Ryusei and Alice watched as Tokiko clung tightly to Keine's leg, her small face filled with tears. From what Reimu had told them, Tokiko was very attached to her mother and absolutely refused to let her go.

"Mommy, please don't leave me!" begged the bird youkai.

"I know, sweetie, but I have to go to work. Reimu will take care of you," reassured Keine. "It's gonna be okay."

Seeing this, Reimu knelt down and offered a reassuring smile.

"It'll be okay, Tokiko. I'll be right here. You don't have to worry about anything."

Reimu then extended her arms as if she were going to embrace the bird youkai but Tokiko's tears continued to flow and she clung tighter to Keine.

Keine sighed and after gently ruffling Tokiko's hair, planted a kiss on her forehead before leaving. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Promise."

With a heavy heart, Keine turned back and left for the school house. Once she was out of sight, Reimu brought out some books and held one out to Tokiko.

"Look Tokiko! I have some books that you'll like."

However, Tokiko ignored Reimu and ran off towards the Forest of Magic crying. Upon seeing this, Ryusei, Alice and Reimu exchanged worried glances.

"We have to find her!" declared Reimu. "Even though she's a youkai, it's not safe for her to go to the Forest of Magic alone. Not in this state."

Ryusei and Alice nodded in understanding and quickly ran into the shrine to grab their tools. However, only Ryusei returned with an unfinished dull looking katana.

"You're not getting your armor?"

Ryusei shook his head.

"Too risky. If anyone from the Moriya shrine spots me in that armor, they might not hesitate in attacking me," informed Ryusei. "Besides, how am I supposed to put it on with these guys stuck to me."

He gestured to the 5 fumo dolls who were clinging onto his gi.

"You have a point. So Alice isn't coming?"

"Someone needs to watch our kids while we're gone. Now let's hurry before she flies off or does something that she shouldn't do."

Reimu nodded in agreement and the two rushed out of the shrine's grounds, following the sound of Tokiko's sobs.

"Tokiko!" called Reimu. "Where are you?"

The shrine maiden continued to wander through the dense forest, carefully avoiding bear traps set up by hunters, harmless pranks by fairies, and certain patches of plants containing extremely high amounts of dangerous magic.

For a person like her, magic and fairy pranks weren't more annoying than harmful as getting caught in one of them would slow her down quite a bit. Not to mention, the fairies behind the pranks were more likely to laugh at her than help her get out of it.

The bear traps though, were a completely different story. Even the slightest change in weight was more than enough to set one off and serious injuries aside, Reimu certainly didn't want to lug a large hunk of metal around while in the Forest of Magic.

Ryusei on the other hand, didn't seem to mind any of the traps with him only taking note of the pranks and magic patches. Picking up a few rocks, he skillfully skipped them into the traps, setting them off and rendering them useless.

"Reimu, do you think she flew off by now?"

The shrine maiden shook her head and continued wandering.

"Flying isn't easy here. There are a lot of obstacles and even Marisa's had her fair share of injuries. In fact, most fairies prefer to run around than fly in here."

The shrine maiden continued to call fo Tokiko's name but to no avail.

"I really hope everything's okay. Keine's gonna be so mad if she returns and learns that Tokiko's still out here."

Ryusei nodded in understanding and continued to look around with Reimu. Much of his tracking experience had been rendered moot since any physical trail had been magically erased or vanished before he could get a lead on it. However, moments later, he felt something jump off of him and upon turning around, saw a fumo doll running into the bushes.

"Hey wait! Where are you-"

He was cut off by the doll returning and gesturing to him to follow her quietly. Ryusei couldn't help but notice that the doll was a Keine fumo doll and like the other 4 clinging onto him, were custom made.

After nodding to the doll and letting it disappear from his sight, Ryusei quickly tapped on Reimu's shoulder and signaled her to follow him while keeping quiet. Moments later, the duo came across Tokiko who was perched under a tree, crying.

Instinctively, Reimu attempted to run over but Ryusei held her back and shook his head. As Tokiko continued to cry, the Keine fumo doll cautiously approached Tokiko until she was at the bird youkai's feet. Due to her tiny stature, the doll couldn't do much but pat Tokiko's feet to get her attention. Upon seeing her, Tokiko instantly grabbed the doll and hugged it in her arms while crying.

