Author's Notes: Okay this little one-shot piece was written as a Christmas gift for my friend Cyn. Tis my first time writing anything for the Naruto series, and is set after episode 55 but before episode 58 (most likely during those weeks Naruto was sleeping). The pairing is Sakura/Rock Lee, so if you have an issue with that, you are free to turn back now.
Pardon it's zanyness and feel free to check out my deviantart account listed in my profile to see the fanart piece I drew for it.
As always, please read and review ^^
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~The Knight of Lotus~
"And the knight rode off into the sunset, holding the beautiful princess in his arms. And they lived- happily ever after…"
The book closed and the young boy who had been reading it smiled to himself warmly, "Only twenty-nine more times before I've read it a hundred times."
With a bowl-cut hairstyle and thick eyebrows, Rock Lee was far from the handsome knight that adorned the now-worn pages of the book Gai-sensei had given him. It had been a gift to keep him busy while he was cooped up in the hospital room, and keep the nurses from contacting his sensei anymore about himself over exerting himself.
Lee sighed, stretching his arms and wincing when he moved his injured one in the wrong way, "I know Gai-sensei said that I should exercise my mind until my body is a bit better….but….I'm getting behind on my training," he muttered to himself.
Looking over to his nightstand, his eyes fell on the vase and the lone daffodil it held. Lifting it slowly, Lee studied the flower, as if he wanted to memorize each petal as it was, "It's dying…." He said with a frown, noting that it had begun to droop a bit, "And I still don't know who left it here…"
He thought back on the day the flower had first appeared at his bedside. "I still swear I heard Sakura-san's voice when I collapsed…" His mind pondered, thinking back on how he'd overdone it and passed out before reaching his goal of pushups, "Then when I woke up…the flower was there…"
Carefully, he sat the flower back on the table, "But…why would Sakura-san come to see me?" He thought to himself, perplexed.
Coming from the depths of his being, a yawn brought itself to the surface- interrupting what he was contemplating at that moment. Lying back on his pillows, he lifted the book up again.
"Only twenty-nine more times…and if I can't read this a hundred times, then I'll get a bigger book and read it a thousand times…"
Yawning again, his words got a bit muddled as he began to read it again.
"Once upon a time, there was a noble knight…"
The words began to become harder and harder to read, as Lee's eyes slowly drifted shut.
"…and this knight went on a quest to rescue a beautiful princess…." He murmured the words as the book slid out of his hands and hit the floor.
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A long time ago, in a faraway land, there was a beautiful princess named Sakura. The young Princess was lovely- her hair was the color of the dainty pink flowers that dotted the hills each spring and she had a beautiful forehe--- face that went with it. She lived in the Kingdom of Konoha, and was betrothed to the noble Prince Sasuke.
But evil ran amok- and their rival the Sound Kingdom was planning something evil; something so diabolically evil that words cannot even begin to describe how evil it was. For, the king of that kingdom was none other than the evil king, Orochimaru. And if you hadn't guessed, he was very evil- he was so diabolically evil that words could not convey how evil he was. So, the evil king had an evil plan that would cause great tragedy in the Kingdom of Konoha, and one day, that plan was set into motion….
"Kabuto! Kabuto get in here this instant!" The king yelled; his voice slithering around the walls until it reached the ears of his most trusted knight.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?" The young man questioned as he entered the throne room.
"It is time…." He said; his voice low.
"Time? But you have other servants that draw water for your weekly bath…."
"No! Not that- it's time for the plan…." Orochimaru said, pulling Kabuto to his face and whispering.
"Oh, the plan…" The knight replied, pushing up his glasses so they took on a suspicious gleam.
"Yes, now you remember what you are to do right?"
"We are to hold the Princess hostage in hopes that it'll lure the Prince to come save her…." He explained.
"And when he does?" Orochimaru egged him on, since the evil-plot must be revealed to the reader somehow.
"He will be easily swayed to our side and then we overthrow their kingdom."
"Good good. So, now it's truly time…"
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. I'll ride out and kidnap her right away," He replied with a bow.
"Actually, I was thinking that perhaps we might have some tea first."
