That made Xavyn pause, and sneak a peek at Lee, who was still glancing at him warily. "Wait, you're the kid who fought Gaara in the Chunin Exams?" "How do you know that?" Lee asked, sitting on his knees. "We tell each other everything. Like how a kid named Rock Lee managed to land a few hits on Gaara, and break his sand defense." "Yes I did hit him, it was very difficult, and took a large amount of chakra, I even had to remove the weights from my ankles to outrun his sand defenses." Gaara dug his nails in his partner's side to prevent him from doing anything irrational. "Lee...a big part of me wants to thank you for that. Gaara doesn't know physical pain, and I'll do what I can to keep it that way, but the other part of me thinks a thank you is pretty stupid." Gaara deadpanned at his boyfriend, and Lee looked at him in confusion. "He does not know pain?" Xavyn pecked Gaara on the cheek, and climbed off his lap, standing to remove his shirt. "He doesn't know pain like I do." Once his shirt was off, Lee's big eyes grew double their normal size once he saw the marks that covered Xavyn's torso from the neck down, and his arms.

"Oh my goodness, what happened to you?" Gaara kept his eyes locked onto the locket, and watched it shimmer in the sunlight. "This is the reason I need to protect Gaara." Xavyn threaded his fingers through Gaara's hair, and the elder leaned into the touch. "Someone did that you as well, Gaara?" Lee's attention couldn't be drawn from the years of wounds that covered the boy, and he stood up to get a closer look, Xavyn slowly turned to show him each side of him that had been marred; something going down Xavyn's ribs caught his eye. "No this didn't happen to Gaara. I'd never let it." Xavyn had been covering the word 'Demon' on his ribs, so only the word 'Lover' was visible. "May I see what you are covering up?" A quick glance to his partner had the youngest nodding, and moving his hand away. "Demon...lover?" Lee was confused, and wondered why someone would cut that into their skin. "It happened the day his father kicked him out. His father called me a demon, and had his friends go to Xavyn after he'd been beaten unconscious."

Gaara stood up, and slid his hand along the ribcage, thumbing along the horrific words. "His father is worse than I am, his friends cut him up, and carved this into his skin." Soft lips pressed gently up the front of the ribs to the chest, then the tender neck where they hovered for a second before pulling away. "I was there when Gaara transformed the first time, it was terrible. His uncle filled his head with naughty lies, and blew himself up. I promised myself, and my family that I would never let Gaara be hurt like that again, no matter the cost. I was dealing with the things that happened to me in the wrong way, and didn't realize that...the way I handled it was hurting Gaara the same way he'd already been hurt." Lee watched as his friends gazed into each other's eyes, their hands held, and fingers interlocked. The love between them made the air feel warm, and light, he still had many questions, but didn't feel like he had the right to continue asking about their private life. "We shared a similar childhood, the village shunned me, and feared me for what's inside me, Xavyn's father, and friends of his father, used him as a toy for their pleasure.

I'd be lost without him, and he'd be dead, and alone without me. I know I talk as if I've been alone all my life, but Xavyn has been here for me, and with me, since we were very young. Lee...I am sorry for the damage I caused you." Gaara pulled his partner in for a hug, and got his shirt back on. "Oh it...it is alright. Can I ask something about you two?" The elder nodded, so Lee continued with, "If you have been hurt so much, why are you so ready to protect others? Gaara I do not mean to be offensive, but you have killed people, what has made you decide to change?" Xavyn bit his tongue in an effort to prevent a giggle from leaving his lips, he turned his head to look at Lee. "Well for me...I refuse to let others go through the same pain I did, no child should be abused. I protect Gaara because he, and his uncle were...the only ones that ever tried to help me, and show me that life didn't have to stay so bad."

"My answer is similar." Gaara said, kissing at Xavyn's temple. "Xavyn was the only one who wasn't afraid of me, and he played with me, protected me even with the sand...and when I transformed, he never hated me. My uncle told me that...it's difficult to truly hate another person, and Xavyn has never felt anything other than love for me, and concern for my safety. We're all we have for each other." Lee almost didn't want to believe it, it seemed to be the total opposite of the way Gaara had acted during the Chunin Exams, but he could see nothing but devotion, and love for Xavyn in his actions, and words. "It is strange to see such a soft side to you, Gaara." "I never hid it, he's the only thing that keeps me sane. Without him, I'm nothing, I'm just a demon's container. He...he gave me a purpose. Killing people was all I had known, but I never meant to as a child; the sand reacted to my emotions, and carried out my will without any conscious action." Xavyn nuzzled at his partner's chest at the memory of seeing an entire village flee from a child.

"Did you hurt Xavyn?" "Mhm. When he transformed, he always tried to push me away, and I always did this." Xavyn stepped back a bit before jumping on Gaara, and wrapping his legs around him, the elder caught him easily, and held him against him. "Then he would throw me at the wall, and I would run back, and he'd throw me again until I couldn't stand up. Then I'd crawl to him, and stay by his side until he calmed down." Gaara had a pained look in his eyes before it was quickly washed away. "Why did you go to him if he hurt you?" "Because," Xavyn slid off Gaara, and stood on his feet and they started walking back. "I knew he never meant to hurt anyone, least of all me, but they refused to accept that. All they saw was a child killer, even as he protected me. I made a promise that I'd stay by his side forever, and I said something when we were little. Remember what it was? I'd gladly take a beating-" "-If it meant you could play with me." "Lee...I have to thank Naruto. He helped Gaara realize his true purpose, and I owe him as much as Gaara does. Do you know where he'd be?"

