"Aaaaaaa!" the girl pushed aside Ryuuen's arms and Tama's weight, and ran to her father's side, dousing the eight symbols with their shock. "Nhaaaannaah!" She stood in front of the man, shaking her head at Saihitei and wailing in the most pitiful voice any of them had ever heard.

Sweet fuckin Suzaku, she’s protecting the s. o. b...

At this, the man smirked in Saihitei's face and said, "She knows who cares for her," before spitting at his feet.

For a split second Shun'u could only gape. Holyfuckinshit, he just spat at th' Emperor! Then it faded away to a very excited, I’m gonna enjoy burnin his ass ta a pile o’ ash.

But before Saihitei could carve out a heart or Shun'u could unfasten his tessen, Tama spoke to the Seishi.

'It's our turn now. Just keep the man from doing anything stupid.'

He sauntered up to the child and rubbed against her legs, catching her attention. 'Hey there, little one,' he projected to her, using the softest, silkiest brush of his mind. It was as if he spoke with feelings and emotions rather than words.

At this, the child gasped in shock at this new sensation of ‘sound’ and ‘hearing.’ Then her whole being began to glow with such delight and enchantment that everyone couldn’t help but watch her.

Ain't never heard anything before... guess hearin the ketsu in yer head's a pretty big step for her, Shun'u thought as he watched everything unfold.

He came up to the father and pulled him backwards and away from the girl. "Hey you, jus’ a warning here, but if ya fuckin breathe the wrong way, I'll have yer heart for lunch. Got it?" Thankfully, the man got the idea (somewhat emphasized by Shun'u's fangy grin and Saihitei’s still-drawn sword) and did nothing to endanger himself.

'Do you mind if we ask you a few questions? I'll make sure no one hurts your father while we do,' Tama gently coaxed, trying not to frighten her with this new and unusual way of communicating. She nodded vaguely, her eyes distant and bright, and it looked like she was enjoying the mindspeaking more than they thought.

Shun'u took a deep breath, waiting for the first question and knowing it wasn't going to be good.

Tama dove in. 'How often does he hit you?' he asked, adding the very slightest picture of pain and fear to his words, to "show" her what he meant along with the word-thoughts he spoke. And although he couldn't hear her response, Shun’u could see the hackles spring to attention on Genrou's back and knew--the fucker!--how bad the answer was.

When the wolf translated her thoughts, a life-long stream of images filled with such torment and anguish the inferno from before flared up in Shun'u's chest. He wanted more than anything to release it on the sorry excuse for a human still standing behind the girl. Still, he curbed his temper, knowing that Tama and the ketsu needed time to work their magic.

'Do you know why?'

Again, Tama used a bit of emotional encouragement to help her understand him. But all she did was shake her head and look to the ground with guilt in her eyes.

'That's it, this sonovabitch's gonna die!' Shun'u promised. This time, Genrou didn't reply to the threat. Shun’u smiled darkly, knowing that the wolf was seriously considering letting that action come to pass, and even possibly joining in on it.

Kohana took over, reinforcing her words with love and kindness. 'Little one... little darling... do you want him to stop hurting you?'

Her answer was a slight nod of her head, so subtle that had he been anything but a Seishi, Shun'u would have missed seeing it.

'Would you like to come with us?' And she slowly came up next to the girl and licked her hand. The child didn't jump, but simply laid the hand on Kohana’s soft forehead and slowly smoothed her fur. Tama had raised himself onto his back legs, his forepaws leaning against the girl’s leg, which allowed him to rub his head into her free hand.

‘Stay here, Shun, and don’t do anything. We’re gonna try something and we can't afford interruptions,’ Genrou said sharply, leaving his position and carefully walking up to the girl. When she noticed him, he crouched low to the ground and looked up at her with infamous ‘puppy-dog eyes’, silently asking for her permission to come closer. She grinned and reached out for him, allowing Genrou to join them with no fear in her face.

I’ll be damned! Shun’u’s jaw dropped as he watched. I ain’t seen that trick in yeeeears! The ole boy still ‘members how ta beg like an innocent pup!

Suddenly, Shun'u felt himself cut off from Genrou, an almost painful experience in its abruptness. He wasn't too pleased with that course of action, but he also knew that the ketsu had to speak privately and intimately with the child if whatever they were doing was going to work.

And whatever they do, we gotta get her the hell away from here.

It seemed like they were talking for hours on end, though he figured it couldn’t have been longer than a half-hour. Turning slightly, he saw Ryuuen was watching him. Looking back with worried, hopeful eyes, the Nuriko Seishi put his hands together in the familiar gesture of ‘pray.’ Shun’u nodded back and mimicked the gesture before turning away.

We need all the help we can get. She needs all the help.

