A/N: Hi I'm back after a busy few months! I've been job hunting and got a new job in a new city so I could finally move in with my boyfriend hence why it took me so long to update this story. Sorry!

Chapter 20

Fireflies

As Naruto called them all to attention to detail their mission, Lee snuck another glance at Sakura. She stood, stiffly focused on Naruto, with Shino between her and Lee. Lee's heart was pounding in his chest and his hands were sweaty.

I have feelings for Sakura. The thoughts popped into his mind uninvited. Every time he looked at her his mind make sure to remind him of that fact as though he could even forget.

Why did fate deal him this hand? How did an unlikely situation like this happen, especially so soon after his and Sakura's uncomfortable predicament?

"I've assigned you all here on a B-rank mission," Naruto said. "A confidential one at that. For now, all the information on this mission is on a need-to-know basis. Only share information about this mission with those that are in this room right now until Shikamaru or I say otherwise. You guys already know the gist. Lee already knows a bit of this information from his previous mission, but there's been conflict brewing north of our borders between the Land of Sound and the Land of Steam. Your guys' mission is to help out the shinobi of Yugakure within the Land of Steam. Our help has been requested with rooting out key enemy Sound-nin within its borders."

"What? Sound-nin?" Sakura said in disbelief. "I thought they disappeared back during our first Chunin Exams. The only reason the Land of Sound had shinobi was because of Orochimaru! Are you telling me they've made a comeback?"

Shino's deep voice sounded beside Sakura. "And with that connection, does that mean that Orochimaru has finally reappeared after his disappearance during the war?"

"Apt conclusions," Shikamaru said. "However, at this point we don't know. We only know a little bit from scouting and what the Land of Steam has shared with us."

"Yeah," Naruto said. "It seems like the Sound Daiymo is getting bold and is wanting to expand his territory and power while everyone else who actually contributed to the war is still working on recovering from their losses. Right now it seems like the Sound's best bet is by stealing land from the Steam due to their pacifist nature. Their shinobi are just used for peacekeeping purposes within their borders, so they don't have the might or honed talents of the other Hidden Villages. While we too are stretched thin on manpower after the war, we can't let the Sound get away with such dirty tactics with one of our peaceful neighbors."

"Why is somethin' like this confidential?" Kiba raised an eyebrow. "This seems like a hard thing to keep a secret if it has to do with two whole damn countries."

Akamaru barked in agreement.

Naruto sighed sympathetically. "Because the Fire Daiymo said so. Things are really tense right now after the war, and the daiymo wishes to keep the illusion of that going for as long as possible as stupid as it sounds. Right now to him this seems to be nothing but a dumb border dispute that he thinks we can solve with a snap of our fingers."

"Naruto, maybe badmouthing our country's leader isn't a very Hokage thing to do," Shikamaru reminded him.

Naruto grumbled. "Fine."

Shikamaru decided to take over. "The Steam Daiymo also wishes to keep this news from spreading as long as possible or else they may appear vulnerable to opportunists during this time of recovery. If this conflict escalates, naturally it would no longer be a confidential issue. I'm sure news and rumors have already been spread around by any civilians or travelers in the area anyway. However, it gets a bit more complicated. There already seems to be some sort of third-party opportunist in the area - a group that seems to be using a variety of jutsu not typical to shinobi of the area. Lee and his team have been attacked by this group already on his last mission."

Lee nodded. "Yes, it is true. Due to my injuries we had to retreat. They were using some sort of new toxin we were not prepared for. They did not wear headbands identifying their origin, but we noticed that they all had at least a feather or two on their clothing. They called themselves the Talons, but they did not state their intentions."

"My medical team has been evaluating the poison used on Lee," Sakura said. "It originates from a pufferfish in the area. We've been working on an antidote for Leaf ninja to take out in the field, and we've only just recently been successful."

Shikamaru nodded. "Each of you were picked for this mission based on your talents. Lee, you have familiarity with the area and the foes you are up against. Sakura, your medical knowledge and poison extraction skills are key for safety. Kiba and Shino are excellent trackers.

