Ch9: Shirei

In order to catch a youjuu it is necessary to start while it is dark. Risai and Gyousou were both finished saddling up before the crack of dawn when Taiki arrived, once again flush faced from racing about. He really was a bundle of energy, always running all over the place, never content to leisurely stroll somewhere when he could get there much faster by running.

The nyosen who were attending him were not so lighthearted. The one called Teiei, who appeared to be the highest ranked nyosen, lectured them on the importance of Taiki's safety until Gyousou couldn't take it anymore.

"We are not setting off on a sightseeing excursion. The main purpose of this trip to the edge of the Yellow Sea is to hunt for youjuu. Thus, I cannot guarantee you that it won't be dangerous. However, we are most confident that we can protect the Kou, so that is why we have invited him to come with us. For you to give us these instructions again and again, I must say that the nyosen of Mt. Hou are being a bit too discourteous." Teiei was not the least bit swayed, so Gyousou continued, "I must please ask the nyosen not to worry. The Kou is the Kirin of our Tai Kingdom. Protecting the safety of the Kou is the absolute responsibilities of the people of Tai Kingdom. Can the nyosen accept what I have said?"

Finally, Teiei relented and they were allowed to depart.

Gyousou could hear the nyosen's words ringing in his ears long after he left and thus felt distinctly displeased the whole way to the hunting ground. While he was unpacking grumpily a timid voice approached him,

"Just then… the nyosen were a little disrespectful."

He looked at Taiki, who had his head lowered as if awaiting a sever reprimanding, and felt his fizz of anger dissipate. "You don't need to apologize to me."

Taiki didn't look the least bit comforted, on the contrary he looked more flustered and guilty than before. "The nyosen worry so much because I can't do any of the things a kirin is supposed to be able to do! That's what I think it probably is… I… I don't even have any shirei. And it's not just that. I cannot transform either." Taiki shrank his small body inwards, as if hoping to become so small he might disappear. "I should have a lot of shirei and depend on those shirei to protect myself, but I don't have even one. If we have to run away, I should be able to run away by changing into kirin form, but I don't know how to transform."

He looked so disheartened and ashamed it made Gyousou's heart ache, and Gyousou longed to wipe that expression off his face and put his usually friendly enthusiasm back in its rightful place. He gently patted Taiki's head, noticing how small it felt in his palms. Taiki truly was a child, not matter how important, and a much too kind one to be allowed to suffer. Taiki looked up and gazed trustingly into Gyousou's face as he let himself be comforted.

After Taiki had calmed down he went to question Risai about the traps she was setting, listening attentively to everything she said. Watching the two of them interacting, Gyousou felt a pang that he refused to acknowledge as jealousy. It would be absurd. There was no reason for Taiki to not be better friends with Risai than he was with Gyousou, especially since Risai was much more approachable and they had known each other first. However, when Risai presently had to take off on Hien to set the lure for the trap and left Taiki in Gyousou's care he couldn't help but feel a little satisfied.

They sat together leaning against the solid, warm back of Keito (who tolerated Taiki as Gyousou had never seen him do with anyone else) and talked lightly about suugu hunting. The conversation came to a lull, and Gyousou hesitated, unsure whether the question he most wanted to ask was appropriate to voice to any kirin, no matter how friendly. After all, a kirin is second only to their own king, making Taiki, who had no Taiou as of yet, the most important person in Tai, no matter that Taiki himself didn't seem conscious of the fact. But there was something about sitting side by side in front of a campfire isolated from anyone else that made asking it seem permissible.

"Are you scared of me?"

"No…" The uncertain tone made Gyousou press further, despite Taiki's protests.

Gyousou couldn't help but morbidly wonder how he, dressed in armour that had been stained by countless people's blood, looked to the innocent child sitting next to him incapable of hurting so much as an insect. "Kirin are very compassionate creatures. It looks like I have been spared compassion, hasn't it?" Again, Taiki protested, but Gyousou continued, "I am a warrior. I cannot be compassionate. That is unavoidable..."

He hesitated once again, but decided since he'd already come this far he might as well go all the way. He would certainly never get another chance to ask. "Kou, if you recognize anything in which I am lacking, I hope that you can tell me, because I would like to know in what area I have not done well."

Why am I not good enough? Whether it was the nyosen's lecture, or the fact he did not have the status to call Taiki by name, or Taiki occasionally shying away when he looked at him, it was like Heaven was laughing at his expense, taunting it's because you are not the ruler. You're lacking a crucial quality, but I'm not telling what! If even KyouOu had been considered worthy to assume the throne then Gyousou felt he himself was much better suited, but there had still been no revelation. Not only had there been no revelation, but Taiki, despite his friendliness, seemed ill at ease around Gyousou, as if he was the harbinger of some horrible contagious disease.

