Model Life...

Chapter 6 - Model Life...

{Fiore: Outside the Sorcerer's Weekly Studio's}

"Wow, for someone who has such a horrible memory Natsu can give good directions… who knew." Ichigo thought aloud.

The orange-haired teen had to take a train to another town over, but even so the dragon slayer was able to tell him step by step, literally, of what to do when he got off. In fact, Natsu had even lent him the money to travel to the city.

'Guess I'd better head on in…' Ichigo thought.

A moment later he waked up the entrance, at which point he was greeted by a man who seemed to have been standing outside for quite some time. There wasn't really anything distinguishing about his looks, his eyes being brown and his hair of the same color. His uniform, however, was a bright blue security guard outfit, or at least what appeared to be the equivalent of this world.

"Sorry sir, there aren't any tours going on today due to a model shoot. You'll have to come back another time." The man said as the teen approached.

"You've got it wrong. I'm here in response to the request put out to Fairy Tail." Ichigo stated.

A moment later he presented the guard with the paper he had taken from the request board. The man seemed to go over it briefly, likely to ensure that it wasn't a fake, after which he looked at the teen once more.

It appeared that he was going to say something, but evidently Ichigo was one step ahead of him as his sleeve was already rolled up and the crimson tattoo on his left arm was showing proudly.

"Well, I guess you're legitimate…" The guard said with a small chuckle, after which he handed back the paper.

"You'll need to go to the director's office. Once you enter the building just head straight down the first hall you see and then follow the signs from there. You can't miss it." He continued.

Ichigo nodded as a sign that he understood, after which he followed the guard's instructions and made his way into the building and launched head on towards completing his first quest as a Fairy Tail guild member.

{Sorcerer's Weekly Studio's: Outside the Director's Office}

'I guess this is the place…' Ichigo thought as he walked up to a seemingly large office with the label of 'director'. He may be from another world, but some things were just universally understandable.

Without further delay he brought up a hand and knocked on the door, doing so with enough force that whoever was currently inside would definitely be able to hear him.

"Who is it? I'm meditating right now." A booming voice called out.

"I'm here in response to the request you put out to Fairy Tail." Ichigo stated.

"Why didn't you just say so? Come on in my boy!" The voice exclaimed cheerfully.

Taking that as clear permission to enter, Ichigo did so, opening the door and stepping into the presence of the assumed director but a second later.

When he was finally within the confines of the room, Ichigo took note of the elaborate decorations. Many, many photos of models were framed and put up on each wall, the poses in some of which caused him to blush a decent amount. His eyes were then brought towards the desk, at which point he got a good look at who his technical employer would be.

In the chair sat a rather short man, likely the same height as Makarov, with a clear face, devoid of facial hair, brown eyes, and spikey brown hair that reached the middle portion of his upper back. He seemed like he was in his mid-thirties at most, but more so than that he gave off an artistic vibe, the type you would expect from someone who decorated his office with so many photos and artsy materials.

"Splendid! But may I ask that you present the paper. I can't be too careful, now can I?" The man requested cheerfully.

Ichigo presented the paper, immediately after which the man took it in his hands, gave a quick glance over it, handed it back, and then smiled in a friendly manner. Shockingly he didn't even ask for his guild mark as clarification, but perhaps he just had some way of knowing that only a Fairy Tail wizard would have that piece of paper.

"My name is Shoji Atsushi, director extraordinaire." The man greeted in a friendly manner, extending his hand to gesture his fresh employee to do the same.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo said, taking the man's hand and shaking it firmly.

"You have my thanks for answering the request so quickly. It was last minute and we are in dire need of the extra assistance." Shoji stated.

"No problem, just glad I can help." Ichigo replied.

"That's the spirit! Now follow me, young Kurosaki, I wish to introduce you to my models." Shoji proclaimed, pointing a finger to the door in an overdramatic fashion.

Before the substitute could even say a single word, the eccentric man jumped over his desk and began to run down the halls, his hands extended outwards as if he were an aerial vehicle and a serious expression present on his face. Though Ichigo was outrageously confused, he followed suit, only he found jogging to be sufficient as the size of his legs gave him an already significant advantage in terms of movement.

{Sorcerer's Weekly Studio's: Photography Area}

Ichigo walked through a door with a confused expression on his face, not entirely being sure if the man had actually entered this particular room. Most of the doorways looked exactly the same, and when rounding the hallway it was always difficult to tell where the short man had actually gone.

He sighed out of relief upon seeing that the director was standing proudly at the center of the room, choosing to place himself directly next to a device that seemed to mirror a camera in many ways. At the very least it was used for the purpose of taking pictures, that much was obvious.

"Splendid my boy! You were able to follow me without getting lost, a feat that the last security guard was incapable of matching." Shoji remarked proudly.

"Yeah, sure thing…" Ichigo trailed off, obviously not completely enjoying the director's eccentricities.

At this point he was able to get a good look at the room itself, whereas previously he had been looking around strictly for the purposes of finding his technical boss. The area was very reminiscent of what he pictured a model's photography studio to be like from his world, however as opposed to green-screens, or whatever it was that they were called, an actual beach scene, sand and all, was laid out directly in front of the camera.

'I wonder if they brought that here or if it has something to do with magic?' Ichigo wondered.

"Admiring the studios my young friend?" Shoji asked with a proud smirk, the basics of the studio being his own personal design.

"Yeah, it's really nice." Ichigo said, sounding rather genuine.

His words made the man beam as if those words had sent him soaring. Very clearly this man was an artist to his core, always appreciating it when people complimented his personal brand of 'genius'.

"Enough of your praise, girls please come out and meet our new security guard!" Shoji stated.

The director then gestured a hand towards a door off to the side of the studio, evidently to guide the young teen's vision. When his eyes landed on what the man presumably wanted him to see, he took note that it was a simple door labeled as a changing room.

"Oh, is he here already?" A feminine voice called out from within the room.

"Yes my dear, feel free to mingle until the session begins." Shoji said graciously.

"Do you really have to speak so loudly?" A soft voice called out, the owner of which seemed to enter the room a moment later.

