{Disclaimer: Inuyasha doesn't belong to me. I am just borrowing him; so for the love of God, don't sue me.}

What to Do When There Are Two

By Striking Falcon

Monday

"Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, a smile spreading across his face. They had finally collected the entire Sacred Jewel and Naraku, after a hard fight, was dead. Sango, Shippo and Miroku gazed at the two expectantly. Now that Kikyo was gone, the two could finally profess their love. Kagome wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's neck, mindful of his many wounds. A low growl escaped her attention as she gazed lovingly into his amber eyes. Suddenly he shoved her to the side. Kagome gaped in despair, then horror. Naraku had used the last of his strength to plunge his hand deep into Inuyasha's chest, where she just stood. Naraku had used her as a distraction. As he yanked his hand away and crumpled to the ground, Inuyasha sank to his knees. Kagome, Sango, Shippou and Miroku ran to his side. Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. It's my fault! Are you ok?" she said.

He coughed violently, and looked in his hand.

Blood.

He couldn't let her see. The sky was getting darker.

"No, Kagome. I'm not," he whispered. Sango and Miroku glanced at each other, ready to help him back to the village. Shippo froze. Another scent was taking over Inuyasha. It was a scent he hoped he'd never smell again. Inuyasha stood up, raising the crying girl to her feet. He held her tightly, but gently, breathing in her scent.

"I'm not going to recover, Kagome."

As the words reached her ears, she stared at him in disbelief. Kagome raised her head, questioning him. He pointed at the now night sky. Kagome gasped. Not a moon in sight. Inuyasha started to drag her across the clearing, and Kagome struggled.

"Inuyasha, stop! We have to get you to Kaede! She can help you."

"She can't help this."

They reached the well, Shippou following the trail of blood behind them just as Kagome realized what was happening.

"You are NOT dying, Inuyasha! Do you hear me?!" she yelled desperately, tears running down her cheeks. He raised his hand to it and wiped the tears away, leaving a line of blood behind.

"I want to tell you something."

Sango and Miroku were close by, focusing on his voice.

"I am sorry for the way I've treated you. I never meant to be mean to you." He looked at Shippou and smiled, "Either of you." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "I love you, Kagome, and I will make my way back to you. Death will not stop me."

Kagome sobbed brokenly. "Please, let us get you to Kaede."

Inuyasha shook his head.

"It would do no good," came a voice from beside her. Myouga leaped from her side to his. "He is almost human, and his demon blood is already gone. He will not survive the night."

Shippou started to cry. He had known, but didn't want to admit it. Inuyasha raised Kagome's head. "Look at me. I am glad to die. I did what I said I was going to do, which was protect you." He reached for Shippou and handed him to her. Kagome reached for him again, not wanting to let go, when he picked her up and threw her in the well. "Take care of her, Shippou!" was the last thing she heard from his time. As they landed on the other side, Kagome remembered the Sacred Jewel. She ripped it off.

"Please, help him. Save Inuyasha's life!"

The jewel glowed brightly, then flickered. "I'm sorry, priestess," came a voice from inside the jewel. "I cannot do as you requested."

Kagome shook her head violently. "Why not?" she asked, her tone harsh.

"I do not know."

Kagome threw it aside and started to dig. With each thrust of dirt, the realization of something became clear. It was useless to try to get back. It wasn't the Jewel shards that caused her to be able to go back and forth through the well. It was him, and if she couldn't get through he was…. She sobbed uncontrollably, hitting the ground. Sorrow overflowed from her, through the well house and into the shrine.

"Inuyasha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome jerked herself up, staring around the room. Shippou was in his usual position, curled up in a ball beside her asleep, and no one was in the room but them. Kagome shook her head, willing the dream to go away. It had been a year since that night, where her mother found her in the mini shrine, covered in Inuyasha's blood and crying her eyes out. She had screamed for him for days, never leaving her bed. Her nightmares were worse. Kagome awoke terrified and heartbroken, calling for him. She could find no peace.

She sighed despondently and ran a nervous hand through her sweat-stained tresses. 'At least its not as bad as it used to be,' she comforted herself. She gazed at Shippou lovingly. During her recovery (If you could ever call it that, she once said) she learned more about the well and her priestess skills. As it turned out, Inuyasha had the power to allow access to the well, but was unaware. His last gift to her was allowing Shippou to go through.

Kagome stroked Shippou's head. He was adjusting well to modern life. He learned quickly how to hold his human illusion, and liked school. She was studying to find out how to help his demon skills develop, but was having no luck. Shippou stirred, then opened his eyes.

"Same dream again, Kagome?" he asked. She could hear the worry in his voice. She nodded, then glanced out the window. Shippou followed her gaze to the Sacred Tree. He knew what she was thinking.

"It's not your fault," he whispered. She patted his head. "Tell that to my heart."

