Okay, I know…I'm taking an extremely long time to bring the babies into the world, since this story IS about Sakura and Lee raising kids. But, something keeps getting in the way and, well, one thing leads to another. I hope that's not too much of a problem and I'm sorry if I have too much of Naruto and Hinata in a Lee and Sakura story. I'm sorry. Forgive me…I would have replied to the reviews but there are just too many…-

cries- Oh, thank you everyone! I've reached 200 reviews! –Hugs all- I'm so…so happy right now. I never thought I would make it this far, but with all the help and support that I am getting…it's no wonder that this story has made it as far as it had. Thank you everyone. This is for you.

Also, I apologize for it being sooo late! This could be an early birthday present to me (September 21st)! Enjoy!

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The Power of Youth
By SapphireWhiteTigress

Chapter XIV – My Revival

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Lee was training extensively when Sakura found him. She was short of breath and her back killed her as she ran all the way from her house. She doubled over as she tried to catch her breath and made a mental note not to run ever again during the duration of this pregnancy. Lee must have spotted her as he was by her side before she could even blink and compose herself.

"Sakura-chan! Are you alright? Why are you here? Is there something wrong?" He asked breathlessly as the sweat ran down his forehead.

Sakura looked around and waved off his questions as she recomposed herself. "I thought you were training with Gai-sensei."

Lee nodded thoughtfully as he toweled the sweat from his forehead. She could easily see each and every muscle of his body through his green jumpsuit. "Gai-sensei left on a mission a half an hour ago." He said as he looked into her eyes. "But, Sakura-chan, why are you here? How was your visit with Tsunade-sama and your parents?"

Sakura smiled at him and kissed his cheek as she grabbed his hand. As they walked back to her house, hand-in-hand, she told him everything he needed to know. "The visit with Tsunade-sama was better than expected. She said it was too soon to determine the sex of the babies, but she also said that they should be of the same sex. I came here to tell you that my parents are planning on dragging me to some fancy restaurant and they also want you to join us."

Lee stared incredulously at her as she dragged him along. "But…Sakura-chan, I do not have anything formal to wear for such an occasion!"

Sakura paused and looked him up and down before shrugging. "Don't worry about it, my mom has a friend who has a son that's about your size. You could borrow some of his stuff, I'm sure they wouldn't mind."

And they didn't mind. As a matter of fact, they welcomed them in with open arms and in a matter of minutes, Lee was wearing one of Basil Ferran's, the son of Emir Ferran and Leila Ferran, black tux. It wasn't anything special, just something formal, yet casual at the same time. It didn't choke him or made him feel uncomfortable and fit loosely around his body. It was almost a perfect fit. Sakura thought he looked incredible in only his spandex jumpsuit, but when she saw him in the fine tux, she was at a lost for words. Incredible couldn't begin to describe how he looked right then and there. She could just say screw the whole lunch meeting with her parents and they could spend the rest of the day in his room. But, of course, that was Sakura's inner perverted side speaking. Yes, even girls can be perverts.

Sakura instantly blushed at her own perverted thoughts. She supposed being pregnant did that to you with the imbalanced hormonal level it caused.

They didn't stay long to chat, much to the Ferran's disappointment, as they had to be back at Sakura's house very soon. Not only that, but Sakura still needed to find something to wear and she had very little choice in formal clothing. She felt like hitting her father over the head for the sudden change in their plans. She was looking forward to just have a small luncheon with her parents at home. Though, it did have an upside to it, considering she got to see Lee in some formal wear.

Once she returned back to her house, Lee in tow, her mother was frantically fussing over them. She wanted this to go as perfectly and smoothly as possible. She ushered Sakura to her room where she had laid out a beautiful pink dress on the girl's recently deserted bed.

Sakura sighed and silently cursed her parents as she put on the dress. Her mother must have purchased it while she was gone because she never seen such a dress like this one before. Surprisingly, as she put it on, it was a perfect fit. Glancing into the mirror, she noted that she didn't look half bad in it and swirled around, giggling. She wasn't one to adore herself with such dresses but it looked nice on her, even in her pregnant state. Would she look this beautiful on her wedding day?

