Title: Small Words
Chapter: 1?
Author: Zully Quirke Pairing: Lee/Gaara
Chapter Rating: PG
Warnings: Eventual slash. Possible cursing. None in this chapter, though.
Summary: When Lee's given a top secret mission from the Hokage that sends him to Sand Village, he gladly accepts despite protests from his teammates. Unfortunately, Gaara isn't quite as thrilled as his would-be bodyguard.

Lee was never one to allow a debt to remain unpaid. A real man never let a good deed go without recognition, and Gaara of the Sand had certainly done him a great service. He'd saved his life. Of course, one could argue that Gaara had simply offset the times before when he'd attempted to kill Lee, but Lee was not of that particular school of thought.

"He had no choice," TenTen explained to him an exasperated tone. "Sand Village and Leaf Village are allied countries. He had to come and save us."

Lee was not so easily swayed. "Maybe," He shook his head, "But he didn't have to save me. He could've helped Shikamaru or Kiba instead, but despite our tumultuous past, he decided to help me out. I might've died without him!"

"Might have?" Neji smirked. "You were crippled and drunk."

Lee ignored the commentary with an indignant sniff. "So that's why I'm going."

TenTen groaned, pulling a hand back through her hair irritably. "You don't even know how long they'll keep you there! This is so stupid."

While it was certainly true that having your group broken up for the sake of a mission was unusual, it wasn't completely unheard of. Sometimes practicality demanded it, as in this case. Neji and TenTen were needed elsewhere now that Naruto and Sakura were away, and all that aside--

"I owe him my life," Lee said stubbornly. "He needs my help, and as an ally with a debt, it's not within me to refuse!"

Neji raised a curious eyebrow. "Lee... is this a mission? Did the Fifth assign you to this herself, or are you simply taking things into your own hands again?"

This clearly ruffled Lee's feathers. "Does it matter? Even if she hadn't assigned it to me, I'd gladly go! I'm honored that the Fifth would assign such an important task to me!" His fists bunched up at his sides, eyes shining and determined. "At such a young age, only just having passed my Chuunin exams to be given an opportunity to fully appreciate--"

"What .. is this task exactly, anyway?" TenTen interrupted quickly before Lee entered another one of his rants on the Springtime of Youth. Why on earth would the Fifth send Lee alone to Sand Country? To complete a mission with Gaara no less? Surely she must know how difficult this situation will be, given their past!

Lee sniffed again, rubbing his nose slightly. "They haven't told me yet."

"What?" TenTen exclaimed incredulously. "You're going in on this blind? Lee, you're a nice guy, but--"

Neji held up a hand, effectively silencing TenTen. "Lee. We have been a three man team for a long time now. I better than most know that when your mind is set on something, you'll never give it up." His mouth quirked upwards slightly. "Even if the task is impossible. There is no use in trying to dissuade you now." You're not worth arguing with, Neji thought with a snort. It would be nothing more than a waste of air. "You had better start off before it gets too dark," He added, eyeing the sun. "If you start now, you will manage to beat the midday heat tomorrow afternoon." Lee was fast, but even he would play victim to the desert's blazing sun. It would at least drain him, if not wear him out completely.

TenTen gaped at Neji, but was forced to silently agree. "Just.. write to us while you're there, would you?" She grumbled, casting Lee a worried glance. "Let us know you haven't been eaten by sand. Or Gaara," She added.

"TenTen!" Lee shouted, clearly appalled at the implication. "Gaara's not going to eat me! People don't eat other people," he said with a wink, shouldering his bag before taking off with a salute towards the horizon.

Sighing, TenTen pulled her arms up against her chest. "And that's what you don't get, Lee," She said quietly. "He is a monster." Lee was too forgiving for his own good, always pining to see the best in people even if it meant ignoring past grievances. Past grievances that almost ruined Lee's life and dreams. TenTen knew his naivete was likely to be what got him killed in the end. She just hoped the Fifth knew what she was doing.

---

In truth, Lee had been considering making the run from Konoha to Sand Village in one go. He calculated that at his top speed with no rest, he should have been able to make the run in roughly two and a half days. Three if he encountered a sand storm.

But loathe as he was to admit it, Neji's advice had some merit. Morning struck in the country of Sand, and Lee could immediately feel the difference. Of course, he could run it anyway, but it would have sapped his reserves. Reserves he might need for the mission as soon as he arrived, and therefore shouldn't waste on something as trivial as showing Neji up. He would prove that he was better than Neji someday, but not when it might interfere with a mission.

So Lee ran during the nights and stopped to rest once the sun rose high enough for Lee to feel the beads of sweat against his forehead, arriving at Sand's Hidden Village five days after his departure instead of the previously estimated two and a half. Lee fought the urge to do a thousand laps around the village with no small amount of willpower.

