A/N: Please accept my sincerest apologizes. Due to some personal struggles I have dealt with in the past year I have found myself unable to write with the enthusiasm I once had. I am recovering the best to my abilities and working towards finishing the story with a lot more ideas to add to it. ^^ I hope you'll forgive me for such the large absence.
#
The cool morning air felt crisp and harsh against the young Hyuuga heiress' face. Neji had already been gone a week. He said he'd only be gone a week.
"If you really feel so compelled to know, feel free to ask Hiashi-Sama. I'm sure he won't hold anything back, but I would prefer if you didn't know at all."
There had been several moments she could've asked her father but fear racked her mind and prevented her from speaking. If Neji wouldn't tell her himself it must've been horrible, and that just made the girl all the more worried.
She would trust in her cousin to tell her when he was ready.
Hinata exited the compound and walked around the village for an hour or two, going through some stores and stopping for lunch at Ichiraku. She had hoped that Naruto would show up so she could try to talk to the blonde knucklehead but with no luck. She sat and ate her small bowl of ramen, getting flustered every time the beautiful daughter of Teuchi, Ayame, would talk to her.
"So, Hinata-san, is your team on a break right now? I've noticed a lot of the chunin had been getting worked to the bone, poor Naruto-kun's only been by three times this week." She giggled as she leaned over the counter and set her chin in her palm.
"O-Oh yes. We're waiting for our next mission now. Thank you for asking." She bowed her head quickly before bringing a napkin to her mouth as she took another bite of the thick noodles. The sound of others entering the stall made the girl turn and look over as Sakura and Tenten appeared behind the Hyuuga heiress.
"There you are!" Tenten smiled widely as she sat down next to the blue violet haired girl.
Sakura sighed and stuck some hair behind her ear as she sat on the other side of the Byakugan using kunoichi. "You're almost as hard as to find as Kakashi-sensei, I mean really."
The girl flustered, she had forgotten that she'd agreed to hang out with her fellow kunoichi once she had free time.
"I apologize, I-I've just been so forgetful lately, please forgive me I-" The Hyuuga panicked in a higher tone as she kept turning between the two girls. Sakura laughed and cut the shy, timid girl off.
"Oh wow, no it's okay Hinata." The pinked haired girl looked over at the Hyuuga heiress with kind, heavy eyes. "You've been worrying over Neji-san, haven't you?"
Tenten clenched her fists on the counter as Hinata slumped in her seat slightly. Her lavender eyes shining with a glossy wetness. She whispered as she stirred her noodles with her chopsticks. "He said he'd only be gone a week. He wouldn't even tell me what happened."
Ayame took that as her cue to leave. She went back to cooking and let the three shinobi have their privacy.
Tenten sighed and rubbed Hinata shoulder, giving the girl a knowing look. "It's gonna be alright. Neji has always been stubborn, you know that. Plus he's got Lee with him, he's gonna be fine."
Sakura nodded in agreement and gave the shy girl a playful shove. "Plus how do you think he feels? He doesn't wanna look weak in front of you. He's gotta be the big strong man right?" She added a small laugh to the end to lighten the mood.
Hinata nodded, she knew her friends were trying to cheer her up and she really did appreciate it, but this was something different. Neji had never been stubborn with her after they got close, if she asked he would tell her. And the way he'd looked at her the night before he left made her shiver. He looked as if he was staring down a beast, the fearful and hollow eyes he had were not Neji's. Something horrible must've happened to him, something so horrible he couldn't tell anyone, ever her.
The girl was shaken out of her thoughts by the two girls calling her name and jerking her shoulders. She blinked and felt the warm tears running down her face. Hinata squeaked in surprise and was blushing as Sakura quickly wiped her eyes with a clean napkin.
"Hinata-chan, are you okay?" Tenten asked, the Hyuuga heiress was one of the most precious people to her teammate and the weapons specialist kunoichi hated to see her upset.
"I-…I-I'm sorry, Hanabi-chan would make fun of me for crying so easily." She giggled through her tight throat. Sakura gave her a tight hug and shh'd her.
