A/N: So this chapter totally took longer than I expected. Last chapter I thought was difficult, but hooo boy did I underestimate this one. I did so much deleting scenes and reshuffling of parts, and I'm still not convinced it's as good as it could be. It could use a little more polish, but I just want to move on from this chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 22

The Door

Lee sighed with contentment as he slipped into the hot springs. The heat seemed to massage away the soreness in his muscles.

He had opened a Gate in order to take down the four-armed Sound-nin and strained his body pulling off the Primary Lotus. He could hear Guy's voice his head scolding him. 'Only use this move to protect a precious person,' it said.

I did, Lee reasoned. If he had not used it, Sakura could have been injured. There were a few too many close calls with Baisho's attacks, and their combined moves were doing little to hurt him.

At least his self-destructive taijutsu did not wear him down as much as it used to in the past. With many years of honing and punishing his muscles, they were stronger than any normal shinobi's. His muscles would stop complaining by tomorrow.

He thought to the smile he and Sakura shared after defeating Baisho together. It had filled him with hope that maybe the conflict between them could be forgotten, and that they could return to the way things were before. After his nighttime conversation with Shino, Lee decided that all he wanted was to repair his bond with Sakura. If Shino could maintain a close friendship without his personal feelings getting in the way, Lee thought he could do that too. He realized it was silly of him to be afraid of something like that, as though he could not trust himself to put Sakura's comfort above his feelings.

But when would be the right time to talk to Sakura again? When would she be ready to listen to his apology? He had tried last night and it backfired. She had snapped at him and retreated into her room. He could not blame her. He deserved it.

Would Sakura ever want to forgive him? That thought terrified him.

When Lee was done he climbed out of the hot springs, dried himself off, and changed into his clean nighttime clothes. When he exited the springs entrance, he froze as he saw Sakura ahead of him as she turned the corner to their rooms, towel around her neck and hair wet much like his. She did not see him.

Was now the right time to try again?

Shino and Kiba were gone. Kiba had dragged Shino out into the town for a boys-only romp around Yu for some nighttime fun. Kiba had invited Lee too but he turned him down in order to recover from their mission earlier that day.

Now had to be the right time - before Kiba and Shino would return. It might be the only chance Lee could get on this mission.

Lee walked slowly back to the rooms, mind racing. Would she even listen to him?

Was this also the right time to confess his feelings?

Lee stopped in front of Sakura's door and swallowed. She was inside. He could see a faint light filtering out through her paper screen door. He let out a deep breath before he rapped his knuckles lightly on the wooden frame.

"Who is it?" her voice sounded from inside.

"Lee. Do you think we could talk for a moment, Sakura...?"

There was a slight pause. "About the mission?" She sounded guarded.

"No," Lee admitted. "I want to talk about... us. I want to clear the air."

There was a longer stretch of silence. He started to open his mouth to say something more before she spoke sharply. "We talked yesterday. We have nothing left to discuss right now," she said, bitter. "Just... go away. We'll just complete this mission amicably and we can go our separate ways when we get back home. Just like you wanted."

"That is not what I want," Lee said softly. "Please, may I have just a moment of your time?"

There was silence.

"Sakura?"

Nothing.

Lee sighed, shoulders sagging.

Sakura glared at Lee's dark silhouette hovering in front of her door.

What did Lee think he was doing? Weren't her harsh words to him yesterday good enough to get him to back off? Sakura knew what she did wrong - she messed up by smiling at Lee earlier that day. She encouraged Lee to approach her again - to once again try to make peace between them.

Lee turned around. She assumed he had finally given up and was leaving, but instead he sat down against the door.

"That is okay," Lee said. "Then you do not have to speak. Maybe you just could listen to me instead? U-Um..."

Sakura stood with her arms crossed, fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeves. If she had to endure his empty words to regain her peaceful night, so be it. Having him here was a painful reminder of the bond between them that she desperately wanted to forget.

"I... understand why you are angry with me. I deserve it. I made a mistake and said things to you I deeply regret. I-I did not know how bad my mistake was until I saw the way you looked at me when we were first assigned to this mission. It made me realize how much I hurt you," Lee said, his voice thick with remorse.

A 'mistake'...?

Sakura perked up but quickly quelled her hope. She told herself she would not respond to him. She would hold onto her pride this time, unlike the many times she had been upset with Sasuke. She would not belittle herself any longer due to her own weak desire to reach out and beg to unhearing ears.

"I wanted to be someone who would never hurt you, but I failed. I wish I could take back what I said that day, but I know it is too late for that. Instead, all I can do is beg for your forgiveness. Sakura... from the deepest part of my heart, I am truly sorry for my hurtful behavior towards you. My only hope is that we can return to the way things were before between us."