Out of the door stepped a girl who appeared to be no older than eighteen. She had peach-colored skin, straight lengthy blue hair that reached the middle of her back, light green eyes, and currently wore a blue bikini, quite possibly because it was the exact same shade and color as her hair. When she caught sight of the orange-haired teen, she smiled in a friendly manner and introduced herself.

"My name's Shelly Rivers, nice to meet you." She said.

"Shelly, I told you wait for us!" A voice exclaimed childishly.

A moment later two more women came out of the room, however they were slowly running as opposed to their predecessor. Each appeared to be the same age as their companion and had the same color skin, but that was where the resemblances ended.

One of the girls had long slightly curly, black hair around the same length as Shelly's that also slightly covered her left eye. She had a set of crimson eyes that appeared to sparkle in the light of the studio, and wore a pitch-black bikini, which was once again keeping in line with the trend of the swimwear matching her hair in almost every way.

The other had luscious light-red hair that only reached her shoulders, onyx-colored eyes, and a black tattoo of what could only be assumed as some guild etched on her lower left hip. She also wore a red bikini, once again being the exact same shade as her hair.

"Hey there, my name's Carla Simons." The redhead greeted.

"And I'm Macy Katase." The black-haired girl added.

"Nice to meet you all, I'm…" Ichigo began, only to be cut off.

The manager placed a hand directly in front of his face from atop a director's chair that seemed to appear out of thin air. Though this didn't really make any sense to Ichigo, the intent for him to stop speaking was quite clear.

"Not just yet my boy, we are short a model." Shoji stated with a chuckle.

"Just a sec…" A sweet, feminine voice remarked.

"Do not fret my dear!" Shoji said reassuringly.

Hearing the voice of the last model, however, struck a chord in Ichigo's memory. It seemed extremely familiar, so much so that he couldn't believe he didn't instantly recognize it. However, by the time that he nearly figured out who he knew that voice to be from, said model exited the changing room, a bright smile plastered onto her face.

The woman had white-hair, captivating blue eyes, a brilliant smile, and currently wore a white bikini the very same shade and color as her hair, much the same as the others. As opposed to the others, though, she had a very particular knowledge of who their new security guard was. At the same time, Ichigo knew full well who this girl was, and the fact that he didn't recognize her voice at first still continued to nag on him.

"Hello, I'm…" Mira began, only to stop and gasp upon seeing her guild's latest member present.

"Mirajane?" Ichigo exclaimed, sounding rather surprised.

The director and the remainder of the models present began to look back and forth between the two with confused expressions. It wasn't all too uncommon for people to know who Mirajane was, but the new security guard said the name with such familiarity that they just assumed the two had met before.

"Do you two know each other?" Shelly asked, eliciting a giggle from the white-haired model that had just recently graced their presence.

"You could say that… actually, Ichigo here just recently joined Fairy Tail." Mira explained.

"Oh, so your name is Ichigo?" Macy asked, her tone giving off the impression she was unsure.

"Yeah, my name's Ichigo Kursoaki, nice to meet you all." Ichigo formally greeted, knowing full well that he hadn't gotten the chance to do so yet.

"So this is what you picked for your first assignment?" Mirajane asked in a friendly manner.

"Not exactly what I had intended, but yeah." Ichigo replied, rubbing the back of his head in a slightly bashful manner given the circumstances behind his presence in the studios.

"Awww, you know it's rude for a man to say he doesn't want to be in the presence of pretty ladies like us." Carla pouted, crossing her hands underneath her breasts in a teasing manner.

"N-no, that wasn't what I meant, I just…" Ichigo began.

"You're not even going to apologize? That's just going to make us even sadder." Shelly said, pouting in much the same manner.

"W-what?! I'm sorry, but still I just meant that…" Ichigo said, only to be cut off by the model's collective laughter, save for Mirajane.

"Oh, you're lucky to have this one in your guild Mira, he's just too cute." Macy commented, wiping away a lone tear from her left eye.

"The way he just stumbles over himself is just so adorable." Shelly added.

At these respective comments, Ichigo blushed, which he knew perfectly well would only feed the desire of the girl's to tease him repeatedly. It was a vicious cycle that, in part due to Yoruichi, he never figured out just how to break.

"We really are lucky to be guarded by such a handsome man, aren't we ladies?" Macy mused, caressing the orange-haired teen's face with the back of her hand in a flirtatious manner.

As both she and the others expected, the blush on Ichigo's face deepened, however he simply took it in stride and didn't falter. At the very least no one could say he cowered in fear from feminine charms.

Still, luck appeared to be on his side as just before the rest seemed like they were about to pile on to the redheads advances, the director decided to break up the happy group in favor of taking care of business first.

"That is enough for now girls, please get ready for the photo-shoot! It is almost time to start." Shoji requested in an upbeat manner, chuckling slightly as he could just feel the sense of relief coming off of his latest security guard.

"Awww, I wanted to have some more fun…" Carla pouted lightly, though an elbow to the side courtesy of the raven-haired woman to her left.

"Of course, director Atsushi. We'll get ready to start." Shelly stated.

"Be sure not to let anything bad happen to us. Who knows, maybe we'll thank you afterwards…" Macy cooed as she walked off.

'Damn, it's like a group of Yoruichi's… but at least they aren't completely naked.' Ichigo thought. The actual concept of there being more than one of her sent a shiver down his spine. It was like thinking of more than one Kenpachi in that it just rubbed him the wrong way, only having more than one of the female former captain would be astronomically worse for him personally.

"Ichigo…" Mira called, breaking him out of his daze.

Upon his train of thought being interrupted, the substitute noticed that Mirajane was the only one of the four who had stayed behind. Despite the strangeness of the situation, it was probably something important or encouraging as he wouldn't expect anything less from the bubbly white-haired girl.

"Hm?" Ichigo mumbled.

"Just to make sure, you're not stalking me or anything, are you?" Mirajane asked jokingly, however it wasn't quite received that way.

"No! Nothing like that, I just picked the job at random." Ichigo stated defensively, clearly having become mildly flustered as a result of the question.

