This could not be good. Sakura had heard rumors that Lee fought with an uncanny vigor when he was drunk, but Sasuke was fully conscious and not exactly the most merciful fighter...
"Don't!" Sakura's voice squeaked out.
Both men were frozen, facing each other.
"You are..." Lee began, narrowing his eyes.
Luckily for Sakura and Sasuke, Lee passed out right then and there. He had drunk too much even for his drunken fist to be effective. Lee's body started to fall, but Sasuke threw the kunai so that it caught against the wall, piercing through the clothing near the shoulder of the other shinobi.
Sasuke walked toward Lee slowly and grabbed him around the throat.
"Sasuke!" Sakura gasped.
Lee's glazed eyes opened slightly in the pain.
"Sasuke, don't hurt him! He can't fight!" Sakura cried out as she tried helplessly to lift her body.
She saw Lee's body suddenly turn limp and her heart jumped.
"Sasuke!" she screamed as she finally forced the strength back into her muscles and lifted herself to a sitting position. She was trembling slightly.
"What did you do?"
Sasuke's left hand removed itself from Lee's neck before he collapsed down to the floor himself. Sakura got off the bed as quickly as she could and knelt down next to Sasuke's body.
He was breathing heavily with his eyes closed. "He's not dead...just unconscious. He won't wake up until tomorrow and when he does...he won't remember anything...most likely."
Sasuke swallowed hard. Using the Sharingan in his current state was a bad decision. He felt like all the strength that he had slowly regained these past few days was instantly drained.
Sakura almost felt like crying from relief. "Thank you," she said softly.
Sasuke read something in her expression.
"He's important to you..."
She whispered, "Yes."
Sakura slipped her arm under his neck and tried to lift him up to a sitting position again.
Sasuke hunched over and sighed heavily. His breathing was slower now, but he still felt fatigued.
"Take him to the bed, Sakura."
"Where are you going to sleep?"
"I have to go."
Sakura felt a slight pang in her chest, but realized that he couldn't make it far in his condition.
"Your body won't let you."
Sasuke used his healthy hand to rub his face roughly in frustration. Maybe he could have managed to escape with his minimal strength before, but he definitely couldn't now after using the Sharingan.
"I'll take the couch then," he said in a low voice.
"You can't, he'll see you when he wakes up in the morning. I'll take him to the couch, and when we get back we'll think of something."
Sakura stood up and walked over to Lee, pulling the kunai out of the wall and supporting his limp body. She managed to drag him to the couch and set him down as lightly as possible. Then she returned to the bedroom closet for an extra pillow and blanket.
After she was finished setting Lee up in the living room, she returned to find Sasuke sitting at the edge of the bed. The light, supported by a weak lamp, was still dim and Sakura could see the shadows defining the features on his face.
She stood and walked up to him, remembering the other thing she had to do.
Sakura said softly, "Your arm needs to be cleaned and the bandages have to be changed. Come with me to the bathroom."
"Sakura..." He did not lift his gaze to meet her eyes.
"Come on," she repeated gently.
There was a pause.
"Sakura...you could have left me there last night. I'm not afraid of dying, you know."
"I know," Sakura whispered.
"I didn't ask you to do anything for me."
Sakura remained silent, looking at his arm.
"Someone's going to find out. When they do, are you sure you're not going to regret this?"
"I know I won't. I'm not afraid either, Sasuke-kun. But the sooner you get better..." Sakura paused. This was the only way to persuade him to accept her help. "The sooner you can leave."
Sasuke sighed and let Sakura pull him up again and lead him to the bathroom. Once they were there, Sakura sat up on the bathroom counter and arranged her supplies to the side.
Sasuke winced slightly as she unwrapped the bandages and revealed a deep cut. As she concentrated on his arm, Sakura felt more comfortable going to work and relying on her years of training as a medical nin.
Sakura wiped off the excess blood with a damp towel and then uncapped a bottle of disinfectant.
"Does this sting?" she asked him as she started going over the wound with disinfectant.
It stung like hell. "It's fine," he responded through slightly clenched teeth.
"Tonight I sensed less poison in your body. That's good." Sakura changed medicine and began rubbing it in lightly with her fingers. She kept her eyes focused on her task and didn't notice Sasuke's eyes focused on her the entire time.
He studied her attentive expression and her skilled hands working in a well-rehearsed pattern. Sakura's hair was pulled back to keep it out of her way, but the hold was loose and a few rebellious strands fell into her face. She swept them away with her forearm in vain. As much as she'd like to, she couldn't use her hands; one set of fingers was busy and dirtied with a mixture of medicine and blood. Her other hand was steadying his arm in a gentle grip at his wrist.
