Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Rot, Another One Bites the Dust	By : LucklessMallory Category: Naruto AU/AR > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1219 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I make no profit from the distribution of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
“Get me another cold one.” Naruto called towards the redhead seated across from him. Between them were the remaining crates of beer, wine and other liquors they’d all gathered from the supermarket and speciality stores in the mall. A lot of the stock had been finished up during the first month the survivors spent there, but tonight warranted a good drinking session between the two men.

Gaara snorted, picking up the nearest bottle and sat it on the crate where Naruto’s feet were perched on. The refrigerators in the supermarket were the last thing they’d turned off in the mall, finally having so little reserve electricity that they’d had to live on the bare minimum.

Taking a shot of brandy himself, he stared up at the night sky and the smoke swirling in the air from Naruto’s cigarette. The stars were ridiculously bright without the usual smog polluting the air. Hard to believe that nature could bounce back from human influence so quickly, while they themselves took so long to adapt and survive.

“Oi!” The door to the roof swung open with a squeak of hinges and Kiba appeared. Choji was right behind him, adjusting his scarf against the cool night air. “I went looking for a drink and all the alcohol was gone!”

“Shit, I’m probably gonna have to share now that you found us.” Naruto rolled his eyes and snorted at the other men, tapping a crate with his foot. He took a swig from his beer and gestured for the others to join him. “Anyone else behind you? There won’t be enough to go around if everyone wants in on this party.”

“Nah. Just about everyone’s asleep. I ran into Lee on the way up, but apparently he doesn’t drink.” Kiba plopped down beside Naruto and reached for a beer bottle, prying open the cap with a switchblade he pulled out from his pocket. He took a hearty drink and exhaled loudly with satisfaction.

“It’s a nice night,” Choji commented offhandedly. He took a bottle from a crate without looking and handed it to Kiba to open.

Gaara scooted his chair to the side as the two men joined them. There was some friction when his gaze met Kiba's, but it died down once the other man cracked open his bottle. "The pack of Heineken's mine." He said, claiming one of the six-packs next to him.

Choji took one of the glasses on top of the crates and began mixing his own concoction. "I wish we had some chocolate to go with this." He said, tasting the mixture with a forlorn sigh.

"The girls got all the sweets. Ino wouldn't even give me any of the dark chocolates she's got stored. Heh, she got so mad when I told her not to pig out." Kiba snickered, echoed by Naruto bursting in a fit of laughter and snorting.

"Fuck, don't do that while I'm drinking the hard stuff." Naruto complained, holding a hand to his nose and cringing as alcohol burned up his nostrils. He made a face and stubbed out his cigarette. "You'd better be prepared for her revenge man."

"I'm ready for her great ass to point my way." Kiba replied.

Choji snorted, shaking his head. The door hinges creaked, and the group turned their heads to the door. Lee’s bowl cut popped through and his bushy brows were raised as he surveyed the group. Kiba raised his beer accusingly, “Hey! I thought you don’t drink!”

“I do not,” Lee stepped onto the roof and strolled over, glancing over the ledge at the zombies that wandered about the streets below, seemingly without aim. He frowned, uncomfortable with the sight, but smiled brightly when he turned back to the other men. “But I cannot sleep tonight. What are you all doing up here?”

“Gaara and I are making plans,” Naruto sat up with a grunt of effort.

“Were. Before everyone came to drink with us.” Gaara put in, setting down his empty glass. There was a strange moment when he had to avert his gaze from Lee’s dark silhouette to the mall behind him, dimly lit by emergency lights. Since that day they’d found Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon, he’d noticed a change in Lee. Or maybe it was a change in what he saw in the other man. Pouring himself another glass, he turned to look out at the night sky again.

Patting a crate beside him, Choji made room for Lee to sit down in their cluttered circle. “Shikamaru should have joined us. No one’s touching the sake.” He said cheerfully, face already a light pink from the alcohol.

“Sit down Lee. All you nosy bastards can sit in on this meeting.” Naruto grinned, leaning forward and clinking an unopened bottle with Kiba before resting his elbows on his knees and looking around at the group of friends he’d come to know as family. “I was just telling Red here that we’ve got enough people to start spreading out. The mall is nice and cosy, not to mention safe with the shit Deidara and Hidan have set up, but it’s starting to feel like we’re all just holed up and waiting to die.”

Lee sat down next to Choji on a crate, smiling companionably at the other men. His smile wavered at the way Naruto worded their situation, however. “So you think we should spread out? How would that help?”

