Saiko lay awake the night before she and Kang were due to set out on their journey, placid green eyes half hooded in the moonlight from the courtyard. Strange thoughts had been scrambling about her mind since the moment she had seen Kang's seishi powers come into action. Certain things just didn't seem practical in her mind and according to all the pieces, this wasn't part of the puzzle. The emperor had said that due to her priestess energy, the other seishi would be drawn to her by a strange connecting force. If so, why hadn't Kang come rushing out the door of the palace screaming, "Where is she? Where's the priestess?"

Secondly, Saiko had imagined that she would be able to feel a responding energy from her warriors. When Kang began to create the energy shield with her sword, Saiko had felt absolutely nothing except the wind on her face created by the high speeds of the katana. Somehow she felt cheated, as though everything she had expected to come with being the almighty priestess had been a false advertisement. Little did the ancient Chinese know that they slightly resembled a modern day phone company.

Kang's face kept running through her mind, the look on her features, the way her eyebrows had creased and her normally sparkling blue eyes had lost their shine for a moment. Perhaps Kang had suspected the same as Saiko, that not only would the seishi sense her priestess, but the priestess would sense her seishi. It was an odd feeling, having only known Kang and the emperor for twenty four hours and yet she felt as if she'd known them all her life. Friendship was new to her...

Her thoughts were distracted as a ray of sunlight entered through the crack in her room's sliding doors. It settled upon Saiko's hand, glinting off the jewel of Taikon that she had been gripping so intently. One day she had been running from the coppers with a reckless grin on her face and now she was responsible for the lives of everyone in this miserable world. Amazing how a life could just up and change like that.

Deciding that she could lay in bed no longer, the newly found priestess rose and stretched her limbs, sighing as she noticed the stench that was her person; possibly it was time for her tri-annual bath.

The courtyard and its splendid roses were in full bloom, sending a delightful smell about the hallways of the castle and making Saiko smile faintly as she was known to do; her mother had loved roses. A quick surveillance revealed that it was much earlier than the castle was use to for the sun was just now peering over the horizon and sending scattered dapples of light about the house. She decided to make her way to Kang's room and ready herself for the trip.

The door was slightly open and inside, Kang was compiling a few basic items with her back to the door, humming a tune that Saiko could vaguely remember was about the joys of the morning. Among the pile next to her on the floor were an ivory comb, a switchblade, and a picture of something that Saiko could barely make out in the dim lighting. As soon as her guest's footsteps become audible to her ears, Kang shoved the remaining items in the bag and strapped her sword to her waist, smiling brightly at Saiko.

"Good morning, are you ready to go?" she asked sweetly.

The priestess nodded and habitually checked all the knives and gouging tools on her belt, noting that every one was in the correct place. The two girls silently made their way through the castle's many mazes and hallways until they reached the front gates and Saiko felt something tugging her back towards the large double doors she had entered so recklessly the previous day. Glancing over at her companion, she asked the question that weighed on her mind.

"Don't you want to say goodbye to the emperor?"

The air was thick with an intangible pall that settled over the birds, the trees and the forest which Sentai and Saiko had entered so solemnly the past day. It was sad, a feeling that Saiko rarely felt, and she looked over questioningly at Kang, who was staring with complete focus upon the palace. Something glittered in her eyes, but it never amounted to anything more than a heavy sigh. Her head still held high and her brave complexion standing out strong; Mai Kang reshouldered her bag and turned resolutely on one heel.

"I never like goodbyes."

With that Kang began a shuffling descent down the elevated pathway and Saiko hurried after her, catching up just in time to walk beside her as they made their way down the steps and into the Makesian village.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The town of Makesai was buzzing with activity by nine in the morning and all around, the dusty streets were host to brightly colored and richly adorned fruit stands, jewelry peddlers, and shopping wives of all sorts. Playing children scurried around the alleyways, giggling happily and living in a world untainted by reality. The sky, a startling blue, reigned above their heads and shone down upon the two girls as they walked silently through the city streets, preferring for some reason to stay away from the more busy pathways. Kang was silent, her eyes glazed over in thought, and Saiko was left to her own devices as she looked eagerly about the brand new setting. Everyone seemed so contented in the city, whether they be the poorest of the working class or rich courtesans out to pay a visit to an old friend. Possibly it was that Taikon had not recently been to war for Saiko recalled vividly how much battling had occurred during this period in time.

