A/N: Thank you very much for the kind reviews! I just received a very recent anon review (and after I picked up writing this again, a review from another user) that reminded me that it had been A YEAR since I had last updated this fic, and I have had this chapter in the works for approximately that time. I figured it was time to actually finish it and release it. So, thanks, anon! :) I admit that writing this chapter was a bit of a struggle and I've re-written several sections of it so that's part of the reason it took so long... and this has ended up being the longest chapter I've written yet. It wasn't meant to be that way, it just kinda kept on getting longer and longer.

For Lee's outfit, I imagined one of those traditional Chinese shirts, kind of like in Naruto Shippuden's ending credits #15 or like the clothing Tenten wears. It's just hard to say he was wearing a "traditional Chinese shirt" without there being a proper in-universe China in the Naruto world to reference.

Chapter 15

His Antithesis

Sakura decided upon a casual-looking summer floral dress. It would be nice to wear some of her civilian clothes for once that did nothing but collect dust in her closet. She always either had to wear her work or kunoichi clothes so she never got the chance to wear something else from time to time.

She was excited to hang out with Lee for the first time outside of training or the hospital. She could forget her troubles with Sasuke for a time and enjoy the company of her infectiously optimistic friend, which was something she had needed in her life for quite some time, especially with Naruto busy with Hokage work. Would it be awkward hanging out with Lee without a business-like goal like training, a mission, or injury treatment? She did not know. She hoped not. What she had to do now was to shove her thoughts on Sasuke to the back of her mind so it would not interfere with her time with Lee despite how much she wanted to ponder and hypothesize. It made her antsy.

Not a second past five there was a knock at her door. As expected, when Sakura opened the door, she was greeted by Lee himself at her doorstep. He was wearing a looser-fitting traditional shirt in his signature color: green. It was an odd sight to see him wearing something not his jumpsuit - or even anything not skintight.

Lee greeted her with a large smile; his eyes immediately lit up upon meeting hers. "Good evening, Sakura!"

"Good evening, Lee. You're very timely," Sakura said with a welcoming smile, her shoulders immediately relaxing.

"Of course! Guy-sensei taught me that timeliness is a very important virtue! If I was not on time for our training sessions I had to walk around Konoha on my hands backwards."

Sakura recalled occasionally seeing Lee around Konoha doing exactly that during their genin days and simply giving him an odd look as he passed by. "Well, I'm not Guy-sensei so I wouldn't make you do anything crazy like that."

"I would not mind! Being late meant an additional opportunity to train!" Lee insisted. "If I were late to our genjutsu training sessions I would be deserving of some form of extra-hard training to make up for it!"

"Quite the masochist, aren't you?"

Lee blinked in confusion.

"Never mind that," Sakura excused herself before she would have to explain. "Enough talk about training! Let's grab a bite to eat."

Lee's expression turned back to a large grin. "Of course!"

Sakura stepped out of her home and locked the door behind her. She took the lead heading towards downtown Konoha, Lee following loyally beside her. "So, where would you like to eat?"

"I have just the thing!" Lee exclaimed excitedly before he began digging into his pocket. "I was not sure if we would have issues selecting a place, so I came up with a list of ten possible places to make sure we could find something that you enjoy!" He produced a crumpled up piece of paper and began to unravel it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Before he could begin to read it Sakura placed one of her hands on top of the note. Lee looked up at her, puzzled. "This is about your success on the genjutsu dispel. Pick your favorite place and I'll find something on the menu I like."

"But-"

"I insist," Sakura interrupted before he could come up with a long-winded reason as to why he insisted they go to a place she would like. Sakura understood with over-polite types you had to sometimes be forceful to make sure they did not neglect their own desires to please others.

"Well..." Lee hesitated, putting the crumpled note away. "I have something in mind."

"Great!" Sakura smiled, pleased that he did not make it more difficult than it had to be.

Lee brought them to a small, discrete restaurant with a tacky sign that read 'Leaf's Curry House: Home of the hottest curry!'

Sakura's stomach sunk. Oh no. I hate spicy food. But she told herself she would not complain. She told Lee to pick the restaurant after all. Surely they have things other than curry on their menu, she assured herself.

The waitress set them at a small table, setting menus down before leaving.

"So..." Sakura said as she picked up her menu. Lee smiled widely at her from across the table. "You like curry, huh?"

Lee nodded vigorously. "Curry is my favorite food. The hotter the better!"

Sakura scanned the menu choices. Curry, curry, and more curry. "Er, is all they serve here is curry?"

"Yep! It wouldn't be a proper curry house otherwise, I would think," Lee said.

"I see," Sakura replied. "Um, so Lee, what's your favorite menu item? I've never been here before."

"My favorite is the Flaming Hellfire Curry. I highly recommend it for first timers!"

Sakura sweated. "Er, I don't do so well with spicy things. What's the... mildest thing I can get?"

"Hmm..." Lee scanned the menu, eyebrows slightly furrowed. "I would say the Standard Curry. All the other ones are incrementally hotter."

Great, and how hot is the Standard Curry? Sakura worried, but she kept her mouth shut.

When the waitress returned they placed their orders. The waitress chatted with Lee for a bit and welcomed him warmly. Seemed like Lee came here often. Sakura glanced up at Lee after the waitress left. When they locked eyes he gave her a wide, heartwarming smile. Sakura smiled back, albeit more timidly.

