AN: New story. Sorry. Info on another in-the-works story in the ending AN. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor The Avengers nor any of their characters. Those belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Marvel/Disney (I can't believe I have to say that they belong to Disney...nothing against Disney (who I also love), but...yeah), respectively. I only own any original characters that may appear.

Control

Chapter One

Bruce gently applied pressure as he rubbed small circles on his right temple with two fingers. His migraine was getting worse. He and Tony had been pulling long hours in the excitable billionaire's lab working on a number of projects, and he had been relieved when Tony had declared that they would be taking the night off. But his relief had quickly faded when Tony had said that they needed to get out of the house altogether. So, somehow, during the hours between that announcement and their arrival at their current location, Tony had talked him into attending a charity event that one of his business partners was hosting.

They were in the ballroom of a large mansion, and Bruce suddenly found himself longing to be back in the lab he had been sick of looking at not that long ago. There were many people milling around the room as some mingled while others talked business. He merely stayed by Tony's side sipping at the champagne he had in hand. Between the ache in his skull and the social anxieties he had developed over the years, Bruce was happy that most people only knew him by name and not by face. He had specifically asked Tony to introduce him by his first name—Robert—only, since he usually got mixed reactions when people realized that they were meeting the alter ego of the infamous Hulk. He really didn't feel like adding to his headache at the moment.

Taking another sip of his drink, Bruce crossed the room with Tony as they approached their host for the evening. "Taishou," Tony greeted as he extended his right hand.

"Stark," the man returned as he took Tony's hand in a firm shake. Bruce had never met the man, only heard of him, but he was intrigued by the incredibly long ponytail that the man's black hair was pulled into. It wasn't a common look for someone to wear, especially in the business world. But with the crisp tux that the man wore and his deceivingly youthful appearance, Bruce supposed that it suited him oddly enough.

Just as Tony was about to say something else to the slightly intimidating man, he was distracted with the approach of a woman. The first thing he noticed about her was the deep red cocktail dress that she wore. Despite being such an eye-catching color, he had to force himself to look away as it caused his headache to worsen slightly with its intensity. He quickly took in the rest of her; pale skin, exposed shoulders, slender neck, black hair pulled into a low bun with a few curled tendrils left to frame a heart-shaped face, blue eyes, and red-coated lips. He silently admitted to himself that she was very attractive, if a little young—early-to-mid-twenties maybe. "Kagome," Tony purred as he stepped forward in an attempt to hug the woman.

Kagome quickly handed a glass of champagne to the man Tony had just greeted before pressing her now-free hand to the billionaire's chest to stop him in his tracks. "Hello, Mr. Stark," she greeted with a polite smile. "It's been a while; still engaged?"

Tony laughed as he took a step back. "So Pepper tells me," he answered. Looking as though he had just been struck by the thought, Tony announced, "Ah! Introductions!" He threw his arm around Bruce's shoulders as he said, "This is my friend Br—Robert." Bruce sighed as Tony made his first slip of the night but managed to not-so-subtly cover it up. "Robert," he stressed, "this is Sesshoumaru Taishou, CEO of Taishou Industries. They deal primarily in communication and medical technology." Gesturing towards the woman who had rebuffed Tony's advance, he said, "And this lovely creature is Kagome Higurashi. She's Taishou's handler."

"Handler?" Bruce questioned softly. He really needed to leave this party soon.

Extending her hand towards 'Robert', Kagome explained, "I'm Sesshoumaru's personal assistant. I am to him what Pepper was to Tony before their engagement." Pausing to look at her friend and employer, she jokingly added, "Only without the repressed sexual tension."

Sesshoumaru seemed to merely tolerate the words Tony and his assistant, and he quickly changed the topic. "And what is it that you do…Robert, was it?"

With eyes on him, Bruce simply said, "I'm a doctor." Tony started speaking again, this time about business, and Bruce did his best to tune out what was being said. Migraines put him on edge, and it only made controlling the 'other guy' that much more difficult. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up and caught the concerned gaze of Miss Higurashi. Without drawing the attention of either of the businessmen, she took a few steps closer to him until they stood side-by-side to feign interest in Tony and Sesshoumaru's conversation.

"Are you okay?" She asked in a soft voice. "You look like you're in pain."

Bruce wondered if he was being that obvious as he answered, "I have a migraine. I let Tony talk me into coming here against my better judgement." He reached up again to apply pressure to his temple once more.