"No, you can cry as much as you want, silly." The pinked haired girl and brunette both nodded and Hinata felt the tears come thicker now.
"…Y-You guys…" She whimpered.
After the three had calmed down and Hinata had managed to stop crying, the other two ordered something to eat. The kunoichi ate and laughed, talking about their latest missions and how the Kiba and Shino would not stop fighting lately or how Naruto had unfortunately taught Sai that pranking people brought them closer together.
"We must've washed his hair for three hours, it wasn't coming out. Kakashi-Sensei hadn't been able to stop laughing even after like ten minute straight. So now it's still got this weird yellow-green tint to it." Sakura explained Sai's most recent prank against the poor blonde knuckle head. Her words were mixed in with her laughing as Tenten giggled, imaging how silly Naruto must've looked.
"He's alright though, right?" Hinata asked, a bit concerned for the blonde shinobi. Sakura nodded and waved her hand.
"Poor idiot is just gonna have green hair for a while."
The three calmed down and finished off their food. They paid and walked around the village together, spending the rest of their day off shopping and giggling.
"Oh! I just realized, where's Ino-san?" Hinata asked as they sat, eating sticks of dango outside one of the less popular training sites. Sakura turned and smiled.
"Don't worry, she's still on a mission with her team, they're in Suna still." The Hyuuga sighed; thankful they hadn't left the blonde girl out of their fun.
Hinata was chewing on a green tea flavored dango when she noticed Tenten had been staring at her. The bun haired girl had been doing it a lot actually. The Hyuuga heiress didn't think anything of it but it looked like the weapons specialist really wanted to say something.
"Tenten?" Hinata asked, confused by the girl's change of her usual happy relaxed attitude.
The bun girl jumped, not realizing she'd been caught staring. Sakura turned and looked at Hinata and then to Tenten, the panda girl flustered slightly.
"S-Sorry. I was just wondering if I could ask you something…" Hinata nodded and placed her hands in her lap, looking over at her friend with a steady gaze.
Tenten felt sort of guilty asking Hinata this, but she needed to know for sure. "…Has…Has Neji been weirder than usual? After our mission he'd been kind of out of it…I'm worried he didn't process everything correctly, ya know? He's been more aggravated lately, and now he's gone to the place up north with Lee. I dunno, I just wanted to see if you'd noticed a change or if maybe I'm over thinking all this?"
The bun girl trailed off, her voice growing quiet. It was obvious the girl cared for her team mate, the mission had been difficult for all of them but she didn't know what had happened to the Hyuuga for those hours he was missing. She knew if anyone, Neji would be able to handle anything the best but that didn't calm her worrying. Lee said he'd take care of the older Hyuuga but the kunoichi was just stuck waiting to see what would happen to the long haired male.
Hinata just smiled and moved over to the other shinobi and hugged her friend. "I'm glad Neji-Nii-San has such wonderful friends. Thank you so much. I'm sure Nii-san will get better soon, no matter what is bothering him."
Sakura join in on their hug and nearly knocked the three of them over onto the ground. Tenten muttered in a jokingly choking voice. "Hinata-chan, your boobs are suffocating me."
The Hyuuga yelped and quickly stepped back, apologizing quickly only making the two other girls laugh.
Sakura smiled widely and giggle along with Tenten. The pink haired girl suddenly perked up, remembering something and her smile widened into a wicked grin. She turned to the bun haired kunoichi and spoke in a sinister whisper.
"Tenten, we haven't told her about where we found Neji-san." She ended in a giggle and Tenten thought for a moment before jumping in her seat a bit. "Oh right, we totally forgot!"
Hinata just glanced between the two girls, hugging her chest as she tried to follow. Her wide lavender eyes blinked as her head tilted a bit.
"Ino's gonna kill me for telling you when she's not here but…" Sakura started and lifted her finger as she face the Hyuuga heiress. Her eyebrows furrowed in a comic seriousness. "We found a certain Nii-san of yours in another's bed, sleeping next to them."
