*****
*Lee Speaking*
You know, it's at times like this when I really wish mom was here to tell me what to do. She'd have said something like: "Lee, you need to impress a girl by showing them how understanding you are. That is why I married your father, because he understood my feelings more than anyone else in the world." But the glitch in that is that my mom was pretty, and dad wasn't that bad looking either. I recon my mom must have had a panic attack when I was born and she first saw my face... where as when she fist saw dad at the age of 19, she knew she loved him just by looking at him. I don't think that is possible in my situation. My eyes may be weird, but through them I see the same world as everyone else does - the same grass, the same sky... yeah, I could go on forever - you get the point. This mission looks hard, so I think I'll try to get somebody other than Sakura... Hinata maybe?...
*****
Rock Lee finds Hinata sitting with Naruto Uzumaki on a hill, talking about nature.
"Well, I-I think that flowers a-are the prettiest kind of nature..."
"Really? I like water I think...yeah, believe it, water is cool!"
"Y-yeah."
Rock Lee tosses his eyes to the sky and swings down from the tree he was sitting in.
"Hinata Hyuga. Please be my girlfriend, I vow to-"
Hinata growls and shouts: "Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō! Protection of the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Sending Rock Lee flying with her special jutsu. "Stay away from me you creep!!!"
"Wow!" Says Naruto. "You've been practicing that move, haven't you? You are alot stronger since I last saw you fight..."
"Y-you too, N-naruto..."
"Right..." says Lee, getting up off the floor. "Plan B. How abooout...Tenten? No, she has Hinata's famous "all powerful" cousin Neji as her boyfriend..." He sighs. Then gets an idea. "I know! The Kazekage's sister Temari! It's the perfect plan! And I think her, Kazekage Gaara and his brother Kankuro are here to visit our village this month! Ok, I'm coming, Temari my dear! Even if you are...umm...2 years older than me..."
When he gets to her hotel, he spots her in her bedroom, folding her clothes neatly and laying them on the bed. She sees Rock Lee in the window and opens it, letting him in.
"Hello, Lee! Whats up then?"
"Ummm... I'm here to-"
"Hey, if you are here to ask me out..." Shikamaru walks in. "I'm afraid that I'm taken, sweetie."
"Oh..."
"Was he trying to hurt you!?" Says Shikamaru, taking the situation the wrong way.
He leaves feeling upset still. "Plan C. Ino... nah. I guess it'll have to be Sakura."
He walks over to Sakura, who is sitting by the waterfall in the village center. She is throwing bread to the birds and laughing when they try to steal whole sheets of it from her bread-basket. "No, no! See, if you eat to much, then you'll get fat!"
She sees a bird right at the back of the crowd that hasn't got any bread. It is so skinny, that it can hardly move. The others are effortlessly pushing it out of the way of any food. Then Sakura walks over to it and picks it up.
"Hmm...I'm no vet, but I know you need help. I'll call Kiba's sister in but you can stay the night round my place if you want..." She says to the bird, taking a few thorns out of it's wings.
"Haha, I wish I was that bird," Thinks Lee to himself.
Sakura hasn't changed at all in 5 years. Except for the fact that she is not so discusted by Lee's face anymore. When he injured his left arm and leg, it had brought them closer. But not close enough for Lee's liking, after all, they were friends, no more. Not even best friends and after all they had both been through together...
Sakura notices Rock Lee sitting up in the tree, and comes to join him, the bird sill in her arms.
"Hiya. I'm getting a break from my new job as an emergency nurse down a the hospital... But next week I'm going to go back to helping out Naruto on his missions. How about you?"
"I-I'm great. Umm... I g-got a break too! S-so, you want to be with me for a bit?" He says, running his hand through his hair nervously. She looks down at the bird.
"I've got to get this bird back to my home quickly so that it can get something to eat..." She says. Lee looks down at his feet, depressed. But Sakura smiles and says: "So do ya wanna come back to my place?"
Rock Lee looks up at her, shocked. "S-sure thing, Sakura. But may I ask something?"
"Anything."
"W-why are you being so nice to me?"
"Hm? Because I can't leave you lonely here, you'll be bored stiff. I still live with my mom in case you were wondering and she doesn't like animals in the house - so you can back me up, ok?"
"Y-yeah. Thanks, Sa-sakura."
So Lee and Sakura go back to her place and sure enough, her mom answers the door.
"Sakura! What is that ugly thing!?"
Rock Lee cowers but then Sakura says: "That is an ingured bird, mother and it needs out help. This is Rock Lee, the man who saved my life on several occasions. So please don't be rude and let him in."
The mom is so distracted by Rock Lee that she forgets about the bird and just looks at him. "My! So you are the boy who saved my daughter! Tell me more, do come in!"
Sakura rushes upstairs and puts the bird in her breadbasket, filling it with tissue strips and lots of bird food. Lee comes upstairs a moment later.
"W-will the bird be ok?"
"Yeah... hopefully. Hey, I was thinking that we should give it a name! Lee, what do you think it should be?" Lee shakes his head, just staring at his feet. "Well, ok, I'm going to name it "koishii" which means "Beloved"..."
Rock Lee nods. "Yeah. Like you..."
Sakura looks up and blinks. "You still love me, Lee? After 5 years...? I have to say you've gotten alot more shy since then,"
"Maybe I do. I might not. So...has your opinion of me changed in 5 years?" Says Rock Lee, blushing.
"Oh, Lee..." Sighs Sakura. "I-I just don't know. We are friends, and we always have been, right? Call round my place a bit later, come round here by 6pm,"
"Umm... I need to be back by 9 for the end of my mission..."
"Thats ok! ^_^"
And with that, he leaves, a bit upset and heartbroken.
"I haven't changed in Sakura's eyes at all in 5 years?! But that isn't possible! I-I'm older now and more mature!"
But Rock Lee knows that he is only telling himself this because he wants to hear it. Really, he hasn't changed so much in 5 years. Yeah, he is as tall as Gai now and yes, his hair is slightly longer and messier than it used to be. But inside he is the same. He is still devoted to Sakura and would give his life for hers, still hard working and most of all, still what Neji and Tenten would call "Annoying".
He comes back to her place at 6pm, in casual wear - a shirt and jeans as she has told him to do. She answers the door and says: "Soo...you want to walk down to the hospital with me? I've got to check up on a few things..."
"Sure thing Sakura!"
They walk down to the hospital and go inside.
"Ok, we need to go down to the cellar, so I'll go get a candle (You stay here)," Says Sakura, skipping off. He sits in the coridoor for a moment, just waiting. But she doesn't come back.
"Sakura?" Rock Lee cries. "Where are you?! A-are you ok!? SAKURA!" There is no answer and he is getting worried. It is now 7:00pm and still no sign of Sakura...
He runs into all the hospital rooms, checking them one by one. "Sakura! Please! Call back if you can hear me!"
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