Hi everybody! Thank you all so so much for supporting this story idea!

As I probably mentioned (feeling a tad too lazy to go check chapter 1 to see) but this story will most likely have the same pairings as my SCA story, including the KonkersYura Love fest.
So I hope you all really enjoy this story as I try to post more of it up every now and then.
I'll give this one a lot more attention as soon as I'm done with SCA which sadly, really is winding to a close. :( Boo. But then I'll have other stuff like this and a few others to write so... Yay! :)

I want to thank all of you very much for your great reviews! They all meant the world to me and I danced in my chair to find out so many people wanted me to do this story! I really like this story, it has been on my mind for a long long time now and so it holds a special place in my heart.
So anyway, thank you all so much for reading this and please let me know what you think! I can't wait! :D

I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Love FanggirlX

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine


At first she'd thought it was her alarm clock going off. The constant ringing. Sakura rolled over to glare at the evil being who woke her everyday. She first noticed that it was 9 o'clock. Why would she set her alarm for then? Then she would be…oh no! She was late!

Sakura dashed our of her bed and was almost to her bathroom when the memories of the day before caught up with her.

She didn't go to that school anymore. So she hadn't set an alarm…

So what was…letting her thoughts trail off Sakura's eyes scanned the room and she found the source. It was her telephone.

Sakura quickly picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Sakura. It is about time you got up. I've been calling forever."

She smiled to herself, "Good morning, Lee. But…um, why exactly have you been calling me nonstop- for how long?"

"About an hour." he supplied.

"Yeah, why have you been calling me for a nonstop hour. Really? A nonstop hour?"

"Your doorbell doesn't work, and you are a heavy sleeper. A knock on your door would not even register with your sleepy brain."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"Doorbell? You're at my door!"

"Yep."

Sakura slammed her phone down and ran for the door.

When she got there she found a happily smiling Lee.

He chuckled and told her, "You didn't have to hang up on me you know."

Laughing, she tackled Lee in a tight hug.

"Oh, Lee, I am so happy to see you! I thought after I left that school, that you and all my friends would just, like, slowly forget I was ever there."

The boy shook his head, "I doubt that is possible, Sakura."

She stepped away and invited him into her small apartment.

"Lee? Not that I'm complaining since I'm excited to see you…but didn't you have class today?"

He grinned, "Dad is letting me play hooky today."

Sakura grinned in return, "That's great. So…next question. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you to the public high school and help you get set up. It's all a hassle to face alone. I thought you could use my wonderful and charming company."

Sakura nodded, "That would be wonderful. Thank you, Lee."

He smiled sadly, "Do not thank me, Sakura. As much as I truly want to help you I have to admit that my intentions behind helping you today are completely selfish on my part."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Sakura, you were my first friend. Between being the dean's son and …my unique behavior at times I had none. But then I got you. You, my dearest Sakura, are the closest thing I have to a best friend. Today I am simply here to ensure that when you move on to this next school and make new friends you do not forget this one."

Tears ran down her cheeks. "Lee…that was beautiful."

She hugged him tightly.

"Thank you." he said quietly while he rubbed her back.

"Should you not get out of your Pjs? Not that I don't like seeing that much skin but…it is kind of cold outside and I don't think there is a coat in the world that could keep you warm if you went out in that." Lee joked indicating her tiny shorts and tank top.

"Oh god, you're right I need to get a move on!" she exclaimed and ran for her room.

She called over her shoulder, "Just find a seat and make yourself comfy ok? I'm gonna take a quick shower and get dressed then we can be out of here for sure!"

"Are you hungry, Sakura?" Lee called back while he eyed her small kitchen that connected to her living room. Actually it was the same room technically. The only way it was 'separated' was a tiny counter island and the change in floor from plush white carpet to hardwood.

"Yeah, starving! Why? Did you want to stop some where for breakfast?"

"Something like that." Lee answered her.

