Breaking and Mending

Mending

By Michaela Will

One Month Later…

She felt melancholy and tired in this place. Not sleepy tired, but weary-of-life tired. The broken bits of furniture had neither function and nor even real form at this point. The air hung heavy of dust and age. Despite the longing to be rid of the dismal scene of broken dreams, she couldn't bring herself to throw out what belonged to another. In a sad way, it was all that was left to him of his family, or would be when he finished what he'd set out to do. No wonder he was angry and sullen all the time, with nothing but the shadows of once-greatness torn to rubble to live by: a great house fallen into disrepair and hidden in this dusty and dank smelling room.

"Sakura-chan! Hurry up! You better not be trying to shirk helping us now!" A shrill voice hollered across the property. Sakura flushed with anger momentarily, but then smiled and laughed and the sound echoed hollowly into the room. Her mood lifted. She no longer was concerned with these shadows. It sucked they existed, but…

She lightly tossed the pieces of broken chair into the room and shut the door.

"Come-ing!" She called back at a sing-song, starting to trek across the courtyard. Ino stood at the open door of the other building, hands on her hips like an angry mother hen. Instead of her usual attire she wore a t-shirt over a pair of sweats. Sakura noted the sleeves hung to her elbows, making the shirt much too large to belong to her. Perhaps it was her dad's. Ino wriggled uncomfortably in the clothes.

"First the roof, now the bathroom tiling, I hate to think what Tsunade-sama will find to fix when she finally comes to take a look at this place." Sakura laughed at Ino's irritation.

"Tsunade-shishou will be happy with whatever is done. I mean, I don't think she's interested in making more work for herself." Ino mouth worked wryly, seeing the truth in Sakura's words.

"Fine then," She responded, turning to go inside, "But that boy of yours better not have any more home improvement ideas. I'm only going to do this cement and grout thing once!" Sakura gamely followed Ino into the rooms. Chouji and Lee were mixing up wet ingredients for relaying tile. Their heads hung over the buckets in matched expressions of studious contemplation and held Lee a bag of dry sand in hand. Chouji lifted the mix and the pair scowled, Lee's mouth formed a bow and Chouji's in a thoughtful frown as they conferred over the best way to get the cement to thicken.

On her entrance Lee glanced at Chouji briefly before putting down the bag, taking a few large steps, and whisking Sakura off her feet. He spun her around, before putting her back on her feet with a flourish. Sakura laughed in delighted embarrassment as his kissed her cheek, a compromised they had established early on. It was clear in his eyes that if allowed his show of affection would be more impressive.

"Lee-kun! Stop that! I was only gone a little while." Lee still kept his arms around her while she playfully smacked his arm. Lee frowned seriously.

"But Sakura-chan, I have not been able to spend time with you all morning! I must lavish my next week's worth of attention on you today, because you will be leaving on your mission with Kakashi-sensei tomorrow! I must make sure Sakura-chan feels so well loved today that it will last all week! I wish Tsunade-sama would have let Team Gai go as well."

Sakura smiled, indulgent of Lee's serious, near petulant scowl. He had argued with Tsunade dramatically that Team Gai would be an asset to the assassination mission Kakashi was leading. Unfortunately for him, it was all too apparent his ulterior motive. Sakura was chagrined to know that until Lee's exuberance calmed enough to convince Tsunade he would focus on the mission before her safety, they would not be scheduled any missions together. She knew that basically meant never, but the times they were both in Konoha more than made up for it.

"Well I'm done with the livable rooms, so I can help with this for the rest of the afternoon." Sakura gently wiggled out of Lee's hug, but took his hand in hers as she turned to Ino and Chouji. "Are Shikamaru-kun and his dad still working on the roof?"

"They will probably be up there all day," Chouji responded, a pleased smile on his face, "And even if they finish earlier than that they'll stare at the clouds for a while before coming inside. The mortar's mixed." Chouji held up the mortar to show the consistency now looked correct. Lee nodded briskly.

