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Description
It is quiet, too quiet. It's been this way for three days, sixteen hours, eight minutes, and four, five, six seconds.

Since that night at the hospital room. The night where everything went wrong, the night I lost him.

/We're losing him! Call in Tsunade-sama, tell her it's not working! His body won't accept the treatment!

I see Hokage-sama rush in, her eyes wide and her face taught. Speeding into the room where -he- is, I hear muffled shouting and pleading. I know it cannot be anything good.

A few minutes later the intensive care light is turned off, and Godaime steps out solemnly. I stand and look at her hopefully, and she shakes her head./

It should not have ended like this. We were supposed to be rivals for life; I laugh hollowly. "For life."

I look at the village from my vantage point. Konoha does not even understand its loss.

/"Lee-kun, his body is not accepting the treatment. His organs are failing and he's lost too much blood."

My own blood turns to ice.

"Neji-kun will not remain with us long; he is awake. You are permitted to see him."

I tense. This cannot be happening, it is not possible. Again my body seems to work on its own and I nod and walk stiffly to his room.

He is in a bed on the far side of the room; I see the large seal on the ground. It is burned in many places.

"Neji," I breathe. The Hyuuga looks at me./

Without him I have no purpose. Who am I to compete with? Who will push me to be the best?

No one in Konoha contests me the way -he- did.

/For one of the first times since I have met him, my friend smiles. It's not a smirk, but a real heart-felt smile.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

This causes me to break down completely. "You are most certainly -not- fine Hyuuga Neji!" Tears form in my eyes, and I shake a little.

"I'm fine because I'm finally free." He sighs.

"STOP IT!" The Hyuuga looks a little shocked at my outburst, but hides it well. He is as apathetic as ever.

"Can you never be happy with what you have? You have Tenten, Gai-sensei, Naruto, Hinata...me. We cared for you and you throw us aside as if we were nothing!"/

I yelled at him. I chuckle a bit. That was the first time I yelled at Neji, I don't think he expected it.

After all, no one in Konoha yells at Hyuuga Neji.

/I look at his face, which has been void of emotion for many years; but now he looks lost and sad. I can take no more of this. I search for something to look at, anything else but his lamenting eyes.

My own eyes land on his forehead. His cursed seal.

He senses my staring.

"Lee, I do not wish for my forehead to be bear. It is my shame."

"No one else thinks so Neji, no one else sees the seal. They see you. They see a prominent fighter, a proud soul, a loyal friend," I pause, "a free bird."/

Tears well up in my eyes again. I twirl a leaf between my fingers. "Konoha." A place for which many have fallen, many good shinobi.

Is it worth it? Is our village worth the rivers of blood that must be spilled for its safety?

/Again he smiles. I look at the seal again, to my horror, I see it begin to flicker and fade.

"Neji!"

"Lee, I want you to promise me something."

I shake my head slowly. "You are the best, the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, a genius; you cannot die! Not now. Your team needs you, your friends need you, I need you!"/

I do not take it back. I do need him; I need his insults to push me, I need his cool head to instruct me when I am blinded by feelings, I need a friend who I trust more than anyone.

Konoha still needs you.

But none of us can have you. Free birds don't stay.

/No you don't."

I jerk my attention back to his face.

"You don't need me, not anymore." He sighs again.

"A genius of hard work. That's what they call you now, Lee, not a dropout. You don't need me anymore."

I feel the tears flowing now./

A genius of hard work, eh? If I were such a genius, I would have been there in time, you would not have had gaping holes in your body; you would not be dead.

Konoha offers little thanks to the one who died for its safety.

/The seal flickers worse than before.

"Promise me you'll take care of my precious people. Promise me you won't let them become caged."

"There is no need for that; you will be able to do it yourself." There is no point in denying it at this point, but I still cling to hope.

"Promise me."

I look down in defeat.

"It is the promise of a lifetime."

He smiles again./

The promise of a lifetime? I suppose that means my lifetime now. Already I have failed. Neji's precious people weep uncontrollably, and I cannot find it in me to take care of them now. Not yet. I am not ready.

Konoha forgets you already. The feared Hyuuga genius is already a fleeting memory.

/His seal begins to fade worse than before, his time is almost up.

Neji senses it and looks at me imploringly.

I take his hand into my own.

"You are my best friend."

"I know, Lee."

He begins to have trouble breathing.

"Someone very wise once told me something. I wish for you to know it as well."

I furrow my brows and squeeze his hand tighter.

Neji don't go.

He looks into my eyes./

I can't believe what I saw in those eyes. Hurt, sorrow, compassion, fear. All the things he feared to show before now surface.

If only Konoha had seen how much he was hurting inside, maybe they would have understood.

/"You're not a loser like me."

His hand goes limp in my own.

"Neji? Neji!? NEJI!?" I shake uncontrollably. The tears flow in rivers down my face and as I see your now clear forehead I sob into your hair.

I cry for friendship now lost. I cry for a warrior now fallen. I cry for a rival now defeated. I cry for my best friend now dead. I cry for Hyuuga Neji./

Again tears slide down my cheeks. He believed in me all this time, yet I never saw it. I never saw the friend, silently pushing me to be the best. Never saw how much he actually cared. Never saw so many things.

I hear a yell a good distance away, and I turn and look. A genin team is training Neji, just like we used too. They run, sweat, train, and bleed until they cannot even pick themselves up anymore. When that happens the team leans on one another and trudges back to the village together.

I smile.

Perhaps Konoha is worth it.

