A/N: Yay new chapter! I defeated my editing block and I've been doing some consistent daily yoga to ward off aches and pains due to pandemic inactivity so now I can actually sit comfortably in a chair again and type. (The new ergonomic office chair also helps.)

Chapter 24

Just Friends

Shortly after their victory in the village of Nagiso, Goda and her Steam-nin arrived to help bring in surviving Sound-nin for interrogation. Funai, the former Mist-nin that Lee fought, was among those captured. However, when they went to retrieve Yumi's body, all they found was a smear of blood. Someone had stolen her body away after the four Leaf-nin left it. Sakura felt relieved that her team at least took Yumi's belongings with them before they had abandoned her body. That gave them the chance to uncover her secrets, and hopefully figure out what she meant about the Leaf's involvement in the Sound's plans. However, something still felt wrong about the whole situation - did Sakura miss something on Yumi's body? Is that why they took her corpse? She didn't know.

When they made it back to Yu late into the night, Goda dismissed them back to their quarters to rest after sincerely thanking them for the work they had done. Goda said they would talk the following morning after they had all gotten their rest. Goda and her team needed time to interrogate their prisoners, and the Steam was going to take a look at the items they took from Yumi's body.

Sakura took the time to heal her teammates' injuries when they made it back to their private quarters. First she healed Kiba and Akamaru, who were both bruised up. Then Shino was healed. He had a few deep cuts on his torso, and he was strangely shy about removing his shirt. Shino started to mumble something about being able to take care of his own injuries after his third refusal to remove his shirt. Sakura let out a frustrated sigh and just healed him the best she could with his shirt on. Lee was last as his injuries would take the longest to heal. Sakura had already made sure to do some preliminary healing back in Nagiso - she did not want him to bleed out after all. However the wounds will still raw and seeping, and Sakura wanted to make sure to heal them completely to prevent infection, and also simply for Lee's comfort.

Akamaru retreated to Kiba's room while Shino and Kiba left to the hot springs to wash off the sweat and grime of the day. That left Sakura alone with Lee in his room. Lee was seated on one of the floor cushions, hand wraps and flak jacket discarded in the corner of the room, and his jumpsuit peeled off down to his waist. Sakura was kneeling next to him, working on healing the deepest cut on his side. If she was careful with how her chakra stitched together his skin she could prevent this one from joining the collection of countless scars littered across his body. Lee sat perfectly still as she worked. His scarred hands rested on his knees in balled up fists.

Sakura was usually very good at switching between her medic persona and herself. Her medic persona saw bodies cold and clinically - nothing more than flesh to be healed with no room for shame or embarrassment. This time however, she struggled with it. She had seen Lee shirtless in the hospital several times in the past, but this time was different somehow. Her eyes had drifted momentarily along his toned muscles when he exposed his chest, and she found herself feeling flustered of all things.

With how much he trains that body of his, just imagine the stamina, Yumi's voice echoed in her head, reminding her of his bed sitting a few feet away.

Sakura shook the memory out of her mind, mentally cursing Yumi for her creepy comments invading her thoughts.

As they chatted, a nagging thought remained in the back of her mind: did she truly have feelings for Rock Lee?

No, it couldn't be, Sakura reassured herself. It was only because of Yumi's invasive questioning that she was feeling weird around Lee. Yumi had tried to get under her skin in order to make her sloppy. ...Right?

Lee had suddenly fallen silent in the past few minutes, and Sakura could tell he was thinking hard about something.

"Hey. You okay?" Sakura asked.

"I am sorry," Lee said.

"What for?"

"I failed you. I could not do anything to that genjutsu expert, and my defenselessness was a burden," Lee said, bowing his head in shame.

"Don't apologize. I was thankful I could be there to protect you - to fulfill my end of the promise. Anyway... you've still saved me way more than I have you. I'm just trying to catch up," she joked, but Lee's frown remained unchanged.

"I tried to break her genjutsu. But... I could not focus. Even after training with you for so long, I could not even do the first step and find my chakra stream when it mattered. I wonder... will I ever be able to break a genjutsu under battle? If I cannot even do that, will I ever become a jonin like you or Neji or Guy-sensei? Or even just a tokujo?"

Sakura dropped healing his wound and shifted in front of him. "Hey. Look at me," she said gently.

Lee lifted his bowed head to look at Sakura with his sad eyes.