The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was somehow make himself seem creepy or perverted given that these people weren't his friends from the Soul Society or from his world. He had to build up his image, and anything to the contrary would simply label him throughout his stay, and that would just be a pain in the ass.

He calmed down, however, upon hearing the barmaid and occasional model giggling at his evident distress. Though this did mean he was being made fun of, he honestly preferred that to her actually thinking he was a stalker.

'They were right, he really is adorable. Kind of like Natsu, but a bit more mature… which I think makes it even more hilarious.' Mira thought before getting her laughter under control.

"Haha, laugh it up." Ichigo requested sarcastically, though the slight smile on his face implied it was good-naturedly.

"Good luck on your first job. Do your best, okay?" Mira said, smiling brightly as she usually did.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Ichigo replied, returning the smile himself.

The white-haired woman turned to head towards the other models, after which Ichigo responded in kind by walking off towards the director, who currently sat in his chair near the device that appeared to be a camera. He, however, stopped upon hearing his name called once more, again not knowing for the reason behind said call.

"Oh, and Ichigo…" Mirajane began, prompting the substitute to turn around once again.

"Yeah Mirajane, what is…" Ichigo said, only to pause as he saw the look the model was giving him.

The white-haired teen was currently looking at him with an innocent expression and a lone finger pressed lightly against her lips. He didn't know exactly why this was the case, but he knew whatever she was about to say was something that would cause his face to light up.

"Don't let anything happen to little ol' me, okay?" Mirajane requested innocently.

"Don't worry, I won't." Ichigo replied honestly, though his cheeks were still tinged red.

She smiled and then began to walk off once more, giggling slightly which told the substitute that his cheeks were likely a decently colored shade of red at the moment. Given how often that had just occurred within the past few minutes, he really started to lose the feeling of what it was like to not have his cheeks so flushed.

"I'm glad they seem to be so fond of you! They didn't get along very well with the last man we hired." Shoji stated.

"Yeah, lucky me." Ichigo said, his words ironically being true for pretty much any other normal man.

"By the way, how long have you known Mrs. Strauss? She is one of my top models, so I am just curious." Shoji asked as he began to fiddle with the picture-taking apparatus.

"Only about a day or so, why do you ask?" Ichigo replied.

The manager looked at him with a knowing smirk and a glint in his eyes, the likes of which he had only ever seen in the eyes of Kisuke whenever he knew something that someone else did not. All the same that particular look unnerved him, and the fact that the director hadn't yet replied to his question was all the more unnerving.

"What?" Ichigo asked warily, not entirely sure if he wanted the answer.

"Oh nothing, nothing at all Ichigo my boy!" Shoji chirped.

"Right…" Ichigo trailed off.

{With the Models…}

"Hey Mirajane, you get one in before we start the shoot?" Shelly asked with a mischievous grin, prompting the barmaid to blush.

"You all made it look so fun that I just couldn't resist." Mira replied bashfully.

"I still can't believe you've got him in your guild. Mira, that guy's really hot… hehehe." Shelly stated, giggling girlishly as she finished.

Mira only nodded in response, a slight blush creeping onto her face once again due to the fact that she couldn't necessarily deny the words of her fellow model. If anything the fact that someone as beautiful as her came to a similar conclusion it only supported its truthfulness.

"It sucks that director Shoji wanted to start the photo-shoot, I wanted a bit more fun time." Macy whined, crossing her arms in a manner that could only be described as cute.

"Maybe we still can…" Carla trailed off, a mischievous smirk etched on her face.

If Ichigo were capable of seeing the raven-haired girl's face at the moment, his skin would turn into the color of his inner hollow's. It was even worse than the look Yoruichi would get whenever she was about to force Ichigo's blood pressure to go sky high, which ,needless to say, wasn't a very good thing for the resident substitute.

"What do you have in mind?" Macy asked curiously.

"Hehehe… just follow my lead, 'k?" Carla said before walking off to the center of the stage.

{With Ichigo…}

"Alright ladies, time to start the magic!" Shoji exclaimed in an excited manner.

The very first model, the black-haired girl, stepped up front and center a moment later, simply awaiting the signal from the director to start.

Shoji himself operated the camera, or at least the device that seemed like a camera, while Ichigo stood directly behind him and to his left. For obvious reasons the camera needed to be protected, in some cases it was more valuable than lives. Well, the lives of interns, but still lives nonetheless. With a simple thumbs-up from the director, the shooting began.

Carla began to take on poses that most would describe as 'sexy', moaning and groaning, albeit barely, each and every time she took a different position. The director seemed pleased as he took picture after picture, a clear grin etched on his face.

"Wonderful! Show me the magic!" Shoji exclaimed in an encouraging manner.

Ichigo, however, knew something was extremely off. The sound effects were perhaps something that models did when they posed in order to 'get in the zone' or something like that, and he wouldn't know if this was true or not given that he had never really been at a model's photo-shoot before.

At the same time, the fact that the moans were timed whenever she switched positions coupled with the fact that the raven-haired woman was looking directly into his eyes made her intentions very clear. Needless to say, Ichigo's face was currently many different shades of red.

'These pictures are brilliant! I've never seen Carla so into it before… it's just splendid! It would be perfect if she was looking directly at the camera, but I still don't understand why she isn't…' Shoji thought.

The director and dually noted photographer's grin turned into a knowing smirk, at which point he released a chuckle, more to himself than anyone else. He knew perfectly well what she was staring at, and he figured it was fine. He was, after all, the one paying for the security to be here, so he figured it was fine to get his money's worth.

"Ichigo, could you stand directly behind me please. I have no idea why I had you stand off to my left…" Shoji stated.

The substitute complied a moment later, though his eyes were glued to the model just so that he could guarantee his suspicion was correct. Just as he thought, the raven-haired girl followed his body with her deep crimson eyes, her movements and moans not stopping all the while.

"That's splendid, simply marvelous Carla!" Shoji cheered.

'This is hell on earth…' Ichigo thought, having lost all feeling in his face.

'This is heaven's beauty at its finest!' Shoji thought.

