Chapter I
• neji & lee
•
rock lee woke up to the sight of a beam of light coming through his window. lee stroked his watery and still sleepy eyes with back of his hand, yawning softly.
his hair was messed up from sleeping, it was all over his forehead and nearly covering his eyes. he sat up straight, looking through the window, at the beautiful and sunny morning.
he got up, and without hesitation, he started doing his everyday morning workout routine that contained pushups, sit-ups, squats, weight lifting, and yoga. lee liked doing all sorts of psychical training, it made him feel better, it made him feel good enough, it made him feel worth it and he was very determined to do every workout gai sensei or he himself whom he chose to accomplish.
he had never been unmotivated for working out, lee has found his comfort in it. but deep down inside, lee knew he was trying so hard just for one reason. to beat his teammate, neji hyuga.
rock lee always found neji as a competition. rock lee wanted to prove himself to neji, to everyone, even with his lack of ninjutsu & genjutsu he can be someone respected, someone powerful.
of course, with goals comes sacrifice. rock lee would workout, day and night just for a simplisest skill. he had to accomplish what he had in his mind at all costs, no matter what. he often got seriously injured from over-exhaustion, but that didn't stop the boy from pushing his limits and continuing to push himself harder.
it was a strange sight to see. a young ninja without possession of any ninjutsu nor genjutsu, trying to become stronger by the day.
he knew everyone looked down on him, but it didn't stop him from working hard, very hard. his sensei believed in him more than anyone else. he was grateful for such a teacher as gai sensei was. he was grateful for all of his friends, for everything.
but little did he know, his biggest supporter was neji, neji hyuga, the boy he wanted to prove himself to, the boy that pushed him harder, the boy he was trying to beat.
•
lee, once again, got deep into his own thoughts, that he had completely forgotten about today's training.
he quickly finished his workout, got himself a nice, warm shower and ran straight to the training spot his team and he had.
like always, lee was there to arrive first. he waited for a couple of minutes, seven, to be exact. until his comrades started approaching.
tenten, one of his dearest friends, was the one to arrive first after lee. he greeted her kindly. lee enjoyed tenten's presence.
they waited for their last teammate and their sensei. gai sensei was one to get there before neji. lee always thought it was lack of manners arriving after teachers, but neji couldn't care less. neji would always remind them that they're 'lucky' he even came, and it drove lee insane.
gai sensei greeted his students warmly, a bit disappointed he, as a teacher, had to wait for his final student to arrive, but it was always like that. it didn't bother him as much, it reminded him of his dear rival 'kashi.
lee, tenten and gai sensei waited for neji for a bit, until gai sensei thought they should probably start their training now, not wasting any more time.
•
gai sensei ordered lee and tenten to run ten miles for a warm up. in the middle of the session, mister 'arrogant' arrived, the title he earned from lee.
"you're late again, neji."
gai sensei said, putting his hand on his hips and giving neji the usual 'you disappointed me' look (that, by the way, only worked on rock lee who worshiped gai).
neji let out a scoff, stating his everyday reminder that they should be grateful he even came, but before he could finish his sentence, lee found himself behind neji's back, pushing him with nearly all his might.
lee was unknowingly really impatient and heathered today.
neji was caught by surprise, lee never played dirty, he never snook up to his opponent. neji nearly fell onto the ground but caught himself before he could fall. he clenched his teeth.
"who do you think you are, neji hyuga?!"
lee spat out.
"i think that's enough, lee."
gai sensei said, trying to calm down lee by putting his hands on rock lee's shoulders. gai understood why lee was so indignant, but as a teacher he had to prevent any conflict that came in between his students.
"who do i think i am? the real question is who do YOU think YOU are, rock lee?"
neji said in annoyed but low tone, asserting dominance.
"I said, enough."
gai sensei said, more intimidating this time.
"now get back to training. lee, tenten, you have got 6 more miles left to run. neji, start your session now, you'll be running 15 miles."
gai sensei ordered. he knew he gave the hyuga boy 5 more miles to run as a type of discipline, but he didn't make it clear, he knew neji wouldn't do it otherwise.
neji was stubborn and often let his emotions get in his way. he didn't care about anything but himself, and he was so full of hate that it didn't leave much space for love.
he pitied the boy, gai sensei knew he went trough a lot. every hyuga branch family did, but so did lee and the two boys were so different, yet so similar.
"we'll talk after training."
neji whispered to lee, in a intimidating tone that sent shivers through lee's body, but lee covered it up, he wouldn't let it show. rock lee clenched his fists and rolled his eyes in respose to which neji scoffed.
•
after a few hours, it was getting dark. the team gai finished training. they panted and rested on the dirt or besides the tree. they all thanked their sensei for today's session as they started heading home, everyone except neji hyuga and rock lee.
since their little conflict, they have had a bit of tension going on between them during the whole training. 'accidental' pushing, nudging, distraction, even shared glares. throughout their sparing, it was transparent there was heathered act towards one another. lee was kinda bothered, but didn't let neji notice.
as gai sensei and tenten were getting out of sight, the tension between the two teen boys grew, their eyes scanning each other, not breaking eye contact. finally, the silence was interrupted by the hyuga.
