Sea of the Wind, Shore of the Maze, Chapter 7

parting. As soon as Taiki nodded, Gyousou would grasp the reins and ride  away on Keito, and they would never see each other again.

    Even in his imagination, it made Taiki feel extremely pained. However, he had no means by which to  stop Gyousou.
    "So long." After Gyousou paid his respects, he turned around and walked away. Taiki looked at his  back. He hoped that Gyousou would turn around and look back at him. But Taiki was very clear on the fact  that Gyousou was not the kind of person who would do something like that. If it had been Risai, she would  have given honor to a child who admired her and would certainly have delayed a day, or perhaps in the end,  for Taiki's sake, she would have stayed until the conclusion of Ankou Day before she left. But this was not  something that Gyousou would do.
    Gyousou mounted Keito, and after the people around Taiki paid him their respects in succession,  they departed one by one. After waiting for everyone to climb on their mounts, Keito started to stride slowly  away.
    Gyousou didn't look back and headed off without any hesitation.
    The moon was out. The moonlight entered through the thin curtains and shone on the bed. Gyousou  and the people with him had probably already arrived at the base of Mt. Hou. Was camping going to be  dangerous for them? Or were they going to be chasing sugu during the night, waiting until almost daybreak  to set up camp?
    "You...can't sleep?" Sanshi asked. Taiki unconsciously stop moving his hand, which had been  stroking Sanshi's fur.
    "Madam Risai's going to be staying for a little bit longer, right?"
    "Yes..."
    Taiki could not put his mind at rest. He turned about in the bed until he finally couldn't bear it any  longer and got out of bed.
    "I would like to go on a walk... Can I?"
    "You cannot go to the Yellow Sea at night."
    With Sanshi having seen through his thoughts, Taiki lowered his head. "Then...traveling there would  be pretty dangerous too, huh?"
    "Most likely."
    Perhaps they would encounter youma that are like toutetsu. Taiki had previously heard about many  people losing their lives on the road to the Yellow Sea. Not to mention the fact that Gyousou's group was not  large.
    "Gouran."
    "Yes?" The sound came from under the bed. Gouran's voice was low and deep. At first Gouran was a  little dog, but recently he usually changed into a red dog that Taiki had not anticipated.
    "Gouran, can you see Sir Gyousou to the Reison Gate for me? I want him to get there without any  trouble."
    "I cannot," replied Gouran, strongly and concisely. "I cannot leave Taiki's side."
    "You can't...even if I ask you to?"
    "Right now, your safety is more important than anything else. Moreover, Gyousou is not the king."
    ...There it is again. Taiki bit his lip.

    Whether it was a way to stop Gyousou from leaving, or trying to find a way to get him to turn back,  or even wanting him to reach one of the Four Gates safely, nothing that Taiki did was successful.
    If only Gyousou was the king.
    Why hadn't there been a revelation? How good would it be if there had been.
    (Then...)
    Taiki was so sad he almost cried. When certain thoughts appeared in his mind, he would firmly  swallow his tears.
    (This matter...only kirin know about it...)
    Taiki opened up his eyes wide and then hurriedly shut them. His heart was beating very quickly.
    (Why are things like this?)
    Taiki was also a little surprised. Why was it that whenever he thought about being separated from  Gyousou, he would feel so awful inside? The person he had originally liked was Risai, and he had also  previously wished that Risai could be the queen. The strange thing was that Risai was going to descend the  mountain, but this didn't make Taiki feel that kind of sadness.
    He silently got out of bed. He constantly felt an oppressive sensation and lying on the bed was not  relieving him of that ache.
    "Taiki..."
    "I'm just going outside." Wearing his pajamas, he despondently walked down the stone steps of the  palace.
    There was only one road that one could walk to the foot of Mt. Hou, but once in the Yellow Sea, a  countless number of roads extend outwards. Not to mention that Gyousou was going to be hunting as he  traveled, so he might not have taken a main road. Once they reach the Yellow Sea, it would be extremely  hard to find them.
    He would pass through the dangers of the Yellow Sea to get to the Four Gates, and after Ankou Day  came, he would go outside of the Kongou