Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters therein.

Prayers in the Dark
The night falls softly, and yet it is never as tender as it was before...

My darling son, my little Inuyasha is restless tonight. His weakened state makes him nervous; I pull him close, hugging him, telling him not to be afraid.

His big, golden eyes appear even wider in the dark. I smile to myself for I am glad he takes so much after his father.

He squirms and pulls tighter on my kimono.

"Hush my little Inuyasha. You're alright. Momma is here with you."

"Haha-ue...I know you protect me, but where is chichi-ue...?" his somewhat awkward lisp is adorable.

I smile and tell him what I always do.

"Your father is far away now, but he is watching over you, and someday you will know him."

"But I want to meet him now!" he pouts-yes, he takes after his father, indeed. My lover also did not enjoy not being given concrete answers.

"All in good time Inuyasha." his ears twitch under my fingers. I do so love his ears. They're adorable, for all the pain they will bring him...

"Haha-ue...are you crying?"

My thoughts on Inuyasha's future once I am gone are always bleak, but he is not to know that.

"No little one, I am not."

"But you're eyes looked all sad."

I've yet to get accustomed to his night vision.

"No, merely tired. I was thinking."

"About?"

"A bed-time story for my darling little son."

"Yeah!" his emphatic outburst brings a smile to my eyes. He is so much like his father.

"Oh...tell me, tell me...tell me the one with the princess and the demon!"

"But I've already told it to you last night."

"But it's my favourite...please..." those beautiful eyes widen even further and I can see a glimmer of his grin in the dim lighting of the room.

"Very well..."

"Yeah!"

"Once upon a time..."

"There was a princess, right? A beautiful princess! Right?"

His excitement is catchy and I smile broadly.

"I thought you wanted me to tell the story..."

"Yes, I do...I won't int'rupt no more."

"Very well. The princess lived in a beautiful palace where she had everything her heart desired...and yet she was sad."

"Why was she sad haha-ue? It's because she didn't have anyone to play with isn't it? Like today when the kids wouldn't play with me, and I was pretty sad.

That's why she was sad right? She just needed someone to play with her so she wouldn't be alone."

I only smile at his innocent words, which may be interpreted quite differently by an older mind; choosing instead to giggle internally.

"Yes, that's right, she was alone...shall I go on with the story?"

"Yup! I want to get to the demon part."

"Well then, how about listening?" I tweak his ears, and sigh again, in my heart. I do so love his ears, I shall greatly miss them when I am gone.

"Hai!!!"

"Then one night..."

"One n-i-i-i-g-h-t" he drawls the word out.

"When it was all dark and everyone was asleep, the princess lay awake in her chamber feeling all sad."

"And that's when the demon comes. Right?! Right?!"

"Yes, that's right."

"And...and he is cool and powerful and brave and stuff. Right?! Right?!"

"I think you know this story too well. Perhaps you ought to be the one saying it."

"Nuh-uh. I want you to tell it."

His cuteness is impossible to withstand and I acquiesce.

"So, the demon walks into the room, and starts talking to the princess."

"And...and they get to be real good friends."

"Yes, that's right."

"And...and she ain't afraid of him?"

"No, she isn't because she knows that he wouldn't harm her."

"Say, haha-ue...you...you're not afraid of me...?"

My heart literally stops in my chest.

Oh Inuyasha, my darling little son, have they already managed to get that thought in your head? Oh, my poor soon.

"Haha-ue."

"Never. Never, never, never!!!! I am never, have never been and will never be afraid Inuyasha. You are my son. I love you. No matter what."

"Haha-ue...you're...holding me too tight." I hadn't realised how hard I was gripping him.

"Never! You're my precious, darling, little son, and I love you with all my heart!" my voice shakes a little and I'm glad he doesn't have his sensitive hearing tonight.

"Even if I am a half-breed? Say, haha-ue, you still haven't told me what that word means."

"You are not a half-breed. You are a perfectly wonderful little boy. A very special little boy. A boy whose parents loved each other very much, and love him very much. If you ever hear that word again, just ignore it and remember in you runs noble blood; more noble than that of most people. You are the son of a great dog-demon; you have his strength, his agility, his hearing, all skills which far surpass that of mere humans."

"So then...why won't the other kids play with me?"

To any mother who has ever been asked this question, I offer my deepest sympathy.

"Because they don't know you, and because you'd always win, and they wouldn't like that."

"But, but, when I played with Sesshomaru-nii-san that one time, he won the entire time and I still wanted to play."

"Yes dear, but you didn't like losing, did you?"

He looked down.

"I s'ppose not."

"So that is why."

"So...does that mean that if I let them win they'll play with me?"

I shake my head.

"Not necessarily. Inuyasha you already know you are a half-demon, yes?"

"Yep! And you said it makes me extra, extra sp-sp-sp..."

"Special."

"Speshal. Yep."

"It does, but some people are afraid of special things, or people and they act unkindly, that is why you might not get to play with the village kids."

He pouts.

"Well, I s'ppse 's ok so long as you play with me haha-ue. Ne, haha-ue, you'll always play with me, ne? And you'll never ever leave me, ne?"