"Sakura, do you plan on being a part of the war memorial parade during the upcoming festival?" Lee asked earnestly, leaning a bit forward in his seat.

"Um, I'm not sure yet," Sakura responded, pondering to herself. "I've always been more interested in watching parades than being a part of them. They're harder to appreciate when you're in the middle of it yourself, I think."

"But you are a hero!" Lee insisted, his large eyebrows pinching together, which comically exaggerated how upset he was at her indecision. Sakura was starting to grow fond of that quirk of his. It was no difficult matter to guess his mood if she just watched his brows.

"As are you," Sakura giggled. "Just about every shinobi was a part of that war. If the whole village joined in on the parade, not as many would be able to appreciate it."

"But you are Sakura Har-" Lee cleared his throat, and continued, "You are Sakura. Second generation of the legendary sannin. You were instrumental in the war. Everyday people love seeing big heroes like yourself. It gives them hope for the future. If you take part in the parade I am sure we can march together as part of the Third Division if you are worried about being bored or not being around friends." He then flashed an inviting grin.

"Let me think on it," Sakura said, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. She did like the idea of spending it with Lee but that was a thought for another time.

"Okay!" Lee said enthusiastically, her noncommittal answer not swaying him in the slightest.

Sakura suddenly gasped. "I just realized today is Sunday! I'm not... getting in the way of training with your team, am I?"

Lee shook his head. "Not at all! Guy-sensei was very understanding as to why I had to leave training early. I will make up my lost time by running 400 laps around Konoha tomorrow morning!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. How could he always have so much energy and enthusiasm? "You're not going to wear yourself out too much before our training, right?"

"N-Not at all!" Lee insisted. "Sakura, I assure you that I will not compromise our training! I will be sure to take it easy."

Sakura laughed. "Take it easy? You? Impossible."

"Sakura, I am hurt that you do not trust me," Lee said with mock despair, made obvious by a coy smile.

"In other matters, yes. In this matter, not at all," Sakura jested.

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their curry, held by the chef himself. "Lee! The man with the iron stomach! Miku told me that you were here so I came to say hello." The chef placed the plates down in front of the two shinobi. He then raised a curious eyebrow at Sakura with a grin. "And who might this fine lady be? Wait, could it be? Lady Tsunade's successor? Sakura... Haruno! Welcome to my quaint curry shop!" The chef bowed his head for a moment in respect.

Sakura sheepishly laughed, waving off his formality. "Thank you!"

The chef then looked back at Lee, who was sipping his tea contently. "Quite the catch you managed, eh?" he winked. "How'd you manage to charm someone big like this into a date?"

Lee suddenly choked on his tea, his face bright red. He set the tea down and descended into coughing fit. "We-" Cough. "This-" Cough, cough. "Not-" Cough.

The chef didn't wait for Lee to finish, instead he let out a hearty laugh, patted Lee sturdily on the back, and walked off.

Sakura sat stunned for a moment, heat rising to her face. A date?! Does it look like we're on a date? she thought.

Lee finally composed himself from his coughing fit, thumping his chest to clear it all out. The two made eye contact. Lee fidgeted in his seat, trying his best to hide his bashfulness with a polite smile. Sakura mirrored him. What was this fluttering in her stomach?

Sakura finally decided to speak up and said, "So, how about that curry, huh?" She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and dug in.

Lee nodded, following her lead to drop the embarrassing subject.

As soon as the curry hit her tongue her taste buds cried out from the heat. With tears in her eyes she forced herself to swallow before immediately chugging her tea to soothe her burning throat. She looked up to see Lee contently eating his curry with not so much as a wince from the incredible spiciness. Sakura stared at him in disbelief.

How is he human? Sakura thought to herself while picking at her food.

While they ate, Lee gulped down his food with the vigor of a starved man. Sakura on the other hand picked delicately at her curry, consciously taking chunks of rice on the sides of her plate that were covered in minimal curry. Even so, she still grimaced at the heat on her tongue. Spicy food just never agreed with her.

They chatted casually about things, keeping a friendly attitude. Sakura was not sure if Lee felt the same, but she could feel a bit of tension in the air after the chef's comment. They were sitting a bit stiffer than usual, eye contact wavering here and there. Was it romantic tension, perhaps? Could she really blame the chef for getting the wrong idea? The two of them were dressed nicer, dining alone together. Even outside of this curry shop they spent just about every day together. Anyone could get the wrong idea.

While Lee chatted excitedly away about a new taijutsu move he wanted to show her, Sakura's mind pondered the what-if's. What if this was a date? What if she was dating Lee? She imagined he would be the corny type. Super affectionate, flowers, declarations of love; the whole nine yards. Sakura blushed toying with the idea of what it would be like. There was a time in her youth that she would have been horrified at the thought, but now, not so much. Through getting to know Lee the things that used to dislike about him have become oddly charming.

"-and that is how you... Sakura, are you okay?" Lee tilted his head curiously, his silky black hair shifting across his forehead. His warm eyes look intently into her own, hinting at concern, his expressive eyebrows raised.

Sakura blinked, looking at Lee. He offered her a soft, encouraging smile. "I-Yes, I'm perfectly alright," she insisted. "I was just thinking."

Lee's smile widened, eager. "Oh? What were you thinking about?"

"I...er..." Sakura stumbled on her words, before chuckling. "Nothing that you need to know, Lee," she teased.

