Takin gave out a laugh.

"Sorry, Mr. Bandit, but he's not our best person. I'M our best person. I'm the captain around here. And what I says, goes. You're on my ship now, which means you follow my rules."

Takin smiled and patted the child on the head.

"But you tried hard. That's always worth rewarding."

He took Yuu and Mini-Chi, and placed them on his shoulders.

"Come along little ones. I've got some cookies baking. You can help me take them out."

Takin walked off with the children up on his shoulders. Kurama's mouth was open.

"What the hell....!"

The adventures of Pyros + Moriko: Pyros doesn't know!
 

"Okay, Pyros, Moriko, are you both married? No, wait, don't answer that. It's not my business to delve into the pasts of two lovebirds running away with each other. Anyway, this is my deal. Y'see, I need to have some precious goods exported, and I'm having some slight problems with the overall transportation with my goods."

Pyros nodded, attempting to understand whatever this man was talking about. He was also trying to be careful with the soup, as it was very hot and he didn't want to spill it.

"Now it's not that I don't have the ability to transport them, I own a very nice ship as a matter of fact, but it's just a matter of security, ya know what I mean? Ya know?"

Pyros nodded, not because he knew what it meant, but rather because the way the man said it, he felt like he understood it. Maybe.

"Well, all I need is just some strong, upstanding kind of guys to protect my goods, and y'know what? I'm just having the darndest time trying to do that? You know? You feel me?"

Pyros nodded yet again, still unaware of whatever this pudgy man was talking about, but didn't want to be rude interrupt whatever he was talking about.

"And I'm looking around for these upstanding kind of guys, and wham! Then I see such a lovely couple walking down the road in such a bad condition, and says to myself, I says 'Look at those warriors, they look like they could a job and the money it brings to feed themselves.' And then I remembered that I needed some warriors to protect my cargo, and bim, bam, bob's your uncle,"

<I have an uncle named Bob?> Pyros pondered.

"I had an idea. So then I thinks, 'How about I give those poor souls a job with square meals and an all expenses paid cruise?' My mother always said I had far too generous a heart, but I says, 'she was a b--ch anyways' so I went up to you two, and here you are, agreeing to my fabulous idea, right? Right?"

Pyros scratched his chin. <Darn! I don't have a clue what he just said, but I don't want to disagree with him...>

Pyros had the look of the man who has had the misfortune of not preventing the salesman from getting his foot in the door, and now could see himself buying another vacuum cleaner. Sensing Pyros was about to attempt to regain sense of things, the pudgy man elbowed a nearby cloaked servant.

The servant reached into a pouch on her side and pulled out something, and with some skill, flicked it beneath the table, where it hit Pyros's boot.

"Huh?" Pyros looked down to see a green marble.

Taking it as a nod, the pudgy man who called himself Hen Gen stood up and rubbed his hands together in victory. "Very good then, I suggest now that that's settled, we immediately set forth. Finish up your soup."

Pyros's mouth was agape. "Whah?"

"And just so you know, in this particular town, verbal contracts are law and if broken, I'm within my legal rights to sell your wife as a personal servant to pay for whatever damages your break of contract has wrought on me. But I'm sure it won't be a problem, right?"

Suzume had stood in the same spot the whole time merely thinking about what was going on.

First there was the pathetic fight, then more arguing, then Kurama being set on fire, and then Taking carrying the kids off on his shoulders.

"Ugh, why am I so annoyed by all of this," Suzume muttered, loud enough to be heard by the others.

Really, he just wanted to get some quiet time... again. It was just annoying when it was this loud almost constantly, and for no apparent reason other that to yell at other people.

Still, if he could hold out long enough, he could probably see if this would pay off. If not... well, needless to say, he'd be quite annoyed.

Tayuumi walked over to the stunned warrior and placed her arm on his shoulder with a little bit of a lean.

"You aren't very good with kids are you? You could learn something from Takin."

"The day I learn something from Takin is the day I eat my straw hat."

