After long last - Disclaimer. Author of this fanfic do not own InuYasha or the Avengers. She only use them in order of fandom.

"Eh?"

I didn't know whether it was the room spinning, or if it was my brain running around in circles and causing my eyes to cross. Iron Man, Thor – Avengers, for kami's sake! Ninjas attacking, robots talking with me, and this short dress that desperately wanted to hike up my hips. It was beginning to be too much.

I let out a deep breath and leaned heavily to the person at my side, suddenly too weak to hold myself up. The person gripped me tighter and held me to his side, the arm around my shoulders sliding to the middle of my back.

"Kitten? What's the matter?" Tony asked, brushing a tuft of hair out of my face.

"I- I need to sit down," I murmured. Holding a hand to my forehead I took hold of Tony's blazer, not caring in the slightest that I was causing wrinkles in the fabric.

Thor reached out to braze my shoulder, worry evident in his eyes, but Tony had already dragged out a chair, gently guiding me to it. I sat down with a huff, leaning my elbows on my knees as I gripped my head tighter with both of my hands.

"Kagome?" Cool hand, gently stroking my forehead. Janet worriedly stroked a hand through my bangs, shushing Tony and Thor back with a gesture. "Want to go lie down, honey?"

I nodded, still not letting go of my head as a pair of strong arms took hold under my knees and under one of my arms. Instinctively I let go of my head and encircled my arms around the person's neck, sneezing lightly as blonde hair tickled my nose.

"Sorry," I mumbled into Thor's neck.

"Maybe she's coming down with a cold?" Janet asked worriedly somewhere around us. Okay, so Thor hadn't heard me. "She was soaked in seawater after all."

Thor rumbled. "It has been too long since then – I believe she is just tired." My body shook as his voice vibrated through his chest into mine. I focused on that instead of the swirling, twirling and leaping inside my head, and the fact that they talked as if I wasn't even there.

I was used to it. People talking over my head, that is. Like my friends in school – Ayumi, Eri and Yuka – who would set me up with dates with Hojo, although I held no romantic interest in him.

Or like the friends I had made after falling into the well – especially InuYasha and Kouga wouldn't let me speak, only shouting and growling at each other. And Sango and Miroku preferred to talk to each other about important things; me, I got a pat on the head and a, "Don't worry – we will take care of things." As if I was a child.

That was the reason I let go of Thor's neck, pushing hard at his chest to let me go. He reluctantly let me place my still heeled feet on the floor – it was clear he preferred carrying me around. But I wasn't a doll or a chihuahua – I could carry myself.

I patted his shoulder reassuringly and let go – promptly losing my balance and landing on my butt before anyone managed to react.

"Stupid deathtraps," I growled, tearing at the straps holding my feet prisoners.

"Are you sure you can walk?" Thor asked, crouching down beside me. I didn't spare him a look; if I did, I wasn't sure whether I would start bawling or screaming due to my confusion.

"Yeah. Or else I will crawl." Finally, relief flooded through my foot as it was freed. I wiggled my toes before attacking the other deathtrap.

"Don't be ridiculous," Thor said, a slight edge to his voice. "If you are not well, then let me – us – help you."

I didn't care to answer; I only cast him a glance as I freed my other foot and stood up slowly, brushing my behind and pulling slightly at my dress. I would be damned if anyone noticed my rump at this very embarrassing moment.

"Look," I said, locking eyes with either one of the occupants of the room. Bruce had gone back to a intense staring, I noticed. "I appreciate your… concern and the help you've provided for me. But this is starting to feel ridiculous, don't you think?" A bark of laughter, bitter and humorless. "I mean, I don't even know you and now… you spook me out and want me to join a club? No offense Janet, the dress is wonderful."

Janet had her lips slightly parted, but nonetheless nodded numbly as I addressed her. I wasn't sure if she was even taking it in.

I glanced at Thor and then a peek at Tony, both wearing dumbfounded expressions. Tony however was hiding it better with a raised brow and a hesitant smirk, as if he wasn't sure whether he should laugh or not. Thor had full out dropped any expression.

