A/N: This is my first attempt at a continuous story, versus my more anecdotal diaries. I felt I had to start posting this now because it does overlap the other work at two points.You'll just have to trust me on this. Have fun...I'm really not writing a serious story...yet.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I can't own Naruto. I'm scared of high powered lawyers.


Chapter 1: The Lamest Mission Ever!

Sakura hurried to Tsunade's office after receiving the message: 'Need you to fill in ASAP on a mission'. She opened the door not only to find Tsunade and Shizune, but Neji and Rock Lee awaiting her presence.

"Thank you for your promptness, Sakura." The Hokage looked up at her student.

"Of course, Tsunade-sama" was the reply.

"As you can see, we are a team member short," Neji started, "Tenten had an accident and now has a fractured leg."

"And it will take her a few days to recover, even after my superlative treatment." Tsunade added, trying to hide her slight smirk: she noticed Sakura blushing as she met Lee's eyes. Of course, she thought, if one looked directly at Lee, it was always hard to avoid his eyes. She almost started to laugh, so she made herself cough to hide it. Finally, she turned the cough into a throat clearing noise and continued to speak: "Gai has urgent personal matters to attend to, so this will put Neji in charge on this mission."

"Oh, that explains it!" Sakura smiled. She was relieved; the prospect of Gai on this mission would have terrified her to no end. The banter that Lee and his Sensei tossed about could be REALLY hard to swallow at times. She might also get to see that side of Lee that she had seen so long ago in the 'forest of death', the valiant rescuer. Not that she needed rescuing anymore, that Sakura was long gone. No, she thought, it just might be the companionship she needed. Honestly, she had considered trying to find the opportunity to talk to him on several occasions, but she worried that it might be some sort of emotional rebound due to Sasuke's betrayal. 'It's been long enough, hasn't it?' she asked herself. She did another quick glance at him; luckily, he was looking at the Hokage and not her.

"This mission entails the retrieval of stolen goods." Tsunade began, "Now, before you even start to think that this mission is beneath you, I will state that the Family this request came from has a long standing contract with our village: They always get higher ranking ninja than the mission calls for, but, in return, they also pay very well for the privilege..."


Soon they were out of the village and to their first contact: A restaurateur who had been offered the opportunity to buy something that resembled the stolen object. This event had occurred just the two days before.

"I can't believe the details of this mission." Neji muttered as they went around the area outside the restaurant looking for clues to pick up the trail. "This place is to the opposite side of Konoha from the patron's home village."

"And we only got word from them today." Lee commented. "Is there something we are missing here?"

"Maybe, once we actually get the object back and see it for ourselves, it will make more sense." Sakura suggested.

They set off in the direction it appeared the trail might be leading.

"So, I guess from your comments you feel that Tenten isn't missing out by not being part of this mission." Sakura spoke to Neji as they moved through the trees.

He looked over to her and replied, "I don't know if the details would annoy her, but I do know she'd be a lot quieter."

Sakura shuddered from the tone of his voice. Her inner voice screamed, 'Oh yeah, and I bet she'd at least act like a human being instead of an ice block.' She then glanced back at Lee: He just shook his head like this kind of reaction was to be expected.

As it got close to evening, Neji gestured. "Looks like a storm is coming in." The darkness of the clouds was greater than the surrounding sky, "Maybe we should set up camp until the worst of it is over."

The winds started to pick up, Sakura and Lee started to set up a makeshift shelter by using a tarp from their gear. Just as set-up was completed, the skies opened up. Lee snatched the rest of their gear and moved underneath.

Sakura called to Neji: "Are you coming in?"

"No, I like storms." He sat in one of the shorter trees in a rain poncho, hood covering his long dark hair, "I think I'm going to watch this one for a while."

Sakura ducked underneath to join Lee.

"So." she said.

"So?" Lee replied.

"Is Neji always like this on missions, or is he acting different because I'm the odd one out?"

"Neji tends to be one of those people who will say only what needs to be said." Lee shrugged. "Were you hoping our team was all about sparkling conversation? I can assure you that Gai-sensei and Tenten are more fun to talk to. Neji just seems to hold a lot of things inside, unless you get him off on his 'destiny' kick. Then he can drone on for hours." A bemused smirk crossed his face.

"Sasuke was a lot like that: Mission first." Sakura frowned. "Maybe that's why we didn't see his betrayal coming. Dammit, I thought I was over this." She wrapped her arms around herself. "I wanted to save him…Naruto wants to save him too…" She realized she was starting to cry and wiped at her eyes, "He needs someone to save him from himself."