“Now that you mention it,” Kiba gestured at Naruto and tapped his chin with a thoughtful look on his face. “The rots have been gathering pretty heavily around our mall. If we weren’t all in one place, they might spread out, too.”

“There is supposed to be safety in numbers, though.” Lee’s voice was unsure as he considered the idea. He spotted a can of Sprite that had gotten mixed up with the beer cans, and reached for it. “I do not like the idea of splitting up, to be honest.”

“I’m not saying we have to lose contact completely.” Naruto rolled his bottle between his palms slowly as he addressed the group. “We’ve been surviving together for this long and working together to make the best of the situation. But there’s also a good chance that we’re missing out on what’s happening to the rest of the country. Heck, to the rest of the world! For all we know, there could be a cure or at least an uninfected zone where there are more people!”

He pointed out towards the city, at the patches of houses and buildings in the distance. “There could be groups like us out there. People who need help, or people who could help us too. Our supplies won’t last forever and the city can’t provide us with everything for long, but there are places where we can start a community of survivors. Places we can defend better than a mall, places we can farm and hunt so we don’t have to eat shitty canned food everyday.”

The blond man hiccuped at the end of his speech, but he’d made his point. Placing a hand on Gaara’s shoulder, he brought the redhead’s attention back to their group. “But first we need someone to lead a second group and find that place. I believe Gaara can be that someone.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me! All Gaara wants to do is kill zombies and get people angry enough to do the same!” Kiba protested, his drink sloshing and spilling drops on his shirt.

“That is not true,” Lee spoke up. He gripped his soda a bit tighter, feeling indignant on his friend’s behalf. “Gaara is a good leader. He is the only reason that Tenten and I are still alive! Whenever we go out on a scouting mission, he is good at making plans and finding a safe route. He always sees the danger before anyone else can. By the time I realize there is a problem, he has already solved it! And he is the reason you and I made it to this mall at all.”

Kiba scowled unhappily. “My group was gonna make it to the mall before you guys showed up and decided to tag along.”

“But Gaara gave you a safe place to sleep with fresh food, water, beds, and even new clothes before we left,” Lee pointed out. He shrugged and took a swig from his soda to wet his lips. “I am just saying that he is a good leader.”

“Like his plan to charge a horde and get us all killed? I don’t think so.” Kiba shook his head. “If we hadn’t gone with you, Shino might still be alive.”

“Oh-kay, let’s stop right here.” Naruto cut in, frowning at the two men. “No one is to blame for any of this shit. We’re all victims here so let’s keep our heads cool. Understand?” He looked pointedly at Kiba until the latter snorted and grumbled his assent. “Anyway, Gaara and I haven’t fleshed anything out yet. What’s important is that we do what’s best for the group.”

Gaara, who’d been silent the whole time, popped a can of beer open and took a swig before sitting up, face stoic. If Kiba’s comments bothered him, he didn’t show it. “Everyone should be prepared for this plan to push through. Anyone who knows basic survival skills should teach it. Those who know how to handle weapons should do the same. If the group splits up, we need to have people with the same skills in each group.”

He glanced at Kiba, aware that the other man would go wherever Hinata went. He wasn’t blind to the jealousy Kiba exhibited whenever he talked to the girl. The fact was that Hinata was one of the weakest members of their group. Gaara might not be as kind about it as everyone else, but he didn’t want anyone else to die either.

“You mean like hold classes?” Choji asked, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t know if I can contribute anything.”

Naruto had a look in his eyes that could either be a brilliant plan or trouble. “Yes, we can do that. Why didn’t I think of that? I mean, all of us have something to offer. Choji, you were a chef before all of this. You can teach us how to make food out of whatever we can scrounge up. And everyone else can think of what they can offer.”

Lee set his soda can down and blinked as the idea caught on. “I know some self defense. Most of it is not useful against a zombie, but it has helped me avoid some close calls. Tenten is really good at making a weapon out of almost anything when she puts her mind to it, too.”

“Wilderness survival is my thing,” Kiba piped up. He tipped his head back and finished his drink, then reached for another bottle. “I used to go hunting a lot.”

“See! Everyone here has something we can show each other.” Naruto took a drink and wiped his lips on the back of his hand. He grinned, flushing brightly from excitement and the alcohol. “We’ll organize it in the morning with everyone else. Maybe even those three brats you two hauled in the other day will have something to share with us.”

