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
- 4
- 5
- 6
"Gaara, my friend, you're insane. Are you sure you want to guide your group there?" Naruto shook his head as he pored over Gaara's mapped route. They were in the atrium- a place that had inevitably become the meeting room slash function hall for the remaining survivors -who were finally continuing their plans of spreading out to a second location over a hand-drawn map made by Sai. It was almost an exact copy of the city map save for Sai noting down where roads were blocked and where some safe houses were located. "Everyone's having a hard time deciding whether to stay or go, but you'd better expect at least six or seven to come with you."

Gaara crossed his arms across from the blond man and exhaled through his nose. "That's the best place I could find within the area we've scouted. The other places are either full of walkers or lack any source of food and supplies."

Tapping his finger on the chosen spot, Naruto ran over the marks Gaara made. "Going from the mall to the office blocks is easy. But how the hell are you going to reach the Crimson Sand? There's a maze of side streets from here to there and It's practically at the edge of the city!"

"If there are any survivors out there, a big hotel like that is a good place to look for them." Shikamaru said, rubbing his chin with a thoughtful look on his face. "Haahh...if we stick to the roofs and head uphill when we need to cross the streets, we might be able to make it."

"It is not impossible," Lee approached the group just in time to hear the just of their conversation. His eyes were still red and puffy from last night, and his hair wasn't as glossy as usual, but he seemed to have otherwise pulled himself together. He cleared his throat with a small cough, then gestured to the map.

"If we can manage to make it past these streets unnoticed by the hordes, the rest of the way will just need some planning to make sure we never get cornered. Shikamaru is right, we just need to stay uphill and exploit every advantage or distraction we can manage."

Naruto reached into a bag next to the table and pulled out a water bottle, tossing it to Lee. He caught it and shot the blonde a grateful look before taking a generous drink to wash the cottony taste out of his mouth.

Gaara kept his eyes on the map as he traced the route again. Subconsciously, he tensed at Lee's presence nearby, and Tenten's death flashed raw and painful across his mind again. For a moment, he could smell the gunpowder that lingered on his palms since yesterday.

"I need names by tomorrow. I need to know who's coming with me to form a strategy," he said. There would be some trouble once they reached the side streets, especially if both ends were filled with zombies. Their best bet would be to have fighters in front of their party and back, but there were only a handful of them who'd ever killed a zombie.

"Count me in." Shikamaru said, shrugging when Naruto looked at him in surprise. "What? I like sitting up there all day, but I heard the view's great at the Crimson Sand." The man pulled out another cigarette from his pack and lit it with a match.

"If you're sure, Shikamaru. You'd better let Chouji and Ino know about that," Naruto warned, seeming troubled at having to part with one of his friends. Without anyone making a clear decision yet, it had been easy just to plan and talk things out.

"I will go with you, Gaara," Lee murmured, eyes averted from the redhead as he spoke. It wasn't easy to be around the man after what had happened, but he couldn't bring himself to avoid him either. Tenten wouldn't have wanted that. Lee had been having a horrible internal battle last night, caught between misery that one of his last friends left had been killed in his arms, anger at Gaara for being so cold, and tortured by the clear reasons in hindsight that things had needed to happen the way they did.

Lee still couldn't bring himself to look at Gaara, however. He knew that he couldn't hate his friend, but he wasn't quite comfortable around him yet, either.

Gaara glanced up at Lee but faltered when the other man wouldn't meet his eyes. "Don't decide so quickly." His voice sounded strangely subdued so he made an effort to steel himself. "Everyone who comes with me will have little chance of seeing anyone here again."

"Hey, don't be so grim. If you do find other survivors along the way, you can send them here." Naruto said, clapping Gaara on the shoulder. "Hell, if you can find a clear path between here and there, we might even be able to send more people to you. This place will fucking freeze in the winter and that hotel's pretty big."

Lee nodded in agreement. "We should try to stay in contact as much as possible. If something happens, we should still be able to rely on each other as best we can."

Sakura appeared from a hallway on the other side of the atrium. She approached the group with her usual confident, quick stride, but her expression faltered when she saw that Lee had joined. She spoke to Naruto, but walked around the table to stand next to Lee. "I spoke to a few more people, and it looks like Hinata and Kiba want to go with Gaara's team to the new location. They're still debating it to an extent, but it looks likely that they'll go."

She turned toward Lee and put a hand on his shoulder, concern in her brow as she noted the dark circles under his eyes and the blotchy quality to his skin. "How are you feeling?" she murmured.

"I am fine, thank you," Lee replied noncommittally, his eyes still on the map. He didn't pull away, but his shoulder hunched awkwardly against her touch. Any other time he would have been ecstatic to receive Sakura's attention, but under the circumstances he'd rather she left him be. "We were just considering the plans for moving to Crimson Sand."

Sakura flinched at the sudden withdrawal Lee was showing. She might have been undecided about Lee's attentions, but she'd grown used to them over time. "Oh...are you planning to go with them?"

It was harder than ever to stay in the same room as Lee, and Gaara found himself glaring at the hand Sakura had on the man's back. His crossed arms tightened against his chest with the memory of Lee's terrified, wide eyes looking up at him from Tenten's corpse. No one openly blamed him for her death, but he wasn't deaf to the whispers of how he could kill her so easily- some of which had come from the mouths of people who were in this very room.

"Maah, well, I'm heading back to my post." Shikamaru said, getting up from the table once he sensed the tension going on among the people beside him. Taking a puff of his cigarette, he waved at them and walked off with wisps of smoke lingering around him.

Lee nodded and waved to Shikamaru half heartedly. He glanced at Sakura, but didn't hold her gaze. "I am planning to go, for now. At least, I want to make sure they arrive safely."

"Oh, I see." Sakura nodded and squeezed Lee's shoulder. He furrowed his brow and took a breath. He finally glanced up at Gaara, and his lips twitched down at the tension. He rubbed his face. "I am going to go to the kitchens and try to eat something. Would anyone like me to bring something back?"

"I'm fine here," Naruto said with a shrug. "I just ate."

"I'll go with you," Sakura suggested. "I want to make sure you're not getting sick."

"No, thank you," Lee winced and shook his head. "I will be right back."

As Lee stood up and left Sakura to stare after him, Gaara lowered his eyes back down on the table. It was over. Whatever closeness he'd felt with Lee was buried under his own actions and the hate Lee surely felt for him now. His only recourse now was to do what he did best- focus on the mission without hesitation.

Gaara wondered if maybe he should just pack his bedding and move to another wing. Curled up on his side, he stared at the shop a few feet away from him, taking in the by now familiar signs advertising for cheap printers and ink. He tensed when he heard a rustle from behind him, unwilling to turn around and face the other man. The empty space between them was cold and heavy, and he just wanted to stand up and leave. He hadn't been able to sleep since that day anyway, whether he was on the mattress or sitting alone on the roof.

Lee sat down on his side of the mattresses. They still hadn't pulled the bedding apart since they'd lost Tenten, but he and Gaara never slept close enough to one another to conserve heat like they were supposed to. Lee sighed quietly and took a quick swig from his water bottle, then laid down and settled his head on the pillow. The silence in the air was so thick he could almost feel it on his skin.

