Photo Shoot
Note: This is designed around two of Spoon's SaruMi official art.
"Yata-kun! Can I have you move a little bit closer to the middle? A bit more…a bit more…good! Okay, we're going to take a fifteen minute break before we change outfits and the background."
A few days ago, the little vanguard of HOMRA was trying out one of her newest tricks on her skateboard. In terms of the difficulty scale, it was one of the riskiest, as she would ride down a steep handrail at the park in downtown Shizume City. Once she picked up enough velocity, the crow would launch herself into the air, doing an air pirouette followed by a somersault. She would then do her finish, as she would land onto her board right before it hit the pavement.
Incidentally, a lead photographer for one of the most popular teen fashion magazines happened to be walking through the park. He was approaching the stairs when he saw the Red clansman flying towards him down the ramp. He cried out in surprise, thinking he would be smashed into head on. Instead, Misaki flew over him with her messy chestnut-colored hair blowing wildly in the wind. Higa Kazuya felt like it was love at first sight—at least in terms of an artistic sense, as he saw her carefree smile paired with amber eyes burning with passion.
"Oh crap, sorry man. Are you alright?" Yata asked as she swerved her board back towards Higa.
"No worries, I'm alright. But, I was wondering, do you mind if I ask you for your name?"
"It's Yata." Misaki refused to introduce herself with her first name. She felt that the girly name didn't particularly suit her violent, crude personality.
"I see…this might sound like an odd question, but Yata-kun—if you don't mind calling you that, have you ever considered modeling before?" Kazuya asked.
"Haaaaaa? What the hell are you saying?" The crow knew that she wasn't exactly a beauty queen or popular with guys, thus Misaki would have never guessed in all her life that she would be asked such a question. Furthermore, her clothing choices never went beyond unisex t-shirts, shorts, baggy sweaters, and sneakers.
"Well, first I would like to introduce myself. My name is Higa Kazuya, and I am the head photographer for Street Beat magazine, which is currently one of the top fashion magazines for teenagers."
"Really? Never heard of it." The vanguard of HOMRA's reading selection only consisted of manga or skateboarding magazines.
Feeling a little bit dejected, Kazuya was determined to press on. "Anyway, I was wondering if you're interested in being our lead amateur model for the upcoming edition."
The Red clansman could not believe what she was hearing. "Huh? Is there something wrong with your brain!? What part of me even looks like I'd fit that role? You're off your rocker." Misaki picked up her skateboard and began to walk towards the park exit. "I need to head to my part-time job now, so bye."
"WAIT! How much is that job paying you, 'cause I'm willing to pay five times what they are giving you! Please Yata-kun, it is only going to take a few hours." Whenever the man had found his model, he was persistent—refusing to take no for an answer.
The crow realized that her rent payment was coming up soon, and she was worried that she wouldn't have enough to makes ends meet. With a sigh, the chestnut-haired girl replied, "…It's only for a few hours right? Fine. Where and when do I go meet you?"
Overall, the job wasn't particularly bad. It was awkward when she had a bunch of girls surrounding her to put on makeup, but the photographer said she could just relax and be herself for her poses. She would be able to put up with it all, except for one thing…
"Oi. You shitty monkey. What the fuck do you think you're doing? Why are you here?"
Fushimi clicked his tongue and replied, "Nothing in particular. I was just bored and wanted to make fun of you doing goofy poses and making stupid faces."
The amber-eyed girl clenched her fist tightly, ready to sock the Blue clansman on the jaw. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN KNOW THAT I GOT THIS JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE? YOU SCARE ME SOMETIMES, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"
"Ahh, Yata-kun! I actually ran into Fushimi-kun in the park not much longer after you and I met. Who would have known that you two were actually friends?" Kazuya said with a laugh.
"WHAT PART OF THIS ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE WE GET ALONG!?" The girl's face was bright red at this point.
"Haha, well regardless, you both match up real well, so please bear with us for a couple more hours."
Surprisingly, the clothes that she wore for the photo shoot wasn't what she had imagined at all. The vanguard assumed they were going to try to dress her up in the frilly, over-decorated outfits that the hipster girls in Shizume would wear. Every outfit that Yata wore for the photo shoot was actually things she would wear. "I wonder if this is the new fashion trend or something," the amber-eyed girl thought to herself.
The first outfit she had on was a black parka with white fur trim around the hood. She wore a red tank top underneath a crème-colored sweater. She had on khaki shorts and black sneakers below. The shitty monkey on the other hand was dressed in a greenish-grey pea coat with a black sweater underneath. He had on green cargo pants and grey loafers. Wrapped around the Blue's neck was a grey-checkered scarf that hung behind him. She couldn't deny that Saruhiko looked good in that outfit, but she would rather die than to tell him that.
Her final outfit was very simple. She wore a pair of olive-green shorts and a black tank top. Fushimi was wearing a pair of blue pants, a white button-down shirt, and a navy-blue vest. What was funny to the little crow though was the fact that the blue-haired man had the top half of the shirt unbuttoned.
"You look like a fucking moron, Saru. What are you supposed to be—a pimp or something?" Misaki tried to suppress her laugh.
Instead of scowling and clicking his tongue, the Red clansman was surprised to see a smile appear on the blue-eyed boy's face. It was devious, as if he knew something that she did not. "You might be laughing now, but just remember I'll have the last laugh in the end."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean, you stupid monkey?"