Hinata took a moment to process the words and then her entire face turned a dark red. She waved her arms in front of her as if to move the words away, she stuttered quickly and her voice rose in pitch. "N-N-No, Nii-san is n-not that kind of man. H-He's very res-sponsible, He w-w-ouldn't, not t-that!"
Tenten smirked as Sakura belt out in a loud laugh, holding her stomach. "You'll never guess who's bed either."
The bun girl paused for effect as Hinata had a minor heart attack, the poor flustered girl's brain running a mile a minute. "The one and only….Rock Lee!"
Hinata felt a bit faint and sat down, steadying herself on the bench. Her face growing even darker red. The kunoichi's voice came out as confused squeak. "N-N-Nii-san and L-Lee-san?"
Sakura had calmed down and wiped her eyes. "Don't worry, they were both mostly clothed."
The two girls laughed a bit more as Hinata slapped her hands over her face, hiding her embarrassment.
Tenten perked and stopped laughing; remembering something else and a light blush filled her face. She turned to the pink haired shinobi and spoke in an excited whisper. "Hey, I'd forgotten to tell you this but listen…"
She saw Hinata part her fingers and peek through at the other two girls. Tenten grinned and continued. "Lee's gonna kill me if he finds out I told but…He told me they kissed a few nights before they left."
Sakura's cheeks turned the color of her hair as Hinata felt like she was really truly going to faint. Sakura's voice rang out a bit too loud and nearby bird flew from the trees. "H-How could you keep that a secret for so long?!"
Hinata's voice just came out in an embarrassing squeak. Tenten just nodded and continued, her lips pointed in a wicked smile. "Lee would've killed me if I told Hinata before Neji-san left, You know she can't keep secrets from him."
Hinata just wanted to disappear, her eyes squeezing shut as her ears turned a crimson hue. She couldn't believe her cousin of all people would be in that type of relationship with a teammate.
"B-But why Lee-san?" Hinata stuttered out, bringing her fingers down from her eyes as she looked over at her friends. "He's never been …i-interested in anyone before."
Tenten shrugged and let her chin sit in her palm. "I dunno, 'cause any time I'd try to flirt with him he'd shoot me down. Maybe he's just gay, wouldn't surprise me, he spends more energy on his hair than being nice to people."
Sakura just sat, still a bit stunned by the new information and a bit uneasy in her stomach. She and Lee had grown close over the last few years, why wouldn't he have told her if he liked someone else.
The two girls continued their conversation, Hinata shaking her head quickly. "No, no I don't think that's it. I'm pretty sure he's shown interest in girls before. He's just not really open about…you know…that stuff." Hinata felt her face boiling again.
"What girls?" Tenten laughed and glanced over at Sakura, who'd been quiet for a few moments. The bun haired girl blinked at the strange look on her friend's face.
"Sakura, you alright?"
The medical kunoichi perked up and blinked at her friend's question. "What? Oh yeah, sorry just thinking."
Tenten smirked widely and sang in a teasing tone, leaving Hinata to curl in on herself as she felt her ears going to burst. "About Neji and Lee, K-I-S-S-I-N-G~"
#
The restaurant was quiet as Neji sneezed, his hand covering his face as he did so. The Hyuuga blinked and returned his attention to the shinobi across from him.
"Sorry about that." Lee just smiled and laughed a little.
The two were grabbing something to eat before heading out to grab some supplies. Neji was defiantly feeling better, more confident. Rock Lee could swear he saw that shine in the lavender eyes once again. It was so reassuring the tanned shinobi felt like falling to the ground.
"Hello there, sorry for the wait." A young waitress walked over, Lee's eyes watching as her hand reached out and set itself on the Hyuuga's shoulder. The two shinobi paused for a moment as the waitress just continued, not noticing the tense air.
"What can I get you two to drink?" She tilted her head before grabbing her pad of paper, her hand leaving Neji's shoulder.
Lee slowly looked from her to Neji, expecting to see a shaken look on his face. But the green-loving Chunin was taken back to see a small tugging at Neji's lips. The Hyuuga stood and leaned over the counter, grabbing Lee's wrist.
