Title: Nature's Blessing

Author: Risa

Pairings: LeeSaku, NaruSasu, ShikaIno, and some SakuHina friendship.

Rated: T

Disclaimer: Naruto is Kishi's shot-nosed brainchild.

Warning: Possible spoilers up to Ch. 641. Since Kishi and I are never quite on the same wavelength I'll just slap an alternate reality label on this now and get it over with. Be-thee-ware of angst, foul language, suggestive themes of both heterosexual and homosexual nature (you were warned, don't bitch!), and me taking liberties with ninja healthcare and politics, so just bear with me.

Summary: The war is over now, and Sakura's got some cleaning up to do. Old and new relationships are up to the test. Some wilt, some sprout, some even bloom, and nothing will ever quite be the same, but who's to say that change has to be a bad thing?

A/N: Happy birthday, Shera-girl. I hope you enjoy this little (little?) brainsplosion. It's the first one I've written for you in years. Hopefully I've still got it, lovey.

"If we don't have each other, we go crazy with loneliness. When we do, we go crazy with togetherness."

- Stephen King, The Stand

The air in the hospital was damp from all the humidity, and Sakura swore it'd been at least a decade since she'd last stepped into a shower. That didn't even hold a candle to the last time she'd had a decent meal, and Tsunade would throttle her about that later. If the medical nin didn't keep up their strength than everything in their care would collapse, yadda yadda, but Sakura supposed that was the infectious dumbfuckery of her team finally getting to her, too. Team Seven would certainly go down in history as the most reckless and extravagant three ninja cell of Konoha. If there were more Sannin around here than Tsunade these days Sakura would tell them to chew on that. She'd earned it, anyway. She had neither a demon fox, nor a fancy inbred eye jutsu to carry her as high as the guys, but she still got there, and she still had work to do even now.

Whether she liked it or not, she threw fantasy and naïveté into the wind at long last, finding no place in her cold, dry heart to trust a certain rogue behind the door of Room 311. The tips of her fingers brushed over the knob like it was too hot to clutch, perhaps even like it would bite her. It was silly, really. She'd told herself again and again and again that this would be fine, that everything would be fine. It really was fine. It would all be fine. It had to be now. It just wouldn't be fair otherwise, well, not to imply that it was ever fair to begin with.

What could Sasuke possibly even do now? He'd taken away everything, acted out of pure self-interest, and continued to do so to this day. He had the audacity to stand before his former peers and announce that he was going to be the next Hokage after everything he'd done, after threatening to destroy them all. After coming within a hair's width of killing Sakura herself.

Yeah, sure. He was gonna become the next Hokage every bit as much as Sakura was going to dye her hair green and live on the moon. Granted, his role in ending the war was a key one, and there was no arguing that the casualties of all shinobi were significantly lower than predicted because of this. This earned Sasuke the waiver of his death sentence, which was unheard of, but Naruto pushed this with everything he could. The villages they had established were still so young, so maleable, so flexible. It was possible to end the cycle of hatred once and for all by sparing Sasuke's life, he argued. He urged. He got on his hands and knees and groveled even, with tears in his eyes. The man who would be their next Hokage without a hitch, dirtying himself on the ground before his elders just to save one uneasy, unpredictable ally that no one trusted. No one but Naruto, it would seem.

Sakura really tried. Really, really tried to see it from Naruto's point of view, but old feelings were smoldering inside of her, and the ashes were blowing away like dust, and she couldn't extinguish it. She couldn't stop it. Now that he was here. Now that his presence was real, and no longer an abstract hope, or fantasy, or recollection of childhood adoration, she was at a loss.

She figured Sasuke got one wish. Whatever bond he'd had with Sakura was pretty much dead, and she couldn't rescue it. She just didn't see it anymore. It wasn't there. Her Sasuke, the boy she loved with all of her heart, was gone, possibly forever.

His body was alive, though, behind this door that divided them, but it was still like looking at a corpse. A breathing corpse. A zombie. Perhaps he'd even eat her brain, or what was left of it anyway. Perhaps it's what he's been doing in his perpetual silence.

He should have left. No one wanted him here, except for Naruto, that pitiful Karin girl for whatever reason, and maybe Kakashi, but she wasn't even too sure about that one. She tried to want him. It was the first time she'd ever had to try, and it just wasn't working. Sasuke could have gone away into the world free of ninja, at least those that abided by the law of their respective villages, without anyone after his head. There was no longer any point of hunting him down, unless he declared himself a threat again, which was entirely possible even now. Although, at the moment, whether the shinobi world liked it or not, he was their hero every bit as much as Naruto and Sakura were. We're talking on a scale of millions of people, possibly even the whole world. He certainly didn't deserve to have his head on a platter, at least. Naruto had that much right, if you asked Sakura.

That wasn't good enough for Sasuke, though. He clung to this hair-brained idea that Konoha would let him back in and one day even accept him as their Hokage, whether they liked it or not. He had barely earned back enough credentials to suck air, yet he had the nerve to suggest that he knew what was best for the whole damn village, and could bend it to his will however he damn well pleased. What a joke.

It was nostalgic in a way, though, because back in their Team Seven days he was the one who called the shots, now that Sakura actually stopped to think about it. She didn't care back in the day when she was a smitten, babbling fool. Everything would be OK as long as Sasuke was there to fix it. He was her prince, and would just swoop on in to save her. Well, OK, she didn't like that too much, to be honest, or maybe it was Tsunade who truly taught her not to like it. It was hard to say anymore, and it didn't matter now.

In any case, the council came to a conclusion regarding Sasuke's return to the village. It was generally agreed upon that he was too much of a threat, and an unstable ally, despite how utterly fucked they may have been without him, as Naruto argued until he was blue in the face. Really, his entire life seemed to revolve around having Sasuke back in some capacity. They really were remarkably similar in their penchant for clinging to the past, like they'd drop dead if it got away from them, and yet all it did was cause them pain. They were both remarkably stupid in that aspect. One of these days Sakura was going to bash their heads together just to get it out of her system.

But that was neither here nor there at the moment. Whether she liked it or not the hospital's staff was run as thin as Ino strived to be, leaving no one more capable than Sakura available to babysit the last Uchiha in his delicate state. Or could he even be called the last Uchiha anymore? It was hard to say.

Oh well.

She took a deep breath and entered the room, just to get it over with.

"Oh geez," said Sakura, shutting the door behind her. Naruto turned away from the bed and offered her a weak smile, though he said nothing. He looked about as tired as she felt, yet his tenacious bottom was still chained to that chair he had no business being in. No one healed faster than Naruto, so it seemed his free time was at an all time high while everyone else was broken, or busy. Tsunade wasn't dispatching too many ninjas high rank, non-diplomatic business at the moment because they needed to recoup and regroup. Despite how hard Naruto fought, he was still an in and out case, where there would be people in here for months going through physical rehabilitation and psychiatric aid, though thankfully that wasn't Sakura's area of expertise. She had enough difficulty keeping her own mind in one piece, to tell the truth.

