The Twelve Kingdoms (2002 - 2003)

The episode opens with Youko having a nightmare of a strange man showing her visions of monsters. Upon her arrival at school she is confronted by her friend Asano, then a girl named Sugimoto says hi but Youko ignores her... Later that day Youko feels bad and attempts to apoligize to Sugimoto but it would seem that Sugimoto isn't so forgiving. The next morning Youko is still having nightmares of the strange man. Youko is being nagged by her parents to get her hair dyed, but she ignores it and goes to school. That day at school Youko's teacher is giving her a hard time about rumors of her staying out all night and just then a mysterious stranger appears and bows down before her telling her to except her throne.. Just then a giant bird called a Kochou attacks the school. Youko and the stranger run up to the roof while innocent students get injured and killed by the Kochou. At the roof they are confronted by the Kochou and the strangers named is revealed.. He is Keiki and he gives Youko a

The episode opens right where the first episode left off.. Youko is flying with Kaiko and just as she is giving her the situation they are attacked by a youma and Youko falls. Elsewhere Sugimoto is with Keiki's youma Jyuusaku and they too are attacked.. Sugimoto falls but is saved by a group of youma. Youko awakes on a beach only to find that she isn't in Japan anymore.. She looks over a sea that has several whirlpools within it. Youko then discovers she has a magic ball on her sword that allows her to heal wounds. While searching the landscape Youko comes across a small town. She goes around asking if anyone knows Keiki.. Only to get attacked by the townsfolk. Her hinman takes over and tries to fight the villagers but there is just too many. She gets tied up and taken to a prison. In her cell she finds Sugimoto, who has also been caught. Sugimoto reveals to Youko that her face and hair are changing since she arrived in this world. They get taken to meet with a council that tells them

The chase continues.. The youma chasing them are a pack of Kiki. They attack the man stearing and the wagons tips over. Youko, Sugimoto and Asano are still tied up. One of the guards unties them and tells them to run for it, just as he gets killed, but before the others can run they are surrounded. The hinman takes Youko over once again and makes her kill the Kiki. In a palace near by we see the King of Kou and the mysterious figure from before.. It is a woman named Kourin. King Kou tells her that the kaikyaku are a bad omen to the land and that she must use her shirei to kill them.. Kourin is depressed about this. The next morning Youko and the others are looking for food and they come across a town. They break into a house and look around. A woman named Takki arrives and calls them theives. Sugimoto grabs her from behind and tells Youko to kill her.. Youko can't do it and breaks down in tears.. Takki starts to feel pity for them and offers them to stay the night. During the middle of

Auzaru tells Youko that nobody cares about her, and how nothing would change if she were to die. He shows her a collection of masks.. With the faces of everyone in her life. He puts them on one by one mimicking the voices of Sugimoto and Asano.. Making Youko feel worthless. She says she doesn't believe him and he tells her to beware of Takki.. For she isn't who Youko thinks she is. Just then he dissapears and Youko finds herself inside a tent. She comes outside and finds Takki and the rest. They've all been looking for her. Later that night at a inn Takki tells Youko that the next morning Asano should stay behind in the room while they go to meet her mother.. That way less attention would get brought to them. Youko agrees. In the morning Asano watches out the window as the 3 girls leave.. He argues with himself about why Sugimoto is being so shy around him. Outside his room a old man heres him talking and walks in.. He understands what Asano is saying. Meanwhile in town, the girls arri

Kourin tells Sugimoto how it was her who saved her when she first arrived in this land. She tells her that there is someone that needs her help and to come with her. Sugimoto agrees gladly thinking that her time has finally come and she is the chosen one. Asano is still comforting Youko as Sugimoto walks up to get her bag. She tells them that she's going on alone and that Youko is the reason the youma have been attacking. Asano tries to stop her but its no good. Youko and Asano are now alone. They find a strange glowing tree and spend the night under it. The next morning they go to town to try to get some food but no one is willing to hire them. That night while in the woods Asano goes to try to find that tree again while Youko stays behind. Auzura appears before her again and shows her visions of her teacher and mother talking badly about her. He puts on a mask of Asano and mocks him saying that he is only using Youko for her abilities. Auzaru tells Youko to kill Asano, but just then

In Kou, King Kou is yelling at Kourin for not allowing Sugimoto to finish off Youko. King Kou sends Sugimoto off to a house out in a field where he will allow her to live. Back in the forest Youko awakes in a house.. She is greated by what seems to be a giant talking rat.. His name is Rakushun and he tried to get her to eat. He finally gets her to eat some peaches. When he leaves to go get some water, Auzaru appears and tells her not to trust the rat. Rakushun comes back in. Youko asks him if he knows Keiki, but Rakushun doesn't know him. Just then a officer comes to the door and Youko hides. He tells Rakushun how their looking for a man and woman (Asano and Youko) and that theres a reward. He tells them he knows nothing of it. Youko asks him why shes doing this and he says because he wants to help her. Later that night Rakushun tells Youko about the twelve kingdoms and how it was created. That night when Youko is alone in her room, Auzura appears and tells her the rat will betray her.