Turning to the waitress, the Hyuuga wore an expression Lee'd only see a hand full of times. "Sorry, I've just remembered something important, thank you."
The two shinobi exited the store rather loudly, grabbing the attention of on lookers. Neji was dragging Lee through the middle of town, his legs picking up speed. The Chunin obviously had no trouble keeping up but he was still confused at what was going through Neji's head. The Jounin's hair was starting to whip behind him as Rock Lee started to run next to the Hyuuga.
A sense of rush running through the green-lover as he glanced over at the pure expression of happiness across Neji Hyuuga's face. As much as the modest Hyuuga could manage, a smile pulling at his lips.
They reached the edge of the hot spring district and ran through the back woods, the thin forest covered in rocky ground and changing levels of elevation. Neji's fingers hand intertwined with Lee's now and he continued up the large hill, seeing an opening in the trees. The Hyuuga came to a halt, the Chunin skidding a bit front the abrupt stop.
The opening in the trees had lead to a small cliff overlooking the surrounding mountains. The sun was high in the sky, starting its decent, and the bright blue sky without a cloud for miles out. The starting leaves of fall were tinting with hues of orange and red off in the distance. The mountain valleys dropped and rose in mostly even patterns, almost like a circle around the village. The land of Hot Springs to the front and the land of Fire behind them. A sort of utopia cut off from the stresses of the rest of the world.
Neji's eyes flickered over the scenery, his chest feeling much too tight and he inhaled deeply. Why was something as simple as a hand on his shoulder making him this happy? He hadn't felt anything, no panic, no fear. Mostly annoyance for a stranger touching him but that was normal for the Hyuuga. Maybe he really was better, just maybe. Even if he'd made the smallest amount of progress he was jubilant.
Neji sighed softly and let his smile dull just a little. A content tug at the corners of his lips was the only thing Lee could focus on. The Hyuuga gripped the other's hand tighter and his eyes started to water. Rock Lee jumped and moved closer to the Hyuuga, the heavy, warm air blew past them in light puffs.
"Are you okay?" Lee asked, holding Neji's other arm in his hand as he tightened his grip on the Jounin's hand in return. To both of their surprise the Hyuuga let out a choking laugh. His hand coming up to wipe his teary eyes.
"I've been crying much too much lately for my liking." He shook his head and blinked his watery eyes. The Hyuuga took another deep breath and moved his gaze over to Lee's worried eyes. "I'm fine, just a little too excited I suppose."
The Chunin couldn't help the wide, goofy grin that shaped his mouth. "You can cry out of happiness, there's nothing wrong with that." He chuckled and added, tilting his head to the side just a bit. "Gai-Sensei and I do as often as we eat."
Neji let out a soft laugh at that, one of the most beautiful sounds Lee'd ever heard. The Hyuuga shook his head a litte more, mumbling through his smile. "You and Gai aren't normal, you don't count."
"What? I'm normal." Lee pouted, unconsciously moving closer to the Hyuuga, pulling Neji's arms towards him. The Jounin only laughed more and cocked his brow, staring at the other shinobi.
"You are anything but normal, Lee." Neji's brow raised just a bit as he felt their noses brush against each other. Their sudden closeness obvious to both of them now. When had this become normal? They'd grow so close so quickly, Lee'd become something Neji never thought he'd have.
Lee couldn't help but smile at the slight flush of the Hyuuga's face. The tense air was growing heavier as the two stared at each other. The Chunin didn't move any closer, his hand moved down Neji's other arm so he was holding both of the Hyuuga's hands. The Jounin's lavender eyes moved slowly down to their hands, the wind moving pieces of his hair into his face.
"You're so pretty." Lee spoke as he stared down at their intertwined fingers as well, moving up as Neji glared at him.
"Don't call-"
"-men 'pretty'. I know, I apologize."
Neji's eyes widened slowly at Lee. When had this happened?
Lee had been the anchor Neji needed when he actually needed someone for once. He'd taken Neji's changing mood and attitude. Done everything with a thick skin and repeatedly gone out of his way to help the Hyuuga. And how could he ever repay Lee.