I inhaled deeply. "However, I'm a seventeen year old girl, with a family back home who are waiting for me – I can't join into something I don't know anything about, and better yet not with people I know next to nothing about." Cold sweat, racing down my spine and causing a shiver to travel up it. Fear. I hid it with a smirk. "Of course, you know nothing about me, or the task I have been given since birth."

I bowed lowly, the only way I could show my respect for them at the moment. "I thank you for saving me, and for your hospitality. But this must end now." Then I moved, barefoot and with eyes on the floor, out of the room. By the time I was out of it I ran.

-ooo-

It was the right way to end things, right? Of course it was – honesty may be harsh, but it was better than a smothered lie.

Still, I couldn't help but feel bad about the way Thor had looked at me. Like a kicked puppy, that didn't know what it had done wrong.

Shaking my head of such thoughts, I dragged a pair of jeans on. It was the morning after my outburst and in a few minutes Janet would fetch me and follow me to the airport. After my outburst I was honestly a bit surprised that she still talked with me, nonetheless helped getting me a ticket home and a few clothes from her closet.

She had only smiled sadly when I denied it. "You are going to need it," she had said, handing me another pair of t-shirts.

Dreadful feeling in stomach; check.

I took a deep breath and mentally shook myself of disturbing thoughts. Sure, they were kind – overly kind to a stranger – especially Thor and Janet. Tony was kind in his own, perverse way, but kind and fun nonetheless. But most bad people appeared kind, at first glance, after all. Haven't you learned that already, Kagome? I asked myself.

Still. I had an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach, and I knew it wouldn't go away until I… did something.

A soft rapping on the door, and Janet walked in.

"You ready?" she asked, scanning my attire with a slight frown. Apparently she wasn't much for the long-sweater-with-jeans look.

I nodded and lifted the pack I had borrowed. "Let's go."

She let me out of the room and quietly walked beside me. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, wondering what she was thinking about. It wasn't natural for Janet to be quiet – God knew I had found that out the first day I met her! So something was really nagging at her.

"So," I said, clearing my throat. "Something you want to say?"

Janet looked at me then, eyes huge and scared, which made me stiffen and grip the backpack's straps tighter. "I don't want you to go, Kagome. Not after what happened."

At first I wondered what she meant – me appearing in Tony's lab? – but then I remembered the ninja-look-alikes that had blown up Tony's home. I felt bad for about the whole of three seconds, before I remembered the… embarrassing moment when he saved me. I bowed my head to hide my blush.

"Oh." That pretty much summed up what I was feeling.

Her delicate hand snaked into mine and gripped it, though not to slow us down. She gave it a squeeze. "Yeah. Oh. We still don't know who those were – none of those we've encountered before has been like that."

None of those we encountered before… Now I was feeling a little spooked, but I managed to pull off a poker face. Not very good though.

"Do you need to go to the toilet?" Janet asked innocently as she looked into my eyes.

I snorted at the question, shaking my head and returning her hand-squeeze. "No. I'm fine."

-ooo-

It was a quiet affair, the car-drive to the airport. Both Thor and Tony insisted on following, whereas Janet sat in the front seat with Henry as the chauffeur. Both Janet and Thor didn't have an license, whereas I got a little suspicious about Tony's intentions. But I shrugged it off – he was probably only feeling responsible and wanted to send me off with a smile, and a weird comment.

Though I had yet to hear any.

It wasn't only quiet, it was awkward for some reason too. Thor sitting at my right side and Tony at the left, leaving me sandwiched between the two of them. Why did guys have the need to have their legs so far apart as they could? Was there seriously so much in their pants that they couldn't risk closing them, or what?

I grumbled to myself, feeling slightly suffocated and uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you want to go?" I looked up, my blue hues clashing with Thor's. Genuine worry shone through his brilliant blue, no doubt thinking along the same lines as Janet had.

I smiled stiffly and tapped his knee. "Yes."

He went quiet. It made that bad feeling crawl around in my tummy, like an irritate tiger. I bit my lip and sank deeper into my seat, somehow trying to mold myself into it and hide myself the rest of the ride. Sadly, it didn't work.