"At the moment, he is following Sasuke. You may have to wait some time before you get a chance to have a full conversation with him." Xavyn faceplamed. "I'm sorry, I forgot the whole point of us coming here." "It is alright. Let us find your family." They wound back through the forest, Kankuro had Kiba's arm around his shoulder, and Kiba was holding onto Akamaru a little too tightly so he wouldn't drop the small creature. "Kiba...can I take him?" Xavyn asked, motioning to the dog, and stepping up to them. "Yeah, yeah...just be careful...please." Kankuro eyed the action as Kiba willingly handed over the dog, and barely passed him off before passing out. "What an idiot. Got himself hurt, and wouldn't stop moving." Xavyn snuggled Akamaru, and pet him as they continued walking. Gaara walked up next to him, and couldn't help but let a smile play at his lips as he saw the utter love towards the furry creature in his arms. "If we...lived in a perfect world...would you want a dog?" He asked, Xavyn whined, and let his head fall on Gaara's shoulder.

"Don't do that. Don't give me hope like that, of course I'd want a puppy! A dog, you, and a pantry full of candy. That's the life." "You're gonna get diabetes if you keep eating candy the way you do." Temari joked from ahead of them. "If I go out from diabetes, that's how it was intended to be. As long as I have my dog in one hand, and Gaara in the other." Kankuro made a gagging noise. "Can you stop being so lovey dovey for two seconds?" Lee watched as Xavyn's face fell, and he inched away from Gaara, who had a matching hurt look on his face before he paused in his step, and picked up his partner, being careful of the dog, cradling him against his own body like a groom would carry his bride. "Kankuro shut up. If you don't like it, then ignore him; you shouldn't tell someone not to express themself." "That is right. It is rude to tell someone to stop showing their feelings." Xavyn looked at Lee with confusion in his eyes but it was wiped away as Gaara leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Xavyn's lips, then said, "A dog, you, and sand castles sounds like the happy ending we'll never get."

Shikamaru gave them all a look between confusion, and disinterest. "I thought you said he was your brother." Was what he finally settled on saying. "Yeah he's like a brother to me, and Kankuro, he, and Gaara have been friends since they met, and it just grew into being boyfriends." As he carried his partner, Gaara ran his thumb along the ring he gave him. "Aren't you a little young to be getting married?" "I wanna marry him as soon as humanly possible, but it's not an engagement ring. Can we just focus on the mission for now?" Xavyn asked, getting flustered, and red faced. Temari chuckled at the look on Xavyn's face as he hid in Gaara's clothes. Something shiny caught Shikamaru's attention, and a closer look revealed that Xavyn's left ear was pierced in just about every spot. The more he learned about the stranger just from walking by him, the more confused he got. He noted the contented look on Xavyn's face, the fact that he was dressed very similar to Kankuro but didn't seem to be a Puppeteer, all the piercings he could see, the gentle yet firm grip on Akamaru, the way his whole body seemed to cling onto Gaara.

A nudge from Temari made him glance back at her. "Don't bother. He's more confusing than he's showing." "You think he's straight, and shy, turns out he's gay. You think he likes salads, and tacos when he really can't live without candy. You think somethin' about him, the opposite is usually true." Kankuro piped up, sneaking a glance at his friend, and watching him hide even more from embarassment. Even Gaara chuckled as they told the Leaf Ninja embarassing stories about the youngest. "Why did I draw the short stiick? Leave me alone!" Xavyn pouted, and whined at his family, who only laughed at him. "Xavyn, if I may ask you one more question..." Lee started, and trailed off, waiting for the answer; Xavyn peeked up at him from his boyfriend's chest, and nodded. "What drew you to Gaara that made you want to date him?" That made the youngest smile so wide it was creepy. "At first, it was because he was my shelter from my father. We played every day, built sandcastles, and...poorly drawn frogs, he opened his arms to me, and offered help when everyone else hurt me. After that, my father kicked me out, his uncle tried to kill him, and ended up killing himself as a last resort when he failed, and their teacher trained me along with them. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized how much I wanted to take away the hurt the world placed on him."

A tear rolled down Gaara's cheek, and Xavyn whined softly, shifting carefully so he could reach up, and wipe it away before getting on his feet, and hugging Gaara with one arm. "I'm sorry, Gaara." He nuzzled at the pale neck in front of him, and tangled his fingers in the other's hair. "You both have the desire to protect each other because you were all the other had, is that right?" "Yeah. You think it's annoying how lovey-dovey they are? Imagine what they're like when we're not on a mission. They can't stop touching each other, they even fucking feed each other. It's gross." While Kankuro complained, he couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Feel better, big brother? Picking on your friend for giving his boyfriend cuddles that you don't get? Jealous Kitty." The Puppeteer blushed, and kept his mouth shut until they got back.