A/N: I usually don't do this, but I want to quickly shout out addicted-to-the-fic for the lovely review last chapter. I may start shouting out more readers more often, well, if they leave me a review though! XD . . . Well, anyway, enjoy!


Chapter 23: Ice Cold Fear

We ended up spending the day wracking our brains, trying to figure out what kind of 'chill'-themed photoshoot we were facing the following morning. Some ideas were pretty tame, but others were just too extreme for the rest of us to stomach.

One of the tamer ideas came from Sakura. During dinner, she suggested that we would probably pose while holding ice, and I had to admit, it was a likely possibility. However, judging from the grimaces she was getting, no one was eager to freeze their fingers off holding ice cubes for twenty minutes straight.

Plus, I remember the holding ice shoot being done before in a prior cycle of competition, so if they were planning to bring it back, I'm sure some kind of twist is going to be involved.

Soon after that, Matsuri threw her idea into the ring, suggesting that we were probably posing with igloos and penguins. The idea sounded so far-fetched to the rest of us that it crashed and burned on impact, although the idea of posing with cute penguins did have a couple of the girls' support, and Choji's too.

Once all the dishes were washed and dried, we gathered in the living room for a late-night movie before we all would turn in for the night.

Well, most of us did.

Sasuke opted to turn in after finishing his food, but from the look on his face, it was easy to see he wasn't in the mood for hanging with the rest of us. . . Yep, he's definitely not the friendly type.

Shikamaru was the only other person to turn in early, but only because he was genuinely tired, and also because he thought all the speculating was too troublesome . . .

I honestly think 'troublesome' is his favorite word at this point.

"Ooh, I think I got it!" Suigetsu suddenly screams, startling Karin so much that she almost dropped her bag of chips. "I think they're going to have us pose underwater!"

"In a chilly, ice cold tub of water?" Matsuri was quick to ask as she looked at him in disbelief. By the look on her face, you would have thought he asked her to sacrifice her pet cat. "That's what I call instant hypothermia right there!"

"Matsuri has a point!" Temari grumbles as she pulled her pigtails out of their restraints. "Besides, hasn't that idea been done before? TenTen?"

"It has, a few times actually," says the brunette as she looked up from the game of 'I Declare War' she was playing against Neji. The Hyuga was beating her handedly from where I was sitting. "A lake, a river, a huge fish tank . . . All of them have been locations for prior photoshoots. Strangely enough, a normal pool has yet to be used."

"Yeah, if we do end up doing an underwater shoot tomorrow, ooh, I hope they make it quick," Ino mumbles, stifling a yawn with her free hand. "Cold water and I do not mix, and if we do end up doing that kind of shoot, I hope no one gets hypothermia tomorrow."

"Ditto for anyone who has a fear of drowning! I hope we don't get any freak outs either!" adds Kankuro, a knowing look spreading across his face as he turned to his brother, who only glared at him in return. . . Well, isn't that suspicious? "Let's get back to the movie now shall we?"

"Yeah, I think we've done enough speculating for one night." my brother helpfully adds, the sentiment shared with the rest of the room.

Everyone was able to enjoy the movie after that, well, except me. I couldn't help but think about the sudden stare off between the Sabakuno brothers. It was only a quick look, but Gaara's gaze was so loaded that you couldn't mistake the tension behind it.

The redhead still seemed a little bothered about it too, having moved himself more toward the back of the room after the discussion ended. He had effectively closed himself off, and I couldn't help but feel a little concerned over his sudden shift in behavior.

So, I to get to the bottom of this mystery, I decided that I would talk to Gaara before the night was up. I wasn't planning to pry really, but I was willing to be an open ear for him if he wanted to let things out.

When everyone else finally retired upstairs, Gaara and I, of course, were left to go through another sleepless night. I had just finished changing into something a little more comfortable to wear when I found him sitting at the kitchen island, looking quite moody as he stared down the glass of water in his hands.

"Hey!"

He must have been way deep in his thoughts. It was the only reason I could think of as to why he could have been startled so badly that he almost knocked his drink to the ground.

Ironically enough, I wasn't even that loud. "Sorry! You ok?"

"I'm fine! You startled me there for a second." he mumbles as he reaches for the paper towels.