The group of Kochou attack and Youko kills them. Rakushun gets trampled by the villagers and knocked out during the action. The guards come running out and Youko thinks about killing Rakushun before she leaves so he won't turn her in.. But she runs away instead because she is afraid the guards will give her a hard time for being a kaikyaku. Back in the woods Auzaru appears and asks her why she didn't kill Rakushun.. She replies saying he was her friend. He puts a mask of Rakushun on and says he will turn her in. He tells her that she cares about nothing and she only cares about herself. She finally stands up to him and tells him that she will do whatever she wants and he doesn't control her. She is fed up with him and approaches him with her sword. She tells him she is glad she didn't kill Rakushun. He calls her a fool and she slashes him with the sword as he falls lifelessly into a bush.. She has finally freed herself from Azura. She goes back into town to find Rakushun but no one see

Sugimoto is shown talking to King Kou.. Turns out he wants to her service once again. He gives her a sword and tells Kourin to place her hinman on her again. This changes Sugimoto's appearance making her look different. As she is ready to set out she realizes Kourin has fallen ill.. She runs out of the room. Sugimoto arrives at the dock where Youko is and she goes on the same ship as Youko will be traveling on. As the ship takes off she realizes Youko isn't on it. Youko purposely stayed behind because she didn't wanna involve the nice family who helped her anylonger. She goes on a smaller boat that will catch up with ship later. While on the ship Sugimoto meets a hanjyuu who is traveling to En so he can live freely. Youko catches up with the ship and boards it. She ends up standing in the same area with Sugimoto but she doesn't reconigze her due to her hinman. Just then a group of men are harassing the hanjyuu, commanding him to turn back into his human form. Just as they are about to

As King En is introducing himself to Youko, they are attacked by a second force of youma. Youko takes out the leader of the pack and the rest withdrawal. King En then takes Youko to his personal inn. She tells him her story and how she doesn't think she is a queen. King En explains to her how her sword creates illusions and unless she learns to conquer it, it will continue to haunt her. Just then Enki walks in, Youko is shocked and has realized she has seen this boy before. King En tells Youko to come to his palace with him. She agrees. She goes to get Rakushun but he is hesitant to go with her now that shes going to be a queen.. Finally she talks him into knowing that nothing has changed. They arrive at the palace just before night hits. Youko enjoys the view of the sea from the top of the palace. King En shows them around and after Youko takes a bath she comes out to find Rakushun.. As a human. Finding him attractive, Youko feels embarassed after the way she treated him as a rat. The

King En's servant explains to Youko and Rakushun how King En was once a the son of a king back when he was a taika. His father, and the entire kingdom was destroyed by a rival group. With his father gone.. He became the leader of the group. They found a new land to live in but war still seemed to follow them. The servant also tells them how Enki was found by his nyokai. He was brought back to the Twelve Kingdoms and raised. He discovered he was a kirin and knew he had to choose a king for En. In a rage of frusteration he created a shoku and came to the land that the soon to be King En was at. They met eachother and King En wanted to him to leave so he wouldn't be harmed by the battle about to begin. Enki decided that he was the one.. And saved him from death in the battle. He bowed to him and made him the king. They came back to the Twelve Kingdoms and that is how King En came to be the ruler of En.

Youko and Rakushun are shown outside their room talking about how Youko will become queen and save Keiki. Later on Youko looks into her sword and it shows her visions of how the last ruler of Kei failed to be a good queen and how it saddended Keiki.. Youko is afraid she will make the same mistake. Back in the village Heki explains to Sugimoto how he was once like her.. And how she should change her ways and soon. Sugimoto ignores him and runs off only to find King Kou.. He tells her that Youko must still be killed, Sugimoto agrees. Back at the palace Enki explains to Rakushun and Youko how what King Kou is doing is against the wills of the heavens and can't be allowed. Youko goes to town and sees visions in her sword of Sugimoto arguing with Heki. At the palace, King Kou goes to meet King En.. King Kou argues that Youko is a fake queen and King En tells him he knows about how he set up the false queen of Kei and kidnapped Keiki. King Kou denies it and leaves. Back in the town Heki is t

King En yells to King Kou to give it up. Before Kou can speak Kourin appears. Everyone realize she has shitzudo due to King Kou. Enraged King Kou charges at Youko with his sword but Kourin stands in the way and gets stabbed instead.. Kourin falls and dies. Realizing what he's done King Kou wonders what will happen to him now and screams. Later at the palace Youko agrees to save Keiki. King En sets up the attack for the next morning. Before she goes to bed she talks outside with Rakushun. He tells her how much he wants her to become queen. Still doubting herself, Rakushun turns into his human form again and tells her that she was chosen for a reason and to trust Keiki's decision. The next morning Youko, Sugimoto, King En and his army are ready to set off. They arrive at the palace of Kei and King En tells Youko to find Keiki while he and his troops battle the defenses. Youko finds the dungeon where Keiki is being held, she realizes he has a spell on him and uses her magic ball from her

Youko and Rakushun are shown in Rakushun's house discussing whats all happened. Rakushun goes over with Youko about how the Twelve Kingdoms have 12 rulers.. And what exactly a kirin and ruler is. Youko tells him about how she got transported here, and how shes had such a difficult time here. They go through numerous flashbacks.. And give information on all characters, including Keiki, Enki, Sugimoto, Asano, King En, King Kou, Kourin and others.. Youko tells Rakushun how her friend Asano is still missing and how she is worried about him. Youko tells Rakushun she has to go and leaves him a special bird.. This bird can ""record"" voices and play them back to whomever you send it too. As Rakushun is holding the bird it replays Youko's message to him.. Which states that she is so glad she met him.. How she never would have made as far as she did without him.. And how she promises to make a great kingdom.