The Twelve Kingdoms: The Shore in Twilight

absent, we would then set off to try and find him."
    Koukan glanced at Youko. "The opinion has been expressed that Heaven might turn a blind eye to such contrivances, but besides the enormous uncertainties involved, the worst case scenario would be disastrous to Kei. The ministers are unanimous in the opinion that this is not a viable solution. I'd like to explain what they did come up with in the 'possible' category."
    One of the kirin there let out a long, exasperated sigh. The other kirin laughed out loud. With a patient smile Youko said, "Okay, for the time being, let's hear what you have to offer in the 'possible' category."
    "If a way can be found, what about the Tai Taiho? According to Risai-dono's testimony, a meishoku occurred at the same time that the Taiho disappeared. In that case, we venture that the Taiho would have been swept away to Yamato or China. Searching for the Taiho would not present the same problems as searching for the Royal Tai. The question remains of how such a search would be organized."
    "What question?"
    "First of all, only a person capable of traveling to Yamato could engage in the search. And only a person holding the rank of count, whose name is listed on the Registry of Wizards. Moreover, from what I've gathered speaking with Your Highness, whether Yamato or China, these are not places where searchers could be dispatched in great numbers to poke around willy-nilly."
    "I catch your drift."
    As she pondered this conundrum, Rokuta spoke up. "A large-scale search would be impossible. We might as well forget about it from the start."
    "Yeah, it would be difficult."
    "The difficulty of the search itself is hardly the whole of it. We might be able to scrape together enough wizards with a rank of count or above, but those who aren't taika would have a hard time of it over there."
    Youko blinked. Rokuta grinned and said, "In short, Yamato's a stranger place than any of them could believe in their wildest dreams. Here and there were never meant to mingle together. Only a shoku allows people to come and ranka to go. For the most part, the kaikyaku are swept here from the east, from Yamato. Language aside, the kaikyaku look the same as the rest of us. Even those who don't rarely strike us as 'foreign.' Wouldn't you say? Simply put, it comes down to the way the people who come from there to here look."
    "Yeah. That definitely is true."
    "So I don't think it'd be such a big deal if someone here got swept away to over there. But the fact is, excepting those among us who possess rather particular characteristics, ordinary people can't go there. Only ranka. Only people in their unformed state."
    "Unformed state?"
    "Yes. Alive, yet without form. Nobody travels from here to there in other than a prenatal state. There are exceptions, but those are the rules that the two worlds abide by. Otherwise, it's a one-way trip."
    "But Keiki came to Yamato to get me."
    "Indeed. Kirin can cross over. Wizards above the rank of count can too. Those whose names are listed in the Registry of Wizards. In actual practice, though, I think it better to stipulate that only taika listed upon the Registry of Wizards can pop over there in the bodies they possess. When Keiki came to fetch you, how'd it go?"
    Keiki nodded in response to Rokuta's question. "As the En Taiho has observed, I did so in a 'warped' state."
    "A warped state?" asked Youko.
    "Before traveling to Yamato in search of Your Highness, I consulted with the En Taiho. He told me that I had to put myself into a warped state. I didn't really understand what he was talking about at the time, but I did once I put the plan into action. Without a doubt, I could not travel to Yamato in concrete form as myself."
    "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."
    "It is hard to put these concepts into words. It was so that I wouldn't be visible to the people of Yamato. And even when observed, seen as if through a clouded glass. As if they were seeing something completely different. When people did see me clearly, they wouldn't hear me or understood what I said. Or in other circumstances, they would only hear my voice. Maintaining the human form was difficult and full of uncertainty. I might suddenly revert to my animal form, or dissolve into the psychic veins of the Earth. Just as when I am in this world, I could only be assured of maintaining my form when I was in the presence of Your Highness."
    "Really?" Youko queried in surprise.
    Keiki nodded. " Over there