Archive of Our Own ^beta

There was a sharp pain down Gaara’s face as he feels the heel of the Leaf genin strike him, making his head bow from the weight of the blow. Gaara’s right eye water and he closed it, perhaps to avoid letting the genin see how the blow had affected him or from some leftover animal instinct to perverse their senses. Gaara wasn’t sure.

But he was sure of one thing, the genin had managed to gain great speed, speed that was greater than his sand. The speed that let the genin dance around his sand, his ultimate defense. The speed that allowed the genin to touch him, to hurt him. Gaara felt something shudder deep inside him.

When had it been the last time someone had touched him? Wounded him?

He could feel Shukaku shifting inside of him, and heard him snapping at Gaara for being careless and useless. But he was white noise, as was the insect-like buzzing of the entire crowd watching.

Gaara’s full attention was on the genin who had slid back after the blow and was standing up, looking straight at Gaara, a silent smugness coating him. Gaara felt his lips draw back into the beginning of a snarl. Just because the genin had landed one blow on Gaara did not mean he would again.

The genin ran towards Gaara, and Gaara reacted. He took a step back and with a sweep of his right arm, bought up a wall of sand, to act as his defense and to capture the genin. But the genin’s speed allowed him to dodge, moving around him and always out of reach of his sand.

Gaara turned to see the genin close - too close - his sand unable to react in time as he felt a solid fist knock him down, sending him flying.

Pain, it was there, even with the sand armor on. First sharp that it made Gaara’s lose his breath, now dull so his breath stutter. His jaw ached and the inside of his cheek felt hot where it cut itself on his sharp canine. He could taste it, thick on his tongue briefly before Shukaku’s chakra healed him. Blood, his own blood sitting innocently on his tongue, bitter and metallic.

Something deep inside twisted as he slowly stood up, his sand repairing the cracked armor and hiding his true self. This Leaf genin had done something miraculous in a span of a few minutes. He had touched Gaara and now he had wounded him, something that hasn’t happened in a long while.

“Is that all?” Gaara asked, watching the genin carefully. He had the speed and strength to strike him but he would be wasting stamina on constantly trying to break his Sand Armour.

The Leaf genin seem to be regarding him, his eyes flickering over Gaara’s form, intent on looking for possible weaknesses in his armor. Something hot inside him purred at the attention, and Gaara jolted. That had not been Shukaku. No, Shukakua was still raging in the background, snarling at Gaara to kill the genin. That had been something else.

Gaara watched as Rock Lee unwound his bandages, holding Gaara’s gaze with his own, strong and unflinching.

“Be ready!” was called out and he charged. Gaara remained unmoving as circles were run around him, the genin becoming a whirlwind of dust, wind, and sand.

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and bring it on,” Gaara sneered. He didn’t bother to try and track his movements and kept his eyes on the wall across from him. Even with his speed, Gaara was still able to track him with his sand and judge where he was.

“As you wish!” was all the warning given before Gaara felt his head snap up, his canines digging into his tongue, and felt a small rush as his blood filled his mouth again. There was a sense of weightlessness on him as he was kicked into the air, his jaw aching even more fiercely than before.

Gaara looked down to glare at the genin, who was wearing a grin, exposing his teeth. His eyes, full of fire, were watching Gaara carefully as he braced himself on his hands.

“Not just yet!” he called from below and pushed himself up. Gaara felt another strong kick in his gut that made him almost bow in half. Kick after kick pushed both Gaara and him higher into the air. Gaara was able to look down, pain making his vision blurry, and saw those black eyes burning ever so bright.

Even with the Sand Armor on, Gaara could feel every strike that was made.

He could feel the air being pushed from his lungs, as his ribs cracked and splintered under the strength of the strikes. His arms throbbed and his shoulders protested in being retched back and forth as he tried to block the strikes. His face would be snapped back, exposing his throat when a kick weaved through his arms.

Shukaku’s chakra could only heal so much and so fast before it was just burning through his reserves and achieve nothing.

The pain was blistering hot, spreading over his entire body, and Gaara was overwhelmed. He had never felt pain this strongly or go on for this long. He felt the same heat from earlier scorch the inside of his gut.

Gaara looked down in time to see a grimace of pain cross Rock Lee’s face. A kick, half-up, stuttered then halted. Gaara saw his chance. Having more sand rush up helped cushion the resuming kick but Gaara had already switched places, hiding in the sand as his Sand Armor took the remaining hits.

Looks like this technique had serious recoil. Shukaku jeered but Gaara watched as much as he could. The two of them were sharing pain now. They had inflicted pain against each other and now they were receiving pain.

The bandages that wrapped around those arms spun in the air like a dust devil, covering Gaara’s shell like a poorly done mummy. Gaara sneered as he watched. The genin was so preoccupied with finishing the match that he hadn’t noticed that Gaara was already switched places, or maybe he couldn’t tell.

Two hands grabbed the shell at the waist as the genin screamed, “Take this!”

Gaara watched as the genin and shell spun around, a column of sand and wind that was a blurry white and a red and black tip. Gaara followed in his sand, keeping up the act, as they approached the ground.

“Initial Lotus!” the words of the technique yelled out by the genin was lost in the sound of crashing sand and air colliding with the floor. Dust and sand flew into all directions from the force of the impact.

The genin had managed to jump out of the way at the last second and had landed on his feet, panting. The crowd was buzzing in amazement at the assumed victory for the genin which broke off into sounds of surprise and shock as Gaara’s shell collapsed, showing it empty.

Gaara let out a huff of amusement which turned into a low laugh that seemed to echo in the deep silent area as he appeared behind the genin, those shoulders which had been shaking from exertion were now stiff. The genin turned around, his arm raised but stopped, his face going pale as the smell of fear and blood rippled through the air.

The cracks he had in the Sand Armour was rubbing raw on the skin underneath but Gaara paid them no mind. His eyes were on the Leaf genin, who was looking at him with horror. Yes, he liked the look in those expressive eyes.

Placing his hands together to focus his chakra, the sand howled as thick columns raced upwards, before coming back down. The genin was strong to block one but was knocked several feet back by the next blow. Gaara watched as the genin struggled to his feet before falling back down.

Gaara observed the shudders of pain shuffled over the muscles of the gasping genin who turned around to look at him, fear and pain making the fire in those eyes smother.

The world seemed to fall away as when the two made eye contact. Those eyes, black and bright, seemed to be challenging him, demanding that Gaara make the next move. So he did, as the chakra flowed, making the sand around him billow and rise till it made a wall behind him.