Sakura smiled reassuringly at him. "You're my genjutsu student. As your teacher, I promise you I will make you a genjutsu dispelling expert. Please have faith in me, Lee. We've only just started our training together. I believe in you full-heartedly."

Lee's eyes searched hers for a moment, before the corners of his mouth raised into a hopeful smile. He hastily wiped away the tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "Thank you, Sakura, for believing in me. I vow to learn all that you can teach me, so next time I can fight by your side against the next genjutsu expert."

"I'm glad to hear it," Sakura grinned.

Lee grinned back, but he then suddenly winced and grabbed his side.

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed. "I'm sorry! Hold still, I'm not done healing that one yet." Sakura returned to his side with healing chakra after Lee removed his hand.

"Thank you, Sakura."

"You don't have to thank me. I like being useful like this, and it feels nice to get to help out my teammates for once. I was stuck working at the hospital for so long helping strangers, I forgot how rewarding it was to be able to be there for my friends."

Sakura thought back to Yumi. If only Sakura had enough time to heal her she would still be alive, and they could have the answers they desperately needed.

"But..." Sakura switched to another wound on his shoulder. "I can't help but think back to Yumi. She knew her death was coming, and welcomed it openly with a smile. Why was she so eager for death at that moment? Why didn't her ally attack me instead? I just don't get it."

"I do not understand it either. She did not strike me as someone who would die for a cause... but perhaps there was more to her than she showed us."

Sakura thought of all of the things Yumi told her - the supposed 'truths' about her and Lee that she currently wrestled with. She had even implied that Lee had feelings for her, but that couldn't be true. Lee told her many weeks ago that his feelings for her were no more. "Lee... what did you think of all the strange things Yumi said?" she asked carefully as she switched to the cut on Lee's cheek.

Lee blinked in surprise. A slight flush colored his cheeks. He swallowed. "What she said about us... She was trying to get under our skins, right? We are just friends after all."

Just friends.

Sakura felt reassured by Lee's words. "You're right - she was saying some pretty crazy lies, huh? We are just friends, after all."

"Right."

Sakura noticed Lee's discomfort. "Hey, sorry for bringing it up. I'm glad to hear we're on the same page. It just... pissed me off, especially after we cleared the air last night. I didn't want her to taint what we have. Because... our friendship is important to me."

"It is very important to me too."

Sakura let out a breath of relief. Yumi was a liar. She did not have feelings for Lee. And Lee certainly didn't have feelings for her either.

Lee's stomach let out a loud growl just as Sakura finished healing his wounds.

Sakura laughed. "Hungry?"

"Y-Yes. I worked up an appetite fighting, it seems," he said, sheepish.

"Yu is a big tourist town - and those never go to sleep. I bet there's plenty of nighttime snacks to find. Do you want to go out and find something? I could use a bite to eat too actually."

"You are sure?"

"Yeah! Let's just wash off this sweat and grime first, then meet me at the entrance of our hotel. Don't tell Shino and Kiba though! They got to have their own fun last night without us, so I think its our turn," she winked.

When Lee entered the hot springs, Kiba was already gone. Only Shino remained.

Lee slipped in with Shino, directly across from him. Shino's bare skin was peppered with small scars, scabs, and holes where his bugs would crawl out of his skin. Lee knew they were the reason why Shino was so hesitant to remove his shirt in front of Sakura earlier - the always self-assured Aburame was self-conscious. During their first night in the hot springs Shino had wrapped himself modestly in his towel, trying to hide his arms and chest from Lee, and had sunk in the springs up to his chin, his shades fogging up. Kiba had chided Shino for being so shy.

Lee had spoken up to reassure him. "You do not need to worry about what I think, Shino. I am covered head-to-toe in my own scars. They show our commitment to our shinobi way. We should not be ashamed," he had grinned with a raised fist, confidentially displaying his own collection of scars scattered across his arms and torso. The scars were the ugliest along Lee's arms and hands, where his abuse of his body was most apparent.

With some further encouragement from Kiba, Shino had relented and peeled off the extra layers of towels, and sat up in the water at chest-level.

Shino wasted no time with greetings this time around. "You and Sakura are getting along now," he stated, pleased.

"Yes!" Lee said, triumphant. "We spoke last night and I apologized."

Shino smiled. "Did you tell her?"

Lee knew what Shino meant. Did I tell Sakura I loved her?

"...No, I did not."

"You should."

