Love and Responsibility

I feel very pleased that I'm rewriting this story. Back when I first wrote it, a couple years ago, I would have died if I had, had to rewrite the whole thing, but now it's kind of refreshing. Love and Responsibility was my first real fan fiction, so it was really amateur. When I start something, I'm always bad at it. I have to gradually get better. I admire those people who can just start and be awesome from the start. (LOL)

Warning: Sexual Content; Offensive Language; Violence

Rating: M for Mature

Couple: Inuyasha and Kagome (Based)

Sango and Miroku

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

"Talking"

'Thoughts'


Recap: Feeling rage well within her, the priestess stood. Her fist was pressed to her chest as she let out in irritated growl. She had gotten extremely sick of this attitude of his. 'For the past three days!' She huffed, saying nothing.

Stomping past the perplexed man, the girl went to bed. End Recap

Chapter 7: Discovery

The endless beating of rain against the window seemed enough to give even the most patient person a headache. For hours now, the pouring had refused to subside. It was beginning to be unbearable, especially for Inuyasha, whom had sensitive hearing.

Taping white claws upon a transparent coffee table, Inuyasha let out a frustrated growl. He despised the rain. He failed to see how Kagome could have such a wondrous time dancing in it. What joy did she get out of getting soaked, catching a cold, and then having to come in and clean yourself up, along with the great mess you brought in with yourself.

"Sota, go tell your sister that she needs to come in before she gets sick." Suteki informed the boy as she strode into the living room, where Sota, Gramps, and Inuyasha all sat silently upon the soft cushions of the couch.

"Alright." Bouncing up from his seat, Sota jogged to the door. He called out to Kagome in the rain, but the miko disregarded his words. Apparently she was much to amused with the rain to care about a small cold. Sota sighed, leaning against the frame of the door. He sure as heck wasn't going out there to get her.

"Inuyasha, could you give it a try?" Mrs. Higurashi gave the half demon a pleading look. Although Inuyasha feared getting wet, he could not deny this woman. She resembled Kagome to profusely.

"Fine." Groaning blatantly, Inuyasha repeated Sota's action and sure enough, Kagome repeated hers as well. She gave the half demon a rambunctious glance and then recommenced her singing and dancing. A person just passing by would most likely see the girl as an insane female, but as Inuyasha look upon her, he saw nothing but beauty.

She danced so effortlessly, so gracefully, so freely. Watching her, the male felt an urge to join her, but he thought better of it. Doing such a thing would only inspire the priestess to continue her moronic actions.

"Kagome!" Stomping his foot on the carpet, Inuyasha's agitation swelled. Kagome hadn't even turned to face him this time. This pissed him off. He loathed being brushed off, even more than he loathed spicy foods. "Kagome!"

"Oh!" Kagome halted, glowing Inuyasha's way. "Quit being such a sourpuss! I'm just trying to let loose a little. Why don't you try it?"

"You look like moron dancing in the rain!" Crossing his arms over his chest, he continued. "Your mother wants you inside." He was inwardly pleased that she was no longer ignoring him, even if it meant she was going to be angry with him.

"Oh…" Kagome mumbled. The priestess was unaware of what the Kagome with memories would do in a situation like this. She wondered whether the Kagome with memories would even dance under the water that fell from the sky.

"You always listen to mom, Kagome." Sota spoke in such a comforting way. It was almost as if he'd known the trials Kagome's mind was undergoing. She smiled his way and headed towards the front door.

Cough Sneeze Cough

"This is really all your fault." Inuyasha handed Kagome a tablespoon and a bottle of 'Tylenol: Cold and Flue' medication. The girl struggled to sit up, so Inuyasha assisted her.

"I know…" She took a hold of the spoon and liquid medicine.

"Your mom says after you take some of that your fever will go down and your throat won't ache."

"Good." The miko took the prescribed amount and then placed the remedy to the side. She rested her head back down on her pillow, regretting how fast she allowed herself to hit the headrest. Her head spun, her stomach twisted. "No more dancing in the rain…"

A giggle was heard from the hallway. Suteki entered the room. Inuyasha was perplexed to the see the woman laughing at such a down time.

"I'm sorry for laughing, it's just I recall you saying the same exact thing once many years back. I suppose since you've lost your memory you'll have to relearn a few lessons."

