A/N: Here's just something that popped into my head, I figured I'd put it up as I'm having a complete writers block with my other story; long time no see. Anyways, please enjoy this Rock Lee and Tenten oneshot. XD
"Come on Lee, it's getting late. We can train again tomorrow."
Tenten was frustrated, ever since Naruto had defeated Pain and saved the Leaf, team Gai had been training even more intensively than usual. Both Lee and Neji had been running themselves into the ground every day just to improve. Day in and day out, each day they didn't have a mission, they trained non stop. Expecting her to join in and spar with them constantly. And Lee was the worst. Today they had decided to train at one of the many dirt grounds in the village. This particular one was shaped in a large circle, with four squares outlined with white paint in the center for sparring. Outside of the squares were several training posts and around the ground were several wooden benches. And it was one of these upon which Tenten now found herself, leaning forward with her head in her hands, watching her teammate pummel the life out of a training post.
She let out an audible sigh. "Come on Lee it's time to go. Even Neji went home half an hour ago, let's call it a day already."
"No way, not until I finish my kicks." He was panting heavily, his sweat soaked clothing was stuck to his body, hugging tight to his lean yet muscular frame.
Tenten sighed once more and fingered one of her hair buns, this was taking too long.
"And how long will that take?" Called Tenten, hoping it wouldn't be long.
"I only have one hundred and eighty kicks to go!" Replied Lee, panting between each kick. "And if I cannot finish my kicks, then I shall do five hundred push ups!"
The brunette groaned and slumped forward in her seat. This is gonna take forever . . . unless.
Tenten stood up and brushed herself off, hefting her massive scroll in her left hand and a single kunai in her right. She spared her companion a glance before walking over to a sparring field. She placed the red strap connected to the end of her scroll over her shoulder and turned to face Lee, still kicking the post. Smiling she paused to look at her long time teammate and friend. When they had first met, she didn't spare him a second glance. She, like all the other girls her age, only had eyes for Neji, the Hyuuga genius. Every now and then she would find Lee alone, training in a field or hall. The first few times she would stop and watch, only to laugh at his pathetic attempts to summon a clone or to transform into someone else. After that she would keep on walking if she saw him training, never once sparing him a single glance. He was nobody, a clumsy boy better suited to farming rather than being a ninja. That was until the day before the graduation exam. That day Lee wasn't training, he was crying.
"You are so pathetic."
The little boy wiped his eyes and looked up at the girl standing above him. Her bunned hair standing out to him in its own weird way. He let his head drop and stared at the floor. "What do you want?"
She smirked. "You should just give up on being a ninja, you train every day but still have absolutely no skills whatsoever."
"No! I won't give up! I will prove that hard work and training beats natural talent!" The boy stood up and looked the girl in the eye. She laughed.
"What? You mean Neji?" She laughed even harder. "You can't even summon a single clone! How do ever expect to defeat Neji without any ability? You have no ninjutsu, no genjutsu and your taijutsu is worse than most of the first years at the academy."
Tears returned to the boys eyes, but still he stood his ground. "A true genius, is not one who is born with great ability. He is the one who trains every day of his life to achieve his goals! The one who never gives up, no matter what obstacles may stand in his way." The girl stopped laughing and began to feel sorry for this boy. "I will never give up on my dream, I will become a great ninja some day! Even if I have to train every day!"
"Then why aren't you training now?" Asked the girl, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Why don't you tell me? Every day I come down here to train, but I haven't been able to perform a single jutsu. And every day someone stands by the fence and laughs at me." He shook his head. "Well not today! Today I shall just sit here and let them see what they want to see, me giving up. But tomorrow . . . That is when I will show them all. I will prove that I can be a great ninja! Tomorrow I will pass the exams!"
The girl smiled and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "What's your name?"
He looked up awkwardly, affording his own smile.
"I am Rock Lee!" He offered his hand to the girl, who took it in hers.
"Tenten. Good luck tomorrow, I know you can do it." The boy gave a huge toothy grin and pointed to her. She jumped in fright at the sudden movement.
"And good luck to you as well!"
That was the day Tenten vowed to help Rock Lee in any way possible. The next day at the final exam, Lee surprised the examiners with a near perfect clone jutsu. Awarding him a pass with credit. Only Iruka sensei saw Tenten concealed in the doorway, releasing the clone herself. Iruka smiled and whispered to the person next to him. The man in charge of team selections: "What ever happens, make sure that Rock Lee ends up on the same team as Tenten."
The bun haired weapon master shook her head, drawing herself back to reality. She smiled at Lee's training form, he had slipped while trying to kick too high and true to his word, had begun his first set of pushups.
Tenten bit her lip and raised her right arm, she needed to be as accurate as possible for this shot, if she missed, she might kill Lee. She waited for the right moment, just as Lee had begun his drop. Now! She whipped her arm down in a smooth arc, sending her kunai spinning towards its target. It landed with a thud, right in front of Lee's face, slicing through a chunk of hair before it hit the ground.
