Katerina's confused protest did not go unnoticed by my steward, but it was ultimately ignored. Adel had a habit of milking as much as she could out of any given situation; so, when Katerina opposed her actions with Kiyomi, the woman merely intensified their kiss. The pink, brown haired vixen also pulled a little prank on her victim as a form of retaliation against her mother, seeding the inside of the girl's mouth with a polyp containing love potion. It would burst whenever Kiyomi was next kissed, causing the girl to develop crush like feelings toward that person; but this story would not be relevant until some time later.
 
Suffice to say that, when the two women were transported into my study moments later, I gave my aforementioned lecture to them. On the surface, I appeared to be the old Natsumi: irritated by Katerina's unannounced visit but still willing to receive her. In actuality, I was quietly preparing a memory erase spell. I was waiting till Katerina started talking; started inevitably asking for help to remove the collar around her neck. That was the best time to use a modified drain essence spell to drain the memories from her mind: when distraction was at its highest. The moment assuredly came, at which point I walked out from behind my desk and over to the kneeling wolf.
 
But the spell was a failure. After tightening the obi around my kimono and walking over with an outstretched hand toward Katerina's forehead, my palm was swiftly repelled. The spell was too weak to do its job, and I paid for this with a parchment thin cut across my index finger.
 
"How very irritating," I grumbled while pulling my hand back from the wolf's head and looking at the blood now seeping from my wound. "That memory erase spell doesn't work on people when the memories I'm trying to get rid of become entwined with familial love. You think of me as a sister: a frustratingly ludicrous notion with no basis in reality." Closing my lips around my bleeding finger, I walked away from Katerina and toward a nearby shelf filled with miscellaneous tools. The carpet became animated behind me as soon as I turned on my heel, literally eating Kiyomi's vomit and then belching before I could continue. "You were supposed to forget like everyone else, Katerina, yet you persist in chasing a phantom when she doesn't want to be found or remembered. That slave collar is a poetic fate for an individual such as yourself, because you're already enslaved by a desire to put your life into a tidy little box where all friendships are mutual and eternal." Having stopped the bleeding on my finger by this point, I rustled around in the bobbles in front of me until I found a rope. It was sturdy and heavy cord, fitting for a leash. And so I grabbed said rope from the shelf and lashed it around the collar on Katerina's neck. I then pulled her to her feet for the first time since she fell victim to the ancient machinations of a people long dead, shortly informing her of her new fate. "If you really want to be by my side that badly, I hereby take you as my slave. You may rise, but you will remain physically passive until I say otherwise."  
 
Of course, you'll notice I said 'physically passive,' in that instant and not 'completely passive.' I had forgotten the mouth that Katerina had for a moment, simply wanting to be rid of her rather than remember. She would remind me whether I liked it or not soon enough; but not without her own share of pain. Slaves aren't supposed to backtalk, after all, especially when their masters are already irate with them.

Katerina had asked the woman before her about taking off the slave necklace. Her daughter and herself both tried to no avail. It was like fate was against the wolf when Natsumi was around. Although, Natsumi always new how to fix things. A sigh left the red head’s lips, she wanted to get out of this place and go home. She missed Jax deeply and wished he had came along with them. It probably would have put Natsumi’s comments to rest, or that is what Katerina thought.

Seeing the fox finally move from her spot at the desk, Katerina eyes filled with excitement. “Than-” Before she could finish thanking Natsumi, Katerina shut her mouth. She had assumed that Natsumi was going to take off the necklace, but instead the fox placed had her outstretched hand toward the wolf’s head. “Umm..? Natsumi?” Katerina asked puzzled by her motion and the comment that left the fox’s lips. Her question that she was about to ask was answered when the fox explained what she tried to do.

Anger swelled within the wolf demon as she stared at Natsumi. How dare she try to erase her memory! “Excuse me–” Before Katerina could say a word to Natsumi, the fox started to speak. Katerina bit her lip, she wanted to scream at the woman before her because the pain she felt. Natsumi was like a sister to the wolf. Now, Katerina didn’t know anymore.

With watery eyes, Kiyomi stared at the two before her. She could tell how hurt her mother was. The tension in her shoulders showed  and the pain that shown in her eyes just for a moment. The woman that her mother told her about….was not in this room.

The sudden movement of the rug made Kiyomi’s eyes turn toward it. The actions of the rug made Kiyomi want to throw up again, but she averted her eyes. Unable to watch the gruesome act.

Every word that left Natsumi’s mouth stabbed at Katerina’s heart. How dare she speak to her like she was nothing but someone to analyze. Averting her gaze from the fox, Katerina just stared at the floor; unable to look at the woman she thought was her friend. She didn’t care about the noise she heard when Natsumi left her side. The white fox was looking for something, but all the wolf demon could think was, “I want out of here, now.” Out of that room, away from the white fox.

