Disclaimer: Of course I own Naruto. Unfortunately, I'm lying to myself. Blah blah blah… I'm in a crazy mood. Never mind me!

o-x-o

Authoress Notes:

Thanks for the reviews I received for the last three chapters! I'll try my best!

o-x-o

Chapter 4

THE Ultimate Plan

"I love..."

Neji was trying with all his might not to blush. Tenten was so close to him that their noses practically touched. Neji drew in a breath and exhaled it, slowly gaining his calm composure. He stared at Tenten, who by now had nearly given up on her goal.

She was clearly exhausted, tired by Neji's coolness. He seemed to be so cold that he didn't even notice that they were practically touching! She took a deep breath, and scooted even more closely to Neji, who now had his arms over his chest.

"I love..." Tenten began again. Damn it, why was it so hard to even spit out THE word? "... to make you nervous." She finished, a little nervousness had been taken up her head.

There. She said it. Once you know you're dealing with Hyuuga Neji, it's barely safe to nag him and tell him that you love to make him nervous. Tenten gulped, realizing this.

She withdrew to her sitting position, and noticed that the Hyuuga boy she was playing with was staring at her.

"I can see that." He agreed. He cursed in his heart, Neji, how could you be so naive? She wouldn't say I love you, right? He smacked himself mentally as he stared into Tenten's now exhausted eyes. Great thing he was such a collected guy that he only blushed so very little.

Tenten could hardly believe that she failed. She almost succeeded, but the guy was as cold as he was. He didn't even flinched when she flung her arms around his neck! He was, indeed, THE Hyuuga Neji.

"Well, I'm going home." The boy announced as he rose up. "Goodnight, Tenten. And thanks for your information." He was saying it sarcastically that Tenten was enraged. Again. This boy was slowly driving her mad each time they talk. And she did notice the pattern: each time they talk, she failed, and he succeeded.

She sighed and laid herself on the sofa as Neji left her apartment.

o-x-o

"You failed?" Shikamaru grinned when he heard that. He laughed ever so loudly that Tenten can't help it but threw a kunai at him, which he easily dodge, even though still laughing crazily.

He grinned again, and broke into another laugh as he examined the madness in Tenten's eyes. "Kay, don't get angry." He told her quickly, but still he smiled in a mocking way that Tenten threw another kunai at him, which he easily dodged again.

"I don't know you're that stupid." he said, "You followed Ino's words? Ouch, Tenten! That must hurt."

"Shut up." Tenten glared daggers at him, her face red of embarrassment. "If you're a friend, help! Don't laugh!" She snapped, and Shikamaru felt silent.

"I can't understand why exactly you want to put him on revenge so badly, still." Shikamaru said, "Isn't it too troublesome?"

"Nah. It'll be worth it." Tenten said assuring, even though now a part of her said that Neji was too cold and too ignorant to be put on revenge. After all, he WAS Neji.

"What put you two into a fight, anyway?" Shikamaru asked, and this time it was Tenten who fell silent. She blushed hard, and Shikamaru was getting more and more curious by seeing her red face. "Well?" He demanded, "What is it?"

"I told him one of the reasons why I have been avoiding him." She said, leaning on the sofa. Shikamaru grinned. "Don't tell me you told him that he's a boy?" He said, and when Tenten nodded embarrassedly, he burst out laughing, loudly.

"Geez, Shikamaru. Shut up." Tenten ordered as she threw another kunai at him. No wonder Shikamaru always said 'Life is troublesome' when he himself WAS a trouble!

"I... can't..." Shikamaru tried with all his might to stop laughing, but in result his face was so red and he can't stand the glee in his mind that he burst out laughing, louder than before. Again. After a few moments, he fell silent as he examined Tenten's face. "How did he respond to that?" He asked, putting a sincere mask on his face.

"He said that he's always a boy." Tenten replied, remembering her conversation with Neji around two days ago. And when Shikamaru laughed again, she snapped, "I don't even know why I bother telling you, Shika, when you laughed like that and you didn't offer a single help!"

"So-rry!" The shadow boy replied, grinning violently, "You know what? All these happenings between you and Neji, assured me that you are the best couple, ever! I can't be surer!"

"I do not ask for that!" Tenten snapped. "I am in the state of confusion, Shika, and if you laugh like this, I don't know how much longer you can stay breathing." She readied her shurikens between her fingers, obviously threatening.

Shikamaru fell silent at once.

"Do you have any idea, Shika?" The girl sighed heavily, covering her face with her hands, "I have lost my pride and dignity in front of him." She was exaggerating, but it sounded true to Shikamaru anyway, as she continued slowly, "I've lost my face!"

