Chap. 8

A Few Weeks after the Incident with Kiba

Rock Lee took a deep breath, and then plunged his gloved hand into the coals, fishing for the piece of iron. He had dropped it earlier, when he picked out the first piece. This piece had shifted to the heart of the fire, where it was hottest, but he hadn't dared to reach for it before now, because he was handling the first piece. "Ah!" His hand closed around it and he drew it from the coals. It was a bright cherry red, hotter than what he'd handled before. He carefully tapped a groove in the side, as he'd done so many times before, and set it in the hole, intending to snap it sideways and break off a piece for a nail. But when he jerked it to the side, instead of snapping off neatly, it bent and twisted before breaking off, leaving him with a useless piece of scrap iron in the hole and in his hand. "What?" He hadn't seen that coming.

"If you heat a metal too hot, it softens, so that bends instead of breaking."

Lee turned. Fandarel had come up behind him while he was working. "With many tasks this is a good thing. It lets you shape the metal as you please. But with this it's not good; it warps the iron so much that it's useless."

"Fandarel-san. I'm sorry; I've wasted more of your iron." Lee held out the pieces.

Fandarel took them. "Don't worry about it. Iron is relatively cheap, and the quality of ore needed for nails is actually less than what we've been using. If we re-smelt this we can use it again."

"Is that right? I am glad."

"Is something wrong, Lee?"

"Eh? No, of course not, Fandarel-san. It is just that…"

"Yes?"

"Well, it is not that I mind the work, but… I have been making so many nails that it is hard to imagine that they'll ever be used up. That is all I've been doing for the past few weeks."

"And you think that you should be able to move on to something else, right?"

"Well… yes."

"And you haven't been able to keep up you're training with all the work you've been doing for me. Work that you don't believe needs to be done."

"Yes…" Lee felt guilty now; he should have been more patient.

"I used to feel the same way. Nails are just so boring. Once you've learned how to make them, it takes almost no skill to do so in great numbers. And you can't really improve much. That's why the job of making nails goes to apprentices. You'd be surprised how many nails people use."

Lee hung his head. "But I ruined this piece, so I have not even figured nails out yet."

"You were right earlier though."

"Eh?"

"You should be able to move on. A mistake like that is to be expected, since I hadn't warned you beforehand. I know you well enough now to know that you'll take all of my advice and instructions to heart; and you'll try your absolute best to never make the same mistake twice. You may not be the most obviously talented student I've ever had, but you're by no means a disappointment." He leaned forward and placed his hand on Lee's head, ruffling his hair. "Never think that you're a disappointment to me. Only a truly poor and biased teacher would find you a disappointment. Now then." He took the iron pieces over to a smelting kiln and placed them inside. "I was thinking of starting you on something new, but I can see that there's something else you need more. That's training time. You've probably been practicing in the mornings and afternoons before and after I need you, right?"

"Yes, Fandarel-san, I have."

"Good. I'll give you the next few days off to catch back up on your training, and then we'll alternate days of smithing and training, alright?"

Lee perked up immediately. "Yes, Fandarel-san! That would be perfect!" Lee happily took off the gloves and forge apron and hung them up on a peg by the door. As he left he paused and looked back at the smith. "Fandarel-san, what did you mean 'we'?"

"From what you've told me, your combat teacher was skilled in hand-to-hand. I'm good with most weapons, but I'd like to learn some hand-to-hand combat myself, if you'll teach me." Lee had told Fandarel all about Gai and his training as a ninja.

Lee was shocked; Fandarel was his teacher, not the other way around. "I do not mind, Fandarel-san, but are you sure you want to learn from me? I am so much younger than you, it would be weird."

Fandarel just chuckled, "'In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.' Age is immaterial when one wants to improve oneself. Besides, I'm not that old."

"In that case, I would be honored to teach you some of what Gai-sensei taught me. It is a good way to repay you for teaching me, Fandarel-san."

"As I would be honored to learn it. I had heard that Miss Hinata was training with Kiba; you might want to join them."