The loud and incessant call of a fish peddler that they happened to be passing jerked the priestess out of her haze of thought and she returned to the task at hand, the search for the second seishi. She decided that, in a city where she was not familiar with her surroundings, such a search was pointless. With a gentle tap to the shoulder, she alerted Kang and gestured rather hopelessly to the milling crowds.

"So. Any suggestions as to where they might be?"

Kang shrugged her lean shoulders, shifting her eyes about as though trying to identify the seishi. Her head on a swivel she inspected the surrounding people, eyebrows lowered suspiciously.

"Well, I don't know," she said quietly, "it could be any of them."

Her wild expression sent Saiko into peals of laughter, which quickly dissolved the goofy look on Kang's face. Soon, the two girls were laughing together, inwardly glad to break such a tense moment in time. Kang glanced around once more, this time more sanely, turning back to the priestess and letting out a long sigh.

"Face it Saiko," she said hopelessly, "there must be ten thousand people in this city, if not more. We'll never find the next seishi at this rate."

The priestess nodded reflectively, trying to narrow down the group of people she should be looking for. Kang was right, it did seem hopeless, but Saiko was willing to search for a week and onwards until she found them. This was her responsibility; she couldn't let the emperor and Makesai down. She began a more confident march in the direction of the central market place and with a renewed spark in her eyes, she gestured to Kang.

"Well, come on then, let's start looking," she said, grinning.

Kang just stared at her, eyes half hooded with the irony of it all and her arms crossed over her chest. She tapped her foot restlessly and, arms akimbo, shouted back at Saiko.

"Well, in case you haven't become fully aware of it, we're standing in the middle of a town full of people who, might I remind you, could be the seishi! How are we supposed to know?!"

The reply that issued from Saiko's mouth came as a complete surprise to Kang and, staring into the blazing green eyes that seemed to have magnified in their anger, she was almost intimidated but not quite so. It took more than an angry priestess to frighten Mai Kang. Still, she felt that she owed the priestess respect and did not talk back when the next words were spoken.

"Mai Kang," said Saiko in a dangerously low voice, "are you or are you not a warrior of Taikon?"

Kang did not stutter over her next phrase. "I am," she reported proudly.

"Then act like it and obey your priestess. We are going to find the next seishi and we are going to find them now. Understand?"

Kang paused for a moment and wondered if she had heard correctly. She was unaccustomed to hearing an order spoken to her in such a fashion and felt the strongest urge to rebel against the higher power and refuse to follow command. She was about to open her mouth to speak in protest but at that time she met the eyes of Saiko and realized that this journey meant more to her than even she, the general of the Makesian army, could ever understand. With that she nodded curtly and began to follow Saiko into the heart of town, wondering if Saiko the thief was always so stubborn.

*~*~*~*~*

At about mid-afternoon both girls trudged disheartedly into a small corner restaurant and collapsed wearily at a table near the door, wiping the sweat from their brows and the priestess was panting as though she had just run a great race. Saiko under the zippers on her boots to rest her aching ankles for a while, placing one hand on her forehead and closing her eyes.

"Kang," she said breathlessly, "this method of location is definitely...not...working."

The general, much more accustomed to walking long distances with the troops and having to follow hopeless causes, just nodded briefly as though to say, "I told you so." She placed her hands behind her head in a thinking gesture and leaned back in her chair leisurely. Her dust encrusted feet descended upon the table top as she mused over the past few hours they pair had spent bouncing around the city, losing momentum as they realized how fruitless their search was going to be. After asking almost the entire population if they knew the whereabouts of a strong fighter with a glowing symbol somewhere on their body, most likely the emperor's guards would arrive soon to collect the two insane travelers who were terrorizing the people with bizarre questions. One thing was still puzzling her.