Sakura could see his curiosity peak, his eyebrows raised inquisitively. But they soon lowered, as did his smile to a mock frown of indignation. "Okay, Sakura. It would be rude of me to pry. You may have your secrets."

Sakura giggled. It was certainly a secret best kept to herself.

She looked down at their plates. Lee's was empty while hers almost looked untouched. Lee's gaze followed hers, causing him to speak up. "Was the curry not to your liking?"

"Oh, I'm fine, I'm just not as hungry as I thought is all," Sakura said, waving off the comment.

Lee nodded, not looking entirely convinced. After paying and leaving the restaurant, Sakura's stomach grumbled loudly. She folded her arms across her stomach, mentally cursing it, and glanced at Lee, embarrassed. "Okay, maybe I lied. The curry was just a bit too hot for me. I'm actually not a big fan of spicy things."

Lee looked horrified. "Sakura, my sincerest apologies! If I knew that you did not like spicy food I would have not brought you to this place! You need not lie for my sake!"

"It's fine! I assure you! This is supposed to be a celebration for you, not me," Sakura said firmly.

Lee was not satisfied with that answer. "But we cannot go on until you hunger is sated! What type of food do you prefer?" Lee looked at her intensely, his thick eyebrows low on his brow to show he was very serious. He was not going to back down.

"Well... I like sweet things, like dango," Sakura suggested.

"Then we shall find a dango stall!" Lee declared. "Come, Sakura! I know of one! We can make it before they close for the evening!"

Lee grabbed Sakura by the arm and began marching off downtown, determined. Sakura stumbled a bit, not quite expecting to be dragged along, but once she regained her footing after a step she giggled as Lee led her.

"Ah! There it is!" Lee exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the setting sun while looking ahead.

Sakura squinted. It was a dango stall she did not recognize, with a cute bear mascot on the welcome sign. "Is that place new? I don't think I've seen it before."

"It has been here for a few weeks," Lee said, nodding his head. "They have a signature dango you must try, Sakura! It is very popular."

"You have my attention," Sakura chuckled.

Lee smiled widely in response.

There were only a few people lingering around the stall since the dinner rush was over. The stall owner was an older woman with her back turned, working on the dough. The two of them sat on available stools in front of the stall. Sakura and Lee's shoulders were left brushing lightly against each other; the seating arrangement was made dense to fit as many potential customers as possible.

Lee grabbed the attention of the stall owner and asked for two orders of their signature dango. The stall owner prepared the food in the back for a few minutes before returning to them two plates with three skewers each. Sakura gasped when she saw the dango. Each ball of dango was decorated to look like cute bears with round eyes and small, round ears. They were coated heavily in a thick, brown syrup.

"Lee, I don't think I've ever seen something edible that is so cute. I'm not sure if I can even eat them now," Sakura gushed, picking up a skewer to admire them.

Lee grinned widely, very pleased with her reaction, as he handed money to the stall keeper. Before Sakura could protest he said, "Please, Sakura, I insist. This is both a thank you for training me so diligently as well as putting up with the curry."

Sakura laughed. "Alright, you win," she said, taking a delicate bite of the dango. Her face lit up with the sweet flavor. "Wow, this is so good!"

"I am both relieved and happy that you like it!" Lee said as he took a bite of his own dango.

"I am surprised you have room for dango after all that curry you ate, though, who am I kidding," she snickered, playfully nudging his shoulder with her own. "Men's stomachs are bottomless, without exception."

Lee blinked at the small sign of physical affection before recovering, smiling bigger. "I cannot refute that. I am, after all, a prime example of a man! Youthful! Hot-blooded! Handsome! Strong! A large stomach is needed to give me enough energy to be able to be all of these things at once!" Lee shook his fist passionately during his speech before turning to Sakura and giving her a thumbs up and a sparking, confident grin.

Sakura stared at him for a moment, giving him an odd look, before bursting out laughing, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"S-Sakura! What is so funny?" Lee asked, alarmed and confused.

Sakura calmed herself down and wiped the tears from her eyes before answering. "You. How does someone as ridiculous but endearing as you even exist?"

A redness crept up Lee's face. The smile returned, but it was sheepish. His eyes drifted shyly down to his lap before returning to Sakura. "You... like how I am?" he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Mmhmm," Sakura nodded, smiling warmly at him. "You're not like the other shinobi. You embrace your eccentricities wholeheartedly with unrivaled genuineness. And... you're sweet, just like this dango," she said lightheartedly before taking another bite.

"It... it means a lot to hear that from you," Lee said before nervously chuckling, "Usually Tenten will just chastise me."

Sakura could shamefully admit that Tenten's behavior is not unlike how she used to treat Naruto when they were younger. It was from a time when she was judgmental and not as open to accepting others that were different. She liked to think that was different now thanks to the maturity she has gained with age. Lee had definitely been one lesson learned after their first Chunnin Exams that even the odd ones were worthy of respect. "Well, good thing you're here with me then," Sakura winked playfully.

Lee studied her a moment, his eyes soft. "Indeed, I am a very lucky man."

They were disturbed by the stall owner approaching them from her counter. "I'm closing for the night. You're welcome to sit and finish but I'm turning off the lights," she said plainly, looking between the two shinobi and the other remaining customers that were seated.

"Thank you," Sakura nodded in gratitude. "Have a nice evening!"

The stall owner smiled. "You too, young lady," she said before turning around to get ready for closing.

