Before I begin this chapter, I would like to give a big thanks and shout out to Chelsea Tygers for being my beta reader for this chapter, and any coming chapter that she so works on in the future. A big thanks love bug! I hope we can work together until completion and that we can both work together to make this a success.

So for now please enjoy the fruits of both of our labor.

-Magical Rum

Chapter Five: Responsibilities

"Okay, one more time."

"Really?"

"Don't 'really' me, let's get this all right."

Kagome sighed as she reached for the bowl of ramen in front of her before it got taken away by the half demon sitting across from her. She pouted as she reached for delicious noodle soup with her chopsticks but each time she would go for it he would move it out of the way. It was weird how one could get annoyed when they were starving, especially when they hadn't enjoyed a real meal for about five hundred years. With a sigh, Kagome gave up the fight and sat back down, leaning back against the leather couch. The boy who called himself Inuyasha seemed satisfied with the development and put the noodles down.

"Okay, name."

"Kagome." Kagome repeated her name for the second, third, fourth time that night.

"And you are the dark priestess?" Inuyasha asked for the second time as he crossed his arms.

"I am the dark priestess that rebelled against Midoriko ways." Kagome nodded her head as she stared at the bowl of ramen noodles. If she tried her hardest she could just barely smell the beef scent radiating from it. "I have strayed from Midoriko teachings and I am completely knowledgeable of the dark arts. I even made a pact with the Demon Lord of the East."

Inuyasha pushed the bowl to her and she launched herself at it. She was so hungry that the noodles tasted good even though they weren't the same as what she was used to. It was no grilled fish with a bowl of rice on the side, although it would have to do. Inuyasha watched as Kagome chowed down on the ramen and couldn't believe that the woman in front of him was the same dark priestess from the legends. But she herself said she was a dark priestess, hell, she even admitted that she went against Midoriko.

"And you don't know about the Moon Calamity?" he asked, causing her head to shoot up in anger.

"No, I do not." Kagome sighed aggravatedly. This was her third time being asked. "What is the Moon Calamity? You claim I caused it, but I do not remember ever doing something that resulted in what could be called as such."

Inuyasha leaned back on his hands, "It was a big thing that launched the first human-demon war, it was a pretty big deal… But if you're saying you don't know, then whatever, I'll let it slide. All right, next question."

"More?" she huffed in annoyance.

"I'll let you starve."

Kagome closed her mouth but she frowned, "Rude…"

"You were sealed away. How, why, who?" Inuyasha asked, even though he kind of already knew the answers.

Kagome placed the ramen bowl on the table. "I was sealed away by my beloved Inu—" Kagome was quick to silence herself. That name belonged to the half demon that was in front of her. No matter how hard it would be, she would make an effort to distance herself from him for the sake of being on good terms with the boy who unsealed her. Even if it meant hurting herself, she had to move forward and the first step was to make a note that the Inuyasha in front of her was the real Inuyasha now and the man she loved is now nothing more than a legend. So with all the power she could muster in her heart she begun again, "…The Lord of the East.

"The Lord of the East sealed me away." Kagome repeated herself, forcing herself to get used to calling her beloved by his title. Her throat grew tight. "We were lovers. I suffered a great wound that would have killed me if not given the proper amount of time to heal. At the time, we were being hunted for crimes against Midoriko. We couldn't just lay low, even though that was the plan, nor could he leave my side to find a healer. Even with my abilities, I would have died if we kept moving."

"So, you guys decided to seal you in amber?" Inuyasha asked. "And that would help how, exactly?"

"I closed the wounds, but the power I used had taken a lot out of me. I couldn't fight, nor could I run." Kagome looked down as she gripped the ramen bowl, knuckles white. "They were closing in on us… So, he decided to seal me and retrieve me when everything died down. In a way, I was like a flower bud and the amber was like a seed.

"It had to meet certain conditions for me to be released: my wounds must have been healed, my powers would be back to normal, and Inu—"Kagome shot Inuyasha an apologetic look, "The Lord of the East's soul would act as a key, thus releasing me."

Inuyasha sighed. There were so many more questions that he wanted to ask. For each one she answered, he would probably want to ask ten more. She and the Lord of the East were lovers? He was his reincarnation? And now he had his sword and his followers?

As he looked at the sword, he couldn't help but glance at her as well. Her. He also had her. It was almost as if a king left all his most precious treasures for the next ruler in line, though right now they seemed more like troubles than treasures. He made up his mind. As soon as he got the gist of the situation and she understood the ways of this world, then they would go their separate ways.

It sounded so simple in his head, but he quickly chastised himself. She was from five hundred years in the past. To say that things had changed was an understatement. Even now, when they had run back to his place where he assured her they'd be safe, he could smell her fear and practically feel her hesitation since the moment they left the museum together. She couldn't have a normal life; there was no way that people wouldn't hear that she escaped from the amber or at least that someone stole her away. It was like he was carrying an ancient weapon in the form of a girl.

