Title: Sketched
Summary: She's a struggling artist on a tight budget. He's a famous pain in the, ahem, that needs an illustrator for his biography. She's about to discover that she's going to lose more that her self-dignity in this mysterious, and degrading arrangement. AU Inu/Kag
Rating: T
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even a pen. I randomly sneak into people's offices and write fanfiction on their laptops. Cute, isn't it?
A/N Completely edited the chapters, put my betareader to better use and made it altogether sound better.
Note, readers. This story was previously posted but because after I edited the living shit out of it, it has become of much different story, with a much different storyline. I have deleted the old one. I have read the terms, there is no second copy anywhere else on the site So, it is now posted as a new story (even though some parts might be familiar) instead of just updating. Sorry for any confusion I might've caused, and sorry to any readers that enjoyed the previous version better.
Thanks for understanding. Now you may enjoy; the new and revised version of "Sketched"
-
She couldn't remember her life before her paycut. She couldn't remember having anything else to eat besides ramen.But it wasn't like ramen wasn't good or anything, as an afterthought. Except artificial flavouring gets nauseous when it's all you have in the household for around close to two or three months. Still, Kagome liked to think that she was much better off than the homeless, with a full degree in art and photography and a family to act on her every whim. A family that lived half a globe away in America. Still, she couldn't shake off the looks she recieved from the rich wives that constantly strolled about the park where she painted everyday. Looks that clearly said: 'Oh, poor girl. Let's give her a cookie'.
Not that she didn't appreciate the cookies anyway. It was pretty generous of them to begin with. But still, her travelling hobbie kept her in socks, and other random articles of clothing. And she could actually, on good days, afford to go browse in teenage craze stores like Aritzia without looking like a badger in a bowl of cereal.
Awkward, and totally tasteless.
Today wasn't any different, obviously. Kagome was busily distracting herself by painting a portrait of a family dog on a canvas that could easily occupy half of an average wall. Ordered of course, by one of her customers that occaisionally dropped by. Wondering about how the family was going to cope with the grief when the dog died with half the deceased canine grining down at them from the walls of the living room. She smiled, also a bit distracted by some humming near the pond where a gathering of people had crowded themselves together whispering and gossiping like a group of pretty teenage girls.
Typical. But as she carefully mixed the brown with the light, sandy yellow and painted doggybrows and the innards of the dog-ears a wolfish voice interrupted her thoughts. Startling her just enough to give Rover a few extra hairs. Or a whole patch, anyway.
"Wow. That kind of looks like me."
Kagome flipped and spun around on her stool, coming face to face with a man in his mid-twenties and half a head of an almost silver, head of hair, grinning down at her. Kagome blushed.
God. He's hot. Kagome couldn't help thinking before realizing she was sitting there was a dazed-open-mouthed gawk at the man.She stumbled trying to turn away gracefully, and accidentally smacked the painting with her elbow and sending the whole canvas and the stand ending face down on the grass. Not to mention half of her elbow was a disturbing dirty-yellow-green now.
Kagome blushed and somewhere, found the dignity to say: "You scared the living daylights out of me."
The man looked at her oddly, "No. I think you had the living daylights floating around six feet around you the whole time, you stupid wench." Without looking at her, helped her stand up the canvas again and dust off some bits of dirty that had stuck unencouragingly to the wet paint. "Well, on the bright side----" He managed to add weakly, "It looks, kind-of better now."
Kagome sent him a glare as she chose to ignore the 'stupid wench'. She fretted in her mind and calculated exactly how much time had gone to complete waste due to her little 'accident'. She sighed sadly, and then turned to the man. "So what other purpose do you have other than---" She dropped her voice, "coming here and distracting me?"
Shit. That came out wrong.
The man chuckled, and bent down to look at her in her eyes. "Am I that beautiful?"
"Yea--- Um, no." Just goes to show how great I am with guys. "Well, um. No. I meant like, y'know. The paint, and..." She trailed off, and heaving a sigh, turned her back to him to face the ruined painting, thinking of excuses to tell the family who were so happily anticipating the arrival of their new doggy-portrait. Uhh. Let's see. 'My dog ate it'? No, wait. Nevermind. 'It was attacked by a swarm of rabid squi---' She was interrupted in her thoughts when she felt the warm breath of the man tickle her cheek as he leaned over to look at her painting.
"You really don't draw half bad for a person who smells like dog shit." He said lightly.
