Chapter 19

Unexpected Friend

Kagome

I sat at the mall table, picking at my food. I could feel the tension between all of the females, and I knew it was because of Kagura's presence. Souta had brought her along again, to the displeasure of everyone.

However, I could see she was trying. The way she was fidgeting, biting her lip to keep from saying anything unpleasant at the treatment she was receiving, and looking around for Souta in the hopes that the males would be joining us soon.

She wanted to fit in, and I just hoped that everyone could eventually look past her previous actions. I may have originally accepted her, but even I have trouble forgetting all that she has done to Sesshomaru and myself.

"So…how has everybody been?" Kagura asked, looking extremely nervous.

"Good, as long as we keep our males close." Sango retorted, looking down at Aimi in her arms. Ken'ichi currently resided in mine while Shippo and Rin were in the play area beside the food court with Mom, Kikyou, and Sakura.

"I'm not going to try and steal anybody again." Kagura defended, her hands tightening into fists.

"Says the one who changed her appearance to trick a male who never wanted her in the first place." Ayame cut in. I sighed when Kagura flinched at the hurtful words. This was not going well.

"Let's clear the air, here and now." I interrupted, looking at everyone present at the table. "Kagura, this is your chance to explain why you attempted everything you did."

"I…" Kagura started, looking down at her lap. It was clear to see she was struggling to find the right words, but with a little patience, she would find what she needed.

"I grew up in the same world as Sesshomaru. The only difference was: he loves his job. I never wanted mine. My father forced me into it. Day after day, I went to school, then came home and was homeschooled on business. By the time I turned 18, I was as good as my father so, naturally, I was forced to work instead of going to college like I wanted. Finally, after years of begging, my father told me if I really wanted out of the business, I would have to marry a successful businessman. So, I figured who better than Sesshomaru Taisho? For two years, I chased after him no matter how cold or cruel he was. I figured, one day, he would warm up to me, but that never happened. He met you first." Kagura explained, her eyes meeting mine when she finished.

"Why did you continue like you did after they were married? Even while she was pregnant?" Ayame asked, still eyeing the woman suspiciously.

"You have to understand, the moment I let Sesshomaru touch me was the moment every other male shied away from me. He may not have wanted me for anything more than sex, but I was still his. No one would dare to attempt to take what was his. So, when Kagome showed up and I was thrown to the side, my freedom was snatched away from me. Sesshomaru no longer even used me. Every available male who had business sense also knew of Sesshomaru so they ran in the opposite direction when I approached them. When I saw him at the zoo, carrying all of that food and in a place he obviously hates, just to make his family happy, it reminded me of how lonely I was. I took a risk with him and it backfired. I thought I could be the one to thaw his heart. I was wrong, and I paid for it." Kagura continued, looking away from all of us.

I felt sorry for her. I would never give up Sesshomaru, but she had lost just about everything that really mattered to her when I showed up. I will never forget what she did to me, but maybe she can earn her forgiveness.

"Is that why you're with my brother? For a way out?" I asked, bouncing Ken'ichi as he started to cry.

"No! When I met him, I was at the grocery store deciding what I wanted for dinner. He happened to be in the same aisle as me. This older woman was screaming at him because he had dropped her soda, which it was amazing he didn't drop more with as much as he was carrying. Anyway, it reminded me of my father, and how much I just wanted to be free, so I grabbed a jar of spaghetti sauce, walked over to the woman, and dumped it on her head. I didn't even look at Souta's reaction. I just did it and left. He ended up catching up to me at my car and gave me his number. He told me it had been some time since he had a good laugh, and if anyone was brave enough to stand up to his crazy-ass mom, then they deserved to be thanked. So, we ended up going on our first date. I didn't even learn that he owned his own business until a few weeks later. He said he didn't like to advertise it, but by then, I already really liked him so it didn't even matter. Even if he worked at a grocery store, I would have still liked him." Kagura explained, making me smile a bit.

"I'm trying to imagine that bitch covered in spaghetti sauce." I admitted, making a few of the others laugh.

"Is your mom really that crazy?" Kagura asked.

"Yea. She is trying to kill all of the demons in this family because she thinks I am under their spell. When she finds out you're with Souta, you need to keep an eye out. She is ruthless, and I don't doubt she will try to kill you." I warned with a sigh.

"I haven't met her yet, but when I do, I think Hiraikotsu and her need to have a long talk." Sango added, running her fingers along Aimi's cheek.

"Oh! My claws have a few things they want to add to the conversation!" Ayame butted in, getting a little too excited.

"Hmm, I'm trying to think of a way my wind could help." Kagura said, flinching when Ayame and Sango looked at her as if she was crazy.

"Look, guys, we all know what she did. She explained her actions and even apologized for them a while ago. Let's just give her a chance, okay?" I pleaded, looking at my older friends. They both looked at me before nodding.

"I guess if you can forgive her, then we can as well." Sango admitted.

"Although Sesshomaru will probably never forgive you. The only reason he let you hold his pup was because of Kagome" Ayame pointed out, making Kagura sigh.

