Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape or form, own anything from Inuyasha
This is a simple one-shot of Inuyasha, unmasked
A Silent moment
The sun shone down on a quiet lake. The sky was clear and blue, obscured only by the occasional wispy white cloud. A slight breeze ruffled the grass, the silence total, broken only by the singing of birds. Some way up the banks of the lake lay a grove of trees, and beneath the one nearest the water lay a single stone marker. Engraved in the weather-worn stone was a name.
Inuyasha walked towards the grove of trees, his face unusually solemn, not irritated or scathing as it often was. At his side, Tessaiga was sheathed. Today was an especially sad day for the canine hanyou. Although he still travelled with Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara, sometimes Myoga as well, today he was alone. In one hand he held a clump of flowers, vivid and beautiful as he walked up the bank to the marker. Reaching his goal, he knelt down before the grave, absently brushing some dead leaves aside. He looked at the worn grey stone, silently reading the name carved into the rock.
'Izayoi'.
Inuyasha could feel the slight prickling sensation in his eyes, but didn't make any effort to blink the irritation away. Today was a hundred and sixty years to the day his mother had died. The tears began to well up in his eyes, but again, he made no move to dry them and play his tough guy façade. He reached out and placed the flowers on his mother's grave, the silence around him total. He drew his hand back, looking at the now decorated marker. He blew out a long breath and swallowed with difficulty. His hearing confirmed that he was alone, and no scents other than those of small creatures and flowers came to his sensitive nose. Mentally he sighed in relief. Only then did he cry for his mother. Memories poured back to him, such as the time she'd cried for him, knowing he'd be persecuted for his mixed blood, and the time he'd helped her in a winter storm. For what felt like hours, he sat with his deceased mother, the flow of tears not abating. After a while, he got up, looking down at her grave. He turned away and began to walk off, the grave silent and lonely once more, but now decorated with the most beautiful blossoms Inuyasha had been able to find. Just before he passed from view of the grave, he turned back and offered a sad smile.
"I'll never forget you, Mother."
oOoOo
The sun had slipped over the horizon by the time Inuyasha returned to camp. Only Kagome was still awake as he walked up to her. She turned and looked up at him.
"Inuyasha, where did you go?"
Inuyasha snorted and was about to give one of his smart-mouth remarks, but something held him back. He turned to look at her properly, and relented slightly.
"Just to visit…someone important."