The force of that much sand shook the arena, making the genin fumble with footing so that when the sand hit him, it was a solid blow. Gaara let the sand dance with the genin, making blows come from above and below, until a column slammed him into the wall, leaving a spider web of cracks.

Gaara licked his lips, as the genin struggled to get to his feet. The blows from the sand had been blunt but the smell of blood was still in the air. The genin probably had internal bleeding but not to the point of coughing up blood.

At this point, Gaara could technically win the match, all he had to do was pin the genin or throw him through the wall and it would be his win. But this was too much fun. It had been a while since he had a chance to play with a competent opponent, though this genin was a far cry from being in Gaara’s league.

Another blow of sand crushed the genin further into the wall, making a crater from the forces. The Leaf genin was panting, his hands out as a poor attempt of blocking the incoming sand. But he had blocked parts of the sand as Gaara had felt the force though the sand though it was weak and pathetic compared to strength from before.

Another blow made him stumble forward where he landed onto his knees as the genin attempted to catch his breath. Gaara could feel those eyes burning into him, still egging him on to attack, to prove himself. So Gaara did.

Straightening himself out, Gaara watched as the genin brace himself, expecting another column or tsunami of sand. Those eyes, so bright before were now dull and were looking at a point above Gaara. It wasn’t from pain or exhaustion that had caused the dullness; Gaara had not even been trying to truly hurt him.

Something twisted in his chest, that something….or rather even; someone had taken the genin’s attention off of him. Gaara let out a wheezing laugh. The genin could pay dearly for letting his mind slip.

The sand leaped from the ground in a whirl around Gaara before slamming into the genin, the force scarring the ground beneath. The genin let out a chocked out sound of pain as he landed and more coughed grunts followed as he struggled to even lift part of his body off the ground.

Gaara watched, his eyes hooded at the shaking mass. The smell of blood was stronger now and was coating his tongue in a gentle embrace as Gaara wheezed the air into his lungs; had the genin reached his breaking point?  

No, the genin was standing now and was bracing himself for another blow. The one eye that Gaara could see was wide and clear with emotions. Good, the attention was back on him now. But it was time to finish this.

Gaara evened out his breathing as the genin changed his stance, still defensive but shifted to lean more onto one side. An amused chuckle left Gaara’s lips as he spoke, “Such meaningless actions.”

A fanned out blast of sand made the genin skid across the arena on his back before flipping over onto his chest. A chance to end the match to Gaara’s satisfaction as the sand whipped through the air and crashed onto the genin’s back, making the limp form cry out.

Gaara moved his hand to have the sand surround the genin who managed to wiggle out from beneath the sand and stand, his arms once again raised into a bracing position. Gaara watched this with a growing indifference. It had been fun before, but now this was becoming sad.

The sand spun around Gaara much like the genin had during the beginning of the match. But inside of keeping his stance, the genin moved so that one hand was in front, and the other behind, his stance tall and confident. Something had changed.

But it didn’t matter, this match was finished. Gaara let the sand come together and race across the arena towards the genin, who still continued to smile and stand still. And then he wasn’t there anymore. In the flash of green, the genin danced around Gaara’s sand, just as he had done before.

Something bubbled through Gaara’s body as the genin reappeared, his stance confident. Perhaps Gaara had been too quick to write off the genin as he continued to dance around Gaara’s sand, always out of reach.

There was a flash of green as the genin appeared several feet away. There was a seriousness in his eyes and stance as he stood there. Seeming content of where Gaara was, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Gaara let the sand hang as the air around the genin shifted and hummed. A Ninjutsu? He had not waved any hand signs so that wasn’t it nor was it a Genjutsu.

“I don’t know what you’re planning to do are,” Gaara said, readying his chakra. “But this is the end for you.”

“That’s true,” the genin replied. “In any case….it will be the end with the next.”

The hum in the air turned into a loud rustling as the air contorted around the genin, bits of the arena flooring rising up as if gravity had stopped working. Blue chakra raced over the genin’s body before being pushed out, as the genin’s arms snapped down to his side.

Gaara’s eyes went wide. The skin was now red, the smell of blood and ozone whipping around in the air like blades. The chakra being pushed into the air was unlike what Gaara was ever felt. It was hot and thick, surrounding the genin in a green/blue hue. The air now had a metallic and arid taint to it that wasn’t from blood and the wind buffered Gaara’s hair and clothing.

What….kind of jutsu was this?

Something hot and heavy curled into his gut, as the genin’s chakra surrounded him. The drive for battle and the desire for victory was sung into the air. The genin had stepped up the stakes of this battle but could Gaara match it?

The was only a flicker of green that gave Gaara the only warning before the ground gave way underneath a tremendous force, splintering into large boulders. A strong blow made his head snap sharp, the vertebras in his neck protesting with loud creaks.

The force propelled him straight into the air and a wave of wind and dust around the arena, enveloping the watching crowd. Gaara let a spluttering choke, blood filling his mouth once again, as the heavy sensation in his stomach making his mind lag.

From a single kick, more cracks appeared in the Sand Armour as his sand rushed upwards to aid him. He hadn’t even seen the genin, this new speed easily outstripping what he had done before. His physically strength had increased tenfolds, it might even be right to say it was on par with Gaara’s ninjutsu strength now.  

Never had someone tried used brute force to remove the Sand Armour. But Gaara couldn’t deny as more cracks appeared and spread until parts of the amour began to flak off. Something cold and oily seemed to dampen the heat in his stomach. Was….this fear?

There was a wave of ozone and heat as the genin appeared before him, his eyes completely white. His teeth were bared in a wordless snarl as a fist struck him in the stomach, sending him careening towards the ground. The blow knocked the air out of Gaara’s lungs.

Before he could take the breath back, a blow to his lower back sent him back into the air. He could only glance around before another blow sent him in another direction. Blow after blow kept him in the air as Gaara was smacked around, much he had done to the genin earlier.

Gaara’s body felt hot from the force of the punches and kicks as he was danced around in the air, unable to even see where he was. His sand whistled and skittered around, unable to keep with the speed the genin.

A blow from behind sent Gaara straight up, giving him a clear view of the genin who jumped off the roof and was heading straight towards him. Those eyes had an inferno burning in them and Gaara could have sworn he felt that fury scorch his insides.

‘I can’t protect myself,’ the same oily feeling was back as this thought crossed Gaara’s mind. ‘Is this really….the movements of a human being?’

