Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Rot, Another One Bites the Dust	By : LucklessMallory Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1222 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I make no profit from the distribution of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
Lee panted, spread out on the ground with sweat thick on his brow. His hair was just as shiny and smooth as ever, but his skin was flushed and there was a heavy tingling of exertion in his muscles. The grin on his face was blinding as he threw a hand out and touched Gaara’s shoulder where the redhead was laying on the floor beside him.
“Thanks. I really needed to spar again, and a good work out.” Lee turned his head and looked at the other man with a satisfied glint in his eye, pleased since he’d won the last round. “That one dragged out for a while. Have you been planning that last move?”
Gaara was too busy catching his breath back and staring up at the ceiling to reply immediately, but he craned his neck to face the other man after a few more breaths. “S...Since yester...day. You...you still won.” He said, his eyes lidded and dilated. Lee’s bangs were pressed against his forehead and the winning glint in his eyes brought a shudder in Gaara’s body.
Taking a deep breath, he rolled onto his hands and knees right on top of Lee, reversing what usually happened during their spars and pinning Lee’s shoulders to the ground. His blood pumped through his body with adrenaline and a pent up desire that had been building since they’d come back to the hotel and Lee hadn’t so much as done anything beyond gentle pecks and kisses.
He panted, flushed and hot and silent as he stared down at the other man with a dark look in his eyes.
Lee blinked, looking up at Gaara with an intrigued expression. His chest was still rising and falling quickly, but it was slowing down compared to how worked up he’d been before. His body thrummed with the challenge he recognized in Gaara’s dark, assessing expression, at first thinking that they were on their way to a rematch. At the same time however, he felt something else simmering under the surface. There was a fresh, different tension that was stronger now than when they’d been fighting.
Without saying a word, Lee sat up suddenly and wrapped his arms around Gaara, their chests pressed together as he rolled forward until their positions had been reversed. His teeth flashed as his grin twisted in challenge. Lee was pressed closer against the other man than was technically necessary to hold him down, their chests touching and their legs in a tangle, and his arms on either side acted as more of a cage than a restraint so that Gaara could still move. “Problem, Gaara?” Lee goaded, quieter than his usual boasts.
Gaara licked his dry lips and tasted salt, the heat in his body fanned by Lee suddenly pressed up against him. This wasn’t the happy, excitable man he knew, no, this was the one lurking behind those round eyes. The one that always, always thought of everything as a challenge. Gaara wasn’t going to lose again. He lifted his hand and traced a finger between Lee’s brows, moving down the bridge of his nose, past his nostrils, and down to his mouth where he flicked his lower lip.
He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to answer Lee’s goading with words when he could wrap his legs around the back of Lee’s and lean up to rake his teeth lightly against Lee’s jaw, letting the other man know he was going to play this game with him.
Lee stiffened briefly in surprise by Gaara’s move, but the gleam in his eye only burned a fraction harder. He put a hand on Gaara’s collar and dragged blunt nails down the other man’s chest through his shirt as he pushed him down again and bore down on top of him. He ducked his head down beside Gaara’s, turning to drag the tip of his nose along the redhead’s jaw. Lee nudged Gaara’s head aside and touched lips to his neck briefly, before nipping just above the hemline of his shirt. Lee’s fingertips dragged lower to hold Gaara down by a tight grip on his hip.
Gaara’s mouth parted silently as he sucked in a breath of air. His skin was rapidly cooling from the cold temperature, but heat bloomed wherever Lee’s hands or mouth touched. He had underestimated him. But, he wondered how far Lee would go with another man. He pressed his hips up, fighting against the grip there and the hand on his chest.
Hands sliding up Lee’s back, he lifted his head and latched his mouth around the stretch of skin between Lee’s neck and shoulder, kissing first then sucking the tanned skin hard enough to leave a mark. His legs pressed against Lee’s thighs, encouraging the press and shift of their hips.
Lee grunted and squeezed his eyes shut, caught off guard by the way Gaara squirmed beneath him, fighting towards him to bring them closer. Lately the redhead had been testing sneaky moves during their sparring sessions, but the lips attacking Lee’s skin and the legs wrapped around the back of his thighs squeezing weren’t even subtle. Lee followed Gaara’s lead for a few seconds, shocked by the way their hips fit together as they both shifted their bodies and ground while battling for the upper hand.
Lee slid his hand down from Gaara’s hip to clutch the back of his thigh, squeezing and pulling it tighter around his own. He was laying with almost all his weight centered on top of Gaara, but he wasn’t getting up until Gaara told him to. This was still a challenge, and Lee Rock took these things very seriously. Eyes still closed, Lee dragged his mouth back up Gaara’s neck and jaw until his lips were pressed under the redhead’s ear. Taking Gaara’s earlobe between his teeth, he bit just a little too hard to be called gentle and dragged his teeth along the flesh there.
A pleased growl escaped Gaara’s lips with the harsh attention. He doubted Lee could work up the courage to be this rough with Sakura. The thick pants he had on drew friction against Lee’s as their hips ground against each other, stirring the heat rushing below his stomach together with Lee’s roving lips. But it fell short of satisfying the snatches of pleasure humming through his body.
Green eyes narrowed into slits, he dug his heels in the space between Lee’s knees then wrapped his fists around the back of Lee’s shirt. With the man’s weight pressing down on him, there was one option he could take- Gaara slid himself down while pushing Lee’s body up, ducking his head away from Lee’s mouth until he was face to face with the man’s chest. With his hands free, he slid the other man’s shirt up and licked at the contracted muscles there.
