Between The Lines
By: Maggz
Disclaimer: InuYasha and Co. © Rumiko Takahashi.
Author Note: Review! Reviews make me happy!!!
Chapter 4
They actually had a nice breakfast. Kouga asked Kagome about her classes and she happily launched into the subject nearest her heart. She was still talking about it as they all cleared the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Though she hadn't yet broached the subject of asking if he would pose for her, neither had he.
InuYasha finally decided to raise the subject himself, tired of waiting...
He'd had an idea as they had been eating breakfast and decided to try it on now.
"Kagome, why don't you and Kouga go to the park down the street, the one where you do most of your people-watching. That way you can tell him about this project of yours and see what he thinks of it. Kouga?", InuYasha grinned.
"Kagome?", Kouga asked, looking over at her.
"I think that would be good. Just hold on a sec and I'll run get my camera.", she said.
"Thanks, Kouga. At least this way you'll get the idea of what she's after with this project. I mean, you DON'T mind this, do you?", InuYasha asked, hoping he was right. Kouga was pretty laid back, pretty open to stuff. Yet InuYasha hadn't mentioned a word about the nude bit of posing to him, he was gonna leave THAT up to Kagome. This WAS her baby after all...
"I don't mind, InuYasha. I haven't a clue what to expect but I'm guessing she'll be able to tell me everything I need to know, am I right?", he asked with a laugh.
"Yeah, she gets very into the subject. Just get her talking about anything in that direction and you'll see... Well, I suppose you already see.", he answered.
"She's cute, I like her.", Kouga said with a nod.
"Yeah, she's a damned firecracker though... Just wait 'til she beats your ass at pool. Then tell me how much you like her!", InuYasha said as she walked back into the room.
"You play pool, Kagome? No joke!", Kouga grinned.
"Of course I do. InuYasha and I used to play every saturday night until I beat him too many times then his male pride couldn't take it any longer, right InuYasha?", she smiled up at him as she pulled her camera out of its case and started to inspect it.
"Nice camera, Kagome.", Kouga observed, looking over her shoulder.
"Thanks, it was a gift", she said as she cleaned the lenses and loaded fresh film into it.
"You didn't win at pool too many times, Kagome. You stopped going with me to play when Miroku hit on you too many times, remember?", InuYasha asked.
"Whatever... Kouga do you know Miroku?", she asked, her head still bent over the camera.
"Yeah...", Kouga laughed, looking at InuYasha.
"Case closed.", she said and shut the camera back, zipping it into its case.
"Ready?", she smiled.
"If you are...", Kouga answered.
"You coming, InuYasha?", she asked as they started toward the door.
"No, I think I'll just pass this time.", he said.
"Suit yourself, sore loser!", she laughed as they made their way out the door. Kouga looked back at InuYasha and grinned, shrugging his shoulders.
They walked to the park, talking about InuYasha, pool, Miroku, and college classes. Kouga told her about the States, she told him about her classes and InuYasha. He noticed she never mentioned if she and InuYasha had ever went out together as a couple, but something made him think they might've. Just the easy way they behaved around each other. Still, InuYasha had said and so had she that they'd been friends for a very long time, maybe that accounted for the closeness there.
Stepping into the park, Kagome spotted a vacant bench near the duck pond and went right for it. Kouga followed. Taking a seat, she pulled out her camera and began to mess about with it once more.
"Kouga, are you sure you don't mind testing out for me?", she asked him, wrinkling her nose as she looked at him.
"Testing? You mean like auditioning? I thought I HAD the job already!", he grinned.
She looked down at her camera and then back up at him.
"Yeah, kind of like auditioning. I can't just DRAW anybody. InuYasha has probably told you. He thinks I'm too picky but he just doesn't get it!", she said.
"So what do I need to do for this audition, Kagome?", he smiled. The more he was around her, the more he liked her.
"I guess we need to discuss it first, then you tell me if you're still interested...", she said.
"I'm already interested but explain away!", he said.
"Ok. Well, we need to discuss money, you know... my paying you for your time and all...", she said.
"PAYING me? Are you serious, Kagome!?", he asked, widening his eyes. Surely she couldn't be!
"Yes, it's only right, Kouga. I'd have to pay anyone else who posed for me. Students often do it for extra money. It's just whatever the two of us feel comfortable with.", she said.
"Well, I don't want you to pay me.", he said.
