Firsts

by RennaV

Focuses on the firsts (hug, kiss, kill, time, etc) of Team Guy. Written for humor and to expand a bit on my "Twenty Truths about Team Guy" fic which you don't really have to read to understand this one. Truth or dare is involved. Swearing, sex as well as Neji X Tenten and Lee X OC. Guy funniness. Neji dons the green spandex. More craziness ensues. Updated as inspired.

2. Rock Lee

Rock Lee

Author's Notes: Chapter Two of the "Firsts" series this time focusing on Rock Lee. Again we're focusing on the Team Guy's first hug, kiss, kill, and time. This probably expands on my "Twenty Truths about Team Guy" fan-fiction and will be referred to. You don't have to read that to understand this. Reading Neji's firsts might help.

General Warnings: I'm making up time lines and obviously a lot of stuff. There might be some OOC-ness. There will be on screen kissing and/or sex. Swearing will be included also which is the reason for the M warning. Also: I made an OC for Lee. *winks*

Onwards!

---

Hug

Lee punched the pole in front of him as hard as he could. His hands hurt and were bleeding but he didn't care. His white shirt and dark gray pants had grass stains and dirt covering them. The red hitai-ate he wore across his forehead didn't keep as much sweat from dripping into his eyes like he had hoped.

At least his hair wasn't as long as he used to keep it. He had cut it all off after becoming a genin and it had a weird curl at the bottom of it Lee was unsure about. Of course he had been paired with Hyuuga Neji who had long hair like Lee once had but the Hyuuga genius had kept his locks. Somehow all the dark brown hair didn't get in Neji's way when he fought and Lee wondered what kind of gene gave gravity defying hair.

Lee winced when he punched the pole with his left fist. He might have broken a knuckle that time. Lee looked towards the ground and wiped the tears from his eyes with his right hand. His entire body hurt but Lee knew he had to get better.

He wasn't smart so being a merchant or farmer would not work for him.

He wasn't good at sewing or doing anything delicate so going into building or making anything wouldn't work.

He wasn't blessed with the ability to cook so owning a restaurant or even working at one would not work.

His memory wasn't the greatest either so he couldn't be a server at a restaurant or anything which required a huge amount of memory.

Lee had been born with steely determination and the will to push his mind, body, and soul to their limits and beyond. So he had chosen to be a shinobi. Really, it was his only choice.

His parents were both dead, mother died in child birth and father had left on a business trip one day and hadn't come home. Lee had been ten at the time.

Konoha didn't do well in protecting orphans but Lee had managed to clear out his family home of whatever he didn't need so he could move into a small, cheap apartment. He had sold the home his parents had bought for an amount of money which would keep him alive until he was a chunin and making good money.

He had been blessed with some common sense at least. Too bad he had not been blessed to be born in a clan like Neji.

The Hyuuga genius did not know how good he had it. Neji's mother had died shortly after giving birth to him and his father had been killed when Neji was four years old. Everyone knew the story of why and how it had happened.

Hyuuga Hinata, the heiress to the Hyuuga clan had been captured. Her father, Hiashi had killed the ones who took her before realizing they were people Konoha was trying to treaty with. In order to stop an all out war, Konoha and the other village demanded Hiashi's dead body.

Neji's father, Hizashi who was also Hiashi's twin brother had been killed in Hiashi's stead to save the clan leader and keep the secret of the Byakugan safe. Even so, Neji had not been forced to live alone or sell his family home. He had a clan to take care of him in his time of need.

Lee did know Neji's clan didn't care about their Branch House members but surely there were other Branch House members Neji could count on. He wouldn't have made it so far in life without someone.

Lee shook his head free from these horrible thoughts. Being jealous of Neji's clan, his hair, his genius in everything, and his cool calm demeanour would do nothing. Lee gritted his teeth and started kicking the pole in front of him.

His kicks had worn down the middle of the pole, making it look like an hourglass. Lee didn't care. He would keep kicking this pole until it broke in the middle then find some other tree to kick and punch at until he got better.

He would become a shinobi, a great shinobi even though he could not use genjutsu or ninjutsu. He would master taijustu. He would beat Hyuuga Neji. He would show everyone a no-name civilian could become a famous shinobi.

Lee yelped as his right leg throbbed in pain. He had kicked his post too hard and done something funny to his right ankle. Lee let out a sob and fell to his butt in the grass.

"Shinobi don't cry," Lee muttered.

It didn't matter he said the words out loud. He had started to cry. Lee sighed and kept his eyes closed as tears ran down his face. His shoulders trembled and his right leg and left hand pulsed in pain.

What kind of shinobi could he be without genjutsu and ninjutsu, really? He couldn't even beat anyone with his taijustu, especially not now that he had hurt his leg and hand. Boy, wouldn't Neji have fun teasing Lee tomorrow.

Lee wiped his eyes again and stared at the pole in front of him. Tomorrow. He was expected on the training field for four in the morning. They would run laps, do strength drills, speed drills, and everything else Guy-sensei threw at them. Neji would spar with Tenten until Lee yelled at him to spar with him then Neji would take two minutes of his time to kick Lee's ass.

After the spar of sorts, Neji would look down at him with those creepy white eyes, veins predominate around them and down his cheeks and scoff at Lee. He would shake his head, call Lee and idiot and walk away from him.

Tenten would yell at Neji for being so mean to Lee but Neji would get into his fighting stance. This would make Tenten attack him and Neji would smirk as he fended off Tenten's arsenal of weapons.

Lee let his body fall back until he could look up at the sky through the trees. The sun had begun to set but Lee didn't mind. No one would be waiting for him in his empty apartment. Lee closed his eyes and sighed.

He wouldn't go to training anymore.

What was the point?

He had been stupid to think he could become a great shinobi without being able to mold chakra properly. He could barely run up a tree and sunk whenever he tried to walk on water. Neji had laughed at him for that too. At least Tenten had whacked Neji upside the back of his head with her hand.

She believed in him. Guy-sensei believed in him. They were something.

"But not enough," Lee mumbled.

"You stopped,"

Lee shifted his head in the grass until he could see who spoke to him. Guy-sensei stood at the edge of the clearing, a frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Lee did not bother to move or speak.

Guy-sensei let out a little breath and strode deeper into the clearing until he could sit beside Lee. Their eyes met and Lee wondered, not for the first time, if Guy-sensei was his real father. Surely the father who left would have told him though.

Still.

He and Guy-sensei had the same dark shiny hair, thick eyebrows, wide eyes, and jaw line. The major difference was Guy-sensei was obviously better at taijustu. His body listened to him. Lee said nothing when Guy-sensei ruffled his hair.

"Why did you stop?" Guy-sensei asked.

Lee scowled. He lifted his sore arms and took off his hitai-ate. Lee held it out to Guy-sensei and Guy-sensei frowned. His eyebrows furrowed a bit but he did not accept Lee's hitai-ate.

"Are you quitting?" Guy-sensei questioned.

Lee nodded. Guy-sensei hummed but shook his head.

"I did not take you for a quitter, Lee," Guy-sensei said.

Lee shrugged. Guy-sensei took Lee's hitai-ate and studied it. He chuckled a moment later and Lee blinked. Guy-sensei leaned over him and re-tied the hitai-ate over Lee's forehead. Lee stared at his sensei with wide eyes and parted lips.

"Do not quit, Lee. You will be a superb shinobi even without genjutsu and ninjutsu. I promise on my life I will make you that shinobi. Starting tomorrow, during training, I will focus all my attention on you during sparring. And if you are willing we will train long after Tenten and Neji have gone home. I promise. You will be a taijustu master," Guy-sensei said.

Lee didn't know what to say. He sat up, not caring he was crying or that Guy-sensei was virtually a stranger, and wrapped his arms around Guy-sensei's neck, hugging him hard. Guy-sensei chuckled but hugged him back.

Lee had never been hugged before. His mother had died too soon and his father kept him at an arm's length, barely smiling, hardly acknowledging him, and never, never hugging him, especially not the way Guy-sensei did.

Guy-sensei held him as if Lee was the most important person in the entire world. Lee felt acknowledged and loved. He also felt like an idiot trying to give up so soon. What had he been thinking?

Giving up would mean Hyuuga Neji and all the kids at the Academy had been right about Lee. If anything, Lee wanted to prove them wrong. He wanted to show Hyuuga Neji anyone could become a genius.

"I will be a genius of hard work," Lee said.

"Yes you will," Guy-sensei told him.

"I will beat Hyuuga Neji," Lee said.

Guy-sensei chuckled again but patted his back.

"You will beat Hyuuga Neji," Guy-sensei said.

"People will acknowledge me as a hard-working successful shinobi," Lee said.

"They will have no choice,"

"Guy-sensei,"

"Lee,"

The hug continued and Lee didn't want to let go. Guy-sensei didn't let him go and for several long moments they sat there, hugging. All good things eventually ended and they parted. Lee wiped his tears, wincing when he moved his left hand and Guy-sensei hummed. Lee said nothing as Guy-sensei studied Lee's hand and right leg.

"Pulled muscles, nothing you cannot work through," Guy-sensei said.

Lee nodded. Guy-sensei helped him to his feet and Lee grinned. Lee stared as Guy-sensei went to the supplies pouch he kept around his waist and offered Lee a green spandex body suit.

"It will help in your training," Guy-sensei said.

