CHAPTER 4: AFIRE LOVE

Things were all good yesterday and then the devil took your memory and if you fell to your death today, I hope that heaven is your resting place.

~Ed Sheeran~

"Mother…" he trailed off as she excitedly stood up.

"Oh, Inutaisho, you're here!" Izayoi cried clasping her hands together. "I knew you would come back. They all said – well, it doesn't matter you're here, with me. Oh, darling, I've missed you so."

Inuyasha's smile faltered before vanishing completely, she was getting worse if she was mistaking him for his father when their similarities were few and far between. His heart broke as he looked at her, and himself, for how did he talk to his mother when she couldn't even remember who he was? How could he go about telling her that he wasn't the love of her life, that he wasn't her mate that had been killed a year prior?

Izayoi continued towards him talking about how she was so happy that he was here to take her from this wretched place where they kept insisting that he was dead.

"Mother, I'm sorry I'm not who you think I am." Inuyasha said slowly as he set the orchid on a table by the window before gently guiding her back to her chair than sat in a chair opposite of her.

"Oh don't be silly, Inutaisho. This joke has played long enough!" His mother laughed nervously, reaching a shaky hand reaching to tuck her rapidly graying hair behind her ear.

"Mother, it's me, Inuyasha. Your son."

Her confusion was like a knife through his soul, the one person he could never forget had forgotten him. That was the thing about dementia, one moment she could be completely lucid and be the mother he loved and who loved him and the next moment she would only recognize him as an utter stranger or worse, his father. He hated that he was left with no other choice but to put her in this place when she worsened to such a degree that he could no longer handle taking care of her own his own.

Demons, generally speaking, were not keen on sentimentality but as he was only half he was extremely fortunate to feel the loss of losing his mother even thought she was sitting not two feet from him. She might as well be miles away for all the memories they had shared that now only he could recall easily.

"Oh how you kid, Inutaisho! Stop fooling around, you can't trick me!" She laughed slapping his arm playfully. He winced from more from her words which stung far more than any physical blow she could possibly give him. Unsure of what to do he sighed, wanting more than anything to fix her deteriorated mind. He wanted to take her from the confusion and hurt, more for his own benefit than hers. Inuyasha scrubbed his face before going to grab an old photo album from a small bookshelf nearby.

"You want to look at your pictures, Mom?" Izayoi looked blanked at him before her eyes shifted to the book in his hands.

"That's my old book of photos."

"Yes, it is." Inuyasha said placing it in her lap and pulling his chair closer to hers so that he could see the pictures as well. He watched her carefully as she gently ran her fingers over the paints that had been carefully arranged by her hands years ago when she started arranging all of the items she had insisted that they keep over the years.

Inuyasha focused on how her hands were trembling as she turned the page. He hated how without his demon father around she was starting to age quickly. After his father passed, breaking the mating bond meant his mortal mother's elixir to youth had also been broken. That's when things went south, his father had left them some money by most has gone to the eldest, full blooded son, Sesshomaru. By the time he had gotten his share Inuyasha had to pool it in with his mother's money as well as sell her house to pay the increasing doctors' visits and the bill for keeping her at the best home.

The first few pages were and archivist's dream come true, as his mother had been extremely thorough in conserving the original oil paintings from their life in feudal era Japan, through the centuries to present day. He could see the multiple portraits of him from when he was a pup, the year he got his first sword even the grainy black and white photos from the time he joined the military.

"Inuyasha," His mother's soft voice brought him out of his wanderings. "You were such a beautiful child and you've grown into an extraordinary man. You make me so proud. Never forget that." Inuyasha took the hand that she was holding out and gently squeezed it when she smiled up at him her eyes clear with recognition but slowly glazing over once more and her face turning blank once more. A knock came at the door, drawing Inuyasha away from his mother to let a middle aged nurse make her rounds.

"Good morning, Mrs. Taisho, how are we doing today?" The nurse asked as she gently moved over to his mother.

"Oh I'm marvelous, Mrs. Higurashi, have you met my husband? He's going to take me home." She said excitedly, the nurse looked over to where Inuyasha was scrubbing a hand over his face in defeat.

"I see," Mrs. Higurashi said giving the hanyou a knowing smile. "Well, we will miss you very much here, Mrs. Taisho. Do you mind if I take you blood pressure now?"

Inuyasha watched silently as the two talked the nurse genuinely engaging his mother in conversation as she went about her tasks, this was a main reason he had picked this place. Here his mother wasn't just a patient with a number, the nurses got to know their patients which eased his mind immensely. Once she was done his mother claimed she was tired and the nurse helped her retire to her bed, Inuyasha leaned over to kiss her goodbye.

"Oh, darling, I'm sorry I'm worn out. You can come pick me up later." She smiled patting his cheek.

"Yes, Mother." Inuyasha sighed before standing up straight. "I'll come back soon for a visit." He smiled before moving out the door the nurse held open for him. He started down the corridor to the main lobby his ears twitching back towards the sound of footsteps hurrying after him.

"Don't be discouraged, dear, I know dementia is hard to deal with, but your visits do help her greatly."

"You think so?" Inuyasha asked stopping to turn to look down at Nurse Higurashi, her face crinkling slightly around the eyes and mouth when she smiled up at him.

"I know so. Her vitals are always better after a visit from you. Your mother's mood improves and her lucid moments increase. You help her by being here for her and sitting with her, talking to her." She urged on placing a gentle hand on his forearm. "I understand that it is incredibly hard not to be recognized right away, but she knows. Deep down, she does know."

"Thank you, Mrs. Higurashi," Inuyasha said smiling down at the maternal nurse. Out of all of the nurses here she had to be his favorite, though he often wondered at the sorrow that sometimes tainted her scent that reminded him of peppermint.