Chapter 16

Kagome looked in the mirror she had hung up on her wall, judging her outfit. She was trying to go for casual, but pretty. Miroku had asked her to dress for a date. She had never been on one. Kouga never tried to sway her, and before then, she was so focused on her studies, that she didn't even think of dating.

She didn't know if she was wearing the right thing. She had taken a photo of her wardrobe and sent it to Sango, begging for help, though she didn't tell Sango why. She wasn't sure if Miroku wanted everyone to know they were in a relationship, so she wasn't telling anyone.

That cloud of self-doubt and hatred always reared its ugly head when she thought about it. It could be possible that he was embarrassed by her, and that was why he made no move to tell anyone. She kept trying to tell herself that wasn't the case. When they were alone, he was as sweet as could be.

She sighed, running a brush through her hair. Sango had picked out her outfit, and she could admit it was cute. Braiding her air to the side, she let it fall over her shoulder. It had grown since she left Kouga. He didn't like long hair, but she had been lucky that he didn't pay enough attention to make her cut it. Now, even braided and pulled to the side it ended a few inches below her breast.

A knock on her door, had her turning around to look at it. It had to be Miroku. He had told her to stay in her room until he came to get her. She didn't understand why, but she hadn't questioned it. It gave her time to prepare herself for her first date.

Making her way to her door, she opened it, smiling up at him. He blushed as he looked at her, and then turned his head away, covering his mouth. She hoped that was a good reaction, but she wasn't sure.

"You, um, your beautiful." He finally looked back to her, and she watched his eyes move down her form and back up. Yep. That had been a good reaction. He sighed then; a bit disappointed. "I came to tell you we won't be going on a date today. Something else has come up."

"Oh." Kagome's shoulders slumped and she looked down. Knowing he probably felt bad enough as it was, she plastered a smile on her face, and looked back up. "That's okay. I'll just change into something different."

"No, don't." He stopped her from shutting her door, realizing how disappointed she was. She looked like she was about to cry. "Kagome I will take you on a date. I promise. Please don't be upset." He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to do. He didn't want her to be upset, but he also didn't want to ruin what his mother had been working on.

Kagome didn't say anything, picking at the sundress that seemed to hug her figure in every possible way. It wasn't too tight, and flared out at the bottom, but it was yellow, and brought out her skin tone and eyes. It was his favorite.

Finally, she turned to look at him, biting her lip in nervousness. "Miroku, are you ashamed of me?"

"What?" He was taken aback, eyes wide as he looked at her. "What ever made you think that?"

"You haven't told anyone that we are together, and now this…" She looked away, hands still fidgeting with her dress.

"Kagome." Miroku stepped into her room, slowly reaching out to grab her chin. Gently he lifted her face up to his, pressing his lips to hers. As always, he gave her plenty of time to stop him if she wished. When she never did, he was always filled with a bit of joy. "Do you remember when we talked about this between us? I told you, you would be in charge. We would do whatever you were comfortable with. That means it's up to you to tell everyone when you are ready."

"Really? That's it?" She looked hopefully, and he smiled down at her.

"That's all it is. I promise. As far as tonight, it was never a date. Mother feels bad for the way the dinner went, and she has planned something for you as an apology." Grabbing her hand, he lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed them tenderly.

"She didn't have to do that." Kagome blushed, realizing how much she must have sounded like an idiot. She had let her insecurities get the best of her, even when Miroku had never given her a reason to. "I'm sorry I let myself get worked up."

"Think nothing of it." He held out his hand, offering it to her. She took it, letting him pull her out of the room, and towards the bar. When they stepped out of the hallway, she was surprised to see the entire bar done up as a birthday party.

Tears immediately sprang to her eyes, and she blinked them away. She had forgotten. "I…" Kagome looked at everyone. The entire crew from the bar, plus Izayoi and Touga. "I haven't celebrated my birthday in so long, I forgot when it was." Her face fell for a moment, but then she remembered she was surrounded by her new family. She smiled at them, wiping away the tears that tried to fall. "Thank you!"

"I did some digging to find out your birthday, so I hope you don't mind." Izayoi stepped forward, hugging Kagome to her tightly. "I am really sorry for how badly dinner was." She turned to her boys, all three lined up and looking anywhere else aside of her. When she cleared her throat, they all muttered their apologies at the same time.

Kagome chuckled, a hand over her mouth to try and hide her amusement. This was a family she had always wanted. Her grandfather and brother had loved her, but her mother had always been a hard and cold woman. She managed to suck the life out of everything.

Izayoi was so warm and tender hearted that she reminded Kagome of spring. She brought life with her, her touch and grace managing to squeeze its way into anything dark. She was the mother Kagome had always wished for.

"Well, we have a few games to play. There is cake, and of course gifts." Izayoi pointed everything out excitedly and beamed at the thought of Kagome having fun. "What do you want to do first? Gifts? Would you like to open your presents?"

"Sure." The smile on Kagome's face grew as she watched Izayoi clap her hands in excitement. She looked up to Miroku, meeting his gaze and he just rolled his eyes. This wasn't a new sight for him, and that meant his mother was like this more often than not.

Moving over to the table, Kagome looked at the many gifts her family had bought her. She teared up again, knowing they had rushed out to put all of this together for her. She would have been happy with just a cake, but she would appreciate everything they did.

