I was trapped there for 30 minutes. Hiding in the leaves and grass. The sound squad seemed to be procrastinating; they mentioned something about an attack. Something about the village hidden in the grass. They didn't move until I dropped my kunai. It was nothing more than me being prepared, but I got nervous, and almost got killed. After a few moments of silence, the sound of my heart beat growing faster and stronger, they seemed to give up. The Nin left the area, and I climbed back into the shelter.
Lucky for me, no one noticed my absence. Naruto was just waking up when I shut the door. Lee was off… doing something…
When I arrived in his room, he was in a handstand, doing pushups against the wall. A smile grew on his lips the moment I entered. I can remember it perfectly, to this day. It was a gift I would never forget.
Cold, it was raining. I sat in the kitchen with Naruto, and Sasuke. I remember that moment for a long time. The day I sat with just Naruto and myself was the day it hurt the most. Gai had come. He came to replace Sasuke. To replace him with Lee.
It was then that it really hit. I knew nothing would ever be the same. We had to move on. Without Sasuke. When Gai left, and Lee and I sat on the floor across from one another, starring at the ground, he once again tried to comfort me. Though he said no words, he spoke to me like I had never known to exist.
With his right hand he lifted my chin. A single tear ran down my cheek. He wiped it away. Then with his left hand he reached behind him. A four-leaf clover. Extended his arm, and gave his heart to me again.
The sun shown down on Lee with amazing force. There was only on small window, the door, yet I could see every line in his face, every once of joy in his eyes.
He came down from his blood rushing position. As I sat next to him, we greeted happily.
"Sakura."
"Lee."
There was never a moment in my life again where I was so happy just to talk to one person. Not even to Sasuke. I took his hand in mine, and placed the four-leaf clover in his. Before he could look, I gave him a kiss, on the cheek. To prevent himself from blushing anymore, he opened his hand. Then his face was in complete disbelief.
"Sakura, What have you done?"
And then it was the day of the final Chuunin exam. Both Lee and I had been eliminated, rather unfairly in my opinion, during the preliminaries. However, we both wanted to watch our friends succeed.
It was an amazing shock to watch Naruto fight. He was better than I had ever known him to be, when did he learn so much? When did he get stronger than Neji Hyuuga? Sasuke's match had been delayed for far to o long. The crowd was getting rowdy, and I was getting anxious. Lee had shown up, crutches and all, with Gai sensei, to witness the final match.
Just as they were about to call it off, and force Sasuke to forfeit, he showed up. There was something different about him. Not just his long, unkempt hair, or his new techniques, it was bloodlust.
I didn't understand. I had risked my life, to show Lee I shared the feelings he had been bursting to express for two and a half years. Now he looked as if I had just ripped out his heart and handed It back to him.
"Lee. I… What's the matter?"
I was confused. What was wrong with my gift? Was it so terrible to express my feelings for him, when I for so long, had to swallow his? The look in his eyes told me that he still loved me. That's why I was puzzled. Bewildered. Did he not know what I was saying? Did the clover have some secret meaning I knew nothing about?
"How could you risk your life for this? You now what would happen if they found you."
"But they didn't, and I did it for you Lee. Because I love you."
"If you really loved me, you would have stayed safe. You would have stayed inside. Have you forgotten what they did when they found Gai sensei?"
And then I knew what was wrong.
