GR's note: Another little plot bunny that's been bouncing around my head driving me insane. Same as Whatever It Takes, this will not be detracting from Maybe Forever. I will be continuing all three as I work on them, and Maybe Forever is my baby, my biggest project, so it gets the most time devoted to it.Reviews are like candy and cookies! I love them in pretty much any flavor, and lots of them too! Don't forget to review! Hugs!

1 – Invitation

Honored Guest,

You are cordially invited to spend a week at the Red Firefly hot springs resort prior to the Grand Opening Ceremony April 1st. Your stay will be all expenses paid and you are encouraged to bring somebody to enjoy your stay with. We hope you enjoy our facilities and will visit us again!

"Why are you inviting me? The first time we have a real conversation in almost a year, and you're inviting me to stay at a resort with you?" The invitation held in the woman's hand almost seemed to crumple under the power of her stare before she laid it out on the desk between her and her visitor, ignoring the urge to crush the paper into a ball and toss it in the wastebasket. Sitting back in the uncomfortable desk chair, she crossed her arms over her chest, regarding the silver-haired and seemingly relaxed man before her and noting that he still didn't look any older than he had seven years ago, when she was twelve. She attributed that to the mask that he never seemed to remove, which covered the bottom half of his face, and the perpetually lazy slouched stance he constantly adopted, both of which contributed to his indeterminate-seeming age. His lone uncovered eye crinkled in what she knew to be a smile, even though she couldn't see three quarters of his face. Nearly five years of being his subordinate lent her the experience she needed to deal with the enigmatic man, knowing the difference between his myriad identical expressions being one of her her more useful skills.

"You spend too much time cooped up in this hospital and the vacation might serve you well. Consider it a reunion, if you will. Naruto's inviting Sasuke." Her heart jumped. She hadn't spent any time with her former teammates, her boys, since she had taken the full-time position at the hospital, and her mentor had been working her practically ragged with extra shifts for almost the entire last year. Maybe the vacation would do her good, most certainly the company would.

"This is the resort the Icha Icha pervert was aspiring to open, isn't it?" Her shrewd eyes detected the minute changes in his body language that indicated guilt. Of course this was that perverted sage's hot spring, how would her two perviest friends have received such exclusive invitations otherwise?

"Yes." He hadn't needed to answer, but better to be up front with a woman who could pound you into hamburger meat with one petite fist than to be accused of withholding information from her. She flicked a strand of her strangely colored hair out of veridian eyes, suppressing a soft sigh.

"I'll see if I can get the time off, but don't get your hopes up. Shishou wasn't even planning on giving me my birthday off, but the entire week? That's stretching things a bit. Besides, wouldn't we have to be leaving tomorrow? Talk about short notice. You really aren't one to make things easy on me, are you?" she took a look at the clock on the wall, then down to the desk at the stack of medical charts she had to finish updating. Technically, her shift had ended over an hour ago, but of course she had been asked to stay and do some extra work. Being the hokage's apprentice certainly had more downsides than perks, even if some of those perks were really nice.

"We'll be having an early start tomorrow. Meet at the gates at seven so that we don't miss the morning ferry. Ja ne, Sakura-chan." She sighed again and leaned her elbows on the desk as he disappeared in a cloud of smoky wisps. The prospect of being the target of a voyeuristic old lech, if not two including his student, wasn't the most enticing, especially since she was sure that the springs would not have a divider or barrier of any kind separating the men's side from the women's. The guilt she felt at basically abandoning her boys in favor of her shishou's increasingly demanding tutelage made her want to at least try to get the time off though, just for them. Who knows, maybe she'd get lucky and have the opportunity to spend her birthday getting pampered for once rather than working or trying to convince her once-rival that she did not want to spend her night off clubbing or bar-hopping. Her thoughts were interrupted as her office door opened and in popped a short, redheaded preteen girl, her brown eyes fixed on the floor as she nervously addressed her superior.

"H-Haruno-sempai? The hokage wishes to see you, if you're finished for the day." Sakura nodded slightly, an empathetic smile on her face. She remembered how difficult it was to be the new girl, after all.

