01: tadaima

"Sakura-san!"

A head turned in a crowd. A pair of green eyes lifted from their course to find the voice calling her name. They settled on a flash of green. A strong posture. Clear, round eyes.

"Rock Lee? Lee-san, you're back! How are you?"

The two Konoha ninja stood across from one another, previously heading in opposite directions, on the bustling village street. Rock Lee, Konoha's very own emerald beast, stood, momentarily transfixed by the figure across from him. Haruno Sakura, now under the tutelage of the Fifth, reacting to him much more positively than he could have anticipated. And she was steadily, enthusiastically, closing the distance between them. His gaze wavered from her figure (something was different about it) and shot up to her eyes.

(Quick. Be a man. Say something.)

"Sakura-san, you look very good! Truly a welcome sight on my return home." The pink-haired ninja gave him a gracious nod for the kind words. "More beautiful since I was last in Konoha, surely." Lee added, smiling lightly as an unmistakable flush crept into her cheeks, despite how her lips tightened to hush it away. He was always chancing it (what exactly...) with Sakura when he told her things like this, but he'd be wasting his youth if he kept the words and feelings to himself. And besides, he could not deny himself when something so true needed to be said.

Lee lived in her silence for a tense beat, watching her eyes move over him for a moment longer than he'd expected. Was there something wrong with him? Sakura's clear gaze shifted over to Ichiraku's shop flags and then back to him. Maybe he had said too much. Now it seemed like she had withdrawn herself. What would Gai-sensei do in a situation like this? He could only imagine; although he had to figure probably not much different - Gai-sensei did not have the same reputation as Kakashi for being popular with women.

"Lee-san, you don't waste any time," she said (finally, it seemed) with a small smile, the flush in her cheeks evening out. "Where are you headed?"

"Ah. First to see Gai-sensei and then to do my daily training."

"Oh," she said, a more natural, carefree smile creeping onto her lips now. The unyeilding Lee... "You must do about a five hundred laps around Konoha by now."

Lee let up a tiny laugh, flustered for a moment as he tried think of a way to protest to such flattery. But then his posture stiffened, his face straightening into the picture of his trademark determination.

"No, not yet, Sakura-san. I usually do a hundred laps, and only on my heavy training days. But if you think I can do five, then I will try to live up to your expectations."

Sakura's brow jumped up at his words. Lee grinned, flashing her a thumb's up.

"That's a promise, Sakura-san."

(I'm so awesome, Gai-sensei...!)

She thought then about telling him no, you don't have to do that just because I said so, but the gleam in his eye said it had already been decided. Rock Lee and his burning youth. He was definitely someone to be admired. Even if he was a little corny sometimes. (Only sometimes?) She'd go so far as to say he was someone to be idolized, maybe. Definitely a role model for the kids at the ninja academy. But she knew that she had long since looked up to him, and she wasn't the only one either.

"Hah. Well, it's good to see you back home, Lee-san. It seems like I'm the only one from our class left in Konoha sometimes. I miss everyone," she said with a rueful little smile. "We should talk more next time so we can catch up."

"Catch up next time?"

"Yeah. Maybe tomorrow afternoon if you're not busy. If you want to, I mean."

"Ahh... Sakura-san, that time is when I do my heavy training. I'm sorry ... I can't skip something that important." His seemed suddenly crestfallen, and something in his disappointed face and emotion-filled eyes tickled her. This had to be the third or fourth smile she hid from him. (Why hide it?)

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, maybe I can join you?"

"Join me in my training?"

"Yeah," she shrugged, really wondering if he'd be okay with this now. "I wouldn't get in your way or try to distract you, Lee-san. I could probably keep up with you on it, too. I think. But if you don't think it's a good idea, I wouldn't be offended. We can just catch up another time. Maybe at Ichiraku," she added, throwing a nod over to Naruto's favorite ramen shop.

Lee looked to give this a moment's deep consideration and then nodded, slowly.

"You will only make me train harder, Sakura-san. I would be honored if you, one of the legendary sannin's pupils, came to see me train." He said this with a brilliant smile, then paused and frowned. "Although I do not have much for you to catch up on. I have only -"

"That's fine, Lee-san," she said, wagging a hand at him. "But I have to go. I made myself late talking to you, and the Hokage is uh...very strict sometimes."

"Ah! Then please go, Sakura-san. I'm sorry I kept you!"

"That's all right, Lee-san," she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow. Do you train in the same place as before?"

A question asked, turning on a heel. Lee still faced her, about to give up his role as a stone in a river of people, and gave her a single enthusiastic nod before she turned away.

"Tomorrow!"