"Sakura! Are you ready!" The voice of her mother called up the stairs and into her room.

Sakura spun around, as if remembering why she was up there in the first place. "Oh, I'll be right down in a minute, mom!" She ran to her dresser and opened up a small jewelry box that set on top. She wasn't sure why, but she wanted to look her absolute best if she was going to meet her father at the restaurant.

She smiled as she reached for a small necklace, a memento from her grandmother – her father's mother – that was given to her seven years ago before she passed away. She remembered her father telling her to treasure it forever because the spirit of his mother lived on in that necklace. He would be happy to see her wearing it again.

She placed the necklace around her neck and took on last glance at her reflection before leaving her room. She took a deep breath, feeling somewhat awkward, as she walked down the stairs where Lee and her mother were waiting for her. Once at the bottom of the stairs, she saw Lee, who was engage in a conversation with her mother, glanced up at her.

And his jaw hit the floor.

Sakura blushed as his gaze shamefully trailed the length of her body. It was weird, but surprisingly flattering. After all their time of dating, this was possibly the first time he has even seen her in a dress. She nervously laughed as she stood at the foot of the stairs.

"So, um, how do I…look?" She asked, watching Lee's reaction.

Lee was astonished by her appearance and he couldn't form a coherent thought at the sight of her. "Wow…Sakura-chan…you look youthfully astonishing!" Sakura cocked an eyebrow at that.

"Oh, Sakura! You look so beautiful!" Her mother clasped her hands together as she made her way to her daughter's side. "Very lovely! Does the dress fit?"

Sakura nodded with a smile. "Yeah, where did you get it?"

Miki only grinned. "Your father's store, of course. I was surprised that he actually carries clothing like this one." She grabbed Sakura's arm and led her to the door. "Now, enough dillydallying, you're father is waiting for us!" She left the house with Lee following behind them.

In a few short minutes, they were at the restaurant. Sakura's mother led the two in and found the waitress that would lead to their table. Arriving at the table, they were greeted by Matsou, who wore a stern look upon his dark face. Lee gulped nervously.

Sakura was also nervous in the presence of her father. She cleared her throat and bowed respectfully. "Um…hi…Dad…"

Matsou's gaze shifted from Lee and landed upon his daughter. His eyes soften as he took in his young daughter's appearance. She was growing up so fast and it saddens him. How much longer did he have in his daughter's life before she would have no use of him? His heart constricted as if a hand closed around it, squeezing. "Sakura," he said, slowly taking a step towards her. It felt like forever since he last saw his little girl. Glancing over her again, he mentally corrected himself. No, she wasn't his little girl anymore. She was her own woman now.

They awkwardly looked at each other, neither knowing what to say, but had a lot to say. Thankfully, it was mom to save the day once more as she cleared her throat and smile at her daughter and husband. "Are we going to stay here and stare at each other or order?"

Sakura and Matsou turned to look at the pink haired mother and wife and both took their seats. Lee felt oddly out of place. Was he imposing on their family dinner? All thoughts left his mind, however, when a soft hand clasped his tightly. Looking up, he stare the worried face of his love watching him. He gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed her hand.

"So! What does everyone want?" Miki asked as she looked over the menu.

Nobody said a word as the atmosphere in the restaurant thickens around their table. Miki looked up from her menu to see that everyone was avoiding the others' eyes. She sighed and calmly sat her menu down on the table and folded her hands on the menu. She gave each and everyone of them a look before speaking, "Matsou," she turned to her husband. "This was your idea. I would appreciate it if you would say something relatively nice to your daughter and future son-in-law."

Matsou glanced up from his menu. In all honesty, he wasn't too trilled about this little meeting, but his family was falling apart and he wanted to do whatever he could to bring them back together. He had so much he wanted to say, but seeing his beautiful daughter again, he couldn't find the will to speak. He turned back to his menu and grumbled something under his breath.

"Matsou," she warned dangerously with a glare.

