Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters associated with it. This story is rated for a mature audience.

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oOOOo

What am I doing here? It seemed like the hundredth time he'd asked himself that. Looking down at the pamphlet, his eyes skimmed the embroidered words on the front.

Marriage of Hojo and Kagome

Hojo no doubt. He never was much of a poetic. Inuyasha wondered what Kagome saw in the guy. The man was the human equivalent of paint drying. Nice, but boring. Maybe even too nice. Hojo was the type of guy that would donate a kidney without a second thought if you asked. People took advantage of that. Poor guy. Poor couple. Kagome was going to have problems with that.

Eyes up, he found the head table where the happy couple sat. Kagome was beautiful – as always. Maybe even more so today. It had been a few years since he last saw her and his mental picture had not done her justice. Her black hair was up in a fancy bun, her brown eyes sparkling as she flashed a smile at her new husband. Could have been me, Inuyasha thought from his seat. Once upon a time. His table was as far from the festivities as it could get. The people sitting here with him were pity invites – old acquaintances they felt obligated to invite but could care less whether they showed up or not. Miroku was here too looking equally depressed. He had grown out his hair, which was shoulder length now. Like Inuyasha, his life had taken a downward slide the past few years. It was getting harder for either of them to care anymore and it was apparent. When they had discussed whether they should go or not, the deciding factor had ultimately been the booze and free food. Neither of them were in a position to pass up free food. Miroku had even shared the hope he might get laid by some drunken, horny bridesmaid. That he didn't try cleaning himself up more showed what he thought of his chances.

I should just go home. His eyes floated over to the buffet table at the far side. They were being called up a few tables at a time. By the looks of it, his table would be the last batch to go. Of course. Not that there was a danger of running out of food. If anything, Hojo had spared no expense for this wedding. The ceremony had been nothing short of breathtaking. They had a massive release of doves as the two had made their way to the limo. Real fucking doves. This on top of the mass of throwing rice and flower petals. The reception hall was one of the biggest in the city. The booze was all free. The food filled with expensive meats and other fanciful dishes. The food alone must have cost a few grand and he hadn't even batted an eye. People were sucking down alcohol like a fish in water.

It might have made him feel better if Kagome had married him for his money. That certainly wasn't the case. You could see it in the way she looked at him. It was painful knowing those beautiful brown eyes could have looked at him like that.

I'm going to go. His resolve set, he went to stand from his seat when the hall was suddenly silent. He froze in place, wondering what was going on. The dull roar of conversation was gone. The shitty pop music the DJ was playing was gone as well. His head twisted from side to side, scanning the room. Fear beat at his chest in rhythm with his heart. The room was frozen. People were stuck as if in a photograph. They seemed completely oblivious to their situation. Panicked, he looked to his right. Miroku was just like everyone else. There was a glazed look in his eye. Boredom. He was staring off at the main table, his head propped up by his arm. Inuyasha gave the arm a tap. His skin was warm, but it was stiff like it was set in concrete. Grabbing it, he gave it a firm shake. Miroku was the most realistic statue he had ever seen.

"You really should try the food," an unfamiliar voice said. Head snapping towards the source, he found a man with a full plate of steak, potatoes, and an assortment of vegetables. The man was in an expensive suit, his jaw working as he chewed. He moaned softly, eyes fluttering as he took another bite. Swallowing, he continued, his fork twirling between his fingers. "You know, I'm not a big veggie guy, but when I heard Hojo flew them in fresh… I just had to try. Worth it."

"What's going on here?" Inuyasha said, standing.

"No need to get up," the man said, smiling as he waved the hand with the fork. Inuyasha found himself back in his seat, blinking in confusion. "You aren't crazy," the man said, smile widening. He didn't like it. There was something offsetting about his face. It reminded him of a snake. "I'll do you a favor and skip all the boring mumbo-jumbo you wouldn't understand anyways. For the sake of simplicity, you can just call this a time bubble."

"Time bubble," he repeated. His voice was low, trying to figure out what it meant.

"That's right. Within this bubble, time is stopped. Minus you and I of course." He grinned. "Cool, isn't it?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"Good question!" The man popped down in the once empty seat across from him. His plate clattered against the table as he nearly dropped it in front of him. The fork was pointed at Inuyasha as he spoke. "I like how you're not freaking out. It's really a drag when people freak out."

