Chapter 14 - Clowns & Bombshells

The next morning

"Damn, how come my ass can fall asleep easily every night, but the rest of my body won't?"

The question runs through my mind as I get up, the effects of sitting down for too long really taking effect as I tried to get some circulation back into my limbs. For most of the night, I had been sitting on one of the lounge room sofas, biding my time as I waited for the sun to come up.

Everyone else in the house was still sound asleep, except for one other person. That person was sitting on a chair out on the back patio, his head tilted upward to watch the sky as it began to change from dark to light.

He hasn't moved from his seat since midnight.

I seriously don't know how he even has the patience to keep that up.

When I can't sleep, I would spend my time either reading a book or drawing, but tonight, I couldn't do the former at all, while I've been struggling with the latter for the past two hours now.

I guess I'm just a little too anxious for what the day may bring, especially since the first photo shoot was happening sooner rather than later. I'm usually not an anxious person, but this competition really has a way of creeping on one's nerves.

"You draw?"

The voice was sudden, almost making me drop my book before I quickly recovered. Looking up, Gaara was standing right before the backdoor with curiosity in his eyes. He was a long way from the ensemble that he arrived at the house in, now wearing a red hoodie with a gray sweatshirt underneath with matching gray pants, making him look cute in a comfortably relaxed kind of way.

"Uh, yeah, I do," I say as I looked down at the worn sketchpad I held. "It's just something I do to fill my time when I can't sleep, you know?"

"I can understand that" He tells me as he starts to stretch out his back. The house was so silent that I think I heard one of his bones pop from the flex. "Um, what time is it?"

"Almost 5:30," I say, my eyes quickly finding the digital clock hanging on the far wall. "The others will be waking up soon."

"That's true... So, how about we get ready for the day before the morning rush starts hmm?"

"That sounds like a good idea, but before we do anything else, can I ask you a quick question?"

"Sure, go ahead. . ."

"How in the world did you manage to sit in one place for almost five and a half hours straight just looking up at the sky?" I ask, not even bothering to sugar coat my curiosity as I watched him move toward his suitcase. "How are you not asleep right now?"

"That's technically two questions . . . But to answer your first one, it's quite simple. Lots of practice!"

"Lots of practice. . ?"

The expression on my face must have been hilarious, because as soon as Gaara turned around to face me, he turned back, struggling to hold in a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.

"Hmm, I guess it's nice to know that I can make a man laugh with just a look." I think to myself as I quickly grabbed my toiletries and my outfit for the day from off the chair I left them on.

The ground floor bathroom was the simplest and smallest of the three the house had to offer, holding just a shower, a toilet, and a sink with a small, mirrored cabinet above it. After locking the door and putting my things on the toilet seat, I quickly strip off the t-shirt and shorts I've been wearing for the past few hours and step into the shower.

The hot water was a sweet relief for my aching muscles, loosening the knots that developed in my back and legs. I washed my hair out first before moving to my face and body, moving quickly to get everything done before I had to leave.

Once I was done, I made sure I placed all my toiletries in the upper right-hand corner of the cabinet's top shelf, thus claiming my own space, before leaving, stopping when I opened the door to see that Gaara was standing right there with his things in hand.

"Oh, and I was just about to knock," He mumbles, looking a little caught off guard as his eyes started trailing downward. "Uhm, you look nice. I like the dress."

"Thanks . . ." I mumbled, my cheeks feeling a little hot as I fiddled with the hem of my silver sundress. "Anyway, the bathroom's all yours now, and I placed my stuff on the right of the top shelf, so all the other space in the cabinet is fair game."

"Thanks for the heads up!" He tells me as I step out of his way, becoming very mindful of our close proximity as he enters the bathroom. "Oh, before I forget, I just saw what you did to get back at your brother, and I must say . . . Your artistic skills are excellent!"

"Awthanks, though Naruto probably won't feel the same way once he realizes what I've done."

"Trust me, I think he knows. . ."

Leaving Gaara to his shower, I drop my clothes on top of my luggage before making my way to the living room. When I entered, Lee was already wide awake and doing push-ups by the runway, but he was, surprisingly, struggling to maintain his composure as he went down for another push.

It wasn't hard to see why, especially once he looked up at me with a face on the verge of breaking out into laughter.

With a knowing smirk on my face, I turn to see my brother glaring at me from the sectional. He was typically happy and boisterous in the morning, but today, he was silent, angrily glaring at me with a look that reminded me of our old fifth grade math teacher Mr. Sakamoto.

To be honest, I think he's overdoing it just a bit. . . What I did to him was not that bad.

I had only planned to sketch a handlebar moustache, but with all the washable markers I carried with me from home, a simple moustache just didn't seem right. So, I ended up drawing on his face until he looked like a gray-faced, sad clown, complete with teardrops running down his cheeks. . . I thought he looked good when I was finished.

Judging from his face, I guess my brother didn't think clown makeup was a good look for him.

"Before you say anything, please remember, you brought this on yourself. After all, this is what happens when you decide things by yourself instead of having everyone, especially me, voice an opinion."

"Sorry to interrupt, but can I say something?"