Sakura turned back to Lee. "Looks like we're still both eating through our dango, so I think we can sit and finish them here. I'm not too worried about the dark. Like the civilians like to say, we shinobi have night vision," she joked.

Lee chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Indeed! Even so, the-"

Suddenly, Lee lurched forward towards Sakura, his eyes wide, as his skewer of dango he was holding went into Sakura's hair and stuck there. Lee froze. Sakura froze. She stared at him in shock with a small gasp, processing what just happened. Lee's wide eyes darted from the dango to her face, his mouth agape, absolutely mortified. Next to Lee, a heavy set civilian had stood up from his seat and was leaving, muttering a quiet "sorry".

Lee suddenly remembered how to speak, his mouth running at a million miles per minute as his face turned red. "M-My s-sincerest apologies, Sakura! I did not mean to - it j-just - I-I was not being careful! Please forgive me! J-Just let me - I can fix this!" he stuttered, his voice weak, as his hands twitched near the half-eaten dango hanging from her hair, uncertain.

Sakura has half tempted to yell after the man who had carelessly shoved Lee but he was already long gone. She took a deep breath, calming herself, before she said, "Lee, it's okay! It wasn't your fault," she grimaced. Lee did not look convinced, his face still painted with guilt. "Don't worry, I can take care of it." She reached gave the dango skewer a tug, but she only winced as it tugged on her hair, barely budging.

Sakura looked at Lee seeing the same realization on his face as on hers, as though they wordlessly shared the same thought: 'oh no, it's stuck'.

Lee whipped around, his eyes locking on the stall owner who was just about ready to leave. "M-Ma'am! Before you go, could we please have water and napkins?"

The stall owner glanced back at the two of them, realizing what just happened. "My, my. Not again." After a few moments of digging she came back with a big cup of water and a large bunch of napkins and placed them on the counter. "I'm starting to think I need to change the syrup recipe," she sighed.

"T-Thank you!" Lee said gratefully.

The stall owner nodded before leaving, not before turning out the lights, leaving Lee and Sakura with just the dim street lights and decorative lanterns hung up from the nearby restaurants and shops to light their faces.

Lee dabbed a napkin in the water before he swiveled on his seat towards Sakura. He looked at her, hesitant, as though waiting for permission.

Sakura studied him for only a moment, deciding it was endearing to see how flustered and panicked he was in this situation. She let out a small giggle, smiling. "Go ahead," she said, bowing her head slightly to make it easier for him.

A flash of relief spread across Lee's face, perhaps thankful that he was allowed to right his mistake, or because her demeanor lightened. Lee leaned forward and brought his hands to her hair. He began to switch off between dabbing her hair stuck with syrup with the napkin and pulling strands off of the sticky dango.

Lee tugged too hard on a hair strand causing Sakura to wince and let out an "ow!"

Lee's hands recoiled immediately. "I am so sorry, Sakura! I did not mean to hurt you!"

"It's okay Lee," Sakura assured, trying to ease his guilt. "It's just this damn dango has really tangled itself well in my hair."

"I'll be a bit more careful," Lee said, bringing his hands in once more. This time he went slower and more gently, conscious of every strand of hair. His brow was slightly wrinkled in concentration as he had his full attention on her hair. His face had finally relaxed as he seemed distracted from his guilt by the delicate task at hand.

Sakura watched him work for a moment, before realizing how close his face was to hers. He was about a foot away, as was needed to work on her hair in the dim light. He had scooted forward in his seat to get nearer, which left him closer in her personal space than she was used to. Yes, training did get them up close, but it just was not the same. This was more... intimate, especially with them being alone in the dim light. She suddenly became very aware of their breathing. Lee's chest rising and falling, slow and steady. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment, before she forced herself back to a normal breathing pattern.

"Thank you," she said. "This would have been a hassle to try and get it out myself. I would probably have to go home and suffer weird looks so I could do this properly in front of a mirror." Sakura let out a light laugh imaging how silly she looked.

Lee glanced at her for a moment before his gaze returned to her hair. An amused smile graced his lips. "I am more than happy to be of assistance." There was a pause as he thought, before he continued. "But, I am sincerely sorry that the food tonight has not been very cooperative with you. I accept the blame for picking these spots myself."

"Nonsense," Sakura said. "That isn't your fault at all. Plus, tonight is supposed to be about you and your success. As long as you're having a good time, that's what matters."

"I cannot say I am having a good time unless I know you are too."

Sakura giggled, feeling warmth spread to her cheeks. "Okay, yes, despite the food mishaps I have been having a good time."

Lee's eyes lit up as he glanced at her once again, and the smile on his face spread wide. "Good. Then I am having a good time. Despite the mishaps, of course."

He's cute, Sakura suddenly thought. His silky black hair framed his face nicely. His dark eyes were always so warm and open. And his smile, the brightest feature on his face, always seemed so genuine and inviting. Even his bold eyebrows, Sakura decided, worked well for his face. They were the key to his expressiveness, and they added a certain masculine quality to his face.

It felt strange to admit that. When Sakura first met him she was disgusted at his appearance. It was odd to think how that has changed. But, genin Sakura was narrow minded and only had one opinion of what was considered attractive - the features Sasuke had. Now, as a jonin, she liked to think she was more open minded. It did not trouble Sakura to admit she thought Lee was kind of cute. Being married did not mean she could not see handsomeness or beauty in others when she saw it. The important part was not to act on it, or let it become full-blown attraction.