"Then we should get started. I promised Ino-chan we would finish this today and I would not ask her to help should we tile again." He told Sakura, letting go of her hand, the reluctance etched in his face.

"Okay, I'll help too. Just show me what I need to do."

Lee began his explanation on how to spread the mortar and apply the tiles. Sakura nodded along with the instructions. A month ago Sakura had begged off a lunch date in order to fulfill her ritualistic cleaning at Naruto and Sasuke's homes, only to be met with immediate apologies. He had, Lee explained, in his joy of her company completely forgotten it would be the first of the month and thus her usual habit would fill her day.

"Sakura-chan! Now that the matter has been brought up, I must beg your forgiveness!" Lee dropped to his knees in the middle of the market street. Sakura had been stunned, and unable to react. There were suddenly tears standing in Lee's eyes.

"I have deceived you, to my shame! I meant you no harm, dearest Sakura-chan, but in my hopes to better your daily activities I was forced to lie to you. I do not regret my actions, but I greatly regret the necessity of my deception. It was at my request that Tsunade-sama gave Team Asuma the mission to help you clean Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun's homes." He paused, dropping kisses on her wrists. Sakura stared, her head slowly clearing from the shock. Lee continued, "I did not like lying to you, my sweet, darling, angel Sakura-chan," Each endearment was punctuated by another kiss on her hands, "I decided that it would be the only way to get you to accept help and Tsunade-sama was willing to assist me. I apologize, with most heartfelt sincerity, my angel, for my deception. It was never my intent to see you hurt in this, but to me it was such woe to read Shikamaru-kun's report. I most terribly regret being unable to help you myself, my darling, my sweet Sakura-chan!"

Lee's voice was rising to a fevered pitch as he kissed and shook her hands, begging Sakura with his eyes for any reaction. Sakura, for her part, suddenly became aware again that she was standing in the street. Her face began burning red as people, civilians, even Anko, stopped to stare. Sakura pulled ineffectually at Lee's hands. His legs remained limp on the ground as he continued to beg her forgiveness. She had laughed, nervously.

"Okay, okay! Lee!" She hissed lowly, "Lee-kun, I forgive you! Okay, I forgive you!" She spontaneously began laughing; Lee looked up into her face as her features shifted from anxious to joyful. "I forgive you, Lee-kun, so you can get up now, please! Everyone's staring." Her voice was no longer a hissing whisper. Lee has grinned maniacally and pulled her down into his lap.

"Thank you Sakura-chan." He rained little kisses on her face as he held her tightly, but gently. "Thank you my dear Sakura-chan." Sakura squirmed and wiggled, giggling in delight for a few moments and Lee continued his ministrations. Out of the corner of her eye she had spotted Shizune walking by; the older woman only had shook her head with a bright, approving smile before turning away. Anko only rolled her eyes before growling at the unsuspecting bystanders and scaring a good number away from the young couple. Sakura smiled into Lee's gentle kisses and returned her focus to him alone.

Sakura's expression warmed as she returned her attention to Lee's explanation. After his apology Sakura asked him if he would like to help with the cleaning from now on, and he'd agreed to do so with hearty enthusiasm. His first tour of duty resulted in his determination that the bathrooms needed retiling. Considering that Sasuke had apparently used them for kunai target practice, chipping some tiles beyond recognition, it was agreed to be a necessary project. Lee made it his personal project, much as Shikamaru had taken responsibility for the roof. Tsunade was taking on financial responsibility for the bulk of the repairs from this point forward, having accepted Team Asuma's proposal that the Konoha council should claim the land for at least the time being. The codes stipulated a number of conditions that Sasuke could fulfill should he ever want the property back.

Chouji asked Ino to help him lay tiles as he spread the cement at one end. Lee took the remaining bucket in one hand and Sakura's hand with the other. They moved to the other end of the bathroom to lay tiles, insults and commentary occasionally flying between the two sides. With a sigh after about a half hour, Ino took off her sandal and hurled it at the other pair.

