Man Killed 8 At Ex-Wife's Birthday Party

Rock Lee stared at the paper's headline in disgust. He glanced at the article for the important details, checking for the people who were murdered. Two children were killed among the eight victims. Lee lost his appetite for breakfast. He folded the paper and pushed it aside. He focused on his breakfast. He stared at the bowl of white milk and floating corn flakes. Normally, Lee would finish his cereal in one gulp as he was a firm believer that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. But after reading the news article, Lee was finding it hard to even swallow. He clanged his spoon against the ceramic bowl. He thought about the two children that were hurt. What had they done to deserve death at such young age? The part that sickened him the most was the perpetrator was still at large. Lee dropped his spoon into the bowl. A few drops of milk escaped to the table surface. He was disappointed at the lack of action from the police. He sulked and thought about what a horrible world they lived in. Murders, robbery, rapes, violence were all right around the corner. He wouldn't get anywhere without knowing that a crime was being committed.

His cousin, Tenten, strolled out from her bedroom. She tied her hair as she sat down opposite of Lee. She glanced at the newspapers, not really taking an interest in it. She eyed the cereal box and Lee caught the hint to push it over to her. Tenten finished up with her hair and poured herself a bowl to eat quickly. Thanks to her, they were running five minutes later for school. If Lee weren't a gentleman, he would've left Tenten behind and headed for school already. He checked his backpack absent-mindedly, making sure that he had remembered to put his books and homework back in. Tenten crunched down on the sugar flakes like she was crushing glass. She chugged her glass of orange juice. Lee watched her eat with amusement. She could break a world record with that speed.

"Done!" Tenten shouted. She wiped her mouth roughly with a napkin and threw the crumpled ball into the trashcan on her way to grab her backpack. "Let's go, let's go! What are you waiting for, Lee?"

"Yosh!" Lee swung on his backpack and opened the door for Tenten. "After you."

Luckily, they lived relatively close to the school that if they hurried, they could make it on time and not get the nasty tardy slip. They walked alongside each other with Tenten doing most of the talking. She told Lee a little more about her attempt to start a girl wrestling team, but the coaches were all 'sexist pigs' and didn't think girls should be wrestling. The football coach actually told Tenten to buy make-up with the other girls and leave the real sports to the boys. Tenten had to resist kicking him in the crotch. Lee, himself, was on the soccer and baseball team. He didn't like to boast but he was actually the star of both teams. He was the forward of the soccer team and the best batter on the baseball team. His coaches adored him and he was pretty sure that college scouts were present at his games. He didn't think too much about it; he loved playing sports and if it would get him a scholarship to the top colleges, it wouldn't hurt. Not that Lee needed help getting into the best colleges. He was fifth in his class and had done excellent on his standardized exams. He would be the first to admit that he wasn't a genius like his classmates, Nara Shikamaru and Uchiha Sasuke. What Lee lacked in the nature department, he made it up in sheer effort. No one would know, except maybe Tenten, how many hours Lee put into studying. How many hours of unwatched television and unplayed video games in exchange for an A+ on a test. His good grades didn't drop out from the sky; he worked very hard for them and he was very proud of himself. He might not be a genius of intelligence, but he was definitely a genius of hard work.

They walked through the school gate. Tenten said good-bye and headed for her locker. Lee checked the time; he had a few minutes to spare. He hurried down the hall, saying a good morning to everyone he knew along the way. He turned the corner and saw the person he was looking for. Sakura was as lovely as she always was. In fact, Lee could never recall a second during which Sakura was not a beautiful goddess surrounded by the halo of the sun. He sucked at writing poems, but when Sakura was around him, poetry spilled out of his mouth. She was looking over her math book, probably for a pop quiz. Sakura was second in the class; a status she earned through perseverance and innate brilliance. She had the look and the brain. Lee still wondered how he managed to secure the post as her boyfriend. Did he mention that she was the most popular girl in school? Well, she was, had always been, and always would be. Lee was probably in the middle of the popularity spectrum, not exactly her level of caliber. Sakura was the person who single-handedly organized a walk-out against one Hatake Kakashi. If the teacher wasn't going to be on time, why should the students? Lee admired her greatly for her conviction and her cause. He participated in a community service every now and then, but he was no saint.

Sakura glanced up from her book. She closed it and smiled at him. "Hey you," she said, standing up to give him a soft kiss on the lips. Her lips always tasted like cherry. It was addicting. She circled her arms around Lee's waist, pulling him closer. She nuzzled against his neck. "Are we still on this weekend?"

