Chapter 4: Unexpected Changes
Lee and Kiba coughed roughly as they finished their sprint back home. The dawn air had started to become cooler and drier. The once-green trees had just begun to change to their fall shades.
"That was brutal, Bushy Brows." Kiba complained, his hands on his knees as he panted heavily. A month had gone by since he started these daily runs with Lee and Akamaru. His furry companion was now slenderer and more focused than he was when they had started. Although Kiba kept up with his junk food binges, he did seem to be a much more pleasant housemate now that he had submitted to this routine discipline.
"You are doing great now, Kiba." Lee encouraged. "You may even surpass me in speed if you keep trying." Lee panted, wiping the sweat from his brow.
"You offered me a piggyback ride about halfway through. I got ways to go." Kiba said, exhausted and ready for a refreshing shower.
Though Lee was still fast, he noticed his body was much heavier than his usual lean self. He had kept up with the creatine and protein intake and was much huskier than he could have imagined such a slight change could make. While a bigger body was not always useful, especially when he was teaching in the dojo, he had to admit that the change did attract more attention to him. One who was unfamiliar with Lee would assume that one could achieve such a muscular physique by martial arts alone. Lee removed his leg weights and unceremoniously dropped them with his shoes by the door. Now feeling much lighter on his feet, he made his way into the house and made himself ready to start the day.
Miles away, Sakura was getting herself ready for school. She was unsure of how to feel today. Although she was happy to be getting ready for a big school production in her drama class, she felt uneasy after what just transpired last night. Sasuke had been selected to be the new quarterback for his school's team recently. Since the announcement, he had been training more vigorously than usual and he was seeing Sakura less.
"I miss you." She said to him over the phone last night.
"I miss you too, but you need to understand that what I'm doing is important. I need this scholarship, or else my parents are not going to offer me any college support." He explained to her.
Sakura recalled Sasuke's older brother Itachi. Itachi, like Sasuke, was a strong young man, but he took an alternative route to earning a scholarship through college, which was through an internship program during his final two years of high school. It was only after securing such a fantastic scholarship to the poshest university in the area that his parents would continue supporting him. The Uchihas were expected to earn their keeps, for which they worked hard. Their father believed that if they were to grow up to be successful men, then they would need to do so the hard way.
Sakura understood the challenge that Sasuke faced. Living in a college dorm, let alone living on your own would cost a fortune to anyone. Sasuke's plan was the only way for him to secure such means. Sakura was doing her best to support Sasuke through such a time, but she could not help but feel neglected by him. Such a feeling left her feeling both sorrowful and guilty, as if the love he offered her just was not enough to satisfy her. It was a lonely feeling she felt though, as Sasuke started to prioritize things such as his sleep, lengthy gym visits and football practice after school. It had only been a few weeks, but it was already taking a toll on Sakura, not to mention Sasuke's change in his attitude recently.
"Maybe I can see you after practice on Friday? Or maybe this weekend. Even if it was just for an hour." Sakura suggested over the phone, lying in her bed.
"I told you. I am busy." Sasuke said curtly. "Goodnight, Sakura." He said before hanging up the phone on her. She was in a state of disbelief at the suddenness of the hang-up. Sasuke had never done anything like this before. Her shock transformed into anger, and she quickly texted him.
Seriously? She typed. Without a response, Sasuke's phone switched to do not disturb mode and he did not respond for the rest of the night. Such a transaction left her restless throughout the night. She recalled her father giving her advice to never go to bed angry with someone you love. He was right. She woke up feeling mentally drained and uneasy. Worse, she was not even quite sure yet what to say, if anything. She was afraid of coming across as too clingy, but she truly felt hurt by the situation. She felt herself splitting apart and her world shaken. Never had she gotten angry with Sasuke before and not once did they ever fight or argue about anything. She was disappointed before about not sharing a class with him, but now she suddenly felt relief she would not have to encounter him throughout her day. Even that realization made her feel guilty. She wanted to make up. She breathed in deeply and bravely sent him a text message. Good morning. Sorry about last night. I just miss seeing you. I know you're terribly busy and you know you have my support. I don't want you to think I'm being clingy or anything. Let's just put that all behind us. I love you. She walked to the bus stop and arrived, waiting alongside six other students. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and checked the screen.
