Disclaimer - i do not own Naruto. do you really think that masashi kishimoto would have such a yaoied up plot. or would he O_o

Authors note - okay first of all i am so so sorry i've taken so freaking long to posty this chapter. school started and i'm taking a bunch of hard classes so i haven't had much time to write. i've been to busy doing homework. i'm going to try really hard to get the next chapter done sooner but i'm not making any promises. anyway without furthar delay cause you've been delayed long enough i present chapter 4.

Gaara eyed the back of Lee’s head suspiciously. He was sitting in their first hour English class glaring at the back of that black haired head. Lee hadn’t said or come anywhere with in five feet of him since they had gotten into that fight which had been about two weeks ago. Under any normal circumstances he would have been perfectly happy with this, actually no he would have been overjoyed with this. The more people who left him alone the better but for some reason it was driving him crazy and it was diving him crazy that it was driving him crazy. He was going out of his mind with paranoid insanity. Even though Lee hadn’t come anywhere near him Gaara could have sworn that he had caught Lee looking at him several times. Lee had to be planning something.

Ah great thought Gaara not only does my insomnia make me sleep deprived it’s making me paranoid to.

He crossed his arms on his desk and buried his head in them. He was tired, frustrated and a whole lot of other things and he did not want to be here. Gaara closed his eyes and blocked out the light that seeped though the cracks between his arms. All of a sudden there was a loud crack. He jerked his head up to see what the hell had happened. The English teacher over him a book in her hand which she had obviously just used to smack against the desk.

“There will be no sleeping in my class. If you want to sleep do it on your own time not when I’m trying to teach you.”

All the other students snickered as she scolded Gaara.

He just looked up at her keeping his expression blank. He didn’t apologize but he didn’t smart off either. The teacher gave him on last stern look before walking back to the front of the class to resume her lesson.

About an hour and a half later the bell rang to signal the end of Gaara’s 2nd hour trig class. He grabbed his books and attempted to leave the classroom but before he could make it to the door his teacher Mr. Kakashi Hatake called him back.

“Gaara can I speak to you.”

Gaara turned around and walked to the silver haired mans desk trying hard not to let out a frustrated sigh.

“Gaara I have an assignment for you. I have a student who has always had some problems in math and he’s been struggling with his trig. Since you seem to have very good marks and understand the subject I want you to tutor him.”

Although Gaara’s expression remained neutral his mental eyebrows shot about a foot up his mental forehead. Who the hell could think that he could tutor anyone?

“He isn’t in the same class as you but your both on the same track so you shouldn’t have any problems helping him. Normally I have Sakura tutor but she’s busy enough with all of the volunteer work she does at the hospital and you seem to be the only students who isn’t involved in any extracurricular activities,” said Kakashi.

“Who exactly am I tutoring?” Gaara asked almost afraid to hear the answer.

“Rock Lee,” said Kakashi confirming Gaara’s worst nightmare.

Gaara could hear a little voice in the back of his mind screaming NOOOOOOOOOOO!

The sound of the bell ringing interrupted his mental fit throwing.

“Opps,” said Kakashi, “You’d better get to class. Here I’ll write you a pass.” Kakashi quickly wrote up a pass and handed it to Gaara. “Oh, Lee will probably get a hold of sometime today or tomorrow so you guys can set up some study times.”

Gaara vaguely gave a small nod of his head and walked out of the room.

He was in an extremely bad mood for the rest of the day. He glared at just about everyone who came within five feet of him. When he was once again pounced on by Naruto, who still hadn’t given up on befriending him, he gave the blond such an evil cold look that he saw the students closest to him edge their seats a little father away. He was seriously considering skipping his last hour gym class because he was beginning to think if he saw Lee he would strangle him.

Tutor my ass, Gaara thought. Well at least now he had a reason to be paranoid. He thought Lee was up to something and low and behold Gaara’s tutoring the guy.

Even as he walked through the gym doors he was still contemplating turning right back around and walking out of the school. Despite that it went against all his better judgment he went to the locker rooms, changed and did the mindless physical exercise that was required of him. To his surprise he managed to get though the whole class without maiming anyone or having any urges to. Unfortunately he was pretty sure that was more due to the fact that Lee didn’t try to approach him than his will to be decent to people. Wow that says a lot for my morals.

