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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
- 8
- 9
- 10
Disclaimer: I do
not own Naruto, and this is making me no profit.

NOTE: By now, if you�re this far, then you know that this fic contains:
Sakura drama, Lee
drama, SakuLee
Eventuallity, KakaGai, NaruHina, IrukaAyame
Mysterious dreams
and much much more�

Warning:
B G� S
I�m going to start getting into graphics
from now on. Things have progressed rather well in this story and I am pleased.
So from now on, you will experience such things as course language, graphic violence,
blood, gore and sex/sexual
situations. Basically, things that make this story deserve the M rating. Check
this space in further chapters to get a feel for what�s coming. L, V, B, G, & S respectively.

When Flowers Wilt

�� The gentle
breeze that blew through her hair was just enough to feel like a kiss of
coolness against her skin. The area she stood upon was a lovely clearing deep
within the jungle that surrounded the village of Konoha.
The ground was soft; the trees strong and sturdy, and what few rocks that rose
high out from the ground; more in the direction of the mountains in the
distance, made for the perfect stage of the dance that was about to take place.

�� Making sure
her flowing pink locks were indeed tied secure; Sakura took her stance. A slow
smirk began to play across her lips, as she would be trying out some of the new
jutsu techniques that she recently pulled from the scroll Tsunade-sama
had loaned her. Her mind briefly traced back to a time about a year ago, when
she had trained with him like this before. She had learned so much, and had
come so far along. She had been amazed at that time; when she�d taken what
she�s learned between their sparing, and created her own style of fighting.

�� Once again,
she stood before him. Once again, she planned on creating a few new moves of her
own. This time however, she would promise herself to thank him properly. He
deserved so much, yet he always settled for what little made him happy.

�� Are you
ready?� Came a throaty inquiry.

�� Just
waiting on you.� She smiled, genuinely.

�� He
chuckled. She hummed.

�� They both
dashed forward before disappearing.

- x -

�� Rubbing his side to rid himself
of the last threads of pain, Lee bid a farewell to his optimistic companions,
and once again set out on the road to his previous destination. After Naruto
and Lee�s little festival of humor had subsided, the blonde haired youth had
noticed Lee�s leg and makeshift crutch, asking if the other boy was alright.
Lee had assured his friends he was just fine, and that the recovery of the leg
was almost final. Naruto had called him an idiot and told him he should have
spoken up about it; otherwise he�d have prevented the extra pain brought on by
the bout of laughing soliloquies.

�� Lee had to
smile at Naruto�s love for his friends and close ones. They both seemed to
share that quality, as well as many others the boys never really had reflected
upon in their younger days. Both had been energetic hard working happy boys.
They were always ready to learn and always wanted to do more; to become better.
They were like two peas in a pod, and once they figured out how much alike they
were; they�d shared a best friend relationship. At one point in time, Lee had
quietly wished he could be like Naruto. His optimistic friend had done so many
things that Lee himself had wanted to do and couldn�t. He�d defeated Sasuke, Neji and Gaara. At first
Lee had felt the pains of slight jealousy, as those people had been his opponents to defeat. However, Lee�s
jealousy was short lived, as he realized the boy was like himself � almost like
second testament to prove hard work could defeat genius.

�� And by far,
Naruto was no genius.

�� Lee had
then repaid Naruto in kind, by taking over Naruto�s opponent Kimimaro of the
sound five; sound four�s missing fifth member. He�d done rather well too; even if
he had accidentally gotten drunk and preceded with the Drunken Fist style of
fighting. He never did give into believe that until he was seventeen. Ah, what
it was to be so na�ve. Even with his special condition, he�d still been unable
to defeat Kimimaro, and thus was actually rescued by Gaara of all people. This
look at the new sand wielder, who seemed to have changed dramatically since
their last encounter, really surprised Lee.

�� Gaara had
been brutal and merciless before; yet this newer version of him was calm,
calculating and seemed to understand a grasp of the basic human bond known as
kinship. He was still merciless. Lee had to grin at that. He was an amazing
fighter. Lee grinned as he remembered the two occasions in which the Konoha
ninjas had come to help aid Gaara in his own tangles. The first time had been
when he and Naruto, under team order by Shikamaru, had set out to help the sand
ninja, who was being pursued by some small band of elite ninjas seeking Shukaku�s power in Order to wield their ultimate weapon. Shikamaru
and Ino had broken off to help Temari,
while Kiba and Choji went
to back up Kankuro.

