Friendship

The three never really talked to each other when they were in the academy. Neji was the jerk who had older friends, Lee was the loser with no friends, and Tenten had been the happy girl who was friends with everybody. This being the simple truth, they never got around to becoming friends. They never really wanted to anyways.

Even upon being put on a team together, with Gai as their sensei, it took them a while to actually get along, let alone become friends. Neji was able to confide in Lee and Tenten about his family history, Lee knew that Neji and Tenten would show up to help him during the chunnin exam, and Tenten had gained their utter trust because they allowed her to throw weapons at their immobile forms. These three very different shinobi managed to be brought together by an act of unmeasurable friendship. A friendship that they didn't think could exist between them.

After a couple weeks of being a team, Tenten started to get a bit suspicious. Their team spent a lot of time together, and she had never once seen Neji eat. The more she thought about it, the more she recalled that she hadn't seen him eat once during their last year at the academy either. She couldn't really think further back than that, but she had vague memories of him eating lunch at the school the year before that one. It was then that she started regreting not focusing more on Neji during their time at the academy, because then she would be more certain of herself.

Once her suspicions were aroused, she decided to take some time to analyze Neji just a little more. Whenever they asked him to eat with them he would always reply with 'I'm not very hungry' or 'I already ate'. Sometimes he had a bit of a variation, but he always had an excuse not to eat with them.

It concerned her. She knew that ninja needed to make sure to eat every meal because they needed the vitamins that came with food. Food gives them energy and helps them produce chakra. If Neji wasn't taking in all the food he should be, Tenten knew that it would come around to bite him eventually.

And it did.

It was after a month of being a team did they have their first mission that required them to leave the village. The mission was only to bring a cat-shaped piece of glass to a town nearby. The man requesting the mission had accidentally taken it with him when he moved to Konoha, but it actually belonged to his ex-wife. He was apparently too afraid to bring it back himself and wanted ninjas to do it for him.

So Team Gai agreed to bring the cat back to the woman. Though both Tenten and Neji thought it rather useless to go a day's walk away to bring a statue of a cat back to a woman who had probably forgotten about it. But they said nothing. A mission was a mission after all.

They reached the small town and upon reaching the woman's house, they were met with an unexpected difficulty. There was nobody home. Once they remembered that the man had said to give it to her personally, they realized they would have to remain in the town until she returned. It was none too disconcerting because they had a whole town to explore.

Tenten was a bit delighted by the news. She had accepted Neji's excuse of having had a big breakfast for his reason not to eat lunch, but there was no way he wouldn't be hungry for supper. He would have no choice but to join them. But before Tenten could ask their teacher where they would eat, Neji brought up the subject of where they would spend the night. Gai decided to rent their rooms at a hotel before going out to supper.

Tenten thought nothing about this. She thought it perfectly reasonable that Neji should ask where they would spend the night, and it made perfect sense to get their rooms as soon as they could. They got their rooms and when Gai said they would go out to eat, Neji spoke up.

"Sensei? I'm not feeling very well, and I'd like to get to bed early. May I skip out on supper tonight?" He asked innocently, but wearily.

Tenten's initial thought was that they didn't call Neji a genius for nothing. But after a moment of observing her comrade, she noticed that he did look a bit under the weather. He had bags under his eyes, indicating his obvious need for rest, but his voice was also a bit raspy, and he was shivering. She figured maybe he was begining a cold, but then she realized that it was summer and it was unlikely.

She did not really know all the signs of anorexia, but she hoped that those weren't it.

Gai observed Neji a moment, and he also took note of Neji's symptoms, "Are you sure? Eating might do you some good." Gai asked, making sure his student was certain.

"Yes, I'm sure. Rest is all I need." He replied.

"Alright, make sure to get your rest then. I'll come wake you in the morning."

They left Neji at the hotel and made their way to the restaurant. Over supper, they discussed what might be wrong with their missing comrade. But neither Gai or Lee seemed to have drawn the same conclusion that Tenten had. She hoped the reason for that was because she was wrong. She didn't bring up her own idea of what was wrong with Neji because she did not wish to uselessly worry her teacher and teammate. If Neji was fine the next morning, then she would be able to accept that she was horribly wrong, and that she should not doubt her comrade's self-esteem.

