Disclaimer: I don't own it!

Okay, here's chapter two. I'm not sure how long this story will be, because I have no real plotline beyond this chapter. However, I do want it to be longer than a few chapters, and I have ideas…Anyway, yeah, here's chapter 2.

Chapter Two: A Father's Love

"Yuniko! Where are you?"

Inuyasha had been searching for over a day, following her faint, fast-fading scent, but he had to admit to himself…he was lost. He had no idea where in Japan he was.

"What the—whoa." He stepped over a hill…and found himself in front of a large house, and beyond that, the sea. As he stepped onto the porch, he could smell Yuniko.

Strangely, though, her scent was all over the place, and in some places it was very old, as if she had been living there a long time. There was another, slightly familiar scent, too. Then he heard something behind him. He whirled, ready to fight…

"Kagome? Guys? What're you doing here?"

Kagome stepped forward, glaring at him. "You don't honestly think we'd let you walk into possible danger alone, did you? We're your friends."

"Yeah, great," Inuyasha grumbled. "As if Myoga wasn't enough, but at least he leaves me alone, when he runs away."

"Master, I resent that statement," came an annoyed voice.

"Myoga?" Inuyasha looked down, and saw Myoga on his shoulder. "What're you doing here?"

The flea looked up at him in surprise. "You don't know whose house this is?"

"Uh, no. But Yuniko seems to have been here a while, because her scent is everywhere."

Myoga sighed and settled himself cross-legged on Inuyasha's shoulder. "Indeed, her scent is practically imbedded in the rooms of the house, as she has been living there for the past two hundred years."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "Two hundred years!"

"Well, a little more than two hundred—Master, wait! What are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm rescuing my sister! She's being held prisoner in there!" With that, Inuyasha charged up to the porch and kicked the front door in. "Yuniko! Are you all right? Answer me!"

There was no answer. The hallway was empty, but from the far end came the sounds of a fight. Inuyasha could hear swords clashing together, and more than one, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!", accompanied by yelling and crashing.

"Come on, Yuniko! I know you can do better than that!"

"Then prepare yourself! Yame no Kizu! Dream Scar!"

There was a flash, and a horrible cry. Then, "Ha! Your attack missed me!" Yuniko came crashing backwards through the door, plowing into Inuyasha.

"Yuniko! Hey, wait come back!" She didn't seem to hear him as she dashed back through the splintered remains of the doorway. He ran after her.

He found himself in a very large, open room. Yuniko and a silver-haired youkai were circling each other, swords drawn. The floor and walls were practically destroyed, and Inuyasha marveled that the house had stayed in one piece this long. Yuniko swung at her opponent, tearing up the floor even more. He dodged easily, and, with a few swift moves, soon had her pinned against the wall, his sword at her throat. He smiled.

"I win, Yuniko." She snarled a little. Inuyasha, unable to watch any more, charged straight at the youkai.

"Leave my sister alone!" he cried. "Wind Scar!"

"No, Inuyasha, don't—!" It was too late. The Wind Scar tore through the room, and the youkai…dodged. The next thing Inuyasha knew, it was he, not Yuniko, pinned and helpless.

"Did you really think that would work, hanyou?" the youkai snarled. "Using my own sword against me?"

"Your sword!"

"Hold it right there!" Kagome stood in the doorway, her arrow aimed straight at the youkai's heart. "Let Inuyasha go, or—"

The youkai drew back, startled. "Inu…yasha? Is that your name?" The hanyou nodded. "Then I apologize. I thought you were an enemy."

"What're you talkin' about?" Inuyasha snarled, struggling to his feet. "You kidnapped my sister! You've been holding her prisoner here for the last two hundred years! Myoga said so!"

"Myoga?" The youkai was cut off by peals of laughter from Yuniko.

"Big…hee hee…brother, you thought I…ha ha ha…was a prisoner? Here, in my own home? Not likely."

"But the fight…" Inuyasha trailed off, at a loss for words.

"That was training, baka! Dad wouldn't really kill me!"

Inuyasha and Kagome looked at the youkai, shocked. "Then you are…" Inuyasha started.

"I am InuTaishou, Lord of the Western Lands and" he patted Yuniko on the head "a proud father."

"Not just me, Dad," Yuniko reminded. "Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, too." She grinned happily. "This is our dad, Inu-chan."

Inuyasha stared at them. This was getting to be too much. "The room is spinning funny," he commented, before passing out on the floor.

---------------------------

"Inuyasha. Inuyasha!"

"Inu-nii-chan, wake up!"

Inuyasha groaned softly and opened his eyes. Something cold and wet was on his forehead. He reached up and pulled off a cloth. Nearby, Kagome was watching him worriedly. Yuniko was bending over him, hands on his shoulders, shaking him.

"Are you all right, big brother?" Yuniko queried.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Inuyasha mumbled, embarrassed that he had fainted.

"Inu-chan, I need to ask you a favor…"

"I just got up," he complained.

"Great, but could you do something about that monk, Miroku? He is driving me bonkers! I have never met such a touchy-feely guy, and I certainly don't like it. Can't you control him?"

"Control…?" Inuyasha was a bit lost.

"Yeah. Isn't he, like, your servant or something?"

Kagome hid a smile. "No," she said. "He's not. But I'll take care of Miroku. You two must want to catch up with each other." She left.

"I see you have a sword," Inuyasha said, noting Yuniko's weapon.

She patted the scabbard fondly. "Yup. It's my Kiba."

Inuyasha's eyebrow rose. "Is that your own fang, or what you call it?"

"Both."

"What attacks does it have?"

Yuniko smiled. "Dragon's Cry, Dog Strike, and Yame no Kizu…Dream Scar." She shifted uncomfortably. "My Dream Scar…it's powerful, but I can't aim it very well. That's why Miroku attacked you guys. I was fighting some demon and hit him instead."

