Spoilers for manga 182-3. Naruto = not mine.
random Rock Lee and Sakura blather after teh baka-retrieval technicians head out.






watching them run
some things are melting now


He didn't move for a few moments, just stood beside her and watched them fade into the forest, blue and white and bright, bright orange all fading into shadow and the forbidden green of near-distant pines and oaks. Something thick and heavy and almost tangibly solid slid down his throat and settled cold in the pit of his stomach.

It was late summer. The weather was nice; there was a warm breeze and big fluffy clouds passing across the cheerful sun and neither of them could stop shaking. They were being left behind.

For a moment, Lee felt frustration so overwhelming it brought tears to his eyes -- quickly, he fought them back, lest he be caught in his own struggle. Shed tears in front of her and it's 4000 vertical push-ups, Lee. Shed tears in her presence and you will surely die. Think of what she's going through right now. You still have your team, Lee, and Sasuke-kun is gone . . . why?

Right now, there are other things to focus on. Neji, the stupid bastard, is right.

Lee turned his head to look at Sakura, hesitating as he realized that she was still crying, huddled into herself with slim arms crossed, one fist pressed to her mouth.

For once, he was unsure of what to say to her.

Part of him wanted to tell her it was okay to cry.

Some other part of him, the part he liked to pretend didn't exist, understood that it would never be okay again.

"Ne, Sakura," he said finally. It felt wrong to break the silence, somehow, and he winced.

Sakura looked at Lee, green eyes brilliant and shining and unfocused and he could tell she was looking through him and gazing into the face of some unseen pain that he couldn't fight in her name. She looked absolutely lost, not a geinin or even a shinobi but a little pink girl alone against the backdrop of field and forest, small shoulders shaking violently with the force of emotion. But Sakura wasn't crying anymore. She was trying to fight the sadness, Lee could see it in the way her mouth was set in a thin line, the way her brows knit together quickly before smoothing out again.

To him, Sakura looked so much like a tragedy, her expressions and gestures the story of a cracked doll once loved dearly, put aside and forgotten in pursuit of greater things. He thought her fights were always the hardest to win -- harder than Neji's, or Naruto's, or Sasuke's, or his own -- how indeed, he wondered, did you fight things like this that are always so deep inside you? He wondered if she would manage to win this one, or if this time the sadness would eat her up.

Hesitantly, he reached out and drew her into an awkward half-embrace and she didn't fight him, didn't hardly move at all, just stared out into the forest that kept taking them away from her. And he hugged her because he couldn't do anything else. Because this wasn't his battle and she felt small and too fragile, like she would break beneath the weight of his arm and his concern.

"Don't worry." The words came softly from his lips, and she trembled against him. "Naruto-kun promised. He'll bring him back if it means his life."

She started, a shudder passing through her tiny body -- slowly, her eyes closed and for a moment he thought she might cry again.

She didn't.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said.

-fin.
11.11.03

-_-;; It seemed like cool idea in the beginning. Then it just sorta . . . petered out. Damn.

Amount of suck is most likely in direct correlation with the fact that I've neglected sleep for the last 2 days, save for a short nap yesterday afternoon. Will be going to rectify that in a few moments.

I really love Rock Lee. He's this wonky-looking bastard, the kind that look /so/ out of place in their anime that they've got to be there for the simple job of comic relief. But instead of being an incoherent hooligan, he turns out to be this badass little mofo that pwnz j00.

And everybody already knows I love Sakura. She turned out a little whinier than I'd originally intended, but considering the situation it's not a far stretch. *likes her badass little Sakura better* And it's more Rock's perspective, anyway, so nyah.

Here's to better fic next time -- there is a potentially promising-looking fic with Kakashi and Naruto set directly after the wave country arc, and an angst buffet featuring Naruto and Shikamaru with thoughts centered on the latest bit with Chouji. *sniffles* Um.