Naruto gestured to Lee and Gaara. Lee rolled his eyes, since he knew that despite the way Naruto spoke about Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon, he had actually grown most attached to the kids out of everyone.

“Shikamaru’s been teaching Udon how to play shogi. Don’t know if that counts.” Choji shrugged, noticing Lee had emptied his Sprite can already. Feeling sorry for the still sober Lee, he took an Amstel light in case the man had low alcohol tolerance, and switched it with his empty can.

Gaara started to feel the thick cotton sensation in his ears after his second beer, and relaxed further into his seat. It had been a while since he really drank enough to get buzzed. The shots of brandy and beer were a good mix. With everyone’s mood lifting with new ideas, he was satisfied with drinking the rest of his pack and studiously ignoring how his eyes drifted in Choji’s general direction from time to time.

Lee smiled and reached for his soda can. He was preoccupied with the conversation, and didn’t notice that his previously empty can was full again until he’d brought it to his lips and taken a sip. There wasn’t even a pause before his cheeks flushed and his bright smile became a dopey grin. Lee began to giggle oddly, with half lidded eyes.

“Hey, Lee, you okay?” Naruto looked up and raised his brows at the giggling. It sounded creepy and weird in the darkness.

“I’m never better!” Lee suddenly jumped up from his crate and gestured widely, spilling drops of his beer over his hand. “In-in fact, ah’m gonna go kill shome bambis! ‘Hic! Er, zombies! Right now! They won’t shee me- ’hic’- comin’!”

Kiba’s jaw dropped before he started laughing and snorting, falling off from the crate and hitting his ass on the floor. “Haha- ow-ww! Fuck, hahaha! Lee’s fucking drunk after one sip!” He gasped, leaning back against the crate instead and shaking his head.

Brows drawing close, Gaara slowly set down his can and stared at the tall man. “Uh, no offense, Gaara, but you keep some weird company.” Naruto muttered beside him before snickering as Kiba’s laughter got to him. “He’s not really gonna go off on his own, is he?”

“Expect the worst.” Gaara replied with the first-hand knowledge of witnessing Lee do crazy things while sober.

“D-don’t worry Gaara,” Lee said wisely, raising a dignified finger. He grinned and shifted into what might have been a fighting stance, if he weren’t swaying back and forth precariously. One eye was oddly wider than the other as he hiccuped. “Ah can kill three dead-dirty-bambis with one hit! ‘Hic! No- four zombies! Shix, even!”

Lee started to walk backwards, but tripped over an empty crate and fell onto his ass. He blinked widely and looked around in confusion, as if trying to figure out who’d tripped him. He swayed, and suddenly swung up into an oddly graceful crouch. “Y-you shee? They’re gonna- ‘hic- try to get us! So I’ll get ‘em first!”

The drunk grabbed an empty beer bottle and stumbled to the edge of the roof. He hurled it down into the street, and actually managed to bean a zombie across the top of its head. The sound of breaking glass and dead moans made Lee giggle while he swayed.

Sighing, Gaara locked eyes with Naruto and scowled when the blond man jerked a thumb at Lee. Apparently Lee was his responsibility for being in his team while everyone else was either laughing or busy getting more drinks. “That’s enough, Lee.” He set down his can and headed next to the other man, tapping his shoulder once. “You’re going to draw more walkers towards us.”

“Gaara,” Lee wrapped an arm around the other man’s shoulders and leaned heavily against him with a world weary sigh. He brought their faces close together and frowned. His breath smelled like he’d had a lot more than a mere sip of beer. “You’re right. ‘Hic! You’re too sherioush and you- ‘hic- need to- to lighten up, but you’re always right about this shtuff. ‘Hic!”

Lee abruptly let go of the redhead and stumbled away, back from the ledge. Just when it looked like he was going to trip and fall again, he suddenly dashed toward the door in a full sprint. “I’ll draw them away! Protect the others!”

Finding that the closed door was in his way, Lee simply barreled through it and continued running down the stairs.

“Oh shit, he’s gone.” Kiba wheezed, holding his stomach and already a shade of red from laughing.

Gaara jerked from his frozen position, his eyes still wide from Lee’s face suddenly filling his vision. With a disconcerted growl, he took after the taller man and tried not to fall down the stairs as he did. Lee was going to get himself killed, then Tenten would get mad at him, and Gaara would really have to kill the idiot.

“Well.” Naruto declared to those left in the room. “More for us then! Grab your own crate, boys!”

