Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.
A/N: Very first attempt at one shot and please bear with it. When I read it after it was typed, I thought it had many things extra so I edited it. But still, its lenghty for a one shot. I have tried to keep it short. So take a look...I mean...read it!!
Painting Passion
Inuyasha pursed his lips and took a deep breath. His half brother, Sesshoumaru, could be very trying at times. Like this time. He closed his eyes and raised his hands to knock at his studio but intead it landed flat, hard, against a solid, well toned not to mention, muscled chest. It was quite a knock if you went by the chillness in Sesshoumaru's gaze go down a few degrees.
"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha greeted gruffly, his tone still rough, not completely mellowed toward his bother even after all these years.
"You are late." Sesshoumaru said and the arrogant slant of his head and determined set of his already square jaw telling one more thing that was left unsaid. As usual.
Inuyasha barely managed not to roll his eyes and scoff indecently but he smirked and slanted his head in acknowledgement. Sesshoumaru's eyes roved up and down Inuyasha's length and he stepped aside letting him in.
Inuyasha could feel his brother's disapproval but his 'nobility' forbade him from saying anything. Inuyasha was wearing his faded to perfection denim along with a white shirt and leather jacket, complete with dark sunglasses, his hair in a stylized dishevelled appearance, he would argue it was wind whipped! Sans the cowboy boots ofcourse, Sesshoumaru would have thrown him out, literally, otherwise! It was a contrast to his brother's tailored trousers and a cream shirt that shouted Italian!
He smirked wildly now as he sauntered into his 'sanctum sanctorium', his brother's studio, where he painted.
Well, he was one among the greatest of his kind in Japan, pain-in the ass-ter! He was basically a landscpe artist and a little toward the so called 'modern' types whose paintings, according to Inuyasha, were grotesque shapes and angles with weird colors to go with it. God only knew what people saw in them! He would often muse when he was invited, he knew it was a reluctant invitation, to Sesshoumaru's galleries.
Inuyasha, himself was an accomplished photographer. Much to the disappointment of his family, he was not into fashion photography, but a wildlife one that required his to be out of his country and all over the world! Right from the damp rain forests of the Amazon, to the scorching heat of the Sahara to the chilling cold of the Himalayas!
"To what do I owe this wonderful meeting?" Inuyasha asked, grimacing inward at the sarcasm gone absolutely wrong!
"Pleasure." Sesshoumaru looked at Inuyasha, saying the word he had to use in place of 'meeting'. Not that he complained, he knew he had that effect on his half brother.
"Yeah...yeah. Please. To what do I owe this...oh forget it! Why am I here?" Inuyasha asked, his decency completely thrown out of the window.
"I will get to it, my little brother. I will get you tea?" Sesshoumaru said, smoothly and left the room.
Inuyasha stared after him, his eyes twitching. Sesshoumaru gone for tea!
Inuyasha's brows fused together and he looked around the vast room that were filled with his brothers completed, in-progress paintings, few sketches. As he made way to the couch, his eyes landed on a rather different painting that seemed so out of place. He froze on the spot.
It was a potrait! Actually many of them...Sesshoumaru never did potraits. There were some sketches too.
And the subject was the same person...a girl barely out of her teens!
In the nude!
And she seemed to be...a human!
Inuyasha couldn't believe his eyes and went closer to examine the paintings. The colors were perfect, the strokes flawless. Her natural beauty had been caught by his brother brillianty. Her chocolate brown eyes were innocent and a little nervous. Her innocence had been captured perfectly, her flushed cheeks and the slightly downcast eyes...were innocently provocative.
She was in various poses, in various places.
What was more shocking was the effect this...painting had on him!
"So you found the reason you are here!" Sesshoumaru's cold voice brought Inuyasha out of his reverie and he swung around.
"This is...feh! But its good. Really good work Sesshoumaru. But I thought you never did these." Inuyasha said unable to hide the awe in his voice.
Sesshoumaru's lips twitched a little and his eyes softened a degree. He seemed pleased with Inuyasha's reaction.
