First chapter: Seishinryoku the story of Taikon

Sun spread over open air Tokyo market, illuminating the faces of the merchants and the public, a large mass of color and excitement. The brilliance of the day was almost tangible on the air as men and women made their way through the crowds, ducking out of the flow to visit a fish shop or a fruit stand. Children played blissfully near the Hiroshima Memorial fountains, ducking in an out of the waterfalls, laughing happily as they splashed and frolicked. Shouts sounded on the air, selling all manner of things. Fish, two for one, Flower bouquets, buy your girlfriend something nice, those ear rings match your eyes madame, care to try them on?

A different kind of yell broke the air and from above one could see a group of constables trying to push their way through the crowd. They were in hot pursuit of a thief, their hats falling comically over their faces as they ran frantically into couples and children alike. A much swifter figure could be seen aout twenty feet in front of them, sprinting lightly with their toes barely even touching the ground. They were clutching a bag full of small glittering objects and as they ran, they bit deeply into an apple. As far as runaway theives went, this one inparticular seemed quite at ease with the circumstances.

The terribly confused constables broke their way into a clearing of sorts near the center of the market. They stood back to back, flabbergasted, gazing around in a disoriented fasion. Their leader, a rather rotund man with a thick red mustache, used his hankerchief to wipe his brow and said aloud, "Where did she go? Spread out! Find her!"

The policemen stepped suit and began to peer in barrels, checking behind stands and standing on their toes to get a better look into windows. As the chief turned around from inspecting a peach vendor, he caught sight of a flashing green blur. He called out to his fellow officers and they all pursued the sighting into an alleyway off to the side of the market. All of the sudden, a large white sheet dropped from above, smothering the men in an enclosure of almot unthinkable wit. They each tried to escape in a different direction and only proceeded to snap back into the center, crashing into the other four heads. A muffled whump was heard right outside the alleyway and the policemen escaped just in time to witness the culprit, standing tall and balancing on the top beam of a vendor's stall.

It was a girl, only about fifteen in age, relatively normal in height but extremely skinny according to the average weight. Her feature were clean cut and confident, blazing green eyes of the most staggering shade, rather high cheek bones that accentuated her bold smirk. Startling red hair cascaded down her back in a flat but shimmering sheet, thick enough that it didn't ripple in the wind. The girl was garbed in shades of green, an emerald vest adorning her torso, zipped down to a comfortable level. Her pants were lowcut and rather large, showing a rather unappropriate amount of stomach; they were rolled to right below her knees and then tapered off at the start of her combat boots, which were tattered and torn with wear. Around her waist was a large assortment of knives and other interesting instruments, hooked to a change in order of size, smallest to largest. In her upheld hand she was gripping the top of a silvery, opaque bag, which revealed a large amount of shimmering diamonds in its bottom. She grinned, revealing a smile of brilliant white teeth. "Well boys, looks like I win again!"

With that she slid down the red and white striped awning, jumping the ten foot distance to the ground. As soon as she hit, she took off running, sprinting at an almost unnatural speed out of the market place. The policemen followed more quickly than before, one radioing in on the walkie talkie to alert the street patrol. The girl made it past the fountains and through the park, taking refuge in a tree every once and a while as ground patrol men scurried through the underbrush below. She looked around frantically, trying to think of the best hiding spot. "Think Saiko, lots of people, lots of cover..."

Above the canopy of trees she spotted a flag pole, the japanese colors waving pridefully in the wind. The buildings title was barely visible above the greenery; "International Library." Saiko rejoiced quietly and climbed deftly back down to earth, using her skills to diguise herself amongst the bushed and tree trunks. She finally crept her way out of the park, looking both ways for cops. When she recognized the coast was clear, Saiko made her way up the steps to the doorway and ducked inside with one last peek for pursuers. The lobby was relatively large and each voice echoed off the walls; she decided that this was the last place she wanted to hide. The area with the numerous shelves and bookcases was appealing but so obvious. To her left Saiko spotted a few coke and snack machines, each buzzing from out of date motors and underkeep. Straight in front of her as she turned was a smaller stair case, leading up into an obscure darkness. She felt no fear as she neared the bottom step. She almost felt drawn to the top landing and smiled to herself; well, this was an ingenious hiding spot.

Putting one hand on the railing she made her way up the steps, glancing this way and that as though expecting a policeman to jump out from a spot on the wall. When she realized that the thick layer of dust could only mean "untouched by human hands," Saiko let down her protective front and rolled her shoulder a few times. There were hallways to either side of her but the only door she saw was the one directly in front. Her hand reached tenetively for the knob. Something about it intrigued her and she finally felt the cold metal of the knob touch her finger tips. She turned it and with no sound at all, it swung open, revealing a dark room filled to the ceiling with book shelves. Unlike the library, these shelves were short, chipped in places, the wood peeling off the corners mournfully. The books had worn bindings as though they had been opened few times but thrown around more than not. The label on the door read "restricted section." Saiko grinned heartily. Sounded like her kind of place.

Taking a step inside she wandered curiously down the most obvious pathway. Books of all shapes and sizes protruded from the shelves, strings of paper hanging from the odd one here and there. Most of the labels were japanese but a good deal were what Saiko recognized as English, some Dutch, even German. She ran her fingers along the bindings carefully; her mother had taught her to love learning, books and culture. The thought of her mom brought a stinging pain to Saiko's heart and she swiftly dismissed the thought. Her mother was dead, there was no use revisiting the past. All of the sudden one book inparticular jumped out at her. The script was ancient Chinese if Saiko wasn't mistaken, and judging from the dialect, it said, "Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho." Saiko scratched her chin thoughtfully. That was an odd name. Holding the book in both hands she flipped open the cover, still holding the bag of jewels in her hand.

Saiko sat down thoughtfully on the floor and mulled over the first few words. She sounded them out carefully. "To restore the spiritual balance, the four saint gods Suzaku, Seiryuu, Genbu and Byakko united their powers and created the best Taikon."

Saiko read onwards about the spiritual balance and the call for the fifth god. She becameso enthralled in the book that she failed to noticed the burning sensation in her hands as the book's heat increased. Her emerald eyes shone as they scanned the pages eagerly, but the next part alerted her the most. "...and this called for a new priestess and new seishi..."

Saiko gasped as the burning increased and dropped the book hurriedly. A sudden wind began to swirl around her body, playing tenderly with her hair and whipping it about her face. A red light engulfed her completely, causing Saiko to shield her eyes from the burning in her pupils. She gripped tightly to the jewels, praying that the only wealth she had would not be taken. The pain of the book's power increased and Saiko screamed aloud in pain and in terror, instinctively drawing her knives as though she could defeat the book with the blades. As she was forced to shut her eyes against the blazing light and heat, a strange sound rose above the melee of the wind. Right before unconciousness stole her away Saiko thought slowly, "A horse...its a horse..."

With that Saiko the thief saw only the murky midnight of her deep and cavernous mind.