As soon as class was over Gaara ran to the locker room switched clothes as fast as he could and was about to make his escape when it happened. Just as he put his hand on the gym door he heard Lee call his name.

“Hey Gaara can I talk to you for a minute.”

Gaara turned to face his impending doom.

“Has Mr. Hatake told you that you’ll be tutoring me?” asked Lee.

“Yeah,” replied a very wary Gaara.

“Good cause I need to know what days you can tutor me. I’m pretty much free during the week. At least till soccer season starts.”

He just looked at Lee

There was an awkward pause were Lee was obviously waiting for his reply but Gaara didn’t really care.

“Well if your free Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after school we could do it then. We can study at my place,” said Lee breaking the moment of silence.

“Okay,” Gaara said simply.

“Okaaaay. Ahhh…cool. Well I guess since tomorrows Wednesday I’ll meet you after school and show you the my house.”

“Sure,” was Gaara’s only reply.

“Well. Ahh , see ya”

Gaara watched Lee walk away for a minute before he turned back to the exit, his escape and hopefully if he got really lucky his normal safe nonLee life.

Right

Lee took a deep breath. Okay here we go. You can do this, he told himself.

After about two weeks of careful planning and snooping around he had managed to secure Gaara as his tutor. He couldn’t believe he’d actually done it to. It’s not like him at all to be this mischievous. It made him amazingly bad but in a good way, like being risky and wild bad. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if this was how Naruto felt all the time since he did things like this every day. Taking risks like sneaking out of class, things Lee never dared do. It had been hard work though, trying to find out a class Gaara could teach him in was way more difficult then it sounded. But he did it, he went through with TenTen’s crazy plan and now came the truly hard part talking to his would be tutor. God he hoped Mr. Hatake had already broken the news to Gaara because he was a little scared about what would happen if he hadn’t.

Lee took another deep breath and walked across the gymnasium toward that intensely red head.

“Hey Gaara can I talk to you for a minute,” called out Lee once he got closer.

He saw Gaara freeze his hand on the handlebar of the door. Gaara turned around unleashing the full force of his green-eyed stare on Lee.

Lee trying not to let the hard look he was getting bother him asked, “Has Mr. Hatake told you you’ll be tutoring me?”

“Yeah”

“Good cause I need to know what days you can tutor me. I’m pretty much free everyday during the week. At least until soccer season starts.”

The words cam out in a jumbled rush. Lee’s nervousness making itself obvious and it wasn’t really being helped by Gaara’s lack of response. Lee began to fidget under the red heads constant gaze. Finally not wanting to wait for Gaara’s response that was obviously not coming Lee broke the awkward moment.

“Well if you’re free on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after school we could do it then. We can study at my place.”

“Okay”

Lee blinked. “Okay” that was it. He was had been expecting more of a HELL NO.

“Okaaay Ah …cool. Well I guess since tomorrows Wednesday I’ll meet you here after school and show you to my house.” He said slightly off balance form Gaara’s unexpected cooperation.

“Sure” Yet another simple not angry response.

Why is this so easy? This is too easy. He’s not getting pissed at me or anything. Lee’s mind run in circles trying to understand what in the world as going on. After the second or so it took for his mind to exhaust itself with questions he decided he should say something.

“Well. Ah see ya,” Lee stuttered out the awkward reply and made a hasty retreat. As he walked away he let out a long breath. Who would have thought it would be so stressful to ask a few quick questions but it didn’t matter. He had seceded. He now officially had a tutor. All he had left to do was make use of the time he was going to have with Gaara to make him hate him a little less. Lee shoulders slumped, and how was he supposed to do that. This had all seemed so much simpler when TenTen had explained it to him. Stay on the positive side he told him self, remain optimistic and youthful and there will be no chance of failure. Lee focused on his goal in the single minded way that only guys can achieve and walked back to his locker to gab his books.

Gaara sat in the passenger seat of his and Kankuro’s silver car waiting for his cat eared brother to get out of the damn school. He was half considering driving away and leaving Kankuro to walk home. It wouldn’t be that hard he had the spare set of keys and he was a bad enough mood that he wouldn’t any kind of remorse if he did it. Not that he ever really felt remorse for anything in the first place.