"Yo," said Naruto.

"You're not supposed to be in here, Naruto," she said, bopping him on the head with her clipboard. It was so halfassed that he didn't even flinch. She knew she couldn't argue with him, but she did it just to say that she had done so if asked. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

He said nothing. This was the third day in a row she'd walked in on this, which wasn't good for any of them, but far be it her to shoo Naruto off from his precious sonofabitch. All she did was give Sasuke a standard check up, mind his IV, scan his vitals and his chakra circulatory system to make sure that they were in functioning order, and so forth. Like Naruto, he also hadn't sustained a critical amount of damage from the battle, which was exactly what worried people. Most of his damage were lacerations and chakra exertion, enough that he'd be hobbling for awhile, but otherwise fine. He'd mostly recovered from his own injuries as well. Sakura's prime concern was tucked away behind white bandages wrapped over sockets that once held his Sharingan eyes.

Now they held glass replicas, and they were creepy. The closest thing they had available to his natural eye color was a deep brown, almost like chocolate, and they seemed so still, unfocused, and lifeless. Sakura hated looking at them. Naruto hated it even more, though unlike her it wasn't his job to be here, examining the eyes for signs of infection and so forth.

Another reason she hated having Naruto here was how choked he got whenever she unwrapped that horrible blank stare of Sasuke's. Blind as a bat. That was the price he had paid to come back.

Naruto seemed to make it his job to be the only person in Konoha who cared enough about Sasuke to say fuck all and sneak into this room that was forbidden to all but a small handful of hospital staff. It was both for Sasuke's protection, and for the protection of those he might not want there. The only reason Sakura wasn't more adamant about chasing Naruto out was that she didn't have much to worry about in either regard. Naruto could take care of himself, and he was last person that had killing Sasuke on his mind.

Some people were furious. Sasuke essentially bought his way back into the village by giving the Hokage his eyes, his greatest source of power, though he was by no means powerless. Sakura knew better than most. If Sasuke accepted this world of darkness, accepted losing the last Sharingan eyes this world may ever see, then something was up. Something he was hiding. Something she wasn't quite getting. It frustrated her that she didn't get it.

Naruto was a different story altogether, though it was hard to say if he was the only one who did "get it," or if he was just an idiot. The past two days he sat at Sasuke's bedside with his head resting in his crossed arms against the head of his backwards chair. Today he was sitting in the chair correctly, though slouching, and his right hand was wrapped in Sasuke's limp left. His thumb brushed the knuckles once, and it was amazing how dead Sasuke's pale skin looked against Naruto's. As far as Sakura knew, Sasuke wasn't speaking. He said nothing to her, even when he had tell tale signs of consciousness, as he did right now, in fact. The breathing gave it away.

"Good morning, sunshine," said Sakura in a humorless tone, pushing on Sasuke's forehead with her fingers. This neither startled Naruto out of his knuckle-rubbing trance, nor got a peep out of Sasuke. Seriously, a year ago being in the same room as these two on what was technically good terms would have meant the world to her. Now it was too much like work, and always the worst part of her day. "I'm unwrapping the eyes. Tell me if you have any pain or discomfort, OK?"

Silence. Nothing but fucking dead ass silence. So help her, she was going to kill both of them, or so she'd like to think. That would have felt normal, but what she actually felt was empty.

Sasuke's release date, or rather, what he decided was his release date once he found his voice again, was the day Sakura chose to have her day off. She didn't see him out. He could go right on ahead and be Naruto's problem now. He would have to be now. What was once Uchiha territory had been converted into cemetery, since there was a lot more dead to go around these days. It was assumed that Sasuke would never return, so why not? Speaking of which, she'd have to stop by that area anyway.

Today was a day she needed to be without either of her teammates, though it wasn't like there was much she could do besides fail to sleep more than three hours at a time, and eat food that tasted like cardboard. To be completely honest she was tempted to bum a cigarette off of someone just to taste something different, though she'd never smoked a day in her life, and wasn't sure if it'd actually take the edge off. But Shikamaru had let her down, claiming to have kicked the habit, thus being all out of smokes. Well, wasn't that just great. So much for that idea.

Shikamaru was in Yamanaka's Flowers earlier helping Ino out, actually helping her out, rather than maintaining the status quo of lazy bum. Business was booming. Flowers were in demand, considering the death toll. Sure, they got off pretty easily for a massive, large-scale, all out war, yet that didn't change the fact that a lot of people had died, including both Ino's and Shikamaru's fathers. Sakura purchased a flower for each of their tomb stones, a couple of others for members of the medical team that were lost in the war, one for each former Hokage that helped them in battle, and one for Neji. He was more Naruto's friend than hers, but she still cared about him. Once he'd almost died for the cause of bringing Sasuke back home, which turned out to be a mistake. The only reason she never apologized to him, Chouji, and the rest about it was because it would dishonor them. She didn't want to suggest that their sacrifice was in any way meaningless.

Already she could feel the tears begin to choke her. This was why she didn't want her day off, because this was the day the numbness would cease. This was the day she had to face what they didn't have, as opposed to constantly monitoring what they still did have.

Sakura's stopped first where the Hokages were buried, and it would seem that dozens of others had the same idea. Konohamaru was there saying a prayer for his grandfather. Though crowded, she still managed to get a flower onto each of the graves at least, and she lit her own stick of incense for the grave of Namikaze Minato and knelt before it. She didn't say what she wanted to say out loud, but she shut her eyes for a moment and let her thoughts flow.

Sorry, but I can't be the girlfriend that you want for Naruto. Sasuke's got that covered.

She snorted unexpectedly, and a few heads whipped in her direction. It didn't matter, because her string of thought carried on just a little bit more.

I can promise you this. If he breaks Naruto's heart again, I'll kill him.

"You don't look like you're doing too well, Sakura," said Iruka, kneeling down beside her. She didn't see him too often anymore, considering how busy she was under Tsunade's tutelage and with her full time job. However, when he did find her and notice her, he would usually comment on what a bright and talented student she was, how far she'd come along, and how proud he was of her. He also worried, though, because that's what he did. "Have you been working a lot of hours?"

She shrugged. The only thing at the hospital that felt like work was dealing with Sasuke. Everything else was just escape from her own problems, though she could stand to sleep more, and eat more. There was a problem if even she thought that she wasn't eating enough.

"I'll be fine, Iruka-sensei. Tsunade-shishou shooed me away for the entire day."

She stood and brushed the soil off of her knees. Her first step from Minato's grave was wobbly, and Iruka grabbed her shoulder to steady her. Normally she'd jerk away from just any old man's touch, but his intentions were pure, and it was actually nice to have someone concerned about her well-being, if a little annoying. She could handle herself.

"I'll be fine," she repeated, and slipped away from his grasp. She didn't have time for this. She had more graves to attend to.

