Stolen Money, Borrowed Time

by Skittles1

Inuyasha's a famous hockey player who gets everything he wants. He's just been given a contract to play in the NHL, so he puts it in his car and parties. Until he yells at a odd girl. And she STEALS his car...with the contract IN it.

1. Part I : The Mistake

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Inuyasha but I do own the plot! This is a one-shot AU story that'll be divided into three parts! In the story, Inuyasha is about twenty and just getting out of college while Kagome's about nineteen. Enjoy and please review! Tell me what you think of it and the possibility of getting an original story idea like this published. Thanks a ton!

~*~* -Stolen Money, Borrowed Time -*~*~

By: Lauren

Part I – The Mistake

He smiled; a gigantic grin that spread from one end of his face to the other. This wasn't just any normal day for him; oh no, it was much more than that. He had finally made it. He had finally come as far as he wished. Taking in a deep breath, he allowed the cold air of the ice rink to linger in his lungs, refreshing him from his hard game. Beads of sweat dripped down his face, emitting a disgusting odor but he didn't mind. His tired feet cried out for a moment's rest but he would not give them that joy. All around him his teammates were screaming out in pleasure for the triumph of their victory.

Inuyasha savored the moment, living in the glory of his hockey teams final win. They had beaten all other teams down into the ground. They had become the new champions of all the amateur hockey leagues and many knew they might become future NHL players.

NHL stood for the National Hockey League. Ever since Inuyasha was born he had ice-skated. His father had taught him to skate and slowly he grew to love the sport of ice hockey. He had joined local hockey leagues- taken expensive lessons- played high school hockey- and now, college hockey. He had taken many private lessons since his father was a leading businessman who worked often with the police agencies and government, mostly running them too. With a lot of smart stock deals also, it was safe to say that his family was very, VERY rich. Ever since Inuyasha was a child he had had everything he wanted handed down to him on a golden plate. According to Inuyasha, he had had a fairly good life, which was the truth. He attended one of the top private schools, became a very good hockey player, dated one of the richest woman in America, his father and mother had often been there for him and even though his half brother had a strong hate for him, he had grown up with everything he wanted. The one down side to his life had been that his father was often away with work and neglected him a lot then would attempt to make up for it in a short amount of time. Inuyasha wasn't sure how his mother stood for it, but somehow she had managed despite the mocking of her stepson. His father had a child and had been married before he divorced and met Inuyasha's middle-class mother and married her. He was then born into the rich and fancy life, even though his mother tried to prevent him from acting snobby, but in the end, it had had its effects.

Finally relieving his feet of his tight ice skates, he wandered into the now abandoned locker room to shower and change. He was tired and smelled, so Inuyasha wanted to clean up before he faced the presses, partied with his friends and checked out the finest ladies.

After cleaning up and getting dressed in an expensive suit, Inuyasha brushed his odd silvery-white hair back and tied it in a ponytail. Blinking, his amber eyes fell upon a man standing in the locker room door, clad in a black suit. Pushing up glasses on his nose, the feeble man wandered up to Inuyasha, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Inuyasha." He smiled, revealing a row of neat, white teeth. "I'm Mr. Gean with the NHL and I'd like to have a word with you."

"Yes sir." Inuyasha smiled in return, shaking his hand.

"Wonderful game out there tonight, glad you won 6 to 0 but I must say, those 4 penalties on you seemed to bring down your goal of scoring 10 points." The man, Mr. Gean, pulled out a packet of white papers, barely held together at the top with a silver staple. "I'm with the Pittsburgh Penguins and I'd be honored if you signed with the team. We're talking payment of up to 10 million dollars or, possibly, more. Now, I've been eyeing you for a while and I'd like to say, you're a fantastic player, even for your high penalty and fighting number. You've managed to rack up the most points this season, but the moment you step out of this room, you'll be plummeted with offers. Why take mine, you must be thinking. Well, because I'll guarantee you that you'll be on the Penguins for up to 10 years with increasing pay. This is the best offer you'll get." Handing over the papers to Inuyasha, he pointed to a few lines. "All you have to do is sign here and a few other places then send the papers back to me. My address and phone number is written on the back."

