Chapter 14

Court

Kagome

"I really don't want to do this." I whispered to myself, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

I had on a button-up blouse that I absolutely hated, but it was the only thing that would fit my gigantic stomach. My skirt fit just fine because it rested low on my hips, but the worst thing about this outfit were the flats I was being forced to wear.

With only two weeks to go until the pups' arrival, Sesshomaru has been going crazy. I just really needed some space, especially with what was happening today. That selfish man was making us go to court, and I was seriously trying not to have a panic attack.

Not only would I be seeing the man who hit me, but I would have to get into a car to get to court. I haven't stepped foot into a car since Sesshomaru brought me home, and I never wanted to again. Just looking at the things scared me, and now I was being forced into one because of this asshole.

I put the lid down on the toilet and sat down. As best as I could, I placed my elbows on my knees and covered my face, trying to regulate my breathing. I was so stressed out about getting into that car that I really wasn't feeling good. Not to mention my back was killing me; carrying two pups is no easy feat.

How did anyone expect me to do this? I very nearly lost my life in that car wreck, and now I'm expected to get back into another car. I don't want to get in that car. I want to stay home with my mate and just curl up into his chest.

"Kagome?" Sesshomaru called, pulling me out of my thoughts. I didn't move as he walked into the bathroom. I could see his feet stop once he saw me before he made his way to me.

"Speak to me." He ordered softly as he kneeled in front of me. He gently grabbed my hands and removed them from my face so he could look at me.

"I'm scared." I whispered so softly, I wasn't sure he could hear.

"Of the man?"

"Of the car." I admitted, slouching my shoulders. He wrapped his arms around me and began rumbling in his chest. I could feel him burying his nose in my hair and breathing in my scent.

"Nothing will happen." He soothed. "I will be there the entire time. Father will be there, and so will Izayoi, InuYasha, Kikyou, and even Mother. You will be surrounded by people who will help you."

"Don't make me go." I begged, my hands clutching on to him for dear life. I could feel him tense up and I knew he wanted to make me stay home, but he couldn't.

"You have to be there." He replied, moving his hands to my waist and pulling back slightly.

He reached out and wiped away a tear I hadn't realized had fallen. His thumb gently rubbed against my skin while his eyes screamed his concern for me. I could feel my bottom lip trembling as his thumb ran over it.

"Everything will be okay." He assured before standing to his feet, his suit looking just as pristine as ever.

"Please." I begged once more, hoping that I could convince him. He held out his hand to me, and I knew there was nothing I could do to get him to let me stay home.

He didn't have a choice in the matter either. If I didn't show up for court today, I could get in serious trouble. I hate the man who did this to me. I should never be scared of getting into a car, but here I was, terrified.

I reached up and placed a shaking hand into his and let him gently pull me to my feet. He placed his hand on my back and gently guided me out of the room and downstairs where everyone was waiting. Sango and Miroku were here so they could watch Shippo, Rin, and Sakura while we were gone.

"Are you ready for this, Kags?" InuYasha asked the moment he saw me. I shook my head, unable to say anything. I would never be ready for this.

"Come on, Sweetie. You don't have to see that man for long." Mom said, rubbing my upper back lightly.

"I don't care about him." I whispered, pulling away from both her and Sesshomaru. None of them understand how I feel right now.

"What is wrong?" Daddy asked, walking up to me. I jumped into his arms and couldn't stop myself.

"Please don't make me go!" I sobbed as he placed his hands on my shoulders. "Please don't make me get into that car! Please, Daddy!"

"Kagome, you have to go." He replied, making me go limp. Everyone was going to make me get into that vehicle.

"I just want to stay home." I whispered.

"And I wish you could. We will make that man pay for everything he has put you through, Kagome, but none of us have any choice in this matter. You and InuYasha have to be present today, and there is nothing we can do about it. So, for now, you are just going to have to deal with it. You will get in that car, and you will be fine." He ordered, making me wince. Out of everyone, I thought he would be the one to let me stay home but even he was forcing me.

I looked up at him and noticed he couldn't meet my gaze. He was the same as Sesshomaru. They both wanted to give me what I asked for, but they couldn't. Their hands were tied. I sighed before giving a slight nod to him.

I can't take this out on my family. None of this was their fault and Sesshomaru was right. They are here to help me, and I shouldn't take that for granted. I pulled away from Daddy and made my way to Sesshomaru who was looking at me with worried eyes. I leaned my head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Can we just get this over with?" I asked, wanting to go there so we could come back home quicker.

"Come, Love." Sesshomaru stated, once again placing a hand on my back. I winced slightly at the pain in my back again but pushed it aside as we made our way outside.

I groaned when I noticed it was snowing. Of all the times for an early snow to hit us, it had to be the day I was forced to get into a car I didn't want to. Satori was already in the car and started it. She took one look at my terrified state and growled.

I knew she wasn't mad at me. Instead, she was just like the others. The man that hit me would have been in serious trouble if I didn't stop them from killing him, and honestly, I am beginning to regret that decision.

