This is in response to a prompt I received on my fanfiction tumblr blog keizfanfiction featuring Dad!Yasha and angsty teenage daughter. I was really inspired for some reason when I read that prompt, and I'm very happy and satisfied with how this turned out!

I thought about putting this with my other drabbles and shots in Keiz's Closet but I liked it so much I thought it deserved it's own space. Haha.

The title might change to "Always" at a later date, but for now it'll stay as Console because I'm still undecided. Opinions on the title are welcome!

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Console

"Kagome," Inuyasha whined, ears lower on his head and golden eyes wide and pleading with his wife. "But I don't know what to do. What if I screw it up?What if I make it worse? What if-"

His wife sighed with a roll of her eyes and hitched their wailing six-month old up higher on her shoulder, patting his back in effort to console. "Inuyasha, she's your daughter, not a ticking time bomb. And right now to her the world is ending - or has ended, whatever - so I'm pretty sure you can't do much worse."

"But—"

"Just be a dad to your child, Inuyasha," Kagome said and shot him a stern look. "Tai is teething and unless you'd like to—" She stopped at the look on his face and arched a brow. "Then stop whining and go comfort your daughter. I promise it's not that bad." Her expression softened and she smiled encouragingly before leaving their home, hoping some fresh air and a nice long walk would help calm their son enough to fall sleep.

Resigned to his fate, Inuyasha could do nothing more than watch her go until the reed mat fell back into place and blocked his view. His ears picked up the sound of her voice gently calling out to Izayoi, then listened as her footsteps faded into the distance when she received no reply. A bout of aggravation welled up at the minor display of disrespect but it died just as fast; he'd just make things worse if he let his temper get involved. She'd finally stopped crying just half an hour ago and wanted it to stay that way.

So, with a defeated sigh, Inuyasha grimaced and thrust a hand through his hair, making a face as he attempted to gather his thoughts for the oncoming and probably awkward conversation he was being forced to participate in but when nothing useful came to mind, he stifled a groan, steeled himself, and exited his home, at a complete loss, but needing to try, nonetheless. He hated seeing her like this and if there was something that he could do to help, well, he'd do his damnedest to make it happen.

The salty tang of her tears hit him square in the gut and he bit down on a whine as he bunched his legs and bounded onto the roof of their home. Izayoi's back was to him on the other side of the roof and as he cautiously made his way closer, he saw that her knees were tucked against her chest and her warms were wrapped loosely around them as she gazed out toward the sunset with eyes identical to his own. They were curiously blank and that terrified him more than just a little.

Carefully settling himself down beside her with arms and legs crossed, Inuyasha watched her face for several seconds but when the only sign she made that let him know she was aware of him at all was a single flick of a silver ear in his direction – the one tipped in black – he turned his gaze toward the village too and simply waited, partly because he wanted to give her enough time but mostly because he still knew fuck all on what to say.

When it became obvious several minutes later that his teenage daughter was not going to be the first to speak, the older half-demon sighed and once more turned his gaze to her, not for the first time cursing her stubborn tendencies. She was so much like him sometimes it scared him.

"So?" he prompted.

A frown etched into Izayoi's brow. "So, what?" she grumbled back.

"So, are you gonna sit up here all night and mope, or are you gonna do something about it?"

Her frown deepened a bit of a growl crept into her tone. "I can't 'do something about it,' he already rejected me," Izayoi sourly reminded him and pouted for emphasis.

"Well then fuck him," Inuyasha replied with a shrug, not really liking her tone, but deciding to let it slide this once. Then he realized what just came out of his mouth and he blanched. "Uh, I mean, don't—don't do that, just—"

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I know what you meant," she cut him off and then scowled slightly. "But I can't. It's not that simple."

Relieved she hadn't taken it the wrong way, he relaxed slightly and said, "Okay, fine, why the hell not?" Inwardly Inuyasha realized this probably wasn't the best way to approach this and most likely not what his wife had in mind when she'd told him to comfort their daughter, but he wasn't kidding when he'd said he didn't know how. Female hormones and feelings were not something he was familiar with and was pretty much just playing it by ear.

Izayoi did growl that time and her ears flattened on her head, a telltale sign of her building irritation as she shot him an annoyed glance. "I can't just ignore my feelings," she hissed and he didn't miss the way her hands fisted against her shins. "It'd be like casting aside a huge part of me that I've lived with for the past ten years and I just—ugh, you don't understand." She turned her head, dismissing him, and glared off into the distance and Inuyasha recognized the stubborn set to her jaw.

