A/N: The following takes place a little before Tsunade's return to Konoha village
Disclaimer: Naruto = not mine
Chapter 2
"150!" A dull thud resounds throughout the forest.
"151!" Splinters of wood crumble into dust, falling at the foot of a large and well-worn tree trunk.
"152! 153!... 154!" The rhythmic thud and count continues unabated as Lee finds himself in a familiar place. This is where it all started, and where it shall continue till he could prove to himself and everyone else of his nindo. Training this time around was getting increasingly hard. Some of his routines were so ingrained that it was second nature, almost like breathing. Trying to do them all on essentially half his body was a different matter. Lee's near perfect body mechanics and speed were reduced to a mere shadow of itself. Hook punch after backhand lacked the explosive power and fluid grace that could only come with balance and synchronization, a sheer ballet of the body. It frustrated Lee a bit, but he had to keep going.
"199!... 200!" Lee sunk to the ground for quick breather. He looked up at the brilliant sky and breathed in deep, taking in the fresh afternoon air. Squinting away from the sun's hot gaze, he thought back to Gai's words, still fresh in his memory. Lee looked over the left side of his body. Under the mass of torn flesh and fractured bone was that faint hope, placed upon the shoulders of his teacher, the one who had guided him this far along. With one final exhale, Lee carefully braced himself on his crutch to start yet again. "Alright, since I couldn't do 200 right-handed punches, I'll have to do 300 right-legged squats!"
Gai whistled through the trees with a quickened pace. The good-guy promise that he made to Lee would finally be fulfilled today. Gai tried everything in his power to speed along his recovery. He clutched the bag in his hand a little tighter, not wanting its precious contents to spill out. Lee certainly likes these things. It has to have an effect on his recovery, Gai thought, striding along the branches with deft ease.
Closing in on the training clearing, he decided to stop and observe the training of his student for a moment. Brushing aside a few leaves, Gai witnessed his student's famous determination. Left leg forward, right knee bending up and down, Lee strained under the beaming sun. Ah, just what I expected from my student. Sometimes he overdoes it a little... I better tell him the good news before he collapses. Gai leapt off of branch high above the ground.
"Yo, Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee, I have some good news for you. I hear that Tsunade-sama came in awhile ago. She's the medic-nin of the legendary three, so she has to be able to cure your wounds!"
Lee's eyes began to tear a bit. A smirk appeared upon his face, gradually evolving into a wide smile. Looking at Lee's face, Gai knew that this had to be the day. It just had to be... "Let's go, Lee."
Gai braced his student upon his shoulders and started walking toward the center of the village. "Oh yes, munch on these Spring of Youth regeneration dumplings. I know how much you like them, and it will give you strength for the long walk."
Lee still couldn't get over the nasty taste of the stuff, but after all, it did help his recovery... maybe. "Ossu!" he said as he reached into the bag, taking a big bite out of one of the disfigured dumplings. Hey... they're not too bad this time around Lee thought. Maybe Gai-sensei's cooking improved a little, or the excitement was getting to him. In any case, both of them couldn't wait for what was to come...
What did I hear just now? This can't be... this can't be at all...
The hallway seemed to stretch onto eternity, mirroring the fate that was bestowed upon him just a few moments ago. A wave of emotions flowed over in his being so deep and numerous that it melded together into a single anguish. Upon his face was a stare that cut through everything in its path, and focused on nothing. He had no idea where he was going, what he was thinking, what was to become of him. All hope had vanished, never to return. What would his life be like now? Would he actually be living in a state like this?
Never in his life had he lost his faith in what was to come next. He never needed to, for he never lost faith in the present. All the worries of the future were alleviated with the determination that he possessed right at the moment. And now that was gone. With nothing to fall back on anymore, he felt a loneliness that he never experienced before. With every step he took to leave that place, he felt his cruel fate bear down on him more and more, a feeling of helplessness overtaking him. After hearing those words from the new Hokage, all he knew was that he had to get as far away from that place as his body could take him, to somewhere familiar.
Unconsciously, Lee made his way to the place where it all began, the place where his ambition really took root. He hobbled his way to the bench overlooking the village, gingerly setting himself down. His breathing took a slower pace, and Lee tried to make sense of it all. Vacant stares into nothing gave way to melancholy ones, hinting at the pain of one who had lost everything with the will of mere words. The realization was slowly sinking in... I might not be able to reach my nindo anymore.
