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Author's Note: This is a Lee and Sakura chapter. If you do not wish to read a chapter like this, then please skip it but I would not recommend it. There will be some information within the chapter that adds to the story line.
P.S.: Can anyone guess what the Golden Lily is modeled after?
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Chapter 108: Pillars of Strength
Normal P.O.V.
The end of December was drawing near, and so was another year. However, this upcoming year had everyone excited, for this was the first year of the new era of peace. Not to say that they will not continue their missions or dealing with enemies. But it was comforting to know that they will not have to deal with any more larger scale enemies… for now at least. In the meantime, a pink-haired bunny and a blond pig decided to work together on another wing in the hospital. The two sat in Sakura's office as they looked over several things of paperwork scattered across Sakura's desk.
"I'm so proud of us. Our Mental Health Clinic is coming along nicely." Ino cheered as she laced her fingers together.
"Yes. Opening a wing specifically to care for our villagers' mental health is a nice addition. And I can't wait to tell Karin that we would like for her to run it. Do you think she'll like it?" Sakura asked as she leaned back in her chair."
"Absolutely. And with our and Shizune's help, she'll have that place in tip top shape in no time."
"Hm. Agreed. What do you say about having a party at my apartment to make the announcement, and celebrate?"
"Sounds good. But I won't want to impose on you and Mr. Rock Lee." Ino teased as she leaned forward.
Sakura's cheeks dusted pink before she turned her head away and folded her arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh yes you do! C'mon. he's been courting you since before the war. When are you going to finally take the plunge, and let him mate you already? It's obvious that both of you want each other."
Sakura didn't move for a moment as she thought about it. Finally, after another moment or two, she sighed and slouched in her chair as she looked downward. "I don't know. I'm still unsure if I'm ready or not."
"Is it because you're still dealing with your feelings for Sasuke-kun? C'mon Sakura. When are you gonna finally let your feelings for him go, and look at what you have in front of you?"
"It's not that simple, ok!" Sakura shouted before she lowered her voice and sighed again. "I mean, I do like him. And I really like all of the time we spend together."
"And the make out sessions."
"Yes, and the make out sessions." Sakura giggled. "But I'm more worried that when I finally agree to let him court me, it won't be like anything I imagined."
"Or. Or hear me out. It could be better." Ino insisted. Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but the blond pig stopped her. "C'mon, love. You always self-sabotage. I think it's time you take a chance and let yourself be happy." Suddenly, she rounded the desk, hugged her friend, and placed a kiss on top of her head. "It'll be ok. I'll see you later tonight."
Just when Ino was about to leave, Tsunade busted through the door. "Oh good. You're still here, Sakura."
"Is everything ok, milady?" The pink-haired bunny said as she stood at attention.
"Yes. Yes, everything is ok. I just have a mission for you. There's a new flower growing in the Hidden Snow Village. It's a small village under the control of the Land of Iron. It's called the Golden Lily, and it's supposed to have amazing healing properties. I want you to retrieve it so we can study it. Please take someone with you. We may have created a new peaceful era, but it won't take effect immediately. I would go with you, but I still have too much to do here before Kakashi takes over. Having someone with you will ease my mind." Tsunade commanded.
"Yes, milady!"
"Oh, fun. Sakura and I haven't gone on a mission in a long while. Let me go pick out my best winter outfit before we go."
"Sorry, Ino, but I need you here to continue overseeing your new department."
"Oh poopie. Not fair." The blond huffed as she puffed her cheeks out and crossed her arms.
"Is there anyone else that you trust to go with you? Preferably someone not from your former team."
"What about Lee? He should have just completed another mission, right?" Ino suggested.
"Lee?! But he needs to relax! He can't possibly be ready to go on another mission!" Sakura blushed and panicked as she waved her hands around.
"You mean the Handsome Green Cheetah Devil? I'm fairly confident that he's banging down my door to see if I have another mission as we speak. But I think Lee going with you is a great idea, Sakura. Let me go check to make sure he's not assigned to another mission." Tsunade said as she left the room.
Once she was gone, Sakura loudly sighed as she flopped down in her chair. "Why do you hate me?"
"Oh, stop your whining. It'll be good for the both of you. And besides, maybe this will help you understand your feelings for him more. What do you say?" Sakura hid her face behind her hands and muffled something inaudible. "That's the spirit. Now, let's get you into a new, sexy winter outfit to make that green cheetah want you even more." Ino said after she kissed the top of Sakura's head and left the room.
With another heavy sigh, Sakura stood up and grabbed her bag as she followed her friend.
"This isn't going to end well."
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After Sakura finally picked out a new outfit, she found Lee at his apartment. From the outside of the door, she could feel spikes in his energy, and caused her anxiety.
"He must be working out." She thought as a vein popped out of her head.