"What does it do?" Inuyasha asked, looking curiously at the blade.

"It rips your mind apart," she said grimly. "Turns you against your friends and whatnot. Hitting them on the head is the only thing that reverses the effects."

"Oh. I see. Well, what about the other attacks?" Inuyasha said, trying to lighten her mood. Then he thought of something else. "Actually, why could you use the sword the other night, when you were human?"

She shrugged. "Desperation. It just happened. I doubt I could do it again even if I tried. Now my attacks…let's see…Dragon's Cry is exactly what it sounds like: a spinning tunnel of sound that knocks you out. Dog Strike is like Sesshomaru's Dragon Strike, only a little less powerful. Dream Scar is the strongest attack I have, but I can't use it very well, and then I have the same claw attacks you do."

"Who attacked you?"

"Hey, what is this, an interrogation? I honestly have no idea who ambushed me." She looked out the window. "It's getting dark. You really should be getting to bed. I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah. Goodnight, Yuniko."

"'Night, Inu-chan."

Early the next morning, before the sun even rose, Yuniko was up training with her father.

"Hyah!" Crash.

"Hey, no fair! You cheated!" Yuniko yelled.

"Really? A real enemy would have never given you the chance to recover, but this isn't real life, is it?"

"Ugh, Dad…You won't even let me wander too far from the house. I'm two hundred sixty-one years old now. I can take care of myself!"

InuTaishou looked at the floor. "You won't survive for more than ten minutes out there. When that demon attacked you, I thought for sure I was going to lose you." He looked at his daughter. "I need to teach you just a little more. Especially how to control your Dream Scar."

Now it was Yuniko's turn to look down, blushing furiously. "Eh heh heh…yeah, that's true. I really didn't mean to hit that monk, I really didn't. I just never expected him to move that fast."

"The demon or the monk?"

"The demon. He didn't tell me who he was, but he wore the hide of a baboon. Do you know him? Dad? What's wrong?"

InuTaishou stared at his daughter. No! It can't be…he can't want her. Not my daughter!

"Dad? You're scaring me! What's—"

"Be quiet, Yuniko!" he shouted, startling her. "You have no idea of the danger you are in. Now listen to me. Don't leave this house." He stood and turned to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to get them out of my house, before they get you killed."

"Inu-chan and the others? No, you can't! I won't let you!"

Yuniko charged at her father. He dodged with the speed of thought, and before she had a chance to react, he gently touched some nerves on her face and neck. She collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

"I'm sorry, Yuniko, but I can't let that demon get you. You're the most precious thing to me, and I won't let him take you." He lifted her onto her futon. "Rest now, child, and when you wake, perhaps this will all be over."

He opened the door, and Inuyasha was there.

"What did you do to her!" he demanded, eyes blazing.

"The question is not what I have done, but what you have done."

"What?"

InuTaishou looked at his son coldly. "Leave this place at once. Forget you ever had a sister. She is dead to you, understand? Never contact her in any way ever again!"

"What are you talking about, old man?" Inuyasha said. He was hurt at his father's actions, and confused. What was going on?

"It's your fault he was at the well. It's your fault your monk friend was injured. Naraku was there, and he tried to take her as his own. She fought him, and barely managed to escape. If she had not followed you, he would not have found out about her! Leave now, before it's too late!" InuTaishou's voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "Please, do it. For Yuniko's sake, go!"

Before Inuyasha could do anything, he found his father holding a drawn sword, ready to attack.

"Don't force me to kill you, my son. Go!"

Inuyasha's heart felt shattered. "All right, I get the message. I'm going. But please, tell Yuniko something from me."

"I will do—"

"Nothing of the sort, right? Listen, all I want is to tell her…" Inuyasha trailed off, terrified at what he was going to say next, and then continued in an angry tone… "Tell her I want nothing more to do with her, then! I hate her! I never asked for her to follow me, to protect me! I don't want her love! Tell her she'd better stay away from me or…or…or I'll rip her to shreds! I'll kill her!"

With that, Inuyasha ran off before his father could see him cry. If Naraku's after her, she'd be better off with Father. He can protect her. Tears ran down his face as he ran blindly through the forest.

"Goodbye, Yuniko. Goodbye forever," he whispered.

Meanwhile, InuTaishou watched his son run off. "I understand, Inuyasha. I didn't mean to hurt you as well, but you have been dead to me, as I have been dead to you. Yuniko is all I have left now, and I must protect her. Even from you, if it comes to that. Even from you."

He looked at Yuniko, asleep on her bed. She looked so sad…as if she knew what he—what both of them—had just done.

"It was necessary. Believe me, I had to do it! I had to, for you!"

Her face was accusing him now. Not an innocent child's face, but an adult's…she had grown up somehow; but he had been too busy keeping her safe from the world to notice.

'I'm two hundred sixty-one years old now, Dad! I can take care of myself!'

"No! Naraku is too dangerous! Oh, Yuniko…you just don't know how dangerous. You have to stay away, but you're too reckless. I know you. You'd attack him without a second thought, especially for your brother. That I cannot allow, so I will keep you two apart. I will keep you safe," InuTaishou vowed.

Nearby, Naraku watched Inuyasha take flight.

"Interesting," he commented. "That place seems to be the cause of the darkness now surrounding his heart. I should investigate. But first, I should take care of Inuyasha. His defenses are down, and he will make quite an easy target." The evil mastermind chuckled. "This is going to be fun." Then he saw a girl step out of the house.

The darkness around her heart was far denser, and he sensed betrayal. He also sensed something else, and he smiled evilly.

"This," he stated, "will be a far better target."

Heh heh heh, cliffie! Now you shall suffer from my cliffhanger curse! (casts curse) See ya next time!