Chapter 16 of SMILES and Happy New Year 2007!!
I never thought that I would get this far with this fic... I suppose that I should thank you, to all the readers that had read and reviewed! XD Because I can only know how many people reads this due to the replies. So, I thank you all! Yes, even the ones that not replied! XD I just hope you like the story as much as I like to write it. *bows* This first chapter of the year confirms the begining of the second part of the plot, more serious and maybe a bit angst. There would be less humor on it but I still hope yo'll like it! *bows hitting the floor with her head* Okay, okay! That's all! Enjoy! ^_^
Title: SMILES
Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are copyright of Masashi Kishimoto-sensei.
Pairings: Lee/Gaara, Shikamaru/Kiba, Naruto/???
Rating: PG to NC17
Summary: After loosing Shukaku and the immense power it represented for Gaara, the said Kazekage started to train to compensate that loose. He just has one hanging subject: Taijutsu.
CHAPTER 16:
Lee had already lost track of the many hours he had been runing towards Konohagakure. He was out of breath, in the verge of fainting, but the sight of Konoha’s gates was giving him forces somehow. Just a few meters more and...
Unable to stand it anymore, his legs gave under the exertion, going to fall to the ground.
“Oi, Lee!” Chouji, that has been casually at the gates caugh Lee in time before this one could hit face first the ground. “Are you okay!? Did you again come all the way here runing!?” The Akimichi’s clan shinobi turned Lee to be able to see his face and let him sit on the ground.
“I... I have to see... the Hokage...” Lee said between desperate intakes of breath. Looking around them, the Jounin could see that nothing had happened to his village, not in appearance.
“Naruto? Has something happened in Sunagakure? Why didn’t you write instead of coming all the way here?” Chouji asked with a worried face, not only because of what may have happened in Suna but also worried about Lee’s condition.
“I... I got an urgent... message... I thought Konoha... was in d-dan...” Lee closed his eyes and focused on catching his breath. He felt Chouji’s hand on his chest, surely, checking for some internal damage, maybe in his chakra system.
“As you can see, Konoha isn’t in danger. I’m sure Naruto summonded you for another important matter but... Tell me, Lee. Do you think that in the case of Konoha being in danger or under attack you could have been of some help just as you are now?” Lee stared huge eyed at Chouji, a pair of seconds later he burst out laughing (in a weak manner).
“I don’t... I suppose not.”
“Come on! I’ll take you to the hospital!” He grabbed Lee by his waist and lifted him over one shoulder as if Chouji didn’t notice the Jounin’s weight at all. Lee tried to protest with no avail. “Don’t worry. Naruto can wait a few hours, I’m sure he doesn’t expect you already here.” Lee just let out a sigh and let Chouji carry him away in Konoha’s Hospital direction.
. . .
This was something Lee shouldn’t be proud of, but... He has became an specialist when it comes to scaping from the hospital. He was feeling fine at the moment, one of those soldier pills had made miracles to his body, they had also feed him there, and now it was as if Lee was reborn.
Another thing that Lee wouldn’t confess is that he was a very curious person. What were the missions Naruto wanted Lee to do? Were they secret missions? He was a Jounin... Maybe there was a very dangerous S-Rank mission for him. Lee hadn’t seen Kiba at the south’s gates but sure there had been Chouji that, after taking Asuma-sensei’s lead, he had became a monk of the Fire country.
Lee was able to got unnoticed to the Hokage’s tower, but just as he was about to enter it he bumped into someone.
“Ouch! Hey, watch out! Uh... Lee?”
“Ah, Shikamaru! I’m sorry!” Lee bows his apologies and, with his head still bowed, he realizes to his horror that someone besides Shikamaru has spoted him.
“Lee! What are you doing here? You were suppossed to be in the hosp... Shikamaru?” Lee hadn’t dare to lift his head, he had already recognized Chouji’s voice. He felt like a child caught stealing cookies. “What are you doing here?” When Lee finaly lifted his head he saw that Chouji had lost all interest on him and was focusing his attention at Shikamaru.
“I’m here doing what I always do: work.” The Chunin answered in his usual lazy manner. Lee wasn’t going to waste such an opportunity and ‘escaped’ towards the Hokage’s office.
