Chapter 4. Or is it 3? o.o I dunno, it's been a while. x_x Here we go wit' the boyfriend. Actually this chapter is weird cuz I didn't write it all at once. And these: indicate a flashback. XD Enjoy!
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Lee closed his eyes. He felt the weight of her arm over his shoulders. He felt like dying. He'd never been that close to her since... that morning. Her smell. She smelled so nice. He wanted to find the flower she smelled like and grow them all over the world. Lee's confidence soared. He completely forgot about her having a boyfriend, and definitely forget that he was now a few feet away.
"Hey sexy!" Sakura's voice rang out as her weight left Lee's shoulders. His eyes flew open and immediately shut upon seeing him.
He opened them again.
The boyfriend.
It was Sasuke. Sakura had wrapped herself around him and they were kissing right there in front of Lee. He felt his heart nearly snap in two. It was awful. But at the same time... it was beautiful. Her face flushed a perfect pink and accented his porcelain complexion. His black hair fell over her face and mingled with their lips. It was like one of those cheesy Rococo romances that you laugh at, but at the same time your heart screams with desire; you want it. You want to experience that cheesiness yourself just once. Lee remembered something his teacher had told him before...
Lee was sitting in Art History 101. It was an overview of Renaissance through Neoclassical. The instructor was Gai, with whom Lee was on a first-name basis. Gai knew of Lee's talent and was trying desperately to find something to inspire him.
"I KNOW you think sfumato is dull and boring, but maybe you could at least TRY to incorporate it-"
"No. Never. SCREW DaVinci and his Mona Lisa."
"... Lee."
"I'm just sayin... if you're gonna shade at all, you should do it like Caravaggio." Lee flipped to a picture of Calling of Matthew in his book. "The darks are dark and the lights are-"
"Nonexistent?" Gai finished. "Listen. I know what you like, and I know what you can do well. You wouldn't be able to pull that off." Gai pointed to the picture. "It's too harsh and dark. You need to focus more on the light. It's more you."
"I... have no idea what the hell you mean."
Gai grunted. This kid... "All right. Lee, think of the most important, powerful, and affecting image you've ever seen. Existing artworks do not count, and you don't have to tell me what it is."
Lee thought. It was when he sold his first painting. No, maybe it was when he lost his virginity... or maybe when he was accepted into this school...
"Got one?"
"Got a few..."
"Good. Now think of what these would look like as a painting done by you."
Lee closed his eyes. He took these images and converted the ideas into bright, bold interpretations of their meanings to him. The canvases were huge, the colors bright and the message clear. This was his style. He smiled.
"See? That is you. All your life, you will have amazing experiences. The ones that look like these..." Gai put his finger in the middle of Lee's forehead. "...will make you rich." He grinned.
With that, Lee was brought back to reality. This was it. After nearly a month of being in a slump, he'd finally found what Gai told him he was looking for. This was one of those images. He had to sketch. NOW.
"Erm- S-s'cuse me." Lee mumbled and dashed off to the elevator. He sat in the hallway next to it and pulled out some pencils and a sketchbook and began drawing out some concepts. He had the basic idea almost right when..
"Hey, don't leave, I- Oh there ya are." Sakura peered over Lee's shoulder.
He suddenly tensed. A freezing sensation washed over his body and he realized what he'd just done. He ran off after seeing her kissing him. Crap. Now she must have known...
"Are you.. is that me??" Sakura was ecstatic. "Wow! That's us!" She laughed. "Did you run off to sketch Sasuke and me?"
"Uh.. I... well. Yeah. I didn't want to seem, um... well I guess I'd seem weird anyway, but..." Lee smacked his forehead. "I'm sorry."
"Nono, it's fine! I'll just tell them you're schizo or something if you're embarrassed. C'mon." Sakura turned to walk away, but Lee grabbed her wrist.
"That's not Sasuke." Lee looked deeply into her eyes. "That- that's me."
"Oh, Lee. I didn't know you felt that way..." Sakura grasped his hands. "I've been in love with you since this morning. Kiss me!"
Or at least that's how it SHOULD have gone...
Lee snapped his notebook shut when he heard footsteps.
"Hey, whatsa matter?" Sakura said, appearing around the corner.
"I, uh. I needed a cigarette. Real bad. Turns out I don't have any, haha." Lee turned red and walked back towards the group with her.
"Uhh, sorry about that!" Lee said jovially, with his hands raised in apology.
"He needs a cigarette. Gimme one, Sasuke." She grabbed one from Sasuke's pocket and handed it to Lee.
Lee stared at it. He didn't smoke, that was just a lame excuse. And it was one of those fancy clove ones... better not offend anyone, he thought.
