Hey guys! I have another one for you! It's my best friends birthday today (July 28) and she is a huge fan of Naruto and of my work. So I wrote this for her (and you guys of course :P ) using her favourite pair, Kumato and Lee.

I hope you all enjoy! :)

~BloodRedRoad~

The Perfect Present!

Kumato and Lee

"Where are you off to?" Rin asked, eyeing Namaki with her piercing icy blue eyes.

Namaki smiled, "to the Hidden in the Stone Village."

"Hidden in the Stone Village?" Naruto muttered, scratching the back of his head. "What's out there?"

"Rubies."

"Rubies? Why in the world do you need that!" Naruto exclaimed.

Smack

That was the only sound heard as Sakura's hand connected with the back of Naruto's skull.

"You idiot!" Sakura scolded. "Kumato's birthday is tomorrow."

"Yeah," Naruto pouted, rubbing the back of his head right where Sakura got him. "What about it?"

"The ruby is the youthful gemstone for July!" A certain green clad ninja yelled, flipping through the air and landing gracefully in the center of the circle the others have formed.

"Hey Lee!" Rin barked happily, waving her hands ecstatically.

The Leaf village's handsome devil flashed her a blazing smile as Namaki continued her explanation. "Exactly! Once I have the gem, I'll be able to finish the necklace I've started. I already have all of the other stones I need, I just need the ruby for the center and finishing piece."

"Wow," Sakura mutters. "It sounds beautiful. All I got her was this book on folklore she's been looking at…"

"She'll love it, I promise." Smiling at Sakura, she took the pink haired ninja's hand in her own. Sakura lifted her pine needle green eyes and smiled softly back at Rin.

"Thanks…" She muttered.

"Well," Namaki declared, "I'm off. I have to leave now if I want to make it back on time for the party tomorrow." With a wave, Namaki disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura, snapping back to her old self, opened her mouth to ask what the others got Kumato when Lee asked what they were talking about.

"What do you mean what we're talking about!" Rin exclaimed. By the dumbfounded look on his round face, Rin figured that he was serious. "It's Kumato's birthday tomorrow!"

Lee looked taken aback, his round eyes blinked in rapid succession as the clueless look sunk deeper onto his face.

"How could you forget someone's birthday?!" Naruto exclaimed, his jaw slack in disbelief.

Shaking himself out of the confusion, Lee's smile slipped back onto his upturned lips as he shouted with enthusiasm, "This youthful day is still young! I have time!"

"Do you know what you're going to get her?"

"Of course!" Lee exclaimed, holding his taped hand up into the air with his index finger pointing to the sky. "A youthful mind needs a youthful body and-"

Sakura lowered her sharp green eyes in a hard glare as she cut him off. "You are not getting her dumbbells for her birthday!"

Lee deflated, a defeated look shadowed his features. Placing a hand his round back, Rin said, "I would help but I have to go keep Kumato busy and out of the village, don't want her catching someone who's buying their present for her last minute." With a wink and one last pat on Lee's circled back, Rin disappeared; evaporating into black mist.

"I need to go make last minute changes. See you guys at the party!" Then Sakura left, deciding to just walk away from the group like a normal person unlike Namaki and Rin.

Silence lapsed as the two knuckle heads were the only two left. Lee, deciding to break the silence, lifted his coal black eyes to meet with sky blue ones as he asked his blond hair friend what he thinks is a good present.

"Oh that's easy! A lifetime of Ramen believe it!" White teeth flashed as Naruto smiled, his eyes closing into slits as result of how big his smile was.

"That is an excellent idea Naruto, but I do not think Kumato likes Ramen as much as you, therefore, a lifetime of Ramen wouldn't be the perfect present…" Just then, a brilliant idea popped into Lee's head.

"That is it…" Then, before Naruto could ask what black bowled hair bushy brows meant, the shinobi ran off, leaving a dumbfounded knuckle head in a cloud of dust.

~Time skip~

Tired and defeated, Lee sprawled on the luscious dark green grass and lazily watched as pure white clouds floated in the endless blue sky.

