Tonight was Christmas Eve in Konoha, and the Jonin had decided to throw a party for all the Chuunin, for the enjoyment of the Jonin-err...Chuunin, yes it was a night for them to enjoy for all of their hard work this year. For a while, everyone was enjoying themselves, well...it actually wasn't as much as a hit as told.
"Hmm...this sucks..." Sakura sighed from the bench she was sitting on. Then a thought hit her and made her stand up, clenching a gift in her hand. "Arrrghh, where is Sasuke!" Just then Naruto happened to hear her yelling to herself.
"You do know that Sasuke went on vacation...?" He asked her.
Meanwhile, somewhere on a beach, Sasuke sat on a chair drinking a tropical beverage.
"Well, I couldn't just tell them I hated Christmas..." He sighed happily to himself.
And back at the party, not such a happy predicament...
"WHAT!" Sakura yelled in Naruto's face, who was just annoyed and leaning back. "Oh..and I got this gift for him too..." Sakura cried. "Now I'll never get to show him that I love him on Christmas..."
"You could've mailed it, like me!" Naruto grinned.
"Oh shut up!" Sakura told him.
"Oh yeah," Naruto handed a parcel to Sakura. "I got you a gift too, Merry Christmas!" Sakura took the gift from the smiling Naruto, and blushed a little while opening it.
"Oh, it's a pretty...oak bracelet?"
"Yup, carved it myself. Have a good Christmas Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled as he walked off.
"I only got Sasuke a gift..." Sakura felt ashamed. " Thanks Naruto!" she called to him. Then she sighed and lay the gift by her side and continued to sit alone until Rock Lee waddled over to her, he had just got out of the hospital.
"Hello Miss Sakura," He said as he set down his crutches and sat down beside her. "Merry Christmas."
"Geez...Hi Lee. This sucks, Sasuke isn't even here." She sighed.
"Oh...I'm sorry..." Lee said sadly. "Well at least you have family here and lots of gifts."
"Oh yeah, where's yours?" Sakura asked.
"Back home, right now I'm living by myself."
"Oh...that sucks!" Lee just shrugged.
"Not really?" He said. "My family's not one for Christmas...against religion or something."
"Oh..." Sakura said quietly.
"It's been a while since I've been home." Lee said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.
"Well you have been in the hospital for months"
"Actually," Lee pointed his finger matter-of-factually at her. "Gai sensei decided the team should do some more training...humph there's no telling when we'll be home again."
"Do you miss them, your family?" Lee blushed a little and looked down at his feet.
"Truthfully...not really, I was never really close to them."
"Really?" Sakura gasped. "Why not?" Lee looked away from Sakura, and sort of stared into an invisible distance.
"My mother dies having me, and my father is a ninja that serves a rich man in our village, but even though he was in the village he was never home."
"You must have been lonely...I'm sorry." Sakura said, saddened. Lee smiled happily.
"Just a little, but with my training I was never bored. Besides, master Gai seemed more to me like a father than anyone. Overall, I'm pretty happy." Sakura smiled slightly and looked around.
"Great party huh?"
"Yes," Lee nodded, "It is quite pleasing, and the decorations are beautiful."
"That they are." Sakura smiled.
"Gai sensei and Iruka sensei dressed the tree." Lee pointed to it, "They did a good job."
And was he right. The tree was tall and festive, as well as lively and healthy. Kunai, Shuriken, various scrolls and little cookies that resembled ninja were scattered among the tree decoratively. To top it off was a little headband of the Leaf village.
"It is beautiful." Sakura sighed in awe.
"Yes and so are you." Lee said. Sakura jumped to the other end of the bench, surprised.
"WHAT!" Lee blushed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well you are, I mean you are dressed very nice Miss Sakura, and I didn't mean any disrespect in saying so." Sakura slid back to her seat beside Lee, which made a faint blush spread across his face. Lee was never one to dwell on the appearance of a person, but he could not help but to gaze at the young woman's long, silky red dress and black leather boots. He could feel his heart pound faster.
"Oh...okay." Sakura calmed herself down. "Thank you very much...you look..nice." Sakura herself began to feel sweat.
Lee was wearing a light blue training kimono and baggy black pants. He smelled sweaty, his face was dirty and his hair was a mess but sleek and clean none the less. Of course he had been training again. Tension filled the air as Lee sweat and felt the heat of his blush grow stronger.
"Ahem...yes I was working out and seemed to have lost track of time. Heh heh, so," Lee put his hand on his hip and winked to Sakura. "So do I look like a bum or what?" Sakura giggled.
"Haha no Lee, you just look like a sweaty guy."
"Guy?" Lee twisted his hands round his eyes. "Like...Gai sensei!" Sakura began to giggle than burst out into full laughter.
"THAT'S SO FUNNY!" Sakura had caught the attention of people around her. Sakura straightened up and blushed like crazy.
"Oh my..."She told herself. Lee tried to hide his own giggle fit.
"Glad I could cheer you up Miss Sakura. Oh it's getting late."
"It's only eight, and you just got here!"
"Yes but," Lee sighed. "I have to train tomorrow."
"Like always..." Sakura mumbled.