Lee continued after a pause, interrupting Sakura from her thoughts. His voice lowered, now soft. "Sakura... I really do wish to express my deepest gratitude for teaching me how to dispel genjutsu. I would have never have come so far without your help. It means a lot to me that you have been willing to sacrifice large portions of your day just to teach me, especially with how long it has taken."

"It's my pleasure," Sakura responded, her voice low to match his. There was no need to talk loud with the small distance between them after all. "Training with you is my favorite part of the day. I always look forward to it. It's made me a happier person, I think."

Lee seemed to pause for a moment, considering her response. His shoulders then relaxed, and his features softened. "I am glad."

Sakura's eyes studied him, wondering what he was thinking at that moment. There was something so soft and gentle about his eyes that drew her in to them. "I really... hope it helps you on your goal to become a jonin. You certainly deserve the rank despite what limitations you have."

"Thank you, Sakura. I... hope so too. I want nothing more than to be able to prove myself, after all." Lee then glanced at her again. "If I may ask... do you also have a goal you are currently striving for?"

Sakura pondered this for moment. Right now she wanted to find out what Sasuke was up to. She wanted to fix her marriage. Those were private, personal goals; not ones she was willing to share. For ones that would better her as a person, as Lee's goal was, she wasn't sure. She found herself lost in the monotony of work at the hospital after everything had settled down after the war, living day by day. "I'm... I'm not sure yet," Sakura replied, a hint of melancholy and shame in her voice. "I need to find a new, concrete goal to strive towards. I'm always willing to better myself as a kunoichi, but I have not set myself any goals. Some kunoichi I am, huh?"

Lee paused his work on her hair to look at her directly now, his eyebrows low on his brow, his eyes serious. "You are the prime example of a kunoichi. I bet young girls at the Academy tell others they want to be just you when they become full-fledged shinobi, just like they used to say about Lady Tsunade. You do not need a definitive goal at all times in order to be great."

Sakura blushed, glancing away from his gaze shyly. She meant it partly as a self-deprecating joke, but the intense way Lee was looking at her threw her off. "Perhaps you're right, Lee. I have accomplished a lot as a shinobi. I need to stop being so unnecessarily critical of myself. Just give me some time to find a new goal. Once I find it, I will be sure to share it with you." Sakura's eyes returned to Lee's, now confident.

Lee's features softened, and he smiled warmly as he returned to her hair. His eyes suddenly brightened as he suddenly pulled off the dango skewer off her head. "Ah-ha!" It was covered in a few strands of pink hair.

Sakura gasped gleefully. "Oh my gosh, it's finally out! Thank you!" She patted down her head where the dango once was, but she pulled her hand away in disgust as syrup stuck to her hand, her giddy mood immediately dampened. "Ugh..."

Lee put the hairy dango down on his plate before turning towards her again, fingertips and napkin at her hair once more. "There is just a few crumbs of dango and syrup left. I can get it all out."

Sakura sighed. "Thank you, Lee. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"It is not a problem!" Lee was now soaking the napkins in water in order to rinse the syrup out, careful not to let too much water drip on Sakura's lap.

Sakura suddenly laughed. "I'm happy that at least I'll look less weird with my hair half drenched than having a whole skewer of bear-shaped dango stuck to my head."

Lee laughed too. "I think you could have pulled it off as some sort of new fashion statement! Imagine... in a month's time other youthful girls walking around town with hair accessories that look like dango, bears, or both!"

Sakura laughed again. "I have no intention on starting any sort trend that way!"

Lee pulled back with one more swipe of the soaked napkin through her hair. "There! All done."

Sakura patted her hair again. It was wet, but no longer sticky. She let out a satisfied sigh. "Thank you... I think I'm done with dango for at least a month... okay, maybe more like a week. It is my favorite food after all."

Lee nodded sagely. "I understand. Even if curry was to wrong me, I would be back the next day."

Sakura glanced to the unfinished dango on her plate. She had eaten through most of it, but now she no longer hungered for it. "Lee, I'm not sure about you, but I've totally lost my appetite for dango."

Lee glanced at his plate. The only dango of his left was the one covered in pink hair. "That is quite alright! I think I have had plenty myself." He then straightened himself in his seat. "If you are done eating, perhaps you would like to go home?" His voice had a hint of hesitance, as though he did not want to say the words himself.

Sakura's heart seemed to sink a bit at the suggestion of them ending their evening together. Sakura bit her lip, looking at Lee. She felt a warmness while in his presence, one that she did not want to give up for the night just yet, and have to return to her quiet, lonely home. "Maybe... if you don't mind, we could wander around downtown for a bit? I don't think I'm ready to go home just yet."

Lee blinked, surprised, which turned to enthusiasm. "Oh! Of course! I would be more than happy to! More time in your presence is always welcome!"

Sakura grinned as she stood up from her seat, Lee following suit.

Sakura and Lee strolled downtown side by side, following the trail of decorative lights from late-opened restaurants and shops. Their conversations had taken a playful, lighthearted turn; causing their laughter to fill up the streets. Sakura meanwhile admired the colors of all the decorative lighting, creating an atmosphere all its own. She would walk home often through downtown after work when it was already dark, but her eyes were always at her feet. Now, it felt like she was seeing it properly for the first time... perhaps thanks to Lee.

"-and after that happened, well, you know the rest," Lee chuckled.

"Yes, I remember when I stumbled across you during our second Chunnin Exams," Sakura giggled. "You were stuck alone, hanging upside down in a trap, covered head-to-toe in smelly mud. I didn't recognize you until you called out to me."