Time seemed to drag like walking through molasses, but Sakura made it to Neji's grave by the time the sun was high. Her head was buzzing, but not with thought. It almost felt like it was being squeezed into nothing. Her eyes stung, though she couldn't recall shedding any tears so far. She'd come close when placing flowers on the graves of some dearly departed coworkers, but by then she was so tired that she couldn't even picture their faces. The smell of earth and incense clung to her nose, and the humid weather hugged her pale skin like an unwanted lover. Perhaps she'd draw herself a bath later, then sleep in it. Hell, she didn't particularly care if she drowned in it, or if her toes pruned so badly that they stuck that way for good. Who was even paying attention? Certainly not Sasuke and Naruto, those jerks.

She shook her head. Now was not the time.

"Sakura-san, hey!" said Lee, smiling and waving toward her. It was just him and Hinata here today. The Hyuuga family was particular about having their own buried in their compound, so Neji's grave wasn't crowded quite the way that everyone else's seemed to be, which was a relief. It gave her the chance to be more candid with her feelings, though what thoughts and prayers could she offer? Come to think of it, she didn't really know Neji all that well, but something still drew her here. Something that transcended obligation and respect for who he was, how he had chosen to live.

How he had chosen to die.

What would he think of Naruto now?

"Hello, Lee-san. Hinata," said Sakura, regarding them both. Both of them were smiling, but neither had any mirth to them, for obvious reasons. Perhaps it was just a reflex, though the muscles in Sakura's mouth were fresh out of fake smiles to return. She took a deep breath in and out through her mostly congested nose, then got on her knees before Neji's grave. She traced a few choice words on his tombstone, starting with the date of his birth to the date of his death. He was only sixteen years old. Plenty of ninja died before reaching that age, sure, but then again there were ninja that lived to be as old as the third Hokage, rare as that was. Neji's chance had been cut short.

It seemed so unfair that Lee and Tenten should have to lose their teammate. Not that it was ever fair, mind you, but Sakura had never quite given that possibility the thought that it deserved. She should have. It was hard to find older generations of shinobi who hadn't lost someone near and dear to them. It was just the life that they lived.

It seemed for the longest time that, of Konoha's four rookie genin teams that would band together in friendship, it would be Team Seven that experienced its first casualty. Whether they liked it or not, they were all bracing themselves for it, and Sakura was no exception. It was already the first team to have a defect and a replacement, thanks to Sasuke. Ino's team was the first to lose a teacher.

However, of the younger generation, everyone just assumed that they would have to take Sasuke down, or that Naruto would have to take Sasuke down, or that Sasuke and Naruto would take each other down. How those two would inevitably off each other became common background noise for Sakura's every day for a time, especially from those that didn't support the thought of Naruto becoming the next Hokage. Almost everyone revered him as a hero, no doubt, but as demonstrated by Namikaze Minato and countless others, heroes in politics tended not to last too long. Not to mention that people's trust in Naruto was bound to waiver by his unshakable attachment to Sasuke, though others would argue that such a bond was exactly what made him so trustworthy. Tsunade was just going to have to keep her throne for awhile while the general populace and everyone in charge worked this out.

Thank goodness she was still alive. She almost didn't make it. Sakura got the story from Katsuyu, and it was pretty ugly, but damn if Tsunade didn't know how to stay alive. She might even last as long as the third. One could hope.

Sakura snorted again, and felt her lip tremble. She truly was awful. She had nothing to think about right now but Tsunade and her idiot team. She was thinking about the people closest to her, and they were all still alive. Naruto was alive. Sasuke was alive and pardoned of the bounty on his head, so was likely to stay alive for years to come. Tsunade was alive by the skin of her teeth. Kakashi was alive. Sai was alive. Her mom and dad were alive, which was more than could be said for most of her peers. She'd already given that some thought at Inoichi's grave, and felt bad that she didn't think of it at Minato's grave come to think of it. How often must Naruto think of his dad now? Surely Sasuke wasn't the only thing on his mind.

Then again, maybe he was. Maybe it was a coping mechanism. Who was she to judge anyway?

"You guys must think I'm awful," said Sakura. Her words were coming out in croaks mostly.

"Not at all!" said Lee, belting it for the world to hear. If she'd been looking she would have seen his hand over his heart.

"Sakura-chan?" said Hinata, kneeling down beside Sakura as Iruka had before. Lee may have done the same, but she was buried so far into her own feelings that she was barely aware of the world around her at all. Tears began to spill from her eyes, sinking into the soil that now held Neji's body. What made it awful was that the tears weren't even necessarily for him.

"Just... it shouldn't have happened this way. This... this isn't where Neji belongs."

She started to twist her balled fists into the soil. She wanted to strike it, but with her power she would destroy the grave, perhaps even the entire site.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" she shouted, streams of tears falling and falling from her cheeks. "T-this isn't... this isn't right. Why... I..."

Hinata's hand stroked her back in circles that were meant to be comforting, but that only made Sakura feel even more guilt. What was she doing? Shouldn't this be the other way around? Why wasn't she comforting Hinata?

What was she doing here?

"I wish it were me. No, I wish... I wish it were Sasuke! It was supposed to be him anyway! How... how did it come to this? Where I... I have the two biggest idiots on my team, and they get out of it alive. Unscathed, even! Those stupid..."

Sakura found trouble breathing, slipping rapidly into hysteria. The chakra in her fists was starting to fry the stem of the last flower in her hand, the flower she had bought for Neji.

She tossed the flower away and grabbed at the roots of her hair. She screamed as she tugged at them, wailing at the top of her lungs. It was enough to make anyone crazy, how cruel and unfair this world truly was. She knew she wasn't ready to face this. Her guilt, her grief, and most of all, that disgusting bit of relief. She really had gotten off so very easily. Way too easily. She had no business being happy about it.

And then Hinata slapped her out of her hysteria and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Get a hold of yourself, Sakura-chan!" said Hinata, who also had tears in her eyes. Lee was behind her at a loss for words. What did he think about this whole mess? What about Hinata? Did they resent her? Sakura thought it might be easier if they had, but judging from the way Hinata brushed away her tears and stroked her hair that didn't seem to be the case. "Oh dear. When's the last time you had a good night's sleep?"

"... Three years ago," said Sakura, her vision beginning to spot and fog through the blur of tears yet to be shed.

"Come here." Hinata reached out and pulled her into a hug, now giving her scalp and neck a gentle massage as she held her. Sakura cried into Hinata's shoulder, this time just a standard cleanse of the soul.

"You aren't awful, Sakura-chan. Far from it. You save lives for a living. Everyone admires your strength and courage. You should be proud of everything you've accomplished.

"And concerning Sasuke-kun, please don't feel guilty that he survived against all odds. It won't bring Neji-niisan back... a-and he really did help us. I'm convinced that he intends to make up for all of the awful things that he's done, and I'd like to give him that chance personally. I agree with Naruto-kun, that hatred and holding a grudge isn't going to solve anything. I'm glad for everyone who made it out alive, including Sasuke-kun. I'm sure Neji-niisan is, too."