Kagome blushed, to her dismay and mustering her energy which this-- this-- aggitating man had managed to drain out of her with his very presence; glared at him angrily. "I do not smell like dog shit." She hissed before hurriedly shoved him away from her easel and she stood up to face him... or rather. His chin, as she only came up to his chin.
Oh right. How degrading.
"And please keep your stringy mane off of the paint, would you?" She added, as an afterthought as she drew herself up to look at him in the eyes, which were covered by a large pair of dark sunglasses.
So, technically. She was looking at plastic.
"Hmm?" As if he was worried she might see through his 'guise, he nervously pushed his black sunglasses further up on his nose uncomfortablely and shrugged Kagome off, wandering off to look at her other paintings. Then, worried he might've let too much air out of his ego-balloon, dusted his shoulder off casually, in a rather cocky manner.
She watched his actions with an amused look before raising an eyebrow to gaze at him. "Do you have business with me or are you just going to stand all day breathing down my back?" She spoke it as a statement of sorts, she did it often to get people to go away. Normal men usually got the idea but then, she suspected; this man was anything but normal.
"Hmm..."
She sighed, at the guy's density and crossed her arms in a way she thought was quite intimidating. "Oooh-kaaayyy..." She began, "Why don't you give me a name so I know what to call you when I don't call and ask for a date?" She glared at him, thinking him the typical man that constantly strayed away from the herd everyday about, hmm. One, two, five, twenty times a day.
He smiled at her, a open-mouthed grin and then, suddenly, with a shake of his head, changed it to a tight lipped grin. "Wow. You have almost as much of an ego as I do." He said, stiffly. Without opening his mouth.
Kagome thought she saw a pair of fangs when he smiled. But quickly shook herself out of the thoughts, questioning her integrity and his, in turn. "Hmm. Not really."
He seemed to break out of his trance as he fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small gold flimsy card, and gestured for her to open her hands as he hurriedly slapped it facedown into the palm of her hand. Then, leaning close to her ear; so close, that she could feel the warm wisp of his breath as he whispered into her ear; his breath tickling her earlobe, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand. He had told her:
"Don't look at it until you get home, alright?" And then he snatched one of her own business cards of its little stand plastic stand she had bought from a nearby dollar store, and shuffled away into the crowd of people. Kagome stood there, in a trance as she watched his retrieving back until he had completely disappeared from her vision. And even then, she stood in a trance, unblinking, and thoughtless. When she finally broke out of her own fanciful thoughts, she ignored the man's request as she gently set down her paintbrush (which had been clutched tightly in her hands all the while) on her stool; making sure the paint didn't smudge onto the seat and turned the card over in her hand to read it.
Her cerulean eyes travelled with the embossed words on the card as her eyebrow rose slightly in amusement. From the card, the man's face, uncovered from his cap and sunglasses; leered at her from the business card, a disgustingly fake smirk plastered on his well sculpted face. She rolled her eyes as she glanced back at the direction he had disappeared from as if he would be standing there right now; witnessing her crime. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder, jolting her into reality. Spinning around (more gracefully this time), she came face to face with an excited old woman. She leaned and whispered into her ear the same way that man did, except it didn't make her skin stand on end. Instead, it just got a whoosh of hot air into her ear that made her oddly annoyed and pissed.
"Did'ja hears?" She began, oblivious to the distress he had caused her. "The word around here is that the Inuyasha Taisho is around here, in this park! We're all here, trying to catch an autograph or two." She leaned back again and smirked. "If you get his autograph, well girly; you'll be outta you're rickety job and on your way to a life o' fame. His autograph's worth hundreds! Maybe even thousands!" She stopped, and waited for the upcoming surprised yelp of glee she usually recieved, but looked disturbed when it didn't come at all.
So that explained the crowd, and his sunglasses. She managed a tight-lipped smile at the woman and managed a: "Really? Is that so?" She turned towards her easel and gave a dash of orange on the puppy's cheeks and blended it in with the yellow, giving it height. "Well then, I'd better be careful; now shouldn't I?"
The woman looked at her oddly, "Really, well; you seem to be don't one bit excited about that." She glanced casually at her painting, "Really, that picture is just amazing! And I love how you incorporated the grass and dirt into it. Really realistic. Are you going to sell it?"
She thought for a while before turning towards the woman with a smile, "No, I'm sorry. Its sold." And then added brightly, "But if you like that one, I have some others you might be interested in..." Taking the woman's jubliant smile as a key, led her on to browse her other paintings on display.
