Ha ha. The final part. I just thought I'd like to mention that I did some research into this, looking into Hinata and her past, her father and all that. Of course, I had to. I'd also like to rant a little bit more, though my rant this time will actually make sense with the fandom.

Those Time-Skip outfits are barftastic. The only outfits that get better are Shikamaru's and Naruto's. (Blue and orange does not a camouflage make. Sure, orange is still bright, but at least he's not wearing opposite colours and drawing people's eyes to him in the forest. Eyes are naturally attracted to two opposite colours on the colour wheel being brought together, you see.) Not to mention Gaara's is ten times better and Temari's outfit is much less slutty. Kiba's is okay, and I love how Shino's become some kind of anorak or something, refusing to let even the most basic of skin see the light of day (His butt much be ghost white by the Time-Skip.)

But Ino's? Ugly as hell. Hinata's? Totally not as cute as her old outfit. And don't even get me started on Neji and TenTen. One word: GROSS. What's with the ugly costumes?

Did Kishimoto even try to make the new outfits look good? Sure, he wanted to stress some parts, and Neji and Chouji are wearing their whole clan wear (with Chouji looking more like his father), but honestly–Ino's outfit looks like crap! (It's the one change I hate the most. Her old outfit, I like her in. She's cute in it. Her new outfit oozes manly slut. Something about the way he draws her in the Time Skip just seems so manly.) I can see where he tried to put emphasis on her hips and chest to make her appear more curvy or something, but it's really ugly on her. She needs something cuter. (As you can see, I'm warming up to Ino a little bit. I tend to warm up to characters after I write about them. I still think she's the worst possible pairing for Chouji and even Shikamaru, but she's a bit more bearable in my opinion.)

Apparently, according to Kishimoto, the main female characters get sluttier while the minor female characters become even more modest. And it seems to have become popular for most of the characters to cover themselves more as they age. Just look at Shino, for crying out loud! Is he trying to get ready for a blizzard or a dust storm or something? What's with all the layers?? (I have to admit, it does make him even more amazing.)

Anyway, that's about enough of that… And now for something completely different.

I said that Fascination Street was my favorite song by The Cure, but since most of you will probably skip this, I might as well mention my other favorites. All Cats Are Grey; Burn; Boys Don't Cry; Fire in Cairo; 10:15 Saturday Night; Hot, Hot, Hot!; Lullaby; The Lovecats and Why Can't I Be You.

Forget Friday, I'm In Love; forget High. My favorite songs are, I think, a testament to Robert Smith's prowess in song-writing. All Cats Are Grey has lovely guitar work in it, and it's beautifully solemn. Lullaby is absolutely breath-taking, and every time I listen to it, I literally see the imagery in the song. The imagery in that song is incredible. The Lovecats and Why Can't I Be You and Hot, Hot, Hot! are wonderfully fast-paced, regardless of whether or not their topics are morbid are not. (They're not as happy-sounding as Friday, I'm In Love or High, but they're pretty close, in my opinion.) I first fell in love with All Cats Are Grey after watching that one Kirsten Dunst movie, Marie Antoinette. I really like the movie, despite the fact that there're so many oddities in it--like the fact that Kirsten Dunst and the guy that plays her husband have no accents, despite the fact that they are royalty and even the peasants in the movie have accents! But I do recommend it to anyone who likes older things. (They have lots of New Wave music in the soundtrack; it's great.)

And back to the most important topic of conversation: A semi-sneak-peek at Shikamaru's sequel. In the sequel, he enlists the help of a few people, like Sasuke and Ino.

Sasuke, thinking Shikamaru's going to set him up with Temari–one of the only girls left that isn't completely crazy about him–decides to help Shikamaru by helping make TenTen jealous. He copies Naruto's Sexy no Jutsu and walks around like a girl for a while. Shikamaru also enlists the help of Ino's father's flower shop, and orders one hundred roses for TenTen. At one point, he even decides to try spying on Team Gai after Shino suggests he needs to get ahead of the competition by observation. Chouji suggests getting TenTen some food, and Shikamaru makes a dish all by himself.

And that's as much as I'm giving you lot. (I don't want to spoil it.) It's going to be set up as a list of Ten different ways to woo TenTen, with two things in each chapter, to make them less short. I hope that's satisfactory to everyone. It's going to take me a while, because I really want to get the characters right. (Some of those ideas might change, since I haven't technically started writing it yet. But you can bet your bums I'm getting started on it right after I upload this.)

I also want to make it more humorous, like one of those infernal fillers, but if I fail at being funny, feel free to tell me so. Send me a review saying, "Stop uploading this crap, you idiot! You're not funny and your sense of humor is disgusting and trashy and all sorts of bland!" You know…something nice and witty like that.

