children!" Tsunade growled, scrubbing her ash-blonde hair. Then she was distracted by Ibiki who leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"Gaara," Lee said softly, staring at his lover's profile. Gaara's eyes were fixed straight ahead, and to anyone else his expression might have appeared cold, but Lee could read past that now.
"We'll find a way out of this." Gaara's voice was soft and for his ears alone. "I promised I would never hurt you again. I will not hurt you again."
"I know," Lee whispered, squeezing the fingers that grasped his own.
"Give me a break, Ibiki," Tsunade groused loudly, bringing their attention back to her. "You know I don't give a dog's fart about those sons of a sick goat in the Daimyo's court. They can go hang for all I care. But internally, do you know how bad this is going to look? And in regards to the other Kages, and to the Council-...oh, sod it all."
Tsunade sighed heavily, and turned her glare from Ibiki to Gaara.
"What exactly are you suggesting?" she asked with ill grace. "I'm warning you right now, I'm probably not going to like it."
A dazed and puzzled Lee caught the quick glance she gave the two lovers. Strange...her tone said 'I don't like it'; her eyes seemed to say 'please persuade me'.
"Lee will be detached in Sunagakure as a Jounin of Konoha, without any harassment or stain to his reputation," Gaara answered, a picture of icy composure once more. Lee had been concentrating on running these past two days, but Gaara must have been making this list in his head. Maybe he had expected most of this conversation. "He'll accompany me on any mission I might have. I've never been able to stop him from coming with me, I doubt you'll be able to, for all you're his superior officer. He will still receive missions from Konoha, as well as joint missions as decided by whatever new envoy you send us. But I request a right of veto on any S-rank mission you might give him, and I'll accompany him if I can."
"Gaara!" Lee squawked, horrified. How could his lover expect Tsunade-sama to agree to any of that?!
Tsunade stared at the Kazekage, brown eyes wide for a few seconds. And then she smiled. It was an expression that Lee would have gladly run away from.
"I see," she purred. "Lee?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama?" Lee quavered.
"Since it turns out you are indeed sleeping with this nuisance, and this whole rumor thing is serious, we need weapons to defend ourselves against any enemy who might try to use it against us. So I want you to go with Ibiki and tell him absolutely everything there is to know about this little tryst of yours. Take your time. It appears that the Kazekage and I have a lot to talk about." Tsunade-sama's eyes hadn't left Gaara's.
"Um, can't I stay and-"
"Out," Tsunade ordered without looking at him.
"Go, Lee," Gaara said softly without breaking eye contact either, but his fingers squeezed Lee's once before nudging him in the direction of the door and releasing him. "I'll come find you when I'm done here."
Oh dear.
Lee followed Ibiki-san in a daze induced by fatigue, an ebb in stamina and extreme worry that his boss might try to strangle his overly-blunt boyfriend at some point in the next few minutes.
He sat down mechanically where Ibiki pointed, but he didn't pay any attention to his surroundings until something plunked down in front of him.
Food!
"Is this for me?" Lee whimpered, his fingers hovering over the plate of cold meats, rice balls and dried fruit.
"Yes. I figured you'd be hungry if you ran fast enough to leave the Kazekage's escort several hours behind."
"Thank you so much itadakemasu," Lee mumbled, his mouth already wrapped around a piece of beef.
They'd ended up in the admin compound kitchens. The large room, where cooks prepared banquets for visiting dignitaries, was huge, silent and dark around them. Some food was always available and a pot of tea was kept brewing all night for the Hokage; Lee knew this because Gaara had the same arrangement. Ibiki had taken the seat opposite. He was sipping some of the fragrant green tea. Lee noticed a steaming cup near his own hand, and grabbed it and drained it in a second despite the piping hot liquid on his tongue. Then he stuffed an entire rice ball into his mouth and chewed reverently. Gaara, grim and driven, had not let them rest or eat anything other than soldier pills these past two days, which even for Lee was a bit of a strain as he didn't have Gaara's huge chakra to rely on and turn into stamina.
"How long have you and Gaara been having sex?" Ibiki asked calmly over the rim of his cup, and then leaned back to avoid getting rice coughed up over him.
"Wh-wh-what?"
"Tsunade-sama did mention you would have to tell me about it. Remember?"
"Er, yes," Lee croaked, toying with a dried apricot on his plate, his face a brilliant red.
"Then let us begin."
The hour that followed was one of the most uncomfortable in Lee's life. Ibiki didn't just want to know how long Lee had been sleeping with Gaara; he wanted to know exactly when each encounter had occurred, where, what had happened before and after, how noisy they might have been, where they'd gotten the lube...Ibiki-san seemed remarkably conversant with the ins and outs of it all. Lee continued to eat because his body desperately craved it, but Ibiki's relentless questions seasoned all the dishes with utter embarrassment. Lee reminded himself that this was for the good of both villages, buried his face in his plate and answered as honestly as he could.
Fortunately the questions soon went from the details of Lee's indiscretion to more important facts. So he and Gaara had been sleeping together for a little over seven weeks. Who in Suna had known? Who could have found out? Who could they have told? How had some politicians in the two Daimyo's courts and Konoha discovered this when it appeared that the greatest part of both villages were still in blissful ignorance?