If he wasn't fine...She didn't consider that an option. He had to be okay. Neji was so proud and strong, there was no way he could belittle himself enough to become anorexic. He was always saying how he was better than Lee when they sparred together. Unless he was one hell of an actor, Neji must be okay. That's what she continued to repeat to herself throughout their supper.

Once finished, they returned to the woman's home to find that she was still not there. Slightly ticked, the three returned to the hotel and went to bed for the night.

The next morning, Gai went to wake Neji like he had said he would. He was surprised though, when the door was opened by his already fully woken, and fully dressed, student. This surprised him little, because he knew Neji was an early bird, but what was surprising was the fact that his student looked as if he had gotten no rest at all.

"Are you feeling alright Neji? You don't look as if you got any sleep." Gai asked with concern evident in his voice.

"I'm fine." Neji said briefly, "Was the woman home when you returned last night?" His sensei had told him that they would stop to see if she was home after supper.

"Oh, um, no. We'll go back after breakfast." Gai was surprised by the quick change in topic, and surveyed his student suspiciously. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Well...I still have a lack of appetite. I would like to skip breakfast this morning. If I become hungry later I'll be sure to get something in town, is that alright?" Neji asked his teacher.

"Hm...I suppose if you don't feel up to eating, I can't really force you. But I will insist that you have lunch. Understood?"

"Of course." Neji replied smoothly.

Soon enough, they were fed and headed towards the woman's home once more. Tenten had become more troubled because she had quickly noticed that Neji was not better than the night before. She also realized that since he skipped breakfast, it made it at least twenty-four hours since his last meal. That is, if he even had breakfast the day before like he'd said he had. She was becoming more and more concerned for her comrade's health, and she knew she wasn't the only one. Gai seemed to know something was off, but Tenten guessed that he still didn't really know what was wrong with Neji.

If she was right, that is. She still could not fully accept it.

They were once more disappointed when they got to the woman's home to find her missing again. With time to waste, Gai suggested they spar amongst themselves. He knew that a team must know each other's strengths and weaknesses if they are to have good teamwork in battle. Sparing was the best way to figure out how to work with each other, while still training.

Lee was quick to ask Neji to spar with him. When Neji accepted the challenge, Gai frowned and asked him if he was sure he was up to it. Gai knew that training was good, but doing so sick does good for nobody. But the Hyuuga sneered and said he would not need his full health to win.

This made Tenten smile because that statement added to her belief that Neji's sense of superiority was too great for him to feel self-conscious about something like weight.

But her smile didn't last very long.

She'd watched them spar often, and she knew that Neji was far stronger than Lee. But this spar was different. Lee retained his usual speed and loud words, but Neji's moves were more sluggish and slow than usual. And not a single snide comment left his pursed lips. They all knew that he was not doing the best of his abilities, and they saw that he was frustrated by this. For the first time it seemed that Lee had the upperhand.

And this worried not only Tenten, but Gai and Lee as well. Neji never lost. He just didn't. The two sitting on the sidelines could tell that Lee was having an inner conflict. He would feel horrible for beating his sick teammate, but he would also feel bad if he let Neji win. The spar seemed like less of a good idea to him the longer it lasted.

As he threw a punch to Neji's stomach, he found himself stopping his fist before it met its target. The two were extremely close, and the other also had a hand out ready to strike, but he didn't. The halt in their spar was that they were both surprised. Neji's Byakugan had turned off for no apparent reason. Or more precisely, no reason that Lee knew. The other three knew that it was because of lack of chakra.

They all watched as if in slow motion as Neji's eyes closed, and he fell forward into his comrade's arms. Lee lay him down and stared at the unconscious boy with wide eyes. He looked over at his other teammate and beloved teacher and hoped for an explanation.

"He used up all his chakra." Gai told him, "He hasn't gotten the necessary vitamins he needs to produce chakra because he hasn't eaten much lately."

Tenten stared uncomfortably at her feet, "I think there's something you guys should know." She started hesitantly. She had to share her concerns with them now, her comrade needed help. They looked at her expectantly. She sat down next to her unconscious teammate, and their teacher followed suit.

"I think...No, I'm pretty certain, that Neji's...Anorexic." It felt odd to say it out loud like that, but she felt a weight get off her shoulders. Now that they knew, maybe they could figure out a way to help him.

