Ladies and gentleman, I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT!

After receiving a nice guest review on another story I write, I have decided to - finally - open an account on Archive of Our Own! Yep, I'm coming to AO3!

I've been on this site for so long now - for so many years. I think it's seven now - that I think it's time that I stretched my wings a little. You know, spread my storytelling to an audience that may not frequent this site as much.

Anyway, "You Wanna Be on Top?", the story you've been currently reading up to this point, along with two other stories - "Two Perspectives, One Shared Life", my story based in the "Bleach" universe, and "Family Runs Deep" my "My Hero Academia" fic, will be the first three stories that I post on that site once my invite goes through. . . Other stories will follow later on.

However, I do plan to edit and re-edit them all before I publish them. I'm thinking of expanding them more and even adding newer details that I wish I had added when I first wrote it. . . Which means I'll likely be making the additions and changes here on FF as well.

BTW, I just checked to make sure that no one had my exact author pen name . . . No one does, and hopefully no one will from now until I get my invite, so once I start publishing there, I will be going by SandsnakeQueen, just like I do here on this site. *Fingers crossing in hope*

Anyway, shout out to addicted-to-the-fic for the review last chapter, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 26: An Ice Day's Work

I knew I was going to be in for quite an icy reception - ha, see what I did there - when it was my time to pose for the camera. I just never realized how absolutely bone-chilling it was until I took my first steps into the damn freezer.

Like seriously, as soon as the large, fridge-like door cracked open and a gust of air hit my face, I instantly wanted to turn around and find the largest blanket I could find to cower under.

If it wasn't for Kakashi placing his hand on my back to guide me onward, I probably would have done it too.

True to the silver-haired man's words, the entire set was made out of ice, from the seats, to the bar, the DJ booth, even the funky chandelier. It was designed to look like a trendy nightclub with a hint of a futuristic vibe to it. Not a place I would really call a hangout spot myself in my normal walk of life, but cool enough that it could really fit in with some of the trendier hangout spots celebrities like to frequent so much.

After getting introduced to the photographer - a short man with curly gray hair peeking out of his yellow beanie with a duck's face on the front - I was stationed in the lounge area close to the DJ booth, and as soon as my butt touched the cold, hard surface of the lounge chair, I wanted to shoot out my seat and run for the nearest exit.

Somehow, I managed not to do that, but I was squirming so much that Kakashi had to ask me to stop or else I would get the clothes too wet. His eye-smile told me that he wasn't being too serious, but it was still embarrassing to get called out like that.

"Izuka, you know what you have to do," I could hear Kakashi call to me from his seat behind the monitor. "I don't want to see 'cold' or 'freezing' on your face! I want chill like you're chilling out and relaxing in the club, not chill like you're freezing your ass off in the middle of the frozen tundra!"

"Got it!" I call out, immediately pushing out all thoughts on the cold so that I can focus on the true task at hand.

Considering how freezing it was, and my clothes inability to protect me from it, it was actually pretty hard to keep the cold thoughts from invading my mind. Oh, but I tried.

I valiantly tried.

Somehow, I managed to get into a state of mind good enough to keep the worst thoughts at bay as I took shot after shot.

Moving a little bit after each photo helped too.

Soon enough, I almost didn't really feel the cold toward the end. I managed to move a lot less stiffly, almost natural, keeping my face as calm and anti-cold as possible until Kakashi gave me the signal that I was done.

It was the fastest I ever got out of chair in my life.

"You were a little slow getting there, but then again, you weren't the only one. You were definitely one of the fastest to get the hang of it though, so that's commendable." he tells me as I walk over to his station. As soon as I got a good look at the screen, I couldn't help but grimace at how stiff I looked in the first few frames.

"My eyes are screaming 'Get me out of this ice box!' in the first few shots . . ." I mumble as I looked at my frozen face, my hands rubbing along my arms to try to get some warmth back into them.

"Well, true, but it was only for a short while," was Kakashi's quick response as he pointed to some of the later photos. "But look at these two photos here. You go from cold in one shot, to completely unbothered in the next. It's like something snapped into place in your head and you went from frozen popsicle to fashion model, and like I said before, you were one of the fastest to get the hang of it. . . Now come on. I'm sure you're dying to get back into the sun again!"

"You have no idea . . ." I mumble as I turn for the exit. The feel of the sun hitting my skin is absolutely exquisite and a relief to my bones, so I couldn't help but slow down my pace just a tad to savor every last second of it.