"Why me?" The question seemed to come out of nowhere to the Chunin. Lee tilted his head and lowered his brow in confusion.
"What'd you mean?" He asked, not sure if Neji was asking a direct or rhetorical question.
Neji felt his throat grow tight and he swallowed before he repeated his question. How could anyone in their right mind fall for a hard headed 'genius' with a superiority complex? "Why me? Why did you fall in love with me?"
"Neji, I already told you-" Lee was baffled where this was coming from. They'd already talked over this before they'd traveled to the hot spring village. They'd been outside the wall of Konoha and stayed out until it grew dark.
"No, why me?" Neji pulled his hands from Lee and stared at the chunin with a sad expression Lee couldn't place. The Hyuuga's voice was raising, sounding hurt as he spoke. The Jounin was pouring words from his mouth too quickly for his head to keep up with. "You could've had anyone, any girl really, in the entire village. You're horribly caring and faithful. You could've had Sakura if you really wanted. I know you, quitting just because it's hard isn't something you do. So, why?"
"Why would you pick me, of all people?" Neji questioned as he felt like his heart was going to jump from his chest. Why was such a simple question also so complicated? The Hyuuga needed to know why, it didn't make any sense that Lee would put so much effort in to him. When had he ever been really nice to Lee, or kind? They'd been team mates but anything other than that Neji had been close to cold and still much too harsh.
Rock Lee stared at the other man, silent as he looked over the conflicted Hyuuga. The Chunin dropped his shoulders and smiled sadly.
"I didn't go after Sakura-Chan because I would not ask anyone to settle for me. I want to love someone with my whole heart and hope that they would do the same for me. Sakura-Chan had already given that to Sasuke and if I had somehow been able to be with her, I would always know that I was second." Lee's voice was quiet; the past hurt was visible in his eyes. The Chunin paused for a moment so he could take one of Neji's pale porcine hands in his bandage cover ones. He held the Hyuuga's hand between his palms and held it up between the two of them.
"But with you, there is so much more that a blind crush. You were, first, my rival. I pushed myself to be better so I could prove myself to everyone, and you. You made me a better person without even trying. Isn't that what a relationship should be about, making each other better people?" Lee let out a breathy laugh as he stared down at the Jounin's pale fingers. Finger trained with deadly, perfect accuracy, which could kill a man with a single brush. Neji had calmed down and was watching Lee's changing expressions as he spoke.
"Then we became friends and every time we were together I could think of no one I'd rather spend my time with. There was no one else who pushed me, and would tell me when I need to stop being so obnoxious, though I rarely listened. And somewhere along the lines you became so much more than a rival or a good friend. You became my best friend." The Chunin tightened his grip on Neji's hand and moved himself closer to the Hyuuga, their arms pressed between their torsos as Lee leaned his face towards the Hyuuga's. Their forehead touched as the bowl haired man let his eyes fall and stare down at Neji's pale fingers.
"There is no one else in this world that could replace you. No one will ever push me like you do, no one, not ever Sakura-Chan will make me smile like you do when you smile."
Neji's eye lids had fallen slightly and his brow bent as he listened. Lee's emotional words were gripping around his rib cage and squeezing tightly. His hand was hot under the heat of Lee's and the air around them seemed to stop. When had they grown up? It was as if yesterday Neji was still a over confident fool and Lee a goofy, hard working, boy with nothing more going for him than a drive to be better.
"I…" Neji's mouth hung open as he tried to find the right words. How did he describe this strange pressure that he couldn't release from his chest? It wasn't fear or anger, something much more powerful. Lavender eyes met onyx and the Hyuuga felt like the answer had been put right in front of him, in the form of a goofy, green spandex wearing shinobi who could only use Taijutsu.
"I think…I like you, too."