{Some Time Later…}

The remainder of the photographs were all worse than their predecessors, for Ichigo at least. Shoji on the other hand was of the opposite opinion, they continued to get better. In fact, if he could have the four go again he definitely would have, but time constraints were present, after all.

Worst of all on the poor innocent substitute had been Mira's turn. The barmaid wasn't as bad in terms of teasing him because she, in fact, did so the least out of all the models. She just seemed so innocent that it turned out to be sickeningly cute, as ironic as that was.

When the majority of the photos were complete, steam practically shot out of Ichigo's ears and his face actually felt a little bit numb after it all. It, however, was over now, and he was just glad that was the case.

"Marvelous girls! Now we just need to get the group photo and we'll be…" Shoji began, only to be cut off.

The wall at the far back of the room cracked open rather suddenly, sending a loud boom echoing throughout the room. A large group of men then charged into the studio, each just breathing the aura of a bandit.

"What the hell?" Shelly exclaimed.

"EEEP!" Carla squealed, holding on to her blue-haired friend for dear life at this point.

The men very quickly surrounded the group of models, and the director himself retreated to the set and cowered in practical fear with them. In fact, Ichigo was currently the only one outside of the small huddle and very clearly the only one who intended to do anything to save them. He stood directly in front of them, trying to ensure that nothing would come to harm them if he could help it.

"Well, well, well…" A man's voice came from the large hole.

A man clad in a brown trench coat with a black mohawk and gray eyes stepped in. He was wearing tacky sunglasses, black boots, and wore a series of gold rings on both of his hands. Two other men came up at his flanks, neither really discernable from the rest of the large mass of assumed gangsters that had invade the studio.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot. Four of Fiore's top models boys, they'll fetch a high price." The man commented.

Ichigo instantly scowled and glared at the evident leader of the bandits, the choice of words unnerving him greatly. Actually it didn't unnerve him, it pissed him off.

"Let me guess, you scumbags want to take and then sell these girls?" Ichigo asked in an agitated tone.

"Nobody talks to our boss like that, you bastard!" One of the men roared before charging at the substitute, sword in hand and prepared to slice the teen in half.

Ichigo sidestepped the sword stab and instantly punched the man so hard that he was sent flying into the far end of the room, slamming into the wall.

"Take this!" Another exclaimed, coming up from behind the orange-haired teen and attempting to stab him with a knife.

'Cheap bastard.' Ichigo thought out of annoyance.

He turned a moment later, positioning himself in such a way that would allow him to take out the clown that tried to attack him with one blow. Sadly, he hadn't counted on the knife grazing his shirt, thus tearing it.

The women and the director looked at him in a worried fashion, but very clearly no blood was spilled, and an instant later the orange-haired teen grabbed the attacker's arm so tightly at it could have cracked bones.

"Do you have any idea how much of a pain in the ass this is?! Now what the hell am I supposed to wear?!" Ichigo exclaimed, a tick mark appearing on his face.

'Wha?!' The models and Shoji wondered, their faces morphing to that of extreme surprise.

"W-what?" The man stuttered, sounding as confused as his comrades appeared.

"That's all you have to say?!" Ichigo asked angrily, gesturing a hand towards the extremely torn shirt. His abdomen and part of his chest was showing, allowing his muscles to show off effectively. However, he really didn't need that, what he needed was a shirt and this was currently the only one he had, literally.

Without further delay Ichigo released the bandit from his grip and subsequently kicked him cross the room, a scowl present on his face and his eyes still fixed in a glare. He then turned back to face the man he assumed was the leader, his expression still holding constant.

"Now just who the hell are you clowns?" Ichigo asked in an annoyed tone, obviously his torn shirt not helping his mood.

"You've got a lot of nerve insulting us and then hitting two of my boys, kid." The apparent leader stated, taking off his sunglasses and glaring at the only thing that stood between him and a practical jackpot.

"Just answer my question you circus freak." Ichigo sighed out, clearly not having the time for such nonsense.

"Circus freak?!" The man exclaimed, a tick mark popping out of his forehead.

The models actually began to giggle, and even the director chuckled despite the situation. This, obviously, didn't go over too well with the man who intended to take them captive as he very clearly wanted to be feared as opposed to mocked.

"My name's Ryo Takumi and these here are my boys. You've gone and pissed me off, so it's too bad for you that I can't offer to let you live if you just come quietly." The bandit leader said.

The models gasped at this, knowing full well that by numbers the orange-haired teen and their protector was at a disadvantage. Even if he wasn't able to protect them, the last thing they wanted was to see him get injured or perhaps worse.

"Oh, you're dead now kid…" One of the bandits muttered.

"That's what ya get for pissin' off da boss." Another stated.

"Answer my damn question." Ichigo demanded.

"They are obviously the bandits who are after my precious models! This was expected, so now please protect us. That's what you were hired to do!" Shoji exclaimed fearfully.

Ichigo just gave the man an expression of disbelief, obviously grasping the fact that the director seemed to know this was coming. If that were the case than there were any number of better solutions, each of which were a lot more effective than just hiring a security guard from some random guild.

"Don't give me that look. Why else would the pay be so high for such an easy job?" Shoji countered, eliciting a sigh from the resident substitute.

"So you and your people really are here just to take these girls and sell them off? You're just like that scumbag Bora then…" Ichigo thought aloud.

"Wait boss, I think I remember this kid's looks…" One of the members stated.

"Yeah, he's got orange hair, it has to be him." Another said in agreement.

"Wait, wait, wait… this punk is one of the kids that took out Bora? Give me a break." Ryo said before he broke out into a hysterical fit of laughter.

The members of his gang followed shortly thereafter, but the orange-haired teen himself didn't falter in the slightest.

"Well, if you guys say it's him, I'll take your word for it. Guess that just means we need to get a little payback." Ryo mused.

"Heh, you're welcome to try, scumbag." Ichigo challenged.

Each of the bandits stirred after this, mainly due to the fact that they saw the comment clearly annoyed their boss. In total there were at least thirty-five of them, including the boss. From a brief feel courtesy of his spiritual senses, none of them were particular powerful. That, at least, was good news given that it meant he didn't have to cut into them with his zanpakuto and take any of their lives, his fists would be sufficient for this fight.

