"We are here, Princess."

     Princess Clorets turned from gazing at her reflection.

     "It's about time, Twixes," she snapped.  "You've kept me waiting far too long."

     The redheaded Twix stormed forward.  "Hey, you can't talk to us like that!
Wintergreen will-"
     
     "Will what?" Clorets smirked.  "Considering what I've heard about your performance,
it seems that she'd agree with me."

     "Why you..."  Twix tensed and began to glow faintly, but stopped suddenly as her
brother stepped between her and the princess.

     "There's no reason to fight now.  We all serve Queen Wintergreen.  Don't provoke
anything, and it will stay that way."

     "Fine," Clorets smirked at the fuming Twix, "then do your part, and do it right
this time.  How will you get the Cherry Shard from my father?"

     Twix nodded to Twix, and the two pointed their palms towards the floor of the
Princess' chambers.  "We summon thee... Tictac!"

     A column of green light burst out from the floor between them, coalescing into
the form of a large, scaly serpent.  It's hood flared out as it looked around the room,
hissing eagerly.

     Clorets smiled.  This would do nicely.

* * * * * * * * *

The Starburst Crystal
By Ardweden

Legend Nine: Just Desserts
By Yonjuuni

* * * * * * * * *

     Kyouji paced.  He'd been pacing for quite some time now, up and down the road in
front of the guard house.  Tsugiko might have been amused at Kyouji's worrying, if she
hadn't been starting to get a little nervous herself.

     "Something's wrong.  They aren't going to let us in.  They think we're fakes,
and they're going to run us off, or throw us in the dungeon, or..."

     "Ano... Kyouji-san, you should really calm down.  It's probably just taking the
messenger a long time to run all this way."  Yumi smiled and continued petting Kit Kat.
 "Besides, I think you're disturbing that guard there."

     The guard who had refused them entrance was still standing in the same position in
front of the bridge that he'd been in for the past two hours.  However, keeping up an
intimidating front seemed to be wearing on him.  He was beginning to sweat, and his right
eye twitched occasionally as he watched Kyouji pace.

     "Yumi's right, Kyouji.  This isn't going to get us anywhere."

     "Well, neither is standing here!  We've got to see the King about the Shard before
the Twixes show, or the Princess decides to..."

     Before Kyouji could finish his thought, Kit Kat leaped from Yumi's arms and raced
towards the bridge.  The guard began lowering his massive weapon, but wasn't quick enough
to do anything as Kit Kat leapt towards him with a mighty "Gika!" and used the sentry's
head as a launching point to jump further down the path.

     The three Warrior Priestesses blinked in confusion.  "Kit Kat, where are you going?!"
Yumi called out as the ferret-like guide raced towards the Gumdrop Palace.

     "Probably heard the mating call of some other... whatever it is."  Yumi and Tsugiko
stared at Kyouji.  "What?  It could happen!"

 * * * * *

     Riesen glanced around his chambers.  Everything seemed to be in order for his
departure. One of the many servants of the palace entered the room, bowing.

     "You sent for me, sir?"

     "Yes.  Allow the Warrior Priestesses to enter the palace.  I will greet them.  Go
quickly, now."

     "Yes sir!"  With that, the servant departed.

     Riesen closed his eyes and concentrated.  The spells he had in place were all ready,
needing only his trigger to take effect.  In the confusion, he would be able to leave
with the Cherry Shard, while the Priestesses could take the blame.  They might not die,
but he had more important matters to attend to than their destruction.  That could wait
for a more convenient time.

     Fingering the Shard hidden in a pocket of his robes, he exited the room.

 * * * * *

     "Kit Kat, what are you doing?  Get back here!"  The three Priestesses had pursued
Kit Kat past the stunned guard into the gardens surrounding the palace, where they had
split up to search despite Kyouji's protests.  Tsugiko and Yumi had gone in opposite
directions along the palace wall, while Kyouji had entered the suspiciously wide open gate.
No guards had made any move to prevent their trespassing.  In fact, they hadn't seen anyone
since crossing the bridge.

     "Stupid furball, what's he trying to do?"  Kyouji was less than thrilled to be in
a potentially hostile area trying to find his furry nemesis.  Who knew what could happen
to Tsugiko or Yumi while he wasn't there?  He was supposed to be the Knight Protector,
not the Ferret Finder.  But that's what it seemed he was at the moment.

     "Kit Kat!  You better have a good reason for running off like this!" Kyouji rounded
the corner of a hedge, looking carefully for guards. "Kit-"

     Kyouji stopped as he entered an open square with a fountain gushing purple water in
the center.  There were a few wooden benches scattered around, and an entrance on each
side.  Someone was coming to the square from the north entrance.  Kyouji quickly ducked
back behind the hedge and peeked out.

     It was Riesen.  However, rather than the unassuming traveling clothes he had worn
before, Riesen was in a richly decorated red robe that seemed suitable for some sort of
Martian nobleman.  And, unfortunately, Kyouji wasn't as good at not being seen as he
thought.

     "Who's there?" Riesen demanded, cautiously dropping back a few paces.

     "Well, I guess hiding won't work after all," Kyouji thought and stepped out into
the entrance. "What are you doing here, Riesen?  I thought you were going to see the
head of your order."

     Riesen narrowed his eyes. "Knight Protector Kyouji.  You're in the palace earlier
than I expected."

     "Just what's going on here?  You're not just some monk, are you."  Kyouji rested
his hand on his sword warily.

     Riesen made didn't say a word, and he didn't make a move either.  They could have
stayed at this standoff for quite some time, if it wasn't for outside intervention.