Lee sucked in an abrupt breath as Gaara slid beneath him. He ducked his head to see what Gaara was doing, but only caught a glimpse of the other man’s sharp green eyes, narrowed and glinting with calculative mischief before Lee could only see messy red hair and felt that hot, wet tongue across his chest. Lee exhaled sharply and his hips jerked involuntarily against Gaara’s in response. Lee bit his lip, trying to formulate a new plan despite the way his head was starting to swirl with hormones and left over adrenalin. Gaara fought dirty.
Unwilling to surrender the upper hand, Lee tugged his shirt over his head. He pulled his arms free of the sleeves without letting Gaara escape from under his hips and abs and tossed it away. Instead of returning his hand to Gaara’s thigh, Lee gripped the other man by his hair, turning Gaara’s face up so that he could duck down and press their mouths together, hard.
This time, Gaara couldn’t hold back the gasp as he was pulled up by his hair. For a split second, he’d been willing to punch Lee again for practically yanking the red strands from his scalp, but all thoughts fell away when Lee finally kissed him. A short groan sounded in his throat while he fought to get some leverage on the other man, willingly parting his lips but pushing against Lee’s chest and throwing his weight up. Lee was reminding him why he preferred men.
Hands scrambled at the muscled contours under his palms, and Gaara found that the only advantage he had was to search for the raised nubs on Lee's chest and rub his thumbs over them.
Things were going fast, almost too fast, and it felt like the long wait was finally erupting into a frenzied need for relief. The redhead swiped his tongue against Lee's teeth all of a sudden, darting past his lips to test his limits.
“Mmphn-” Lee felt his voice leave him while his mouth moved with Gaara’s and his hips jerked again. He closed his eyes, almost dizzy and on the verge of being overwhelmed. He hadn’t thought they would be doing this, or at least not anytime soon. Whenever he had a relationship with a woman, he was always patient and understanding, never even suggesting anything sexual until she brought it up. When- if- they went that far, he was always gentle and kept her needs at the forefront of his mind.
Lee didn’t need to be gentle with Gaara. Even now, kissing and touching and pressing together, their connection was much more like a challenge and a fight than anything else. It was rough, fast, and bordering on violent. It felt good. If he had time to think about it, he might have realized that he was more comfortable exploring with Gaara during or after an intense spar than in the peace and safety of their room on a bed. At the moment however, he had much more pressing matters on his mind, and Gaara’s tongue in his mouth and Gaara’s hands on his chest.
Lee responded to the swipe of Gaara’s tongue by pulling back just enough to bite the redhead’s bottom lip sharply. He surged forward again and pressed Gaara’s mouth wider with his own, flicking just inside the barrier of teeth with his tongue, testing. The hand in Gaara’s hair slid down the back of his head until he was cradling the other man’s neck. His breath shuddered and he squeezed his eyes tightly.
Gaara opened one eye to look at Lee, his lips swelling from the bite and the hard press of tongue and teeth. The concentration on Lee's face drew the man's impressive eyebrows together in a sharp contrast to when he was relaxed and grinning. He met Lee's tongue with his own and battled with it, twisting and licking while a distant thought remarked that they were trading saliva and everything that came with it. It was time for a power attack.
With a small huff through his nose, he anticipated when Lee seemed most distracted then pinched his nipples sharply, throwing his leg over Lee's hips and rolling them over. He broke the kiss with a gasp and pushed himself up on Lee's chest, raking his fingernails over his nipples with a rare smirk crossing his face as he looked down at his friend, breathless and flushed with desire. "So you are attracted to men."
Lee moaned, his voice low and shockingly pleased, and immediately clapped a hand over his mouth in surprise at himself. His brows pulled together and he glared at Gaara accusingly. His chest rose involuntarily to follow Gaara’s dragging fingernails, and he couldn’t control his breathing. “Th-that is not true. I am just attracted to you. I have already told you that!”
Realizing that Gaara was on the verge of winning this challenge- with a tiny voice in the back of his mind asking why he even cared anymore when his boyfriend was setting his nipples on fire like that, holy crud- Lee reached up and tried to pull Gaara down for another another kiss.
Gaara’s brows lifted at the groan, cheeks flushing darker at how arousing it sounded before he resolved to wring out more of those from Lee. He evaded Lee’s hand, swatting it away while his fingers continued to torment the dark brown peaks. One hand began to travel down Lee’s chest, dragging palm against hot skin until it reached and passed the hem of the man’s pants to feel the bulge between his legs.
Despite the pleasured slits of his eyes and the swollen lips he sported from Lee’s kisses, Gaara still had that calculating look on his face as he lifted his gaze slowly up Lee’s body until he met his friend’s eyes. “I’m not feminine in any way. My hands are strong and just as calloused as yours,” He murmured, voice low and deceptively soft. “Is this what you really want? ...What your body wants?”
Lee’s eyes were almost perfect circles as he looked up into Gaara’s eyes, temporarily frozen in place despite his quick, ragged breath and the adrenalin that shot through his body. Gaara’s hand was between his legs. Gaara’s fingers were shamelessly feeling him up through his pants, probably getting a pretty good idea about how aroused Lee had become while they’d been challenging and testing each other’s limits. Lee’s cheeks flushed worsened as his erection only got harder at the stimulation.
