Disclaimer Nazis: Do you know the muffin man? The muffin man? The one who got arrested for stealing peoples ideas. Well, I'm definitely not married to the muffin man. And Shrek 2 was actually a good movie. Enjoy, and remember, I don't own Twelve Kingdoms.
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The sun rose slowly over the rocky landscape of Mt. Hou. Sitting in a meadow, a small boy watched the star as it grew from the horizon. A sense of calm came over him, as if his troubles had been sucked up by that giant disc. He felt at peace. Next to him sat the ever watchful Sanshi, who had insisted on following him there. The young Nyokai had been surprised to hear his request. Indeed, the master of Mt. Hou rarely woke nearly early enough to see the sun rise. Still, as she sat there she found the same calmness flow into her. It was a truly magnificent sight, and she was glad of Taiki's decision.
The boy yawned, his body had become impatient for more sleep. He shifted his position so that he could rest his head against Sanshi's flank. The fur was warm, and Taiki found himself taken by sleep all to quickly. Sanshi smiled. She pet the side of his head and brushed his hair back, careful to avoid the area around his forehead. As a Kirin, Taiki's forehead was sensitive; his horn grew there. A Kirin. Sanshi's heart sank slightly as she remembered. It had been not long after Taiki arrived, when they had been speaking, that the boy realized he could not metamorphosize. Most Kirin were born in their true form, and learned to make the transformation naturally. But Taiki had spent to long in Hourai, his body did not remember how.
Sanshi let out a sigh. He would find a way, she was sure of it. Taiki, however, was still only the edge of sleep and looked up at the sound of her heavy breath. There was a quizzical look to his face, he was clearly worried that she was unhappy. In reassurance Sanshi smiled and he closed his eyes. As he turned his head back to look at the sun he spoke to her.
"Sanshi, I'm tired, will you sing a lullaby for me? I'd like to hear one."
She smiled at him and said she would. It took a few moments to decide on a song, her master had many favorites and she wanted to make him happy with the choice. Suddenly, as she was contemplating what to sing, a thought struck her. There was a song that she remembered he had not heard before. An old melody, one she had heard the Nyosen speak of. It had been a favorite of En Taiho, when he was growing up on Mt. Hou. Taiki was eyeing her impatiently so she hurriedly began to sing.
"The traveling bird flies,
His wings slip through
Endless skies.
At the top of the world
He sees a place,
A beautiful place.
As his wings grow tired,
The traveling bird flies.
Another bird sits atop
The clouds, which spiral
Like a throne of pretty features.
The pearly moon rises
And overhead the seabirds call.
Yet the traveling bird hears nothing.
For the traveling bird, he flies.
He flies to the beauty,
The beauty of the sun.
And even as he falls,
Even as he grows weak
And dies, the traveling bird,
He flies, flies to the beauty of the sun."
Taiki looked up at the Nyokai again. There was a warm smile on his face, and Sanshi was glad to see he had liked the song. She tossed his hair playfully and asked if he would like to hear another. He shook his head, that one had been very good, and he wanted to let it echo through his head.
"I am glad to hear that you like it Taiki, though I am afraid I have not had much chance to sing. I am in need of as much practice as I can find."
"Sanshi, that's not true. You are a very good singer. Your voice, it is beautiful."
"Taiki."
The young Kirin looked up at his new friend. There was a strange feeling inside him, and he thought hard about it. He could not place it, could not understand this odd emotion. But it didn't matter, whatever it was, it made him happy. He was almost ecstatic. Sanshi looked down at him, the odd expression he wore confused her. He looked back up. For what seemed like the first time he realized how beautiful she was. Not only was her voice melodious, but her face, and whole body however unusual, was fit to be painted by one of the masters of history. A thought struck him.
"Sanshi," he asked, "do Kirin's marry?"
She looked confused by his question. This worried him, it usually meant he had asked something everyone here thought was common knowledge. But the look on her face soon changed to that of deep thought. He had to struggle not to get pulled in by form again, as she sat there with her forehead creased in concentration his thoughts of her beauty returned.
"I do not know, Taiki," she finally admitted. "I have never heard of it, but I do not think there is anything which states that a Kirin cannot marry. Why? Do not tell me you are thinking of marriage so soon? Or is there someone you think you would want to marry? I think the Nyosen are a little old for you..."
The boy giggled, the thought of marrying one of the Nyosen was pretty strange, and he found her chain of thoughts amusing. Still, that had been precisely why he brought it up. He was not sure, but if he did grow old enough to marry, he knew then who it would be. With a quick nod he lifted his mouth to Sanshi's ears and whispered his confession. She looked shocked, and then, amused.
"Taiki, that is an unusual idea. While I do not know of marriage involving a Kirin I do know that the Nyokai are not allowed. However," and she looked warmly at him now, "you must remember, that I was always be by your side. Every sunrise you watch, I will be here with you."
"I'll be glad," he replied, "glad to be together. I, I'm happy when I'm with you."
She smiled and hugged him tight. Together they watched as the sun made its slow climb up the sky. It was going to be a beautiful day.
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Couple notes here. To tell the truth I really have no idea about the holy creatures and if they marry, though I doubt it. In fact, I've noticed a large amount of the royalty doesn't marry either. But, I've only seen the first five DVDs, so I could be wrong. Also, I watched the series a while ago, so any name mistakes are, well, likely there.