The riders reached the castle at midmorning, just as the sun
brought what warmth it could to the hearts of the people in
Wintergreen's country. Wary from the winding paths of the Three
Musketeers Mountains, the officers stood by their leader as the remnants
of their army trailed behind.

	"Well," said Clorets, "we're finally here."

	"Sir," began an officer to her side, "there's an ill feeling in
the air. No one has announced our arrival."

	"That's because we failed," sneered the general, "and our queen
does not tolerate failure."

	This silenced the officer and his fellows, reminding them of the
fate that was in store for them. After a moment another officer spoke.
"Sir, I believe that he was referring to the castle itself."

	"What do you mean?"

	The officers pointed towards the stone keep. "There are no guards
on the walls or towers, and the sacrifice fires have burned out."

	Clorets, her heart burdened with the trepidation of forthcoming
doom, eyed Wintergreen's castle warily. True enough, it lacked the
normal contingent of men on the watch, and no fire burned to signal the
daily tribute to Wintergreen.

	It was then a cold feeling welled-up within the general. "We've
met no patrols, nothing at all."

	The troops around her said nothing, having long since learned to
ignore their leader's spoken thoughts.

	Clorets stepped off her horse in a flourish of steel and cloth.
Reaching under her cloak the general unsheathed her sword and brandished
it with a flourish. "Company B will accompany me into the castle, the
rest of the men will stand-by here." The general glared at her troops.
"Move out!"

	Quickly a group of men dismounted and joined their commander;
together they made their way to the foot of the hill atop which the
castle fortress sat. With the grunts forming a protective ring around
Clorets, the group marched onward. As the castle loomed before them,
many coolly eyed the absence of soldiers upon the walls and towers of
the keep. Finally, after what seemed an eternity on the wind-swept
landscape, the expedition force approached the entrance to the castle.

	The huge iron double-doors were locked, likely barred from the
inside, as were the marksmen positions adjacent on either side of the
door. The soldiers frowned at this seemingly conflicting evidence of a
siege; why bar the doors if there was no invader outside the castle
walls? Moreover, even if there HAD been an invader, why were there no
signs of an organized defense? Or even evidence of a battle for that
matter?

	A tense Clorets approached a small security door; one located at
the bottom of the massive iron barrier, and tested it. Sure enough, the
door unlatched with a rusty moan. Signaling silently to her men, the
general motioned for the troops to follow her through the portal.

	Drawing one final breath, Clorets steeled herself for whatever lay
in wait for her behind the door. She pushed the door back, strode
through, and took a look around.

	Clorets immediately wished she hadn't.

	"By Mars..."

	The company of men that followed Clorets had a similar reaction as
they saw the abject slaughter before them.

	Hanging from the ceiling on matching lengths of rope were a dozen
castle workers, men and women of varying ages dressed in their uniform
garb. The look on each worker's face was the same grim acceptance, as if
Mars itself had commanded each to die and they had willingly complied.
Now the dozen resembled little more than another piece of exotic
sculpture in Wintergreen's collection.

	They weren't the worst thing, not by far.

	Bodies, piled like leaves on an autumn day, littered the main
hall. A few showed little evidence of struggle, mainly what had been the
service and maintained staff, while others, likely the castle guard,
still clutched weapons in their hands. And it seemed that each pile of
bodies sported a different means of death; some seemed melted (as if by
lightning), others were charred from fire, and a few were encased in
half-melted blocks of ice.

	But it was the 'missing' ones that sickened Clorets.

	They appeared to be the handful of people who had made for the
contingency door, the one through which Clorets herself had entered, but
had been cut down mere meters away from their goal. Unlike the other
dead, this band didn't show any discernable sign of death save for the
absence of large quantities of material from their bodies. From what
Clorets could see it was as if clumps of matter had been scooped cleanly
away, leaving gaping holes where there should have been spleens, hearts,
and other organs.

	It was a long time before Clorets and her men moved from their
assembly by the doorway; the abject killing in Wintergreen's castle was
like nothing any of them had ever seen, even compared to the punishment
they themselves dealt out to those who opposed their queen.

	The sound of a distant scream awoke the general and her company to
their situation.

	"We'll make for the throne room," said Clorets, gesturing to a
path up a flight of stairs. "Circle me, kill anything that moves."

	Shaking with nervousness, the men followed their orders and the
group advanced deeper into the castle. Outside the main chamber they
found the devastation was less, consisting mainly of the occasional man
charred or torn apart. After several minutes in the dead silence, the
group reached the Queen's Chamber.

	Ignoring a man pinned to the doorway with what presumably was his
own sword, Clorets prepared to kick the doors in but then thought better
of it. Fear greater than what she had felt compelled her to follow
protocol and knock.

	By some unknown machination, the doors opened.

	"Clorets," boomed the terrible voice of the Dark Queen
Wintergreen, "you're late."

	The general blinked. "We were harassed by marauders along the
mountain paths."

	"Mountain men? Feh. If that is your best excuse for tardiness, I
pray you do better for your failures in Guylian."

	This blatant dismissal of Cloret's failure wiped away days of
thought over the proper explanation of her defeat and subsequent defeat.
Strangely it also had the effect of dissipating any fear of her
punishment at Wintergreen's hands. Inevitability will do that to a
person.

	"No your Majesty," said Clorets, bowing in respect. "I can merely
report the facts: the Guylian Campaign was a dismal failure. All but
three dozen of my men were wiped out, and no heavy siege equipment could
be salvaged."

	"And what of my Mambos?" asked Wintergreen, full well knowing the
answer.

	Clorets bit her lip. "I regret to inform you that the Crystal
Warriors managed to annihilate the Mambos in combat."

	There was no response.

	After struggling between the growing pain in her lower back and of
her sovereign, Clorets slowly stood up from her genuflection. The queen,
hidden behind a veil of pale green hair, gave no immediate response.

	Clorets said nothing, not wanting to disturb her queen's thoughts.

	"Very well," announced the queen, waving her hand dismissively,
"you my retain your life and rank."

	The general was taken aback; hadn't she just lost a major assault
upon one of the last major power that could possibly threaten
Wintergreen? And now she being FORGIVEN?

	"Your Majesty?"

	"I've just spared your life," sneered Wintergreen, "unlike others
who have proven false to me. Do not question my forgiveness, for it is a
_fleeting_ thing."

	The general nodded in thanks, absorbing the information. "So...
the castle?"

	"That would be the work of Twizzler."

	"Twizzler!" shouted Clorets, shocked at the news. Soon the
defeated general remembered whose presence she was in, and adjusted her
voice accordingly. "Why was she released from her prison?"

	"You mustn't mind Twizzler," issued the voice of the Queen. "She's
merely following my instructions, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, to
cull the traitorous elements among the palace workforce."

	"Traitors?" asked Clorets. "There was a rebellion?"

	Wintergreen shook her head. "No, but I prefer to demonstrate my
powers to those who serve me. It helps to calm such disquieting
thoughts."

	"I see."

	A pause.

	"Tell me Clorets," said the Dark Queen, lifting her gaze to the
general's own, "do you believe in fate?"

	Clorets blinked. "Fate?"

	"That our lives and fortunes are locked upon a course set eons
ago, at the beginning of time, by a higher power: fate."

	"No, your Majesty," replied Clorets, unease tinting her voice. "I
believe we make our own destiny."

	A thin, amused smile spread across the witch's face. "Then you
believe as I do."

	The Dark Queen stood, brandishing the Spear of Mint.

	"I am surrounded by incompetence," spat the Queen, "much as I was
a thousand years ago. Rarely do my lieutenants prove themselves against
my enemies, and those that show any promise conspire against me, much to
my amusement."

	Wintergreen took a step towards her general. Then another.

	"Yet now I face a decision; shall I await the Crystal Warriors'
inevitable doom on the day they once again stand against me, or do I
stem this annoyance before it tests its petty worth against me?"

	Clorets waited in silence for the queen to continue her rant, only
to suddenly realize she was waiting for an answer. "We... *I* have
always made to destroy these children whenever the chance came to me."

	"Perhaps," retorted the all-powerful witch, "but you have not only
failed in destroying the Crystal Warriors, but you have strengthened
them with your lackluster plans."

	Pride demanded a response. "Your Maj-"

	Wintergreen silenced her general with a gesture. "Whatever your
experience in battle does not make up for your lack of the destroyer's
instinct. Conquering you understand, but not that which fills my heart
and soul. But I realize now that no one can ever understand hate as I
do..."

	The queen grinned wickedly.

	"...therefore," said the queen, "I feel a demonstration is in
order."

	This confused Clorets. "Your Majesty?"

	Wintergreen spoke slowly to her lieutenant. "We're going on a
field trip, to study the proper method of disposing of one's enemies."
The Queen's voice then grew bitter. "A lesson you would do best to take
to heart."

	All at once, the light of the Spear of Mint flooded the chamber,
washing over everyone and everything. Clorets and her men threw up their
hands to shield their eyes but, even then, the light of the Spear ate
away at their very shadows. It consumed all and became all.

	The light faded and Clorets was again enveloped, this time in the
noisy commotion of an army. Fighting against the numbing tide within her
soul, the general looked about only to find scores of bottle pops
entrenched in the countryside.

	A pair of artillerymen to her side looked over at the sudden
appearance of their sovereign and her general. One man shoved a pack of
forms into the hands of another and stepped forward.

	Captain McVities saluted his queen. "Your Majesty!"

	"Report," commanded Wintergreen, returning neither salute nor
respect to the captain.

	"The target appears to be projecting a protective field, but I
believe that our firepower should be sufficient to penetrate it given
the proper time."

