awokentospring: (a disappointment)
Rock Lee (ロック・リー) [via Cager] ([personal profile] awokentospring) wrote in [community profile] sunshineverse2015-04-23 11:41 pm

[OPEN]

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.
heavenly_earth: (Anime; Rock)

[personal profile] heavenly_earth 2015-04-25 04:15 pm (UTC)(link)
His jaw tensed, just managing to keep from flinching away from the accusation. It was true, no matter how much he had tried. Neji breathed a steady breath, shrugging.

"You don't want to follow me here, Lee. Focus on Jounin if you like, but don't set your sights on the shadows. This isn't a race, and we're not children any longer. Rank isn't half important as we're led to believe, and my ambition nearly cost you your life. There are times that I wish I was nothing more than Chuunin. I could've spent more time with the two of you, but now there's a rift I'm not sure I can mend."
heavenly_earth: (Anime; Movie; Mad)

[personal profile] heavenly_earth 2015-04-25 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
Neji held the gaze with an icy stare of his own, unnaturally still in the face of Lee's fury.

I'm team leader, I was supposed to protect you. He bit his tongue on those words, knew they were fruitless where Lee didn't want to hear it, and they both knew it was the truth, however much Lee might not like it. And there was no need to confirm that his promotions came very quickly after Chuunin, much as he begrudged Lee the point.

He could see it, the tight lines of tension in Lee's frame, was highly aware of the consequences of having that anger and strength thrown at him. In combination with those reflexes, he wasn't entirely confident he could stop or evade in time from this distance.

How much longer could their team hold together like this? It seemed to be breaking right in front of his eyes, and all because of his promotion to ANBU. He'd suspected there would be problems with the secrecy, but Lee was taking it much harder than he'd anticipated, and compounded by Tenten's own righteous anger..

"You don't know what you're asking for, Lee. Do you really think this is all because you can't use ninjutsu? You've graduated and passed the Chuunin Exams, proving yourself a mature, capable shinobi. No one can contest that. The only one you need to prove anything to at this point is yourself. No one else is asking you to match yourself to me."
Edited 2015-04-25 23:59 (UTC)
heavenly_earth: (Anime; Movie; Look)

[personal profile] heavenly_earth 2015-04-26 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
So that's what it came down to, Lee pushing himself for advancement. He'd thought it might have been adrenaline or the growing desperation of the fight to stay on his feet and stay alive. That he'd inadvertently pushed Lee this far..

"..There's more to Jounin than ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu, Lee." If he'd known ANBU might break up his team like this, that he might lose Lee because of it, he would never have joined.

"I can look at you and see recklessness, impulse, inexperience and a distinct lack of emotional control. These are the reasons you haven't been recommended, not because of your inability to mould chakra."
heavenly_earth: (Anime; Closed)

[personal profile] heavenly_earth 2015-05-10 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
He couldn't get through to him like this, Neji realized. Lee's words and thoughts were too dark, and his presence here was an irritant. His own emotions warred, ready to take a firm stance and strip Lee down and point out exactly where he was wrong, and the other, more detached part of him ready to stand and see himself out. Neither would go over particularly well.

Neji stared into those dark eyes and twitched to keep the mask from falling into place. He did that once already, and Lee nearly lost his life. He couldn't start treating his own teammates like enemies, or he'd never stop.

He took a deep breath to calm his temper before it could bubble over and prayed he could keep it.

"Always, Lee? It was your recklessness and impulsive emotions that drove you. You lack leadership experience and an objective mind. I have no doubt that you will be a Jounin in the future, but it's not now."