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Of Broken Bones and Shattered Dreams	By : Saitochan Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1509 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Hey everyone! At last, my first Fanfic is posted! Remember, reviews, both good and bad are appreciated. The next chapter is coming up soon. Enjoy! Oh, I almost forgot! Thanks to J-Pop Princess, c0p13r and Akiradawn. Your stories really inspired me.

*****

Of Broken bones and shattered dreams

Chapter 1 - Wounded

The green clad ninja stood in front of the trump card of the Sand Village. Finally, Rock Lee's fight in the preliminary matches of the Chuunin exam had come. As the audience for the match remained silent, and Konoha's green beast (or "Handsome Devil", or whatever) took his battle stance, Hayate, the Jounin acting as referee, spoke up:

"Cough-cough... Okay then... let the ninth match begin"

Gaara's attention remained on the eyes of the ninja in front of him. For a moment, neither of them made a move. The silent stare down between the two fighters created a tense atmosphere. Nearly everyone in the audience felt the urge to take a step back. Few of them did, though.

While staring at his opponent's eyes, Lee thought about what to do. He had no idea of what this guy Gaara could do, but pretty much everyone seemed to be afraid, or at least freaked out with his presence.

Deciding to try his luck and attack head on, Rock Lee attempted his first movement. But, he couldn't move an inch, save for his arms, which fell heavily to his sides as if they were full of lead. As he tried to run, Fuzzy Eyebrows noticed his legs weren't responding either. He looked down at his body, expecting his immobility to be a trap of his enemy, but was disappointed. Nothing seemed wrong with his body, besides the fact that it wouldn't respond to his will. Feeling completely defenseless, he looked back up at the guy with the gourd, but was shocked with the sight of him.

Gaara, completely covered in sand, smiled psychotically as he extended his right hand towards the Konoha Genin. The fingers of the Sand ninja moved, and Lee's body began to feel strange. He felt... heavy, heavier than ever. He kept on guard while still struggling to move. After failing in his attempts to regain his movement, his left arm and leg began to tickle, and when the ninja in green jumpsuit turned his head to find out what was going on, he could barely hold back a scream of horror.

All the left side of his body had become sand, and was slowly falling to the ground. The tickling feeling soon became pain, as his left limbs fell off to the ground, turning into a small mound of lifeless sand. God, the pain! It froze him, it burned him, it crushed him! Without the support of his left leg, the taijutsu user fell to the ground, writhing and squirming from the suffering in his body. Although his limbs were no longer attached to his body, Lee could still feel pain coming from them.

The sand that once was Rock Lee's arm and leg moved through the air towards Gaara, adding up to the sand already covering his body. "This belongs to me now..." were the words spoken in something much like a growl by the sand monster.

This was too much to bear. Half from his pain and half from his fear of that thing in front of him, Lee let out a long held scream...

"Aaaaaaaaarrrgghhhhhhhhhh!!!"

******

Light. Warmth. And no more pain. Rock Lee slowly opened his eyes, trying to adjust them to the morning light that shone on him through the hospital window. If his body had obeyed him, he would have woken up with a scream, jumped from bed, and slapped his face after he made sure what he saw was just some bad dream. But things didn't go that way.

He tried hard to move his arms. They felt numb and heavy, just like in his dream. Fuzzy eyebrows looked around him to determine just where he was. He scanned the small room drowsily, slowly returning to reality. Aside from the window at his right, there was a small table at his left, two chairs and the door at his far left.

What an empty room.

During his brief inspection of the place, he noticed a small plastic tube inserted in his left arm. Following the tube, Lee saw a serum pack slowly pouring its contents into the tube and into his body.

After a few seconds, the silence that had covered the room like a thin blanket was broken by approaching steps. Before Lee could even think of what that meant, the door to his room opened softly and a nurse came in.

"It's good to see you're finally awake" she said after looking Lee straight in the eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Making an effort, Lee managed to mumble, "I'm... not sure... wh-where... am I?" Fog filled his head, and he couldn't think straight.

"You are in Konoha Hospital, of course. But, it's better if you go back to sleep. You are still under the effects of many drugs and painkillers. Everything will be better after you get a good night's rest," answered the nurse, without regard of the rising sun out the window. However, too drowsy to argue, Lee let his mind slip into nothingness as he closed his eyes.

*****

The sound of a closing door near him was enough to wake a certain taijutsu user from a dreamless slumber. He opened his eyes, seeing a medical ninja checking his medical record right beside his bed. It took the reading ninja a moment to see that his patient was awake.

"Hey," he said facing Lee with a gentle smile. "How are you feeling?"

Fuzzy Eyebrows took a moment to think about his answer and to feel every inch of his body. "I can't move" he said after a while.