"Mirajane, can you watch my body for me while I take care of this?" Ichigo asked, his words greatly confusing most of those around him. In fact, everyone save for the person he was addressing was astronomically lost.

"Sure thing." Mira replied seriously.

An instant later and before anyone could comment on the oddity of the teen's request, Ichigo grabbed the wooden skull badge that dangled from his side, after which something that shocked most present occurred. The apparent body that everyone had suspected the boy to have flew backwards into the hands of the models, who grabbed it despite the fact that they were extremely shocked.

Now, before their very eyes, the same man stood but other than his face and figure everything was different. His clothing had changed, and a sword seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"What the hell kind of magic is this?" One of the thugs wondered aloud.

'Whoa, never seen anything like that…' All the models save for Mira thought simultaneously.

"I'll give you all a chance to just give up now and maybe I'll go easy on you." Ichigo stated.

"HAHAHAHAHA! That's funny kid, you going easy on us, what a bad joke! Draw that sword of your quickly while ya still have the chance, otherwise we'll kill ya before you can even reach for it." Ryo boasted.

"You really think I need this sword to beat all of you? Now whose the one making bad jokes?" Ichigo asked, prompting the gray-eyed gang leader to growl.

"Men, take him dow…" Ryo began, only to stop midsentence given an unexpected occurrence.

The man had suspected that his underlings would be the first ones to make a move, and thus he was fairly confident he would at least be able to give the order to go in all at once. However, he hadn't counted on this one kid being fast enough to do something beforehand.

Ichigo rushed directly into a clustered group of five bandits, instantaneously punching or throwing them across the room in separate directions. Shortly thereafter three more subsequently rushed him with swords in an attempt to take him down, but in doing so they sealed their fate.

Yet again the orange-haired teen dodged each of the sword strikes, expertly punching and knocking out each bandit, one at a time, as they tried in vain to strike him. The speed and precision he displayed put the remainder of the group to a standstill, but it was very clear that he himself had no intention of stopping.

"You guys may wanna keep your eyes open!" Ichigo exclaimed, sending a powerful punch directly into the midsection of one of the bandits who had been frozen in the wake of his previous display of strength.

Several began to charge him, using knifes, brass knuckles, swords, and even a mace in the case of one of the larger combatants. It didn't seem to matter, however, as Ichigo easily sidestepped them before punching, kicking, or throwing them so hard that they were almost instantly knocked out.

'So fast… he can dodge their attacks so easily…' The models thought in awe.

'The way he's moving… it's like I'm watching a high level mage, and he isn't even trying all that much…' Mira thought, her eyes glued to the fight as the orange-haired teen continued to rip into the group of assailants.

Shoji, on the other hand, instantly determined the fight was over shortly after his hired security help had disposed of ten or so of the bandits without breaking so much as a sweat. While the others were captivated by the ongoing fight, a more artistic element beckoned the eccentric director.

Throughout the conflict thus far, the models had been holding rather tightly onto the body of Ichigo Kurosaki, or what he assumed to be his body given that he had absolutely no idea what kind of magic the teen was using. Regardless, a very much so physically attractive teen was currently in the grasp of four of Fiore's top models.

'This would be a hit with our female viewers…' Shoji thought, bringing his hands up and making a mock-camera lese as if he were trying to picture what a photograph would look like.

"Director Shoji, what are you doing?" Mira asked confusedly, taking her eyes off of the fight for a brief moment.

"Quiet dear, my muse is speaking to me…" Shoji replied.

"You bastard!" A bandit roared as he charged the teen, foolishly holding no weapons.

Ichigo effortlessly caught the first before countering with a punch to the random underling's jaw, knocking out several teeth and effectively taking him out of the fight. In total there were only eight left, one of which was the leader.

'Who the hell is this kid?!' Ryo thought.

To his credit, the bandit leader did a fantastic job of keeping his calm in the face of a sure fire defeat. It was likely just to maintain morale, but perhaps he was also arrogant enough to think he could salvage the situation. His confidence, however, was replaced with pure and simple fear when next the teen addressed him.

"You're next, scumbag." Ichigo stated, his glare firmly directed at the leader of the criminals.

"Retreat boys, we've got to…" Ryo began, making to run away.

He was cut off by his opponent sweeping his legs and instantly sending him off of the ground, after which Ichigo kindly sent him right back to the floor of the studio courtesy of an elbow to the gut. The man gasped for air and his eyes appeared to roll back into his head as if he was out cold. Incidentally that was probably a good thing as an instant later he hit the ground so hard that it actually cracked.

'This guy's some kind of monster!' The remaining bandit's thought upon seeing the beaten body of their leader taken down so easily.

"Why don't the rest of you just lie down on the ground and wait for someone to come here and arrest you? It'd save me the time of beating the crap out of you." Ichigo stated, turning and glaring at the remaining members.

The look of fear on their faces told him that they would likely comply, and, a second later, they did. Simultaneously, the remaining seven bandits walked over to the far side of the room, got down on the ground, face first, and decided not to move a muscle.

"That's what I thought…" Ichigo said contentedly.

The substitute then walked back over to the group of models, who could do nothing at the moment other than look at him with a star struck expression. You'd think they had never seen someone take on a large group of bandits before.

"Are all of you alright?" Ichigo asked in a slightly concerned voice.

His words seemed to have the effect of breaking the girls out of their trance, although Shoji was still looking tentatively at Ichigo's body as if trying to envision something.

A moment later, all of the models save for Mirajane collectively got up and swarmed Ichigo with beaming smiles and sparkling eyes. The director, once again, didn't move, but the white-haired barmaid was essentially stuck, holding the body of her guild mate as her colleagues swooned all over the orange-haired teen like a gaggle of harpies.

'What the hell?!' Mirajane thought, not appreciating the actions of her presumed friends. She wasn't going to just drop the body and run over to him, after all, as that would be rude.

"That was amazing Ichigo!" Shelly commented in an awestruck voice.

"You were so fast! You even beat them without needing to use your sword…" Carla stated, clinging onto his right arm.

'This isn't fair…' Mira pouted mentally.