"I wonder how the past priestess's have assembled their sei so quickly. It just doesn't make sense," she pondered aloud.

Saiko lowered her eyebrows in an ironic statement of her thoughts on the subject and she stared heatedly at her friend. "How?" she voiced menacingly, "HOW?! They had the fucking little seishi finder, handy dandy and made to fit in all carry-on compartments! We, however, are forced to trundle around this god forsaken town and scare the natives because we are completely on our OWN!" she screamed, banging her fist down for emphasis on the last word.

The table shook and the two motionless girls became aware of the eyes of the restaurant owner and his staff, glued to their backs and wondering what kind of strange foreigners these girls were. Saiko slowly returned her bottom to her seat, looking down at the surface of the table and drawing small symbols in the collecting dust with a crazy look in her eyes, muttering incoherent and indignant phrases to herself. Kang gritted her teeth and glared at the priestess.

"You know, its one thing when I get stared at for being a female general, but being stared at as a foreigner in my home country is a different matter," she muttered through a stiff jaw.

As irritable as she was, Saiko was about to argue back with a smart come back when the cow bell on the door rang once more. Eager to postpone their quarrel, the two servants of Taikon turned and stared in complete and utter silence at the odd enterer.

A rather small girl, only about two inches above Kang's height, the stranger moved fluidly and with purpose, yet in a meek and submissive manner. Her hands, clasped across her sparkling black over tunic, did not shift nervously but rather stayed locked politely in place, slightly wrinkling the silver under covering and sky blue sash. The hue of her skin was not too light nor too dark although the girl seemed so out of place that one may have thought she had spent her life in complete seclusion. Her face was framed by her shimmering sable mane which extended to the small of her back and before the onlookers observed anything else, they stared awe- struck at her captivating yet fearfully cold blue eyes. The pupils were calm but they were discounted, for otherwise her delicate and somehow contradictingly vivacious orbs resembled a still pond in the dead of winter, frozen with a pain that no human could ever truly understand. At her side stood a dangerous but tame looking wild animal, a spotlessly white wolf with glimmering fangs but passive eyes, unlike its owner. The way it stayed so faithfully at her side, one might have mistook it for a house pet, but its tail and yellow eyes said otherwise.

The restaurant owner, possibly wondering how so many odd people could enter his business in one day, shook himself out of the surprise that had claimed him and pointed stolidly at the wolf.

"No animals in this restaurant," he announced imperially. The wolf, in turn, growled confrontationally at him and he took a fearful step back.

The girl revealed her evident youth as she replied in a level but agreeable tone. "Oh yes, sirrah, I quite agree for what business would thy hold if wild creatures roamed freely inside? Yes," she continued in her strange speak, "I believe that thou hast made a brilliant decision."

Saiko leaned in closely so that she was able to whisper a question to Kang. "Where is she from you think? She talks weird, "she said.

Kang nodded in concurrence and continued to watch the scene with rapt attention. Without removing her eyes from the peculiar newcomer she motioned to the shoulder strap on the girl's right arm that Saiko had somehow overlooked. "No clue. But that's one heck of a set of arrows she's got there. I believe those are none other than Baiken wood. Very hard to come by and treated by the peasants as good luck. Look at that design," she said longingly, reaching one hand out feebly as though she wished to snatch the bow and arrow and run away, "what a piece of work that is."

It was true, Saiko noticed, as she looked over the polished mahogany bow and matching arrows. The designs that Kang had been referring to really were incredible, leaves on a continuing vine that scaled the length of every piece. So intricate were they that the thief could not help wondering how much money the girl had paid for them.

The restaurant owner was flustered by the girl's reply and made a wild hand gesture at the wolf.

