It was quiet; the birds had not yet awoken to herald the coming dawn. Animals and people lay asleep under soft grey skies, perhaps entangled in the embrace of their dreams.

My footsteps sound thunderous as I weave through the forest path in the darkness. The canopy concealed what little light the stars provided but it troubled me little. I thrived in the unique ambiance that these sacred moments of dusk blessed me with; this solitary world belonged to me. It's been too long since I've last wandered these woods, as I had been confined-

"Eh?"

Both my train of thought and early morning excursion come to a rude halt as my face smashed into the dirt. I remained motionless as my brain wracked itself trying to sort out what had happened. Had I tripped over a stray root? Impossible. The seasons may have changed, but I knew this forest as well as I knew myself. Then...

With a grunt, I heft myself onto my knees and peer accusingly behind me for the source of my fall. I squint, trying to make sense of the shadows in the gloom. Is that a...

"B-b-body?!" I exclaim, frantically distancing myself from what I had identified to be a leg. That leg had been attached, right? That wasn't just a leg, right? "H-Hello? Hey?" As my eyes adjust I'm able to make out the shape of the body of a young boy in the grass. I am not ignorant enough to think that our village is entirely safe, no matter what the Hokage says. There's a chance this boy could be seriously injured.

I close the gap I created between us in a hurry and my breath catches in my throat. The silence that brought me such peace of mind now feels thick and sinister as I take in the battered state of his body. Bruises, welts... what happened to this boy? Fearing the worst, I inch closer and press my head against his chest.

"Oh, thank God", I muttered; he was breathing. I exhaled heavily as both tension and adrenaline expelled themselves from my body. Raising my head from his chest, I scrutinized his face and try to assess the situation. "Alright Tsubaki", I whisper to myself, "He's alive, but now what?" I couldn't possibly lift him back into town, boy or not and if someone had done this to him calling out into the dusk would definitely not be a good idea.

"Hey", I try to make myself sound commanding as I pinch his cheeks. "This is no place to sleep. Get up. Hey! Come on... Uh..." I trail off, considering if it was alright to use more force on an injured person. It probably wasn't the best idea, but I was no fighter: it couldn't possibly cause serious injury. Having convinced myself, I reared back my hand to deliver onto him a righteous wake up slap. The instant before the blow connected, the boys eyes shot open and a firm hand clasped my wrist. I broke out into a cold sweat as we locked eyes; to him, this probably looked... bad. Especially if someone had done this to him.

"Look, I-"

"Are you an angel?"

"Of death!"

The crack of my other hand across his face echoes through the forest before I realize what I've done. "O-Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking straight, are—are you okay? Ohhh my god..." I mumbled a string of apologies, unable to fully process that I had a) slapped an injured man and b) called myself an... angel... of death. That was a lot edgier than my usual rhetoric and this boy, considering the situation, probably hadn't been coming onto me as I instinctively assumed. After all, he looked half dead and probably thought he was! Why did it have to sound just like an unoriginal pick up line... Luckily for me, I hadn't underestimated my lack of strength earlier; the boy was still conscious. What was puzzling was the relaxed smile he wore as if I had not just done something to earn his ire.

"It is fine", he exhales and releases my wrist from his grasp. "I am quite used to this reaction!"

"...What?"

"It is common when factoring in my appearance!"

"What? No, that's terrible!" It would be one thing if he was a lecher but the way he was trying to reassure me after I had over-reacted so harshly seemed to dictate he was not. "That's hardly a good reason to hit someone! Although that probably sounds hollow coming from someone who just hit you..." I laugh awkwardly and trail off, studying him as my perplexion persists. He's not particularly unattractive; his hair is thick and wild but I don't exactly expect a boy half-dead to be looking like he's supposed to be on the cover of a magazine. His eyebrows are thick and wild like his hair and there are thick lashes on his wide eyes. If he weren't covered in bruises, I daresay he might have even been attractive. "Still! You shouldn't let people like, do that to you. You have every reason to be mad at me, you know?"

"That is kind of you to say but I assure you that I am fine! If I am not tough enough to withstand one thousand slaps, than I must be prepared to take two thousand insults!"

"I'm not really sure I follow but... alright?" We share a laugh before I recall our situation and snap back to my senses. "Wait, no! You're definitely not okay! Did someone do this to you? Can you stand? Is there anything I can do?" I fired off question after question but the boy just keeps smiling and shakes his head.