"How can you be so accepting?" said Sakura, her body trembling in Hinata's embrace. She couldn't even bring her own arms up to return it. They just hung limp at her sides. "How can you be so... so..."

"Rational?" Hinata supplied. Not quite what she was looking for, but Sakura supposed it would have to do. "I've made my peace with it already. I do still cry for Neji-niisan, but I'm going to move past this. I have to. I hope you'll make peace with Sasuke-kun one of these days."

"Well, that's another thing." Sakura's shoulders deflated in the most exasperated sigh. "There's something I think you should know about Sasuke and Naruto..."

"I already know," said Hinata, pulling herself back finally. If Sakura didn't know any better she'd swear that Hinata looked almost... amused. She pointed at her eyes and said, "I had the clearest view on the battlefield. Actually, I knew I didn't stand a chance the moment Sasuke-kun returned. It was hopeless enough with just you to contend with."

Hinata smiled, and it made Sakura's insides curdle. She didn't even know what to make of it. This was actually a topic the two of them avoided like the plague to keep the friendship, small as it was. Sakura also didn't need a repeat experience of what happened between her and Ino.

"I was no competition, Hinata. Naruto and I aren't like that. Never were."

"That's a shame. You two would have been good together."

"No, I hoped that you two would get together. You'd treat him better than anyone."

"Well, that doesn't matter now. Naruto-kun has made his choice," said Hinata with a small sigh. "My feelings for Naruto helped me become stronger, which is good enough. I'll just have to find strength within myself from now on."

This time is was Sakura who reached out and hugged Hinata. Reserved though she was, the pain in her eyes was unmistakable. Naruto never reciprocated her feelings. He valued them, but at the end of the day the thing that mattered most to him was a certain blind Uchiha that could spend the rest of his days walking into trees for all Sakura cared. Or maybe not so. Maybe Hinata was right. Maybe it would behoove her to appreciate the time she still had in this world with her stupid boys. Not today, but maybe someday.

"Forgive me for interrupting you two, but what exactly is going on between Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun?" said Lee, who had startled Sakura a bit. To be honest she had completely forgotten that he was there.

"Well, Lee-san. That's..." said Sakura, trying to gather something of a coherent explanation in her head. Instead, the moment she got to her feet her vision had once again gotten spotty, and her knees buckled. She was out cold before she even hit the ground.

Sakura awoke in an unfamiliar place. Her eyes found wooden shades drawn shut, though she could see cracks of gold from the setting sun through them. How long had she been out for? The room she was in had an assortment of oak furniture and trim, with the walls painted green. It was a very tidy room, with a rolled up mat in one corner, and some heavy weights at the foot of the futon she had been resting in. Something told her that she ought to know who the owner of this room was, but it didn't really come to her until she was able to lift herself up out of bed. Upon the dresser beside her there were several framed photos, similar to the type of photos Sakura kept in her room. One was of Gai-sensei with that large, goofy grin of his. Another was of Lee and Gai.

The one that held her attention the longest was a group photo of Lee's team. It was similar to the group photo of Team Seven that Sakura still kept in her room. Everyone looked so happy. Tenten had makeup on that day, and Lee was pumping his fist ready to take on the world. Neji stood with his arms crossed and a scowl upon his face. It was hard to believe how miserable a person he once was. That just goes to show the affect Naruto had on people, she supposed, but after today she figured Hinata must have played a significant part in his change, too. She, like Naruto, knew the right things to say, and held together well in a position were emotions ran high. Perhaps even she made a viable candidate for Hokage, and wouldn't that just stick it to her father who had once underestimated her.

It took Sakura a moment, but she noticed that there were words scrawled over Neji's torso. It was hard to make them out in the dim lighting, so she had to carry the photo over to the window. Once the light caught the words, Sakura sucked in a stabbing breath.

Rest in peace, my eternal rival. You will always be missed.

Sakura couldn't help it. She hugged the photo to her chest and cried again, this time for Neji, a beloved teammate of Lee's and Tenten's. No, a beloved member of Konoha, whose duty was to protect, and to bring prosperity to the village with his skill and genius. It really was a terrible blow, not only to their morale, but to their village. Yes, people died in war. They absolutely did. There was no getting around that, but when it finally hit home Sakura really could help but wonder what the point of it all was. Did Neji really have to die? Why did people get power hungry and seek destruction? Revenge? Domination? What was the point? Why couldn't they just live in peace and be happy together?

Would she actually give Sasuke up if it meant bringing Neji back? Maybe the answer was yes before she'd slept on it. Now she wasn't so sure.

She didn't have to write rest in peace on Sasuke's photo, did she? How the hell could she even know how that must have felt? Now she hoped that she wouldn't. Was that so wrong of her? Perhaps her bond with Sasuke wasn't as dead as she'd believed.

She didn't get a chance to think about that, though, because Lee chose that moment to enter his room.

"It is good to see you awake, Sakura-san. Hinata-san said that all you needed was some rest, so I took the liberty of bringing you into my home. I also prepared a meal for you if you are feeling hungry."

Sakura sniffled in response, and hugged the photo to her bosom even tighter. She didn't know what to say. Lee's kindness made her want to curl into a ball and disappear, to be honest. She would, too, if it meant taking his grief with her. Lee was a wonderful person, probably the best person she knew, come to think of it. It seemed like this world had a penchant for punishing the best people, though was compromising one's goodness the answer to evading pain and suffering? Was it a worthwhile endeavor? She liked to think not. Lee probably wouldn't think so. He was an idiot who loved a challenge, much like Naruto.

The only difference was that Lee was here trying to care for her, and she didn't even know why. It wasn't like she deserved it.

"Why are you all the way over here, Sakura-san?"

Lee lifted the shades, and an abrupt splash of light suddenly flooded the room. The bright sun was still straddling the horizon, yet the first hint of stars were starting to poke out into the sky. Sakura squeezed her tear-soaked eyes shut at first, and when she opened them Lee was standing before her, a silhouette against the gold, offering his hand. She took it, still clutching the old photo with her free arm. She figured she ought to give it back, but she wasn't really ready to. She wanted to feel pain for Neji's death. She wanted to feel pain for Lee's loss.

"I'm so sorry, Lee-san. About Neji. About how I acted. I'm really, really sorry. I..." She hiccuped.

"I know, Sakura-san. Please believe that. Your sincerity has opened my eyes and touched my heart today. I am certain Neji feels the same, wherever he is.

"However, I really must agree with everything Hinata-san said earlier. I myself feel no resentment toward Sasuke-kun. If he works hard and proves himself worthy of our village then I shall have no cause to complain. All the better if he proves himself worthy of becoming Hokage. Why, I would be honored to help him in any way that I can with training in taijutsu if he were ever to ask. There have been splendid taijutsu masters in history that were born without eyesight, or who lost it in battle. I wonder how I would fare in sightless technique.