Ok. Sasuke replied. A blind rage seized Sakura and she wanted to throw her phone as far away from her as she could. The nerve of that boy! As the day went on, her anger did not let up. Not even her teachers dared to call on her in class to answer their questions. She ate lunch with Ino, who was not as supportive as Sakura had hoped she would be.
"He's been swamped lately, just give him a break." Ino said. "You know, you could always come and watch the team practice after school. That way, you can see him more."
"I can't, I have a play to prepare for." Sakura said sternly. "I know he's busy, but I'm busy too." Sakura sighed and her eyes began to tear up. She gripped her knees as she sat, looking down at the ground.
"Oh no." Ino said, noticing Sakura starting to cry. "It was probably just bad timing. Things will get better, I promise." She smiled and put her hand on Sakura's shoulder. Sakura wiped her eyes, trying to not let any tears flow. She adjusted her posture and let out another sigh.
"Yeah… you're right," Sakura said. "Maybe I'm just overreacting. I barely slept last night." Sakura still couldn't shake her feelings of dissatisfaction with Sasuke. She checked her phone and didn't see any new messages from him. Her frown only deepened.
"Sasuke, what is your deal?" Sakura thought to herself. She wished Ino could have helped her feel better. Ino was great at inspiring strength, but she wasn't well known for offering much comfort in tough times. Sakura packed up the remains of her mostly uneaten lunch and parted ways with Ino, making her way toward her next class. She still felt so defeated but still kept thinking about Sasuke anyway. Her thoughts of him were now filling her with anxiety as she was just brushing the surface of becoming obsessed with thoughts of him abandoning her. She felt so pitiful. It was not even a real fight or an argument, but just the feeling of not being on friendly terms with Sasuke pained her heart in ways she never knew were possible.
After her class, she made her way to her child development class. She noticed Lee walking through the hall, not seeing her to his right side. Although she was finding this class to be a bit boring and too focused on science for her taste, she was finding some aspects of it interesting. Lee was just one of those aspects. He seemed less intense than when she remembered him. Although she did pick up that he still held feelings for her, she noticed that he was holding himself back and was being respectful of her space. Even more, while his personality overall was just as she remembered from years past, his growth in both height and muscle caught her attention. His unusual facial features remained, but his facial structure was now more defined and manly, with his cheekbones more prominent than his once-rounded face. She watched as he stood outside the door of the classroom, holding the door open for some of his classmates. He smiled at them as he held the door open, when he looked up suddenly and noticed Sakura was peering at him in the hallway. Sakura suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and approached Lee, who straightened himself and pushed his shoulders back.
"Sakura! It is good to see you." Lee smiled at her. She noted just how much brighter he had gotten once he had noticed her. He held the door open and gestured for her to go first.
"Likewise. Thank you, Lee." She said as she stepped into the room. He followed in behind her, catching up to her by gliding across the room swiftly to pull out her chair for her. She smiled at him before sitting down in her seat. Lee removed his heavy backpack from his shoulder and carefully placed it down next to their desk. Sakura hung her tote bag on her chair, not wanting to get the bottom of the light pink bag dirty. Sakura felt special whenever Lee pulled out her chair for her. She recalled a time when Sasuke did such things for her when they first started dating, but throughout the summer and in recent memory, he had been neglecting to do so. She just realized then that it was the first time all day that she smiled. After her realization sunk in, so did her guilty consciousness. Lee took notice of the change in her demeanor.
"Sakura, are you feeling alright?" Lee asked out of concern.
"I'm fine." She lied. Lee knew immediately that she was not fine. He did not mind at all that she was not being honest with him, but his concern for her grew. "I just had a rough night." She spat out, feeling even more guilty that she just lied. If only Ino could have listened to her and comforted her, then she may not be sharing so much with Lee. Right now, she felt so alone.
