Chapter 1
Rock Lee hadn't left his house since the war ended.
To be fair, he left sometimes, but very rarely. It was only to take short trips to the store (to buy only what he needed to survive)with the money that he had inherited. Many people wondered just who he had inherited it from, but even if they could track him down, Not even Sasuke would be so heartless as to ask. He knew. Everyone who fought in the war knew.
Him.
Lee was silent as he raced on the rooftops of Konoha, draped in dreary clothes and staring blankly at the dull-colored landscape. He thought he saw Shino and Kiba enjoying some ramen together, but he was moving so fast he couldn't tell. Lee also couldn't tell, while distracted by his former friends, that a building was coming right at him.
When he looked down, however, his injuries weren't what he was worried about. His white robe had been stained, and he felt guilt stronger than he had ever felt sting his head, worse than his physical injuries. These clothes weren't his, but people who looked at them would know who they belonged to.
Him.
Lee hadn't talked to any one of his friends since the end of the war. They missed him, and he knew that. But he missed his two friends more. He wanted them back. He would do anything to get them back. Every day consisted of waking up and training until red stains covered his pile of dirty, green jumpsuits, unused but unwashed. Lee would then (if he didn't need to go out, God willing) eat a lonely breakfast consisting only of what could keep him alive. Rinse and repeat for two other meals every day for six months and you have a desolate shell of a once bright, energetic boy.
But today was different.
Six months had passed. Exactly six months had passed. That thought raced around his mind as he hopped from roof to roof, going somewhere that he'd previously sworn to never, ever go near. It was too risky. What if I'm seen? What if I can't handle it? Lee couldn't trust himself anymore, but he needed some sort of closure. Any at all would be fine.
Before he went, however, he made one quick stop at a flower shop. There, he selected two bouquets. More specifically, he chose pink roses and zinnias. As he went to the person running the shop, he froze in his tracks. His eyes were even buggier than usual as the realization of who it was hit him like a ton of bricks.
There stood Ino Yamanaka, a former friend of Lee's and a member of the Great Shinobi Alliance. Lee didn't know if she would recognize him, so he went against his better judgement and handed her the flowers to ring up. Ino tried making conversation with the obviously shaken teenager, "So, is there someone special you're buying these flowers for?" Rock Lee didn't know how to respond, and a thousand words danced around in his head, trying to think of the right pattern to somehow answer the question politely and make it known to her that he was done talking. "Yes, there are some people who-I mean, they-" "Is that you, Lee?"
Oh boy
NoNoNoNoNoNo
Six months he'd managed to stay hidden, so of course today of all days was the time that somebody recognized him. Instead of a response, he payed, took the flowers, and dashed out so quickly that Ino had actually been blown back. Her mind on fire from being the first person to see Lee outside in months, she knew exactly who to tell first.
A/N: Yay first story review please also the next chapter fucked me up to write so expect that in a week or so. I might also be posting some less depressing stories on the side if I have time.