Poor little guy...life must be hard, being hanyou. Neither side accepts him-
years later he took the Shikon jewel, so perhaps the youkai didn't accept him either,
and so he had to change himself.
Perhaps that's why he is so urban; being in the forest for years as Mother died young
and these nobel-types wouldn't want a 'monster' hanging around.
His father...what could've happened?
He couldn't protect his son, because he was stuck somewhere else-
a battle, a political matter, a war? Did his death occur earlier, then?
Perhaps she had some connections to remain here.
Ponder on that! Just to say, his sensitive ears must've heard one of the crowd mutter something about this
'little monster' and so he heard the word...
But hey, something about Kagome:
Not being used to this time but hearing many legends, she doesn't see Inuyasha as a monster,
but someone to get to know. This works well, eh?
Good thing we have this child around to compare such and such.