Disclaimer: As always I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. This a SakuLee...

Tears of a Kunoichi

Sakura closed her eyes. Tears streaming down her face. In this moment she forgot the shinobi rule about emotions. Her throat felt hot and tight when she sucked in the stale hospital air. Her eyes looked into his. His big round eyes, they were lifeless. She closed them.

Lee's body was covered in cuts, his arm bandages unraveled, only once had she seen the scars that made their home on his arms. His bowl cut was disheveled and his hair was sticking to the wet damp sweat that covered his face.

Sakura turned away from him, walking to the wall she punched it so hard. She made a hole in the wall, but she didn't care. She sitting now propped up against the wall. Tears still pouring from her red puffy eyes and her body trembled and shook as she was sobbing.

What had happened to that dorky kid that was in love with her?

Flashback...

"Sakura," Lee stood with her on top of the cliff with the Hokage's faces. The view of the village was amazing. Sakura had to pulled herself from the view to look into his eyes.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to work hard to become a shinobi worthy of your love," he spoke very determinedly. "One day I'm going to marry you. I want to be someone your parents would be proud of."

Sakura smiled. She admired Lee, how hard he trained. He would never be able to do ninjutsu or genjutsu but that never stopped him. It's the first time I knew I could love you Lee.

Another memory...

Sakura sat on the bridge waiting for him. Lee walked up to the lonely pink haired woman on the bridge.

"Thank you for coming Sakura," he smiled.

She returned his smile with a heart felt smile of her own.

"I wanted to see you off before your long mission," she got up to go to him.

He laid down on the railing a single red flower. It wasn't a rose, but a red tulip.

"How sweet," she picked the flower up to smell it.

"A rose is over rated," he said. Lee tucked a strand of pink hair behind Sakura's ear. Both of them stood there with flustered faces. "This seems more simple and beautiful to me, and Ino said it held more meaning."

Sakura smiled and his warm arms caught her in an embrace, "I wish you could stay."

"Me too," he held her tight to him. He finally had this girl he loved for so long.

She was starting to cry. He pulled away and while she wiped her tears he pulled something out of a pocket. He took one hand and gave it a quick squeeze before he slid something cool onto her finger.

Sakura looked down to see a shining ring. Lee suddenly got down on his knee.

"Sakura," he said lovingly. "You have been my hearts desire. The most beautiful kunoichi in the Leaf Village. I once said that one day I would become a shinobi worthy of your love. I believe I have become that. So I ask for you to stay mine forever."

Before she choked on tears she cried out, "Of course!"

Moments before...

Sakura rushed down the halls of the hospital to reach the newest incoming patient that was deemed an emergency. She caught a glimpse far off in the hallway of what looked like a green jumpsuit on the gurney. She ran down the hall to catch up with them.

Never before had she seen Lee so torn up. Nurses busied around him. Sakura broke through to get to work. She got so focused that she could hardly see anything else in the room but them.

Lee opened his eyes and he looked around the room. His vision was blurry, and he heard so many voices. He knew he had to be in the hospital. Sakura? He wondered briefly if she was there.

"I'm right here Lee," her strong voice reached him. He hadn't realized he said her name aloud. His eyes locked onto her for a moment, her eyes were strong and focused but she was trembling slightly.

The pale blue light of her chakra glowed around her hands as she tried to heal the more vital wounds. His eyes closed and he began to drift from consciousness.

"No!" Sakura yelled. "Why didn't anyone treat him for the poison in his blood?!"

"I-I didn't realized he had so much in his system."

"That's no excuse," Sakura's voice drifted back to him. "Hurry and get the preparations for the filter process!"

"Ma'am," a shy nurse spoke up.

"What?" Sakura snapped.

"Neji and Tenten reported that he'd been untreated for nearly three days because he showed no symptoms."

"It must be a new poison," her voice was full of anger. "One that's hard to trace and very lethal. Get the preparations quicker! He doesn't have much more time!"

"Sakura look!"

The machines he was hooked up to were telling her that his heart was failing.

Sakura took her healing palms and aimed for the heart, she tried, she poured every ounce of chakra and more that she could spare for him.

"You can't leave me Lee," all she could do was prolonged his death only a few seconds longer. "Everyone leave!"

Nobody moved for a moment until she shrieked, "Leave now!"

Lee's eyes were full of pain as he looked as Sakura.

I'm sorry Sakura, I wasn't stronger. I'm sorry I did this to you, I love you. With every bit of myself and more. He tried to make his thoughts come out, only they came out in some gargled mess. She seemed to get what he was saying.

"Lee," she didn't wipe the tears away as she pumped more chakra into his body. "I was going to tell you when you came back."

He struggled to keep his eyes open and on her as she fought tears to say what she had to say.

"Lee," she whispered into his ear so he could hear. "We're going to have a baby, a girl."

Lee was filled with a sense of joy.

I'm sorry to leave you to raise her alone Sakura,he tried to say. She seemed to understand, for she nodded. I wish I could see her grow up.

"I love you," she cried.

"It is I who... loves you," he struggled. His body finally gave. His final words hung in the air.

"No!" she hadn't stopped the chakra flow. Not until she realized that she was pumping chakra into a hollow body.

Present time...

Sakura held his hand for a minute. Tears dried on her face. Her whole body hurt. She fiddled with the ring on her left hand.

"I never got to marry you," she said to him like he was still there. "What about our baby? What should I name her Lee?"

Fresh tears threatened to take her over. It wasn't until Ino came in to take Sakura away so they could ready Lee for his funeral.

"Aiko," Sakura whispered.

"Huh?" Ino asked.

"She'll be named Aiko," she patted her belly lightly as they walked away.