A/N: Here's the next chapter! I'm so thankful to all of you that reviewed/alerted this story. It means so much to me. Also, I don't have a beta reader so if this chapter has any spelling/grammar mistakes, please take the time to point them out so I can fix them. I've went through this chapter a few times but it's hard to catch all the little mistakes. Thanks.

Also, please forgive me for my personal view of models. I've done some modelling before and believe me when I say, it's not just a walk in the park. People constantly yelling instructions at you tends to get annoying after a while. Ok I'll end this A/N now. I must be boring you to death! Italics are thoughts!!!

Oh well, you beautiful loser
I said, you're coming down the hard way.

--Suede - Beautiful Loser

Chapter 2

The skinny boy walked over to her, or more so dragged his feet.

"I'm Nara Shikamaru," he said as though he would give anything to be somewhere else. "It's a pleasure to meet you Temari. I'm a huge fan of your work." The way he said it was exaggerated, as though he was only saying it to keep Ino happy. It sounded more like an insult than a compliment. He looked bored.

"Thank you," she said. The jerk...

Ino smiled widely, completely unaware of the growing tension between the two as they glared at each other.

"OK. I'll go get the models. They're just finishing breakfast," she said and skipped off into a smaller room leading off of the main room. The room was basked in an orange glow and the light coming from the small window distorted their shadows. Temari and Shikamaru waited, still silently staring each other down. It didn't take more than a minute for Ino to return followed by three men around the same age as her. They were all fairly attractive but none really stood out to the blonde.

"This is Sasuke, Neji and Kiba. They'll be three of the models for the males line of fashion," said Ino, positively beaming as they walked past her and towards the backdrop. Temari looked at the other blonde confused.

"I thought you said there were four models for the males line? Or was that just a misprint?" she asked, looking around the room for the remaining person. Ino giggled like a little girl.

"No silly! Shikamaru is the fourth model! He's been in adverts all over Konoha! I'm surprised you don't recognise him," she said, waving her hand airily. Temari practically gawked at the scrawny piece of bones to her right that had a faintly irritated scowl on his face. He obviously wasn't too happy with what Ino had announed to the room at large.

"Yeah, yeah, " he said and walked over to where the other men were standing before taking off his shirt. Once again, Temari gawked. Beneath what looked like a scrawny exterior were well formed abs and toned arms. They weren't overly huge but they fit his body perfectly. His clothes hid whatever brawn he may have had well. Closing her mouth, Temari picked up her camera from the counter to the side and followed Shikamaru to where he stood. The other men looked at her curiously.

"My name is Temari and I'll be the photographer for this photo-shoot. I'm sure that if we work together, this will only take a while," she said, her well rehearsed speech. Shikamaru scoffed. Wanting to throw the camera at him, Temari refrained from doing so. The camera was expensive and he wasn't worth it. Ino clapped from behind her, waving her hands a little.

"OK boys! Off with the shirts! You're modelling the jeans today so look cool and don't embarrass me!" she chirped, her blonde hair swaying behind her as she jumped up and down like a playful two year old. The boys complied, minus Shikamaru who had already taken off his shirt. They didn't look too happy about being there but Temari usually found that models never liked their jobs; It was just about the pay.

The lights were already set up in the right places so it meant all she had to do was take the damn photos and be on her way. Gaara so owed her for this. It wasn't fair that she got thrown in with the models; Kankurou could easily do it. Well, maybe not. He wasn't the most competent when it came to his work but in the end, he always got the picture he needed. With Gaara too busy running the magazine, it meant that she and her other brother were the only ones responsible for how the pictures came out and Temari would be damned before she let them down. They had too much disappointment in their past for that.

Ino began pushing the men in place, her small hands ordering them around. "OK, Sasuke's photo's are going to be on this side of town. Neji's will be in the east, Shikamaru's in the west and Kiba's in the south! Then I want one giant picture to go on the billboard in the centre of the town for obvious reasons. Oh and maybe a few on the outside of the shop I'll be opening.. Hmm..." and she trailed off, thinking of more ideas that may help the procedure.

As she was told, Temari aligned the models in separate stances, careful of the light and shadows that played with the images. She wasn't entirely happy with the first batch but they could easily be fixed on her computer. Sasuke stood there with a frown on his face.

"Smile," instructed Temari but he merely looked at her. Or not. His hair was spiked up at the back and he had the nicest bangs Temari had ever seen. His eyes were like charcoal but as cold as snow and she felt a shiver run down her spine as he gazed at the camera. It wasn't a good shiver either. His photo's were done in a few short minutes. Neji was next and he was slightly more friendly but not by much. He smirked more than smiled but it worked for his image. His hair was smooth and sleek and Temari made a mental note to ask him what shampoo he used. His eyes were light violet and if that weren't weird enough, he had a tattoo of sorts on his forehead.