     "Gika!"  Kit Kat raced into the square from the east pathway, bearing down on the
surprised Riesen.  The little ferret guide leapt towards Riesen, impacting with his chest,
and causing him to drop something.  It caught the light and Kyouji saw a glint of red.

     "The Crystal Shard!  So the furball wasn't just being his usual unpleasant self.  Do
you work for the Princess, Riesen?"  Kyouji drew his sword and took on an approximation
of a ready stance.

     Riesen smirked.  "I work directly for Queen Wintergreen.  The Princess doesn't concern
me."  Riesen swatted Kit Kat aside, eliciting a pained "Gika!" and bent down to retrieve
the Shard.

     "We'll be taking that, thank you."

     Twix and Twix appeared in the entrance that Kit Kat had just dashed in from.
Between them was a massive bright green snake, looking much like a cobra with thick
scaly armor.

     "Good job, Riesen, but we can't let you take the credit.  We need something to
get back in Queen Wintergreen's good graces, and bringing her this Shard should do
nicely."  The male Twix began to gather energy for a spell, as his sister continued
towards Riesen.  "So just give us the Shard, and then you can get on with killing
the kid."

     Riesen scowled.  "I think not.  You've had your chances to prove yourself to the
Queen. Stay out of my way.  I won't give up the Sh... where is it?"  Riesen and the
Twixes turned to see Kyouji and Kit Kat making there way ever so stealthily back into
the gardens.

     "After them, Tictac!"    

     Kyouji broke into a run as the Twixes monster began slithering it's way towards
him.

     "This is your fault, Riesen," the male Twix added.  Riesen, however, wasn't
listening. Instead, he had closed his eyes and was muttering something softly to
himself.  "Speak up, Riesen, I can't hear a word you're saying."

     "RAGING TREMOR!"

     As Riesen called out the name of his triggering spell the ground in the garden
square seemed to tilt and drop several feet, probably because that's exactly what
happened.  The Twixes were thrown to the ground, and all around them parts of the once
beautiful palace were rising, sinking, and generally shaking themselves to pieces.

     "I'd love to stay and chat with you some more, but I have a Shard to retrieve.
Enjoy!"  With that Riesen disappeared into the garden, traveling in the same general
direction that Kyouji had been going.

     The Male Twix finally managed to sit up amidst the shaking.  "Why on Mars can't we
ever get a break?"

 * * * * *

     Kyouji raced towards the outer wall of the rapidly deteriorating Gumdrop Palace.
 "Where are Tsugiko and Yumi?  ...I hope they're ok."  The Knight Protector didn't have
much time to think about the other Priestesses, as Tictac was close behind him.  The
uneven ground wasn't impeding the big snakes movement much, so although Kyouji could
run faster, it was still gaining on him.  Up ahead, he could see the palace gate waver
and begin to collapse.  "Great."

     Kyouji saw Kit Kat race ahead and quickly scale the pile of rubble, leaping from
chunk to chunk.  "How... come he... gets to be so fast?"  Kyouji panted out.  Tictac
hissed from close behind, and Kyouji immediately challenged Kit Kat's pace with speed
borne of desperation.  He half ran, half climbed up the pile, and leapt off, only to
land with a splash.

     "Gika gika!"

     Kyouji spat out a mouthful of water and glared at the happy Kit Kat, who was sitting
perfectly dry on the other side of the moat.

 * * * * *

     With the rumbling finally ceased, the Twixes finally made their way to the gate 
of the castle.  Tictac was pinned beneath a few large chunks of rubble that had fallen
while pursuing Kyouji.

     "Can't do anything right on your own, can you." The Twixes blasted away the rubble
covering the summoned monster, allowing it to slither free.  It raised it's head and
hissed in what could be interpreted as a grateful manner.  The female Twix turned to
regard the huge pile of rubble blocking their path.  "Now, about that..."

 * * * * * 

     "Kyouji?"

     Kyouji looked away from the amused guide to see who was calling him.  "Huh?"

     Tsugiko looked down at Kyouji from the bank of the moat.  "What are you doing in
the moat, anyway?  What happened in there?"  She extended a hand down to Kyouji, who
gratefully accepted the help and managed to clamber out of the water with her
assistance.

     "Riesen.  He tried to get away with the Shard, the Twixes showed up, and then
everything started falling apart."

     "Riesen did it?  So Kit Kat WAS right."

     "Tsugiko-chan!  You found Kit Kat!  And Kyouji-san, too!"  Yumi came running up,
still all smiles.  "What happened to you?"

     Kyouji was about to explain again, but stopped when he heard a sizzling sound.
The three turned towards the palace in time to see the rubble blocking the entrance
fall into the moat.  The remaining pieces were slowly being dissolved by a brilliant
green fluid.

     "What is THAT?"  Yumi stared in horror at Tictac, flanked on either side by the
Twixes.

     "Tictac's minty-fresh breath can eat through almost anything.  Now, hand over the
Shard!"

 * * * * *

Author's(in the loosest sense of the word) Notes:

Wai!  Aren't cliffhangers fun? @_@

This didn't exactly come out as planned.  I put it off and wrote it in about 3 and a
half hours the night it was due.  I apologize for the little incosistencies that crop
up, and I swear that I didn't intend to make this episode "The Kyouji Show".  It just
sort of happened that way. Also, my apologies for leaving this kind of ending to the
next author.  Feel free to drop a rock on the Twixes if you don't want to write a
fight scene. ^_^

Thanks to Ard for prereading, suggestions, writing the starter, and being all-around
very helpful, to my other prereaders Signus and Brett, and to everyone on #improfanfic
who yelled at me to get back to work ^_^;;  And thanks to all the authors of the
previous parts.

Next time I sign up for something, I swear it'll be a Chibi. @_@

	- Yonjuuni