The guards saw Lee approaching from a distance before he'd even arrived. The Fifth Hokage had informed them that Rock Lee would be the one assigned to this particular mission, and after an overview of his statistics and skills they were forced to agree that this man was likely to be best suited for the job.

The description of him they'd been provided with left no doubt in their minds that this was indeed Rock Lee approaching their gates at what had to be a record speed. Green spandex? Check. Bowl cut hair? Check. Impossibly thick eyebrows? Check. Odd looking orange leg warmers? Double check.

Lee halted somewhat breathlessly at the gate, grinning and giving the guards his best "nice guy" pose. "Rock Lee, ninja of Konoha reporting for duty! I will gladly dedicate my life to the Village of the Sand on this mission!"

Dramatic flare and overbearing sense of justice? Check.

One of the guards gave a short laugh, shaking his head. Were all the Konoha ninja this energetic? Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but the youth of Sand Village never seemed to have his sort of motivation. Perhaps with their new Kazekage, things would change.

That thought sobered the guard immediately. "Please, let us escort you to the main buildings," He said, stepping aside to allow the other guard to lead the way. "The Kazekage is waiting in his office for this mission's debriefing."

He swallowed. "This is, of course, a top secret mission. You may tell no one anything about it under any circumstance. All outgoing correspondence is to be first reviewed and approved by one of our inspection officers. No item without their seal will leave this village."

Lee nodded slowly. This was all fairly typical for a secret mission, or at least so Lee had been told. He'd never actually had one of his own before.

Sand Village's landscape was completely different from what he was used to. Wind whipped around the village, and would have made it near impossible to travel safely around the city were it not for an invisible barrier kept up to keep the village safe from the harsh winds and sand. He squinted at it carefully. Was that.. a chakra barrier? Putting up a barrier like that would be simple enough for a ninja with enough chakra to do it, but maintaining it continuously seemed near impossible.

Aside from the obvious visual differences, the village seemed much like any other. Smiling merchants sweeping their doorsteps, shouting out sales pitches for their various wares as children chased down the streets giggling and playing catch with small rubber balls. He smiled. Some things were the same in every village. Sand and Leaf weren't as different as people thought.

The first guard paused at the door, turning to look hesitantly towards the one at Lee's side. He gave him a curt nod, and the first guard took a deep breath and entered the room. Lee moved to follow, but a hand was placed on his shoulder to stop him before he took more than a step.

The guard's eyes were hesitant. "Be very, very careful here. The Kazekage hasn't been as... stable since his return. He hasn't said a word about what Akatsuki did to him, nor will he answer us when we ask. Be careful with what you say and how you say it, or you run the risk of setting him off." His face paled. "And trust me, you don't want that."

Lee's expression grew determined as he nodded, watching the guard step in front of him to announce his presence to the Kazekage. "Oh, and one more thing," the guard added sheepishly, "We.. haven't exactly told him about you yet."

---

Lee couldn't say he'd ever seen a more surprised expression on the face of Gaara of the Sand than he did right now. The guards weren't kidding; he'd had no idea that Lee was going to be here. And by the looks of things, he'd been kept as much in the dark on this as Lee had.

"Lee," Gaara said after several moments of silence, giving a curt nod of acknowledgement as everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief. Clearly, Gaara had no plans to kill Lee on sight.

"Hi Gaara," Lee said cheerfully, taking a seat at the table beside him. There were others seated around the table, all official-looking, some even holding notebooks. They seemed nervous over something, though Lee wasn't quite sure what. "How've you been?"

Gaara considered the question for a moment. "I'm not sure," He answered at last. "Which seems to be a common occurrence now."

The advisers blanched. "Lord Gaara," the braver of the bunch spoke up at last, "As you can guess, we've contacted Konoha to assist with our current situation. After much review, both the Hokage and myself believe that Lee is best suited for this job."

Lee and Gaara both waited, but the advisor seemed to be waiting for one of them to say something. "And... what job is that?" Lee asked after a moment, coughing. "They wouldn't tell me before I left, said I had to get the debriefing from you." That earned him a quick glance from Gaara before the Kazekage's attention returned to the advisor in front of him.

"Right," The advisor was looking slightly nervous now, fiddling with his clipboard and flipping through it's pages. "Well, as we all know, since the -- ah, events with Akatsuki, Lord Gaara's power has been drastically lessened," His eyes flickered up towards Gaara's, whose expression remained closely guarded, "And both their attack and our defense of Konoha against Orochimaru have made our village targets." His eyes slid towards Lee's. "He has been hired as a.. bodyguard of sorts," He finished lamely.

Lee blinked as the silence settled in around them. He'd been.. hired to guard Gaara of the Sand? What an honor! Such an important job as guarding the Kazekage himself had been given to him, of all people in Konoha, hand-selected by the Hokage herself! His eyes shone with a brilliant pride. Gai-sensei... I wish you could see me now!

