Hiashi decided to throw a party for his nephew's arrival from Oxfords University. Trying to intimidate Neji, he tried to brag arrogantly about his accomplishments.

"I lie awake at nights thinking up ideas," Hiashi boasted.

Neji raised an eyebrow and responded coolly, "I stake awake days."

"…"

Hiashi's Lesson In Life: Silence can be an excellent substitute for brilliance.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I Wanna Be A Supermodel

Summary: Tenten is an ordinary girl who was thrown into the crazy world of showbiz. Can she survive? Pairings are: NaruHina SasuSaku InoShikaTema and eventual NejiTen. Read & Review pls!

SARAFU-CHAN: I'm back! Oh yeah!

CHIBIKAKASHI: (kicks open the door) YEAH! Me too!

SARAFU-CHAN: OMG, ice cream's BACK! AlReAdY! YAYAYAYAY! HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! LOL! 123!soOoOOo COOL! YahOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! XD

CHIBIKAKASHI: O.o

SARAFU-CHAN: Mail time!

Confuzzled: Omigosh, pareho poh pla tau. In love rin ako sa mga fanfics lalo na ung NejiTen! (happily gives an ice cream) Atin-atin lang poh pero nakuha ko yung idea dahil sa Full House.

paperpenman: Haha! (throws the ice cream) Hope there's enough SasuSaku here to satisfy your daily dose of the pairing.

Lady Snow Blood: The answers to your questions lie here. (points to new chapter and gives an ice cream) Hoho! Done with being serious now! Here's an update!

harukakanata: Hmm, a Tenten poster you say? (hands the ice cream w/ Tenten post -timeskip poster)

i-dream-of-blue-eyes: I agree. Ino IS scary when she's being insane. (throws ice cream)

hibiyuru: Thank you for dubbing me as the "nicest author ever." (wipes a tear and gives an ice cream) It's no big dealy anywayz. That's so good about giving virtual stuff, you can also give a house and lot as long as you can type it. (types "gives hibiyuru house and lot")

moonlightpath: Now you would find out what is inside Ino's love letter for Shikamaru. And about Tenten and Temari being on good terms, well I just decided to try something new. I'm sick of fics making them crazy and catfighting with each other if you know what I mean. (hands a delicious ice cream)

Fantastical Queen Ebony Black: That chappie was the start of the "Lessons In Life" section. If you read them crefully, you can apply what you learned to real life! Neat huh? (gives an ice cream)

FireDragonBL: Oh, update your story! (gives two ice creams for inspiration) And you are very right, Naruto should stop acting like a jerk and notice Hinata-chan.

lunarangel: Don't get me wrong! Your questions are not really annoying me! I hope you don't feel offended. (hands an ice cream) I actually like those kinds of reviews you know? That just proves that even though I'm a lousy writer, I can still make my readers squeal in delight especially in the NejiTen moments! YEAH!

animEvivvErz: Chapter 8 already updated! (hands an ice cream)

Kodoku: Thank you for the compliments! (throws an ice cream)

Airheaded Dude: Ino is not actually a war freak, just a jealous revenge-type kinda girl. (gives a super yummy ice cream) And Dude, Encantadia is cool!

NaruHina113: Naruto's not dumb…Just really dense to the point that he doesn't realize the obvious. (hands an ice cream) Don't worry, I'm just like you. I love reading NaruHina fanfics too but what I really LOVE is NejiTen! GO NEJITEN!

Preventer Squall: (sobs) How…DRAMATIC! (uses handkerchief to stop crying and shifts to Gai-mode) NARUTO! (jumps on a platform and punches Naruto Gai-style) How dare youuuuuu! Are you that stupid to not notice the love and admiration of someone who has loved you from afar, someone who is willing to give the entirety of her heart to you! That is unacceptable! The youth is within you, boy! WITHIN YOU! Use it wisely! (leaps to another platform and glares at Ino) As for you! Your unnecessary need for attention has blinded you to the extent that you do not ponder about the more important things in life! A love like Shikamaru's, it is unconditional and true, you have no right to just step on his heart and break it apart! (jumps back to the ground and points to Neji and Sasuke) The two of you! Your stupidity is no exception! Your frozen hearts should be melted so that you can see the beauty of love! Being given the chance to love and to love back, that is romance! If you let it it go, it may never come back to you again! You'll just spend the rest of your pathetic lives living in regret. If you follow the dobe's example, I shall personally see to it that you shall be given heavenly punishment! Do not make Tenten and Sakura cry. Or else… (growls before shifting back to normal) Sorry, when it comes to our daily correspondence, I usually get Gai-like. And the coffee isn't helping at all. So yeah. That pretty much sums up my feelings… (gives an ice cream)

psychedelic eva: Thanks for reviewing. (hands an ice cream) I really do enjoy writing the NejiTen moments, courtesy of Neji's sarcasm.