Lee smiled. Guy-sensei walked with him into the village. Together they bought leg weights and orange leg warmers to cover the weights. Guy-sensei bought bandages and showed Lee how to tie them around his forearms and hands. They bought a hitai-ate in red which was longer so Lee could tie it around his waist.

Guy-sensei trimmed Lee's hair into a bowl cut and Lee grinned.

Guy-sensei was a taijustu expert, known through all five Great Shinobi Villages as one of the best taijustu users. If Lee wanted to excel in taijustu he would have to work as hard as Guy-sensei. Looking like Guy-sensei would help. They parted ways but Lee didn't mind.

Tomorrow he would show Hyuuga Neji what a genius of hard work could do.

---

"What in the world?"

Lee beamed at Hyuuga Neji who for once showed expression. Neji's eyebrows had gone up, his lips had parted and the odd Hyuuga white eyes had gone wider than normal. Neji's normally tense stance had loosened and his arms had dropped from their crossed position over his chest to hang limply at his sides.

"Neji," Lee said.

Neji blinked. Tenten gaped.

Lee pointed to Neji with his feet shoulder width apart, opposite hand in a fist on his hip and a grin on his face wide enough to show teeth. Neji kept staring in shock.

"I challenge you to a spar," Lee said.

A pause but Lee kept smiling and pointing as Neji blinked again.

"You have lost your mind," Neji said.

Lee laughed. Neji kept staring. Tenten had fallen over in shock. Somewhere behind Lee Guy-sensei chuckled.

He and Guy-sensei had been out here since three in the morning working on Lee's speed. Neji and Tenten had arrived a few minutes ago to see Lee in his much more comfortable attire and here they were.

"My mind is right where it has always been. I will show you what a genius of hard work can do," Lee said.

Neji snorted and shook his head. He rolled his shoulders and muttered a single word. Veins erupted around his eyes and up his cheeks. The pupil of his eyes became somewhat visible, marked by little slashes in a circle pattern.

Neji fell into his fighting stance as Tenten scrambled away. Lee grinned. Neji smirked and shifted the fingers of one hand in a "bring it on" gesture. Lee brought it.

He tried to sweep Neji's legs out from under him but the Hyuuga genius was fast, still too fast for Lee. Lee didn't let this detour him though and ducked under Neji's attempt at a hit. He lashed out with a punch but Neji dodged. Lee led with a kick next which Neji blocked with his forearm. Lee threw another punch and Neji gave him another block.

Kick, block, punch, block, flying elbow, block, kick, block, on and on the cycle went. Neji had a bored expression on his face and actually yawned in the middle of Lee's attacks. Lee took the yawn in stride but scowled when Neji started to attack.

Neji's hands moved in a flurry of movement Lee could not keep up with. The hits were not particularly painful but Lee could feel his body slowing down as Neji hit tenketsu after tenketsu and began to cut off Lee's motion. Lee saw a flitter of motion and had a split second to react. He reached out.

Neji yelped, eyes widening in surprise, and eyebrows going up as Lee grabbed the ends of Neji's hair and pulled. Neji was tugged off his center of axis and Lee landed a brutal kick to Neji's chest as the Hyuuga genius began to fall towards the ground.

Neji landed with a grunt but Lee knew he was in trouble now. Neji's eyes had narrowed and he had a snarl on his face. Lee tried to step back but was too slow. Neji's right foot slammed into the side of Lee's head, hard, and Lee felt the sensation of flying. He came down from the amazing feeling with a thud and rolled a few feet.

Lee stopped on his back and blinked at the sky. He couldn't help but smile as Guy-sensei yelled his name and came to check on him.

Sure, Lee had lost the battle. It didn't matter.

He had gotten a hit on the Hyuuga Genius. Lee kept grinning when Guy-sensei lifted him into a sitting up position and hugged him. Guy-sensei was yelling at Neji as he hugged Lee but Lee knew Neji would eventually huff, cross his arms over his chest, and look away from Guy-sensei with annoyance written all over his features.

Lee didn't mind. Neji might have a clan but Lee had Guy-sensei. One Guy-sensei was better than an entire clan. Lee hugged Guy-sensei back and grinned.

He had gotten a hit on Hyuuga Neji. One small step towards his goal had been taken. He would beat the Hyuuga Genius with hard work.

---

Kiss

Contrary to popular belief, Lee's first kiss was not during a team-building game of truth or dare with his teammate Hyuuga Neji. True, the kiss had been Neji's first but Lee had one up on his teammate in the kissing department at least.

It had not been with Haruno Sakura either. Lee had met her before the fateful game of truth or dare but had not come close to kissing her. She had excellent sensory skills and always saw him coming. Then she would punch him or run.

The punching hurt but he would chase her through the village when she ran until she punched him. Lee started to think trying to kiss Sakura had become a good training exercise. He added it to his regular training regime until Neji told him Lee's behavior had gone from "love sick puppy" to "stalker" and he was lucky Sakura didn't report him to the hokage.

Lee stopped chasing Sakura.

Regardless, Lee's first kiss occurred years before he met Sakura. In fact, it had happened before he had been teamed with Neji and Tenten, before he graduated the Academy at twelve, and before his father had disappeared.

Lee had been nine...

"Yusa-chan!" Lee shouted.

Lee ran towards her, long braid flapping in the wind and wide eyes huge. His smile split his face in half and he waved hard as his legs pumped trying to get to her. He saw Yusa-chan turn then return his smile and he got this weird fluttery feeling in his stomach.

The feeling distracted him and Lee didn't notice the pebble in front of him. He certainly saw it when it made him plant his foot funny and fall face first into the dirt path he ran along. Lee heard someone gasp and his name was called.

Lee grinned when little hands grabbed his head over his ears and pulled up so he was bent backwards and looking into Yusa-chan's face. Her eyebrows furrowed, her lips had turned down and she bit the lower one, and her eyes were wide with worry.

"Are you all right, Lee-san?" Yusa-chan asked.

Her voice reminded Lee of the sweet song of birds in the morning and he smiled stupidly before nodding. Yusa-chan giggled and helped Lee to his feet, dusting off his dark pants and gray shirt as he stood. He dusted off the front of his pants while she tucked some bangs behind his ear. She gaped then went looking for something in the pink bag hanging off her arm.

She came up with a white lacy handkerchief, licked one corner of it, and dabbed at a spot on Lee's cheek. Lee's smile could have beaten the sun for light in this moment. Yusa-chan nodded her head, happy with cleaning the bit of dirt on his face then giggled at him.

"I missed you, Lee-san. Let's go to the park," Yusa-chan said.

She could have suggested he jump off a cliff and he would have said yes. Lee took her smaller hand in his and she grinned as they skipped towards the park. Passer-by cooed happily at their puppy love and Lee kept beaming.

Yusa-chan was pretty with long strawberry blond hair, bright green eyes, and tanned skin. She was the same age as him (a few months older in fact), and the same height which made talking to her easy.

Yusa-chan always wore beautiful kimonos and today's outfit was bright pink with white flowers all over. The obi around her waist was deep pink and her hair had been tied up in an elegant bun at the back of her head, tied off with a pink bow.

The kimonos always restricted Yusa-chan's activity in the park but she (and Lee) didn't mind. It meant they could hog the swings or the see-saw and no one could complain. It also meant they could sit under a big tree and talk. Lee liked talking to Yusa-chan.

She knew a little bit about everything and he learned something from her every day. She didn't care if she had to explain something to him a few times before he understood and she took great pride in helping him understand anything she wanted.

In short: they were crushing on each other and hard.

But their age dictated simplicity in the relationship most adults wished for. There were no expectations on the "couple" as they were nothing more than children. They could laugh and play all day, talk about whatever they wanted, and neither would expect any kind of physical touch or words about forever.

It was easy. It was caring. It was everything Lee had wanted in a friend and crush. It was everything Yusa-chan had wanted in a male friend and later boyfriend, when they were a few years older of course.

They got to the park and Lee took over the swing to the right, Yusa-chan's favorite. He waited until she sat gracefully on the bit of wood and began to push her softly. He knew Yusa-chan didn't like to go too high so he didn't push hard. He also knew she liked the feeling of the wind through her hair and the breeze on her face which is why she liked the swings the best.

She would always close her eyes, hands clenched so tightly around the chains of the swing her knuckles would go white, and a smile on her face as Lee pushed her softly. Lee liked pushing Yusa-chan on the swings.

It meant he could touch her back but more importantly, see her smile in utter happiness. Her long bangs would flutter behind her head, sometimes brushing against his face and he would blush openly because he knew she could not see him.

In these moments Lee knew Yusa-chan would forget she had been born with her right leg three inches shorter than her left. The other kids would not see this deformity because her feet would be moving too quickly for them to catch on. Yusa-chan would not keep her head lowered, biting her lip, as she concentrated on trying to walk without limping too obviously. She liked to avoid the bullies.

The malady meant she could not test to be a shinobi. She had helped Lee pass the entrance exams and said he could be the shinobi for both of them. It had encouraged Lee to make sure he passed the entrance exams the first time.

It did mean Yusa-chan could take over her mother's business of making the beautiful kimonos Yusa-chan and her mother wore. Lee knew Yusa-chan did not regret the fate life had thrown at her as she loved making kimonos and as she put it: making the world a bit prettier.

