Author's Note: Thank you for reading Hanakotoba! I think I'm just going to use the AN's to clarify a few things in the story every now and then because I'm aware that many things aren't straightforwardly said. I can also to use it to answer any questions if anyone has them?

If it wasn't clear in the first chapter, chapters from the "Daybreak" section of the story take place before the events of Naruto, when Rock Lee and the other members of Team Gai have just graduated the Academy and been assigned into teams. When the story reaches "Sunset", it will timeskip to around the time of the chunin exams so if anyone's missing Lee's signature bowl cut and jumpsuit: It's coming!

I'd love to hear what you think if you have a minute to leave a review! Regardless, have a lovely day!

It had been about a week since I released the injured genin I had taken into my home back out into the wild. I had not encountered him on my morning excursions since and while it was definitely a pro that I was not running into half-dead boys on the daily, I admit I might have hoped to. That things had not happened how I had hoped was probably for the best, however. I knew that nothing good could come out of associating with ninjas. A sort of ironic thought for someone living in a ninja village but nonetheless, true.

"Tsubaki?"

I grunt in response but do not pry my gaze from the window. There is nothing I have to say to-

"Tsubaki". A firm had clasps my shoulder and I reluctantly turn to face my Aunt, Sumire. "I know you've been sneaking out in the mornings, Tsubaki. I'm concerned about-"

"Sumire, I am fine".

"It's Aunt-"

"Sumire". My tone is final and my Aunt sighs in resignation.

"I just worry about you, petal". I flinch at the pet name and rip my gaze away from her, stubbornly returning to the very important task of staring moodily out the window. She released my shoulder gingerly and took her leave without further comment. As I hear the door shut behind her, I sigh and let myself flop down lazily onto the window bench I had been previously perched on. Having a veritable window seat comes in handy when one does as much pensive gazing into the deeply interesting expanse of our property.

What's more fun than staring at the same few trees for hours on end? I snorted at my own comedic genius and rolled over on the cushion: away from the window. To my dismay, my thoughts eventually settled on the same topic for the last several days: Rock Lee. I'm glad I was the only one privy to my thoughts because if anyone else was to known it would definitely dent my image as a cool emotionally reserved cucumber.

Rock Lee, undoubtedly, was a fool. In the day I had spent caring for them I had been able to gather as much although I suspected that information would be privy to anyone who was not also a fool. Despite that he had also been kind, charming and unrealistically optimistic. It had been unexpected and that, I had decided, is what threw me off my groove. After all I knew better than to let my guard down around ninjas. Even a genin had the potential to be treacherous; whether they were children or not I knew ninja were not to be trusted.

Not that I would refuse treatment to an injured ninja, of course. It would be a rather poor doctor if I let my personal bias keep me from my obligation to help those in need. Or more precisely it would be my obligation when I actually obtained a medical license. That day was sadly a little—or lot—out of my reach, considering the medical field was ever-evolving and hard to keep on par with. Also, I was only 14. That... might also contribute. Maybe.

Truth be told, my age probably wasn't even my biggest problem when it came to the field of medicine. Tragically enough, one of the parts of living in a ninja village meant there was a lot of, surprise, ninja. My disdain for them aside, it couldn't be denied that medical nin could accomplish incredible feats and were overall more eficient and effective than a civilian doctor. I was more than a little jealous, needless to say and within the confines of Konoha it would be harder to learn than it would be if I had lived somewhere... else. After all, why even bother with civilian doctors when you operate in a ninja village full of ninjas and a potential smorgasbord of medical nins?

I groan and push myself off of the makeshift window bed. Clearly I cannot handle monumental task of positive thoughts and therefore do not deserve its sweet cushiony comfort. I'm aware I'm only pissing myself off which means it's time for a change of scenery. My hand fumbles around my goddamn mess of a night stand in search of... Ah, there it is. I pluck the hair tie out of the mess with a feeling of triumph, and in one smooth motion pull my hair into a high ponytail.

I pass my mirror on my way out of my room and spare myself a quick glance. Yup, I look gooood. After all, you can't go wrong with an all black wardrobe. Except maybe in Summer but whatever, it wasn't Summer and therefore my point was still valid and genius. Satisfied, I slip out of my room with a smirk on my face and a hop in my step. To anyone who knew me my destination would be no surprise. Although to be fair, anyone could probably make an educated guess of it as well; it was the place where I spent the majority of my waking hours.

