Sidestory / Omake to The Lost Ninja: How Sakura and Lee Hooked Up.

"Sakura-san, would you go out with me?" shouted the irrepressible Rock Lee.

Twenty year old Haruno Sakura sighed at the man who asked her the same question on a weekly basis. She had just gotten out of a long day at the hospital and was heading to help Shizune in the Hokage's office. Each week she shouldered more and more of the Hokage's medical duties in addition to keeping Shizune from cracking completely. Ever since Naruto had disappeared and was presumed dead on a mission two years before, Tsunade had been in a downward spiral of drunken binges.

The pink haired girl turned to look at Rock Lee with weary eyes. The now jonin ninja still looked like a clone of his mentor Might Guy. Granted the physique of the twenty one year old jonin was impressive but she could not get past those eyebrows. They seemed to get larger and bushier each year.

"Lee, we go through this every week," Sakura replied in a tired voice. "I do not want to go out with anyone."

"You told me as much last week, Sakura-san. But I felt that I should check again in case you have changed your mind and now wish to share our youth with one another," Lee replied with what seemed to be fire in his eyes.

Sakura rubbed the bridge of her nose. This was not helping her headache at all. Perhaps logic would help this time. She was tired of the weekly dance with Lee and decided to simply push him off completely.

"Lee, you are a great guy. You are strong, capable and a good jonin. But I am not looking to be with anyone right now. Even if I was, I can't get past those eyebrows of yours," she said bluntly.

"My eyebrows? But they are youthful and free much like Guy-sensei's. They are youthful eyebrows!" Lee finished with a shout.

"No Lee, they aren't. They are wild and untamed eyebrows. I could never go out with someone who will not even pay attention to proper grooming. I'm sorry, Lee. If you did something about them I might consider it," Sakura said with a serious tone

Lee looked shocked as Sakura turned and headed away quickly.

The inside of the Hokage's office looked like a disaster area. Unsigned papers stood in piles all over the place. The leader sat at her desk in silence as she would slowly pour herself a small drink every few minutes and sip at it.

'Tsunade is on another bender,' Sakura thought. 'This will not be fun.'

The blonde woman glared at her second apprentice.

"What is it now, Sakura? Can't you tell I'm busy?" Tsunade growled out in her stupor.

"The hospital reports that we have a lack of medical supplies, Tsunade-sama. I was asked to follow up on the supply requests they sent to your office," Sakura said in a deferential tone.

"Shizune!" Tsunade yelled.

"Here, Tsunade-sama," Shizune spoke from her place at Tsunade's elbow behind her desk.

"Hiding back there again and not doing your work," Tsunade grumbled. "What is this about the hospital being low on supplies?"

Shizune bowed low to her master and teacher.

"I have presented the requests to you several times, Tsunade-sama. They are on your desk at this moment and have been for weeks," Shizune babbled out.

"A likely story," Tsunade grumbled pushing around the papers she could see. "Where are they?"

Shizune reached in and pulled out a thick pile of supply requests stamped 'Urgent, Medical Requisitions' in red ink before putting it in front of Tsunade.

Tsunade scrawled a signature and stamped the thick stack before tossing it to Sakura.

"Anyhing else?" Tsunade said while drinking another saucer of sake.

"Yes, Hokage-sama, the Uzumaki twins have a medical exam scheduled for tomorrow. They are 15 months old and you wanted to see them personally," Sakura said.

"Oh, good. Isn't Kushina the cutest little baby you ever saw? She looks just like a chibi Hinata with Naruto's hair color," Tsunade bubbled in a huge change off mood.

"Yes she does, Tsunade-sama," Shizune said. "You also told us to remind you that you should not drink before their appointment because you want to not make any mistakes when examining the babies."

Tsunade nodded slowly and looked at the bottle of sake. Slowly she carefully placed the stopper in the ceramic jar and set it to the side.

Sakura and Shizune sighed in relief. The last appointment the twins had Tsunade had thought they were lying to her and had to reschedule it for the following day when she turned up drunk and hung over at the hospital.

Sakura hustled out when Tsunade glared at her once more. She took the signed supply request with her.

Sakura breathed much easier once she was outside of the Hokage Tower. She loved her teacher dearly but it hurt her to see the woman doing this to herself. A voice broke into her thoughts.

"Sakura-san," she heard Lee say.

