Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow - Chapter Twelve

Youko finds Yuka and they fight. King Kou finally shows himself.

Summary
Rakushun walks out towards the balcony with Youko. They both were feeling uncomfortable in their fancy rooms. Youko asks if he knew about the last Queen of Kei. He tells her that she reigned for six years, and that her posthumous name is Yo-Ou. When asked if she caused shitsudou, Rakushun says no, she resigned. Rakushun says that she was the daughter of a merchant.

Youko wonders what would make Keiki choose normal people like them and hears Keiki's name being called from her sword. She unsheathes it and looks into the blade, being given an image from the past. Yo-Ou is yelling at Keiki, saying that she doesn't permit women in Gyouten. Keiki says that these women don't have a place to go to. She grabs a young girl by her hair and pulls her up in anger, asking if she tempted the Taiho. She says that she deceived him. Yo-Ou tells her to order his shirei to kill them. Later, she tells Keiki to exile all the women, not only from Kinpa Palace but from the entire Kingdom of Kei. Keiki tries to plead with her, and she tells him that if there are no women in that kingdom then no one else will be able to trick him again. Youko realizes that she must have fallen in love with Keiki and it drove her mad. Youko turns away, not wanting to look and Aozaru laughs. The vision then shows Keiki in bed, suffering from shitsudo. She cries, wanting Keiki to be saved. Youko wipes her eyes.

Shoryu says that Yo-Ou went to Mt. Hou and offered her resignation, it was the only way she knew how to save him. He tells her that the sword Suiguutou only shows visions of the truth. Youko says she is not different of a person, and that she is sure she will make mistakes like she did. She says that the sword knows it and is mocking her.



Yuka is watching the children play outside and the little kids walk up to her. Heki asks her why she doesn't play with them and Yuka says she doesn't understand them. Heki tells her if she doesn't try, she'll never be able to communicate with them. He says he was once like her and didn't bother talking to her parents or teachers. He tells her that if her friend is the Queen of Kei then she can help her get back to her home. The parrot flies overhead in a circle and Yuka follows it to a bridge, meeting the king. The parrot flies into itself and combines into one. Yuka bows before him as he tells her that the evil kaikyaku has decieved the king of En. He asks her to save this world and that if he pays a visit, she will show herself to Yuka as her friend of course.



Youko asks about the kirin of Tai and is told that he is also a taika. He's the "Hina" of Tai, which is a kirin that hasn't matured yet. Whan a kirin becomes an adult they stop aging, which is when they pick a ruler. Enki says that Taiki isn't dead yet. He also says that a ruler can't cross the border to another kingdom to create war, the Heaven's forbid it. He says the war going on in Tai is a civil war because both the King and Taiki are missing. So if taiki died, then a new ranka would be growing on the tree in Mt. Hou. He tells her that the first night they met was because he was searching for Taiki. He says he's a black kirin, which is rare. He says Keiki doesn't have a real name because he was born here. He says that kirin are born to serve their masters and die without graves for their masters. Shoryuu says that kirin are buried with their masters, but technically not their bodies.

Shoryuu tells her that shirei are bound to kirin because of an agreement they have. So when shirei die, the Youma get to eat their corpses. Enki says that if she cares for kirin then she should at least try to save him. Youko is sad, remembering Yo-Ou and how much she cared for him. Shoryuu tells her that as long as she remembers that she can be foolish sometimes, then she can count on her other half, her kirin. Youko says she would like to go back to the town, not to run away, but to make the choice around people like her.

Suiguutou starts to glow as she's down in the town, pulling it out, she gets a vision of Yuka telling Heki to leave her alone.

Rakushun, Enki, and Shoryuu get a message from the Hou that says Kourin is suffering from shitsudou. The bird flies off, and Enki says that King Kou is definitely after Youko. Shukou relays a message to Shoryuu who says that King Kou is downstairs.

King Kou asks what Shoryuu's intentions are with the pretender and asks if he's trying to start a war with Kei. Shoryuu says that if he does, his kirin will fall ill and then asks how Kourin is doing. King Kou asks about the kaikyaku and he says that she's not here anymore. King Kou gets up and tells him that if he sees her, her friend is sick and wishes to see her. Shoryuu asks him that even if he set up a false queen in Kei, that Kou is wealthier than Kei, so what could be gained from controlling it? King Kou says that En is wealthy and then tells him he wouldn't understand because he's a taika. Shoryuu asks what that has to do with anything and King Kou leaves. He tells Shukou, once he's near, to get the Taiho, they're going. He is asked if he's going to Houryuu.



