Deceitful Time
Chapter Twenty-Five: Disappear

"I have to tell you something!" Kagome sped out as soon as she got them up to her bedroom and pretty much flung Inuyasha onto her bed. Her eyes were shut ever so tightly as she clasped her hands together and stood tensely before the bed.

"A… Alright," Inuyasha stuttered as he scooted away from her some. He wasn't the most observant person in all the world but he knew enough to know that was never a good look. Either she was mad at him or hadn't anything good to say which, really, did he need to deal with that right now? He… he loved Kagome, though he found it hard to admit, he did and he had just heard her confess her love to another man whether that man was him or not was completely besides the point. Now she was pissed at that guy for setting fire to the well and… what? One of his brows were raised the entire time as he folded both his legs and arms, waiting for her to say whatever was obviously stuck in her throat.

Tell him, tell him, tell him… it was only fair that he knew. She took a deep breath before she finally freed her vocal cords enough to confess with a slightly bowed head, "I had sex with Shiro." There was no need in defining how many times that occurred, though… was it twice? Or was it three times? Did that one encounter count for two? Oh! She hadn't any idea. All she knew was she couldn't open her eyes, there was just no way that could happen so she just took a deep breath and held it, waiting for his reply…

She… he looked away and towards the window to see some waving smoke in the air but the fire was gone… would the well still work once they pushed all the debris off of it? Could he go back to his time? Would he do that this very moment if he could? All he knew was… he'd never felt such a pain tear through his heart before. It was like being stabbed in the back to hit his heart. It was betrayal… he knew that. "W… Why?" If there was ever a place to start, it was with that.

"The first time was when I was alway for so long… I didn't know if I'd ever return and he… he was just… I don't know, I'm sorry," she bowed her head more to him, still not able to pry open her eyes that were sealed tighter than the volt to any Swiss bank. At least… he was taking it better than she had expected, no, that was a lie… she wanted him to be mad at her, to scream, to yell, to curse, to be pissed like he usually was because… because this silent sorrow wouldn't do, she couldn't take it. It wasn't him, and it hurt her hammered heart more than any cruel word he could spew at her.

"The first time?" He growled.

Oh, no, she clenched her fists together as her entity tensed more. A guilty conscious always confesses, even if it does not mean to…

"The first time?!" He repeated as he jumped up to stand on her bed, "how many fucking times!?"

At least she got what she wanted, he was mad… very mad. "I… I… I…"

"Stop stuttering and tell me!"

"Twice," she spat out, that was good enough. "Just twice."

"When was the last time?"

"W…well," she heard him jump down upon the ground in front of her then he grasped her shoulders and pried her to stand up straight but she still didn't have to open her coward covered eyes. "L… Last night? I'm really sorry, I am! I know it's awful of me but… and... if you never want to see me again then I'd completely understand! I would. I've been awful, I'm sorry." She was, for once she knew for certain that she was sorry. She knew that betrayal to Inuyasha would scar him more than Shiro—right?—because he was still so fragile… still so sure he didn't belong anywhere.

He let go of her shoulders and took a step back, hitting the bed in the process. His wide, gold, eyes unrelentingly locked on the girl before him that wouldn't even look at him as she destroyed his world. She was the one certainty in it, the one thing that he thought he could always count on. If something bad was happening, she'd be there, whether he'd like it or not. If he needed anyone, she was there, like magic, by his side and holding his hand—maybe not always literally—through the trial. She was there… yet, now she wouldn't be?

He opened his mouth to shout something, to curse, to say anything that would make the swelling sting in his chest concede but nothing came out, he just choked on his intention as he sat down on the bed, his eyes moved to the ground then… did… he deserve this? He played tag with her and Kikyou for so long… that did it make sense she found someone that apparently doted over only her? Had that Shiro—if, and only if, he was his future self—forget about Kikyou? Had those feelings finally faded? Because they were still so real for him, he could still reach out to the stars and night and think of her touch, of her scent, of all they had gone through together… he couldn't yet fully give his heart to Kagome even if that's what he fully intended to do.

