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When Flowers Wilt	By : VantheKeyofLain Category: Naruto > General Views: 1053 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Disclaimer: I do
not own Naruto, and this is making me no profit.

NOTE: The later focal element will be SakuLee to let you know � hate for anyone to
get involved only to get pissed at the coupling later. For now, it�s rather
Sakura-centric.
�� Also,
there is a Yaoi coupling in this. So no one is
confused, I don�t do Shota.
�� If either of these two things you
disagree with, then perhaps this fic is best left
unread. If, however, you are fine; then please by all means continue forth.

When Flowers Wilt

�� Colors
faded in and out, changing hues as they went. Everything was warm, and the
gentle swirling breeze made it feel like you were dancing with the wind. Flower
petals rained down; fleetingly some would fall and feel like tender kisses to
the area of skin touched. The feeling of a radiant joy, of feeling whole and
complete with one�s self, emanated from this dream heaven.

�� Could this
possibly be what love really was?

�� She danced
for what felt like years, but she never tired. She laughed for what felt like
days, but she never lost her breath. She sang for what felt like hours, but she
never hurt her voice. She was embraced for what felt like minutes, but she
longed it to be more.

�� In this
particular dream of hers, there was always a figure of another present. However,
this figure wasn�t pronounced. It was dimmed, always more like a ghost. It
would always be there in this dream, but only ever embrace her for what seemed
like the tiniest amount of time; compared to everything else. The only problem
was that each and every time, as soon as the embrace was lost � so was she.
��
�� The dream
would begin to darken. The warmth would be lost first, followed by the
softness, and gentleness of the world around her. The colors would all then
fade to black, before she would begin falling. She would fall, for what seemed
like forever, until she would break through a surface. She would find herself
beneath this surface, and slowly drowning. If she looked up, there would be
faces � faces of people she should recognize. They were important. Yet if she
looked down, another face would come into view. This face, too, should have
been recognizable. Yet she felt this face was more important.

�� Why? Why
was this one more important? This face was drowning with her too. The others�
hands were extended, beckoning her forth; upward. But, she couldn�t leave this
other behind; and there were more of them up there. Surely they both could be
pulled up. So she would turn and swim towards the one. She would swim, and all
the while never get close to the one � but continue further away from the many.

�� No, maybe
just a little more. There had to be a way, right? Just a bit further, then she could � wait, another face again! It was from
above. Had it followed her to help too? This was good! So she would take that
hand. But wait; now she was being pulled away.

�� NO! Stop! Don�t pull me away! Save the
lonely one!

�� She would
think her words futile, at first. However, her words had an effect. This effect
seemed to chill her more than drowning. The one that was dragging her away,
would stop, then all too quickly, sink with her in
toe.

It was the sudden rush of sinking
that would wash over her and shock her system awake, or into a later � and
dreamless � state of sleep. She would lye in bed, heavily breathing. She would
be terrified, and begin to cry. She was never sure about what exactly she cried
over. Though after long enough, the dream would subside, and she would fall
back into sleep once again.

This night, it was the gentle
falling rain that lulled her back to dreamless sleep. The rhythmic sound it
made easing her into a state of calm. Soon the terrors were forgotten; logged
away as a distant memory, until the dream came again.

A dream Sakura had been having for
over a year.

~ ~ ~ ~

�� The gentle
rains were still spilling over the village
of Konohagakure an hour
later; and no place in fire country evaded the heavens� waters. Those who were
awake would be able to enjoy the little scene, as it was one of those rainy
days that brought a bit of refreshment with them. The air was crisp to breath,
there was no humidity, and the gentle cooling breeze made up for the slight
warmth of the rainfall. To those still asleep, it was just a tiny loss, if any.

�� Yet there
was one man, who seemed to have it both ways. He got to enjoy the evening air
and its lovely texture, all the while enjoying the current dreams he partook
upon. Some could call him lucky; other could call it amazing. Then again,
others still could call it unnatural.

�� The room in
which the young man stood was a fine wide sparring room. The hardwood flooring
had been polished lightly; the currently open doors were lightly decorative
with light plum colored fabrics � little floral designed running along them in
various directions; a futon was pushed off to a far corner opposite the main
doors. The ruffled covers suggested he�d woken from slumber in the wee hours.

�� Well, that
was partly true.

�� Gracefully,
as if almost dancing, the man began a series of Kata.
Soon it began shifting into the full on acrobatic moves that only a Taijutsu master could know. A high kick, followed by a low
sweep arced into a throwing maneuver to an invisible opponent. Offensive moves
traded with defensive moves, as if he were fighting an enemy right then and
there. It very well could have been he was.

