My Mother's Face

Like a bird Inuyasha soared over rooftop to rooftop as Tokyo opened its eyes to another day. The streets and trees and buildings glistened from the raindrops that coated them, the only remnants of a rainstorm the night before. On his hip was his sword and slung over his shoulder was an arrow and a quiver of bows. He would take occasional glances to the wet street below where Kagome was walking on her normal route to school. It was a little game of two young people newly in love, as Kagome would glance up ever so subtly to see a flash of red or silver, or perhaps both. He landed gently on a tree then on a wall.

"Having fun," Kagome smiled. "What are you going to do when I have to take the train?"

"You'll see," he sniffed before gracefully leaping into the air again. He watched from the roof as she entered the train station and waited for the train number to leave the station and followed along its path. Kagome's jaw dropped then formed a coy smile as she saw the familiar silver and white through the raindropped-streaked window. A few stops later and she left the train station to smile upon Inuyasha squatting on a wall smirking, "took you long enough."

"Well don't get left behind," Kagome smirked back walking pausing in her steps as she thought she heard a strange sound from Inuyasha, as though he was suppressing a cough. Turning around she saw Inuyasha smirk, then sneeze violently and nearly fall off the wall.

Are you okay?" Kagome called out running towards the wall. Inuyasha sniffed and crossed his arms looking to the heavens, his voice a little deeper, "Feh, nothing's wrong with me!" Kagome smiled and before stepping through the gates into school sweetly saying, "Sure."

Mrs. Higurashi sighed as she swept the wet leaves that accumulated during the rainstorm in front of the shrine, pausing to shake the broom every so often to as leaves stuck to the bristles. She smiled as she saw a flash of red, "Inuyasha, grab a broom and help clean up this mess before any tourists show up!"

"Keh," she heard him mumble as he ran to the storage shed to grab a broom and set to work, glad to catch him before he ran off. And as the first tourists arrived, every errant leaf and piece of litter had been cleaned up leaving the Higurashi Shrine spotless. Inuyasha and Mrs. Higurashi got to work rearranging the storage room as jii-chan tended to the visitors, a group of western tourists in awe of the ancient shrine.

Dust floated in the air of the storage shed as boxes of artifacts littered the floor. It had taken most of the morning to label and rearrange the items. Mrs. Higurashi wiped her brow as she looked over at Inuyasha. He had been unusually quiet and subdued the entire morning. And most strangely, his ears drooped instead of swiveling around at the slightest sound.

"Father, do you think something is wrong with Inuyasha today?" she whispered as he entered the storage shed about to comment about the neatly stacked and labeled shelves.

"Nope, he's just as moody as Kagome," Jii-chan loudly stated as if it were fact causing Mrs. Higurashi to smile. But she also noticed that Inuyasha did not make a comment. Surely he would have heard her father's comment and respond with an equally sarcastic remark. She marched to the doorway where Inuyasha was leaning against the doorframe his arms crossed looking into the courtyard and asked "Are you okay?"

"Feh," Inuyasha mumbled, unaware that his voice was a little deeper this day, "I'm fine." Mrs. Higurashi frowned and marched over to the hanyou. Inuyasha paused and turned to face the woman, who merely placed a hand to his forehead.

"Hmm, just as I suspected," she calmly said.

"What are you going on about," Inuyasha grumbled. Removing her hand, Mrs. Higurashi calmly stated, "From the looks of it, you got the flu that has been going around lately."

"The flu?" Inuyasha looked at her as if she were insane. Mrs. Higurashi smiled a toothless grin up at him, "Yes, the flu. Now get inside before you get any sicker."

"I ain't sick!" Inuyasha protested crossing his arms and looking away from her. "And you aint my mother."

"I may as well be," she retorted. Inuyasha was about to voice his objection but unfortunately for him, a coughing fit overcame him.

"Mhmmm," Mrs. Higurashi sighed, rolling her eyes and tugging his sleeve as her father laughed admiring the storeroom. "C'mon."

"Now I take it you may not have been exposed to this virus back home so I do not suggest you going back until you have fully recovered. Who knows what could happen if the people of your village were exposed to this," she explained as Inuyasha glared daggers at her when she entered the kitchen as he sat at the table, his arms crossed and a thermometer in his mouth.

Truthfully, Inuyasha was conflicted. It was nice to be fussed over, but it bothered him. He was not used to being coddled over. And it brought up painful memories of his mother and how she would do the same and how much he missed her.

The beeping of the thermometer causing him to jump a little interrupted his thoughts. Mrs. Higurashi pulled the thermometer from his mouth and smiled gently.

"Why don't you go up to Kagome's room and get some rest," she said patting his shoulder. "I'll bring you some soup and medicine, okay?" Inuyasha nodded, not even attempting to protest. Why even bother fighting with her when he would loose anyway. Besides, he was tired and a warm bed would be nice.