Suddenly, Lee was there wrapping his arms around her, pressing the left side of her face to his chest. "I understand." he began. "Sometimes, we all need someone to save us from ourselves." He gently moved his hand to stroke her hair, "I know you saved me." He smiled a gentle smile, "Just when I was starting to doubt that I could go any further, be any stronger, there you were…"

Sakura started to look up at him.

"Just when I thought Gai-sensei's training had reached the point where it could no longer move me, I got you to watch me, and, suddenly, I understood so much more…about his lessons...about myself. You are my inspiration. You do not have to speak a word of encouragement; just knowing that you are there grants me a new source of energy." He looked down into her eyes. "You are my greatest treasure."

Sakura blinked a new set of tears from her eyes and threw her arms around his neck. She buried her face in his shoulder, surprising herself by sobbing. "It's all right." he whispered, "I'm here for you; I'll always be here for you."

She pulled back slightly. "Thank you," she said softly, "It means so much to me to hear you say that." She wiped at her eyes, "I can't believe I'm crying like this."

"As you said earlier; people keep things inside themselves," again the gentle smile. "I have tried not to do that around you. I have always tried to let you know how I feel." He put his hand to her jaw and started to tilt her face up to meet his. Sakura made no move to resist.

KKKKKRRRRRAAAAASSSSSHHHH!!!!!! The lightning stroke was incredibly close – sound and flash occurring as one. They snapped apart, heads turning as on toward the tarp opening. "Neji!" they both cried and scrambled outside for a look.

"Neji, are you there?" Sakura called again.

"Yes," he jumped to the ground before them, "you missed a spectacular show." He turned and gestured toward a tree about 50' away; it was still smoldering. "I can't get enough of this demonstration of raw elemental power." He was actually smiling, as he turned to them. A crease went across his brow. "So, why are you out here, getting soaked?" he sneered from beneath his hood.

Lee and Sakura looked at each other, all wet, headed and dived back under the tarp. Lee started to pull something out of his pack to dry off with. Sakura instead decide it was time to get something else out of her pack. "Anyone for Tea?"

Both Neji and Lee stared at her for a moment. She smiled and demonstrated, "It's a simple chakra focus: I use my hands to concentrate the energies to heat the water in the cup. Sure, it requires some fine control not to overheat the water or damage the cup. I learned this from Kakashi-sensei. I saw him do it one time when our group was stuck somewhere for the evening, and he decided the only way he could be truly happy was to read his favorite book with a cup of tea…"

Soon they all were sipping tea and watching as the storm blew over. The rain was now settling into a more normal light soaking pattern.

"Okay, since our orders did not demand 'all deliberate speed' we can take a more leisurely approach to this mission. This means, if we think it would be better for us to stay camped overnight, so be it." Neji explained. "It also appears that there is only enough room for two of us to sleep under here with our gear. The third can wear a rain poncho and keep watch. Sakura you get first watch, I'll go second, and Lee's last."

"Right!" Lee chimed in, as Sakura nodded her agreement.

Sakura's watch was uneventful. However, she kept finding herself glancing back at Lee's sleeping form and studying his mouth. They had come so close to kissing. She touched her finger to her lips and wondered how his strangely pursed mouth would have felt against hers. She let out a soft moan, which startled her out of her fantasy. She looked at the time: only a half-hour more until Neji's turn.

Neji's watch was also without incident, but in a way it might not have been best defined as quiet. Sakura would flop around occasionally, always moving closer to Lee. He just kept waiting for her to accidentally kick Lee. If she always slept like this, there must have been some awkward moments for team Kakashi. He pictured her flopping an elbow into Naruto and imaging the half asleep knucklehead, fearing an enemy attack, filling the space with shadow clones. Neji shook his head and chuckled to himself, 'What a dork. Oh well, time to wake Lee up.'

Lee had heard Neji's little chuckle because for the last few minutes he had felt the feather soft tickle of breath on the back of his neck. He knew it was Sakura, because Neji tended to have a slight whistle that was just this side of snoring when he slept. So he waited patiently for Neji to wake him, then deliberately turned to look at her as her got up. 'Someday soon, my sleeping angel,' his heart pounded…so very close…


A/N: I can just picture Neji sitting in a tree going, "Heh heh, it was so that tree's destiny to be blasted by lightning."