Taiki looked bewildered. "...I think perhaps Gyousou-dono has misunderstood. Fire...is warm and bright, but at the same time, it's strong and scary, right? So that's why I'm afraid... I think that's probably how I feel about you." Taiki still looked a bit confused and fumbled with words. "It's not quite an unpleasant feeling. A big fire is frightening, but it's also beautiful and amazing. That's what I've been trying to say. I feel like you're very great, but at the same time, I'm a little scared of you."

Taiki buried is face in his hands and started to cry, and Gyousou felt guilty: the poor kid had only just forgotten his insecurities half an hour ago! "It's my fault for asking such a strange question."

"Not at all…"

Taiki's denial warmed his heart and Gyousou couldn't help but laugh, "You are a good child."

"No… That's…"

Gyousou said as firmly as he could, "You are both honest and kind. I believe Tai Kingdom will definitely get better."

Taiki looked deep into his eyes and said, "Do you really think so?" Gyousou nodded and put an arm around Taiki's small, slumped shoulders. Taiki leaned against Gyousou and his eyelids drooped, leaving Gyousou alone in silence with his own thoughts, of which he currently had many.

Where does all this insecurity come from? was foremost on his mind. The kirin was the holy beast that listened to the Will of Heaven and selected a king, then became the chief advisor of their chosen king as Heaven's ambassador. Kirin were naturally compassionate, unable to abide violence or blood to the point of being unable to consume food even slightly contaminated by meat or oil, and were born from the hopes of the people. There was nothing to be insecure about, yet Gyousou knew the child with red-rimmed eyes beside him truly felt he wasn't good enough. Because he couldn't transform and had no shirei?

Although it was taken for granted that a kirin would have innumerable shirei unceasingly protecting them, the shirei really had no purpose unless there was a coup d'etat. Even then, cases of determined usurpers somehow bypassing the hordes of monsters to kill their target were not unheard of. Moreover, shirei never came out in public, so even if Taiki never subdued one shirei in his life no one need ever know. He certainly could not say with certainty that Tairin had shirei; he had always assumed so since she was a kirin but never actually seen one. A kirin's chief responsibility lay not in commanding monster servants, but in advising the king to follow the Way. He saw no fault in Taiki's character, beyond his unfounded insecurity, which could make him unsuited to advise compassion. Certainly he was superior to his withdrawn, proverb quoting predecessor, who had lasted more than a century and a half altogether. Gyousou felt that the root of Taiki's lack of confidence in himself must lay elsewhere, and was still musing on the possibilities when Risai returned with reports of a tracks coming out of a mysterious cave.

A closer examination revealed the tracks coming from the cave were much bigger than Keito's. Since there were not many youjuu bigger than suugu, Gyousou wasn't sure what type of you-creature lived within. In any case, there was no way they could stay in this area hunting suugu unless they first confirmed whether or not there was youma dwelling nearby. Risai took the lead in exploring the cave, and Gyousou followed behind with Taiki in case something happened; since most you-creatures would be active right now he didn't anticipate meeting any in the cave, but it was not impossible or even all that unlikely. However, Gyousou had fought countless youma in his three years as a youjuu hunter and in his long career as a general, and was completely confident he could defeat anything they encountered, especially since another general was present as well.

Taiki, it seemed, was not so certain about the wisdom of exploring the cave. As they walked on far into the downwards, twisting path, even Gyousou had to admit the completely silent, seemingly endless rocky corridor drenched in the smell of rotting flesh was creepy. Taiki, who had been slightly on edge ever since entering the cave, tensed like a wild animal confronted when Risai went to investigate a tunnel hidden in the rocks. "I don't like that place."

Risai and Gyousou looked at each other and communicated with their eyes, the way adults do when a child is being unreasonable.

"I just want to make sure whether anything is inside the cave."

"No! No, don't go over there!" Taiki started to spring forward, but was suddenly blocked by a figure that appeared from the cave shadows, crying,

"You can't go over there!"

"Sanshi!" Gyousou, who had started to draw his sword at the appearance of the part woman part leopard, released his grip when Taiki hugged her. His nyokai.

Still slightly confused, Gyousou heard Taiki scream Risai's name and, pivoting, saw Risai's struggling legs pulled by a dark shadow further into the tunnel. A scream immediately echoed from within. Gyousou rushed forward, and his heart sunk at the sight of the impenetrable darkness. Risai's cries had sounded quite deep.

"Gyousou-dono."

The voice brought Gyousou's mind back to his first priority: Taiki. "Sanshi, please take the Kou away from here and ride Keito back to Mt. Hou!"

Taiki, however, ignored them both and leapt into the cave. Gyousou, swearing, raced after him, the nyokai blurring ahead.

