niceguypose | Seventh Gate [Action/Video] (dated to the 23rd)

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Seventh Gate [Action/Video] (dated to the 23rd)

[Action]

[It has been far too long since Lee last saw Izumo Kamiki, during the Valentines experiment. It bothers him - after what he's been through with Rapunzel and Sakura, he has to see how things are with her. He's beginning to suspect she may be avoiding him, but he cannot let this continue forever. In such a situation, particularly for one who possesses ninja skillz, there are a number of reasonable options available. He could try to figure out where she resides and try to visit her there. Or he could simply try using a filtered message over the journals.

Lee chooses none of those options. Instead, he scours the library, every book he can find, in order to assemble an impressive mound of every book he can find that qualifies as a romance novel. Now he's absolutely certain that she must actually enjoy these books so it's only a matter of time. And to increase the chances? He clips out many pictures of baby foxes to form a trail leading to the pile of books. And so Lee hides behind the nearest bookshelf and peers through a gap between books in hopes that she will eventually come along in search of one of the novels. It is a plan completely lacking flaws.

Otherwise, he can be found at other points of the day jogging around various areas of Luceti or at the Battle Dome setting up a simulation with random enemies.]

[Video]

[He takes to the journals at some point. With Kankuro recently arrived in Luceti, one primary thought on Lee's mi-]

Sakura-san, we should spar sometime soon!

[Okay, aside from that. One primary thought on Lee's mind has been the chance that Gaara could also appear in this place at any time. And clearly, the first thing on his mind would be an all-out rematch with Lee. So he decides to poll the people on their ideas.]

Also, other people of Luceti! I would like to pose a hypothetical challenge to you. Say you had to fight a man who could control sand itself! How do you think you would defeat him in the fairest way possible? For an extra challenge, you can restrain yourself from utilizing any special abilities!

[ooc: There should be an ooc post going up soon but just a heads up: Lee should be getting sent home for a canon update on Monday, and he'll return after the draft. It should also be noted that he may be very depressed for a time afterwards, so this post may be kind of the last hoorah of a joyful Lee for the time being.]

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[Offend her. God, she wishes he just would have offended her. She could just punch him and they'd be done with it.]

No.

[It's a single tight word, and by now she's starting to feel the inevitability closing in on her. Even if she gets out of this fight without letting on -- and with Lee, that's possible, he's not the most intuitive person -- her firm facade has cracked, and it can't be repaired.

But she keeps fighting, draining her chakra recklessly to keep up with Lee. To just lose herself in exertion, in exercise, in their simulated violence.]

He didn't offend me.

[He's just getting more and more confused, but he keeps on fighting energetically. Lee sweats and tires in some ways but he still fights on.]

I don't understand. It still sounds like something is wrong!

[He's tiring, but so is she -- and her stamina's nothing to write home about, especially with the limitations inside the barrier. So soon she's sweating, even with the cool air, and panting. But she keeps fighting, teeth gritted in determination.]

Nothing's wrong.

Not as long as we're here, anyway.

[He blinks at her whisper, which allows another of her blows to make a clear strike. He tries to pcik up the tempo while pondering it.]

Something is wrong elsewhere? At... at home?

[She can't answer that. So she doesn't. But she can't meet his eyes, either. She just drops her gaze for a moment, focusing on his hands, his movements, away from his face.

Just a spar. That's all she wants. Not to shatter his contentment.]

Sakura-san!

[The way she's acting is striking at his heart. He doesn't know what's wrong, but whatever pain this is can't be left unattended. So he stops moving. He stops defending or trying to counter and will just take any blows Sakura delivers.]

I... I need to know what's bothering you so!

[No, no, no, this is the last thing she wants. Lee's supposed to just focus on the spar, not on the things that are troubling her...

... But then again, if he just brushed off one of his friends being troubled, he wouldn't be Lee, would he? It's the sort of person he is, deep down, and she's only gradually learning as she grows up how important that is.

But right now, it isn't a good thing.]

No, Lee. You don't. Believe me.

[He still stands firm.]

But I want to help. Whatever it is... It shouldn't be kept to yourself, Sakura-san. As a shinobi, I can carry whatever burden it is as well.

No, Lee. It exactly should be kept to myself.

[She takes a deep breath, completely dropping any semblance of a guard. They're not fighting anymore -- not physically, anyway. She's fighting against herself -- against her own emotions, all the grief and helplessness and a creeping sense of hopelessness.]

I do not want to force you, or anyone else, to carry this. There's nothing anyone can do about it. It just... is what it is.

[And now he reaches to try to grip her shoulders in a friendly way.]

It is not being give to me by force. And... if it is something that is unavoidable, would it not just hurt you for only you to know? Please... Sakura-san...

[He's making it sound so rational, but she can't... she can't inflict this on him. Particularly on him, because... because it's Lee, and knowing how he is about Neji...]

