Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha or its characters.

Author's note: Ok, so my computer finally decided to work. This is for Spirit of Innocence and Neisha (I'm sorry, again) especially, and for all you lovely people that are constantly putting a smile on my face with your lovely reviews. I am thankful to, and for, each and every one of you!

Tangles

Night. The moon shone shyly over a peaceful glade; by a tree trunk, a red-clad hanyou stared into space unseeingly.

Thoughts tangled and weaved reopening old scars. He stared unwaveringly, never revealing the inner turmoil. A voice shone through his darkness; a softly spoken word.

"Inuyasha"

"What?"

"Are you alright?"

"Keh, I'm fine!"

She looked at him as though she was trying to read him and he stared back defiantly.

"I am fine" he reiterated.

She scooted forward and sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He stiffened, but she payed it no heed. She had learnt him oh-too-well by now.

He continued to stare unseeingly.

"Can I braid your hair?"

His voice startled her, and for a moment she didn't know what to say. He looked away, half-nervous, half-ashamed. Smiling, she motioned for him to start.
His clawed hands scraped her head gingerly; she could feel them tangling slightly at the ends, brushing down the entire length of her hair.

"Where did you learn to do this Inuyasha?"

He stayed silent, continuing his task, then, after a while, broke the silence.

" Mother...she had long hair."

Kagome breathed in sharply. She could almost see the shadows begin to cloud his eyes, the way the always did when he talked about his past.

"On winter nights, when I couldn't go out...she'd let me play with it for hours." he continued. "I braided her hair...on our last night..." he almost choked on the last words. Kagome trembled knowing how much it must tax him to utter those words. He finished braiding her hair, and she twisted around to look at him; his eyes were hidden by his bangs. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him close. He didn't move, but he whispered something so lightly she almost didn't hear it.

"Tonight was the night I killed her all those years ago."

Kagome's eyes welled up with tears. Pulling away she looked at him.

"You did NOT kill her. You loved her!"

He looked away.

"It's my fault she died!"

"You were a child! You couldn't have done anything. Don't blame yourself...Inuyasha" she pleaded with him, tears beginning to surface.

His face showed the pain he was feeling.

"Don't! Kagome! Don't cry!" he choked out.

"I will cry if I feel like it!" she smiled. "I will cry for you, Inuyasha."

"Why?"

"Because you can't do it." she smiled again.

He pulled her to him roughly.

"I'm...I'm...not worth it Kagome. Don't waste your tears on me!"

She looked up at him.

"I'm not."

"You are! My mother did the same thing! She...cried for me too" he mumbled. Kagome wrapped her arms tighter around him.

"She loved you..." she held back the "too" that was threatening to spill from her lips.

Standing up, she offered her hand to him.

"Come, I want to do something."

He looked at her, puzzled; she began to walk and lead him away from camp. He could smell the scent of water, and soon a little stream came into sight. Kagome stopped.

"Here it is." Picking a white flower she handed over to Inuyasha.

"What? What do you want me to do with it?"

She closed his palm with her hands.

" I want you to think of your mother, everything you can remember, then when you're ready, let it go on the river."

"This is pointless!"

"Just...try it."

Inuyasha closed his eyes. The petals felt cool, and delicate in his grasp. Images of his mother flowed into his mind.
Her kind smile appeared before him. She was there: her beautifully decorated kimono billowing gently, her exquisite hair flowing elegantly around her,
her warm and loving eyes...and her arms stretched out to him. He inhaled sharply and opened his eyes.
Almost trembling, he opened his hand and set the flower gently on the water. It began to float away gently.

"Sayoonara...hahaue..."

The tears he had been repressing all those years threatened to overcome him.
He was the little boy who watched his mom die, all over again; two warm and welcoming hands wrapped around him.
A warm breeze blew past him, ruffling his hair gently.

"I love you...my dear Inuyasha..." he thought he heard the words being whispered, and recognised his mother's voice.

"Arigatoo...hahue" his mind answered silently.

A/N: Yeah, random idea, still I do hope you like it! By the way, I seem to recall (vaguely) that his mother was killed in the manga, and he blamed himself for it, hence the idea...if I am wrong, I apologise...just take it as an AU. >

Sayoonara-goodbye
Hahaue-mother