Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
A/N: Tried to capture Lee's voice here… I think I did okay… remember, this is the "youthful" yet "insightful" Lee we're talking about.
WARNING: Angst ( but it's beautiful... :whimpers: )
THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!
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MELODRAMATIC SUMMER
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The beginning of summer is supposed to be a time of celebration. Spring heralds new life and blossoming romance; allowing summer to peacefully enjoy the fruits of those new beginnings. Summer means a break from the usual; an escape from the mundane.
It is a carefree, joyful time of year. Children enjoy the extra long days of play; the warmth of the summer sun and the youthfulness of feeling free. Adults enjoy the peacefulness of the season; and the long lazy days it promises. Even in the shinobi world, where peace and lazy-days are an ever illusive dream, summer is a time of year when things slow down enough that a ninja can enjoy a little time of leisure.
It is supposed to be a happy time; a time of pleasant memories, and dreams becoming reality. Summer is when the world is practically beaming in happiness, that it almost feels like it is smiling. It is supposed to be… but not this summer.
This summer, was different.
Only three days into the season, and already it was unlike any other summer Lee had ever experienced in the entirety of his 19 years of life. (1)(2)
After his discussion with Neji, the day before the festival, Lee had felt inside himself, that something big was about to occur. He had hoped it meant that his advice to the prodigy might have actually broken through his rival's thick veil of stubbornness, and that maybe Neji would finally accept his true feelings for the precious flower of their team.
Lee had never expected what came next…
"Poor Neji-kun." Lee gazed skyward as he remembered the events leading up to this moment.
He had doubled back after he had left Neji in the clearing. Just as Lee expected, Neji had still been sitting in the same position; a serious look on his face, as if the prodigy were taking the matter they had discussed into deep consideration. Later that evening, Lee had gone to the Hyuga compound to see if Neji would join him in welcoming the summer festival. Really, that had been the excuse Lee had come up with to try and see if he could get his teammates to eat dinner with him, before he would oh so subtly make up a reason to return to his home, leaving Neji and Tenten alone together.
However, his plan had sadly not been meant to be.
Upon arriving at the Hyuga compound, Lee had been informed by Neji's young cousin, Hanabi, that she had seen Neji and Hinata leaving in the direction of the village. Hanabi further disclosed that Neji had been dressed in elegant attire, and that, as far as she knew, he was not going to be joining Hinata and Kiba on their youthful outing that evening. Lee had been very pleased to hear that, believing that it could only mean Neji had dressed up in hopes of seeing the flower of their team. It delighted Lee greatly to think that his best friend and rival had taken his words to heart and finally decided to profess his undying love for their beloved Tenten.
Though usually not the nosy type, Lee had been unable to quell his peeked curiosity. For far too long, he had eagerly anticipating the blossoming love between his two best friends; thus, he could not resist running after Neji to see the initial blossoming of their affection.
Oh how it had broken his poor little heart to witness Neji's spirit crushed at the sight of their beloved teammate in the arms of another man. And not just any other man; but a man, no the only man, that Neji could not possibly confront. Neji had been used to intimidating other males who would show an interest in their precious flower; but for once, he had found himself faced with a man who it was not only impossible to intimidate, but whom Neji could not even attempt to intimidate; lest it would be consider an act of war or an act of treason, or at the very least, an affront to the Konoha-Suna alliance.
It probably hit the prodigy harder, knowing that Gaara had been thinking of their precious flower only hours earlier, when they had come upon the Kazekage as he was walking to his temporary residence with Kankuro and Naruto.
At the time, Lee had not thought much of the fact that Gaara had uttered Tenten's name; though it had surprised him that Gaara would remember the kunoichi's name, as he had always before only referred to her as the "bun-haired girl." (3) It was no secret to Lee that Gaara had little desire to remember other people's names; it had taken all of Lee's efforts just to get the red-head to remember his name. To think that Gaara would have taken notice of Tenten, and to remember her name… Lee was unsure what to think. He could not image how that had come about; what's more, Lee was no longer certain of how the kunoichi felt. He had always been certain that it was Neji whom Tenten had loved; but seeing her with Gaara… Lee did not feel he knew anything any longer.