Lee discovered, as he answered, that he knew a great deal more about Suna and its politics than he'd have thought, even though he'd never really thought about it that much. And from the trend of Ibiki's questions, he learned more about Konoha's inner rivalries than he'd ever wanted to know. Apparently Tsunade-sama's brand of tough hands-on leadership was highly appreciated by her Shinobi, but a lot less by the civilian leaders and councilors that managed the part of Konoha keeping its small army functional and running. And she didn’t get along very well with the politicians at the Daimyo's court, who liked to think they were in control of this dangerous little place on their map rather than acknowledge an equal footing.
Lee was left staring at the demolished plate of food.
"Gaara said I was an excellent Shinobi," he muttered despondently. "But if that was true, I would have seen this coming. I knew I had to warn the Hokage- I would have as soon as I had a mission back here. I expected to get yelled at, maybe have to renounce my post and- and see Gaara less often, but I never thought...I can never look underneath the underneath as fully as I should."
"True, though some would say you saw further than most when you looked at Gaara," Ibiki said, pouring himself some more tea. "Yes, you got yourself into a mess, and it's probably true that a Shinobi with the emotional control we try to teach would not have fallen for him, or would have tried to gain some advantage out of the situation. I doubt such a man would have gotten anywhere near Gaara, though. We are no longer merely the Daimyo's spies and assassins, as we were before the First founded Konohagakure. We are a village, a whole. We still need infiltrators and killers, but we also need warriors. You're one of the latter, and nobody in this village would say that you are not a good Shinobi for that. Not within Gai's hearing, anyway. For what it's worth, the Hokage trusts you implicitly. It's why she let you take that post out there in the first place, even though you're obviously not cut out to be much of a diplomat."
Lee had at least the knowledge that he'd never let his feelings for Gaara interfere with his work in Suna. He hadn't betrayed that trust. It soothed his conscience a bit.
"If anything, I blame myself," Ibiki added, though he didn't sound particularly contrite. "I'm the paranoid bastard who's supposed to keep an eye out for the sort of problem a warrior might miss. I - and Gai and Kakashi - noticed that your affection towards the Kazekage was running dangerously deep when we removed Orochimaru's seal on Gaara's powers, a couple of months ago. There were notes in your file that you were inclined towards your own gender...but your profile also indicated that you are capable of amazingly strong friendships. We hoped it was no more than that. And of course, even if you did have a crush on him, it would never have occurred to me that Gaara of the Desert could respond to that. So when I heard some disturbing news out of Suna, I treated it like a dangerous attempt at destabilizing our envoy. I didn't think it was actually true."
"You mean the rumors that we were together?" Lee asked, blinking sleepily. The food, the warmth of the kitchen and the fatigue of the trip were wearing him down.
"No," Ibiki answered slowly. "That I might have believed. With a stretch of the imagination. It was the exact nature of the rumors we heard that made the whole thing sound unlikely."
Lee looked at him with a twinge of curiosity. "What rumors exactly, sir?" He remembered Temari mentioning the gossip had had an ugly spin to it.
Ibiki looked at him in silence, then he sipped his tea and answered without the slightest inflection: "That the Kazekage had seduced you in an attempt to turn you against Konoha."
Lee blinked at him-
Then his chair hit the ground with a smash and the wood of the table splintered beneath his fingers. "What?! That's a lie! That's- despicable!"
"Of course. That's the point. Don't shout, Lee. My ANBU have had a busy night already."
Lee mumbled a halfhearted apology and righted his chair, temper still boiling.
Ibiki shrugged. "It was the spin they used to make it look as bad as possible. Quite masterful. Two young people screwing each other isn't that big a deal. Amazing, yes, seeing who's involved, but hardly enough to make a village-shaking scandal out of it. Someone went to great lengths to make sure this sounded as sordid as possible."
"Orochimaru," Lee ground out.
"Maybe. Or one of his allies. Or some other enemy altogether. We will find out who eventually," Ibiki murmured, and surely somewhere their enemy must have felt the cold shiver of someone walking over his grave.
"It's a good thing you came forward, the both of you," Ibiki added. "It could have gotten messy otherwise. Though of course, we know you, Rock Lee. We would never have made you a Jounin or let you to go to Suna if we thought you could betray us that easily. And we believe in Gaara's commitment to the peace. He would not move lightly against our envoy or us. On top of that, Gaara would not really be adept at seducing anybody. Hell, he's hard put to be polite and diplomatic at the best of times. The very idea of the Kazekage trying to turn on a charm offensive is enough to make me wish I was drinking something stronger than tea."
Despite his respect for a superior officer, Lee still bristled on behalf of his lover, though he couldn't exactly deny Ibiki's point.
"You said Temari is the one trying to debunk this on the Suna side, correct?" Ibiki asked, changing the subject.
"Yes sir."
"Good. I'll coordinate with her and see if we can figure out where this originated. We might even be able to find us a spy or two if we can track this down. The important thing is that this should not cause any kind of friction in our alliance."
"Do you think it could?" Lee asked, his third cup of tea creaking under his suddenly tense fingers.
"The rumors certainly weren't pretty. But since the pair of you have now indicated that this thing is serious, not a gambit on Suna's part to gain control over you...now it's just embarrassing all around. We'll try to keep it quiet until Sound goes down, if the two of you could please keep that in mind and continue to be discreet. More discreet than bursting in on us all and plowing through the village together like you just did. We'll figure out something to explain Gaara's presence here, since it will be all over the village by morning. After we've defeated Sound...Tsunade-sama will need a new Envoy in Suna. And she's going to lose face over all this, though I think she's going to find a way to recoup that."
Ibiki fixed him with an uncompromising gaze before Lee could inquire how she was going to do that exactly.
