Chapter One: Cherished Student and Beloved Teacher.

It was late in the afternoon when Gai went to visit Lee in the hospital. He would have gone to see his most cherished student sooner but Lady Tsunade wouldn't let him off missions, especially with the village being in the broken state it was in. Maito Gai was one of the best jounin that the leaf village had and he hardly ever had complications with his missions, but this time he came back with broken ribs and was covered in blood. None of that mattered to him though. All he could think about was Lee.

Gai rushed into the hospital room with flowers in one hand and a basket of fruit in the other. When he found it empty, a wave of panic rushed over him.

"He got out again?" Shizune said coming in with a tray of medicine. "That boy isn't taking care of himself and as his sensei, you should really advise him to listen to the doctors and not put any more stress on his body." Gai heard her voice from behind him and turned to face her. When Shizune saw him, she gasped. He looked like some wild beast, and smelled like a war.

"Where is he!?" Gai demanded. An intense energy radiated from him. Shizune quickly put down her tray and caught Gai by his shoulders when he suddenly collapsed. "Where's my Lee?" He asked desperately. His nerves shook and he worried that maybe Lady Tsunade took Lee into surgery early. He didn't want to miss what might be the last time he could talk to his student.

"Stop struggling." Shizune said taking off his vest. His suit was soaked with blood around his chest and arms. "You've lost too much blood already. I need to heal you now." She unzipped the front of his suit down to his stomach. The entire left side of Gai's torso was bruised and swollen. Shizune pressed on it slightly making him groan loudly and his muscles tense up. "Hand in there." She told him.

"Didn't feel a thing." Gai struggled but gave her a thumbs up anyway.

"You're lucky to have such a talented medical ninja like me to work on you. This won't take long."

Sitting where he use to when he first became a genin, Lee remembered particular events in his life that were special to him, like when he met his Sensei that first day and pledged to be the greatest ninja with out learning ninjitsu or genjutsu. Neji thought he was delusional but Gai knew he was going to be special. Maito Gai was more than just a teacher to Lee. He soon became an idol to the young ninja who he emulated him in every way by copying his style and can do attitude. Gai found it flattering that he had such an influence on his youth and vowed to put his entirety into Lee's training. Rock Lee was his legacy and his most adored student. Lee knew this and trained even harder to meet his Sensei's high expectations for him, but now, with the condition of his body, Lee felt like a failure. If he could no longer be a ninja, then all of his Sensei's special attention was for nothing. The alternative however, would be chancing death.

When Gai finally found him, both were relieved. Lee was secretly hoping to see him but when the older ninja didn't show up for visiting hours that day, Lee felt sick and couldn't wait in a hospital bed any longer.

"I knew I would find you up here." Gai said standing in front of him.

"Sensei! What happened to you?" Lee said, noticing the blood that stained his green suit and his face still looking bruised and beaten up.

"Not to worry! Shizune healed me up just fine! Her and Lady Tsunade are wounderful medics. I would trust them with my life."

"What about mine?..." Lee mumbled.

"Huh?" Gai noticed the unsettled look on Lee's face.

Lee dropped his head int o his chest. "Sensei... I don't know if I should have this surgery done. If I go through with it I could die, but if I don't, I can no longer be a ninja. Please Gai-Sensei. I don't know what to do." His voice quivered unsteadily.

Gai took a deep breath before answering. "You and I are alike. We can't live without our nindo, and if we're not ninja, then were nothing. Go through with the surgery, Lee."

The young ninja looked up in shock. Surely he thought that his sensei would say the same thing as Lady Tsunade, to just give up, but in his heart he knew that he had to take the risk and he was relieved that his decision was validated by someone he trusted the most.

"This is my promise to you," Gai spoke firmly in a tone as if he was scolding him" If in the one in a million chance that you die, I will die with you!"

"Gai-Sensei!" Lee fell into the older man's shirt and began to cry heavily. He couldn't believe that he was special enough to die for. Surely Gai didn't mean it. But if anything, it was more motivation to live.

"Let's get you back now so you can take your medicine." Gai handed him his crutches and they went back to the hospital.

"There you go, drink up." Shinzune urged.

"Rock Lee!" Lady Tsunade came into the room just as forcefull as Gai did. "Oh, Shizune. I'm glad your still here, and you too Gai. The operation now has a fifty-one percent success rate. Have you made your decision, Lee?

"Yes. I'll go through with the operation." Lee said confidently.

"Good, then we will begin tomorrow morning." Lady Tsunade concluded. "Let's leave him now."

Gai bowed his head and spoke sheepishly. "Please. Let me stay tonight. Let me stay with Lee."

"It's not our usual policy to let people stay past visting hours but..." Lady Tsunade looks at Shizune who looked at Gai pitifully. "With all things considered, I can make an exception for you."

Lee smiled instantly when hearing this. It was a relief to him that he wouldn't be alone again and he was excited to spend the night with Gai.

"Alright, we'll come check on you in the moring, Lee. Make sure you stay in bed tonight." Shizune said before her and Lady Tsunade left.

It was late that night and even with the curtains closed, the large moon lit up the room where Lee was lying in his bed and Gai next to him on the floor. Lee couldn't stop thinking of what Gai said to him earlier. Surely he wasn't serious about dying for him, he must have just said that to make him feel better, but it didn't work.

"Sensei..."

"You should be asleep." Gai mumbled.

"I can't sleep..." Lee whispered. Gai sat up leaning on the side of the hospital bed. "Gai-Sensei?... If the worst dose happen-"

"There's no need to think about that." Gai hushed him.

"Please... don't kill yourself for me." Lee insisted.

Gai's eyes flashed up to meet Lee's. "I never said I would kill myself."

"Then what did you mean by saying 'I will die with you'?" Lee's cracking voice let Gai know that he was holding back tears.

"If the surgery fails," Gai began to explain himself. "I would die of heartbreak..." He could no longer meet eyes with him. The thought of loosing his precious student twisted him inside and left him feeling angry. "I'm so sorry, Lee. This is all my fault. Please, forgive me." His voice shook a little but he would not cry.

"No, it was not your fault. I just wasn't strong enough."

"You don't need to be strong enough. As a ninja, the people you hold close to you will balance yout your weaknesses and when you fight with them, you will become even stronger." Gai placed his hand over Lee's. "This was never supose to happen to you. This happened because I failed as a teacher. I wasn't able to protect you."

"I'll get better Gai-Sensei! And then we can start training again!" Lee said giving him his biggest smile.

"Just in case, I have to tell you, Lee." He placed his fingers between the younger boy's and said sadly, "You've become very special to me. I will protect you no matter what."

"Gai-Sensei..." Lee tightened his grip around the other's hand. "You're my most important person and I want to be yours too."

"You are my most important person too, Lee." Gai said, pulling his hand away from Lee's. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Sensei."

End Chapter One.