Saihitei was the first to move. Out of the blue, Takeshi landed on his outstretched arm, 'spoke quickly, and then went back to the roof. Saihitei sheathed his sword, and then said, with forced politeness to the man, "Excuse me, sir, but we need to talk," and pulled him away from the scene. The Emperor glanced at Shun’u, silently asking him to follow, and he did, though Juan and Ryuuen stayed behind with the ketsu.

When the trio was out of the child’s line of vision, Saihitei spoke again, his regal voice tinged with hostility. "We have a favor to ask of you. Would you be willing to let your daughter join us on our travels?"

Shun'u didn't miss the calculating look in the man's eyes, the one that said he cared for nothing but himself, and was suddenly tempted to separate those eyes from his face. "Am I getting any money for letting her go with you?"

"You said she meant nothing to you. What do you care what we do with her?" Saihitei shot back, a slip in his carefully constructed expression coming through.

The jerk didn't have the decency to look guilty for his next words. "You're right, she doesn't. She doesn't even look like Se--," he cut himself off. "Like her mother. But will I get anything for handing her to you?"

"If it will save her from this life, then yes, we will pay any price for her safety."

"How much?"

Saihitei gave a number Shun'u felt was extremely appropriate (though overly generous to this asshole). However, he responded with a, "Fuck that. There are other things she can do and get paid that much for."

Shun'u felt his control break again. Like the string of a bow pulled so tight that it snaps, he lost himself in lupine viciousness. But instead of attacking, as he was wont to do, he began to yell with intense ferocity.

"You asshole! You sonovabitch, you goddamned shit-headed child-beating motherfuckin asshole!" he screamed mercilessly as he pulled the tessen from his back. "You don't have a fuckin clue, do you? We're not asking for your permission; we're giving you the choice ta do this the easy way, or the hard way!" He flipped the fan open and pointed it at the corpse-colored man in one smooth stroke, every nerve of his body eagerly waiting for the next step. "And I pray to Suzaku you wanna do this the hard way."

'Hold up one last time, Shun.’

‘FUUUUCK! Genrou, damn you, stop interruptin me when I’m doin important stuff like this!’

Genrou ignored his small tirade. ‘The girl wants to see you and Sai-san, but she's afraid of what her father might do to you, and what you might do to him. When she comes to you, just be extra careful about how you gesture and your expressions, all right? Think you can do that?'

He snarled silently. ‘Yeah, I can.’ Though it went against all his instincts, Shun’u holstered the tessen and turned away from the idiot that would provoke four Seishi pairs into possible violence. Thankfully, Saihitei was standing there with his sword halfway set to draw, so he was watching Shun’u’s back and the man’s actions.

The group approached cautiously, with Juan walking in front of the child and ketsu as Ryuuen took up the rear. Both of them had schooled their faces to calm neutrality, but spending all the time on the road had only served to help Shun’u read his brothers’ body language. They may as well have been screaming in tense anxiety. The ketsu themselves were shielding and Shun’u couldn’t get anything from them, but they didn’t seem to be upset with the situation. They simply hovered around the girl with pack-like protectiveness.

Don’t wanna give ‘em a reason to get worried, Shun’u thought briefly, then focused on the child. She was only about four feet tall, meaning that she would be eye-to-eye with his belt buckle if she came closer. With a gentle encouraging push from Kohana, she walked over to Shun’u, her head held down and her hair, a dirty bronze color, curtaining her face from his.

Shun’u’s heart sank. Seeing the kid hide her eyes from him like that made Shun’u feel horrible--like he was the one that caused such pain. Filled with the mindset of wanting to give her someone to feel safe around, he slowly got to one knee and extended his hand in her field of vision.

Careful... careful...

When he was certain she saw it, and certain she wouldn't be afraid of it, Shun'u began to lift his hand until it came right under her chin. He cursed her father multiple times over when he felt her flinch at his touch, but still kept his facial appearance soft. He lifted her head until her eyes were even with his. They weren’t any exotic color--a simple gray-brown--but when she smiled shyly at him, Shun’u could see the faintest spark of life hiding there. He couldn’t help but smile back, coaxing that spark to come even farther out.

Cute kid... for a girl.

"Hi. Sorry if I scared you earlier," he said, knowing that she couldn’t hear him but letting his sincerity spill through his expression. "Just trying to protect you."

This time, she broke into a true grin. Whether or not it was due to a ketsu telling her what he said, or that she was just feeling comfortable with his presence, her whole face lit up with a joyful, wholehearted smile. It made Shun’u’s spirit lift to see.

But when she turned ever-so-slightly and saw her father standing nearby, all that light disappeared so quickly it may as well have never existed. Shun'u's anger returned, but he kept it firmly in check. Instead, he stood up beside her and brought the hand from her chin onto her head. The action served the dual purpose of comforting the girl and showing the father that he was the one that would take care of her from now on.