Shippou searched for something to cheer her up, then remembered something. "Remember Kagome, your Mom is going to take us to the mall after school today to find us something for your birthday party."

Kagome sighed. She had forgotten her birthday was Thursday. She was turning nineteen. A tear slid down her cheek as she recalled what she wished for last year. For this all to be a dream and to wake up to find him yelling at her to get up and find more shards. She stroked the jewel, which resided around her neck. Shippou kissed her cheek and smiled.

"I have a good feeling about today, Kagome! Just you wait and see!"

Kagome smiled at him, then lay back down and went to sleep.

"Kagome, look!" Shippou exclaimed, pointing at some trinket. She smiled. They were walking through the mall, looking for new clothes. After a few purchases later, they were in the food court. Shippou spotted one of the candy shops.

"Kagome, may I have some, please?" he asked, eyes wide and innocent. Kagome laughed and nodded, giving him some money. Shippo kissed her cheek and ran toward the shop. She stood laughing, and waited on him to get back.

"Man, she's cute!" one of the guys said at a nearby table. There were three of them, two fairly large, dirty looking fellows, and a smaller one dressed as if he worked at one of the many businesses nearby. They watched Kagome and Shippou come into the food court. The man who noticed her first really noticed the short green dress she wore.

He poked the smaller guy beside him. "Man you should go talk to her!"

The smaller guy looked up at him, adjusting the collar of his dark leather trench coat. "Why don't you go talk to her?"

The first guy shrugged. "She looks more your type."

Another guy pulled the smaller guy's ponytail hard. "Go on, you know you want to. You've been in Tokyo six months, and haven't talked to a single girl!"

He laughed as the smaller man batted his hand away from his hurting head. The rubber band holding the ponytail snapped, and his hair spilled over his shoulder.

"Oh great."

The two large men burst into laughter. "If you don't cut that stuff off, you're going to wake up to your mother hanging you with it."

The smaller man scowled. "Assistant, moron. Get it right before you open your mouth."

Something about the girl caught his attention. 'She looks so sad,' he thought. He stood up and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"Where YOU goin'?" one of the guys asked, taking a break from their laughing fit.

"I'm going to talk to that girl over there. The one you suggested. She's got to be more interesting than you two clowns."

The two men resumed their howls of laughter as he made his way to her.

"I'll make my way back to you. Death will not stop me."

Kagome huffed. Liar. It had been two years, and she hadn't seen one white-haired, dog-eared, golden-eyed person this whole time. She shook her head bitterly, then noticed that someone was standing beside her.

Watching her.

She sighed, then attempted to ignore them.

"Um, excuse me. I don't mean to be a bother. I just happened to see you over here, and something about you made me want to cheer you up."

Kagome looked around him, her gaze on Shippou. "What makes you think I need to be cheered up?" she asked.

He shrugged. "You looked so sad from over there. So alone. And I wanted to know why."

Kagome tapped her foot impatiently. Shippou was taking entirely too long, and the man beside her was getting on her nerves.

"You know, its rude not to look at people who are talking to you!" he growled. As she was opening her mouth to ask him just exactly who he thought he was, she stopped. 'His voice,' she thought. 'What is it about his voice?' She let her gaze travel up his black business suit, and the expensive blue shirt. When she reached his face she felt the blood drain from hers. Kagome stared into familiar, dark and angry eyes. She gasped, then shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, finding her voice again. She held out her hand, trying to stop its shaking from giving away how nervous she was.

"Let's start over. I'm Kagome," she said with a smile. The man smiled back.

"I'm Inuyasha."

Her eyes widened and she lost control of the shaking.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered. Then everything went black.

"How did I get myself into this?" Inuyasha asked himself angrily.

"When I see Kenji and Ken again, I'm going to kill them."

The girl had whispered his name like a prayer and sank to the floor. It took a speed he didn't know he had to keep her head from hitting the hard tile. Inuyasha wrapped his trench coat around her and carried her to the nurse's office, where she checked the girl over. 'Her name is Kagome, stupid,' he reminded himself. Inuyasha sighed, looking down at her.

The odd thing was, he couldn't bring himself to put her down, not even when the nurse assured him that everything would be fine if he did. Inuyasha sat there and held her, almost cradling her, every cell in his body involuntarily wanting to protect her. The nurse had sighed irritably, and continued with her work. He smoothed her hair away from her eyes. Kagome shifted and snuggled against him, scattering his thoughts. He felt a blush grow in his cheeks. Suddenly the door burst open, and the child she was looking after ran in the room. Inuyasha backed up, grasping Kagome tighter. The little boy started to shout angrily, but when he looked at his face, he stopped and stood open-mouthed.

"Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha tilted his head, surprised the boy knew his name.

"Inuyasha! Do you know how long we've waited for you?! Kagome has been so sad without you! Why are you in human form, though?" the little boy asked, jumping on his head. Inuyasha scowled and pushed the child off.

