Sorry for the late hour, but I said I'd get this up today, and I did. My poor dogs have been having a hard time with all the fireworks for 4th of July. :(

Chapter 4: The Hospital (Part 2)

Now that Hatake-san is here, Lee thought glumly, my chances of making a great escape are next to zero. As the minutes ticked by, Lee brainstormed many possible solutions, but eventually decided that any attempt to deceive or manipulate a jonin would fail miserably.

"Hatake-san," Lee called.

He looked up over his book, the cover of which showed a man chasing after a woman in a short dress.

"Hmm?"

"Is there any way we could keep this whole fiasco a secret from my family. They just-It wouldn't be good, Hatake-san." Kakashi sighed heavily and shut his book, setting it down on the side table by her bed.

"I will put in my best word with the Hokage." He did not sound optimistic. "How would you explain it to them?"

Lee shook her head, wringing her hands.

"I don't know. The Lee family is very old and very proud. Even as our money has dwindled through the years, my parents have refused to work, saying it was unbecoming of a noble. In their eyes, a successful marriage for me is their only way to survive. And here I went and trashed my body defending someone they don't particularly like and a village they resent for moving forward without them."

"Grandma Hatsu is your mother's mother?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"No, Grandma Hatsu was a close friend of my Grandma Lee. My parents used to be much more active socially, so they would send my brother and I off to Grandma Hatsu when they went on trips or left for the day."

"Maybe we could speak with your brother first. How old is he?"

"He's only 13. But he lives alone. His relationship with our parents is tenuous at best. He won't be able to do anything for me."

"He lives alone? At that age?" Kakashi asked, surprised.

"Well he's a ninja and can afford it, just barely. Once you become a ninja, you earn the right to live alone if your family life affects your ability to do your job. Though I imagine you knew that already.

"I'd stay with him, but he's off on a mission. And my parents could just contact the police and have me brought home. And," Lee shook her head and smiled ruefully, "I've just told a ninja about that plan, so it's useless anyway."

Kakashi tipped his headband in apology.

"And," Lee realized aloud, "now you know a 13-year-old ninja with the surname Lee is my brother, so even without my given name, you can track my family down easily."

"Sorry."

Lee laughed.

"I never thought I was talkative, but perhaps conversing exclusively with my mother isn't so inspiring."

"What will they do?" Kakashi asked, solemnly.

Lee tilted her head.

"Your parents."

She opened her mouth in a silent "ah", then bit her lip.

"Nothing particularly violent, I expect. They wouldn't want to damage me further. But what little freedom I have," Lee looked at the birds snatching up the last of the apple. She settled back in the bed and stared at the ceiling.

As the silence stretched longer, Kakashi contemplated grabbing his book. It would be rude. It would be inconsiderate. She had nothing to do or read.

I'm guarding her, not babysitting or hanging out. It's not my job to entertain her. But then, Kakashi sweatdropped, most guards wouldn't be reading on the job, now would they? Still, he looked at the book longingly. His favorite chapter was next. It was so good. So tempting. He started to sweat, eyes darting between the troubled girl and the literary masterpiece. He wiped his brows, reaching under his headband to get to the left. Just as he started to reach for the book, the door slid open.

Sakura-chan? Is it that late already? He looked outside, where the sun still shone brightly.

"Kakashi-sensei, the Hokage wants to speak with you regarding the tunnel. I'm here to take over," the pink-haired girl said. "I have your lunch too, Lee-san," Sakura added with a smile, holding a basket aloft. "My mother heard I was going to be guarding you, and she sent me off with lunch for the both of us."

Lee looked at her blankly. She hadn't registered it the other night. But right there. In front of her.

A real kunoichi! Lee sat at attention, eyes blazing.

"I will never forget her kindness! And yours as well. Forgive me, but I can't recall your name from the other night. I am Mizuchi Lee," said Lee, her voice clear and loud.

"Sakura. Sakura Haruno. Nice to meet you," the girl smiled sweetly, her long hair flowing about her like the branches of a cherry blossom.

