Friends and Lovers

by: Foul Fountain of Flies/Night Strider

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Summary: AU. High school cliché fic; title says it all. Multiple pairings, both yaoi and non-yaoi.

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Chapter I: The Seniors

Hyuuga Neji congratulates himself on being this year's valedictorian. No, it's not graduation day; the term has just started. His senior year has just started. His first day at school is, well, just about to commence. In a few minutes, seconds, milliseconds even. Who knows or cares? He's going to bag the top marks, as it's cracked up to be, be the proud recipient of the highest honors, wide-eyed admiration and even envious glances. It's not yet officially happened, but it will nonetheless.

He secures his usual seat at the back of the classroom, from which he can see everything with his impeccably white eyes, from which he can observe both the meaningless and meaningful things his classmates do when the teacher has his nose on the blackboard. Sometimes he can even grasp the feeling of being all-seeing, like he can see through people's insides or anything at all. At which instances he will immediately furrow his brows, close his eyes and later dismiss it as a daydream or something that resembles it.

The teacher arrives, donned in flashy green suit, flashy smile and sparkling eyes. He greets the class with an energetic 'good morning' the same time an equally enthusiastic voice rises from the crowd, specifically from the front row, saying 'Gai-sensei, it's been a long while. I missed your lessons terribly,' no question, the voice is Rock Lee's. Not only is it energetic, but filled with love, respect and devotion a servant has for his great master.

Rock Lee at your service, most likely this year's salutatorian, the next best shot in the hierarchy of academics. Hard-working, charming in his own little ways and fruitful in his attempts. Unmistakably competent but falls an iota short of the Hyuuga's innumerable attainments. Over the course of his scholastic life, he has nourished himself on the thought of living in Neji's shadows, drawn strength from it, succeeded in everyone's eyes save for himself and Neji's. So far Neji has been his sole motivation for improvement except perhaps for Gai-sensei. In all likelihood, the whole school is going to elect Neji as president of the students' council this year, which goes to say that Lee should forget about pursuing the rivalry and which will most possibly cause him another heartbreak. Why does he always have to be behind Neji? Why does he always have to play second-fiddle to this noble-blooded, blank-eyed, word-thrifty, long-haired punk? Why does he trail after him, always?

But in Gai's measures, of course, Lee trails by no one. Of course, he's the best student Gai's known, the one with the fastest uptake, the one who works himself to the raw, the one he most sees himself in. He hasn't encountered anyone who actually enjoys the problem and thrill of not knowing what to do until Lee, who's an eager-beaver for learning, a whore to newfangled knowledge. Gai smiles at him with the same amount of love. As of this moment, Lee's eyes are welling with tears, tears of joy to be exact, at the sight of his mentor from whom he's been parted for two months. He has looked forward to this event as a release from prison. How he dreaded his summer vacation. The recollection of it, those days without Gai, almost makes him wring his hands.

'And I missed you too, Lee. I missed my dear students. How good it is to be back in the teaching fold!' Gai replies. 'Kindly get ready to jot down some notes, we're going to start the first lesson in a few moments.'

The Hyuuga frowns a little, knowing that the lecture any teacher is about to deliver is nothing he doesn't already know. Of course, he's a genius, not only self-proclaimed but classified as such by any red-blooded person in Leaf High School. A genius by anyone's admission, self-taught and very surprisingly good at that. His frown transforms into a sardonic smile. Ah, how predictable the world is, he thinks. How easy it is to look beyond the present and to tell the consequence just by posing the very question to one's rumination. It often bewilders him that people strive to veer from their destiny or even try to renounce its power. He takes strange pleasure from people's naïveté, from their denial to acknowledge their cruel destiny. But even more so, he takes immense pleasure when people fail to free themselves from its mesh. For Hyuuga Neji, Fate has always been the watchword.

The lesson ends, with Lee unsurprisingly beseeching Gai for class extension and showering the latter with praises. He obviously can't get over of how splendidly Gai managed to give his first lesson. Earlier this day, Gai had announced that he especially made a request to the principal to have this group as his advisory class, which the administration approved. Lee was apprehended with delight once again and felt more at liberty to press his luck with his sensei. Beside him is Tenten, who is currently sporting an exasperated look.

'Yeah, what a nifty idea.' Tenten scowls. 'Lee, go ask for another round sometime near the end of the semester. There's no need to take advanced lessons; this is just our first meeting after all.'

