Okay! I've had this character picked out since the beginning, but i just now sat down and wrote this out.

This is the story of How Lee and the OC I made for him (I didn't want him to be lonely!) met.

Sooo... Tada!

Misaki groaned, eyes fluttering open before slamming shut again as a wave of nausea rocked her to her very core. She tried to move her arm but it felt so heavy that she gave up, trying instead to focus past the terrible pain that pounded her head and figure out what had happened.

She remembered going to the village to see some rich family about the next possible arranged marriage her uncle had found for her, this one in some far off land that she didn't even bother remembering. She had sneaked away from the escorts and guards, taking the horse the stable hand had given her and walking with it out of the village, not wanting to ride until she had gotten to the meadow she had heard the villagers talking about.

She had only wanted a few fleeting moments of freedom before she had finally been forced to choose who she would follow for the rest of her life, that was all. Just a few short moments where it could be just her and nobody else. But then her horse had suddenly collapsed and when the stranger had appeared to help she had felt a little prick in her neck and everything had gone black.

Slowly this time she opened her eyes, taking in the high ceiling and the reaching stone walls, the stiff straw beneath her body and the miniscule window at the very top of the far wall.

Excruciatingly slowly she turned her head and saw a flash of green and orange. Fighting against the pain she turned a bit more and saw the stranger who had been trying to help her on the road. He had said his name had been... Stone? Rock. Rock Lee.

"Rock-San? Are you awake?" She croaked out, wincing at how unbearably dry her throat was. The man that was laying on the ground didn't stir or make a sound, he didn't even seem to breathe.

Biting her lip against the pain Misaki began to move slowly to his side, using her arms to drag herself across the ground since it seemed that she hadn't gotten the feeling back into her legs just yet. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes as she slowly made her way to the man, her head screaming in agony, her limbs fighting her every inch of the way.

She collapsed just a breath away from the man, their faces facing each other. Panting from the excruciating trip she began to call his name again, reaching out to shake his shoulder.

At her gentle and insistent touch his eyes immediately shot open, staring right at her. "Oh good," She said, smiling warmly at him, "You're awake."

And she promptly passed out.

Lee blinked down at the unconscious girl beside him. When she had first passed out he had panicked, moving to see if he could help her somehow but his muscles hadn't seemed to want to cooperate with him and had refused to move.

It had taken just under five minutes to force everything to work correctly and though a terrible headache still relentlessly pounded his head he cheerily ignored it, instead focusing on the girl.

He had stopped to help her with her horse when they had been attacked by something, the attackers staying hidden and shooting poisoned darts at them and knocking them out. He didn't know what their captors wanted but he knew that sooner or later they'd come out and tell them, and he was sure that the girl wanted to be awake for it.

He grabbed her shoulder and shook her, watching as her eyes slowly fluttered open. She blinked a few times as she recalled everything and then groaned. "Do you need help up?" He asked after watching her struggle to move for a few minutes. She nodded and he helped her into a sitting position, smiling brightly at her.

"Well, hello again." She smiled hesitantly back.

"Ah, yes. Hello Rock-san. Pleasure to meet you again, even if the circumstances are less than favorable." She said politely. "I don't believe I've introduced myself just yet. My name is Izumi Misaki." Her lips twitched at how odd it was that she was being so calm and polite in the situation they were in. Really, it was all laughable.

"Ah, what a beautiful name! It suits a lovely and youthful flower such as you!" He proclaimed exuberantly, causing Misaki to blink at him for a moment, stunned at the sheer animation of the man.

"Well... I've never heard it put quite like that. Thank you, you're very kind." She said, blushing faintly. Coming from a rich family she was used to receiving compliments from people who wished to charm their way into her family and money, but this man didn't know of either and he had been so... earnest with the compliment.

She was about to say something, perhaps complimenting him on something in return, when the slat in the door at the other end of the cell slid open. "Ah, good, you're awake. We worried the drug might have been too much for your delicate nature, good lady. And your companion! It took nearly five darts to incapacitate him, about the same it takes to down an entire bull elephant! An incredible feat, really."

"Ah, young ninja! Yes, you in the terrible green outfit with your forehead protector around your waist. Don't try to foolishly escape. Check the back of the girl's neck." Lee scrunched up his forehead and turned to do as the scratchy and faceless voice bid him to do, lifting up the heavy weight of Misaki's hair to peer at her neck.

Thick black lines curved and squiggled around the back of her neck to reach around her throat, making a painted choaker of a sort. Lee blinked at the seal and wondered why they had put it there and what it would do.

