Disclaimer: I don't own 12K.

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I have almost three chapters (hand written!), but other then that

I have just been procrastinating. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed!

Chapter Nine "Shirei"

The noon day sun shown over Mt. Ren, it's bright rays catching onto the many green leaves of plants, making them glow gold. It was always spring, the weather went from rainy to sun shine, never once that the Renzanko felt the chill of cold air so long as he had been upon the holy mountain. Now tallying a total of three months, which had been spent in study and peace. The summer equniox was slowly drawing near, and the eldest kirin upon the peaks would be put to the test.

Something that Souki found very fretting. He had spent long hours with Kyourin, learning about the world he had been born to, and learning how a kirin should behave. Mannerisms he found surprisingly easy, not at all as tedious and as difficult to adjust to as he thought. Apparently, as Teiei had told him one evening, the Tai Taiho had a much tougher time.

"He had no one," she expained, "except for the Kei Taiho, whom couldn't spend to much time with him, and finding his master so early. He had no clue."

Souki had only nodded, knowing better then to talk about him too much, for the Nyosen were very fond of him, and it grieved them so to remember some extremely unfortunate act that had befallen Taiki. He didn't know what it was, and had never brought it up to Kyourin, he guessed since it occured before either of them were born that she didn't know what it pertained to either.

When he wasn't with anyone (other then Tanjun of course) he was at the Shashinboku, looking at the growing Hanrin and her nyokai, Hima. Souki didn't know why he was always drawn there, the Kingdom of Han did not neighbor Sou, in fact, they were seperated by Sai Kingdom. Even so, there he would sit, watching the egg grow from palm sized to head sized in only a matter of months. Spending hours staring up at it, he often wondered, was this like the ranka he had been in? Would she become a taika too? Souki hoped not, for being a taika was extremely hard, and he would not wish it upon anyone. Some people thought it exotic, but he knew what it really was; unfortuante and tragic.

This is were Kyourin found him.

The sweet smelling wind blew through her golden hair, as she watched the young kirin with curious eyes. Adjusting her kimono carefully, she began walking towards him, smiling at the ranka, before speaking.

"The Nyosen have asked something of us, Souki," Kyourin startled him, and her eyes glittered with amusement as he practically jumped a good few feet in the air.

"Kyou Taiho?" Souki looked quickly at her, visably relaxing as he saw it was only the other kirin. "Do not scare me like that, please." He smoothed out his robes in embarrasment, not meeting Kyourin's eyes he responded, a slight blush coming across his cheeks. "You say the Nyosen have asked something of the kirin? What could that be?"

"Have you ever been to the kyokai?" The Rin asked, looking paitently as her companion's head tilted couriously to the right. "The kyokai, have you been there?" She asked again, wondering what was wrong.

"No, I do not believe so," Souki answered at long last, his eyes meeting hers. "I do not have shirei, so I have not been there."

"I see," Kyourin looked up, as if judging the air pattern, before looking at him again. "I am tasked to take you there, perhaps you can tame a few shirei, they are something a kirin cannot do without."

He looked startled, eyes widening slightly, "I know that the nyosen have been asking me about it, but I did not think that they would ask you, whose shouzan is so close, to come with me into such a dangerous enviornment."

"You would prefer to not go with me?" Kyourin didn't sound offended, nor did she sound enraged. She sounded more approving then anythingelse, "that is good you are worried for me." She smiled, "kirin think only of the people, they are the people's advocate as guess you can say. None the less, yes, I will be accompanying you. I cannot refuse the Nyosen, for they hold a special place in the hearts of all kirin."

Souki nodded, agreeing with her, a slight smile coming onto his face. "If that is the wish of the Nyosen and the Kyou Taiho, then I am honored to have your company." He gave one last fleeting look at Hanrin, before asking, "how shall we go? I would prefer to not be nude if we were to transform."

"Do not worry," Kyourin responded levely, "we will be taking some of my shirei, I do not have much, I shall also be using this time to gather more myself." Without looking away she said two names. "Oisuku" and "Zuga."

The two shirei, whom both resembled gigantic dogs, shoot out from crags. Standing at attention beside their mistress, they recieved their orders and kneeled down.

Souki tentatively climbed onto the back of Zuga, looking over at his Nyokai, just in time to see her dive into his shadow. Hearing Kyourin ask him if he was ready, the younger kirin nodded his answer, and closed his eyes as the two youma jumped into the sky.

The wind sped past, the shock and chill caused Souki to close his eyes and grab onto the dark blue pelt. His cheek felt warm against the white speckled fur, and a slow sense of warmth overtook him. He didn't know why, but the initial fear and paranoia melted away. Nestling his head in the fur, his eyes closed.

Lulled by the youma's umbra, Souki fell into a deep sleep. Any normal mortal would have fallen off despit the creatures's soft gait. Fortunatly, he is a kirin, and all kirin, especially young kirin, have nyokai.

Tanjun was quickly riding on Zuga, her winged arms gently shaking her master. "Souki, wake up, you cannot go to sleep," she urged him, fully aware of Kyourin's watchful eye upon them, "it is dangerous."

The taika yawned and sat up sleepily, looking around, he looked as if he were surprised that they were in the air. Had he forgotten that easily?

"I fell asleep?" He asked, tilting his up to look at Tanjun.

The nyokai nodded, wrapping her arms around Souki, she made sure that there would be no chance of an injury befalling him.

The adolscent kirin caught sight of long golden hair and was dismayed to see Kyourin now riding closely beside them. Did she not trust him to ride by himself any longer? The thought irritated him, but then again, he had brought it on himself by falling asleep. Souki cleared his anger and instead focused on his new "kirin lesson": Shirei.

