“You’re leaving, AGAIN?! Jeez, you JUST got back, not that long ago!!”
“Inuyasha, stop it! I’m just gonna be gone for a day, for crying out loud!”
Kagome was getting ready to head back to her era again…and as usual, Inuyasha was trying to prevent her from leaving.
“We’re supposed to be hunting down Naraku!” he argued. “How are we supposed to do that if you keep leaving every so often?!”
“Inuyasha, I have to go because this is important!” Kagome countered.
“Oh, for goodness sake,” Inuyasha muttered, “didn’t you just get through another one of your stupid tests?!”
“This is not a test, Inuyasha!” Kagome argued. “In fact, this is more important! It’s Mother’s Day!!”
Inuyasha froze as if he had been hit in the head with a log…made out of steel.
“Mother’s Day?” he repeated.
“Yes, Inuyasha,” Kagome said. “It’s a day celebrating moms all over the world. It comes on the second Sunday in the month of May, and as it happens, that turns out to be today where I’m from, and I don’t wanna miss it. My Mom works hard to take care of me and Sota…especially after our Dad died. This is t one day of the year that I feel like I can actually show her my appreciation!”
“…Mother’s Day, huh?” Inuyasha muttered as he looked down to the ground, his arms folded inside his sleeves.
“Inuyasha?” Kagome asked. “You okay?”
“…Keh!” Inuyasha scoffed. “Fine! Go ahead and go. Don’t let me keep you.”
“Thanks, Inuyasha!” Kagome exclaimed as she hugged him, causing him to tense up a bit. “I knew you had a heart! I’ll be back tomorrow, I promise!”
“Uh…y-yeah, sure,” Inuyasha replied, his face tinted red as Kagome let go and climbed over the well, disappearing in a flash of light…and meanwhile, the half-demon gazed down into the well…before he sighed.
“…Mother’s Day, huh?” he repeated, his voice sounding a bit solemn.
XXX
“I’m home!” Kagome announced as she entered the living room, where she found her mother and brother waiting for her.
“Hey, Sis!” Sota greeted.
“Welcome home, Kagome,” Atsuko said, warmly, prompting Kagome to walk up and hug her.
“Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!” she said, happily.
“Oh, thank you, honey,” Atsuko replied as she hugged her daughter back. “I’m so happy you could be here, today.” She then looked around. “Oh…Inuyasha isn’t with you?”
“No, he stayed behind,” Kagome replied. “I had to convince him to let me go, otherwise I’d never get here!”
“…I see,” Atsuko muttered.
“Where’s Grandpa?” asked Kagome as she looked around.
“In the shed,” Atsuko replied. “Said something about finding the perfect Mother’s Day for his daughter-in-law. You know how he is.”
“Right…” Kagome muttered with a sweat-drop. “So, Mom, I hope you’re ready for your Mother’s Day surprise, later!”
“Yeah!” Sota added. “Kagome and I thought about it, together!”
“Oh, isn’t that nice?” asked Atsuko. “What did you two have in mind?”
“Well, if we told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise!” Kagome answered. “Come on, Sota, let’s go into the kitchen. Mom, you sit down and relax, okay?”
“Oh, honestly, Kagome,” Atsuko replied. “All this fuss over me.”
“Well, you do enough around here as it is,” Kagome said. “Sota and I will take care of any chores, okay?”
Atsuko could only chuckle as she sat down on the couch while her daughter and son walked into the kitchen. Beside her, Buyo meowed as he lied on the arm of the couch, his tail swaying back and forth. As the widowed mother picked up a book from the coffee table and began to read it, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. Atsuko blinked before she looked up, thinking it might have been Kagome or Sota, coming to ask her for something…but to her surprise, she saw the familiar red kimono of a certain half-demon.
“Oh!” Atsuko exclaimed as she realized who it was. “Inuyasha! I didn’t even hear you come in!”
“H-hi, Kagome’s mother,” he said while holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand, such as lilies, daisies, buttercups, and baby’s breath.
“Oh, sweetheart, you don’t have to be formal with me,” Atsuko told him. “Call me Atsuko…or Mom if you want to.”
“Uh…yeah,” Inuyasha muttered before he held up the flowers. “So…here…I got you these.”
“For me?” Atsuko asked as she took the flowers and smelled them. “Oh, Inuyasha, they’re lovely. Thank you.”
“Uh-huh…” Inuyasha mumbled, not making any eye contact with her.
“Would you like to sit down?” asked Atsuko, gently patting the spot next to her, and he soon did just that, plopping his rump right beside her. “How have you been, Inuyasha? Have you been doing all right? Are you eating well?”