"Shit, I don't have a light. Sorry, man." Sasuke spoke. They were the first real words Lee had heard out of him. His voice was like hot ice. It was deep but whispery, piercing yet soothing. It shook Lee up.
"Neither do I. Thanks anyway." Lee smiled. "By the way, I'm Lee." He grasped Sasuke's hand.
"I'm Sasuke. Sakura tells me you're an art student."
"That's right. I do commissions, so if you're interested in any kind of design or something for-"
"Yeah, I'd like to see some of your work after the show. Actually, I'd like it if you'd do some sketches during the show." Sasuke reached into his pocket. "Cash upfront good?"
Lee's eyes sparkled. Money. To doodle. He tried his best to keep from giggling.
"It was pure blind luck that I met you this morning." Sakura chimed in. "Sasuke was looking for an artist for promotion stuff."
"If I decide to hire you, it'll be your responsibility to make us famous." Sasuke smirked a perfect model smirk. Lee thought he must have been a model or something...
"Up to me, huh." This could mean huge bucks, Lee thought. Even if Sasuke's band doesn't gat famous, other people will see his work... "Sounds great." They shook on it.
Sakura dragged Lee on to meet the others. Kiba, the bassist, was messing around in back with Naruto and some dog. Lee thought it was cute until it almost bit him.
"He likes you!" Kiba snickered.
Lee decided he didn't like this one.
"Hey, make sure you get me going like this:" Naruto held some ridiculous pose where his mouth was open and his arms were splayed out like a demon. Lee laughed.
He also met the tech girl. He name was Ino. She took care of the sound and synthesizers. Sakura seemed a little catty around her. Lee thought it was cute. Later on, Sakura told him that she was out for Sasuke. Lee liked Ino and decided he would sketch her too. Maybe if he could divert Sasuke's attention to her...
Lee mostly hung around Sakura in the time before the show. The others were busy rehearsing and sound checking and such.
"I'm glad you're here." Sakura said. "Usually I'm all by myself doing nothing and watching them ignore me."
"I'm glad I'm here too." Lee smiled. He really was. He couldn't wait to sketch Sakura during the show while she wasn't watching. Suddenly there was some commotion outside. It was quarter to six. Almost show time.
~~~~~~
Next chapter: tha show! Hey- I don't have a name for Sasuke's band. o.o; I'll be taking suggestions! XD Also- I suggest you look up Caravaggio- he rawks. ;D Peace!!
~~~~~~
Lee closed his eyes. He felt the weight of her arm over his shoulders. He felt like dying. He'd never been that close to her since... that morning. Her smell. She smelled so nice. He wanted to find the flower she smelled like and grow them all over the world. Lee's confidence soared. He completely forgot about her having a boyfriend, and definitely forget that he was now a few feet away.
"Hey sexy!" Sakura's voice rang out as her weight left Lee's shoulders. His eyes flew open and immediately shut upon seeing him.
He opened them again.
The boyfriend.
It was Sasuke. Sakura had wrapped herself around him and they were kissing right there in front of Lee. He felt his heart nearly snap in two. It was awful. But at the same time... it was beautiful. Her face flushed a perfect pink and accented his porcelain complexion. His black hair fell over her face and mingled with their lips. It was like one of those cheesy Rococo romances that you laugh at, but at the same time your heart screams with desire; you want it. You want to experience that cheesiness yourself just once. Lee remembered something his teacher had told him before...
Lee was sitting in Art History 101. It was an overview of Renaissance through Neoclassical. The instructor was Gai, with whom Lee was on a first-name basis. Gai knew of Lee's talent and was trying desperately to find something to inspire him.
"I KNOW you think sfumato is dull and boring, but maybe you could at least TRY to incorporate it-"
"No. Never. SCREW DaVinci and his Mona Lisa."
"... Lee."
"I'm just sayin... if you're gonna shade at all, you should do it like Caravaggio." Lee flipped to a picture of Calling of Matthew in his book. "The darks are dark and the lights are-"
"Nonexistent?" Gai finished. "Listen. I know what you like, and I know what you can do well. You wouldn't be able to pull that off." Gai pointed to the picture. "It's too harsh and dark. You need to focus more on the light. It's more you."
"I... have no idea what the hell you mean."
Gai grunted. This kid... "All right. Lee, think of the most important, powerful, and affecting image you've ever seen. Existing artworks do not count, and you don't have to tell me what it is."
Lee thought. It was when he sold his first painting. No, maybe it was when he lost his virginity... or maybe when he was accepted into this school...
"Got one?"
"Got a few..."
"Good. Now think of what these would look like as a painting done by you."
