The Birth of a Venus by BeautifulTyger
Chapter One
Kagome Higurashi struggled up the stairs towards the second floor of the art building. Her book bag was overflowing with very large and very heavy art history books and by the time she reached the landing, she was out of breath and had to pause for a few moments. As she did so, she allowed her dark, forest green eyes to scan the bulletin board posted at the top of the stairs.
Kagome was a junior Art History major at the University of Monticello and the semester was almost over. She had just lost her job at a local sports bar and was desperately trying to find a new job before the semester was over and she started into the summer. She had been paying her way through college with her paycheck and tips from the sports bar for the last three years, but had finally gotten sick of the manager's advances. Her mom had offered to pay for tuition for Kagome's fourth and final year of college, but Kagome had refused. Her mother could pay for it, but not without sacrifice at the Higurashi house and she didn't want to think of her mother, brother and grandfather having to give anything up because of her. No, she would find a new job and she would pay for next semester on her own.
She bit her bottom lip as her eyes swiftly scanned the board looking for any jobs that would suit with her. Finally, her eyes rested on a small white sheet of paper with plain black typing:
WANTED: A MODEL FOR THE ADVANCED SCULPTING SUMMER SESSIONS. PAYS $10 PER HOUR. ONLY NEEDED FOR THE SUMMER SESSIONS. IF INTERESTED, PLEASE CONTACT DR. SESSHOMARU TAISHO AT 482-8395.
"Ten dollars an hour? For the whole summer?" That sounded way too tempting for her to walk away without at least finding out more information or trying for the position. She REALLY needed that job and that money. Kagome was no idiot. She was an Art History major, mostly because she loved art, but couldn't even draw a stick figure. She knew that the Advanced Sculpting class would need a nude model, but she was no prude. To her the nude human body was just living, breathing artwork. She quickly scribbled down the number and hurried off to her class.
* * *
"So, have you found anybody for your Advanced Sculpting summer class?" Dr. Miroku Hymisho asked as he barged into his friend's office.
Sesshoumaru regarded his friend from his sitting position behind his desk. He was reclining in his black leather chair, feet arrogantly propped up on his desk. "Don't you ever knock before entering?"
"Obviously I don't," Miroku said plopping down in a chair across the desk from his friend and co-worker, "and you very neatly avoided my question. Have you found a girl yet?"
"No."
"No?"
"I believe that was what I said. Don't you have something more pressing to do?"
"Nah." Miroku leaned back in his chair, "I cancelled my 9 o'clock class. Didn't feel like going."
"You do realize that you're actually worse than your students, don't you?" Sesshoumaru pulled his feet on his desk lest Miroku get any ideas about imitating his posture and placing his own feet on the desk. Miroku had a tendency to do things to be just plain annoying.
"Why haven't you found a girl yet, you must interviewed dozens. Dozens of beautiful, busty college girls prancing around your office wearing nothing but their birthday suits. You lucky bastard."
Sesshoumaru thought he could actually see Miroku's mouth watering at the idea of dozen beautiful, busy college girls prancing around his office naked. He sighed. "None of those girls were what I was looking for. They all looked like sticks with breasts. They were all too thin, too bony. I want to know why the standard of beauty has sunk to bones sticking out from skin."
Miroku lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "What type of girl are you looking for?"
Sesshoumaru leaned back and pursed his lips, brow wrinkled with thought. After a moment he gestured to the painting hanging across the room. "Like her."
Miroku turned to look and then turned back to his friend, one brow arched in disbelief. "You're looking for a Venus? Like in the Birth of Venus? Are you nuts?! You're never going to find a girl here who looks like that. In this day and age no girl WANTS to have curves like that."
Now it was Sesshoumaru's turn to shrugs. "Regardless, that's what I want."
His phone rang then and he grabbed it. "Yes?"
"Is this Dr. Sesshoumaru Taisho?" a girl's voice sweetly permeated into his head.
"Yes."
There was a slight pause on the end of the line and then, "The same Dr. Taisho who advertised on the board for a model for the summer Advanced Sculpting class?"
"The same. Are you interested in applying for the job."
"Yes sir, I am. My name is Kagome Higurashi. I saw your ad and I wanted to see about setting up an appointment with you to apply."
Higurashi...he mentally ran the name through his head. It sounded vaguely familiar. "Are you by any chance an art major?"
"An art HISTORY major. Is being an art major a requirement?" She sounded slightly worried.
"No, I was just wondering. You do understand that this position is for a NUDE model, don't you?" He'd lost the interest of many girls after they had found out that bit of information. Maybe he should've written it on the ad.
She laughed lightly and he felt things low in his body tighten with the sound. "Yes, sir. I understood that when I read the ad."
"Good," he said, his voice sounding rather rough to his own ears. He was irritated that her voice and laugh could affect him like that. He prided himself on being not like many of his male co-workers. Including Miroku who sat across from him, watching with unfeigned interest. They lusted largely and openly for the young co-eds they were supposed to be teaching, many having liaisons with them that could get them fired and the girls expelled. "When can you come by my office to apply, Miss Higurashi?"
Another pause on the line. "I have a break at 12. I can meet you then."
"That's fine. You know where my office is, on the fourth floor of the art building. Room 408. I'll expect you at noon."
"Thank you. Bye"
"Bye."
Miroku leaned forward, lavender eyes shining brightly. "Was that Kagome Higurashi?"
"You know her?"
"Well, not from any of my classes. She's an art history major and so not likely to take any painting classes, but she's a good friend of Sango Shimi, one of my students..." Miroku trailed off.
"One of your students that you're in an elicit relationship with, I presume." Sesshoumaru's voice was cold. He did not approve of relationships with students, not for any reason.
Miroku looked up at his friend, slight panic in his violet eyes. "Don't tell anyone about me and her, Sesshoumaru. I know she's a student, but she really means a lot to me. This school is so dumb anyway. Anywhere else, no one would bat an eyelash at a professor being in a relationship with a student."
"Be that as it may, THIS school does prohibit such relationships and while I won't tell anyone, you ought to keep in mind how much trouble you could find yourself in, Miroku. Not just trouble for you, but for the young Miss Shimi as well."
Miroku pursed his lips together as he pondered the consequences of his actions, but Sesshoumaru knew his friend would not end the relationship. He sighed and leaned forward. "What can you tell me about Miss Higurashi?"
"Hmm..." Miroku tried to recall what little Sango had told him about her friend. "She's an art history major. She really loves art, but has no talent for it herself. She makes straight A's, but doesn't have any hobbies to speak of. She's paying her own way through college and has to live in the dorms."
"Hmm..." Sesshoumaru pondered this little bit of information, but whatever he thought about what Miroku had told him about the girl, he didn't feel like sharing.
That's all for the first chapter. I'm already working on the second which I should post later today. Kagome applies for the modeling job in the next one and that's where their relationship really starts to form. Please lemme know what you think and tell me how I could improve and any ideas for anything you think should happen. I'm open to all suggestions as long as they're polite. Thanks! :)