-
A hour later, the woman stood with five paintings tucked gently under her arms, "I do say, thank you so much." She smiled happily, in that way that old people do that made you all fuzzy inside. "These are just beautiful. My home's going to be so much more prettier thanks to you, girly."
Kagome beamed at her in response, in her hand clutched a few dozen folded bills. "Thank you." And I'm going to be a lot more richer, thanks to you.
She was stared at awkwardly before the woman talked again, "Well, I should get going. And you should too. Search for that Inuyasha, ya'know." She gestured 'ya'know' and winked at Kagome from behind her thick spectacles.
Kagome started packing up the easel. "I was thinking about going home, actually." She replied in her most pitiful voice, not personally wanting to scourage the park to find someone she'd already met. She stared as the woman gave her a small, sad frown and waved as she hobbled away out of view, oddly, walking the same path as Inuyasha had earlier. (and leaving Kagome a whole lot richer than she was a hour and a half ago)
...and too stupid to get his autograph even though he was here, flirting with me. Kagome mentally smacked herself before she snapped out of her thoughts to pack up the rest of her paintings and begin hoisting them into her minivan.
-
With her heavy easel slung effortlessly over her shoulder and the last of her paintings worn over both her arms like a backpack, she trudged along the edge of the lake in the park, occasionally letting her sandaled foot dip hesitantly into the cold water. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the still present crowd hovering near the docks and the entrance and the exit. She would have a hard time getting through, Kagome realized. Sighing happily as she stopped to watch the sun go down, and contemplating the conversations earlier the day she'd had with the ducks, she walked on at a slow pace. As she neared the exit of the park, she caught sight of the same old woman from before. Forcing the immense laughter that was bubbling up her throat down, she managed a small, timid smile. As she tapped the woman on her shoulder. The woman flinched from her touch as she turned around. When she finally recognized Kagome, the painter from before, she smiled gratefully in relief. "Any luck?"
The old woman sighed as she shook her head sadly. "None. And we thought he would easy to find too, considering he has those puppy ears." She paused, thinking. "Birth defect." She added, because Kagome was giving her a rather odd look.
Kagome thought back to her brief meeting, "He could have been wearing a hat."
Realization dawned on the old woman's wrinkled features as, without a word; she shuffled away back to her group for some urgent discussing.
"Or sunglasses to cover his golden eyes." She yelled after her retreating body.
Kagome watched with mild interest as the old woman disappeared into the crowd of people, and returned back with an oddly dramatic lit torch (which was odd, as it was still early in the evening) in her hands. Holding it up high, she shouted; "BASEBALL CAPS AND SUNGLASSES!"
"BASEBALL CAPS AND SUNGLASSES!" The crowd roared energetically as the crowd marched from crowding the exit, to scatter into various directions. Apparently, to dissect any man who would wear a baseball cap or sunglasses. When the crowd disappeared and one could now see the exit, trampled over; obviously, the old woman remained behind. She smiled her tooth-less smile and patted her on the shoulder.
"Thank you, for everything. Child. I will do what I can from now on to purchase paintings from you."
"Great."
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a baseball capped man with sunglasses lurking slowly towards the exit. His hands and feet twitching as he tiptoed across the wall that surrounded the park. Quite Grinch-like, in fact. But he was no Inuyasha; he had short-ish black hair, tied into a neat ponytail behind his head, wearing a shirt that said: 'Kazanaa Owns You.' He had some kind of sorrow etched onto his features.
Apparently the woman caught sight of him the same time Kagome had. With a loud excited yelp from the old woman, immediately the crowd ditched the sites they were at and swarmed over him. The rumble of the crowd drowned out his terrified screams, as the crow began to chant in a seemingly montonous chant of, "AUTOGRAPHS. AUTOGRAPHS. AUTOGRAPHS." Before someone finally unmasked the villian and the crowd heaved a sad sigh before scattering once again. Kagome chuckled, this horrific scene reminding her of a time a few years ago involving ants, a magnifying glass, and rice.
The wind picked up and suddenly Kagome's eyes caught a strand of white hair as it brushed gently over her shoulder as she felt someone dart behind her quickly. Without even looking behind her, Kagome reached up and secured her easel and checked to make sure her paintings were still surviving, skimming her hands over the surface gently so it didn't smudge the paint. In that way that artists have, and smiled to herself, giggling also to herself about the hilarity of the whole situation.