“Miss Sakura?” Lee approached his crush with a bright smile and pink cheeks, as he did almost every day. She was sitting with Naruto and Sai, snacking on a granola bar while chatting with her friends. Gaara and Tenten were trailing behind Lee, with their own lunches in hand. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m fine, thanks.” Sakura smiled and flipped her hair out of her eyes with a patient smile at Lee. She still hadn’t quite made up her mind about how she felt about him, and had grown into the habit of half-humoring him and half-deterring him. She ate lunch with him almost every day, but always in a group with the others, never alone.

“Oh. It’s caterpillar-brows, no-brows and the tomboy.” Sai said, earning a smack in the back of the head by Sakura.

Tenten’s eye twitched but she smiled at Sakura and set her lunch down on the table. “One day, you’ll get my name right.” She warned Sai before unpacking her meal on the opposite side of the table next to Naruto. She scooted over so Gaara could sit next to her, effectively leaving the only seat left across Gaara and next to Sakura. Winking at Lee, she hid a grin by looking at Naruto instead. “You’ll be glad to know that Konohamaru’s getting better at handling throwing knives. Even if he says it’s so he can take over for you one day.”

Naruto chuckled and shut his eyes into happy curves. “That kid’s got spirit. Even if he keeps pulling pranks on people.”

“I think you taught him half of those pranks anyway,” Lee pointed out. His smile widened at Tenten’s wink, and he took his seat next to Sakura. He pulled his lunch out of his shoulder bag and set it down on the table in front of him. He also pulled out a bottle of diet root beer, which he’d come to find was Sakura’s favorite soda. He slid it in front of her with a blush. “I found this earlier today, and I thought you would like it.”

“Oh, thanks Lee,” Sakura blinked in surprise and picked up the drink. It was even her favorite brand. “I thought we ran out.”

“We did, but it found that in a staff lounge while I was raiding mini-fridges.” Lee pulled out his own water bottle and set it next to his lunch. “I am just sorry that it is not cold for you.”

“He went through every fridge to look for it.” Gaara’s lips thinned as he poured a can of meat sauce over the boiled pasta he’d asked Hinata to cook for him. He mixed the red sauce thoroughly.

Sakura felt her cheeks warm and she smiled at Lee in thanks. “You didn’t have to do that.” She said, popping it open and setting it to the side first. “Are you learning a skill right now? I haven’t gotten around to attending any of the scheduled sessions, but I’ve been training Moegi in first aid. She’s the only one who’s shown an interest in it.”

“Yes, I am learning wilderness survival from Kiba, and some weaponry with Tenten and Gaara of course.” Lee pulled out a can opener and removed the lid of his health soup. He’d gotten into the habit of eating the stuff cold, since it was a hassle to heat it up. He’d even learned to like it that way. “I have also been teaching a couple of people self defense methods. I would love to join you and Moegi for one of your lessons! I already know some first aid, but a refresher course would be helpful.”

“Just let me know when you’d be able to join us and I’ll bring out some basics I haven’t reviewed with Moegi in a while,” Sakura obliged.

“Lee was just telling me how much he admires your medical work,” Tenten commented, gesturing to Sakura with a knowing grin at Lee. “Right, Gaara?” She nudged her friend.

Gaara had instant pasta dangling from his fork and he shot Tenten an annoyed look. Biting off the strands, he chewed and swallowed before saying, “Lee won’t stop talking about you.” Taking another forkful, he went back to eating while Naruto snorted into his food.

“What do you see in this flat-chested woman with a large forehead?” Sai asked, earning another thump from Sakura.

Lee’s pink flush immediately turned tomato red and he purposefully averted his eyes away from Sakura and her chest- flat or otherwise- and failed to keep the mortification out of his voice. Had he been that obvious? Did everyone know how he felt about her? “I- I think that Sakura is a very smart, pretty, reliable person. That is not easy to find under our circumstances, but I think I would still be able to appreciate her if we had met before the outbreak.”

“Thank you, Lee,” Sakura said quietly, without looking directly at the man. She took a stalling bite of her granola.

“Of course!” he responded, straightening in his seat and smiling, trying to overcome his embarrassment.

Naruto snorted. “You two need to get to know each other a little better. Sakura hasn’t shown you her temper of doom, and she hasn’t seen you drunk.”

“Na-ru-to.” Sakura said through a gritted grin. “I only lose my temper when you're the one annoying me."