Matsou continued to look at the menu in disinterest. Having enough of her husband's attitude, Miki stomped her foot, hard, on Matsou's own foot. The action caused the older man to jump out of his seat in pain. "Damn it, woman! What was that for!"

Both Sakura and Lee flinched at Matsou's outraged outburst. Sakura's parents rarely fought and the two were startled and upset that it was their own fault that her parents were getting into arguments.

Miki also stood up in her seat with her palms flat on the table, a fierce glare directed at Matsou. It was a stare-off and neither adults were relenting. The restaurant grew quiet and watched the exchanged in interest. Sakura couldn't have been more embarrassed in her life.

She placed her head in her arms and prayed that this would be all over soon. Life was like one disaster after the other. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit her and she groaned loudly. Lee turned away from her bickering parents to face her.

"Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

Sakura slowly nodded and took a deep breath, lifting her head up to give Lee a small smile. "I'm…okay, Lee-kun. It was just a little wave of dizziness…it passed."

Lee frowned, his eyes filled with concern for his girlfriend. She looked flushed and sickeningly pale. "Are you sure, Sakura-chan?" he asked, taking hold of her small hand and softly squeezing it. "You do not look well, would you like to go back home and rest?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, I'm fine, Lee-kun, really…"

Lee was still unconvinced and wouldn't let it passed. "But Sakura-chan, if you do not feel well, then we should go home immediately so you can recover!" He insisted. The raise of his voice brought the attention Sakura's parents.

Miki immediately took noticed of her daughter's pale features and went straight to her side. "Sakura, are you okay? How are you feeling? Would you like to go home?" She fret over her daughter and placed a hand on her forehead, quickly withdrawing it. "Sakura! You're burning up!"

Matsou frowned deeply as he observed his wife, daughter, and her troublesome boyfriend. He didn't know what to do or how to react to his daughter's sudden fever. He wanted to blame it on Lee, because as far as he was concern, everything is that boy's fault. But try as he might, he knew deep down inside that Lee loved his daughter with everything the boy was worth.

Sakura tried to stand up, pushing her chair away from her, but stumbled in the process, almost falling to the floor. Faster than anyone could see, Lee was by her side and held her up. He was her support and he would always be there for her, no matter what.

"Sakura-chan, we should get you home…" Lee said softly as he lifted her up into his arms with ease. She tried to protest but found that she was too weak to even put up an attempt to fight.

"Lee-kun…I don't…" Before she could finish, she vomited on Lee's shirt.

By now, they had a large audience as the patrons in the restaurant looked on in disgust and amusement. Lee felt slightly embarrassed to have his girlfriend throwing up on him in public, but right now, embarrassment was the furthest thing from his mind as he had to get Sakura home.

"Sorry…Lee…" She said before closing her eyes in his arms. Lee panicked as his face lost all color. Never had Sakura acted this way during the pregnancy. Lee held Sakura tightly to him as he raced out of the restaurant, Miki following behind him. However, in a few short seconds, Miki lost track of the boy that carried her daughter away.

Matsou was left alone in the restaurant, his heart in the pit of his stomach. Most of the patrons went back to finish their meals, while some continued to look on in curiosity. The worried father glared at the onlookers and slumped in his seat. He covered his face in his hands. He wanted to cry out in sorrow and he could help the tears that perked at the corner of his eyes. He was a confused, broken, and disoriented man. He wanted to go after them but, somehow, deep in his heart, he knew that she was in good hands, especially if Lee was with her.

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In a few short minutes, which felt like an eternity for Lee, he returned to his apartment and as he tried to balance Sakura comfortably in his arms and retrieve his keys at the same time, the door swung opened, surprising him. He held Sakura tighter to him as he cautiously entered. She groaned quietly against his chest and Lee paused as he glanced down at his angel.

If someone was really inside his apartment, that would mean that Sakura would be in danger in her valuable state. No…

If someone was really inside his apartment, that would mean that someone was going to get hurt, badly, and it wasn't going to be him OR Sakura.