"Sakura Haruno-san," murmured Lee, testing the name in her mouth. "What a beautiful name you have!" She smiled brightly at the taller girl. Sakura blushed, evidently pleased.

"Yours is nice too!" replied Sakura, glowing. The two girls giggled happily. Lee's cheeks were pink from mirth and her eyes were wide and admiring. She stared at Sakura often and directly. A complete 180 from her interactions with Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed and stood up, rubbing the side of his head. Well I guess I'm not needed. Apparently I was the awkward one. He leapt onto the windowsill, glanced behind him at the girls, now chatting away animatedly. He half-waved, but when neither noticed, he slipped out and took off.

Could it be, Kakashi wondered, as he flew from one rooftop to the next, that she really dislikes me? Or maybe this is-! No, it can't be. That only happens in books. But maybe…" He blushed, trying to shake the thought from his head. Love...at first sight? But Sakura loves Sasuke. It can never be. He sped up, almost overshooting the Hokage's office entirely. Ah, to be young and in love. Poor Lee-san.

"Hey Haruno-san," Lee said, during a lull in conversation.

"Yes, Lee-san?" Sakura replied, from where she sat on the bed beside Lee's.

"Why did you hit your teammate?" Lee asked timidly, hoping she wouldn't offend the other girl.

"Huh? Oh, you mean Naruto? He's a total loser and can't do anything right. Well, he's not totally useless. He can be strong. And brave," Sakura added, as an afterthought.

"But why would you kick him for those reasons?"

"Well I was just punishing him in advance, I guess." Sakura said. "Which, I suppose, probably isn't fair," she sighed. "He just really gets under my skin, you know? And so I get angry just by looking at him. He doesn't even have to do anything and I'm mad."

"Do you," Lee started carefully, "resent him for anything?"

"Resent him…" Sakura thought for a minute. A cloud drifted over the sun, and Sakura's hair and eyes faded with the light of the room. "I guess I'm jealous," she admitted. The cloud passed.

"Jealous?"

"He's better than me." Sakura clenched the handle of the basket in her lap.

"Better than you?" Sakura nodded.

"We went on a mission recently. With our other team member and Kakashi-sensei. And I was really useless. Even though I had the highest grades in the Academy, and Naruto had the lowest. Even though my chakra control is better than his and Sasuke's combined. I couldn't do anything. I just had to stand there and watch the people I care about get hurt, while I protected our client."

"You protected the client?"

"Well I stood in front of him, anyway."

"Your comrades took the offense, but your job was to defend the client, wasn't it?" Sakura nodded. "And you did defend him. You became a ninja to be a ninja, not to fight well, right? To charge off and fight is much easier than standing still when the people you care for are in danger, Haruno-san."

Sakura smiled, wiping a tear away.

"You sound like my mother."

"I suppose there are advantages to talking to no one but your mother," Lee laughed.

"I hope that we get to talk again, Lee-san. After today."

Lee sobered.

"I do too."

At 6-o'clock, the door slid open once again.

"Hey."

Sakura and Lee looked at the dark haired boy in the doorway. Sakura had moved over to Lee's bed, where they both sat cross-legged.

She's supposed to be guarding her, not making a new best friend. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"You're off duty, Sakura. Go home. Someone will let you know if you need to come back in the morning."

"Haruno-san," Lee called as the pink-haired girl stepped out of the room. Sakura looked back at her. Lee gave her the thumbs-up. "I'm rooting for you!" Sakura turned as pink as her hair, and, with a nervous peek at Sasuke, disappeared.

"These are for you." He dropped a fabric bundle on the bed next to her. "Kakashi was too busy to bring them himself. He said you can keep them."

Lee unwrapped the bundle.

Books? She started inspecting them curiously. Maybe he realized I want to learn more about shinobi... She grew more and more disappointed with every back she skimmed. These are all romance novels and relationship advice! One-sided Love: A Guide to Survival? That's not the kind of survival I'm looking for, Hatake-san. Not all girls are interested in those things.