Taking pity on her friend, Tenten stepped on Naruto's foot and smiled as she switched topics, ignoring the blond man's yelp. "Where did you learn how to be a medic?"

Sakura's face brightened at the memory. "Oh! I took an apprenticeship under Dr. Tsunade. She's the best surgeon in the whole country! A lot of what I know now is based on her techniques and the lessons she taught me."

"Dr. Tsunade was a gambler and a drunk." Gaara said, recalling news articles about the woman. Tsunade was the best, before the medical world caught on to her hobbies.

Sakura’s eye twitched in irritation as she regarded the redhead. Her grip clenched around her last piece of granola. “She’s a brilliant doctor. Her hobbies outside the operating room have nothing to do with that.”

“I am sure she was an amazing teacher if you learned so much from her,” Lee said quickly, glancing at Gaara. Sometimes he wondered if the man went out of his way to say rude things. “Maybe you and I could talk about your apprenticeship later, and you could teach me some first aide that you have already covered with Moegi.”

“That’s okay, Lee, I can just teach you during a session with Moegi,” Sakura countered deftly. What Lee was describing sounded too much like a date. Sakura took a drink from her soda and sighed in appreciation.

Gaara looked away after Lee’s gaze moved on.

“You’re all welcome to join me for weapon making too.” Tenten added. She nibbled at the edge of her spoon, trying to make her food last longer. “I think all of us are capable in our own ways. You just need to find what you’re good at and stick with it.”

“That’s a good attitude to have, Tenten.” Naruto nodded. “With everyone working together, I’m sure we’ll pull through no matter what happens.”

Gaara couldn’t sleep. Looking up at the dark ceiling, the redhead lay on his mattress and rubbed his forearms to ward off the incoming chill. Autumn was finally seeping into the mall’s unused vents, past the thick walls and enclosed spaces where they had no way to get the heaters on again. They’d already raided the nearby gas station, and the surrounding houses, but everything would be stored for the coming winter.

He could hear Tenten’s soft breath from near his head, where she’d shifted closer earlier in the night. All three mattresses were now placed next to each other, blankets combined and piled on top to provide more warmth.

Shifting in his place, Gaara slipped out one hand and stared at his palm, distractedly amazed at the callouses he now had from handling weapons so much. He was still the same person who’d gone to work everyday and tracked Kazekage Industries’ top executives and their files, but he was also a zombie-killer now with a team to lead and protect.

It was easy to forget his own worries and doubts when there was something immediate he could do, or some problem to solve. Left alone, he only had the hole where his family was and the growing attachment he had for something he couldn’t afford to have in his life.

“Cannot sleep?” Lee’s head rose from his pillow on the other side of Tenten as he spoke softly. His eyes were glazed sleepily and his bowl cut was ruffled. It was still dark in their section of the mall, but he could just make out Gaara’s outline. Lee yawned quietly.

“Nn.” Gaara turned his head to look at Lee, lowering his hand back to his side. His friend looked different in the low light, more tangible and alive. He was quiet for a few seconds as Tenten uttered a small whine and burrowed her face deeper into her pillow. When her breathing deepened again, Gaara looked over her shoulder at the other man. “Are you afraid of me?” He asked in a whisper.

Lee’s brows furrowed at the odd question. He rubbed an eye and tried to blink away some of his sleepiness. “Of course not,” he whispered back. “Why would I be afraid of you, Mr. Sabaku?”

Gaara licked the inside of his teeth in thought. Maybe ‘afraid’ wasn’t the right term. He looked up at the ceiling again. It was hard to put thoughts into words especially when he himself didn’t know what he wanted, whether validation, an explanation, or something else. “When you first saw me kill a zombie, there was a look on your face. I’ve seen it on other people’s faces too.

“Questioning how I could kill. Wondering if I enjoyed it,” he murmured, eyes growing lidded as he spoke. “...Even if killing zombies means making sure other people live.”

Lee started to reply automatically, but stopped himself as he thought about Gaara’s question. He slowly shook his head back and forth as he whispered. “I guess I was a bit scared of you at first, but not anymore. It was hard to understand why you never hesitated. You made it seem easy whenever you killed them.”

Lee paused and glanced down as Tenten shifted in her sleep, but she stilled after a moment and Lee continued. “Now I know you better, and I know that you do not do it because you want to.”

