Sparrow
In a scene that was becoming all too normal, Rock Lee lay in his hospital bed, sleeping soundly. His left arm was covered in a bulky cast, and lay just above his blanket. His wide eyes were closed, and his face was peaceful. On the nightstand at the head of his bed sat a clear glass vase, filled halfway with water. A daffodil rested within it, a memento left by the female visitor who just slid out of the door to his hospital room. A flash of pink hair was visible just as the door finished sliding closed, and the kunoichi— Haruno Sakura— walked silently down the hall. A few more minutes passed as she walked past the desk and stepped into the elevator, riding downward into the lobby. The door slid closed, slowly hiding the depressed expression that she wore. When the young woman who stood around the corner was certain of the younger's descent that signified her departure, the former de-activated her Byakugan— the pride and joy of the Hyuuga clan of which she was a part. A small smile crept onto the lips of the dark-haired girl, and her large, pure white eyes, although pupil-less and usually associated with a lack of emotion, were seen to shimmer with secret and undisclosed emotion. Turning on the heel of her typical shinobi sandals [however, hers were solid black in the stead of the archetypal navy blue], she treaded the same path as both she and Sakura did every day; although the younger was oblivious to this fact. Finally, she arrived at the proper door, and pushed the portal open. Lee still lay in bed, his face showing the peaceful expression of slumber as it had when Sakura had left. Signs of increasing restlessness—wrinkles in the blankets from him shifting and the occasional grunt that escaped him—hinted that he was soon to awaken, though. The Hyuuga girl pushed the curtains of the room open, letting the afternoon light stream through. With the sun's rays resting on his sleeping face, his yet un-noticed companion could have sworn that he looked even cuter than usual.
The smile on her face widened just a little as she gazed down at him in adoration. When she finally managed to tear her eyes away, she slipped silently around the bed, to the chair that Sakura had occupied not long before. Where the chair was, it would be directly in Lee's vision if he turned away from the sun and opened his eyes when he awoke, which he always did. Unexpectedly, she was struck by an urge to kiss him then and there. Through massive amounts of self-restraint, she somehow forced herself not to.
As she waited for him to wake, she let her thoughts wander, first to how she had come to grow so attached to the still-snoozing Taijutsu master-in-training. A couple of times on her rounds in the hospital, she had been told to check up on him to make sure he didn't sneak out again. He had been awake on both of these occasions, and very polite—not to mention charming. She took to coming in to chat with him on her lunch breaks, and it had escalated to how it was now—she had managed to secure him as her only specific charge, and her charge alone—with the obvious exceptions of the nurses who helped to keep an eye on him before and after her shift, and the emergency patients that she treated before he awoke. That wasn't to say that she wouldn't come in early to see him, but she had learned of Sakura's daily visits and left the boy to her while she was there, only occasionally checking up on them with her Byakugan in passing, to ensure his safety.
As time went on, she began to feel more towards him than a doctor should for her patient—no matter how close in age the two were [in fact, Lee was almost a year her senior]. He was just so sweet, kind, out-going, self-confident, polite, thoughtful, funny, motivated, strong, deep, attractive, and protective. Just to name a few. She had become increasingly fond of him, until one night, as she lay awake wondering, as she had been doing for countless other nights, if he was okay, if he would be healed when Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-san appeared with Tsunade-sama, if he would ever be able to continue his shinobi career, if he ever thought of her… It was then that she realized that she loved him. That had to be it. It had hit her like a ton of bricks. Still, she never spoke to any of her friends or even her parents about her feelings, or even about him. Not even in passing. Her time with him and her feelings for him were her secret treasures and she greedily hoarded them, keeping all of these memories and emotions to herself.
