*I'm going to ACen tomorrow. I'm dressing as Conan from Detective Conan/ Case Closed! It's gonna be sweet! Anyway, here's chapter two of the fic. I haven't gotten any feedback from chapter 1 yet, but…screw it. I'm bored. I also finished my Meaning of Life project for Great Books (yeah, it's exactly what it sounds like). I did a puppet show. It was EPIC…except for the fact that I hadn't really worked out the logistics of puppeteering. I should've just learned how to used chakra strings. Would've made the entire ordeal much easier. Anyway, onto the chapter!

Notes: Ino and Neji are friends in this, though it has little to no basis in canon. I love the way Torib0o writes them together, so I decided to give it a shot myself! Also, Kurenai had the baby, and I decided to make the baby a girl. Her name is Will as in "Will of Fire." I thought it was rather appropriate.

WARNING: Any medical knowledge that Kaiser attempts to portray is actually butchered information that she received from high school level Anatomy, high school level Psychology, and the Discovery Channel.

I sincerely apologize to any med students out there who spend this time laughing their asses off.

Chapter 2: Past—Neji and Lee

Lee could not believe the team that he ended up with for this mission. It was an A-Class, not the worst that could be expected of course, but still enough to rattle some newly-promoted Jounin. Lee, being unable to mold chakra, could not pass his Jounin exams (though Tsunade and Gai were trying to pull as many strings as they could get their hands on). However, he was not the only Chuunin on the team. No, in fact there were two others: Inuzuka Kiba and Akimichi Choji. Nara Shikamaru, promoted to special-Jounin earlier that year, and advisor to the Hokage earlier that month, was set to lead the team, but that was not the surprising part. None other than Hyuuga Hinata, was second-in-command to Shikamaru on this mission. With help from her cousin (and the love of Lee's life), she was able to reach Jounin level just before her sixteenth birthday.

Many had been surprised—shocked even—at Neji's insistence to teach Hinata everything that he knew. However, there were a few people who knew that this so-called "change of heart," made perfect sense. Lee was one of those people. Neji…he did not know what the future had in store for him (such irony); he knew that he would probably never have a child, so he wanted to pass on his knowledge in other ways. He vowed to train Hinata so well that her name would be known throughout the Five Great Shinobi villages as a force to be reckoned with. And it would seem that his training was paying off: Hinata had been an invaluable asset to their team this time.

Considering, it had been a fairly smooth mission (no unexpected twists or turns), and Lee very much enjoyed his experience with his old friends. Still, when all was said and done, he preferred working with his old team, Gai-sensei, Tenten, and…

Lee shook himself out of that train of thought. No, his thoughts were straying far too close to what he never wanted to contemplate. Never.

Neji would be fine. Lee would make sure of it.

Before Lee could continue to berate himself for allowing his thoughts to stray, Akamaru's loud bark startled Lee out of his reverie.

"You could sure say that again, Akamaru; I'm starved!" called out Kiba. Their makeshift team shared warm smiles. The Inuzuka grinned. "Oi, whaddya guys say to grabbing a bite once we're back in Konoha? We're close; I can almost smell Shino and Kurenai-sensei." Hinata giggled softly at the thought.

"Yeah, it's been a long mission, hasn't it?" added Choji. "I'm sure our Yakiniku place misses us, right, Shika? And Ino, too, of course." Shikamaru chuckled.

"Of course, once we're home, she'll be screaming her head off about how much she wanted us back in Konoha." Shikamaru shook his head in a mock-dissenting way. "Troublesome girl, that one." Choji grinned back, knowing that his friend was in a great mood to be joking while running at top speed.

"How ' bout you, Hinata?" continued Kiba. "Where're you gonna go first?" Hinata smiled sheepishly but warmly.

"Oh…um…dinner sounds n-nice. I…w-would like to visit Shino-kun and Kurenai-sensei and Mirai-chan…of course. Oh and m-maybe N-n-naruto-k-kun. Oh and o-of course, Neji-nii-san." Different rank, same Hinata. Still, the violet-haired girl was about to ask Lee of his plans, but before she could begin to speak again, Kiba interrupted.

"Hey, how 'bout we all grab some Yakiniku when we get back? We can bring Ino, Shino, and Naruto along." Akamaru barked good-naturedly, as if to say, "Great idea!" There was a collective murmur of agreement from the group.

"What about you, Lee?" asked Choji amiably. Once again, Lee found himself startled out of his thoughts, except this time, everyone was looking at him, eager for a response.

