AN: This takes place before the start of the series, soon after Lee becomes a Genin. No actual shounen ai (since Lee is twelve in this story), but it's basically about his bond with Gai.
"One thousand three hundred and sixty-four…one thousand three hundred and sixty-five…" Maito Gai paused in mid-pushup to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his face and soaked into the dirt below. "One thousand three hundred and…"
A twig snapped in the nearby forest.
He froze, looked up and saw Lee standing near the edge of the clearing, half-hidden behind a tree.
Gai stood, wiped his brow with one sleeve and faced his student, hands planted on his hips. "What's up, Lee?"
Lee stepped forward. The twelve-year-old Genin wore his usual white tunic and dark pants, and he held his arms behind his back. "I am sorry, Gai Sensei. I did not mean to interrupt your training."
"No problem. You know I always have time for my students." He smiled and gave Lee a thumbs up. "Anything you need?"
"Nothing, really. I just wondered if I could train with you for awhile."
"You know it's spring break, right? All Genin are excused from training for the next week."
"I know. But…" He shuffled his feet. "I do not know what to do with myself when I am not training."
Gai chuckled. You really are so much like me. "Well, you're welcome to finish my morning workout with me, but I'll only be here for another hour. After that, I'm leaving Konoha."
"Leaving?" Lee's eyes widened. "Why?"
"It's just for a few days. I'm going camping in the mountains."
"Oh. Like a vacation?"
"I don't consider it a vacation so much as a form of training. Surviving in the wilderness is a powerful test of a man's abilities. That's why I don't intend to bring any provisions. I'll only eat what I can find."
Lee's eyes brightened. "It sounds exciting."
Gai nodded. "I do it every year. It makes me stronger."
"I will train extra hard, so when you return, I will be stronger too."
"Excellent! Er…but don't spend the entire break training alone, all right? Forging bonds with your fellow ninja is important. You should take this opportunity to spend time with your teammates."
"Everyone I know has other plans, it seems. Tenten is going away to visit some relatives, and Neji…well, he just said he is busy." Lee bowed his head, shoulders drooping. Then he looked up and gave Gai a strained smile. "But I am sure I will find ways to fill my time. I guess I will see you in a few days."
Gai cleared his throat. "Of course…if you really wanted, I suppose you could come with me…"
"Really? You'd let me?"
"Well, why not? You'll have to learn about wilderness survival at some point. This will give you a head start." He rotated one arm, stretching out the kinks in his muscles. "Just let me finish my workout, and we'll get ready."
An hour later, they left Konoha and set off toward the mountains, packs strapped to their backs. They'd each brought a change of clothes, a bedroll, a blanket, a canteen, half a dozen kunai apiece, and nothing more. They'd been walking for a few hours when Lee's stomach rumbled.
"Hungry?" asked Gai.
He nodded.
Gai led him to a shallow stream and crouched. "Then let's catch some breakfast."
"But we don't have a fishing line."
"A ninja makes his own tools, or improvises with what he has. Watch this." He pulled a kunai out of his pouch and held it over the stream.
For several minutes, he didn't move.
"Sensei, what…"
"Shh."
Lee covered his mouth with both hands and fell silent.
Another ten minutes went by. Then a pale, speckled fish swam past. The kunai moved in a blur. There was a splash, then Gai pulled the knife out of the stream. The fish flopped, impaled on the knife's point. "And that's how you catch a fish." He pulled the fish off the knife and set it aside. "Of course, there are other ways, but most of them waste chakra. If you're not in a hurry, this is the best method. All it takes is patience and precision."
Lee pulled a pencil and a small, well-worn notebook from his pocket. He flipped the notebook open and began writing as Gai continued: "This method also functions as a form of meditation and a test of self-discipline. You must learn to keep your mind focused, alert and free of distracting thoughts. You must be able to sit still for hours, if necessary, yet react instantly when you see a fish. Now, you try. Ready?"