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Kagome tugged lightly on his jacket sleeve as she said, "Follow me." Bruce hesitated for a moment, but Kagome cut him off before he could protest. "I have something that might help, and trust me when I say that they'll barely notice that we're gone."

Hesitating only slightly, Bruce decided that it couldn't hurt to follow the young woman if she did indeed have something that could help. Seeing as he was following her, he had to do his best to keep his gaze locked solidly on the back of her head. While the temptation was strong to watch the wide bell of the dress swish and sway around her smooth legs with the movement of her hips—'It has been way too long if I'm checking out someone a decade younger than me,' Bruce thought—the color of her dress was having too much of an effect on him. While his doctorate may not have been in the field of psychology, he was well aware of what different colors could do to someone.

Red. It was a color with incredible power. Often called the color of passion, it could just as easily inspire aggression. It wasn't just emotional responses that he was worried about either. Seeing red could cause an increase in heart and breathing rates; it could trigger a person's fight-or-flight reflex. The last thing that he, this house, or the partygoers needed was an adrenaline-fueled Hulk with a killer headache.

Bruce barely noticed when they swung by the bar so that Kagome could grab a bottle of water, but he continued to follow her until they walked through a set of doors and onto the open veranda that was enveloped with the darkness of night. Blinking to adjust to the significantly less blinding light, Bruce was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. The darkness combined with the cool evening air against his skin helped to relax the vice his head had been trapped in. He walked over to the railing, folded his arms on the wide wrought-iron bar, and bent to rest his forehead on the makeshift pillow.

Walking over to join the older man, Kagome set her champagne glass, bottled water, and clutch on the iron railing. She quietly rifled through the sparse contents of the small purse and smiled when she pulled free what she had been looking for. "Doctor," she said softly as she tapped 'Robert' on the shoulder. "I have some medicine for migraines if you'd like something to take."

Bruce turned his head so that he could see what Kagome held and was surprised to see that it was the same over-the-counter medicine he usually took for his headaches; the same medicine that he had forgotten back in the lab.

Kagome smiled seeing the questioning look he gave her as he straightened and nodded. As she opened the small bottle, she explained, "Sesshoumaru and his brother are surprisingly talented at inspiring headaches. I never leave home without my little travel bottle." She gave the doctor two small tablets and the bottle of water. Watching as he quickly downed the medicine and half of the water, she quietly asked, "Your name isn't really Robert, is it?"

Rolling his eyes, Bruce answered with his own question, "You caught Tony's little slip-up, huh?"

"Well," Kagome looked to the side before continuing, "yes and no. It was a little hard not to notice Tony's "slip-up." But I actually recognize you from other pictures."

Bruce froze before he slowly turned to see what reaction he would get. "You recognize me?" He asked tightly, his headache starting to come back full force as his heart pounded nervously.

Kagome smiled as she nodded. "That's right. You're Dr. Bruce Banner, right?" When he didn't answer right away, she nervously continued, "I've read about some of your work." When his silence continued, she started to nervously fill the conversational void. "I mean…I don't understand a lot of your advanced research, of course. But I think that the work you've done to combat infectious disease in remote areas is inspiring."

Surprised that someone would recognize him for his less acknowledged work, all that Bruce could manage to say was, "Well…thank you."

Kagome beamed when she finally got a response from the man. "I've actually been trying to talk Sesshoumaru into getting in touch with you. I know that it isn't your primary field, but I think between your theories and Sesshoumaru's medical technology, so much good could be done."

Bruce watched as Kagome spoke animatedly about her ideas on medical research and helping the less fortunate. Between the soft light of the moon and the warm light spilling outside from the party, Kagome's skin glowed in contrasting ways. He was taken with the way her eyes shone with the same enthusiasm that her voice held. 'She's still young,' he thought slightly cynical. And while there were many reminders that she was likely too young for him, he found himself caring less and less. Aside from obviously being well-read, everything about this woman was soft and inviting and relaxing. 'Yes,' he thought to himself again. 'It has been way too long since I had any kind of relationship with a woman.' Soon, he found himself giving into the temptation to let his gaze travel over her, but he kept landing on one feature. Red lips, gold jewelry with red stones, the shining satin of the red dress; Bruce could feel his pulse increase and the pain in his skull began to return.

