This is for the challenge made by Miyazaki-A2 on deviantart (I know she is an author here too) and I am going draw a picture to go with each chapter also and post them on DA () the challenge is "Love is..." based on hana-bakemono's lovely poem (already mentioned the name) I hope that i win!

Chapter One:

Love is...

A stroke of a soft cheek...a blush.

Lee loves Sakura. But Sakura liked Lee. It sounds simple, doesn't it? Boy loves girl, girl sees boy only as a friend, etc cetera...but it isn't that simple.

Lee loves, not loved, loves Sakura and would do anything to make her happy, even if it meant accepting that she could never ever love him back the way he would love-not like, love-her to and letting her move on from the nightmare that was Uchiha Sasuke and be with someone who could make her happy.

Oh how he wished he could be that person.

If he could be that person-he decided this the moment that he got shot down for the very first time by her-he would never ever hurt her and he would love her whole heartedly and never ever leave her the way he did, he would never hurt her like that not for any reason, and he would make sure she knew that every single day that they were together...but they weren't together, and it was hard for him. But Lee was just happy that he got to see her, and be around her and be her friend. All he could do now was be her friend, be there for her when she needed it most and be her shoulder to cry on. And no matter how much it hurt him to see her upset over a boy who she had given her all to only to have him change his mind and it took every piece of self restraint that he had not to go find that bastard and beat the crap out of him because that is not who Lee is.

Lee closes his eyes and holds Sakura close as she cries about another boy. At first she had been angry and yelling and she had gone and found Lee and demanded a spar. He did not refuse. When she had fought off her frustration until her knuckles were raw and her muscles ached down to the bone she started crying. He rubbed her back soothingly and stayed silent as she cried.

When she was finally finished crying she pulled away from Lee's warm and welcoming embrace meeting with the cold, empty air behind her and scrubbing the tears from her bloodshot-but still beautiful-mint green eyes. She smiles at Lee and says "Thank you" and then looks at her feet. All is quiet. Until Lee reaches up with a shaky-nervous?-arm and places his bandaged hand on her cheek. She can feel the warmth of his palm through the gritty material of the bandages pressed against her face and unconsciously leans into it. Lee smiles and hopes that it gives her the reassurance that she needs, and says...

"Do not worry Sakura-san, I am confident-no, I am sure that you will find someone out there that will see your true inner and outer beauty and love you for you, and anyone who is willing to let you go so easily is not worth your time and does not deserve you." Sakura looked at Lee, her eyes wide with awe and if you looked into her eyes you could see the gears turning, thinking. After yet another moment of silence Sakura smiled, her soft pink lips curling up at the ends and her hand made its way to Lee's, her palm pressing gently to the back of the hand he had on her cheek.

Staring up into Lee's dark and gentle eyes Sakura flushed a pink that could rival the color of her hair and pulled his hand away from her face and held it between her own beaten and shaky hands.

"Hey Lee?" suddenly very nervous, Lee swallowed thickly.

"Y-Yes, Sakura-san?" She smiled at his adorable nervousness and tightened her grip on his hand.

"I was wondering, if you would like to have dinner with me?" it was more of a question that a wonder and Lee could feel his heart hammer at his ribcage as he processed what she had just said.

"D-Dinner?"

"Yeah, you know, like on a date?" His entire face turned beat red, and Sakura was surprised that his head hadn't exploded from the pure shock of the question. When he didn't reply she became concerned, but just as she was about to ask what was wrong a smile, so bright and happy-no, euphoric broke out on his face that she found herself smiling brighter. She watched him as he danced around the training ground punching the air and doing cart wheels and hand stands and just being so him that Sakura started to laugh and join in.

Suffice to say they went to dinner that day, and Sakura saw a side of Lee that she had been refusing herself all this time and she loves it and wondered to herself why she had never given him a chance before now. Wonders how anyone(man) could be so polite and chivalrous in this day in age and she is sure that she has never ever met anyone like Lee before and smiles for herself because she knows she is lucky, lucky to have someone like Lee who will love her forever and ever because he always has and always will and he will always be the consistency in her life that she always needed.

Lee loves Sakura and Sakura loves Lee...

Its as simple as that.

END

I like this one, no matter how short it was.