I'd also like to mention that I am actually pleased with how adorably fluffy this turned out. Usually it makes me gag and I am highly uncomfortable reading and writing stuff like this, but I think I'm fine with this. I kinda like it. Of course, I'm more partial to unspoken confessions, but this is nice… Probably because I don't come right out and say stuff like, "I wuv you, baby, let's get maywied and have wots of chubby, dark-haired babies" and crap like that. Talk about gross. Marriage is another thing I find highly uncomfortable to read. It's just…too sappy. I mean, talk about GROSS. I want to read the fanfic, not get stuck in its sticky sappiness.

(Although I have a sinking feeling that's exactly what I've done here…)

A quick note: the chapter starts with Shikamaru on the same day as the last chapter, and ends on the same day. In the middle of the chapter I went to the next day, but at the end, when I mention Shikamaru trying to find TenTen while Chouji finds Hinata, it's the same day as the beginning of the chapter--the day before. If that makes sense. It probably doesn't, so just ignore it. I'll make it clearer in the conversation between TenTen and Shikamaru in his sequel.

His Favorite Food
Part Seven – "His Favorite Cook"

Shikamaru shot up, going straight to his friend. "Ch-Chouji! What are you thinking? You can't just do that! That's…that's just crazy…"

Chouji sighed, his shoulders falling. "I know, Shikamaru, but…I wouldn't want to live with regret. Don't you agree? Even if Hinata doesn't like me, at least I'd told her. At least I wouldn't be looking back on it and wishing I had for the rest of my life… I'm sure you're the same way, Shikamaru. I'm sure you're just worried TenTen won't like you, and chances are she won't judging by the way she acts around you…but at least you'd have tried, right?"

Shikamaru watched him walking off and chuckled to himself, rubbing the back of his head and kicking the ground with his foot, staring at the grass. After a while, he chuckled again, less forced this time, and looked up at the sky. "And I thought I was more mature than you, Chouji…" He looked back at the grass, shaking his head. "You're right. Judging by the way she acts around me, she probably hates me… I could never…" He laughed. "I could never just walk right up to her and tell her I liked her…"

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He spent the rest of the day looking for her, and came up unsuccessful. What did he have to do to find a girl? He even dropped by her house and looked, but she was nowhere to be found! What was to be done?

He sighed, deciding to try again tomorrow. And he would, and when he did, he'd return her the favor and tell her how he felt.

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The next day, he woke up bright and early and went to the kitchen, finding his mother cooking something for breakfast. He looked at her timidly, knowing she'd wonder why he was attempting something so ridiculous, but he figured if anyone would support him, it would be his family.

"M-Mom…" He started, looking at her with meek interest. When she spun around to talk to him, he turned quite pink, fidgeting. "I was…wondering… Um…could…I…borrow the kitchen for a bit?"

She blinked, wiping her hands on a towel and walking over to him. She was a nice woman, with a big heart and big eyes, her voice light and breathy. "Chouji, why do you want to use the kitchen? This isn't like you at all…" She laughed. "Usually you're asking me when it'll be time to eat, not to cook it yourself…"

Chouji swallowed, pumping himself up. "M-Mom…I want to cook something…f-for…a girl."

His mother stared at him for a while, taking in his expression and processing it as serious. Her face brightened considerably, and she smiled, standing up straighter. "A girl?? Who is she, Chouji? She must be really nice… Oh, I'm sure she's just adorable, too!"

"It's…H-Hinata. Hinata Hyuuga."

His mother's face fell and she turned back to the kitchen, back to the breakfast cooking and the stew she was making to be ready by lunch time. "A Hyuuga? Chouji, are you sure? The Hyuuga have always been a bit…hmmm…iffy…" She turned back to him, looking hopeful. "Tell me…Hinata's not part of the main branch…is she?"

Chouji blinked, thinking back on it. He couldn't really remember… Was she? If she was, what would that mean again? He knew Neji wasn't, and Neji was her cousin… He blinked, stuttering. "Sh-She might be… Neji is her cousin…"

Her face fell again, and she went to the counter, getting started on a few rice balls. "Well, Chouji… You know, if she's part of the main branch, I doubt…" She sighed, turning back to him. "Chouji, dear, the Hyuuga family is very prestigious. I don't think… Well, for us to try and…" She sighed again, sounding more like a groan and an attempt to find the right words to explain it to her son. "…Er, with one of the Akimichi clan taking interest in a Hyuuga…"

Chouji smiled sadly, curling his toes into the flooring anxiously. "Oh. It's a clan thing, huh…" He sighed, his determination kicking in. He looked at her, frowning. "I don't care, Mom. I really like her, and I want to make her something to repay her for the all the lunches she's been making me."