MisChibiOus: Thanks you for the advice! Yeah, when I read my fic again, I realized that Temari is being too friendly. In an AU, it is hard to fashion the character's personality straight from the manga but I'm trying! (throws an ice cream)

CuddlyBear: Yeah, the ice cream melted. Fortunately, I bought MORE ice creams! YAY! (gives ice cream)

hopeless-girl: Yeah, even though Neji won't admit it, he's got a soft spot for Tenten. (throws an ice cream)

CHIBIKAKASHI: -.-; Are you feeling okay?

SARAFU-CHAN: Okaaaaaaaaaaaay? I FEEL GREAT!

CHIBIKAKASHI: Did you eat something…funny?

SARAFU-CHAN: Funny? HAHAHAHA! Hoooo! I GOT INTRODUCED TO THE BEST DRINK EVER!

CHIBIKAKASHI: (eyes twitch)

SARAFU-CHAN: CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe! CoFfEe!

CHIBIKAKASHI: Riiiight… So that explains the hyperness. (faces the readers) SARAFU-CHAN does not own Naruto. On with the story!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

As Naruto and Hinata exited the room, the two of them were both wondering about Neji's moodiness and why he is the grumpiest person alive… Well, that excludes Uchiha Sasuke but that's beside the point.

"Ne, Hinata-san, Neji's always cranky right?" Naruto asked, speaking his mind as always.

"A-Anou…" Hinata said as she looked down the floor. "H-He's always like that. M-Most of us in the family are kind of used to him being that way anyway…"

"You shouldn't defend him, you know. If he was one of the Seven Dwarfs, he'll be called Grumpy." Naruto joked, imitating Neji's (in)famous menacing glare and grunting for good measure. Even Hinata found herself smiling. "See? He's not exactly the most social person there is, is he?"

"I g-guess…"

"But anyway, his social skills trouble aside, if you ask me, he's 10 times grumpier today than he is usually! Do you have any idea why?" Naruto asked cluelessly as Hinata's eyes filled with sadness again.

Hinata knows that her cousin Neji detests her father. She also knows that the wounds the branch family has for the main family runs deep. This silent family war was further worsened when Neji's father was kidnapped, thinking that he was the current president, Hiashi. And now that her father is back, Neji's mood is changing from bad to worse. Hell, even Hinata isn't too thrilled with the idea of her father coming back. It's just more pressure and criticism coming her way.

"Hey, today's your day off right?" Naruto suddenly asked.

"Y-Yes…"

Naruto brightened up and pulled Hinata. "That's great! I'll take you to a special place. Come on!"

"E-Eh?" It was all that the young executive could say as Naruto pulled her towards the elevator.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sakura faced the mirror and said to herself, "You are strong. You can do this…You are beautiful, intelligent and nice. You love Sasuke and Sasuke loves you!" Putting her headband in place and fixing her hair carefully, she smiled at her reflection. "Today meet the new Haruno Sakura! No more inhibitions! Say what's on your mind! Live life to the fullest! Live your life for your one true and great love! Show Ino-pig who is better!" Damn right, Haruno Sakura is the best and would pawn that Ino-pig! HELL YEAH! She raised her hand up in the air and did a sort of victory pose as her smile grew even wider.

RING! RING!

"Aagh!" Sakura almost fell despite just standing there. Clutching her bag, she dug inside it and got her cellphone. "Hello, who is this? Oh, Kakashi-san! Why did you call me? Eh? Five in the afternoon today?" She reached for a piece of paper in her pocket. "I don't get it; it says here in my schedule that the shooting won't take place until tomorrow, why the sudden change? Oh… But why didn't Tsunade-san tell me?"

On the other line, a plotting Kakashi was scratching his head as he answered Sakura's questions as best as he can, "Uh, yes. Well your manager was busy because… She has a cold! Yah, a cold! Uh-huh! What? You want to visit her? No! I mean, no 'cause you might catch it and it's very dangerous. You do know that a simple cold can affect an actress's career right? Yes. That's right. And oh yeah, don't bring your bodyguard along. There's a no green-spandex suit rule thingy today or something. Uh-huh. You can send me the fruits and flowers if you like and I'll take them to her. Don't worry about me! I'm immune to colds… Uh-huh! Great! See ya there!"

Kakashi turned off his cellphone and smiled.

This matchmaking is fun. Now for Sasuke…

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Here we are!"

