Author's Note: I have to apologize to all my previous readers for bearing with the typos! I could have sworn that I uploaded clean copies of my chapters but when I went back recently, to my horror, there were so many simple errors! Gomene! Was I hallucinating, then? Man, gotta stay away from the sake...

-Kero (7/9/08)

Chapter Three: To Capture An Empress

kokoro egakidasu chizujou no michina FRONTIER
(I draw a map on top of my heart's unknown frontier)

tobira hiraitara michi wa tsuzuiteiru yo
(If I open the door, the road continues on)

hitori tayorinaku senobi shite miru UTOPIA
(Alone and helpless I stand on my toes trying to see the utopia)

yumemiru kurai nara kamawazu sagashiku yo
(If I can almost see it in my dreams, I won't mind going to search for it)

-Minami Kaze (South Wind), by Shimokawa Mikuni; Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid, OP Theme

Keiki couldn't believe it. As his fingers tapped mindlessly on the side table beside his chair, he stared out blankly at the sky, randomly patterned to the horizon with delicate white clouds. He often wondered if somehow he had offended the Tentei when he couldn't stop You-Ou from losing her way; and now they gave him Sekishi as retribution for his prior failure.

A soft breeze caressed his cheek and stirred his wispy gold tendrils of hair. No, everyone had to admit that the present Queen was one of the best things that had happened to the kingdom of Kei in a long time. Not only did she understand the extent of her responsibilities, and stepped up to the task, she sincerely cared for her people. But her road to ascension had been bitter medicine for a young woman who had to throw away her innocence and stain herself in blood in order to claim her throne. Now the Fates were testing her again, by allowing Shoukou to go free.

"How much more of this does she need to go through?" he asked no one in particular, propping up his head with one hand on his forehead. Though he had difficulty expressing it toward others, as a kirin Keki had great compassion for all living things; but for his queen in particular, his feelings ran the deepest. She was, after all, his master chosen by Tentei, but also, without her he felt less than whole. This was the way of the kirin, as arranged by Tentei. All holy kirin were extremely attached to their rulers, regardless of whether this was the second ruler chosen by the same kirin. So much so that it commanded complete obedience; and obedience is what the queen commanded at this time.

"Keiki," said the queen before she left Kimpa Palace. "You will be master of Kimpa Palace while I am gone. Shoukei will help you keep an eye on the ministers in Gyouten. Suzu and I will enlist the assistance of the Brotherhood to locate Shoukou's whereabouts." A gentle breeze was blowing through her hair that morning, as she stood on the front entrance of Kimpa, dressed in her gray commoner's clothing, with Suiguu strapped to her back.

Her party consisted of a few loyal captains on flying white tigers, and Suzu, all dressed like commoners ready to rendezvous with her Royal Army at the Houkuryu Gate, the direction which Shoukou was seen to be fleeing towards. She looked out over the horizon when she uttered the words softly in her native Japanese, "My utopia will have to wait." Only Keiki understood what she meant. Nothing administratively could be done until her return, as her signature and seal were required to do anything for the kingdom. His single request was that she returns as swiftly as possible.

She had grown much since he first met her. Though he had not met many people in his life, he knew that his Queen was wise beyond her years…and extremely foolhardy and obstinate on top of that. So much so that he wondered if it was possible for kirin to grow gray hairs out of worry. He ordered Jouyuu to accompany the Queen and protect her at all costs.

The Queen had been in one of her more stubborn moods when she left. Because she felt that she should have dealt with Shoukou's sentence earlier but had been putting it off because the laws of Kei required certain tasks to be accomplished before the execution of a senin could be carried out, and it was her first time formally executing anyone, so she delayed it indefinitely. All others she had to kill were in battle and out of necessity without very much time to think about the actual act of killing. But Youko took every life seriously, even Shoukou's. There was no doubt as to the outcome, but the time, the place, the mode, the manner of the execution needed to be carefully thought out. Many people in the Wa Province wanted his head displayed on the capital's gate. Many of the ministers, who incidentally also take bribes and overtax their provinces, spoke of a quiet life imprisonment, with leniency towards the offender's family.

Youko felt as though she had waited too long, and now Shoukou had fled out of her grasp, which also reflected poorly upon her authority. How was she to explain it to the people of the district and city whom he had offended so miserably? This was something she insisted upon dealing with by herself and this time she did not ask Keiki for assistance.

