*So, this is the last bit of the "3"-chapter update. Enjoy.

P.S.

The next few chapters are all in the present, so I'm going to actually give them chapter names…well kind of. It'll be like "Present: Regrouping" or "Present: Neji's Illness." So, just be on the look out for that. Btw, would this've been a long oneshot or what?

Notes: Hyuugas almost all have names that start with "H"…or something. There's like a kanji equivalent, and the Naruto Wiki explains it best (so look it up if you're interested).

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 8: Past—Neji, Lee, and Gai

Neji leaned against a wall, breathing heavily. He had not run that fast in years. He overexerted himself, running all the way to the Hokage monument. All for the little bundle in his arms.

Oh God, his lungs were starting to fail him. He sucked in shallow breath after breath, still feeling as though he was drowning on dry land. He fell to his knees, vision blurring and warping. The rain beat down on his head, and it was all that he could do to clutch the baby to his chest as he shivered, hoping that he could offer some body heat to comfort the little one. Not so, she began to cry. It was as though she could sense his pain. Neji's line of sight began to gray around the edges, shapes becoming almost pixilated.

"Little one," he thought, "I'm sorry." Neji slumped forward, unable to stay conscious. Before he could completely slip away however, strong arms encircled his waist, keeping him from falling over. The brunette managed to open his eyes enough to see his savior.

Maito Gai.

Gai looked absolutely horrified. Worried beyond belief. "B-b-baby," Neji managed to stammer out, glancing over at the bundle. Neji's breath hitched. His chest hurt. He was falling away from the world, from awareness, into deep, dark sleep. Neji's last conscious thought was that he never wanted to see that look on Gai-sensei's face ever again. Never.

Neji awoke what felt like centuries later. His eyes opened, then closed, then opened again. He could not seem to keep himself alert. His head was fuzzy. Everything was heavy, sluggish. He had not felt this terrible in a long time.

He felt something cold being removed from his forehead. He heard water. The cold something was replaced.

He blinked blearily, gazing into nothing. He could not recall where he was, what happened. Hell, he could not even remember his own name.

"Neji? Are you awake?" came a deep familiar voice from beside him.

The voice registered in Neji's mind; the words did not. "Awake?" What did that mean again? His head felt as though it might just melt away in nothing.

Gai became worried as Neji simply stared into space, not responding at all. The brunette was hardly blinking. "Neji?" he called again. Nothing. He brushed the hair out of the Namikaze's eyes. Not even a twitch. Just those blank, glazed-over eyes. "Neji," he tried again, almost pleading, "wake up. Please wake up. It's Gai-sensei, Neji. It's just Gai-sensei. Please, if you can hear me, do something. Anything. Just let me know you're okay." He gazed directly into those white eyes that plainly said, "There's no one home." Those eyes that looked right through him. Gai frowned. He looked down to the sleeping baby in the brunette's arms. Gai had placed her there, because she was only truly calm when Neji was holding her, even if he was unresponsive.

"Neji," the sensei continued, "I'm sending for Tsunade-sama, okay?" As expected, the brunette did nothing. Gai hugged his student like a father would, before leaving the room to send for the Hokage.

When Tsunade finally arrived, she nearly barged into the apartment, alarmed. Whenever she was asked to make a "house-call," she knew that what she was dealing with was bad. However, she was not expecting to find Hyuuga—no, Namikaze—Neji lying in a stupor in Maito Gai's bed, a newborn baby in his arms. Still, she shrugged off the initial shock and began checking him over like she would any other patient. She did most routine procedures (checking temperature, pulse, reflexes, etc.), and her examination was finished quite quickly.

The Hokage breathed a sigh of relief. "Tsunade-sama, will he be…okay?" questioned Gai, hoping for good news.

Tsunade nodded. "From the looks of it, it's not his illness. I believe he's dehydrated. Has he been eating and drinking properly?" Gai frowned.

"No, he always insists on not eating. He says that he throws up most of what he eats nowadays, but if this's what can happen, I'll be keeping a better eye on him." Tsunade nodded, biting her thumb out of habit.

"It's amazing that it took him to this point to show symptoms. Normally, he'd have gotten sick a while ago, way before it got to this stage. He really must've gone through something today. I wouldn't be surprised if some kind of stress accelerated the process." Gai nodded dazedly.

Tsunade had a point. What had happened to Neji today? Where did the baby come from in the first place? And why had Neji collapsed in the middle of the street like that? Gai shuddered to think what would have happened if he had not been there.

"Gai," Tsunade called in her authoritative, Hokage-commands-respect tone. "I want you to take Neji to the hospital, and tell the nurses I want him on IV fluid replacements a.s.a.p." The man nodded determinedly. "Let me know if anything changes, okay?" With that, Tsunade began to pack up her stuff. Gai picked up the unresponsive Neji and the baby and headed to the hospital, trying his best not to jog either of them.