Lee pushed Yusa-chan on the swings until the sun started to go down and the younger kids began to leave with their parents. He stopped pushing her and watched as she came to a slow stop. He caught the chains of the swing when it had slowed enough so she did not have to get her shoes dirty in stopping the motion herself. Yusa-chan thanked him with a dazzling smile which made the fluttery feeling spread from Lee's stomach up to his chest.

He helped her off the swing and walked her out of the park towards her home. All of the younger children had gone home with their parents by now but those the same age or older still walked the streets playing games. Lee made sure to steer Yusa-chan away from areas he knew would be crowded with mean kids but she didn't mind.

They held hands as they walked, swinging their joint hands high as they moved through the streets. The exaggerated swinging motion made Yusa-chan smile and Lee grin. He walked with stiff knees, like a sort of solider and swung his other arm in perfect sync with the one joined to Yusa-chan.

She could not copy his stiff knee stride as it would emphasize her limp but neither minded. She did copy the motion of swinging her free arm in an arc like Lee had. Adults who spotted them smiled at their childhood crush and shook their heads, remembering their own first relationships when they had been so young.

Lee turned around a corner, the last one before Yusa-chan's house, and his smile dampen a bit. Four boys, eleven years old and who had been denied entrance to the Academy stood leaning against one of the fences around a home. Lee kept his pace and the swinging motions of his arms but felt Yusa-chan's hand tighten in his.

"Look, it's hop-a-long," one of the boys said.

Lee said nothing but did notice Yusa-chan had stopped swinging her arms so joyously. Her head bowed and she started biting her lip. Worse yet, her limp started to become noticeable as she tried to quicken her pace.

"Hop-a-long and loser," another boy remarked.

The others laughed. Lee said nothing but did stop marching along with locked knees and swinging his arms in long arcs. The boys stepped away from the fence and right into Lee and Yusa-chan's path. Lee frowned as Yusa-chan gasped and shifted until she was slightly behind Lee. Lee had no issue with her motion and puffed out his chest.

Lee shifted so he blocked her more and let go of her hand. He felt both Yusa-chan's hands on his back, clutching his shirt and he knew she bit her lip. She was also seconds away from crying. Lee tightened his hands into fists and stared up at the four taller, bulkier boys.

"What are you going to do, loser?" one asked.

"Keep Yusa-chan safe," Lee replied.

They laughed at him. Lee took a wide stance and waited.

"You and what army?"

One punched and Lee managed to block it and hit the boy in the nose. This caused the boy to yelp and fall back, nose bleeding and eyes wide in surprise. It also made the other three attack him as a unit. Lee saw it coming.

He pushed Yusa-chan towards the opposite fence as hard as he could, hating he had to do it and watching her stumble. She caught her balance on the fence before she could fall to the ground and gaped at him.

"Run Yusa-chan!"

Lee winced when a punch landed on his jaw seconds later at the same time another slammed into his stomach and a third landed right below his left eye. He collapsed to the ground but saw Yusa-chan run in her awkward gate. The kimono prevented her from taking the long strides she needed to get away but Lee spotted her lifting it to scandalous heights and take longer steps despite her uneven gait.

He still felt punches landing on his chest, stomach, and face but ignored them. He tried to fight back, clawing and punching where he could and kicking where he couldn't. His hits were blind and no amount of shinobi training from the Academy could help him now, not when he was outnumbered by enemies taller and more muscular than him.

If Lee had the skills of his thirteen year old self at the time of this fight he would have decimated the four bullies in under a minute, swept Yusa-chan into his arms, and strode off into the sunset with her. He did not have the skill of his older self, nor did he have any idea he would gain such skills in four years.

Finally the bullies stopped their assault. They left him lying in the dirt, giving him a few kicks before walking off in the opposite direction of Yusa-chan's house. Lee took deep breaths, feeling pain along his ribs, in his face, on his head, and in every part of his body. He struggled to his feet anyway and stumbled towards Yusa-chan's house. He did not make it to knock on the door but Yusa-chan had been waiting for him by the front window. It was with the help of her mother Yusa-chan dragged Lee into the home and got him on the couch...

"Lee-san?"

Lee opened his eyes to see Yusa-chan staring down at him. Tear tracks covered her cheeks and her eyes were red and puffy. She had made her lip bleed from biting it so hard and her hands kept wringing in front of her. Lee smiled, not caring that it hurt, and she returned the gesture. She also took one of his hands in hers.

"I'm fine Yusa-chan," Lee said.

Yusa-chuckled and held his hand tighter. Lee did not notice Yusa-chan's mother watching from the doorway. He did feel a sort of foreboding but did not place any kind of importance on it at the time. All that mattered was holding Yusa-chan's hand.

A week later, Lee's injuries had healed for the most part. He still had yellowish spots on his face from healing bruises. Despite the awful beating he walked down the street happily, intending to meet Yusa-chan at their regular spot. He had a spring to his step and a single daisy in his hand. He also had enough money in his pocket to be able to buy Yusa-chan a scoop of ice cream. It was not much but he knew she would enjoy it.

He got to the corner they met at and waited, smiling, and watching both sides of the street for the first sight of Yusa-chan. Hours passed and still Lee stood on the corner, smiling with his daisy in one hand, and the fluttery feeling in his stomach. Eventually the sun began to set and Lee frowned.

The daisy had wilted in his hand and he knew the ice cream shop would be closing in half an hour. Lee felt his throat tightening and took off running before he could second guess his decision. He dodged around anyone who got in his way ignored the shouts of the people he did not make it around fully.

Lee got to Yusa-chan's house in record time and came to a skidding stop. An immense cart was loaded with trunks and sat in front of the home. Yusa-chan's mother stood at the head of the cart with an older man and two horses as more men packed furniture into the cart. Yusa-chan stood leaning against the fence at the opposite side of the street with her head down and holding her pink bag in front of her with a frown on her face.

Lee did not give his customary shout as he knew in his heart Yusa-chan's mother would chase him off. Instead, Lee used his recently acquired shinobi skills to sneak along the fence until he came to stand beside her. From this angle they were still in sight of her mother. Lee cleared his throat and heard her gasp.

He winked at her before taking her hand and leading her in a sideways shuffle until her mother was out of their sight. Yusa-chan giggled at him then gaped as he offered her the daisy. She took it with a blush coloring her cheeks and met Lee's eyes.

Hers were wet and tears fell from them. Lee swallowed his tears down and lightly placed his hands on her shoulders. Yusa-chan sniffled and let out a little breath.

"Mom says we have to move," Yusa-chan said.

"The bullies?"

"Yes and business is slow here. She thinks if we move to somewhere with more festivals and less shinobi we will make more money,"

Yusa-chan wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and Lee frowned. He did not know what to say. Yusa-chan sighed and leaned her head against Lee's shoulder, not a hug in a traditional sense but fairly close.

Lee felt her warmth, the tickle of her breath against his neck, and her heart beating against his. He flushed and swallowed an entirely different emotion in his throat. Lee wondered when his throat had become so dry and why his hands had become so damp. He knees were seconds away from knocking together and he felt both faint but willing to run around screaming in joy.

"I don't want to leave," Yusa-chan said.

"I don't want you to leave," Lee told her.

She hummed. Lee stood perfectly still as she shifted her head and leaned forward. Her lips tasted like strawberries and were soft against his. The heat from her lips made Lee melt into pressing his lips, chapped and thin, against her smooth plump mouth.

The kiss did not last long, thirty seconds at most, and their mouths did not open. The two were nine after all and sexual education would not be for another year. Still, the kiss had been purely instinctual and something the two knew adults who really liked each other did so they repeated the innocent motion.

They pulled back from the kiss and Lee felt how warm his cheeks were. He didn't mind because he knew the color of his cheeks matched Yusa-chan's. She had gone bright red and bit her lip. She twirled the daisy in her hands but did not speak. Finally she offered him her handkerchief with a small smile.

Lee took it gently and they both jolted when her mother's voice rang out. Yusa-chan turned with a gasp while long hair, left in a braid today, hit Lee in the face. Yusa-chan's mother was approaching with a scowl and Lee knew his time with Yusa-chan was up.

"I'm glad I met you," Lee said.

Yusa-chan turned and gave him a smile he would never forget. He turned on his heel and ran before Yusa-chan's mother could catch up to them. Lee did not keep running. He made it around the corner then stopped.

Lee peered around the corner, again using his shinobi skills, and watched as Yusa-chan's mother took her daughter by the arm and led her towards the cart. Yusa-chan's mother had a scowl on her face and narrowed eyes as she spoke to Yusa-chan who said nothing. Yusa-chan did look back once and Lee caught her wink.

Lee grinned as Yusa-chan was pulled out of sight by her mother. Lee let out a long breath and watched from his position until the cart started moving away. He did not move even when the cart disappeared and the sun went down.

When stars graced the sky Lee let out a long breath and walked away from the home which had once held his more than friend. Lee continued his walk and held the handkerchief close as he moved. The smile faded from his face and tears ran down his cheeks but Lee would never regret his time with Yusa-chan.

---

"So, who was your first kiss?" Neji asked.

Lee had chosen truth for once in the team-bonding exercise of truth or dare. Neji sat in the same green spandex body suit and orange leg warmers as Lee and Guy-sensei courtesy of Tenten while Tenten sat in a frilly pink dress thanks to Neji. Guy-sensei had a dozen pink bows in his hair because of Tenten and Lee had a marker moustache, stars on his cheeks, red eye shadow and joined eyebrows from Neji.

