A/N: Hi y'all! Sorry about the delay. Took me a while to really start this chapter off, but I'm happy it finally came together. Enjoy!

Chapter 42: Evaluation 3

Back to Izuka's POV

I'm not usually one that gets bothered when they know that they're being left out of something.

I can usually get past it by thinking logically about the situation and then coming to terms with all the possible reasons for being kept out of the loop.

I was having no such luck this time around.

Don't get me wrong! The time between the photoshoot's end and our next trip to panel seemed normal enough, and most of the house was acting like business as usual, but I couldn't help but feel that something was being hidden from me. . .

. . . And I have a strong feeling that it involves whatever Gaara saw in that dream of his.

A dream that only a few know about; that few being Kankuro, Temari, Gaara, Hinata, myself . . . and surprisingly, my brother, believe it or not.

In fact, ever since we returned from the photoshoot, every time I would glance Naruto's way, he would look at me with a smirk or a smug grin on his face, as if he knew something that I didn't know. It wasn't malicious in any sort of way.

But it did get annoying after the eighth grin a row.

Temari and Kankuro were not much help either. They stayed close to each other for most of the day, conspiratorially whispering amongst themselves as they snuck looks at me and Gaara whenever they felt they could get away with it.

As for Gaara himself, he mainly just kept to himself, staying in the backyard with his thoughts for the most part, only coming in to eat and use the bathroom. I wanted to see if he was okay, but Naruto would stop me in my tracks whenever I made a move to go check on him.

"I know you're concerned sis, but you should just leave him to his thoughts . . . He's just working through some things that's been bugging him for a bit."

"All the more reason to check on him then. . ."

I thought my reasoning was solid, but it wasn't enough to convince my brother, who would usually guide me all the way back to the living room with a knowing smile on his foxlike face.

"Trust me sis . . . Once Gaara has his thoughts all figured out, I'm sure he'll be a-okay."

I decided to trust his word, simply because whenever he says to trust his word, things tend to work out well in the end, and they seemed that way this time around. Gaara was a bit livelier as the afternoon wore on, but now that we sat outside the judging room waiting to be called in, I still have yet to talk to him today.

I wanted to change that, but I wasn't sure how.

"Are you okay Izuka?"

"Hmm?!" I mumble, looking up to see the Hyuuga on my left, watching me. I had no idea that she had even moved to sit down next to me in the first place. "Oh, I'm fine Hinata. . . I just have something on my mind, that's all."

"Is that something a someone?" She asks, more curious than teasing as her eyes not-so-subtly started looking around the room.

It wasn't hard to figure out who she was looking for.

"Maybe," I mumbled as I found her target talking with Shikamaru just off to our right. "You noticed how . . . off Gaara was acting for most of the day right?"

"He was quieter than usual . . . More contemplative in fact," Hinata helpfully supplies. "That dream of his really got his mind running I guess."

"And the fact that I'm the reason why is making my mind run a mile a minute," I say in return. "It must have been something major to keep him like that for so long, but at least he looks better now."

"That's true . . . You know, you probably wouldn't be this frustrated if you had let Temari tell you what Gaara's dream was about when she offered."

"I could have," I concede, and though I was annoyed with my decision for a moment, I didn't really regret it. "But no. Gaara didn't want me to know, so I'll respect his wishes."

"Huh, you know, not many girls would have chosen to do what you did," I hear Hinata mumble as I move my gaze to the window. "They would have leapt at the chance if they found out the sister of the guy they were interested in wanted to tell them all about the dream he had of them."

"Me?! Interested in Gaara?!" I ask, whipping my head around to see the thoughtful look on Hinata's face, no teasing in sight. If this talk was happening before the makeovers, my hair would have certainly nailed her in the face.

"You wouldn't be so interested in Gaara's dream if you weren't," She told me in her plainest voice, as if challenging me to prove her wrong.

I would have argued, but after hearing a comeback as true as that one, how could I possibly do so and expect to win?

"Well . . . Yeah, I won't argue that one," I mumble as I spot Gaara walking over to us from the corner of my eye. "Oh crap, he's coming this way!"

"Well, no time like the present to talk, I guess," I hear Hinata say, just as the doors started to swing open. ". . . Oh wait! It's time for judging."

"Aw, talk about timing," I mumbled as everyone else started to file into the room. When I found Gaara again, he was watching me with an apologetic glint in his jade eyes before he turned his head and followed the crowd. "Looks like I'll have to find out what he had to say later."