"Huh, and my voice wasn't even at 'startle' volume to begin with," I couldn't help but add as I walked over. "You just seemed so deep in thought a second ago . . . Is something wrong?"

"Nah; not really," he's quick to say as he wipes away the spilled water before throwing the paper away. When people answer that quick to "Is something wrong?", something is usually wrong. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you pretty much closed yourself off after Kankuro mentioned drowning earlier." I answer, being as nonchalant as possible as I sat down next to him.

"Oh, you noticed that?"

"Yeah, as well as the little stare-off you two had after the mentioning of said drowning," I add as I crossed my arms. "It was as if you were screaming at him to shut up, like he was opening up an old wound that you wanted to keep closed."

"That's because he was opening up an old wound I wanted to keep closed," Gaara finally admits as he takes a deep breath. "Izuka, uhm, can you keep a secret?"

"My lips are sealed, and I will throw away the key as soon as you give the signal." I say with a reassuring grin. It only got bigger once those jade eyes of his closed and a chuckle escaped past his lips.

"It's good to know my secret's secure, and thanks. I needed that laugh," he says, and then his face went stone cold serious. It happened so quickly, it even got me a little on edge. "Well, to put it simply, I'm very uncomfortable in any pool of water that I'm able to drown in."

"Really? How come?"

"I almost drowned in the hotel pool during a family vacation when I was four," he mumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose, like he was forcing himself not to remember the ordeal. "I was standing by the deep end of the pool. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and well, one quick slip on some pool tiles, and the next thing I know, my Uncle Yashamaru was giving me CPR minutes later."

"Hmm, that would explain why you were studiously avoiding the deep end of the pool during the semifinals photo party."

The party was our final chance to impress the judges before the final cuts were made, and Gaara had studiously made sure we didn't go near that side of the pool the entire night. Every time we got close enough, he would give it a dirty look before guiding me back the other way.

"You noticed that?" Gaara sheepishly asks me, a blush creeping across his pale face with each passing second. It looked so cute on him. . . If only I had my camera on me, dammit!

"I thought it was a little strange at the time, and I had a feeling you were trying to be discreet about it, but I decided not to call you out on it . . . So, if we do end up doing an underwater photoshoot tomorrow . . ."

"I honestly don't know how I'm going to react," Gaara sounds listless as he rests his chin on the island surface. "If I want to do well, I have to suck it up and go through with it. Chickening out won't put me in the judges good graces. Hell, the one who doesn't do the photoshoot is pretty much guaranteed elimination at the next panel."

"But you're afraid that once you get into the water, you'll start to freak out so much that you won't be able to complete the shoot in the first place."

"Pretty much . . . Kankuro - I love my brother, but he can be a dumbass at times - thinks I should have grown out of my fear by now, and I have been trying to face it over these past few years, but I still have my moments. The semifinals just happened to be one of those moments . . . Got any advice for me?"

"So, after you survived a brush with death and developed a fear of drowning, instead of showing brotherly concern and supporting you through said fear, Kankuro treats it as a trivial matter?" I ask, a little miffed at the brunette for treating his brother's worries so flippantly.

I must have looked angry because judging from the hand that suddenly came on my shoulder, Gaara was trying to comfort me . . . Anyway, what was I supposed to do again? Oh yeah.

"As for your fear, remember, it's only a possibility that we may be going underwater tomorrow. It may not end up happening, but if it does, try to not let your fear control you. Don't focus on it, but on the task at hand. It also wouldn't hurt to alert Kakashi and the photographer about your dilemma as well. I'm sure they'll understand . . . My advice isn't much, but I hope it's helpful."

"Well, you're a lot more helpful in these past fifteen minutes than my brother has been these past fourteen years. There's that . . ." I couldn't help but smirk at that one, and I had a good feeling that if Kankuro and Temari heard us right now, Kankuro would be scowling up a storm while Temari would probably say a burn joke at the brunette's expense. And speaking of Gaara's sister.

"How has Temari been helping you with your fear anyway?"

"Oh, she's definitely helped me with it a lot more than Kankuro ever has. Her tactics have just been a little more . . . direct than I would have liked."

"She's thrown you head first into a pool before, hasn't she?"

