A/N: Edited 6/3/2016 for content. I try not to change the overall idea and I never start a chapter from scratch. For loyal readers who have been with this story since 2009, there isn't really a need to re-read it. I don't want to change what I wrote because that'd change my idea for the story and it may be more harm than good to do that. IF I have another story idea, I can always write a new one.
The Struggle
"I thought we were home alone…" I said, mortified.
"Hn" he responded, and for a second he sounded like Sesshomaru.
I went to grab my tank top and sweats off the floor. Inuyasha grabbed a random pair of jeans out of his messy closet and a button down top. He swung open the room to his door and led me by the hand downstairs to the living room.
"Kagome, I'm surprised to see you out of the hospital so soon, how are you feeling?" Izayoi asked, I joined Inuyasha on the couch, across from his parents.
"I'm doing well, the baby didn't get injured at all by the fall" I answered stiffly. Inuyasha seemed to notice how uncomfortable I was.
"And you decided coming to my house to having sex with my son was the best way to celebrate your good health" Inu no Taisho mocked.
"Lay off, Pops. I chose to bring her home from the hospital" Inuyasha muttered. He was not very comfortable.
"What about informing your mother & I of your decision," He said, directing that tone towards Inuyasha. But that didn't stop him from laying into me, "And you could have had the decency to keep your legs closed momentarily long enough for us to come home from work" He continued, unphazed.
"Darling, leave the kids alone. They've been through so much" Izayoi pleaded. She tried to soothe her husband's irked mood but he was not done laying into me verbally.
"So much…first the girl cries rape then becomes 'pregnant' with our deceased's son only child and now she's draining all of the life and wealth out of our youngest, how much is she really going through?" Inu no Taisho said sarcastically. I could feel the pressure inside me building up and I was growing steadily angrier.
"I didn't 'cry' rape, I was raped by your ass wipe of a son, he impregnated me against my will. I am grateful to Inuyasha for staying by my side through all of this" I sad graciously, holding Inuyasha's hand and making me feel like I also had any support.
"And next you'll tell me that you two are madly in love and are going to raise the baby together as a family. Am I right?" Inu no Taisho demanded, his hands clasped in front of him angrily. He was blatantly ignoring Izayoi's stern glances.
"My choice, Pops. I'm not a child anymore" Inuyasha blurted. I was shocked, he was very silent through all of the things that Inu no Taisho said to me.
"Why throw your life away needlessly? She has made her choices and is stuck with the consequences. Are you going to raise your niece or nephew as your own child? Produce more children with her? Marry her? All foolish mistakes" Inu No Taisho said condescendingly and that just set Inuyasha off.
"You're full of shit! The only mistake here is that Sess raped her. And raped so many others" Inuyasha added. Inu no Taisho shook his head. The doorbell rang, interrupting the conversation.
"Who could that be?" Izayoi questioned, making her way towards the door. She squinted one eye to see through the small glass peephole. She unlatched the lock and opened the door slightly.
"Mrs. Higurashi, a pleasure to see you here" She smiled warmly. Mama was still dressed in her work uniform, her face haggard from a long day of work. Mama came right in past her and stood at the edge of the two couches, with all of us now looking at her. Izayoi resumed her spot next to her husband.
"Mrs. Higurashi, late and neglectful as usual. You missed our children's coupling upstairs in my house when they thought we were away" Inu no Taisho teased. I turned a shade of pink, poor mama didn't need to hear it that way.
"Our children aren't children anymore. Kagome is 3 and a half months away from being a mother and Inuyasha has been stepping up to the plate to take care of her" Mama said in my defense.
"You don't find it odd that Inuyasha will be raising another man's baby" Inu no Taisho questioned.
"You don't find it to be a problem that your oldest son raped my daughter and you wanted to sweep all of that under the rug?" She retorted.
"My son never raped your daughter, her carefree and promiscuous behavior today proves she'll give herself away to any man who shows her kindness" Inu no Taisho continued.
"Sess raped me, he raped me on the bathroom floor of a house party filled with our classmates. He barged in on me while I was trying to get out. I had to fight for my life and ultimately had to kill him to get away. I didn't say anything to Sesshomaru to make him think it was wanted" I started crying; out of everything that has happened to me, the hardest part was not being believed.
"Right? Why would Sesshomaru 'rape' you when he could have any girl he wanted? My son was a hot young male who was unjustly killed because you were embarrassed to be caught acting like a harlot" Inu no Taisho said.
"Why would I subject myself to the ridicule, the disbelief, the lies, and all of the problems? Telling people I was raped was hard but all of the backlash was harder. I lost my friends, my ability to go a normal school, I can't go anywhere or do anything because that stigma of being a rape victim follows me" I squealed, my voice fading in and out due to the tears that were stinging my throat and burning my eyes.
"You did it for attention. To mare the Taisho name, just as Ayame did" He replied.
"What about Kikyo? Did she off herself for attention" Inuyasha demanded, his voice low and controlled.
"We don't know why Kikyo and committed suicide…but we cannot attribute it to Sesshomaru" Inu no Taisho answered.
"All I know is that Inuyasha and I care about each other, let them be happy. Your eldest son robbed my daughter of any symbol of a normal life" Mrs. Higurashi jumped in.
"I will not consent to this union" Inu no Taisho said firmly.
"We won't need your blessing, we can go forward without you" I said. Inuyasha gripped my hand tightly and I felt better.
"I will not claim you, that baby, or my son anymore" Inu no Taisho stated.
"Regardless to if Inuyasha and I are together, this child is your grandchild, the only one that you've got Are you really willing to never know this baby because you are in denial about Sesshomaru" I said, his name coming off my tongue awkwardly.