Sakura bit her lip, her grip on her sleeves tightening.

Lee just apologized to her. Sakura was thrown off guard. He too wanted to return to the way things were before. Was she mistaken this whole time? That Lee did not want to simply make peace with her while maintaining his distance, but instead he actually wanted a return to their friendship? Sakura expected him to act akin to Sasuke - unapologetic and firm on his decision with no consideration from Sakura's input, but at least different in the way that Lee would feel at least a bit guilty about it.

She felt tears spring to her eyes.

Don't you dare cry, she told herself.

"I am not sure if you want the same thing as me. But... if you do not, I... I understand. The last thing I want to do is force you to accept my apology. All I want is... I just wanted you to know... my true feelings."

Sakura was foolish. How could she think that Lee would be anything like Sasuke?

Lee had paused for a moment, as though hoping for a response. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, trying to control her emotions as she trembled.

Lee still hurt her though. Should she say something?

"...S-Sorry, I will not take up any more of your time and trouble you further. I swear that this will be the last time I will ever bring this up to you. From here on, I will only talk to you about the mission. Goodnight, Sakura," he said with finality, but there was a deep sorrow in his voice.

Lee's silhouette started to shift to stand up and leave her.

"It really did hurt, you know?" Sakura blurted out, voice wavering. "I... I trusted you. Out of nowhere you used an insecurity of mine - my shaky reputation of being an Uchiha - and decided for me - like... like I'm some sort of child - that being around a male friend would be too much for me. Did everyone in Konoha think I was dating Naruto or Sai just because I've spent a lot of time with them too?"

"No, of course not," Lee admitted.

"Then you ran away! You didn't let me get a word in. You acted like you were doing me some sort of noble favor and expected me to be okay with it. I feel so... insulted." She felt the first tear trail down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away.

"I see," Lee said, voice laced with guilt. "I see how my words were so disrespectful... Please believe me when I say it was never my intention to insult you. I have the utmost respect and... admiration for you. I am deeply sorry I betrayed your trust in me. I will never do that to you again. More than anything, I want to regain your trust. I... I never want to be the reason why you are sad because you are a precious person to me, Sakura."

Lee...

"Then... promise me," Sakura said. "You hold to your promises no matter what, right? Swear to me you won't use your promise to 'protect' me in that way again."

Lee's shadow straightened up. "Sakura, I promise. I swear to you that I will not corrupt the meaning of my promise to you ever again. I will protect you with my life, but only in the ways that you permit me to," he said, vigor returning to his voice. "I promise I will never again presume to know what is best for you."

"Lee... thank you," Sakura said, hugging herself tightly, tears now flowing freely down her face. "Thank you."

A small sob escaped her. Lee would have definitely heard it. She quickly suppressed any further sobs as mere whimpers. She was so relieved, so grateful, that Lee had heard her out and chose to work with her rather than shut her down. He gave her some ounce of control of the situation between them.

"Are you okay, Sakura?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine."

There was a heavy pause.

Where do they go from here?

"Your taijutsu really was excellent out there today," Lee said softly.

"Yours was too," Sakura sniffled, grateful for the change of topic. She sat down against her side of the door, separated from Lee by only an inch of wood. She felt the need to be closer. She wrapped her arms around her bent knees. "I don't know about you, but I felt like we were really in sync - like I knew exactly how to respond to your moves to keep that Sound-nin off of us. Probably because of all that sparring we did together."

"I feel the same way. You moved in to protect me when I was open after an attack."

"And you did the same for me."

"You have improved your taijutsu, Sakura. I recognized some of the new techniques you picked up from our spars."

"All thanks to your instruction."

"If we continue to fight back-to-back like that, I think we would be invincible. We make an excellent team," he said warmly.

"We do. Your incredible speed and aggressive attacks-"

"Paired with your incredible strength and defensive counters."

"Yeah," Sakura smiled into her knees. "Exactly."

Sakura wanted to see him but held herself back. She did not feel ready. She did not want Lee to see her looking like a red-eyed mess. For now she would be content just talking through the door like this - that inch of wood between them made her feel a little more secure. She wiped her cheeks dry with her sleeve. Even so, she felt the need to tell him something.

"I'm... not sure if you feel the same way, Lee, but I looked forward to our training every day. You were the brightest part of my day. It was... obvious I wasn't in a good place when you first asked me to train. You gave my life a lot of needed light with your bright smile. When I was feeling down you always found some way to cheer me up. I am so grateful to you for that. Y-You mean a lot to me," Sakura said softly, feeling a blush creep up her neck.

