Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but I came up with Mama Higurashi's name. I chose it because it means "beautiful wisdom".

Michiko Higurashi paused, as she so often did to admire the Goshinboku before going inside. Perhaps it was silly to feel such deep affection for a tree, but she couldn't stop feeling grateful to it. It had been there for her all her life, and seemed to be looking after her daughter in the Feudal Era as well. Whenever she stopped and just looked it, Goshinboku captivated her with its beauty. Strong, sturdy trunk, and branches that seemed to go on forever. Nothing seemed to faze it. She sighed, allowing the serenity to wash over her.

"Shit shit shit SHIT!" CRASH. Angry muttering. Silence. Crash. "God DAMN IT!"

Perplexed, Michiko followed the string of profanity to its source. For a moment, she could only stare at what she could only describe as Inuyasha trying to ride a bike. Either that or he'd challenged it to a fight and he was losing.

Inuyasha kicked the bike off him and glared at it, hand hovering instinctively over his sword hilt.

"Ok you stupid thing," he growled at it, "You are going to work for me or I'm going to turn you into scrap metal, got it?"

The bike fell over. Inuyasha stomped to it and pulled it upright.

"Ok. Kagome sits on it, and then puts her feet on these things…"

He tried pedalling, but his billowing pants got stuck in the gears and he toppled over to the ground once again. His next-particularly foul- epithet died when he noticed her. Turning scarlet, Inuyasha scrambled to his feet and tried to look dignified; very difficult to accomplish when you have a bicycle attached to your trousers.

"Hello, Inuyasha," Michiko said kindly.

"Hi…you." She could see the poor boy cringe the instant the words left his mouth. She walked to him and knelt, gently working the fabric free of the gears.

"You can call me Michiko if you like," she told him, standing and wiping her oily hands on her apron, "Or Mama, everyone else does." The boy was still blushing furiously, but he nodded, looking off to the side.

"Kagome's still away?" He asked. Michiko nodded, explaining that she'd stayed at school late to use the library and that afterward she'd be going out with some friends for dinner. Michiko took one look at him then, at the drooping dog-ears and the sad puppy eyes and allowed her motherly intuition to take over.

"Would you like something to eat? We should really wash your clothes as well, they're covered in grease." Apparently dumbfounded, Inuyasha let Michiko take his hand and lead him inside.

It took some coaxing, but she did eventually convince him to change into some of her late husband's clothes so she could do laundry. Figuring that he wouldn't be comfortable in tight clothing, Michiko gave him a pair of grey sweatpants and a loose black T-shirt. She didn't bother suggesting that he wash his feet, if there was one thing she knew, it was when to pick your battles. He followed her into the laundry room, peering over her shoulder and taking in everything around them. For someone that lived in an era where magic apparently existed, Michiko couldn't help but be amused by his fascination with their washing machine. He probably would have sat in front of it all night if she'd let him. Well, no rush.

Making her way to the kitchen, Michiko searched through the cabinets until she found what she was looking for. A memory eased its way to the forefront.

"That Inuyasha," Kagome grumbled, throwing more of the Styrofoam cups into her already full backpack. "I swear he only likes me because I feed him." She pitched her voice to sound like Inuyasha's "Oi wench, I let you go home and you didn't even bring me more noodles?! Keh!" Shaking her head in annoyance, she smiled brightly, waving goodbye and dashing out the door.

Sure enough, as soon as the scent of ramen filled the kitchen, Michiko felt something watching her. Somehow, she just knew that Inuyasha was hovering behind the door-frame, like a child wary of a scolding, but really wanting to come into the kitchen. She didn't turn around,

"Come sit down, Inuyasha. Kagome told me these noodles are your favourite." When she looked, she saw that he'd turned pink again. But at least he was sitting at the table.

He's so different from the first time I met him.

