I'll let you know right now...i'm not that fond of this chappy.

When Lee-kun first got his flak jacket, I was proud enough to do a song-and-dance number. I would've, too, if Inner Sakura were in control. She was the reason that I kept humming all day, doing little twirls when I walked. You know, sometimes I wonder if life would be exciting if I let her have a little more control…it would definitely be a bit more honest…

My reaction to Lee-kun's promotion was strictly positive, and quite optimistic. Everything looked bright. With Lee-kun's new salary, he would be able to afford things that he couldn't even consider when he was a genin, like a radio for his living room. That was his first time owning a radio, and he thought it was the most amazing thing in the world. He was unafraid of jumping up to dance and sing to his favorite songs—he especially adored the Numa-Numa Song—and I was surprised to discover that he could sing pretty well. And apparently, being a taijutsu master does wonders for your dance skills. I was content just to watch him while he flailed around in time with the music, but Lee-kun always managed to get me on my feet to dance with him. Only fast songs, though—the second a ballad came on, it was back to the couch for us. There was no way in hell that I was going to slow-dance with him, and Lee-kun knew it.

Even when we were listening to music, Lee-kun was protective of me. Whenever a song came on that was just a little too dramatic or angsty, usually breakup songs, click went the dial on the radio. On to the next station. Because Lee-kun was valiant like that.

Lee-kun also decided to use some money from his raise on a new comb-and-hairbrush set. I really don't want to talk about that particular phase. I remember how excited he'd been to show me the shiny new hair accessories, and it was all I could do not to fall over backwards. He was so weird. But it was his money and his hair. Not a bad thing if he likes to keep his appearance up. He's a weirdo…but he's our favorite weirdo.

All in all, Lee-kun's promotion was a very good thing.

At least…until he actually had to go do a chunin's work.

I scowled at him. "You had better come home in one piece, Lee-kun. Saturdays aren't the same without you." My lower lips started to tremble. My sun was going away. My chest was already starting to feel the frigid bite of winter.

He smiled serenely and touched my cheek, wiping my eye with the side of his thumb. "Sakura-san, I will always come home to you. I promise on my honor as a Konohagakure shinobi. He sealed the promise with a nice guy pose, but it did nothing to help my mood. If anything, it just reminded me of how much I was going to miss him.

Unshed tears stung at my eyes. "You'll be gone for a month?" I made the last word sound like a swear. After all, could I handle being alone for that long? Would I lapse back into the earthbound hell that was my life before Lee-kun rang my doorbell that first time? The idea made me shudder.

He smiled comfortingly. "I'll write you every Saturday, okay?"

"That's not nearly the same thing, Lee-kun." He gave me a withering look. Work with me, his eyes said. "But okay. Don't forget." I looked down at my feet. "You better be careful."

I could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "Yes, ma'am."

I stuck my tongue out at him, but the teasing gesture felt all wrong. Apparently, Lee-kun thought so, too.

"Why are you crying, Sakura-san?"

I quickly wiped my eyes. Honestly, I hadn't even noticed that the tears had brimmed over. "I just don't want to say goodbye. A month is a terribly long time…for me." I sniffled. "It just feels like another friend is leaving me."

"I will never leave you. I will come home," he replied quickly, almost sharply. The indignant edge to his voice caught me off guard, and when I looked up, his jaw and fists were clenched, and he was determinedly avoiding my gaze. What the hell was wrong with him?

He doesn't like to be compared to Sasuke-kun, my second mind informed me dully, her voice faint and wispy, as if she lived off of the sun that was about to disappear. It upsets him to think that he could possibly hurt you as badly as Sasuke-kun did. That is the last thing he wants.

"I know, Lee-kun, I know. Just hurry back, okay?" I blinked against the tears that tears that kept falling, despite the fact that I knew they were hurting him. "If you do, I'll eat an entire bowl of extra-spicy curry."

He grinned, all of the darkness melting away like a sunrise. "You don't have to do that, Sakura-san."

"But I will, if you hurry."