Meanwhile, Sasuke performed an exhaustive inspection of the room. When he was satisfied with its security, he moved to the window. He divided the view into quadrants, and began the first of many cycles of methodical scanning.

After a few minutes boring a hole in the back of Sasuke's head, waiting for him to say something, Lee gave up and returned to her new books.

She cracked open a small red book. After 30 seconds of reading, Lee cringed and set the book aside. Well not that one. She moved onto the next, this time skipping straight to the middle.

Haru smiled softly, taking the girl's petite hand in his own and laying a feathery kiss on her soft flesh. "Until we meet again."

Lee gagged.

Surely they can't all be like this...Why would Hatake-san ever think I would enjoy something like this? Well, he doesn't know much about me, after all. The thought was nice.

A few minutes later, one book lay draped across Lee's lap: her last hope. She turned to the first page. Then the next. And the next. This is...a romance between shinobi of opposing villages. There has to be something useful here! Lee rejoiced inwardly and eagerly devoured the book's contents, only noticing the passage of time when the room grew too dark to read, only to suddenly burst with overhead light. The book's white pages dazzled her for a second. She chanced a glance at Sasuke, who was utterly unphased. Oil was the most urban addition to her own home; this cool light surrounding her felt unnatural and shocked her senses.

Shortly after, Lee returned to her book and was soon immersed. For a romance novel, it was quite compelling and full of action and interesting tid-bits about the life of a ninja.

"Well, hello there!" said a familiar voice. Lee practically jumped out of her skin and actually did jump out of the bed, falling onto the ground, with her legs still tangled in the sheets on top of the bed. She looked up at Kakashi, who had been leaning over her when he spoke. Without his shadow, Lee had not noticed his entrance at all.

"Oops. Sorry, Lee-san! I didn't mean to startle you. Maybe the door is the way to go, after all...I just hate exchanging pleasantries with every nurse in the building to get here," Kakashi explained, as he helped her detangle herself. He picked up the books, half of which had fallen onto the ground with her. "I see Sasuke got the books I sent to you. I hope you found them helpful."

Why would romance novels and magazines be helpful?

"It was...a very kind gesture," she responded, choosing her words carefully. "This one, I found interesting," Lee said, holding up the small book. Kakashi recoiled, but kept his gaze trained on the book.

That book isn't for kids! This isn't like Sasuke. I gave him a very specific list! Kakashi watched the girl flipping through to her page, which she folded the book jacket into to mark it.

"Sasuke," he said as casually as possible, "did you pick those books up yourself? From my apartment?" A twitch of the eyebrow was the only evidence of his displeasure.

"Hmm? No. I had Naruto pick them up for me so I could take a shower after we sparred. Why?"

"Oh, no reason." That knucklehead. Just wait until training tomorrow, Naruto. In fact, wait three hours while I catch up on my reading. Maybe I should tell Sakura and Sasuke to just not show up…

"Alright, Sasuke, you head home. I'm going to stay overnight. Remember we have training at 7 tomorrow.

Well see you at 9, then, thought Sasuke. "Alright," he said instead, walking over to the door. He stopped at the exit. "Bye."

"Thank you," Lee called after him.

Hmm…Kakashi thought, leaning against the wall and staring at the book, which Lee's hand rested lightly on top of. Judging by how far she's gotten, there shouldn't have been anything too indecent. But I have to get that book back before it's too late. What do I say? 'I haven't finished that one yet'? No. Then she'll know I've read all of these. He cringed inwardly.

First the cat. Now this. This team can't even pick up a stack of books without something going wrong. I need to have a meeting with the other jonin. I thought things were finally coming together when Naruto and Sasuke worked together to defeat Haku, but now Sakura's lost all her confidence and Naruto thinks he's invincible. At least Sasuke's been a bit more trusting with Naruto. Even if his trust is misplaced, Kakashi thought, glaring at the book. Ugh. I might just be the worst sensei ever.