Inuyasha stared at the man in shock. Ten years? Ten million dollars? To play on his favorite hockey team ever, since he was a child? Hell yes, this was like a dream come true to him!

Before he could respond, Mr. Gean turned and began to leave the room. Calling over his shoulder, he said, "You think about it and sleep on it, but remember, that's the only contract you'll get, don't lose it or you'll be jumping off the nearest bridge." With a quiet chuckle, the man nodded his head then turned and left the locker room.

Inuyasha could only numbly nod and tuck the papers into his jacket pocket before he left the locker room, only to be attacked by news reporters.

~*~

"I'd like another glass." Inuyasha shoved his empty drinking glass towards a waitress, giving her a fanged grin that sent her blushing.

"I can't believe you got that offer." Miroku clapped his buddy on his back, happy for his teammate. His black hair was pulled back in a tiny ponytail while his arm was slung around his girlfriend Sango.

"I know, me too. Where are the papers? I need to see it to believe it." Sango chuckled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear while carefully swatting away Miroku's roaming hand.

"They're in my Lamborghini." Inuyasha retorted, gulping down his new jug of ginger ale, mixed with the slightest drop of alcohol. The waitress lingered for a second before she was finally called off to another table. All around the group, music was blasting while people danced or sat around tables. A group surrounded Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango along with a few others of his team members.

"Your folks are going to flip." Miroku chuckled, "And I bet your brother, ol' Sess is going to try to kill you for this."

The group erupted into laughter, not noticing a petite figure stepping between them. It was a thin, small girl but anyone could tell she was no child. Raven black hair framed her face as she inched up to the famous hockey player. Kagome shrugged- she figured- no, she KNEW that he was rich; for that was the only reason she was approaching him for. She hated- HATED-rich people, especially snobby ones. She had her reasons but at the moment she was putting all pride behind her. Her situation was just too desperate for her pride to get in the way. It was a matter of life or death, for as sad as she was to admit it, money made the world go round. Those who had it gained everything while those who didn't got walked all over. For a breath-taking minute, she marveled at his strange white hair and his good looks but quickly pushed those thoughts from her mind. Tapping his shoulder, she forced a brave smile on her face.

Inuyasha turned at the feel on a tap on his shoulder, half expecting to see the waitress waiting to ask for his number or autograph but what he found surprised him. It was a bold woman clad in old looking, tattered jeans and a tight fitting, old navy long-sleeved shirt. What caught his eye was her odd resemblance to his ex-girlfriend, Kikyo. Shrugging it off, he figured she was another one of his many fans. "What do you want?" He gruffly questioned, chugging his drink while his friends continued to laugh before stopping to stare at her also. "If you want my autograph, you can pay me for it." He snorted.

"Please, sir, I know you've got loads of money and I'd like to ask you to donate some to help a poor, sick child." Kagome forced her smile to heighten as she thought to herself, "Yeah right, like I'd like some stuck up guy's signature."

Taking another chug of his drink, Inuyasha turned and laughed in her face. "I'd never waste my money on something like that, the family can pay for it." Grinning, he placed a hand on Kagome's shoulder, swaying lightly as he shoved her back roughly. Kagome tumbled to land on her backside painfully while all around her people laughed in amusement.

Pushing back her tears, Kagome knew that this had been a bad idea. Anger coursed through her veins as she snarled, yelling, "Watch it!! What you give is what you get!!" With that said, she got up, turned around, and stormed out of the bar.

Taking in the night sky, she scanned the parking lot while trying to convince herself that there was still hope. Spotting a cherry red Lamborghini, she grinned from ear to ear. Inuyasha, the jerk, had the matching keys sticking out of his pocket. She was sure it had been the Lamborghini's keys and either way, he was the richest man in there and this was the most expensive car out here- it had to be his. Remembering one of the useful things an old friend of hers had taught her, she slid into the night shadows and crawled up to the car. Checking to make sure no one was around, she pulled out a tiny crowbar-like metal object she had sticking into her jeans. She could get her money now, she thought as she proceeded to jam the bar under the window and slowly pried it open.

