Author's Quote:
"To take control over your life, set yourself up for success but prepare for failure,"
-Badbutt94
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Chapter 66: Girls' Night
Sakura's P.O.V.
(Couple of Weeks Later)
"What did you think of the movie, Sakura-chan?"
"I thought it was a little cheesy," I giggle while walking out of the movie theater with Lee.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan! I'll have to choose a better movie!" he bows in embarrassment.
"Lee, it's alright. Even though the movie was cheesy, it was appropriate for today," I say while continue to laugh at him.
"Oh, well great! I'm glad you had a good time," he smiles.
We continue to make light conversation while walking back to my apartment. When we finally arrive, we stand outside my door for a little while longer to continue our conversation.
"Do you have any other plans for the rest of the day? It is only 3: 38 in the afternoon," he asks.
"Yeah, the girls and I are having a sleepover tonight at my apartment. What about you?"
"That sounds very youthful! I believe Naruto and the guys are looking to do a game night of some sort. I am very much looking forward to spending time with my friends,"
"Oh yeah? What games do you guys play?"
"Cards mostly. But we also drink sake or rice wine and have a good night. Well that is until Naruto, Kiba, and I become too competitive and we have to end the night before a fight breaks out. Just like last time,"
"Why are you guys so aggressive?"
"It's all in good competitive fun. That's why we keep coming back at least once a month. It's become a wonderful bonding event," he smiles.
I shake my head with a light chuckle as I lean back against my cold door, "Well try not to end up in the hospital. I don't want to have to come to get you,"
"Understood!" he salutes with a serious face.
"Well, I guess I better get inside and get my apartment ready for tonight,"
"Ok," he says before leaning down and kissing me on my lips.
I reach up to cup his cheek and throw my arm around his shoulders. He wraps his strong arms around my waist. I crane my neck and stand on my toes to deepen the kiss. I sometimes forget how much taller he is compared to my short stature. It's only when we kiss that I remember, but it makes our kisses all that more stimulating. I push further into him to deepen the kiss and he accommodates. However, before things become too heavy, I pull away slightly with a smile.
"See you later, Lee,"
"Goodbye, Sakura-chan. Enjoy your night," he says before giving me a quick peck on my full lips.
"You too. Stay out of trouble,"
"I promise!" was the last thing he says before running away from me.
"That boy. What am I going to do with him," I say while shaking my head and going inside.
I shrug my heavier coat and fuzzy boots before putting them away. Even though autumn is here, we have been having a cold front this week, making everyone dress in heavier clothes. Supposedly, the weather is supposed to warm up here soon. I was hoping that it would have already warmed up by now so the girls and I could enjoy a nice night out. But looks like we're going to have to hang out in my apartment tonight.
Over the next few hours, I clean my apartment and rearrange my furniture to make more room for the girls. I already knew about the guy's night out, so I decided to have my own get together with Ino, Hinata, Temari, Karin, and Tenten. It's been a while since we've all been together, especially with Temari joining us.
Usually, she's either with Shikamaru or back in Sunagakure. I was happy to hear that she wanted to join us. I feel bad that she doesn't get to hang out with anyone other than her brothers or Shikamaru. Things seem to be getting serious between Shikamaru and her though and hopefully, they will be getting married soon. I wanted to at least make her feel welcomed. Plus, I need all the advice I can get with this situation with Lee.
Since the first dinner date that ended up with us passionately making out in front of my door that night, we have been seeing more of each other. We don't always go out to dinner. Sometimes we go see a movie, have an afternoon drink, etc. However, since that night, I have not had Lee inside of my apartment for… obvious reasons. Don't get me wrong, I love kissing him, especially now that I'm used to it. However, every time we kiss, I get worried that something more will develop from it. I'm not ready for us to take things to a sexual level. Hell, I don't even know if I'm ready for us to start dating, especially with my heat coming soon.
It's a good thing that Lady Tsunade took me from active duty. I should be starting my heat again soon and I hate it. Even though I am an alpha female, I will still have heats. They're nowhere near as bad as Hinata's heats because she's an omega, but they can get pretty bad. And the older I get, the worse I get. My heat will get to a point of being unbearable due to my body wanting to become impregnated. I do take medicine to delay my heats and to lessen them when they do come on. I could even take medicine to suppress my body's urges to reproduce, but that isn't something I want. I want to be someone's mate and bear their children… one day: just not anytime soon. I want this to be a decision I make because I love them, not because my body decides for me. Which brings me to my predicament.
