Note from the Author: Real-life experiences again. -.-
And random observation: No one reading this is going to expect the ending – unless they've been paying attention – except for my sister, who … I told already. Because I just couldn't keep it to myself!
DemonRogue: Yes, it should be interesting indeed!
Furuido: Why didn't you answer the damn phone? Then it wouldn't have scared the cats. And it just rang a bit ago – it's not that loud. And that one-shot was in all ways your fault.
Book-manga-freak: Score! Chocolate chip!
'A'lusy: … They look so good together! o.O NejiHina is my number one pairing – I write more NejiHina than anything else … -.- It's kind of funny, because most of my readers don't even like the pairing. Haha.
And I wasn't going to jump off a cliff so I didn't disappoint you guys, because I'm disappointing myself with this story.
Sasukelover911: I'm glad you love it! And I promise I'm updating as fast as I can!
Einzazmunster: o.O I like fan art contemplation.
… I was going to say something else. Oh. Yes. Lee and everything – he's way too optimistic for his own good. I say he takes a page out of Neji's book.
Surrender every touch, every smile, every frown.
Sakura shouldn't have come to the mall.
It was the day of the college fair, and the idea of it depressed her. She knew she wouldn't be leaving Konoha, and being here among all these students eagerly discussing their futures with university counselors was suffocating.
"Sakura-chan!" Hinata waved and, upon realizing she was standing conspicuously in front of the Harvard table, blushed.
Sakura forced a smile, shuffling toward her. "Hi, Hina-chan." Her eyes strayed behind her, where she could usually find her cousin. "Where's Neji-san?"
Her eyes dimmed a little. "He went back to school this morning." She lifted her phone, laughing a little. "But he's called me three times already. Every time he gets into a new state."
Sakura gave a real smile. "That's sweet."
"Are you looking at any colleges in particular, hun?" The representative at the table interrupted, smiling.
The pink head shook. "No," she made a point to smooth a hand over her stomach. "I don't think I'll be going to school for a while."
The woman just nodded sympathetically.
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L'espoir.
TenTen stood staring at the word, which was scrawled across a piece of notebook paper in Lee's chicken-scratch handwriting and tacked to his dorm wall.
The door opened, and she looked at him, eyebrow lifted. "Hope?"
He smiled at her, falling on his stomach across his bed to find a book on the other side. "Yes. It's a reminder that things are going to get better now."
Her hands found her hips. "You realize you're spilling every which way about what happened this weekend." It had been their first trip home since Sakura had told him about the baby.
He sighed, rolling onto his back and patting the comforter beside him.
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"Lee-san," Sakura's voice was halting as she leaned against him, like she didn't know how to word what she wanted to say. "Lee-san, you know I care for you, don't you?"
"I do now, Sakura-san," he smiled softly, lacing their fingers as opposed to holding her. "Why do you ask?"
Her hair fell across the profile of her face, hiding her expression from him. "I don't love you, Lee-san." She whispered, unable to look at him even as her hand tightened on his, like she was afraid the words would make him pull it away. "I want to be with you, but I don't love you."
He should have expected it. He should have seen it coming, but the sound of shattering rang in his ears – like a baseball crashing through a window – and he figured that was his heart breaking. "Because you love Sasuke-kun, right?" he managed to quietly ask. He surprised himself a little. Even he had expected to burst into tears and run off when this day finally came. But he was collected and, although his brain was panicking, calm. Maybe he just wasn't surprised – she had always loved him; and really, Rock Lee couldn't compete with Uchiha Sasuke.
"I know he's a lost cause." She didn't even try to deny her feelings. "He and Naruto are meant for each other, I know that. But I can't seem to stop myself from loving him." Teary green eyes met Lee's. "You're so good to me, Lee-san, and I can't even love you."