Lee nodded and closed his notebook. "I'm ready." He took the knife and crouched.
Time passed. His legs began to tingle with the onset of numbness. He shifted, trying to ease the discomfort. A fish flitted past. Too late, the knife plunged down and splashed into the water, and the fish vanished. Lee bit his lower lip.
"Try again."
Lee took a deep breath and stared into the water, determined not to let his concentration waver. His empty stomach rumbled and whined. He felt Gai's eyes on his back. Sensei is watching me. I won't fail this time. He took a deep breath and peered into the water, straining his eyes, willing a fish to appear. His eyes soon grew tired. He blinked rapidly as they slid in and out of focus.
A fish swam past. Splash. The knife came down, then came up empty.
"Again," said Gai.
Lee crouched, staring into the stream. His legs hurt. His stomach hurt. When they'd first left Konoha, he'd looked forward to catching his own food, but now he began to wish they'd just brought lunch. A rice ball sounded really good right now. How long had he been sitting here, watching the stream? Two hours? Three?
A flash of scales roused him from his reverie. He stabbed, missing the fish by inches.
Lee stood and clenched his fists, breathing hard. He trembled with frustration.
"Easy," said Gai.
"Sorry," Lee mumbled. His shoulders sagged. "I'm no good at this."
"Did you expect to do it perfectly on your first try?"
"No…but…"
"I know it isn't easy," said Gai, his voice gentle. "You're tired and sore from holding that position for so long. You're getting hungrier and hungrier with each passing moment…and you're embarrassed because I'm watching you and you haven't produced any results. Is that right?"
Lee looked down, his cheeks hot, and nodded.
"But you have to set all that aside, because the more agitated you become, the more aware you are of the feelings in your body and the thoughts in your head, the more difficult your task will be."
"But it's getting late, and…"
"Don't worry about the time. It will take however long it takes. What matters is not the amount of time that passes or the number of times you miss. What matters is that you keep trying."
Lee took a deep breath and nodded. Crouching, he turned his attention to the stream once more. Everything else fell away as he relaxed his mind. He watched, breathing slowly, every fiber of his being focused on the task.
He saw a flicker of movement in the water and reacted like a machine: as soon as the fish's shape entered his field of vision, his hand snapped down. When he pulled the knife out of the water, he saw a wriggling silver fish impaled on its point.
Lee laughed aloud, leaped to his feet and jumped up and down. "I did it!"
Gai boomed out laughter. "So you did." He clapped Lee on the shoulder. "Good job, Lee."
Lee blushed. "Thank you, Sensei."
Later, after cooking and eating the fish, they resumed their trek through the forest. The mountains loomed ahead, gray, solid and big enough to fill the sky. Behind them, the fiery glow of sunset seeped through the trees as the trail led them higher, through the foothills.
"I hope you don't mind me being here," said Lee. "I don't want to be a bother."
"Nonsense. You're never a bother."
"I am glad you let me come with you. The truth is, I was dreading spring break a bit."
"Why's that?"
"Well, I do not have a family. I do not have many friends either. Whenever there is a break from training, I end up staying at home alone while everyone else spends time with the people they love. It is a little depressing. I do not mean to complain," he added quickly. "I am just happy not to be alone this time."
"Well, I'm happy to have you with me." He reached over and ruffled Lee's hair.
It was nice to have company, thought Gai. Communing with nature in solitude was all well and good, but one did get hungry for the sound of another voice after awhile…and he could never convince Kakashi to come with him.
They walked for a few minutes in silence. He felt Lee's eyes on him, and turned his head to see his student watching him with an odd, intent expression.
"You look as if you want to say something," said Gai. "What's on your mind?"
"Why are you so kind to me?"
"Why shouldn't I be? You're my student, after all."
"None of the teachers at the Academy ever gave me the time of day. Everyone told me I had no business training to be a ninja. No one has ever believed in me, until you. Why are you different?"
