Chapter 6 - Walk, Strut, Stride
It didn't take us long to find ourselves at the head of the line.
Gaara and I stood right at the top of the steps as the pair right before us took their turn on the runway. The boy - a pale, thin guy with snow white hair - was walking just fine, his nonchalant gait looking very natural as he prowled the runway. His olive-skinned partner, on the other hand, was facing the double whammy of having trouble keeping up with him and staying upright in her six-inch platform stilettos.
My heart was really going out to the poor girl, especially since I was witnessing this firsthand. She almost fell off the stage twice before she could even reach the end of the platform. The slight jeers that could be heard from the rest of our competition was likely not helping her confidence either.
"Are you ready?" I whisper as the pair started making their way back, butterflies fluttering in my stomach as I tried to keep my nervousness at bay. The white-haired kid was looking quite triumphant as he walked back to our position.
His partner was futilely trying not to cry.
"I'm ready as I'll ever be." Is the reply I hear from Gaara's lips, but his statement sounded forced, giving me a good hint on how truly calm he was. The attendant that was in charge of signaling when the pairs were supposed to take their turns soon gave us our signal to go, and Gaara and I didn't hesitate to move, ready to face the challenge.
Well, somewhat.
I stand up straight and try my best to walk confidently down the platform, keeping a steady pace as I moved to the rhythm of the music. From the corner of my eye, I see that Gaara's right at my side, matching me step for step as he looked straight ahead.
However, in my honest opinion, I think he could have loosened up just a little. He looks a tiny bit stiff if you asked me.
Kakashi and Yamato were standing a few feet from the end of the runway, their faces absolutely unreadable as Gaara and I struck the required amount of poses. Turning around, Gaara and I both walked back to the starting point, keeping our momentum up the entire way. . .
. . . Well, we kept our momentum up until we finally got off the runway. That's when we both took in a collective sigh of relief before hightailing to a safe distance away from the platform.
I think it was safe to say that the two of us were glad that we got through that challenge relatively unscathed.
"That's probably one of the most nerve-racking things I've ever done in my entire life."
"Likewise, and I'm the son of a politician!" he agrees as we turned to the runway. "I always hear that walking the runway is one of the best parts about being a model, but I was too worried about how I was moving to truly think about the fun."
"That's fair enough. I'm just glad we got that first part out of the way," I say as I let out a breath. "So, what do you think the judges' verdict will be on our performance? You think they liked it?"
"I'm not too sure, but I think I saw one of the corners of Yamato's mouth go up just as I was turning . . . If he was smirking, then maybe it's a good sign for us."
"Well, I hope that's the case," I say as Neji and TenTen reach us. "Hey guys! How did you like your turn on the runway?"
"I'll be honest with you. It was both exciting and downright scary at the exact same time," says the bun-headed brunette. "I wanted to enjoy it more, but all I could think about was not falling flat on my face for everyone to see, especially not in front of the judges."
"Yeah, it doesn't help when two of the people tasked with deciding your fate in this competition is standing right at the end of the runway silently scrutinizing your every move," Neji adds as Hinata and Naruto make it to the front of the line.
"You don't sound too disturbed by this Neji. You actually sound used to it." Gaara mumbles, catching on to the same thing I noticed as we listened to him speak.
"I come from an old, traditional family where more than half of its members are older than 70. Trust me, I'm used to it," he concedes as we watched the runway. We weren't going to argue with him on that one. No one is as judgmental as an old person with plenty of time in the world to gaze and criticize, and now with the admitted fact that Hinata and Neji come from a clan where the majority of their relatives are more than twice their age . . .
. . . Damn, all that criticism they likely had to hear as they grew up. They must have built quite an immunity for it.
Well, I hope they did.
"Hopefully the sight of Yamato and Kakashi scrutinizing so closely won't affect Hinata too much. She has a habit of buckling under the pressure sometimes . . ."
Welp, so much for that 'criticism immunity' I was hoping for.
We watch as my brother and Hinata finally take their turn, and contrary to my earlier beliefs, Naruto manages to not make a complete fool of himself as he strutted. He's actually quite composed, well, except for the part where he has to keep stopping himself from smiling every five seconds. It's not very noticeable if you're not looking for it, but once you see it, it's a pretty obvious thing.
As for Hinata, gone is the slightly timid girl with a slight stutter, and in her place walks a confident model-in-training with her head held high, her steps very solid as she matched my brother step for step.
Sneaking a look Neji's way, I was not disappointed to see the expression on his face. His face is the epitome of 'part confused, part impressed', probably because Hinata was acting way differently from what he probably had predicted. TenTen, the supportive person that she was, watched with a smile on her face, even adding a quick whistle while she was at it.