So, out of precaution and regardless of her stubborn nature, he sent his two strongest shirei, Hankyou the demon two tailed fox and Hyouki the demon dog to follow her from a distance and ensure the safety of the Queen and report to him at the first sign of trouble.

Shoukou had not escaped without supernatural help. The chains that bound him were miraculously cut and his fellow prisoners and the guards had no knowledge of his leaving until he was gone. The next thing anyone knew, he was flying away on the back of a kouchou demon vulture in a northwesterly direction.

The Queen and Suzu would part at Hokuryu Gate and cast a wider net for the search. The orders were to kill him on sight, despite Keiki's protests, as the punishment for escapees by law was death. Youko reasoned that since Shoukou seemed to have help this time, he was not to be trifled with and she entrusted Suzu with a royal decree to give her the royal authority to bring Shoukou to justice as she saw fit. Knowing that Suzu had a long-term vengeance wish against Shoukou, at this point, Sekishi didn't care if they hung him or tied him to a cactus in the desert. He had caused her throne too much trouble already.

Keiki understood that his presence was better served in the Palace, since he couldn't stand the thought or sight of blood. But still, he somehow wished that he could be with her—especially when she was in danger. He sighed ruefully and continued to tap his fingers unthinkingly on the wooden tabletop.

"Shu-jou," he sighed. "Don't do anything foolish." The quiet blue sky above him seemed vast and lonely.

000

Meanwhile, after she had sent a handful of personal bodyguards with Suzu to seek out the assistance of the Brotherhood to comb all roads heading north on the ground, Sekishi set out with the Royal Army via air, heading northwest toward the mountain range separating Kei and En. Youko had anticipated that the mountains were the best place for a fugitive to hide. The Queen was determined to find him, out of fear that he could do more damage out there. But her instincts told her that this was the right direction if not location, and she pressed onward tirelessly until the end of the day.

"Captain Doumon," she said as her group flew above the thickly wooded forest. "We shall set up camp in that clearing. Give instructions for General Kantai to meet me in my tent after camp is set."

"Yes, Kei-Ou Sama," he responded. He was only one of many young soldiers still in awe of their imperial commander. The older officers in the Royal Army, the one standing army that could only be immobilized by permission of the Queen, still recall the tales of the prior Queen You-Ou who never left her palace. Not for a long time has Kei seen such a mobile and willing ruler, and a Queen besides. Her Majesty's Army was willing to follow her to the ends of the world.

Later that evening, Youko sat alone in her tent, having simply wiped away the day's dirt and grime off of herself with a few steamed wet towels. The soft light from the oil lanterns hanging on the pillars was comforting. She was dressed in a simple shirt and pants, a cleaner version of her travel clothes that she packed for sleeping. Suiguu hung from a tack on the center pillar of her hexagonal tent. By far, her tent was the most luxurious of the lot, but she insisted that they take away the heavy furs and simply line her tent with a few layers of rug. She wanted to travel light and fast, and despite her queenly demeanor, Youko did not really care for royal treatment. Her soldiers respected her for this.

As she sat down on a fold up stool by a makeshift table that was really a traveling chest stacked on a few crates with a embroidered silk tablecloth thrown over it by Captain Doumon to appeal to her more feminine side, she poured herself a cup of jasmine tea in a simple ceramic cup. She wished Suzu or Shoukei were with her, but she knew they were needed in the search and in the capital. Her gentle blood-adverse kirin had to stay in the palace or the capital where he could govern in her stead. He was in good hands since the Chousai was mostly in charge. Youko often wished the kirin were a little more useful in the fighting department, since they were such powerful creatures. But still, Youko liked her kirin for who he was. It was part of his "charm." Any less compassionate or peace-loving and he'd cease to be kirin.

"Ah, my useless kirin," smiled Youko affectionately. She imagined Keki sitting in his room by the window, impatiently tapping his fingers as he contemplated how strong-willed and stubborn his queen was. She knew there were going to be many lectures when she came back, but she took pleasure in the thought that he was at least worried about her.

"Kei-Ou Sama," said the familiar voice of General Kantai from behind her tent flap.

"No need for such formalities, Kantai. You'll get colder if you stand out there any longer," said the queen. Her most trusted general, Kantai who had previously served under the provincial Lord of Baku, and assisted her greatly in the Wa Province Rebellion, entered her tent without any further ceremony and sat down in the folding seat across from her. She poured him a cup of tea.

"Your Majesty," protested her general in dismay as the ruler of all of Kei set the teapot down.

