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[sandsworn.livejournal.com]

Characters: Rock Lee and Sabaku no Gaara
Location: The park.
Rating: PG-13
Time: August 13th, afternoon
Description: Lee and Gaara have a sparring match in the park.

Gaara shut off his communicator and arrived in the park a few minutes later.  He stood, arms crossed over his chest, and waited.  As strange as this place was, there was something about the air that reminded him of Suna.  Dry and hot, with a faintly dusty smell.

He hadn't sparred against Lee since the Chuunin Exams three years ago.  Four years, for Lee.  Rock Lee had been a difficult opponent even then, when Gaara had been in full possession of his powers.  And Lee was probably even stronger now...especially considering that his abilities were pure strength and speed.  Unlike Gaara, he had not been stripped of his primary defensive and offensive capabilities.  He could no longer open his Gates, but even so, he was probably one of the strongest people here, whereas Gaara's taijutsu abilities were probably not much better than the average Genin's.  He'd never had any reason to develop them, considering that hardly anyone alive could break through his sand shield.  Of course, Lee had broken through it.

Gaara wondered briefly if agreeing to this sparring match had been a bad idea.  But if he was going to fight in this war, he needed to increase his own strength and speed.

Comments

[verdant-lotus.livejournal.com]

Lee nodded. "How you carry through with an attack is as important as the attack itself. You need to recover quickly, or you will give your opponent too much of an opening. Part of it is speed. If you are worried about if the punch landed or how, you are doing it wrong. It has to be automatic. That is part of why taijutsu is difficult to truly master; fighting is as much in the memory of your muscles as it is in your mind."

[sandsworn.livejournal.com]

Gaara nodded. He was beginning to understand why taijutsu training required so much repetitive movement--punching or kicking a training post hundreds upon hundreds of times, until the movement was so ingrained into your body and brain you couldn't forget it even if you wanted.

Lee was right. At this point, sparring wouldn't accomplish much; the difference between them was too great. Gaara had to start by re-conditioning his own body and mind. "I'll start setting aside some time each day to train myself," he said. "The next time we spar, I'll be more prepared."

[verdant-lotus.livejournal.com]

In that moment, it was easy to see why Gaara was the leader of his village. In an unfamiliar city, expected to fight a war, and without the abilities that he'd had since birth, he was still determined to do everything necessary to return home. Even when that everything was completely relearning how to fight and putting aside his pride to do so from a Chuunin from Leaf. It was a solid determination to overcome that gave a brief glimpse of how the boy who had lived for the pleasure of killing had changed into the man standing in front of him, who had died to protect his village.

Lee smiled. "I am certain that you will."

[sandsworn.livejournal.com]

At that bright, warm smile, some of the tension eased from Gaara's shoulders. That smile was an anchor of familiarity in this strange world. Lee might have grown taller and stronger since the Chuunin Exams, but on some fundamental level he hadn't changed at all.

Gaara had crushed half his body during their first battle--had nearly crippled him for life. If Lee hadn't recovered, he thought, that smile would have been forever dimmed, and it would have been Gaara's doing.

He lowered his gaze. "Thank you. For teaching me."

[verdant-lotus.livejournal.com]

Lee flashed a quick thumbs-up, his beam brightening in reply. "I am glad to, and I am certain that with your determination, you will do well!"

He let his bandaged hand fall back to his side, and glanced up at the sky. The sun was well into setting now, tinging the sky with reds and oranges and relieving the worst of the heat. It would be a good time to train. "If you are ready to start, we will do twenty laps around the park! And if you cannot complete twenty laps, you will do one hundred pushups!" The numbers seemed fairly small to Lee- he'd taken a zero off of what he would've set for himself- but they should be a good challenge for someone unused to physical training.

[sandsworn.livejournal.com]

"Twenty laps," Gaara repeated. He tried to remember the last time he'd run laps. Or the last time he'd run, for that matter. Running wasn't usually necessary when you could levitate on a platform of sand. Which he could no longer do.

He supposed now was as good a time as any to get started. "Very well." He walked to the edge of the park. The distance around it was considerable, but still, he should be able to manage twenty laps.