"Does anyone else see a copy of themselves?" Guy asked through the radio.
"Yes, Guy Sensei. I think this is the only time I will ever see a copy of myself..." Lee answered him, nodding his head even though Guy couldn't see it.
"Uh, yeah... I see one, too." Tenten agreed, hands hovering over her scrolls. "It came out of the water."
"I see one, too. It's obvious they're trying to hold us back, but I'm not in the mood for distractions." Neji got into a defensive stance, narrowing his eyes more than they already were. He found himself in in a sour mood ever since his team set off for the mission, his teammates were already overbearing enough with their expectations for all missions... But today; he found himself glad about it. They had moved even faster than usual, which got them to meet with Team Seven fast.
And this was the result, they had to get farther from you in order for the other team to get to you. The only thing that settled his angered heart by even a little was the fact that he had seen you alive. His Byakugan allowed him to see who he knew was you, although you were laying face-first on the floor, your altered Chakra flow stilled showed him the reminisce of you. Unlike the other two, the lack of Chakra flows in the two of them let him know they were dead.
Right now, you were being taken away by the blonde, while Kakashi and Naruto followed after him. It looked like Naruto was angry, although Neji couldn't see much color through the Byakugan, he could see the Fire in Naruto's eyes, and the way his skin bubbled.
...He didn't know what the bubbling was about, but he was sure it was out of pure anger.
They were also carrying the other two. Neji wasn't close with Gaara, and he hadn't a clue who the other girl was, all that mattered to him was that you were alive. That's why he needed a moment to collect himself, and finally tell Naruto off for getting so close to him. But he was still angry—your altered Chakra flow meant two things; they had used a Jutsu to keep you unconscious, and they clearly had done some sort of ritual to insert something similar to your last dragon.
He wanted answers, and the stupid clone of him wasn't making it easier for him. Neji had learned a lot of new Jutsus, fire, earth and wind... And it looked like his copy knew them all too—yeah, they knew every single Jutsu Neji did. He hated to admit that it was a good delay tactic.
Lee had learned lots too, he learned how to open the fifth gate—and he started to focus his chakra in his hands to create a stronger punch, rather than to defend himself. Of course, he'd still do a lot of defending, but offense was as important as defense! He too, hated to admit that this delay was good. He wanted to see you, although Neji said you were alive—Lee yearned to see you. It had been so long, and even after all this time, he recognized you as his first ever friend. And all these memories of you reminded him of something, a solution to the problem his team was facing that was just so... Obvious.
"I have got the answer. It is so simple, I can't believe I did not remember it sooner." He spoke up, catching all three of the others attention.
"...Uh, and what's that?" Tenten asked, hitting a stalemate with her clone.
"Well, it was a saying my teammates and I made." Lee had gotten stuck in a stalemate himself. "How does our team motto go, Neji?"
That question was the exact same one you asked him years back, on the night of Lees birthday. And his answer was the same, even now; "Stronger than we were yesterday." Though this time, he was a lot more sure of himself—this time, he knew Lees reason for bringing it up.
"Exactly. If these clones have the same power as we did when they were first summoned, then they cannot grow, and..."
"That means we just have to get stronger than we were before." Guy finished for him, a smile growing on his face. "Brilliant Lee!"
"Thank you, Guy Sensei!" Lee reveled in the praise before he remembered that you were in-fact, still kidnapped. "In order to beat ourselves, we have to get stronger than we were an hour ago... A minute ago, a second ago!"
Tenten sweat dropped on the other line, she knew strength built up over time—but stronger than a second ago was a little ridiculous. She knew that 'Team Guy' was the team in the same year as her renown for being full of ridiculously overbearing students, but even harder workers. She saw now what they meant by that.
Still, she knew what they meant by that—getting stronger than her clone made a few minutes ago had to be possible. Even if she doubted it for the most part.
Though, she wasn't sure if she should doubt too much if your teammates managed to do it. But she was on a completely different level than them! She wasn't the 'keep pushing forward' type, she was more the 'let's take a break for a second' type! Still, she was confident in her own strength to go along with it.