"That seal, if you ever dare to try and move from this cell without our permission, will tighten and choke her slowly to death. Excruciatingly slowly, I might add." The voice chuckled as if it had just told the funniest joke. "Now, I must leave you. But never fear! I'll be back."

Misaki turned to Lee after the slat had closed and placed a hand to her throat. "Is it true? Is it really there?" She asked. Lee nodded and pulled on his serious expression.

"Yes."

"You can try and escape if you want. They didn't say anything about putting a seal on you."

"No. I can't just leave you here, especially if you'll die when I leave."

"Are you really a ninja?"

"Yes." She nodded slowly and sighed, wondering how long it would take her family to pull the money together since captors in this situation always wanted money. At least when she was gone Lee could escape.

"Do you have any good stories? It seems that we're going to be in here a while."

Naruto rubbed his hand over his face roughly. If he had to hear another word about the stupid tree blocking Fifth Street he'd scream. Didn't he say he was fixing it? Didn't he just send some workers out to remove it? Did any of that stop the nitpicky old ladies from coming into the Hokage's office and interrupting his work to point out, again, that it was blocking the shortcut to their favorite yarn store?

There was another knock at his door and Naruto thought he was going to break something. "Yes?" He barked out, his latest assistant stepping in hesitantly.

"Ah, I'm sorry to interrupt Hokage-Sama but Madame Shijimi is here to see you. She says that it is urgent." Naruto nodded and waved for the girl to let the woman in, wondering if Tsunade had left any sake behind accidently.

The plump woman made her way in, looking as dejected and hopeless as she ever had. Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Madame Shijimi I'm sure the genin team assigned to the mission are working very hard to find your cat-"

"I'm afraid," She interrupted, her voice oddly quiet for the usually boisterous woman, "That this is a far more serious matter." She sat down in front of the desk and slid a glossy photo across it.

"My niece," She choked out, "Is missing. She has been for a week now, though we only just received this photograph today."

Naruto leaned forward and studied the picture of the unconscious girl in a small cell and then at the other picture the woman slid across his desk, one of a much cleaner girl. Her thick and curling brown and red hair was held back from a regal face, straightforward navy blue eyes meeting the camera directly, a small beauty mark below the corner of her left eye. She looked every bit the elegant princess that she must have been treated as.

"The demands?" Naruto asked, setting the photos back down.

"None. Hokage... My niece is the closest thing I have to a child and the thing I love most in this world along with my cat. I want her back to the safety of our home as soon as possible."

Naruto nodded. "Of course."

"Favorite color?"

"Green."

Misaki giggled. "I guess that should have been obvious. Mine is yellow. It's such a happy color. How about day of the week?" Lee grinned as he once again defeated the girl in their thumb war. It was impossible for her to win, but she was getting craftier with the ways she evaded him.

"Monday. It's the first day of the week, and the beauty of it makes me feel my youth completely!" Misaki giggled again, finding the sheer exuberance the man beside her had endearing and so unlike the attitude of all the nobles she had ever came into contact with.

She was falling slowly and sweetly for him, the week they had spent only in each other's company forging sweet bonds that she was more than happy to have. He was funny and energetic and sweet and honest and everything Misaki had ever wanted and more when she had dreamed of a future.

"Mine's Wednesday. It's in the middle, so you can look back and see all the bad things and promise yourself that you'll even it out by coming up with a lot of good things. Now... Favorite weather?"

"Rain."

"Rain? Why rain?" She asked, expecting him to be more of a sunshine person.

"Because it's the best weather to train in." Misaki grinned. Of course it would deal with training. Even imprisoned he was insistent of doing his training no matter what.

"Mine is slightly cloudy. That way you get the sunshine but also shade when you need some relief. Food?"

"I like all foods." Misaki blew the stringy strands of hair out of her face and looked at him disbelievingly.

"Really? All foods?" He nodded and won again. Misaki wrinkled her nose.

"Well, I don't. I hate cabbage. And crab. Basically all foods that smell bad, and also all fried deserts. But my favorite is strawberries. You can't go wrong with anything strawberry flavored." Lee won again and let go of her hand, standing up to stretch as he did every day when his internal clock went off.

He got down and got in the position to do pushups and Misaki -just as she had been doing every day to help him- sat on his back. He started, using only the fingertips of his left hand, and Misaki just started talking, not really expecting much of a conversation from him when he was doing his exercises.