He embraced her – more like a brother than a lover, he noted – and she just sobbed against his shoulder. He had never expected to be the calm one in this situation. "Sakura-san?" Her head lifted, and if there was any part of his heart left undamaged, it would have broken at the utter misery etching the curves of her face, following the rails her tears were mapping out. "Sakura-san, I promise, I'm going to do my best." He gave a thumbs-up and a sad smile at her questioning look. "My goals now – they are for you and the baby." His hand settled gently on her stomach. "I hope you can learn to love me, Sakura-san, but if you can't, I will be content with your friendship, and I will be content to always take care of you."
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TenTen was well-aware that what Lee had told Sakura was a lie. He would never be content with her friendship – he would always want more, long for more, and he would never be happy.
She lay with her head on his stomach, perpendicular to him on the bed, with a view of his chin. "Are you sure you should have said that?" she asked softly, not wanting the break the unusual silence.
"I don't know" was his quiet response. "I hope so, but a part of me is dreading this. Does that make me a bad person?"
TenTen pulled herself up to the pillow, resting her head next to his, her forehead pressed to his temple. "It might now have been the best thing to promise."
He squeezed her hand. "A promise is a promise, though. And, you know, I have a lot of hope that things will be okay."
She let a smile come to her lips. "Yeah, I know."
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"Hinata."
She halted and shifted, smiling. "Hi, Shino-kun."
His hand extended toward her. "May I see your arm?"
She flinched. "What?"
His voice was soft, near emotionless. "I've been told to check your arms everyday."
She sighed – typical overprotective Neji behavior – and held out her left arm for him.
He pushed up the sleeve of her jacket, inspecting the cuts – most likely counting them – and asked, "Why didn't you tell me?" A faint string of hurt twined through his words.
"I didn't want you to worry," she explained apologetically. "You and Kiba-kun are so happy – I didn't want to put a damper on that."
He frowned, then registered Kiba calling his name and pulled her sleeve down, dropping her arm and turning as if nothing had happened.
She blinked in confusion at the back of his dark head. Kiba-kun doesn't know.
She reached out to squeeze his hand thankfully, then smiled as Kiba hugged her with one arm and laced the fingers of his other hand with Shino's. "You guys ready? We're going to Taco Hut!"
His boyfriend's eyebrow lifted. "Who decided that?"
"I did!" He growled, glaring at him. "I want a taco, but I want breadsticks too."
Hinata giggled, hugging her books to her chest. "That's a funny combination, Kiba-kun."
"Have a good evening, guys!" Sakura smiled as she walked by toward her car, her textbooks piled in her arms to her chin.
"Sakura-chan, let me help you!" Hinata rushed to her side, taking three of the five books, immediately staggering under the weight of Sakura's combined with hers.
Kiba rolled his eyes, taking two of them from her. "Our little hero." He murmured fondly, then turned to Sakura. "Since we've stolen most of your books, you want to come eat with us?"
She smiled brightly. "I'd love to."
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"Have you decided on names?" Hinata took a neat bite of her pizza.
Sakura grimaced. I'm so sick of this question. "Actually, Hina-chan, if it's a girl, I might name her after you."
The small girl blushed. "Why me?"
"Well, it was you or Ino," she explained, "because you're my two best girlfriends. And I figure the name might affect the personality – and if my daughter is anything like Ino, I'm giving her up for adoption."
"And if it's a boy?" Kiba asked around his straw, futilely trying to slurp up soda from his empty cup, then giving up and grabbing Shino's.
"Naruto." She smiled fondly. "I want to have a happy, energetic boy – but hopefully, he'll inherit the Uchiha brain."
It was the first time she had openly commented on who the father was, and neither of the friends she was speaking with knew how to respond, and didn't say anything.
Shino, completely void of any awkward bone in his body, asked, "What will the surname be?"
"Haruno." She answered without hesitation.
This time, they changed the subject.
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Additional A/N: Ooooh – foreshadowing. And does anyone know – is "Rock" Lee's last name? o.O