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Sakura smacked her head against the table for the third time as once again, just as Hinata was starting to come around, Naruto had stuck his face so close to hers so that she fainted as her eyes opened. The poor girl's skin was flushed a bright red, and the nurse had already told them that they couldn't go to their next activities until she woke up and was feeling better.

At the very least, Guy had brought them lunch from the mess hall. She took advantage of the hour or so she figured she would have to study from the medical book she had packed in her luggage, but it was difficult to pay attention to anything with a certain obnoxious blonde pacing back and forth in front of Hinata.

The fall from the plank hadn't been all that bad since Sakura had been lucky enough to land on Sasuke. He, on the other hand, now had his wrist wrapped up. The nurse didn't think it was sprained, but he was definitely going to have a nasty bruise there.

Sakura hadn't actually seen Naruto and Hinata fall since she had been in the process of falling herself, but she had recovered fast enough to catch a glimpse of the position they had been in. Hinata's entire body lying across Naruto and her hands on his chest had caused his shirt to lift past his stomach. Hinata, who must have already been passed out at that point, had her head cradled into Naruto's neck, and Naruto, who had initially had both arms wrapped tightly around her, was just starting to carefully roll the poor girl off of his body.

Like Sasuke, Naruto had gotten the brunt of the landing; only at least Sasuke had landed in grass. Naruto had fallen into the brush area and had scratches up and down both arms, as well as a bit on his face. The worst of it was his lower back though, where he had landed on a rock. He had barely let the nurse touch him, which frustrated Nurse Shizune to the point of storming out of the room.

"Naruto! She isn't going to wake up if you keep sticking your face in hers! Give her some breathing room." Sakura had finally had enough. The cuteness factor of how protective he was being of Hinata had worn off and she was beginning to get seriously pissed.

Sakura jumped out of her chair and stalked over to the blonde boy who was now looking a bit frightened. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him two beds away from Hinata. "Sit." She didn't give him a chance to, and instead pushed him down herself.

She walked over to the nurses' station and began rummaging through the medical supplies. She pulled out gauze and ointment and Band-Aids. She could feel both boys staring at her, and even though it had only been two days, she knew that when she turned around Sasuke would be wearing his customary scowl.

Sure enough, as she was walking back to Naruto, she glanced at Sasuke, and though he was staring at her, his expression still hadn't changed from the one he had been wearing all day.

She unceremoniously dropped all of the nursing supplies next to Naruto, which immediately made him jump up. "I don't need any of that stuff! I'm fine, just a few scrapes. They'll heal on their own."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she once again forced Naruto back into a sitting position and put some ointment on a cotton swab. The second she went to apply it she found his arm gone. "Seriously? How old are you?"

Naruto just kept inching further away so Sakura huffed in exhaustion. "Sasuke, get over here."

"Hn."

"Excuse me?" Sakura turned the full force of her glare on Sasuke, her eyes glowing with fiery rage.

He didn't look happy about it, but at least he finally sauntered over to stand next to her.

"I need you to hold his arm out. Preferably with your good hand."

Sasuke had Naruto's arm pinned to the bed in seconds and Sakura began, not so gingerly, applying the ointment onto every scrape he had. She then rummaged through the Band-Aids. She had initially grabbed the box of standard, skin-toned ones, but with as annoyed as she was with Naruto's childish behavior, Sakura dropped that box for a set that was covered in Care Bears.

"There! All better." Sakura's eyes darted up towards Sasuke, who was standing closer to her than she remembered, as the boy began to snigger for a second time. She dropped her head, smiling in triumph. Any type of reaction from the solemn boy was a success.

"Now, just sit still while I take a look at your back." Naruto shoved himself away from the bed, successfully breaking Sasuke's death grip on his arm. Sakura had been ready with another snappy retort about how he was being a baby, but the words died on her lips as she saw the terror on his face.

"Maybe just give him a break." Sakura turned her head slightly to look in shock at Sasuke, whose features had softened from their usual apathetic hostility. She stared for a good long moment before nodding her head in agreement. She dropped the medicine on the cot and strode over to grab a baggie instead. All the while she could feel two sets of eyes boring into her. She carefully scooped some ice into the baggie and sealed it tightly.

