Caught in the Darkness

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: The Final Test

"Can you please allow me to put this on you?" Hanako looked at Jiraiya with a death glare at the same time the makeup artist tried to put on the artificial lashes. He only smiled at her as he pointed at Naruto. The blond was also looking at her with a bright smile and starry eyes. He seemed to be excited, and she should be too, but she wasn't. She was going to be in the cover of a hentai book. Why should she be excited about that?

"Icha Icha Violence will be a success." Jiraiya's manager praised him about the sequel of his book. He approached him to mutter something lowly, but Hanako had sharp ears. "And with this model, I'm sure the reader's graph will spike up."

Hanako looked completely like another person. The artist had used a dye spray to taint her hair with red highlights, red shadows colored her eyes and an intense red lipstick defined her lips. The blush on her cheeks made her seem like a lovely young lady, but in her insides Hanako felt anything but lovely. She wore a yellow polka dot summer dress, which reached right above her knees. Her fair skin appeared tan thanks to more makeup. Hanako felt like a raccoon, but she looked pretty, feminine. "First and last time, Jiraiya." She glared harder at the man, making him chuckle nervously.

"Sure, sure..." The manager had also hired a stylist to fix her hair, combing it professionally into a French braid, lacing small sunflowers here and there. For a final touch, the stylist put a big flower over her ear. "You have to admit, though," Jiraiya continued as he smiled at her with his arms crossed over his chest, "that you look astoundingly beautiful."

"I'd have to agree on that." There was also a male model, who looked at Hanako with a sensual flirtatious smile. He had curled brown messy hair, and bright sky blue eyes. The Uchiha looked for a moment at him with a serious expression, then she turned back at Jiraiya. The model was only wearing a black coat with no shirt underneath, leaving on sight his muscled abs (he was a model after all), light jeans, elegant shoes and a loose tie around his neck. The way he was dressed had Hanako wondering what the book Jiraiya wrote was about and thus which poses would he ask for.

"Are both models ready?" asked the manager. The artist and the stylist both nodded. "Okay then, let's formally start the photographic session." He cleared his throat. Hanako looked once more at the model, he looked back at her and smiled softly.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," he muttered. "I have read the previous book, Icha Icha Paradise, so I know what this is about. If you find any pose uncomfortable, feel free to deny. I won't be offended."

Hanako gulped. She thanked the model for his consideration, but instead of feeling relieved, she felt even more worried. "I have a boyfriend," she said lowly and the male model looked at her, "and he doesn't know I'm here." It was a lie. She and Itachi were done, and Kakashi wasn't an official, but she couldn't think of anything else to engage in conversation.

"Are you worried he'll be mad if he finds out?" The guy looked at her with his curious bright irises.

"He won't," she said, "be mad, I mean, or find out anyway. He doesn't read these kind of books, he's more of the...academic type." She hadn't thought that Kakashi will find out. He'll probably be the first one to buy the book when it's out, and she couldn't imagine his face when he saw her in the cover. Hanako bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Are you sure about that?" The model smiled at that. "I have a girlfriend, too. She thinks I don't read these books, that I accepted this job just because it paid well. Truth is, I wanted this job because I loved the book. Not because it's too graphic, but because it teaches you about the value of love."

"Too graphic?" Hanako asked in surprise, looking at the model. "So, it is porn."

"Of the romantic category." He chuckled. "My point is, you never know what everyone likes. Even if your boyfriend is the academic type, he must read fiction once in a while. And Icha Icha is honestly one of the best series of books out there, regardless of its mature content." He winked. "You should try to read it." Hanako rolled her eyes, not able to keep a smile off her lips.