Inuyasha crossover Iron Man
Chapter 27: Hot and Cold

Anger, disappointment, and hurt were something that gripped at him since the day news of her disappearance was released officially. Until that night when Kagome made a confession that threw all those and his rationality out of the window. It was not until she left the room that he those feelings came rushing back again and it frustrate him how those can slip off so easily from his mind when it had been haunting him for so long.

As he came down the stairs to join the other guests, he saw that she was once again the centre of attention. It was those eyes that drew him to her, they were the same eyes that told him that she is Kagome, but he did not want to jump to that conclusion and be sadly disappointed again that he might be wrong. Had it not been that he followed Sesshoumaru closely, Tony thought that he might have been wrong, but careful observations were what he had relied upon to get him the answers that he was seeking.

It was funny how rationality flew out so easily with her confession or just hearing those words coming out of her mouth, but the insecurity was something that stayed in him. What if she were to up and disappear on him again, what then? Will she truly remain unfound or will she run away from him like how he is still running away somehow.

Tony looked at her with worried brown eyes, blending once again to the wall, but only to be filled with unease in his heart as his eyes tracked her movements whilst another business man tried to converse with him. There were too many emotions in him confusing his mind as Tony wondered on the too many possibilities of what might and might not happen.

"Mr. Stark? Signora Caro is very attractive is she not?" said the male that was trying to talk to him.

"…Signora Caro?" that caught his attention as Tony glanced at the other person who was smiling at him, arching his eyebrow in a suggestive manner in the direction of where the now Ariana Caro version of Kagome.

"Sì, our hostess for tonight, she is really a beautiful woman is she not?" the middle-aged man asked him with a tilt of his champagne glass in her direction.

Kagome smiled and laughed with her business partners, her head thrown back her head of perfectly style curls cascading behind her in a sensual manner as the highlights of it's color caught the chandelier light in the room in which they are in at the moment. It casted a warm glow upon her skin, giving her a glowing effect other skin which he had seen it a few times, or thought he had, on a few occasions.

"Extraordinary," Tony replied tightly not knowing where this is going.

"Sì signore, and there are many wolves here hungry for her not just of her empire," the man said raising his glass a little to the crowded place as he took a sip of it.

"Signora Caro, how lovely you look tonight," the male beside of him said as he called out to her from across the room, going up to her side with fresh glasses of champagne in hand.

What the man had mentioned was true, Kagome always manage to draw attention to her even when she does not intend to. Even now, he saw as how many seem to want her attention, though business is one point, but the man was right, he could see the interest of other males in more than just on a business level. Knowing that she is Kagome makes it difficult for him to stand by the sideline as his grip on his flute glass breaks under the strength of which he had gripped it.

Tony looked down at his hand, seeing his palm bleeding red having being cut by the broken glass that he had gripped too hard in his hand. There were some gasps and murmurs as he looked at his hand for a moment longer as smaller more slender ones with perfectly manicured nails took his hand carefully and gently.

"Dio, we must get this tended to immediately, please follow me Mr. Stark to have your wound clean," she told him as she access the wound on his palm.

"Pardon us ladies and gentlemen, please continue to enjoy the night and we'll be back shortly," Ariana aka Kagome apologize to her guests for tonight as she look apologetically to them before steering Tony in the direction of where she had kept the first aid kit.

Shutting the door behind of them gently, she turned to look at him with irritation etch upon her face as she sighed heavily, going to one of the cardboard as she searched through it for the medical kit. Kagome did not say a word as she tended to his wound.

"This is going to sting," Kagome told him as she cleaned away the blood, going back and forth from the attached bathroom as she used a clean cloth to clean away the residue.

With him, she had to use the more traditional ways, the human way than with her skills as a miko. It took a while, but when he had his hand finally bandaged up and cleaned out properly. He saw her looking up into his eyes as neither of them spoke.

Tony took his hand back as he looked at her words not wanting to leave his mouth as he suddenly reached out to grab her by her wrist to pull her towards him into his arms as he held her tightly against him. He refused to let her go, for more reasons than one but also he was feeling self-destructive at the moment and fear for the worse. With Kagome dead and Ariana Caro her new alias and self before of her, he fear of her disappearance again. Kagome did not say a word as she hesitantly pats his back in comfort.

Knock…knock

"Signora Caro?" said a male voice as the door of the study opened slowly to reveal a middle-aged gentleman entering as he saw them still in that embrace as Kagome shoved Tony away from her suddenly, looking guilty for a moment as she tried to dispel what the other male had seen.

"Signore Moretti, Mr. Stark was just done," she hurriedly explained to the gentleman who looked between them, a bit torn as Tony glared at him.

