[OPEN]

[awokentospring]

Who: Rock Lee and anyone who wants to visit him!
When: April 9th (backdated)
Where: Konohagakure Hospital
Notes: After getting heavily injured during a mission a few days before, Lee is finally awake and allowed visitors. He's feeling a little down, mostly because it was his fault things wound up this way.

His chest was wrapped with bandages but the worst of his injuries were hidden under his hospital gown. However, that didn't mean Rock Lee was unaware of his blunder. He had pushed himself too far and this was the result.

Rubbing his forehead, Lee slowly eased himself back against the raised bed. Neji and Tenten were safe, mostly fine. Alive. That was what mattered. It really mattered. And it did! But...

Lee closed his eyes, feeling resigned. He had failed, and that mattered too, to Lee if not to anyone else. He was going to need to fix that.

Comments

[noboatbigenough]

Questions about the ninja who'd seen him in the girl's--Tenten's--body had brought him here. Kisame had debated investigating at all. Injured on a mission; that was too bad. However, a little sympathy couldn't hurt the diplomacy of the mission, and maybe Kisame could learn more about the mind-transfer situation, and anything Konoha might have gleaned.

Getting in wasn't easy, but Kisame wasn't deterred, and when he found the right room, paused just outside the door politely. There he waited patiently for Lee's attention. Had the injuries decreased his vigilance?

[awokentospring]

Lee heard footsteps outside his room. That wasn't unusual, given this was a hospital wing within a shinobi village. Visitors, doctors, and nurses were always coming and going. But the presence hesitated outside his door just a tad longer than usual and Lee looked up, curious.

"Come in. I am awake."

Lee almost immediately regretted speaking up. If it was Neji outside that door, or even Tenten...

[noboatbigenough]

At the invitation Kisame stepped just inside, looking Lee over with an assessing look. Nothing crippling that the could see, though he knew very well that apparently crippling injuries didn't mean they really were, so a full recovery was likely. With that in mind, he bowed his head a little in greeting.

"Shame. Here I was thinking about a spar. Next time then, Lee-kun."

Kisame wondered if Lee would put it together and figure out who he was. It would be interesting either way, and he did bring a get-well gift, of a sort. In short order two small objects were tossed at Lee. Both turned out to be rolls of bandages thin enough to be wrapped around the knuckles for training, but instead of plain white, they had small repeated seals done intricately on them.

[awokentospring]

The person who stepped into the room was far removed from anyone Lee expected. His eyes squinted in the pale electric lighting.

"Uhh...." Lee blinked a few times. He couldn't place the face of this person in front of him, nor their voice. Who was this person?

Lee still had the reflexes to grab the presents lobbed at him, even if they pulled at his bandages in a slightly discomforting way. Lee blinked down, all the more perplexed.

"Th-thank you, sir, but I must confess, I am not sure why you are visiting me or... or even who you are. Sir."

[noboatbigenough]

“That’s forgivable. I was trapped in the body of your teammate at the time, after all. Hoshigaki Kisame of Kirigakure. Now you’ll know me if we meet again, eh?”

Kisame looked Lee over again, taking in the way he moved in addition to the signs of medical care. It had definitely been more serious than many injuries, but Lee had survived, and that said quite a bit about the younger ninja.

“Shame about this. I was going to see if you wanted a spar, since I’m visiting. We’ll have to do it another time if you’re interested.”

[heavenly_earth]

Word of Lee's recovery hit him in a crippling blow of relief. For a moment, Neji allowed himself weakness, to sink to his knees and stare at the floor of his apartment with unseeing eyes as the reminder ran like a manta through his mind.

He'll make a full recovery.

The breath rushed from his lungs, shoulders sagged our from underneath the weight of responsibility. It didn't make his own failures any less glaring, but it was enough right then that Lee wouldn't have to pay dearly for them. There was so much he needed to make up for. Fortifying himself with a nod, Neji straightened and looked out across the village through monochrome vision, seeking out the hospital, then the warped (if slightly better) chakra system there.

Lee lay awake, looking far from his usual chipper self, but he was alive.

It was only the work of a few minutes to get to the hospital and up to Lee's room, though he lingered at the door a moment before giving a polite knock and pushing his way in. Up close, he could see things the Byakugan didn't, the not quite healthy pallor of Lee's skin.

But even with guilt clawing up his throat, Neji still managed a faint smile and settled at his teammate's bedside.

"You're looking much better than I'd dared to hope when we brought you here."

[awokentospring]

Lee heard the knock and didn't have the chance to invite them in before his visitor walked through the door. Neji. He didn't want to see Neji right now, but he knew he shouldn't feel so bitter.

He shouldn't but...

