Kakashi took a drink of hot tea. He and Gai were seated comfortably in their assigned room playing games. Gai held his hand over his bishop, fingers twitching eagerly. He glanced up at Kakashi but his eternal rival still had the "the girl I like is not here" blues dancing in his eyes. 10 rounds of poker, 1 round of Monopoly, and 3 games of chess hadn't distracted him from Kurenai at all. Gai smiled a little and moved his bishop.

Lazily, Kakashi took the bishop with his knight. "Check," he muttered. His chin was resting in his palm. He looked over to the window. The wind gently blew the leaves and a family of bright red birds were singing at each other. He stared at two and imagined them to be Kurenai's crimson eyes, smiling at him. He sighed heavily.

"Hatake?"

"Hm?" He looked at the board and moved his queen to take one of Gai's pawns. "Checkmate." When he looked back at the window the birds have flew off to another tree. Kakashi could hear Gai resetting the board.

"So..." Gai began, trying to keep his voice controlled and even. "How long have you liked Kurenai?"

"I don't know," Kakashi answered abruptly. Friend and rival could tell that he had his defenses up. It would be hard to glean any information from him. It must have been for some time that he kept his feelings inside. The silver-haired shinobi was a known ladies' man but to have had his heart captured. Gai chuckled at this. "What?"

"Oh... nothing. Just thinking about when we were kids, you and I." He moved a pawn forward. "I always envied you." Gai took a drink of his tea, as well. "You were handsome and talented. So like Sasuke-kun; all the girls drooled over you. It used to piss me off." Kakashi was used to his random flashbacks and just continued to play wordlessly. "Still does. I'm sure Kurenai will come around too."

They continued to play for a few more games before Kakashi announced that he was going to take a walk around the place. Gai nodded and said that he would take a brief nap and maybe join him later. His friend made no comment at this and simply left. Bushy eyebrows pinched together deviously. He reached over and picked up the phone. His fingers flew over the buttons and soon he heard ringing in the earpiece.

"Hello, Iruka here. Can I help you?"

Gai grinned. "Do you know where Kurenai is?"

He could her Iruka tapping his fingers as he thought. "Hmmmm...yes she's in Katahoko. She's-"

"That's near Sauna, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, they get their-"

"About an hour walk?"

Iruka coughed. "Hour walk?? It'd be at least half a day's trip by foot."

Gai gave a hearty laugh. "You forget! I am MAITO G-" He looked at the door and lowered his voice. "I am Maito Gai! I'll get there in an hour or less. Thank you, Iruka. You've been great help." Gai hung up the phone before the teacher could inquire more about his intentions.

Knowing Kurenai, she was likely finished with the mission and gearing up to return to Konoha. If he was swift he would be able catch her and invite her to the spa with them. Kakashi would be forever in his debt. He could see the expression on his rival face. Gai paused. Well, the part of his face that could be seen. But nonetheless this would surely put him ahead even if it did mean he'd likely be disgusted the rest of the trip by their cutesy flirting.

A moment of doubt fluttered through his mind. Did he really want to live with that? "NO!", he admonished himself. " I must rise about my petty jealousies. My friend has the pain of heartbreak and only one thing will heal him and return him to his normal frustratingly hip and irritatingly cool demeanors. And that is a certain genjutsu-using beauty and I, Maito Gai, Star of Konoha, will find her and retrieve her!"

He dashed out the door. Kakashi opened the door to the bathroom and walked into the room. He stared at the door then smiled. "I'm relying on you, Gai." He sat down and smiled to himself. His plan worked perfectly. " I wonder what's on T.V. " He popped on the television and settled the channel to a talk show.

Kankurou returned in time to see Gaara eating on a steak. "You guys ordered food? Is that steak?!" He sat down beside his brother and stole the fork with a plump square of beef at the end from him. "Nnnn, you should have came and got me."

Gaara glared at him and snatched the fork back. "You shouldn't have run off. You'll just have to order something on your own." He opened his mouth to place the food in but his older brother had plucked it from the fork with his fingers and was chewing it with gusto. "... ... Next time...I'm going to stab you."

They glared at each other for a second. Naruto nudged Sasuke. "They kinda remind me of us."

Sasuke nodded. "I'd be Gaara."

Naruto thought about this for a moment. He smiled and looked at his friend. "You wouldn't stab me with a fork, right?" Silence. "Sasuke?" More silence. "Hey, hey...you-"

"Hey, Neji, what's on TV?" Sasuke got up, avoiding the question. He stepped over Naruto, who fell down.

"Sasuke you bastard!"

Gaara, meanwhile cut himself another square of steak, ever mindful of his hungry ogre of a brother hovering over his shoulder. "Get your own."

Kankurou put his head on his brother's shoulder and tried to look pitiful. "Sure looks tasty..."

Gaara shoved him away with his shoulder. "I am going to stab you, Kankurou." He glared at the steak and jammed the fork into the meat. "In. The. Head." He lifted the morsel to his mouth but Kankurou gave an exagerated sneeze. Gaara could see a bubble of spittle on the meat and growled holding it over to his brother.

"Why thank you!"

Shikamaru watched them fight for a while. "Why don't you give him half, Gaara?"

Kankurou barely missed his finger being impaled on a fork. "Yeah, give me half, brat. You got to eat already." Knowing he was outnumbered and that Shikamaru was right, Gaara relinquished half of his steak to his older sibling.

