Summer 1561

"I bet I could jump clear over that big puddle without getting wet," taunted Masaru, better known to his friends and siblings as "Moku", as the eleven-year-old boy sized up the gap, almost wriggling with anticipation.

"Oh, yeah?" challenged his best friend, Michi. "Prove it!"

"I will!"

Moku backed up a few paces before charging at the oversized puddle and leaping with all his might. The leap was far, but not far enough, and Moku soon found himself with his feet covered in mud and the bottoms of his pants soaked. "Dang it!" he shouted. Michi guffawed at the blunder.

"Oh, shut up," grumbled Moku good-naturedly. "It's not like you could do any better!"

"Bet I could!" proclaimed Michi smugly. "I may not be as tall as you, but I have youkai powers!" He flicked one of the pointed black puppy's ears on his head that marked his heritage.

"Hardly," Moku muttered under his breath, "You're mostly human." But if Michi heard the remark, he ignored it.

"Here I go!" cried the puppy-eared boy, swinging his arms back in anticipation and running towards the puddle. His feet left the ground. Halfway over the puddle…three-quarters…

But it was not to be. He hadn't made it much further than Moku when his feet caught the water. His sandal snagged on a stone and sent him tumbling forwards, landing hard on his stomach, soaking his clothes all the way down the front. It took him a moment to recover, groggily shaking his head.

"Whoa! Are you ok?"

Michi glanced up to see his friend standing over him, staring intently in concern. He adverted his eyes.

"I…didn't make it," he said quietly, more to himself than to his friend.

"Of course you didn't, dummy. I didn't make it and I'm older than you, so I have longer legs!" Moku grinned teasingly.

"But…" whispered Michi, "…but I'm part youkai. My dad can leap over a mountain…"

"Oh, come on. You're only one-quarter youkai, Michi. Don't worry about it. C'mon, let's go play something else!"

Michi looked back up at Moku as he beckoned him to follow elsewhere, and encouraging smile on his face. He sighed a dejected sigh.

"Yeah, ok," he mumbled quietly, pulling himself out of the mud.

.oOo.

At least it was quiet, up in the tree.

Michi may not have been able to leap as high or as far as he'd wanted, but he was a rather gifted tree climber, and often found solace in the tall branches where no siblings nor friends nor even his mother could bother him.

His clothes were still damp from his run-in with the puddle. Moku had tried to cheer his friend with every trick in his book, but when Michi remained dull and unresponsive, he'd finally called it quits and decided to go home for the day. That's when Michi had sought out his favorite sulking tree. He'd lost track of how long he'd been there; the minutes seemed to slur together as he was lost in thoughts.

A blur of red and white sped by, and a slight shake of the branch as a figure sat next to the boy. His eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't need to look to see who the newcomer was. It was the only person who could reach him so effortlessly in his high sanctuary: his father.

"What's bitin' ya, kiddo?"

Michi slowly looked up at his father, but said nothing, glancing back down at his dangling legs. After a long hesitation, he explained quietly:

"I was out playing with Moku today, and I couldn't jump over the big puddle. I didn't make it."

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow. "All this sulking because you couldn't jump over a puddle?"

Another hesitation.

"You would've been able to do it."

"Well, sure. I'm an adult. You're only nine."

Michi glanced back up with a frustrated, withered expression. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I mean…" the boy started. "I mean…I…I'm part youkai. I should have powers, shouldn't I? I should be strong and fast, and I should be able to jump really far. Like you."

"Well…you're only one-quarter youkai, Michi."

Michi grimaced.

"That's what Moku said." A pause. "But I'm not human. I still have the ears. Why don't I have powers too? It's not fair! It's not…it's…not…" he sighed.

"What's the point of being part youkai if you can't even do the cool stuff they can do?"

Inuyasha regarded his son a moment before wrapping an arm around him.

"Come on, now. There're more important things than youkai power."

"Like what?"

"Well…like kindness. Like being able to rely on your friends. Like being able to care for others."

Michi wrinkled his nose.

"That's really corny, Dad."

"Yeah, ok, it sounds a bit dumb," admitted the hanyou. "But it's true. It's where true strength comes from.

When Michi still looked skeptical, Inuyasha took a deep breath.

"Y'know, when I was about your age, I was all alone. My mom had already died, and I couldn't even remember my dad. Like you, I just wanted power. I wanted to be stronger. I wanted youkai abilities."

"But you have youkai abilities!"

"Not like a true youkai. I was only a half-breed. Compared to, say, my brother, my raw powers didn't amount to much.

"So, I dedicated the next several years of my life to training and getting my strength up. When I heard about the Shikon Jewel, I thought it would finally be my chance to become strong like a true youkai. But I was wrong…and a fat load of trouble that got me in.

"It wasn't until later, much later, that I learned what I'm telling you know. Physical strength can be useful, but there are more important things."

Michi cocked his head, ears pricked in curiosity.

"You've told me your stories. But you only got more powerful. You got Tessaiga and learned a bunch of cool attacks. How could you possibly have thought that other stuff was more important?"

Inuyasha cast a sidelong glance at his son, one eyebrow raised slightly as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Your mother taught me. You're a lot like her, you know."

"But I wanna be like you!"

Inuyasha turned to face the boy more fully, tightening his grip on the boy's shoulder, smile never fading.

"Michi. Whoever said you can't be like both of us?"

There was a slight ring of gentle chastisement in his tone, but also of sincerity and encouragement. Michi searched his father's golden eyes. He was serious. He adverted his gaze once more, but leaned into his father's sturdy side, suddenly feeling rather exhausted.

"I guess so," he said quietly.

"C'mon," invited Inuyasha. "Let's get home. Your mama's got dinner going, and it's almost ready."

"Ok."

Inuyasha scooped up his son before gently sliding out of the tree, delivering them both safely back to the ground. They began to walk back silently.

Michi slipped his small hand into his father's. It had been a long time since he'd really held hands with either of his parents, thinking himself too old for such a contact…besides, their hands were always too occupied with those of his younger siblings'. But, he figured, maybe just for now, just for today.

Inuyasha returned his son's grasp, squeezing the boy's hand comfortingly and encouragingly.

Maybe he was too young now, but one day, he'd understand.

After all, he was his mother's son.

.oOo.

a/n: For those unfamiliar with the AoT-verse, Moku is MirSan's son.