Still, Gai had to marvel at the fact that Tsunade was concerned about a diagnosis of a simple dehydration case. For Tsunade to be making house-calls and worrying herself sick, she must really want Neji to pull through this disease. Gai could understand her there. He would gladly take on Neji's burden if it meant that his student could live a long and happy life from then on.

Neji stayed in the hospital all night before he finally awoke. By that time, Lee had returned from his mission and was sitting beside the bed, the baby in his arms. Neji stared up at the black-haired man, his entire body relaxed as his rocked the little baby girl. "Good morning," he whispered sleepily. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Lee smiled gently at the exhausted brunette. He lightly kissed the Namikaze's forehead. "You gave us all quite a scare," he chastised. With a sigh, he continued, "I have never been happier to see you awake. You were just staring at nothing, as if you could no longer see the world. I know it is stupid…but for a while, I thought you were never going to wake up."

"Oh Lee," was the only thing that Neji could bring himself to say. Lee smiled, gently wrapping his free arm around the brunette.

"I am so happy that you are all right! I think the little one was worried too." He lightly placed the bundle into Neji's open arms. Lee marveled at the same change in Neji that Hibari had witnessed earlier. The softness and warmth, The negation of all doubts and darkness. Neji became perfect as he held that baby. Lee gently pulled them both into his arms. "I have never seen you look so beautiful, my love. You two were made for each other." Neji managed a soft chuckle, resting his head on Lee's shoulder. "But tell me, where did she come from?"

Neji frowned.

Hibari.

He told Lee everything. The Hyuuga mansion. Hibari. His grandmother. Hyuuga Clan politics and horrid traditions. The baby. The letter. The escape. Gai-sensei. He finished by explaining that he had been unconscious since then.

Lee just nodded, actively listening throughout the entire story. Finally. He placed a warm kiss on Neji's lips. "You did wonderfully," he whispered. Neji nodded shakily, trying to ignore the tears that were attempting to fall.

They were silent for a long time.

Finally, Lee whispered. "We will keep her." Neji's eyes widened.

"Lee?"

"I do not want her to grow up in an orphanage. I want her to grow up with two wonderful parents who love her more than life itself. I want her to grow up to be the loveliest young woman in the entire world, and we will love her unconditionally. I want her to be the something that keeps you fighting, like you were for your Hahaue." This time tears really did fall.

"Lee," Neji murmured shakily. "I-I love you s-s-so m-much." Lee simply nodded, returning the feeling completely.

For the next hour or so, if a nurse walked past Namikaze Neji's room, they would have heard voices, soft laughter, and the quiet noises of a newborn baby girl.

"What about 'Hideyo'?" asked Lee. Neji shook his head.

"Nothing with an 'H,' that's too Hyuuga. If I didn't know Hibari would kill me, I'd name our baby after her." Lee smiled.

"We will come up with something. Hm…Nobuko?" Neji seemed to consider that one.

"Does she look like a Nobuko? Namikaze Nobuko? Not bad…"

"Maybe then?" Neji smiled, nodding. "All right, so far we have Ruri, Sachiko, and Nobuko…what about Yumeji?" Neji smiled sadly.

" 'Dreams of Freedom'…it's a beautiful name, but…I know this sounds silly, Lee, but I don't want our baby to 'dream of freedom,' I want it to be second nature to her. I want her to be free no matter what." Lee nodded.

"I do not believe that sounds silly at all, Neji. But, what do you want her to have? What do you want her to be like, sweetheart? That could give us somewhere to start."

Neji thought for a moment, staring down at their baby as she slept. Those beautiful white eyes and platinum-blond locks. A baby who was wanted so much by her parents, but forced into exile.

"I…I want her to live and be happy. I don't care what she's like as long as she can grow up feeling loved and happy. I want her to live a long and full life. She won't just live; she'll love living. I want her someday to look back and say, 'I survived so many years. I was supposed to die at birth, but now, I am an old lady, who's seen more winters than anyone else, and I am glad to have lived for so long' Lee, I will die soon, but our daughter…I want her to live to see through a thousand winters." Neji was not ashamed to say that he wanted to cry. He had never said anything quite so true and wonderful in his entire life. One day with this baby girl, and he felt purified in every way. Their daughter was perfect.

Lee beamed, " 'A thousand winters,' yes? Well then it is settled! Our baby shall be called 'Chifuyu'. Namikaze Chifuyu, how does that sound, love?" Neji smiled, teary-eyed.

"Wonderful. Our Chifuyu." Then, Lee crawled into bed next to his brunette, pulling the white-eyed Namikaze into his arms. They basked in each other's warmth, while gently holding and kissing their little Chifuyu.

Suddenly, overnight, Neji had a family: a true family.

*Very poorly proofread. T_T