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Looking back on it now it was hard to believe my father was ever a cruel and uncaring demon. Mother told me once that the love of a young girl was the catalyst for his dramatic change from an uncaring emotionless man to the man I know today. Little was known about the girl's past and Father preferred it that way. Father told me their meeting was by happenstance, but I believe it was fate. Father had been resting against a tree after a huge fight with his younger brother, wounded and in need of rest. Having chosen a tree to lean against a small human child had wandered up to him, her clothes ragged and dirty, she had brought him water and even fish and mushrooms. Father told her to mind her own business, and that he doesn't eat human food. The next time he saw her she was covered in bruises with her eye swollen shut, offering him more food, Father's curiosity got the better of him and he asked her how she'd gotten the bruises. She merely smiled a childish smile, leaving Father to question why the girl had smiled.
Having rested his fair share Father made his way to A-Un and his noisy imp follower, a gust of wind brought the smell of blood to Father's sensitive nose, the blood of the young human child who showed him kindness and the smell of wolves. Father followed the scent and found the young girl dead on the ground, she'd been killed by the wolves. Her innocent smile came to the surface of his mind and he took hold of his Tenseiga. Grasping the sword he saw the minions of the afterlife, and proclaimed he was going to test his sword once again. Father swung his sword and easily killed the demons of the afterlife. Lifting the little girl up he heard her heart begin to beat. Surprise dawned the stupid imp demon's face as father merely walked away leaving the girl and imp to think about his actions. Upon thinking of what Father had said his obnoxious imp follower realize that he had been the first test subject, and became distraught. The young girl slowly began to following Father leaving the imp to catch up. That was the beginning of Father's change.
One evening his young companion was captured by a evil demon to be used as bait to draw Father in and force him to kill his younger brother. Father however had no intentions of killing his brother at that time, he was more interested in killing the evil demon, Naraku. Father slowly began to hack away at the Evil demon's body, sending pieces of his flesh flying in all directions. Father didn't know at the time that the true goal of Naraku was in fact to absorb Father and use his power to kill Inu Yasha. The foolish Naraku believed that he in fact beat Father as he encased him in his flesh. By shear chance Inu Yasha destroyed large parts of Naraku's body, and Father broke free. Having been beaten beyond the ability to save himself, Naraku vanished, leaving Father to go and retrieve his young companion from the clutches of a controlled young man. She happily followed him.
Father stubbornly continued to try to find the evil Naraku, the girl loyally followed him. She went many places with him, watched him battle many foes. She knew he was kind, and caring, and understanding. Her eyes always followed him, she watched the cold hearted demon be slowly replaced by a caring man, one no one else saw until she died once more as he was trying to develop an ability for his sword. Grief stricken he stood and looked at her small lifeless body, cursing himself for letting her die. The little imp cried, claiming that Father, being the man he was, would never shed tears. His mother, probably wishing to avoid his anger and depression, brought the girl back to life telling him it was the very last time the girl's life could be returned to her. Grandmother told me, though his face remained emotionless, his eyes softened as he held his hand to her face, she could tell he was overjoyed and relieved.
After many hardships and battles he sent his young traveling companion to live in a human village that his younger brother had decided to settle in and watch over. She had moved in with the old priestess of the village. The old lady had taught her about herbs and healing while one of Inu Yasha's companions trained her in the art of demon slaying. The young girl had wanted to continue to travel with Father but she didn't wish to be a burden to him. Father often went to visit the young girl and would always bring her gifts on his visits. Through the years he watched her grow from a small child into a young woman. When the girl turned sixteen she decided she was no longer a child and began to once again follow Father, by the time she was 18 a small romance between the two had begun to bud. The harsh and cruel demon he had once been became a distant memory, though his face never showed his emotions it was still easy to tell he was happy.