"I will leave you with a single antidote vial that Sakura's medical team has synthesized in the lab. You only get one - Sakura's medical team hasn't synthesized any more antidotes than this right now. Ideally, this should be saved for her if she is poisoned. You will leave to Yugakure today and after two days of travel to meet our Steam contact, Goda Saito. She will give you further instruction," Shikamaru slid a photograph of Goda forward, a blonde-haired woman in her forties with a stern expression. "Sakura, Shino: As the two jonin on the team you two shall take joint leadership on completing this mission. If you want to instead defer command to just one of you two, that's for you to decide. Lee, Kiba: as chunin, follow your leaders' instructions. I know things are going to feel a little weird with the awkward divide in rank that you're not used to, so this should be good practice to learn how to fall into your assigned roles."

Lee felt a sudden pang at the mention of his inferior rank before he consciously reared in his emotions. As Sakura once told him, she would consider him an equal gain on the battlefield. One day he will gain either that jonin - or even tokujo - rank.

"What? No way I'm being commanded by Shino!" Kiba protested.

"Someone needs to be team leader," Shikamaru responded. "Kiba, if you don't like it work towards the first step - get someone to give you a jonin recommendation."

"Well, Shino's got me covered then," Kiba grinned confidentially at his long time teammate.

"No," came the flat reply.

"What?!" Kiba exclaimed, his grin immediately disappearing. "Why?!"

"You cannot get recommendations from someone whom you've been on a genin team with," Shino explained. "This includes one's sensei. Someone outside of your team must notice your talents and recommend you." Shino then adjusted his shades. "Besides, it is my opinion that you are not ready. I would not give a false recommendation nor taint my reputation with a poor one."

The life in Kiba seemed to deflate in an instant. "Did you really have to add that last part?" he muttered.

Akamaru whimpered beside him in agreement.

"Hey, take it easy, guys," Naruto chuckled lightly.

Lee thanked fate for at least giving him Kiba and Shino as a buffer between him and Sakura. To imagine the tension if it had been a mission intended for just the two of them. Now there would not be an opportunity for Sakura to question him further.

"That should be all I have for you guys. Good luck," Naruto said. He then looked directly at Sakura with a reassuring grin. "And Sakura, you can thank me later for finally getting you out of Konoha to do something more exciting. When you get back, let's grab some ramen. See ya." With a poof of smoke, Naruto was gone.

"A clone? You gotta be kiddin' me," Kiba grumbled, arms folded behind his head. "Where's the respect?"

"He has special arrangements with Hinata," Shikamaru sighed. "Anyway, you all have your mission I'll see you when you return." Shikamaru gave a dismissive wave of his hand. Before they could all turn to leave Shikamaru stared intensely at Sakura. "But I need to talk to Sakura for a moment beforehand... alone."

Sakura's mouth was a hard line as she looked at Shikamaru with knowing eyes.

"Man, I don't know about you guys, but my mom has been naggin' non-stop for me to find a girl and have kids," Kiba sighed. "It's embarrassing! I'm barely into my twenties. I have better things to do than to settle down right now!"

Shino's eyebrow twitched. "The same is also for me, especially being son to the Aburame Clan's head."

Lee, Shino, and Kiba were all outside the front gate of Konoha waiting for Sakura, their bags on their shoulders. Akamaru was lying down, quietly whining with impatience. Lee kept on glancing back looking for her, wondering what Shikamaru could want with Sakura. Shikamaru's expression had been so serious.

Kiba winced. "Buddy, I know your pain. What about you, Lee? Guy wanting you to have kids so he can have adoptive grandkids to train into taijutsu beasts?"

Lee snapped his attention to Kiba, startled at having such a question directed towards him. "K-Kids? I have not thought of it yet. Guy has not bothered either me or Tenten about it." In the dark part of his mind Lee never imagined he would find himself a partner that would love him back. Even then, he imagined he would want to adopt and provide a fellow orphan a new father rather than be left to grow up alone in the orphanage system like he was. No one had wanted to adopt him, perhaps due to being an immigrant like Tenten.

"Lucky," Kiba said. "Guess that's a nice perk of being clan-less."

"It's obvious why our elders have been pushing so fervently for us to reproduce," Shino said. "Not only is it to strength Konoha after our losses in the war, but to strengthen our individual clans. Hyuga was long regarded as the strongest of the clans after the destruction of the Uchiha - but Hyuga's losses were many in the war. To the other clans it's the perfect time to compete and perhaps even surpass them in their time of weakness."

"I'm not gonna be a pawn in their little clan games," Kiba grumbled.

Akamaru barked in support.

Lee was about to glance back again when Sakura finally appeared at the gates.