"Ahhh... how lovely", I murmur as I meander through my family's greenhouse. The carnations I had been tending to over the last several weeks had finally begin to bloom in soft shades of pink. I admire them fondly before retrieving my pruning tools and setting to work trimming my bonsai plants. There were many plants I took care of for my own personal pleasure like bonsai trees and flowers but many of the species I raised also had medicinal properties. With how often flora and medicine intertwined, it was no wonder I had picked up gardening as a hobby so long ago.

While I am busy myself tying pieces of wire on the trees to mark which branches will be cut I am startled when the door to the greenhouse swings open with a creak. "Who is it?" I demand, knowing full well that Sumire would not try to approach me again so soon.

"It is I!" I groan inwardly as I recognize the intruder instantly. I suppose now it makes sense why Sumire would have let someone back here, but...

"Why are you here, Lee?" I do not turn to face him in an attempt to contain my disdain. I had discharged him days ago and if he was injured he would be better off going nearly anywhere else for assistance. So, why...?

"I came to thank you!" I can feel the boundless optimism radiating from his tone and feel briefly nauseous.

"You've already thanked me", I point out with a dismissive tone. "There is no reason for you to be here". He hesitates but I don't hear him leave. As the silence stretches on I sigh and reluctantly turn to face him. Not much has changed since the last time I had seen him; his hair is still unkempt, eyebrows still large and still looking like came from martial arts dojo and was too excited with what he learned to remember to change his uniform. The one difference was glaring for me however: his leaf village forehead protector was now proudly worn. It had been more pleasant to look at him when it was still lost, as it had been when I had met him.

A scowl pulls across my face as I advance on him, my oppressive aura causing him to reflexively back away from me. "Tell me what you have really come for, Rock Lee". He is not so dense as to miss the venom in my tone and stammers profusely before he can compose himself.

"I came to repay your kindness".

"Unnecessary and ridiculous. It would have been inhumane for me to leave you when you were in such poor shape". I fully intended to end our conversation with that statement but I hadn't anticipated the pang of guilt I felt when I saw his expression crumple. "A-Although... I suppose I'm intrigued. Tell me, Lee, how exactly did you intend to repay me?" He bounces back in an instant which still manages to baffle me despite having seen this elasticity in his moods before.

"I am positive you will love this, Tsubaki! Behold!" He retrieved a picnic basket from behind a pot of anemone flowers where he presumably stashed them upon arrival and thrusts it triumphantly in the air. The gesture was endearing and the irony of the flowers was not lost on me. I suppose I could... humor him.

"It's a basket".

"Yes! And inside it is a delicious meal! Gai-sensei infused this food with the full might of our youth!" I'm... not sure how to respond to that, to be frank. The youth comment and the mention of his bizarre instructor throw me off kilter for a moment but eventually I piece together what Lee was implying.

"Oh? Asking an older woman out on a date, hm Lee? That's quite bold of you". A blush scorches red across his face as quickly as a match lights a fire and my lips curl into an amused smile. That's a nice reaction... he's a cute kid.

"T-That is not what this is! It is a gesture of thanks! Gai-sensei told me a home cooked meal was the best gift for any kind of person! He—He said it would not be considered a date! He would not lie to me!" He continues stammering out protests and I let him ramble, savoring the moment. It's fun toy with him... perhaps fun enough to sacrifice my afternoon of pruning my bonsai. "B-Besides! You are only two years older than me! Why is it that you act as if it is such a big deal?!"

"You're easy to tease, Lee. It's just too tempting", I answer him with both the truth and a bold grin and he looks taken aback as if he didn't expect such a straightforward answer. "I knew you weren't asking me out but... well, what's a picnic basket lunch without a picnic?" I place my hands over his on the basket handles and with a little force lower it from above his head. He flinches at my touch and I note that he is absolutely garbage at masking any of his emotions. "Won't you join me?"

I maintain eye contact with him and he squirms under my gaze, taking a few moments to piece together a sentence. "A-are you certain?"

"Of course".

"Then I would love to!"

"Excellent", I comment, releasing his hands and striding confidently towards the exit. "Then it's a date".

"I—Wait—It's—That's not—!"

"Easy, Lee. I'm only joking". I look back over my shoulder at him and flash him a devious smile before exiting the building, leaving Lee flabbergasted in my wake.

"What is this place?"

"You know", I say, "With how many laps you've done around this place, I figured you would know Konoha like the back of your hand". I've taken him to one of my favourite spots: a hill. Well, I mean, it's more than just a hill but also... just a hill? It's a nice hill, alright, maybe even a great hill. What's great about it, precisely, is the view: the hill overlooks a meadow of wildflowers and tall grasses. On top of it all, at the crest of the hill where we stand grows a grand old tree that provides plenty of shade from the beating afternoon sun. A perfect place for a picnic if I do say so myself.

