The morning mist rolled over Ember Hollow like a silent tide, swallowing the mountain trail in silver haze.
Raien leaned against the fence post, watching the horizon, the damp air heavy with the scent of pine and the memory of fire. His arms were crossed, his mind lost in the same repeating thought since the shrine incident:
What if I lose control again?
"You didn't lose control," Kuyubako grumbled in his head. "You were ambushed. Spirit-twisted cult freaks tampered with the seal. Not your fault."
"Doesn't change what happened."
"No. But it means we prepare better."
Raien blinked. That was oddly supportive… for Kuyubako.
Then again, the fox had been quieter lately. Restless, sure, but not hostile. Like something was… off.
The Stranger
The village gate creaked open.
A young man entered alone.
He wore a light traveling cloak, a simple sash, and twin bangles on each wrist etched with glowing white symbols. His hair was the color of starlight silver, and his eyes held a strange calm.
The guards approached, cautious.
"Name?"one of them asked.
The boy looked up with a soft smile. "Kaien."
"And your business in Ember Hollow?"
Kaien paused… then looked straight past them—his eyes locking onto Raien's.
"To meet someone like me."
Strange Resemblance
Raien met the boy moments later outside the training hall. Taro and Mei had arrived too, equally curious.
"Who's the pretty boy?" Taro whispered, nudging Mei.
Mei didn't answer—her eyes were narrowed in quiet study.
Kaien stepped forward and gave a small bow. "Raien. I've been looking for you."
"Me?" Raien asked. "Why?"
Kaien tilted his head. "Because you house half of what I've spent my life searching for."
That earned him three blank stares.
"...Wait," Kuyubako muttered. "There's something… familiar."
Then Kaien's body briefly shimmered. A glow of silver-white chakra danced along his skin, and from behind him appeared the faint image of a majestic fox spirit with glowing blue eyes and fur like starlight. Its nine tails waved gently.
Raien staggered back.
"That's—!"
"That's… me," Kuyubako said in awe. "No. That's… not me."
Twin Flames
The translucent fox spirit stepped forward through Kaien and approached Raien. Kuyubako's form flickered to life around Raien—his chakra flaring involuntarily.
Two foxes. One shadowy red with flickering flames, the other radiant silver with soothing light.
The foxes stared at each other in silence.
Then… they spoke.
Not in words Raien could understand.
It was a hum. A vibration. A conversation that wasn't made for human ears. Like wind whispering through time itself.
Raien dropped to one knee. The pressure between them felt like it would crush his chest.
Then it stopped.
The foxes vanished.
Kaien stepped forward calmly.
"I am the vessel of Koyume, the twin of your spirit, Kuyubako."
Raien blinked hard. "Wait. Twin? My fox has a twin?! Since when?!"
"Since always," Kuyubako said grimly. "But we were separated long ago… by force. I thought Koyume was lost forever."
Kaien nodded. "They were once one spirit of balance—love and hatred as one. But they were torn apart. Now one thrives on rage. The other, on peace."
More Alike Than You Know
They sat around a campfire outside the village walls that night, a gentle wind rustling the trees above.
Kaien stirred the coals with a stick, then looked up at Raien.
"I know what it's like," he said softly. "To grow up with a monster inside you. People looking at you like you're a danger… and sometimes, they're not wrong."
Raien flinched. "So what? You just figured it all out? Became some perfect harmony monk or something?"
Kaien chuckled. "No. I lost control once. My power wiped out half a mountain village. I spent years wandering afterward, trying to understand my fox—why she did what she did, why I let her."
"And…?"
"She wasn't trying to hurt anyone. She just wanted to protect me. But her love was... overwhelming. Just like Kuyubako's hatred can be overwhelming. These spirits—they don't understand limits. We have to be the limit."
Raien stared into the fire.
"Kuyubako…"
"I only wanted strength," the fox said quietly. "So you wouldn't be left behind. So no one could take you from me."
"I'm not your possession."
"No," Kuyubako said. "You're my partner."
A Dangerous Offer
"I want to help you," Kaien said suddenly. "But to do that, you'll have to let go of something."
"What?"
"Your fear of your own anger."
Raien looked at him sharply.
"You've been trying to push it down, lock it away. But Kuyubako isn't just anger. He's you, too. And unless you face that—really face it—you'll never control it. Not when it counts."
Raien hesitated. "How?"
Kaien stood. "Come with me tomorrow to the Wailing Grove. The trees there echo your thoughts. I'll guide you through the ritual of duality. Koyume and Kuyubako will meet again fully—this time, through us."
Raien stood slowly. "And if I fail?"
Kaien smiled sadly. "Then the next time you lose control… there won't be a next time."
The Seeds Are Planted
Back in his room that night, Raien sat cross-legged, breathing slowly.
He felt Kuyubako pacing inside him like a wolf trapped in a too-small cage.
"You trust him?" the fox asked.
"I want to."
"He's too calm. Too... polished. Like someone who's hiding something."
"Or someone who already faced what I'm about to."
Silence.
Then:
"If he's lying, I'll burn his bones."
Raien smiled faintly. "That's the Kuyubako I know."