A painful whimper slipped past Hana's lips. She was pinned down by the sharp claws of a dark scaled dragon demon. She had not been looking for trouble, not really. She had just been looking for an outlet for her frustrations. However, releasing such frustrations on the trees clustered near the shrine of the forest demon of the north, in hindsight, was not the most practical of outlets.
Hana wiggled frantically and thrashed her own wickedly sharp claws at the demon. She succeeded in slashing at the delicate webbing between each claw making the demon retract its arm while letting out a piercing shriek. Hana took this as her cue to take to the trees. She quickly darted through the branches seeking a better vantage point. Hana gasped. There! In the clearing she thought. She growled at the emerald colored dragon.
"Hey! Fire breath!" She called out. The beast turned its large head, its nostrils emendated tendrils of smoky miasma. Hana gagged a little at the smell but continued to lure the demon to the clearing. Once there, Hana crouched low and circled the long creature. She snarled and the beast answered with a battle cry.
"AHHHH" Hana shrieked and ran at the dragon, her claws glowing a shimmering purple.
"Iron reaver, Soul Healer!" Hana cried as she embedded her claws deep into the demon's hard flesh. There was a quick pulse before the demon burst with golden light. Hana panted heavily before collapsing back onto the plush green grass. She looked up at the sky, it was birth blue with the early afternoon, a few clouds spread thinly across it.
"You know there is such a thing as running out of demons" A raspy voiced called out. Hana sighed, she did not have to look up to know it was her father. "What happens then? Will you be able to face your fears?" Hana glared up at the sky, her dark eyes glinting in the light.
"I am not afraid. I am frustrated" Hana clarified as Inuyasha lay next to her on the grass, so close than Hana could feel his warmth but not close enough that they touched.
"Frustrated with who?" Inuyasha pressed. Hana rolled her eyes up to him and locked onto golden eyes.
"With you." She said unblinkingly. "And mom" she added. Inuyasha stared at her hard and that made her look away.
"And?" Inuyasha asked.
"And myself." Hana whispered, it was all her quickly constricting voice would allow. She knew her father would hear it regardless. Her grunted.
"Hana…" Inuyasha began softly but Hana cut him off with her tear filled voice.
"Why can't you just admit it?!" She shouted and sat up, pulling her legs to her chest. "I would expect mom to try and shield me from the truth but never you, Papa." Hana said and she turned her lovely tear-streaked face towards Inuyasha. At that moment she looked so much like Kagome and Inuyashsa's heart clenched at his daughter's pain.
"You think I am too weak to rule with you and Uncle. I am only one fourth demon and therefore cannot be a suitable heir to the Inu legacy. To Tessaiga." She accused while motioning to the sacred sword with her head. She gripped at the grass tightly in her fists. She trembled with sorrow and rage.
"That's why you want me to become a priestess. Not because you think I have the potential, no, it is because you do not think me capable of fighting alongside you." Hana looked to her father with so much pain inlaid in those obsidian orbs. Inuyasha tilted up his chin and gave his daughter a knowing look.
"At the moment, no I don't" Inuyahsa said and Hana's face shattered, her hands relaxed from their fists and she grew pale, so pale that her skin nearly matched her snow white hair.
"Not with you blubbering like a baby, you are fifteen years old so act like it." Inuyasha reprimanded. Hana still looked at him with pure horror. She had never expected her father to admit this aloud, that all of her fears were so painfully true. Her father, who Hana idolized and secretly one day hoped to surpass, did not believe in her.
"But…" Inuyasha began, drawing back his daughter's attention. "What I saw today in your battle with the forest demon, in fact; what I have seen inside of you every single day since the day you were born, is the crazy amount of power you have flowing through your veins and the unlimited potential you hold." He explained. Hana sobbed at his words and threw herself into his arms. Inuyasha smiled as her cradled his daughter close to him. She was still sobbing but he knew she could still hear his voice as he whispered.
"I spent nearly a century refuting my hayanu existence. I had to fight twice as hard to be half as strong and when that didn't work I fought even harder. I thought that humans were spineless and weaklings, that is, until I met your mother." He said with a chuckle and stroked Hana's back. She had stopped crying but was not yet ready to leave her father's protective embrace. "You mother's presence had enough force to literally nock me on my ass and she is human. A human with a startling amount of spiritual power but human nonetheless." He said.
"She is powerful because of the spiritual power she inherited from Kikio" Hana stated and Inuyasha frowned at the mention of his first love.
"Maybe at first but Kagome could not be more different and their powers are no exception. What your mom can do is all her own and it's because of her that you have some power that you do." He said indicating to her claws that could do a holy version of his 'Iron reaver, soul stealer'. Hana sat back and extended her clawed hand forward and her father clasped it firmly with his own.
"Don't look at your human blood as weakness. There are already too many that will do that for you. It's your job to prove them wrong. Preferably while you kick their asses." Inuyasha advised with a grin. Hana gave him a slow smile.
"Besides you promised me that you would one day be as strong as me." He said while pointing to himself with his free hand. Hana gave Inuyasha a challenging smirk which made him cock up an eyebrow.
"Now I make the promise to one day surpass you" She said.
"Teh- good luck with that, pup" Inuyasha taunted and stuck his tongue out at her. Hana gripped his hand tighter and flung her surprised father over her shoulder. Inuyasha quickly sat up and spat out a mouthful of grass.
"What the hell, Hana" He growled but the girl was already standing.
"Starting my training to surpass you." She stated and placed her hand on her hips. "Tisk, Tisk Papa you should have seen that coming. Your instincts must be getting rusty. Good for me bad for you. Let's see if your speed is lacking as well. Race you home." She said before taking off through the forest. Inuyasha's forehead throbbed but he couldn't suppress his smile.
"If you think I am gonna go easy on you because you're my first born you are sorely mistaken, Pup" He shouted and chased after his heir, the young woman who would one day inherit Tessagia.
THE END