Kaia hung on tight as they flew vertically into the air. It was hard to grip onto Blocken's plastic body, her fingers kept slipping around the square frame. Finally, as she felt herself begin to slip off the back of the bird, she wrapped her arms around his waist and dug her ankles into the sides of the bird. Blocken glanced back at her and saw her struggle.

The bird started to fly horizontally over the clouds. Kaia glanced over the side to see the bird's shadow against the fluffy white clouds. She smiled and tried to reach out and touch it but she was just inches away.

"Kaia, look." Blocken told her. She peered around him and saw something jutting out of the clouds. A big blue mountain draped in white. She was awestruck as she stared at it.

"Wow, Blocken! It's amazing!" She exclaimed as they flew near it. A feeling bubbled inside her, she felt that she had to let it out. "Woo-hoo!" She shouted throwing her hands into the air, her voice echoing in the mountains.

Blocken laughed as he heard her excited heartbeat. It was a new experience for her to fly through the clouds without being cooped up in an airplane or a helicopter.

"There they are." He said finally, not wanting to ruin her fun. He could sense the evil witches miles away. "Hold on tight, Kaia."

She smiled held on around his waist again as the bird began to descend through the clouds. They were cool and felt like smog as the clouds touched Kaia's face. She didn't quite like the cold air but it was fun to ride through the clouds.

"That was fun!" Kaia exclaimed happily, the adrenaline still pumping through her body. She looked down as she saw little ants running around. She smiled as she thought of Hanagumi as ants. She'd squash them in a heartbeat.

"What should we do, Kana?" Matilda asked their leader as they were surrounded by several of Yoh's accomplices.

"Do you really need me to tell you?" Kana grinned to shake off her worry.

"Forget it-" Blocken interrupted as the bird flew over their heads. "From now on, you have a new task to do, Hanagumi. You guys better go straight to the West coast of this island and join the others now."

Kaia smiled from behind him. She felt superior over them.

"Blocken!?" Matilda was surprised.

"New task?" Marion asked blankly.

"Not really, just a little bit of a rubbish disposal. It is because Lord Hao is tied up right now, and that you three have turned off your oracle bells for the sudden attack so we have come here to pick you up." He explained to them.

"No, Blocken. They're mean." Kaia whispered to him.

"Don't worry, Kaia. They're not ready to go anyways. The idiots want to fight them." He referred to Hanagumi fighting The Ren, who were recently revived by the Gandara.

Kaia observed them before Blocken reared the bird up and around towards the beach, flying over the treetops. The girls of Hanagumi never talked to anyone else but themselves and were always mean to her. She was glad she had more friends. Blocken, Bill, Turbine, and Anahol, she considered them her friends. Of course, she was engaged to Turbine. Would you count that more than a friendship? Kaia couldn't wait to be wed, she felt that the Shaman Tournament would end soon. There were only a couple teams left. She hoped all they had to do was get rid of this fleet of ships and wait out the last couple rounds. Then Turbine would take her back to his homeland and marry her.

He was there to greet her when they landed on the beach. Turbine walked up to the giant bird and helped her off its back as Blocken began to take it apart with his oversoul. She hugged him, happy to see him alive and well.

"Did you complete your mission?" She asked him with a warm smile as they joined the others on the beach, walking hand in hand.

"No, Yoh revived and defeated us. He's grown stronger from his training in Hell." Turbine looked down at her with his dreamy stare. "What about you?"

"Same, we had to leave the base because there was some sort of an earthquake." She told him. "My fight wasn't very impressive." She looked away from his gaze.

"Oh, I'm sure it was impressive. The world would be dull without you, Kaia." He said to her sweetly. If he wasn't wearing his veil, she was sure he'd be smiling one of those dreamy smiles that she loved.

She returned the smile and looked at the sand to hide her blushing face. He pulled her close against his body and lifted her chin.

"Soon, my love." He breathed through the veil. "Soon, we will be married."

Kaia blushed a bright pink and smiled affectionately. She couldn't wait to be Mrs. Tabarsi and return to the desert country she had both loved and resented so much.