“And he complains about Temari being late. I guess an inability to ever be around when you’re supposed to runs in the family,” muttered Gaara to no one in particular.

He could feel the first pangs of a wicked headache coming on. By the time he got home his head would be pounding. He had headaches a lot. It was the result of him being an insomniac. The lack of sleep increased his stress levels and lots of other scientific crap that some how ends with frequent headaches. Numerous doctors had explained it to him but he didn’t really care. All he knew was that he was probably going to become a painkiller addict any day now.

Gaara heard the crunch of gravel and whir a skateboard wheels that announced the arrival of Kankuro. Yes finally we’re going to get somewhere. Kankuro got into the car and started it up. Neither brother acknowledged the other in any way. They didn’t say hi or ask how each other’s day was. Gaara didn’t even open his eyes. Kankuro just drove away the school slowly disappearing behind them.

As soon as he got inside Gaara made his way to the bathroom and wonderfully, glorious, life saving painkillers. He passed the big open kitchen catching a glimce of Temari’s blond head seated at the breakfast bar, books and laptop spread out around her. He detoured to his room dumping his bag on the floor then slipped into the bathroom. About a minute later with a few drugs in his system he went back to his room and got out his homework.

He didn’t really like homework but he didn’t hate it either. In fact it was normally pretty easy for him. Since he had no social life and good grades were required weather you were the unwanted child or not he had gotten into the habit of just getting his work done. As Gaara worked out the various steps of a trig problem he wondered how he was going to explain to his family that he was a tutor. He normally didn’t tell his family anything but he wasn’t exactly allowed to just disappear without telling anyone. So he was going to have to explain that he was going to have to be gone because he had to teach some kid trig. Either they were all going to look at him like he was crazier then they thought he was or they were all going to bust out laughing.

Gaara finally blinked and rubbed his sore eyes. He had finished his work over an hour ago. But he had just been sitting staring at his paper since he had gotten done.

“I have got to stop zoning off all the time,” Gaara muttered unhappily. He glanced at the clock on his desk and turned to leave he room. He was going to be hearing someone yelling at him to come eat in any minute.

“When you have insomnia your never really asleep and your never really awake” the quote ran though Gaara’s head as he descended the stairs. It was from a movie that he had seen a long time ago but it was about right. When you had insomnia it really was like you were never asleep but never actually awake either.

Gaara slipped into the seat farthest from where his father usually sat just as Temari set the food on the table. He wondered weather or not Temari had cooked tonight or had their father.

“Hey Temari did you make the gruel tonight or did Gaara just bring home one of his victims,” said a very sarcastic Kankuro as we walked into the room.

Gaara just about ducked under the table as he saw Temari prepare to explode. He was even more tempted to by the fact that she was holding a carving knife.

“Actually I made dinner tonight Kankuro,” came a voice whose owners hand came to rest on his oldest sons shoulder.

Kankuro flinched and pulled a half scared half apologetic face. He had no problem getting his sister riled up but their father well that was a different matter. Quickly he moved away and sat at the table careful to keep his mouth shut and his eyes averted. Temari sat as well her temper in check but Gaara knew it was simmering just below the surface.

The meal was quiet no one spook but no one thought that was odd either. Gaara was actually surprised that everyone was even sitting here. His father was gone a lot, and Kankuro usually only came to get food then went somewhere else to eat or ate out. Temari sat at the table most of the time but that had more to do with the fact that she made the food half the time than anything else and Gaara well he just tended to eat alone away from everyone if he even ate. He didn’t blame anyone from hardly being around for having a good “family meal”. When his family where all in the same room it was weird and unpleasant and everyone avoided it if they could.

Gaara didn’t eat he just picked at his meal working up the courage to do what he knew had to be done. Of course just cause it had to be done didn’t mean he couldn’t hate it and hate it he did. It wasn’t until just about everyone else was done and Kankuro was getting up to put his dishes in the sink did he do it.

