AN: Well, this is certainly a long one. I thought the first chapter took some time, but this is a whole different beast. Hopefully, I can hold your attention for 2000+ words. The next part will probably be just as long if not longer! Be sure to follow if you want to keep up with new chapters. Any comments are appreciated. Expect more LeeTen if you follow my profile.
Today's training would be fairly light according to Team Gai standards, so she rose from her bed very late in the morning at 5.30. She had already mastered the art of getting-ready-quickly a long time ago, and it annoys her how long it takes for others to get ready. Tenten quickly gathered her gear together and left her silent apartment, making her way towards the training grounds.
Her walk gave her valuable time to gather her thoughts. The dream she had the night previous no longer bothered her, at least in the same fashion as it once did. Tenten had a long history of very vivid dreams, so she's grown accustomed to having to answer the strange questions posed by them. It made sense for Lee to be present as he is a constant guest star in her dreams. Most of his appearances are actually mundane and kind of boring, but a select few are more interesting. In all kinds of ways, she thought, causing her cheeks to redden at the memories. She quickly shook this feeling off as the practice field came into her view.
Tenten arrived at their usual training spot, but she was met with a truly alien sight. Her brain struggled and sputtered trying to make sense of her sight. Away from the dummies by a decent distance, Lee was lying on the grounds, staring at the clouds, and…doing absolutely nothing!? Her jaw dropped, and her eyes seemed to start twitching, as if the sight she saw scrambled her brain like forbidden knowledge. That can't be Lee, can it? Watching clouds? Like Shikamaru? It made no sense to her, literally none at all. As she approached, Tenten's mind seemed to settle. She decided the "tattletale" routine might get a funny reaction from Lee, so she went with it.
"OUIII! Look at the slacker over here," she cried, breaking Lee out of his cloud-watching trance. He instantly turned red, knowing how awful it looks for Lee to be caught off guard. "If Gai-sensei were here, he'd have a heart attack seeing you laze around!" She made sure to play it up. The best way to play with Lee is to match his energy. "Shikamaru would be proud," Tenten teased, flaunting a mischievous smile.
"Ah-uhhhh, Tenten! Good to see you too! I was just…uhhh…waiting for you! It's always better to have a partner to train with, right?" Lee grinned in his trademarked fashion, gleaming his pearly whites. Tenten noticed the smallest blush on Lee's cheeks, which is strange outside of three things: he was drunk, he is in love, or he is lying. Lee was such a terrible liar, it was obvious that he hates telling lies, no matter how meaningless or important.
Tenten snickered at his explanation. "I'm sure you were expecting me to fall down from the heavens." She chuckled aloud, turning Lee even redder. "I didn't know you liked watching clouds."
Lee laughed, contemplating the obvious comeback to her first statement. He eventually just settled on answering her question. "Who does not like to watch clouds? Say what you will, but Shikamaru is obviously onto something there." Lee stood up and began walking towards his teammate.
Tenten agreed with Lee, but she wants to keep the routine going. Teasing him is both super easy and super hilarious to her. Training isn't as much fun as us just talking. Unbeknownst to her, Lee would absolutely agree. "Cloud-watching is fine, but I honestly expected you to be deep into training by the time I arrived." He might have something clogging his mind. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" Tenten asked, as her curiosity began to grow.
Lee shrugged. He wasn't planning on telling her, but Lee noted he needed to be a bit smoother in his delivery. "I am fine, Tenten. I just would rather train with a teammate. Besides, you have been making great progress! Iron sharpens iron." Lee stated, satisfied with his answer.
Tenten shook her head and sighed. If he wants to talk about it, he will eventually. "In that case," Tenten cracked her knuckles and began stretching her long legs, "let's get started, Lee!" All it took was for Lee to smile and nod before she began sprinting towards him.
Their training tends to begin the same way, as Gai-sensei established how important a solid routine is for making progress. It begins with a light sparring session, taijutsu only. It was all very telegraphed, as it acted more as a warm-up than actual sparring. Straight punches, kicks from all directions, and other flurries of blows flew between the two, with each strike either blocked perfectly or dodged. All of this was done to "become comfortable with the flow of a fist fight." You cannot rely on ninjutsu for everything! Taijutsu will always be an option in combat as well as inevitability in combat. Gai may be eccentric, but he was certainly an excellent teacher.