"Can you believe it?! Inuyasha's in there! He's that hunky hockey player, who's rich!" A squealing girl jumped up and down with her friends, wandering past Kagome. She quickly ducked behind the car, clutching her pounding heart.

Cursing to herself, she reached in through the open window and pulled up the lock latch. Opening the door, she slid into the leather black seat and stared at the steering wheel. Now which wire was it? Getting down on her hands and knees, she ripped open the panel above the gas and brakes. Pulling out a few wires, she tied two together and grinned as the car started up.

"I'd love to see the look on that rich boy's face when he discovers his car's gone." She said out loud, shaking her head side to side with mirth.

~*~

"I can't believe that girl! The nerve, to approach me, a famous hockey player, and to beg for money! What a…a…freak! She can go live in a dumpster for all I care…ha, I bet that sick kid thing was a lie to begin with." Inuyasha smirked while Miroku nodded in agreement. Sango had grown quiet and eventually slipped off to the ladies room.

"I know." Miroku cheered, holding up his glass of ginger ale while he shushed the room. "I'd like to make a toast." He said, "To my dear old friend Inuyasha."

Inuyasha blushed slightly, embarrassed yet still enjoying the attention.

"May money always be with you, cause if it isn't, I think you'd go crazy and then I'd have to pick up the tip." He threw his arms around his friend before Inuyasha shoved him off, laughing and having a good time.

Suddenly, Sango came running out of the bathroom as she gaped out the window. Shaking Inuyasha's shoulder, she gasped and pointed to where she was looking, "Someone's stealing your car!!!"

Inuyasha jumped up in surprise, knocking over his chair in the process. Dashing outside while pushing over people, he could only gawk as a black-haired girl began to drive HIS car out of the parking lot. Finally regaining his senses, he sprinted towards his car, running along side it.

Kagome blinked as she heard a pound on the backside of 'her' car. Glancing into her rearview mirror, she burst into giggles as she watched Inuyasha trying to run and catch up with her. Pressing the gas harder, she neared the parking lot exit.

Inuyasha let out a string of angry words as he tried to grab onto his car, tried to get to the driver's seat to stop it, tried to do anything to stop his car from being stolen! He managed to reach the back seat area when he caught a glimpse of the driver.

It was the girl from inside the bar, the one who had begged for money.

"GIVE ME MY CAR!!!" Inuyasha let out a roar as he dove towards the open driver's window but at that very moment, Kagome chose to floor it.

The car lurched forward and sped off, out into the dark street while Inuyasha stumbled forward and tripped to land face-first in the muddy cement ground. People had gathered around the bar entrance and watched as the man pried himself up and stumbled towards Miroku.

"Can I bum a ride to the police station?" He grumbled, "I'm going to nail that wench."

~*~

Kagome leaned back, letting the wind fly through her hair as she sped down the road. She laughed quietly to herself as she watched the city buildings each go flying by.

"What to do now?" She wondered to herself as she turned a corner. "First of all, I wish I could sell this thing straight up but if I do, it'll be a sure thing that I'll get caught. Now…if I take the car apart piece by piece and sell its parts, then I could make some good money." She smiled at the idea as she pulled into an apartment complex. Pressing a tiny black button, a nearby shed looking room opened to reveal a small garage. She pulled the car in quickly then cut the engine before she walked out and shut the garage. Rubbing her cold hands together, Kagome wandered up a few flights of stairs until she reached an opaque colored door. She knocked three times before she yelled, "Kouga, open up right now!!"

"Fine." A gruff voice replied while the door swung open. "Where's your key any ways?"

Kagome gave him a serious look, "I pawned that too."

"Are you serious?" Kouga moved out of the way as Kagome entered the tiny apartment. Clothes, empty food boxes and other things of the sort littered the ground. Kouga was a tan, muscular man with dark brownish black hair that was slicked back with jell. He was known for his speed and wolf-like abilities.

"Dead serious." Kagome grinned at her friend, "In fact, it got me five bucks."

"You have issues." Kouga replied, bringing Kagome into a tight hug while he brushed his lips against hers briefly.

"No, I just need anything I can take." Kagome crossed her arms before she grabbed a can of soda and snapped it open.

