The teams mixed well.

Naruto and Kiba argued back and forth, but if the smiles on their faces were of any indication; the two were happy they could be with someone who would challange their fesity attitudes.

Hinata rode atop Akamaru, who was easily the size of a horse now, her pretty face bore a smile of amusement as she watched the two men infront of her bicker.

Kakashi and Shino walked beside Kurenai, talking about the next round of jonin testing all three would be helping with.

She and Shikamaru walked in companionable silence.

"So, you said no." Shikamaru suddenly said.

She blinked and looked at him, his arms were folded behind his head as he walked, his face turned to the sky in boredome. There was no question in his statement, no underlying reason for him to say it, it was a simple admission of fact. She wondered what had brought it on.

"To what?" She pried.

He smirked and looked at her.

"Don't play stupid, it doesn't become you."

She glared at him before sighing loudly.

"So what if I said no?"

"Is there a reason behind your descision? Is it revenge? Or do you truly think you are done with the Uchiha?" He asked in rapid succesion.

She took a second, to ponder his words. Shikamaru rarely asked, or spoke, about anything beyond his understanding without a personal investment. He wasn't someone who asked without thinking.

"I am done with him, thank you. You know, I am a kunoichi-"

"The apprentice to the Godaime, the best medical shinobi of our genereation. Yes Sakura I know of your credentials. What I am asking is, as a woman, are you done with that mess of a man."

He was testing her, she was sure.

"Yes Shikamaru, I am." She answered simply.

His reaction puzzled her, he smiled to himself, and his gaze shifted to the sky.

"Glad to hear it Sakura-chan."

She blinked, not understanding the emphasis on the honorific. Shikamaru was worse than a riddle, he spoke in them, he became them.

She huffed indignantly before rolling her eyes, the man beside her chuckled deeply. The sound was pleasent to her ears, and she peeked at him to see if he noticed the way she melted at the sound. Sure enough he was watching her, his eyes alight with amusement.

He winked at her, and her heart stuttered; her cheeks warmed and she averted her gaze to the ground. What on earth was he doing to her.

"You should hold your head high Sakura, I have never met a woman like you. You confuse me."

That was a shock to her, and she snapped her eyes to him and stared at him indrediously.

"I confused YOU?" She demanded.

He smiled at her, but before he could say anything they were at the docks. Each team loading into a boat. Akamaru chose to swim.

She pondered his words for the whole ride, wondering how on earth he was going to explain his statement.

The island infront of them was beautiful, a justsu was definately at work there, palm trees swayed in a warm breeze, the water surrounding the cristaline beach was a light turquoise. She gasped in admiration, she had never been to a tropical place before...

"Beautiful." Shikamaru said.

She turned to him, her hair blowing in the wind, catching across her face. Strangely enough, he was looking directly at her.

"The island. Its beautiful." He repeated, his chocolate eyes glowing mysteriously.

"H-hai, it is." She said, her voice wavering slightly.

She had to get a grip soon.

" YOSH! IM GOING FOR A SWIM!" Naruto suddenly yelled, and dove off the front of the boat, they were only ten metres from the shore.

"YAHOO!" Kiba yelled, before jumping in after him.

Kakashi sweatdropped as he watched Naruto try to swim in his full clothing. She laughed at his stupidity.

Their set up was quite easy, they each had a bedroom in a beautiful summer house, there was outdoor furniture and she guessed that is never rained on this tropical paradise.

Naruto had stripped when he hit the beach, which had caused Hinata to pass out, and Kiba to chase said man around for an hour threatening death.

Shino had immediately gone inside, how he was going to survive such a hot climate in his jacket was beyond her.

Once Hinata gained conciousness, she was at her side.

"Hinata-chan, we should go an sunbathe." She smiled at the shy girl.

"A-ano, I don't have a swim suit..." Hinata stuttered.

Sakura raised a brow and laughed.

"How on earth did you expect to enjoy yourself without a swim suit?"

"I-I d-didn't think we were... I-I t-thought w-we were training..." Hinata stammered.

Sakura grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at her. She smiled kindly at Hinata's startled gaze.

"Hinata-chan, we have been friends for a long time. Everyone here loves you! There's no need to eplain yourself, and you don't need to be nervous. You stutter when your nervous, I can tell. We are all friends here, so just relax m'kay?!" She said cheerily, suddenly she reminded herself of Ino.

Hinata stared at her for a moment, before smiling and nodding feircly.

"I think I have a suit that would fit you!"

She draged the heiress to her room, before searching through her bag. She found her own red bikini, before passing Hinata her extra suit; it was light peach colour, a bando with lace in the center , two lace straps came from the middle and went around her neck. The bottoms were held together at the sides by lace.

Hinata turned red when she saw it on her, but she stared at the heiress in envy. The bathing suit looked absolutely lucious on the goddess-like body of the Hyuga girl. Kami was not fair.

"Ne, you hide all of that underneath those baggy clothes Hianta-chan? Your hot!" She seethed, how unfair.

Hinata blushed harder and pulled on a strand of her long hair. She shook her head, and pulled on her own simple red bikini.

"I-I like that colour on you, Sakura-chan." Hinata said shyly.

She smiled and took the girls hand, grabbing a blanket and pulling her out onto the sand. Kiba and Naruto and Akamaru were playing in the water, chasing eachother around like boys. Kakashi was lounging on a beach chair, his mask (which they had all seen gone during the war) discarded, his shirt gone, he was dangerously naked in just shorts. To say Kakashi was ugly was a sin, he was one hot sensei, and Sakura noticed how Kurenai was blushing as she sat beside him, her own red monokini accentuating her amazing body.