"Thanks for waiting for me," Sakura said with a hint of strain in her voice as she approached them, gone seemingly unnoticed by Kiba and Shino. Lee noticed.

Lee opened his mouth to say something, but Kiba beat him to it.

"There you are!" Kiba exclaimed. "We were just talking about kids and the future, so I figure I'd ask. Are you having 'em soon?"

Sakura looked startled at the sudden question. "No," Sakura said too quickly. "We're not having kids."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "Thought your husband wanted to restore his precious clan." There was obvious distaste in his voice when he mentioned Sasuke.

Sakura started to stutter out something but Lee decided to interrupt. "Let us get moving so we can meet Goda Saito on time," Lee suggested loudly. "Timeliness is a virtue after all!" He threw on a large, mock grin. He hoped it was convincing.

"Yeah, sure," Kiba responded, adjusting the pack on his shoulder.

Akamaru stood up, wagging his tail. Shino shifted on his feet, ready to go.

Sakura looked at Lee; her eyes had a hint of coldness to them. Lee's heart twinged; he was not used to her looking at him in that way. Sakura broke eye contact and led them down the path. Lee wanted nothing more than to reach out to her to apologize and take back the awful excuse he made up for ruining their precious friendship. He wanted her to look at him with the heart-skipping warmth in her eyes like she used to.

I cannot expect anything more, he told himself firmly as he followed behind the group. I caused her to look at me in that way. I must accept that this is the way things are to be. Perhaps she may come to understand one day and then we can go back to an amicable distance like we had before we began to train together. And I can pine from afar.

It would be easier that way.

Lee was trying to look on the bright side, but his optimistic scenario did little to comfort him. It was not what he truly wanted. He did want for things to go back to the way they were before, but he craved for more than that now. What he truly wanted was her, more than he ever knew he could. His heart ached deeply for her - for the Sakura he had the privilege of getting to know the past few months. He wanted nothing more than to be able to hold her in his arms.

He waved those thoughts away.

If we are too close I am bound to do or say something I would regret in a moment of weakness, Lee thought shamefully. It is why I ultimately made that terrible excuse after all.

How was a close friendship supposed to function when one had unrequited feelings for the other? He could only imagine those types of friendships falling apart.

They all traveled at a quick and steady pace. Once they lost sight of Konoha they began to travel through the trees to make them harder to track. What would take a normal citizen about a week or more to travel would take the four shinobi two days due to their chakra-enhanced movements.

Kiba spoke up as they ran. "So, Lee, Sakura... I heard from Hinata that you two have been training together, eh? What have you been teaching one another?"

Lee felt a pit of discomfort in his stomach. Of all the conversation topics Kiba could have picked. Sakura didn't jump to answer, so he spoke up. "Sakura was teaching me genjutsu dispelling. I was showing her some of my taijutsu techniques."

"Cool! That mean you can actually dispel any genjutsu we might deal with in this mission?"

"I... I am not sure."

"Well that's lame. Sakura, sounds like you're gonna have to train him better!"

"Lee decided he no longer needed genjutsu training from me," Sakura answered bitterly.

Lee winced at the animosity in her voice. Shino raised an eyebrow at Lee. Kiba did not seem to notice.

"What? That doesn't sound like you, Lee, to pass on training!" Kiba exclaimed. "But hey, I can't fault you for being more interested in just taijutsu."

"...Yes, taijutsu is my passion above all else," Lee answered glumly.

When the sun began to set they set up camp in a thick part of the woods. Kiba pitched the tents while Shino concentrated on sending his bugs out for scouting for potential enemies. While they were still within the Land of Fire, they were nearing the border close to the Land of Sound and Land of Steam. Enemy-nin lurking in the woods was a possibility. Sakura pulled genjutsu tags out of her bag and left to put them in a parameter around their campsite to mask their location. That left Lee to set the traps along Sakura's genjutsu barrier.

As Sakura placed the tags on the trees, Lee set up small traps near them, making sure to place them within the genjutsu's perimeter. They were small traps that would create enough noise to alert them in the night; he also added a few snares to catch any wandering bandits - they would do little for a skilled shinobi other than be an inconvenience. Lee worked fast so he could keep up with Sakura's tag placement. She was slowed down by needing to find good hiding places for them so they did not stick out like a sore thumb. They worked silently near one another. Lee could feel the tension between them wearing down on him. She avoided looking at him, as though she was pretending he was not there.