"I am usually too focused on my training for sightseeing but perhaps when I become as skilled as Gai-sensei, I will be able to truly appreciate the village's sights and sounds!" There's a determination that burns in his eyes as he makes his declaration and I chuckle. "It is no laughing matter! Gai-sensei has done hundreds of laps on his hands without breaking a sweat! I am sure he is an exper—"

"Relax, Lee I'm not—I'm not laughing at your master", I cut him off quickly with my clarification. I am fully aware by now that it is a glaring sore spot for him and I try to avoid riling him up about it as much as possible. As much as I love teasing him it's not like I would get satisfaction out of genuinely upsetting him. I purposefully make eye contact and force a bashful smile, for effect. "I was only thinking about how charming your enthusiasm is, Lee~". I bite my tongue to hold back the laughter that threatens to spill from me as I watch his nervous reaction. His face is aflame but to my amusement he presses on boldly, not tearing his eyes away from mine.

"Naturally! My passion is my best trait and a requirement for splendid ninja such as my Sensei and me!"

"Ahhhh, to be young again!" I take advantage of the fact that I have a few inches on him to pat his head wistfully. To be frank I don't think I've ever been as positive or full of energy is Lee is. I'm not quite sure where he gets the energy to give whatever he does 100%, every single day. It was either foolish or impressive but I hadn't decided which.

"To be young? You are still young! Embrace the power of your youth!"

"Yeah, let's just... Let's eat". That youth shtick had to be something he had inherited from his instructor. Might Gai sounded like a cryptid of a man and unlike something cool like Mothman, I didn't really want to have the, uh... 'pleasure' of making his acquaintance. I pop a squat ungracefully in the shade of the tree, beckoning for Lee to join me. "You know this wasn't necessary, Lee. Still... thank you". He hits me with one of his full faced grins and I can't help but smile genuinely in return.

"There is no need for thanks! It is I that is thanking you, after all! Now...", he pauses and opens the basket, "Behold! The fruits of our effort!" Lee beams down at me as he presents me with a view of its contents and I find myself speechless. I find myself too hungry to be eloquent: It looks delicious. The picnic basket and contained a couple of adorable bento boxes. It looks like Lee and his sensei really had put a lot of effort into these; the rice balls had been formed into happy looking cows with bushes made from broccoli heads and carrots carved into flowers. The spots and small details on the cows and been designed with pieces of seaweed and the heads of the cows from pieces of mozzarella with a bit of ham on them for the nose. Any remaining spaces had been stuffed with fresh blueberries and strawberries. It was so well constructed that I hesitated to chow down.

"Lee, this looks amazing! You made this?" My excitement is genuine and his grin widens as he realizes I am not taunting him.

"You already knew that! Do not be a fool! I gave this food one hundred percent! It is the result of dedication, sweat and blood!"

"Well, I surely hope you don't mean that literally". I snatch one of the boxes out of the picnic basket with a speed betraying my hunger. Lee tosses me a pair of chopsticks that I catch deftly, thankful he reminded me of basic human decency before I started to tear into this meal with my hands like some kinda idiot. I begin to dig into the fruit so I can savor the cute cows a little longer when I realize Lee isn't eating. He's just staring at me with this expectant expression, watching my every move like a hawk. It seemed like he was nervous about the meal but c'mon, being watched so intently was... uncomfortable. I put the bento down and watch his face fall.

"Is something the matter? Is the fruit not fruity enough? Is it not to your liking? Were cows a bad choice? Oh, I knew I should not have listened to Gai-sensei when he told me twenty possible options was too many!"

"What? No, this is delic—Twenty?" My eyebrows shoot up my forehead in shock as I watch my chef flounder about berating himself. ...I've got to calm him down. "Rock Lee", I use the most commanding voice I can muster and the force of it surprises him into silence. He watches me with wide eyes, waiting for me to continue. "Pop a squat", I demand while gesturing to the ground behind me. He's reluctant for a few moments but he plops himself down beside me. "I'm not the only one eating here, remember? You said you put one hundred percent into this. You gave it your all... so you should enjoy it too. It's incredible. Thank you for all your hard work, Lee".

"Tsubaki..." He trails off and I think I see a hint of... tears in his eyes? Oh, no no no no. This moment is mushy enough already. As he opens his mouth to say probably something gross and/or heartfelt I seize the opportunity to snatch something from his bento and jam it in his maw. He grunts loudly in protest and I can see in his surprise he's forgotten how to eat. It's the most unlikely thing I've ever heard but his face is turning a faint shade of purple. Rock Lee, you are the stupidest boy I know.