Pulling herself out of her ramblings, Kagome noticed the slight grimace on Bruce's face. "Is the medicine not working?" She asked as she gently moved her hand to rest on the hand he still had braced against the iron railing.

He had been trying to get a reign on his body and emotions. His normal level of control had gone far too lax. So he was trying to regain control, trying to calm down…trying. But as soon as Kagome's skin touched his and the first shot of electricity that came from human contact shot up his arm and surprised him, Bruce cursed in his mind as his control slipped away.

'Fight it!' He screamed in his mind as he jerked his hand away from the woman in front of him. He backed away several steps, hoping that she wouldn't follow him. He never wanted to hurt anyone. Bruce could feel his muscles contracting painfully as he fought the transformation every step of the way, tears forming in his eyes. He hated this. His breath was taken away when he felt his bones start to grow, and he fell to his knees on the hard stone of veranda. Then he heard it: the quick series of clicks from a woman's high-heeled shoes rushing towards him. He wanted to move away from her, to tell her to get away from him, but he couldn't move…couldn't speak. All he could do was ball his fists and watch as his skin began to take on a green tint.

Kagome was startled when Bruce suddenly pulled away from her. She knew that migraines could be bad, but this looked like an entirely different level of pain. Then it hit her. She wasn't sure what had triggered it, but Bruce Banner was about to make his infamous transformation. Without thinking about what she was about to do, Kagome rushed forward and fell sharply to her knees in front of the pained man. Placing a hand on either side of his head, she was alarmed to find that his skin was burning hot to the touch. "Dr. Banner," she said in the most soothing voice that she could muster. When she didn't get any response, she tried again, "Bruce," she began gently. "Listen to me. Concentrate on my voice. You can come back from this," she coaxed. "Follow my voice."

Inside, Sesshoumaru paused in his conversation with Tony when he felt a shift in the air. He hadn't been concerned when Kagome had wandered off with Tony's guest, but now he was certain that it had been a poor decision. "Stark," he interrupted. "Where is your associate?"

Tony looked around and noticed that Bruce and Kagome were gone. Ignoring his first instinct on where the two might have gone—Bruce wasn't that kind of guy—Tony took a few steps around Sesshoumaru and looked around the room. He was about to say that he didn't see them anywhere when he saw a set of glass doors opened to the veranda. Tony knew that Bruce had gotten a headache on the way to the party; he was beginning to become concerned over the frequency of Bruce's headaches. He had planned on leaving after he spoke with Sesshoumaru. But now Tony feared that it may be too late. Hoping that Bruce was able to maintain his calm composure for just a while longer, he said, "He said he had a headache earlier. Maybe Kagome took him outside?"

Without another word between them, the two businessmen walked towards the glass doors, but quickly stepped outside and shut the doors behind them when they saw what was happening. Seeing Kagome's proximity to a mid-transformation Bruce made both men unsure of how to proceed. Their first reaction would have been to get Kagome away from the situation, but at this point it wouldn't take much to send Bruce completely over the edge. For what it was worth, it looked like Bruce was fighting for control and slowing down the transformation at the very least. Though it was too far for Tony's ears, Sesshoumaru could easily hear Kagome's soft murmurs. But when Bruce's muscles tightened even more and the green of his skin darkened, Sesshoumaru wasn't sure how much longer the man would hold out.

Kagome was running out of options. She knew how dangerous her position was, but she knew that running could be worse. On the verge of tears, she continued to whisper soft words to the pained doctor as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Don't do this," she pleaded. "Don't do this." When Bruce jerked again, Kagome decided to try one last thing and prayed to any god listening that it didn't hurt him. Taking a few deep breaths, she drew her energy into her hands and watched as they began to glow pink. In an attempt to heal instead of purify, she slowly pushed the energy into the Bruce. The technique had worked with Inuyasha on a few occasions when he had gotten a little out of control, though he usually had a few burn marks left where her hands had touched him.

Standing to the side in shock, Tony and Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome's hands began to glow and Bruce stopped growing. For a moment they were all completely still…waiting…watching. Finally, Bruce began to shrink back to his normal size with only a few rips and tears in his clothes.

Bruce opened tired eyes as the pain receded and he could see the green slowly fading from his skin. He was vaguely aware of a pink light in his peripheral vision, but at the moment he really didn't care about that. Eventually the pain vanished and his skin was its normal peach-ish hue, but he was utterly exhausted from trying to fight against the 'other guy' for so long. His arms and legs buckled, and he found himself lying on cold stone with his head resting against the soft red satin covering Kagome's legs. He barely had time to rasp out of soft "Thank you" before he lost consciousness.