The medical ninja gave the Genin a look between troubled and caring. "Of course you can't. You have broken bones and pulled muscles all over your body. We have to immobilize you while you heal." Flipping over a few pages of the medical record in his hands, he asked, "Besides that, do you feel anything else?"

"No, no. I'm fine. But, tell me," said Lee with an anxious tone in his voice, "when will I be able to move again? I have to start training."

The doctor gave him a puzzled look. He gazed at the floor and remained silent for a moment before answering. "I think you'd better forget about training for a month, at the very least".

Tears forming in the corners of his eyes, Lee prepared to plea with the medical ninja to let him out in less time, but a sudden knocking on the door stopped the words from leaving his mouth. The door opened a little, and a nurse popped her head in the room. "Lee-kun, you have visitors." After this brief announcement, the nurse opened the door. His teammates entered the small room, along with his teacher.

Ten-Ten was the first one to enter. "Hi Lee! So, you're finally awake," she said while waving at him and smiling brightly. "We came here to visit yesterday and the day before that, but you barely opened your eyes at all!" She seemed happier than usual, perhaps just from the fact that her teammate was conscious again, but Lee barely noticed it.

Neji and Gai entered the room behind the female ninja, their facial expressions contrasting violently. While the former seemed even more quiet and dark than usual, his teacher could barely hold himself back. Gai didn't bother to hide the tears of joy that streamed down his face while looking at Lee, and saying, "Good god, Lee! We've all been so worried about you... But, I've always known you're too youthful and strong to let such petty wounds keep you down!" And, as the crying Jounin turned to face his other two students, he added, "Right, guys?"

Both Neji and Ten-Ten looked away from their teacher, suddenly finding the tiles on the floor much more interesting. Everyone in the room remained silent, and a tense atmosphere descended upon the hospital room. Feeling the tension in the air, Lee looked nervously at his teacher and his teammates, but since Gai had turned away from him, and both of his friends were looking elsewhere, he couldn't make eye contact with any of them.

*What is going on? Why won't they look at me? Are they hiding something from me?* These questions and more began to form in the wounded Genin's mind. He tried desperately to catch the eyes of his team.

When the tension became too great to bear, and Lee felt brave enough to ask his questions out loud, a quiet voice interrupted everyone's thoughts. "Well, I guess we'll leave you alone for now. Remember that visitation hours go up until six o'clock" said the nurse as she headed out of the room with the medical ninja, who obviously felt relieved to leave.

"Yeah, thanks," mumbled Gai. Somehow, the green clad Jounin seemed suddenly deprived of his usual enthusiasm. Even Neji wasn't in the mood for his usual, "It was pre-determined, you can't change fate," speech. Ten-Ten just looked sadly out the window.

After a few more moments of silence, Lee finally decided to ask away. "Gai-sensei, what's wrong? Please tell me what is happening!" asked the ninja in bed to his teacher, who was still looking away.

Making a visible effort, Gai faced his wounded student with a big smile. "Oh, it's nothing really! It's just that these two have been worried sick over you, and feel kind of embarrassed for it." Then, while getting closer to Lee, he put an open hand next to his mouth as if he was telling Lee a secret, although his voice was still loud enough for everyone to hear, and added, "And Ten-Ten has been crying a lot since you are here."

"Se-Sensei! What are you talking about!" The kunoichi blushed deeply.

"Haha! See? That blush in her face is the proof!" Said Gai, pointing at the blushing girl. Neji cracked a smile at his sensei's words, partly because they were true, and also because he felt grateful that the tension between them seemed to have vanished, at least for the moment.

"Th-that is because he's my friend and teammate, nothing more" said Ten-Ten, blushing harder. "I would've done the same thing for you or Neji".

"Ahh, Ten-Ten, you don't have to hide it! We all know Lee is very handsome and youthful, and obviously all the girls find him quite appealing. Accept you feelings towards him and enjoy your youth while you can!"

"WHA-WHAT? WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?" Temporarily forgetting she was in a hospital, Ten-Ten shouted back to her sensei as her cheeks took a deeper crimson color very reminiscent of Hinata's blush whenever Naruto was within arm's reach of her.

As both of them continued to argue, Neji walked to the foot of Lee's bed and looked him straight in the eyes. "Anyway, Lee, we're all glad you're okay. Hurry up and recover soon, so we can train together again. Who knows? You might even win next time."

It was already strange enough that Neji tried to cheer him up, but the usual smirk in the Hyuuga's face was replaced by an unusually warm and encouraging smile.

Returning the smile, Lee answered cheerfully, "Thanks, Neji. I'll begin training as soon as I can. I won't disappoint you when we fight. You'd better be prepared, for once I get out of the hospital, you're on!"

