Waking up in the unfamiliar comfort of his hospital bed Gai is first confused. Blinking in the bright morning light he nearly cries when realizing the implications. Before he can distangle himself from the bed sheets and make a break for it a yellow note by his bedside catches his attention. Snatching it up quickly he scans it in silence.
Shocked it is a full minute before his sensei's prescense triggers a respone. The older is smiling eyes specutive. "Seems the doctor was right. I really didn't think you'd heal so well or so fast…" Walking in the jounin seats himself on one of the other beds. His eyes are a startling amber in this light. "As you might have read team Longshot has passed." Looking down at his clasped hands Hito continues, "If - what do you feel are the abilities I was testing you for?"
Studying his gently scarred hands as he waits for the child to answer Hito is bewildered. Pulse elevated , stomach clenching he feels an unnatural need for Gai to get this right. 'I need… you to be…' "Teamwork seems obvious, but teamwork can be built. Talent, intelligence, and character are generally harder to come by. .. You were testing to see first if we had what couldn't be built, and second to see what couldn't be fixed…rright?" Looking up to see his youngest student backlit like an angerl or spirit Hito finishes his thought, '…Anna'. "Gai…"
Shocked Gai touches his lips, a new note in his hand. Ignoring it he touches the lps that now taste of day-old wine and the innocence of sweet buns. 'Sensei?' Confused and not a little scared Gai hopes he was simply dreaming - even if it means he isn't a real ninja any more.
...
Two days later Gai finds himself released and on his way home. For some reason he feels like running over to Kakashi's apartment and begging to stay with him tonight. 'Stop being stupid - sensei… it was just a one-time thing. He'll probably never even mention it again, not even to apologize.' Forcefully clearing his mind and calming his breathing he continues to slowly weave his way home. Thoughts of curry and some of the sake he and Obito snitched from Old Man Tomeshin briefly distract him from his surroundings.
So it is with a start he recognizes the tall figure by his front door. Hito's face is thunderous eyes blank and hard. "Gai-kun, where were you? I've been waiting an hour already!" Snatching the boy closer he studies him finger tracing the bewildered face. He must finally recognize the look in the boy's eyes because suddenly he releases him. Looking away into the deepening gloom he shifts nervously.
"Gai-kun, I-I was hoping you'd like to go eat? I mean you - to celebrate your passing? I remember my sister and I, we went to her favorite tea shop when she made gennin." Rubbing his arm knowing there'll be a brusie later the child studies the man before him carefully. Finally just as his teacher is about to apologize and leave he speaks, "Do you like curry? I mean tea shops are good too - Anko-chan likes them, but I really like curry." Met briefly with an inscrutable look Gai find himself near blinded by Hito's smile, "I like spicy things too."
It is long after midnight before the last Maito finds himself alone tired and confuse, but fairly happy. It wasn't strange at all - just dinner and talking. Then they went out to a training gruond to demonstrate their summoning contracts. 'Sensei's birds are so cool…' Then its kind of fuzzy something about sensei's house and a room. Dresses and… it's blank. A dress? A white sundress and nothing underneath… 'I've missed Anna.' Suddenly Gai finds himself vomiting over the edge of his bed.
...
Having never been late since the first day of academy Gai nonetheless finds himself dittering the next morning. Despite the rather suspicious gap in his memory the boy knows something he didn't want to happened. If only because he woke up he couldn't find either his shirt or his boxers. He had found a red, sore spot on his collar bone. 'Like a..a hickey!' Schooling his face into a careful blank before shifting into a bright, eager if embrashed expression he begins to run already a good five minutes late.
Even so he overtakes his teammates who are laughing uproarishly about something. Spotting him they abruptly quiet before sharing a look. Rekei smiles unpleasantly - "So Gai-kun see any monsters lately?" 'Only the kind that play sensei.' Feeling giddy and nauseous he smiles awkwardly, "I don't know what you mean… Is this some kind of joke Rekei-san? Not waiting for an answer he squeks out an urgent reminder of their tardiness before jogging ahead. 'Come on you fucking losers - please!'
Ten minutes later they join him snickering. Barely glancing at them he restrains himself from flinching as he shifts his weigh. A spanking. Who was this guy to touch him? 'I'm not his stupid litle sister.' Frowing as he grits his teeth he only just tunes in as Rekei is thrown into a tree Ame gingerly oicking herself off the ground. Hair in her face she snaps her head to glare daggers at Gai, "What about the baby? Doesn't he get a few licks or is he too fragile? Before he knows it himself he has punched her hard enough to throw her clear across the clearing.
Face streaming with blood she laughs, "Did I hurt wittle baby boy's feeling? Gonna cry for mama?" Rekei murmers something as Gai laughs, "I would but the dead can't hear." Before things can worsen Hito steps in glaring at all of them. "So obviously the first thing we need to do is work on teamwork. To that end I've requested a training trip slash mission." The particulars wash over the seven year old preoccupied as he by the measuring look in his teacher's eyes. 'You'll never be late again even if I have to beat that lesson into you! You're not gonna shame me Gai! Not again.' Wishing for his academy friends Gai tries not to shiver.