Releasing a shuddering sigh, Kagome relaxed a great deal. She looked down at the man who had passed out in her lap and laid a hand on top of his hair. "Well that was mildly terrifying," she breathed to herself.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru's voice sounded from behind her. She turned to look over her shoulder and saw Tony and Sesshoumaru approaching her.

"Sesshoumaru," she said as relief flooded her. They may not have always liked each other and they still fought a lot, but she knew that he would protect her if push came to shove. The relief she felt at seeing him caused her emotions, which had been running high, to catch up with her, and tears began to flow down her cheeks. She watched as Tony pulled Bruce off of her lap and laid him on the ground with his suit jacket tucked under the man's head. Then she suddenly found herself pulled to her feet as Sesshoumaru looked her over for any damage. "I'm fine," she mumbled several times until he completed his check. "How's Bruce?" Kagome asked as she looked over at Tony.

Kneeling on the ground next to the unconscious doctor, Tony sighed and said, "He seems to be okay; just unconscious. I need to get him home, but I obviously can't take him back through the ballroom." He looked up at Sesshoumaru for an alternative since it was the taller man's home.

Looking over Kagome once more and confirming that she was okay, if a little shaken, Sesshoumaru said, "Go get your car from the valet and take the side driveway to the left of the front of the house. It will bring you back here. Kagome will wait with Dr. Banner while you are gone. I have to get back to the party before people realize that I'm gone and come looking." When he saw that Tony was about to protest, he added, "We will speak of this tomorrow. Now go." Sesshoumaru cast one last look at Kagome before releasing her shoulders and making his way back to the doors that they had shut just minutes before, pulling a set of curtains to cover the glass once he was inside.

Tony and Kagome stared at each other for a moment in silence. Kagome smiled weakly as she said, "It's okay, I'll wait with him. Go get your car and I'll help you get him buckled in."

Hesitating for a moment, Tony forewent his usual joking demeanor as he asked seriously, "Are you okay?" Despite all of his flirting and teasing, he thought Kagome was a sweet girl and didn't like the thought of her getting hurt, especially when it was partially his fault.

"I'm fine," she repeated. Thinking for a moment she said, "Though you may want to go around the side of the house to get your car. We've probably brought a lot of attention to that door already, and we don't need people getting curious." Tony nodded before taking off at a light jog and disappearing around the corner of the mansion.

Not caring whether or not her dress got any dirtier than it was, Kagome kicked off her black heels and sat on the stone floor next to Bruce. She watched him sleep as she became lost in her own thoughts. It was strange that a man who seemed as sweet and gentle as Bruce Banner would have a creature as angry and destructive as the Hulk inside him. Reaching out, she brushed some of his dark hair away from his forehead and watched him move slightly in his sleep. His expression was relaxed and peaceful—completely different from when she had first met him less than an hour prior.

She thought over the scary experience of watching him almost change and suddenly thought to check the sides of his head for burns from her powers. Checking both sides of his head and through his hair a little, she was relieved to see that no marks remained. She knew that it worked with Inuyasha, but he was usually grumpy for a while after until the marks faded. Unable to help comparing Inuyasha's transformations to Bruce's, Kagome wondered if Bruce also moped while beating himself up for a while after coming back to his true self. While they were similar in some ways, Kagome also knew that the two men were completely different in their circumstances. Inuyasha was born with the demon blood that made him lose control. He had lived with it his entire life. Dr. Banner's gamma radiation exposure happened much later in his life. He was thrust into a completely different way of life after he had become an adult.

"You must have a very strong spirit," she said to her sleeping company.

It wasn't long after that she heard a car approaching and stood from her seated position. She was just dusting her hands off on her almost-ruined dress when Tony came walking up the stairs. Kagome gently lifted Bruce's head so that Tony could grab his jacket, and they worked together to position him so that he had an arm around each other their shoulders, though Tony was carrying most of the man's weight. Kagome helped position him in the car as Tony settled his friend in for the ride and buckled the man in. As the car door shut, Tony turned to look at Kagome and gave her an expectant look.

Raising her hands in defense, Kagome said, "I'm not saying anything about it without Sesshoumaru present. I'm pretty sure he would try to kill me."