As they let the silence build between them, they both knew that it wouldn't be as simple as just starting her life anew.

"Um…" Kagome caught his ears and he quickly looked up at her, though the woman refused to meet his eyes. According to her, he was the reincarnation of her beloved, and it was probably not easy to look in the eye of the man that in a past life far gone was her lover. "I want to say I'm sorry…again. For trying to kill you."

The half-demon groaned. She had said that at least ten times since they left the museum. "What did I say? It's over and done with, just don't do it again!"

Kagome smiled. "No promises!" she joked, and he couldn't help but smile back. At least she was taking this in stride.

"So, what's the plan?" Inuyasha asked her, studying her face as her expression turned thoughtful. "You can't just crash here until the day you die."

"Yes, I know." Kagome nodded. "I won't bother you for long, but there's something strange with my powers as they are now. I can fight and hold my own, of course, yet there is still something wrong with me…" She trailed off, looking a little worried.

"As in?"

"My powers… It's as if they are not my own." Kagome looked at her hand. "It feels as though it's stuck. My whole body feels like it's stuck in something. During that fight with you, I struggled to summon my own power, but it wouldn't come out no matter how much I tried."

Inuyasha cocked his head, "So you were powerless?"

"No, far from it." Kagome looked at him from beneath her lashes. "If I had wanted to, I could have killed you from the very start of the battle. Although the reason why I struggled in the first place was because I was trying to regain my own power, but the longer we fought I felt as though I was using the sacred jewels power."

"The sacred jewel?" Inuyasha leaned in, scanning her and coming up empty. Kagome took note of his gaze and smiled as she placed her hand on her heart.

"The sacred jewel is a powerful item that I was blessed with," the dark priestess explained. "It's Midoriko's gift. It holds immense power and can grant any wish. Its power can destroy or create. I can even bring the dead back to the world of the living if you so wish it. I'm the current temple, which means the jewel resides somewhere inside my body and my task is to protect it until another temple is chosen."

"And another temple is decided how?"

Kagome placed her hand on her chest and he couldn't help but to stare at where it rested. "It'll reject me until I give it away to the next temple. Though it has been five hundred years… I can say with complete confidence that no one has ever kept it that long. It's unheard of, but I have protected it for this long and I will continue until day I die. The jewel can't fall into just anyone's hands.

"So, until I regain my real power, I must rely on the jewel for protection." Kagome closed her eyes, looking inward and remembering things he'd never know. "Though there's not much I can do. It's been half a millennium and the people I know are dead and the demons that I conversed with probably forgot me or live far away, or maybe they've even died."

Inuyasha cursed at himself internally for reminding her that she was alone. "Can you wish to return to the past?"

Kagome was back to avoiding his eyes. "No, temples aren't allowed to make wishes, or more appropriately, we can't. I cannot make a wish of my own since I am the temple. For me, the jewel is just something I have to protect."

The half-demon teen stared at her for a moment before cocking his head to the side. "An all-powerful jewel and you can't use it? Why?"

"…Mm, it's hard to explain. If I make a wish, the jewel simply will not grant it. For me, the jewel is something that protects me as I protect it."

"Shit. So for you and past temples, it just won't work?"

"Yes. Even I do not understand why."

Wishing herself back to where she belonged was out. "Can I make the wish?" Inuyasha asked and Kagome's head shot up as she smiled brightly.

"Yes! If you make the wish, it would be possible for me to return to the past!" Kagome almost looked like an excited puppy as she crawled to his side. "Would you do this for me? Would you wish for it? For me to go back!?"

She grabbed his hand and looked up at him with such hope in her big eyes. He felt his face heat. "S-sure… I mean, you can't crash here, and if you can go back to the past you could stop this shit from happening. But are you sure I can make a wish even though you can't? "

"That's exactly the case! The temple can't make a wish, but someone other than the temple can make a wish! I'll be out of your hair soon! Are you ready?"

Inuyasha turned to face her as he nodded his head. Kagome smiled as she began to undo her haori, exposing her bare skin.

"Yoooo, the fuck!?" Inuyasha quickly turned his face and closed his eyes.

Kagome laughed, "You are such a pup, don't worry about it. This is what we have to do, just trust me."

"I am not a pup!"

So he claimed, but when he turned back to her, he barely met her eyes. Kagome snickered. He was looking everywhere except for her, though that didn't stop her from taking off the white robe and letting it drop to her side. Inuyasha finally gathered the courage to look at her and found he didn't know how to feel. There were scars all over her body, deep marks that marred the perfection of her skin. His eyes couldn't help but scan them. One looked like a lighting mark that traveled down her arm. Others looked like scratches, bites, but one stood out more than the lightning and that was the one that went from about her right shoulder down to her hip. It was a huge one that scarred her from breast to navel.