When I finally returned to the warehouse where all the prep was happening, Temari was already waiting at the exit, ready for Kakashi to whisk her away to the igloo. She looked quite stone-faced as we approached, which must mean that something bad may have happened.

Considering what the topic of the conversation was before I left, it's not hard to figure out why.

"Let me guess: you had enough of TenTen trying to inquire about your love life?" The snort I receive seems to mean the affirmative. "I'm going to take that as a firm yes."

"Look, I get that TenTen has a bit of a curious mind, but she needs to cool her jets before she really gets herself in trouble," Temari grumbles as she starts walking off toward Kakashi, stopping after a couple of steps to face me one more time. "Izuka, be honest with me. How bad is it in there?"

"You will wish that you were dropped in the middle of the Sahara Desert once you're done, trust me." I say, grimacing for extra effect. Judging from the wide-eyed look she was giving me, and the eye smile Kakashi was shooting my way, I think my words did the trick.

I watch the two walk off to face the freezer before stepping into the building. Everyone that had yet to take their turn were now gathered in the waiting area, apparently playing some kind of verbal word game from the sounds of it.

Everyone else must have been back in wardrobe changing into their street clothes, or somewhere else in the building for that matter, and I would have been joining them . . .

. . . Well, if it wasn't for my brother calling me over to talk that is.

"Well sis?" he asks as I reached the small group, now quiet to hear what I have to say. "How was it in there?"

"Cold; absolutely cold," I bluntly say as I unwrapped my arms from around my torso. I had them wrapped tight around me ever since I left the freezer. "The place is pretty much a club made entirely out of ice and snow, and I had to sit down in a chair for my entire shoot. . . I still can't feel my ass."

"Aw, your poor ass . . ." I don't know why, but I just started chuckling at TenTen's comment. I think it was because she said it with such a sincere face. I guess the idea of someone sincerely caring about my ass is funny to me.

"So, did I miss anything important while I was gone?"

"Not much," says Neji, his eyes sliding left to gaze at TenTen. "TenTen and Temari were still having their back and forth after you left and it seemed that the conversation was thankfully coming to a close."

". . . Then Shikamaru walked over, and it just . . . reignited from there." my brother finishes as everyone's eyes slid toward the lazy genius.

"Hey! I didn't say anything," crowed the man as he sat up, looking disgruntled as he crossed his arms. He was dressed in a casual silver suit with matching silver loafers, and I'm pretty sure he has not escaped the wrath of a 'Tin Man' joke since he first put it on. "As soon as I walked over here and TenTen saw me, she grinned like a cat before asking about my connection to Temari . . . I've never seen a girl turn so red before in my life."

"Hmm, then you've never seen Hinata when she's truly embarrassed about something then."

"Cousin Neji, seriously?" Hinata pouted, her pale skin already turning red.

"I'm sorry, but you know it's true . . ." Neji mumbled as Hinata tried her hardest to glare at him. It wasn't working, and for a moment, I worried how she would perform in some of the edgier photo shoots that were bound to happen the further we got into this competition.

Leaving them to debate about who blushes the most, I walked over to wardrobe so that I could finally change out of my clothes. After sitting on the ice for so long, my clothes were quite damp, and with the help of one of the stylists, I manage to get out of the clothes and back into my streetwear in about two minutes flat.

Here's to hoping that I don't catch a cold because of this.

As she went off to dry them off somewhere, I walked over to makeup to see Kankuro and Gaara sitting at two of the stations in deep conversation. As I got closer, I realized that it was actually quite heated between the two, but while Gaara appeared irritated, Kankuro was unashamedly grinning.

Of course, I had to butt in.

"I thought we had already settled your whole dispute on Gaara's drowning fear," I say, loud enough that both of them heard me immediately. At their confused looks, I knew what I said wasn't on the money. "Wait, you guys weren't talking about that, were you?"

"Not in the slightest . . ." Gaara mumbled as he glared at his brother.

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly were you talking about?"

"We were talking about umpf-" That was all that Kankuro managed to say before Gaara slapped his hand over his mouth, with a face that screamed 'Don't you dare say another word!'. I was not expecting that from the redhead, and judging by Kankuro's expression, neither did he.

"Gaara, why did you stop your brother from talking?" I couldn't help but ask as I watched the two continue their silent conversation.