�� For he was
asleep, you see.

�� His dreams
were ones of intensity; brutal enemies that threatened to take the life of
anyone they saw fit were between him and what he protected. He never knew what
it was he was protecting; just that it was important to him. On occasions, he
could feel the importance. Sometimes, it felt like a very large thing. Other
times, it felt like a small thing. Regardless of size, the importance always
seemed the same. Mind you, he did notice however, that when it was something
small his speed was but a tiny bit quicker, his footing a tiny bit more
precise, and his punched a tiny bit more powerful.

�� In the end,
he would be victorious, but not without his wounds of battle. When he would
turn to see his important thing, he would never see them. However he�d feel
them. Sometimes it felt like only one thing was there, right in front of him.
Other times, it was all around him. After this, the dream would soon fade.

�� However
this calm gentle night, his dream was not about waging battle or winning
victories. This calm gentle night gave him the dreams he�d come to call
�Guiding Spirit.� The dream itself would always be different, but the �sprits�,
as he dubbed them, would always be the same. The number might vary, but there
was one who was always ever present. To this spirit he called �Master.� To this
spirit he would always fight with his all.

To this spirit Lee would always
lose, however he felt as if he always gained something from it.

�� Often
times, Master would be swapped with a few others. After having this series of
dreams so long, dubbing names to them seemed to be the easiest way to help
distinguish them apart. Hinoke, or �heart of fire� was one such spirit whom Lee could call
feisty. His attacks were fierce and proud, and more than not, often rushed. Shouyou, however was the complete opposite. This spirit was
calm and collective. His moves were calculated and precise. His movements were
as fluid as water; he was the �tranquil� half to the duo.

�� There were
a few others that would once in a great while be his opponent, but they
preferred to stay in the background. Most of these dreams however, it would be
just Shouyou, Hinoke and Master. This in itself was
fine, as he truly never knew what to expect next. No matter the feeling of
excitement or pleasure he received from these spars, it would never overcome
the passion he has felt from one previous spar, during the beginning of these
dreams.

�� One time,
and only ever one time, Lee had spared with a spirit he could rightly not give
a name to do justice. The closest thing he could affectingly give was the name Aiyoku � Desire. The spirit emanated love, lust and power.
This spirit also emanated a radiant aura that felt like spring. Lee had accepted her � oh yes, this spirit indeed
had the feel of a woman � offer, mouth agape. The match began and within eight
seconds, Lee was down.

�� There was
no ill bearing, no feelings of superiority. In fact, what he did feel was gentle
warmth, and a feeling of acceptance. In fact, the words uttered by Aiyoku had touched him somehow.

�� I accept you here��

�� Since that day, the dreams had
come regularly. Of course, they were welcomed. Lee figured it was his
subconscious at work, what with all the training and missions he would undergo.
The fact that these missions and other trifle things would be brought up once
in a while kept him held fast to that theory as well.

�� The present
moment however found him coming to an end of his dance. With one last sweep
pulling into a kick, he shifted and feel gracefully back. At the last moment he
rolled with the motion, to stop upon resting knees. Bowing his head, he quietly
murmured a few words. Still for only a moment, Lee then stood. He began to walk
outside, feeling more than seeing the crisp day, and the various other spirits.
Lee stopped after one step off the little porch, and gazed at nothing in
particular. The sun was shining; the trees were grand and green, and it felt
generally whole like the beginning of spring.

�� So why did
it feel like it was raining?

�� Looking up,
a light rumble of thunder could be heard, and a raindrop slashed his eye.
Blinking rapidly as the offender, Lee rubbed his face a moment, before looking
up and around. It was dark, lightly drizzling and from what he could tell
extremely early in the morning.

�� Ah�I see.�
Lee spoke softly to himself.

�� Thank you,
Master Spirit. I look forward to out next meet.�

�� For a
moment, he enjoyed the little shower and all it had to offer. Then, making sure
he didn�t get too wet, Lee turned and made his way back over to his futon. He
left the doors open, as it was just such beautiful scenery to take in. Feeling
very tired, slightly worn, but very content, Lee settled back into his futon
and fell helpless to the world of dreamless deep sleep.

�� No more
worries until the dawn.

~ ~ ~ ~
�� Darkness
evaded a never ending tunnel.

Running was what was keeping him
alive.

A tinier child than him self is all
that kept him sane.