“I have to be gone tomorrow for a couple hours after school.” He said it. He didn’t ask, he said. It was a rather stupid attempt at defiance and he was probably going to pay for it later but he wouldn’t let himself beg and show weakness.

His father finished chewing his food swallowed then spoke. “And why might I ask do you have to be gone.”

Both Kankuro and Temari froze watching the scene in front of them with extreme caution.

“I’ve been assigned to tutor a student in my class and I’m scheduled to tutor them tomorrow after school.” Gaara didn’t blink, keeping level eye contact with his father. From the corner of his eye he saw Temari’s and Kankuro’s jaws drop. Neither of them could believe what they were hearing.

His father stared right back at him, both father and son refusing to back down. “I don’t have a problem with this,” although it sounded like he did, “but I have to check with your teacher first before I’ll let you go.”

“No problem,” said Gaara in a tight voice that barley concealed his anger.

“What’s this teachers name, I’ll call them after I’m done”

“Mr. Hatake, Kakashi Hatake,” and with that Gaara got up dumped all his uneaten food in the sink and left the room, trying really hard to not stomp his feet on the way up the stairs and slam his door.

Temari and Kankuro just stood there starring at the door Gaara had disappeared behind. Their father however resumed his eating.

Gaara closed the bedroom door behind him then punched it with all the rage that was emanating from him. He didn’t care that he left a dent in hid door. He didn’t care that his hand now stung like a bitch, that his knuckles were bleeding or that he might have even broken a few bones.

“Why does he always do this,” he practically yelled. At the same time he silently thanked carpenters for the thick, nearly sound proof walls.

He fucking hates my very existence yet he’s still determined to control very aspect of my life he thought venomously. He seethed, flexing his bruised hand. “On of these days I’ll kill that bastard” he whispered in a demonic voice that was his but still not quiet the same.

“One of these days…

Gaara’s father picked up the phone and dialed the number he had found in the phone book. It rang twice before it was answered by a male voice.

“Kakashi Hatake speaking what did ya want.”

“Mr. Hatake I’m the father of one of your students, Gaara. He told me you assigned him to tutor one of his classmates, I just wanted to check if this was true.”

“Oh, Gaara. Yeah I assigned him to tutor Rock Lee in Trig. I’ve had the boy for years but he just can’t seem to grasp math. When he suggested a tutor I thought it was a great idea. Hopefully a little one on one time with another student well help. I don’t get why you called though, most parents are glad to here their student is smart enough to tutor another student,” said Kakashi.

“Well you know teenagers these days. I just wanted to make sure.” Gaara’s father said in the smooth voice of a politician.

“I understand,” said Kakashi laughing a little.

“Well thanks and I hope I didn’t call it a bad time,” he said as he heard an unusual sound and possibly suggestive sound in the background.

“Actually you did but don’t let it bother you.”

“Thanks again anyway. Goodbye ”

“Yup. Bye.” And the line went dead.

Well, well the little prick hadn’t been lying after all he thought as he swiveled in his office chair. Getting up he went upstairs to his son’s room. He opened the door and Gaara’s face so like his own turned to him.

“I talked to your teacher and you can go,” he said and closed the door behind him.

As he walked down the hall he contemplated the matter. Gaara may not have lying but he would have to think of something creative to make the child pay for that little bout of defiance.

Kankuro trudged up the stairs ready to escape into his room. Some days he really wished his family could just be normal. He hated being the middle child at times like this. He somehow always managed to get caught up between everything. He sighed heavily. Suddenly the door to his right flung open and he was snatched by his arm and dragged into his sister’s bedroom. Kankuro let out a yelp that was muffled as Temari’s hand clamed over his lips.

“Shhhhhh. Shut up Kankuro,” whispered Temari in his ear. “I need to talk to you but I don’t really want Gaara or Dad, for that matter, to hear.”

Kankuro nodded and she let him go. He gasped a little for air when she did. She’d covered his nose as well as his mouth when she had been trying to shut him up.

“Okay what is it,” he said rather annoyed.

“It’s this whole Gaara becoming a tutor thing. It has me worried.”

“Yeah so,” Kankuro said trying not to roll his eyes at his sister’s well sistering.