"Go ahead!" I say, eager to take some of Naruto's ire off me as Lee stepped forward.

"Do you work kids birthday parties because my cousin certainly needs a clown for his daughter's bash in a few months?"

"OH, SHUT UP LEE!" I couldn't help but laugh as my brother barked at the laughing, walking bowl cut, ripping the sheets off his body in his rush to get up. "And Izuka, okay, I may have been a little presumptuous by taking the living room before we could even talk about it, but I retain the belief that we would have come to the same conclusion either way."

". . . Possibly," I concede. "You still need to learn how to listen though."

"Noted. . ." He grumbled as he quickly folded up his sheets. "Anyway, you did use washable markers on my face, right?"

"Washable indeed. . . Don't worry! I'm not that cruel, though I was tempted at times," I admit. "Gaara is already in the bathroom down the hall, and I think he locked the door. If you want to immediately get the clown mask off, you'd have to go upstairs to do it."

"Damn. . . I would wait, but I want to get this stuff off already," He grumbles, thinking over his options. "You know what? I'm going upstairs. Hopefully, the others are still asleep, so if I'm quiet enough, they won't notice I'm even there."

"Possibly . . . It's your decision of course."

"You sure Gaara locked the bathroom door?" Lee asks as Naruto starts running up the stairs three at a time.

"Not really . . . At the very least, I didn't hear the telltale click of a lock turning when I left him by the bathroom." I say as I walk into the foyer. When I looked at the screen, it was on, displaying an unopened Tsunade Mail.

The others needed to know about this, but Naruto was still sneaking around upstairs, and a shout from me would only alert them to his presence. Then again, I was still a tiny bit miffed over his dismissal yesterday. . .

. . . So, I figured, fuck it, why not?

"GUYS! WAKE UP! WE GOT TSUNADE MAIL!"

Aside from Lee's gasp of shock and his loud, incoming footsteps, nothing echoes out from the second floor.

Suddenly, shouting, and a few curse words, could be heard as footsteps approached the staircase. Soon enough, people were barreling down the stairs like children ready to open their presents on Christmas morning. Some still looked sleepy, and others were only half dressed (mainly the boys), but still, everyone was ready to see what our first in house Tsunade Mail had in store for us.

"How long has it been up?!" TenTen was quick to ask as everyone gathered round the monitor. Her hair was still in buns, but they were so disheveled that they barely looked like buns anyway.

"I have no idea. I walked in here two minutes ago, saw it on the screen, and called the rest of you here," I say as instructions appeared under the mail. "Tap the screen to read the message."

"So, the TV is actually a computer screen?" I hear my brother grumble from somewhere in the back of the group. "Well, that's a nice surprise. . ."

"Naruto-kun, why is your face painted like a sad clown?"

As soon as Hinata asked that question, everyone turned to see my brother's face, and half the room started laughing. He may have been angry when he first found out about his face, but there was no hope for Naruto to hide it now, so he just stood there, taking the laughs like a reluctant champ.

"You look absolutely ridiculous!" Kiba breathes out, being one of the few who dropped to the ground laughing. "Did you do that in your sleep!?"

"No. . . Let's just say that when my sister does not approve of something I did, this kind of stuff tends to happen," Naruto announces as he pointed to his face. "I will not be speaking of this anymore."

"Hmm, impressive . . . We're gonna have to share notes." Temari was quick to say, a smirk lining her face as we shared a knowing look.

"Why did I suddenly feel a cold chill run down my back? Gaara, did you feel the same thing I just felt?"

"A little. . . Can someone tell me why? I just got out of the shower."

"Oh, stop it! You're just imagining things Kankuro," Temari grumbles as she steps toward the screen. "Now, let's see what the message is, shall we?"

"Took you long enough."

"Pfft, we didn't see you moving to tap the screen Sasuke."

"Shut it clown!"

Ignoring the sudden back and forth between Naruto and Sasuke, Temari taps the screen. It darkens before showing the message - which was a rather short one - in a light blue script.

Morning models,

Yesterday, we saw you walk.

Today, let's see you pose.

Be ready by 9 A.M. sharp.

Love, Tsunade

"Well, isn't that specific. . ." TenTen mumbles amid letting out a small yawn. She looked like she was going to say more, but the sound of retreating footsteps cuts her short, bringing our attention to many of our roommates as they headed back upstairs. Sakura and Ino were leading the pack. "Huh, the rivalry between Sakura and Ino is going to last for quite a while, isn't it?"

"Probably until one of them gets eliminated, or they decide to call a truce," I add as I looked around the foyer to see that aside from TenTen and myself, Gaara was the only other person in the room. He was dressed in a simple blue t-shirt and jeans, but his hair was still wet from his shower. "Anyway, TenTen, aren't you going to go back upstairs to get ready?"

"I don't need the bathroom as much as the others do. I already took a shower, so I just need to change clothes, do my hair and makeup, brush my teeth, and I'm good to go," She calmly explains, just as a shouting match erupts between Sakura and Ino upstairs. "Huh, should have seen this coming. They had been arguing right before bed last night. I guess they decided to finish what they started today."

