The End of Innocence: Book 3 of the Kinstone series
Chapter 1: Mother/daughter outing

My body lies curled up on my bed, feeling sore and stiff. I don’t even know or want to know what time it is. Sleep, right now, is all I cared about.

There’s something simple and pleasurable about sleeping in one’s bed. The softness of the mattress, the warmth of the covers, the feeling of your head resting upon a pillow, all of it plays into the sensation of being in something which always seems to become a nightly cocoon.

While in the daytime, the sun and fresh air of whatever lies outside your room signifies the waking self. The nighttime is where the moon and stars act as the little lullabies, coaxing one into dreamland. And the bed is your coach, whisking you away into the arms of sleep and gentle merriment.

Although in my experience, sleep has been at times, torturous. Nightmares once racked my sleep for nights on end. Terrible visions of ghosts and death, all wanting to drag me away into whatever creeping darkness that wished to torment me for eternity.

A child’s dreams can often be the sweetest and gentlest of any, but at the same time, the most horrific. I still have chills thinking of some of the most abysmal of my dreams. Horror movie fans might blush if ever to witness the darkest of my nightmares.

But in the end, as much as we wish to do nothing but lie in bed forever, the waking world must come and ruin the peaceful and blissfulness that is sleep. Such a simple thing that is sleep, yet at the same time, the most complicated.

A kiss to the cheek made me groan in displeasure. “Time to rise, my beloved daughter,” now feeling my cheek being poked.

My eyes open to see Rachel hovering over me on my bed. I let out an annoyed groan, “No.”

She chuckles, poking my cheeks again, “Oh yes, or shall be forced to poke your cheeks enough times that I could water the gardens with your tears.”

My body slumps as I roll my eyes, sitting up on my bed. My mother pulls my body into a tight embrace, stroking my hair, and kissing the top of my head.

I smile softly, looking up at her. Her dark raven hair drapes over her shoulder, gently brushing against my face. I gently breathe in her scent, the scent and aroma which had always been a comfort and weakness of mine whenever with her.

She smiles warmly, caressing my face, “Have I told how happy I am to have you home with me?”

I giggle, “Yes, and I think it’s the fourth time you’ve said that.”

My mother chuckles, “Have I now? Well it must mean that I missed you all the more and still can’t believe that you are here.”

I sigh, shaking my head, “Rachel, it’s only been a couple of days since I got home.”

I still remember waking up in the car, with me curled up on the seat. Just thinking about her walking into the rear of the cabin to personally scoop me up off of the bed and carrying me into the car as though I were a small child makes me blush. Though to be honest…I am a kid and little, so…it fits.

She grins, “Has it now?”

I roll my eyes, but smile. Still couldn’t believe that less than forty-eight hours ago I was traveling home from Japan. It all still felt a little surreal with me lying here on my bed, in a room that I could’ve fit the entire first floor of the house into. I rest my head onto her chest, feeling her hand stroking my hair.

“You and your sister went rather hard yesterday didn’t you? Despite my telling the both of you to take it easy.”

I giggle, shrugging my shoulders, “Well…couldn’t be helped. She wanted to spend some time together and the first thing that came to mind was a sparring session.”

Rachel sighs, shaking her head, “Honestly that woman, not to mention asking you the moment you woke up.”

After I got home, I slept for nearly half the day. Silvi swooped into my room and pulled me out of bed, nearly squeezing me to death. After she let me go, I quickly found myself being asked for a sparring match.

I…was either too tired or my blood was still pooling in my head to think straight. Either way, I accepted and quickly got changed and transformed, flying out of my room for the day.

My sister and I then spent several hours either sparring or cuddling up in her cave. It felt amazing to fly under my own power once again. During my entire time in Japan, I wasn’t allowed to transform into a dragon and fly to Asha’s shrine or even just around the region. So it really was a treat.

While flying, I saw the entire breath of my home for the first time in months and I really loved it. Needless-to-say that the moment I got back to the Manor we were immediately confronted by Rachel, who scolded the both of us.

I looked up at my mother, smiling to her. She continued to hold me close to her, gently stroking my hair. Her enthralling scent filled my nose, making me melt even more into her. We enjoyed sharing these little moments with each other, but this was different for the both of us.

Since I first met her, I never really cared at how affectionate she was towards me, with me being just as. We had been apart for so long and it still felt like a lifetime had passed since I left for the airfield.