“I- I just-” Lee stuttered, captivated by the allure in Gaara’s eyes and his voice. Lee had never seen him like this before. It was so intense.... “Yes,” Lee finally admitted, his breath strained and his hips squirming. “You- you are right. You are not... not like a woman at all.”
Suddenly falling back on the floor and throwing his arms out, Lee’s body stopped moving in surrender. “You win! I lose this round. You are too much for me,” he said, still panting as his eyes slid closed. “You are too youthful.”
Gaara licked his lips again to wet his drying mouth, regretting that he knew his friend too well to know that this was the end of their fight. At least, for now. He’d already pushed Lee beyond what he’d expected and confirmed that Lee did want him physically. He eased up on tormenting Lee’s body and leaned forward for a soft kiss instead, still aware of their erections as his hips shifted on top of Lee’s. “I was beginning to think you’d lied about being attracted to me. I won the moment you finally touched me back.” He murmured, “Getting you to admit that was only a bonus.”
He rolled off of his friend, sitting up and grunting when his pants felt too tight and hot against his skin. The desire burning in his eyes had dimmed down now, but his body was still flushed, sweaty and already starting to ache where Lee had kicked or punched too hard. Casting a glance at the other man, he knew his bruises wouldn’t elicit as much question as the hickey glaringly red and round on Lee’s neck.
“Your arm’s almost completely healed now.” He observed, slowly shifting back to his collected self.
“Yeah,” Lee responded, letting out a sigh of relief when Gaara finally slid off him. He shivered, chilled without Gaara’s heat pressed against him, and still very aroused. There was an embarrassing tent in the front of his pants and his nipples were still hypersensitive, even just to the small brushes of air from the room. Lee sat up and pulled his knees to his chest, and focused on deep breathing for a while. He rolled his left shoulder and flexed his arm.
“It is still sore a lot, but I think it will not be much longer until even that passes. It has been much better lately,” he agreed. The angle of his neck as Lee rested his cheek on one knee showed off his fresh hickey, but he didn’t seem to notice that it was there.
“Don’t join any of the teams until the soreness is gone. The next time a team does a run, I’ll have them get a balm for muscle pain.” Gaara said, rubbing his neck where Lee had first nipped him. Letting out a deep breath, he pushed himself up and frowned when his legs wobbled, his muscles already starting to protest from the spar. The long interval during Lee’s healing put a temporary stop to their mock battles, and he was feeling the lack of practice now. Maybe Lee wasn’t the only one who needed that balm.
Looking down at the other man, he had to stifle the urge to take him down again. If it had taken days for something like this to happen, anything more might take another week. “Temari will ask about that hickey.” He said, preempting and gauging how receptive Lee would be while they were both still aroused. “We will do this again. When can we continue?”
“C-continue? Hickey?” Lee’s eyes widened and he sat up, clapping a hand over the spot between his shoulder and neck, remembering where Gaara’s mouth had been. “You gave me a hickey?”
Lee shifted, uncomfortable and too hot between his legs. He was trying to calm his body down, but his starved hormones were protesting loudly. Lee rubbed the red spot on his neck. He was unhappy that he’d lost their challenge, but at the same time it was becoming apparent that they’d had some sort of breakthrough together. Lee took a deep breath, and the all-too-familiar churning of nerves seemed to return to his stomach at the idea of ‘continuing.’ “Um... later? M-maybe back at our room, um... later.” Lee’s eyes drifted down Gaara’s body and lingered just under his belt for a few seconds, before he snapped himself out of it with a shake of the head and stood. He brushed himself off quickly and started toward the door, his cheeks a steady shade of tomato. “I need to, um, take a shower right now,” he called behind him.
“Later.” Gaara nodded, watching Lee leave with satisfaction. The aggression Lee had shown earlier had subsided again, but it was good to know that it was there to meet his own.

“How many people did you say were at the mall?” Temari asked as she stood at the door of the hotel’s basement, overseeing the reinforcement of a truck and a van. Sasori was surprisingly efficient at welding sheets of aluminum and shutters on the vehicles while following Shikamaru’s basic strategies for defending from the inside.
The man himself was leaning against the door frame next to Temari, smoking one of his last sticks to the annoyance of the blonde woman. “Maa, there were around eight people when we left. Used to have more when the outbreak started, but a lot of them got sick in the end.” He blew out a puff of smoke that Temari waved away with a large fan. Ever since she found it in one of the hotel rooms, she’d brought the intricate purple and gold fan with her wherever she went. Having something to fan away the Nara boy’s foul smokes was an added feature.
The winter chill was getting much more bearable, and the winds had calmed down after a brief sandstorm they’d had the other day. The streets would be gritty and dirty with sand, but it was the best time to carry out their plans of bringing people from the mall to the Crimson Sand.
Scowling faintly, Temari mentally walked through the hotel’s floors to see if they’d be able to open up another wing. They had enough electricity from the solar plant, but more people meant they’d have to be even more careful about their usage and rations. “Gaara mentioned a man named Naruto Uzumaki who’s leading the group at the mall. Will he be a problem?”
“Naruto won’t stop here.”
Gaara’s voice came from behind followed by the man himself carrying a light pack and his crossbow. His eyes narrowed at the distance between Shikamaru and Temari, or the apparent lack of enough of it. “He wanted to find a place to start his own community. I believe he plans to go to Konoha later on.”
