A/N: Ah, here's a chapter with lots of Naruto and Sasuke. Unfortunately, they've got some things that are going on which would not allow for a lemon (I know that all you Naru/Sasu fans are going "awwww" right now, but I'll make it up to you, I promise). I've really not introduced any new characters in this chapter, but there are a couple of small surprises, I think. Hope you like it. Just so anybody doesn't freak out--I've had several people ask me in pm's and the like about Ino's rather...promiscuous behavior--she's not going to end up with Jiraiya either, so don't worry.

Warnings:

FL--foul language

C--Japanese terminology. New words defined at end of chapter.

Legal Stuffiness: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters therein. Kishimoto Masashi, sole proprietor, and he owns my soul.

Chapter 10: Appearance of Truth

The garden was covered with snow, all gleaming white, and dull green where the yew trees showed through. Naruto was sitting on a bench, waiting. For the first time in months, he was alone. It felt wrong. It was true that Sasuke was an infuriating bastard much of the time, but he had grown used to the man's constant presence, his biting wit, and most of all, the way he would touch him. As he sat on the stone seat waiting for Sasuke, he had to wonder. What kind of meeting could he be having that would exclude Naruto?

After all of his thinking, he came up dry. He just sat there, looking at the white wasteland of the garden, thinking of absolutely nothing, holding a wakizashi across his knees and sighing periodically. The cold did not touch him. He would not allow it to. If he did, it would only remind him of how Sasuke was not here with him. He didn't owe Sasuke anything anymore. At least, not in the way he had before. Naruto's father's debt had been forgiven, but he was still something that belonged to Sasuke. Mind, body and soul, he belonged to him. Ever since that day in pool house, when he first allowed himself to feel for the dark-haired oyabun, he had belonged to Sasuke.

Naruto stood, and started to pace, leaving a mushy trail in the snow before he got to the small bridge, and then walked back to the bench. Repeating this, and deep in thought, he failed to see Sasuke enter the garden. So lost in his own meandering mind was he that he was taken completely unaware when he heard Sasuke's voice behind him. "Naruto." He whirled around, finding the source of the voice. He was dressed in black, as usual, but his clothing was traditional. A white under-kimono rested under thick black silk, and Naruto's breath caught. It was the most beautiful, and yet, the saddest he had ever seen Sasuke look. The man walked toward him, three steps, and he was so close as to nearly touch him.

"Sasuke, what took you so long? I've been out here for an hour." Sasuke had asked for him to wait here, of all places, for him. Now, he appeared out of nowhere, and his hands were gripping the front of Naruto's haori. Naruto could feel his hands trembling. "What's the matter?" A sense of foreboding came over him as Sasuke looked down into his eyes. "Sasuke, please, tell—" Before he could say another word, he had his breath taken from him, in the most wonderful way possible. Sasuke's mouth was pressed against his, and the taste of sake invaded his senses as he let his lips part. Sake? Naruto's mind raced. A formal ceremony…what is this about?

Sasuke pulled away from him, eyes filled with an expression Naruto could not understand. "Naruto…I…" His words seemed to fail him, but Naruto soon found himself being pulled, back toward the house, and then in the direction of the motor pool.

Just before Sasuke tried to shove him into the passenger seat of a black Cadillac El Dorado, he dug his heels in, refusing to be pushed any further. "Sasuke! Tell me what this is all about. Right now." Yanking his hand out of Sasuke's, he crossed his arms over his chest, and stared stubbornly into smoky gray eyes. His expression softened instantly when he saw that those eyes were filled with unshed tears. Immediately taking Sasuke in his arms, he pressed the man's head against his shoulder. "It's all right, Sasuke. Whatever's wrong, it will be all right." The taller man pushed away from him suddenly, the fine porcelain skin of his cheeks now stained with tears, and eyes filled with sadness, and hopeless anger.

"No. It won't. Do you know what just happened, Naruto?"

"What?" He honestly had no idea.