“Uh…yeah, I-I’m doing okay,” Inuyasha replied. “Thanks for asking.”
Atsuko chuckled as she gently put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to tense up a bit before he glanced over at her.
“Kagome’s treating you well, I hope,” she said.
“…Mostly,” Inuyasha answered. “We still bicker now and then.”
“Well, nobody’s perfect,” Atsuko assured.
“…Kagome…really insisted on coming back,” said Inuyasha. “She must love you very much.”
“Oh, of course, she does,” Atsuko replied. “And I love her. She can be stubborn and a little hot-tempered at times, just like her father, but she’s still very kind and she’s not afraid to speak her mind, like me.” She then chuckled. “I remember when she was little…she always seemed to stick out most from normal little girls…and even now, when she tries to be normal, she still doesn’t act like most teenagers. Then again, most teenagers don’t lead the kind of double life that she has.”
“…It…it doesn’t bother you that Kagome’s running around in my era, fighting off demons and such?” Inuyasha inquired.
“Oh, it bothers me,” Atsuko replied. “In fact, sometimes, when she comes home with more blood on her than I like, I try my best not to scream. There were times that I thought maybe she might be in over her head and I even contemplated telling her not to go there, anymore.”
“So why don’t you?” asked Inuyasha.
“For one thing,” Atsuko began, “I know that you and your friends are there, looking after her.”
Inuyasha felt his face grow warm.
“For another,” Atsuko continued, “I feel like if I stopped Kagome, I’d come to regret it in some way. After all…” She then looked at Inuyasha. “What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t allow her to see the boy that she loved so much?”
Inuyasha’s face turned into the deepest shade of red it had ever been. Hell, even the tips of his ears turned red, which caused Atsuko to chuckle. He looked so cute, all flustered like that. However, his flustered expression soon faded away as he looked down at the floor, his toes wiggling nervously.
“…Kagome’s lucky,” he whispered.
“What was that, dear?” asked Atsuko.
“…Kagome’s lucky that she still has you,” Inuyasha answered. “Unlike me…”
Atsuko blinked at the half-demon…but then her eyes softened as a sad smile formed on her face.
“That’s right,” she said. “Your mother’s gone…isn’t she?”
“…She died when I was still a little boy,” Inuyasha answered as he closed his eyes. “She got…really sick…and I…” He bit his lip and swallowed thickly while balling his hands up into fists.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Atsuko whispered as she gently put her hand on his. “Kagome told me.”
“…She was the only one who ever understood me,” Inuyasha said, “even back when I didn’t understand myself. She comforted me when I was afraid…she cried for me when she saw that I was being rejected by people…and she always made me feel loved…even when nobody else loved her.”
“I can see that,” Atsuko answered. “Your mother…what was her name?”
“…Izayoi,” Inuyasha whispered. “She was a princess.”
“Izayoi…” Atsuko repeated. “Such a lovely name…I can tell she loved you very much. It must’ve been so hard for the both of you. I can’t imagine what she was thinking when she died…she probably felt guilty, leaving you all alone with nobody else to turn to.”
“It was hard,” Inuyasha answered…his voice shuddering. “I was left by myself for so long…and sometimes, I’d look up at the sky and I’d wonder…why did she die? Why did she leave me?”
Then Atsuko saw something she never thought she would see coming from someone as jaded as Inuyasha: even though his eyes were hooded under his bangs…she saw tears falling down his cheeks.
“…Oh, Inuyasha,” she whispered as she pulled him into her arms and hugged him as tight as she could, leaving him stunned for a moment. “It’s okay…you can let it out on me.”
A pause…but then, before Inuyasha even realized it…his tears were practically falling in torrents. He bit his lip and sniffled before he finally broke down, sobbing as he buried his face into Atsuko’s shoulder and hugged her tightly, but being careful not to crush her. He hardly ever broke down like this…but here, in this woman’s arms, he felt like he could drop his guard and actually let his tears flow freely…just like with Kagome.
“…Thank you…Ma…” Inuyasha sniffed, causing Atsuko to smile as she gently stroked his hair, and at that moment, Kagome came walking in, wondering what all the noise was…only to gasp silently upon seeing Inuyasha, sobbing and hugging her mother, who looked at her and gave her a look that said “It’s okay. I’ve got him.”
Kagome blinked in bewilderment…but she smiled, nonetheless before she headed back into the kitchen. Soon, Inuyasha pulled away sniffling and wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his robe. Atsuko grabbed a tissue from a tissue box and held it against his nose, allowing him to blow.
“…Would you like to stay for a little while, Inuyasha?” she offered.
“…I’d like that,” Inuyasha answered. “Thank you.”
XXX
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