Even Lee's jaw dropped in surprise.
"G-Gai-sensei!?"
The noble monster stood before us, his hair pulled back, floral-print budgie smugglers on, and nothing else, his apartment heavily decorated with paper chains, streamers, lanterns and balloons.
"Why hello students!" Gai chuckled placing his hands on his hips. I never would have imagined that he was hiding such a heavily toned body underneath that suit.
"Gai-sensei.." Lee's small quiet and confused voice mumbled.
"What's going on!?" I question staring at how massive his biceps are, just to see if they were real or not.
"Ahah! Well you see, Konoha's international swimming competition is starting soon! I am practicing!" Gai explains. We both blink.
"Interna-"
"REALLY!?" Lee burst up excitedly, dropping me.
"YES!"
"GAI-SENSEI! THAT IS REMARKABLE NEWS! JUST WHAT WE NEED!"
"THAT'S RIGHT! Only.." Gai's voice trailed off as he scratched his chin miserably.
"What is it, Gai-sensei?" Lee questioned.
"It's not until next year..." Both Lee and I sweat dropped. "BUT! Tell me, how did your mission go?!"
"Oh! We did it Gai-sensei!" Lee exclaimed. "There were so many bad guys! And we saved this kid! And and.. oh and Setsuki-san broke her leg."
"You don't have to say that so bluntly!" I complain.
"WHAT!" Gai-sensei's attention turned to me. "How did that-"
"Gai-sensei! I am not finished!" Lee shouts. Gai-sensei blinks and lets his student finish. "... I am hungry!"
"Haha! Well then we must eat! But first.." Gai-sensei leaned down to my height on the floor, right in my face, until our noses touch. "You must tell me why you broke your leg!"
"It wasn't my fault! I fell off the cliff.. thing.."
"WHY!?"
"BECAUSE- I DON'T KNOW!"
"YOUR UNCLE CAME LOOKING FOR YOU EARLIER!"
"WHAT FOR!?"
"Something.. about... I don't remember! But he was looking for you!"
"Oh.. okay-"
Lee shot his arm in the air and announced "I SHALL HELP YOU SETSUKI-SAN!"
"ADDABOY LEE! YOU'RE CERTAINLY SHAPING UP TO BE A RELIABLE MAN! LEE!"
"THANK YOU GAI-SENSEI!"
"What about me?!"
"YOU ARE GROWING INTO A FINE WOMAN SETSUKI-SAN! …." We faced Lee with blank expressions. "Uh... I-I mean.."
Gai-sensei started laughing. "The lotus is blooming~"
"Lotus?"
"Blooming?"
"That's something you both will understand when you're older!"
"I see Gai-sensei!" Lee chimed.
"Right! To my house!" I exclaim.
"Yes! Setsuki-san!" Lee swept me off my feet and out the door.
"Just open the door." I say.
Lee shook his head defiantly. "No Setsuki-san! It is polite to knock!"
"But how are you supposed to knock when you're holding me!?"
"I will think of something!"
".. Just put me down."
"No way! Setsuki-san!" Flames erupted within his eyes. "Holding you like this counts as muscular training! If I put you down then I will fail!"
"... You made that up!"
"No! Setsuki-san! I implore you, I did not!"
My eyes narrow the slightest bit, then Lee turned around and begun walking. "Where're you going!?"
"Hush! I know exactly how to solve this problem! A perfect dynamic entry!"
"LEE! NO! YOU CAN'T-"
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"
With a loud crash and tumble, we were inside.. and so was the door. "What did I tell you! It worked!"
"Yes.. but now I'm gonna be in trouble." I grumble.
"What's all that racket!?" Takashi came shrieking into the hall. Upon one look he seemed to understand everything, he placed his hands on his hips. I've seen that look before, and it ain't good..
"Oh! Takashi-danna!"
"Danna?" I look at Lee with a weird expression. Lee stood up and of course, flung me over his shoulder like some sort of dead prey.
