[Open, SUPER BACKDATED]

[awokentospring]

Who: Rock Lee and Everyone~~~
When: Backdated to mid-April through the rest of the month
Where: Several of the shinobi villages and their outskirts (all except Konoha and Ame)

Notes:After gaining leave from the hospital, Lee sets out on a journey to take some of his darker thoughts out of his mind. He decided to see the world, or at least visit all the other shinobi villages, and hoped he would find some solace while seeing old rivals and making new friends.


Sunagakure

The arid desert air was a relief to Lee. As much as he loved his home country it had been a harsh winter and spring, so the heat felt more natural despite the sand under his feet. With the warm atmosphere Lee knew he was bound to continue to grow stronger if he trained here. At the same time, he was also cautious not to grow dehydrated. When he wasn't out running the perimeter of the village or visiting with the family of the Kazekage, Lee could be found at local juice bars. Oddly, he seemed less inclined to greet strangers unless they spoke to him first.

Iwagakure

The land of earth was rugged but it felt more like home than the desert sands of Suna. Lee took to rock climbing with gusto; he was familiar with mountain climbing and pounding boulders with his fists but rarely did he get the chance to try his hand at the sheer cliffs he found around the land of Earth. The local cuisine was hardy yet simple and Lee found himself generally enjoying that.

Lee took to camping outside the village rather than finding proper lodgings. It was cold but he found peace in the solitude the quiet nights offered.

Kumogakure

With his wounds almost completely gone (though never gone forever, he had a hell of a scar) Lee thought it prudent to seek out the famous hot springs located in the land of Lightning. He splurged a bit, taking himself to some of the nicer lodges outside of the village. While he felt safe enough to travel by himself he knew there was still some strain between Kumo and Konoha. He did not want to incite any sparks due to bad blood.

Lee was starting to feel a bit more secure and smiled more often before he left.

Kirigakure

Lee was no longer afraid of damaging himself further now with his wounds closed so he made good on his promise to Naoki and visited the land of water. It was fun to play off the shore and swim all day then have a hearty meal of fish cooked right over a fire at the end of the nights. Lee finally felt like himself again and he wanted to take on the world, thought how he could advance was still an issue on his mind. At times he would lapse into silence but his smile was warm any time he caught the eye of a passerby.

[ooc: Lee will be visiting Ame during the attacks in May; he will return home after all of that cools down. Also, Lee spends 3 or 4 days in each given place but there's no need to specify any certain date.]

Comments

Suna of course

[abluntwind]

She usually takes an hour in the afternoon when the heat is at it's worst to do something for her. Normally that translates into a late lunch or relaxing in a tea house. Today it's a trip to a juice bar where she snags a corner of the bar for herself and orders a tall class of something bright yellow with a fine sheen of condensation forming.

She doesn't recognize the jovial boy with the bowl cut, though he should recognize her from their one meeting since the year began. Which might be beneficial since some klutz bumps her as she's turning in her seat and her drink goes splashing all over his front.

She mutters a curse and presses several napkins at him. "I'm sorry normally we're far less clumsy in Suna." She glares darkly at the source of the incident and smiles in satisfaction as they gulp and hurry quickly back to their booth.

of course!

[awokentospring]

Lee had been peacefully sipping his apple, kale, and a carrot juice when he suddenly found himself dripping and sticky. Luckily, the tangy mixture that hit him didn't get into his eyes, but now he felt a bit miserable. Perhaps his luck had remained the same after getting here.

Looking up, Lee blinked in confusion when Temari apologized as if she didn't know him. Hadn't they just had a conversation a few weeks ago? But now that he thought about it, he had been trapped in Neji's body. And usually, whenever the children of the Kazekage visited Lee met up with Gaara.

"Ah! It is... well, it is some trouble, but I am not angry, Temari-san!" Lee hoped he could reassure her and perhaps ease some of her ire towards the sorry form beating a retreat.

The barista seemed to have caught the incident and handed Lee a wet towel, which he used to his best efforts to wipe himself off. He wasn't going to get it all out, but Lee let it slide. He was going to have to do laundry fairly often while he was here in the hot Suna sun, anyway.

"How are your brothers doing? Did you manage to catch Neji before you left the last time?"

[abluntwind]

To be perfectly fair, he had been in Neji's body at the time. And that had been the one time she had spoken to him and there was no way to recognize him otherwise. She hadn't spoken to him nearly long enough to know him by the way she spoke or acted. A little sad, but nonetheless true.

Her brows furrow in confusion. How did he know her? Did they know each other? "Do we know each other?" If was possible that they did, she met a lot of people as an ambassador.

It's only when he mentions her brothers and Neji that it clicks. "They're well Lee-san. And I did catch him for a little while." Even a couple moments were better than none. They'd known it would be difficult when they started seeing each other.

"How are you? And Neji he's been well?"

[awokentospring]

Lee blinked, wondering if he was that easy to forget. But she recovered quickly and he smiled, despite his sticky situation.