It was when she felt the rope become attached to her neck that she looked up. At the end of the rope stood Natsumi. Soon after the wolf demon was pulled to her feet. The anger inside her metastasized after Natumi spoke. Katerina turned towards her,  her wolf eyes narrowing as she stared down at the fox. “What the fucking hell, Natsumi! First, you try to erase yourself out of my memory. Next, you analyze me like I am nothing to you. Now, you want me as your damn slave! After all we have been through!! Oh, hell no!” Katerina eyes flashed red for only just a moment as she yelled at the woman before her.

Curving her fingers into a claw like form, Katerina tried to shoot an ice spike at the nearest object; instead nothing. “What the…” She started to say, confused. Her eyes looked down to her hands; she tried a snowball, a spike, anything she could think of. Nothing happened. No magic. Did the explosion from before do this to her or was it the collar? Her eyes turned back to Natsumi, narrowed and filled with anger.

Kiyomi stood there wide eyed at her Mother. Never once had she seen her this angry. The scene before her made Kiyomi step back while a gasp left her lips. If Natsumi was remotely anything  like her mother  had said, she wasn’t looking forward to what happened next. Maybe she should run out of the room while she had the chance? The dragon stood there, on edge and worried about her Mother.

Katerina's rage in that study of mine was understandable, given her disposition toward me. She thought of me as a sister, a family member to be trusted, and yet I betrayed that trust by trying to take away her precious memories of me. To her, I was simply being a heartless harpy, when in reality I was trying to save us both from the inevitable heartbreak of separation.

Despite the fact that her rage was justified based on external perceptions, however, she forgot herself in her retaliation against me. There are some lines that no one should cross, and trying to destroy my home – the same home that my newest children resided in – was one of those lines. Katerina attempted to defy the collar during her outburst; tried to shoot ice magic at my room in order to make her anger evident. That destruction would have been against my physically passive rule I placed on the slave collar, so she couldn't actually go through with the spell; but that wasn't the point I'm trying to make here. Her gravest error was assuming that she could just destroy my home because I didn't feel the same way as her; and that error was about to cost her.

"Done yet," I asked her rhetorically when she had finished speaking? Up until her realization of fizzled magic, I had regarded her with a fairly passive expression. That quickly changed when I asked my question, because my arms immediately crossed in front of me as an innocuous smile crept onto my jaw. "Good! Now, I need you to do something for me." Placing my hand on Kat's shoulder, that smile of mine turned sour. I was clearly not amused, and channeled my irritation into a shouted command for my angry puppy to follow. "SIT!"

The wolf may have been confused for a moment, but only for a moment. The collar quickly flashed in a bright, purple light and soon forced its wearer to the ground against her will. It kept shining after the resultant thud, and took every other command as I gave it. "Roll over. Stop on your back like a dog. And listen." Each sentence was treated like an undeniable imperative by Katerina. Eventually, she ended up on her back with limbs flexed like an actual dog. Only at this point did I approach her, kneeling by her head and twirling my finger in her crimson hair.

"You really don't understand your situation, do you," I asked with a disinterested stare while kneeling over her? "Historically, the only person who can remove these collars is the owners of the slaves wearing them. However, you didn't have an owner before now, so anyone off the street could have put that rope around your neck and taken away your freedom like I have. Since I'm not evil like your uncle and also realize you'd be a troublesome slave, I had intended to set you free after finding a suitable punishment. But if you'd rather be a bitch about it, I'm sure I could get more creative…"

Kiyomi may have assumed something terrible from that insinuation I made, but Katerina would understand the lewdness behind it. The wolf demon had always had a very attractive body, and it just became more so with her new look. I could think of many more enjoyable tasks for her to take part in should she refuse my demand for manual labor. Of course, I knew she would take the labor over sex any day, so the offer was just a means to remind her how much worse it could be if she didn't behave.

Still, it was only common courtesy to wait for an actual response than assume the answer I wanted. In the meantime, I knew I would have to find a way to deal with Kiyomi. I wasn't about to punish her because of the fact that she tried to stop her foolish mother, and so I decided she would be exempt from any tasks I came up with. With that in mind, I continued speaking to her, but only after I began standing up and looking in her direction.

"At least I see who the real troublemaker in this situation is. Kiyomi, you can consider yourself a guest since you exhibited hesitation where your mother clearly lacked it. Katerina, on the other hand, will have to work for my forgiveness. Her outburst has only tacked a heavier price on her sentence, so you may be here a while. I don't intend to release her until I'm satisfied she's learned her lesson."