"Ugg…" Grumbling, Kagome turned away from Inuyasha and her mother. She faced her wall and closed her eyes. "I'm going to go to sleep now. Hopefully this will all be over in the morning." She expected to hear two pairs of footsteps exiting the room, but she only heard one. She doubted Inuyasha was there. In fact, she doubted he even cared about her sickness in the least. He was always so hot-tempered with her. The man acted like he hated her! Turning, Kagome was in awe to see Inuyasha still seated against her bed. "Inuyasha…?"

"Hmm?" Inuyasha's eyes were closed. He was drifting off.

"Aren't you afraid I'm contagious?"

"I don't get sick." Came his fatigued reply.

"You "don't get sick"?" She gave him a skeptical glance. "You make it sound as if your inhuman."

"… I have a strong immune system." He coughed nervously. "Now go to sleep. I'm not gonna deal with you if you're cranky from a cold tomorrow."

"If I'm cranky tomorrow, it'll all be your fault."

"Feh! How do you figure!?" Reeling around, Inuyasha gave the girl a shocked expression.

"You're the one who let me jump around in the rain like an idiot."

"I tried to stop you!" To his surprise, Kagome began to laugh.

"Relax Inuyasha, I'm only teasing you." The two shifted to get comfortable where they were. After a few moments of silence, Inuyasha whispered something.

"If you need anything, I'm here."

Opening burning eyes, Kagome groaned. She must have slept for only an hour or so. The girl felt ten times worse than she had before. Her throat still burned, her eyes watered, and she could hardly breathe through her small nose. 'NEVER DANCE IN THE RAIN AGAIN' She clutched her skull with tingling hands. 'I need asprin or something. I need it now.' She recalled Inuyasha's final words before she'd drifted off before. He'd offered to get her anything she needed, right?

As Kagome was about to awake him from him slumber, she realized the opportunity before her. Her coffee eyes took in the site of Inuyasha's baseball cap. It seemed so easy. Her curiosity could finally be put to rest! Inuyasha would never even have to know.

Reaching out, Kagome prepared to pull the cap from the hanyou's head, but she was reluctant. 'What if he's got a tumor or something and he's really embarrassed about it?' If that were the case, Kagome would feel awfully guilty.

Debating for many minutes, Kagome's eagerness got the best of her. Gulping, she thought, 'I wonder what he would do if he found out that I'm about to take off his hat…'

"N… Naraku…" Kagome pulled back her hand for a moment, fearing Inuyasha had awoken. She peered over his shoulder, only to see that his eyes were still glued shut. She released a soft sigh of relief. 'Wait a minute… Did he just call out a guys name in his sleep?' Her eyes widened. "Hojo…" Kagome brought quivering hands to her lips.

"Don't tell me… he's…" 'Then again, this could explain why he's always so moody with me… I wonder if I should confront him… Actually that can wait. Right now I need to take this opportunity and find out what's under his hat.'

Reaching out, without hesitation this time, Kagome grabbed a hold of the hat. Her heart skipped a beat as a strong hand gripped her wrist. She swallowed the knot in her throat.

"What do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha turned to face her with furious honey eyes.

"I'm… I was curious!" Tearing her wrist away, she began to cough furiously. Perhaps it was not such a great idea to holler that way with a soar throat. She could feel Inuyasha's palm pressing against her spine. He was helping her…

"Idiot, you shouldn't do that when you're sick."

"I… cough… I… cough…"

"Enough, I get it." His voice was so tender. It reached the depths of Kagome's soul. The half demon really did care about her. As her coughing began to subside, Inuyasha pushed her shoulder, so as to force her to lie down. "Go back to sleep and don't make another go at me hat." He ordered. Kagome could only nod.

Three long and dreadful days passed before Kagome's cold ended. She was relieved to see that no one else had caught her upper respiratory infection. She was sure she'd be blameworthy if any of the others had gotten ill due to her misjudgment.

"Where is everyone?" Kagome questioned Inuyasha as she made her way down the stairs. It was late into the morning and she had only just awoken.

"Shopping." Inuyasha chomped down a few pieces of popcorn. He didn't bother to turn towards Kagome. He was to mesmerized by the modern film that was playing on the television. "How are you feeling?" He asked her, although he really wasn't paying attention to her reply, which was "Much better."