"You are about to lose several points on your security clearance, Jounin, whatever the Kazekage has to say on that matter. I don't know if you'll be getting many missions to start with. But I think Tsunade-sama will eventually recognize that having one of our soldiers live so far west might come in handy. Save on travel time, especially in case of emergencies. Suna might not see it quite so positively. Our villages were enemies six years ago, and now you're sleeping with their leader. You might encounter some hostility from people you live and work with. As for Gaara, he might also meet with considerable disapproval. It could affect his efficiency as a leader."
"Oh no! His people respect him way too much to-..."
Lee's gaze dropped from Ibiki's piercing sceptical one to look into the muddle of leaves at the bottom of his teacup. "Um, those councilors who don't respect him as much as they should, well, they're sort of still scared of him, so I don't think they'll be able to do much," he acknowledged in a mumble.
"So I gathered. But he has a weakness now. It will be up to him to keep them in hand. I suspect that won't be too hard. Speak of the devil..."
Lee felt it too; a flicker of chakra from the other side of the door. It was much calmer and less strained than previously. Lee hoped that meant all had gone well with Tsunade-sama.
"I might have a few more questions for you, Lee, but the debriefing is over for now," Ibiki announced, getting to his feet. "I'll let the two of you go get a bit of rest. You'll need it."
"Thank you, sir. And...I'm sorry. For all the trouble."
"Yes." Ibiki stood staring down at him until Lee stood up to face him. "This day may have more far-reaching consequences for you than you can imagine, Lee. And I hope you realize, from here on out there is no turning back."
"Never been very good at it anyway, sir," Lee admitted.
A wintry smile crossed Ibiki's ruined features. "Yes, I know. Which reminds me, go and say hello to Gai before you leave, because for the Hokage's peace of mind she's going to pretend you no longer exist for awhile. It might be a couple of years before you can come back to Konoha to visit."
Lee nodded with tired resignation and headed towards the door, after grabbing a few rice balls and an apple from the remains of his meal.
Gaara was waiting for him in the hallway outside, leaning against the far wall, eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest. The gourd was on the ground at his side.
"Gaara." Despite common sense assuring him that the Hokage wouldn't harm the leader of another village except out of the severest provocation, Lee felt awash with relief at seeing his boyfriend. "Here, I got you something to eat. And we-"
Gaara turned away, hoisting the gourd into its halter. "We're leaving."
"Kazekage-sama," Ibiki murmured as he followed Lee out of the kitchen. Gaara's eyes flickered dismissively over the man, making Lee wince at the lack of civility, but Ibiki didn't seem to particularly mind. He left as discreetly as one would expect the leader of the ANBU to leave, melting into the shadows in the blink of an eye.
"Gaara, we should rest first, and here, eat this-"
"I'm not hungry, and we'll rest outside of Konoha territory," Gaara answered, marching along the hallway towards the distant doors.
"Why? Ibiki-san told me we can rest here, they have guest rooms. I'll stand guard for you-"
"I'm not staying here a minute more than I have to. That woman," Gaara added neutrally, "I would hate to have her as an enemy."
"Huh? You mean the Hokage?"
"Yes."
"I don't understand. She...she is letting me go back with you, right?" Lee asked anxiously.
Gaara snorted. "Of course, but she made me pay for it."
"Pay?" Lee asked sharply, accelerating so that he was walking a step ahead of Gaara and looking back into his lover's face. "What do you mean?"
Gaara shrugged. "She has the control over something we need. She's going to make sure she gets something in exchange for not exerting that control. What is there here that is so surprising?"
"You mean she- she asked you for- for something-"
"Naturally. You have nothing to offer her, she already has your loyalty. It's why I had to come with you to Konoha. I have the power to bargain with her," Gaara added. The mask had been on when Lee had exited the kitchen, perhaps for Ibiki's benefit, but now Gaara's fatigue was showing through. "She knew better than to ask me for anything that would compromise Suna's safety or standing. But that didn’t stop her from rolling out a long list of 'favors' she wants from me. She has quite a lot more imagination than I would have thought. Next time I'm at court, or at the various Chuunin and Jounin exams, she wants me to scare a few people into line for her. Her words. She said I would be good at it."
"What?! Who?"
"Some of the people who've been helping further this rumor, to start with. I'll do that with considerable pleasure since that will protect you as well as Tsunade," Gaara said, a faint trace of the murderous in his voice. "There's also the Exchequer of Fire Country, the mayor of- she gave me a list and instructions. She also wants to know when I leave on missions out of Suna, something my own council would be furious to learn that I've promised her, so we'll have to keep that quiet. She said she might have little side trips for me. Probably some dirty work she doesn't want her name attached to."
Lee caught Gaara by the shoulder and forced him to stop as he stared at his lover, aghast. "What are you saying?!"
Gaara looked at him steadily. "I'm saying that you and I are about to become her errand boys for the foreseeable future. I'll have to work overtime back home to make sure I can take more time on my regular trips and missions and make the occasional detour."
Gaara walked on, but Lee stood frozen on the spot, the words 'Oh my god' tumbling numbly from his mouth.
There was a pause in Gaara's footsteps as he realized Lee hadn't followed.
"Gaara...I- I never- you shouldn’t have had to-"
Gaara was suddenly in front of him, both hands firmly on either side of Lee's face, forcing eye contact.
His lover spoke slowly and with utmost deliberation. "If I did not have Suna to take care of, she could have made me her personal lapdog for the rest of my natural lifespan, and I would have been happy to oblige as long as we were together. I've had to pay in blood and pain for everything good in my life. So have you. What she wants from us is insignificant in comparison to what we'll gain. Don't you agree?"
