The Twelve Kingdoms: The Shore in Twilight

sure she had perceived a single, lingering shadow. But she hadn't been able to ascertain its identity.
    That must have been the assailant. Or perhaps the leader of the rebellion. Just as the rumors said, Gyousou had been lured to Bun Province, and Taiki had been inveigled to dispatch Sanshi and Gouran to Gyousou. As a result, they hadn't been there to protect him. Taking advantage of that opening, Taiki had been attacked. But the enemy didn't kill Taiki. If only by a hair, the assassination had failed. Their enemies could be mounting another attack even now. And yet here they were trapped.
    "What should we do?" came Gouran voice from the midst of the saffron darkness.
    "We must sleep."
    Sleep consumed the least psychic energy. Not the sleep of beasts, which would leave them defenseless. They would rest their physical bodies while setting their consciousnesses free to sense any attack.
    "Remain vigilant. Our enemies may soon be upon us."

    In a daze, guided by the curtains of black and white funerary bunting, he approached one of the houses. The crowds of people dressed in black reached from the front gate up to the genkan. The smell of chrysanthemums and incense hung over them. Then several of them noticed him. With a cry of surprise the adults rushed toward him. Through the crowds he could see a man and woman dressed in black.
    Behind the sobbing woman there was a picture wreathed in chrysanthemums of an old woman. At last he understood the nature of the building in which the altar was located.
    This was his home.
    " Where have you been all this time? "
    " A whole year has passed! "
    Speaking as if in one voice, the sounds of the crowd washed over him like a wave. He feared he was in danger of being inundated. Strong claws dragged him back to shore. The hands of the kneeling, weeping woman in front of him dug into his arms.
    "Mother?"
    He blinked. For the life of him he couldn't understand why his mother was weeping so. What were all these people doing here? What were they all shouting about? What were these black and white curtains for? Why was his grandmother's photograph being displayed like that?
    He quizzically tilted his head to the side. A woman from the neighborhood asked him, "What have you been doing up till now?"
    "Up till now?" he echoed.
    A flood a memories coursed through his thoughts, vanishing before his mind could seize upon them, leaving behind a deep, empty space. A curtain of snow danced at the bottom of that hole. Big, heavy snowflakes falling on a courtyard.
    He'd been standing in the courtyard. His grandmother had scolded him and sent him outside. And--
    "What I am doing in this place?" he asked the adults surrounding him. At the same time, a heavy lid closed inside of him. Everything about him that was beast and not human, together with his horn, was sealed tightly inside him.
    What do you mean, this place?" The woman shook his shoulders. "Don't you remember? You've been missing for a year. Your mother and father have been worrying themselves half to death."
    "I have--?"
    But he'd been in the courtyard until just minutes ago. He raised his arm to point the way and felt his hair that at some point had grown out. He grasped a lock of his hair in bewilderment.
    "Most definitely," the old people standing next to him said, dabbing at their eyes.
    "Your grandmother called to you. In the end she seemed to have caught but just a glimpse of you."
    With that, the old woman turned to the other people there. "Well, let's give the family some time alone for now. Let them say their final goodbyes before the funeral procession."
    "Indeed," other voices agreed, and he was escorted along with his still weeping mother into the house.
    His time here in this place once again began to move forward. At the same time, so began the long absence of Taiki, the "other" and now forgotten part of him.

Part Two
    he girl placed a pillow behind Risai's back. "Are you in any pain?"
    By this point Risai had grasped that the lady-in-waiting asking the question went by the odd name of Suzu. As things had turned out, Risai wasn't able to see the Royal Kei the last time she woke up. While being treated by the doctors, she fell back into a long slumber.
    She had awoken several times after that, but the doctors said it was too soon for her to be seeing visitors. Another two days passed before they relaxed the prohibition.
    "I appreciate all you've done for me."
    For the first time in a long time she managed to sit up. Her body was