Then with a smile growing wider on his face as he went to her kitchen and set about making her breakfast.

Sakura came out clean and refreshed and dressed in her favorite jeans and a light green t-shirt. The delicious aroma of eggs hit her in the face.

Following the trail, sniffing the whole way she stopped in her living room beside her couch as she stood staring at Lee in her pink Hello Kitty apron cooking in her kitchen.

He turned to her with big smiling eyes, "Ah, you finished just in time! Come eat!"

Sakura walked into the small kitchen to see her table set with two plates of food.

Lee had made her breakfast.

He was so sweet. He made her double cheesy omelets and jelly toast.

He scolded her gently, "You're refrigerator has almost nothing in it. In fact, the only thing you actually have a lot of would be frozen waffles, ice cream sandwiches, and root beer. Which by the way none of those are actually very good for you."

"But they're so, so good." she argued with a smile.

Lee sighed, "Just please start eating better."

"Aw, you worry about me. Thanks." she kissed his cheek that turned red hot the minute she did.

"Yes I do." he whispered.

"So let's eat this great breakfast you made! Thank you so much for this! I haven't had omelets in forever!"

He smiled, "It was the only decent breakfast food I could fix. Everything else has either expired or is just unacceptable to start your day with."

Sakura giggled, "Lee, you are too cute. Thank you again for going all out like this for me I really, really appreciate it."

He cast a skeptic glance at the table and the plates of a simple breakfast.

This was going all out?

Smiling inwardly he thought to himself, Perhaps I should show her someday what it really means to have a man go all out for her.


They were walking away from the public school laughing together about how Kakashi and Iruka bickered like brothers over everything and yet still ran the school as principal and vice principal in a very smooth manner.

She was now enrolled and ready to start classes in two weeks. That was only because they were having reviews and taking end of the term exams and he didn't want her coming in the middle of that. Not to mention he had to wait for Guy to send her transcripts so he could determine what classes would transfer and which ones wouldn't.

Since except for the basic requirements Sakura had taken few actual school-like classes and had focused most on the music classes, singing and voice classes in particular, she doubted too many classes would. Which meant she was going to be very, very behind now.

"So what now?" she asked.

Lee shrugged, "We could go walk through the park and admire the leaves that are starting to change."

"Sure! I love the red ones! But the orange are kind of cool too aren't they?"

He nodded, "Yes the fall colors certainly are lovely but…I still prefer the bright refreshing green of spring."

He was staring deeply in her eyes. Her green eyes.

Sakura caught on to his hidden meaning and blushed, "Thank you. I like your eyes too. They define you somehow. Honestly, I think a person's eyes define more about them than anything else."

Lee smiled and nodded, "I would have to agree with that."

"What time is it?" Sakura asked out of the blue.

Glancing at his watch quickly he answered, "It's a little after 2 why?" Startled, he glanced at his wristwatch again, "Wow, it really is. Time sure did fly while we were in there didn't it?"

Sakura shrugged, "Well, we showed up at about 10:30 and got out a little after 2. So that's not too bad. I am glad you came with me though. All that waiting would have sucked if I'd been alone."

Sakura's eyes then grew when the time actually registered in her mind.

"Oh my gosh! I have to go somewhere! Um…you can come with me if you want but if you want to just take my key and head back to my apartment I'd understand. It's kind of chilly out here after all."

"I'll stay with you if you don't mind."

"Oh no. I don't mind. The more the merrier right?"

Lee wondered where she all of a sudden had to get to.

The corner of Oak Street and Fifth Avenue. That's where.

Lee stood back completely amazed as she spoke with a very ragged and haggard man with long shaggy white hair and slight stubble.

He'd watched her stop at the grocery store and buy a day's worth of groceries. And now he was watching her give them to this man.

"I'm sorry I'm late Mr. Jiraiya. I was stuck in a meeting about being admitted into the public school across town."

