A/N: What? Another chapter again so soon? That's right! I'm feeling those creative juices flowing!

Chapter 17

The Rift Between Them

When Lee left her there in the middle of the training field without warning Sakura stood there stunned, not quite sure what happened or why. One minute they were playfully sparing, the next Lee became uncharacteristically distant and cancelled their genjutsu training sessions. The ache in her chest grew as her thoughts raced to trying to explain what happened, none of it positive. She had to sit down.

Not caring about the cold, wet grass, Sakura sat down against the trunk of the tree Lee and her had just sheltered under. She huddled into herself, burying her face in her crossed arms as they rested on her upright knees as her thoughts raced.

Why?

Did she do something wrong? Did she upset him by tackling him? Maybe she crossed a line yesterday asking him out to dinner? Or is he getting bored of her?

Each thought caused her heart to twinge.

Spending time training with Lee had become her source of happiness. What would she do now with her time? Go back to hiding at home? Beg Tsunade to give her back her longer shifts at the hospital?

Stop.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Stop pitying yourself and making this all about you, she told herself. She had to break this nasty habit of hers. He could have a totally reasonable reason why completely unrelated to you. This genjutsu training was taking up a lot of his time. Maybe he wants to do something else with his time now. He has no obligation to you. Go find something else to do, you idiot. Pick yourself up and deal with disappointments in life like everyone else does.

Sakura slowly stood up and brushed the grass off her legs. She sighed as she grabbed her umbrella and then dragged her feet home.

Sakura showered to wash off the sweat and grass. She forced herself to think on the things she could instead be doing with her time to distract herself. However, Lee lingered in the back of her thoughts. When she was done she collapsed in her bed, burying her face in her pillow. She came up with a whole list of things she could start doing... like visit Ino and her parents, or train her genjutsu with Kurenai, or finally start that garden she promised herself she would do one day.

She sighed. For now she just wanted to mope in bed.

Lee was sprawled across his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure how long he had been laying there for now.

What did he just do?

Without having time to process his rushing thoughts, he ran his mouth and told Sakura the worst cover-up excuse out of nowhere and then rudely left her alone on that field. How badly he wanted to just run back to her, beg her for forgiveness, and ask that she forget he said anything at all to her today, and to just continue their training sessions as normal.

I am so sorry, Sakura.

He didn't know how to act or what to say. He felt like he was thirteen again; unable to handle infatuation, but now stuck with the added wisdom that came with being an adult to know all the consequences and complications that could occur with having these kinds of feelings for someone like Sakura. While his younger self would feel no shame using the L-word to describe his feelings for Sakura, he refused to use that word now. This was just infatuation. If he described it as 'love' he felt like he would be even deeper in the hole he suddenly discovered himself in than he already was.

Lee felt so ashamed for having this infatuation. He thought he had moved past this. Sakura was married, and she considered him a dear friend. He considered her a dear friend as well, but then suddenly his stupid feelings had to ruin that by complicating things.

What was he supposed to do now?

Just act cordial, but keep your distance, he told himself.

But what about trying to support her, and make her happy? How was he supposed to do that by keeping distant?

He didn't know.

The week dragged on slowly.

When Sakura would finish her morning shift at the hospital she sometimes found herself wandering to the training field out of habit. When she noticed where her feet were taking her she would force herself back home. A few times she let her feet take her there, hoping to run into Lee and ask him for that occasional sparring session he promised they could do just to spend some time with him. However, he was never there. He had either started coming at a different time or switched to another training field. Each time she chose to walk up to that training field she held onto a small ember of hope only for it to be blown away when she did not see him there.

Sakura took the time to visit her parents a few times, who were ecstatic their daughter was visiting them more often. She visited Ino, who was surprised to see her but happily dragged her in to catch up. Ino commented that she was looking healthier and was overall more lively. When Ino asked about what she was doing different, Sakura just said it was thanks to her shorter work hours. In truth, her prior state had been due to obsessing over Sasuke and their marriage any spare minute she had. Lee distracted her from all of that by giving her something to do during her off hours and by being so emotionally available and understanding to her.

However, even if she was doing better than she was before, she felt a new melancholy and hollowness that haunted her - a feeling of disappointment and the nagging thought that something very important was missing from her daily routine. She chuckled at the thought of what her genin self would think of her - upset that she no longer got to regularly see Rock Lee of all people.

