AN: Couldn't resist doing another chapter for this fic. I hope you're not finding it too angsty or Gai too serious- but I've always liked the idea that behind the youthfulness there is a darker side to Gai and his enthusiasm and comic relief can be his mask…

Chapter 6

"What...?"

Gai couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. And the worst thing of all was that he was showing his weakness to Yamato of all people. The man who had ruined everything. Gai may as well have died back with the chunin; he didn't know how he would ever get over this.

"Gai..." Yamato spoke gently. Gai looked him. He had a filthy, pitying look on his face. Gai wanted to punch him. He couldn't believe how upside down this new Konoha was: Naruto was hokage, Gai was thought dead, Yamato and Kakashi were an item and apparently Yamato now felt sorry for him. Things couldn't get any worse

How could Kakashi do this to him? He had promised he would be with Gai. Forever. Did that not mean anything to Kakashi. He had thought that promises to his friends had meant more than that. But Kakashi had broken his promises to everyone else, to Obito, so why not Gai too.

Though admittedly the exact words had been "until death…" But so what? Did Gai really mean that little to Kakashi that as soon as he snuffed it, he had shacked up with another man- Yamato of all people?

But as angry as he wanted to be with Kakashi he couldn't help wanting to reach out to him, to pull him away from Yamato and shake the man, to make Kakashi see reason. They should be together, it was almost destined. Gai's whole life had been building up to their springtime of love.

Gai simply stared at them. Kakashi wasn't making eye contact with him still. The man was pale- even whiter than usual- and shaking. He was leaning on Yamato for support, as if he would fall otherwise. It annoyed Gai. Why had everyone believed him dead so easily. Why had Kakashi?

Gai could kill Tsunade. If she hadn't told Kakashi she had found his body maybe Kakashi wouldn't have given up on him...

"Gai-Sensei..." Sakura said, interrupting his thoughts and the awkward silence. When Gai didn't answer she and Yamato exchanged a worried look. Yamato nodded to her and tightened his grip on Kakashi.

"OK, I think it would be best for us to leave now. Gai, Sakura will take care of you and make arrangements for somewhere you can stay. Lee would probably be best."

"What?" Gai snapped out of his silence at this new horrible development. "What about my apartment?"

They exchanged that look again.

"Erm," Sakura began. "Well shinobi who have been declared killed in action..."

Yamato watched Sakura and sighed. He looked even more uncomfortable. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this Gai, but your flat was cleared and given to another shinobi. But staying at Lee's place would be better. And Sakura will be there a lot of the time to keep an eye on you!" He paused in the mock-cheery statement. "You'll need your friends around you while you adjust back to life here…"

Gai turned his miserable gaze to Sakura, curious despite circumstances. She blushed and explained, "I'm dating Lee-kun now."

Gai nodded at her approvingly. At least one change had been positive. He wished he could smile and pull her into a hug like he would usually and strike a youthful, heartfelt pose. But for the first time, he couldn't. He couldn't put on a brave face and pretend to be happy. He couldn't play for the fool. He had lost everything, even his home.

Yamato pushed Kakashi towards the village. Kakashi finally looked up at Gai. There was so much emotion in those eyes from the normally expressionless copy nin that Gai didn't know how to read him. Maybe he didn't even know Kakashi anymore. Kakashi almost whispered his parting words. "I'm glad you're back..." and as his eyes filled with tears again he mouthed "I'm sorry."

And then he was gone. Just like that, his love had walked away from him. Again. Gai watched Yamato, but other than a slight flicker in his eyes the young man gave away nothing. Yamato also headed towards the village. He placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder before he left. Then he paused and turned to Gai.

"Goodbye Gai-san," he said politely but formally. Then he heaved a sigh. "Look I know I'm the last person you want to hear this from but I am happy you're alive. You were missed. Yes," he said he said as Gai huffed sarcastically (something he had learnt to do from none other than Kakashi), "even by me." With a puff of smoke Yamato also disappeared.

Yeah right, Gai thought. I bet he couldn't wait to jump in my grave.

Sakura, who somehow had read his thoughts, raised her eyebrows. "No Sensei," she said firmly. "He really did mean it. Yamato isn't a bad person. You are not normally so negative. You need to snap out of it. What happened to your-" she cringed a bit as she said it-"youthfulness?"

"Maybe I changed. Just like everyone else seems to around here."

Sakura sighed. "Alright, I know how you feel about Kakashi. I tried to stop you from running off back at the hokage tower. But as usual you charged right ahead without getting all the facts."

Gai flinched. That had always been Kakashi's criticism of him. They had always been the complete opposite when approaching a fight. Kakashi sneaky and strategic; Gai jumping right in the fray for an honest fight. Kakashi was calm and cool while Gai was hot-headed. Ying and Yang.

"So how do you know?" Gai asked, expecting the answer to be her sensei. After all, Gai had always confided in Lee, so it was only natural for Kakashi to do the same with one of his beloved students. Though he had a hard time imagining Kakashi confiding in anyone. But maybe this was a good thing. If he spoke to Sakura of his true feelings, Gai could get it out of her.