"What's anorexic?" Lee asked confused.

Gai put his face in his hands and let out a sigh, "I should have noticed...Lee, a person who's anorexic is a person who starves themselves." He explained with a voice that seemed to have aged twenty years.

"But why would anybody do that? I mean, as a ninja he needs his nutriments." Lee looked at Tenten hoping for an explanation. Neji was smart, he should know that, and that was what confused him.

"There are different reasons for doing it, but the one I've heard of most often is to be thinner. I know it makes no sense for Neji to want that, since from what I can remember he was always a small person, but it's all I've got. I don't even remember the last time I saw him eat!" Tenten exclaimed.

"Me too, actually." Lee muttered and they both looked down at their comrade solemnly.

"Is there anything we can do to help him sensei?" Tenten asked with a quivering voice. Tears threatened to fall. She could not understand why he would do this to himself.

"I've never really had to deal with this sort of problem before, but I suppose we'll just have to ask him why he's doing this to himself. We'll certainly have to make sure he eats from now on too." Gai said as looked at them, "We'll have to be supportive, but firm. He has to know that this is not the right way to do whatever it is he wants to do. But remember that he's got his pride, and we don't want to hurt that."

"Hm...His pride might get a bit in the way. Sensei, can we do this my way?" Tenten asked. Gai stared at her, and from the look in her eyes knew that she really wanted to help him. So he nodded, and she explained to them what she wanted to do.

Some time soon after, Neji woke up and looked around him a bit frightened. He found himself in a seated position with his back against a tree. It wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact he was tied to the tree with thick wire. His arms were pinned to his sides, and he tried to move them. He stopped before the wire could cut his skin. Quickly taking in his surrounding, he realized that he was still in the clearing they had been in earlier. Suddenly thoughts of what had happened came back to hm. He had run out of chakra and had fainted.

When focusing became too difficult, he closed his eyes and leant his head against the tree. There was no way he could activate his Byakugan, so he would just have to hope that one of his teammates would come back. Hopefully then explaining how he got into that position.

He didn't have to wait long. Only a couple minutes passed before he heard somebody walk up to him. He opened his eyes, and the trees above him started spinning in circles. When they stopped moving, he looked ahead and saw Tenten. Her eyes widened, and she smiled.

"Neji! You're awake! That's great, Lee and Gai-sensei should be back right about now. How do you feel?" She sat down in front of him.

He stared at her blankly, "Tenten...Why am I tied to a tree?"

"Oh! Well we figured you'd be more cooperative if you couldn't move." Tenten replied.

Neji was about to ask her what she was talking about, but he stopped when Lee and Gai entered the clearing. He glared at them, but none of them seemed troubled by it. He watched as Lee handed their female teammate a bowl and a pair of chopsticks. Suddenly, he caught on.

"Untie me this in-" He started angrily, but Tenten shoved some rice into his mouth before he could finish.

He spat the rice off to the side and glared at her, then he turned his gaze onto his teacher, "You agreed to this?" He managed to get out before more rice was shoved in his mouth. He spat it out again.

Teacher and student stared at each other, after a moment Gai nodded, "Yes, Neji, I did."

"Why?" Neji asked and more rice found its way to the ground.

"Neji, if you eat a decent sized amount we'll untie you. So, just eat!" Tenten said impatiently. She brought more rice to his lips and waited for him to open his mouth.

A moment of intense staring past between them, and suddenly Neji kicked out, hitting the bowl in her hands. It spun in the air and landed upside down on her head. Rice dripped down her hair and face. Without a word, she took the bowl off her head and stood up.

"I'll be right back." She spoke slowly. Lee stared at her wide-eyed, surprised that she was being so calm, and both he and Gai were surprised by Neji's actions.

Tenten left the clearing, and Lee sat down in front of him where she had previously been, "Neji, you're smart, you must know that starving yourself is very unhealthy! Food is what gives you energy and chakra, you need it to perform well. If you don't eat enough, you might end up hurt! If you had been fighting an enemy and not me, you could have been killed!" Lee lectured him, but the Hyuuga merely stared at him blankly.

"Lee, you aren't my friend. Why should you care?" Neji spoke into the silence that came after Lee's little speech.

