Disclaimer: Not mine unfortunately D;

The cafeteria was filled with an amalgam of sounds from people chatting, to pans clanking in the kitchen, music blending into the background and far many others to name. Near the window that faced the interminable scenery of forestry, sat five college students debating on matters that any young man with high testosterone look forward to.

"There's no way we can invite that guy! He's going to bring make the party so awkward with all his outbursts! Plus he's a fucking creep!" Naruto shouted exasperatedly as if it was the most common logic in the world.

Kiba frowned, repulsed by the blond's comment. "I actually get along with him, Naruto. Just because you think he's a loser doesn't mean he is. Besides, it's my party. What's it to you if I invite him or not?"

The other three guys sat in silence, not being ones to be loquacious. They particularly didn't get along with the guy Kiba wanted to invite, as their high school experience with him was not so pleasurable, for his part that is.

"It's just- WHY! You used to make fun of him back in high school as well. Where did all this friendliness come from?"

"I grew up, Naruto! Or at least I'm trying to, anyways, unlike you! It's because of him that I'm passing a couple of my classes. I can't not invite him."

The almost twenty-one year old brunet was becoming annoyed at the incessant pestering from his blond friend. He would admit to the fact that it even surprised himself when one day he found himself at ease speaking to Lee as any normal friend. He was even more surprised when he rather sought his company than the four men that sat around him at the moment.

Sighing, he rubbed his hands together and looked at Naruto with a serious countenance. "Look, if you're going to be bitchin' about this, then just don't come. That goes to all of you." He made the point by giving Gaara, Sasuke, and Neji piercing look.

Sasuke raised his hands in surrender, practically speaking for all of them. "Honestly I don't care Dog-Breath, as long as you have good beer." The other two curtly nodded in consent, tired of the banter.

"Good. Naruto, what about you?"

The blond rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Whatever, do what you want."

Kiba smiled, pleased that the people he wanted to attend would. "Cool. I'll see you guys on Saturday then. I have to go to class now."

Grabbing his book bag, he sprinted to class anxiously awaiting to see his raven haired friend.

"Whoa, dude! What happened to your face?"

Lee winced slightly as Kiba made his way next to him. Over the past two years he had become well acquainted with the brunet to the point of calling Kiba his friend despite their rough history, but he still didn't feel comfortable telling him more than he should. Smiling, sans the sparkle of real joy in his eyes, he waved the inquiry away as nothing major.

"This is nothing, my friend! I took a dare in boxing class, that is all."

"What kind of dare gets you bruises like those on your face?" Kiba asked has he gingerly passed the pads of his fingers over the swollen eye. His lower lip was quite bad as well, if the stitches indicated the severity of the wound. Kiba knew Lee was very capable when it come to martial arts, so for him to gain such blows to his face was something rarely heard of.

Despite the gentle touch, Lee flinched. Even the smallest of touches sprung forth an unruly pain. "I just took on one opponent too many," he responded as he moved his head from Kiba's touch.

Kiba sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck when he noticed the discomfort in Lee's face. He hadn't even thought of how much his wounds could be hurting and there he was being a Curious George.

"Man, what boxing school do you go to that condones such matches?"

Saving Lee from having to answer was the arrival of their professor, which silenced every conversation that had been going on prior to his entrance.

Kiba took one last glance at Lee, worry on his face. He knew Lee was keeping distance between them, though he'd like to think that it was slowly becoming shorter and shorter as they spent more time together and it was that which made him want to know him more.

He cursed the years he took it upon himself to instigate a fight with the raven head. His being a teenager did not absolve him from the stupidity of his actions. Maybe if he had struck up a conversation with Lee instead of spouting insults every time he passed through the hall or tripped him or pushed him around, he would have known the little things he was learning now and befriended him then.