"Whatever," smiled Youko. "No one's looking. Besides, I have great respect for you, Kantai, and we are equals on the field."

"Yes Your Majesty," said Kantai, saluting her with the cup in both hands before drinking.

"Suiguu has shown me Shoukou. He is in a forest surrounded by mist. I feel that we are still headed in the right direction. Is there any place like that on the map?" she asked as she unrolled an animal skin map of Kei onto the table.

"Here," said Kantai, placing his cup on the spot where they had set up camp and a finger on a small dot at the edge of the northwest mountain range. "This is Wu Lin Forest, the Forest of Mist."

"So it's settled, then. We're going there."

"Kei-Ou Sama, Wu Lin Forest is very dangerous. There is a local legend there of an unspeakably cruel devil who dwells there, taking the shape of a beautiful woman. They even sing ballads of her. I don't know if that's true, but we must be cautious of supernatural threats. Not to mention the threat of fighting additional stray youman. Most of the remaining youman from before your reign of Seki-Raku have taken refuge there. The other Youman have already left for the Kingdom of Kou, where now no ruler sits."

"I see. So eradicating the Youman in the forest will help my neighbors in En and Kou. Then we shall clear out the forest as well, whether or not we find Shoukou there," responded the queen.

"As you command, Kei-Ou Sama," said Kantai, bowing from the waist.

"You are dismissed, my good general," smiled Youko. "And why don't you teach me one of the ballads on the way there?" He stood up and saluted her with his right hand clasped over his left fist, took three steps backward toward the exit, and then left. This was the compromise of her First Proclamation. Her generals and the Head of Courtly Affairs back in her capital of Gyouten insisted on at least this formality if prostration was to be banned. Youko smiled at her small accomplishments to date before turning in for bed.

000

The next morning, further off in the forest of Wu Lin, a devil planned her rebellion against Tentei in a small tower fortress that stood at the foot of the northwest mountain range. The delicately featured and extremely beautiful Lady Yin looked over to the bed in her chambers. There lay the naked body of Shoukou, her newest minion sleeping in a coma like state. He would do her bidding without fail now, as his soul had already been consumed by her. This goddess in exile had been waiting for a fool like him. He had inherited a ruby ring from his predecessor, and that ring dated all the way back to the ancient days, when Lady Yin was still a goddess.

She had resigned her post as goddess of the Autumn Harvest in the land of Kei and made her descent to the Twelve Kingdoms because she had fallen in love with a mortal man. Against the Will of Tentei that dictated she remain pure in order to serve the heavens, she consummated her relationship with that mortal. The ring was a gift she had forged from molten rock to symbolize the undying flame of her love. Tentei abandoned her to her own devices, revoking most of her godly powers, but not her immortality.

Unfortunately for her, she was spurned, and Lady Yin had broken yet another law of Tentei when she murdered him and his lover in the most horrendous way. The man was drawn and quartered and the woman crucified by the lady's own hand. For whatever reason, in that moment of a blood stained sunset, she swore vengeance on mankind for their deception, and against Tentei for its unforgiving laws as she was forever exiled and denied the nectar of godly nourishment, amurita. She blamed men, and she blamed Tentei, but never herself.

Lady Yin then took on the lifestyle of youman in goddess form to survive, as a means for survival and an ultimate display of blasphemy. More youman followed her and she reigned over them, allowing them to devour the corpses of all who fell victim to her seduction after she had consumed their souls. Even Kei folklore over the course of a few generations sung of a beautiful demon disguised as a goddess. With each soul she became more powerful and if she should consume enough, she would be powerful enough to overthrow Tentei. Even now, demons and youman unhappy with their role in the Twelve Kingdoms, being slain and hunted in prosperous times, and only eating when a kingdom fails, swarmed her tower to join her. They too were tamed by her seductive charisma and she convinced them that overthrowing the Heavens meant they could eat human flesh as often as they wanted.

This man, Shoukou, also dared to defy Tentei, even as a mere mortal. He was an adequate minion who still had people in Gyouten, who could go one step further and usurp the new Queen who had been chosen by Tentei to rule Kei. Nothing would please Lady Yin more than one more attack on Tentei's laws. The ultimate goal was the death of the queen, and the oppression of all of Kei. Lady Yin would consume them all and then march on Heaven's Gate with her accumulated might.