"So, Lee-san. Have you checked out any of the other books? I've heard this one is really popular with girls your age," he said, holding up the red one enticingly.

"Umm...I think I-l'll stick with this one for now, thank you."

"Are you sure? That one doesn't have great reviews. I think Naruto picked it up by mistake."

"Really? Well I'm enjoying it. There's been some really cool fight scenes. I think the male protagonist uses a taijutsu style similar to my brother's."

'Really cool fight scenes'? Did she really just say that? Is this not the very same book that wrenched my heart out with its gripping depiction of war-torn lovers? Does she not see how much pain Yoshiro is in, when he thinks Asami is betrothed to the Kazekage's general, who killed his older brother? Shouldn't she already know that the general is actually Yoshiro's evil half-brother, who has infiltrated the Land of Wind using an irreversible transformation jutsu and turning on his own country because he, too, cannot bear to be apart from Asami, who doesn't even know he exists? Does she not see the anguish of Yoshiro's mother, as the war tears her family apart? And she says it has 'really cool fight scenes'. He shook his head in disbelief.

I'm going to have to distract her, then steal it when she's asleep, Kakashi decided. She has plenty of excellent books to choose from. Ones that aren't…" Kakashi pictured the red 16+ logo on the back. She should have seen that and realized it was a mistake. I thought for sure she would want to read the book on one-sided love. Maybe I read the signs wrong. Or maybe...Sakura told her about Sasuke, and she can't bear to think about it! And I just rubbed her face in it by giving her that book, so she rebelled by reading this scandalous novel. Oh Lee-san. What a difficult age. And life will only grow more difficult as you blossom into the beautiful flower you were always meant to be. Oh to be young again! thought the 27-year-old man.

Lee watched Kakashi's blank face and wondered what he was thinking about. He's probably thinking about his conversation with the Hokage earlier, or about how best to defend the village. Or maybe he's mentally training, like Brother used to do. Even at this hour, when others have gone home to their families, Hatake-san is still working hard. I wonder if he often works night shifts. And he has to train his squad so early in the morning. Truly an elite jonin! What an inspiration. I must work harder too!

"Hatake-san," Lee said quietly, waiting a minute for him to finish his thought, "when can I leave the hospital? I truly feel fine."

Kakashi hmmed.

"Well let me think. The Hokage isn't overly concerned for your safety anymore. I helped secure the tunnel earlier, and there are several teams patrolling the area around Hatsu-san's home and searching for new leads. Your parents expressed the desire you be returned home immediately," he said, giving her an apologetic look. "I tried, Lee-san. I really did. But there are laws in place that dictate how we handle situations like these, and even the Hokage must abide by them."

Lee nodded, and a mask of complete calm fell over her. Her shoulders sloped downward, her eyes softened, and her jaw grew loose instead of tight.

"They wanted you back immediately. I told them we wanted to confirm your mental well-being before returning you. So if you want to stay here longer, I can even prevent them from visiting, if only for a few days."

"You spoke with them directly?" Lee asked, surprised. Kakashi nodded in response.

"And I told them you were very brave and strong, that you would make an excellent shinobi, and that they did an admirable job raising you," he said, his eye twinkling with amusement. "They were furious. I'm sorry if I made things more difficult for you. I couldn't resist. I also broke a teacup and referred to them as your grandparents."

A grin pushed the mask of false-calm from Lee's face. She giggled once, twice, then exploded into tearful laughter.

"H-Hatake-san, ahahaha. Oh my goodness. I haven't laughed that hard in ages. Did you really?" Lee asked, abashed but delighted.

Kakashi grinned back under his mask.

"I hope I meet them again."

"I hope you do too!"

The next morning, Lee woke at the crack of dawn. The windows and blinds had been wide open all night, inviting in a cool breeze, and so when morning came, it invited the sun's rays and birdsong just the same.