It's going to hurt me either way. The only difference is whether I'm the only one hurting, or whether you hurt too.

[And a whisper makes it past her guard, tight and aching with pain.]

You won't remember... you can't save him.

What do you mean?! [He responds frantically.] Who can't I save? There must be some mistake! [They did star off talking about Neji after all. And now they're at someone who couldn't be saved. Her own whisper keeps him from responding properly - from pointing out they could try to recover from hurt, together.]

[She's given him too much. Even without knowing that Lee's aware of her avoidance, they talked about Neji, and now with that slip...

She's done it. Lee knows, or he will soon enough -- he's not stupid, for all he's impetuous, high-strung, sometimes oblivious -- and it's her fault. She's brought this on him.

She turns away, pressing a hand over her eyes.]

I'm sorry, Lee, I'm so sorry... I couldn't do anything...

[He takes a hesitant step closer, breathing harshly.]

For... for who? We were all together, Sakura-san! We were on our way to help Naruto-kun... and Gai-Sensei! All of us of Konoha. No one had... [And then he goes on quietly.] Neji was there.

He was. [She agrees tightly, trying to hold back the tears that want to come. This... this is not what she wants, not at all.

She wishes she'd held it back better, wishes she'd been able to keep holding back. She's not alone -- Chouji's here, and he knows the truth too -- but it's still bad enough.

She still can't say it outright. Still can't voice the words. He died. No. Such a thing... no.]

To help Naruto... and Hinata, with him...

[He tries to stare on and meet her gaze, puzzling at her words and trying to ignore this numbness that was rooted itself in him from what she was saying.]

He... he saved Naruto-kun and Hinata-san?

[She nods, feeling the avalanche gaining speed. Maybe drawing it out is the worst thing, now that it's inevitable -- now that Lee knows his teammate has no future, maybe the kindest thing is to plunge into it all at once, just tell him, and be done with it.

But she can't. It's this slow collapse, little by little but gaining horrible speed, ready to bury Lee. To bury both of them.]

He did. They... they would have died, maybe both of them. She was trying to shield him but...

[She swallows hard, around a lump in her throat she hadn't been able to give voice to on the battlefield. Now, here, in this place outside of time...]

Instead, Neji shielded them both.

But...

[He's having trouble finding words, feeling coldness inside. But he reaches to grab her shoulder as he grasps for possibilities.]

What you're saying... He can't. It must have been a deception, a genjutsu. Neji... cannot have...

[She meets his eyes now, and there's so much sadness in hers, so much sorrow; she understands Lee's grasping, searching for any answer but the inevitable. But she also knows there's no hope of it.]

It was a wide-ranged attack. Why... why would they waste enough chakra to deceive the entire army into seeing one person, not even a general or a leader, fall? When so many others did as well.

[She rests a hand over his on her shoulder, and gives it a small squeeze.]

I'm sorry, Lee. Neji's dead.

[The shoulder touch does little to buffer he words. And once he hears those words, he crumples to his knees, and he whines as tears start streaking down his face.]

No! Sakura-san... It can't be true! Neji... Neji... He's my eternal rival! He can't...!

[It's not her usual thing, but right now is anything but usual; as he sinks down, she does as well, and wraps an arm around his shoulders. The death of a comrade -- of a teammate -- is one of the worst torments a ninja can face, and she knows that Lee and Neji are especially close.

She can't offer him any good news, can't say anything that will lessen the pain of it. The truth is what it is. Hyuuga Neji, at eighteen, has given his life for his village, for his clan, for all of them. It's the unavoidable truth. But she can at least offer Lee some sort of connection, some sort of comfort, as he absorbs the horrible truth.]

[Lee doesn't know what to think, what to say. He just lets his tears go loose, still trying to deny it. It can't be true. It can't. If only Gai-Sensei were here, to clear everything up. And he presses his fists into the ground.]

[There's nothing; there's no way to fix this. There's only one mercy to the whole thing.

Neji's here. Neji is here and it means that Lee can at least have time with him before he's gone.]

[He tries to take comfort in her presence, in her arm for some minutes. But it does little to help. Really, it's as if he's waiting for her to take it back. To say that she was wrong, that what she saw really was a genjutsu, or that this was a particularly distasteful joke that he couldn't grasp the humor of. But with the lack of any explanation, and the echoes of Sakura's sincerity matched with her attempts at comfort, it made that empty, gaping hole spread within him as the truth started to force its way into his consciousness.

He soon, abruptly, started to pull himself away.]

Would you... please excuse me.

Of course.

[She lets him pull away without resistance, shifting backward herself as well. She's tried to give him some comfort, and that's all she can do. It's something he'll need to handle... well, not on his own precisely, but within himself. She can't handle it for him. No one can.]

Maybe... maybe I'm not the best person for this, but... if you need to talk, Lee... I'll listen. Anytime you need.

[She's laid this on him; anything she can do to ease the blow, she will.]

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