Dirty Hanyou

Dirty hanyou.

He had heard that phrase often growing up. Usually as people were throwing things at him, like rocks and sticks, to chase him from their village. Just a pup himself, looking for... something. A home? Companionship? A friend? A meal? A dry place to sleep? A moment of feeling safe? All of those things, maybe more.

Dirty hanyou.

Not worthy of time or love or a friendly gesture. An eyesore more like it. A plague to be gotten rid of. A monster.

Dirty hanyou.

She may have never said the words, but he could see it in Her eyes. She wanted him, but She wanted him cleansed of his dirty demon blood. She wanted him only if he was fully human. Clean. Untainted. He hadn't held it against Her. She wasn't the first to see him as merely a hanyou, half demon and half man.

Dirty hanyou.

Neither one nor the other completely. No demon would want him for the weakness and taint of his human blood. No human, no matter how kind and generous of a soul, would want him for the taint of his demon blood. He belonged to no one. There was no world that wanted him. Sure there were plenty who wouldn't mind using him, but want? No.

Dirty hanyou.

She never said it. He never even saw it in her eyes. But there were so many times he felt so unworthy of Kagome's love. It wasn't her love he ever doubted, for there was no one who was as easy to read as Kagome when it came to emotions. It was whether or not he could risk her future by allowing her to be friends with him, much less any more than that. She may not care. But the rest of the world would.

Dirty hanyou.

He heard the words even if she didn't. He saw the looks. The hatred. The disgust. He did his best to hide it from Kagome, to make sure she never heard those words or saw those looks. Even if it earned him a hundred sits for the rude things he would say to distract her. He couldn't bear it if the words hurt her. And a part of him feared that one day those words would make her believe them....

Dirty hanyou.

Not even Kagome could convince him that he was truly worthy of love. But SHE did. She looked at him with eyes full of wonder and adoration. She looked at him like he could move mountains. And such love. His heart nearly couldn't contain the love he held for her, he felt like something in him may burst. She was his light. And she too was part demon and part human. And no one in the world could be more perfect than her.

The first moment he saw her he knew that a hanyou was worthy of love. Worthy of everything! Even a hanyou could be perfect in every way.

And he finally realized that yes... Kagome DID love him the way he loved her, and the way he loved their perfect precious daughter.

Now he watched from his perch on the tree as his dirty filthy daughter played a "Rescue the Dolly" game in the mud with her obnoxious wolf cub friend. He grinned as the wolf protected the doll and Hikari protected them both from invisible foes with modified versions of his own attacks.

She had her mother's generous and loving heart, and his own fierce protective spirit. She had her mother's eyes and gentle smile, his ears and silver hair. She was the best of both of them. The best of both worlds, past and present.

Laughing voices joined the children and their mothers pulled them from their game as the wolf cub had to be dragged back to his den reluctantly (and literally as the kid seemed to have lost all of his bones).

Kagome bumped her nose with Hikari's.

"Such a dirty little thing," she said as she swung her daughter up into her arms, getting herself dirty in the process. Not that she minded. "Time for a bath before dinner."

Inuyasha smiled as he trailed along to guard his family as they bathed.

A dirty hanyou isn't such a bad thing after all.

Not one bit.

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