ME: I DON'T OWN NARUTO! ;-
-And yes, I am aware that some of them are a little ooc, but it isn't that bad, so please try to tolerate it as long as possible… Thank you!
1
"Lee! My number one student! You have not said a word since you've gotten here!" said Gai. Lee smiled sadly and shook his head in hopes to dismiss the subject.
"Yeah Lee, it's not like you to be this quiet, unless…" Murmured Tenten, circling him like a hawk. Lee stood completely still, staring straight ahead. He was getting quite nervous with where the situation was heading.
"Unless you have another soar throat." She said accusingly, poking a finger against his chest. Lee hung his head. He was caught.
"Lee." sighed Neji. "That's the third one this month."
"You promised us that you would go to the hospital if you got another one! We have to make sure that nothing is wrong." Said Gai. "I would hate it if something were to happen to my beloved pupil."
"Yes sir." He mumbled. His voice was gravely, and it was obvious that it pained him to speak.
"Lee, you sound awful. Aren't you the least bit worried that something might be wrong?" asked Tenten. It was a mystery to her why he wouldn't just willingly get a check up. It seemed that he would always try to avoid the hospital somehow. Though, he often ended up there in the end anyway. It was usually a result of training or sparring.
"I hate hospitals." Lee managed to mumble. He winced afterwards, and sighed.
"Hn. Come on, I'll take you there." Neji said, beginning to walk, assuming Lee would follow. When he didn't hear footsteps, he turned around to see that Lee was standing in the same place. Neji sent him an irritated glare, and Lee reluctantly started to trudge after him.
"Get better soon, Lee!" shouted Tenten as her two teammates disappeared into the distance.
They walked silently for the most part. Neji wasn't much of a talker, and Lee couldn't talk. But even so, Neji couldn't help but be curious. "Why do you hate hospitals so much?" he finally asked. Lee frowned.
"I just…I do not like getting bad news." Said Lee. It still hurt to speak, but he would answer, nonetheless. Neji suddenly understood. So, it was a phobia of sorts. Though, it did seem a little uncharacteristic of his teammate to think so negatively of something, usually being one that usually finds the good quality in every situation.
"Is that why you always try avoiding your check-ups?" asked Neji. Lee nodded and looked down in disgrace.
"Please do not tell anyone." Said Lee. Neji stared at him in question. Had he not told anyone of this before? He gave Lee a nod in silent agreement.
"You know, without hospitals, you probably wouldn't be alive right now." Reasoned Neji. Lee looked away, avoiding eye contact rather than accept the truth in his words. They continued walking in silence.
"We're here." Said Neji. When he didn't hear any response, he turned around to find that Lee had taken off. A large cloud of dust trailed behind him as he ran. He sighed and chased after him. It took him fifteen minutes to catch up, but it was only because Lee had run straight into a dead end. He tried to escape up the wall, but Neji was able to snag his collar just in time. Lee emanated a painful 'Ekkk!' sound as Neji dragged him to the floor by his neckline. Lee wanted to protest, but found that it was useless. His voice was just not cooperating with him at the moment. Neji held him down for a while as he caught his breath.
"No use running, Lee." Said Neji, as he re-filled his lungs with much needed oxygen. "I'm doing this for your own good."
Truth was, Neji actually cared about his teammate. Lee may be a bit eccentric at times, and they may be rivals, but they were also friends. Possibly even best friends. Neither had ever said it, but it was an implicit fact. And so, he literally dragged Lee all the way back to the hospital. Lee would occasionally release a groan every now and then as he went over rocks or small mounds of dirt, but Neji would always ignore it.
Pedestrians looked on in enjoyment. Crazy ninja. They were always doing something interesting.
"Here we are…again." Grunted Neji. Lee instinctively dug his nails into the dirt as Neji continued to drag him forward. He had to tug a bit harder thanks to the extra resistance, but otherwise, it changed nothing. He effortlessly pushed the doors to the hospital open with his right hand, still dragging Lee on the floor with his left. Neji stopped short, and nearly fell backwards when Lee latched his legs around the handle of the door. He growled under his breath, and pulled on his collar again in annoyance.
"Lee, let go."
