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Disclaimer: Is Lee getting chased by Seme's that want him as their Uke? No? Then I don't own Naruto.
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Title: Angel or Devil
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Days of travel passed. Lee didn't know exactly what their mission was as Tobi never told him but he found that he didn't mind. The man was amusing- hilarious at time and just plain funny at others. The man was so funny and joyful; it soothed a deep part of himself that Lee didn't even know he had. Lee felt happy around Tobi in a way that let him feel as if the past didn't matter. It was strange too, to feel that so quickly. He could recognize now that he shouldn't be so trusting but something about Tobi was oddly familiar though he knew he never met the man before.
At night, they would both get wood for fire then Tobi would 'show off' his skills at hunting and bring back food. Usually it was berries as he said he couldn't kill the precious bunnies. Then Lee would go and bring back meat, already skinned so Tobi wouldn't have to see. It was a balanced meal in Lee's mind and he thought it was cute that Tobi didn't want to kill the animals. It made him happy.
Tobi would cling to him afterwards and that made him happy too.
He could barely believe that he found Tobi 'off' before and was hesitant about him.
Though...his shadows didn't seem to like him very much.
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"Tobi-kun?" Lee said as they stopped for another night. They'd been traveling for a little more than a week now and it finally made Lee curious as to what their mission was.
"Lee-chan!" Tobi chirped and Lee had to giggle at that. Like always, Tobi sounded so happy!
Lee smiled widely and turned to the man, "Ne, Tobi-kun, what are-TOBI!"
Lee's eyes widened in horror as a man dropped from the trees, more dropped behind him but Lee only had eyes for that one. Tobi turned and made a funny scream/yell sound as he lunged to the side to avoid the blade. Lee dashed forward and gripped Tobi's arm, yanking him behind him before throwing a kunai at the man's head. It hit but that one only one out of twelve.
Lee backed up, his arms slightly behind him as to make sure Tobi was still safe behind him. His heart pounded in his chest with fear then-
Lee gasped as fire came from above him but he stood still. The ninja's scattered but some got caught in Tobi's flames. It made Lee feel better though the smell of cooking flesh smelt oddly like barbeque and Lee –horrifyingly- felt his stomach tighten slightly with hunger. He pushed the though away and said, "Tobi-kun, I will take care of them. Please get somewhere safe."
The flames stopped.
"And let Lee-chan have all the fun? No way!" Tobi laughed but the sound brought Lee no comfort this time. He had no time to argue though as Tobi ran into the fray, terrifying him. Lee followed without a single thought for himself.
"Owie! That hurts Lee-chan!" Tobi squirmed, crying out as Lee took Tobi's arm. The man wriggled and rolled away, making Lee have to crawl after him.
"T-Tobi! Stay still! You are hurt!" Lee said, frustration welling up inside him, "And you are getting dirty!"
"But- but Lee-chan!" Tobi whined, still rolling until Lee suddenly lunged and fell on top of him. He prepared to dash away again but what he saw actually…surprised him.
"You- You are still hurt!" Lee exclaimed, his uncovered eye glassy with tears, "Just let me heal you! Let me-…please." Lee sniffled, shifting so his eyes would be covered in a way he hadn't let them for a few months now.
"I do not want to see you hurt." Lee said and it didn't matter that he had only met Tobi a week ago. Tobi had made him laugh and had been so nice. Lee didn't want to see any of his friends hurt and he couldn't stop thinking about that almost hit. Tobi could have been killed if he hadn't 'tripped'.
Lee didn't see 'Tobi' slowly reach for him, hesitate, then continue reaching. But he did notice the covered hand tangling in his bangs and push them back to reveal his entire face. An almost black flush covered his cheeks and Lee looked away, embarrassed that Tobi could see him and just how close he was –and still is- to crying. Lee sniffled then reflexively closed his eyes as Tobi's other hand came up and touched his cheek, brushing a tear with his thumb.
"…For me?" Tobi murmured, his voice surprisingly deep compared to normal.
"You- you could have died…" Lee whined softly, his cheeks darkening to black as the tears finally fell. He leaned into Tobi's touch on his head but the man seemed to tense. He finally looked up at him, trying to wipe his tears away. Suddenly, Tobi relaxed and helped him clean his face.
"Okay Lee-chan." Tobi said and Lee blinked in surprise.
"Y-you mean-"
"Please heal me."
"U-un!" Lee finally smiled again, bright and happy. He slipped his fingers into Tobi's sleeve and touched hidden bare skin.
It took everything he had to not show his shock.
Emotions – Deep pain but it didn't have a physical feel. There was sadness and a raging anger that felt old like he carried it for a long time. There was just a tiny bit of happiness though and some surprise too.
Injuries – There was the cut he wanted to take away but other than that, there was a surprising lack of injuries though Lee swore he saw Tobi get hit a few more times.
Kekkai Genkai – Sharingan, and they fit just like Itachi's had.
That was what had Lee struggling not to give anything away. Sharingan- an Uchiha; of course Tobi was an Uchiha, because Lee couldn't seem to get away from them even though he never wanted to see an Uchiha or even hear about them ever again.
…but…Tobi was so nice to him…
Lee sniffled again then closed his eyes and took whatever injuries Tobi had. He also pushed a little bit of peace towards the man because…because he finally decided and he could. Tobi tensed again before forcing himself to relax. Lee could read a new emotion 'Cautious'.
