There's a lot to be said about sacrifice. Termed as someone giving up something,
perhaps even themselves, for an ideal of greater value, it's something that's  
rarely seen in any part of the world. Those who would sacrifice are often looked
upon in fear and often envy, simply because it takes a lot to commit a sacrifice.

	That someone would selflessly throw themselves in a fire to save someone at the
possibility of their own demise is looked upon as heroism. To give an organ so 
another might live is another  point in valor, and something not many would do.

	There is another side of sacrifice that not many consider when the exchange is
done. What becomes of those who are left behind? What happens to those who were
saved?

	Case in point, the Warrior Priestess at current stroking the head of the sacrificed
in her lap. Because of a monster summon by the Twix Twins, Kyouji was now dying
along side of one of the twins, and there was nothing she could do about it save
pray that Tsukigo and Twix came back from the mountain with the Crystal Ice to
heal them.

	Yumi wiped the tears away from her eyes and continued to hope and pray. There
was indeed a lot to be said about sacrifices.

	When one is made, it's not often a joyous occasion.


>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<

The Starburst Crystal
By Ardweden

Legend 15 - The Sweet Taste of Victory
By Kenji Murasaki

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<


	Krackel swung for the Warrior Priestess with his massive sword, leaving the   
girl little time to evade and leap clear of the flower patch. Twix leaped to the
side and Tsukigo tried to block the second strike, and was surprised when the 
blow sent her flying into the mountain wall.

	Tsukigo's vision flashed and her breath left her body in one fast rush. Moments
passed with the girl slumped against the wall, and the rogue swordsman staring
down at her still body. Then he turned to face Twix.

	The summoner looked at swordsman's handiwork, forcing back a grimace. There was
something to be said about the skill of Krackel and his blade, the majority of
the comments on the nice funerals of those who had challenged him. Not surprisingly,
most of the comments were made by people who never had first-hand experience with
Krackel's skill. There were also a few anecdotes about nonspecific boulders that
didn't stand much of a chance also, but that wasn't what plagued Twix's mind.

	What did trouble his mind was that if he let Krackel get a hold on him, his   
sister was going to die. Twix was a formidable person, but that was only with his
other half present, and the swordsman already knew that.  So that meant it was 
time to negotiate.

	"Krackel, wait." Twix collected whatever composure that had been lost to him, and
started talking. "You can kill the Priestess if you please, and I'll even let  
you keep the Pineapple Shard that you've found to please Wintergreen. All I need
is to cure my sister. That's all I'm up here for. I'll even lead you to the cursed
Knight Protector."

	Krackel looked at Twix, his face expressionless, then he frowned and spoke.
"You seemed to have confused something you twit. I'm only to kill her and bring
you back to Wintergreen, and that is what I plan on doing." He leveled his sword
tip at Twix's face. "Whether I return you in a heap or not, however, is entirely
up to you."

	Twix smirked sadly. He was going to be turned in, but Krackel would make no   
further effort to advance Wintergreen in this war against the Crystal Warriors.
[But he'd turn me in,] he thought darkly.

	"Then a heap it will be..." Krackel raised his sword to strike, and swung.
A powerful blast of air assaulted Twix, knocking him on his rump, and nearly putting
himself at the edge of the mountain.

	Tsukigo watched the brief spectacle through hazy eyes. That sword stroke was...
phenomenal. How could she beat something like that? She slowly got to her feet,
doing her best to ignore the pain, and began to try and summon her power. A low
jade flame surrounded her hammer, and she smirked.

	Praying for some guidance of some form or another, she charged and swung at  
the swordsman's exposed back. What she didn't expect was the easy deflection that
he gave her without even bothering to turn around. She didn't even have time to
gasp as the second blow came around. She put everything she had into blocking,
and thankfully only moved a couple of feet back from the shockwave.

	Twix looked on as the battle was joined, Krackel leading, and the Warrior Priestess
fighting to keep with such fantastic strength. The girl should have easily been
overwhelmed three swings into the duel, but her hammer, which had been doing most
of her blocking, was steadily getting brighter and brighter with each passing  
second.

