Mission Impossible
Chapter IX
Word of Sasuke and Sakura's relationship spread like wildfire. Granted, there have always been speculations, but the gossip going around – fueled by Ino and more than a few civilians – now had something the previous rumors did not.
Evidence.
And it certainly didn't help that no one had to try very hard to find it.
Sasuke, known for his apparent repulsion for physical contact when it didn't involve a spar, was overly touchy with his former teammate – arm around her waist, playing with her hair, hand on the small of her back – and even the skeptics, read: in denial admirers, couldn't deny that he was uncharacteristically affectionate in his own way.
That didn't make it any easier for their admirers to accept the fact that Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura were off the market though.
Neji highly suspected that his teammate had heard the news, but he didn't want to be the one to bring it up on the off chance that he hadn't. What was he supposed to even say? Hey, sorry to hear that the girl you've been in love with for years got together with her childhood crush?
Yeah, no. He'll let things run their natural course, and if that means pretending that the hottest gossip in Konoha at the moment isn't about the godaime's apprentice and Orochimaru's slayer finally getting together after years of apparent pining, then so be it.
"Okay, okay, you win! Now get off of me!"
Unfortunately, the natural course of things seemed to want to spit on Lee's face.
Just as they arrived at their training grounds, he heard the unmistakable sound of Sakura's laugh.
"What was it you said to me earlier? You could beat me with one hand tied behind your back?"
"Sasuke, get off, you're heavy!"
Neji caught Tenten's eye and the two came to the silent agreement that Lee was definitely not prepared to see Sakura and Sasuke right now. Unfortunately, training grounds were relatively open spaces, and right in the middle of it, among the displaced earth and broken trees, lay Sakura, both arms pinned to the ground by none other than Uchiha Sasuke.
The latter hovered over her, hips pinning her to the ground, hand holding both her wrists in place above her head, the other keeping him from crushing her with his weight.
Neji really hopes they were training here because he really didn't want to think about the implications of other activities that could have gotten them into that situation.
Or worse… if this was simply a little warm-up for other activities later in the day.
"You think we should just go find another – "
"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-san!" Lee called.
If anyone were to ask him, Lee was doing fine with the news of Sakura-chan and Sasuke dating. Sure, he may have been in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her but what does that have to do with anything? He knows Sasuke is a decent guy, and if he makes Sakura-chan happy, then who was he to say he shouldn't?
Still, that didn't make the sight of her pushing him off of her nor his off-guard yelp any less entertaining.
"Lee! Neji! Tenten!" Sakura-chan dusted herself off a little – well, as much as she could, having been lying in the dirt a couple of seconds ago – as she approached them. He couldn't tell if Uchiha's glare was directed at her for unceremoniously pushing him off of her or at them for disrupting their training.
"What are you doing here?"
"I think we should be asking you the same thing."
Lee caught the concerned glance their kunoichi shot his way.
"We were training," Sasuke explained, appearing by Sakura-chan's side. He tried not to stare too much at the way his arm immediately circled her waist as if to remind them that she was his.
He had to try even harder not to be bitter about it.
"I think that just goes without saying, Sasuke-kun." Sakura-chan rolled her eyes but Lee didn't miss how she leaned into him, fully pressing her side against his.
Yeah it was becoming really hard not to be bitter.
But hey! If he makes Sakura-chan happy, who are we to go against that?
Yeah, as long as Sakura-chan's happy, he can keep his thoughts to himself. After all, Sasuke is a world-renowned shinobi feared for his intelligence, raw power, and battle prowess – his Sharingan only seeming to be a mere bonus – who else would be better suited for his Sakura-chan than someone like that?
Yeah. As long as Sakura-chan's happy…
Neji didn't care much for whatever Sakura and Tenten were talking about. He did, however, care for his teammate and – arguably– best friend. It's not like he faults the couple, but both of them were well aware of Lee's feelings – would it kill them to dial down the PDA just a little bit?
Sasuke, however, was not too fond of the look the Hyuga prodigy was giving him. Sure, they didn't agree on everything, but did the Byakugan bearer really disapprove of his and Sakura's relationship? Did he think that his teammate, Lee, was better suited for her?
The thought pissed him off.
Just who does he think he is? What right does he have to say who Sakura should end up with?
"So you're officially back on the roster by next week, right?" he heard Tenten ask.
"Yeah, I heard they're planning a medical mission to the Land of Tea, so I might have to train some new recruits and makes sure that they're up to speed with the new procedures."
A look of confusion crossed the weapon's expert.
"You're not leading it?"