Slowly, he pushed his front door fully opened and glanced around inside, noting that everything was out of place. The furniture in the room were scorch and broken, as if an angry fireball was rushed into the offended wood, his kitchen window was broken and the traps that he set around his apartment have been disarmed skillfully. Most of the counter drawers were hanging open and some even littered the floor, broken. For a long moment, he just stood dumbfounded while Sakura rested in his arms, unaware.

He made his way further into the room and paused as his keen hearing picked up movement from behind him. Suddenly, there was a deep intake of breath and in a split second; a burning inferno of flames ignited him – or at least, where he was a second ago. Thankful for his amazingly quick speed, he was able to dodge the attack, still holding Sakura close to his racing heart.

He spun around, narrowly dodging another attack. Right now, he didn't care about who was attacking him and why, right now, his main concern was getting Sakura away from the danger.

"I never really did like you." A dark sinister voice whispered in the shadows.

Lee's eyes narrowed in anger. He knew that voice all too well. "Sasuke, why are you here?" Lee asked him and the boy in question took a step towards Lee, causing the youth to take a step back. He needed someway to get Sakura out of here. If something were to happen to her because he was unable to protect her from Sasuke, then he would never be able to continue on living.

Sasuke tilted his head to the side, his eyes never leaving Lee's face. "That's for me to know, thick-brows." He said before charging at Lee.

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"Naruto, what do you think you're doing!" The angry voice of Ino sounded through the vacant classroom. Thanks to permission from Tsunade-sama and Iruka-sensei, they were able to have Sakura's surprise party in the classroom.

Naruto frowned as he tried desperately to himself on a wobbly chair while trying to post up the banner for the party. It was bad enough that he got the wrong banner, which said: "Mazel Tov on Your Bar Mitzvah". It wasn't his fault that the local party supplier ran out of birthday, engagement, and baby shower banners at the same time. It also wasn't his fault that the first banner he blindly picked up was a Bar Mitzvah one. Ino freaked when she saw the banner he had brought and had two large lumps on the back of his head to prove it. He was forced to cross out every word with a maker and write in: "Congratulations Sakura and Lee!" as well as "Happy Birthday, Baby Shower, and Engagement!" Thankfully, he was able to fit all that on to the banner.

His chair tipped over dangerous as he continued, in vain, to tape the banner to the ceiling. "This isn't working! It won't stay up!" He yelled down to Ino.

Ino growled in annoyance. "Naruto, you're hopeless! If you ruin this party, I will personally kill you!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Ino when she turned her back to him. Unfortunately, that action caused the chair to topple over. Naruto's eyes budged as he grabbed onto the banner that was half taped to the ceiling.

"GRAAHH!" He yelled, hanging onto the banner as it swung him back and forth. Everyone in the room looked on and couldn't help but bursting out into laughter. Naruto glared at them, still helplessly swinging from the banner and sweatdropped as he heard a ripping sound. The next thing he knew, he was on his rear.

He stood up and rubbed his behind, glaring at his laughing 'friends'. "That's not funny…"

Hinata rushed over to Naruto and stumbled over her words as she always did when she was around him. "N-Naruto-k-kun…a-are you…o-o-okay?" She asked as she tapped her two index fingers together. She tried to break out of the habit, especially since she confessed to Naruto, but it was still a hard thing to do.

Naruto instantly forgot the pain in his arse and grinned at Hinata. She was just so cute. "Yeah, I'm fine! Thanks, Hinata-chan!" He said as he swung an arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to him for a quick kiss on the cheek.

Hinata blushed deeply as his lips touched the soft skin on her face. She would hear Kiba whistling at them and the chuckles of the other guys in the room. She blushed at least ten shades of red.

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AN: Whew, this chapter took an incredibly long time and it still isn't good. I'm sorry. I just was down a lot, especially from this fanfic. Depression kinda got to me really bad…so bad that I just…well, that I just wanted to convince myself that I'm no good at this writing thing – but, what am I saying? I have people who adore this fic and for that, I cannot leave it hanging. Now, I will take suggestions, from you, so that I can make this fic better and more enjoyable for everyone. I want to try and be the best writer that I can be. So, please, give me constructed criticism, tips, helpful hints, anything. Thanks…I love you guys for caring so much. And…

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