Gaara’s gaze slid towards Lee and the tightness between his brows grew faint. Lee’s answer brought mixed feelings, but prominent among them was the same comfort his family usually gave him. “Not everyone wants to take action or hear bad news, even if it’s the truth.” He whispered. “My father taught me to do both when I was young. To observe what was happening and act without hesitation, without lies.”

He slowly turned to his side and propped his head up with his arm, careful not to disturb the woman between them. He stared at Lee and took in the faint lines of his dim features. “...What was your family like?”

“I did not have much of a family,” Lee murmured. He shifted and propped his head up like Gaara did, so they could talk more easily. “My parents died before I turned four, and I did not have any relatives to take care of me. I was put in foster care for a while, before the government finally found my uncle and placed me with him. I was a teenager by then, and I got into trouble a lot, but he straightened me out.” Lee’s sleepy expression became a nostalgic smile. The smile wavered a little when he remembered why he hadn’t heard from his uncle in months. “I hope he is okay. He is a strong person, but he is also very soft hearted. I could imagine him trying to help someone who had been bitten, and getting hurt himself.”

Gaara nodded in acknowledgement even if Lee probably couldn’t see much of what he did in the dark. “Just like you.” Inhaling deeply, the redhead felt a chill up his back and pulled the covers higher up his body. Someone else would console Lee for losing his parents at a young age, but Gaara knew what it felt like to have a deceased parent brought up again and again. “I don’t think my family is still alive,” he whispered. “Everyone still has hope, but the odds are small for mine.”

Looking down at Tenten, he murmured in a softer tone. “You and Tenten are the closest thing to family I have left.”

Lee paused in silence for a moment, touched. Gaara wasn’t a sentimental person, and was always blunt with what he had to say, so Lee knew he was behind honest. “I suppose you are right,” he said. He shifted and laid his head back down on his pillow, eyes drooping. “You really mean a lot to Tenten and I. I am glad we have each other. Goodnight, Mr. Sabaku.”

“Gaara” The redhead murmured as he laid back down as well. “Just call me Gaara.”

“Tenten and the kids should be back,” Lee murmured, frowning to himself he hovered near the mall door. He was in charge of letting the scouting group inside once they made it back, checking them for injuries, and generally making sure they got inside the building safely. Today however, they were running a little late.

Tenten was supposed to be taking Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon on their first scouting mission since they’d been brought to the mall. The teenagers had been growing restless indoors, and Tenten volunteered to take them out. The other scouting groups had already made it back, and now Lee was growing a bit anxious.

Just before it could seem like the group was really in trouble, Konohamaru dashed through the alleyway followed by Moegi, Udon and Tenten. Their faces were pale but they had the sacks of rice slung over their backs. They were all sweaty and covered in bits of blood, but there were no visible wounds on their bodies. Akamaru started to growl and bark sharply from where he guarded the gate as the horde of zombies grew thicker around the fence.

“Open the gate!” Shikamaru called from his post high above.

As all four of the scouting group slipped through the gap in the fence, they dropped the sacks of rice and panted as they got their breath back. “We did it!” Konohamaru cheered, looking up at Lee with pride in his eyes. Whatever else he was going to say was cut off when Tenten barked, “Get them inside.”

Moegi turned to the woman in confusion. “Miss Tenten-?”

“Lee. Please. Get them inside.” Tenten repeated, her pupils dilated and unfocused. She could barely hear Akamaru’s barks and the moans surrounding them.

Lee immediately did as he was told, his brows furrowed as he tugged open the door and gestured for the teenagers to file through. After they grumbled, picked up the sacks and dragged their feet in confusion, he circled around and herded them in. “We will be right inside in a moment! Take your rice to Choji and he will know what to do with it. Wash away all that blood before you eat!” he called after them, then shut the door and moved next to Tenten, who was bent over and still panting.

“Are you alright? What happened?” he asked softly. On the other side of the fence, zombies were shambling toward them, groaning and trying to reach through the wire unsuccessfully. Lee wrinkled his nose at the smell of rotting flesh and pulled his friend closer to the building.

Tenten shuddered under Lee’s hands and looked up at her friend with a strange twist of her lips. She suddenly gripped his arms and shut her eyes tight, little shocked sobs catching in her throat even when her eyes remained dry. “L-Lee.” She breathed out raggedly as she reached down and tugged the lower left leg of her pants up. The dark fabric was already soaked at the end where blood oozed down from a bite mark on her calf. Her hands were cold on Lee’s arms as she wobbled.

