Summary: For once everything is reversed. For once Rock Lee is the one having questions, and Gaara is the one trying to find answers. Not slash.

Warnings: Not Slash (haha, that is a warning nowadays). The story is written from POV of an OC, but in an ignorable way. Has a mix of drama and humor, just like real life.

Set: Suna, sometime after the War. That is assuming both of them will survive the War (after all there is a limit to Gaara dying one can actually tolerate).

Disclaimer: I own naught.

- Eye of the beholder -

Hmm, this was getting interesting...

Of course one would think that being the personal guard of Kazekage-sama was always exiting and thrilling, but in truth it usually entrained dull visitors, even duller council meetings, enormous amounts of paperwork and a lot of silence in between.

Even though Kurō prided himself on being a skillful and strong shinobi, a former member of ANBU squad, and, if he dared to think it – though even the thought was in whisper – even Gaara-sama's friend... still, as Kankuro-sama had eloquently put it, "Gaara doesn't need any bodyguards jan". Kazekage-sama could easily deal with any threats himself. To put it simply, it meant not much work for a lone and devoted guard. [*]

But this... the visitor currently sitting in Kazekage-sama's office was... unusual to say the least.

The self-proclaimed Handsome Devil of Konoha always managed to break the paperwork-meetings-more-paperwork routine, driving the council members up the wall with his unorthodox behavior, obliterating all possible (though unwritten) rules – of "not touching, not being loud, not being persistent and being always polite" – that they consciously or not have applied when dealing with their Leader. The Green Jounin was an eyesore, as well as earsore, for the conservative elders... The days he visited Suna were the most entertaining... That is if one were to disregard the other days, when Kazekage-sama opened the door to his office only to find the desk full of anonymous-and-not letters from both female and male population of Sand (and not only) full of words of admiration and adoration and promises of eternal love. Oh, on those days Gaara-sama would fix Kurō with his unblinking gaze and issue a command "Explain" in a voice devoid of any emotion. Such days were a deviation of the routine, and were undoubtedly fun, but for a third observer.

Kurō shook his head a little to get rid of some unwanted (and disturbing) memories and focused on the present anomaly.

And what an anomaly it was! The Youthful Spirit of Konoha was certainly feeling not so youthful today. Instead of pacing around the room, filling it with constant movement and exited declarations – an unusual sight for the room but expected and associated with the Jounin himself, – the man was sitting with shoulders slumped and lips tightly shut.

That, Kurō noted, was making Gaara-sama uneasy. It was another anomaly of the day. Usually Kazekage-sama would let the Green Spandex Jounin act however he pleased: all the sudden gesticulations and loud exclamations, the insane offers to go sparring at sunset or even weirder promises of self-inflicted punishments – everything was taken without even a blink of surprise, as if Gaara-sama spent every day being surrounded by a wind-whirl of emotions and noises.

Today the Jounin was anything but noisy. And today, the wonder of wonders, Gaara-sama was the one to break the silence.

"Lee," he frowned, "are you feeling well?"

The Green Lotus of Konoha fidgeted in his seat avoiding any eye contact and shook his head. Kazekage-sama's frown deepened.

"Are you injured?"

No, it did not seem that way, especially considering how the man ran several times around Suna, backwards, just yesterday evening, and then, as a warm-up, did two thousand push-ups, followed by thousand sit ups, both counting loudly. Kurō knew – the entire village was talking about it.

"Have you slept well?"

The guard resisted an urge to snort. Slept like a dead man, a loudly snoring dead man, loud enough to wake all neighbors.

"Are the accommodations satisfactory for you? The cooking?" Kazekage-sama seemed to be at a loss.

"Everything's fine," were the first words uttered by the Leaf nin in quite a while, and it hushed tones no less.

Usually he was the one saying things, asking questions and otherwise being noisy, very noisy; and Gaara-sama was the one answering one question out of ten. Kazekage-sama knew it as well.

"You are lying," oh, that was blunt, but to the point.

The Jounin's head shot up, his expression slightly offended and eyes accusing. But as soon as he locked gazes with the unblinking, expressionless (yet somehow intense) stare Gaara-sama was regarding him with, he, like a balloon out of air, sagged down, dropped his gaze and became interested in the design of the carpet.

Kazekage-sama sighed, pushed his chair backwards, stood up and faced the man.

"Lee."

The Jounin gave no token.

Kurō was filled with righteous anger. How dare he? That lowlife brat! Here was Kazekage-sama trying to be nice and social – an effort on his part he seldom showed, and to be honest even more rarely succeeded at, but, hey!, it was the thought that counted – and this, this green-clad eyesore was being all difficult and unresponsive!

Meanwhile Gaara-sama sighed.

"Lee."

The conversation stubbornly remained one-sided.

"Lee, look at me," this came out less like a command and more like a gentle offer.

Rock Lee sighed and looked up.

"What happened?"

The Jounin shook his head.

"I cannot tell you." he muttered, lowered his gaze, and then, in a quiet whisper, added, "You'll lose all respect for me."

Green eyes widened, than blinked several times. That was unexpected.

What was definitely and uncomfortable silence was filling the room, suffocating.

And then, "Lee, there is nothing you could have done to lower yourself in my eyes."

Rock Lee's head shot up in shock, mouth agape.

Kurō sucked in a breath. Wow. So far no one, not a single soul, was able to resist the earnest, reassuring and kind look Gaara-sama was giving. The ironic part, Kurō was sure, was that Kazekage-sama wasn't doing it not on purpose. And judging by the firm set lips and squared shoulders, the Green Lotus of Konoha was another victim.