"You do not." Shikamaru said, raising his eyebrows innocently, "Your face is still there."

Tenten glared at him, and Shikamaru grinned apologetically. The weapon mistress took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly, trying to make herself calm. "Shika." She called in a dangerous voice; "I need you to make up a strategy for me."

"Wh-what?" Shikamaru looked troubled. "Strategy?"

"Yeah. I can't face Neji if this situation continues."

"I suggest that you just tell him you're sorry and that you will hold no more grudges against him. It's troublesome to put on revenges, anyway."

"I never take back my words, and never will!" Tenten declared energetically, but the next moment she was as down as ever.

Shikamaru sighed. "Then how should I help?"

"Tell me what to do!"

"I already did. I said you have to tell him you're sorry!"

"But I am not!"

"Then you have to think yourself, then."

"Shikamaru!"

"What?"

"What should I do?"

Tenten looked so frustrated that Shikamaru grinned wildly again. He never saw his only female best friend being as confused like this. When first he met Tenten and Neji, he thought Tenten had already been influenced by the coldness of the Hyuuga guy, when she actually was livelier than him in reality.

"Well..." He began as he put his hands together; clearly noting to Tenten that he had began thinking of strategies. The girl silenced, letting him to take his time as long as his idea will help her. After all, Shikamaru was a great strategy-maker, there's no doubt to that.

So, as the shadow-user took his time, Tenten also did. She quietly took out a book from Shikamaru's bookshelf and began reading it. It was a book about advanced katanas and how to use them perfectly, which Tenten obviously put an interest into. Once in a while she eyed Shikamaru from her book, but the boy seemed too petrified at his chair.

She browsed through different types of katanas and how to handle them perfectly. This book was killing her precious time, but nonetheless she thought it would be useful.

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open at the second she put the katana book back to Shikamaru's shelves. Tenten scooted closer to him, her eyes gleaming expectantly. "... So?"

"I haven't really found any good ideas." He told her, letting her once expectant eyes darkened dangerously. He saw a punch coming if he didn't say anything, so he quickly covered it up by saying, "But... I think I had found something that you may use."

"What is it?" Tenten asked him enthusiastically. She looked like she was about to jump up and down to show her enthusiasm.

Shikamaru drew in a breath. "First, tell you what. You have got a serious condition underneath your eyes. Since you don't have any advantages, it'll be hard to do whatsoever. And more, you're also dealing with THE Hyuuga Neji. Beside that, he is almost stoical, so you really have no point on trying to seduce him. Again." He explained seriously.

Tenten smiled. It was obvious that Shikamaru was trying to help her, since he gave a full analysis of her situation right now. But nonetheless she felt angry that Shikamaru had brought up the seducing subject up again. "Hey, it's not my fault that I failed!" She smirked, "Ino said her technique would be useful to anyone!"

"She should have meant anyone that is abnormal."

"Are you abnormal, then?"

"I am normal, that's why she always fails when she tried that to me." Shikamaru said through gritted teeth. Obviously he hated that this subject was being brought up. "... You want my help or not?"

"Of course."

"Then shut your mouth about this thing. It's too troublesome."

"Yeah, everything's troublesome to your eyes." Tenten pointed out, half-sarcastically. "So what should I do, Shika-chan?"

"Don't call me that."

"Oh, okay."

"Then..." Shikamaru drew in another deep breath. "You could..." He paused, and took a look around the room. Tenten was getting suspicious, so she scooted closer again. "What is it?"

"This is my first time getting into troublesome love problems." Shikamaru declared suddenly. "I'm not talented at it, but if I tried to look from Neji's point of view, he must have thought that you are troublesome."

"He eavesdropped us that day when we're playing Shougi." Tenten told him, feeling hot all of a sudden. "I punched him when he told me that."

"You did?" Shikamaru's eyes were practically gleaming in awe, "When did you know this?"

"The day after we played Shougi."

"And how exactly you knew?"

"He told me. Literally."

Shikamaru placed his index finger on his chin, forming into his new thinking position. He smirked once and eyed Tenten observantly. "Well..." He started, but then stopped again, looking thoughtful. "I guess that explained that, then."

"What explained what?"

"Nothing."

"Shika-chan..." Tenten was practically calling him in a sweet and sickening voice that Shikamaru glared at her, but that didn't made her withdrew. She grinned. "So what explained what? I demand an explanation now."

"That explained why he was so angry and grumpy yesterday afternoon."

