Love and Responsibility

Thanks for your wonderful, thoughtful reviews. I just love to know what my fans think of my fictions. It gives me an idea of where I should be going from where I left off.

Warning: Sexual Content; Offensive Language; Violence

Rating: M for Mature

Couple: Inuyasha and Kagome (Based)

Miroku and Sango


Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with the series.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

Recap: "Good night, Kagome..." Inuyasha stood up and slowly slumped his way towards the tree he would rest in.

"Oh and thanks."

"For what?"

"For protecting me." End Recap


Chapter 2: Warmth

Kagome swung open the door to her shrine home. She had a blissful sensation shoot through her. She had been gone for two weeks and over that time she had become somewhat homesick. The girl missed her family. She just hated having to leave them for such long periods of time.

It had taken her a little while to convince Inuyasha to allow her to go, but as usual she had won the battle in the end and she was glad she did. She really needed to restore her supplies. Kirara had flown her back, just as she had originally planned.

"Mom, Sota, Gramps! I'm home!" Kagome hollered, dragging her large, yellow backpack behind her. The miko shut the door behind her. She accidentally used a little more force than intended, causing a slamming sound that reverberated throughout the home.

"Kagome, is that you dear?" Mrs. Higurashi peeked her head around the corner, a large smile was plastered on her lips.

"Yup." Kagome returned the smile, approaching the woman whom had given birth to her.

"It's seems like it's been forever." The two embraced, mother to daughter.

"I know." Kagome sighed, pulling back. "Where are the others?" The young priestess was aware the her younger brother would not be attending school today, considering it was the weekend, and Gramps had not been cleaning outside of the shrine, as he did on most days.

"They're upstairs in Sota's room." The woman giggled. "Dad suddenly seems so interested in playing those video games. I can't pull him away for a second when he's not hungry." Kagome was a little taken aback to hear that her grandfather was interested in children's games, but she disregarded it as him trying to feel young again.

"Why can't he just buy a motorcycle like normal old men." Kagome tapped her chin in contemplation, while her mother just shrugged.

"Are you hungry?" The woman stepped past her daughter and into the kitchen.

"No, I ate before I came."

"Okay Honey." Mrs. Higurashi pulled a tea pot from the cabinet and began to fill it with cold, faucet water. "I'm just going to make some tea. Take a seat. We need to talk."

"We do?" Kagome considered a few things her mother could possibly be interested in chatting about, but none of them seemed like something that Mrs. Higurashi would be interested in talking about.

"Yes, we do." The woman turned on the stove, placing the pot of cold, faucet water on it. She turned the knob slightly, so that the pot could heat up. "I've got a surprise." Kagome's mother turned from the tea and approached the table. She took a seat next to her daughter, pulling something from her pocket. Kagome eyed her mother's hands and waited patiently. "Here." She placed four slips of paper down onto the oak table.

"What are these?" Kagome questioned, picking them up and flipping them over to examine them. Her heart jumped in her chest with sudden excitement. "Are these plane tickets to America?" The girl's voice came out very lightly. She seemed speechless.

"Yes. I knew you'd be excited. I've decided that the four of us should go on a vacation, have a bit of an adventure. We'll be leaving the day after Sota's school lets out."

"Oh, mom! This is great!" Kagome embraced her mother for the second time that day. She then glanced down at the tickets once more. Excitement was consuming her. She had always wanted to visit the western hemisphere. After just a few more moments of breathless enthusiasm, reality dawned on her. She pulled away from her mother's warm embrace."Mom, how long are we going to be in America?"

"Hmm? Well let me see." She held up her hand and began counting her fingers. "Two or three weeks, I suppose. It depends on how much fun we have."

"Mom..." Kagome dreaded her oncoming words. "I have to think about it." She couldn't just drop everything in the feudal era. She couldn't just let down people that needed her for her own selfish desires.

"What? But why?" Her mother frowned.

"It's just... it's complicated." Kagome placed the tickets carefully on the table. "I'm sorry, but I can't." 'So much for thinking about it.' Kagome tried her very best to smile. She walked over to the counter and before she knew it she was gulping down a cold glass of water.

"Kagome, Dear, I don't understand."

