Author's Notes: Hey, people, it's been a while, but Chapter 4 is in the house! There's a small surprise in this chapter. I wonder which one of you guys would see it coming. I may lose some fans because of it, but it's my fic. So I'm sorry if I disappoint you.
Title: Hot Shot
Pairing: Neji/Tenten (of course) plus others
Rating: T (but it will get hot)
Summary: In the modeling world, no matter how pretty you are, things can get ugly, especially if you don't know who you're up against.
Model Portfolio
Full Name: Uchiha Sasuke
Age: 18
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 130 lbs.
Measurements: (due to the scandalous details these contain, Uchiha Sasuke's measurements have been censored)
Body Type: Catalogue
Has Modeled For: SUKON Men, Hawk Project International Runway Show
Chapter 4 – Family Ties
"Pssst. Pssst. Ppsssssssssssttttttttt. Hey, Sasuke, I need your help!"
Again, he was ignoring her. Ignoring the ignored. Usually, she'd stop around this time, but right now, she was too desperate.
Waking up late and panicking your way to school wasn't the best choice she'd like to start the morning. She wasn't even able to see neither her parents nor Shikamaru before leaving the house. Hell, she didn't even know what clothes she had thrown on. Now with no breakfast and no energy, she really needed help right now.
"Come on, Sasuke! You have to help me! Please?" she begged in whispered tones.
Oh, how he wished she'd give up.
Uchiha Sasuke was not a people person. He never liked being in the company of others. He preferred being alone at all cost and pretending like he had this little world all to himself. There wasn't a single human being on this earth he could tolerate. He hated everyone. He hated his parents, his brother, his teachers, his classmates, and most of all, the damn blonde asshole that wouldn't stop taking pictures of him. Life was too cruel to him and his luster.
Now, little miss happiness and her pink bra were flashing him a view of her boobs (which were probably bigger than her brain), while she was slumped on the neighboring laboratory desk next to his. Did she even know that she wasn't wearing a shirt under her jacket? Was this supposed to turn him on? Because, right now, he really wanted to puke.
"Fifteen minutes!"
Great, now she only had fifteen minutes left, and she hadn't even started. Who seriously had time to study carbohydrates and their reactivity, when she had to walk runways in sky-high heels? If only Sasuke would help her.
"Please, Sasuke? I'll do anything! Just please help me!"
The boy sighed. "Put the alpha-naphthol in ethanol. Add sulfuric acid to the D-glucose solution. Then mix them all together."
She squealed in utter delight. "Thank you so much, Sasuke! I owe you big time!"
He gave her a glare. "You sure do. Now leave me and my furfural rings in peace."
"Huh? What's that?"
"Oh, shut up the fuck up!"
The whole class stared at him in awe. Did Uchiha Sasuke just curse someone in public?
Iruka looked at the pair in annoyance. "Sasuke, I expected better from you. Tenten, out. You will fail this test, and I don't want to see you in my class for the rest of the year."
She choked but regained composure and let out a forced smile. "I don't want to see you either, Iruka-sensei. In fact, I don't want think I'll be seeing you next year either. I quit."
The only sound that broke the stunned silence of the room was a door being slammed shut and a disappointed sigh coming from their teacher.
-xxx-
It wasn't like she meant to disrespect Iruka-sensei. Handling frustration just wasn't her strong point. Everyone had his or her worse days, but unfortunately for her, it had to be this day.
Rain started pouring a little bit after her first class. She decided to go straight home than to put up with Trigonometry and Algebra. The day was as gloomy as her mood was. She was serious, when she said she'd quit. Her foster parents would just have to accept her decision. Somewhere deep down in her heart, she knew they would understand. Chemistry just wasn't what she wanted. How could she tolerate something she didn't want? It was like getting a plain, old cheeseburger, when she wanted hot chicken nuggets. She was a model. She needed to feel it, experience it. This was what she wanted. Maybe by the end of the day, the sun would be shining brightly in the horizon, full of happiness.
Both her mother and father were in the living room, when she arrived. Shikamaru was nowhere in sight, probably at work already. Anger, disbelief, and sadness were all she could see in their expressions. They ordered her to sit down immediately and threw a newspaper at her. Her eyes widened. There, on the front cover, was a huge picture of her falling off the runway. It had happened only yesterday, and here it was in black and white, such an embarrassment. Neji would definitely kill her.
"Explain this," he father demanded.
"I… This is my dream," she said softly, looking back at her picture then at her parents.
Her mother frowned. "Still, this childish dream of yours! What kind of future will you have with modeling? What's going to happen to you, when you turn 30? Do you really think you'll be able to work as a model all your life? Use your brain and think once in a while!"
It hurt. It really hurt. Her mother had never been so mad at her, no matter what stupid thing she did.
"We want this to end right now, Tenten," her father continued. "You will not continue this nonsense."
