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The thing about Konoha is that it rains sometimes, silver drops shimmering like fish as they shatter into a million pieces on the slippery ground. It's not like Suna, where it's arid and dry and the weather is either clear as glass or a horrific tempest of sand and wind.
As he walks the quiet streets, Gaara isn't quite sure which one he prefers. The rain is vivid and lovely and makes him feel alive somehow, but it's also sort of cold and uncomfortable.
"Gaara!" a jubilant shout from down the road shakes Gaara out of his introspection, and he turns to see Lee waving both arms enthusiastically over at him.
"Hi, Lee," says Gaara, and Lee bounds over to him as if he's unaffected by the confines of gravity. He's soaking wet and grinning and looks like he's having the time of his life, and Gaara's never been happier.
"You're here again so soon?" Lee queries, and Gaara nods.
"Your friend mentioned that I should return at some point unofficially," he explains. "I am here simply to visit."
"Are your siblings here too?" asks Lee.
"Yes, they're with friends at the moment," says Gaara, and Lee's eyes widen in horror.
"You mean they left you alone?" he gasps, and Gaara sort of wants to smile just because it's endearing, how much Lee cares about these sorts of things.
"No, no, it's not like that at all," Gaara says quickly. "I am... enjoying my solitude."
He wants to eat his words a second later as Lee's expression goes from shocked to dejected in a flash- his emotions are clear as day to see, and as adorable as his puppy-dog eyes are, Gaara does feel bad for upsetting him.
"Should I leave, then?" he asks, already backing up, and Gaara barely keeps himself from physically reaching out for Lee's hand. He's never minded being alone, not really, but being with Lee is... better.
"No, I would appreciate your company," says Gaara, and Lee brightens visibly. There's rain splashing against his shoulders and drenching his hair, but he ignores it as he and Gaara continue walking around the edges of the village. The streets are relatively empty on such a wet day, and it feels like they have the place to themselves.
The rain starts to intensify and Gaara feels bad for his friend, who is wearing absolutely nothing that might stop him from getting completely soaked. There's a disc of sand above Gaara's head, and he considers extending it to Lee, but a strange and unfamiliar kind of nervousness prickles in his chest and prevents him from doing so.
The two of them sit down on one of the benches that seem to be scattered around the village- another improvement that Gaara reminds himself to suggest for Suna- they're under a tree, so the rain isn't at full force, but occasional large drops of rain splash onto Lee's face and hair.
"So how are things with you?" asks Lee, oblivious. Normally that question is nothing more than a filler, in Gaara's experience, but Lee seems to genuinely care about what Gaara has to say, so he thinks carefully before answering.
"Things are... fine," he says after some consideration. "Suna is at peace, Temari has found someone she loves, Kankurō has made the acquaintance of some people in Konoha as well... There hasn't been much to worry about, truthfully."
"That's good," says Lee. "What about you? Have you found anyone special?"
Gaara freezes at that. He's always been unsure of his relationships with people- it's something that hurting others for a long time does to you, he supposes. He tries to be the best he can, but it's hard sometimes to know who he can trust, and if he can trust himself. He has his siblings' support and Naruto's long-distance empathy and Baki's steadfast loyalty, but outside of that...
Gaara isn't sure how long he spends puzzling over Lee's question, but he's jolted from his reverie when there's a soft thump and a weight on his shoulder, and he realizes Lee has fallen asleep.
He wonders if he's found anyone special, and what 'special' even means, but it's hard to think straight with Lee pressed warm and comforting against his side- the measured rhythm of his breathing is steady and soothing, and Gaara thinks that maybe he has his answer.
"I've found you," he says softly. Part of him wants Lee to hear him, and to know he's special and needed and loved, but the other part is already embarrassed at having said something like that out loud.
Gaara's sand shifts and stretches over Lee, protecting him from the rain still falling like some sort of glittering curtain outside the little circle of shelter encompassing Gaara and now Lee, too. He knows it's not really a big deal but the strange nervousness of before has returned and Gaara can feel himself blushing no matter how he tries to suppress it. He can already hear Temari teasing him and Kankurō getting way too invested in everything- it's so far removed from the crushing loneliness of before that it makes Gaara's head spin when he thinks about it. He's found someone special, he's found a friend, he's found Lee- the words keep repeating in his head as he tells himself over and over that he's never going to truly be alone again. He knows what it is to love and be loved, and it's Lee leaning against his shoulder as the rain pours down relentlessly around them- it's cold and unfeeling and beautiful but it cannot break the shield that Gaara has made for himself. Not one of sand, although that's helpful too, but one built up through years of learning to change himself and the people around him.
Sometimes it rains in Konoha, but the village never feels cold when the will of fire burns inside the heart of every person within its walls and beyond them. So Gaara folds his hands in his lap and watches the rain pour in sheets off the edge of his shelter- it rains in Konoha, and that's okay.
~end~