"How grateful I was that you came by when you did and saved me! I would have been a goner!" Lee exclaimed dramatically. "And to top it off you were so kind to let me keep my scroll!"

"I was only returning the favor you did for me during our first Chunnin Exams," Sakura said, playfully nudging him.

Lee laughed.

Sakura's attention was suddenly drawn to a tree in front of a nondescript shop. The tree had a spiral of green lights up its trunk to its branches, with a large array of intricate ornaments, charms, and chimes, covered in words and symbols, hanging from it. The breeze caused them to sway and clink together.

Sakura stopped. "Why is that tree covered head-to-toe like that?"

Lee stopped beside her, glancing over at the tree. "That tree is an unofficial memorial to those lost during the war," Lee said, his voice losing the playful edge it carried just moments ago. "Many like hanging unique items that remind them of who they lost. It allows the lost to stand out a bit more to show others who that person was, rather than just blending in the list of names on the official memorial wall on the edge of town."

Sakura saw that there was a young girl with a chime in hand, stubbornly grasping at a branch she had no hope of reaching. "I'll be right back," Sakura said as she approached the girl. Now that Sakura was closer to the tree she could see each ornament had names, family symbols, and prayers across them. The girl's back was turned to Sakura. Sakura knelt so she was at eye-level with the girl. "Excuse me," she said sweetly, trying not to alarm the girl.

The girl whipped around and blinked, not expecting someone to have snuck up on her. "Yes?"

"It looks like you're having a hard time getting that chime on the tree. Do you me to help?" Sakura smiled.

The girl pouted, handing over the chime. "I'm not tall enough yet to reach the branch I want. I want that spot right there!" The girl pointed at a much higher branch this time, but within Sakura's height.

"Okay, I can do that for you."

As Sakura worked on tying the chime, the girl blabbed. "That chime is for Uncle Banri. He was a shinobi. He used to bring me and my brother sweets all the time when he came over."

"Oh? Sounds like he was a great man."

The girl nodded. "Please don't tell on me to my mom and dad for being out late. I forgot to hang it up on my way back from the Academy and I didn't want to wait until tomorrow. Someone could've stolen Uncle Banri's spot."

"Well, I think now he's got one of the best spots. Everyone can see his chime from here."

"You're right," the girl grinned. "Thank you, miss!" The girl bowed her head before running off.

Sakura smiled as she watched the girl leave. When she turned around Lee was standing where she left him, waiting for her.

Sakura felt her insides warm at the way he looked at her so fondly. Sakura walked towards him. Just a small distraction from their night wandering downtown. Just about when she was going to reach him, she felt her foot catch on a rock. She tried to regain her balance, but could not find her footing on the uneven road, especially with her civilian shoes. She let out a small yelp as she fell.

Lee immediately took a step forward and caught her as she fell into his sturdy chest. Sakura blinked in surprise. Lee's warm hands were firmly around her upper arms, holding her securely. She steadied herself on her feet using his chest as support before looking up at him, wet hair flopped in her face in a mess. He looked down at her with warm, half-lidded eyes, letting out a sigh of relief followed by an affectionate grin. Sakura returned the grin, a wordless thank you. Lee's shoulders relaxed as he took one hand and carefully tucked her wet hair behind her ear.

As they lingered a few seconds, Sakura felt confusing butterflies in her stomach as her breath caught her throat. Something about how the dim lighting hit Lee's face brought out certain handsomeness in his features that made Sakura's heart unexpectedly flutter. Maybe it was how the lighting brought out the shape of his jaw and cheekbones when he smiled, or how his dark eyes reflected the light.

Lee's remaining hand suddenly trailed off her arm and Sakura pulled her hands from his chest, taking a step back.

"The... path needs a little smoothing out, I think," Sakura said, laughing shyly, shifting her gaze away from his momentarily.

Lee chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah, yes, I think so too."

Sakura felt a weird energy between Lee and her. It felt... comfortable, but it made her nervous as well. What are these feelings? Sakura thought. Could they be...?

"Whore!" a voice shouted from across the street, disturbing the two shinobi.

Sakura's head swung around towards the voice. It was a man clutching a bottle in one hand, wobbling, looking right at her.

Sakura stared at him, bewildered for a moment, before realizing he directed that towards her. "What did you say?" she said, her voice rising, feeling the anger begin to simmer.

The man wobbled forward. "I called you a whore!"

Sakura took a few steps forward, and shook her fist. "Who the hell do you think you're calling a whore, you drunk bastard!" she yelled, letting the anger flow. If this guy did not quit she would make him regret those words fast.

"You're just an Uchiha whore!" the man slurred. "How much longer do we have of peace until you start pumping out unstable Uchihas for that traitor like some sort of broodmare, huh?!"

Sakura immediately froze, feeling like she was just punched to the gut. The anger she had drained out of her all at once.

The man took one last swig of the bottle and then chucked it at her.

Lee caught it mid-air with a skillful motion of his hand before it hit Sakura. He tossed it aside. A fierce scowl was on his face. "Apologize to her."

The man spat on the ground in response before turning to leave.

With just a blur, Lee had cut the distance between them and was clutching tightly on the man's shoulder. "You do not insult a woman like that and just walk away," Lee said coldly.

"Let go of me!" The man demanded, trying to jerk away from Lee's grip before throwing a punch at Lee's face.

