By RequiemofDementia
Chapter Eleven: Feng Hua
Rock Lee's eyes met Gai sensei's, as he stood before him, once again on two feet. "Gai-sensei!"
"Lee-san!" Gai yelled back, and the two raced together. The world around them no longer existed. The two embraced, standing on a beach, a powerful wave slamming against the rocks, water spraying into the air.
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee-san!"
"I don't want to watch this," Riki said softly, as he turned away and stepped out of the room.
Tears streamed down Rock Lee's face as he and Gai embraced powerfully. His arms and legs were strong again. He could again prepare to prove that hard work can beat genius.
"How did she do it?" Tsunade asked softly. Even her own, incredibly powerful healing prowess had not been enough to assure healing Rock Lee's injuries.
"As I said, Hokage-sama, the Hitomi have a connection to animals, and a genius has a connection to legendary beasts." Shinzui spoke calmly, as he addressed Tsunade.
"Yes? Is there a point, Shinzui?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I had thought that Airen's connection had been to some kind of bird. I was only half right. Her connection is to the Feng Hua."
Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. The Feng Hua was a legendary beast indeed. The tale told of a general who had died defending his town, his body engulfed in flames. And from those flames came the Feng Hua, a blazing spirit of uncontainable life.
"So, Airen is actually a genius?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. Perhaps even more so then myself."
Rock Lee stood by a large, round pole, with a great many tiny pegs poking from it. And his body flowed smoothly, his prowess at taijutsu unmatched by any other Genin, hands and feet meeting the pegs in quick succession. Although everyone had planned a party to celebrate Rock Lee's good health, he had chosen this.
All of those who knew Rock Lee were present. Most did not share his enthusiasm at beating wood senseless, but Riki seemed more then willing, his bare fist slamming against another large, wooden pole over and over again.
Airen sat, surrounded by the other people that had been present. They were all still asking questions, questions that Airen did not have the answer for. She did not know how she had been able to do it, only that she had.
"The Hyuuga are going to try something when they hear this, aren't they?"
"It seems likely, Hokage-sama. One Hitomi genius is bad for them, but two is a target that they cannot leave." Shinzui's voice was soft, and full of concern for his sister.
"You cannot be their sensei again, Shinzui. Technically, you are still a Genin." He simply nodded in reply. "We need them protected, however. When Anko returns tonight, she will be appointed as their sensei, at least temporarily."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."
To say that Rock Lee was excited would be like saying the sun was kind of warm. Since he had been healed (and finally let go of Gai) he had been bouncing around like a rubber ball, always in motion, and always those teeth were sparking, his smile not leaving his face.
Airen had honestly lost count of the number of times that he had thanked her. It was somewhere over two dozen, by now.
Even Neji had come, and smiled a little. As much as Rock Lee was his rival, he was glad that he was well again. It had been kind of boring without him. The real reason that Neji was here, however, was to keep an eye on the Hitomi girl. And that he could do very well, and very discretely.
He was so focused on being discrete, however, he did not notice what was happening a short distance from the party.
"Thank you, Chie-kun, it is very nice." The flower that Hinata held was purely paper, but folded so skillfully, with different colored papers, that it could be mistaken for real. The two timid ninja stood across from each other, both blushing softly.
Author's notes.
The Feng Hua, or Feng Huang, is an ancient oriental myth. A general died defending his town from barbarians. The Barbarians set the town on fire, and the generals body was engulfed. He exploded in flame, and became a powerful, fiery bird. The Feng Huang, or Feng Hua, was the original phoenix. Neat, huh?
And, more on Chie! His obsession with origami, his obsession with Hinata, more coming for everyone. Enjoy.