Brother Lee

I do not own anything... okay so I own stuff just not Naruto.

'' thoughts

"" spoken

Point of view shifts

dreams/flashbacks

--time shifts

Summary Lee goes missing during a mission gone horribly wrong, after a year of searching and finding no trace of him, the ninja of the Hidden Leaf village decide to hold a funeral for their fallen friend. So, what happens if he's a little less fallen than they think? No pairings yet,

Lee rested for a moment against the door jam; his mind was having a very hard time processing what he was seeing. True it wasn't unusual for people to be in his apartment Neji, Tenten, and Gai-sensi were over frequently, Naruto was known to visit on occasion, hell even Garaa had been invited over -not that the young Kazakage ever did more than stand by the front door. But this was something Lee never expected to see it wasn't that there was a large number of nin in his apartment, that caused Lee's mind to have trouble, it was the coffin that was at the far end of the living room with his photo on the closed lid. The photo seemed to be grining directly at him, good guy pose and all, from across the room and some seemed to be seriously out of place with all the tears, tissues, and moods of those in his living room.

Finally the word for what was going on in his apartment dawned on him, funeral. They were having his funeral! Not only that but he was watching it! Those in attendance seemed to be a bit too preoccupied with mourning his passage to look up to see who'd arrived late. Lee's voice seemed to have run off along with what little strength he had remaining. Leaning against the door for support Lee looked dumbfounded at the crowd. How could this be?! If he was here then who or what was in the pine box? Lee was thankfully pulled out of that train of thought by shifting in his arms.

It shocked Lee for a moment until he remembered what, or more accurately who, he was holding. Pulling Amya closer to him, reassuring both her and himself that they were indeed both solid and breathing.

'Could I be dead?' a small part of Lee's mind asked looking at the smiling picture on the coffin, Lee found himself shuddering at the mer thought, yet it was because of that shuddering Lee became certain that he wasn't dead, at least not yet in any case. Because Lee was fairly certain that a) being dead did not hurt, and he sure as hell was in agony and b) the deceased do not leave bloody footprints on the clean linoleum floor.

Swallowing hard and trying to make his tired voice light and cheerful, Lee summoned the courage and asked, "So, who's in the box?"

End chapter one.

Let me know what you think!

Helpful comments and criticism welcome.