DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

Italics mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

Three Weeks Vacation

Settling In

Sakura rummaged through the pile of clothing on her bed. "Ack! Curse Kakashi-sensei for not telling us about this trip earlier! Where's my jacket?"

Sakura spotted it lying under a lavender colored shirt. She dragged it out and hastily put it into her duffel bag. Sakura checked everything on her list again and finally satisfied, hoisted the bag onto her shoulder and rushed off towards the old Team 7's meeting place. They hardly got together anymore since they were all fully fledged shinobi's. Sasuke had returned from Orochimaru after he found out the latter was preparing him as a vessel. Sakura dashed up to the bridge and upon arriving, she spotted Naruto and Sasuke already waiting. Naruto waved to Sakura, and she smiled back. Sasuke gave a grunt to acknowledge her arrival. Sakura nodded to Sasuke. She was not that infatuated with Sasuke anymore, but she still felt twinges of longing. Sakura waited patiently for their sensei. However, after a half an hour, she was not so tolerant. Kakashi-sensei appeared as he usually did and smiled. "Sorry, I got lost on the road of life."
Sakura screeched, "YOU LIAR!"
Naruto scratched his head. "Didn't you already use that excuse?"
Kakashi-sensei blinked. "I did? Oh well. We're late! The other teams are waiting!"

Sasuke muttered, "And I wonder whose fault it is?"

He led them towards the others. Sasuke asked dully, "Which teams are going?"

Kakashi-sensei responded, "Let's see. Rock Lee, Hyuga Neji, and Tenten. Hyuga Hinata, Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Ino, Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji. That's it!"
They arrived at their destination. Kakashi-sensei turned to his former team and said, "We'll be taking a ship there. The ride will be around three hours."

Sakura protested, "Three hours? I. Will. Go. Crazy. Besides, how long is it from here to the ship?"

Kakashi-sensei grinned evilly. "It's only half an hour's walk to the ship. Oh well, live with it. We'll give you details on the ship."
The teams chattered happily as they trekked towards the shore. Ino squealed happily, "Three weeks with my Sasuke! And no big-forehead girl will get in the way."

Sakura shot Ino a glare from over her shoulder. She muttered, "Ino-pig."

Shikamaru sighed. "Women…how troublesome."

In a half an hour, they arrived at the ship. They flocked, chatting, to their rooms. Each team shared one room. Each room had three built in bunks and one bathroom. Sakura dumped her things on the ship. She lay down, but Sasuke placed his hand on her arm. "What do you think you're doing? Kakashi-sensei told us to gather in the dining room with the other teams. They're telling us about the trip."

Sakura leapt up. "Oh! Let's go then."

The pair entered the dining room and found seats near the back. Kakashi-sensei smiled. "Well, about this trip. It's three weeks long, and it's on a tropical island."

He smiled as the ninjas shouted with delight. His smile turned into pure malice as he held up his hands and announced, "There are only a few people who live on that island. One village, if I remember correctly. The only other things on the island are four houses, small groves, trails, beaches, coves, and a freshwater lake. We," Here, Kakashi-sensei motioned the four sensei's standing on the stage, "are going to leave you there for three weeks. We'll come back to Konoha on this boat and return to you guys in three weeks."

Here, there was silence. The ninjas started muttering here. Sakura had been listening intently. She turned to Sasuke and asked, "Well…it will be fun…right?"

Sasuke shrugged, his face emotionless. Sakura rubbed her shoulders unknowingly. She smiled. "Well, I'm sure it will."

Sakura didn't notice Sasuke, who was staring rather strangely at her. The sensei's pondered more, then announced, "That's all, really. Three weeks of surviving on an island inhabited by one village. Easy!"

Sakura muttered, "Easy for them to say…"

Everybody else began to get up and leave. Sakura stood up as well and walked to the room she shared with Sasuke and Naruto. She was glad for the curtains she was able to pull around her bed for privacy. She secured the curtains and lay back on her bunk, staring at the ceiling. The door was slammed open. Naruto called, "Sakura-chan, want to get some ramen?"
Sakura wasn't too keen on eating ramen, so she stayed quiet, hoping Naruto would go away. She heard him mutter, "Oh, I guess she isn't in here."