"Please…. Don't stare." Kagome was barely audible as she covered her breasts. "You are making me self-conscious."

Kagome blushed as she looked away from him. Inuyasha finally realized that she was still a woman and turned bright red. Even though this was apparently the way for him to make the wish, he still had a woman in his apartment who was baring her chest to him. If this was any other time, day, or moment, he would have considered this a dream! Kagome looked up at him and finally relaxed as she dropped her arms to her side, swallowing hard as his eyes traveled back to her.

She didn't know if he was looking at her, or her scars, but both caused her to turn redder than a beet. Somewhere inside, she tried to steel herself. This wasn't her Inuyasha, but some other one. One that looked, sounded, and even had the same name as hers. It was only natural that she would react to his stare, even now she couldn't help but to quake as his eyes scanned even more of her nude body. She was more determined than ever to get this over with and put this all behind her.

"When my chest glows, reach in and pull the jewel out," Kagome said as she balanced herself on her hands. "I would attempt to do it myself, but my power is barely registering and I can't force it out at this level. Just trust me and reach in."

Inuyasha swallowed hard as he nodded his head in understanding. Kagome closed her eyes and he watched as her chest rose and fell, first painfully slowly, allowing him a full view of her upper torso. More scars painted her body as he got a peek of the scars that lined her hip. Inuyasha felt as though something was lodged in his throat, he badly wanted to touch those scars that lined her hip. They were deep, looking like scratch marks, and they didn't resemble the rest. The others were random and placed in weird positions, but this one, this one was meant to be there.

He reached out, just a slight touch… Just a graze…

Before he reached out to touch those marks he noticed the place between her breasts began to glow. It snapped him out of his thoughts as with one hand he wrapped his arms around her to steady her. His mind was calling this crazy, but he quickly pushed those thoughts back and reached into the glowing portal. She winced when he placed just three fingers in and he pulled them out just as quick.

Kagome shook her head as she opened her eyes to look up at him. "It just been such a long time." She assured him, "It doesn't hurt, it just feels different, so please continue."

"'Kay."

He would do this as fast as possible. Steadying his hand over the portal, he plunged the entire thing in. Kagome gasped and her body contorted in discomfort, but he didn't pull out. He watched her as he stood completely still, not even a muscle twitching as she moved against him. Though when she finally stopped twisting, she opened her eyes again and met his unrelenting gaze. She couldn't tell what he was thinking behind those eyes, but the stare made her look away from him.

"You…You can move now." Kagome wanted to die at that exact moment when he finally looked away from her. She sounded like a girl when she had long been a woman, but that boy was his reincarnation, so of course she would react.

Inuyasha didn't understand why she looked away again, but it was time to focus. Get the jewel from this girl's body, make a wish, and get her the hell out of here. He couldn't feel anything inside her chest cavity and he was almost surprised at how empty it was, but when he finally felt his fingers graze something, he reached deeper and gripped it.

"Ah!" Kagome voice broke and Inuyasha nearly let her drop her out of his arms. If she made sounds like that, it was going to be hard to concentrate on getting it out.

"Ready?" he asked, looking directly at the portal. If he looked at her, he'd never be able to get the job done.

"Yeah." Kagome's voice broke. She stared up at the ceiling. It was going to be all over soon and she'd die in embarrassment once it finally was.

Inuyasha gripped the small round object and with all his might pulled it out. The screams that rang in his ears were almost deafening, and his hand was nearly forced right back in the portal. Even if he pulled with all his might, the jewel wouldn't come out. It was like something was stopping him. Kagome gripped his shirt as if her life depended on it. She bit her lip until it bled as the pain surged through her body. It felt as if her very soul was being ripped out. She kicked against the floor, her body wanting nothing more than to escape and her mind forcing her to stay put. If they could just get it out, then she would be home again! Though no matter how much he pulled, his hand wasn't coming out the portal.

Inuyasha finally looked at her, all of her. She was covered in sweat and the kicking had stopped. He thought if he treated it like a band-aid it would work, but seeing her in pain, desperately trying to catch her breath, made him realize that was probably the dumbest idea he ever had. He released the small circular thing and slowly pulled out his hand.

"That…" tears streamed down her face, "that never happened before. Why did it hurt?" She turned to him and gripped his shirt, continuing near deliriously. "That never ever happened before! Why did it hurt? Why won't it come out?"

Kagome's body shivered and Inuyasha didn't know what to do, but he gently rubbed her back. For the second time tonight, he had to see her cry. They couldn't make the wish if it didn't leave her body, and leaving her body was the last thing the jewel wanted to do. Inuyasha sat up straight as he brought Kagome into his lap. The girl sniffled, but she accepted it. Kagome felt as if her whole body had been through hell, and for the first time since she woke up, things felt right. Inuyasha had her in his lap as he rubbed her back, his chin resting on the top of her head.