"I-I do feel the same way!" he stuttered quickly. "I was overjoyed every time you walked onto the training field for another day of practice with me. How lucky was I that Sakura of all people agreed to train with me?" He paused for a beat. "If... If you will allow me to also share my feelings... Something I have always wanted you to know is how much I appreciated the respect and kindness you hold for me even after I made such a fool of myself when we first met. It is a kindness I do not deserve. I am the luckiest man in Konoha to have been able to spend so much time with you, and I am happy that I have made your days brighter. What I am trying to say is... you mean a lot to me too, Sakura."

Lee...

Sakura stood up. It no longer mattered to her how she looked.

"Sakura, I have something to confess-"

Sakura slid open the door, her heart beating loud in her chest, thinking of nothing else but wanting to see his face.

Lee scrambled to his feet and turned around. He stood there a few feet away holding his breath, a vulnerability in his expression as he looked at her. Sakura smiled warmly at him as she met his gaze. Her eyes still stung with tears. Lee's eyebrows pinched together with uncertainty and he hesitantly reached towards her with a half-raised hand.

"Sakura, I-"

Sakura closed the distance between them with a tight hug. Lee stiffened with surprise before he wrapped his arms around her so carefully and slowly, as though afraid to touch her.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" he asked with uncertainty.

"Yes, of course all is forgiven, Lee," she said. She buried her face in his shoulder with a shaky breath, feeling her mouth tremble and the tears springing from her eyes once more. "I'm sorry," she murmured into his shoulder.

"What for?" Lee asked softly.

"For... this. For getting so emotional over this," Sakura answered. "I feel like I am always crying. It makes me feel... weak."

"Crying is not a weakness," Lee said. "It is strong to be yourself and true to your feelings." Lee's voice was suddenly thick. "I cry all the time - whether I am overcome with happiness or full of sorrow. I do not feel ashamed. You should not either, Sakura."

Is he...?

Sakura pulled away from Lee to look up at him, one hand still lingering on his side. Lee's hands drifted down her arms as she hovered close to him. His cheeks were now stained with tears, much like hers, yet, he looked at her without shame. She touched his cheek, feeling the wetness there to assure herself his tears were real. His breath caught in his chest. He swallowed, and his mouth parted slightly as though he had something to say. When Sakura met his eyes again his mouth twitched up into a shaky grin, reassuring her that everything was okay.

Her shame dissipated in an instant. It felt like the wrong time, but she felt laughter bubble up from her throat. She embraced him again, tighter this time, letting her tears flow freely now. Lee did not hesitate this time, his strong arms pulling her in tightly.

"...Thank you, Lee." Sakura sunk further into his embrace, smiling into his shoulder. "I mean it."

He let out a deep, shuttering breath while resting his cheek on her damp hair. "Sakura... I am... so relieved and happy," Lee's voice trembled with emotion as he squeezed her, as though afraid she would suddenly disappear. "I was so afraid that I could not undo what I had done. Thank you, Sakura, for being so kind as to forgive me."

"Y-Yeah."

"This is not a dream, right?"

Sakura laughed. "No. I promise. This is real."

Lee let out a sigh of relief, as though there was some doubt lingering in his mind.

Lee's wet hair dripped on Sakura's back. She did not care. He was so warm. She felt so safe and secure in his arms. When was the last time she had been held like this? She could not recall. She did not want to leave Lee's embrace.

Lee...

Kiba's sharp laugh suddenly echoed in the distance.

Lee and Sakura immediately parted. They looked at one another, uncertainty and vulnerability mirrored in their wet eyes. Kiba and Shino were back. They would no longer be alone.

Sakura smiled at Lee. "Come in for a bit?"

Lee nodded and smiled back at her, relieved.

Sakura led him inside and shut the door. A dim light was all that lit up the room. Sakura flipped it off. Lit only by moonlight, Sakura padded over to a wall and sunk down against it. Lee joined her.

When they heard Kiba and Shino's footsteps they sat still until they passed. Kiba made a comment about both of Lee and Sakura's lights being off. Shino said not to disturb them as they were probably asleep.

Sakura giggled. Lee grinned back at her sheepishly. It felt like they were children sneaking around to stay up past bedtime.

They sat there quietly for a moment, with nothing but the sound of the crickets chirping outside. Their shoulders brushed.

Sakura spoke after rubbing her eyes dry, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "You know, you've missed a few genjutsu lessons, Lee. When we get home we'll need to work extra hard to catch you up to speed. That is... if you still want to train with me?"

Lee perked up. "Yes! I would still love your instruction, Sakura! To make up for my missed days I will work twice, no, five times as hard as before."