"I will!" Lee insisted. "I am just... waiting for the right moment. It felt... wrong last night."

"That's understandable. Still, do it when you find the right time. It's important to have that level of honesty in your friendship."

"I know..."

Is tonight the right time to tell her?

Lee kept his time at the hot springs short and dressed in a spare undamaged jumpsuit in his room. He left behind his headband, kunai holster, tool pouch, flak jacket, hand wraps, and training weights. Sakura had suggested that they leave behind their ninja gear so they could blend in as tourists rather than stick out as foreign ninja. He felt a little naked as he left to meet Sakura at the private resort entrance. Her eyes lit up when he came into view. She also was lacking her headband and ninja gear, including her gloves and elbow compression sleeves. Both of them looked like regular civilians now.

"Are you ready?" he grinned.

Sakura grinned back. "Yeah! Let's find some food!"

They left the front gate. Lee felt the eyes of the outside guard-nin on their backs as they left.

They wandered towards downtown. The whole pathway was brought to life by colorful lights that reflected off the rising steam and the well-dressed pedestrians. Not a single street was dark nor hardly a single business closed. The closer they got to downtown, the more they saw couples dressed in colorful yukatas with red sashes tied around their heads and waists. Children were chasing each other with painted faces, laughing, as they held paper streamers that danced behind them.

"Is a festival going on or is Yu always like this, I wonder?" Lee commented as they walked by a pair of children dueling with wooden swords, one of them wearing an oni mask.

"I think it might be a festival. Wonder what they're celebrating," Sakura said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"I am not sure, but I imagine we can find out if we ask one of the locals!" Lee responded. Sakura had to catch up to Lee as he eagerly jogged over to the nearest stall they saw. The stall was selling trinkets with bellflowers and spider lilies painted on them, and fancy spirit warding tags. Lee put his hands on the countertop as he leaned in towards the stall owner - an old woman with deep blue hair. "Excuse me, may I ask you something?" Lee said, the eagerness clear in his voice. "Could you tell me about what Yu is celebrating tonight?"

The stall owner smiled, understanding. "Oh, tourists are you?" she said, looking between Lee and Sakura. "The Hanran Festival. It's the once-a-year night where we defy the Shinigami and through our celebration allow the Two Lovers' spirits to reunite in the mortal realm out of his grasp."

"Oh?" Sakura said, intrigued. "I've never heard of it. What's the story behind the Two Lovers?"

The patient old woman told them the tale. Aimi and Hiroki were shinobi lovers during the Warring States Period from the area. The Shinigami tried to steal Aimi away with him, desiring her beauty and wishing to take her as a wife, but Hiroki chased after him into the afterlife, refusing to let the Shinigami take her. He fought the Shinigami and saved Aimi. But the Shinigami was furious at Hiroki, and deemed that once the two of them died, their spirits would never reunite. They lived a long, happy life, and on their death bed their many children promised to find a way to reunite their spirits. Their children built two gateways in the center of Yu and determined a celebratory ritual was the way to open the pathway between them from the afterlife. The more people that come to remember them, the stronger pathway would be.

"Such an incredibly moving story!" Lee exclaimed, on the verge of tears.

"What a romantic holiday," Sakura sighed dreamily.

"I'm related to Aimi and Hiroki, y'know," the stall owner winked. "But about half the people in Yu claim that. Hard to know for sure. Anyhow, make sure you celebrate hard for the Two Lovers! Speaking of which, you'll want one of these spirit warding tags, to protect you from the Shinigami during our night of defiance," she said, returning to her business spiel.

Lee and Sakura left the stall with two spirit tags of their own. When they made it downtown they had to weave around the thick crowd, and had to speak up to hear each other with the sound of music and laughter all around them. Lee could feel the electric energy and excitement in the air. They decided against eating outside in a stall due to the commotion. Instead, they were able to locate an indoors restaurant that muffled the sounds of celebration outside.

"This is crazy," Sakura laughed as they sat down at a table next to a window. "Why didn't Goda mention there was going to be a festival tonight? Shino and Kiba are really missing out."

"I am fast enough to go get them if you would like," Lee offered.

"No! No," Sakura giggled. "Just the two of us, please. I only want to spend tonight with you."

Lee's heart skipped a beat at those words. "Oh. Right!"

"You don't mind, right?" Sakura said suddenly. "I just thought we could have a nice time together after what happened. Just... some time to enjoy each other's company, is all."

