Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or the Avengers
When I came to I wasn't lying on the floor, as I had expected myself to be. I wasn't even staring up at the white splotched roof – instead staring at a magnificent painting glaring back at me. At least, I suspected it was a splendid painting to someone. All I saw was a blur of colors. And what did that fox and buffalo do, exactly?
As I pushed myself into a sitting position, feeling quite week after my double pass-outs, I froze at the feel under my hands. Soft blankets that seemed to meld around my hands as they pressed down into the material, and over me I had a thick blanket, made in the most crazy colors and shapes. A bed.
Only now realizing that, I took a look at my own body, and groaned loudly. Someone, or something, had taken off my wet clothes and put me in a nightdress. I was thankful for it; someone had been thoughtful so I wouldn't catch a cold. But don't get me wrong – even if he, she or it had kind intentions, the clothing must have been the shortest and most revealing negligée I had ever worn before. And was it a human or that robot that had taken off my clothes?
The robot… warily I looked around the room, not noticing anything that flashed or glowed like a night lamp. I did blink at the expensive looking articles in the bedroom, but paid it no heed. Having being kidnapped far too many times in the past, you got used to finding a way out before you got eaten… or worse.
Silently I slipped out of the bed, shivering as my bare feet touched the floor. Hurrying across the room, while at the same time listening for any intruder, I opened the closet. Rack after rack with luxurious clothing, shelves upon shelves with shoes and accessories. Feeling my eyes widen, my breath hatch and a groan forming I concluded facts; there was no way I could get out and away from this place without anyone noticing. I didn't really fancy stealing clothes either, especially not such expensive looking ones – not even if the owner was a pervert transvestite. Looking down at myself I sighed with defeat – I couldn't get out in nightclothing either.
After ten minutes of shuffling, drawing and cussing, I succeeded in creating the most plain look from the vastly colorful clothes in the wardrobe; a white shirt with ruffled edges, a billowing grey skirt and a pair of short heels. I felt like a chicken in a fox lair.
Getting out of the closet I hurried to the door. Being a little paranoid, I fully expected the door to be locked, but it swung open as I turned the handle. I huffed, and looked out into the corridor, left and right, before slowly tiptoeing out. Stopping occasionally to listen at my surroundings, I began to move more confidently. Nothing was heard in the house; only my own breathing and the low click clacking of my heels.
Rounding a corner, not quite so carefully this time, I walked headfirst into something. Which horribly enough felt like a someone. Staring with wide eyes I gazed at the person's face that was only inches from mine.
Wide brown eyes seemed to laugh down at me, a wild mass of dark auburn hair a Gloria around his head. As he raised one of his eyebrows at me I realized I had stopped breathing and that I was staring. Taking a quick step back, I did an onceover check at him… and froze at the middle. A towel.
"Ah," he said, not seeming to notice my growing blush, "awoken, have you? Splendid, splendid!"
I forced my eyes to travel north, focusing on his face.
"Where the hell am I?" I hissed. If this guy thought he could just kidnap me and then hold me prisoner –in a bath towel, my mind added helpfully – he would soon have second thoughts.
He smiled charmingly, raising his hands up in a surrendering motion. "Well, little girl, I would like to know the same; how did you get into my villa? Or, more precisely, my lab?" He did an onceover on me himself, raising his other eyebrow as he did so.
I felt uncomfortable with his boring gaze at me. I clenched my hands along my sides, wanting to cross them over my chest. But if I did that it would be so much harder to run and possibly fight. I settled for glaring, and taking small steps backwards.
"What year is it?" I asked instead, which seemed to take him aback for a moment, before he smiled again.
"Don't you even want to know my name, little kitten?" he asked, his brown eyes twinkling. He didn't answer my question. "Or, maybe you already do know who I am, and are just letting me introduce myself? How considerate of you, kitten."
No, seriously – who are you? Had InuYasha been there, he would probably have punched the guy already. "Don't call me that."
"Hm? Then maybe 'biscuit'? Although I do prefer kitten," he murmured, saying the last to himself. "It suits you, per se – cute and feisty." Then he seemed to shake it of him, offering me a bright smile that seemed too playboyish to be safe. "Either way, I humbly present to you Tony Stark – billionaire and owner of Stark Industries and also a very famous playboy! And also the world famous creator and wearer of Iron Man!" He said it as if he thought I would be very impressed.