“That sounds about right,” Shikamaru agreed. He took another drag from his cigarette, flicked away the ashes and exhaled in a long, satisfied sigh. He seemed to blow a good portion of the smoke at Temari, though if it was on purpose his expression was subtle. “Naruto was always going on about finding other survivors and rebuilding human civilization, or something.”
Temari’s scowl deepened as she fanned away the smoke. She cleared her throat in irritation, but turned her attention to her brother. “Once we get to the mall, how long do you think it’ll take to gather everyone? Will we have trouble getting them to come with us?”
“As long as they’re prepared to pack everything and leave with us, they’d want to come here. The mall has a lot of supplies we can use but the hotel is more comfortable to stay at.” Gaara replied.
A crease appeared on Temari’s forehead as she considered that. The truck would be able to hold a lot of things they’d need, but she wished they could have sent word to the mall beforehand. She initially hadn’t been willing to risk manpower, but Gaara’s little impromptu trip to their apartment had shown her that it was possible to get a small group in and out of any area, as long as they were strong and smart. “We need more people who are able to defend themselves and join the scouting teams.” She said, more to herself than to anyone. “Alright. I’m sending Ebisu and Baki to drive the van and truck. Kiba will be in charge of those in the van, with Sari for support. You will be accompanied by Udon in the truck.”
“You’re really sending out Sari? She doesn’t have enough experience for this.” Shikamaru raised a brow.
“She’s been training with Gaara and Lee, hasn’t she?” Temari met Shikamaru’s unaffected gaze over Gaara’s head. “I can’t risk sending out all of our experienced fighters.”
Lee appeared then from the direction that Gaara had arrived. He was rubbing his hands together to warm his fingers, though his grin looked warm today. He stepped up beside Gaara and looked around the group, his hair less shiny than usual in the dim light of the hotel’s basement. “The van is just about finished. We are low on fuel, but we have what we need for a while.”
“Temari just assigned groups. Sari will be in the van,” Shikamaru informed, somehow sounding bored and skeptical at the same time.
“Oh? She will be happy to hear that. She has been waiting for an opportunity to prove herself,” Lee replied thoughtfully. He addressed Temari, “Which vehicle will I be in?”
Temari exhaled through her nose and regarded the other man. She’d have wanted to keep him in the van just to avoid any unnecessary distractions, but there wouldn’t be enough room. Plus, he and Gaara had had experience defending each other. “You’re in the truck with Gaara and Udon. Baki will need help loading any supplies in it.” She decided, fixing Lee with a firm look. She hadn’t forgotten the hickey she’d seen on his neck a few days ago. “Stay focused, all of you.”
“We’re almost done with this.” Sasori called as set down the power drill to the side and dusted his hands on his pants. “I could have added spikes and shit if you’d given me time.”
Lee looked away quickly, as if distracted, and the tips of his ears reddened at Temari’s look.
“It doesn’t need spikes. It would probably slow things down anyway,” Temari responded. It looked like she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
“I am excited to see everyone again,” Lee said quietly to Gaara, eyes gleaming. Lee’s arm was finally well enough that he could go on routine runs again, and had insisted on being part of the party that retrieved the mall survivors. He’d almost seemed to heal out of sheer will power in time to make this trip with everyone else. “I have been worried about how they are faring in the cold, and if anyone else heard their radio signal.”
Gaara saw the eagerness in Lee’s face and nodded. His...boyfriend....had been unable to sit still when they first planned out this run, and had defied even Moegi’s predicted date for his recovery. His lips twitched up faintly, which didn’t go unnoticed by Temari as he headed for the truck. Baki was already getting into the driver’s seat while Gaara pulled open the shuttered doors at the back. Sasori had cut out slates on the sides where Gaara had room to fire and push zombies away from the truck without having to get out himself.
“Gaara.” Temari called after her brother, walking quickly to his side and speaking to him in a low voice. Both of the Sabaku siblings’ expressions didn’t change, but Temari clasped her brother’s shoulder in affection.
“They’re a handful aren’t they?” Shikamaru commented, waving away the smoke heading for Lee unlike his careless exhalations when Temari was beside him. He turned his eyes towards the taller man. “How’s it like dating one?”
“Oh, um, Gaara?” Lee smiled at Shikamaru self-consciously, though he’d gotten used to talking about his relationship now that everyone in the hotel knew. He glanced over at the Sabaku siblings. “He and I get along really well. You know that we were friends before. Gaara can be, um, a ‘handful’ sometimes, but not too much has changed.” Lee peered down at Shikamaru quizzically, stuffing his hands in his pockets to warm them. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.” Shikamaru took a final drag of his cigarette, wrinkling his nose when he tasted tar on it. He shifted his gaze back to Gaara and Temari before stubbing his cigarette on the heel of his shoe. Too many times Temari had scolded him for littering. “Gaara’s a big shift from Sakura. I wonder what she’ll say when she finds out you’re with him now.”
“I had not thought about it too much,” Lee lied obviously, scuffing his shoes on the pavement. He shrugged and glanced at the other man. “She will be very surprised I am sure. I do not think she and Gaara got along very well. I do not think she will be too disappointed, though, since she never seemed to return my feelings.”
“Well, you look happier with Gaara anyway.” Shikamaru said, eyes still on the siblings as Temari finished talking to Gaara with a quick hug. She made her way back to them just as Kiba and Sari arrived.
