Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it.
An Artist's Heart
Chapter 6-Learning to Cope
(((This chapter takes place three days after Sango and Kagome found out about InuYasha and Miroku. They have yet to confront them)))
InuYasha pulled up as the students filed out of the building. He spotted Sango, but Kagome wasn't with her. "Hi, InuYasha," Sango said, approaching the car.
"Where's Kagome?" InuYasha immediately asked.
"She wasn't as school today," Sango said calmly, "Why?"
"Damn wench!" InuYasha snarled, "I go out of my way to help her and this is what it gets me."
"I thought this was on your way," Sango smirked, not at all surprised at his reaction. The more they got to know him, the more they learned that he wasn't the perfect gentleman he pretended to be.
"Um, uh…" InuYasha blushed and quickly sped away, leaving Sango laughing.
"He's so fun to tease," she laughed before heading home.
Kagome sighed as the paint brush stroked across the canvas. It was a picture of a cherry blossom tree, the kanji for "beauty" in the middle. "It's very nice." Kagome jumped and turned to see Miroku standing behind her.
"Oh, hi. How did you-?" Kagome asked, puzzled.
"Well, this is where InuYasha sometimes comes to paint. It's funny really, watching someone like him paint." Miroku said rather sadly as he traced his fingers along a half finished sculpture of a mermaid.
"InuYasha paints?" Kagome asked, surprised.
"Yeah. You didn't know?"
"No, no one ever told me." Kagome looked at the floor, an expression of hurt on her face.
Miroku laughed. "It's not something he's proud of. I found out when I caught him trying to sneak away to here on one evening after a particularly stressful day. Of course I didn't tease him about him." Kagome looked at him knowingly. "On that day. It'd be so cruel."
"You were afraid he'd kill you, right?"
"Well, sort of, I guess…" Miroku smiled at Kagome, who smiled back. "Well, I'll leave you to your work." Miroku turned to leave.
"Um, Miroku?"
"Yes?"
"Do you have any samples of InuYasha's work?"
"Well," Miroku said slyly, "There is one portrait he did just a couple days ago. I believe it's over here." Miroku walked over to one of the many shelves in the room and took down a canvas. "Ah, yes, this is the one." Miroku showed to Kagome, and she gasped. On the canvas was a portrait of her, her hair blowing in the wind and a smile on her face. It was from when they'd gone to the park.
"It's…amazing," Kagome said, admiring the detail to the background and the cherry blossoms flying in the wind.
"Yes, InuYasha's particularly fond of this one. Well, I'd better go," Miroku said, placing the portrait next to Kagome, "InuYasha will be home soon and it's my turn to cook dinner."
Kagome stared at the painting for a moment. "Miroku?"
"Yes?"
"Uh, well, Kikyo told Sango and me something. Um, is it true that you guys are in college?"
Miroku sighed. "Yes. I really didn't want you to find out from Kikyo. We thought you knew, but when we realized you didn't-"
"How did you figure out that we didn't know?"
"You asked InuYasha what high school he went to."
"Oh yeah," Kagome blushed, "I figured, I don't know, maybe he went to a school I knew of. I was wondering why he didn't answer."
"Anyways, when we realized you didn't know, we decided to tell you, but Kikyo beat us to it."
"How does Kikyo know InuYasha?"
"They used to date. They broke up for reasons unknown."
"Oh."
"Well, I really need to leave. InuYasha gets very angry when I slack off. He's already mad because he had to take off work so I could go to an interview. Good-bye, Kagome-chan." Miroku walked out the door and Kagome sat frozen for a few moments, before turning to her canvas and grabbing a new one. She lifted her brush and slowly began her painting. Three hours later, she was staring at a painting of InuYasha sitting by the fountain in the park, splashing water on Miroku.
InuYasha opened the door and threw his coat on the floor. Miroku poked his head out of the kitchen. "Please," he glared at InuYasha, "I just picked up all your crap."
"Whatever," InuYasha said and collapsed on his bed.
"Rough day?" Miroku asked as he piled the curry he'd cooked on two plates.
"You sound like a housewife, but, yeah, it was a hard day. Some idiot kept ordering and than saying it wasn't right. I finally threw him out."
"Did you literally throw him?"
"Course not. It was more of a toss."
"You're so violent. It's amazing you haven't been fired." Miroku handed InuYasha a plate and sat down with his own.
"What can I say? My boss likes me."
"Your boss is afraid of you."
"Same thing." InuYasha took a bite of the curry and immediately jumped up, ran to the kitchen, and downed a glass of water. When the burning sensation had left his mouth, he stormed out and gave Miroku a death glare. "You know I hate spicy food," he growled.
Miroku shrugged and took a bite of his own curry. "Sorry, I guess I gave you the wrong kind." He gave an innocent grin.
"Somehow, I highly doubt it was an accident."
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Kagome was jerked awake by the sound of her cell phone ringing. "Ugh...moshi-moshi…"Kagome groggily answered it.
"Kagome!" Her mother's panicked voice was on the other end.
"Yes?"
"Oh thank God! I've been trying to call you for half an hour. Do you know what time it is!"
"Uh...no…" Kagome looked over at the clock on the wall and was horrified as she saw that it was almost one 'o clock in the morning. "I'm so sorry mom! I fell asleep and-"
"It's alright, honey, we'll talk tomorrow. I'm just glad you're safe. But please come home right away!"
"Yeah, of course, mom. Thanks. Bye." She closed the cell phone and looked around her. The paintings she had done-there had to be at least a dozen-were laid out on a table to dry and the unfinished picture of a kitten she had been working on was sitting in front of her. "Oh, man. Well, at least I feel better." She stood and picked up her backpack before heading towards the door. Half way there, she stopped and looked over at where InuYasha's painting lay. She walked back over, picked it up, and left, hugging it close to her chest.
THE END
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