Two turns ago Neji had accidently kissed Lee because Lee hadn't wanted to head butt the Hyuuga unintentionally. Neji had shouted out something about not wanting his first kiss to be Lee but looked curious when he realized Lee had not said the same. Lee smiled at his teammate and shrugged.

"Yusa-chan," Lee said.

Neji blinked. His head tilted to a side and he considered. Tenten opened her mouth then closed it. Guy-sensei hummed, rubbing his chin in thought.

"That strawberry blond haired girl with green eyes you used to hang out with after lessons were finished for the day?" Neji questioned.

Lee gaped. He had not realized Neji would have remembered Yusa-chan. She came to meet him at the Academy every day when lessons were over and Neji had been in his class. Of course the Hyuuga Genius would notice a pattern after over four years.

"Yes, her," Lee said.

Neji inclined his head.

"What happened to her?" Neji enquired.

Lee sighed. He kept the smile on his face as he shook his head.

"Her mother moved them away because of the bullies," Lee said.

"Hn, you meet those idiots who made fun of her for her limp," Neji said.

Lee nodded. He was stunned Neji remembered such a thing, especially something which had happened to Lee four years ago. At least Tenten and Guy-sensei were as shocked as Lee felt. Lee tried not to laugh when Neji crossed his arms over his chest. The intimidating pose somehow lost its effect in green spandex.

"I heard them talking about how they had driven her to move and practiced my Gentle Fist on them," Neji said.

Lee gaped. He always wondered why those four boys had been so beaten up two days after Yusa-chan had moved. One had been on crutches while the other had two black eyes. All of them had the marks Lee would come to recognize as Neji's particular taijustu style.

It did not make sense for Neji to go out of his way to protect a girl all ready gone and who he never spoke to. Lee frowned as a thought crossed his mind.

"Did you like her?" Lee asked before he could second guess his thoughts.

Neji smirked and chuckled. He met Lee's eyes and the smirk became a smile. Neji lowered his eyelids slightly, a subconscious movement, Lee knew then shrugged.

"No. I thought it was mean of them to do what they did to her so made them realize the error of their ways," Neji said.

Lee smiled and started laughing. Neji kept smiling wider than he normally did while Tenten and Guy-sensei watched in awe.

"Do you know where she is now?" Neji questioned.

Lee shook his head and sighed. Neji hummed but had his thinking face on. After a moment, Neji shrugged and lowered his crossed arms so his forearms rested on his knees. He smirked again and Lee blinked.

"I believe I have over-used my turn," Neji said.

Lee gave Neji a thumb up and turned to Tenten who had her jaw dropped and her eyes wide. Lee asked Tenten the classic question and she shook her head to clear it before choosing truth. Lee repeated Neji's question and they were all stunned to know Tenten hadn't been kissed yet.

"Then we must protect our precious flower's innocence," Guy-sensei said. "And make sure no man we do not deem worthy takes her first kiss!"

"Yes Guy-sensei," Lee said.

They looked to Neji who stared at them with one eyebrow raised. Tenten had started blushing and looked to Neji in wonder when the Hyuuga smirked then shrugged.

"Agreed," Neji said.

It was then the male members of Team Guy had to run. They often forget Tenten could hide hundreds, thousands, of weapons on her person without looking like she was armed. Lee had a feeling Tenten did not take kindly to the proclamation but didn't mind running away from her sharp pointy projectiles.

Neji ran to his right and Guy-sensei to his left while Tenten kept flinging weapon after weapon at them and screaming she could protect herself. Lee grinned at Neji who winked and gave him a thumb up. Lee laughed and was glad Guy-sensei had suggested this game.

He could feel the bonds with his teammates strengthening all ready.

---

Kill

It is a well known fact among the Konoha Eleven Neji had been the first member of Team Guy to take his first kill. Everyone had assumed it had been Tenten as she flung weapons around as her main fighting style but Lee had been the one to set them straight one night while they gathered for a friendly chat a month after the second chunin exams.

Their friends had been stunned to know Neji had taken the first kill of the team, Lee had been the first to be kissed, and Neji and Tenten tied for being the first to be in a relationship and later, go all the way.

Neji took a different sort of first a few years later but no one wanted to consider it a good first. Many people did say if they had known Neji would take this particular first then they would have done something different on the day to make sure he didn't beat his teammates to this particular milestone.

The Konoha Eleven were equally surprised in finding out Lee took the second kill of the team which put Tenten in last place despite the fact she flung around sharp pointy objects regularly. Tenten shrugged off the shock and told her friends she knew all weapons equally and besides, sharp and pointy didn't have to mean a kill all of the time.

This put more fear into her friends than they wanted to admit. Lee and Neji smiled knowingly and nodded in sync which made their friends wonder about the effectiveness o Guy-sensei's odd training methods.

As it was, Lee launched into the story of his first kill. He left out the results of it but Neji and Tenten had smirked once Lee was finished. It led his friends to believe something unusual had happened after Lee's first kill but they all knew they would never get it out of Team Guy unless truth or dare was involved.

The problem was, you didn't play truth or dare with Team Guy. Unless of course you wanted to be scarred for life then hey, go right ahead. Don't say you weren't warned.

It had started as any typical day. Team Guy went to the Mission Room before the sun had fully come up to find Shiranui Genma with his head on his desk, snoring loudly, and leaving a puddle of drool on his paperwork. His senbon needle hung precariously out of his mouth while both arms stretched across the desk towards the front of it.

Namiashi Raidou would arrive in about ten minutes, yell at Genma to wake up, and Team Guy would watch in carefully concealed amusement (while pretending to look over missions) while the two argued. Lee had come to like this particular routine and knew Neji and Tenten shared in his assessment.

Hell, Guy-sensei deliberately took extra time in finding them a mission until the act had finished. None of his students minded and Guy-sensei liked seeing the looks on both Genma and Raidou's faces when they noticed Team Guy standing off to a side looking disturbingly innocent.

Lee watched the scene unfold as it did every morning: Raidou would walk into the room, see Genma snoring and drooling then stomp over and slam his hands on Genma's desk. Genma would yelp, fall out of his chair (sometimes upending his entire desk), and the yelling match would begin.

Lee stared out of the corner of his eyes as Genma flipped over his desk today and a mug of hot tea slammed into Raidou's chest. He heard Tenten giggle and saw Neji's lips lift into a smirk as Guy-sensei snickered.

The duo began to roll around on the floor wrestling and Lee frowned in disappointment when Guy-sensei cleared his throat. Genma and Raidou looked up, spotted Team Guy, and promptly pulled apart with deep red cheeks.

"Ah, sorry guys, didn't see you there," Genma said while rubbing the back of his head.

He hadn't lost his senbon and Lee always considered it a feat.

"Of course you didn't, you were, never mind. So, what mission?" Raidou questioned.

He calmly sat behind his desk as Genma righted his. Lee stood beside Guy-sensei in front of Raidou's table as Guy-sensei placed the selected mission onto Raidou's table. Raidou nodded and had to go over to the mess of Genma's papers on the floor to find the proper file. He handed it off and wished them good luck.

Guy-sensei took them into a briefing room and they learned they would be tracking down and capturing a thief known as Miyashiro. They had a brief description of the man along with facts he had stolen precious jewels from the various daimyos of the Five Great Shinobi Nations.

People suspected Miyashiro had been trained to be a shinobi at some point but abandoned whatever village he had an association with and took to a life of crime. Miyashiro was to be killed if capture could not be completed. Guy-sensei told his team he would take the kill if it came to it.

They left Konoha two hours later, packed for a week, and knowing they might take longer than a week to complete this mission. Lee had been impressed when Neji and Tenten worked out a pattern with Miyashiro's hits and the team laid in wait at the Fire Daimyo's castle. Sure enough, they found Miyashiro stalking around the outside wall two days later.

"Let's go," Guy-sensei whispered.

Tenten took the lead with Guy-sensei and flung out a net made of steel which would attach to the ground by hooks. Miyashiro dodged the net but instead of letting it fall harmlessly to his side he caught it in his hands and flung it back towards Tenten and Guy-sensei.

No one had considered Tenten's attack being avoided so spectacularly. Lee and Neji could only watch helplessly as Tenten and Guy-sensei were pinned to a nearby tree because of Tenten's net. Miyashiro took off.

"Go after him, Tenten and I will catch up," Guy-sensei told them.

Lee stayed in step with Neji as the Hyuuga took off to where they had last seen Miyashiro. Lee fell half a step behind Neji then two steps and finally three yards. He did not consider this a problem as Neji was naturally faster (for the moment) and could likely disable Miyashiro a lot better than Lee could.

They chased Miyashiro for twenty miles when Neji finally smirked. Lee knew Miyashiro had started to slow down and this was confirmed when he could see Miyashiro in the tree branches four yards ahead. Neji gave a second burst of speed and Lee followed as best he could.

Lee said not a word about Guy-sensei and Tenten having not caught up yet because he knew Neji wouldn't care. Lee knew Guy-sensei and Tenten would be fine and besides, Neji's Gentle Fist would be perfect for disabling Miyashiro enough so they could tie him up then find Guy-sensei and Tenten.

Lee and Neji were so confident in the self-same plan they did not stop to consider why Miyashiro had avoided capture so far. Neji went in for the strike, leaping from the tree branch he had landed on and leading with chakra laced hands. Lee could do nothing but watch in horror as Miyashiro turned and threw something into Neji's face.