	Wintergreen nodded. "Prepare to begin bombardment within the hour.
Also, bring the Sara Lee into firing range."

	McVities nodded. "Yes, your Majesty!"

	The captain and his men scurried off, leaving Clorets alone with
the Dark Queen Wintergreen.

	Clorets turned to her leader. "I don't understand, where are we?"

	"The beginning," said Wintergreen simply, pointing to the center
of the valley spread before them.

	There, nestled in the valley below, was an elegant crystalline
structure surrounded by sparkling waters and a quaint wooden bridge:

	 The Starburst Temple.


>o< >o< >o<

The Starburst Crystal
Created by Ardweden

Chapter Forty-four: Savory Truffle
By Doublemint

>o< >o< >o<


	A bright, sunny day.

	"Right," Kyouji nodded. "I spy with my little eye something
beginning with... 't'."

	"Gika! Gika!"

	"No Kit Kat, I don't think that counts," laughed Yumi.

	Tsugiko, who was trailing behind her two friends, brushed a lock
of sweat-matted hair out of her eyes. "Let me guess... trees?"

	Kyouji turned to the green-themed Warrior and mocked surprise.
"Wow! You got that one pretty quick."

	"I know," deadpanned the Priestess, "it was one of your harder
questions, wasn't it?"

	"Okay," said Yumi, "my turn. I spy with my little eye something
beginning will... 'm'."

	Tsugiko sighed. "More trees?"

	"Wow!" smiled the pink Priestess. "That was fast!"

	"Gika!"

	"Fine then," said Tsugiko, "I'll go."

	Kyouji wiped sweat from his eyes. "Make it a hard one."

	The brunette shook her head sadly. "That shouldn't be too hard,
considering." She looked around, searching for anything interesting. "I
spy... with my little eye... something beginning with... LAKE!"

	"Lake?" Kyouji frowned. "That's not a letter."

	"No Kyouji," said Yumi, tugging on the Knight Protector's
shoulder. "It's a lake, a real one!"

	His eyebrows perked. "Where?"

	Tsugiko pointed. "There!"

	Sure enough, down the road a distance, there was a sparkling lake,
perfect for bathing.

	"Gika! Gika!"

	"Come on!" shouted Yumi. "Let's go!"

	Acting their age for once, the three teens broke into a dash for
the body of water. With their enhanced skills they covered the distance
in no time, not even breaking a sweat from the exertion.

	"First dibs!" yelled Kyouji, reaching the lake ahead of the
others.

	"No fair!" shouted Tsugiko. "I saw it first."

	Yumi put a hand on her roommate's shoulder. "He won Tsugiko, and
the rules are the rules."

	"But he has super-speed!"

	Kyouji dipped a hand into the lake, testing the temperature. "If
you two don't mind, I'd like to start washing up."

	Tsugiko frowned. "But if you do that, we won't have anything to
drive the monsters and wild animals away from camp?"

	"Hey!"

	"Let's go Tsugiko," said Yumi, smiling at her boyfriend's
reaction. "I think I see fruit trees on the other side of the lake."

	"Fine," she said, "let's move."

	The two girls, along with Kit Kat, departed their companion.
Walking along the shore, they soon arrived at the grove of fruit trees
Yumi talked about.

	"Hey, look!" yelled the blond, tugging at her friend's shoulder.

	"What?"

	"Apple Jacks!" cheered Yumi, picking a fruit from the tree.

	"It's been a while," declared Tsugiko, also helping herself to
some fruit.

	"Gika! Gika! Gika!"

	"Say Yumi," asked Tsugiko, ignoring the car-ferret at her feet,
"do you think these Apple Jacks look a little... pale?"

	The pink Priestess inspected the fruit in question. "Maybe, but
that's probably natural. I mean, back on Earth, didn't real apples come
in all sort of colors?"

	"True," nodded Tsugiko. The green Crystal Warrior took a bite out
of her 'Apple Jack'. "Hmmm... (chew) it's (chew) kinda bland."

	Yumi tested the delicacy. "Yeah, but it's still good."

	"Gika! Gika! Gika!"

	Tsugiko giggled at the little cat-ferret's antics. "Okay Kit Kat,
you can have some." She kneeled to the ground and offered the item, in
response the animal batted it away with a paw. "Hey!"

	"Gika!" the animal mewed, then rushed up into the fruit tree.

	Yumi shook her head. "That was strange."

	"Really?" laughed Tsugiko. "I think it's kind of cute."

	"But you were just angry."

	The micro-skirted girl shrugged. "Guess I'm just feeling a little
mellower now."

	"Yumi! Tsugiko!" shouted Kyouji, walking up to the two girls with
his chest bare. "Do either of you have the wash cloth in your knapsack?"

	The blond girl looked at her boyfriend and frowned. "I don't think
so."

	Tsugiko giggled, blushed, and turned away.

	Kyouji looked curiously at the two girls. "Are you two alright?"

	"Why wouldn't we be?" asked Yumi, feeling a bit angry.

	"Huh? Oh, no reason."

	Yumi offered one of the Apple Jacks. "Here."

	"Thanks," he said, taking the item. "Hmmm... it's a bit bland," he
declared after sampling it.

	"Tsugiko thought the same thing."

	"Hehehehehehe!" laughed the girl in question.

	"GIKA!" yelled Kit Kat, spring from the tree. Once he land on
Yumi, the cat-ferret knocked the half-eaten Apple Jack from her hand.

	A chill shot up Kyouji's spine. "Something's wrong."

	"Hmm," said Yumi calmly.

	Grasping her pained sides, Tsugiko collapsed to the ground.

	"TSUGIKO!" yelled Kyouji, rushing to the girl's side.

	The girl closed her eyes, chuckling all the while. "Heh... heh...
heh... heh... heh-eh."

	As Kyouji tried to wake the fallen girl, Yumi carefully set
herself on the ground. "Oh dear," she said mechanically, "I don't feel
so good."

	Yumi fell face-first into the ground.

	"YUMI!" Kyouji rushed over to his sorta-girlfriend's side. "Come
on Yumi, wake up!" He gently slapped her face. "Stay with me!"

	The girl didn't respond.

	Suddenly Kyouji found himself feeling ill: sweaty forehead, damp
armpits, flushed cheeks, dry throat.

	"The Apple Jacks," he said to himself, "it was the Apple Jacks."

	Wait, he thought to himself, the fruit in his hand wasn't an Apple
Jack; it was a... a Cheerio.

	"Cheerio?" he asked himself, a distant part of himself identifying
the item. "What's... that... ?"

	Kyouji dropped to the ground.

	"Gika!" was the last thing he heard before losing consciousness.




	And then the fun began...



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



	The three --- Clorets, Riesen, and Krackel --- had been gathered
on the hill by their sovereign. Each was equally wary of the others, but
even more so for the day's intended "lesson".

	Wintergreen, Spear of Mint in hand, stood before the privileged
assembly with total self-confidence. She studied each of her lieutenants
carefully, analyzing each person's mood and body language. Once she was
satisfied by their collective nervousness, the queen began her sermon.

	"You all wonder why I've gathered you here today," the witch
began, "but I'm sure you can all guess the reason. In the past few
months I've given each of you a simple, straightforward task: the
destruction of the Crystal Warriors. A task at which you have all not
only failed, but failed *miserably*."

	As she hissed that final word, all three felt a deep fear creep
into their hearts. Riesen and Clorets felt that fear for their
themselves, Krackel for his sister.

	"You," declared Wintergreen, thrusting the Spear of Mint at
Clorets, "have failed me twice in your duty to conquer in my name, each
time losing men and equipment that could be burning life from the face
of Mars. And when you took the initiative to finally destroy the Crystal
Warriors, you ended up losing me my Mambos." The queen frowned. "I do
not like losing my pets."

	"You," she now pointed the Spear of Mint at Riesen, "have failed
to destroy the bonds that bind the Crystal Warriors together, a task at
which you claimed to be perfectly suited for. Instead it's likely you've
strengthen those bonds, conditioning those pubescents to function as a
team rather than as the children they are." The queen smiled. "Though I
must grant you the satisfaction of amusing me with your 'subtle'
machinations."

	"And you," said Wintergreen to Krackel, not bothering to terrify
the hero with her Spear, "have openly betrayed me on several occasions,
even going so far as to *aid* the Crystal Warriors with a Shard." The
queen let the man stew in that pronouncement before moving on. "Tell me,
do you want your sister to die? If so, it can be arranged immediately. I
imagine Twizzler will be bored after finishing off the last of the
castle guards; perhaps she'd like something new to play with..."

	The queen turned away from her lieutenants and gazed into the
valley below. Under the mid-morning she watched as the sun danced off a
thin, nearly transparent bubble that wrapped the Starburst Temple. With
her back still to the three, Wintergreen continued. "I will no longer
tolerate such incompetence, especially with such brazen disregard to my
will. I have commanded you to destroy the Crystal Warriors and therefore
you *will* carry out instructions."

	"Questions?"

	"Your Majesty," hesitantly asked Clorets, "why isn't Twizzler here
for today's lesson?"

	"Twizzler, with her delusions concerning the Knight Protector, has
no business in the field," replied Wintergreen in a silky voice. "Until,
if ever, that changes she will continue to provide me with valuable
amusement at the castle."

	After that the four stood in silence, but not for long. An
unearthly roar a beast climbed over the crest of the hill.

	It was a bottle pop, but one that was bigger than any the three
lieutenants had seen before. Its massive cannon barrel peaked out of a
metal frame that wrapped the body of the bottle pop, offering protection
to the fragile chemicals stored within. Even stranger, neither man nor
beast pulled it over the hill.