Lee responded quickly, not wanting Sakura to feel uncertain for a second longer. "I do not mind. In fact, I prefer it this way too."

Sakura's smile spread wide.

When the server arrived at their table, they ordered a large order of octopus takoyaki to share, and two bowls of red snapper soumen soup. They chatted lightheartedly as they ate. At some point Sakura burst out laughing at something Lee said - it must have been funny, he guessed. Her laughter was warm and full of life, and he treasured hearing her sound so joyful after seeing her so full of tears last night.

Everything felt so right, at this moment. This precious time with her felt all the sweeter after nearly losing her friendship. He vowed to never threaten their friendship ever again. He wanted this... he needed this. Being with her made his heart soar.

He deeply treasured his friendship with Sakura. Her tenderness towards him was something he was lacking with his other relationships. Tenten had a reluctance to express softness and she had a harshness to her that was needed to survive the antics of their team. She had taken up the role as the exasperated, reprimanding older sister that had to keep them (but mostly Guy and Lee) all in line. Guy always had an openness to feelings that Tenten lacked, but he was Lee's mentor and his idol - not his peer. And Neji... well, Lee didn't want to dwell on Neji at this moment.

Shino would have Lee's eternal gratitude for convincing Lee that it was okay to remain close to someone despite having unrequited feelings for them. But... Lee still had to find the right time to confess his feelings to Sakura. He wanted there to be no secrets between them. His apology last night was incomplete - he did not give her the true reason he had suddenly pulled away from her. He knew he had to tell her. She had the right to know. She deserved to be able to make a decision on how their friendship would proceed with his unrequited feelings. But when he does confess, would everything stay the same as it was right now, in this happy moment? Or would she pull away, no longer feeling comfortable in his presence?

Surely not, Lee reasoned to reassure himself. He thought back to their genin days - to Sakura visiting him in the hospital frequently with flowers after his fight with Gaara. She knew he liked her then, yet she was not repulsed by him. But... was now different? They were older. They were closer. She was married. Lee did not know if those changes made a difference.

When they were done eating Sakura leaned on her elbow, gazing at the activity outside with a content smile. Lee snuck a lingering look. The colorful lights from outside bled through the window and danced along her face as she shifted. She was so beautiful. She looked so happy and at peace. To see Sakura like this was a gift on its own.

Was tonight the right time to confess? He did not now that either. The thought summoned nervous butterflies in his stomach.

Sakura glanced back at Lee. "Beautiful, huh?"

Lee tried to make it look like he wasn't losing himself in her own beauty just a second earlier by shifting his gaze away for a moment. "Y-Yes! You... It is beautiful," he stammered.

Maybe now was not the right time to confess. He did not want to complicate this easy peacefulness between them while in the middle of a mission. He would wait until they returned to Konoha.

"Hmm, the War Celebration is coming up soon in Konoha, isn't it?" Sakura said. "Are you still going to march in the parade?"

"Yes, of course! Does that mean... are you considering marching too with the rest of our former Third Division?"

"Y'know... I said I wasn't sure before, but I think I've decided. I will. As long as I get to march next to you, that is." She flashed Lee an affectionate grin.

"R-Really? I... I will absolutely make sure that there is a spot next to me! I promise you that, Sakura!"

"You better," Sakura laughed.

When Lee and Sakura left the restaurant, they caught sight of a line of people in front of a stall selling short-cut yukatas, hakamas, and sashes. The air felt even more full of energy and excitement, as though something was coming up.

"Forgot your yukata at home? Then get one here!" the stall owner shouted. "Have your yukata ready for the midnight gateway dance!"

"Tourists, don't be shy! Learn the basics of the dance over here!"

Sakura looked at Lee with a hopeful glance. "Oh wow. Sounds like fun. I know it's getting late but-"

"Yes!" Lee erupted eagerly, before she could even finish her sentence. "The Two Lovers' story is so moving! I want to do what I can to help them reunite!"

Sakura grinned back at Lee, encouraged by his excited response.

The two got in line and were able to purchase two cheap yukatas, hakamas, and the red sashes to go with it. They simply threw them on over their regular clothes. The stall owner tied the sashes around their waists and foreheads for them to make sure it was done correctly. A long loose strand of sash trailed behind their yukatas. They were then ushered over to a cleared out portion of the street with the other tourists where they would be instructed in the customary dance.