	Then he saw something that really had his attention. They were edging toward the
flowers with no small progress. He had to do something to balance this fight in
the girl's favor, or there would be no cure for his sister.


 >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<


	"So this is what is in my mind?" Kyouji frowned. He'd need to clean up. Too much
Mars on the brain.

	"More or less." Teru said, turning to watch the midnight sky. "It depends on  
what you're thinking at the moment, I suppose. This was the last thought you had 
in your head before you went unconscious."

	Kyouji looked at the former Warrior Priestess in confusion. "What does this field
have to do with Tsukigo?"

	Teru smiled enigmatically. "What makes you so sure she was on your mind?"

	"Huh?"

	"Let's put it this way: What is your job as a Knight Protector?"

	"Protect and support the Warrior Priestesses." Kyouji said automatically, and 
jumped at his reaction himself. How long had he been focusing on that?

	"Really? So what part of the team does that make you?"

	Kyouji scratched his head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

	"There's a lot you're missing in this little endeavor Kyouji-kun, and when you've
got Wintergreen as a foe, that's a fatal mistake."

	The mention of the evil being drew Kyouji's full attention back to Teru. "What
can you tell me about her?"

	The girl looked pained, and spoke through it. "I can tell you that you are in
no way prepared for what she can do to you and your friends. You're not truly a
team, and that is what is going to destroy you."

	"What do you mean by that?" Kyouji looked at the girl with no little annoyance.
They had to adapt to a situation that they had never been in before, that NO ONE
had probably been in before, and they had gotten this far. What could she possibly
be implying that-

	"Which one do you like Kyouji?"

	That stopped his line of thought cold. "Which... one?"

	"Yeah, which one? Tsukigo or Yumi? Where do you see yourself with them?"

	"They're... my friends." Kyouji stammered. "I mean, they're cute and all, though
Yumi's a bit more filled out..."

	"So it's their bodies your after?" Teru fiddled with her dress, and it fell to
the ground, leaving her only clad in a slip. "Then why don't you sate yourself on me first?"

	Kyouji gulped.


>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<


	Kit Kat sniffed around the bend. It was indeed here, he could sense its presence.

	Hopping and dashing over rock and snow, he made his way to a small cleave
in-between the rock face that looked abused and tormented, apparently by forces
outside of nature.

	Shrugging off the attempts as Krackel's handiwork, and counting blessings that
he didn't obtain his objective, Kit Kat began to squeeze into the crack, and with
a clamp and tug, pulled a white crystal out of the wedge in the earth. Then he
darted off, as to not be caught by those unworthy of the crystal.

>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<


	Tsukigo ducked the next swing and screamed as the ground shook from the shockwave
Of Krackel's stroke attempting to plow through the aeon-old rock. Looking up and
seeing the swordsman's towering mass over her, she bit back a curse.

	"Well, nothing personal."

	This couldn't be happening. Despite powering up, she still didn't have enough
to beat him. If only she could dodge this next swing...

	"I summon thee... Airhead!"

	There was a flash of light, and an aviarian monstrosity emerged, towering over
Krackel by half a meter. It had talon-accented paws, rubbery wings, and stood on
its hind feet, glaring down its target. Krackel turned to met the new threat, and
Tsukigo rolled away from the swordsman, and into the patch of flowers.

	The bird beast leapt at Krackel, slashing at him with talons, and gnashing at
him with its beak. Krackel ducked and dodged, and swung back at it, hitting its
head with the flat side of its massive blade.

	The bird beast squawked in pain and annoyance, and struck back at him. Tsukigo
watched the battle rage back and forth in awe. The Airhead would have given her,
Yumi, and Kyouji more than a run for the money, and Krackel was going stride for
stride with it. Such incredible...

	"Girl! The flowers! Gather the flowers!"

	That snapped her out of her thoughts, and sneaking a look at a struggling Twix,
she staggered into the flowers, picking them one by one, wrapping them in a careful
bundle, and putting them in a sack.

