10. January 4th, wee hours of the morning. [Action/Video]

[spandexisyouth]

[Those that live in Fatality Condominiums may hear a bit more noise than usual this morning while someone repeatedly opens and closes doors in one apartment, going up and down the stairs inside it, as if making a hundred laps of the small space will change what he sees. The noise finally stops as he stops, as it sinks in that he can't really deny

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[heavenly_earth]

[It's a terrible message to wake up to, and Neji regards the feed with a somber look for several moments. But in the end, he can't think of much to say and just shakes his head with a sigh]

Unfortunate...

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[spandexisyouth]

[He's silent. He could scold Neji for the coldness, but he doesn't have the heart for it right now. He's more stressed then when a just-operated-on Lee went out on a mission.]

Lee...

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[heavenly_earth]

I know.

[Quiet acknowledgement- acceptance even- because he can check without actually crossing the hall, could sweep the whole city and know he won't find his teammate and best friend. Gai would never lie about something like this though, and the man's distress over his student's plight is plain. At last, he digs up something that sounds vaguely like reassurance]

..He'll be fine, and so will we.

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[spandexisyouth]

Neji!

[And now he's crying, but it's Manly Tears this time.]

Thank you! Would you like to come over? I would like to hug you.

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[heavenly_earth]

[It's on the tip of his tongue to refuse, but he glances off camera for a moment then runs a hand over his head, yanking a tangle out as he goes]

I just got up.. but if you have tea going, I'll get dressed and come over.

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[spandexisyouth]

I will go back to my apartment. The water should still be warm and not take long to boil again. What kind would you like?

[He gets off of Lee and Gaara's couch, casting a sad look around the place.]

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[heavenly_earth]

[He tries not to think about the emptiness of the space around Gai] Lavender if you have it, but anything is fine.

[Neji moves back into his room where Lain is still sleeping, and rifles around for a change of clothes] I'll just get dressed and leave a note for Lain then be over.

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[spandexisyouth]

I have lavender. I shall make it for us both.

[He nods and then turns off the communicator. He stands up, taking his time. This had been Lee's place for a short time. Eventually he gets up and goes back to his apartment, turning the burner on again before pulling two mugs down and preparing tea.]

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[heavenly_earth]

[Neji elects to take his time to gather his thoughts, running a quick shower and mulling everything over as he brushes his hair and changes, then leaves a short note for Lain to find him by in case she wanders after him.

He lets himself into Gai and Kakashi's apartment and moves to the kitchen, eyes briefly sweeping around for the Copy-nin]

Good morning, Gai-sensei.

[spandexisyouth]

[It would still be a bit early for Kakashi to get up, but there's a chance the noise would bring him out. Normally Gai doesn't come back to the apartment until after Morning Training, once he sets out, after all.]

Neji!

[Gai puts both cups on the counter, next to the sugar, and, without asking again, wraps his arms around his student. He still has Neji. Tenten. He needs to check on Tenten. But not yet. Neji was here, and Kakashi was here too. He'd peeked into the bedroom.]

[heavenly_earth]

[A grunt escapes Neji in lieu of a protest, having hoped Gai had forgotten the 'hug' part of the arrangement, but he understands on some level why he's doing it and patiently waits for him to be finished before he reaches for his tea]

Tenten's still here. I found her soul without issue.

[spandexisyouth]

[A knot loosens in Gai's heart that he hadn't even been aware of. She was still here. He didn't have his Lee, but he had Neji, Tenten, and Kakashi.]

Thank you.

[His voice is quiet. It's humbling to have his student know exactly where his worries had gone.]

And thank you for checking. I got so distracted... He would not leave on his own. Not willingly. Not like that. But it is empty. Completely empty.

[Gai picks up his own cup, trying to focus and draw himself together. He knows he's not a weak person, but it's hard to have Lee just yanked from him, impossible to reach, to hug, to do anything with.]

[heavenly_earth]

[He nods, dipping a small spoon of sugar in his tea and stirs it as quietly as possible, watching Gai all the while. The silence is deafening- depressed and weighted- and every word seems like a harm]

No, that was BREW's doing. That device remains inherently unpredictable with little regard for anyone, but one way or another, we'll see him again at some point.

[spandexisyouth]

[GAi knows he's being watched and that he really needs to regain his equilibrium. He's supposed to be there for his students, not put demands on their time. Gai takes a sip of his tea and runs through one of the first mental focusing exercises he ever learned. Normally emotions are his strength, but this time, well.]

We will.

[They would. He hasn't lost Lee for good. Gai just needed to remember that.]

You are right. We will.

[That wasn't said with his normal strength of conviction, but it was getting there.]

[heavenly_earth]

[Relieved that Gai doesn't seem to associate the disappearance with Lee's death makes it slightly easier to breathe. That Gai had seemed so crushed made him wonder if there was something else about the future he didn't know]

At any rate, Lee and I aren't from that time. I'm sure it happens, but it hasn't for us, yet. There's still time.

[spandexisyouth]

[The shock of having Lee taken from him, something Gai hadn't thought possible, was enough to shake him that much. If Lee was dead in the future Gai would be inconsolable.]

I forgot that. I know so much of the future that it is sometimes strange to think of you and him not knowing. What time is he going back to?