"I did that eight years ago, in Hong Kong. She was just a school going girl. Seventeen...sixteen perhaps." Sesshoumaru informed and Inuyasha shook his head.
"Woow! You...it is amazing. Its one of your best works I have ever seen. Hell, its the best. But she seems to be a human and I thought..."Inuyasha was cut off.
"Yes. I still am. But this girl is different. I want to display them, as you said, they seem to be my very best and this girl...might be a trouble. I want you to find her." Sesshoumaru said and Inuyasha looked at him witheringly.
"You nuts? Am no P.I!" Inuyasha protested and Sesshoumaru shook his head.
"You can use that Houshi's service. He is ofcourse, your friend. He is a Private Investigator. I don't know this girl's name. Only that I met her in Hong Kong and she posed for me." Sesshoumaru said and Inuyasha nodded.
It was strange, that Sesshoumaru was asking for his help. There had to be a catch.
"All right." Inuyasha agreed.
Kagome sipped her coffee and tucked her hair behind her ear. She smiled in content at the strong, rich coffee taste and looked out humming to herself. Life couldn't have been better. After years of hard work, a post graduate degree in Management, she was sure going places. Lots of tears, sweat, losses...she was a self made woman. Nobody backed her up, she was on her own. Just her mother who had brought her up till high school then died leaving a young brother under her care, life sure looked much better now.
The car pulled up on the signal and Rin, her best friend, took her cup and took a huge sip. She was driving the raunchy sports car and Kagome smiled.
But her smiled froze as she saw what was on display at the Hearts Art Gallery.
"Kagome! What??" Rin's shout echoed as Kagome dashed out of the car into the traffic.
Kagome weaved through the elegantly dressed women and suit clad men. She must look out of place for she was wearing her work clothes. She made it to the other room and her mouth hung open.
It was her alright. Sesshoumaru's paintings...she cringed at the thought. But still, she was amazed by his sheer mastery and the way she'd looked eight years ago. A carefree teenager, innocent, nervous, the page boy cut that made her look even younger. Now she had longer hair and it was loose framing her face. Her eye brows perfected, her lips a subdued brown and slight make up on contrasting tha make up free...untouched, pure beauty.
Sesshoumaru was one hell of a demon. She had a major crush on him only to be dumped by him when he'd painted her to his heart's content.
Kagome winced at the 'dumped'. No, she was not his girlfriend, only she had those thoughts about him. He had always remained cool, no cold, his artistic temperament only showed. He hadn't promised her anything, hadn't even spoken to her properly.
But had caught the appraisal in his eyes, the way his golden eyes washed over her body...she even felt her warm now!
But...how dared he? He had told her he would never display them. And here they were...displayed for the whole world to see!
She was utterly mortified and she sensed few eyes on her back. Ofcourse people would notice the strange woman!
She turned around, her head bent and she made a quick dash to the exit.
But her hand was caught by a steel grip that was wound around her wrist and she was pulled back against soemthing solid. Next thing, she was against the wall and imprisoned by...Kagome's eyes widened.
Sesshoumaru?
No, this guy had dog ears on top of his head, his face devoid of Sesshoumaru's markings, but the eyes...same molten gold!
But her eyes were fixed on his head and the cute twitching ears and unknown to her, her eyes showed fascination and her lips had curved into a slight grin.
"You can...see my ears?" The guy spoke and Kagome was brought down to earth. Her brows furrowed as she ran his question again in her mind and finally understood.
"Ofcourse. I am not blind!" She retorted and struggled to get free.
"I'll be damned! You are a miko!" The guy hissed but he grinned.
Their eyes locked.
And Kagome was lost. She knew that.
"You are supposed to be in Hong Kong!" The guy said and Kagome glared at him.
"Let go of me now or I will scream." She threatened in a low voice, sanity prevailing atop her mushy brains and Inuyasha released her all the way smelling her. It showed his reluctance to let her go.