'Cause I fuckin dare you ta get through me! he glared daggers into dark, greedy eyes.

"I'm afraid that, despite your previous words, it seems as if your daughter would like to travel with us," Saihitei spoke, his voice deceitfully affable. "It is partially her choice, you know. And as her father, how can you deny her the chance to experience this vast world firsthand?"

He sneered at them and opened his mouth to comment, but Takeshi quickly interjected. 'As much as I would hate to get too involved in this matter, might I make a suggestion?' he asked evenly, though a hint of an edge lay underneath. When no one argued, he kept going. 'Before you make a decision, sir, remember that the Seishi are very well connected to the ear of the Emperor. If you do not let us bring this child to safety, it is more than likely His Majesty will hear of this injustice, and be extremely... displeased with you.'

Hehehe, to put it fuckin lightly!

'However, if you allow us to take care of your daughter, then I am sure there can be very little complications for your side of the issue,' Takeshi finished. If it were possible, the eagle would have been purring with satisfaction at his 'wording.’

A quick flash of fear passed across the father's eyes (something Shun'u was distinctly pleased to see), but it changed back to the familiar look of hostility. "Get her out of my sight," he snarled at them.

"Could we have your name, good sir, so we may remember this girl's family and roots?" Ryuuen questioned innocently, though Shun'u had a hell of a time keeping a straight face.

The man thought for a second before self-preservation won out and he gave it. "Gurao Iuchi. That's Sute, but you can call her whatever the hell you want! Now get off of my property!" his face contorted with anger, and Sute buried her head in Shun'u's coat.

"Trust me, Gurao-san, we have every intention of doing so," Juan said lightly, letting Tama jump onto his shoulders. "I'll go get the horses and start leading them to Hakukou."

"Not waitin on us?" Shun'u frowned.

"Not staying here. We won't move quickly, you can catch up easily. Do what you must do." He turned to the road, and was followed by Saihitei and Takeshi flying above.

Shun'u couldn't blame them. He wanted out as fast as his feet could fly, but there was the girl to take care of. He caught her eye and made the motion of 'walking' with his fingers on one palm, then brought them both to his chest. "Walk with me?"

Sute clapped her hands and let out an odd sound, like a moan that came from both her nose and throat. At first he wasn't sure how to translate it, but then she opened her arms to him and he knew it was a good sound. Without a second thought, Shun'u bent down and she jumped onto his back. She wriggled underneath the tessen holster, then wrapped her arms and legs around his neck and waist, respectively. With a final, contemptuous glare at the pathetic excuse for a man, he wrapped his arms under her legs and winked at her over his shoulder.

Come on, kid, let's fly!

And they were off and running. Though he didn't move as fast as possible, Shun'u sped across the plains swiftly enough to be nothing but a redheaded blur to those who could catch a glimpse of him and Sute.

A shriek sounded in his ear, alarming him, but when he turned his head to make sure she was all right, Sute was grinning broadly and laughing. Coming up behind them, moving at a quick tempo, were Ryuuen, Kohana, and Genrou--and all were smiling at the picture they made.

"Oh, that's just too cute for words," Ryuuen grinned broadly, not even bothering to hide his amusement.

The bandit favored all of them with a disdainful look and kept moving. "Bite me, Panda Boy," he growled, then slightly bounced Sute. "And you back there--watch that grip! Ain't gonna be fun for either o' us if ya choke me ta death!"

'Don't worry, Shun, she'll be good,' Kohana 'spoke warmly. 'She likes you.'

Shun'u nearly tripped over his own boots, gaining another laugh of excitement from Sute. "What? Yer kiddin!"

'No, it's true. In order to help Sute trust us, we told her who we were, and what we're like,' the panda explained. 'We told her that you were the one that protected her first. So... from what I can see, she probably thinks you're Suzaku on earth!'

'Though personally, I just think she took a shine to your hair,' Genrou chuckled.

Shun'u's mouth quirked up, though his mind had drifted back to the child on his back. He'd never been one to really bond with kids, though he secretly enjoyed the unending supply of mischievous energy children seemed to be filled with. But because of all the women in his family and their habits, he was afraid that if he actually got too close to a young child, he'd end up over-mothering them by accident.

So to have this little girl, who moments before had been unable to look him in the eye, now holding onto him with great trust and enthusiasm boggled his mind. Ah, maybe I'm gettin soft or somethin... he shook his head. She'll probably wanna spend time with Ryuuen or Ki-ku more 'n me when we get ta Hakukou. So I guess it's okay for me ta enjoy this for now.

When they finally caught up with Juan, the doctor offered to take her up into the saddle with him. Shun'u declined the offer, saying that he didn't mind carrying Sute for a little while.

He neglected to mention that she was contentedly dozing on his back, still clutching his collar even in sleep.