She slowly opened her gifts, looking over everything. Sango went crazy with a bunch of clothing while Rin got her a few gift cards. Kagura got her a skimpy outfit that they all knew Kagome wouldn't wear. She claimed that when Kagome was ready to try striping, she would have an outfit. Discreetly, Miroku took that gift and hid it away. Kagome wouldn't be stripping for anybody.

After all of those gifts were opened, that only left two smaller ones. Kagome grabbed one, not noticing the way Miroku rubbed his neck in nervousness. She opened the gift, revealing a necklace. It was silver, and the shape of ivy with a single eye drop pearl hanging from it. It was beautiful.

Kagome looked for a name on the gift but couldn't find one. Looking up, she saw everyone pointing at Miroku who was standing behind her stiffly. "This is beautiful, Miroku." She took it out, running her fingers over it. "Put it on for me?"

He nodded, grabbing the necklace and waiting until Kagome had her braid held up. "Ivy is known for its strength. Once it's taken root, it's nearly impossible to get down." He slowly clasped the necklace around her neck. "Any time you think you are weak; this can be your reminder that you are strong and get stronger every day."

When the necklace was clasped, Kagome looked down at it. Running her fingers over it, she smiled tenderly. "I love it, Miroku." Spinning around, she grabbed his shoulders, and pulled him down to her, kissing him deeply.

She heard the gasp of everyone around them, but they went ignored. She was claiming him, letting everyone know that they were officially together, and it did something to him. It wasn't until Miroku let out a small groan that she pulled back. He covered his mouth, trying to hide the arousal that one kiss had surging through him. As much as he enjoyed kissing her, she wasn't ready for that yet.

"I'm glad you enjoy it." His voice was tight, causing him to clear his throat. When Kagome went back to looking at her necklace, he let out a sharp breath, swallowing. InuYasha scoffing had him looking at his best friend, and his eyes narrowed. Both InuYasha and Sesshomaru knew exactly how much Miroku was struggling in that moment, and they were enjoying his torment. One of these days, he was really going to hurt them.

"Here, Kagome." Touga also had a smirk on his face, but he took pity on his youngest. "This is from Izayoi, InuYasha, Sesshomaru, and myself. It is a birthday and apology gift. Miroku says that you will not accept it, but unfortunately, it cannot be returned, so if you will kindly accept this gift, it would be most appreciated."

She grabbed the gift warily, and then opened it all at once. Her face paled, as she grabbed the key, and held it up. "A car… You got me a car?" She looked at them with wide eyes, and they all four nodded.

"Tesla's are known for their safety, and they are eco friendly. We have already installed the charging port on the side of the club, so it is ready to be used. This is the newest model, and we have custom ordered it. It can't be returned." Again, Touga was trying to get her to accept the gift.

He was lying. It was easy to tell, but Kagome didn't say anything. Instead, she nodded, once more wiping at her eyes. "Can we go see it?" Izayoi immediately started ushering everyone out of the club, and they all went running towards Kagome's new car. Sango made the comment that she wished she could get a new car, and InuYasha offered to buy her as many cars as she wanted if she would give into his advances. She of course denied him.

They made their way back inside and went straight to the cake. They ate and celebrated, playing many games. Kagome couldn't remember a time that her birthday had been so happy. She had parties before, mostly thrown by her grandfather, but he couldn't do much because her mother had always been lurking. This is what a family was, and she felt lucky to be a part of it.

"Kagome." Sesshomaru called her to him with a finger, and when she approached, he set a packet of papers on the table in front of her. She sat at the chair, grabbing the packet and realizing it was divorce papers. "I took the liberty of drawing them up. Right now, these mean nothing. However, if you were to sign them…"

Miroku overheard, and came to sit beside Kagome, giving her silent support. He didn't interfere, just let her know that he was there. Kagome swallowed, hands shaking as she looked at the papers. This could be the start of her future. She just had to take it.

"Before you do anything, you must know what I have done." Sesshomaru sat across from her, his face serious. "I have requested an anonymous and unbiased judge. That means Kouga will not know who the judge is until the court day. This means he won't have the opportunity to either buy or threaten the judge. However, that also means I am unsure of who the judge will be. There is a chance we will get a judge who has already been bought by Kouga. It has its risks, but this is our best chance."

"The mediation?" She kept her eyes on the paper, not looking from what was possibly her future.

"The mediation will happen. Most judges will even request it in an attempt to help save a marriage. There is nothing we can do to stop it, but father and myself have taken on this case. That means we will be there with you the entire time." Sesshomaru sighed, reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out a pen. "This will be a lengthy process, and we will do everything we can to get you free. Should we fail, I will honor my promise to you. Do you trust me, Kagome?"

He held the pen out to her, not setting it down like he normally would. It was a test and a push. He wanted her to trust him, and by taking that pen from his hand and signing the papers, she was proving that she did. With a deep breath, she reached out, taking the pen from him.

Her fingers brushed his, causing her to inhale sharply. She didn't react negatively though, and their eyes connected for a moment. Looking down to the paper, she set the pen to the line, and signed her name. Cheers rang up around them, alerting Kagome to the audience that had gathered. Her support. Her family.

"Good girl." Sesshomaru drawled, taking the papers back and placing them in a folder. "Now we get you free."

...

There's not much to say this time, so I will just let you be. thanks to my editor for making this chapter readable. I hope everyone enjoyed.