Remember the Promise

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Written for Kilerkki (check out her stuff, you won't regret it!) because she was sad that most Naruto fics seem to be angst. So, I told her I'd write a lighthearted (kinda) LeeSakura fic. Because LeeSakura is love and needs more attention. Yesm.

Set towards the beginning of the two year time gap, so slight spoilers (nothing explicit).

As always, comments and criticisms appreciated.

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Sakura plucked at the flak jacket she wore, the weight still unfamiliar, the fabric just a little bit scratchy. When she'd complained about it, Asuma had told her you get used to the feel, it just takes a while. Shikamaru had come up to her a few minutes later and told her that was a lie, that you would never ever get used to it.

Knowing them, they were both right to some extent.

But still, she was proud of the jacket, proud of what it stood for. Because she'd earned it with her own hands, her own skill. Wouldn't they be jealous, knowing she'd beaten them? That the next time they saw her, she'd be wearing a new jacket that they hadn't yet managed to get?

Her feet shuffled along the path, kicking random rocks before her as she bowed her head, the surge of pride fading in her heart. As wonderful as it was to beat them, to prove she could and was just as much a ninja as they were…they hadn't been there to see, to cheer her on. Even though she'd known it was futile, she'd scanned the crowds in those few seconds she had before her fight started, hoping to see a familiar shock of blond hair or that ever-present bored expression.

All she'd seen was a lazy-looking silver-haired Jounin giving her a thumbs up, and a green-clad, smiling boy who called her name like no one ever had before.

That had been two days ago, and while her elation at being told she had advanced in rank hadn't yet faded, she was finding herself sinking more and more into herself as the days passed. She knew it was stupid of her to do so—she had training to focus on, friends to talk with and missions to do. But the lack of two people she'd never realized she'd grown so attached to was starting to hurt.

They had better hurry back soon, or else I'm not going to care about showing them up…

Scuffle. Drag. Her feet left small trails in the path as she began to slow down, just now realizing that her random walk had taken her towards the name monument, a place she knew too well. Team 7 had met there often when Kakashi had decided to be late, and they'd ambush him there. Or, at least, try to ambush him. They hadn't quite managed to succeed.

At the moment though, no one stood before the black stone, and her mounting depression was soon replaced by anger. How dare they not be there? They were a team, weren't they? Your teammates weren't supposed to just leave like that!

Which was rather unfortunate for the tree that was a bit too close, as she decided to take her anger out with a rather violent punch. And then another. And another.

She was arching back for a fourth punch (she was aiming for Naruto's huge grin and really putting a lot of strength in it), when something grabbed her wrist from behind, effectively putting her to a stop.

"Ah, Sakura-san, I don't think that's very healthy for the tree."

She took a deep breath. "Let go please, Lee-san."

His hand did not move. "I'm afraid I can't, Sakura-san. You'll hurt yourself as well as the tree."

"I'm fine."

There was a pause in which she heard nothing but the trill of a bird, and then Lee's hand on hers relaxed.

"No. I don't think you are."

The tone of his voice was enough to surprise her and she turned around, all thoughts of pounding on the tree-turned-former-teammates gone. Lee stood behind her, hands to his sides, head tilted to the side as though he was seeing her from some strange place far away. And something about the look he gave her made her cheeks tinge pink, but she shoved the feeling away. She was a chuunin now, not some pathetic little girl, and besides, this was Lee.

"I don't think you're fine at all, Sakura-san."

She turned away, wrapping her arms around her torso. "Well, I am. So there's no need for you to worry." Sakura paused, then turned her face a bit to look at him, a questioning look passing through her eyes. "Why are you out here, anyway?"

It was strange, but Lee was almost cute when his cheeks burned red like that.

"I was actually looking for you, Sakura-san," he admitted quietly, and she could hear his feet scuffing the ground. "I saw you walking this way while on my way to your house, and I followed you here." One of her eyebrows raised and he bowed repeatedly. "I realize how wrong that was of me and I promise it won't happen again, and to prove so I will run around Konoha three hundred times with no shoes!"

Sakura grabbed his collar as he ran past, bringing him to a very abrupt (and probably painful) stop.

"It's fine, I'm not angry." He looked at her like a kicked puppy. "Really, it's perfectly fine, Lee-san." She smiled and his face lit up. "I could use the company anyway."

"Really, Sakura-san?"

"I wouldn't say so if I didn't mean it." That's a lie, Inner Sakura snarked at her, but she pushed the other personality away. The tree had sustained enough of her Inner Sakura to last her the rest of the day.