Nope, he wasn't having any of that. His ears lowered as his own aggravation rose but he did his best to tamp it down as he said roughly, "No, you're right, I don't understand. So enlighten me, please." He waved a hand in a "well-now-what" gesture then draped his wrist across his knee as he somewhat impatiently waited for his daughter to respond.

To his disbelief his daughter actually scoffed at him and then muttered something about his intelligence under her breathe that evidently she thought he wouldn't catch then fell silent, set on ignoring him now.

Inuyasha's brows snapped low over his eyes and a growl rumbled in his throat, amber eyes narrowing. "I'd watch the attitude," he warned, really, really not wanting to get into one of their screaming matches at the moment and end the night on a bad note with her, but if she kept this up, he didn't know if he'd be able to keep his temper in check. Damn, but his daughter was just as good as her mother when it came to provoking him.

When he only received a grunt in response and then petulant silence from his oldest, Inuyasha sighed, dragged a hand through his hair and tried again. "Dammit, Iz, I'm doing my best here and trying to help—"

She suddenly spun around to face him and scowled, ears pinned, amber eyes flashing. "Well you're doing a piss-poor job—!"

"Watch your mouth," Inuyasha snapped and growled another warning, matching her glare with one of his own.

"I'm sorry," she fired back and then to his horror her lip startled trembling and her eyes grew bright with unshed tears, his own eyes widening in alarm. "It's just—I don't know how—and he—he didn't even care and I—" Unable to suppress it any longer, the memory too fresh to hold back, Izayoi released a choked sob then buried her face in her arms, her shoulders shaking with her silent cries.

Instantly at the sight of his daughter's obvious torment, Inuyasha's previous ire drained right out of him and his chest ached, every sob that his ears easily picked up twisting the dagger in his heart in even further. His ears drooped low on his head and the torment was obvious on his face as he watched his little girl come apart.

"Iz…" God, he couldn't watch this. Barely managing to stifle the whine that bubbled up, Inuyasha scooted closer then promptly reached out and dragged her into his lap like he used to do when she was just a pup, wrapping her up in his arms and holding her close. Izayoi emitted another sob and threw her arms around him in return, pressing her face into his chest and crying for her broken heart, for the unrequited love that was never meant to be, the rejection still fresh, still stinging her tender emotions.

Closing his eyes, the older half-demon buried his nose in her silver hair and simply held her, his chest vibrating with a deep rumble in an attempt to soothe his little girl's emotional hurt. He tears stung his nose and her cries ripped apart his soul. God, but he hated seeing her like this. It was the same with Kagome; they were two of the most important women in his life, and if he could, he'd rein in the moon if it would get them to stop crying.

He didn't know how long they sat like that, Inuyasha rocking his heartbroken daughter in his lap, stroking her back with a hand and it was only when the sun had sunk below the horizon and after Kagome had returned with a blessedly silent Tai that Izayoi quieted down to soft sniffles and hiccoughs.

After what he deemed a safe time had passed, Inuyasha cautiously broke the silence but made no move to remove her from the protection of his arms. "No boy is worth your tears," he began softly and kissed her head, right between her ears. "If he made you this upset, he doesn't deserve your time or affection, Dip-tip." His nickname for her, coined from the way her right ear looked like it was dipped in ink when she was born, elicited the desired affect and the corners of his lips quirked up when he felt her smile a little against his chest.

Izayoi shifted in his lap and he leaned back slightly so she could adjust her position. She ended up sitting in the cradle of his legs with her knees draped over his thigh and her head resting on his shoulder, both hands fisted in this suikan. She sniffled but otherwise remained silent, her ears wilted and gaze fixated on his chest.

He sucked in a breath. "You wanna tell me what happened?" he asked cautiously and reached up to rub her dark-tipped ear between his fingers. Inuyasha heard her sigh and tried not to chuckle at the soft growling-purr she emitted from his ministrations. She never realized when she did it, and hated it when he or anyone else pointed it out. Honestly he thought her embarrassed reaction was adorable which was why he was the one to point it out most often.

"I…" she began and he listened intently, nuzzling her head in encouragement. Izayoi closed her eyes. "After I…told him how I felt, Kichiro—" She paused. "…He…he said he was flattered, but…but didn't feel the same." She hid her face in her father's chest to hide the blush that rode high on her cheeks, fighting back the tears that threatened to surface.

