Chapter 2

Alana's job at Takashi Gallery, her grandfathers pride and joy, was a diverse one. Some days she was an artist, working on a piece out on the floor for people to watch; other days she was an entertainer as she played the grand piano in the foyer to relax and entertain their customers; and still others she was a sales representative, wandering from customer to customer describing the pieces and helping to sell their art.

Sunday was an 'artist' day and she was forced to sit in the middle of the largest gallery room and paint something. With a blank canvas in front of her she closed her eyes and fell into the artist place in her brain in an attempt to find inspiration. Her mind almost immediately went to the sorrowful song she'd heard Momiji play.

With the image it inspired in her mind's eye, she twirled her paint brush in the soft gray blue on her palette and the world vanished around her.

~Art of Love~

Emiko wandered into the Gallery her arm linked with Kisa and laughed quietly. "I deeply regret Kisa-san that we didn't talk this often before now! You are so cool!"

Kisa blushed. "I'm just shy."

Emiko giggled. "Well now that you are my new best friend Kisa-san you don't need to be shy." She felt Kisa laugh silently against her arm and let Kisa steer her to any art that caught her attention.

Kisa looked around in amazement. She'd known Emiko slightly as another girl in her class and after she'd met Alana she noticed the last name and similar faces and approached Emiko to question her about if she had a relative named Alana. They'd been talking nonstop for the last two weeks and now Emiko had invited her to the Gallery to see her sister again.

Emiko's eyes found her sister through another doorway and admired the white blouse and black slacks that accented her gentle frame. Momiji won't know what hit him. She decided then turned to answer Kisa's question.

"Many of the paintings are Ane's work. She got into a very prestigious art school but decided to drop out." Emiko confided. She really liked Kisa, at first they'd been brought together in plots against her onee-chan but Kisa was so interesting. She was shy and quiet and seemed to carry a pain from her past but she had a sweet outlook on life and Emiko found herself wanting to befriend her.

"Why is that?" Kisa questioned. "It seems almost a crime."

"The school she went to had a lot of politics and you had to do the art the way they wanted. She told them she'd rather work in a small gallery where she could do the art she wanted than work for a large place for big bucks if it meant she had to go there." Emiko laughed at the memory. She could never tell if her grandfather had been more proud or appalled when she quit the school.

"That was courageous of her." Kisa smiled warmly and then decided to approach the artist on display. She was told Alana was working today but didn't realize she was the one who was painting until she got closer.

Alana's red hair was held back by a clip and lay in a straight sheet down her back. Whereas on the other day she'd seemed shy and embarrassed in a sweater and jeans, she looked confident and self-assured in her work clothes. Kisa's eyes moved from the artist to the art and gasped in wonder.

The background of the painting was a strong sky and the focal point was a girl standing to the side of the painting on a cliff edge; her face turned up to the rain and her arms wide open. The painting was far from finished Kisa knew but it was breathtaking even this early on.

"She's something isn't she?" An elderly voice said behind her.

Kisa turned to see an old man with a cane smiling gently at her. She bowed and nodded. "She's wonderful." Her voice was breathless as if the painting had truly taken it away and her eyes glanced back at it.

"I saw you come in with Emiko-chan. Do you go to school together?" He asked.

"Oh! Yes, you must be Takashi-san." Kisa bowed again. "I'm Kisa."

"Please…call me Ojiisan. My granddaughters rarely bring friends here so you must be someone special." He waved Emiko over.

"I don't know about that." Kisa blushed.

"Don't flirt with my best friend Ojiisan! She won't want to stay my friend if you scare her off." Emiko pouted bending down to kiss her grandfather on the cheek.

The old man laughed softly. "It's time for your sister to take a break. She's been at it since she got here."

Emiko rolled up the sleeve of her green sweater and swore softly. "Ojiisan! It's been six hours!" She darted to the back to grab a glass of water.

"Six hours?" Kisa squeaked.

"She gets lost sometimes in her art." Grandfather Takashi told her his eyes un-focusing. Kisa recognized the look. It was Alana's look as she painted, Rin's look as she drew and wrote, Hatsuharu's as he did martial arts…and Momiji's as he played the violin. "Doing something that completes you is a wonderful feeling."

Kisa nodded understandingly. "How do you wake her?" She asked as Emiko returned.

"Depends on if she responds when you call her name." Emiko told her and leaned into Alana. "Hey Alana-nee…" She didn't even twitch. Emiko studied Kisa carefully. "When I say now, ask her who she is just like you did the other week."

Kisa looked at her confused as Emiko moved behind the easel. She grabbed the frame gently then waited til Alana's hand was moving towards her palette before nodding at Kisa.

"Oh! Who are you?" Kisa quoted as Emiko pulled the easel away from her sister just as she dropped her paintbrush.

"Sohma-san?!" Alana gaped at Kisa who stood beside her grandfather.

"Hello Takashi-san." Kisa smiled rather amused.

"Wow…making her call you by our last name. That's cruel Onee-chan." Emiko joked setting the easel carefully to the side while their grandfather handed Alana the water.

"Imouto…remind me to kill you later." Alana glared sipping her water. "But she's right. If she brought you here I am Alana-san." Her sister was going to pay for this…dearly.

"Then I am Kisa-san!" Kisa smiled. "I sought Emiko-san out after we met the other day Alana-san. I thought you looked familiar."

Alana smiled softly. "At least she didn't go hounding you after I asked if she knew you." She glanced around. "Has she taken you on the full tour? No? Allow me then. Payment for startling you and making you meet this terror." She ruffled Emiko's hair and hopped from her stool. She linked arms with the younger girl and slowly led her from room to room answering all the questions Kisa fired at her, from her schooling to her art to her job. Once they had completed the tour of the building and they started back to Alana's stool she glanced at Kisa. "Kisa-san, I want to thank you for being Emiko-nee's friend. She's always been so loud and obnoxious that she'd gained no real friends. I think your calmness and gentle personality is exactly what she needs." She gave Kisa a small smile. "Thanks."

Kisa shook her head blushing gently. "I don't know I am all that special but I like Emiko-san very much." She returned Alana's smile as they finally reached the stool. "By the way, I would like to buy this when it is finished."

Alana paused half on, half off her stool and looked wide-eyed at Kisa. "You what?"

Kisa giggled at the shocked expression on the older girls face. "I want to buy this when you're done with it. It's breathtaking."

Alana sat down hard and stared at Kisa. "You don't have to buy anything Kisa-san. That's not why my imouto brought you here."

Kisa laughed again and nodded. "I know that. But I fell in love with it! It really is amazing. Nothing you say will keep me from buying it."

Alana studied Kisa's determined face and finally chuckled. "Alright. I'll be finished it by the end of the day. You can pick it up in about a week. It needs to dry."

"Will you be here?" Kisa asked smiling. "I'd like to see you when I pick it up."

Alana laughed as Emiko ran over and attached herself to Kisa. "Yeah I'll be here." She watched the two of them chat for a few more minutes then waved goodbye as Emiko left to take Kisa back home.

Kisa was really a very sweet girl, calm and shy. Emiko did need a calmer real true friend and Kisa seemed to be perfect for her. A gentle smile touched Alana's lips and she closed her eyes to fall back into the song and her art.

Vocab

Imouto = younger sister

Ojisan = grandfather

Ane = older sister

Edited 3/20