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He supposed he always knew it would come down to this.
Taking on someone like Gyousou was nearly an impossible task, but Asen wasn't the kind of man to back away from things that were difficult. He and Gyousou had that in common. He and Gyousou had a lot in common, actually.
Sometimes he wondered what it would have been like, to receive Taiki's vow of loyalty. He should have been the one, had the heavens truly intended to select the ruler who understood Tai's needs. The process to select a king was clearly flawed, since most new kings fell within ten years of taking the throne. All he had to do was look at neighboring Kei for proof.
And Gyousou clearly wasn't what the kingdom needed. The new Peace King wasn't worthy of his name – he was so military in demeanor that he couldn't begin to understand the nuances of politics. He expected Tai's government to run with the efficiency of an army, and didn't have the patience to realize why that couldn't happen immediately. Asen had watched, and Asen had seen the upcoming trouble before it could completely come to a boil.
It would be better for Tai if a new king could be found before Gyousou had time to lay the ground for his own doom. Better a swift cut than a gradual decline in ruin.
So he had tried to overthrow Gyousou, going so far as to strike at the heart of his power – the kirin. He had severed the horn from Taiki's head, but before he could deliver the fatal blow, Taiki had summoned a mieshoku to bear him away. Maybe that was a good thing – he didn't want to hurt the boy, not really. Taiki was such a sweet child.
Asen had kept that silvery horn with him, though, fearing the power it contained. It didn't vanish, which meant Taiki's contract with his shirei was still binding – and that Taiki was still alive. And that meant Gyousou might still be out there. He had nightmares about what Gyousou would do when he caught up with him. Gyousou was not merciful; he was definitely one of those rulers who needed the tempering of a kirin's compassion. In a way, Asen might have signed his own death warrant by raising his hand against Taiki.
But in the end, it wasn't Gyousou who caught up with him – it was Taiki, accompanied by the one-armed general Risai.
One evening he had returned to his tent, only to feel an arm seize him, and a blade put to his throat. There were at least three men behind him, but it was the woman in front that he recognized. "Risai," he spat, seeing the last leader of the formal resistance against him. How the intruders had managed to get passed the guards was a mystery to him, but the camp was curiously still.
She nodded, but instead of speaking, gestured for someone behind her to step forward. When he saw who it was, he realized that he had lost the war.
Despite the changes time had wrought, he recognized the youth immediately. The young man was a slender thing, dressed in clothes fit for a merchant – long pants and tunic, but his hair was cut far too short, with barely a finger width's of growth. But even without a proper mane, there was no denying that this was Taiki.
"Why?" Taiki asked simply. His voice was deeper than its former childish treble, but it still contained the soft concern that marked him as a true kirin.
There were many ways Asen could have responded to that, many reasons for the sins he had committed. But now, faced with the holy incarnation of the people's will, he found he couldn't lie. Not anymore. He'd been lying to himself for far too long.
"Because I was jealous," he said, finally admitting what his true motivation had been.
"Gyousou-sama was happy to share his good fortune with his friends," Taiki said, and there was no condemnation in his voice, just confusion.
There was the crux of the matter. Asen hadn't been able to settle for less than everything; like Gyousou, he had a terrifying ambition. But Gyousou had been able to step back when he thought Taiki wouldn't choose him – Asen hadn't. And that was why he was unworthy to rule.
He looked over his shoulder, trying to see who was holding the touki weapon to his throat. Risai made another twitch of her hands, and her men stepped away from him. "You have many sins to answer for, Asen," she said, "but we are not fit to judge you. When Gyousou returns, it will be up to him to decide your fate."
"I'm sure if you sit down and talk through your problems, Gyousou-sama will be able to address your concerns," Taiki said.
He would have preferred to face Gyousou and his rage, rather than see Taiki's forgiving optimism. It would be easier to deal with someone who wasn't so pure of heart, who wouldn't hesitate to condemn him. Of all the sins he had committed, his attack on the kokki was the most heinous.
"I'm sorry," he said, before moving to prostrate himself before the Taiho.
"I'm sorry, too," Taiki said. Asen heard the shift of movement, and a touch on his shoulder made him look up. Taiki crouched next to him, their faces inches apart. "If I had been a better Taiho, maybe it wouldn't have come to this."
Asen shut his eyes, trying to fight back the tears Taiki's kindness made him want to shed. Of them all, Taiki had been the only true innocent.
There was no way to atone for his wrongs, but Asen had to make the attempt. Moving slowly so no archer would decide he was a threat – and Risai was a good enough general to have a couple hidden out of sight – he went to his pack and withdrew the manifestation of his crimes. He handed the horn over, and Taiki took it with a shaking hand. Amazingly, the horn started to glow, and Taiki gasped softly.
Asen refused to turn his head, his eyes watering from looking at the brilliant light that Taiki was becoming. The boy blurred, and then his clothes fell away.
In front of him is a mature kokki. Its mane was ridiculously short, but Asen didn't feel like laughing as he looked into its silvery eyes. The horn sat upon his brow once again, like it had never been severed. The kirin nodded his head once, before turning his back on Asen.
Asen couldn't stop himself from following the Taiho out the tent, watching as the magnificent kokki of Tai took to the skies, in search of his master. As Taiki charged across the heavens, Asen couldn't help but be awed.