Sea of the Wind, Shore of the Maze, Prologue

disapproval. It wasn't easy to reach the small  garden that was bursting with daylilies.
    Keiki stopped. In the middle of an area occupied with yellow flowers in full bloom, he saw a nyokai  sitting with bent legs on the ground. Taiki was laying face down upon the nyokai's leopard portion.
    Taiki really was a strange kirin, he thought.
    He was certainly a kirin, but since the color of his mane was different from the other kirin, his  appearance gave Keiki a strange feeling.
    There was another reason that made Keiki feel unusual, and that was that he was not used to interacting  with small children. Their small bodies and slender limbs made Keiki feel like they were a different kind of  58
    creature. Taiki's huddled figure, which made him look even smaller, especially caused Keiki to feel uneasy  throughout his whole body.
    He hesitated, wondering if he should speak, when just then, the nyokai noticed him. Taiki followed his  nyokai's line of sight and saw Keiki. His dark eyes widened and he hurriedly wiped his face with his sleeve.
    Then, he stood up and took a deep bow towards Keiki.
    "I'm really sorry about what happened just then."
    "Don't be," said Keiki, and then quickly added, "I should be the one apologizing to you. My manner  towards you was too cold."
    "Oh, it wasn't." Taiki shook his head. Keiki saw this and couldn't help but think how incredible it was.
    How could a neck so thin hold up his head?
    "It's because I'm worthless. I'm really very sorry."
    "No... May I sit next to you?"
    "Please, sit."
    After Keiki sat down, Taiki did the same. Keiki watched as Sanshi lowered her body in respect to him.
    "Is she your nyokai?"
    "Yes, her name is Sanshi."
    "She looks like a very good nin'you."
    Hearing Keiki say this, Taiki blinked his eyes.
    "Are there nyokai who aren't good?"
    "There are. The more forms of beasts that are mixed, like Sanshi, the better the nyokai. Sanshi, you  may leave. I will accompany Taiki."
    Hearing Keiki say this, Sanshi bowed deeply towards him and walked towards the path.
    Keiki watched Sanshi's leaving figure and creased his brow.
    "She is a good nin'you, but her powers have not yet been released."
    After Taiki heard this, he tilted his head as if he didn't understand, and his mane touched the daylilies,  causing them to gently sway.
    "It should be because you have not displayed your full power. The nyokai and her master are very  closely connected. If the kirin gets sick, the nyokai will also be unhealthy."
    "Then...am I sick?"
    "This was only an analogy. However...perhaps your condition could also be considered an illness."
    "Really..."
    Seeing the child in front of him hang his head in hopelessness, Keiki sighed heavily. He was really  helpless in these situations.
    Keiki spent a little bit of time figuring out what to say. Taiki had lowered his head in silence.
    "May I ask you why you cried a moment ago?" This question may have been too blunt, but Gyokuyou  had told him that he had to comprehend Taiki's mood.
    "I'm sorry..." The small kirin contracted his body.
    "I didn't want you to apologize. I just wanted to know the reason."
    Taiki lowered his head further. "Because I feel like I'm so worthless."
    "Why?"
    "Because I feel like I'll never be able to learn how to transform, but the nyosen are all expecting me  to..."
    "Do you care that much about the nyosen's feelings?"
    Hearing Keiki ask this, Taiki lifted his head with an painful look on his face.
    "Yes, because everyone treats me so well. My being able to live on Mt. Hou, and my receiving  everybody's extremely thoughtful care, is all because of the fact that I'm a kirin, but I can't do any of the  things a kirin should be able to do. To show everyone my appreciation, I hope that I can at least transform  for them to make them happy, but when I think that maybe that day will never come, I feel so useless..."
    As he was saying this, Taiki's eyes began to fill with tears.
    "Please don't cry, or else the nyosen will scold me again."
    Taiki heard this and blinked his eyes.
    "Kei Taiho, you get scolded by the nyosen too?"
    "Of course I do. The nyosen do not hold back when it comes to kirin."
    After Taiki heard this, he finally smiled a little bit.
    "You do not need to mind the nyosen so much. They are here to take care of you. You are their  master."
    "But..." Taiki lowered his head again and spoke haltingly with a quiet voice, "Without the nyosen by  my side, I can't do anything. I have to rely on them for