"Ouch! Ino-pig!? What the hell was that for!?"

"Forehead!? I thought you guys were going to work over there. If I'd known you'd spend the time staring at your boyfriend's admittedly toned ass, I would have made you work with Chouji-kun." Ino shot across the room, a touch of smugness in her voice.

"Ino-chan!" Sakura wailed, mortified as Lee looked up from the mortar cement curiously, "I was NOT staring! Besides, if you have time to watch me then doesn't that mean you're not working either?" Sakura pointed out, just as smugly, for about twenty seconds the girls exchanged heated, glances. Sparks flew before Ino sniffed dramatically and turned back to her tiling. Sakura turned back to the tiling to find Lee watching her seriously, but warmly.

"Sakura-chan… What Ino-chan said…" Sakura blushed.

"Of course not." She huffed, until she noted Lee's face fall.

"Oh." Lee spoke softly, spreading the cement for the next tile. The monosyllabic answer spoke volumes. Sakura leaned over to put the tile in place and then put her hand on Lee's wrist, stopping him from spreading the next section. His head was dropped focusing on the mixture. On rare occasion Sakura stumbled into Lee's 'insecure zones' as she thought of them. This, Lee's appearance, was one that they hadn't talked about much. Considering how impressionable Lee was regarding his appearance (one look at the Rock family photo album had shown Sakura how mutable his appearance had been until Gai came along) it wasn't surprising that he was a little insecure, even if he didn't change the eyebrows in response to all the teasing.

"Lee-kun, that's not it. I… I…" She sighed, "Okay, I was staring. Ino-chan caught me." Lee's brows shot up puzzled.

"But why would Sakura-chan lie about it? I do not mind if you like to look at me. I like to look at you." Sakura's mouth twitched as she tried not to laugh and then went serious at Lee's next soft comment: "I am glad to hear that Sakura-chan likes the way I look now."

"Lee-kun! It's embarrassing to be caught at it. Of course I like how you look; why would you think otherwise?" Sakura and Lee knelt on the floor, hands touching over their tiling supplies.

"Because Sakura-chan said I was 'too unique' when we first met. Does Sakura-chan not remember?" Sakura stared at him for a moment and then laughed softly. They were keeping their voices low so as not to draw Ino's wrath any further.

"I'm sorry I said that Lee-kun. I do remember it. But…" She paused, desperately hunting for the right words to express her change of heart. "But, I guess all I can say is that I'm a different person now then I was then, and now I think you're very attractive. And sweet and kind and the most wonderful boyfriend I could ever ask for." Sakura took a breath and said what she been meaning to for a while. "I wouldn't want you to change anything unless you wanted to, even your eyebrows." She poked his forehead, right between said appendages with an impish smile. Lee face turned from serious to gleeful as leaned up to kiss her.

"Oy!" They both stopped. Ino was stand with her hand on her hip, waving a ceramic tile in their direction. Chouji knelt behind her with a pleased, indulgent smile on his face. He continued to spread mortar and tile himself even as Ino wound up with a tirade. "Knock it off you two! Uhh! We're never going to get this done today if you two don't stop flirting! You've got all night to be cutesy before Sakura-chan leaves in the morning. Please spare us poor single people your sickeningly overcute displays of affection!"

Lee and Sakura looked from each other, to Ino, as the blond huffed again and knelt back on the floor to continue tiling, Chouji speaking to her in a soft, soothing voice.

"We are sorry, Ino-chan." Ino looked up to Lee's serious expression as he continued. "You are right that we need to stop playing and get this job done. I will not touch Sakura-chan again until we are done tiling the room." Ino nodded her consent. Lee looked at Sakura. "Yosh! Let's get this done!" and with his typical enthusiasm Lee began to spread the cement at almost double the speed. Sakura had to struggle to keep up with her energetic partner.

