Chapter 24: Chilly
"We must be in one of the industrial districts . . . And why the hell is Kakashi wearing that?!"
Those were the first thoughts that came to my mind when I stepped off the bus. Our driver had dropped us off in the middle of a barely-empty parking lot that was surrounded on three of its four sides by large, bland-looking warehouses. Our resident creative director was standing a few feet away, the bottom half of his face still hidden by his mask. However, the way his eyes were scrunched up, like he was pleased about something, was starting to make me worry.
Oh, did I forget to mention that he was wearing a parka?
A thick, fucking parka!
It's seventy-two degrees right now, and there's not a cloud in the sky . . .
Is this man ok?
"Good morning models!" says the silver-haired man as he pulled his hands out of his pockets, revealing that he was also wearing mittens. Not gloves, but full on, fingerless mittens. . . Ballsy, very ballsy. "Like my outfit?"
"It's a little too warm for it don't you think?" Sasuke quickly asks, voicing what was probably on all of our minds right at the moment. "You planning to get heatstroke or something?"
"No, I am not, and I appreciate the concern, but you don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine," he tells us with a nod. "Besides, I need this for what we'll be doing today, and considering what's planned, today should be interesting . . . Does anyone remember what the last Tsunade Mail said? Like, what was the main point you got from it?"
"Even models need a chill day, so we're going to do something cold-related, aren't we?"
"Yes! That's exactly the answer I'm looking for, so thank you Sakura!" Kakashi compliments as he points to the pinkette, his words probably boosting her ego up a notch. "Models do need their time to relax and unwind after a long day of work, and you will be lounging in your photoshoot today. However, you won't be laying back in plush couches and cashmere linens. . . You guys will be lounging in a setting that's entirely made out of ice."
"So much for posing underwater huh?" I whisper, low enough so that only Gaara heard me as we stood in the back, taking in the varying reactions that were emanating from the rest of our competition.
"You won't see me complaining."
When I turned my head, I couldn't question the relief I saw on the redhead's face. I may have helped calm his nerves a little, but I doubt it was enough to actually stop him from thinking about what we were possibly going to do.
"The photoshoot itself will be happening in the warehouse right behind me, but hair and makeup will happen in the warehouse right on my left," Kakashi explains as he points to said buildings. "Now then, we have a lot to do today. Kotetsu, Izumo, and their crew are waiting for you guys, so get moving! I'll start collecting you guys a little later."
He waved us off, heading straight to the warehouse behind him as we walked over to the building where we were supposed to go sit still and look pretty. When we walked through the open doorway, Izumo was already there waiting for us as the rest of his team moved about behind him to get everything ready. Kotetsu was further in the back, overseeing things at wardrobe.
"Morning everybody!" he greets us with a grin, looking stylish, yet comfortable in his silver tracksuit. "Alright, so you know what the theme of your shoot is going to be, and true to 'You Wanna Be on Top?' form, the theme will carry into your looks. . ." says the hair and makeup artist. "An icy setting calls for icy hair and makeup. Lots of silvers, greys, and blues. Hair all slicked back. Today, your job is to look fashionable without looking too severe."
"Or too cold for that matter!" says Kotestu as he jogged over with a large grin stretched across his face. "Are all of you eager to face the ice today? I'm sure some of you guys had quite a few guesses in what kind of shoot you were doing right?"
"You couldn't be more right if you tried!" Shikamaru lazily called, looking a little slouched as he stood next to Choji. "Matsuri thought we were posing with igloos and penguins, and some of us thought we were posing underwater."
"Ok, I'll admit. Having you guys pose with penguins and igloos would have been a cool idea." Kotetsu chuckled. Matsuri must have felt vindicated after hearing that, and after quickly glancing at her face, I can confirm that my guess was correct.
"On the other hand, the cleanup that would happen afterward would sour that sentiment real quick, don't you think? I did not sign up for bird cleaning duty." Izumo mumbled, not looking too pleased with the idea.
Matsuri's minute of vindication turned into a second of disbelief in no time flat.
"As for the underwater suggestion, that idea has been used so many times now I'm shocked Tsunade hadn't retired it already." says Kotetsu, his shoulders going up in a shrug. "Anyway, as for your wardrobe today, very silver, very white, very metallic. We are really running with this ice theme, and yes, you will be uncomfortable, but as models, you need to keep your composure in any environment you find yourselves in."