“Yeah! Kankuro this is serious. You know what happens when Gaara gets social. He could end up hurt the poor kid or himself. He doesn’t exactly react well to getting friendly with people.” Temari raved at him.

This time Kankuro did role his eyes. “You know you mother him to much right.”

“Of course I mother him. How can I not mother him? We practically raised him.”

“That’s not what I meant Temari,” he cut across her.

She crossed her arms and gave him a disgruntled look.

“What I meant was he’s sixteen for god’s sake. He’s old enough to handle himself. Let him at least try to have some semblance of a normal life. Gaara’s a lot better now. He’s more stable and has way more control then he used to. All I’m saying is he’s got more control and personally I think it’ll be good him to have some normal human contact. I think it could help,” Kankuro stated matter-o-factly.

“Just because he has more control now doesn’t mean he isn’t still dangerous,” she insisted.

“Temari I think we should just wait and see what happens. If something goes wrong we’ll deal. Okay”

“Fine,” Temari pouted “but this doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep an eye on him or stop worrying.”

“Temari I know it’s not going to stop you from worrying. You never stop worrying. I swear some days I feel like I can’t even take a shit without you hovering over me.” And with that he hastily retreated out the door and down the hall to his own room before she had the chance to chuck something at his head.

Once inside his room Kankuro flopped down onto his bed and let out a groan. Yet again the inevitable has happened, he had gotten mixed up in things. It as at times like these he wished he was twenty-one cause he could really use a beer right now.

Lee took a deep breath experiencing a feeling similar to the one you get before you jump into a pool without knowing how to swim and walked over to where Gaara stood.

“Are you ready,” he asked

The red head before him didn’t answer just closed his locker and zipped up his backpack.

Lee took that as a yes.

“I don’t have a car so we have to walk but don’t worry it’s not very far,” Lee rushed to assure Gaara.

Gaara still didn’t say anything. He just looked at Lee waiting.

“Okay. Ahh well fallow me I guess,” and he led the way out of the school.

The walk to his house was the quietest he had ever experienced. Even on the days he had walked it alone it had never seemed this quiet. It was almost a relief when he caught sight of his small house near the end of the street. Lee quickened his pace forcing Gaara to speed up as well.

When he reached the simple waist high chain-link fence he pushed it open. Lee turned around and beckoned to the boy behind him.

“Come on. I’ll give you the grand tour,” he said with a smile.

Gaara was standing a few feet behind him starring ahead at Lee’s house his expression unreadable.

“Gaara,” Lee called the green-eyed boys name.

Gaara blinked and looked at Lee.

Come on,” Lee said again jerking his head in the direction of the house.

Gaara fallowed him thought the gate.

I know it’s kinda small…” Lee’s voice trailed as opened the front door. “Anyway this is the enclose porch.” He opened another door “and this is the living room,” he said as they entered the small slightly crapped but cozy living area. “The living room opens up into the dining room and that open up into the kitchen…obviously,” he added sheepishly at the end.

Gaara just gave him and expression that he thought might have been a “no shit Sherlock” or just an “I don’t really care.” He wasn’t really sure.

“And though here,” he led Gaara to a side door in the dining room. “Is are the bedrooms and the bathroom. The one door on the right is my dad’s the middle one is the bathroom and over here on the left,” he nudged open the door with his foot and walked inside, “is my room.”

Gaara did a kind of slow circle in the middle of the room. Taking it all in Lee assumed.

“Well that’s about it. Oh wait. We have a basement but it’s not finished and all that’s down there is junk and weights.”

Gaara was still pretty much examining his room.

“It’s small,” said Gaara. His voice wasn’t critical more like matter-o-fact.

“Yeah I know,” said Lee rubbing his hand behind his head. “It’s just me and my dad so we can’t exactly afford anything fancy.”

“It’s small compared to mine,” Gaara said with almost a hint of irony in his tone.

Lee had no idea what to make of this.

“Well if you want to get started we can work at the table,” he said.

Gaara just fallowed him back into the little dinning room dropped his bag into one of the seats and got out today’s Trig assignment.

“Okay what don’t you understand,” said Gaara in complete monotone.

Lee sweat dropped “Uhh …everything.”

“Then we start at the beginning.”