"Well," he began softly. "I would love to, but I cannot. I have someone waiting for me at home." Hinata smiled comprehensively.

"Oh? What's this? Who's your girlfriend, Lee?" Kiba asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Lee, not expecting this, simply sputtered in response.

"Oh well…um, it is…um…er…"

"Kiba," cut in Shikamaru. "Don't badger him."

"Hey, I'm not badgering! I'm just asking is all."

"Well, obviously, he's uncomfortable. If he doesn't want to tell you, he doesn't have to. So stop being troublesome."

"I'll stop being so troublesome when you stop being so snarky!" At this, Choji burst out laughing.

"Oh, that's a great comeback! I've gotta tell Ino that one for the next time he calls us troublesome."

"Please don't," replied Shikamaru.

"Besides," continued Kiba, "you're only saying that cuz you probably already know!" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Well…I do, but that's beside the point."

"Wait, you KNOW?!" cried Lee. Shikamaru blushed in response, quite out-of-character for the Nara.

"Uh…well…I, uh, walked in on you two while you were making-out once…"

"Was it hot?" asked Kiba. Shikamaru glared at the dog-nin.

"Kiba, if I said yes, would that make this situation any less awkward?" Kiba said nothing. "Exactly. But the point is, whether or not Lee wants to reveal the identity of this person is up to him."

"Thank you, Shikamaru-kun," the addressed smiled, "but that is all right. You are all my friends. I can trust you with this information." Kiba looked eager, while Choji just smiled. "I am dating Neji, and I have been for a couple years now…"

"WHAT?!" cried Kiba. Choji's smile never faltered. "Jesus!" continued the Inuzuka. "No offense, Lee, but how'd someone like you end up with someone like that?" Lee blinked, confused.

"I…beg your pardon?"

"I mean," Kiba began again, "he's hot and you're…you."

"I am…not entirely sure how to respond to this…"

"I didn't realize you're bi, Kiba," cut in Choji good-naturedly.

"Hey! Just because I can admire the attractiveness of other men doesn't make me bisexual. It just makes me awesome like that. Besides, Choji, Shikamaru, you guys have to admit he's pretty hot."

"Can't argue with you there," replied Choji.

"Yeah." This was becoming a little too much information for Lee.

"As much as I agree with you three…I would prefer if you did not comment on my boyfriend's attractiveness right in front of me."

"Fair enough," conceded Shikamaru.

"Fine," said Kiba, though he did sound rather disappointed.

Still, as entertaining as the conversation around her was, Hinata seemed rather anxious. Shikamaru was the first to notice.

"Oi, Hinata, you all right back there?"

"Oh, yes…Sh-Shikamaru-kun. I-it's just…Kiba-kun…Choji-kun…Shikamaru-kun," all three turned to look her in the eye, "p-please don't tell anyone about L-lee-kun and Neji-nii-san. Th-though most in my clan w-would be all right with their being seriously involved…some e-elders wouldn't. Nii-san could be in danger…were they to find out." Lee's brow furrowed. It was true. Such was the reason why Neji wanted to keep their relationship low-key in the first place.

Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru nodded.

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan," Choji assured. "I won't tell anyone."

"Same here," added Kiba. "You have my word."

"Of course," finished Shikamaru. "You don't have anything to worry about."

By the time that the team had lapsed back into more casual conversation, they had already returned to Konoha. They said their quick goodbyes, each heading to see the loved-ones that they had sorely missed over the past few weeks. Kiba and Choji headed to find Ino and Shino to have a late dinner with. Hinata stayed behind to tell Lee that she would come by to say here hellos to "Neji-nii-san" later, and went off to join them.

Shikamaru took Lee aside.

"Is something the matter, Shikamaru-kun?" Lee gazed deep into Shikamaru's eyes, those amber pools unnerved him. Within Shikamaru's gaze seemed to be the creation and the destruction, fate, freedom, love, hate, and God. He knew those eyes: the eyes of a genius. The eyes of someone who sees everything. "It must be so hard," thought Lee.

"How's Neji?" he asked bluntly, with a rare-anxious gaze. Then, Lee knew. He knew everything. Shikamaru was worried beyond belief about Neji. He had been for a long time, and the sole reason being that Shikamaru had suffered a mission gone wrong with Neji. They had ended up together in the hollow of a large tree, surrounded by enemy-shinobi. All that Shikamaru was able to do was clutch onto Neji who had long ago lost consciousness. Shikamaru had watched as Neji's lungs nearly collapsed, as his fever skyrocketed to ludicrous, brain-deadening levels, as the pretty brunette violently coughed and gurgled up blood, retched, all in Shikamaru's shaking terrified arms.