"If you don't mind bringing these files to Suzuki-kun to update, I'll go see her now, okay, Satou-chan?" The redhead blushed at being remembered on sight by her sempai and nodded softly, advancing into the office to take the pile of paperwork that Sakura offered to her.

"T-hank you, H-Haruno-sempai. Tsunade-sama isn't in a very g-good mood and I d-don't want to go back up there now." Sakura nodded as she got up and walked around the desk, patting the younger girl on the shoulder as they left the room together.

"I understand. Now scoot, Suzuki-kun will need those files. Good night." The redhead nodded shyly and took off down the hall in the opposite direction Sakura was headed. Tsunade would be in her office at hokage tower at this time of day, either drinking or trying her hardest to find the sake bottles her older protege Shizune had a talent for hiding from her. That she was in a bad mood said plainly that she had already started drinking or had fallen asleep at her desk again and had a hangover now. Either way, Sakura wasn't relishing the thought of speaking with the volatile blond woman, particularly not with a favor in mind to ask of her. It only took about ten minutes to reach the hokage's office by taking the short route and as she stood before the door, her hand raised to knock quietly, she hesitated and instead walked right in.

"You asked for me, Tsunade-shishou?" The blond woman fixed her hooded hazelnut-colored gaze with the pink-haired woman's own and beckoned her into the office. Entering, she softly shut the door behind her and approached the desk as her mentor leaned forward onto it, arms crossed over her chest. The older woman scrutinized the younger one while she carefully considered her words.

"You're a hard worker, Sakura, and an exceptionally bright young woman, both qualities which I respect and admire in you. As of late, however, I've been told that I'm pushing you too hard, expecting too much of you. I'd like to know what you think, Sakura." The blond watched carefully as Sakura fidgeted slightly. The pink-haired woman knew that she might be treading on thin ice and her answer might determine whether or not she was dismissed from her post, forget possibly putting her apprenticeship on the line.

"Of course not, Shishou. I'm honored that you think so highly of me and I wouldn't have things any other way." The blond sighed and Sakura frowned, slightly confused.

"He's right, you are too much of a kiss-ass to ask for time off, even when faced with a once in a lifetime opportunity." Sakura's mouth fell open, still not understanding.

"Shishou?" The older woman rubbed her temples, eyes tightly shut.

"You're suspended from your hospital duties until you get back. With pay, of course. Have fun and happy birthday. Now shoo, I'm hungover and I have a headache." The pink-haired woman was very nearly paralyzed in shock and it was several minutes before she was able to find her voice again.

"Pardon me asking, but does Kakashi-sensei have anything to do with this decision?" Tsunade narrowed her hazel eyes, once again regarding her apprentice with a certain scrutiny.

"No. The brat was in here bugging me to give you time off until I threatened to shut down the ramen stand just to get rid of him. Now go, before I change my mind, Sakura." Nodding, she quickly left to let her mentor nurse her hangover, blushing brightly. Even though she hadn't been able to spend much time with them, her boys still cared. Even Sasuke did, although he wouldn't ever openly admit it. His idea of kindness would be breaking her arm to keep her from her work and helpfully suggesting that she accompany the rest of them for a therapeutic getaway while she was unable to treat her patients anyway. The thought was there, but his methods were far from direct when it came down to showing it.

"So, we'll be seeing you in the morning then?" Sakura narrowed her eyes at the silver-haired man who had apparently been waiting for her to exit the tower.

"You knew that Naruto had already bugged Tsunade to give me a vacation, didn't you?" He barely inclined his head in affirmation. She sighed softly, crossing her arms over her undone medic vest.

"What would you have done if she had said no, huh? What if she hadn't sent me on vacation, what then?" She was met with his trademark eye crinkle as he replied with a amused note in his voice.

"I would have kidnapped you, of course." Her jaw dropped as he saluted and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving her to wonder if maybe she really did need this vacation as much as he said she did.