"No!" screamed Lee, wrapping his legs onto the handle a bit tighter. Neji grabbed Lee's arms, and tried again, with no success. The occupants of the waiting room stared as if they were watching a show.
"Lee. Let go!" Neji growled through his teeth, as he continued to pull.
"NO!" Lee protested again. He grunted from the pain in his throat. The hinges on the door began to creek against the pressure. None of the nurses dared impede in fear of receiving a blow from one of the jounin for catching them off guard.
All except for one.
"Neji!? Lee!? What the heck are you two doing!? You're going to break down the door!"
Lee gasped, and nearly lost his footing, but quickly regained his composer. Neji almost dropped Lee, which would have resulted in his teammate landing headfirst onto the tiled floor below. Fortunately, he didn't.
"What is going on?" asked Sakura, placing her hands on her hips, as if daring them not to answer.
"Lee has a sore throat and needs an examination, but he's refusing to get one." Said Neji, once again, trying to pry his teammate off of the door. Lee looked over his shoulder and glared at him.
'Tattle tale!'
Sakura glanced between the two men and sighed.
"Lee, if you get down from there, I'll give you the check up personally." Said Sakura sweetly, trying her best to be persuasive. Luckily for her, he obliged almost immediately. How could he possibly resist!?
Unfortunately, at that moment, Neji was still pulling. They both flew back a few feet. Neji landed first, and Lee ended up falling directly on his stomach.
"Lee." He breathed. That impact had knocked the wind out of him. Lee scrambled to his feet, and reached down to pull Neji up.
"I am so sorry!" said Lee. His voice still sounded hoarse. Neji growled, and dusted himself off. He mumbled a small acceptance of Lee's apology. Meanwhile, Sakura was watching them with a grin. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh. It wasn't working well. Neji and Lee looked at her. A wide, almost goofy looking, love-struck grin spread across Lee's face. His cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. Her laughter was music to his ears. Even if she was laughing at him. Neji grimaced in embarrassment.
"I trust you'll be alright now. I'm going back to train." Grumbled Neji. Lee's eyes widened and his head shot in Neji's direction, as if begging him to stay.
"Sakura is a good doctor, and she will take excellent care of you," whispered Neji, so that Sakura wouldn't hear. Lee stared at him, and thought about that for a moment. He had the utmost faith in Sakura's ability as a medic ninja; it was the hospital that he didn't trust. Even so, he nodded, silently granting Neji permission to leave. He placed a hand on Lee's shoulder, and turned back to Sakura.
"Thank you for your help." He said politely. Sakura nodded in a professional manner, as she and Lee watched him go. She turned back to face Lee and smiled.
"Ready?" she asked. He nodded slowly and drew in a deep breath. It stung his the back of his throat, causing him to grimace.
"I suggest you don't do that." Said Sakura with a giggle. Lee blushed again and smiled.
"All right, follow me and I'll take a look at your throat, okay?" said Sakura. Lee nodded again and followed her down the hallway. His gaze drifted back and fourth from wall to wall. It seemed so lifeless in this place. The colors were dull and monotonous. The sounds of moaning from behind one of the doors made him scowl. He would probably never understand how Sakura was able to stay in this place for such a long time. He turned his head when he noticed that she was opening the door to one of the rooms.
"Take a seat right over there, and I'll be with you in a second." Lee nodded and did as he was told. Sakura slowly walked from the room, taking a quick glance back at Lee. She smiled when she saw that he was balling the fabric of his jumpsuit between his fingers. It was a nervous habit of his. One that she had noticed countless times before. He would often do it when asking her on a date. She never said anything of course, but it was a silent reminder of how much she loved him.
Yes, she did indeed care for Konoha's beautiful green beast, but had never told him so. She was having way too much fun watching him try to win her affections again and again. Cruel, yes, but it was also unbelievably amusing.
She informed Ino of her developing feelings towards Lee during her eighteenth birthday a few months earlier. The blonde was shocked to say the least, yet genuinely happy for her. They shared a laugh after deciding that she wouldn't tell him for a while. But she would put him out of that desolation eventually.
