If you follow me on Tumblr myravenspirit then a part of this will be familiar from an excerpt I posted with a story. If not, cool.

Summary: Kohaku arrives in Kaede's village to chaos and is informed of the situation. He leaves quickly with his new young ward, Setsuna. He thinks of her parents and his own childhood amnesia.

Enjoy!

"Kirara there, we can land there!" Kohaku leaned forward as Kirara did the same to descend. Kirara landed on all four paws and Kohaku quickly clambered off her back and looked around the village where his sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and nephews lived, a total of five kids he loved to spoil, the twins nearing adulthood.

This village was also where a childhood friend lived that he considered to be part of his family. He walked around and slowly spun to look at the chaos of everything around him.

"Kohaku." A familiar voice called out and the taijiya turned to his left and saw a small green youkai walking toward him covered in ash.

"Jaken-sama, did you set the place on fire?" Kohaku breathed out. He shook his head, "Iie, you wouldn't have done that, gomen."

Jaken guiltily looked at him. "Hai, I did…But it raged out of control with the wind of the Butterfly youkai."

Kirara growled and Kohaku patted her side, "Kirara, he didn't mean to set the village on fire." He turned his gaze to Jaken, "Where is Sango and the others?"

Jaken nodded and pointed to their house. "Their house had survived, and they are using it to shelter any of the children and elderly of the village. Adults are responsible for putting out the last of the forest fire. I was told by Sesshomaru-sama to wait for you."

"Me?" Kohaku looked to Kirara who softly hummed beside him.

"Hai, there is something you must know." Jaken shifted nervously and proceeded to tell him everything that had happened in the last day.

Kohaku stood there with his eyes widening and his jaw slacking. Iie, Iie! How could this have happened? Were the only thoughts that flitted through Kohaku's mind as he heard the tale from Jaken.

He nodded grimly and followed after Jaken, ordering Kirara to check on Sango and meet him in the field. Time was of the essence. He would have to see his sister and family another time.

As much as the raven dark hair reminded him of his childhood friend, the girl he grew up with, this child was indeed the child of the daiyoukai he once followed around for a brief time.

The frown belonged to the daiyoukai, yet Kohaku could see the mother clearly in the shape of the little girl's eyes, the roundness of her face. Purple eyes the colour of a crescent moon. Red streaks in her hair which were the same colour as the stripes on the father's face.

"Promise me that you will care for her as we would, onegai." Was Setsuna's mother's soft plea as she held another dark haired girl in her arms as he had briefly met with her and the father.

Chaos.

He had come to see chaos in the little village. Fire had destroyed it and his childhood friend was covered in ash, dirt, and blood clutching an unconscious raven-haired girl in her arms. The other girl, her very own, was in the care of the hanyou, Shiori who had come to live in the village when her mother had passed several years earlier of an illness.

One child lost, one that was cursed and screamed in the presence of her parents, and one little girl whose parents were missing.

Not even the great daiyoukai could smell them.

"Who are you?" Setsuna asked with a glare in the present. A two tailed pelt, her own Mokomoko, draped over her shoulder much like her esteemed father.

Kohaku knelt before her and placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly. "You've forgotten me too, Setsuna?" He saw her pout softly much like her mother did when thinking about something that perplexed her. He nodded and stood up, "I am your guardian. Follow me." He turned away and walked away with the soft pitter patter of feet following behind him toward Kirara in the field waiting for him and her new charge.

"Why am I leaving this place?" Setsuna asked.

Kohaku stopped and turned to look at her. She pouted and looked back to the village. He frowned as she took a step toward the village and then grabbed her head and crouched. She whined in pain and he knelt down on one knee and he rubbed her back slowly. "Just for a little while. I know you want to see them." He said gently.

Setsuna looked up at him, "Who? Shiori?"

His heart broke for Rin and Sesshomaru in that moment. Sango…is this what you went through when I had lost my memories? He wanted to hold Setsuna and assure her that her parents loved her unconditionally, that she was their treasured dark haired daughter. That Towa, her older twin sister, was lost through the ages as Sesshomaru reported it to him.

Kohaku did none of this.

He remembered when he was eleven and had murdered his father and kin, injuring his sister too, and how painful those memories were.

What did you see that night, Setsuna? Did you see what happened to Inuyasha and Kagome? To Kaede who is being burned as we speak and finally able to join her sister, Kikyo?

He patted her head gently, "You can always see Shiori again. She's a hanyou like you, so is Jinenji and your uncle."

Setsuna tilted her head, "I am a hanyou?" She questioned and then bowed her head and drew patterns in the dirt mindlessly.

"Hai, you are." Kohaku looked at the intricate patterns on the dirt, too complex for a four-year-old. His watched as the image of a butterfly appeared along with the Bone Eater's Well and the Tree of Ages. "Come on, Kirara is waiting. Do you remember her?"

"Nah-uh." Setsuna pouted. "Am I sick?"

"Iie, I've been through this too. It'll be okay." Kohaku stood up and held out his hand for Setsuna. He had always seen Rin hold two little hands in her own as she walked through the village with a smile.

"Ohayo, Kohaku!" Rin called out.