Hinata stared quietly at the restaurant in front of her and commented, "I-It looks nice… W-What is this building?"

"Why, this is the Ichiraku Ramen Restaurant!" He proudly gestured at the restaurant in front of him and looked at Hinata quizzically. "Don't tell me you haven't eaten here?"

"Um, n-no…" Hinata answered meekly remembering that whenever she does eat outside, it'll always be in some kind of aristocratic restaurant with gourmet foods and sometimes all-you-can-eat buffets. "B-But I want to try eating here."

"Really? That's great! You wait, they make the best ramens in town here! Come on, I haven't eaten breakfast yet and I'm very hungry!" Naruto cheerfully exclaimed as he pulled Hinata again in excitement.

The blonde-haired boy sat down and looked for the owner of the restaurant, "Ne, Ayame-chan! Where is ojii-san? I don't see him anywhere!" He looked at Hinata who seemed to be uncomfortable. "I'll pay for our food. Don't worry, Hinata-chan…" He paused and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, I just like calling you as Hinata-chan so…"

"H-Hinata-chan…I like the sound of that better than Hinata-san." Hinata heard herself say as colors flooded her face.

"Naruto!"

Naruto looked up and smiled at the old man who runs the ramen restaurant, "Hey how have you been since I was gone? I trust that business is still good right?"

"Of course!" The old man tried to look strict and leaned over to Naruto. "Did you already forget what our motto is? It's…"

"We make the BEST RAMEN in the whole wide univeeeeeeeeeerse!" Naruto finished as he leapt up and stood in his chair, causing the other customers to look shocked, confused and some amused. (Hey that rhymes!)

"Geez, Naruto. You're still as loud as ever," The old man sighed as he motioned for Naruto to sit down. He then noticed Hinata and winked at Naruto conspicuously, "So who must this beautiful young lady be, huh, Naruto?"

Hinata blushed and looked at the ground while Naruto placed an arm around her shoulder, "Oh right. This is Hinata-chan. She's a good friend of mine. I want her to try the ramen here cause it's good!" He turned to Hinata. "Say hi, Hinata-chan!"

"A-Anou… I'm Hyuuga Hinata. N-Nice to meet you." Hinata said shyly, blushing even more after Naruto placed his arm on her left shoulder.

"I see." The old man replied, his eyes hinting amusement. Ayame was giggling in the back. Our little Naruto is growing up. I can't wait till Iruka hears about this. "So Naruto, what would you have? Would you like to try the new ramen we came up with?"

Naruto's eyes crinkled in delight. "New ramen? Oh boy! I'll try that one, I think."

The old man turned to Hinata, "And for your date…"

Hinata wanted to protest after hearing the word date but Naruto instantly spoke for her. "Hinata-chan, what would you have? Would you like the new ramen too or would you like other varieties?" Naruto counted with his fingers. "There are about eight I think. My personal favorite is the miso ramen but pure meat is good too…."

Hinata wasn't paying attention to Naruto. She was silently celebrating the fact that Naruto didn't deny being her date but also didn't affirm it. That's got to be something right?

"M-Miso ramen." Hinata suddenly said as she finally broke off from her trance.

Naruto blinked and then gave his trademark fox-grin, "Okie dokie! One bowl of miso ramen and five bowls of the new Super Delicious Spicy Ramen Noodles!" He raised a fist up in the air. "Let the ramen-eating begin!"

The old man laughed and served the miso ramen for Hinata, "Only five? If I remember correctly, you eat a whole lot more than that."

After 15 minutes, Hinata was surprised out find out that Naruto can eat five bowls of ramen in one sitting. Even more amazing was the fact that he ordered ten more bowls after eating all of those ramen. She knew that as a growing boy, Naruto needed all the nourishment he could get. But that was too much… After witnessing Naruto eat fifteen bowls of ramen in fifteen minutes, she reminded herself to learn how to cook good ramen when she gets home.

"Woo, I feel good!" Naruto stretched happily and drank a glass of juice. "So Hinata, was the ramen here the greatest? Did ya like it? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"It w-was very delicious." Hinata smiled contentedly at Naruto.

"Okay, Naruto. Here's the bill." The old man said, handing a little paper to Naruto. Naruto happily accepted it before gaping at the paper after looking at it. Hinata looked confused and leaned over, wanting to know if Naruto is alright.

"One… One thousand and three hundred?" Naruto spoke in a panicky kinda voice. "H-How come it's so expensive! The last time I ate here, I only had to pay half the price and that was seven bowls more!"