She was being such a bother. She just wanted to go home, but everything in the universe felt as though it was actively working against her.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered as she buried her face into his shirt. "I'm so sorry…"

"Shut up and rest. We'll deal with it in the morning," Inuyasha grunted as he stroked her bare back.

She fell asleep faster than he thought she would have for all the pain she was in. He made sure he didn't move a muscle until he knew she was in a deep enough sleep where he could move her into his room. He placed her on his bed and covered her before closing the door as gently as he could, making his way back into the living room. Inuyasha had to get his mind together, because the simple fact that the jewel couldn't leave her body meant that he couldn't wish her back home, and for some reason she couldn't make the wish herself to go back home.

So, starting today, she would be forever stuck here.

Inuyasha didn't know who to feel bad for, her or himself. He would have to hide her away until they thought of something. She didn't know how to survive in this modern world, so that put her at an even greater disadvantage. He was her only lifeline, but the problem was he didn't want to be. He just wanted this whole thing to be over as soon as possible. And she had said it herself: Everyone she knew was either dead or gone, and there was no way she would know how to get in contact with them even if they were alive.

They were both at a loss.

Inuyasha plopped down on the couch and turned on the television, filled with a mixture of emotions. Breaking news flashed across the screen as the newscasters Tom and Makoto were at their desk. The title bar, Destruction of National History, was plastered right in red where everyone could see. And then he remembered that Naraku had turned off the cameras so he wouldn't get caught, but at the same time…Inuyasha did this completely on a whim. He didn't think too much of whether he could trust him or not, but this was going to be the moment of proof.

"Breaking news, everyone, the National History Museum has been destroyed," Makoto began. "Tonight at 11:30 pm, there were explosions at the National History Museum. Reports of a gas pipe exploding caused a raging fire tonight."

Inuyasha shot to his feet. Fire!? They didn't start a fire! They just left!

Was this Naraku's doing?

"We go to live coverage of Naraku Kumo's announcement to the public," Makoto explained as the screen switched to footage of the museum. There he was on television standing in front of the podium, with the museum behind him completely decimated. There was nothing left but ashes and burnt bits of the building.

"It's with a heavy heart that I must say due to an undetected gas leak, the museum was destroyed." Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I regret to inform you that we lost nearly everything in the fire."

"And the dark priestess?" a reporter asked, and Naraku smiled.

"No, she's safe. The amber casing has been heavily damaged, and so she's been transported to somewhere safe for now."

Did that mean him? Was he that safe place?

Inuyasha thought for a minute. No one would think that a high school student would be housing the dark priestess. If no one knew her name and she didn't leave, there was no way that they could ever find out. The only people that knew that she had awakened were Naraku, him, and his currently dead teacher, Mukade. Even if other demons were going to come after her, they wouldn't know where to start if Naraku said he transported her somewhere safe.

"For now, we wish to concentrate our efforts on retrieving the remaining artifacts. If you don't mind." Naraku bowed before getting off the stage, the reporters clamoring for more questions. Inuyasha couldn't believe it. He had covered it up, he completely covered it up. There was no way anyone would suspect anything.

In a way, he had completely gotten away with it, but then another thought crossed his mind. He was most definitely a criminal now. All for the woman that had silently cried herself to sleep in his arms just an hour earlier. This was completely crazy! He was completely crazy! Everything that had happened today was crazy!

Inuyasha groaned as he ruffled his hair. He wanted to throw himself into the nearest ocean and drown! The hell he got himself into was only just beginning. The sound of his phone vibrating jolted him out of his thoughts, he almost forgot that he had one. He walked over to his phone and as soon as the screen brightened there was already a message waiting for him.

Take care of my precious treasure, I'll come and get her in a wee'sk time. I hope after you receive this message you won't try anything funny. Though take care for now, Inuyasha Takahashi.

-Naraku Kumo

Crazy was now an understatement…

Just what the hell did he get himself into?

A/N: One more big shot out to Chelsea, she really helped me get this chapter out. Just a doll don't you agree? She helped with the errors I had and focused me in the right direction where my lines could come off confusing. So show some love for the both of us and review this chapter and tell me with you what you think?

Random thought though, I always loved the idea of a powerful Kagome, I understand like Takahashi idea of making her strong will of heart and mind, but it kinda got frustrating watching her be put in these dire circumstances and she can't do anything but wait on someone to save her. Though at the same time what frustrated me the most is also the thing I loved most about Kagome, she wasn't this ace priestess who could blow up mountains, she was someone with a strong since of good. And thats what I kinda aiming for this Kagome to be, like a half way mark between the strong mountain blasting Kagome and the strong willed one.

So question to my readers, what about Kagome do you like the most or dislike the most? My favorites will be placed in the next chapter

-Magical Rum