Shikamaru had just once seen Neji at his worst, and he never wanted to see his friend like that ever again.

Lee's eyes softened. "He is all right, Shikamaru-kun. Thank you for your concern though. It is good to know that you worry for him almost as much as I do." Shikamaru managed a small nod, but he still did not seem satisfied with the response. Lee noticed this. "Shikamaru-kun…if it makes you feel any better, if something changes, you will be the first to know." Again, the Nara nodded, though this time seeming oddly contented.

"You should go see him, now; I bet he missed you." Lee smiled that bright smile of his at Shikamaru.

"Yes, and you go have fun with your teammates. Do not worry; you can trust me to take care of Neji."

With a small smile, Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah," he said, "yeah, I can."

About ten minutes after the group had completely separated (planning to meet later in order to write the mission report), Lee finally made it to the apartment building. It was not ridiculously late (only nine or ten at night), but still, the lights to Lee's apartment were dimmed, if not off entirely. Neji should have been there. After all, Neji had moved in completely very soon after their relationship had officially started (at first, he had just stayed at Lee's apartment most of the time and gone home at night or after a few days, but one day, Lee found him waiting outside his door in the rain. The Hyuuga had cried his eyes out on Lee's shoulder, and Lee led him in to the apartment, no questions asked. Since then, the brunette had stayed and never left). Though he would never tell Neji about it, Lee had come to think of the adorable Hyuuga as his sweet little housewife. Ever since that mission with Shikamaru, Neji could no longer perform his duties as a shinobi, and he was getting worse and worse by the day. Lee was of course, happy to pamper his poor sweet brunette, but Neji would never allow it. He believed that he had to earn his keep somehow, so he took on the household duties (cooking, cleaning, and running errands around Konoha). If Neji had not been getting weaker and weaker by the day, Lee would have called their relationship perfectly normal. But, alas, Neji could never be the same person again, and it tormented him.

By the time that Lee was done contemplating his relationship, he was already inside the dark house. He lightly toed his shoes off and snuck over to the living room. "Neji," he called softly, lovingly. "Neji, my love, I am home." No response. Lee was getting worried, but then, Lee peered over the living room couch, only to find the sweetest of sights before him. Neji was lying fast asleep on the couch, a book half open on his chest. The brunette looked so relaxed, peaceful, like an innocent child. "You were trying to wait up for me, were you not?" he whispered gently to the sleeping Hyuuga. He smiled warmly and sincerely, before placing a feather-soft kiss on the brunette's forehead. "So cute," he cooed. Neji mumbled softly and unintelligibly in response. Smiling brightly, Lee placed the book on the table and lightly pulled a blanket over him. He absentmindedly put a hand on his forehead.

"Oh, thank God, your fever has gone down. It was so high before I left that I almost could not bear to leave you." The taijutsu-specialist kissed him again. "Sleep well, my love; you need it." Lee was about to leave to allow his sweet Neji more time to rest, but somehow, Neji could sense him leaving. The Hyuuga moaned softly. "Neji, are you…awake?"

Bleary white eyes fluttered open. Neji blinked a few times, looking up at Lee. After a moment, the Hyuuga seemed to recognize him. Neji smiled beautifully at the black-haired boy, so much so that Lee thought he might melt right there. "Welcome home," he managed softly. Neji slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, but Lee was too mesmerized by the brunette's radiance to notice. "Kiba-kun has a point," thought Lee. "How on Earth did I manage to end up with someone like him?"

"Lee?" Lee shook himself out of that train of thought. It did not matter how Neji ended up with the taijutsu-specialist. All that mattered was that Neji, the most beautiful creature on Earth, was his, and Lee intended to keep it that way. He smiled brilliantly at his brunette before climbing onto the couch beside him. The sofa was small; the only way for them both to fit was for Lee to lie on top of Neji. But the latter did not mind in the least, he simply snuggled closer to Lee, letting out a contented sigh. "I missed this," he murmured.

"You have no idea," countered Lee jokingly. Neji beamed, lightly kissing Lee's collar. "Sometimes," continued Lee softly, dreamily, "I want to quit being a shinobi and get a different job, just so I can stay in Konoha all of the time…with you." Opalescent eyes widened.

"No! But Lee, what about your dream? What about showing everyone that a even person with no ninjutsu or genjutsu abilities can be a brilliant shinobi?" Lee blinked, surprised at his love's sudden outburst.

