Falcon was shoved clear of incoming danger, stumbled, and fell slightly boneless onto the ground with a quiet 'Unf!'

She was afraid. Not for herself, no, but for the person that saved her from what could certainly be counted as death. She couldn't let that stop her from helping Pyros out though.

Half-cursing and clumsily bringing herself up to a crouched position, Falcon grabbed handfuls of rock, sand, and even a cockroach that got int the way and flung them into the fray, her deadly accuracy helping her even here.

The small objects-turned-deadly-projectiles sailed through the air towards Pyros' attacker even as Falcon herself tried to shuffle away from most of the melee. She could feel a bit of her leg now, but she knew that to enter the battle would definitely mean her loss.

Later on, she would've been highly amused if the enemy died because a cockroach hit him in the eye at high speed.

Sanaka stumbled upon Raikotsu on the way to the beach where the gunships were anchored out. The demon didn't look okay, but Sanaka assumed he would be awake in a moment. The vice commander of the kunoichi turned back to look in Kirie's general direction, wondering about the orders. Surely, there was time to wake Raikotsu. Sanaka knelt down and took out a small vial of salt, exposed holes for the strong scent to escape, and slowly waved the vial before Raikotsu's nostrils.
"Wakey-wakey, there."

Kurama used his hair to cover his eyes while he took a nap on the deck. He slept quietly, his chest rising and falling as he breathed.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raze held the sword in his hand, and that strange feeling got stronger and warmer. It filled him up inside, and felt his spiritual powers increasing dramatically. Almost like he...like he could....

"Transubstantiate"

Raze's body became see-through and clear, as did Youji. Raze gave what could be described as a smile as he slipped into the ground. He zoomed off and away, heading for the ship.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moriko decided the best plan of action would be to run while they were all distracted. Which, probably, was the smartest thing she could have done.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pyros was in battle. We'll leave it at that.

OOC: "Speeding right along, now..."

Sanaka gave up on Raikotsu quickly and went to retrieve the lieutenant. It wasn't a long trip and, avoiding Raikotsu on the way back, Sanaka and the blonde woman whose curves very closely mirrored those of Kirie met the redhead who had her grave-digging work half way finished. She probably would've been done by now, but she was still quite exhausted from all the fighting. They joined in on the work, catching up on the same page with each other.
Apparently, the blonde woman with the twin pigtails was not only some lieutenant, but actually the Vice Commander of Kiyomi's forces. Seems like only Tsubasa and Kiyomi had one. After Astral was buried, Sanaka set one of Astral's swords into the ground and then one of her own. Once that was all done, Kirie had their orders prepared. "If Kurama is leaving, that means he has the legs on him. So far, so good, I guess."
"Anyways, I want the two of you to take a gunboat back and head for home. Report to Shizuka as soon as you can. Maybe she has a report from Tsubasa about where the torso is, but I'm sure you'll both be ordered to stay at the castle. There's really no need to send you out on a sortie to join up with that force."
"And what will you do, Lady Kirie?" Kiyomi's Vice Commander, Mahoroba Hikaru asked.
"Well, someone has to stay with these people. It might as well be me. I'm still wearing clothes thanks to one of them."
Kirie looked thoughtful. "Speaking of the Air Devil, has anyone seen Arashi-sama?"
Sanaka and Hikaru had a look of confusion. Kirie described Raikotsu to them. Sanaka nodded, indicated his general direction, and pointed out that Raikotsu was probably still uncontious.
"Well, thank god for me not having to deal with him right now. I need some downtime. Anyways, you girls get going. I'll catch my breath and see if we can salvage some kind of victory out here."
Kirie turned the shovel she had back into a katana and the two vice commanders evacuated the island in the gunboats. "I sure hope the insanity is over."

Summary: Astral is buried. Sanaka and all Kimono Forces except for Kirie are gone. Kirie's recovering right now.

Gekido glared at the idiot clutching his axe. It looked ridiculous, the skinny boy in shabby peasant robes clutching an axe that was far too large for him. It was also a testament to Sanjuro's strength.

