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Chapter 2

Father had never cared for a toddler before, an undeniable fear of losing the only piece of his precious lover made his stomach churn. Father was a free soul, he lived to roam, Inu Yasha offered to care for his child, but father refused to let her leave his side. It was the miko who came up with a solution. She agreed to send one of her children to travel with Father and help care for his child. The innocent face of his niece came to mind, he never had learned her name.

The children were called into the room, out of the five children the three oldest stood in a line. Father eyed the children with a sharp gaze, and circled them like they were prey. The oldest two flinched back when Father got close to them but the hanyou girl just smiled. Sending the cowardly boys away all that was left was his quiet niece. Inu Yasha barked that he wouldn't allow his only daughter travel with him, angering his miko and resulting in him smashing his face violently into their floor. Leaning towards the girl Father asked for her name and age, but the girl just continued to smile. After prying himself off the floor Inu Yasha informed Father the girls name was Ana and she was eight years old. Father turned to the miko asking if she was mute. The miko shook her head and told Father that she could speak, but only chose to do so when she had something important to say. Father, being the quiet man he was, found nothing wrong with her silence.

After a day of packing father lead Ana to A-Un, teaching her quickly how to ride him. Father smiled faintly at how she acted after her first time flying, his deceased lover had acted much the same way. A-Un took to the girl very quickly, Father assumed it was because she was so similar to his deceased lover in her childhood. Having become accustom to riding she was handed Father's child. Their first destination was Grandmother's castle. Grandmother hadn't cared much for the human child Father had once brought as his traveling companion, however she came to care for the young woman, and the news of her death had been a blow. She had known of the child born of her son and the girl but had yet to meet the child. After Father told her the news of his lover's passing he took his child from the arms of his niece and presented her to Grandmother. Taking the child, she held it softly and ran her fingers through its unique hair. Grandmother stared at Father in annoyance, reprimanding him for being like his father and baring a hanyou child, all the while fawning over the small toddler. Having the child approved of by his mother had reduced some of his anxiety.

Every few months, at the request of the miko, Father returned to the human village to allow his niece to visit her family and to have his child's health evaluated. They would say a day or two then be off once again to travel. The children often played quietly on A-Un until night when they would curl up together and sleep peacefully by A-Un's side. Father often watched them until they were in a deep sleep, then would patrol the area before coming back and resting. Every morning he would listen for the sound of the children's breathing to change, indicating they were waking up. It had surprised Father one morning when his daughter toddled over to him and tugged on his kimono sleeve. He looked at his child curiously then picked her up. She rewarded him with a big smile as she wrapped her small arms around his neck giving him a hug. He's often heard his daughter babbling to his niece who would some times whisper back and smile happily. By the time his child was three she had an extensive vocabulary, considering the two people she was around the most tended to stay very quiet, it was astounding.

Father would often hear his child talking in her sleep, sometimes calling for the mother she hardly remembered. His niece would often hold his child tight and soothe her back to a quiet slumber, one night though his child crawled away from Ana and called out for her Papa. Father opened his eyes to his crying child walking towards him. Father took in his surroundings, noting there was no present danger he opened his arms for his child who climbed on his lap and settled back in for the night. When Father had awoke he noticed that his niece wasn't next to A-Un sleeping as usual, but curled up on the ground next to him holding his daughter's hand. The girl seemed to still be deeply asleep and determined, even in her sleep, not to release his daughter's hand. Careful not to wake the children he pulled the girl up and leaned her against him under his arm protectively. Ran was the first to awaken, she sat up and rubbed her eyes then looked up at her Papa. She quietly climbed off his lap down to Ana and woke her up. The movement from the children had awoken Father but he stayed quiet and acted as if he was still asleep as the girls ran off to gather fire wood. The morning was cold and the girls could see their breath. Father decide it was time to travel back to the human village for the winter. Father used to travel during the winter season before the miko told him his child could get sick and die from exposure to the cold.

On the travel back to the village it began to snow, causing Father to stop at a near by village with the girls. Upon arriving at the village the humans glared maliciously at him until they saw the children hidden behind his mokomoko. Though father was intimidating to the humans of the village, the fact that he kept two young hanyou girls with him made him seem less dangerous. Ana who always had things on her to trade managed to procure two heavy kimonos and a large blanket. Ran who just followed her around was given some dried fish and turnips. Father stood quietly by A-Un waiting for the girls. Once the supplies had been gathered he helped Ran into her kimono while Ana put her own on, both kimonos were too large for the girls so Father took the time to place both of the girls on A-Un's back before wrapping them both up in the large blanket. Having successfully bundled both of the young girls Father took A-Un's lead and they made their way back to the miko's village. It was late when they arrived at the miko's village Father picked up the bundled children who had fallen asleep on the long journey, and carried them to the warmth of Inu Yasha's house. Not wanting to wake the sleeping household members Father made himself comfortable against a wall still holding the sleeping children on his lap.

Inu Yasha was the first to awaken, coming into the main room he was awe struck at what he saw, Father cradling the sleeping girls. Inu Yasha walked towards Father to take his sleeping child to her room, but when he reached for the girl Father instinctively raised his poison claws to protect them from danger. Breathing a sigh of relief, Father retracted his poison claws and adjusted how he was sitting to make retrieving Ana easier for Inu Yasha. After his niece was taken from his arms he adjusted his daughter so she fit more comfortably on his lap. One by one the members of the household began to wake up, Inu Yasha had offered to let Father and his child stay in their house until the winter season was over, Father refused. The miko had figured he wouldn't wish to stay there and offered to him the house that his young lover had lived in. Though Father didn't wish to stay in the village any longer than he had to he decided that his child would likely enjoy seeing the house she was first raised in.