Tony, strange enough, didn't say anything at all. No weird comment, no smile or flirting. He only sat there beside me, not batting an eye at the situation. I didn't know whether I should feel relieved or perplexed.

"Kagome," Henry said suddenly, causing me to jump and knock both Thor's and Tony's legs in my jolting. Henry chuckled lightly and looked at me in the rearview mirror. "Do you want to call your mom? Tell her you're coming home?"

I blinked. "Is that such a good idea? I mean, last time I did…" I glanced uncertainly at Tony, who actually looked at me now. One of his eyebrows rose, and a light twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Kitten, it's alright," Tony said and bent over me to grab the phone that was right in front of me. I began to protest, but then he suddenly turned, being impossibly close. My eyes widened, and I found myself counting his eyelashes as his eyes too got larger. This time, a real smile – not the flirtatious one, but the genuine and sweet one – bloomed on his features, before he sat back down. "I will just do this, and that and voila! A phone, ready to be used, without the possibility of being… tracked."

I flinched. Whereas his voice had gotten lighter and more friendly, it suddenly chilled at the end of that sentence. Now I knew I preferred the flirting Tony. Nothing could be worse than a quiet one.

Reaching out, I took the phone in my hands, stared at it for the whole of ten seconds before I pressed in the numbers home and held the small device to my ear.

It took a while, really only tweny seconds or less, but it felt like an eternity sitting in that quiet car, no one speaking with one another. So without remorse I was glad when finally someone answered.

"Hello?"

Then again, feelings of relief could be washed away.

"Hi, Souta," I said, trying to ignore the squealing of children on the other end. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much," he answered. "Only showing of my hero to my friends."

Wait, what? "Wait, what hero?" I asked, thinking of that cartoon I had watched with him some weeks prior. "Is it a He-man doll or something?"

The brat snorted. "No," Souta drawled, sounding like an impatient parent explaining something to his child. Which was a very disturbing thought – me being my little brother's child, that is. "I'm showing of the real deal!"

Dread pooled in my stomach, and I gripped the phone tighter. "What is it then?" I asked as calmly as I could, though not to calm if Thor's heavy stare was anything to indicate by. Looking away from him, I stared out of the window on my left – and came eye to eye with Tony. I blinked and looked ahead instead – where Janet had turned fully to ogle me, with Henry glancing now and then in the rearview mirror. I blushed lightly and looked down at my lap. Was I that see-through?

"InuYasha, of course!" Souta declared, my dread growing tenthfold.

"Fetch mama," I said, barely holding my temper back.

"that's right, when-"

"Now, Souta! I'm serious!" I growled into the phone.

He snorted again, but I could hear his feet padding slowly along the wooden floor. No doubt dragging his feet, I presumed. Soon I could also hear some colorful curses that I knew all too well.

"Damn brats, I oughta- ow, not the ears!"

Feeling my forehead for a fever and finding none, thus the possibility of a dream once more being impossible, I sighed loudly, before I took a deep breath. "When I say now, I mean NOW, Souta! Hurry up, or I swear to all Gods there is that I will make your life a living hell when I come back!" I shouted, thus startling the onlookers in the car and Souta, whose steps immediately quickened. I looked up at the others who stared at me with widened eyes, no doubt doubting my sanity at the moment.

"My brother," I mumbled, thus earning relieved looks. Thor even patted my knee, which first startled me, before I gave him a small smile.

"Kagome?"

"Hi, mama. Can you please go and rescue InuYasha from the kids?" I said. "I don't want him to turn into… his other self while being there." The ones in my car maybe didn't understand Japanese, but I took no chances.

"Oh, but he is so enjoying himself," my mother said cheerily.

"You know that that is a lie, right?" I asked.

A sigh floated on the other side. "Yes, yes. See it like his way of apologizing for crashing almost all of our valuable items," she said, suddenly sounding so mischievous that I couldn't help but laugh.

"Just make sure that he isn't with them for too long," I said, looking up as Henry took a sharp turn, revealing the depressing gray before us. The airport. "I have to go now," I said gently to my mom, "I just wanted to say that I will be home in some hours again."

"Good," she said. "You and I are going to have a long talk over a cup of tea, while you tell me about that man I heard from last time."