"Just give it time, Kagura. It's not going to happen overnight. Even I can't completely forget everything you did, nor would I ever be comfortable with you and Sesshomaru alone, but we are all willing to give you a chance. I'll handle Sesshomaru." I soothed, hoping to help the wind demon relax a bit.

But it did break the ice. Finally, Sango and Ayame seemed to be giving Kagura a chance, and it made a difference in the way the demon acted. She seemed more open and herself, and everything was going well. At least until something happened that has been happening since I became pregnant.

Kagura wasn't the only female to be upset that Sesshomaru was now off limits. Everyone assumed that I was only married to Sesshomaru because I had ended up pregnant. The things that some women say about me hurt, but I would never let them see that.

"Look, is that her?" A teenage girl asked another, both looking towards me. I sighed and placed Ken'ichi in his stroller so he could sleep and not get caught in the disgusting rumors. When I grabbed Aimi from Sango, she looked at me, confused, as I placed her beside her brother.

"I think it is? So it must be true then! He had to have married her because she got pregnant." The other said, thinking they were being quiet.

I pulled down the cover on the stroller, making sure my pups could not be seen. I could see Ayame and Kagura staring at me, both able to hear the conversation plain as day with their demon hearing. Sango was just now realizing what was going on.

"How often does this happen, Kagome?" Ayame asked, making me sigh again.

"A lot. It started when I got pregnant. Demons know that yokai pregnancies can take as little as six months but humans don't. I didn't get pregnant until three months after the wedding and I was only pregnant for six months. So, to humans, it looks as if I was pupped before I was married." I admitted, shrugging my shoulders and pushing my food away. I wasn't very hungry anymore.

"She's not that pretty, is she?"

"Of course not. It sucks he had to accidentally get her pregnant because now he's stuck with her."

"I'm going to kill them!" Ayame growled, going to stand up. She only stopped when I grabbed her hand.

"I'm used to it. Just leave them alone. Eventually, they will grow tired of it and find something else to do." I pleaded, not wanting to cause a scene.

"You shouldn't have to deal with that, Kagome." Kagura argued, looking just as angry as my other friends.

"We could handle them." Sango added.

"They are just two people out of the entire female population of Japan. Taking care of them doesn't help me any. There is no way to explain the lack of length in my pregnancy to humans. Not without exposing demons." I informed, flinching slightly at some of the words the girls were saying.

"I wonder if they are really his babies."

"I bet not! Maybe that's why they won't release any pictures of them. They probably look like a completely different guy!"

"Although it is annoying how Sesshomaru and I deciding not to release photos of our pups, to keep them out of the limelight for a bit longer, got turned into me cheating. That will be a new rumor going around." I grumbled.

"That's it. I'm sorry, Kagome, but I'm not going to sit back and let this happen. They may only be two of the entire population, but they will be two less." Kagura said, standing up. I tried to grab her hand but she was expecting it and dodged me. I could only cover my face with my hands as she confronted the two girls.

"Hello. How are you today?" Kagura asked sweetly, making me look at her through my fingers.

"Um…can we help you?" One of the girls asked.

"I was just wondering, why is it that your life is so depressing? I imagine that it must be horribly dull if you find picking on others entertaining." Kagura continued, making Sango snicker slightly.

It was at this point that the males decided to show up. Sesshomaru sat beside me and kissed my cheek before realizing us females were watching the scene unfold. I had hoped to keep this a secret for a while longer, but it looks like that isn't going to happen.

"Don't you think that's rude? You don't even know us?" One of the girls said, looking offended.

"Just the same as you don't know her. So it's okay for you two to be petty bitches, but the moment someone calls you out on it, all of a sudden, you're the ones who are being hurt?" Kagura continued, her falsely-sweet voice ringing out.

"We may not know her, but we have heard the rumors!" one defended.

"You just made yourself sound like an idiot. You are correct in saying that they are rumors. However, you are fucking fools if you believe in them for one moment. That is what a rumor is, correct? A false accusation?" Kagura interrupted, her sweet voice gone.

"How would you know? Who are you anyway?" one of the girls asked before the other one gasped.

"I know you! You used to be Sesshomaru's love interest, but you lost because of the other woman. Why are you defending her?" The other girl asked.

I could feel Sesshomaru's hand tighten on my leg. He finally realized what they were talking about, and I knew he was angry. He hadn't known that there were any rumors about us, and now I will have to tell him.

"There is more to the story than you realize. You shouldn't talk about people, especially if you don't have all of the facts, which you don't." Kagura scolded, crossing her arms.

"Go away!" One of the girls laughed.

"You're just someone who was pushed aside and replaced. We don't have time for you." The other girl added. Both girls turned to go, leaving a very angry wind demon.

With a flick of her wrist, Kagura sent an unseen gust of air towards the girls, knocking them to the ground, face-first. Unfortunately, they both had been carrying slushies and were now covered in them. The girls stood up crying and ran to the bathroom as my entire table busted out laughing.

"Fucking teenyboppers." Kagura mumbled, plopping back down into her seat.