Kiba on the other hand couldn't stop smiling. He lit up the whole room with surprisingly sharp teeth and at one stage, Temari had to tell him to take it down a notch. He managed to do so but lost track of what he was supposed to be doing and ended up smiling again. Neji rolled his eyes. Kiba took a little longer than the others but she was more than happy with his pictures. The brunette was really photogenic.

Last (and definitely least) was the stupid lazy ass Shikamaru. He stepped onto the slightly raised platform and his skin was a shade paler than the backdrop. His hair had been taken down from it's ponytail and his hands tucked into the front of the jeans that Ino had given him. He had the whole bored look thing going for him. If Temari didn't know any better (and she was really suspecting that she didn't), it looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"Smile," she instructed once again. It wasn't that he looked sad. Just more apathetic than anything. Instead of a smile, she received a lopsided smirk but it was cute if she did say so herself. Too bad he's a jackass. She had to take much more pictures of him than anyone else because his eyes were closed in most of them. Ino berated him a little ("for Kami's sake Shikamaru!! Can you at least try to stay awake?!") but it didn't seem to help much. In the end, she got the photo she needed.

Ino was beaming when Temari showed her the pictures after the shoot. She didn't seem to mind that they didn't have the visual effects yet or even the airbrush. Before Temari could remind her that those things would be added, the blonde cut her off.

"OK! That was great guys! Keep up the awesome work! Tomorrow, the female models will be in and we'll do a double photo-shoot but they'll have to have their single ones done first, if that's OK Temari?"

Temari nodded, her teal eyes sharp and focused as she went through the photos once again. She vaguely heard the others talking in the background. She was far too intent on the pictures in her hands. Just as she was thinking of the different types of texture to add to the images, Shikamaru spoke to her.

"Are you gonna have lunch with us or are you leaving now?" he asked, voice cold but not in a "you're not welcome here" way. She nodded once before turning her attention back to the camera. Shikamaru sighed.

"You didn't answer my question. A nod didn't really clarify anything," he said and Temari blushed. She wasn't really listening to him and a nod usually answered most questions. Instead of nodding again, she decided speaking might make things clearer.

"Yeah I'll stay for lunch. I don't have any other jobs to get to today," she said, turning off the camera at last and putting it back in its case. Shikamaru nodded and went back to talk to Neji who was helping Kiba set the table. Lunch was laid out in small wicker baskets on the rickety table and it was hard to keep the drinks from spilling each time it shook. Whoever made the sandwiches had talent, in Temari's opinion. She had never tasted anything like them before. She managed to stay out of most of the conversation during lunch but of course, Ino managed to rope her in after a while. From just listening, she found out that Kiba was working for Ino's father and all of the guys were thinking of moving out of their parents' houses. At twenty one, Temari thought that they would have already stepped into independence. After all, she was only seventeen when she left home to find her own place. It was hard, but she managed.

She was stuck sitting next to Shikamaru near the counter in the smaller room because the table didn't have much space. It wasn't too bad because Kiba was with them and she was able to talk to him instead of the stupid lazy ass.

When lunch ended, Ino asked Temari what time she would arrive tomorrow.

"About half nine if that's OK? I have to pay a visit to my dear brother before work."

The others began packing up most of the equipment, leaving out only the essentials before helping Temari bring her things down to the car. A few girls were standing outside the building and as soon as the models came into view, they began screaming like banshees. Temari cringed and was slightly delighted to see that the guys were enjoying it much less than her. The teenagers glowered at her as Kiba helped her load the car and Neji closed it shut. Ino didn't seem to notice their glares and skipped back inside with a word of thanks once again. Soon enough, the others went inside leaving Shikamaru and Temari alone.

"I don't like you," said Temari, just trying to be clear. She wasn't one to hide things behind a smile. What was the point in being nice to someone that she completely loathed?

"The feeling is mutual. You're the most troublesome woman I've ever met," he told her and what was worse was that he looked completely bored and apathetic. He could at least show some feeling when expressing his dislike for me! She sat inside her car and revved up the engine, smirking to herself as she drove over his toe. Looking in her rear view mirror, she could see his wince. He started hobbling slightly, reaching down to see if his toe was broken. Opening her window enough so that her hand fit out, she waved.

"Oops! Sorry about that. It was a complete accident," she yelled to him while he glared at her. She couldn't have been more satisfied as she drove down the road but then thinking of tomorrow, she promptly scowled.

She really hated models.

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