A blow straight to the stomach made Gaara bow in half, heat and agony racing through his veins. Something tight wound around Gaara’s waist and jerked him back towards the genin, posed to strike.

It was like every nerve in his body was on fire, and it was difficult to tell what was screaming louder, his muscles or Shukaku when the final blow hit.

“Hidden Lotus!”

Gaara felt something inside him give as the force and energy travelled through his body, propelling towards the ground. His mind was reeling; stars and darkness were dancing with burning green leaves around him.

Gaara barely had the mental strength to shift the solid sand of his gourd to cushion his landing, which barely preventing him from blacking out. Gaara hacked out a mouthful of internal liquids with blood and spit when he landing, barely able to keep his eyes open form the pain as the genin also fell.

His lungs were punctured, he could feel it in the way his breath rattled and wheezed. But the genin was now on the floor, exhausted and defenseless. It was pure spite that gave Gaara the strength to lift his arm into the air.

Pushing the chakra into the sand felt like glass shards and acid were racing through his veins but Gaara didn’t stop. He didn’t stop until the sand tightened onto the two limbs he could reach of the genin who barely had the strength to crawl away.

The genin let out a cry of anger and frustration and pain as Gaara closed his fist.

“Sand Coffin.”

The scream that tore from the genin’s throat didn’t satisfy Gaara, instead it seemed to enrage him. This genin who had wounded Gaara, who had toyed with him, who had forced him into a corner, was now this weak pitiful creature. It was disgusting.

Gaara forced more chakra into the sand, which flared to life and rushed towards the genin. It was time to finish this.

“DIE!”

Something from the side rushed in front of the genin, blowing the sand away. Gaara sat up, his entire body throbbing and aching as he watched in disbelief. His eyes were like stones, his chakra was steady and gave no signs of hatred nor angry. The genin’s teacher stood there, one hand out that had moved the sand away.

Gaara could feel his mind sinking into blackness, ugly memoires rising to the surface. He had seen those eyes before; he had seen this emotion before. His head ached more than any blow that the genin had done to him.

“Why….?” He asked, his hands holding his head in an attempt to relieve some - any - of the pain. “Why…save him?”

“Because he is….” The teacher began, the emotion blooming over him. “An important subordinate whom I care for!”

Gaara pulled the lingering sand back that had flared out, his face blank but inside his emotions were in a whirlwind. The battle had been fast; a whirlwind of strength, speed, and techniques. The chakra had been thick enough to coat the walls. And now, it was all over. Gaara should have felt vindicated, but he felt like he had been cheated.

The green-clad jonin watched Gaara with eyes of stone as Gaara removed his sand from the Leaf genin’s lying prone form. If he noticed that Gaara had curled his sand in a way to hold onto some of his student’s blood, he didn’t notice nor did he say anything.

Gaara’s sand rustled around him, slowly rebuilding his Sand Armour. His heart was racing; his body and mind ached. Shukaku was, for once, quiet. The sand that had cushioned his fall became his gourd once again as he slowly stood up. It would take some time before he would be fully healed, but Shukaku’s chakra was already at work dealing with the major injuries.

Walking away from the scene, Gaara let out a plain “I quit…”

A creak from behind the teacher had Gaara look up, his eyes widening and a small gasp escaping his lips. Despite Gaara’s attempts to cripple the genin, he was standing. One had out in front, and one behind, the same confident pose as before. But the eyes were empty and lifeless as if the body was puppet held up by strings.

His teacher with the same hands that had forced Gaara’s sand back cradled the broken genin as if he was made of glass and hugged him before gently placed him on the floor. Med-nin appeared and surrounded the genin who was rushed out of the rink by the med-nin.

There is an angry buzzing from the audience but Gaara barely pays it any mind as the remaining sand is pulled into his gourd and he teleports to where Baki is standing. Gaara leans against the wall, ignoring the searching and calculating look on Baki’s face as several nin come to inspect the damage done to the flooring.

Baki’s charka is heightened but pulled tight around his frame. He could see the fight affected Gaara more than what had been visibly shown when the Sand Armour had been cracked. But Gaara wouldn’t say a word to him and make sure that whatever……this was, Baki would not interfere. This was Gaara’s and Gaara’s alone to have.

Gaara closed his eyes as he steadied his chakra, Shukaku snarling something wordless in the background. He gently shifted his sand in the gourd, trying to keep his chakra activity low, as he hid the blood-soaked sand in a cocoon of hardening sand and pebbles so that no one could smell it. But he made sure there was a pocket of air, so that bloody sand wouldn’t mix, diluting the blood further.

Why it felt heavy and why he had taken some. The blood that he had was barely enough to fill a small cup yet it felt like he was carrying a lead weight. Gaara shifted his weight around, antsy to leave the area for some fresh air.

The nin scuttled around like spiders, before the all-clear was given for the remaining match which goes by in a blur, a whirl of clashing chakra and stinking of sweat. Gaara pays no mind to any of the other genins that are on the sidelines cheering, just as he pays no mind to Temari and Kankuro as they shuffle to put some distance between them.

Far enough to have a few seconds to escape but close enough to give the impression that they were comfortable with each other’s presence. The smell of fear coming off them was a small comfort, Gaara supposes; it grounded him and kept him in the present enough to pay some attention.

Gaara shifted the gourd on his back, careful not to jostle the sand that had some of Rock Lee’s blood. Gaara could felt his chakra hum in his veins as he kept that bit of sand suspended in the top half of the gourd.  Rock Lee’s blood was beginning to clot, making the sand harder to move fluidly. Gaara felt his fingers twitch at the possibility of contaminating it with his other sand.

The final match comes to an unsurprising conclusion and all of the genins that remains are gathered on the main floor, which is splattered with blood and sweat, to go over the conclusion of the second exam and to explain what the third and final exam is.

Gaara barely paid any attention as the Third Hokage, a withered old man that smelled disgustingly of smoke and stale air, drones on about the final of the chunin exam. It wasn’t like Gaara was worried, all that stood before him in the match would be killed, and then, he could kill anyone else who stood in his way.

Soon, all the genin were dismissed and Gaara followed Baki back to the hotel that all the outside teams were staying in. Each team had been given a small apartment in an old converted temple, complete with a small kitchen and living and one-and-a-half bathroom. It was conveniently located on the edge of the village, pressed up against the outer village walls and the mountain where the Hokages’ were carved into.

They walked in stony silence, with Baki in front, Temari and Kankuro in the middle, and Gaara at the end. Gaara watched as Temari and Kankuro examined their surroundings as the buildings went from industrial businesses and normal shops to more worn down residential.

