A Cruel Trap
During the time of InuYasha and Kagome's adventures, Izayoi makes her only appearance during the series. Here she is known only as "InuYasha's Mother", and is portrayed mostly by the Mu'Onna ("Nothing Woman". This page will chronicle the events of volume 2, chapters 9 - 15 of the manga and episodes 05, 06 and 07 of the anime.While sitting in Kaede's hut, InuYasha listens as Myouga tells of a monster who is looking for his father's grave. InuYasha shrugs it off for he has no memories of his father. Kaede and Myouga describe the deceased lord to Kagome, who soon becomes curious of InuYasha's mother. Myouga begins to describe her as well, saying that she was a beautiful woman -- but he is soon stopped after Inuyasha steps on him. InuYasha snaps angrily that she died a long time ago, before abruptly leaving them. Kagome begins to wonder if InuYasha hated his mother because she was human. She leaves Kaede and secretly follows after InuYasha, pondering the situation.
A large full moon fills the sky as we see InuYasha sitting on the higest branch of a tall tree. Suddenly, InuYasha senses something coming. In the sky, he can see an ornate carriage being pulled along by gaki [hungry ghosts], but it is the person inside the carriage that gains InuYasha's attention. A beautiful young woman in chains calls out to him, and InuYasha faintly replies "Mother..." to her pleas for help. The chain's tighten causing the woman scream out to InuYasha once more. Suddenly a huge, three-fingered hand reaches down from the sky and crushes the carriage in its grasp. Out from the darkness appears two large red eyes, and soon the oni makes itself visible. In its hand can be seen the woman who claims to be InuYasha's mother. InuYasha quickly attemps to rescue her, but he is kept back as a barrage of flames come towards him. InuYasha looks up to see the person who has been searching for his father's grave - his half brother, Sesshoumaru.
Sesshoumaru demands to know where the grave is, but InuYasha tells him he doesn't know. The oni begins to tighten his grip on the woman, but InuYasha tells his brother that he can not be tricked so easily - his mother died a long time ago, and this is an imposter. Sesshoumaru's servant, Jaken, explains that for someone as powerful as his master, the art of retrieving a soul from the Land of the Dead is a simple thing. He laughs saying that Sesshoumaru was even so kind as to give her flesh. InuYasha begins to doubt himself - could this woman truly be his beloved mother? The woman calls out to InuYasha, telling him that she is fine, for she has died once before already. The oni then clutches the her so tightly, it causes her to lose conscientious.
In full rage, InuYasha rushes forward to save his mother. He makes short work of the oni's arm, causing her falls to the ground as Kagome rushes to help. InuYasha orders Kagome to take his mother and run, but InuYasha soon find himself about to be caught by the oni's remaining arm. After seeing her son is in danger, a glowing orb of light appears in his mother's cupped hands. The light becomes bigger, eventually engulfing them all, and with a flash they are gone. Jaken appears distraught at their disapearance, but Sesshoumaru remains stone-faced.
InuYasha awakens to find they have been transported to a mystical land, full of autumn colored trees and a large, sparkling lake. In the distance is a small gazebo. While Kagome remains asleep, InuYasha and his mother share a moment together. She calls this place the boundary between the mortal world and the dead world, and that soon she will have to return to the land of the dead. While they continue to talk, Kagome begins to open her eyes. She is relieved to see them both okay, but is stunned to find that she is unable to move. As she tries to call out for InuYasha, Kagome realizes she is unable speak. As she look into the water, Kagome notices that the woman pretending to be InuYasha's mother has no face in her reflection.
Meanwhile, InuYasha is told to peer into the water's surface by his mother. There he sees his reflection, but he appears as a small child. She wraps her arms around him, and says that this is how she would hold him then he was little. InuYasha's "mother" then begins her mission - to retrieve the location of his father's grave. She begins to absorb him into her own body, while Kagome watches helplessly until Myouga arrives and bites her on the cheek - breaking the spell. He informs her that the woman who appears to be InuYasha's mother is known as the Mu'Onna [Nothing Woman], a demon born from the souls of women who have lost their children due to famine or war. The scenery quickly changes to a foul lake surrounded with dead trees and a heavy fog.
The Mu'Onna is soon joined by Jaken. He reminds her of the task at hand, and she uses her powers to look into InuYasha's heart, in which she sees the black pearl. But the woman stops, insisting that should she go deeper, this boy's soul will shatter. Jaken has no mind of that, and orders her to keep searching. Unable to help himself, and almost completely absorbed, InuYasha is quickly rescued by Kagome, who destroys the image of child InuYasha and his mother in the water. As InuYasha comes to, Sesshoumaru arrives and violently retrieves the black pearl hidden in Inuyasha's right eye. Having no other use for his younger half-brother, Sesshoumaru attempts to kill InuYasha, but his attack is blocked when the Mu'Onna moves into the way. She is destroyed as we faintly here her say "My ... boy...".
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