Lee nodded and stood, and from somewhere on his person he presented her with a few flowers. From the looks of them, they had been hastily picked, but she smiled at the thought anyway. Lee could be annoying at times, but his heart was in the right place.

Unlike some jerks, Inner Sakura grumbled, but the pink-haired girl beat the other voice back as she took the flowers with a smile. Lee looked like he might pass out from relief.

"So," Sakura said finally, tapping Lee to get his attention before she began walking. "Why were you looking for me?"

Lee's face grew crimson, but his smile shone through it. "I was looking to congratulate you on making chuunin, and was going to ask if you wouldn't mind joining me for dinner."

Sakura stopped dead. A date? Lee was trying to take her on a date? "Um, Lee…"

"Although I realize Sakura-san is probably busy and has other people who are waiting to congratulate her," he continued on, not facing her, "I thought I would try my hand at it, as well." The hands at his sides squeezed tight for a second before he forced himself to relax and turn to face her. "Ahh, I suppose it was wishful thinking?"

"Lee-san…"

"I just hate to see you sad," he said, standing tall and proud in his green jumpsuit. "And for the past few days you've rarely smiled. I swore to protect you, and part of protecting someone is to make sure they're happy. Gai-sensei taught me that. So how could I call myself your protector if I couldn't keep a frown from your face?"

Sakura shook her head. "Lee-san, you really don't—"

He nodded, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't have to, but I like to." Sakura's mouth clamped shut and Lee smiled, holding up his hand and giving her the Nice Guy Pose. "Remember? 'I will always appear when you're in a pinch!'"

The pink-haired girl looked at him oddly, and suddenly, before she could stop it, a giggle was bubbling up past her throat, and then she couldn't help it and was laughing, a hand held before her mouth as she unsuccessfully tried to stifle the sound, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

"Oh no," Lee fretted, hands clumping in his hair, "I've broken her! Sakura-san, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I'll jump from all the roofs of Konoha using only my chin if it will correct whatever it is I've done!"

The tears were flowing freely down Sakura's face now and she had to hold her sides, arms wrapped around her stomach, to keep herself standing and force down the pain such huge laughs caused.

"S-Sakura-san…?"

"N-no…" she forced out, lifting a knuckle to her mouth and biting down, forcing the laughter to stop, if only for a moment, "I'm f-fine, Lee-san. Better than fine…" Another laugh forced its way past her knuckle but she bit the next one down, determined to win out against this strange fit. "I just…you… You just…" You just made me remember a whole lot of good things.

Lee smiled then, coming up next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders, and Sakura leaned into him, her hands fisting into the fabric of his jumpsuit as her laughter quickly turned to sobs. He didn't say anything, and she was fine with that. She had enough to say for both of them as she ranted and cried and generally made a complete fool out of herself.

When she'd finally cried herself out, Sakura pulled away from him, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, blushing furiously and smiling to try to hide the fact. "Sorry. I don't know what happened." Lee just watched her, an unreadable expression on his face. "I told myself I wouldn't do that again," she mumbled, wiping the last of the moisture off her face, and then noticing the state of Lee's clothing. "Oh no, Lee-san, I'm so sorry! I ruined your suit!"

The ninja shrugged. "I have others. But are you ok?"

"I…" She paused, doing a mental check. To her surprise, she actually did feel better, a lightness to her heart she hadn't felt in a while. "Actually…yes, I do."

Lee smiled brightly. "Then that's all that matters, right?" He reached down and picked up the flowers Sakura had dropped when she'd grabbed a-hold of his jumpsuit, then took one of her hands in his and placed the flowers in it, closing the fingers over them gently.

"Lee-san…?"

"Oh my," he said suddenly, looking at the sky, "look at the time! I promised Gai-sensei I would go train with him tonight. I'm so very sorry, Sakura-san, but I'm afraid I cannot take you out to dinner tonight. I promise I will find a way to make it up to you, on my honor as a ninja!"

Sakura nodded numbly as he passed her, but then something made her turn around and run towards him, pulling on his sleeve to stop him.

"Sakura-san?"

She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before pulling away and skipping down the road backwards a bit, heading towards her house. "Thank you, Lee-san. I'll see you around."

If he answered, she didn't hear. Running as fast as she could back to her home, she nearly scared her mother as she burst through the door and up to her room, placing the flowers with other, prettier ones in the vase her mother had bought her for passing the chuunin exam.

The small flowers actually didn't look too bad among the others.