"Of course!" It was their one-month anniversary. Lee was planning a very pleasant surprise for her. Sakura was the first girlfriend he had ever had and he wanted to make a lasting impression on her. She had gone on a lot of dates and Lee had to outdo them all. He was planning a romantic home-cook candle-lit dinner. He wasn't the best chef in the world but he had been told that his cooking was heavenly. He had also been taking guitar lesson on his spare time to play her a song. Well, part of a song, he had only gotten a few meters down. Music wasn't his forte. There were just some things that he had absolutely no potential. "Get excited," he told Sakura, "it will be the best weekend of your life!"

"I can't wait," Sakura said with a wide smile. She planted another kiss on Lee's lips just as the bell rang. "See you in four hours." Lee helped her grab her bag off the floor and walked her to her class. They had another quick kiss good-bye before Sakura went to class. Lee's first class was on the other side of the school ground and if he didn't hurry, he was going to be late. His first period teacher wasn't too nice when it came to being tardy.

His classes went by without a hitch, except for in his science class when his teacher asked him to come to the front of the class. He was a bit worried as his science teacher was a little strange. But he couldn't disobey him so he stood in front of his classmate for ten minutes while his bitter and jaded teacher scolded the rest of his class for not being more like him. Lee was hardworking and dedicated; why couldn't the rest of them be half as good as a student as he was? Lee kept a firm posture during the lecture but he was fidgeting inside. He appreciated his teacher treating him as the model student but he didn't quite like being jealously stared at. There certainly was a downside to being a nerd.

He spent lunch out on the soccer field with Sakura in his arms. He inhaled her scent, wondering why she smelled like spring flowers every day. Her hair was soft and smooth, and he loved running his fingers through them. Sakura liked clasping her hands on Lee's hand. She didn't mind the roughness of his skin. She knew there was a gentle side to Lee. They talked about nothing in particular. It was one of the things he enjoyed about his relationship with Sakura; they were extremely comfortable with each other that just being in the other person's presence was enough. No words needed to be spoken. They didn't need to verbally express how they felt because with one look, they knew what each other was thinking. Lee said a few things that made Sakura laughed. Sakura talked about what she planned to do after school. The girls were going to the mall to watch a movie. She asked Lee to come but Lee had baseball practice. When the lunch bell rang, they walked hand-in-hand back toward the school.

When school was over, Lee headed to the gym to change into his gym shorts. The baseball coach made them run a few laps before they got down to the actual practice. His team was like a second family to him. He didn't have parents and he was lucky enough to be placed in a very loving foster home. And even though Tenten was one tough cookie, she was still a girl. His teammates were pretty much like his brothers. They roughhoused and fooled around. They gave each other noogies and called each other crude names. It was just a few of the things that Lee couldn't do with Tenten. Well, he could if he wanted to, but he didn't want to treat Tenten like a boy, as much as his cousin wanted him to. Besides, there were guy talks that Lee did not feel comfortable talking to Tenten about.

"Hey, Lee, wait!" One of his teammate, Kiba, shouted after him. The rest of the team followed behind him. They all had a wide, excited grin on their faces. "We got a little something for ya." Lee stared at his team in confusion. It wasn't his birthday or any special holiday. Why would his team get him a present? "Close your eyes," Kiba said. Lee did so and heard Kiba count to three. "Ta-da!" Lee opened his eyes and gasped in utter surprise. He reached for the shiny aluminum baseball bat with great care like it was a newborn baby. He examined the fine work and the deep green cursive printing of "Konoha Lotus" on it. He could hardly breathe as he looked at each of his teammates in awe. "I-I cannot accept this!"

"Don't be such a pansy," Kiba said, "Just take it and use it to win us the championship!"

"I will! Thank you very much! I-I owe you all… pizza!" He hugged the bat to his chest and grinned happily at his team. "Thank you! Thank you!" After Lee took a shower at the gym, he went back home with the new bat in his backpack and a wide smile on his face. He was very content with his life and could not – would not dare – to ask for more. He had a wonderful family, a beautiful girlfriend, excellent grades, and supportive friends. Any other kids in the world would be jealous of his life. In the middle of his walk, he remembered the two children who were killed yesterday and realized that he needed to treasure what he had. There was no guarantee that his good life would be waiting for him next morning. There would be something around the bend, waiting to snatch his happiness away.

This is the very well appreciated prelude my favorite GaaLee/leegaa Author, the Boyue made for me this holiday season XD! I will live up to it (will try anyway) and create the first Chapter of Felon ^^!