Disclaimer: I own peanuts.
"SAAAAAAAAKURAAAAAAAAA-san!"
The loud shout ended on an irritatingly chirpy note, causing Sakura to groan and roll over in bed, trying to hide under the pillows. After a few seconds, she gave up, sat up, and leant out of the window to see Rock Lee doing one handed push-ups as he waited for her. She shouted down a sleepy greeting and got a cheerful wave from Lee's free hand.
It took her about five minutes to wake up fully, at the end of which she was halfway down the stairs with hairbrush in hand. Her mother was flitting about the kitchen, busy cooking, but she had enough time to give Sakura 'good morning dear' and a slightly absent-minded hug.
Another five minutes after that, Sakura was out of the house with a stack of toast and her schoolbag in hand. Rock Lee was bouncing on the spot, nervous tension making him more energetic than he normally was. He waited for her to finish her breakfast, and was off like a shot, not even waiting to shout the customary challenge of 'race!'. Sakura ran beside him, noting absently that he was slower than yesterday.
Gai-sensei had probably bought new weights for him, as Lee was forbidden from buying them himself; a week in hospital with torn tendons had taught Gai to be a bit more circumspect when training his 'youthful' student.
The pair departed to their separate classroom, Lee having won the race (as usual). Ino ambushed Sakura halfway through the classroom door, practically dragging the choking girl to sit next to her, as-
"You're my best friend, forehead! We need to spend time together."
Sakura didn't reply, choosing to glare at her so-called friend instead, rubbing at the friction burns on her neck. Then she realised that Ino had no way of telling whether she was glaring or not, as the bandages obscured her eyes. So she settled for tilting her head away from Ino, nose in the air and arms folded across her chest.
"Next time you want me to sit with you, try not to choke me, yeah?"
Author's Notes: Ah, the youthful flames...