[fic post] Last Dance
Title: Last Dance
Fandom: Naruto
Characters/Pairings: Gai
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Warnings: Character Death
Summary: The final moments of Maito Gai's life.
It starts like this:
Quick step to the right. Pivot. Follow through, smoothly, with a roundhouse.
Miss. Your partner is faster than you, younger than you. But you have more experience at this; surely, that counts for something.
But this boy, this child, is not playing by the rules. He is not moving to your established rhythm.
This is ok; you remember what Kakashi said. You follow them, one step behind, one moment slower to see how they dance. Then you move in, claim it, direct it as your own. And so you move, bending your body, blending your body, moving with him. Duck, weave, feet crossing each other; this is how this dance is done. It's oddly familiar, and yet completely foreign, changes that you have no comprehension of having long since been incorporated. But you allow your body to feel for you, allow it to move for you; it knows better, sees better than you ever could.
And suddenly, you have it. Again - weave, duck, slide, slip through. Move your foot just so, then the other. Pivot, and now...
He's startled, he didn't expect this. He moves, trying to reclaim the rhythm. But you can do this, now; you remember what you've been taught.
Yet, you worry. The boy is persistant, and within his eyes is the shadow of another man. Each movement, each turn, each refrain tells you something you do not want to see. The lines are becoming blurred and suddenly, this is not this dance, but one far distant. And this boy is not your enemy, but Kakashi.
You see Kakashi, that glint in his eyes when he is completely focused on you. He moves, blocks your path, and stops.
"You made the same mistake again," he says, frowning. "If this had been a battle, you'd be dead."
You huff. "I do not see what you mean. You keep showing me one way, and then you are not doing what you show."
Kakashi looks at you. "I can only show you how I do it. Maybe... here, follow me, copy me. Maybe you'll discover it on your own."
And so, the dance starts anew. Around and around, each accompaning each, until you think you knew every pattern, confident in your ability to see the hidden paths, learn the hidden steps.
"Keep going, Gai, you're getting the hang of this now," he says. And he moves with you, and there is comfort with the familiarity.
And suddenly, you misstep. And Kakashi is Kakashi no longer, but a mistake.
This is how it ends.
Fandom: Naruto
Characters/Pairings: Gai
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
Warnings: Character Death
Summary: The final moments of Maito Gai's life.
It starts like this:
Quick step to the right. Pivot. Follow through, smoothly, with a roundhouse.
Miss. Your partner is faster than you, younger than you. But you have more experience at this; surely, that counts for something.
But this boy, this child, is not playing by the rules. He is not moving to your established rhythm.
This is ok; you remember what Kakashi said. You follow them, one step behind, one moment slower to see how they dance. Then you move in, claim it, direct it as your own. And so you move, bending your body, blending your body, moving with him. Duck, weave, feet crossing each other; this is how this dance is done. It's oddly familiar, and yet completely foreign, changes that you have no comprehension of having long since been incorporated. But you allow your body to feel for you, allow it to move for you; it knows better, sees better than you ever could.
And suddenly, you have it. Again - weave, duck, slide, slip through. Move your foot just so, then the other. Pivot, and now...
He's startled, he didn't expect this. He moves, trying to reclaim the rhythm. But you can do this, now; you remember what you've been taught.
Yet, you worry. The boy is persistant, and within his eyes is the shadow of another man. Each movement, each turn, each refrain tells you something you do not want to see. The lines are becoming blurred and suddenly, this is not this dance, but one far distant. And this boy is not your enemy, but Kakashi.
You see Kakashi, that glint in his eyes when he is completely focused on you. He moves, blocks your path, and stops.
"You made the same mistake again," he says, frowning. "If this had been a battle, you'd be dead."
You huff. "I do not see what you mean. You keep showing me one way, and then you are not doing what you show."
Kakashi looks at you. "I can only show you how I do it. Maybe... here, follow me, copy me. Maybe you'll discover it on your own."
And so, the dance starts anew. Around and around, each accompaning each, until you think you knew every pattern, confident in your ability to see the hidden paths, learn the hidden steps.
"Keep going, Gai, you're getting the hang of this now," he says. And he moves with you, and there is comfort with the familiarity.
And suddenly, you misstep. And Kakashi is Kakashi no longer, but a mistake.
This is how it ends.