"D-don't mention it." Ichigo replied, a light blush creeping onto his face as the rest of the girls took the lead of the black-haired model.

Mirajane watched as the collective gathering of females invaded the substitute's personal space. While he didn't seem to be able to do anything, he didn't appear as if he enjoyed it. Perhaps her next action would be helping him out, in a way.

"Ichigo, you should probably get back into your body so we can finish the photo-shoot." Mira called in a sweet voice, smiling all the while.

"Yeah, I probably should." Ichigo replied, inwardly releasing sigh of relief.

The three models that had been a little bit too close for comfort whined slightly when he attempted to shake them off, but they didn't stop him from moving forwards. He reached his body a moment later, Mirajane having brought it up so that he could easily enter it.

Both of the two bodies seemed to merge, or rather one seemed to just walk into the other, and shortly thereafter the teen's appearance as they knew it when he was first introduced to them was once again the only one present.

"I still can't believe they trashed my shirt…" Ichigo griped, looking down at his extremely torn shirt with a scowl.

He really did like the shirt, and he doubted he would find anything quite like it in Fiore given that the clothing here, as he saw it, was a little bit different from that which he usually saw in his own world. That didn't mean the styles were as outlandish as what they wore in the Soul Society, but still.

"How do you do that, by the way?" Macy asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Oh, you mean the thing with my body? Well… that's complicated, but I guess the best I can explain it is that my powers are in a different form than my human body, so I have to separate from it to use my sword and other abilities." Ichigo explained, though he desperately wanted to avoid a longwinded story that would likely give the three women, and likely the director, the inclination to believe he was crazy.

"So is it like requip?" Carla asked, tapping her lips with her index finger so as to show she was thinking on what it could be.

"Re-what now?" Ichigo asked confusedly.

"So I guess that's a no…" Shelly trailed off, both she and her colleagues sweatdropping given that most people at least knew what requip magic was.

"Regardless of what type of magic you used, you did a splendid job Ichigo my boy!" Shoji cheered, obviously being extremely pleased that his models, and camera, were safe.

"No problem, though I am sorry about the damage to your studio…" Ichigo replied, referencing the extensive damage to the studio's rear.

Most of the damage had resulted from the entrance the thugs had made, but the rest was slight cracks in the floor and destroyed materials caused by Ichigo throwing them in every direction that was opposite of the models and the director. Despite this, he knew full well that destroying things was likely not the best way to properly do a job.

"Don't worry my boy! The studio can always be repaired, but the lives of my models are irreplaceable!" Shoji proclaimed.

"By the way, shouldn't we inform the police, or whoever is supposed to take care of them?" Ichigo reasoned, knowing full well that no one had made the effort to contact whoever it was that would end up actually arresting the mass of criminals.

"With an explosion like that we found our way here rather quickly…" A man's voice called from the large hole in the far wall of the studio.

Everyone turned to see a sizeable group of army soldiers, clad in their usual uniforms, walking into the studio with their weapons primed. Very quickly, however, they noticed that the entirety of the bandits' group was incapacitated, save for a few who were obviously playing dead so as to avoid any injury.

"Are you all alright? What happened here?" The man asked, evidently acting as the leader of the company of troops.

"We are fine, never better in fact. Now please take these rapscallions away from my precious studio!" Shoji requested, his voice booming as it usually was.

"Very well… you heard him men, take 'em away." The soldier stated, turning to his men so as to give the final order.

The guards seemed a little bit confused as they began to drag the thugs towards the barred wagon they traditionally used to transport prisoners, but nevertheless they did so.

It was very likely that they were all attempting to figure out how exactly a short man, a group of gorgeous but essentially powerless teenage models, and an orange-haired teenager took down nearly forty members of one of the most wanted gangs in the city. In fact, the leader of the gang was among those who were knocked out, only adding to their confusion.

'At least they work fast…' Ichigo thought, taking specific note that in the course of only a few minutes the soldiers had cleared the room out and were on their way.

"I am glad to see such trash removed from my beloved studio." Shoji proclaimed contentedly.

"I'm just glad this is over." Shelly sighed out.

"But don't we have one photo to take?" Macy recalled.

"Ah yes, the group photo!" Shoji exclaimed in an exited fashion.

The short brown-haired man turned to face Ichigo with a glint in his eyes, which greatly unnerved the substitute given that whenever he saw a look like that it was never good for him.

"Alright… then I'll get out of the way." Ichigo stated warily, after which he began to walk back towards the picture taking device.

"Now just where do you think you're going?" Shoji asked amusedly.

"Behind the camera… where I am supposed to be…" Ichigo answered, believing his actions to be rather obvious.

"Ah, but I said group shot, did I not?" Shoji countered.

At this, each of the models smirked and Ichigo slightly paled. However, respectfully declining something that wasn't within the job description wasn't grounds for him not to complete the task, so he figured he might be able to.

"Sorry, but I'm just security. I don't really do that whole modelling thing." Ichigo respectfully replied.

"But surely you didn't expect me to demand this of you without proper reward? I will gladly throw in another 50,000 Jewel for the sake of my muse!" Shoji exclaimed, believing that the teen would jump at the opportunity.

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass." Ichigo replied.

"All you would need to do is sit in the center while the girls pose, it's quite simple really. I'm practically giving you the money my boy!" Shoji stated.

"Again, I…" Ichigo began, only to be cut off.

"Awww, come on Ichigo! It'll be fun…" Macy cooed, eliciting a chuckle from the director as he knew very well where this was going.

'That's my girls!' Shoji thought triumphantly.

"Yeah Ichigo, please, please!" Shelly begged in a cute manner, making the best begging face that she could.

"I-I… ummm…" Ichigo stuttered, his unwavering willpower currently leaving him for the moment.

"Mirajane, talk to your cute friend for us!" Macy stated, smirking devilishly given that she knew full well with each of them making the request he just couldn't say no.

The white-haired barmaid looked somewhat apprehensive, but weather it was because of her own potential personal desire or peer pressure she decided to give in.

"If it isn't too much trouble, I think it could be fun. Plus it's a good way to say thanks for saving us, and you wouldn't want to say no to our thank you, would you?" Mira asked in an innocent manner.