“Sasori assures me that the barriers will hold on the way to the mall. There are a few roads with pile-ups. Be careful if you decide to go off-road.” Temari said as Ebisu arrived as well and took the helm of the van. The former concierge cringed when Sari cracked her knuckles behind him, hinting at a past payback for all the perverted things he’d done.
Udon was the last to go with Moegi still slipping a snack and his allergy pills in his backpack. “Say hello to Konohamaru for me.” She smiled at him.
“I’ll bring him here safely, Moegi.” Udon promised, pressing a tissue to his nose while waving at his friend.
Eager, Lee was the first person to climb into the truck, followed by Udon. He sat his pack on the floor beneath the seat and grinned at the teenager. “Are you ready for this? Konohamaru is going to be surprised to see you again like this.”
Udon sniffled, but smiled at Lee. “Yes. He’ll never think we’re arriving in a truck, or that there’s so many people here. I’m sure he’s missed us.”
Baki climbed into the driver’s seat, glancing back at Lee and Udon briefly. He started the vehicle with a low thrum of the engine. Across the basement, an echo seemed to sound as the van started.
Gaara climbed into the truck last after a final glare at Shikamaru. He’d deal with the man when they returned from the mall. “Keep close to the van.” He called to Baki as he took a seat near the back and set down the long pole with a carving knife fixed at the end.
By the time they were on the road, it started to feel like they were on a grisly city tour of the dead. They’d had to pass through streets full of bodies, both truly dead and still dragging themselves to the sound of the cars. Baki was a careful driver as he maneuvered past the shuffling bodies, but it was impossible not to hit those that got too close. Getting to the mall through the main streets meant they had to take a longer route, this time unable to take the shortcuts they’d used before.
“Another dead end.” Baki called back as he waited for Ebisu to backup and turn around. In front was a pile-up of wrecked cars, burnt bodies and metal everywhere like an explosion had caused it. Gaara’s lips were pressed tight as he and Udon pushed away hands that were trying to reach through the slates of the truck.
“The mall’s only a street away. Ebisu will have to go around.” The redhead said, jabbing the blunt end of his pole through one of the slates.
“We are almost there. It will be faster on the way back, since we will know the route.” Lee had a map out and was marking down where the streets were blocked and looking for alternative directions. The sheer amount of death and damage to the city that they’d passed was making him sick, but it wasn’t unexpected. Lee glanced through one of the slates to see the tail end of the van as Baki put the car into reverse. The truck lifted and fell sharply with a sick thump as a zombie was caught under a back wheel, but there was nothing they could do about it.
They followed the van around the block and onto the next street, where they were forced to swerve precariously through a narrow section to get past the abandoned cars. The dead that could still use their legs were shambling into the middle of the road to reach the car, getting in the way or caught under a wheel. Baki’s face was a mask of concentration as he pushed through. A woman with a dislocated jaw and blood in her hair tried crawling onto the truck hood, but Baki hit the breaks to knock her off and then ran over her head with a disgusting snapping and crunching noise.
Lee felt his chest seize up with relief and anticipation when they could finally see the mall. Ebisu parked on one side, and Baki drove to the other to separate the crowd of shamblers.
The fenced area of the loading bay had a new ditch that was filled with sand and bodies. While it must have added security, the ditch made it impossible for the vehicles to get into the bay. It looked like the sandstorm that had swept through Suna had also deposited a lot of debris around it. There was no sign of anyone from outside, but there was a distant barking coming from inside the mall.
“I’m heading out.” Gaara said, taking up his crossbow and handing Udon the pole “Udon, make sure no zombie gets inside the truck. Lee, you’re with me.”
The van doors were already open with Kiba making quick work of the zombies that had followed after them using knives in each hand. Sari covered his back, looking less enthusiastic about killing zombies now that she was in the fray. Pushing one of the truck’s doors out, Gaara fired his crossbow at the first zombie who tried to enter the truck and leaped out.
The back door inside the fence flung open with Ino spotting Kiba and Gaara. She gave a happy shriek before calling back behind her and rushing to the fence. Konohamaru and a large white dog followed after her as they worked to pull the fence open.
Lee leaped out after Gaara, swinging his spiked bat around to crush through the head of a zombie man who appeared from around the other side of the car. He shut the door quickly behind him to keep Udon from being exposed. It seemed that Baki was going to stay with Udon and the truck until they talked to the people inside and had a pathway open, and possibly a better place to move the vehicle.
“This way!” Lee called out, waving at Sari and Kiba. The pair dashed toward them, knocking zombies out of the way. The fury in Kiba’s moves as he stabbed skull after skull of the living dead seemed to brighten as he heard Akamaru barking for him. The huge white dog ran ahead of Konohamaru, leaping to Kiba’s side and helping him knock zombies away without hesitation. “Good boy! Let’s go!” Kiba exclaimed. Sari’s eyes were wide from the bloodspatter all around her, and in surprise at the sudden appearance of Akamaru.
When everyone was finally inside the gate and it was pushed closed again, Lee was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. A crawler with a leg broken in several places had gotten inside the gate, but they’d already taken care of it and left it off to the side. Lee set down his bat and turned to greet Ino and the others. Before he could even get a word out, he stumbled backward as a mess of pink hair leaped onto him, clutching at his shoulders with an excited “Lee!” in greeting.
“I was so worried!” Sakura exclaimed, smiling up at him and clutching his shoulders tighter. “You never sent word back!”