She pushed off of him and walked away. Her head turned towards him while she was walking and an exuberant smile was shown. With a soft voice nearly unknown to anyone Tayuumi said, "I'm going back to finish my food! Next time don't get yourself beat by a little kid!"

"Well, at least you're smiling. I'd rather be set on fire than be slapped again." Kurama said with the shock of what happened still expressed on his face.

"And just so you know, in this particular town, verbal contracts are law and if broken, I'm within my legal rights to sell your wife as a personal servant to pay for whatever damages your break of contract has wrought on me. But I'm sure it won't be a problem, right?"

"What!?!" Moriko shrieked. "I'm not his wife! And you want to sell me if he can't do whatever it is you want him to! He didn't even agree to help you!" She looked helplessly at Pyros. <What are we going to do?>

(Summary: Moriko is pissed)

Air. Wind. Sight. Hills. Wood. Food. Leaves.... FOOD!

Thus went the stream of thought that was Falcon in vulture mode. The keen nose of the turkey vulture sifted through the mixture of scents brought up into the draught by the warm wind. The carrion bird - injuries aside - was still hungry, and her random, lazy wanderings had brought her close to where the current Pyros and Moriko were located.

It was - frankly put - more curiosity rather than hunger that made Falcon follow her prey. Aside from those two points, Falcon's mind kept prodding her to move and move. There was something that she forgot.... something very important....

FOOOOOOOD!

Falcon's predatorial side overrode all sentient control and sent the large bird plummetting. Feathers drifted aside and streamed behind as Falcon changed in mid-dive to assume a faster shape - an abnormally large peregrin falcon.

Falcon sped like a spear towards Pyros' unguarded head. At the last moment, those wings that had folded carefully by her sides snapped out, swinging her claws forward, talons gleaming wickedly in the light.

But she wasn't aiming for Pyros' head. No. It was rather the nice-smelling soup that Falcon had scented, and dubbed as a good meal. Well... that and the bits of meat floating in it. And Falcon was hungry.

Braking, Pyros could literally feel the violent wind that was displaced by the large, falling bird. Needless to say the bowl was knocked clean out of the part-demon's hands, to spill its contents upon the ground, Falcon landing upon it and rapidly gulping down the meat pieces.

Still warm from other predator kill... What, what the hell?!

The oversized falcon glared beadily at the others, spreading her wings and hissing lest the others take her newly-found food.

MINE!

I'm pretty sure I've done something stupid. Damned predatorial instincts... a small part of her admonished.

"Oh, a little bit of a spat between the two lovebirds huh? I suppose we'll just let you sort it out between each other. I'll just be waiting by the east gate, so don't be late!" Hen Gen walked off, leaving the two warriors still sitting there, while a servant continued to watch them, just as a precaution.

Pyros turned to Moriko's facial question. The woman was quite adept at spreading a message with her face, but it may have just been that Pyros was thinking the same thing.

"Umm....well...hm." Pyros was used to being dragged into useless sidequests, but never before had it happened when he was with others.

Before they could react, a giant bird swooped down and into their meals. "Hmm...the many perils of having an open windowed restaurant! Hey! Please don't eat Miss Moriko's food!"

The bird squawked at them repeatedly after doing just that.

"Hey! We didn't pay for this meal! And odds are the business man will have to pay for the damage caused by her Talons..." Pyros thought aloud as the bird seemed ready to attack.

"Calm down birdy! Good birdy!" Pyros attempted to soothe it.

If anyone was looking for Kirie, Sanaka, or any of their remaining forces, they would have been disappointed to find the girls now missing.
"Perhaps one of them had a faster way to get to that monastery?"
"We simply don't have the time," Kirie responded. "I'm sure watching their antics could be entertaining but we do have to make at least a little effort to catch up to Genkai."
There was some kind of caravan ahead. The ninja hurried around, above, and even below the caravan, girls sliding beneath the cart and diving between the legs of horses. The caravan halted as the somewhat reduced army sprinted and leapt across them, leaving horses, driver, cargo, and carriage unmolested. "Well," said the driver, wiping his sweaty forehead with a cloth. "You certainly don't see that everyday."