'But Tenten-'

'She's right, Lee. For now, we're maintaining the seniors' light load. Next semester is going to pare you guys down and I'm pretty sure you'll all be begging me for some extra meeting. So you just hold your horses, alright?' Gai says.

'Really, sensei? Oh I can't wait!' Lee roars, all rapt with attention.

'I'm sure you can't. I'll see you tomorrow, class.' Gai winks and marches to the door. Chairs scramble as the larger part of the class begins to weasel out of the classroom.

'Overdoing it again, aren't we Lee?' A deep, calm voice rings from behind Lee and Tenten.

'Neji! Stalled on the back seat again? I can tell you forgot to include your seating arrangement in your New Year's resolution.' Tenten smiles at him. 'Anyway, how was your vacation?' She wants so much to ask him why he never gave her a call, not a short once, during their summer vacation. She knew he would be staying at his residence then, poring over college books, taking tutorials, forgoing his family's awaited European trip just so he could continue his assiduous studies. A call, a few minutes of exchanging howdy-do's, wouldn't practically constitute an interruption, would it? She knows he'd be busy but still…it racks her brain just to think of it. Surely he has an excuse? A rational one, preferably.

'Fine, and you?' Neji says. Of course, he's trite as typical of him. On second thoughts, it would be better not to demand an excuse from him.

'I had a good time at my grandparents', thank you.' Tenten says, a little shocked, pleasantly however, that Neji returned her question. Usually he'd give her a monosyllable to feed on and abandon the conversation in midair. But today is…

'Well I'm glad to hear that, Tenten. I doubt if any of us would be able to skylark any more now that we're bound for college next year.' Neji says gravely.

'Skylark? I was just—'

'He's right, Tenten. We must redouble our hard-work from now on.' For sometime moved out of the picture, Lee intercedes as if to put an end to the seemingly elliptical conversation Tenten and Neji were having. Having taken over, Lee steers to his favorite subject; hard-work. 'We must impress our teachers, prove our critics wrong and conquer our rivals. That should be our motto starting today!' He finishes, full of spirit and energy.

'Yare-yare. It's always been your motto.' Tenten says, appealing to his humor.

Instead, Lee looks intently at Neji whose expression suddenly turns indiscernible amidst the brain-sucking silence. Lee is quite certain Neji knows that the challenge is addressed to him, only now he takes on a detached look thereby nullifying any response to Lee's words. Lee goes on holding his gaze at Neji, trying to figure out what sort of look that is. The second bell rings. They make haste to gather up their things and make their way out of the classroom. They amble past the corridors, which now stand understandably barren; classes have picked up again. At some point Tenten stops in front of a classroom door.

'Darn it, I'm late.' She mutters and peers inside where members of her class have settled on their respective seats. 'My next class is here. I'll see you later.' Tenten tells them.

'What's your last class?' Neji asks.

'Literature with Kakashi-sensei.'

'That's on 4th floor, right? I'll meet you at the door after or if not, I'll be at the cafeteria. Bye.' Neji says as she relieves them of her presence.

Yes, he actually offered to fetch her even though he did make it a little vague by including that he'll probably be in the cafeteria too. This makes Tenten smile to herself. Inside the class, she recalls when last year Neji would always ring her and ask her—in a very non-exhorting way which somewhat disappointed her-- if she could help him review in this or that subject. At first, she had the heart to weigh the pros and cons of going over to Neji's to study; she did, in fact, hesitate. The problem being, in submitting to Neji's proposal she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her own, but instead be averted by Neji's miasma-like presence or whatever he did. But then she agreed, said to herself that she'd give it a try and unfortunately loved the feeling of being near him even if it consumed a criminal lot of her time. Thereafter she would concede, too willingly, because that meant spending more time with him and that meant development, improvement, however you put it, in their oblique rapport. Never had refusal seemed so infinitely hard. During those sessions, break, if it occurred, was short and immediately afterwards she and Neji would resume their business. It never crossed her that she had always done what she could for him, didn't ask anything in return although she fervently wished for that one thing only but only accepted peremptory 'thanks' or any curt expression of gratitude. Come to think of it, Neji has never done anything in his power to make her thoroughly, equally thankful, satisfied and even happy. There were times when she felt banished from his warmth, as a friend, but to begin with he has always been cold. Will she always fawn after him, like this, pine after him? Pathetically? Will she just stay like this, as a function of his will, as an instrument of his self-centered growth? Maybe that's her fate. But maybe Neji decidedly changed that fate, which is why he took the initiative to meet her after class. Maybe.