After a deep breath, she raised his hand to knock, but was surprised when the door suddenly flung open. Her face turned beat red as A sweaty, shirtless Lee stood in front of her. His rippling muscles flexed with each breath he took. Pale green eyes couldn't stop themselves from following beads of sweat from flowing down each defined abs muscle. A twelve-pack never looked so good.
"Sakura-chan? What are you doing here? I was actually going to go to your apartment after my work out. Is everything ok?" He asked, effectively snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Huh? Oh right. I came here for a reason." She blushed as she awkwardly coughed into her hand. "Lady Tsunade wants me to go on a mission to bring back a flower. We're going to study its healing properties. She wants me to take someone with me for her peace of mind. You were the first name mentioned. But I know you just came back from a mission, so I would understand if you weren't interested."
"Not interested?! Oh Sakura-chan, you know how to make me laugh." Lee chuckled as he whipped a tear from his eye. "Of course, I'd go with you. It doesn't matter if I just came back from a mission or not. If you ever need me, never be afraid to call upon me."
Her blush intensified as Sakura played with a longer strand of hair. "Thanks Lee. Well, I better be going. Lady Tsunade wants us to leave by the morning."
"Yes. I will be by in the morning to get you. Sleep tight, Sakura-chan." He smiled as he kissed her large forehead and closed the door.
For a few moments, she stood there stunned at his jester. After another minute, she stomped away from the apartment door, accidently causing the concrete to crack under each step.
"He's so embarrassing!"
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The next morning, bright and early, Sakura woke up to the sound of someone banging on her door. Her longer pink stuck up in several different directions, she had drool on her face, she had sleep boogers in the corner of her eyes, and her clothes were skewed. An angry vein popped onto her forehead as she looked at the time. It was about 15 minutes before her alarm went off to get ready. Anger rushed through her bloodstream as she threw the covers off and stomped to the front door. What a lot of people don't realize is that those ese extra minutes are what hold Sakura Haruno's sanity together. May the Heavens have mercy on the poor soul on the other side of her front door.
"Hold on. I'm coming." She yawned with her fists clenched. Within a minute, Sakura threw the door open, ready to curse the other person out, until she realized who stood in front of her. "Lee? What are you doing here? My alarm doesn't go off for another few minutes."
"It does? I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan. I just couldn't help myself. I was too excited thinking about this mission. I'm sorry that I woke you."
"No, no. It's alright. I'm up now, Why don't you come in and wait in living room while I get dressed." She offered as she stepped aside for him to enter.
He did as he was told and sat on the couch. Sakura, now awake before her alarm, went back into her room, turned off her alarm, stretched out her lean muscles, and went into the bathroom. Frist, she brushed her teeth while the water got hot enough, then she stripped out of her clothes, and hopped into the shower. She scrubbed herself clean with her Cherry Blossom scented shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. After she was done, Sakura turned off the water and climbed out of the shower. Next, she wrapped a towel around her body and hair before leaving the bathroom. However, as she headed towards her bedroom, her eyes looked over at Lee.
The man sat impossibly still, and never once turned around to acknowledged her. On the one hand, she was thankful, especially in her current condition. On the other hand, she felt the need to want to straddle him and press her soft body against his rock hard one.
"What am I thinking?! This is Lee we're talking about here. And besides, that's indecent. I could never do something like that… Then again… if he initiates it, I wouldn't stop him…" She thought as she slowly walked over to the black-haired man.
However, when she was close enough, Sakura couldn't stop herself from giggling when she realized that he fell asleep sitting up with his arms crossed. Even when he went into the hospital for her to patch him up, this was the most relaxed she ever saw him. It was… an interesting sight. Everything from his face, folded arms, and legs, were as relaxed as possible. Sakura was fairly confident that this was not the first time he's ever slept like this. With a final giggle, she kissed his cheek before returning to her room.
After she returned to her room, Sakura closed the door and looked outside her window. Because of the winter season, the sun wasn't out yet. Then, she turned towards her alarm clock with a smile.
"I guess I could sleep in a little bit longer." She smiled as she set her alarm.
Once finished, Sakura left her hair wrapped in the towel as she dried the rest of her body. Next, she dried her hair a little before laying naked under her blankets.
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About an hour and a half later, her alarm went off. A fair-skinned hand appeared from under the blankets as she made the ringing stop. After she step up, Sakura stretched her muscles and bones out, earning several nice popping sounds, before she threw the covers off her. Next, she grabbed a fluffy robe to cover herself as she picked out her outfit. Just as she was about to pick out her traditional winter mission outfit, she thought back to the outfit Ino helped her picked out.