"There may be a time, when I will not be here, my dear Inuyasha, but when that time comes, all you have to do is think of me, and I will be there."

"Really?! But, where would you go? Would you want to leave me?"

"No, no my darling, I wouldn't, but sometimes it is not up to us."

"But I'd be sad."

"I know. I will be too. But, sometime, in the future, you will meet your own princess and she will not be afraid of you, and she will love you. She will love your pretty hair."

I run my hand through his soft tresses.

"And she will love you pretty little hands."

"Even though they got claws?"

I take his little hands in mine and kiss them gently.

"Yes, even so. Because they're part of who you are."

"Really? So...will she like my ears do you think?"

She would be a fool not to.

"I think, that is what she will like most." I scratch the furry ears gently as I talk, and gain a content purring sound. Inu-no-Taishoo used to do that too.

Really, it sounded more like a cat than a dog-demon. I wonder if Sesshomaru purrs like this too.

"So, you really think I'll meet a princess like that?"

"Well, my son, she may not be a princess by title, but she will be as royalty to you."

"Why, coz I'm not good enough and I should think how lucky I am? If so I don't wanna meet such a stuck-up princess" he remarks sullenly and I chuckle.

"No, no, because she will be so important to you that you will want to be as nice as possible, because you care about her, and love her."

"Love her?"

"Yes, love her."

"But...I already love haha-ue..."

Another smile settles itself on my face.

"And you'll love her too, it's a different kind of love. You'll grow up happy, together, and maybe get married and have children some day."

"Children?!!!"

"Yes, children."

"I s'ppose it's not that bad...so long as we don't got to kiss. Blech!"

I chuckle again.

"You may have to..."

"Ewwww!!! No! I think we'd stay just buddies. What do you think haha-ue? Do you think that I could stay just buddies with the princess? Like the demon in the story?"

"But dear, the demon in the story married the princess."

"You mean they kissed. Eugh!!!"

"Oh, Inuyasha. I kiss you all the time, you're not disgusted by it."

He looks up, his eyes burning with certainty.

"Yes, but that's coz you're my momma. And you didn't kiss anyone else...did you?"

I can't help laughing at his honest dilemma.

"Only your father, dear."

"See. So that's ok."

"But the princess may not have kissed anyone else, just like in the story, and she may be waiting for you, then what?"

"Well..." he always fidgets when he is nervous. "I s'ppose I could just give her a quick kiss on the cheek...maybe. But she has to play with me first. I ain't kissin' no girl otherwise."

"Very well Inuyasha, perhaps you should wait and see."

"Don't hafta. I don't wanna kiss no girl."

I scratch his ears, and he settles further into my lap.

"Say, haha-ue...what was chichi-ue like?"

I had known this question would be coming, it always does on nights like this.

"He was wonderful. He was strong, and brave, and kind, and caring, and...quite nice-looking actually."

"Nee...haha-ue...I wish I knew what he looked like..."his little soft voice is filled with so much wistfulness.

"Well, someday you will see for yourself; but I can tell you he looked a lot like you, and like Sesshomaru...well, he had ears like Sesshomaru, and he was about the same height, and he wore his hair up, but the stripes on his face were light blue.His hair was really closer to yours, long and silvery. And his eyes were the same as yours."

Inuyasha seems to be pondering this, then his little voice pipes up once again.

"Say, what did he smell like?"

"Like forest, and greenery and warmth. Your scent is a little like that too."

"Yay! But, haha-ue, your scent is real pretty too, and I like it. You smell like...like sunshine and spring leaves. I like it."

"Thank you dear, but do you not think you ought to go to sleep?"

"Not yet, haven't heard th'nd of th'story 'bout th'demon and princessssssssssss..."the last word trails off, and I smile once again. He is so precious when he is asleep.

As for me, I shan't sleep till morn when he is back to his usual form. I brush his hair softly, mindful of the adorable twitching ears.

"Oyasumi, Inuyasha" I kiss his chubby cheek.

Oh, how I do love him.

I stare at the window, at the far-away stars. My eyes trace my lover's form on the sky.

My mind's eyes brush over his pale skin with light blue markings, his smouldering eyes, his smile-I do so miss his smile-his sharp-tipped ears, his armor-clad form, his strong hands with incredibly delicate, tapered fingers...

My heart calls out to him, and I know he can hear me.

Please, give me strength love, I need to live a little longer. I need to seen Inuyasha grown...just a little more. I need him to be a child, just a little more.

I want him to stay innocent, just a little more...please, grant me the strength.

I pray like I've been praying every night since finding out.

I know I have not much time left, and I know that I will not get to see my little boy become a man...but my heart begs for a little more time, to care for him, and love him, for a little longer.

To keep him from being alone and sad, just a little longer.

My eyes tear up. I know what fate expects him once I am gone, and I would curse the gods for my illness, if I weren't grateful to them for having let me meet Inu-no-Taishoo, and for giving me Inuyasha.

He is snoozing peacefully in my lap; his fluffy ears twitching sporadically. I press a kiss to his head.

Please...give me a little more time...