Description
It is quiet, too quiet. It's been this way for three days, sixteen hours, eight minutes, and four, five, six seconds.

Since that night at the hospital room. The night where everything went wrong, the night I lost him.

/We're losing him! Call in Tsunade-sama, tell her it's not working! His body won't accept the treatment!

I see Hokage-sama rush in, her eyes wide and her face taught. Speeding into the room where -he- is, I hear muffled shouting and pleading. I know it cannot be anything good.

A few minutes later the intensive care light is turned off, and Godaime steps out solemnly. I stand and look at her hopefully, and she shakes her head./

It should not have ended like this. We were supposed to be rivals for life; I laugh hollowly. "For life."

I look at the village from my vantage point. Konoha does not even understand its loss.

/"Lee-kun, his body is not accepting the treatment. His organs are failing and he's lost too much blood."

My own blood turns to ice.

"Neji-kun will not remain with us long; he is awake. You are permitted to see him."

I tense. This cannot be happening, it is not possible. Again my body seems to work on its own and I nod and walk stiffly to his room.

He is in a bed on the far side of the room; I see the large seal on the ground. It is burned in many places.

"Neji," I breathe. The Hyuuga looks at me./

Without him I have no purpose. Who am I to compete with? Who will push me to be the best?

No one in Konoha contests me the way -he- did.

/For one of the first times since I have met him, my friend smiles. It's not a smirk, but a real heart-felt smile.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

This causes me to break down completely. "You are most certainly -not- fine Hyuuga Neji!" Tears form in my eyes, and I shake a little.

"I'm fine because I'm finally free." He sighs.

"STOP IT!" The Hyuuga looks a little shocked at my outburst, but hides it well. He is as apathetic as ever.

"Can you never be happy with what you have? You have Tenten, Gai-sensei, Naruto, Hinata...me. We cared for you and you throw us aside as if we were nothing!"/

I yelled at him. I chuckle a bit. That was the first time I yelled at Neji, I don't think he expected it.

After all, no one in Konoha yells at Hyuuga Neji.

/I look at his face, which has been void of emotion for many years; but now he looks lost and sad. I can take no more of this. I search for something to look at, anything else but his lamenting eyes.

My own eyes land on his forehead. His cursed seal.

He senses my staring.

"Lee, I do not wish for my forehead to be bear. It is my shame."

"No one else thinks so Neji, no one else sees the seal. They see you. They see a prominent fighter, a proud soul, a loyal friend," I pause, "a free bird."/

Tears well up in my eyes again. I twirl a leaf between my fingers. "Konoha." A place for which many have fallen, many good shinobi.

Is it worth it? Is our village worth the rivers of blood that must be spilled for its safety?

/Again he smiles. I look at the seal again, to my horror, I see it begin to flicker and fade.

"Neji!"

"Lee, I want you to promise me something."

I shake my head slowly. "You are the best, the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, a genius; you cannot die! Not now. Your team needs you, your friends need you, I need you!"/

I do not take it back. I do need him; I need his insults to push me, I need his cool head to instruct me when I am blinded by feelings, I need a friend who I trust more than anyone.

Konoha still needs you.

But none of us can have you. Free birds don't stay.

/No you don't."

I jerk my attention back to his face.

"You don't need me, not anymore." He sighs again.

"A genius of hard work. That's what they call you now, Lee, not a dropout. You don't need me anymore."

I feel the tears flowing now./

A genius of hard work, eh? If I were such a genius, I would have been there in time, you would not have had gaping holes in your body; you would not be dead.

Konoha offers little thanks to the one who died for its safety.

/The seal flickers worse than before.

"Promise me you'll take care of my precious people. Promise me you won't let them become caged."

"There is no need for that; you will be able to do it yourself." There is no point in denying it at this point, but I still cling to hope.

"Promise me."

I look down in defeat.

"It is the promise of a lifetime."

He smiles again./

The promise of a lifetime? I suppose that means my lifetime now. Already I have failed. Neji's precious people weep uncontrollably, and I cannot find it in me to take care of them now. Not yet. I am not ready.

Konoha forgets you already. The feared Hyuuga genius is already a fleeting memory.

/His seal begins to fade worse than before, his time is almost up.

Neji senses it and looks at me imploringly.

I take his hand into my own.

"You are my best friend."

"I know, Lee."

He begins to have trouble breathing.

"Someone very wise once told me something. I wish for you to know it as well."

I furrow my brows and squeeze his hand tighter.

Neji don't go.

He looks into my eyes./

I can't believe what I saw in those eyes. Hurt, sorrow, compassion, fear. All the things he feared to show before now surface.

If only Konoha had seen how much he was hurting inside, maybe they would have understood.

/"You're not a loser like me."

His hand goes limp in my own.

"Neji? Neji!? NEJI!?" I shake uncontrollably. The tears flow in rivers down my face and as I see your now clear forehead I sob into your hair.

I cry for friendship now lost. I cry for a warrior now fallen. I cry for a rival now defeated. I cry for my best friend now dead. I cry for Hyuuga Neji./

Again tears slide down my cheeks. He believed in me all this time, yet I never saw it. I never saw the friend, silently pushing me to be the best. Never saw how much he actually cared. Never saw so many things.

I hear a yell a good distance away, and I turn and look. A genin team is training Neji, just like we used too. They run, sweat, train, and bleed until they cannot even pick themselves up anymore. When that happens the team leans on one another and trudges back to the village together.

I smile.

Perhaps Konoha is worth it.