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It is still raining the next day when we don our umbrella's, Lee's has cute little turtles on them and mine is purple with flowers because -parents-. The fact I pouted that I didn't get the turtles but I wanted to match my brother did make them coo and promise to get us matching ones next time. Come on, Ninja world? Turtles? I want in on that even if no one else gets why they make me grin like a loon. I do like our rain boots though, more clan kid sharing so they're just gray but those match. And I can stomp in the puddles!
"Fifty!" I shriek as I splash down in a particularly nice one. It makes a giant splash and I feel a trickle of cold water that runs down my boot on the inside. Giggling I whirl around to face Lee who splashes into his own.
"Fifty one!" Lee is as thrilled at the puddle stomping as I am and we are taking turns, water logging ourselves to see Sakura. "Fiftyyyyy two!" Lee hollars and leaps again, this time he has his umbrella held out behind him as he tries for maximum height. Luckily we are in rain jackets as well because Kaa-san is fully aware of what we are like.
I know I can't jump as high as Lee so instead I run over, laughing and jump on his back. "Go for fifty three!"
"Yes!" Lee hands me his umbrella as well and holding them both up, trusting him to keep a grip on my legs, he jumps to the next one. "Let's go for sixty before we reach Sakura-chan!"
"I think we can do sixty, and if not.." Yeah, I try to just agree and this sort of nonsense comes out. It must really be genetic. "We'll do five laps of the block!"
"Backwards!" Lee pipes up and I think.
"Okay. Backwards."
We manage to make sixty. It's closer to sixty four but there's no running laps in the rain. We make it to the unassuming house and knock on the Haruno's door. Lee is mellowed enough from the exercise but he's clearly excited to see the pinkette. Puppy love is cute.
"Lee-san!" Sakura answers with a smile and then sees me, and her face actually falls. What'd I do?
"Sakura-chan it's so nice to see you! You're as nice as ever! Oh, meet my twin sister, Ziwei-chan! We all just call her Zi-chan!" Lee says and I see the tightness to her tiny form ease. Whoa. Is that a good sign or a bad one that my being with Lee made her unhappy at first? She looks so nervous so I smile back at her.
"Nice to meet you Sakura-chan, I've seen you at the academy."
"Oh..I um, I.." Sakura fidgets. She's so shy! Okay drat but the kid is cute. "I guess you , if you wanted you could join us? Lunch?" Sakura finally manages to get out. I blink a few times but smile. I really would rather eat with Kou but I'm not going to be mean. The kid is bullied by her peers besides Ino if I recall and I'm not going to be mean.
"Sure. I appreciate the offer. Though I can't do it too often or Lee will be sad he doesn't get as much time with you." I have zero issue throwing my twin under the carriage so to speak. Sakura and Lee both go absolutely red.
Oh I have a new hobby.
"Ziwei!" Lee whines, clutching at his face in embarassment and I give the shit eating sister grin known across worlds to Sakura who is wide eyed but looks pleased and that cinches it.
"He's always talking about how smart you are Sakura-chan." The sudden beam on her face tells me all I need to know. There is a brilliant mind in there, heck she passed the first stage of the chunin exam without cheating, and she's not oblivious to what Lee's embarassment means. And as intense and odd as my brother is she's polite enough to neither accept nor deny to him that she doesn't know how to respond.
"Come in?"
Lee practically bolts inside, and I chuckle, whispering in Sakura's ear. "He gets a little enthusastic when happy. He can't help it." Fair warning and all.
"I think it's nice that he isn't scared to show how he feels.." Sakura looks self conscious, as though that wasn't meant to be said out loud. That whole Inner sakura thing maybe? Maybe she didn't learn to keep it non verbal at first. I just smile at her and nod.
"Kinda runs in the family. If we ever get too out of hand, just tell us." I see how she bites her lip as she closes the door behind us at that idea and grin to reassure her. "It's really no something we mind. We know how we are."
The visit goes nicely, I mostly poke around or give little inputs here and there as Lee tells Sakura all about his training and Sakura is sufficiently impressed and engaged with asking questions. Lee then turns it around and when Sakura corrects him on a topic she learned in history that he started to discuss with her incorrectly, instead of being shy he thanks her. After the fourth time she's corrected him on something (because Lee is smart but he isn't as much of one with history and math and still struggles with the formal kanji) and Lee is thrilled to have it explained, Sakura comes out of her shell more. Her clear wonder at being appreciated for her information by an older student makes me grin.
I wish I had a camera.