"There was this one time when I went over to my Aunt's and she had gotten me this doll. It was supposed to look like me but it was absolutely terrifying and its eyes followed you everywhere, sometimes even through the walls. I kept on throwing it out but it would always end up on my dresser every night, grinning evilly at me like it knew what I was thinking, and I swear it was taunting me with the fact that I'd never get rid of it. So one night I snuck out and buried it in the back yard in this locked wooden box, but when I woke up it was right back on my dresser, all dirty and just as freaky as ever. I finally got rid of it when we went sailing and I tied it in a bag filled with rocks and threw it into the middle of the lake."

Lee rumbled out a deep chuckle and Misaki grinned, holding on tightly to his shirt so that she wasn't thrown off by his rapid up and down movements, feeling the muscles in his back work with a little thrill inside.

He was so... strong. Strong was a definite addition to the quickly growing "List of thing Misaki really likes about Lee".

She continued to ramble on until he stopped; obviously getting the number he wanted since he would never quit before then. He crouched down and motioned to his back. "Sit on my shoulders." Misaki blinked, obviously misunderstanding him. He couldn't have just told her to sit on his shoulders.

"Huh?"

"My shoulders. So I can do squats and lunges." Misaki blinked at him again, tempted to call him crazy and refuse to do it, but then he'd push at her and she'd say no and then she'd end up doing it anyways, so she just sighed and got up on his shoulders, holding onto his hair for dear life and squeaking every time he dropped down.

She'd have to add soft hair to the list.

Naruto looked at the friends he had gathered in front of him, folding his hands on top of his desk. "The reason I have called you here-"

"Oh, stop acting like you're the Hokage and get on with it." Tenten grumbled, annoyed at getting pulled away from her nice comfy bed and sexy husband, though said husband was currently elbowing her in the stomach as he hissed at her to be more respectful. Damn Hyuuga.

"I'm not acting like the Hokage I am the Hokage! And as Hokage I called you here for something very important. The Daimyo's niece has been kidnapped and I promised to send some of the best out there. And I figured that since you and Neji had a personal interest-"

"What personal interest?"

Naruto pushed the photo across the table, hoping to stop the interruptions. "Do you recognize what's in the corner?" Tenten stared at it for a moment before looking up at Naruto and nodding, handing the picture over to Neji.

"I'd know that tacky orange leg warmer anywhere."

Naruto shoved a hand through his hair and sighed. "So we have a captive ninja and civilian. A very important civilian. And Shijimi wants it all kept as quiet as possible so-"

"Yeah, we got it. Be careful."

Naruto rolled his eyes at Kiba and then turned to look over at the pink haired medic-nin and his best friend. "Right. Are you sure about going?" She nodded.

"Yeah. Kakashi can watch Karin while I'm gone." She turned to Neji and Tenten. "What about Rin?"

"We'll leave her with Hinata."

Naruto nodded and then handed the mission scroll to Neji, the five of them leaving to get ready, Shino staying as eerily silent as ever.

"You know, this could be worse. They could be feeding us nothing." Misaki paused and looked down into her bowl of... something, swearing that it had just moved, and wrinkled her nose. "Nope. Never mind. I'd rather have nothing."

Lee's smiled and watched as she swallowed another spoonful with a tortured expression on her face. "The taste isn't as bad as we think it is, the smell is just very off putting." Misaki grinned.

"Are you really always so optimistic?" Lee pulled a thoughtful expression.

"I believe I am!"

When their mysterious supper was finally finished they curled up on the little piles of straw and went to sleep, trying to ignore the quickly growing and increasingly overwhelming chill that the air carried.

Misaki wrapped her arms tightly around herself as she shivered, teeth clacking together with breath puffing out in short clouds. It was just so... cold. She jumped when she felt Lee move in behind her, his arms coming around to rapidly rub her arms and heat them with friction.

"Sorry, but you'll freeze if we don't do something and the best way to do that is to share body heat." Misaki nodded. She had heard of that before, and it was the logical thing to do if she wanted to wake up the next morning as anything other than a frozen popsicle. Though even with that knowledge she couldn't stop her face from flushing from how close they had gotten, leaving her to hope that he didn't have some crazy ninja eye sight that could see in the dark.

"Good night, Lee-kun." She whispered as the lullaby of his heartbeat soothed and surrounded her.

When she woke up with his arms around her, lending her his heat, she figured it out. She really liked Lee. The kind Lee who had tried to help her and had stayed with her when he could have left, the sweet Lee who played stupid games with her to keep her mind busy, the determined Lee who still trained every day, the strong Lee, the happily optimistic Lee. She liked each and every bit of him.

