I would really prefer not to dwell on that particular Chunin Exam. A whole lot of nonsense, from what I remember. A stupid, uncomfortable, bloody memory.

First off, since both of my teammates were off doing whatever the hell it was that they were doing, I had to join the team of the only Chunin from our year. That's right, I had to take the Chunin Exams on the same team as Ino-pig and Chouji. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing—Chouji was relatively pleasant to be around as long as we weren't hungry at the same time. And Ino-pig was surprisingly nice to me throughout the whole thing, too. I guess, out of Sasuke-kun's poisoning presence, Ino-pig and I really like each other. She made a lot of cracks about Lee-san, though. Mainly about how she'd seen him with me a lot, and that we really didn't have to keep our relationship a secret.

She'd gotten a bruise for that comment.

We were able to do well on the written part of the exam, since I knew all the answers and Ino-pig had that handy dandy Mind Possession Jutsu up her sleeve. My second mind later informed me that Ino-pig had tried to looking at our memories of Lee-san while she was at it, but of course my second self had managed to foil that plot.

Ino-pig had received a slightly smaller bruise for the attempted intrusion of my privacy. She played dumb, of course, telling me that she was only doing what we had planned and that my mental watchdog was just overprotective.

My second self wanted to give her a third bruise for the nickname, but I managed to restrain myself.

I think what really hurt us as a team was the fact that I wasn't Shikamaru, meaning that all of their awesome combos were now moot. That, and the fact that this was my first time fighting alongside the two of them. I had absolutely no idea how to handle them, and vice versa. Our chemistry was way off. We barely got past the second exam, mainly because we had ganged up on a group of rookies at the last minute.

I really thought we were going to be okay by the time we got to the prelims. Especially after Chouji won his match. Ino-pig and I were going crazy with ego-boosting endorphins. A lot of the foreigners and even some of our Konoha friends were giving us funny looks. But we didn't care. We were Konoha kunoichi, and we were going to become Chunin!

At least, that's what I thought until Ino-pig got KOed by the putter master from Sunagakure. That seriously sent the confidence meter to an all-time low. After all, she and I had been on the same level last time…

My opponent was a kunoichi from the Hidden Mist. She was huge, at least six foot five inches, very bulky—though of it was all muscle—and she specialized in poison. She had tattoos of water snakes all over her body, so I guess it seemed fitting…she was amazingly talented with weapons, too, so of course every inch of every blade was coated in toxin. I'd tried to use a dumbed-down version of the chakra scalpel, and it actually worked for a minute or two. I'd managed to tear her right bicep, but that move put me in range of the poisoned senbon she kept in her metal kneepad.

I think there's a reason no one gets shots in their stomachs. Stomachs bleed really easily, and they keep bleeding for a long time. Add that to snake venom that deliberately keeps blood from clotting, and you've got yourself a whole lot of blood loss. And it's really difficult to think straight—let alone battle—when blood is gushing out of your gut faster than your heart can pump it through the body. And it's surprisingly difficult to focus on your opponent when the blood loss makes it look like there are several of them.

Falling unconscious was more than welcome at that point.

That is, until I woke up to discover that I was still a genin. The nurses literally had to tranquilize me to get me to stop yelling and thrashing around with frustration.

Maybe it was a teensy bit of an overreaction, but, damn it, I wanted that freaking flak jacket.

The second time I woke up, it was dark, and I had a muzzle on.

"You had better beat her to hell, Lee-san," was my response when he informed me of what the matchups for the finals had ended up as. It only seemed fitting that the boy who promised to protect me with his life should get to fight the Amazonian who'd nearly killed me.

"You know I don't believe in grudges, Sakura-san," Lee-san said gently, placing the steaming bowl of pork ramen in front of me.

"She pulled a sneak attack!" I demanded.

"That's the way of the shinobi," he replied. "Didn't you already give me this lecture?"

I ignored his practical teasing and changed the subject of my complaining. "I was so close, too. I nearly put that arm out of commission!"

There was suddenly a weight on the top of my head. I looked up to see his bandaged hand in my hair, and his smile in my direction.

"Sakura-san, you did beautifully, but sadly, it was a mismatch. She probably could've defeated any one of us Konoha nin."