She shoved the creeping thought that Lee was avoiding her to the back of her brain and decided she had to listen to the harsh words inner Sakura had for her during that rainy day. Not everything is about you. Stop pitying yourself and do something.

So that's what she decided to do. She firmly told herself Lee was not ignoring her. He had a life outside of her. And if she wanted to visit with her dear friend to settle this nagging desire in her heart, she would have to take the initiative and not mope about until he approached her. She remembered Lee telling her that he would train with Guy and Tenten on that particular training field on Sundays and invited her to join them sometime. She had turned down his offer previously, but this time she thought she could stomach Guy if she got to see Lee.

When Sunday came about Sakura hesitantly approach the training field. When she reached the crest of the hill to her giddy delight she saw Lee sparring with Tenten on the field with Guy cheering loudly on the sidelines while simultaneously balancing one wheel of his wheelchair on the top of a slender wooden pole. Lee was wielding nunchucku while Tenten had a wooden bō staff. The two weaved around each other gracefully, wielding their weapons with impressive finesse.

Sakura paused, suddenly feeling unsure of herself. The giddy smile on her face faded. What if she was disturbing them? What if she wasn't wanted here?

If they don't want to train with you today they should have the guts to tell you, she told herself.

She let out a deep breath to let out some of her sudden anxiety. Inner Sakura was right. She cautiously approached Guy on the sidelines.

Guy tilted his head to look down at her with his sparkling grin. "Ah, hello, Sakura!" Guy's voice boomed.

At that instant Lee faltered in his attack as his head whipped towards Guy and Sakura, wide-eyed, before Tenten's bō knocked him off his feet with a solid whack to his side. Sakura winced.

"You weren't paying attention!" Tenten scolded Lee, displeased with her easy victory, before strolling up to Guy and Sakura with a warm grin as Lee struggled to his feet, trying to recover from having the wind knocked out of him. "Sakura! Long time no see! Finally decided to come train with your fellow taijutsu adepts, eh?"

"Oh, uh, yeah! I would love to if you wouldn't mind," Sakura smiled politely. She glanced at Lee, who was back on his feet clutching his tender side, but he was still hovering on the training field. Upon catching his eye Lee nodded at her in greeting, his face unreadable.

"Ah, I am overjoyed to hear that, Sakura," Guy said, still balancing above her on his pole. "Young shinobi these days are only interested in flashy ninjutsu. I'm proud that you have the wisdom to show a more keen interest in the overlooked might that is taijutsu." Guy flipped his wheelchair so that he was now doing a single-arm handstand on the balancing pole for added effect. He gave her a thumbs up with his free hand. "My dear Lee has told me that you've been improving your genjutsu skills as of late, too. I wanted to express my utmost gratitude that you've been spending so much time training Lee on genjutsu dispelling. With that skill under his belt he shall be an even more splendid shinobi."

Sakura let out a feigned, awkward laugh. "Uh, thank you, and you're-"

"However! He's been awfully evasive about your training sessions as of late. I can only assume you must be teaching him a secret technique of yours, one that you've sworn him to absolute secrecy. Am I right, or am I right?" Guy pointed at her with a 'knowing' wink.

Guy's eyes drilling into Sakura was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. "Uh..."

"Ignore him," Tenten said, waving her hand dismissively. "Let's spar! My blood still flowing and I'm itching for another fight! What weapon would you like?"

"Right," Sakura said, thankful for Tenten for saving her from Guy, "Uh... I don't typically use weapons outside of kunai, so I'm not sure," Sakura said, caught off guard by Tenten's forwardness. "Maybe we could spar with our fists instead?"

"Or how about you let me teach you some basic skills for another weapon then?" Tenten insisted eagerly. "It's a very important skill not enough shinobi our age are trained in!"

"Oh, uh, sure. How about you pick the best beginner weapon for me and we'll start there." Sakura stole another glance at Lee. This time he averted his eyes when he caught hers. She swore his face flushed red in embarrassment, but then again, it was probably just from all the physical exertion.

"Awesome! Then this'll do." Tenten handed Sakura her bō before summoning another one from her scrolls. Tenten strode out to the field where Lee still stood. Sakura followed.

"Hi, Lee," Sakura said gently, offering him a smile.