Shino was nowhere to be seen, but she could see Shikamaru already out on the beach, watching the sky. Hinata stepped with her over the hot sand toward the lazy man.

"HINATA!" Kiba cried in dismay.

She watched as everyone froze, they were staring at the barely clad Hinata with shocked expressions. Kiba and Naruto came running, stuttering and trying to form coherent compliments toward the blushing beauty. She chuckled as even Kakashi sensei asked Kurenai about Hinata's shy complex.

"Don't make her faint boys." She sighed, knowing she wouldn't get girl time with Hinata looking so good.

She lay her blanket down next to Shikamaru, and lay down in the hot sun.

"I can't believe she hides that underneath those clothes." Shikamaru said lazily.

Sakura felt a pang of something in her chest, it was hot, it was uncomfortable... and it took her a moment to register that it was jelousy. Why was she jelous? It wasn't like Hinata flaunted herself infront of men, she was probably dieing from the attention. So why did it bother her that Shikamaru had commented on it?

"I prefer yours." He said simply.

She blinked, and flushed red.

"Hinata is a shy girl, when she gets dressed up its a pleasent suprise, because girls like her tend to look so homely all the time. Well Hinata is classically beautiful, lucky for her. Girls like Ino, who look all done up all the time tend to become boring, they can't enhance their beauty passed that... I prefer girls like you. You always look pretty, but thats just you. You don't flaunt your body, but its noticable. When you get dressed up though... well I see the way men stare at you when you walk by. Your elegant Sakura. Its a refreshment."

She stared at him, how could he always say such beautiful things and shrug them off like they were simply facts. He never said anything without meaning it, and when he said something he expected everyone to take it at face value. Did he not notice they way her eyes softened? The way she sat frozen in awe? Did he miss the sound of her heart pouding in her chest?

"You aren't used to compliments, I think I have said that to your before." He said suddenly.

He read her like a book, how else could he play with her heartstrings so well.

Shikamaru sat up, and looked at her.

Shikamaru POV

She was stunning, her skin shining in the sun, her hair framing her body beautifully. She was staring at Hinata enviously, but he knew it was malicious. She was so hard on herself, did she not realize how beautiful she was? Damn that Uchiha.

He told her simply enough, and she had reacted in a startling way. Had no one ever told her? Ino got compliments all the time, guys followed the platinum blonde around like puppies. If anything they were wasting time on the wrong woman.

"You aren't used to compliments." He asked curiously, the last time they went for a drink he had realized her confidence was shattered, but he thought that being single it would be built up by the men around her... he guessed wrong apparently, and that bothered him immensly.

She stared at him wearily, before shaking her head in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She pressed.

He quirked a brow, this woman was so confusing. "Men don't compliment you? You don't get asked on dates all the time?"

She simply shook her head, her eyes dulling a tad. Enough for him to notice the sadness in those emerald orbs.

"Its only a question Sakura, to say the least I am shocked." He murmered.

Were the men around her all dense? She was absolutely beautiful, intelligent, a feirce kunoichi and ... a kind and caring person. Not to mention she had a beautiful body, with a swan like neck, beautiful slender arms, a pert, perky chest that looked to be the perfect size, a sloping waste that rounded out into curvacious hips.

Though he could not say he wasn't happy, he wanted her for himself after all.

"What am I supposed to say to that Shikamaru? No men do not bother to ask me on dates, not I don't get whistled at like Ino, or have men tell me Im cute like Hinata does. I don't look for male attention and I rarely receive any that isn't from my team mates! Does that make me a mystery to you? Am I a puzzle for you to figure out now?"

She was even more gorgous when she was angry.

"Not at all Sakura-chan. I mean to say, that I am happy no other man pays you attention, simply because I get to see first hand you reactions when a real gentlemen pays a lady her due compliments." He chose his words carefully, he didn't want her to assume he was happy no one found her attractive so he could treat her as an experiment of some sort.

She blushed again and adverted her eyes from his.

"I- gomen Shikamaru-kun. I am not used to this." She whispered.

"Used to what Sakura? Like I said its not a test, remember what I told you? Get used to being treated this way? Its because I think your breautiful, and I want to be the one to make you smile. Does that mean anything to you?" He asked carefully.

He had told her his feelings in a nutshell, but she still remained compltely oblivious, or she was choosing to ingore his qualms.

Judging by the way she gaped at him he assumed it wasn't the latter.

"Your serious?" She said, her voice breathless.

"Serious? Sakura, you are one of the most interesting women I have ever met. I tell you your beautiful and that my intentions are to have you for myself and all you can say is 'your serious' woman; for someone so intelligent you can say the most absurd things." He was celebrating inwardly, he realized it hadn't set in that he was telling her he liked her.

She just sat there, her mind obviously far away.

He assumed she was thinking of Sasuke, of her heart break and her worth as a woman. Heaven knows he read all the self loathing in her eyes with every compliment paid.

"Before you say anything Sakura, think about it. I don't care about your past, I could care less of who you loved before. I just want to try and be the one to pull that pretty smile out."

He got up slowly, leaving her to her thoughts. It would be alot for her to mull over, and he didn't mind at all. This paradise had actually set him up with a even playing ground. He would see her everyday, not just during sparring, they were sent here to do just what he wanted, bond. And with any luck, the romantic atmosphere that surrounded the island would work to his advantage as well.