"I will do that, Fandarel-san, thank you." He waved as he left.

A few minutes later he was at the gate. The captain of the guard told him how to get to where the goats were being grazed. He thanked him and departed. As soon as he was out of sight of the castle grounds, he took to the trees, moving swiftly towards the high meadows. The high meadows were actually a series of nooks and dips in the mountainous terrain, rare flat spots and ledges where the soil was cupped steadily, and grass grew in abundance. They were connected by rocky trails, and the last one in the chain ran right into dense jungle. That was where Lee headed. When he arrived he saw Eda Bell shooing goats away from the jungle, herding them together. He jumped to the tree where Onyx had lain a few weeks before, and from there to the ground a few feet from Eda. "Eda-san, where are Kiba-kun and Hinata-san?"

She tapped a goat on the flank with her staff to stop it from wandering. "Kiba and that dog of his are off exploring. Lady Dove has asked Miss Hinata to stay at the castle today while she went to one of the coastal villages, why? Did you need them for something?"

"Oh, no, not really, I was going to do some training with them, but they seem to be busy, so I can train by myself."

"All right. Just stay away from my goats."

"Of course, Eda-san."

Lee went to one of the other high meadows and began training by doing a series of basic exercises, but with lots of repetitions.

Hours later, Lee decided to take a short break and see if Kiba had returned. He went back to the high meadow where Eda Bell was. "Eda-san, are Kiba-kun and Akamaru back yet?"

"Nope. You probably won't see them until it's time to return to the castle. But if you follow the main road westward, you should get to the village where Lady Dove is. I'm sure she'd be happy to have an escort on the way back."

"Oh, I see Eda-san. Thank you, I will go to see Lady Dove-sama." He bowed slightly to her, and then left. He ran off to the road and began making his way quickly towards the coast.

He was still a good five minutes from the village when he saw a young boy running towards him. He stopped, and waited to see what the boy wanted. The boy ran up to him, his breathing ragged, and his eyes wide in panic. He was a Raka boy, about eight years old, with dirty, torn clothing and no shoes.

"What is wrong? What happened?" Lee asked the boy.

"Pirates… Pirates attacked the village! The grown-ups are fighting them, but they're losing! I managed to get away, and the headman said to go to the castle and get help! The pirates… the pirates have captured the Lady, they've stolen our hope!"

"Lady Dove-sama was captured?" Lee was appalled. During the time he'd been on the island, he'd come to realize that the Raka people regarded Lady Dove with an admiration and love that bordered on worship. They thought of her as their only chance to ever be free of the Luarin's reign. He thought quickly, he couldn't chance the pirates killing her or harming her in any way. The island wasn't large, but it would still take a good twenty minutes for the others to reach the village, time they didn't have. He made up his mind. "Keep going to the castle, and when you get there, tell Lady Dove-sama's clerk, Shikamaru what happened. Or, if you cannot find him, tell the Fletcher's assistant Neji. They will know what to do."

"But what about the Lady?"

"Do not worry, I will rescue her!" Lee struck the 'nice guy' pose to reassure the boy, who just stared at him blankly. "Now go!"

The boy took off, running as fast as he could. Lee turned and began running at top speed towards the village, where he could now see smoke rising. When he got there, he saw the unwounded villagers helping those who were hurt, or trying to put out fires, or clearing away debris. He approached an older man leaning heavily on a walking stick.

"What happened to Lady Dove-sama? Where are the pirates?"

"They left along the coast as soon as they realized that young Wayan got away. We weren't able to stop them." He looked directly at Lee. "They have the Lady."

"Where did they go? Maybe I can catch them before their ship gets out to sea."

"That way." The headman pointed down the coast, and Lee took off.

Half a minute later he stood on a rock facing the sea, looking towards where the Pirates' ship was heading for the horizon. He was too late. He was still standing like that several minutes later, when Onyx dropped out of a tree behind him.

"What's the matter?"

"I was too late. I have lost Lady Dove-sama, and there's no way for me to catch up to them now, I can hardly see their ship anymore." He thought to himself despairingly, if I could mold chakra like the others, I could have run on top of the water to catch them. But I cannot, and I cannot swim fast enough to catch them either.

