Chapter One: The Death of a Beloved Mentor
"Lee-san?" Sakura said as she approached the 16-year-old Chûnin.
The boy turned around, "Oh, Sakura-san! I did not see you there! What is it?"
He was smiling as usual, glad to see the pink-haired 15-year-old of the same rank.
"Well, you do know your sensei went on a mission a few days ago, right?"
Lee pumped his fist in the air and his eyes seemed to burn with passion as he proclaimed, "Yes, of course! Gai-sensei can complete any mission without fail! It's the Springtime of Youth!"
Sakura, who'd grown used to his outbursts, simply said, "Of course... well, he's back –"
She was cut off by the boy who post with a hand on his hip and a thumbs up to the sky, "Ha, ha, ha! As I said, Gai-sensei is simply the greatest!" he threw his head back and cackled.
Sakura waited patiently as he continued his almost maniacal laugh before saying, "I wasn't finished..."
"Oh! Forgive me, Sakura-san!"
"It's perfectly fine, really, Lee-san." Sakura laughed nervously, dreading his inevitable outburst.
"No! I must punish myself by doing 5000 laps around Konoha!"
He turned to leave but Sakura grabbed his shoulder, "Your sensei is in the hospital."
Lee swung around, "What?!" he knew people only came to tell when there was bad news to be told with it, "Is he all right?!"
"Well, we're not quite sure. We do know he's pretty banged up and we think he must have a concussion, since all he's done since he got back was ask for you."
"Take me to him!" Lee nearly shouted.
Sakura nodded sadly and began walking off, Lee trailing directly behind her.
One Hour Later
Lee sat, fidgeting in his chair in the waiting room nervously. They'd been told Gai was unconscious and couldn't have visitors yet.
Sakura stayed right there with him. She knew he needed comfort, because he could only imagine what was behind those walls. And he didn't like it.
Finally, a doctor came in and Lee practically pounced on him, "How is Gai-sensei?!"
The doctor tried to get him off, and Sakura had to pull him off before the doctor said, "We're allowing him to have visitors now."
Grabbing Sakura by the arm, Lee flew down the hall and into his mentor's hospital room, immediately stopping in his tracks.
His sensei was hitched up to half a dozen machines. One for breathing, one for blood, and four others for things Lee could only guess. There was a large gash across his sensei's chest and what looked like a burn covering the majority of his face. He was bloody and bruised and seemed barely responsive at all.
Sakura turned to Lee who was trembling. His face had lost all color and he just stood there, absent-mindedly before his eyes began to water and he fell to his knees, only to throw up all over the sterile white floor.
The pink-haired kunoichi helped Lee, who was now bawling, to his feet and out into the waiting room.
"Why did it have to be him?" he sobbed, "Why him and not me?"
She held him close as he shook and cried; thinking it best not to reply and, coincidentally, the doctor came out as soon as he was done, "He's awake now. He really wants to see you."
Lee nodded silently and got up, with the help of a certain kunoichi.
"Lee..." Gai said, smiling sadly when he saw him.
Lee ran to his side, forcing back tears, "Oh, Gai-sensei, I am so sorry!"
"Sorry?" Gai asked.
"Yes! I–I should have been there!"
"Lee, that's impossible. You know that."
"I just... I just do not want you to die!"
"Well, Lee, that's something we can't avoid. I called you in here because of that–"
He was cut of by his student's practical scream-crying. Gai hugged him and whispered, "It's all right Lee." Over and over until Lee calmed down enough to stop screaming.
"I just need you to know something." Gai said and Lee grabbed his hands,
"Anything, sensei!"
"You are a splendid ninja. You always have been and you always will be. You're the only thing in my life that turned out right and I'm so proud of you..."
"Sensei... thank you!" Lee bit his lip to stop himself from screaming again.
His sensei smiled at him and closed his eyes for the last time.
Lee allowed his tears to flow freely now. He allowed his head to fall into his sensei's chest and he just cried.
Sakura stood there, too uncomfortable to do much except watch. She felt bad for Lee. His sensei was his only real friend and the only person Lee felt really relaxed talking to, about anything at all. His sensei had always been there for Lee, and he had been the closest thing to family the young man had ever known.
She decided to give him some privacy and left the room without as much as a single sound.
She knew she had to report the death, so she went to the nearest doctor and simply pointed to the room in which Lee was currently crying over his teacher's corpse.
The doctor looked at her with an obvious pity in his eyes, as if questioning, "It's really true?"
Sakura nodded to the unspoken question and headed off to Gai-han's training ground, so she could report the death to Neji and TenTen.
