Meanwhile, during the time frame of the previously stated events, Inuyasha, Miroku, Shippo, Sango, and Kirara are roaming around the area near the bone well aimlessly, not really having anything better to do because of Kagome's absence and Inuyasha's blunt density. They had come upon a village a good ways away from the village that Kikyou had come from and where Kagome first came upon after her appearance in this world. Though they usually stayed in the former village, they decided to visit the latter temporarily, for Sango had suggested it and Inuyasha was beat three to one.
The village was small and shabby, but for the time it was a normal sized village. The buildings were also slightly shabby, but homely all the same. They were made of rattan and a heavy duty, cement-like mixture like the mixture for adobe bricks. Most of the homes had rattan patio-like structures in the back and front of the homes, but the structures had a skinned roof, which was more draped over the posts of the structure, rather than made a permanent resident of the building. There was a lot of farmland around the village and also a lot of small personal gardens in sparse places, yet there were no one tending to the fields or tending to firewood, there were no men in the village at the time. Actually, to be exact, there weren't very many people there at all, spare a few women and children in their homes and Sango with her company. It was very odd; there were no wars going on presently, nor were there any threats of war for a while, yet, there were no men in the village and the fields seemed dead and sickly from malnutrition and lack of proper care.
"Che! There aren't any working men in this village at all, and 'sides that; this place is almost the equivalent of a ghost town! Hmph!" Inuyasha growled irritably, obviously against doing anything physical for anyone at the present moment.
"Oi, Inuyasha, all you think about is yourself! It looks like they don't have anyone to help out right now! How can you be so selfish?" Shippo squeaked, leaping onto Inuyasha's head while he spoke, adding to Inuyasha's already irritable condition.
"Fuck you Shippo! Who said I only think of myself, huh? Dammit, get off of me! Shit!" Inuyasha cursed as he attempted to extract the kitsune from his head, only to get entangled with him even more. "Aww, fucking Shippo! Get the hell off of me!"
While the two quarreled with each other infernally, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara left them to be, while they went to investigate what was wrong.
"This is very strange; a village of this size missing all of their men and at such a time as this. It's all very odd, though I bet there must be some beautiful women in a nice little village such as this," Miroku said, and began to trail off as he became absorbed in himself as well.
"Is that all you ever think about Miroku? Fucking girls?" Sango said flatly, obviously more than just a little pissed at Miroku's perverted thoughts. A monk indeed! It's all a bunch of bullshit.
Miroku stared at Sango a little hurt at her accusation. "No! That's not all I think about! I also think about money and-"
"Jeez Miroku! I do hope your no an egotistic bitch-ass idiot like Inuyasha!" Sango said exasperated.
"What the Fuck did you just say, Sango?" Inuyasha shouted in the midst of his little tumult with Shippo. "I can hear you clearly from all the way here, you know! Bitch…"
Sango glared in Inuyasha's direction, but pretended not to hear him. "Come on Miroku…" She grumbled dragging him after her, Kirara following hot after her heels with the most curious expression on her face.
"Pprrrr?"
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As they approached the home they had decided was inhabited as of the moment, they could hear the noise of wood being chopped and excited voices cheering in pleasant delight. Sango, mystified by the sound and wondering if it were an able woman doing the work, but a young male voice that she recognized all too well was emitted from the back of the home.
"Arigatou Gozaimasu. You're all so kind," the boy said quietly in an embarrassed tone.
Sango suddenly was completely absorbed with the voice. "Kohaku… My dear brother Kohaku!" She said excitedly, running toward the source of the voice, dragging Miroku after her still. Kirara just followed them, still just a little curious of what was going on.
"KOHAKU!" She yelled entering the back area of the home. A young boy, who looked about thirteen or fourteen, stood still, balancing a block of wood on his head, staring at Sango, slightly distracted. The boy was holding a short scythe-like weapon in his hand, the weapon connected to a steel chain from the staff of the weapon. A young woman and a little girl were there too, watching him. Sango ran over to him and hugged him tightly crying.
The boy stood there a bit stunned. "Who… who are you? You seem familiar…" he trailed off, still a bit stunned.
Sango went dead silent and there was a very delicate pause before she spoke. "You don't remember me anymore, do you Kohaku… You don't remember me again… I'm your sister, Sango, and you are my little brother, my only little brother, Kohaku." She spoke quickly, hoping in her heart that he would remember her.
Miroku, who had been dragged along for no reason (and who was checking out the two other women present), finally spoke up. "Well, he wasn't anywhere near Naraku when we defeated him, but we aren't missing any Shikon shards so there must be a reason he's here or if that's even Kohaku."
There was another long pause before anyone spoke again.
"I've got to believe Kohaku's still alive, I know he's still alive, Miroku! I won't stop believing in my little brother, no matter how hard it is to accept the truth!" Sango slurred, still clutching the boy.
The boy stared at her for a moment. "Why… why do you think I'm your little brother?" his voice was like an echo of Kohaku's voice.
"You are my little brother! You have his Youkai Exterminator weapon! Even Kirara remembers you!" She said, heavily distressed emotionally, Kirara rubbing up against the boy's leg.
"Ki… ra… ra…?" The boy said softly, the name seeming to ring a bell in his head, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
"Yes Kirara!" Sango said, hoping that he would remember something.
"…" The boy was eerily quiet.
"Don't you remember being a Youkai Exterminator? Remember how we fought together on your first extermination? Remember Kohaku?" Sango pleaded desperately, shaking him gently.
The boy stood very still. I remember…
"Do Youkai really spit poison?" Kohaku asked Sango a little worried.
"Sometimes." Sango said distantly.
"Onee-chan, I'm scared," Kohaku said softly, stroking Kirara's fur worriedly.
"Daijoubu Kohaku-kun, we only exterminate weaker Bug Youkai. The most dangerous Youkai are the ones that hide in human flesh." Sango said, trying to cheer her brother up.
"Ok, onee-chan," Kohaku said disbelievingly.
"You're really good Kohaku, so don't worry." Sango told him confidently.
"Really?"
"Really."
Once they arrived at the place of the disturbance, Sango had found that the Spider Youkai was just a distraction. I, this being my first extermination, was afraid. The real Youkai was Naraku, and his human skinned puppets. I don't know what followed after, I felt like I had been knocked out. But I do remember attacking One-chan. I don't know why, but I had. Then I felt a sudden pain, as if someone had stabbed me with something sharp. I began to fade out, I could see sister's tear-streaked face, and I collapsed and blacked out again. Sango's voice echoed in my mind for eternity.
"Onee-chan…" he said softly, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "One-chan… I remember…"
"Kohaku!" Sango cried happily, holding her brother tightly, crying heavily the entire time and Miroku and Kirara watched on.
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