"I've been given the formal blessing of the retired elders. They now consider me their superior." Naruto did not understand. Wasn't that a good thing? Sensing his question, Sasuke answered it before it could be voiced. "They have given their blessing, Naruto, for all actions that I might take concerning Akatsuki. That means that all of the clans will be behind us. We're moving on this, and soon."

"I still don't get it. Why are you so upset? These are good things. I'll avenge my father, and you'll do the same for your family."

Sasuke shook his head, his frustration radiating from him. "But that's not the point. Yes, the Akatsuki will be dead. But afterward, the elders have given the suggestion that I marry." Naruto blinked. A suggestion from the elders would be more like a veiled threat…thinly veiled. He couldn't breathe. His hand reached out, groping for something, anything to steady him. All he found was Sasuke, and he clung to him. Naruto held tightly to his lover, the man that it seemed he was now destined to lose. "Damn it…" Sasuke breathed, and gently lowered him into the seat of the car, after which Naruto vaguely heard the door shut.

When he noticed that the engine of the Cadillac had roared to life, he looked to Sasuke. "Where are we going?"

Flipping a jet-black fall of hair from his eyes to better see ahead of the car, Sasuke said, "Your place." Naruto was startled. He hadn't been there in months, and he wondered why they were going there now. An idea suddenly occurred to him; one that did not sit well in Naruto's mind at all.

"Are you running away, Sasuke?" Naruto's voice sounded dull in the passenger seat. Sasuke's eyes were fixed on the road, and he did not answer. "Does anyone know where we're going?" Again, there was no answer from the man behind the steering wheel. Naruto was beginning to fear for Sasuke's mental state. Sure, Naruto's wasn't that great either, but he was better off than Sasuke, but he wasn't the one driving at forty kilometers per hour over the speed limit. He put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and squeezed gently. "It's going to be okay."

"Yes. It will." Sasuke said, his voice filled with a determination that Naruto had never heard there before. Watching him for the rest of the drive, Naruto waited. Nothing happened. Not a word was said, not a gesture made. Sasuke pulled the car into the old fire-engine door, and the thing lowered when he got out and pushed a button. Once they were inside Naruto's house, Sasuke flipped the lights on. Everything was exactly as it had been the last time they were here.

Naruto watched Sasuke. He seemed much more at ease now, but there was still that wild-eyed look on his face. Worriedly, he asked, "Why are we here, Sasuke?"

Sasuke merely looked at him. That sad anger still in his eyes, he said, "To be rid of outside interruptions. I need to make sure of something." Before Naruto could process that, he was thrown to his living room floor, Sasuke straddling his hips. "Do you love me?"

Naruto blinked up at him. Slowly, cautiously, he said, "Yes," not knowing what to expect in response.

Leaning down lower, so that his face was only centimeters from Naruto's, Sasuke said, "And you'll stay with me?" Naruto merely nodded. He was anxious for the man sitting on him. Sasuke had never been like this before. The voice that drifted down to Naruto's ears became more insistent. "Forever?"

"Yes. I love you, Sasuke. And I'll stay with you as long as you let me." He reached up and traced Sasuke's cheek, a small thrill moving through him as the pale man leaned into his touch. "Please…You're scaring me. Are you all right?" A smile of pure joy spread over Sasuke's face at these words from Naruto, as if to say, 'I am now.' "Sasuke?" Again, he was yanked, this time up from the floor. He found himself being pulled up the stairs to his bedroom. "Goddamnit, Sasuke, stop!" The other man paused, one foot on the fifth step of the spiral staircase, and looked back at Naruto curiously. The blonde bodyguard huffed, exceedingly irritated, and jerked his hand away from Sasuke's grip. "I want you to tell me, right now, what is going on in that head of yours. Yeah, you getting married might be a little bit of a problem. I want to know that you're all right. Are you?"

