Episode 15
The Sea of Wind, The Shore of the Maze, Chapter One
He is such a stubborn child.
He'd be better off if he cried a little like a normal child.
Mother, please let him inside.
I'm sure he's sorry for what he did.
Then why won't he apologize?
But Mother...
He is so stubborn because you all spoil him!
Children need discipline, it's for his own good.
But he could catch a cold...
It's just a little snow, he isn't going to catch a cold.
Don't let him in until he gets down on his knees and apologizes!
Kaname!
You've come back!
Kaname?
Oh my goodness...
But, he's been missing for a year...
Grandma...
Do Not Enter
I got a haircut.
How do I look?
I don't want to hide my face anymore.
Why do you keep coming to see me?
I told you before, I was also...
...spirited away, I know.
But...
I still don't understand why you come to see me so often...
I was just in the neighborhood.
I'll see you later.
I don't think you should come to see me anymore.
Wa
Kei
In July of the seventh year of Yosei period, Queen Kei ascends the throne.
Her given name is Youko, surname is Nakajima, she is called Sekishi.
She was born a Taika.
By the end of the same month, with the help of King En, Shouryuu...
...she defeated the false queen of Kei, Jyoei.
The leaders of the provinces quickly surrendered.
Peace was brought to the Kingdom of Kei, and the Dragon Flag was raised.
It's the Dragon Flag!
Look, the Dragon Flag has been raised!
Thank God, it's the Dragon Flag!
We have a new ruler!
Oh, finally!
We saw many Youma around Kou, but...
...there hasn't been any sight of them as we got closer to Kei.
Our new ruler must've removed the afflictions!
What's the Dragon Flag?
The Dragon Flag is raised when the Taiho chooses the new ruler.
I know, the Taiho is a Kirin, right?
And the Kirin is the only one who can choose a ruler!
Kei is going to be a better place, because we have a ruler now!
We should be arriving at Mt. Hou soon.
There you will receive the Tenchoku.
Keiki, what is the Tenchoku exactly?
It is the Heaven's consecration of your throne.
So does that mean I'm not a queen yet?
To put it precisely, when a ruler receives the Tenchoku...
...the Hakuchi at the royal palace will cry out "Enthroned."
Then all officials, happy or not, will have to accept Your Majesty as the Queen.
I'll be the queen...
You will receive the Tenchoku at Untei Palace...
...however, I'd like to pay a visit to Houro Palace if you don't mind.
Sure, I don't mind, but...
...it's rare that you'd make a detour.
Keiki!
It's so nice of you to drop by.
Youka, this is Queen Kei, Lady Youko.
Please excuse us, Your Majesty and Kei Taiho.
Keiki, is this where you grew up?
Indeed.
I believe Queen Kei is a Taika, so I shall explain...
On Mt. Hou is the Shashinboku, kept here at Houro Palace.
It is the only tree in this world that bears the Ranka of a Kirin.
I see...
You did not feel the presence of Taiki...
I'm afraid not.
However, my duty there was to protect Her Majesty, so...
...I cannot be sure whether he is in Hourai or not.
I greatly appreciate your concern, Taiho.
You are talking about Taiki, the Kirin of Tai.
The one that's been missing...
Yes.
I had not yet found the new ruler, and I was still here around that time.
Oh, it has finally hatched...
It's a female with the neck of a fish, the torso of a human...
...the legs of a leopard and the tail of a lizard.
What an auspicious combination...
I shall name you Sanshi.
You will be called Sanshi from this day forth.
Your surname is Haku.
When you are born as a Nyokai, your fate has been already decided.
You are given a surname because you have a very important calling.
Taiki...
It was a couple of days after Sanshi was brought to this world.
I remember that a strange wind was blowing that day...
Excuse me...
Lord Mt. Hou!
I-I am terribly sorry!
My name is Youka and, I have been brought here recently to...
...be a Nyosen by Lady Seioubo.
I did not mean to disturb my Lord...
It seems that I have gotten lost on the way to Kaidou Springs.
Come with me.
Yes, my Lord!
Why must this place be so confusing?
That is because this maze is built to protect Kirin.
You will have to get used to this place, Youka.
Yes, Ma'am...
Especially now that Keiki is not the only Kirin here anymore.
The Shashinboku now bears the Ranka of Tai.
When Taiki is born, you are going to help us to take care of him, are you not?
Is that true, Lady Teiei?
Am I going to take care of a Kirin?
My, my...
Oh...
Where did this come from?
Poppy petals?
It is a rare occasion...
A strange wind has been blowing since this morning...
This is Lady Gyokuyou, she is the leader of us Nyosen.
She is the Heavenly Nyosen, Lady Hekika Genkun?
Youka, have you become accustomed to Mt. Hou yet?
Yes, she has, Ma'am.
In fact, she even uses the Lord of Mt. Hou as a guide now.
That is the fate of a newcomer, is it not?
Teiei, do you remember how you used to get lost a lot at first?
Is that true?
Lord Mt. Hou.
Have you met the Nyokai of Tai yet?
Yes, just now.
She was clinging to the Shashinboku...
...and she would not take her eyes off the Ranka.
That is the nature of a Nyokai, it is a very caring creature.
Is it a Shoku?
Shoku?
Taiki!
No!
Someone...
Stop it!