And as for the rest of our competition, it was quite telling to see that most of their gazes were more on Hinata than on my brother. It was obvious that they were starting to see that the indigo haired Hyuuga would be stiff competition, which is something I don't really blame them for.
"That was, well, quite unexpected. I have never seen her act like this before," Neji mumbles as our respective relatives got off the stage. He then turns to me, his face unsure. "You, did you know something like this was going to happen Izuka?"
"Well, yeah, I kinda did," I say with a bit of a grin. "Hinata and I were in the same pairing during the preliminaries, and she did earn a Fast Track award with me . . . So, yeah, I've witnessed this side of Hinata before. I'm a little shocked you've never seen this side of your cousin before Neji."
"Honestly, so am I."
"So, you two walked together already?! Damn, I couldn't imagine what the other models were thinking when they saw you and Hina-chan showing your stuff back then," TenTen says with a cat-like grin. "In my opinion, I think you and Hinata have two of the strongest walks on the girls' side."
"Do you really think so?" I ask as Naruto and Hinata finally join our little clique.
"I usually don't think so. I know so," TenTen says as she turns to my brother. "And Naruto, we all know you were trying so hard not to smile up there just now. You were fixing your face every chance you had!"
Huh, looks like I wasn't the only one who noticed that quirk of his.
"I couldn't help myself! I'm just naturally a smiler! I'm not much for frowning, scowling, or just looking stoic or indifferent like some people we know."
"I think we can save the discussion on my brother's inability to keep a straight face for a later date," I say I turn my eyes to the runway, narrowly missing the annoyed look Naruto was sending my way. "Let's watch the rest of our competition first before we start nitpicking each other ok?"
And nitpick we did, sharing our thoughts as the competition pushed forward. So far on runway, it's a very mixed bag. Most of the other models that we managed to watch had walks that ranged from good to decent.
Only a few of them really stood out to me, and not always for the best of reasons.
There was the redheaded girl with glasses that put so much hip movement in her strut that you'd think she'd throw her hip out with each step she took. There was also a very pale, black haired boy who moved a little too robotically for it to even be considered human, even though he was obviously human, one that was in dire need of sunlight.
Temari and Kankuro proved that they shouldn't be messed with during their turn on the ramp, displaying some pretty impressive runway skills of their own. But there was this one contestant that got my - and everyone else's - attention right from the get-go.
He was the male half of the last pairing in the round. He had pale skin and the darkest eyes I have ever seen. His hair was as black as a raven's feathers with, but it was styled in such a strange way that it has to be seen to be believed.
As Naruto puts it, it looks like a bird's ass, probably a duck's, well, once you actually think about it.
Yes, I have thought about it, and now I can't get that image out of my head. . . Thank you brother.
But aside from his weird hair styling choices, this guy had a presence on the runway that could be best described as, well, slightly intimidating. He took command of the runway from the very first step, his confidence bordering on cocky as he moved with suave determination.
His partner, a pale girl with violet hair, was more like a background character than an equal partner. She tried to match him as best as she could, but she was left in his proverbial dust, both literally and figuratively. He walked at least a good two paces ahead of her and when he reached the end of the runway, he made sure to lock eyes with every single one of us as he posed.
His eyes lingered on a few of us more than others though, including myself. His partner finally caught up as he was midway through his third pose, but she had to rush through her poses in order to keep pace with him. This just made her look even more awkward, and she was left to follow after him like a sad puppy.
It just wasn't pretty.
"Who is that guy?" Gaara asks, his eyes slightly narrowed in a way that I thought was pretty cute. "You all saw how he acted on the runway just now, right?"
"He did seem quite full of himself up there, didn't he," Neji mumbles, just as a look of realization appeared on TenTen's face, one that he was quick to notice. "TenTen, why do I have the sudden feeling that you know something about that guy that the rest of us probably don't?"
"Because I do know something about that guy that the rest of you don't, especially now that I finally got a good look at him. Seriously, I'm honestly upset with myself for forgetting that hair!" she tells us as the mystery model steps down from the platform. "That's Sasuke Uchiha!"
"WHAT?! The Sasuke Uchiha!?" Temari practically shrieks. "Damn, I didn't recognize him at first! It's been years since we've been in the same room together. . . It must be the hair. It was never like that when I saw him last."
"Wait a sec. You guys know him?" I ask as I turn to the three siblings.
"Not personally," Kankuro says dismissively. "We know Sasuke's family through the political circles. His family even donated to our dad's campaign in the last election year. His older brother Itachi is a pretty nice guy, but he looks way older than he is due to his tear lines. As for Sasuke, he's very much an aloof kind of guy with a seriously arrogant side to him that you don't want to meet. And from what I've seen of him so far, he's not much for being sociable either."