Gaara keep his eyes forward, not bothering to look for weaknesses for exploitation. That was Baki’s job as their squad leader. Their job was to play the role of hapless genin and only strike when the invasion was underway.

Their team had been given the top floor of the complex, which allowed easy access to the roof. Gaara didn’t know if that was for the Konoha’s mocking attempt at surveillance or easier for the ANBU for intervention. It was all for naught anyway when Konoha fell.

When the door was closed behind them, and Baki throwing up seals around the floor to prevent unexpected interruptions did the feel in the air change. It was tensed and heavy, with a mixture of fear, sweat, and the old metallic tang of dried blood.

“See to your injuries and start planning for the chunin exams. I will inform all of you as time goes on,” Baki stated, his eyes moving over them before landing steadily on Gaara.

Gaara felt a flick of irritation that made his chakra rise in a small wave that made Kankuro flinch as he had been standing probably too close next to him. Thanks to Shukaku’s chakra, Gaara was already physically healed from his battle with Rock Lee, even if his body ached deeply in a way that Gaara didn’t think possible.

But Gaara knew what Baki was referring to. Baki had been assigned to Gaara’s squad for his experience in handling Gaara’s bloodlust rages and for analyzing Gaara’s mental and emotional strength. He doubted that Gaara was stable right now, and the invasion relied heavily on him.

Gaara’s natural chakra had been able to suppress his agitated emotions and keep his sand steady but it was like trying to get out of a storm. Eventually, those emotions would bubble up and Gaara was going to have to deal with them before the Chunin matches or his physical strength would falter.

Gaara didn’t say anything as he went deeper into the apartment. Opening the doors, he found the bathroom and the empty bedrooms which already had their bags moved in. Gaara noted that he had been given the largest room, which was also the furthest room away from everything else.

Good, it meant he was less likely to be disturbed, especially tonight. Entering and closing the door behind him, Gaara let the warm darkness soothe him as he laid undisturbed until dinner when Baki knocked on the door.

Dinner was a simple and quiet affair, with it being just him and Baki. Temari and Kankuro weren’t in the building and Gaara hoped they stayed far away so he wouldn’t have to deal with their flickering chakra tonight.

When Gaara finished and placed his plate into the sink did he hear Baki tapped a finger on the armor that was on his biceps, in a rhythm of an old Suna war drum. Gaara glanced over to him as Baki gave back a blank stare before tilting his head slightly to one side, a silent invitation to talk.

Gaara only sneered before walking back to his room. He didn’t have the time nor did he have the patience to deal with Baki today. He had something bigger to deal with.

It was late when Gaara finally had the chance. Kankuro and Temari had returned when it was dark and went straight to bed. Baki had lingered around until he finally went to sleep. Now it was quiet, and Gaara had the night to himself.

Even in the comfort of the pitch-black darkness, Gaara observed the gourd that held his sand. It wasn’t special or fancy. But tonight it was different.  Inside, ever since the match, some sand had been elevated as to keep it separated.

Gaara still wasn’t sure why he had taken the blood though.

The moon was in the wanes phases and would be full either before or during the chunin exams. All the better for Gaara. It was Shukaku’s power that Suna was using for the invasion; it made sense for Shukaku to be released via the Sleeping Possum Jutsu when the time came which was easier around the time of the full moon.

Gaara’s eyes roamed around the large room he had to himself. Temari and Kankuro were sharing a room and Baki had his own room. That left a room to use for storage for their equipment and the master bedroom for Gaara to use in his isolation.

Teammates and his older siblings or not, Gaara did not want anyone is his space, especially now. Gaara licked his lips which were dry and cracked. There was a shadow of unease from the still somewhat human part of Gaara, as if he doing something he shouldn’t. Something taboo.

But there wasn’t so much of a creak of wood floorboards as Gaara let enough chakra flow from his fingertips into his gourd. The sand moved with a hushed sound as Gaara breathed in deeply the smell of dried blood. Rock Lee’s blood had hardened to his sand and cocoon, making it difficult to move it without having flaks fall off and float to the ground.

Gaara grit his teeth together to see the wasted blood and twitched his fingers so that some of the tan-colored flowing sand would cup and hold the reddish-brown sand, ensuring no waste. Letting enough chakra to flow, Gaara moved his tan-colored sand so that it took on the shape of a bowl.

Taking it in his hands, Gaara let his chakra hum as he watched the bloody sand crack and flack as it was stirred, making it soft and malleable again.  Gaara gently tipped the goblet back and let the sand flow down the bowl and towards his lips.

Any remaining moisture that was still in Gaara’s mouth was absorbed by the sand. Gaara didn’t pay mind as he moved the small bit sand in his mouth. The taste of sand was the only thing he noted so he continued to swirl the sand around in his mouth, letting the moisture soften the sand further until….

Something sweet made his back molars ache terrible, his body lurching at the unexpected pain. His concentration somewhat broken, the sand bowl crumpled and fell to the floor. Gaara spat out the sand and much to his angry, the clean sand was now mixed with the bloody sand he had keep uncontaminated till now.

Gaara licked his lips, the sweet taste still ringing at the back of his mouth but the heat he had experienced earlier, the one that had scorched his gut during the match, didn’t appear.  Gaara felt his lips pull back into a snarl and with a flick of his wrist, moved the sand as he had done before.

He took in a bigger mouthful, whatever moisture was now completely gone, and the ache came back with a vengeance. This tongue was now thickly coated with sand and blood that was sweet. His body felt warm, something flickering in his gut but that was it. No scorching heat, no sensation of feeling high or chakra humming in his veins. Nothing.

Gaara spat the sand out again and turned to slowly pacing in the room, his chakra agitated enough that he heard the door to Baki’s room open. Gaara took in deep breathes, the sounds like dry wheezing as he buried the agitation underneath a cool exterior.

A snicker made Gaara tense, his sand slowly rising as he searched for the source. Kankuro was in a deep sleep, snoring loud enough that Gaara could easily hear him through the walls. Temari was gently breathing and feigning sleep, probably looking for a chance to flee into the night and wait for Gaara to cool down. Baki, stood in the hallway like a silent guardian, analyzing the rise and falls of Gaara’s chakra.

Another snicker, this time it leads to a roaring laugh with a high pitch wheeze to it that was oh so familiar.

“So, you are human after all. Who would have thought?” sneered the voice.

Gaara grit his teeth as his fingers twitched. Shukaku, the One-Tailed. He had been quiet since the fight against the genin so Gaara had hoped for a few hours of peace.

