Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, and am not making any profit.

A Nice Guy

Gai was in the Springtime of his youth. Of this, there was no question. Anyone who had held doubts were firmly convinced after the 10-mile, frozen-river, naked swimming marathon he had enthusiastically endured after his loss to Kakashi at ping-pong. Everyone agreed that Winter's Cold could not touch the heart of the Green Beast of Konoha.

Which was why it was so strange when the words "You're to blame for Sasuke's betrayal," fell from his mouth, with out any preamble or "eternal rival" nonsense. The hurtful words, the stance of his body, the hard look of his face were the epitome of unyouthfullness.

Kakashi said nothing, standing perfectly still with his back turned to the spandex-clad warrior. A civilian observer might have thought he was ignoring Gai—which on a usual day was a common state of affairs. But a ninja would have noticed the way Kakashi held his breaths a wee bit longer before releasing them than normal, or the slight narrowing of his visible eye.

"Fight me now, or be named a traitor yourself."

He almost couldn't finish the sentence before Kakashi's fist connected with his right cheek.

Their fight was the most brutal show of taijustu Konoha had ever witnessed between two ninjas of the same village. It was made all the more bloody that Gai didn't truly fight back, or even block his competitor's attacks properly.

And when it was over, and Gai's bruised arms strained to keep his broken face above the grit of the road, Kakashi bent down and quietly whispered, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, my rival," Gai struggled to say past bloody teeth. "And while the fight maybe yours, the challenge to break your brooding silence is clearly my victory. Our rivalry is still at a tie."

Kakashi did not respond, but as his eye crinkled into a slight smile, Gai decided this type of silence was much more youthful than the kind his rival had lapsed into since Sasuke's defection. This realization, of course, sent Gai into a water-fall-of-tears display in front of a setting sun, and Kakashi quickly evaporated into the gathering crowd to avoid any uncomfortable over-sentimentality that Gai's presence seemed to demand.

Gai felt a tug on his wrist, and looked to see—of all people—Mitirashi Anko trying to help him rise, with Kurenai lifting his other arm. When at last he could finally stand on his wobbly legs, a sharp-smiled Anko said, "Did anyone ever tell you that you were a nice guy?"

Gai, on the verge of losing consciousness, made sure to give both ladies a sparkly thumbs-up before passing out between them.

Author's Note: I know that unyouthfullness isn't a real word—it's a Gai word.