Heki tells her that on January 18, 1969, he was 22 and a student at Tokyo University. He says he crawled through a pile of desks to get through a barricade and ended up in this world. He wanted to start a revolution in Japan but realized he was powerless and then started up here. He said he thought he was given a second chance, but he was wrong because they don't really belong here. Yuka tells him it's not the same and then draws a sword on him. Heki tells her not to do anything that she'll regret. Yuka says she won't try to find her way home. Youko call out to Heki asking if she could come in. He tells her not to and is stabbed by Yuka who apologizes and runs off.

Yuka runs out and says that Youko came here to kill her so she can't tell people the truth. Youko says no, that she found out she was a queen. Yuka attacks her with the sword sluggishly as Youko dodges as asks her to stop. Youko jumps on a building and Yuka calls her a coward. Youko jumps down and is told to fight her. Youko draws her sword and catches a vision of when she was slaying youma, and as Asano falls off the cliff. Youko tells Yuka that the sword sometimes shows her visions of things she doesn't want to see. Yuka tells her that the sword must know that the truth, that she's not fit to rule a kingdom. It then shows her killing the Kochou and walking away from Rakushun, all the while Yuka is talking poorly about her. Youko runs off and Heki says it's enough.



Back at Kou, Kourin struggles to get up in her bed.



At the riboku tree in the school, Youko continues to look at her sword and cries. She remembers when she wanted to go back and kill Rakushun. She drops the sword and starts to cry, saying that Rakushun and King En don't know what type of person she is. A voice calls out and says that he knows that he knows the real her. She sits up and looks back, the voice continues to say that she hasn't been alone. She looks down at her chest and calls out to Jyouyuu. He comes out and tells her that he has witnessed everything she's done and that she should accept the throne, because he knows she is worthy. Youko is a little surprised that he can talk and asks her to forgive him for disobeying his master's order when he was told to stay dormant and not show himself. Jyouyuu is about to re-enter Youko but she tells him not to go in yet, she needs him to do one more favor. The parrot flies overhead.

The parrot calls out to Yuka and tells her that Youko is by the riboku. Yuka calls out to her, sword in hand. Youko says she won't run this time as Yuka charges forward and Youko charges forward. They both swing their swords as King En, Enki, and Rakushun come riding down on a Suugu. He notices she doesn't have her Hinman. She calls out to them but dodges an attack, going back to fighting. Enki yells out to them and Youko and Yuka continue to fight, Youko shoving herself into Yuka at one point. Youko breaks Yuka's sword with a well placed swing and ends up losing the grip on hers. It flies back behind Yuka in the process. Yuka turns and quickly picks it up. Yuka says that the sword I her real power. Yuka rushes forward with Youko's sword. Youko stands there and closes her eyes as the sword begins to glow. Yuka stabs right through Youko, pulling the sword out and noticing that it did no damage.

Youko tells everyone not to come closer, because this will help her find out if she really is the queen. Yuka can't understand Youko and wonders how she can speak the language without a hinman. Enki tells her it's because Youko is a real queen. The parrot, with King Kou's voice, tells her that Youko's sword is useless to her and to use this one instead. The parrot drops a knife. King Kou appears and Yuka drops Youko's sword, picking up the knife. Youko asks the King why he's doing this. He tells Yuka to kill her and she obeys, Youko trying to call Yuka off. Youko drops the sword as Yuka pushes forward with many slices of the knife.

Suiguutou begins to glow. The sword shows King Kou talking, saying how Youko is such a weak girl and that she should be killed next time as they look down at the dead wolf youma bodies from the beginning. He tells Keiki that he went all the way to Hourai to pick such a useless creature and that she should be eliminated. It shows Kourin telling him to think this over because the heavens will punish him. He then says that now taika will border the kingdoms surrounding Kou because it could expose him as an unfit king. Kourin tells him that it's not true. He says that he ascended the throne 50 years ago, but En has had the same ruler for 500 years. He says that Kou is still superior to Kei and he can't let that change. He yells for it to stop and Shoryuu says that he's proven himself as an intruder of En and that he doesn't think the Heavens would have a problem if he punished him here. The vision goes on to have Kou saying that he will accept all refugees from Kei so they will realize that Kou is a better kingdom. When asked why he set up a fake ruler, he says he has no need to compete with Sou or En, but he can't look like a terrible ruler and have Kei flourish. Kourin says that is not true. He says taika have secrets for governing, because Wa is said to be a prosperous place.

When the vision ends, King Kou says that it's all an illusion and he never knew she was the queen of Kei. Yuka brings up how he knew she wouldn't be able to use this sword, and it's because he knew she was the queen. He never cared about her or Asano. She says that she never belonged here, but couldn't face it. Yuka falls to her knees and Youko and Yuka hug while Yuka says she wants to go home.