The old man shrugged, "You were working for us back then. Of course you would get a discount." Naruto silently cursed himself remembering that he only applied for this job before because of the discount for the workers. "And also, you ordered the new ramen, that's more expensive than an ordinary miso ramen."

"Whaaaaaaatebayo!" Naruto searched in his pockets for some money but when he counted it, it was still not enough.

"Anou…N-Naruto-kun, if you like, I can pay for our food…" Hinata offered, picking up her wallet.

"No way!" protested Naruto as he waved both of his arms in front of him. "I told you that I would treat you right? I've gotta pay for this, Hinata-chan. I want to keep up to my word!"

"N-Naruto-kun…"Hinata blushed again for the umpteenth time because of Naruto's kindness.

"Hinata-chan…" Naruto smiled at the young Hyuuga as he looked deeply into her pale white eyes.

"Ahem. I hate to cut short this intimate moment of yours but my money please?" The old man interrupted impatiently, a hand in front of Naruto.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The office phone was ringing.

Temari picked it up.

"Hello Temari?" said the voice on the other line.

"Huh?" Temari looked at the telephone receiver in surprise. "Who is this? How did you know my name?"

"Feh. You don't even know the voice of your own brother." The voice on the other line sneered.

Temari's eyes widened as she yelled back, "Kankurou!"

"Who were you expecting? Gaara?" Kankorou said in return. "Listen, our father is already angry with you. Not only did you screw up your job, you also tried to-"

"Oh shut the hell up!" Temari shouted. "This is my life. Why are you trying to pry your noses into my business anyway? I told you before right? That Orochimaru guy is up to no good. I can see it in his eyes. He's just going to manipulate our father and then-"

"Temari."

Temari froze. The voice on the other line had changed, much more commanding and a whole lot colder than before. This is not Kankurou…

"Temari, we are going to come there in Konoha." The voice said.

"Gaara, wait-"

TOOT! TOOT! TOOT! TOOT! TOOT!

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Naruto and Hinata were lying under the comfortable shade of a tree near the pond. Hinata remembers that it was the same place where the two of them first met. She begins to feel sad that Naruto doesn't remember her. Was she that typical?

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto's voice suddenly loomed in Hinata's head.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata straightened up and looked at the blonde-haired boy who was peacefully sleeping. I heard his voice inside my head. W-Why am I thinking of him like this?

Naruto opened his eyes and after a moment of rest, yawned. "Nata-chan, wassup?"

"N-Nata-chan?" Hinata felt herself redden at the nickname.

"I had a very weird dream you know?" Naruto shared as he got up and stretched himself. "You know that Summer Festival event we were talking about the last time?" Hinata nodded. "Hehe, well it seems that I've dreamt about it and now I know who that girl was!"

"The g-girl you gave your toy frog?" Hinata felt some hope rising within her.

"Yup!" Cheerfully answered Naruto.

"W-Who is she?" Hinata pressed on, her heart beating faster, feeling some butterflies in her stomach.

"Easy." Naruto gave a V-sign. "Sakura-chan!"

"W-What?" Hinata said, her voice weakening in dismay. She felt her heart getting broken at Naruto's sudden revelation. But I was that girl! Naruto-kun, why can't you see that?

"That's right!" Chirped Naruto, unaware of Hinata's saddening mood. "You see, she had short hair back then but now she grew it long when she heard that Sasuke-teme likes girls with long hair." He threw a stone on the pond. "And then she was all shy before too." He scratched his jaw. "I think that was before she met Ino… Well anyway, the bottom line is she's the friend I met way back in the Summer Festival a long time ago!"

"Naruto-kun, you really like Sakura huh…" Hinata muttered sadly.

Naruto gave a fox-like grin. "YEAH! I told you before right? I LOVED her ever since we were little!" He stopped when he realized something. "Hinata…Did you just…say a sentence without stuttering?"

Hinata ignored Naruto's comment and summoned all the courage she can get as she faced Naruto. "N-Naruto-kun…What if I tell you that Sakura wasn't the girl you met in the summer festival?"

"E-Eh!" Naruto looked shocked. "What are you talking about? Of course it was Sakura-chan!"

Hinata wanted to protest some more but when she heard the determination in Naruto's voice, the belief that it was really the beautiful Haruno Sakura he met and not her, she felt every inch of her courage faltering. "R-Right. N-Never mind what I said…I w-was just…" She bowed her head and stood up. "I-I have to go. D-Don't follow me, N-Naruto-kun. I'll see you tomorrow. B-Bye." Hinata ran and disappeared.

"Was it something I said?" Naruto wondered aloud.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hey, Manny?" Tenten dropped the books on top of her head and walked over to her manager. "What're you doing?"