Sakura turned in a fit of anger to see Lee standing behind her but something was different. He still wore the same bodysuit, the same vest but his eyes were looking at her expectantly. Over them were two neatly trimmed shaped and normal looking eyebrows. Sakura could only take a deep breath seeing them like that as her anger vanished.

"Sakura-san, I have done as you requested. I visited my teammate Tenten and she helped me bank the youthfulness of my eyebrows for you. I hope my efforts have met with your approval. If they have not then tell me what else you require and I shall find a way to accomplish it," Lee said in a calm voice.

Sakura could only look at the earnest face before her. She stared at the neatly trimmed eyebrows for over a minute before her gaze lowered to look at Lee's eyes. His dark brown eyes had always been a open window to his emotions to everyone who looked at him. She could see his hope, his fear and his love for her in them. A love she had only seen in one other set of eyes in her life.

Years ago, when a blond blue eyed boy would ask her out on a daily basis. Something the village now lacked. That fire still burned in the eyes of Rock Lee when he looked at her. But Naruto was lost to her; first, to an arranged marriage and later to loss through his death. It was the look of a person who wanted to be with her simply because of who she was. She saw the sacrifice he made for her and knew she could ask him to do or accomplish anything in the world and he would attempt it for her approval and no other reason. She felt a need to not let this get away again in her life.

Sakura tried to speak several times but she could not get her words to form. She cleared her throat and finally spoke.

"Yes, Lee, I will go out with you. At least one time, I will," she said softly.

If the brightness of a smile could be measured then Lee's would have broken all records. The details of when he would get her the following day were quickly arranged. The pink haired medic decided she would put a little extra into her efforts and set off to find Ino.

When the time for the date arrived, Sakura had been having a wonderful day. A sober Tsunade had been a pleasure to work for today. Now with Ino's help, she was dressed in a light green kimono that went favorably with her hair and eyes. Lee had arrived wearing formal attire in black and dark green which Ino said had been approved by Tenten. The date was not spectacular but it was by far the most fun Sakura had since Naruto's wedding. She coyly accepted a second date and a chance to exercise with Lee when she could fit it into her schedule.

Weeks passed and became months and the pair became a couple. Sakura decided that the condition of Lee's eyebrows was only an excuse and allowed him to let them regain the 'full fire of their youthfulness'. She did smile to herself when she noticed that while bushy and full they no longer would get out of control as they had in years past.

Lee and Sakura also took to destroying training grounds together as her strength techniques got a workout against his speed and taijutsu. Neither would seriously hurt the other but smiles, sweat and kisses signaled a growing closeness. One evening things changed.

"Sakura-san, I am here to get you for our youthful workout," Lee called out.

"Come on in Lee," Sakura called from her bedroom. "I'll be right down."

Lee came into Sakura's modest apartment and sat on the couch. The bedroom door was closed and so he waited. He still wore his dark green unitard with orange legwarmers just as Guy still did. He had tried to convince Sakura that it helped him and would aid her own youthfulness but she would not buy into it.

The opening of the bedroom door interrupted his thoughts. When Sakura did not come out he became puzzled.

"Lee, could you come in here please?"she called out to him.

Lee stepped over to the open door and peered in.

On the bed lay Sakura but in a way he had never seen. She was lying on her stomach with her head propped on her hands. Her bare feet were in the air and crossed at the ankles. She wore hot pink spandex bike shorts and a matching top over a pink sports bra.

Lee's eyes traced up along Sakura's prone form. Pink leg warmers covered her calves and ankles with bare toes peeking out. The curve of her toned buttocks were clearly definied under the shorts. A band of bare skin showed at her waist. The top clung tight to her small but shapely breasts. A playful smile was on her face as she watched Lee just standing there in shock.

"You like?" she asked him playfully.

Mechanically, Lee nodded his approval.

Sakura rolled onto one side and continued to lean on one hand. She gave a small 'come here' gesture with her free hand then slid it down her body to lie across her hip. Lee moved closer still not moving his eyes from the vision before him.

Sakura spoke in a soft voice. She made it sound younger than normal but still mature.

"Lee-kun, I am having a problem finding my youth. Perhaps if you get much closer to me, you can share yours with me. I want you to fill me with your youth Lee-kun," she said playfully. She could see that he was indeed eager to do just that.

"Yes, Sakura-chan, I can help fill you with youth," he replied.

Not quite lemony but still that part did not fit the mood I was going for in "The Lost Ninja" I had the original idea on the outline of the story but I never could find a way to incorporate it. I just thought it was too sexy for the dark tone of that story.