"Do wait for me to leave the study together with you Signore Moretti," Kagome said as she stood to walk over to him but was held back by the other whom she looked at him in the face and down to the wrist in which he was holding before she tugged her hand away from him.

Tony felt it then, that pang in his heart when she just left him, like she was going to disappear again. They are the moment, nothing but mere strangers as she went to the other male explaining of their situation. He could hear their footstep leaving the place, as Tony stood transfixed at his spot looking at the door in which she had exited as he felt the uneasiness settled in him.

"As you see human, she is not yours," Sesshoumaru's words floated to him as he turned his head to see the demon looking at him coolly from the study. When had he gotten there without his knowledge, it nearly gave him a heart attack when he made his appearance known.

"Neither does she belongs to you," Tony hissed out after a moment of silence, knowing well of what was expected to come, but never did as he found himself in the room alone again.

Was it an illusion or his over-active imagination, he was all too unsure now. Even more so, he is too unsettled at the feeling of Kagome leaving him again. And when he found her again, they have to become strangers again before of so many that did not know about her identity as Kagome. How many times this must have happened to her, to keep starting over again, it feels like he was now going to be added into the cycle.

Tony left the study as he went out in search of Kagome, seeing her once again mingling with her guests as though nothing had just happened. There were many that had asked about his injury which he had brushed off saying that he had gotten worse, and yet his eyes was always on her. He wanted to continue from where they had left off from her disappearance as Kagome Higurashi.

As he watches her every movement, Tony came to think back on their time together, finding that he knows little about her, whilst she knows more about him and is always, almost constantly hitting the mark when it comes to him. And yet he knows nothing much about her except for what he was able to see when their dream inter-link or when she would sometimes let slip or tell him things.

He never did returned to the open space where all her guests are gathered, but instead watched from a corner where he was sure most will overlook, as Tony watches her every little move. Everything about the current her is foreign to him as he studied in silence whilst she interact with her lingering guests as they laughed and joked about things that he was unable to hear.

There was a few that lingered back, who were more 'touchy feely' with Kagome that made him clenched his jaw and ball his hands into a fist as he refrained from reacting. No one stopped them as he watches Kagome inching away from them or brushing their hands away whenever they would get too close for her comfort. Sesshoumaru had left a while ago and was nowhere to be seen, only lingering staffs and her caterer lingering to do the clean up of the place as Kagome stirred the remainder of her guests out of her house.

When Kagome went up the stairs, Tony followed her up silently as he kept out of the way and sight of the staffs that were still around. It was an easy enough task since most were busy carrying things out of the house and her housekeeper was left in-charge of it whilst the mistress went to rest.

"You should leave to rest as well," Kagome told Tony without turning her head towards him as she took off the accessories that she wore.

"I realized, that I know nothing about you since the first day," Tony remarked as he watched her remove the makeup that she wore, making his way to the four canopy bed that she had in her spacious room as he sat on the recliner like comforter at the foot of her bed.

Kagome did not reply him as she undid her hair from it's clips bound, eyes glancing over to where Tony sat one a while as she stood towards the door that lead to her bathroom, shutting the door behind of her. She was about to lose her cool and calm appearance she was sure, but Sesshoumaru is right, she would have to discourage him so that they could both return to the world that belonged to them. One where a mortal like Tony Stark will never be able to live long enough to understand, and one where she would hate to remain in to see those that she loves grow old and die before of her very eyes when she herself will never age a day older.

Washing her face with cold water to hide the tears that were flow, she looked at her reflection in silent determination on what must be done to discourage the other sitting at the foot of her bed. It was obvious since his appearance that he was not going anywhere, and neither was she able to do so. Months it took for her to try moving on from him, and now that he is back again, it is like he's a drug that she could not get enough of. One that she must stop getting addicted to if she were to get on with life like the way it should be.

"Are you avoiding me," Tony asked as he entered the bathroom that she had locked.

"Are you going to make it a habit to pick the locks of all my houses?" Kagome asked as she dried off her face with a nearby towel.

Tony did not reply, as he looked at her, his eyes suddenly somewhat unwelcoming as it sent shivers down her back.

"I think you should leave now," Kagome told him as she waited expectedly for him to do as what she say, but it would seem that he will be giving her trouble as usual.

"You're right, I should," Tony told her, surprising Kagome when he turned to leave her bathroom as he left her room, and most probably out of her house.

This was a first that he was so obedient, but it disappointed her as well. What was she hoping to expect if he did not leave, for them to re-live again of the possible passion between them? Or more?

A/N:

Hello Readers
Guess this story really have become stagnant, I should really revise this story one of the days after I've completed this crossover. Well, take care and have a great week!