“You wish brat!” huffed Shukaku. “You can never have peace as long as I am around!”

Gaara was about to snap back when Shukaku continued. “But I am surprised,” Shukaku was purring with amusement. “After all this time, after all this time of being you thought yourself no longer human. You still have it, so ingrained in your very being that I’m sure mommy dearest would be proud.”

Gaara didn’t say anything as he went back over to his gourd to sit against the wall. It was best to let Shukaku monologue to his heart’s content when he was like this. Made it easier for Gaara to ignore him and have some peace of mind.

“You got your ass handed to you by a Leaf genin who can’t use chakra, even with my help with making sure you weren’t useless! But after all is said and done, how do you feel after the match? Do you feel victorious, or vengeful? NO!

“Instead you have the urge to breed, to fuck! With that little shit like all humans and animals do! Tell me Gaara, want to get on the ground like a cow and have that genin mount you? Bet you would get enjoyment out of that!”

Shukaku was howling with laughter in the background but Gaara was cold, his breathes coming in and out as fast gasps as he placed his head on his knees. Gaara was registering Shukaku’s words but it just wasn’t connecting.

“To think, that the way into you, to actually get into you was to the beat the every living shit out of you!? Didn’t take you a masochist kid, but I guess that since you got pounded into the ground like that, it would make you hot and heavy underneath the collar.

“Or maybe it’s because he reached out and was able to touch you? When was the last time you dropped your guard and let someone get close? Because it sure wasn’t me dropping the ball on that fight! Did you pull your sand back so the Leaf genin could weave himself through your ultimate defense?

“He hurt you first, breaking you down and then you went after him, with such a single mindset. That’s what gets you kid, huh? Don’t know and can’t feel love, but pain and violence? That’s your love language. So tell me kid, what did the genin tell you, through his fists?”

“Or maybe…..maybe you want another round,” this was purred out as if breathed directly into his ear cause a jolt to go through Gaara, making bang his head against the wall. “That’s it isn’t it? You’re carving to be touched so badly that you don’t even realize it! You want another battle royal to finish what was started. You want that sensation of being struck and striking back. To have that little dance around the battle area, against that little leaf who showed no fear.”

Gaara covered his ears in a childish attempt to block out Shukaku. He was done listening to a drunker ramble on about something he had no understanding. Shukaku continued though, laughing and making more crude observations about him and the Leaf genin.

Gaara didn’t realize his sand had been worked into a frenzy until Baki rushed into the room, a familiar blue needle in his hand. A strong tranquilizer made especially for Gaara that could put him into a drowsy, but not quite sleeping, state for hours. Gaara welcomed as the needle was slammed and injected into a major vein before his sand reacted.

The world shifted and tilted making him ill from motion sickness before he slipped into a world of dancing colors.

The room was flooded with sunlight that made everything bright and painful was the first coherent thought that crossed Gaara’s mind as he slowly took in his surroundings. All the windows were opened and the doors that lead to the balcony were wide open, letting in fresh summer air into the room.

Gaara moved his limps slowly, noting that he had been moved from the wall and was now on the floor, underneath the blanket from the cheap bedroll that had been supplied. Slowly sitting upright, watching as the world spun around him before it stabilized did Gaara noticed he wasn’t only.

Leaning against the same wall that Gaara had smacked his head on that was across the room, his eyes grave, was Baki. No armour was out of place nor was it over any bandages. Gaara mustn’t have strikeout at Baki which was odd. Had Gaara not seen him as a threat as usual or had he been that preoccupied with what Shukaku had said?

“We need to talk,” it was an order, and Gaara was in no state that he could whisk himself away so that they couldn’t have this conversation. Gaara let out a huff and turned his attention so that he could look out the open doors.

“What happened last night?”

Gaara didn’t respond. Baki was patient but so was Gaara. They could play the waiting game until one got bored or Kankuro did something stupid, requiring Baki to rescue him.

“I asked you a question Gaara, and I want an answer. Do I need to bring your father into this?”

That was the magic word, wasn’t it? To make Gaara bend, just mentioned the Kazekage and Gaara would comply like a trained hound.

“Nothing happened. Shukaku got to me because the fight with the Leaf genin went through his chakra reservoirs and he needed some to rant to.” It wasn’t the complete truth, but it wasn’t a lie either. But it had enough truth that Baki could accept the answer.

“Rock Lee,” Baki nodded and Gaara’s fingers flexed. He had written the genin as “Leaf genin” in his mind but he hadn’t thought to remember his name. Now he wasn’t some stranger, he was someone that had been given a name by family, by Love. Rock Lee. Gaara would be sure to remember it.

“I cannot stress it enough Gaara,” Baki’s voice was low and firm but there was an edge to it. “You know why we are here, what we have to do. This mission relies heavily on you. If you cannot contain and keep yourself in check for this one month, Suna will collapse and die.”

“A true shame,” Gaara replied, his tone sarcastic. But it had the effect of Baki narrowing his eyes. While Baki was loyal to Suna, Gaara was loyal to himself.

 “If you have a grudge against the boy, hold onto it and wait until the final part of the Chunin Exams, you can have him then when this is all over.”

Gaara felt his eyes widen. Baki probably had meant that when Shukaku went on his rampage, to have the Leaf genin….to have Rock Lee as part of the causalities. But Shukaku’s words were back, ringing in his ears, so Baki’s solution carried a different weight.

“Alright,” Gaara agreed. He turned to see Baki looking surprised which was quickly covered over with a mask of professional indifference. Baki had either expected Gaara to not agree or to pick a fight.

But Gaara had other things on his mind. Agreeing with Baki would make it easier for Gaara to slip away and…..deal with his problems.

One was with Sasuke Uchiha, to ensure that their match was a true battle royal to the end. Gaara had seen the eyes of the so-called “prodigy”, and he wanted to see just how far he would go to kill. The other? Deal with Rock Lee, to Gaara’s own personal satisfaction.

But first, Gaara had to look for them.

Gaara had to force himself to be complacent under Baki’s watchful gaze as he was observed and his behaviors closely monitored for three days. Baki finally relented due to orders of having to back to Suna to report on the progress of the mission.

With Baki acting as the liaison between Suna and Konoha for the mission, Gaara knew that Temari, as the oldest, would have orders to observe and follow him. But that didn’t mean that she would follow the orders so closely. She would observe but she had to prepare for the exam as well so her time would be split between herself, Kankuro and Gaara; giving him plenty of time to slip away.

