A/N: BFF time. Fun fact: this chapter shares the same name as an old favorite LeeSaku fanfic of mine.


Chapter 7

Saturday


The next day, Sakura found herself inside the small Yamanaka compound. She passed by the rows and rows of beautiful flowers that lined the compound's pathways. A gentle breeze passed through, bringing the flowers' sweet scents to Sakura's nose. Sakura found it always ironic that the clan specializing in torture and espionage was so enthralled by flowers. Eventually Sakura made it to the front of Ino's house. Even if she did not wish to socialize, Sakura felt obligated to be there for her friend, especially since she was not given a choice to deny their day together. Sakura knocked. It did not take long before Ino swung open the door.

"Hey, Sakura! Glad you made it," Ino smiled. "Come on in."

Sakura removed her shoes inside and followed Ino to the living room. Ino plopped down on a sofa and motioned Sakura to join her. She sat down next to Ino. On the table Ino had prepared them two cups of tea. Sakura gratefully took one and sipped.

"So, how's Mrs. Uchiha doing?" Ino asked.

Sakura gave a small smile. "I'm doing fine, Ms. Yamanaka. How about you?"

"That's not very specific, Sakura," Ino complained. Ino decided to pry. "How's the hospital job?"

Sakura sighed. "Tiring. The days feel even longer when half way through you're already fatigued from the all the chakra usage."

Ino looked at Sakura with concern. "You know you can cut down on your hours if it's too much for you. Or you can quit all together and wait for mission deployment like the rest of us shinobi. You get a lot more free time that way."

"Free time isn't what I'm looking for now," Sakura answered, wistful. "Plus I'm really saving a lot of lives with what I'm doing now. On missions I'd be taking more lives than I'd be saving."

"I guess you're not wrong about that. What about Lee? Has he left the hospital yet?"

"He left on Monday with a full recovery." Sakura took another sip of tea.

"Great to hear!" A smirk spread across Ino's face. "So what did you think of my flowers? Much more impressive than your own, wouldn't you say, Billboard-brow?" she taunted. "No one can beat a Yamanaka's flower arrangement!"

Sakura took the bait; a scowl formed on her usually somber face. "Oh yeah, Ino-pig? At least mine was an intelligent choice with meaning rather than picking the prettiest flowers. Shows how much you actually use your brain!"

"Getting a bit sensitive over this, aren't you? Why do you care? It's not like you're married to Lee!" Ino teased. Color spread to Sakura's cheeks as she glared at Ino. Since she did not come up with a response quick enough, Ino continued. "What what was that nickname Naruto had for Lee? Ah, it was Bushy-brows! Bushy-brows and Billboard-brow, the perfect couple. Perhaps you should have married Lee instead and I could have taken Sasuke."

Sakura was silently glaring daggers at Ino.

Ino realized she had gone too far so she patted Sakura on the back. "Sorry if I got carried away there, Sakura. I like getting you all fired up since you're so serious all the time now."

"It's fine, Ino-pig," Sakura huffed, looking away.

Ino smiled in relief. "Good to hear, Billboard-brow." Ino sipped her tea thoughtfully. "So, Sakura, does Lee still, y'know, have feelings for you?"

Sakura jolted her head back to Ino, surprised at her question. "Um, I'm not sure. It's been quite a while since Lee has admitted he had feelings for me. I'd assume he would have moved on by now, especially since I'm married."

Ino nodded. "Marriage would greatly discourage any man. Him and Tenten probably grew closer after Neji died, I assume."

"Maybe."

"Oh, another thing about Lee. I used to think Lee was really weird, well, he's still really weird, but I've gained some major respect for him on that mission we went on. Now I understand why you respect him so much," Ino blabbed. As always, she was such a chatterbox.

Sakura raised a questioning eyebrow. "Lee told me this mission was top secret. Shouldn't you not talk about it?"

"You're my best friend, Sakura. I trust you not to tell. But I promise to leave out all the sensitive mission details for you," Ino winked.

Sakura gave her a skeptical look, but Ino continued with her story.