Gaara had turned to be a pretty good tutor for someone who didn’t say much. He outlined everything in really simple straightforward terms that actually made sense to Lee. Heck Lee might even have gone as far to say that Gaara was an even better tutor than Sakura. Once Gaara had explained everything to him he worked on his own homework and helped Lee out whenever he asked. They only had one interruption and that was when Lee’s dad came home and Lee had to go through the whole introduction process. A surprisingly pleasant an hour and a half later Gaara, who had gotten done with work 30 minutes ago and was sitting around watching Lee write out problems, spoke up.

“I need to call and get a ride home.”

“Oh okay. It is probably time for you to be going isn’t it,” said Lee as he glanced at the clock. “The phones on the wall in the kitchen.”

Gaara got up and moved to leave the room but he paused and almost as an after thought he asked, “Can you finish without me.”

Lee blinked. He was not expecting that.

“Sure. I think you explained it well enough I can manage besides I only have two left. If not I can always find you before school starts.”

Gaara nodded and left the room.

Lee listened absentmindedly to Gaara’s voice drifting from the other room as he talked to someone about picking him up.

Ten or so minutes later there’s was a knock on the door and Lee bounded up to open it. On the other side was a girl of about 18 or 19 that he had to assume was Gaars’s older sister. She was of average height, curvy but not outrageously so with sandy blond hair and striking no-nonsense blue green eyes. She had the look of a chick that had better things to do when the rest of the girls were off gossiping and she was decked in full on punk armor. Although Lee was easily a head taller than her he had a distinct feeling that this particular girl would have no problem handing him his ass if she really wanted. This was not a woman anyone messed with.

“Hi. I’m Temari,” she said with a smile as she offered her hand.

Okay she was a girl you didn’t mess with but she was friendly or at least decent.

Lee returned the firm handshake. “I’m Lee,” he said with an even bigger smile than Temari’s.

“Your lucky I even came to get you,” she directed to the shadow hovering a few feet behind Lee. The words were threatening and her tone was light and somewhat playful. More seriously she added, “Why didn’t you just tell Kankuro to come get you before you left school.”

Gaara came up to stand beside Lee but didn’t offer an answer to his sister.

“Well come on then. I’m not gonna wait forever” She turned around and walked out the door with the two boys trailing behind her.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” said Lee “Thanks for coming by the way.”

There was a pause before Gaara answered. “Sure”

When they reached the gate Gaara halted. Both Temari and Lee stopped to look back at him.

“Backpack,” he said matter-o-factly.

Temari rolled her eyes. “Go get it,” she said rather exasperatedly.

As soon as Gaara was near the front door and out of ear shot Temari grabbed Lee and spun him around to face her.

“Lee I know this is going to sound weird but I want you to find yourself another tutor.”

Lee looked back at her confused. “Temari, I…”

Temari glanced at the front door behind his shoulder, gnawing at her bottom lip.

Gaara could be back any second.

“Okay look,” she said her eyes snapping back to Lee. “Gaara is, ah, complicated.” She floundered for a word to describe her way more than, just, complicated brother. “If you can’t get someone else just please be careful. Don’t do anything to get him mad and give him lots of personal space.” The last of her words were rushed as Lee heard the sound of the door slamming.

He watched Temari resume her annoyed expression although it seemed forced.

Lee felt a cold chill settle on his spine and turned to see Gaara walking toward them. His face was expressionless but something in his eyes and demeanor gave Lee the distinct unpleasant feeling that Gaara knew exactly what Temari had been talking to him about.

Lee was so unnerved by this that he almost forgot to wave goodbye. He quickly waved and smiled his eyes connecting with Gaara’s for a moment as Temari pulled out into the street and drove away.

Author's Note - please review. tell me what you think about the story so far i love feedback it's very helpful. this chapter had some varity in it. i threw in Kankuro and Gaara's dad. i was never actually putting that part about kankuro in there it just kinda came to me but i really liked so it stayed. hopefuly after this things will go a bit faster cause i have a good idea what i'm going to do now. i was stuck for a long time trying to figure out how to force Gaara and Lee to send time together but i managed figure that out in this and the last chapter. well until next chapter.

Chapter 4 -