Shifting the blankets over his legs, Lee rolled over. He stared at the back of Gaara's head, wondering if the man would say anything tonight, or only pretend to sleep again. If Tenten were here... she would probably smack Lee and tell him to approach Gaara first, so that they could talk out what was bothering them, and she'd poke fun at Gaara until she got a reaction out of him. Lee took a breath and opened his mouth... but let it go with a sigh and closed his eyes. He shuddered and tried not to remember the shock he'd felt when the bullet had broken Tenten's body.

When nothing came from Lee's end, Gaara tugged the covers tighter around himself and shut his eyes. It felt like there was weight pushing down on him whenever he and Lee were alone, and it was starting to affect how he acted even when they were with other people. He was willing to take the full blame of Tenten's death if it would help everyone move on and function as they normally did, but he hadn't been prepared for the backlash he was feeling.

Lee was his closest friend left, even more than his newly realized camaraderie with Naruto, even more than the protectiveness he felt over Hinata. The silence between them was hurting him and part of him wished Lee would just stay here so he wouldn't have to feel this way or see the accusations in Lee's eyes.

Lee blinked slowly, feeling tired in several different ways. Watching the back of Gaara's head, he could see that the man was unnaturally still, and his shoulders were tense. Lee finally forced his voice to work.

"Gaara?" he murmured softly. He paused, listening to their breath in the mild dark. "Are you awake?"

Lee's voice suddenly sounded much deeper than it usually did, and it brought shocks of cold up his spine and an unexplained warmth to his ears. Gaara let out a breath he'd been holding in and clenched his jaw before speaking, "...Go to sleep."

There was silence for a few more minutes. Lee closed his eyes and rolled over, feeling numb as he faced away from his friend. He clenched his fist against the bedsheets, brows furrowed in frustration. His chest hurt when he noticed Tenten's smell on the edge of his pillow, and wished it wouldn't remind him of blood.

"Hey, Kiba!" Lee jogged through the atrium to the other man's side, waving in greeting. Kiba was standing in front of Sai's map, explaining to Hinata why the trip from the mall to Crimson Sand was going to be so dangerous. He was still trying to persuade her that staying at the mall would be better, but at the same time he seemed begrudgingly resigned to their departure. He glanced up when he heard Lee call to him.

"Hello, Miss Hinata," Lee greeted the woman as well, giving her a small smile. She returned the expression, but Lee had to look away quickly when he noticed the pity in her pale eyes. Hinata was kind to him, and knew first hand what it felt like to lose someone to the undead right in front of your eyes, but Lee wasn't ready to discuss what had happened yet.

"Have either of you seen Gaara around? I heard he got the final list of people who are going to Crimson Sand."

"Everybody's looking for Gaara." Kiba frowned at Lee's interruption. "Even those brats have been looking for him all week. Is everyone suddenly coming with us?""

Hinata placed a hand on Kiba's arm and looked over her shoulder at Lee. "I think he mentioned going to the roof the last time I saw him." Her forehead creased in worry as she asked, "I...I saw your name on the list. Are you okay with moving?"

"Oh, of course," Lee smiled at Hinata in what he hoped was a reassuring way. Why did everyone assume that he wanted to stay at the mall instead of going with Gaara? It was true that he was having doubts- mostly because he wasn't happy about leaving Sakura- but if things didn't work out he had confidence he could come back, right?

To be entirely honest he'd had a few choice moments of doubt when he'd wondered how he could travel with Tenten's murderer, but he'd immediately slapped himself and ran laps through the mall as punishment for thinking that way. It wasn't Gaara's fault. It wasn't easy to accept, but it was true. Tenten would have smacked him for believing otherwise.

"Thank you, I will go check on the roof," Lee said, backing away quickly and smiling at the two. "I will talk to you later!" He turned and darted off toward the stairs, before Hinata could show him anymore concern.

Shikamaru was lounging on the bottom step of the stairs to the roof, a book perched on his knee and a bored look on his face when he spotted Lee heading his way. He scooted to one side and waved at him. "Yo. Never seen you come by here before." Shikamaru dragged the shogi board he'd been playing against himself with to the side. "Someone's still up there and he looks like he wants some space."

Even before Tenten's death, the roof had become a lot of people's favorite place for meditation and solitude. A place to grieve or just release pent up emotions. It was the quiet that really drew Shikamaru to stay there in the first place, with the roof high enough that you wouldn't even hear the moans from below. Lately, with Tenten's recent death, the roof was also drawing more people with Shikamaru resigning himself to guard duty when he wasn't on his shift.

"Hello, thank you, Shikamaru," Lee smiled at the man and waved, but his eyes were tight and determined. He stepped over the man's shogi board and continued up the stairs quickly. "But I think Gaara has had enough space lately."

"Okay, just make sure the door's closed after you. It's freezing up there." Shikamaru turned back to his board with a sigh.

The wind whistled past and back where Gaara sat, billowing the thick scarf he'd wrapped around his face. Legs spread and bent in front of him, he was listening to a battery operated radio he'd found in one of the shops, all the while jotting down little dots on a sketchpad. Unlike those who'd come up here to think, he'd gotten sick of brooding over irreparable things and had renewed his efforts in finding other survivors.

The radio crackled when he adjusted the antennae a few degrees south and he marked its position on the pad. He hadn't heard any voices yet, but if Naruto was able to broadcast from the mall, then there could be others doing the same.

When the door opened a few feet behind him, he felt a chill go through the coat he had on. Shikamaru never let anyone go past when someone else was on the roof. There were only two people who'd be stubborn enough to push past him, and Gaara's grip tightened on the pencil when he glanced back and saw Lee emerge from the door.

"Gaara," Lee shut the door behind him as he stepped onto the roof. He shivered in the wind and crossed his arms. He frowned at the redhead's back and walked quickly to close the distance between them. "What are you doing up here? I have been looking for you."

Gaara's brows knotted visibly and he turned back to the cityscape below them. Was Lee pretending or did he really not notice the growing distance between them? Lee hadn't looked him in the eye since Tenten's death, let alone spent any downtime with him- though that was also Gaara's fault for avoiding him.

"Preparing for the move." He answered, his voice a little hoarse from keeping silent for so long. "If you have something to discuss with me, we'll talk later."

Lee's frown deepened. He wondered briefly what the hoarse tone to Gaara's voice meant. Was he getting sick? Feeling upset or emotional? Lee felt off balance and petulant, because he honestly didn't know. How could he know how Gaara was feeling if the man kept avoiding him? The determination in Lee's characteristically round eyes flashed as he stepped around Gaara and plopped pointedly down across from him. He crossed his legs and sat up. "No, I think we should talk right now. How are you feeling? You know, it would be easy to get sick in the cold up here."

With Lee blocking his line of sight, Gaara instinctively pulled his legs closer to himself and glared at the other man. "I can take care of myself." He said curtly and began to gather his things. There was a prickling sensation on his skin that had little to do with the cold and more with Lee's sudden questioning and attention. He knewLee blamed him for Tenten's death so the care in his words just sounded empty and false.

Lee's fists clenched and his jaw squared in irritation. His stomach churned sickly at Gaara's attitude, queasiness matching his unease. The glare in the redhead's eyes felt unwarranted and cruel, and it was making Lee's frustration rise. He leaned forward quickly and put a hand over Gaara's radio, gripping it tightly. "Gaara, do not leave. I am trying to talk to you. You have been avoiding me for days, and I cannot stand for it any longer."