�� That had
been a while back, and the two events of these helping hands like paybacks took
a two year break in between. The second time they went to help Gaara was due to
the Akatsuki taking Gaara from Suna. Team Kakashi had
gone out first; though Team Gai had been sent as
backup. They had run into a little trouble, but it had been dealt with. Lee
smirked. That pseudo shark demon had messed with the wrong people. They had
finally all come together, and took part in getting into the area where Gaara
was being held. In the end, Lee had wound up fighting a clone of himself due to some trap on the tag he�d torn up. It was
Sakura who�d gone in - through more like - the blocked off area. He had to
admire how strong the young woman had become. How powerful she had made herself
to be. He remembered the pride he�d felt in himself when he found out how
Sakura had broken in and defeated that Sasori person.

�� Then
departing was a touching moment, as Naruto and Gaara seemed to share some deep
kind of kinship. Lee smiled at that, realizing how each of them seemed to share
some kind of triangular connection. It was a nice feeling to know you had
connections with people that could change your life.

�� Lee smiled
and chuckled to himself again. Kakashi-Sensei had done his fare share of
fighting, including � from what Naruto told him, using the Mangekyo
on Deidara. The Jounin had pushed himself a bit on
that, causing him to become rather depleted. Bloodline Limits usually did that.
As it wound up being, Gai-Sensei took it upon himself
to carry the other Jounin back to Konoha on his back. Lee had thought it was
training, and tried to get Neji to do the same; Neji adamantly refused. In the long run, it had probably
been the better idea anyway. Kakashi-Sensei had needed light medical attention,
so the quicker he got home, the better.

�� Looking
ahead in the distance, Lee could see a quaint little house coming into view. He
would soon be at his destination. This brought him back into thinking of the here
and now. Poor Ayame had truly been lost as to why Naruto and he had been
laughing so hard at the concept of Kakashi being a father. Hinata had looked
bemused as well, but seemed to hold back on asking why. Lee had to suppress
another chuckle, and soon it quickly passed. His bright smile dimmed just a bit
as he reflected upon a thought; a night almost three years ago.

�� A night that held a marriage of two men.

�� A night that only five people knew any anything about.

�� As with any
wedding ceremony, you need a priest. Tsunade-sama as
Hokage had that honor bestowed to her when she took the title. Though she�d
married a few shinobi and civilians previously, she
was a bit surprised at the prospect of marring two of her top Jounin; two of
her top male Jounin that is. As it
was, things were requested to be kept on the low profile, or hush-hush so to
speak. At least for a while.

�� Tsunade complied, but demanded the traditional rules be
met, and that required a witness, one from each.

�� And of
course, who does one ask to be a witness, but someone they put a lost of trust
and faith in? Why their prized student of course! Truthfully, Lee wasn�t
shocked when he�d heard about the marriage; nor all that surprised in being
asked to be his Sensei�s witness. He was bemused to see Naruto wearing
something as formal as he had. After all was said and done, Lee couldn�t help
but smile; yet it was a smile that held two sides.
One side was overjoyed for his Sensei,
as the man truly seemed to be happy; bursting with a show of that youthful
spirit he had had when he was younger. As Gai was
someone important to Lee, much like a Father figure, he felt a touch of pride
as well. Kakashi was a respectable man, someone who Lee wouldn�t ever have to
worry about hurting those precious to him.

The other side of Lee�s smile was
actually a sad side. It was a side that looked upon the scene before him and
wanted so desperately the characters to be switched and in one case changed. Or
that this scene would play out for him. In the back of his head, one small
thought nagged at him, ironically and bitterly funny:

His Sensei had married before him.

- x -

Ricochet Thunderclaps, or at least
it sounded as such. Each and every physical blow that landed; blocks, kicks,
and punches sounded like the booming ricochet of a thunderclap. Just as one
kick was about to connect, it was dodged and met a tree instead.

�� The tree
was broken in two and crashed down.

�� The fighters
paid no heed; they were in their own world. Blow after blow, each seemed to be
matched. A right hook was narrowly missed and instead met a large boulder;
which was reduced to gravel.

�� Dammit.�

�� You almost
had me there; but it seems you missed.� A cocky but humored
retort.

�� Emerald bright eyes swung around and found
their target.

�� I promise
I�ll make the next hit then.�

�� With that,
Sakura sent chakra through her left arm, letting fly the bandage wrapping her
arm, and shooting it out towards the other. At the last possible moment, the
bandage was dodged, and its final target ended up being a fallen trunk. Yanking
on the banding, Sakura flew towards her opponent instead, and brought her right
arm out in a thrusting punch. She made contact.

�� However the
contact was the palm of a hand, and clenched her fist tightly; finally tossing
the girl airborne. Bemused for only a moment, the calmed herself as two arms
wrapped tightly around her; pinning her arms against her side. All too quickly,
they began to plummet headfirst towards the ground.

�� This old
trick again? Please, give me some credit.� She scoffed.

