As Long As There Is a Chance
Rating: Everyone approved!
Pairing: Hint-age at Sakura and Lee…more from Lee's side…
Disclaimer: No owny. So endy.
Timeline: During the time skip. (Yes…I did something within a time line! How brave of me!)
AN: Oh yes. Due to the beautiful comments I received from all brave enough to leave one, I decided to write a second chapter for your pleasure. So I hope you all enjoy this continuation from my original work, and I tried hard to please you all!
EDIT: Okay…I knew that Gai sensei's name in the original Japanese was Maito Gai. I am aware of that. I changed the name to Japanese now.
…
…
As Long As There Is a Chance – Part Two
…
…
Lee remembered that day well…
On that day, Lee had proven one thing – not to anybody else, but to himself…that Rock Lee, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha…was madly in love with his beautiful cherry blossom…
His will shattered when Sakura spoke to him, his knees trembled, and his lips would quiver to the point where words were no longer an option.
She broke him, but not in a bad sense - or maybe it was bad for him and he just didn't see it that way – and Lee would continue to be broken time after time after time…
Sakura's lips had come within centimetres, he couldn't forget that moment. If he had just moved his head a little, if he had nudged his lips towards hers that one little inch closer, and ifhe had gone that far, he would have kissed her.
Captured her soft petal lips within his own, and showed her what people who loved each other did every day, with every meeting, with every rise and set of the sun…
But he hadn't…
He had let that moment slip past him. Was it because he was too numb from her being so close? Was it because he was in shock at the time? Was Kami-sama himself preventing him from moving?
Either way, whatever the reason, that moment had slipped out of his fingers and had shattered upon the ground before him and all he got out of that precious moment was her soft breath tickling the inside of his ear, and his body's instant reaction to said motion.
Others would have been crushed, their hearts trampled on, but for Rock Lee…it had been a paradoxical moment of the most intense pleasurable moment of his life, mixed in with the gnawing pain of letting the moment slip.
If only he could just turn back time!
Do the things he wanted to do, have been ready to do, was prepared to do now that he had thought about it…
But he couldn't…
…
…
From then on, he had trained, as Rock Lee would have done, as the Taijutsu specialist he was would have done.
The romantic inside him hated every living breathing minute of it.
Rock Lee the Taijutsu master wanted to train until his fingers bled, until his muscles tore, until he breathed his last quivering breath, until…until…
Rock Lee the Romantic wanted to abandon his Sensei, abandon that place of pain and sweat, and go and capture his cherry blossom in a sweet embrace, and kiss those sweet petals that she called lips, and make her feel truly loved more than anything in the entire world!
The Romantic was in control of his body at the moment when a fist collided with his face and Rock Lee felt every last breath being taken out of him by the force. Blood splattered upon the ground, no teeth loose this time, and all he felt was the force of the hard earth against his shoulders and back as he landed a good few feet away from where he had been standing.
"Lee!" Gai Sensei's voice was jarring and loud.
Within moments, Lee was aware that his sensei was next to him on the ground, tilting his head and mopping at his blood stained lips with a damp cloth. Lee coughed in misery.
"Ano…training is over for today. Good work with those scrolls, Tenten – you just need some force behind your attacks now. Ah…Neji…no problems. Carry on as you have been." When concerned about something, Maito Gai could be almost considered at his wisest. Lee could picture him now, with that look in his eyes, and with his lips tightened up in that way.
It only took a few seconds to get Lee back into reality, but for Lee time had slowed. It was an eternity of regret that had passed the minute his sensei's fist had collided with his face.
"Lee…" There it was…that serious look crossing Gai's face as he stared into the blank gaze of his 'most precious person', "What happened out there?"
"I…am sorry, Gai Sensei." It wasn't the first time Lee had ever felt ashamed, but this time the shame felt much worse, "I…I do not know what is wrong…"
Gai sighed and sat down next to him. Lee was confused. Normally, when he made a mistake, that excuse would have worked, but this time, he saw an unreadable expression cross his beloved sensei's face.
And the next words that came out of Gai's mouth would make his heart want to burst from his chest.
"It's Sakura, isn't it, Lee? That day on the bridge…"
…
…
Of course, neither Lee nor Gai had bothered to check whether people were still around first. In the moment that Gai paused to think about his next words and Lee digested them, someone else had heard her name being said and had begun to listen with keen interest.
Before then, she had been walking with Tsunade-sama and Shizune-senpai through the thick forests, looking for herbs with healing and medicinal properties.
