Though it pained Lee to say or even think anything bad about his beloved sensei, he had to acknowledge that Gai was probably the worst cook he'd ever met. Most of his dishes resembled something that had been found dead on the road, run through a meat grinder a few times, then mixed with gravel and allowed to harden in the sun. Lee had no idea how Gai-sensei had managed to survive on his own cooking for so long.

A few weeks ago, Lee had moved out of his own tiny, drafty apartment and into his teacher's much larger one. Since then, he had taken over most of the cooking duties, saying it was because he wanted to repay Gai for his generosity. Lee wasn't a spectacular cook himself, but he could make basic, wholesome dishes, and he was slowly learning to be more creative.

Humming, Lee added more curry powder to the chicken-and-vegetable mix simmering in the pan. He stirred it around with a spatula, making sure all the pieces were evenly coated with the reddish spice.

Lee liked cooking for Gai. Gai had done so much for him. It felt good to repay him in some small way.

A tickle in his throat distracted him, and he coughed into one elbow, aiming it away from the food. That tickle had been coming and going for most of the day, and there was a slight ache in his head as well. He'd been trying to ignore it.

He scooped some rice and curry onto the plate, then called, "Gai-sensei, dinner is ready!"

Gai emerged from his study, stretching his arms toward the ceiling. He'd probably been doing paperwork, detailing his latest mission—something all Jounin had to deal with, but none of them liked. As he entered the kitchen, he paused, sniffing the air. A smile spread across his face. "That smells wonderful, Lee. What is it?"

"Chicken curry with carrots and rice." Lee had already set the table. Now, he pulled out a chair for his sensei, and Gai sat.

Lee sat across from him and watched as Gai lifted a piece of chicken with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. His eyes rolled back, and a soft, delighted moan escaped his throat. "Fiery!"

"It is too hot?" Lee asked, anxious.

"Not at all! I can taste the effort and passion you put into this. I don't know what spices you added this time, but it's heavenly." Gai beamed and gave him a thumbs-up. "You're blossoming into a very gifted cook!"

A flush of pleasure spread through Lee's cheeks, and warmth suffused his chest. Neji had once accused Lee of being addicted to Gai's praise. Lee couldn't really tell him he was wrong. "Thank you, Gai-sensei," Lee said, grinning so wide his face hurt. If he'd had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously.

Another tickle in Lee's throat made him pause, a bite of chicken halfway to his mouth. He set his chopsticks down and muffled a fit of coughing against his arm.

"Lee? Are you all right?"

"I am fine, Gai-sensei." He smiled, his eyes watery. "I have a little frog in my throat today, that is all."

"Hmm." Gai stroked his smooth-shaven jaw. "There is a bug going around. Maybe you'd better take it easy tonight."

"It is nothing, really. I—" He muffled another fit of coughing in the crook of his elbow. When it ended, his head was throbbing.

Gai rose to his feet, walked up to Lee and lay a hand against his forehead. "You're a little warm."

"I have been in front of the stove. Really, Gai-sensei, I feel fine!" He smiled dazedly. "I have never felt more energetic or youthful. I could wrestle a mountain or climb the tallest bear."

Gai frowned and gently placed his forefingers on either side of Lee's neck, just below his ears. Lee winced as he pressed against something tender. "Your lymph nodes are a little swollen, too."

"Really? I, um…" Lee ducked his head, embarrassed. "I do not know what those are."

"Glands in your neck. They filter the bad stuff out of your system. When they swell up, it means your body is fighting something."

"Oh."

"I think you ought to go right to bed after dinner. Rest up. Just in case."

After dinner, Lee started to gather up the dishes and carry them to the sink, but Gai took the stack from him. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

"I want to help," Lee protested.

"You do. You help me a great deal." Gai set the dishes in the sink. "But right now, you need to rest."

Lee opened his mouth to protest, but a look from Gai stopped him. He sighed and bowed his head. "Yes, Gai-sensei."

Gai lay a hand on Lee's head and ruffled his hair, and Lee smiled, a light flush rising into his cheeks. Reluctantly, he went to his bedroom and lay down. A few minutes later, however, he got out of bed and started doing stretches. He couldn't just laze around and do nothing. Even if Gai-sensei had told him to rest, he hated being idle. As he jogged in place, he listened to the sound of running water from the kitchen.