"Do you think you'll be able to handle the wait?"

"I'll manage. . ."

When we followed the crowd into the judging room, the judges were already in their seats, except for Tsunade, who stood before them across the table. They were busy talking amongst themselves, seemingly oblivious to our presence as they finished up their chat.

"Izuka?"

"Yes Hinata?" I whisper back, keeping my eyes on the judging panel as I feel her warm hand on my shoulder.

"I think a certain someone wants to talk to you," I hear her say, going as far to push my head around with her finger till my blue eyes were looking straight into Gaara's jade green ones.

"You've been standing there the entire time?" I ask, completely ignoring the fact that Hinata had just physically turned my head so that I would face him. "I thought you were in the first row."

"I thought I would hang back so that I could stand beside you," He quietly admitted, though his face looked a little unsure. "I . . . I have to talk to you, Izuka. It's important."

"I'm all ears, but I'm not sure that judging evaluations is the best place to have an important conversation," I reluctantly say, eager to know what he wanted to tell me. "How about later, when we're past the point of worrying about who's going home tonight?"

"That sounds doable, but what if one of us ends up in the bottom?" He asks, my eyebrows going up slightly at the question. "Of course, neither of us want that, but in case one of us is at risk of going home, can we talk while the judges are deliberating?"

There was a nervous edge to his tone that I found shocking, but strangely endearing; a hint to the vulnerable man underneath. His eyes were eager to hear my response, and who was I to begrudge him one.

"I'm fine with that. . ." I whisper back, and the relief on his face is almost palpable. ". . . Wow! Whatever you have to say must be that important huh?"

"You have no idea. . ."

"Well, I may have some inclination to what it may be, but I'll hold back on it for now," I admit, watching the blush creep on his face once the meaning of my words hit home. I would have admired it more, but Tsunade looked about ready to call class into session, so I looked forward instead.

"Welcome to another round of judging models!" Tsunade announces after the panel finally finished their discussion. "Sorry about the slow start. . ."

". . . Let's just say someone was a little overzealous with her sports betting again," Orochimaru smugly admitted as Tsunade sent him a cross look. "What?! It's not like your betting habits are a well kept secret these days."

"Remember that time the tabloids broke the story that Tsunade lost a US$5,000 betting on the last World Cup final?" Jiraiya adds, the two men sharing matching grins as they both ignored the glare Tsunade was sending their way. "Her little brother was making fun of her for days."

"Alright, that's enough from you two!" She growled, whipping her head around to face them. "You've had your fun! Now can we get back to the actual business at hand?"

"As you wish, princess. . ." Orochimaru concedes, smirking as Jiraiya silently nodded in agreement. Kurenai, the guest judge of the week, could only watch on in amused silence as the busty blonde walked around the table and into her seat.

"Anyway, you all remember Orochimaru and Jiraiya," Tsunade manages to say, getting back to the task at hand as she gestured to the men sitting on either side of her. "And as for your guest judge, she's a former model and a competition alumnus who reached the Top 5 in her year, but now, she and her husband are growing their cosmetology empire one salon at a time. Everyone, please welcome back Kurenai Sarutobi."

"Hello again everyone!" She says with a grin. "I see you all have been embracing your new looks!"

"They do look more like professional models now," Orochimaru muses with a smirk as Jiraiya nods in agreement. "You and your people did well, Kurenai."

"We always try our best," She concedes with a grin. "I'm just glad we didn't have any major breakdowns this year, though there was a bit of surprise in the proceedings."

"Surprise how?" Jiraiya asked as he turned his eyes on the blonde.

"We gave the models the choice on whether or not they would accept their makeovers," Tsunade explained. "Everyone accepted, except for one. . ."

". . . There is always some drama during makeover week," Orochimaru mumbles with a shake of his head. "At this point, it's practically tradition."

"Coupled with their light themed photoshoot, I'm sure these past few days were quite illuminating for our young charges."

"Really Jiraiya?!"

"Sorry, but I saw a chance to say my pun, so dammit, I took it." Jiraiya bites back, practically daring Orochimaru to say something in return. When he didn't, he turned away with a smirk on his face.

"Let's just get into it then," Tsunade announces, deciding to completely ignore the last few statements that were made. "This week, many of you did amazingly well during your photoshoot, but there were two that really stood out from the pack."

"Only two?" Hinata whispers as I feel my eyes widen in shock. "Didn't expect that number."