But he would be close by, as to not cause any trouble. His Third Eye Jutsu had a decent range so he could observe the village without having to go far. He would only need to move in order to cover more ground.

Several days passed, how many Gaara didn’t bother to keep track, he had found where Sasuke Uchiha was training and confronted him. It had gone just as what Gaara was expecting, which wasn’t much, to begin with.

What Gaara had not expected was how long it was taking him to find Rock Lee. The month was almost over before he finally found him.

The wind blew the crisp cool air smelling of sap and smoky bark over the rook of the temple, rattling the holy bells that hung beneath him but Gaara hardly felt the cold nor acknowledge the sounds. In two days the final portion of the Chunin exams would start and so would the attack on Konoha.

But before that, Gaara had to deal with Rock Lee first. Having used his Third Eye Jutsu to not only spy on the other combatants, but he had also searched the village looking for the green-cladded genin and Gaara had found him, had found where Rock Lee was recuperating.

It was the main hospital that used for most medical treatments of all shinobi in this village. It was run by both non-combatant and med-nin personal. It was also not guarded by any skilled ANBU squad. Gaara supposed that since the match had ended in his victory, there was no need to hide Rock Lee from Gaara’s prying eyes.

While Gaara knew he was being watched, as were all that weren’t Leaf shinobi, he would have no issues slipping into the hospital. Gaara licked his lips; the thought of fresh blood, just for him and not for Mother, was tempting for him to go now but……

It was the night of the full moon. Gaara wanted to savor every moment he could as himself, not as a beast. For Shukaku was gluttonous and would drink his fill, not leaving even scraps for Gaara.

The sounds of footsteps brought Gaara’s attention away from Rock Lee, to a rather miserable looking genin as he walked along the rooftop towards Gaara.

“This was unexpected….” The genin amused out loud. “Do you ever sleep?”

Gaara just regarded him blankly. He wasn’t the ones he wanted to kill. “What do you want?”

“I was thinking of defeating you right here, right now. So I can increase my chances of getting to fight Sasuke in the Chunin Exam, as I am the last Sound Ninja standing,” he continued. “I have analyzed your attacks. So which do you think is faster? Your sand or my sound?”

“When there is a full moon, his blood gets excited,” Gaara murmured, his voice carried over the strengthening wind. Chakra flooded each of his senses and oozed out of his pores as Gaara felt his body buckle and shift. His joints popped as tendons and muscles were stretched beyond human proportions.

He couldn’t – wouldn’t – do a full transformation. Not tonight. But he could still have some fun.

 The world brightens as if flooded by sunlight, all the details hidden in shadows were visible to Gaara. The Sound genin, covered from head to toe in clothing and hidden armor, looked small and breakable.

 “What…..what on earth are you…?” Those words, filled with fear and horror, were drowned out and carried away by the wind as paws of sand carved through the roofing tiles. The scream of pain and anguish was cut off as the Sound genin was torn apart.

And just as quickly as the change had occurred, the moment passed and the sand receded, leaving Gaara reeling. He took in gulping breathes of the summer air to cool his overheating body. His body ached much like it had in the match against Rock Lee but it lacked the lingering heat, Gaara shivered.

The stench of blood enticed Gaara to look over the remains of the Sound genin. It was pooling around the body and slowly dripping down towards the edge of the roof. Gaara licked his lips as he staggered over. He was thirsty, and leaving blood like that was such a waste.

Dipping two fingers into a gaping wound, Gaara brought the deep red blood to his lips, only to spit it out immediately as he gagged. It was foul, bitter! The blood was thin and watery! Gaara let out a cough as something akin to rotten fish bones seemed to lodge itself at the back of his throat.

Gaara continued to spit out salvia with leftover blood as his mouth slowly went numb. Gaara stood up, before placing one foot onto the dead genin head’s and stomping it with enough force so that the roof was now coated in brain fluids as well.

Something akin to bitterness seemed to settle in Gaara’s chest. The dried out blood from Rock Lee that Gaara had carried in his sand for hours after the match had been sweet, thick, and warm. And Gaara longed for it.

Gaara watched from the shadows as the pink hair genin walked out of the room, retreating deeper into the hospital. Gaara waited until the footsteps faded and nothing else echoed did he slip out and walked towards the room. Even with the overwhelming smell of disinfected and medicine, he could still make out the smell of blood. Rock Lee’s blood.

Gaara felt his fingers twitch as he slid the door open and closed it with a quiet CLANK. The room was completely white, save for the small yellow flower by the open window. And sleeping there and quiet as if he was dead, was Rock Lee.

Gaara felt like his head was splitting in two as he stumbled forward. The dark instincts awaken during their fight was battling with the rawness of seeing the green-cladded jonin save Rock Lee’s life.

Gaara hissed as he tempted back the rawness, focusing with a madness more on the heat that he had felt during their fight. The rawness eventually receded until it seemed to sulk in the corner of his mind. It’ll stay there until he comes to the decision on whether Rock Lee would live or die.

Walking over to stand beside the bed, Gaara looked down on Rock Lee. He truly was a sorry state. There were bandages wrapped around his neck and the outlines of the thick cast on his left arm and leg could be seen through the thin hospital blankets. There was a thick smell of medicine and painkillers that covered over Rock Lee but it couldn’t cover up the smell of heat and blood.

Gaara paused as he continued to look down. He had come here with a goal in mind but now that he was here, he…..wasn’t sure what to do. On the battlefield it was easy; just kill whoever was in his way. If someone wounded him, kill them slowly. But Rock Lee had wounded Gaara in a way that killing him could leave Gaara without any possible satisfaction.

Gaara saw Rock Lee stir, his eyes and forehead scrunching up before his eyes fluttered open. Those same black eyes were unfocused and void of that fire that had burned Gaara. He could fix that.

Gaara moved closer so that he could lean over the prone figure. Rock Lee’s eyes glanced over to him before lazily sliding over to the flower. Gaara felt his lips twitch as he saw tension fill Rock Lee, fear filling the room as those eyes snapped back to Gaara’s own sea-glass green.

“Sabaku no Gaara,” Lee breathed, his black eyes wide. Gaara felt his lips drawback, exposing his canines. The smell of fear became sharp when he saw Rock Lee’s gaze flicked to his fangs and back to his eyes. He was awake and fearful, good.

“A rather miserable state you are in,” huffed Gaara and he saw the rise of anger and indignation in Rock Lee’s eyes before it was smoothed back in a face of cool seriousness.

“Indeed I am,” admitted Rock Lee. “However, this will not stop me. I shall recover and be on my way to becoming a fine ninja. Just you wait and see!”