Neji faced Tenten and grunted, "None of your business."

Tenten wrestled an annoyed Neji and leaned over to find a small and portable T.V. perfectly hidden on his desk. "Hey cool!" She smiled at Neji. "I didn't know that you had a mini T.V. here. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tenten," Neji said through clenched teeth. "I thought I told you to stay out of my business."

"I know," Tenten said as he tinkered with Neji's T.V. "I just decided to ignore you." Giving another smile, a taunting smile to be exact, Tenten changed the channel on the T.V. "Wait, the commercial of "The Race For Sasuke's Heart Show!" I love this show!"

"You do realize that there hasn't been any episode in this show, right?" Neji said as he pushed Tenten out of his chair.

Tenten shrugged. "Well…The title seems interesting."

The two watched in silence as the commercial progressed. As it turned out, this commercial is 4 minutes long! (Hey, that's still awfully long for a commercial!) When the commercial is already ending, an idea, yes, another idea to irritate Neji, popped into the bun-haired girl's head.

"Neji-kun…"

The honorific that was given was frightening toNeji's ears as he turned to face Tenten with a glare. But the glare, as it turns out, has no effect whatsoever on our main heroine for she's already used to this kind of weird treatment by her manager.

"Let's make a bet okay?" Tenten said as she pointed at Haruno Sakura. "Sakura would get Sasuke to fall in love with her than Yamanaka Ino."

Neji smirked. "Fine." He looked at Sasuke thoughtfully. "I bet that Sasuke won't fall in love with the two of them because they're loud, annoying and both have weird hair." Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Well, pink-haired girls usually are ditzy while blonde girls are…dumb."

"You have a bad sense of humor."

"Thank you."

Then suddenly, an idea hit Neji's mind, firing up his sense of bad humor and entertainment. "Tenten-chan, how about we make this bet more exciting?"

Tenten cringed inwardly at the suffix that was added to her name but hid it. "Okay. So what's your idea?"

"Three wishes," said Neji, his eyes glinting mischievously. When he noticed that Tenten failed to catch up to his idea he explained more, "Listen, I told you that I want this bet to be more exciting right? Well, I was thinking that the winner should get something in return. After all, something should separate the winner from the loser. And where would the fun be in just betting without gamble? So I propose-"

"You're proposing to me?" Tenten suddenly blurted out.

"No," Neji said as gave another glare at Tenten. "What I was saying was that I propose-"

"LIAR!" Tenten pointed an accusing finger at Neji. "You ARE proposing to me! You keep bringing up the word "propose", do you think I'll be dumb enough to not to see through your hidden motive?"

Neji backed away and scoffed at Tenten. "What are you talking about? Who do you think you are, pinning such stupid accusations at me? You have an overactive imagination to think of such a thing." He looked at Tenten and smirked, "Or maybe… You are the one wanting to propose to me."

Tenten blushed. "N-No way! W-Why would you think of that? That's insane, preposterous, ridiculous, outrageous, offensive, silly, absurd, ludicrous, comical, stupid-"

"When you're done with your abnormally long list of adjectives, can I continue what I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me?" Neji said, cutting short Tenten's speech. "Anyway, what I would like to say is that the winner should get three wishes."

"Oh. Like Aladdin?" Tenten asked, sounding interested.

"Yeah, like Aladdin and the Genie of the Lamp. Sort of."

Tenten raised an eyebrow at her manager, "I like your idea, Mr. Hyuuga. I like your brilliant idea very much." The two of them then shook hands, signifying the start of the bet. All should have been fine and they could have started a good, maybe even lasting, friendship with one another, if only Neji would stop being Neji even more than Sasuke being Sasuke…

"Put those books back on your head. Double time!" Neji paused and as an afterthought added, "Tenten-chan."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Shikamaru always lives an ordinary day everyday. He starts with the ordinary routine. Waking up, shower and then breakfast. Off to work to be greeted by his spirited and lively secretary but not-so ordinary Temari. Go read documents, do some paperwork, aimlessly type on his computer, wait for his ordinary big-boned friend Chouji to enter the scene, play Shougi with him, win, play another game until his friend decides to start an ordinary conversation and then call it a day and after that, say goodbye to Temari, drive his car, go home, watch his mother Yoshino scold his father, look at the stars, change into his ordinary pajamas and then go to bed. After that, another ordinary day ahead of him the next day.

But a love letter is not very ordinary.