“But...” Chouji followed the shorter man with his stare as Shikamaru walked past him and sat in a bank a few meters away. He made Chouji a gesture of following him with his head. “But I thought you were supposed to be with Kiba in the mountains...” He said once he sat besides the Chuunin.
“Why should I?” After a few seconds looking for something inside his vest pocket, Shikamaru took out a cigarette and a lighter, puting the first between his lips.
“Because Kiba’s uncle is about to die!” Chouji finally said a bit too loud.
“It’s his family, not m-”
“Now it’s your family! Kiba’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?” Anger was visible on Chouji’s face, who didn’t try to hide it.
“Chouji, Kiba will be alright, why do you care this much?” Shikamaru asked lifting a small brow, surprised at his friend’s reaction.
“Because... I would like if I... You don’t seem to care about the important things, Shikamaru. You are too careless sometimes and makes me feel somehow responsible for your acts. Argh!” Chouji let his head fall on his palms, elbows already resting on his knees.
“Why, Chouji?” The Chunin let out a short laught. When Chouji looked up at him again, he saw that Shikamaru’s cigarette was already alight.
“Hey!” Being too fast for the Nara’s shinobi, Chouji grabbed the cigarette in one hand and crushed it in his palm, not noticing the burning sensation at all. “I thought you quit it! Doesn’t Kiba care that you smoke?”
“He doesn’t know...” Shikamaru looked intently at him, one arm resting on the bank’s back.
“Aah! See? That’s what I ment: you are impossible!” Chouji turned to face Shikamaru completely. “If I were Kib- Hey!” He started talking with his index finger pointing at Shikamaru, who made a fake move to bite it. Chouji sweatdroped at that. “If I were him I would never dare to kiss you!” The Akimichi finished the sentence making a face of disgust.
“Oh? Do you mean... Because I taste of cigarettes?” Letting out a fake laugh he aproched Chouji dangerously, stopping his face just a few inches from the monk’s. “You wouldn’t dare to kiss me even if I didn’t smoke.” Chouji’s jaw nearly hits the ground at what Shikamaru had just said. Still unmoving, the Chunin got up from the bank taking another cigarette from his vest pocket and lighting it. “I have to go. I need to do a few things before I have to return to work. See ya, Cho!”
Chouji has been able to react only when he lost sight of the Chunin. “Shikamaru... Not again, Shikamaru...” He ran both of his hands throught his long hair trying to calm himself.
. . .
Running as fast as he could, he rushed up the stairs jumping three on three the steps until he finally made it to the Hokage’s office. Forgetting for the first time in his life to knock first on the door, Lee entered the room startling two people on it.
“I’m... sorry...” Lee lowered his head in shame.
“Oh! Rock Lee, right? Don’t worry boy, I was about to go now.” The blonde man smiled in Lee’s direction.
“No, no... I’m sorry, Yamanaka-san. I should have knocked before entering... I’m...” Inoichi just passed him, rufling Lee’s hair as if he was a kid and making him blush.
“I said to not worry, ha ha! Naruto-kun, I have to go now. I’d like to buy my two beautiful ladies a present! Thank you!” He said shaking a bit his right hand were a few bills could be seen in it, surely they were gained for his services on a mission as the ninja he was. After Naruto nodded his head Inoichi left the room leaving Lee and his Hokage alone in the office.
“Hokage-sama, I..!”
“Don’t you have manners, Lee?” Naruto cut Lee in mid sentence with an stern voice. He had stood up from his armchair and, grabbing his arms from behind, he saproched the window with his back towards Lee.
“I’m sorry, Hokage-sama...” The jounin lowered his head again in shame, face flushing and sweating.
“You have all the details of your missions on that table.” Naruto pointed, still without turning or looking at Lee, at a small table in a corner of the room.
After a few long seconds in silence, Lee decided to move and aproched the said table. There, he could see a small montain of rolls and paper sheets. Looking at them with frowning eyebrows he dared to grab one of the sheet paper. ‘Damn... I should have guessed better...’ Lee had one mission’s detail in a simple sheet of paper... A C-Rank, so easy to accomplish that didn’t need more paper to explain in which consisted it. There was no need to read the rest of them, Lee already knew that none of them would have a rank above C. “Hokage-sama. What about the Kaz-”
“If you already have the missions details you can go now.”
