Chapter 9
A little bit of time had passed since Kagome found out the truth about Inuyasha and Kikyo, but there was nothing that she could do that would keep her daughter safe. The whole situation drove her crazy. It was like being a sitting duck just awaiting disaster. It also didn’t help, that she was exhausting herself much more as well. Life wasn’t easy as a full-time mother and student, and then a part-time worker as well. Then of course, to top it off, she was dealing with the stress of Inuyasha and Kikyo. Life in general had her constantly anxious and she had been feeling so sick because of it. Bills were beginning to pile up. Kagome had to start leaving Ira with her mother and brother more, because she couldn’t always pay Rin. Even though Rin said she didn’t mind watching Ira for free sometimes, Kagome knew she couldn’t take advantage of her like that.
“Sis, you’re not looking too good.” Souta said as he sat down next to his sister on the couch. “Is everything alright? Well, as alright as it could be...” He added knowing that life wasn’t easy for his sister at the moment.
Kagome was lying on her back, and Ira was asleep on top of her. “Honestly, I don’t know Souta. I feel sick all the time. I’m not getting enough sleep, and when I do sleep…I wake up still tired. I’ve had a pounding headache for as long as I can remember and I’ve been having some chest pains, but I have no idea why. I know I am too young to be having chest pains.”
Souta’s eyes widened after hearing all his sisters body problems and he felt bad. But, he didn’t know what he could do to help her, other than to be the shoulder to cry on or that ear to listen when she needed it. “Have you considered moving back home? At least until you can get back on your feet. That would be one financial burden off your back for now.
“I thought about it…” She said.
“And...?”
Kagome stayed unusually quite while trying to choose her words carefully. “I can’t bring my problems back home to mom and grandpa. I’m already public enemy number one in grandpa’s eyes. He doesn’t even associate with Ira, and I’m not living in a place where mine and my daughter’s presence is clearly unwelcomed. That was the reason I left. “
“I really think gramps has been warming up to Ira. Especially since she has been coming around a little more.” Said Souta.
“There is a difference between visiting and living.” Kagome shot back.
“True…”He sighed and decided it was probably best to just change the subject. “Well, have you heard anything back from Sesshomaru?”
“No I haven’t, and since Ira doesn’t go with Rin as much anymore, I don’t see him too much either.”
“Do you think he’s been in contact with Inuyasha at all?”
Kagome sat up and readjusted Ira so that she was cradling in her arms. “I don’t know…I would assume so. But, he hasn’t said anything to me. The last time we spoke, he asked for a copy of the DNA results. That was two weeks ago. I would assume that he took some initiative to speak with Inuyasha by now.”
“What about you?” He asked.
“What about me?”
Souta raised an eyebrow, “Have you made any attempt to speak to Inuyasha?”
“Why in the hell would I do that? I would lose Ira if I tried to tell him anything. I’m Stuck in between a rock and a hard place. Besides, why should I even waste my time? Inuyasha didn’t even care to listen to me from the beginning.”
“But, don’t you think that if you told Inuyasha the truth…the real truth, he would protect you and Ira from Kikyo’s wrath?”
“I’ve thought about that too, but I’m not sure I am willing to risk my daughter’s safety like that. Who is to say that is not something that Kikyo is expecting for me to think? This woman has had years to plot and scheme.”
“But she’s only had a few months to incorporate you and Ira into those schemes. Think about it, Kikyo had to keep up the façade of a loving wife for three years and then divorce Inuyasha. That was probably all she ever thought about. Then, a few months before she could succeed you show up with a child sired by her husband that consequentially cancels out all of her plans to live a happy and wealthy life. That means, that in a matter of weeks, she had to come up with a plan to temporarily keep you out of the picture long enough so that she can get what she wants; which was to suck Inuyasha dry of his assets.”
“What are you saying to me, Souta?”
“I’m saying, you have the power to stop all of this if you would just stop letting Kikyo walk all over you. You lost Inuyasha once before and there was nothing you could do about it then. But now, it’s happening all over again, and you’re just going to sit back and let it happen. How hurt do you think Inuyasha will be when he finds out that you, the one woman that he thought he could trust…let something like this happen, knowing that you could stop it? Don’t let Kikyo win!” Souta shouted and accidentally woke Ira from her sleep.
“Kikyo already won! Don’t you get it, Souta? Kikyo has made it so Inuyasha doesn’t want to see or speak to me? What am I supposed to do if he won’t listen?” Kagome asked, but more so to herself than to her brother.
“Then, at least you tried…”
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
“Mr. Takahashi, there is someone here to see you.” Inuyasha’s receptionist said through the talking device on his desk.