"Then how about I do your laundry for the entire time we work together on this?", she asked him and he could see she was deadly serious.
"Jeez, Kagome... well, OK. If it makes you feel better about it but I don't expect you to DO that!", he said.
"It's only fair and it WILL make me feel better. I suppose I could throw a game or two of pool into the mix to make it fun!", she laughed.
"Deal!", he said and stuck out his hand.
"Not yet. You don't know the entire story and if I know InuYasha like I think I do, he didn't give you every detail. He left that for me to do which is only right, I suppose but I can't help thinking he's sitting back there laughing his ass off at me right now!", she said.
"What about?", Kouga asked, curious as hell now.
"Ok... Well, to start off with, I'll be photographing you today until I get a 'feel' for you and your personality, to see if I FEEL I could work with you, Kouga. I hope you don't mind being stared at. This will require that, you know!", she said.
"Well, I kind of figured that, Kagome. And no, it's fine. As I said, I'm interested- go on.", he said.
"Ok, well, after we finish the photos of you, I'll be able to determine if I can sketch you.", she said. He nodded and she went on. "Then I'll begin the pencil sketches, some from the photos, some from live posing. After that, I can either take it to painting, charcoal sketching or some type of sculpturing.", she said.
"Sounds simple enough.", he said.
"But time consuming and for YOU, boring. So I hope you have plenty of CD's to listen to.", she laughed.
"I do... So is that it? Sounds ok to me.", he said.
"No, that's NOT it. I saved the best for last, I'm afraid!", she said, ducking her head to hide a smile that he spotted just the corner of.
"Kagome?", he laughed softly, leaning down to peer at her.
"You would have to pose nude for me, Kouga. No clothes. None. At all.", she said and then looked at him a slight blush over her cheeks.
"Okay.", he said .
She sat there a moment longer, not sure he'd heard her or she'd heard him correctly.
"NO clothes, Kouga. Completely naked. For a long period of time, for several days.", she said slowly, her eyes on his. She noticed for perhaps the first time the striking blueness of them.
"I know. I said okay. I'm cool... as long as you are.", he said.
"I've done nudes before, Kouga. But it's very different sketching a nude to being a nude model. You just think about it for me while I photograph you today and work on developing them. You won't hurt my feelings if you decide NOT to do it, really. I just need to have an answer either way pretty quick. I've taken too long to try to find a model for myself.", she explained.
"It's not a problem, Kagome. You just photograph me and tell ME what you think from there.", he said.
"Good. Just act naturally. It'll seem strange at first but just be yourself.", she said.
He watched her as she got up from the bench, smiled at him and put the camera to her eye, directing it to his face. He stuck his tongue out at her and she laughed.
"Sorry, I'll be a good boy, promise!", he grinned.
"Somehow, I find that hard to believe!", she laughed as she snapped the camera, kneeling down in front of him to try another angle. He was really very comfortable with the camera, this part would be easy. She clicked away as he smiled down at her. "Look out over the pond there, Kouga.", she said and he lifted his head and did as she asked.
"Lovely...", she whispered under her breath. She often talked to herself when she worked and wasn't really aware of it.
"Walk with me, Kouga?", she asked and lifted her hand toward him. He took it and pulled her up, walking toward the water with her. She stepped away from him, running ahead of him to photograph him as he walked toward her.
"Tell me about you and InuYasha.", she said. "How you guys met and became friends."
"Only if you'll tell me about YOU and InuYasha!", he said and she stopped walking, slid the camera from her face and grinned at him.
"You're rude!", she said slowly and he laughed.
"Just curious. Talk to me.", he said as he sank down onto the grass, leaning back on his elbows- legs straight in front of him.
She put the camera back to work and moved away from him.
"InuYasha and I have been friends since I was ten years old. I called him when I needed housing information about school and he offered me a room!", she said, looking at him over the top of her camera and laughing.
"And...?", he prompted as he fell back onto the grass, his hands folded behind his neck, eyes closed. She sank to the grass and crawled toward him, her camera busily working.
"And that's it. Nothing more. End of story.", she said as she zoomed in on his face and clicked once more. He opened his eyes and she smiled, clicking once more.
"You've got really blue eyes!", she said.
"You've got really brown ones!", he replied.
"Blue eyes always photograph nicely. I can't wait to get back to the lab and develop some of these. Would you mind going one more place with me, inside the park...?", she asked and he grinned up at her.