"That is good to hear, on both counts." He could be happy for her, but her own questions caused his smile to wane. Lee did not have much of a reason to smile for himself lately.

"I am recovering from an injury, so I went on vacation. Which is why I am here," he explained, continuing to wipe his front with the wet towel. "Neji... Last time we talked, he was well enough."

[abluntwind]

Not easy to forget, just hard to place when you've never seen his face before that moment. But now that she knew what face to associate with the name it was unlikely to happen again. It was good to know what Lee looked like when Neji spoke of his friends. Especially given how much he cared about his teammates; it showed in his voice when they came up. Temari enjoy his open of them, that he didn't seem worried she would try to use that information against him.

"Oh, well... we're honored you chose Suna as you're place of convalescence." The look on his face was concerning though. "Is he dodging you?" It doesn't sound right, but if he was there must have been reasons. Clearly she was unaware of what had happened recently.

Kumogakure it is

[lostmarauder]

The hot springs were an indulgence that he had always striven to indulge in any time he went near this village, which was sadly not that often. One just didn't have much to get at in Kumo, considering how isolationist the whole collection of people was.

He hadn't expected to see someone from Konoha though, and paused thoughtfully, watching the boy go on ahead before shrugging and following. It was almost like he wasn't able to escape people of that village no matter where he went.

Not a problem, when all was said and done, really. Putting his staff just to the side of the doorway after readying himself, he slipped out to the spring and carefully made his way into the water. "Don't mind me, if you didn't want company I'll just drift to the far side."

yosh!

[awokentospring]

It seemed the hot springs were low on customers because of the tensions between countries lately, but there were still a few willing to make the journey for warm baths and delicious mountain meals. There was plenty of room in the bath, so if the stranger who moved in nearby had wanted his space he as free to have it. As it was, Lee had been feeling a little lonely and he shook his head, giving the young man a smile.

"It is no trouble. If you have any interesting stories or news I would be happy to hear it. Otherwise, we can also just rest in companionable silence if you wish." Lee secretly hoped the guy wanted to talk but he wouldn't push for it. Some men got antsy talking to others while bathing but Lee was hardly the reserved type.

[lostmarauder]

He blinked a couple times, then gave a sheepish laugh. "Ah, well, I'm not a very good storyteller really, do you have any?"

[awokentospring]

"Hmmm!" Lee hummed, closing his eyes for a moment. Then inspiration struck and he grinned.

"Have you heard the one about the ugly duckling?" That was a story that always hit home for Lee, at least.

[lostmarauder]

"Can't say I have." He looked sideways at him. "I get the impression it's about a duck though."

Kiri, well, the beach

[withfocus]

Naoki had a pack he always kept prepared for spending a day or two at the beach, and had to switch only a little of his usual gear over to it. He chose one of the larger coves that was safe from the occasionally strong tide. The best fish were in slightly deeper water and near the bottom. Out at the beach it was habit not to hold back his chakra, just to relax and let it glow.

"Do you think you're up for some night diving? There's a reef that meets that line of rocks over there," Naoki said, pointing out at the rocks. "There are lots of neat fish and predators that only come out at night." Over the years, most of the larger fish and predators had come to ignore him, considering him to be neither prey nor threat.

swimming!

[awokentospring]

So far, Kiri had been his favorite time so far. It helped that he had a friend who was expecting him here; Naoki wasn't the type to judge him for a lost mission either. Lee could put the past failure behind him and just enjoy his time on the water.

"Is that not dangerous?" Lee wasn't against a little danger but he had no water jutsu to protect himself should the surf become too rapid. He was still newly healed as well. "I can swim but I am not the best swimmer in Konoha. Still, I would like to go as long as you do not leave my side."

He could trust Naoki had his back.

[withfocus]

Naoki pulled an extra diving knife out from his gear and tossed it into the sand next to Lee. "The biggest danger is getting tangled up in something. I'll be right there. It's easier to see underwater when there's some light." He wasn't afraid to go out alone at night, but Konoha shinobi weren't as comfortable in the water as Kiri nin.

"It's easier to catch certain fish at night, too."

[awokentospring]

Lee nodded, gathering his courage for the swim. "All right! I shall do my best to keep up with you."

Lee was already stripped down to his swimming trunks, but now he kicked off his sandals, preparing to take to the water. He pulled out a pair of swimming goggles, adjusting them to fit his head comfortably.

"Catching ourselves a late night snack, then?"

[withfocus]

"Swimming is a good way to work up an appetite. Especially diving," It wasn't just physical, it took a lot more concentration and awareness of both one's body and one's surroundings than just long distance swimming.

He pulled off his shirt and kicked off his sandals, abandoning the leg-warmers and arm covers that were worn from years of use. Naoki exchanged his weapon pouch for his preferred diving knife. Just a little longer than a kunai, the slim blade was smooth on one edge and serrated on the other with a slightly curved tip. He grinned at Lee and started wading into the water.