All four of them managed to break their stalemate and get the upper hand on their clone, finishing the fight earlier than they would've had they not recalled their team motto.
"It looks like Sakuras match in the Akatsukis hideout has reached its conclusion." Neji reported, "Sakura and Lady Chiyo came out victorious." He said, turning his head in the direction Naruto and Kakashi were in. "It looks like they're headed toward the other two to regroup, and Neji was headed in the same direction.
"They're headed east, we're going that way, too." He instructed. "They managed to catch up to the one they were chasing... They let go of their targets."
"Then that means they let go of [Firstname]!" Lee stated the obvious, changing the direction in which he ran toward—to the east, as Neji instructed. "Then we have to hurry!"
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The sound of dripping was enough to annoy you, it was the first thing your senses picked up on. After that, it was the darkness, the cold, the aching pain deep in your heart, and the innate loneliness that accompanied it. A loneliness once so common to you, but the feeling of it now had you lifting yourself up with your arms. You hadn't felt so lonely in years.
Water, that's what caused the noise earlier, and what made you cold.
...Cold. A foreign feeling, you recognized. You lifted you head up next, being met with a waft of air—strangely, the smell was similar to Wendy. But instead of the sight of Wendy, there was a dragon. Not one you were used to, the sight of Diavals red scales was a normal one, but these were white. A flowy, smooth and pretty dragon.
"You woke up a lot later than I thought you would..."They greeted, voice softer and calmer in tone, a vast difference from Diavals's voice. But you could still hear him, his growl echoed off of the walls of such a small room; a genuine one. You stood to your feet, turning around. He was there, but he had backed away from the bars, only his glowing eyes visible, instead of his face practically touching the bars like they usually did.
You turned your head back toward the other one, confusion clear on your face. "... Who are you supposed to be?"
"... Kaida, the wind dragon... I'm now a part of you." The wind dragon... But, that was... You gulped, your eyes narrowing.
"But... The wind dragon is Wendys dragon..."
"Wendy is dead." The dragon interrupted you, shutting her eyes. "Any connection you had with her... Will live on through me." Her first three words had you silent, the loneliness you felt aching in your body made sense now. It was like a warning of what had happened to your dear friend, the girl you met a year ago that welcomed you with open arms, and proved to be quick in being an important person to you... Had died, just like that.
You remembered little, there was an infiltrator in the Sand... Gaara had left to attack, and then... It was blank, with no memories from that second forward. But if Wendy was dead, then that meant... Gaara had to be dead, too. Unwillingly, but unsurprisingly, tears brimmed your eyes as you lowered your head, blinking your tears away. "Hold on, I'm... Alive?" You asked, looking up at her again. For a second, and unwelcomed thought plagued your mind. For a second, you hoped you were dead.
"You're the only one who lived..." That was like a blow to your heart, as you suspected, not only had Wendy died, but Gaara did too.
"... Why? Why am I alive, when they aren't?" You asked, guilt building up in your insides.
"They want to make a vessel out of you. Getting rid of ones beast means death... They took it out of her, to give it to you..."
Your eyes were wide, and if you weren't in a state of unconsciousness to begin with, you might've ran out of breath and fainted. "How... How is it possible to have two dragons at a time? And I don't get it, of all people, why me?!"
"It's possible to have all five dragons at a time, my guess is they want to combine us all to create the supreme dragon king.... And of all the dragon slayers known, you're the most valuable... Not only of [Lastname] descent, but of Marvell descent."
Marvell. You eyes went wide, that was the same last name as Wendy. "The Marvell clan reigns from the Blood Mist village, a clan obsessed with Dragons, and known for their high skill in medical ninjutsu... Which led to the birth of Wendy Marvell, the Wind Draft on slayer. Though, she was taken by her mother, and into the only safe place she knew, the Cait Shelter..."
"That's why she didn't know about her lineage, she was homed and raised inside the Cait Shelter, and her mother... Killed as a result of framed murder of her child."
"If you think about it, Wendy was your sister. Who had the same father as you."