Looking around at the frozen people, he suppressed a shiver. He was a gentle nudge away from freaking out. Nothing about this felt right. "You didn't answer my question."

"Ah yes. Quite right. Names Naraku," the man said, offering his hand. Reluctantly, Inuyasha took it. It was cold.

"This time bubble…" Inuyasha started, looking around again. "You control it?"

"Indeed I do."

"Can you please turn time back on?"

"I can, and I will. First, we talk business."

"Business?"

Naraku smile revealed brilliant white teeth as his lips parted. "Yes. Business. You see, you have problems I can solve, and you have things I need. I help you, you help me. Everyone leaves happy."

Suspicion clawed at the back of Inuyasha's mind. There was a tingling on the back of his neck that begged to be scratched. "What are you talking about?"

Pausing, Naraku rotated his body to look towards the front table where Kagome sat. She was frozen in place, glass hovering halfway between its travels from the table to her mouth. Her eyes were looking towards the best man who was in the middle of some wild tale. The man offered no new words as he turned to face Inuyasha. He blinked a few times before speaking. "Pausing time is but a mere scratching of what I am capable of." Inuyasha felt like his shirt was tightening around his neck. Reaching up, he unbuttoned the top one as he listened. Naraku leaned forward, running two fingers across his heavily gelled hair.

"I don't follow."

A half-smile formed. "I am offering you the change to correct your mistakes. Imagine it: going back knowing what you know. You could fix things. Make things better." This time, there was a full smile. "Who knows? You play things smart, that could be you up there," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

"You can't go back in time. That's impossible."

"Right. Just like pausing it is," Naraku said, looking around. "Oh shit!" He yelled, pretending to look shocked. It didn't last long as his face returned to a neutral, almost bored, expression. "I already did that," he said, deadpan.

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Inuyasha looked around. He has you there… Still, something didn't seem right. It was like an annoying nagging at the edge of his consciousness. Is it because of him or because I'm in this… time bubble? Studying Naraku, the man seemed harmless enough as he stabbed his fork into a piece of steak and put it in his mouth, chewing it thoughtfully. "Okay, so say I believe you and you can send me back. Why? What do you get out of it?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I'm doing it out of the kindness in my heart?"

"No."

A mischievous grin. "Good man! You would not believe how many people take the offer at face value."

Inuyasha blinked. "You mean other people have done this?"

"Oh yeah. Loads of people." He grinned. "What, you think you're special or something?" Inuyasha shook his head. "Good, good. You aren't. Lucky, yes. Very lucky. I almost didn't notice you." He waved his hands, the fork moving quickly from side-to-side before him. "But we are getting off topic. You were wondering what I get out of it, yes? It's quite simple. You go back, do your thing, I get stronger."

"That's it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You just get… stronger? Just like that."

Naraku made a hmmm sound, rubbing his chin. "Right. I might help to first explain how this would all work. Okay! Right!" He set his fork down. Reaching across the table, he grabbed a salt shaker. "This here is… now. The moment now." He spread his arms out wide. "All this." He set it forcefully on the table. He grabbed the pepper shaker next. "This here is the past point. No specific one really, just a random point." He set it within arm's reach of the other one. He made another hmmm noise as he looked around. His eyes settled on his plate. Picking up a carrot, he held it up. "You." He bit it in half and munched on it as he placed the carrot on the salt shaker. "Right, so here we are. You are having a positively miserable time. Your crush is getting ploughed by some rich dude who is living a dream life. I mean… really man. His life is quite nearly perfect."

"Okay, I get it," Inuyasha snapped.

"Right. So. You," he held up the carrot. "I send you back." He made a show of arching the carrot wide through the air, wiggling it before he set it on the pepper shaker. "Boom. Past. This is where I start to lose people, so pay attention." He took a deep breath. "So you are here, doing your thing. Whereas here," he pointed back to the salt shaker. He slapped it, knocking it over as he made an explosion sound. "Gone. Ka-poof. Adios."

Inuyasha's eyes went wide. "You mean it's destroyed?"

Naraku pointed a slender finger at him. "Exactly. Everything from here to here," he drew a line between the pepper shaker and the salt shaker, "is gone. Collapsed. That is my payment."

