A/N: Another side, another chapter. (Strange reference to Kingdom Hearts but meh..) Here's the next installment of "Click". Thanks to all for their kind words and encouragement. It means a lot to me. To be honest, I think I'm losing my interest in writing fanfiction. I still read them of course, but I don't know. It's like my mind is blank when I begin writing. I go online with the full intention of writing the next chapter but then I freeze and just.. stop. My mind is empty. *giggles nervously* So I hope I don't come across as mentally challenged in this chapter. Thanks for your time.
P.s I didn't like Ino... but I think I'm warming up to her. Not with Shikamaru of course but just her character in general, or at least how it's portrayed in most fics.
: I'd like to thank Fullflipgirl for reviewing every chapter of "A Cowboy In Shining Armour". It cheered me up completely!
Why can't we keep this civilized?
Why can't the girl just shut her mouth?
Why can't we keep this civilized?
You'll pick a fight with anyone.
-- Civilized - Charlotte Martin.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Shikamaru waited outside the Sabaku's home for Temari who was due to arrive in a few seconds. She had roared and screamed at him like a banshee the night before saying something along the lines of, "IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT MY CAR BROKE DOWN. YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO GET MY CAR CHECKED OUT BY A MECHANIC IN THE MORNING. BUT I'LL COME WITH YOU SO YOU BETTER BE OUTSIDE MY HOUSE AT HALF SEVEN IN THE MORNING!" and then she had proceeded to dish out directions to her home and scowled at him one more time for good measure. He didn't really see how it was his fault that her car broke down but questioning her when she had that evil look in her eye was close to suicidal. He looked up quickly when he heard the sound of the car door opening and saw Temari get in beside him. The passenger seat was pushed far back and she had to readjust it to fit her size. She didn't say anything to him when she was finished but instead, handed him a cup of homemade coffee.
A "Thank you" he supposed.
Her car wasn't in the place where they had left it. She wanted to scream. It was obviously towed away for being parked badly. She glared at Shikamaru once more for good measure but he didn't say a word. Instead, he drove to the nearest police station. Temari stomped inside while he waited out in the car but through the window of the building, he could see her wave her arms in the air and shout random cuss words at the poor, unsuspecting officer. He handed her a piece of paper and she let her gaze fall on it before stomping back outside to the car.
"My car is around the back. Clamped. They're going to take it off for me now and then you can tow it to the mechanics. OK?" said Temari and he nodded once.
"That's fine."
The only reason he was being exceptionally patient was because he could tell she was about to lose her marbles. Her eyes were wide as though she hadn't slept the night before, probably fixing the pictures and whatnot. Her hands were fumbling, twitching ever so slightly when she spoke and one of her hair ties was gone, leaving a limp pile of blonde curls hanging from her head. He couldn't laugh. Well, he could; If he wanted to die.
The police officer that she had roared at exited the building with a nervous glance in Temari's direction before walking around to the back of the building. Shikamaru and Temari followed in the car. The police man quickly pushed a few things on the wheel that was clamped and in a matter of minutes, it was free. Temari didn't try to hide her dislike for the officer and he scurried back inside to the safety of the building.
Grabbing a rope from the boot of Shikamaru's car, she tied the front of her own to the back of his. Within a few minutes, she was back inside his car, moving along the streets of Konoha with her car following lazily behind. They reached the nearest mechanics only to find that it was closed until half eight.
"THIS IS THE WORST FRIGGIN' DAY EVER!" she screeched, stomping on the ground, her eyes crinkly as she roared. Shikamaru knew it was time for an intervention. He carefully placed a hand on her shoulder and she ceased her jumping up and down, unclenching her fists.
"We'll wait. It's fine. If you want, I'll take a quick look at the car and see if I can find anything wrong," he said, hoping she didn't skin him alive for touching her. She nodded dumbly, seemingly unfazed by the placement of his hand.
He slid his body under her car and began pulling at random things. Temari couldn't see what he was doing but a few seconds later, she had to hold her sides in pain; she was laughing too much. Shikamaru had re-emerged with a face covered in black soot and an annoyed expression on his face. Temari could hardly breathe. It was just too funny. Tears were coming to her eyes and Shikamaru scowled at her, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm sorry," panted Temari, wiping away the tears from her eyes, "but you should see your face!"
She pulled her cellphone from her pocket and shoved it in his face. He could see his reflection through the standby screen and couldn't help but chuckle. He looked like he had been sleeping in a dumpster his whole life. While laughing, they didn't notice the head mechanic arrive, giving them quizzical looks before proceeding to open the garage. Only the noise of the shutters opening awoke them from their stupor and they stopped clutching their sides.
The mechanic was quick but thorough in what he did. When he was finished with his inspection of the car, he told that there wasn't anything wrong with it.
"You're just out of petrol."
Temari was so angry that she couldn't speak. Couldn't move. OUT OF PETROL?! THAT WAS IT?! THAT'S ALL THAT'S WRONG?! Shikamaru quickly pulled her away before she could inflict bodily harm on the poor mechanic. They waited in her car until Temari would talk again and she sighed. She was done with screaming. She was far too tired to.