Dear Shikamaru,

I have known you my entire life. Even though it pains me so much that I cannot voice out my true feelings to you in person, I decided to pour it all out in this letter. Lately, I found myself always staring at you, hearing myself uttering your name every few seconds. It might seem quite weird to you but that it is the truth. The heartache, you have no idea how much it hurts to not look at your face or to hear your voice. I know that it may not matter to you or to anyone if you ever find out my identity but I would like to listen to my heart today. My heart tells me that I've fallen hard for you, Nara Shikamaru.

Loving you always,

Himitsu

A love letter. Just what Shikamaru needed. Scratching his head, he reread the letter again and concluded that the person who wrote this letter is someone close to him. Perhaps knowing him very well. Checking the writing style, he also noticed that this certain someone is of the feminine gender. Like DUH for the readers but Shikamaru isn't the one to take chances. He also sniffs the envelope and realizes that the person used a perfume that contains a mix of wild flowers. He took a glance at Temari and immediately eliminated her on his list of suspects. She was busy typing on her computer, an unusual frown on her face.

"Temari, did anyone come here in my office before you?" Shikamaru asked.

Temari shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Besides, Chouji would know because he's the assistant head and keeper of the spare keys right?" She went back to her desk and continued typing in her computer.

"…"

Chouji huh? Hmm, he does keep the keys to almost all of the rooms here in Building B. No, Chouji is too, er, gullible to play such a stupid prank on me. Sorry, old buddy. All evidence points to you. You're the main suspect Wait. Maybe someone is behind all of this. Try to manipulate Chouji and get him to place this love letter on my desk. Yeah, that could be it. That must be his gameplan. So Chouji is just the main suspect's apprentice! Geez, whoever tried to trick Chouji must be very scheming…

"ATCHOO!"

Yamanaka Ino got a handkerchief and gently wiped her nose. "That's strange. I don't have a cold. Maybe someone remembers me." A happy thought crossed her mind as she smiled. "I know! Maybe Sasuke-kun misses me!" She then went on to fix her hair.

On second thought, it isn't really hard to try and get on Chouji's good side. Just tempt him with food and voila! Shikamaru's forehead creased. Meh, this is too troublesome. Why am I disillusioning myself with this stupid letter? Temari's right. A lazy guy like me can't go around reading some documents and doing paperwork and still expect to have a working brain at the end of the day. How tiring. With a sigh, Shikamaru dropped the love letter on the garbage can near his office desk.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

It's almost five and still, no one has arrived. When Haruno Sakura got to Studio 3, the door is unlocked but there was no one in sight. What is this? A surprise party for her or was Sasuke's manager, Kakashi lying? Now Sakura, all alone and sitting on the edge of Studio 3's indoor pool, was silently praying for Sasuke to come.

"Sakura?"

My prayers have been answered!

"Sasuke-ku- AAAGH!" Sakura let out a yelp as she lost her balance and twisted her ankle in her excitement to see Sasuke. Falling on the pool, she realized that she still can't swim! Trying desperately to breathe some air, Sakura started to move her feet but because she twisted her ankle, she cannot regain control and slowly sunk to the bottom of the pool. She wanted to scream help for Sasuke but the water was preventing her from doing so.

SPLASH!

The next thing she knew, a boy about the same age as she is, was looking at her. Sakura blushed, and remembering the incident just a while ago, realized that the boy must've been her rescuer.

Sakura opened her eyes and saw the same boy, now older.

"You know, Sakura. You haven't changed one bit…" Sasuke said as he bandaged Sakura's right leg carefully. "Let me guess. Swimming lessons didn't even cross your mind even after the incident?"

Sakura smiled. "Sasuke-kun, it's because I know you'd always be there to rescue me anyway…"

"Annoying girl…"Sasuke muttered, fighting off the blush now appearing on his face.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura laughed as she eyed Sasuke's frown turning into a visible smile. "You know what? It's like going back to the past again. Were Naruto here, it would be Group Seven all over again!"

FLASHBACK:

"All right class! I'll pair you to three groups! You have to pick a paper here in the pot and whichever number you get, that will be your group up until your last year in highschool."

A hand raised.

"Yes, Naruto?" Iruka asked.

"Why do we have to be teamed up? Why can't we just choose the person who we want to be partners with?" Uzumaki Naruto asked, clueless as usual.

"Well, that is because in some activities, you need to have some groupmates to assist you and help you," Iruka replied. "For example, dissecting frogs. We cannot give you a grade unless you have a group."

"Why not?" Naruto insisted. "I can dissect a frog just by beating it up into a bloody-"

"Eww, Naruto, that is disgusting!" Haruno Sakura cried out. "We have to follow Sir Iruka's instructions if we want to pass in our subjects." Grr, damn it! Now my chances of being paired with Sasuke-kun have decreased!