Gaara let out a quiet snort and he saw Rock Lee’s eyes narrow at him. It was there, just beginning to smother but it was there, the fire that he had during their battle.

“You have injured me quite terrible Rock Lee,” Gaara mused, placing his chin on his right hand and letting his left curl into the clean sheets. He had seen Temari do this posture before, a lazy and bored lean against the bed when Kankuro had been injured some missions ago.  ”You have to pay for it.”

Rock Lee’s eyebrows shot up and he saw and felt those eyes slid over him, looking for injuries. Rock Lee seemed to be mulling something over as he bit his lip.

“I do not have much money,” Rock Lee said finally, his voice slow. Gaara saw his eyes were clear and focused, now lacking that smothering ember. “But if you are demanding that I pay for your hospital bill, then I have to say, you are to be disappointed.”

Gaara felt something bubble inside of him as he used his fingers to try and keep his jaw locked. But some air and spittle escape as Gaara let out a snort. Rock Lee watched him in alarm as he continued to let out breathy huffs of air and he seemed to connect the dots.

“You’re…..laughing?” Rock Lee had meant it as a statement but it ended up coming out as a question.

Laughing? Gaara was laughing? He wasn’t sure he even knew how to laugh but Gaara didn’t bother to correct Rock Lee as he continued to let out the huffs of air until his face ached.

When the fits subsided Gaara glanced to see Rock Lee regarding him curiously. It wasn’t a sharp curiosity like that of a veteran who found something interesting to exploit, but more of childlike wonder. The smell of fear had subsided, making the room smell sternly of medicine again. Gaara would correct that.

He leaned closer, expecting Rock Lee to move backward but was surprised to see him look Gaara straight in the eyes, not moving so much as an inch.

“Are you not afraid?” Gaara asked curiously. He let his gaze wander over Rock Lee’s face. They were faint, but Gaara could see the scars, now tan and soft because of age. They hug Rock Lee’s jaw, skirted by his ears. One that was more noticeable started above his right brow, crossed his forehead, and disappeared into his hairline.

“No,” Lee said, his voice was steady. “I believe I am in no danger.”

Gaara felt his lips curl back into a sneer, revealing his front canines. But the smell of fear did not come. Rock Lee was truly a skilled physical shinobi, but he was obviously stupid.

“I can easily change that,” hissed Gaara as his sand swirled in his gourd, making a loud hissing sound. Rock Lee's eyes widened and his tan face paled slightly as the smell of fear rolled off him. Gaara leaned even closer, the bar of the hospital bed digging into stomach and ribs as he took in a deep breath through his mouth, teeth exposed.

Fear coated his tongue and throat like the cooling mints that Kankuro was so fond of. There was a hint of spice that seemed to sit behind his molars but before his throat. The sensations wouldn’t last as something bitter and sour coated his insides. Gaara felt the muscles in his neck tensed as he fought back the urge to gag at the overwhelming stench of disinfectant, and alcohol.

Gaara hissed as he drew back, Rock Lee watching him with wide eyes, his breaths coming in fast. Clasped in his still working right hand, was a broken bottle of watery hand sensitizer. The bottle had been crushed and the liquid dripped from Rock Lee’s hand, pooling onto the bedsheets and partially into his lap.

That would explain the stench.

Gaara bit back a snarl of irritation but decided a show of force would suffice, to demonstrate to Rock Lee’s that this was no game.  Concentration so that he wouldn’t push too much chakra into his still aching arms, Gaara felt chakra flood into his arms as he gripped the bed handrails, feeling a flicker of satisfaction as it bends under his grip.

Rock Lee’s eyebrows rose until they were at his hairline, the smell of fear and confusion slowly rising, like smothering smoke. Gaara pushed some more chakra in his arms as the handrails bent until they were level with the mattress underneath his grip.

Gaara let out a small hiss as there was a flicker of alarm from somewhere deeper in the hospital. Chakra which was quiet but inquisitive probing brushed the area just outside of his field, gauging the threat. It wasn’t ANBU but whoever it was seemed familiar enough with him. Gaara was running out of time. He made to take action and make a decision.

Gaara wasn’t stupid; otherwise, he would have been dead long ago. But this was neither a battle nor a mission so his usual tactics would be useless. Especially if an ANBU team decided that the best course of action was the neutralization of a threat against Konoha, making the invasion a failure before it even occurred.

Letting go of the now mangled handrail, Gaara’s arms reached out towards Rock Lee with the speed of a striking viper. They gripped the collar of his hospital gown and tried to pull him closer. But Rock Lee was heavy, heavier than Gaara was expecting and his muscles still ached from the partial transformation from last night so he could only pull him about halfway up.

Rock Lee let out a hiss of pain and gripped both of Gaara’s hands with his one still functioning hand, the pressure making the bones in Gaara’s fingers creak. Gaara narrowed his eyes and pushed himself forward into Rock Lee’s space so that he could feel the hot breath pass over his cheek. He was closer now but…..

The angle was wrong. Rock Lee was still too far away. His smell, his heat, his blood wasn’t close enough. Gaara had to move closer but he wasn’t sure how.

A flicker of a past memory came to mind, back from a time when his Sand hadn’t always been a perfect defense. When he had been ill because of a high fever and one of his father’s assassins had tried a different method for execution.

Loosening his grip on Rock Lee, who also released his grip on him, who fell with a THUMP and a muffled "oof", he then moved his hands to the strap that held the gourd and with great care, placed the gourd onto the floor. Gaara braced himself on the damaged handrails and pulled himself onto the bed.

The smell of utter confusion and displeasure made Gaara’s nose itch but he barely paid it any mind as he moved his body. The position and moving around on the bed was awkward, made it more so since Rock Lee took up so much of the bed.

Gaara shifted on his hands and knees until he was hovering over Rock Lee’s body in a somewhat comfortable position. His knees were on either side of Rock Lee’s damaged left leg, the cast pressing into his shins. He placed each hand so that rested on Rock Lee’s shoulders. Gaara pressed his fingers deeper in the muscles and he felt Rock Lee tense underneath, becoming rigid like stone.

Gaara could feel the strength of those muscles hum up his arm and something seemed to coil in his stomach. It squirmed like an eel and Gaara felt the heat travel through his body, making him lightheaded. Was this…….lust?

The strangeness of the word and what it entailed, that Gaara could actually feel something like this; to desire a human being? It left an odd taste in the back of his mouth.