"Ohayo, Uncle Kohaku!" Two little girls called out and waved their little free hands. A silver haired girl with a red streak in her bangs and red eyes turning to look back, "Papa, Uncle Kohaku is here for a visit! Can he come over and play Kemari?"

"That is Kohaku's choice." Sesshomaru walked up and Towa let go of Rin's hand and held onto his claw with her smaller clawed hand.

Kohaku had been happy for both of them to have married and then to have their little girls. They loved each other and he knew how important they were to one another.

Setsuna slowly took his hand as if she had apprehension to take it in the first place. She held his hand and he walked with her toward Kirara.

"I promise you, Setsuna, I will help you return to your family. I will train you to be a perfect fighter like your father. Just remember to smile like your mother." He smiled at her and she nodded with her head bowed slightly.

Kirara waded through the tall grass of the field and stepped onto the path. Setsuna hid behind Kohaku's leg and he put a hand on her head. "Kirara, she doesn't remember you either." He told the two-tailed cat.

She chuffed a bit and transformed into her smaller size and ran around him and up to Setsuna. Setsuna smiled and patted her. "She's cute in this form. She's a youkai?"

"Hai, she is our companion. Kirara is strong too and can fly. We'll fly to the demon slayer village and we will stay there." Kohaku explained.

"Okay." Setsuna smiled as she patted Kirara.

0000

Kohaku sat outside of his little home as Setsuna slept inside with Kirara curled up beside her. He lifted the bowl of sake, his one and only bowl for the night as he had a limit for himself.

He could see a figure walking into the quiet village. He nodded and set the bowl down as the tall silver haired daiyoukai approached. "Sesshomaru-sama, she is asleep." Kohaku said as he grabbed an empty bowl. He had guessed correctly that Sesshomaru would come check on his daughter. Kohaku knew that the daiyoukai, as cold as he appeared, was a loving father. He filled it and placed it down on the porch. Sesshomaru stared at the house distracted.

"Have her screams subsided?" Sesshomaru asked.

"She never screamed since I took her from Shiori. She did hold her head for a moment when she wanted to go back to the village to you and Rin. Though she didn't know why she wanted to go back." Kohaku explained and crossed his arms as he sat there.

He noticed that Sesshomaru was holding several cloths in his arms, one being a blanket.

"Do you wish for me to give those to Setsuna?" Kohaku nodded at the items.

Sesshomaru placed them gently down onto the porch in front of Kohaku and picked up the bowl of sake and drank from it. "This Sesshomaru is indebted to you, Kohaku. This one and his wife knew that you had once suffered this ailment and hoped you would be understanding." Sesshomaru turned his amber gaze to meet Kohaku's brown one, "This Sesshomaru trusts you, as does his wife. You were the only one who could protect this one's young pup."

Kohaku nodded, "I owe you from back then. Rin is also my oldest friend." He bowed his head, "I am your humble servant."

"This Sesshomaru will be trying to locate his brother and the miko. Ryuumagatsuki will also be hunted down." Sesshomaru drained the bowl and set it down onto the porch gently.

"What about the butterfly youkai? Or Rin and Moroha?" Kohaku asked with a frown, after all it was the butterfly that had attacked.

"Rin and Moroha are safe in the village. Your sister and her family have moved into the manor. It was this one's wish for Rin to be protected in her condition. The butterfly youkai will be with Ryuumagatsuki, it was dispatched by him after all." Sesshomaru said.

Kohaku leaned forward, "Condition? Is Rin sick?"

Sesshomaru stared at him with a blank expression, but amber eyes flicked back to the house. "We had decided to have another before the fire. Rin always wanted three little ones. This one believed it was time."

Kohaku understood, "She is with child." He sighed out. "I understand your worry of leaving her, the twins had been hard enough. Maybe Godobo-sama can help?"

"Jaken has been sent to inform Haha-ue of Rin's condition and that this one will be hunting down his prey for several months." Sesshomaru looked back to meet Kohaku's eyes, "Toutousai shall bring a weapon when she is old enough to wield it. She is hanyou and there is the fear that she could lose her ningen soul to her youkai if pressed into danger. Keep her safe as I would." Sesshomaru stated and turned around and walked away.

Kohaku nodded, "Hai, Sesshomaru-sama. I will keep her safe for two people important to me." He smiled to himself as Sesshomaru lifted up into the air, "You will have your daughters home once again. Your little one can play with their big sisters. I know it."

He stacked the bowls and lifted the jug of sake and headed inside his little house, the items of cloths under his other arm. He was glad none of the other new residents of the little village saw him and Sesshomaru speaking, it had been a private conversation after all. They had seen the daiyoukai in the village before when he brought Rin and the children to see the village and him.

He set everything down onto his drawers and laid down on his mat, looking over to Setsuna and Kirara across the room still sleeping. Setsuna, you have a little brother or sister on the way. Your father is going to do his best to bring you home to see them. He's the strongest youkai I know. He loves you. Rin loves you.

You are their irreplaceable daughter and I promise you'll be a family again.

What did you think? Please leave a comment as I do appreciate all valuable input. What did you like? Dislike?

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