"Worthless woman, if you agree, get that thing out of my restaurant!" he said irritatedly.

The girl did not falter, did not turn away nor quail under the threatening glance. She merely placed one hand on the wolf's hand, which the animal quickly licked, revealing its affection for its master. "Yasha?" she asked innocently, "he is a human, sirrah. A valiant one too. Mine thoughts do bring about the fact that so many of our kind act like 'animals' that he can hardly be considered the same, aye?"

Her level tone was too much for the restaurant owner and as he warily eyed the dripping fangs of the tame wolf her reached slowly behind the counter and withdrew a closely wrapped package. In one movement he had withdrawn his sword and he stood readily in a fighting stance, though his hands shook terribly as they clasped the hilt and rattled the blade nervously. With a nod of his head he indicated first the wolf then the doorway.

"O-out, woman, out of my shop," he faltered nervously. He edged closer and closer to the girl and her pet although they did not move.

Apparently the threat had fallen on deaf ears for the girl did not move but merely stood with her cold eyes transfixed on the blade in the owner's hands. The wolf at her side had taken to growling fiercely, its eyes narrowed and its lips curling upwards to reveal more and more rows of jagged white teeth and, its ears fallen back, it rumbled with the dangerous noise it was making. This did not, however, visibly deter the advancing man and just when he had raised his hands to bring it crashing down upon the animal, the oddest occurrence took place.

Only Kang could see it for her eyes were far more experienced at following quick movements and she watched in wonder as the girl, in one fluid movement that resembled that of a dramatic dance, whirled the bow and a convoluted arrow from the sheath attached to her back. Her hands moved so professionally and her robes barely swished in the slightest. She did not seem to aim, for her eyes remained complacently fixed on the man's hands, but the arrow's silver and green tail feathers zipped backwards and then forewords with the motion of the waxed bow string, flying with a deadly whistle at the owner. The sword, in all its splendor, was knocked from the restaurant owner's hands and flew backwards over his head, banging against the wall but moving no farther than that.

It was nailed expertly against the wood, its hilt pierced by a single vine patterned arrow.

All in the room gaped at the feat that lay before them, the arrow and the sword, the true telling sign that revealed the girl's skills to all present. The serving girls gasped shrilly and retreated into the back room while the owner found himself frozen in fear. Saiko was so astounded that Kang surmised her jaw would never return to her top row of teeth. The general of the Makesian army, as a slight breeze rushed through the open windows and shifted a set of wind chimes placidly in the background, caught glimpse of the sign she had been waiting for. Shaking the priestess violently, she pointed to the girl and peered around the back of her head to where the back met the neck. The breeze had altered the girl's raven black tresses and they flew to one side, revealing a strange marking. At the top of the girl's spine, glowing a brilliant silver with its heavenly light, was the Chinese symbol for "wolf" and the telling sign for any seishi of the beast gods.

At this time the owner finally found his voice and began screaming for the street guards. The girl, although she had seemed calm before, now appeared to be alarmed by this turn in events, and seemed taken aback as though she had expected to walk away from the encounter unscathed. Leaping into action, Kang and Saiko sprang from their seats and crossed the floor to the girl, locking eyes with her in a way that they prayed expressed a desire to help. Saiko spoke quickly yet deliberately.

"Come quickly, we must escape!"

The girl was frightened but Kang began pulling her towards the door until she responded and began to run with the two girls away from the scene of her display. The jangling of heavily armed men and protective armor could be heard from the end of the road and it increased in intensity as they ran. Saiko and Kang urged the girl on and they sprinted for their lives, not daring to look back and note the progress of their pursuers. Kang's eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets as they looked around for an escape route and, finally, they landed on a narrow alleyway. She skidded to a halt and changed direction for the entrance, calling out to the other two.

"This way!" she shouted, motioning towards the alley, running in the direction of the other end. Saiko and the other girl, closely accompanied by her wolf Yasha, followed desperately as their leader took the turn and they continued helter skelter until they came to a foreboding gray stone wall. Saiko stared at the fortification and banged her fist against it angrily.