Sakura giggled, so pleased to have Lee acting like himself with her again. They could act like themselves again - the only difference being that the two of them still sounded stuffy after crying. "Only five times more than before? I was planning to work you six times as hard. If you're going to be slacking off that much, I'm not sure you'll be able to keep up."

"D-Did I say five times as hard? I meant that I will work ten times as hard! I promise you that, Sakura!" He learned towards her, fist raised with earnest determination.

"I'll hold you to that then," Sakura grinned at him. She loved the way his face lit up with enthusiasm.

While she felt happy sitting there with him, she felt an inkling of guilt rise up in her. They could have cleared the air between them much sooner than this. It could have been yesterday, or even the day before. It was because of her stubbornness that the two of them had suffered for longer than needed.

"Hey, Lee..."

"Yes, Sakura?"

"I'd like to apologize for not... being willing to talk to you sooner. I was mad and being stubborn and I... I have some other things going on that influenced the way I acted towards you."

"Please, think nothing of it. It is all in the past. But... what has been troubling you, Sakura?" He shifted so he was angled towards her.

She searched his attentive eyes for a moment, uncertain, before averting her gaze to the ground. She could trust him, right? She swallowed. "It's... Sasuke. No surprise there, huh?" Sakura felt her throat tighten, and embarrassment fill her as she struggled to speak. "I... I, uh..." She let out a shuttering breath as her hands curled up on the ground beside her. Why was this so hard to get out in words? "It's..."

Sakura's head jolted up and she let out a soft gasp when she felt Lee's warm hand on top of hers.

"It is okay, Sakura. If you do not wish to share, you do not have to. Just know that I am here for you in any way that you need me." He gave her hand a soft squeeze.

Sakura searched Lee's eyes. His soft gaze comforted her, reassuring her to continue. The warmth of his hand on top of hers grounded her from drowning in the torrent of her resurfaced emotions.

"N-No, I do want to share, I've just... never shared this before. With anyone. So please... be patient with me."

"I will," he smiled at her. He removed his hand from hers to give her space, and Sakura found herself immediately missing his touch.

"I... uh, well... Sasuke and I..." She paused, taking a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. "I... I've always cried and begged to Sasuke... Every time he pushed away from me I threw away any pride I had to reach out to him, but he never reached back. For the first time I didn't cave in and pushed against him and I got results... I think. It... made me do a lot of thinking on how I've been all these years and how I want to change myself." She looked up again at Lee. "I blindly thought that the situation between us was similar - that I had to dig my heels in and not give in. I don't want to sacrifice my pride for anyone anymore. I've done that for so long without anyone willing to do the same for me. But... you were different. You actually reached out to me."

Lee spoke after a moment, conflicted thoughts clear in his expression. "Sakura... I have noticed for a long time that the mention of Sasuke's name upsets you. I have long worried about it, but have been too afraid to ask and make you... uncomfortable," he grimaced. "Is everything okay? Are you... okay?"

Sakura's eyes widened. She looked away, embarrassed. "I... I don't know." Sakura bit her lip, building up the courage to speak. "Can I just vent, Lee? I'm not looking for advice on what to do. I just need an ear."

"Of course."

"I-I don't know if Sasuke truly loves me, and it eats at me, every day," she choked out. "When he's home he's so... cold to me, so secretive as to what he's been doing, and it doesn't seem like he even wants to be around me. But other times, I'm unsure, when he acts kind to me or gives me smallest amount of affection. I just don't understand. Why? If he doesn't love me, why doesn't he just... leave me? I... I try so hard for him, Lee.

"And... and sometimes, when I see Naruto and Hinata, I feel so... jealous. Hinata loved Naruto for years and got her dream marriage. She's so happy with Naruto and it all seems so... effortless. Isn't it fair that I get that kind of happiness too? After loving Sasuke for just as long? I sometimes think... maybe I'm doing something wrong. That if I do something a little differently Sasuke will love me the same way Naruto loves Hinata. But maybe I've just been a naive girl this whole time still stuck in her childish dreams of love.

"I've decided for myself I don't want to be the meek girl I always am around him anymore. It's not the real me. But... what will Sasuke think of the real me? What will become of us if he doesn't like it? Will I get the answers to the secrets he is keeping from me? I just don't know."

Lee watched her with sympathy and pain clear in his eyes. He swallowed, and his mouth opened for a moment, as he struggled on what to say to her. He looked like he wanted to tell her so many things. "Sakura... you have been struggling with this for so long, alone. Not even Naruto or Ino know?"