"We have to talk Lady. I am Inuyasha Takahashi, Sesshoumaru's representative." Inuyasha said, slipiing a little on the representative bit.
Kagome eyed Inuyasha wearily as he opened the studio door.
"So, he is not here?" She asked, unnerved by this Inuyasha guy. Both of them had the same last name, Takahashi, which made her all the more tensed. He had told her about him and asked more about her. Wildlife photography seemed interesting. And looking at his roguish features...he did belong in the wild, among the wild, for he was wild.
He seemed to shatter her infatuated fantasy about Sesshoumaru, there was something about Inuyasha. Strange name. But it suited him. His ears that were so adorable again added to his I-don't-give-a-damn attitude but she knew he did care. The way his eyes sparkled when he talked about wildlife photograpgy were a testament. His claws were altogether a diffeent matter. Although she'd adored Sesshoumaru's, strangely she caught herself thinking how it would feel against her skin in case of Inuyasha's! Sesshoumaru's cold eyes had left her disillusioned but Inuyasha's bright eyes evoked a sense of longing. His voice, unlike Sesshoumaru's, held passion. It was strong, smooth, deep and...caressing although he tended to literally bark sometimes.
"Stop that." Inuyasha barked and Kagome smiled since she had been thinking like that exactly.
Then she remembered what he'd said and blinked. She raised her eye brows, she was so not trusting her voice now!
"Unless, you want me to kiss you...don't look at me like that." He said gruffly and turned away. Kagome colored right from the roots of her hair!
Had she been so...obvious!
"I don't care how much he is willing to pay me. What I did that time was...was immature and I was just sixteen! It was brash and compulsive. I was..." Kagome was trying to say something and Inuyasha looked at revealing potraits of her in many poses, mostly nudes.
She gasped robbed of words.
"...infatuated. But for a model like you, it must be a good publicity."Inuyasha said and Kagome bristled. But then she calmed down. She had been, hadn't she?
But that was totally...girly!
"Okay, I was. I didn't even take money nor do I plan to do now. It was something I did out of over driven hormones and I wouldn't feel so...comfortable with so many people looking at me like that." Kagome said wincing at the wild details of each and every piece of Sesshoumaru's work.
It seemed he had made love to each and every inch.
"And I will sue him if he wants to display!" Kagome said heatedly.
"But...it is excellent work." Kagome whispered and Inuyasha had to give her that much.
"Yes. Considering the person he chose to paint. Maybe he should paint you now." Inuyasha's voice sounded just behind her.
She felt his hands slide over her arms and turn her around. She gulped and looked up into amber depths.
"You are more beautiful now, Kagome. Your hair..." Inuyasha ran his fingers through her thick and curly mane and Kagome closed her eyes.
"Your lips...cheeks...your neck...and your breasts..." Kagome's eyes flew open when his hands finally touched her chest in an intimate way after her lips, cheeks and neck. His eyes were on her and it held her.
"Your hips..." Kagome gasped as he brought her gently against his own and his hands went further down along her legs.
"Your perfect legs..." He whispered, this time his face awfully down as his hands gripped her back and pushed upwards. She had no choice than to cling to him as he hauled her up against his chest to get her face to face with him.
Ofcourse, she was five two to this six feet above!
"Inuyasha...what are you doing?" She asked breathlessly and she saw him smile. A slow seductive smile.
"Same thing Sesshoumaru must have done for your services." Inuyasha drawled as he nuzzled her neck and Kagome's eyes widened at his implication.
Her hand came up fast and slapped his cheek and Inuyasha let her go. Kagome stumbled back, falling on one of her charcoal sketches.
"How dare you?" Kagome raved in hushed tones and Inuyasha growled low.
"Dare me bitch?" He snarled as he brought her up and she turned her face away from his.
"What do you think you are doing?" Kagome screamed in pain as his nails dug painfully into her wrists, he twisted her arms and brought them toward her back so her face was upturned toward him.
"The reason why you hit me and what you've been wanting to do ever since you saw me, you conniving witch!" Inuyasha grated before taking her lips harshly.
