From what I have watched in the anime and read in the novels [well...the english translated arcs so far, anyway...] I understand no one really knows what happened to Gyousou or Taiki, right?
Through what was translated, Taiki was told that Gyousou supposedly died in the hands of enemies who lured him into battle and assassinated him, or something more or less along those lines. The one who told Taiki this was someone that was said he at least trusted, and I heard rumors that it might have been someone from the Toei arc? Is this true?
To my understanding, the mysterious stranger was informing Taiki on how Gyousou was doing with certain tensions between a group of rebels in Tai, but I'm not too sure on who they were exactly. The stranger then striked at Taiki's kirin horn after telling him Gyousou had died.First, why would he do that? If this person was even someone living in the Tai Kingdom, most likely if Gyousou had really died, he would count on Taiki to choose the new ruler, but he cut off his horn instead. In another arc, Tasogare no Kishin - Akatsuki no Sora, Youko (now the empress of Kei) thinks it might have been a rebellion in the Tai Kingdom led by people seeking to overthrow the throne and ascend to it themselves; but then, even if someone wanted to make themselves emperor or empress against the Heaven's will, for the people of Tai to believe him/her wouldn't the Taiho need to be there in order to prove that?
For example, in the beginning of the anime series of Juuni Kokuki (in the first arc) Jyoei decided that she wanted to become Kei Kingdom's ruler, although the Heaven's and Keiki had not rightfully selected her; so Jyoei enlisted King Kou's help, and sealed Keiki to be by her side so as to prove to the people of Kei she was in fact the true ruler.
If this same logic is true, and if in fact a fake ruler overthrew Gyousou, in order to get the people of Tai to believe him, wouldn't Taiki need to be there? Why slash his horn off, and possibly try to kill him? And if that even happened, why isn't this imposter claiming his/her right to Tai's throne trying to take control over the kingdom?
Well, for one thing, we know Taiki isn't dead; he appears back in Hourai several times. Does anyone happen to know if there is anything connected with his Grandmother? Why did he suddenly return just as his Japanese Grandmother's funeral was held?
Furthermore, Taiki came back to Japan with no clothes on and a gash at the top of his forhead where his horn used to be. Taiho presumably have no clothing on when in kirin form, right? So, when Taiki somehow came back to Japan was he traveling while as a kirin? Maybe, when that mysterious stranger attacked him, Taiki caused a shoku? Is that how he ended up back in Japan?
But I just don't get Taiki after he returned from Tai; he doesn't remember anything, although he remembers Japan when first pulled into the world of Juuni Kokuki by Sanshi. Were Taiki's memories cut off along with his kirin horn?
However, what was the deal with all those bad things happening around Taiki, especially to those who weren't particularly nice to him, whenever they were around Taiki? And also, in the anime, Sugimoto comes to talk to Taiki (know known as Takasato Kaname in Japan - I think
) about how they were both "spirited away". As she was leaving his house, Sugimoto was confronted by a dark shadow questioning her on whether she was a enemy of 'our' king? The dark shadow took the form of something that resembled a youma with long hair and a thick tail; someone or something more like Sanshi? But why did it vanish as Sugimoto claimed she was a friend of the empress of Kei? Was it Taiki's nyokai or shirei, still protecting him although he may not remember anything? But then, before that Sugimoto comes across him in the street; Taiki tells her to leave him alone, and just as she tries to say something back, Sugimoto turns around and Taiki's already dissapeared? He couldn't have run that fast, could he? There were no sound effects imitating footsteps or anything... 
And later, we see Taiki, or hear his voice and actually see his feet, talking to someone else with black fur and claws on its feet; it definantly wasn't Sanshi, since her feet are that of a spotted leopard, so is it a youma or his shirei? If it were Taiki's shirei, then wouldn't that mean he hadn't actually forgotten about everything that happened in the world of Juuni Kokuki?And how could it plainly be a youma; they can't talk, can they?BTW : Sorry I keep talking, and talking ... but this is just to confusing to keep locked up; it's my first post,
, so I have a lot of questions to ask ...And Gyousou, what about him; we know he didn't die because the signs of an ruler's decline haven't appeared : such as the Hakuchi giving it's last cry when an emperor or empress has died. So he's alive, but why does no one know where he is; why can't Enki or anyone else find him?
And what became of Sanshi? When Taiki was first lost, she would repeatedly search for him and now nothing is heard of poor Sanshi anymore. In the novel translations, she was running to Taiki just as the stranger slashed off his horn; if Taiki did cause a shoku, did Sanshi get pulled in as well? But then, she would have been in Japan right?
... There's so much speculation, please forgive me for posting for so long but again, it can't be helped ... *sigh *
[ Correct me if I'm wrong on ANYTHING, I posted this thread from memory so some of the re-occurances could have been a little bit off what really did happen ... ]
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won't that be a supprise.
i didn't watch the complete anime and only read the episode guide.. but a guide is still a guide and it doesn't give COMPLETE information... sorry... and thankz...