He ran away, shouting, "Sakura-chan, where are you? Wanna eat some ramen with me?"

Sakura let out a sigh of relief but sucked it back in as the door opened again. Sasuke's voice could be heard. "Don't worry, it's just me. I won't tell that dobe you're in here."

Sakura smiled and said aloud, "Thanks, Sasuke…kun."

She heard him stop as she added the suffix as an afterthought. He turned towards her curtained bunk and asked, "Do…do you still love me?"
Sakura stared into space, thinking about it. Sometimes, I do…it's weird…how do I tell you? She didn't say anything, and Sasuke dropped the subject. Sakura fell asleep to the gentle pitching of the ship. Sasuke opened the curtains slightly and stared down at her face. Peaceful, serene, and fragile. She was always fragile. He drew the curtains around her again and secured it. He lay in his bunk, and was fast asleep in moments as well. Sakura was woken painfully. She discovered herself on the ground. Ow…that hurt…How did I get down here? Sakura staggered up to find she couldn't balance. A sudden pitch of the ship sent her tripping…onto Sasuke's bunk. Sakura yelled, "Sasuke-kun, watch out!"

Sasuke immediately sat up, and the first thing he saw was Sakura falling face-first onto him. Sasuke was slammed backwards into his bunk. He muttered a muffled, "Ow."

Sakura sat up right after she fell. Her face was beet red as was Sasuke's. She stammered, "Sasuke-kun! Sorry…! I d-didn't mean to k-kiss you!"
Sasuke muttered, "It's ok…can you get off me legs now?"
Sakura scrambled off Sasuke's bunk, still beet red. Suddenly, she didn't feel good. Sasuke noticed it and asked, "Hey, Sakura…your face doesn't look very healthy…"

Sakura dashed into the bathroom and started throwing up into the sink. Sasuke flopped back onto his bed and muttered, "Oh shit."

He stepped onto the floor and told Sakura, "I'll get you some napkins."

Sasuke walked out the room and to the dining room in hopes of finding some napkins for Sakura. He asked the waitress there, "You have any napkins or towels or something?"

The waitress giggled and battered her eyelashes. She purred, "Over there, on the counter."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her and returned to his room with some paper towels. "Hey, Sakura, you feel better?"

Sakura was sitting on her bunk. She took the towels from him gratefully. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke retreated into his bunk and pulled the curtains around him again. Sakura exited the room, but called back, "I'll be somewhere on deck if you need anything."

Sasuke didn't reply, so Sakura left. She breathed in the air, feeling much better. However, she hadn't gotten her 'sea legs' yet, so when the ship pitched again, she was half way over the rail before someone grabbed her arm. Sakura screamed, but Rock Lee pulled her over to safety. Sakura sat on the deck, her face sweaty, and panted, "Thanks, Lee-kun!"

Sasuke appeared a moment later, glancing around. He spotted Sakura on the ground and walked over. "You scream?"

Sakura nodded. "I nearly fell overboard. Lee-kun helped me though."

Lee glared at Sasuke, as if challenging him. Sasuke returned the glare evenly, then broke the contact. He shrugged. "Well, I heard you scream."
With that, he retreated below deck again. Sakura wiped some sweat away and stood up. She asked, "Do you know where the others are?"

Lee answered, "Yeah, they're in the entertainment room below deck."

Sakura nodded her thanks and left, heading towards the entertainment room. There, she found Tenten, Hinata, and Ino with some cards. Kiba and Shikamaru were playing pool. Tenten hailed Sakura, "Hey, Sakura, want to play cards with us?"
Sakura declined. She trotter over and said, "I'd prefer to watch."

Tenten nodded and they resumed their game. After a half an hour, Sakura grew bored, so she headed back to their room. She checked her watch. Oh good, another hour, and we'll be off this ship.

Sakura opened the door and sat on her bunk. She dug through her duffel bag and took out a magazine. She was reading it when Naruto bounded in the room, shouting, "Boy, that was great! Anybody up for a swim in the pool?"

