Author's Note: SPOILER THROUGH MANGA CHAPTER 422.

Disclaimer: BLEACH IS OWNED BY KUBO TITE. AUTHOR OF THIS STORY DOES NOT OWN ANY PORTION OF BLEACH.

If Looks Could Kill

by Songsparrw1

Ichigo returns to school a changed man after the Winter War. How will his classmates react after they see the results of Kisuke Urahara's attempt to restore Ichigo to his former status?

Rating: T for allusions to sex appeal

The children that worked at Urahara Shoten stood behind the counter and listened to the argument raging in the living area behind the store.

"Urahara – how am I going to explain THIS?" the visitor shouted.

"Explain…what? Oh, well,…why say anything? It is a good look. Very sexy." Kisuke schmoozed behind his fan.

"SEXY! ARE YOU INSANE?"

"Mou, Berry-tan is really angry, " demurred Ururu.

"So what?" He'll get over it – eventually…" smirked Jinta.

Mugetsu/Ichigo glared at the shopkeeper, and batted long black hair away from his face. The tatoos on his arms and torso did nothing to diminish the impact of his exotic appearance.

"You wanted to regain your abilities, right? Live with it! You'll never miss the orange hair," Kisuke drawled mildly at the raven-haired transformed shinigami's back.

"I don't care what you have to do. Just FIX IT!' the angry youth spat as he stormed from the shop, tossing his hair dramatically. As he stalked down the street, a group of thugs stopped and gave him a puzzled look, obviously not recognizing his tattoos. Neighbors stopped in their tracks, blanching at the sight of him as he approached the Kurosaki Clinic. "What are you staring at?" he thought as he glared at them. "Haven't any of you ever seen long hair on a man? This is not a big deal. "

Yanking open and then slamming the door behind him, he bounded up the stairs two-at-a-time to his room. "Thank God Yuzu and Karin are out tonight, " he mused. I have a little time to think about what to do." The more he thought, the less he liked his options. "No way am I bleaching my hair or wearing a wig," he muttered to himself. He would do just as Urahara had suggested: he would say nothing at all. He'd never apologized for having red hair, and it was nobody's business how it suddenly got to be black and grown down to his butt in a matter of months. He hung his head. This might be his undoing. If having spiky red hair was hard, what would he do with a long mop of bishie black hair and several prominent tattoos?

"Ichi-nii, breakfast is - Yuzu's voice died, in mid-sentence. The dish she had been holding in her hand shattered unheeded on the floor. "Wow. You look –" she said, wide-eyed, as he pounded down the stairs. At the table, his father's eyebrows shot up, but he said absolutely nothing. Ichigo was impressed.

"Uh-huh. Well, gotta go. I'm late." Mugetsu/Ichigo mumbled gruffly, as he swung out the door. He couldn't help but smirk remembering the expression on her face. "It would be funny, but it's not, " he said to himself.

As Mugetsu/Ichigo took his place at Ichigo's desk, Mizuiro turned and politely introduced himself to the 'new student'. As he looked up from his extended hand to see why the stranger had not returned his handshake, his mouth fell open. "Ichigo?" he choked. He was awestruck. Envy gleamed in his eyes as he took in the changes.

"Class, please come to order!" Oochi-sensei commanded over the buzzing whispers. All eyes were fastened on the stranger sitting at Kurosaki's desk. Keigo turned a brilliant shade of vermilion and fell into a dead faint. Chizuru propped him his chair with his head between his knees, while Orihime, having surmised the cause and nature of the transformation, simply smiled enigmatically and blushed. Mugetsu/Ichigo could only guess what she must be thinking.

The attention made him tense, and his face and temper flamed. At the bell, he bolted and stalked down the hall. Everyone he passed stared; some giggled and smirked. Everywhere there were whispers: "Hot!" "Look at those tattoos! Is he Yakuza now? He's always been a bad-ass." He pretended not to hear. He ignored the cell phone set on Silent in his pocket, which seemed to be continuously vibrating now. Mostly it was texts from girls, but there were some from guys, too. "Has everyone gone nuts? It's just hair." he fought the urge to punch a hole in the wall, knowing it would only add fuel to the fire.

On the rooftop at lunch, he approached the group. They looked up at him, silently taking in his expression and posture. Uryuu spoke first.

"Well, does this mean your shinigami powers have returned, Kurosaki?" he eyed him speculatively, and pushed up his glasses. Chad and Orihime stopped mid-conversation to listen to his reply.

"Something like that, yeah. " was his indifferent response.

"Um, I like your hair, Kurosaki-kun! Orihime offered shyly.

The door to the rooftop burst open and Keigo staggered out, followed by a much calmer Mizuiro. "What have you DONE to your HAIR? WHY DID YOU GET THOSE TATTOOS?" he screamed. "Now ALL the HOT girls are going to be after you!"….he wailed and fell on his face, as Mizuiro tried to drag him away before he could get silenced by a well-aimed kick from a fuming Mugetsu/Ichigo.

Chizuru sauntered through the door next with a magazine rolled under her arm. "Way to go, Kurosaki!" she said. "I just saw the ad in Nylon. The billboard's not half-bad, either. I guess now that you're a SUPERMODEL, you won't be hanging out with us much longer."

"What ad? Mugetsu/Ichigo growled, a bad feeling tugging at his already troubled gut.

"Oh come on, you didn't really think you could keep something like this a secret!" she crowed. Chizuru flipped open the magazine to a full-page advertisement for Eternal Love jeans. A half-naked Mugetsu/Ichigo stood on the crest of a dark, ragged cliff against a sunset sky, hair billowing in an unseen wind. He looked dark, raw, and dangerous. Urahara had definitely outdone himself this time. The Shinigami Women's Association's best photographers had miraculously captured the shot and photo-shopped in the jeans. The group gaped in awe.

"Well, at least you won't have to explain the hair extensions and temporary tattoos, Kurosaki", Uryuu said smoothly. "All in a day's work, right? When's your next photoshoot?" he quipped.

"Did you say something about a billboard? " Mugetsu/Ichigo ground through his clenched jaw, as his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.