"I cannot be sure who else you've been with and I am not ready to accept it until a DNA test is conducted" Inu no Taisho refused to relent. His demeanor never changed and his tone remained level. I see where Sesshomaru got his personality from.
"And once the baby is proven to be Sesshomaru's?" Inuyasha questioned.
"Then I will provide financial support to the baby as long as Izayoi and I have visitation" Inu no Taisho said firmly. I scoffed under my breath.
"Visitation? You don't even like the baby" I screeched.
"2 days a month where we can have the baby, that's all we ask" Izayoi corrected. Her face seemed drained from all this emotional turmoil. But it was hard to feel sympathy for her when her husband is attacking me. I frowned, unsure how I felt about visitation.
"We'll see once the baby is here if I can agree to such an arrangement" I concluded.
"Do you know the gender yet?" Izayoi asked. I shook my head now.
"Inuyasha, are you serious about Kagome?" Izayoi asked him.
"Yeah" He said.
"Even that answer doesn't seem confident" Inu no Taisho chided.
"Whatever, no matter what you'll always hate that I'm with Kagome" Inuyasha shrugged, obviously not trying to fight. Even though I am not sure what we meant by "with" me
"I don't hate that you're with her, I just don't want to lose another one of my sons to her" Inu no Taisho responded.
"Do you think that I wanted to lose my daughter to this family? My daughter was a smart, innocent, college-bound high school student who lost everything at the hands of your child" Mama exclaimed.
"She didn't lose everything, a child is a blessing" Izayoi chimed in.
"A blessing that she could have better enjoyed after she successfully completed Tokyo U" Mama sneered.
"But what of her future? She can't just go off to college for four years with a baby at home" Izayoi asked.
"Kagome never even decided if she'd want to keep this baby. For all we know, this is a moot point" Inu no Taisho argued. All eyes turned on me and I could feel my face growing arm. All this talk of a future and of my life raising HIS kid…but I was still undecided.
"Regardless of what she chooses, I will be there" Inuyasha agreed.
"You aren't seriously going to stay if she isn't even raising the kid. That's a complete waste of time" Inu no Taisho said, astonished.
"I love her" Inuyasha announced and that threw all of us for a loop.
"How could you love her? You barely know each other. That sex must have gone to your head" Inu no Taisho said, the first one to speak after that announcement.
"Leave them be. I think this has gone on too long" Izayoi got up and came over the couch with me, Mama and Inuyasha, clasping my hand.
"My son obviously loves you and wants to be with you. And I want to be a part of both his life and my grandchild's if you decide to raise the baby so you are welcome to come to this home as much as you'd like to visit Inuyasha. Once you make a decision about the baby, please let us know" Izayoi said cheerfully.
"Izayoi" Inu no Taisho growled.
"Enough! You will drive away my own remaining son and our unborn grandchild with this foolishness. I won't stand for it. I can't imagine losing anyone else I love" Izayoi said, visibly weepy. Inuyasha threw an arm around his mother and pushed her head into the crook of his neck.
"I think it's about time we call it a night, shall we?" Inu no Taisho called out as if we were wrapping up a late night dinner party.
"Yes, I'll get Kagome home. But trust we will keep in touch" Mama said, Izayoi extended an arm past me to Mama which she accepted. Despite Inu no Taisho's harsh demeanor, Izayoi was trying to be friendly.
Inu no Taisho gathered up his wife and guided her upstairs, leaving just the 3 of us in the living room.
"Ready Kagome?" Ma asked me.
"Go ahead and start the car" I requested.
Once she disappeared, "So…about what you said…" I started.
"What about it?" Inuyasha replied, defensively.
"Did you mean it? Do you like me?" I blurted
"Oy! Do you really think I'd lie about that?" He asked.
"I just never heard you say anything close to that about me…I had to make sure" I said sheepishly.
"Duh Kags, I wouldn't put up with you if I didn't. Pops is pissed but he'll live. Ma won't let him ruin this for her" He said.
"I like you too…I'm sorry that I got all this started" I said slowly.
"I'm not sorry for a damn thing" Inuyasha continued.
"Of course you aren't, you're still in a good mood from earlier" Talking about earlier reminded both of us that it was our first time together.
"Keh! It's not just because of that" He said flustered.
**Honk Honk*** We had forgotten about poor mom out in the car.
"Bye Yash" I said, turning to go out the door.
"You're just gonna go?" Inuyasha questioned.
"Yeah?...why? Did you want me to stay?" I asked.
"Don't go without a proper goodbye" He grinned, I turned back and gave Inuyasha a peck.
"Be good and maybe next time you can have more" I giggled. Inuyasha walked behind me, following me out the door.
"Bye Kags" He said, sounding surprisingly flat. I waved back at him before I hopped in the car.
"The nerve of that asshole…I can't believe that guy produced Inuyasha" Mom swore. I was shocked, she rarely cussed.
"Yeah, Izayoi tries to temper him down but he's too feisty, I mean he says whatever he wants" I agreed.
"I'm surprised, Inuyasha tried to stand up for you this time, maybe he has changed…" Mama said, and it kind of warmed my heart.
"I know you aren't totally ok with Inuyasha and I trying to be a couple" I started.
"I don't want you hurt, Kagome. Inu no Taisho is adamantly against you two. Why would you want to make a family with someone whose family hates you?" Mom asked.
"Izayoi seems to want to be around if only because it makes Inuyasha happy and despite Inu no Taisho's attitude, Izayoi may be able to calm him down to a point where we can be civil to one another. I know Inuyasha has my back" I insisted. For the rest of a car ride, we rode in silence. I was deep in my thoughts and Mama was just ready to go home.