Inuyasha looked around. "No way," he whispered. He found himself shaking his head. "No way," he repeated, firmer this time. "I can't do that. I can't destroy this."

Naraku made a rasping noise. "Please. What do you care about this life? You want to change it right? Well that's what happens. You go back in time, you change something, and this no longer exists." He held up a hand, stopping Inuyasha. "Now I'm not done explaining either." He went back to his props. He picked up the salt shaker. Looking at Inuyasha, he gave it a little shake and set it back in place. "Now, you do whatever it was in the past." He picks up the half-eaten carrot. "What happens then? Live out the following years?" He dragged the carrot along the table in a line that connected the pepper shaker to the salt one. "That would take forever and it would drive you crazy. Would drive me crazy too. Despite my ability to manipulate time, I'm actually quite impatient." He moved the carrot back to the pepper shaker. "So when you are done there…" He arched the carrot in a reverse arch, landing it back on the salt shaker. "I bring you back to here."

"But you destroyed that."

Naraku smiled. "Ah, that was the old present. This," he said, gesturing to the salt shaker, "is the new present. You tweak a point and everything plays out according to that tweak." Leaving the carrot at the salt shaker, he wiggled his fingers as he moved them from the pepper to the salt. "It will be a bit disorienting at first. You'll still have your memories from the old timeline and your new memories will be slowly smashing themselves into that mind of yours," he said as he pointed towards Inuyasha's head.

Inuyasha took a long moment to thing. He thought he understood what Naraku was telling him. He would be sent to a past point. From there, he would change it and come back to this moment. Everything would play out like normal, and… Wait. If I change things in the past, won't I change?

"Now, I know what you're thinking," Naraku said, holding up a hand as he opened his mouth to speak. "You are wondering how you will still be you if you change the past. Well, to put it simply, it's because I'm here. I have access to everything in the old timeline. Provided you are still working with me, you won't lose who you are."

"As long as I'm working with you?"

Naraku nodded. "Tweak things enough, eventually you'll build what you want your life to be. Once you are satisfied, I go on my way. That's when the new memories become permanent. All knowledge of this life, of me, gone."

"So I cease to exist?"

Naraku rolled his eyes, giving a dramatic sigh. "Ugh. Please don't get into that philosophical shit. You will still be you, only you will be living the life you want. What else matters? I mean honestly, you want to remember this life of yours?"

Inuyasha scratched his neck. "Not really."

"Right. It's for the better. You will still be you – a better you actually. By altering the events that help shape you, you can be what you've always wanted to be! If you don't like how you turned out, you simply go back and change something else."

A few beats of silence. "That's it?"

Naraku spread his arms. "That's it."

"No… side effects?"

"Other than a mild headache and some trippy memory limbo? Nope."

Inuyasha rubbed his chin. Am I seriously considering this? He looked past Naraku to Kagome. I'm seriously considering this. "What about limits? How many times can I go back?"

"As many times as you want. Shit. It's better for me if you go back more rather than less. Again, every time you go back, I collapse the timeline again."

He furrowed his brow. "What exactly do you get out of doing that?"

Naraku sighed. "I could try to explain it, but really, you would never understand it. Just know, I am a fourth-dimensional being and I benefit from this just as much as you."

More thinking. Naraku didn't seem to mind, his attention back on his steak. He was chewing the last bite when Inuyasha spoke again. "I just know there is something. A catch. Something as big as this has to have a catch."

Pulling a napkin from the person next to him, Naraku dabbed his lips, setting the cloth down over his plate. "There is. Well, not a catch necessarily, but there is an important thing you should know."

"And what's that?"

"If you start this, you can't stop it. There is no 'undo' button. The first time you jump back, this life is gone. You come back, there will be changes." He let that settle in for a moment before continuing. "It's like that every time. You go back, everything resets."

"That doesn't seem that bad."

"Isn't it? Let's say you go back and change things so you are up there marrying her. Everything is absolutely perfect between you two. Love, happiness, wealth, etcetera, etcetera. However, your best friend there is dead." He pointed to the frozen Miroku. "Killed in an accident brought about by one of your changes. You are forced to make a decision. Do you go back again to save your friend? Do you make things permanent? You get the woman of your dreams, but you lose your best friend."

"I'll go back and change it so I get both."

Naraku smiled. It was a thin smile. It was the smile of someone who knew something he didn't. "And what if you can't? What if you are forced to pick between the two?"

