Chapter 48: Nature Walk Pt. 2

The gasps from the crowd were so loud that we didn't need the aid of any microphones to hear them from our position backstage.

Everything seemed so normal when Sakura and Hinata appeared at the start of the runway. Striking a pose while in the gazebo, they moved perfectly in sync toward where the dreaded step awaited them. The step itself was a little lower than a typical step usually was, so everyone was going to have to go a little lower than expected.

Unfortunately, Sakura didn't really get the memo.

From our perspective, the pinkette put too much power in her step, which caused her right ankle to roll as soon as it touched the step. It immediately puts her off balance, and instead of taking her eventual tumble gracefully, she brings Hinata down with her, reaching out, as if on instinct, to grab her by the wrist, much to the shock of everyone watching.

"Oh shit. . ." I found myself saying, the backstage area now quiet as the grave as our friends try to recover from their fashion faux pas. "That was quite the fall."

"I'll say. . ." Matsuri mumbles, the only one separating Neji and I from Temari and Sasuke. "Sakura had it easier when she landed on her ass. Hinata barely missed landing straight on her knee!"

"That was definitely a close call," Temari agrees, shaking her head slightly. "Her pride might take a hit, but better a bruised ego than a bruised kneecap . . . And Shikamaru, you just had to speak their fall into existence?"

"It's not like I wanted them to fall!" He calls back in his defense. "All I said is that the step looked easy to misjudge, that's all."

"Ever heard of the word 'manifestation'?" Matsuri cut in, her words only making the man frown. "I guess not."

"Don't be so hard on him guys," I chide them both as Sakura and Hinata both get back on their feet. "It's not like he can see the future."

"But give him enough clues and variables and he could give you a very good guess. . ."

Everyone chooses to ignore Temari's dig in favor of watching Hinata and Sakura continue down the runway. Despite the round of applause following them along, it was obvious to anyone with a keen eye that the level of composure that both girls walked out with was no longer there.

Sakura was now walking a little too aggressively for the outfit and atmosphere around her, while Hinata, though managing to keep up a suitable gait, couldn't stop the wince that showed with each step she took with her left leg off her face.

Once they were off the runway, both girls swiftly made their way to the back of the line, one marginally faster than the other. Sakura did not look remotely in the mood for talking, so all my questions were currently reserved for Hinata, who was more than happy to finally show how in pain she really was.

Naruto even looked like he wanted to carry her to the back, but one shake of her head was enough to keep him where he stood.

If that indeed was his intended plan, it would have been quite a chivalrous act.

"Are you okay Hinata?" Neji was quick to ask, beating everyone else to the punch as she finally approached.

"I've been better," She quietly admits, frowning slightly as she looked down at her knee. "I don't think it'll bruise, but I'm definitely going to be sore for a while."

"Well, if it helps, you did recover well," I say, encouraged by the slight smile that crossed her face. "You're definitely going to get points from the judges for that."

"I hope so. . . I just wished I hadn't fallen at all."

"It wasn't like it was your fault that you fell in the first place."

I could not immediately see Sakura's reaction to Sasuke's words, but if I were her, I would not be feeling too good about such a reminder. Everyone else close enough to hear him either looked surprised that he said that out loud - even if it was the truth - or annoyed with how bluntly he said it.

Temari was the most willing to show her annoyance, giving him one hell of a glare for his comments. To his credit, Sasuke looked her straight in the eye for a few moments, but I think he did himself no favors by smirking at her before turning away.

Ignoring that for now, the fashion show continues without any other major shenanigans happening. Everyone navigates the step okay, but then again, no one wants to repeat what the openers accomplished at the show's start.

When it was finally my turn, I took a deep breath before Yamato practically shoved me out onto the stage.

Knowing what to look out for, I don't let the dreaded step screw me over as I make my mark on the runway. Dressed in a body-hugging lavender jumpsuit with a silver oversized vest belted around my waist, I tried to stay cool and confident while consciously ignoring the fact that some of the judges were in the front row, watching my every move.

The fashion show concludes with the final walk, immediately followed by Yakumo and the rest of the team behind the collection, coming out in a larger hail of applause from the captive audience.