"Well if you must know, from Yamato," she replied.

Gai gaped at her. And here he didn't think there would be any more surprises in store for him. Guess he had better brace himself. It seemed anything could have happened in this weird new Konoha.

Sakura laughed. "Just because you don't like him, doesn't mean Yamato doesn't have friends."

Gai opened his mouth to deny it (just like he had done to Kakashi for so many years) but Sakura held up a hand to stop him. "Oh come on, who are you kidding? It's written all over your face. Always has been. But haven't you considered that if you two hadn't been squabbling over Kakashi-sensei this whole time- as horrifying as that thought is- that you two could be friends?"

Gai felt a bit of his old self returning at her words. "Ha! One as youthful as me cannot be friends with one so wooden as he." Gai puffed out his chest, proud of his comeback. Sakura merely rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Geez I knew you were difficult but..." she shook her head. "OK so you two can't be friends. But you have to get along with him now, if only for Kakashi-sensei's sake."

Gai frowned again, reverting back to his previous shock. He couldn't stomach the thought of Kakashi and Yamato. And that latest reminder felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.

"Gai-sensei I know something happened between you and Kakashi-sensei, but regardless he is with Yamato now."

"Only because I wasn't here. Because of you and Tsunade-sama!"

She gasped. The accusation stung. "That may not be true, anything could have happened." Gai opened his mouth to inform her otherwise, of their eternal, youthful love but she pressed on quickly. "Even so, what happened has happened, we cannot change that. But they are together now, and you cannot hold it against either one of them.

"Kakashi loved you very deeply. I didn't want to have to tell you something so private but I need to make you understand..."

Gai kept his mouth shut for once. He was intrigued. This pink haired girl seemed to hold the pieces of the puzzle. "Go on."

She took a breath and plunged ahead. "When Tsunade-sama and I told him we had found you- erm your body that is- we had hoped he would get better. But he didn't. It was even worse than when Minato-sama had died, she said. We all tried to comfort him, to help him, but he wasn't responding. It was like he had also died.

"Then one night Yamato felt uneasy, that something wasn't right. So he went to check on Kakashi. He got there just in time. Kakashi-sensei had-" she broke off, tears in her eyes. "He had tried to kill himself."

Gai was aghast. Had his rival really been that distraught? Gai was shocked to hear that he really could have lost Kakashi more than just as a lover. But a dark part of him inside was secretly a little glad Kakashi had loved him so much that he felt he couldn't live without him. Gai tried to shake the morbid thoughts from his mind, tried to be the happy goof everyone thought he was.

"So Yamato saved him?" Gai said. He could see where this was going. Yamato was the knight in shiny fucking armor.

"Kakashi-sensei had slit his wrists and was losing blood, but he was still conscious. Yamato carried him to Tsunade-sama's house and woke her. He found him just in time and they saved him."

Gai was of course grateful his love had survived but he hated knowing he owed that to Yamato. He looked at Sakura expectantly; there had to be more to the story.

"So to keep an eye on Kakashi while he was so depressed, Captain Yamato moved him into his own apartment, to look after him. It took a while but he gradually nursed him better. Yamato-san cares very deeply for my sensei. I know you don't want to hear it, but it is true. And if it wasn't for him, sensei would be..."

The unsaid word hung between them, ominous.

"Let me guess, love bloomed between patient and nurse?" Gai said, sounding almost as sarcastic as Kakashi.

Sakura looked at him intently. "No. Not for a long time. In fact, only recently. After the anniversary of your 'death'. Kakashi grieved a lot. But then he finally seemed to accept that it was... Well it was not healthy, and he finally started to move on. A few months ago he and Yamato started going on dates. Kakashi decided he didn't want to move out after all and they became a proper couple-"

"A few months?" Gai said, his youthful enthusiasm returning. "But that's not long at all!"

"No," Sakura glared at him, her voice angry for the first time. "Don't even think about it. They have been together longer than you were with him. And they are settled together, happy. Please don't try to sabotage that. You aren't teenagers anymore, this isn't a game."

"It never was!" Gai shouted. He could never have imagined arguing with Kakashi's adorable student, but she didn't understand anything, especially his and Kakashi's love. "I have only ever loved him. And he loved me!"

"Yes, loved!" she spat. "And what if he doesn't anymore. What if he loves Yamato? Can your youthful ego handle that?"

Gai couldn't believe what he was hearing. No one had ever called him arrogant (well maybe on the battlefield) in his life. He wasn't egotistical, she just didn't understand what he and Kakashi had. No one did. Except from he and Kakashi.

"I don't care what you say, Sakura-chan. Your words will not deter my youthful and determined heart."

Sakura was exasperated. She looked like she would bang her head against the nearest tomb stone.

"OK Gai-sensei, I've told you all I can. I'm friends with Yamato but I care about you both as well as my sensei. I won't interfere in your ah, affairs." She shuddered at the mental images, sure they would scar her. "Now let's go find Lee. He must be going out of his mind if he has heard the rumors."

Gai allowed himself a genuine, warm smile. At least Lee was still his precious student and friend. Some things hadn't changed.