Kagome twisted in pain but once she opened her mouth Inuyasha kissed her thoroughly. Pleasure coursed through her and she stopped fighting him, drowning in the sensation.
She was still in a dazed state as he pulled her down, clawing at her clothes.
"I don't think she will accept the offer, Sesshoumaru-sama. Kagome is not like that." Rin hurried behind the tai-youkai as he walked briskly toward his studio.
"Rin, remember that you work for me, not for your frind." Sesshoumaru replied but stopped dead before the studio door.
Rin bumped into his side arms and hurt her chest. As she convulsed at the impact, she clutched at him to steady her, her arms clinging to his waist. Sesshoumaru's head turned sharply toward her and she gasped in fear.
But to her shock, his hand crept around her waist and steadied her, never breaking the eye contact.
"Sess..."She was stopped with a clawed finger on her lips and her eyes widened. She could hear her hammering heart against his much steady rythm. And he pointed to the door.
Her eyes widened as she heard the moans and the low growls.
Oh my God! Was Inuyasha attacking Kagome?
Fury blinded her and she charged to the door but the restraining hand on her waist held her back, the other hand on her mouth.
"Foolish human! He is not attacking her but rutting her!" Sesshoumaru ground out near her ears and Rin felt...something along her spine at his face so close, his lips teasing her ears and his warmth engulfing her. She shivered and Sesshoumaru released her.
"I didn't hurt you." Sesshoumaru said, his hands still covering her mouth. She shook her head numbly and was disappointed at the loss of contact. If she could just move an inch back, she would be against him again.
But she steadied herself. Yeah, as if that would ever happen. The 'dog demon' Sesshoumaru and his 'human' public relations rep would not ever be an item! He disliked humans although why he put up with her was something that the Press always tried to find out. She included!
So she liked him. So what? Every red blooded femal would worship the ground he walked, but not Rin. She had her pride.
She turned around and faced him. He was looking at her and she moved a little. She was feeling unwanted things because of the sounds she heard...
Nervous, her hand went to her neck and rubbed it and she felt Sesshoumaru's eyes on her. More on her hands and the skin thus exposed. She stifled a gasp and walked ahead. A little later, she was walking side by side with his Lordship!
"You can forget it Sesshoumaru-sama. The paintings are never going to see the galleries." Rin said emphatically and Sesshoumaru grunted in response.
If the sounds and the scent were anything to go by, Sesshoumaru knew that the 'pup' had found his match.
Inuyasha looked at the delivery boxes in his plush condo that was seldom his home. It was Sesshoumaru's payment to him for acquiring her consent. Miroku's bank balance had been tripled!
He sat on his bed and fell back.
She had been a virgin!
What a shock that had been. After that he couldn't face her or Sesshoumaru. Although he was informed that she had given her consent to exhibiting the paintings after two months. He had been to South Africa on an assingnment and he was back now only to be packing for a trip to Greenland.
He looked at Kagome's card. She was a professor! A maths professor at that, she was teaching in one of the top technical colleges of Tokyo!
Although when he'd seen her in the gallery, he couldn't believe it for Miroku was still in Hong Kong trying to find this girl. It was sheer luck that she was in Japan and that too in that same gallery! It was unexpected and he'd acted on impulse. Which he regretted of course!
And he had mistaken for a sleazy model who'd climbed the wrong way, which was the usual way, to success if you went by the taste in clothes and perfume!
But what had to be done had been done, although he still wished...she could have been in his life. He still couldn't believe that he'd acted the way he did, making love to her in Sesshoumaru's studio. Ofcourse, he'd paid for that, he still had bruises on his chest that were still healing after few cracks!
But he yearned to be with her again. He had been with many women but, it was different with Kagome. But he didn't know what she had felt. She might have been thinking about Sesshoumaru while she...he shook his head at that thought. But he couldn't deny the fact that it was possible. She had admitted to having feelings for Sesshoumaru. Who would want a photographer when you had award winning painter? He closed his eyes as he felt strange pain when he thought of Sesshoumaru and Kagome together.