"Three times, actually," he tells me with a shrug, like him being thrown into water when he has a drowning fear was the most nonchalant thing in the world. "Here's the kicker: I don't know how to swim, but I can do a decent doggie paddle when I have floaties on."

I don't know if I should laugh at the image Gaara just described for me or look at him in shock as I took in all this new info. I'm leaning more into laughter, just because the idea of the cool and collected redhead right next to me dressed in a set of pool floaties is just such a riot! And he said it with such a straight face too!

"Huh, I'm really getting some good insight into the dynamic you have with your siblings here," I mumble, using my best clinical therapist voice as I brought a hand to my chin. "In regard to your fear of drowning though, your brother doesn't care enough about it, while your sister shows you a more "tough love" approach to it. Am I wrong?"

"You've pretty much summed it up right there."

"Hmm, you know what I think? I think Temari's right in that you need to combat your fear head on, but I don't think chucking you into the nearest pool of water is the answer," I say as I get out of my seat. "First and foremost, you need to learn how to swim. I'm guessing your drowning fear prevents you from learning how to properly do so. So, I suggest learning the skill first would go a long way to combat said fear."

"That would help," I hear Gaara mumble as I walked over to the snack cabinet. "I don't know if I have the time right now to learn it though."

"Of course, you do!" I say as I pick up a box of crackers. "You can learn during the night while everyone's asleep. It'll keep you busy while you wait for the day to arrive."

"You make a good point . . . So, are you willing to teach me? You sound like you know how to do it."

I had a cracker halfway in my mouth when he asked that question, his face showing a slight hint of amusement as I looked at him completely baffled. Remembering not to choke myself while eating said cracker, I quietly ate it, mulling my answer during the time I took to chew it.

"If you want me to, I guess" I finally say, trying to play it cool. A small part of me thought I was failing at it though. "If not, I'm sure one of the others upstairs can help you with it."

"That won't be necessary," a small smirk was showing as he walked over to the sink. "I'm sure you'll be an excellent teacher."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence . . . So, when should we start?"

"How about we start tomorrow night?" he asks as he rinsed out his glass. "After everyone is asleep that is . . . I would do it tonight, but I don't think it would be right of me to push you to do it after just asking you a few seconds ago."

"You don't want anyone else to know?" I ask, fighting in vain to keep the blush off my face.

"No; I think it's best if we kept this between the two of us. Besides, I don't want to face all the talk that's bound to happen once my little secret is found out just yet."

"Hm, I guess that's a good enough reason to keep this on the down low . . . Damn, I sounded so old school when I said that last line, didn't I?"

"Just a little . . ." he couldn't help but tease as he did the universal "this close" sign. "It's endearing though, and a little unexpected. I liked it."

I found myself blushing for a good twenty minutes after that, but thanks to the fact that we kept most of the lights off at night, Gaara didn't really see me in all my embarrassed glory.

We ended up staying in the living room for the rest of the night, with him doing a crossword puzzle, while I got caught up with my art. We didn't start getting ready till it was a little after daybreak. Gaara was gracious enough to let me use the bathroom before him once again, and by the time we were both dressed and eating breakfast, everyone else was slowly making their way downstairs. Some were ready to go, others, not so much.

When the clock struck 10, we all piled on to the bus and took our seats as our ride slowly lurched back onto the road. I opted to sit next to Gaara during the ride, mainly because I noticed him getting a little antsy as the morning went on. He was starting to shake a little, so I did the only thing I could think of.

I rested my head on his shoulder and pretended to be tired, hoping that the action would do the trick and distract him from his worry. Judging by how his body stilled before relaxing into his seat, I think it did the trick.

I didn't open my eyes till we had reached our destination. Somehow, I had miraculously nodded off mid-ride and Gaara had to gently nudge me awake to get my attention. When I finally cracked my lids open, all I could see was a pair of jade green eyes staring down at me.

"Had a good nap?" he asks as I spied everyone else disembarking from the corner of my eye.

"I sure did . . ." I mumble as I finally lifted my head. "Your shoulder makes for a very good pillow."

"Good to know," he tells me with a smirk as we slowly got up from our seats. "And just to let you know, you owe me a shoulder nap in the future."

"I have no problem with that," I say with a smirk. "Now come on then. Let's go see what's in store for us out there."

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