Lee groaned once more in his sleep, and then turned his body and eyes away from the light streaming in through the window, towards her. He would awake momentarily. Then, the Hyuuga's eyes and thoughts slid towards the single, yellow, fresh flower as it rested in its vase. Several times, he had questioned her, asking if it was she who gave him the flowers every day, but she always smiled sadly and shook her head 'no'. He still asked her, though not nearly as often as he used to, who it was that gave him the flowers if it wasn't her—he was positive that she must know, since he always woke up to her seated next to him—and she would always respond with a shrug and a smile, then change the subject. Occasionally, he would guess at names and though she would shrug more, he liked to think that maybe he could tell from her reactions to the names he mentioned, although he was far from sure. For a time, she had considered dumping Sakura's flowers and replacing them with her own, or even just placing her own with them, but decided against it. She wouldn't trash Sakura's thoughtfulness or affection towards Lee that he so desperately begged for, and if she were to show her own affection, it would be in a way other than one stolen from someone else. It would be special; her own way.
Lee's eyes flickered open and his large, dark, sleep-clouded orbs met with her own pure white ones. There it was again—that urge to kiss him. "Good morning, Lee-san," his secret admirer greeted with a smile.
"Ah! Good morning to you as well, Suzume-san! Or should I say 'Good afternoon'?
"But please tell me: How has your day been so far?" Their conversations always started this way.
"Thus far," the Hyuuga— Suzume— started, "It has been uneventful for me. Although for you..." The tone with which she trailed off led Lee to gulp. "You've had your daily flower delivery—" Suzume was careful to avoid giving any hint as to name or even the gender of his secretive visitor, "—and I've gotten news that you snuck out of bed to train again; again disobeying both myself and your nurses..." Lee stared downward sheepishly, avoiding her stern, pure white gaze. Suzume didn't always mention his against-doctor's-orders training, although he had no doubt in his mind that she knew it happened, but when it did come up, he felt slightly ashamed. She worried deeply about him, and his continued disobedience only concerned her further. He glanced up to apologize only to find her stern look melt into a soft smile and a chuckle. Without warning, she leaned in and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, leaving him momentarily stunned and speechless—not to mention a very interesting shade of red that would remind anyone of his hitai-ate's cloth band that normally rested around his waist. "It's entirely alright," the Hyuuga girl mumbled into Rock Lee's muscular and broad shoulder, turning her face a little towards his neck. And there that urge was! Again!
Lee smiled finally and hugged her softly in return, his strong arms holding her as gently as possible—almost surprisingly so. To think that the same arms that embraced her had dealt savage blows not too long before… The heavy, bulky cast on his left arm bumped against her back somewhat awkwardly, and she smiled into his neck. Finally, she released and smiled at him as she sat up straight in her seat. He returned the expression and shifted into an upright position as well before scooting a little away from her and patting the now-available space as a signal for her to seat herself there. Suzume tilted her head curiously—a movement that Lee couldn't help but find inexplicably adorable—and shrugged with a sweet grin, settling into place beside him.
"So, Suzume-san... you seem to avoid telling me about yourself on most of your visits to me, and insist that we talk about me! Please, I insist, tell me something about you!
"What is your favorite color? Are you single? Do you have any siblings? What led you to become a medic-nin at such a young age? Who was your sensei? What rank are you? What is your favorite animal?" Suzume was impressed with how he slipped the second question in amongst the others so as to make it seem less obvious. Lee hoped she wouldn't notice.
A short laugh escaped her as she leaned back her head while she considered her answers. "Hm… Well, my favorite color is green…" he smiled slightly at that response, considering the nickname and jumpsuit, both of which Gai-sensei had given him, "Yes, I'm single… I have an older brother and a younger sister… I thought that the Byakugan could be used for more than hurting people; it's ideal for helping them! ... My sensei when I was a Genin was Hagami Midori-sensei… I am a Chuunin… and my favorite animal is the squirrel." They both smiled at each other, and Lee nodded.
"It is very impressive for you to be a Chuunin already, Suzume-san! Or should I say Suzume-senpai?" She chuckled and shook her head.
"No no no! Suzume-chan would be fine, Lee-san," he smiled widely and nodded again, and she chewed her left thumb in thought, eyes staring without seeing at a single, ordinary tile on the sanitary-white floor. This gave Lee the opportunity to analyze her, which he got to do far less often than she got to look him over.