Shaking his head, the Black Knight had no choice but to be drug along with the evil king as he went off in search of the proper tea for that afternoon.
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Meanwhile in the Konoha Kingdom- Rock Lee, the noble and brave Knight of Lotus had just finished his sword practice for the day as the afternoon sun shone down. The once tall tree was now reduced to a lovely slash-carved sculpture of the former four kings of the land. Shaking the sawdust from his sword, and preparing to sheath it, he heard a voice calling out to him from across the courtyard.
"Yo Knight! Sir Knight! Hey! Hey! Hey Knight guy!" The blond-haired boy ran, the bells on his costume jingling with each movement.
Lee smiled, "Ah, Naruto my friend- what brings you here today?"
He'd been friends with the lively court jester since encountering him attempting to get a laugh from the somber Prince. Then again, the only thing that made the Prince laugh was Naruto insisting that he would be a noble and worthy knight that would save the kingdom and rule it someday. Oh yes, Sasuke laughed very hard when he heard that one.
Pausing to catch his breath, Naruto finally answered in a rushed ramble of information, "The evil king of the Sound Kingdom's loyal knight, the Black Knight, came and kidnapped the fair Princess Sakura. Prince Sasuke went after him, but was somehow brainwashed and now he wants to help the Sound Kingdom attack us. I would go after them but Jiraiya said that the bells on my outfit would let them know I'm coming from miles away and they would just send out their giant evil attack snake and it would eat me before I could attack or tell it a joke."
Clenching his fist, Lee replied, "That's terrible! I must go at once and save them both from the evil that has captured them!" Flames burned within his eyes as he continued, "As the Knight of Lotus I must protect the land of Konoha and its people- how dare those villainous ones of the Sound Kingdom try and take the glory of Konoha away from us?! I will not stand for it!"
And before Naruto could reply, before the sun in the distance could move a slight bit on the horizon, and before a nearby leaf could fall to the ground- Rock Lee, the Knight of Lotus himself, quickly grabbed up his helmet and mounted his horse.
"Tell the King that I have gone forth to save them. Goodbye, Naruto!"
Leaving the blond boy in a cloud of dust as he rode away, the jester sighed, "Man…I hate being Jiraiya's apprentice. Instead of going off and killing giant snakes and fighting evil kings that wear too much eyeliner I'm stuck trying to lure the maidens of the village to someplace that he wants. Stupid pervert…"
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The Sound Kingdom was a dark and foreboding place, as ominous clouds hovered in the sky and lightening flashed illuminating the castle up ahead.
Bravely going where no other knight would dare, the Knight of Lotus rode up to the ridge outside the kingdom's boundaries. Pausing there for a moment, he allowed the unkind winds to unleash their attack on his face and hair, whipping the black locks out of their usual smooth appearance.
"Sakura-san…" He murmured wistfully, thinking of the beautiful Princess that had for some time held his heart. He knew she was betrothed to the Prince, but that didn't stop him from caring deeply for the girl. "I'll save you Sakura-san. You and your Prince Sasuke…"
Giving a slight tap to his horse, Lee rode down the ridge and towards the looming black castle in the distance.
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Inside the castle the evil king, Orochimaru, sat on his throne with a positively devious look on his face. Eyes narrowing, he moved his hand, fingers slowly constricting upon his target and grasping it firmly about the neck. Then with a flourish, he lifted the figure up and slammed it back down with much ease- his face allowing an evil smirk to grace his features.
"I win…" He said firmly, a light laugh emanating from his throat as he looked down at his defeated opponent.
"Shit…" Sasuke cursed weakly, looking to the chess pieces in front of him. It was clear, he had indeed lost.
"Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto spoke up as he entered, "A knight is approaching from the east, should I ride out to meet him?"
"Hmm?" He thoughtfully looked up, "Well you are the Black Knight, so I suppose that would be the thing to do."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama…"
"Ah, Kabuto- one more thing…" He said, standing, "Where did you put the Princess?"
"In the basement, why?"
Orochimaru shook his head, "Isn't there some law or something that dictates that all female hostages must be held in a tower?"
"I know, but our only tower-room is where your…collection is."