The Nyosen had been very adamant in getting him to obtain protectors. Souki guessed that it had something to do with the Tai Taiho, just about everything the Nyosen told him had something to do with the black kirin. Restraining a roll of his eyes, he felt the shirei begin to decend.

The clearing they landed in was filled with long grasses, small shrubs and trees that formed a small border around the circular grove. It reminded him of a painting by some European artist he had studied in cram school. He was shocked, however, to find that no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall the name of the painter. The thought made his insides begin to twist into a knott, as he attempted to remember other facts. When most of his lessons back in Hourai drew up a blank in his mind, he began shaking slightly and sweat appeared on his brow.

The warm arms of Tanjun did nothing to soothe him, neither did the questioning glance of the other kirin bring him out of what was left of his memories before returning to Mt. Ren. He could remember his mother's face, but her voice was fading from his mind, as if it were getting further away the more he tried to recall it. Did his father were glasses? What about his hair, was it graying? The grief that began to build up in his stomach was so great, he was near inconsolable.

His name. What was his name?

'Souki.'

'No,' he corrected himself, ' that was my name here, what is my name over there?'

'Souki.'

"No!" He cried out loud, making Tanjun step back a few paces in surprise. While a flicker of concern passed upon Kyourin's pale face before it settled back into the typical kirin 'no-expression' gaze.

"My name," Souki's hand went up to grasp the hair above his temples, the bound locks began to lossen, falling down on top of his robed shoulders. "What is my name? Saru? Sasuke? Sai? No, no, no!"

"Souki?" Tanjun's black eyes were filled with concern, it was frustrating, as she had no idea how to remedy the situation. "Now is not the time, you must not let any youma or youjuu about feel such vunerablility."

The nyokai felt a hand on her shoulder, looking back, she spied Kyourin and her piting expression. Seeing the fair haired woman shake her head, Tanjun allowed the distraught kirin out of her grasp very reluctantly. Carefully watching Kyourin as the mature kirin tried her own hand.

At first, Kyourin looked at the other holy creature, wondering how to approuch the predicament. Placing a hand on Souki's forehead the thirteen year old stumbled back, eyes wide and expression now clear.

"You ask who you are?" Kyourin looked at him, "you are the Sou Taiho, the Kirin of Sou Kingdom. You are a kirin, one of the holiest beings in the world, only you can interpret Tentei's will. Only through your revelation, will your people be spared the fate of a kingless kingdom."

Souki looked at her, his bright blue eyes narrowed. As if just remembering these important facts, well worn into his memory. Once again, however, his hands grasped his hair and his eyes closed.

"Yes," he whispered, "but my family - their faces are fading, their voices are muddled together and their smiles are gone." For the first time, he allowed his tears to flow freely.

The other kirin was at a loss, that is what was bothering him?

Truthfully, Kyourin could not comprehend what he was feeling, as she had never cried before. There had never been a reason for her to cry. Perhaps it was like when your master went away for along time without you. Although, she only knew even that by definition, because she had never had a master before. She knew she would feel sad if something like that happened, as no kirin would, or could, ever feel happy in that circumstance.

Still, she vetured a soothing reproch. "That part of your life is over, now you must fufill your purpose, Tentei has called you back for that reason. Your master is waiting for you."

At the thought of a master, even just the prospect, Souki's heart warmed and the knott in his stomach slowly became undone. The anticipation sent joyful waves up his spin, he long to fufill the reason he was born.

Even as he appeared to recover, Kyourin knew it would be easier for him if he couold talk with a fellow taika, it didn't even have to be a kirin. She couldn't truely help him, but she could make him forget for a little while.

"Shirei," she began, catching Souki's attention again, "are youma that a kirin has bound to their service. Such is The Contract. The kirin will prove themselves worthy of the youma's protection, in exhange, the shirei have the right to obtain all of the kirin's power when they, the kirin, die."

Kyourin began into the brush, "once we find a youma, I will demonstrate for you, but I do not think you will have to much trouble."

Some hours later, Souki positioned his arms and recanted the chant in his head, focusing his concentration on the horse sized white wolf, whose howl reminded him of a child crying, a large and vivid prurple scar decended down it's closed right eye, no doubt obtained from a fight with another youma.

"Rin, byou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zen, gyou!"

The youma was in mid lunge towards Zuga when the incantation took hold, forcing it to turn and face Souki, it commensed staring back. The test had begun.

As the third hour came upon them, Kyourin leaned against Oisuku. "We are lucky we left Mt. Ren so early in the morning, or else the youma would have the advantage of the afternoon."

Souki glared at the large canine, amazed that he was able to bring it under his spell. It had seemed to appear out of nowhere, attempting to attack Kyourin from behind as she searched for hiso. The red kirin had run in front of it's path, even before Tanjun could pull him back. The shirei responsible for his saftey, which happened to be Zuga, rammed into it, sending the large body into the boarder trees.

Before, no smaller youma seemed to be affected by him. Now, in his urgenty and frustration, it clicked. The youma's power seemed to be growing a bit stronger as time went on, Souki instinctivly knew it was because of shiki, the shiki was beginning to take over, the closer afternoon came. He could only push back, and hope that his power exceeded the other creature's.

He remembered how the nyosen told him that it had taken the Tai Taiho a full half a day to bind his first, and only, shirei. The need to do this in under twelve hours, the need to prove himself to both the nyosen and to himself caused him to press even more power on the youma. Soon, even though they had been matched point by point for hours, Souki felt the youma's power recide. He closed his eyes, pressed his left arm down and his right arm up, reciting the final chant in his head, he felt something. Something that felt so strange, yet so udderly familiar at the same time, something that felt like - home.

Tentei's will.

In an instant a name was whispered within his mind, he couldn't make it out at first but it soon became clear. In one last burt of energy, Souki managed to cry out.

"Hayate!"