For once, Lee was admitting defeat, something that has never happened before. He was clean out of ideas and was physically tired from all the running around he did.

When he was talking to Naruto, a brilliant idea came into his head, he thought it was foolproof and, dare he say, genius.

His idea was simple, he was going to go around and ask his friends that were currently in the village what their thoughts on what a perfect present was and hopefully be able to build something off of that.

Only it didn't go according to plan.

TenTen said that the perfect present was weapons. Kunai, shurikens, anything that could cut an opponent apart, her words literally. As much as he willed it to be a good idea, he knew that Kumato didn't rely on weapons as much as she relied on her Ninjutsu.

So that wouldn't work.

Ino wasn't much help either, saying that the perfect present was something girly. A nice dress, flowers, chocolate. Lee has quickly dismissed the idea. Kumato wasn't girly. She had girl qualities, she liked to look her best and keep herself presentable, but didn't anyone? Lee just couldn't imagine Kumato in what was Ino's description of girly.

That was a failure.

Neji didn't help at all. He didn't even supply an answer, instead he just threatened to have Lee arrested for breaking and entering. Okay so he may have entered the Hyuuga compound without permission and he may have broken into Neji's bedroom but it was all for a good cause!

Rin was with Kumato, so he couldn't go to her and he couldn't find Sakura anywhere. Everyone else was out on missions.

Even Gai sensei wasn't here to offer his youthful advice.

With a weary sigh, Lee pouted and glared at the slowly darkening sky as if it was the sky's fault for all of his problems.

So lost in his glaring contest with the sky, he didn't realise that Sakura was beside him until she asked him a question.

"Could you please repeat that my youthful friend?"

"Have you found a present?"

A sigh pushed through his lips. "No…"

"You can't give up! The Lee I know would never give up!" Startled at Sakura's outburst, Lee tore his eyes from the pale pink and flame orange sky to glance up at the Kunoichi.

Sakura's small hands were clenched in tight fists as determination danced across her face. The flame in her eyes almost sparked his to life but it sputtered and died before he could nurture it into a raging fire.

"I have tried everything I can think of. I have asked our dear youthful friends and spent the glorious day looking from shop to shop but nothing was… was perfect." A faint tint of crimson dusted his cheeks. "Kumato deserves the most youthful, perfect present. But I am unable to find it…" Returning his gaze back to the sky he continued. "I do not know what to do."

"You really like her." It wasn't a question. Lee's face stayed lax but his face went as red as the fruit Kumato was named after. "Well, since that's the case, no wonder you couldn't find anything. Lee," something in Sakura's voice made Lee look up and met her now gentle green gaze. "As sappy as it sounds, you need to get something from the heart. Simple, easy gifts won't work. It won't feel right. Do you understand?"

Lee nodded, bobbing his head.

"You'll think of something, I just know it. Don't give up hope just yet." With a small smile, Sakura walked out of the field leaving Lee alone to his thoughts.

"Give something from the heart…" Lee muttered. "Why can I not just give her my heart? That would be easier..." Another sigh tumbled from his mouth. "Hope, how can I hope when I will never get Kumato what she deserves." The moment the word hope leaves his mouth, a single star flickered to life.

That's when the light bulb went off.

The next day

Smiling and laughing with her friends, Kumato opened the last present on her lap.

A fit of hysteria bubbled from her lips as she read the little card.

"Free Ramen for a month from Ichiraku's Ramen. Thanks Naruto!" Kumato smiled as Naruto yelled, "no problem!".

Her perfect day was coming to a close as the sun dipped lower into the sky. This day was everything she could ask for. Everyone was here, those on missions made it back in time for her party and she couldn't help but laugh at the stories they brought with them.

She had never had a birthday celebrated with friends before. It was always just among her close family. Quiet and small. So when Rin said that she was throwing her a huge party, she never dreamed of this.

They were at Rin's apartment, the place dressed up and festive. Streamers hung from the walls as confetti littered the floor. Multicolored party hats perched on everyone's head. Even Neji had a bright violet one much to his dismay. How Rin managed to get that to happen will forever be a mystery.