"You are too kind! This is nothing!"

"Nothing".

"Yes, nothing!"

"You were passed out in the middle of the forest. You look like someone renovated your face. And that's nothing?"

"Correct! I could get up at any moment if I wanted to!"

"Uh-huh". I sigh and massage my temple aggressively with one hand. "Look, what... what happened to you? I take it you don't live in the forest, despite your willingness to sleep in it".

"There is a slight possibility I, uh...", he trails off an sheepishly breaks eye contact to avoid my piercing glare. "That I might have collapsed from exhaustion while training". He sighs before his own words sink in and he realizes what he's said. "I can not believe I collapsed during training! This is horrible! If I can not finish one hundred laps around the village, than it will be two hundred sit ups!" His body trembles as he tries to force himself upwards. With a shudder his body collapses and lands back into the dirt. I still don't really get what he's saying but what I can piece together sounds ridiculous.

"You're in no shape for anything like that. Let me help you". He opens his mouth in protest but my cold glare silences him. "I've no doubt you're ripe with confidence but sometimes you need to give in. You'd be stupid to refuse my aid". I reach out to him with the intent to help lift him from the cold forest floor, but he swats away my hand with an indignant expression.

"You are wrong! Giving up is never an option!" Again, he forces his trembling body upwards. To my shock he manages to pull himself entirely upright without my assistance. He still seems unstable but beams down at me and extends a hand so that I might join him. I take his hand and rise from the ground without a sound, still baffled by the turn of events. He had collapsed before... how the hell was he able to stand? The boy grins as if reading my thoughts.

"I can never give in or give up if I am to be a splendid ninja! Now if you will excuse me, I have two hundred sit ups to attend to!" He turns to leave but stumbles and nearly crashes to the ground again. He's...

"You're a fool", I grunt as I snake my hand around his waist to support him. "There's no point in rushing to your death. The only place we are 'rushing' is home—and not yours. I have no faith you wouldn't just run back out into the field before you have recuperated. I will not be accepting complaints or releasing you until you can stand without trembling like a newborn kitten. Do you understand me?"

I lock eyes with him but his expression is hard to decipher but I am surprised once more to see that there is no wrath in his face. He does not respond but I also note that he does not protest, so I start walking and he matches my pace without complaint. We trek on in silence as the sky begins to lighten above us. The light that trickles in through the canopy is almost magical and I briefly regret that my morning stroll was interrupted and I wasn't able to see the lights dance across the flora in the meadow.

"You are a strange woman", he comments idly. "You remind me of my teammate—Kohona kunoichi are cut from the same stone, I see!"

"I'm not a ninja", I reply sharply. "And I would prefer not to be compared to them".

"Wha-", he cuts himself off and switches topics swiftly. "I am being... invited to your home, but I do not even know your name". The silence stretches on between us after he speaks and I avoid his gaze. Not one to give up, he squares his shoulders and tries again. "My name is Rock Lee! I recently graduated from the Academy and have been training under the amazing wisdom of my sensei, Might-"

"Tsubaki".

"-Huh?"

I glare at him coldly and his gaping mouth snaps shut with a click. As I predicted, providing him with an answer seemed to quiet his rambling on the condition that he now looked... particularly glum. I roll my eyes and against my better judgment, clarify. "My name is Tsubaki".

"Tsubaki! What a lovely name!" I crack a smile, his insistent optimism... possibly getting to me.

"Flattery will not free you, Mr. Lee".

"I would never be insincere! I strive to be as honest and overall fantastic as my sensei, Might Gai! I am overflowing with the power of youth!"

"The... what?" He looks as if he's going to reply and I cut him off promptly. "No, no, I—I don't want to know. I'm supporting someone who could topple without my humble intervention who could drop if I was racked with laughter".

"Gai-sensei is no joke!"

"Of... of course not. I wouldn't imply that. Not I". I stifle a laugh and bump my hip lightly into his. He looks perplexed initially but after a few moments a smile finds its way onto his face.

"So this was your plan! You are not selflessly rescuing me, as you say, but waiting to befall me yourself!" His grin is infectious, and the laughter I had tried to repress escapes from me. With the sun rising lazily on the horizon, we journey on with high spirits and light hearts.