Naoki preferred to never speak about his markings, but he did enjoy the way they lit up the environment under water.

suuuuuuna

[highly_strung]

Kankuro had been prowling the perimeter and inward alley ways of the village for some time. Sheltered by his comfortable head-dress and the over-hanging porches he knew so well, he was reasonably cool... but watching Lee propel himself around and around the sandy expanse of Suna's boundaries was making even him feel hot. Lee continually stopped at a certain stop for a breather before starting up again, and on one round Kankuro moved to perch himself on the rim of a roof close to his respite spot, waiting for him to stop by again.

Once he did, Kankuro waited a moment or two for him to better catch his breath, and then jumped down to the floor level with a small cloud of dust at his feet.

"Rock Lee," he announced, giving the Konoha-nin a level look. "You're going to pass out if you keep that up, you know." Oh yeah, Tenten had told him about Lee's habits of pushing for 'just one more'. That wouldn't work in Suna.

as expected~

[awokentospring]

Lee's chest heaved from his exertion but he refused to allow a little exhaustion stop him. He needed to work his stamina back up. Being stuck in a hospital bed was hardly good for his health. In Lee's opinion, anyway.

He hadn't expected to be watched but his strength had been sapped by the harsh sunlight, keeping his reaction level low. "Kankuro...-san," Lee panted, shaking his head. "I cannot just... stop. This... this is necessary training."

[highly_strung]

"I'm not asking you to just stop-" Because he was almost a hundred percent sure that Lee wouldn't even if he applied force. "-I'm just saying you should probably take a break. There's a big difference between pushing yourself and torturing yourself, and our climate isn't exactly forgiving."

He kind of liked the heat, but then he'd lived in Suna all his life and was probably very much used to it by now. He also just had a kind of automatic bias toward his village. Oops.

"You thirsty? Wanna get something to drink?" He gestured with a thumb over his shoulder. "I'll buy." Anything to stop Lee making him feel bad for his rather lacking training schedule.

[awokentospring]

Lee continued panting and took in the man's words, accepting for what they were. It was true he was unused to this level of harsh heat. And his water canteen was running low and lukewarm.

He nodded, still trying to catch his breath. "S-sure. Thank you, Kankuro-san."

Straightening up, Lee allowed himself to follow the Suna-nin into the village proper. Even a few shadows that passed over them cast from the buildings felt amazingly cool on Lee's heated skin.

[highly_strung]

Kankuro shrugged Lee's thanks off with a shoulder, sticking his hands into the pockets of his tunic as he started to pad across the sandy planes of his village with Lee trailing behind him.

For all that he'd been quite familiar with Lee's team-mates for quite some time now, he'd never actually gotten around to greeting him on a personal basis -- instead always experiencing him from a distance, or second-hand, or in a limited and formal setting where he couldn't actually gauge anything about the guy for himself in that handful of fleeting moments. So this was his attempt at doing exactly what his father had suggested of him. He was making friiieeends.

"You were taxing yourself pretty heavily back there. What was so necessary about that training, huh?"

Kiri, of course

[noboatbigenough]

News had gotten to Kisame that Rock Lee had come to Kiri almost immediately, but Kisame was very busy, and trusted Naoki to report anything suspicious. Still, intelligence came that the ninja was certainly looking fully healthy, and there was that spar.

So when Kisame finally found a few moment, he approached the Konoha-nin. "So your visit wasn't just a rumor, Lee-kun. You're looking much healthier!"

of course~

[awokentospring]

Lee remembered that promise he had made to the Kiri-nin, much like he remembered his promise to visit Naoki. That pleasant experience behind, it was time to get on to some rougher stuff. A spar, to be exact.

Lee grinned, feeling more like himself than he had at the start of his journey. It felt right, ending his days in Kiri with a spar. His sensei would be happy to know he was back in the action earlier than projected, too.

"Kisame-san! I am feeling quite better than when we last met, so I believe I can offer you a good fight now! I hope your offer from before still stands!"

[noboatbigenough]

"Of course it does. There are plenty of sparring areas with different things to offer. Do you have a preference?"

Kisame expected it wouldn't be one that was mostly water, but there were a few that at least to the untrained eye didn't appear to have water at all, and then more specialized ranges to develop specific skills.Kisame was sure that Lee had gotten a look at least a couple during the days he'd been here.

[awokentospring]

"No, unless you count that I am up for anything challenging!" Rock Lee didn't do anything in baby steps.

Of course, that meant he left the options wide open to his opponent but Lee had confidence he would do well even if he could not beat this man. He usually had that same amount of confidence going into any fight.

[noboatbigenough]

"There's different kinds of challenge. We've got underwater, above water, marsh, even dry. And then there's the pole area; that's a favorite of a comrade of mine. There's always the option of moving around! Any particular kind of challenge you want first, Lee-kun?"

One last chance to pick seemed reasonable, otherwise Kisame would. He was half tempted to pick one of the water-heavy areas just to show how refusing a choice could turn out, but that wouldn't be fun for him. Kisame liked a challenge too, and water was all too easy. One of the drier areas then.