Suspicions

*Third-person POV*

The green glimmering potion tasted kind of funny and sweet with a mildly bitter aftertaste. The young maiden gulped down the tonic before getting into the shower. Her tummy felt warm and tingly as the tonic took effect, trying to heal what internal bleedings and wounds there were in the girl's body. Ohari was beside her, anxiously watching her though not letting it show on her face.

"Take it easy... here take a seat on the stool and I'll wash your back... you aren't hurt anywhere?"

"I think I'm fine mom."

"Are you sure? You looked so much in pai~"

Ohari cut off her sentence, not wanting to scare her little daughter anymore. Maybe it is best for now not to let the poor girl know what she went through. When Ohari rushed in the door she nearly fell into panic at the sight of the little girl burning up, her skin steaming and her back bleeding. Her body glowed red as she squirmed in suffocating pain... seemingly unable to even yell. If her Kyui wasn't there to take the lead of the situation, she wasn't sure what she would do if she had a panic attack.

Ohari helped her into the shower and washed her back, wiping the strange energy blood away while Ohari did her best to keep her tail dry. But with the young girl not letting go of her tail, even during the shower, it was now a sopping mess... but Ohari didn't mind, as long as her little girl can get some relief.

During the shower, the tired girl had her back turned to Ohari. Unbeknownst to Ohari, worry, fatigue, and fear still lingered within the flower maiden. She was scared, and her floof time helped calm her down but she still remembers the hazy fragments of her tormentful dream. Fragments of agony, pain, and the deep… horrifying roar. What woke her, what saved her, was that abrasive yet kind voice that reached out to her, almost threatening her not to die. The girl felt a new kind of appreciation and respect towards that 'mean' sister of hers. Perhaps she had a much more soft side than the girl expected. But she was still somewhat anxious, what was happening to her body? The odd energy that coursed through her body was now more rampant than ever. She felt much more sensitive to it now, more aware of its presence. She tried closing her eyes and calming the flow through slow breathes and relaxing. It worked slightly, but not completely.

Looking on the bright side, aside from maximum floof time, she now has four new petals… of which she had trouble controlling. She decided to call it petals cause it resembled flower petals in the limb's original shape. The thought of what she could do with it was enticing. She could grab more food, wash dishes faster, climb faster, she could even feel the soft fluff of Ohari's tail more with extra hands! However, before those things can be achieved she must get better control. The best she could do so far was swinging wildly around accidentally hitting Kyuu-san and stretching it longer and shorter as she practiced in the shower, which unfortunately splashed some water onto Ohari.

"Ahh! You got me wet…"

At this, the girl with her hair full of bubbles turned around and saw Ohari try to playfully pout. The girl grinned back but her eyes were still slightly red from crying earlier.

"Oh you!"

Ohari ruffled the girl's thick hair and made the bubbles practically envelop the girl's face as they giggled lightly together. The maiden couldn't be more grateful for the people… no… family around her. She didn't know what would have happened if they didn't save her.

"No more crying ok? I'm happy you're safe."

The mother couldn't bear to see her daughter suffer… yes daughter. So what if she knew for barely longer than a day? All she saw before her, was a playful, energetic, adorable little girl whose clumsy love for her and even her tsundere of a sister did not waiver.

When both of them got out of the bathroom Kyuu-san was in the kitchen finishing up breakfast after cleaning up the blood left in the room. The little girl now wore the white one-piece dress from before and sat eagerly on Ohari's lap at the table. Seeing this affectionate display Kyuu-san couldn't help but feel a vein on her forehead.

"Hey! Just cause I let you have it your way a moment ago doesn't mean you get all mushy with my mother."

"Come on Kyui… after what she's been through she deserves this much… not that I mind anyway right?"

The girl leaned back onto Ohari's bosom and smiled back up her… ahhh! How precious is she?! Ohari brought the little munchkin closer for a firm, warm hug. A pleasant waft of lily flowers drifted past her nose.