"Hmpf. Of course, Lee. Although you never disappoint me, your efforts are really amusing," replied Neji, obviously resisting the urge to lecture his teammate about how fate is absolute and cannot be changed.

To this, Rock Lee gave the Byakugan user a weird look, not sure if what he said was a compliment or one of his usual, "I'm still superior" remarks. Trying to change the course of the conversation, Lee asked, "So, Neji, congratulations on passing to the finals!"

Although he seemed happy when he said it, Neji knew better. Lee was wounded real deep in his heart. He had fought with everything to achieve his dreams, yet he had lost.

In terms of strength and skill, Lee deserved to be in the finals instead of many others. *Still* thought Neji, *poor Lee. It was a cruel fate that he had to fight such a powerful guy*.

The Genin in bed noticed his friend suddenly lost in thought, and judging from the way Neji's unusual smile was replaced by a small frown, his thoughts weren't too happy. Fuzzy Eyebrows tried to cheer him up by keeping the conversation.

"So, the Finals! Tell me about them. Surely you've been given time to rest and train, right?" Lee tried hard to keep a smile on his face, while the envy towards his teammate and the anger towards life for being so unfair burned fiercely in his chest.

"Yeah. The Final matches are almost a month from now. But, it's really no challenge since I have to fight Naruto Uzumaki in the first round," said Neji, raising his voice a little to make himself heard over the racket his teacher and teammate made in their still-unfinished discussion. Turning his face towards them, the Hyuuga said loudly, "Hey, you two! Remember we are in a hospital. Lee and the other patients need peace and quiet."

Both Gai and Ten-Ten became silent immediately, and blushed a bit by their behavior. "That's better," said Neji, as if he were the teacher instead of Gai. Turning back towards Lee, Neji resumed their conversation. "However, I cannot underestimate my opponent no matter how weak he may seem. Right now I'm developing a new defensive technique, and Ten-Ten is helping me train."

Rock Lee sighed, looking out the open window. "I wish I could train with you. You're both growing stronger every passing day, but meanwhile, I'm stuck in here" he said, great sadness in his voice. Maybe it was the fact that he was still under the effects of many drugs, but his energy and enthusiasm seemed to have vanished completely.

While Neji struggled to come up with an answer that could cheer up his friend and teammate, Gai walked to the head of Lee's bed and talked to him in his loud and energetic voice, relieving everyone from the tense silence that was once again forming between them. "Don't you worry about that! Lee, my beautiful and youthful pupil! I have designed a complete training program just for you. When the doctors decide you can leave the hospital, I'll give you the training of a lifetime!" he said, while striking many of his 'cool' poses. If his three students didn't know better, they could have sworn they saw fire in his eyes and a setting sun behind him. "With this training program, not only will you recover your strength, but you will be able to beat even Neji!"

Upon hearing his name, Neji smirked at his teacher's optimism. He seemed about to open his mouth to argue, but he saw that Gai's words really had a big impact on his teammate. Rock Lee's eyes were once again burning with the same passion his sensei had exhibited a second before, and if he wasn't immobilized, he could have struck a 'cool' pose as well.

"Neji, Ten-Ten" Konoha's Taijutsu master turned to his other two students and gave them a warm smile. "Go continue your training. I'll stay a while more with Lee. I want to tell him more about this training program".

"Yes. Thank you, Gai-sensei" said both Genins as they headed for the door. "Get well soon, Lee" said Ten-Ten with a smile as she walked out of the room. Neji stopped in the door and turned around to face the two shinobi. "Hmpf. I'd like to see just how good that training program is. Rock Lee! I challenge you! We will fight in one month from now. You've better be prepared, because I won't go easy on you!" Many years as a team had taught Neji that Lee was always aching to challenge him, so he decided to make the first move for a change. *Hell, if that doesn't cheer him up, I don't know what will* thought Neji as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

The byakugan user was just about to crack a smile, when he found his female teammate staring at him with a troubled look. They both stood silently for a few seconds, listening to Gai talk about his "fabulous training program" in a loud and energetic tone. Finally, Ten-Ten broke the silence and said, in barely more than a whisper: "You think he's going to tell him?"

Neji had to look away. The sadness in her eyes was just too great to bear. He began to walk silently towards the exit. "Don't worry" he said at last. "Lee will come through. He's too strong and stubborn to give up being a shinobi."

Ten-Ten was surprised a little bit at the fact that Neji didn't seem to involve fate in Lee's recovery. She smiled again. "You're right. Come on, let's get going" said Ten-Ten as she gave Neji a few pats in the shoulder.
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Of Broken Bones and Shattered Dreams