"I still don't like you, you know?" said Temari, looking at Shikamaru from her peripheral vision. He couldn't help but smile.
"I didn't expect you to."
They arrived outside the red brick building with coffee in hand. The light was fairly dim, the sun angled at the back of the building so the shadows extended around the empty road. What stood out the most was that the tinted window to the right was broken, the shape of an oddly deformed circle through the glass. If that wasn't odd enough, there was broken fragments on the ground from all sorts of things like cameras and what looked like a DVD player.
There was pieces scattered around the main door and a fairly large gouge in the paint. Furthermore tweaking her curiosity, the front door was slightly agape so she didn't have to ring the bell and wait for someone to allow her inside. She walked quickly up the stairs, followed by Shikamaru. Upon opening the door to the photo-shoot, she dropped the cup, completely forgetting it was in her hand. The room was practically destroyed, torn apart by whatever had been inside. Ino was sobbing in the corner and Sakura was rubbing her back soothingly, trying to reassure her of something that Temari couldn't quite understand. She was greeted by Tenten and Hinata who walked over to her when they saw her enter.
"The place was broken into last night. They didn't actually take anything but they broke everything they could get their hands on. Worst of all, Ino's not insured."
Temari froze. Normally, in situations like this, people tended to go into denial or make a huge fuss. Not Temari though. Instead, her mind was calculating the possibilities. Was there someone with a grudge against Ino? Why break everything and not cash in on the stolen goods? And why in the name of Kami did Ino not insure the building and its contents? It wasn't like Temari was losing out. All the equipment she had brought that were broken were insured so she would be reimbursed by the Insurance Company. A small comfort considering she had only brought a few things and even then, they weren't that important. She hadn't left her precious camera behind because she always kept it close at hand in case an opportunity arose or she was hit with inspiration. She couldn't help but sigh in relief that her camera was OK. Ino looked up teary eyed from her spot in the corner and Sakura had a deep frown on her face. Black mascara poured down the blonde's face and she still looked stunning.
"Hello Temari," she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand leaving black smudged along her face. Temari shook her head. Poor girl.
"Hey Ino. Lets go into the bathroom so you can get yourself cleaned up. The others should be arriving soon enough," she said, her smile straining her face but she kept it up. Ino needed someone to keep a grip so she put it on herself to be that person. Ino nodded, still not giving up on wiping her eyes and walked into the bathroom just off the hallway outside. Tenten, Hinata and Shikamaru stood there, not knowing what to do. They couldn't clean up for fear of contaminating evidence.
Shikamaru turned to Temari, his apathetic look gone. Instead, he looked furious.
"They've called the cops. They said they would come by for photos and then we can clear the place up," he said, and Temari nodded once. The prospect of cleaning up thousands of pieces of glass wasn't appealing. She followed Ino into the bathroom to find the blonde washing her face over the sink with a large amount of tissue. She didn't seem fazed by her dirtied visage.
"I'm kind of glad that I didn't put on the rest of my make-up this morning. Otherwise, there would be red and bits of purple all over my face too," she said with a bitter laugh. Temari tried her best to return it but it sounded more like she was choking on her own saliva. She leaned up against the side wall and waited patiently for Ino to finish. Five minutes in the bathroom and she looked as good as ever, not one sign of tears or make-up on her beautiful face.
Envy. Jealousy. Pity. Annoyance. All the emotions running through Temari at that moment. Envy and Jealously because on the rare occasion that she herself cried, she couldn't leave the house for a day and a half. Her skin turned blotchy red and it was the ugliest thing Temari had the misfortune of seeing. Pity because Ino, even when she had every right to be angry and cry, put on a brave face. Annoyance because she couldn't understand why anyone could hate her that much.
When they re-entered the main room, it was to find that the rest of the models had already arrived. Neji, Hinata and Kiba were talking to Tenten while Vayna and Sasuke talked to Shikamaru. The latter had his hands in his pockets, a sour expression on his face. Ino walked (no longer skipped) over to them, her face somber.
"I've got to call Daddy and tell him. He's gonna be angry with me. He told me to take out insurance but I never thought that the place would be targeted," she said, sighing deeply. She pulled her cell phone from the pocket of her denim skirt and walked back out of the room, dialing a number as she did so. The rest of the group could hear her faint murmur through the thin walls of the building and they each pretended to do something so as to avoid listening to her conversation. The glass was everywhere. Hinata looked around sheepishly, as though she would give anything to tidy up the mess.
A loud scream from the room Ino had entered caught everyones attention and the blonde stomped back outside to the main room where everyone was watching her curiously.
"I told Daddy. He's mad. He said he'd give me half the money to get everything again but I have to raise the other half myself," she said, a pout on her perfect lips. Raise money by herself? Temari had a suggestion but managed to stop it before it came out like word vomit.
"Any ideas?" she asked the room at large. Sakura stood up from her perch in the corner.