Typically, Lee did most of the dishes as well as the cooking…not because Gai expected him to, but because Gai-sensei had given him the first real home he'd ever known, and whenever Lee thought about that fact, his heart swelled with gratitude and love and he burned with the desire to make himself useful.

He knew that the other Genin called him a teacher's pet and snickered at his unusually close bond with Gai-sensei. He knew, too, that there were certain rumors about them circulating the village. But Lee did not care. He had been alone for most of his childhood—an orphan with no friends, a hopeless case who was unable to do anything right, or so the world seemed to think. Gai had rescued him from that lonely hell. He'd given Lee the strength to continue living. His peers couldn't possibly understand what that meant to him.

Lee dropped to the floor and started doing pushups. Another fit of coughing interrupted him, and he winced. Maybe he ought to rest after all. Reluctantly, he crawled into bed and pulled the covers over himself.

The next morning, Lee woke with a throbbing headache and a scratchy throat. Sweat soaked his skin and sheets, yet he couldn't stop shivering. He groaned softly, climbed out of bed and tried to stand, but a wave of dizziness pushed him to his knees.

Why did he feel so weak?

Lee rubbed his sore throat. He waited until the dizziness subsided, then stood again, swaying, and stumbled into the bathroom to shower.

"I will be fine," he muttered to himself as he turned on the water. He wasn't that sick. Probably just a cold.

Lee washed, dried himself off and pulled on his jumpsuit, still shaking uncontrollably. Push through it, he thought, and steeled himself. If he wanted to be a great ninja, he couldn't afford to slack off. He was not going to miss a day of training over something like this!

He walked into the kitchen, one hand pressed to his queasy stomach, and spotted a note on the refrigerator: Rise and shine, Lee! I hope you slept well. I'm out running my morning laps. Sorry for leaving you behind, but it seemed you weren't feeling well last night, so I decided to let you sleep in. I'll meet you at the training field at 9:00. Remember to eat a good breakfast and have a YOUTHFUL MORNING!

Lee poured himself a bowl of cold cereal. He didn't have the stomach for anything more substantial, and his insides resisted every bite…but Gai had drilled into him time and again that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, so he forced himself to finish it. Afterward he washed out his bowl, splashed some cold water on his face to banish the lingering fuzziness in his head, and left the apartment.

"Lee, are you sure you're okay?" Tenten stared at Lee, who stood in the training field across from her and Neji, swaying on his feet. His eyes were glazed, his face flushed and sweat-damp, his breathing labored.

Lee gave her a faint smile. "I am just fine."

"You really don't look fine. Maybe you should go home."

"I am not going to waste the day lying in bed! I…I…" He moaned and fell to the grass, where he lay motionless, facedown.

"Lee?"

Another faint moan was the only response.

"Jeez," said Tenten. "He's really sick."

Neji nudged Lee's motionless form with a toe. No response. "Any sane person would have stayed in bed."

"This could be serious," said Tenten. "Maybe we should take him to the hospital."

At that moment, she heard approaching footsteps and looked up to see Gai walking toward them across the field. He raised one hand to them in a wave…then he caught sight of Lee, and the smile fell away from his face. "Lee!" He charged across the field, dropped to his knees next to his student's motionless form, and rolled Lee onto his back. "What in the world…" He checked Lee's pulse, then looked up at Neji. "Did you knock him out?"

Neji spread his arms. "Why do you instantly assume it's my fault?"

"Well, you are his rival. I know it's easy to get carried away in the heat of sparring."

Neji rolled his eyes. "You know Lee is far more invested in the whole 'rival' thing than I am. I didn't do anything. He just collapsed."

"But why?"

"He has the flu."

"A really bad one, from the looks of it," said Tenten.

Gai patted Lee's flushed cheek. "Lee. Lee, can you hear me?"

Lee's eyes opened, and he blinked. "Gai-sensei…" He tried to smile, but just then, a coughing fit seized him. He doubled over, muffling his coughs against one fist. By the time he'd finished, his face was red, his eyes watering.