Meanwhile, Lee was sitting quite uncomfortably atop the doctor's chair. The paper beneath him wrinkled every time he tried to shift positions. The sound of it seemed to echo off the walls, ringing deafeningly in his ears. He breathed deeply through his nose and released it. The walls were, as usual, completely white. The bland coloring and luminescent lighting did nothing if not make the situation worse. But then again, he was used to it. The first time he had been to the hospital, he was very young. The smell of disinfectant and dried blood had brought tears to his eyes. Luckily, over the many visits he spent here, he had learned to deal with it. His head shot up at the sound of footsteps. Quickly, he released his grip on his shirt, and tried to look natural. Sakura hid her smirk behind the clipboard in her hands. Lee really was cute.
"Okay Lee. You're not declaring your love for me, so you must be in some serious pain." Said Sakura playfully. Lee returned her smile.
"I do love you," he said, as if she might have forgotten. Sakura eyed him. His voice sounded raspy, and she almost felt guilty for making him speak like that. Lee noticed her stare, and immediately felt the need to cheer her up. He flashed the nice guy pose, complete with thumbs-up, and that 'oh-so-youthful' preverbal 'ping'. It worked; she smiled.
"Right." Said Sakura. She walked to his side, and pulled a tongue depressor out of a jar. From the pocket of her white coat, she grabbed a small flashlight with her other hand. "Open wide and say 'ahh'." Lee slunk back and shook his head. Sakura smiled. "Aw, come on now, Lee." She said in good-humored tone. "If you're a good boy, I'll give you a lollypop." He chuckled and sent her a nod in acceptance, even though he still did not want to. Opening his mouth wide, he allowed her to place the wooden stick on his tongue. It tasted funny; like licking a training post. She shined the light in, and took a good look.
"Well, I have good news, and bad news." Said Sakura, clicking the light off with her thumb, and shoving it back into her pocket. Lee closed his mouth and waited for her to tell him. "The bad news is: we have to remove your tonsils." Lee's eyes widened in a mixture of frustration and fear. Why was it that every time he came here, they found something wrong? "The good news is, it's a very routine procedure, and you'll be better in no time." Said Sakura, attempting to lighten the mood. Lee sighed. She frowned at his glum appearance. "But on the bright side, you can have the lollypop!" At this, Lee allowed his eyes to drift up, leaving his head down. Sakura watched as a small smile graced his lips.
"Can I have the green one?"
She laughed.
"Of course." She said, handing him a small green lollypop from the jar on the counter. Lee's smile widened, and he once again looked like his normal optimistic self.
"Now, I'm going to heal you as best as I can, that way it won't hurt as much before the surgery." Lee nodded, and allowed her to place her hand gently over his neck. A subtle green glow enveloped her palm, and Lee already felt better. He could easily envision a fresh stream of water slowly soothing and cooling his soar throat.
She leaned in close, seeming innocent. Since he was sitting down, her face was just above his own, and now only mere centimeters apart.
He couldn't help but stare at her lips. Why was she tempting him!? It seems that she had been doing things like this more and more often lately. But she couldn't be doing it on purpose, right? He gulped, and attempted to force down the blush that was inadvertently spreading across his entire face. Sakura smiled wickedly and removed her hand, getting the reaction she had hoped for.
"There. That should feel better. And don't worry. I'll be taking care of you for your entire stay here. I'll be back to check on you in a little bit, right after I get you checked into one of the rooms." Lee smiled with half-lidded eyes.
"Thank you, Sakura." He said, still trying to will down his blush. Sakura grinned and turned to walk out of the room, swaying her hips seductively as she neared the doorway. She smirked after hearing Lee make a pathetic sound, and scramble about for a tissue. Gently, she shut the door behind her, leaving Lee by himself.
'I wonder if she is aware of how much she tortures me.' Thought Lee, trying to stop his nose from bleeding. He was in desperate need of a cold shower, but he would not be getting one now. Poor Lee.
'I should probably stop torturing him so much. I might end up killing him' Thought Sakura. After a few minutes, she returned. ' My conscious seems to be catching up with me.
"I'm back." Chimed Sakura, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her. Lee gasped and tried to hide the bloody tissues behind his back. "I got you a room upstairs; you're going to have to- Oh! Lee, what happened?" She knew full well what happened, but decided to play innocent. Lee blushed.
"Um…nothing." He said. Sakura willed back a laugh. Lee was a really bad liar. She would humor him for now.
