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Relief couldn't even begin to describe what Kagome had felt when the well allowed her to pass through. Immediately, and worried she would never be able to return, she made one more trip to the past and back to be sure she could still go both ways. No sense fretting over whether or not to return unless she knew she had the option, right?

After their tearful reunion, her mother put some tea on as Kagome briefly caught her up on her adventures by giving her the bullet points; and notably omitting a certain dog demon and his role in them. It was so good to see her again, that she almost forgot about her fight with Inuyasha... almost.

"I am so relieved that vile man is finally gone. I do worry about your wish though, sweetie. Are you sure you feel alright?" Whether she meant in losing half her soul or Inuyasha, it didn't matter.

"Never better, mom. Really. It's the way it had to be."

"Does that mean you are home for good? I saved some college brochures for you just in case. Maybe we could scout out schools together? It would be nice if I didn't have to worry about your safety around those demons in the past anymore..." Her mother did always worry when she was away. But considering that she let her daughter travel to the past to traipse around with demons, she'd say she was pretty permissive.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. There's kind of lot of pressure on me to stay in the past. Inuyasha needs help in his new cause: helping demons and humans live in perfect harmony," she said in a sing songy way. "I guess they think I would make a good diplomat or something."

"That always has been your strong suit. Maybe you could pop over there for spring break, or a mini vacation? I don't really see the need to stay there full time, right?" She was hopeful. She wanted her daughter back, but she was aware how close she had become with her friends there. Her classmates that were once a common presence in her home seemed to barely register on her daughter's radar anymore. Even though Kagome had known them most of her life, she supposed at some point she had outgrown them.

Seeing her reluctance, she ventured, "Is there another reason?"

"Not really. Well, sort of," she chose her words carefully. "I've been seeing someone, kind of."

"You've been having sex." She knew her daughter was no virgin. She took her in to get the shot after she discovered that she was having sex with Hojo. It still didn't make it any easier to accept.

"Yes..." she admitted, "And at first, that was all I thought I wanted from the relationship. Now, I don't know. I'm not trying to get married or anything, but I think he wants me to move in with him." It felt weird to be so candid with her mother, but it was the original reason she needed to come back. She needed the woman's advice, and figured her friends from school might lack the maturity the situation required. Also, she wouldn't have to omit the time traveling details.

Her mom just sipped her tea a moment, doing her best to remain supportive.

"What is his name?" Who was the guy who was fucking her teenage daughter? And how old was he?

"Sesshoumaru."

"Oh, lovely." Kagome winced. Probably not a mother's dream. She suddenly wished she could bring him home to meet her. Then she might understand. And he spoke very well, at least...

"A demon, then?"

"Yeah. Inuyasha's half-brother, actually." That news seemed to soften her mother up a bit. She adored Inuyasha, so this Sesshoumaru couldn't be all bad. She had kind of hoped the dear boy she knew would end up with her daughter...when she was older. But from the sound of things, that appeared to no longer be an option.

"Is he a younger brother?" she hoped.

"He's older." Waayyyy older.

"Oh? How old?"

"Umm, not exactly sure. He doesn't look a day over 20.." Technically true. Maybe Sesshoumaru was rubbing off on her, with his misleading truths.

"Is he true to his name? Has he killed many people?" More than you'd believe. Many more.

"Yes," she answered honestly, and her mother bristled at that. Kagome grew very serious, "So have I, mom." The concern was clear on her soft features. "But only to save countless more, I promise."

She felt a need to defend her lover, "And he would never hurt me." Mrs. Higurashi had to scoff at that. Those tended to be famous last words, far too often. Even with humans. She knew that a demon would be more than capable of hurting her. "No, it's true. If you are worried about my safety around demons, he's the one you would want by my side. Trust me."

"Does he have a job that requires murder, or does he do it for fun?" Both.

She was trying to push down her annoyance at her mother's flip attitude.

"He's a very important lord. Lots of people depend on him, actually." Her mother sighed, and sat back in her chair.

"Well, you seem pretty set on him. Is he worth giving up on your future...in the future? Not to mention hot showers and Wi-Fi?" Kagome finally smiled.

"Things are moving kind of fast. I don't know if I'm ready to live with the guy, but I don't want to lose him either. I'm afraid that if I move back home, it would be sinking the relationship before I knew if it could float. He's a pretty big deal back there, and I can't be sure he will wait for me to figure things out."

Mrs. Higurashi sighed again. She wanted more than anything to keep her daughter home. But it was clear that she was an adult now. She had big girl problems, and all she could do was give her the benefit of her experience and wisdom.

"Did I ever tell you about the boy I was in love with before your father?" Kagome shook her head as she continued.

"Minn. We were high school sweethearts. I was madly in love, and he was the first boy I ever...anyway," it appeared the raised eyebrow had rubbed off on her as well.

"I was a year ahead of him in school, but I had worked hard to go to college. It was my dream, and I wasn't going to let a boyfriend stand in the way of my future. He begged me to stay, to go to community college for one year until he graduated, then we could go off to school together. But I got excepted to University, and I left. We swore we would make it work. You know, do the long-distance thing. But he was a very handsome boy, and had lots of girls after him. With me away at school, it made it easy to gain his favor. When I came home for winter break, he broke it off. He had started seeing someone else."

Kagome offered her mother a sympathetic smile, but remained silent so that she could continue.

"I was heartbroken. I was so sure he would wait for me. But that's the thing about desirable men- they don't stay on the market for very long. Especially if he is good looking-"

"He is. Incredibly."

"Well, then. Do not expect him to be around forever. I learned that the hard way." With the point of her story finished, she was quick to tack on some additional advice.

"On the other hand, you shouldn't throw your future to the wind for the sake of some man -or demon. Don't put all your eggs in his basket at the expense of yourself. You will end up resenting him for it if things don't end up working out."

She thought back to her conversation with Sesshoumaru. "Mom? Do you ever regret marrying dad?"

She forced a smile, "I will never regret that he gave me you and Souta." Hm. Maybe Sesshoumaru had been on to something.

"Just promise me, if you do decide to go be with your young man-" Kagome snorted. 'Young man.'

"Promise me, you will return very, very often to visit."

"I promise. I would never cut you out of my life, mom." Her biggest worry was that she wouldn't be able to come home from the past, or that she would have to choose one or the other. Now that she knew she could return; it would be easy to divide herself. The only question was what the proportions would be. She was fate's plaything; and if the well would let her go back, it stood to reason that her work there wasn't done. Options paralysis strikes again.

"So, what happened with Inuyasha? You said something about a fight?" Kagome cringed. She didn't really want to get into it with her mom about the details.

"Yeah. We both said some things...We will be okay, I hope. I think he needs some time to cool down."

At this point, she had abandoned her duties to him as far as attending his induction ceremony; and likely his wedding. She was sure she would end up regretting her absence, but she really didn't want to see him right now. She had an inkling that the feeling was mutual. Though she was still cross with him for his harsh words and accusations, she knew she would end up forgiving him as she always did. For now, she would allow him his space.

Suddenly, she wondered if Inuyasha would tell Sesshoumaru about Kouga. The thought made her sick. How would he react? He might never want to see her again. Maybe she was a slut. The fear of losing his respect was a devastating blow, and her mom could sense her discomfort.

"Well, no rush to be back then! Let's spend the day together...How does a spa day sound?" Mrs. H knew her daughter well.