"What are you watching?" She ambled over and took a seat a few cushions away from her friend, whom had been taking very good care of her over the past few days. He'd even concocted a revolting remedy for her, which had worked wonders.

"I don't know what it's called." Just by looking at him, Kagome could tell that he did not wish to be bothered with any farther questions. She respected his wishes and leaned back into the couch. She didn't know what she was watching, but she watched it anyway. She was curious to see what had gotten Inuyasha so hooked.

Suddenly there was thunder. Kagome's heart seemed to stop right there. She swallowed a lump of fear in her throat. Thunder came hand-in-hand with lightening. As much as she loved the rain, she hated lightening.

Beep Beep

Red words played along the bottom of the television screen. Kagome blinked and then squinted to see the words.

"A thunder storm…" She sighed sadly. 'This really stinks.'

After only twenty minutes, Kagome had forgotten about the thunder storm warning. She was no as equally entranced in the movie as Inuyasha was. The film turned out to be a thriller/horror about a murderer, whom lost all of his family and went insane.

The music played, causing Kagome's heart to start running. She understood this music meant something bad was going to happen. 'Is someone going to get hurt?' She wanted to close her eyes and cover her ears, but she couldn't. She needed to know what happened next.

THUNDER

"EEK!" Closing her eyes tightly and pushing her palms into her ears Kagome jumped against a surprised half demon. She buried her face in his chest, hoping it would cause the thunder to go away. She had lost sight of that fact that she was so tightly pressed up against Inuyasha.

Inuyasha looked down at Kagome. What was she doing? She was scared… His heart was racing. She was so close to him. Her smell was intoxicating. She hadn't been so close to him since before she lost her memory. It had not been very long, but in Inuyasha's mind it had felt like an eternity. Having her so close to him, so suddenly, was causing his emotions to go haywire.

As Kagome kept herself pressed up against Inuyasha, she felt a sense of security. A familiar feeling engulfed her. 'I've… I've felt this way before around him…' She could feel it. The world seemed to fade in that moment. Inuyasha was all she could see, all she could feel. A distant, cloaked memory was being unveiled.

"Inuyasha!" In a flash Kagome was in the half demon's arms. They had been separated for a mere few days, but in that time, Kagome had missed him profoundly. She had been so scared.

"K…" Inuyasha was tense and blushing. He did not return Kagome's embrace. Kagome knew he had been worried. She also understood how difficult it was for him to show affection, even in this times.

Blushing, Kagome pulled back. She muttered in apology.

"Are you alright?" Inuyasha inquired. Long, midnight-colored hair clinging to his bleeding shoulder. "Did that demon hurt you?"

"I… I'm fine. Nothing happened." Kicking a rock, Kagome frowned. "Your shoulder… how is it?"

"This is nothing."

Kagome jumped back, her eyes wide. 'What was that all about? It was a memory, but of when?'

"What happened?…"

"I… I think I just had a flashback." She could see the hope in Inuyasha's amber orbs. He leaned forward, expecting her to go on. "It was strange. You were there, but…" Her head began to ache. "You had black hair… You were bleeding and… and you asked me if the demon had hurt me…" Kagome looked at him in question. "Demon…?"

"Ah… I don't know… It probably wasn't even a memory if something like that happened. Just one of you fantasies…" He turned towards the TV, pretending like her recollection was no longer important.

"Maybe…" Kagome stared at her hands for a long moment, thinking. The more she tried to remember, the more her head pounded.

"Inuyasha, get down from there! It's time for lunch!" Kagome called up towards the tree branches.

"Hold your horses. I'm coming!" Inuyasha jumped from the tree, silver hair dancing in the breeze. Fuzzy ears twitching from it's tickle.

"F… fuzzy ears…" Eyes wide, Kagome looked up towards Inuyasha's hat. "It couldn't be…" Before Inuyasha could stop her, Kagome swiped the hat from his head.

Mouth gaping, Kagome jumped off the couch. She was speechless. Inuyasha was too.

"Why… why!? Cat ears!"

I'm going to take the advice of the first person who reviewed for chapter six. She'll get her memory back a little out of a time. Don't worry though, it will be fairly soon when she gets it back. I have the perfect time arranged.