Day 1
Lee was worried.
He hadn't seen Sakura in a week. Neither had anyone else (as far as Lee knew, anyway. He'd tried to ask Naruto, but the boy had been attacking a wooden post with what Lee thought was undue viciousness.) Apparently she had holed herself up in her apartment, refusing to go out or see anyone. It didn't seem like Sakura, but--
--eyes wide open and empty, clutching the boy's body as if it was her lifeline--
--considering that she'd just lost a beloved teammate and friend, it was understandable.
However, this still displeased Lee. Being Sakura's (destined) eternal lover, he felt it was his duty to right this wrong.
"I am going to cheer Sakura-san up!" he announced to Tenten as they were sparring. "I will bring a smile to her radiant face...and then, maybe she will fall in love with me."
Tenten stared, not even bothering to block his attack. "Just tell your precious Sakura-san I had nothing to do with it," she said finally, and left. In the middle of their match, too.
---
Tenten had apparently changed her mind about having nothing to do with it, because fifteen minutes later, she showed up, harried-looking, at his doorstep
"If I don't do something, you're going to end up in a body bag," she said, upon which she promptly dragged him down to the flower shop. The girl behind the counter looked curiously at them.
"I am going to cheer up Sakura-san," he told her, "and, er, apparently I need some flowers?"
The girl--he recognized her vaguely from his first chuunin exam--gave him an inscrutable look. "Forehead girl?" She cast her eyes down, biting her lip. "Good luck with that," she muttered.
"I'm here to make sure he doesn't make a complete mess of things," said Tenten, nodding towards him.
They discussed things which seemed unintelligible to Lee--"Yeah, this goes well--but it might imply--don't want to--maybe this?" The minutes ticked by as he watched on, bristling with slight impatience. At last, they seemed to have picked out an arrangement to their liking, and Tenten departed, Lee in tow.
She led him purposefully through the streets; he wanted to point out that he knew where Sakura-san lived, but doing so would likely just get him one of Tenten's patented "why-am-I-on-a-team-with-an idiot" looks.
At Sakura's doorstep, she paused. With one hand, she smoothed down his hair, and with the other, she pressed the bouquet she'd picked out into his hand. "Good luck with your, er, quest. And Lee?"
"Yes?"
"You still don't understand girls, do you?" she said, almost fondly. With a swish, she scampered out of sight, leaving him standing alone on Sakura's doorstep. He knocked, firmly--not too loud, but enough to be heard. After several seconds, the door opened, revealing a weary young woman within.
"I'm not buying anything--oh. Lee-san. What brings you here?"
"I have come to cheer you up, Sakura-san!" he proclaimed loudly, holding out the flowers. "Er, these are for you."
"I see." She took them absently. "Thank you."
"Sakura-san..." He opened his mouth to say something profound, but realized he couldn't think of anything to say. "I--"
"Lee-san." She looked away. "I'm not really taking visitors, Lee-san."
"That is unfortunate, then," he replied firmly, "because I have no intention of leaving."
"I see. What was it you came here to say, then?"
"Sakura-san..." Lee furrowed his brow. "You must not stay like this, Sakura-san. Your duty as a ninja compels you--"
She smiled bitterly. "My duty. As a ninja."
"Yes."
"It would have been better for all involved if I had never become a ninja."
"Sakura-san..."
"I appreciate your kindness, but you should leave," she said quietly. And with that, she closed the door.
Lee stood there for several seconds, lost in thought. Then he shook himself. He would just have to try harder tomorrow, wouldn't he? And one thousand laps around Konoha! He set off. He could not abandon his quest! He would be victorious!
But still, he couldn't escape a certain discomfort he felt.
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EDIT (12/28/06): Fixed up some awkward language/pacing problems. Also fixed a clarity issue created by the previous edit.