"There's a fire in you. I saw it in your eyes when you spoke of your dream. That fire—that will to succeed—is the most important quality a ninja can have, far more important than talent. If others can't see that potential in you, that's their own problem. Don't pay them any heed. You have remarkable potential."
"You mean that?"
"Of course."
"Really?"
"Absolutely."
"Really and truly, Gai Sensei?"
Gai laughed. Then he looked at Lee's solemn face, and his laughter faded. "I swear to you on my Way of the Ninja and everything I hold dear. I wouldn't say something like that if I didn't believe it."
Lee's eyes widened, then welled up with tears. He blinked them quickly away. "I will not disappoint you, Sensei! I promise! I will justify your faith in me no matter what it takes. I will work hard every day. I will work harder than anyone else in the whole world!"
Gai lay a hand on Lee's shoulder. "I know you will," he said quietly. He looked at the sky. "We should make camp soon. It's getting late."
After another few minutes of walking, Gai stopped and looked around. "This looks like a good spot." He took off his pack, and Lee followed his example. "Now, we're going to light a fire. You were watching when I made one earlier, weren't you?"
"Yes, Sensei. I think I remember how you did it."
"Good. This time, I want you to try."
Lee hesitated. If he'd known Gai would expect him to do it later, he would have taken notes. Too late now; he'd just have to try his best.
He scooped out a fire pit and gathered the kindling—dry grass, dry leaves, things that would burn easily. With his kunai, he sliced a flat piece of wood from a nearby tree and cut a groove into the wood, then rubbed a stick back and forth across the groove, as he'd seen Gai do before. No matter how hard or fast he rubbed, though, he couldn't seem to produce a spark.
The sun had gone down, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. The chill seeped through Lee's clothes and into his bones, and he began to shiver. He paused to blow on his cold-stung fingers, trying to warm them. Then he clenched his jaws and rubbed harder, determined to do this without help. He thought longingly of a cheerful, glowing fire, thought about warming his hands over the flames.
A spark leaped out and landed on the tinder nest, and a few minutes later, a campfire flickered.
Gai nodded with satisfaction. "Good work."
They ate some berries and wild mushrooms they'd gathered while they walked, while Gai pointed out each plant's properties and explained how to recognize it and differentiate it from the poisonous varieties. Afterward, they sat side by side in the warm glow of the fire.
Gai stretched his arms and sighed. "This is the life, isn't it? Just us and the wilderness and the wide open sky. This is what being a man is all about."
Lee watched his sensei from the corner of his eye. He was so handsome, so confident and strong. It still astonished Lee that someone like Gai Sensei had any interest in someone like him. Yet Gai believed in him. He said that Lee had potential. Maybe that meant he was worth something, after all. Maybe that meant he really could become a splendid ninja if he tried hard enough.
A cold breeze rustled Lee's hair. He shivered and rubbed his bare arms, wishing he'd worn something with longer sleeves.
"Cold?"
"A little."
Gai pulled a blanket from his pack and draped it around Lee's shoulders.
Lee couldn't have said why, but something about that simple gesture made him so happy he wanted to cry. A lump rose into his throat, and tears prickled at the corners of his eyes.
"Lee? Something wrong?"
He looked away, wiping his eyes with the back of one hand, and shook his head. "I'm fine."
They slept under the stars that night, nestled in their bedrolls. Lee woke before dawn, his bladder full and aching, and wandered into the nearby forest to relieve himself.
Once he'd finished, he hitched up his pants and fastened his belt…then felt a sharp sting in one hand and looked down to see a fat spider crawling across his wrist. Grimacing, he flicked his hand, and the spider flew off into the underbrush.
Lee returned to the campsite and studied his hand in the firelight. The bite itself didn't look too serious, but the skin around it itched and burned. He sighed. Maybe in the morning, he'd tell Gai Sensei about it, but it probably wasn't worth waking him up for.
Lee crawled back into his bedroll and closed his eyes.
-To be continued