You were sure you felt your heart drop into your stomach and shatter. The girl you met only a year ago, who you started to see as your sister, was your sister. And now she was dead. The tears in your eyes were proof of your tender heart, all the times in your life where you felt like crying, you managed to control it--but this time, they fell. Unprecedented and unrestrained, even in this state of unconsciousness, you couldn't help the ache in your heart. Your heart that had been aching for so long, aching for the love of a family.
"Why cry? Can't you just see them again with your Poltigan?" Kaida asked, and Diaval let out another deep growl. It looked like everything the white dragon said got on his nerves.
Your Poltigan... You brought your hands up to your head, hiding your face in them. Right now, you wished you could rip your damn eyes out of your head. They were a curse, being a [Lastname] was a curse, you being born was a curse.
Right now, you wished you were never born at all.
"Right, I'm so lucky because of that, aren't I..." Your voice was strained, as well as muffled due to your hands. "I get to see a constant reminder... That the ones I care for are dead, all because of me."
"... It's about time you wake up, now. It's been almost over a week, and a lot has happened." Diaval was the one that spoke, his usual gruff voice a little lighter. "... Though, you might not like the reality you wake up to." You turned around, looking at the dragon you were familiar with—for some reason, despite everything Diaval had ever done, you were glad that at least through everything, he was there for you. Even if only a dragon you saw whenever something unfortunate happens, or the one who intruded on everything you did—he was there for you.
And... He'd never leave either, you hoped.
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Like Diaval had said, you woke up—the bright light of the sun making you squint so that you could see correctly. Someone was holding you up, their grip so gentle you would've thought you were on the floor were it not for the fact you were sitting up.
It was... "Neji..." You said out loud, voice hardly audible—but he heard it. He leaned his head down to look at you so quickly, he could've practically snapped his head. You met his eye, and he met yours—and the most unexpected thing, he smiled. A smile so genuine and soft, you thought for a second, you were seeing things. But the sun, so bright it made you shut your eyes at the pain it caused, made you realize it was real.
"[Firstname]..." He said back, and you opened your eyes again, this time fully, so you could truly see his face. He had changed, change was obvious come two years being apart. It made you sad now—you hadn't been able to be there to watch your teammate grow. And as you thought, he had become more handsome—but what filled your thoughts right now, was how glad you were to see him alive.
He shared a similar thought, words couldn't describe the relief he felt to see you alive. And well, you were prettier too—he always thought you were in a way, although he was silent and never showed it, he hoped you knew how he cared for you.
He brought his hand up just a little ways from your face, and gathered chakra at the very center of his palm. He used his fire release to start a small flame—your eyes widened just a small bit, if you were in the right state of mind, you would've gaped at it. "I hope you don't mind, but I took a bit of inspiration from you." He said, and your eyes flickered from his face, and toward the flames.
He was offering it to you so you could regain your strength... You sat up just a little, grunting at the pain of your sore muscles. Now you were sure you remembered what happened, your were targeted by a bunch of explosions. And that would sure explain the pain. You took the flame from the palm of his hand and into your own—and somehow, you felt the heat.
You stared at it for a little longer before bringing it up to your mouth, eating the small flame. Although it was small, it managed to restore your energy enough. "Thank you."
"[Firstname]!" Another voice called out to you, and suddenly you were thrown on the floor, with a heavy weight on top of you. This time, you definitely felt the arms around you—a tight grip that planned on not letting go.
"Lee..." You wheezed out, it definitely seemed he had his weights on, because you couldn't breathe.
"Lee! She just woke up, and you throw yourself at her with so much force?!" Neji scolded.
Lee quickly got up, "You are right, sorry!" He apologized.
"Why are you saying sorry to me?" Neji crossed his arms.