I have feelings for Sakura, his mind was sure to remind him. Being near her like made his heart race and his palms sweaty.

The two of them were out of earshot from Shino and Kiba. Lee had to try and alleviate this tension between them somehow. "Those genjutsu tags will be very useful. Did you learn how to make them from Kurenai?"

"Yes, I did," Sakura answered plainly, not taking her eyes off the tag she was placing.

"That is a wonderful talent," Lee said.

A silence passed between them. Lee searched his mind for something else to start up a conversation.

"How is your job at the hospital going?" Lee tried.

Sakura paused and looked at him with a hard expression. "Lee. You told me you were worried about my reputation as a married woman. Aren't you worried Shino and Kiba will see us chatting here alone and begin to think I'm having an affair?" she snapped.

Lee tensed, shame filling him. His mouth felt dry. He did not answer her. He did not know how to.

Seeing how Lee was not going to reply, Sakura stomped off to the next tree. Lee did not follow her to set up his next trap. He tried to make himself look busy on a trap he had already set, waiting for Sakura to finish with her next tag placement before heading over there.

When everyone was done with their duties they ate their rations together. They did not set up a campfire - the smoke would travel above Sakura's genjutsu perimeter and alert passersby of their location. Kiba led making small talk. He could surprisingly work with so little words given to him by Shino. Lee knew he shouldn't have been too surprised though - both Shino and Hinata were known to be quiet; Kiba had practice. Sakura conversed with Kiba and Shino, but she was avoiding looking or talking to Lee. Lee did his best to do the same without making it too obvious - it was what she clearly wanted.

"We need to set up a watch," Shino stated. It turned dark quickly - the moon was waning - only a small small crescent remained to provide them a bit of moonlight through the thick leaves of the trees above them. "I will take first watch. Lee can take second. Kiba third, and Sakura last. Understood?"

Everyone agreed. Shino remained outside while Lee and the others went to bed into their individual tents.

Lee woke from a nightmare he could barely remember. He tried to fall back asleep but just found himself tossing and turning, thinking about how angry Sakura was at him.

He never intended for it be like this between them. It was naive of him to think she would have simply understood and not be hurt by his excuse to create distance between them. He thought at first she would perhaps feel free not having him take up so much of her time with his slow learning pace. He now realized he was wrong. He remembered that Sakura had once told him she considered him a good friend and enjoyed spending time with him. How could she not be upset with him if that were the case? He too would be upset if a good friend gave him a poor excuse to not see him any more.

Lee rolled over and checked the time on his pack's pocket watch. He had only slept a little over an hour. Lee's watch would be coming up in the next hour. He did not think he would be able to fall back asleep and take advantage of the little time he had.

Eager to get out of his stuffy tent, Lee dressed in his shinobi attire and stepped outside. He spotted Shino high up on top of thick tree branch. Lee leaped up the tree, joining Shino on the branch. Shino was sitting cross-legged, fireflies buzzing lazily around him.

Shino turned his head in Lee's direction. "Lee, your watch has not yet started. Your have forty minutes left of sleep."

Lee sat down next to Shino, legs dangling off the edge of the branch. "I am having trouble sleeping, I admit. Please let me take over the rest of your watch, Shino. You are deserving of rest."

"Your trouble sleeping is because something is on your mind."

Lee looked forward into the dark abyss of the forest. "It is nothing."

Shino was silent for moment, Lee assumed he was thinking. "It is clear it has to do with you and Sakura. The two of you have fought recently," he stated, matter-of-fact.

Lee swung his head towards Shino. "How did you know?"

"You have been sneaking glances at her this whole mission. Sakura has been avoiding looking or talking to you. It's obvious."

"It is?"

"Yes, but rest assured; Kiba has not noticed. He doesn't catch on to these sorts of things quickly."

That shocked Lee. Shino was always so quiet, and barely expressive. Lee would have assumed the more social Kiba would be the one more in tune with the feelings of those around him. "I... I see."

"I can tell that it surprises you," Shino commented. "You expected me to be the last to notice."

"Yes, I admit. You do not participate in conversation much at all, but I realize now it is because you are always observing."

Shino nodded.

Lee fidgeted. "Shino, would I be able to ask for your advice?" Perhaps he would be able to provide a valuable new perspective. He had only gotten advice from Tenten about these sorts of matters. Shino was a quiet person, Lee expected his secrets would be safe with him.