"I don't know, the chunnin exams are coming up which means the hospital's gonna be swamped with medical examinations, not to mention I have to follow up on the new equipment we ordered and I – "
"I don't know, the chunnin exams are coming up which means the hospital's gonna be swamped with medical examinations, not to mention I have to follow up on the new equipment we ordered and I – "
"Have you been thinking of work all throughout your vacation?"
All eyes landed on the Uchiha next to her who was wearing a far too smug look on his face than he had any right to be. Granted, he sounded just as done with everything as he usually does, but even Lee could see the ever-so-slight quirk of his lip.
"I mean, it's not like you're much company to be in," Sakura teased.
"I can't believe you're cheating on me with hospital equipment."
"Again, if you were better company, maybe I wouldn't have to." There it was. The smile Sakura seemed to wear exclusively for the man beside her.
It was teasing, a cross between a smile and a smirk. She never seemed to wear it with anyone else. Sure, she teased Naruto a lot, but it was always friendly, even sisterly – affectionate with a hint of exasperation, but never challenging. With Ino-san it was competitive but affectionate, the kind that sparked a little flame of determination to give your best – Lee knew because he often had that with Neji and sometimes even Naruto – but it wasn't warm nor was it soft.
The way she looked at Sasuke held the familiarity he often saw when Ino and Shikamaru talked about each other, the fond exasperation Kakashi-sensei had around Gai-sensei, the comfort Hinata-chan had around Ino and Sakura. Then there were things that were hard to find comparisons to, like the way she seemed to instinctively glance at him when something happened to see his reaction, the way she seemed to just know when he was reaching out to her and meet him halfway, the way simply being close to him relaxed her shoulders, lightened her laugh, and sparked a fire in her that Lee could only have the honor of witnessing but never evoking.
Sasuke probably thought he was slick but Lee could see that his eyes were on her way before hers find him, how his hand seemed to gravitate towards her, how he seemed less cynical when she was part of the conversation. There was an air of lightness in his presence whenever she was around, he seemed to care less and be more spontaneous whether it was in witty one-liners or just an open display of longsuffering amusement.
Some might call him a masochist for noticing all of this, even more so for actually taking notes and waiting for it to happen, but when you know you can't have someone, you settle for living vicariously through the people who actually do end up with them.
Besides, for all the effort Sasuke puts into his cold boy too-good-for-anybody image, Lee's seen how his eyes soften whenever Sakura-chan engages in conversation – like he's just happy to listen; he sees the pride in his eyes when she beats an enemy to the brink of death only to heal them again to gather information, the little quirk of his lip whenever she sides with him on one of their petty little arguments with Naruto, and the barely-there pout whenever she betrays him and he's on the receiving end of his best friend's taunting.
So yeah, maybe Sasuke really is good enough for Sakura-chan.
"Ow! Stop that!"
Sakura-chan's laugh brings him back to the present just in time to see her try to move away from her partner who was apparently pinching her side to retaliate for her earlier comment about his company. She isn't successful though; Sasuke just tightens his hold on her and brings her closer to him.
Yeah, there's only so much a man can take.
What? Just because he's accepting it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.
"Well it looks like you two are busy, we should be heading off, now." He hopes his genuine happiness for her comes across in his smile and if a little bit of his bitterness shows too, well, there's only so much he can do about that.
He meets Neji and Tenten's eyes and he trusts them to know what he's doing… and why. For a second, guilt washes over Sakura-chan's face and he wishes he could tell her it was alright, that she doesn't have to feel bad for being happy with someone else if that's really what she wants, but a little selfish part of him is relieved.
The little selfish Lee he tries so hard to keep under wraps rejoices at her albeit brief discomfort, because yes, she should feel bad for not choosing him. She should – no!
He's not that guy. But Sakura-chan's guilt only goes to show that she does care about him, just not in the same way he does her. And well, he can't really blame her for that, can he? In the same way that she can't blame him for not going out of his way to congratulate them on their new relationship.
She makes no effort to stop them or invite them to do something with the couple. He's thankful for that. Instead, she nods and gives him – what he believes to be – an apologetic smile, and exchanges goodbyes with Neji and Tenten. Sasuke gives them one of his signature nods.
Lee smiles at her though, and he hopes that she gets the message:
It's okay, Sakura-chan, you don't owe me anything. I'm happy for you.
And if she doesn't? Well, like how she's not obligated to apologize to him, he's not obligated to go out of his way to lie about how it all makes him feel.
Sasuke felt her lean on him the moment Team Gai was out of sight. If anyone were to ask him, he'd even go as far as to say that she deflated in his arms.
"You okay?"
But he knew what was wrong. He could feel how Lee's eyes scanned them earlier, how his stare lingered at the rosette in his arms, how the annoyingly bright light to him dimmed a little at the sight of them.