After about thirty minutes of back-and-forth sparring, time was called on their session and each broke away from the training for a quick drink of water. Once break time had passed, the second part of their routine had begun. Lee would be using only weapons while Tenten relied solely on taijutsu. It made a lot of sense for each one of them to practice the strength of the other. Once they were set, Tenten immediately sprinted towards Lee, closing the distance insanely fast. Lee reached into his pockets, fumbling around trying to grab a few senbon. Before he could pull them out, Tenten flew towards him with a wheel kick!
Thuck!
Lee had just managed to grab Tenten's ankle, just barely stopping her strike from reaching him. Senbon? No time! Lee's thoughts had to be quick, as Tenten was already sending another blow his way. She swung her fists one-by-one towards Lee, who barely managed to dodge each strike. Lee was a taijutsu master, so Tenten was fighting uphill battle in such close quarters fighting, even if Lee wasn't allowed to even use all his strength.
So quick on his feet, Tenten thought to herself, rapidly trying to land a single blow on him. Lee had a certain quickness and speed that made him frustrating to fight. No matter how quick she was, Lee would also be just out of her reach. I have to keep him close. If Lee widens the gap, he'll have time to launch a counterattack. Just before he skipped out of her range, Tenten saw a chink in Lee's armor: his headband wrapped around his belt sticks out just a little farther than him! As Tenten noticed this, she took her chance! She quickly changed levels and was able to grab ahold of his headband, keeping him from escaping. Right as Lee noticed his entrapment, he was pulled back towards Tenten, slamming his face into her forearm! The stunning shot sent Lee tumbling backwards, stopping only after tripping over a stump.
Tenten stood strong, admiring her strength and strategy. "Hell yeah, score one for Tenten!", she teased, obviously proud of herself. Getting the better of Lee in taijutsu is a tough task, so Tenten had every right to gloat. Lee shook the dirt off himself before reaching into his weapons pocket. Before Tenten could notice his recovery, Lee launched three shuriken right towards her. "Think fast!" He yelled, giving his vulnerable teammate some small warning.
Tenten's eyes shot over to him, but the weapons were closing in, much quicker than she thought. Just as she noticed the sunlight shine on the shurikens, she froze in place! Her vision muddied, as the dream began to take shape in reality. Tenten's body refused to move. Lee's eyes widened, and he immediately knew something was wrong. She would never be hit by an attack that simple. "Watch out, Tenten!" His voice broke the trance, and Tenten's arms began to move to her chest, catching each star into her forearms. The blows knocked her back, embedding the weapons deep into her arms, and a wave of pain began to overtake her.
"AHHHHHH! SHIT SHIT SHIT!" Tenten didn't yell often. She preferred to keep a cool head when situations escalate rather than give into bouts of screaming. However, when she did choose to scream, Tenten's volume and intensity rivaled the most irritable women in the village. Her voice rang out throughout the sky, carrying far into the trees. She gritted her teeth and began to tug on one of the stars. Right before she was able to yank it out, Lee ran over to her, with a small stick in his hands. His voice was almost unrecognizable, laced with a heavy panic.
"Tenten! Bite down on this!" Lee was already beginning to feel bad. I didn't mean to hit her. She'd usually dodge that easily. Did I throw it too hard? His thoughts began to run away from him. If there was one thing Lee couldn't handle, it's his team getting hurt. He still has trouble seeing his sensei stuck in a wheelchair, cripple in the prior war. Before his thoughts can continue running, Tenten grabs ahold of the stick.
"Get some bandages because these are in deep!" Tenten ordered, placing the stick in between her teeth. She didn't have to tell him twice, as he immediately dropped to the ground and began digging into his pack. Right as Lee pulled out the white bandages, Tenten resumed pulling the shurikens out of her arms. One by one, each ninja star was quickly pulled out, which was followed by ear piercing screeches only silenced by the stick. Once they were all removed, Lee was quick to cover the wounds with the handy bandies. Her screams stopped and was replaced by steady panting, mostly just from sheer panic. She slowed her breathing, and Tenten was able to calm herself.
"So, what's the matter with you, Lee?" Tenten inquired, wearing the straightest of faces. Right now, she knows she's lucky to just have a mangled forearm, so she doesn't want to dwell on what just happened.
The green beast was taken aback by her question. "I-I gave you a warning, Tenten. Did I give it too late?" Lee questioned. He didn't think he did anything wrong, but Lee knows how careless he can be sometimes.