Would she not wait for him? Would she just go on?

Finally, she pushed her spineless self away and meddled her eyes opened to see… the pain, the pain she knew she caused him. That look was so familiar to her, even if he tried to hid it all that time, she pressed her lips together to keep herself from reaching out and cupping his cheek in her hand. She wanted to take it back, she wanted never to make him so miserable but… what was done was done and he deserved to know the truth. "Inuyasha…"

He shook his head ever so slightly that she wasn't sure he had actually done it. Abruptly she dropped to her knees and placed her hands on his, feeling the pang of pain from the bruises that were her reward of being such a fickle female. That got him to give her a side glance but nothing more.

"I… I am sorry, I really am, I never meant to hurt you, I know I have, I knew it would but… but he was just so mad the other night when I told him about what happened in the cabin that he… he just…"

"Did he hurt you?" He snapped quickly, turning his head to see her.

Did he rape you, that's what he meant, but she couldn't give him that—would it make him feel better if he had? So she shook her head with bent brows and just like that Inuyasha's yellow stare snapped away from her. "I hate hurting you two… I do, Inuyasha," she squeezed his hakama's fabric in her hands. It was easy to say that now, but… if she hated it so much why did she keep doing that? "It hasn't anything to do with you being a half-demon, Inuyasha," she had to say it, she knew with him that was always an option, "I… I love you, half-demon, full-demon, human, whatever, it doesn't matter, it never will."

That… was true, he knew it, with almost anyone else he'd doubt their words but Kagome never judged him on that factor. "I…" she loved him, but if she did… then why did she find solace with Shiro? "I'm…"

"If you never want to see me again—"

"Shut up!" he shouted as he grabbed her hands and switched his gaze back to hers, "I'm not going to give you to him! He has to fight me for that!"

Oh, lordy, she pressed her lips together and tilted her head to the side some.

"You don't get out of this that easily!" Did he even know that she was trying that…? "I love you!" he hadn't honestly meant to confess that but… but it just came out, so why not? Though, even now, his cheeks flushed with color when he caught his flustered mistake and he moved back on the bed so he could fold his legs and arms and get away from her grasp.

Before… that would have given her such a high. Her heart would have sworn into the clouds, it still flew from his fumbled words just not as high, there was a twinge of twisted angst to his them, too, now. She slowly got up to sit on the edge of the bed and look out the window to see the smoke was slowly faded as the night took the sky. What now?

"I love you, too," she couldn't not say it back, it would only hurt his feelings worse but… did saying that really help? Yay, they loved each other but she still loved Shiro and Shiro still loved her but… but he took the well from her, how could he? Why would he? He had sworn he'd let her go if she wanted him to yet he went and burned the hut down all the same. Was all he good for were pretty words?

Then she felt something she wasn't expecting, Inuyasha's arms wrap around her from behind to pull her into his lap and embrace, his face buried in her ebony waves. He didn't know what to think… what to do, but he knew he wanted this. He knew he wanted to savor hearing her say those words, accept his, even if it wasn't under grand circumstances. Then his nose found her bare neck and he couldn't help but press his lips to it, just once, that was all he meant to do but… she was so warm and smelled so good that he did it again, and again as his hands slid down her.

She closed her eyes and caught one of his wondering hands, unintentionally leaning away to give him more access to her neck. He began to suck and nibble upon it before she could find enough sense to squeeze his hand, "Inuyasha… that… that's… this is not such a great deal. I just… I can't… I need to figure out where my head is," where her heart was. She'd keep her panties on, she wouldn't do a damn thing with either. She'd make a choice. She would make a choice. She wouldn't let fate have it. She wouldn't take the easy way out. She'd figure it out.

He nodded but that didn't mean he'd let her go, that didn't mean he wasn't going to hold her as she fell asleep in his warm embrace nor that he'd ever leave her throughout the entire night.