A male and female instructor, both dressed in yukatas and sashes, made way for the center of the clearing as the tourists chattered excitedly among one another. Another man stood behind them holding a drum. The female instructor cleared her throat loudly and the chatter quieted. "Welcome to Yugakure and thank you for participating in our festival to reunite the Two Lovers," she said. "Please make sure you have a dance partner before we start!"

Sakura and Lee shared a curious glance and then a nod.

"Now first, observe," the female instructor said.

The woman and the man came together as the drummer began the beat. One of the man's hand was on her waist, hers on his shoulder, and then their free hands were clasped together. They did a few repetitive steps, twirled, and then split wide, held together for a moment by their clasped hands. They then let go of each other's hand and began to move together, interweaving, circling one another, and flowing across each other - a simple, slow taijutsu battle turned into a fluid, graceful dance. Their sashes billowed beautifully behind them as they twirled.

Lee realized that the reason why their yukata was cut so short, and why they wore the long sashes. The short-cut yukata allowed for the wide range of movement for the dance, and the sashes tied around their foreheads and waists looked suspiciously like the forehead protectors shinobi wore. This dance represented the two shinobi lovers themselves. This was a couple's dance.

The dancing pair then returned to one another, the man's hand clasped on her waist, and hers on his shoulder. They repeated the same steps in the dance, but Lee noticed when they began to perform taijutsu they changed some of the stances as a creative flair, this time a graceful grapple that made them spin around each other, and the man dipped the woman before pulling her back up into the starting dance.

"There you have it," the woman said as she and her dance partner separated. "You repeat those dance moves. You first come together with the basic steps, then separate, where you can improvise. Don't panic about the improvisation! I will teach you all some basic moves to start with so you don't feel lost. Now grab your partner and come together. Time to learn!"

Lee glanced at Sakura with wide-eyed panic. He was about to speak up, and tell her that if she no longer wanted to dance that it would be perfectly okay. But Sakura beat him to it.

"Um, so let's start, huh?" she giggled shyly as she turned to him.

"Y-Yes!" Lee stammered.

They both awkwardly shifted their hands in front of each other, uncertain at first, but Sakura's left hand was able to find his shoulder, and his right hand on her waist. And finally, his left hand closed around Sakura's small, soft hand. For a moment he felt a little embarrassed at the rough condition of his own hands - full of raised scars and rough callouses. He hoped she would not mind.

"Stand closer! Don't be shy!" the female instructor lightly scolded, pushing Sakura closer to Lee.

Lee looked down at Sakura and met her gaze with a nervous smile. She was so close. Sakura smiled shyly at him with understanding. They both understood the predicament they accidentally signed up for. But they were good friends. They both understood that this was just a dance between friends.

But, god, would Lee ever secretly savor this feeling of holding Sakura so close to himself.

Naughty boy, having feelings for a married woman, Yumi's voice taunted him.

Lee shoved the memory away. He could feel the inkling feeling of shame rear its head, but the way Sakura looked at him with those half-lidded jade eyes melted those thoughts away, and the only thing he could think about in this moment was her.

Lee and Sakura slowly went through the steps as the two instructors taught them. While the other tourists constantly tripped on each other's feet, Sakura and Lee were near flawless - the first steps starting out slow before they quickly learned each other's beat. It was just like sparring together; Lee knew Sakura's movements, and she knew his. The taijutsu-inspired movements were even easier for the two of them as they shifted between the familiar poses with ease.

"Very good!" The male instructor said. "You two are naturals!"

Sakura let out a giggle and gave Lee a mischievous, knowing look as they danced around each other. Lee was caught off guard by the cuteness of her expression, and the way her nose scrunched up. His heart wanted to burst from the sight of it; he wanted to shout to the heavens how beautiful she looked in this moment. His gaze wavered for a second off to the side to give him a moment to regain his composure, and he then returned her look with a grin.

It was short lesson. The instructors gave them the bare essentials to participate, but they encouraged them all to try out a little improvisation when the time came.

Lee and Sakura were soon herded with the tourists to the village center, where two huge torii gateways were constructed, painted unique from one another and facing each other. Offerings were collecting around the base of the two gateways. These were the gates that would welcome the Two Lovers spirits to the mortal realm. A large band of musicians was stationed off to the side on a raised platform, full of string and wind instruments, and large drums. They were already playing, welcoming the gathering crowd. The onlookers formed a large circle while the the dance participants gathered in the center, forming two large circles, many rows thick, around each gateway. Sakura and Lee followed the direction of the crowd. They picked one of the two circles in a middle row, not quite sure what to expect next.