She turned towards the back of her closest and looked at the hung outfit. It was a high collar, sleeveless, deep red qipao dress that stops right at her waistline, and fans out towards the back until it reaches her calves. Underneath that is a black, long-sleeved shirt. Next is a pair of thick black pants, and a new pair of black closed toed shoes to match. It may not have been as sexy as Ino hoped, but it was sexy enough for the pink-haired bunny. With a weary sigh, she pulled the outfit from her closet and got dressed. After she was done, she grabbed her boots and exited her bedroom.
"Good morning, Sakura-chan." Lee said, scaring the bunny.
"Good morning, Lee. I didn't realize you woke up." She said after regaining her composure.
"Yes, but I only just woke up when I heard your alarm. I would like to apologize for the intrusion. I should have waited for you to come find me." He groveled as he bowed in front of her.
"What are you apologizing for?" She giggled.
"For rushing you. I was too excited that I barely got any sleep. However, I should have been more considerate. You need more sleep than me. Now you're going to be tired because of me."
"You have nothing to apologize for. I know that you were excited about the mission. And to be honest, I was ready to get up anyway. But when I found you sleeping, I decided to go back to sleep myself. So, in a way, thank you Lee." She smiled.
"Oh? Well then, I guess it's alright." He blushed.
"Right. Now, why don't I make us some breakfast before we leave. What would you like?"
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After breakfast, Sakura waited for an instant Lee to wash her dishes. Once they were dried and put away, and after putting on their headbands, gloves and cloaks, the couple left towards the village's gate. There they met with Tsunade who briefed them o their mission. It didn't take long, especially since everything was straight forward. All they needed to do was find at least five Golden Lilies and bring them back to be researched.
"How dangerous could a mission like this be? It almost seemed too easy. But, then again, Lady Tsunade knows more than me. I vowed to never go against my sensei's advice, so I'm not going to start now."
And, just like that, they were off towards the Hidden Snow Village, It took them about two and a half days, which was only possible due to Lee's speed. However, once they were there, something didn't seem right. As they approached the gate, all of the body hair on Sakura stood on edge. With cautious steps, she walked towards the gate, placed her hand on the door, and concentrated.
"What are you doing, Sakura-chan?" Lee asked.
"I'm trying to sense the people on the other side. I can't quite place my finger on it, but something doesn't seem right. Not only is it really quiet, but I can't even detect a single chakra signature." Lee watched as she tried for a while longer before she sighed and gave up. "I don't like it."
"Agreed. You sure Lady Tsunade gave the correct village name?"
"I'm sure. She wouldn't have sent us on a while goose chase. Come on, let's look around and see what happened." She said before adding some chakra to her arms and pushed the gate opened.
However, once the gate was completely opened, they were met with a horrific sight. Bloodied bodies littered the ground. Mothers held their deceased children, males were decapitated, and most of the children looked as if they were stabbed to death. Sakura gasped as she ran over to a few nearby villagers to check their pulses and the damaged.
"Sakura-chan… what~"
His sentence was interrupted by the tears and fear in Sakura's eyes. "They're all gone, Lee. Everyone of them. No wonder I couldn't sense any chakra signatures."
"But what, or who, could have done this?" He asked.
"I don't know, but we need to finish our mission, and report back to Lady Tsunade." She said as she stood up with a determined look in her eyes.
The couple continued forwards, trying not to feel too many emotions when they passed through more dead bodies. Suddenly, the sound of snow crunching underfoot filled their ears. Both teammates turned around and saw a grayish woman standing before them.
"Look, Sakura-chain, she's alive!"
He started to run towards the woman until Sakura stopped him by the back of his cloak. "No, she's not. Watch out!"
Suddenly, a kunai was thrown at them. Both dodged it, but soon another one came. And then another one. Both continued to dodge until it seemed that she was out of weapons. Sakura used that chance to attack the woman's body by punching her in the stomach and making her fall onto the floor. Just then, another one stood up. This time it was a large bear man. Just as the deceased male reached for a weapon, Lee rushed him, and round house kicked him into the side of the building.
"Oh no! I'm sorry, dead citizen!"
"Lee! Look out!" Sakura shouted as she punched a deceased mouse female.
"They're coming from everywhere!" Lee yelled as he fought off another one.
"There's gotta be someone controlling them. You need to find them."
"No! I won't leave you, Sakura-chan! It's too dangerous!"
"You're faster than me. I can hold my own for a while. If you hurry up and defeat the person, then these things will stop. You can do it. I'll clear you a path." She said after she threw her opponent into a building. Once she was free, Sakura reeled her fist back and punched the ground, creating a crater. "Go! Ill join you once I take care of these guys!" Reluctantly, Lee left Sakura to find the person or people controlling the dead. Once he was gone, she turned around, and tightened her gloves. "Alright, you bastards, let's go!"
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Lee raced around the small village, looking for the masters as he was commanded, but found nothing. He was toward the end of the village when he finally stopped.