"Damn it! What now?" she swore.

Kang, however, was preoccupied examining a small protrusion from the left alley wall. With a confident smirk, she used her hands and gripped them tightly around it, yanking a small portion of the wall away. Through the dust and grime that exploded from within, Saiko and the strange girl could see it was a secret little compartment, about the size of a small cave, and they hurriedly piled inside.

As they stayed crushed inside the hidden passage, trying to restrain their uneven breathing, they could hear the loud clanking of the guards running up and down the street, screaming to one another about the fugitives' whereabouts. The girl clung tightly to Yasha, running her fingers distractedly through his snow white fur as though it provided her with reassurance. For what seemed like an eternity, they remained holed up in the alleyway until the shouts had died down and the only audible sound was the distinct buzz of the market crowd. Saiko climbed out of the wall, stretching her cramped limbs tetchily. Kang ushered the frightened girl out into the sunlight, following suit and yawning almost boredly with it all.

Saiko sat down with her back against the wall, eyeing the girl strangely and half hooding her eyes with fatigue. The girl had withdrawn something from her robes and was clutching it protectively as though it were her key to life. The wolf lay down next to her where she sat and rested its head contentedly in her lap.

Kang sat down beside the two, completing their small circle, and addressing the stranger with a friendly smile. "I'm sorry we rushed you off like that, but the guards were coming and it would have been a big mess had you been caught. My name is Mai Kang; I am a warrior of Taikon. Perhaps you've heard of him," she finished casually.

The girl nodded slowly, taking everything in as she readied herself for a response. Still clutching the unknown item, she steadied her expression, which had returned to the placid and almost emotionless front.

"I am Fu Kai, called Karami by some. Indeed Taikon hath found his way into my ears. A god of the territory, savior to the land, aye?" she replied.

"That's him," Saiko interjected, "and you will find he's going to play a big part in your future. You know that glowing thing that comes on your neck whenever you fight?"

Karami nodded but looked down at the object in her lap, rather than at the priestess, seeming dreamily preoccupied with her own thoughts. Saiko seemed slightly perturbed by this and Kang seemed only amused. The thief continued on as though she hadn't noticed Karami's lack of interest.

"Well, that indicates that you are a warrior of Taikon, destined to serve him and restore the balance to this world. I...," said Saiko, pausing for effect, "Am the priestess of Taikon!" she finished dramatically.

The words echoed throughout the alleyway and Saiko grinned cockily, staring intently at Karami as though hanging on her every motion. Apparently she had expected a squeal of surprise or at least a small gasp. She earned neither, but only a smile and a glance. The new seishi spoke as though no one else were present and she stroked Yasha's head gently, still paying attention to the secret item concealed in the folds of her tunic.

"My sensitive spirit senses the balance as it fades, in wanes friend. Thine quest, I suppose, is to restore it? Aye, quite righteous. How dost thou see thineself completing it, though? The beasts have minds of their own, friend, powerful minds indeed. They rule this world and will until the balance dies, or so tis said by men. Tis so, friend, tis so, and I fear thine quest will be fruitless as the vine in winter."

Saiko, learned in the languages of the old book, had no issue comprehending the girl's strange manner of speaking, but was thoroughly agitated by her meaning. "It won't be fruitless. I won't let it be," she argued, her tone rising slightly.

Karami remained busy with the article in her robes and said smoothly in reply, "Tis a fool's errand, friend. Do not waste thine time so."

Saiko was becoming not angry but distraught with the mere thought of failure. She couldn't fail...she wouldn't fail. Her eyes watered with the strain they had endured throughout the day and her hands clenched into fists quickly in defense. Her mind was so tired, as was her mouth, and what she said was what she felt, an honest statement from the heart.