"No one did," I whispered in return as Tsunade looked like she was reveling in the sight of so many stunned faces.

"However, while there were two that really stood out from the pack, two others definitely stood out, but for the wrong reasons," She adds. "So, I will be calling up all four names together."

"Four names Tsunade?"

"Four names Orochimaru. Four names . . ." She concedes, her face as stoic as a statue's own. "Matsuri, Shino, Gaara, Sasuke, please step forward!"

Sasuke was the first to move, followed quickly by Matsuri and Shino. Gaara seemed a little out of it when his name was called, but a quick nudge of my arm into his elbow was enough to snap him back into focus. He shoots me a thankful look before walking off, the smirk that graced his face almost taking me off guard.

"You four represent the best and the worst of the week. One of you will win best photo, and one of you will be going home," Tsunade explains, looking evenly at all four in front of her. "Since you did not have a challenge this round, the photoshoot is what you will be solely judged on . . . Let's start with you Sasuke. How do you think these past few days have gone for you?"

"Definitely wanted to do better this go around, especially since I was in the bottom during the last judging," He admitted. "Didn't want a repeat performance of last time, that's for sure."

"And your hair?" Jiraiya asks with a smirk. "You probably had one of the more dramatic changes from Makeover Day. How's it been treating you so far?"

"It's a major improvement than my old look, which, yes, I have been told made the back of my head look like a bird butt," He admits, his quite conservative description of his old hairstyle earning him chuckles from Jiraiya, Kurenai, and much of us models, especially Kankuro, Kiba, and my brother.

"Well, that's a nice way to put it," Tsunade points out, with Orochimaru subtly nodding his head in agreement. "Let's see your best photo."

We didn't have to wait long for Sasuke's photo to appear on screen, and as soon as I saw it, I couldn't help but think of it as an elegant throwback.

His set was a throwback to the late 1800s, around the time the lightbulb was first invented and patented, designed to look like a den you would find in an old English manor. Sasuke himself was dressed like an old English gentleman, leaning back in his seat by an active lightbulb with a book in his hand.

He was looking directly at the camera, as if he was slightly annoyed with the photographer taking photos of him mid-read. To be honest, the photo looked like one of those stills you would see advertising for some period drama.

The question though, was whether or not the judges liked it. . .

. . . Judging from the looks on their faces, they definitely did.

"Yeah, this is definitely a major improvement from the last round," Jiraiya admits. "Congratulations, you're on the upswing."

"If this was used to advertise an upcoming period movie hitting the theaters, I would definitely be interested in watching it," Kurenai adds. "The outfit, the attitude . . . It all works. There's a story behind it, and I want to know what the story is."

"I agree with Kurenai. This photo tells a story, and I love it when photos tell stories," Orochimaru adds. "I was getting quiet doctor just trying to enjoy his break before getting interrupted by his secretary vibes."

"I was thinking annoyed earl watching his young child break his third vase that week vibes, but yours works too," Jiraiya adds, smirking.

"What makes your photo work is that it's compelling," Tsunade adds, putting her two cents into the mix. "Yes, your face works, the clothes work, the attitude works, but it's the possible reason behind the image that brings you back for more . . . This is a very good comeback photo. Keep at it."

"I definitely will," Sasuke concedes. Only Orochimaru reacted to his words though, nodding his head with a smirk on his face.

"Let's go to Shino now . . . You had one of the more subdued makeovers this year. Were you hoping for something drastic?"

"Not really. I've never thought of myself as someone that could really work a very drastic new look," He admits.

"Some models are better off with subdued changes rather than drastic ones," Kurenai points out. "You just happen to fall in the former category."

"What light were you assigned to Shino?"

"I got the flashlight," He tells her, just as his image appeared on screen. If Sasuke's photo was a still from a period drama, then Shino's was definitely a still from a horror film. ". . . I definitely got a horror vibe from my set, so I wanted to lean into it."

"I can see where you were going with this, but there is such a thing of going so far that you forget the actual point of the shoot," Jiraiya points out. "You need to maintain that balance between the theme of the shoot and what you have been hired to model and advertise. . . Here, you don't have that balance."

"It's one thing taking priority over the other," Kurenai adds. "Yes, the flashlight is shown a great deal in the shot, but you are not focused on the camera."

"There is a way to play your character without making the object you're supposed to be modelling second fiddle," Tsunade adds. "The two things all models must keep in mind during photoshoots: themselves, and the objects they're supposed to model. If you forget about one of them, it goes downhill from there."