Tony frowned at not getting the answers that he wanted. He wasn't known for being a patient man. "Fine," he ground out in an attempt to hide a pout. "You and Taishou, my place, tomorrow at…let's say two."

Smiling as she nodded at the billionaire with a soft glow coming from under his shirt, Kagome said, "I'll write it into the calendar once I get back inside." Nodding tiredly, Tony walked to the driver's side of his car, slid in, and peeled off following the driveway back around to the front of the house.

Kagome trudged back up to the veranda and picked up her shoes and clutch. All this and she still had a party to finish out with Sesshoumaru. She quickly made her way back inside through a side entrance and used hallways that were off-limits to the party's guests. Arriving at her room, she changed out of her dirtied dress, washed off any dirt from her knees and feet, and chose another dress that would cover her slightly bruised knees. With a few touch-ups to her makeup, she was back at the party making the excuse of having a drink spilled on her first dress.

She waited until Sesshoumaru finished the conversation he was having with a local politician before she brought up the night's incident. "Tony wants us to meet him at his place tomorrow at two."

"Very well," Sesshoumaru said. She could tell that he wasn't happy about it, though.

Curious, she asked, "So what are we going to tell them?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sesshoumaru answered, "I'm not sure yet. Knowing him, Stark will want to run tests on you to see what causes your powers. Everything has to have a scientific answer for him."

"I am not going to be a lab rat," Kagome hissed lowly so that only the demon could hear her.

"And I won't allow you to become one," Sesshoumaru reassured. "Though I'm still unsure of how I'm going to explain tonight."

Kagome was quiet for a minute as a small group of people congratulated Sesshoumaru on a wonderful party and moved on. "Why not tell them the truth?" She asked softly. "I mean…they're sort of like superheroes, right? They have to have seen weirder."

Sesshoumaru scoffed. "A superhero who can't keep his own true identity a secret? Stark isn't known for his secrecy, and I won't have S.H.I.E.L.D. knocking on my door. That is how we both become lab rats."

"He may not keep secrets where he's concerned, but if we explain why nobody else can know, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would just blab it to the world for no reason," Kagome argued.

Thinking over his relationship with the man and what he had learned of Tony Stark over years of working together, Sesshoumaru hummed before looking at Kagome and saying, "I will consider it, but I'll make no promises. It's very sensitive information you wish to entrust to these humans."

Kagome rolled her eyes as she pointed out, "I'm one of "those humans," you know."

With a small smirk, Sesshoumaru said, "You haven't been counted as one of these humans in quite some time. You are the human of the demons. As our only natural enemy, you are given a great deal of trust from our kind. Do not forget that, Kagome."

"I know," Kagome conceded. She was well aware of her role in demonic society. To the public—the humans—she was Sesshoumaru Taishou's personal assistant. To those of demonic blood, she was a major figure in position to stop any uprisings against humanity. While most demons chose to blend and live alongside humans, there were a few groups who still believed themselves superior. But between her, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and a few other names of legend, the rebellious groups mostly kept to themselves. She wasn't just a human; she was a guardian.

'Like The Avengers are guardians,' she thought to herself as she watched Sesshoumaru shake more hands and play nice. 'That's why I'm sure that they would understand. We have to be above what we want to do so that we can do what we need to do. We do what we have to do to protect people.' Trotting off behind Sesshoumaru as he walked to another part of the room, she hoped that he would come to the same conclusion.

AN: So this chapter ended differently than I originally thought that it would. I still like it okay, though. Even if it is a little awkward in places...The idea for Bruce's transformation in this chapter came from my own experience with migraines. I get them a lot. Almost every day. And they make me incredibly grumpy. I can only imagine that someone like Bruce, who is perpetually angry and under lots of stress, would get them too. Hope people aren't mad at me for starting something new, but I got this idea and it wouldn't leave me alone. I have another IY/Avengers story in mind, but this one just came together quicker. The other story is/will be Kagome/Loki. Though that one will be much…well, to be honest it's going to be really super smutty. It'll have a plot and everything, but I've developed an unhealthy obsession with Tom Hiddleston/Loki (mostly thanks to the Loki's Dirty Whispers on Tumblr…). The story actually uses the "Dirty Whispers" as prompts! I'll post as much of it as I can on this site, but the saucy parts are going to have to go on adultfanfiction. Anyway, enough rambling. I hope you enjoyed this! It's going to be more of a cute/sweet story with some fluffy bits here and there. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!