Had it been Sesshoumaru she'd made love to that evening?
He was going crazy. Surely. But why?
No...he was not in love. No way.
Kagome eyed at the keys in her palm. Rin had given it to her saying that it was a small gift from Sesshoumaru. Yeah, some thank you. It was a key to an expensive condo!
She had wearily looked at the newspapers everyday now and also the T.V news but nothing of Sesshoumaru's potraits had been in them. Sure he was in the news again having won awards for his recent work, but none of her potraits seemed to hit the news. Life would change, she knew that. She still shuddered at what her students and the faculty might think.
Anyway, that would be dealt with when it happens.
She opened the door and stepped inside. It was dark since the curtains were drawn.
She switched on the lights and looked around only to be frozen.
There in the drawing room hung two potraits of her. Her throat ran dry and she blinked fast.
She heard something from the side and she concentrated on the sound.
Was somebody in the place? But this was supposed to be emtpy.
She opened the door to what seemed like a bedroom and went inside.
Her mouth hung open this time. The whole bedroom walls were having her potraits. All of them. Even the sketches had been framed and hung.
Her hands went to her mouth as she tried to stifle herself.
Then she noticed some snaps that were of the jungle. Both her paintings and the snaps had been meshed beautifully and decorated the walls of the expansive bedroom. She bit her bottom lip and picked up one of the photographs that were on the table.
They were Inuyasha's. Confusion and a strange pain twisted inside her. Inuyasha was so different form Sesshoumaru. He brought out dormant emotions inside with such a ferocity that it made her afraid. It was impossible. Where was an established photographer and a nerdy professor ever going to make it? It was good...no explosive...one-eveing stand(!), but no more than that...was it?
"Kagome? What are you doing in my house?" Inuyasha's voice boomed behind her and she turned back.
"It's your place?" She asked and he nodded slowly, his face a mask of a strange expression.
"The paintings...you brought them here? Why?" She asked in a low voice and he looked even stranger.
"What are you doing here?" He asked again regaining his composure and eyed the keys in her hand.
"This was supposed to be a gift from Sesshoumaru, although I didn't know a hanyou was in the package." She said flippantly and Inuyasha grimaced.
She had been hurt badly by him, he realized that.
"I think I have to return this 'gift'. I don't like it." She said and tried to go out but he was there before her blocking her way.
"I bought them." Inuyasha said and her eyes widened. She looked down not wanting to suffer another heart break and she moved around him to the door.
"Don't you wanna know why I did that?" Inuyasha asked and this time, she practically ran to the door.
"I don't care." She spat, wiping the angry tears.
But he caught up with her and he brought her to face him.
"Because I couldn't stand anyone else seeing you naked."He said and Kagome glared at him. He left her abruptly and she slumped to the couch.
"I am going away to Greenland for an assignment. It will take three weeks." Inuyasha said nodding to his packed suitcases. Kagome frowned at them. How had she missed them?
Kagome nodded lamely as he picked up the suitcases and handed it to the person who'd rung the door bell.
Kagome stood up shakily and went out and Inuyasha closed the door, locked it. Silence filled the space as they walked to the elavator and went into it and finally came to the gate.
"I would like to see you when I come back." Inuyasha said finally, looking at the approaching car.
"I don't..."Kagome protested weakly and Inuyasha pulled her, kissing her mouth. Just a light kiss.
"Think about it." Inuyasha said as he thrust his keys into her fingers.
He kissed her again and she nodded, a little dazed. The tears she'd cried, the anger that had burnt her, the helplessness everything seemed to be...so long ago.
She watched him get into the car and drive away, still looking at her and she finally managed to wave.
Yes, she would be here when he gets home.
A/N: Okay. One shot over! I can see another one shot brewing when I typed Rin Sessh part! So how was this?? Tell me please!!
Reviews...are needed!! C'mon guys, lemme know how this was!