Kumato had never laughed more in her life.

It was the best day she has ever had.

But it wasn't over yet.

"Has everyone given their present yet?" Rin asked, breaking up the small talk.

"Lee," Sakura's voice brings attention to the green clad ninja, who was also sporting a green party hat. "Have you given yours?"

Ignoring the burning and questioning stares, Lee glanced outside. Nodding to himself, he declared, "I believe it is dark enough. Follow me!"

Everyone warily followed the bushy browed ninja out into the same field he was just yesterday, expecting something huge and, well, material. Kumato stopped near Lee as the rest of the group kept back slightly, giving them their space.

There was nothing there.

"You sure this is the right spot?" Kiba asked.

Tilting his head up to face the sky, Lee nodded. "Yes! I'm sure!" Everyone sat there in silence, no one daring to question him since he sounded so sure. "Please, my friends and fellow ninja, look up at the sky!"

Tilting their heads up, everyone stared at the sky, hoping to see something huge and material. Maybe he had bought a plane…

"Do you see the North star?" Lee said, pointing in the rough direction of it. They nodded. "To the left of that, there are five bright stars that form almost a circle… Right?" Again, they nodded. "Just above the topmost star is a star that is almost hidden from how bright the others shine." What's he getting at? "Well, that star, is newly named Hope." He turns and locks eyes with Kumato. "And it is your very own star."

Kumato couldn't properly from words as her jaw hung slack. "B-but… But-t… Why?"

Lee smiled as he launched into his explanation, forgetting completely about the others, who were creeping slowly out of the field to give them their space, as his coal black eyes held her mossy brown orbs.

"It started when I was incapable to find you the present you deserve, the perfect present. I came to this field to clear my mind because I was losing hope. Losing hope on the fact that I would find you the best present, ever. When I was about to give up, that star," glancing back up at the star, he smiled softly, as if the star was an old friend. "That star lit its youthful presence in the night sky and, as I was watching it, the other brighter stars came into view. But that little star kept shining, even though he could barely be seen. The little star shines with all of his might and never falters, even though there are obstacles in his path, even though there are other bigger, brighter stars. He burns with all the inner life he has got."

Looking back down at the doe eyed girl who gaze had never left his face, Lee took her hand in his own and continued with a cheeky smiled.

"That star, Hope, made me realise that though you might not be physically the strongest, or have the most Chakra, you have something that burns inside you that others do not have. You have hope. You never give up, even if the world is against you, even though you wake everyday and battle with yourself about the fear of loss of control, you shine, just like that star, with the hope that everything will be okay."

Tears were welling up in Kumato's eyes, making everything blurry has Lee continued to shower her in praise and love.

"Even with the darkness that surgesses inside you, you strive to find your inner light, even when everyone else would have given up, even when everyone labels you a monster; you never let them tear you down, never let them strip you of your hope. Everyone sees that light, that star, and it gives them the hope they need to keep going, to keep fighting, to say that tomorrow is another day."

"Lee," Kumato whispered, her head bowed and her voice raw from holding back the tears that were threatening to fall at any moment. "That's not true. I don't give anyone hope."

His fingers found the underside of her chin and he lifted her face up to his, making her eyes clash with his. "Of course it is!" He exclaimed. "I should know, all I need to do is think about you and my hope is restored to its youthful glory!"

His smile and words were too much, a single tear slipped from her grasp and glided down her cheek only to be caught by Lee's thumb.

"Oh Lee…" She pulled him into a hug, holding him as tight as she could against her. "Thank you." She whispered, her face buried in the junction where his neck and shoulder met. "Thank you."

From high above, Hope twinkled down at them.

Annnnd done! How was it? I hope you all enjoyed it!

So tell me, who is your favourite Naruto pairing, cannon or not I want to know! (Ex: Hinata/Naruto...Hinata/Kiba...ect)

Remember, if you want to give me a suggestion for a one shot, no matter the pairing, I'll do it! You can either P.M me or email me at narutooneshots hotmail . com

Don't forget to R&R!

Talk to you all soon!

Ciao,

~BloodRedRoad~