Because… this was what he wanted more than the shikon jewel, more than Naraku's death… he wanted Kagome.

{xoxoxoxoxo}

She felt so groggy as she rolled out of the empty bed, her hair was a wretched wreck but she didn't feel like dealing with it so while she brushed her teeth and just put it up in a frayed bun then whipped the sleep from her eyes the best she could. Today there was no school, thankfully it was the weekend. She stretched her arms up high as she walked down the stairs, her flannel PJs that she had changed into rose up with her arms some before she reached the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetheart," her mother greeted as she prepared breakfast.

"Hello," was all she could muster up in return.

"Inuyasha's outside," her grandpa pointed out.

She nodded, she'd been wondering where he had went.

"Hey, sis, you were really mean to Shiro," Souta had to say before she could exit through the kitchen door to find Inuyasha. She stopped briefly and turned to give her bother a strange look, what did he know? "Why do you think he's the one that set it on fire? Huh? He's really—"

"He's the only one that would have any reason to, he doesn't want me to go back," she stated firmly before she left without arguing with him any further. Inuyasha was right where she thought he'd be, rummaging around in the ruins of the hut. "Morning."

"Hey," he grunted back as he kicked some dead wood to the side, his glance moved to her only to see she was about to make her way over to him so he stuck his hand out, "stop, you aren't wearing any shoes."

"Neither are you," she protested with a small, weak, laugh.

"Keh, my feet are better than yours," he protested, "I'm trying to find the well."

"I figured as much," she muttered as she watched him take his sword out—within its sheath. "Hey, hey, I know that it's tempting to just destroy all this debris but you can't use that."

"Yeah, I know," he grumbled, he had already tried that only for her mother to come outside in a panic and ask what he was up to. Instead, he used the sheathed sword to push more of the stuff out of the way, all the while he had his back was to her. "Kagome…"

"Huh?" she mumbled back as she tried to track out a way around all the broken, burnt, wood to be able to get to him without having to go in and get a pair of shoes.

"I'm not going to give you to him," he weakly declared, "even… even if you tell me to stop… I can't. I… I won't. I can't... talk as fancy as he can," it was a lot like Miroku and he hadn't that type of skill with women, "and I'm... difficult," he could manage to admit that, "but I love you."

"I know," she whispered back, but it was loud enough that he heard it just fine. "It's alright… I never want to say goodbye to you. Even if…" she choice Shiro, "I don't want to never see you again."

"Good," was all he said for a while until he finally found the hole to the well, "it looks OK." Expect for the wooden part being gone, the stone wall that led to the floor was intact.

"Really?" she inquired, he jumped some from hearing her voice right above his shoulder.

"What did I tell you about coming over here?" he scoffed.

"Whatever," she retorted as she knelt down, wincing some, and looked down it, "it does look OK."

"Keh, burning it down was stupid, it's a well it's built into the ground," he grunted as he held out his hand to her, "give me the shikon shard you have. I'm going to see if I can still get through."

"Can't you get through without the shikon shard?" she bickered.

"Give it," he ordered with a wiggle of his hand.

"Why?" She narrowed her hazels on him.

"What? Do you think I'm going to go through and not come back for you? You think I'd just run away from all of this like that?" he scolded. She couldn't help but frown and she looked away, of course he wouldn't, she shouldn't have even thought such a thing… she pulled off the wired necklace that held the single shard she carried with her at all times so that she could get back and forth between the well. He took it in his hand as he jumped down and, just like that, he was gone. She held her breath while she waited to see if his words were true, if he'd return… and before she suffocated herself he was back and jumping out of the well to be right beside her.

"Yeah, it works just fine," he held out the jewel for her to take it back and she did.

"Good," was all she could think to say as she stood up, he swept her off her feet—literally—to carry her through the debris and set her down on the ground. "Thanks…"

"Yeah…"

"Did… you see… Shiro set the hut on fire?" She had to ask as she glanced away.