The Jounin, squeezing his eyes shut, mumbled something.

"What? I didn't hear you."

Rock Lee sighed and repeated somewhat louder and clearer, "They called me... a weirdo... a-a crazy man wearing green atrocities... ... and... an ugly idiot w-with thick eyebrows..." his voice getting quieter with each word finally falling into uneasy silence.

Nobody moved. At last Gaara-sama sighed.

"Why would I loose respect for you because of something like this?"

Lee-san refused to open his eyes and whispered, "Because it's true."

He breathed in several times, and then the dam of silence was broken, "They... I-I just... All I ever want to do is to be strong and to Protect people, Precious People to me, and Everyone Else, so... so they could Live Their Lives and be Happy... Nothing much! But they... they... Why do they have to be so cruel? ... I know I'm not good looking, but so what? I'm a Strong Shinobi; I believe that at least I deserve some respect! ... Why do they have to talk behind my back, and when I can hear them? It's not fair! Different or not I did help them as much as I could... They are right, I know I'm a weirdo, but I'm a skillful ninja. And normally I ignore these comments, they are hurtful and unfair, but sometimes... sometimes I guess they just get to me and I can't take it..." Rock Lee sighed and whispered, "I am ugly and sometimes I can't bare it. There, I said it."

The room was filled with heavy silence and even heavier meanings of the spoken confession.

"Lee... You are not ugly."

The Jounin laughed, it was an unusually bitter sound, not something one would expect of that particular Youthful person.

"I know you mean well, but you wouldn't understand, Gaara... You have a lot of admires, and you are pretty."

Kazekage-sama's eyes widened, "You think I'm..." he caught himself and went quiet, then frowned and repeated, "You are not ugly, Lee."

Kurō was impressed. He just knew Gaara-sama wanted to ask a lot of questions to understand what the Jounin meant with his last sentence, but was restraining his curiosity, instead focusing on his unusually upset friend.

But Lee-san wasn't listening.

The Kazekage sighed and looked around the office, stopping his gaze on the cactus on the desk.

"Lee, tell me, what do you think of this flower?" indicating tiny violet petals blooming on the side of a prickly plant – a wondrously delicate sight.

The Jounin spared it a glance and shrugged, "A pretty flower."

Gaara-sama nodded; then looking at the office once again spotted a painting on the wall.

"What about that flower?"

It was a painting of a Lotus in Bloom. It was also a gift from Rock Lee.

The man's lips twitched slightly in a smile, "A pretty flower," he repeated.

Kazekage-sama nodded once again, "They both are. But they look nothing alike. Their color, their size and shape are different. Yet you consider both of them beautiful. And if they are, but look opposite, then what is beauty?"

Rock Lee was looking at the flowers – one painted, the other blissfully blooming on the desk – with wide eyes. They turned pensive.

"I don't know... But they both look pretty to me."

Gaara-sama nodded and asked, "But what if someone else would find one of them not aesthetically pleasing, would that mean the flower is not?"

Lee-san shook his head, "Of course not. It would just mean that the person is wrong and doesn't... Oh," his eyes widened, "I see what you mean, Gaara." He smiled a sad smile, "But I'm not a flower."

Despite the situation – the amazedness of Kazekage-sama giving advises, and overall tragic feeling of the prediction – Kurō wanted to snort. Not a flower, were you, the Green Lotus of Konoha?

"No, you are a shinobi. A good shinobi," was a deadpan reply.

"So you see, that is not the same. I'm good at what I do, but outside of it... I'm still..." he sighed. "Ah, forget it, you wouldn't understand, you have a lot of admirers after all." The most amazing part was that he didn't sound at least slightly jealous, just sad. Kurō felt his shoulders slump.

"You are forgetting that the people you are talking about are the same people that though of me as a monster, were afraid of me and wanted me out of their existence."

Lee-san stood up, outraged, fists clenched, "But you are not a monster, Gaara! You are a great shinobi, and the greatest Leader of Suna, ever!"

Kazekage-sama blinked, "Then what has changed?"

"You have!" Lee-san exclaimed with greatest conviction. "You started to value their lives, to consider them important and to protect them!"

"But outwardly I remained the same."

"Oh!" Lee's eyes widened. "I see what you mean, Gaara!" The Jounin shoot a clenched fist into the air, a determined expression on his face, "Thank you for pointing this out for me! I was Foolish and Weak and did not see my own Weakness! Of course these people saw me as Ugly if I haven't reached the Heights I can yet reach and haven't become as Strong as I could be!"

Kazekage-sama blinked.

"You are totally right! How Foolish and not Youthful of me! I will have to Embrace my Weaknesses and defeat them in a Splendid Way! And then I will be able to save the Village and all my Precious People! Just like you did!"

Gaara-sama's eyes widened, "Lee!"

Amazingly enough the Youthful Spirit stopped his Youthful Speech and looked at the Suna Leader.

"You are not to die," came a strict command.

Rock Lee laughed, "Of course not! All I have to do is Become Stronger, and Train more. I'll start with..."

Ah, Kurō laughed, turning off the list of exercises, once again the day was back to normal crazy.

- Fin -

* - Kurō is, as far as I understand, a common male Japanese name.

* - "jan" is something Kankuro adds in his sentences, an accent, like Naruto's dattebayo.

AN: I swear I sometimes hate Naruto manga for the fact that it keeps on going (and going and going and going forever, and the cracks in the plotline are getting to me) but I just love these two, and well, pensive and insightful Gaara (and not Naruto related) was too much to resist. Hope they were not OOC.