When You Think Scarecrow
Summary: Gai/Rock Lee in a future timeline. Sort of unofficial sequel to 'What Are Words Anyway.' I don't really care where this is set but in a future timeline…thing.
Author's Note: I pray I ended this in true Ray Bradbury fashion…heheh…
Spoilers: If there are any, they're darn vague.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but Naruto just might believe me if I said I did.
Genre: Light Angst/Humor...whatever...
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Admittedly, Gai literally did try his hand at a few blank white pages later on, very later on, but it always ended badly like the fate of some people he knew. People precious…and the enemies too. He really tried to pen something good between slugs of sake, but he soon pronounced himself a failure at the written word.
Of course, Lee did not like hearing this from his former sensei. So, when the conversation somehow turned to that, ninja Rock Lee always did his best to instill hope in that area. He sensed that Gai really got amused fiddling with words, even when a few weren't exactly legal in a dictionary. When Gai had gotten past innocence and onto apathy of the subject, he shrugged his former student's comments off quite unaffectedly. This disappointed Lee, and yet always the conversation soon traveled to other matters…like dead people or the weather. Seriously. Lightly. They had each other, and to Gai, that was quite all right.
However, one day Maito Gai and his former student were outside, actually supervising Lee's new students in a training field. Gai just finished a long, entrapping bout of reminiscence, and Lee told his students to practice katas, sensing that his former teacher's mind was still located either in the clouds above them or in the rock he was sitting on.
"Gai-sensei," said Lee quietly, taking a seat beside him. Lee's former sensei looked away from the students, noticing just another calm, Konoha blue-skied day. (Rain, what the heck was that…?)
"Lee…" Gai suddenly said. "Did I ever tell you about the time we fought the otonin…?"
"Yes…you have mentioned it."
"And what about that mission to Ibiki's closet that one time because someone thought there was a security breach, and—"
"Yes," Lee smiled. "I know that too."
"And the time when I first defeated…Kya-kya-shi…?"
"I will never forget that, Gai-sensei, nor will I forget any of those things."
"Good…" Gai murmured. "Yes," He patted Lee on the leg. "You should never forget."
Lee smiled, cocking his head. "Gai-sensei—"
"Want to know why?"
"Huh?"
Slowly, Maito Gai led his black, still handsome in his (often twisted) sense, eyes to the faintly surprised look on his former student. "Because you can't forget, Lee," It was here he turned away. "You see, it doesn't let you. Remember that most of all."
Gai was thinking of a scarecrow.
Lee was becoming aware of the fact.
"Gai-sensei," Lee murmured, always unsure of what to say…until he started thinking: What could he say? Did words exist? Lee was caught between a smile and straight line: Make them up. Lee said, softly, "Gai-sensei, do you remember that mission report you once told me about? The one you had so much difficulty with. I will never forget that."
"Hm…" Gai wondered thoughtfully. "Did I ever tell you that he said I 'faviped' a slug?"
Lee's blank look told Gai no.
Gai burst into a sad grin. "Oh it's true. I killed it—I faviped a slug. Brutally. I'm…" Gai looked as if he were about to run out of breath; he spoke quickly. "-glad he told me that."
Gai was thinking of a scarecrow.
There existed nothing Lee could do.
Gai was becoming aware of the fact.
Lee looked to his students, practicing, laughing…acting like they were unsupervised. "Hey, Uzaro!" Lee called. "No practicing Konoha's most sacred technique! …No matter what Gai-sensei says!"
Gai laughed, coming back to reality.
Lee turned to Gai, sensing the mood change; the conversation turning to that again: "Perhaps you should try writing again—"
Gai shrugged it off unaffectedly.
Lee persisted. "Seriously, Gai-sensei—"
Gai shook his head, finally looking to his student again. "As long as you know Lee, then so will they," Gai nodded his head to three bright and bumbling genin. "And their children…and so on," he looked down. "Life applies to all of us…as will the…inverse, eventually..."
"Lee-sensei?"
Lee hadn't noticed little Chiyo walk up to them. He winked apologetically. "Yes Chiyo-kun?"
"Uhm, Uzaro's being mean to a squirrel."
"Oh he is…" Lee stood, he saw past her Uzaro…being mean to a squirrel.
"Lee, I've been interrupting you…" Gai stood, as if now aware he was where he was. "Again, I suspect."
"Oh, Gai-sen—"
"You get back to your students, Lee…I'll see you later."
Lee had time to nod before his former sensei vanished. As sensei now, Lee attended to his students.
When Gai got home, he first rummaged for the forgotten notebook, and then he tossed it on the counter. He found a pencil, and went to open the book. The writer in him saw two crisp white pages, screaming out, hungry for dates, notes, stories; drama.
One the first line, right side, Gai wrote a word.
Then two.
Then more.
He finally did it. He was writing.
It all came so easy…:
A will.
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-Caliko