It was useless. Naruto was the authority here and Lee could only obvey. Bowing in his direction, the Jounin left the room with his arms full of paper. In the whole time he had spent in that office his Hokage hadn’t lowered himself to look at Lee’s face.
. . .
Title: SMILES
Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are copyright of Masashi Kishimoto-sensei.
Pairings: Lee/Gaara, Shikamaru/Kiba, Naruto/???
Rating: PG to NC17
Summary: After loosing Shukaku and the immense power it represented for Gaara, the said Kazekage started to train to compensate that loose. He just has one hanging subject: Taijutsu.
CHAPTER 16:
Lee had already lost track of the many hours he had been runing towards Konohagakure. He was out of breath, in the verge of fainting, but the sight of Konoha’s gates was giving him forces somehow. Just a few meters more and...
Unable to stand it anymore, his legs gave under the exertion, going to fall to the ground.
“Oi, Lee!” Chouji, that has been casually at the gates caugh Lee in time before this one could hit face first the ground. “Are you okay!? Did you again come all the way here runing!?” The Akimichi’s clan shinobi turned Lee to be able to see his face and let him sit on the ground.
“I... I have to see... the Hokage...” Lee said between desperate intakes of breath. Looking around them, the Jounin could see that nothing had happened to his village, not in appearance.
“Naruto? Has something happened in Sunagakure? Why didn’t you write instead of coming all the way here?” Chouji asked with a worried face, not only because of what may have happened in Suna but also worried about Lee’s condition.
“I... I got an urgent... message... I thought Konoha... was in d-dan...” Lee closed his eyes and focused on catching his breath. He felt Chouji’s hand on his chest, surely, checking for some internal damage, maybe in his chakra system.
“As you can see, Konoha isn’t in danger. I’m sure Naruto summonded you for another important matter but... Tell me, Lee. Do you think that in the case of Konoha being in danger or under attack you could have been of some help just as you are now?” Lee stared huge eyed at Chouji, a pair of seconds later he burst out laughing (in a weak manner).
“I don’t... I suppose not.”
“Come on! I’ll take you to the hospital!” He grabbed Lee by his waist and lifted him over one shoulder as if Chouji didn’t notice the Jounin’s weight at all. Lee tried to protest with no avail. “Don’t worry. Naruto can wait a few hours, I’m sure he doesn’t expect you already here.” Lee just let out a sigh and let Chouji carry him away in Konoha’s Hospital direction.
. . .
This was something Lee shouldn’t be proud of, but... He has became an specialist when it comes to scaping from the hospital. He was feeling fine at the moment, one of those soldier pills had made miracles to his body, they had also feed him there, and now it was as if Lee was reborn.
Another thing that Lee wouldn’t confess is that he was a very curious person. What were the missions Naruto wanted Lee to do? Were they secret missions? He was a Jounin... Maybe there was a very dangerous S-Rank mission for him. Lee hadn’t seen Kiba at the south’s gates but sure there had been Chouji that, after taking Asuma-sensei’s lead, he had became a monk of the Fire country.
Lee was able to got unnoticed to the Hokage’s tower, but just as he was about to enter it he bumped into someone.
“Ouch! Hey, watch out! Uh... Lee?”
“Ah, Shikamaru! I’m sorry!” Lee bows his apologies and, with his head still bowed, he realizes to his horror that someone besides Shikamaru has spoted him.
“Lee! What are you doing here? You were suppossed to be in the hosp... Shikamaru?” Lee hadn’t dare to lift his head, he had already recognized Chouji’s voice. He felt like a child caught stealing cookies. “What are you doing here?” When Lee finaly lifted his head he saw that Chouji had lost all interest on him and was focusing his attention at Shikamaru.
“I’m here doing what I always do: work.” The Chunin answered in his usual lazy manner. Lee wasn’t going to waste such an opportunity and ‘escaped’ towards the Hokage’s office.
“But...” Chouji followed the shorter man with his stare as Shikamaru walked past him and sat in a bank a few meters away. He made Chouji a gesture of following him with his head. “But I thought you were supposed to be with Kiba in the mountains...” He said once he sat besides the Chuunin.
“Why should I?” After a few seconds looking for something inside his vest pocket, Shikamaru took out a cigarette and a lighter, puting the first between his lips.