At the word 'collection' Orochimaru's eyes widened, "Well well then, the basement should be fine. Wouldn't want her messing up things in the tower. Now, if you could- that knight that's coming needs to be killed."
"Understood. I'll have it easily done before dinner."
"Good," The evil king said, clasping his hands together and giving that typical 'I'm up to no good' gleam to his eyes, "I was thinking…we might order in pizza."
Kabuto's eyes brightened, "Really, Orochimaru-sama? I'll take care of this right away!"
With that the Black Knight rushed off, grabbed up his sword and headed out to meet with the other knight.
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Lee looked up as he saw the black-clad knight emerging from the gates of the castle. Drawing his blade and ready to fight, the Knight of Lotus leveled his eyes on the figure, as he thought to himself, "This must be the legendary Black Knight of the Sound Kingdom…"
The figure came into view and spoke up, "You there- halt! I am the legendary Black Knight of the Sound Kingdom and I will not let you pass here alive."
Not the least bit phased by the threat, Lee shifted his sword in his hand, "So you are the Black Knight."
"Well, personally- I wanted to be the "Knight of the Circular Table Who Pulls Swords from Rocks," but Orochimaru-sama said it was too long."
Blinking, Lee tried to process that ridiculous title.
"Never mind- now who might you be?" Kabuto questioned, drawing his own sword.
"I am the Knight of Lotus, fighter for the Kingdom of Konoha and I have come to save our Prince and Princess."
"Ah, that's nice. A little stereotypical, but still nice," The Black Knight said with a shrug, "But…I can't let you do that."
Spurring his horse forward, the two knight's swords clashed.
The battle continued; sword striking sword, horses in a strange dance as the two fought. Growing tired, their reactions were slowing, leaving gaps for an attack.
And such a gap is just what Lee spotted as he quickly pulled his sword back and stabbed it through the break between Kabuto's chest plate and his arm. Falling from his horse, his mouth managed to stammer out one thing before death claimed him.
"I'm sorry…Orochimaru-sama…I can't help pay for the breadsticks…."
Lee paused to regard him, then rode forward and through the castle gates.
After a few moments, Kabuto picked himself up and brushed the dust off his armor, "Hmm, I sure hope that my death scene was satisfactory. I mean- it's not like I'm Hayate or something…" Shrugging he began to walk away, "Damn…I'm missing pizza with Orochimaru-sama…"
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The inside of the castle was dim as Rock Lee bravely entered. Seeing no one there to oppose him, he set about finding the Princess.
Noting a staircase to one side, he knew what he must do. Climbing the stairs quickly, he reasoned with himself, "She must be being held in the highest tower. That's where they always hide them"
But low and behold, when he reached the door, and flung it open, he found nothing- but a room of stuffed animals.
"Sakura-san?" The noble knight questioned as he slowly walked into the strange room. Seeing a window nearby, he walked over- wondering if perhaps the Princess had devised an escape route of her own.
"Looking for something…." The deep, ominous, voice intoned as he slowly was lifted up to the window sill.
Lee reached for his sword, as his eyes leveled with those of Orochimaru and the giant snake he was riding atop.
"You…." He growled out, setting eyes on the evil king and drawing his blade, "Will not go unpunished by me, the Knight of Lotus- for in the name of the Konoha kingdom, I shall vanquish you!"
Orochimaru laughed, "And how do you plan to fight me, boy? You can't fly…"
The knight paused, realizing that the evil king was indeed correct. His location inside the tower seemed to be a problem, but Lee just smirked. Climbing onto the window ledge, he held his sword out bravely, "If I can't kill you now, then I'll learn to fly before I can hit the ground…" he vowed.
Before the evil king could retort, the daring Knight of Lotus jumped from the window towards the head of the giant serpent the king stood upon.
Just as it seemed our brave knight was about to plunge to his death, he stabbed his sword in between the eyes of the snake. As the serpent writhed in pain, Lee held fast to the hilt of his sword.
Orochimaru thought fast, and quickly instructed the snake to bash the knight against the stone walls of the tower. As the serpent went to do so though, Lee quickly yanked his blade free and jumped back to the safety of the ledge.