Neji cried out and his hands, free from chakra now, went to his eyes. He did not catch himself on the way down so Lee leaped from his branch and held out his arms. The pressure from catching Neji in a bridal carry sent Lee downwards but Lee recovered quickly. He landed on the ground in a crouch and saw Neji trying to wipe some sort of goo from his eyes.

Lee was about to put Neji down so he could help him but heard laughter. He looked up to see Miyashiro had stopped on the branch above with a grin on his face. Lee scowled and gently placed Neji on the grass under them as Miyashiro pulled a kunai from a pouch on his right hip.

"Might Guy, specialist in taijustu, who took on a genin team consisting of Hyuuga Neji, a Branch House Hyuuga member; Tenten who is a projectile weapon and trap specialist; and Rock Lee, a blooming taijustu specialist. I figured they would send the four of you after me eventually," Miyashiro said.

Lee stood over his (hopefully temporarily) blinded teammate and fell into a fighting stance. Lee heard Neji whimper but could not take a moment to spare a glance at his comrade, not when the enemy was pointing a kunai at them. Miyashiro chuckled again and shook his head at Lee.

"Tenten concerned me because of her accuracy with long distance weapons. She should have simply thrown a kunai in the back of my neck and killed me. Might Guy worried me because hell, who wouldn't be scared of him?

"Your little Hyuuga pissed me off because I knew he would see me no matter what. I took care of that for him. You have, oh, about twenty minutes to get that stuff off his face before it starts to permanently affect his vision. He'll lose the ability to activate Byakugan first, then his distance vision, then peripheral vision, and finally close vision. That means permanent blindness."

These words sent a heat through Lee he had never felt before. His jaw clenched and his teeth ground together. His knuckles cracked with how hard he made fists. His entire body tensed and all Lee could see in his tunnel vision was Miyashiro.

"You don't concern me, Rock Lee. You can't even use genjutsu or ninjutsu. Why should I be afraid you're the last one in my way?"

Lee didn't think. He launched into the air and led with a kick. Miyashiro dodged but Lee's heel connected with the tree branch Miyashiro had been standing on. With a crack similar to thunder the branch snapped under the pressure and fell to the forest floor.

Lee spun in the air and caught the stunned look on Miyashiro's face. Lee grinned but not in joy or excitement. No. This was a predatory grin his teammates would only see come to his face when one of them was in trouble. They were glad they could take care of themselves enough they never had to see the expression often.

Miyashiro landed on a lower branch but Lee met him and slammed a fist into the man's stomach. Miyashiro bent with the blow but even so blood spurted out of the man's mouth. Lee did not stop with the single fist, no; he landed another hit onto Miyashiro's right shoulder.

Lee did not notice Miyashiro's shoulder cracking under the pressure. All Lee heard was the scream of agony from Miyashiro and it made Lee's smile widen. Another hit, this time a kick, and it broke Miyashiro's left femur in two.

Miyashiro fell off the tree branch and Lee followed him. Miyashiro landed on his back and gasped in pain as Lee rammed both knees into Miyashiro's stomach. Blood sprayed out of Miyashiro's mouth but Lee didn't notice, even when it spattered across his face and neck. All Lee cared about was the fact Miyashiro had injured one of Lee's precious people.

Lee started to punch. Each fist landed on Miyashiro's face. Lee did not feel the bones breaking under the force of his hits. He hardly felt the blood spurting over his face, neck, arms, and hands. He did not even see when Miyashiro's eyes popped out of his skull and rolled away in the grass. He simply hit because striking was what Lee did best.

"Lee?"

Lee stopped hitting Miyashiro and swivelled his head towards the voice. That couldn't be Neji. Hyuuga Neji would never sound so helpless or afraid. Lee confirmed the terrified voice had been Neji when Neji repeated Lee's name.

Neji had managed to sit up and blindly groped at the air in front of him. Lee did not look down at Miyashiro but stepped off the man to kneel beside his petrified teammate. Neji jolted when Lee touched his shoulder and one hand came back in a strike.

"It's me," Lee said.

"Ah, yes, right, that's your chakra signature," Neji muttered.

Lee nodded then flushed when he remembered Neji couldn't see. Neji couldn't see. What had Miyashiro said? In twenty minutes Neji would lose the Byakugan permanently. Lee would not let that happened.

"Lay back down, that's it," Lee said softly.

Neji gulped as Lee began touching Neji's face. The goop was blue in color, thick, and slimy under Lee's hands. Water would not get rid of this but Neji swiping at it without being able to see it wouldn't help either. Lee began pulling the gel-like substance off Neji's face, ignoring the burning sensation it gave his hands when he touched it.

The goop came off slowly but Lee worked hard for the next five minutes. Finally all of the goo had come off Neji's face and Neji opened his eyes. Veins appeared over his cheeks and around his eyes and Lee let out a breath of relief. He stared as Neji's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in horror.

"Neji, what is it?" Lee asked.

"You, what, did you do that to Miyashiro?" Neji returned.

Lee blinked and looked up. Ten yards away lay Miyashiro. No one would be able to tell who the man was simply because his entire skull had been pulverised into little more than a mass of blood, skin, muscle tissue, and brain matter.

Lee felt a cold sweat sink over his body and his heart rate increase until it felt as if his heart would burst. Lee lifted his hands, stunned, and saw the blood coating them. A bit of hair had wrapped around the middle finger of his left hand. When Lee turned his hands over to look at the tops he saw a tooth had embedded into the ring finger of his right hand.

Lee noticed his hands shaking but turned away from Neji. Bile, hot and foul tasting poured out his mouth as he put both hands on the ground to throw up. Lee heard little but the ringing in his ears but did feel a hand on his shoulder. Another hand brushed back the bangs in his face as Lee kept spewing bile and their last meal all over the forest floor.

The ringing faded and Lee heard Neji humming softly. Lee also registered the fact Neji had wrapped his arms around Lee's shoulders in a sort of hug and had started rocking Lee back and forth. Neji's lips were close to Lee's right ear while the rest of Neji's body had been awkwardly placed against Lee's right side.

"It's okay," Neji whispered.

"But, he, I," Lee sputtered.

"I know, trust me, I know," Neji said.

Lee blinked. Neji would know. He had taken his first kill on their last C-Rank mission.

"You did it to protect me and I cannot say enough to thank you," Neji said.

Lee sat back and Neji came with him. Neji kept one arm wrapped around Lee's shoulders and their eyes met. Lee stared when Neji offered him a little smile. Lee swallowed down the tears threatening to fall.

"If you had not done what you did then I might be starting to go blind. Do you know what happens to a blind Hyuuga? They die by their own hand. You saved my life, Lee."

Lee let the tears roll down his cheeks. He had saved Neji's life by taking the life of a thief. Lee didn't care Neji grunted when Lee wrapped his arms around Neji's body and hugged the slender Hyuuga close. Lee tried not to cry too hard but failed and knew he would be soaking the shoulder of Neji's shirt.

Hair tickled Lee's nose but he didn't care. He clung to Neji and sobbed. Lee wasn't even too surprised when Neji's arms came up and wrapped around him, hands softly patting Lee's middle back and the back of Lee's head. Lee did not know how long he knelt in front of Neji, holding his friend close, but eventually he pulled back.

Lee made to wipe his eyes but stopped upon seeing the gore coating his hands. Neji said nothing, wordlessly going into his supply pack and pulling free a small towel and a bottle of water. Lee stayed still on his knees while Neji gently, carefully, wiped the blood off Lee's hands, face and neck.

Lee sniffled as Neji unraveled the bandages around Lee's right arm first and replaced them with dexterity Lee should have realized sooner Neji had. The left bandages were replaced as quickly and Lee blinked at his hands. Neji had put a bandage over the mark left by Miyashiro's tooth but besides this it was as if Lee had not beaten a man's head in.

"Lee?" Neji questioned.

Lee noticed Neji had tilted his head slightly to one side and his eyebrows had furrowed minutely. Neji's mouth had also turned down into a frown. Lee let out a breath and managed to get a small smile on his face.

"Thank you," Lee said.

Neji hummed and inclined his head. Neji got to his feet and helped Lee up. Lee said nothing as Neji glanced over his shoulder to look at the mess Lee had made of Miyashiro. Lee noticed Neji frown before their eyes met.

"Lee," Neji said.

Lee had started to move towards the corpse. Lee shook his head at Neji and continued on his path. He knew he did not have to tell Neji how grateful he was when Neji followed, keeping on hand on Lee's shoulder. They made it to the dead man.

Lee looked down at the body of his first kill and stared. He had flattened Miyashiro's skull into the ground and started to form a crater under where the man's head had been. Miyashiro's chest had caved in from the force of Lee's knees hitting him. The left upper leg had gained a knee. The right shoulder had been snapped, forced inwards, and Lee stared at all of this with a little frown.

They could not bring the body back to Konoha to use as identification. Lee did not know what they could do and wondered if this meant he had made them fail the mission. Lee said nothing to Neji about this and kept staring at the corpse.

"You did the right thing," Neji said.

"I know," Lee told him.

"Hn,"

Lee kept his smile back at the non-committal response. Lee had started to recognize Neji's different mono-syllable non-word replies. Lee knew this one meant something along the lines of "Oh good, I didn't want to have to beat the knowledge I imparted on you in you."