"Chew, Lee!" He snaps back to his sense and exhales deeply after he manages to swallow the surprise S.S. Food Train.

"What was that for?! I-I could have died!"

"Doesn't food taste so much better when you share it with friends?" I smile impishly but my expression fades to surprise as I notice his face light up drastically.

"Does this mean we are friends?! Tsubaki! You consider me your friend!" His tone is almost gloating and I can feel my eyebrows knit together in disgust.

"Doesn't food taste so much better when you share it with your distant acquaintances?" I correct myself in a cold tone.

"W-Wait! No! Forget I said anything! TsubaaaaaakiiiiI!" As Lee wails I find myself riddled with laughter, clutching at my sides as if I could somehow restrict it within myself. How lovely this all was... a great meal, a beautiful location and a sweet friend. Sharing a meal with someone I didn't... particularly mind was the true gift I received that afternoon.

Afternoon had faded into night before we had even noticed and the stars danced enchantingly in the sky above us. Full and satisfied, Lee and I lay under the stars with eyes full of wonder. We had been silent in the afterglow of our meal and it was Lee who finally breached the silence. "Tsubaki, do you... Do you ever feel, sometimes, as if no matter what you do... you will never be enough? Your goal will always be there", he stretches his hand towards the sky as if he could grasp the stars, but closes his fist around nothing. "...Just out of reach?"

I stare into the vast sea of stars and ponder what could possibly make him feel so. He had enough positivity for several people packed tightly in his body and although I was no good judge in this field: I believed he was a splendid ninja. Naturally, I would never tell him so; it wouldn't be good to fracture my image any more than I already had. "…Yeah. Yeah, I do know what you mean".

"You do?"

"I do. If it's okay though I don't really want to..."

"It is fine. I understand". We are silent for a few moments before he pipes up again, his voice quieter than I think I have ever heard it. "Is it fine if I do? Talk, I mean". I grunt in affirmation and he looks relieved. "I... I do not think you are wrong when you call me a fool. I think many people share this assumption. I think to most people who know of me... I am only a joke". There's a tinge of bitterness in his voice that surprises me and I fumble for his hand in the dark. I clasp mine firmly over his and give it a reassuring squeeze, hoping my actions will speak for me. He pauses, likely surprised by the gesture but clutches my hand tightly in response. It's faint but... it feels like he's trembling.

"It has always been my dream to be a splendid ninja. I have always been inspired by them! Fantastic ninja who never give up! Who give their all for the people of our village!" He goes silent for a moment and lets out a defeated sigh. "...Yet I am barely a ninja. I have heard it so many times... The laughter, the insults...! I can nearly hear them whenever I close my eyes. Sometimes I even feel like I'm starting to believe them".

"Lee..." Whatever I was expecting, it hadn't been this. He was such a cheerful boy... I didn't understand how he could do it if he was suffering so strongly underneath. "You know that's not true. I know that's not true".

"Is it not? I cannot even do Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. All I am doing is playing at being ninja", he admits with a scoff. My brows crease and I bite down on my lower lip, hard. His situation sounds frustratingly familiar and I feel an anger bubbling within me.

"Lee, listen to me. I'm only going to repeat myself this once, ok? You know that that's not true and I know that's not true. Are you trying to say that all the effort you've put into this at this point is for nothing? It was useless? Then why'd you do it? Why didn't you give up?" I hear him starting to protest and without really thinking about it I straddle him and smoosh my hand against his mouth.

"Listen to me, Lee. I'll tell you why you haven't given up: because you know you're good. You might not have all the skills those other ninjas have but that doesn't mean they can count you out! You probably try a thousand times harder than them and they'll still be better than you but that doesn't mean you should give up! That doesn't mean you can give up! You will be a splendid ninja, Lee! I Believe in you and more importantly, you believe in you or you wouldn't have been trying so hard up to this point!"

I froze up when I realized that I'd started crying at some point during my lectures. Hot tears rolled down my face, falling in thick dollops onto Lee. Oh God! Lee! I removed my hand from his mouth in horror, clasping it over mine instead. I hadn't meant to be so aggressive but I had... God. Those words hadn't been for him so much as they were for me and I had taken my pent up rage at myself out on him. He was going to be furious: he had to be furious. I didn't dare to look, instead covering the rest of my face with my other hand.

What happened however was nowhere near the wrath I had imagined; as I was beginning to expect from Rock Lee. I felt him sit up under me and in an instant I was surrounded by a crushing warmth as his arms wound around me. I felt his breath tickle my ear and felt the burn of a faint blush creep across my face.

"Thank you, Tsubaki".