She eyed the table where I displayed my swords, seeing a few new additions to it. “I am curious about what you the new items you've added to your room my love,” summoning both over to us, examining it, “is this by chance the mask you wore during your performance?”

I nod, stroking it, “The head priest gave it to me as a gift,” grinning softly. “I was so nervous right before I danced that I clung to this to help me relax. Plus I love how it looks.”

She smiled, tracing her fingers over the ears, “You fully accepted being a kitsune didn’t you?”

My cheeks blush softly, giving a shallow nod, “I hope no one was hurt by that.”

My mother lifts my face, “Everyone loves you for you. Nothing else matters to them. Each of your forms is a part of who you are, and you have grown beautifully in each of them. So worry not of offending anyone.” I nod, smiling to her.

Rachel smiles, then holding up the gauntlet to me, “Now…care to explain this one to me. Your yokai aunts never told me about giving this to you.”

I smile, running my fingers over the green plates. “Yukari and Asha made this for me after what happened at the market. Asha gave up some of her scales for the armor itself and Yukari using her hair to bind it together. They then infused their mana into it to protect me.”

She smiles, “I will have to thank them at some point. Armor forged from love is stronger than anything in this world.”

I nod, “I’m thinking about training with it.”

My mother grins, “You love to replace new things to train with don’t you?”

I giggle, “It’s a curse.” She chuckles, shaking her head, levitating both pieces back onto the table.

I then feel her place a kiss onto the top of my head, “Now, what would you say to venturing into the city for a little mother and daughter time? We do need replace you something special for the summer gathering.”

I giggle, “You want to go shopping?”

She smiles, stroking my hair, “Of course. You and I have been apart for so long that it’s nearly paramount that we do. While in the city, you and I can also share a lovely lunch together.”

I hadn’t been downtown in ages, having no real desire to since Marron and I went together. Prior to my final semester at Concordia, the thought of leaving the Estate and venturing anywhere near Austin was a bit foreign to me.

That changed with my final obligation to my old life completed, now I didn’t feel quite as nervous or uneasy about returning to it. Still have to thank Jenn with helping me start the process of getting over my fears. I also didn’t care that the capital was an hour away by car. It just meant that we had more time together.

“Sounds like fun to me,” I say. “Speaking of going out to lunch, why don’t we go to Falcón’s? You and I haven’t been there since last May.”

She smiles, “I believe that to be a wonderful idea. As I recall, you rather enjoy dining there.”

I nodded, “Oh yeah, and the fact that it overlooks Lake Austin was a major bonus.”

Falcón’s is a fusion bistro, blending Italian and Asian dining that I instantly fell in love with. It was where Rachel took me after I forgave my birthmother. We would visit there on the rare occasion if we ever wanted to get away from the Estate. It quickly became a favorite of mine.

My mother smiles, kissing my forehead and letting me go, “Then we have ourselves a plan. So…hurry and get yourself cleaned up and put on something nice.”

I grin, nodding, “Yes Ma’am.” I throw off the covers and slip out of bed. I peel off my pajamas, levitating them onto a hanger and dove into the bathroom.

In the past couple of days, I had to readjust to showering in a western bathroom as opposed to the one I used while in Japan. I took a lot of baths while living there. I often blushed at the thought of Yukari coming in and bathing with me the same way Rachel and I do. But it never happened, but kinda still wanted to.

I also had to get used to how bright my bathroom was. The one in Japan was lined with wood paneling and gave it a darker appearance when set against the forest just outside. So having the walls here lined with white tiling and bright lights was a little too much at first. I chose to shower with lights off, given how an abundance of natural light shone in from the windows.

I place my forehead onto the shower tiling, feeling the hot water streaming down my back. My thoughts went straight back to the village and to Kenji. My heart pounds within my chest, still seeing his face that day at the station. Feelings towards him swirled and stormed, hoping one day to be able to sort them all out.

I received texts and emails from my friends there, all asking how I was doing. Even Hashibaba shot me a text, wondering the same.

I responded to all of them, but Kenji and I only shared a single text between us, with each sending a picture of the other. I shook my head, pushing away my conflicting feelings and turned off the water, stepping out of my shower.

I quickly dry myself off and head to my bathroom vanity, wiping away the steam. My face looks just as childish as always, having not really aged that much in the past couple of years. I smile, but saw a slight change. I looked slightly more mature, wise, but conflicted. Well duh…just admit that you’re in love idiot. I giggled, feeling my cheeks blush.