Akamaru was barking and yipping as if he were a pup again, leaping up to lick at Kiba’s face in vain. Kiba was laughing and trying to avoid his dog’s tongue. “Down boy! You’re gonna lick zombie bits if you keep that up!”
Once the gate was secured, Konohamaru spotted Udon waving at him from the passenger seat, his friend having moved beside Baki to see what was going on inside the loading bay. “I thought you wouldn’t come back, but I guess Naruto was right.” He said, waving back before turning to Gaara.
The redhead wasn’t even looking at Konohamaru. He was scowling at Sakura and Lee, the crossbow still clutched tight in his hands.
“I’ll tell Naruto you’re back.” Ino said brightly before hurrying inside the mall.
“H-hello,” Lee said, smiling at Sakura’s enthusiastic greeting. He returned her hug briefly and pulled back, his hands on her arms. “I am sorry that I did not contact you. We did not have radio access, and there was too much else to do until now.”
“Can we go inside, please?” Sari spoke up, looking incredibly uncomfortable as she watched the few left over zombies on the other side of the fence, all moaning and shambling toward them.
“This way,” Konohamaru said, gesturing toward the door and leading the other youth inside. Kiba followed after, still exchanging attention with Akamaru and laughing. Sakura let go of Lee and seemed to collect herself in comparison to her welcome, though she still smiled at him over her shoulder as she stepped back inside.
Gaara lowered his crossbow and followed after everyone heading inside, the scowl on his face easing up but a troubled look replacing it. He hadn’t thought about how Lee and Sakura would act around each other; hadn’t considered it because the mission always took the forefront of his mind. Now that they were here, however, it bothered him more than he liked to admit.
“What’s been happening here in the mall?” Gaara asked sharply, his frustration coming out in his voice as he asked the pink-haired woman in front of him.
“We’ve been doing well, surprisingly. It was a good move to save the generators for winter. It’s still freezing at night, but we have working heaters.” Sakura replied, shaking her head at the familiar way the redhead spoke.
Kiba scratched behind Akamaru’s ears as they went up the back stairs to reach the mall’s atrium. “We saw some areas that looked fucking burnt. Has Deidara been experimenting with explosions?”
“A little, yes,” she said. “He’s gone out a couple times and experimented in places where the zombie population was highly concentrated. He wiped out a lot of them, and at the same time he’s been getting better at focusing the destruction. If something happened and we had to flee, he would be able to detonate some distractions, clear a path, and also take out anything following us.”
Lee glanced at Gaara as they walked, finally noticing his boyfriend’s scowl and the sharp tone of his voice. He chalked it up to focus on their mission for now, and refocused on what Sakura was saying. “Is everyone here right now? We need to talk to everyone as soon as possible.”
“Yeah, everyone should be-”
“Gaara! Kiba! Lee! New girl!” Naruto exclaimed just as the group reached the atrium. He trotted up to them with a massive grin on his face, with Ino half a step behind him. “I almost didn’t believe it! About fucking time you got here!”
“Naruto, pack up everything. We’re taking you to the hotel.” Gaara interrupted before anyone could speak again, striding up to the blond man. “We have a truck and a van waiting outside. How soon can you get everyone to the loading bay?”
“Geez Gaara, glad to see you too.” Naruto shook his head but didn’t lose the grin on his face. “What the hell do you mean just pack up? We’d love to get out of this dump, but we’re nowhere near prepared to just up and go.”
“Then get to it. We have three people still outside the fence, including Udon, who are waiting for you to start moving.” Gaara frowned, looking around the atrium and noticing just how much had changed. There were more couches and tables there, and there were even a couple of reclining chairs on one side. The people at the mall had grown cozy.
“I found my sister at the hotel. She’s offering a place for everyone to stay at.” He said. “They have trucks there that can take you to Konoha.”
“Really?” Naruto’s eyes narrowed into fox like slits as he thought about that, his face uncharacteristically serious for a moment. He spotted Choji and Sai as they appeared on the other side of the atrium and waved them over. “Alright, guys! We’ve got our ticket out! Grab your essentials and get ready to make a mad dash to the trucks! We’re going to the hotel!”
“I will explain,” Lee said, stepping up to the two men and putting a hand on their shoulders. “And I will help you pack at the same time! We cannot afford to wait!”
“Good to see you, Lee. Is Shikamaru with you?” Choji asked, following Lee’s lead toward the wing he’d been sleeping in.
“I am afraid he stayed behind at the hotel to help look after everyone. The faster you pack, the faster we will be able to see him again, though!”
“I’ll start grabbing resources that’ll fit in the truck,” Kiba spoke up, glancing at the stores around them in assessment.
Sari still looked shaken from her recent encounter with the undead, but she was already bouncing on her heels beside Konohamaru. “Sari and I will find everyone,” the younger boy said. “We can do it faster than any of you.”
“Heh, I’d make a bet against that, cocky brat. Good to meet you, Sari. Don’t let that kid boss you around.” Naruto grinned as the girl smiled back and followed after Konohamaru’s retreating back.
With Lee helping Choji and Sai gather together everything useful they had at the mall; Kiba joining in to grab an assortment of clothes, batteries, flashlights, food crates, and other things; and Sakura dashing off to pack the medicine, tools and books from her clinic, Gaara spoke to Naruto in a quiet voice before the man could join the mass evacuation.