His mother turned around, her expression brightening considerably. "Oh! She's the one that's been making you lunches? She's the reason you haven't been coming home and eating lunch with your father and I? She's the one that likes cooking you yams and the like, right? I suppose she guessed you liked sweeter foods…" She laughed. "Oh, that's wonderful, Chouji… I'm glad to see you've found someone as giving as her…"

"B-But the whole clan issue?"

His mother thought about it, stewing it over, humming to herself. "Well, it all boils down to whether or not she's the older sister or not. Is she the older sister?"

He nodded his head. "Yes, she is. I met her younger sister the other day…"

A sad smile made its way to his mother's lips. "I…don't think Hiashi-san would enjoy the thought of the heiress to the Hyuuga clan being involved with one of the Akimichi clan… We're not so well-respected…"

Chouji's cheeks went red. "Mom…you make it sound like we're already getting married… Can't I just make her something already??"

His mother turned around, giving him a soft smile, her voice softening. "That's right…I'm sorry. It's not your job as a child to worry about things like social classes… I'm afraid I got caught up in my duties as a parent and brought you into it." She laughed, motioning for him to come to her side. "Now then, why don't we get started on making her something. What were you thinking about making her? I must say, it's rather unorthodox for a boy to make a girl something to eat…" She turned pink, giggling, remembering her younger days. "You're just as kind as your father, Chouji…"

He blushed, trying to come up with something. He found he couldn't and looked up at his mother. "Mom, what do girls like eating?"

She laughed, making a rice ball idly. "Girls like the same things boys do, Chouji. But, I can say you can never go wrong with sweets…" She looked at him. "Don't you agree? You like getting sweets from pretty girls, don't you, Chouji?"

Chouji chuckled, his face turning a deeper shade of red. "I…don't get many girls giving me sweets… I'm not exactly a cute boy…"

"Nonsense! You're as cute as a button!"

"M-Mom…" His cheeks turned red as he heard his father laugh behind him. How long had he been listening, anyway?

"Don't worry, Chouji… Papa will work things out with Hiashi-san if it comes to that…"

Chouji groaned. He'd heard everything!

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He'd been looking for her everywhere, but he happened to run into her by accident…and quite literally, too. He was walking through a crowd of people, looking around for her, when he got to the edge and knocked into someone who wasn't watching where they were going. The person he bumped into fell onto the ground with a squeak, and he stuttered, bending down and grabbing their hand.

"I'm…I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, I should've been–"

"N-No, no! Forgive me! I was the one not l-looking–"

They both looked at each other, turning bright red. Hinata stuttered, standing, and Chouji released her hand, feeling insecure all of a sudden.

"I'm s-sorry, Chouji-kun… I didn't see you…"

He smiled, scratching his face and mumbling. "N-No…I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm too big and I knocked you down…"

She turned red, flustered. "Y-You're fine the way you are, Chouji-kun!"

He looked at her, eyes wide. "…Wh-What?"

She grew quiet, giggling nervously. "Heh heh, s-sorry. I…"

Chouji grabbed her hand, ignoring the fluttering in his chest and how warm her hand was. "C-Come with me! I…I wanted to th-thank you for all you've done! I'm sorry for the other day! I thought you wanted me to give it to Naruto!"

She trailed after him, until finally they were sitting on the same bench as before, when he'd been upset after what Ino had said a week earlier. He fidgeted in his seat, finally handing her the small bag of cookies. "I…I made you these."

She smiled, accepting them. "Oh…Oh…th-thank you… Thank you so much… You didn't have to do this…"

"But I wanted to." He rubbed the back of his head, fidgeting some more. "L-Listen…I know I'm not the prettiest boy…and I know I'm nowhere near as great as Naruto-kun, but I… I wanted to tell you anyway… I–"

She interrupted him, blurting out her thoughts. "I know you're not Naruto-kun, and I'm sorry! I…I wanted you to try my cooking and when you said you liked it, I…I don't know… I guess I just…I wanted to keep hearing it…" She gasped, covering her mouth. "I'm sorry… I interrupted you, didn't I…? I'll let you finish!"

He turned red, his mind suddenly going blank. "Uh…you… You…uh…um…" He stared at her, flustered, watching the way her hair blew into her face when a breeze went by, noticed the way she twiddled her thumbs nervously. He smiled sheepishly, finally blustering out a decent train of thought. "You…were trying to make me into N-Naruto…?"

She nodded, her cheeks turning even darker. "Y-yes…"

He stared at her, still smiling, but inside he was cursing the heavens. Wh-What? What did that mean? She didn't think he was good enough? She liked him? She wanted to like him, wanted to pretend he was Naruto? She was indulging herself by making him into Naruto?? What did she mean by that??

