Being a light sleeper by nature, Sakura was quick to wake the moment the first rays of the sun caressed her face. She stretched like a feline, arching her back and moaning in satisfaction when she heard the familiar sound of her sore bones popping back into place.

She stood, looking around to see the rest of their strange group still in deep sleep and she chuckled, shaking her head. She should have known. Running a hand through her hair, she moved across their camp stealthily, her boots making no sound despite their heels. She checked her traps and genjutsu, smiling in relief when she realized that nobody had tried to approach them during the night. Glancing at her temporary teammates and for a lack of anything else to do other than spend the early hours of the day polishing her kunai, Sakura decided to at least get them some breakfast.

Smelling the air and enhancing her hearing using a bit of her chakra, she smiled when the sound of running water reached her. She checked her pouch and proceeded to follow the sound. A couple of minutes of wandering around trees and bushes later, she found herself standing right beside the banks of a small river. It wasn't too wide and she guessed not very deep either. The land around it was fertile, the vibrant green of the plants shinning under the day's first light.

She kneeled and drank heartily before splashing her face, enjoying the feeling of the water cooling her skin. Smiling brightly, she stepped on the surface of the water, chakra pooling at her feet without a second thought, having become second nature after so many years. She took out her kunai and smirked.

Time to catch some breakfast.

XxxOxOxOxxX

Placing the pile of fish beside the smoking coals of last night's fire, Sakura glanced around the silent camp and snorted. 'Lazy asses….' She ran a hand through her locks and grimaced at the knots and dust that coated her hair. Glancing at the people still in deep slumber and then back at the path she had just returned from, she couldn't help but be tempted by the idea that entered her mind.

'I won't be long….' she reasoned. 'Just a quick dip and I'll be back before they notice.' The more she thought about it the more she felt her inhibitions crumble as the idea of cleaning up won more and more ground as the seconds passed. Another look at her dull pink locks and the decision became even more obvious. Glancing at the camp one last time, she turned around and swiftly made her way through the trees back to the river.

She took off her boots and dipped her toes in the water, giggling like an academy student. Taking a look around more out of habit than anything else, she rid herself of her clothes and slowly lowered herself in the water, allowing her body to get used to the temperature. The waters were shallow, but clear and she relished in the feeling of the cool liquid caressing her skin. She sat on her bent knees and dipped her head in the river, feeling her locks floating around her in the water. She threw her head back, her wet locks slapping her back as they rained drops around her.

Sakura smiled contently and breathed in the smell of flowers and wet grass. 'This is heaven…..'

XxxOxOxOxxX

Yun woke with a start, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. On his left, Yona was still fast asleep, snuggled under what he recognized as Sakura's cloak. He looked around to see the rest of the party still sleeping and the pink-haired woman nowhere to be found.

'Where did she go?' he thought with a small frown, sweeping the campsite with his eyes. He was a moment away from going to look for her when his gaze landed on a pile of fish and his eyes immediately lit up. He stood and headed over, noticing that the fish were still wet, meaning that they had been caught quite recently, no longer than half an hour ago.

'So that's where she went…..' Assuming that the young healer was still somewhere out there looking for food or water, he sighed shaking his head. Rolling up his sleeves, Yun smiled as he took out his dagger, making quick work of removing the scales and cleaning out the internal organs. The coals from last night's fire were still smoking, just barely good enough to start another fire. He'd have to thank Sakura for her effort.

The smell of roasting fish over the fire spread all over their camp, slowly rising the rest of their unusual party. Hak was the first of them to awake followed by Jeaha and Kija. Shin-Ah was already awake when Zeno shot up from his position on the ground and by the time the fish were ready Yona too was awake.

"That smells delicious, Yun." commented Yona with a smile. "Where did you get those?"

"You are gonna have to thank Sakura for that." he replied, picking at the coals with a stick. "She caught them."

Zeno clapped his hands once happily with a cheerful grin on his face. "My, Sakura-san is so cool!"

Hak scoffed at the blonde's praising words. "Speaking of which, where is that hellish she-wolf anyway?"

"Hak! You don't have to be so rude!" scolded him Yona, earning a scowl from the dark-haired man.

"Who cares? She's not here to hear it, is she?"

Yona just shook her head at her guardian. Really, she couldn't wait for the moment that Sakura would decide to make good use of her knives.

"She's been gone for a while, hasn't she?" wondered Jeaha. "Perhaps one of us should go look for her. The food is almost ready and we'll be departing shortly after."

Kija nodded. "A lady shouldn't be wandering all alone in unfamiliar territory either."