Hyuuga Suzume was shorter than him by about four centimeters, and had black hair much like his that fell just below her ears with two long ponytails at the back of her head and reached to her lower back. Her wide, white Hyuuga eyes were so different from those of Neji-san or Hinata-san; they were expressive, and far from timid like Hinata-san's. Staring at those magnificent hues with his own wide black ones—the perfect contrast to hers—he knew that she could see right through him (literally) if she so chose, and his heart pounded. In her right eyebrow was a curved piece of metal that protruded from the top and bottom with small black orbs on either end to hold it in place. The high collar of the typical medic-nin cloak graced the sides of her face since the jacket itself remained unbuttoned. Beneath was a mid-thigh-length black dress with a moderately low V-neck, black fishnet making it more modest. A silver corset wrapped around her waist, laced with dark grey ribbon with a large, darker grey strip of fabric tied around the center, with the bow in the back. Bandages wrapped around the rest of her thighs left bare by her dress, and stopped just above her knees. Her legs were shapely, and although she wore no weapons, he never believed for a second that she never was sent on field missions and trained just like everyone else. A lump formed in Rock Lee's chest. Training was one of the things he was beginning to miss most; he could feel his body falling out of shape. Without meaning to, Lee let a short sigh slip out from between his lips, and Suzume's eyes darted up towards him, with no hint as to what she had been so lost in thought over.
"What's the matter, Lee-san?" she asked concernedly, her eyebrows arching upward in worry.
"Hm? Oh, do not worry, Suzume-sa—I mean—chan. It is nothing, I promise you." He smiled convincingly, but she wasn't fooled.
"Lee-san…" her voice was laced with a hint of a whine, and she slumped back in her seat with a slight pout. That always got him.
"I…" he sighed again, "I miss being a ninja. I miss training, doing missions, striving to beat Neji-san at everything. I just sit here, occasionally I sneak out and do a few pushups or something, but…" he trailed off, and she watched him helplessly. As much as she wanted to, she could do nothing about his wounds but keep him comfortable until Tsunade-sama returned with Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-san. "Gai-sensei visits me every day, and every day I get a new daffodil from somebody, and every day I get to speak with you, which I truly enjoy doing. But, and I am sorry, it is no replacement for the thrills that I miss so very much. Please do not take it personally, but I am truly beginning to resent this bed, this room, simply being here. I never thought that I could hate the color white so much…." Rock Lee, one of the strongest Genin in Konohagakure, felt his voice crack as a sob nearly escaped. Now, he wasn't one to typically hide emotion—his frequent displays with Gai-sensei were an example of that—but feeling the tears well up in his huge eyes with Suzume sitting directly in front of him, watching him with worry as she was, made him ashamed.
Little did he know: she was on the verge of tears herself. "Oh, Lee-san, please don't be upset…! Naruto-san and Jiraiya-sama will return with Tsunade-sama, and she'll fix you up as good as new! And then you'll be the greatest Taijutsu master that there ever was!" her voice was high with emotion, and she clenched her knees in her hands so hard that small red blotches would remain there for a few hours after she let go, small curved lines remaining as bruises for weeks. Without her permission, a tear leaked out and flowed freely down her cheek, reflecting the light of the gradually-setting sun and setting the rest of her tears free. Lee stared at it, and at her, and felt his own floodgates release down his face.
"Suzume-chan, I am so sorry to upset you…! I never meant to, I assure you. Oh, please do not cry!" he pleaded tearfully, clenching his fists to his chest. Of course, this only sent Suzume over the edge, and she began sobbing into her hands, begging him to forgive her for being incompetent and unable to fix him like a doctor should. "Oh, do not apologize, Suzume-chan…! Please do not! You have done everything that you can! It is not up to you to know how to fix everything that is wrong with everybody; oh, please do not cry…!" Without thought for what he was doing, Lee wrapped her arms around him and let her bury her face in his shoulder. His hand that was not coated in the bulky cast stroked her back gently, playing with her hair. He breathed in her scent and memorized it for it's every complexity; it was a strange and intoxicating combination of apple-scented soap and the smoke that came from scented candles. His tears began to slow, and he noticed that her sobs were less frequent than they had been only a few heartbeats before. "Suzume-chan, are you alright…?" he asked softly, still stroking her hair ever-so-tenderly with hands that could release vicious, bone-shattering punches.