The more time I spend with Lee, the more attractive I become to him. However, I am still torn between my growing affection for him and my dying love for Sasuke-Kun. Don't get me wrong, I know I will always have a love for and care about Sasuke-Kun, but it is hard to deal with and leaves me feeling depressed. And now that I am off from active duty, I only have my training to distract me, which isn't much of a distraction. So, I need to call on my girlfriends to help me through this crisis.
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It's about 7:18 pm when I hear my doorbell ring. I put the medical scroll I was studying down and answer the door.
"About time, bitch. Did you want me to freeze out here?" Ino says as she steps into my apartment.
"You're late anyway, Ino-pig. I said be here by 7 pm,"
"No one shows up on time to a sleepover, ya dork. And besides, I don't see anyone else here," she smiles as she removes her fuzzy boots and coat too.
I tell her to put her coat and boots in my closet by the door and her sleeping bag in my room. As we wait for the other girls, we sit on my couch and just talk. She catches me up on her developing relationship with Sai and what's going on at the hospital.
"Karin and Hinata have been a great help while you've been out. We've only had a few… troubled patients, Hinata has this calming aura about her that helps settle them down. I don't know what I what would do without her," she sighs.
"What about Lady Tsunade and Karin?"
"Are you kidding me?! Lady Tsunade literally threw one patient out of the hospital and Karin's crazy ass is sedating people left and right. Between the two of them I'm losing my sanity," she groans with her hand over her forehead.
"That sounds about right," I laugh.
"How do you deal with it, Sakura? I swear every day it's something with those two. Without Hinata there, I think the hospital would have burned to the ground by now,"
"I usually have Karin with me and keep Milady in her office. And when I need a break from both, I lock myself in my office and pretend to do paperwork. Works every time,"
"Well can I use your office to do that? Because I swear, I'm going to lose it,"
"Knock yourself out. But don't go snooping around. You might find something you're not ready for," I tease as I get up to answer the door.
Hinata is the second one to arrive, then Temari, Tenten, and Karin were the last ones. Same with Ino, I direct them on where to put their stuff before we all get comfortable in the living room. I offer to make food, but that doesn't seem to go over well.
"No fucking way, Forehead. We all know you can't cook for shit," Ino laughs.
"Wanna say that to my face," I grumble with my fist clenched.
"Oh, come on, Sakura-bunny. You know I'd whoop your ass any day of the week,"
"Bring it, Ino-Pig,"
We get in each other's face to size each other up until Hinata comes between us, "Please you two. Can we please have a fun, peaceful night,"
"Oh, let them fight, Hinata. I could use some entertainment besides the daily competition between Lee and Guy-sensei," Tenten laughs.
"How about we just order takeout, and have it delivered?" Temari suggests.
"That's a great idea! I could definitely use some Okonomiyaki!" Karin says while licking her lips.
"I wouldn't mind having some Kenchin Soup," Temari casually mentions.
"What's that?" Tenten asks.
"It's tofu or bean curd. It's a popular dish in Chinese culture and is becoming popular in Western cultures," she explains.
"I don't know about that, but I know I could go for some Sesame Dumplings. They're so delicious," Tenten says, smacking her lips.
"Well I know I want some pudding or Cherry Tomatoes," Ino says as she sits down.
"I wouldn't mind some Hong dou tang," Hinata shyly says.
"And I wouldn't mind getting some Syrup-coated Anko Dumplings, I'll contact the nearby restaurant and setup delivery," I say moving past the girls.
I place our orders and we get our cash ready for the delivery person. While we wait, we have some idle chat about our daily lives and the guys. Hinata tells us about Kiba and her are getting close, Tenten is focusing more on her training, Temari is busy with helping Gaara and being here with Shikamaru, Ino continues to brag about Sai and her, and Karin tells stories about working at the hospital. As far as I can tell, everyone is having a good time, drinking, listening to everyone's stories, and laughing together. It's nice to hear that everyone doing so well and getting along. The sound of the doorbell ringing breaks up our conversation. I gather everyone's money to give to the delivery guy. But, when he gets excited about all the girls in my apartment and tries to invite himself in, I tell him to have a good night and slam the door in his face.