"Thank you, Sakura." Iruka answered as he brought a huge pot and dropped some pieces of paper in it. "Now everybody line up! We'll arrange the groups so pick a paper and no trading! Got that?"

"Yes sir!"

From the front of the class, Sakura can hear Ino's voice in full volume. "Ha! I am 100 percent sure now that I would be teamed up with Sasuke-kun! No doubt about that!"

"This is too troublesome," Nara Shikamaru sighed as he stared at Chouji eating some chips.

A boy with a puppy perfectly covered in his hood walked to get a paper, "Gah, I was hoping to be paired off with the Hyuuga on the next class."

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

An uproar was caused as Sasuke walked, his hands on his pockets. The girls at the classroom were drooling at his coolness and the boys were just staring at Sasuke disgusted. Picking up a paper, Sasuke promptly returned to his seat.

"Next up, Haruno Sakura!

Sakura stood up and picked a piece of paper. I hope I get Sasu- NO! I firmly believe that I will get Sasuke-kun!

After a few minutes of roll call, Iruka coughed and happily smiled at his class. "Now, open the rolled piece of pape-"

"GAAAGH! I'm in Group Seven!" Naruto's voice erupted as he waved the paper proudly. "Who else is in Team Seven, huh? They sure are lucky to have me as their partner!"

Sakura ignored Naruto and excitedly opened her paper. "Huh? Seven? I'm in Team Seven?"

Naruto heard this and dashed to Sakura's side. "Wah! Sakura-chan, we're partners now, soulmates for life!" He tried to hug Sakura but she immediately dodged and smacked Naruto instead.

"Teammates! Not soulmates, you baka!" Sakura scolded Naruto as her inner alter-ago fumed. The horror! How unlucky I am! Why do I have to be paired off with the class clown! I just hope to that my third teammate is someone who is more normal!

"Okay, Naruto and Sakura. Sit down please." Iruka said as he went to his desk. "I'll write on my class record now the group number and the students who are on that group, okay? Team 1!"

This continued until finally, Iruka called out, "Team 7!"

Naruto excitedly ran towards Iruka's desk while Sakura walked lamely, unable to believe that the no. 1 troublemaker in the whole campus is her new groupmate. She tried to straighten up and wondered who their third groupmate would be.

"Hey, Sasuke-teme. Why are you here?" Naruto angrily said.

"Dobe." Sasuke responded calmly. "I'm in Group 7 too, you baka."

Hearing this, Haruno Sakura's heart jumped in joy. She raised her hands up in the air, in an effort to praise Kami-sama. "Halleluiah!" The gods gave me Sasuke as a groupmate! YES! This is it. This is the sign. This is the moment! This is my chance to get close to him! Praise the Lord!

"Haruno Sakura?"

This broke Sakura's train of thoughts. "H-Hai?"

"Are you part of Group Seven too?" Iruka asked.

"T-That's right," Sakura answered demurely, realizing that she had acted so strange in front of the whole class.

"Okay, Group Seven." Iruka read the paper again and turned to them. "Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto, correct?" The three nodded. "Your advisory teacher in all of your subjects would be…" He checked the class record. "Hatake Kakashi."

Sasuke shrugged. "For the life of me, I still don't get why Kakashi became my manager after being our advisory teacher." He looked at the pool. "Maybe he wants to bug me even more. He's one of the two people who can irk me the most."

"Two people?"

"Yeah, the masked pervert and the dobe." Sasuke muttered.

Sakura laughed lightly, "Come on, you don't have to say that. Naruto works hard to achieve all of his goals. Remember what his ultimate goal is, Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah, become Hokage." Sasuke answered unenthusiastically. "Speaking of which, how is the dobe doing?"

"Fine I guess. He became one of my bodyguards in my new commercial and was later reassigned to guard a Hyuuga executive named Hyuuga Hinata. He didn't change much you know. Still the goofy, ramen-loving and loud Naruto we came to know and love." Narrated Sakura as she tried to get up.

"Know and love? More like hate." Sasuke said as he eyed Sakura. "Are you sure you can stand?"

"Yup!" She gave a wink and smiled conciliatorily at the raven-haired matinee idol.

"Okay…" Sasuke was still eyeing her, wanting to make sure if she's alright. Then, a sudden thought came to him, causing him to mentally slap himself. And slowly, Sasuke's Hidden Alter-Ego Emerged… This is a definite Kodak! moment! You must be out of your mind, displaying emotions like this! Or could it be, you're falling for her… Huh? Are you? Are you? Sasuke gritted his teeth. Hn! Shut up, I have no plans on being a foolish head-over-heels in love individual especially with her… OH? You're face tells me otherwise. Shut up. Sasuke and Sakura sitting on a tree. I said, shut up, damn you! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Grr… MWAH!