I watched as everyone piled into the car before it was only Sesshomaru and myself left. I could feel myself panicking as we got closer to the vehicle. I turned to my mate and placed my face into his shoulder, silently begging him one more time.

"Kagome, we must go." He soothed. I shook my head but squeaked when I was suddenly picked up. I knew there was no going back now.

I kept my eyes closed as tight as possible while my hands clenched into his suit jacket. I didn't care if I was wrinkling it. I could feel us moving as he approached the car. InuYasha spoke to him about something but I blocked it all out.

I flinched when I felt myself being sat down in the car, and the angry growl that left Sesshomaru's chest had me opening my eyes. His own eyes had bled red, and I knew he hated seeing me like this. I was his mate and wife. I should never fear anything with him around, yet here I am, terrified of a car.

I took a deep breath and released him long enough so he could climb into Daddy's Escalade with the rest of us. When he shut the door behind him, he sat down beside me and grabbed my hand. I leaned against him and closed my eyes, focusing on his calming rumble. Between my fear of this car, the stress making me sick, and the ever-growing back pain, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it.

Sesshomaru

"We're here." Father announced, making me sigh in relief. I hated seeing Kagome so tense and I knew it wasn't good for the pups.

Hearing her beg like she had been had filled me with so much rage, I very nearly lost all control. I wanted to kill the idiot for what he has put my mate through, and I was hoping I would be able to keep my composure when we finally saw him.

Kagome was too far along to be dealing with this. She didn't even sleep last night. She tossed and turned, complaining about her back and feeling sick. Had I known the stress of this would be getting to her so badly, I would have called the lawyer and requested that she not attend.

I climbed over Kagome and opened the door. Snow flew into the car, covering us all with a cold breeze. In the hour it took for us to get here, the snowfall had tripled. Even now, it was somewhat hard to see, and I hoped it would calm down by the time we got out of court.

I jumped onto the snow-covered ground and very gently picked up my heavily-pregnant mate. I carried her up the steps before placing her on the even ground. I didn't want her trying to climb anything while she was pregnant, let alone while it was covered in snow.

"Thank-you." She whispered, making me look down at her. I kissed her forehead, giving her silent support. This was going to be a hard day for her, and I wanted her to know that I would be here for her. The rest of the family made their way to us, shaking off the snow as we went inside.

"I'm surprised it's snowing so early." Father said, glancing back out the doors.

"When we return home, Kenta, I plan on annihilating you with a few snowballs." Mother stated.

"Can I join you?" Izayoi asked, making everyone laugh other than myself and a groaning Father. I was glad to see Kagome chuckle, knowing that meant she was calming down slightly.

"Why are my ex-wife and current wife teaming up against me? What did I do to deserve this?" He moaned, looking up to the ceiling as if he was talking to the Kami.

"I'll help you, Daddy." Kagome added, making Father look at her.

"Thank-you, Kagome. At least I know I'll have my daughter on my side." Father grumbled.

"Like hell you will. She's fucking sneaky. When your back is turned, she will shove the snow down your pants. Believe me, I know." InuYasha cut in.

"That's only you! I wouldn't betray Daddy!" Kagome defended, glaring at InuYasha who stuck his tongue out at her.

"At the moment, she will be doing nothing." I stated, placing a hand over her highly-swollen stomach.

"True, I almost forgot about them." Kagome sighed before smiling up at me. I was glad to see that smile, and I gently placed my lips against hers to show it.

"There you are!" Yoshida yelled, her heels clicking as she approached us.

"Why does our lawyer get to wear heels, but I can't?" Kagome whined, glaring up at me.

"Shush, Kagome. You are two weeks from giving birth." The woman said, her green eyes falling on Kagome before switching to InuYasha. "And you! Do you wish the world to know about demons? What were you thinking, running away like that? You're lucky my fox magic could fix it."

"I was thinking that my best friend was dying, and I needed to get to the hospital." InuYasha snapped.

"Fool." She replied before addressing everyone. "Just have a seat. He has yet to arrive, and the judge is looking over the video as we speak. When he is ready, and everyone present, we will get this started."

"I'd like to sit down. My back is killing me." Kagome admitted, trying to stretch the thing causing her so much pain.

I guided Kagome to a seat and helped her to gently sit down. I was worried for her more than I normally was. Her back had been bothering her pretty bad since last night. I sat beside her and placed my hands over her stomach, noticing that the pups were moving around a lot more than normal. She must be really stressed for the twins to be acting up.

We sat there for three hours, waiting on court to start. The entire time, Kagome couldn't get comfortable and kept switching from walking to sitting. I would massage her back for her whenever she asked, and for a while, it would help. I understood the pain she was in. It can't be easy, being a small woman pregnant with twins.

"This is getting ridiculous." InuYasha groaned, pacing the floor in aggravation.

"Calm down, Son. We don't know what's going on." Father stated, but I could tell he was angry as well, mostly because Kagome was so uncomfortable. This late in her pregnancy, she should be at home resting, not waiting around for court.

"Kami, my back hurts!" Kagome snapped, leaning forward slightly to stretch. I placed my hands on her back again and gently began massaging her.