"I'm saving your ears from hearing more of my brother's senseless dribble?" he suggests as he slowly lets his brother go, but his face still carried a message. Don't tell her your stupid nonsense!

"I appreciate that you want to protect my ears from whatever your brother has to say," I start as I slide into the chair on Gaara's left. "But I'm an adult and I think I can handle whatever 'dribble' your brother has to say . . . So, what exactly were you going to say?"

"I was just telling Gaara that no girl would want to date a guy with a habit for cultivating cacti. That's all."

"Really . . ." I never felt my face go so blunt before, but there's always a first for everything. "That's what's got Gaara so worked up? You are dissing his ability to pick up the ladies because he likes to cultivate a desert plant?"

"Pretty much . . ."

"What the fuck is wrong with that?!"

Both brothers stared at me in shock, but while Kankuro was looking at me out of honest disbelief, Gaara looked quite pleased, as if he knew he was going to come out on top in this conversation.

"So, he likes to take care of plants. There's nothing wrong with that. My brother's in the exact same boat. He's the one that takes care of our garden, not me. I just cook the crops once they're ripe for eating." I tell them without a care in the world.

"Naruto's a gardener? That guy's a GARDENER?!" Kankuro almost screeches as he points to my brother, who looked to be in a deep conversation with Hinata, Neji, and Shikamaru.

"Yep; my brother has a serious green thumb . . . And you think gardening and cultivating plants is a bad skill for a guy to have when he's trying to pick up chicks? Excuse me? Have you not seen how smitten Hinata looks when she stares at him sometimes?"

"It's like she has permanent heart eyes." Gaara adds, cutting into my rant with a satisfied grin on his face. "Cultivating and taking care of plant life isn't a sign of weakness Kankuro. It shows you're able to provide if needed, as well as show off your sense of responsibility. . . I hear girls tend to dig that in a man."

"Damn straight . . ." I say as I leaned back in my seat, ready to counter whatever he had to say next.

Kankuro didn't bother saying a word, getting up from his seat and walking away like a defeated man heading for the guillotine.

"I like watching my brother retreat in defeat, especially because he said something stupid that he couldn't truly defend." Gaara says with a chuckle as he turns to me. ". . . Anyway, you don't help your brother much with the gardening?"

"On occasion, yeah, but he handles things most of the time," I say with a smirk. "Are cacti the only plant you raise though?"

"I've dabbled in other plant life, but cacti are my go-to, even though it is pretty hard to find cacti seeds, or plants for that matter, in my neighborhood florist."

"You import them, don't you?"

"It sets me back a pretty penny, but they're worth it . . ."

"Really?"

We ended up spending the rest of our wait time talking about plant life somehow, and for most of that time, I was inwardly thanking Naruto for drilling plant knowledge into my skull throughout the years. We had to stop our discussion when we realized that the shoot was finally over and everyone was re-dressed and ready to go back to the house.

Who would have thought a talk about vegetables would be so intriguing?

Before we were even allowed to go back to the bus, Kakashi was standing right in the exit, now without all his winter wear. He was dressed in a blue t-shirt and jeans, a pretty lax combo compared to what he usually wears.

"Did you really think I was going to let you leave without some last words?" he teases as he looks at each and every one of our faces. We figured not. "Ok, overall, you all did a decent job working in such harsh conditions. Some of you were a little slow to really get into a feel of things, but once you recovered, things really turned out well. Others . . . well, you didn't have the best of luck."

"Now then, since the photoshoot is over, you know what comes next." he states, and I think a good few of us grimaced at what he was implying.

We didn't need someone to say it out loud to know what he was talking about.

Panel.

Elimination.

That was in our immediate futures, whether we liked it or not.

"However, before you have to go off to panel, I think you guys are in for a good reward after a job well done," he says, his eye smile back with authority. "Your reward is waiting for you back at the house. Enjoy it while you can. Have a good evening everyone."

"I wonder what the reward could be?" I mumble as most of us started clamoring to get to the bus. Again, I didn't want to be in that mess, so I simply stuck to the back of the group with Gaara.

"We'll find out once we get to the house I guess. . ." he tells me as we calmly make our way to our ride. "I just want to put this day behind me."

"Of course you would . . . but we are still on for tonight right?"

"Absolutely . . ." he tells me, giving me a rare smile that made my stomach do a leap, I think. "Right after everyone's asleep?"

"Absolutely . . ."

A/N: Please review!