Notes: Written in present tense, because it sounded better that way.

And no, I don't think Sakura and Lee's relationship would be perfect. I don't think they would get along and never have any arguments. And I certainly don't think that certain neurosis on either of their parts would just up and vanish when they were together at last. So this section kinda sorta hints at some of the difficulties that they might have to face someday.

Of A Tuesday

Lee loves Tuesdays. They are, in his opinion, one of the best days of the week.

He spins, letting his body weight shift with the movement, throwing his leg out and feeling the satisfied thwack! of flesh on flesh as he hits his target. The force of the blow (right between the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae! Gai-sensei, this style is awesome!) is mighty enough to knock his opponent several feet away. He sails headfirst into the trees, but Lee knows better than to waste energy worrying that he's hurt him.

On Tuesdays, Lee knows that he is strong.

Sure enough, his opponent is back in mere seconds, dropping silently down from a completely different direction than the one in which he vanished. Lee feels more than sees the attack, and ducks so fast that he nearly gets a blood rush to his head from the sudden movement. But his body has, over time, become good at compensating for his speed. His blood flows just fast enough to feed the enormous demand of his super-charged muscles, but not too fast to overstrain his heart. His brain has already shut down any function not one-hundred percent necessary for survival, and poured all that free energy into what was. Like, for example, throwing himself back and away from the lethal fist flying a hair-s width from his left ear. He didn't see it coming but he doesn't really need to, in a flash he's moved three feet to the left and about ten feet up, twisting in air until he's practically upside down.

On Tuesdays, Lee knows he is fast.

"Excellent!" his opponent bellows up at him, teeth shining in the early-morning sun like white beacons of spirited energy. "I see you have been working on the Darting Sparrow techniques, my vigorous young friend!"

Lee opens his mouth to call back, and throws his weight into a sudden spin to the right. His angle is not quite steep enough, however, and he finds himself in a powerful chokehold as the booming voice laughs into his ear, "But there is always room for perfection!"

Lee can feel the air slowly shutting off to his body, and his first instinct is to twist and throw his shoulder into his opponent's back, to loosen the hold and maybe pull his head free. He tenses his muscles to do just that, but at the last second, lashes back and up with his flexible legs. His opponent, who had of course felt the muscle tension and read it correctly, is completely surprised to find a bony heel smashing into the back of his skull instead. With a shout, he falls forward, arms loosing just enough for Lee to break free. And now Lee twists, just enough to bring his arm up and around and slam a fist into his opponent's back.

Or almost.

He misses – misses! – and his opponent is already half way across the field and leaning casually against the training post as if he's been there for ages. Shock aside, Lee lands gracefully next to him, and bows. "Gai-sensei!" He accuses, standing up straight again immediately. "You were holding back! That last dodge was far faster than any before."

"Nonsense!" his mentor and friend laughs heartily, clapping Lee on the back so hard that he almost thinks it's another attack. "I used the last of my energy to get away from a blow that otherwise would have shattered several valuable bones!" He laughs again, as if nothing delighted him more than the prospect of crippling injuries at the hands of his favorite former pupil.

"So, Lee, how do you like the Darting Sparrow techniques? You have, of course, mastered them supremely since last month!"

"Excellent, Gai-sensei," Lee responds, meaning it. "I find the challenge of changing the direction of one's momentum in mid-air interesting, as well as useful."

He smiles brightly back at his teacher, elated that he's making such good progress with this new skill in so short a time. The first few days he tried it, he'd nearly broken his own back trying some of the more complicated twists. But he's got the secret now, he's figured out that if he pulls this muscle just so and at the same time that muscle just a bit…well, it's not all that tough, and amazingly useful, indeed.

He can't wait to try it in a spar with Neiji. His great rival has for years been able to accurately read and react to Lee's trajectories and paths of motion based on his knowledge of simply physics – if Lee jumps up, he will go up until gravity brings his weight back down. But if Lee can go up and then, say, left…

He can't wait to try it with Neiji.

Lee takes a deep breath. "Gai-sensei, I still need to work on that last move, however. You moved out of my range far too easily."

Gai-sensei smashes him on the back again, and laughs with delight as he accurately reads the expression on Lee's face. "Well, we shall simply have to try again, my lively friend! Ah, the boundless energy of youth!"

"Actually, Gai-sensei, before you try to kill him again, may I borrow him for a minute?"

Lee whirls around at the new voice, face already breaking into a huge grin. He was so focused on replaying that last move, he hadn't even felt her come up. Of course, by the momentary startled look on Gai-sensei's face, he hadn't either, which meant she had come up quietly on purpose. He thinks briefly that he'll ask her about that later, but for the moment he's too happy to see her to care.