Sasuke gracefully descended two of the stairs, and leaned close to Naruto, a serene smile on his face. "I think…yes. I am fine. Now, please come upstairs with me. I want to show you what you will have that no woman ever will." Naruto smiled, finally knowing that Sasuke was, in fact, sane and whole. He followed Sasuke up the stairs, and frowned at his bedroom. There were new tatami mats to replace those that his blood had stained, as well as a new futon, identical to the one he had owned before.

Sasuke immediately began working the sash of Naruto's hakama. He loved the feeling of Sasuke's hands on him, but something occurred to him, just then. "Wait. Sasuke, are you saying that you'll have a wife, and me, too?"

Smiling, Sasuke nodded, still absorbed in his work. "Only in name. They want me married? I'll marry. But I'm not going to be with her, whoever she is. I belong to one person, Naruto, and I'm looking right at him." In spite of the warm feeling that admission gave him, he couldn't help but be a little put out.

"I can't think of one woman that would put up with an arrangement like that." Naruto's frown made Sasuke's smile widen even more. He thought he heard Sasuke say something like 'all the better for us,' before a sharp tug to the sash at his waist had his hakama pooling around his ankles. Naruto shrugged inwardly. Sasuke did have a point there. If no one wanted to marry him after the arrangement was stated, it wasn't his fault. "Sounds good to me, Koibito," Naruto said before he shrugged off the rest of his clothing and proceeded to trip Sasuke onto the futon.

Okay. So maybe this was a bad idea. Ino looked around. There was a very large lump in her bed. Just the thought of Jiraiya was starting to make her…strangely aroused. Damn it. She had only meant to restrain him and leave him in a room until it was time for him to do his job. But, it turned out that in addition to being an assassin, a spy, and a monk, he was also excellent at untying knots and picking locks. So, he'd tracked her down, and made her 'apologize' numerous times.

The old man had a few tricks up his sleeve, that was sure. This was the third time in so many days that she'd woken up with him in her bed. The first time was after the false bondage incident. The second was after she'd finished practicing with her throwing knives, and her katas, and had returned to her room sweating. She remembered him saying something about 'liking them sweaty' before she was hauled off of her feet and deposited in a surprisingly gentle manner on the bed. Ino had yet to find a state of being that turned the man off.

Now, she knew nothing at all had happened. She just woke up at…midnight, and there he was, lying next to her, watching her. "You freak. Get out of my bed, oyaji."

"I was hoping that we could go out." His voice was absolutely serious. Out? In public? With Jiraiya?

Absolutely not. It was not going to happen. She told him as much, but he simply got up from the bed and went to her closet. Ino blinked as he rifled through the hangers. He was wearing a dark suit, not his usual temple robes. The thing fit him very well, and Ino cursed under her breath. Damned hormones. I wish Gaara were here. Then I definitely wouldn't have to deal with the perverted monk. "Ah. Here we are." He pulled out a dark red dress. She had just bought that, and had not yet worn it. She'd gotten it specifically for the next time she saw Gaara.

"No. Not that one. That one's for a special occasion."

"Going out with me isn't special enough?" His voice was amused but did sound a little hurt. Megalomania, much?

"No, it isn't. That's for when I next see someone very special to me. He likes that color." Ino took the garment from his hand and put it back into the closet. Sighing in resignation, she shoved him to one side. "Get out of the way, baka. I'm going to find something." She flipped through her clothes until she found what she was looking for: a black dress, all lace, with a skin-colored lining, cut into a halter-top that plunged quite low in the back and fell almost to her knees. She slipped it on, as well as her boots. "There. Happy?"

"Beyond measure." Jiraiya's hands gripped her waist, and lifted her off of the floor. "You look sexy, as always." It seemed like he was going to throw her onto the bed again, and have his way with her. She wouldn't have complained, per se, but she didn't like getting all dressed up and not leaving the house. Instead, he bent and nipped at her neck, his teeth grazing the skin just below her ear. That did it.

