Paintings Untold by ~~FLUFFY~IS~KOOL~~

Local Area Painter

Sesshoumaru Taisho stepped out of the stuffy museum and took a deep breath. He didn't like the smells of gasoline and exhaust, but they were better then the smell of oil paints. The Taisho Art Museum was the greatest museum in the city, but he still didn't like the smells. Today he was off to the boardwalk, where he would be able to smell the refreshing sea. Too bad, he would like to just be able to spend the day there, but he was going to purchase paintings from street painters for the local part of his museum.

Silently he walked to the boardwalk, which was not far from his museum. A quiet sigh escaped his lips at all the women fawning over him. He wore a nice suit, with his long, silver hair nearly sweeping over the ground. He turned a corner and the boardwalk came into view. There he saw people, humans and demons alike, either painting, or just selling paintings. There were others too, enjoying the view or selling other little trinkets.

Sesshoumaru walked past many of them, not liking the paintings in any way. Most of them were of the sea... a simple painting and he had enough of those in his museum. He came across a booth with two humans, a male and a female, selling beautiful paintings. None of them were the same, and each one seemed to have a new meaning to it. One that caught his eye was of a mother and infant child. The mother was cradling her child protectively as monstrous images leaned over the mother.

"I see you've taken interest in that painting," a male voice said. Sesshoumaru looked up to look at the man who was selling the amazing paintings. He nodded slightly. "This painting Kagome painted after she saw a lady give everything she possessed, to protect her infant from a thief."

"I have three questions about this painting. Who is the painter? What is its title and what is the price?" Sesshoumaru questioned, cutting straight to his point. The man smiled and nodded.

"I'm Miroku, and the painter's name is Kagome Higurashi. She doesn't title her work; she believes that there are too many names for an image. This particular painting is twenty-dollars though," Miroku smiled again while he put another painting into a bag and handed it to another customer. Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow at the price; it was low, very low.

"Miroku, we should be going soon. You know how Kagome gets," the woman helping at the booth whispered to Miroku. Sesshoumaru, with his demonic hearing heard though.

"I am Sesshoumaru Taisho, owner of the Taisho Art Museum." Sesshoumaru paused to see the two people's reactions, but they didn't have much. "In coming to this boardwalk, I am looking to buy paintings from local artists for my local section in the museum. If it isn't an inconvenience, I would like to meet this Miss Higurashi." Miroku smiled, as did the woman, and they both nodded.

"Well, Mr. Taisho, this is Sango, my wife," Miroku introduced them as Sango nodded. "We would be more then happy to bring you to Kagome's studio, but you will have to wait for about ten minutes while we get everything put up." Miroku waved his hand to indicate the booth, and Sesshoumaru nodded, taking a seat on one of the many benches.

About ten minutes later, true to his word, Miroku walked over and bowed politely to Sesshoumaru. "We're ready, but we will have to walk. It's not too far from here," he said and turned around. Sesshoumaru stood up and followed the two as they walked a little ways down the boardwalk towards some apartments. They walked into a tall and thin brick building, and pushed a white button on a wall that would allow them into the next set of doors.

"Who is it?" a little voice came from the intercom, and Sango pushed the button again, speaking into an intercom: "It's just Miroku and me Kags." There was a pause and then a buzzing sound. Sango quickly opened the door and held it as Miroku and Sesshoumaru walked through. "Mr. Taisho... I will have to ask you to stay calm with Kagome, and not to criticize her in any way," Sango said as they walked into an elevator. Sesshoumaru clearly nodded and the elevator doors shut.

A few minutes later they were on the twelfth floor, standing in front of Kagome's studio room. Sango knocked and the door was quickly open, but no one was in the doorway. Miroku and Sango walked in and set down their stuff but before Sesshoumaru could walk in, the door shut. He stared at it puzzingly, wishing to tear it down and harm whomever shut the wood in his face. A laugh was heard on the other side, and the door was opened again by Miroku.

"Sorry about that, she didn't know that you were there," he laughed. Miroku motioned for Sesshoumaru to step in, and he did. It didn't look much like a studio, more like an everyday apartment. Only Sango was there though.

"Where is Miss Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked, his patience thinning. He just wanted to ask permission to put the paintings in his museum.

"It's Mrs..." the same small voice from before muttered. Sesshoumaru turned to see a small woman with raven-black hair and deep brown eyes looking up at him. She had been standing behind the door, wearing no more then plain black pajamas.

"Kagome... Please stop this, you know very well that you are no longer married," Sango whispered as she lead her friend over to a couch. Sesshoumaru looked quizzically at them, then to Miroku.

With a sigh, Miroku walked into the hall, signaling Sesshoumaru to follow. Sighing, Sesshoumaru complied. "Kagome... Her husband died about a year ago, and she still hasn't gotten over it. She believes that her husband is alive, and that if she continues to paint he might come back to her, though... I think it is because he died before her eyes... He was a painter, and she never had talent before, but after he died, she painted like mad. Kouga Ookami was his name. My wife, Sango, and I stay here and make sure she doesn't kill herself. She's come to it plenty of times. We think that if people get to know her by her paintings, she might come out of the apartment and live her life once again," Miroku said before adding quietly, "she hasn't left it since his death."

Sesshoumaru stared at the man and then looked at the door. That little woman was either going through grief, or she was insane. Either way, her paintings were brilliant, so the silver haired man nodded. Miroku smiled and opened the door again, stepping aside for Sesshoumaru. They both walked in and sat down. Sesshoumaru was across from Kagome, and Sango and Miroku sat on a couch together. "Mrs. Higuarshi-"

"It's Ookami..." Kagome muttered quietly. Sesshoumaru looked at her with no emotion playing over his face, and nodded.

"Pardon me, Mrs. Ookami, I would like to talk to you about your-"

"Paintings... I know... Sango told me..."

"Well then, you should know that they are-"

"For the Taisho Art Museum, local's area.... I know... Sango told me..."

"Then for what price and how many paintings would you-"

"I don't want you to take my paintings... They're his, not yours..." Sesshoumaru was stunned at this. The girl's eyes were blank, and she just looked at him while playing with her long hair.

"Kagome... You have to think about the rent... Miroku or I can not get a job... It's by your paintings that keep us in this place and keep us fed," Sango insisted, smiling warmly at her friend. Kagome continued to stare at Sesshoumaru, and then finally nodded.

"How much do you want...?"

"Well, it depends on how much you are willing to let go of."

"None of them... How much do you want...? Or you can look at them yourself and figure out which ones you want..." Sesshoumaru nearly smiled, he knew which ones he wanted; all of them. Her paintings were grand and in a way mysterious.

"That would work, but I do not wish to buy more then you are willing to let go of," Sesshoumaru said. Kagome nodded and stood up, walking down a hall. Sesshoumaru stood up and followed her, followed by Miroku and Sango.

"Here..." Kagome said when they walked into a room. Sesshoumaru knew this was her art studio just from the looks of it. There was a clear ceramic wrap hanging from the ceilings, protecting the walls from paints, and the floor was covered in a thick layer of newspaper. There were paintings upon paintings in piles in the room, large and small. Where the closet would be, there was a dark curtain which came out almost like it would an old fashioned bath tub. In fact, the curtain was a black shower curtain. Instead of a shower head there was a lamp though. Every place else had paintings, so that had to have been where Kagome painted her actual paintings.

"This is amazing," Sesshoumaru mused without noticing he was going through the different painting. Kagome had snuck into the black curtain and Sango and Miroku were discussing prices that Sesshoumaru could pay for the paintings. Maybe this was the chance to get Kagome's life back, and set her back on track.