She sat there by the windowsill sipping a warm cup of fresh, warm animal blood from a white porcelain cup, and with a simple and cruel smile she dared the Tentei to stop her. To her left was a mirror, an artifact and treasure from ancient times given to her by a long deceased king of En, whose kingdom she had a hand in ruining in a little chapter in her existence marking her ongoing hatred of Tentei, that could show her anything within their world.

"Show me Sekishi, Tentei's newest appointed stooge," she commanded. The surface of the mirror wavered and glowed. The image from within showed a band of individuals dressed in the colors of Kei's Royal Army entering the Wu Lin forest. The Queen was dividing her troops for the search, with an order that all Youman were to be killed on sight. She joined with General Kantai and they headed down the center, toward Lady Yin's tower. Just beyond the entrance was a steep cliff in a valley carved out from a river that melted from snow on the mountain peaks that nearly reached Unkai. It was particularly swollen and its current was strong. To capture a queen, one must have the right bait, and apparently, Shouko was enough trouble that the Queen herself would personally hunt him down.

"This is too easy," purred Lady Yin. "Ashura," she called. From the dark corner of the room came forth a black kingen demon parrot. Its huge form jumped up to the windowsill, nearly blocking all the light from outside.

"Go forth with the others to give our little queen some trouble. Make sure she captured alive and bring her to me. I will crucify her on the steps of Heaven's Gate before the week's end. If Tentei continues its complacency and will not strike me down then and there, then I am unstoppable and Kei will be mine. With their souls, I will become Goddess of all the Twelve Kingdoms."

The dark bird bowed to his mistress and jumped out the window. Its ebony wingspan of twelve feet helped it glide down to the forest trees below, and with a callous caw, fifty others flew up to join him. They sped over the forest trees, through the mountain's mist, toward their target. It was mid morning by the time they had caught up with the queen, outnumbering them fifty to twenty-five.

"Your Majesty!" called out Captain Doumon. "Youman!" He signaled the Queen's personal guard to surround her. He became unsettled as he realized they had been separated from the body of the Royal army in the search. General Kantai instructed the remaining soldiers to follow him and raised his spear as they flew headfirst to meet them.

Heikka, said Jouyuu in her mind. Youko felt her muscles tense as the demon prepared to fight.

"I thank you for your protection, Jouyuu," said Youko quietly, drawing her blade. She never traveled without the shirei Hinman at Keiki's insistence.

You are most welcome, Majesty. She and Jouyuu had actually become well acquainted and more like two polite friends as she consistently used him when fighting. Youko often wondered if she could win his loyalty even if he was not one of the kirin's shirei. But she never questioned his abilities to fight. Her only request was that they did not mortally wound human beings. Youman were the exception. Much to his enjoyment, Jouyuu could be as ruthless as he wanted with them.

When it started, Hankyou and Houki had caught up with the queen, and dispatched a number of flying kingen swiftly and adeptly. But as the melee drew on, no one was wiser to the clever Ashura's plan. While the others were busy defending the queen against the other black birds, he waited just below the surface of the mist for the right moment. When the opening finally came, he shot up like a powerful arrow shot up toward the sun to disembowel the tiger the queen was riding on. Luckily for the tiger, it dodged just at the last moment. But before anyone else was the wiser, Ashura's beak snatched up Kei-Ou's leg and dragged her up toward the clouds. The bird positioned itself in the sun so that the glare would hide it momentarily from the searching eyes of the Queen's guard.

With one taloned foot, Ashura took hold of the queen's head and he simultaneously let go of her leg.

Heikka! shouted Jouyuu inside her head. Youko opened her eyes and snapped out of the sudden shock and pain of having her leg impaled on the demon parrot's beak and stabbed upward with Suiguu in one hand, and pierced the bird's chest cavity. Mortally wounded, Ashura started to fall, but did not let go of the queen, still in his clutches. Before she could pry herself from the taloned claws Ashura uttered an incantation.

"By order of the Goddess Yin," it gasped and finally let go. As if stopped by an invisible barrier, Jouyuu felt as though it was slammed into a stone wall and was separated from the queen in mid air. Jouyuu watched as the queen fell into the river below and was washed away.

Hankyou, commanded Jouyuu. The demon fox appeared out of thin air.

I will alert the Master of what has occurred, said the fox and he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

I will follow the river's end to find the Queen. Let us hope she can defend herself in a forest of youman until then, said Houki, and he flew down through the mist and disappeared.

Let us hope she can swim, said Jouyuu, his remark hiding the true feelings of worry that went with the Queen before following after Houki.