"Alrighty then, ladies, get to the makeup stations. Boys, you'll start with hair! Chop chop!"
We do as we're told, splitting up to head to our respective stations. I end up sitting in the chair in between Matsuri and TenTen, and while TenTen looked eager to get things started, Matsuri looked a little disappointed.
"Are you still hung up about what Izumo said about your idea?" I couldn't help but ask the brunette as she continued to pout.
"I honestly thought it was a good one, and Kotetsu thought it was a good one too," she mumbles as her makeup artist prepares her kit. "I guess you can't make everyone happy huh?"
"That is a hard thing to accomplish in life, but you shouldn't fret so much about it," TenTen mumbles as she pulls her hair out of its buns. "You're not going to make everyone happy, and you shouldn't drive yourself to accomplish such a, well, an unachievable goal."
"TenTen's right!" I say with a smirk. "Sure, not everyone's not going to like your ideas, but that doesn't mean you have to be so down in the dumps about it. Just pick yourself up and keep moving forward."
"But still though! Could you just imagine if we actually did get to take photos with penguins?! That would have been so much fun!"
"Something tells me you're a little obsessed with penguins, aren't you Matsuri!" TenTen mumbles as I try to think of a coherent answer to say.
"Is it showing that much?"
TenTen and I couldn't help but share a long glance before turning back to see her embarrassed face, but before any of us could say anything, our makeup artists appeared, ready to doll us up in some icy looks. Leaving the conversation undone, I sat in silence as I got my makeup done, practicing a couple of expressions that would work in such a frigid setting.
I was pretty much practicing not looking cold, and when I was done, I figured that my attempt was mediocre at best. I was never good at handling the cold, so knowing that I was going to enter a whole room full of it was not helping me in the slightest.
My anxiety level went up a notch once I saw what I was assigned to wear for the shoot. I was given a silver, fitted crop top with matching harem pants, and white, high-heeled, military style ankle booties. My midriff was completely left bare, but since the fabric of the clothes was on the thin side, I'll probably feel like I'm doing the shoot butt naked. I was also given silver cuffs and a silver snowflake pendant, and fuzzy white earmuffs, and with my slicked back hair and silver makeup, I looked like a chic festival goer ready to hit up the next concert.
When Kotetsu was finished with me, he sent me over to the waiting area by the door to await Kakashi's arrival. Sakura, Kankuro, and Gaara were already there, which means I'm going to have to wait a while before it was my turn to go into the deep freeze.
"You look like you're heading out to an ice-cold rave!" Kankuro was the first to say as he looked up at me with a smirk on his face.
"And you look like you're about to fix someone's toilet! At least we won't se your ass crack in that get up."
Gaara was this close, and I mean this close, to barking out a laugh. I heard a small chuckle from him before he turned away to regain his composure, shaking his head as he tried to get over his fit.
Sakura had no such qualms, letting out a loud laughter that made her sound a little like a hyena. Kankuro scowled at both of them before turning to me, but I couldn't help but smile as I watched him struggle to form a good answer back.
"Touche Izuka. Fucking touché." he finally says as he looks down at his outfit. He was dressed in a loose gray jumpsuit and boots. It was a fashionable men's jumpsuit, but I can't help but be reminded of a plumber's uniform now that I have a good look at it. "I don't think it's the most flattering look I've ever worn, but I got to work with what I got."
"Isn't that what modelling is all about? Wearing sometimes unflattering stuff but making it look fabulous in the face of the camera?" I ask with a winning smirk as I take the seat next to a still shaking Gaara, who was just now getting his bearings back together. "And are you ok? You're shaking Gaara."
"I'm fine . . . I think I just had something caught in my throat. That's all."
"You are fucking lying and we both know it!" Kankuro was quick to call him out as Sakura still struggled to hold back her laugh. Gaara looked at him amused, not really denying what his brother was saying. "I know it to be true."
"So, I thought what Izuka said was funny. Sue me!" the redhead challenges as he crossed his arms over his chest. Judging from the long silver coat, gray pants, and boots he wore, Gaara was likely going to be one of the most comfortable ones today. Then again, the silver chain-link top he was given to wear was probably not going to help him too much either. "Sakura thought it was funny too."
"Why should I lie? I thought that line was hilarious," Sakura added as took in a deep breath. "I didn't expect it one bit."
"Kinda like how I didn't expect Izuka to fall asleep on the bus earlier." Kankuro mumbled as he turned his eyes on me.