"That does it. I train blindfolded from this day forward! And if I cannot master my technique blindfolded, I will master my technique with my ears plugged!"

"Oh, Lee-san," said Sakura, smiling for the first time that day. She had to admit, it was refreshing to see at least one person acting normal, well, normal for Lee anyway. "You're too much."

"There is never too much. There is always something of value to be learned. That is what makes life so wonderful, do you not agree?"

"I..." Sakura looked into Lee's eyes, searching for her answer. Life really didn't feel so wonderful in her world at the moment, if she were being completely honest with herself. Perhaps the stress of it all was biting her in the behind all at once, and she wasn't exactly giving herself much permission to deal with her feelings. "H-here's your picture back."

If she held that photo to her bosom any more the glass would crack and the frame would splinter. It wouldn't do to be a guest in Lee's home just to break his things. He took it from her and nodded, then walked toward the dresser to return it to its proper place. She didn't like that look in his eyes, that clouded over the moment he realized what it was that she was holding. Would he mind if she gave him a hug? Did he even need one? She did.

When he turned, any words he had prepared on his lips were stopped dead when Sakura threw her arms around him. She wanted to be absorbed into him, his warmth, his kindness, his solid strength that held her to the ground. He was warmth and air and earth, and yes, he was even beauty. When he wrapped his arms around her to return her hug she could feel the solid definition of muscle hold her to him so gently, like a feather, and with the way he moved you would swear that he was as light as one. She wondered for a moment how difficult it would be to lift him up. He was undoubtedly covered in weights as heavy boulders, perhaps even mountains. And where did he put it all? He didn't puff up like a body builder. That was a good thing, though. It meant that he could actually get his arms around her.

Then it occurred to her that it meant something, that Lee could have his arms around her, and it was comfortable. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, he hugged back. He stroked her shoulder blades, and these strange little noises squeaked past his throat. When she still hadn't stepped back he took the liberty of holding her tighter, and she could feel his heartbeat beneath her. Or maybe it was hers, it was hard to tell. Her face was starting to warm up, and she once again discovered her breath when she realized she'd been holding it for awhile. What was she feeling now, she wondered? Warm, wanted, welcome, to name a few things, and she was noticing more and more things about Lee that she hadn't considered, such as how nice he smelled, and how good it felt to hug him.

Eventually this was going to get weird, so Sakura gently backed away with her palms pressed to his chest. He let down his arms at once, and she was way too shy to look into his eyes at the moment. It was bad enough that she caught a glimpse of his lips, and she turned about twenty shades of pink and headed for the door.

"So you made a meal, right? It would be rude of me to let that go to waste. Besides, I haven't eaten at all today, so..."

She rested her hand upon the frame of the open door, aware that she was babbling, not to mention stumbling. She really needed to get a grip, because she'd already made a fool of herself more than enough today.

"Thank you, Lee-san."

Lee kept his distance, which she appreciated.

"My pleasure, Sakura-san. I promised that if you ever needed me that I would always be there to protect you. That includes your feelings."

"M-me too," said Sakura, turning around to face him. "Anyone who offers me their protection will get double from me."

She gave him a thumb's up and a smile, then made her way through Lee's home following the smell of food. She had only vaguely noticed before, as she was congested and not even remotely thinking of food upon waking up, but now her stomach made a point to ache with emptiness, and her mouth was actually starting to water. Lee had a table set low to the floor with mats in front of it, so she would be dining tonight upon her knees. On each side of the table was a bowl of rice and an assortment of meat and vegetables. It had probably all cooled off by now, but it smelled terrific, and she'd eat just about anything right now that wasn't ramen or hospital food.

As she dug into her food, practically inhaling it, Lee put on a fresh pot of tea. He got started on his own meal waiting for the kettle to whistle.

"I apologize. It seems dinner has gotten cold. If I cannot make Sakura-san an acceptable pot of tea then I shall have to buy her lunch every day for a month!"

"Don't even think about it," said Sakura, pointing her chopsticks at him.

"Astute as always, Sakura-san. Buying lunch for you is not a punishment, but a pleasure. Would you allow me to do so?"

"Maybe once in awhile, but not for a whole month." She could just imagine him at the clinic rolling out a red carpet covered in pink rose petals delivering a bento lunch to her. Every damn day. The janitor would get tired of sweeping them up, break his broom in half, and quit after a week of it. Granted she would get food, and it wouldn't be hospital food. That definitely had its perks.

The kettle started to whistle, and Lee headed for the kitchen. He brewed a nice pot of green tea and served it. The weather was a bit hot for it, but Sakura enjoyed it nonetheless, thank goodness. Lunch for a month was tempting, but she could do without it. Today was good. She'd certainly placated her once grumbling, malnourished stomach and her eyes began to droop again. She didn't want to just eat Lee's food and leave him, though. When their meals were done she'd offered to help him clean up, but he wouldn't hear a word of it. Well then.

Once he was done, he took his seat across from her, as she stared absently at her pale hands. "Sakura-san, you are more than welcome to stay the night until your strength returns. Only if you would like to. My home is your home, if you would find that acceptable."

"I don't want to impose," said Sakura, which she realized sounded pretty lame the moment it left her mouth. It wasn't really imposing if he had offered. To be completely honest, the offer was tempting in many ways. She didn't want to go home and deal with her parents fussing over her. She didn't want to go out and see anyone that she knew. Her behavior was embarrassing enough for one day. Luckily Lee and Hinata were two of the best people ever, thus knew how to drag her back down to earth.

"If that is a no then I would be more than happy to escort you home whenever you are ready."

"It's not a no." The words left her lips before she could even keep them in check. Well, wasn't that just great? If she wasn't at the point of no return now she was at least a hair's width from it. The way Lee's face lit up may have sold her on the idea.

Although it was embarrassing. She had never spent the night at another boy's house before. She'd spent countless nights in tents and hotels with Naruto, Sasuke, and later on Sai, not to mention Kakashi and Yamato, but none of that even counted. There was something so much more intimate about being in someone else's home.

"I don't have a change of clothes, or a toothbrush. I might have a comb..."

"I know!" said Lee, slamming his fist into his palm. "Tenten lives across the street. She'll have everything you need!"

He was out the door before Sakura could say a word.

He overdid it. He really did. She should have known, because it was Lee, and that's what he did.

She was expecting just a change of clothes and a toothbrush. That would have been more than enough, even though Tenten's clothes did not fit her well. Tenten was a tiny girl. She was petite and thin as a rail, an envy to many a female in Konoha. She'd loaned Sakura a pajama top that would have been baggy on her, but it squeezed Sakura a bit in the shoulder area, and the midriff was embarrassing. Her navel was exposed, and the pants would only come up so much. Tenten owned nothing but baggy pants, so it would seem. Sakura didn't complain only because Lee would spend the entire night berating himself if she did.