He stepped into Kagome's room and inhaled, faintly catching her scent, missing her deeply. It would only be a few hours, but he wanted her near feeling slightly uncomfortable of being coddled by her mother. He changed into his sleeping kimono and sat on the futon leaning against the wall drawing his knees to his chest and resting his head on his arms that embraced his knees.

As he listened to the call of a distant bird outside, the sound reminding him of the garden walks he would take with his mother. He recalled how beautiful she was, how the wind carried her hair, the way she would look at him with soft caring eyes and a warm smile on her face.

Her face? Inuyasha raised his head trying to recall her eyes, the shape of her nose, the curve of her smile. But the images would not come to the young hanyou. Dropping his hands to the floor, he quickly balled them into fists. How could he have forgotten his own mother's face?

Heavy tears soon formed in his eyes but he did not blink them away. Inuyasha could not recall feeling this emotionally raw since the death of his mother and the near death of Kagome. He looked down at his bedsheets and closed his eyes, feeling the tears leave small tracks down his cheeks.

Inuyasha opened his eyes at the sound of a soft knock at the door and quickly ran his sleeve across his face, attempting to erase all traces of his somber mood. Yet as Mrs. Higurashi entered the room with a heavily laden tray, she could see the fire in his normally intense glare had gone out.

"Why so glum?" Mrs. Higurashi announced setting the tray before him. Inuyasha looked down at his bedsheets as if lost in thought, "nothing."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled. The strong hanyou before her looked so lost without Kagome. She could see how this boy loved her daughter and smiled,"you miss Kagome, huh? Don't worry, she will be home in a few hours."

"Huh?" Inuyasha looked at Mrs. Higurashi with a strange look, as if she spoke in a foreign language. She kneeled on the floor next to him and merely looked at him with kind eyes, "Inuyasha, what's bothering you?"

"Nothing is bothering me,"Inuyasha muttured averting his eyes so he could not make eye contact, sighing softly. He looked directly at Mrs. Higurashi to see that she was still looking directly at him. He sighed again, seeing the concerned look in her eyes. "Why do you care?" he softly asked.

"Because you are in pain," Mrs. Higurashi calmly stated as she continued to gaze at Inuyasha. How he loved her daughter and she was sure he would do anything for her. It was a perfect match in her opinion. Her daughter was no ordinary human, blessed with the gift of sight, the ability to heal, and the power to purify. No ordinary human could compliment her the way the hanyou before her did.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "you're part of our family, you know." Inuyasha's eyes grew large and looked at the woman before him and replied in barely a whisper"but I can't hardly remember my own family."

He watched as Mrs. Higurashi stand up and pick up a beautiful red lacquered mirror with Sakura painted on it off Kagome's desk and hold it before him, "Inuyasha, just look at your face. Your family is closer than you think."

Inuyasha gently took the mirror from her hands and gazed into its surface. And that is when he saw it, his mother's eyes, her nose gazing back at him. He brought his free hand to his cheek, seeing perhaps for the first time all that his parents had given him.

Mrs. Higurashi smiled and deciding not to press further, made her way to the door, "Eat your soup and drink your tea. It'll make you feel better."

"Okay," he responded gently laying down the mirror and taking the large bowl as Mrs. Higurashi stepped out of the bedroom and gently closed the door behind her. He glanced at the clock wondering what Kagome was doing at school today.

Kagome smiled as she stepped out of the school gates noticing that the raindrops that decorated the buildings were all but gone and the pavement dry and the sun straining to emerge from the clouds.

"You did really well on that test Kagome," Yuka said as Eri, Yuka, and Ayume followed Kagome out of the school grounds. Eri smiled, "I bet it's because of all the attention her boyfriend gives her."

"You're just jealous," Kagome smiled leading them to the train station. Ever since they came to her house and heard her proclamations of love and discovered a pile of wildflowers on her bedroom floor, Kagome had been the subject of their teasing. At first she blushed embarrassed of all the attention but now she merely took it in stride.

"And why would we be jealous?" Yuka smirked as they climbed onto the platform. Kagome turned around and smiled, "because you don't have boyfriends."

The train came to a screeching halt before them, tousling their hair about. The four of them climbed on taking spots near a pole. As the train pulled out of the station, Kagome smirked "But Hojo's still single!"

"But Hojo still likes you," Ayume said with airiness in her voice. Kagome frowned almost loosing her balance as the train stopped at a station, "but he hasn't brought me any gifts lately, has he?"

"Did something happen?" Eri pried. Kagome nodded looking down at the dirty floor of the train car, "Yeah, he saw me with Inuyasha the other day."