The very instant that all of them decided to hound him about taking the photo was the same moment he knew he was going to be in the photo one way or another. His personal morals just wouldn't allow him to deny a collective request from a group of girls, at least not something as harmless as this.

He'd have to remember to punch his old man extra hard for making him that way when he got back to his own dimension. Thus, he sighed in defeat and nodded his head, which incidentally caused both the models and Shoji to smile victoriously.

"Fine, I'll do it." Ichigo replied.

"Great, now wear this." Shoji requested.

He tossed the boy a dark red swimsuit with white stripes on the sides a moment later, which was caught but subsequently elicited an expression of disbelief from the substitute.

"You just carry around a swimsuit with you?" Ichigo asked in a confused tone.

"Of course." Shoji answered as if the behavior was perfectly normal.

"Right…" Ichigo replied before walking off into the changing room.

{A Few Minutes Later…}

"Alright, is everyone good and ready?" Shoji asked, the excitement in his voice coming out as he prepared to take a photo of the group.

Currently, the five individuals in total sat on a faux-beach scene completed with real sand. Ichigo currently sat in the center with each of the four women hanging on his sides. Carla and Macy each sitting on his left and right, posing near his midsection, and Mira and Shelly sitting behind him on his right and left side respectively, grabbing onto his shoulders and posing as they were requested. Incidentally, be that by the request of the director or not, the four girls stared at the orange-haired teen with bright, seductive smiles, or at least that was the word that came closest to describing it.

Ichigo himself just sat on the center, doing a phenomenal job of keeping the red tinge off of his cheeks. It took every fiber of his being not to blush given the proximity of the four respective models, and he knew full well that the redheaded one was leaning a bit too far into his body, as evident by the fact that her breasts were noticeably pressed against his side. Shelly was no better on his left side given that she clung a bit too tightly, therefore pressing her breasts against his back and shoulder. It was like an attack from two fronts, but even so he remained composed. He didn't have the ability to speak, but he was composed nonetheless.

"Yes." Came the collective reply of the models. At the moment Ichigo just decided to stay still, shut up, and wait for the madness to end.

"Mira my dear, could you please switch places with Shelly? I believe the scene is better complete this way." Shoji requested.

The white-haired woman nodded, a blush coming onto her cheeks, after which she and the green-eyed model swapped positions, which put Mira to Ichigo's immediate left and Shelly on his right. Realistically this only changed which part of his back the blue-haired girl's breasts were pressing up against, but still Ichigo wouldn't protest. With that done, the director smirked, and an instant later took the picture.

"Marvelous! Excellent job today girls!" Shoji exclaimed proudly.

The short brown-haired man hopped off of the device and then proceeded to walk up to his technical employees, a bright and content smile plastered onto his features. They all dispersed a second later, each respectively getting up and stretching their limbs after such an arduous day of labor.

"Ichigo my boy, I would like for you to come back to my office so that I may give you your just reward." Shoji requested, ceasing the substitute to release an inward sigh of relief given that it officially meant he was done with this job.

"Alright." Ichigo replied.

Both he and the director then began to walk off, but they were stopped by several respective calls in rapid succession of one another courtesy of the girls.

"Thanks for saving us again Ichigo!" Shelly shouted, waving goodbye.

"Don't be a stranger if I see you at some point." Macy stated, mimicking the actions of the blue-haired model.

"Be safe!" Carla said in a friendly manner.

Ichigo responded in kind, waving back and flashing the girls a friendly smile. At the very least he could say he didn't exactly hate his first job, in part because of them and also in part because he had the opportunity to protect them. Once he had left the room, each of the models released a collective blissful sigh.

"He really wasn't what I expected when director Shoji said we were getting a security guard…" Macy sighed out.

"Mira is so lucky to have him in her guild. Why does everything good happen to her?" Carla lightly pouted, crossing her arms underneath her breasts.

Each of the girls then noticed something, or rather a lack of someone to be specific. They each looked around the room, instantly realizing their college and mutual friend was no longer in their presence.

"Hey, where did Mira go?" Macy wondered aloud, sounding confused.

"She probably just went back to change… she does, after all, have to catch a train back to Magnolia soon." Shelly mused.

{Sorcerer's Weekly Studio's: Director's Office, Several Minutes Later…}

"…and here you are. The extra money has already been put into it." Shoji stated happily as he threw a large envelope down onto his desk.

Ichigo sweatdropped at the relative ease the man parted with the money, but he took it all the same with the appreciation one would expect. He just wasn't used to work going this way just yet.

"Thanks… also, sorry if I destroyed anything in your studio." Ichigo said, though his words were met with a friendly shake of the head.

"As I said, don't worry about it my boy! Money is something I can always make more of, and a studio is something I can rebuild, but thanks to you I still have the chance to create beauty." Shoji replied cheerfully.

"Alright… thanks again." Ichigo said with a smile before turning heel and preparing to walk off.

"Oh, wait, before I forget…" Shoji called, prompting the substitute to stop in his tracks.

The orange-haired teen turned to see the man offer him what appeared to be a pitch black t-shirt and a business card, the same address written on it as the building they currently stood in. He figured the director would explain, therefore he said nothing in favor of shooting the man a curious brow.

"Think of the shirt as an extra thank you for what you've done, and the card is if you ever decide to get into the modelling business… just food for thought. Also, if ever you need a favor, feel free to ask." Shoji said, chuckling slightly.

"Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it. Take care of yourself." Ichigo said as he put on the shirt, now being extremely glad he didn't have to look like a stripper when next he saw Natsu or entered the guild.

Shoji nodded his head firmly as if to acknowledge the teen's farewell, after which Ichigo left the room, feeling somewhat thankful that the day was finally done and he had been paid.

He supposed this was the hardest part of his stay here, and it just got significantly easier given that he was just rewarded so much money. It did make him feel a tinge of regret given that he was fine with protecting the girls without a reward being necessary, but even so he supposed if the money was offered in the first place there wasn't a point in refusing it.