"Are you trying to move the conversation on to me to save yourself from further embarrassment?"
"Am I that obvious?"
"You sound almost desperate." Sakura answers for me, enjoying the discomfort the puppeteer was suddenly showing at her words. Before he was even able to say a witty comeback, Suigetsu walked in with a smirk on his face, soon followed by Kakashi, whose one visible eye was trained straight on us. He pointed to Sakura, did the classic hand sign for "Come with me!", and walked out the room. "I better get going then."
"Good luck!" I call as she leaves, her long, bohemian style, white dress swishing back and forth with each moment. Suigetsu was still standing nearby, so I figured it was probably for the best to see if he had any insider info for the rest of us. "How was it in there Suigetsu?"
"It's cold as fucking hell!" he's quick to say, his grin growing even larger as he crossed his arms. "But I loved it!"
"You actually loved being in that freezer?" Gaara asked, all three of us not really believing what we were hearing as we stared at the sharp-toothed boy. "How can you stand it?"
"I'm from Sapporo, and my hometown gets some of the toughest winters in all the country. Plus, I work in an ice rink . . . Handling that freezer was no problem for me," he tells us as he starts moving away. "I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I wish you all the best of luck in there."
"Thanks!" Kankuro calls after him as he walked away, leaning his head back until his eyes met the ceiling. "I hope that freezer isn't as bad as I think it is."
"It's probably bad. Hoping it isn't will get you nowhere." his brother mumbles in return.
"Was what you just said really necessary?"
"Was mentioning drowning yesterday necessary?" Gaara bit back in return as he narrowed his eyes at him. Kankuro looked slightly confused at his brother's show of emotion, but then his eyes widened, as if everything just became clear to him. "Oh, now you remember . . ."
"Still upset about it huh?"
"How could he not?" I ask, jumping into the conversation. "You keep acting like his fear is a trivial thing."
"Oh . . . So, you told Izuka about how you almost drowned years ago. I see . . ."
"We may have had a little heart to heart chat about it . . ." Gaara stated, his lips slowly going down in a frown. "Well, I was doing more of the heart to heart, now that I think about it."
"Just think of it as you offering up a personal story in return for what I told you and the others about my deceased parents back in the semifinals," I was quick to give Gaara a way out, only because I didn't want Kankuro to capitalize on what he said in any way he could. "I was happy to lend an ear."
"And I thank you for that . . ." he's quick to say, offering me a smirk before turning to Kankuro, scowl already in place. "Izuka's shown more understanding of my issue in one night than you have for the past decade."
"I thought you'd grow out of it!" Kankuro exclaimed, raising his arms up as if he meant no harm. "I guess I was wrong."
"You can't simply 'grow out' of a fear Kankuro." I add, shaking my head. "It's not something that simply goes away as you get older. . . Don't you have something you're afraid of that hasn't gone away with time?"
"Oh, he has plenty . . ." I couldn't help but notice how Kankuro squirmed when he heard his brother say that, my disbelief at him only growing more by the second. "I can write you a list . . ."
"So, you've been giving your brother flack over his fear, while knowing you suffered through your own set of fears?" I ask, my voice blunter than I was hoping for. "What kind of brother are you exactly?"
"One that should be a little more considerate of how his brother feels on certain subjects?"
"Well, that's a start . . ." Gaara mumbles, shaking his head as he adjusted his shirt. "You know what? How about you start not making my fear sound so trivial, and I won't blab your fears to the rest of the group?"
"Deal!" Kankuro exclaimed, stretching his hand out for his brother to accept. Gaara was hesitant to take it, despite offering the deal himself, but he eventually took it, shaking hands just as Temari walked over, dressed in a body-tight, ice blue jumpsuit with cutouts on the arm, legs and torso. "Izuka, as witness to our agreement, you will make sure that both of us keep to our ends of the agreement, at least, for as long as we're in this competition."
"I can manage that . . ."
"Manage what exactly?" Temari couldn't help but ask as she sat down in the seat next to me. Both brothers looked off to the sides, as if they didn't want to discuss what just happened, or they were simply afraid of how their sister would react once she heard the entire story.
My bet's on the latter.
And as a fellow sister, I thought it was my duty to inform my fellow blonde on all the facts.
"Temari," I say, a small smirk playing on my lips as I weaved my fingers together against my stomach. "Allow me to explain."
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