Opening Comments: I do not own any part of Twelve Kingdoms, its concepts or its characters, as created by Fuyumi Ono-san, or l

Opening Comments: I do not own any part of Twelve Kingdoms, its concepts or its characters, as created by Fuyumi Ono-san, or licensed to Media Blasters and Tokyopop publishing in the US. The story and ideas expressed in this fanfic are not endorsed by the licensees.

--Kero. 12/26/06

Chapter One: Peaceful Days

"In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends."

--John Churton Collins (1848-1908)

Youko watched her reflection on the smooth surface of the water, reflecting the colors of her crimson hair and the autumn leaves of the trees around her, colors now mingling in the ripples on the surface as a breeze started to blow. A single maple leaf glided down gently, floating, falling gracefully until finally it met with the pond's surface and broke up the illusion of the other her; the other crimson-haired queen beneath the water. The koi fish of the quaint watery realm that was one of many ponds in Youko's palace gardens. This garden happened to overlook the "sea" that existed above the clouds. She never did quite figure out why there was an ocean in the sky, but then again, there were a lot of things she did not question in this world, despite being the newly uprooted high school girl replanted as the queen of Kei, or as everyone called her, "Seikishi," the red-haired child. She perched herself in a very unlady-like fashion on the side banister of the walk way, leaning up against the large red pillar that held up the tiled roof of the quarters of the Ministry of the Queen's Household.

The Minister of Household post was a newly created position. The post was held by Suzu, her friend and one of three Sankeishi, personal advisors to the Queen who are not directly involved in the political decisions of the day, but have the ear of the monarch, much like her other unofficial political ministers, the sanshi. Suzu had originally offered to serve the Queen as a housemaid, since her life began and continued in this world as a servant for some hundred and sixteen years (she had actually lost count) but Youko valued her far too much. She was the eyes and ears of the queen's castle, as all servants reported to her—from the stableboy to the head doctors. Among the household, Youko allowed Suzu to infiltrate a handful of spies who doubled as chamber maids, assistant cooks, and groundskeepers. These servants were everywhere; listening, watching, taking notes on everything her Ministers did. The best part of all was that this was unknown to her Ministers. They had thought Suzu, a friend of the Queen, had nowhere else to go and that their monarch had merely created a 'title' for her to allow her to stay in the castle. On the outside, Suzu gave the official stamp on how many servants each official, minister and courtier had. She also decided what to do when a servant needed to take leave, or resigned and who would replace them. All of Suzu's other "meetings" were held outside the knowledge of the ministers.

The Queen's warm bright green gaze looked up at her two friends, their stares reflecting their awe of the story she had just told them. It wasn't anything special, just a movie she had seen in the theater when she still lived in Japan. The story was about two lovers, caught up in the political struggles of ancient China, a backdrop Youko knew Suzu and Shokei would appreciate another world that closely resembled the Twelve Kingdoms. She knew the tales of spies and double crosses greatly appealed to her courtier, Shokei, who was once the daughter of the king of Hou and was well versed in the ways of intrigue. Once a princess and schooled in the ways of court, Shoukei was Youko's political observer, a beautiful, often giggling young woman who was sharp as a tack and hid her sly smiles behind a coy hand or fan. Shokei's intuition was hardly ever wrong, and she could decipher the plots behind the subplots of what Youko's Ministers were planning. Those remaining in her Ministry, after the Wa Province Rebellion, were obedient but the queen did not trust them because she had yet to know them personally. Shoukei was like an internal thermometer in that respect.

She and Suzu were also members of the Brotherhood; a secret society of do-gooders who lived and died by the code "justice for all" in the Queen's kingdom, and who kept watch on local officials and politicians as it was often difficult for the Queen to go outside of the palace and observe her people herself. Suzu and Shokei helped her tap into the pulse of her people. These two were among those whom she surrounded herself with constantly, whom she absolutely trusted without question or hesitation.

"Wow, that was such a beautiful and romantic story!" exclaimed Suzu in a very girlish manner. Youko marveled at how her friend's personality had not changed much since the Meiji Era even with immortality. "But did the two lovers have to die at the end?"

"Suzu, the story is more beautiful because they died at the end," sighed Shokei with feigned exasperation. The beautiful former princess rolled her eyes as if it were a fine art. Once a heartless little immortal doll of thirteen for over thirty years, her years spent living as a mere mortal had helped her discover wisdom while in exile. But as Queen's advisor, Youko re-enrolled Shokei's name in the book of the Seinin, the immortals. All royal ministers, servants and advisors of all twelve royal houses were immortals, as allowed by the laws of Tentei, or the Heavens.

