Well, the end result of the poll is "yes" 8 and "no" 2. So, it looks like the "yes" vote wins, everybody. DEAL! P
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The pair had walked in awkward silence back to the apartment where they had both inhabited for the past few days. Lee was far too shaken to speak up and Gai's mind raced with possibilities of just how he would say what he needed to. He was about to tell his student something that Lee had not even told him himself; Gai had been formally informed of the issue by the third Hokage approximately three months after Lee had joined his team. It was something that Lee had never spoken of, but also something that Gai could tell was on his mind from time to time. How do you tell someone about something that heavily impacted their own life? Gai was not certain...
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Entering the apartment was the same as walking to it; silent. Gai walked to his living room and sat down on the couch with a sigh, motioning for Lee to do the same. As his student complied, Gai wondered where to begin.
"That man's name is Sei." Gai decided to get right to the point. "He used to be a ninja, but he was disgraced and forced to quit. He's a man who lost his way of the ninja…" Gai glanced over to see Lee starring at him intently, his eyes searching for further information, impatient yet not wanting to interrupt. "There was a time when he had a wife and son, but as his life began to spiral downward, his already short temper began to spiral out of control. He began beating his three-year-old son and his wife, and Sei turned to alcohol. It all carried on in secret for a while, but when his son was seven what was actually going on in that home was discovered by the Hokage after Sei's wife mysteriously disappeared. The Hokage sent out an immediate order that the boy be separated from his father in order to keep him safe, and that Sei was not allowed in the interior of the village where the boy lived. That… was ten years ago. Lee… you're seventeen… You're Sei's son."
Lee's eyes were wide as he let out a shaky breath.
"I-It was something you never used to talk about… I don't know how he heard about what happened, but he probably thinks that he can use this to start his life all over again. He's violated his exile from time to time, but I've usually succeeded in scarring him off. H-He's unusually persistent this time… But Lee, I promise I won't let him hurt you! Please, you need to understand, this is why I was so adamant about you not leaving the apartment on your own…"
Lee nodded silently and swallowed. Hesitantly, he reached out and grabbed onto his teacher's hand. For a moment, Gai was taken aback, but he slowly eased into the contact and gave Lee's hand a gentle squeeze.
He just needs something to ground himself, Gai thought. This is a lot for him to take in… Damn it, right when I had him, he's taken away from me…
It was as if Lee suddenly realized what he was doing as he let out a little gasp and pulled his hand away; blushing as he suddenly became very interested in what the floor looked like. "S-Sorry," he muttered.
"It's okay," Gai smiled warmly. "That's a lot of information to absorb all at once; you're probably a little shaken up." Lee nodded silently, still refusing to meet his teacher's gaze. Why was he still blushing? As ever, Lee's mind was a myriad of confusion.
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Two weeks passed without incident. Lee was still uncharacteristically quiet, but whenever that thought crossed Gai's mind, he would push it away. Due to the fact that, in truth, it was not uncharacteristic. It was just not the Lee that he had known. He had the same face, same voice, same body, but he was not the same person. It was a difficult thing to comprehend.
One afternoon, there was another knock on the door. Gai's body tensed as he went to answer it, preparing himself for another encounter with Sei. However, when he opened the door, his stern expression softened to see a much more familiar and friendly face.
"Gai-sensei, Hokage-sama wishes you to meet her at the hospital," spoke the seventeen-year-old boy that stood in the doorway.
Not recognizing the voice, Lee stood and, discretely as he could, peaked around the corner to view the person in the doorway, looking very much like a scared little child. Lee examined the boy's long auburn hair tied back in a very loose ponytail and dusted mauve pupil-less eyes that seemed rather emotionless at the moment.
"Ah, thank you, Neji," Gai replied with a smile. He paused for a moment, seemingly in thought, before turning to look back at Lee. As he did so, his smile seemed to change entirely. His mouth did not so much as twitch, but his eyes spoke an entirely different story. However, before Lee could even begin to decipher its meaning, Gai was beckoning him over and turning back to the other boy. "Neji, do you think you could do me a favour while I'm out?"
"What is it, Gai-sensei?" Neji asked, his eyes flicking from his team mate to his teacher as Lee approached the pair apprehensively.
"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking Lee out around the village for a little while. I haven't been able to lately and I'm not comfortable with him being out of his own quite yet. I'm sure you'll do a fine job, Neji!" Gai finished as he gave Neji the 'Nice Guy Pose,' a glint shining off of his teeth.
Neji nodded. He was aware of the situation, shortly after Lee and Gai had left the hospital Tsunade had called Neji and Tenten into her office to explain Lee's amnesia to them. Neji had not yet truly faced the situation or the idea of his team mate's memory loss until that moment.
"Good, I care you can introduce yourself!"
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The silence that befell the pair as they walked away from Gai's apartment building was incredibly uncomfortable. Neji had not spoken since they had left and Lee had no idea what to say, though he did not doubt that his 'tour guide' felt the same way. It was not until a few more moments had passed that Neji finally spoke up in his low, calm tone.
"My name is Hyuuga Neji. I've been your team mate since we were twelve years old."
