Council of Twelve

Council of Twelve (最高幹部十二人会, Saikō Kanbu Jūnininkai) is the 27th episode of the Kekkaishi anime adapted by Sunrise.

Summary
The episode begins with a flashback set eight years before the series. Seven year-old Yoshimori is playing soccer when he notices Masamori (14 at the time) lying on the porch and staring at his hand, which lacks the Houin Mark. Yoshimori looks at his own hand, which does have the Houin. Masamori dozes off and wakes up to find that Yoshimori has drawn a Houin on his hand to cheer him up, but his smile is still somewhat sad.

Back in the present, Yomi Kasuga arrives a sweet shop for a meeting with Masamori. Masamori is far too cheerful for her tastes, and Yomi takes every opportunity to display how unhappy she is. Yomi provides information that one of Masamori's men leaked the news of his upcoming promotion. Masamori already know this, however, implying that he was testing Yomi's investigative skills. Yomi suspects that one of the Shadow Organization's twelve leaders is a traitor, but is reluctant to investigate them because of the danger. Masamori again convinces her to do his bidding by threatening Yoki. Yomi can hardly believe that Masamori is Yoshimori's brother because their attitudes are so different. At Karasumori Academy, Yoshimori and Yurina notice the ghost of a black cat clinging to their teacher Kurosu. Yoshimori tries to get more information, but Kurosu insists that he never owned a cat.

At the Shadow Organization headquarters, the leaders are discussing, with general disapproval, Masamori's appointment to their ranks shortly before he arrives. One of them sends a demon to attack him, but Masamori easily avoids it. Despite this, Masamori is respectful and calm as he introduces himself. Yumeji Hisaomi gives him a brief welcome and begins the meeting. Masamori is given a membership badge, and told that if it is lost or destroyed, he will be demoted. Back at school, Yoshimori explains to Yurina that animal spirits in Karasumori become monsters if they remain too long. Neither of them wants to see the cat destroyed, so Yoshimori decides to keep questioning Kurosu about it, but gets no solid answers. Gen spots the cat and very nearly destroys it, but Yoshimori stops him. Gen points out that the cat will become more of a problem if left alone, and Tokine agrees, but decides to leave it to Yoshimori since he's so passionate about it.

At the leaders' meeting, the topic of Karasumori comes up. Yumeji notes they are fortunate to now have a member of the Sumimura family to offer an insider's perspective, but Ichirou Ougi instantly dismisses this notion, rudely pointing out that Masamori is not a Legitimate Successor. Yoshimori continues to question Kurosu, but he has only ever owned algae as a "pet." They discuss black cats, and Kurosu becomes more interested, eventually revealing that such a cat lives around the school, and that they became friends, but that he's been missing lately. He notes that all cats like to be praised. Shigemori Sumimura visits Heisuke Matsudo at home, and they discuss his findings on the sample that Shigemori brought him. Heisuke explains that Ayakashi use human skin disguises to conceal their appearance and power, so they can be active during the daytime without attracting attention. He explains that Kokuboro is attracting demons to their cause by promising to turn them into humans. When Shigemori refuses to let the Shadow Organization assist him, Heisuke reveals that Masamori is now one of the leaders, which Shigemori was unaware of.

Kurosu learns from Aoki, another teacher, that a car had killed the black cat he was so fond of. Shocked, Kurosu reviews his memories of the cat, and finds a dead sparrow, a final gift from the cat. He praises the cat one last time, which allows it to pass on. The leaders' meeting ends, and Ichirou warns Masamori not to make any mistakes. Tatsuki pretends to comfort Masamori while actually trying to steal his badge, but he manages to stop her. Masamori waits until he is alone, then remarks that all of the leaders have forgotten what it means to be human. He is more determined than ever to protect Karasumori from them if necessary.

Differences from Manga

 * In the manga, the day after the cat ghost passes on, the ghost of the dead sparrow appears on Kurosu's shoulder.