"Of course not," he grunted, "if I had I would have stopped him."

"Was he alone with it long enough to do that?" Was she having some doubts, perhaps?

"I don't know, you ran off, I ran into Souta and he pulled me inside to give me a cap then that guy was gone when I went outside again so I tried to go find you. He could have come back and did it, I don't know."

"Sis!" Souta shouted as he scurried up to them, "hey, Inuyasha."

"Hey, kid," he replied in his usual mutter.

"What is it, Souta?" Kagome mumbled.

"I…" he pressed his lips together as he looked to the side, "I have to tell you something… you haven't to stop being mad at Shiro. You need to go apologize."

"Souta," she grunted as she placed her fists on her hips, "you're too young to get what's going on. Just back off."

"No!" He closed his eyes, "you think he burned down the well but it wasn't him! He's not the only one with a reason to! I hate that you keep going back and forth! It makes everything shitty! I have to stay home more and go to soccer practice less and mom is always worried! You should be here and not there, anyway! My friends and I were playing around yesterday and I mentioned how much I hate that stupid hut and… and we didn't really mean to but one of my friends had some matches… we didn't think it would spread so quickly! We didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"

Her hands slipped from her hips quickly as she gawked at her little brother, she imagined she looked a lot like he did when she was confessing her misdeeds to Inuyasha the night prior. She glanced to him, he was just as wide-eyed.

"Souta…"

"Please don't tell mom!" He shouted before he turned on his heels and ran back to the house.

So… she was wrong? Shiro hadn't done it… her heart sank; she couldn't seem to figure out at that moment why she ever thought he would.

{xoxoxoxoxo}

She knocked because, really, she didn't feel she had the right to use the key that he had given her to open the door when she was unannounced. She didn't mean to be, she had called him several times yet he never answered so she finally gave in and headed to his place. Of course, Inuyasha refused to allow her to go alone and she gave up on trying to fight him so she wasn't waiting alone in front of his grand door. A solid minute passed and there wasn't a reply so she did it again, a little louder… still, nada.

"Keh, let's go," Inuyasha requested.

"I have to apologize," she murmured back as she readjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. She couldn't… believe herself. She was so stupid. Such a silly, untrusting, girl… he had said he hadn't done it but she wouldn't listen. Was she just looking for an excuse to be mad at one of them? She sighed, that was a 'yes'. "Shiro, please answer!"

Still, nothing so she reached into her thin brown jacket's pocket to get the key. If he wasn't going to let her in so she could say sorry then she'd do it herself, she didn't even kick off her shoes as she stepped in. "Shiro?"

"Maybe he's not here," Inuyasha surmised as he stepped in after her, he didn't bother to leave the entrance as she searched his entire place. "See, told you so."

"Yeah…" but then it clicked like that, it was sort of around lunch time, "I think I know where he is, though but…" she glanced around Inuyasha a few times before she closed the front door and sighed, "I'm sorry… you have to change."

"What?" he snickered.

"You and Shiro have to be the same size," and while she was sure Shiro would get pissed she was also just as sure he had plenty of clothes to spare so she went to his closet and drawers and found something for Inuyasha to change into.

"No," he bickered as he inched out of Shiro's bedroom, "I refuse."

"Inuyasha, please!" She grunted, "for me, please? It'll be so much easier to find Shiro if you aren't dressed like that. All we'll get is weird stares and a bunch of questions asking if there is a festival in town."

"I don't care if people stare at me," he protested with firmly folded arms.

"I don't either, you're perfectly fine the way you are," she sighed with sagging shoulders and a warn look upon her face, "but it'll still be easier if you change, pretty please? Please? Please?"

"No," he shook his head quickly, "I'm not wearing those ridiculous things."

She rolled her eyes before shifting her weight to one foot over the other, "I didn't want to do this but… I will use the word if you don't."

He narrowed his eyes upon her, "you wouldn't."

"Oh, I would," she assured with a nod.