How can such short legs run so fast?! Whether it was from the exercise he got running all over Mt. Hou every day, or from some inhuman speed gained from being a kirin, Taiki arrived at the wide opening at the end of the tunnel much before Gyousou, who was fully grown.

What is THAT? Gyousou, who had been to the Yellow Sea six times, had never seen any youma even remotely that size. The shadow fashioned a portion of itself into the shape of a sickle and aimed at Risai. Transformation. Gyousou hadn't believed that youma who possessed the ability to transform actually existed.

"Toutetsu!" the nyokai shrieked. Gyousou couldn't believe it. This was the monster that Bakutan had sworn didn't exist. Her words echoed briefly in his head, Run. Run and hope that your companions behind you are fat enough that it won't pursue. But, whether brave or pigheaded, Gyousou was fundamentally not the sort of person capable of that.

Risai's eyelids fluttered open at the dreaded name, "Kou, run away!"

"I can't!"

Gyousou was proud, but prudent; he knew fully well he was not capable of prevailing against that demon. The best he could hope for was buying time for Taiki. Of course, that kind of depended on Taiki actually leaving. "The Kingdom of Tai needs you! You must not die here!"

"I don't want to be the only one to leave. We should all go together!"

Before Gyousou could persuade him, a scream rang out and an enormous sickle was hurtling into him. There was only enough time to raise his sword to blunt the unavoidable onslaught before the impact flung him through the air like a child's ragdoll and crashed him mercilessly into the rocky ground. The world swimming before his vision contained only a giant sickle descending and dim thoughts of I never thought it would end like this.

The sickle halted about ten feet above him, and froze. The shadow turned towards Taiki, and grew many pairs of haunting red eyes to stare at him. Taiki stared back.

"Sanshi, save Risai-dono!" Taiki's voice was full strain, like he was carrying heavy weights. The thought descended upon Gyousou in a cloud of disbelief, it's him. He's stopped it! The nyokai very unwillingly ferried the bleeding Risai away.

"Gyousou-dono, you should also take this chance to leave here!"

Gyousou took in Taiki's figure: shaking, and already starting to perspire. Was this how kirin subjugated youma? Whatever he was doing looked very strenuous, and Gyousou couldn't imagine he could maintain it for much longer. In Taiki's voice he heard that same worry.

"That is not possible." Taiki had done this desperately to save Gyousou and Risai without a thought for what would happen to himself. If they both left he would doubtlessly think, good, they're both safe, and that would be fatal against this foe. Even the massive effort Taiki was exerting to protect Gyousou at the moment was being matched by the demon, if Taiki relaxed the slightest amount he would surely lose this contest of wills.

And thus, drawing himself up from his sprawled position, Gyousou silently sat out of sight while the tiny boy and colossal myth struggled against one another. He had been on many battle fields in his career, and knew the worst part of any battle was watching the enemy arraign themselves against your army and knowing that soon blood would be spilt. He felt that same sensation watching Taiki and the toutetsu, knowing there was nothing he could do but wait, as Taiki protected him. For a general, it was a truly galling feeling.

The longer it went on the more hair on the back of Taiki's head stuck to his scalp, and the bigger the sweat stains in his clothing became. Opposite him, the shadow seemed to be slowly swelling, and more eyes were growing from the darkness.

"Gyousou-dono… you'd better go quickly…" This was Taiki's limit. In a few seconds he'd watch as the energetic, friendly boy was snatched up and eaten.

But Taiki had not yet lost, and what one thinks is one's limit is not necessarily. In this situation there was but one solution, one the Imperial Court had honed in him: lie. Lie and cling to that last shred of hope. "I am very sorry…" pause to let him think he's hesitating to admit this, "I can no longer walk." Taiki's back rose and fell in erratic motions. He was hyperventilating. The pressure was on.

Feeling cruel, but at the same time queasy from visions of Taiki being dragged away, he continued, "I am wounded. I cannot move – I must ask you to save me."

The parts of the darkness that that swelled out before now retracted, and the outer eyes began to blink out until there was just one giant pair remained. Then the blackness shuddered, and, like a flood of water, filled the cavern.

"Submit…" Taiki's still voice was full of iron command. The encompassing darkness shrank, and took countless shapes at the front before Taiki, showing off its extraordinary powers. Finally, it materialized in the dark haze as what appeared to be a bear-sized wolf.

"Kimi koubuku, onmyou wagou, kyukyu nyo ritsuryo! Submit, Gouran!"

Gyousou watched the bear-sized dog shrink into a small one with a tail curled back on itself, perky triangular ears, a brown back and white underbelly that reached up to its nuzzle and down to its legs. The tiny dog, formerly the giant shadow, sat at Taiki's feet. Where there had been a child about to be eaten by a demon there was now a child hugging a cute puppy, who wagged its tail and licked him. He couldn't believe that monster could turn into… that. Gyousou felt this was the weirdest sight he had ever beheld.