When she turned, Naruto had found his way back over to Hinata, his body trembling slightly. Sasuke had the scowl plastered back on his face, but there was still a softness in his eyes that had Sakura smiling shyly at him. She shifted the bag in her hand as she made her way back to Naruto. He took the ice without meeting her gaze, but she heard the mumbled thanks all the same.

Sakura considered herself well versed in this sort of behavior. She had spent the last two years shadowing various medical professionals. She recognized trauma when she saw it. She could only guess at what she would have found had she lifted Naruto's shirt to reveal his back, but her imagination ran wild with the possibilities all the same.

As Sakura continued to contemplate Naruto's potential condition, Hinata's eyes began to flutter awake. "Hinata! Are you feeling any better?" Naruto once again shoved his face within centimeters of Hinata's, and Hinata once again took on a rosy hue before slumping into unconsciousness.

"Ugh! You baka! Get out of Hinata's face!" Sakura slammed her fist onto Naruto's head, sending him crippling to the floor as she fumed about his idiocy.

…...

Neji was quite pleased with the current arrangement. He hadn't been entirely thrilled about the idea of coming to this camp when his Uncle Hiashi had first pitched the idea, but he found that with each new activity his perspective was changing more and more. It seemed that Fate really was on his side this time. Tenten seemed to be in every single one of his activity groups.

He had expected to have her in all of the required activities, but had been pleasantly surprised to find her in Archery and Soccer as well. He had even been so lucky as to have been put into the same group with her for the Initiative Course. It had been tense at first, seeing as how the girl Tenten had lost the tournament to last year had been put in their group as well, but the two had quickly buried the hatchet and spent the better part of Kurenai's introduction trading tips and tricks back and forth.

Neji had maintained a respectable distance from Tenten ever since his cousin's pointedly questioning stares over breakfast, but when Kankuro had stepped forward to offer to support Tenten as she climbed onto the "wreckage of the ship" Neji had brusquely jumped onto the board, pulling Tenten up along with him. Her blush hadn't escaped his notice; nor had the evil, conniving grin he received from Ino. His studious gaze had also managed to catch the cold shoulder Ino received from Shikamaru before Neji's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as Tenten was forced to throw her arms around his waist to maintain her balance.

Over lunch, he pointedly sat at the furthest end of the table away from Tenten, but that didn't stop him from overhearing her tell Temari about how she had also signed up for Karate and Basketball. Neji was the happiest he had ever been. Not even the news about his cousin picking up her old habit of fainting could dower his mood.

Kankuro sliding into the limited space between Tenten and Ino, on the other hand…..

"Hey Tenten! Hey Ino! Hey little sis! Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." Tenten chimed happily. "We were just talking about which activities we signed up for and who has the best weapons. So far Ino is winning on possessing the deadliest weapon. (*cue stage whisper*) She's even carrying it in her bag with her."

"Cool! Whatcha got?" Kankuro grinned excitedly at Ino as she rolled her eyes.

"For the last time Tenten, a hair straightener is NOT a weapon. It is a beauty product that turns paupers into princesses." Ino flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder for added emphasis.

"Troublesome. Some things never change."

"What was that, Shikamaru?" Ino was glaring daggers across the table at Shikamaru who was in the process of stabbing his food with his fork rather than actually eating it.

"Nothing. I guess I'm just used to girls with more substance. Ones who don't spend all their time freaking out about broken nails." Ino grit her teeth. The deadly aura that was radiating off of Ino had Neji wishing that their hour lunch would hurry up and end already.

"I couldn't agree more. It is way more practical to keep nails short and hair tied back. " Temari clearly had no idea that Shikamaru was sending a jab at Ino as she smiled across the table at him. "I spend half my day in my family's shop crafting giant fans or blowing glass. Long nails and hair just get in the way."

"It's nice to know that some sensible girls are attending this camp." Shikamaru smiled wickedly at Ino. Even Neji felt like some kind of line had been crossed, though he had no clue what the two were fighting about seeing as how they had just met the night before.

Tenten and Temari jumped into a conversation about giant fans as Ino pushed her way out of the crowded table with a whispered excuse me. Neji glared at Kankuro, who even with the added space that Ino's absence created, remained pressed up against Tenten.