Peyote eavesdropped on their conversation as he pretended to be gazing somewhere else. Soon, for sure. Soon Kaia would be his and all this, the Shaman Tournament, Turbine, it would all be a dream to her. He would be her only dream come true. He'll take her off of this island on the first ship home and head straight to Mexico. He would teach her Spanish, buy a nice home in a quiet town, start a family, he stood as he daydreamed of having Kaia as his wife.

Hanagumi soon joined them, sitting on a beach towel that had been left by tourists. Everyone sat around for awhile, trying to look out for the sleet of ships. Blocken sat on Bill's shoulder as Bill, Turbine and Kaia gathered around Zang-Ching who sat on the sand with the binoculars. Turbine and Kaia gazed out at sea, imagining their married life together. He had his arm wrapped around her waist as she laid her head against his chest. Peyote stared at them with jealousy. He plotted how he would propose to her when they were left all alone. Should he sing a song for her? Casually ask her to marry him or just come out straight? He debated how to act on each situation in his mind.

A ship soon appeared on the horizon and Zang-Ching gazed through the binoculars at it.

"I see. So that is the thing that needs to be disposed of?" He asked disappointedly, expecting a larger fleet, not just one warship. "It belongs to humans, right?"

"Well, we can not let it disrupt the Shaman Fight, can we?" Blocken inquired as he squinted at the sea maliciously.

"But is this really okay for us to do so?" Zang-Ching continued to look through the binoculars. "It would make us the enemy of the whole world."

"It does not matter." Turbine jumped in. "When Hao becomes Shaman King he will destroy all human beings. I suppose you have not forgotten about that. Human beings are always repeating their stupid behaviors again and again." He remembered what the humans had tried to do to Kaia. She smiled up at him, glad that he was fighting for her.

"I am not up for it." Bill butted in. His armor rose up around his neck like a knight and only his eyes were visible under his helmet. "We should be fighting against other shamans, not regular human beings. We are slipping away from what we're supposed to be doing."

Kana grunted as she sat crosslegged on the beach towel. "You would never understand Bill." She said to him.

"All the humiliation our witches were put through." Marion's hair covered her eyes.

"The wars." Matilda added. "Lord Hao, he's fighting for the creation of a new world." She gazed down sadly.

"That is not something we are sure about." Peyote stopped daydreaming and woke up to reality. "Yes, we have failed every single mission assigned but it is also partly his fault. I wonder if he is really fighting for such a noble cause."

"What? What are you talking about Peyote?" Zang-Ching asked him as he sat on the sand.

"Watch your mouth!" Blocken shouted from Bill's shoulder, standing up as he did, feeling taller.

"Still, sometimes I find Lord Hao incomprehensible." Peyote added to his case.

"Right." Turbine said as he let go of Kaia and stepped forward, sliding through her hands. "I had thought about that too." He pulled his turbin and veil off.

"I remember it well. It was on the night that I was defeated and sent to the Patch Clinic." Peyote reached for his sombrero.

Kaia watched as the two men stood opposite of each other along the shore. Turbine's messy black hair had grown out around his shoulders. She wanted so much to brush it as the wind blew through it. He stared at Peyote angrily, his fists clenched. Peyote only smiled with his eyes closed, he was in a cocky mood now that he had confronted Turbine. His red lock of hair had grown long too, almost to his waist. He hadn't shaved in awhile and there was red stubble along his chin and upper lip. The sea splashed foam into their faces to try to cool them off, but they were so concentrated on each other that nothing could sway them.

"But this and that are two separate matters." Turbine said, remembering what had happened that night. "It depends what you say next, Peyote."

"Stop it, Turbine." Peyote said smugly. Kaia worried that they were going to fight again. "I was just trying to give you a little thought on what was happening. At least, I did not mean to start an argument with you here."

"It's not about Hao at all, is it Peyote?" Turbine asked. Peyote replied with a firm smile. He was so close to having her.

"Hey, hey. Can you two stop that? You're scaring me." Zang-Ching pleaded.

Kill them all, and you shall have her.

The words echoed in Peyote's mind as the water split and the Grande Phantasma rose up, slicing Zang-Ching in two with its blade.

To be continued in Chapter 52!