Lee sprung up and looked about him, his eyes finally settling on a giggling Tenten.
"Why would you do that! My glorious hair! I'm sorry Gai sensei, it seems I am not worthy of-"
"Oh shut up and get over here!" Giggled Tenten. She had always had a soft spot for her teammate's antics.
Lee walked over to her in a state of despair, he couldn't stand the new imperfection in his once perfect bowl cut hair. He moped over the training ground to Tenten.
"Lee, I have a challenge for you."
His head snapped up, immediately his mood changed, he looked at Tenten, her hands on her hips as she stated the challenge. "I challenge you to a fight! If you lose we go home." Lee's face dropped.
"But if you win, I promise to train with you any time you want." Lee raised a fist to eye level. "A worthy challenge from a worthy opponent. I accept!" Tenten giggled as she watched Lee jump back to his corner of the square, sailing through the air and completing a perfect backwards somersault before landing softly on the ground. Slowly, he straightened up into his traditional fighting stance; side on, with one hand behind his back and the other held out in front. Beckoning his would be opponent. Tenten smiled and stood her scroll on the ground, one hand resting casually on top. Drumming a light tune with her fingers.
Lee dropped to a crouch, his upper body still in the fighting stance, and allowed himself the smallest hint of a smile.
"Begin!"
Tenten wasted no time in beginning her attack; she drew two smaller scrolls from her back pocket and bit her thumb, allowing the blood to drip onto each scroll whilst she shot through a set of hand signs. This would not be an easy fight, Lee was infinitely better at taijutsu than she was. Normally she would have the advantage, her jutsu could still be used effectively at a distance. But Lee was incredibly fast, even with his leg weights on, Tenten seriously doubted that she could keep him at bay for long. And if she made one mistake, he could slip through her defense and finish her in a heartbeat. Come on Tenten, you can end it with this one!
Tenten tossed the scrolls into the air above her opponent and released her jutsu, watching as her scrolls quickly began to unravel. Come on!
Lee ran past the scrolls, meaning to attack Tenten head on. There was a slight shuffling sound, like someone writing on paper, then something touched Lee's ankle. Without thinking, the taijutsu specialist drew a kunai and slashed at the object behind him.
"What!"
He had sliced the end off one of Tenten's scrolls. Both of which had unraveled and were racing towards him. Lee sidestepped and slashed at the second scroll, only to have it wrap around his wrist. He dropped the kunai and plucked it from the air with his other hand, using it to free his wrist. He jumped back to the edge of the square.
"So that is what it is, a scroll that ensnares it's helpless victims hmm? Well I am not helpless!"
Lee drew a second kunai and let his body relax, swaying in the wind like the branch of a tree. He waited patiently as the scrolls began to surround him, but they didn't try to trap him immediately.
Tenten watched with her arms crossed, she had never seen Lee use this stance before. What are you up to Lee?
"Iron hurricane!" Shouted Lee, as he began to spin rapidly, his kunai becoming a blur of steel as they sliced through the paper with ease. Tenten began to form new hand signs, mentally berating herself as her plan literally fell to pieces.
Dammit Tenten! What does Gai sensei always say? Always have a back up. But no, you decide to rely completely on two rolls of goddamn paper!
Tenten looked up to commence her second attack, straight into Lee's eyes. She didn't even have time to react as he twisted his ankle behind hers and placed a hand on her stomach, using it to push her slowly into his awaiting arm.
There they stood, at the far corner of the left training square, in the center of the ground. Lee with one foot in front of the other, his left arm cradling her shoulders, his right hand, resting softly on her stomach, looking down into Tenten's eyes. And she leaning backwards, her body completely supported by Lee, staring back into his. To a passerby, it might look as though they were dancing, rather than having just completed a sparring match.
"Lee?" Whispered Tenten.
The dark haired ninja smiled in reply.
"That was an interesting jutsu, using the scrolls to capture your opponent."
Tenten swallowed.
"Oh, I um . . . I based it off you're lotus technique; immobilization before attack." She felt her face begin to heat up, the soft warmth spreading to the rest of her body as they stood together in silence, two figures alone but for the company of each other.
Lee gently lifted her back up to stand before him, his hands lingering on her body for slightly longer than necessary. Tenten felt her heart flutter as her companion studied her expression. A bandaged hand reached out to rest upon her shoulder, the warmth noticeable through her clothes.
"Well then, it seems that I am victorious!"
Her friend's sudden burst of excitement caught her off guard, snapping her out of her dream like state and back to reality.
"And now you must keep up your end of the bargain! Back to training!"
Tenten sighed as she watched the same clueless boy from all those years ago, walk back to his post, shadow boxing as he went.
Dammit Lee, don't you get it? I didn't come here to train, I came here . . . for you . . .