"What!" three adolescent girls loudly stated, causing several heads to turn in their direction. Kagome pulled the chord and the train came to a stop, causing the four girls to almost loose their balance. The four of them exited the car and left the station as Kagome explained, "we weren't doing anything other than holding hands when he rode up to us on his bicycle. He wanted to ask me something but then he looked at me strangely and quickly rode off."

"Well now we know why he was asking about Inuyasha," Yuka said as they left the train station and began their walk to the shrine. Kagome nodded, having overheard that conversation earlier.

"Yeah, he said Inuyasha was very weird looking but I think he's very cute!" Ayume stated. Kagome looked over at Ayume, "He's mine!" The foursome giggled as they walked down the sidewalk until Eri spoke up, "What about his old girlfriend."

"Oh," Kagome said with sadness in her voice. "She died three years ago."

"I'm sorry," Eri said. "I didn't mean…"

"No guys it's okay," Kagome explained. "Inuyasha's relationship with her was very complicated." Kagome was puzzled at why she felt so sad about it. Essentially they were rivals. But Kikyo came before her, had lived a tragic life, and suffered an equally tragic death. She was a miko, much like her, and had inadvertently taught Kagome so much. And when she died, she left behind a sister, Kaede, whom Kagome loved very much...

"Kagome, Kagome."

"Huh? Oh sorry," Kagome replied coming out of her stupor. Ayume placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?" Kagome nodded, "Yeah I'm fine. I'll just go home."

"Okay Kagome, we'll see you at school tomorrow!" Kagome waved and solemnly walked towards the shrine all the while thinking of how Kikyo had died but she had lived. She quietly slipped into her house, calling out "I'm home!"

After receiving no response, she shrugged assuming everyone was in the shrine and climbed the stairs and creaked her bedroom door open, surprised to see a sleeping hanyou in his futon.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome loudly exclaimed causing the hanyou to slowly open his eyes and sit up, his hair a mess and his ears drooping, "hello."

She sat next to him, noticing the jagged sounds of his breathing and the flush of his cheeks. He was obviously ill. Inuyasha gripped her wrist and smiled, "you're home."

Kagome smiled at the desperation in his voice. It was obvious he missed her! She could feel her own heart flutter and warmness in the pit of her stomach. Instead she placed her palm on his warm forehead and frowned, "you're sick."

"No shit!" he groaned lying back down on his bedding. "Your mom said it was inla-, fla-." A small giggle came from Kagome as she retrieved the thermometer from the tray, which she placed under his tongue, "It's called the flu. Normally it takes a week to get over but you should be fine in a few days."

"Ugh," Inuyasha moaned covering his faces with his hands. Kagome smiled and looked down at her hanyou, "How are you feeling?"

"Awful." Inuyasha smiled as Kagome blinked at his honest response. There really was no point to lying. He looked and sounded awful. If Mrs. Higurashi could tell he was not well, Kagome would surely be able to.

"Do you want some tea?"

Inuyasha nodded watching as she brushed some errant strands of hair out of his face and collect the dirty dishes off the tray. With a stern look she brought the thermometer towards his lips gently said, "Now don't take that thermometer out of your mouth until I come back."

Kagome smiled and left her bedroom humming softly, delighted with the thought of looking after a compliant Inuyasha for a change. Finding her mother in the kitchen she asked "So have you been looking after Inuyasha?"

"Oh yes, he has the flu dear," she explained. "He won't be going through that well until he gets better."

"Huh?"

"We aren't going to be responsible for any influenza epidemics in the Sengoku Jidai."

"Right," Kagome smiled. "So he's been listening to you?"

"Of course," Mrs. Higurashi replied. "Would you mind starting some rice dear?" Kagome nodded as she prepared the tea and plugged in the rice cooker adding the requisite cups of rice and water, then hurried upstairs quickly with a new tray.

"Hmm, your fever is pretty high," Kagome, said looking at the thermometer before measuring out some medicine and handing it to Inuyasha. Inuyasha took a sip of the tea commenting, "this is the strangest tea I've ever had."

"I don't think it was around Japan in your era. It's called chamomile and I put a bit of honey it too," she smiled watching Inuyasha finish it, obvious that he liked it. Inuyasha looked into Kagome's eyes and whispered uncharacteristically, "thank you."

"Just rest," Kagome whispered back stroking his warm cheek. Inuyasha relished in the touch. Somehow it just felt right. Perhaps if he had gotten ill before he kissed her on the shrine grounds he would have protested, denied being sick. But something changed in him and it felt nice to be cared for by the one you loved. Now if only he could breathe properly, cease coughing, and not feel so cold and achy he could actually enjoy this.