A small hiccup was his only response for a moment, before a quiet, "Yes… thank you…" was whispered into his ear. Her tone was impossible to read, so he turned to her, and his black eyes locked with her white ones. Suddenly and without warning, he leaned in and gently kissed her. His lips were soft, and so were hers, and her eyes closed peacefully as she let herself be lost in the moment. He let his stay open for a short time, and watched her adoringly before closing them.
Finally, she had gotten the kiss that she had ached for.
When they finally parted, Suzume was blushing faintly and her eyes, still slightly red from crying, never left Lee. His own stayed locked on her with a smile on his face, though it faltered when he noticed that her expression wasn't as happy as his own.
"Suzume-chan… what is the matter…?" his voice was anxious; had she not wanted to kiss him back, and didn't pull away only to be polite?
"I… Lee-san… Why…?" she couldn't get the words out properly, only stared at him with wide eyes that shone with confusion.
"Because, Suzume-chan… I just realized…. I love you…
"You have taken care of me every day since we first met, visiting me without fail. You are far more driven to nurse me back to health than I even was with my training! You let me talk about myself so freely, discouraged me from my self-doubts, and never once have concerned me with anything that may be wrong with you, even though I burden you with my own petty issues daily. You encourage me about pursuing Sakura-chan, about training hard enough to finally defeat Neji-san; you tell me every day that I will soon be cured: 'It is only a matter of time.' You are the only reason I smile, Suzume-chan. The only reason I look forward to waking up again every day is because it means I get to see you again, to talk to you again. You are gentle and kind, selfless and spectacular, and I have never met anyone as amazing as you are. Your voice is like music! Your laughter makes my heart flutter. I wake up late in the afternoon because I stay up late thinking about how you are, where you are, if you are with somebody else and happy, if you ever think of me… I could go on for eternity, but you never seem to let me talk about you…
"Please, Suzume-chan… forgive me for bursting out… Oh! Do not cry again, please!" in the midst of his speech, he had looked down at his hands, and as he looked back up he took notice of her sobbing again. His heart dropped into his stomach as more insecurities piled up.
"Lee-san… For the past few months, every day I have tended to you as though you were the reason I lived… At first, I merely thought you to be charming and sweet… but as I managed to get though those layers of defense that every shinobi in this village has made around themselves, I learned that you are so much more! Lee-san… I have never, ever in my life been happier than I am now… I love you too, and I feel so much the same…
"Why would I need to forgive you, though…? You have lifted a burden heavier than any weight from my shoulders."
"I thought… Would it not be banned for us to be together…? You are my doctor, and I am your patient, and I thought it would be against the rules, and…"
"Well… yes. But you know what, Lee-san?" she asked through joyful tears, "I can wait until Tsunade-sama comes and heals you. I have no problems. I will continue to wait with you until the end of the Earth, if need be. So don't be afraid, please. I love you…"
Lee's eyes lit up and he smiled his huge smile, the sun shining off of his teeth audibly as it hadn't done in quite some time. The two of them sat there in the bland hospital room, and stared out the window at the sunset in joyful silence, her hand in his, and his in hers, with their heads resting comfortably against each other until Suzume had to go home for the night to avoid her parents worrying about her. They parted with a soft, short kiss, and they both glowed brighter than the sun for hours following, until they fell fast asleep without a single apprehensive thought for the first time in a long time.
LINE BREAK
AN: Okay,
so I know that the ending is a bit cheesy… but come on! It's the
best I could come up with. Dx I've had this story sitting on my
computer for MONTHS almost completely finished. I figured that it was
time to put it up. I realize,
again, that I have work to do on my other stories, especially See everyone soon!
If I get enough complaints about the ending,
I'll oblige people and re-write it. But I love the rest of the
story and feel that it deserved to go up some time, right?
Heheh.
Also, let me know if you think this should be given its own
story. Suzume is a character who I think could use a little
development, and I would NOT mind giving Lee and her a more
interesting back story, or even just writing a more detailed story of
how they met and got to know each other, ya'? ^ ^