Lee put his hands over Gaara's and nodded.
"Good. Can we leave now? Before she thinks of something else to ask for?"
"Sure," Lee whispered, smiling weakly at Gaara's suddenly cranky, tired tone, the emotions open and free for Lee to read. "Thanks..."
Even that caused a look of slight irritation to cross Gaara's tired eyes, as if the mere suggestion that Lee owed him gratitude for his help was borderline insulting.
"Come on," Gaara said, hand slipping into Lee's as he turned towards the door. "If we start now, it won't take much more than two days to get home."
End Part Twenty Three
Done for now. Sidestory next week, epilogue the weekend after that, or sooner if I can get it written, and then done ^_^ All projects have to end, after all.
"I'm here to see Tsunade. Now."
With that introduction, Gaara went straight over the wall, leaving Lee to trail after him spouting excuses to the various Konoha ANBU who had materialized around them in the hopes he could stop this from ending in violence.
"Sorry! It's okay! This is Gaara-sama, the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Tsunade-sama knows him. Foreign dignitary- means no harm- Don't- please don't stand in front of him- No!...Sorry about that, make sure you wash those scratches out well or they can get infected. Please nobody else grab him like that- Gaara? Wait! Sorry please let us through!"
Fortunately it was well past midnight by the time they'd made it to Konoha on the second day, so there weren't too many potential obstacles to get in Gaara's way as they walked towards the nerve center of the Hidden Village.
They'd made exceedingly good time, but the pace had tested even Lee's strength, and he was more used to purely physical feats of endurance than his boyfriend was. Gaara had been perfectly silent these past two days, not that they'd had the breath for chit-chat. He never complained, and refused all of Lee's offers to take a break and wait for Kankuro and the two ANBU to catch up. Lee didn't know why they were in such a great hurry, but something in Gaara's silence and in the relentless rhythm of their race had drained the questions out of him. He could barely wonder now what they were going to say to the Hokage, or how embarrassing this was going to be; he could only worry about his lover. Gaara was tired, and that was dangerous. To start with, it made him even less civil and patient than he was ordinarily, which was hardly all that much to begin with.
But the ANBU of Konoha were no fools. They shadowed their unexpected visitor as they had since he and Lee had passed Konoha's outer perimeter, but they made no attempts to stop him. They also ran on ahead and made sure the other guards Gaara might encounter were forewarned not to ask for his papers or try to turn him away. Especially violently. Lee glanced back guiltily, though he could no longer see the wall and the guard station they'd passed. Fortunately that Chuunin patroller hadn't been more than lightly sanded when his hand had been slapped away. He really shouldn't have tried to push Gaara around like that anyway; that had been rude.
There was only the ANBU in the administration building, which probably meant they'd discreetly evacuated whatever Shinobi and assistants might still have been working there so late at night. Lee led Gaara up the familiar staircase and along the hall. He remembered walking down this same corridor when the Godaime had summoned him to tell him about the surprising assignment to Suna nearly a year and a half ago. Lee reached the Hokage's office, politely knocked- Gaara came up right behind him, opened the door, took Lee by the wrist and pulled him into the room before the Jounin could protest.
Tsunade-sama was at her desk where she spent most of her time, Shizune a familiar presence at her side. Morino Ibiki, the head of Konoha's ANBU, was at her other shoulder and speaking to her quietly. She'd obviously been waiting for them, she must have known of their presence as soon as they'd entered Konoha territory. But she still managed to look extremely surprised as she noticed their joined hands.
"Shizune, get out my largest bottle of booze. I'm going to need it," the Hokage growled, her head sinking into one hand.
Shizune didn't oblige. She was clutching some folders to her chest and staring at the Kazekage. Gaara's effort at making it to Konoha in so short a time had eroded his usual control, and his chakra was leaking. Even Lee, who loved him dearly, had to admit that Gaara's unleashed presence was a bit alarming. For a sharp and sensitive medi-nin like Shizune-san, it must feel as pleasant as a migraine.
Ibiki straightened up and bowed.
"Kazekage-sama. Is your escort outside our territory, waiting for you?"
"No, but they'll be here in a few hours," Gaara answered, eyes flicking towards the Leaf Jounin.
"I'll see that my men know it." Ibiki made a gesture at someone behind Lee. A sense of movement, and they were alone in Tsunade-sama's office with only Ibiki, Shizune and one other ANBU standing discreetly in the far corner.
Tsunade-sama was staring at them fixedly. "So you two brats decided to give me grey hairs," she suddenly snapped with the tact and diplomacy that characterized her leadership.
Gaara let go of Lee's wrist and crossed his arms over his chest. The movement brought Tsunade's attention fully on him, much to Lee's relief.
"Temari told me there is a rumor circulating about Lee and me," Gaara said without even a greeting.
"Rumor? Is that what it is?" Tsunade asked derisively.
"No," Gaara answered, since he tended to miss things like sarcasm when he was in this kind of dangerous, single-minded mood. "It's true. Lee and I are lovers."
Lee went bright red and Shizune fumbled one of her folders, but nobody else in the room looked particularly shocked or surprised.
"Really?" Tsunade-sama drawled, eyes hard. "Strike me sober if I saw that one coming when you two burst into my office hand in hand."
"Were you planning on recalling Lee?" Gaara interrupted, the monotone barely lifting at the end to mark a question.