After her outburst, Katerina saw that her powers wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t be till after Natsumi spoke, she would understand why. At this moment, the anger grew within her. Reason being, she didn’t like being controlled by anyone.This made her feel weak standing before Natsumi. She had always felt Natsumi as a sister, she didn’t know why. Was it because the fox had always been there for personal moments; with her evil uncle, then telling her about her parents. The wolf demon enjoyed feeling like she had someone. When she found out Natsumi died she would of felt alone, if it wasn’t for Eden, Kiyomi, and Gabby. Now the feeling seemed so far away after Natsumi tied to take away her memories. Anger and hate was all she felt in that moment, but she still loved Natsumi as a sister.

Hearing Natsumi’s voice, the wolf demon looked at her confused. It didn’t take her long to figure out what the fox meant. Right when Natsumi said the word sit, she was flat on her face on the ground. “NAT!” She yelled into the ground then soon after Natsumi commands continued. She felt like a completely helpless dog at this point. She wanted to scream at the woman before her, but kept her mouth shut; she didn’t want to chance Natsumi ordering her more.

Biting her tongue, the wolf demon listened to the fox before her. She wanted to tell Nat to remove it right after she spoke of only the owner could remove the collar. Instead, she kept quiet. She wanted to hear more about the necklace around her neck. Also, Natsumi really didn’t give her a chance to say anything because she kept speaking. ”Punishment?!” The wolf demon repeated the word. She didn’t see that she did anything wrong; she had a right to be upset with Natsumi. It wasn’t until she remembered that the fox didn’t liked being followed. A sigh left her while she turned her eyes from Natsumi. “Fine.” She was going to get this punishment over and done with; done with being a slave to this woman.

Kiyomi tried not the laugh as she watched the two. Hearing her mother say fine, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Her laugh filled the room between the two. Her mother was on the ground with her legs up, she had been commanded to act like a dog, and it was a funny sight to see. “Kiyomi.” Her mother’s voice caused her to take a few breaths to settle down. It was Natsumi’s voice that made her eyes leave her mother and look up at the fox.

“Thank you,” Kiyomi said softly while bowing. Maybe Natsumi wasn’t so bad. Kiyomi had expected the wrath of the fox to rain down on her mother. Instead, she played a joke. Kiyomi glanced at her mother, who was still looking like a dog, as a soft smile curved on her lips. “What will you have her do?” Her voice was naturally soft as she spoke. Her eyes returned to the fox. Her mind thinking about the “punishment” her mother was about to receive. Hopefully it wasn’t too harsh. Maybe it would be funny like this moment was?

Kateina’s ears perked up at the sound of Kiyomi’s voice. “As long as I get to kill something, I will be civil.” The wolf demon said aloud, mostly at Natsumi. She wanted to take her anger out on something. 

Although Katerina's dejected "fine," was expected after my punishment suggestions, I can't say I wasn't disappointed she neglected to choose sexual favors. Though the code I had developed as a safety precaution for my job would have interfered with any serious relationship between Kat and I – as would her fiancé and heterosexuality among other things – I can't say I wasn't tempted to go easy on her. Unfortunately for the lone wolf, however, this point also marked the moment I was lashing out at her in anger over my own failure to erase her memory the first time around. It's funny, but, even so many years after reaching adulthood, I am still remarkably like a child when it comes to people I am romantically interested in.

Even so, I pushed on in the current situation with my frustrating but life-saving habit of wearing psychological masks. I appeared perfectly at ease even as Kiyomi laughed and asked what her mother could possibly endure under me. The thing is that I hadn't really given much thought to that question before it was asked. The time of my guests' arrival was late at night, almost in tune with when I was set to rest; so anything long-winded wouldn't be very appropriate. My daughters were already asleep as well, making noise an issue. Suffice to say that I just had to admit to Kiyomi that I didn't really know what Katerina's punishment would be just yet.

"I'll have to think on that," I said while standing up from my slave and walking back to my desk. "It's late at night and my girls are sleeping right now, so I don't want the chore to be something noisy. I also have a tendency to favor productiveness over humiliation. The dog commands were just to demonstrate my power so your mother would cooperate, since we both know she gives me a run in the competition for stubbornness." The wolf who was still on her back spoke up at this point, causing me to look over my shoulder and answer her with a pensive look. She wanted her task to involve murder, but forgot she was in a town focused on people who were already dead. "Mmm, that may be difficult," I continued while trying to be polite. "Most things around here are already dead, so killing them would be redundant. Plus, anything living that dies here will just immediately come back as a phantom unless you have some way to banish them. But I won't stop you from trying to kill something if they threaten you, Kiyomi, my home, my family or me. To that end, I hereby grant you free movement throughout my estate and the right to attack anyone who threatens those things I listed. Adel will be your caretaker for the night, though, just to make sure you don't get lost."

