The sunlight filtering through the window stirred Lee out of his sleep. Usually, he woke up with the sun. This time however, Mister Sun had been shining for a few hours before Lee roused into waking. He was congested again, one nostril was— annoyingly— clogged up.

He attempted to sit up before realizing their was a weight on top of him. Beneath his chin was a head of pink hair. Sakura was splayed out on him, limbs spread out every which way. An arm was draped across Lee's chest while a leg was hooked onto his own.

He recalled that they fell asleep with their backs touching, insinuating that they moved in their sleep. Lee was more comfortable sleeping on his back, but Sakura? He was surprised that her movement didn't wake him up. His exhaustion was more than he thought.

Sakura's hand gripped onto his pajama shirt when he attempted to sit up and her groggy voice murmured sweet nothings.

If it wasn't for being sick with a cold, this would have been the perfect way to wake up everyday, Lee thought. He considered asking Sakura to move in with him as they only lived across from each other.

Too forward.

Sakura's parents were paying for her rent and Lee figured that they wouldn't be too happy to hear that their daughter moved in with her boyfriend of a little over a month. Besides, Lee wanted them to have a house when they finally moved in together.

He placed a kiss to the top of her head, silently promising that he'd give her the life she deserves.

Disturbing their peaceful moment, Sakura's phone vibrated on his nightstand. It woke her up as she blinked away the sleep. It took her a moment to register that she was in her own bed. Sakura reached over Lee, tiredly grasping for her phone.

She yawned and answered. "Yes, hello?"

"Sakura, have you seen or heard from Hinata?" It was Officer Uzamaki. The raspy voice of the young cop was unforgettable. He was also Sakura's childhood friend.

The urgency in his tone made all the weariness in her disappear. "Uh... No. Why?"

"She came to visit the police station. She seemed frantic. But she suddenly upped and left in Tenten's car."

Lee's eyes widened. "Is Tenten there?"

Sakura huddled closer to Lee so that Naruto could hear.

"Who is that?" Naruto asked. "Erm, Tenten isn't here. Like I said, Hinata just used her car."

"Maybe she went to go visit her cousin," Sakura suggested. "Why don't you call Neji?"

"I can call him," Lee offered, fishing his phone out from beneath the mattress. He went to his frequent contact, Neji being fourth on the list, and dialed.

"I'm surprised you're the one calling me," said a rather bemused Neji on the other line.

"No time for that Neji," Lee held his phone close to Sakura's. "Have you seen Hinata? She is missing."

"Haven't seen her..." Neji gave slight pause. "Although, I have a terrible feeling of where she might of gone. She might have gone home."

"Damn!" Naruto cursed, "She can't just do that!"

"... Are we on a three way call?" Neji sounded slightly puzzled.

"It is the police," Lee explained briefly. "She went there first before suddenly taking off."

Lee could imagine that Neji was scowling. "Somebody better go find her before I leave this hospital on my own accord," Neji threatened.

"I am on it, Neji! You do not have to worry!" Lee hung up on him.

"I'll talk to you later then, Sakura," Naruto hung up as well.

Lee stood up out of bed, gently peeling Sakura off of him to her dismay. She sat on the edge of the bed, bearing an expression that looked like she wasn't sure if she was going to yell at him or goad him back into bed.

"You really don't plan on going in your condition, do you?" She asked.

"My body feels a lot better," Lee remarked as he flexed his arms for extra effect. His muscles still hurt but a little soreness never stopped him from anything. "As for my cold, I will be fine. It is not like I have the flu." He furrowed his brows in determination. "Neji needs me. He cannot do this himself, therefore I have to help him. Hinata could be in grave danger."

Sakura hopped to her feet. "Then I'm going with you."

"I... I cannot allow that. Please stay, Sakura." Lee outstretched his arms to place them onto her shoulders but she reeled back unexpectedly. She wound up her fist and clocked him in the jaw.

Bap!

"Ow...!" Lee cupped his face. His wide eyes softened, somewhat proud of Sakura's ability to catch his off guard. "You hit... Hard," he uttered quietly. He wasn't sure if he should be scared or aroused. Sakura was a strong woman after his own heart.