Gai stood, held up a finger and announced, "You're ill!"

"Well, obviously," said Neji.

"We need to get you home, my dear student."

"I can train," Lee murmured.

Tenten crossed her arms over her chest. "You can barely stand up. There's no shame in taking a sick day if you really need it, you know. I stayed home sick just last week, remember?"

"It is different for me. I have to work harder than anyone else if I want to be strong. I can overcome this." He tried to stand, and his knees buckled under him.

Gai caught him. "I'd better take you back to the apartment."

"But I…I…" Lee slumped against Gai, head bowed, arms hanging limply. He'd passed out again.

"Poor guy," said Tenten. "He's in bad shape."

Gai lifted Lee into his arms. "Never fear, he'll be back to normal soon. Lee is a hardworking person. No doubt his antibodies are also hardworking. No virus can stand up to the will of fire for long."

Neji opened his mouth as if to say something, then merely sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He made little shooing motions with one hand. "Go."

"I'll be back soon!" Gai bounded away, Lee in his arms.

Lee woke and opened his eyes a crack. The sunlight dazzled him, and he blinked, disoriented. He could feel himself moving, could hear footsteps, but his own feet weren't touching the ground. After a moment, he put the pieces together; someone was carrying him. His eyes flickered fully open. "Gai-sensei?" he murmured. He tried to lift his head, but a wave of dizziness rolled through him, and he went limp.

"Relax," said Gai. "I've got you. Just rest."

Lee nodded and rested his head against Gai's broad chest. He closed his eyes and listened to his sensei's heartbeat.

Gai carried him to their apartment and into Lee's room. He lay him gently in his bed and tucked the covers around him, then pressed one hand to Lee's cheek. His broad palm felt pleasantly cool against Lee's hot skin. "You're burning up."

"I have been exerting myself. That is all. I feel fine." That wasn't really true, he supposed, but he didn't want Gai to think he was weak. "Really. I never get sick. I have a very good immune system."

"Even the strongest ninjas get sick once in awhile. Wait here." He went into the bathroom, found a thermometer and rinsed it off, then returned to the bedroom. "I'm going to take your temperature. Say ahh."

"Ahh."

A minute later, Gai slid the thermometer out from under Lee's tongue and looked at it. He raised his eyebrows. "Almost a hundred and three. That's pretty high. You really shouldn't be out of bed when you're this sick."

"I am all right…really…I just…"

"No excuses." He held up a finger. "You're staying in bed until you've recovered. Understood?"

"Yes, Gai-sensei." Lee felt a flutter of pleasure in his stomach. He couldn't have said why, but sometimes he liked it when Gai was strict with him. "If you think that is best."

Gai's face softened into a smile. "Good." He lay one large hand on his student's head and smoothed his hair back from his feverish brow. Lee closed his eyes, savoring the gentle pressure on his forehead. "Wait here. I'll get you something to drink."

"I am not sure I could keep anything down right now. My stomach is very sore."

"You've been sweating a lot. You're probably dehydrated. You need water." Gai left the room and returned a moment later with a bowl of chipped ice. "If your stomach is still sensitive, this might be easier for you. Open your mouth." Lee did, and Gai placed an ice chip inside. He set the bowl on the bedside table.

As Lee sucked the ice chip, letting it melt slowly on his tongue, Gai went into the kitchen again. He returned with a cool damp washcloth, which he draped over Lee's brow. "Do you need anything else?"

Lee shook his head. "I am fine. You should go train with Neji and Tenten. They are waiting for you."

Gai hesitated. "If you're really not feeling well, I don't want to leave you alone."

Lee smiled. "Do not worry about me. I am strong."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It is just a flu, after all."

"I'll see you tonight, then." Gai left the room, easing the door shut behind him.

Lee closed his eyes.

He didn't get sick often. He'd had the flu only once before, that he could recall. Back then, there hadn't been anyone to take care of him. He remembered staggering into the Academy one morning, weak and dizzy, only to be sent back home when he collapsed during physical training. He'd spent the next few days alone in his tiny one-room apartment—the sort that most of Konoha's war-orphans ended up in when they grew too old for the orphanage—shivering and sweating beneath his thin covers, almost too weak to stand, and scared because he felt like he was dying and there was no one around to tell him otherwise.