By now, I started to get really annoyed. And who in their right mind called themselves Iron Man? I stared at him with a blank look, not really knowing what to say to him. Then I flushed with embarrassment as I figured a subject out.
"Was it you who changed my clothes?"
A pregnant silence. Then he smiled again. "For my defense; I had my eyes shut when doing so. I am a playboy after all – I've done women clothing before, although not on a little girl." He looked me up and down. "Definitely a girl," he murmured to himself.
Oh God. My cheeks heated to rival the warmth of the sun. Taking a deep breath, I decided to let it go. After spending time in the Feudal Era, I knew it was hard to change the past.
"Mr. Stark." He looked up at me, tilting his head and blinked. "Do you… mind telling me exactly where I am?"
He looked appalled for a moment. "Why, in my home, of course!"
Refraining from face-palming, I glared. "I figured. What country is this?" He stared blankly at me, the humor draining from his features. Somehow, I felt like I had to defend myself, although I didn't know why. "You speak English – that much I know. And as to whom you are, I'm sorry; I don't have a clue as to what you were telling me!"
"J.A.R.V.I.S!"
"You Called?" The unexpected voice seemingly booming out of nowhere made me jump, its tone high and indifferent. It almost sounded as if it was a real person, yet somehow I doubted it.
"Call my… companions over. I need their help," Tony commanded, still staring at me with such a look that it made my insides freeze up. What have I gotten myself into now?
-ooo-
Tony's companions, as he called them, were a lot of strange guys. We all had packed ourselves into Tony's massive living room, with three couches, four armchairs and – for some reason – a scumbag. Two of the males that had arrived presented themselves as Bruce Banner and Henry Pym, who both appeared to her like two scientists. Quite literally; both of them had come there in lab coats, scrutinizing me and mumbling amongst themselves. But they seemed nice enough – although I got a weird feeling from the one called Bruce. Like if I did something wrong he would break into a fit, like a cat that had got her hair stroked the wrong way. Henry reminded me of Tony, but to his defense he seemed to have the brains to see I wasn't up for any flirting, even if I was seventeen. He also didn't look like someone that could fire up immediately.
Another male sat cushioned in one of Tony's armchairs, though he didn't particulary look like he thrived in the mansion. He kept sending odd looks to the huge TV and a mechanical piece that blinked now and then. He said his name was Thor. I know – I felt like laughing to, but decided against it. I had better things to do than cracking up at some long-haired man's name.
When the males had ogled me for long enough, Tony seemed ready to begin this… whatever he had in mind. Wait – was he planning to rape me with all these men? I, sitting in one of the couches, with Tony on one side and Henry on the other, clenched my fists and bit my lip. I prayed to every God I could name that Tony's change of clothing wasn't just to be taken off.
"Gentlemen," Tony boomed, smiling graciously. Nobody returned the gesture. "I see we don't have the fair Janet here yet."
"She is running late," Henry answered the unspoken question. "Something about a ring in the sink."
"Ah, classic."
"Tony," Bruce murmured, staring sternly at the man from another couch. "Why have you summoned us? And who is this girl?"
I flinched as all eyes turned to me; one in amusement, the others in different amounts of scrutiny and slight distrust. Not feeling the murderous-vibes yet though.
"That is something I asked myself ever since last night; 'Who is this girl? Why is she in my house? And why in the world is she soaking wet?'" Three pairs of eyes now settled with staring at me and then to Tony. "No naughty, really! She just appeared in my lab, dripping seawater all over my equipment!"
"And you deemed it necessary to strip me when I passed out," I muttered under my breath, which the Thor guy seemed to hear.
"You touched a young maiden while she was unconscious?" His voice was deep, but boy, his voice sure was that of royalty. My cheeks reddened at the assumption he must have taken.
"For my defense, I wasn't looking. You know my; always know how to work women clothing," Tony waved blandly.
Henry looked at me contemplatively. His gaze felt as if it was touching me all over; pinching and prodding. I got the sudden urge to stand, stomp my foot and demand that he stop molesting me with his eyes.