The door to the building opened with a bang as Gaara rushed out, looking around the place until he spotted Tenten. He’d spotted the group coming back from the balcony, and noticed Tenten’s faltering run right away. Even from where he stood, he could see the wound on her leg and the look on her face, and he knew that she was going to die. The redhead felt his throat constrict as he stared at the two figures.

Lee’s jaw dropped in horror. He clung tightly to his friend, as his vision seemed to narrow and his heart thundered painfully. “But- that-” He shuddered and shook his head.

“I d-don’t know how much time I have,” she choked out, clinging in her friend’s arms.

“Do not talk like that.” Lee put the back of his fingers across Tenten’s forehead and looked into her dazed eyes closely. Her temperature was bordering on feverish, and she had sickly dark circles under her eyes. “You will be okay, alright?” His mind roved for a solution, but even Lee could understand that hope was bleak. But dammit, he refused to accept that his best friend was going to die! There had to be something that they could do about it! He began leading her toward the door, never letting go of her shivering form. “You will be okay. We will help you, you can fight the virus, we just need some... some ice or something to combat the fever. Alright?”

“Lee, she’s infected.” As soon as it came out of his mouth, Gaara felt a numbness spreading through him with the knowledge that Lee would hate him for this. He stood between them and the door, his breath coming fast as they approached. Part of his mind was already working out the consequences of letting an infected person inside, the possibilities of a developed strain that could affect even those who were immune, everyone unable to do anything once Tenten died and turned-- the death of another member of their group because they’d let one in. Those cold, clinical thoughts brought a sick feeling to his stomach he’d never let anyone find out about.

Tenten already looked worse off than other people he’d seen bitten, but the woman was still struggling not to lose coherence. She looked up at him when he spoke and her face crumpled. Gaara knew then that he would have traded places with her were it possible.

Lee stopped and his eyes widened at Gaara. In the back of his mind, he knew he should have expected this kind of reaction from the redhead, who was always clinical and cold for the sake of the greater good in these situations, but... this was Tenten.

“Gaara...” Lee said quietly, shaking his head in denial. “She is not- not dead yet. We have to try.”

Tenten’s lips trembled as she looked back and forth between the two men. Her breath was already becoming strained as she leaned against her friend. Lee gripped her closer, his expression becoming stubborn as he faced Gaara.

Gaara held his ground. “We can’t let her inside. We can’t put everyone else at risk.” He said in an even tone, looking only at Lee so he wouldn’t have to see Tenten’s face. The man had to understand. They couldn’t experiment with what little medicine they had on Tenten. Gaara’s brows knotted when they were finally close enough for him to hear how ragged Tenten’s breathing was. His hands clenched at his sides. “The least we can do is keep her from turning.” He said quietly.

“Lee-” Tenten coughed, looking up at her friend through the feverish haze she was in. “He’s- He’s right. I can feel...something changing me.” She shivered as tears began pooling at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t want to be one of them!”

“Tenten...” Lee wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly, hiding her face against his shoulder. Tenten’s knees gave out and Lee gently helped lower her to the pavement. He knelt with her, only holding tighter when she tried to pull away. “What... what are you trying to say, Gaara? We should try to stop her from turning, but we are running out of time! We should get her some ice and some water.”

“It’s too late.” Gaara finally lowered his gaze to the back of Tenten’s head, his pulse speeding up when he saw her weakly trying to push Lee away. There was a prickling sensation behind his eyes and his clenched hands began to tremble as he took a step towards the figures on the ground. His voice came out strained as he stood in front of them. “Tenten, I have to.”

Fighting to push her face up from Lee’s shoulder, Tenten clutched the front of her friend’s shirt. Her skin was already turning a sickly pale color and the veins along her neck and arms were inflamed with the virus. For someone as strong as she was, Tenten was crying openly now. “You need to kill me,” she whispered.

Lee shuddered and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head once. Tenten’s broken voice was making it hard for him to breathe. “Do not say that,” he murmured. He pulled her back and looked her in the face, furrowing his brows. Her skin seemed to be getting hotter quickly. “You do not have to give up so quickly. Do not say that, okay?”

“It’s too late, Lee,” Tenten brought her hand over her mouth and gave a choked sob. She pushed at his chest, trying to pull away. “You need to get away from me.”

Gaara inhaled deeply and smothered the trembling of his body with a stoic voice. "Let her go, Lee. It will be harder to see her turn."

"Are you alright down there? I'm calling Sakura." Shikamaru called from his post, the man already disappearing from the fourth floor balcony.