"A fool's errand? I don't give a damn what kind of journey it is. An entire country and spiritual balance is hanging on our every move, our every decision. If we don't band together and defeat the evil that's rising, who will do it? No one else can, Karami, no one else has our power. I've lived a life where everything I did only depended on me but this is a whole new ball game. The lived of thousands are in my hands, in our hands. Do you want the blood on your conscious when the gods fail? DO YOU? I for one will not be beaten by someone who refuses to believe in hope. I haven't had hope all my damn life but I'm starting to find it now. You probably wouldn't understand, but I've got nothing else to live for and if we don't gather the other seishi, no one else will either. NO ONE! I WILL...NOT...FAIL!"

Saiko was breathing heavily and during her outburst, she had stood and raised to her full height, glaring down contemptuously at the girl and saying her words clearly and with no hesitation. Her eyes glimmered with a new found purpose and her fists, balled up resolutely, stayed still at her sides as though a promise of commitment to the world. Hearing the words out loud had strengthened the truth she knew they had already held and she stared defiantly at Karami as though daring her to disagree. For the first time during their conversation, Karami had lifted her head from her lap and was now staring straight back into Saiko's wild emerald eyes, finding them just as commanding as her dangerous blue ones. This girl, she could sense, had fire and passion for the cause she was living. It had been many a long day since she had met someone willing to risk their hide for another's and she feared that, should she not take this chance, she would find herself living that pointless life Saiko had so truthfully described. The priestess had accused her of not understanding the pain she felt nor the glory in finding hope, but little did the inexperienced girl know, Karami the wanderer knew so much more about it than she would ever know.

Kang could sense hidden questions rising to the surface and resolved to put in her two cents worth before another conversation arose. "What she's saying," she said to Karami, "is that we would like you to join us on our journey to assemble to other seishi and save the country."

When spoken, Kang noted, these words seemed rediculous and childish and as though she were attempting an impossible feat. Nevertheless, she never lestened her intent gaze in Karami's direction as though willing her to comply with her mind's deepest hopes and agree to accompany them. Karami continued to stroke Yasha's head as she mulled over the pros and cons, humming a strange tune to herself before deciding which path she would take. Staring placidly at the priestess of Taikon, she nodded slowly, her shimmering black locks falling slightly into her face.

"Indeed, friend, I shall join you," she replied.

Saiko and Kang both let out deep breaths of thankfulness, laughing slightly with the release in tension. For a moment, both the priestess and the general had feared the word "nay" would hang heavily on the air before them.

At this time, Saiko looked pointedly down at Karami's lap, trying to catch another glimpse of the mystery object. "What are you playing with Karami?"

The sei seemed as though she were in a faraway place as she answered, clasping her hands around in tenderly and holding it aloft for the others to see.

"A keepsake and treasure, friend, given to me by a comrade of old," she breathed.

Both girls could see that it was a small mirror, unscratched and unmarred, reflecting the sun that shone a throbbing orange on the horizon. They inspected it from several angles, musing over what an odd object it was to keep as a treasure. Kang was staring off into the distance when a strange thought struck her. Could it be...? She left her thoughts unfinished for Saiko and Karami had risen and were preparing to leave. Yasha yawned whole- heartedly and Saiko smirked.

"I agree, Yasha, I'm beat."

Kang pointed in the direction of the city gates, squinting against the brilliant orange light. Her robes ruffled in the wind as she spoke, "We might as well make the two hour walk to Genkrai; we want to make it at least away from Makesai today."

Karami nodded reflectively and smiled at her new found friends in her mysterious and dreamy way. Yasha danced around her feet and she held out her hands towards the setting sun, her icey blue eyes seeming somewhat thawed under the new circumstances.

"May Taikon grant us luck, friends. Shall we depart?" she asked politely.

The other two girls nodded resolutely and for one brief moment they all stood bravely in the light, their shadows long and tall. Their profiles cut brave figures as they all thought the same resounding thought. They would not fail and they would not lose to fate. As priestess and seishi of Taikon, they would succeed.