�� Show me
you can earn it then.� He retorted.

�� Sakura
grinned and sent chakra to her hands, but did a few single hand symbols with
each. With as much force as she could muster, she slammed her palms on her
assailant�s outer thighs, and within a span of a second, the arms pinning her
own broke open. Freed, Sakura swirled around and pushed both hands flat palmed
against the man�s firm chest and pushed away.

�� A crashing
sound indicated something had hit the ground, but Sakura knew better. As the
smoke cleared, she could see a fairly medium sized crater. There was no body
there, as Sakura suspected. Instead, it was two small material objects.
Recognizing what they were, Sakura mentally cursed herself, and began to
retreat to a safer location.

�� However, a
sharp kick to her back sent her flying in the opposite direction.

�� Hitting the
ground harshly next to a patch of shrubbery and a few trees, Sakura winced and
got up, breathing deeply. She felt the first stages of weariness set in.
Perhaps now was the time to use some new tricks of her own.

�� Don�t tell
me you�re already getting winded.�

�� Of course
not, but shouldn�t you be asking yourself that?� She grinned.

�� You know
me better than that, Little Flower.�

�� Sakura�s
grin widened just a bit more. He was right; she did know him well enough. He
still had a lot of fight in him left. Then again, so did she.
Placing her hand on one of the plants next to her, she stood tall. Slowly, the
plant began to dim in color, and Sakura began to feel her body healing up, and
revitalize itself.

�� This was
one of the new jutsus she�d learned from the scroll. �Daishizen Hosu no Raifu no Jutsu� or Nature Drain
of Life was one of the first arts that had caught her eye. It was a medium
skilled art in which Sakura could use her own chakra as a magnet and pull out
more chakra from an object of nature. Be it a plant, tree or the grass, she
could harness the chakra from there and use it to revitalize herself.

�� As with
most jutsu, however, the drawback to this one was
that it left her open to attack. While using it, she had to remain stationary,
and couldn�t use another other arts. This however wasn�t so much a problem to
the pink hair kunoichi. Deciding she was good for
now, she halted her drain on the plant, and went back into action.

�� Let�s see
how well you remember me, ne?� Sakura winked.

- x -

�� Glancing up from his thoughts,
Lee mentally noted he was nearing the last of his long walk, before falling
back into his reflections.

�� Yes, at one
point Lee had felt slightly bitter upon the irony that life played out for him;
but that bitterness had been extinguished so very quickly. Unfortunately what
replaced it was an almost pity.

�� How does
one feel, when you have to keep such a secret?

�� Lee didn�t
know the answer to this, but he could only go on what he himself would feel.
Lee knew he�d want to tell anyone and everyone; shout it out even: �I am Maito-Rock Lee, and this is my wife!� or �I, Maito-Rock Lee, am a Married man!� Oh how much he wanted to
shout those words � how much he would.

�� Yet to live
day after day� hiding it, dancing around it�.did it not have repercussions on
one�s mind? Then again�would peoples responses do worse damage? There in lied
the answer. There in lied why we as a people must hide away from society.

�� Taboo.

�� Lee hated
that word. Lee hated the fact that this world could still be so bitter and
cruel and�archaic. You could go out and kill a man, and be praised for it; but Kami forbid you turn around and tell them you were in love
with someone the same sex as you. Exhaling to calm himself
down, Lee�s mind danced back again through memories of past years�and found
himself stopping a moment.

�� He blinked
as felt his face flush a moment. Well, wasn�t that a surprising little memory?
Indeed, Lee had not been surprised about the two Jounin�s
joining; for he�d already knew before then about the quiet relationship the two
shared.

*�� *�� *

�� A little
over three year ago, Konoha had been recuperating under the siege of the
Akatsuki. The Village had lost some of its proudest members, including Sarutobi Asuma, one of the top
Jounin, and the former Sensei of team ten. There had been other loses as well,
and none were any less important.

�� At the same
time, the Konoha ninja had been able to kill at least four of Akatsuki�s members, and heavily injuring two others. At
this, the Akatsuki had withdrawn, and teams had been sent out on investigation.
However things took on a bit more to the morbid side, as instead of finding the
fleeing Akatsuki, the teams found Orochimaru, instead.

�� As well as Sasuke Uchiha.

�� It was one
thing to fight against someone you knew you had to kill, yet didn�t know them.
It was another to fight against someone you knew; someone who you�d known
personally at one point in time.
��
�� And fight
they did.

All eleven of
them, against one of him. And they lost.

�� Luck be on
there side, they�d all lived through it. However, Sasuke
had done his own number of injuries to each and every one of them. But as
quickly as the Snake Sannin and his apprentice had
appeared, they once again disappeared. Naruto still
vowed to make the other boy understand, or die trying.

