A/N: 20:15, 24/08/09. And now I'm back in my comfort zone, it's warm and safe here. Tonight's films are The Little Mermaid and The Incredibles. The last is because I feel like being caustic. But first here's something warm, sweet and probably melancholic, verging on triumphant.

Pairing: Inuyasha, Izayoi
Genre: Family/Tragedy/Introspection/Melancholy/Triumph
Universe: Canon
Warnings: Inuyasha has a mouth

Word count: 636

It's A Beautiful Day

It's a beautiful day
The sun is shining
I feel good
And no-one's gonna stop me now, oh yeah

It was high summer and the western zephyrs were gentle and bore a soft flowered fragrance. It reminded Inuyasha of his mum. Back in the days of his extreme childhood she still had a few small bottles of her perfume with her and she wore it on special occasions or whenever she felt like it was beautiful outside in every way.

It was daisies and cherries. That was her smell, and that was what the wind smelt of today. He missed her so much. She was sick, something bad was growing inside her, it had made the flowers smell of mildew and sickly sweet autumn rot. It had been hard knowing she was going to die before she knew.

So he made himself as strong as possible. Going hunting, fishing, collecting water, doing everything he could to make his mum happy and safe.

He failed to protect her. And then he was run out of the last village he'd called 'home' until Edo.

And it was in Edo that he managed to keep and protect his special person. Simply because he wouldn't let anything; not his arsehole brother, not Naraku, not even time itself could keep him away from his Kagome!

It's a beautiful day
I fell good, I fell right
And no-one, no-one's gonna stop me now
Mama

The river he was walking by laughed melodiously. He was off to visit his mum's grave, holding a handful of bright wildflowers unabashedly in his hands.

Mum, may all the gods bless her soul, had done her utmost best to raise him properly with care to his instincts. And she knew so little about youkai and hanyou instincts, only the little she knew from dad. Inuyasha would do anything for his mother, always had, always would.

A deposed high born lady, outcast for loving and caring for non – humans. Oh, she had been so strong. How else could he turn out after seeing her persistence and strength of will. As a child he insisted that his mum could destroy mountains. "You could, you really could." He said to her as he knelt by the gravestone he'd made and carved himself. Inuyasha traced out that childish hiragana characters with a firmer, surer hand. Etching 'Izayoi' deeper into the unmoving stone, so that passers by for centuries would read her name and remember it.

Without his mum he wouldn't be here. Simple. But noone ever gave her thanks.

Sometimes I fell so sad, so sad, so bad
But no-one's gonna stop me now, no-one
It's hopeless - so hopeless to even try

For all the centuries after her death, the endless days without her careless hugs and murmured "Inu – chan, my beautiful boy, you're the strongest boy there will ever be. Now show your mama your smile." He had been so alone and despised for being a halfblood.

It was hopeless to fight their perspective. He was reviled and hated. So he learnt to hate, to be gruff and to always, always scowl and to never ever cry. Because crying showed your weaknesses.

And he learnt to fight. Especially thanks to his inestimable brother there – at least he never held back.

But with Kikyou had come the promise of Kagome, Shippou, Miroku and Sango. It all looked up from there, he became stronger, a protector who wouldn't let anyone or anything take away his family. Hell, even Sesshoumaru wasn't trying to kill him too seriously any more.

His fame spread widely after Naraku's death. Noone was ever going to stop him again. "Hey Mum, you don't have to worry any more, or hide your tears; I'm happy now. You can go to Dad if you really want.

"I'll miss you."

Post – story A/N: Short and sweet. I quite like this one.

The Incredibles is okay. But it's CGI and the characters are too caricatured. I get it, I know that's a deliberate thing and meant to be hammy and comic – like, but I don't particularly like it. However, Frozone is also known as Samuel L. Jackson. He is therefore, the best character by miles. Miles.

Verdict: average. Worth watching for the greatness that is Samuel L. Jackson.