"What about a bake sale? We could make cakes and cookies and then sell them. A group of my friends and I did it a few years back and we made a fortune!" she said, clapping her hands together twice. Her hair bounced as she looked energetically from one person to the other but her smile faded when she realised that no one shared her enthusiasm.
"One problem Forehead," said Ino who had crossed her arms over her chest, "I'd need to spend money to buy the ingredients and I haven't got any."
Sakura sat back down defeated, a sour look on her face. It was Kiba that jumped up next, catching everyone by surprise. He was smiling again. Not just any smile but the smile. The one that almost blinded Temari while she was taking the pictures.
"I've got an idea," he said, his fangs bared for the others to see. His eyes were alight with happiness, scanning the group to see if anyone would interrupt him. "And it's the awesomest idea you'll ever hear!"
The others waited but he didn't seem like he was going to go on. Shikamaru sighed impatiently. "Are we going to have to start beating you with a stick to get it out of you or are you going to save us the hassle?"
Kiba stuck out his tongue at the lazyass. "What about a car wash thingy? I've seen it done on TV tons of times!"
Strangely, the room went quiet. Temari could see a huge gaping flaw in the plan but before she could voice it, Shikamaru spoke. "Where will we get the place to do it? We can't just put up signs and start washing cars in the middle of the street. We need some ground, somewhere we could work."
Temari wanted to hit him. When the words are taken right out of your mouth, it was annoying. Especially when they were taken by the jackass. It was Neji who spoke next, a bored expression on his face but taking part in the discussion none the less.
"My Uncle Hiashi owns a chain of businesses in Konoha. He has a spare warehouse out a bit from the main road of the city and we could use the car park outside it for the carwash. He won't mind... Much."
Temari couldn't help but smile. It looked like the plan was coming together at last. Ino jumped up, eyes shining with excitement.
"Y'know. This could work out," she said, smiling brightly. Kiba also had a huge smile on his face as he stood, facing the group but looking at no one in particular.
"And the girls have to wear their bathing suits," he said, grinning from ear to ear. Before any of the girls could hit him over the head, Neji spoke.
"I like Kiba's idea."
As Neji had said, the warehouse wasn't that far from the city. Temari had actually past it on her way to work a few times but had never given it a second glance. They would need signs to attract customers at the very least. Neon signs would be better though. Ino and Sakura had painted a beautiful pink and purple poster saying "Car Wash" with an arrow pointing in the direction of the warehouse while Hinata, Tenten and Vayna worked on getting the sponges and hoses set up out the front. The boys wanted to help out with the posters but Ino wouldn't let them.
"For the last time Kiba, you are not painting a poster!" He continued to whine before Sakura interrupted him.
"What do you plan on writing?" she asked, looking at him curiously. He smiled devilishly.
"Nothing much. Just; "HOT MODELS IN BIKINIS!" and maybe a few arrows," he said and Sakura hit him on the back of the head. Tenten laughed, shaking her head from side to side before continuing with filling up the basins.
Saying Temari was uncomfortable was the understatement of the century. Ino had handed her a bikini just before they arrived but it looked more like a hankie. It would barely cover the essentials and in case she hadn't noticed, they were NOT the same size. The other girls had already changed into theirs and the boys were in swimming trunks, looking like models for some sort of sunscreen or something. The girls on the other hand looked absolutely stunning. Even Hinata looked comfortable enough in the bikini. It wasn't fair. Temari was thrown in with the models and had to feel completely mediocre compared to them. She knew she was OK on the eyes but beautiful wasn't a word she would use to describe herself. She liked the terms sexy and hot, not pretty.
What was worse was that the other girls didn't seem fazed by their attractiveness. They weren't the type of people that Temari had expected to be working with.
Shikamaru stood to side with Sasuke while Neji and Kiba chased the girls with buckets full of cold water. The lazy brunette seemed to notice how uncomfortable Temari was, staring at the bikini in her hands.
"No one will laugh," he said seriously but Sasuke snickered beside him. Temari rolled her eyes, taking on her arrogant expression to hide her weaknesses.
"There'll be no need to laugh. I have a great body. I'm just afraid pervs like you will start gawking!" she said and stormed off. Before she was out of ear shot, she heard Shikamaru say how troublesome she was to Sasuke.
With the turquoise bikini finally on her (with much effort on Ino's behalf), Temari walked out of the warehouse where she had changed, her hands on her hips. The sun beat down upon them as they set up the signs, taking extra care to place them in public view. Tenten and Hinata were handing out sponges to the others while Neji, Vayna, Kiba and Sasuke began pulling out the hoses. Sakura and Ino were standing next to Temari, eyeing her up and down.
"Why didn't you tell me you had a great body?!" asked Ino, eyes wide. "I would have hired you as a model instead of the photographer."
Temari waved her hand airily but inside, she was touched... And flattered. If Ino thought that she had a great body, then she must. Shikamaru seemed to think so too, by the way he was staring at her like she had grown an extra head. She smirked at him but scowled when he rolled his eyes.
A squeal of delight caused her to become alert and just as she turned her head, she noticed the first of their customers drive into the parking lot. Grabbing a sponge and dragging a hose, the group began washing the terrible day away.
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