The Fox Goddess

"What!? Are you serious!?"

"Mom!? Why are we leaving Aika, shouldn't she just go with us?"

The four had the exact reaction that Yuki had already predicted, shocked, angry, and sad. It was simply impossible for them to not react this way since they were already so attached to Aika, especially Kurokami, she treated Aika as if she were her real daughter. She didn't let the thought that she was another woman's child get into her heart and mind and treated Aika with love and kindness like what a child should receive. It was the same thing with Katsumi and Yumie, both of them received the same love that she had given to Aika, though it was harder for them since the two were more mature than Aika of course, as for Aika, she was just truly a little child. Even Fumiko felt the same even though she had just met her a few days but even so, those days were precious to her because she was accepted by them.

Aika had one of the most positive reactions towards her when she was finally introduced by everyone, she even remembers how the little girl would sneak around near her and try to watch her from afar which she found cute and amusing. There were even some times when she would give her cookies that she baked herself with the help of the chef and just those moments were so precious for her and she couldn't help but feel attached to the little girl. Knowing that she would be separated from her was shocking news for her, it broke her.

But what the two were feeling was not as bad as what the two little girls felt when they heard that they would be apart from their precious little sister, they didn't even realize it as their eyes were already filled with tears. Yuki who was watching everything fold in front of her no longer has the strength to look at all of them after seeing their faces, she turns away and says in a deep voice.

"I know that it is hard to accept it right now, but please don't cry. And yeah, I know. It is so easy to say, but hard to do, I know because I'm feeling the same." Yuki said as she turned to all of them. Her face was still the same, cold and indifferent, but with their eyes. They could see the pain that she showed behind that cold face, especially in her eyes, it was hiding the grievances that she couldn't show. And they understand it because if she also shows weakness, it would just make things worse than it already is.

"If you know that it is hard, then why do we have to be separated from Aika, and Yuki? Just why? Isn't it already great news that Amane is revived and that is more reason for us to be together since we are literally going to be a complete family with her joining us? Is it because you hate Amane?" Fumiko asked in an aggrieved tone as she couldn't help but clutch Yuki's clothes as she now also began to cry.

"No… why would I hate a person for no reason? You know that I'm not like that. I just thought it would be better because you also know it, Aika is too dependent on us here. And to be honest with all of you, I don't like it one bit. Simply because she will grow to be spoiled and a person who will lean on others if she can't do something. Just the thought of that angers me because I don't want my daughter to be weak. That is why I want to send her with Amane so that there would be fewer people for her to depend on because there is just literally one person, which is her Mother Fairy." Yuki explained to all of them as she hugged Fumiko's shivering body and tried to calm her down as best as possible.

"She would be alone with Aika for the next ten years, that is how long I have decided to part with her. Because I think it is enough time for her to be stronger and you also know that she has insane powers that she can't control. You have experienced it firsthand… time stops whenever she is too agitated." Yuki said with a solemn face as she remembered everything that had happened. The very first time it happened when Mirel was about to attack her, Aika had unconsciously stopped the time around them, and it was so strong that it even stopped someone like Mirel who had the powers of  Spirit Beast at the time. And the most shocking part is that Aika was just an Essence Warrior at the time.

"Do you understand my intentions now? If Aika needs to control her Time Manipulation Ability, the best person for that is of course her Mother Fairy who is one of the most proficient in that regard in all Heavens. This is for her sake and for the people around her because if she is not careful, she can accidentally erase a person without her even knowing…" Yuki no longer needed to explain further as it was already clear what could happen if Aika didn't control her Time Manipulation because it is just as Yuki said, she could erase someone quickly by either reversing their time backward or making their time faster which would lead to one outcome, which is their death.

If it would be fine if her powers didn't act randomly because of her mental state, then maybe Yuki wouldn't be forced to be separated from Aika for such a long time. But because it was already out of her hands, she needed the help of Amane.

"I understand now… but wouldn't it be better if Amane just joined us? I mean, she would still be able to teach Aika a lot of stuff in that short amount of time. Or are you just that worried that Aika would take the wrong path which is to lean on others, we can just treat that out of her if we all worked together though…" Kurokami said her thoughts in a reluctant tone as she wasn't sure if it was right to tell Yuki right now, but she understood that Yuki might be blinded by the fact that Aika could get dangerous and weak at the same time if she wasn't nurtured right.

"I have already thought of that, but it is not as simple as it looks because we don't have that much time to spare and all of it is because of the thing that I want to do in Nightingale. I will be extremely busy there and I think it is the same with all of you since you guys have your own path to pave. And I just think that it would be better if there would be fewer people by her side so that she would be able to grow more." She answered and stopped for a few seconds before continuing.

"Aika's potential is immeasurable and I'm not going to let anything destroy it because if I truly learned something from my experiences, parenting is a sacrifice but a well-worth one. I already risked a lot of things to get in here, I have murdered and sacrificed an unimaginable amount of people just to be here, and I won't let anything stop it now. But if you guys can give me another way, I'm open ears, this is the point anyway why I called all of you here." Yuki explained to all of them why bringing Aika and Amane could be a bad choice. They were finally about to give up and just let it happen when Yumie spoke up.

"Mom, I know where you are going, but wouldn't your plan backfire on you? I think that it would be worse if Aika had fewer people to rely on because it would mean that she would be weaker because there are fewer people and much worse since there's only one person. So when we get separated of course Aika would be clinging so much to her Mother Fairy that she would rely on her so much, so wouldn't it just make it all worse?" Yumie asked as she looked up at Yuki with her clear and round eyes.

"Is that what you're worried about? Actually… I have also thought of that possibility, but you gotta understand that Aika is smart and quick to adapt. Yes, I'm sure that might be a possibility, but if she knew why we parted I'm sure that she would learn from her past mistakes. The only real problem is how to tell Aika about this, that is the only thing I'm worried about." Yuki said as she carried Yumie in her arms, she then turned to Katsumi and did the same with her other hand.

"Mom is right, Sister Yumie! We just need to believe in Aika and we both know that she is smart and she would quickly learn from her mistakes." Katsumi said after hearing her mother's explanation. She also had the same thoughts with her sister about the plans of Yuki backfiring, but it seems that they were wrong about it.

'This is how I would like Aika to grow, to be smart and quick like Yumie, but even so, still strong and reliable like Katsumi. I'm really proud to have the three of you as my daughters even though you are not even my own.' Yuki thought deep inside of her as she couldn't help but commend their own strength.

"All of you shouldn't blindly think like that because… Just as they say, people learn from their mistakes, I'm afraid to tell you this, but that's a complete lie. Because a person will only learn if they truly understand and know what their mistake is. That is the reason why people keep making the same mistakes over and over again because… They don't even know what they did wrong." Yuki said as she gazed at the sky with her cold red eyes and her words struck everyone's heart that it even made the Primordial Gods who were listening to her be shocked.

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