"There has to be a way to have both."

"Perhaps. But time is a tricky thing. There are so many things you can change. Little things somewhere can lead to massive changes later."

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Yeah, but you said I had as many tries as I needed. Did I misunderstand?"

"No. No, you can go back as many times as you want. I am not as limited as you."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is I perceive time differently then you. Tell me. How long have we been talking?"

Inuyasha scratched his cheek, thinking for a moment. "I don't know. An hour? Somewhere around there."

The smile grew. "Wrong. No time has passed. I paused it, remember?"

Inuyasha smiled, shaking his head. "Impossible. I clearly remember about an hour's worth of conversation."

"Ah, you perceived time passing, but time hasn't actually passed." He spread his arms wide. "As long as you reside within this bubble, time doesn't pass. You will physically never age. Mentally however…"

"So you're saying I'll get Alzheimer's or something?"

Naraku laughed, throwing his head back as he slapped the table. "Oh my. No. Nothing that dramatic. I simply mean that you can go back and forth as many times as you want, but do you have the mental fortitude to do this for a year? Ten? A thousand? Ten thousand? A human mind can barely comprehend such large spans of time. There is perfection. You can find it, or something close. The real question is, how long does it take you to find it?"

"Others have done this before, right?"

"Yes."

"How long was the longest someone tried?"

Naraku thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. "There was a man who kept going back to the same moment for nearly two hundred years. Poor guy. He got what he wanted early on, but he was greedy. He thought he could do better." Naraku shook his head. "He went back and discovered that maybe he couldn't do better."

"Why didn't he go back and repeat it?"

"I told you. Every time you go back, everything is destroyed. To 'repeat' something is impossible. There are so many variables your mind can't even begin to fathom them."

"I don't see how it makes that big a deal."

"Imagine this. You go back to a moment and talk to Kagome. How close are you standing? Does it matter? Maybe you were recovering from a cold and you transferred it to her. She gets sick from that. It allows a bonding moment for you two as you stop by to check on her. Go back a second time. You think you are standing close enough, but the amount is reduced and her immune system fights it off. No sickness. No bonding moment. Of course, this is just one tiny variable. There are countless others in play. Your body language. The way you look at someone. Every little thing changes everything."

Inuyasha rubbed his jaw, working his mouth from side-to-side. "So basically every time I go back, I get something new."

"Correct. Changing things is easy. Finding one to live with, now that is a challenge."

Inuyasha looked over at Miroku. His bored expression was his life. A dead end job. The love of his life with another man. There was nothing left to live for. Not in this life at least. His eyes fell to the pamphlet. How would that change? Would he be sitting up there at the main table? Would Kagome be looking at him with those eyes? It would be Miroku currently playing the fool next to him. Anything has to be better than this. Anything at all. It didn't need to be perfect, just… better. Better he could do. No. Needed to do.

"I'll do it."

"Excellent! You won't regret it!" Naraku said, holding out his hand. Inuyasha looked at it. He knew it was his last chance to back out. Once he took that hand… I can finally get the life I deserve. Reaching out, he clasped the offered hand. Naraku tightened his grip. "Now, let's get this show on the road!" The world seemed to swirl around Inuyasha. His eyes struggled to keep focus. It was like the entire world was being sucked down a drain – a drain that just so happened to be centered on Naraku. It felt like his chest was being crushed. He couldn't breathe. Opening his mouth, he tried to scream – only to find there was no longer any air to carry it. His entire body seemed to contort. He should have heard the snapping of his bones as he was stretched and mushed together. A grown man was trying to be pushed through a hole the size of a needle's eye. The light was right there with him, sucked into that impossible hole. The darkness was nearly complete as the light disappeared.

Then, nothing.

oOOOo

This is a pilot chapter. I think the story will be a lot more flexible than other stories I have in terms of length. I can pretty much end it when I want to instead of it spiraling into a never ending to-do and chapters can be long/short depending on the need.

If I decide to continue this, expect odd pairings. If you've read some of my other stories like Secret Club, Kagome's Secret Buttons, etc. you know what to expect. If you hated those, you'll hate this one too. I put the mature audience rating at the top for a reason. Nothing happens in this chapter, but that probably won't last long.

Thanks for the read! We'll see how chapter two goes.