What little strength Tenten had left led her to snap her head up and weakly cup Lee's face in her palms. "Please, please don't let anyone else see me like this." Her voice was already cracking, her eyes losing their vibrant brown color.

"If he won't do it, I will." Gaara spoke softly, lowering his gaze to the ground before turning around. Sitting on the staircase near the door was Lee's pouch, and Gaara found himself heading its way with just one thought in his mind. Tenten's death would be as painless as possible.

“Please stop saying that,” Lee pleaded. He put his hand over Tenten’s on his face and his eyes widened at how damp and cold her fingers were. She was looking at him, but her eyes were unfocused and feverish. Lee shifted his arm to support her shoulders as Tenten started to sway off balance. His eyes were drawn to her bloody leg, where the pant leg had fallen halfway over the bite mark. The blood looked gruesome and sick next to her paling skin. Lee shook his head again, sharply. “Tenten, please, do not look so afraid... I am right here for you, I promise, okay?”

Tenten tried to crack a smile despite the pain that radiated from the bite wound. “You..were always...here for me.” The trembling began to grow worse and the whites of her eyes started to turn pink. “Be strong for me now.”

A single click sounded in the service entrance, rising above the moans of the dead surrounding the fence. Gaara clutched Lee’s gun in one hand, the other letting Lee’s pouch slide down to the ground. Covering the gleaming metal barrel with his palm, he cocked it down at the ground as he headed back to Tenten’s side.

When he was close enough for Tenten to see what he was carrying, she pulled herself up and wrapped her arms around Lee with her back towards Gaara, and placed a single kiss on her friend’s cheek. “Goodbye.”

The silent gesture was signal enough. Gaara fired at the nape of Tenten’s neck and shut his eyes when he heard her last breath. Akamaru began to howl.

Lee flinched violently and gasped in shock. Eyes round with horror, Lee looked up at Gaara, then back down at Tenten. She was still in his arms, limp and suddenly heavy. Her head was falling off her shoulders at a sick, unnatural angle. Her blood was all over him, wet, violently red, and still warm as it soaked into his clothes. Lee shuddered, and couldn’t stop shaking as his dead friend rolled out of his arms onto the pavement. He scrambled back, and looked up at Gaara with horrified, accusing eyes.

“Gaara- but, she-” Lee shook his head. His vision jerked down to the blood all over his arms and clothing, and his stomach recoiled. Lee turned away, ducking his head and retched onto the pavement.

Gunpowder and blood filled Gaara’s nose and he’d opened his eyes just to catch the look on Lee’s face before the man began to vomit. His chest was heaving, aching from loss, and he felt like it would burst from the pressure inside, but the redhead had one more thing to do.

Gaara flipped the safety latch back on the gun and tucked it behind his jeans as he crouched down. Gently picking up Tenten’s lifeless form, he rolled her onto her back and began to position her body as if she were just sleeping, just when Sakura rushed out with her medical bag in hand.

She was screaming by the time Gaara shut Tenten’s eyes closed for the last time.

It didn’t matter how many times Lee washed himself, his hands, his face. He could still feel Tenten’s blood on his skin and her last kiss on his cheek. He couldn’t stop shuddering with the memory, and he couldn’t eat or drink without vomiting since she had died. Right now, in the dark alone on the mattresses they had shared, he couldn’t stop the tears from coming as he clutched Tenten’s pillow in ragged silence.

Lee knew that his uncle Gai had taught him that real men could cry with pride, but this was not a moment Lee could be proud of. What he was feeling hurt too much for that.

Out in the hallway, Gaara averted his eyes from Lee’s curled form once again. Each voiceless gasp and the few times Lee’s shuddering breath echoed against the walls, brought a weightless, twisted ache in his stomach and a pain in his chest. His clenched fingers were still pressed over his heart; already numb from the cold breeze blowing through the hall.

Gaara wondered if he was going crazy, because he could almost hear Tenten’s voice telling him to stop being a loner and get in bed already, could see the twin buns on her head under the moonlight seeping in from the mall’s windows just like all those times the three of them just sat down and talked, could hear her laughing over one of Lee’s jokes, and now her prone form lowered down a grave inexpertly dug on one side of the mall’s garden.

He stared at the row of dark shops blankly before slowly getting up and walking down the other side of the hallway. He wasn’t getting any sleep tonight, and Lee was crying enough tears for both of them.
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Rot, Another One Bites the Dust