�� As the year
went on, things were quiet and progressed normally. Yet since that very day,
Sakura had little by little, dimmed in spirit, mind, body and lastly soul. It
was subtle at first then soon began to become noticeable. Slowly, she�s pull
away from people. It got to the point that the very last two people who could
get anything out of her were Naruto and Lee himself.

�� Then
shortly after that, Naruto left with Jiraya, and Sakura dove head first
into mission after mission. Knowing the woman as he did, he knew what she was
going to do to herself, so he quietly vowed to himself to continue doing what
he promised her years ago, and that was to protect her. However, he did it in a
way that he felt was the best possible way. He�d just take the missions he knew
she wanted.

�� Thus began
the game of tag that Lee wouldn�t know would still be played out three years
from this point. The young man would soon experience a whole new level of metal
suffering he�d never known before. He really had no idea what he was about to
fall into.

�So, on one calm and mild summer day, he found
himself wandering Konoha. He found himself wandering and lost in his thoughts. He
found himself deep in his daydreams and inner ramblings he usually reserved for
when he was at home. He found himself off the beaten path, quiet literally;
drifting through the forest that out skirted the village. Lee just kept going.
There was nothing for him to do today, nor was he in the right state of mind at
the moment to really focus on his training.

Lee was focused on one thing and
one thing only, and that of course, was Sakura and her well being. A typhoon
could have broken out in front of him and the boy probably wouldn�t have even
noticed. So wrapped up in his thoughts and inner conflicts was he that he left
himself open and vulnerable to attack; and left himself lacking in his
detection skills.
��
Perhaps that�s how he�d passed
through the genjutsu barrier and never noticed?

Lee had been walking for a while
before ever really taking note of his surroundings. The only reason he had was
because of the trickling sound of what he thought was running water filtered
into his senses. He knew he was pretty deep, and further out than he�d ever
ventured into the forest, so perhaps it made sense there was a river around?
Yet, as he followed, the water seemed to get faster. That only meant that a
waterfall was up a head. Strange; when did he go up in elevation?

Shaking his head, Lee decided to
just keep following along, sure he�d reach his answer when he got there, and
let himself drift back into his thoughts once again. Sakura� and how his cherry
blossom had become like the flower her name represented. He could tell when she
came home with fresh bruises and cuts. She was slowly being marred, even
harsher than she�d been so before; yet to him, she will still as beautiful as
ever. Why was she doing this? That was the question of the hour that everyone
wanted to know. What was going through the kunoichi�s
head?

Lee�s pondering was cut off by the
abrupt sound of splashing, and what sounded like voices. Halting quickly, Lee
brought himself out of his trance like state. His hearing finally registered
there was indeed a waterfall nearby � not an overly large one, but big none the
less. There was also the fragrance of peach blossoms.

Wait,
didn�t those have a few months before blooming?

Lee wasn�t an expert on flowers of
plants like Ino was; though he�d remembered something
the young woman had said � something silly, but cute.

�That�s why Sakura never smells
like peaches!�

Lee felt himself grin at that.
Anything about the woman made him smile.

Moving along, Lee again heard the
splashing of the waterfall, and this time he clearly heard voices � though what
was being said was inaudible. Coming slowly into a clearing, Lee was slightly
awestruck at the beauty. The trees were gorgeous, and the waterfall lovely. How
ever did no one know of this in the village? Sure it was a hell of a walk, but
it was worth it!

After a moment of staring, Lee
looked down from the over peach he was standing on. It sloped down into a smaller
clearing were the waterfall ended up. My, but the water was crystal clear, and
looked so inviting. Maybe a swim might calm his inner turmoil. Oh yes, that
would work. Though wait, hadn�t he heard voices, or had that been his mind playing
tricks on him? Perhaps to be safe, he�d go down slow. After all, he was kind of
just dropping in.

So thus Lee made his way down the
out reach�s little path, taking his time to admire the beauty around him.
Perhaps if he could find a way to get Sakura here�

Lee stopped as his foot stepped on
something hard. Stopping and blinking in confusion, he lifted his foot to
uncover said object. Shining back at him was a Hitai-ate; one with a
red banding much like his own. Well that answered his
question as to if anyone in the village knew of this place. Though as he peered
further as his findings, the rest of the ensemble he had stepped on came into
view.
��
A jounin vest,
followed by an all too familiar green jumpsuit.

Lee visibly smiled widely, and felt a streak
of giddiness run through him. Gai-Sensei was here and
knew about this place! Yosh! However Lee�s great
happiness suddenly turned into a great pout. Gai-Sensei
was here and knew about this place� and hadn�t ever told him! What was up with
that? He was the cute student! He was ..he was Lee! Lee!