"Yes I was, actually. I thought the whole thing was a joke, but I wanted him back here so that he could stand up before the Konoha council and tell them to stop smoking whatever they'd put in their pipes. More fool me, I guess."
"Are you going to recall him now?"
"Now more than ever," Tsunade answered shortly.
Gaara didn't look surprised at her answer, but Lee certainly was. Surprised and horrified. He'd concentrated on running these past two days, the rhythm and pulse of his chakra and the burn in his body distracting him. He'd had one goal in mind, on which he'd focused entirely; get back to Konoha, talk to Tsunade-sama, explain, and then it would all be All Right.
Lee had never contemplated the fact that it might not be All Right even after they'd explained.
"I will not have him prosecuted or sanctioned just because some politician is playing a powergame against you," Gaara started to say, voice flat, unhurried and with disquieting undertones.
"He won't be," Tsunade-sama interrupted. Her eyes had flashed and she'd crossed her fingers beneath her chin with the deliberation of a warrior drawing a weapon. "It was my decision to send Lee to Suna. I'll accept the consequences. I won't make a scapegoat out of one of my own men. I'll protect him. Even from his own bad decisions."
Her eyes rested briefly on Lee, cold and stern and with just a flicker of regret. Lee had the feeling this conversation had dangerous undercurrents he could not see but that were just waiting to pull him under. His own bad decisions? What was Tsunade-sama talking about?
"He's coming back to Suna with me," Gaara stated. Once more Lee had the oddest feeling he'd missed half the conversation, yet his ears were wide open.
"Just like that?" Tsunade snapped. "What did you suggest, that he become a missing-"
"I would be very careful about what you say next," Gaara said softly.
"Are you threatening me?" Tsunade asked with a ragged smile that showed a lot of teeth.
"No, I'm warning you. There's a difference."
Lee closed his eyes and lifted a hand to call attention to himself, while he tried to think of a way he could possibly apologize for his boyfriend's behavior without having to cut off his little finger in atonement, or some other ancient ritual of exoneration.
Everybody ignored him.
"Kazekage-sama," Tsunade said, her fingers tightening on each other. The honorific had sounded anything but polite. "You may be the ally of my village, but Lee is my responsibility, and-"
Then she tilted her head, sat back in her chair and her hands slid apart to flip up as if she was tossing something away.
"Fine. Whatever. If he's no longer a Shinobi, then he'll drop beneath everyone's radar and I won't care what he does. He can go back to Suna with you as a civilian. Would that work for you, Kazekage-sama?"
What...?
"Not acceptable."
Gaara's words had cracked around the room like a whip almost before Tsunade had stopped talking. He hadn't even glanced at Lee. But his hand had fastened on Lee's fingers, nearly crushing them.
The faint pain was a slender lifeline that he clung to. He was dizzy, and his body felt hollow and cold. He barely noticed how the ANBU in the corner stiffened and Ibiki's hand casually dropped beneath his coat as Gaara's chakra flared and burned.
"I thought you might suggest that," Gaara said in a voice as cold as a death threat. "It's what Suna would expect of him if he were one of ours. But for Lee, that is not possible. Being a Shinobi has always been his dream, the justification of his existence. And he is an excellent Shinobi. Stripping him of that is not an option."
Tsunade was staring at him. There was surprise in her eyes.
"Yeah, I know," she finally said. Her eyes didn't leave Gaara, but she made an irritated 'stand down' gesture at Ibiki, whose hand drifted out from under his coat again. "I should know, I'm the one who put him back together again six years ago when someone almost took that dream away from him. Remember that? You know, it's funny, I could swear you were involved."
Lee felt Gaara's flinch through the hold on his fingers. He squeezed Gaara's hand instinctively.
Tsunade stared at them both, her face unreadable, and then she shook her head.
"Even if Lee said he'd accept such a solution, I wouldn't let him," she concluded without her previous biting sarcasm. "I'm glad you see that too, Gaara. But beyond that, I'm afraid you are being rather short-sighted. You're eighteen, so I guess that's normal. You obviously realize that Lee is of Konoha and you are of Suna, and that this fling of yours can’t possibly have a future, but you're still hoping the world will turn out the way you want it to." There was something tired and bitter in Tsunade-sama's expression now, but her anger at Gaara seemed to have passed. "I learned when I wasn't much older than you are that it just doesn't work that way."
"We have to make it work that way," Gaara stated shortly.
"You're not listening, kid."
"We have to. I need him. And Lee has told me that he needs me too. But I cannot ask him to do this. I will not make him choose between me and his dream. We have to find a way out of this. Please."
Tsunade stared at him, and Lee hoped she finally realized that Gaara might be blunt - his voice was still a cutting monotone as charming as the buzz of a drill - but that behind it there was a real plea he just could not formulate any other way.
"Ugh, children!" Tsunade growled, scrubbing her ash-blonde hair. Then she was distracted by Ibiki who leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"Gaara," Lee said softly, staring at his lover's profile. Gaara's eyes were fixed straight ahead, and to anyone else his expression might have appeared cold, but Lee could read past that now.
"We'll find a way out of this." Gaara's voice was soft and for his ears alone. "I promised I would never hurt you again. I will not hurt you again."
"I know," Lee whispered, squeezing the fingers that grasped his own.
"Give me a break, Ibiki," Tsunade groused loudly, bringing their attention back to her. "You know I don't give a dog's fart about those sons of a sick goat in the Daimyo's court. They can go hang for all I care. But internally, do you know how bad this is going to look? And in regards to the other Kages, and to the Council-...oh, sod it all."