"You might want to give up, there's no way you can make enough money in time." Kouga frowned, running his fingers through his hair.

"Shut up." Kagome hissed in reply. "I'll make it, you just wait and see." She stood up and stomped off to the bathroom. Inside, she began to change out of her clothes to get a bath. Yelling through the closed door, she said, "I've already got a lot of money."

She heard Kouga groan as he stepped outside the door, standing against the wall and crossing his arms in his baggy jeans and white T-shirt. "What did you steal this time?"

Kagome laughed as she turned on the water, "I just jacked a Lamborghini from a famous hockey player." She quickly wrapped a towel around her and waited.

"YOU WHAT?!?!" Kouga burst through the door, eye's wide and jaw slack as he stared at Kagome in utter shock. "YOU IDIOT!" He ran up to her, shaking her roughly by her shoulders. "You've been caught by the police before…! You just had to lose your mind and steal some rich guy's car…" Releasing her, he backed out of the bathroom while Kagome shut the door.

"I don't think he saw my face…" She trailed off, trying not to tick her roommate off anymore than she already had.

"You don't THINK…?" Kouga refrained from punching the wall, "Listen, if the cops come here again, I'm not going to cover for you anymore. You've gotten me in a lot of trouble already and god knows your mom will kill me."

Kagome rolled her eyes as she sunk into the hot water. "Mom deserves a break. One day, in the future, she'll thank me for this."

"What about Souta?" Kouga sighed, "Will he appreciate what his sister does?"

"Hey…what Souta doesn't know can't hurt him." Kagome replied before she let the water cover her mouth. A single tear dribbled out of the corner of her eye but she fought it. She tried not to let it get to her, even though it was hard.

"Listen Kag…" Kouga chewed on his lip, sensing she was upset again. "I know it's hard…I know you love him but sometimes you've just got to let go…and you've got to understand that you can't do anything anymore except make him smile a few more times…"

"I know Kouga." Kagome said, wiping away her tear as it mingled with the bath water. "I know…but I can't accept it…I refuse to…"

~*~

Inuyasha crossed his arms, digging his nails into his palm. It wasn't so much that his car was stolen that upset him so…but the fact that his CONTRACT was IN the CAR! Now sure….he figured he could call Mr. Gean and get another copy…except Mr. Gean's number was written ON the contract…IN the car, which was stolen by some poor stupid girl.

"We've put out a call so the police will keep an eye out for your car, I'm sorry but that's the best we can do." A rather large police officer sat down across from Inuyasha, crossing his arms. "Now you said this girl had black hair, was short and sort of pale, right?"

Inuyasha nodded his head, growing impatient every second. If the police would stop eating donuts…maybe he would get his car back sooner.

"Here is a picture of every young, black haired female in this town with a criminal record. You tell me if any look familiar." The officer slid an extremely large black book over his desk to Inuyasha. The hockey player quickly picked it up and began to file through.

On page fifty-five, Inuyasha began to grumble. "If my father wasn't out of town…he'd have you lazy police out there finding my car!!" The police officer rolled his eyes while he went over to Miroku, handing him a coffee.

"Listen Inuyasha, I'd love to stay and everything…" Miroku lied, taping the white haired man on the shoulder, "…but I've got places to be. You can borrow my car and I'll take a taxi, just be careful with it and don't get it stolen." Muffling a chuckle at the end of his sentence, he handed Inuyasha his keys and disappeared from the station.

Sliding Miroku's keys into his pocket, Inuyasha froze then jumped up, running to the police officer from before. Pointing to a girl in the book, he said, "That's her!! That's the girl!"

The officer nodded, taking the book and reading the name. He wandered off and in a second returned with her file. "Her name's Kagome Higurashi…" He trailed off, "She just turned nineteen and has been reported and arrested for two other robberies of a minor sort in the past."

Inuyasha smirked, "That's her." Reaching out and grabbing the file, he ignored the officer's protests and wrote down Kagome's house address. He threw the file back on the desk, "I'll handle it." He barked, "And if you try to interfere…you'll find yourselves without a job." With that threat, Inuyasha stomped out of the building and began driving towards the girl's home.