"You can't."

"I can."

"You shouldn't," he growled, "after everything? How could you threaten me with that?"

"Because you are being difficult," she slowly, surely, said but she knew he was right… she really shouldn't be threatening him was 'S-I-T' after all she had done, all that she had ripped apart within him, but she was and she'd continue to until he changed. Of course, she'd never actually did it. So it was really a test at who could hold out the longest.

"You wouldn't," he repeated.

"I will, you have to the count of three. One…" she placed her hands on her hips, "two…." She straightened her back. "Three… fine—"

"OK!" He protested bitterly, "fine! Just don't say it!"

"Thank you," she chimed ever so sweetly as she smiled brightly and pointed to the clothes she had placed on the bed, "just change, I'll be right outside the door."

Just change… easier said than done.

{xoxoxoxoxo}

Ten straight minutes had passed since she went to sit in the living room, how could putting on boxers, jeans, a T-shirt, socks, and a jacket really take that long? She sighed heavily as she walked over to the door and knocked, "are you OK in there?"

"Yeah…" he replied ever so wearily that she couldn't help but cock a brow and narrow her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

"I'm coming in," she warned before she opened the door to see that he had gotten the shirt but the pants weren't working out or… really anything else so she slapped a hand over her face and groaned. She should have known… he wore such a complicated outfit that she and the rest of the general population would never be able to tie all the proper knots and get it on but he couldn't get modern clothes? She supposed that made sense. "Having issues, are we?"

"Shut up," he scoffed.

"Let me help," she requested as she walked over to take his pants in hand—at least he figured out that the boxers went on underneath—and pulled them the proper amount up then zipped and buttoned. They were the same size, exactly… so his body really never changed? Not after all those centuries? She smoothed out his white T-shirt and tugged on the bottom before she picked up the jacket, "just put your arms in the sleeves." It was a basic black corduroy blazer that he hadn't any problem putting on. Then she took off one of her hair-ties from her wrist and tied his hair back into a thick ponytail, it two of the ties she kept on her wrist just in case—since she, too, had her hair up that day—to get it to stick.

To finish the look, she found a black, warn, canvas field cap. "Perfect," she congratulate herself as she stepped aside to see him and right away her face went blank.

"What?" Inuyasha grumbled, "I feel ridiculous enough without you looking at me like that, how am I supposed to move around in these things?" he gripped as he wiggled his leg.

"You… you don't look ridiculous," she assured as she looked away. She had never really pictured Inuyasha outside for his usual red outfit yet… wow, she hadn't expected he look so dashing. Then again, Shiro essentially looked like a human version of him and he always looked good in his clothes, she should have seen this coming.

"Why are your cheeks red?" He kept up with a cocked brow, "I want to change back into my normal clothes."

"No," she sped as she brushed a loose strand of her hair out of her face and walked over to pick up the socks, "put these on, too, I'm sure some of Shiro's shoes will fit you."

"I don't want to wear those stupid things!"

"Inuyasha! A lot of places have a no-shirt, no-shoes, no-services policy so if we are going to find Shiro you have to wear shoes!"

"I don't want to find that guy!"

She sighed as she shook her head, "but I do. If you don't want to come with me that's fine, I'll take you home and you can—"

"No," he muttered between clenched teeth as he snatched the socks from her hand and sat down to fumble around until he could slide them on by the time he was done she knelt down in front of him and put on a pair of black and white sneakers on his feet. "Are you OK? You keep wincing whenever you kneel."

She should really give Inuyasha more credit, he was just a bit more observant than she thought he was, she shrugged, "I just hurt me knees the other day, nothing bad."

"You sure?"

She nodded as she smiled up to him, "you look very handsome, Inuyasha."

That's all it took for his face to beam up like a stop-light.

{xoxoxoxoxo}

"He wasn't at the Chinese place," she muttered as they continued on their trek through the city.

"So?" he grumbled, "maybe he went somewhere else to eat. Aren't there a thousand places?"

