Sown

thirty

Tadou was already sitting up by the time Hanae reached his room. All thoughts of him losing his life or never waking up were instantly tossed out of the window.

"Papa!" she all but screamed, tears threatening to fall again as she embraced the flabbergasted man.

His hug carried the same smothering warmth it always had, the warmth only a father so deeply adoring of his children could produce. But while the love was still there, the familiar pressure was not. He could only hold his daughter with half of the strength he used to. "My Hanae! What are you doing here? I thought you lived in Konohagakure now. Why are you back in the Land of Iron?"

The woman pulled back and took in his condition. He was still the same father she knew and loved. Despite being nearly twice her age he was beyond well built, chest wider than her entire body. Fine lines marked his features and the beginnings of crow's feet pulled at the corners of his eyes. Years of smiling in the face of danger left him with deep lines that disappeared into his trimmed burgundy beard. It was the same beard that he always tickled her with, brushing against her nose with every kiss pressed to his daughter's forehead. It was also so familiar yet all so foreign. The arms that held her, that tucked her covers in so tightly and picked her up after every tumble, were only half there. His right arm ended just as his shoulder began, a shoulder disarticulation.

"Oh, Papa, your arm. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. The told me you were in critical condition, I was so scared. I thought I was going to lose you. I don't know what I would have done." Hanae started blubbering, grasping at the robe covering his chest. Fat tears sprinkled the blue sheets resting over his legs.

Tadou reached into her shoulder length hair and ruffled it gently. He smiled at his daughter when she brought herself to look at him again, "oh my Hanae. You were always so quick to cry every time your brother or I got hurt. If this is the worst thing that happens to me today, then we'll have nothing to worry about." His daughter opened her mouth the interject but he was quick to silence her with a lovingly stern look. "I'd gladly lose another arm or both my legs if it meant that the people of this country were safe. It's my duty, not just as a samurai, but as a man of the Land of Iron and as a father. Besides, now I can be the first one armed samurai. Cool, right?"

Hanae stared at her father in utter shock. This is where her endless optimism stemmed from but hearing it come from someone other than herself helped her understand the strange looks she got whenever spreading the hope and love she had learned. It was utterly ridiculous, but it was so like her father. And it made her laugh, brought forth an effervescent giggle that soon filled the room. "That is pretty cool, Papa," the woman admitted and wiped away the sadness staining her features. "You know, I actually broke my arm three days ago."

The man looked to her limbs quite skeptically, "I thought I raised you and your brother to never lie." His statement pulled another laugh from his daughter, music to the injured man's ears.

"It's true! My arm was bent in half but it was healed with ninjutsu. It was really amazing, like it never even happened."

Tadou shook his head with a smug smile. He leaned back in his bed, keeping his eyes on his daughter as she grew livelier by the moment, "hold on, Hanae. You can't be falling in love with the shinobi, there are plenty of strong young men here that I've personally trained and could introduce you to."

The statement pulled a shy smile from Hanae. She sat on the bed beside her father's legs and played with her hands. Without a word being spoken Tadou could tell what she was going to say. "Well, Papa, I'm sorry but you're too late."

"Don't tell me you've actually fallen in love with a shinobi."

She nodded more eagerly than she meant to, "I have, and a very skilled shinobi at that. In fact, he's in line to become the next Hokage." Hanae watched the man cross his remaining arm over his chest and roll his head back as if in thought. He stayed silent for a while before speaking.