Everyone and their mother knew how the taijutsu master felt about Sakura, and if he's being honest, he feels a little sorry for him. It was a known fact that Sakura had her fair share of admirers, but most of them came after she became the godaime's apprentice - after she learned to bring back those on the brink of death – Lee had been there since the beginning.
Even Sasuke himself knew that Lee probably held her in higher regard than he did back when they were genin. Perhaps it was a little unfair that he got to have his way now, but…
"Yeah, I guess I am."
She sounded tired, and he was willing to bet his entire inheritance that it had nothing to do with training. So he only nodded and squeezed her waist a little in an attempt to comfort her. He's brought a little comfort when she seemed to lean further into his embrace.
Maybe it wasn't too unfair, he guessed. As much as Lee may care for her, he doesn't see her seek him out for comfort, he doesn't see her light up when he compliments her on her day – which he knows he's done a dozen times. As much as he thinks Lee is a good guy and deserves to have someone reciprocate his feelings, he doesn't think it's fair for Sakura to force herself to like him for the sake of owing him.
As much as others might disagree with him, it shouldn't be that way. Maybe he should have a talk with him or at least Neji because everyone in a five-mile radius might be thinking that Sakura deserves a "good" guy, and Lee is a good guy. But doesn't Lee deserve someone who likes him for him and not because they're obligated to?
The Uchiha might be a lot of things, and sure, their priorities are a little fucked up depending on who you ask, but if there was one thing that Sasuke and his clan could agree on with absolute certainty, it's that love, above all else, should be pure and genuine – not treated as some sort of currency given to those we owe.
Of course, he already knew who he was going to talk about it with first, and his head was already aching at the thought of opening up this conversation with them.
"Since when do you care about other people's feelings?" was the first thing Shisui asked when he heard what his little cousin had called them over for. Next to him sat Itachi who was shaking his head while Naruto just laughed at his question from across the loveseat across from them.
"Since it involved Sakura-chan, I bet," Naruto grinned. The insinuation was clear as day, and Shisui was more than aware that had either he or Itachi said something like that, they'd get a shuriken thrown at them.
Maybe it was their bond, maybe because he knew Sakura-chan would never let it slide if she knew they got at it again – last time he heard, she had a pretty bad reaction when they showed up at the hospital in bruises after training – but all Naruto got was a glare that spelled death if anything of this made its way to the rosette.
"Well if you ask me," Itachi said, "you're right. As great of a kunoichi Sakura-chan is, it would be unfair to Lee if she were to reciprocate his affection simply for the sake of reciprocity. Love doesn't work that way."
"And it would just be unfair to both of them if they got into a relationship that's clearly one-sided," Shisui added. "This is all theoretical of course, because if Sakura-chan was going to date him, she would have done it by now."
"People will talk – hell, they've already been talking, but everyone who knows both Lee and Sakura-chan know that it was never going to happen." Naruto was making good points, especially since out of the three of them, he seemed to know the couple in the context of their friend group.
"Look, yeah, it sucks that you and Sakura-chan are dating now – "
"Pretend dating."
"– but everyone saw that coming. I don't wanna be that guy, Lee has every right to be hurt, but it's on him if he ever thought that he had a chance."
Sasuke had his – what Shisui likes to call – thinking expression on, eyes distant, staring at the ground, thoughts probably going a hundred miles an hour.
"But Sakura feels bad."
If he didn't know any better, he'd dare say that his cousin just whined.
"Then make her feel better." All three Uchiha looked over to Naruto who just suggested it as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
"Easier said than done, idiot," Sasuke scoffed.
But where he would have normally been outraged and challenged his cousin to a duel that would have undoubtedly resulted in Itachi throwing them out before they damaged any more of Mikoto's precious antique vases, there was silence – a stare off that could only be achieved from years of work knowing each other and working together – before his brother sighed and got up.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"To the hospital."
I'm back! First of all, I'm terribly sorry for the long overdue update. things have gotten a bit crazy since I last updated. For one thing, I got a job that actually pays a liveable wage, and I'm reviewing for our board exams. Other things have happened too, but I won't bore you with the details.
Anyway, I didn't expect to like writing this so much. Lee's character was an interesting point of view to write from since I rarely do him. I might also do other characters' perspectives soon and how they're reacting to the news and what they think about it. If you want, you can let me know who might have an interesting POV on the matter.
I also apologize for not individually replying to reviews. I really appreciate every single one! It's just that I'm really bad at them. I keep telling myself that I'll do it later but I keep forgetting and then before I know it, it's been a month, and replying then (after so long) might feel a little awkward and then the cycle just continues. I truly am sorry.
I'll try to update as soon as I can, given everything I have on my plate right now - all good things though, so I'm not complaining.
Thank you for continuing to read and support Mission Impossible, it's always great to hear from you guys! 33