Sasuke noticed her annoyance and decided that since both her hands were helping him, he ought to offer her an extra set. Without saying a word, he raised his left hand and lightly brushed the loose hair out of her face and tucked it to the side. His hand rested by her head for a moment.
Sakura stopped suddenly and looked up, surprised by his touch. His dark eyes met hers for a second and then, a little embarrassed, she quickly turned back to her task. If she was unaware of his stare before, she was completely conscious of it now. Luckily the rest of cleaning and bandaging was second nature to her because she found it hard to concentrate.
After stripping the gauze from its packaging, she deftly wrapped up his arm again and secured it in place. When she finished, she smiled slightly and fixed her gaze at a corner of the bathroom. Sasuke took a few steps back so she could hop off the counter.
He grabbed his freshly wrapped arm as he watched Sakura cleaning up her materials and throwing away the trash. When she finished, she followed him into the bedroom.
The most recent events of the evening were exhausting for both of them. However, they still had to discuss what to do with Lee. Sakura lay on her back about a foot away from Sasuke. They were both staring at the ceiling in the dark.
"Do you know where he lives?"
Sakura sighed. "Yes."
Sasuke was silent.
"I don't want him to see you in the morning. I guess I should try to take him home now. That way maybe tomorrow he'll think this was all a dream."
When he still didn't respond, Sakura asked, "Is there any chance of him waking up while I bring him back?"
"No."
Sakura paused. "He will be okay...right?"
"Yes."
Sakura sat up in the dark and the covers rustled slightly as she got out of bed and looked at the clock.
Nine o' clock. She hesitated.
"I'm going now," she announced as she walked to the bedroom door, wondering whether or not he even cared.
"Sakura..."
Something about the tone of his voice made her stop.
"...I would help you but..."
Sakura smiled slightly.
"It's okay. You should rest here," she said gently as she took a step outside.
"Sakura..."
Sasuke sat up on the bed and looked at her figure standing by the doorway. It was only a shadow.
Sakura paused again and looked back at him.
"...Thank you."
She turned her head away and was glad for the dark that hid the content blush on her cheeks.
"You're welcome," she said softly as she walked out of the room.
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The next day, after a good night's rest, Sasuke felt his health gradually recovering. Although his right arm was still not completely functional, the poison seemed to have left his main body. With luck he could leave tomorrow night.
After visiting the memorial with Sakura very early in the morning, Sasuke spent another day hanging around the apartment while Sakura ran some errands.
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Lee, on the other hand, woke up in a sweat late morning. Sitting up suddenly, he quickly looked around at his surroundings. Nothing had changed. He was in his apartment, everything was in its right place, and the familiar clock on the wall ticked loudly.
But there were some things he didn't understand. Why was he sleeping in his clothes? Why did he have a vague feeling of anxiety in his stomach?
Shaking his head, Lee tried to remember what he had done last night. A distinct, splitting pain was his answer. Judging from the extent of the headache, he must have gone way overboard with the alcohol. But how did he end up in his apartment if he was so sloshed the previous night? He remembered Neji once telling him never to drink again because when he did he would barely be able to move and would inevitably pass out somewhere.
But why had he been drinking? Suddenly he felt a different part of his body ache. He grabbed his chest in realization.
Sakura-san.
The conversation they had on the balcony at the party two nights ago invaded his mind. He had confessed his feelings for her openly. Seeing her so distracted had upset him and he wanted to let her know he would do anything and everything for her to be happy again.
But it had not gone how I hoped it would...
After she ran away from him that night, he felt paralyzed at first, and eventually went home dejected and alone. Dissatisfied with himself, he had finally resorted to drowning away his troubles for the bulk of the next day.
Then what did I do...
Lee got out of bed and began changing out of his clothes. As he took off his shirt, he noticed a hole in the shoulder area. He passed his fingers through it.
That's odd...
It wasn't a rip on the seam, it seemed like it was sliced or poked with something.
A flash of red jolted his memory. Lee shook his head.
Red? What does that mean?
He tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't leave his mind. That color was the last thing he had seen before he had passed out for good. Lee shut his eyes and attempted to travel back to that moment despite his splitting headache. He remembered...a door? A couch?
Wait...I know this place...Sakura-san...
Lee felt a feeling of dread as he began recalling fragments of last night. He slapped his face, realizing that he must have made a fool of himself. What was he thinking, going to see Sakura in that condition? She had made it clear she didn't care about him the way he did for her...was he trying to win her back? Sweep her off her feet by his utter drunkenness? The way he acted, he wouldn't be surprised if he had lost Sakura as a friend as well.
But that insight didn't satisfy the indistinguishable anxiety in his stomach. There was more...but what?
Red...red...Was Sakura wearing red? No...
Was I bleeding? Lee checked himself for any injuries. No...