"No... neither of them do," Sakura said, staring down at her toes. "How could I? Naruto and Sasuke are like brothers. Closer even. What would Naruto think of me criticizing Sasuke? After he kept his promise to bring him back to me? What would that promise mean if I wasn't completely happy and grateful that I have Sasuke? And Ino... When we were young we competed to win Sasuke's affection. To her I've 'won', and she reminds me of that and how lucky I am every time I see her. Wouldn't I be ungrateful to not be happy with my 'victory'? That the strain my friendship with Ino went through over that dumb rivalry was all for nothing? Would Ino scoff at me for not being happy even though I'm so lucky I won? Don't I owe it to both Naruto and Ino to be happy that I'm finally married to Sasuke, the boy who I pursued for years?"

"I know you wanted just an ear, but please, permit me to say one thing."

Sakura nodded slowly, biting her lip hard to keep control of herself.

Lee tilted her chin up to look her in the eyes. He offered her a comforting smile when she met his gaze. She felt her cheeks flush from his touch, from the closeness to his face. He dropped his hand from her chin. "Naruto and Ino care for you, Sakura. Just like I do. They would not blame you for being unhappy with Sasuke. They would immediately jump to support and comfort you, no matter how they feel about him. You do not have to feel alone."

His tender words caused her eyes to well up with tears once again. "Oh, Lee... You're right. You're so right."

I let my anxiety make me believe that Naruto and Ino wouldn't be there for me. How wrong I've been. I've pushed them away when I should have gone to them for support.

She chuckled. "How do you do that? Always knowing all the right things to say to me to cheer me up?"

Lee grinned in response. "Sakura, will you permit me to say one more thing? It is not advice, I promise."

"Go ahead."

"Just... know you are worthy of love, and wanting love that makes you happy. That is not a foolish dream. If Sasuke does not appreciate the real you, then he is blind."

Sakura grinned warmly at Lee, cheeks flushed. She felt a fluttering warm feeling in her chest. "What would I do without you, Lee?"

"You will never find out."

What did she do to deserve Lee here with her? This perfect man, so tender and kind, always looking out for her. But, what has she been doing for him?

"Listen... You promised to always protect me, right? The reason why I trained so hard with Tsunade was so I could protect my friends too. All this time we've been spending together, you've supported me without me really being there to return the favor. It's... unfair." Sakura turned herself so she was directly facing Lee, full of sudden determination. "Lee, can I make you a promise?"

Lee blinked in surprise. "O-Of course you can."

"This will sound a bit unoriginal, but I want to make the same promise you made me. So Lee, here it is: I promise to protect you until the day I die. I want to be there for you whenever you need me, no matter what's troubling you. Please, Lee, allow me to help you, just like you've helped me."

Even in the dark, Sakura saw his deep blush. "You... you are sure?"

"Yes, of course I'm sure!" she giggled.

"T-Thank you, Sakura! You really honor me!" Tears formed in the corner of his eyes.

"Y-Yeah!" she laughed.

We're both such big crybabies. But... that's not such a bad thing.

Lee wiped away his tears. "I am so sorry, Sakura! I am probably taking up all of your evening!" Lee said, as though suddenly self-conscious of his presence in her room. "It is rude of me to continue to do so when I am sure you would like your privacy for the rest of the night. Please, allow me to leave you in peace!"

Sakura latched onto his arm before he had the chance to stand up. "No, wait. Please, Lee. Can we just stay together like this for just a little bit? I just... I feel so... happy, to have you here with me right now. I just want this moment to last a little longer."

He looked at her, surprised for a moment, before his features relaxed. "I would love to," he grinned, and she found herself getting lost in those warm eyes she loved so much.

A/N: You know you're writing slow burn when the two mains hug for the first time in chapter 22. I'm sorry for making you guys suffer with me for so long.

Sorry if this meanders around a bit - I tried capturing a bit of that 'real' feeling of having a heart-to-heart with someone after a fight or misunderstanding with all its various ups and downs of emotions and topics of conversation rather it just being a simple, clean apology and move on.

So I originally planned to write this chapter mostly from Lee's perspective. After I wrote a decent bit I noticed there was a lack of 'oomph' and realized that Sakura's perspective is the much more valuable and hard-hitting one here with having a lot of changes in her perspective. I wanted to originally have a tension on whether Sakura would forgive him or not, with the big moment being when she opens the door, but that didn't give as much impact as I wanted.

Songs I listened to heavily while writing this chapter: Fallen by Delerium, Under Your Spell by Desire, Tidal Wave by Owl City, and Nightcall by Kavinsky. Lyrics don't necessarily match up with the leesaku situation, but I love the atmosphere they provided me.