Kyuu-san could only let out a frustrated sigh… seeing her mother happy lessened her resolve to peel the brat off her mother's lap by the ear. She's got other more important worries too, regarding that kid's abnormal behavior and somehow being in possession of primordial energy. It didn't make sense. She doesn't know much about primordial energy and most of everybody in this universe does not even know the formal existence of it. But one thing she does know is that it is beyond rare and only a few beings even possess it. Hell, she only can tell it is primordial energy as Mokuren tells her about it and how Goddess Myriam has it. Most people in the village can feel the energy pulsing from the Magami Aura but no one knows it is primordial energy. Even so… she couldn't be completely sure, the pervert had primordial energy, but it felt somewhat different from Goddess Myriam… it felt less refined… purposeless. Aside from the legendary Prometheus Clan and Asura who uses such mysterious energy, there was nobody else she knew.

Wait, her mother told her the kid was born from Asura's memorial flower field not too far away. She went there every year to pay respects once and one time noticed traces of primordial energy in the plants and flowers although too small to be detected by anyone ordinary. She asked Mokuren why and she even said she didn't know too much besides perhaps her mother using primordial energy to sustain the exotic flowers over there. A theory started forming in Kyuu-san's head. When the pervert was born, did she absorb the surrounding primordial energy? It was common for dryads to grow from their birth flowers through a concentration of quanta energy and safely absorbing the surrounding energy. Still, too much was unknown. She really needs to go meet Mokuren and Goddess Myriam first. It would be best to set her deliveries and tasks in the village later. Despite the bizarre nature of the situation, Kyuu-san didn't feel too worried. Looking at the childish pervert again, perhaps it was her naive behavior that made the situation so much less urgent.

Putting her thoughts aside for now, Kyuu-san decided to first set breakfast out at least. She balanced three plates, two on one arm as she expertly placed them down on the table. Her mother and the pervert both said in gratitude.

"Thank you Kyui."

"Thanks Kyuu-san!"

The little maiden radiated a warm, appreciative smile towards her which unnerved her a bit. It reminded her of last night when the brat thanked her. She then felt her cheeks slightly warm up again at the memory. Tch... where did this new attitude come from?

Three plates of scrambled eggs, ohagi (a type of alien fruit), and toast were on the table. The little maiden wasn't hungry still, but who could resist delicious food? The savory soft eggs and mysterious purple fruit's vibrant sweet flavor erased what fatigue the girl still had as she wolfed down her food. Ohari occasionally fed her some of her own share seeing her enthusiasm. The fiery fox saw this and retaliated.

"Mother! Stop spoiling her! It's only going to get worse if you spoil her rotten like that."

They both paused and proceeded to pout at Kyuu-san… Arrggghhhh! This pair of miscreants! She wanted to step in desperately but she decided against it. It wasn't bad to let the pervert and her mother have their way a bit. Don't get her wrong, Kyuu-san only allowed this after the morning's emotional ordeal not because she saw the happy, anxiety-free expressions the two had. However, to the little rascal's dismay, Kyuu-san forced her to do the dishes. This time not hesitant in prying her off her mother and dragging her to the sink.

Today was a Sunday and it was already around 10 AM. Kyuu-san wore her black gi again and was preparing to head out into the village. She tied the rope around her waist and tied up her hair into ponytails. Always the nine ponytails classic style. Mokuren had always teased her for her clothing choice and looks… constantly calling her a tomboy and a ruffian. What's wrong with martial arts attire? It was comfortable for wear and if trouble ever came you are immediately prepared for a fight. Plus, you can get into dojo training without having to spend time changing. It's a win-win situation. Speaking of Mokuren, didn't she give her some exclusive matrix cube from Xalta city? Kyuu-san had no idea where the celestial dryad, the pure guardian of nature alongside Goddess Myriam, got this love for technology. Mokuren's hobbies and interests were nothing like her mother's.

Kyuu-san went back into her room quickly and grabbed the grey cube on her table, remembering that Mokuren said this can make direct calls to her as well as all kinds of things which Kyuu-san spaced out for while Mokuren went on an elaborate love speech about the "wonders of technological innovation". Kyuu-san has always been more of a traditional person herself so she never saw the need to rely on technology... town's folk knew each other quite well and Mokuren and her always meet at the same places anyway. But today was a little different, a need for some sense of urgency so Kyuu-san took the matrix cube. Taking it in her hand, she saw a glowing symbol on the cube and pressed it. The cube then dematerialized and formed around the fox girl's hand into a wrist band. This looks... complicated. Not wanting to deal with how to operate it now, she decided to figure this out when she reaches the Magami Aura.