Lee lifted his head when he felt Neji's hand tighten on his shoulder. They both turned as Guy-sensei and Tenten leaped into the field. Tenten looked frazzled and promptly fell onto her front when she saw they were both okay. Guy-sensei let out a long breath of relief and smiled.

The smile faded when he spotted the body in front of the two shinobi.

Guy-sensei bent towards Tenten and told her to wait in the trees a moment. She nodded wearily but went without remark. Lee kept quiet as Guy-sensei walked over with a little frown, happy Neji kept his hand on Lee's shoulder.

"Lee," Guy-sensei said.

"He threw something into Neji's eyes and told us it would make Neji blind in about twenty minutes. I could not let that happen to Neji and felt this, this, anger," Lee started but stopped.

Guy-sensei hummed and put his hand on Lee's other shoulder. Guy-sensei's other hand ended up on Neji's shoulder but Neji did not complain.

"Understood. Are you all right?" Guy-sensei asked.

Lee nodded. Guy-sensei repeated the question to Neji who gave his mono-syllable response. Guy-sensei let out a little breath and a smile came to his face. He patted both their shoulders then guided them away from the corpse.

"Go wait with Tenten while I clean this up," Guy-sensei said.

Lee did not have to be told twice. He noticed Neji followed him without argument and within moments they were standing on the same branch as Tenten. She tilted her head to one side and raised an eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest but one hand free to flick a senbon into the air and catch it expertly between two fingers.

"What happened?" Tenten questioned.

"Lee beat Miyashiro's face in," Neji said simply.

Tenten's eyebrow went up further. She caught her senbon but did not toss it back into the air again. Lee gulped and felt the need to clarify why he had killed a man.

"Ah, he tried to blind Neji with this gel-stuff," Lee said.

Tenten frowned but nodded. She flicked the senbon into the air and caught it.

"Then you should've made him suffer a bit more," Tenten said.

Lee coughed to hide a laugh and caught Neji smirking. Tenten winked and they waited on the tree branch for Guy-sensei.

No one asked what he had done to get rid of the body, Lee's blood soaked bandages, and Neji's blood coated towel. They followed after Guy-sensei once he checked both Neji and Lee over for injuries and headed towards Konoha.

Lee would later recount this story to the Hokage but gloss over the words Neji had said and his actions by simply saying: "Neji helped me get up." He would use the same line with his friends when they later asked about his first kill...

"You flattened his face?" Kiba questioned.

Kiba's jaw had dropped and his eyes had widened. His clawed hands dug into the table in front of him. The others were as flabbergasted. Lee nodded.

"Yes," Lee said.

"Like, flattened, flattened?" Kiba asked.

"What other kind of flattened is there?" Ino enquired.

Lee held back his smirk when Kiba shook his head as if to clear it. Shino had said nothing but Lee saw the way the bug-user had stiffened. Hinata had gone paler than normal. Shikamaru had a scowl on his face and Choji had stopped eating.

Lee's teammates sat calmly as if Lee was not capable of obliterating someone's head with a few well placed punches. Neji sipped his tea with his eyes half closed while Tenten had a little smirk on her face as she leaned back a bit in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

"And you hadn't killed anyone by this point?" Sakura posed to Tenten.

Tenten nodded. No, Tenten had not killed anyone on their second C-Rank mission. When she had taken her first kill though...

Lee shuddered at the thought of it and saw Neji frown and place his teacup down onto the table, out of his slightly trembling hands.

"So, what was your first kill like?" Ino asked.

Lee gulped and saw Neji scowl. Shikamaru, Shino, and Sakura caught the dampening of the mood. Choji, Hinata, and Kiba were next to catch on. Ino's lips parted and a flush came over her cheeks when she saw how Lee and Neji reacted. Ino paled when Tenten produced a senbon from somewhere and began flicking it up into the air and catching it in her fingers.

Tenten's head had tilted downwards a bit and her eyelids had dropped. Her lips had curled into a sort of smirk, not a friendly one, and her shoulders had stiffened. Lee knew this look. It was the one Tenten gave right before she started yelling in anger and throwing sharp pointy projectiles around.

Lee did see Neji tense to run and was prepared to follow Neji out of the restaurant if Tenten decided to unleash her arsenal on Ino. There was no other move when Tenten decided to take her rage out by flinging around weapons.

They had learned this when she took her first kill.

"Um, I mean, you don't have to—" Ino tried.

"Messy," Tenten interrupted.

Lee nodded furiously in agreement and saw Neji doing the same. Tenten tossed her senbon up and caught it. She spent a few seconds twirling it around her fingers before flinging it towards the table in a blur of motion Lee hardly caught. It landed dead center of an uneaten sweet dumpling, sticking up on an angle.

Ino jumped then started giggling nervously. Tenten grinned, posture relaxing and eyes lighting happily. The others started chuckling anxiously while Lee let out a long breath. He saw Neji do the same and spotted the Hyuuga pick up his tea cup to drink.

There was an expression about saving the best for last and the messiness of Tenten's first kill had definitely given new meaning to the expression. Lee decided it best not to think of Tenten's first kill. He did not want nightmares tonight.

---

Time

Lee ran through Konoha with a grin on his face as typical. Untypical about today was the fact Lee wore a pointed party hat in bright green and had orange streamers flying from his wrists. A sash wrapped around his chest, bright orange in color with the words "Birthday Boy" written in big sparkly white block letters. He had received all his adornments from his team. They had left a small white box on his front stoop.

On this cool November 27th, Lee wanted to jump up and down in excitement. It had been a long while he had been in the Village for his birthday, a longer time since his team had been in the Village for his birthday.

Okay, long while was exaggerating. They were together for his twelfth and thirteenth birthdays but not his fourteenth, fifteenth, or sixteenth birthdays. Finally on this day, his seventeenth birthday they could celebrate together. Lee could not wait to get to the training field.

Despite the fact he had woken at three in the morning and gotten ready within fifteen minutes, Lee was last on the field. He did not let this detour him as Guy-sensei and Tenten held up a sign which read "Happy Birthday Lee." Neji had a smirk on his face and held something behind his back.

Lee landed in front of the group with a whoop as Neji revealed a glitter cannon before blasting Lee with glitter, streamers, and confetti. Lee took it with his arms spread wide and a massive grin on his face. The wind blew at the right moment and Neji got some of the blast.

Lee chuckled as Neji raised an eyebrow at the fact he now had gold and silver glitter, multicolored confetti, and green streamers coating his traditional white robes and stuck in his hair. Neji shook his head but didn't bother trying to get the bulk of the stuff out of his hair. Tenten laughed at him before putting down her sign and wrapping Lee in a hug.

Guy-sensei joined after a moment as did Neji. Lee hugged his sensei and his best friends as hard as he could. They parted after a moment and Lee chuckled as he pulled a streamer out of Neji's hair. Neji hummed but did not remark.

They settled on the grass beside two big wrapped boxes, a massive bento box for them all to share, and an envelope. Lee laughed as Tenten placed an orange party hat on Neji's head then her own. Neji said nothing and smirked when Lee shoved a green party hat on Guy-sensei's head. Guy-sensei handed him one of the wrapped boxes and Lee tore into the paper, not caring some of it landed on Neji.

Lee took up the bow, grinned, and stuck it in the middle of Neji's hitai-ate. Tenten fell over laughing, Guy-sensei gave a "Nice Guy" pose, and Neji, well he smiled softly. Lee knew Neji would not take the bow off unless it accidently fell off in training. If the bow did fall off, Neji would pout (though not admit it) until Tenten or Lee found the bow and stuck it back on his forehead.

Lee went to the box Tenten had given him and pulled it open to reveal a new medical kit, a set of kunai, and a brand new set of tonfa. Lee let out a shout before pulling Tenten into a bone-crushing hug. She let out a little squeak as he hugged her tight and she patted his back.

"Can't breathe," Tenten got out.

"Lee," Neji said.

Lee let go of Tenten as Neji's voice had gone dangerously low. His eyes had narrowed as well and a little frown had come up on his face.

"Sorry, sorry, I am excited," Lee said.

Neji smiled and the tension left the area. Lee let out a breath and decided not to hug Tenten like that again lest her boyfriend, Mr. Overprotective Hyuuga attack him. It would be a good spar though.

Guy-sensei got the second bow and he too would wear it proudly until it fell off. Guy-sensei would go to his knees and cry when he noticed he lost his bow and if Neji still had his, chase the Hyuuga around the training field until he either caught Neji or Tenten and Lee found Guy-sensei's bow.

Guy-sensei had gotten Lee new leg warmers and some new body suits. Lee had been running dangerously low and thanked his sensei with a hug. Lee sat back in the circle and blinked when Neji handed him a white envelope.

Neji's gifts always had some kind of meaning and were generally small enough to fit in a person's palm. Lee was not particularly surprised to see Neji's gift fit into an envelope but did have a bit of concern as the envelope in question sat flat. Surely Neji would not have gotten Lee gift certificates or money.

Tenten had started biting her lip in nervousness. Guy-sensei had become serious. Lee's smile faltered. Tenten and Guy-sensei didn't know what Neji had gotten Lee. Odd, especially since Neji and Tenten had been dating for close to two years now.

Lee opened the envelope to reveal a single sheet of paper, folded neatly in thirds. Lee looked to Neji who had his right eyebrow raised slightly and the smallest of smirks on his face. Lee knew Neji was sensitive, deep down, but Lee had no idea Neji would write some kind of poem. Lee unfolded the paper and gaped.

