Shadow of the Moon, the Sea of Shadow - The Final Chapter

Kourin dies, sacrificing herself to save Youko. Youko goes to get her title as queen.

Summary
Shoryu tells King Kou that he must send a letter to Kei and tell them that the real Queen has arrived.

Kourin appears and calls out to her king, her face is splotched with large marks. Shoryu tells Youko that she's suffering from Shitsudou. Kourin pleads for King Kou to come back to his kingdom and rule it in a way that the heaven's demand it. King Kou holds up a sword and says that Youko must die then, because she will ruin the kingdom of Kou. He yells at Kourin to kill her and her eyes go wide.

Youko yells at him, saying how the kirin is supposed to be his other half. King Kou, in anger, lunges at Youko who does her best to drawn her sword but she is too late to perform a good enough block. Kourin takes the blow for Youko, being stabbed and willfully disobeyed her master and chose death. King Kou is surprised as she bleeds out, dropping the sword and stepping back. Her Nyokai holds onto her fallen kirin as they both sink into her pool of blood. She changes back into a kirin as King Kou calls out to Kourin. The parrot changes into a larger Youma creature and dives into her pool of blood.

King Kou picks up her bangle that was in the pool of blood and is all that she left behind, and asks about his mission from the Heavens. Enki tells him that she sacrificed herself to keep him from making a terrible mistake. King Kou asks if he will die, and Shoryuu tells him that when a kirin dies, its master survives for no more than a year.

Shoryuu and Youko are talking about going to Kei to retrieve Keiki. He tells her that when they retrieve him, the false queen will fall.



Yuka and Youko are talking, if they get Keiki back he can cause a shoku and bring them both back home. Yuka tells Youko that she would make a great queen the way she is.

Youko asks Rakushun if she would make a good queen and Rakushun tells her she would. Youko says she has learned a lot in this world and that she learned that she was weak and has flaws. She talks about how she always worried about what others though and never knew herself and that she'll keep trying little by little. Rakushun tells her that the Heavens don't just make a kirin a ruler because he needs someone else and that Keiki chose Youko because she has something he needs. He tells her that if she wants to be a good person, then she should accept the title of queen and try to be a good one. He says she couldn't help but be a better person if she faced the problems a queen does.

Youko calls Rakushun over to a little well and shows him Hourai. She says that the sword used to show her these images even when she didn't want to see it. She says she can do it now by herself by wishing really hard. She says she can't blame her friends or family for how she turned out, and that she needs to know more about herself. She then says that if she becomes the queen she will never be able to go back home. She says that this world isn't that bad and that she'll regret leaving it if she does. Rakushun puts a hand on her shoulder and tells her not to turn around at this second, he's now in his human form. He tells her that he couldn't reach her shoulders as a rat, so he had to change. He tells her that if she's going to regret something no matter what, she should pick what she will regret a little less and that he would love to see what kind of kingdom she builds. Yuka is far back, having been listening in.



Shoryuu is giving them plans on what to do and says that if they go above the Unkai there shouldn't be too many guards. He says that when they get there, they'll make an attack on Seishuu Castle. Yuka asks if Youko really has to go and do this, and Shoryuu tells her that she can stay at Genei Palace, but Youko says she has to go. Yuka asks to come with her and Enki says that he's going to tell them to lay down their weapons and Rakushun, in human form, says he's going to tell them how pretty the new queen is. Enki laughs.

They are now in the air. Yuka asks how many enemies they have and Shoryuu says they have about 6,000 and that they're only going there to rescue Keiki, not fight. He says that if the people believe she is the queen of Kei, then they will hand Keiki over. Shoryuu tells her to trust in the Kirin since he chose her to be a queen.

They reach Kei and Youko notices that it looks a lot worse than Kou. They reach Seishuu castle and Joei is asking if anyone has heard anything from King Kou. She is then told that En's royal army is approaching and Youko grips her sword and soon unsheathes it. The army of Kei is riding on gryphon type Kijyuu and they prepare themselves to fight.

Youko finds Keiki in his kirin form. She is breathing heavily and breaks his chain bonds, holding his face as she is pleased to have found him. She realizes he can't speak and notices the enchantment placed on him. Youko brings up her Hekisoujo and removes the seal placed on him as it glows. Keiki can now speak. He apologies for all the trouble he put her through and behind him, his Youma and Nyokai are now released. He tells her that they were also put under the spell, but that, fortunately, Jyouyuu wasn't affected. She asks Keiki to set Jyouyuu free, but not to release him yet. He notices that she's changed so much and does just that. She thanks Jyouyuu for helping her and Keiki says he never imagined that he would see her again. She asks if Keiki can turn back into human form and he looks away, telling her he can't show himself to her without his clothes. She stands and says she will go ask King En for clothes. Then, Keiki bows to her and glows, saying he now pronounces her as queen and asks her to accept his protection and promise. She says she accepts.

The guards rush in and accuse her of trying to steal the Taiho, saying it's a serious crime against the Heavens. Youko tells them that Jyoei is not the real queen, they say that the kirin has chosen her and she tells them that if she were the real queen, then the Taiho would not be chained up or stay in kirin form all the time and he would have spoken. She says this is all because the Taiho has pledged his loyalty to her. King En comes in and asks if they can even see who their real queen is. He says that he shows his loyalty to the real queen of Kei and they all quickly bow down.



Yuka then says that's how Youko's story started and that Jyoei and her militia fled the Seishuu Castle and headed to Kinpa Palace to invade it. Enki and Rakushun were there and they were prepared. They started to oppose Jyoei's forces and Kinpa palace easily fell before the armies of En and Kei.

Youko is sitting on a large throne, clutching her sword as Yuka walks up and tells her congratulations for taking over the kingdom in just a month. She tells her that Shuukou of Baku Province was a powerful ally. She tells Yuka that this is a throne she's sitting on, even though it's so old and dirty. Yuka asks where Keiki is and Youko tells her that he can't be around her because there's blood on her. A guard comes up and asks what she'd like to do with Jyoei. Youko tells him that she'd like he returned to her family. He tells her that he doesn't think her family is still in Kei and if they were, they are probably dead. Youko then says to bury her on the palace grounds and soon tosses her sword down on the ground. She brings up what Rakushun told her and soon falls to her knees and cries, Yuka holding onto her. She says she will never forget the names of the people who died in battle. Yuka then realized that she had to lose so much innocence for her destiny and that her story hadn't even started yet.



Heki is looking out at the moon.



Youko then tells Yuka that she's not sure if it is safe going back right now, even with keiki. Yuka says she would just like to get back home and Youko tells her that when things are settled, she's going to look for Asano and if he's alive, she'll send him home. Yuka brings up that she thought that Youko had a crush on Asano and realizes that it's not easy being the ruler of her own kingdom. Keiki asks if she's ready and his forehead begins to glow as he creates a shoku.

Yuka doesn't want Youko to worry, because she will get married, have children and have a normal life. Yuka wakes up on the ground where they first left for the shoku.

Yuka is talking to Youko's mother who wishes that Youko is happy wherever she is. Yuka tells her that Youko wanted to come home. People at school are talking about how Yuka was spirited away and how a young boy also had that happen to him, but that strange things happen around the boy.

Yuka meets up with the boy and notices that he's painting, asking if he's painting what he remembers over there. He tells her that his name is Kaname Takasato and his drawing is of the twelve kingdoms.