She looked down. "No, Dad, I'm not going to stop."
That one little sentence drove the married couple to the brink. Her mother slapped her in the face, and her father harshly ordered her to leave his home and never come back. They screamed insults at her and called her ungrateful, but she felt the opposite. She was grateful to them, for everything they did for her. Why wouldn't she be? She loved them so much. But how could they not accept this one flaw of hers? This one flaw called determination, to become a star, was inevitable. She wasn't perfect but tried her best to be, just for them. Why couldn't they see that?
-xxx-
The rain still hadn't stopped that late afternoon. Though only light, it made the weather much more colder than usual. Hyuuga Neji loved the rain. He only managed to remain calm and comforted, when it rained. Days like these had the perfect ambience for him to work well with. He was finishing up a report he had for next month. Graduation was closing in on him, and he still had so much to do, both for graduate school and his uncle's company. He had taken up Masters in Business with various classes in Management and Financing. Having a heavy workload wasn't much of a problem for him. He even managed to achieve the label of workaholic, when he was only a pre-teen. He needed to be busy at all times. It didn't appeal to him sitting in a corner, quietly doing nothing. If it were possible to do input tax while sleeping, he'd be the first one to try. It wasn't the healthiest option in life, working 24/7, but he had his reasons, and he was damn proud of his choice of lifestyle. He was only twenty-one and had a good life on the foundation of hard work and loyalty. He had everything he could possibly want. Or at least that's what he tells himself everyday.
Kawariyuku kisesu no naka wo…ikiru futabi ni bokura…kieta tsuyosa o te ni ireta kedo (JUST ONCE, ONE MORE GAME)
He cringed. Who the hell changed his ringtone again? Oh, right, his so-called "friends" did, as usual. What's next? Viva Rock?
"What?" he answered blandly as he continued to type away.
"Neji…"
Pausing, he frowned and saved his work. "Who is this?"
"It's Tenten. I…need help…"
-xxx-
"This is the guest room. Try not to make a mess of the place."
Tenten tightly held onto the ice pack on her cheek. "Don't worry I promise I won't be a bother."
Neji looked at her without care and set her surprisingly small, pink luggage next to the bathroom. "Just so you know. This isn't free lodging. You'll have to do some house work, while you're staying here."
"I'll do anything I can to help," she said with a smile, despite being kicked out of her home and her ankles were still as swollen as her face. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifter from her back.
She hadn't expected that Neji would actually bring her to his own humble abode (which was actually the penthouse of the Hotel of Centuries made into an fancy apartment-like home). She was lucky and was never one to abuse the kindness given to her.
"Even if you make me another maid here, I wouldn't mind."
He gave her a glare. "Despite having busy schedules, we work hard even at home. There are no maids here."
"So, you do all the- "
"Yes, cooking, cleaning, shopping, laundry, and everything else necessary."
"Wow, that's so cool, Hyuuga-sama."
He raised a brow, as she plopped onto the king sized bed. "Cool?"
"Yeah, I mean. You guys are rich and all, but you don't depend on maids or butlers to do everything for you."
"Hn. Take a bath or something before dinner. We're having chicken," he said before leaving.
She laughed lamely. "Thank you…Hyuuga-sama…"
He stopped abruptly but continued. A smile emerged, hidden from the world. It quickly faded the moment he bumped into his cousin.
"W-Was that a g-girl, Neji-niichan?" she asked, fingers fumbling with a blue ribbon.
He coughed lightly and walked to the refrigerator. "Yes, it was."
"How l-l-long will she b-be staying…here?"
"Not long. Don't worry."
She took a step back, surprised. "O-oh, n-n-no, no, it's not that I…d-don't want her here. I-It's just…that you…you don't bring p-p-people here a-and well…"
"Well, what?" He placed the ingredients neatly on the table and started cutting up some vegetables.
"I-is she…pre-pregnant?"
The question almost made him cut his own finger off. "WHAT?"
"I-It's nothing! I'm sorry, Neji-niichan!" she apologized profusely, before running for her life.
He cursed silently and continued chopping the celery. "What's wrong with these people?"
-xxx-
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Hiashi turned to his beautiful little girl, Hanabi, with a smile. She jumped into his arms and gave him a big hug. He set her on his lap and moved away from his desk and paper work.
"How's my sweet little angel?" he caressed her hair lovingly. Being only six years old, the Hyuuga adored her so much that he might as well smother her with love.
She giggled in response. "Daddy, I saw Neji-niichan bring home a girl!"
"Really now? Was she pretty?"
Hanabi nodded and then decided to stand on her daddy's lap. "She was really tall and had really pretty hair, like the dolly you gave me. I want to be just like her, when I grow up."
He gave out a chuckle and playfully lifted her into the air. "I'm sure you will, my little princess."
"It's time to eat now, Father," Hinata said through the door of his room.
