Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, green spandex or the Spring time of Youth.

I was wondering why Gai wears his green spandex and prattles on about "Youth." Is there a reason? After all, nothing happens in a vacuum. Gai must have some kind of motivation behind it. Perhaps it was his teammates or family, of which neither has yet been revealed to us. Also, seeing as how Kishimoto-san likes to compare and contrast characters (take the 3 Sennin and Team 7 for instance), I thought this would be an interesting contrast between Gai and Kakashi.

Why?

"Why green?"

Gai paused as Tenten, out of sudden frustration, had posed the question that everyone always asked him.

"Because green is the color of spring," Gai answered cheerfully. "It is the color of life, of exuberance, the true strength of…"

"Okay, okay," Tenten interrupted. "I get it." She twirled a shuriken and went back to her target practice.

No, Gai thought. You don't get it.

Lee was off running more laps around the village. Neji was preparing for his jounin exam. Right now, it was just he and Tenten.

"Her favorite color was green," Gai suddenly said. Tenten nearly jumped at her sensei's voice. She turned around and stared at him.

"Who?"She finally asked, curious. The young teenager was surprised at the distant look in her sensei's eyes.

"Haya. She was my teammate."

Was.

Tenten didn't say anything. As colorful and talkative as Maito Gai was, it was rare that he shared anything deeply personal with anyone, with perhaps the exception of Lee. Yet here he was, apparently on the verge of telling the kunoichi something that she had never heard.

"She loved spring," Gai continued distantly. "It's the time when everything is so full of life and hope,' she always said. Everything has a new beginning in spring."

"What about your other teammate?" Tenten asked. She was hesitant to interrupt his train of thought, but she was curious.

"His name was Mamoru," Gai grinned suddenly. "He had the personality of a stump."

Was.

Tenten didn't fail to notice that Gai had referred to both of his teammates in the past tense.

"They died, didn't they?" she asked quietly. Her sensei looked down at her sadly before turning his gaze around at the forest. His eyes were still distant, as if trying to see the two ninja behind the veil of death.

"That's why I wear green," Gai admitted to her quietly. "They died in the springtime of their youth. This is how I show my respect to them. I will not spend my life feeling sorry for myself or crying in a graveyard like my eternal rival Kakashi."

Tenten peered thoughtfully up at her sensei. She had thought that it was random idiocy that made Gai act and dress as he did. However, that was superficial. Gai by personality alone was indeed eccentric. However, he wore green to celebrate the sheer brilliance of life. Unlike Kakashi, who spent his days remembering his fallen comrades in guilty sorrow, Gai chose instead to be bright day to Kakashi's dreary night.

"Yosh!" Gai exclaimed suddenly. He pumped his fist into the air. "The Springtime of Youthfulness is not a time to waste Tenten! Live life brilliantly and you shall be brilliant! You are Konoha's Blossoming Flower of Youth!"

Tenten smiled. Then to Gai's surprise, she gave him a Lee-like salute and went back to her training. She redoubled her efforts, hitting each target with deadly precision.

Gai smiled brightly as he went off in search of Lee.