"But still," protested Suzu. Youko laughed with her two friends. Here, without the politics of the throne room, and with no one watching, they were simply three girls. Youko smiled at her two companions and tried to engrave the beautiful scenery and the patterns of her friends' Han Dynasty-like silks in her memory. This was a scene she would need to refer to in the tiring days ahead. The momentary and quaint, blissful existence was then interrupted by a familiar, stoic figure stepping out from the shadows.

He cut a tall, lean figure with flowing blonde hair that almost looked white in the sun. He was a holy being that still struck awe in both of her friends. Her kirin, Keiki, who always dressed in formal black and rarely ever smiled had a hint of amusement playing at the corner of his lips when he came across the three.

"Your Majesty, you should retire to you dressing room. The Feast of the Harvest Moon is going to start in five hours. You need time to get ready," he said in his calm, uninspired voice. For a moment Youko looked at her "other half." Being his queen meant being bound to him; he was her conscience and her moral advisor. She often skipped over the profoundness of their sharing the same life line and sometimes simply wanted to wrap him in a sheet and stuff him in a box. He often had the knack of killing her good moods.

Though Keiki was sometimes a pest, and often told her what she 'should' be doing, or what she 'could' be doing, she did like him at least. She very rarely ever admitted this, and even then only grudgingly. He was counted among her advisors she trusted the most. Despite his unfeeling exterior he was very kind, compassionate, forgiving and cared greatly for her well being—not because she was his queen but because they were also friends. For his part, he was loyal to her unto death, but still wished she would be less rash sometimes and listened to him more—like when he told her to get ready for an important event.

Youko, his stubborn queen, yawned and hopped off the railing.

"Yes, yes." said Youko dismissively with a flick of her wrist. Keiki turned to leave for his quarters where a small army of servants waited to get him dressed into his ceremonial garb picked out for that night.

"And don't be late," he admonished as he was walking away.

"When have I ever been late for anything you tell me to go to?" asked Youko feigning offense.

"You are the Queen of Many Firsts. I would not be surprised," he rebuked calmly as he continued down the hall. To Shokei's dismay and Suzu's amusement the queen stuck her tongue out at her kirin.

"Despite the fact that I do not have eyes in the back of my head, I want to remind you that it is impolite to stick out your tongue at people," he said before he turned the corner.

Youko sighed. "I hate it when his shirei tattle."

"He is the holy embodiment of Tentei's Will, Your Majesty, and your other half." smiled Suzu. "You two are really like two versions of the same person."

"Really, Youko, you should never be seen doing such indignant displays. Especially in front of the Ministers," admonished Shoukei. "You're a queen and he is your kirin. You are more like gods than humans. With that--," started her friend.

"Comes an image and responsibility you must uphold," finished Youko mockingly, imitating one of many speeches her kirin and Shoukei loved to repeat again and again. "Not you too," groaned the queen. "Just a few years ago I was a high school student attending the prestigious private school, Jinan Academy. My main worries were what was going to be on the next pop quiz and blindly trying to fulfill everyone's expectations of me as class president. This queen stuff is on a whole other level."

Youko paused and looked back twoards the sea. The setting sun was just going over the horizon and the glowing red sky was fading into the velvet blue blanket of dusk. Somehow she felt that with each setting sun, another part of her, the one who was born and raised in Japan, was disappearing into the darkness.

"Sometimes I wonder what kind of person I'm going to be in say, ten or twenty years. If I had the five hundred years that has passed over the King of En and Enki, I wonder how much of the original me would be left," sighed Youko.

"Youko-chan," smiled Suzu. "What you are becoming, what you are evolving into, that is the real you. There will be continuous variations of the brave, feisty, strong-willed ruler with the flaming hair. You will become wiser as time goes on. But you will always remain Youko."

"If you didn't wise up and evolve and continued to be a confused, timid queen, we'd really be in trouble," laughed Shokei. "Come on," she said as she took the queen's hand. Only these two dared to be so familiar with Her Majesty and Youko was grateful for it. "If I don't drag you there, you're just going to linger here."