	Krackel dueled briefly with the idea of just leaving the two here, and going
back to get the crystal shard he had located. However tempting it was, it would
not do anything to make Wintergreen content. But then, he doubted anything
would. It wouldn't aid his sister's situation any. [So it's time to nail this 
problem at its source,] he thought grimly.

	He swung his sword at the bird beast, kicking up another shockwave from the
blade, and then jumped to the side, making a straight dash for Twix.

	Tsukigo turned around and shouted, but it was too late. Half lost struggling to
keep control of such a powerful beast, Twix could only dodge slightly as Krackel
slashed through his side, crumpling the summoner, and leaving a horrible gash where
he was cut.

	Twix grunted and collapsed, and the beast disappeared, leaving a grim Krackel,
who began to edge toward Tsukigo with malicious intent.

	Tsukigo looked at Twix, who had curled into a fetal position, favoring his wound.
That was utterly cruel. At the most Twix made that distraction so she could 
obtain the flowers. How could Krackel be so heartless...

	And then he was upon her, forcing her back again and again with repeated slashes
whose aftermath did more actual damage than the strokes themselves. She bit back
screams of pain, and continued to defend herself, slowly wearing down.

	Krackel backed off, and appraised his 'opponent'. Her dress was tatters and
strips, her forehead was cut and bleeding clearly, and there were countless other
wounds and cuts upon her. He frowned deeply.

	"A thousand apologizes Warrior Priestess, but it's what must be done."

	"Why?" She pushed the words out between breaths. "Why are you doing this? What
could you possibly have to gain by hurting us?"

	He shook his head sadly. "As I said before, this is not personal, but something
of higher value than even you is in jeopardy, and I'll not allow any further 
harm come to her." He moved to a ready position. "Besides, as far as I've seen,
you Crystal Warriors have been killing yourselves for nothing. How do you save
a planet that doesn't want to be saved?"

	Tsukigo braced herself for the next move; she would not lose this fight, even
if it was her last.  "If that's the way you want it then..."

	The Warrior Priestess hefted her weapon, and the battle was joined again.


>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<


	Teru sulked next to an anxious Kyouji, and traced a finger along his shirt.
"So this is all you wanted hmm?"

	Kyouji collected himself, and shoved her away from him, hard.

	She landed on the ground, instantly in her dress again, and rubbed her bum. "Not
your cup of tea Kyouji-kun?"

	"What the hell is wrong with you? What kind of sick-"

	"Person are you to lead two girls on in this kind of situation?" She finished,
not quite to the train of thought he was on. "Nice you should try to ask that."

	Kyouji continued to rage. "That doesn't excuse what you're doing now! I figured
you might have something here for me to talk about, or maybe that this was something
else from your past, but all I've seen is stuff that makes me question just how
in the world you got to be a Priestess!"

	Teru smiled. "Then I'm getting somewhere."

	The Knight Protector looked on as she grasped his hand and started walking in
what seemed south. "Just what are you trying to get at?" Kyouji asked.

	She never answered, but just continue leading him through the field of poppies,
much to his frustration. Finally, they stopped, and she motioned him to sit, to
which he slowly complied.

	Kyouji's patience ran out at that point. "Are you going to tell me what this is
about or not?"

	The former Warrior Priestess looked into his eyes, and nodded. "Do you hear that
Kyouji?"

	No sooner than did he mouth out 'Hear what,' that he did hear it. A quiet sobbing
that seemed to suddenly fill the entire plain. It pierced him through to his heart,
and he winced at the now-all-too-familiar pang to protect, defend and...

	"Yeah, I felt the same way too when Mia fell while we were charging the crystal."
Her demeanor changed, as if switching from a playful child to a life-hardened
warrior with little effort. It bothered Kyouji deeply.

	"What happened?"

	"It was us, plain and simple. We didn't survive that last battle because Wintergreen
had reached us, had reached ME, and broke what we did have."

	Kyouji remained silent, and then gasped when the field before him rippled as
if fluid, and presented a crystal pool, displaying Yumi silently crying and 
cradling his head in her lap.

	"Knight Protector, you say it's your job to save the girls, but then what's
their job? What are they to do as Warrior Priestesses?"