The doll returned the hug and nuzzled itself into Tokiko's chest and head as a way to comfort her. Reimu could swear the doll was an actual child in Tokiko's arms based on how it acted but something was telling her that there was a little more than that.

Over Tokiko's sobs, Reimu could hear the little bird youkai say something that really hit home.

"Mommy, please don't leave me… I'm sorry…"

After seeing that Tokiko had visibly calmed down a bit more, Ryusei nodded to Reimu and watched as she carefully approached Tokiko. Once Reimu had made it to the young bird youkai, Ryusei followed and to his surprise, the remaining 4 fumo dolls got off of him and hugged Tokiko as well.

"Is something the matter?" asked Reimu.

Tokiko wiped away a tear and continued to hug the doll before nodding.

"Mommy didn't want me. She said daddy hated her because of me and any time I saw her, she yelled something at me," revealed Tokiko in between sobs. "One day, mommy threw some books at me and kept yelling 'go read and die' with a green bottle in one hand and that 'daddy won't come home tonight' before shutting me in her room."

"Mommy? Do you mean Keine?" asked Reimu.

Tokiko shook her head and hugged the doll even tighter. Reimu placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder in an attempt to help her. After a few more sobs, Tokiko continued her tale.

"Then one day, daddy comes home and grabs something from the kitchen. He asked me why I was still home before getting a large sharp thing and throwing it at me and calling me a monster. Then mommy comes in and locks me in my room and all I can hear is yelling and screaming until something falls and red water starts coming in."

"This… I never thought…"

Reimu struggled to find the words or thoughts to understand this but Ryusei on the other hand had a look on his face that seemed to explain everything.

"Tokiko, what happened to your previous caretaker?" asked Ryusei in a serious yet kind tone.

Reimu shot him an angry look to let him know that it wasn't the time but Ryusei seemed to know what he was doing.

"Daddy was on the floor with another bottle. Mommy had a red thing on her side making red water and she picked me up and took me outside. She then put me in a box and said that she was coming back for me and to not look for her. Afterwards, she hit me with the books so hard, I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was alone in the forest in a box with some books. Mommy and daddy were gone," revealed Tokiko.

After hearing this, Ryusei knelt next to Tokiko with Reimu. This caused Tokiko to hug the Keine fumo doll tighter while the fumo did her best to reassure Tokiko again.

"I didn't know what to do. The other people hit me and threw me out left and right and then my books got stolen. It wasn't until Miss Keine found me in Mister Kourindou's shop that I got a bed and home again. Miss Keine and Rinnosuke, they made me happy again, they played with me and took care of me. Then the other girl, Marisa, said Keine and Rinnosuke were going to be my mommy and daddy now. Even so, I-I-I…"

Tokiko sobbed again and this time Ryusei stroked her back softly.

"I don't want my other mommy or daddy to come back and take me home. I don't want to be sent there again. I just want Keine and Rinnosuke to keep being my mommy and daddy and and and-"

"It's gonna be okay, Tokiko. Those two people…" said Ryusei. "They can't hurt you now and they won't. You will be okay. Rinnosuke and Keine will always be you. They are your real mommy and daddy now, alright."

Tokiko looked at Ryusei with a look that can only be described as trusting and healing. His words had unspoken kindness and reassurance that Reimu had never seen from anyone before.

"Now let's get you back to the shrine where your mother, Keine, will be waiting for you," smiled Ryusei.

Tokiko gave him a small smile and took both his and Reimu's hand to walk back to the Hakurei shrine. As they walked back, Ryusei smiled at the fumo dolls that joined him and allowed them to climb back on him as they headed back.

"Oii! Reimu! I'm here to play!" announced Marisa.

The black and white witch flew in on her broom with the Three Fairies of Light. Trailing behind her on foot, was Keine and Rinnosuke.

"Tokiko! We're here!" announced Keine.

"Mommy! Daddy!" exclaimed the young bird youkai. She quickly flew out of the shrine and into Keine's arms with the Keine fumo doll.