"We'll be right out." He gently placed his daughter back on the floor and took her hand in his.
"Oh, and just so you know, Neji brought a guest home. Would it be alright if she stayed for a while?"
Hiashi opened the door and met Hinata with a small grin.
"Why not? Neji needs some company in his room anyway."
-xxx-
Dinner had been excellent. They had a baked lemon and thyme chicken, cheddar mashed potatoes, spicy Buffalo wings, salad, and barbequed chicken breasts. How could Neji not show up for dinner? Everything was so wonderfully made. Here she was, sitting next to the powerhouse billionaire Hyuuga Hiashi and all his glory. It was awkward, yet an honor. It wasn't everyday that she'd eat and sit next to a famous person.
"Thank you so much for letting me stay over, Hiashi-sama."
He gave her a warm smile. "It's nothing. Stay as long as you like."
She returned a smile as well. "That's very kind of you, sir."
Tenten took a sip of her strawberry lemonade before asking, "If it's all right, may I know where Neji is?"
Hinata was the one who answered. "H-he…Neji-niichan d-doesn't really l-like eating much."
"But the food is so good. How can he not want all this? You're an excellent chef, Hinata-san."
"I-I didn't make a-all this, Tenten-san. Neji-nii d-d-did."
Hiashi stabbed a piece of chicken and savored the flavors before adding, "It's true. Neji is the best cook I know."
"I love Neji-nii! He's the best!" Hanabi, as Tenten guessed was another of Neji's cousins, spoke, before stuffing her mouth with more food.
Strange, why wouldn't Neji want to eat the food he made himself? Plus, everyone here seems to love him so much. Perhaps there was more to the young Hyuuga than she willed herself to know. Yeah, he was mean and rude pretty much all the time, but they didn't seem to have any hatred towards him or his foul attitude. Maybe she should get to know Neji more. Maybe, deep down inside, he was actually as beautiful as he was physically.
Wait…. She did not just think that. Was she blushing? Why was everyone looking at her like that?
-xxx-
"Nara, I need you to check out these print ads," Temari, his oh-so-wonderful office mate, said as the files slipped from her hands and landed on his already-full desk.
"Look, I'm still going over these stock documents," he retorted, stacks of papers in one hand and cell phone in the other. "Could you maybe do it yourself?"
In probably a nanosecond, she managed to roll up a thick wad of newspaper and slammed it against his head. "Don't tell me what to do, you asshole!"
Papers flew everywhere and his cell phone broke into two upon impact with the floor.
She gasped, surprised at what she had done. "I'm sorry."
He stopped her, when she motioned to pick up the mess. Still, refusing to look up at her, he started, "It's fine. I'll check the print ads. I'll even make the contracts myself."
"Shikamaru, wait-"
"No, I was going to buy a new phone anyway."
He stood up slowly. "I think I'm going to take a short break."
Everything else she said was purposely tuned out. His co-workers asked him, if he was okay. They received no answer, as he continued on his way out of the building.
Stopping by a phone booth, he brought out a few coins and decided to call his baby sister.
Beep…Beep…Beep…Beep…Hey, this is Tenten! If I'm not answering, I must be having more fun than you! So leave me a message and I'll call you as soon as I can. Beep.
He smiled slightly; at least one of them was having a good time. "Hi, Tenten, it's Shika. I might not be coming home tonight. Tell Mom and Dad for me, okay? Thanks. Take care."
The rain started pouring harder again. He hung up and stalked back to his building. There, Temari came running up to him.
"Look, I'm sorry! I didn't know what came over me!" she shouted through the rain.
Even though he was a genius, his mind couldn't conjure up anything. He said nothing and still refused to look at her. Instead, he looked up and closed his eyes. Drops of rain fell hard on him, calming yet taunting.
He stayed like that for a while before finally deciding to look at her in the eyes. "You do this every single day, because you hate me."
Anger started to boil within her. "And you know exactly why!"
Then, he saw tears run down. She was crying, just like before.
"It still hurts, until now, you bastard! You have no idea! It hurts so much!"
She couldn't hold back anymore. Everything, all the pain, finally burst out of the box she forced them into.
He cupped her face and wiped the tears away with his thumb. "You're right. I don't know."
No more words were spoken as he kissed her.
-xxx-
"What are those?" the brunette asked in both confusion and astonishment. She had never seen such small…shorts, the exact denim pair Neji was dangling in front of her.
It had been three days, since she started staying with the Hyuuga family. She wasn't sure, if Shikamaru knew about what happened. His calls were left unreturned, being that she had no idea what to say to him. All she wanted right now was to hug him and have him tell her everything would be okay. But then again, she couldn't bare it, if he decided to hate her just as their parents did.