Walking back to the doorway, Kyuu-san realized something as she stared at the pervert standing near having been told they were going to town today. Her head tilted to the side a bit when she noticed Kyuu-san's staring... her four ethereal petals hanging from the open back of her white dress... crap. Kyuu-san doubted the village people would pay too much attention but hiding it would definitely attract less curious eyes and it couldn't hurt to be careful.

To hide the pervert's four glowing appendages, she had to give the pervert a cloak that covered her back. Kyuu-san then glared at the little maiden with commanding, amber eyes while her hand grasped the girl's small face.

"Don't mess around. Don't even think of swinging around your new limbs. I don't want you to cause a ruckus everywhere and attract everyone's attention."

Kyuu-san eyes stared deeply into the girl's yellow glowing orbs. The fiery fox didn't want the pervert causing trouble, but also worried she might potentially hurt herself playing around.

"No worries Kyuu-san, I won't cause any trouble."

The girl replied almost nonchalantly... where did this brat get so much confidence? The pervert used to cower at her glares. This was going to be hard.

"Better not. Now stand still."

Next step, how does she hide the kid's energy from being noticed just in case? She has to try something… perhaps some form of energy containment? The fiery fox stood straight as she concentrated, quanta energy gathered towards her hands in swirling shades of blue streams and particles. This was no small feat, forming a constant, strong, and tangible forcefield and giving it a defined purpose required skill that even formally trained quanta users had trouble with.

She had no idea if quanta energy can even properly interact with primordial energy, but if what Mokuren told her about Goddess Myriam's using primordial energy with quanta to sustain the Migami Aura was correct, she hoped quanta could affect primordial energy to some degree. She concentrated harder, visualizing, and imagining an energy field that enveloped the brat and capable of containing the energy within that field without leaking out. She opened her eyes, fiery orange energy glowing in her pupils. Soon, the flower maiden was coated in see-through energy.

"Huh? What's this?"

The girl twirled around and looked at herself sensing the quanta energy around her body. It worked surprisingly, although it isn't perfect and one could sense it if they focused hard enough, Kyuu-san generally couldn't sense the primordial energy given off her. The young girl was still looking around herself and felt this energy was similar to the life energy from the plants and flowers she felt before.

"I coated you in a sort of energy field to umm... protect you, now head outside first, and don't run off."

The flower maiden's eyebrow was raised in confusion but agreed and went outside the door, playing with the flowers and enjoying the morning breeze. Kyuu-san then turned back to her mother who was leaning on the wall near the door, her tail swinging nervously and a look of worry now on her face now once the little maiden went outside.

"Kyui… is she… going to be ok? I sensed some kind of quanta coming off your little sister this morning."

"It isn't quanta mom... I don't know… I have never seen anything like this… I'll need to address this with Mokuren and probably her mother too."

Kyuu-san said this with a sternness her mother has not seen in many years. Going to Goddess Myriam? She hoped the situation isn't as dire as it seemed, not a few days yet and her new little daughter was possibly in life-threatening danger. She sighed out shakily, anxiety rose in the pit of her stomach, tying a hard knot.

"Should I come too? I'm worried about the little girl… what if something happens to her again?"

Ohari felt two hands on her shoulders, comforting her.

"Calm down mother, don't worry, I'll see what I can do and Mokuren can probably help us too. By the looks of it, the pervert looks energetic as ever, if not even more annoyingly so."

Ohari let out a little chuckle at Kyuu-san's words.

"Even if the worst comes, I'm sure Goddess Myriam will be able to help the brat too ok?"

Not wanting to make her mother panic by telling her that the pervert was in possession of ancient, powerful energy only heard of outside through myths, Kyuu-san decided to hide it for now. Until she can get a grasp on the situation she doesn't want to see her mother be so worried. It was probably a good thing her mother never had really any training in quanta energy nor was she really well-versed in sensing energy so she couldn't really tell the brat's abnormal energy.

Kyuu-san put on her paw shoes and waved to her mother as she exited the door.

"Kyui, don't be so hard on her ok? Spent some time with her, please? Your little sister needs it and I'm sure she wants to know you better."

Kyuu-san obliged, and a small sense of relief filled Ohari as she smiled weakly back. Kyuu-san smiled back reassuringly before closing the door. Her mother had hidden her worry this whole time until now. Always the fragile, kind, stubborn lady. But that's why Kyuu-san wanted to protect her so much.