“Naruto, there are two people at the hotel that are dangerous. Their names are Sasori and Zetsu.” Gaara said. “Keep an eye on them and their relations with those you’re leading here.”
Naruto nodded seriously, recognizing the tone in Gaara’s voice. He put an arm around Gaara’s shoulder and started walking toward the place he’d been sleeping so he could quickly gather his things as well. “Well, there’s bound to be a couple bad apples in every bunch. Deidara’s been getting pretty manic lately. Everyone’s either pissed off at him or scared of him after all the explosions he set off without warning us first. Hidan’s been hiding by himself a lot, too, and every time we try talking to him all he does is scream or cuss at us about converting.”
The redhead tensed at the arm around his shoulder, ducking out of it as they moved to Naruto’s wing. Naruto and he had started to become friends before he left the mall, but Gaara didn’t like the overfamiliar contact. “I’ll let Temari know about them.” He said, frowning slightly at the news. Even if he’d expected something like this to happen out of human nature, he’d rather have people act on whatever goodness Lee saw in them.
Naruto just laughed at the way Gaara ducked away from his arm, rolling his eyes at the redhead for his characteristic inability to be touched. “So, you said there are trucks that can take us to Konoha? How many are there?”
“Three including the one we brought with us. There are two more parked in the basement of the hotel, but they need gas for a trip that far.” Gaara replied, looking over his shoulder. There was a prickling feeling across his skin as Naruto hauled all he owned in a duffel bag and stuffed his police baton in his belt holster. This place was the second home he’d had since the outbreak, the place he’d met so many new friends and lost one of his best.
“That’s more than I expected. You’re a fucking lifesaver, Gaara. Even if you forgot to bring me back something cool.” Naruto grinned as he slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and carried another bag of his personal things. “To tell you the truth, the generators wouldn’t have lasted all winter. Alright! Let’s get this show on the road!”
Naruto’s enthusiasm was hard to resist, and Gaara felt his lips twitching up as they hurried to the loading bay. Being around Naruto again reminded him of the budding friendship they had between them, and that dream of rebuilding human civilization didn’t seem so far off any longer.

“This is a pretty good setup Moegi’s established.” Sakura praised with a smile as she bustled around the conference room/clinic area with her own set of medicines and instruments in hand. She finally had some time to unpack her medical equipment after meeting Gaara’s sister and a few people staying at the hotel. Lee, as expected, had been willing to help.
“And don’t think I’ve forgotten about the wound Moegi said you had. I want to look at her work after I finish unpacking everything.” She continued, humming a faint tune afterwards as she hauled out everyone’s health files she’d recorded over the months.
“I thought you would want to see for yourself,” Lee said, grinning at Sakura from the doorway of the makeshift clinic as she unpacked her things. “Moegi did a really good job. She got really mad at me when I tried working out too soon, but she made sure everything turned out okay.”
After they’d reached the hotel safely, most of the people from the mall had split up to explore and meet the other survivors in the hotel. Lee had offered to show Sakura around, but of course seeing Moegi’s clinic was the only thing on her mind. “Do you like your room, by the way?”
“Yes, it’s really nice and Sasori said he can have all the rooms cleaned if we wanted.” Sakura replied while carefully arranging bottles of antibiotics and general health boosters on the table. Her hair had grown out during the last few months, revealing that her natural hair color was closer to copper red with lighter highlights. “And Moegi was right to chew you out! Muscle damage from a bullet takes a long time to heal.”
Looking over at Lee, she pointed at a stack of boxes from the mall. “Could you bring those over here? But be careful. The one on top’s the heaviest since it’s got antiseptics and blood packets.”
It was easier to focus on these little things than to let Lee bring up conversation. In all honesty, seeing Lee again had been a shock for her, and while she was glad to see him alive and well, she realized she hadn’t even thought much of him during the long months of waiting out the winter.
“Sure.” Lee easily lifted the boxes she was talking about, moving them as instructed. Lee was really happy to be talking to Sakura again. He’d honestly been a little worried that he would never see her again. Even now that he and Gaara had become an item, Lee still had fond feelings for the girl, even if it was only admiration of her character or friendship.
“A lot of things have changed since we first found the hotel,” Lee said as he lifted the last box in the pile and moved it to the other side of the room. He smiled at Sakura, admiring the dedication with which she worked. “Everyone has new friends, responsibilities, and lots of new resources, too. I, um, I have even become romantic with someone since I moved here.” Lee’s ears became warm, but he needed to get this out in the open.
Sakura’s eyes widened and she glanced at him sharply in surprise. “Really? With who?” She asked. Her heartbeat sounded loud in her ears and it felt like the proverbial rug had been pulled out from under her. She’d been so worried about what to say to Lee since they left the mall, when there didn’t seem to be any need for it after all! Why wasn’t she that happy about that? Lips pursing slightly, she pulled up two chairs close to the table and shook her head. “It’s Temari isn’t it? I saw the way she looked at you when we arrived.”
Sitting on one of the chairs with a heavy sigh, she brushed back her hair and tied it with an elastic band, nodding at the man. “Come here. I’ll check that wound of yours.”
Lee took a seat, eyes wide at the sharp look she gave him in reaction. He rolled up his sleeve showing off his newest scar for her to see. It looked pink and fairly new, like it had just finished healing. “Temari gave me a look? Are you sure she was not glaring at me? She seems to do that a lot.”