He also didn't miss the way that Shikamaru's gaze followed Ino across the cafeteria and out the doors. He suddenly wished that he had sat closer to Tenten, if for no other reason than to diffuse the sudden tension that Ino's absence was now causing.

When Temari and Tenten announced they were about to head to Karate Neji jumped at the chance to escape the doom and gloom that had settled over Shikamaru like a fog.

"Are you coming Shikamaru? You signed up for Karate too, didn't you?" Tenten smiled down at Shikamaru who just shrugged his shoulders in loo of responding. The three stood awkwardly waiting for him to make a move before filing out of the cafeteria. Neji glanced back as he was exiting the room to see that Shikamaru had slammed his head into the cafeteria table, his food demolished but not eaten. He was also quite unpleased to find Kankuro chasing after them.

…..

Ino was dead tired after Aerobics. Of course Guy Sensei had been the one teaching Aerobics. He had traded his green jumpsuit for a green leotard and his orange leg warmers didn't cover nearly enough of his legs. And the orange sweatband around his forehead had made his already unflattering haircut even worse.

Ino kicked a rock into the river in frustration at her drifting thoughts. "Why do I always focus on appearances? Guy is passionate and friendly. He doesn't let how ridiculous he looks affect his personality. Why can't I be like that?"

"I find that it helps to be yourself." Ino jumped in shock at the sudden voice.

She turned her head to find Sai, one of the boys she had met in her initiative group, hunched over a sketchpad as he sat on a boulder near the tree line. He looked fine despite the fact that he had been ejected from their board earlier when Neji had jumped on with no warning. His pale skin didn't show the slightest trace of any bruising. She was seriously jealous.

Remembering his comment she quickly replies, "How do you do that?"

"Years of practice. I've been enrolled in art lessons since I was very young, and I draw every chance I get."

Ino sweat dropped. "Umm…I meant, how do you be yourself?"

Sai never once glanced up from his pad. "It's like this river. The river flows in whichever direction it chooses. It doesn't care that it may be more convenient for others if it was able to switch directions to go back the other way. The river stays steady, stays true to itself. "

"Riiight….Thanks Sai. That really….helped?"

"Anytime, Beautiful!" Ino blushed at Sai's brash compliment. He was odd, but if she was being honest, he really wasn't bad looking. He was paler than what would normally be considered attractive, but he had a nice smile and dark eyes that made you feel a little incoherent when he looked at you.

Ino inwardly sighed as she turned back to head towards where the canoes were tied up. Once again, she was ignoring a person's character in favor of their appearance. She really was just a shallow ditz like Shikamaru thought she was.

Ino's thoughts wandered back to that morning; Shikamaru's cold brush off. She had been so certain that he had been feeling the same rush as she had. But no. He hadn't so much as looked at her in Art or during Tennis. He ignored her multiple attempts to get his attention. He had brushed her off at the start of lunch when she had tried asking him if everything was okay. Then he had gone and insulted her in front of a table of strangers – very dense strangers, but still.

They weren't little kids anymore. He had figured out that she was all beauty and no substance. What decent guy wants that when there are sensible girls in the world? And Shikamaru was all about sensibility.

"Ino! Hey, Ino!?" Ino glanced up slowly from her self-deprecating thoughts to find Sakura waving her over. Hinata was propped up against the pinkette, looking very pink herself.

"Hi Sakura. Hi Hinata. Feeling any better?" Ino tried to put a little bit of enthusiasm into her voice but knew she had fallen flat when she saw the worried questioning of Sakura's eyes. Ino waved it away, focusing her attention on Hinata. She'd heard the story from Lee already during Aerobics, and while she wasn't sure about the sunsets and waterfalls that had played a major role in his version of the story, she heard enough to get the gist.

"Much, thank you." Hinata smiled warmly up at Ino, though the girl's eyes kept darting towards the annoying blonde from the bus. Ino figured he was all looks and no substance much like herself.

Her gaze slid past the blonde to the lanky boy lying under the tree, staring angrily up at the clouds. Ino unconsciously hugged herself. She's never known Shikamaru to act like this. He'd never been anything but sweet with her….lazy and annoying, but sweet.

Ino slid down the rock to sit next to Sakura, slumping her head against her friend's shoulder. "Sakura…do I have any….substance?" From the corner of her eye, Ino noticed Hinata looking pointedly away, trying to give the two best friends some semblance of privacy.