He could recall and instance when Lee missed an entire week from school and noticed for the very first time the tiredness and solemness in obsidian eyes. Kiba only laughed at his dejected look and pushed him toward the locker head first. Looking back on those days, he couldn't believe his high school victim would forgive those incidences and manage to be on friendly terms with his brusque self.

He didn't quite know why he was so intrigued with Lee, but he was glad for the second chance he was getting.

Distracted by his musings, the entire lesson went by in a flash without the single bit of attention from the ex-bully.

Lee could feel the penetrating stare from the man next to him and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He would have turned to Kiba and asked him what was so interesting about a bruised face, but he did not want to catch his professor's attention. That would ensue him being in the spotlight, which he was trying to avoid at the moment.

By the time the professor dismissed class, Lee lightly punched Kiba's shoulder. "What was all that staring for?"

Kiba arched his eyebrows innocently as he came out of his contemplations. "What staring?"

Putting his books in his bag, Lee chuckled lightly. He was sure Kiba barely noticed that class was over by his quick glance to the disappearing students.

"Wha- where's everyone?"

Lee patted his friend's back as he passed Kiba. "Here are my notes. If you have any questions, just ask me."

Kiba looked at the notebook in his hands and mentally cursed. Shit! What the fuck was I thinking about all this time?

Putting aside his confusion and total despair of missing a lesson from the one class that he was struggling in the most, he hastily stuffed his backpack and rushed after Lee.

"Hey Lee! Hold on. I wanted to ask you something."

Lee slowed his step and waited for Kiba to catch up to him. "What can I do for you?"

"Well you remember this Saturday is my 21st birthday I was hoping you could make it to a little party I'm planning on having. Naruto and the others are going to be there, but I promise you they won't bother you at all."

Halting his steps, Lee looked at Kiba in the eyes not sure if he could believe that. Even now he always managed to be tripped every time he encountered any of Kiba's friends. As much as he liked Kiba, he would rather stay away from those guys. It was no use being nice to them since they took it as an invitation to ridicule and shove him around for believing he was good enough to direct any sort of amiable gesture towards them.

Hating to do so, he rejected the invitation with a blatant lie. "I am sorry Kiba, I have to work on Saturday, but I promise to make it up to you another day."

The dejected look that flashed on Kiba's face was enough torture Lee for the night. His eyes lost a glint of their sparkle and his tattooed cheeks sunk downwards for a quick second as he took the rejection. He hated having to lie, but at the moment, he had more important things than to hang around a batch of people who saw him as no more than mere scum on earth for unknown reasons.

The brunet recovered quickly and managed to smile. "No worries, buddy. It's fine. I'll see you later then. Go to class or you'll be late!"

Lee watched his back as he ran off. He felt awful for having to lie to him. Pulling at his braid, he made his way to his last class of the day wishing life would lift some of his problems away.

Lee arrived to his apartment a little after eight. After his last class ended he went straight to the library where he engrossed himself in his homework. Hunger had made a strong enemy and thus ended up winning the battle, which is why he found himself at home.

Eating out was a luxury he could not afford at the moment. Bills after bills bombarded his mail and the overwhelming exhaustion of his financial responsibilities was forcing him to cut back on food selections.

After putting his bag on the couch, he went to the fridge and dished out leftover spaghetti. This was the third time he was eating it in a row, but he wouldn't complain. At least he was eating something. As he waited for his food to heat up, he leafed through his bills, sighing as he thought about how many nights he needed to fight in order to come up with the money for the month.

The middle of his senior year brought him many misfortunes. The first was the official separation of his parents. The second was their accident which unfortunately left no survivors, and the third was his Uncle Gai's cancer that required an expensive chemotherapy. All three turned his world upside down on the same week.

That year, Lee found himself with two part time jobs, school and the decision if it was better or not to attend college at all. Despite the overgrowing expenses, he decided to attend college, something he promised himself and his parents to do. With a growing need for money, an opportunity came to him that he would have rejected in an instant if not for the circumstances he found himself in.