Inuyasha frowned. That didn't sound all that bad. He opened his mouth to…well, say something, but before he could his daughter continued and what she said next had his back stiffening in outrage and her voice was soft he might have missed it if she hadn't been so close to him.

"I don't think he realized I could still hear him, but…as he was walking away I could…I could hear him laughing about it to his f-friends and I was s-so embarrassed—" Her breath hitched din her throat and she swallowed the sob that threatened to erupt, biting down on her lip and smashing her face into the fire-rat, allowing the familiar smell of the fabric and the woodsy scent of her father to calm her.

She was not surprised when the chest she was resting against vibrated with a thunderous growl and despite her current distraught state, she had to smile. That was her dad, always so protective of his family.

"Little brat," Izayoi heard him growl and his arms tightened around her before she felt him pulling back slightly to stare down at her with hard amber eyes. "Why was he laughing? Is it because you're a half-demon? That little shit, I'll show him—"

"No, Papa," she was quick to interrupt, shaking her head and older hanyou relaxed somewhat. "It's not because I'm half demon. I mean we've been friends—…were…friends…for ten tears before this. Don't worry about it, okay? I don't know why he laughed, it just…" She bowed her head and fiddled with the black string that anchored Tetsusaiga to his hip.

Still wanting to beat the little shit to a pulp for daring to laugh at his little girl, Inuyasha nonetheless let it go at her behest and cuddled her closer to him, wanting to just hold her in his arms forever and shelter her from the harsh realities of the world. "Like I said," he rumbled, nuzzling her temple. "Not worth your time or your tears. If he has the balls to—"

"Papa," Izayoi chastised with a giggle and he grinned.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "If he has the guts to laugh at a girl's feelings without any consideration toward them or her, then he'll never be man enough to own up to his wrongdoings and as such, he won't be able to provide for or protect them from anything that would do them harm, be it physical or emotional, and you don't want that kind of male in your life, Dip-tip. It's not healthy and—" Inuyasha suddenly paused and then looked absolutely horrified. "Jesus, I sound like your mother."

Izayoi gasped and then erupted into giggles. "Papa," she managed to reproach a second time through her mirth, aghast, and only laughed harder at the guilty look on his face when a ticked-off "I heard that, dog-boy" floated up to them.

Shaking his head, the sound of his little girl's laughter a balm to his agitated nerves, Inuyasha grew serious and gently cupped his daughter's face in his hands, effectively ceasing her giggles and staring into her wide honeyed eyes was like staring into a mirror. "Seriously, Izzy," he started, resting his forehead against her own. "Don't let him get to you. All he is, is an immature brat still insecure with his own masculinity and looking to put down other people who know what they want to make himself feel better about that fact. He felt threatened when you told him how you felt like any grown woman would and he acted like the scared little boy he is. If he ever for some reason come to his senses and begs for a second chance, don't give him the time of day. If that was his first impulse when confronted with a serious and delicate situation, there's a good chance he'll do it again, and I can't bear to see you hurt again, Dip-tip. It hurts me to see you like that and even worse when there's nothing I can do." He nuzzled her nose then kissed her forehead, emitting a small sigh.

Near tears again but for a completely different reason this time, Izayoi gave a watery but genuine smile and covered her father's large hands with her smaller ones. "Thank you, Papa," she whispered and then tilted her head a little. "How do you know all that?"

Inuyasha gave one of his rare smiles he only ever shows around his family. "Because your old man used to be that boy, scared of his own feelings." His eyes softened as he continued, "Then I met your mother and being just as stubborn as you, she wouldn't have any of that so she whipped me into the man I am now, someone who can provide, protect and care for his family with everything he's got, determined to make sure they're happy and healthy however I can, no matter the circumstances." He shook his head and sighed again. "Look, I'm no expert when it comes to girls' feelings, or just feelings in general for that matter, but…your mother and I just want you to be happy, Dip-tip." He suddenly grimaced and looked mildly uncomfortable, recalling her earlier remark about not being able to forget certain feelings. "And…if that's with Kichiro, then—"

"Don't worry," Izayoi cut him off again this time with a smile, he was pleased to see. "I don't think…it'll be very difficult to get over him." His relief must have been visible on his face because his daughter laughed softly and reached up to tug on his ear before wrapping her arms around him in another hug, in which he happily returned. "Maybe someday I'll find someone like you, Papa," she whispered, causing his heart to positively melt and he resisted urge to crush her against him.