And with that, Katerina was finally released from her humiliating position. She could move at will and attack other entities, but only so long as she didn't put my family or possessions at risk. I returned to my desk once she stood up, looking tired despite my best efforts. Adel had transformed back into her human form by then, and had moved over to Katerina to help her stabilize with an offered hand. Meanwhile, I rang a silver bell on my desk to wake up a certain dragon that had been sleeping overhead this entire time.

Anyone who has read these memoirs for a long enough time will remember Jack, my Boreas Dragon I met on Horae Island. He followed me during both my mortal and immortal roles in that world, and also tended to Skadi until my return. To reward his loyalty upon our next meeting, I used ancient magic to turn him into something else. As a result, Jack gained a human form with the ability to shapeshift at will, and he used that newfound power to always stick by my side. He even became a butler in my household, which, I will admit, is odd to think about for any dragon. Then again, his new hoard was an overabundance of nobleman's clothes that he stole off of scared rich people as a hobby; so maybe he just enjoyed the job for the fact he got to wear those clothes.

At any rate, he'd been sleeping up in the rafters of my study when the bell went off. His black waistcoat was dusty when he stirred, as were his white locks, but the brief amount of movement he made before rolling over served to dislodge the thin film that had settled over him during the past day or so.

"Huh? Wassup? What's happening," Jack began to say before tumbling out of the rafters he'd been hibernating in quite comfortably. Now, unfortunately for Kiyomi, she was right underneath this sleepy dragon when he fell. He ended up landing right on top of her, and in such a way that their fronts pressed together seamlessly. His groin connected with hers, as did his chest with hers. His lips also, coincidentally, landed on top of hers: popping the love potion cyst that Adel had planted inside Kiyomi mere moments prior.

That's right: Jack was Kiyomi's first heterosexual kiss by a complete fluke and arguably the second person to sexually assault her. It took him a while to realize what had happened and why his landing was so soft, but Jack quickly removed his lips from Kiyomi's once the fog cleared from his eyes. He didn't get off of her at that point, being the complete numbskull he was when it came to social boundaries, and he just saw fit to smile widely before complimenting the woman who was still pinned. "Hello, lovely dragoness." Adel swiftly grabbed him by the ear once it became clear he wasn't moving, and started dragging Jack off of Kiyomi while shaking her head. "Ow, ow, ow," he shouted during the sharp and violent tug. "Alright, I'm sorry!"

As you can probably surmise, my face was already in my palm by this point; even long after Jack was standing up straight and away from the blonde girl.

"Please, forgive Jack," I said with my head still in my hand. "He's…well, he's only recently gained a human form and has no concept of human boundaries yet." Jack just stood there dumbfounded after I mentioned him, with one of the most questioning expressions I have ever seen from a Revalite.

"Did I do something wrong," he asked Adel in a hushed whisper while maintaining that expression? The temptress could only join me in facepalming at his words, appalled that her co-worker could be so dense; and because both of us had our eyes down, we didn't notice that Kiyomi's hair was now turning pink from the same potion that had turned her mother's red.

A sigh escaped the wolf’s lips while she stared up at her hands and feet. “This is getting very uncomfortable,” she thought annoyed. Soon after the fox started to speak but Katerina continued to stare up at the ceiling. Hearing Natsumi mention her girls, her eyes shot towards the fox. “Girls?! She has more than one now…She did said girls right? Plural?” The wolf’s mind ran wide with questions. She hoped she didn’t mishear the fox. Katerina continued to stare at Natsumi while she spoke; not really paying any attention to what she was saying. She couldn’t wait to ask about Natsumi’s children, especially Saya. It had been such a long time since she last saw the little girl.

Kiyomi, on the other hand, listened intently to Natsumi’s every word and nodded. Purple eyes looked over to her mother when Natsumi released her. The position her mother was in was funny, but Kiyomi still wanted her mother on two feet.

A sigh of relief left Katerina’s lips as she was finally able to drop her limbs. “Finally..” She thought as she tried to stand up. The position she was in before made her legs unstable under her. Thanks for Adel, she was settled nicely on her feet.  “Thank you.” Katerina said to the woman beside her then stepped towards the desk of the fox.  She was about to ask Natsumi about her children when she heard a man’s voice..

Katerina’s eyes turned just in time to see the dragon fall on top of her daughter; it was sudden and inevitable. “Kiyomi!” Katerina yelled as the man fell, her hand reaching out slightly, but she knew she couldn’t do a thing to stop it. The wolf was fast, but not that fast. No one seemed to move to help for a moment; all eyes were on the scene before them. It was like she was watching her daughter have sex. Katerina didn’t move, but her mouth fell open.