"Yeah… but he always goes there, and they said he didn't eat there last tonight… he always eats there," she recalled with furrowed brows, where did he go? She pulled out her cell again, no missed calls, no messages, he had to have seen that she called him… right? She tried him three more times, still nothing, was he alright? Was he just mad? Panic pecked at her heart like a vulture as they sped around the city the rest of the day, only stopping for food every once and a while.

"Stop," Inuyasha groaned once the night took the sky, he had to grab her wrist to make her actually listen to him.

"No! Why can't we find him? Where'd he go?" She protested as she tried to wiggle from his grasp, "maybe something happened, maybe he's not OK!"

"He's a demon, what could happen to him?" Inuyasha inquired bitterly as he pulled her closer and took her other wrist, "settle down."

"No," she whined, "no, no, I can't… there are all these other demons that don't like him very much…" she couldn't help but recall the day at the Inn in Kyoto. What if someone that could actually take him found him? What if… if something really bad happened? There were obviously demons out there that scared him, he was cautious around Ohachi.

"Kagome," Inuyasha sighed as he pulled her into an embrace, "he's probably fine. Maybe he's back at his place, you wanna check there again?"

"Alright…" she muttered as she closed her eyes and just lingered in his arms for a moment or two. It was weird to have Inuyasha be the one to spark the hug but she was grateful… so he could be compassionate if he really wanted to, huh? "Wait, wait," she pushed away as her eyes scanned around the street they had wound up on, "I know this street, I know where we are!"

"I was kinda hopin' you did," Inuyasha retorted with an iffy look upon his face.

"No, no, I mean," she shook her head, "just come with me," she grasped his hand as they crossed the street to the elegant establishment over there. The lobby of the complex was astounding, she wouldn't forget it so easily.

"Ma'am," the bell hop stopped her, "how can I help you?"

"I need to go see Chiyoko," she replied as she looked up the building.

"Mmhm," he eyed her and Inuyasha strangely before his eyes returned to Inuyasha, "oh! Mr. Toashi, hello, I did not recognize you there for a moment, you changed your hair style?" He cocked a brow as he looked at how long it was, "you are Mr. Toashi… right?"

"Yes, of course, they are extensions," Kagome assured with a wave of her hand and a laugh, "now can we go up to see Chiyoko?" She had never heard Inuyasha's fake last name being used, she'd only ever seen it on the credit card that he gave her.

"Yes, yes, right this way," he led them as far as the elevator before he bowed his head and walked away.

"Who's Mr. Toashi?" Inuyasha inquired.

"Shiro, I guess," she shrugged as she pressed the top floor.

"Where are we going?"

"To see one of Shiro's friends, she'll know where he is," she had to… maybe if she was lucky he'd even be there... hopefully not doing what he did best, though.

When they reached the top of the elevator it just stopped and beeped twice before the speaker turned on with such a familiar voice, "who is it?"

"M…" no way, "Mimiko?"

"Yeah… who is it?"

"It's Kagome… Higurashi? Do you remember me?"

"Oh! Kagome, yeah, sure what do you want?"

"Can I come in?" She really would hate to have this conversation through the speaker.

"I suppose," and with that there was a bing and the elevator doors opened so they could step into a small hallway, it took some time but the decorated door opened up with cat-ear showing Mimiko, one of her hands on the door and the other on her hip, "what do you… oh my god! You look just like Yasha!" She freaked as she pointed to Inuyasha.

"Do you know where he is, Mimiko?" Kagome stepped between the two, to try and grab the girls attention.

"You smell like him, too!"

"Mimiko!" She shrieked, finally winning the girls attention, "where's Inuyasha? Where's Shiro? Do you know where he is?"

"At… his apartment?" Mimiko mused meekly, "why…?"

Her heart sank into her stomach, "can… can I talk to Chiyoko?" If anyone knew where he was or at least how to get a hold of him it would be her…

Hopefully.