Summer 1561
Inuyasha could hear the footsteps romping through the worn summer grass from a mile away, but still pretended to be surprised as a young voice cried, "Yaaaahhh!"
Despite his feigned surprise, the hanyou didn't allow himself to be hit, nimbly dodging the swish of his nine-year-old son's bokken.
"Oh, no!" he gasped, though a smile lingered on his lips as he continued to fluidly avoid the rapid swinging of the wooden practice sword. "My own son, out to beat me! I'd never have seen it coming!"
Michi paused a moment to produce a gloating grin and a triumphant "ha ha!" before returning to slashing at his father.
Not long into the playful bout, Michi managed to land a lucky hit, whacking the bokken solidly into Inuyasha's upper arm.
"Ah!" gasped the hanyou, grabbing the the battered muscle with his opposite hand, though more simply surprised than hurt. "Careful there, bud, we don't wanna hurt anybody."
Michi's triumphant expression quickly melted into one of curious confusion. He lowered his weapon, black puppy's ears drooping slightly in unsureness.
"But I thought you couldn't get hurt by this, Dad," he said. "You said you were too tough."
Inuyasha smirked at his son's claim.
"Well, I am, yes," he admitted, an edge of pride in his voice. "I'll be fine. But you've gotta learn how to control your swings in practice, and not get too carried away. What if your little siblings had been around, and you'd accidentally hit one of them?"
Michi twitched an ear.
"I wouldn't swing so hard with them nearby," he insisted in a mumble. "Only with you." Inuyasha wasn't quite convinced.
"You say that now, but it's easier said than done. It's easy to get caught up in a battle and just swing with all your might. If we were fighting an enemy, I wouldn't mind it so much, but in practice, you need to focus on your control."
Michi narrowed his eyes; despite the nagging knowledge that his father was right, he felt slightly defensive. But after a moment of being unable to come up with a clever retort, he gave in.
"I know," he sighed, a bit defeated. "Sorry, Dad."
Inuyasha blinked.
"Don't be sorry, kid. Just be more careful next time."
The pair stood in silence. Michi readjusted his grip on the bokken's handle a few times, avoiding his father's gaze. Before Inuyasha could ask if he was alright, however, the boy spoke up.
"Dad?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think I'll ever be as tough as you? Someday?"
Inuyasha regarded his son for a moment, choosing his response carefully. The boy's violet eyes, which had looked so bright in their mock-scuffle, now reflected insecurity and doubt. Inuyasha wanted to assure him that yes, he would certainly grow up to be as physically strong and resilient as a hanyou…heck, as a full-blooded youkai. But he knew that this likely wasn't to be the case.
"…maybe," he said finally, albeit somewhat noncommittally. Michi perked up slightly at the word, but quickly deflated again.
"Do you…really think so?" the boy tested warily, sensing his father's hesitance.
Inuyasha took a deep breath. He wanted his children to be strong so that they could fight off any resistance they might meet, and while he was confident that all six of them could achieve great power and ability by human standards if they put their minds to it, only Michi's younger brother, Yukio, had ever shown any hints of having inherited any semblance of their father's enhanced strength. Michi produced youki—Inuyasha could feel it radiating off his son's body—but it didn't seem be enough to make him faster or stronger than the average human. Would that change when he got older, or would it be something he had to live with? He was more than half human, after all…
As far as Inuyasha was aware, no hanyou before him had ever been lucky enough to find a partner and reproduce, so the abilities of his offspring—the "quarter youkai", as it were—were a mystery to all. A nagging suspicion told him Michi had mostly human abilities…but he didn't know for sure.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I just don't know, Michi. But I'll tell you this: whether or not you ever get my youkai's strength, it doesn't matter. You just train hard, ok? You work hard and you can earn your own strength, natural youkai power or no. You got that?"
Michi's smile returned. Not the triumphant smirk or gleeful grin from before, but a confident, reassured curve of his lips.
"Got it."