	In fact, it didn't even touch the ground at all.

	The strange bottle pop floated strangely in the air, several hand
spans from the ground. An eerie colored field, consisting of a chilly
green that ate away at one's senses, seemed to separate the craft from
the soils of Mars, propelling forward and upwards. The field also seemed
to affect the matter in its reach, evident by the unhealthy grayish tint
that the grasses around the bottle pop began to take on.

	Captain McVities approached the group of higher-ups with a broad
smile on his face. Sweeping an arm to the monstrosity, he announced,
"Your Majesty, I present to you the Sara Lee."

	"Excellent," replied the queen. "Prepare to commence bombardment
on my command."

	A salute. "Yes, your Majesty."

	McVities shouted for readiness among his troops, and within
seconds, the anticipated calls came down.

	"Target's range is one-hundred Grand! Elevation thirty-five
degrees!"

	"Batteries one through twelve primed!"

	"Batteries thirteen though twenty-four primed!"

	An attendant ran up and carefully saluted first the Queen and then
the captain. "The Sara Lee is armed and calibrated, sir."

	The captain turned to Wintergreen. "Your Majesty?"

	Under the yellow sun and a curtain of wilted green hair, the
sorceress smiled. "Maximum firepower."

	"Aye!" He turned back to his men and a raised his sword into the
air. "Maximum firepower maggots! Prepare to fire on command!"

	Wintergreen looked over at the trio beside her. "The application
of force is key to victory; too little and you squander victory, too
much and it lessens the satisfaction." She looked back at the captain.
"You may begin."

	McVities nodded.

	"All batteries," the captain swung his sword down, "FIRE!"



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



	The Starburst Temple was packed with kings, queens, village
elders, other important persons, and, of course, the Crystal Warriors.
Everyone huddled at the center of the temple, eyes drawn to the
multicolored crystal that floated atop a pedestal in the room's center.
It was the Starburst Crystal, the most powerful magical artifact in the
world and, once again, the prison of Queen Wintergreen.

	*Your holy quest is completed Crystal Warriors,* announced the
Temple Spirit. *Mars sends its thanks to you.*

	A roar of cheers and applause rocked the Temple.

	Tsugiko, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness, joined her
friends in a group hug. After letting herself enjoy the moment of
victory, the green Priestess broke away from Yumi and Kyouji.

	The three turned their attention to the guardian of the Starburst
Temple.

	"Temple Spirit," Kyouji said, stepping forward, "we're ready to go
back home now."

	The ghost child nodded. *You are ready to return to Tokyo?*

	The other two Warriors turned to Tsugiko. Hesitantly at first, the
girl spoke. "I have a request."

	*Go ahead.*

	"I'd... well," Tsugiko steeled herself, then continued, "I'd like
to stay here. On Mars."

	*I am sorry Priestess, that is not possible.*

	"Why not?!" the hammer-wielding Priestess yelled.

	*Mars has ordained that its champions should only walk upon its
face during times of the gravest peril. With Wintergreen once again
contained within the Starburst Crystal, that twilight hour has passed
away.*

	Kyouji extended a concerned hand to Tsugiko's shoulder but the
girl jerked away. She glared at the ghost child. "That's not fair!"

	*Fate rarely is.*

	"Isn't there anything that can be done?" asked Yumi.

	*Some things are simply not meant to be,* said the Spirit, *and we
all must learn to accept that.*

	The three teens looked at each other sadly.

	*Crystal Warriors, place your hands upon the Starburst Crystal and
receive the final gift of Mars.*

	The room suffused with a warm glow, a multicolored light that
washed over everything in Tsugiko's vision. The emerald priestess tried
to remove her hand from the Crystal but to no avail; a sticky residue
seemed to bond her hand to the artifact. Without warning there was a
nova of the senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and even taste were
numbed.


	Reality returned.


	The three teenagers, each bending over for the same chocolate bar
on the floor, clunked heads with one another. Unprepared for the sudden
jolt of pain, let alone any casual sensation, the trio fell backwards
and landed unceremoniously on the ground.

	Tsugiko cupped a hand over her forehead, trying to will the pain
away. "Ow." Blinded by the ambient light she shut her eyes.

	Yumi, equally startled, managed to gather her wits enough to roll
over to her friend. "Are you alright?"

	"Yeah, yeah," the brunette nodded, grimacing.

	"Let me take care of that," the blond girl said.

	Nothing happened.

	Tsugiko opened her eyes to find an amusing sight; her blond
roommate, brow furrowed in confusion, flicking an empty hand towards her
friend. A quick investigation of her own forehead highlighted the reason
behind the wand's absence.

	"My crystal's gone," Tsugiko announced.

	"So's mine," echoed Kyouji, probing his face.

	Yumi chimed in, "Mine too."

	It was then that Ms. Okubo walked in on the three teens.

	"Tsugiko! Yumi!" the teacher howled. "Where did you two run off
to? It's nearly three o'clock!" The woman menacingly leaned forward. "Do
you realize you've been holding up the bus for an *hour*?"

	Yumi blinked, then turned to her roommate who shrugged.

	"Well," Tsugiko announced, "we're back."


	>o< >o< >o<


	It was a party and Tsugiko hated every moment of it. Well, almost
every moment of it. For once her mother wasn't nagging her about
mediocre grades, inattentiveness, or (most thankfully) tips for
improving her fashion style. After three years of high school Tsugiko
didn't need her stepfather to rein in her mother's overbearing (I'm just
trying to be helpful, dear) nature; today she had finally graduated and
now it was her day.

	At least until dinner was served.

	"Dear," said her mother, holding a massive vat of steamed rice in
gloved hands, "could you setup the kiddy table, please? It'd be so
helpful."

	Tsugiko couldn't decide whether to roll her eyes or just sigh. "I
already did that mom."

	"Did you use the good dinnerware?"

	"Yes."

	"Did you make sure the apple cider didn't get mixed up with the
'special' cider?"

	"Yes mom."

	"Did you put down coasters?"

	"Yes mom," she rolled her eyes back.

	"Are you sure? I don't want be embarrassed in front of Yumi's
patents. They were so nice to host the party for you and your-"

	"Mom!" half-yelled Tsugiko.

	Her mother frowned, a hurt expression crossing her face. "I'm
sorry dear," she apologized sincerely, "I just want everything to go
perfectly for you tonight."

	Tsugiko, with years of practice under her belt, withheld the sigh
that would have come reflexively. "I know mom, I know."

	Tsugiko's mother set the rice down. "Why don't you go find your
friends, we'll be eating in a few minutes."

	"Yes mom."

	"And before you go, could you set out some coasters for the kiddy
table?"

	Tsugiko's eye twitched. "Yes mom."

	The ex-Crystal Warrior turned and fled the kitchen before her
mother could find something else to ask.

	Navigating a stream of well-wishers, distant relations, and
associates from school (she really could call two people friends)
Tsugiko made her way out the back door and into the spacious backyard of
Yumi's house. Even though the nighttime sky was obscured by dark clouds
she quickly zeroed in on her friends, an ability the three seemed to
have retained from their time on Mars.

	Yumi and Kyouji sat on a swing obviously intended for one, resting
their heads on one another. As Tsugiko walked up to her only friends she
felt an upwelling of jealousy and sadness in her heart. Like with her
mother, time had allowed the school graduate to quell the former. The
latter, which she also learned to not openly express, never quite faded
away.

	Yumi noticed her first, and her face lit up appropriately. "How's
it going Tsugiko?"

	She shrugged. "Same old story."

	"Mom still 'helping' you?" inquired Kyouji.

	"Strangely, less than usual," the brunette replied. "Thankfully
she hasn't yet today asked me what I wanted to do with my life. Speaking
of which, what're your plans for the summer?"

	"My uncle offered me an internship at his chemical plant," he
explained, "which I think I'll take until college starts. It'll be good
practice for my major."

	Tsugiko smiled. "Sounds good." She turned to Yumi. "What about
you?"

	"Aside from volunteering at the civic center, I don't really have
anything planned till college." The blond girl brushed a stray hair back
behind her left ear. "What about you?"

	Tsugiko shifted from one foot to the other. "Well... I'm going to
attend a training program that the Tokyo Police Academy is offering."
She looked both at her friends, let out a breath she hadn't realized
she'd been holding, and said it. "I wanna be a cop."

	The news struck her friends like lightning.

	"Tsugiko!" said Kyouji, both in happiness and in concern.

	Yumi was all smiles. "That's wonderful! Have you told your
parents?"

	"No," she snorted at the absurdity of the idea. "Can you imagine
how mom would fret? I'll call her and dad a few hours before I take the
oath."

	"Are you sure you want to do it?" asked Kyouji, which drew a small
glare from his lover. "I mean, it's a lot of work to become a police
officer."

	Tsugiko's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying I'm not smart enough?"

	"No! No!" he threw his hands up defensively, as if deflecting a
hammer to the head. "I'm just saying-"

	"It's alright Kyouji," said Yumi, smoothing her boyfriend's
ruffled feathers. "She knows what you mean to say." She looked to
Tsugiko. "Right?"

	The other girl nodded, quashing the anger down next to the sadness
in her heart. "Yeah, I understand."

	The conversation receded into the night.

	"Tsugiko," said Kyouji, breaking the silence, "there's something
Yumi and I have to tell you."

	Tsugiko looked down: her friends were holding each other's hand
_that_ _way_.

	"We wanted you to be the first one to hear," chirped in Yumi.