Backing up into the room, he looked about once again for any sign of the Princess. Figuring it was worth a try to look while the king was trying to calm his pet snake, Lee began to push aside the mounds of plush animals.
"Sakura-san? Princess?"
"How dare you touch those!" Orochimaru sneered, climbing into the window himself upon seeing his precious 'collection' being tampered with.
"Then tell me, where the Princess is!"
"Never!" He proclaimed in true villain-fashion.
Lee looked about, his eyes settling on the nearest piece of the 'beloved collection.' Snatching it up quickly, he held his sword the throat of the stuffed white monkey.
Orochimaru's face produced a slight pout, his lips wordlessly mouthing, "Not Kudamono…." Putting on a tougher and more ominous villainous appearance, the king spoke aloud, "Drop it, now."
Tossing the animal into the air and using Orochimaru's dash to rescue it as a few extra seconds, the Knight of Lotus flung open the door and ran down the stairs. He had to find the Princess before something terrible happened to her.
"You are so…Ugh!" Lee's ears caught the female voice scream before hearing a loud 'clang' resounding from the main hall of the castle.
Afraid from the sound that the Princess had just been attacked, the knight sped his pace and with sword ready, entered the main hallway.
There stood the Princess, her lovely face contorted into a scowl as she regarded the body of the Prince that lay on the floor.
"Princess! What happened!" Lee called out, rushing over.
"Oh, Lee-san," She exclaimed on seeing the knight enter the room.
Looking about as if there was some unseen foe hiding in the shadows, he stood protectively in front of her.
"I heard your scream, Sakura-san. Now tell me where he went so I can punish him for causing you trouble."
Blinking, the pink-haired girl looked sheepishly to the large metal flag post leaning against a nearby wall.
"Um…that was me…"
Lee turned and questioningly looked at her.
"Sasuke-kun was refusing to come home with me, so I was going to make him," She explained gesturing to the post she'd hit Sasuke with.
"Oh…." Lee replied, not knowing what else to say.
Before the strange situation could get any stranger, a loud rumbling from the staircase was heard along with a distinct hissing sound.
Glancing to the Princess, then to the Prince, Lee quickly lifted up Sasuke's unconscious form and began to back away from the direction of the sound.
"Lee-san?" She questioned.
"It's coming." He said simply.
"What is…oh my…." She cut herself off on seeing the glowing eyes of the angered serpent as its large form crawled through the castle's halls.
Raising his sword, Lee leveled the snake with a glare.
Sakura blinked, "He's going to fight that…thing? Who in the hell would be that damned stupid?!" Her thoughts bitterly remarked.
Reasoning that she was the only sane person present, the Princess grabbed Lee's hand and started running for the door.
"Sakura-san, what are you…."
"Keep running!"
"But a Knight doesn't run from a fight!" He protested.
"Well I don't want to be snake food, so you'd better either kill that thing or keep running," The Princess replied, figuring that logic would sink in and that Lee would run faster.
Little did she know that Rock Lee doesn't back out of a fight- no matter what.
He halted abruptly and handed the limp body of Sasuke to her; then with the utmost determination he turned to face the giant snake head on.
"Get out of here Princess, I'll handle this!" He called back to her.
Sakura stood there, speechless at the bravery this knight had. Sure, all knights were brave, but this one…was different. He was truly fighting for the sake of others and not just for the glory of the name. It was like a deadly fascination with which Sakura watched as the Knight of Lotus faced off with the giant snake.
The room fell silent as the large serpent and the knight lashed out at each other. Then, they both paused as the sound of bells ringing softly reached their ears.
"Oi! Knight! Hey! Hey Knight of Lotus, where are you?!" The voice rang out as a loud crash and a few light jingles announced the entrance of none other than Konoha's court jester.
Riding atop a giant frog, the jester smirked, "Thought ya might need some help."
Nodding, Lee pointed to the Princess and Prince, "Get them back to Konoha safely. Hurry!"
Jumping down from the frog, Naruto smiled at the Princess, "Hiya Sakura-chwannnn…"
He was cut off as she shoved Sasuke into his arms, "Take care of this, if you would."
"Um…okay, Sakura-chan," He shrugged and lifted the Prince onto the frog and then he extended a hand to her.