“Because Kiba’s uncle is about to die!” Chouji finally said a bit too loud.
“It’s his family, not m-”
“Now it’s your family! Kiba’s your boyfriend, isn’t he?” Anger was visible on Chouji’s face, who didn’t try to hide it.
“Chouji, Kiba will be alright, why do you care this much?” Shikamaru asked lifting a small brow, surprised at his friend’s reaction.
“Because... I would like if I... You don’t seem to care about the important things, Shikamaru. You are too careless sometimes and makes me feel somehow responsible for your acts. Argh!” Chouji let his head fall on his palms, elbows already resting on his knees.
“Why, Chouji?” The Chunin let out a short laught. When Chouji looked up at him again, he saw that Shikamaru’s cigarette was already alight.
“Hey!” Being too fast for the Nara’s shinobi, Chouji grabbed the cigarette in one hand and crushed it in his palm, not noticing the burning sensation at all. “I thought you quit it! Doesn’t Kiba care that you smoke?”
“He doesn’t know...” Shikamaru looked intently at him, one arm resting on the bank’s back.
“Aah! See? That’s what I ment: you are impossible!” Chouji turned to face Shikamaru completely. “If I were Kib- Hey!” He started talking with his index finger pointing at Shikamaru, who made a fake move to bite it. Chouji sweatdroped at that. “If I were him I would never dare to kiss you!” The Akimichi finished the sentence making a face of disgust.
“Oh? Do you mean... Because I taste of cigarettes?” Letting out a fake laugh he aproched Chouji dangerously, stopping his face just a few inches from the monk’s. “You wouldn’t dare to kiss me even if I didn’t smoke.” Chouji’s jaw nearly hits the ground at what Shikamaru had just said. Still unmoving, the Chunin got up from the bank taking another cigarette from his vest pocket and lighting it. “I have to go. I need to do a few things before I have to return to work. See ya, Cho!”
Chouji has been able to react only when he lost sight of the Chunin. “Shikamaru... Not again, Shikamaru...” He ran both of his hands throught his long hair trying to calm himself.
. . .
Running as fast as he could, he rushed up the stairs jumping three on three the steps until he finally made it to the Hokage’s office. Forgetting for the first time in his life to knock first on the door, Lee entered the room startling two people on it.
“I’m... sorry...” Lee lowered his head in shame.
“Oh! Rock Lee, right? Don’t worry boy, I was about to go now.” The blonde man smiled in Lee’s direction.
“No, no... I’m sorry, Yamanaka-san. I should have knocked before entering... I’m...” Inoichi just passed him, rufling Lee’s hair as if he was a kid and making him blush.
“I said to not worry, ha ha! Naruto-kun, I have to go now. I’d like to buy my two beautiful ladies a present! Thank you!” He said shaking a bit his right hand were a few bills could be seen in it, surely they were gained for his services on a mission as the ninja he was. After Naruto nodded his head Inoichi left the room leaving Lee and his Hokage alone in the office.
“Hokage-sama, I..!”
“Don’t you have manners, Lee?” Naruto cut Lee in mid sentence with an stern voice. He had stood up from his armchair and, grabbing his arms from behind, he saproched the window with his back towards Lee.
“I’m sorry, Hokage-sama...” The jounin lowered his head again in shame, face flushing and sweating.
“You have all the details of your missions on that table.” Naruto pointed, still without turning or looking at Lee, at a small table in a corner of the room.
After a few long seconds in silence, Lee decided to move and aproched the said table. There, he could see a small montain of rolls and paper sheets. Looking at them with frowning eyebrows he dared to grab one of the sheet paper. ‘Damn... I should have guessed better...’ Lee had one mission’s detail in a simple sheet of paper... A C-Rank, so easy to accomplish that didn’t need more paper to explain in which consisted it. There was no need to read the rest of them, Lee already knew that none of them would have a rank above C. “Hokage-sama. What about the Kaz-”
“If you already have the missions details you can go now.”
It was useless. Naruto was the authority here and Lee could only obvey. Bowing in his direction, the Jounin left the room with his arms full of paper. In the whole time he had spent in that office his Hokage hadn’t lowered himself to look at Lee’s face.
. . .