A/N: I am gonna have so many people disappointed and annoyed with this chapter lol. As a fair warning; this chappie isn't terribly eventful and like I said, it may annoy some people a little (it kind of annoyed me a little whilst writing it :P) and for that I apologize. In the mean time, I hope you still like it and I would still very much appreciate some feedback. :)

Disclaimer: I own my OCs (luckily). Unfortunately... that's all I own :'(


"Galleon! Attack!"

Lee watched as his blade easily smashed through the huge bolder before him. His teeth and fists were clenched and his eyes were slit animalistically. Lifting his arm and thrusting it out to the right, the black blade shot in that direction and effortlessly demolished the large stump poking out of the ground. This time Lee's left arm lifted and the blade shot to the left, plowing through a huge pile of sticks and miscellaneous he'd piled up earlier, causing chunks and debris to scatter everywhere in a huge cloud. Lee's hands swept over the terrain and his blade shot towards the small pond nearby. His head lowering slightly, golden eyes narrowed on the body of water as the black blur shot towards it. There was no hesitation as he sent Galleon across the pond, a large wall coming up in its wake on either side as it flew across the clear water.

"Damn him!"

Lee's eyes flicked to the left again when his blade reached the other side of the pond and it shot out towards another rock and struck it, causing it to explode in a mass of shards and debris. Before the pieces could hit the ground he sent it towards another stump, demolishing it, then an old abandoned ant hill, another rock, a dead fallen tree, another rock, until soon the entire area was a cloud of impenetrable debris and mess.

Memories from the night before came back to him and Lee's temper sky rocketed, his stomach twisted sickeningly and the little green monster inside him roared viciously.

-;-

Mariah: Hey, how's your trip so far?

Kage: It's amazing… started out kinda rocky no thanks to a certain blonde Italian, but it worked out alright. Johnny came to visit too. He spent the day with us and we had fun. He really is a sweet guy, really thoughtful too. He brought me this cute little hawk plush that looks strangely a lot like Talentia.

Mariah: Hmm…. Sounds like a certain redhead really does have a big ol love crush on ya!

Kage: Oh, I don't know about that…. I've got to go though, Johnny is taking us out to dinner at his family's steakhouse. Should be fun! Chat later 'Riah!

-;-

Blood boiled as Lee remembered the computer messages his sister had shown him. That cheeky Scot! She'd only been in Europe for one day and he was already moving in on her.

"AHHHH!" Lee screamed savagely, throwing his head back as the mighty, deep-bellied growl tore from his throat. This resulted in causing a flock of birds in a nearby tree to take wing in fright. "DAMN YOU JOHNNY!"

Lee opened his eyes, his vision red around the edges as he glared at nothing in particular. His gaze went back to his blade and the thought to re-direct it again crossed his mind before another familiar, white blade appeared in his field of view and gave his black one a mighty thrust, sending it back a few feet and causing it to teeter dangerously on the edge of the pond.

Turning slited eyes upwards, his gaze fell on the familiar face of his life-long best friend.

"Back to this again?" Ray said simply, a serious expression on his face as he stood with crossed arms. "You've got to learn to control these emotions, Lee."

A feral growl rumbled in Lee's throat.

"What do you know?" He snapped angrily. "You with your perfect life! Your happy relationship! What do you know of how I feel, Ray! Nothing! You know nothing!"

Ray frowned.

"I know this isn't healthy." He replied bluntly. "I know this isn't the Lee that vowed never to let his emotions get the better of him again. And I know that you're better than this, stronger than this."

The growl grew louder as Lee's hands clenched tightly, the edge of his launcher handle cutting into his hand. But he didn't mind, he welcomed the alternate pain, anything was better than the torment he was feeling on the inside.

"Maybe you're wrong about me." He said angrily. "Maybe you don't know me half as well as you think you do!"

"Or maybe I do." Ray countered without missing a beat. "Tell me, Lee; what do you think Kage would think of all this if she saw you now? How would she feel seeing you like this?"