When everyone returned backstage, I found my group of friends around one of the makeup tables surrounding Hinata, who was the only one sitting. The skin around her knee still looked a little red, but since no obvious bruising was apparent, it's safe to say that Hinata really dodged a bullet.

"So, how's the knee now Hinata?" TenTen was quick to ask as she snagged the chair next to the Hyuga's before Kankuro had a chance to.

"It feels much better now. Still a little sore, but I'll manage."

"Oh, so you won't be needing this then?" Naruto suddenly asked, appearing with a small footstool in hand.

"Oh, on the contrary," Hinata was quick to say, her eyes lighting up when she saw the piece of furniture. "That stool you're holding will make for a great footrest."

"Glad I could be of some service then," My brother chuckles as he sets the stool down in front of her.

"Aw, it's so cute to see you two engage in such verbal foreplay."

It took the rest of us only five seconds to register the innuendo.

"TEMARI!?" TenTen and I yelled in unison as Naruto and Hinata's faces immediately went beet red. Neji looked just as scandalized, his mouth dropping slightly open at the woman's audacity, and as for Temari's own brothers, Kankuro was purposely looking the other way, as if he didn't know how to react, while Gaara gave his sister another one of his signature glares, as if he was warning her to not go any further with his eyes alone.

"Ugh, okay, out of everything and anything you could have possibly said," I say, gesturing in the smirking woman's direction. "You had to go that route Temari?!"

"Oh, come on! What I said was not that bad!" She says in her defense, even holding her hands up in surrender.

"It technically wasn't, but it was certainly unexpected," Kankuro helpfully cut in, though Neji rewarded him with a stern glare in return. "What I said wasn't helpful was it?"

"Not really, no," Neji confirmed before turning to his still blushing cousin.

"There is a time and place for your signature quips dear sister," Gaara cut in, tiredly looking in Temari's direction. "This was not one of them!"

"How was I supposed to know that Hinata and Naruto would react the way they did, let alone all of you?!" She quips back, gesturing at all of us. "Ok, so Hinata naturally seems sensitive to more risqué topics, and Neji would naturally be upset on his cousin's behalf, and my own brothers have seen me get like this before. . . But Naruto, I did not expect you to become a blushing mess!"

"What can I say?" He asks, trying to laugh it off, even if it wasn't very convincing. "I can be quite surprising."

"Or maybe you care more than you let on?" TenTen suggests, sending my brother into another blushing frenzy. "Did I hit it on the money?"

"Judging from my brother's flustered face, I'd say that's a yes," I admit, not even bothered by the scowl that Naruto sent my way, but Hinata's expression did catch my eye.

She almost looked . . . hopeful, but I couldn't think about it for long.

Not when Naruto was still glaring at me. "What?"

"Last time I checked, you're supposed to be on my side here!"

"But why would I deny the obvious though?"

"MODELS, COME GATHER ROUND PLEASE!"

"Guys, I would love to keep this conversation going, but Yamato awaits us," Kankuro cuts in, gesturing to where Yamato was waiting for us with a couple of guests at his side. ". . . Well, Yamato and the judges, to be specific. Let's save this talk for later, okay?"

"How about we don't?" Naruto suggests as we start moving to where the three were standing.

"Oh no; we're going to revisit this." Neji declares with all the seriousness an older cousin could muster, much to our chagrin, Hinata's disbelief, and Naruto's growing exasperation.

Putting our talk on the backburner, we gathered in front of the judges as they stood in front of the comp card wall, and while Tsunade and Yamato looked eager, Orochimaru's face was a lot more unreadable, giving no hint as to what was going on in his head right now.

"Congratulations on a fabulous show everyone!" Yamato announces from his spot in between the judges. "I must admit that I did expect a few of you to forget the notes I left you with after our lesson earlier, but you all pleasantly surprised me, so well done."

"You were surprised?" Tsunade asks, looking over at the runway coach.

"Well, not as surprised as they likely were when they found out that you and Orochimaru would bless this event with your presence," Yamato was quick to clarify as he gestured to the still silent designer on his other side.

"What can we say? We do like a good surprise," Tsunade admits, clasping her hands together. "Though I must admit, Orochimaru was the one that truly took charge of this one."