	He thought about it, then shook his head in confusion when it didn't come to him.

	"I thought as much. Since it's all of your objectives to reform the Starburst
Crystal, and seal, if not destroy Wintergreen, then what does that leave them to
do if all they are is protected by you? What makes you that special?"

	"Because if I can't, then who can?" Kyouji said silently.

	"They can; you all can. You've got to learn that you all watch for each other,
not just you for them. You may be just a boy, but you're still part of a team,
a very important team that can't afford to let single-minded things separate them.

	"That's what got us, Kyouji. We came here as schoolgirls, nothing more. We came
as three near-strangers that didn't know what it was to be warriors, and we had
to learn the hard way."

	Teru choked, and the pool's image changed, to the battle of the original three
Crystal Warriors against Wintergreen. There were efforts, but it was painfully
obvious who the victor was going to be. Then, as the last Priestess, Yumi, fell,
she smiled as the Crystal emitted a blinding light, and Wintergreen disappeared.

	Kyouji put an arm around Teru, who continued to speak when the tears came to
her eyes. "You all are going through the same thing again. It's horrid that so
many years have passed, and the same mistakes are being repeated. You still 
believe that prophecy that Wintergreen spoke to you, and you've done you best to
make sure that it doesn't come to pass, but in a way, she's making it come true
through you.

	"I can't say that better teamwork would have stopped that Bitecrawler, but there
were choice times when things could've been better handled if you thought them
out, or acted on instinct instead of pride. You've got to throw that away, and help
the others do the same, or you'll never win."

	"So you're accusing me of harming the others?" 

	"No, I'm letting you know that you're falling into her trap and need to depend
on you teammates right now more than anything. I'm saying that with or without
powers, the planet's chosen you three because of a bond that cannot be broken."

	The pool rippled once more, showing Tsukigo raging a fantastic fight against
Krackel, while Twix sat injured, and Kit Kat stood watching in the distance, the
Pineapple Shard in his mouth.

	"Tsukigo-chan! She's in trouble!"

	"Maybe, but she's held her own so far because right now, she has you in her heart,
and that's giving her hope. But there's also something else there, chipping at her.
Something that's been doing so since you two have met."

	Kyouji didn't need to imagine what, and the answer left a sick feeling in his
stomach. "Yumi."

	"They don't truly act together, and she carries a pang of jealousy that's wearing
her thin. She can't keep that up on her own. Someone has to be there to help carry
that burden with her."

	"But what can I do?"

	"Right now? Do as Yumi does, and pray for her. Let her know that you're there
for her."

	Kyouji's frowned, but determination burned in his eyes. "How can I? I'm not   
psychic! How can I help her from here, stuck in some mind trip because of a curse?"

	Then he saw it. A twinkle that caught his eye. The shard was glowing slightly,
and the weird thing was he could 'feel' it more than see it. A warmth spreading
throughout his mind, making him feel... bigger, more whole.

	"A bond that can't be broken...?"

	Teru looked into his eyes, and smiled. "You've taken the first steps. The next
step is to solidify what time's tried to destroy. You've two women's hearts in 
your hand Kyouji-kun." She came closer to him, her breath on his neck, and suddenly
it was faint, distant. "Don't play so callously with them, and don't make them 
wait. I know they have yours as well, and would you want them to do that to you?"

	Kyouji took his eyes from the scene, and looked at the disappearing girl. "Pick
or don't pick, but recognize what you three have, and let no one break it, not
even yourselves."

	With that, Teru vanished, the specter that he thought her to be. Kyouji turned
to the pool, and with Tsukigo and Yumi solidly set in his mind, prayed.


>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<


	Yumi jumped with a start. What in the world was that? It seemed faint, but    
familiar, like she knew that feeling long ago...

	*Yumi...*

	"Kyouji-kun?" Yumi looked down at the still form resting on her thighs. Did he
just speak?

	*Yumi. Tsukigo needs us.*

	Her mind? That's where the voice came from? And something else. Something...
familiar, deathly so.

	"How Kyouji? How do we help her?"