Lee's hand on his radio had a growl making it past Gaara's lips. "What do you want from me? There's nothing to talk about." He tugged his scarf higher, feeling the cold biting on his cheeks and the ache in his chest coming back. Change didn't come easily for Gaara, even if he could react quickly enough to survive. And just when he'd come to accept a friend's death and the loss of something he'd unconsciously hoped for, Lee was breaking down his walls.

His breath came out fast and fogging in the cool air. "I don't need you reminding me that I killed her."

"That is not what I am trying to do," Lee snapped. "Will you just shut up and listen to me for a moment? For the love of youth..."

Lee rubbed his face in exasperation. He glared darkly at Gaara, and shuddered against the wind chill. "I do not blame you for what happened, alright? I cannot even describe how angry I am with you, after everything, and your attitude since then makes me want to hit you, but I do not blame you."

Gaara sat back, the glare still present in his eyes but his mind reeling from Lee's words. He hadn't expected this, or for Lee to keep pushing him when he'd wanted to stop talking. He'd forgotten how stubborn the other man could be. "...You never told me that. You couldn't even look me in the eye afterwards. What was I supposed to think?" He felt a tremble in his chest and his face felt warm against the cold air. He hated confrontations.

The tone of his voice turned cold as his eyes narrowed. "Why are you even coming along with me? There are more reasons for you to stay here than to put up with my attitude."

"We need to stay together, Gaara," Lee said quickly. He shook his head, but continued to return the glare. "I... I am still angry, and I really wanted to hate you for what happened, but I could not do it. Tenten would have hit me for thinking like that."

Lee sat straighter and took a deep, shuddering breath. It was hard to say her name out loud, in the past tense like this. His fingers clenched and unclenched. "We need to stay together. Without Tenten, you are the closest friend I have here. She would have wanted us to rely on each other, and you will need someone to support you as the leader of the team that is going to Crimson Sand. The only other person in the group that gets along with you is Hinata."

"What about Sakura? Coming with me means risking never seeing her again." Gaara flinched when that came out, not intending to bring up that topic when it was irrelevant right now. Tenten had completed the bond all three of them had, but Lee's infatuation with Sakura was a different matter that he didn't want to address.

"I can't afford fighting with you when I need to keep everyone in the group alive." He said, trying not to show the ache building in his chest. "Just drop the matter and leave me alone." He averted his eyes and took hold of the radio opposite of Lee's hand.

At the mention of Sakura, Lee's glare finally wavered into something more hurt, but the expression returned immediately when Gaara tried to dismiss him. He tightened his grip on the radio and refused to let go. "I will not be fighting with you. I will be helping you the whole time, alright? And as for Sakura..."

Lee winced and finally looked down, though he still wouldn't let go of the radio. The wind ruffled his bangs, hiding his eyes in snatches. "She has been spending a lot of time with me, and she has been extremely kind since... since what happened. But it has been getting really hard for me to be around her. She... she makes me think of Tenten, and it bothers me. I could really use a break. I feel like I need space from her right now."

Lee shuddered, but this time it wasn't just from the cold. If he had been talking to anyone else, he wouldn't have admitted that.

Gaara's guarded expression fell when Lee opened up. The tightness around his eyes loosened and he frowned at the other man. Listening to him speak, he knew he wasn't the right person for Lee to confide in...but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to yank the radio out of Lee's hand and leave.

Their breaths sounded loud in the silence on the roof, and Gaara found himself watching the way Lee's bangs ruffled in the wind and the quiet sadness he was surprised to see in his eyes. The ache in his chest was expanding inexplicably until he could feel his pulse in his fingertips. With a faint sigh, he unwound the scarf around his neck and slipped it over Lee's shoulders. Letting go of the radio, he shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't want to acknowledge that Lee talking about Sakura nagged at him in little ways until just hearing him say her name pissed him off, because doing that meant he had to acknowledge that he was avoiding Lee for that other reason.

"...Sorry." He said quietly, "I don't want to fight with you." He rubbed his hands together, finally feeling the intensity of the cold wind without his scarf. Lee was the one who'd get sick if they stayed up here for too long. "I'm not sorry for killing her, but I wish things had happened differently."

Lee lifted his hands and buried them in the scarf. The fabric was still warm from Gaara's body heat, and Lee tucked it tighter against his skin appreciatively. He was still frowning as he looked up at his friend, but he nodded in agreement. "I wish things had happened differently, too. I would be lying if I said that I am not still upset, but... I do not want to fight with you. I just want us to stay together, now more than ever."

Gaara nodded once then pushed himself up. "Let's go back inside. You've been shivering since you got here." He held out a hand to Lee, his brows still knotted but something closer to resignation and acceptance on his face.

Taking Gaara's hand to pull himself up, Lee's frown finally broke. His lips twisted upwards with relief. When he was standing again, he wrapped his arms around Gaara's shoulders in a brief hug. "Thank you," he muttered, then let go quickly and stepped back, knowing that Gaara liked his space. He started walking towards the door, feeling drained and shaky from their confrontation, but also much lighter.

Watching Lee head back to the door, Gaara let out the breath he'd been holding in and felt his body flush warmly despite the cold. When the man finally disappeared down the stairs, he brought his hands up to his face and blew on the cup of his palms, an anxious, quivering feeling taking over the ache in his chest. Lee probably didn't even notice that he'd taken along Gaara's scarf with him, or that his relieved smile had brought a red tinge to Gaara's ears.

"That's ridiculous! When did you put up that tower?!" Naruto squalled. Sai held out his hand and raised a brow at the blonde.

"It doesn't matter when I put it up. You landed on the property, so hand over my $1,100."

"But I neededthat," he grumbled, even as he counted out the bills and begrudgingly handed them over.

"You are still doing better than I am, Naruto," Lee assured with a laugh and a shrug. Lee only had a few properties to his name, and he'd had to mortgage two of them already.

Sai had the most number of developed properties and was close to holding the monopoly on red, while Gaara was currently still in jail. The redhead took the dice when it was his turn and rolled, only to shake his head when he still failed to roll doubles. One more failed roll and he'd have to pay the fine. He passed on the dice after collecting rent instead.

"I'm almost bankrupt." Gaara scowled and fingered through his newly collected money, only to pay the bank what he'd loaned earlier with interest. He'd actually never learned how to play the game and was struggling to remember the rules when everyone else seemed comfortable with their little plastic houses.

Ino smiled and planted a hotel near a railroad she owned and passed on the dice. "Don't forget, you owe me your assets when you do." She winked at Gaara and sipped at her cherry coke.

Lee chuckled at the look on Gaara's face. He still couldn't believe Gaara had never played before! When the group had started the game, Lee had thought for sure that his friend would be a pro.

"I used to play this all the time with my family," Sakura commented offhandedly as she read the back of a deed. "But that was before I started traveling as a student."

"No wonder you suggested this game," Naruto muttered, still pouting. "You've had practice at it! Everyone I knew back home hated this game because it lasts too long and gets too complicated."

"It is not that bad, Naruto," Lee placated. He took the dice when they were handed to him, and rolled. He moved his piece, and winced good naturedly when he landed on another of Sai's properties. He counted out the money and mortgaged another property. "Then again..."