The bum squinted at her and then asked in a surprisingly kind voice given his rough appearance, "You ain't in that hoity toity rich school any more?"

She sadly shook her head, "No. My temper finally got the best of me and I beat Molly Valantine's face in."

The man threw his head back and a rich rumbling laughter filled the air.

"Oh that's rich. That is the girl you've told me about right? The…how did you call her?" he tapped his scraggly chin in thought, "Ah ha! The Rich Bitch with a death wish."

Sakura giggled from where she sat beside the man.

He was leaned back sprawled all over a bench and she was sitting daintily beside this big man.

Rock Lee was astonished to find this side of her. He'd always known she was a kind hearted soul. He had never known she did something like this.

The man started looking through the bag and let out gleeful shout when he found something he liked.

"Oh, Sakura, you got me pudding! You even made sure it was vanilla! Thanks."

She nodded, "I thought you might want some since you haven't had it in a while. Oh, Mr. Jiraiya, that reminds me. Do you need a thicker winter coat? Nights are supposed to be getting colder here soon."

The hobo shook his head, "I can't let you buy me a coat."

Sakura shook her head identically to how he'd just done it and smiled saying, "I can't let you freeze to death. Then who would I have to talk to?"

Jiraiya laughed, "You're something else."

Sakura grinned, "Yeah, I get that a lot. Its just no one seems to know what that something else is."

They shared in a laugh.

Suddenly a sharp gust of wind blew a lady's wallet right out of her loose hold. She'd been attempting to buy a cup of hot chocolate from the nearby street vendor and hadn't been holding it tightly.

Her money started to blow away.

The woman frantically hurried to catch it.

Sakura rushed forward to help her.

Lee stood frozen. He was in shock he believed.

"She is not like anyone else in this damn awful world is she?" the man asked from behind him.

Lee nervously glanced back at the homeless guy.

He nodded with a hesitant smile.

Jiraiya watched him with friendly yet knowing eyes.

"She calls me Mr. Jiraiya, even though I have nothing to my name to call for that respect. She looks me in the eye when she speaks with me. Sees me as equal."

Lee's mouth dropped open. Studying the ground he said quickly, "No, I'm not-"

"You have trouble meeting my gaze. Don't worry. Most people do. I'm just saying…that's why she's different. That and she has been bringing me food and essentials for almost four years now."

And she had never mentioned it once. One would think that she would want at least a little recognition for such a generous act. At least count it as volunteering on her school applications and what not…

Jiraiya opened one of the pudding and stuck his dirty finger in it.

A hand swatted his.

"No. Use a spoon. You'll get messy if you eat it like that."

"Darlin' there ain't much on me that ain't messy already."

She giggled, "Even still, here. I thought you might want to eat one now. That's why I brought you a spoon from that guy's stand. And look that lady gave me a dollar for helping her. Do you know what that means?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "What?"

She did a little happy dance, "I can get a butterfinger later."

The man chuckled.

Then he noticed the small tray in her hands.

"Girl, did you buy hot chocolate?"

Sakura nodded and handed him one and then one to Lee and then sipped at hers.

"It was so cold and the man wasn't getting much business. And I figured we could use the extra heat anyway. And this is the best coco I have ever had!" she exclaimed at the end after swallowing her sip.

She turned to the man and waved shouting kindly, "You're right! This is the best in the city! You make the best coco I've ever had! It's even better than my grandmother's!"

He waved his thanks to her.

Sakura saw more people slowly moving to his stand, they'd heard her.

She'd hoped that would happen if she shouted it instead of going back and telling him to his face. Now he could get his puppy the medicine it needed. He'd told her about it when she asked why he was so sad that business was slow. His puppy was very sick and every day, every hour counted.

Hopefully soon he would have enough.

Jiraiya patted her back, "That was a nice thing you did for him."

"And Sugar."

"What?"

"Sugar, his little white puppy. She's sick. Hopefully he'll be able to help her soon."