After a few hours of wrong turns and getting lost, Inuyasha arrived at a quaint looking shrine. The sun was beginning to break out over the far off mountains as it began to rise. Inuyasha hadn't had a wink of sleep yet. Brushing past an old man sweeping the stairs, Kagome's grandfather, he knocked on the door.

Kagome's mother dropped the pan of eggs she was cooking down on the stove. She turned the burner off and rushed to the door, not expecting any visitors, especially this early in the morning. The house had always been so quiet every since Kagome ran off to live with her old friend and Souta was moved to a safer place. Pulling open the door, she greeted a strange looking man dressed in an expensive and fancy suit but it seemed to be wrinkled and worn for the moment. He also had white hair that almost sparkled in the morning sunlight.

"Listen, if you're a lawyer, we've got nothing left." Kagome's mother sighed, used to the type of people like Inuyasha. "If you're giving me more bills, take them back and if you're looking for Kagome, she isn't here."

Inuyasha visibly flinched at the petite woman's tone and sighed when she said Kagome wasn't home. Either way, he was going to wait until she returned home. Partly pushing his way into the house, he extended his hand to the woman. "I'm Inuyasha….I'm here to talk to you about your daughter…and I'd like to see her when she arrives." He tried to sound kind. His mother always told him to respect his elders and he figured the best way to catch a crook was to suck up to their mother, possibly.

"What has she done this time?" The woman led Inuyasha into a main room with a coffee table, a chair and a couch, along with some old pictures in frames. She invited him to sit down on the couch, which he did. She sat on the single chair across from him.

"Well…" Inuyasha sighed, "She stole my car…and I have some very important papers in it." He clutched his hand, biting his lip. If the girl wasn't dead by the time he met her…he'd make sure she was when he was done.

"I'm so sorry." Ms. Higurashi frowned, covering her face with her hands while she shook her head. "Please forgive my daughter…she hasn't a clue what she's doing and I can't find her half the time. I know what she's doing is wrong but…please, don't have her arrested…we'll buy you a new car."

Inuyasha leaned back in the couch, noticing the pictures now. A few were of the mother, Kagome, an old man and a tiny boy. Most were off Kagome and the little boy again but the last one was of a little girl with a tall man. Shaking his head back to reality, he stated, "It's not the car I'm really worried about…I need things from inside of it."

"Oh dear…" Kagome's mother shook her head again, tutting to herself in shame. "Kagome never was like this…she used to be a very good girl." She bit her lip- at least she could attempt to make this man understand- so maybe the consequences wouldn't be so bad.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Time for her life story. He chuckled to himself. He had just noticed how whenever someone was in deep, deep trouble, their mother's said they were a 'good kid'.

"She was a good kid…but the money has made her like this." The woman reached out and pulled down the picture of the little girl and the man. "That's Kagome and her father. He was nice man, very gentle. I loved him with all of my heart…and he was such a good father to Kagome. But…after her little brother Souta was born…we began to lose money. The shrine wasn't a popular place and still isn't, as you can tell. Having my father live with us and supporting two children was very hard, our money supply was growing very scarce. My husband decided to make a large investment in the company he worked for and amazingly…it took off. We went from poor to rich in a matter of months but…the greed changed him. The once gentle and kind man I had married turned into a selfish, greedy person who ignored his family. He tried to keep the money to himself, saying we'd spend it all. He kept us on a tiny balance and forced us to have a limit, which was extremely small. He thought just because he had money, he could do whatever he desired. He could run off with other woman for the weekend, he could try to buy his children's love or buy my forgiveness. I lost my patience…I thought the man I loved might return to me…but he didn't. Instead he ran off with some foreign woman. Kagome took it the hardest, besides me, but I was strong, I knew I could make it. But she was only a child. She couldn't understand why daddy would abandon her. Not only did he leave…but he took a lot of our money also. He wiped out our joint bank accounts and left us hardly anything. So I began to raise Kagome on my own along with her brother until…he began to get bad back pains. The doctors couldn't find a thing wrong with him but the pain kept increasing. Finally, we discovered the problem." She paused, dabbing at a few hot tears that had begun to fall.