He thought for a moment, trying to find the right words, "I care because...You're my teammate, and I don't want you to hurt like this!" Lee proclaimed.

"I am not hurting." Neji spat out venomously.

"What is it that made you think you had to be thinner?" Lee asked, ignoring Neji's comment.

The Hyuuga looked at both his comrade and teacher, then looked away, silently refusing to answer the question. But Lee waited anyways. Silence hung in the air until Tenten returned. She stepped into the clearing with a new, full, bowl of rice. She made to sit back down, but Lee stopped her.

"I'll do it." He told her, and she gave him the bowl and chopsticks. She walked away and stood next to their teacher.

Neji still refused to look at him.

"Neji, please eat. You won't be untied until you do." Lee tried to sound reassuring. "Though you might not think so, we all know that you are very beautiful."

He slowly looked at his comrade with a confused look, which was quickly turned back into a blank one, "You will untie me afterwards?"

"Yes."

And Neji allowed himself to be fed. Bit by bit, the bowl started to empty itself. Lee continuously talked to him, first about health and why food is good for the body. He eventually got off topic and stayed there. After a while Tenten joined him so that he would not have to continue speaking to himself. Gai watched from afar at his team's bonding. It wasn't exactly how he had hoped to get them talking to each other, but it would have to do.

"Oh! We finally got to finish the mission." Tenten told him, "It's what I did when you were unconscious. And we were right, by the way. She'd completely forgotten about it."

"Hm." Was all Neji could say because his mouth was full.

Gai took note of the nearly empty bowl and took it as the time to tell him something he would not be happy about, "When you were unconscious, we also figured out a schedule." He started.

Neji looked at him confused, "What do you mean 'schedule'?" He asked cautiously.

"We'll be making sure that you eat every meal from now on. Lee has agreed to make sure you eat breakfast, Tenten lunch, and we'll all be having supper together until we're sure that you're better." Gai replied with a stern look on his face that said he would not argue over it.

Neji's eyes narrowed dangerously, but he said nothing. Lee and Tenten shared a glance. The former finished feeding their comrade soon thereafter.

"Well, I guess it's time to untie you." Tenten started to undo the knot in the wire, "I used my thickest wire hoping it wouldn't cut you. It didn't, right?" She received no answer.

She rolled her wire and the second Neji was loose, he stood up. Without uttering a word, he made his way out of the clearing. Gai said loudly that they would be leaving in the morning, but he received no sign of recognition from Neji. He sighed to himself and looked at his other two students with a reassuring smile, "He'll be alright, we'll make sure of that."

And they did. The next day they managed to get Neji to eat all three meals, and they took no notice of his glares. He refused to talk to them, and showed no signs of listening to them when they talked, but at least he ate. He was extremely reluctant, and his anger towards them was obvious, but he did as asked. That's all Gai asked of him. He knew that Neji was most likely using his anger to shield his embarassment of having been found out. All Gai hoped for was that someday the young prodigy would forgive their forcefulness and realize that they did all of that for his health.

When they returned home, Neji quietly hoped that they had forgotten their ridiculous 'schedule' idea. He did not ask for, want, or need their help. But he was disappointed when Lee told him that he was excited to be going to see him the next morning for breakfast. He did not say anything, but he knew they noticed his anger because it was not mentioned again. After supper was finished, he returned home feeling fuller than he had in a while. And he hated it.

Lee arrived at the compound early in the morning. He was bouncing with energy as he spoke with one of the maids. She smiled at the rare show of happiness in the compound and brought him to Neji's room. She left him when they reachd it. Lee knocked politely on the door and waited for an answer, but received none. He knocked again, a little louder this time. It was pretty early, and he would not be surprised if Neji was still asleep. When he was met with silence once more, he knocked again. He fidgeted in place and hoped that his comrade would open the door soon.

It was opened a minute later by his pyjama-clad teammate. The Hyuuga seemed a bit more rested, but also extremely annoyed. Lee was unfazed by his glare, and smiled brightly. He started to greet him rather enthusiastically, but stopped when the door was slammed in his face. He stared at the door in shock.

"Um...Neji?" He called out uncertainly. He heard some shuffling in the room and decided to wait a bit to see if he would come back out.