"Jiraiya, do I need to get the handcuffs? If you keep that up, we're not going anywhere." He growled against her neck, sending welcome shivers through her. The man was no Gaara, but he would do in the mean time. He put her down, and she straightened her dress. Ino shook an admonishing finger at him. "No more of that, mister. If we're going somewhere, lets go. If not, don't make me get all dressed up." He chuckled, and took her arm like the gentleman he wasn't. That made her smile. He could play a part pretty well.

They took a taxi out to the nightclub district, and Ino found herself in a familiar bar. If she wasn't mistaken, this was one of Tsunade's haunts. And sure enough, there was the doctor, drowning her sorrows in sake and white radish. Jiraiya saw her, as well. By the smitten look on his face, she knew the man was in deep trouble. "Ah, ojisan, you don't want to go there." He looked at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

Ino pointed openly at the woman. "That's Tsunade-san. She's the Uchiha family doctor, and not someone you want to fuck with." The expression on his face did not change. "Fine, old man. It's your funeral." This might actually be pretty entertaining.

"Funeral?" He waved a dismissive hand at her assertion. "Oh, I'm sure she'll love me." Ino watched as Jiraiya moved to sit down with Tsunade. She wasn't the least bit put off that she had been abandoned. He was fun to play with, but she really didn't like him all that much. That, and who was she to pass up a free show? He stood to get his face bashed in, even if he was a master assassin. Ino leaned against the wall near the door, watching. The two of them talked for a few moments, after which the woman's hand shot out and settled itself between Jiraiya's legs. From his posture, it was not doing anything pleasant.

Ino smiled. She sidled up to Tsunade, greeting her. "Tsunade-san, how nice to see you. Oh, and I see you've met Jiraya-sama."

"Ino, did you bring this hentai in here?" She nodded in answer, and the woman let go of Jiraiya. "And you let him approach me because?"

"It's fun to watch." She leaned over, so that she could see Jiraiya's still recovering face. "Didn't I tell you, old man? She's not someone to mess with, is she?"

Before Jiraiya could answer, Tsunade said, "Next time you decide to bring someone to my favorite bar, could you please check with me first? I don't ever want to see this idiot again." There was a tone of familiarity there that was soon explained when Jiraiya next spoke.

"I said I was sorry, didn't I, Tsu-chan? It was so long ago!" They knew each other? Well, that explained a lot. Tsunade merely ordered another sake and ignored him. "Please? I didn't mean it. Really, I didn't." His tone was utterly desperate, but Ino couldn't feel sorry for him if she tried. Tsunade stopped moving, her cup halfway to her lips. She turned her head toward Jiraiya, and scowled.

"What do you mean, you didn't mean it? What didn't you 'mean', exactly? The part where you published pictures of me naked, or the part where I got kicked out of med school? Oh! Maybe you mean the part where you left me at the altar?" Ino's eyes widened. They were going to be married? Oh, this was getting good. She settled in to listen. But, she didn't get much more to hear. Jiraiya opened his mouth, and Tsunade simply grabbed his wrist and started hauling him out of the bar. Fearing for the man's safety, she followed them at what she deemed to be a safe distance, ready to intervene if things got out of hand. Tsunade dragged the large man into a nearby alley, and though Ino couldn't see them, she knew that the woman was beating him within an inch of his life.

Peeking around the corner, she saw that she was not, in fact, correct. The thumping sounds she'd been hearing were not punches. Tsunade was ripping Jiraiya's clothes off. The first thump Ino had heard was his jacket, which had some light armor sewn into the lining. The false monk was pressed against the wall of the alley, a look of utter disbelief on his face, though it was quickly melting into one of sheer pleasure. "Damn you…" Tsunade began muttering all manner of curses at him as she unzipped his pants. Ino's eyebrows tried to climb into her hairline as she watched, transfixed for a few moments. Could the human body really bend in that position? That was more than enough for her. She walked back to the bar, and hailed a taxi, taking it back to the Uchiha estate. Ino was beyond disturbed. Tsunade having sex was just far too scary. But, more power to her. If she could reign in that perverted monk, then Ino would shake her hand. At the very least, she wouldn't have to worry about waking up with him in her bed again. That was one less mistake that she would be repeating.