"If you'll tell me more about you and InuYasha.", he said.
"There's nothing to tell, Kouga. Why are you so interested anyway?", she asked.
"I find it very interesting that somebody like InuYasha, whom I know very well, has a lovely girl living with him and it's a 'friends only' type thing. It's not my business, I realize that and you can feel free to tell me just that but for the life of me, I can't figure it out.", he said as he watched her get to her feet and extend a hand to him. He took it and stood up, brushing off the seat of his jeans as he did.
"It's none of your business, Kouga.", she said firmly and then smiled; that lopsided grin of hers that he had noticed made her look even younger than she was.
"Fair enough! Lead the way.", he said and followed her as she led him to a shady part of the park. Trees and dense shrubbery grew everywhere. It was damp and aromatic, the lighting diffused. Perfect!
"Can you climb a tree?", she looked back at him and he laughed.
"Of course I can! That one?", he asked and she nodded and stood back.
"If you fall, I'm not responsible. Just remember that!", she said as he grabbed a low hanging branch with both hands and swung himself up, settling his legs on either side of it.
"Bravo! A man of many talents I see!", she laughed and put the camera to her eye once more. He winked at her and settled his back against the trunk, pulling one leg up and brushing at the knee of his jeans.
"Have you ever been in love, Kouga?", she asked suddenly and he looked down sharply at her, hearing the click and whir of her camera as she pointed the lens at him.
"Of course I have. I'm 23 years old, Kagome. I'd be a bit worried about myself if I hadn't already fallen in love at least once!", he frowned and she clicked once more.
"Tell me about her...", Kagome insisted and he frowned deeper, turning his head away from her. She worked on, oblivious it seemed to the state she was working him into. He sighed and closed his eyes.
"I met her in America... We had a brief affair... I left. That's it. End of story.", he said and turned to look at her when he didn't hear the camera for a second or two.
"You ARE rude!", she said and walked around the tree to the other side, so she could get another angle. He turned his head to look down at her and that's when she knew it was going to work. HE was the ONE. He was IT. She would be able to make her project a success- the relief was monumental, the excitement following it, nearly took her breath away.
It wasn't just his obvious good looks, though God knew that should've been enough right there. It was so much more! There was much buried underneath the smooth façade of Kouga, much more than met the eye. So many things whirled and swirled in those blue eyes. So much was behind that voice. If she could extract that through her portrayal of him and into her work, she'd be judged the top of her class for sure. It was something that couldn't be explained easily. But she knew it was there and worth digging to find out. She knew she could do it, but she had to work to get a bit behind the man himself without him actually KNOWING it. THAT was what would make the masterpiece and she was almost panting with the excitement of it! Her mind was already racing toward ideas for a charcoal work and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She wanted to take this project nice and slow, very easy. She didn't want to become too excited for fear she'd ruin it all. But she could hardly help it.
She kept the camera on him and smiled when she realized he was keeping his gaze on her purposefully. But it was perfect, only too perfect! THIS was IT! She was gonna go home right NOW and give InuYasha a huge hug and a kiss! She was THAT happy!
"What're YOU smiling at?", Kouga asked her, for her grin was ecstatic.
"Nothing, just good photography. You're a nice subject to work with. I just hope these turn out as good as I THINK they will.", she said and pulled her camera away from her face.
"Ready to go back?", she asked and he sat there, silent. His eyes on her for a few brief moments before smiling and jumping down, landing easily on his feet.
They walked through the grove of trees and brush, back out into the bright sunshine of the park. Kagome watched Kouga as he walked a bit ahead of her, his eyes on the ground, his thoughts very far away. She quietly took her camera up to her face once more and clicked off a few more shots until he looked at her and smiling, she put it back down, letting it hang from its strap around her neck.
"Why don't I take a few pictures of YOU?", he asked and reached for the camera.
"No...", she said, stepping back from him but he advanced forward, making her step back once more.
"Come ON. Why NOT? Please!!!!", he begged, his mouth turning into a cute pout. Quickly, before he could change expressions she brought the camera up, just barely focusing it and clicked off a nice shot of his playful pout. He growled at her and reached for the camera once more, causing her to stumble back and fall on her ass right in front of him. He nearly took a tumble down with her but caught himself and leapt over her head at the last second.