Lee was about to call out and whine, but his
eyes caught sight of another shiny object, which happen to another Hitai-ate. It too was together with another vest; but
paired the normal accustomed blue styled Jounin uniform. Hmm, that was peculiar.
That could belong to anyone of the other Jounin. Lee walked over and examined
it a little further. There seemed to be an extra piece of clothing�wait, there
was an object in the pocket.

Lee didn�t need to pull it out to see the
barest of the orange bound book peeking out. Well that little piece of evidence
just made the other person known as Kakashi-Sensei. Hmm, perhaps the two had a
challenge today. If so, did Gai-Sensei win? Maybe it
had been meditation under the waterfall-

Lee shot up and stilled. A thought crossed
his mind.

If Kakashi-Sensei was in the water�then
there was a good chance�.

His mask wasn�t on!

Lee�s eyes widened even more before his
smile widened into one of snickering joy. Oh how fun would it be to tell Naruto he�d gotten to see
Kakashi-Sensei�s face before him? Lee silently chuckled to himself. This was
going to be sweet! Lee finally had something over Naruto,
even if it was rather silly. Doing his best to remain discreet, Lee began on
his forward path yet again, this time exercising his ninja skills to their
limit in remaining hidden.

Slowly sliding around a large boulder, Lee
peered over. Things looked clear, but things aren�t always what they seem.
Peering over just a little more, trying vastly to remain hidden, Lee finally
caught sight of movement. Said movement of the water, was indeed coming from
movement of two people. Not fish.

�� Bingo.
Lee gave a toothy grin.

Feeling confident he was still hidden to the
two Jounin, the Chuunin
inched a little more around the large obstruction. Though he was still a ways
from them, he could make them out rather clearly. Noticing the silvery haired Jounin, Lee was one second away from enjoying his victory
when it was squelched the next. Lee felt his heart hitch for a moment, and
almost dropped himself from his hidden spot.

Kakashi-Sensei was administering CPR on his
companion.

At least, that�s what it looked like.

Lee�s hitched heart fell back into place
when he saw his beloved Sensei stir. He�d truly been a bit scared for a moment;
though he really shouldn�t have been, seeing as he was in good company.

Lee furrowed his brow. Gai-Sensei
seemed fine. Why was Kakashi-Sensei doing it again?

Lee wasn�t stupid by any means. Sometimes
things took a while to come into comprehension. This, however, didn�t take long
at all, as the whole picture came into view. The repetitive
gestures; the potions being held; the movements being made. Lee�s whole
body tensed and his blood chilled for a moment, and he did lose his grip,
earning him a rough landing on the rear.

Had he just seen� had he really just witnessed�.

Kakashi and Gai�having
sex?

Lee closed in on himself, moving back ever so slightly, straining to be
even quieter than previous. He needed to leave. Now.
He suddenly felt like he�d just violated something he would rather have not.
His heightened awareness now lead him to feel the touch
of the genjutsu he was in. No wonder no one knew of
this place. Though he was really only thinking of a quick and graceful retreat,
his mantra for this course of action being:

�I am going to die; they will
surely kill me!�

Lee knew his Sensei talked with youth and passion about his Eternal
Rival; he knew the man held the challenges they share in high regard, and
what�s more held the other man to the same regard himself. Lee didn�t think it
went that deep.

The poor boy was in such a state of flabbergasted shock, that he didn�t
noticed the ensemble of clothing he backed over, and effectively grazed a sharp
Kunai to his posterior.

Needless to say this did not go unvoiced. In fact, he was quite vocal
about it. The quick and almost girly like Yelp was short lived, but it served
its purpose. Instead of running; which in hindsight he was glad he�d chosen not
to do; Lee just wrapped his arms around his knees, and bowed his head to them.
At some point or another one of the Jounin would find
him; and for once, he didn�t know who�d be the worse one to find him first. So
he just sat, eyes closed, and ignoring the light pain in his cheek left by the
sharp weapon. Lee really hoped his death was quick and painless.

�Lee.�

Lee tensed, feeling a shadow fall over him. With as much courage as he
could muster, Lee lifted his head up to meet the other�s gaze. Ebony eyes met
mismatched blue and red. Lee was a bit too worked up to notice or care that the
owner of the mismatched eyes was also without his trademark mask.

�Calm down.�

Lee winced slightly and looked down, trying to relax his tense body,
and steady his breathing. It worked for a moment, before Lee began to whimper
lightly. An audible sigh from above him gave out.

�Lee, relax. You act like you�re about to be hung.�

�I AM SORRY! I DID NOT MEAN-PLEASE FORGIVE ME!�

Lee clasped his hands together and fell to the grass. Utter
embarrassment finally set in throughout him; the kind that he�d not felt since
his academy days.