"Where did you come from?" he asked then, actually taking me with surprise. I paused; no one had asked me that yet. Not even Tony, but that seemed to be a given by now. But I wasn't sure which answer I would give; the truth, that I had fallen 500 years ago from a cliff into the sea, and then somehow ended up here? Or the half-truth? The choice was easy.
"I'm born in Japan, Tokyo," I said with ease. That didn't seem too dangerous to reveal.
"That did not answer the question," Henry said, narrowing his eyes at me. So, back to the guerrilla-land. I swallowed thickly.
"I… can't tell you… that," I mumbled, looking down in my lap so my hair could hide my features. I brought my hands together in my lap and started twining and untwining the fingers together, almost as if in prayer. Maybe I was praying, somewhere deep inside.
"Why not?" A hand from my right stretched out and pulled my hair up and behind my ear. Tony just couldn't back off, could he?
I took a deep breath, and let it out in a harsh huff. "Because it's none of your business, alright?" I said angrily, glaring at him from the corner of my eye. "And stop that!"
He actually looked surprised for a second. "Stop what, Kitten?"
I internally growled. "Stop touching me, and stop with the pet-name." I slapped away his hand that was still in my hair, and took the opportunity to get my hair down again.
"Tony!" I heard Thor say, sounding remarkably like a disappointed father.
"I am afraid that is not a good enough answer," Bruce spoke up. Glancing up at him, I swallowed as I felt his aura thicken and somehow grow… angrier.
I bit my lip and looked down again, this time focusing on my feet. Oh, how I wished InuYasha was there and could save me, like all the other times. Was he looking for me, over there by the cliff? Was he kneeling, pushing his nose to the ground and sniffing franticly, hoping that he could pick up my scent? Did he think I was dead?
My whole body froze and I felt a foreign pain in my chest, wrench my heart like a hand squeezing a tomato. If he thought I was dead, was he even bothering searching? Was he thinking that I was on the bottom of the sea, slowly being eaten by fish and the like?
I choked and slapped a hand to my mouth to contain the desperate sob that wanted out. This caused the men to stiffen in response and in their own ways come to conclusion on what was wrong.
"H-hey, are you crying?" Tony asked panicky as he waved his hands around me and himself.
Henry glared over my head at Tony. "Of course she is, you idiot! You and your women-clothing-techniques!"
Bruce sat stock-still, staring at me with wide eyes and his aura slowly shrinking to that of a normal human being. He sat there frozen, as a deer in highlights. Thor however, was another side of the coin.
"Miss, are you alright?" he asked, suddenly sitting on his knees in front of me, his blue eyes boring into my own equally blue. Sniffling I brought a hand up to wipe the tears from my cheeks, a hiccup accompanying the motion.
"I-I'm fine," I sniffed, trying for a smile that apparently failed by the tension that formed around the blondes eyes. "Just… thinking of a friend."
Thor held my gaze as he nodded slowly. "Is he… gone?" he asked carefully, eyes soft. With a slow nod of my own – it was technically true after all – he smiled painfully. "I know that feeling. Many of my brethren have died over the years, while defending our castle."
I hiccupped with small laughter. "Don't ta-take offence, Thor, but that sounds a little weird." He smiled back at me, but it didn't reach his eyes. Was he telling me the truth? "But," I continued once my hiccupping had quieted, "I don't think you would joke about friends deaths. I'm sorry for saying that."
He smiled warmly, and this time, it slowly melted the blue in his hues. "Thank you," he murmured, reaching his hand up and wiping away a stray tear.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I found three pair of eyes staring, yet again. I blushed darkly, but focused on Thor before closing my eyes and leaning back in the couch.
"I can't tell you exactly how I ended up down there, since I'm not sure myself, and I can't tell you much about where I was before ending up here." I opened my eyes and focused on the ceiling.
"What is your name?" I was surprised to find that it was Bruce that asked. Looking over at him I noticed his aura had calmed remarkably – it was now almost one with the shadow the man cast over the couch.
"Higurashi Kagome, but call me Kagome," I said, giving him a slow smile. He returned it after a moment.