Just knowing there was someone who cared made a difference. Even if Gai wasn't here right now, knowing that he would have stayed if Lee had asked him—stayed and taken care of him all day—made him feel better.

Lee spent most of the day and night sleeping. He woke only briefly in the evening, when Gai returned. He heard the creak of floorboards and opened his eyes.

"Are you awake, Lee?" Gai asked quietly.

"Mm."

The room was still dark; he hadn't turned on the light, but Lee could feel Gai leaning closer. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Sleepy."

"Sorry. Did I wake you?"

"That is all right." Lee smiled, even knowing Gai probably couldn't see it in the dim light.

A gentle hand smoothed back his hair and rested against his brow. "I think your fever's gone down a little. Did you have anything to eat or drink while I was gone?"

"Just a few more ice chips. My stomach still hurts."

"Do you think you could keep down some broth?"

"I will try."

"Wait here." Gai left and returned shortly after with a bowl of steaming broth. Lee was only able to eat a few spoonfuls. Afterward, Gai coaxed him into drinking some water, then he drifted off again with his sensei's hand resting on his forehead, a warm, comforting pressure.

He woke the next morning feeling a little better. His head and throat still hurt, but he was able to sit up without getting dizzy or sick to his stomach. Gai had gone back to his own room, but he'd left a bell on the nightstand, presumably for Lee to ring in case he needed anything.

Lee glanced at the clock. It was still early. Gai-sensei was probably not awake yet. Slowly, he climbed to the floor and started doing the warm-up stretches for his morning workout.

Lee felt a twinge of guilt, knowing he was disobeying his sensei. Gai had told him to stay in bed until he was fully recovered. But wasn't Gai also the one who'd told him that effort could make him strong? He'd worked hard to get this far; he didn't want to start falling behind now.

Gai walked in when Lee was in the middle of a pushup. Lee froze.

"Lee." Gai's voice held a note of gentle reproach.

Lee gulped and scrambled back into bed. "Gai-sensei. I did not think you were awake."

Gai approached the bed and looked down at Lee. His eyes held a complex mixture of exasperation, tenderness, pride and disapproval. "Didn't I tell you to stay in bed?"

"Yes, Sensei," Lee murmured.

Gai sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "You work very hard, and I'm proud of that fact. But there are times when you need to restrain your youthful enthusiasm and take it easy. This is one of those times."

"Yes, Sensei."

"If I find you out of bed again, for any reason other than needing the bathroom, I'm going to be displeased."

"But…"

"No buts. Rest. That's an order."

Lee saluted. "Yes, Gai-sensei! I am sorry for disobeying you."

Gai's gaze softened, and he smiled. "It's all right. I'll get you some breakfast. Is there anything you want?"

"Just porridge. Nothing too heavy. I do not want to upset my stomach."

"Porridge it is."

Gai brought Lee his breakfast, then left the apartment to train with Neji and Tenten. Lee ate, his back propped against a stack of pillows, then set the empty bowl aside. He leaned back and gazed out the window, wishing desperately that he was out training with his teammates and sensei. He hated being stuck in bed. If he could just do a few sit-ups! Or maybe jog in place for a little while. Gai would never know…

Lee pushed the thought away at once. He had made a promise to his sensei. He sighed, settled into bed and resigned himself to a day of leisure.

As the hours dragged on, though, he grew more and more restless. He shifted around in bed, watching the clock. Exhausted though he was, he wasn't tired enough to sleep, and when he tried to read, his headache worsened. There was nothing to do except stare into space. It was maddening.

But he'd made a promise. He didn't want to make Gai angry.

Come to think of it, he'd never seen his sensei angry—not really, truly angry. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like. How would he react if one of his students ever really pushed him over the edge?

But of course, Lee would never push him over the edge.

Of course.

The minutes ticked by. He bit his wrist, staring at the clock. Then, finally, he climbed out of bed—ignoring the dizziness that washed over him—and lowered himself to the floor. Just a few minutes of exercise, he told himself. He'd be finished long before Gai-sensei returned.

-To be continued