They passed the clearing and caught sight of Team Gai training as they always did. Sakura couldn't help but look over at Lee. He seemed so out of himself today…
He and Gai were sparring, but Gai was overpowering him far too much for it to be considered normal. At that point, Gai's fist had hit its target and Lee was down.
"Baka." Sakura looked up as Tsunade-sama gave a soft shake of her head, "That boy is away in some other place than here. His head is in the clouds. It will cost him some day."
At that point, Sakura felt a gnawing in her chest.
In a way…she felt responsible for this…and she couldn't for the life of her think why.
"Sakura, go over there and heal that baka. The sooner Gai gets it out of his head to rush Lee in as an emergency case, the better." Tsunade didn't wait for a response. She pressed on with Ton Ton at her heels and Shizune following after.
Sakura was left alone, staring at the scene as Gai told the other members of his group to leave the scene. She felt her heart wrench and her stomach lurch as the piercing gaze of Hyuuga Neji met her own stare, and shot her a look that said 'you know it was you who caused this.'
However, determined to not be put off by the Hyuuga, she broke the gaze and stepped forwards as the other two team members left guy and Lee alone.
Then she heard it.
Gai's voice was low, and serious, but still the words met her ears, "…Sakura, isn't it, Lee? That day on the bridge…"
Instinct made her crouch low, and her heart was threatening to burst from her chest there and then. She couldn't take her eyes off the two as Lee fell silent, and Gai played idly with the bloodied cloth.
Was this really her fault?
What day was he talking about?
As Lee turned his head to his sensei, Sakura remembered…
…
…
"How do you - ?" Lee was stunned, and inside him his guts churned with warning. Was Gai Sensei mad somehow? He looked up with watering eyes, but the expression on Gai's face held no anger or malice. Not even disappointment – which was the most important thing to Lee.
Whenever Gai was disappointed in him, Lee lost his will to continue. Gai's approval was sometimes stronger than his need for Sakura, and his Sensei was one of the two people who could make that sick feeling occur inside his body, should Gai be disappointed in him.
"Ah, Lee, you forget…it's noticeable to my eyes when you're late by even a fraction." Gai Sensei was smiling now, his fatherly smile, the one reserved for times like these.
No…he couldn't be mad at Lee for this. He, if anything, understood of Lee's feelings and what would have been going through Lee's head the day Sakura made the move he'd regret. Some would call it weird, but Gai Sensei knew his student better than he knew his own mind.
"That day…your timing was off. So, I being your great and youthful sensei decided to meet you half way. Of course, you were taking the bridge route…and that's when I saw you two. Pretty as a picture." Gai was laughing gently, as if the memory was like that of a father realising his son is in love, "I saw what happened."
"Oh…Gai Sensei…" Lee was trembling, his shoulders shaking.
He felt…foolish.
"Lee…its okay to love someone…"
"Oh…Gai Sensei…I know…demo…it is a one sided love…" Lee's head was hung, his eyes staring over the training field at the wooden training post set up in the centre.
"She has told you this personally, Lee?" Gai had the habit of asking questions he already knew the answers to, just to lighten Lee's burden.
It worked.
Lee froze and looked up into Gai's eyes, sniffling gently, "Well…no…Sensei…"
"Then why worry? Do you believe she loves you back? You love her, Lee! One day you will capture her heart! After all…you'd make a cute couple!"
Lee was smiling gently now, wiping away tears and blood onto his bandaged sleeves. It was true…well…in Lee's mind it was true, but did that didn't matter.
Gai Sensei knew what to say…always…
"You and I…we're a lot alike, Lee! I'm sure I've mentioned that. Your honesty, bravery, and above all, your loyalty will take you far." His smile was always so sincere. For the first time in his life…Lee felt like he had gained a father.
Gai ruffled his hair, as he always did, with that same beaming smile – the proud smile.
"Go on, Lee. Go and get yourself cleaned up. We shall meet back here to engage in more youthful combat! And this time, no slacking off!" That was it. Gai had the motivating shout!
"Ossu!" Lee was on his feet in seconds and gone in even less time.
Gai sighed proudly and then turned to see a flurry of pink hair vanish into the trees. His grin faded and he sighed softly.
"I pray you don't break his heart, Sakura. There's only so much rejection one man can take…"
…
…
Ashford2ashford: I will agree with all who say it isn't a patch on the original, but it is a start. I hoped you enjoyed the much more plot consumed chapter. A few things about Japanese:
Kami-Sama – God. Literally, just a way of saying God.
Ano – Umm…. That's what it means. Umm.
Baka – Idiot, moron
Demo – But… Normally used to indicate pause in sentence in replacement of 'but'.
Ossu – Literally means "thank you for teaching me" but can also can mean "Yes sir!" depends on usage.