Iruka's eyes narrowed. The man who sat across the desk from him merely smiled. Looking down at the list that was as long as his forearm, he sucked a tooth. "And you need this when?"

A toothy smile from Kakashi made him wince. "As soon as humanly possible, Iruka. You know, I heard a line somewhere… 'Know not this haste of mine…' It fits this situation perfectly. You really do not have any clue how badly we need this, and how soon we do. We've got people on Hokkaido." Iruka's eyebrows rose, and he ran a finger over the scar that crossed the bridge of his nose. It wasn't as if he didn't know that. For God's sake, his wife was there. And Kurenai technically was one of the Uchiha's 'people' at the moment.

Frowning down at the list again, he said, "You know that I'll have to call in a few favors, Kakashi. This stuff isn't cheap. Especially to get it past Customs." The man simply waved off his warning. "What's got the Uchiha's panties in a wad to get this done so quickly?"

That unsettling smile moved over Kakashi's thin lips again. "Call it a family matter, 'Ruka." Warning bells started going off in Iruka's head. Kakashi never called him that unless he wanted something extra special.

"What do you want?" Iruka blurted this out, without thinking. As usual, he was right on the mark. Kakashi sat up straight, now all business. Not a good sign.

"I need to ask a favor of you, old friend." When Iruka asked him what that favor was, he felt an ominous silence fall over the room before Kakashi answered. "Do you still know any 'independent contractors'?" That was Kakashi's term for assassins. Iruka gaped at the man. Kakashi was more than proficient at his job, and Iruka thought that the only person who would be able to match him was Kurenai. He waited for the man to continue after he nodded. "I have a loose end that needs tying, and I can't have any of the Uchiha organization connected with it."

"This have anything to do with Akatsuki?" At Kakashi's nod, he said, "If I'm sticking my neck out, let me know right now what I'm sticking it out for. If it's for Uchiha, I'm not sure if I want to."

"It isn't." Kakashi shifted his weight, leaning on his other elbow. "It's for Anko." Iruka was rather surprised at this reply. He supposed that he shouldn't be too surprised. The two of them were bound to end up together again. They were just too good for each other. Iruka let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair, giving the slightly older man a wise look.

"Well, if it's for her, I'll see what I can do. Just so long as you don't go fucking things up again." Kakashi laughed, saying that there was little chance of that. "Okay. So what's the job?"

Leaning forward in his chair, Kakashi stopped laughing. "I want Orochimaru dead by noon tomorrow."

Naruto opened his eyes, and looked around. Sasuke was not lying next to him. In a moment of panic, he jumped up from the futon, tearing around his bedroom, the bathroom, and then bounding down the stairs after wrapping the sheet around himself, only to find the pale man sitting in the library, a pair of black boxer shorts and white gloves the only garments he wore as he leafed through the large leather-bound volume on the table. He bit his lip as his eyes fixed on Sasuke's face, which was etched in concentration. Why did he find Naruto's family history so interesting? Those long, gloved fingers delicately turned each page with the same reverence that Naruto himself used when handling the book. Sasuke looked up from the manuscript, and smiled at Naruto before removing the gloves and putting them back into the drawer he'd gotten them from.

"I see you're feeling better." He said after Sasuke gave him a very sweet kiss good morning. The dark-eyed man merely nodded, a soft smile gracing his lips and eying what Naruto was wearing, amused. "Are we going back to your house?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Not today. All of the preparations are being made as we speak, and Kakashi has a decent handle on things. As soon as our contacts and suppliers are ready, we move. I'm guessing in no less than a week. So we have a bit of time. And during that week," Sasuke pulled him forward, his hands running down Naruto's back and under the sheet. It took a lot of willpower for the blonde's mind to keep from clouding over as he felt agile fingers caress the flesh of his backside. "I'm going to make sure your skills haven't dulled."