Tsunade sighed heavily, and turned her glare from Ibiki to Gaara.
"What exactly are you suggesting?" she asked with ill grace. "I'm warning you right now, I'm probably not going to like it."
A dazed and puzzled Lee caught the quick glance she gave the two lovers. Strange...her tone said 'I don't like it'; her eyes seemed to say 'please persuade me'.
"Lee will be detached in Sunagakure as a Jounin of Konoha, without any harassment or stain to his reputation," Gaara answered, a picture of icy composure once more. Lee had been concentrating on running these past two days, but Gaara must have been making this list in his head. Maybe he had expected most of this conversation. "He'll accompany me on any mission I might have. I've never been able to stop him from coming with me, I doubt you'll be able to, for all you're his superior officer. He will still receive missions from Konoha, as well as joint missions as decided by whatever new envoy you send us. But I request a right of veto on any S-rank mission you might give him, and I'll accompany him if I can."
"Gaara!" Lee squawked, horrified. How could his lover expect Tsunade-sama to agree to any of that?!
Tsunade stared at the Kazekage, brown eyes wide for a few seconds. And then she smiled. It was an expression that Lee would have gladly run away from.
"I see," she purred. "Lee?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama?" Lee quavered.
"Since it turns out you are indeed sleeping with this nuisance, and this whole rumor thing is serious, we need weapons to defend ourselves against any enemy who might try to use it against us. So I want you to go with Ibiki and tell him absolutely everything there is to know about this little tryst of yours. Take your time. It appears that the Kazekage and I have a lot to talk about." Tsunade-sama's eyes hadn't left Gaara's.
"Um, can't I stay and-"
"Out," Tsunade ordered without looking at him.
"Go, Lee," Gaara said softly without breaking eye contact either, but his fingers squeezed Lee's once before nudging him in the direction of the door and releasing him. "I'll come find you when I'm done here."
Oh dear.
Lee followed Ibiki-san in a daze induced by fatigue, an ebb in stamina and extreme worry that his boss might try to strangle his overly-blunt boyfriend at some point in the next few minutes.
He sat down mechanically where Ibiki pointed, but he didn't pay any attention to his surroundings until something plunked down in front of him.
Food!
"Is this for me?" Lee whimpered, his fingers hovering over the plate of cold meats, rice balls and dried fruit.
"Yes. I figured you'd be hungry if you ran fast enough to leave the Kazekage's escort several hours behind."
"Thank you so much itadakemasu," Lee mumbled, his mouth already wrapped around a piece of beef.
They'd ended up in the admin compound kitchens. The large room, where cooks prepared banquets for visiting dignitaries, was huge, silent and dark around them. Some food was always available and a pot of tea was kept brewing all night for the Hokage; Lee knew this because Gaara had the same arrangement. Ibiki had taken the seat opposite. He was sipping some of the fragrant green tea. Lee noticed a steaming cup near his own hand, and grabbed it and drained it in a second despite the piping hot liquid on his tongue. Then he stuffed an entire rice ball into his mouth and chewed reverently. Gaara, grim and driven, had not let them rest or eat anything other than soldier pills these past two days, which even for Lee was a bit of a strain as he didn't have Gaara's huge chakra to rely on and turn into stamina.
"How long have you and Gaara been having sex?" Ibiki asked calmly over the rim of his cup, and then leaned back to avoid getting rice coughed up over him.
"Wh-wh-what?"
"Tsunade-sama did mention you would have to tell me about it. Remember?"
"Er, yes," Lee croaked, toying with a dried apricot on his plate, his face a brilliant red.
"Then let us begin."
The hour that followed was one of the most uncomfortable in Lee's life. Ibiki didn't just want to know how long Lee had been sleeping with Gaara; he wanted to know exactly when each encounter had occurred, where, what had happened before and after, how noisy they might have been, where they'd gotten the lube...Ibiki-san seemed remarkably conversant with the ins and outs of it all. Lee continued to eat because his body desperately craved it, but Ibiki's relentless questions seasoned all the dishes with utter embarrassment. Lee reminded himself that this was for the good of both villages, buried his face in his plate and answered as honestly as he could.
Fortunately the questions soon went from the details of Lee's indiscretion to more important facts. So he and Gaara had been sleeping together for a little over seven weeks. Who in Suna had known? Who could have found out? Who could they have told? How had some politicians in the two Daimyo's courts and Konoha discovered this when it appeared that the greatest part of both villages were still in blissful ignorance?
Lee discovered, as he answered, that he knew a great deal more about Suna and its politics than he'd have thought, even though he'd never really thought about it that much. And from the trend of Ibiki's questions, he learned more about Konoha's inner rivalries than he'd ever wanted to know. Apparently Tsunade-sama's brand of tough hands-on leadership was highly appreciated by her Shinobi, but a lot less by the civilian leaders and councilors that managed the part of Konoha keeping its small army functional and running. And she didn’t get along very well with the politicians at the Daimyo's court, who liked to think they were in control of this dangerous little place on their map rather than acknowledge an equal footing.
Lee was left staring at the demolished plate of food.
"Gaara said I was an excellent Shinobi," he muttered despondently. "But if that was true, I would have seen this coming. I knew I had to warn the Hokage- I would have as soon as I had a mission back here. I expected to get yelled at, maybe have to renounce my post and- and see Gaara less often, but I never thought...I can never look underneath the underneath as fully as I should."