Rock Lee’s face was pale, his mouth slightly open so that Gaara could see the whiteness of his teeth. A pale pink tongue quickly wetted the bottom lip and Gaara watched it with intensity. When it slipped back into that warm opening, Gaara decided to follow.

Lowering his head slowly, fingers still digging into those muscles, Gaara watched for any sign that Rock Lee would strike. But no movement came; Rock Lee was like a statue as if frozen in Gaara’s gaze.

When Gaara was close enough to gently place his forehead onto Rock Lee’s did it seem to break the trace, as if the touch had been key to show this wasn’t a hallucination from the medication. Two hands, one broken possibly beyond repair, moved up as if to push Gaara away or off the bed but both were slowed down by the blanket.

Gaara quickly pinned both hands down with his own hands, not being kind with the force used. A high pitch whimper escaped Rock Lee’s lips, his eyes wide as he started to thrash in the bed. Gaara let his chakra hum into the air, pulling his sand from the gourd to pin both of Rock Lee’s legs down to the bed. He couldn’t have Rock Lee push him away, not now.

Rock Lee’s chest was heaving, the sound loud in the mostly quiet room. His eyes were blown wide, like two pieces of coal. The air stunk of fear, confusion, and some other emotions blended to make a cocktail that made no sense.

But Gaara noted the changes but paid barely any mind to them, still resting his forehead on Rock Lee’s. Those eyes, now that Gaara was closer, wasn’t black but more of a deep dark brown, like the bark of the many trees that made the forests surrounding Konoha. And there, hidden under the fear, was a smothering angry. It wasn’t the fire from their fight, but it was a start.

Gaara tilted his head to one side and gently brushed his lips against Rock Lee’s. The reaction was instant for Rock Lee; a sucked in a breath, eyes wide with shock and body stiff as if with rigor mortis. Gaara could feel those lips brushing against his as if words were being formed and dying before they could be voiced.

Gaara was sure that Rock Lee wasn’t doing this on purpose but the moving of his lips, warm and soft against his own, was making sparks alight in his gut. Gaara wondered how far he could take this.

Gaara sorted through his memories, of the times he had watched other humans in Suna and while on missions, looking for something more as he still gently brushed his lips against Rock Lee.  A more recent memory popped up, one from his search for Rock Lee, from Konoha’s own red-light district no less.

Moving so that their lips were slotted more comfortable together, muffling the very confused “mph!” from Rock Lee, did Gaara follow the memory and bite down with his canines onto Rock Lee’s lips, hard.

Rock Lee jumped; disconnecting their lips but not before Gaara tasted the same sweet copper tang that he had been searching for. But this was also different; it was fresh and in liquid form, clean and not clotted as it had been. And it was all Gaara’s.

Gaara let out an amused huff as he licked his lips. He was grinning; he could feel the ache in his cheeks from how wide his smile was. And to make it all the better, Rock Lee glared up at him, angry and disgust in his eyes with no hint of fear; that smothering ember was now a low burning fire. What to do now to make it an inferno?

“How….you…….what….?” spluttered Rock Lee, as he wiped his bleeding lip with the back of his hand, smearing the blood all over his lower face.

“I want you,” those three little words that Gaara murmured, more to himself, made Rock Lee freeze. His eyes were so wide that the whites almost swallowed the black pinpricks.

“I want you,” repeated Gaara lowering himself so that his lips brushed against Rock Lee’s. “So I’ll have you.”

Gaara could feel the pulse hammering in the air, as a deep red blush covered Rock Lee’s face, went down the neck, and disappeared into the collar of the hospital gown.  Up close, the smell of fear and complete and utter confusion drowned out Gaara’s sense of smell but underneath it all, there was the hint of tree sap, smoke, and something herbal and floral. It all made Gaara’s head swim.

“I’m…..I’m a person,” was the whispered reply. “You just can’t claim someone and take them from their home.”

“But I won the match,” Gaara pointed out. “I think I am allowed to have what I what.”

“The match…the match allowed you to progress….to gain….to gain the rank of Chunin,” Rock Lee was grabbing at straws now and Gaar pulled back his lips into a sneer.

“What does rank matter to me? I’ve already been on A-rank and S-rank missions before,” stated Gaara. Rock Lee’s body stiffened in surprise at that revelation.

“So I’ll say this one more time,” Gaara said with a fanged smile, leaning more forward so his lips brushed against Rock Lee’s ear. “I want you.”

Rock Lee swallowed nosily before croaking out, “How?”

Gaara chuckled, the air ruffling the hair. “When I’m done with Konoha, I’ll-“

The door slammed open, making Gaara jumped and turned towards the sound. That distraction was enough for Rock Lee to heave his arm from the sand and shove Gaara off the bed. Despite his injures, there was still strength in his arms, making Gaara tumble and land in a heap on the floor.

Gaara raised himself into a sitting position to glare at whoever was in the doorway. One yellow-haired idiot who looked pale and was making a disgusting face, and one black-haired idiot who was watching Rock Lee with an air of concern.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing to Bushy Brows!” yelled the yellow-haired annoyance. Gaara was sure he had seen him in that utterly abysmal match against the canine genin from his own village.

“What does it look like?” Gaara asked as he straightened himself out. Looks like his conversation with Rock Lee would have to be continued later.

“It looked like you want to bite his face-off,” the black-haired genin drawled. Gaara narrowed his eyes at him who looked unimpressed. But the air around him was serious and those sharp eyes were cataloging everything.

Gaara didn’t bother with a reply as with a wave of his hand, the sand that was lying dormant on the bed rose into the air. He didn’t need to tell these lumps of flesh anything but he couldn’t have them running around telling everyone what they saw. Gaara wouldn’t have much time to find Rock Lee again if he was moved after this. 

“What’s going on here?” the voice was deep and familiar. The rawness came back with a vengeance that had Gaara grab his head. Rock Lee’s teacher, the one that saved him earlier, was standing in the doorway, his eyes were like stones as he regarded Gaara with cool indifference.

Too many people around now, too much of a risk if he tried to take them on now, especially so close to the beginning of the Chunin Exams. He would have to deal with them during the invasion.

Gaara locked eyes with the man and slowly had his sand move back into his gourd. The man didn’t move nor say anything as Gaara walked over and lifted the gourd back onto his back. He also didn’t say anything when Gaara brushed his hand over Rock Lee’s cheek who recoiled as if struck.

“Think about what I said Rock Lee,” Gaara said, tossing the words over his shoulders as he exited the room. “You don’t have much time left. When the exams are over, you’ll be mine.”