Fic. Let. Ficlet.

[midnightdiddle]

It wasn't supposed to be a hard mission. Then again, it wasn't supposed to be an easy mission, either. Gai had watched Neji gather his things, from food to clothing to weapons, and Gai had watched Neji leave with that strained look that screamed irritated to those who knew Neji's face.

Gai knew Neji's face very well.

He knew Neji's face and Tenten's face and Lee's face, because they were all his students, for going on five years now.

He knew that Tenten hated sweet things and would always fight Lee over the last pickled egg. He knew that Lee liked to fly kites and hated to go swimming. He knew that Neji was never late from a mission.

Neji was late.

One day.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five six seven eightnineteneleventwelvethirteenfourteenfifteensixteen-

Twenty-three days in total.

Or was it twenty-two?

Because on the twenty-third day Gai found him.

Neji would have made a beautiful girl. He'd never grown, not like Lee and Tenten had. Neji had always stayed short, to his disgust. He'd never grown tall, or thick, or strong, not like Lee and Tenten had. He'd stayed childishly-short, childishly-built. He'd remained, in words scribbled in mission notes, perfect.

The clothes looked like what Sakura-chan had worn years ago. The colors were faded, more pink than red, and the cloth was ripped, worn to holes and tears. The clothes were covered in blood.

Gai didn't touch him at first. He didn't know if it was because he was scared or disgusted. He decided on scared and tried to ignore the rest of him, the parts that were screaming and shaking and saying 'nonono.'

When Gai picked him up, Neji didn't move. Gai slipped his hands beneath Neji's back, under Neji's knees, and his hands slid, slick with blood.

It was a long way back to Konoha.

One mile.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five six seven eightnineteneleventwelvethirteenfourteenfifteensixteen-

Twenty-three miles in total.

The Hyuuga took Neji home from the hospital, washed him and clothed him and laid him out on a futon, hands folded over his chest. They brushed back his hair and they covered his blank forehead. They kissed his mouth and his eyes; they buried him under the floorboards.

Gai missed Neji's face.



This was for nezumiko, 'cause she had to show me this picture of Gai carrying Lee by Jurty. The picture is at the bottom, on the right. And Neji looks like a girl. *cough*

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