A gasp left the young dragon’s lips as the man fell onto her. She was too late to move out of the way and fell onto her back. Her lips connected with his and her legs had fell open as if inviting him. The pain that erupted in the back of her head was soon erased when she felt him move away. Kiyomi’s purple eyes opened; widening at the man who was on her. Her face began to grow warm when he spoke. “He-Hello…” She whispered, almost unable to speak. Her eyes locked with his almost white eyes; frozen.

“Get off of my daughter!!” Katerina was the first to yell in anger. The voice of her mother snapped Kiyomi out of her trance. Before the wolf could move, Adel was quick to remove the man from her daughter. In a few steps, Katerina was beside her daughter and helping her to her feet.

“Thank you again, Adel.” Katerina was grateful to the pink hair woman while her arm circled her daughter and pulled her close. If it wasn’t for Adel, Katerina would have threw the man into the wall. Her eyes looked at him, her anger showing in her eyes as they narrowed.
 
Kiyomi didn’t hesitate to push off her mother and step back. Pushing down her dress, she made sure her legs were covered. “I am fine, Mom.” She said with a sigh and laced her hands together in front of her. The dragon didn’t notice she moved towards the man from before.

Natsumi’s voice pulled Katerina's eyes from the man named Jack and to her. Even though she wanted to rip the guy's head off, she held back. Instead she let a comment slip out to lighten her mood more than anyone else. “If my daughter gets pregnant, I'm extracting child support from you, Natsumi.” Katerina smiled at the fox girl behind the desk. “Mom!” Kiyomi blushed at the words from her mother. “I’m still a virgin…” She thought and resisted to turn her eyes back to Jack. She was only seventeen and hadn’t even had her first kiss yet. “Wait… I have.” Her eyes widen at the thought. She had her first kiss with Adel a woman, and now her first kiss with the handsome man.

Looking down at her feet, Kiyomi didn’t want to look at her mother with the blush on her cheeks. Once more her eyes widen in shock. “Mom…Mooommm!!” Her voice rose this time. Her long blonde waves that draped over her shoulders, and down to the bottom of her back, were no longer blonde. The blonde waves were now a deep pale pink. 

The outburst from her daughter made Katerina turn to look at her. Natsumi had told them to be quiet and this wasn’t helping matters. “Your hair..” Katerina said as her eyes looked at her daughter. She didn’t noticed until now the change of color in Kiyomi’s hair. “…..It will be okay.” The wolf demon said, not knowing what to say to her daughter. Her eyes moved back to Natsumi; sure she would know what to do. “Nat, could you please change back my daughter’s and my hair?” Katerina asked the fox.

Kiyomi had started to look at the ends of her hair, still shocked by the day events. The decapitated man, the mime in the alley, the kisses, now her hair. It was almost all too much for the inexperienced dragon. The floor beneath her began to swirl around before she fell backward and back into the arms of Jack.

The wolf demon ears heard the commotion behind her and turned to look. Her daughter had fainted once more and fell into the man who assaulted her. “Kiyomi!…my sweet girl..” She said with a frown. Moving toward her daughter and Jack, she moved a strand of pink hair behind her child’s ear. “Is there somewhere she could lay down?” Her question was to Natsumi who was behind her, but her eyes went to the man. “Letting you off with a warning, boy. Don’t touch my daughter the way you did before…Again.” She paused in her words as her eyes narrowed at him for a moment. “Please carry her where she can lay down. The events from today have got her.. I will follow soon.”

Despite my request for peace and calm in the wake of Katerina's enslavement, no one but Adel seemed willing to adhere to it. Jack's descent threw everything into a tizzy. Katerina started yelling, Kiyomi started screaming, and the potato dragon was making thumping noises. A metaphorical vein was starting to pop out of my head during the course of these events, even though I still seemed calm when addressing the child support comment.

"Jack, you're cut off," I said much to the dragon's sorrow. He made the saddest face I've ever seen on a mythical beast of his caliber, even though it turned to one of joy mere moments later when Kiyomi collapsed into his arms. I, on the other hand, was far less amused by that point. The screaming had forced me to a breaking point, and I was soon standing up from my desk with hair bristling.

"Will you people just shut-" My voice and anger were gradually rising until the door to my study opened. The creaking was subtle, and I almost thought that I would have to yell at yet another ghost tonight. But all that anger just melted away when I saw who was there. Down near foot of the door, not even high enough to reach the top of my desk, stood my daughter Elizabeth dressed in her nightly best. She carried her fox doll that she always slept with, and was rubbing the sleep from her eyes with her kimono's sleeves. "Lizzy," I asked the tiny girl as my ears drooped? "What are you doing out of bed?" Elizabeth did not answer, though. She just meandered across the floor in the direction of my voice, never really looking anything but bleary-eyed, and then crawled up onto my lap. Barely a sound was made from her, and she was already fast asleep against my stomach within seconds.