�Ne? For what?� The
silvered hair Jounin�s voice seemed to have a good
humor to it.

�Forgive me, please, for my intrusion; I have violated-�

�Nothing. You don�t need to be sorry Lee.�

Lee looked up at the other man for the first time since his outburst.

�But.. I have-�

�Done nothing more that what most children end up doing a few times in
their life. Just relax Lee.�

�H-Hai�Kakashi-Sensei.�

And after a few breaths, Lee finally did. The poor boy still looked a
little distressed, but he was much calmer now. He looked to the other teacher;
noting thankfully the man sported a pair of pants. He then looked around and
frowned lightly.

�Where is Gai-Sensei?�

Kakashi sighed again, pausing a moment when he placed a hand on Lee�s
shoulder.

�Do you know how much Gai values you?�

Lee was taken aback with that question. He shook his head in his
shocked state.

�Simply put, Gai loves you Lee; like a man
would love his son.�

Lee�s heart melted inside and his face flushed up a bit.

�As such, anything you say or do will affect him, tremendously. Your
opinion of him matters, a lot. You make up a large part of his world.�

Lee, for his part, always felt these things were true; but to hear them
from another on the outside, and have them verbally confirmed � Lee was just
that much more touched. Kakashi smiled lightly as the boy�s expression seemed
to shift to a touched warmness. Thinking a moment, Kakashi tilted his head
slightly.

�Do you remember the time you, quiet loudly I recall, shouted to Sakura
that your love for her burned with the intensity of a thousand burning suns?�

Lee blushes and chuckled, nodding.

�You didn�t care who heard you, did you?�

�Of course not. I love Sakura-Chan dearly, and do not care
what anyone thinks of my actions. It is just proof I am not afraid to say what
I feel.�

�Exactly.�

Lee�s face took on a questioned expression.

�There are people who are afraid � not because of being afraid to say
it, but because of the results that could be derived from it. Ridicule is
childish and stupid, but surprisingly, Lee, people my age can be just as
superficial and shallow as most kids.�

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

�The world can be cruel, Lee; this you know. Yet even some people you
consider friends can turn on you if they found out some accept of you they
couldn�t accept.�

Lee�s eyes widened a bit.

�Do you really believe you would lose friends over your�ah�being with Gai-Sensei?�

�That and more; and it�s not just me; Gai feels that way, too. Respect is something given and can
be taken away. I know at least a good handful of people that I would lose
respect from. Tell me something, Lee��

Lee looked to the Sensei, apprehensively.

�Can you explain to me exactly how you love Sakura?�

��.No�.I�.I just do.� Lee couldn�t help but place a hand to his heart.

Kakashi smiled.

�Good. That�s my answer too.�

Lee grinned lightly at the other man.

�But there are people who think what I feel is
wrong. They either think it�s sick or a disease. Hell,
some think it�s demonic ritual, but that�s getting in
a bit deep-�

Lee cut off the other man, his look one of appalled agitation.

�That is not true! Love is for everyone, Sensei! You are not sick for
you who love or not! It is an emotion of pure form; it is the � the act of
being with someone for them and them alone. That is just� I can not believe
that��

�Well, you need to learn that quick, Lee. There are, it is true, and
even worse, there are people who are killed over it. It�s a worldwide taboo,
even still as of today. More and more people come to accept it, but there are
still a heavy number of people who look down upon it, and worse. Being that we
are a village of shinobi, and rely on the trust of
other shinobi, this is something that should be kept
to our selves right now. The last thing either of us need is an accidental
death because a kunai wasn�t seen until it was too late.�

Kakashi�s voice carried with it the sound of malice,
and an almost overtone of experience. Lee was horrified to no end. Would a
teammate really do that � go to that extent over� over another�s choice in
partners?

�Just know..!� Lee gave a cry out, perking the other ninja from his
darker thoughts.

�Just know that I am in no way anything like that, Sensei. I respect
you for who you are, and you have not lost my respect!� Lee bowed again.

Kakashi just laughed and rubbed the others hair; effectively messing it
up.

�Why don�t you go tell Gai that too. I�m sure that will make him a world of a lot better.
He�s over there, cowering behind that rock.�

�Is Gai-Sensei alright?!� Lee was shocked,
and already standing.

�He�s just a little bit horrified is all. Oh,
his expression was priceless. Hmm� it was rather funny to watch, you should
have seen it, all in to it-�

�PERVERT! Ahhh, make the
image stop!�

Kakashi doubled over in laughter as the student rambled off to find his
own Sensei.