"Kagome?", he laughed, turning back toward her and kneeling by her side. She was cradling her camera, and her eyes were shining, laughter bubbling from her until she fairly shook with it. He watched, amazed, as tears sprouted from her eyes and ran down her cheeks all while she giggled uncontrollably. He stretched both hands toward her and brushed the tears from her face as he sank down on his bottom near her.
"How can you DO that? I've never seen anyone laugh and cry at the same time! Which one IS it?", he smiled as he looked down at her.
She could only shake her head as the laughter grew stronger and soon she was laying on her back in the grass, giggles still escaping her mouth. He leaned over her slowly and reached for the precious camera, taking his time and lifting it to his eyes as she continued her helpless struggle with her laughter. Swiftly, he depressed the button that would take the picture and then took one more.
She stopped laughing, little puffs of breath the only clue that she was trying to gain some kind of control. Wiping her fingers over her eyes, she breathed deeply and looked into his eyes. "You touched my camera!", she said and hiccupped.
"Yeah, I had to. You just had to see how cute you looked doing the impossible, laughing whilst crying. Too cute!", he chuckled and placed the camera gently back where he'd taken it from.
"Nobody has ever touched my camera.", she said, her brown eyes serious.
"Kagome. It's just a camera. I didn't harm it.", he said.
"But you could've. Don't do that, Kouga. It's mine." she said and scrambled to her feet, moving quickly away from him and toward the entrance of the park.
He stood, mouth opened for nearly half a minute before his brain clicked into gear and he tore off after her, running swiftly to catch up to her.
"Kagome! Hey! Kagome!!!!", he shouted until he was close enough to touch her. Head down, little feet flying. She carried on as if she'd never heard him. He reached out, grabbing for her hand and catching it, pulled her back. She was spun toward him and into him from the momentum and connected solidly with his chest, taking the breath from the both of them for a moment.
"What in the HELL was THAT?", he asked, his eyes wide.
It took her a second to answer him as her breath was only just returning to her lungs. Taking a deep gulp of air, she closed her eyes and expelled it, leaning against him as she did. His arm went around her waist as if it was the most natural thing in the world and she inhaled once more.
"Ouch, that hurt.", she whispered against his chest and he laughed. He'd expected a full swearing session from her and was glad the expectation hadn't been realized.
"You ok?", he asked, standing back and looking into her eyes.
"I am now. Breathing is good.", she said and took a step away from him, her hands running over the outside of the camera.
"What is it? You obsessed with your damned Nikon?", he frowned.
"No... I just... I'm sorry, Kouga. It was stupid of me to react like I did about my camera and you... and... I'm sorry.", she said, her eyes softening.
He looked at her, his eyes studying hers for a bit before he grinned.
"Forgiven and I won't touch the damned thing ever again! I swear!", he said and reached out with his hand until his pinky just touched the edge of the plastic case.
She stood her ground, biting her lip and fighting to stand perfectly still and he could see every bit of it in her eyes.
"Gotcha!", he grinned and moved his fingers to the tip of her nose, pinching it between thumb and forefinger.
"I don't know about you, Kouga.", she said and shook her head until he let loose her nose.
He smiled, matching her stride as she walked toward the entrance this time.
"Where did you learn to move so fast?", he asked her as they crossed the street and walked back the way they had came.
"I'm not moving fast!", she said, looking over at him. Her mind was already on going over to the lab at school and developing her film.
"You RAN from me! Literally RAN from me. Do you know how LONG it's been since a woman RAN from me?", he huffed.
"Maybe it did you some good.", she said, raising a brow and then grinning.
"Hmmph...", he uttered and then smiled back.
"You wanna play pool tonight?", he asked as they marched up the steps to the house.
"Me?", she asked, drifting again.
"No, that girl standing to your right!", he said smartly and rolled his eyes. "Of course YOU! Where's your mind at, Kagome?", he asked.
"Films... I... not tonight Kouga. I've got plans, thanks. But maybe later?", she mumbled as she dug through her bag for the key. InuYasha's car was missing which meant he had ducked out to go do something on his own. She opened the door and he followed her inside.
"Ok... Well, if you change your mind, I'll be down at Toto's. You can come on down and challenge me!", he said.
"You have no clue what you'd be getting yourself into, Kouga. Are you ready to be taken by a woman!?", she said and then realizing how it sounded, blushed a brilliant shade of scarlet.
"I was born ready!", he laughed, watching her as she made her way to her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her. He shook his head, she was some piece of work and he still didn't understand just what the story was between she and InuYasha. But he'd find out.