"When you're as connected to Growing Strong and Threading Up as I am, it was a no-brainer, don't you think?" The androgynous man admits, finally showing some emotion as his lip curls into his signature serpentine-like smirk. "Though I must admit, this challenge definitely made me more nervous than most."

"You?! Nervous?!" Sasuke dares to say, his tone somehow both curious and challenging at the same time.

"Yes, and I'm man enough to admit it," He admits as he lazily combed his hand through his long raven hair. "I have sponsored numerous designers that have participated in these programs, and some of Threading Up's alumni currently work for me now."

"The idea of having you all walk in this show was all Orochimaru's idea," Tsunade admits, smirking slightly as an annoyed look crossed her fellow judge's face.

Hmm, maybe he didn't want that little tidbit to be known.

"It was not my idea, per se . . . More like a suggestion that I never thought that Tsunade and the producers would bring to fruition," He admitted, turning his attention back on us. "However, now that I've seen what you all can do, I admit that my worries were a bit unfounded. Many of you did well tonight, so you should be proud of yourselves."

"That's a lot coming from him," TenTen whispers on my right, smirking slightly. "He's always been the hardest to impress on the panel."

"Well, not everyone tends to be generous with their compliments," I say in return, missing whatever joke Tsunade said to Yamato, a joke that even Orochimaru seemed to find some amusement in.

"Okay, all jokes aside, let's get down to business, shall we?" Tsunade announces, looking around our group. "Many of you did well, but there are a few notable performances that we must talk about, and I think you all can guess which one we're starting with first. . ."

"Oh, here it comes. . ." Kankuro could be muttering as all eyes went to Sakura and Hinata. While Hinata, somehow, took all the looks in stride, Sakura looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but here right now.

"Hinata, Sakura, I'm sure you both knew that this challenge was not going to conclude without us mentioning the fall first," Tsunade clarified, though her gaze leaned more toward one model more than the other. "Sakura, what happened out there?"

"I misjudged the step," She admits, shaking her head as her face started to become as pink as her hair. "Yamato warned us about the step right before the show started, and it was running through my head as we walked out. . ."

"And you started overthinking it?" Orochimaru suggested, and all Sakura could do was nod her head in defeat. "Well, the good news is that we couldn't really tell if you were overthinking it or not at the start. Your face was quite focused and, on the money, . . . The problem we had was that you took your fellow model down with you."

"It was a full domino effect after that," Yamato added. "It was going so well at the start, but once you both fell, neither of you regained your full composure."

"Yeah, I realized I was in the wrong as soon as I felt my hand go around her wrist," Sakura admits, looking over at Hinata apologetically. "I was basically panicking at that point, and, well . . ."

"Timber." Yamato concluded. "Well, you are definitely not the first model to fall in competition history, but I think you're first to take a fellow model down with them, so there's that."

"Notorious history aside, I do want to commend you and Hinata both for the quick recovery, even if it wasn't a perfect one," Tsunade declares, smiling slightly. "It would have been quite easy to just fall apart on that runway after the fall, but you both managed to hold it together, and that's what you must do in this industry. When you fall, you must get right back up and act like the fall never happened."

"Or that it was all part of the show," Orochimaru cuts in, much to our chagrin. "Overall, fake it till you make it, and as long as you have the conviction to back it up, you won't believe how far you'll get in life."

"So, now that we got that out of the way, let's get to the other news," Tsunade announces, ready to put the fall in the past, well, until judging most likely. "No one did exceedingly terrible, but there were a few of you that certainly showed that walking in geta sandals is not your usual forte."

"Out of everyone, Suigetsu, you looked the most uncomfortable, to the point that it got me thinking that you've probably never worn them before." Orochimaru adds, the shark-toothed model looking a little sheepish at his words. "Wait a minute. . . You have never worn them before?!"

"Only once, when I was really young," He admits, scratching the back of his neck. "It was for a cousin's wedding, and I was a very bored kid that thought it would be funny to throw my sandals around like they were shuriken . . . Mom never trusted me with another pair ever again."

"If I was your mother, I would never trust you with another pair either," Yamato admits, the stark difference between his emotional words and blank face making most of us laugh. "Any other model that had a performance that was, well, less than forgiving Tsunade?"