	A horrible looming sensation filled Tsugiko, one that reckoned
back to the final battle with Wintergreen. The closest she could ever
put into words would be it was as if while watching CNN and you saw the
camera-feed from smart missile homing on your house --- you were inside
the house --- and the missile was about to (literally) hit home.

	What was said next seemed to come from Tsugiko's lips and not from
Tsugiko herself; she would never remember asking 'What would that be?'.

	Yumi and Kyouji first looked at each other, smiled, and then at
their friend. In unison they said, "We're gonna get married!"

	/Command, this is Cool Whip, target had been annihilated. I
repeat: target has been annihilated. Returning to base./

	Kyouji leaned forward. "Tsugiko?"

	/Roger that Cool Whip, we'll leave a light on for 'ya./

	The future police officer forced a smile. "That's fantastic!" She
rushed forward to hug her friends. "I'm *so* happy for you."

	Yumi hugged her friend back. "Kyouji asked me just before you came
out, it was so... *wonderful*!"

	"We were wondering if you could double as the maid of honor and
the best man," said Kyouji. "If that's alright with--agh!"

	It was raining. Hard.

	"Come on!" said Yumi, tugging her friends by their hand. "We have
to tell _everybody_!"

	Kyouji smiled at his future wife.

	"Okay," whispered Tsugiko, mentally sending a brief thanks to
whatever power she might believe in for the gift of rain.

	Now, if she was careful, no one would realize she was crying.


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


	They together arrived back at the apartment a little after ten;
their taxi having been caught up in the traffic coming out of a nearby
stadium. After walking up a nearby stairway, the two lovers stood in the
building's doorway.

	"It was a wonderful evening," said Tsugiko.

	Clark, her boyfriend from college, smiled. "Thanks."

	Tsugiko kissed her lover, and then turned to her purse in search
of an apartment key. "I still can't believe you got the jazz band to
play 'Happy Birthday' for me."

	"Honey," said Clark, kissing the brunette's neck, "there are many
things in this world people have trouble believing, how much I love you
shouldn't be one of them."

	She kissed Clark again.

	"Maybe," Tsugiko said, flushed, "but I think you still doubt some
of the things I've told you."

	Clark raised an eyebrow. "You mean all that Mars stuff? Sure, it
sounds strange, but who am I to argue with you?"

	"Whoops!" yelped Tsugiko as she dropped her keys.

	"Here," offered Clark, "let me get those."

	"It's no trouble really," insisted Tsugiko, moving to retrieve the
object in question, but by then Clark had picked up the keys.

	Her boyfriend smiled. "Let's play a game."

	He held out two fists.

	Tsugiko frowned at Clark. "Am I supposed to pick one?"

	"Yes."

	"Fine," she said, then pointed at one fist. "This one."

	The fist opened, it was a set of keys.

	"Whoops," said Clark, pulling the hand away. "I don't know how
that went wrong."

	Tsugiko, slightly drunk, giggled.

	He opened his other fist, revealing a small black box.

	"Tsugiko, my love," said Clark, "will you marry me?"

	The woman in question blinked.

	Clark opened the box, showing off the sparkling emerald, and set
the box on his lover's open palm.

	"I know it's not much," he whispered, "but I knew how much you
liked green stones and whatnot..."

	Tsugiko looked down at the tiny ring.

	"Well? What do you say?"

	She closed the tiny box.

	Tsugiko looked up to her boyfriend. "I'm... I'm sorry Clark. I...
I... I can't marry you."

	"W-why not?" he whispered, the hurt expression on his face tearing
at the brunette's heart. "I love you Tsugiko, why can't we be together?
Is it me?"

	"No! NO!" she yelled, moving closer to Clark. "I love you Clark,
and I want to be with you." She swallowed back a dry heave. "I just...
(sigh) I can't marry you. Not right now."

	"It's because of him, isn't it?"

	Tsugiko frowned. "Him who?"

	"Kyouji," sneered Clark, pouring venom into that single name.

	"He has nothing to do with this!"

	"Oh?"

	Tsugiko narrowed her eyes at Clark. "What are you getting at?"

	"I see the way you look at him," he said quietly. "And what about
the way you talked about him in the story of your's? It seemed like you
were leaving out a few *important* details. Or-"

	"STOP!" yelled Tsugiko, dropping her purse. "Don't talk about them
like that! You don't even know! You couldn't know!"

	Clark shut his eyes, not wanting to hear any more.

	Tsugiko's expression softened. "Clark, I-"

	"No Tsugiko," he said, cutting her off. "If I can't have your
heart, if some part of you will always be thinking of _him_, then I
can't do this. We can't do this. It would be a _farce_."

	Tsugiko frowned. "W-what?"

	Clark reached for his lover's hand, the one holding the engagement
ring case, and closed it gently around the box. Eyes brimming with
tears, he looked straight into Tsugiko's soul.

	"Goodbye," he said.

	And with that he turned and walked away, leaving Tsugiko alone in
the cold night.


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


	The patrol car cruised down the empty street, continuing its
nocturnal tour of the slumbering city. Inside its well-maintained,
state-of-the-art interior a rookie cop continued a tradition upheld by
her order throughout the world: drinking cheap coffee and showing off
pictures of family members.

	"I'm mean, look at him!" Tsugiko exclaimed, pausing to sip her
drink. "Have you ever seen a cuter baby?"

	Her partner, a man named Mallo, smiled from the driver's side.
"Yeah, he's a handsome devil. What did you say your friends named him?"

	"Winis," she replied.

	"Well 'Auntie' Tsugiko, I think tonight's patrol is a bust. No
sign of the Candyman anywhere."

	Tsugiko frowned and moved to put the baby picture back in her
wallet. "Personally, I hoped we'd run into the sicko.

	Mallo nodded in agreement, but glanced at his partner to make a
point. "Just remember not to let your personal affairs complicate your
job. If anyone brings down the Candyman, they need to do it by the
book."

	"Right," she replied, "but still, don't you think someone whose
killed as many kids as the Candyman --- in broad *daylight* --- needs a
little something special to bring him down?"

	Tsugiko's partner gripped the car's steering wheel. "Tsugiko,
listen to me," Mallo said firmly, "the oath to uphold the law is our
guiding principle. Anything that detracts from our upholding the law
needs to be dealt with."

	"Says the man who can't get a date."

	"Says the woman who can't control her temper," he retorted.

	"I can control my temper," Tsugiko said, sipping her lukewarm
coffee. "If you think I have a temper now, you should have seen me as a
kid."

	"You were a little hell-raiser, weren't you?"

	She chuckled. "Something like that."

	The car turned at an intersection. As it did so, Mallo reached
into the box atop his lap and pulled out a chocolate-glazed pastry.

	He offered one to his partner. "Donut?"

	Tsugiko shook her head. "No thanks."

	"Why not?"

	"Eating sweats feels too much like murder," she said, adding a
small chuckle afterwards.

	Mallo frowned. "Huh?"

	"Never mind," she checked her watch, "it's a long story."

	"You'll have to tell me sometime."

	Tsugiko glanced out the window at the empty streets. "Maybe I
will..."

	The hairs of Tsugiko's neck bristled; she turned to her partner.
"Do you feel that?"

	"My age?" Mallo chuckled. "Well Tsugiko, I *am* two weeks away
from retirement. It's been a long twenty years on the force, but
still... I don't feel old."

	"No," said the younger officer, "something else."

	Mallo glanced over at his partner. "What are you talking about?"

	It was then that the flaming missile exploded against the car's
exterior, tearing through its chassis like a penknife through paper. And
although it missed obliterating its target, the missile struck with such
force to transform the car into a ball of fire that then careened into a
nearby storefront.

	Tsugiko survived by two chances of fate: her seatbelt had been
faulty, causing her to be thrown from the car by the initial explosion,
and then she had managed to hit the ground in such a way that didn't
result in her getting killed or maimed.

	Mallo wasn't so lucky.

	Ears ringing with reverberation from the explosion, Tsugiko slowly
picked herself off the street pavement. Looking around in confusion, the
events of the last few minutes came back to the rookie cop in a rush of
horror.

	"MALLO!" she screamed, running to the flaming wreck that had once
been her squad car.

	Pushing against waves of heat and light in the nighttime air,
Tsugiko struggled to make out the form of her partner inside the
inferno. "Mallo! MALLO! Come on, say something!"

	But there was no reply.

	Tsugiko breathed heavily as she turned away, nearly doubling over
in shock as the harsh truth of reality settled in.

	Then she heard the laughter.

	Hateful, evil laughter.

	Across the intersection, cloaked in darkness outside a candy
shoppie, stood the lean figure of the man who had killed Mallo and had
tried to kill Tsugiko. As both the fire's heat and the killer's laughter
washed over her, Tsugiko put everything together.

	The figure turned and ran.

	Tsugiko flipped on her radio as she burst off in pursuit.
"Dispatch, this is Tsugiko, we have an officer down! I repeat: we have
an officer down at the ***** intersection, notify fire and medical
services." She squinted into the distance, struggling to follow the
fleeing attacker. "I'm pursuing the Candyman on foot. I repeat: I'm
pursing the Candyman on foot and require assistance. Subject is also on
foot, headed towards... towards..."

	"...Tokyo Tower."


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


	Tokyo Tower.

	At three hundred thirty three meters high, it is the tallest
structure in all of Japan. For decades, it has dominated the skyline,
and is considered one of Tokyo's most popular landmarks, offering a
spectacular view of the city. It should be no surprise that numerous
schools take field trips to the tower every year.

      But that was during the day, and this was the night.

	Tsugiko, gun raised, stepped out of the elevator and onto the very
same observation deck where, several years ago, she and her two friends
had returned from Mars. The area was dimly illuminated by the nighttime
of Tokyo; so she could somewhat make out the vending machines and other
furniture that filled the deck.