{Sorcerer's Weekly Studio's: Outside the Director's Office}

"What a day…" Ichigo sighed as the door to Shoji's office finally shut.

"Really, was it that rough?" A sweet feminine voice inquired.

The orange-haired substitute released a small gasp of surprise, after which he turned to see none other than Mirajane leaning up against the wall just outside the director's office clad in her usual attire.

"Hey Mirajane, what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, sounding surprised.

"That's really the kind of greeting I get?" Mira asked, pouting cutely.

"N-no, I was just surprised to see you outside Shoji's office is all. Anyway, how are you holdin' up?" Ichigo asked, his voice shifting to one of concern as he finished his question.

"Hehe… why are you so serious? I'm fine, thanks to you." Mira said reassuringly.

"That's good to hear. So anyway, Mirajane, did you want to talk to me or something?" Ichigo asked, wanting to get back onto the topic he had originally wanted to start on.

The white-haired barmaid directed a slight glare and a rather adorable frown at Ichigo immediately after his question was prompted. This, in turn, confused him greatly, but it was very hard to believe she was angry since her facial expression was very nonthreatening and her hands were cutely placed on her hips.

"Um… did I say something wrong?" Ichigo asked confusedly.

"Not really… it's just weird that you call me Mirajane all the time. Most people at the guild call me Mira since we're so close. When you use my full name it makes me think you don't see us as friends." Mira explained.

"Oh, sorry about that. I didn't really know you preferred to be called that." Ichigo replied, bashfully rubbing the back of his head and shutting his eyes for a brief moment.

"I understand, but you're a member of Fairy Tail now which makes us family, and every member of my family usually calls me that. Plus, you did just save my life." Mira countered, her usual bright smile returning in full force.

"Gotcha… Mira." Ichigo said, causing the girl's smile, if possible, to increase in size a slight but noticeable amount.

"I did want to speak with you though. I wanted to say good job on your first mission!" Mira cheered.

"I'm just happy those dirt bags are in jail now…" Ichigo muttered.

A scowl and accompanying glare unintentionally formed on his face as the thought back to his fight with the human traffickers. This subsequently caused Mira to giggle at how easily his mood seemed to change at the mention of the littlest things.

'He really is too serious sometimes.' Mira thought through her laughter.

"W-what?" Ichigo asked, not believing he did anything that was particularly humorous.

"It's nothing Ichigo… I guess it's just fortunate you were the one to be here today. I don't think there are too many others in the guild that could've taken care of them so easily." Mira replied.

"Honestly I would've taken them down with or without a reward. Actually, I feel kind of bad taking the money to begin with." Ichigo said in all honesty.

'Too noble for his own good I see…' Mira thought with a smile, his words being something that he expected to hear from Natsu. Perhaps this was part of Ichigo's actual personality, or perhaps it was just Fairy Tail's beloved dragon slayer rubbing off on him, but either way it was really something else to hear.

"Where did you learn to fight like that by the way? You seemed to know exactly where they would attack and how to take them down." Mira stated, her tone containing a small sense of awe.

"I picked up the hand to hand moves on my own, for the most part. Actually I had a habit of beating up thugs before I got my powers. I can't even believe that was just a year and a half ago…" Ichigo said.

He chuckled at the acknowledgment of how quickly his life had changed after just one simple event. Regardless of whether or not it was predetermined that didn't change how impactful it was.

"Oh, that's interesting. I look forward to seeing more of your powers and maybe hearing a thing or two…" Mira said with a bright smile.

In truth she wanted to ask him a good bit about how his abilities worked, and now even more so than before. His words implied that he somehow received his powers, which was really something else given that she had never heard of anything like that before.

Despite the fact that she desperately wanted to ask a myriad of questions, the barmaid thought it best not to swarm him with said inquiries. In time she would be able to ask him whatever she wanted, and there was also the distinct possibility that the questions would answer themselves.

Actually, given that they were both heading back to the same location, the white-haired former mage thought that there was a chance they could head back together. If they were on the same train, perhaps she wouldn't have to wait all that long to ask him the questions she wanted. At the same time, she wasn't entirely sure if she should ask for him to accompany her back.

A somewhat awkward silence ensued, Ichigo not entirely sure what to say next and Mirajane evidently wanting to say something but debating on whether or not she should.

"So…" Mira began, fidgeting slightly.

"Yeah?" Ichigo asked with a raised brow.

"Are you going to catch the train back to Magnolia or do you have plans?" Mira asked, somewhat sheepishly.

"Sorry Mira, but Natsu asked me to meet up with him in the forests almost one town over." Ichigo replied, frowning slightly.

"Oh… I see…" Mira said, her tone one of evident disappointment.

"W-well if you really want, I can just travel back with you. I'm sure Natsu will understand if I tell him later." Ichigo stated.

'Hmmm… I really want him to, but if he promised Natsu then I can't really do much in good conscience…' Mira thought.

It was actually just comforting to know that Ichigo so readily offered to accompany her when he found out that it seemed to be what she wanted. In a way it was sweet, but still Mira couldn't justify being so selfish in this instance. Plus, knowing Natsu, he'd stay put and assume that Ichigo would eventually be where he wanted to meet up. That sounded just like him, after all.

"No, you go ahead and head back with Natsu. I'll see you back at the guild." Mira said with a bright smile, no longer sounding dejected in the slightest.

"Are you sure, because I…" Ichigo began.

"No, really, I'm fine! Now go and find Natsu, I'm sure he is waiting." Mira reassured.

Without another word, Ichigo just nodded his head and ran down the hall, stopping for only a second to wave goodbye to the white-haired barmaid who returned the gesture in kind.

Mirajane released a disappointed sigh when she knew that the substitute was out of range, mainly due to the fact that she had really wanted to ask him about himself on the train ride back to Magnolia. At the same time, however, she now knew something she hadn't before, something specifically about Ichigo and his personality.

'When he said what he did before joining the guild, I could tell he wasn't lying. Now I know for a fact that he has the actions to back up his words. You really do belong at Fairy Tail, Ichigo…' Mira thought, looking off down the hallway the substitute had recently exited through.

"Still… I did want the company on my way back…" Mira lightly pouted.