"Deal." He smiled for a moment longer, but it fell from his face when he heard Neji call his name. Lee-kun looked behind, towards his teammates, and then back to me. He looked torn. His hands twitched his sides and he lifted them slowly, unsurely. He frowned a little, almost as if his indecision was hurting him. Suddenly, he took my face in between his hands, almost roughly. Before I could think of what to do, he pressed his lips firmly to the middle of my forehead. My chest suddenly got quite warm and my arms twitched towards him, longing to touch him somehow. I'm not at all sure how long he kissed me like that—the only thing I could focus on was the fact that he was kissing me, even if only on the forehead. His lips were surprisingly soft, and they felt amazing on my skin. I wanted this moment to last forever.

And of course, as soon as that wish crept into my mind, he was gone, on the other side of the Village Gate, running off with his teammates.

For the strangest reason that I couldn't quite place, I felt a pang of disappointment as I touched the spot where his oddly soft lips had made contact with my skin. I shivered in the late-February wind, and trudged home, preparing for an entire month of hell.

The icy tears fell harder than they had in months.

My second mind was far away, refusing to speak to me. As I walked, I kept trying to talk to her, telling her that she couldn't just abandon me like this, but she didn't reply. I could see her shaking and coughing in the dark recesses of my mind, but there was very little I could do. She suddenly put up mental walls around herself, cutting herself off from me. Now I couldn't even see her.

I've never felt so alone.

Mail was suddenly an important thing to me. Because I had no idea where he was, I had no idea how long it would take for the mail to get to me. The inconsistency of it all made me go slightly crazier. During that dark time of my life, instead of holing myself up in my bedroom, I camped out in front of the mail slot on the front door. My parents literally had to move my unconscious body away from the front door so they could go to work in the morning.

The only good part of this whole ordeal, my mother told me later, was that now she and Tou-san could see that I was actually alive.

I'd given her the look of death.

When the first letter came, I could have kissed the mailman. It was the happiest Tuesday morning of my young life. I grabbed the letter as soon as I saw the neat handwriting on the address and ran away to my bedroom, leaving the rest of the mail to float lazily to the ground. I threw myself onto my bed, turning the envelope over in my hands, looking for the reply address. There was none.

It would put the mission in jeopardy if he put a reply address, my second mind murmured, speaking for the first time since I said goodbye to Lee-kun. His location is supposed to be a secret. It worried me that there was no mocking edge to her voice.

So you're alive after all, I replied, trying to goad her back into livelihood. The best thing would be if she called me baka-chan.

She, however, ignored my reference to her silence. Are you going to open that or just stare at it?

Her voice was much too faint. I felt a sudden pang of dread. Could extra minds die?!

No, not until you do. Quit worrying about me. Please just open Lee-kun's letter.

Rather than replying, I tore opened the envelope and pulled out a crisp, white sheet of paper. His small, neat handwriting sent a burst of fleeting warmth through my icy chest. It only lasted the length of a heartbeat, but during that heartbeat, I could almost feel his warm, loving eyes on me.

Dear Sakura-san,

I hope you are feeling well. You really seemed quite…upset about my leaving, and I just wanted to remind you that it will only be three more weeks until I come home.

I am not at liberty to disclose any specifics on the mission, but I can tell you it is going well as of now. Nowhere near completion, of course, but we are on the road to success! I swear it!

I must go now, but please remember to stay strong during my absence. I know how hard it is for you to be alone all the time. Please, go spend some time with your friend Ino-san, or maybe Neji-kun's little cousin, Hinata-san. I'm sure they could keep you company.

With much love,

Rock Lee

I reread his letter over and over, committing each character to memory. I could almost hear his warm voice as I read each affectionate word. I smiled uneasily and pressed the crisp paper to my chest, contented when it suddenly got quite warm. It was odd to feel warm like this when Lee-kun wasn't around. It made me actually think about what the warmth was. It was almost…tenderness. Strange. I never thought that this boy could make me feel this way. Stranger than that, I really didn't mind.

He wants me to have fun, I thought to myself. But there is no fun without Lee-kun.

At that thought, my second mind put her walls back up.

That settled it. I wasn't going anywhere.

Did you think the happy chaps would last forever? Please, that'd be boring. Sigh. This was harder to write than you'd think. And i still don't like the outcome.

Hope you guys like it, though.
Miya A2