"We'll just have to remedy that, now won't we?" Onyx came up beside him.

"What? How?"

"Like this." Onyx crouched, and then hunched his back up as huge, leathery, bat-like wings sprouted from just behind his shoulders. He shook himself, and then looked at Lee, who was staring at him, open-mouthed. "On my back, little brother. I am not the swiftest flier, but surely it is faster than swimming."

Lee recovered himself. "Go, Onyx-san!"

He hopped onto Onyx's back, just behind the wings, and held onto his shoulders as he jumped into the air. Onyx immediately began beating the air with his wings as he rose higher and higher before setting out to sea. Without delay he began chasing after the pirate ship.

He'd been flying as fast as he could for a good while without gaining on the pirate ship at all when Lee said, "We are not catching up, they are actually increasing their lead! At this rate they will be out of sight in a few minutes."

"Not to worry." Onyx replied. "I've got a good idea of where they're going. We'll catch them about half an hour after they make port at Jerykun Island."

"How do you know they will be there?"

"The island has been controlled by pirates for a few generations now. While it's technically part of the Copper Isles, the old Fortress there is a major pirate stronghold now. Besides which, we've been going in that direction for a the last half hour."

"Oh. What will we do when we get there? I do not know anything about the place."

"Good question. I can't carry both you and the Lady. Even if I was strong enough, I don't have enough room on my back. So once I drop you off at the fortress, I'll go get help."

"Wait, why the fortress? Why not drop me off at the ship?"

"The pirates will most likely go immediately to the fortress as the most defensible place, as well as the most comfortable. I doubt that they know we are coming, but they will almost certainly wish to celebrate their seeming victory, and the capture of Lady Dove. The fortress is the best place to do so."

"Oh."

"I will drop you off inside the fortress. It will be your duty to retrieve Lady Dove and protect her until such time as I arrive with a way to leave the island. I would suggest moving stealthily until you know the exact situation there, and then acting."

"Right. I know what to do. We should get there as soon as we can."

A few hours later, they spotted the island of Jerykun on the horizon. Onyx flapped harder and rose higher as he sped up. By the time they had reached the island, they were a mere speck in the sky. Onyx dropped lower, until, from the ground, he looked like a largish hawk. He began circling the fortress, looking for a place to land without being seen. It was surprisingly easy. He spotted an open area on the roof of the fortress' main building with no guards nearby. "Hold on, I'm going to dive." He warned Lee, who wrapped his arms around Onyx's neck.

Onyx immediately went into a steep dive, plummeting towards the earth like a falcon after a rabbit. He back winged at the last second, cupping the air with his wings, and setting down as lightly as any finch. Lee slid off and hid behind a part of the stone wall that surrounded the roof. Onyx took off again, moving fast enough that no one would recognize him for what he was.

Lee watched him go, and then carefully entered the fortress through the roof entrance. He flickered from place to place, searching for Lady Dove and the pirates who had taken her captive. As he got to the lower levels, he heard some noise and went to investigate. He reached a large open area, with a high, vaulted ceiling. He stood on the square stone balcony about two levels up, looking down on the main floor, where the pirates were crowded in a large ring around two people. Lee looked closer.

One of the two was a large, burly man with his tawdry Raka sarong kilted up between his legs, and an old shirt, yellowed with age and wear. He was probably the captain of this pirate crew. The other was unmistakably Dovasaraiyu Balitang. She wore a pale blue blouse and a divided skirt of a slightly darker blue, which displayed her white under-gown. She was a bit mussed, but otherwise looked fine. Lee heaved an inward sigh of relief. Then he began listening to what was said by those below.

"So, milady, you're pretty popular with those Raka dogs, now aren't ya?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business, sir." Lady Dove spoke with dignity.

"Aw, now don' be like that milady, an after we brought you to such a splendid place too!" As the fortress was neither well decorated nor especially clean, the joke was obvious.