It wasn't love just yet, but it could grow so easily into love if they spent some time together, actual time together outside of the little cell. She just had to wait until they got out and then she'd ask and make her move.

Or maybe she didn't have to wait to make the first move.

"If I've kept track of the days we've been here correctly I turned twenty today. According to the plan my Aunt and Uncle thought up, I was supposed to be getting married to my chosen suitor at the end of the week... And I guess that's one of the reasons I'm glad that I got stuck in here. I don't want to marry someone who only sees me as just an extension of my uncle's status, someone who won't see me and won't let me see them until it's too late. I'm not ready for marriage, at least not until I fall in love first."

She turned in his arms and looked up into Lee's eyes. "Is it okay, Lee-kun, for me to fall in love?"

"Everyone has the right to fall in love."

Misaki smiled softly at him. "I'll hold you to that." She said, leaning in to press her lips to his. The few kisses she had shared before had been dry and stiff, usually those of men trying to be too forward and forcing themselves on her as if such actions would win her favor.

But this was different. It was nice and warm, carrying a sweetness that made her lips curve up into a slight smile. She leaned back and looked up into Lee's stunned face. He looked at her and she smiled, watching as he quickly smiled back his usual bright smile.

They lay there beaming at each other until the complete absurdity of the situation hit her. She leaned forward and buried her face into his neck, giggling. "What?" He asked, puzzled by her sudden mirth. She shook her head.

"It's just that I never would have thought that I would ever meet the person I'd fall for in a prison cell."

"That's what you're laughing at?" He asked, still a little puzzled. She nodded and hiccuped.

"Yes! It's just so absurd that I just... had to laugh." She said and giggled again, hoping that she would always be this happy

Nearly three weeks into their imprisonment the two were woken up by a large explosion from outside their cell. Misaki jerked out of the peaceful dreams she had been having and grabbed onto the arm that had been resting around her waist as they had slept.

"What was that?" She shouted over the chaotic cacophony of sounds, turning to face him. He smiled and grabbed her hand, pressing a kiss gallantly to the back of it and making her blush.

"That," He declared proudly, "Is our rescue."

They sat there for a few more minutes watching the thick steel door, jumping back when it suddenly groaned and fell into the room, a tall and proud black haired man with glowing white eyes and veins protruding from his face standing in the doorway, hands glowing with chakra. At the sight of the man Lee jumped up.

"Ah! My eternal rival! I expected you here three days ago!" He said, grinning brightly at the man. The man sighed and looked beyond his teammate to take in the girl on the floor, checking her over with his strange eyes to make sure she was unharmed. A woman with matching buns on top of her head shoved past the man to glare at Lee.

"Hey! Stop being ungrateful! It would have been easier if you would have just forced your way out of here. The guards were just pathetic. Come on and get out of there, we need to get the girl home." Lee grinned at his teammates.

"I," He said, grinning broadly and nearly blinding the group. "Will not." They blinked.

"Um... What?"

"Or, it's more like I cannot."

"Again," She snapped, "What?"

"They seemed to have put a seal on Misaki that will kill her if I step out of this room." Misaki blushed and looked down when the two turned to look at her, horribly embarrassed that Lee's friends were seeing her in the state she was in.

There were a few more minutes until the others joined them, and then some pink haired medic was poking at her. "Ah... can you fix it?" The woman blew some straying strands of hair out of her face.

"No. I'm not an expert in seals. There are a few back at the village like our Hokage, but that doesn't really help us here, does it?"

The girl with buns crossed her arms over her chest. "We could have brought Yuki and Yuka. Maybe we can transport them here with some scrolls." The white haired man, his face having gone back to normal, raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"They're seven, Tenten. We can't just go dragging them across the lands on dangerous missions." Tenten rolled her eyes at him and his stupid logic.

The pink haired girl tilted her head and then her eyes widened. "They would have sedated the two of you to get you out of here, so maybe the seal allows for that. How did they knock you out the first time, Lee?"

"Five darts of something that made my mouth taste like cotton candy." The girl's eyes literally bugged out of her head.

"That drug? That's enough to kill a person!" Lee grinned happily at her, unphased by her shock. "Yes, they said that it was enough to take down an elephant."

The pinkette growled at him, trembling with her fury. "That is NOT something to be proud of!"

"Ah, I'm sorry to interrupt, but where were you going with that thought, Miss?" Everyone blinked at the well-mannered girl, the angry woman calming down.

"Uh, well if we knock Lee out, maybe the seal won't register it."

Lee nodded. "Okay! Neji, we shall fight until I pass out and..." Sakura raised her hands to stop them.