She noticed something in his eyes and elaborated. "I…I liked you saying how much you liked my c-cooking…and I wanted to keep hearing it…"

His expression took on a more puzzled look, and he looked at her queerly. "I…don't understand what you mean…"

She took a deep breath, looking like she was about to hyperventilate. "I…like…Naruto-kun…but you're not Naruto-kun. Y-You're different…"

He nodded, smiling sadly. "Oh…I see what you mean now…"

"B-But I think…I think it's good that you're different. I…I like how y-you're different than Naruto-kun…"

He looked back at her, his entire body going numb. He felt his fingers tingle, felt something bubble up in his chest, felt something icy work its way up his spine. "Wh-What?" He felt that, through a vision of blackness, he could see a little pinhole of light, of hope. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

She buried her face in her hands, feeling silly suddenly. She couldn't do this! It was a confession, and she had no experience with this sort of thing! She was too nervous. "I…I can't do this!" Her face flushed deeper and the warmer it got, the more uncontrollable the urge to book it became.

"H-Hinata-chan…are you…saying you…like me and you…l-like me the way I am…?"

She made a squeak and stood instantly, shuffling her feet quickly to get away. She couldn't do this, she just couldn't do it! Maybe at some later time, but it was too soon after that traumatizing incident the other day. A firm grip on her arm shot her out of her fear, and she realized she wasn't going anywhere. She looked over to see Chouji staring at her, something intense in his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared directly into those eyes, feeling weak.

"H-Hinata, I like you, too… I…I know I'm not Naruto, so I'm probably not as great or anything, but…but I'm hoping you'd…" He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, growing uncomfortable. "The other day I messed up big time, but I was hoping you could give me a second chance to show you I'm worth it… P-Please let me prove I can be just as great as Naruto…"

Her face went beet red, and she started to tremble. "C-C-C-Can I st-still… I can still make you food, right? I…I like cooking…"

He looked ecstatic, unable to believe his ears. She's agreed! "Sure! Just as long as you eat lunch with me tomorrow!" He turned red, laughing a little. "M-My mom wanted to meet you…"

She started stuttering. "W-W-Well, it…it's not like…we're getting m-married or anything…" She looked off to the side, feeling faint. "I can…I can do that…"

"Do what?" He blinked, unsure what she was talking about.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stutter the words out. "M-M-M-M-Meet your mother!" She flustered, covering her face in her hands. "I…I wasn't talking about m-m-m-ma…marriage…"

"C-Can I kiss you?"

She turned red. "Wh-What!?" She swooned, her hands rising to her shoulders, almost as if she were about to pass out, but that never happened. Instead, she placed her hands back over her eyes and cheeks, trying to hide her face. "Y-Yes…"

He leaned over, giving her a quick peck on the cheek before immediately shooting himself back at least two feet away from her, his cheeks turning a nice rosy colour. He smiled a little, kicking at the dirt at his feet. Hinata uncovered her eyes, taking a breath.

"W-We kissed?"

Chouji's smile grew. "I…I think so…"

Before he could say anything else, she fainted. Chouji smiled, picking her up and putting her back onto the bench. He sat down next to her, waiting for her to come to. After all, he wanted to see how much she liked the cookies he made for her… Shikamaru would want to hear about this; he knew it.

Little did he know, Shikamaru was beginning to have troubles of his own…

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Shikamaru finally sighed after watching his friend walk off. He'd lain back down for a while, but what Chouji had said kept festering in his brain.

"I wouldn't want to live with regret… Even if Hinata doesn't like me, at least I'd have told her… At least I wouldn't be looking back on it and wishing I had for the rest of my life…"

He grumbled, turning over, unable to relax. He knew that, but he wasn't like Chouji in that aspect. He couldn't just waltz up to a girl and tell her how he felt. Things like that… Things like that were troublesome to him. They required more work on his behalf. He had to make sure how she felt, he had to make sure he wouldn't get hurt by it. He had the need to protect himself and the close friends he had; Chouji had the need to protect everyone else over himself. Chouji was fine with being himself; he had to be perfect.

He couldn't just go about this without a plan; he couldn't just go about it without knowing how it would turn out, without it working out in his favor.

He had to think of this situation logically, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized he had to ask her a few questions first before deciding what to do…

If he looked at it strategically, there was really only so many possible ways for her to react to him, so many possible outcomes to the different ways he could approach this. He figured he'd have ten chances to get her to like him. If none of those ways worked, it was a lost cause.

That was the only way he could look at this. If he looked at it any other way, he'd wind up overlooking too much.

But first, he'd need to go find TenTen. As he searched, he passed by Chouji searching for Hinata countless times. Well, that was that. He could wish Chouji luck, but that was about it. That's when he saw her standing by herself next to a tree, looking like she was organizing her scrolls.

He thought calmly about what he'd say to her, then approached.

"Hey, TenTen…"