Title: Protecting My Sweet Blossom
Word Count: 1,401
Pairings: Gai x Sakura
Rating: K+ (fluff)
Summary: Gai loves Sakura with his whole heart. He wants to prove his faith and love to her, but how? One-shot.

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Maito Gai had always been a free spirit. He had never taken any interest in a relationship, even if he tried to find someone. He was just trying to be better than his rival, who had always seemed to have the women all over him.

But now, after one second of seeing this girl, he had fallen so hard that he didn't think he could get up. And he is known for always getting back up.

This girl was perfect, with strawberry pink hair and the deepest green eyes. Her smile was shy, but once you got to know her, it turned devilish.

He loved her.

And, even though fate was cruel sometimes, it could be so kind. Especially when he least expected it.

--

"Come, Lee, run ten thousand laps with me!"

"Okay, Gai-sensei!"

"Oh, Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

It was cut short when a girl came running into the clearing, crying for help. She was the one that Gai had fallen for so many years ago.

"Gai, Lee! I need your help! Please!"

Lee got hearts in his eyes and nodded his head. Gai had, painfully, noticed that Lee had also fallen in love with this girl. He didn't want to make it a contest, but he desperately wanted to win.

"Yes, Sakura-chan? What does a beautiful girl like you need help with?"

Said girl blushed, looking down for a moment. Then her head snapped back up, and she had fire in her eyes.

"I am going to have a race with Naruto in a week, and I know I can't win without some help…."

Gai perked up. He could help with that! And maybe she would notice his love for her, even though he was at least ten years her senior.

"Lee! I can handle this! Go run those laps and make me proud!"

Nodding fiercely, Lee jumped to his toes, just waiting to start running. "And if I cannot run ten thousand laps around Konaha by tonight, then I will do double the pushups!"

Gai nodded once and Lee took off, running as fast as he could. He smiled a bit and looked into her eyes. They had determination burning in them. Such passion for such a young girl….

"Alright, Sakura-chan, first things first! You need more stamina, so I will give you leg weights. Would you like arm weights as well?"

Sakura blushed at the honorific added to her name, but nodded eagerly. "Yes please, I need all the help I can get!"

"Alright! I have a spare in my bag!"

Sakura waited patiently while Gai shifted through his bag of training tools, searching for the sets of weights. He pulled them out after minimal searching, and he presented them to her with a bow. Giggling, she put them on.

"Now, they work by pushing a certain amount of chakra into them. Try putting some in, but be sure you can move."

Sakura listened intently, staring at his face raptly as she tried to add chakra to the weights on her legs. She grinned and started walking around, pretending she was in slow motion. Gai smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

"Okay, Sakura-chan, now you and I will spar! If you can get faster with them on, then you will be even better with them off!"

He settled into an easy Taijutsu stance, still smiling at her brightly. She nodded and rushed at him, forcing her legs to move past the extra baggage. Her first punch missed entirely, and he frowned, already behind her. He would have to keep his style down a lot for these little spars, or she wouldn't get better at all.

When they finally finished, Sakura sat against a tree, panting and rubbing her legs.

"How are you?" Gai asked, concerned. He was barely winded. Although near the end, she redoubled her efforts, making him actually work to dodge.

"Sore." She groaned, closing her eyes and slumping even further against the tree.

"Uhm, Sakura-chan?"

When she didn't answer he couldn't help but smile softly. She had fallen asleep.

He picked her up carefully, making sure to not knock her body against anything. His face sported a small blush when he noticed how close their bodies really were, but he forced himself to be serious. She needed some rest, and he knew where she lived. Why wake her up when he knew where to bring her?

--

Days went by, and Gai continued to send Lee away when she ran up, demanding training. Lee just accepted his fate and tried even harder to succeed. Sakura progressed faster than he thought, and he noticed how happy she was when he pointed it out.

And, just when he thought that she just wanted to train, fate twisted it up a bit. Again.

Sakura was sitting against her tree again, rubbing her legs. She grimaced and leaned back, eyes closed. Gai was grinning with the familiarity of the scene when the idea hit him.

Sitting down in next to her legs, he gently set his hands down and slowly started to rub the sore appendages. Her eyes flitted open and she smiled. For a few minutes she let him sooth her tired legs, and Gai felt peaceful for the first time in years. And then something had to happen.

"Is it raining?"

Gai groaned. It was raining. He forced a smile and a nod.

"Better get home, then."

Sakura nodded and stood up, a grin dancing on her face.

"Race you there" she said.

He relaxed again and nodded, putting up his most used mask. He did his 'famous' pose, and then let it drop.

"You're on!"

She didn't bother questioning him on how he knew the way to her house, she just tried to beat him there like they had done this thousands of times before.

When they reached her door, the rain was coming down pretty heavily. Sakura had made it first, but only because he had let her. He didn't want to show off.

A few seconds ticked by with both of them staring at each other, letting themselves get soaking wet with cold rain. And then Sakura broke it with a frown.

"I'm sorry, I have to go" she said, gesturing to the door. She was just starting to feel the chill seeping in, and she didn't want to get sick. Not right now.

Gai nodded, somehow registering that she looked so cute with a pout, even though it meant she was sad.

She stepped closer to him, and his heart started beating faster. He felt a blush form on his cheeks, and she placed a kiss on his cheek. Then she was inside her house, with only and "Thank you" whispered before the door shut behind her.

--

Finally the day came, and Gai waited at the training grounds for her news. He didn't know where they were holding the race, or when. He just hoped that she won.

The hours passed, and he put Lee through many exercises to pass the time. Still, she didn't show up.

Thinking the worst, he sent Lee home early. He stuck around a bit longer, just in case.

And then she was there.

She flew into his arms, tears going down her face. She wrapped herself around him, and he felt his arms go protectively around her. He sat them down and stroked her hair, letting her cry it out.

Finally he had to ask, "Are you alright?"

Sakura glanced up at him, not bothering to wipe away her tears. He used a hand to rub her back while he rubbed out the tears staining her perfect face away. Slowly but surely, her tears went away and she just leaned against him, letting him comfort her.

And then she answered him. But not with words. Oh no. She put her hands on the ground beside her and leaned up a bit. She kissed him gently, tilting her head to the side.

They sat there for a long time, just enjoying each others company. Gai continued rubbing her back, as it seemed to make her happy. His heart thrummed with joy at their love. He didn't know how long her love would last, but he knew that he would stay with her forever. He would trust her with his life if he had to.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Gai-kun?"

"Did you win?"

"Baka."

"…?"

"There was no race."

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Awwww, how cute!

In the middle of writing this (crack) pairing, part of my mind was like "OwO I actually like this pairing! It's so cute!!!!"

Anyways. I hope you like it, and please review and check out my other stories!

This was a request from Gaiaonline. I entered this in a contest, and I hope I win. There isn't any voting, but thanks for doing so if you would.