�� When it
felt like all hope had been lost, a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel
greeted his tear stricken eyes. Breaking the surface from the earthen hall, he
fleetingly wondered if he�d already died and just broke into the first circles
of Hell. Bodies lay unmoving before him; most seemed empty and hollow. The
amount of blood he saw could easily fill a pool.

�� Mama�� The
tinier child cried out, looking back into the darkness in which they�d just
emerged.

�� She�ll be
ok. She�s with my mom too.�

�� The older
shifted the tiny kid in his arms; all the while frantically looking for a place
to stay.

�� Be quiet
and close your eyes.�

�� The smaller
did as he was told and clung tightly to the other. Really, he was rather well
behaved for a one year old. Running again, the two managed to make their way
around various obstacles; some rather gruesome and disturbing ones at that.
Finally, a shred of hope presented itself � the academy. With little choice,
the older boy broke into the school through a small window. He knew his way
around here well enough and finally found a classroom deep within the building.
Rushing over to a closet, he opened it, and placed the child inside.

�� Stay here.
Be quiet.� The older commanded.

�� No! Stay!
No leave!� At this the tiny child began to promptly cry again; his protests
getting louder each time.

�� Sorry.
Just be quiet and you�ll live.� With that, the closet was closed tight.

�� To a one
year old, a locked closet was the very last place you wanted to be when you
were terrified of the dark, and knew mommy and daddy weren�t around. So, obviously,
this move made the kid scream out. He didn�t stop screaming until the doors
were violently opened again.

�� If you
scream, you die! Do you want to die?�

�� No leave!
No leave!�

�� The older
boy clenched his fists tightly. He was torn between wanting to go fight with
his family, or staying to make sure the boy was safe. His mother had told him
to take the child somewhere safe. Guess that settled it, after all. His train
of thought was interrupted by the shattering of a window. A sickening icy
feeling shot down his spine, and quickly, he pushed the boy back into the
closet, turned and pulled him self inside as well. There was just enough room
for him to sit down, and pull the trembling one year old close.

�� Don�t make
a sound.�

�� The tiny
one just nodded, huddling even closer. The older also remained as quiet as
possible. Inside he was terrified. Part of him shouldn�t have been � he was a
ninja, dammit! Yet this situation�was unlike any
other; which made it all the more dangerous. So the two boys remained there. Both
terrified and held close � as if the protective embrace would fend off all
evil.

~ ~ ~ ~

�� Emerald
eyes slowly opened to the dim light invading her sanctuary. For a moment, she lay
there, unmoving. She just let her gaze stare off in whatever direction she
currently faced. After her eyes adjusted more to the room around her, she
groggily pushed her self up from the bed. Dark pink trails of hair swept down
her face, some tangled and some not. Again, she remained in the spot, silent
and still, collecting her conscience self together.

�� Finally
rising from the warmth of her bed, Sakura padded towards the shower, intent on
getting herself up for the day. The hot rinse indeed gave her a more waking
start, after which she moved about getting ready at a more normal pace. Finally
clothed and hooking her belt around her waist, Sakura casually glanced at her
clock to see how much time she had to spare.
��
�� The clock
read two fifty-seven p.m.

�� Shit.� She
swore lightly under her breath. Had she really slept in that long? Those
injuries she received a day ago must have made her more sluggish than she
thought. No matter, she had three minutes. That was seriously pushing it, but
just maybe, she could make it. Grabbing up a few remaining choice items, Sakura
headed out of her apartment quickly, stopping long enough only to lock her
door. With that done, she turned and dashed towards the Hokage�s office as fast
as she could possibly go. It didn�t help her that half way on her mad dash
something seemed to glide right past her.

�� Only the
vaguest hint of green registered to her, but it was enough.

�� Not
today.� She growled, gritting her teeth and furrowing her brow lightly. With a
bit of new determination fueled to her goal, she pumped out a bit more chakra and
gained a little more speed.

~ ~ ~

�� At three p.m.,
Shizune knocked lightly on the Hokage�s door.

�� Come in!�
Tsunade called to her ex-apprentice.

�� Good
afternoon, Tsunade-sama. I have today�s missions ready for pick-up.�

�� Good; just
set them there. I�ll organize what�s left afterwards.�

�� The other
woman nodded and began to lay out the mission scrolls on the Tsunade�s desk.
They were of various colors; each color corresponding to the rank of which said
mission was. There were a number of the lower ranks, and a few of the middle
ranks. However, the higher ranks were always few and far between.

