A HUGE thank you to everyone who read and reviewed! You guys blew me away! Based on everyones reaction, I've decided to make this longer- hope you enjoy!

~.~

Missing Pt. II

The moment he came to he could feel the change in the room. He didn't need to open his eyes to know Kagome was there; her very presence seemed to set the room alive with electricity. Turning his head towards her direction he called out to her, his voice gruff. "K'gome." The word felt strange on his tongue, as if it was taboo or foreign. "Hey." She said, voice soft, worried. She leaned towards him and reached out for his hand. So small and soft; it seemed out of place here. Lazily, he blinked against the florescent hospital lights to make out her figure.

Her hair was shorter, cut to her shoulders in a sweet bob. She had never worn it that short before, always preferring to keep it long. When had she cut it?

"I'm so glad you're okay." She let out a shaky breath, full of relief. She smiled, but it faltered, but she was quick to catch herself. It seemed sad and hollow and he wanted none of it. It was an image he'd rather forget. She gave his hand a small squeeze.

"I thought I hurt you." He rasped. "When- When I didn't see you here, I thought you-"

Kagome shook her head quickly, her lips pressed tightly together, stopping his unnecessary worry. "No." She said. "You were alone." Inuyasha nodded, looking up towards the ceiling. "Did I-" He bit his bottom lip, afraid of his question, afraid of her answer. "Did I hurt anyone?" It was something he could only trust to hear from her, something he would only be able to handle if it came from Kagome, the guilt and pressure of it a weight on his chest.

"No." He released the breath he didn't know he was holding, relief flooding over him. She tried to smile at him, to seem reassuring but it just made him feel more guilty from some reason. "The only person you hurt was yourself, dummy." Her voice sounded more robust, and finally, finally, it seemed normal. "How many times have I told you not to ride when it rained? I heard you weren't even wearing your helmet! Inu-"

Inuyasha hissed as he brought his free hand to his head, cradling it. It was completely fake, but it was effective; it cut her nagging off in its tracks. Maybe this brain injury had its perks. Kagome apologized, straightening her back a bit, leaning away. Damn, he hadn't meant to make her do that.

"You cut your hair." He said. "It looks nice." Kagome smiled, a real smile, finally. She thanked him, tucking a nervous lock behind her ear.

"You got a cut yourself." She teased, gesturing to the left side of his head. It had been shaved for the surgery, when a series of staples had been placed to help him heal. He doubted they had to be there long, his healing far superior than a humans. His hair however, was a different matter. It grew out slowly, which normally was great- he kept his hair short and didn't need to visit the barber as often. But when the side of your head was shaved it gave a different feeling. Kagome smiled at him, examining the look, making him fidget under her stare. "How is it that you can make this look cool? Seriously, only youwould be able to make staples look sexy." He wasn't sure why a small compliment from his fiancé made him blush, but damn it, it did.

Kagome bit her bottom lip, as if thinking of what to say next. Finally, she spoke, happy to have found the right thing to say. "So, when do you get to go home?"

"I can be discharged as soon as tomorrow. They said I only need 24 hours observation without my stats changing. They said as long as I have someone at home to watch out for me I should be fine. Bed rest and all that shit." She seemed to brighten at the news.

"That's really good." She smiled. "I'm really happy for you."

"Feh, I hope you're ready for this. I'm going to be milking this for all its worth. Maid Kagome has been a fantasy of mine for a longtime." He wiggled his dark brows as he smirked. Inuyasha could tell that it threw her off, the slight change in her face, the way she seemed to be at a loss for words. Normally she would be all over an admission like that, taking any opportunity to flirt when she could. But now, she just looked lost and confused, like she couldn't string together the sentence she needed to say.

"M-Miroku told me that you… that you're missing a big chunk of time." She said uncertainly.

"Feh." He waived off the idea. It was true, he lostsometime. But a month. Onlya month.

When he was in a damn coma. "Not a big gap. Just the time when I was out. That idiot doesn't know what the hell he's talking about."

Kagome shook her head. "He- He said you've lost more than six months. Maybe more."

"The only thing I've lost is the patience for this bullshit joke." He grumped. "I just want to go home and get into our bed." He gripped her hand tighter, causing her to look down that their joined fingers, as if she had forgotten they were there. "It feels like so long since I've been with you." He admitted, sounding more vulnerable than Kagome could remember hearing.

"Inuyash- Inuyasha…. We're not… We're not-" She worried her bottom lip. "We're not together anymore." Her blue eyes were wide and teary.

Inuyasha clenched his jaw, taking deep, ragged breaths in through his nose. "No." He managed out, the word tight, leaving no room for argument. "That's not possible." Kagome shrugged her right shoulder, like she couldn't even muster the energy for both. She looked deflated; defeated.

"How?" He asked, tone angry.

Kagome let out a bitter laugh. "I'm not sure I'm the right person to ask about your love story with Kikyo." She removed her hand, as if remembering he wasn't hers to hold. Not anymore, at least. He gave her a sharp look, clearly unhappy with how this conversation was going. Kagome shrugged again, Gods, she was doing that a lot today, looking uncomfortable and unsure. She took a deep breath before she began.

"We met her at your 10 year reunion, she said that she was looking to remodel her kitchen. It was awkward and seemed like small talk, because honestly, who hires their engaged ex-boyfriend to fix their house? But she called you and became a really big client. She was calling you all the time, texting you." She gave him a half smile. "You became friends again. Suddenly it wasn't about drywall; you were interested in her. She was having a lot of personal problems and you felt like you needed to be there for her."

Inuyasha studied her, amber eyes taking in every inch of Kagome. She was tense and sad; it felt like she was telling a story about someone else, not her recollection of their split. "By the time I confronted you… you already had feelings for her." She looked down, fidgeting, like she was somehow the one at fault.

"I wouldn't do that." He said after a long stretch of silence. "I wouldn't- I couldn't- damn." He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't- I never felt like that about Kikyo- I never fucking loved her. We dated years ago in high school. It was puppy love at best."

"Well, this time around it was more, I guess."

"Bullshit." He spat out, he turned to look at her, his eyes molten, serious. He reached out to her and gave a silent shout of triumph when she didn't pull away.

"I'm in love with you, Kagome. Onlyyou." She gave him a sad smile. Not the thing he wanted to see.

"For now."

He refused to drop her gaze, fearing that once he did, it would be over. If he looked away, it would mean everything she and Miroku was saying was true. That he wasn't engaged to Kagome.

And that was fucking unacceptable.

So he held her there, locked in a battle of blue and amber.

Not even when Kikyo walked in the room did he look away.