	There was no sound, not even the background hum of air
conditioning or electricity. It was perfectly quiet.

	"Hello."

	Tsugiko swung around, searching for the origin of the voice. She
found nothing.

	"Pathetic," sneered a voice in the darkness.

	"Who's there?" she asked, her eyes darting about in the shallow
lighting.

	A pause.

	"Your past," came the playful response.

	"My past?" Tsugiko repeated, realizing in the back of her mind
that the Candyman was female. "And what part of my past would that be?"

	"Why, the only part of your life that ever amounted to anything.
Not that it was much anyway."

	As hard as she searched, Tsugiko couldn't locate the Candyman
anywhere on the Observation Deck. Frowning, she struggled to stretch the
banter on so as to find the murderer. "Try me."

	If it was possible, nothingness frowned. "What?"

	"Try me," she repeated. "Since you're the expert on my life, why
don't you give me the rundown."

	Another pause.

	"Well," drawled the disembodied voice, "you used to dress like the
tramp you were."

	"A tramp?" echoed the officer. "I've never worn anything worse
than a school uniform."

	Laughter. "A 'school uniform'? I've seen prostitutes wear more
than you did... well, at least I did before I came here. Your new outfit
_does_ fit your crude form better, but reeeaaally, blue pants? With your
skin tone? Ha!"

	An icy chill creped up Tsugiko's spine. "Does my school uniform
have anything to do with killing those children?"

	"Children?" asked the voice in a strange manner. "Those
priestesses should have known better than to take after you. I was
merely teaching them a lesson."

	Tsugiko's mind reeled. "Y...you thought they
were...'priestesses'?"

	"Weren't they?" the Candyman's voice asked itself, pondering the
matter. Then, "Oh well, I suppose we all make mistakes."

	"Mistakes?" spat the police officer. "You call killing children a
*MISTAKE*?"

	The darkness chuckled. "I see you haven't lost any of your fire. A
pity though, I'd have liked our rematch to take place with you wielding
more than a toy bottle pop."

	Tsugiko tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry. "Rematch?"
she said, gathering her strength. "I'd think I'd remember fighting a
pathetic loser before."

	A pause.

	"Has it really been so long?" nothingness asked quietly.

	Out of the darkness, the Candyman stepped forward.

	Tsugiko's eyes widened in shock.

	"Really," said Twizzler, hugging her own curvy form, "I can't
believe you didn't remember me." The serial killer shook her head
solemnly. "I mean, how often do you see a body this *good*?"

	Tsugiko raised her gun at her old adversary's head. "You're dead!"
she yelped, then, feeling foolish, lowered her voice to a more
respectable level. "I saw you die!"

	A catlike rumble escape Twizzler's throat. "I know... but I
couldn't let a little thing like death keep me from my love, could I?"

	"Then how-"

	"-does it really matter?" Twizzler frowned.

	Tsugiko frowned as she worked out the mental calculations for the
time remaining until her back up arrived. She had to stall for time.
"How did you get to Earth?"

	The mage raised up something for the brunette to see, a rusty
nine-pointed pendant: the Starlite. It glowed with an otherworldly
light, mocking her with its power.

	"A little old woman in York was quite... helpful... getting me
here. Of course it took a little... convincing... on my part to get her
to cooperate," Twizzler smiled, her perfect white teeth glistening. "And
now that I'm here, I can finally have my Kyouji."

	Tsugiko fired off a round.

	The air Twizzler occupied was empty before the bullet left the
chamber. A savage punch to Tsugiko's back attested to that fact.

	The police officer crashed to the floor.

	Laughter. "Really Green," gloated Twizzler, standing over her,
"did you think you could kill me? Please. You couldn't even do that when
you had powers."

	Twizzler turned and looked out over the landscape of Tokyo,
glowing with its nighttime brilliance. "Such an amazing world, but full
of so many boring people." Child-like wonder filled the woman's voice.
"Yet I've seen so many terrible things, endless parades of the petty
acts of cruelty people do to each other without thinking. A lot like how
you treated Kyouji-kun."

	Tsugiko aimed at the redhead's back and fired. The bullet crumpled
against an invisible force field, leaving Twizzler unharmed.

	Without bothering to look, the mage made a backhanded gesture at
Tsugiko. "Flan."

	The quiet atmosphere of the observation deck was destroyed by the
fury of a hurricane's wind. The former Warrior Priestess was torn from
her resting place, tossed about in the air like a rag, and slammed into
the nearest observation window. Spider web cracks formed in the glass as
Tsugiko was pressed harder and more forcefully into the polymer. In the
process she lost her weapon, her badge, and her wallet to the wind.

	Twizzler absentmindedly waved a hand, canceling the spell.

	Tsugiko slid out of the bodily indentation in the glass and fell
to the floor. She fought to keep from blacking out.

	"I'd forgotten how pathetic you were Green," she observed
serenely, walking over to the collapsed form of her rival in love. "But
I should have expected such uncouth behavior from a simpleton like you."

	Tsugiko looked up wordlessly at Twizzler, blood clouding the
vision of one eye. The redhead responded by kicking her squarely in the
head; the police officer rolled away from the window, both from the blow
and an unconscious desire to escape her assailant.

	The mage dipped her head, coolly regarding the sprawled form of
Tsugiko. "Still... I can't fault you for accepting your limitations as a
commoner. Though a sad little job like enforcer of the law seems a bit
above you. May I recommend child-rearing?"

	More out of pain than anything else, Tsugiko did not respond to
Twizzler's insults. Lacking continued amusement from her toy, Twizzler
turned to walk away. It was then, with her eyes still earthbound, that
the mage noticed something both foreign and familiar lying on the floor
between herself and Tsugiko.

	"Kyouji?" asked Twizzler, staring at the tiny image of her one
true love.

	Tsugiko watched helplessly as Twizzler picked the photo off the
floor of the Skydeck.

	"What's this?" the mage examined the photo with a quizzical eye.
"Such a strange thing... like a tiny portrait of my Kyouji. Too bad it's
spoiled by Yumi and this ugly... child..."

	Twizzler's features whitened with a queer mixture of shock and
disbelief. "N-no... it can't be! He couldn't, he *wouldn't*! Not with
*HER*!"

	Tsugiko watched as the redhead's hands shook with budding fury. In
a deliberate fashion, the police officer turned her gaze to the handgun
lying several meters away. With the mage distracted, she began to crawl
towards the weapon.

	"Why?" the redhead asked herself, tears forming at her eyes. "Why
would he do this? Everyone knew how much he loved me --- how much *I*
loved *him*."

	Six meters away: Tsugiko moved as fast as she could, even with her
injuries screaming at her to stop.

	"IT'S NOT *FAIR*!" screamed Twizzler.

	Five meters away: Tsugiko felt her head go light from blood loss.
Nonetheless, she forced herself to move faster.

	"I KILL HER!" the redhead hollered, then grew eerily quiet. "Yes,"
she whispered to herself, "that's what I'll do. I kill Yumi, and her
little brat too." Twizzler raised the Starlite to her lips.

	Four meters away: she felt cold, that was bad.

	Twizzler's eyes grew wide as she stared into the radiant promise
of the Starlite. "I'll make him forget about her..."

	Three meters away: her fingers felt clumsy with numbness. Tsugiko
turned her head towards Twizzler and cursed; the Starlite was growing
brighter and brighter, but the gun was still so far away.

	She realized what she had to do.

	"Goodbye Green," the redhead whispered to herself. "At least the
better woman won in the end." She turned to smile one last time at the
bleeding police officer. "Isn't that-"

	"-NOOOOOO!" roared Tsugiko, slamming into the buxom mage. Rage
once again feeding her enough strength for one final effort.

	Twizzler had no time to react as the Starlite slipped from her
grasp, let alone to protect herself as Tsugiko bodyslammed her into the
spider webbed observation window. Whatever cry she might have uttered
was stifled as their two bodies passed through the already weakened
glass barrier, shattering it.

	The two women tumbled through the air like lovers, sailing
majestically for the briefest instant before gravity took hold and drew
them to the earth's waiting embrace.

	Twizzler screamed.

	Tsugiko closed her eyes and thought of her friends.

	Then it was over.



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



	The Starburst Temple stood defiantly in a field of fire.

	For the past two hours cannon shots had hammered the valley below,
only to rebounded harmlessly off the shimmering field of multicolored
goodness that surrounded the Starburst Temple. Even after such fierce
bombardment only the glow of the exploding shells reached the crystal
structure beneath the shield. Outside the safety of the shield, the
fertile fields of grass and vine-choked trees of the valley floor had
been reduced to slag.

	In those two hours the bombardment had never lessened, in fact it
had increased once Wintergreen had put her three lieutenants to work on
a spare bottle pop. Krackel, Riesen, and Clorets alike took turns
loading shells into the cannon, locking the mechanism, and igniting the
volatile mixture of chemicals at the base of the machine.

	The three, along with every other trooper, paused every time the
Sara Lee fired its massive cannon. It was the only piece of artillery
that seemed to make a ripple in the Starburst Temple's field, however
minor.

	Krackel, just beginning to break a sweat from efforts, paid little
attention as his nose began to bleed; it was a common, if annoying,
occurrence whenever a strong storm front began to move in. It was when
Riesen, for all his careful theatrics, and Clorets as well sported the
same bleeding that the knight realized something was wrong.

	"Damnation," the knight said, trying to stem the rising tide of
hemoglobin, "we're not getting anywhere with this, except woozy."