"Man, this is difficult. I can't seem to find anyone anywhere. And I need to get back to Sakura-chan soon. She won't be able to last too long. No! I have to be strong and believe in her abilities. She's strong and counting on me. I need to hurry." He said before he raced off again, unaware of the lone figure that watched him from a rooftop.
Suddenly, in the middle of his run, Lee felt something tug at his leg, and caused him to fall towards the ground. Not knowing what grabbed him, Lee kicked his leg as hard as he could and tried to stand up. But it was no use.
"What is going on?!"
"I see I caught a helpless kitty cat." A deep voice chuckled.
"Who are you?" Lee asked as a figure appeared from a nearby roof top.
The figure was dark, covered in a long-hooded cloak, and smelled of coyote. "Who I am is unimportant. What is important is knowing that you're going to be added to my collection."
The man smirked as he pulled Lee towards him. The cheetah continued to kick and scream as he was dragged through the snow. Suddenly, Sakura appeared, and saved him by cutting something near his leg.
"Sakura-chan?! You're alright! And you saved me!" Lee cheered as he sat up.
"I got a few cuts and bruises here and there, but fine overall." She smiled before turning her attention towards their opponent. "Who's the creepy dude?"
"I think that's the mastermind behind all of this. We just found each other, well he found me, and next thing I knew he dragged me until you saved me."
"So, this is the main guy, eh? Tell me something. Are you the one who killed all of these villagers too?" Sakura growled.
"Yes. Shortly after the war, I stumbled across this village. You should have seen them. They were so nice and welcomed me without even knowing me. They were the perfect prey. This village was small enough that no one would notice if it disappeared."
"But it's ruled over by the Land of Iron!" Sakura shouted.
"Correct, but no one thought to care for it. The villagers here, despite their happier dispositions, had to fend for themselves. That's why they were prefect for my experiments. I killed them all… every last one of them. They wouldn't tell me where they hid their precious Golden Lily and refused to be sacrifices for my army of the dead. So, I killed them. I still have yet to find the Golden Lily, which is bizarre in such a small village. But then again, it's only been a few weeks."
"You're a monster!" Lee yelled as he stood next to Sakura.
"Why yes, I am. And now, since you know my plan and of this village's state, I'll have to add you to my collection."
"We'll defeat you before that can happen!" Sakura announced as she ran towards the coyote.
He waved his fingers, and suddenly, she stopped moving. The man watched as Sakura struggled against the holds until she added an outer layer of chakra to her body, flexed her muscles, and broke the strings to the surprise of the villain.
"Surprised? I've been around puppet users before and studied their movements. I know how to break their controls. And besides, as a bunny, we're taught to avoid all traps for safety reasons. You don't scare me." She smirked as she continued her advance. The coyote tried to run, but she was slightly faster. "Oh no you don't! Cha!" She yelled as she grabbed his cloak and punched him in his torso, breaking several of his ribs, before he passed out.
He groaned as he felt his bones break. But she wasn't done. She wrapped string around him, to bind him in place. After she was done, Sakura jumped down with him in tow.
"Sakura-chan! That was amazing! You are so strong, and ~" Lee's words were cut off when the pink-haired bunny reached forward, pulled the cheetah close, and kissed him hard.
It took a moment for Lee's brain to register what happened before he returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around her lower back. Feeling the heat from his body, Sakura moaned as she pressed her smaller, lean body against his, as he fingers laced through his dark locks. Together, their lips and tongue merged until they pulled apart slightly.
"Wow." Lee panted with a smile.
Suddenly, the realization of what she did caused Sakura to push Lee away and cover her face in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, Lee. Please forgive me."
Before she could realize what happened, Lee grabbed her hands and held them in his as he kissed her. "Don't feel embarrassed. I liked it. I just want to know what this means for us. You know how I feel about you. And I'm pretty confident that you like me to some degree. But are you willing to let me court you, or do you need more time?"
"No. I think I'm ready. I want to try and se where things go. But can we take things slow at first? I'm still a bit… fragile…" She chuckled.
"How about this, just like we've been doing, I'll let you set the pace. I will never force you into something you don't want to do. And when you're ready for the next level, then I'll be ready for you." He smiled as he held her closer.
She sighed as she laid her head on his chest. "Thank you, Lee." They stayed like this for a while before she reluctantly let go. "Come on. We still got a job to do."
"What about him?"
"Take him with us. We'll find the Golden Lily and bring this bastard to the Land of Iron to be dealt with." She commanded.
"Yes ma'am." He smiled as he picked up their prisoner.
It took them another hour or so to finally find the Golden Lily. It was hidden deep within a secret room. Sakura pulled out a sealing scroll and harvested a lot of the plant. Once she was finished, they made the extra trip towards the Land of Iron. But this time, they were hand-in-hand the whole way.
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To Be Continued