"Ah, h-hello, Sakura!" Lee stuttered, returning the smile, albeit a bit stiffly, and he wouldn't hold her gaze.

Sakura's smile faded, feeling discouraged. "Before my match do you want me to take a look at your side and heal it before it bruises? Looked like a nasty blow."

"No thank you, Sakura. I shall be fine!" Lee stretched his torso to prove a point, but his face instantly twisted into a grimace. "Perfectly... fine..." he insisted.

Sakura took a step towards Lee. "Lee, please let me-"

"Don't worry about him," Tenten interrupted. "Let's just spar for a bit and maybe his pride will settle so he will let you heal him afterwards." Tenten then shared a glance with Lee, giving him a hard, questioning look.

"Oh... okay then," Sakura responded, giving Lee a long, worried look. Lee caught her eye for a moment before he silently bowed his head in shame and sat down next to Guy, who had gotten down from his balancing pole to rest. Lee was definitely not acting himself, and Sakura was starting to get concerned.

"Then let's start," Tenten said, pulling Sakura's attention away from Lee.

Tenten went right into it. She taught Sakura the correct offensive and defensive stances, the weak points to aim for, the best way to counter attacks, and the right situations to use a bō. Tenten eagerly explained everything to her, clearly happy to be able to teach a new person about her passion for martial weapons. Guy was encouraging them in the background. Sakura went through the motions but her mind was on Lee. She would occasionally glance at him while Tenten paused to explain something. He was watching them with a reserved expression on his face.

"Ha, you learn quick!" Tenten grinned, leaning on her bō. "I'm impressed! How about I teach you about tonfas next?"

"Maybe next time," Sakura said. "I'm actually interested in sparring with Lee for a bit." She smiled sweetly at him.

Lee tensed. "Me? Maybe another time, Sakura. I... My side hurts more than I thought it did. It would be unwise to aggravate it. In fact, I should probably go home early to let it rest." Lee stood up quickly.

Guy raised an eyebrow. "If that's what you think is best, Lee."

"Aww, c'mon, Lee!" Tenten huffed. "I didn't hit you that hard."

"Lee..." Sakura pleaded.

This time Lee's gaze lingered long on Sakura to where she could see the distraught in his eyes. "Sorry, I will see you all next practice. It was nice seeing you, Sakura." With that, Lee left again.

Rather than groaning like Sakura expected Tenten to do, the weapons-master instead studied Sakura carefully for a few moments. "We can still train if you'd like to, Sakura."

"Sorry, Tenten. Maybe next time," Sakura said. She had to catch up to Lee. She wouldn't let him walk away like that again.

As though reading her mind, Tenten said, "Alright, well... good luck cheering him up then."

Sakura was a bit caught off guard, but she nodded, giving Guy and Tenten a wave, then jogged to catch up to Lee. Lee had strode away fast enough that she had quickly lost sight of him off the field. When she caught sight of him he was taking the steps down the path back into town.

"Lee! Wait!" Sakura called, catching up to him.

Lee froze in his steps and turned around to look at her. His expression was guarded. "Hello, Sakura. Do you need something?"

His guarded face looked so foreign to Sakura. It reminded her of Sasuke. She hated it. "Can we talk?"

"Uh, sure, what about?"

"Well, you've been acting... different since we last saw each other."

Lee forced a smile. "Oh? I have not noticed."

Sakura was starting to feel her confidence waver. "I... Yeah. You left suddenly after... after I thought we were having a good time. I'm not sure what suddenly changed... if I did something wrong, or... or something has come up in your life, but I know something is wrong." She stepped forward and hesitantly reached her hand out to touch his arm lightly. "Please don't lie to me, Lee. What's wrong?"

"Sakura, I..." Lee's eyes softened, but he was still hesitant.

"It's just, I trust you and you're very... dear to me. I feel like you've put some barriers up between us suddenly and I don't know why." Sakura's voice wavered. "You've been nothing but open and understanding with me for the months we have trained and so this sudden change worries me."

"I..." Lee's eyebrows knitted together, his eyes looked wounded. "Please do not mistaken me, Sakura. You have not wronged me in the slightest. Your presence has been nothing but a blessing," he said carefully. "It is just... I think we have been seeing each other too much. People will get the wrong idea..."