"I don't know about you, but as long as they keep me out of it, I don't mind."

"Agreed!"


Y ~ W ~ B ~ O ~ T

By the time it was 8:55, we were all dressed and ready to go. When we left the house, the coach bus that we first arrived in was nowhere to be found. Instead, a sleek, black limo bus with the competition's logo painted on its side was waiting for us by the curb, ready to take us to our next destination.

"So, this is officially our new wheels for the competition huh?" My brother mumbles, his face now free of marker stains as we all piled into the vehicle. It was luxurious, with leather seats wrapping around the interior and lighting that gave the cabin a bit of a nightclub feel. ". . . Swanky!"

"This has got to be the nicest vehicle I've ever been in!" Kiba could be heard saying as he moved toward the back.

"He's not wrong. We're the kids of a freaking mayor, and we've never been chauffeured in a ride like this before," Kankuro mumbles, amazed as he gestured to himself and his siblings.

"If we ever were, the media would certainly have questions," Temari added as she leaned back in her seat. "But yeah, I'm going to enjoy this for what it's worth."

"So, do you have any idea on what we should be expecting today?" Gaara asks as we are driven toward the highway, most likely toward Osaka's downtown area.

"I honestly don't know Gaara," I admit as I looked up at the tall skyscrapers. "The Tsunade Mail usually holds some kind of clue as to what we should expect for the next challenge, but this time the clue was just a little too generic. Weknow posing must mean photoshoot, but as for the theme of the shoot, I don't have the faintest idea . . . What about you? Do you have any ideas?"

"Nope!" He tells me as he leaned back in his seat. "My mind is coming up empty."

"I have an idea!" TenTen cries out from her spot next to Neji. "Well, I think I do . . . I've studied this competition from the very first season, so I think I have a good idea on what to expect."

"Well then, don't leave us hanging Bun Head!" Temari called out, smirking. "Spill the beans! What's your theory?"

"Well Temari," TenTen growls, her irritation unmistakable as she stared the blonde down. "Throughout the years, the first photoshoot is usually either real simple looking, or it's so out there and unexpected that it takes you off guard."

"Well that's nice to know," My brother mumbled from across the aisle. "The simple ones tend to be hard because there's always a chance you'll overthink it, and the unexpected ones are just as bad because you're either not familiar with the concept or you're just unable to adapt to it . . . It could go either way."

Naruto was making a lot of sense, and we were left to mull over his words as we finally exited the highway and drove into an industrialized neighborhood, complete with office buildings and warehouses lining the street.

We eventually pull up to a large brick building two stories tall, whose windows were all located on the second floor. The words Suzumebachi Studios was printed in yellow on the long black awning hanging above the front door, complete with the image of the giant hornet it was named after flying right above the words. . .

. . . And standing right in front of the door was Kakashi himself, dressed fashionably in a red button-down and black jean as he tucked a small book into his back pocket.

"Welcome to Suzumebachi Studios everyone!" He called out, greeting us with a wave as we disembarked the bus. "This building is one of the premier studios in Osaka, and is a staple in You Wanna Be on Top? history. It has hosted, at the very least, one photoshoot for every year this competition has been active. This year is no different."

"Now then, yesterday, you walked a runway show where you had to serve as your own stylists and makeup artists, even having to buy your own supplies within an hour no less," he adds, practically smiling underneath that mask of his. ". . . Don't worry! You don't have to do any of that today!"

"Thank goodness for that . . ." I hear Ino mumble from somewhere on my left. An understandable remark, coming from her.

"Yesterday, under a collective theme, you had free reign in your overall look. Today, you will have free reign in how you present yourself in front of the camera," Kakashi announces. "In the usual model - photographer/director dynamic, we would bounce ideas off each other. I would give you advice. In return, you try to put that advice to work, and offer your own ideas through the way you posed."

"You won't be getting that luxury today, because I won't be giving you any instruction or advice," He tells us, throwing a bombshell at our feet. "I won't be saying anything during any of your shoots. You'll have to figure things out by yourselves."

"Wait, so, you're not going to say anything to us - whether you like this shot, whether it's a good pose or not, that we're doing something wrong - at all?" asked Choji, his face showing how bewildered he was at the notion. "Nothing? Really?!"

"That's absolutely correct Choji. Once the camera starts shooting, you are on your own. I will talk to you before your set, and I will talk to you once it's over, but during your set, I will be completely silent," Kakashi explains, looking like he was loving all the shocked and nervous looks he was getting from the rest of us. . .

He must be someone that likes pain.

"The judges want to see how well you all can do without any creative instruction and/or advice. Their idea, not mine, although I wish I had come up with the idea first," He concedes, which only confirms my theory that he liked seeing pain unfold him in front of him. "This may be your first photoshoot as the Top 21, but trust me, you really want to be on your A-game today."

"Oh no, not another bombshell!" Karin moans, looking more agitated than nervous.

"Yeah, eliminations do tend to have that effect on people," The gasps were audible when he said that, but Kakashi pushed on. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but in your upcoming elimination round, two of you will be going home."

A/N: Leave a comment if you like!