	"If you want to stop, fine," grunted Riesen, hefting a shell from
the adjacent pile. "I'm sure Rollo will appreciate your valiant efforts
on her behalf."

	Clorets stood to the side, resting until she had to ignite the
bottle pop. "He's got one thing right," said the general, tilting her
head back, "we are getting a tad bit 'woozy'." Clorets looked around at
the other battery companies. "In fact, I'd say everyone is."

	A glance from the two men confirmed the woman's assertion; all
around them various men were wiping or pinching their noses. Everyone
showed signs of extreme exertion save Wintergreen, who stood in front of
the batteries of bottle pops, wrapped in the harsh glow of the Spear of
Mint.

	Krackel locked the cannon. "I'd *GER!* wager she has something to
do with this."

	Riesen, who was already exhausted from the physical labor, shook
his head. "It's just a drop in the air pressure. Bad, but not something
to trouble yourself over.

	"Whatever," said Clorets, going to work.

	The two men huddled down behind a nearby gumball-baring shield and
covered their ears. With a deafening boom, the bottle pop fired,
launching a shell into the valley below. Like those before it, the shell
exploded against the Temple's barrier. Clorets wobbled away from the
bottle pop, disoriented from the noise of the mortar piece.

	Another boom shook the valley, this time from the heavens.

	"Wonderful," muttered Riesen, the first raindrops impacting his
head, "it's raining."

	Clorets shook her head, mostly to clear her senses. "From the rate
the pressure's dropping it looks like a storm, and a particularly bad
one at that."

	"This all reeks of the unnatural," declared Krackel.

	"Why's that?" asked Clorets.

	The trio trembled as a massive arc of lightning cut across the
sky, bright enough to leave multicolored stains in everyone's vision.

	"Because how often do you see red lightning?" grunted Krackel.

	Clorets turned to the stack of shells, only to bump into a
distracted Riesen. The general made to push the tactician out of the
way, only to give pause as she watched his unending stare. Following his
line of sight, she found his attention focused on Wintergreen and her
Spear of Mint.

	The general prodded the charlatan. "Riesen? You're in my way."

	Riesen, his thoughts far away in a land of bone and bare rock,
whispered, "And she made war on the land itself..."

	"Riesen!" shouted Clorets, waving a hand in his face. "You're
holding us up!"

	Riesen blinked. "Of course," he said, returning to the situation
at hand, "I'm holding you up, aren't I?"

	Clorets glared at the dumbfounded man. "Yes, you are."

	"Then let me get out of your way."

	Thus the three returned to work, arming, loading, and firing as
the heavens roared above. Five, ten, and twenty minutes passed as the
three did their work. Finally the call to hold fire came down the line.

	Krackel sniffled, trying to hold back blood in both nostrils.
"What's happening?"

	Someone in a random battery shouted, "Look!".

	In the valley below the shield covering the Starburst Temple
wavered and flickered in the storm's dim light. The multicolored field
slowed its cycle through its range of component colors. After a minute
or so of this, Wintergreen turned to her lieutenants and said, "Fire one
round, three-quarters firepower."

	Riesen, whose turn it was to ignite the bottle pop, readjusted the
chemical mixture to a less volatile setting. As his comrades took cover,
he loosened the barrier separating the yellow and blue chemicals from
one another. With a roar, the shell was launched into the air, closing
in on the Temple with a shrill whistle. In a flash of brilliant light,
the shell hit the force shield, passed through it, and exploded against
the southeast corner of the Starburst Temple.

	In a plume of atomized quartz, the field shuttered one final time
and then disappeared.

	The legions of troops let loose a cheer, but quickly quieted as
their queen turned around.

	"I'm going to talk with an old friend," said Wintergreen to her
three main underlings. "Until I return, withdrawal behind the hill and
take cover there." The witch slowly smiled. "I wouldn't want to see you
hurt."

	And with that she turned and walked down towards the Temple.



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


	The benefit concert for skittle War Orphans simply *rocked*.

	The current performers were three five-inch tall mice wearing
sunglasses. One was playing a guitar, another a drum set, and the third
a grand piano (all scaled appropriately). All three were heaped in yen
and dead presidents as the donation jars ringing the stage overflowed
with the crowd's gratitude.

	They mice had come on stage an indeterminate amount of time ago
and had quintupled the funds donated since then. A combination of
talent, timing, and an irresistible sex appeal granted them the ability
to raise money for charitable causes. They were like U2 except there
were only three members in the band.

	And they weren't human.

	Or Irish.

	Bringing a tiny paw to his forehead, the lead singer of the Three
Blind Mice brushed away a stream of sweat that had built up around his
Armani sunglasses. Droves of screaming peasants' daughters clawed and
hollered at one another, desperate to be the one to collect the
perspiration before it hit the stage floor.

	Kyouji, hanging to the back of the crowd, was pretty cool about
everything. Even after the last head-thumping good number he was still
eager for the trio to start their next set. Unhappily the three
handicapped mice of the Three Blind Mice set their instruments down and
scampered backstage. The girls in the front (and middle) (and back) rows
screamed for an encore, but did so to no avail. Thankfully a riot was
avoided as the next performer walked --- or rather waddled --- on stage.

	He was a tall teenager dressed in a giant Oreo cookie suit, one
that enveloped his body save for the slots where his arms and legs
jutted out. His head bubbled out between the 'e' and 'r' on the front of
his suit. The teen's face was scared with acne and general despondency;
what hair escaped the suit was half white and half pepper.  He looked
ill and unhappy to be on stage, not that it mattered to the screaming
girls before him.

	The crowd began to chant his name-

	HOLD-EN! HOLD-EN! HOLD-EN!

	-and so on.

	After a minute or so's waiting for the crowd to quiet (which they
didn't) Holden Caulfield held up a hand signaling for such.

	Now you could hear a pin drop.

	"Uh, before I start the poetry reading I've got two messages, both
for a... Guy-Ooji? ... Kow-Ooji? Boy, what a crummy name."

	Holden looked up in his Oreo costume, scanning the audience for
the barer of the unusual name. After a moments effort he returned to the
reading. "The first is from (oh boy!) the planet Mars. It says: 'Kow-
Ooji DASH chan (isn't that weird?), please see me about your ultimate
destiny SLASH fate.'"

	"The second is from a Ms. Twix, who wants to meet you at the bar."
Holden rolled his eyes and quipped sarcastically, "Boy, what a guy."

	At the back of the crowd, Kyouji frowned as he turned back towards
the bar. Sure enough there was Twix, nursing a drink and while holding
together the two halves of her severed body with a free hand.

	Kyouji waved.

	Twix waved back.

	Holden sighed. "Anyway, I suppose we gotta get started."

	The crowd threw up their hands and cheered.

	"Okay," the angsty teen grumbled, "let's try something from Certs
the Ecstatic..."

	Holden cleared his throat and unfolded a piece of paper that
magically appeared in his left hand.

	"Let's see... oh, boy." He shook his head. "It's smeared, the
crummy thing. But here's what's left:


	...in that day shall the Winter Queen perish,
	and her favorite shall rule in her stead.
	Where she ruled by iron, he shall rule by steel.
	And all Mars shall be given unto him for a time,
	half a time and a time, until the appointed hour..."


	As a flock of flaming cigarette lighters flew overhead in the
bar's dim lighting, Holden frowned. "Boy, it's no 'Secret Goldfish',
that's for sure..."

	Feeling strangely perturbed, Kyouji made his way out of the crowd
and towards the bar. On his way there he had his pocket picked by Winis
the Undead, or he would have if his current Crystal Warrior uniform had
pockets. Thankfully the little rascal only got away with a handful of
poppy seeds.

	Somehow, between Caulfield's poetry reading and now, a small crowd
of monsters had amassed around Twix. All his old friends were there:
Whatchamacallit, Beechnut, Nestling, Trident, Tictac, Britecrawler, and
a pair of Mambos. Even a Jawbraker was there, its long body wound around
a nearby structural support beam. It took a moment for Kyouji to realize
the male Twix wasn't there.

	"...and so the Butterfinger says, 'Wait, you wanted a Socket
Wrench?"

	Everyone laughed.

	Twix, her decomposing body barely holding some semblance of
togetherness, wiped tears from her eyes with a good arm. She looked up
from her co-horts to the Crystal Warrior. "Ah, Kyouji! You're finally
here, we were getting worried you might take to standing in some random
rye fields."

	"Huh?"

	"Nevermind," she smiled, her perfect teeth glistening white.
"Anyway, it's your turn to tell a story."

	He shook his head. "I couldn't."

	"Boo!" hissed the Jawbraker.

	"Zzzzzztory!" buzzed the Beachnut. "Zzzzzztory!"

	"Really!" insisted Kyouji. "I can't, I've got to go see Mars."

	As the Crystal Warrior turned to leave the sprawling form of the
Jawbreaker blocked him. Kyouji moved to the left, the monster followed.
Kouji moved to the right, the monster followed.

	The two adversaries stared each other down.

	"You got a problem with monsters, pretty boy?"

	"I don't know," said Kyouji, his head cocked to the side, "do I?"

	The two glared at each other and the bar quieted down, with even
the drunk patrons eyeing the body language of the two as they geared up
for a showdown.

	Then, out of left field, the Britecrawler slithered between the
two, hat on head and canes in tentacles.


o/" Kyouji, Kyouji! I'd really like to hear a story! o/"
o/" Kyouji, Kyouji!  Something short, bloody, and real gory!/"


	Kyouji blinked, then smiled at the hulking monstrosity. "Well...
if you *insist*."

	The Crystal Warrior huddled down by the bar, a can of beer wrapped
in his gloved hands, and the monsters gathered 'round.