Summary of Events: Them bitches done gone, baby!

Birdy?! Who does he think I am... oh.

Falcon didn't cease her aggressive stance. Her feathers ruffled, her short crest rose angrily.

You're really in for it now, a small voice in her head said.

When the winged person tried to reach out a hand in an attempt to soothe the falcon, he was forced to pull back as she took a small wedge-shaped bite out of his fingers.

A bit more satisfied that the two creatures before her wouldn't dare for further damage, Falcon kept one beady eye on them while she gobbled down the rest of the spilled meat and soup.

…Iori’s front foot came up, then lashed down brutally, kicking away Raikotsu’s shin with bruising force and breathtaking speed. Raikotsu grinned, leaping into the air, and charged…

The two attacked, blocked, and countered in a dizzying blur of motion. Iori was fast, incredibly fast, and Raikotsu was exceptionally maneuverable, with the advantage of flight and convenient ranged attacks. Both had trained extensively, and were master combatants. Raikotsu swiftly ascertained that against such a devastatingly quick foe, ranged combat was more advisable, tossing up temporary airwalls like shields against Iori’s lightning-fast punches and kicks, while he took to the air and hurled off volleys of razor-edged airblades.

It looked like a true battle of the elements, quick-striking, ever-dodging Iori as the lightning and Raikotsu like a stormcloud that poured sharp hail down upon the world. The human swordsman’s keen senses allowed him to easily detect and dodge the missiles, until an unexpectedly curved volley backed him up against a tree.

Iori reflexively slashed out as though still wielding his sword…and amazingly, a small Windslash sent the airblades spinning. Raikotsu was too shocked to respond, and one of the deflected projectiles sliced cleanly across his cheek, eliciting a gasp from him. It glowed red for a second as it continued on its course, then vanished. One of the other blades was luckier, catching Iori in the leg and sticking there until it faded away.

Raikotsu changed his tactics once Iori began using the trees around the crater both as cover and as ramps…the human running up the trunk, then leaping off to catch the Air Demon offguard. Raikotsu landed, and the two battered foes once again resumed fighting hand-to-hand, Iori’s fast strikes against the small airshields and the blades that every so often shot from Raikotsu’s hands.

Even so, both dodged until their strong legs ached and their feet felt full of lead, blocked until their arms were black with bruises, and struck each other until their hands and feet bled, while the hours spun by like minutes. They were so battered as to be nearly unrecognizable when they finally found a moment to speak, staggering apart and facing each other, bent and shaking even as they valiantly resumed their stances. Both had trouble seeing from eyes that had nearly swollen shut, sanguine patches of blood beneath their nostrils, and swollen, bloody lips. Even so, both refused to back down, neither asking nor giving quarter.

“I didn’t expect you to be this good, human…even better than Kurama, I see.” Raikotsu chuckled, though the sound was more of a wheezing cough than his usual breezy, lighthearted laugh. His limbs rattled, and much of the blood on his lip was from how hard he was biting it in his fight to remain standing, not from the devastating, face-shattering kick Iori had landed there before. Raikotsu continued speaking, doing his best to keep his voice clear despite the condition of his body, “Almost…worthy…of Koyuki.”

Iori smiled, though it was an unusually grotesque sight considering the mess the Air Demon prince had made of his face. Although his face wasn’t quite as bruised as Raikotsu’s, numerous stripes and whisper-like lashes of blood revealed where the Air Demon had scored glancing hits with his aerial blades. He smiled, swaying like a young tree in a strong wind, and murmured, “That is all I wanted…”

Then he fell, his eyes closing, a smile on his lips as he lapsed into sweet unconsciousness. At almost the same moment, Raikotsu stumbled backwards and fell against the rough bark of a treetrunk. He leaned against it for a second, and managed to lift his head enough to look at Koyuki. Raikotsu smiled at her, and opened his mouth to say something…but, instead, the Air Demon toppled to the side too, and his world faded to black.