Neji hadn't written him a poem:

Hirata Yusa, 17, located at 100-8994 Fire Country, Yaesu, Chuo-ku, 1-5-3. Unwed, no suitors, works at her mother's kimono shop and is the Fire Daimyo's daughter's personal seamstress.

Neji had found Lee Yusa-chan for his birthday.

Lee did not know what to say or even how to say it. His throat had gone bone dry, his hands had started trembling, and his hands were damp. His heart had speed up as if he had been training all day and all he could do was look at the simple note Neji had given him.

"You, you, you," Lee tried.

"You are most welcome," Neji said.

Lee jumped onto Neji, making Neji fall onto his back with an 'Oof,' and hugged their most stoic teammate with all the force he could muster. Lee didn't care he had tears running down his eyes or he shouted "thank you" over and over again into Neji's ear.

"Lee, ribs, crushing," Neji got out.

Lee pulled back a bit and laughed. Neji let out a huge breath, tickling over Lee's ear, and hummed. Lee noticed Neji had wrapped his arms around Lee and lightly patted Lee's back. Lee kissed Neji's cheeks and right beside the bow on Neji's forehead. Neji narrowed his eyes and Lee knew he was pushing it, birthday or not.

Lee jumped off Neji with a grin and Neji sat up, dusting himself off. Tenten giggled at him. Guy-sensei had the paper in his hand with a grin on his face. Guy-sensei gave Lee the paper back as Neji explained what Neji had done. Lee said nothing when Tenten cooed happily at her boyfriend before wrapping an arm around Neji's shoulders and kissing his cheek. Neji smiled softly as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"And people say you're a cold hearted jerk," Tenten said.

"Hn," Neji muttered.

Lee laughed. It was Neji's "I know, how stupid are people?" mono-syllable sound. Lee tucked the precious piece of paper into his supply pack. The small mess was cleaned up and training began. Lee would never forget this day or Neji's kindness.

---

Two days after Lee had received Yusa-chan's address he and Neji took a personal trip to the city of the Fire Daimyo. They did not linger long on the sights of the marketplace or the sheer amount of finely dressed people but strode instead to a certain district in the Fire Daimyo's city. The building they looked for was a mere block away from the castle and Lee gaped in awe.

"I should approach first and set up a meeting with her," Neji said.

"But—" Lee started.

"You told me once her mother did not approve of her seeing a shinobi. Her mother will change her mind if it is a Hyuuga shinobi," Neji said.

Lee blinked then nodded. Neji patted Lee's shoulder and Lee took a moment to hide around the corner of the building across the street from Yusa-chan's home and shop. Neji approached and strode into the shop without pause. Lee bit his lip as Neji disappeared from the view of the big wide windows.

Minutes passed but it felt like days to Lee. He began fidgeting on the spot and gnawing at his lips. His hands clenched and unclenched on the brick of the building he hid behind and Lee wanted to do something besides waiting.

Waiting on missions had always been easy but this, this wasn't a mission. Lee hadn't seen Yusa-chan in eight years but thought about her in his downtime. Sure Lee had a crush on both Sakura and Tenten but those were nothing compared to the feelings he remembered having about Yusa-chan.

Neji came out of the shop and Lee gaped. Neji's expression was emotionless, lips in a neutral line, elegant eyebrows smoothed completely, and eyes at their normal wideness. Lee kept bouncing and almost knocked Neji over when he came around the corner. Neji huffed as Lee shoved him against the building in excitement.

"Well? Well? Where will we meet? Has she changed much from what you remember? Is her mother there? Did they seem suspicious?"

Lee wanted to ask more questions but Neji put a hand over Lee's mouth. Lee stared into Neji's eyes as a slow smile came over Neji's face.

"You will meet tonight at eighteen hundred hours, under a bench with the only yellow cherry blossom tree in this village. Obviously she has changed much, Lee. Gods, you grew a foot, cut your hair and are a chunin now. Yes her mother is there, older now but not ailing which is somewhat unfortunate for you.

"No, they did not seem suspicious, in fact, her mother seemed exceptionally happy. I did not use my real first name so in case word does get out about Yusa-chan dating a Hyuuga no one will suspect it is me. Now, let me go,"

Neji dusted off his shoulders when Lee did as he was told. Lee fist-pumped with a shout and grabbed Neji's shoulders again. Neji hummed in annoyance but Lee didn't care. He had to prepare for meeting Yusa-chan tonight and Neji was going to help him.

Lee tried not to fiddle with anything as he hid behind the rows of cherry blossoms in the park. The single yellow blossom stood five yards away and under it was a white bench. Lee wore his regular green spandex body suit, orange leg warms, green standard issue vest zipped up, his hitai-ate around his waist, and the bandages around his arms. His bowl cut had been brushed till it glowed and he had brushed his teeth for ten minutes.

Neji stood beside Lee with Byakugan activated, watching for the moment Yusa-chan would appear. Lee held a single daisy in one hand as well as Yusa-chan's old handkerchief. These items would likely be the only way Yusa-chan recognized him.

Lee inhaled sharply when Neji placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed to a woman walking towards the bench. The woman, young, stood a little over five feet in height and walked with a barely there limp. Her hair glowed in the setting sun, red-blond as Lee had remembered it.

She had left her hair free to wave gently along her back until it ended near the middle in a mass of silk the kimono she wore could not compete against. A jade hair comb kept it back from her face, highlighted with little pearls, and stuck at the back of her head to pull back two bits at her temples.

She wore a gorgeous silk kimono made of pale green with darker green blossoms decorating it. The obi to tie it closed was so dark a green it looked almost black and the bow at her lower back was massive. She also carried a green parasol, open, and over her left shoulder.

"Lee?"

"She's so beautiful,"

"Hn,"

This was Neji's amused sound. Lee could not take his eyes from Yusa-chan. She had filled out wonderfully over the years: wide hips, a large bosom, and a petite waist, similar in shape to Hinata. She had also learned how to disguise the fact her right leg was shorter by three inches and walked as gracefully as any woman.

Lee watched her sit on the bench. He could not move. His heart beat too quickly and every muscle had turned to stone. He had no saliva in his mouth, it felt like he had swallowed all the sand in Suna, and he couldn't remember how to breathe.

"Go you idiot,"

Lee face planted when Neji pushed him. Lee heard Neji scoff and felt the sensation of flying when Neji pulled Lee to his feet. He met Neji's white eyes a moment later as Neji dusted him off, turned him around, and pushed Lee towards the bench. Lee didn't fall this time.

He turned the fall into a sort of stiff kneed jog and almost tripped when he got to the cement sidewalk as it did rise a bit in a sort of barrier in front of the grass. Lee caught himself before looking too stupid and took a deep breath before approaching the bench.

Yusa-chan heard the noise and looked up. Lee met her green eyes and became lost in the depths of her gaze. Her eyes were jade, like Sakura's but had blue hints. Her lashes were thick, full, and her eyebrows were slender and elegant (kind of like Neji's but Lee would never tell either this), while her lips were plump, heart-shaped, and colored light pink.

Lee thrust the daisy towards her and she gasped. She blinked in wonder then yelped softly as Lee pushed the handkerchief towards her with his other hand. Yusa-chan stared up at him and Lee knew he had to say something.

"Yusa-chan, you, me, ah, swings, er, Konoha, um, Lee, me, I am Lee,"

Lee could hear the slight smack of Neji's hand hitting his hitai-ate as well as the sound of a crow cawing in mocking. Time stilled as Yusa-chan met his eyes with her lips parted and her eyes wide. Lee heard ringing in his ears and remembered breathing was important. He took a deep breath and tried to let it out slowly but it didn't work.

His breath blew back Yusa-chan's bangs and she kept staring at him in stunned silence. Lee kept holding up the daisy and her old handkerchief. This waiting was much more difficult.

Lee yelped when Yusa-chan dropped her parasol and crushed her body against his, laughing in his ear, and clutching the back of his vest in her tiny fingers as hard as she could. Lee grinned and wrapped his arms around her slender body.

"Lee-san!"

"Yusa-chan!"

Lee did fall over when she kissed him, hard. He didn't mind at all and had no issue pressing his lips against hers as she kissed him with youthful vigor. Her delicate hands had wrapped in his hair and her legs had ended up over one of his as she kissed him with more passion than Lee thought possible. He did not mind.

He did mind when he heard a throat clearing near him and a little "hn" of amusement. Lee opened eyes he didn't remember closing to see Neji standing over them with a little smirk on his face and one eyebrow raised. Yusa-chan gaped.

"Ah, Hyuuga-sama, ah," Yusa-chan tried.

"I am Lee's friend and set up this meeting so the two of you could get together. Though I did not expect you to get together so quickly," Neji said smoothly.

Yusa-chan stared at Neji for several seconds before turning a lovely shade of pink. Lee beamed at her as she giggled in relief and kissed Lee's forehead. She yelped then laughed when Lee stood up with her in his arms. Her eyes had gone wide and a sly smile spread across her face. She squeezed his biceps.

"My, my, Lee-san, you have certainly filled out," Yusa-chan said.

Another cough and an embarrassed "hn" from Neji. Lee decided to ignore his teammate and kissed Yusa-chan on the cheek.

"As have you my precious flower," Lee said.