"Awe, you should have let him in, Sakura. He was cute,"
"Weren't you just bragging about your relationship with Sai?" Tenten says while holding her food.
"Hey, we're not mates yet. I can look if I want to," Ino says while eating.
"Speaking of mates, what's going on with Sakura and Lee?"
"Karin! Don't tease me like that! I almost dropped my food," I whine while everyone laughs.
"Lee? Is that the Green Twins, as I call them?" Temari asks.
"Yeah. He's on my team with Guy-sensei and Neji. He's the second Youthful one," Tenten answers while rolling her eyes.
"I think he's kind of cute. Not as cute as my Sasuke-Kun, but not bad to look at either," Karin smiles.
"Well… I mean we've been getting closer…" I say while looking down at my food.
"Come on, Sakura. I know there's more to this story than you're sharing," Ino teases while getting closer to me.
"Ino, don't pressure her. It's not nice,"
"Thank you, Hinata. I can always count on you to be sensitive towards me," I glare while looking at Ino.
"Fine, don't dish. I'll just have to ask Lee myself," she says with a huff.
"Well, actually, that's another reason I wanted you, girls, here. I guess I'm… conflicted…"
"About what?" Temari asks.
I put my food down and take a deep breath before speaking, "I think I'm starting to really like Lee,"
"That's great, Sakura. It's good to see you're starting to move on from Sasuke," Hinata shyly smiles.
"You mean MY Sasuke-Kun?! How dare you even look at him! He's mine! You hear me? Mine! I'll fight you over him any day!" Karin yells as she stands up with her food still in her hand.
"Sit down, Foxy girl. Sakura had first dibs on her before you even knew him," Ino grumbles as she pulls Karin by her tail.
"That's the problem though. I'm not entirely over him, even with Lee and I hanging out and getting closer,"
"I'm confused," Temari says.
"Yeah, and maybe it's because I've never been interested in stuff like this, but I'm not seeing the problem here,"
"Allow me to explain ladies," Ino says before clearing her throat and putting her food down, "You see, Sakura had the biggest crush on Sasuke-Kun since before we were in the Academy. However, Sasuke never returned her feelings and even rejected her when he returned to the village. Hence Sakura having to learn how to get over him. But it seems that Lee has started to force himself into her life and is making her develop feelings for him. This is why my heart is confused. On the one hand, she will always have a place in her heart for her love for Sasuke-Kun. On the other hand, she is learning how to deal with her new feelings for our overactive cheetah. Did I miss anything?"
"No, you've pretty much covered it," I sigh.
"Ok, so why can't you just… move on from Sasuke and start dating Lee?" Tenten asks.
"It's not that simple, hun," Temari interjects. "When you develop a love for someone, there's no "just get over it". Sure, as time passes, your feelings diminish, and the pain subsides. However, the love you have for that person will always be there, no matter what happens. It's not an easy healing process and few survive it. There are times where people die of a broken heart, just like the Whooping Crane. They mate for life and are monogamous. When their partner dies, so does the other one. Some of us are no different," All of us look at her in wonderment, causing her to blush in embarrassment, "What? I like to study birds sometimes,"
"No, no it's actually cool that you know that. We just weren't expecting it," Ino says with a nervous laugh, "Anyway, Sakura what do you need our help with?"
"I don't know. Maybe to tell me that I'm not crazy and how to handle this situation. I feel like I'm going insane with all the emotion I'm feeling," I say while grabbing my ears and pulling them down until she releases my grip.
"What have I told you about yanking on your ears?" she scolds.
"Sorry. But I just don't know what to do and I'm feeling overanxious about it. Every time I think I'm over Sasuke-Kun and having stronger feelings for Lee, I relapse and have… erotic dreams about them both… Ugh, this is so embarrassing!"
"That's actually pretty normal. It happens often when you're torn between two people you developed feelings for. Remember when I told you that this would not be an easy process, but one you must go through? This is all apart of your healing," Ino smiles comforting me while she hugs me.
"I never thought it would be this bad though. What am I going to do?"
"Well, if I may be so bold, we already know that Sasuke-Kun is not going to return your feelings. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that Sasuke-Kun's heart belongs to someone else~"
"Who is this person, Hinata-chan?! I'll murder them!" Karin yells until Tenten pulls her back from the nervous bunny.