Besides, he welcomed her to use his shower, and brought shampoo, conditioner, and a hair dryer from Tenten's. That's where it started to get a little ridiculous. Once she was showered and dressed in her barely passable nightware, Sakura went through the rest of the stuff Lee brought over. A brand new toothbrush with hearts all over it, hair ties, a ribbon, mouth wash, antiperspirant still in its wrap, a nail file, tweezers, nail clippers, a mud mask, a teddy bear, a romance paperback by a terrible author, and yes, even tampons and a bar of chocolate, which she didn't need, well, not the tampons anyway. She took the chocolate, though.

"How does Tenten just have all of this stuff to spare?" said Sakura. The bag it all came in was stitched and had a heart-shaped panda on it. It was very cute.

"She is reliable and always prepared," sand Lee, sticking up his thumb and grinning. Oh geez. If Sakura went back into that bag and found a condom she would scream. "Is there anything you would like me to do for you, or are you ready to sleep?"

"I'd like to sleep now, but are you sure this is OK? If this is your room then where will you sleep?"

"I can sleep anywhere! Your comfort is my concern."

"I am very comfortable. Thank you, Lee-san. Goodnight."

She actually wasn't comfortable at all, but she didn't want to worry him. He smiled and waved as he left his room, leaving her to sit by lamp light as she leaned against the wall. She got started on that paperback Tenten had provided her with, and started to feel nostalgic. While she was still in school she would read books like this all the time and picture every guy in every book as Sasuke, where Sakura of course was the woman. It was embarrassing really, especially since most of these relationships really weren't good. If a woman's prime concern was how good her man looked then damn did she have it easy. If nothing else she figured the book would bore her to sleep.

She could hear the wind outside starting to pick up, which suggested that rain was on its way. That would be awfully soothing to sleep to. Actually, before she knew it she'd wound up about halfway through her book, and the two lovers were caught in a downpour, seeking cover. The banter that passed between the two of them was forced and unsatisfying, and Sakura really had no picture of their story. Their dilemma. She was drifting into her own.

She wondered if Sasuke had gotten lost outside, and if so he'd get drenched in the rain. Then he'd catch a cold, and Naruto would nurse him back to health with ramen, or just kill him with massive salt intake. She groaned when she caught herself thinking about those two. Wasn't this supposed to be her day off from them? Sheesh.

She supposed that she didn't get a day off from them. For better or for worse they were her boys, even if she was just the third wheel in Team Seven. That's what she was sick of. If she was the member of a unit then why did she always feel so left out? Would nothing she did ever be good enough? Maybe what she felt now was bitterness. Sasuke thought that he could just waltz back in. What a pain in the ass. She should have just filled his eye sockets with dirt and rocks. That would have showed him.

But then again, Sakura didn't want to be angry, and found that she really wasn't. Right now, she was numb, if anything. What would become of her relationship with Sasuke if they reestablished trust? It wouldn't be the same. She could find a perfectly good man who has never, nor will ever abandon her, then try to kill her. She wondered for a moment why Naruto didn't hold Sasuke to that same standard, but knew deep down that love was just weird like that, not to mention those two had some sort of deeper connection that no amount of hard feelings could touch. Perhaps they could take the mess that they had and turn it into something healthy. She hoped so, for everyone's sake.

Though if she ever caught those two kissing on a mission she would kick both their asses.

She closed the novel she was reading, content to leave Madame and her debonair stuck in the rain with their stupid banter like a couple of fools forever. Speaking of rain, it started to fall in sheets. That system must have moved in fast, since the sky was clear enough to see stars while the sun was setting. She turned off the lamp and rolled over on Lee's futon, noticing for the first time that it had his smell. It was a smooth scent, like that Lotus Mist shampoo that her dad sometimes used. It was strange to think that a guy who worked out so much could actually smell so good.

Somewhere in that questionable spot between consciousness and sleep Sakura banished all of her typical worries to the farthest corners of her mind, and just pictured Lee working out in the rain. He did squats, punches, kicks, and situps, and he'd removed his Chuunin vest and the top half of his jump suit so not to impede his movements. Sakura did find him more interesting to watch when his strength wasn't weighed down by anything.

The detail her mind went into was quite sharp, from the way drops of water ran into his collar bone, to the way his muscles ripped and flexed with his every movement. The color of his skin was gorgeous. It was solid brown like the earth, and with the grace of air, the heat of fire, and the life of water. She wanted to touch it. She wanted to hold him again, to press herself against this body Lee had taken so many years to create. He deserved to have someone love it. And Sakura, she was so close, and could taste the salt from the sweat building fresh on her face.

Then she snapped herself awake. It was still dark, and still raining, and she was wide awake and panting.

She turned the light back on and bit into half that chocolate bar Tenten had packed for her, in an effort to get the taste of salt and the smell of Lotus Mist off of her mind, though the sound of rain was doing plenty to aggravate her nerves alone. She had totally just caught herself in one intense fantasy about Lee, also known as "Bushy Brow" by Naruto and Sasuke, who both had terrible taste in guys anyway, she might add. She chewed on that chocolate so hard that she bit the side of her tongue, and had some delicious pain to focus on now. Oh boy, pain, like the hours of it that Lee would put himself through just to look as good as he-no

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

This was just a natural rebound in response to all the insanity taking place in her life at the moment, right? Right. There was nothing to worry about. Really.

Really.

And yet she hadn't slept a wink for the rest of the night. Instead she did Madam and her debonair a favor and continued their story from the rain and to the end, which was a wedding. Woo. Luckily this author was so beneath her reading level at this point that she couldn't picture any guy she knew being even remotely like debonair, and she was certainly no Madam. Just Haruno Sakura, spending the night at Rock Lee's house because her life had completely fallen apart. She owed it to him to have a better reason really, but in all the confusion she had shut down, and resolved only to think about how badly she wanted more chocolate.

Sakura bid Lee thank you and farewell early that morning, and popped in at home quickly to get dressed for work. Of course her mom just had to ask where she was, how she was, who she was with, and so forth, to which Sakura answered, "not now, gotta go" every single time. Thanks to Tenten's bag of tricks she'd had hair and makeup accounted for, and took care to make sure changing into her clean clothes wouldn't ruin either. It didn't, and she was off to the clinic to spend about ten hours of her day dealing with the ill and injured.

It was rewarding work. It really was, and Sakura enjoyed doing it. It was a relief that Sasuke was no longer her final stop now. The amount of patients grew thinner and thinner, which was good and bad. Some were released with a clean bill of health. Some were relocated home under the supervision of a private nurse. Some died. People were still dying from over-exertion of chakra, infection, trauma, and there was already one reported case of suicide. It was a shame. This was where her work became exhausting, but it was the life she chose and she was damn good at what she did, so she'd take the bad with the good and be proud of what she could do, and try not to think of what she couldn't.