Sakura's worried expression morphed into a pensive glare. "Of course you do, Ino. What kind of absurd question is that?"

Ino pushed the dirt around with her foot. "It's just that everything about me is so impractical. All I talk about is makeup and hair and….boys. We walk 15 miles a day and I packed a straightener. I got sent here because my own parents think I'm a boy crazed freak. And Shikamaru…." Ino's voice trailed off as she buried her face into Sakura's arm.

"You listen up Ino-Pig! Just because you care about your appearance does not mean that you don't have substance! Sure, we both lean towards the girly side, but that doesn't define who we are. You're one of the smartest girls at school! You make all A's, you're the president of multiple clubs – academic clubs. You do more volunteer work than I do, and don't forget about the fact that we both just applied to Yale and Brown University. You may have a proficiency for being a little boy crazy, but what girl isn't at our age! If that's not substance then I don't know what is!" Sakura's voice had gradually risen as she was talking, ending with her fist clenched tightly as she thrust it up into the air.

Ino dragged her knees up to her chest to find a place to bury her face. "Thanks Sakura, but did you really have to yell all of that!?" Ino peered over her knee to find that the people closest to them were all staring. She tried to stop herself, but her gaze was drawn like a magnet to his face.

Shikamaru was propping himself up on one arm, his gaze fixed pointedly on her. It was a welcome sight to have Tenten crouch down in front of her, effectively blocking her view of him.

"Sakura is right you know. I don't know what's going on, but you're confident and funny and one of the friendliest people I've ever met. Whoever is making you feel so down is just jealous of how amazing you are." Ino smiled her first real smile since this morning.

"Thanks Tenten. I'm glad I have a new friend like you." Tenten patted Ino on the arm before pushing herself back up to stand. She stretched out her arm and Ino took her hand gratefully as she stood back up.

Ino felt the light coming back on inside of herself. She didn't know what was going on with Shikamaru, but she liked who she was. She bounced on the balls of her feet, feeling a new surge of energy rushing through her.

"This is going to be a great summer! I've got amazing friends, old," Ino smiled down at Sakura, "and new." Tenten met Ino's smile and they both glanced down at Hinata who was grinning as well. Ino ignored Sakura's infuriated grunt, saying, "Who do you think you're calling old!?"

"Last one to the canoes has to get a makeover!" Ino hollered as she darted around Tenten and took off sprinting towards a red canoe partially resting on the shore.

"Hey! Ino-Pig! That's no fair!" Ino laughed loudly as she heard Sakura's screeches from behind her. It was no surprise when Tenten passed Ino – she had already figured that there was no possible way Tenten would risk letting someone mess with her buns. Plus that girl was seriously athletic!

Ino spun quickly around as she reached the canoe. Sakura was jogging towards them, with a flustered Hinata right on her heels. "That was so not fair Ino!" Sakura gasped as she reached Ino. Hinata slowed to a walk as she realized she had lost.

Ino smiled evilly at the girl. "So word around town – or camp – is that you have a little crush on a certain someone Hinata. Just wait till he gets a load of you after I'm done with you." Hinata's entire face flushed, but she smiled all the same as she glanced behind her where Naruto still stood talking loudly with Sasuke (I say "with," but we all really know who is doing all of the talking.)

"Whew! I'm just relieved it's not me. Sorry, Hinata!" Tenten stuck her tongue out at Hinata, touching the buns on top of her head out of reflex.

"It's okay, Tenten. Oddly enough, I'm actually looking forward to it. I don't think I've ever had a make over before."

Sakura and Ino squealed as they began circling her, touching her hair and admiring her nails. They gave a full appraisal and began talking amongst each other about where to start as a dark haired counselor slowly made his way down the slope that led to the river.

…

Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear from y'all about how this story is doing so far and any suggestions y'all have for fun camp activities! I spent two months at a summer camp, but it was an all girls camp so I'm not really sure what kind of activities co-ed camps do. I'm assuming a weekly spa night and Disney karaoke nights are a no, but it would be awesome to get suggestions from people who have actually attended a co-ed camp. I kind of regret making this camp have so many sports activities and little to no break time (hahaha *cue sweat drop*)