"Something must be wrong for them to be taking this long." Izayoi stated, sitting beside Kagome and helping to rub her back.

"Other than your lawyer, everyone is human. It is easy to see why they are inadequate." Mother cut in.

"Thank-you, Satori." Kagome groaned, sitting back up.

"You know I do not include you, or any others in this pack. Just everybody else." Mother defended with a wave of her hand. I couldn't help but notice how her eyes hardly ever left Kagome. It was almost as if she was worried about something but wouldn't say.

"I have good news and bad news." Yoshida said, walking up to meet us. I stood as Kagome looked up at her, the rest waiting patiently for her to speak.

"The good news is, Sato did not show up. Because of this, the judge decided he is dropping all charges placed on Kagome." She started before sighing and looking towards me. "The bad news is, it appears the wreck was no accident. We reviewed multiple tapes, from different angles, and Sato had actually sped up the car to ensure they would hit."

I couldn't stop the feral growl that left my chest as everyone else gasped at the news. Could it be possible that Souta was right about his mother? Was the woman willing to go to any extreme to get Kagome back?

"After some investigating, we discovered that Sato is actually your uncle, Kagome. He is your mother's brother." Yoshida continued, looking worried.

"I don't understand. If she wants her back in her life, why is she trying to kill her?" Izayoi asked, still rubbing Kagome's back. My hands were clenched together into tight fists, and if I didn't have my concealment spell on, my claws would have punctured my skin.

"I don't think she was going after me." Kagome whispered, her eyes looking thoughtful. "If she wanted to kill me, then he should have hit on my side. Instead, he hit on InuYasha's side."

"She was going after me?" InuYasha breathed.

"I think she is going to try and get me back by going after the demons in the family. She thinks you have forced me to stay so, to her, she is saving me." Kagome replied, looking scared. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Love." I said, sitting down beside her and kissing her forehead.

"I seriously think we need to put your ass in a bubble and isolate you from the world. It seems you attract nothing but the crazies." InuYasha teased, trying to lighten the mood. Kagome smiled up at him and sighed.

"I guess we should head home. Sesshomaru, our house is safest because she doesn't know where we live. I can also talk to Miroku about putting up a barrier to shield it from her. I would do it, but that would take a lot of energy that I just don't have at the moment." Kagome said, laying out a plan.

"I guess we're all moving back in with Sesshomaru!" Father exclaimed, looking way too excited for my liking.

"Lovely." Both mother and I said sarcastically.

"You are all free to go. Be careful on your way home. The snow is getting much worse." Yoshida said, bowing to us before turning and walking away.

"Will you be okay for the ride home?" I asked, looking down at my mate. She immediately tensed and I knew she was still afraid.

I picked her up in my arms and let her bury her head in my chest. If this was what she needed, it is what I would give. I looked at the others, who all had worried eyes on her. Without another word, we made our way outside and I was surprised at just how hard the snow was falling.

I let everyone else climb into the car before I gently placed Kagome down. I was worried for her and my pups even more now. Not only was she stressed out, but her crazy mother was targeting her family. My poor mate just couldn't catch a break.

When she was settled, I climbed in and sat beside her, my mind never leaving the new danger as I rubbed my hand along her stomach. Father began driving, the silence in the car deafening. We were all worried, and that just caused my anger to spike even more.

After a while, Father's voice broke the silence. "Sesshomaru, call Miroku and Sango and see if they will watch the children longer. We aren't going to make it home."

"Why?" Kagome asked, her voice worried.

"This is turning into a blizzard, and even with my demon eyes, I can't see. The office is right ahead. We will go there to wait out the storm." Father informed, making Kagome groan.

Doing as Father instructed, I warned Sango about what was happening, both with the storm and Kagome's mother. I asked her to call Kouga and Ayame to make sure they kept themselves alert. The entire time, Father drove to the office, pulling into the garage just as I hung up.

I once again climbed over Kagome to get out before gently helping her. I could tell she was happy to get out of the car but would rather be home. I sighed before guiding her inside, the others following.

After waiting for some time, we realized we were going to have to stay the night here. The storm wasn't letting up. If anything, it was getting worse.

Mother was talking with Kagome, who was sipping some coffee, while I was standing with Father and InuYasha, and Kikyou and Izayoi began setting up a bunch of pallets on the floor. We were lucky the building had a gift shop of sorts. We could just use the blankets and things that were sold there.

A sharp cry from Kagome had all of us looking towards her. Her hand was on her back and Mother had her hands on her shoulders, looking her over. I ran over to Kagome and knelt down in front of her, trying to find out what was wrong. Her words froze me in my spot.

"I think I'm in labor."

-sSs-

Well, damn. Stuck in an office, and going into labor. Why is it that the women in the Taisho family have such bad luck with giving birth? This is just a little chapter to explain Kagome's mother's actions a little more. Lol. So, the whole fearing a car thing is real. My friend went through it one time after she got into a wreck. I hope you all enjoyed.

Teaser: Chapter 15: Unexpected: Is Kagome really in labor? If not, what is the problem? If she is, how will the family react? Continue reading to find out.

I do not own InuYasha.