"I do have to admit, that was good." Sango laughed, holding out her hand for a high five. Kagura hesitated before smiling and returning the gesture.

"I do think we will have to use your wind when Sango and I corner that crazy mother." Ayame added, making a few of us laugh.

"I assume you're talking about my mother? As long as you don't kill her, can I watch?" Souta asked, placing his hands on Kagura's shoulders in a comforting notion.

"Of course, Boy! We're all going to have front row seats!" Daddy exclaimed, laughing right along with them.

"Kagome, you will explain what just happened." Sesshomaru cut in, officially ruining the mood as everyone went quiet.

"Oh, um…well, you see." I started, pausing when Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at my hesitation. "When my pregnancy was announced, rumors started flying, in case you were unaware, that we only married because I ended up pregnant and that the pups aren't yours."

"Fools." Sesshomaru snarled, making me jump slightly. He looked thoughtful for a moment before smirking. "I believe it is time to announce the birth of our pups. I am sure the world would love to know how they survived such an early birth."

"Oi, that would work." InuYasha added.

"I don't get it?" Kouga stated, making a few of us giggle.

"If the pups were born early, that would put their conception after the wedding. Plus, putting out photos and letting everyone see just how much they look like Sesshomaru, even with a concealment spell on, would effectively cancel any rumors." Kagura shrugged.

"I guess we should get some photos taken of them." I admitted, lifting up the cover of the stroller to look down at my sleeping pups. Sesshomaru reached over me and ran a knuckle lightly over both of their faces.

"I have an idea!" Mom said, popping up with both Rin and Shippo on a hip and Kikyou following behind with Sakura. Daddy took Shippo from her and placed his other hand on her back. "The entire family is here. Why not get family photos taken?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Daddy bellowed, waking the pups. He laughed slightly at the glares he received from myself and Sesshomaru. "As the alpha of this pack, I order us all to get our photos taken. None of you can deny me, especially you, Sesshomaru."

No one could miss the growl that echoed at our table, or the way Sesshomaru's eyes flashed red. We all laughed, which angered my mate even more. I stood along with the others as we made our way towards the photographer that luckily had a shop right there in the mall. As we were leaving, I noticed that Souta and Kagura weren't following us.

"Are you coming, guys?" I asked, turning to look at them. Sesshomaru stopped by my side and turned as well.

"We're not exactly family." Souta replied.

"And I'm not exactly everyone's favorite person." Kagura admitted.

"Come. Father included you as well." Sesshomaru stated, causing the couple's eyes to widen. "However, do not make us regret this decision."

"Of course not." Souta said, holding out a hand for Kagura. They both stood, pleasantly surprised to be allowed to join.

They may not be fully a part of this pack, but as long as they continued the way they were, it wouldn't be long before they were. It's funny how pack grows when you least expect it to.

-sSs-

A lot of people were going on about how Kagura shouldn't be forgiven. If I was in this situation I would never have forgiven Kagura, but Kagome has always been the forgiving type. Even in the anime she continued to forgive Kikyou over and over again. The only one she never forgave was Naraku.

So in an attempt to please my readers, while keeping Kagome as close to Kagome as possible, this is what I came up with. Kagura is not fully accepted into the group, but she is working her way into it. It will take time, as most situations like this will. I hope you all can enjoy this chapter.

Sorry it took so long for this to get posted. My beta was going through all of the chapters and I wanted to post this chapter once all of my others were edited. Then there were a few times I was late getting a chapter to her due to personal reasons, but she still did wonderfully. Thank you Kamilla love. I hope you can all forgive me for the delay.

Shout outs:

iRedfoxx: Thank you for your review. I am glad that you like it.

Horselover15678: I agree with you. Kagome has always been tough in her own way, and I always pictured Izayoi the same way. I have no idea why. But yes, the girls don't need their males, they simply want them. For your review on chapter 17, I have actually changed that and edited out. The moment I post this chapter, the entire story will have been edited. There will be a few changes here and there but nothing huge, just stuff to make the story flow better.

Crispywheat: I am glad you love my story, and I hope you can forgive my tardiness. It normally does not take me so long to update. I've been having a lot of personal things happening in my life.

Victoria cullen34: I am glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I hope you will enjoy the rest.

RedDrake323: Everyone protects Kagome, especially now that she has the pups. I decided to cut back on my lemons slightly on this story. I realized that I basically had a lemon every chapter, and I feel it takes away from the story. But don't worry she will still be punished.

DarkAngel8605: Thank you for your review, I always enjoy reading what people think of my story.

Slvrphoenx: A lot of people agreed that they liked Izayoi defending her daughter. I personally agree with all of you. I am glad that I was able to make you laugh. It makes me happy to know my writing can bring out emotions in my readers.

Motionless 17: I am glad you like my story, and I hope you can forgive me for my tardiness. I will try my best to fix that.

Teaser: Chapter 20: The gift: What gift does Kenta have for his son? How does Sesshomaru react when he receives it? Continue reading to find out.

I do not own InuYasha.