“I don’t have any appointments scheduled for today. Can you take a message and I will give them a call some other time?” He answered back.
“You most certainly will not!” Came the voice of someone Inuyasha hadn’t seen in years as he burst through his large French door.
“S-Sesshomaru…? I-I…uh? W-what are you doing here?” Inuyasha stammered and he took in the appearance of his long lost older brother.
“I’m about to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life, now listen closely!” Sesshomaru said while slamming the door. “We have a lot to talk about, and I’m only going to say all this once.”
Inuyasha sighed and nodded his head. He motioned for his brother to have a seat across from his desk. “I already know what you’re going to say to me.”
“How could you possibly know what I’m going to say before the words have yet to come from my lips? You see, that’s you’re problem little brother; you think you know everything and no one else knows nothing. Why don’t you shut up for five minutes and let someone else speak!” Sesshomaru snapped with an unchanging serious look on his face.
Inuyasha was going to counter his comment, but decided not to because it would cause a needless argument and arguing is not something he felt like doing at the moment. So, he decided to just remain silent. Sesshomaru slid a tan manila folder across the desk and Inuyasha opened it. He ran his eyes over the various documents and forms within the folder. “Where did you get all this stuff?” He said while scanning copies of his marriage agreement with Kikyo. A contract between his father and whom he assumed to be Kikyo’s father. There were even some letters of agreement between other companies that their father stole money from in the past.
“These are the documents that I swiped from father’s office years ago when I was supposed to take over. He never forgave me for sneaking into his office and finding this stuff, and he never wanted me to tell you about it, which is why he cast me out of the family.”
Inuyasha reached into one of the drawers of his desk and pulled out the letter his father left him and slid it to Sesshomaru. “I found this hidden in a photo frame a few weeks ago.”
Sesshomaru read the letter with a questioning look on his face. “This doesn’t make any sense…” He said.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why would dad write you this letter telling you that you can divorce her at any time as long as you have a bloodline? He would have had to already known that you had a child or one on the way. Otherwise, this letter is very misleading.”
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, “I’m confused…”
“Judging by these two sentences, ‘The only way to avoid all of this is for you to have a child of your own. Kikyo cannot claim anything if there is an immediate blood line in waiting simply because Kikyo is a Takahashi by marriage and not birth. The contract that you both signed cannot deny someone’s birth right. If you have an immediate bloodline, you gain everything and Kikyo is left with nothing. You can divorce her at any time.’ Dad choose these words carefully, because if anyone else were to read this, they would think that having a child with Kikyo would help you, when in actuality that would hurt you. Because Kikyo’s child would be the new successor, and as the child’s birth mother, Kikyo would still be entitled to everything until the child was 18 years old.” Sesshomaru, read the letter one more time, then thought to himself for a moment. “Do you think it is possible that father knew you had a child on the way, during the time when you would have been getting ready to marry?”
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, “Feh, a child on the way with who? I was only with one woman at the time, but it turns out I wasn’t the only man she was seeing!” He crossed his arms.
“Who are you trying to convince right now, Inuyasha? Me…or yourself?”
“Well, what do you know anyway? Don’t think that because you came in here with all these papers that you are all high and mighty now!” Inuyasha stood up and slapped his hands on his desk.
“When are you ever going to stop being so thick headed Inuyasha? Haven’t you grown up at all since you took over this company!?” Sesshomaru pulled an envelope out from his inside jack pocket and threw it on the desk. “Maybe this will help convince you!”
“What the hell is this!?”
“Those, are the real DNA test results between you and your daughter, Ira! The one’s that Kikyo gave to Kagome, herself in exchange for her silence so that she could finalize your divorce paperwork and leave you penniless the day after your third anniversary!”
Inuyasha started opening the letter that Sesshomaru had just given him when at that moment, someone else burst through his door.
“Inuyasha! I have something I need to say to you!” Both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha jerked their faces to the door and were met with a very worn out looking Kagome.
“Kagome, before you lash out, I already know what you’re going to say…” Inuyasha said.
“Wrong thing to say, Inuyasha…we just talked about this.” Sesshomaru chided.
“No, you don’t know what I’m going to say! Because, what I thought I was going to say, isn’t what’s ever about to come out my mouth! I rehearsed everything, my entire way over here…and now that I’m here, the only thing that I can manage to say is-“ Kagome pause for a second and clenched her chest, “That I…I…” Her breathing started to quicken and become deeper and deeper.
“Kagome, are you alright!?” Inuyasha jumped up and rushed to her side.