Lee glanced over at Neji, remaining against his pillow when his teammate sat. He didn't have the strength to sit up just yet.

He groaned, turning his eyes away. "... You do not have to remind me."

[heavenly_earth]

Lee looked far from happy to see him, but Neji ignored the stab of hurt twisting in his chest. There was a reason they were here, after all.

"I'm endlessly grateful for your recovery, regardless. Tenten and I almost weren't sure we'd make it back to Konoha in time.." Neji's fingers twined together and he stared resolutely forward and away from the imaginary blood on his hands. So long as it wasn't his teammate's lifeblood drying underneath his fingernails, he'd survive. They all would.

"..Is there anything you need?"

[awokentospring]

Lee reached up a hand, rubbing his chest gently. Under his fingertips, beyond the hospital gown were thick bandages over his wounds. It would still be a few days before he was even allowed to get some exercise and that was painful in its own way.

"Not really, just maybe..." Lee glanced back up to Neji, blinking earnestly. "Some answers would be nice."

[withfocus]

Shinobi life was dangerous, but Naoki was still a little sad to learn Rock Lee was in the hospital. Sparring was out of the question but he could still stop by to keep him company and talk with him. Naoki brought some apples with him, and knocked quietly on the door before he let himself in.

"Hello, Lee-san." It was probably a mission, so no questions about what happened, and since Lee was in the hospital there was no point asking how he was.

[awokentospring]

A shinobi Lee had been on loose friendship terms visited him that day, and Lee would be the first to admit it was a surprise visit. The tattooed shinobi was not native to Konoha, so to receive him as a visitor had never crossed Lee's mind.

It was a little embarrassing to have a foreign friend have to come to the hospital to see him, especially since they both knew each other to be tough competitors. Of course, it wasn't like this was the first time Naoki had seen Lee injured, either.

"Hello, Naoki-san, what a pleasant surprise to see you here!" Lee felt a little more chipper now. He had gotten some of his feelings out with his closer friends so he could lighten up around those he was a little less familiar with. "I am sorry I could not be in a more welcoming state for your visit."

[withfocus]

He nodded and brought over the apples to set them beside Lee's bed.. "It's fine. I'm in Konoha on a diplomatic mission. I've had enough welcoming to last a while." Aside from a couple diplomatic blunders Naoki was entirely sure Kisame could have avoided if he wanted to. Fugaku had welcomed them, but it was one of the least welcoming welcomes he had received.

"Are you getting out soon?" Naoki hoped Lee would be out before he had to leave, even if he wasn't at full strength. Konoha's hospital was... odd. That was the best word for it. It seemed much less serious and sinister than the hospital in Kiri, but not exactly comforting either.

[awokentospring]

Lee smiled at the apples, happy for a treat to have soon. Hospital food was always so-so. Something fresh would be good for him. He just wondered if his nurse would let him have a knife to peel off the skin.

"As long as I am not distracting you from your work, I am glad to have a visitor," Lee responded. Naoki was, in his opinion, a good diplomat to send between countries with already a good relationship. He was a kind and energetic young man. The perfect face one want to represent their village.

"Ah, I am not sure. I hope so." But he doubted it. He wasn't restrained by leg injuries this time, but that kunai had nearly hit two vital organs. Lee was lucky to be alive. "How long will you be visiting our village?"

/s-sobs

[tenten_san]

At the first notice, she had rushed straight over to the hospital, her every waking moment since returning from that disaster of a failed mission ever on Rock Lee's state of health and recovery. Because it had been her fault, he was there. Because it had been all of their faults. This was the consequence of their failure. That Lee was made to suffer for it...

Tenten would have never been able to forgive herself, if he had remained trapped in sleep forever. Or Neji.

Not bothering to knock (they were far past such formalities and courtesies by this point, no matter how much Neji clung to his Hyuuga propriety), the kunoichi slid open the door to his hospital room. And stopped short of barging inside. As much as she wanted to rush in and confirm that, yes, indeed, he would survive this latest setback, fear and some deep-rooted emotion stalled her advance. Because now, more than ever, a shinobi was at his most vulnerable.

And in that moment of pause, she was allowed to observe him as he seemed to drown in his own nightmares; to see the gears churn in his mind and watch as his thoughts morphed down familiar streams.

She knew that look in his face. For anyone else, it was hope and encouragement. It meant improvement and becoming the best that you could be. But for Rock Lee, it meant something dangerous.

"Don't even think about it."

;w;

[awokentospring]

Her voice was the first indication that he was being watched, and Lee blinked, turning a surprised gaze to face her. Then he pouted, sighing.

