Marry Me!

Lee had planned it perfectly. A nice walk into town, getting some sweets, and then walking by the riverside, where he would do an ultra fast dynamic change of clothes to surprise her, and then he'd leap out and present the ring. However, it was more complicated than he expected.

"Why?!" He gulped hard in his chest as they stood quietly next to each other on the riverside where he first had seen her. "Why is this so hard?!?!" His palms were sweaty, his face beat red, he could hardly think, he felt dizzy.

He had been with her for 6 years now. 6 very long years of a beautiful friendship turned romantically sweet. They had fights every once in a while. Why she stayed, he could never guess except out of the curiosity of his heart whenever he questioned her, she would simply answer, "Because I love you."

How sweet she was for him! A refreshing answer to his loneliness when she came! Dazzling, incredible, forever in his heart of hearts. Lee always thought he had known love, but not until she came along. But with that, came huge fear for him. Was she really the one? The first one he had ever had a relationship with-was it going to be his first and only? That only happens in the Icha Icha paradise novels he had joked, time and time again to himself.

In the clear dusk sky, some birds chirped and caught his attention once more. Arekusu had said not a word as they stood there. It was like a normal day, just like any other whenever they had time off of missions. They'd usually take a walk into town, grab a bite to eat, maybe do some training or household chores. Pretty relaxed, but always close to Lee's heart. In the heat of the moments when battles are raging and missions are always on the horizon, it was nice to sit around and do nothing with her.

Gai sensei had always jeered at Lee, poked fun with him ever since he had turned 18 two years previous. "When are you going to just get married to her, Lee?!" Lee would look down at his feet. "Whenever I am strong enough for her!!" He would reply back, with fiery passion. Gai sensei would nod his head in agreement and pat his back. But now...today...that evening...that moment...all Lee could think about was...was he really strong enough?

What had prompted him to pop the question that day, that month, that season, that year? He couldn't answer himself. The wind picked up, and he stared at her hair blowing softly in the wind. She had a slight smile on her face.

"Memories."

"H-Huh!?" Lee snapped out of it.

"This place brings back a lot of memories, right, Lee-kun?" She smiled back at him. Lee couldn't forget the time he found her washed up that one morning. It was cruel and painful what had led her to him, but he was thankful for it. Who could have known that 6 years later, he would be with her still.

"uhh...yes...many memories.." Lee stuttered. Kusu folded her arms in towards herself. "It's spring weather too." She said softly. "It kind of reminds me of the day we met. The weather wasn't this warm though."

Casual small talk was all it was. But inside his mind, Lee was all over the place. How would he ask? How could he ask?! Her eyes practically melted his demeanor and made him go into a hot flash. It was so difficult!

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Gai sensei running towards the two of them, with hot-blooded eyes more fiery than usual!

"KUZZUUUU!!!! LEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" He yelled tremendously, snot dripping down his nose, crying happy tears. Kusu was embraced tightly out of nowhere by her sensei, and she was at loss for words.

"Ga-Gai sensei!" She exclaimed. "Wh-what's going on??" He stood back and shook her hand vigorously and then shook lee's hands just as hard. "OHH CONGRATULATIONS YOU TWO!! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU BOTH!!"

Arekusu's face full of bewilderment, she tilted her head slightly and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "ehhhhh.....?"

Lee began to sweat out of terror! "G-Gai-sensei!!" He grabbed his sensei as fast as he could before more beans would spill out. "E-e-e-e-excuse us, kusu-chan! I need to talk to him privately for a second!"

"Gai-sensei, What are you doing here?!" Lee whispered to his teacher behind the bushes. Gai giggled.

"No need to hide it from me, boy!" He exclaimed. "I heard through the grapevine that you were going to propose to her this week!"

"Ehh?!?! W-Who told you tha..." Lee paused. "Nevermind!" He gripped the ring in his pocket.

"So, how has it been for the two of you?! create any wedding plans yet?"

"Gai-sensei..." Lee looked down sullenly. "Y-you see..I haven't actually...asked her yet..."

"WHAAAT?!??!" Gai sensei yelled, loud enough for kusu to jump.

"HOW?! WHY?!? DID YOU GET COLD FEET?!?"

Lee frantically pushed his hands over Gai's mouth as Arekusu approached the two of them.

"Is every thing okay?" she asked worriedly. Lee nodded his head rapidly.

"Everything is fine, kusu-chan! Ga-Gai Sensei and I are just t-talking about...uhh...We were just discussing the weather!"

Arekusu obviously knew it was a lie. She had been with him so long that it was easy for her to tell. But her curiosity didn't pike much. She simply smiled back at him. "Well..okay then. Whatever it was, It was a private matter so I'll leave you two to it. But uhm...Lee-kun, can we get going home soon? I want to relax a bit after walking all day."

"Of course!!!" He laughed nervously. As she walked over to the river to stare into the water, Lee released Gai sensei.

"Gai Sensei..It is just so hard! She is too beautiful for me to even speak!" He said woefully to him.

Gai sensei then proceeded to punch him in the face, as was his old custom.

Lee, getting up from the ground, looked back at Gai who had a very serious look on his face now.

"Lee-You are a man. A woman's beauty is something that can be a great enemy to youthful men as ourselves. But if she is the one you desire, you must let her know with all of your life!"

He walked over to Lee and helped him up.

"I have watched the two of you mature as children and become young adults. You are not even in adolescense anymore! It's time to act like a man and ask her for her hand!"

Lee stared intensly back at his sensei. He was at a loss for words.

"You've always been like a son to me. And It would be an honor for me to be around when you have your wedding. The life of a ninja is unpredictable. Like the swirling wind."

Gai put his hand on lee's shoulder and looked over at Arekusu who was sitting by the riverbed, drawing things in the sand with a stick.