“I…I’m having…trouble…breathing…” She forced out before falling to her knees on the floor.
“I’m calling an ambulance!” Sesshomaru yelled while dialing 911 on Inuyasha’s office phone.
“Kagome, Kagome stay with me!” Inuyasha said while holding her in his arms trying to keep her from passing out.
Kagome’s vision had gone completely blurry, and everything sounded muffled as if she were underwater. ‘Inuyasha…I love you.’ She thought to herself before she closed her eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Beep…beep…beep…
‘What is that sound?’
Beep…beep…beep…
‘There it is again.’
“She suffered, from an acute anxiety attack. Most likely brought on by stress and lack of proper sleep. She also has some heart palpitations that were brought on by the attack. She is going to need to stay on the heart monitor until she wakes up. So we can watch her heart rate.”
Kagome opened her eyes, and all she saw was white. It took a minute for her eyes to focus, but eventually her vision cleared up. ‘I’m…in the hospital…?’ She looked around, and saw her mother and brother at the foot of her hospital bed talking with a doctor. ‘How did I get here….? Where is Ira?’
“There is also, one more thing that I need to tell you. But I think it would be best, to wait until your daughter wakes up to tell you both at the same time.”
“M-mom…” Kagome whispered.
The people in the room all turned their heads toward Kagome. “Oh, sweetheart…you’re finally awake!” Her mother said while rushing to the side of her bed and stroking her daughter’s cheek. “Are you feeling alight, honey?”
“Fine, but…how did I get here? I remember being at Inuyasha’s office…then, nothing.”
“You had a panic attack and passed out, sis.” Souta chided. “You had us all so worried sick because you were out cold for five days!”
“Five days…” Kagome repeated, “Where’s Ira?”
“She’s in the hospital nursery right downstairs. I never came here without her, but I didn’t think it would be a good idea for her to see you unconscious. So, we weren’t going to bring her in until you woke up. But, Ira certainly does miss you.”
“Please, please go get her…I want to see my daughter.” She started pleading.
“I’ll go get her mom,” Souta said, and left his mother and the doctor in the room with Kagome.
“Have I really been asleep for five days?”
“You certainly were, Ms. Kagome.” The doctor spoke up. “You exhausted yourself, and for a woman that is expecting…sleep isn’t something you should be depriving yourself of.”
“Expecting!?” Kagome’s eyes widened, and her heart rate sped up.
“Doctor, there’s must be a mistake…” Her mother said.
“There is no mistaking it,” He said to the older woman and then turned his attention to Kagome, “You’re about three and a half weeks along. Have you missed a cycle yet?”
Kagome hadn’t even thought about that. So much had been going on lately, that she hadn’t even stopped to think about something like that. But even still, “I can’t be…pregnant. I just can’t!”
“I can tell that this isn’t something that was planned, but the reality is that you are pregnant. And you are going to need to take it easy, especially now in your first trimester. Now, I’m going to leave you two for now. I will check on you in a few hours. If you need anything, you can push that button for a nurse.” He said, and then left the room.
Kagome heard her mother release a deep sigh, and she knew it was from disappointment, but she wasn’t going to say it. The room was awkwardly quite, as if they were both waiting for the other to say something. Kagome only wished that Souta would hurry back with Ira so that it wouldn’t be so quiet in the room.
“Kagome…” Her mother spoke up.
“Y-yes…?” She answered.
“Do you have a plan?”
Kagome thought back to the first time she was pregnant. When she finally mustered up the courage to tell her mother. Instead of coming down on her, like she had expected; she merely asked her did she have a plan. And now, here she was again, two years later. “No…no mom, I don’t. I don’t have a plan.”
Her mother placed a gentle hand on her daughter’s lower abdomen and said, “Let make one…together this time.”
Kagome put her hand on top of her mother’s and nodded her head.
Moments later, Souta re-entered the room with Ira on his hip. “Somebody wants to see you, Ira.” He said and Ira caught eyes with her mother.
“Mommy!” She bellowed sweetly with her eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face.
“Hi, baby girl. How are you?” Kagome said as Souta placed Ira in her lap.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
“There is no way that Kikyo is just going to agree to signing divorce papers before the date. So, what are my options?” Inuyasha said to both his brother and lawyer Kaede.
“It might not be as difficult as you think. This contract is pretty black and white and if I am interoperating this correctly, as long as you have a child of your blood-line, it doesn’t matter when you divorce her. She will be allowed twenty percent of your total funds, you will be allowed thirty percent is to go into a trust for your child and the rest is yours.”