He'd hate her for not telling him about what she did at school and what she had said to their parents. He'd hate her for not following his advice of finishing college first. He'd hate her for all the things she had done, despite the hard work he'd put trying to get her into modeling (which she practically sabotaged by falling off the runway).
"It's for your next shoot. You're modeling for the new Lust + Envy Summer Collection."
"But, they're tiny! I can't fit into that!" Even she could admit that her ass wouldn't fit into that ridiculously shrunken garment.
"Exactly, you can't fit into them, and that'll cost you a job. You're lucky the clothing line and the photographer thought that you were bold causing a scene in the fashion show. It seems that they like wild and crazy girls. Now, you either lose that useless junk in a week or turn down an once-in-a-lifetime photo shoot that could get you booked a thousand times more. Take your pick."
She grabbed the damn thing right away. "I'll fit into the shorts, Hyuuga-sama! I promise!"
"Good. Now, get ready. You're going to meet your co-model for lunch," he said as he rummaged through her clothes.
"Pardon?"
A growl escaped his lips, and he tossed a distasteful shirt of hers with pink bunnies all over. "You're going to model with someone else. Get the picture?"
"Oh, okay, okay. Who? A really famous underwear model that humbly started off as a strong-willed, unknown newcomer such as myself?"
"No." Another pink shirt was tossed. God, how much pink did she own?
"No? Then perhaps a really cute foreigner with dreams of becoming an international icon?" This was actually kind of exciting.
The Hyuuga sighed. "He was scouted in a bookstore by Uzumaki Naruto a few months ago."
"Uzumaki Naruto? Avant Garde Photographer of the Year? The one who took the photo of Haruno Sakura in the September issue of Jinchuriki Fashion Magazine?"
"…" Was this a fishnet bra?
Tenten continued to stare dreamily into space. "Wow. He must be really handsome, if Uzumaki Naruto was the one who discovered him. Really lucky too…what's his name again?"
"Uchiha Sasuke."
"Uchiha…Sasuke?"
"Are you deaf? Yes, it's Uchiha Sasuke. Now shut up and change."
-xxx-
Uchiha Sasuke was not handsome. He was not sexy. He was not hotter than hell itself. Thus, her ears deceived her. There was no way SASUKE was a model. He didn't even look like one. He wore glasses, had really pasty skin and wore this weird hairstyle for goodness sake! There was no way in the world that Uzumaki Naruto scouted him. Unless, of course, it was just another guy named Uchiha Sasuke as well. She hoped for the latter, because if the Sasuke she was about to meet was the one who hated her to the very core of her existence, she was dead meat.
"Yo," a tall man with a silver mane greeted them. He took a seat next to them. They had agreed to meet up with Sasuke and his management in a restaurant inside Konoha Mall. However, there was no sign of the raven anywhere.
Neji didn't look pleased. "Where's the Uchiha?"
"Not here." The man smiled fondly at the two. "He's dealing with a crisis right now, so he says."
"Kakashi…" the younger man warned.
He received a laugh in return. "You know how hard-headed that boy is. Don't worry, Neji. He'll be there for the shoot."
Tenten let out a heavy breath in relief. She could still somehow hope that by the time they start shooting, Sasuke's mood would have cooled down.
"Oh, by the way, if it's not so much trouble, would you let your uncle see these photos of Sasuke? We're hoping he'd land the cover of Five Seasons next month."
"Hn. Fine, but next time make sure he's here when and where I want to see him."
Kakashi passed him a large brown folder. "It's a done deal."
He accepted it and neatly placed it inside his briefcase. "Doesn't the Uchiha study at the same school you do, Tenten?"
"What? Ah, yes, he does." She turned from Neji to the other man as he gave her a smile.
"And he doesn't have any difficulty getting along with people there?" Kakashi asked.
"Well, you see, Sasuke is kind of a dork at school. Not that many people like him."
"Hahaha. That's just like Sasuke."
That actually surprised her. "You mean, Sasuke does that on purpose?"
"That's just the way he is. He may not be popular right now, but give or take a few more months, and he'll have his very own fanclub despite his cocky attitude."
This Kakashi guy was really fun talking to, pretty nice, unlike a certain someone next to her. He continued, the sincere smile still plastered on his face.
"He never really wanted to do modeling, but somehow Naruto managed to persuade him. Since then, he's become a hit with designers. Want to know a dirty secret of his?"
She giggled. This should be interesting. "Why not?"
"Okay, just be quiet. His steadily growing fan population would really be disappointed, if they find out."
"I'm guessing Sasuke's got a girlfriend?"
They both started laughing. As if that would happen right?
"Actually, he has a boyfriend."
TBC
Preview:
"You're being replaced."
"By who?"
"Yamanaka Ino."
Her eyes began to swell. "Why is this happening to me?"
Author's Notes: So how was it? Good? Bad? Something worth continuing? Seriously needs improvement? Let me know. Comments will be welcomed generously. Please review!