Chapter Text
Naruto tucked arms behind his head as he made his way down the path. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to the sand and heat in Suna, but it was nice to drop by once in a while and see the changes that Gaara had made as Kazekage. He could hear snatches of conversation amongst the Suna citizens he passed, a quiet murmur compared to Konoha’s bustling noise.
Thinking of home, Naruto could still feel the weight of Nagato’s sacrifice and the painful, unbelievable joy of being lauded as a hero. Sometimes it still felt like a dream.
Coming up to the lower curve of the street, Naruto paused as he saw two figures standing in front of the Sunagimo Tei restaurant. “Gaara…and Bushybrows?”
Lee turned to him, flashing a big grin. “Oh! I did not expect to see you here! What a surprise!”
Naruto returned the grin, eyes squinting into fox slits. “Same to you. You don’t usually get over to Suna. Are you on a mission?”
Lee’s nod of assent reminded Naruto again of Konoha. The village was still being rebuilt after Pain’s attack, which prompted Tsunade to increase the number of missions and raise funds for the reconstruction.
“I happened to be in Suna on an errand, and just as I was starting home, Gaara-kun stopped me.” Lee said, both of them turning to the Kazekage, who had been silent during the whole exchange.
“Gaara did…?”
Naruto could have sworn, for a second, that Gaara’s cheeks were dusted pink. It must have been the heat getting to both of them, if Lee’s flushed face was anymore proof. Naruto grinned at both men and gestured to the restaurant behind them. “If you two are eating, I’ll join you! I’m starving after my last mission.”
“Oh, um…” Lee hesitated, eyes wide and looking at Gaara, who was scowling at Naruto.
“What? I’m hungry!”
“...Fine. Let’s talk inside.” Gaara finally said, swiftly stepping ahead of them into the restaurant.
Naruto rolled his eyes as he followed after him. He thought he was past getting scowls from his moody friend.
Gaara’s mood only seemed to sour more when Naruto nudged Lee on the bench, making the other man graciously scoot away, to face Gaara at an angle instead.
‘What’s eating him?’ Naruto grumbled to himself as Gaara let out a huff.
They put in their orders with Lee opting to just have a cup of tea.
“Gai-sensei and I are in the middle of testing out his latest health balls! They are packed full of protein!” Lee exclaimed, popping one in. Despite what he said, he turned green for a second before downing his cup of tea. “They…do not taste very good. Ugh…”
Naruto shuddered. “Reminds me of Sakura-chan’s soldier pills. She’s still developing the latest one.” He was surprised when Gaara traded Lee’s empty cup for his own, which the other man gratefully downed as well. Naruto felt a rush of pride at how Gaara was becoming such a considerate friend to his allies.
By the time their food came, Gaara was leaning against the table on his elbows, voice a quiet rumble as he spoke to Lee. Naruto caught the man’s eyes flickering from Lee’s bandaged left arm to the other man’s face. “I wanted to have a serious talk with you.”
“Wow, Gaara. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that before.” Naruto said.
Lee bowed his head silently in thought before looking Gaara in the eye. “Gaara…To tell you the truth, I did as well. There is something I wish to speak with you about.”
Naruto’s stomach clenched at the serious look both men were giving each other. There was something…heavy and electric between them that made Naruto think he maybe should have skipped joining them. Then again, this was free entertainment. He took a bite of his food.
“Thank you for what you did at the Chunin Exams!” Lee suddenly exclaimed, making a few of the other patrons turn to frown at him. Gaara’s eyes were wide, his mouth softening from the usual tight line.
“‘Thank you’? Sure you don’t have that backwards?! Gaara got you good that time, remember?!” Naruto gaped. “You were hurt real bad…and you went through a lot of trouble over it.”
Trouble was an understatement. Naruto recalled the fear sweeping across the room as an unstable Gaara reached out with his sand to grab Lee’s arm and leg in a merciless Sand Coffin, crushing bone, skin and muscle. Lee’s scream of agony and his frail body being carried away was the first time for many of their genin batch to witness one of their own almost dying. Outside of Team 7’s wave mission, it had also been Naruto’s first exposure to the darkness that could have likewise consumed him if he hadn’t had his team and Iruka-sensei.
“Yes. At the time, it was very difficult. To be honest…” Lee’s eyes shifted towards Gaara in hesitation, as if he didn’t want to admit this part. “I did hate you for it, sometimes.”