"A-Ah, I see…" Lee replied, feeling suddenly very guilty for some reason. "G-Gai-sensei spoke of you…"
"I'm sure he did," Neji responded in a cool timbre. Something about the way the boy spoke made Lee increasingly nervous. What Lee had said was true, Gai had spoken to him about Neji and his other team mate, Tenten. He had been told that he and this boy were "eternal rivals," whatever that meant. However, for some unknown explanation, he felt that Neji was mad at him. He could not understand it, why would he be angry with him? Lee could not think of anything he had done that warranted irritation, he had only just met the boy. Then the thought occurred to him of the possibility that he had done something before, something that he did not now remember. He remembered that Gai-sensei had told him about Neji's cool attitude, about how he was introverted and quiet, but this was a different kind of feeling that Lee felt emanating from the boy. It did not put him at ease in the least.
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As Gai reached his destination, he knocked on the door of the room where he had been directed by the receptionist lightly.
"Come in, Gai," Tsunade said without turning around as she gazed out the window. Safe for the two of them, the room had nothing but two empty beds with a curtain between them. Such a sight was a testament to the relatively peaceful times they were in, that they could actually have an empty room in the hospital. After a moment's pause, the Hokage turned to the jounin she had summoned. "I assume that you're well aware of what I wish to talk about."
"Lee," Gai affirmed.
Tsunade nodded. "And how is his condition?"
Gai let out a sigh as he closed his eyes, mulling over the situation in his mind. "He's… scared," Gai finally said. "None of his memories have returned as of yet, it seems to be causing him more and more distress. He's much more withdrawn, as is to be expected. He's not keen to ask me questions, either, I have to pry his curiosities out of him. He has had a few breakdowns, though…"
"As is normal, Gai."
"Yes, I am aware…"
"And… how are you faring?" Tsunade asked, watching the man with observant eyes.
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Very few words were exchanged between the pair of team mates as they made their way through the streets. Eventually, Neji led Lee to the place he had visited on his solo adventure two weeks prior.
"This is our team training grounds. We have come here almost every day since we became team mates in order to hone our skills as ninja and you used to train here even before that."
Neji's voice was distant and smooth.
"This is the place where you would challenge me constantly, try to defeat me repeatedly in vain..."
Something in Neji's voice was beginning to change, to alter.
"Try to prove yourself, try to show that hard work could overcome genius..."
Gone was the detachment, the true anger was showing through.
"You wanted to change your fate, to overpower me, to prove yourself, to prove that not everything is set in stone!"
The level of his voice was rising, to the point where he was shouting. Neji had grabbed onto Lee's shoulders.
"What's going to happen to all that now?!"
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"H-How am I faring? What do you mean, Tsunade-sama?" Gai plastered a smile on his face, raising his hands defensively.
"You know what I mean… Even a fool could tell how much that boy means to you. So, how are you faring?"
Gai's hands slowly fell down to his sides as his expression changed to befit a much more sombre mood. "I'm doing fine…"
"That's not what your face says," Tsunade smiled.
Gai sighed. "It's difficult, I'll warrant that… he's so very different from they way he was before… It's the same face, yet somehow the smile is different. The same body, and yet a different posture…"
"Gai-"
"I understand, Tsunade-sama, there's no need to explain it to me," Gai interrupted. "Without his memories, all that made Lee Lee is gone. All that defined him is missing to him… it's just taking me a while to adjust. And… it's difficult to see him in so much pain…""
"Gai… that's not all, is it? Something else is bothering you… I can tell…"
Gai flinched at the words and let out a small laugh. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about-"
"Don't play dumb with me," Tsunade butt-in with a commanding tone. "Did something happen before the accident?"
Did something happen indeed… Gai thought.
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"N-Neji-san, p-please stop!" Lee cried as his knees began to feel weak.
"I was counting on you!" Neji screamed as his grip remained strong on Lee's biceps. "You were going to be the one to prove it! To make it 100!"
"I-I don't understand…" Lee nearly whimpered.
"You were going to prove that you can go against fate! You were going to beat the odds against you!" With a grunt, Neji tossed Lee into a nearby tree and fell to his knees. "If you could do it… then I figured that I could to…"
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"Gai-sensei?" Lee said with a smile as he sat beside his teacher, cuddled close. The mountain they were on was too treacherous to travel with the limited visibility of night, so they had stopped to rest until morning.
…
"Tsunade-sama, I appreciate your concern, but nothing significant happened prior to the accident and I am fine," Gai spoke calmly.
…
"What is it, Lee?" he asked, looking down at the boy whose face was glowingly illuminated by the fire they sat before, just the two of them, in contrast to the dark night sky.
…
"You're a poor liar, Gai, did you know that?" Tsunade said, crossing her arms over her chest.
…
"There's… there's something I've been wanting to tell you…" Lee's eyes went from his sensei to the fire, the dance of the flames reflecting in his dark eyes. "I told myself that I would wait… Just a few more months, until I was eighteen, to tell you, but… I don't think I can really wait to say it anymore…"
…
"I'm afraid that's something I'll have to live with, then," he replied.
…
"Gai-sensei, I…"