"Okay, so me, Lee, and Tenten were making our way into enemy territory. Suddenly we were attacked by five enemy-nin. We were getting pummeled. We didn't expect to come across such strong resistance. We were able to take two down. But as soon as they go down, the last three nin take out these weapons dripping in what we presumed to be poison. I was able to mind control one of them for Tenten to kill, but the second my body dropped, another threw poisoned shurikens at my body right when I was transferring back. Suddenly Lee jumps out of no where and takes the hit for me. The last nins were laughing like crazy like they had just won some sort of victory. Lee's struggling to move at this point; I assume some sort of paralysis poison."

"Yes, what I extracted from Lee was in fact paralysis poison," Sakura added.

"Anyway, Tenten and I were trying to keep the two of them at bay without getting hit since they were trying to target Lee. Lee then opens several gates, like the ones from the chunin exams, and blurs past me and Tenten. He takes out one of the nins with a single blow. The last nin was tricky. No matter how fast Lee was, or the hits Tenten and I tried, we all missed him by just a hair. Lee took all the hits since I think he was getting sloppy with the poison kicking in. Lee eventually goes down. Now it's me and Tenten. I start to suspect a genjutsu, so I tell Tenten telepathically to use a dense area attack around him. Boom, I was right. The real nin was simply a foot away from the illusion." The pride leaves Ino's voice, replaced with somber one. "He retreats but we can't afford to go after him, especially with the condition Lee was in. We wrapped up Lee the best we could and I tried a bit of my healing jutsu, but I didn't know a thing about poison removal so we had to abandon the mission."

Sakura's fists clenched. "If I would have been there I could have helped."

"It's okay, Sakura. All of us survived, and that's what counts. See, if you take some time off and make yourself available for missions you can help out your friends as well when they're in danger."

"This is true," Sakura admitted.

"Great, then take some time off. Find something interesting to do in your free time that isn't moping over your dear Sasuke's important missions. At least, that's what I assume he's off doing." Ino gave Sakura a questioning look.

"I can't say," Sakura said quietly.

"Top secret, I understand," Ino nodded.


Today was the day that Lee and Tenten decided to visit Neji's grave together again. After placing their flowers the two of them sat cross-legged next to Neji's grave. Sometimes they did this as a way to spend time with Neji. By including him this way, it felt that he was still there, watching over them. It helped to temporarily fill the hole that Neji's death had created in their hearts.

After a while of peaceful reflection and silence, Tenten spoke up. "Lee, how was having Sakura treat your injuries?"

"It went well. I was lucky to have her as my doctor." His voice was calm and placid, lacking its usual overflowing enthusiasm. Neji's grave was one of the few places that Lee spoke at room volume or below. Lee paused for moment, unsure if to go on. His voice lowered. "But...I am concerned for Sakura. She looks very unhappy. Her mood especially drops every time Sasuke's name is mentioned." Lee's jaw then tightened. "I am afraid that Sasuke is mistreating her in some way."

"Lee... do you still have feelings for Sakura?"

"Of course not!" he responded quickly, fidgeting.

"I hope so, Lee," Tenten responded with an edge to her voice. "Sakura's a married woman now. You would be just setting yourself up for further disappointment. If Neji was here he would probably back me up and call you a fool."

"I know, Tenten. It would be very inappropriate for me to still have feelings for her now. This is concern coming from a friend who had promised to protect her."

"You can probably forget about that promise, Lee. I doubt she remembers it after all these years."

Lee eyed her. "I cannot do that. What kind of person would I be if I make promises that I will not keep?"

Tenten sighed. "I don't know, but I can tell you that the person you are now is very stubborn."

"Thank you, Tenten."

"That wasn't supposed to be a compliment, you dolt."

Lee smile turned upside down. "Then that is not very nice."

Tenten gave a knowing grin. "At least now you only have to deal with me being mean to you. No offense, Neji." She glanced briefly at his headstone in acknowledgement.

Lee followed her gaze to Neji's headstone. He would be perfectly fine with extra jabs at him if he could have Neji back. "Tenten, one more thing. As a warning, I have extended an invitation to Sakura to join me in training. There is always a possibility she would pick tomorrow to come, so she might join us."

Tenten nodded. "Sure. Just as a warning if you end up training alone with her and I'm not there to shut you up. Don't get too interested in her personal business and pry. No woman would appreciate that, even if she is troubled, so keep your mouth shut even if your intentions are good."

"Understood," Lee said with hesitation in his voice.


A/N: Oh, Sakura and Lee with their strong-willed female BFFs. As always, reviews are appreciated.