*��
*�� *

Knocking lightly on the door, Lee pulled back to the present time and
present place. His thoughts reorganized and he pulled back into the ones he
wished to talk about with Gai-Sensei. He had come up
with so many questions, he�d had to go back through them all and only keep the
really important ones. Lee didn�t want to overload his former teacher with too
many questions. Chances were that Gai might not even
be able to answer all his ponderings, but if he could answer any of them, that
would be enough.

Frowning very lightly, Lee knocked once more. There weren�t any
missions today, and as far as Lee knew, Gai was still
in Konoha. Hadn�t TenTen
and Neji just had a spar with the older man a day or
so ago?

Thinking a moment, Lee began to go around to the backyard. There was a
lovely garden there, along with a nice cleared out training area. He would come
here from time to time and spar with Gai, and
sometimes even Kakashi. Reaching the backyard, Lee noticed it looked empty. Lee
sighed.

Gai wasn�t home it seemed. Perhaps he was out doing errands? Lee was just
a bit disappointed. Then again, he couldn�t have expected the man to know he
was coming. Thinking for a moment, Lee smirked and began to head back towards
the main part of the village. He had an idea that could perhaps help him in his
small quest for knowledge.

�I shall ask Gai-Sensei
later. For now, to the Hokage Tower!�

- x -

Coughing, stinging and sharp pains were her world right now. Oh, and
blood; a bit of it actually; that wasn�t just all hers. She was standing,
albeit how, she wasn�t sure.

�Probably pride and stubbornness.� she thought.

Her breathing was hitched and her body shook horribly. She held her
stomach with her right hand while her left arm�just dangled there. She only now
had the time to start putting it back into the socket. Did we mention there was
horrible pain? Because popping an arm back into a socket hurts like fucking
hell.

Pressing forth and moving on, Sakura made her way to the downed man.
Dropping to her knees, and grabbing his shoulders for support, the two just sat
there for a while, before their laughter brought them out of silence.

She hummed. He chuckled.

Sakura began to heal his broken leg, working slowly so she wouldn�t
exhaust herself. Looking up, she caught his dark eyes underneath his messy
black hair.

�Thank you.�

�For what, Little Flower?�

�For sparing with me again. I never really properly thanked you at all,
for what you did for me. At the time, I was being selfish and conceited. I just
wanted power, because I felt week.�

�Nonsense, there is no need to thank me. I understood what you felt,
and thus agreed to help you. Yet, I thank you. It�s nice to hear appreciation
from time to time.�

Sakura smiled and moved to his right arm, which sported a pretty nasty
gash along it.

�I am impressed with some of your newer techniques. I�ve not seen them
in use before by anyone.�

�Ah, well that is just a bit of my new secret. I promised to be
hush-hush about them. Though, you already know what I mean by that.� She
playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

For his merit, he did too, which was rather humorous for a thirty-three
year old to do.

�Alright. Let me see your back.�

Complying, the older man shifted, and Sakura unzipped the outfit down
to about the mid-lower of his back, just above where he wore his Hitai-ate. Pushing it out, she took in the large number of bruises
and gouges, and began to work on them quietly. There were also a few spinal
plates dislocated, so she would make sure to fix them as well.

�Are you doing alright?�

�I�m ok.�

�I�ve heard you�ve pulled yourself away from everyone, little by
little. If that is true, I feel rather honored you sought me out.�

�I needed help��

He knew there was a little more to what she wanted to say, but he
didn�t prod her.

Sakura finished her work, and sat there, staring at the man�s back,
taking in a few contour lines; lines of age, hard work, and power. Leaning in,
she rested her head against him, and encircled her arms around his waist. They
remained that way for a while, sitting under the moon, quietly.

�I�m so tired, but I can�t stop. Not yet.�

�Then rest.�

�I can�t. If I do, I�ll fall further. I can�t keep getting hurt.�

�Yet you are doing it to yourself, even now.�

Sakura sighed; her breath a warm caress on the others back against the
light crisp chill of the evening. She shifted just a little closer, and
tightened her arms just a little more.

�I know.�

Another moment of silence passed.

�I can�t ever get it right.�

The man grinned, though Sakura couldn�t see it.

�Hardly anyone can get it right the first time. Even still, some go
through many times. You are young; do not count yourself out just yet.�

�I know.�

Another sigh. Another moment of passing
silence.

�If things were different...� Sakura started, but stopped. She gazed
out across the former battle field. Her eyes winced a little.

�Why�d you have to go and get married?�

�Sakura-Chan-�

�Gai-San.�

Her stern voice cut him off.

�What�s more is you go off and marry Kakashi-Sensei of all people.�

Gai was slightly shocked at this.

