Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.
This is the start of a new collection, of bits and pieces about Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi. Who was this woman, whom we only glimpse in flashbacks? The woman who birthed Inuyasha, who gave him his human blood and his human heart, who raised him during those critical early years. The woman who could catch the eye and heart of a near-immortal taiyoukai. This Izayoi...
Without Him
Her snow-chilled feet were not as cold as her heart.
She could not but look back as she heard the distant roar of the collapsing roof. It took all of her strength not to cry out in grief, to join her wails to the hanyo squirming in her arms.
This wasn't how it had been meant to be. She was the butterfly; the flower that blooms and fades in days. She had known that she would age and die, leaving father and son to go on without her.
Instead, it was he who had died. He who had sacrificed his life to save hers and the newborn babe's. The great and powerful youkai lord to whom she had pledged her love, for whom she had turned her back on family and all that was considered right and proper.
And now, she was alone, bereft of his strength and protection.
Inuyasha wailed more loudly.
Izayoi's lips firmed. She turned her back on the valley below, closing her mind to thoughts of grief. She pulled the red robe draped over her head and shoulders closer, tucking a fold around the fussing infant. Immediately, his wails dropped to subdued whimpers, as the robe seemed to grow warmer. She felt him trying to move closer to her, his whimpers changing in tone. Fumbling under the warm, protective cloth, she managed to pull back the front of her yukata, freeing a breast. The infant was quick to find the nipple and clamp on. She winced for the pain of his byte, then breathed out the ache, turning slightly to face the path before her.
Her lord had given everything to return her to life, and insure the life of their child. Their dreams and plans were ashes in the wind, but she would not yet surrender hope to those arrayed against the very idea of love between human and youkai. The journey that she now faced would be filled with those who despised and scorned her for the choices she had made: who would despise and hate the innocent babe in her arms.
But, no matter. She would not cavil, she would not despair; she would not give in. For the memory of her lord, for the love he had found within himself to give to her: for the heart-quaking sacrifice he had made; she would never give in. For the sake of the infant who blended two worlds, two ways of knowing, in his blood, she would struggle, she would fight. Inuyasha was her child, her choice, her responsibility, to protect and raise.
She would not fail.
Author's Note: This piece was written for the LiveJournal community InuYasha FanFiction, for the prompt 'Journey'. It was originally published on July 31, 2011. It has been nominated for 'Best Short-Short' for the second trimester 2011 contest held by the Inuyasha FanGuild community. (10/18/2011)