I grab my hair dryer, taking a brush, and pulling it down my long hair as the hot air blows onto it. I hold it up and examine it, nodding at that lack of split-ends. Once done, I place both the dryer and brush back onto the sink and leave the bathroom. Still never like the idea of putting on makeup.

I opened my closet and found a cold-shoulder loose fitting sweater with flared sleeves and skirt. I slipped it on, wearing a pair of shorts underneath. I laced up a pair of brown knee-high boots, still kicking the toes. I giggle as it became a habit over the past couple of months.

I pull my hair back and tightly braid it, wanting a different appearance, and tying a ribbon at the end. I smile, draping it over my shoulder. I snatch up my backpack purse and a water bottle, knowing aside from shopping and lunch, Rachel and I will want to walk along the riverside.

Taking one last look at myself in the mirror, I smile and then head out the door.

I bound down the stairs, smelling the aroma of breakfast as I walk into the foyer. As I draw closer to the breakfast room, my ears train to the sounds of children giggling. A bright grin rose on my face, knowing the sources of those giggles.

I enter into the room and am immediately tackled by two furry children. Their tails wag furiously, often batting against each other. Little hands wrap themselves around me, with little brown fuzzy faces staring up at me.

“Hi big sister,” greets Micha.

“We missed you lots. We were really lonely without you,” adds Luna.

I grin, hugging the twins tightly, stroking their hair and ears.

I watch as their eyes roll into the back in their heads, “I missed you both too. I hope the two of you were good while I was away.” Both tails instantly stop and drop onto their little butts. I grin even broader, “Uh-oh…been naughty huh?”

They bury their faces into my chest. Yep…they seemingly had gotten themselves into trouble at some point. But that didn’t really matter to me.

I plant a kiss onto both of their heads, “Well whatever it was its done and gone. With that said,” lifting their heads, “would you like to see your gifts?”

Two sets of ears instantly shoot up along with their tails now wagging more fiercely as they peer up at me with shimmering tan eyes. “You brought us presents?” exclaimed Luna.

I grin, nodding, “Yep,” eyeing a small table behind where Rachel was sitting.

I hoist the pups onto the floor and walk them over to it, pulling out a large box and hand it to Luna.

She grips it tightly and pulled off the lid, revealing a child-sized gyaru kimono, something I found at the market. Her eyes grew as huge as melons as she stared at it. “It…it’s so pretty,” looking up at me with tears in her eyes, “thank you big sister.”

I smile, kissing her forehead, “You’re welcome.” Turning to her brother, I hand him a smaller box. He quickly opens it, replaceing an okami mask I had won while at the festival.

His eyes shimmer as he holds it, looking up at me, “Thank you so much big sister.”

I smile, ruffling his hair, “You’re welcome squirt.” Both pups gaze at their gifts in awe, tails wagging furiously.

I carefully place each of the gifts back into the box, setting them onto the dresser and sitting us both at the table.

“Thank you so very much Young Miss,” says their father. “I can’t begin to tell you how much they’ve missed you.”

I smile to him, “I missed them as well Master Warwick, and I wanted them to have something from me.” He smiles, bowing his head. I hold both of the pups close to me as we begin to eat.

“They still talk about your performance. Often replaceing them watching it over and over,” he adds.

I smile, looking down at them, “Big sisters are often idolized by their younger siblings.” Both twins grin as they munched on their food.

I look back up to Warwick, seeing him smiling warmly towards me.

The only people missing from the table were Silvi and Velhemina. I still haven’t gone to visit my aunt since getting home, and know I want to spend some time with her. The idea of spending the rest of the day as an alraune and reconnecting to the plants here quickly pops into my mind.

I giggle to myself, wanting to tell her about how I spoke to the trees and plants around the house. I look over to Rachel, seeing her smile at me. I grin, knowing that I’m enjoying my time with the pups.

After breakfast, I look over to see Fenris standing at the door with Abigale. I hadn’t seen either of them since I got back. I grin, knowing they had been off doing “something” together. My bonded saunters over, sitting next to me. His eyes gazing softly into mine.

I lean over, stroking him behind the ears, “Had ‘fun’?”

He huffs, glaring at me, “That is none of your concern little one.”

