Note from the Author: o.O I know. I'm back already. I don't understand it either. This idea's been brewing in my head since around chapter ten of "Catch Without Arms."
And for those of you who are just starting – this is a sequel to "Don't Be Afraid" and "Catch Without Arms", but you don't have to read those to follow this one!
This story is dedicated to my sister, Furuido, because she's making an exception and reading this even though she doesn't like AUs … even though she knows the plotline already, because I have to bounce my ideas off someone. -.-
And, no, this doesn't have a happy-go-lucky LeeSaku ending.
She reads a book from across the street …
No one has noticed yet.
"Sakura-san!"
She looked up at the sound of her name, waving. "Good morning, Lee-san."
It was nine-thirty on a late-August Saturday morning; the air was still cool from the night, not yet warmed from the late summer sun. Haruno Sakura sat on the porch swing of her house, working on her homework since she had little else to do until the group got together later.
Her boyfriend, Rock Lee, was running across the street toward her, grinning. He was a year older than her – attending DePaul University – and was home for the weekend, as he was every weekend. When he had stepped on the porch, he took a running leap at her, tackling her into a hug.
She threw an arm protectively across her stomach right before he connected with her. "Ow – Lee-san!" she laughed, trying to push him off and embrace him at the same time. "I can't breathe."
No one's noticed yet.
He jumped back. "Sorry, Sakura-san!" Worry flushed his face. "I didn't hurt you, did I? Should I take you to a doctor?"
She smiled fondly, shaking her head, wrapping both arms across her middle. "I'm alright. Just lay off on the glomping, okay?"
He saluted, strangely affectionate at the same time he was politely detached. "I'll try, Sakura-san." He sat gingerly down beside her, not relaxing until she'd tucked herself beneath his arm. "Sakura-san. I have a question."
"Hm?" she looked up at him. "What is it?"
"Am I annoying?"
Her eyebrow shot up. "Why do you ask that? Wait." She lifted a hand. "Don't tell me. You tried to talk to Neji-san."
Lee nodded. "He told me not to call him again unless I was letting him know someone had died or I had a serious question for him."
"And why were you calling him?"
"I wanted to tell him that Snakes on a Plane was the greatest movie ever!" he didn't even fight back his passionate tears. "I wanted to make sure he saw it before it left theatres!"
She sighed, shaking her head. "Lee-san – you know Neji-san. He's very serious. I don't think he's ever seen a movie in his life."
"Not in a few years anyway." Hyuuga Hinata's voice said suddenly as she came up the steps of her house. "Good morning, Sakura-chan, Lee-kun."
"Morning, Hinata-chan." They replied at the same time. "What're you doing here?" Sakura asked, vaguely embarrassed at being caught about talking about her cousin and boyfriend.
"I was hoping I could ask you about a math problem." Hinata rummaged through her bag, pulling out a notebook and flipping it open to a marked page. "What did you get for number twelve?"
Sakura took it from her, referencing the textbook that was already laid out across her lap. "Oh – that one's a pretty simple Algebra problem. I couldn't get it at first either – I had to call Sasuke-kun – we're thinking it's harder than it actually is. Look," she beckoned her over, scribbling in small neat print in the margin of the very-organized paper. "It's a foiling problem."
"Right." The small girl's brow furrowed in concentration.
Lee smiled at the top of her head. Hinata-chan's changed a lot. Neji-kun's doing wonders for her self-confidence – and she seems to be so determined now, like she wants to be better for him. "What are you doing today, Hinata-chan?"
Her white eyes lifted to his face. "I was just going to work on some homework like Sakura-chan. Why?"
He grinned blindingly, like he always did. "Well, TenTen and Temari-chan are in town too. Would you like to join the four of us for breakfast this morning?"
She blinked at him, then smiled uncertainly. "Are you sure?"
"Of course! We'd love to have you, Hinata-chan!" Sakura agreed enthusiastically. "You seem so sad now that Neji-san's away – you need to come out with us more and have fun."
"I do go out!" Hinata protested half-heartedly. "I'm with Shino-kun and Kiba-kun most of the time."
"Shino and Kiba don't count." The pink-haired girl laughed. "They're like your brothers. And besides that, they're dating. How awkward."
The younger girl's nose wrinkled slightly. "It's just a little awkward." She blinked. "Isn't Shikamaru-kun coming with us to breakfast too?"
"I forgot to call him!" Lee exclaimed, jumping from his seat and clapping his hands to his cheeks. "He will be very unhappy if we forget to inform him his girlfriend is in town!"
"For some reason," Sakura's expression was a little skeptical, "I have a feeling Shikamaru won't care one way or the other. And besides that, he's probably not awake and Temari's probably going to go jump on his bed and start screaming at him to get up as soon as we eat."
Hinata giggled, clasping her notebook to her chest. "Thank you for your help, Sakura-chan, and for the offer, Lee-san, but I'll pass today." She waved, trotting down the steps to begin her walk home. "I'll see you later. We're going to Pizza Hut?"
"Yeah. Bye, Hinata-chan!" Sakura waved, green eyes reflecting her frown as soon as the other girl was out of sight. "I worry about her."
"Why?" As always, Lee seemed oblivious to the despondency of others.
"She's lovesick." She explained. "You can tell it just by the way she walks. And everyone knows her smile is fake." Actually, I know just how she feels.
"She does seem much more unhappy when Neji is gone." Lee admitted. "But she really won't let us help her cheer up, will she?"
"Only Neji-san can fix her." She carefully shut her textbook, as if it was a cherished memento, and set it aside. "Come on. We're going to be late."
0
Yamanaka Ino sighed, swiping the back of her hand across her sweating forehead, sitting back on her heels.
The summer heat hadn't yet departed from the air, and she had been working in her flower garden for hours now. Temari, Lee, and TenTen should be here by now, she thought absently, pulling at a bunch of dandelions that leered defiantly before her lilies. I wonder if everyone's going out this morning. Her train of thought shifted abruptly to her best friend. Forehead girl's been getting kind of chubby lately. I wonder if I should mention it. She smirked lightly. She'd get really angry. I'll probably just have to subtly suggest recipes for her to try – maybe I can get her to go jogging with me in the mornings.
"Morning, Ino."
She turned, smiling. Speak of the devil. "Morning, Sakura. What's new?"
The pink-haired girl sat carefully beside her, a perturbed look flawing her face.
"What's wrong?"
She sighed, looking at her friend with desperate eyes. "Ino, I need your advice on something."
The blonde resisted grinning. I knew it. I bet she's asking for dieting tips. Or maybe –
"I'm pregnant."
Never saw that one coming.
"What should I do?" Her silence apparently worried Sakura. "No one knows yet, except you." Her hand settled lightly on the bulge of her stomach. "But I can't hide it anymore."
Why didn't I notice before that she's only bigger in her stomach? "Well, first and foremost," somehow Ino retained her calm, "you have to tell Lee."
Green eyes averted, and fair fingers picked at the grass uncomfortably.
She sighed inwardly. "And what's the matter with telling Lee?"
"Ino," Sakura's voice came out a strained whisper, "I've never slept with Lee."
0
Additional A/N: Ooh. Cliffhanger.
And why Snakes on a Plane? Because it's probably the funniest concept for a movie ever. I work at a cinema and was standing outside one of the Snakes theatres and just couldn't stop laughing at the shitty dialogue. I might go see it just to laugh at it.