Rock Lee froze, his grip on Neji's hand loosened as he blinked slowly at the Hyuuga staring back at him. After his heart restarted, he replayed the words in his head. The Chunin started to smile, only to jump in surprise as Neji's hands cupped his cheeks and pressed their lips together. The two stumbled back slightly, Lee wrapping his arms around Neji's waist as he steadied the two of them. Their lips pressed against each other, motionless as they both closed their eyes. No movement was needed; the passion of their lips touching was overwhelming enough.
Neji was the first to pull back, his lips parts in soft breaths against Lee's skin. Lavender and onyx orbs staring half lidded at each other as the wind blew past them, the sun half way towards sunset. The late summer air rushing through the small space between them. It carried the smell of trees, grass and the crisp mountains around them. Lee watched the light caress the soft features of Neji, a rising pool of happiness he could never try to explain was filling his chest. The way the Hyuuga blinked slowly, his eyelashes fluttering over his cheek before they were lifted back up. The Chunin moved his hands along Neji's side, pulling him closer to the spandex loving shinobi. Their midsections and chests pressed together and he could feel the pressure from Neji leaning on him.
Rock Lee let out a quiet chuckle, making Neji's heart race, before he spoke just above a whisper. "Please, if this is a dream or genjutsu, don't let me wake up." He smiled a gentle lifting of his lips, a mature, true happiness shown with it. The Hyuuga felt his cheeks warm; Lee's tanned skin reflected the bright sunlight, his strong jaw and steady black eyes staring back at him. Neji had become familiar with this wanting feeling, he wanted to touch the man in front of him, to kiss him and hold Lee. If someone had asked him a month ago if he'd kiss Lee, he would've but them on their ass. But now, he'd gladly.
The Hyuuga wiggled his hands free from Lee's, the green loving shinobi watching with an amused smile. Neji looped his arms over Lee's neck, like he'd seen in those corny romance movie. His face much closer to Lee's and the other shinobi's grip tightened gently on his waist. The two were still for a few more moments, satisfied with just staring at each other. Lee made the first move, lifting his head to kiss the Jounin's headband. He moved down, leaving a tender kiss on Neji's nose before bringing their lips together. As if a rope had been released, the two pressed closer and kissed each other. It was slow, tender kiss; the two shinobi barely moved their heads as their lips moved together. Not a kiss filled with lust or uncertain desire, it was full of a need to be together, to touch, and to feel each other's heart beat.
Neji's lips felt like satin against Lee's, the Hyuuga's skin was smooth and soft, his closed eyes held the most beautiful shade of color Lee could think of. Even better than green. The Chunin slowly pulled back, giving Neji's lips a gently peck before he moved to kiss the Hyuuga's cheek and then to the crook under his ear, kissing and sucking tenderly.
The Hyuuga felt himself fluster as Lee's warm breath moved against his neck, his pulse rising as the man sucked his pale skin. Neji felt himself squirm against Lee; the rising excitement between them was not going to control itself if they let it grow much longer.
"L-Lee." The Chunin stopped and brought his lips back to Neji's, covering the Hyuuga's mouth with a slow, deep kiss. The Jounin's brow dipped down as Lee's tongue entered his mouth, their two wet muscles pressing together in a calm dance. Neji could barely tell how fast his heart was beating, his lips moved against Lee's, keeping pace with the tan shinobi's slow, intense movements. The Hyuuga felt a strange vibration coming from Lee, his voice growing against Neji's lips. Another groan came louder this time, Lee pressing deeper into the kiss. He head tilted as he moved closer. Neji felt his cheeks grow hot as the Chunin's hands moved to hold his waist; they were warm and tender with a bit of grip in them that held Neji's lower half still.
The Hyuuga pulled back this time, panting softly, his eyes blinking a few times to refocus them. Lee took a moment to catch his breath as well, a heavy look in his onyx eyes as he stared at Neji. The Jounin moved his arms down from around Lee's neck and he cupper the sides of the Chunin's face. The Hyuuga felt a strong desire in his chest and gut, he worked up his confidence. His lavender eyes flickering over Lee's face as he whispered, letting his gaze fall to his hands on the shinobi's face.
"We should head back now."