"how dare you lay your filthy hands on me, lee? you've got a problem? why don't we solve it now then, hm?"
hyuga said, activating his byakugan. lee quickly got the instinct of defense and got into his position. this feeling was new to lee. he felt something take over his body, especially his stomach. was it fright? perhaps, stage fright. he was fighting his biggest rival after all. lee didn't know at that moment. they have always fought with each other but never like this. there was always someone to stop it when it went too far. but not this time. lee was alone, completely alone, with neji, neji hyuga.
lee tried to shake off the feeling of afraidness but failed miserably. neji carefully observed lee. he could read him like a book and so he did. neji felt that he was scared, and wanted to take advantage of that. neji knew he was stronger and, perhaps, wanted to play with his prey. but neji knew he wouldn't hurt lee, not even in a milion years. maybe he'd give him superficial bruises, something to think of and remind him not to mess with him, but neji would never go too far with lee. he was always so concerned about the boy that even when they were on missions, he'd make sure nothing happened to lee. his lee. but, it didn't matter now. neji was pissed and wanted to make sure lee never got psychical with him again if it's not for training and specifically not because of anger.
as neji was stepping forward, lee stood his ground. lee now couldn't even keep eye contact but he had to fight. he won't be a coward. he will try his best, it's his ninja way. and so, their fight begun.
•
lee waited patiently for neji to strike first. neji observed lee, the way he was focused, the way he was trying to hide his afraidness, trying to act all tough and brave.
neji grinned and relaxed. he won't be too harsh. he'd simply gentle-fist fight with lee. tension grew as the two got closer. glares were shared, and at the right moment, neji attacked.
with his left hand he tried hitting chakra points on lee's stomach. lee quickly managed to dodge the hit and get in position behind neji. as lee tried to strike back at neji's neck, neji, being a genius he is, lowered his head as he took control and tripped lee, causing him to fall flat on his back. lee quickly recovered and got up, nimbly moving all around neji, still, he couldn't help but feel ashamed for falling for such a stupid move. more harsh swings, kicks, thumps were shared. the fight continued until the both boys were panting and looking sharply into one another's eyes, both holding onto the body parts that has been harmed.
•
suddenly, lee let his guard down due to a strange noise deep in the woods. neji took advantage of lee's distraction, sneaking up hastily, wrapping his hands around both sides of lee's shoulders. lee flinched, trying to move away, but neji's grip just tightened the more lee struggled.
"hm? what now? the kitty's got your tongue, lee?"
neji whispered cockily into lee's ear, while slowly placing his own leg between lee's. lee could feel his member rubbing against neji's thigh. lee, once again tried escaping neji, causing him to tighten the grip even more, this time moving his leg upwards harshly, causing lee to shut his left eye, as he tried preventing any noises escaping his mouth. 'tch.. i must look so pathetic now!! and- I feel so warm!! am i blushing!?' lee panicked as he turned his head away. neji grinned widely. seeing lee so flustered made him desperate.
"lee."
neji said, grabbing lee's cheeks and making him look back at him. however, lee's eyes disobeyed, looking everywhere but neji's eyes.
neji squeezed lee's cheeks enough to finally force lee to make eye contact. lee pouted and felt the strange feeling in his stomach coming back. his eyes were all watery, his face was flushed and his cheeks in neji's hand were bright pink. neji sensed lee's strainedness and decided to relax his powerful grasp enough to keep lee calm but show him who's in control.
"ha. not so tough now, are we?"
neji said, smirking. rock lee was stunned, this never happened before, he didn't know what to do, how to react. he gulped parting his lips to say something but he couldn't find the words. neji observed. lee was trying hard stopping his body from trembling and shivering, his eyes were focused on neji. on his eyes, his controlling hold, his hair that was falling on his face. lee never felt like this before.
•
"i want an apology."
neji whispered in lee's ear, causing lee to clench his fists. he was hopeless, he knew that. he had to apologize, but he didn't want to let neji have his pride so he hesitantly but smugly said;
"apology for what exactly, you arrogant fool! you deserved more than a simple push! and, I'll, I'll do it again if i have to!"
neji's face dropped, irritation building up inside him. he just had to teach lee a lesson, lee wouldn't behave like he wanted him to otherwise. he'd continue playing by his own rules, and not by neji's.
"is that your final answer, lee?"
neji asked with clear vexation in his voice.
lee paused for a second, then finally, overconfidently yelled:
"yes, yes it is!"
lee prepared himself for the beating of the year.
•
but instead of a punch or a kick, or the feeling of his chakra points being shut down, he felt his back hit the ground roughly.
with one hand, hyuga was pinning lee by his chest, and with other he was holding his wrists together above his head forcefully. his ankles were crossed and held down against neji's strong legs. lee's breath hitched as he struggled to keep his breath pace.
"i don't like the way you're acting, lee."
neji scolded.
"I'm giving you one more chance, apologize and there won't be any consequences."
lee kept his mouth shut, not knowing what to do, he didn't want to anger hyuga even more, but he also didn't want to swallow his own pride and apologize
•
"lee, I'm warning you, I'll make you apologize, whatever it took. im dangerous, you know this."
by the every passed second hyuga was getting angrier. he leaned in closer looking into lee's eyes while he tightened his hold on lee's wrist. a quiet whine managed to escape lee's mouth, causing lee's cheeks to flush and neji to grin.
"i see how it is.."
*to be continued*