Just as he was about to knock again, the door was opened to reveal his now dressed teammate. Lee looked at him startled, then smiled, "Good morning, Neji! How are you on this fine day?"

The other just rolled his eyes and started to walk away. Lee followed close behind, talking animatedly with him. But he quickly stopped once he realized that Neji was still in a bad mood and would probably not talk to him. He was saddened by this, but refused to let it show.

They went to the kitchen, and Lee prepared for them some eggs. Throughout it all, Neji remained seated and kept his gaze focused on the window with a view of the trees outside. They ate in such an uncomfortable silence that Lee had a very hard time keeping still in his seat. He didn't bother trying to make conversation and just tried to get through the breakfast. His teammate's silence and glares were unnerving. When Neji was finished, he stood up and took his empty plate, as well as Lee's, and started to clean them in the kitchen sink.

Lee turned in his seat and watched him. He didn't really know what to do, so he stayed seated. He watched Neji finish, dry his hands, and walk out of the room. Not a single glance back at his teammate. Lee sighed and left the compound. He knew Neji would refuse to do anything else with him that day. He hoped that Tenten would have better luck in getting him to talk.

But what they managed to conclude by the end of the day, was that Neji would be extremely stubborn about not having any communication with them.

He did not speak a word to Tenten throughout their lunch, despite her numerous attempts. She was more persistent in trying to get him to speak than Lee had been. But she left disappointed. Supper did not prove any better. Even with Lee, Tenten, and Gai's combined attempts, he stubbonrly refused to talk to them. Neji left them the second he was finished his food.

"I have a feeling he'll be like this for a while." Tenten sighed, as she and her comrade and teacher remained at the restaurant they had chosen to eat at.

"Yes, but we'll just have to continue to be positive." Gai said.

"I guess..." Tenten trailed off.

"Is something troubling you, Tenten?" Lee asked her.

"It's just...I know we want to help him, but if he just really doesn't want our help..."

Gai pondered the thought, "I think there must be some part of him that does want help. Yes, he's been giving us the cold shoulder, but he's doing what we ask of him. If he didn't want help at all, he would've tried harder to get us to leave him be." He said reassuringly.

"You're right." Tenten smiled. "Thanks."

They continued this process for days. They didn't notice it, because he didn't want them to, but they were helping him. Not just because they managed to get him to eat every meal. Their continuous compliments and positive attitudes were helping him get over his anorexia. They saw that he was more rested and seemed to be feeling better. He was slowly starting to fill out his clothes properly again.

What his teammates and teacher did not know was that at first when he would return home he would have breakdowns within the confines of his bedroom. He would spend some time cursing under his breath at the God's, his teammates, his teacher, his family, and himself. Then he would berate himself for being so angry at everybody and that he should be thankful for what he does have. And from there he would curl up in his bed and cry himself to sleep because he could not find things to be thankful for. He would cry because he did not believe he could be the beautiful person he aspired to be.

But that's where his teammates helped him the most. He slowly stopped cursing the world because he realized that there were some people who wanted to help him. People who wanted the best for him. And that thought alone sometimes brought him to tears of joy. There were still some nights where the feelings of being useless and meaningless come back into his life, and he cries himself to sleep, but those slowly became less and less recurrent.

He had a pride though. He did not know how to let his team know that they were helping, without hurting his pride. But after nearly a month of giving them the silent treatment, he realized that perhaps by speaking to them again they would get the message. Hopefully they would not make too big a deal out of it.

His team were starting to lose hope that Neji would ever forgive them when they finally got him to speak to them again. They were at Gai's house, having supper together a month after they found out about Neji's problem.

"I had him, okay? I just needed more time!" Tenten exclaimed.

"You tried fiercely, but you did not have him, Tenten." Lee said. "If we hadn't intervened he would have had you."

"Seriously though!" Tenten tried to reason, "I had a plan! I was just about to put it into action when you guys showed up."

"There's nothing wrong with needing our help." Lee tried to sooth his annoyed teammate.

"But I didn't need your help!" Tenten said in an exasperated tone.

"You did need our help." Neji kept his eyes on his plate, but knew they were looking at him.

A moment passed before Tenten broke the silence, "I...I guess I did." She admitted sheepishly. She shared a glance with Lee, who was just as shocked as she was. It was odd to hear his voice again after the long time they had spent going without hearing it.