I giggle, “OK, ok,” pulling back, “Rachel and I are heading out. Suppose you’d like to come with?”

He nods, “I do. My place is at your side little Aria.” I smile, looking back to Abigale who bows her head to me.

“Gonna need to spend some time with everyone now that I’m back,” I say, leaning back into my seat.

The kikimora walks towards us, leaning over and wrapping her arms around me, “We look forward to it Young Miss.” I smile up her.

Rachel smile and looks to me, “Sweetheart, we should go before traffic becomes too insufferable.”

I nod, releasing the twins and slowly backing up from the table. I stand and stretch. The twins look up at me, tails still wagging.

“Are we getting a big brother?” asked Micha.

My heart stops as eyes grow wide in surprise. I gaze down at them, “Now…where did you get that idea?”

Luna grins, “Big sister Marron told us that you have a boyfriend now.”

I blink for a moment, before groaning. Dammit Marron. You are so dead the next time I see you. Somehow, I know she more than likely is grinning her ass off right about now.

I sigh, shaking my head, “No…you’re not getting a big brother and…I don’t have a boyfriend,” looking away and blushing softly, “at least…not really sure right now.”

I close my eyes for moment, thinking again of Kenji. My lips press together, still feeling his against mine. In a fleeting moment, I imagine him walking through the door and for me to fling myself into his arms.

But…no.

I still need time to think about this. I giggle to myself, Well, if you ever see Drakon or Savero, you can actually now decline their advances. I kinda hope that I don’t have to anytime soon.

The twins looked at me confused. I smiled, shaking my head, “Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I need to get going. When I get back, hopefully we can play together.”

Their ears perked up straight with huge eyes growing on their faces.

“We can’t wait big sister,” exclaims Micha, glimpsing his tail wagging feverishly. I smile, hugging then turning towards the door. I smile and bowed my head to their father, who does the same.

I walk towards the front door, grabbing up my purse and clipped my water bottle to it. Standing by the door is a small line of maids and Sebastian.

I smile up to him, “Morning.”

He smiles, bowing softly, “Good morning Young Miss. I have been informed that you and her Ladyship are heading out for the day.”

I nod, “Yep, gonna spend some much needed time together.”

Another thing I have to get used to again is having people wait on me. I also have to readjust to having my laundry done for me. Yeah…living a simple “normal” life had really taken hold. But now I am home and this is just part of being the daughter of Rachel Rivenfeld.

My head turns to see my mother and Fenris walking towards me. I smile gripping the strap of my bag.

She smiles, “Ready?”

I nod. She smiles, walking us towards the now open front door. I glance out onto the driveway, seeing the car already prepared for us. We hop down the steps and climb into the car, quickly taking my seat.

Fenris lie down onto the floor, followed by Rachel. I place my bag next to me and lean back. My mother taps on the floor and the car begins to pull forward and down the driveway.

I always loved these TARDIS cars. It allows us to have a modest outwards appearance while still having the spacious interior of a full-sized limousine. During long road trips, I often would curl up onto the seats and fall asleep, letting the soft upholstery cushion me.

I lean over and pull out a book that rested on a shelf and open it.

My mother shakes her head and smiles, “Always having your nose in a book.”

I grin, quickly turning a page, and glancing as we pull into the tunnel. A couple minutes later we exit out onto Lakehead Road and from there onto 620.

As predicted, it took us a half an hour to at least reach Mopac. One good thing about our route is that we went down 2222 instead of having to go by way of 183.

I still haven’t been into Lakeline proper in over a year and a half. I never really plan to venture back that way anytime soon, even with the farmer’s market at the shrine rekindling my love for them.

I glance out onto the highway, noticing that all of the road construction which had plagued it for years is now finished. I smirk, thinking that the city finally got off their butts and did something about it.

Mopac South has always been unfamiliar territory for me, having only gone done it a few times since I moved here years ago. I still don’t like being in downtown Austin and Mopac is proof of that. Just too much traffic all going at the same time.

I should be grateful that we are heading out during the mid-morning rather than during the lunch rush or later. Plus it’s the middle of the week so folks aren’t crowding the roads too much.

The further we travel, the more I could see the city coming into view. Even from as far out as the 183/Mopac junction is the city visible. I let out a soft, almost silent sigh, still thinking of being in Tokyo.

The car “slowly” draws closer and closer to downtown, finally making its turn off onto Riverside. I lean over and open my purse, making sure that I haven’t forgotten anything, which is now silly given that we practically are in Austin proper. I still want to be sure regardless.