The music suddenly silenced, all but the dramatic roll of a drumbeat. The excited chatter died down as the anticipation grew. A beautiful black-haired woman dressed in an elaborate kimono appeared on the musician's platform - the Yukage herself. She spoke with a powerful voice, telling them all about the tradition of the event, the inspiring love story between Aimi and Hiroki and how they helped unite the warring clans in the area to start the beginnings of the Land of Steam, and thanking them for taking part in remembering them tonight so they could be reunited.

When the Yukage left the stage, first the drums started back up again with a commanding beat, and then the string and wind instruments flowed in with a lively accompaniment. The crowd watching the participating dancers cheered. The paired dancers came together. Following those around them, Lee and Sakura mirrored them, this time more confidently grasping each other.

Lee's heart fluttered once again at her touch. The two of them traded eager, yet nervous, grins. They had come out here to just get food; neither of them expected to end up dancing in a strange new festival together. Finding their beat, they followed the direction of the circle as the dancers slowly spun, billowing red sashes twirling all around them.

Lee and Sakura found themselves getting a little more comfortable as they fell in sync with one another as they performed the basic taijutsu dances shown by the instructors. When they came together again to base form, Sakura giggled when she bumped a little into his chest. Lee laughed too.

The next time they came together for the base steps, Sakura leaned close, her mouth beside his ear. "Look at the pair to the west of us," she whispered, her breath tickling his ear. "They're shinobi, I'm sure of it. Look at their moves."

When they separated again, Lee looked. He saw a man and a woman dancing together, and the taijutsu dances they were doing were putting everyone else around them to shame, doing performative leaps and spins around each other with excellent grace. It was nothing too wild - there was no chakra-enhanced movements being done. One could easily mistaken them for just civilians with a talent for dance.

When Lee and Sakura returned to one another again, Sakura whispered to him again. "We can do better than that, don't you think?" The mischievous purr to her voice sent goosebumps down his spine.

"A competition? I am in!" Lee answered her as composed as he could.

Lee followed Sakura's lead when they split - Sakura deviated from the basic taijutsu dances taught by the instructors and invented her own based on their spars. Lee followed her cues well. Her flourished mock-punches were smoothly redirected; Sakura leapt over and weaved around Lee's stylish kicks. Lee then grabbed her free hand, twirling her.

They returned to base form as commanded by the beat. Sakura grinned widely up at Lee in approval. Sakura still could not believe she was doing this with Lee. When was the last time she had done something so spontaneous and fun? All the colors and sounds and the raw energy in the air made everything feel a little like a dream.

Lee looked handsome too, dressed up in his yukata with the red sash tied across his forehead.

But we're just friends, Sakura thought as they danced, thinking back to their earlier conversation. They had settled that there was nothing going on between them - Yumi had been full of lies.

Sakura's next set of moves were more elaborate, and Lee had to adapt quickly to keep up. He was doing an excellent job. She pulled an unexpected move that almost caught him off guard. When Lee raised an eyebrow at her she first laughed and then smirked in reply, challenging him. This was now a competition between themselves, not just the other dancing shinobi pair. Understanding, Lee responded with a playful smile.

Lee took the lead the next time they separated from base form, circling around her, and Sakura had to push the extent of her flexibility as she flowed around his moves. Lee then unexpectedly moved in close and lifted her with a spin. This time it was he who was smirking as she was the one caught off guard. Sakura stuck her tongue out at Lee when they came back together to base form. He chuckled.

When they separated again, Lee pulled her in and ducked. Sakura rolled over his back, landing on her feet back in front of him. They looked at each other with giddy approval.

They continued this game of theirs - catching each other off guard and challenging the other to one-up the other. Like the shinobi pair Sakura spotted, they were doing their own set of spins, lifts, grapples, and jumps as they smoothly moved around each other's elaborate moves. It felt like one of their spars - Sakura knew exactly how to respond to Lee's moves, and he could do the same. It was a unique way to experience a spar, and so much fun, made clear by how easily they found themselves smiling and laughing.

Though as they danced, Sakura repeated the same mantra over and over again in her head.

Just friends, she thought when she admired how bright his grin was and how sweet his laughter sounded.

