Sea of the Wind, Shore of the Labyrinth - Chapter One

Sea of the Wind, Shore of the Labyrinth - Chapter One (風の海 迷宮の岸 一章, Kaze no Umi Meikyuu no Kishi Isshou) is the fifteenth episode of the Twelve Kingdoms anime series. It is the first chapter of the second arc of the series, adapted from the second novel, The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Wind.

Summary
Kaname is standing outside in his pajamas while at night and snowing. While inside, his grandmother and mother are arguing over how he should be punished. Kaname is walking towards a gap by the barn when he trips he collapses in the street during the daytime baring no clothes and having long hair. When he gets up he sees his mother run to him, happy. Blood is dripping down his forehead where his horn is. As he is looking he sees a picture of his grandmother--she is deceased.

Now 16, Kaname is painting in class while reminiscing over his past right before and after he was spirited away.

Yuka is walking and finds Kaname walking out of the school building. Yuka asks him if he likes her new haircut. He asks when she keeps coming back to see him. She says because both of them were spirited away. Kaname suggests that it is not a good idea to keep seeing him, then disappears.



In the Twelve Kingdoms the Dragon Flag was raised in the Kingdom of Kei. Rangyoku and Keikei are so excited.

Keiki and Youko are traveling over the Unkai to receive the Tenchoku at Untei Gate on Mt. Hou. They decide to go to Houro Palace first though.

They meet up with a nyosen called Youka and talk about the story of Taiki:

Underneath the Shashinboku tree a nyokai is hatching from its ranka connected to the roots opposite of the Tai ranka growing aboveground. Her name is Haku Sanshi. Shortly after being born she rushes over to the taika and guards it.

Not long after Sanshi was born Keiki was roaming the mountains and both notice a strange wind. Then, Keiki finds Youka, a newly ordained nyosen at the time, confused and lost. He brings her to Kaidou Spring. When she gets there Teiyei tells her she will get to help take care of the Tai kirin when it hatches. As they are chuckling they see a few poppy petals floating down the spring. Lady Gyokuyo says this is a very strange wind. All of the sudden there is a huge gust of wind caused by a shoku. Sanshi watches helplessly as the Tai ranka flies off into the void.

(In present day) Youka is telling Keiki and Youko how frantic everyone was to search for Taiki. Gyokuyo even sent nyosen to Hourai but he was not located.

Mrs. Takasato gives birth to a boy. 

Late in the evening, Suguru and his friends drinking at a cafe when Yuka walks in. Then, someone else walks in looking for Suguru--claiming his friend was killed last year after picking in Kaname. He blames Suguru for his friend's death too. They take their fight outside. As Suguru is beating the other guys up Yuka steps in and stops him. The two that night sit down and talk about Kaname:

When Kaname came back after being spirited away he was completely different. One time, Suguru was upset that his mom would always baby Kaname--so he threw toys at him and a bookcase nearly falls on Suguru. Other kids started getting hurt around him too.

Suguru tells Yuka his mom thinks he was switched with another boy.



(Back to the past) Keiki finds Sanshi worn out and brings her to Youka. Youka washes her feet, commenting they are very swollen--from searching for Taiki.

(Present day) Keiki says not long after finding Sanshi he left for Kei to find Yo-Ou. Youka, then says, two years after that they finally locate Taiki (a total of ten years has gone by).

(In past) Gyokuyo informs Teiyei that Enki found Taiki in Hourai. She tells Sanshi to go to Renrin. Renrin uses her Kingdom's treasure to create a portal for Sanshi to travel to Hourai.

(Present Day) Yuka meets up with Suguru to hear the rest of the story. He says that night he saw a strange creature in the backyard--which caused him to drop a cup of water on the floor. His grandmother blamed it on Kaname. So, she leaves him out in the cold for a little while as punishment. Yuka walks downstairs into the backyard.

Renrin opens the portal and tells Sanshi to go get Taiki. Sanshi sticks her hand out and Taiki notices it. He starts walking toward it. Then, she grabs his hand.



A door slides open, and appears Kaname. He recognizes Yuka and asks what she is doing at his house. Suguru is very irritated. Kaname asks her to leave. So she does. As Yuka is walking down the street her shadow morphs into a strange creature that asks if she is a friend or a foe. Yuka responds she is a friend of the Queen of Kei. Then, the shadow reverts back to normal.

Sanshi and Kaname are floating through the portal back to the Twelve Kingdoms. Taiki is staring into a bunch of female faces while Sanshi is holding his hand, crying with joy.

(present day) Youka is explaining to Youko a kirin. a koki, with black hair is very rare and is said to bring good fortune to its kingdom.