He met Orochimaru at one of his boxing matches before the whole misfortunes occurred. The man had excitedly commended him on his agility and reflexes and told him to give him a call sometime to talk about the possibility of going pro under him.

Lee had politely declined the offer, stating that boxing was just something he did as a healthy pastime.

Two years later he encountered the same man and fell for his proposition. His thoughts when he accepted revolved around his ill uncle who had nobody else but Lee to support him, his college tuition, his bills and rent. He opted out from living in the dorms, afraid of the lack of privacy.

His form of living left him with many bruises that he would rather not have to explain to a curious roommate. Underground fighting was illegal, but every month, they managed to pay the bills.

How he hitherto managed to keep Kiba oblivious as to what he did, he wasn't sure. He was sure Kiba sensed something, but was too polite to ask. Tidbits about his life he knew, like the death of his parents and the condition of his uncle, but the things he wished to keep private like the fighting and his growing feelings for the brunet were kept tightly sealed within him.

He couldn't deny the attraction he felt toward Kiba. He would admit that he had been slightly afraid the first time he and the tattooed man were put together for a lab in their sophomore year. What surprised him though was the docility he presented himself with and the rapid intake of information he absorbed.

That was the first time he ever had a normal interaction with the brunet without insults or shoves. He was amazed at how much Kiba had changed since high school, though he still had a bit of immaturity when he hung out with Naruto.

Every time he was around Lee, a sense of calmness washed over him, completely changing the way he usually acted with the blond. He was able to have engaging conversations about anything from music, to art and even dogs, which once you got Kiba talking about them, you couldn't shut him up even with the most adhesive of glues.

That was what he found so endearing about the guy. His overgrowing compassion that laid dormant unless something provoked it to show itself. There was an instance he remembered quite well about two months after they starting talking casually. It had been raining cats and dogs that day and Lee was stuck in Starbucks waiting for the drops to become drizzle. As he watched outside through the foggy window, he saw a box near the bench outside of the establishment. He would have never believed something could have been in that box, but out of nowhere, Kiba, drenched from head to toe tripped on the box and when it overturned, Lee watch with a small smile on his face as the brunet picked up the two shivering puppies and refuged them underneath his wet hoodie, safely shielding the pups from the frigid raindrops.

It was from that moment on that he could not look at Kiba as somebody who would cause harm to anyone anymore. He never told him about that little event, wishing to keep it as a dear memory to himself, but every now and then he ruffled Kiba's hair when he least expected every time that memory popped in his head.

It was that from which a feeling of more than friendship started to surface in his heart. He knew that his feelings were in vain. Kiba was straight as a pole and he flatly pointed it out every time a beautiful girl walked in his line of vision.

Lee knew he shouldn't feel hurt, but he couldn't help the slight pang in his chest which reminded him that he was a fool who fell for the unattainable. This, in part, induced the barriers he put between him and Kiba. He knew that one day the time would come when the brunet found the person that's right for him and would rather feel the least pain as possible when that day came.

So for now he would keep a part of him concealed. He lost one friend. His one and only friend when he told her of the fighting. Tenten tried to help him find other means, but Lee just kept turning back every time money got tight. His stubbornness and inability to quit caused, Tenten to walk away, claiming that she would rather lose a friend through saying goodbye, it was nice knowing you, than to lose them through the irrevocable loss of death.

Lee knew he was never safe. Hell, he was glad Tenten wasn't around when he came close to dying. That would have devastated her completely.

Dropping the fork on his plate, Lee slowly lifted the long sleeve of his left arm. A jagged line ran from his shoulder to the inside of his elbow. Closing his eyes, he made his way to his bedroom where he changed to loose fitting pajama pants.

Lying down in his bed, he stared for quite some time at the darkened ceiling. The last thought that entertained his mind was the warm smile coming from an olive colored face.

To say Kiba was disappointed was an understatement. He was downright pissed. He didn't know why he felt so incensed. He knew that Lee had things to do, but he deeply hoped that he could make an exception to celebrate his friend's 21st year of life.