Father had taken his young lover back to the village when she began to get sick and irritable, her scent had even changed from her soothing daisy scent to a sharp pleasant cinnamon. The miko of the village told Father that it was likely that his lover had become pregnant, and until they were positive of it she wasn't to leave the village. A few months later it was very easy to tell she was with child. Though her belly wasn't overly large it was beginning to swell. Still she refused to stay in the village and continued to follow him and fight along side him, until a month before the child was to be born, when he forced her to stay in the village by refusing to leave the surrounding area. His young lover gave birth to a beautiful daughter. The hanyou had black hair with sparse strands of silver hair and two small dog ears. On her forehead, Father's crescent moon embellished her serene face and brought out the golden color of her eyes. Father said she was the most beautiful child he had ever seen. They named her Ran, the young woman stayed in the village to raise their child, but when the child turned one the call of the wilderness called once more. She collected a few things along with her child and waited for Father's next visit. He allowed her to accompany him under the strict conditions that while their child was present that she was not to leave A-Un while he fought any dangers.
The days were often quiet and Father found that he enjoyed just watching his child and young lover. One night while stopping to rest his young lover had left to relieve herself leaving their young child in the care of Father. A loud scream caused Father to bolt up still holding his daughter, the scent of blood filled his senses as he ran to where his young lover was on the ground bleeding. A large bear was standing over his lover, he quickly took down the bear and ran to his lover. His small child reached out for her mother who had a large blood stain on her back where the angry bear had come up behind her and raked it's claws across her back and a gaping wound on her shoulder where it seemed that the bear had bitten her. Father leaned down and cradled his young lover in his arm, she was still breathing to his relief. The child began to cry and his young lovers eyes opened. She carefully cradled the child as Father picked her up and as fast as he could tried to get her to the miko's village.
Upon arriving he stormed into Inu Yasha's house calling loudly for the miko. The miko ran to tend to the young woman's injuries, shooing father and Inu Yasha out of the house. Curled up in his arms was his young child, covered in her mother's blood. He realized he too was covered in the blood of his precious lover, rage filled him, he silently cursed himself for ever letting her go off on her own. Inu Yasha had walked over to stand in front of Father, after a moment he crouched down and held out a bucket of water with a rag in it. Father just stared at it, he couldn't think of anything besides his lover. Slowly Inu Yasha reached out to take the child, Father glared at him, he looked down at his sleeping child covered in blood and handed the child to Inu Yasha to clean. Inu Yasha's oldest son came up behind his father carrying a blanket to wrap the child in. Father allowed the boy to take his child into another house, Inu Yasha followed.
Father was left alone sitting on the porch of Inu Yasha's house listening to his lover's pained breathing. A small hanyou that looked no older than six or seven walked up to him and wet the cloth in the bucket once more, she carefully reached out towards him and took hold of his blood stained hand. Father started to glare at the girl but his grief made the glare seen more like a pained expression. Carefully the girl cleaned the blood from his hands and and reached up to hold his face. He finally registered her as his brother's daughter. The young girl had spent many days spending time with his lover, though as often as he'd seen her he'd never once heard her speak. Father asked her for her name but only received an innocent smile like the one he received from his lover all those years ago. His expression turned hollow and the hanyou's smile faded, carefully she climbed into his lap and wrapped her small arms around his neck. The miko exited her house and saw her daughter trying to sooth Father's injured heart.
Carefully has pulled her child off of him and told Father grim news. His lover was dying, the miko had tried her best but couldn't stop the bleeding, it was only a matter of time until she bled to death. She sent Father in to spend the last of her time together, the miko entered only once more to bring Father his child and to give her more medicine to numb her pain. Less than an hour later she exhaled for the last time, Father told me his eyes stung with uncried tears, he fought to keep his composure as he exited the house. Father sat on the porch with his head in his hands, his daughter was handed off to Inu Yasha. Father heard a sound in front of his and he looked over his hands and saw the small hanyou once more. Her eyes were brimming with tears and her face was flush, silently Father pulled his hands away from his face and leaned over to pick up the child. She wrapped her arms around his head, as if protecting him from prying eyes, and continued crying. Only then did Father shed tears for his lost love, when his tears ceased the girl released his head and laid in his arms, after a few moments her crying stopped as she fell asleep. Father softly brushed the hair that was plastered to her face to the side and watched the young hanyou sleep. A pang struck as he realized he wished to be holding his child, as if called for Inu Yasha came to retrieve his daughter and handed Father's child to him. He cradled his sleeping child in his arms and a silent tear rolled down his cheek.