Suddenly, he saw it clearly in a second of recollection.
Eyes. Red eyes.
Lee's own opened wide.
Red eyes.
He didn't know anyone with such a feature, but he was sure now they were the last thing he saw. Shaking his head again, Lee proceeded to change into new clothes for the day. He would see Hokage-sama first thing in the morning and request the earliest mission. He hoped he hadn't slept in too late. A good, long assignment would be just the thing to keep him away from all these troubling thoughts and feelings.
When he exited his apartment and started to make his way to the Hokage's office, he saw a few familiar shinobi and greeted them. He noticed Ino first, who almost ran into him as she was screaming and chasing after a few kids. A smile crept to his face as he recalled the days of academy. He had been teased for not having any skill in ninjustu or genjutsu, but he eventually found success by putting in ten times more effort than anyone else. He thought proudly about how he was the one who was a jounin now, not the bullies in academy. But, of course, there were some geniuses that he could not defeat. In the academy, it had been Neji. His pompous attitude was completely infuriating back then. But during the Chuunin exam he had encountered a whole slew of geniuses with innate powers. That Gaara of the Sand...he wondered what he was up to now. And the one that all the girls would go crazy for...Uchiha Sasuke. His bloodlimit was...Sharingan wasn't it?
Suddenly, Lee stopped in the middle of the street. He felt like he had been socked in the stomach. For a minute he couldn't breathe.
Could it be...?
But...
Lee's eyes grew wide and he moved toward the side of the street and collapsed against the wall. The more he thought about it, the more sure he was. It had to be.
Red eyes.
Sharingan...
He had fought against them so many years ago, but they were hard to forget. Gai-sensei had taught him about the special bloodlimit and how to counter its powers with speed and taijutsu.
But last night...
Suddenly he felt his heart skip a beat.
Sakura-san!
Lee refused to believe that she was hurt, but there was always a possibility. Though he made a fool of himself last night, he had to know if she was alright. He forced chakra to his feet and rushed intently to Sakura's apartment.
After knocking on the door many times, he heard no response. He actually thought about knocking down the door, but eventually convinced himself not to. He stood with his fists knocking every few seconds.
Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Yo, fuzzy eyebrows. What are you doing?"
Lee turned around to see Naruto wearing a curious expression on his face.
"Naruto-kun."
Then Lee remembered that Naruto had been Sakura's teammate and was one of her best friends.
"Naruto-kun, have you seen Sakura-san today?" He tried to keep the panic out of his voice.
"I saw her shopping for groceries this morning. Why?"
"How was she?"
Naruto shrugged. "Alright I guess. I just said hello."
"Was she hurt?"
Naruto eyed Lee suspiciously. "What? Why would she be?"
Lee stiffened and decided not to reveal what he had assumed was true about Uchiha Sasuke. Not until he was absolutely sure.
"It's nothing. I just...had a feeling."
Naruto put an arm around an anxious Lee and led him away from Sakura's apartment.
He said in a low, confiding voice, "Listen, Lee, f you want to know the way to win her heart, you just have to ask the expert."
Lee gave him a strange look. Hadn't Naruto failed miserably to do just that for many a year as a young genin?
"Who?"
Naruto was offended. "Me of course!"
"Oh."
"You want to know the secret?"
Lee sighed. He knew playing along was the only way to get rid of him. "Sure."
Naruto assumed the air of an experienced teacher. "I'll have you know, I don't tell just anyone this. In fact, you're the first one, so consider yourself lucky." He paused meaningfully as if trying to increase Lee's anticipation. "One word, my friend. Ramen. Not just for lunch or dinner either. She loves it for breakfast. Believe me, she couldn't get enough of it at my place."
"...Right," Lee said, as he removed Naruto's arm from around him. "Uh...I have to go now, Naruto-kun. So...I will talk to you later?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Not even a thank you? For the tip?"
Lee stammered. "Uh...thanks, Naruto-kun, for the...valuable...advice."
"Anytime." The blonde shinobi grinned and slapped Lee on the back hard. "I'll see you later. And tell me how it goes."
Lee gave him a half smile. "Sure, Naruto-kun. Goodbye."
Lee was relieved when the noisy ninja left him alone with his thoughts again. Suddenly he remembered what he had been planning to do before this revelation hit him. He was going to request a mission from Tsunade-sama.
Lee swallowed. If indeed Uchiha Sasuke had returned there was no chance Lee could leave Konoha now. He would go see the Hokage today, but not for the reason he had originally intended. As a shinobi of the leaf, it was his duty to protect the village...and those important to him.
Tsunade-sama needed to know. What she did then would be up to her.
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A/N: I agree- the ending of the last chapter was a bit sadistic. Oh well, I'm a shameless reviewer-pleaser so I posted this one quickly.