Hello again! Aren't you guys just SOOO proud of me for getting this up so fast? Or…at least fast for me? This one's rather long, too. Good news! We went to Nationals and kicked everyone's ass! It was…beyond awesome. I'm once again in college. It's really great this year. I'm not working (which means more time to work on my writing. Yay!) and my roommate and I get along GREAT. We're always hanging out together, so we're friends and not just roomies. But that's all for now. Here's the Reader Responses:

He-Yan: Um…probably about…2 feet? I'm notoriously fast you know.

Everlasting: God…everyone is changing their name… Maybe I should, too? Just to annoy you guys! Lol You're always reading my story when you're supposed to be quiet! Haven't you learned by now, child? shakes head I am the master of the subtle comedy. And as you can see, we got our revenge on that stupid team. They got fifth or something, I think. We beat out this really preppy team for the championship. I hated them SO bad. I hit one girl on purpose cuz she was a biotch. Whoops.

BMG: Yes. Rika is very funny. Both on paper and in real life. We loves you Rika!

Schec: Sorry…your name is too long. Lol Here's your update, dear, as promised!

Queen: Hah! Yeah. Monkeys are pretty cool. And Mimi says thanks! She's getting better at dealing with it (as you obviously have. Good for you!) She's really depressed now that I'm in college. And they haven't gotten her a big phone that she can see yet. So she spent all of last week trying to call me and didn't get me til today cuz she kept dialing the wrong number. She started crying and I started crying…it was a mess. She made me feel really good, cuz she says she's never missed a grandchild like she's missed me. (And since she has like 20…I feel special!) But we're doing good, I guess. Here's your update, dear. This one doesn't have as much mention of Zuri-chan, but he's in there somewhere!

Shondrial: Ah! My favorite person! huggles Ugh…don't start with me…I didn't PLAN on writing an epic…it just…worked out that way. Ah, well! At THIS rate, I'll be forty before I finish with #2!

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Rika was unprepared for how fast horses can travel with the right motivation. And having Urumiya screaming like a banshee over your head while kicking you in the sides was probably the biggest motivation of them all. By the time they actually reached the small village, the horse's sides were heaving. Flecks of white foam and formed around the simple bit. Wasting no time, Urumiya slid from the horse and reached up to bring Rika down as well. The poor horse just stood there, head drooping. Rika noticed that his body was dark with the sweat of his efforts. She turned to Urumiya who wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to the poor beast. "Should we take care of him…?"

The seishi spared a quick glance at the animal before resuming scanning the village. "He'll be fine after he is rested and fed." He quickly found what he was looking for and strode towards a small building off to one side, leading the horse behind him. Apparently, even nomadic villages had stables. And there was no doubt that these people were nomadic. Shepherds, probably. Rika saw several young boys tending a herd of sheep. Farther off in the distance, she saw similar forms, which made her think that there were probably several herds for this tribe. All of the buildings were actually tents, but looked comfortable enough from the warm glow coming from the doorways.

She suddenly realized that she was getting cold. Even all the clothes in the world couldn't cut out that icy wind. She quickly followed Urumiya's path to the stable. She pushed open the heavy door flap, visibly relieved at the warmth she found inside. She saw Urumiya talking with a man that had to be the stable master.

The man shook his head. "I really haven't seen anyone like you're describing. Maybe you've got the wrong tribe?"

Urumiya frowned. "No, I'm sure it was this tribe. Thank you for your time." He turned, still frowning. Not seeing Rika, he almost ran into her before his head snapped up. "Ah!" he flashed her a charming smile. "My apologies, Priestess! I don't know how I could have missed your lovely form," he winked.

Rika snorted since her bulky clothes covered any figure she might or might not possess. "What did that man say?"

Urumiya shielded his eyes against the wind as they both ventured out into the fast approaching night. "He didn't know the one I described," he reported mournfully. "He did, however, say that the families often hosted visitors in their homes." He smiled weakly at her, "At least you'll have somewhere warm to stay."

Rika nodded, petting Zuri-chan's head. The little monkey obviously didn't like the cold and didn't intend to come out until he was in a warmer place. She wondered at the hurt look on his face. Was this seishi someone close to Urumiya? He didn't flirt as usual or even really talk. He just led the way to the home-like tent they were staying at.

The woman of the house more than made up for Urumiya's disappointed silence. She chattered and fair bubbled goodwill. Rika smiled and answered what few questions were asked, but mostly she just listened. In the space of an hour, she had learned about the life of every one of the woman's relatives. And there were quite a few. Finally, her husband – unsurprisingly silent – spoke up. "They're probably tired, dearheart. Why don't you show them where they can sleep?"