"You said Lee was best suited for this job. Why?" Gaara inclined his head towards the advisor, catching Lee's attention as well. It had been a question he'd been wondering himself -- not that he wasn't honored! But.. wouldn't someone like Neji be more suited for such a job? As much as he hated to admit it, Neji would have been much more practical in any number of political situations.

"You are known for your ninjutsu, Lord Gaara," He explained, "And it is also well known that once your sand barrier is overcome you rather easily succumb to physical attacks." He pushed thin wire frames up his nose with his index finger. "We suspect that if an attack or assassination attempt is made, it is likely that the attack will be physical. A form of taijutsu. And as Rock Lee is known as one of the top taijutsu experts in both Sand and Leaf villages..."

Gaara gave another curt nod. "I understand," He spoke quietly, though no one who ever heard Gaara of the Sand's voice would ever accuse him of sounding meek. There was a constant threatening undertone, one that rumbled dangerously beneath the surface. One that anything could set off at any time these days.

He turned to Lee slowly, taking him in as Lee fidgeted in his seat. He'd been oddly quiet throughout the ordeal, biting his lip under the advisement of the guards before he'd entered. The last thing he needed to do was ruin his first top secret mission the first night!

"So.. he is to be my babysitter," Gaara ground out, eyes rising to meet those of his advisers. "Without my consent, a bodyguard was hired. Tell me then, who gave you the authority to do such a thing?" His eyes narrowed dangerously, and suddenly the advisers were finding it quite difficult to speak.

"I did," A voice said from the doorway. Men quickly shuffled about to clear a visible pathway towards the voice, not one of them wanting to be the victim of Gaara's scathing gaze. Temari stepped forward, a brow raised and her arms crossed. "I was given temporary power while you were gone, little brother, and I have enough to approve of things like outside ninja recruitment. You gave it to me, remember?"

Gaara scowled, and everyone in the room save for Lee and Temari flinched. Temari was returning his gaze defiantly, and Lee was too busy trying to swallow everything that had just occurred.

"I accept," Lee said at last, interrupting the tense silence that had stretched between Temari and her brother.

"What?" One of the advisers managed to say, clearly having been so intent on avoiding Gaara's gaze that he'd actually stopped breathing for a moment.

"The mission," Lee reminded him, grinning broadly. "I accept it, and am honored to have been chosen to do so."

Gaara sighed and leaned back, arms crossed over his chest. Clearly he did not share Lee's enthusiasm. "Fine," He said at last. He'd accept the situation because he had to. He was weakened, and were the situations reversed he would likely require someone to tend to his sibling's safety as well. But that didn't mean he had to like it.

The restless shifting on the other end of the table ceased at the succession, and the bolder of the group smiled. "Thank you, Lord Gaara. Lee." His attention returned to the latter of the two. "You must be tired. I'm told you actually ran here from Konoha directly?"

Again Gaara's eyes flickered over towards Lee, and Lee shifted slightly. "Ah, yes. But I did stop to rest during the day," He added when he saw a pair of eyebrows raise in concern. "So I'm not that tired, really."

A slow nod. "Let me show you where you will be staying, then. Your quarters will be next to Lord Gaara's, or as close as is possible for what should be obvious reasons."

"I'd like to familiarize myself as much with Gaara's schedule as possible," Lee said, a determined line set across his forehead. "Does he have a written schedule?"

There was a laugh at that. "No need," He said, waving his hand. "You'll be with him most hours of the day with very few exceptions. Basically, all you'll have to do is follow him around and keep an eye out for any would-be attackers. Simple enough."

Lee tilted his head. "What about training? Does he do any physical training to compensate for-- ah," He swallowed, eyes sliding back towards Gaara. "To strengthen his defenses?"

"No," Gaara answered for him firmly. His tone of voice indicated that someone had at least attempted to try and get Gaara to increase physical training and had failed at the argument, and that he was standing right here and perfectly able to answer questions regarding his own life, thank you very much.

Scratching at his head, Lee shuffled his feet a bit nervously. "I.. ah. I see. Well, I do training every day, though perhaps I could move my training to a time when Gaara is asleep--"

"It's fine," Gaara said, not looking directly at anyone in particular. "I don't sleep. Train when you need to. I will come and.. observe."

The advisor smiled, a tinge of nervousness twisting at the corner of his lips. "Well, I'll leave you two to it, then. I'm sure you'll work well together!"

He closed the door quickly behind him before Gaara's heated gaze could burn a hole through it and singe his (very expensive) robes. The Kazekage may have agreed to this, but he was obviously none too pleased with the necessity.

"But--!" Lee stared after the door and frowned, a hand suspended in the air before dropping listlessly at it's side.

Gaara turned slowly towards Lee. "… what?"

Sighing, Lee shifted his bag slightly. "I thought he said he was going to show me where I could put my stuff… ?" He trailed off helplessly, turning questioningly towards Gaara.

This time it was Gaara's turn to sigh. "Follow me," He said curtly, exiting through the same door his advisors had previously. When you want something done right…