Lee closed his eyes. He took these images and converted the ideas into bright, bold interpretations of their meanings to him. The canvases were huge, the colors bright and the message clear. This was his style. He smiled.
"See? That is you. All your life, you will have amazing experiences. The ones that look like these..." Gai put his finger in the middle of Lee's forehead. "...will make you rich." He grinned.
With that, Lee was brought back to reality. This was it. After nearly a month of being in a slump, he'd finally found what Gai told him he was looking for. This was one of those images. He had to sketch. NOW.
"Erm- S-s'cuse me." Lee mumbled and dashed off to the elevator. He sat in the hallway next to it and pulled out some pencils and a sketchbook and began drawing out some concepts. He had the basic idea almost right when..
"Hey, don't leave, I- Oh there ya are." Sakura peered over Lee's shoulder.
He suddenly tensed. A freezing sensation washed over his body and he realized what he'd just done. He ran off after seeing her kissing him. Crap. Now she must have known...
"Are you.. is that me??" Sakura was ecstatic. "Wow! That's us!" She laughed. "Did you run off to sketch Sasuke and me?"
"Uh.. I... well. Yeah. I didn't want to seem, um... well I guess I'd seem weird anyway, but..." Lee smacked his forehead. "I'm sorry."
"Nono, it's fine! I'll just tell them you're schizo or something if you're embarrassed. C'mon." Sakura turned to walk away, but Lee grabbed her wrist.
"That's not Sasuke." Lee looked deeply into her eyes. "That- that's me."
"Oh, Lee. I didn't know you felt that way..." Sakura grasped his hands. "I've been in love with you since this morning. Kiss me!"
Or at least that's how it SHOULD have gone...
Lee snapped his notebook shut when he heard footsteps.
"Hey, whatsa matter?" Sakura said, appearing around the corner.
"I, uh. I needed a cigarette. Real bad. Turns out I don't have any, haha." Lee turned red and walked back towards the group with her.
"Uhh, sorry about that!" Lee said jovially, with his hands raised in apology.
"He needs a cigarette. Gimme one, Sasuke." She grabbed one from Sasuke's pocket and handed it to Lee.
Lee stared at it. He didn't smoke, that was just a lame excuse. And it was one of those fancy clove ones... better not offend anyone, he thought.
"Shit, I don't have a light. Sorry, man." Sasuke spoke. They were the first real words Lee had heard out of him. His voice was like hot ice. It was deep but whispery, piercing yet soothing. It shook Lee up.
"Neither do I. Thanks anyway." Lee smiled. "By the way, I'm Lee." He grasped Sasuke's hand.
"I'm Sasuke. Sakura tells me you're an art student."
"That's right. I do commissions, so if you're interested in any kind of design or something for-"
"Yeah, I'd like to see some of your work after the show. Actually, I'd like it if you'd do some sketches during the show." Sasuke reached into his pocket. "Cash upfront good?"
Lee's eyes sparkled. Money. To doodle. He tried his best to keep from giggling.
"It was pure blind luck that I met you this morning." Sakura chimed in. "Sasuke was looking for an artist for promotion stuff."
"If I decide to hire you, it'll be your responsibility to make us famous." Sasuke smirked a perfect model smirk. Lee thought he must have been a model or something...
"Up to me, huh." This could mean huge bucks, Lee thought. Even if Sasuke's band doesn't gat famous, other people will see his work... "Sounds great." They shook on it.
Sakura dragged Lee on to meet the others. Kiba, the bassist, was messing around in back with Naruto and some dog. Lee thought it was cute until it almost bit him.
"He likes you!" Kiba snickered.
Lee decided he didn't like this one.
"Hey, make sure you get me going like this:" Naruto held some ridiculous pose where his mouth was open and his arms were splayed out like a demon. Lee laughed.
He also met the tech girl. He name was Ino. She took care of the sound and synthesizers. Sakura seemed a little catty around her. Lee thought it was cute. Later on, Sakura told him that she was out for Sasuke. Lee liked Ino and decided he would sketch her too. Maybe if he could divert Sasuke's attention to her...
Lee mostly hung around Sakura in the time before the show. The others were busy rehearsing and sound checking and such.
"I'm glad you're here." Sakura said. "Usually I'm all by myself doing nothing and watching them ignore me."
"I'm glad I'm here too." Lee smiled. He really was. He couldn't wait to sketch Sakura during the show while she wasn't watching. Suddenly there was some commotion outside. It was quarter to six. Almost show time.
~~~~~~
Next chapter: tha show! Hey- I don't have a name for Sasuke's band. o.o; I'll be taking suggestions! XD Also- I suggest you look up Caravaggio- he rawks. ;D Peace!!