The woman nodded and bubbled again, "Oh, of course! Can't believe I didn't think of this before! I'm sure you're completely exhausted!" She continued on in this vein the entire time she showed them their sleeping compartments. The mattress laid out before the fire were thick and looked comfortable enough to make Rika's sore muscle cry. There was only one problem. There was only a single mattress.

The sight of this managed to perk Urumiya up. He glanced at her and winked rather saucily. "Thank you, my good madam!" he exclaimed, ushering the woman through the curtain that thoughtfully blocked the rest of the room off from their sleeping quarters. "We will definitely be most comfortable here!" She managed a quick goodnight before Urumiya hastily pulled the curtains shut behind her. Turning back to Rika, he flashed his most rakish grin. "So…I'm not sleepy, are you –"

His words were cut off as Rika threw her sleeping roll at his face. He caught it and peeked around it in a way that made Rika flush from the roots of her hair to the soles of her feet. "Stop being so…so…"

"Sexy?" When had his voice gotten so deep?

"No. Annoying!" Rika retorted. "Now just go to sleep. Here. We'll split the blankets." She began forcefully dividing the linens. After a few moments, Urumiya chuckled and came to help her. The fire was warm, and – though she would never admit it – having Urumiya sleeping between her and the door made her feel safe. Evidently, Zuri-chan was not very sleepy. He crouched by her head, going through her hair with his tiny fingers. She didn't mind, and the motion soon soothed her into a deep sleep. But not before she wondered about her future. And that of her still missing seishi.

A loud shout woke Rika from her sleep. She looked around, confused, until she remembered where she was. The sound that had woken had been swiftly silenced. Curious and anxious to help it she was needed, Rika cautiously rose. Zuri-chan was once again nestled against Urumiya's side. The seishi was deeply asleep. Not wishing to disturb him, she quick-stepped over his sleeping form. Zuri-chan chirruped sleepily but did not wake.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rika made her way outside of the curtained alcove. Immediately she became aware of several torches outside. Their hosts were also outside. Creeping to the sturdy animal skin that covered the door and blocked the wind, Rika listened in on what was being said.

"Please!" This was the man's voice. "He has done nothing!"

"Liar!" A woman's voice – not their host's – spoke up. "He hurt my little boy! He needed stitches!"

This time the talkative woman spoke. "Your son was one of the ones tormenting him! What did you expect him to do! He was provoked! It was self-defense!"

Yet another male voice rose from what must be a considerable crowd. "His powers are dangerous, Setsuka! Even you must admit that!"

"He doesn't do it on purpose..." the woman's voice sounded less sure. And it was a trifle weary. "He's just afraid."

The same man – he must be the ringleader – spoke up. "This is the last straw! I, for one, won't allow my children to live with something this dangerous! It's just like a rabid dog." His voice was grim and – Rika realized – getting closer. She was thrown violently back as the man burst into the house, followed by the mob.

"No!" the woman's voice rose out of the angry muttering. "He's just a boy!"

But the crowd was mindless and beyond listening. They swarmed into the house and headed towards a room in the back. Leaping to her feet, Rika shouted, "Urumiya!" Deftly threading her way through the crowd, she managed to get close enough to the front to see several of the villagers pounding on what appeared to be a woven basket. But the basket didn't fold as Rika expected it to. The villagers' weapons rang dully off its surface. That's iron! Rika's mouth opened in shock as a frightened voice came from inside it.

"G-g-go away!"

"Demon!" Someone in the crowd yelled. The cry was quickly picked up by the rest of the mob. "Demon! Kill it! Get it out of the village!"

Rika forced her way to the front of the out-of-control people. She pushed the men hammering on the basket aside. "Enough!" she yelled, eyes blazing. "What the hell do you people think you're doing! There's a little boy in there!"

"Not so little," one man spat. "And it's not a boy. It's a demon spawn disguised as a boy. That thing ain't natural."

Rika rolled her eyes, not bothering to hide her scorn. "Oh? Really? What has this 'demon' done that is so despicable?"

"He has strange powers!" Someone called.

"And he hurt my baby!" that woman shrieked again. "He shot my baby with his needles!"

"Needles?" Rika's brow rose elegantly. "Where is your boy?"

"Here!" the woman triumphantly thrust a boy of about twelve up to the front.

"Where are you hurt?" Rika asked sternly.

The boy quivered, but obediently pulled up a sleeve to show a long scratch on his upper arm.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Rika shouted indignantly. "That's a scratch! And not a very bad one, at that!"

The woman harrumphed and cuddled her child to her. But another man spoke up. "It's not the hurt. It's the fact that he could have done worse."