Naruto stayed silent as he caught the sheen in Gaara’s eyes and the way his shoulders fell minutely.
“But then I changed the way I thought about it. I thought, Gaara-kun set me a trial . Overcoming that trial would make me much, much stronger!” Lee said, turning to face Gaara once more. His brows furrowed as he spoke animatedly, hands waving in the air. “So, ever since then, I exerted myself even more. In doing so, I gained the strength I have now! Of course I still have far to go…However, I bear no grudge against you now! None at all!”
Lee ended his passionate speech by leaning forward, hands on his thighs. “Rather, I am grateful to you for having given me that trial! Gai-sensei said so as well! He said that I was injured partly because I did not have enough power!”
The Kazekage’s hands clasped in front of him, shaking a bit as he glanced from Lee to Naruto.
“Gaara…” Naruto said, a smile making its way across his face at the sheer wonder that filled Gaara’s expression. As crazy as Bushybrows was, Naruto was happy the two of them talked about this. His friend must have been living with regret all this time.
Lee straightened up in his seat, looking flustered for a moment. “Ah! You had something you wished to tell me, too, did you not? I am sorry, I have been talking too much. Please, say as much as you like!”
“...No. Nevermind.” Gaara intoned in a soft voice.
“What?! Did I talk so much I upset you?!” Lee groaned.
“...No, that’s not it.” Gaara’s lips twitched up when Lee started panicking. Naruto snickered at how Lee looked like he was about to leap over the table with how much he was leaning towards Gaara.
“Then why?! Did I say something wrong?!”
Gaara shook his head, a real smile now on his face. “...Something right.”
Lee looked at him in confusion with a surprised, “Huh?”
“No…It’s nothing…” Gaara said, taking the cup he’d switched with Lee and pouring himself a drink as he spoke. “It’s nothing, but… you, with your personality… and your teacher…both of you are wonderful.”
Gaara’s eyes were locked on Lee’s face as he brought his tea up and sipped. Lee’s face turned a deep red but he was grinning back at Gaara, eyebrows arched up and a hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.
“Ehem.” Naruto cleared his throat, wondering why it felt so awkward all of a sudden. Both men were still looking at each other deeply before Naruto clapped his hands. “The food’s getting cold! Let’s eat!”
After finishing their meal, the three men were now back outside the restaurant with Lee checking the sun’s position in the sky and Naruto patting his full belly. Gaara moved to stand beside Naruto, the soft look on his face now schooled back into his usual stoicism.
“Is our conversation over then?” Lee asked, adjusting his flack jacket and flashing his signature grin.
“Yes…I’m sorry to have kept you so long.” Gaara said.
Lee shook his head, raising a fist in earnest. “No, it was a pleasure talking with you! Please do not worry about it!”
“Is that so…?” Gaara hummed, his lips quirking up once more.
Lee had this dreamy, flushed look on his face before he raised a thumbs up. “Then I shall be off! Naruto, I will see you in Konoha!” He raised both fists up before dashing off towards the village gates.
Naruto caught Gaara still staring at where Lee had run off to. He sidled up to him and nudged him with a grin, the sand stopping his elbow from making contact. “Gaara, you were planning to apologize to Bushybrows for what happened at the Chunin Exams, weren’t you?”
“So you knew…” Gaara turned to him.
Naruto could have sworn that compared to earlier, Gaara looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
“Well, more or less. But then he cut in ahead of you and said something crazy, so you lost your chance.” Naruto laughed, shaking his head at how weird his friends were.
Gaara smiled. “Rock Lee… He is one of the people who saved me when I was still in darkness. As are you, Naruto.”
“Geh… I’m not sure I like being lumped together with that guy.”
Gaara’s low chuckle had Naruto laughing along him, though he wondered what Gaara meant when he murmured a cryptic, “He’s quite special.”
They bid their goodbyes as Gaara headed back to the Kazekage Tower. Glancing back at the Sunagimo Tei’s doors, he remembered having a bite in the same restaurant with Gaara and his siblings some time ago. That time, Gaara had spoken of feeling a warmth that hadn’t been there before. ‘I hope…from the bottom of my heart that it lasts a long time,’ His friend had said then.
Naruto was so proud of Gaara for strengthening the bonds he had with those important to him, much like what he was doing with Lee now.