They finally finished hours later. Shikamaru and his dad had climbed off the roof just in time to help spread the grout and edge and so the final part of the job took less time than before. They parted ways, Ino walking a short part of the distance back towards the Haruno's home with Sakura and Lee. She quickly headed off after giving Sakura a hug and a wink, leaving the young couple to themselves.

Lee immediately brought Sakura close when Ino turned the corner, tucking her within his arms to turn her and kiss her breathless. The warm kisses plied Sakura into a pile of mush and she wanted nothing more than to stay there all night. Sakura returned Lee's careful and thorough kisses with her own. The warmth running through her system made her knees weaken slightly and the buckling caused Lee to break the kiss.

"Now am I correct to believe that I have you all to myself tonight? I must have plenty of time to make sure Sakura-chan feels well-loved before leaving on her mission." Sakura, gasped for breath from her fluttering lungs.

"Lee-kun..." She whined playfully. Lee continued to stare her down. "Oh, yes! I'm not expected home tonight. I can pick up my bag and spend the whole night sleeping at your place, but Mom," Sakura flushed at the thought, "Mom wanted me to ask you to give her your word again." Lee grinned and nodded. He whisked Sakura off her feet and she yelped in surprise, turning towards the Haruno home.

The Haruno family had taken well to the young man and Sakura was thankful for that. Her mother was delighted with Lee's manners and his enthusiasm in taking care of her daughter. When he asked her two weeks prior, the night before he left on a long mission, if he could have Sakura spend the night with him, Sakura's mother had looked hesitant. Without missing a beat Lee had promised her, with his usual expressive display, that his darling Sakura-chan would only sleep next to him: on her own futon, fully clothed, and that he would not touch her anywhere that would be inappropriate in Konoha's town square. Aware of Lee's mission-like seriousness when it came to his word, Sakura's mother had immediately accepted the terms.

Sakura was probably the most chagrined by that turn of events; as it meant that she couldn't, under any circumstances, coerce Lee to more…favorable sleeping arrangements. Sakura was carried through town, a small smile playing on her lips that grew anytime Lee's eyes met hers. Her mind worked, trying to figure a way around the promise that Lee was about to make to her parents. She might only be 14, but kunoichi lived dangerously and while she wasn't certain of giving everything to Lee, yet, she knew she wanted more than a platonic futon next to him.

"Now," Lee spoke as he put Sakura down on her front step with a flourish "I will gladly give Haruno-san my word that I will not do anything to besmirch Sakura-chan's honor, while you go get your gear." Sakura stepped ahead and Lee waited, expecting her to unlock the door. Instead she turned to him.

"Lee-kun," she began, allowing a pleading note to enter her voice, "About your promise to my mom." Lee nodded; his focus entirely on her. She felt shy and started to blush, "Would you leave out the part about my own futon? I'd like," she swallowed hard, her fingers fiddling with the keys as Lee's round eyes turned to saucers, "I'd like to be closer to you tonight."

Lee stepped forward, wordlessly, and wrapped his arms around her gently. With his hands holding her hips snugly Lee kissed her once, just slightly more thoroughly than a chaste peck. The softness of his mouth and the sweetness of his breath had Sakura leaning into him as he pulled back. She longed for more. Her mouth tingled with the thought of more.

"If that is what my Sakura-chan wants." Lee spoke carefully and low. He was a hair's breath away from loosing his composure and crying. She knew the signs.

"I love you." She breathed. Both their eyes went wide as Sakura's hands flew up to cover her mouth. Lee was the first to move, his eye filling with tears as the corners crinkled with pleasure.

"I love you too, Sakura-chan." He smiled, pulling her hands down and kissing her again, another chaste, but lingering moment. He gently took the key from her hand and opened the door. "But we are young and I promise that you will come home safe to me. So if your mother insists on the same promise as before I will give it. Okay?" Lee held the door open for his girlfriend. She frowned, confused but walked in.

