Yay! I'm back! Or at least my story is…so I'm back too in a way! It took me SO long to update! Why? BECAUSE I HAVE A CRAP LOAD OF FRICKING HOMEWORK! (sigh) There! Got that out of my system…Actually, I'm doing this instead of homework which would make me a very bad girl…but I couldn't just leave my loyal reviewers (and readers who don't review) hanging! So…yeah…here we are…(sigh) Like I'm DEPRESSED thinking about how much homework I have…It's really sad cuz I'm never depressed like this where ppl would notice…TT I shall cry now…Okay I'm done. Yeah…this is really random so I'm going to do the response thingys… .
Silver: Lol…I'm glad Urumiya's getting such a good reaction…-…he'll like that…perve…yeah…and not everyone cand handle tsunamis! If...that's what it was…But Urumiya can cuz he's so CUTE! . Ya'll just don't know what a pain it is to type Urumiya in over and over…yeah…And yes…(tear) I am a perfectionist…thank god its only when dealing with my stories! But yes…we lost our softball game…it was so bad I don't really want to talk about it! (twitch twitch) I seem to be rambling today…ciao then!
YG: Eee! Glad you liked it (and Urumiya) so much! No! Don't smite me with the spork! T-T Then who would update for you! (steal heavenly spork) MWAHAHAHA! I SMITE THEE! (smites YG) …..no! Hee…yes…smoother Tokaki is very sexy…btw…message was passed on…and good luck with your studying! Man I hated chemistry…what grade are you in anyway?
Koneko: Good to see you again! I place on blame on you of course…as long as you've been reading! Yay! You've liked it! That makes me happy too! Yes..Urumiya is an EXTREME flirt…he might as well make it a profession….and we probably won't hear from the Suzaku seishi until after maybe one or two more chapters with Genbu then….aya needs to be heard from….THEN we'll get to Suzaku…(glowers) Then its back to those damn Seiryu ppl…they're so hard to write for…but things should be picking up for them soon.. 3 heehee…happy reading!
ET: Glad you like it! And yes…I would do this for you…. you can be like his little g/f or something…how's that? Course he's been dead…so you could be his reincarnated g/f! (praises her quick thinking) yes…go me…ANYWAY…I shall watch my head…after being dropped on it several times as a child (seriously) I doubt I could lose any more brain cells…but thanks for worrying! "
"Do you have to do that!" Rika asked in irritation as she watched Urumiya carefully.
"Do you want to eat?" he asked calmly blowing on the dice.
"All you have to do is roll a higher number than me," the greasy man at the table smiled at them both. "Simple, no?"
"See?" Urumiya still didn't dare look his priestess in the eye. "Simple."
Rika grumbled to herself and crossed her arms. "Gambling is never 'simple'. They never let you have a chance to win anything significant. And then if you do by some freak accident…they off you once you're a good distance away."
"Off you?" Urumiya looked up finally in interest. "What does this term mean?"
"Never mind!" Rika threw her hands up in frustration. "You just…do whatever…"
"All right! I will!" Urumiya grinned happily and rolled the dice.
Three pairs of eyes watched the dice intently. It rolled around a bit…slowed…and stopped on a four.
Urumiya's eyes narrowed. "Hmm…not the best of rolls, but not the worst either. We'll see!"
Rika rolled her eyes and swore under her breath about stupid men. She'd been acting strange lately. More like Aya…or gods forbid…Yuko. They'd laugh to hear her say it, but this world seemed to bring out the worst in her!
"Very well," the man picked up the dice and smiled at Rika. "My turn."
Rika blinked. Why smile at her? She cast a quick glance at Urumiya who had no expression at all on his handsome face. What had he done now?
But the dice was cast, and they once again watched, nerves standing on end, as the dice slowed then halted. "Ha!" the man yelled. "A five! I win our little wager…"
Urumiya shrugged, "Darn. Well, can't win them all. How bout double or nothing?"
The man's eyes traveled once again to Rika, "Very well. Have it your way. This time I shall go first." He rolled the dice. This time he rolled a two.
"This shouldn't be hard to beat!" Urumiya winked at Rika. "Here we go!" He rolled the dice. Rika looked away, certain of victory. Now…what did she want to eat?
"No!" Urumiya shouted, his eyes wide.
Rika spun around and gaped in astonishment at the dice which had calmly landed on one. "No way…no frickin way!"
"I'm afraid that you lose…again," the man smiled that nasty smile. "Now it is your turn to pay up."
"What did you bet?" Rika asked in a strained voice.
"Um…you're going to hit me," Urumiya told her. "But maybe you'll forgive me?"
"What. Did. You. Bet," Rika ground the words out between clenched teeth. Dammit! She'd just gotten out of slavery! She sure as hell wasn't about to go back in!