I sure hoped no one understood Japanese, or had accurate hearing. However it was, I did, and being the innocent girl I was, I blushed. "Mom!"

"Hai, hai," she laughed. "I will see you soon, dear." With that she hung up, leaving me to battle my embarrassment on my own. Which didn't take long, for the next minute Henry pulled to a stop.

"We are here," he said, turning to look at me. He looked at me gently, and offered me a sad but kind smile. "Want us to wait here with you until you board the plane?"

Suddenly I got the vision of Henry with a bunch of little children around his legs – he looked so fatherly in that moment that my heart hurt. Then I looked at Janet, who was staring lovingly and with a great intensity of longing at her husband. I wasn't the only one thinking about family it seemed.

I smiled and shook my head. "No, I will be alright. Thank you so much for looking after me this week." I bowed my head in gratitude. This was the right thing to do – leave these people to their own lives and not bother them with my own. No matter how kind they were to me, I couldn't clomp onto their hospitality any longer. Or their personal life, I thought, glancing at Janet through my bangs.

I turned to Thor, expecting him to already have gotten out of the car – which he had. He held out a hand for me, being the gentleman again. I snorted and smiled at him. He returned it after a few seconds, a tiny smirk forming in the corner of his lips.

"My lady," he said with a bow, helping me out of the car.

I curtsied for him, raising an eyebrow. "Kind sir," I returned snottily.

Then he finally laughed – that rich laugh that seemed to start somewhere deep in his chest before it rumbled out of his throat. I hadn't noticed how much I had missed it since last night. It felt… good and melted the disturbing ice in my tummy.

A thump beside me, and I looked down, staring incredulously at the large silver-gray suitcase. Raising my gaze I saw Tony looking straight at me quietly.

"That's not mine," I said dumbly.

He shrugged, hands in his pockets. "I know. Think of it as a souvenir from the States."

I shook my head. "I can't accept it. You all have already done enough for me." Staring him deadon I added. "You let me into your home – a strange Japanese girl that was dripping seawater all over your carpet – and you protected me, even though those… ninjas destroyed your home. Nothing I could ever say would be enough to thank you." I told him that softly, but nonetheless he looked shocked, as if I had shouted it.

"Then just take it – that will be thanks enough." A playful glint in his eye, and he smirked. "Or you can thank me in some other way?" He waggled his eyebrows at me.

For some reason I couldn't comprehend, I decided to humor him. Letting out a sigh, I darted forward, grabbed the front of his shirt and jerked him to eyelevel. Before I could back out I gave his cheek a peek, before jumping back to Thor's side, fighting a blush.

"There?" I muttered nervously. "Happy now?"

Tony actually gaped at me. He, the oh-so-famous playboy, was surprised that a girl jumped him. Well, I didn't exactly jump him, I only humored him, like, gave him a small show of gratitude. Hopefully none would think I really had jumped him. Which I hadn't.

Tony soon gathered his composure though, and he smirked mischievously. "Quite. But it wouldn't hurt for one more, hm?"

I blushed darkly, and feeling a little giddy and childish, I stuck my tongue out at him. When he laughed I sighed and looked up at Thor, intent on giving him a raised eyebrow and a shake of my head at Tony.

Thor was inches from my face, staring intently into my eyes. I blinked. He blinked back. Then I blushed and leaned back a little to get some space.

"W-what?" I asked.

He only shook his head, rose to his full height and sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't understand women," I heard him mutter.

I felt warmth crawl all the way up my throat.

-ooo-

One hour later the four of them had left and I was sitting alone on a plane, on my way back home to good old Japan. And probably back down the well again, if InuYasha had any say in it.

I sighed and drummed my fingers on the armrest, anxious for… what? The plane to start? To get home? Or because I was leaving behind these kind people? Frankly, I wasn't sure, only that I wasn't all too keen on getting back to the shard-hunting again, the running-for-your-life and all the other drama we battled with on a regular basis.

I missed mama, Jii-chan and even Souta. I missed the family banter that resembled both of my families – my past and my current ones. Sango's consoling, Shippo's cute smiles as I treated him to candy. Even Miroku's pervertedness – I missed them all.