I let a smile slip in front of my guests because of that, betraying the joy I had while caressing my daughter's chestnut hair. But that smile swiftly faded when I caught the others watching. "I'll demand you all be quiet now," I said with hushed intimidation in an almost schizophrenic change of personality. "Katerina, your daughter's and your hair was changed by an unknown elixir made by a mad alchemist who normally only makes poisons strong enough to kill demons. You're lucky to be alive in the first place. I'd have to spend months of time researching the mixture to even have a hope of a chance at reversing it; and, frankly, I'm not going to bother, especially since I think the change is an improvement. As for Kiyomi, set her down on my couch and let her stay here with me until she wakes up. Goodness knows that I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Jack hadn't really been paying attention to Kat till now, since he was more afraid of what I was going to do rather than what the wolf could possibly be thinking. He was also enjoying the fact that a female dragon was finally returning his goofy, unintentional advances, and wasn't about to let a furry mongrel ruin that for him. Still, he obeyed my command when it was given, and snapped out of his obstinacy for the moment.

"Aye sir," he said while briskly moving away from Katerina and gently setting Kiyomi down on the lone couch in my study. The protective wolf may have wished to follow, but I called her attention back to me before she could.

"And you, Kat," I said while Jack rolled down the couch blanket for Kiyomi. "I want you to go with Adel to check on Anabelle. If Elizabeth is out and about, Ana might be as well. Don't try to approach her on your own, though, if you find her; and make sure Adel is with you when you bring her back to her room, if necessary." Pausing, I conjured a blanket for myself as well so that Elizabeth could stay warm whilst I finished instructing my guest. "And for the last time, be quiet."

Once Kiyomi had fainted, Katerina could tell how aggravated the fox was. The wolf had forgotten about her children who were asleep. She was one who didn’t like the quiet, so she raised her children around noise. Ever since Kiyomi was a child, she had always traveled with Katerina. She knew how to sleep just about anywhere; noisy towns, on horseback, and by waterfalls. A sigh left the wolf’s lips when she was about to apologize to the fox; instead she was silenced by the new addition to the room.

Lizzy, as Natsumi called her, had moved quietly across the room to Natsumi. The wolf demon’s ears didn’t hear her enter. The way Natsumi reacted surprised Katerina; her ears went back and her voice went soft. The red haired woman watched as the little girl moved sleepily into Natsumi’s arms. No words left the child, and she fell fast asleep. Katerina melted at the sight. She had a love for children like nothing else, and seeing her friend with a small child had warmed her heart. It was such a beautiful moment.. Katerina had never seen Natsumi with a little girl that small, not even Saya. This was a different side of Natsumi that Katerina loved to see.

With the anger from before forgotten, she listened to Natsumi speak. Katerina nodded in response; she didn’t want to wake the child from her sleep, or anger Natsumi. The wolf demon knew, as a mother, no one should wake a sleeping child. She also didn’t want to see what Natsumi would do if that happened. The fox seemed so content with the child in her arms.When the fox answered the question about her hair, Katerina let a sigh slip from her lips. The wolf would have get used to seeing red hair. “My wolf coat!” She thought and hoped it didn’t change as well along with her hair. She would transform the first chance she got.

A command was soon given to the dragon behind her, bringing her from her thoughts. Crystal blue eyes turned to watch the man lay Kiyomi on the couch. Her name was soon said from the fox once more, making the wolf turn to her. “Your other daughter?” Kat asked with a smile. She was happy that the fox had grown her family like she had. Katerina had two more daughters waiting for her at home; she took them in only a few weeks ago. Jax had become a great father and was looking after them.

Katerina agreed. She was more than willing to find Nat’s daughter for her. With that, Katerina left the room. Moments after the wolf demon left, Kiyomi began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and a sigh left her lips realizing she had fainted again. Sitting up, she looked around the room. And found that her mother wasn’t there. “Where is my mother?” She asked, more curious than worried. She didn’t mind being left in the room with the fox and other dragon; she felt that she could trust them.

Kiyomi’s eyes soon notice the bundle on top of Natsumi. Her eyes soon saw a face of a small child causing her to smile. “She is beautiful.” Speaking softly, she didn’t want to wake the child. One day she would have a child of her own but not yet. “What is her name?” She asked, curious about the child. After she looked at the child for a moment, she noticed something odd. It was a curious thing that the child look like her mother, just a bit. Why was that? Gabriel would still only be a baby. This child was a toddler.Sitting up, Kiyomi removed the blanket that laid on her. She was now curious about the child in Natsumi’s arms. “How did she come into your life?” She asked. 