I turn and watch Lake Austin now coming into full view, actually smiling a little.

While not caring much for the city as a whole, I do replace that it possesses a certain charm to it. There is also the fact that it lies next to a river. The only two other cities where this is a thing is St. Louis and Chattanooga, with the latter being the prettiest. Yeah…I still hold a bit of a bias towards it.

We drive into the very heart of the city, watching as hundreds of cars pull around us. The city of Austin, while not as sprawling as most major cities, still shares some similarities with any of its counterparts. Being that it has tall buildings and a road system that, while functional, often made little sense.

I smile, seeing the capital building. I’d never been inside, even when Rachel offering to have us visit it a couple of times. I had also been so disconnected from human politics that I don’t even know who the current governor is. This world just doesn’t matter to me anymore so why bother with it.

The car then turns down onto South Congress and towards the outskirts of the city. A couple minutes later I instantly recognize where I am, eyeing an old familiar brick building.

I look to my mother, smiling, “I’ve been here before.”

She smiles, “I know. Marron told me that she had taken you here during those first few months. I know the couturier who owns the shop. So I am certain that we shall be able to replace you a wonderful outfit to wear.”

I smiled, closing my book, “Plus I can score a few more books to read.”

She chuckles, “A true bibliophile.” I grin as we pull into the parking lot. We then step out and head inside.

Rachel and I browse through the dresses, with Fenris sitting by the door in his dog form.

My mother would pull out dresses and hold them up to me, imagining how I’d look in them. I smile, standing still, remembering the day when Marron and I were here.

I still miss her, thinking that she is just going to pop out from one of the rows, holding up a frilly little dress and shoving me into the dressing room to try it on. I sigh softly, wishing that were the case. I gaze over to the adjoined bookstore, knowing that if given the chance, I am going to slip into there and buy up a lot of books.

My mother pulls another dress off of the rack, holding it and looking to me, “I think this one looks lovely. Don’t you agree sweetheart?” I look at it.

It’s shoulderless with a white band around the arms. I trace my fingers along the seams, nodding, “Yep.”

She smiles, walking over to the dressing room. I step inside and change into the dress, buttoning it up. I step out and stood before her, giving a small twirl.

She beams, “Yes…yes this will do quite nicely for the second night.”

I smile, looking at myself in the mirror. It's a nice formal short dress, one not so different than what could be worn to a prom. I actually felt like going to one, with possibly asking Jenn to go with next year for her senior prom. No doubt she’ll say yes to it.

I slip back into the dressing room and changed into my original outfit.

While Rachel purchases the dress, I walk over to the bookstore and browse the selection.

My thin fingers skim the bindings as my eyes scan the various titles, smiling. The store had changed very little since the last time I was here. Even after Marron had moved away, I never returned here. Feeling that it wouldn’t be the same without her beside me.

This also made me miss the Ebony Tavern, a coffee shop that I used to frequent a lot prior to moving in with Rachel. I sigh, thinking all those months before meeting my mother. I look over to her, smiling softly as she meandered around the store. I turn back to my browsing, pulling a few titles that I didn’t have.

Something then moves out of the corner of my eye. It moved too fast me to turn and identify. I stared out the window, scanning around. I stood still, eyes darting from corner to corner. There was no presence, no lingering trace of whatever or whoever was there. I know it wasn’t a bird or an animal.

I blink a few times before turning away. Something was there and it unsettles me. I pull a few more titles and then head for the counter to purchase my books.

I walk back over to Rachel and Fenris, both standing by the door.

She smiles to me, “Find a few new titles to read?”

I nod, holding up the bag, heavily laden with books. Her smile grew wider, holding up my new dress. I chuckle softly as we head out the door.

I cling to my bonded’s fur, eyes scanning the parking lot. He glances back at me, not saying a word, but knows that I’m worried about something. I don’t want to alert my mother if I didn’t know what exactly has me concerned, but I kept my vigil. I still very much want to enjoy this day with her.

We climb into the car and settled into our seats.

She looks over to me, smiling, “I know it might be a little early, but would you like to go ahead and head onto lunch?”

I lean into her, “Fine with me.”

She held me close, tapping on the floorboard. As the car pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the main road, I decided, for the moment, to push my concerns away. I leaned into her, praying that nothing happens.