�� No sooner
than Shizune finished setting them down, that a small whoosh of air blew up
next to her. Turning to her left, she jumped lightly at the sudden appearance
of the Jounin next to her.

�� Rock Lee, reporting for mission duty, Hokage-sama.�

�� Tsunade
nodded lightly, already having known the green clad boy would be the first to
arrive. This had become habit, and as such, didn�t really need to ask her next question.
She only did so out of protocol.

�� Mission request?� The
elder woman asked.

�� S-Rank, if
you have it.�

�� Aa, we have one.� Tsunade pointed to the only teal colored
scroll.

�� Reaching
out and taking the scroll in hand, Lee gently opened it, and read over the
brief of it. He seemed to study it for a moment, before carefully rolling it
back up, and placing it in a secure pocket of his vest.

�� I shall
leave immediately. I expect my return to be seven p.m. tonight.�

�� Very well then. I shall see you at seven.� Tsunade nodded
to the boy, jotting something down on a document sheet.

�� With that,
the boy was gone, out the very window he�d arrived. Tsunade had decided to
forget the windows after a few of her more angry rants towards Naruto�s tom foolery caused them to be shattered all to
pieces; that and it was getting troublesome to keep replacing them. Tsunade
glanced at the clock on her office wall.

�� The clock
read three o� one.

�� Looking
back down at her document, she began to pencil in a letter as another whooshing
bit of air filtered in. She didn�t need to look up to know who it was.

�� Haruno Sakura, reporting for mission
duty, Tsunade-sama.�

�� Once again,
she restated her question; once again, only for protocol.

�� Mission request?�

�� S-Rank.�

�� I�m sorry,
seems you were a little too late.�

�� A light �tck� sound came from the pink haired one, before she looked
back up to her former sensei.

�� A-Rank.�

�� One is
there.� Tsunade pointed towards two scrolls.

�� Taking one
up, Sakura unfurled it, read it over, and nodded to her self.

�� Alright,
I�ll go now.�

�� Sakura
turned towards the window and was stopped before leaving by the other�s
question.

�� Are you
sure you don�t do this on purpose?�

�� Do what?�

�� Try to
beat each other. Are you two competing in some kind of lethal game?�

�� It�s not a
game.�

�� Then what
would you call this?�

�� Tsunade
pushed the document she�d just been writing on towards the other kunoichi.
Sakura picked it up and glanced at it. It took her a moment to realize this was
a chart sheet of all the active ninja in the village.

�� No wonder
it�s so thick.

�� What caught
Sakura�s attention however, was the fact of the top two names. Rock Lee and
hers. Following the dates across the pages, she could see where the mission
rank taken would be penciled in. Reading along Lee�s name, Sakura saw that all
of the boxes filled, with the exception of three, were all penciled in with �S�.
Under her own name, she ran across her own missions. All of the boxes filled,
once again with the exception of three, were with the letter �A�. The three
boxes that stood out on her row, held �S� in them, while respectively, Lee�s
held �A�.

�� It�s not a
game, it�s just coincidence. We just happen to get here before anyone else
does.� Sakura said, pushing the chart back to the woman.

�� Then
perhaps I should bar you two from these missions, as the other shinobi are getting rather annoyed they can�t have any high
ranked missions.� Tsunade smirked, and put the chart away.

�� If they
aren�t fast enough to get here, then I shouldn�t be punished.� Sakura stated
off handedly. Apparently it seemed Lee need to be though; he was taking her higher missions after all; ignoring the fact her words would
apply to her in this case.

�� Aa, guess you have a point. Alright, go ahead. I have held
you up long enough.�

�� Sakura once
again turned towards the window but stopped her self this time before leaving.

��Time?�

�� Seven.�

�� There was a
short silence for a moment, as if the younger woman was considering something.
Looking back towards the Hokage, Sakura gave the
elder woman a light smile.
��
�� I�ll be
back by six forty-five.�

�� Tsunade
nodded lightly, before returning a grin.

�� Not a game, huh?�

�� A cocky
grin flashed.

�� Maybe that
part.� With that, the kunoichi was gone.

�� Tsunade
leaned back, and exhaled a breath, waiting for the rest of the group to come
and collect the remaining missions.
�� If they
were together, I�d swear this was foreplay.� The woman opened a drawer and
pulled out a small bottle of sake.

�� Kids��

~ ~
~ x Chapter 5 ~ ~ ~

��
- 4
- 5
- 6
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When Flowers Wilt