Rock Lee x Reader Collection

What She Could Understand (Rock Lee x Reader)

Sweat dripped into brilliant (e/c), forming rivulets down a heated and reddened face. Blinking roughly, hands too dirtied to wipe at those eyes, you shakily picked yourself up from the ground and once again faced your opponent. Almost slouching into a low defensive stance, your weight even on your feet, you stared ahead with determination, and those damnably beautiful eyes.

Too many times had he knocked you down. Sure, it was just training, but it felt as true as any defeat every time. All it took for him to catch you off guard and throw you to the foot-trodden dirt and packed earth was a swift kick, or a charge, or the swipe of a clenched and well-aimed fist. It would connect, or you would dodge improperly, and you would go flying from the force. Or, worse, you would land heavily just in front of him, wind knocked from your lungs and tears pricking your eyes.

He commanded you to get up each time, his own nearly black eyes blazing with fighting spirit equal to and surpassing your own exponentially. Each time, he helped you up, or at the very least offered to. Each time, he corrected your stance or form, and gave you tips on how to improve. And each time, you felt that you had improved, even if only a little bit.

But, even so, he was still much too strong for you to overcome. You would get close, close enough to feel his hot breath and the hiss of air around his limbs, and then it was over. You would be sent into a tree, or tripped up, or would carelessly miss your next strike, too caught up in the fact that you had even gotten that close to him. That you had nearly matched his speed, if only for a split second; that you had managed to catch up with a Taijutsu master such as himself.

It seemed too good to be true, your being able to match him, and it always was. He never went easy on you, but neither did he utilize his full strength. He always held himself back just enough to not permanently or ruthlessly brutalize you. He was training you, not trying to injure you.

There was no one in the village who could match him; not after his years of training and mastering his own techniques. Even his Sensei was no longer a challenge, though neither admitted it. Not out of pride, of course, but out of sheer belief in themselves and each other. That thought would be far more touching if he wasn't in the process of kicking your ass so hard right now. But now was not the time for touching.

The two of you stood there, poised for a defensive onslaught, for what felt like eons. Neither of you moved, and neither of you seemed to breathe. Whoever made the first move would be at a disadvantage, a fact that both of you knew well. Waiting too long could lull you each into a false sense of security or cause you to become too slow in your reactions, another downfall. No matter what, someone would have to move soon. One of you was going to have to strike, or concede, and you did not throw a battle.

Sensing that Lee was holding his ground and would not budge, you took it as your cue to lash out with a series of quick punches and swift jabs. All of them were blocked deftly, as you had anticipated. This left him open to kicks, which was your next go-to set. Each of those was avoided with a hop or a jump. He was always just a half-step ahead of you in every aspect. The determination in his eyes burned as brightly as ever as you continued your all out assault.

Knowing that the element of surprise was an advantage out in the field, you suddenly lunged at the young man, hooking your arms around his torso as you pulled him down with sheer force of weight and impact. His eyes widened in shock as his hair fluttered in front of those naturally shining orbs.

You both hit the ground with a loud thud. Before the other shinobi could react, you had already flipped backward and off of him, cutting toward him with a series of murderous kicks and techniques that sent your hands flying into rapid signs. He was barely blocking these attacks, hardly cutting off your jutsu, constantly dancing away from you and fully unable to attack.