It was cold, much colder than she thought it would be. Her vision grew dark around the edges, meaning death was close. Tenten stared at her chest, smothered in a deep flowing crimson. Three shurikens were stuck into her, with each one going deep enough to mean her end. She felt the air getting thinner and thinner. Struck down by some lowly bandit. Tenten's thoughts were growing fainter by the second. As the bandit approached her, a figure appeared from the darkness, halting his advance.

You cannot get to Tenten without going through me! The figure swung his leg around, wiping the floor with the foe. "He never stood a chance!"

Before she could process what occurred, the green clad figure approached Tenten, kneeling down beside her. He took her into his arms, and her vision began to clear.

"Lee…" Tenten's voice was faint, but steady. "I'm so cold."

He placed his hand onto the top of her head. His voice oozed with positivity and gave her some sense of vague security,, as if the wound was mere scratches. Strangely, hearing his voice made her feel…warm?

"I'm right here with you. You're gonna be okay!"

Tenten broke away from her sleep slowly, like a fade in back to her reality. Her bed stood in the center of her bedroom, which was bathed in the moonlight. Cold beads of sweat covered her face. Slowly, she leaned her head over to the other side of the bed, and a bright green light attacked her eyes. The machine read 3 o'clock. Tenten let out a groan that would make Shikamaru blush, and she slowly rose from her bed.

As far back as she can remember, Tenten always had the most vivid dreams. Not once did any of her dreams not feel real. No matter how crazy or normal, each of Tenten's dreams seemed indistinguishable from reality. With that being said, this dream stood out to her.

She walked into the bathroom and the light switched on, setting this reality into color. It was jarring to her. Tenten still felt as if those three shuriken were still buried into her chest. The dream felt so real, and yet, its contents were a shock to the system for her. She remembered how it felt to be in his arms, clinging to life yet smiling. The pain is intense, but Tenten felt such divine comfort in that moment. Lee saw the shape she was in, and he assured her she would be fine.

She smiled. I believed him.

Her affection for Lee was not some deep revelation to her. It developed over time slowly, but surely. Mission after mission in constant partnership, where trusting each other is a matter of life or death, will do that to anybody. When she first joined Team Gai, Neji was the one who caught her eye, but ultimately Lee's constant positivity and vigor in the face of everything won her over. Neji knew, and she had told a few others, but word has never reached Lee. She sighed, in a lighthearted yet exhausted fashion. I could probably tell him directly and he would still miss it. Lee's oblivious nature is one of his more infamous traits, but even that could lead to the certain kind of humor that Tenten can't help but love. She stared into the mirror, hazel eyes glaring back at herself. The dream was still clogging up her brain, like a deep splinter. The damsel in distress shtick is what bothers me. All the dreams I've had of me and him, and not a single one has been like that. It felt so strange. Tenten was never one to enjoy being rescued, and the thought of her gushing over a man while literally in the throes of death makes her shiver.

And yet, she is here. The dream felt so real, and she was so vulnerable in that moment. And yet, Tenten felt safe and secure with Lee next to her, even when she thought death was near. It was much more secure and comforting than the reality she is in now, alone with nobody. She switched off the bathroom light, and the moonlight returned her bedroom to a state of near fantasy. Tenten crawled back in her bed, groaning aloud.

Do I really like him that much?

Thwack!...Thwack…Thwack….

If anybody saw him right now, striking the wooden practice dummy in the dead of night, they would think he was insane. Rock Lee was known for his ridiculous training regiment, which always meant long hours and late evenings at the training field, but it was far too late to be practicing even for Lee. He knew it was far too late too, but his mind was stuck trying to punch the life out of the dummy standing in front of him.

Yet, with every next strike, his enthusiasm waned. No matter how hard he struck, nor the speed of his strikes, Lee felt nothing. He had been like this for hours today and even the day before. His mind was restless, and he was beginning to worry about himself. Why is my motivation lacking? Why do I not feel anything? He loves to train, and Lee would never let himself miss valuable practice time. That's why he continued to try for so long, now drenched in the waning moonlight. Lee was desperate for any sort of spark. He kept punching, kicking and jumping rope, and yet, he felt no catharsis. That feeling, which had been around for as long as he wanted to become a Shinobi, was absent and had been missing for quite a while. He finally dropped to the ground, lying his exhausted body against the battered wooden sparring partner.

This feeling will not leave no matter what I do. Lee thought to himself before letting out a sigh of defeat. There must be something really wrong with me. It's never been this hard for me to train. He was used to heartbreak and rejection, but even in the worst states, Lee came here to improve. It was harder to convince Lee not to train, which was a near impossibility. Training was his escape from all the things that bothered him. He dropped his head, truly beaten. Even his truest love has left him.

"I need some advice." Lee spoke aloud, to nobody but watching spirits. When he spoke to himself, in such an overt manner, it usually means Lee is saying something that he needs to hear himself. Revelations tend to come to those who acknowledge that they need one. Gai-sensei's voice echoed in his mind.When the thought escaped his lips, Lee's mind began to shuffle around, looking for candidates that might be able to lend both an ear and some advice. In his thoughts, one portrait that appeared to him left him even sadder.

Neji would be able to solve this. His dear teammate had a mind much different than Lee's, and it was moments like this that made him such an amazing friend. One was bold without wavering. One was calculating things all the time, weighing benefits and costs to every move. Tenten stood somewhere in the middle of these two, tying it all down. No other team was as good as we were. Lee put his sadness into the back of his mind. Sulking would get him nowhere. His mind went back to work, producing names. Gai-sensei was the second person he thought of, but even this had Lee hesitant.

Gai-sensei would probably just tell me to keep on training. His mind and mine worked too similarly as well. We'd eventually end up right back where I am now. His brain began to recalculate.

And the names went on and on. Tenten? Absolutely not. The last thing Lee wanted to do was burden his teammate. Just because he is struggling to train does not mean he should keep his teammate from valuable sparring. She is one of the greatest weapons masters in the village's history, and yet, Tenten continues to progress further and further. Lee could not live with himself should her progress stall.

Kakashi-san? He would offer great advice, but he has been extremely busy. Getting a hold of him isn't easy. It's almost as if hokages tend to be busy. Lee shook his head, dismissive of his own voice.

Each new name issued a problem in either philosophy or availability. One name, however, made a lot of sense. This name is wise enough to offer a solid solution to Lee's issue, and he is good enough friends with Lee that getting hold of him would be very easy. Finally, Lee stood up from his resting place, and he stretched his arms out before setting off towards his home.

Training with Tenten in the morning, and then it's off to the Nara residence. Setting a schedule for the day ahead always gave Lee some optimism, evening at his saddest.