"It doesn't matter!" Lee screamed savagely. "Cause she's NOT here! She's off with that Scottish bastard!"

With that, Lee lifted his arm and pulled back. With a sharp, forward thrust, he swept his arm towards Ray and the black blade shot at the white one with tremendous force and speed, slamming violently into it and sending it soaring backwards several feet to collide hard with a tree. The white blade passed through it, dispersing a spray of splinters and wooden chunks and leaving a gaping hole in the trunk. A few moments of silence passed and to Lee's astonishment, a moment later, the white blade came soaring back through the hole and shot straight at Galleon.

Lee clenched his teeth as Derigger struck Galleon head on, forcing him this time to sail backwards.

"She's coming back, Lee." Ray stated encouragingly. "She hasn't forgotten about us…. About you. Don't you remember what I said? Even if her feelings aren't as strong as yours, she does care about you! You can't keep bottling these things up inside, you've got to let them out more often, otherwise this will keep happening happen again and again. You're like a completely different person at moments like this. You can't think, you can't feel anything besides your anger and pain, and you can't control yourself, let alone your blade."

"That's not true!" Lee yelled furiously, making to attack Ray again. Ray frowned and easily dodged him, his blade springing up to spin casually on top of a nearby rock as he spoke again.

"No? Are you sure? Can't you see what this is doing to you?" When Lee's face contorted into a savage expression, Ray frowned again. "Fine. If you can't see it then I'll just have to show you. Drigger! Show him what real control is! Attack!"

Lee's eyes widened as the magnificent white tiger rose from the white blade. He couldn't move or say a word as the beast shot towards him and attacked with incredible speed and forced, slamming the black blade backwards where it passed through several smaller trees and eventually came to a stop as it imbedded in a large trunk quite a distance back.

Large golden eyes stared in shock and horror at the slightly smoking holes in the trees.

"I told you, Lee; if you can't control your emotions, how can you expect to control your blade?"

Lee dropped to his knees, his eyes clenched tightly and hands in fists on his knees.

"Not again…" He growled in dismay.

It was world championships all over again.

"How could I let this happen? First it's all about self-loathing and self-pity, now I'm all psyched out about these new-found feelings. I'm always so worried about everyone else and what they think of me. Why can't I just respect myself like I know my friends do? And more importantly, how can I ever expect to be good enough for someone as good and amazing as Kage Kohn when I can't even control my own emotions!"

"Hey, now that I know you're on my train of thought, how about another piece of advice?"

Lee opened his eyes and looked up to see a hand extended down to him, and in that hand sat something very precious. Blinking up into Ray's smiling face, Lee reached up to accept his blade. When he did, Ray's other hand reached out to him and Lee starred for a moment before clasping his free one around it and getting to his feet.

"Sure." He replied, attempting a small smile. "It's been pretty good so far."

Ray's smile widened and he spoke again.

"Instead of keeping all this to yourself, how about sharing once in a while? It doesn't make you weak and it takes a whole lot of pressure off your shoulders. No one's gonna laugh at you for being human…. Also, instead of focusing on all the things you think you're bad at and all the things you can't change, why not focus on the good things? Why don't you let yourself see how great you really are, Lee? Start realizing what everyone else sees in you. I guarantee you'll be a whole lot happier." Ray gave him a playful grin. "Plus, confidence is attractive, and there's no better way to attract pretty girls then to show some!"

Lee starred at his best friend for a few minutes before finally grinning himself.

"Alright, Ray! You've made your point. From now on, I'm gonna see myself the way I should have a long time ago!" Holding up his launcher, Lee attached his blade and grinned at his friend. "Now, I think it's time for a rematch! Seeing as you've got me all riled up and back at the top of my game!"

Ray's grin widened as he lifted his blade and launcher as well.

"You're on, pal!"

"Three, two, one! Let it rip!"