�How did you know?�

�Contrary to popular belief, I�m rather intelligent. I figured it out
on my own, after the few times visiting with Kakashi-Sensei and from watching
you two.�

�Watching us, hm?� There was a light humor in
that.

�Not like that�don�t be a pervert. Your other half is enough.�

�� Gai gave
into a small chuckle. Sakura smiled lightly. Again, that same silence found
them, and passed by as Gai spoke up.

�� Perhaps if things were different�as
I were not in love or involved; if you were not already in someone else�s heart.
You are a most wondrous woman; you don�t give yourself enough credit for that.�

�� Sakura laughed softly. She didn�t
feel wondrous; in fact she felt rather low of herself.

�� I�m messed up. What�s wondrous of
that?�

�� What you feel for someone does not
make you �messed up�, nor as you may think a bad person. You can not help how
your heart plays you. What makes those things wrong is taking the actions
against the wishes of the other party.�

�� How can Kakashi-San put up with
your wisdom? You must be a pain in his ass.�

�� Oh, but I am.�

�� Sakura hit her forehead against Gai�s back.

�� Stop it, you lecher.�

�� Oh, that hurts, Little Flower.�

�� Ah, see, that proves it. Your cute
little pet name is bait to pull me in.�

�� You are woman that doesn�t need
bait; and you jest, that is merely a term of endearment.�

�� Gai wrap
his hands around Sakura�s own and twisted in his seat, pulling them both up to
a standing position. They shared a laugh for a moment. A cooling breeze
reminded Gai to zip his jumpsuit up. In doing so, he
was enveloped in a gentle, yet strong embrace. He looked down at the face
staring up at him only a few inches away. He could break her hold, but it would
take more force than he had at the moment; and even then it would take a bit of
time.

�� The woman had grown incredibly
strong.

�� I could be a bad person�I�ve
already fallen; what�s a few more feet?�

�� Gai would
have responded if he could have; but the look in her eyes had stopped him from
speaking. It was so far away, yet right there. She was a little girl reaching
out for help, but blind to see where to reach. It hurt him to see her this way;
and if it hurt him as deeply as he felt now, he could not image the depth of
hurt a choice few others were feeling right now.

�� I could�but�if I did, then I�d only
be hurting myself. I would be a bad person, and I�d lose you too. Lose this.
I�ve lost enough already.�

�� Sakura lowered her face, and leaned
in against the other Jounin. She dropped her arms,
freeing his, but didn�t move from her spot. Gai
returned her previous embrace, placing a gentle kiss on top of her hair.

�� Some things when lost can be found
again. You can�t ever give up looking. Search for it, for as long as you must,
and throw yourself into it as hard as you can. Don�t ever give up; it�s the
worse thing you can do, Sakura.�

�� If I fall again, will you be there
to pick me up?�

�� Yes, though I doubt it�ll be just
me. Others will be there as well.�

�� Sakura smiled, but it was touched
with sadness.

�� I�m exhausted. I should get some
rest.�

�� Yes, you should; though I should as
well.�

�� Another moment of silence, yet short
lived as Sakura tighten her embrace.

�� Thank you�for everything.�

�� I�m always here, but I�m not the
only one. You know this.�

�� I know�but�thank you.�

�� Sakura let go, and stepped back a
few feet. She looked up and met the other�s gaze. Sakura smiled brightly, her
face almost glowing; it was something that was so rare to see these days that Gai was taken aback just a moment.

�� Give Kakashi-San my regards.
Goodnight�Gai-San.�

�� With that, her image faded; traces
of smoke and a gentle swirl of cherry blossom petals the only indication she�d
once been there.

�� Gai smiled
sadly, nodding to the space that once was occupied by the woman. That image was
still looming in his mind; almost a haunting one; so bright and alive, yet so
full of pain. It had been an expression of pure truth, for she meant it to been
seen in a fleeting glance.

�� Goodnight, Sakura-Chan.�

�� He had not missed her tears.

- x Chapter 9 -

A/N: Wow. Once again I took a while to update. However this chapter took some
thought and planning. This chapter was a �hurtle�, because I just threw some
pretty surprising things at you. One was working in the flashbacks, in a way
that they would flow with the story, and not be spontaneous. Two was
strategizing how to organize what events went where, and three was� well, that
out of left field SakuGai correlation. Hehe, or is it so out of left field? Sorry if their convo is cryptic, but things will play along. Hope you
enjoyed this 19 paged chapter! This is by far the longest thing I�ve written.
:D

Also, hope the new
boost of maturity didn�t scare anyone. In life, not all stories you
read/hear/tell can be happy go lucky and pretty. Some are down right hard core.
However, some things can be done tastefully. You�ll get some of all that in
later chapters to come.
- 8
- 9
- 10
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When Flowers Wilt