"Please go without me." Dropping the cup in the sink, the priestess turned and walked past her mother and towards the steps.

"We can't just leave you here for two or three weeks!" The woman protested. "You're my sixteen year old daughter!"

"Refund my ticket. I'll be fine. I'll be in the feudal era. I've been staying there for two-three weeks lately anyway. It's not going to be any different."

"Yes it will." Mrs. Higurashi stood abruptly. "What if something happens? What if you come back and need your mother, but I'm not here."

"I have Inuyasha." Kagome informed, making her way up the steps. "If you don't go without me, I'll feel bad. I'll feel like you missed your vacation because of me. It would make me happy if you went." Kagome could have sworn she saw a flash of red on her way up to her room. She was probably just imagining it.

Nope. As soon as she flung open her door, she noticed a certain hanyou sitting on her bed, Indian style. She sighed, slumping forward. Kagome hadn't imagined anything.

"What are you doing here?" She shut her door, heading over towards her desk. She had forgotten to take her backpack upstairs. The miko used that as her excuse not to study for final exams at the moment. 'When are final exams? I should call Ayumi and ask her. She always knows about testing dates.'

"There was nothing to do in the feudal era." He pouted. Kagome grabbed a brush from her desk.

"More to do there, than to do here." She exclaimed, taking a seat beside him as she ran the brush through her hair.

"I heard what you and your mother were taking about." He made sure not to look her in the eye. She hated when he ease-dropped on her conversations. "Why aren't you going to go?" He asked right away.

"Inuyasha..." The miko rolled her eyes. "Because I'm not just going to drop everything in the warring states era to go on some simple vacation. It wouldn't be fair to you guys." Kagome had confirmed Inuyasha's suspicions.

"You don't need to drop your own life for ours. Just go." He didn't want her to go and a part of him prayed she didn't, but he couldn't have her sacrificing her wishes for his.

"Thanks for being so thoughtful, but you have to understand... They're going to America for an adventure. I get enough adventure with you, trust me."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult."

"Depends."

"On what?"

"On the situation... Anyway are you going back anytime soon?"

"No." He didn't need more than a second to answer.

"Well than go wash up. We'll go shopping."

Kagome leaned back into her pillow. She had showered and finished blow drying her hair. Her red pajama shirt clung tight to her body, but her blue flannel pants were lose, yet comfortable. 'Inuyasha's been in the shower for fifteen minutes.' She brushed a lock of ebony hair from her face. 'I wonder how long boys with long hair take to shower?'

She rolled over, onto her side, so she could face the door. A full moon's light shun through the window and onto the soft carpet, dancing across it all the way to the door. A serene feeling coursed through Kagome's very soul. She closed her weary eyes.

Inuyasha and her had been shopping for at least three hours. Kagome had bought him some clothes of his own. She got him lots of white T-shirts, and some jean shorts, as well as pants. Most of the pants were Calvin Klein's brand. She also got him his own pair of boxer pants to sleep in. She figured he couldn't be all that comfortable constantly wearing that heavy red haori. She figured a pair of red flannel pants and a small white T-shirt would look very handsome on him. It would fit to his chest and torso, showing of his firm, but not to bulky muscles.

Kagome let her mind slip into a deep thinking process. In the distance she could hear the sound a blow drier running. She thought nothing of it. Her mother was most likely helping Inuyasha to dry his hair. 'There's still so much left to deal with in the warring states era. The jewel, Naraku, Kikyo, and who knows what else.' Those three alone will be one heck a of hassle. 'I wonder how much longer it will take.' Kagome visualized the beautiful jewel shards in her mind. 'A fourth is all we have. Considering the slow progress we've been making lately, I wouldn't be surprised if Naraku had the other three-fourths.'

Kagome flipped flopped onto her other side. For some reason she just couldn't get to cozy with those sorts of thoughts on her mind. She got even less cozy when thinking about a certain pale priestess. 'I wonder if Inuyasha still plans to go to hell with her. Should I ask him?'

Long, silent moments passed by. Harsh wind scarp across the windows and trees, causing a chilling audio to sound through the air. Kagome shuddered. She tried to concentrate on the warmth of her room, but the thought that a demon was lurking somewhere outside of herhome gave her the quivers.