"Lee-I can't help you with this. You need to do it on your own."

Lee clenched his fists tightly, and looked up with a newfound confidence.

"Thank you Gai-sensei." Gai smiled, winked, gave the nice guy pose, and then said his goodbyes to the both of them. Lee was then again left with Kusu, but her patience was already thinning. She just wanted to go home and relax with him for a bit. Lee's plans had been ruined, but he knew that after that talk from Gai sensei, tonight had to be the night.

They walked home in silence and when they arrived, Kusu heated up some left overs, not wanting to cook much. Lee couldn't help but feel the moment was less than romantic. But she had this strange aura around her that was different than usual. Maybe it was because it was the day he had to ask her to marry him.

After eating, they slowly migrated over to the couch in the living room and sat next to each other very closely. The sun had fully gone down by now, and they were relaxing together for a bit. Besides a little small talk here and there, there was nothing real special or romantic about that evening. Lee was beginning to panic inside, but he knew that the time would present itself in some weird way.

"Wow!" Kusu exclaimed out of the blue. Looking out the window, she stared at the beautiful full moon. "It's so beautiful out tonight!" Lee took the chance and ran with it.

"Kusu-chan...let us go into the back yard and count the stars!" He cleverly said with enthusiasm. Arekusu smiled brightly, and walked out to the backyard patio with him. The light from the moon eminating their faces was so bright that There was no need to turn on any lights. The light breeze was hitting their faces.

"Ohh...It's kind of romantic, Lee-kun!" She said slowly, leaning up against him. Lee shivered as he felt her grip around his arm. Funny. For some reason it felt like they were first dating. He wasn't used to her usual touch on that night. He blushed like a mad man, but Gai's words echoed in his mind. "Be a man!" He thought.

Just then, she was about to kiss him, but Lee quickly interrupted her.
"Th...there's something I need to do real quick!" he said. "E-excuse me for a second, okay?! I'll be right back!"

She was kind of disappointed, but agreed to wait for him. Lee ran quickly into the house and into his room. He grabbed his nicest suit and put it on as fast as lightning. He was shaking, trembling tremendously as he got the ring ready in its box. He tried combing his hair but that was taking too long. He patted his pants and straightened them out, and lastly put on some cologne. Meanwhile, The breeze had picked up, and Arekusu was starting to get cold. She was just about to go inside when suddenly, he ran out into the backyard.

"Oh!" She blinked at him in his fancy suit. "Wow Lee-kun. You look rather dashing! Are we pretending to be at a ballroom dance under the moonlight tonight?" She giggled. Shaking like a leaf, he said not a word. He gulped, swallowing his heart down back into his chest. He slowly approached her, his quiet presence putting her at unease.

"What's wrong, Lee-kun?" She asked slightly apprehensively. "You're being so quiet..." He held her hands, and stared into her eyes. He then slowly leaned in and kissed her deeply, taking her by surprise. She was then at a loss for words, and just stared at his face in the moonlight for a second. Finally, Lee mustered up all of his courage, and slowly descended to the ground. On his heels, then on one foot, and then on one knee, he bent down...And looked back up at her. Her face-wide-eyed and glistening, The moment seemed to be swirling all around them. Finally, he lifted up the box in his pocket, and opened it up slowly, his face glowing red. Sweating like a pig, he stared intensly at her eyes which, if possible, grew even wider the moment she saw that ring.

"K-KusUUU-chan.." His voice cracked.

Silence once more as he lowered his head down. He gulped again, and with a shaking voice,

"Will....will you ....?"

"Will you...marry me?"

Silence as the wind blew by. He winced at her, but her reaction stayed the same. She was awe-struck. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, her cheeks swelled with a red color, and tears wetted her eyes as she slowly raised her hands to cover her face. Lee held the ring there in the same position and stared at her, holding his breath. Finally, she broke out into weeping...Silent weeping. He stood up as best as he could, his legs still wobbly. Finally, Arekusu looked him in the eye, and without any words, for she was crying too much to speak, she slowly nodded her head. Lee's tears began to pour out of his eyes as she slowly embraced him, crying into his chest. He clutched her body tightly against him, and he smelled her hair and cried along with her under the moon. The two got goosebumps in the cold breeze as they cried in complete silence.

The shock eventually wore off, and he placed the ring on her finger-a perfect fit. With puffy eyes, she finally said, "It's beautiful..." He giggled and then hugged her once more under the moonlight.

"I love you, Kusu-chan..." He said softly.

"I love you too, Lee-kun.." She near whispered.

The wind came to a stop, and the two shared a passionate kiss under the moon and stars on that one spring evening. Love had finally boiled over as the two prepared to embark on the next stage of their lives.



Hai hai...;///^///; I finally worked out the details about it...;v; I've always deep down wanted to draw this moment for many many years but I never thought of a way clever enough or what not. I guess now is the time. I kind of tend to think in my head that their age progression is very similar to mine. Since They're ninjas, they probably get married younger than we do around here...Because-hello-Ninjas might not live very long! lol so I'm certain they have families and things as soon as possible..ANYWAY!

Kusu and Lee probably get engaged around this time, shortly after Kusu's 20th or 21st birthday. So now that I am that age in reality, and because kusu was always kind of an extension of myself >///>; ehe....She's engaged at this time of her life! ^_^ andwell,I'mnotbutwedon'tneedtoworryaboutthathaahah!

So. This year the happy couple becomes officially something more. I dunno if anyone cares for that matter..but..... I mean. I've waited almost my whole lee infatuation to draw this season...and now the age is appropriate. *sniffs and inhales the season of youth!!* I really love Lee's expression on this one...;v; I'm sure if this were canon, that's a similar reaction he'd have

Tanoshimi kudasai~


Lee(c)masashi kishimoto