"I'm staying," She said firmly.
Naruto blinked, "But…"
"Someone needs to look out for Lee-san."
"But…"
Turning with a glare, Sakura raised a fist, "Go jester boy or else!"
"Yes ma'am!" He squeaked in reply before starting off back towards Konoha with the injured Prince.
The Knight and the snake were both in a deadly dance, each figure watching the other intently and ready to block if an attack came their way. This time, the serpent lunged forward, sending the Knight of Lotus skidding out of the way as he tried to counter the attack. He safely avoided the large tail as it whipped across the hall of the castle, but in doing so he also caught sight of Sakura out of the corner of his eye.
"Sakura-san…why are you…." Before he could finish, the Princess's eyes widened and she ran forward.
Quickly grabbing the Knight up in her arms, and losing the bottom of her dress's fabric to the teeth of the snake, she pulled him out of the way.
"Princess…" He said slowly.
"Hey, anyone who tells you that girls are all damsels in distress needs to have their ass kicked, okay?" She retorted.
"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have put myself into such a dangerous position…"
"No, I distracted you. You can easily finish him off now."
With her added support, Lee's eyes sparkled and with a blush he indicated that she could put him down now.
Once back on his own feet, the Knight of Lotus once again glared at the snake.
"Vile creature- you shall pay for shredding the Princess's dress with your uncouth teeth!"
He rushed forward and the snake lunged at him- they moved in slow motion, like a samurai film in which the hero has just dealt the final blow.
Standing with their backs to each other, Lee wavered on his feet… but it was the snake that fell down dead.
Turning with a smile back towards the Princess, Lee began to walk towards her, "Thank you, Sakura-san. I couldn't have defeated it without your help."
"It was an honor to help you, brave knight."
Walking back outside, Lee helped her up onto his horse and the two prepared to leave the castle and its evil king for another day's battle.
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Back in the upper tower, Orochimaru was still cradling the stuffed animal in his arms and fussing over it.
"Did that mean knight hurt you? Oh you poor thing…."
"Orochimaru-sama- the pizza's here…" Kabuto said entering the room.
"Oh good- wait, aren't you supposed to be dead?"
"Yeah, but I wanted pizza."
"Oh, okay." The king complied.
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On the road back to Konoha, the brave Knight of Lotus sat with the Princess in front of him, his arms around her as he held the reins.
Finally, he brought himself to speak, "Princess…why didn't you go back with Prince Sasuke earlier?"
Not really all that certain why herself, Sakura simply replied, "Well if I hadn't, who would have been there to help you?"
Lee smiled at that, and looked off to the sunset on the horizon.
"So this is…happily ever after?"
The world began to fade to black leaving just those two riding together into the sunset.
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Waking from his slumber, Lee began to slowly drift back into consciousness. That's when, he heard someone in his hospital room.
"Oh…Lee-san must have dropped his book," the girl's voice said, as she stooped down and picked it up.
The pink-haired blur moved as Lee's eyes tried to focus, still squinting in protest of the light.
Sitting the book beside the vase, the figure went to the door, pausing before shutting it.
"Get well soon, Lee-san…."
The young boy sat up, rubbing his eyes in haste as he slowly brought things into focus. Sure enough, the book was now sitting next to the vase. The vase- which had a new daffodil in it
"Was that…Sakura-san?" He thought, trying to decipher the blurred figure and the faint voice.
Looking back over to the window, he noticed that the sun was setting in the distance.
"A sunset…just like…" He glanced back to the book, "I suppose it was all a dream then…"
Lifting the book once again, Lee flipped to the first page- hoping it would distract him from his thoughts.
"That's right, twenty-nine more times… I have to read this twenty-nine more times…"
"Once upon a time, there was a noble knight- and this knight went on a quest to rescue a beautiful princess. At first, it seemed as if the Princess was in love with the Prince, but slowly, her heart began to fall for the brave knight that came to save her from the evil king's diabolical plans. For the knight had a pure heart and a noble mind; and he would keep on fighting even in the face of death itself- easily winning with his bravery and determination. Such a knight as this was very rare indeed and a lucky princess she was that he was the one she met. "
~The End ~