She felt the shadow behind her move, and say something that soundly oddly like: "Keh. Miroku, the fuckin' loser."
Without looking back at him, she smashed her shoulder against his and turned away. Walking towards her car as she fumbled around in her easel's pocker for her keys.
"Glad to see you'll make out of here alive, Inuyasha."
-
Inuyasha winced as Kagome rammed her shoulder into his. He watched her retreating back silently, and bit on his lip, quite hard. Until, to his dismay, felt the metalic bitterness of blood flood his senses. His trimmed, dog senses that he had made the taste deeper, almost a bit sweet (Sadist!). Somehow, the last comment Kagome had so carefreely dropped onto him before she'd taken to attempting to physically harm him had made him feel sad, and slightly mellow. Which was not something the great Inuyasha liked to admit. The great Inuyasha did not feel emotions. He shrugged as he old necklace around his neck slightly swayed with the wind, brusing over his features like Kagome's paintbrush brushed over her paintings. With ease, and a certain grace he knew no one but her had.
Inuyasha blinked back the emotions as he directed his eyes over to the pond and watched the last of the day's ducks glide of the surface, probably hoping for a few bites of dinner. Or maybe just some company. Suddenly, another feeling (to his utter dismay) swamped over him. Loneliness, an emotion Inuyasha understood very, very well. But an emotion that he'd learn to live with. An emotion that all animals such as him learned to live with.
He was caught out of balance as suddenly, a voice drew him out of his deep thoughts (which he didn't have on a daily basis. The great Inuyasha did not think!). A voice that he neither knew or reconignized. But his dog senses knew, on instinct; that it was no good. Or maybe, it was just his illiterate mind.
"YOU THERE! YOU! WITH THE SUNGLASSES AND HAT!"
Shit. He had to scatter before the other swarming humans got suspcious. Of course, he could outrun any of them. But he'd rather not.
"HEY YOU! YOU! GET BACK HERE!"
Inuyasha took off and ran towards the awaiting limo that had parked beside Kagome's minivan. Where she now stood loading up her easel and paintings into her trunk.
"Keh."
-
The television flickered and flickered and then turned on as a news reporter appeared on the screen, smiling in that creepy way that reporters had. The settings were quite, recognizable not to mention the graying, old woman standing beside her, also recognizable. Kagome couldn't manage but giggle over her miso soup, flickering a few droplets onto the back of her hand. Which she promptly licked up.
"Thank you Aiko-san for that wondrous weather report. Hello viewers, this is Takahashi Chi and I am currently at the Public park, where there was news thatthe Inuyasha-"
"Does everyone have to say him name with an italic everytime he's mentioned?" She mumbled to herself as she sipped on her miso. "This just goes on to increase the retard's inflated ego." She blew on her soup, "Idiots." She added, feeling quite proud and full of herself.
"-Taisho the famous japanese movie star and possibly worldwide famous---"
"Bastard!" Kagome chimed in cheerily to the silence as the reporter stopped abruptly to giggle in the creepy way reporters had.
"...was seen parading the park today. I am here with a local citizen right now. Itachi-sensei? Your thoughts?"
The old woman turned furiously to the camera, "We were mislead by one of the local painters here who mentioned he would be wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. We are certain that she mislead us on purpose because she is a self-centered ignorant, and numchuck who disrespects the community." She pointed at the camera angrily, gesturing obscenely. "But I still like your paintings." She added, as if regreting herself.
The reporter sighed sadly and shook her head. "A real pity. The young-ones these days, so egotistical and so stu---"
She clicked off the T.V. And threw her unfinished ramen from the table beside her into the garbage can and continued sipping her soup gracefully. Like a bird. She told herself.
The doorbell rang soundly as the black-haired girl dragged her head off the kitchen table. She ambled into the front hall and yawned as she pulled the rickety old door open; wincing as it squeaked horribly, standing her hairs on end. There was a shadow standing outside the door.
"Yes?" Kagome answered curiously, opening the door wider; but regretting the move when it screamed at her. Literally, of course.
"Wow, you sure live in a rickety old shack, nice toolshed, though." A familiar voice came from the shadow as he stepped forward, revealing his unmistakably recon---
It was Inuyasha.
She snorted as she took in the large profile standing in front of her. "I never knew celebrities made house calls. How much is this going to cost me?" She pulled the door open even wider (A miracle!). "Come in and make yourself cozy."
