(Part 4. I hope I'm doing okay keeping Lee in character so far. I hope you enjoy! I own nothing but my OC.)
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"Oi! Naomi-chan! Mind if I join you?" Lee called, rushing up to the bench where Naomi sat enjoying the rice balls she had packed for her lunch.
Seeming at first, a bit surprised to see him, Naomi nodded and moved her lunch box to make room for her dear friend.
"Of course, Lee. Although...shouldn't you be getting to know your new teammates?" She asked a bit hesitantly.
Lee shrugged. "We will be meeting together later with Gai-Sensei. Besides, since we have now graduated and have not been assigned to the same squad, this will be the last time we can be together like this." He smiled back at her though there was a slight sadness in his eyes as he spoke.
Naomi's smile fell a bit as well as if the reaization had just hit her. "Oh yes...I forgot." Jaw tensing slightly, she raised her tea thermos for a drink.
"So...what are you looking forward to most as a Genin?" Lee asked as he pulled the lid off of his bento bowl.
Glancing over at him, Naomi shrugged. "I suppose...going on missions with my new squad and mastering more of my clan's techniques. Also Kanaye-Sensei seems nice. He is said to be exceptional with his chakra control."
Lee nodded through a mouthful of rice, pork and pickles. "I am too am looking forward to proving myself on missions and with Gai-Sensei as our leader I am sure I will soon become one of the greatest Taijutsu ninja masters ever!" He excitedly pumped a fist in the air, accidentally tossing a bit of food into the air as he did so.
A short gasp burst from Naomi as she ducked to avoid being pelted by the piece of picked radish that almost hit her in the face.
"Oh! Sorry, Naomi." Lee apologized sheepishly, his face turning a bit pink in embarrassment as he settled back down on the bench with the rest of his lunch.
Recovering from her surprise, Naomi started to laugh. "It is all right. I am sure with Gai-Sensei as your leader you will soon be greater than many of us."
Lee nodded his head in reply. "And you too! Your special genjutsu technique is amazing and you've always done very well at the academy."
At this, Naomi only shrugged, her smile faltering slightly. "Thanks Lee. But...I still wish we were assigned to the same squad." She murmured, lifting her rice ball to take another bite.
Humming in agreement, Lee took another spoonful of his lunch. "Me too. I will miss training with you and just talking to you too once we both leave the village with our separate teams." Without thinking about it, he took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"You've always been such a great friend, Naomi."
Naomi's smile widened at that. "Thank you, Lee. I-I consider you my very...best friend too." Her cheeks flushed pink a bit with her admission and Lee returned her smile.
"Then let us make a solemn promise to each other, Naomi-Chan! Let's promise to both work really hard with our own squads and never give less than our best during every mission. Then one day once we've become much stronger than we are now, we will meet again and have a long-awaited reunion...with a rematch to see who has become the strongest!" Lee bounced a bit on the bench in his excitement and Naomi giggled at enthusiasm for his idea.
"A reunion with a rematch..." She pondered for a moment before nodding and squeezing back on Lee's hand to show her enthusiasm for his proposal. "I will be looking forward to it, Lee, and I promise I will work hard! So hard you may not even recognize me when we have that meeting!"
Now it was Lee's turn to laugh. "I will do the same, Naomi. So it is a promise then?" He asked in confirmation.
Naomi paused for a second. Looking down at where their hands were still together, she gently wiggled her hand free before extending her pinky out to Lee, curling the rest of her fingers in towards her palm.
"It is a solemn promise." She responded, feeling her cheeks heat up again when Lee almost immediately wrapped his pinky around hers in the universal oath making sign.
"Our promise."