"I'd be kicking your asses if we'd played a card game instead." Naruto said, taking the dice and landing himself on a community chest square and drawing a card. "Heh, got free money from a sale." He handed it over to the bank, where Sakura doled out the money with a smile.

By the time Gaara rolled again, he let out a sigh of relief when the dice gave him double threes. Moving his pawn, he paid the rent on one of Lee's properties. "How long does this game go on?" He asked, already tired of losing the fake money and picking the worst cards.

"Usually an hour or so, but we can set a time limit and just count everyone's net worth after." Sakura answered as Ino took her turn. She grinned when Ino's pawn landed on the go to jail square. With everything the group had gone through, she was much more carefree about expressing her inner self even when Lee was watching. "Hah, so much for winning the game, Ino-pig!"

"That's what you think." Ino flipped her hair out of her eyes and simply plucked out the fine for jail time from her stash. "Better up your game before your forehead starts spelling 'loser'." She taunted, both women's competitive streak practically sparking fire across the board.

Gaara gave Lee and Naruto a long-suffering look for dragging him into playing this game. He gathered his remaining bills and counted it out morosely.

"We can work out a deal if you want" Sai offered Gaara with a sly smile. "I'll sell you one of my properties for half the price, if you'll strip for me."

"That's fucking against the rules! Stop trying to get people to strip for you, Sai." Naruto protested. Glancing at the redhead, he pointed at Gaara with a horrified look crossing his face. "NoGaara! Don't even consider taking that deal!"

"How much are you selling?" Gaara asked, amused more with Naruto's reaction than Sai's strange deal.

"Gaara!" Lee squalled, laughing and turning a little red. The last thing they needed was for a simple game of Monopoly to turn into something perverted! "Do not listen to Sai, that is cheating!"

"I can pay off the mortgage on one of your properties if you wanted to strip for me, too, Lee," Sai suggested, smiling widely with curved eyes. He turned back to Gaara. "One of my red properties, and a railroad."

Lee frowned and looked down at his properties. Damn, that was tempting... he shook his head resolutely however. Straying from the path of youth and honesty would mean never reaching the springtime of fulfillment!

"Dammit, Sai!" Naruto slapped a hand against his forehead in exasperation. "No one wants to strip for you! Gaara, just say no!"

"Hm. Fine." Gaara said, much to Ino's delight as she heartily patted him on the back.

"That's the spirit!" The blonde woman smiled brightly.

As Sai took his payment, Gaara stood up and shrugged off his coat, leaving him in a turtleneck and jeans. He sat down and counted his money again.

"You missed taking off your shirt, pants and underwear." Sai pointed out, raising his brow at Gaara.

"I stripped. There wasn't any indication in our deal that I had to strip completely." Gaara replied before marking down his new properties on a piece of paper.

Sai blinked at him quietly before a smile crept across his face. "Too bad. I'll have to remember that detail next time."

"Oh geez, you had me worried there." Naruto wiped his forehead dramatically and glanced around the board. "Who's next?"

Sakura had a blush on her cheeks and a gleam in her eye as she took the dice, trying to hide her disappointment at not seeing anyone strip. That would have been an interesting twist to the game.

Lee's heart had just about leaped into his throat with surprise when Gaara stood up, but he chuckled at the redhead's manipulation of the deal. It would have been very uncharacteristic of Gaara to take off all his clothes to get ahead in a board game.

Lee suddenly looked up and gasped as something occurred to him. Sakura's head perked up and she raised a brow at him. "What is it, Lee? You okay?"

"Oh, I just realized," he said. "This will probably be the last time we all get to hang out like this, before the move to Crimson Sand. I had not thought about it before."

"Yeah, lunches are going to be much quieter after you guys take off." Naruto was reorganizing his cash, recounting as if to make sure he hadn't overlooked any precious hundreds.

Ino's smile faded and she brushed back her long bangs behind her ears. One of her best friends was leaving and she and Choji hadn't been able to convince him otherwise. "How soon are you leaving?"

"We leave tomorrow before sunrise. I want us to have time to set up camp before the day ends." Glancing around the table, Gaara bit the inside of his lips. There were only a few people in the mall whom he really cared about leaving behind. But frankly, he was already looking past this group and towards places and people who hadn't been hit by the virus.

"It's not the last time we'll see you though, right?" Sakura turned to Lee, trying to catch his eye. "You'll still try to send word when you've reached the hotel?"

Lee caught Sakura's eye and smiled at her. He gave her a thumbs up and nodded optimistically, though his grin was a tad more subdued than usual. "Of course! This is not goodbye forever. I do not know when we will see each other again, but it will happen."

"Thank you." Sakura gave a small smile, and reached over to pat Lee's arm companionably. "Just make sure you stay safe, alright? And healthy. Moegi should be able to use what I taught her to look after you guys for me."

"They've got a good team. I believe in every one of them to find more survivors and a way out of this place." Naruto grinned until his eyes were curved slits. "And while you're at it, get me something cool when you come back."

Rubbing his gloved hands furiously to generate heat, Gaara knelt down on his mattress and hastily unwrapped more of the thick blankets they'd taken from a home depot store. It was just their luck to spend the last night in the mall freezing on the tiled floor. Their trip tomorrow wouldn't even let them reap the benefits of saving the mall's generators for winter.

"Do you have everything packed for tomorrow?" He glanced over at Lee as he spread the blankets on top of each other. His own pack was already leaning against the wall, filled with a few canned goods, instant meals, and a lot of clothes and tools for their trip. The crossbow rested on top of his pack with a new bag of clubs beside it.

"Yes, I have everything ready," Lee replied, shivering as he zipped up his own backpack and left it on the floor beside their mattresses. He pulled his sweater tighter around his body and slipped under the covers, curling up and flexing his chilled toes. He'd dressed in a couple of layers to keep warm since the nights had been getting colder lately, but tonight he felt like he might as well have been naked outside. Lee fluffed his pillow and tried to settle in to fall asleep.

"Do you think there are many people in the city like us?" Lee asked, rolling over to face the redhead after a moment. "I still do not know what to expect when we leave, to be honest."

Gaara slipped under the thick pile of blankets and rubbed his face against his hands for moment to warm his chilled cheeks and nose. "From the number of people who survived in the mall, no." He murmured, pulling the covers up to his chin and staring up at the ceiling. They were in a bleak situation even if Naruto liked to boost everyone's spirits up by talking about a cure, or finding a place that's untouched by the virus.

Turning his head to look at his friend, he exhaled through his nose quietly. Lee was similar to Naruto in many ways- optimistic, outspoken and always cheering other people on -but Gaara could see the tiredness in the other man's eyes especially after Tenten's death. "...There could be pockets of people scattered across the city, but we can't find them all. Many of them might even be holed up in their houses just like Haku."

He shivered as the cold got to his feet even under the blankets. "If-If there are people out there, they'll be in defensible places like this mall or the hotel."

Lee nodded and shuddered with a yawn. He noticed when his friend's teeth chattered hard enough to make him stutter, and started shuffling closer under the blankets. "I think if there is anyone else out there, we will find them. I just hope we reach them soon."

Lee slid into the middle of the mattresses and rolled onto his back. He still couldn't stop shivering. "Would you mind scooting closer? It is freezing tonight. Can we sleep back to back?"