"You can tell me if you are comfortable, Sakura. You can trust me to not share anything." Lee said to her reassuringly. Lee was good at keeping secrets, but he recognized what a burden one could be. For Sakura though, no secret was a burden to him. He just wanted to help her. Sakura's fake smile faded, and she looked up into Lee's eyes. They were not anything like the handsome masculine eyes of the Uchiha, but Sakura did not detect any deceit in his dark onyx eyes. If anything, Lee's eyes conveyed his concern for her.
"Sasuke and I…" She started and paused, thinking carefully about her word choice.
"Let's get started today, class." Mrs. Sarutobi said as she accidentally kicked a small waste bin near her feet. She pushed it aside with the toe of her sandal and stepped away from it. Sakura and Lee looked at each other in an unspoken agreement that they would finish speaking later.
"It has already been three weeks, so it is time to begin discussing our first big project. While there is plenty of time still until then, I do want you to begin exchanging contact information with your partner. As you know, this project will be your midterm exam grade, which is 30% of your final grade. Take this seriously because I will not accept work that is unfinished or sloppy. Your grades are your responsibility." Mrs. Sarutobi explained, winded from talking. Suddenly, she grasped her desk for support and sat down clumsily, almost slipping out from her wheeled office chair. Lee stood up.
"Mrs. Sarutobi, are you alright?" He asked. Sakura nearly got up out of her seat too, but Mrs. Sarutobi put up an open palmed hand, reassuring her students that she was all right and did not need assistance.
"I'm sorry. I am okay." She spoke, trying to reassure her class. "I've been getting tired so easily lately." she said, wiping her sweaty brow with a cloth. Lee sat back down in his chair, still on high alert. She reclined in her chair. "For the rest of this period, you may exchange your information with your partner and begin brainstorming ideas. Refer to the syllabus for the project rubric and just come and see me for any questions you have." She said, then took a big sip of her ice water.
The class soon became noisy from the students' conversations on the project as Mrs. Sarutobi reclined and checked her phone. Sakura and Lee turned to each other.
"I hope she's okay." Sakura said, still looking concerned for her teacher.
"I hope so too." Lee replied.
"Do you think that…" Sakura started, then stopped herself. "No. Maybe it's just my imagination." Lee looked at Mrs. Sarutobi and then back to Sakura, trying to piece together what Sakura was implying. "She did get married over the summer; you know." Sakura said, looking sheepish.
"Oh! I- Oh…" Lee said, realization hitting him. Could Mrs. Sarutobi be pregnant?
"They had a beautiful wedding." Sakura said, pulling her phone out and showing Lee an Instagram profile. There were albums of photos of videos of Mrs. Sarutobi and her new husband. They had a lovely outdoor wedding at the seaside, with romantic paper lanterns lighting up the dark beach and the outdoor venue, complete with a bonfire, white and blue beach blankets, pillows, white roses, and buckets of sparkling champagne. Lee wished he could take Sakura by the hand and jump into these scenes. The darkness illuminated by the faint lights and the sound of the waves crashing set such an intimate scene in Lee's imagination.
"It makes me want to get married." Lee blurted out. Like a deer in the headlights, he froze after realizing what he had just said. "Oh, that is not what I meant. Uh-" Lee stumbled. Sakura found him getting flustered to be amusing. "It looks so pretty. That is what I meant." Lee said, doubting it was a smooth recovery. Thankfully, Sakura still seemed distracted by whatever was troubling her.
"Mr. Asuma Sarutobi was one of my teachers last year." Sakura added. "He's also the football coach."
"Oh, I see now." Lee remarked. "I have lost track of the sports staff." Referring to the time he spent recovering from his injuries. "Mr. Hatake used to be the football coach last time I attended a game."
"Oh yeah. He had to step down from coaching. He got hurt or something." Sakura said, trying to remember the reason. "Now he teaches English composition and French." Lee chuckled.
"That is quite a switch." He remarked. "I took Spanish I and II, but I am afraid I do not remember much." he said, embarrassed.
"Mr. Hatake is really good. He's my French II teacher." Sakura said.
"Oh wow! How is French?" Lee asked. Something stirred in Sakura and her genuine smile returned.
"It is challenging. Pronouncing Rs is hard, and all the conjugations can be tough to remember whenever using unfamiliar words because there are always exceptions to the rules. Just when you think you're doing well, you get humbled quite fast." Sakura said. "I listen to some songs in French just to help me retain what the language sounds like."
