Mayuri exits the village market with a paper-wrapped package in her arms and a gleeful smile on her face. She'd trained with Gai-sensei and Lee three times that week and already she felt so much stronger, which is amazing considering just how sore she is. She stops in Ino's flower shop and looks around, hoping maybe to find something to give Gai in thanks for training her when someone calls her name.

Looking up, Mayuri sees Naruto waving to her enthusiastically with Sakura. Smiling, she walks out of the shop to be enveloped in a spinning hug by Naruto. He sets her down and smiles, her heart thumping faster for a moment. "What are you doing in town? Don't you have training today?"
"Kakashi-sensei has a mission for us so we're just here picking up supplies." Sakura smiles at her friend as the enthusiastic blonde lets her go.

"What're you doing here?"

"Just picking some things up." Mayuri holds up the package in her arms slightly. "I don't want to hold you guys up and I should probably get back to training anyway."

"Who's the present for Mayu-chan?" Naruto reaches for it but she quickly dodges out of his reach as a light blush paints her cheeks.
"No one. It's… it's for me." She hugs it closer to her chest. How embarrassing if they were to find out she was buying Lee a present, or "Bushy-Brows" as Naruto refers to him. Besides, it was just a thank you present, it's not like he's her boyfriend or something. That last thought has her blushing deeper and she shakes her head. "W-well I'm going to go ahead and head home guys, to maybe see if I can catch my dad before you go. Good luck on your mission!"

And with that, Naruto watches as his best friend races in the direction of her house, clutching the strange package in her arms. He feels a weird kind of heaviness in the pit of his stomach. Why was Mayuri, his Mayuri-chan, being so secretive about the package?
"Someone has a boyfriend," Sakura says with her arms crossed, also watching as Mayuri dodges though the crowd and out of sight.
"Mayu? No way." Naruto shakes his head.

"Yes Mayu! Come on Naruto didn't you notice the dodgy way she avoided your question? And the blush over her cheeks?" Sakura nods once with her eyes closed. "Yupp. Mayuri's got it bad for someone. I wonder who it is?"

That heavy feeling in Naruto's stomach grows and he takes a step forward before turning back to Sakura. "I'll be right back!" He races off, leaving his teammate in the middle of the market despite her yelling.

Mayuri has already rewrapped Lee's present and even picked a plant out of her personal garden for Gai-sensei when she opens the door to a breathless Naruto. "N-Naru-chan? What are you doing here?"

"I.. just wanted... just wanted to…" He can't manage to finish his sentence between taking gulps of air. He must have sprinted the whole way here. Mayuri sets her presents on the ground and bends over slightly, rubbing Naruto's back as he supports himself on the side of her porch.

"Naruto are you alright? Shouldn't you be getting ready for your mission?" Mayuri crouches down and smiles at him gently. The care in her eyes lessens the feeling in Naruto's gut but his curiosity is killing him.

"Yeah but I wanted to ask you-"

"Mayu?" Naruto looks up, wondering who would cut him off, to see Bushy-Brows standing in the street. Wait, why is Bushy-Brows here? And more importantly, since when are he and Mayuri on a first name basis? Isn't he two years older than the both of them?

"Oh Lee you're early." Mayuri smiles over Naruto's shoulder at him. "I'll be ready in just a second. What were you saying Naru-chan?"

The sinking feeling more than triples and again, Naruto is left wondering why. He stands up and, with one look in Bushy-Brows direction, turns back to his best friend. "It's nothing Mayu-chan. I just wanted to come back and make sure I gave you a proper goodbye hug." Naruto envelops her in a sincere "I'm-going-to-miss-you" hug, lingering perhaps longer than he should before letting go.

"Bye Naruto. Good luck on your mission okay?" Mayuri smiles at him once more before picking up her packages and running off the porch and towards Lee. Naruto watches as her friendly smile, the smile he'd only ever seen on her face when she was smiling at him, his smile, slide onto her face before they walk down the street together. A weird feeling pulses through him, something he hasn't ever felt before, but he doesn't have time to analyze it because if he waits a moment longer he's going to be late meeting everyone at the village gates for their mission.

Taking off at a sprint, Naruto heads for the gates, deciding that maybe some hardcore training and a mission is exactly what he needs to forget all about Lee and Mayu walking off together. But, as he sprints harder, he knows he's never going to forget the way his Mayu looked when Lee smiled at her…

"Was I interrupting something?" Lee looks horribly apologetic as he glances backwards just in time to see Naruto run off towards the village. "I was early, I could have waited if you were busy."

"No, Naruto's my best friend. He wouldn't lie to me if it was something important." Though she does have a weird feeling something isn't right, but she chalks it up to how nervous she is to give Lee his present. "Anyway… Here."

She stops in the middle of the street on the outskirts of the village and offers him the box it took forever for her to finally wrap well enough to present. She looks to the side, a light blush on her cheeks. "It's a present. You know… for training with me and stuff…"

Lee takes the box, also blushing, and opens it, Mayuri's sunshine colored eyes watching him nervously the whole time. Lee stares as he pulls out a brand new pair of leg warmers, exactly like the ones he already has, except this pair has a lotus sewn into each one with green thread. Lee looks up at his friend, who is toying with a strand of her silver hair.

"I know it's not much but I really do appreciate you and Gai-sensei taking the time to train me and give me pointers on things I can do better…" She smiles at him with her eyes closed. "So, thank you."

Overwhelmed, Lee rubs his eyes to keep from crying and smiles. "It's no trouble at all Mayu! What are friends for? And you taught me a lot of things too!" He drops into a deep bow, startling her. "I'll become the most splendid ninja so I can be worthy of such a gift. Thank you!"

Mayuri smiles and when he stands back up they both laugh, nervousness and embarrassment all but forgotten.