The unspoken challenge had Naruto bristling, just as Sasuke wanted him to. "Are you saying I'm going soft, Sasuke? Oh, I'm sorry…" He extricated himself from Sasuke before bowing reverently, all the while clutching the bed sheet around his waist. "I mean…Sasuke-sama." Sasuke made an irritated noise, and Naruto simply grinned at him cheekily. He did like to be able to get under Sasuke's skin. Turn-about was fair play, after all. The look on Sasuke's face was serious now. "Fine, fine. We'll train. But breakfast first, ne?"

Four hours later, Naruto found himself defending against Sasuke, but the were not using real weapons, as per Naruto's request. If Sasuke really thought that he couldn't fight all out with a shinai, then he wasn't showing any indication that he thought that was so at the moment. Both of them fought hard against the other. They stopped to rest after Sasuke had been knocked to the floor for the fifth time, and Naruto handed him a glass of water once they got to the kitchen. "Ne, Sasuke?"

"Yes?" Sasuke leaned against the stove, a light sheen of sweat covering his face, and his torso, in spite of all his efforts to wipe it away. He wore only a pair of Naruto's shorts, which were just a little bit too big in the hips, causing them to hang low, clinging on for dear life just above pale buttocks and dark hair. Overall, the picture was almost too much for Naruto to handle, especially when he drank. That must be a position calculated by whatever God there was to make him painfully aroused. As difficult as it was, he pushed his hormones to the wayside for the moment and asked Sasuke something he'd been wanting to for some time. "Why did my father owe your family?"

Sasuke frowned around the clear blue edge of his glass. It didn't seem like he was going to answer. Naruto was about to drop the subject when he heard that low and musical voice recount the circumstances of the debt. "I'm sure you're familiar with my brother, Itachi?" Naruto nodded, holding back a nearly feral growl, then Sasuke proceeded with the story. "Just after he killed my parents, and our sisters, he tried to take control of the clan. It wasn't as if any of the Elders would have accepted him after he murdered the clan head and the others. I escaped his reach, and he fled. Before the word got out about what he had done, he asked your father for help in getting out of the country. Naruto, the only reason I spared his life was because it was clear that he had no idea about what Itachi had done." Naruto nodded, understanding.

"Can I ask you something, Naruto?" Again, the blonde nodded. "Once you kill the man you're saving your father's sword for, what will you do? Will you be the head of your clan?" Before Naruto could answer, his telephone rang.

He moved toward it, and picked up the receiver. "Moshi, moshi. Uzumaki Naruto speaking."

"Hello, Naruto." A low, smooth and deadly calm male voice said through the phone.

"Who is this?" Naruto was confused. He had never heard this voice before.

There was an amused little laugh, then a brief silence before the voice said, "My name is Sabaku no Gara. I am not supposed to be speaking to you like this, but I made a promise to Ino that I would." Naruto's confusion only grew until the man on the other end of the phone said, "I'm calling you to tell you that we have something in common…"

Sakura's blush deepened. Lee was far too excessive in his compliments. He always was. And he was excessive in doting on her. He had just handed her a large box, wrapped in pink paper. There was no refusing his gift. She had tried once before, a few days earlier, when he had given her an intricate silver comb for her hair. It was really beautiful, but Sakura really did feel wrong accepting anything from him. This was a job. But as she carefully unwrapped the box, and opened it, there was a part of her that forgot anything about it being a job.

Lying there, in the box, was the most beautiful green kimono she had ever seen. "To go with your eyes." He liked her eyes. No. Point of fact…he loved her eyes. It was the first thing he told her in the morning, right after calling her all manner of outlandish names expounding on her beauty, grace, and demeanor. If only he knew. If only she could show him that she was nothing like this. She hated having to smile and laugh all of the time. And he just took it all in, soaking it up. Sakura knew that he was falling in love with her, and she wished that she could stop it. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. He was too sweet.