In truth, if he had not been there at that time, Lee would not have believed it himself. Whispers about the couple had immediately begun to circulate the following morning; many casting doubt on whether perhaps the pair was romantically involved. He had wanted to ask one of them himself, but in the subsequent days, it had become impossible for Lee to find either of them; according to the rumors, they would sneak off in the early morning hours, to be private on their own.
This just further ignited the questions of whether they were in fact dating.
"Gai-sensei…" Lee whispered to himself; wishing his mentor was not as busy with his festival duties as he was, so that he could give the young shinobi some sound advice. "What will become of your unfortunate Neji-kun?"
Hiding behind a large tree, Lee watched as his devastated teammate sent yet another training post shattering into a million little pieces.
That was how it had been since then. Though outwardly Neji appeared to be his usual ice-cold self, on the inside, Lee could see the tormenting anguish the white-eyed prodigy was suffering through.
Each morning, Neji would wake up early, rushing to the clearing to train. But it really wasn't training. No; he wasn't working to improve himself, Neji was working to ride himself.
Of what?
It seemed to Lee that Neji was attempting to rid himself of… himself. Of the love he felt, of the pain he suffered, of the loss he had earned. It was as if he were trying to erase what he felt; trying to train away his love for the kunoichi.
Trying to stop loving her… To not love her.
Neji was a proud man; but he was a man nonetheless. Even with his many years of practice; with his life of discipline; even being the expert that he was at hiding his true self, Lee was certain that even Neji could not continue on in that manner for very long.
Finally, on the third day it happened. Neji's icey façade at last crumbled. The stone wall he had become; devoid of emotion, in the end, came crashing down. He had been broken, but the pieces had not shattered…
Until now…
"Why?" The devastated Hyuga fell to his knees; his whispered cry carrying the weight of his heart, as chilling tears slowly streamed down his anguished face.
He wasn't sobbing, or whimpering, or gasping for breath like one does when the pain so consumes them that they become overwhelmed and the emotions can not help but to come bursting out. No; Neji's tears were different. They were silent; like him. They were furious, but at the same time, they were seeped in a feeling of hopelessness and longing.
Lee had said he would be happy for Tenten if she found a prince who would love her the way that she deserved to be loved; a man who would be unafraid to tell her how much he loved her.
He had said that; but he had not believed it would come to that. He had thought that Neji was that one and only prince; and this confirmed it.
Lee knew from the start that Neji had loved her; but he never imaged that his friend's love for the girl was so intense that he would lose himself in the emotion of loving her so deeply that it hurt him to not love her.
It pained Lee to see Neji suffer so profoundly, but there was nothing he could do. It appeared that Neji had lost his opportunity, and now he was regretting it.
But Lee… he refused to accept this was it. Somehow, he was certain that Neji would find a way; that in the end, love had to triumph over it all; it just had to…
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TBC
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A/N: For once… I have nothing to say…
FOOTNOTES:
(1) Summer started on June 21st (for those of us on the Northern Hemisphere), so it's actually been 5… but I wanted to timing in this story to coincide around the start of summer and the start of the festival… no particular reason… just felt like it.
(2) Well, I'm doing my math… if I said piece began 5 years ago… and Gaara became Kazekage 4 years ago… So if the chunnin exams were when the rookie 9 (who are Gaara's age) were 12-13, I'm roughly estimating that Gaara became Kazekage at age 14, so he's 18 now… so team Gai is 19. (Anyone think my math is wrong?... I'm a law student, we don't do math… so I don't mind being corrected… lol)
(3) "bun-haired girl"… I was going to make it "panda girl" but then I needed more explanation to it, so I just left it as "bun-haired girl"… but I might have him call her "panda girl" later on…lol…