"Yeah...Oh yes!" Lee pulled a little box from inside his robes. "Here, Merry Christmas Sakura-chan." Sakura blushed as she took the gift from his hands and started to open it.
"Wait! Don't open it yet! I want you to have a good surprise on Christmas morning."
"O-ok I'll wait." Sakura's blush deepened. Lee smiled and rose to his feet, then started to walk off in his crutches again.
"Good, well goodbye Sakura." Lee said. Sakura blushed again.
Later that night Sakura returned to her house and tossed the gift from Lee under the tree.
"Hi mum, dad, I'm home!"
"Are you going to bed now Sakura?" her mother asked.
"Yeah, good night."
"Night dear!" Her mother called to her as she rushed up the stairs. Sakura fell asleep quickly, anticipating the morning ahead. The morning came quickly, and Sakura awakened to the day with a smile on her face.
"Oh...I slept good last night" She said as she climbed out of bed. "Mom, Dad, you guys up yet?"
"Yes honey!" came the call from downstairs. Sakura ran down the stairs to her parents, who sat around the tree. Sakura ran down the stairs and smiled at her parents.
"Ready to open your gifts?" Sakura's mother asked, holding out a blue box with a white bow.
"Okay!" Sakura smiled.
"That one's from me sweetie." her father said as she accepted the box from her mother.
"I'm not a little kid Dad!" Sakura giggled. "Let's see..." she carefully opened the gift and gave a broad smile as she lifted the book out. " A book on analyzing the human brain! Thank you Daddy!"
"This one is mine." Sakura's mom handed her a green and red box.
"Thanks mom." Sakura opened it and gaped. "It's beautiful!"
It was indeed beautiful. It was a long burgundy dress, with long slightly draped sleeves and a tight collar. There were two splits down the side, just like Sakura always liked, that ran high up her leg. Sakura quickly ran to try it on. When she re-entered in her new dress, her father had a gift in his hands.
"This is from...your friend, Rock Lee?" Sakura snatched it from him and ran to her room.
"Man that was close..." Sakura sighed, closing her door tightly. "Like I need them to think there's anything between Lee and I." Sakura remembered Lee's exact words and tone.
"I want you to have a good surprise on Christmas morning." Sakura shook her head, blushing.
"Geez...It's probably just some overly sweet gift or some strength boosting thing..." Sakura unwrapped the gift carefully, and nearly dropped it in disbelief. "Oh my.." It was a beautiful necklace. It had a thin gold chain and every couple of inches there was a stunning red gem. Sakura fell silent in surprised awe of the gift. Sakura looked inside the box to find a small piece of paper, a note from Lee.
Dear Sakura,
I hope you like your gift, and just so you know it's not store bought. I believe a true gift cannot be purchased but created in the heart of the giver. Yes, I made this for you. The gold, from a mine in my village, was welded and molded by my hands. And the rubies? They are but diamonds stained with my blood and compressed with chakra. It was difficult and painful but I believe that hard work pays off in the end, for hard work has gotten me here in my life...
The note continued on.
P.s. If you don't like it you can return it at 617 North 12 street. Apt 2
"Heh, he works so hard for me, and Sasuke..." Sakura sighed, remembering exactly his tone of voice.
"You're so annoying..."
"He's not even here..." Sakura sighed. "Even Naruto got me something, and Sasuke got me nothing. I myself only got a gift for Sasuke..." Sakura chained the necklace around her neck and smiled. "I like it...Arrrghh HOW CAN I BE SO COLD?"
"Right now I'm living on my own." Sakura remembered his words again.
"He's all alone..." Sakura stared at the floor for a moment then made a dash for the door. She ran past her parents, who just looked at her in shock.
"Sakura...?" her father mumbled. Sakura just continued to run, and took a right at the end of her street, then running through a busy street. Finally she stopped at a small, aged house and looked up at the beaten apartment complex. She then ran up the stair until she reached the door with a number two nailed to it. Her heart raced as she reached to knock, but then the door opened by itself, by none other than Lee.
"M-Miss Sakura?" And before Lee could say anything else, Sakura grabbed him by the collar of his training suit and pressed her lips hard to his. Lee's eyes shot out wider than you could imagine. The kiss lasted a few moments, until Sakura finally released his collar and stepped back a bit. The two stood there silently, then Sakura looked away.
"I just wanted to say...I'm sorry, you know for not getting you a gift." Sakura said. Both of them were blushing obviously.
"Hm..?" Lee couldn't be more distracted.
"I...really liked the gift you made." The necklace shone bright around Sakura's neck.
"Really?" Lee beamed.
"You did a good job making it, I love it." Sakura's blush deepened as she smiled.
"Thank you, miss Sakura! And you didn't need to get me anything, just seeing you happy is all I need." Lee smiled back. Sakura continued to smile, but her Inner Sakura was thinking something different.
"OH MY GAWD! I JUST KISSED LEE! WHAT AM I THINKING!" The more bluntly honest side of Sakura said in her mind.
"Would you like to come in?" Lee asked.
"Oh.." Sakura blushed a bit more. "Uh sure" The she smiled and followed Lee into his apartment.