"You met him?"

"Not exactly. He was having ramen with Naruto."

Tenten's eyes widened that right second. "Neji?" She practically screamed, "Having ramen? With Naruto?"

"Yeah. Shocking, isn't it? I happened to pass by, and I was shocked too." Shikamaru smirked, "They were talking. Naruto was practically beaming, but Neji looked very crossed. Now I think I know why."

"But Neji... he doesn't... suit ramen!"

"I know." Shikamaru grimaced, "But ramen is food, Tenten, and people need food to live."

Tenten exhaled a breath as she calmed herself down. "And you're telling me he's eating ramen because of my punch? That's impossible!" She said, "Neji wouldn't have been caught eating ramen dead, let alone alive!"

"He was. But I think he is ever so frustrated on your threat that he started liking ramen."

"He never hates them."

"Whatever." Shikamaru sighed. "You are dragging me into your problem, Tenten, and this is troublesome. So can we please put this subject away and let me quickly explain my idea?"

"Oh. Right." Tenten looked that she had just been zapped back to reality. Shikamaru looked around his room once again as he pulled Tenten closer and whispered some sentences to her.

"WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY?" was the words that came out of Tenten's lips when finally Shikamaru let her go. "I can't do that! They might kill me!"

"Then don't. I'm only suggesting."

"But I don't know what to do if I didn't!"

Shikamaru shook his head and sighed as he observed Tenten's crazy actions. She was jumping up and down, her eyes shining dangerously as she looked as if she had seen something very, very scary. It was a horror to see her like this, Shikamaru decided in his heart.

Tenten looked at him, her eyes pleading helplessly. "I can't do that." She said hopelessly.

"Well, you have to think of ideas your own, then." Shikamaru shrugged, "I told you, love is NOT my forte."

"What should I do?" Tenten asked, more to herself than to Shikamaru. The boy shrugged once more, and this time his shrug brought luck to Tenten. Her eyes gleamed even more dangerously. "I got it now!" She announced happily as she pulled Shikamaru and whispered something to him.

This time, it was Shikamaru who found his eyes widened in horror. "Are you crazy?"

"No. I'm perfectly normal." Tenten told him. She grinned wickedly. "You gotta help me."

"Temari would be furious!"

"She wouldn't. She will think of this as fun. Try contacting her and see what she thinks." Tenten said happily, "I guarantee you that she will think that it will be fine. This is fun, anyway. So, Shikamaru?"

"... I'm... not so sure."

"You have to." Tenten's eyes gleamed dangerously for the fiftieth time today, "Or I will tell Temari about the day after we met in the markets."

"NO!"

"It's your choice."

"... Fine..."

"Cool." Tenten grinned. "Then all you have to do for me is contact him and tell him the plan. I'll be getting ready too."

"How so?"

"I'm going to take a peaceful bath." She told him, grinning fiercely, "Jiraiya's not here. This is a perfect time."

"When I'm having the worse time of my life, you're taking a bath? It's so..."

"Troublesome." Tenten cut him out, "Your pride is the bet. I don't really care, anyway."

"Fine."

Tenten smiled. "Thanks, Shika."

"Yeah, yeah."

"I'm going now."

"'kay." Shikamaru couldn't seem to believe the bad luck that had dawned on him. And he never thought that Tenten would be the ultimate source of it!

He sighed heavily as Tenten leaped from his bedroom door, leaving him alone. After a while, Shikamaru stood up and went out of his room, slamming his door for closure.

"... Mom, I'm going." He told his mom. "I'll be back in a half of hour."

"It's a rainy day." His mother said carefully. "You hardly go out in rainy days. What happened?"

"Tenten has just come." Shikamaru said, "She brought troubles, and I gotta solve it. See you at dinner."

"Okay."

Shikamaru went out of his house, slapping his forehead mentally. Suddenly he thought that his once nice idea would make the hell breaks loose.

If only he didn't bring it up!

Oh, poor, poor Shikamaru.

o-x-o

End Notes:

Chapter 4 here. That was... weird. Even I thought so when I re-read it... (sigh)I don't think this is good, but this is my best job for the time being, so... sorry! I'll do better next time, I promise!I couldn't seem to fix anymore of my grammar up there, so if you spot a mistake, please tell me.

I'll be going on vacation for the next two weeks and will not be updating this... Well, I'm gonna skip the first day of school too (smirks). Why am I telling you this? I dunno... (sigh). I'm in a weird mood, so don't mind me. Really!

Sorry!

Please review... (hopes)

Thanks!