Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Mother Dearest ❯ Mother ( Chapter 1 )

He sat in an uncomfortable, metal hospital chair, looking down at the old, worn, sleeping woman with wrinkles and silver hair, attached to multiple machines and wires in an effort to keep her alive.

59 years and he hadn't aged one day over 18.

He wanted to tell her. Tell this woman, lying on her deathbed, everything. How he loved her, wanted her to have the best life he could possibly give her, how more than anything in the world he wanted her to be safe and happy…

But he couldn't. Wouldn't, really. He wouldn't, knowing that if he were to ever tell her it would tear at her soul and mind, and she would always wonder: Was it something I did?

He remembered the first time that she had been in danger. From a disease none the less. But he'd managed to save her-even if he'd had to steal to do it, he'd still saved her, allowed her to live another day, and in the end, that's all that he really wanted, all that he really needed. The second time he'd acted foolish. He'd let slip some information regarding her and thus allowed her to be put in danger. But he'd saved her from that too. Anything than endangered her, he intercepted, allowing her to live her life as normally as humanly possible.

He loved her, which was true. More than any one man possibly could at times. But his heart before her had been empty-desolate even, with only the pains of loosing old friends to decorate it-so there was plenty of room for him to love her.

He sighed, and laced her unresponsive fingers with his, eyes landing on the faint but ever present scars on her forearms.

`If it weren't for me,' He thought bitterly `she wouldn't have those scars.'

It had happened when he was six-still an arrogant fool who cared about no one but himself. She had saved him, thus marring her skin for life. And it was all his fault.

Slowly, he registered that her hand had tightened on his.

Her eyes fluttered open. "S-Shuichi?" She said weakly, then smiled. "I'm so happy you're here. I've missed you so much" Her voice seemed frail, as if she barely dared believe what she saw. She reached her right hand up and over their laced fingers to cup his cheek in a loving, motherly way. "Look at you. You haven't aged a day. It's so good to see you." Tears welled up in his eyes as she spoke. "Now, now, no tears. I'll be going on to a better place. My, it's rather sad to know that after all these years you still refuse to cut your hair!"

He laughed slightly, though it was a strangled, sad laugh; they'd had many an argument about the length of his hair and over these past years, though it had grown he'd cut it, he'd kept it the exact same style as when he left nearly 60 years ago.

"Shuichi," She said, true joy showing on her face and in her eyes like it hadn't in years. "I love you,"

After she said those words, as if on cue, her hand dropped, her fingers around his hand loosened, and the green line of the heart monitor went flat.

Shuichi closed his eyes against the onslaught of tears, and stood.

He laid a soft kiss on her brow. "I love you, too, Mother." He let go of her hand and walked out of the white hospital room to his friends who were waiting to console him.

As he laid his hand on the doorknob, he turned to stare back at her cooling body. "I really do," He turned the knob of the door, stepping out into the hall, a few tears falling from his eyes.

Minamino Shiori had died at 2:14am, never knowing her sons secret, but happy just the same to see him one last time.

* * *

Kuwabara Kazuma looked upwards, not quite near the hospital ceiling.

A woman in her mid-30's, long black hair done up in a loose bun, smiled and waved before disappearing.

Kuwabara smiled a small, sad smile. She just had to confirm it.

Mothers always knew.

Inspired by Sagi-chan's fic `His Reason'