"Neji, my love, are you really the same little boy who laughed in my face when I first told Gai-sensei my dream?" Neji stared for a moment as if thinking, considering Lee's comment in all seriousness.

"I guess I'm not at all who I used to be, am I?" he mused. He turned and gazed soberly at the black-haired boy. "I always wanted to be your friend, Lee, as corny as it sounds. But, when I was younger, I was so…lost in the darkness. Every time I wanted to tell you how much I wanted to get to know you…as Lee the person, not Lee the hot-blooded drop-out, it was like…the darkness rose and took control of me and turned all of the loving things I wanted to say into hateful things. If Naruto hadn't freed me…we may never have…" Lee kissed him, pulling him into the powerful embrace.

"Sometimes," he began, "I hate Naruto-kun." Neji blinked. It was such an out-of-character statement for Lee. "I knew that you were in darkness," Lee continued. He began to stroke Neji's soft brown hair. "I always knew. I would try over and over again to bring you into the light, but I never could. Never. Sometimes, I even made it worse for you. Then, Naruto came, and without even trying, he completely changed you. Changed you into my lovely Neji of light, and sometimes, I hate him for it. Hate him because he did what I had longed to do for years." Neji smiled sadly, snuggling close to Lee.

"Well, Lee, you know what? Naruto may have been the one to change me, but in case you haven't noticed, I'm in your arms now, not his. It wasn't until after we became chuunin that it happened with you. Lee it was you who made me fall for you, not Naruto. One day, I started to feel your touches so much, as if every brush of skin would set me ablaze. You started to make me laugh when no one else could. Sometimes, when we were camping out at night, I would curl closer to you because of your warmth, your smell. I fell in love with you, Lee, no one else." They were silent for a moment more. Lee shifted, so that Neji was lying on him instead of the other way around. The Hyuuga, again, sighed happily.

"How have you been feeling, my sweet?" When Neji stiffened, Lee knew that something was very wrong. "Neji?" he called softly. The brunette simply shook his head. Lee kissed him lovingly. "Please tell me what it is that is bothering you," he continued. Neji again shook his head. "Neji," he began again, tone a bit more stern. "What happened?"

Neji attempted to stand up. "Oh, it's nothing, Lee. Really. Let me make you something to eat instead. I'm sure you're hungry after such a long mission. What would you like? I'll make any—"

Lee pulled Neji back into his arms. The brunette fell back on top of him. Lightly, he pulled the blanket over them, kissing his forehead. "Please, my love," he admonished. "Please do not hide your pain from me. I love you so much. I wish for you to tell me when you are feeling ill. Please, please, tell me." As Neji gazed into those determined and concerned onyx eyes, he knew that he could not lie to his Lee.

"I…I," he began softly, nervously. "I've…I've reached the next stage." Lee's brow furrowed.

"Neji?" he called, concerned and confused. Neji took a deep breath. He buried his face in Lee's chest, wanting nothing more than to disappear and never have to tell Lee about what happened while he was gone.

Lee noticed that Neji's grip on him was tightening from nerves. Lee gave him a gentle smile, kissing him soothingly. "Shh, oh, Neji, it is all right. Do not worry. You can tell me anything." Neji could not help but to melt into Lee's touch. "Please, tell me what happened."

Neji did not meet Lee's warm onyx eyes; instead he hid his face between Lee and the couch, not wanting to show the black-haired boy his anxious expression. The taijutsu specialist sighed, planting a kiss on the top of Neji's head. "Please, Neji. For me?" Neji stiffened, before stilling, completely lost in thought. Finally, he relaxed, sighing.

"A couple days after you left…" he began softly. Lee nodded, kissing his forehead and wrapping his arms comfortingly around the smaller boy. "I was getting ready to meet Ino-san. Shikamaru told me that aside from Choji, she was the best cook that he knew. I wanted to learn to cook something new to surprise you when you got back." Lee let the softest of smiles cross his face. It did his heart good to know that Neji cared enough to waste energy on "welcome home" meals. Lee kissed Neji once again.

"And then what happened, my love?" he asked, pulling Neji even closer still and stroking his hair. Neji sighed longingly, curling against Lee's warmth.