"If you say so. Now what was I doing? Oh right! You're going to have to change into a hospital gown." Said Sakura. He sighed in annoyance. He really hated hospital gowns. Since there was no back, he always felt like he had to hold it closed, even if he was wearing boxers. He silently cursed himself for choosing today to wear the ones with hearts on them. Curse Tenten and her random shopping sprees!
"Well don't just stand there! Get changed!" said Sakura, snapping Lee out of his thoughts.
"Now?" he asked.
"Yes, now." Answered Sakura matter-of-factly.
"B-but!"
"That's right. Get your butt into that gown. Now." She pointed to the hospital attire. Lee sighed and slowly began to slip off his vest and shoes. Next, he removed his leg warmers, and unhooked the weights from around his ankles, placing them gently on the floor by his side. He unzipped his jumpsuit, and carefully stepped out, one leg at a time. Now it was Sakura's turn to blush.
'He's not just cute! He's hott!' shouted Inner Sakura. She was inwardly hoping that she wouldn't start to drool. She slowly allowed her eyes to drift over every part of him, coming to a stop just as she reached his boxers. A small smile made its way onto her lips. Were those little pink hearts?
Lee was feeling more than uncomfortable right now. He really wished she wouldn't stare at him like that.
"Um…Sakura?" he said, after several minutes. She blinked, and blushed for her actions.
"Oh! Right…sorry." She said sheepishly, handing him the gown. He graciously accepted it and slipped it on.
"Thank you," he said with a toothy smile that Sakura had come to love.
"No problem." Said Sakura. "Follow me, okay?" Lee nodded and picked up his belongings, following her close behind. Silently, they walked together up a flight of stairs. Lee tried to hold his gown shut, but as his thoughts drifted off, he absentmindedly allowed it to open. One of the patients released a whistle at the sight. Lee blushed and once again, pulled it shut.
When Lee wasn't looking, Sakura sent the woman a glare. The startled girl immediately scrambled away in fear of Sakura's wrath. She smirked in success.
Even if it wasn't official, she liked to think of Lee as her man. He had truly matured over the years. In her opinion, though he still wore his green spandex, still kept his bowl haircut and bushy eyebrows, he had grown into a very handsome adult. However, when she discussed it with her ex-rival, Ino seemed to completely disagree. In her blonde friends own words, 'You must be seriously in love with him if you think Bushy Brows is handsome!' Sakura giggled at the thought, arising a questioning look from Lee.
"What is so funny?" he inquired. Sakura gasped lightly, and continued walking straight ahead.
"Erm…Nothing, Lee. Nothing at all." She said, not looking back. Lee raised an eyebrow, but decided not to pressure her for an answer. Besides, he could never force her to do anything. Sigh.
"And here's your room." Said Sakura, gently opening the door. Lee stepped in behind her and frowned. This room looked exactly like the one that he stayed in after the chuunin exams. Oh well. At least it has a window.
"You can lie down and get comfortable. In a few hours, you'll get your tonsillectomy, and you'll be able to leave in about two days." Said Sakura. Lee choked on air.
"Two days!? But what about my training!?" asked Lee. He winced after speaking and brought his hand to his neck. Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Get into bed, Lee." She said sternly. Lee sighed, yet again, and silently did as he was told. "You really shouldn't speak too much. It puts a lot of strain on your throat." Once again, she placed her hand over his neck, minus the seductive advances. Lee smiled slightly.
"Thank you, Sakura. Your amazing talent is rivaled only by your extraordinary beauty." Said Lee. Sakura blushed and tried to turn away.
"Um…yes, well. I have other patients to tend to right now. I'll come back and check on you in a little bit. In the mean time, no training." She said the last two words with as much emphasis as she could muster. About every time Lee came to the hospital, he was caught doing some sort of exercise, despite all warnings to avoid it. If only they had 'AA' meetings for 'train-a-holics'.
Lee sighed and grudgingly agreed with her terms. Though he didn't make any promises. Sakura gave him one last nod before finally leaving the room.
'I really shouldn't do this to him anymore. I'm starting to feel really guilty. I'll let him know today.' Thought Sakura.
'But the question is: how?'
ME: So that was the first chapter.
Uhm…yup. Hopefully it'll get better as it goes.
Anyhooo, please review, and thank you for your time. n.n