"What made you choose French?" Lee asked. Sakura's smile grew.
"Well, my dad said it is a bad idea. He says I will not ever use it, but I just love how it sounds so much. It's so romantic." Sakura said. "It's a very beautiful language, despite its complexities." Lee could not help but feel touched by her sharing her passions with him.
"Can you say something in French?" Lee asked. Sakura raised an eyebrow and grinned playfully. "Por favor." Lee smiled and begged, placing his palms together and blinking his eyes at her, fluttering his lashes playfully. She smiled.
"Fine." She giggled, thinking of something to say. "Je m'appelle Sakura. J'adore écouter de la musique." Lee felt himself melting. Sakura was right, French is a beautiful language, but it sounds even better when spoken with her lips. "What do you think?" She asked.
"That was beautifully said." Lee swooned. Sakura felt genuinely flattered. Mr. Hatake gave positive feedback sparingly, criticizing more often than he would compliment his students.
"I wish I had someone to practice with. Most of the students in my class are juniors and the rest are people with whom I don't clique." She looked sadly at the ground. It seemed safe for Lee to assume Sasuke did not share her interest in French. What did those two have in common, he wondered. Surely, something had to have been holding them together for the last year. And now, their relationship was being tested. Lee still was unsure of what Sakura was going to say before class began, but she did not seem to be focused on it anymore now. Though Lee wanted to volunteer to help her, he knew that spending too much time would draw unwanted attention from Sasuke, who was his biggest threat currently. Perhaps there was some other way he could, aside from the class project.
"Oh!" Sakura said suddenly. "I almost forgot what we're supposed to be doing."
"That is right!" Lee said, checking the time and realizing that most of the class period had seemed to go by in just a blink. "Time flies when you are having fun."
"Here." Sakura said, placing her phone in Lee's hand. Their fingers brushed. "Add your number to my contacts. We are out of time so we can just catch up later." Sakura explained.
"Of course!" Lee said as he filled out his contact profile on her phone. He returned the phone and Sakura sent him a text. Lee's phone vibrated and he pulled out his phone, adding her to his contacts. He felt his heart pounding excitedly.
"Alright class. Times up today. Tomorrow we will resume our weekly material. Please read chapter five of your textbook and be prepared for any quizzes." Mrs. Sarutobi said while winking not so subtlety. She stayed reclined in her chair, the color in her face had returned and she seemed to have recovered from her fatigue. Lee did not forget about Sakura.
"Are you feeling any better?" Lee asked her as they were getting out of their seats.
"Much." Sakura said as she collected her bag and wore it on her shoulder. "Thanks, Lee." She smiled. Lee could still tell she was troubled, but she seemed much better now than she was an hour ago.
"You can always call or text me whenever." Lee smiled. "I am here for you." He gave her a corny thumbs up and his trademark sparkling smile. "I will be out from work around six. I will be available to discuss the project anytime afterward."
"Oh. I didn't know you had a job." Sakura said, a mixture of feeling impressed and her interest peaked. Without noticing, Sakura was walking toward her next class alongside Lee, who also did not notice immediately he was walking alongside her. Their movements were automatic. "What do you do for work?"
"I teach karate to all ages." Lee said. "First class of the night is usually just babysitting if I can be honest." They both laughed.
"I can imagine parents dumping their kids there after school." Sakura said, amused.
"To their credit, they do learn quite fast." Lee said. "I can see a bit of myself in them. That is where I used to go after school." Lee explained. Lee's past was mysterious, but rumor has it that he was adopted and never knew his parents. It was not something that he ever talked about, and it seemed rude to bring up around him.
"I get that. I took ballet at that age." Sakura explained. "The studio I went to wasn't in this town, but I do miss it sometimes."
"Wowie! There is a dance studio next door to the dojo I work at." Lee said, carefully watching where he was going as he navigated the crowded hallways. He knew he was taking a risk being seen with Sakura, but he was now armed with his excuse as her project partner. "They teach ballet, but also other forms of dance." Lee thought, trying to remember what he read on the studio's glass door.