"But didn't!" The boy's father spoke up. "Even while being tormented, he didn't do no worse than scratch."

Rika ignored the villagers for a moment and turned to the basket. "Hello? Are you okay in there?"

For a long moment, nothing was heard. Then a small, shaky voice responded, "I'm fine in my basket. It'll protect me from everything."

"Can you come out?" Rika cajoled. "To prove to these people that you aren't a monster or a demon?"

The voice trembled, "They'll hurt me again…"

Rika turned to glare at the villagers then, "I won't let them hurt you," she promised the boy quietly. "I won't let them touch you. I promise."

For another few moments, there was nothing. Then the basket slowly opened to reveal a young boy of about fourteen or fifteen. He was as round as his iron basket from the tip of his rounded ears all the way to his big round eyes. And it was those eyes that tugged at Rika's heart. They were so full of fear and pain. The boy stood no taller than her shoulder, which was quite short. His dumpling form was probably a large factor in his tormentors' taunts. His brown hair was pulled up into two balls on the top of his head, and his brown eyes looked into hers trustingly.

But behind them, the crowd became fired up at the sight of the boy. They began screaming again. "Demon! Monster! Drive him out of the village!"

The boy cowered behind Rika who stood the entire village off with her glare. "You people should be ashamed of yourselves! Picking on this poor child! He is no different from you or me!"

The ringleader turned to the mob. "You heard her! She claims to be no different than the boy! By my thinking, that makes them both demons!" The crowd yelled its approval. Rika's eyes grew wide, and the boy began to whimper. Just as she was about to try to sprint through the insane crowd, a lazy voice spoke up above the shouting.

"I wouldn't do that," Urumiya smiled dangerously. "The boy is one thing, but the girl is under my protection." Rika rolled her eyes. Did he have to be so dramatic? Still…she was rather glad to hear him right now.

An angry muttering swept through the crowd. "And who are you to be so demanding?" Someone called out.

His eyes flashed. "Well, I'm a womanizer and a gambler. But I'm also a fairly decent man. The name's Urumiya, friend. Remember it." The character "danger" suddenly glowed a stunning green upon his forehead.

His seishi symbol, Rika thought in amazement. But she didn't have to wonder for long. The boy had taken advantage of the mob's momentary distraction to hide inside his iron basket again. Only this time, he took Rika with him. She let out a little squeak of shock as the basket began rolling. The boy's hand tightly gripped her own, but his little face shone with determination as he sent the basket careening through the crowd of bodies. Most people seemed to notice the spinning basket and get out of the way. But a few times, Rika heard and felt the heavy thumps as people were too slow. She refused to feel sorry for them. Maybe they'd learn their lesson if they came away from it with a good-sized bruise or two!

After several minutes of rolling – enough to make her regret her dinner of warm stew – the basket came to a halt. The boy opened it and helped her out before making it disappear completely. Looking around, she saw that they weren't all that far from the house. They were just outside the village. And there came Urumiya. He seemed to have had the forethought to run to the stable and grab their horse and supplies. Rika breathed a sigh of relief over that one. She really wasn't sure what they would have done without those essential items.

Reining in the horse, Urumiya glanced down at the boy, grinning. "Well! You're in trouble as always, I see!"

Rika began to sputter a protest, but it was the boy who answered. "I-it wasn't my fault. My parents didn't understand my powers, so t-they went to the village elder. He said I w-was a demon. And slowly p-people were beginning to b-believe him."

She stared dumbly from one to the other before her brain kicked in. This kid was a seishi! Her mouth worked, but no sound came out. She had found – and rescued! – another seishi!

Urumiya obviously saw her discomfort and was enjoying it to the utmost. "Rika, Priestess of Genbu, may I present Hatsui, one of the Genbu Seishi."

Hatsui looked at her and smiled nervously. He seemed to always be nervous. "Hello, Priestess."

"You can call me Rika."

"Yes, Priestess."

Rika smiled. Then she gasped. "Zuri-chan! Oh, my god! I forgot him in the rush! He's probably being manhandled or eaten or –"

Hearing his name, the little monkey scrambled from his place inside Urumiya's cloak. "He just clawed his way in," the blonde seishi grumbled. He held out a hand. Rika went in front of him on the horse while Hatsui brought up the rear. "We're really gonna have to get some more horses," he complained.

"You didn't mind sharing with me," Rika noted dryly.

"You're my priestess! I have to provide for you!" The laughter in his voice was obvious.

"W-where are we going to find the next seishi?" Hatsui asked suddenly.

Rika sighed dramatically. "I don't care. Just please don't let this seishi be as prone to trouble as you two!"