	"So there we were," he began, speaking in hushed tones,
"squirreled away outside the Nestling's cave, figuring out the best way
to draw it out of its home and then murder it in the most dramatic way
possible..."

	The Knight Protector went on to tell the tale of how he and Yumi
lured the Nestling out of its cave and attacked it. He spoke with
nostalgic longing as he remembered being knocked helplessly aside with a
single blow (it still happens a lot, he chuckled) and was forced to rely
on helpless Yumi the Cleric to defeat the sentient monster. Finally, he
told how after that plan had failed, he came back to decapitated the
Nestling with a single blow.

	"...but it wasn't really my fault because the Temple spirit makes
me do these awful things."

	The monsters glared at him.

	"What?"

	The Trident reached forward with a cloven hoof and took away
Kyouji's beer. "Nein. Das ist schlecht."

	The teen moved to retrieve his drink, but the Jawbreaker got up in
Kyouji's face and huffed, "The man said he don't want you drinking
around these parts, 'specially with that temper of yer's. In fact, I
reckon you'd best be moving along."

	Under the angry glares of half a dozen monsters, the Knight
Protector melted away. As he backed away from the quiet passions of the
monsters, he bumped into Twix. From the floor he gained an impressive
view of the female Twix, gory severed waist and all.

	"So," she crossed her arms, "you can't control yourself, can you?"

	"W-what?"

	Twix bent down, kneeling on her shattered knees. "You can't help
but to save the world, right? Every innocent you save is just a blip on
your moral radar. In fact, you can't help but oppose Wintergreen
whenever the opportunity presents itself; it's just part of your
programming. Because that's what you are, a machine."

	"N-no! NO!" the Crystal Warrior shot to his feet, shaking a fist
at the female Twix. "I am NOT a machine, I am a MAN! My own man!"

	Twix smiled. "Then you admit you did _murder_ the Nestling, that
it was a conscious choice."

	Kyouji cast his gaze to floor. "...yes."

	"It also means that you killed me," she said, looming over Kyouji
despite her inferior height, "not some mental programming or magical
imperative. *You* killed *me*."

	"NO!"

	Eyes full of tears, Kyouji forced his way past Twix and into the
crowd. Rustling through the field of teenage girls, he blindly made his
way to a stairway across the room. Running up to the second floor he
fled into the only passageway available, a door inside the head of a
giant wolf.

	Slamming the door shut, Kyouji collapsed against the wooden
entryway, sinking to the floor. He sobbed noisily, hot tears streaming
down his face.

	Kyouji wanted nothing else but to find the deepest hole he could
and to crawl into it.

	The man yelled loudly, his voice taunt with hysteria. "WHAT DO YOU
MEAN YOU'RE CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLEMAN!?!"

	Kyouji's gaze snapped to the figure across the room, a boy who
happened to be dressed identically to him in every fashion.

	A boy who was also Kyouji.

	Kyouji2 balled his fists, his face glowering with anger. On a bed
opposite him, Yumi and Tsugiko --- dressed in what might liberally be
called their Crystal Warrior uniforms --- lounged next to one another.

	Yumi smiled mockingly at Kyouji2. "It means exactly what you think
it means." The teen started to giggle, then turned and buried her face
into Tsugiko's shoulder before she could burst out in laughter.

	Tsugiko wagged a finger at the Knight Protector. "You led us on
for far, far too long Kyouji. So when we got together to decide which
one should have you, Yumi and I agreed to... get together. After all, if
both of us can't have you, then at least we can have each other."

	Yumi looked up from Tsugiko's shoulder, her face red with laughter
(among other things). "That's why we're not only cutting out the
'middle' separating us, but the 'man' as well."

	Kyouji2 grabbed fistfuls of his own hair, pulling on it from sheer
disbelief. "The 'MAN'? You... YOU CAN'T-"

	Tsugiko grinned. "Oh, I think we can." She turned to Yumi. "Can't
we Yumi?"

	"Oh," the blond girl replied, moving closer, "I think we can."

	The two kissed.

	A wide-eyed Kyouji2 watched the spectacle unfold before him, then
turned to Kyouji.

	"What the *hell* is going on?" the boy asked himself.

	"Something terribly, terribly wrong," Kyouji replied, half to
himself, half to his other self.

	"What's going on," said another voice, this one female, "is that
you're having a hallucination, and a bad one at that."

	The Kyoujis turned in unison to see their female counterpart,
Teru, appear out of nowhere. "Teru!" they shouted in unison.

	"Hi!" she waved at each Kyouji.

	Kyouji began, "What's going on-"

	"-and who is he?" finished Kyouji2.

	Teru gave Kyouji a hand, helping him off the floor. "What's going
on is you're on a vision quest because you ate some hallucinogenic
fruit. That guy," she pointed at Kyouji2, "is just an manifestation of
your subconscious confliction over the whole Yumi/Tsugiko issue. Kind of
like how I, in this vision, represent your need for a balance on the
Yin/Yang issue at the center of your tumultuous conscience."

	Both Kyouji blinked. "Huh?"

	Teru sighed in defeat. "You're having a bad acid trip. He's your
inner guy-feeling frustration. I symbolize the desire for balance in
your life."

	"So, this isn't your doing?  Not some random attempt to teach me
a lesson about life?" asked Kyouji.

	"Nope," Teru replied, "and if you haven't caught this a 100%
drug-induced hallucination.  I'm not even the real spirit of Teru, just
a figment of your doped-up imagination."

	Kyouji blinked. "That was a bit base."

	"Well, Teru shrugged, "I really am just a part of *you* after
all." She sighed. "Anyway... do you have a question I can answer?"

	Kyouji, held up a hand, "I ate some bad fruit?"

	"Jesus," hissed Teru, rolling her eyes back. "You give yourself
your very own Deus ex Machina and you don't even pay attention."

	Kyouji2 looked ready to explode. "Who are you people and what do
you think you're doing in my bedroom!"

	Teru responded to this by walking over to Kyouji2, decking him
with a heeled shoe, and walking back to Kyouji. Yumi and Tsugiko,
distracted from each other, egged on the female-Kyouji as she went about
her retribution. Looking the real Kyouji in the eyes, she said, "Even if
I was the real Teru I think I'd still kick your ass. Fortunately for
you, I have a better stress-relief option."

	The Not-Teru turned to Tsugiko and Yumi. "Isn't that right girls?"

	"Yay!" they cheered.

	"Wait!" shouted Kyouji. "What about my vision quest?"

	Not-Teru pulled off her shirt. "Oh, just go get a spirit guide or
something. I'm busy here."

	Blushing, Kyouji tried to avoid the spectacle before him. "And
where can I get something like that?"

	Hopping onto the plush bed, Not-Teru absentmindedly muttered
something about the bartender.

	Flustered beyond belief, Kyouji turned around and rushed out of
the bedroom.

	"OK," he huffed nervously, "bartender it is."


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


	Down in the parlor, Kyouji found no one to greet him. Twix, the
monsters, the girls, and even the Oreo-kid had all cleared out.
Wandering up to the bar, Kyouji peered over the counter, eager to begin
his quest. After several minutes in the quiet, he leaned with his back
against the bar and sighed, "Man, where is the bartender?"

	"How 'bout right here?" said a mysterious voice.

	The Knight Protector turned around. "Finally! I was looking...
for... you," he said, the words dying on his lips.

	"Yo."

	It was Wintergreen.

	In a wet t-shirt.

	"Gah!" uttered Kyouji, averting his eyes.

	Her eyes hidden behind a cascade of green hair, Wintergreen
frowned at the Knight Protector. "You got a problem buddy?"

	"YE-!" he half answered, then caught himself. "NO! Not at all!"

	Wintergreen grumbled. "Then why'd ya scream like a nancy? Never
seen a real woman before?"

	The image of Yumi, Tsugiko, and Teru rose unbidden from the
recesses of Kyouji's mind. "Oh, I think I've seen enough women for one
day."

	"Really?" the chilly bartender grinned, then gestured towards the
stage opposite her. "Then why'd you come in 'er?"

	There stood Holden Caulfield, again dressed in his giant Oreo
suit, but narrating a women's swimsuit competition instead of poetry.
Teenage girls of all races and creeds strutted around the stage, much to
the visceral enjoyment of the numerous Kyouji clones that composed the
sprawling audience. Off to the side, lounging on a breadbox, the members
of the Three Blind Mice officiated by holding up scorecards as each girl
walked by.

	Kyouji was speechless.

	Wintergreen 'oh'ed. "I almost forgot, I was told to read this to
you." The witch/queen/bartender held up what looked like a business card
with an overly elaborate 'WG' stenciled on its back.

	She held the card at arm's length, trying to make out the highly
stylized writing. "Let's see, it says: 'You have failed in your duty as
Knight Protector twice already. You will do so a third and final time.
This I prophesize! I could have spared you the agony of that knowledge
with a clean death, but now you will suffer exquisite torture hour after
hour, day after day, until the Warrior Priestesses fall by your hand."

	Wintergreen nodded her head, then looked up at the Crystal Warrior
sympathetically. "That's one *serious* bummer, man. What'ya do to get
pissed on like that?"

	"I got reincarnated as a man."

	"Sweet!" Wintergreen chirped, then demurely leaned forward on the
bar, causing Kyouji to avert his eyes more intently on the witch's face.
"Narcing on the Y chromosome, eh?"

	"Uh, yeah," weakly agreed Kyouji. "Say, do you happen to know
where I can get a spirit guide? Someone told me you were the person to
talk to about this vision quest stuff."

