Title: Pickles
Author: Dana-chaaan.
Information: Anime – Naruto – LeeGaara

Summary: Gaara and his siblings come for a visit and Lee's their tour guide! And what does it have to do with pickles?

Author's Note: Haha. I didn't really even think of writing another chapter for this story. Gah! Uhm, so, yeah. I just figured that it'd be appropriate to, seeing as I wrote "HIATUS" in the summary. Haha, so here's the last chapter of Pickles, and hopefully better than the previous chapters. ((Goodness, blahblah)) Haha. Do I have cheesy chapter titles, or what? Haha!

Seventh Chapter.
The Ending

It had been a week since their fateful kiss. Just one week, yet it felt like so much longer. After that day, Gaara had to return home, much to Lee's dismay. Apparently, the other two siblings hadn't wanted to leave either, but as it was, Gaara was the Kazekage, and couldn't necessarily take long vacations.

Regardless, Lee could still faintly feel the strange, electric vibe that coursed through his body when they had kissed. At the time, he hadn't been able to put a finger on whether or not the feeling he had been feeling was good. He liked the kiss, fair enough; however, never having kissed someone made him ignorant on what was good and bad. Of course, after an embarrassing talk to his favorite teacher, and he was set straight.

Only now, a week later, he was missing the redhead horribly. It wasn't as though he had just visited his friend and wanted to see the guy again. It was as though, the shinobi left right after kissing him and he didn't know what to do. Gaara hadn't even said what he felt toward the green beast; just left. And, frankly, Lee didn't know how to take that.

Kicking relentlessly at the tree stump settled some of his illegible feelings, while it was unable to cure other sensations. He sat languidly against another tree, eyes closed in what he hoped would help him relax. However, he found himself bombarded with inevitable thoughts that seemed to plague him constantly.

It had only been a week, which meant he probably wouldn't see the redhead for another week or so. So, for the time being, he needed to clear his head and perform like the professional shinobi he was. Which, unfortunately, seemed to be a lot harder to be done.

"Lee," he heard suddenly, shaking him from his depressing thoughts and snapping his eyes wide open. He stared, incredulous, at the male situated stiffly in front of him.

"Gaara...? What are you...doing here..?" Lee responded without realizing it himself, charcoal eyes staring into turquoise orbs.

"I felt like visiting," he replied in the vague way he normally acted, taking a step closer to the seated male, arms folded over his clothed chest. The gourd rested easily on his back, despite it heavy weight.

"You...? Alright, okay," Lee uttered, bewildered, but not unbelieving. He stood from his relaxed position and found himself a little over a meter away from the redhead. He smiled broadly at the sand-nin, "So, want another tour?" he teased.

The redhead, amazingly, smirked at that and answered, "I'd rather not."

"How about I treat you to a fancy lunch, then?"

To which Gaara replied, "A fancy lunch?"

"Yes, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich," he said, still smiling happily.

The redhead sighed, "I guess, if I have to."

"You have to," Lee immediately replied, grabbing the other's hand purposely and semi-dragging the authority-figure to his beloved house.

Soon enough, the two shinobi entered the clean house, shuffling their sandals off and, for Gaara, resting the gourd in the corner of the first room. The redhead took a seat on the comfortable couch while Lee went straight for the kitchen to wrestle with the ingredients for this fancy meal. Quickly, he put together two pb&j sandwiches and walked over to the couch with one plate in his hand. He sat a bit of ways away from Gaara, resting the plate on the cushion in between them.

"Eat it, it's good," he assured, seeing Gaara's curious and disturbed stare at the offending sandwiches. Lee couldn't help but laugh at the facial expression before taking his own bread-pancake and taking a vigorous bite. Tentatively, which didn't suit the Kazekage, Gaara followed suit and took a smaller bite of his.

He scowled ridiculously as he chewed before swallowing and looking to the leaf-nin, "What's in this?"