"I have a castle of my own, thank you very much, and I would like to return to it, if you please." She replied tartly, not at all amused.

"An' what if I don' please?"

"Then I shall endeavor to return anyway." Lady Dove seemed to be making an effort to speak especially well, as if to make up for the pirate's poor speech.

"Well, now, milady, I can' be havin' that. If'n you try anythin', I'll be havin' to stop ya."

"I should like to see you try."

"Oh, a feisty one, eh? I wanted to keep ya around for longer, no matter what their Highnesses said. We don't get noble company all that often, and it's a fair change, I'll tell ya." He sighed.

"I'm sure it is, but I expect a captain, even a pirate captain, to have enough honor to give a prisoner a chance. If you will not let me go freely, I am willing to fight for that freedom." She looked at him evenly. Lee had to admire her courage and her cool head, even if it was a dangerous idea. He wouldn't interfere unless it became necessary.

"Ah, well. Never let it be said that I di'nt give ya a fightin' chance. Pick you weapon, milady. If you c'n beat all of us in one-on-one, I'll let ya go."

She cocked an eyebrow at him skeptically, but didn't speak her doubts aloud. "I choose swords. Who is to be my first opponent?"

"Why, I am a'course."

"Then give me my sword, and let us begin."

The other pirates backed up a bit as she took a saber from one of them. She set herself, right foot forward, left foot back, left hand tucked behind her back, out of the way. The pirate captain drew a cutlass and grinned at her, then charged. Then they began a surprisingly intricate fight. The captain was a battle veteran, and certainly knew what he was doing, while Lady Dove was surprisingly skilled with a sword, showing the signs of frequent fencing practice. After about five minutes in which neither gained an advantage, the captain backed off after a lunge only to trip over an uneven flagstone.

The Lady followed up on the advantage, only to find her sword knocked out of her hand by a crew member. "What are you doing? This was supposed to be a fair fight!"

The captain grinned as he stood up. "Fair? We're pirates milady, don' expect us to play fair."

Another crewmember struck her over the back of the head with a spar. She swayed in place, and then dropped to her knees. The captain lifted his sword to deal the final blow.

"Konoha Senpuu!" The captain's head snapped back as his jaw broke audibly, struck upward with incredible force by a hard sole of a shoe. Lady Dove, conscious, but unable to move on her own and with her eyes barely open, saw the back of Rock Lee, who stood straight-backed, one had tucked behind his back, one before him, flat palmed and facing up. He looked behind and saw her, thinking that she was unconscious.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR CAPTAIN?" The pirates yelled

Crouching, he pulled the weights from his ankle-warmers and held them out at arms' length to his sides, with his head lowered. "You were willing to interfere with the duel between your captain and Lady Dove-sama. You kidnapped the only hope of the Raka people, and when she was not as defenseless as she seemed, you cheated. I…" He released the weights, which, with a deafening crash, left two holes in the floor. Holes too deep for their bottoms to be seen. He looked up. "…am angry."

"Raaaaaaagh!!" The pirates charged.

"Konoha Senpuu!"

After a rather one-sided fight, in which the entirety of those who attacked were beaten, the pirates who had hung back, which was the vast majority, hesitated before attacking again. Lee took this opportunity to pick up Lady Dove and head for the door at a run. The sight of their quarry escaping spurred them on, and with his hands full, Lee had to fight using only his feet, which made it much harder.

He managed to get through the door and out to the courtyard, where there were even more pirates waiting. Lee fought his way through them, and headed towards the one clear area, which was near the huge gate to the fortress. Made of whole oak trunks, it was heavy and solid. Made so that it swung up and out when pushed, it was so massive that it took a good twenty men to open it enough for a cart to go through. That was why the pirates didn't bother defending it, instead focusing on the smaller gates in the other walls.