He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he strolled in, cap and all. "How can I not, seeing it's so dingy small and so---- UGH! What is that disgusting smell!." She looked behind him as he walked him before closing the door.
"That," Kagme replied. "Would be the scent of a middle class meal."
Inuyasha snickered.
She watched him slump offhandedly onto her armchair. "I can't believe it; the Inuyasha is in my apartment." She closed her eyes and squealed like an avid fan girl, except; sarcastically. He winced. "So tell me, why do you grace us with your appearance?"
He ignored her as he flicked some lint off of her chair. "You weren't hard to find, seeing as you had your home address printed onto your card."
"If I remember, it clearly said: 'studio' not 'home'"
"Oh, I just assumed that someone as underprivileged as you seemed at the park wouldn't have her own studio." He watched her as she nodded thoughtfully, her hair falling all over her petite figure as her head wobbled up and down. He shook himself away from his thoughts. "Well, I'll get to the point then."
"That would help."
"As you know, I'm famous and some people are dying to know more about me." He empathized the dying part. "And my people..."
"Your people?"
"The people who work for me have decided to make a biography of me."
"You keep talking, and it keeps getting unclearer."
"And I've decided I want you to do the illustrating."
She thought for a while before replying. "Uh huh."
"You come cheap."
"You have money to spare."
"You're easy on the eyes."
"Hire some other model artist more willing, why don't you."
"I make the decisions here, not you." He glared at her, "Well, anyways, since you are in need of money...I'll make you a deal."
"You'll pin me to a tree and force me to illustrate your book whilst shutting me in a cold damp dungeon."
"I don't have a dungeon."
"C'mon, you're rich, and abnormally famous. Improvise."
"You aren't very optimistic are you?"
"Pessimists live longer."
He took a while before answering. "So basically, you'll be living with me and my household in my mansion and you'll observe my daily life. And draw, obviously."
"What's the catch?"
"You'll be not allowed outdoors in case the media gets hold of you and tears you to dogfood, you won't be able to contact any of your relations to notify them of this privilege, and you aren't allowed to beg for my autograph nor steal any of my boxers or other personal and private items of clothing, excetera."
"Oh, I thought the famous all wore speedos and tideywidies."
"They do."
Kagome scrunched her nose. "Oh, eww." And then thought about what was being offered to her. Two months in a luxurious mansion surrounded by her most adored passion, living without fresh air or the beach, a chance of being bombed down by the frenzied paparazzi and having her name printed on the cover of a possibly award-winning book as illustrator. This could open the doors to destiny! (Cheese) It sounded pretty fine, all good. "How much do I get paid?" I hope the destiny doors don't creak.
He didn't look up from cleaning his nails; apparently she had been silent too long. "Enough to let you live in luxury for the rest of your life."
Okay, good enough. She reached out her hand, "Kagome Higurashi."
He smirked as if he knew it all along. "Inuyasha Taisho." There was a long pause. "My people will get in touch with your people as soon as possible to arrange the contract and y'know, whatever the stuff that the underlings do for famous movie stars." he said. "Actually, now that I think of it, have your people call my people as soon as possible---"
"I don't have people." She hissed.
"Alright, my people will get in touch with you as soon as possible."
"Fine."
"Good, then I'm out of here!" He leapt from the chair as if it was burning and walked towards the door before turning around and hissing dangerously. "Remember, I don't pay visits to people often; this was a one time deal. I was scared Miroku would mess things up."
"The man that wore the baseball cap and sunglasses to cover for you, ne?"
He shook that off. "Well, the contract will be due soon and we will be here to pick you up."
"You must be really desperate to come pick me up yourself."
"I'm not coming; it's just celebrity talk for: 'There will be no chance of you seeing me for this job after today.'"
"Won't I have to sketch you for the book?"
Inuyasha glared dangerously at her. Kagome smiled, "Goodbye Taisho."
"See ya, wench."
The door squeaked behind him as it closed.
-
When he had finally ran out of the building. (THE SMELL! OH, THE SMELL!) Escaped to the safety of his car, (Ooooooh. The smell...) Inuyasha glanced a piece of paper he had left facing upwards on his dashboard. He closed his eyes gently as he started the ignition, warm feelings resurfacing (to his disliking). And even when he turned on his loud rock music and cranked the sound up to full level; he couldn't help but think of the five words on the tiny slip of paper:
"Come find me,
-Saiai no Hito,
Kagome."
-
A/N Saiai no Hito: Beloved.
And yes, I will continue with this story.
-Nekofir