"True, though some would say you saw further than most when you looked at Gaara," Ibiki said, pouring himself some more tea. "Yes, you got yourself into a mess, and it's probably true that a Shinobi with the emotional control we try to teach would not have fallen for him, or would have tried to gain some advantage out of the situation. I doubt such a man would have gotten anywhere near Gaara, though. We are no longer merely the Daimyo's spies and assassins, as we were before the First founded Konohagakure. We are a village, a whole. We still need infiltrators and killers, but we also need warriors. You're one of the latter, and nobody in this village would say that you are not a good Shinobi for that. Not within Gai's hearing, anyway. For what it's worth, the Hokage trusts you implicitly. It's why she let you take that post out there in the first place, even though you're obviously not cut out to be much of a diplomat."
Lee had at least the knowledge that he'd never let his feelings for Gaara interfere with his work in Suna. He hadn't betrayed that trust. It soothed his conscience a bit.
"If anything, I blame myself," Ibiki added, though he didn't sound particularly contrite. "I'm the paranoid bastard who's supposed to keep an eye out for the sort of problem a warrior might miss. I - and Gai and Kakashi - noticed that your affection towards the Kazekage was running dangerously deep when we removed Orochimaru's seal on Gaara's powers, a couple of months ago. There were notes in your file that you were inclined towards your own gender...but your profile also indicated that you are capable of amazingly strong friendships. We hoped it was no more than that. And of course, even if you did have a crush on him, it would never have occurred to me that Gaara of the Desert could respond to that. So when I heard some disturbing news out of Suna, I treated it like a dangerous attempt at destabilizing our envoy. I didn't think it was actually true."
"You mean the rumors that we were together?" Lee asked, blinking sleepily. The food, the warmth of the kitchen and the fatigue of the trip were wearing him down.
"No," Ibiki answered slowly. "That I might have believed. With a stretch of the imagination. It was the exact nature of the rumors we heard that made the whole thing sound unlikely."
Lee looked at him with a twinge of curiosity. "What rumors exactly, sir?" He remembered Temari mentioning the gossip had had an ugly spin to it.
Ibiki looked at him in silence, then he sipped his tea and answered without the slightest inflection: "That the Kazekage had seduced you in an attempt to turn you against Konoha."
Lee blinked at him-
Then his chair hit the ground with a smash and the wood of the table splintered beneath his fingers. "What?! That's a lie! That's- despicable!"
"Of course. That's the point. Don't shout, Lee. My ANBU have had a busy night already."
Lee mumbled a halfhearted apology and righted his chair, temper still boiling.
Ibiki shrugged. "It was the spin they used to make it look as bad as possible. Quite masterful. Two young people screwing each other isn't that big a deal. Amazing, yes, seeing who's involved, but hardly enough to make a village-shaking scandal out of it. Someone went to great lengths to make sure this sounded as sordid as possible."
"Orochimaru," Lee ground out.
"Maybe. Or one of his allies. Or some other enemy altogether. We will find out who eventually," Ibiki murmured, and surely somewhere their enemy must have felt the cold shiver of someone walking over his grave.
"It's a good thing you came forward, the both of you," Ibiki added. "It could have gotten messy otherwise. Though of course, we know you, Rock Lee. We would never have made you a Jounin or let you to go to Suna if we thought you could betray us that easily. And we believe in Gaara's commitment to the peace. He would not move lightly against our envoy or us. On top of that, Gaara would not really be adept at seducing anybody. Hell, he's hard put to be polite and diplomatic at the best of times. The very idea of the Kazekage trying to turn on a charm offensive is enough to make me wish I was drinking something stronger than tea."
Despite his respect for a superior officer, Lee still bristled on behalf of his lover, though he couldn't exactly deny Ibiki's point.
"You said Temari is the one trying to debunk this on the Suna side, correct?" Ibiki asked, changing the subject.
"Yes sir."
"Good. I'll coordinate with her and see if we can figure out where this originated. We might even be able to find us a spy or two if we can track this down. The important thing is that this should not cause any kind of friction in our alliance."
"Do you think it could?" Lee asked, his third cup of tea creaking under his suddenly tense fingers.
"The rumors certainly weren't pretty. But since the pair of you have now indicated that this thing is serious, not a gambit on Suna's part to gain control over you...now it's just embarrassing all around. We'll try to keep it quiet until Sound goes down, if the two of you could please keep that in mind and continue to be discreet. More discreet than bursting in on us all and plowing through the village together like you just did. We'll figure out something to explain Gaara's presence here, since it will be all over the village by morning. After we've defeated Sound...Tsunade-sama will need a new Envoy in Suna. And she's going to lose face over all this, though I think she's going to find a way to recoup that."
Ibiki fixed him with an uncompromising gaze before Lee could inquire how she was going to do that exactly.
"You are about to lose several points on your security clearance, Jounin, whatever the Kazekage has to say on that matter. I don't know if you'll be getting many missions to start with. But I think Tsunade-sama will eventually recognize that having one of our soldiers live so far west might come in handy. Save on travel time, especially in case of emergencies. Suna might not see it quite so positively. Our villages were enemies six years ago, and now you're sleeping with their leader. You might encounter some hostility from people you live and work with. As for Gaara, he might also meet with considerable disapproval. It could affect his efficiency as a leader."
"Oh no! His people respect him way too much to-..."
Lee's gaze dropped from Ibiki's piercing sceptical one to look into the muddle of leaves at the bottom of his teacup. "Um, those councilors who don't respect him as much as they should, well, they're sort of still scared of him, so I don't think they'll be able to do much," he acknowledged in a mumble.
