Kuroyasha spoke first.
"So... I met your mom and dad in some kind of weird mindspace. It was interesting, to say the least."
Kuzuno blinked in surprise.
"My mother and father spoke to you in your mind? That technique is high-level fox magic-it can only be used to contact other foxes. I wonder how they appeared to you and not to me..."
She paused, thinking-then her eyes widened in realization.
"The Fox Link... there's no other explanation. The Fox Link doesn't just allow partners to share power-it can also connect minds. But that only happens after a long time of being linked..."
Kuroyasha nodded.
"Your mother explained a lot to me-about the Fox Link, and about the Dark Nine-Tails. There are things about her... things even you didn't know. You might want to sit down. I know I had to."
Kuzuno silently agreed, and the two sat against the hallway wall.
Kuroyasha took a breath.
"The first thing you should know... is that the Dark Nine-Tails is actually your mother's sister. Your aunt."
Kuzuno gasped, her eyes widening in shock.
"I... I don't understand. Why didn't Mother tell me? Or Kayo? This doesn't make any sense... I can't believe the Dark Nine-Tails is royal blood... my aunt..."
Kuroyasha continued carefully.
"I understand how you feel. I was shocked too. But the next part is even worse..."
He hesitated.
"The Dark Nine-Tails... and my master, Beniyasha... were partners. Like you and me. And she was pregnant with his child."
Kuzuno shot to her feet.
"They had a Fox Link?! She was with child?! Then where is the child?! Even if she was banished, that child would have been next in line to the throne!"
Kuroyasha gently took her hand and guided her back down.
"From what your mother told me... your aunt and Goddess Inari fought over it. The Elder Gods forbade the birth of demigods. Inari had no choice..."
His voice lowered.
"She took the unborn child... from your aunt's womb."
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Kuzuno looked away, her mind spiraling.
To think Goddess Inari-revered, divine-could commit such an act...
And her mother never told her.
The hallway suddenly grew cold.
Very cold.
Alarms blared as the temperature dropped rapidly to dangerous levels.
Kuroyasha reacted instantly, forming a protective barrier-but even then, the cold was suffocating.
Kuzuno stood frozen.
Her eyes blank.
Ice spread across the walls and floor as the temperature continued to plummet.
"Kuzuno!" Kuroyasha shouted.
No response.
She was gone-lost in emotional turmoil.
He forced himself forward, step by painful step, fighting against the freezing air.
Then-he wrapped his arms around her.
Warmth.
Faint... but real.
Inside Kuzuno's mind, something stirred.
She felt it.
A warmth... a presence... calling her back.
Her eyes snapped open.
"Kuroyasha...?"
She turned-
-and froze in horror.
He was barely conscious, his body half-frozen, his arm severely frostbitten.
"KUROYASHA?! What happened?! Did I do this?! Please-say something!"
Tears streamed down her face as she held him tightly.
He opened his eyes slightly and smiled weakly.
"Heh... didn't think the cold would get me... your ice power is something else..."
His hand brushed her cheek-
-and then he went limp.
"Kuroyasha! NO!!"
She screamed-
-and suddenly, the wall exploded inward.
A figure stepped through the dust.
Queen Yamauba.
Disheveled. Barely dressed. Furious.
She took one look at Kuzuno and Kuroyasha-
-and moved instantly.
In a flash, she grabbed Kuzuno by the throat, slamming her against the wall. Her blade hovered a hair's breath from Kuzuno's neck.
"If anything," the Queen said coldly, "you've proven your royal blood."
Her eyes burned with rage.
"But royal or not-you nearly froze my entire realm because you can't control your emotions. You almost killed your own partner."
She threw Kuzuno aside.
Kuzuno struggled to her feet, trembling-but when she looked into the Queen's eyes, she understood.
This was true power.
True resolve.
An aura that crushed everything in its path.
An aura that said: I will do what must be done.
And Kuzuno realized-
The Queen would kill her without hesitation.
Slowly, Kuzuno wiped her tears.
Her eyes began to glow.
Her aura rose-
-and clashed with the Queen's.
They stared each other down as their power surged.
Then-
the Queen turned away.
A small smirk crossed her face.
"Good. Now you're starting to understand... the strength your mother and sister possess."
She walked off.
"Hold onto that feeling. Because one day... you will face your sister. And when that day comes-you already know what must be done."
An attendant rushed in, covering the Queen with a towel.
"My Queen... your modesty..."
Yamauba laughed lightly, blushing.
"Good thing my husband isn't here. He'd either scold me... or drag me to the bedroom to 'teach me a lesson.'"
She cleared her throat, regaining composure.
"Fix the walls. Get him to the treatment area immediately. Once they're ready-bring them to the throne room."
"Yes, my Queen."
As the medical team rushed in, Kuzuno followed closely, refusing to leave Kuroyasha's side.
Meanwhile, the Queen walked alone, deep in thought.
Never in my life have I seen power like that...
To nearly freeze an entire realm in minutes...
Her power already rivals mine-and she only has three tails...
Just what are you hiding, Queen Tamamo?
Days Later
The group gathered outside the Demon Ogre Castle gates.
Kuroyasha, Kuzuno, and the others stood ready.
Before them stood Queen Yamauba, General Nogo, and Sir Yamachichi.
"From here on," Yamachichi explained, "your training will continue in the Tanuki Realm under Goddess Minoyama Daimyojin-also known as Madam Mochi."
"The realm is well hidden. Even the Dark Nine-Tails-and Kayo-cannot enter freely. Train hard... but enjoy yourselves too. The realm is filled with parks, casinos, bathhouses, and more."
A portal opened.
Kuroyasha sighed.
Yeah... it's definitely her...
He stepped through, followed by the others.
Murasaki was last-
-but suddenly, the Queen attacked.
Steel clashed.
Murasaki blocked instantly.
Yamauba smiled.
"Well done. Seems you trained while the others were distracted."
She sheathed her blade and embraced her daughter.
Yamachichi followed, pride evident in his eyes.
Murasaki nodded-and stepped through the portal.
It closed behind her.
Yamachichi glanced at his wife.
"You're worried."
Yamauba didn't deny it.
"It's not our daughter. She'll grow stronger."
She paused.
"It's the fox girl."
Yamachichi nodded.
"I felt it too... that power. It wasn't just cold-it felt... everywhere. Like it already existed within everything."
"Otherworldly."
Yamauba exhaled.
"Inari was right to watch her closely..."
As she walked back inside, one thought echoed in her mind:
What exactly... is that fox child?