"The Kitten Kagome~" Tony sang. I elbowed him hard enough to make him double over.
Noticing the others looks I shrugged. "I warned him."
-ooo-
I sipped the hot cocoa that J.A.R.V.I.S magically had hissed through the coffee table, on Thor's suggestion and Tony's demand. I still didn't quite hold back the impulse to make a run for the door as that creepy sound announced I now had a 'cocoa drink with two fifths cold milk, three tenths warm and one fifth cocoa, from the richest of Africa'. It tasted fantastic, but I didn't like the feeling of being treated like a little girl.
Bruce and Henry had left, saying they would investigate the cellar the next day for more clues as to why it had suddenly become a portal for a seventeen year old girl. Thor had left a while later, giving me a warm smile and promising to come over again. It felt good, and I felt all fuzzy inside over having made him my friend here, in this strange country. America. My family would freak when they got word.
I, however, had freaked out just before the three men had gone to wherever they came from. "What do you mean 'stay here'?" I had choked. It felt as though my eyes would drop out of my sockets of my eyes got any bigger. That, or they would roll back and peek out of my wide-open mouth.
Bruce had cleared his throat, his strange aura growing and minimizing. "We do know that Tony can be a very charming character," he said sarcastically, offering a raised eyebrow at the grinning billionaire," and that you may be safe here, since you've gotten to know the surroundings and the host."
"Yes," I had muttered. "I've gotten quite acquainted with his towel."
More raised eyebrows and a wider smirk from Tony. I waved it off. "Why can't I just be sent home?"
Tony had thrown an arm around my shoulders. "Because we want you to stay with us of course, kitten!" I had scowled and shaken his arm off.
"Since your appearance here is a mystery as of yet," Henry had interjected, bringing a hand to his temple and rubbing it as if he had an headache, "we must investigate why and how this…situation," he motioned to me, "occurred. We simply wish to be sure that nothing of this is meant to be dangerous or cause harm of any kind, either to you or any of us."
"But I-"
"Miss Kagome," Thor had interrupted, looking me dead in the eyes. "I- We want to keep you safe if this is something harmful. Please trust us – some days, then we will help you get home to your country." His big blue eyes had pleaded with me. Dammit.
I heaved a heavy sigh and took another sip of the hot drink, bathing in the silence of the empty living room. I had agreed to stay – but only if I got a room which Tony couldn't get access to. I still had a sore spot from seeing the male in only a towel. I'm still just a girl, that still hasn't had a proper first kiss yet from the boy I love – I didn't want to get my innocent mind dirtied by perverted billionaires.
Tony then strolled into the room, flashing another teasing smirk at me. I scowled. Speak of the devil.
"Kagome kitten, don't you wish to sleep yet?" he asked innocently, unbuttoning his shirt. I shot a glare at him and scuttled over to the furthest edge of the sofa.
He sighed and dragged a hand through his wild mane. "Look here, catclaw, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not interested in young girls."
I stared suspiciously at him. "For your record I'm seventeen."
Tony tilted his head. "So you do want me to molest you?" He laughed heartily at me, probably because I had crossed my arms and were staring at him with deadly intent. "Manner your claws, kitten. I won't do anything."
"You better don't," I muttered. Got enough of that in the Feudal Era.
Tony smirked, but made no attempt to get any closer. Instead, he draped himself over one armchair, sighing with content as he did so. I watched him the entire time, making sure no sudden movements from his part were made. Who knew; him being a billionaire and all, he probably thought he could do whatever he wanted.
"Where is the kitchen?" I asked slowly, standing up with my now empty mug.
"Leave it there, Kitten. J.A.R.V.I.S will take care of it," the playboy said, waving his hand dismissively, as if the mere idea of having a kitchen was nonsense.
I narrowed my eyes at him, but did as told. Gently placing the cup onto the low table, I strolled past him. Then I paused, a thought worming its way into my mind. Damn. I looked at the billionaire, a scowl already adorning my forehead.
"Where is my room?"
Of course, that only made his smirk wider. "Up the stairs, straight forward, turn left, the second door on the right."
I nodded and hurried up the stairs. I had a feeling that it would take a long time before I would fall asleep that night.
So. Yeah. Enjoy!
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