Sasuke threw the curtains back, glaring at Naruto. "I was resting, undisturbed, until you came along. Leave."
Naruto made a face. "You can't make me."
Sasuke just growled in return and drew the curtains. Sakura waved at Naruto absent-mindedly. "Go ask Chouji or someone if they want to swim…we're busy."
Naruto pulled a sad face but Sasuke's thrown shoe made him run out the door. Sasuke flopped back, not bothering to draw the curtains. He watched Sakura intently as she laid stomach-down on her bunk, engrossed with the magazine. Sakura felt someone staring at her, looked up, saw Sasuke staring, and blushed. Sasuke quickly looked away, blushing as well. Sakura resumed to her magazine. All too quickly, the ship's horn blew, and Sakura stuffed the magazine back in her bag hastily. She informed the still unmoving Sasuke, "We've arrived. Come on."

Sasuke sat up and grabbed his bag. He headed out the door with Sakura in his wake. They all filed off the ship and stared about them in wonder. Sakura shook the hair out of her face as she stared around the island. It was actually pretty nice. The ship's horn blew again, and soon it was lost to sight. Neji and Sasuke started walking towards the houses in sight. Sakura thought, So each team to a house…She saw Sasuke open the door of one and go inside. Sakura followed him, and gasped. The house was very clean and neat. She stood in the doorway and surveyed everything. The living room was laid out in front of her. It had three sofas, a table in the middle, and a fireplace in front of them. Sakura walked into the house and turned right. The kitchen connected to the living room. There was a stove, a fridge, a microwave, a cabinet of silverware, and a table with three seats. She headed into the hallway connecting the living room and the bedrooms. There were three rooms. Sasuke had already picked out a room for himself. It was to the left of all the rooms. Sakura entered the one in the middle and set her bag on the table. The house wasn't too shabby, but it wasn't the best either. Sakura checked the fridge. "Hn…no food."

She then spotted a purse and a note on the counter. She scanned the note and picked up the bag. Wow! There's enough money in here to buy enough food for the three weeks! No wonder…Sakura dropped the note in the trash can and put the small bag of money under her mattress. If Naruto gets to this and wastes it on ramen, we are so dead. She turned around to find Sasuke standing there. He smirked, "You think you can hide stuff from me? What's that?"

Sakura knew Sasuke was smart enough not to tell Naruto, so she showed him. Sakura explained, "Kakashi-sensei left us some money to buy food for the rest of the time…he said the other senseis did the same. We can't tell Naruto, otherwise he'll waste it on ramen."
Sasuke nodded and headed out the room. Sakura watched his retreating back. Muscular back, way too cool hair-WAIT! WHAT AM I THINKING? Sakura shook her head and started unpacking her things. After she put all her clothes into the closet provided, she sought out Sasuke. Sakura tugged Sasuke's arm. "Hey, have you seen a washer around here?"
Sasuke straightened up from unpacking. "Yeah, I think it's in that little room with the vacuum and stuff."

Sakura checked on it, and finally satisfied, she announced, "I'm going out to buy food!"
Sasuke emerged from his room and walked across the living room. "I'll come, to make sure you don't get lost or something."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she picked up the keys to the house. "I don't get lost that easily."

The wind was breezy as Sakura and Sasuke traveled to the village. They were both on a small hill when Sakura turned back to see how everyone else was doing. She started giggling and said aloud, "There's Ino-pig trying to get Shikamaru to do something…Fat chance, though…Chouji is just eating as usual and-"

She stopped when Sasuke tapped her. "Sakura…let's go."

Sakura cast one more glance back and ran after Sasuke. They arrived in the village, purchased the food, and were walking through a peaceful grove without incident. Sakura was completely at peace, because of the serenity of the grove. Sasuke suddenly stopped, and Sakura turned around. "What's the matter?"