Lee smiled as he walked towards his room. He felt like a million bucks and the only thing he regretted was that Kage wasn't there to see it. Boy would she be proud of him now. Well, no matter, she'd be home soon and he'd have all the time in the world to show her what a changed man he was.

The ravenette paused with his hand on the door as he thought about this.

Home.

Of course, China wasn't really Kage's home. In fact, she was closer to home right now then she was with The White Tigers. Lee felt himself tense up as he remembered what had made him nearly loose his mind in the first place, but he quickly pushed the thoughts out of his head and forced himself to relax. None of that mattered. The point was, Kage was staying with them for a while and while she did that, China was her home. Besides, he was sure she felt just that way anyway.

"She'll be back soon." He thought with a smile. "And when she is, I'll really show her how great a person I can be. I'll show her that I am as good as Johnny, with just as much to offer, and I'll give her a reason to want to be with me. I might have to wait a while but if Ray's right, and if she really does care for me, then I'm sure she'll at least be willing to give me a chance. Yeah! No matter what she decides, I'll make her the happiest girl on earth! She deserves that much for sure!"

With a huge smile now, Lee entered his room and made his way over to his bed, laying down on it and starring at the ceiling. He did so for a few moments before turning and staring at his bedside table. His eyes fell on the device Kage had left behind for him, insisting he listen to some of her favorite songs and let her know what he thought. Reaching out, Lee picked up the object he faintly remembered being called 'iPod' and picked it up. He put the ear buds in his ears and starred at the small device for a long time.

"Now…. How did she say this thing worked again?" He thought in confusion. After a few moments he lifted a finger and pressed on the white wheel, smiling when the screen lit up. "That's right, I remember now."

He gave the circle a swirl and pressed again, wincing as the sound blasted through the tiny speakers and seemed to rattle his brain. Quickly plucking the buds out, he reached up and massaged his poor sensitive ears before frowning at the iPod as if it had hurt him on purpose, turning the volume way down and inserting the buds again. Now that the music was much softer this time, Lee sighed and smiled.

"I have got to get myself up-to-date on all these new gadgets." He noted thoughtfully. "Hm… what's this song called?"

Lifting the little screen so he could see, Lee read the title and laid it back down on his chest again.

"Hm. Not too bad." He thought, lifting his hands to rest behind his head before closing his eyes and listening to the beautiful song. He smiled as he imagined what Kevin would say if he knew Lee was listening to such 'girly' music. But what did he care? He liked the song and he wasn't afraid to admit it. Besides, only insecure men worried about things like what other people would think. He was… what was that phrase? Oh yes, 'comfortable with his sexuality'.

Chuckling to himself, Lee allowed himself to relax as the music sang to him and soothed his soul, admittedly hitting a little close to home, which made him like it that much more.

I know that you're hiding things
Using gentle words to shelter me
Your words were like a dream
But dreams could never fool me
Not that easily

He thought of Kage and his newly realized feelings for her. Was that how she felt? Like he'd been hiding things by acting the way he had? Of course, that hadn't been the case. And he'd never know the answer to that question unless he asked her, and that was something he'd never do.

I acted so distant then
Didn't say good bye before you left
But I was listening
You fight your battles far from me
Far too easily

Well, he'd said goodbye, but it hadn't been easy. And come to think of it, the words made sense; he'd been fighting his own battles all by himself; his internal battles, battles that he'd tried so hard hide weren't occurring in the first place. It was much easier to hide them then to try and explain and share them with someone else.

Save your tears
Cause I'll come back
I could hear that you whispered
As you walked through that door
But still I swore
To hide the pain
When I turn back the pages
Shouting might have been the answer

He thought back to his reactions to his jealousy; to the way he'd reacted when Kage had first received the messages from Johnny, to the way he'd reacted when Mariah had shown him her messages with Kage. He hadn't handled himself well at all and he was ashamed to remember it now. But he was determined not to let it happen again. He was different now, better.