As he hefted the oversized weapon into a ready position, he felt the need to state the obvious, as though some important revelation had come to him, "I...Sanjuro Yamada, HAVE YOUR AXE!"

Gekido wasn't turned back. Barehanded he lunged at Sanjuro, a snarl on his bestial face. As he lunged, Paul's shot went wide, passing harmlessly over the oni's shoulder, and Sanjuro swung the axe around cumberously at the oni. Despite having great strength, he just didn't have the same mass to help stabilise himself that Gekido did.

One of Gekido's claws leapt out, grabbing the axe just below the head and slowing its stroke. But it was not quite enough, the axe biting into his side. Gekido barely seemed to notice, his other claw closing around Sanjuro's neck. He lifted Sanjuro off the ground and sueezed, finding Sanjuro's superhuman toughness too great to snap his neck as he would have liked.

Sanjuro, somewhat surprised by this turn of events, flailed and kicked Gekido hard in the chest. The demon grunted in pain, probably suffering at least one cracked rib, and then released his grip around Sanjuro's neck. That claw joined the first gripping onto his axe below the head and with a surge of strength, he swung it around, Sanjuro still clinging onto the other end. With a sickening crack, Sanjuro slammed into the trunk of a tree, Gekido already shifting his stance to swing Sanjuro around again and smash him into the other side of the tree.

In typical style, Sanjuro did something both wise and stupid. As he was being swung around a second time, he let go of the axe. With the large centrifugal force behind him, he went flying at a slightly above horizontal angle, eventually getting stopped by a tree.

Gekido walked after him slowly, breathing heavily from the strain and kick to the ribs. With one claw he pressed at the wound in his side, as if to staunch the blood loss but, a moment later, he lifted his bloody hand away and began to daub sigils on his axe's head. But they had both forgotten Ayako.

Moon, seeing her foe vanish into thin air and no other foes apparently nearby, decided to head back and recover her clothes. It was unfortunate Youji had encountered that strange woman, she'd almost had him.

Kirakiri was almost taken aback to have Pyros jump and attempt to wrestle with him. It was purest folly. He was many times the winged man's size, weight and strength and he was well armoured too. It was like a child attempting to wrestle with a trained soldier.

"Why do you play such dangerous games?" The words slipped out. The actions of his foe seemed insane. Pyros held one claw, pummeling ineffectively at Kirakiri's tough hide. But Kirakiri had far more hands than Pyros. The shapechanger grabbed onto Pyro's torso, one claw digging into the shoulder and the other hand sinking its talons deep into his ribs. He ignored the pebbles and debris Falcon was pelting him with for now - they were mere irritating distractions. With infinite precision, he brought one of his scythe claws back into a position and slide it forwards in a slow, careful motion, intending to remove Pyro's head.

OOC: I'd say the best option is for Falcon to make a distraction for Pyros to get free (poking Kirakiri in an eye or perhaps swooping him? Both?).

"No!"

The shriek of desperation pierced the air as the black feathered ball that was Falcon hurtled into Kirakiri's grotesque face. In mid-change, Falcon appeared to be a monstrosity of feather, beak and claws, tearing and gouging as she completed a transformation that would slough away her clothing and reveal her predatory side - several pounds of vicious fighting material.

The attack took both by utter surprise. It wasn't only the fact that a large creature covered in feathers launched a third-party attack on the grappling duo, but also the fact that the third party was evidently naked - however brief it was - was enough to cause Pyros to break away and recoil in shock and embarassment.

Kirakiri would've succeeded in decapitating Pyros were it not for the fact that he was now preoccupied with the sharp claws and tearing beak of a furiously screaming part-demon. As such, the demon stumbled back, roaring in pain as the part-bird Falcon went for the tender-tender bits that were eyes, mouth, nose and the face in general.

Falcon uttered a guttural, piercing scream for blood and violence, but which also galvanised the shocked Pyros into action:

"RRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNN!!!!!"