Lee could not speak. He was moving solely on autopilot while drinking his hot chocolate. Sakura…he was seeing her in a whole new way. A completely different light.

Sakura sat back down beside the man and asked for his coat size.

He sighed.

"You might as well tell me. I'm going to get one either way. You might as well make sure its one you can actually wear."

Conceding defeat, Jiraiya told her his size and said not to go too crazy with the price, because one day when he had money again he wanted to pay her back for everything and adding an expensive coat made that more difficult.

Sakura shook her head, "You don't have to pay me back, Mr. Jiraiya."

"But I will. I swear you I will."

Lee doubted he ever would but it was nice that the man wanted to.

His cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket. Lee took it out and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Lee." Guy's rich friendly voice filled his ear.

"Hey, dad."

"Is she ready? You guys are running late. You were supposed to be here at 3 so when they all got home at 3:30 she could meet them all. Is everything okay? Are you two still in meetings at the school?"

"No, sir. We…well honestly I don't think you'd believe me if I told you where we are." Lee whispered into the phone.

But from the look the homeless man named Jiraiya shot him Lee was pretty certain the guy had heard him.

Sakura hadn't. She was still chatting about this and that with her hobo friend.

He never thought he'd have said Sakura had a hobo friend.

Lee said into the phone, "We're on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Oak Street."

"Why, Lee?"

"She's talking with her…friend."

"Friend?"

"Yes. He's homeless."

Guy was silent on the other side. Sakura was doing what…? Surely he hadn't heard correctly,

"Come again?" he said.

And Lee told him the same exact thing.

Well. He was learning more and more about this girl wasn't he? Now he understood why her temper was so powerful. It had to equal out her huge heart. If she wasn't so temperamental then she would implode or something with an uneven balance of that much good to so little evil.

"Just hurry and bring her here, Tsunade says that usually once the boys get home they all go to their separate rooms and she only sees them long enough to feed them, and for some that's not even true."

Lee assured him they were coming and hung up.

Guy turned and smiled at Tsunade. "She's coming."

"What was she doing?"

Guy shook his head still a little in disbelief, "Talking to a homeless man."

Tsunade smiled, however, "Well now. I think she may fit in here just yet."

He chuckled and moved to hug her but Tsunade punched his head, "Get it through that thick hair of yours, Guy. I'm just starting to be nice to you again. That is not an invitation to hit on me or touch me."

He lay prostrate on the floor, "Right. Sorry, Tsunade, I forgot."

She sighed and stepped over him and moved to the living room.


Sakura hugged Jiraiya bye.

"And don't forget if it ever gets too nasty out here just come to my home, okay? I'll let you stay."

Jiraiya shook his head, "It's a small apartment. You've told me yourself."

She shrugged, "Just keep the option out there alright? It only hurts you to instantly close off an option. That's what my father always said."

Jiraiya knowing her history softened his gaze and patted her back, "Thanks, girl. Now get out of here."

"Bye, Mr. Jiraiya, take care!"

She and Lee headed down the sidewalk the boy guiding her towards Tsunade's house.

"So, Lee, where are we going?"

"Dad might have a way of helping you."

"Helping me what?"

"Just wait and see, Sakura. I'm sure you'll love it."

"If you say so." she shrugged.

Lee nodded eager to tell her the plan on how to get her back into the Art Academy.


Not too much later they were walking up to a big house.

Sakura's eyes doubled. Stopping on the steps that led up to the porch Sakura stared at the house as she exclaimed, "Wow!"

It was a three story house with a wrap around porch and a big dark blue front door. It had a lot of windows and a small place where it looked like flowers used to grow.

"It's gorgeous!"

"Yeah, its okay. I mean its home you know?" a laughing voice said from behind them.

Lee and Sakura turned to see a blonde boy with a backpack slung over one shoulder smiling at them. He took out his other hand, that was in his pocket, and offered it to shake.