Today went by in a flash. There was a span of weeks where she'd spent up to fourteen, and sometimes even eighteen hours in the hospital running around, so ten hours felt like nothing. Tsunade decided that it was her limit now, since Hinata told her all about yesterday's fainting spell. Damn Hinata. Well, she supposed it was for the better, and when she'd said her goodbyes and headed out the door she was greeted by both Ino and, speak of the devil, Hinata. They too helped out at the hospital when they could, but since neither were specialists in medical jutsu the volume of work they did was quite small compared to Sakura's. With that in mind, she wondered what they were up to, if not work.

"What's this I hear about you spending the night at Lee-san's house, hmmm?" said Ino, leaning into Sakura like she was glorious vat of priceless gossip, Ino's second favorite thing after cute boys.

"Who told you that?!" said Sakura, her face an instant wash of heat and rage. It was that damn Tenten. You would think you could trust a girl with heart-shaped pandas stitched to her tote bags, but then you'd be horribly, horribly wrong.

"Who cares? You're making it too easy for me to get Sasuke-kun all to myself."

"Good luck prying Naruto off of him, Ino-pig." Sakura waved away that topic dismissively, and Ino's nose scrunched as though she'd found a bug on her clothes. Forgot all about that, didn't she? "What's up, Hinata?"

"Ino-chan and myself stopped by to see how you were feeling, Sakura-chan, and would like to know if you'd be interested in joining us for dinner?" said Hinata. She didn't hang out with these two often given their tendency to butt heads over little things. Kiba and Shino liked to do the same thing, so sometimes it was nice to get away from it for awhile.

"Sure, Hinata," said Sakura, and she threw her arm around Ino's shoulder. "Then Ino-pig can tell us all about what her and Shikamaru do in the flower shop's green house after closing."

"Oh, you complete bitch!" said Ino, throwing up her arms. It was on, and Hinata would not get the quiet dinner that she so coveted. Not that it mattered. She was worried about Sakura, so it felt good to see her so energized and happy today. It gave her hope that things really could go back to normal in time.

Though she had to admit, she was just as curious about what had happened between Lee and Sakura as Ino was. After all, she was witness to Lee scooping Sakura into his arms, assuring Hinata that he would get her home safely. She wasn't aware that home meant his house, and Sakura really didn't seem to mind. Perhaps there was more to that relationship than Hinata had realized. She supposed anything was possible these days.

Two months passed, and so did the muggy spell of summertime. Sakura had been awarded a chance to prove herself worthy of the rank of Jounin, which was pretty funny. She was both the first Chuunin, and soon to be the first Jounin on her team. At this rate she'd be the first Hokage, and why not? She was the protege of the current one, and was favored most likely to surpass Tsunade among medic nin. The best part was that she didn't even have a gambling problem, so she didn't lose the small fortune she had made to scratch tickets and high hand jackpots.

She decided to purchase her own house with the money she'd made, finally able to get away from her parents for good. It was a quaint home in direct view of the first Hokage's face on that monument, and closer to the hospital than her previous home. She'd underestimated the amount of stuff that she had. One would think a girl who spends more time out than in wouldn't have many worldly possessions of which to speak, but somehow she managed.

Lee had helped her move in, and even prepared her all of her meals while they were in the process of moving. He wanted her to eat well to keep her strength up. She was seeing a lot more of him these days, come to think of it, and also a lot more of Hinata, who always asked, "how is Lee-san?" at one point or another, like Lee had become some significant member of Sakura's every day life.

It didn't really occur to her that he had until the move was almost complete. After all, he'd stayed to help her arrange furniture, put books away, and even added a personal touch by hanging pictures on her walls. The first picture she would walk in on was the group photo of Team Seven in their younger days, which just seemed right, or so Lee had claimed. And it was. Her unease with those two had eased considerably since their first day back on a mission. It was almost eerie how not much had actually changed. Those two liked to bicker and show off, then they'd get hurt and Sakura would have to patch them up and scold them. Sasuke was especially annoying. Since he'd gotten a grasp on sightless battle he'd made a point to do as much as possible, brandishing his sword more than she'd ever seen and coming dangerously close to striking Kakashi and Naruto with the blade a few times. Sword wasn't a good idea at his current level, or at all if you asked her, but far be it her to actually make sense. Well, his heightened hearing came in handy, at least.

They didn't leave much for her to have to wail on, though at one point she'd gotten so annoyed with them that she tore out in front of them and punched the head bandit so deep into the earth it was a wonder he didn't pop out the other end. Needless to say, Usugi-san got her jewels back.

"Yeah, don't make Sakura-chan mad, because she'll kill us," Naruto said.

"She'll kill you and pity me because I'm handicapped."

"That's bullshit and you it! But watch it with that big ass sword next time, you almost stabbed me!"

"And you're complaining?" The smirk on Sasuke's face indicated a double meaning that went over Naruto's head at first, but made Kakashi sigh, and that was how Sakura caught it. Yeah, OK, so maybe the new dynamic would take some getting used to after all, but if there was one thing Sakura could say for sure it was that she missed this. She really did miss it, and it felt wonderful to have it back, at least in some capacity. Sasuke was slowly earning back her trust by acting, for lack of a better term, normal. So much like the Sasuke she knew before Itachi attacked him and ruined everything, and it was nice. It meant that he was finally opening up his heart to healing again, rather than drowning in that weird madness that prompted him to almost kill her. She wasn't ready to call that water under the bridge per se, but it was getting there.

She walked through more of her house, seeing other pictures Lee had hung around the main room. There was one of her with her parents, another of just her parents, one of her and Ino as kids. Then there was a painting Sai had done of her and Naruto. There were news clippings of her successes in the medical field, and one plaque that thanked her for her service in the war. She was revered as the top medic nin under Tsunade, and it was her excellent control and division of chakra among injured soldiers that was one of the main keys to keeping their casualties low. With their significant lack of dead and injured their side had the upper hand in the final showdown, and were victorious.

Most of it was a blur really, and Sakura fortunately left the battlefield as one of the least injured members. It gave her the edge to start healing shinobi immediately.

This was only one reason why she was recommended for Jounin. Sasuke and Naruto probably would have been too if they weren't still Genin technically, but heck, she'd take it. Also, Team Seven was hopeless without her.

That was neither here nor there at the moment, as she explored all the special little ways Lee had helped her make this house her new home. He painted the walls peach and white before the move, he helped her pick out new furniture, move old furniture, and helped fill her pantry with food. Actual food, that she would actually have to cook at some point. She wasn't very good at cooking, especially when she was a kid, or else she would have actually offered Sasuke the toxic bento lunches she attempted to throw together on occasion.

Oh well. Lee said that he would teach her when they got a chance.

What wouldn't Lee do for her at this point?