"Or," She said sweetly, "We could press your pressure points until you pass out. A simple and painless process." Lee was about to say something when a polite and quiet voice cut through them again.

"I vote for that option."

Lee blinked and then grinned. "Then that is the one we'll go with!"

"We'll do it for you too, Izumi-sama, so that we won't take any chances." The girl nodded. "All right. Let's do it."

The second time waking up was easier, though it might have been from the lack of the drugs. In a few moments Misaki was swinging her legs over the side of the bed she found herself in, looking around the quaint little room with confusion. Jumping when the door was pushed open, she turned and saw the woman with the buns.

"Ah, Tenten, right?" Tenten nodded and held up the bundle of clothes.

"We figured that you'd like to get cleaned up. Since you seem to be... built differently than Sakura and myself you'll just have to take these. The shirt probably smells like dog and the pants are too big, but the underwear is clean. No bra though. The bathroom is through there." Misaki took the clothes and smiled gratefully to the woman, thrilled at the prospect of finally being clean again.

"Thank you."

She had actually forgotten how wonderful a bath felt, how nice it was to have cleanly shaved legs and non-oily hair, and to actually smell like something else other than someone who had been stuck in a dank little cell for three weeks. And lotion, God she had missed lotion. She had missed everything about primping and being clean.

After drying her hair off she started to get dressed, taking in the clothes her saviors had so graciously given her. The T-shirt was obviously a man's shirt, hanging down to mid-thigh and billowing around her slim form, though it outlined her loose breasts rather provocatively, chosen since the two other women didn't quite have her... attributes. The bottoms were just draw string sweat shorts, the legs hanging down below her knees and the tie having to be cinched up nearly all the way so that they wouldn't fall off of her slim hips.

It was probably the silliest outfit she had ever worn but she was clean and she just couldn't find it in her to care, even if the shirt did smell just the tiniest bit like a dog.

When she stepped into the adjacent bedroom to the one she had woken up in all eyes went to her, though she was unable to notice since her attention immediately fixated on Lee.

"Hey," Kiba said, sliding up to her. "I must say that you look a lot better in that shirt than I ever did." Not even fully noticing the man, she just murmured a thank you before hurrying over to Lee's side.

"Lee-kun, are you alright?" She asked, fluttering her hands around him as if she could help in some way if he had been hurt.

He grinned at her, "Yes! I'm fine! And you?"

The two started up their little conversation, not even noticing the four gaping -and one expressionless- people that watched them.

Misaki stared into the mirror at her perfect reflection, brushing her fingers over where the seal used to be before the Hokage had removed it, an almost pained expression on her face.

She hadn't seen Lee since the day they had said their goodbyes outside of the Hokage's office, and she could only hope he had gotten the message and would show up tonight.

Misaki quietly and gracefully walked through the halls of the grand house she was currently in, stopping in front of a set of double doors. Taking a breath she prepared herself for the first task she had to complete before her new life could begin, and ever so lightly she knocked on the door.

"Enter."

She quickly did as he said, bowing slightly to the man who sat behind the ornately carved desk. "Uncle. I have something I wish to speak to you about."

"Very well then."

"I know that I said that I'd marry a suitable suitor you approved of to better our family but... after the past few weeks I have discovered that I do not wish to live such a cold life. So I beg of you Uncle, will you please allow me to do as I wish for my happiness?"

The man looked down at her, the leader of the entire country of fire, and shrugged. "Eh. I don't see why not."

Misaki sat on the bench watching as all of the happy couples passed her by, smiling and hoping that she'd soon be joining them. Something so sweetly simple and charming as a walk through the park as a couple was what she wanted more than anything, ready to use her new freedom to do such things.

Lee didn't walk up to her or even run, he just dropped down from the tree behind her, startling her and everyone around who had seen. "Ah! Lee-kun!" Misaki gasped, pressing her hand to her rapidly beating heart.

"Yes?"

"Ah," Misaki began, twisting her fingers together. "I asked my uncle and he has allowed me to come here to live and has released me from any deals involving a political marriage." She said, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "And I was wondering if maybe we could... ah... if we could continue our relationship." She mumbled, nervous that he wouldn't want her now that his options were open again. But he merely grinned at her.

"Of course!"

I originally planned to have him hired by her father the Daimyo (not her uncle in the original version) to protect her.

But then the lovely and beautiful Kathy-who-denies-me-sleep rolled her eyes, pushed away my feelings and forced me to type into the night. And this is the result! (Actually not all that happy with it)

I love you all like I love drawings of fat panda babies! (And that is a lot)