"So I gathered. But he has a weakness now. It will be up to him to keep them in hand. I suspect that won't be too hard. Speak of the devil..."
Lee felt it too; a flicker of chakra from the other side of the door. It was much calmer and less strained than previously. Lee hoped that meant all had gone well with Tsunade-sama.
"I might have a few more questions for you, Lee, but the debriefing is over for now," Ibiki announced, getting to his feet. "I'll let the two of you go get a bit of rest. You'll need it."
"Thank you, sir. And...I'm sorry. For all the trouble."
"Yes." Ibiki stood staring down at him until Lee stood up to face him. "This day may have more far-reaching consequences for you than you can imagine, Lee. And I hope you realize, from here on out there is no turning back."
"Never been very good at it anyway, sir," Lee admitted.
A wintry smile crossed Ibiki's ruined features. "Yes, I know. Which reminds me, go and say hello to Gai before you leave, because for the Hokage's peace of mind she's going to pretend you no longer exist for awhile. It might be a couple of years before you can come back to Konoha to visit."
Lee nodded with tired resignation and headed towards the door, after grabbing a few rice balls and an apple from the remains of his meal.
Gaara was waiting for him in the hallway outside, leaning against the far wall, eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest. The gourd was on the ground at his side.
"Gaara." Despite common sense assuring him that the Hokage wouldn't harm the leader of another village except out of the severest provocation, Lee felt awash with relief at seeing his boyfriend. "Here, I got you something to eat. And we-"
Gaara turned away, hoisting the gourd into its halter. "We're leaving."
"Kazekage-sama," Ibiki murmured as he followed Lee out of the kitchen. Gaara's eyes flickered dismissively over the man, making Lee wince at the lack of civility, but Ibiki didn't seem to particularly mind. He left as discreetly as one would expect the leader of the ANBU to leave, melting into the shadows in the blink of an eye.
"Gaara, we should rest first, and here, eat this-"
"I'm not hungry, and we'll rest outside of Konoha territory," Gaara answered, marching along the hallway towards the distant doors.
"Why? Ibiki-san told me we can rest here, they have guest rooms. I'll stand guard for you-"
"I'm not staying here a minute more than I have to. That woman," Gaara added neutrally, "I would hate to have her as an enemy."
"Huh? You mean the Hokage?"
"Yes."
"I don't understand. She...she is letting me go back with you, right?" Lee asked anxiously.
Gaara snorted. "Of course, but she made me pay for it."
"Pay?" Lee asked sharply, accelerating so that he was walking a step ahead of Gaara and looking back into his lover's face. "What do you mean?"
Gaara shrugged. "She has the control over something we need. She's going to make sure she gets something in exchange for not exerting that control. What is there here that is so surprising?"
"You mean she- she asked you for- for something-"
"Naturally. You have nothing to offer her, she already has your loyalty. It's why I had to come with you to Konoha. I have the power to bargain with her," Gaara added. The mask had been on when Lee had exited the kitchen, perhaps for Ibiki's benefit, but now Gaara's fatigue was showing through. "She knew better than to ask me for anything that would compromise Suna's safety or standing. But that didn’t stop her from rolling out a long list of 'favors' she wants from me. She has quite a lot more imagination than I would have thought. Next time I'm at court, or at the various Chuunin and Jounin exams, she wants me to scare a few people into line for her. Her words. She said I would be good at it."
"What?! Who?"
"Some of the people who've been helping further this rumor, to start with. I'll do that with considerable pleasure since that will protect you as well as Tsunade," Gaara said, a faint trace of the murderous in his voice. "There's also the Exchequer of Fire Country, the mayor of- she gave me a list and instructions. She also wants to know when I leave on missions out of Suna, something my own council would be furious to learn that I've promised her, so we'll have to keep that quiet. She said she might have little side trips for me. Probably some dirty work she doesn't want her name attached to."
Lee caught Gaara by the shoulder and forced him to stop as he stared at his lover, aghast. "What are you saying?!"
Gaara looked at him steadily. "I'm saying that you and I are about to become her errand boys for the foreseeable future. I'll have to work overtime back home to make sure I can take more time on my regular trips and missions and make the occasional detour."
Gaara walked on, but Lee stood frozen on the spot, the words 'Oh my god' tumbling numbly from his mouth.
There was a pause in Gaara's footsteps as he realized Lee hadn't followed.
"Gaara...I- I never- you shouldn’t have had to-"
Gaara was suddenly in front of him, both hands firmly on either side of Lee's face, forcing eye contact.
His lover spoke slowly and with utmost deliberation. "If I did not have Suna to take care of, she could have made me her personal lapdog for the rest of my natural lifespan, and I would have been happy to oblige as long as we were together. I've had to pay in blood and pain for everything good in my life. So have you. What she wants from us is insignificant in comparison to what we'll gain. Don't you agree?"
Lee put his hands over Gaara's and nodded.
"Good. Can we leave now? Before she thinks of something else to ask for?"
"Sure," Lee whispered, smiling weakly at Gaara's suddenly cranky, tired tone, the emotions open and free for Lee to read. "Thanks..."
Even that caused a look of slight irritation to cross Gaara's tired eyes, as if the mere suggestion that Lee owed him gratitude for his help was borderline insulting.
"Come on," Gaara said, hand slipping into Lee's as he turned towards the door. "If we start now, it won't take much more than two days to get home."
End Part Twenty Three
Done for now. Sidestory next week, epilogue the weekend after that, or sooner if I can get it written, and then done ^_^ All projects have to end, after all.