Sasuke looked like he was going to say something, but he shook his head and continued walking. They reached their house, and Sakura opened the door to let them in. She stored all the food in the refrigerator and put the keys back on its hook. Sasuke watched her with guarded eyes and went back into his room. Sakura started cooking dinner. Naruto bounded in. "Hey, Sakura-chan! How about some ramen for dinner?"
Sakura made a face. "I hate ramen. We'll have something decent tonight…like soup!"
Naruto whined, but Sasuke appeared in front of Naruto. He growled, "Stop complaining. We'll eat whatever Sakura cooks."

Sakura blushed. "Uh, haha, well, you see, I've never really cooked before…ahaha…"

Naruto and Sasuke sweatdropped. Sakura reassured them hastily, "Don't worry, it won't be that bad! I mean, how hard is soup?"

It turned out soup was hard to cook. Sakura cursed for the fifth time as she burned her finger again. She jammed it into her mouth and sighed. Sakura put the pot of soup on the table and announced, "Dinner's ready."

Naruto poked his head out of the hallway. He had plugged his nose. Sakura demanded, "Why are you doing that?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "There's this really nasty smell radiating from the kitchen."

Sakura advanced on Naruto. "Did. You. Insult. My. Soup?"
Naruto backed away, stammering, "No! Of course not!"
Sakura smiled evilly. "Well, you're drinking it!"

Naruto dashed outside the house screaming, "I'm too young to die!"

The residents of the other three houses shouted, "If you don't shut up, you WILL die young!"

Naruto ran back into the house and into his room. Sakura's bottom lip quivered. "It's not that bad, right?"
Sasuke appeared and sampled a bit of the soup. His face turned an unhealthy color, and he muttered something about needing to use the bathroom as he staggered off. Naruto came creeping back. He took a sip and brightened. "Hey, it's good!"
Sakura blinked. "Really? I don't think Sasuke-kun liked it."

Sakura took a sip of the soup. She nearly threw up. Sakura screeched, "Naruto, you idiot, this does not taste good! You've had too much ramen!"

Sakura grabbed the handles of the pot. She shrieked, "I am flinging this into the ocean! It tastes like shit!"

Naruto was almost sobbing as he tried to cling to it. "No, Sakura-chan, I'll drink it! It's good!"

Sakura dumped the contents of the soup into a small ditch she found nearby. Naruto yelled, "Sakura-chan, that was the best soup I've ever drank!"

Sakura glared at Naruto, then sighed. "I need to ask Hinata, Ino, and Tenten for some tips."

She walked to their house and asked. Ino opened the door. "What do you want?"

Sakura asked, "Do you know how to cook?'

Ino sighed. "No. We had ramen for dinner."

Sakura muttered, "Never mind."

She visited Tenten next and asked her the same question. Tenten's reply was scornful. "Do I look like a cooking type of person? I train. Not cook."

Sakura crossed her fingers and prayed Hinata knew how to cook. She asked Hinata, "Do you know how to cook, Hinata?"

Hinata stammered, "A…A little bit."

Sakura brightened up. "Could you teach me tomorrow? I can't cook."
Hinata nodded, and gave Sakura a bowl of rice balls. "Here…you m-must be hungry."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Hinata!"

Sakura rushed back to their house and showed the food to Sasuke and Naruto. "Hinata was so kind, she donated this to us."
Sasuke ate in silence, but Naruto commented the whole time, "Sakura-chan, your soup was better."
Sakura ignored him. She cleared away the table, changed into her sleeping clothes, and fell asleep in her room. Sakura was woken up by a growl. Soon, she figured out where it was from. A bear! Outside the house! The soup! Sakura jumped as the bear growled again. She ran to Sasuke's room and knocked furiously. Sasuke opened the door, annoyed. "What?"

Sakura was momentarily stunned speechless because Sasuke wasn't wearing a shirt. A growl from the bear made her hug Sasuke in fright, burying her head in his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun…I'm scared…can I stay in your room?"
Sasuke groaned. He went into Sakura's room, took her blankets and pillow, and put it on his bed. "You sleep there."

Sakura clambered in quickly. Sasuke muttered, "You better be grateful…"

Sakura fell asleep quickly. Sasuke stared at her. Her pink hair felt as soft as cotton, and it framed her angelic face. Sasuke closed his eyes, facing her, and fell asleep soon as well.