Rock Lee was doing one handed push-ups on the floor with Naruto on his back, keeping count. "After Gaara-kun and Kankurou-san are done with their meal. I suggest we hit the..." He reached his free hand out and grabbed a brochure for the end table. " Fresh Air hot springs. 'Enjoy the beauty and tranquility of nature with our layered springs set in the heart of the mountain.'" He read.

"Sounds fine," Neji agreed. There was unanimous nodding at this suggestion. While Gaara did not rush his meal, Kankurou finished quickly and went to wash his hands in the bathroom. "Hey, Gaara. You didn't stab him in the head."

Gaara paused and looked at Neji. The boy was smiling at him, in a kind of joking manner. The Sand ninja shrugged and finished his last bite. When Kankurou came out of the bathroom room a loud thud and subsequent twang noise made him turn his head. A fork was wobbling just inches from his skull. Neji gave a small laugh. Gaara put his table on the tray as though he had done nothing at all.

Used to this kind of behaviour, Kankurou simply pulled the fork out and put it on the tray as well. "Missed, brat."

"Stop stealing food out of mouth, moron," Gaara hissed back.

Kankurou shoved his hands in his pockets. "You want it back? I'll puke it all up for you."

"You disgust me..." the short boy began icily. "In ways that you will never know."

Shikamaru stepped between them, shoving towels in their arms. "Stop fighting, you two. We're supposed to be relaxing." His towel was draped over his shoulders. "Let's get going. I need some fresh air."

"Woo!" Naruto dashed out the door. Rock Lee gave an exuberant 'OSU!" and followed Naruto. The rest left more calmly, Sasuke locking the door behind them. They admired the murals on the walls of the resorts, Naruto pointing to one of a naked lady. Lee blushed and commented on one of turtles to distract them from the nude.

Once they got to the locker room, they just stood there. Naruto looked at all of them. "Now what?"

"We get undressed," Sasuke answered, hands in pockets. No one moved.

"Draw straws?" Neji offered. Everyone nodded. Shikamaru pulled a piece of paper from his vest and created seven straws from it. Marking one with pen at the bottom. He covered them bottoms of all the straws with his fist and held them out. Everyone drew one.

Shikamaru somehow got the losing straw. "What a moron!" Naruto laughed aloud pointing. "You made the straws and you still lost!"

Shikamaru growled. "Shut up, dead last!" He grumbled and pulled off his vest. He quickly go undressed and wrapped his towel around his waist. "Fine! I'm done." He looked away to hide the fact that he was embarrassed.

Naruto was less fazed and unceremoniously tossed his orange attire to the floor. He stood on a bench, hands on his hips. "HA! I'm not embarrassed at all! Uzumaki Naruto isn't ashamed of his equipment!" There was a collective face palming. Lee, however, acquired a determined face.

He quickly removed his clothes, leaving the bandages on his hands. "I won't be ashamed either! It is with this body that I have worked hard and attained the title of ninja! I, Rock Lee, show this body to you proudly!!"

Kankurou groaned. "You brats are so wierd."

Neji and Sasuke took the distractions of their colleagues as an opportunity to get undressed and were seated quietly next to Shikamaru. "Cover your shame," Sasuke finally ordered. "No one wants to see that."

Naruto grinned but wrapped the towel around his waist. "Hehe, jealous, Sasuke?"

"Hn." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Kankurou tossed his balled up jumpsuit at Gaara, who just stood there for a second before pulling it off. "I hate you so much," stated the harrassed ninja bluntly. He didn't even look at his brother when he spook. Just merely...glared.

"I hate you too." This said Gaara also undressed the the boys head to the spring. There were all impressed by the multitude of springs all descending down the side of the mountains like the tops of stacked plates. They chose one in the middle area that was empty and sank into the hot water.

Naruto leaned over the edge and looked to the side. "Hey, there's more springs over there," he noticed.

Kankurou moved next to him and grinned. "Yeah, those are the girls' springs. You see, since everything is natural here, the didn't reall separate some of the area's completely. As a matter of fact, a lot of the springs are right next door to each other." He drew a diagram in the dirt. "So..."

The blond ninja seemed to think. "Well... I don't know..."

"Think about it...it's a once in a lifetime chance, Naruto. Sakura..naaakeeeed?" He leaned on the edge of the spring. "I'll help out of course."

Lee shook his head rapidly. "You mustn't, Naruto-kun! You'll get into big trouble if you're caught!"

"But we're ninja," Kankurou reminded. "If Naruto is really Hokage material he won't get caught. Am I right, Naruto-kun?"

It was easy to see that Naruto was very conflicted. On one hand Lee had a point and it didn't really appeal to Naruto to be like Ero-sennin, Jiraiya. However...Sakura... He sank deep into the water, his brain spinning.

Shikamaru had his eyes closed but was listening intently. "I'd worry less about the owner catching you and more about the girls catching you."

Neji adjusted the clips keeping his hair out of the water. "Ten-ten would kill you."

"Forget Ten-ten. Temari would have them skinned," Shikamaru said with a smirk.

"Sakura would scream...then kill them", Sasuke agreed. "I know I'm probably wasting my breath but it would be a good idea to forget about this idea."

Kankurou slumped in the water looking dejected. "You guys are such a drag. I guess you're too young to understand." Naruto groaned, still thinking.

Everyone looked up as someone crouched beside their spring. "Kiba????"

The Inuzuka had his dog on his head looking confused. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"