"Understood. I'll keep that in mind for later."

"You better," Orochimaru couldn't help but say as Tsunade looked to her next victim. "I'm guessing what you just said is advice that all the models should keep in mind?"

"Definitely. . . Matsuri, we'll move on to you now," The blonde announced as she turned her eyes to the brunette. "Loving the new curls?"

"I've had short, flat hair for the longest while, so the new look was a dream come true . . . The process was definitely an experience though."

"Beauty is pain my dear. Those that persevere from it are all the stronger afterward."

"I'm not so sure about that Orochimaru."

"Don't cut in Jiraiya!"

"Ignore the two arguing on either side of me," Tsunade advises the rest of us, her words cutting into their spat.

"We weren't arguing Tsunade," Orochimaru chided her.

"I was offering some clarification," Jiraiya added.

"You call what you just said clarification?"

"It's my own special brand of clarification, Orochimaru." Jiraiya defiantly said right back. "You should be honored."

"Anyway, what light were you assigned Matsuri?" Tsunade pushed on, ignoring her bickering friends and the chuckling Kurenai.

"I was assigned the candelabra," Came the quick answer, just as her photo appeared on screen. "I was trying to channel Morticia Addams . . . Not sure if I achieved it though."

"The fact that you chose one of Orochimaru's all time favorite fictional characters as your reference point . . . That's ballsy," Jiraiya points out as he gestured the designer's way. "You also have to be very on point if you're going to make that kind of reference, and I don't fully see it."

"Your dress is great, your body looks amazing, the candelabra looks good," Kurenai lists off. "It's just . . . your face. The expression just isn't right to me."

"Morticia Adams is a sexy, sensual, darkly gothic woman that knows how to handle her business with wit and dry sarcasm," Orochimaru explains as he keeps his eyes on the photo. "There's no way in hell that she would allow herself to look so constipated . . ."

"I can see that you were going for the dark, vampy, sensual vibe that your reference point is known for. The problem is that you are trying too hard," Tsunade announces, getting to the heart of the matter. "And when you try too hard, you get images like that. . ."

"Yeah; I guess I was focusing so much on my face that it did me more harm than good. . ."

"You are not the first model to make this kind of error. Thinking too much on how your face will look on film is a common issue in our world," Tsunade adds. "The key is to not think, but feel . . . It's more instinct than anything else."

"It's not a concept that everyone fully understands, but trust me, it has a long track record for working." Jiraiya adds, just as the screen finally switches from Matsuri's photo to Gaara's. ". . . Well what do we have here?"

The other judges had not said a single word since Gaara's photo came into view, but from the positive expressions on their faces, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine the compliments they would send his way.

In the shot, Gaara was seated on some kind of log while holding a lantern on his knee, a doorway mimicking the opening of a mine shaft standing a few feet behind him. He was looking at the camera with a tired intensity, with the light of the lantern shrouding his soot covered face, further enhancing his jade green eyes.

It was a handsome image that just drew you in . . . Plus, it didn't hurt that Gaara looked absolutely desirable in that shot. . .

. . . And now my cheeks are burning red at such a thought . . . Great.

"Looks like someone wants a Top Photo repeat," Jiraiya adds in a sing-song voice as he weaves his fingers together. "That, my dear friend, is magic in a photo."

"I'll say. . ." Kurenai cuts in. "It's such a believable shot. I really feel that you're a tired miner finishing his day in this photo, but yet you still kept it fashionable."

"This is the kind of photo that clients love. This guarantees you future work," Orochimaru lists off, a snake-like grin crossing his face as he points to the monitor. "And if last round's photo didn't cement you as a frontrunner in this competition, this photo certainly did."

"Wow. . ." We hear Gaara say, sounding almost out of breath after hearing his critique. "That is. . . That is high praise coming from you all."

"It's well-deserved praise; just don't get a big ego because of it okay?" Orochimaru chides him, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'm sure that his siblings are more than willing to knock some sense into him if he does. . ."

"Damn straight!" Kankuro loudly admits, his sister nodding in complete agreement as the rest of us - judges included - have a good laugh at the redhead's expense.

At the very least, Gaara didn't seem too bothered by it, sneaking a look at his siblings before turning back around with a bemused expression on his face.

"Thank you models. You can return to the rest of the group," Tsunade orders with a grin. "And when I call you back, one of you will win the top photo, and one of you will go home."

A/N: Please review!