Taiki bravely staggered over to Gyousou and, exhausted, folded down next to him, saying with concern, "Where do you hurt? Do you have any broken bones?"

"I… am not hurt anywhere. I'm very sorry… I did not tell you the truth."

Taiki blinked dumbly for a minute, then his eyes widened with enlightenment, "Gyousou-dono…"

"Thank you for saving my life." The child, drenched in sweat and limbs shaking with fatigue, certainly did not look capable of subduing monsters, but then the sweet puppy in his arms didn't look capable of being a monster. Gyousou realized belatedly he'd been treating Taiki as a child, which was only the surface of his being: Taiki was also a kirin, and powerful one. He would never understand that so well as at this moment. Truthfully, it would have been better to realized this obvious fact sooner, and have not gone into the danger that Taiki had sensed, rather than treating it like a child's tantrum.

"No… I should be the one thanking you… Gyousou-dono… you are amazing…"

"Please save that talk for yourself. Really incredible… that Tai Kingdom is protected by so great a kirin."

Gyousou, ignoring the pins and needles accumulated over the hours spent kneeling on rocks, stood up and lifted Taiki, as the was no way he had enough strength to climb the uneven uphill path out of the cave. He was surprised that the combined weight of Taiki and the shirei amounted to what he would have expected of the dog alone. Taiki mistook the surprised look in his eyes and ordered the shirei to hide in his shadow, and immediately his arms were burdened with no more weight than that of a kitten.

After the disastrous encounter with the toutetsu, Gyousou was extremely glad that the uphill climb was completely uneventful. Outside, he noticed with surprise, the sun was setting. He found Hien and Keito still tethered and Hien was particularly upset, having watched his blood drenched mistress be carried off by a leopard ninyou. After calming the tenba, he sternly told Keito he was taking Taiki with him whether he liked it or not, and he forbid him from being the least uncivil to him. Though Keito allowed Taiki the honour of being able to stroke his aloof, condescending head, he thought Keito's uncharacteristic tolerance of Taiki might not extend to letting himself be ridden. He briefly entertain putting Taiki on Hien, but a quick look at Taiki's shaking limbs and ashen face made him discard that idea, which Gyousou was thankful for when he glanced down at Taiki during the ride and realized he had fallen asleep: if he had let him ride alone there would be a kirin splattered somewhere in the Yellow Sea.

When Mt. Hou came into sight and he saw hordes of bright dresses scurrying forward, Gyousou considered for the first time how the nyosen would react. His predictions were not far off.

"Gyousou! What has happened? Taiki…" Teiei was clearly going to be every bit as difficult as he feared.

It was best to cut her off before she built up steam, like the last time. "He's asleep. He is perfectly all right, not a wound on him."

Teiei leaned forward and inspected Taiki carefully, as if determined to find a contradiction. Finally she sighed in relief and muttered grudgingly, "As long as he's all right…"

Teiei took a bit more convincing before she noticed the curious idlers peering at the unconscious kirin, but finally she guided the Taiki bearing Gyousou to the palace. "Now then, what happened exactly?"

When Gyousou had explained that Taiki had spent the whole day subduing a shirei Teiei looked extremely relieved and apologized profusely for baselessly accusing Gyousou. Teiei's reaction to the revelation that it was a Toutetsu confirmed what Gyousou had suspected: no other kirin had ever subjugated one.

The child in his arms looked completely normal; he didn't even have the golden hair most kirin possessed. His personality more closely resembled that of a normal child than Tairin's, and he spoke as if completely unaware that he currently sat at supreme status. This was doubtlessly because until recently he believed himself to be human and understood neither his natural powers nor his own importance. Taiki's face looked uncertain, as if dreaming of being accused of something. As he reluctantly handed the troubled, sleeping child to a nyosen (who won in a rock-paper-scissors fight with several others) at the palace gate, Gyousou dearly hoped this fragile, powerful being would learned just how extraordinary he was.

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*This story follows the book more closely than the anime, so if you've only seen the anime that's why in the last chapter it is some random person Gyousou fights, not what's-his-name who tried to break into Mt. Hou, and in this chapter why Taiki doesn't immediately faint and why Kenrou Shinkun doesn't come.

*Also, if you watch the anime carefully Gyousou says something like 'I can't leave, I've hurt my leg' but once Gouran is subdued he has no problems walking, and in the books it is explicitly stated that he stayed on purpose after the line "I… am not hurt anywhere. I'm very sorry… I did not tell you the truth" which I've taken directly from the translation of the book I found online, along with most of the dialogue for the recent chapters.

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