"Okay, okay. I'll go. You two need to get ready as well. So, I guess I'll see you in…four hours or so?" laughed Youko, only half-joking. "Honestly, I don't know why I can't just go like this; the official royal ensembles are so heavy," said the Queen as she cringed to think about how many starchy layers were about to assault her skin. "There ought to be a law. Maybe that will be my second proclamation…"

Her common clothes made her feel normal and often put those around her at ease. Although her Ministers and even Shoukei really disapproved of her traveling outside of the palace in disguise, and worse, having people recognize her while dressed in peasant's clothing, Youko couldn't care less. Youko was a very 'hands on' type of queen and did not mind getting dirty in order to understand her people better. She still wanted to get to know them from the inside out, and her participation in the Wa Province rebellion had taught her many things. Perhaps this was why she was admired the King of En especially. He often disguised himself as a traveler in order to ascertain the local rumor and gossip—and to woo beautiful women who in turn spurn him, much to his ministers' chagrin.

On a daily basis she was often indoors, studying about her kingdom, if not learning from the lectures of the Taishi--her old teacher Enho, then from those of her friend Rakushun, her soon to be Minister of History when he graduates from the Daigaku of Kei. Rakushun, though part mouse, was one of her most trusted advisors but as his final exams drew near he could not find more time to be with her.

The constant learning process, the high learning curve, the ceremonies and formalities of being a queen sometimes bothered her. Youko had only been Queen officially for a brief period compared to other established rulers—by all accounts, still a newcomer learning her first steps. She did it all nonetheless without complaint, but often wondered about a life without responsibility or restraint.

A row of servants bowed low from the waist as she entered her living quarters. Of all the thirty-two houses that were designated as only the monarch's she preferred the smallest one with a small garden and little waterfall for a view. A large indoor pool inset on the marble floors was already filled with bathwater for her, with rose petals coating the surface and fragrant oils poured in. To the side was the doorway to a smaller chamber with a large window. It was almost empty but for a cushioned bench, a few floor pillows, a zither and an easel with a stool. This was a place where no one was allowed, and she never invited her friends or Keiki here.

Youko took a quick glance at her latest work as she passed. In the dimming light of sunset she could make out the small figure of a girl in a school uniform, standing on a cliff that overlooked the vast countryside that was her kingdom. The girl's back was turned but the observer could not help but feel her loneliness. To be a queen was to be alone. Not only was she not exactly human anymore, but now she was also deprived of basic human comforts in exchange for a life of celibacy. Youko was part goddess, part priestess, part warrior queen and autonomous ruler of Kei…and only a very, very small part girl.

This was the life she had chosen to accept because the people needed her. Without the queen, the land would be riddled with youman, or demons and monsters, and the people would suffer natural disasters, one after another. This was the will of Tentei. This was the Order of all things. If Youko lived and governed appropriately, her immortality would guarantee the success of her kingdom and her people. If she failed, was killed or allowed her kirin to be killed or died horribly by the curse of an unworthy ruler, the shitsudou, then her kingdom would crumble all the way back to square one. A handful of years ago, before she had ascended the throne, Kei was very unlivable. But now the balance was returning, youma were nearly diminished and driven back beyond Kei's borders. Her refugees had mostly returned to the land that was now visibly greener.

Youko steadily submerged herself into her scented oil bath, carefully descending the stairs into the comfortably steaming water until she sat down on the bottom step and felt the water wash over her shoulders; the shoulders that carried the weight of the kingdom and every soul dwelling within it. The support of her trusted advisors and friends in adversity alleviated the burden, but often she felt it in full force whenever she was alone, in peaceful times. She let out a slow, tired sigh as eternity stretched out before her.

Comments:

Juuni Kokki was my Christmas present to myself. I had rented the first few disks a few months ago and couldn't get enough of it. I realize there's a lot of terminology that even the sturdiest Juuni Kokki fans may not be familiar with. There's just a lot of terminology in this anime. I spent a few days of my holidays just researching this world! (I felt like Youko for a second there.) I actually watched the first part of the series a second time, armed with pen and note pad. I had to stop recently because my friend begged me to lend my collection to her and she hasn't given it back yet…! Ah, mou! Most of my world references come directly from the anime, not the book. Please don't take my interpretations too literally…

But I tried to make it easy for even those who haven't seen the anime to follow along. Are there any Twelve Kingdoms fans out there still, I wonder? Hello? (Kero listens to the echo that resounds across the bandwidth and hears crickets...)

--Kero (1/2/07)