Falcon broke off the offensive and launched herself towards Pyros, snarling. Pyros reacted in the only way possible: he jerked awake, leapt, spread his wings, and rapidly beat a hasty retreat towards the ship.

Kirakiri, seeking vengeance and an opening, took this as the chance to strike a terrible blow upon his enemy. His claws scythed forward just as Falcon turned.

Too full in their momentum, Falcon was forced to make a drastic decision. Her body completed its transformation just as the brunt of the attack swept by. She missed being knocked out of the air and five feet into the ground by a breath's width.

However, she couldn't dodge the second back-handed claw swing that came at her horizontally. The blow connected...

Falcon first registered shock, then pain. Then, mind-numbing darkness took all as her limp, bird body was flung and rolled to a stop near Ayako's feet.

[OOC: PANIC ATTACK NEXT! Also, she will be out of action for a while until she heals several broken ribs and a wrenched neck.]

Pyros was about to go after Falcon, until he noticed the girl above her. She felt like someone he could trust to take care of Falcon. He flew off into the sky.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raze and Youji appeared on the big ship, along with Moriko. She had arrived a little before them. After looking up to the sky and seeing Pyros flying about, they decided to set off. Suji gave the command, and off they went.

They weren't sailing for long until they came upon the small fishing boat Team Good was floating on. Seing Youji on board, Kurama waved up. The front of the ship opened, and allowed the smaller fishing boat to float within it. Team Good then went up a series of platforms, and arrived on the deck of the big ship.

(OOC: Yeah, it's a bit rushed and half-assed. I'm not in a great creative mood right now.)

Garud looked around. He was pleased with what he saw.

"Nice crew you got here. Hopefully we will be back to Japan soon."

The summoner turned to Kurama and asked,

"What will we do about land travel? The airship is gone, so I'm assuming carts or horses... or another airship..."

Hey, just reminding you I'm still here.

Shut it. NOW!

Kirie decided to go find the battle, if it was still going on. Surely Kurama was gone by now, Talkatz's legs in tow. Kirie fought aching muscles to get to where the others were and registered the fallen Falcon before noting anyone else. Kirie put her sword away and neared the body.
"Well, I guess we did manage to gain something from this fight after all."
She then looked questioningly at Ayako. "I mean, this is one of our enemies, right?"

"Yeah... Well, I don't know, actually." Ayako said, bending down to examine the fallen form of Falcon. She'd meant to go deal with Sanjuro, but Gekido seemed to be handling the strong young guy fairly well.

After all, she didn't want to be hugged to death, or anything.

"Hmm. Probably not worth killing, and possibly even useful. Seems a bit unstable..." Ayako mused to herself, looking up at Kirakiri and contemplating just what had happened.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Sakiko and Koyuki were making excellent speed. On the back of the decidedly gargantuan dog-demoness, Sakiko had an almost commanding view of the forest and the battlefield beyond, had it not been for the incessant shaking of being so close to Koyuki's powerful foreleg shoulders.

"Soon, Sakiko." Koyuki growled, "You know what to do when we get there."

Moments later, the two burst from the trees rather ironically close to Sanjuro and Gekido. Koyuki had to shift sideways and change her momentum to avoid the relatively toy-like Gekido, and his mildly threatening axe. Sanjuro was some short distance away, slumped agaisnt a tree.

Kirie thought about it for a bit, then nodded. "Someone to trade for the legs, at least. Though Genkai obviously knows the importance of the legs, and might decide that this one is expendable. At least, I would think that way."

Suji walked down to the group when they came on deck.

"Hey there, strangers. That fella over there said you were friends of his, 'n we should pick ya up."

The sailor pointed over at Youji. Kurama bowed.

"Thank you very much. Our trip will be much shorter now."

Tayuumi had followed Kurama onto the ship and overheard the whole reason they were even here was thanks to Youji.

Tayuumi bowed to Saij in thanks and then walked over to Youji. With a pat on his shoulder, Tayuumi spoke to him so that only he could hear.

