The young boy sat in the very back of the classroom, seemingly displeased by the seating arrangements. It was fifth period, science, and the teacher had seated him with a taller brunette, the same boy he had spent most of his life with, his former best friend, Kiba Inuzuka. He picked up his pencil and began to tap its lead against the desk, anxiously staring ahead at the chalk board lying in front of the two. Lee wanted nothing more than to get away from the boy, to finish his day and return to the confines of his own room.

Since the two males began their high school days as freshmen they had made a mutual agreement through grunts and low murmurs, stating that this year was going to be different. They would stop hanging around each other as much, filter into different social groups, and perhaps even make new friends. As much as Lee hated the idea he agreed to these terms for Kiba's sake, to save what little reputation the boy had left.

But he couldn't help but remind himself of how they first met, and he wondered for a moment if Kiba thought of it himself. It was in the middle of their fourth year, and as usual Lee had been getting picked on for his unusually bushy eyebrows.

"Why don't you just shave those things already, they're creepy."

Lee sat on the bench overlooking the playground, ignoring the Uchiha's rude comments. He was use to this; the boy had ridiculed him ever since the start of the New Year, and the other children often felt compelled to join him. Sakura joined in on his act, and laughed at every single one of his insults, seemingly trying to impress her classmate.

The two pointed and laughed, calling him name after name. There was bushy brow, caterpillar eyes and fuzz face, the typical elementary insults. He sat and continued to focus on the other children playing, unaware of how his actions were affecting the other male.

Sasuke, growing seemingly irritated, drew back his fist and threw it at the dark haired child, stopping only inches from his face. A crooked grin played against his lips as he held his clenched fist close, brushing it against the tip of Lee's delicate nose.

Lee, startled, slowly hoisted himself up onto his feet, and gazed into the Uchiha's eyes. His knees were bucking from underneath him, his legs trembling, but still he could not turn away from a fight.

He thought of how Gai would look at him if he allowed himself to come home battered and bruised. Honestly, the child was growing tired of the senseless harassment and for once in his life decided to put an end to it.

The young Uchiha lowered his arm and prepared himself for battle, and the two glared at one another for a long moment. Lee was the first to draw back his arm, to ready himself for a punch against the boy's jaw, but before he could another fist flew by his face, and he watched with amazement as Sasuke staggered back, hitting the pavement.

Sakura was the first to scream, and in a flash students crowded around the three. They whispered and pointed but Lee couldn't care less. He was lost in thought as he focused on the brunette before him who simply grinned.

The child glanced towards Lee, and tucked his hands behind his head as he victoriously shouted into the wind. It wasn't long after that until a teacher came and escorted the boy to the office.

Lee had shown up in front of the principal that day with tears in his eyes, begging her not to suspend Kiba, he was only defending him from the bully, he had started it all. After much consideration she suspended them all, and Lee spent those days in the office catering to his new and only true friend.

He chuckled to himself, and slowly glanced towards Kiba. The taller brunette was sitting back in his chair, fixated on the teacher who continued to explain some sort of lesson. He sighed deeply and turned towards Lee, the browns of his eyes passing his old friend's as he focused on the window. Lee turned quickly and decided to focus on the teacher. Surely he had caught him staring, but why should he care? It wasn't like they were still friends.

He knew the thought should relax him, put his mind at ease, but something about it bothered him. He had so many memories with the boy, yet now that they were older, Kiba had outgrown him. He was just a phase, so why couldn't Lee say the same about him?

The bell rang and Lee sprang to his feet, his chair screeching across the tile. He grabbed at his bag and hurried across the classroom to the door where he pushed passed the crowd and made his way out into the hall. His next class was English, and surely that would go by fast.

He breathed in deeply and began down the hall, by passing the many students who passed him by. He glanced towards the occasional female, or male, and thought of introducing himself, but the thought scared him. What if they didn't like him? What if they found a reason not to like him? How would he go about making new friends? He shook his head in an attempt to quiet the thoughts, and found himself bumping into a young purple haired woman, who blushed immediately after seeing him. He apologized as did she, and the two made their way towards the same classroom where they sat seats apart from each other.