"Hey, name's Naruto. Who are you?"

Sakura shook his hand and said, "I'm Sakura. This is Lee. And you live here? That's amazing!"

Naruto's smile faded a bit, "It's really anything but. But, oh well, right?" he laughed.

"Come on, Granny, is probably too old to hear you two knocking."

"I'm not too old to hear your loud mouth, Naruto."

Sakura saw a woman in the door way. They moved to cross the porch and greet her.

This was no average woman. To start with her most prominent feature would be her over generous bust. Sakura was shocked.

The second was the incredible invisible aura that seemed to surround the woman. It was a no nonsense I'll kick your ass if you even breathe at me the wrong way type of aura.

Sakura smiled at her, discreetly studying the woman's very pretty face. She had deep hazel eyes that at the moment were casting an admirably chilly glare at the blonde known as Naruto.

"H-Hey Granny. I was just…I was just…leaving!" he turned on his heel to dash for the back yard and the back door and he ran directly into another body standing at the top of the front steps.

The boy nervously glanced up and found himself looking into the cold emotionless black rimmed eyes of Gaara.

The red head snarled at him and shoved him away. Hardly sparing Sakura a cursory glance as he growled a little at her, Gaara strode by and into the house.

"Hey that's just rude you know. I'm a guest you could at least greet me, you jerk! Not growl at me!" she called after him heatedly.

Naruto who was on the ground froze, with wide worried eyes.

"Umm…you might not want to-"

"What?" the red head growled, his voice a deep dark baritone.

Naruto deflated a little, his voice came out very small, "Too late."

Sakura smirked at the boy who was casting a hard glare over his narrow shoulder.

"You heard me, carrot top. I said you should be more polite. I'm a guest. You should greet me."

Gaara clenched and unclenched his hands a few times and then inch by inch turned to face her.

Tsunade watched on with something that looked an awful lot like amusement.

Sakura stared him in the eye. Which were a striking color she would admit.

"You want to run that by me one more time?" he growled softly.

She shrugged, "Gee, you didn't look this dumb. I said be polite, asshole. You don't just shove people around and then ignore newcomers. That's just rude."

Gaara stalked up to her getting directly in her face. Their noses were millimeters from touching.

"No, what's rude is some mouthy bitch thinking she can tell others what to do." he snapped at her.

Sakura glared harder at him, "Yeah, well this mouthy bitch isn't going to be mistreated by anyone, not you, not anybody. So treat me with a common respect or I'll make you."

"Respect? And you think you deserve that why?"

"Because I'm a person. People deserve respect. I would have given it to you if you hadn't been a total ass and just brushed by me. I don't even know your name but I would have given you common courtesy! Why can't you do the same?"

"People do not deserve respect. And I won't do a damn thing for you."

"Well fine! But don't expect me to teat you with respect either! If you refuse to acknowledge me I won't acknowledge you!"

"Like I give a fuck whether you acknowledge me or not." he snarled.

She smirked, and stuck out her tongue.

He grabbed it, hard.

Sakura bit his fingers.

Gaara glared at her, "Let go of my fingers."

Her green eyes narrowed.

He pinched her tongue harder. She bit him harder.

Naruto whispered to Tsunade, "Should we do something?"

She shook her head. This was entertaining.

Finally, Sakura screamed and punched Gaara's face.

Sakura glared at him holding her mouth.

"That hurts, you ass! All I wanted was for you to be nice to me! To say hi! But you can't even do that! You have to be rude and mean! I didn't do a damn thing to you until you were rude to me! I don't get what your problem is! Did I piss in your cereal in a past life or something?"

Gaara glared at her, he could feel the big bruise forming on his cheek from where her fist had connected with his face.

He said nothing as he turned to walk away.

Sakura called after him, "Oh yeah, walk away because that's what bullies do, right? They get stood up to and suddenly they're a chicken!"

That turned him back around.