He shut his eyes fast and hard, trying to dam up the river of tears now flowing freely down his cheek. Releasing a heavy sigh into the night air, he leaned back and looked for reassurance in the moonlight above. So, this is the place where it all started. He remembered all those giggles that followed his failed attempts at ninjutsu. He remembered the long shadows on the ground as day gave way to night in the training grounds. Of all these memories, what hurt the most was the things that weren't there at all; no one that he could truly call a friend, no one to give him guidance, no one really to lean on when the world seemed too much to handle. Such lonely times, guess its only natural to think of them now...
That's right, this is where I met him too. Gai-sensei was the one who filled that void, gave him that voice which told him to hold fast to the way of life which he determined for himself. A sad smile crept upon his face as he thought back to the day when teams were introduced. Curiously, his thoughts also led to one of the many matches between Gai and his eternal rival Kakashi.
Janken... even for Gai-sensei it was a bit silly. It's still a wonder why he agreed to settle the score with that, and to subject himself to something like that after. At that moment, Lee felt a slight warmth and weight upon his shoulder. "I knew you would be here."
Gai greeted his student with a sparkling smile and wink. "How did you know I was here?" his student asked.
"I know everything about you." Lee responded with a smile, which quickly faded away. Gai looked upon his student with intense, warm eyes as Lee spoke. Lee recalled his first days as a genin and the ambition to override genius with hard work. Clenching his fists tight, Lee then spoke of the futility of hard work against overwhelming odds which remain far from his grasp. The frustration and anger over his helplessness echoed in Lee's voice as Gai looked deeper into his student's eyes.
I know Lee, this is a harsh fate for fools like us, who only have our nindo to live for. To give up on our dreams so easily, now that would be the harshest fate of all. I already gave you my word, and I'm not about to abandon them. Your fight is my fight, after all.
"Take the surgery Lee."
Upon the utterance of these words, Gai reminded Lee once again of the depth of his conviction. Gai reminded his student of the true significance of that silly Janken match. A promise holds considerable weight, and Gai imposed a great promise upon himself indeed.
"Ever since I met you, my nindo was to make you into a great ninja. That's a promise!"
Tears began to well up again in Lee's eyes. That was it right there. There wasn't really much of a choice to begin with. All he needed to do now was to step forward, guided by a sure and steady hand. Luck was also a skill after all, and he was willing to put his skills to the test.
To be continued.
Disclaimer: Naruto = not mine
Chapter 2
"150!" A dull thud resounds throughout the forest.
"151!" Splinters of wood crumble into dust, falling at the foot of a large and well-worn tree trunk.
"152! 153!... 154!" The rhythmic thud and count continues unabated as Lee finds himself in a familiar place. This is where it all started, and where it shall continue till he could prove to himself and everyone else of his nindo. Training this time around was getting increasingly hard. Some of his routines were so ingrained that it was second nature, almost like breathing. Trying to do them all on essentially half his body was a different matter. Lee's near perfect body mechanics and speed were reduced to a mere shadow of itself. Hook punch after backhand lacked the explosive power and fluid grace that could only come with balance and synchronization, a sheer ballet of the body. It frustrated Lee a bit, but he had to keep going.
"199!... 200!" Lee sunk to the ground for quick breather. He looked up at the brilliant sky and breathed in deep, taking in the fresh afternoon air. Squinting away from the sun's hot gaze, he thought back to Gai's words, still fresh in his memory. Lee looked over the left side of his body. Under the mass of torn flesh and fractured bone was that faint hope, placed upon the shoulders of his teacher, the one who had guided him this far along. With one final exhale, Lee carefully braced himself on his crutch to start yet again. "Alright, since I couldn't do 200 right-handed punches, I'll have to do 300 right-legged squats!"
Gai whistled through the trees with a quickened pace. The good-guy promise that he made to Lee would finally be fulfilled today. Gai tried everything in his power to speed along his recovery. He clutched the bag in his hand a little tighter, not wanting its precious contents to spill out. Lee certainly likes these things. It has to have an effect on his recovery, Gai thought, striding along the branches with deft ease.
Closing in on the training clearing, he decided to stop and observe the training of his student for a moment. Brushing aside a few leaves, Gai witnessed his student's famous determination. Left leg forward, right knee bending up and down, Lee strained under the beaming sun. Ah, just what I expected from my student. Sometimes he overdoes it a little... I better tell him the good news before he collapses. Gai leapt off of branch high above the ground.
"Yo, Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee, I have some good news for you. I hear that Tsunade-sama came in awhile ago. She's the medic-nin of the legendary three, so she has to be able to cure your wounds!"