"Oh, you are still right..." Lee then looked at you, who was sat up now with the support of Lees hands on your shoulder. "Sorry, my love. It's just... I couldn't bare to be away from you any longer, I have thought of reuniting with you everyday... And now that the day has come, it is so much better than I could've ever imagined!" He put his hands on your cheeks, practically squishing your face. "You are even more gorgeous... Beautiful... And as stunning as I would've ever imagined! My imagination could never do you justice!" You blinked, taking a good look at his face—it looked like he stayed the same for the most part, he was taller now—and he wore a Chuunin vest similar to Shisui. What you didn't expect was for Lee to lean in, and gave you a big kiss... On the cheek.
You could definitely feel your face heat up, but this time around, it wasn't so unbearably hot that everyone else around could feel it.
"Lee!" Neji reached over and pinched Lees ear. "Have you no decency?!"
"Oh, ouch...!" Lee pulled Nejis hand away. "You are right, that was very indecent! Next time, I will ask a million times before I do something like that!" He reprimanded himself. "I'm so sorry, my love!" He looked back at you, who had a hand on the cheek he kissed you on.
That kiss Lee gave you reminded you of the one you gave him on his birthday, the one Shisui encourged you to give.
Shisui... Where was he? He seemed to be on your mind a lot right now.
You glanced around the place, not a single trace of him was left. There was no way he was gone, though... Wendy and Gaara might've been dead, but there was no way Shisui could be gone.
"It's okay... I... I missed you too." You say, removing the hand from your cheek. And in a second, you were emotional. After two years apart, you finally reunited with your teammates—not in the best circumstances, but a reunion was a reunion. "What about... Gaara, and Wendy?" You had to ask even though you remembered what Kaida had told you.
Neji lowered his head. "Gaara... Will be okay... Lady Chiyo used a special, forbidden Jutsu to bring him back. She could only use it on one, so the other girl..." He went silent, trying to chose his words carefully. "... She passed away. Lady Chiyo decided that she'd revive the Kazekage of her village as her final deed, rather than a stranger she didn't know."
You frowned, of this entire group—you were the only one who knew Wendy well. You were the only one alive that knew what a good person she was, how kind and welcoming... "I see... But, you recovered her body?" You asked woefully, eyes displaying everything you felt as you lowered your head only slightly.
"We did..." Lee spoke from in front of you. "I'm sorry we cannot save her, my love. But, at the very least, she will have a proper burial."
Maybe people had a point, you had it good because you could see the dead. The image of the dead that haunted you whenever you blinked, but it was okay—because even though you knew they weren't alive, and that they refused the afterlife to roam earth... They... Were probably suffering, you realized.
You managed to fake a smile, lifting your head to look at Lee. "I'm glad... Gaara will be okay." You said, shutting your eyes. "And... You guys are here, too. I wanted to see you guys for so long... And that's all that matters to me."
Neji watched you carefully, his lips pursing only barely—and his eyes only narrowing enough for someone to notice if they were looking at him. He always knew you had the tendency of lying about how you felt, he was sure you were relieved that your teammates were okay, as well as Gaara—but seeing as you knew the other girls name, and asked for her condition... He was sure it was truly eating you up inside.
He wasn't in control of himself when he placed a hand on your shoulder, catching your attention as you turned to look at him. His expression was plain, devoid of any real emotion, but he looked at you—as if he knew what you were thinking, what you were feeling. "It's okay." You met his eyes, and for some reason, those two words alone dug themselves deep into your skin.
"We'll take you home. There, you can let out everything you feel without judgement." Home. A word you were struggling to find the definition of all your life—and yet, Neji answered it for you so easily.
"... Thanks." Your smile wavered, lips falling into a flat line as you stood up—swaying only slightly. Lee got up with you, letting go of your shoulders as he looked at you—with worry, and pity, that once you might've basked in; but now it felt like salt in your nonphysical wounds. "But you guys don't have to worry, seriously..." You managed that smile again, only a little more genuine than the last one. "Seeing you guys again... Makes me so happy."
They smiled back, Team Guy was finally together again.
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Just speedran tf outta Gaara retrieval arc 💀💀.... ngl when i read/watched that arc i done snored nejis beauty carried it so hard
but we need to start the good stuff soon 🔥🔥RN 🔥🔥AND I WANT TO SEE SAI THE LOML 🔥🔥