"Ino-chan, do you think I work too hard?" The slight slur to Sakura's voice as she leaned on the bar and swirled a straw around the acid-green drink in front of her said clearly that she had probably already been out too long for the early morning she'd have to face tomorrow. Too bad that her friend, after finally getting her out, was not about to let her leave this early.

"If you think that a frilly pink sweater and a knee-length pleated skirt are appropriate clothes to go barhopping, then yes, you're working way too hard." The pink-haired woman scowled at the blond's scrutiny of what she had been about to wear, but instead got talked into donning a pair of faded blue jeans that were far too tight and a strapless chartreuse top that barely covered her.

"I'm not here to pick up a guy, Ino. Even if I tried, somehow I doubt he'd make it all the way back to my place." Ino flicked her long ponytail over her shoulder and patted her friends back. Her 'boys', as she tended to call them, had been actively deterring any guys that she had shown any interest in since she was sixteen. Well, not in the last year or so, because she hadn't set foot in a bar in that long, but still.

"I hope they aren't planning on doing that all week. It's your vacation, you have a right to get laid! God knows you need it." Sakura downed the rest of the green liquid in her glass and sighed softly, just before Ino motioned silently for the bartender to get her another.

"You know they're going to. I'm never going to have sex again if those four have anything to say about it." The blond raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Those four?" Sakura's brow furrowed as she thought about it for a minute.

"Three. Those three. Though Naruto's protective enough to be a fourth person all by himself." Ino nodded. She had seen Naruto go to town on Lee enough to know that what her friend said was true.

"You know, I doubt they'd be so aggressive against one of their own..."

"No."

"I'm just saying, why not? The three hottest, most eligible bachelors in town and you haven't even tried!" Sakura took a sip of her new drink before playing with the straw and glaring at Ino, who was watching her with a sly smile.

"I honestly don't think that Sasuke even likes girls, he's just going to split in half one day like an amoeba and revive his clan with a whole bunch of little Sasuke-amoebas that look and act just like him, and Naruto... just... no. He's eighteen and he acts like he did when he was twelve. He still has that stupid crush on me and I don't think I could deal with a relationship with that spaz." Her voice sounded more and more depressed as she continued and she stopped to take another drink. Ino was struggling not to laugh as she noticed two very familiar pairs of ears listening intently from the other end of the bar and goaded her friend to continue.

"What about Kakashi then? I've heard that he's really good-looking under that mask of his, and with age comes experience... I should know." Ino watched both of the men at the other end of the bar and burst out in a fit of insane giggles as one visibly stiffened and the other nudged his friend while laughing as hard as she was. Sakura sank further onto the bar, looking less than enthused with her chin resting on her crossed arms.

"I doubt he's interested, Ino. ... It's getting late, I should go." The blond reached out a hand to stop her friend from getting up and seeing the patrons she was watching, thereby ruining her fun. She couldn't see his face, but she imagined that behind the mask and beneath the shock of messy silver hair there was probably a pretty good expression of shock.

"So, if he was interested?" She cast another glance across the bar and flashed an evil smirk at the man now staring st her from beside her partner in crime. Sakura scowled, her back in the direction her friend kept looking. She didn't want to know who the blond was trying to pick up tonight, because it was probably Genma, again.

"Leave me alone, Pig." Sakura shook off her friend's hand and got up, leaving payment for her drinks on the bar. Ino smirked. Between the exasperated tone she was using and her hurry to escape the line of questioning, it was as good as an expression of guilt and both of the men knew it. The blond took her friend's arm, waving kittenishly at her better half as she left the bar, practically carrying her friend.

"I told you, man."

"...Did you bring me all the way out here to prove a point?"

"Think of it as reconnaissance. Now you know she's into you and you have an entire week to do something about it."

"...I'm not even going to get into how wrong that is. She was my student, Genma. She is my friend, and my teammate. I don't care if you think it's a good idea, it's not."

"Hey, you're the one with the hots for her, not me. I prefer blonds..."

"Yeah, the entire town knows what you prefer. I'm out of here."

"You got a good chance, Kakashi. Don't waste it."

"... I hope you swallow that senbon and choke on it."