Lee gave him a disbelieving stare before coughing roughly and answering, "White bread, peanut butter, and strawberry jam."

"Oh," was the only reply before he smugly saw the redhead pull the sandwich to his mouth for another bite.

Silently, they ate their meal, before the plate was empty, with the exception of the sprinkled crumbs. In a host-like manner, Lee took the plate to the sink before returning to the couch and sitting a little closer to the redhead this time around. He smiled cautiously at the Kazekage before resting against the cushioned back of the couch.

"Lee..." Gaara said, almost soundlessly.

The charcoal-eyed boy whipped his head around to gaze into light green eyes, "What is it, Gaara?"

"Do you..." He started, seemingly bashful, which really didn't suit the boy whatsoever. Lee watched, bemused, as the redhead stared off into the distance before finishing his question. "...like me?"

Shocked and unsure of how to answer, Lee looked distantly in the same direction as Gaara, hands fidgeting slightly in his lap. "I... I already told you, didn't I?" he choked out, surprised by the sudden question.

"Temari said it was obvious you did when I told her what you said. But, I didn't know if you still did... Or why, even," he responded in a monotone voice, as if masking his unease.

"I do. I mean, I still like you, a lot," Lee answered, being the out-and-forward guy he normally was, "And, really, I don't know why either," he chuckled softly to himself.

Gaara only nodded at the bit of information, and the two lapsed into a bit of silence. Lee felt unable to disturb the strangely peaceful feeling in the room with talking, so he opted for a silent action that would probably get him killed. Oh well, drastic moments called for drastic measures. Of course, he'd rather not stain his couch with blood. Assertive on his decision, he lifted his arm nearest Gaara and wrapped it around the back of the slightly touching the clothed shoulders of the other.

Luckily, or unluckily, for him, Gaara didn't respond at all. He didn't kill the leaf-nin for the action, but he didn't seem to relax into the position. He just sat, not quite rigid but his usual stiffness, as if he was unaware of what just happened.

"Do you..." He started again, bringing the taller boy's attention upon him, "Want me to like you back?"

His mind screamed yes, that he would want nothing more than the boy to like him. But, reasonably, he knew that was not the way to get this strange redhead to like him in return. And, unlike all his random loves he'd had, he wanted this one. Really wanted this one. "I would like that, but I can wait," he answered gently.

Once again, there was no verbal reply, but he felt the redhead relax into the position they were in, his head melting into the arm posed behind him. Lee smiled softly, neither moving from the odd moment.

But, being the teenager Lee was, and being awkwardly reckless at this brief lapse of time, the leaf-nin shifted his body slightly. His arm still wrapped indirectly around the boy's shoulders, but he turned his upper body, touching the side of Gaara's face with a bandaged hand. He felt fibers of sand under his bare fingers before he noted the piercing gaze of the other.

"Lee," the other began, although the voice trailed off as though there was no ending. Their faces were inches away from each other, just a little jolt forward and their noses would be touching. Trying his luck, and knowing Gaara could push him away at any given time, he eased his way froward, feeling their noses touch briefly.

However, he was the one surprised as Gaara shifted forward himself and kissed unsuspecting, but accepting, lips. Both closed their eyes in the awkward kiss, Lee's hand caressing the sand-like skin and Gaara's hands resting against the other's green spandex-clad torso.

Moments later, they pulled away from the closed-lipped kiss, eyes slipping open and befuddled. Oddly, the redhead was the one to end the silence, "I like you, too, Lee," he announced quietly, but firmly. And Lee could do nothing but smile at this bit of information.

The Complete End.

Author's Note: Short, sweet, and cuuute. Haha. Well, this is the end, I am sorry to say. I don't believe, sadly, that there will be a sequel. But, if you really want to believe so, you can think of my soon-to-come story "Can The Inevitable Be Saved?" as the sequel. Or, I dunno, envision one yourself. Haha, but anyways. This is the end, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please, review and tell me what you think. :D