DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! The only thing I own in this story is Shizen.
OTHER DISCLAIMER: 'Every Planet We Reach is Dead' - Gorillaz
OneShot
'Every Planet We Reach is Dead'
'I love you…But what are we going to do?'
Sakura looked down at her hands, clenching and unclenching them in her lap. She closed her eyes, biting her lip in frustration and torment – why had this happened?
She tried to sniff back her tears, but they just keep flowing out of her beautiful jade green eyes like a faucet. She tried hard to forget it, but she couldn't. Something inside of her just wouldn't let go of her precious one, the only one she had ever felt love for, the only one she cared about, the one she lived for – Uchiha Sasuke.
She could never grasp the reality of it all, the reality that he had left Konohagakure for good. She forced herself to believe that he would come back… but he never did. She kept telling herself that he would, but a small part of her, a small tiny shard of her, doubted that he would.
'Sasuke-kun, doshite? Naze? DOSHITE, SASUKE-KUN?! Why did you have to leave me? I loved you, Sasuke-kun! I loved you even more than that Ino-pig. Doshite?'
Sakura took a ragged breath, sniffing, 'Demo… aishiteru, Sasuke-kun.'
She wiped her eyes slowly, hoping that no one she knew would walk by and see her this way. She hated crying. It made her look weak. She was not weak. She was Haruno Sakura, the one with the enormous forehead known for her superhuman strength – she didn't want anyone to view her as weak. Never.
The sound of crying filled Rock Lee's ears. He turned around, completely forgetting that he had training with Gai, 'Nan deska?'
He started to run towards the direction of the sound, 'Someone… is crying! I must cheer them up and lead them to the path of happiness and youth!'
He stopped when he got to the beautiful Sakura tree. Just when he was about to say a corny cheery line of youth, something made him do a double take.
Lee let out a gasp, "S-Sakura-san?" He stared at the image before him in shock, 'Iie!' He told himself, 'This is not my beautiful spring blossom! This is… this is…' His heart nearly broke at the sight of her crying this way.
Lee swallowed, trying to gather the courage to walk towards her.
'Move – leg!' He slowly inched toward her, his legs walking in painfully small steps.
"Sakura-san," Lee called out to her. "Daijobu?"
Sakura continued to stare at her lap, "Nan deska… Lee-san?" Her voice was lifeless – there was no tone, no soul.
Lee shuddered. What was wrong with his beautiful Sakura? He had never seen her in such a state of grief and remorse. All of this made Lee want to comfort his love even more.
Lee sat down next to her, "Sakura-san?"
Sakura still refused to look up at his face, "Nani, Lee?"
Lee looked at her, concern etched into the very depths of his black fish eyes, "Why do you not look at me, Sakura-san?"
Sakura sniffled, "B-because… I don't want you…" Her voice broke. She cleared her throat, causing her to break out into a cough.
Lee gasped, "Sakura-san! Daijobu?" He patted her back softly.
Sakura coughed again, saying hoarsely, "Ee, daijobu."
Lee urged her to continue, "Nani, Sakura-san?"
Sakura gripped her dark red dress tight, "I don't want you to see me… like this." She finally looked up at him – her eyes no longer a piercing green, they were cloudy and bloodshot. Tears were still building up in her eyes and trickled freely down her face. Her hair was unruly and messy, greasily draping over her cheeks. Her skin looked deathly pale. She was a ghost, a weeping, grieving ghost.
Lee winched slightly. This was not the Sakura that he had fallen in love with when he first gazed upon her beauty at the Chuunin exams.
Lee clenched his fist, shaking his head, 'Sakura-san!'
"Sumimasen… Sakura-san," Lee muttered to the wind. He punched the smooth bench that they were seating on hard in frustration.
Sakura's tears seemed to come to a halt, 'L-Lee?'
He continued to hit the bench, tears streaming from his eyes, with each punch he muttered, "Gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai, gomen nasai!"
Sakura's eyes widened wide in shock. The cloudiness suddenly vanished from her eyes, returning to that once piercing stare that she had. She continued to stare at him in disbelief, she had never seen Lee act like this before, "L-Lee-san?" She placed her hand on his shoulder blade, causing him to stop his assault on the bench and turn to her in confusion.
Sakura begged him to stop, "Yamete, kudasai, Lee-san! I don't want to see one of my friends hurt themselves like that." She blinked back a tear building in her eye.
Lee was shocked. Were his ears deceiving him? Did his beloved Sakura-san just call him her friend? He looked down at his fists, suddenly ashamed at what he had just did before her.
"Sumimasen, Sakura-san… I just… just…" He couldn't find the right words to say nor the strength within him to say them.
Silence.
"Just…?" Sakura repeated. "Just what?"
Lee shook his head, "Betsu ni desu, Sakura-san. Sumimasen."
Sakura was about to interrogate him further when she suddenly remembered that she had something to attend to.
Sakura gasped, straightening her dress and brushed herself off, "Shitsurei itashimasu, Lee-san. I have training to do with Tsunade-sama." (Excuse me- I have to leave.)
Lee nodded, "Wakarimashite, Sakura-san. Ojama itashimashita." (I'm sorry to have bothered you.)
He watched her get up and walk away. He just stared at her disappear in the distance.
He was about to go back to where he was originally supposed to go, but something within him was urging him to go towards her.
'Go and get her! She needs you! Do you want her to go off to Tsunade looking like that?! GO AFTER HER DAMNIT!' A voice that eerily resembled Shizen's voice screamed at him inside his head.
'Demo,' he told the voice. 'She… doesn't love me. She loves… Sasuke-kun.'
The voice inside him grew agitated, 'Well he's not here right now, baka! He's gone! Also, who's the one that cares for her? Who's the one that promised to protect her? Who's the one that loves her? YOU! Not Sasuke, not Naruto, not Neji, not Shikamaru… YOU!' She was practically shrieking at him now.
Lee's chest puffed up with confidence, 'That is right. Sakura-san does need me. I hope that I make it in time…'
Lee raced after Sakura, his legs going as fast – possibly faster – than he had ever gone before.
"SAKURA-SAN!!!" He yelled out to her, "YAMETE, KUDASAI!"
Sakura's head whipped around, she stared at him in confusion, "L-Lee-san? Nani?"
Sakura let out a gasp.
"L-Lee?"
Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She had never been hugged by anyone before. She had hugged many people, but had not been hugged herself. Sakura let out a small moan, she liked hugs.
Lee looked up at her, his eyes shining with passion, "Sakura-san, I know that I am not your beloved Sasuke-kun, demo kudasai… give me a chance."
Sakura was in utter shock, "Lee?"
Lee deepened his embrace, "Please Sakura-san… I cannot stand to see you the way you were in under the sakura tree. Sakura blossoms, like you, are supposed to be beautiful and full of youth. Not dark and desolate like…like…" He struggled to think of an example.
Sakura was stunned. What was she to do? Here Lee was, practically giving himself up to her! Was she going to coldly turn him away, saying that she did not like him because of his eyebrows? Because of the way he dressed? Because of his fish eyes?
No. She was not.
Sakura smiled, hugging him, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Arigato, Lee-san."
Sakura and Lee both knew that she did not love him. They both knew that she loved her one and only… Sasuke. And she would continue to love Sasuke. But… she was willing to give Lee a chance. One chance. One chance.
'I love you…But what are we going to do?'