Gaara was tense as he tried to soak in what little warmth the blankets gave, seeing Lee shuffling closer. When the other man stopped in the middle, he exhaled and frowned at the mixed relief and disappointment he felt. He and Lee didn't really touchaside from when it was necessary on runs and that time Lee hugged him. But the trembling in his body finally pushed him to move closer until his shoulder pressed against Lee's.

"You're just as cold as the floor." He said, jerking when he felt Lee's shivering form under the layers of clothes.

"S-sorry, though you are not much better." Lee smiled through chattering teeth in good humor at his friend's reaction and scooted closer, pressing against the other man as much as possible without crawling on top of him. Lee breathed deeply and tried to force his shivering to stop as some of the body heat between them collected.

"When we get to Crimson Sand, do you want to share a room with me, like we do here?" In a big hotel, there would be plenty of rooms to go around for everyone, though Lee knew most of the individuals in their group would likely want to stay with certain others.

"We might need to." Gaara responded with a hitch in his breath as Lee's warmth started to seep through his body, eliciting pins and needles from his legs and fingers. It was still cold but he could finally feel his blood circulating again. With Lee pressed up close, he grabbed the edges of the blankets and tucked all of it under his arm until the sheets were wrapped cocoon-like against his side.

The movement had his covered legs brushing against the other man's, and Gaara wondered why Lee didn't find their proximity awkward even in this situation. His friend was too comfortable around him while Gaara had to constantly reign in his thoughts and reactions. He turned his thoughts instead to their conversation. "Assume that there are already people living there. We can't trust them to welcome our arrival, since that means sharing food and resources. Our group has to stick together even when we get there."

"That is a good point," Lee agreed. He tucked his fingers close to his neck and sucked in another deep breath. He turned his head toward Gaara as he spoke, and could just make out the pink on certain patches of the redhead's skin from the cold. He was surprised that they weren't seeing their own breath yet. Their body heat was already helping though, and Lee felt his muscles slowly relax, with only the occasional shudder. "I think we should stay together, too. It is important for the whole group to stay close, but I think us two especially. In an emergency we will have each other's back right away, and if we were not bunking in the same place we might grow apart."

Lee yawned widely, and sighed with sleepiness. "I do not want that to happen. The path to Springtime should not be lonely."

Gaara snorted softly at Lee's choice of words. He'd grown used to his friend's quirkiness with the time they'd been together- had it been a few months already? But he still didn't know what to make of that 'Springtime' Lee was always touting about. He wasn't going to hope for a bright future when they were still surrounded by the city's ruins. Letting his gaze slide towards Lee, his lips twitched slightly at the sleepy look on the man's face before he rolled to his side and shut his eyes. Thanking Lee for deciding to come with him was better left unsaid.

"We have an early start tomorrow." He said in a hushed murmur. "We'll survive the winter together."

Lee hummed in response and rolled onto his side as well, pressing his back tightly against Gaara's and tucking his arms against his chest. "That will be the easy part, in the long run." He yawned again, wide enough to make his eyes tear up. He closed his eyes, already thinking of youthful dreams. "Goodnight, Gaara."

Hinata crawled along the edge of the building roof, lifting her head just enough to see over the edge into the street bellow before ducking down again. Kiba was right behind her, keeping a sharp eye out as they moved. The group was trying to be as quiet as possible, which made things slow going at times, but they hadn't raised much attention from the walkers below, if any at all. Altogether, their group was comprised of Gaara, Lee, Kiba, Hinata, Shikamaru, Udon, and Moegi.

Lee was at the back of the group, and Gaara at the front. Lee leaned around the line of survivors, checking their direction before staying close to Shikamaru's back again. It was midday now, and the sun was directly overhead, just barely shadowed by thin clouds. Lee wiped sweat from his brow and tightened the straps on his pack.

Crouched behind an exhaust tower, Gaara held up a hand to stop their progress while he scouted for an easy route down to the next building's roof. They'd been traveling half the day and they still hadn't reached the maze of side streets. The wind bit coldly against the group and a few of them were already shivering despite their coats, continuous movement and the threat from below.

"There are less zombies on that side." Udon observed quietly, pointing to the next street over. He sniffled and pressed a tissue to his nose, his face red from allergies. Moegi placed a hand on his shoulder in concern from behind him.

"Maybe we should rest for a while," she whispered, "We've been moving for hours."

Gaara shook his head and pulled his furred hood closer to his face. "...Not until we reach the side streets. We can't set up camp on a building roof in this temperature."

"Fuck, keep your voices down. The wind's moving downhill." Kiba shushed them, peering over the side of the roof's ledge and ducking down when a few walkers looked up.

Gesturing for the group to continue, Gaara gauged the distance from the roof they were on to the closest building where Udon had pointing at. It looked easy to jump. "This way." He whispered and led them to the edge. Looking down, he was relieved to find only a handful of zombies on the street below. They were moving uphill as planned so they could make a run on the ground soon enough.

Stepping back, he threw his pack to the next roof and took a running jump, landing quietly on the other side and gesturing for Udon to follow him.

The boy swallowed thickly and peered over the edge of the roof, shivering with an uncomfortable look on his face. Moegi put a hand on his shoulder and gestured him forward with a quiet nod of support. Udon sniffled and rubbed his nose, but tossed his pack ahead like he'd watched Gaara do. He backed up a set, then took a deep breath and a running jump. He overshot the distance by several feet and ended up skidding and falling on the other roof clumsily. He waved at Moegi to show her that he was okay, and she followed quickly after.

"You okay, Udon?" the girl murmured as she handed her friend his pack with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm okay," he replied quickly, turning pink in the cheeks from the cold and her worry.

Hinata followed close after the teenagers, landing with precision and a quiet huff of her feminine voice. Kiba was faster, but also louder as he landed with a heavy thump. Shikamaru and Lee followed carefully, with only soft skidding.

"Everything going according to plan so far?" Lee asked Gaara softly as he strapped his pack back on and tucked his bat where he could reach it quickly.

Gaara nodded at Lee. "Once we reach the end of this block, we can climb down." He glanced at everyone to make sure that they were all alright. Hinata smiled at him when he looked her way before turning to Kiba and speaking softly to her friend. Moegi was handing Udon another tissue to blow his nose on, while Shikamaru was taking out a folded map and pinpointing their location.

"There should be a fire escape on that white building there." Shikamaru murmured and pointed to a low-rise structure at the end of the block.

Shouldering his pack, Gaara nodded in acknowledgment and began leading the group onwards again.

It didn't take long before they reached the building Shikamaru had pointed out. Kiba instinctively gripped Hinata's arm when they saw that the fire escape had a few bodies and zombies swaying on the platforms and lying on the stairs.

Gaara was already taking out his crossbow, wishing he'd found more arrows as he silently began to hit those close to the top. Shikamaru took out his steel baton from his side pouch and swept it to the side, unlocking its levels until it formed into a sturdy rod. With Gaara leading them, they climbed down the stairs disposing of zombies and stepping over dead bodies.

Moegi was just stepping over a body and moving across the platform after Gaara when she felt something grab her ankle. She gasped and turned with wide eyes as a severed torso dragged itself closer, eyes bloody and rotting as it reached for her leg with glistening teeth. Before she could shriek or defend herself, Udon was suddenly there, crushing the corpse's arm with the length of pipe Konohamaru had given him before they left the mall. He grabbed Moegi and dragged her back, while Shikamaru leaped ahead and finished off the zombie before it could moan too loudly and attract others.