"Maybe I should drop by sometime then. There's still time to prepare for the homecoming dance soon and senior prom in the spring. I'm sure I am a bit rusty." Sakura said. Lee was unaware of the homecoming dance, and he did not spend much time thinking about going to the prom. He was sure he would end up going there because of peer pressure, only to be forgotten, alone in a dark corner. Before he could respond, Sakura had arrived at her class. "This is my stop. Thanks for everything, Lee." Lee was taken aback.
"For what?" He asked, puzzled why she was thanking him.
"I was having a really difficult day. I feel a bit better now." She explained.
"Oh!" Lee said, flattered. "Anytime!" He said as he smiled, taking a chance, and flexing his muscular arm as he gave another corny thumbs up and wink. Sakura chuckled as she turned to enter the class.
"Later!" She said as she slipped into the open doorway. Lee looked at his surroundings, trying to calculate a route to his next and final class. He noticed a familiar face focused on him. It was Sakura's friend, Ino, who was at her open locker glaring at Lee. At this point, Lee did not feel so apologetic over his intentions. Whatever Sasuke did to Sakura, he did not care, he disliked the guy even more. He knew that being seen with Sakura by her friend meant he may have overstepped some boundaries and was now standing knee-deep in scandal, but his happy heart did not care at the moment. This past hour was one of the best times he had in a while. He simply smiled and waved at her, acknowledging her before making his way to his next class up the stairs. He felt her eyes on him still as he turned away from her and even after he was sure he had stepped out of her sight.
Now, in the superficial safety of his art class, he was still replaying the conversation with Sakura in his head. Sai was already sitting in his seat and smiled as Lee entered the room and sat next to him. Sai examined Lee briefly before speaking.
"You look very happy." Sai acknowledged.
"I am." Lee said. "However, I need to do some research. Do you know anything about the upcoming dance?"
"Oh, yes." Sai said as he was taking some materials out of his bag. "I belong to the group of volunteers preparing for the dance." He explained. "I work backstage for the play too. They needed me for some artistic direction."
"No kidding." Lee said. "When is the dance?"
"It coincides with a big football game against our school's main rival. It's in late October this year, on the 30th." Sai explained. "Some alumni are making a guest appearance at the dance, and they are going to reveal the prom theme too." Sai noticed the interest in Lee. "You must be thinking of bringing someone."
"Oh! Uh-" Lee said, caught off guard. "One can dream." He said, not wanting to start any rumors. Sai grinned.
"In any case, you should still come. I know homecoming is open to all, so it is not as exclusive and exciting as the prom, but I think you will enjoy it. The theme this year is a masquerade ball." Sai added. Lee's eyes widened at the possibility of a masked dance. Maybe if he cloaked himself exactly right, he would get a dance with Sakura right under Sasuke's nose and he wouldn't even know it was him! Lee got quite a devious smile on his face.
"I will consider it for sure." Lee responded. Sai was enjoying Lee's playfulness, wanting to understand the deeper meaning behind his responses and subtle body language. "You will be there, right?"
"Of course." Sai said. "I won't have much time between dressing in the locker room and going out to the dance, so perhaps you can help me straighten up beforehand." He said, mindlessly doodling in his sketchbook as they waited for their tardy teacher to appear.
"Wait a minute." Lee said, considering what Sai just said. "You are on the football team, Sai?"
"Oh yes," he said, grinning. "I am the placekicker. I took Sasuke Uchiha's place when he became the new quarterback."
"You do a lot around here, Sai." Lee remarked.
"I could say the same about you." Sai responded. "It's good to stay busy though." Lee agreed.
After class, Lee went to work, and his night was uneventful until he returned home. He received a text from Sakura.
Lee. I just finished dinner. Let me know when I should call you. Sakura wrote. Lee reclined in his office chair, his body and mind were tired from the long day, but his heart and soul were reinvigorated with youth at the prospect of having another conversation with Sakura. He planned in his head to only speak about the project and not push her into speaking about Sasuke. He knew that he needed to be patient with Sakura. Things just seemed to fall together perfectly. He was just too naïve to realize to consider the danger he was in.