Instead he gave a crooked grin and said, "Yeah?" With an arm still locked securely around his little girl, he squeezed her once and with his free hand stroked the softness of her right ear, the ebony tip standing out amidst her head of silver hair. He loved that little aspect of her. "I hope you find him, too. But, just so you know, he probably won't be as strong as me, or handsome, or powerful, or smart, or—oomph." He rubbed his stomach where his snickering daughter smacked him and widened his eyes in faux innocence, trying not to smile. "What was that for?"

"Or bigheaded," his cheeky little Dip-tip added amidst her snickers and Inuyasha pretended to look appalled, only serving to heighten her mirth, and he could hear his traitorous wife below them sniggering to herself as well.

"Oi," he hollered down to her and Kagome laughed even louder. Rolling his eyes, but unable to suppress a grin, Inuyasha shook his head and waited until Izayoi's giggles quieted before saying, "Whatever the case, Dip-tip, just know that your mom and I only want your happiness and we'll support you whatever you decide…within reason," he tacked on and wasn't surprised when she rolled her eyes at him. He grinned and tweaked her ear. "Oi, my house, my rules, pipsqueak."

"Yeah, yeah," Izayoi droned with an exaggerated sigh but the smile ruined the effect. Mood considerably lightened, she leaned in to press a kiss to her father's cheek and he rumbled his pleasure at the gesture. "I'm gonna go find Kichiro and tell him I changed my mind," she suddenly announced, finally climbing off of his lap to stand up and stretch her limbs. Inuyasha remained seated and she wondered at the sudden stricken look that crossed his features. The younger half-demon frowned and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him.

"Papa…" she drew out the word, putting her hands on her hips and canting forward on them. "Is there something you need to tell me concerning Kichiro?"

"Uh," he said and cleared his throat, resisting the urge to fidget under her steady gaze. Damn, but she could do that almost as well as Kagome could. "You…probably won't be able to…tell him anything. At least not tonight." He looked anywhere but at her and hoped she'd leave it at that.

But, like mother like daughter, of course she didn't. "Why?" she demanded, crossing her arms now and looking every bit like her mother.

Inuyasha winced and his ears flattened as his eyes darted away guiltily. "I…may or may not have…demonstrated a little forcefully what would happen if he ever hurt you again." He flicked a cautious glance at her and her expected look crushed his hopes of not elaborating. He looked appropriately contrite as he grudgingly admitted, "Fine, I threatened to rip off his nonexistent balls and shove 'em down his throat if he ever made you cry again and I made him swear to stay away from you or else."

Izayoi's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "Papa!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped simultaneously and he heard something clatter to the floor.

"What?!" he retorted, scowling. "It's perfectly reasonable! You're my daughter, it's my responsibility—"

"Oh my God, Papa, I'm seventeen, I can take care of myself!" she announced, conveniently forgetting about her earlier statement of finding a man like her father to take care of and protect her.

Inuyasha stood up to tower over his daughter and crossed his arms, signature scowl in place on his features. "Oh yeah?" He snorted. "Tough. Anyone who lives under my roof is my responsibility, whether they like it or not, and that's including stubborn half-demon squirts who like to give me gray hairs from being so damn disobedient." The corner of his mouth twitched.

Izayoi paused and bit her lip to stop a smile form forming. She was still mad, dammit. "Your whole head is gray," she pointed out to him, trying valiantly to stop her mouth from curving upwards.

Inuyasha made a show of looking down at the silver strand of hair that hung over his shoulder. "That's what happens when you've been with your mother for nearly twenty years," he responded smoothly and this time couldn't stop the smirk from spreading across his face at his wife's indignant "Hey!" from down below.

The hold on her mirth broke and Izayoi dissolved into giggles again, all previous irritation vanished in the face of her parents' amusing back and forth. "Okay, okay," she relented. "I won't see him tonight. But," she added at the look of triumph on his face. "I will see him tomorrow and apologize for my crazy papa's intimidating and overly protective nature." Her tone brooked no room for argument and Inuyasha made a face but nodded with only minimal grumbling.

All smiles now, Izayoi closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, sighing in content when her father gathered her close against him and kissed her head. "Thank you," she whispered once more, truly glad to have such an amazing father like him. "I love you."

Inuyasha closed his eyes and released a ragged sigh, tightening his arms around his little girl, never wanting to let her go. "I love you, too, Iz. I'll always protect you."

"Always?"

"Always."