Disclaimer: This story is based on "Inuyasha," copyrighted by Rumiko Takahashi. No infringement of copyright intended or implied.


Writing Names

Inuyasha inspected the shiny, black puddle of liquid, rubbing his nose to prevent a sneeze. "Did I do it right?" he asked, looking up at Izayoi who was seated at a small desk.

She smiled at him. "Shall we see?" Picking up a brush with her right hand, and holding back the voluminous sleeve with her left, she leaned forward to reach the small bowl in which the young boy had been painstakingly mixing ink from inkstick and water. Dipping the brush, and smoothing away the excess, she drew a curving line on a piece of scrap paper. "Just right," she said. "Now, what shall I write?"

"Your name! I want to see your name, mama!"

Moving the bowl onto the desk, Izayoi dipped the brush, and carefully drew the simple characters of her name. Inuyasha stood up on his knees to get a better look.

"That spells 'mama'?" he asked, when she set the brush down.

"No, it spells 'Izayoi.' That's my name."

"I-za-yoi!" he repeated slowly, grinning. "I like your name!"

She laughed, then pulled the paper away as he reached for it. "Ah ah ah—clean your hands, first." Taking a damp rag, she leaned forward and scrubbed the spot on his face. While he concentrated on cleaning his hands, Izayoi took a second paper and swiftly brushed three characters. When he looked up, she displayed that page. "Here's your name."

"Inu-ya-sha! I like my name, too!"

Izayoi smiled, pleased.


Author's Note: This piece was written for the prompt "Puddle," and posted to the LiveJournal community "Inuyasha FanFic Contest" on February 7th, 2012. It won the contest.