"Um…"
"Come with me," the man stood up his eyes hard. "A bet is a bet, and you will come now."
Urumiya shrugged amiably and followed the man. Rika, her mind spinning, followed as well. They left the front room of the inn they'd stopped in and went through a door to a back room. Rika didn't pay much attention to her surroundings at first so great was her rage at Urumiya, but after a few seconds she noticed that it was uncomfortably warm back here.
It turned out that 'back here' was a kitchen. A kitchen without the nice air conditioner to keep it cool. "You will wash dishes for the rest of the night," the man instructed as he motioned to a large tub in one corner of the room. The girl can serve tables. When we close the kitchen, you can eat any scraps left over." He turned and strode from the room back to the front to greet another customer.
Rika stood unmoving, shocked, her eyes wide with disbelief. Urumiya patted her roughly on the back. "Well, I'm off to scrub. You'd better be careful out there. Some customer might think you're for sale!"
Blinking, Rika somehow made her way over to Urumiya. Then she punched him. Right on the jaw. Yep. Yuko and Aya would be proud. Her daze officially broken, Rika grabbed a plate of rice and carried it out to the first table of many that she would go through. "I will personally see to his annihilation!" Rika wheezed when she'd finally seen the last customer head upstairs for bed. "Right after I fall into unconsciousness…"
"Well, we can't have that now can we?" Urumiya spoke up from behind her. He caught her arm and steered her gently to the kitchen. Once there, he sat her down and fed her some soup that had been left over. "There. Are you feeling better?"
Rika raised tired eyes and gazed uncertainly into his golden ones. "I think I hate you."
Urumiya beamed. "Good! You're back to normal! Now! Let's get you into bed shall we?" So saying he picked her up, feet and all. Startling Rika into grabbing for his neck with both arms. She squinched her eyes tightly shut and squeaked. He laughed. "That sounded more like a mouse than a priestess!"
Rika growled at him, eyes still closed, "Shut up!" She felt him start to move and held on tighter. Listening intently, she could tell when they climbed the stairs and headed into a bedroom.
Urumiya placed her gently on a bed. Rika's eyes shot opened and she stared uncertainly at him. "Don't worry. I'm not going to eat you!" He smiled, "Yet."
Anger and embarrassment flooded through her, "You imbecile! Get out!"
"Can't," he shrugged, "My bet only included one room and scraps."
Rika's eyes widened. "But ― "
"Listen!" Urumiya laughed. "I'm going to sleep on the floor! I promise I won't try anything while you're asleep!"
"Promise?" Rika asked suspiciously.
"On my honor as a seishi," he swore. "Besides, I couldn't do anything to hurt my priestess, now could I?"
Rika thought about it for a minute and decided that as stupid and perverted as he could be sometimes, Urumiya had never given her anything to doubt his sincerity. His intelligence, maybe. But never his sincerity. She quickly scooted under the blankets piled on the bed. One she saved and threw down to Urumiya, who had lain down already. "There. Don't touch me, don't talk to me, don't even breathe loudly. I don't want to be reminded that you're here."
"Yes, Priestess," was the soft reply.
Rika was getting sleepier by the second. Just before her eyes closed in sleep she managed to get out, "Don't call me that…"
Urumiya sat up for a time listening to Rika breath. He hadn't felt quite safe since coming into the room. Something was watching them. But he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was! Rather than alarming her, he'd but Rika to bed. Not that she hadn't needed it. She had worked her tail off. Urumiya smiled in the dark. Yes…she was going to be just as much fun as Takiko. He'd always had fun teasing her. A sharp pain filled him at the thought of his beloved priestess. She'd gone back to her world only to die at the hands of her own father…Sometimes the knowledge that death brings isn't always welcome.
A slight bump against the wall on the other side of the bed had Urumiya up and ready for a fight. But he couldn't see anything. As much as he hated the thought of possibly waking Rika, he had to light the lamp. Careful not to make too much noise, he found the lamp and lit it.
Nothing. "I could have sworn that something was in here…" Urumiya quietly walked around Rika's sleeping place to check the other side of the room. Rika lay slumbering peacefully. It was really hard to wake her up actually. Once she was asleep…she was gone. He finally got to where he could see everything. Still nothing. "Dammit, I know I heard something! Like something heavy hitting the floor!" He glared at the floor as if it were hiding something from him. Wait…maybe it is… Urumiya glanced at the bed. It was high and could possibly fit someone under it. "We'll just have to see, won't we?" Setting the lamp very carefully on the floor, he crouched down to peer into the darkness under the bed. Inching his head under so as to get a better look, Urumiya focused on something under there…something small….something that launched itself at his face!