Lee fought his way through to the open ground, and, once he gained a little breathing room, lifted Lady Dove to his back, so he could use his hands. The pirates realized what he was doing as he ran towards the gate. Inaudible because of the sounds of the battle, there was the faint twang of a bowstring, and then an arrow struck Lee in the side from behind, sticking clear through to the front. He staggered, then continued on towards the gate, knocking aside the few pirates who got in his way. The rest of the pirates stopped advancing and stared, clearly not believing what he was doing. He had an arrow in his side, a woman on his back, and he had been fighting them all the way. They didn't even try to stop him when he reached the gate, slamming both hands and his forehead against it.

For a second nothing happened, and then, slowly, a millimeter at a time, the gate moved. The pirates just gaped as the seemingly immovable gate…moved. Lee pushed harder with his hands, leaning forward, and the gate lifted from the ground as his head lost contact with it. Slowly, the gate rose, and as the pirates stared, Lee walked under it, lifting it above his head, and then, when he had passed, let it drop. It fell back into place so quickly that none of the pirates even had a chance to blink before their view was cut off.

Lee staggered, and then started to walk in the general direction of the harbor when two shadows swept over him. Onyx swooped down to land in front of him, and the other creature landed as well, though it seemed larger to Lee's fuzzy vision. "You've done well, Lee. Set the Lady down, Sequiro will carry her from now on." Lee did so, upon which she really did pass out, and then slid to his knees. Onyx took her gently and, rising onto his hind legs, set her on the back of what Lee could now tell was a horse. A large, black horse with a golden mane and tail. And black-feathered wings with gold undersides and pinions.

Wings? Thought Lee. "What is this… a horse?"

Onyx didn't answer right away, instead lifting Lee carefully to his back, avoiding the arrow which still stuck through his side. He and the horse… Sequiro, Onyx-san said his name is Sequiro… Onyx and Sequiro took off, taking care not to jostle their burdens.

When they were far out of sight of the fortress and the island, Onyx replied. "Sequiro is the First Stallion among the Flying Horses, the Kudarung."

Much Later

When Lee awoke, it was in the infirmary at Tanair Castle. He no longer had an arrow in his side, and it was all bandaged up. He heard a noise at the door and turned his head to look. Naruto popped his head in and looked around cautiously, and then came in. "Naruto-kun?" Lee said, wondering why he was here.

"Hey there, Fuzzy-Eyebrows. Looks like you're awake finally." Naruto grinned.

"Finally? What happened? How long was I asleep?"

"You've been out for two days. You brought Lady Dove-sama back, and she was riding this flying horse, it was so cool! And you were on Onyx-san's back, and we thought you were dead, because of the arrow in you, but the doctor said you were fine, you'd just passed out because of blood loss. And then Lady Dove-sama woke up and told us most of what happened, and Onyx told us what happened after he picked you up. You're amazing, Fuzzy-Eyebrows!" Naruto was getting back up to his normal volume, which is to say, really loud.

"Hey, you! Kitchen boy! Get out of here, you're too loud!" Lokeij came into the room, waving a book he had been reading in his office. He chased Naruto out of the infirmary, and then turned to Lee, grinning. "You've got some good friends there, boy. That one or one of the other new kids has been up here almost every hour for the past two days, bugging me to let them stay in here with you. I always chase 'em out though, they've work of their own to do, and since you were out cold, there wasn't a reason for them to be here." He looked at Lee for a minute, then said, "You'd best go back to sleep. Sleep is the best healer now."

Lee nodded, then smiled and closed his eyes.

Notes: This is Lee's chapter, since he's the 'Strong One'. Also, you may have been wondering about why none of the Copper Islanders use honorifics. It's because in the Trickster's Choice series, none of them do. Ed and Al are the same way, since Amestris is based on Germany. However, the people from worlds based on Japan still use them. Also, Lee calls Fandarel '-san' versus '-sensei' because his real teacher is Gai; he's really just Fandarel's assistant, not his student.

Notes: When Lee pushes up the massive gate, that's a reference to Princess Mononoke, in which pretty much the same thing happens. It is UBER-COOL!!

Notes: The reason Lee doesn't have any contractions such as 'isn't' or 'we've' in his speech is because I found out that the way he talks would translate without contractions. It makes it a bit more awkward to write, but it's more accurate.