He lay down and sighed the moment Kagome placed a cold cloth on his forehead, enjoying the bliss without the prying eyes of Sango, Miroku, or Shippo. It was just he and Kagome in their own little world.

"How come you're not sick?" he asked sitting up the cloth falling onto his lap. "We've been around each other the most."

"I got a flu shot," Kagome explained.

"A flu shot?" Inuyasha moaned gripping his head. Gritting his teeth he said, "why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"Well you always said hanyou don't get sick, so I never bothered to take you to the clinic with me. And I never thought you would be susceptible to modern viruses that have mutated through generations and generations. There are many different strains of the the influenza virus that actually undergo mutations year after year, so scientists have to predict which strains to include in the shot each…"

"Ah never mind," Inuyasha grumbled laying back down. "I don't care anymore."

"Just get some rest," Kagome said replacing the cloth on his forehead. "My mom is making some more soup for you."

"Okay," Inuyasha smiled as he watched Kagome adjust his blankets. She smiled back at him, "I'll be at my desk doing homework but if you need anything just let me know."

Kagome retreated to her desk smiling as she heard snoring and quickly set to work on her homework, her heart still beating furiously in her chest. When had she come to love Inuyasha so much, when had he learned to trust her? The change had been so slow that she had not noticed the changes until now, when he needed her. She brought her hand to her heart and smiled.

"Kagome, Inuyasha," a boy's voice came from the door causing Kagome to return to the present. Inuyasha stirred as Kagome opened the door to Sota carrying a heavy tray in his arms laden with plates and bowls.

"Sota!" Kagome exclaimed taking the tray from his arms. With hopeful eyes, he smiled and looked up at his sister, "Here's your dinner. Is Inuyasha okay?"

"Course I am," Inuyasha called from his futon coughing lightly. "I'm not that easy to off!"

"Then can you help me with my homework tomorrow?" Sota asked kneeling in front of Inuyasha with wide hopeful eyes. Inuyasha leaned closer and blinked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Help me build a rocket! It's a small model of a real one that has flames shooting out of one end and shoots into space," he explained waving his arms around frantically.

"You mean one of those things that go to the moon," Inuyasha smiled, a strange gleam in his eye. Kagome laid the tray down on the tatami mat on the floor next to Inuyasha's futon and smiled, "and how do you know that?"

"You told me about them, the first time you served me ramen!" Kagome gasped, recalling the memory, "You were listening."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said reaching for a large bowl of soup on the tray. Sota inched closer looking Inuyasha in the eye, "so can you help me?"

"Sure kid," Inuyasha replied ruffling Sota's hair. Sota then ran out of the room, "great!"

Kagome picked up a bowl of soup and smiled longingly at Inuyasha. "You know it's going to be a small rocket, no bigger than his high, she said gesturing with her hand.

"I know," Inuyasha replied spooning his soup into his mouth, "I'm not stupid."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped about to retort but then closed her mouth, not wanting to start an argument. She watched him slowly eat, then place the bowl on the tray and look at her with a serious look in his eye, "Kagome, I'm sorry I didn't pick you up from school today. I don't like you walking home alone with that strange youkai out there."

Kagome picked up her tea and took a sip before meeting Inuyasha eye to eye, "It's okay. I think we are not going to see that gang for a while after what I did to that kid. Besides I walked most of it home with my friends."

"I just can't help to worry," Inuyasha whispered taking his cup into his hands and staring at the steam that collected over it. "These are not what we are used to dealing with."

"I know," Kagome confessed taking a sip from her cup. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to do what I did to that kid again. But since that day I've felt strange, as if my body is on electricity."

Inuyasha looked up at Kagome with wide eyes, "I know, I can feel the energy come off you." Kagome looked down at her food, not sure what to think of this confession. Should she be happy that her abilities were getting stronger or should she be upset that this was one more aspect to her that made her more alone in the world?

"Kagome," Inuyasha said in a low voice, "What is wrong?"

She sighed and not looking up from her soup replied, "I don't know what to think, I mean I should be happy that I'm getting stronger but I kinda feel like a freak."

"Kagome, if anyone looks at you any different because you have been blessed with spiritual powers then that person does not deserve to be your friend." Kagome looked up to see Inuyasha leaning towards her smiling. Her lips curved into a smile, "you're right. I was being silly."

"And if anyone thinks of you less because of that, I'll teach 'em a lesson." Inuyasha paused to cough then looked up at a smiling Kagome sheepishly, "Once I'm over this blasted flu!"

"Thanks, now finish your soup," Kagome gently scolded.

Poor Inuyasha! I really had fun writing this chapter. In case you are wondering, I had Inuyasha stay in his futon rather than in Kagome's bed because that is what he is more used to from being born in the Heian era. This is a lead up to some really cool stuff coming in the next chapter.