As a spy, my relationships outside my home were rarely idyllic. From a purely subjective standpoint, a series of unfortunate events seemed plagued everything I touched, including and especially people like Katerina whom I might have called friends in another life. She wanted a sibling, a best friend; but I just pushed her away because I knew it wouldn't end well. It never did.

I pitied her, you know? Somewhere deep in that cold abyss I called a heart, I felt sorry for the wolf demon. Yet my compassion for her was always clouded by my fear of disappointment. I pushed people away because I was afraid of being hurt. You see, the sharpest dagger, for me, is not one of steel. It is one of emotion, failure, betrayal and rejection. That alloy can sunder any heart, and it's easier to mold than any metal. You don't need special skills to craft a weapon from this mixture. You just need a little bit of love and friendship.

In hindsight, I'm sure Katerina's fiancé intended to wait for her return and greet her with open arms. He couldn't have known he wouldn't be able to keep that promise. Even as the wolf turned away from my nod to accompany Adel, I had a premonition that something terrible was about to. SAI looked into it for me, driven by my curiosity, but, by that point, it was already too late. The ultimate dagger was already being plunged into her heart.

Kiyomi woke up shortly after this doomed search began, asking quite a few, uncomfortable questions about Lizzie. At the time, I was still hiding the fact that Elizabeth was Gabby's twin – in a manner of speaking – and I was less than thrilled by my half-dragon's nosiness. I also wasn't in the mood to make up a polite excuse for my decision not to answer, so my reactions were definitely curt.

"Your mother is with Adel doing her chores. As for my daughter, her name is Elizabeth. Perhaps one day I will tell you the story of how I 'came by her,' but that day is not in the foreseeable future." SAI spoke up then: barely audible so as not to disturb Elizabeth from her slumber. The intelligent voice was just loud enough for Kiyomi and Jack to hear, but only as a faint whisper.

"Lady Natsumi," she began?

"What is it, SAI?" The expression on my face was straight as I awaited a reply, even though I expected the worst. Had there been nothing to worry about, SAI would not have let Kiyomi hear her. Since that was not the case, I could only assume something happened: an assumption that was vindicated the longer I listened to the report.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I took the liberty of using your scrying ability to check in on the man that Ms. Silverstein mentioned was her fiancé. It appears one Jackson Elendel has just met with his demise at the hands of some assassins that laid siege to the Silverstein cottage. There's still one member of these assassins left alive, and he's searching the home for something. It appears that his blade was the one that dealt the finishing blow."

I calmly got up from my seat once SAI finished speaking, holding Elizabeth firmly against my shoulder. I was walking out the door as quickly as I could without turning to look at Kiyomi or her reaction, but I didn't close the door behind me without giving a command to Jack.

"…Jack, you know where that cottage is. Bring the assassin back to me alive along with whoever he's searching for right now. Use any means necessary." Jack had been pouting up until this point, not possessing the personality to express genuine empathy for someone he just met. He knew he didn't like that Kiyomi was upset, but his disappointed frown was more fleeting than it would have been for someone who was genuinely depressed. The false emotion faded almost instantaneously when he heard his assignment.

"Oh yeah," he said while cracking his knuckles in response and giving a toothy grin. A portal opened in front of him shortly thereafter, and he strode through with one of his iconic – but nonsensical – sayings. "Time to be the bossiest boss that ever bossed."

————————————-

Deep in Virens Forest, Jackson's body was already soaked in blood. Five assassins lay dead around the premises, each struck down by the former rogue. A sixth was still alive, ransacking the cottage that Mr. Elendel had tried to protect. He swore he saw two, young girls run into the cottage before his comrades engaged their former colleague; and, for whatever reason, he didn't want to let them be.

By the time Jack arrived, the lingering assailant had found the two children he was looking. They were hiding in a closet hoping that they wouldn't be noticed or heard. But the trespasser was too keen to let them slip away. The light of his lantern shown through the cracks in the wooden door, just enough to illuminate the faces of the two girls.

"Found you, I did." His grizzly smile peaked with satisfaction, but that pride of his distracted him from something far more important. Just as he moved to open the closet door, the dapper, potato dragon dropped from a portal overhead and slammed his fist right into the human's skull. The blow knocked him out almost instantaneously.

"ONE PUNCH," Jack screamed in an energetic voice as his target rag-dolled off to the side now no more harmless than a pillow. He smelled the children in the closet behind him without even looking their way, so he just grabbed both the closet door and the unconscious assassin before gate travelling out of the cottage. He did say, "Sorry, you're all coming with me now," before doing so, but it was so hyperactive and quick-spoken that no one had a chance to properly react.