#
Another sake glass was slammed on the table, the heavily intoxicated Jounin groaned as Kakashi sent him an amusing look with his visible eye. The Copy-Cat ninja had a flush in his cheeks, drinking with Gai was always difficult; it was hard to keep up with the loud mouthed man.
"I'm gonna say I win dis one?" Kakashi found himself slurring and cleared his throat, trying to regain some of his fogged over mind. He swirled his sake glass, his black iris eye blinking as the table seemed to move in front of him.
"Nevahhh!" Gai roared, lifting his head quickly from the table and poured himself another shot of sake. He held it up, his arm shaking as he tried not to fall over in his seat. Kakashi just gave a soft scoff and clicked their glasses together before pulling his mask down just enough to drink the sake, which had stopped burning his throat two hours ago. He repositioned his mask and watched Gai press his face back into the table.
Kakashi scratched his mask covered cheek. He'd been taking it a bit easy lately, Naruto was just handling basic C and B ranked mission at the moment while he focused on training so the Copy-Cat shinobi had little to do when they were back in the village. He was surprised when Gai asked him to their newest challenge against each other, "Whoever can stomach the most sake is Konoha's new Best Jounin Drunk!". Kakashi didn't really need an excuse to get drunk but Gai had been acting strange lately so he agreed with less banter than usual.
The lower district restaurant had cleared out long ago, mostly due to Gai's loud screaming. Kakashi stared out the moving window as Gai recollected himself. The sun had set the Konoha was lit with lanterns and house lights. Their rice crackers sat, mostly untouched on the table, the Copy ninja debated whether or not he should try to stomach some food. He decided against it and nudged Gai's shoulder with his hand lightly.
"Ya alright?" His voice had a slowness to it that he wasn't used to. It was hard to focus on the green dressed Jounin for more than a few seconds.
"Yes." Gai groaned and sat up, leaning his head against the back of the booth chair. "I'm afraid I'll have to admit defeat dis time. You have bes…beast…bested me once more, Kakashi."
Kakashi just laughed lightly and placed his glass down on the table. Feeling a bit sluggish he leaned his arm on the table and then sat his chin in his palm. "So, you usually stay away from alcohol? What's the occasion? "
Gai sat up right and placed his arms on the table top. His face losing its goofy drunkenness and replacing it with a somber kind expression. The two sat silently for a few moments, the only other in the bar were the bartender and an elder man sitting in the back. The bowl haired Jounin cleared his throat and spoke quietly. "I understand now, at least I think I do, a little bit of how you felt when Sasuke-kun left."
Kakashi was still for a moment and slowly sat up right as well, his brow rising just a bit. "I'd heard something happened to Neji-san on the last mission but I didn't know it was that bad…"
The two were silent against for a few moments. The copy-cat ninja scratching his cheek in the light awkwardness. "I don't think the situations are the same. I'm not nearly as close with my students as you are with yours. I know you treat them, epically Lee, as your kids almost. I still care for my team but our bonds are more comradely than family."
Gai gave a light nod and interlaced his hands. "Then what does a father do when his child has been hurt in a way he can't heal them?"
The green-loving Jounin grew tense and his throat seemed to close. Kakashi watched his long time 'rival' and pondered for a moment. The clinking of glasses behind the bar were the only things they could hear as they both sat still.
Kakashi set his arms down on the table and shrugged light hearted. "He hopes he's taught them to be strong enough to overcome it their own way."
Gai's eyes finally looked back at Kakashi and he nodded after a moment.
"Neji will be fine. He is a strong shinobi, on equal with us if you've forgotten and he will continue to impress you until you keel over, you old tortoise." Kakashi added, slipping his mask down and grabbing the sake bottle to pour himself another drink.
"Still wanna claim defeat?" He asked, holding a glass out to Gai. The bowl haired Jounin grinned widely and took the glass, hitting it against Kakashi's before calling out loudly.
"A true shinobi never gives up!"
#
A/N: This and Chapter 13 were originally one but they turned out way longer than I thought they would. The next chapter should be up much sooner than the time between this and the last one.