"I SAID, SHUT UP!"

Sakura whirled around, shocked. "S-Sasuke-kun, I wasn't talking or anything. What-"

"Never mind," Sasuke replied, walking away with an almost limping Sakura trudging behind him.

But… Unbeknownst to the both of them, a guy with a video camera was watching them, or better yet, recording all of their actions.

This guy has a nickname you know…

The Cupid Of Konoha's Hollywood!

Ahem.

Maybe this guy should stay away from…Gai.

Gai's habits are rubbing on to him.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Hey, Auntie! Open up!" Tenten was almost shouting, knocking on their door.

One of their neighbors, a woman in her fourties, decided to interfere and rushed to Tenten. "Tenten, is that you?" The bun-haired girl nodded. "I'm sorry to say it but your aunt already left."

"Left?" Tenten cried out, astounded. This is so not happening…

"Yes, I'm very sorry to become the bearer of bad news." The woman's head lowered.

Tenten, too shocked and dazed grabbed the woman on the shoulders and began shaking her, "Where? Where is she? Please tell me! I have to find my Auntie!" She stopped and dramatically looked at the sky. "I-I have to… apologize to her…"

"I'm sorry, I don't know…"

Tenten nodded and smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry if I bothered you."

What about my clothes?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

SARAFU-CHAN: I'm terribly sorry you guys! I was forced by my grandma to clean up my very, very messy room and stop on using the computer so much. Honestly, it's not my fault that I like using the computer! I mean, it's not like I use it 25 hours a day and 8 days a week! And to top it all off, just when I finished typing this chapter, a power failure just had to come and all the hard work… (pauses dramatically)…All the hard work had been ruined! And I had to type it all over again quickly, therefore explaining the many grammatical errors in this story. (cries on CHIBIKAKASHI's shoulder.)

CHIBIKAKASHI: Um. Hey, look on the bright side of things. At least, you updated…

SARAFU-CHAN: Y-You're right. I must stay strong, for the sake of the readers. (drinks coffee and turns all giddy) And I already read Chappie 258! WOOH! And you know what, I just realized that there is a so totally major NejiTen moment there! YEAH! When Neji breaks out from the water barrier thingy, he QUICKLY rushes to Tenten's side and helps her out! It was so SWEET! 100 AGREE! NejiTen is now a canon couple! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Kinikilig na me doon sa scene na yon! (drinks coffee again)

CHIBIKAKASHI: You're always drinking coffee, I thought you liked ice cream?

SARAFU-CHAN: Of course! That is why I decided to get the best of both worlds! I bought… COFFEE ICE CREAM!

CHIBIKAKASHI: Let me try! Let me try! (gets an ice cream) n.n

SARAFU-CHAN: Too good for words, huh?

CHIBIKAKASHI: .

SARAFU-CHAN: Now excuse us, we have some ice creams to finish. Please read and review!

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P-R-E-V-I-E-W ON THE NEXT CHAPTER:

"What is this nonsense?" Yamanaka Ino's eyes widened as she saw the video featuring Sasuke and Sakura in a bonding moment…or something like that. "This…This can't be happening…" Ino fell on her seat helplessly. "I…I have to commence Phase 2 of my plan…"

CUT!

Sakura's eyes showed determination. "From now on, let's make a deal. We don't exist to each other because being friends ever again is out of the question. I'm sick of it, and you're sick of it…"

"Fine!" Ino spat out, turning her back on Sakura. "You're a lousy friend, so I don't even feel sorry for this."

CUT!

Temari's eyes narrowed as she saw the sign on the billboard. It can't be…. So they really are coming?

LIVE! In Konoha's Stadium on the Fifth of November, Gaara and Kankurou Of The Sand!

CUT!

"An arranged marriage." Hiashi said simply as he calmly sipped some sake. "That's the only way you can bring back the prestige of our clan, by marrying someone of a status as high, or even higher than ourselves."

Hyuuga Hinata solemnly stared at her father, hoping that her ears are deceiving her. "F-Father…Y-You can't be serious…"

CUT!

"N-Neji… I don't know what to say… I…." Tenten's eyes were getting teary as she stared up at her manager.

"Then don't say anything." Neji replied as he gave her a handkerchief. "Sometimes, actions are enough."

Tenten took the handkerchief and looked at Neji. It was almost…nice. She didn't want to believe that Neji, the Hyuuga Neji, helped her out and even encouraged her to stand up even though no one believed she can do it. Whoever knew that the guy with the heart of ice also has a sensitive side to him?