Oh, hadn't that been the most interesting dinner of all time. Her daughter had returned after being missing for three days and talking non-stop about demons. At the time, she hadn't known what to make of it. Kagome wasn't a liar, but surely, she couldn't have been telling the truth. Then Inuyasha had come barging in, demanding that Kagome come back and trying to drag her out the door. Michiko chuckled at the memory of Inuyasha's face when she'd touched his ears. No one, not even Father seemed to have figured out that rather than be confrontational with people, she found it much easier to get the reaction she wanted by confusing them. But, coming back to the situation at hand, she was finding it hard to connect that rough, bossy boy with the blushing, timid one she saw before her.

"Here," She handed him some chopsticks and the bowl of steaming ramen and sat down across from him.

"Thanks." He mumbled. He slurped away at his noodles for a few minutes, though if Kagome was to be believed, he was actually trying to display some amount of table manners. When it was empty, he set the bowl down and looked into it, ears flattening.

"Hey, uh,"

"Michiko, or Mama."

"Right. Uh," seconds ticked by before he finally found his courage, "Why're you bein' so nice to me?"

"Is there a reason I shouldn't be nice to you?" Michiko asked, taking the bowl from him and placing it in the sink. She had the sense that this wasn't easy for him.

"Well," he faltered, "Kagome came back because we had another fight."

"I know that." Michiko waited. Inuyasha fidgeted in his seat, his discomfort growing steadily obvious.

"I dunno, aren't you sp'osed to be on her side or something?" There was something in his amber eyes that made Michiko feel very sad all of a sudden. She smiled.

"I love my daughter, no matter what. She is kind, she's smart and she is fiery- she gets that from her father. But, she's not perfect." Inuyasha's disbelieving, almost offended expression made Michiko want to giggle, but she resisted.

"I've always thought to myself that what Kagome needs is a challenge. Someone that won't just roll over and do what she says, yet cherishes and respects her." She allowed a moment for that to sink in, the boy seemed lost in thought. "May I ask you a question Inuyasha?"

A question? I've got hundreds I'd like to ask him, but one thing at a time. Baby steps.

Inuyasha nodded, still looking thoughtful, but not quite so sad anymore.

"Why were you trying to ride Kagome's bike?"

Inuyasha looked down at his clawed hands, still streaked with dirt.

"I wanted to know why she likes riding her bike more than me."

Michiko blinked. Inuyasha flushed. Poor thing, he looked like he wanted to die.

"I mean, I don't mind carrying her on my back!" He hastily amended. Michiko tried desperately to hide her amusement. Did Kagome truly not realize that this boy was head over heels in love with her?

"I see. Well, if I know my daughter, she cares very much about not being a burden. Have you told her that you don't mind carrying her?" His sullen silence was answer enough. She was even willing to bet that he'd told her the exact opposite. Apparently unwilling to say anymore, Inuyasha started absent-mindedly finger combing his hair. Michiko shook her head affectionately. She told Inuyasha to have a seat in front of the TV, she was going to brush his hair properly.

Be kind to him Kagome, he's doing his best. It couldn't have been easy, growing up without a mother.

She talked quietly while she brushed, marvelling at how soft his silver tresses became, once she got the tangles out. She told him about Kagome's childhood, her father, how she'd gotten suspended from school for punching a boy that had been gathering up snails and stomping on them. Only Inuyasha's flicking ears indicated that he was awake and listening. When she finished, she was struck by an impulse. She embraced him from behind, hands clasped over his chest. She felt him stiffen in surprise at her touch, but he quickly relaxed.

"You and Kagome will work things out. You balance each other. She's made you gentle, but you've made her strong." His voice was so quiet when he spoke that she almost missed it.

"Thanks…M-mama."

And that's how Kagome found them when she arrived home. Strangely enough, she'd forgotten all about why she was supposed to be angry with him.

But she was curious to know who had been using her bike.

FIN

A/N: I LOVE Mama Higurashi and I would have loved to have seen more moments between her and Inuyasha. It would have been so easy for her to dislike him, breaking her kitchen, stealing her daughter away to the Feudal era, but instead she treated him like a son. And I think that's really nice. The story came to me after reading Volume 6 of the manga where Kagome realizes that Inuyasha has tried riding her bike.