I had already left the room by the time Jack returned from this jaunt, but for barely a handful of seconds. My butler practically crashed back into the study, bringing the whole content of the closet with him alongside the assassin. Everything flopped into the study simultaneously, leaving only the white haired dragon still standing. Then, in true Jack form, he announced the content of his package in the tempo of someone who had consumed one too many kafe treats.

"One very alive assassin thoroughly knocked out and two children that he was about to kill safe and sound. Clothes included free of charge. Job done."

Watching the fox intently, Kiyomi didn’t move from her place on the couch. She was curious about the child in Natsumi’s arms. Her mind started to run and she suddenly asked the question. Instead of getting the answer she wanted, or any answer as a matter of fact; the fox didn’t say a word about how she came about the child. A sigh left Kiyomi’s lips, she figured that the fox wouldn’t tell; they had just met after all. Kiyomi remembered her mother saying that Natsumi was a mystery. “Fair enough.” Kiyomi said with a small smile. She had a feeling one day the story would be told to her.

The sudden voice of SAI, made the dragon look around the room. She wasn’t sure where the voice was coming from while Natsumi answered. The young dragon was about to ask where the voice was coming from,  but Jax’s name silenced her. As she jumped to her feet, her eyes started to swell with tears. “She's lying… she has to be..” Kiyomi thought as her eyes looked to the ground at her feet unable to look at Natsumi. “She has no reason to..” The thought was soon replaced with images of Jackson’s smiling face. Her arms slowly circled her. Kiyomi couldn’t do anything but hold herself tight.

The fox soon spoke up to the other dragon in the room. Her voice made Kiyomi looked up while her tears fell down her face. “How can this be happening..” Kiyomi’s mind couldn’t comprehend that Jackson wasn’t in the world anymore.

The sound of the portal opening made Kiyomi come out of her thoughts.  “The girls! My sisters are still there..” Kiyomi bursted out and ran towards the portal. Right when she was before the portal, it suddenly disappeared. She knew no matter how much she asked, Natsumi wouldn’t open the portal again.

“My mom..” Kiyomi paused as a few more tears fell from her eyes. “This is going to break her. First Gabby, now Jackson… “ She trailed off not wanting to finish her sentence. She couldn’t think that she could loose her mother again after this. She needed to be there for her mother, like before.

It wasn’t long before Jack returned, and Natsumi had left to retrieve her mother. The way he entered made Kiyomi gasp. She stared wide eyed at scene before her; the flying clothes would shock anyone. Seeing a man at Jack’s feet, she assumed he was the assassin. Kiyomi wanted to slit his throat but held back because of the two little girls running towards her. The dragon knelt down and caught them in her arms. The girls didn’t speak, but buried their heads into Kiyomi’s neck. Kiyomi's tears fell down her eyes as she felt the wetness on her neck; the girls were crying too.

“I want Kat.” Mia mumbled into Kiyomi’s neck. “Shhh.. She will be here soon.” Kiyomi ran her fingers down their soft hair while she looked up to Jack with tearful eyes. She wanted him to hold her, she couldn’t understand why, but she found comfort in his arms. Her eyes suddenly caught sight of what he was wearing. Her night dress; it was pink and silky with lace above the bust and below. She would of laughed any other moment. Turning her attention back to the girls, her arms hugged the girls tight, and kissed their foreheads. She hoped her mother would be there soon. She needed her and Kat would need her daughters as well.

---

When Katerina left her daughter in Natsumi’s capable hands, she left to find her other daughter. She didn’t really want to leave Kiyomi with the male dragon. He had kissed her daughter, unintentionally it was. She just didn’t like him. Maybe it was the way she saw how Kiyomi looked at him. Repressing a sigh, she knew the day would come where she would experience Kiyomi’s first crush or boyfriend. She just hoped it wasn’t too soon.

As she walked down a hallway, her eyes moved to Adel who was walking beside her. “How did you meet, Natsumi?” She asked her to break the silence between them. She was also curious how Natsumi’s companions came into her life. Natsumi wasn’t that approachable, but when you got to know her, it was like you didn’t want to leave her side. For a long time, Katerina had thought of Natsumi as a sister. She knew deep down that the fox would not think of her that way, she was too reserved. Though, the wolf was glad she knew her. She hoped one day Natsumi would soon invite her into her circle.

“I would've never thought Natsumi would come to have so many children.” She commented, the honestly thought Saya would be her only child. “I am very happy for her.” Katerina comment with a smile. She had almost forgotten the anger she had for the fox, but kept it far away from her. She didn’t want to have anger in her voice while looking for a child. Kids usually didn’t like that tone of voice, so she kept her anger locked away; for now.