I Don't own Naruto or any of its characters
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It was a clear full moon night, Lee held Sakura close to him in the cool night air.
"Sakura, you are everything to me. I swore I would protect you with my life and I know now more than ever that I will uphold that oath, now that you are with me"
"Oh Lee, I just want you to be with me. Don't be in a hurry to risk your life."
Sakura tipped toed up and kissed Lee
It was that day that they officially became a couple.
Three Months Later…
Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata were running through a forest tired and wounded.
Their team, consisting of Lee, Tenten, Hinata, and Sakura, were ambushed by two Cloud Village anbu teams.
Lee held back one group while the girls took on the other. In the mayhem the girl's battle drifted away from Lee and now they were racing to find Lee to help if needed.
"Hinata, do you see him anywhere?" Sakura called out
"I…I don't see him yet. There appears to be signs of a battle up ahead." Hinata responded
"Look at this mess; Lee must have opened up his Devine Gates" Tenten yelled from the rear of the group
The girls eventually reached an opening in the forest and surveyed the area. Bodies of the cloud village anbu were scattered around.
"…sakura…" a weak voice squeaked out
"LEE!" Sakura shouted
Lee was hunched up against a tree. His body was battered; his clothes bloody and cuts littered his body
"DON'T WORRY LEE, I'LL GET YOUR WOUNDS HEALED AND WE CAN GO HOME" Sakura eagerly got to work but was stopped when his hand grasped hers
"It's too late Sakura…my wounds…no use" Lee heaved his words. Trying to hang on as long as possible.
"Lee no, I can fix your wounds. Just let me help you" Sakura pleaded
"Lee, please let Sakura help you" Tenten pleaded
"…Tenten… I always thought of you as a little sister…I know you will become a great ninja…thank you for being in my life" Lee smiled
Tenten looked at Lee with sad eyes but smiled and nodded her head knowing that Lee had a better grasp of the situation than anyone of them.
"Lee please don't talk like that, just hang in there" Hinata pleaded
Lee smiled and looked to Hinata
"Thank you Hinata, for being a great friend and ally. Please keep an eye on Neji…I know this will upset him. You…you are stronger than you give…yourself credit for. Don't let anyone say otherwise…" Lee finished
Hinata bowed with a sad smile and began crying as well.
Lee looked to his darling Sakura. She was looking down, her short hair covered most of her face but tears from her eyes sparkled as they fell.
Lee used the hand that was holding Sakura's to lift her chin so he can look into her eyes.
His heart was breaking as he looked into her eyes. They were full of sadness and guilt because she knew she could not save Lee.
"Sakura" Lee called and she slowly looked up to meet his gaze
"Don't blame yourself…I promised to protect you…even with my life" Lee forced a weak smile
"I will always love you…my darling Sakura" Lee finished
"Lee…please…I…I don't know how to fix this…"Sakura pleaded
Lee reached into his empty weapon pouch and withdrew something from it. He then grasp Sakura's hand and guided a golden ring onto the proper finger.
Sakura gazed at the ring and then to Lee. He simply smiled and asked
"Will you Haruno Sakura?" Lee asked not needing to say the entire sentence
Sakura wept harder but wore a smile as well
"I do Lee, I happily do" Sakura cried out then leaned down and kissed her love.
"Lee… I have to tell you… I'm pregnant" Sakura confessed
Lee looked to his wife in shock, and then smiled with tears threatening to fall
"I'm so happy Sakura…I wish I could be with you for this journey…but don't worry. I'll watch over you and our baby from time to time" Lee creaked out with his eyes fading
Sakura felt his pulse weakening and did her best to keep Lee conscious longer.
"Lee?…Lee I love you. I love you so much, I want you to know that" Sakura pleaded. Hoping her words reached him
Lee looked at her with an almost blank stare but smiled. He whispered and almost inaudible "I know" then slowly his head dropped.
Sakura cried into Lee's chest. She no longer heard his heart beat; no longer did she feel his embrace around her.
Tenten and Hinata knelt down beside her and embraced their heartbroken friend.
It took them two days to get Lee's body back to the village. Most of the villagers did not care but the friends that knew him best were torn with grief.
Naruto took it as a personal failure to protect his friends but Sakura and Hinata convinced him that it was not his fault. Still, he dealt with Lee's death pretty hard.
Shikamaru, Chouji and Ino felt sad for Sakura, They knew how it felt to lose someone important. Lee was a friend and ally that they loved and admired for his passion at being a ninja and living life to the fullest.
Shino and Kiba comforted Hinata the best they could but most of it was not needed. Lee had showed her that she was stronger than most people thought and vowed not to let Lee down. She would train hard and live by the example that Lee left for others to follow.
Tenten cried for days, her best friend and in a way, Brother, was gone. Lee always brought out the best in Tenten and helped her reach new heights. However she knew Lee didn't want her to sob all day so she returned to her life as a kunoichi and would keep aiming to reach and pass new limits.
Tenten also volunteered to tell Gai the news. She tells later at how devastated he was. She had never seen Gai cry the way he did. He lost a student, a team member and a son. He doesn't wear his green uniform anymore nor does he have that cheery personality.
When Neji was told the news he wept and pounded his fist to the ground numerous times. It took Tenten and Hinata to calm him down. Neither one ever expected him to react like that. Neji told them that he lost his brother and he never told Lee that he considered him that.
At the funeral it was a somber day. Only his friends and his sensei were there. It was better that way, no needs to have anyone pretend to miss him or be sorry for his loss.
It lightly rained as well. Lee loved the rain when he trained; he said it was like the world was being born anew.
As the months past mostly everyone returned to their lives as ninjas. They knew Lee would not want them to quit.
Soon Sakura's stomach showed that she carried a precious gift that she and Lee share. She was expecting a little girl and from the movements that the baby was making it was easy to tell that she had her father's energy.
Sakura retired being a ninja but not a medic. Her life sometimes felt empty and sad; but those feelings quickly vanished when she felt the movement in her womb and joy was brought back into her world.
Lee truly did keep his promise to protect her. In more ways than she could have known.
The End
Dedicated to the Rock Lee fans.