"Are you doing something, Lee-chan?" Tobi asked in that higher happy tone but there was no happiness that Lee could read now, just pain, sadness, anger, and that new cautiousness. The surprise wasn't there either. Lee made a little distressed sound, cutting off the peace, afraid that he upset his new friend. He looked down as if he'd already been scolded and nodded, officially miserable.
Since Lee hadn't thought to let go yet, he could see 'surprise' come back.
"What did you do, Lee-chan?" That deeper tone was back and Lee was slightly grateful to hear it. It somehow hurt to here happiness when he couldn't read any.
"I-…I gave you peace." Lee said, slightly squirming. He glanced back up at Tobi's mask but then ducked back down. He stared at where his left hand was clutching Tobi's cloak, his right hand still touching Tobi's skin. "I can read emotions when I touch and thanks to my Angel Branches, I can give you nice feelings as long as I am feeling them too."
"…And you gave me peace?" Tobi slowly asked
"U-Un…you-…you are so sad and angry." Lee said in halting words, biting his lip hard afterwards. Then he continued, "You have a deep pain and it hurts to see. I-…I wanted to help, even just a little. I-…I am sorry."
"Why?"
"B-because! You are my friend!" Lee burst out, his head jerking up slightly as he looked into the hole of Tobi's mask. The hand holding his hair followed so his face was still completely revealed and Lee felt oddly vulnerable, not being hidden but…
Tobi began to chuckle, slow at first and a slightly hard sound. It sent shivers through him. It wasn't the same laugh from before they started traveling but it gave him the same feeling that he wouldn't like the reason for it. Against his better judgment, Lee 'glanced' at Tobi's emotions again.
Deep pain, deep sadness, hidden raging anger; those were still the same but the others changed again. Amusement and interest were the newest ones and maybe Lee was getting better with his powers because the new emotions didn't seem all that friendly to him. Like before, Lee felt a strange hesitation about Tobi, like he should get far away from the man. Then he felt guilty for having such thoughts.
He finally pulled his hand out of Tobi's sleeve, not wanting to feel the emotions anymore, but then Tobi caught his wrist. Lee's breath hitched and a sick feeling welled in his stomach. He was uncomfortable and wanted to get away from Tobi. It felt horrible but he did, Tobi was starting to scare him.
His shadows crowded closer to him and he could hear Shikamaru whispering in his head, telling him that everything would be alright, that Lee could run at any time if he wanted.
Shadow Kabuto laughed at him.
"What else can you do, Lee-chan?" Tobi asked, staring into Lee's large, glassy eyes.
"Do?" Lee repeated, his brows tilting in worry and hidden fear, "Um…I can- I can show my memories." He had told Nagato that already so it should be okay to repeat? Why did he feel so hesitant? He just claimed Tobi as his friend but his instincts yelled at him to keep quiet unlike with Nagato.
He suddenly wished that Katsu was with him, or even…Itachi.
"Will you show me something?" Tobi asked with a slow tilt of his head. Lee pressed his lips together, ducking his head slightly and looking at Tobi through slightly pale lashes instead.
"…Okay." Lee said. He could do that, just one memory. A small one that didn't mean much…
Tobi released his wrist and Lee slowly slipped his hand into Tobi's sleeve again until his fingers touched skin. He hesitated for a moment, glancing at the masked man through his lashes once more before thinking of one of the nights on their mission. Somehow, he made it so Tobi wouldn't be able to see his shadows.
He…he didn't want Tobi knowing.
Tobi saw that night through Lee's eyes and it was like he was experiencing it firsthand. He heard everything and saw whatever Lee saw. He watched his own fumbling and comedic antics, his whining about 'bunny-chan' then the memory cut off before he could go to catch food as Lee. He blinked and had an amusing thought. Did Lee cut it off there because he'd said that he didn't want to hurt any animals before?
How funny…
Lee looked at Tobi, fighting not to squirm again. He got flashes of his emotions again and it sent another shiver through him. He took his hand away and quickly got up off the man. To cover up his want to step away, Lee offered his hand instead and Tobi took it. Lee pulled the man up then looked up at him. His arm stung where he took Tobi's injury, the bleeding had already stopped but Lee was oddly conscious of it now.
"Oh, Tobi-kun?" Lee suddenly said, privately eager to turn their attention onto a different topic, any topic, "What is our mission anyway. I wanted to ask before but then…well, we got attacked."
"Oh! Tobi never told Lee-chan! We are going to spy on Ichibi-kun!"
"Ichibi…kun?" The name seemed oddly familiar but Lee equated it to the fact Ichibi was one of the Tailed Demons. "Okay." He said, "Ichibi is in Suna, yes? We need a lot of water then!"
At least now he didn't feel so hesitant. Actually, he felt strangely eager.
Hmm…Suna…Suna…what was it about Suna that made him want to run there? Suna…Sun-
Gaara! Gaara was from Suna! He remembered Shikamaru telling him that! Oh! Now he was really excited! Maybe he could get more memories from one he called friend before?
But he was with Tobi…oddly; he didn't feel safe, trying to find Gaara with Tobi beside him.
He had to spy on the Ichibi anyway and that could get dangerous… Yes, he would meet Gaara another time when things were safer. For now, concentrate on the mission.
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