Taiki!
Lady Genkun gathered her Nyosen right away, and opened the Gogou Gate.
And she sent the Nyosen to Hourai, the world Your Majesty came from.
However, we were unable to locate Taiki.
Which one of you is Takasato?
What's that?
It's the seniors.
Right here.
So you are his younger brother, huh?
I have nothing to do with him.
A kid named Nagaoka died in a pool this summer...
He was my friend.
What a drag, we couldn't use the pool because of the incident.
I know he'd been picking on your brother.
Then one day, he said he felt like his legs were being pulled under in the pool.
The next thing you know, he was drowned.
I told you, I have nothing to do with him!
Why don't you just ask my brother?
He's your brother!
Then it's partly your fault!
Do something!
Do something about your cursed brother!
It's his fault!
Why do people always come to me?
I get hurt and picked on because of him.
I have nothing to do with him!
It's not my fault!
H-Hey, Takasato...
Why did he get spirited away?
He's a freak!
That's enough.
Your older brother...
May I ask you why so many people hate him?
He used to be normal, like every other kid...
...or at least he looked that way.
My mom used to favor him over me all the time...
And when he was ten, he was spirited away.
Do you really believe that he'd been spirited away?
Whether I believe it or not, it was like he just vanished into thin air.
Mom and Grandma were right there when he disappeared.
But that wasn't the end of it...
About a year later, at Grandma's funeral...
He showed up out of nowhere.
And he was naked.
He says he doesn't remember anything.
It couldn't have been a kidnapping...
Was there anything different about him after he came back?
Why do you always take his side?
Not fair!
Suguru!
Then mysteriously, these kids started getting hurt around him.
They had all been bullying him.
Then people started saying that he was cursed.
Mom thinks that he had been switched with...
...someone else when he was spirited away, but...
But, what?
I...
I always thought that...
...there was something different about him, even before he was spirited away.
How so?
He's different from us, I don't know how to explain, but...
He's different at home, and in school...
Damn it, I don't know!
Can we talk about this again sometime?
I want to hear more about this.
I guess.
Sanshi...
I found her when I was training my Shirei in the eastern Koukai.
The Shoku blew eastward...
You were looking for Taiki, weren't you?
Your legs are so swollen...
Waiting for him to return is unbearable for you, isn't it?
Just don't go too far, okay?
A short while later, I left Mt. Hou and visited Kei.
I followed the Ouki to the merchant's daughter, who later became Yo-ou.
After two years, we were finally able to locate Taiki.
Ten years had passed since the Shoku by then.
Ten years...
Is it true?
Yes, the En Taiho found him.
From what I know, Enki has been crossing the Kyokai often...
...and exploring Hourai.
So if someone were to find him, I knew it would be him.
He did not let me down.
He sensed the presence of a Kirin in Hourai.
Taiki is the only Kirin that has been missing...
...so I am almost certain that it is him.
Sanshi.
Come...
We have kept our promise that we would find him, have we not?
Please forgive us for taking such a long time.
Now, go to the Ren Taiho, and this time...
...take a good hold of him with your own hand.
Joy shall finally return to Mt. Hou.
Takasato
That night...
...I saw something strange in the back yard.
It's right here, Renrin!
African Elephant
I spilled water by the bathroom...
...but Grandma blamed my brother for it.
Grandma didn't like him in the first place.
How so?
My parents never knew about it, but when he met Grandma the first time...
I guess she was offended by it.
After that, Grandma had always favored me over him.
I was taking advantage of it, I guess.
And that night, Grandma made him stand outside.
Can I take a look at your backyard?
Uh, sure...
Taiki!
Go on in.
Just remember, you must not let go of my hand.
Now.
Reach out as far as you can.
He is such a stubborn child.
He'd be better off if he cried a little like a normal child.
Mother, please let him in.
I'm sure he's sorry for what he did.
Then why won't he apologize?
But Mother...
He is so stubborn because you all spoil him!
Children need discipline, it's for his own good.
But he could catch a cold...
It's just a little snow, he isn't going to catch a cold.
Don't let him in until he gets down on his knees and apologizes!
You were home?
Sugimoto?
Why are you here?
What?
What the hell?
So that's it, huh?
You just wanted to see him!
Damn it!
I hope his curse gets you!
Please leave.
I'm sorry.
Are you an enemy?
Are you an enemy of our King?
King?
I am...
...a friend of Queen Kei...
Kei...
Nakajima...
Who is he?
Taiki...
Are you sad?
Taiki?
So he is the...
How extraordinary...
It has been hundreds of years since the last time I saw hair like this...
How very extraordinary...
A Kirin with black hair, a Kokki, is very extraordinary.
When a Kokki is brought to the world, it portends a great event...
...or at least so it had been told in the legend.
The shadow of the moon reflects over the Sea of Emptiness.
Let's sleep in the soft silver luster for now.
In my memory, I kept looking for...
...warmth in the lonely rain.
Even if my body dies I will keep running...
...until I reach the rainbow at the end of the world.
A tear rolls down his cheek.
It is not a tear of nostalgia, but it is a tear of regret.
The Twelve Kingdoms, Episode 16...
Episode 16
The Sea of Wind, The Shore of the Maze, Chapter Two
The Sea of Wind, The Shore of The Maze, Chapter Two.