But most of all, I missed InuYasha.

I clenched my hand around the armrest and brought the other hand up to rub the bridge of my nose. How was it that even though he compared me to another woman – a clay doll – and even though he called me names and said I was useless – how come I still loved him? Why didn't I just walk away?

I sighed heavily, feeling a headache blooming in the back of my skull. Don't think about difficult things now – try to rest.

Easier said than done. My brain continued to overload with whys and ifs. Why did I love him? If I had met someone else before InuYasha, would I have loved that person instead? Why did my heart choose him?

The sign for buckling up came on as I felt the airplane begin to vibrate with power. Quickly complying, I donned my seatbelt. I looked around, surprised that I didn't see any other passengers. Was I the only one who was going to Japan? Huh, weird.

But I didn't dwell on it too much. After all, people went to America – not away from it, so I shouldn't be too surprised. I gripped the armrests tighter as I felt the giant airplane begin to pick up speed.

Why did I love him?

I remembered the time Sesshomaru had first appeared, using the un-mother against us. I remembered the small InuYasha and how much he missed his real mother, almost to the point where he let himself be absorbed.

The plane turned around ever so softly, only to pick up more speed. I clenched my teeth and gripped the armrests tighter.

The time when Kikyo was resurrected and the pain InuYasha had been in after she had accused him of killing her. He hadn't expressed those feelings – but one look in his eyes and you could practically see his soul writhing in agony over such an accusation.

The nose of the plane started ascending, making me fall back in my seat slightly. Praying to whatever god there was that I would survive this, I closed my eyes and bit my lip as an tear escaped from behind my eyelid.

I had my answer now, and it made me hate myself even more.

I didn't love him, not in the way I had always thought and hoped I was. I cared for him, yes – but it had never been love. I stayed with him because he needed it. I stayed because I felt bad for leaving for my own time.

I stayed because I pitied him.

That simple truth shattered my heart in pieces, much like the Shikon Jewel. The pieces throbbed and hurt – but now I knew that I couldn't be hurt anymore. Not by him, not by Kikyo, and certainly not by Naraku's twisted psyche.

Opening my eyes as the plane righted itself and the sign for seatbelt's turned off, I sat a long moment thinking to myself – thinking of everything and nothing, wondering over this and rethinking that. Because, I had just realized I didn't love InuYasha, but was I really sure about that? What if I just wanted to tell myself that.

Why would I try to tell myself that it was so?

I groaned and unbuckled my set. I would think more about it after I had peed. No one can think rationally when needing to use the bathroom.

Walking down the aisle, still relishing in the feeling of being high up in the air and gripping a seat as the plane shook, I searched for the bathroom. I peeked through a cloth hanging between the room I was in and the next, frowning as I didn't even see anyone go to make a cup of coffe.

In fact, I couldn't even hear people talking – it was a plane, not a large one at that. There should be some kind of sound, right? Or had Tony somehow thought I would appreciate a flight without anyone onboard? I shuddered but smiled at the more than likely reason for all of this.

Locating the toilet I reached for the handle and took one step inside.

Then a hand closed over my mouth and stifled my scream.

(A/N) Aaaaaaaah, jeeeeez. My Internet hates me - no, that's a lie. All kind of machines hates me; paying with my bankcard, it can't read it, my little computer eats my documents (two pages, for a special project that is really important this senioryear - gone.) and then we have Internet. Oh, did I mention that my DS recharger is gone? Yep, how fun my little life in this globalization-era is.

Anyway, this chapter was fun - until the planescene. I don't know, I wanted her to have a big realization. And if ya guys are InuYasha (the hanyou with the name, not the series) lovers - I'm sorry if this killed you.

Lastly - HAH! See what I did? Oooh, Tony got the first... what, peck? Not really a kiss, but still! Hooh~ I love this 8D

Kindly review so I know what I can do better!

(New A/N) I thank you rewievers kindly for... well, your reviews and reading. Since English is not my mother language it is bound to be a little odd at some places - I apologize for that *gets down for a dogeza*

But I will take your reviews to heart, and try to improve! Thank you again for reviewing!