"... It is just so boring waiting to get better." And even though he definite had been thinking about training, he had at least been logical enough to not try it. He could feel his bandages pull against his wounds with every breath. How could he possibly even do anything without ripping them open again?

/cl-clings to

[tenten_san]

In the end, she could not fault him for that. In reality, everyone either of them knew would have agreed. There was very little else to do during recovery than review the events of your last mission and highlighting your mistakes. On more than a handful of occasions, she found herself spiraling deeper and deeper into the recesses of her mind for long hour stretches in between sleep, check-ups, and visitors. And her mind was less prone to jump towards wild conclusions.

Brows furrowed and lips pressed firmly together at the thought, Tenten finally stepped inside, approaching his bed. "I'll try to remember to bring a book, next time."

/holds

[awokentospring]

"A book," Lee groaned, almost happier to watch the paint dry. But he shifted and turned, his voice speculative. "Maybe if it is a new cook book that would be nice..."

He did like some adventure stories, but lately he had lost a taste for them. Perhaps because the heroes were always great shinobi with special bloodlines and abilities that gave them an edge. Lee couldn't relate to them.

"... What have you been up to since I got here?"

[notveryspecial]

Rock Lee wasn't among those she considered a friend. Though she knew him and they had trained together before, there had simply never been the kind of opportunities presented for him to be considered her friend. Some of that was intentional, as she made effort to avoid encountering his legendarily loud sensei, and some was simply unavoidable due to their differing missions.

Still, she had heard that he was hospitalized, and given that she had free time, it seemed appropriate to at least visit him. She waited until mid-afternoon to arrive, presuming it the most likely time for him to be awake and free of other visitors.

With a knock on the door and a small vase holding a trio of daffodils (chosen with help from Ino) she peeked into the room. "Is it alright to come in?"

[awokentospring]

Lee had been coerced through a promise with Tenten to stay in bed as the doctors ordered this time around, and little else would keep him there. But there he was, and with little to do but stare out the window wishing he could be practicing his push-ups on the front lawn. Or running through the hedges. Or doing anything that wasn't just sitting in bed.

But a visitor's knock woke him from his boredom and Lee brightened, expecting a nurse and finding someone a lot more pleasant. "Ah, Sakura-san, please come on in! I did not expect a visit from you so I am quite pleasantly surprised!"

[notveryspecial]

She had been injured just a month ago, and in the time it had taken to heal up, she'd been strictly regulated away from most of her usual training methods. Being off active duty and also forced to rest and heal had been difficult. In that, she could sympathize with Lee's frustration and boredom.

She offered a small smile at his cheerful greeting, and made her way into the room, detouring over to one of the small tables to place the flowers before she actually approached him. "It would have been rude not to..." Even if they weren't friends, people usually wanted visitors when they were hospitalized, didn't they? At least if they were people they knew, anyway.

She pulled one of the chairs in the room closer to the bed, so that she could speak to him without hovering over his bedside quite so closely. "Will you be here for long?"

[awokentospring]

"Not at all," Lee reassured her, though he as certainly up for company. She was certainly easy on the eyes, and being that they weren't too familiar made it almost easier on him to have her as his visitor. His team... things weren't looking too good on that front.

"They say it could be a couple days to a couple weeks, it depends on the recovery speed of my body and if I behave," Lee said, his lips pouting. Behave usually meant remaining bored, but it was something he could do. Tenten had coerced a promise from him on that front.

"I hope your training has gone well. Been doing anything exciting lately?"

[thebestuchiha]

He'd heard, it would have been impossible not to given Gai's reaction to the news that one of his students was hurt, even if he hadn't found out through more official channels, so he decided to swing by, peeking through the door. "Hey there."

[awokentospring]

Of all the faces to come through that door, out of all the surprises, the visage of the Hokage was perhaps the most surprising.

"Hokage-sama!" Lee stammered, trying to straighten up in a hurry and finding his bandages pulling painfully at his wounds in his haste. Wincing, Lee attempted to cover it up with a grin. "Th-thank you for taking the time out to see me, Hokage-sama."

[thebestuchiha]

"Hey now! Don't go hurting yourself just because of me!" He quickly hurried over, any hesitance forgotten in his attempts to wave the youth back down into his bed properly. "None of that. I'm here in a totally unofficial capacity, promise. Gai's been beside himself."

[awokentospring]

Lee flushed warmly but sank back down as he was told. It felt odd; he felt compelled to be respectful and at attention when the Hokage was present. This kind of informality was awkward for him.

But the mention of Gai sent all awkwardness out the window and Lee rubbed his face with his hands. "Gai-sensei... He must be very upset with me."

Just like Neji and Tenten were. It gave him such a sick feeling in his stomach. "... Hokage-sama, may I ask you a question?"