"Oh, shut up, Lee-san. That's no way to talk about your own opponent. Besides, you're really not one to go around talking about mismatches. Taking on that poor little rookie…"

He rose up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Hey, the computer matched us up, not me. I just did what I had to do in order to move on." And then he abruptly changed the subject. "What do you think of the food?"

It was delicious, so of course I had to make fun of him about it. He countered by insisting that I was just jealous of his culinary expertise, which of course was true. I told him as much, but then continued that if I needed to, I could make a poison that could kill him in three minutes—what did I need to be able to cook for? Then, in an impish moment, he replied that if I knew so much about poison, then why couldn't I defeat the Amazonian?

I threw my one of my ceramic chopsticks at him for that comment. He caught it easily, handed it back to me, and asked me to please start eating while he poured his own bowl. I obliged quietly, planning more complaints for when my mouth wasn't full.

I sprawled out on Lee-san's futon, snuggling into one of his plush throw pillows. I decided right then to spend more Saturdays over at his place, at least while it was still cold. It was kept warm and clean, probably due to the fact that he never spent enough time there to get it too messy. The walls were a warm, light brown color that reminded me of the woods, and he added to that effect with this forest green futon and the pale gold carpet. His apartment was small, only three rooms if you didn't count the little bathroom that connected with his bedroom, which I hadn't seen yet—I was terrified to have to go through it once I needed to pee; it seemed just a little too personal.

I fiddled with my headband. That freaking Kiri-nin sent so many poisoned senbon at me at one point that it tore up all my clothes and even my poor little forehead protector. The metal piece could barely hold onto the fabric now. It bugged the living daylights out of me.

"The metal piece is going to fall off," I said in a monotone as Lee-san came in from cleaning up the kitchen. "And then I'll lose my identification as a shinobi of Konohagakure. I'll be nothing but a civilian. All dreams of greatness gone."

"Just another reason for me to punish the Kiri kunoichi, eh?" he replied sarcastically, taking the flimsy fabric from me. "This is going to fall apart if you continue to wear it, Sakura-san."

"You're joking," I said dryly, taking it back and defiantly tying it up at the top of my head. Lee-san shrugged and then cheerfully skipped around the couch to sit down in front of me, his head lined up with my waist. I decided then that I really liked Lee-san's apartment. I don't know why exactly. It just seemed to fit somewhere in my subconscious like a missing puzzle piece. I was comfortable there.

"Oi, Lee-san, you are coming over to my place for Christmas, right?"

He jolted, and then gave me a surprised look. "I didn't know Christmas was on a Saturday this year…I could've sworn it was this Thursday," he said, throwing a glance to the calendar that hung beside the front door.

"It is on Thursday, Lee-san." I laughed at his reaction. "Why? Are you only interested in quality time with me on Saturdays?"

He gave me a serious look that made my laugh catch in my throat. "I am always interested in you, Sakura-san. The day of the week has nothing to do with it…I just…didn't think that you felt the same way at all."

I reached forward to pinch his cheek in a comforting—but still teasing—gesture and said, "Poor, humble Lee-san. Obviously he doesn't understand what he means to me, or all that he's done for me. He obviously doesn't think that I have the capacity to be someone's friend 24/7. Poor little misguided Lee-san." He blushed in an instant.

He's so cute when he blushes.

What the HELL did you just say?!

Trying to ignore the slip in my Sasuke-fangirlness, I patted the top of his head. "If you want to spend the holiday with your team, I completely understand. But I still expect you on my doorstep that morning so that I can at least give your present."

"YOU GOT ME A PRESENT?!"

He really thinks he means nothing to us…

Makes me want to cry…

I didn't cry—thank God—so I decided to laugh instead. I pulled my fingers through his surprisingly soft hair a few times, oddly contented when he leaned into my hand. "Of course I did, Lee-san. And if you show up to my house empty-handed, I'll make you run around Konoha 500 times…backwards."

He gave me a salute.

I'm not sure who is more OOC. Angry-Sakura, Depressed-Sakura, or Happy/Teasing-Sakura. Poor Lee. He's got self-worth issues.

I really like this chappy, for some reason or another. i like their little conversations when Sakura's in a good mood. Fun to write.

I dedicate this chappy to my friend from deviantART, NaruHina-SakuLee...that's her name and her OTP's. :)

Enjoy the teasing. Much ai to R&R-ers.
Miyazaki A2