	There was silence, and fear she might just be going insane, but then-

	*The Shards. Pray with me, with them. Hurry.*

	Yumi concentrated.


>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<


	Tsukigo stood up on one knee. There was no room to quit now. Even with that
brief distraction from Twix, which he paid for, Krackel was still standing, and
hell-bent on her demise. If only she wasn't so tired...

	She waned for a moment, then regained herself. This couldn't end now. There were
so many truly depending on the Warrior Priestesses to emerge victorious...

	Krackel's comment came back to her thoughts. "How do you save a planet that 
doesn't want to be saved?"

	She bashed that thought to the back of her mind, but it's truth continued to
ring in her soul. Those people were too concerned about themselves to aid them,
and the others that had helped them were likely dead by now, by Wintergreen's 
hand. What use was she truly as a Warrior Priestess if she couldn't even defend
herself, let alone the denizens of Mars?

	*We'll help Tsukigo-chan.*

	She looked around wildly, and suddenly there was a wind about her, knocking her
into the wall of the mountain summit. Kyouji? Was that even possible?

	*Trust us Tsukigo, like we do in you.*

	That was both of them, Yumi and Kyouji. She didn't stop to think about it any
longer, but fell into the growing warmth that was spreading.

	Krackel backed away as the Warrior Priestess began glowing, taking on a sheer
white aura. She hefted her hammer, which erupted in a white fire.

	"This... this isn't possible." The swordsman looked confused, but knew in his
heart he was witnessing the very power that had sealed away Wintergreen so very
long ago.

	Twix held his side, which seemed less pained than before, and watched in awe
as the Warrior Priestess took one swing at Krackel, dropping him to his knees.
She posed for another, then waned as her aura gave out, and simply looked at
Krackel. The swordsman looked up at the girl and smiled, before he vanished in
his own display of light, likely not of his doing.

	Tsukigo stood there, basking in a strange mix of peace and pain. Curious, she
fingered her gem in her forehead and gasped as she felt the crack and how large
it had become.


>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<


	*This is wonderful. They are starting to learn.*

	The Temple Spirit came out of her meditative state, and smiled for the first
time in nearly a millennium. After all this time they were finally learning. Three
shards of their hearts' creation and more on the way. The crystal was going to
glow once more.

	But something was indeed wrong. Tsukigo's gem wasn't up to handling such power,
and it was time that it was fixed. Now that they understood that three were to seal
Wintergreen, it was time to back them all the way.

	She began chanting to herself, and achieved contact.

	*Kit Kat?*

	"Gika!" came the reply.

	*Yes, I know. Take them to Wonka in the Crumdust Plains. He and his
Munchkins should be able to aid Tsukigo's problem.*

	"Gika?"

	*Indeed it will, but I trust they'll make it through. Hurry now, you have three
people who need medical attention still.*

	"Gika." the carret said, and she broke contact.

	The task done, the spirit stared into space, her mind a jumble of thoughts and
wishes. Perhaps this time around her most fond wish would indeed come true.


>o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o< >o<


	Wow, that was an effort. ^_^ Well, to the notes.

	By a show of hands, how many were thrown off by Teru's actions? Well, if you
were shocked, then I did my job. Since such things, like saving the world, and
being classed a warrior are so extreme, I figured that he should know that.

	I made the term Crystal Warriors, mostly because it was annoying enough to just
'say' Warrior Priestesses and the Knight Protector, and became more so type. 
Fad or no fad? ^_^;

	I had planned more for the Airhead, and more for Twix than just being used as a
punching bag, but I wasn't able to come to a decision.

	Wonka... is something for Marcus-san (or whoever takes it) to figure out. ^_^

	Many, MANY thanks to Jesse for helping out at the last minute, even though I
didn't kill the little rat, carret, cabit wannabe, whatever. Better hunting next
time, ne?

	Special thanks to Yonjuuni for offering a shoulder to cry on when I just couldn't
come with a decision on the Twix ordeal, and thanks to Ard-chan for... being Ard-chan!
Cookie for you!

	Well, that's it. Back to the Hack I go. Ja ne!

K. Murasaki 4/04/01