She was more relieved than she would have liked to admit when Inuyasha finally walked into her bedroom, dressed in the pajamas she had purchased for him. His hair was dry, as she would have expected after hearing the blow drier running for fifteen minutes.

"It's about time." She sat up as Inuyasha stepped over to her bed with a worn look on his face.

"That thing is hot." He moved a clawed hand through his hair. "I think I burned my ears." The pout that adorned his face seemed so adorable. Kagome's lips curled up in joy.

"I think you can handle it."

"Feh, just cause I can handle it doesn't mean it ain't bothersome." He plummeted ungraciously onto the bed, beside Kagome. The priestess stayed lying down.

"I've got school in the morning. You should go on back to the others when I leave. You did just leave them in the middle of no where, after all."

"They know where they are." Inuyasha retorted. "I'll go back when you do."

"But I'll be here for a couple of days. What would you do while I'm in school?" Kagome finally sat up, feeling like she needed to communicate with him more directly.

"What I always do." He pointlessly tugged at his flannel pants. They really were more comfortable than he would have suspected. "Watch the box of pictures, play with the fat cat, explore the modern era."

"What you always do? Since when do you come and do all of that?"

"When you're at school and there's nothing to do in the other era."

"What do you leave when I come home?" She couldn't believe that he actually enjoyed hanging out in her time. He usually just complained about its complications.

"Sometimes. Other times I hang around to drag you back." He brazenly explained. Kagome lightly smacked his shoulder.

After sometime to conversation began to change subject. This was uncomfortable for the two, but they eventually had to talk about it. There was no better time than when they were alone the way they were at that time.

"Inuyasha..." Kagome felt her mouth drying up at the mere idea of asking what she was about to ask.

"Hmm?" He looked down at his and Kagome's legs, which hung from the side of the bed, which were slightly touching.

"About... well..." With her struggle, Inuyasha turned his gaze to her face. What could be so hard to ask? "About Kikyo..." He shouldn't have questioned that one. The hanyou waited to see what else she was going to say. "I need to know... Do you still plan on going to hell with Kikyo?"

"Kagome..." Inuyasha frowned. What could he say to her? He, himself, wasn't sure of his answer. He tried to look away, but the desperation in her eyes kept him facing her direction. "I'm not sure." He muttered. The fast increasing of Kagome's heart beat was evident. The small smell of saltiness signified that she was about to cry.

"I see." The tears that burned her eyes did not fall. She did not want Inuyasha to know how much it hurt her that he was still unsure of which woman he would choose. "Well I guess we should go to sleep." She tried her very best to let off a smile, but it was so hard when she felt so much pain in her chest. "Good night." She began to dropped down, but a force on her arm held her up. Inuyasha pulled her back up fully.

"Kagome, wait..." He didn't want her to feel the pain he assumed she was. He didn't want her to keep crying for him. It wasn't right. Before he knew what he was doing, he was leaning in and gently covering her lips with his own.

A sudden burst of uncontrollable warmth burst through Kagome's form. Her brown eyes opened wide with the collision of their two pairs of lips. She couldn't think clearly. The feeling was amazing. This was better than any firework showed she'd ever seen. Her heart couldn't come to a steady beat. The longer their lips stayed locked, the faster her heart pumped. 'Inuyasha...' Her mind called out to him. She had no idea that Inuyasha was feeling exactly the same way. The magic was there.

Inuyasha pulled back more suddenly than Kagome would have wished. She could only stare out at him in disbelief. Why had he kissed her? She could not see the blush that reddened his features, nor could he see hers.

"Sorry." Inuyasha slid off the bed, his bottom dropped to the floor. He leaned his back into the bed and closed his eyes. He needed to clear his mind. Why had he done that? His heart was still pounding furiously in his chest. He had never felt anything so amazing, even when he had kissed Kikyo. He must truly be in love with Kagome.

I don't know why some of you thought the last chapter would be the last, but I want you to know that when it does end I will put a 'The End' at the end.

This is NOT the end.

I plan on making this fan fiction at least forty chapters, like the original version. I hope that's okay with you guys.

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