She ran a finger along the collar of the garment in the box, thoughtfully. "Lee-san, it's beautiful," Her finger came across a lump under the fabric of the kimono. When she reached under it, she found…a tessen? She snapped the fan open, admiring the designs painted on the metal, and eying the razor-sharp edges on the tips of each fan blade. "Lee-san?" Why had he given her a weapon?

He leaned close to her, and spoke in hushed tones. "Sakura-san, please keep that close. I have only just discovered some disturbing things about the people who are coming here for dinner tonight." Her eyes widened, and she wondered why he was whispering, but she nodded. "I also have reason to suspect some of the maids here. Keep that fan with you at all times. If anything happened to you…" The look of pain in his eyes was too much for her to bear. This had gone on for too long. She hated this. Why did it have to be this way? He was so sweet, and innocent, and she wished that she could tell him why she was there. But then again, she had a feeling that he was a very bad actor, so he wouldn't be able to help her. Also, what he didn't know would be much less likely to hurt him.

Sakura placed the box on the floor, and removed her usual fan from its cloth sleeve, replacing it with the tessen. Once the sheathed fan was placed back behind her obi, she stood and thanked him, then motioned that he follow her. Over the past week, Sakura had actually grown fond of his loud behavior, his brash affection. She wasn't going to tell him that she was a spy. But she could let the mask slip, just a little. When they were in a room with no windows, the bathroom, she turned to him, and said, "Please don't worry about me, Lee-san. I can take care of myself."

"Sakura-san, it is my youthful—"

Her temper began to flare, and her green eyes flashed. "Lee, that's enough. Look at me." He seemed stunned. "I am sorry to have deceived you. But I will tell you here and now, that I am no geisha."

Lee relaxed considerably. "I know that."

"What?" Sakura stared, incredulity painted over her face, the same as her makeup was. "How…when did you figure it out?"

Lee sat on the edge of the bath. "The first night I brought you here. I saw it. Geisha are trained for years never to let themselves be seen as anything but serene. You let your guard down because I was drunk."

"And you let me stay? Why?" She already knew the answer to that, really.

"I have my reasons, Sakura. You are, as I have said many times, very beautiful, and you must know how I feel about you. But there are others, which I cannot tell you." She looked at him, completely filled with disbelief. Who was he? What was he doing here, and were they using each other now? Or had it been that way to begin with? Her head spun. Lee smiled at her, radiant once more. "I suppose you know how to use the tessen?"

"Yes, though it isn't my preferred weapon. Lee, I'm sorry." She tried to sound as sincere as she felt, unsure that it came out as well as she wanted it to.

"No apologies are necessary. Just be careful tonight. There will be some very influential, and very notorious individuals coming here tonight. I'm supposed to be watching them." Was he a spy? No. That couldn't be. He was far too open. Then again, the first thing Kakashi taught her was that the best place to hide was in plain sight. The man bowed to her with a sweet smile; she was now wondering if it was faked, and left the bathroom.

Sakura was stunned for a long moment. Then, she ran out of the bathroom, as fast as her kimono would allow, to catch up with Lee. When she caught his sleeve, just before he was to leave the room entirely, she just wanted to look at his face, to see if everything he'd said to her thus far was a lie. But when he turned, she was surprised, and more so than she had ever been in her life, before. He swept her up into his arms, and Sakura was left blinking as she was thoroughly kissed. It was not the kind of kiss that a man who was in any way innocent would give. This was a full, deep, and sensual kiss that took her breath away. He pulled away from her, and she could finally breathe. "Who are you?" Her voice came out as a harsh whisper as she looked into dark eyes that now held more mystery than any she'd yet seen.

Lee simply smiled. "I'm Rock Lee. More than that, I cannot tell you."

A/N: New words!

oyaji--basically means "old man", kind of like ojisan.

tessen--a fan used as a weapon; can be made of metal with painted designs, or bamboo and cloth with razors at the edges.