She was tempted to sit on the plush new couch and have a nap for a bit, but there was so much that needed to be done. Her team had a mission in the morning, and when she got back from that she'd be back in the hospital tending to her patients. Today she just had the last of the unpacking to do, insisting that Lee leave her room to her, which he respected. It was mostly just clothes, but she regretted that decision a bit, because she just didn't feel like doing it. She'd be too busy to do it any other time, though, and had a very important meeting in a few short hours, so she slapped both of her cheeks awake and got moving.

Once she was finished with that, her last dilemma of the day was what to wear to dinner. After all, Lee said he would take her out, but didn't even mention where. Didn't men realize that details like that were kind of important?

She blushed, though this wasn't the first time it had occurred to her that this was date. It was just the first time it meant something to her. The first time she'd ever dressed up for one. This was going to be interesting.

Lee showed up as exactly 6:30 as promised, and he was dressed like a normal person. Not that she minded the green jump suit so much anymore. She had plenty of years to get used to it, and it suited his fighting style anyway, so it made sense. Still, it was strange to see him in a button down dress shirt tucked into form fitting black slacks. He had something large slung over his back, and he held out his hand to her. Reluctant, Sakura's eyes bounced back and forth to make sure no one was watching, not that it mattered if they were. It was just a habit. It wasn't that she was ashamed so much as she was easily embarrassed. Normally she turned guys down, but tonight she was finally giving one outside of her personal little Team Seven bubble a chance for a change, and it was just weird.

It was good, though. She liked to spend time with Lee, and accepted his hand, though her heart pounded in her ears. The two strolled through town hand-in-hand, and they were bound to be seen by people who knew them at some point. Sakura hoped she wasn't over dressed. She had settled for a blue blouse and a white skirt, though white was a pretty bad choice, because it dirtied easily. She'd had Ino paint her nails and pluck her brows for her earlier, of course getting pumped for questions in the process. Where would they go? What would they do? What would they eat? Would Sakura spend the night with him again? Her place or his? before Sakura could even answer yes or no! She was tempted to call the whole thing off, then Ino leaned in and told her where the condoms were hidden in the greenhouse.

It turned into a conversation about Shikamaru, mostly how he was still too lazy to bother with pillow talk, the bastard.

Sakura did not humor Ino by helping herself to a free condom, because it wasn't like that. This was just a nice dinner date to thank Lee for all of his help.

Well, OK, it wasn't just that. Sakura had to admit, she enjoyed Lee's company a lot. His personality was a refreshing addition to her regular life. He was just so positive, energetic, and accepting. He was one of those people Sakura felt she could confide in no matter what. She often vented when the idiot boys did something stupid, of course. They were an endless source of entertainment at the cost of her frustration. Lee still pitched the idea of training blindfolded with Sasuke, but she still wasn't in a happy enough place to allow Sasuke into her Lee time quite yet.

And her Lee time was becoming more and more frequent, not that she was complaining. She took her free hand and squeezed his arm, and smiled when he looked down at her.

"Where are we going to eat?" she asked.

His cheeks rose, and then his eyes snapped open and he pointed up to the Hokage monument. "Come with me!"

The two of them broke into a run toward the foot of the Hokage monument, still hand-in-hand. Sakura thanked her lucky stars that she thought better than to wear heels, though if she got any rocks in her new flats that might be just a tad annoying. Also, Lee didn't stop at the foot of the monument, but picked up momentum and announced that they would spring to the top. Sakura shot the necessary chakra to her feet within seconds of the ascent, and the two ran up the mountain together.

It was fun. She had to run very fast to keep up with him, and could feel the wind rip through her hair and skirt. Hopefully they were going so fast that any potential bystanders wouldn't be able to get a peak up her skirt. That thing on Lee's back must of been dinner, because as far as Sakura knew they didn't open any restaurants on the Hokage monument. If they did it would be Naruto's doing. He'd have a ramen shop built right over the 4th's head, so he could have two of his favorite things at once.

Speaking of which, she and Lee jumped from the 3rd to the 4th, and Sakura had to take care not to mar them with their chakra. Truth be told her and Lee technically weren't allowed to do this at the risk of damaging the heads, but it did give the people that minded the monument something to do if somebody lost the tip of their nose.

It was a long trek up, and Sakura wasn't even properly dressed for it. She flopped down upon the ground trying to catch her breath. Lee pulled out a blanket and spread it between them, and surprised her with a rose and multilayered bento with many assorted foods. When he said he would take her out to dinner, she didn't think he literally meant out, as in outside with the best view of Konoha before them. The weather was nice, too. No longer hot, but the chill of colder weather to come hadn't nipped at them quite yet. Knowing Lee he probably chose this day, this place, and this assortment of food very carefully. To him, Sakura meant as much to him as his ninja way. He would work as hard as he could to make her happy, because that brought him joy. It amazed her, that there was a man who actually found joy in making her feel special.

And she felt the same way. Sakura didn't just find satisfaction in healing, she enjoyed making those she surrounded herself with feel good. It wasn't the sort of thing she had always been aware of, but once she had learned this to be true she would take it as far as she could.

Once her and Lee finished their meal, she slid her fingers into his own and just stared into his eyes without saying a word. His unique sense of style had become attractive to her somewhere along the line. Thick eyebrows were very masculine, bowl cuts were very practical, and he had the sweetest smile. His eyes were so full of wonder. His cheeks were smooth and full. She wanted to reach out and touch, but she was nervous. She didn't want to make the first move, but figured Lee was saving that for her since he was waiting, and she was catching up. Her feelings took a long time to get anywhere near his, but once they did she found that she couldn't be with him enough, she couldn't see him, touch him, smell him, or feel him enough. She wanted to taste him, too. Gods knew how she'd sneaked glimpses of his lips enough times.

What she had to be certain of was that she wasn't on the rebound. It was hard to adjust to how the love triangle on her team ultimately worked itself out. She'd loved Sasuke for so long, and went through a dizzy spell of attraction for Naruto. In the end, she got nothing out of it, though they seemed to get everything, and it did make her mad. It did make her feel cast aside, left out, like her feelings had no place, no bearing.

She'd shed enough tears over this, though, and was at a point where she was content to simply be their friend. And now that she was convinced of that, she could be certain that the way Lee made her heart do backflips was no rebound.

What she felt was loved. He nurtured and protected the part of her that wanted to be loved, and hadn't she promised him once that she would return it twice over? She was a medic. It was in her nature to give. She was happier when she did. It was best when she wanted to, and she really, really did.

So she stopped waiting and pressed her lips to Lee's at long last, and the wind and leaves swirled around them as though nature itself had blessed this union.

END

A/N: Oh, dogdamn. That was A LOT longer than I though it would be. I'm so glad it's DONE. I mean, I could probably do more with it, but aaaahhh NO. XD I hope it's not too obvious, but I stepped out of my comfort zone for this fic. I've never written LeeSaku, or ShikaIno, come to think of it. It was all for the Sheraface, because I loves her, but I had fun. Lee is awesome. If you actually got through this beast and liked it feel free to leave me a review. It'd be nice to know someone other than my bestest friend enjoys my craziness.