"If Sasuke's family donated to your dad's campaign, then they must be quite loaded." Naruto mumbles as some of the girls started to crowd around the dark-haired man.
"Wealthy? Try old school nobility Naruto," TenTen says with a rueful head shake. "The Uchihas are one of the oldest clans in all of Japan. They trace their roots back for centuries, all the way back to the Heian era last time I checked. They use their money these days to help the country's civil service sector, particularly the police departments."
"So, if you think about it, the Uchihas practically have all of Japan's police force right in their back pocket if needed, right?" I couldn't help but ask as Sasuke doesn't pay any of the girls no mind as he walked across the room. I didn't want to accuse his family of anything, but when you think about it, it is a plausible idea.
"In a way, yeah. The family really is chummy with the boys in blue and all," Kankuro adds as he brushes a hand through his hair. "Anyway, like I've said before, Sasuke's not really the sociable type, so if you were planning to become friends with him, you may want to reconsider that idea."
"Duly noted," Naruto says, turning his head in time to see that Sasuke was looking at our little group, his dark eyes noticing my brother's stare immediately. The Uchiha simply smirks before turning away, and it only serves to irritate my brother even more. "I'm seriously starting not to like that guy."
"Don't let him get under your skin Naruto," I say as I give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Besides, you have bigger things to worry about than just some rich boy with an awkwardly avian hairstyle."
"Awkwardly avian? Nice wordplay Izuka . . ."
I would have said something in response to Temari's commentary, but the sound of Yamato calling for everyone's attention stopped me in my tracks. . . And just as I had come up with a good comeback too.
"I hope you all enjoyed your little spin on the runway. I've got to say this. . . It's not easy walking down the runway in pairs. Timing and synchronicity is important in this form of runway, and some of you teams really did well in this challenge. Others could have done better, and there were a number of you that could have done so much more. I'm not going to name names, but it really was a mixed showing up there."
"You all still need work, but then again, that's what we're here for. After all, we're here to help and guide you all in your goal to become successful models," Kakashi states before Yamato could get another word in. "But first, we're still not done with you today. We have the individual rounds and the photo session to get through."
"The second and third rounds will be happening consecutively. The girls will go first, and the boys will follow right afterward," Yamato, shooting Kakashi a nasty look for cutting him off earlier. "Alright models! LINE UP!"
It was a mad dash to the stairs, with most of the girls jockeying for a good position on line. Temari, TenTen, Hinata, and I eventually ended up in the middle, which was probably for the best. With all the pushing and shoving going on at the ends of the line, neither the front, nor the back, looked tempting to join.
"You would think people would be a little more reluctant to rejoin the line after the first round, but everyone seems excited as ever," Temari observed from the back of our little group. Standing right before her was Hinata, with TenTen following in front of her, and then came me in the lead. "I guess people want to prove that their better than what they showed in the first round."
"That's the most likely conclusion," TenTen says with a simple shrug. "I just can't wait for our photoshoot! Photoshoots are my biggest strength. Runway, not so much."
"You shouldn't mention your strengths and weaknesses so quickly TenTen," Hinata chastises. "My father has always said that it's better to let others figure out your strengths and weaknesses on their own, rather than advertising it for the whole room to hear. You just make things easier for your rivals."
"That's some reasonable advice. Unexpected advice, but reasonable," It honestly sounded like advice you hear in preparation for a fight, but this competition could be considered a form of fashion-centric combat, so . . . "Your father sounds like a wise man Hinata."
"He is, but if you ever get a chance to meet him, don't say that to his face . . . My father tends to get, well, snooty when someone states the obvious to him."
"Hm, sounds like someone else I know," Temari mumbles as we watch her eyes move toward her brothers, who were standing way back at the very end of the boys' line with Neji and Naruto. "But he's not really snooty per se. He's just a bit stuck up at times. It's worse when he doesn't even realize it."
"I heard that Temari!" came Gaara's reply. I had no clue which of her brothers she was talking about, but the redhead's sudden reply put that question to bed.
Also, Gaara has some freakishly good hearing if he was able to hear his sister from that far away, and with all the other noise happening around us.
"See! Can you hear it? He even sounds like a stuck up right now!" says Temari as she points the redhead's way. "Don't lie to yourself Gaara! You act stuck up sometimes, but don't worry, I still love ya!"
"Well, at least we know that the sibling dynamic between you two is ok," I mumble as I turn to face the front. "Here' to hoping that comment doesn't bite you in the ass in the future."
As a fellow sister, I can honestly tell you that comments like Temari's own can come back to haunt you, especially when you least expect it.
Brothers have a way of getting their revenge, even when you don't want them to.
A/N: Leave a comment if you like!