Sakura bounced on her feet, assuming a boxing position. "They used to call me South Paw Sakura due to my left-handedness. It's been a while but it's just like riding a bike."

Despite himself, Lee still refused her. "This is the Yakuza. You will be no match against them."

"You managed the best them before, right?" Sakura stopped her bouncing, looking at him seriously. "I should be fine with you by my side. I know enough to defend myself. We're just looking for Hinata after all."

Lee pursed his lips. He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to convince Sakura otherwise. "Very well then," he said. "But when I say, you will stand back or run away."

ˏˋ ˎˊ

For the second time in their lives, Sakura and Lee were on the proper of the Hyuga Clan. When she was here, Sakura barely processed what everything looked like. Before there were many police cars and officers, paramedics and chaos.

She looked to the spot where Neji has been laying in a crumpled up mess, picked up by paramedics. Hiashi had been standing there too, knuckles covered in Neji's blood.

Hard to believe that was only a few weeks ago.

Naruto had arrived shortly before they had. The compound was deceptively empty. Many Hyuga were taken into custody, but many still resided in their homes.

Naruto used the loudspeaker attached to his car to make an announcement. "If Hinata Hyuga is here, hand her over now. Or else I will have to use force." His words were scathing. A poor shy thing like Hinata should never be harmed. Even if she was clearly the favorite compared to Neji, Naruto wouldn't put it past them to hurt her too.

Sakura couldn't believe that Naruto was a full fledged cop. He always had it in him to protect those he cared about as well as those in need. Truly, Naruto Uzamaki grew into himself. Sakura felt a bit of pride swell up inside of her.

They were greeted with an unexpected sight. Hinata showed herself, dragging an unconscious Hyuga behind her. The visage was rather ghostly. Hinata's white eyes were rather vacant, her expression was far away.

"Miss Hyuga...?" Lee called out tentatively.

"Hanabi..." Hinata responded. Her voice was hardly above a whisper. "... They won't tell me where she is."

"Who?" Naruto asked. "Who's Hanabi?"

"M-my sister."

The three exchanged glances, equally confused. Lee in particular was more shocked than anyone. "Neji never mentioned having another cousin," he said, perplexed.

"She... Was hidden from us," Hinata explained. Her blank expression turned into one of worry. "He didn't know... Neither did I."

Naruto stepped up to her, offering his hand for her to hold. "Why don't we all just head back to the precinct and get this all sorted ou- oof!" Hinata delivered an open palmed blow to his gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Lee recognized it from Neji's arsenal of moves, typical of the Hyuga fighting style. While it was clearly a warning shot, Lee wasn't too keen on attacking a woman in distress.

"I'm sorry!" Hinata's hands shot up to cover her face. Her pale skin was now beet red. "I-I just can't go yet!" She turned on her heel and ran off further into the compound.

"Hinata!" Naruto ran after her.

Without thinking, Lee bolted. He was faster than Naruto, overtaking him and catching up with Hinata. Hinata was fast and light on her feet, but Lee's agility was on another level. He tackled her to the ground, rolling and curling his body around her as to not harm her.

"I am sorry, Miss Hyuga," Lee apologized. "But I am doing this for your sake and for Neji's. He would be here right now if he could."

"B-big Brother? He wanted to come?" Hinata squirmed in his grasp, but he wouldn't let go until he was certain.

Naruto caught up, peering down at the two on the wooden floor. "Nice save," he complimented, panting a little. "Hinata... Did you do all this?"

Lee was going to fast to notice it but many Hyuga had been incapacitated, littering the halls. Either unconscious or drifting in and out of it, Sakura trailed behind the group to prop them up into sitting positions.

"I-I..." Hinata turned red once more as if flustered at the thought of her own brutish actions. She fell silent and that's when Lee released her. He offered a hand to stand her up and she gladly accepted.

"I am not surprised," Lee remarked. "If she is anything like her cousin, no doubt she is capable of doing something such as this."

Hinata lowered her head, all eyes on her.