"Exactly. But the rest of the mission went flawlessly." Gai said to break the tension.

"It sure did! With our hard work and dedication we managed to get around all the obstacles that were thrown at us!" Lee spoke his usual words of inspiration.

They continued their conversation, and every once in a while Neji would add in a few words. The first few times catching his team by surprise, but they slowly got used to it. They tried not to pay too much attention to it because they didn't want Neji to retreat back into his state of mutism.

Seeing their smiles when he would answer their questions made him feel better, knowing that he was able to give something back to the people who had done so much for him.

The days to follow were easier for them all now that Neji was talking again. It made everybody less awkward and tense. He didn't start up the conversation, but he would answer any questions, and add to whatever was said. Things were slowly becoming back to the way they were before, and Lee and Tenten didn't dread eating with him anymore. They were getting their teammate back.

Even after another month, and another, they kept their schedule. There were some days that they let Neji have a meal, or two, to himself. They trusted him enough to eat, and they wanted to let him know it. They also wanted to let Neji have his personal space back. The only reason they kept eating together so much was because he never asked them to stop. He didn't seem bothered by their presense anymore.

And he actually wasn't. He had been so used to eating meals alone for so many years, that the company was nice. It also kept him motivated. The nights where he started to lose himself in his self-berating thoughts, he would remind himself that he would be with his team the next day, and they thought him beautiful. The following mornings, he would look in the mirror and would think so too.

One morning, once things were going really well, they had an early morning training session in their usual clearing. Lee and Tenten were sparring out in the distance, and Neji sat with his back against a tree, watching them. A couple minutes into the spar, Neji found himself accompanied by their teacher.

"Neji, there's something I'd like to ask you." Gai started, looking at his student with a serious expression on his face.

"What is it?" Neji asked, keeping his gaze to the front.

"I'd like to know why you were doing that to yourself. You never really seemed to me like the type of person who cared about what others thought." Gai spoke with hesitance. He really wanted to know what happened to hurt his student's self-esteem in such a big way.

He looked down at his lap and thought hard about how to answer, "I...I don't really...It's kind of embarassing." He muttered, with a light blush staining his cheeks.

"I won't think any less of you, and you have my promise on that." Gai said with his reassuring smile.

Neji shot him a quick glance, but gave a small nod in consent, "It started maybe...A year and a half ago. I used to have these older friends. There was this one guy who I used to be really good friends with. I really liked him, and I could share a lot of things with him. I never made friends easily, and I tried to be a good friend to the few I had. Him included. And when he graduated things were...Different." He halted and looked at his teacher. Gai's smile silently asked him to continue.

"He acted differently around me. It took me a while, but I eventually asked him why he was pushing me away. He told me he didn't want to be my friend anymore. That's not really what hurt, I'd figured that out already. It's just...When I asked him why, he said...He said that I wasn't good-looking enough to be his friend. Of course, at the time I had no other choice but to believe him. Since he was the only person I liked at the time, I wanted to be the person he wanted me to be." Neji refused to meet his teacher's gaze, embarassed by the way he had let himself be guided by another person's words.

"And now?" Gai's soothing tone startled Neji a little. He hadn't expected that question at all.

"And now...I've realized that a real friend wouldn't say such a thing." Neji replied calmly, finally coming to peace with that conclusion.

"And now what do you believe a real friend is?" Neji looked at his teacher and smiled at him.

He looked ahead, and without a word, pointed to his teammates.

AN: Ehm...

I started writting this because I had an image of the last scene in my mind, and I really liked it. So, I decided to put it into a one-shot. I also had the scene of the 'shoving rice into his mouth' in my head.

I know anorexia is a touchy subject, and I apologize if I've offended anybody. (I don't see how I could have, but just in case.) The symptoms I've mentioned are the real symptoms, I looked it up. In real life I don't think this is the best way to help someone get over anorexia, but in the Naruto-verse, and it being Neji, force is probably the only way.

I love reading Team Gai fluff, and that's what this is. I hope you liked reading it, I know I really enjoyed writting it!

If you have questions, just ask them. I'll answer them to the best of my ability!

Thanks for reading!
-MewMew