The Twelve Kingdoms: Dreaming of Paradise

from the frame of the open gate. The buildings housing the sleeping quarters reached out beyond a lush garden, but if were people were there, he couldn't sense it. He turned to the adults around him. "What do we do?"
    They looked just as confused as he was.
    "Seirai?"
    "I'm afraid I can't help you there."
    "I've never been in the Koukyuu before. How about you, Seirai?"
    "Um, if you're talking about being inside the gates, many times. The Koukyuu at Hakkei Palace is closed, but I've been in there. It's completely empty, though. As for the Koukyuu in other kingdoms, no."
    Judging by their pale expression, it was the same for Sougen and Asen. The junior ministers looked like ghosts.
    Taiki took a step further inside the compound. Casting his eyes around the courtyard, he ascertained that no one was there. He shrugged and crossed the courtyard to the garden to get a better look at the other buildings.
    "Taiho."
    Taiki scrambled onto the stonework foundation and spied another courtyard deeper in amongst the buildings. He cautiously raised his voice.
    "Um, excuse me—"
    "T-Taiho—"
    Taiki glanced over his shoulder. "But nobody's around. I think our only choice is to raise our voices a bit."
    "Yes, but—"
    "Hey, anybody home? Gomen kudasai! " Taiki said with unusual boldness. His retainers opened their eyes wide with surprise. But Taiki was only doing what he always did when he visited the neighbors back in Japan.
    "Excuse me?" Taiki raised his voice. And got no answer.
    "Nobody seems to be home. What now?"
    "How am I supposed to know?" Seirai grumbled.
    "Why don't we just keep following these gardens until we run across somebody?"
    "You can't be serious."
    "We can't just turn around and go back, can't we?"
    "You do have a point there."
    "I think the only acceptable thing to do is to go indoors. Leave it to me."
    "Wait—" Seirai started to say. He clenched his fist resolutely. "I'll go with you. Sougen and Asen, wait here."
    "But—"
    "I may not be much, but I'm at least a Taiho on paper. I figure they can't punish me too much. Wish me luck."
    "I'm going too," said Tansui.
    Seirai stopped him. "With things wide open like this, let's not do anything rash. The Taiho has his shirei, and I'll be with him."

Chapter 11
    T aiki held onto Seirai's hand and walked further into the compound. They crossed through two courtyards and came to a temple, but found it empty. The temple simply couldn't be uninhabited. It appeared to be smartly kept. Fresh incense and flowers had recently been placed on the memorial shelves.
    With no particular reason in mind, Taiki set off in a westward direction and then headed toward the "North" palace compound. They crossed a promenade and entered another courtyard, looked around, went onto the garden in the "North" palace compound and stopped.
    Taiki stared at the pastoral view before him. He glanced up at Seirai. "It's a farm!"
    "Apparently so."
    "There aren't any farms in Hakkei Palace. Or is that something only found in the Koukyuu?"
    "Not ordinarily, I don't think."
    "They said there was some sort of civil war going on. I wonder if things got so bad they decided to plant crops inside the palace."
    "Hard to say."
    With Taiki clinging to Seirai's hand, they made their way down a dirt path between the magnificent vegetable gardens, the leafy greens practically forming a carpet beneath their feet. They rounded the corner of a shed. The pastoral view stretched out before them. Following the clean and orderly paths, they came across an enclosure of small trees arrange in neat rows, very much resembling an orchard.
    "Seirai," said Taiki, pointing.
    Signs of human life had at last appeared. A single farmer with a pair of pruning shears was at work beneath a tree bearing some kind of red fruit.
    "Hey—" Taiki called out. He let go of Seirai's hand and ran toward the bright copse of trees. "Excuse me—"
    A farmer dressed in a peasant's work clothes turned around. His eyes focused on Taiki and then on Seirai behind him. He smiled and wiped his brow with his sleeve. He added the branch he'd just cut to the small pile at his feet and raised his youthful face.
    "Sorry for barging in unannounced. There was nobody at the gate and we couldn't find anybody."
    This seemed to take the young man somewhat by surprise. "There wasn't anybody there? They must all be taking a siesta."
    "We hate to interrupt your work, but do you think there's somebody here who could show us around? I—um, we—came from Tai. My name