"That was scary," Moegi whispered shakily as she clung to her friend. Udon nodded in agreement.

"Keep moving! We don't want to fall behind," Kiba urged in a hissed whisper. Shikamaru nudged the corpse aside and gestured the others ahead again. Hinata's lips were pursed with concentration as she navigated the stairs, and Lee was looking at the teenagers with concern.

"Were either of you bitten?" he asked urgently.

"No. We're okay. We'll keep moving," Moegi insisted quickly, shaking her head and following close after Gaara.

Not much later, the whole group was gathered on the bottom level of the fire escape and were getting ready to touch the ground again.

Gaara fired at two zombies emerging from the side of the building and began a brisk jog towards the end of the block. Kiba kept close after the teenagers and swept aside the walkers that reached for the group from between buildings and side streets.

Moving uphill had been a good idea with Gaara catching glimpses of a larger crowd of zombies gathered down below. Suna had been a desert city long before the area had been urbanized, so the rolling streets were reminiscent of the rocky sand dunes that once enveloped the city. He weighed the possibility of going back to an older way of living in the desert to escape the zombie population, but dismissed the thought as he fired a bolt at another zombie. It might work closer to Konoha, but not in the unpredictable desert with so little supplies.

The half-decayed woman hissed at him weakly as she collapsed on the ground, her pink suit dress already in bloody tatters with his arrow jutting from her eye socket. He moved on.

"There's a burger joint over there." Shikamaru called from the back, glancing down at his map as he jogged. "We can rest there before entering the side streets."

Hinata hefted her pack and panted as she spotted the place. They'd been moving for a long time now and it was starting to wear her down. Unlike the other members of their group, she'd only been able to go out on scouting trips and missions that weren't too taxing- and usually with either Kiba or Gaara around. She wiped the light sheen of sweat on her forehead and pressed a hand against the stitch in her side.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" Kiba glanced at his friend with worry before stopping in his tracks and taking hold of her pack's handle. "Give this to me. I can carry both."

"N-No Kiba, thank you but I-I can carry it myself." Hinata panted, stopping as well and brushing strands of her hand away from her face.

Kiba's mouth tightened at her refusal but he let go of her pack and nodded. Hinata had always relied on him as a child, always needed his help or Shino's, and always grateful for her two friends when they were around to protect her. This epidemic had changed all of them, even the friend he'd known since they were kids.

"What's the problem?" Gaara asked curtly, jogging over to them and looking between Kiba and Hinata. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Nah, no one's head needs to get bashed in." Kiba squeezed Hinata's shoulder lightly with narrowed eyes turned to the redhead. The ugly streak of jealousy was obvious on his face as he stepped closer to Hinata. He'd had to leave Akamaru at the mall because of the route they'd taken on the roofs, promising to come back for him the moment he had a chance to. The measure of control Kiba had over his emotions was noticeably diminished without his animal companion.

Gaara looked Hinata from head to toe once, making her flinch from the intensity of his gaze before he exhaled. "Conserve your energy when you run. Don't breathe too fast, but take deep breaths in rhythm with your feet." He told her, shifting his gaze to Kiba. "We're setting up camp close by. Keep a close watch when we go inside the store."

"Where does he get off giving orders like that?" Kiba seethed as Gaara jogged off to the front and got everyone moving again.

"I-it's okay, Kiba," Hinata said, shrugging her pack and trying to calm her breathing. "Gaara is just d-doing his j-job."

"Keep moving. We're almost there," Shikamaru butted in, appearing behind the two. He was covered in blood spatter and his eyes were narrowed at the streets. Lee was following close behind, but paused to bring his bat crashing down on the head of a crawling dead man with dreadlocks and bloodshot eyes. He looked ahead, spotting the burger joint they were headed toward and steeled himself for yet another mad dash.

Across the street, the doors to the restaurant were unlocked as the group filed quickly inside. Lee, Shikamaru, and Kiba held off a few zombies that shambled jerkily toward the building, jaws slack and moaning as their limbs dragged. Shikamaru ducked inside after Hinata and held the door for the others, slamming it shut just as a walker reached for the door.

"Grab something to block the door with!" he called, dropping his weapon and holding the door closed. He fumbled with the door latch, trying to find a lock where there was none. Lee was just shoving a thick, heavy table across the floor with Kiba when there came a foreboding moan on the other side of the restaurant. A woman appeared behind the registered, wearing a uniform apron with her hair done up with a bun. An order pad peeked out from a pouch on her apron as she groaned and reached for Udon with manicured, bloody nails.

"Let Gaara take care of it, I can't hold the door any longer!" Shimakaru instructed quickly, bracing as the moans and scrabbling at the entrance grew louder. Lee had just been about to drop the table and take care of the dead waitress, but locked eyes with Kiba and shoved the table harder across the floor.

Gaara set down his crossbow on a table and took out a club. Barely blinking, he made quick work of the zombie with a horizontal swipe and buried the thin edge of the putt in her throat. He didn't look back as he proceeded into the kitchen area to clear out any remaining zombies inside.

Shikamaru quickly stepped aside as Lee and Kiba pushed the table towards the entrance. Fingers slipped through the small crack where the doors had opened a bit and Shikamaru beat and pushed them out with his baton. With a grunt, Kiba finally slammed his side of the table against the door with a bang. He stood in place for a second to catch his breath, sweat dripping from his face down to the hard wood. "This damn thing better hold until tomorrow." He muttered.

The moans were still heard from inside, but muffled now. Hinata set down her pack just as Gaara emerged from the back, a twisted frown on his face like he'd be sick at any moment. "I've cleared the kitchen area. Don't go in there yet." He said, scanning the room for possible weaknesses. The place was thankfully enclosed with just two windows on either side of the door. Too small for a zombie to enter through though.

Moegi stepped clear of the dismembered body on the floor and covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. She began doing the round as Sakura had instructed her to do after every run. She moved closer to Lee and tapped his shoulder. "Do you have any wounds? Is your breathing alright?"

Lee turned and looked down at the girl in surprise. He shook his head and have her a thumbs up, though his smile was a tad tighter than usual. "I am not injured! My breathing is perfectly normal. I promise I will let you know right away if I notice something wrong with my body."

Moegi nodded and proceeded around the group, checking for any injuries, including minor cuts and bruises. She was concerned for a few moments about Hinata, but determined that she only needed work on her stamina. No one seemed to be sick or infected, though a couple of cuts had to be covered.

"You seem to have learned a lot, Moegi," Lee commented when the girl was finished checking Udon. "Have you always been interested in health?"

"Not before Sakura started teaching me," she said. She began stacking chairs against a wall like Kiba and Hinata were doing, to clear space in the middle of the room. "I don't like looking at wounds and blood, but it doesn't bother me much anymore lately. I even took down a zombie that was all gross and cut up when Tenten took us... out..."

The girl turned her eyes down as her voice trailed off. She was obviously uncomfortable, and her brows were scrunched up guiltily as she thought. Lee nodded with a thoughtful frown and took a chair out of her hands, making her jump and look up at him with wide eyes before he stacked it with the others. "It is good that you are learning to be reliable," he said softly.

