Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Reunion
He was exhausted. Days of starvation and running from predators had worn him out. Safe in a little nook at the root of a tree he let out a wistful sigh. His eyes threatened to close, but he willed them open; it was not dark yet. At night he would be easily concealed from any passer-bys, and the enclosure was small enough to not allow anyone else in. His ears drooped. When had he learned to be this...strategic? His mother had explained what strategic meant during one of their lessons and it had become one of his favourite words, more so of late.

"Haha-ue!" He whimpered. Oh, how his little heart missed her. He wished she'd never died; she would have told him what he was meant to do to escape the pursuers. She would have kept him safe.

"Haha-ue!" He just wanted to see her again.

He awoke to an empty room and wet cheeks. Kagome scent lingered still. He sniffled. She had told him she would be leaving for her 'gack-kou' thing, but...

He wanted. He wanted so much. More tears dropped from reddened eyes. His mind was made up.

He couldn't just leave, Kagome would worry, but surely it would be alright if he told her mother where he was going.

He ran down the stairs.

"I'm off to see my momma." He said to a surprised Aya and disappeared before she had the time to respond. She watched him go, her heart still shaking from seeing him so upset. Resigned, she looked at the watch. One hour before Kagome would be home.

"What do you mean, mama?"

"That's all he told me."

"And went to the well?"

"Yes."

"I'm going after him."

"But, surely he'll be alright if he is with his mother."

"Mama, his mother died over a century ago."

And she was gone, leaving a very shaken Aya behind.

"Oh, the poor child. Please let him be alright!" Her prayer done she returned to the kitchen; there was very little else she could do to help them, and they would (no doubt) be very hungry when they returned. With a small sigh she began mixing the batter: time may heal wounds just fine, but sometimes cookies were more effective.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango's voice didn't disguise her surprise.

"Is Inuyasha better, then?" Asked Miroku.

"No. He's gone! He left when I was at school. He said he'd be seeing his mother."

"Could he have meant the grave?"

"Grave?!!! What grave Miroku-sama?!"

"His mother's." Sango answered silently.

"Where is it?"

"Kirara will take you." The demoness in question nodded and transformed.

"Haha-ue..." A small boy cries in front of the faded stone. "I missed you!!!" Tears darken the ground on which they fall. The shaken breaths from the child continue to pour out.

"I didn't want you to go! I'm sorry I was bad! Please come back and I won't be bad no more! I promise!" He clenches his fists. "I'll n't say any bad words, an'...an' I'll do everythin' you say an'...I'll...I'll do anything! I'll stop bein' a half-breed, I will...just come back momma."

The gravestone continues watching on, unfazed.

"Thank you, Kirara." Kagome whispered jumping off. "Just stay here ok? I don't want him to get scared."

The fire-cat nodded.

Oh, Inuyasha.

He wasn't all that far off, but she hadn't expected to see such a sorrowful scene: Inuyasha folded on himself, looking very much the forlorn child, weeping with all he was.

She stopped, torn between comforting him and the possibility that she may make him flee.

"Momma...please?"

His broken voice brought tears to her eyes.

"Please momma? If...if I was human...would you still have left? You wouldn't of! You wouldn't of, would you?!" He sniffed loudly. "Come back momma. I'll be good and be a human boy f'r you. I'll...I'll...I'll ask the gods to take my ears! An' I'll cut my claws! Anything! I'll dye my hair! I'll only leave the house on nights with no moon, okay momma? You'll come back?" Another sob caught in his throat. "Please?"

She couldn't stand it anymore; walking up to him she knelt and hugged him tightly to her.

"Don't, Inuyasha. Don't change who you are. Your mother wouldn't want that for you."

"But...I'm bad! That's why she's gone. So if I'm good..."

Kagome suppressed a sob.

"No sweetie, no. You are good. Your mother didn't want to leave you, but she had to, ok? It wasn't your fault."

"Why else would she leave me?"

"Because other people made her? Remember? The knife...you found her there...do you remember?"

"No...No! She left me because I was bad!"

"No, Inuyasha. She was killed by humans. Stupid, cruel humans. It was not your fault."

"They did it cuz of me! It's my fault!" He cried harder. "And now no-one'll ever want me."

" That's not true, Inuyasha." She kissed his hair gently. "Your friends care about you very much: Miroku, Sango, Shippo...remember them? Kirara...my mother, Souta, even Grampa. We all care about you; we all want you to understand that."

He sniffled.

"Does Kagome care?"

"Yes. Very much."

"Kagome...is my mother in Nirvana?"

"I don't know."

"Coz...Nirvana is awful far...and I want her near..."

"Oh, Inuyasha...she will be in your heart as long as you remember her."

"She will?"

"I promise you she will."

"Kagome..." He snuggled deeper into her. "D'you think I can ever have another mother?" He whispered too softly for her to hear.

"Tell me about her."

"Momma?"

Kagome nodded.

"She...she was diff'r'nt. She smelled real nice...kinda like you...but not..." He fumbled with his words. "Like...she smelled...like...like...lilies at dusk...and sometimes like summer...and..." He stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothn'."

She continued to play with his hair, brushing softly down the length of it she could reach. She occasionally stopped to brush his ears gently, then returned to his hair, never rushing.

"Kag'me...if my momma ain't here any more...can she still be proud of me?"

"I'm sure she already is, Inuyasha."

"Kag'me...I miss her." He whispered.

"I know you do."

Silence fell between them once more.

"Will it ever stop hurting?"

His tear-laced voice broke her heart.

"No." She said honestly. "It will get less painful, but it will always hurt a little."

"Kagome...I think...my mother would've liked you."

She smiled.

"Can we visit from time to time?" He tilted his head back to look at her.

"Anytime you want."

"Thanks! You're the bestest!"

She tightened her hold on him for a moment.

"Kagome, let's go back."

They got up and she was surprised when his hand slipped into hers. It didn't so much fit, but he seemed to be content so she just smiled at him.

"Is this okay?" He asked shyly.

"It's fine. Let's go home."

He nodded.

Sayoonara, haha-ue!

Author's Notes: Last line means: "Goodbye, mother!". Inuyasha's rendition of the word "school" is in Japanese: gakkoo, spoken 'ga-koh", hence my romanisation of it in the earlier paragraph.

Thank you so much for reviewing, and I apologise for the delay in this chapter. I've been rather busy as of late. I'm gonna try and update more regularly come the new year, but I make no promises.

From the bottom of my heart I am grateful for all your support and your comments! I dearly love hearing from all you.