…
So far so good. Their patrol has found nothing amiss despite the bludgeoning tensions between the nations. Tensions between the junior members of team Longshot are soon to yield violence however. Ame regards Gai as a personal affront his presences seemingly painful to her sense of person. Rekei obviously feels uncomfortable around him somewhere between disgust and worry. And worry he should the kid steadily retreating into himself.
"I'm serious chan thare's something wrong with the kid." Unwrapping her arms from his waist the red-head sneers, "So what? Or have you forgotten how he acted when you shifted form?" It always came back to that but well - "At least he's seven. I've had adults behave worse for a lot less. Besides you freaked too the first time I did it in front of you." Shrugging Ame leans back into him, "I still don't like him. He's a spoiled, pretensious little fuckwit. 'Prodigy' my ass." Deciding it's a lost cause Rekei focuses instead on getting a hand up the konnichi's shirt.
"I only do this because you make me." Raising his hand again he brings it down with a resounding slap on lightly tanned thighs. Thighs that are quickly becoming a dusty rose. "I hate hurting you. You're so damn important to me. I - I really think I love you Gai." The bastard actually has the never to cry as he moves from spanking to actually beating the body laid out on the sleeping bag before him. Damning Hito's silencing jutsu the child wishes the older kids could at least hear the abuse though of course they're probably too busy fucking to care.
"Why do we have to fight Anna? We use to love this.." Cursing his inattention Gai decides to stay silent hoping the older male will snap out of it before - 'Damn.' The sound of a zipper follows the rustling of a removed shirt. The sound of flying cloth and then a hesitant hand on a sore and slowly brusing thigh.' It's okay you won't remember a thing when you wake uo. Just a spanking that got out of hand and unconciousness. Besides he never takes this too far.' Rolled onto his back the child closes his eyes.
Sticky and sore since sensei refused to heal his bruises stating he'd earned them Gai washes gingerly in the near freezing water. 'What did he do after he rolled me over?' Blushing he knows it wasn't invasive since there isn't any blood or pain from that area. No unusal tastes in his mouth so that's alright. His hands are rather sticky as are his thighs and belly. 'So were his for that matter.' Grimcing at waking up naked next to an equally naked 'mentor' the boy only just ducks under as his teammates 'roud the bend.
'Damn.' Knowing of no way to explain his bruises, knowing that even if his teammates believed him there is nothing either of them can do he can only pray Ame's dislike of him will lead them away. Even as the thought crosses his mind he can see her eyes narrow as they come across him submerged up to his neck. A brief flutter snakes through him abruptly killed by the cold water. Rekei makes another joke laughing at the buthered punch linne before following her gzae to Gai.
With an ugly smile she whispers something before turning and walking away. Breifly studying Gai Rekei follows with a shrug. Relived Gai moves to finish up when a pair of arms wrap around him from behind. "Gai-kun." Instantly still the child belatedly forces himself o relax all too familiar with what happens when he isn't. "Ah so you can learn." Utterly repulsed he can't stop the shiver that rocks him as the disturbed man gently grasps his sex tongue tracing his nape; "I want to taste you. I want to hear you beg."
…
Not trusting anyone he sticks to the highest branches knowing he's the only one small enough for them. Even so he can feel the pervert's eyes on him. 'And there's nothing you can do.' The shameless pedophille who has spent every night of this trip telling him of the others, the ones who told or tried to, the ones who were smart enough not to, and the ones who got away. Every one of them had a single thing in common - they were the ones who suffered. Hito was- is unstoppable, absolutely untouchable; a man as slick as oil. It doesn't matter who told or tried to nothing happened to him even while they lost everything.
'So I'm damned…' Nearly missing a branch at that thought he quickly returns his attention to his surroundings. Just as well it didn't bear thinking about what about what else all these others had in common. 'He keeps going, getting worse.' Moving from playing dressing up and kissing to more intimate, more deviant activities. 'I have so many pictures.' Tongue tracing down his chest fingers gently toying with his sack. 'Do you know the kind of toys I have? The kind of games we'll play? Clamping his mouth so he doesn't scream Gai picks up his pace not caring for once if he's violating procedure.
…
Arashi congratulates them eyes subtly studying Gai who stands before him with a bright smile. 'His eyes are glazed.' Hito-sand places a hand on the boy's shoulder bringing a frantic light into those huge eyes. "Your pay is at the desk, Hito-san if you could stay back with me?" The boy briefly looks so relieved it's painful to see before quickly bowing and scooting out the office door. His older teammates follow only a tad bit slower not capable of insolent behavior this close to the Yondaime. As the door closes to a sudden rush of laughter the hokage turns his eyes to team eighteen's sensei the ever controversial Hito. "Hito-san tell me about your team." Grateful to the old man's instructon Arashi studies Hito as he expounds on his unconventional team most especially as he speaks of Gai. To his puzzlement nothing is out of the ordinary. "Is that all Hokage-sama?" Nodding reluctantly Arashi seats himself silently gazing out the window.