Lee stretched her arms overhead and let out a big yawn. The hospital bed, lack of chores, and Sakura's lunch had all rejuvenated her, and Kakashi's words had put her to sleep with a smile on her face. She looked around for him or one of his squad, but the room was empty. Lee leaned out the window, resting her hands on the frame, and breathing in the air.

Today, Lee supposed, she would go home. If there was a bill, it would only grow with every minute she delayed. And Kakashi had said the Hokage wasn't overly concerned for her safety anymore. Which explained why he had already left. She climbed out of the window and onto the roof, stepping carefully and imagining what it would be like to run across the slanted tiles with complete confidence, even as they were slick with the morning dew. She dug her toes into the grooves and closed her eyes, trying to hear, smell, and taste the air around her, to extend her consciousness outward, so she would never forget this morning.

After a minute, Lee opened her eyes. A few yards away, silver hair waved in the morning breeze. Kakashi sat at the edge of the roof, on top of an industrial AC unit. He motioned to the area next to him, though she never saw him turn around. Lee looked at the wet, tilting roof and her pale feet, debating whether an adult telling her to really justified walking over there. She shrugged and, with both arms out to stabilize her, made her way over to Kakashi Hatake, who, she decided, would be a horrible babysitter and a very questionable father. But, she smiled, a very fun uncle.

"Good morning, Lee-san."

Lee responded in kind, climbing up onto the metal box. She hung her legs off, sitting closer to Kakashi than she would usually choose to. If she fell, she was determined to take him with her.

"Do you make a habit of sitting on the edge of buildings on slippery metal, or is this just for my benefit?" Lee asked teasingly.

"The edge of buildings is a personal preference. The slippery metal part is for you. You seem to have an affinity for buckets, and this is as close as I could get."

"Well thank you for your consideration," Lee said politely.

"Not at all."

"Did you mean what you said, Hatake-san?"

"I've said many things to you. I believe I meant them all, but no one's perfect." Lee rolled her eyes.

"What you said to my parents. That I would be...an excellent shinobi…" Lee's voice wavered. "Or were you just messing with them?"

"I did mean it, yes. I think you would be a very good shinobi. You're spirited and brave, and you care for the village and not just for the people you know. As sheltered as you are, you think freely and well and ask the right questions. You communicate very clearly. And, in spite of very little fighting experience and no formal training, you took down a group of adult men who did have experience. And you used innovation and quick thinking to do it. I think that there are many jobs you would excel at-shinobi not the least of them-if only you had the support."

"If only I had the support, huh?" Lee sighed.

The two sat for a while, watching the sun rise and the village gradually wake to join them in a new day. 7 came and went, and, when Lee asked Kakashi if he shouldn't be leaving to go train his team, he popped open his book and gave her a defiant eyebrow raise.

Lee giggled at Kakashi's brazen behavior, thinking he was a rather poor role model, which appealed to her all the more after spending 12 years under her parents roof. She wondered if this was his punishment to his team for bringing her the adult novel. She concealed a smile behind the curtain of her hair. As if I wouldn't notice the book was gone. She looked at Kakashi fondly and wished that she too had a few hours of waiting to look forward to when she went home.

At 8:30, Kakashi went back into the hospital and returned with a bundle of books and two very tattered sensu. He grabbed Lee by the waist and jumped off the building without warning. They fell three stories to the ground, where Kakashi landed as if he'd just skipped a step on the stairs. He set Lee down, handed her her things, ruffled her hair, and then walked off with a wave.

Just as he was about to turn a corner, Lee blinking disbelievingly behind him, he called back, "See you around, Lee-san," leaving the girl to ponder whether he meant it genuinely or was just saying goodbye.

Well, there it is. Let me know what you guys think! Will they ever see each other again? XD Jokes aside, please do let me know if you're enjoying the fic. I'm a slow writer, slow thinker, slow doer... I'm just really slow in general. I take my time with things. So hopefully my pacing isn't unpleasantly slow. I love some good dialogue and inner monologue, but I don't want to overdo it. So let me know if there's anything I should work on! Hope everyone's staying safe and sane!