"Sit down, you psycho. Please continue, Hinata,"
"Thank you. I'm not at liberty to say who it is. Just know that Whoever has Sasuke-Kun's heart has had it for a long time. But that does not change the fact that he rejected your feelings, Sakura-chan. That is one fact to be true,"
"That's… somewhat comforting… Is he at least happy with this person?" I ask.
"From the few times I've seen his with "that person", I would say that he's as happy as he can be," Ino smiles.
"Well, that's good to know. But what about Lee and me?"
"Maybe you need some more time for yourself? I may not know a lot about these things, but it seems that if you're having this much trouble with making a decision, then you need to separate yourself from the situation and take time to understand both yourself and your feelings," Tenten suggests. "After all, you don't want to hurt Lee. Because if you do, I'll kill you,"
"Don't worry. That's the last thing I want to do. That's why I haven't even had him in my apartment since our first official date a few weeks ago,"
"You didn't tell me anything happened between you two! What happened?! I NEED to know!" Ino excitedly says.
"I didn't tell you because you would make a big deal out of it. We just went to dinner, it was awkward because I suck. But, when we got back to my apartment, we kind of made out in front of my front door?" I say, embarrassed. Suddenly Ino screams at the top of her lungs, causing all of us to grab our ears, "Ouch! Why would you do that?!"
"I'm just so excited for you! Your first kiss! Even though it was with Lee, but still! Was it nice? Is he a good kisser? Did he use tongue?"
"Don't answer that, Sakura. I don't think I'm ready to know that much about my teammate,"
"No, it wasn't as graphic as Ino would like it to be. We just kissed and he held me close. That's all. But, at the same time, it was the best kiss I've ever had, even though it was my first. He's actually a good kisser," I blush.
"OH, MY GODS! I CAN'T TAKE IT!" Ino screams again as she rolls around on the ground.
"Does anyone have any tape or a quiet jutsu we can use? I can't take it if she does that again," Temari grumbles.
"Don't worry, she'll tire herself out soon. But, since that day, we've kissed other times too and it is great every time. The only thing I'm worried about is if I let him into my apartment. It might go further than just kissing, especially with the dreams I'm having,"
"Well, at least you have some self-control in that aspect. But you can't keep him out of your apartment forever. He'll start getting suspicious and start thinking you might not like him," Temari says.
"I know and I don't that to happen. I do like him, a lot. However, I can't trust myself around him with my hormones. And my heat is going to be here soon. Guys, I'm serious. I need help,"
"I think you should just talk to him, be honest,"
"You're trying to get me killed, Hinata,"
"I know it's hard, but Lee-Kun is an understanding person. He will be cautious around you and will take your feelings into consideration. It will also help him get an understanding of your boundaries and relationship with him. It's not good to keep him in the dark and confuse him,"
I sigh as I let her advice sit in my mind, "You're right, Hinata. I guess that's the best approach, especially with my heat coming soon. I don't want to confuse or hurt him because I don't know what I'm doing. He's also been mentioning wanting to ask me a question, and I'm starting to think that he's going to ask for us to date here soon. I… can't give him an answer right now. I just can't,"
"Then don't. Wait until you're sure before saying anything. Trust me, I know Lee better than anyone here. He will understand and be thankful for your honesty. If anything, he'll become too protective and sensitive to your feelings. Lee's a good guy, an idiot but a good guy. So, you don't have to worry about him misunderstanding you,"
"Thank you, guys. I feel a little better," I brightly smile, "Well I think that's enough about me and my guy troubles. Come on, let's get some cards and games out! I'm ready to have some fun!"
For the rest of the night, we continue to talk and play some games. Eventually, we end up passing out from all the food, drink, and fun we had. I was one of the last ones to fall asleep, but I didn't mind. Everyone has their sleeping bags laid out in the living room. I'm careful not to step on any of them as I make my way to my bedroom. I pull out my own sleeping bag and set up next to Karin before laying down. The clock on my stove reads 1:23 am. It's early morning, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Turns out, girls' night is what I needed.
"Maybe we should do this every month like the guys?"
A question to ask the girls in the morning. For now, sleep is calling me along with a nonexotic dream of a green cheetah.
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To Be Continued…