"Some walks still need some tweaking, but I'm sure your mentoring will lead to some changes soon enough Yamato." Tsunade says, her tone reassuring. "Now, onto the good news. . . We did have a few favorites tonight, and one of them was Ino."

"Me?" The blonde asks, slightly shocked.

"Yes, you Ino . . . You had one of the more confident walks of the night. Very elegant, very chic, but you must remember to keep your head straight because you were on the verge of letting it droop a couple of times."

"Yeah, I'll definitely keep that in mind next time." Ino concedes, grimacing slightly at such advice.

"Neji, you were also a favorite of ours," Tsunade announces, and Neji takes the news slightly better than Ino did hers. "You really carried yourself well in the clothes, and you really made them look good with just your presence alone."

"And then there's Izuka," Orochimaru adds, his words startling me a little. "You, my dear, have the most, I guess you can say, rhythmic walk out of the group. You were very in tune with the music without getting too dancer-esque. . ."

"She does have a dance background, so there's that," Yamato was quick to say.

"That helps explain it," Tsunade mumbled, Orochimaru nodding in agreement.

"It does?" I asked, curious to hear more of what they had to say.

"You see, models that come from dance backgrounds or have had some dance training have to learn to find a balance in their walk because they could easily put too much movement into their walks without intending to do so, but you did manage to walk that fine line, so well done."

"Thank you!" I say, not knowing what else to say in the face of such praise.

"However, there can only be one winner," Tsunade declares, looking between the three of us. "And that winner is Neji."

"Ah, foiled once again," I think in good jest as everyone starts giving the Hyuga a round of applause, especially Hinata, who couldn't resist giving her cousin a hug.

"Now then, there is usually a prize for every challenge win, and yours comes in two parts. You will find out the second part tomorrow during your photoshoot," Tsunade admits, smirking slightly. "As for the first part, you get to join us at the runway show after party tonight. You get to schmooze and have fun with some notable names in the industry, have a little champagne . . . A nice little break from the model house if you will."

"You are so freaking lucky," Kankuro grumbles at Neji, and he wasn't wrong. We have been cooped up in the house for so long that any chance to get out to have some fun would have been a welcome one to any of us if given the chance.

"Oh, and you won't be enjoying this yourself. You get to bring a friend along for the ride," Orochimaru adds, grinning at the eagerness that was showing on the rest of our faces. "So, who's it going to be?"

"Um, TenTen and I made a promise before we auditioned for this competition that we would share our first challenge win with the other if it ever happened, and I have to be a man of my wor-"

"THANK YOU!" TenTen practically screeches as she jumps onto Neji without warning, only to soon realize her faux pau once she glanced at the judges. "Oops, sorry."

"On the contrary, if this is the energy you're going to bring to the party, I'm all here for it." Tsunade declares, her grin large and eager. "Now then, get changed, and meet us by the front. The rest of you, I hope you all have a good night. . . You are in for quite the shoot tomorrow."

"We'll see the rest of you at the judging panel." Orochimaru adds as a final farewell before following Tsunade to the front. "Have a good night, everyone."

"Dang, so close, yet so far," I whisper as I watch them leave.

"Well, you're definitely doing better than a lot of us," Gaara helpfully points out, but I couldn't help but playfully scowl at him for that one. "What?"

"Says the guy who's won the last two best photos at panel," I say in return, smirking slightly as his face reddens at my words.

"Okay, maybe I'm not the best person to speak on this, but the sentiment still stands," He says in his defense. "You've been one of the more consistent performers since this competition started. It's only a matter of time before you finally get a win under your belt."

"You're right. I guess it's just my impatience talking," I mumble as we look over to find TenTen chatting Neji's ear off. "Still, I hope Neji enjoys the party. I would if I was in his shoes. . . I'm curious to know what the second half of his prize is though."

"We'll just have to find out tomorrow. . . For now, I just want to get out of these clothes, go home, and try to sleep."

"You think you'll be able to get some shut eye?"

"I'm gonna try. . . I feel like it could happen tonight."

"Yeah. . ." I muse as I follow him toward the dressing area. "We'll see about that."

A/N: Please review!