"Okay… But Lee-kun, how can you promise I'll come home safe? You weren't allowed to come on the mission. Things happen on a mission."

"Oh!" Lee grinned. "Gai-sensei made a promise to Kakashi-sensei that will ensure Kakashi-sensei will let you come to no harm. It was a most ingenious idea. Then Tsunade-sama agreed and made Kakashi a promise that will also ensure Sakura-chan is cared for."

"I'm not sure I want to know." Sakura groaned and she grabbed her bag from the foot of the stairs, she called into the kitchen, "Mom, I'm grabbing my stuff and going to Lee-kun's tonight. Come and say hi." Sakura's mother appeared in the door of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Sakura, be careful on your mission tomorrow. Lee-kun, it's very nice to see you again." Lee smiled warmly.

"It is nice to see you too. Thank you Haruno-san, for letting Sakura-chan spend the night. I promise that she will remain fully clothed and that I will not touch her in any way that is inappropriate. I will treat her as I do when we are in public. I will do nothing that will be questionable to Sakura-chan's honor, Haruno-san: you have my word." Sakura held her breath as her mother nodded, satisfied.

"Thank you Lee-kun. You are sweet to a poor old mother."

"I think Haruno-san is very pretty. I do not think that you should not call yourself old. Why, I should thing you were Sakura-chan's sister if I did not know otherwise." Her mother smiled as Lee spoke, his hands very demurely behind his back, honesty in every line of his posture. Sakura put on her pack, eyeing the door. Her mother waved a spoon at the young man, laughing.

"Watch out there! I'm not going to fall for flattery, Lee-kun, so just behave and take my daughter home with you! Sakura," Her mother leaned forward and kissed her forehead, as she always did before a mission. "Take care, okay? Goodnight."

"Goodnight Mom!" "Goodnight Haruno-san!"

The door shut behind then as Lee and Sakura turned towards his home. Together. Lee took her hand in his and kissed it.

"Would you like me to carry your pack?"

"No, I'm fine, but thanks."

"Okay."

It was another beautiful night, warm for fall, but not too hot. The streetlight glowed and reminded Sakura of another night out here. With Lee. When she'd admitted to him her feelings. It was a lovely night.

"Lee-kun?"

"Yes, Sakura-chan?"

"What did Gai-sensei promise Kakashi-sensei?"

"Oh. Gai-sensei promised to wake Kakashi-sensei before dawn for the next year and make him come on a morning run with him if you were harmed on this mission."

"But Kakashi hates waking up early. And I don't think he's fond of running."

"Yes, that is what Gai-sensei said. Then Tsunade-sama promised Kakashi-sensei that he would babysit her slug Katsuyu's new babies for the next year if you were harmed."

"Baby slugs, eww, that's gotta be worse than cleaning sewers."

"And that Gai-sensei would have first pick of all of Kakashi-sensei's missions so that he would have more time for the slug babies."

"This will be one hell of a mission." Sakura sighed at the thought of what lay ahead.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"I promise that you will not think about the mission anymore when we get home." Sakura's blood heated at the rare innuendo from Lee. She smiled brilliantly. The look in his eyes bespoke of his confidence. Sakura didn't doubt him. She laughed.

"Then take me home, Lee-kun!" Lee scooped her up, pack and all, and somehow managed to settle her comfortably in his arms. He kissed her fervently as her fingers worked into his hair at the back of his neck.

"With pleasure!"

I loved writing this: It was such a challenge. If you don't write Lee and Sakura yet, you can only imagine how difficult a pair they are to make work realistically. A sympathetic portait of Lee, both manic and sweetly serious, is difficult enough. Add Sakura in there and it becomes twice as hard. Not to mention they're 13-15 years old: a range I don't fit into. Trying to remember how it felt to crush so hard & fast and then portray it acturately was tough. I feared Sakura's feelings changed too quickly; I feared Lee was acting too mature. Still, what helped me keep it together were your reviews that I was believable and on track.

Thank you all! -Michaela