"Ah, good morning, Sakura! It's is, naturally, wonderful to see your bright and youthful face on such a lovely morning!" Gai-sensei waves a hand at Lee. "Of course, please don't let me stop you from professing your great and undying love! Young love is the greatest of inspirations, the mightiest of motivations, the – "

He goes on for awhile, but Lee has stopped listening for the moment (and only feeling a tiny little bit guilty about it, because he has never ignored a word his teacher has said, but somehow, her smile seems just a little bit more important right now). He's already across the training area and standing before her, grinning and holding out one bandaged hand.

Sakura grins back, although he can see that she's exhausted. She takes his hand, and he notes with some surprise that her skin is chilled, and just a little bit damp. Instantly, he feels concern bubble up in his chest. "Sakura? Are you alright?"

She nods, waving her other hand dismissively. "Fine, fine, just a little tired. And wet." She makes a face at the last word, but it's an ironic, joking sort of face, and he relaxes. "Sorry to drag you away from training," she says, glancing over his shoulder at where Gai-sensei, realizing at last that his audience has deserted him (or perhaps not – it's conceivable that he simply ran out of poetic things to say for the moment) and is doing a rigorous set of one handed pushups.

"I'm glad you came," he tells her, as sincerely as he can. "I wish you would come more."

She winks, "Ah, but what would Gai-sensei think, if I showed up all the time and usurped his training regime with you?"

"Oh, he'd love your enthusiasm!" Lee responds automatically. "In fact, I'm certain he would be honored and delighted to have you join us!" He starts to say more, but she puts a finger on his lips, her face a picture of laughter and alarm.

"Don't even think about putting a thought like that into his head, Rock Lee! I've got a limited supply of pain-tolerance, and right now, Tsunade-sensei's got claim to most of it." She lets her fingertip linger a moment longer, even though they both know he's not about to talk while it's there. Then she sighs and drops her arms. "Besides," she mutters, "I love you and all, but there are only so many exclamation points one can stand to hear in a single sentence before one's brain collapses."

He says nothing, still so happy she's there, but a little bit of his joy dims at that comment. Lee knows, better than anyone ever seems to think, that Gai-sensei's particular brand of enthusiasm and energy is…well, difficult for most people. Different. And he knows that Sakura once put a lot of energy into being exactly what isn't different, or difficult for most people. She still does, he thinks.

It doesn't make him love her any less, but sometimes, deep down, it worries him a little.

"Well, anyway, I just wanted to let you know," she looks up at him through pale pink eyelashes for a moment, and then her sly little smile vanishes into a big, radiant grin. "I did it! It took me all night, but I did it."

Instantly he understands. Tsunade-sama had given her a particularly unusual set of weights to wear, and he knew she had been worried about her ability to perform the task set her with those weights. So worried that she had been almost incapable of sleep the night before, and hadn't even come over last night as usual. Now he knew why. She'd trained all night!

And, if her damp skin was any indication, she'd come straight to him.

To him.

Instantly, he's as happy as he's ever been. He sweeps her up into his arms and spins her around, thrilled for her. "Congratulations, Sakura! I knew you could do it! You're amazing!"

Sakura allows him to spin her for a moment, hugging his neck and laughing. Then she struggles out of his arms, pushing his gently back. "Okay, I'll let you do your thing now. Besides, I really need a shower and a nap. Like crazy."

He lets her move back and away despite the urge to pull her in. He knows she likes to be kissed, likes to be touched. But not in public, he's finding. Probably shy or something, he figures, and though he wants to touch her, kiss her with everything he's got, he doesn't.

"I'll see you later." She winks at him, waves goodbye to Gai-sensei over his shoulder, and walks back into the trees towards Konoha.

Lee watches her go for a minute, and then turns back to his mentor, still smiling. Gai-sensei winks at him, and breaks his nose.

Lee grins shamefaced through the stream of blood now running down his face, and puts his guard back up instantly. "Good work, my dynamic opponent!" Gai-sensei calls approvingly from a few feet away, out of range of Lee's retaliatory kicks. "Marvelous recovery!" Lee grins, swipes at his face, and launches himself out into the field again, muscles singing as he hurls himself at the man he's always seen as a surrogate father.

Yes, Tuesday is the very best of days, he thinks.

On Tuesdays, Lee knows he is loved.

******

A/N: And this is it. I ran out of inspiration here. But hey, these were fun to bang out on a Friday afternoon, and in the end that's more or less the point of fanfiction. It's good writing practice and it's something fun to do. So. Hope you liked it.