Ice and Snow, Mind and Heart

Chapter 33: Past Revealed

They looked at him in shock, but Sesshomaru was looking to the side. Yuki was staring too, her eyes wide, and the others turned just as a vision started to come to life in the corner of the mirror dimension.

A small girl, maybe five or six years old, with caramel-red coloured hair and small pointy ears on her head was gazing up at the sky, her eyes wide while her chubby cheeks were flushed with some kind of excitement.

Inuyasha glanced at her uneasily, while before them the child waited patiently for something.

"Yuki!" A voice called, and the child turned.

The group looked on as a beautiful woman, familiar to Kagome, appeared in the corner of the mirror world. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed with distaste as he too recognized the mortal woman, but he remained silent as the child brightened.

"Lady Izayoi!" Yuki called, and the older-looking Izayoi smiled as she led a young Inuyasha by the hand with her.

Young Inuyasha looked about seven years old, and Kagome realized with a pang that the woman was likely going to die soon – from what she understood, Izayoi had passed before she'd reached thirty years of age.

"What are you doing, my child?" Izayoi asked, and Yuki explained: "I'm waiting for the snow to fall."

"Snow?" Izayoi questioned, and small Yuki nodded.

"I told her the story you told me, mother." Young Inuyasha explained to his mother. "The one about the man and woman who met on the first snowfall and fell in love."

Both Inuyasha and Yuki tensed, remembering what followed, and disliking that the others – particularly Sesshomaru, would see it. Inuyasha growled, and Yuki's ears flattened against her head.

"I see." Izayoi said as she smiled, looking from her son to the half-demoness child. "Are you waiting for the snowfall to meet your beloved as well, Yuki?"

The child shook her head.

"I'm waiting for the snow to fall," Yuki explained, "so that you can meet him, Lazy Izayoi."

"Hm? Me?" The good lady said in surprise, and Yuki nodded with a bright smile.

"Yes! The man you can fall in love with." Yuki explained cheerfully. "Just like the lady in the story!"

She looked up happily at the woman, before her smile faded and confusion filled her face.

"Lady Izayoi?" She asked, her voice suddenly unsure, while Inuyasha also questioned: "Mother?"

Izayoi shook her head, smiling through her tears at the children.

"No... it is nothing." She reached down to hug the two half-demons to her, holding them in a close embrace. "I thank you, Yuki, but I am happy to have you two here with me."

"Eh?" The two children looked up at her in confusion, and Izayoi smiled.

"I have my little Inuyasha." She began bopping her son's nose lightly and making him wrinkle it. "And I have you, Yuki."

She smiled at Yuki, saying softly: "So you see, I have my loved ones, and will always have them. Even if it isn't the first snowfall."

Yuki cocked her small head before she smiled back.

"Well, then you'll always have 'snow', because you'll always have me!" She announced. "Right, Lady Izayoi?"

"That's for sure." Inuyasha agreed. "No-one would fall in love with you, Yuki, regardless of 'snow' or not."