Throughout the rest of the week, he did not stumble upon Lee at all. Their schedules were all over the place, though he was lucky to have him for two of his lectures. He tried calling Lee, but every time he was sent to voicemail. He was starting to believe the jerk was avoiding him!

Saturday came and he at least expected to receive a happy birthday call, but his line was absolutely dead except for Naruto's constant invite confirmation call. He told himself to chill out. Lee was probably extremely busy, but once he had the chance, he would call him up with the most exuberant voice that can annoy him and sing happy birthday to him.

The day went and his party began, but he was not even remotely into his bash by the time it came around. Halfway through, the majority of the guests were on borderline drunkland. Even though Naruto was included in that category he still managed to sense something wrong with the brunet.

"Heeeeey Kiba! Wazup?" His words slurred terribly but Kiba still managed to decipher his blabbering. "Why's yous' mad?"

If any sober viewer watched the spectacle known as Naruto trying to form cohesive words, they would shake their heads in disapproval as Naruto pointed not at Kiba, but at the lamp right next to him as he formed his cavemen inquiries.

"Nothing man. Go back to your little drinking buddies."

Naruto huffed, a pout reserved only for the Uchiha crossed his features.

"You no fun. No no fun."

Kiba rolled his eyes at the childish remark. "Yeah, yeah." Giving Naruto a light push that nearly sent him tumbling over, Kiba excused himself. After being in the company of Lee for so long, he found himself bereft of a real human interaction that consisted of proper language and syntax. Going out to his balcony, he leaned over the rail and let out a long sigh.

If only Lee was here he wouldn't feel so bored at his own party. Examining his beer bottle, he suddenly thought of something that he felt stupid for not thinking about before.

Why don't I just visit him at work? I usually do that when we don't see a trace of each other for some time. Happy with his thinking process, he dashed out of his apartment, calling out that he would bring more beer and ran to the convenience store Lee worked at.

When he entered, the small store that was supposed to have Lee in it had everything but him. Walking up to the cash register, he asked a young man with back sunglasses—though why he had them during the night was irking his curiosity—and a questioning overcoat, if Lee would be coming any time soon.

A single visible eyebrow rose over the rim of the shades. "He doesn't have a shift today. He's off till Monday."

A pang of hurt crossed his chest, but as soon as it came it was gone, replaced with a sense of betrayal. After directing a gruff thanks to the cashier, he stormed off, fuming and cursing down the street.

Lee had lied to him. It was the mere thought of who lied to him that was not feasible to conceive. He always believed that although there were some things Lee hid, he would never outright lie to his face. But how wrong was he! What was so important that he needed to skip his friend's party? Not even a damn call could disturb whatever it was he was actually doing?

Kiba curled and uncurled his fists, wishing he had something or a particularly someone to take his anger out on.

From a near corner, a sly grin came across a porcelain white face as he watched the boy trying to contain his anger. Coming out from the shadows, he silently made his way to the brunet.

"Hellooo. May I ask if you are alright, child?"

Kiba, lost to his anger spun so fast at the intruding voice that he staggered backwards, his back making contact with a brick wall.

Slightly frightened by the golden irises staring at him, he shook his head, unable to find the voice to speak.

Coming closer to the young man, the stranger seemed to size him up. "How would you like to make some easy cash?"

Repulsed at the suggestive tone, Kiba pushed the man back and sidestepped, but before he could walk away, he felt a painful sting at the back of his neck and then total blackness.

The man smirked as he watched the limp body lying on the floor. Lifting two fingers, he signaled his men to the site where they picked up Kiba and carried him off to a black van around the corner.

A/N:So hello there! c: I know I should be working on the other stories, but this basically was screaming to get written. Today. Sunday. On a school night. At one in the morning. Man I'm sleepy. please review! Cookies for everyone that does :D I love you guys! ^3^