"I was getting everything ready and…suddenly, I was on the kitchen floor. I don't know. One minute, I'm getting everything out of the cabinets that Ino-san and I would need, the next, I'm lying face down on the ground." Lee's arms tightened their hold on Neji, but the latter was far too oriented in his memory to notice. "I don't remember what happened for a while, but when I woke up, the first thing I remember was Ino-san. She was so happy I had woken that she hugged me." Lee managed a small smile. He knew how much Neji craved human contact sometimes. It was good that he could find that in Ino. "Then, Tsunade-sama entered the room. She looked back at Hahaue's old case file, and based on both of our symptoms, she found that the disease goes in stages. The first stage is stress fevers, which lasts until puberty. During puberty, stage two begins: the stress fevers worsen and occur more often, digestion and respiration begin to malfunction, the muscle tremors begin, and migraines set in. This lasts until late teens and early adulthood. Then comes stage three: it starts with higher fevers, trouble with the digestive system, and sporadic loss of consciousness, but it eventually leads to loss of cognitive function, emotional control, and memory, muscle weakness and pain, uncontrolled, jerky motion, loss of coordination and balance, and…and…loss of…sight…" Neji could not take it any more. He buried his face in the crook of Lee's neck. "Lee! I'm going blind. Oh, God, I'm going to go blind!" He began to cry. Lee was in shock. He could have never thought of a worse disease for Neji to have. It truly was slowly taking away everything that the brunette had. So much so that it was all Neji could do to cry his eyes out on Lee's shoulder.

When Neji's sobs became uncontrollable, Lee knew that it was time to step in. He sat up and pulled Neji into his lap, rocking the poor thing soothingly, back and forth, back and forth. "Shh, oh my Neji. Shh, do not cry. Please, when you cry it feels as though my whole world is shattering. Please, no matter what happens to you Neji, no matter how sick you get, no matter what functions you lose, I will always love you and care for you. There is no force in the world that can stop me." However, this did not comfort Neji; instead, he only seemed to cry more.

"No, Lee, there is…one…" he whispered, wrapping his arms around Lee's neck and shoulders. Lee clutched the brunette to his body as if Neji would simply vanish without a moment's notice. Who knows? Perhaps he would. "In a few years," elaborated Neji. "I'll move onto stage four." Neji simply shivered at the thought, prompting Lee to kiss him lightly. "Stage four…it's…Lee, stage four is progressive organ failure…everything from my kidneys to my lungs…" Lee's eyes grew so wide that Neji thought that they might just burst. He pulled Neji close. Progressive organ failure. If Lee's surgery from all of those years ago was against the odds, Neji's illness still made it look like a guaranteed success. The chances of Neji surviving it would be unbelievable, like winning the lottery and being struck by lightning in the same week. In other words, Neji, his wonderful, lovely, little Neji, was looking at nothing other than a pure, bonafide death sentence.

Lee began to cry too.

For hours, Neji and Lee cried in each other's arms. Lee refused to let Neji go. Never. He would never let Neji out of his arms; whether it be for a mission or for death itself, he promised to never let him go. As Lee whispered this to him, Neji just shook his head, shifted in Lee's arms again, and cried even more.

Eventually, Lee ended up sitting on the couch, Neji's head resting in his lap. He watched as the brunette stared with empty, cried-out, white eyes at the ceiling. His gaze was so forlorn, so meaningless, as if he had somehow lost all purpose. Lee was not sure how to comfort him. Pulling Neji into his lap, kissing him and whispering sweet nothings…that would do nothing for the Hyuuga (not that the taijutsu-specialist had not tried). He considered perhaps lulling his sweetheart to sleep and letting him sleep away the tears, the worries. Would that help him? Would he feel better? Would it make him worse? Before Lee could truly contemplate the answer to these questions, Neji's gaze met his. He almost could not bear to look at those vacant, bleak, red-rimmed eyes, but as always, Neji's gaze was hypnotic, mesmerizing.

Neji grabbed Lee's shirt collar and pulled the black-haired boy in for a long, passionate, and needy kiss. Tongues danced and clashed. Neji allowed Lee to probe his mouth endlessly searching, comforting. Lips and teeth met, tongues collided. Hands made their way into silky hair, up and down backs, and around faces, while torsos were crushed together, fitting perfectly like puzzle pieces. They were whole. They were one.

They broke apart panting, Lee looking deep into Neji's beautiful eyes, those pale cheeks tinted with rose, those soft, luscious lips. The brunette was flawless. "Lee," came that lovely voice. "Make me feel alive." He was pleading. Neji needed this, needed it more than life itself. "Make me yours." Lee could do nothing but stare for moments. This beauty, this creature of unfathomable, godlike, perfection, was his. His alone. Neji wanted no one else, only Lee, always Lee.

A deep kiss was the only response he could muster.

For Neji.

*Much longer this time around. I hope you enjoyed it!