"How do you know my name?" he demanded.

The little boy stared at him. "You don't remember us, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha scoffed. "I just met this chick today. I try to talk to her, but she takes one look in my face and tries to crack her own skull. On top of that, you come in like you know me! This is too much to take in one day."

The little boy shook his head sadly.

"Kagome is going to be so disappointed."

This tugged at Inuyasha a little. He wasn't the man she was expecting, but he didn't want to make her sad. 'Wait a minute, why in the hell do I care?' he asked himself. Kagome sighed and opened her eyes. She touched his face and smiled. Instantly, the feeling of wanting to be that man rushed through his veins. The little boy tugged at her hair gently.

"Kagome, are you ok?" he asked.

Inuyasha shoved him to the side. "Don't do that! Can't you see she's hurt, you little brat!"

Kagome laughed softly. "I'm fine, Shippou." She sat up and slid out of his lap. Shippou cried out happily and hugged her. Inuyasha snorted.

"I'm sorry about what happened. I can just imagine what you think of me." she whispered. Something salty caught his attention, like someone opening a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips. He turned to look at her, and was surprised to find her crying. He took one of her hands in his.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're alright," he said. Inuyasha reached into his jacket for a handkerchief, and dried her face.

"Are you sure you're ok?" She nodded and he looked into her eyes. She was looking at him like she knew him…

And he was the greatest thing in the world.

"I'm fine, but I still feel bad about fainting on you." Kagome reached in her pocket and fished out a pen and piece of paper. "This is my number. Call me. I'd like to make it up to you."

She stood up and walked to the door. She studied him a minute, the left. After a moment, he followed suit, tucking the scrap of paper into his pocket.

"But Kagome, he doesn't remember us!" Shippou wailed unhappily.

Kagome laughed, then hugged him in an attempt to soothe his riled nerves . "He remembered enough to get annoyed and shove you like that."

Shippou pouted, then smiled. "You're right!" he said, cheering right up. Yet on the way home, it was she who was deep in thought. 'Fate can be so cruel,' she thought. 'To send him back to me, and he doesn't even remember who I am.' She brushed that thought to the side and watched Shippou break into his candy. 'Besides, he remembers enough for me right now.'

Inuyasha followed his friends to the parking lot, his mind still on Kagome. 'What is it about her?' he asked himself. He hadn't been able to get rid of that feeling he got when she smiled at him. Kenji clapped his hand on Inuyasha's back, sending his thoughts into half time.

"Man, what did you DO to her back there?" he asked, laughing.

Ken turned around and snickered. "I bet it was his breath!"

Kenji laughed and grabbed a handful of Inuyasha's hair. "I bet it was this bird's nest he calls hair."

Inuyasha scowled and caught the much bigger man by the collar. He lifted him up easily, his feet barely touching the ground.

"Don't touch me, Kenji." he growled, dropping the man as easily as he had picked him up. Inuyasha walked away, leaving his two friends in shock.

'Hell, I'm shocked,' he thought. He got in his car and rolled down the window. He could hear something whirling underneath him. Inuyasha got out the car and put his hand on the ground. The whirling sound was coming beneath it. Inuyasha thought about what was under there. His car was parked in a multilevel parking garage outside the mall. 'Cars, cars, more cars,' he listed in his mind, going down the levels of the parking lot. Something in him went ca-ching and it hit him.

"The mall generators," he whispered.

'But I shouldn't be able to hear those,' he thought, panic starting to set in. 'They're six feet below, and I'm at least fifteen feet above the ground.' Inuyasha started to track events. This all started when he met….her. He jumped in his car and sped off. He had to find out what was going on.

Kagome sat on the porch out back, watching Souta teach Shippou how to play soccer. It was funny really, and she was in the best of moods. 'I really saw him today,' she thought, smiling. She was radiant and she knew it. Kagome's mother didn't care what happened. She just saw some of her old Kagome, and instantly two year's worth of worry lifted off her shoulders. Kagome sighed. Inuyasha had called her earlier and wanted to get together Wednesday. She had happily agreed. A sucking noise on her cheek nearly stopped her heart cold.

"Myouga?" she whispered, afraid to find out.

His little voice piped up to her ear. "Lady Kagome! How good it is to see you!"

Kagome pulled the little flea off her face and shrieked. Shippou and Souta came running.

"Kagome, what is it-Myouga!" Shippou said happily. Souta stood, confused, then went back to his practice.

Kagome grinned at the ancient flea. "If you were bigger, Myouga, I'd kiss you!"

Myouga blushed. "I am happy to see you as well. It has been a long time." He sighed. "A long time indeed." His nose caught something interesting. "Lady Kagome, I am hungry. Do you think I could get something to eat and some rest. We should talk tomorrow, anyway."

She nodded. "Of course, Myouga. I don't mind. I'm just happy to see you."