Title A Mother's Gift
Author landofthekwt
Rating K+
Word Count 940
Prompt Heirloom (Inuyasha Fanfic#22
Pairing Inuyasha/Kikyou
Summary Inuyasha prepares to give his mother's compact to Kikyou
He stared at the compact. What was he thinking? He had never done anything like this before. But Kikyou was not like anyone he had ever met since his mother.
That look that she had given him of utter loneliness made him feel guilt. A feeling that again he had not felt since his mother died. That look had so reminded him of him his mother.
There were times when his mother thought no one was looking that she would stare in the sky with that wistful look in her eyes. When he would ask her what she was thinking about she would shake her head and smile as if nothing was wrong.
But he had known. She had that same look on her face every time she told him about his father. No matter how she made his father into a great and glorious warrior there was something else A loneliness. A wistfulness. A wish that things had been different. A desire to have him with her. Something that could never happen in this life.
Just as his mother's heart was somewhere else. Kikyou had never been allowed to have a heart. Never allowed to be human. Never allowed to be a woman. He wished that he could change that look on her face. Do something that would make her smile.
He remembered once when his mother was painting her lips with the compact he had told her how beautiful she was. Her smile had been instantaneous and radiant. Her hugs had always made him squeal and were still his happiest momentsr. She would envelop him with her sleeves and hold him to her body.
He always felt safe and warm with her. Nothing could ever hurt him so long as she was there. When she died, he had been devastated. He had been rudely escorted out of the castle gates wearing nothing but the robes of the fire rat.
He would have taken anything to remind him of her. All he could find was the compact still lying on a mirror where she had left it when she had painted her lips the day before she died.
It was all he had left of her. The robe of the fire rat had been made for his "shichigosan" even though the temple officials had barred him from participating. It was his robe. She had merely fashioned it
Was he willing to give up his last link to the past? His link to his mother and happier times. He wondered what his mother would she approve of Kikyou? He had never really thought about any girl since his mother died. The idea that Kikyou might replace his mother in his heart had no appeal to him.
On the other hand, the compact was just a thing. It held memories of his mother, but would not bring her back to him. He could let go of it without letting go of the memories of his mother.
The compact itself might do some good. It might right the wrong that he had done in scorning Kikyoui's overtures to him. He did not realize how wrong he had been until she looked at him with a look of utter loneliness.
She had reached out to him and he had thrown her words back in her face. Maybe it was because he had not trusted anyone since his mother died. Maybe it was because the words struck close to home.
She was right. He fought his humanity with every breath. His mother's humanity shamed him. It reminded that he was neither human nor demon. Her blood made him the dog-eared hanyou that he was and he hated her for it.
Mikos were not allowed to marry or have children. His mother had known love and children. He had always felt her love for him. Although Kikyou's sad look reminded him of his mother, they differed in so many respects. His mother wore many different colorful and expensive kimonos while Kikyou wore the garb of a priestess
Kikyou was skillful in fighting while his mother was a woman of peace. Kikyou had mentioned that she wished that she could stop fighting and live a normal life. That would only happen if the jewel was gone.
Until it was gone, Kikyou would be forced to live a life that deprived her of her humanity that stripped her of her compact could help give her back her femininity. It had always made his mother beautiful. Surely it would work its magic on Kikyou. She would feel like a woman again and reclaim part of her humanity.
He was sure that his mother would approve. She had always made him feel loved. He was never the hated hanyou when he was with her. She would not want him to hang onto her compact for sentimental reasons when giving it as gift would do so much good.
He replaced the compact in his haori and headed out for the meeting with Kikyou. His heart sang as he flew the trees. Something told him that he was doing the right thing. The gift of compact would make Kikyou smile and erase that look of utter loneliness.
He was looking forward to meeting her. The last meeting had changed their relationship. He had been so moved by her that he had promised to give her a gift..
It was not so much that he was giving away his heirloom. He was giving back the love his mother had for him to another. Somewhere he knew that his mother was smiling and telling him he was a good boy.