What If I cried my eyes out
And begged you not to depart
But now I'm not afraid
To say what's in my heart

It was true! Now that he knew the truth, he was finally and fully ready to tell Kage how he felt, to let her know just how much she meant to him. To show her that he was fully and completely ready to exchange his heart for hers, if she so wished it.

Oh a thousand words
Have never been spoken
They'll fly to you
Passing over the time
And distance holding you
Suspended on silver wings

Even though they were miles – Countries – apart, his feelings were the same. There was so much he had so tell her, so much he had to say. Words that, hopefully, she could carry with her forever, no matter when or where or how far apart they were. Once Kage knew how he really felt, there was no reason either of them would ever have to feel alone again. They'd both know that, no matter what, in one way or another, there would always be someone there for them.

And a thousand words
One thousand confessions
Will cradle you
Making all of the pain
You feel seem far away
They'll hold you forever

Why was he doing this anyway, trying to match the lyrics to some song he liked to his life, trying to make it seem like the writer had written it for them and that it fit them so perfectly it must be a sign? Wasn't that what girls did?

Lee shook his head with a small chuckle. What did it matter? He had to admit, it was kind of fun.

The dream isn't over yet
Though I often say I can't forget
I still relive that day
You've been there with me all the way
I still hear you say

It seemed like a dream sometimes, the moments he spent with Kage. It was like she was meant to be with them, like she was meant to be part of his story. Having her around felt so real, so right. He appreciated each and every moment they shared and he wouldn't trade it for the world.

Wait for me I'll write you letters
I can see how you stared
With your eyes to the floor
But still I swore
To hide the doubt
When I turn back the pages
Anger might have been the answer

Lee remembered again his anger and frustration. He knew the things Ray had said were right, but in a way he felt that his colossal explosion was a good thing as well. After all, he felt better and it had led to a whole new revelation on his part. Besides, it was healthy to release all his negative emotions, to shed the extra heavy weight. That only meant he had lots more room for newer, better things.

What if I'd hung my head
And said that I couldn't wait
But now I'm strong enough to know
It's not too late

He'd felt so hurt, so lost and lonely. He was sure Kage would forget all about him and move on with Johnny. After all, the Scot was supposedly a very eligible bachelor. But now he realized that it wasn't too late to do something about it; that it wasn't too late to fix his mistakes, start over, and stand up for the things he wanted, needed and believed in. And that something was Kage.

Cause a thousand words
Called out through the ages
They'll fly to you
Even though I can't see
I know their reaching you
Suspended on silver wings

Lee knew that if Ray was right about everything, that if Kage did feel something, anything, for him then she would most certainly be back. She'd said she would be and he believed her and he had to believe that those feelings, whatever they were on her part, were enough to win him a chance; just one, good chance. That was all he needed.

Oh a thousand words
One thousand embraces
Will cradle you
Making all of your weary
They seem far away
They'll hold you forever

Just one more day….

One more day and she'd be back.

Lee sighed happily as the song finished up and changed to another one, this one considerably faster. He couldn't believe how good he felt, better than he could ever remember feeling before. He wasn't sure how long his new bliss would last but he was damn well sure he was going to try and make it last as long as possible – at least until he'd had a chance to talk to Kage. Besides, he knew how to handle things and his emotions now. At least now, if he got backed into a corner, he knew he wasn't trapped, that he still had a way out.

"Confidence is attractive, and there's no better way to attract pretty girls then to show some!"

Lee grinned as Ray's words came back to him.

Confident!

That's what he'd be from now on! Confident and attractive and happy!

Oh yeah! Life was certainly about to get very interesting.


A/N: There you have it; a bit of mindless drabble that no doubt has many of you wanting to wring my neck! ^_^; hehe. But fear not, the next chapter is much more eventful and... twisty! :D Keep an eye out for me! And remember; you are a very important part of my world! :P