Inuyasha stared at the woman in fascination, wanting to know more. He was interested in this woman's story. Stories like this he had only heard about or seen in movies or the Soap Operas his mother watched. He had always had his sheltered life- this was real.

"He had cancer. My little baby….her little brother…had cancer. We took him to thousands of doctors and each tried to find a treatment and quickly, but the medical bills went higher and higher and it kept spreading. We can hardly afford to put a meal on the table anymore and now…Souta's so weak he has to stay and live at the hospital. He underwent surgery…chemo…experimental drugs… but nothing seems to be working. It's still there, killing him from the inside out. I have to work three jobs just to keep him there and I can hardly afford to support Kagome, part of the reason why she left to try to support herself. It's tearing this family into pieces but there is one solution. There's an extremely risky but successful procedure that could save Souta…if he survived the process. The problem is that it's very, very expensive and our insurance covers none of it. It would take me YEARS to gather enough money for it…and Kagome's trying to gather enough in the little time Souta has left. That's why she stole your car. That's why I can't let you find her or take it back." The woman crossed her arms firmly, her tears done with. "I know what she's doing is wrong but it's our last hope…don't you know what it's like to be so lost in the dark, you can't find your way out? To be so lost in despair, you'd do anything to stop it?"

Inuyasha gaped at the woman, not noticing two tiny tears that had made their way down his cheek sometime during her story. Brushing them away angrily, he growled. His CAREER was on the line! Why was HE supposed to care about some poor family?! He had bigger problems at the moment and he was going to find Kagome, with her mother's help or not. He glanced at their coffee table, now noticing a few envelopes.

Scripts Hospital…

Standing up, Inuyasha stretched his legs. "Thank you for you time." Nodding, he ran from the house and got in his car. Revving the engine, he flew towards the hospital.

~*~

Kagome rolled over, tossing her pillow over her head. Why did Kouga have to snore? He was so annoyingly loud! Growling, she turned onto her back and stared up at the pasty white ceiling. Thoughts flew through her mind, a thousand per minute.

Why did he have to leave, so long ago? He was her father…he had always been there for her…and then poof, he changed completely. Why? Because of money.

Because of green paper that bought you things.

He turned sneaky, manipulative, cruel and selfish. He became the opposite of his former self- he went from a father to a nobody. It was just wrong…she missed him so much. She loved him so much and hated him so much. She missed the way he used to be- the wonderful, kind man that would always take her out to on walks and tell her stories. After he gained the money, he played sneaky games. He'd disappear for a long time and miss her school plays then show up to take her out to a real play. He was there but he wasn't. Everything turned into a mess and then he abandoned her. He left her all alone- her family- all alone to forge for themselves, leaving them barely anything.

They were all like that. Every rich person only cared for themselves and their money.

Kagome rolled over, burying her face in her pillow. Why did they all have to leave her? Every man…every male in her life left her. First her father left her willingly and now…now Souta was going to leave her.

But this time she wasn't going to let him walk away.

She'd save him, no matter what the cost. Souta still had a life left to live, he didn't deserve to die or suffer anymore. If Kagome could trade places with him, she knew she would in an instant.

Finally, she threw her pillow at Kouga's drooling, sleeping face. The man jumped with a start, tumbling off his cot across the room to land with a thud on the floor. Grinning, Kagome stood up and casually stepped over his tired and ticked off figure. "I'm going to pawn off the car parts then visit Souta, okay?" She glanced over at Kouga. The two of them had to share the only bedroom but they both slept on single beds across from one another. The apartment then had one bathroom and a main room that was part living room, part kitchen. It was tiny and cluttered but a cozy, cheap place to live. Once Kagome was changed out of her clothes, she walked back into her garage. A large smile graced her face when she got there. Her old friend Naraku had been kind enough to take the hint and repaint the car overnight to a dark blue color. He was an odd man, often only out at night but Kagome had enough dirt on him to blackmail him into painting anything she stole incase the police were after it. He had also taken the liberty to switch the license plate to an old one of Kagome's father. Thanking the morning air, she got in the car and drove away.