"Was it really necessary to break the door..?" Takashi spoke, biting his tongue.
"Yes!"
Takashi grimaced.
After fixing the door with a huge lump on his head, Lee finally sat with us in the living room. Turns out someone had broken into my room while I was away, the window was smashed but he couldn't tell if anything was missing – the room was usually a mess, but I have a fair idea where everything is. I got concerned, thinking of who would do it, and why.
Then he questioned why I was limping so I explained everything about the mission, Lee kept making up things during my story telling too – Like how Neji shaved his head, Tenten got eaten by a giant snake, and Naruto drunk expired milk and had to poop the entire time, but there were no toilets.
Takashi had me lay across the couch, and because Lee didn't move, I had to rest my head on his lap, and boy was he tense.. but why? He avoided eye contact and started sweating.
Takashi rolled up my leg on my pants and examined around my ankle with his cruel cold hands. I winced a couple of times, and he finally got the squeak of pain he was waiting for. I felt embarrassed after it, so I cleared my throat.
"Seems you just sprained it. Nothing feels broken, and there's a gash here.. I'll stitch it up, you just need to stay off it for a while."
"Very well!" Lee exclaims. "I will be Setsuki-san's boat! I will ship her across the sea! To whatever destination she needs to go!"
"... What are you implying boy?"
"I.. I will be Setsuki-san's walking stick!"
"You mean, assistant?" Takashi says.
"I was trying to be creative! Gai-sensei says it's good to be creative!" Lee stuck his bottom lip out towards Takashi as if he was destroying a dream.
"Okay okay! But no, lad. Setsuki needs to rest. She can't be moving about so frequently." Takashi explains.
Lee was silent for a moment, his expression showed contemplation of an argument. "BUT! What if Setsuki-san needs to go to the shops!?"
"She wont need to."
"What if Setsuki-san needs to go swimming in the pond?!"
"She wont need to."
"What if Setsuki-san needs to go to the bathroom?!"
"She won- no! That is not your job! Don't even think about it lad."
"What if S-"
"Enough!" Takashi had that look, if anyone said anything he'd get violent. It was scary enough to silence Lee. For now at least.
Takashi tended to my ankle and lead me to my room, the place was messy as ever, the window was still shattered and broken, but the broken glass had been swept up into the bin.
"I will get cold at night." I complain.
"I put more blankets on your bed. We don't have the money to fix it."
"Yes we do! I just went on a mission! We can use the money to fix it!" I imply.
He proceeded to ask how much money I had made, and I showed him but apparently it wasn't enough.
"How come we're so low on money?" I ask.
"Because it's one of the things those thieves stole."
"I thought you said they only invaded my room? I don't have money in here."
"They came back more than once Setsuki."
Lee's ear perked and he appeared beside us. "Then this calls for an investigation! Do not worry, detective Lee is on the case!" Lee had dressed himself like a detective, brown coat, deestalker hat, and even a fake bushy moustache attached to his face. He held a magnifying glass in his hand and examined the wall.
"Where did you get that..?" Takashi asked.
"Get what?"
"That.. costume..?"
"Oh.. I don't really remember." Lee replies. Takashi learned it was better not to ask these things. "Reoccurring.. then I must stay here and be Setsuki-san's bodyguard!"
Takashi leaned down to my ear. "Would you get rid of your friend please?"
I blink. "Lee-san."
"Yes, Setsuki-san?!"
"It's great that you're volunteering to be a body guard and all.. but I'm strong enough to care for myself!"
"You are not!"
"Yes I am.. but SAKURA-CHAN ISN'T!"
Lee gasps very loudly and dramatically. "SAKURA-CHAN!? IS SHE IN TROUBLE?! DO NOT WORRY SAKURA-CHAN! I AM COMING!" Then he disappeared. Takashi sighed relieved behind me, and I had an urge to chase after Lee, but Takashi wasn't going to let me out of my room for a while.