Just friends, Sakura thought when she noticed the broadness of his shoulders and the firmness of his muscled arms.

Just friends, Sakura reminded herself when she decided she liked the feeling of his warm, calloused hands on her own, and how incredibly gentle he always was with every touch.

Just friends, Sakura reminded herself when she noticed how silky his hair looked, and how much she wanted to run her hands through it.

The drumbeat was picking up speed, barreling through to a climactic finish. The dancers were moving faster. When Lee and Sakura found themselves together again at base form, Sakura couldn't take her eyes off of Lee's.

When they separated again, Lee grappled Sakura's arm in a move she recognized would have send her crashing into the ground. Instead he used it to sweep her off her feet. Sakura hooked a leg around his waist in a partial counter. He dipped her, one hand supporting her back. Her breath caught in surprise as Lee playfully smirked down at her. Her heart was thumping loud in her chest, but not because of the dancing. The shadows cast across his face brought out a certain handsomeness in his features, and she found herself losing herself completely in his dark eyes.

Just friends, Sakura thought breathlessly when she suddenly wanted Lee to close the remaining distance between their lips and kiss her right then and there.

Oh.

At that moment the music and other dancers stopped with one final loud pound of the drums. Lee pulled her up with an effortless smoothness and the two separated. She felt herself blushing hard as the two of them grinned at each other from the exhilaration of the dance.

She recognized this feeling now. She could no longer deny it.

Sakura had absolutely without a doubt fallen for Rock Lee.

Sakura didn't have time to dwell on this sudden realization of her feelings as the horde of other dancers began to move towards one of the two gateways. Lee and Sakura were forced to move with them. Before they could lose each other in the crowd, Lee reached for her arm and gently pulled her near to him so they wouldn't get separated.

When the first set of dancers made it to one of the two gateways, they removed their sashes and knotted them together - one end tied to a column of the gateway and the other free end passed to the next set of dancers, whom tied their own sashes to it before handing it off. Lee and Sakura did the same when it was their turn. The long strand of red sashes stretched out all the way from one gateway to the other, and the last set of dancers tied the end to that gateway's column, connecting the two together. Each side of each gateway had a strand tied between them - a bridge. When it was complete, the dancers backed off and there were cheers.

When the lights in the square dimmed everyone went dead silent at once. Sakura swore she saw a flash of something between the gateways. The crowd then began to dissipate, flowing out of the square with a certain reverence. Perhaps the intention of leaving was to give the Two Lovers privacy. Sakura and Lee followed the crowd and when they exited the square they pulled off to the side for a moment.

"Do you want to, um... grab a drink?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, I would love to!"

They picked a quiet cafe outside of the main festivity area, a darker street off the beaten path. The only passerby were those returning home, tired from the celebration. They ordered milk tea to cool themselves off and sat across from each other.

"That was amazing!" Lee exclaimed, barely able to contain his excitement. "All the dancers, the music, and colors! And that we got to be a part of it! All to unite the lovers from that touching story!"

"Yeah," Sakura said dreamily, stirring the ice around her cup with her straw. To think in the middle of this mission they were able to have so much fun. "You're a good dancer, y'know," Sakura smiled coyly.

"Really?" Lee said sheepishly. "I think I was just lucky - all those moves were taijutsu-based after all."

Sakura let out a huff of amusement. "I had to remind myself on some of those moves not to complete the grapple or counter. Otherwise I would have sent you flying to the ground. That would have been a little awkward."

"Awkward for the bystanders, I am sure. Thankfully, I am used to being thrown around by you," Lee joked.

"Well, if you miss it, I'll be sure to throw you around some more when we get back to sparring," Sakura winked playfully, a purr sneaking into her voice. "I almost had you that last time with that grapple. Next time you won't escape, I promise you that."

Lee cleared his throat after choking a little on his milk tea, but he recovered smoothly enough. "Is that so? I look forward to your attempt. Just remember that the same move will not work twice on me," he smirked.

I have feelings for Rock Lee, Sakura's mind reminded her.

Sakura consciously flattened her voice, realizing the way she just sounded. The last thing she wanted was to come off as flirty. "Don't you worry yourself about it one bit, Lee," Sakura teased. "I'm already formulating my new master plan. I'll win a spar yet."

"I am confident you will one of these days," Lee beamed.

As they continued to talk, Sakura's mind wandered.