Tenten shook her head. "No, not that. I should've never let my guard down in the first place." Rock Lee was no slouch when it came to weapons, and Tenten should have known not to give him that much distance. And I also froze once those things closed in. Obviously, the dream from last night is still bothering her. However, it's clearly obvious that Lee is dealing with a lot more than simply hurting his teammate. "You get here super early, and I find you sitting on your butt. That's so unlike you." The freshly bandaged woman stood up, and Tenten leaned over Lee, who was still sat on the ground. She looked directly at Lee, almost looking straight through him. He couldn't help but turn red. Her voice was still, and Lee knew her tone meant business. "Tell me what is bothering you, Lee."
I guess I cannot hide anything from her. Lee shrugged his shoulders and addressed the steel-eyed gaze hovering over him. "To be honest Tenten, I have been lacking the motivation to train lately." His voice was meek. Lee struggled to tell himself that, let alone his teammate. Tenten was shocked by his confession. "It's been like this for the past few days. I've tried to force myself to continue, but it only makes it worse." Rock Lee felt his eyes begin to quiver, preparing to tear up. "I barely found the will to even come here." Lee wiped his eye and tried to hide his tears, which he knew was fruitless. He hated crying in front of her. Lee sighed and confessed, "I just feel like something is wrong with me."
Tenten didn't know what to think. Lee was an addict when it came to training. As far back as she can remember, Lee was always the last of their team to leave the practice field. The amount of training dummies, rocks, and trees have been demolished solely because of Lee and his constant training were incomprehensible. Lee's most sole dedication in his life was to the betterment of his skills as a shinobi. Tenten remembers how devastated Lee was after his loss to Gaara, stuck on crutches as he watched his teammates practice. It wasn't a look of anger directed at them, but sheer jealousy. When he could finally train again, Lee was back to outworking everyone, even his past self.
Now, he struggles to even come out to the practice field. The idea of Lee struggling to leave bed was simply impossible to her before today. Then, Lee gets here, and he is so tired of training, he sits on his ass staring at the sky. Tenten was speechless, which isn't uncommon when it came to Lee. But this was so much different. She knelt down in front of her teammate and placed her hand onto his shoulder. Her voice remained calm as Tenten quickly found the words to say.
"Lee, there is nothing wrong with you." Again, her eyes broke into his mind, and Lee followed every word he heard slowly. "You've been doing this for so long, you're bound to get burnt out, even if you don't realize it." She sighed. "You need break, Lee. Neji would tell you the same." She didn't wield Neji's name lightly. Neji had a lot of problems with Lee when Team Gai was formed. Lee certainly didn't help his case, constantly challenging Neji to all kinds of challenges. Eventually, the heat between to two young ninjas simmered and they began to actually act like teammates. Lee would constantly ask Neji questions about his way of thinking and his outlook. Neji's mind was so analytical, he'd be perfect to diagnose Lee's issues right now.
Lee understood her perfectly. She's got a way with words. Lee shined a small grin, like he was showing a careful optimism. "A break?" Lee inquired, "That sounds tough." Probably the toughest challenge I'll face. "What am I supposed to do all day?"
Tenten let out a heavy sigh. He's acting like I'm his mother. You can find something, Lee. "You're Rock Lee. There are a ton of things to do in this world, so you can find at least one to take up some time." Tenten made sure to throw one of her sly grins. She wanted to make sure to egg Lee on. "Are you telling me you're not going to conquer this challenge?" That will get him off his ass, she thought.
And she was right! Immediately, the green beast shot up from the ground, and Lee took off from the practice field. Before Tenten could muster a call to the green flash, Lee yelled back at her, "I will see you later, Tenten! I know exactly who can help me!" In the blink of an eye, he was gone. Tenten let a small sigh slip, one of extreme exhaustion and appreciation.
As Lee raced back to the village, the only thing running faster than his legs were his thoughts. Lee knew he should be contemplating his plans, but he couldn't' help it. His mind was stuck, and the gaze of his teammate was all that was on his mind. Lee thought about her a lot. Tenten loved to talk about how Lee had impacted her, but Lee could say the exact same about her. He knew he didn't want to burden her with his own problems. Yet, Tenten was able to pull the info out of him like an interrogator. He felt his face redden as his thoughts continued to linger on her hazel eyes.