Lee's eyes began to tear a bit. A smirk appeared upon his face, gradually evolving into a wide smile. Looking at Lee's face, Gai knew that this had to be the day. It just had to be... "Let's go, Lee."
Gai braced his student upon his shoulders and started walking toward the center of the village. "Oh yes, munch on these Spring of Youth regeneration dumplings. I know how much you like them, and it will give you strength for the long walk."
Lee still couldn't get over the nasty taste of the stuff, but after all, it did help his recovery... maybe. "Ossu!" he said as he reached into the bag, taking a big bite out of one of the disfigured dumplings. Hey... they're not too bad this time around Lee thought. Maybe Gai-sensei's cooking improved a little, or the excitement was getting to him. In any case, both of them couldn't wait for what was to come...
What did I hear just now? This can't be... this can't be at all...
The hallway seemed to stretch onto eternity, mirroring the fate that was bestowed upon him just a few moments ago. A wave of emotions flowed over in his being so deep and numerous that it melded together into a single anguish. Upon his face was a stare that cut through everything in its path, and focused on nothing. He had no idea where he was going, what he was thinking, what was to become of him. All hope had vanished, never to return. What would his life be like now? Would he actually be living in a state like this?
Never in his life had he lost his faith in what was to come next. He never needed to, for he never lost faith in the present. All the worries of the future were alleviated with the determination that he possessed right at the moment. And now that was gone. With nothing to fall back on anymore, he felt a loneliness that he never experienced before. With every step he took to leave that place, he felt his cruel fate bear down on him more and more, a feeling of helplessness overtaking him. After hearing those words from the new Hokage, all he knew was that he had to get as far away from that place as his body could take him, to somewhere familiar.
Unconsciously, Lee made his way to the place where it all began, the place where his ambition really took root. He hobbled his way to the bench overlooking the village, gingerly setting himself down. His breathing took a slower pace, and Lee tried to make sense of it all. Vacant stares into nothing gave way to melancholy ones, hinting at the pain of one who had lost everything with the will of mere words. The realization was slowly sinking in... I might not be able to reach my nindo anymore.
He shut his eyes fast and hard, trying to dam up the river of tears now flowing freely down his cheek. Releasing a heavy sigh into the night air, he leaned back and looked for reassurance in the moonlight above. So, this is the place where it all started. He remembered all those giggles that followed his failed attempts at ninjutsu. He remembered the long shadows on the ground as day gave way to night in the training grounds. Of all these memories, what hurt the most was the things that weren't there at all; no one that he could truly call a friend, no one to give him guidance, no one really to lean on when the world seemed too much to handle. Such lonely times, guess its only natural to think of them now...
That's right, this is where I met him too. Gai-sensei was the one who filled that void, gave him that voice which told him to hold fast to the way of life which he determined for himself. A sad smile crept upon his face as he thought back to the day when teams were introduced. Curiously, his thoughts also led to one of the many matches between Gai and his eternal rival Kakashi.
Janken... even for Gai-sensei it was a bit silly. It's still a wonder why he agreed to settle the score with that, and to subject himself to something like that after. At that moment, Lee felt a slight warmth and weight upon his shoulder. "I knew you would be here."
Gai greeted his student with a sparkling smile and wink. "How did you know I was here?" his student asked.
"I know everything about you." Lee responded with a smile, which quickly faded away. Gai looked upon his student with intense, warm eyes as Lee spoke. Lee recalled his first days as a genin and the ambition to override genius with hard work. Clenching his fists tight, Lee then spoke of the futility of hard work against overwhelming odds which remain far from his grasp. The frustration and anger over his helplessness echoed in Lee's voice as Gai looked deeper into his student's eyes.
I know Lee, this is a harsh fate for fools like us, who only have our nindo to live for. To give up on our dreams so easily, now that would be the harshest fate of all. I already gave you my word, and I'm not about to abandon them. Your fight is my fight, after all.
"Take the surgery Lee."
Upon the utterance of these words, Gai reminded Lee once again of the depth of his conviction. Gai reminded his student of the true significance of that silly Janken match. A promise holds considerable weight, and Gai imposed a great promise upon himself indeed.
"Ever since I met you, my nindo was to make you into a great ninja. That's a promise!"
Tears began to well up again in Lee's eyes. That was it right there. There wasn't really much of a choice to begin with. All he needed to do now was to step forward, guided by a sure and steady hand. Luck was also a skill after all, and he was willing to put his skills to the test.
To be continued.