Meanwhile, Neji and Lee route out the flight of stairs that leads to the 3rd floor.

'What's your next class?' Neji asks Lee.

'Same as yours. We're going to take all our subjects together this time.' Lee says, launching another trial on Neji's well-hidden opinion about this.

Neji stops in his tracks and glances at Lee without a word. Lee is very well aware of the thoughts running inside Neji's head and grins. 'What? You look funny.'

'How funny?' Neji replies coldly.

'Funny in a very creepy I'm-going-to-get-you-for-this kind of way.'

'Why?'

'Why what?'

'Why did you take up the same subjects as mine?'

'Neji, I actually have many reasons—'

'Am I supposed to be one of those reasons?'

'Of course. Did you expect otherwise? Neji, you know it's part of my dream.'

'Dream, huh? I can never understand your scheme of things. I think maybe you're overexerting yourself sometimes.' Neji says after a spell.

'Not beyond my limits.'

'There's a thick line between hard-work and genius. I just hope I get it right to you.' Neji says and gives Lee a snarky glance.

'Hay, Neji. You always garble on about stuff like that sometimes I'm starting to believe you. But you know, this year is going to be mine.'

'If it comes to that, I'll make myself scarce forever.'

'In that case, I'll take over.' Lee simpers, half-jesting while imagining a post-genius Neji life.

'Whoever says I'm going to let you take charge?'

'And in what respect are you in charge, pray tell Hyuuga?' Lee retorts. He only refers to Neji with 'Hyuuga' when he's all heated up.

'The past few years are enough testament. Forfeit the thought for your sake.' Neji says, aiming for the last laugh. 'Anyway this is a terrible conversation; it would really do us an ample good to clam up.'

'…' Lee purses his lips at these haughty words and swiftly feels he's being pinned down the ground by them. He has been so alone with that fear for so long now, the fear of having Neji to trump him in the race all over again. It simply seizes him like a whirlpool. Last year has been a mere replay of the years prior in which Neji snagged top honors among myriad others, while Lee stood in the background, consigned to silence and even bitterness. He can work himself to the bone as he can easily and certainly do; yes, in retrospect, he's been a more persevering, more optimistic pupil than Neji ever was. Not that Neji lacks in that department but the hitch is, Lee tends to do things in excess and that's what keeps him.

Only there's no telling if Neji won't be there to upset his aspirations yet again, a thought that Lee has been entertaining and anticipating for quite some months now. Lee sighs as if to blow away a whiff of dark clouds hovering before him.

'Here's our class, Lee.' Neji informs Lee who seems immediately lost in musing. 'Won't you sit with me at the back?'

'You know I never sit at the back. Why don't you go up front for a change then?'

'You know I never sit in front.' Neji says.

'Well, that's you; unyielding to the last. Anyway, we're late.'

They enter the classroom.

Despite Lee's casual desire to defeat Neji where grades are concerned, he and Neji are friends. Friends from the start, exclusively, friends when it comes right down to it. Some have said that they're like a chessboard, checkered with black and white squares; they never mix no matter how far up the ladder they come. One's zealous and illusory; the other, aloof, preoccupied and far removed. They hardly agree on anything and besides, the whole world knows they're at each other's throat, too proud to ever think of giving their fierce rivalry a rest.

Lee culls a chair at the first row, pulls out his notes and starts registering the lectures on the paper. As he listens to the teacher chattering away, he feels that something is over forever. I.e., that inferiority to Neji. It's going to take a 360 overhaul this year, mark it, he mumbles to himself. He's been to hell, been shown around and back; there's no way someone like him who's been through something like that would ever raise that stupid white flag. He will continue in fatal earnest to work, work triple times if needs be, to play his strongest card, to reinstate himself to the harshest methods of studying. All that to meet on equal footing with the genius, that Hyuuga.

TBC

A/N: Uh, how do I put this? I have forgotten how to write a fiction. That's it. And I incalculably owe it to this summer decadence which has turned me into a sloth. Damn. But come to think of it, I never really knew how to write fiction. Hence.

Anyway, next chapter is still pending but I already made up my mind to tackle Team Kiba. Pairings are still undisclosed but since I'm primarily a yaoi writer, there will be yaoi in this story. Thanks for reading.