"Thanks Youji."

At first, Youji only had one thing to say. "..."

He really didn't know what she was thanking him for. It wasn't his ship, and in his own attempt to escape it was simply luck that had brought them back together.

"Thank the crew," Youji finally said, looking over the side of the deck. Besides, it's my fault that the airship blew up. Granted, he had no choice then, but if he hadn't allowed it to be shipwrecked in the first place, well...perhaps they'd be flying in the sky again.

Suzume walked onto the ship, tugging at a small piece of cloth on his arm. He'd managed to wash the blood off his arm and double-blade while he was waiting, and had just now gotten something on his arm to cover the cut on it.

Walking past the group and finding a place that seemed out of the way, the demon hunter settled down quietly and looked around. It seemed a lot more peaceful on this boat than on the airship. A perfect place to take a nap.

Beginning to doze off, Suzume reflected on the day. Maybe following Kurama around wasn't too bad after all.

Kurama looked over the side of the boat as they sailed away from the island much faster than they were before. His arm cringed a bit when he leaned against the side, but he merely lifted it up and away. He looked down at the crisp clear water, smelling the salt in the air.

Jade had boarded the boat silently. She had never seen a boat quite as large as this, she being so used to the small fishing boats of her village. As the others settled in, she decided to walk about the boat and marvel at its' sheer size.

Kurama turned his head and saw Jade walking about on her own. He didn't even know she was there, she was so quiet.

He walked over and got into step alongside her.

"Thanks for the wrappings. Still holding strong."

He looked about the ship.

"I assume you've never been on a ship this size before?"

Jade turned to look at Kurama and shrugged a bit. "I have rarely been on a boat to begin with, let alone one of this size. It's truly amazing." They continued to walk, Kurama's sandles making a thumping noise on the boat deck, Jade's boots making none at all. "This may sound like a silly question but, where exactly are we going?"

"Well, right now we're heading back to Japan. Once we land, most of us will go searching for my Grandfather's village. We lost some important scrolls in that fight, and we need new ones. Takin will likely go find his other airship. We'll need that vehicle if we hope to head for the far west."

Kurama looked over to her and smiled.

"You think this thing is amazing...wait until you're on a ship that can fly."

"A ship that can fly? That is truly a sight, I wonder if I can take all this excitement." Jade chuckled a bit. "Back to Japan, that is where I'm from. Perhaps we will pass my village on the way to yours."

OOC: I'll leave it to you to decide how Sanjuro was killed Phoenix

Kirakiri allowed his monstrous shape to flow away, adopting the shape he commonly wore when he was not seeking to conceal his demonic nature. No-one could be entirely certain if this was actually his true form or whether he merely adopted a standardised appearance out of convenience. The shapechanger had appeared in both male and female versions of this form in the past after all.

Armoured hide and brawn melted away as Kirakiri diminished to a lithe, human sized shape, the additional two pairs of limbs he possessed disappearing. His beastial face shifted into refined features, face stinging as the shapeshifting irritated the scratches Falcon had inflicted. The third eye remained and his six horns shaping into a more elegant, ornamental shape. The demon garbed himself in samurai clothes, a deep blue with lighter pale grey patterns upon them.

Genkai had escaped, but their primary objectives had been achieved. The airship had been destroyed, forcing them to rely on much slower means of transportation for the moment. It seemed that the precious scrolls Kurama was using to guide him had also been destroyed. Kirakiri made a mental note to have the airship's wreckage thoroughly searched.

At least two of Kurama's companions were now dead, including the traitor Chi. Koyuki, Gekdio and Sakiko were all still near the corpse of Sanjuro. That perhaps wasn't too impressive as Kurama's companions seemed to be appearing like flies on rotting meat. A third one, this bird demon, was now in their hands.

Kirakiri spoke, his tone holding a slightly abstracted quality, "We should regroup to take stock of how we stand now. I advise we return to the base of operations I have set up as there is a high likelihood the monks will attempt to launch a counterattack. Best not to waste resources dealing with them."