"What do you mean?"

"...People will get the wrong idea seeing a married woman spending so much of her free time with another man. I know how much your... current reputation upsets you now." Sakura flinched, thinking of the village scorn she's received for being an Uchiha. "I would only make matters worse for you."

"What... what are you talking about?" Sakura said in disbelief, her cheeks flushing. She dropped her hand from Lee's arm. "We've... We've been training alone for the most part and we've only been walking back into town together. We were mistaken for a couple once when we had dinner together."

"And it is only bound to happen more. You are famous, so people are bound to pay closer attention to you. Rumors could spread and tarnish your reputation. I promised to protect you, Sakura. By keeping my distance, I can protect you from being hurt."

"Don't... don't you dare corrupt that," Sakura protested. She didn't want him to use his promise against her in this way. "I don't care what other people think when they see us. I'm not a child needing to be protected. Let me make this decision for myself."

Lee glanced at the ground, away from her gaze. He looked pained. "...I am sorry, Sakura." He began to walk away.

Seeing Lee leave her there started to fill Sakura with desperation. She wasn't done yet. She had to convince him to change his mind. "Lee, please listen to me!"

But in a flash he was gone.

"Lee!"

There was no response.

Lee once again left her stunned and abandoned. Is this how their bond ended? Broken by something so simple as the fear of public misunderstanding? This 'special' bond she had started to feel between them deep within her heart had been nothing but a naive, fleeting fantasy. Before she knew it, tears streaked down her face. She rubbed them away quickly before someone could see, but more quickly replaced what she had brushed away. She had been foolish... foolish to think that someone like her could have a lasting bond with someone like Rock Lee.

But if it was all just a naive fantasy, shouldn't it have been more obvious? Why did it hurt so much? Friends came and go. But the ache in her heart felt different than the separation of mere friends, especially one she had only started to truly bond with in the past few months. The pain and longing she was feeling reminded her of what she would feel when Sasuke would leave her.

Sakura moved off the path behind one of the trees for privacy while she collected herself, taking in deep breaths as the tears dried.

Once the tears dried she started to feel anger and dejection swirl inside of her. This was happening all because apparently a man and a woman couldn't be friends because of what complete strangers might think. All because she was married to Sasuke. And Lee took it upon himself to decide what was best for her as though she couldn't make that decision herself.

When Sakura made it home she slammed the door shut. She flexed her hands. She was itching to punch something and let out this anger and frustration inside of her. She paced in the living room. Her eyes caught the only picture frame of her and Sasuke sitting on an end table. Her eyes softened and she stopped, picking up the frame and running her fingers delicately across Sasuke. She was framed separately on one side and Sasuke on the other. They were embarrassingly separate pictures; Sasuke did not like to get his picture taken. The only other picture she had of him was their Team 7 genin picture. This framed picture of Sasuke was one he had taken with those missing-nin he had teamed up with when he was a fugitive. She had gotten a copy of it from Sasuke and clipped out his former companions to fit the photo in the frame.

For only a fleeting moment she felt reassured by looking at Sasuke's handsome face, wondering when he would be home next, before the words echoed in her head: This is all Sasuke's fault.

The anger boiled back and she felt the urge to chuck the picture frame across the room. Instead she placed it back on the table and turned it face down so she did not have to look at it any longer.

If she wasn't married to Sasuke she would not have inherited the village's Uchiha sworn. If she wasn't married to Sasuke, she could have remained close to Lee without these damn complications.

She stopped her train of thought. She shouldn't think such things of Sasuke. She needed to cool down.

Sakura headed to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. When she looked up at the mirror she saw that her eyes were still red and puffy from crying earlier. She looked like a mess.

Look at you. So emotionally dependent on the men in your life. You keep putting all your hopes and happiness into them and then you fall apart so easily without them. Sasuke... Naruto... and now Lee. That's all you've ever done. Stop wallowing in your own misery and create your own damn hope and happiness.

Inner Sakura's cutting words were right. She had to get over it and move on. But in the end she was only human, and she needed time to heal.

A/N: So I was originally planning to get a lot more done this chapter and move forward that background plot, but guess that's going to require a little more words than I originally thought. I'll hopefully cover what I wanted to cover next chapter. Until next time, my dear readers. I love you all and each one of your kind reviews brings me so much joy. :)