"Sorry," she muttered, still looking guilty.

"Moegi." Gaara called, looking from the girl to Lee. The teenagers obviously held themselves responsible for the events leading to Tenten's death, if not her actual demise. Part of Gaara felt that they should feel that way, if only not to forget what she'd done for them. But, Lee didn't need to be reminded of his best friend right now. Taking on an authoritative tone of voice, he addressed Moegi and the others. "Give me a status on everyone's health in a moment. Shikamaru, help me move this one to the kitchen. Everyone else unpack and settle in. We're staying only until dawn."

Moegi nodded and got back to work with her face still troubled but much more focused on the task at hand.

Gaara moved to the zombie he'd killed earlier and took hold of her top. The corpse stank of decayed flesh and blood, and the greasy smell of fast food. He didn't let himself think about having to hold her severed head up by the hair with another hand. Shikamaru lifted both of her legs with a grimace. "I hope there's clean water back there." He said.

Working together, they pulled the body to the kitchens where Gaara had killed the last remaining walkers. Bodies were strewn around in gruesome positions, but some were worse than others. There was a dead young man whose head was boiling in hot oil despite Gaara turning off the fryer earlier. The skin of his neck still bubbled sickly as flesh slid down to the liquid fat. Behind him were three bodies in a tangle on the floor, one of them wearing the store's uniform with its teeth still fastened on the leg of a man who was curled protectively over a woman presumably his wife- whose head was thrown back in a silent scream and her belly torn out.

"Don't let anyone in here. The vents still work but there might still be gas in the air." Gaara told Shikamaru as they dropped the body. Trying the sink, the redhead was relieved to find clean water pouring out and the two of them quickly washed their hands clean.

"I'll make sure we refill on our water supply before we leave." Shikamaru assured him before both men headed back out to the store front.

Just over an hour later, the group finally managed to breath a soft breath of temporary relief. All the possible exits and entrances had been blocked, everyone had something small to eat from their packs, and they were able to rest at ease for the moment. Bedding was improvised in the center of the restaurant with packs, coats, and blankets or camp beds that had been packed away.

"I d-don't know if I will be able to sleep," Hinata murmured as she settled on the floor with her pack as a pillow. Kiba spread a blanket over her legs and sat down beside her. "There's so much going on, and I can't stop worrying until we get to the hotel."

Despite her words, the woman's eyes were half lidded and her body seemed boneless with exhaustion. She blinked up at Kiba and sighed softly in thought. He patted her shoulder softly and lowered his voice. "You don't need to worry. You go to sleep, I'll keep watch. You need to rest before we start moving again in the morning."

"You should sleep, too," she murmured in reply, slowly closing her eyes. "I think Gaara is going to keep watch, right? You should get some rest, and he'll take care of us."

"I don't need him to take care of us," Kiba scowled and turned his eyes to the far wall. Hinata only hummed in reply, already drifting asleep.

"Do you think we should have two people keep watch at a time?" Lee asked as he settled on the floor next to Gaara, laying out his blanket and pack. "Or just one? It might be easier to stay awake if we use the buddy system, and it'll be easier to notice if something's wrong right away."

Gaara removed his boots with a sigh and nodded at Lee. "We have enough people to pair off. You and I will take first watch. Shikamaru can take the second watch with Moegi and Udon to get them used to sleeping shifts. Kiba and Hinata take the last watch." He glanced at each one to make sure they knew their shifts, earning a cold look from Kiba as the man huddled next to Hinata. There was no question now that he and Lee would end up sticking close to each other. Whatever he felt about the other man was easily set aside while they were part of a big group. He stretched out his legs wearily as he took note of everyone huddled together. Kiba was scowling at the wall while Hinata slept beside him. Moegi was writing in a notebook with Udon speaking quietly to Shikamaru.

They hadn't lost anyone yet and he intended to keep it that way. Sliding closer to Lee, he inhaled once before pressing his leg and shoulder against the other man to get more heat in his limbs. A thought came to him just then and he glanced up at the other man. "Did you leave your footage at the mall?"

"No," Lee replied. He spread his blanket across both their legs and settled against Gaara with a tired sigh. He relaxed, enjoying their body heat and the chance to rest, even if he couldn't sleep yet. "I left the camera behind, but I kept the footage with me. I thought about leaving it behind, but I could not think of who I could leave it with. Tenten and I never did find a way to send the images to someone outside the city."

Lee's eyes were soft and a bit sad as he glanced over at the teenagers, thinking of the guilty look on Moegi's face when she'd accidentally brought up Tenten. "I wish I could have brought the camera with me, but it would have been too much to carry in a big group like this. I wanted to keep documenting what is happening, but it is not easy. I tried keeping a journal, but I have only written in it a couple of times so far. I am not a very good writer." Lee sighed. "Tenten was better at the reporting side of things, while I just operated the lens and microphone for her."

Pulling the blankets tighter around him, Gaara looked up at the ceiling and listened to Lee's voice. The other man had a higher pitch than his, but it still had that masculine edge to it, much like how Lee enjoyed pointing out the beautiful things in life and even wrote poetry for someone he liked. He shook his head faintly, unsettled by his train of thought. He'd been thinking too much about his friend after sleeping back to back with him.

"Your footage will be valuable if we find someone working on a cure." He said, breathing deeply. "Tenten would have wanted us to continue documenting what's happening around us. If there is a way to do that at the hotel, you can have everyone give their account of the epidemic."

The redheaded turned his head to the side, lips pressing tight at how close Lee's face was to his. "Why did you decide to become a cameraman?"

"To be honest... I do not remember making the decision." Lee fidgeted with the edge of the blanket as he spoke. His rough callouses caught on the blanket fibers and his bandages. "I graduated high school, but did not go to college. I could not afford it, and I did not have good enough grades for scholarships. I was not very good at studying anyway. My uncle found me a job working with the a sound crew for a news station, since they needed someone with upper body strength to hold the boom for long periods of time. I just kept working my way up after that, learning on the job, and eventually became a team with Tenten for reporting on the field. Before I knew it, I had a career that I really enjoyed."

Lee turned and caught Gaara's eye, their faces close together as they warmed up. He smiled at the redhead. "What about you? What made you choose your career? To be honest, I still do not know very much about what your work was."

That was a strange way to make a career for Gaara, who'd taken the usual route of studying hard and getting into a good university because of it. But he recognized Lee's hard work in getting where he was. The redheaded almost felt a tinge of regret that things came easily for him, despite the automatic absorption into the family business.

Gaara's eyes hooded as his gaze shifted from Lee's smile. "It wasn't a choice. My family practices strict traditions even in business. All of the Sabaku line worked for Kazakage Industries since it was first established by an older generation." He licked the back of his teeth, his mouth drying at talking more than the usual. Few people were able to get him talking about himself, even if he was comfortable around them.

"My job was to keep the company executives in line at whatever cost. It was a glorified position for the chairman- my father's personal security and Intel."

"Wow. That sounds like an impressive job." Lee raised his brows at Gaara and blinked. He wondered what the hooded, faraway look on the redhead's face meant. "You must have had a powerful family then. Did you enjoy working there? Did you have any hobbies when you were not working?"