“Wow, Ira will never have to work a day in her life. Thirty percent is a lot, especially knowing how much more will be yours once the money that was taken is returned from the Onigumo’s. “ Sesshomaru said.
“What are you talking about?” Inuyasha asked.
“Kikyo’s Father, Naraku…he was allowed to take a portion of whatever money brought in before it hits the company account.” Sesshomaru answered with a raised eyebrow.
“Wait, seriously!?”
“When I gave you those papers, how much did you actually read, Inuyasha?”
Inuyasha crossed his arms, “ I might have skimmed.” He answered, and then remembered something his privet detective told him, ‘I found that a third party has been taking out a portion of funds from your company’s account before the money actually reaches you. I don’t know what this third party is…all I could uncover were the initials N.O.’ “N.O…Naraku Onigumo?”
“Yes, that is Kikyo’s father…”
“So her dad has been the one taking funds this whole time!?”
Sesshomaru nodded, “Funds that will no longer belong to him when you are no longer married to his daughter. I have to say, our dad was a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them…when it came to contracts. He made sure that this was written in a way that you could at least salvage something in the end.”
“According to this marriage contract, the money should have stopped going to him as soon as your child was born. That means that you will have at least a years’ worth of back owed money coming to you.” Kaede informed him.
“The only thing left to do now, would be to confront Kikyo with the divorce papers. You said it wouldn’t be difficult to get her to sign…explain?” Inuyasha asked the older woman.
“If Kikyo knows that you know about the fine print of this contract, and that you already have a child. It would work in her favor to just sign so she can walk with her twenty percent without a problem. Or, she can wait until after the probation period, e.i. the day after your anniversary and walk with nothing.”
“Alright, that sounds easy enough…”
“But,”
Inuyasha sighed, “I knew there was a butt…”
“Inuyasha, shut up and listen!” Sesshomaru shot.
“The only way any of this can work in your favor is for you to establish paternity. When dealing with legal documents, you need more than word of mouth. You can’t walk into any court and demand divorce papers, on your circumstances and think that any judge is just going to hand them over to you. It was probably that easy for Kikyo, because all she has to do it be married to you for three years. But you, Inuyasha…you need some legal documentation stating that you are indeed that little girls’ father.”
“Are the DNA results not binding?” He asked.
“Those are medical records…not legal records,” Sesshomaru cut in. “You need to get your name on that girl’s birth certificate and you need to do it pronto. You’re only problem is that, because she is a year old, you need to get Kagome to agree to that because she is the biological mother.”
“And I am the biological father!”
“Yes, but doesn’t Ms. Kikyo have another copy that says you are not? She can use that against you if she decided to fight back.” Kaede said.
Sesshomaru nodded his head, “You need to get Kagome to agree to go down to the country courthouse with you so you can file for a change on Ira’s birth certificate. When you get approval from the courts, they will give you a DNA referral. You, Kagome and Ira will all have to go down to the Lab and have a court ordered DNA test done. The lab will send the results directly back to the courts, only then can you get an approved birth certificate change. You both will be issued a new birth certificate with both of your names on it, and Ira will take on the last name Takahashi. Then, and only then, will you be able to file for divorce and Kikyo would have no choice but to comply.”
“That doesn’t seem too hard…” Inuyasha as if he was trying to convince himself.
“Yes, except…that process can sometimes take up to six months to complete in its entirety and you are working on with a window to two months. It’s already mid-March and last I checked, Kagome is passed out in the hospital; and she is also not your biggest fan at the moment from what you have told me.”
Inuyasha lowered his head, “I know…”
“You’ve caused that girl a lot of pain over the years; and you continue to do so with each passing moment. You would be lucky if she even wants to help you out at all.”
“One more thing to consider, you would do best not to let Kikyo know what you know for the time being. I am pretty sure that she has a backup plan to intercept something like this and you need to keep both the child and her mother safe.”
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
“Because of your anxiety attack and heart palpitations, your pregnancy is automatically going to be considered high-risk. Any more episodes like that, and you run the risk of your unborn child not getting enough oxygen.”
“So, what does that mean for me…?” Kagome asked the doctor. This was her seventh day in the hospital. She had finally been taken off the heart monitor and breathing machine because she seemed to have complete control of her body once again. Today she was being discharged, but had to be on bed rest until she was six weeks into her pregnancy; which of course, was not something Kagome could afford to be on. She had to go to school and work to provide for her child, soon to be children and herself.
“It means that you are going to have some early ultrasounds done until we can be sure that you are stable enough to get on a normal prenatal schedule.”