She laughed and kissed him firmly on the lips. Lee had no issues in obliging her. She could ask him to run around the Fire Country a million times and he would do it. Lee knew now what Neji and Tenten had. He had it thanks to Neji and had no idea how to repay the man.

---

Lee trudged towards his destination with his shoulders low, a frown on his face, and without the youthful dynamism he normally employed. The Fourth Shinobi war had ended three months ago and while Lee and many of his friends had survived, the one person who made Lee the happiest he could be had not.

Neji was dead.

Neji, the man who had brought Yusa into Lee's life and made them both blissful in their youth. Neji, who arranged meetings between Yusa and Lee so Yusa's mother would not find out about their relationship. Neji, who had promised to be Lee's best man at his wedding while Lee promised the same to Neji.

There was nothing fair in Neji's fate and had never been.

Lee should have expected something horrible to happen to his three-man cell. Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji had lost their sensei as had Hinata, Kiba, and Shino: one in death and one retired to raise the child of the dead sensei. Team Seven, well this was one cluster of issues no one even bothered to touch.

Team Guy had always come through on top. They had their sensei, they had their power, their unity, their youth, and everything which would make them continue on for years. Now? They were down a member and for good.

Lee shook his head, sending rain droplets flying around in a spray. He continued to move forward, past the benches, past the single yellow cherry blossom tree, and into the village proper. Lee lifted his head after his feet had traveled the path he remembered well. He sighed and knocked on the door in front of him.

Lee heard footsteps and waited. The sound of a lock coming off the door came and Lee was greeted with the sight of Yusa, dressed in a simple white robe tied loosely around her waist, shining hair damp and loose around her head, and skin pink from the heat of a bath.

"Lee, you are soaked," Yusa said.

Lee nodded and walked into the home she led him in. He made it two steps in before collapsing onto her shoulder and breaking into sobs. Yusa hushed him softly, rubbing his back, and holding him close. She guided him into the home and sat him on the couch, still humming and rocking him gently.

She did not let him go until he lifted his head and looked into her green eyes. Yusa brushed hair off his forehead softly, hand running along the side of his face to come to rest on his cheek. Her other hand was on his shoulder, rubbing gently back and forth to calm him.

"Neji died in the war," Lee said.

Yusa let out a little breath and nodded. Tears had come to her eyes but she did not cry. Neji had been their escort of sorts for months, always keeping a look out in case Yusa's mother arrived unannounced at their private meeting spots. When Yusa's mother did start coming towards them, Neji would tell them and take over in sitting beside Yusa, chatting as if they had been at it for hours.

"Oh Lee," Yusa said.

She pulled him close and somehow Lee's face ended up in her chest. She didn't seem to care but Lee felt heat come to his cheeks as he saw a lot more flesh than he had expected to see tonight. He gulped.

Her breasts were soft yet firm and plump under his cheek. From this angle he could see one of her dark nipples perked up from the cold. Lee swallowed with difficulty and wanted to reach up to close her bathrobe. His hands were busy holding her waist.

It took Lee several more seconds to notice Yusa had begun to pet the back of his head, still humming and trying to comfort him. Her other hand had migrated low to rest beyond his vest and the knot of his hitai-ate, on the curve of the top of his buttocks. Lee inhaled hard, almost choking on his spit, but managing not to cough.

"It will be okay," Yusa said.

Lee nodded before he realized the motion would disturb her all ready slack robe. Lee gaped as more of her breast came to his view. She did not seem to notice or if she did then she didn't care. She kept stroking the back of his head while her other hand lay softly on his butt. Lee wanted to say something but could not figure out what.

"Ah, robe, er, undone, ah," Lee got out.

The ghost of the sound of Neji smacking his hand against his hitai-ate came to Lee's ears. Lee almost started laughing and crying at the same time but Yusa had shifted backwards out of Lee's grip. Instead of pulling her robe tightly around her body, Yusa undid her robe and let the shoulders of it slip down her arms to pool at her waist.

"Ah, ah, wow," Lee muttered.

Yusa giggled. Lee wanted to touch and tried not to think of how he had raised his hands to hover in front of her breasts. He was making a grabbing motion with his hands which made Yusa smile. She shifted forward and Lee took her breasts in his hands.

Lee stared at his hands on her breasts, palms covering her nipples, and wished he could close his mouth. Somewhere above him Lee knew Neji was laughing. Lee grinned at the thought and squeezed.

"Ah, Lee," Yusa gasped.

Lee winced.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No, that felt amazing! Again, please,"

Lee obliged and smiled when Yusa moaned low and arched into him. The issue Lee did have was his bandages prevented him from feeling her breasts in full. He pulled his hands back (Yusa pouted) and began unravelling the bandages around both his arms. He noticed Yusa watching with amusement but tossed away both sets before undoing his vest, throwing it back, and taking off the hitai-ate around his waist.

Yusa's eyes dropped to his groin and she smiled. Lee followed her gaze and blinked at his obvious interest in their evening. Ah well. He could not exactly hide anything when wearing spandex.

Yusa grabbed at him through his spandex and Lee yelped but pulled her close. She chuckled softly in his ear and began to rub. Lee shifted and his leg warmers and sandals ended up on the floor. It took him seconds to pull down the zipper on the back of his body suit and the moment he did, Yusa's hands took the open edges and tugged the suit down until it gathered at his waist.

They kissed. Lee ran his hands up and down Yusa's sides and she shivered against him, pushing her hips into his firmly. Lee cupped her breasts in his hands again as she ran her hands up and down his chest. She flitted her fingers over his stomach before tugging on the spandex in his lap. Lee shifted and his body suit joined the rest of his clothing on the floor.

Lee made short work of her bathrobe and she gasped into his mouth before spreading her legs. Lee paused when she wrapped her legs around his waist and thrust up into him. He had almost entered her.

"Yusa," Lee said.

"Lee," Yusa murmured.

"Ah," Lee tried.

She smiled at him before meeting his lips and running her hands up and down his back. Lee jolted when she squeezed his buttocks in her hands. He shuddered when she felt him from behind, petite fingers caressing his sack. Lee gulped and shifted them until they were lying flush against the couch, Yusa caught under him.

"Ah, wait," Yusa said.

"Um?"

Lee blinked as she pushed against his shoulders to get him to sit up. He did and he watched in confusion as she left the room (naked) and went down the hallway. Lee shook his head to clear it from seeing the way her buttocks moved while she walked away. He heard rustling and sat on the couch quietly as she did whatever it was she needed to do.

Yusa came back out of the hallway and Lee smiled as he watched her breasts bouncing as she strode towards him. She carried a little square of plastic which she ripped open using her teeth. Lee's jaw dropped when she unravelled a condom over his hardened member. He did not get to ask if she was certain about this as she straddled his legs and dropped onto his lap, impaling herself on him.

"Ah!"

"Ah, are you,"

"I'm fine, Lee,"

"Oh, ah, oh, wow,"

Lee held her waist as she giggled against him. Their lips met and Lee wrapped one arm around her waist as the other went up to clutch at her breast. Yusa's hands tangled in his hair as she began to move her hips against him.

Lee had no words to describe the wondrous sensations he felt. Now he understood why all his friends made such a big deal about sex. It was amazing.

Lee lost himself in the sensation of Yusa moving against him, encasing him in the kind of warmth he had never felt. He drifted in the taste of her tongue in his mouth and the tender tugs she gave his hair as she moved. He became entranced at the feel of her breast in his hand and the silken locks of her hair when he raised his other hand to hold her head.

White erupted across his vision and Lee trembled against Yusa as she called out his name and arched hard into him. She fell against him, panting, and Lee held her close while taking enourmous breaths.

He felt as if he had trained all day and all night for a week and his muscles hummed with heat. His head was fuzzy as if he had woken up and his limps trembled similar to the way he felt after fighting. Yusa's breath against his ear tickled but he would never tell her to move. Her hands kept clenching and unclenching on his shoulders as she trembled.

"Don't ever leave me," Yusa said.

"I promise," Lee told her.

"Good. I will tell my mother about us in the morning when she returns,"

Yusa met his eyes and all he could do was stare at her. She wanted to tell her mother. She couldn't. Neji had told him before the war if Yusa ever did anything to displease her mother than she would be out in the streets, disowned. Lee did not have a home in Konoha to bring Yusa to and besides, she did not deserve giving up her life for him.

"No," Lee said.

Yusa sat back at him with her eyes widening and her jaw dropping.

"She will disown you and I have no home since Konoha has been destroyed. You deserve more than what I can offer at this moment," Lee said.

Yusa blinked then nodded. She kissed him again and they relaxed against each other. Lee let out a long breath as Yusa fell asleep on his shoulder. He moved when the sun started to come up and carried her to her room, dressing her in a nightgown and tucking her under her covers. Lee took off the used condom and tossed it into the can near her bed.

He dressed in record time and locked the door before leaving through a window. Lee took to the roof tops with a smile on his face. Soon, he would bring Yusa away from her mother and into Konoha where she could live with him happily. He would miss not having Neji as his best man when they married. He would regret not thanking Neji appropriately for finding Yusa in the first place.

Lee looked to the skies and stopped as a single white feather floated towards him. Lee caught the feather in his hand and found it difficult to stop his tears. Neji understood. He always had.

---

I adore, Lee, really. Reviews welcome. Remember, there are two more chapters for this: one for Guy and one for Tenten. Who will be next? You'll see next week-ish. ;)