Hak's snort at the word 'lady' made Yona glare at him. She was ready to scold her broody companion once more when an idea entered her mind. "Hak, you go find her."

"What?!" sputtered the man. "Why me? Send the white lizard or the pervert to find her."

"Why you-"

"Because I said so." answered Yona indignantly, interrupting Kija, who was no doubt going to start another argument with the dark-haired warrior. "Now, go find Sakura."

Muttering curses under his breath, Hak stood and grabbed his weapon, pulling it forcefully from the ground. He glared at a chuckling Jeaha, growling in annoyance. His shoulders were rigid as he put more distance between himself and the camp, his figure disappearing behind the trees.

Yun turned to Yona. "Was that really a good idea? Should a fight break out between them, Hak will probably kill her."

The red-haired girl giggled. "I say she'll kill him first."

XxxOxOxOxxX

'Where the hell is that woman?' thought Hak, as he made his way through the woods. "Oi, Pinky! Where are you?" He glanced around, hoping to catch a glimpse of that preposterous pink hair though he was unsuccessful. 'Damn her….'

"Come out, you wench!" He cursed at the lack of response. 'I swear, if she got lost I'm leaving her out here…' Noticing the woods thinning on his left, he decided to head there. Perhaps it'd prove easier to spot her in a less dense part of the woods. The sound of running water reached his ears and he picked up his pace. Seeing as she had caught their breakfast, perhaps she was still somewhere near the river. The light around him grew brighter as the green foliage of the woods lessened. He broke through the trees, shielding his eyes as the light of the morning sun assaulted his corneas. He glanced around, noticing the silhouette of a person down at the river though the sun was making it difficult to see anything more than their outline. The unmistakable pink hair gave the stranger's identity away.

Hak sighed in annoyance. 'About damn time…' he thought as he approached.

"Oi, Pinky-" he opened his mouth to say something undoubtedly witty when his vision cleared and he noticed her state.

Sakura was sitting on her bent knees, the swallow waters just barely covering her shapely hips though the clarity of the river didn't help much in that aspect. She was facing the other way, leaving her naked back exposed to his eyes. Her hair was wet, falling a bit bellow mid-back as she ran her fingers through her locks.

Hak's eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his surprised gasp as an unwilling blush colored his face. Deciding that it'd be better if he just turned around and left, the dark-haired warrior took a step back, not noticing the dry tree branch just under his foot. It snapped under his weight, the sound of it breaking seeming to resound more than it should have. His hopes that she hadn't heard it were quickly squashed when the young woman's head snapped to him.

Her initial relief at seeing that it was Hak instead of an enemy was immediately evaporated when the young medic realized her current state of undress and her completely exposed self to the man standing a few feet away. Her cheeks grew hot, rivaling her locks in color as she moved her arms to cover herself. She snarled at the dark-haired warrior, her fury evident in her clenched teeth and the hellfire burning in her emerald eyes.

"Get the hell out of here your pervert!" she screeched, her chest heaving from the intensity of the situation.

The man was quick to follow her order, turning around swiftly with rigid shoulders and walking away as quickly as he could. Sakura would have laughed at his resemblance to an animal fleeing from a predator had it not been for her current predicament.

"Hak, you are so dead!"

XxxOxOxOxxX

A flushed and more than a little angry Sakura walked between Jeaha and Shin-Ah in silence with a scowl on her face.

"You lecher!" exclaimed Kija. "You profligate monster! How dare you walk in on a lady while she was taking her bath!" The white-haired man seemed scandalized.

"Oh, shut up." growled back Hak. "It's not like I wanted that to happen. It's your fault for making me look for her in the first place."

"You are horrible. Yona-hime!" said the dragon, turning to the young princess, who was sporting a blush across her cheeks. "Let's ditch this uncivilized beast!"

"Oi! You albino lizard-"

"Shut up both of you!" It was Sakura who interrupted them, growling at the arguing men, her fingers itching to reach inside her pouch for a kunai. "Another word of what happened today and I'm tearing your tongues out with me bare hands."

"As if, Pinky."

"But milady!"

"I said not another word!"

Watching the three argue, Yun leaned towards a giggling Yona. "I take it back. She can definitely kill both of them."

TBC

Ok, this chapter was so much fun to write! I know it's not as long as the others but this was purely written to add some humor to the story before things take a more dramatic turn. At first I wasn't sure which one of the guys would be the one to walk in on Sakura but then I thought about Hak and the result seemed hilarious.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing. Thank you, all of you, for your continued support. It means a lot to me! Still not sure about the pairing but I suppose I'll come to a decision a couple of chapters from now.

Until next time!

Lots of love!