Lee effortlessly caught the fist in his free hand. "As I just said, I suggest you apologize to her." Lee's grip tightened on the man's hand until a slight crunch was heard.

The man howled, trying to pull away from Lee's effortless iron grip. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said that! I didn't mean it! Honest! Please forgive me!" the man babbled. "I'll never say anything like that ever again!"

Lee released his grip and the man wasted no time stumbling away, clutching his injured hand. Lee looked over to shoulder to Sakura with a deep frown.

Sakura averted her gaze to the ground as soon as he looked at her. Her arms were folded across her chest tightly, hugging herself. Feelings of dejection and shame swirled inside of her. Why? Why every time problem that had to do with Sasuke came up she immediately recoiled inward, unable to address the problem herself? Despite her insistence that she would change? She was not supposed to still be a scared genin girl anymore. She bit back tears. She did not want Lee to see her cry.

"Sakura...?" Lee approached her carefully, reaching out a hand to her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Before Lee could touch her Sakura took a step back and turned her back to him so he could not see her face. "Sorry... Lee, tonight was fun, but... I gotta go," she said with a hitch in her voice.

"But, Sakura..."

"...I just... wish things could be more like the fairy tales, y'know? Where you get to live together happily ever after. But that's never the case, is it? There's always problems; it's naive to think there wouldn't be any. And while Sasuke is gone I am left alone with Konoha's scorn towards him. Sometimes I feel like the same scared, genin girl I was before. Always alone and wondering... I just wish..." Sakura trailed off, her voice trembling.

"Sakura, wait..."

She then took a breath, and said with finality, "Goodnight, Lee," before striding hastily forward.

Before she got far Lee grabbed her arm, stopping her. His grip was gentle. "Sakura, do not go," he pleaded. Sakura paused, distraught on whether to heed his request or not. "Please..." he stressed, his voice desperate.

Sakura took in a deep breath, before turning around, looking directly at Lee, her eyes wet and vulnerable. "What do you want, Lee?"

Lee searched her eyes, troubled, his eyebrows furrowed. "I... please do not go just yet. I do not want to see you leave like this. Perhaps this time I may request we do one more thing for the night?"

Sakura simply shrugged as she struggled to maintain control of her tears. "...Like what?"

"Let me show you. I hope... it might make you feel better."

Sakura looked at him, seeing how desperately he wanted to reach out to her and help, and felt her strong desire to hide herself wither away. "Okay," she said quietly.

Lee look relieved at her answer. He wrapped an arm around her back, guiding her down a side road, away from the downtown lights, to the edge of Konoha. Once they reached the end of the street, Lee led them off into the bordering forest.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked.

"You'll see."

The woods got thicker for a moment until it was hard to see; the moonlight barely reaching the forest floor through the thick leaves above. There was then a small opening, lit by the moonlight. In the center was various beat-up, makeshift dummies and targets arranged here and there, some with a spare kunai or shuriken sticking out of them. The surrounding trees and boulders were covered in scuff marks, and a few recently uprooted trees lay collapsed on the forest floor.

"What's this?" Sakura said.

"A private place where I can let off steam," Lee said, dropping his arm that was wrapped around her back. He strode up to one of the dummies and gave it a solid chakra-filled punch, letting out a shout. The dummy uprooted from the ground and went soaring, thudding hard against a tree before sinking to the ground. Lee looked over his shoulder at her, with an encouraging, yet unsure grin. "See? I can be as loud and destructive as I want and no one will disturb me." When Sakura looked at him uncertain, he motioned to the next dummy. "Go ahead. Give it a try."

Sakura walked up the nearest dummy slowly, feeling Lee's eyes on her. She stared at the dummy for a moment, imaging that it was the drunk man. Remembering his words made her tense up for a moment, but then she remembered the swirling frustration and anger she held. She punched the dummy in the gut. It wobbled on its support. Mustering up confidence, she punched it harder, this time it shook violently. She punched it a third time with chakra, letting out a frustrated yell. The dummy splintered, straw bursting from its insides. The fourth punch was an uppercut, filled with an excessive amount of chakra focused at her knuckles. The dummy went soaring up into the treetops, bursting, raining straw on her and Lee.

It felt good. It felt like every punch was releasing pent up anger, frustration, and pain... and she was just getting started.

Sakura whipped around and delivered another punch to the next nearest dummy, thinking of Naruto - her former teammate - unwilling to help alleviate her concerns, unwilling to trust her. The dummy immediately disintegrated into straw and scrap.

It was not enough.

Sakura let out a louder yell, delivering the next punch to a trunk of a nearby tree. The wood splintered. She thought of Sasuke keeping her in the dark, always pushing her away, yet keeping her just close enough. She punched the tree again, this time it toppled backwards with a shuddering crash.

She wasn't done.

She punched the nearest boulder, hearing it crack. She thought to herself, her unkept promises to herself to improve her marriage, to stand up to Sasuke, to stop moping and do something. She let out a flurry of punches, the louder cracks in the rock music to her ears until the rock crumbled in on itself.

Sakura spent what felt like forever punching and shouting, letting out all the anger and frustration that she had bottled up in her for too long out on the dummies and trees. At one point when she started punching she started feeling raw pain on her knuckles. She was being careless with her chakra, letting it flow out of her system sloppily. She was losing chakra fast, and did not care to shield her fists in chakra properly to protect herself. The pain in her fists felt good, in a way. Cathartic, perhaps.