Lee cleared his throat awkwardly. “Um, actually, it is Gaara who has become my special person. He is my boyfriend now. We have been together for some weeks, I think. It is hard to keep track of time.”
“What?” Sakura’s hands were already on Lee’s arm, squeezing involuntarily when he announced he was with Gaara. With Gaara! She eased up her hold immediately, eyes wide and brows furrowed. “You’re gay?! After everything you said to me, you ended up with Gaara?”
It wasn’t even because Lee was with another man that was the problem. ...Well, Sakura didn’t know what the problem was other than that he’d somehow traded her for a murderer who killed his friend! She clasped a hand to her mouth when she realized she’d said that out loud.
Lee’s surprise at Sakura’s reactions turned to hurt in a heartbeat. He put a hand over his arm where she’d squeezed and furrowed his brows, his lips wilting unhappily. “I... I know it is unexpected. It n-never really occurred to me until Gaara brought it up, but... it feels right. We never stopped being friends. I am sorry.”
Lee didn’t know what he was apologizing for. Sakura had never shown interest in him before, so what did it matter that he’d found someone else? Even Gaara. Lee stood and rolled his sleeve back down. “Um, I need to go check on the others and make sure everything got offloaded from the trucks. I will see you later, Sakura.” Lee started toward the door, his neck too hot.
Sakura frowned at Lee’s retreating back, her thoughts in a jumble over this new development and Lee himself. This wasn’t the same person she’d known back at the mall. Lee never just left things hanging like he was about to now; he had been determined and stubborn to prove even just a single point. What had Gaara done to him?
“No, wait. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” She called to him, trying to control her temper. She sat back against her seat with a hand pressed to her temple. “Please Lee. Sit down with me.”
Lee hesitated in the doorway, unsure. He finally sighed and turned back, slowly taking his seat across from Sakura. He pulled his sleeve back up, looking down. “I really do need to check on the others. It can wait a little while, though.”
Glancing at Sakura from the corner of his eye, Lee was still frowning unhappily. “Gaara is a good man, Sakura. He confessed to me first. He may seem cold sometimes, but he really cares about me.”
“How...How did you end up together?” Sakura couldn’t help the wrinkle on the bridge of her nose at the thought of Gaara and Lee together. She couldn’t imagine what affections could ever develop between them. “I’m sorry, I really can’t picture Gaara doing anything other than killing zombies. And I always thought...well, that you liked me- that you liked women.”
She reached for a small container of creams she’d brought with her, keeping her eyes on that instead of on Lee. When she found the scar cream, she held it out for the man to take. “Here, this should help with the healing. Moegi did a good job, but you should put this on before the skin starts to harden.”
“Thanks,” Lee said, taking the cream and looking it over in his hands. He swallowed awkwardly. “I do like women. And you. But I guess what I felt for you became more... admiration and respect than love. Gaara and I have always been together. When he first confessed to me, I told him that I did not feel the same way because I am not gay, but... the more I thought about it the more I realized I cared about him.
“After everything we have gone through, especially with Tenten... it is not easy, but he has always done what he thought was right. And I think that Tenten would have called us cute.” Lee blushed a little, but he really could see his old friend saying something like that.
The blush on Lee's face spoke louder than the words he was saying. Sakura blinked at that and brushed a lock of hair from her face with a slow exhale. “She would have said that.” Her eyes grew sad with the memory of the woman. “Tenten was my friend too. We were the only girls at the mall together with Ino and Hinata, so we ended up bonding with each other. I guess it’s just hard for me to accept that you’re with the one who shot her.”
She placed a hand on Lee’s forearm, gently this time, and tried to catch his eye. “I know I never gave you a straight answer, but I did care about you. I still do.” She swallowed, finding an uneasy feeling in her stomach as she spoke. “Maybe it’s not romantic love, but you’re just as important to me as Naruto or anyone else in our group.”
“Thank you, Sakura.” Lee’s smile finally came back as he glanced at his friend. “That does mean a lot to me. I almost want to say that I wish things had worked out the way I first wanted with you, but I think this is best for both of us. And as for Tenten...”
Lee took a deep breath and let it out heavily as he put one of his hands over Sakura’s and squeezed fondly. “I am still unhappy with what happened, too. But I am more upset that she is gone at all, that she got bitten, than how she died anymore. There is nothing we can do to change it, and Gaara cared about her, too.”
What Lee didn’t mention was what had happened to Kankuro as well. After seeing Gaara miserable and broken over his brother’s rotten body, after having given Kankuro the final killing blow, Lee was able to see Gaara’s feelings from a new perspective. If Gaara put his brother to rest because he loved Kankuro- if he could do that to someone who was family- then he must have truly shot Tenten for the same reasons. It was easier to accept now.
Sakura felt a prickling sensation on the back of her eyes. The conviction in Lee’s face about forgiving and moving on hurt her to see. And maybe there was a part of her that wished he would still pursue her, just a small, selfish desire for something to go back to the way it was and make sense, when things kept changing too fast. But she couldn’t hold this against him when Lee looked like this.
“You’re a good friend, Lee.” She said with a faint smile before it softened. “If you’re sure about Gaara, then I’m happy for you. Just be careful with him, okay? Don’t lose sight of what you believe in even if his reasons are good.”
“Thank you,” Lee said again. He patted Sakura’s hand and tucked the scar cream into his pocket.
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Rot, Another One Bites the Dust