Failing Power of Youth chapter 4
Chapter 4- New Tasks
Lee was awoken to a bright morning by what sounded like a scuffle outside the door. People seemed to be arguing outside as Lee struggled back to wakefulness. What was going on....?
Suddenly, the door burst open and Gai burst in, nearly taking the door off its hinges in the process. Lee blinked in surprise as Gai flew through the air, somehow managing to pull off a dramatic pose in the process, which turned to a startled one as he flew halfway out of the window in the process.
'Sir!' Lee exclaimed as Gai seemingly flew out of the window, before a hand groped through the gap and Gai pulled himself up, somehow managing to trip over as he gained his feet, before quickly getting back up and giving one of his famous smiles, which seemed to be a bit distracted as he was still trying to pull one of his legs back through the window.
Nurses and doctors were crossly spilling through the door that Gai had so dramatically entered through, no doubt annoyed by his wake-up call of one of their most crucial patients.
Seeing that everything appeared to be alright, and that Gai seemingly wasn't about to throw himself through the window again in the name of overly-dramatic entrances, they quietly retreated, by which point Gai had managed to pull himself through and assume one of his famed dramatic poses.
'Lee, my splendid student!' Gai boomed, showing none of the sadness which seemed to so affect him after Lee's injuries. Lee was happy about that. He didn't want others to feel bad about his suffering-he didn't want to cause others pain at all.
Gai went on; 'just because you have been hurt doesn't mean you cannot train! Let us go to the Leaf Restaurant, to consume many sour dumplings!'
To anyone observing this slightly madcap conversation it would seem that fire had been lit behind Lee's eyes. No sooner had the words left Gai's mouth than Lee was scrambling out of bed, all thoughts of pain and doubt instantly dispelled-at least for a while.
Inwardly, Gai smiled. It was good to see some of his student's old fire back, just as he had hoped it would return when he was pondering ways to at least raise Lee's spirit a bit.
Lee reached for his crutch without any hesistation. Gai grinned and pointed his finger dramatically towards the restaurant out the window.
'To the training!'
***
Lee breathed in and out slowly to calm himself before facing the challenge ahead.
He was almost literally facing a mountain.
He braced himself, before diving into to the mountain of sour dumplings, wolfng them down as fast he could. Gai watched quietly, smiling to himself; they may not be real 'Dumplings of Rejuvenation', but it was good for his student to eat something other than hospital food for a while.
His smile faded as he realised it would soon be time for his splendid student to return to the hospital. There to be endlessly checked and prodded and tested, all the time reminded that he could never be a ninja again....
Gai smiled again, faintly, as he watched his student wolf down the last of the dumplings. Maybe he couldn't help Lee get better, but he could help him with whatever path he chose to took now that he...could fight no more.
Because he knew Lee would never give up.
Lee looked up at Gai, his eyes shining in a way that Gai had seen so rarely recently.
'I completed the task, Gai-sensei!'
Gai smiled back at his student. 'Yes you did, Lee. Yes you did'.