Lee glanced around at the other members of the group. Kiba had finally laid down, though he didn't look asleep yet. Moegi and Udon were curled up close to each other, huddled under a shared blanket. Shikamaru was laying on his back with his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling while his mind obviously wandered. Lee leaned back and stretched his legs, wiggling his toes under the covers and brushing Gaara's feet. "I only had a couple of hobbies, myself."

Gaara jerked slightly at the feeling of Lee's feet brushing against his socked ones. His pulse quickened while he lowered himself back as well. Turning his head towards his friend, his lips twitched up one side involuntarily and he let out a single breathy chuckle. "...Hobbies that don't include drinking alcohol but include writing poems."

Their situation had its share of incredulity, including a kind of apocalyptic dating game where chopping zombie heads was the icebreaker. Talking about their life before the outbreak seemed to revert their roles back from 'leader' to just another office worker. From someone trying to survive everyday, to someone who'd had hopes and dreams for the future. He expected everyone in the group to ask these same questions of one another soon enough.

Gaara rubbed his eyes to hide a tired yawn, his voice subdued when he spoke again. "I played video games. Read a lot and observed people around me. Sometimes, what I liked to do and what I needed to were the same thing."

Lee chuckled. "I have only drank alcohol a couple of times in my life. Friends tried to get me to drink socially with them, but found out the hard way why that is not a good idea. Poetry seems like a better alternative, and there is far less collateral damage." Lee paused, examining the redhead's face. Gaara's skin was still so pale, even after the hours they'd spent together on scouting trips across roofs. He had long eyelashes for a man, and the dark circles around his eyes were so dark that they almost seemed like bruises from up close.

"I have never played video games," Lee stated, still examining Gaara's skin and expression. Lee wondered why the man had no eyebrows. He hadn't thought about it much before, but up close it seemed odd. Lee blinked owlishly. "My uncle thought it would be better for me to spend time outside, and I never bought a game station for myself after I moved out. What was your favorite game?"

"No particular game, but I played a lot of survival and shooters." Gaara couldn't help the wry smile tugging on his lips as he said, "Most of them involving the undead." His eyes blinked attentively awake when he noticed Lee looking closely at him, swallowing as his brows knotted. The man had such wide round eyes that he could usually tell what his friend was thinking from them. This scrutiny was new though and Gaara met it with the same intensity and a bit of surprise.

"What are you looking at?" He brought a hand to his face and ran his knuckles over his lips in case he'd missed some food at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh," Lee blinked quickly. "I was just looking at you up close. You do not seem to have any facial hair. Do you shave?" Lee rubbed his own chin in thought, where a hint of stubble was growing. His eyes flickered across Gaara's puckered brow, and down toward his pale lips as he touched his mouth with his knuckles. "I noticed before, but I did not really think about it until our faces were close together like this. I am curious about the rings around your eyes, too. Are they birthmarks? Or tattoos?"

The corner of Lee's mouth pulled up and he finally looked away with a wry expression. "Feel free to tell me if I am being nosey."

Gaara licked his lips just to be sure before rolling to his side, hands huddled against his arms and Lee's shoulder and his legs bent at the knees. "I've never been hairy." He said quietly, wondering what prompted this line of questioning now. It didn't bother him but this was the first time his friend showed an interest in his appearance. Even Naruto and Hinata had asked him about the dark marks around his eyes. "I was said to take after my mother's features and traits. But the marks around my eyes are from my father's side. One of our line had the same condition."

Touching the edge of his right eye, Gaara snorted and lowered his eyes to Lee's covered neck. His bangs fell across his forehead and brows from the angle. "I've been told they make me look creepy."

"Creepy?" Lee smiled a little. With Gaara laying down facing him like this, it was a lot warmer already than when they'd been shoulder to shoulder. He glanced down at the odd angle of red bangs. "I suppose I could see that, but I think they make you look more like a cat or a raccoon. In an office environment I might call your marks youthfully cute, but it also makes you seem more dangerous when you're wielding a bloody golf club."

Lee looked away with a hint of a wince at that thought. He definitely admired Gaara for his reliability and resourcefulness during the outbreak, but at the same time he recognized that his redheaded friend could be a powerful, dangerous force when he wanted to be. "You must have learned something from those video games, huh?"

Gaara was almost relieved when Lee looked away. He knew Lee still didn't agree with his stand against zombies even if he knew it was necessary. But it was better than for the other man to see the warmth on his ears and the sudden unguarded look on his face. It was gone as quickly as it appeared and the redhead just exhaled softly. "Just what will help us survive."

He glanced at his watch. Their shift would end in another hour and he'd have to wake up Moegi and Udon. Shikamaru would know when to get up on his own. The line of personal questions seemed to end so he turned his thoughts to more practical matters. "When we reach the hotel, I'm going to look for a usable truck. The Crimson Sand can't be a dead end for us. Is there anywhere in Konoha or nearby that will be safe from walkers?" The dream Naruto had of establishing a safe community was a good one and he wanted to plan ahead as much as possible.

"A place in Konoha... well, if we set up a place above the mountain monuments, we would have the uphill advantage, like we will be using at Crimson Sand. There are natural hotsprings and small animals in the mountain area, too, so we could use some natural resources." Lee began unwrapping his bandages as he spoke, preparing for the night ahead and getting comfortable for the sleep after. He wiggled his fingers when they were free, and continued unwrapping. "There are a few tourist buildings we could take shelter in. Also, the Academy and Hokage offices are big, well enforced buildings that we could use, which are also close to the monuments."

Lee paused for a moment, trying to recall the details of how the city was laid out, what would be advantageous to them, and what might doom them. "The big buildings would take a lot of time to clear out though, I think. There would have been a lot of people inside when the outbreak hit, regardless, you know? So, lots of zombies are probably still there. Depending on what we find, there are also several clan properties that we could take shelter in, and are probably well stocked."

"Naruto mentioned the mountain monuments. He also said there are many rivers that border the city." Gaara fell silent as he tried picturing a fortified community. He didn't have Naruto's vision but he thought it was a better option than relying on Suna's limited supplies. Looking at Lee's face, he exhaled through his nose. "When we get to that point, we can look for your uncle. If he's still alive, we will find him."

Lee paused, the wrappings on his second hand only undone as far as his wrist. His thick brows furrowed and he looked at Gaara with touched eyes. "That would be... amazing. To be honest, I am almost afraid to find out what has happened to him, but if he is still alive..." Lee shook his head, smiling. He wrapped an arm around Gaara and squeezed him close in thanks. "That would really make me happy! Gai would be a great asset for our group, and he always has amazing advice, and he is quite possibly even more youthful than I am!"

"Oi," Kiba grunted, turning his head to glare at Lee over his shoulder. "Pipe down, I'm trying to sleep."

"Sorry," Lee whispered, waving a hand at the man. Kiba rolled back over with a small grumble.

"I know it is not likely, but thank you for saying so," Lee murmured to Gaara, squeezing him once more and then taking his arm back and putting it behind his head.

There were times when Gaara suspected if Lee was really this excitable or if he secretly knew how much he affected the touch evasive redhead. "Mm." Rolling onto his back again, he rubbed at the spot on his arm that was still warm from the hug. He was growing too dependent on Lee's company. Attached when he should be focused on leading the group. The thought stayed in his mind until the end of their shift and before he finally fell asleep on the makeshift bed.
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Rot, Another One Bites the Dust