Before the fight could escalate any further, Higa popped his head into the dressing room and asked, "Hey guys, are you ready for the final part?"
The little crow let out a loud sigh. "Yes, let's hurry and just get this over and done with."
The final photo shoot set was simply just a white cloth on the ground. "Okay, I want Fushimi-kun to lay vertically on your back with your feet toward me…Yes just like that…Put your left arm out and make the upper half perpendicular to the rest of your body…Hmmm…Move the lower part of your arm inward diagonally…Okay, and now just lay your head towards your left side…Perfect."
Higa turned to Misaki and said, "Okay now it's your turn. What I want you to do is lay in the opposite direction of Fushimi-kun."
The amber-eyed girl began to blush as she sat down on the white sheet.
"Alright, how I want you to rest your head on top of Fushimi-kun's left arm."
Yata's eyes widened in horror as she shouted, "What!? You want me to lay on Saru? Don't fuck with me!"
"It's just your head though, Yata-kun. Please can you do it for me?"
The Blue clansman chuckled and gave his token smirk. "Mi-Sa-Ki, what is the big deal? Are you scared of me or something?"
The Scepter 4 officer knew exactly how to get a rise out of the vanguard of HOMRA. He knew with a little bit of egging on, the girl would quickly become defensive and do what he wanted.
"SHUT UP! I'M NOT SCARED! WATCH AND I'LL FUCKING DO IT!" Misaki shouted.
"Bingo, you really are a single-celled idiot, Misaki," Fushimi thought to himself.
Although hesitating at first, the chestnut-haired girl laid down and rested her head upon the Blue's bicep. It felt strange though. "How long has it been since I've been this close to Saru?" she thought.
It was unusually comforting—Saruhiko's warmth, his scent, and his breath gently blowing against her skin. Inadvertently, Yata moved her face and arm closer to Saruhiko's. She felt her body completely relax and her mind get lost in her thoughts. The amber-eyed girl didn't even realize that any pictures were being taken until she heard Higa say, "Alright guys! That's all I need! Thanks for all your hard work!"
The Red clansman began to blush as she realized that she was too busy thinking about the blue-eyed boy to notice anything else. She turned her head towards Saruhiko, and she instantly shot back up to standing position. Fushimi was grinning—not his usual smirk he had on his face, but a genuinely affectionate, loving smile. Yata could feel her body become extremely hot, as she couldn't hide her embarrassment. Without saying a word, the girl ran straight into the dressing room to change.
Several weeks went by and the little vanguard received a phone call from Kazuya. They agreed to meet at a small coffee shop by the magazine company's main office. When the crow arrived, she noticed that Fushimi was already there, sipping on a cup of black coffee.
Completely mortified by how she acted for the final shoot, the chestnut-haired girl spent the following weeks avoiding the Blue clansman as much as she could, even going to the extent of ignoring him when he called out to her.
"Misaki, now that you see me here, do you plan on running away again?" the blue-eyed boy asked with a smirk.
"S-s-shut up you stupid monkey! It can't be helped. Higa-san called me to meet him here." A scowl appeared on Misaki's face.
"Hey guys! I'm glad you could both make it! I wanted to show you guys the final product!" Kazuya said excitedly as he began to open a manila envelope in his hands.
The amber-eyed girl's cheeks instantly turned bright pink as she saw the picture of her resting her head on Fushimi's arm. "…What, we're on the cover!?"
"The picture came out so well that the magazine producer herself decided to use it as this month's cover image! Your facial expression was really captivating, and all of the women in the office really loved the picture as well. Here, I have a copy for you, Yata-kun."
The crow looked at the magazine in her hands, still shocked at seeing her face on a magazine.
…
"Wait a second…Street Beat – The number one fashion magazine…FOR MEN!?" the crow exclaimed.
"Yes, we're the best selling teen magazine for current men's fashion. Is something wrong?" Kazuya asked with a confused look on his face.
And then, it suddenly hit her. It all made sense as to why she was dressing up in such gender-neutral clothing.
"Pffft! HAHAHAHAHA!" The blue-haired boy started to burst out laughing as he watched the Red clansman's reaction.
Shaking in anger, Misaki began to glow a deep-red aura. "Higa-san…you do know I'm a girl right?" Yata tried everything possible to prevent herself from exploding.
"…EH!? WHAT!? But…but when I met you, you were wearing boy's clothes! And your chest and figure is flat and straight!"
Something had snapped inside the crow. Bright fuchsia flames danced around her body and she began to scream out in rage.
"HAHAHA, MISAKI! YOUR FLAT-AS-A-BOARD PHYSIQUE CONFUSES EVEN PHOTOGRAPHERS WHOSE JOB IS TO LOOK AT PEOPLE ALL DAY LONG!" Saruhiko enjoyed every second of being able to tease the girl beside him.
"FUCKING BASTARDS! I'M GOING TO KILL THE BOTH OF YOU RIGHT NOW!" Misaki shouted as the magazine incinerated in the burning heat of her fire.
"I told you I'd get the last laugh in the end, Misaki~" Saruhiko began to run away gleefully with a smug look on his face.
"GET BACK HERE NOW!"
As Kazuya saw the fiery pillar disappear along with the blue-haired boy down the street, he said to himself, "…I'm guessing they probably won't want to come back for the Spring Special edition."