His eyes burned with a fiery anger as he dove for her.

Gaara grabbed her throat and slammed her head into the wall of the house.

"Never speak to me like that again. Or I will kill you."

Sakura shot back while struggling to breathe, "Like hell! If you deserve it I'll say it!"

She shot her hand up from her side and at his arm that was holding her.

Gaara released her before her hit could connect hard enough to damage his elbow like she had intended.

Sakura was on her feet in an instant and jabbed Gaara's chest with her finger.

"Listen here, buddy, I don't care who you are or who think you are, you ever touch me like that again and you won't be walking for a long time!"

Gaara sneered, "You truly think you could do something to me? Aw. That's cute."

"Ass." Sakura hissed at him.

He laughed mockingly at her, "You can do nothing, will do nothing and will like it."

Sakura laughed with him then before Gaara could see what was coming she'd slammed her fist in to the side of his head.

He shook the fuzzy sight away and swung at her.

It knocked her flat on her butt.

She kicked at his legs.

He just barely missed getting hit.

"Alright, that's enough. I'm bored with this now. Gaara, stop flirting with the new girl and go to your room. Sakura, stop behaving like that, as you said, you're a guest in our home, act respectively as such."

At Tsunade's voice they both quit and stood staring at her.

Gaara snarled at Sakura once more before stomping into the house and up the stairs.

Sakura bowed politely to Tsunade, "I'm sorry Ma'm. My anger got the best of me…" Sakura sighed and added with a frown, "Again."

"So I can see."

Naruto laughed and wrapped an arm around her, "Yeah, but it was great! We have all wanted to see Gaara take a hit since like the beginning of time!"

Sakura turned to meet his dancing blue eyes, "We?"

Naruto nodded and pointed to the front yard where a group of people stood watching.

A very intimidating group of people if she were being honest with herself.

They all appeared to be boys about her age. And they all looked a little more world weary than people her age should be.

Naruto kept talking, "Yeah…Gaara, he isn't exactly nice to anybody here. We let him stay cuz he's with Kankuro."

The guy who must have been Kankuro raised his hand in greeting.

He hardly looked anything like that other guy she'd just fought with.

"He stays alone most of the time and doesn't bother us." Naruto told her, "But sometimes the guy has to come out and when he does we just steer clear of him. Avoids trouble that way, you know."

And suddenly Sakura understood everything.

He'd walked by without acknowledging her because that's what the guy is used to. No one else acknowledges him, why should she? So…with that mindset… he retaliated angrily because she'd attacked first! She'd screamed at him first.

She felt tears well up in her eyes.

She met Lee's steady gaze and flung herself into his arms, "Oh god! I am such a horrible bitch I was awful to him! He…he wasn't being like that to be mean or rude. I pushed him to that! He was just doing what he always did. Lee I…I have to apologize to him! But no doubt he won't talk to me. I wouldn't after that!"

Lee soothed her quietly. Naruto stared at the girl a moment and then there was a flare of recognition in his eyes. This girl was crying because of what he'd said about Gaara, and what she'd done. Suddenly she understood the brooding red head better. Just from what he'd said? And she felt bad for hurting the meanest of their group.

He stepped closer towards her, "You know, he really can be an ass. I'm sure he deserved it just on that alone." Naruto offered consolingly.

But she shook her head, "No, it doesn't work like that. I'm sure he can be an ass, but he wasn't then. I was a true bitch to him and he didn't deserve it. He didn't. I will apologize the very next time I see him."

Naruto's eyes widened and he was fairly certain that so did the other thirteen sets behind him.

Tsunade glanced inside at the red head standing hidden from the view of everyone outside the house except for her and Guy who could see into the house from the doorway. Gaara stood on the next to bottom step on the staircase inside with clear and evident shock on his face.

The blonde woman leaned over towards Guy and whispered, "I think she really just might make it in this house after all."


Thank you for reading! :D