The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon

So?"
    Rakushun twitched his whiskers. He made as if to reach out with his forehand and touch Youko's shoulder, but thought better of it and held back.
    "That means he's not a person. He's not a youma. He's a . . . kirin. "
    "A kirin?"
    "A kirin. A unicorn. The unicorn is the most exalted of the sacred beasts. He can take on the shape of a human being, but the Taiho is not a human being. He is always a kirin. Keiki is written as the Ki rin of Kei. That is not his name, but his title. The kirin of the Eastern Kingdom of Kei, it means."
    "Right."
    "Kei is on the eastern coast of the Blue Sea. It is situated between En and Kou. It has a temperate climate. It's a good place to live."
    "But isn't it in the middle of a civil war?"
    Rakushun nodded. "Last year the king died. A new king has not ascended the throne. The king subdues the youma, reins in the supernatural forces, protects the kingdom from disasters. So when there is no king, the country descends into chaos."
    "Right."
    "If Keiki called you Lord, then you are the Empress of Kei."
    "The what?"
    "The Empress of the Eastern Kingdom of Kei. The Royal Kei."
    Youko was speechless with surprise. She could not find the words to respond.
    "You are the chosen ruler of Kei."
    "Whoa, whoa, hold on a minute! I'm just an ordinary high school student. Okay, it looks like I'm a taika, but not some big, important person like that!"
    "Every king is an ordinary person until he sits upon the throne. Our rulers are not chosen by heredity. To put it in simple terms, it has nothing to do with a person's character or their outward appearance. The king is whomever the kirin chooses."
    "But, but, but . . . . "
    Rakushun shook his head. "If you were chosen by Keiki, then you are the Royal Kei. The kirin takes orders from no one in this regard. Only the king does the kirin call Lord."
    "This is all so stupid."
    "The branch of a tree is bestowed upon the king by Heaven. The three fruits on the branch represent the earth, the kingdom, and the throne. The earth is the census and the registry of public lands. The kingdom is the rule of law. And the throne symbolizes the justice and benevolence of the king, meaning the kirin."
    As he spoke, Rakushun glanced down the road toward their destination. "I can now see that you are different from ordinary people, even from ordinary taika. You have entered into the covenant with the kirin of Kei."
    "I've done what?"
    "I don't know the exact nature of the covenant. But a king is a god, not a person. From the moment you entered into the covenant with the kirin, you were no long a human being."
    Youko searched her memories. Her mind lit upon a memory. Allow me. "Yeah, Keiki did say something like: 'Allow me.' That's it. Then he did something weird and I got this really strange feeling inside."
    Thoughts raced through her head. That feeling. And right afterwards, the window exploding, the shards of glass flying around the vice-principal's office. Everybody was injured except for her, and not a scratch on her.
    "Something weird?"
    "He knelt before me, bowed . . . touched his forehead to my feet."
    "That was it, then," Rakushun declared. "Kirin are dignified and aloof. They obey no one but the king, bend a knee to no one but the king.
    "But . . . . "
    "I am not the one to fill you in on the details. You should be asking the Royal En instead. I am nothing but a lowly hanjuu. I do not know anything about the Kingdom of Heaven."
    There was a hardness in his voice. He looked up at Youko. His whiskers wavered and drooped. "You are so far away from me, Youko."
    "I'm . . . . "
    "If it is true, then I should not be the one telling you this. Youko, I should not even address you by your first name." He got to his feet. "If we assume it is true, the faster we see the Royal En the better. Rather than heading to Kankyuu, it would be quicker if we reported in at the nearest municipal office. These are matters of the gravest importance."
    He was standing with his back to her. He turned to face her. "It has been a long journey and I know you must be tired. But rather than Kankyuu, I suggest we ask for asylum at one of the local government offices. Until we have received the official sanction of the Royal En, we should sojourn at a local inn, if you please."
    He bowed low to the ground. It was a pitiful sight.
    Youko said, "I am who I am."
    "That is indeed the truth."
    "I . . . . " Her voice trembled with rage. "I am who I've always been, nothing more! Not once have I ever been