Kagome looked puzzled, “Early ultrasounds…I thought I wouldn’t get my first ultrasound until after six weeks. The baby is too small…”
“Those are uterine ultrasounds and you are correct, you can’t get one of those until the fetus is a bit bigger. This is why you are going to have to undergo trans-vaginal ultrasounds, at least two a week until you are six and a half weeks pregnant. Then, you will switch to uterine ultrasounds twice a week.” The doctor answered.
“Is that…going to hurt?” Kagome asked nervously.
The doctor shrugged, “It might not be very comfortable…but if you want to have a healthy pregnancy, you should consider my suggestions.”
Kagome looked at her mother who stroked her hair, “It’s up to you sweetheart. You don’t have to have anything done to your body that you don’t want. No one is going to force you to have the ultrasounds done. But if you want, I will go with you to have them done.”
Kagome took a deep breath , “Alright…I’ll do it.”
The doctor gave thumbs up and began writing on the clip board in his hand. I will this information and your discharge papers to the front desk where everything will be waiting for you. You are free to go whenever you are ready.” He said and left the room.
“I can’t believe you’re going to have another baby sis,” Souta said, a little more shocked than excited.
Kagome stood up from the bed. She was already dressed, but began packing up the rest of her belongings so she could leave. “Yea…neither can I.” She replied, kind of wanting the subject to just be dropped. But she already knew what was running through her mother and brother’s head. They were waiting for her to say who the father was, because as far as they knew…Kagome wasn’t seeing anyone. Her family was just too polite to ask.
“Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?” He asked.
“I don’t know-” She answered, “I only found out two days ago…I think I’m still in shock.”
Souta and his mother shared a glance both knowing what he really wanted to ask. “Well, I already have a niece. So It would be cool to have a nephew to pal around with! Haha.” He tried to joke with her, but Kagome didn’t laugh.
She stopped packing her back and let out a long held in deep breath, “Inuyasha…” She finally said.
“What was that, dear?” Her mother said.
“I know you both want to know who I was sleeping with…it was Inuyasha. If I really am pregnant, which I’m not even sure if I believe yet…the father is Inuyasha. Now, you can stop with the needless small talk, Souta.” She swung her bag over her shoulder and picked Ira up off the bed. “Now, if it’s alright…I’d really like to go home now. I have a lot of things to think about.”
Souta and their mother nodded in agreement. “I’ll take that bag for you sis, no need to over exert yourself.” He said while taking the extra weight from her arm.
“Thanks,” She said and walked out the door toward the front desk with her mother and brother following behind her.
---
After the twenty minute cab ride back to Kagome’s apartment, which seemed like forever. Kagome contemplated calling Inuyasha and telling him to come over. But then, something clicked…why should she? He already denied one child, what is stopping him from denying another? Or an even better question, where was he the entire time she was in the hospital? Had he even gone to visit her at all? Did he even know she was out? Did he care about her at all?
As she starred at his name in her contact list, a tear rolled down the side of her cheek and onto the screen of her phone. He didn’t care…there was no way! Without thinking, Kagome hit the delete button and erased his number from her phone. Then, out of impulse…she erased her whole contact list. She looked at her phone in pre disgust because she didn’t want anything associated with contacting him to exist in her house. So, she ripped her sim-card out of the phone and stepped on it. Then threw the phone against the wall and it broke.
“I hate you, Inuyasha! Why is it that every time I get involved with you…you find some way to leave a stamp on my life?” Ira started crying because of the vibe coming off of her mother. Then, Kagome started crying. It was a full on cry fest, and there was no way that Kagome could stop the water works. But then, she felt her chest beginning to get tight again…and she knew if she worked herself up like this, she would have another panic attack and end up right back in the hospital. She clenched her chest and started walking to the kitchen to a glass of cold water. Once she was able to calm herself down, she stopped crying long enough to calm Ira and put her down for a nap.
Once Ira was fully asleep, Kagome put her in the bedroom and closed the door and leaned up against it. “I don’t know what I am going to do in order to get through this, but I will take on the world for you,” Kagome placed bother her hands on her stomach. “Both of you…”
She sniffled, and fought the tears threatening to fall down her face once again. “The world doesn’t know about you yet, baby…but I’m here. I’ll protect you.”
-X-
AN: Don’t lynch me yet…because I know this chapter is more than overdue. I haven’t updated since June. But that was because I was having trouble figuring out how I wanted to open this chapter up. Anyway. If it makes you all feel any better, I will immediately begin writing chapter 10 as soon as I post this because I really didn’t want to leave the story here. But, this seemed like the most comfortable spot for a break.
-Kriss