"If you wish. You want to ask me about how to mend bonds with Sakura, correct?"

"Yes, exactly!" Lee said eagerly.

"It's clear you upset her. The answer is obvious. Apologize to her."

Lee deflated. "But Shino, it is much more complicated than that!"

Shino's eyebrow twitched in frustration. "It never is. You say it's complicated because the shame of your mistake holds you back."

Shino's words smacked Lee. Shino was right - at least, partially. Lee's shame paralyzed him - the shame of his feelings, the shame of the awful excuse he made to create distance between him and Sakura. But it was not that simple. Shino did not have the whole story. Lee frown deepened. He did not feel comfortable sharing the entirety of the story between him and Sakura. Lee swallowed the lump in his throat. "Shino... Tell me, have you ever... loved someone who could not love you back?"

"We are talking about you, not me."

"Please, Shino. I ask only to understand how to handle my own situation."

Shino was quiet for a moment. "Yes, I have."

"This person that you loved, did they love someone else?"

"Yes. They still do."

"Then you do know what it is like." Lee paused, thinking how much he wished to share. "Sakura and I... we became good friends. I told Sakura something that upset her to create distance between us because I am scared of how to handle love - no, infatuation - with someone I am close to. I am only used to pining for someone from afar. When I am near her it feels like my heart wishes to burst from my chest."

"It appears to me you are lying to yourself because you hesitated on whether to call it love or infatuation. It is clear to me you actually think it is love."

"Love? Are you sure, Shino?" Lee stressed.

Shino gave a small smile and nodded. It would have been missed if Shino still wore his collar up to his nose like he used to.

Lee let out a sad chuckle as he contemplated Shino's words. "Perhaps... I have been lying to myself because I am scared of these feelings." Shino's truth felt freeing, allowing him to no longer be so vehemently in denial. "I love Sakura." He had to say it out loud to the world for him to truly accept it.

Shino looked satisfied at getting Lee to admit that. "You said Sakura doesn't like the distance you have created between you two. Did you not ask her feelings on the matter before you made this choice?"

"No, I did not," Lee admitted. "How was I supposed to ask her such a thing without admitting my feelings for her and ruining our friendship?"

"You tell her you have feelings for her," Shino said as though it was obvious. "It seems to me you have already damaged your friendship. You have insulted her. If you respect and trust her you will give her a choice on what to do with that information."

Dread hit Lee. "I fear you may be right." Lee had already damaged their friendship by pulling a desperate move to save it. "...Did the person you pine after know about your feelings? Did it affect your friendship?"

"The person that I pine after - I told her my feelings. She accepts that I have them and it didn't affect our friendship."

"Then how do you do it, Shino? Balancing your friendship and the strong feelings that you hold for them without it threatening what you two have? Without it threatening... the other relationship that they hold? I fear I do not know the first thing about handling a situation like this. It scares me, not knowing." Lee's voice wavered he clenched his fists tightly in his lap.

"Easy. We trust in one another. She trusts that I do not have ulterior motives behind the friendship I give her. I don't try to take her from her current relationship. If anyone misunderstands what our friendship is just because we're of the opposite sex it's no concern of ours." Shino smiled softly as he held out his finger for a firefly to land on. There was a hint of melancholy to his voice. "She's with someone who makes her happy, happier than I could ever make her. I'm satisfied with that."

Lee studied Shino for a moment. He wondered who this woman was that stole the stoic Aburame's heart. She must be someone very special. "It appears I have been overreacting. If it is easy as you say it is, perhaps I truly had nothing to fear all along."

The firefly flew off of Shino's finger into the night. "It seems you understand what you need to do now." Shino stood up. "You may have the rest of my watch."

Lee smiled at him. "Thank you, Shino. Your advice was most helpful." It seemed like Lee had something in common with Shino, of all people.

Shino nodded and left Lee alone with the fireflies. Lee had a lot to think about.

A/N: I have such a hard time writing Naruto. I'm trying to capture some sort of middle ground between the young, casual Naruto and the one who must be more strict and mature to handle being Hokage, but it's a little hard to find Naruto's voice. So I apologize if he seems a bit off with my writing of him.

I was super happy to get my two favorite Naruto boys talking. It's no secret that I love Lee but I also adore Shino! You could probably easily guess what my other Naruto ship is.