Reimu walked over to the family, Ryusei had Hayata and Daiyousei hide while he prepared to meet Keine for the first time. Alice and Medicine had already left for the SDM so there was plenty of space for the two kids to hide in.

Once he confirmed that they were in a safe place, Ryusei headed out to greet the teacher.

"Hello Keine. My name is Ryusei and I'm Reimu's friend," introduced Ryusei. "I need to talk to you and Rinnosuke about your daughter."

The two adults gave Ryusei a skeptical look but agreed to go with him while Marisa, Reimu, and the Three Fairies of Light played around.

"Alright now, what do you want to talk about?" asked the shopkeeper.

"It's Tokiko's past. By chance, are any of you aware of her past?" asked Ryusei.

"No," responded Keine. "What about it?"

Ryusei gestured for the group to sit down while he mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do.

"Tokiko," started Ryusei. "Had a rather troubled upbringing until you two came into her life. Her mother and father were both abusive alcoholics."

"What?" asked Keine and Rinnosuke simultaneously. Such a thing had never been heard of in Gensokyo before and neither of them even knew what this meant.

"What are you saying?" asked Keine. "What even is an abusive alcoholic?"

Ryusei sighed as he gave his best explanation for the term.

"It means her parents never cared for her and were always drunk. In Tokiko's case though, they also hurt her on several occasions and got violent," explained Ryusei.

"I see," commented Rinnosuke. "At first I thought she had no parents and if they did, they neglected her. Now it's all coming together."

"Did… did she run away?" asked Keine, her voice filled with concern.

"Somewhat," replied Ryusei. "Her mother abandoned her with an empty promise that she'll come back. Tokiko began looking for refuge once she was gone."

The adults sat in stunned silence, their faces pale with horror.

"I can't believe this. How could anyone do such a thing to a child?" asked Keine.

"It's unforgivable. No one deserves to be treated like that," agreed Rinnosuke.

Ryusei nods solemnly.

"Unfortunately, such things happen in the world. Whether it's Gensokyo or the outside world, it's a dark side of humanity that we often try to ignore," explained Ryusei. "However, ignoring it won't erase the fact that it does exist even amongst those who are not human."

Keine and Rinnosuke nodded with understanding.

"Because of her experiences, Tokiko is likely suffering from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. She is afraid of being alone or separated from who she sees as family, especially you two," continued Ryusei. "In fact, earlier she had tried to run away because of this."

Keine and Rinnosuke exchange worried glances as they begin to connect the dots.

"That certainly explains why she cries a lot whenever I leave the house," commented Keine.

"And why she's always making a racket whenever I leave to the village for supplies," added Rinnosuke.

"What can we do to help her?" asked Keine.

"The best thing you can do is provide her with love, support, and a sense of security. Let her know that she's safe and that you'll always be there for her," answered Ryusei. "These scars are something she might never fully recover from. Still, it will begin the healing process and allow her to one day understand her situation."

After hearing this, the trio got up and made their way to Reimu and the others.

"Perhaps I should find a way to let Tokiko come to school with me," said Keine. "She's a harmless one and the worst thing to happen to her is the students getting distracted by her appearance."

"Maybe I could well…" Rinnosuke trailed off. "I need to talk to Marisa and Reimu about this first."

As they returned to the shrine, Ryusei looked at Hayata with solemn smile.

"War and other things can truly bring out the worst in people," sighed Ryusei. "Its the least I can do to honor his friend."

Got any requests? Leave them in the reviews but don't forget to check out the rules down below:

1. If there is a specific character that you think Reimu should babysit next, drop their name down in a review.

2. Each character can only be done once for now and duplicate entries will be ignored. (Ex. First comment requested Wriggle, second comment requested Chen, third comment requested Wriggle again, and fourth comment requested Cirno. The order for who Reimu babysits will be 1. Wriggle, 2. Chen, and 3. Cirno)

Characters who have been done already include:

- Wriggle

- Chen

- Cirno

- Kisume

- Koishi

- Tokiko

Characters that have been requested or are currently in progress:

- Hinamei (Wheel Demon)(PC-98 Character)(Requested)

- Eika (Requested)