When she went for another punch, welling up reserves of chakra in her fists, she suddenly felt faint and stopped, instead leaning onto the tree for balance. She panted heavily, sweat dripping down her forehead, as she tried to focus on keeping her feet grounded. Even if she felt lightheaded and weak, she felt odd... she felt, at that moment, free.

"...Sakura?" Lee piped up, alarmed. He had wisely stood aside, watching Sakura's rampage from a distance.

Sakura let out a deep, contented sigh, her shoulders slackened. She turned around to look at Lee with the most relaxed and relieved smile wide across her face. A smile she felt like she had not had in years. "I'm fine, Lee," Sakura said, her voice hoarse from the shouting. She then laughed lightheartedly, "In fact, I feel amazing!"

Sakura's body felt heavy and sore. She dragged her feet to the nearest downed tree and took a seat on its trunk, letting out another sigh, resting her elbows on her knees, letting her head hang down. She felt the most relaxed she had ever been in years, pent up frustration gone for at least the moment. She closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the peaceful sound of crickets chirping and the breeze through the trees. Sakura heard Lee's footsteps as he approached and sat beside her. Sakura raised her head and smiled at him.

"Did that help?" Lee asked, studying her.

"Yes... yes it did."

Lee's featured relaxed and he smiled at her, relieved. "I am glad."

Lee's eyes wandered to the training grounds, Sakura's eyes following. She saw the destruction she left - crumbled boulders, scraps of dummies, splintered and collapsed trees - and suddenly felt guilty. "I'm... sorry that I ruined your training ground. I'll be sure to replace those dummies for you."

Lee shrugged. "You need not bother. I always expect them to get destroyed."

Sakura felt immense gratitude that Lee had insisted on bringing her here rather than letting her leave to mope at home. "...Thank you, Lee. I really needed that. I've needed that for a long time."

Lee gave her a thumbs up and a smile. "Anytime. It always helps me, so I was hoping it would help you too. I am glad that it did."

"Me too."

The clouds drifted past the moon, allowing the full intensity of the moonlight to shine over them through a gap in the trees. Sakura noticed that Lee had a few pieces of straw on his shirt, and some sticking out of his hair. He looked silly sitting there unknowing, with his sweet smile. She giggled, plucking the few pieces from his hair. Lee blinked, realizing what she was doing and then in response, reached and plucked even more straw from her hair.

"Today is just not a good hair day for me," Sakura laughed.

"It seems not," Lee chuckled with her, but when Sakura began dusting off her skirt from straw, Lee let out a small gasp. "Sakura, your hands!"

It was then Sakura noticed that her knuckles were scraped and bloody, and suddenly remembered that they stung. "Oh, don't worry about this. I wasn't being careful with my chakra."

"You should heal them," Lee insisted.

"I would, but I'm pretty much all out of chakra," Sakura admitted sheepishly. "If I use the small amount I have left I think I'd faint."

Lee stood up and strode over to a large, nondescript rock near the base of a tree. He lifted it, revealing several rolls of bandages hidden in its core. A false rock. Lee grabbed one of the rolls and sat back besides Sakura. He offered one of his hands. "May I?"

Sakura rested one of her bloodied hands on his. She watched quietly as Lee wrapped up her hand quickly and skillfully. Sakura was not surprised considering he regularly wrapped his own hands. Today he was not wearing any bandages; Sakura could see the numerous raised, dark scars littering his hands. When Lee finished with her first hand Sakura flexed it, surprised at how much dexterity she had despite the layers of bandages. Sakura offered him the other hand, and he began wrapping it up as well, carefully minding the wounds.

As Lee wrapped her hand, Sakura studied him. Like Sasuke, Lee had dark eyes and hair, but that was where the similarities ended. Sasuke's dark eyes were cold and calculating, while Lee's were warm and welcoming. Sasuke's mouth was always in a frown or scowl while Lee's in a smile or toothy grin. Sasuke was distant and cynical; Lee was friendly and optimistic. Around Sasuke she always felt uncertain, and in some strange way, alone; but around Lee she felt secure, as though he would always be there for her.

When Lee finished Sakura smiled wide at him. "Thank you, Lee."

Lee beamed at her.

Lee was Sasuke's polar opposite, and Sakura decided she liked it that way.

A/N: I feel so weird describing Japanese food I have no familiarity with. Makes me feel like such a weeb but I'm not going to have them eat burgers and fries, haha. And yes, I know the tripping and having the guy catch the girl trope is so cliche. But please let me have this. I love cheesy romance tropes with a passion. I can't help myself.

I really wanted to write some of this from Lee's perspective (because I absolutely love writing from his perspective) but I felt Sakura's perspective was the more important one here sadly. I think next chapter will be a Lee perspective one though! :) I know where I'm going for the next chapter, but after that I need to do some refinement of my plans for this story. I do already know what the climax and ending is, but, after reviewing my notes after all this time, I see a lot of areas that need some beefing up with improvements. Right now most of the focus has been on the slowburn build up of Lee and Sakura's relationship, but soon there will be a larger focus on the plot going on more in the background.

As always, I appreciate you all dearly, and I'm always happy to hear that my fic is being enjoyed. I apologize for having to wait until so long for this chapter. Be assured despite delays, it is my goal to finish this fic. It is, after all, a declaration of love to my oldest OTP, and it's also something to finally give back to the small but sweet Leesaku fandom. Until next time!