Sakura had spent just about her whole life crazy about Sasuke. She had thought at one point she might have felt something for Naruto, a long time ago. This feeling for another was foreign and strange to her - just having Lee look at her with that bright, welcoming grin of his made the fluttering in her stomach go wild. She could not look for long or else she feared she would become a blushing mess.

Relax, Sakura. You have this under control.

Love in the past had made her act like a fool. She refused to act like one now. She was older. Wiser. Just like how shinobi were to hide their feelings from their enemy, Sakura must do the same here. Not that Lee was the enemy - it was these unexpected feelings that were. She felt an inkling of guilt in the back of her mind at the thought of Sasuke, but she shoved it away for later. She understood these feelings she had were Lee were wrong and she had to deal with them eventually, but right now she wanted to live in the moment and not worry about the future. She just wanted to enjoy her treasured friendship with Lee after a fun night out.

And after all, what she was doing with Lee wasn't cheating... right?

When they walked back to their private resort, Sakura was very aware of Lee's presence next to her. When they made it back, the two of them stopped in front of Lee's room.

"So, I guess this is goodnight?" Lee said.

"Yeah..." Sakura bit her lip. "But before you go, I have... something to say."

"What is it, Sakura?"

"I just wanted to say that had a lot of fun with you tonight. It just made me... happy for what we have, and that I am so thankful that we are friends again."

Lee gave her a tender smile. "Me too. Our bond is precious to me as well, Sakura - more than you know. I was... glad to see the joy on your face tonight. Your happiness is important to me."

Sakura blushed, letting out a bashful chuckle. "Lee... I... um..." Sakura felt nervous, not sure how to put into words her appreciation of him. Instead of finishing her sentence she moved in close and wrapped her arms behind Lee's neck, pulling him in for a tight hug. She could tell she startled him at first due to the way he froze, but then she felt the comforting weight of his arms around her back, and his returned squeeze. She enjoyed this feeling more than she cared to admit.

"Thank you for last night. And tonight." Sakura kissed his cheek before pulling away. "Goodnight, Lee."

Lee stared at her, mouth slightly parted in surprise. The darkness did little to hide his deep blush. He slowly raised a hand to touch the place she kissed him as Sakura left towards her room.

"Goodnight, Sakura," Lee said softly.

A/N: I was originally going to have more introspection on Sakura's sudden realization of her scandalous feelings for Lee while being married, but I wanted to keep the mood a bit lighter for this chapter. We'll get some of that introspection next chapter. I'm super excited to finally be at this point and have her process out these juicy feelings. This is something I've been wanting to explore for awhile.

For the history of the celebration, I like to imagine that the details were exaggerated and made more fantastical. Like maybe Aimi summoned the Shinigami, and had to sacrifice herself to do so, but Hiroki was able to bring her back to life through his own jutsu or bargaining. Who knows, the details could have changed from the original scenario with time. I also took light inspiration for a few things for the holiday - the Japanese Tanabata Festival and Bon Festival, the Mexican Day of the Dead, and the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. Hanran supposedly translates into "defiance/rebellion" (thanks Google Translate).

I imagine the dance to be a mixture of ballroom dancing, swing dancing (especially with the flips and lifts), and capoeira (a Brazilian martial art dance) but with a more Eastern spin on it (and more beginner friendly) and slower. There's probably some other type of battle dance involving martial arts from the East, but I'm just struggling to find any that aren't just solo weapon dances.

Also an FYI/warning... I did some thought, and in future chapters this story may start to flirt a little close to the M-rating. (There will be nothing explicit or too dark in this story.) I still have time to decide - but depending on how I write out some things, I may update the rating to M. (If I do, I will warn you in the A/N before the chapter.) I kinda want to keep to T for pure selfish reasons of M-rated fics being less visible due to FFN's filtering but at the same time I kinda do want to explore slightly more adult themes. It also kinda gets hard to decide whether something is T or M-rated based on FFN's ratings because of the vagueness of it, and honestly published Young Adult (target ages 12-18) literature gets away with a lot when it comes to violence and sexual themes. And I think FFN is a bit stricter than YA literature? I don't know. Sometimes I wonder if I already trended into M territory with the violence/death I've already portrayed, and sexual content with Lee's dream in Chapter 16. I don't have to worry about this for AO3 at least. If you prefer that site, I do post my updates to this story at AO3 as well under the same username.

Until next time!