	Wintergreen pounded a fist on the bar. "Well mister, you heard
right. So what it'll be? Spirit animal? Magic talking sword? Mind-
altering chemicals?" A dangerous gleam shone in the bartender's eyes. "I
know a guy who knows a guy who can get you this awesome score called the
'Pot of Piety'. Stuff's *guaranteed* to open your mind to the highest
truth of our existence... or explode your kidneys."

	"So," she stood back from the bar, much to Kyouji's relief,
"what's your poison?"

	The choice was an easy one for Kyouji, considering the fact he
already had a sword AND that it seemed silly to take an imaginary drug
while he was already in a real drug-induced hallucination. "I'll take
the spirit animal."

	Wintergreen nodded. "Reasonable choice... hold on."

	The dark queen knelt to her knees and disappeared beneath the bar,
rustled through a stack of illegally imported Faberge eggs, then stood
with a box marked 'Starburst Market' in her hands. She set the box on
the bar's countertop, opened it, and removed a dust-encrusted pie. After
wiping away what she could, Wintergreen set the pie before Kyouji.

	"One spirit animal," she winked at the Knight Protector,
"compliments of the house."

	Kyouji blinked. "Uhhh... I thought you said this was a spirit
animal. You know, something to guide me on my quest. Something a little
more... non-pie."

	"Oh yeah," she slapped her forehead, as if she had forgotten the
most obvious thing in the world, "I forget!"

	With that the bartender took a bottle of pink vodka and poured it
on the pie. She then lit a match and threw it onto the alcohol-soaked
delicacy, causing it to burst into flame.

	Kyouji took a step away from the bar. "What the hell are you
doing!?"

	"What's all the fuss about? I'm just waking him up from his nap."

	"Nap?"

	"Look," she said, pointing at the flaming pie, "he's already
breaking through."

	Kyouji stared into the flame, and sure enough a patch of crust was
being pushed up from inside the pie. Slowly but surely a blueberry-
coated head, topped with two pointed ears, poked its way through.

	A pair of playful eyes shone out from the center of the fire pie,
staring at the Crystal Warrior with much amusement.

	"WHY?" moaned Kyouji, cursing his fate once again. "Why did it
have to be *YOU*?"

	"Gika!" chirped the spirit guide.


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


	It had been a long journey, filled with all the dangers and perils
that lurked in the heart of man. At first, the going had been rough and
the two had lashed out at each other, yet over time they developed a
mutual respect for one another. After all, having someone save your life
while you dangled helplessly over the Gorge of the Inner-Confidence,
swam the murky depths of the Ego Ocean, or marched tirelessly across the
Personality Plains tends to encourage you to develop an appreciation for
that other person.

	Now, in the subterranean depth of the Consciousness, the two
friends... nay... soul brothers made their way to their final
destination.

	"Giiiikkka?" chirped Kyouji, asking the flaming pie Kit Kat
hovered on to move closer to him.

	"Gika," replied Kit Kat, complying.

	Each footstep of the Knight Protector echoed loudly in the
cavernous depths, sending chills up Kyouji's spine. If not for the fact
that he had his most trusted ally covering his back, Kyouji might have
lost it then and there.

	Kit Kat's pie danced in the darkness. "Gika. Gika. Gika. Gika.
Giiiika."

	"Gika," chuckled Kyouji, smiling at the memory. "Gika. 'ka.
Giiiiiikkkka. Gikaaaaaaaa. Gika. Gika. 'ika."

	"Gika," added Kit Kat.

	"Gikagikagikagikagikagikagikagika!" burst out Kyouji, stitches of
laughter threatening to knock him over.

	Kit Kat joined in the laughter, tears in his fur-enclosed eyes as
his flaming pastry wobbled through the air.

	A pebble moved.

	The two friends froze, their eyes turning to the source of the
sound. Unsheathing his blade, Kyouji gestured to Kit Kat. "Gika."

	Kit Kat nodded. "Gikaaa."

	With a burst of speed Kit Kat's pie flew forward into the
darkness, attempting to stun whatever lay beyond.

	Kyouji dashed forward, but his blade met with nothing.

	Kit Kat and Kyouji looked about, scanning the caverns for anything
out of the ordinary. Their efforts met with nothing.

	"Gika," muttered Kyouji.

	Then there was light.

	"Gika!" Kyouji threw up his hands, but the light was all
enveloping in the pitch-black cavern.

	As the light faded to a tolerable level, the Knight Protector
suddenly found himself alone. Searching for his companion, awareness
came to him: He was at his destination; a spirit guide was no longer
required. Despite the truth of the thought, Kyouji couldn't help but
feel saddened at the loss of his friend.

	"Gika," he said in farewell.

	Kyouji then entered the illuminated cave and was immediately
enveloped in another light, the light of understanding. Kyouji then
understood that every language he might speak was one here, for here was
the den of something beyond his comprehension.

	*Welcome My Child*

	At the center of the smaller cavern was a ball of pure blue light.
Despite the question's foolishness, Kyouji still asked, "Who are you?"

	The lights of the object then parted, allowing Kyouji to glimpse
something that was greater than anything he had encountered in his long
adventuring experience. In the back of his mind Kyouji felt compelled to
view things through the lens of ancient religion, and it was so.

	*I Am Who Am Mars.*

	And lo, Kyouji furrowed his brow as he did look upon the face of
Mars Itself. And Mars, in Its infinite vastness, did inquiry the mighty
warrior's concern.

	*What Troubles You, My Holy Priestess?*

	Kyouji, standing before the very incarnation of Mars, did search
his mind for words that could convey his proper respect to his Lord.
"Well, uh... Mars-sama, I didn't... well... expect a... a..."

	*Speak Your Mind, My Child."

	And the Knight Protector loosed forth a mighty grumble. "I just
didn't expect your true form to be... cabbage."

	Floating majestically above the world of Its creation, with Its
green leaves moist and crunchy, the Leafy Lord Mars trembled. *And Who
Are You, Lowly Knight Protector, To Question The Essence of (!MARS!)?*

	Trembling before his angry Lord, the Knight Protector did submit
to the will of Mars. "Er, I'm no one Mars! I'm-"

	*(!LORD!) Mars To You, Insolent Whelp.*

	"-no one, Lord Mars!" did Kyouji protest. "I just have a few
questions that need answering."

	And lo, did the Knight Protector contradict himself.

	*So, You Do Question My Divine Wisdom.*

	"Er... yeah?"

	A mighty rumble shook the mars, sending ripples through the ground
and waters of the planet. Man and beast alike, from the newest born to
the eldest remaining, coward in awe before the leafy might of Mars.

	*You Question (!MARS!)? I, Who Blessed You With Powers And
Abilities Far Beyond Mortal Man? Who Destined You For A Fate Upon Which
Mars' Future Rests? Who Knew You In Your Mother's Womb? Who Created Your
Very (!SOUL!) With But A Thought? YOU DARE QUESTION ME!?!*

	Then, at the nadir of the conversation, Kyouji did search within
himself and find the courage to stand before his Leafy Lord. With eyes
afire with the passion of a burning pastry, and silver words upon his
manly tongue, the Knight Protector stepped forward and was defiant.

	"Hey!" snapped Kyouji. "Let's get one thing straight: I didn't ask
to be blessed by anybody, let alone by a floating head of cabbage.
Secondly, what sort of favor is it to trap me in a cycle of fate that'll
probably lead to my dying *AGAIN*? If you want me to die for you, fine,
but first I have _questions_ that need _answers_."

	Coolly did the Lord regard Its vassal before gracing him with Its
divine wisdom. *Very Well Knight Protector, For Your Valuable Services I
Will Answer But Three Questions.*

	Once did Kyouji blink. "Just three? That's all I get?"

	*Do Not Taunt The Happy Leafy Lord Of Mars.*

	"Right!" nervously smiled Kyouji, who then frowned as his thoughts
did turn to the gracious gift of his Lord.

	"Mars-"

	*LORD Mars!*

	"LORD Mars," he began again, "am I doomed to a fate of tragedy,
because I've reincarnated as a man, as Toffee predicted?"

	And lo, Mars did answer that first question.

	*Yes My Child, You Are Destined For Tragedy, But Such Is The Fate
Of Any Warrior. War, By Its Very Nature, Is A Tragic Thing. This Is A
Truth You Have Learned From The Final Fate of Twix.*

	*Concerning Your Gender, I Cannot Answer; For That Knowledge Lies
At The Core Of The Struggle Within Your Soul. As Such, Only You Can And
Should Answer That Question.*

	And Kyouji did blink. "That sorta made sense, in a cop-out kind of
way."

	*Deal With It.*

	The Knight Protector did clear his throat, the second question to
the Lord Mars heavy upon his heart.

	"Lord Mars," Kyouji pleaded, "I must know, will Wintergreen's
prophecy come to pass?"

	And lo, Mars did answer that second question.

	*Wintergreen's Prophecy Is True: The Warrior Priestess Will Fall
By Your Hand. However, Take Heart In The Knowledge That True Victory
Will Spring From The Ashes Of Such Tragedy.*

	But this answer, which tore at the Knight Protector's heart, did
not please him. "I think I liked the cop-out answer better."

	At this musing, the Lord of Mars did make a comment to his
apostle. *You Have One Question Remaining, My Child, And I Think We Both
Know What You're Going to Ask. Phrase It Carefully.*

	"Well," said Kyouji, "I have a big problem: I'm in love with two
wonderful girls."

	"First, in a strictly alphabetical way, there's Tsugiko. She's a
wonderful person, not afraid at all to speak her mind or to be true to
herself. I remember-"

	*-Way Back When I Met Her Atop Tokyo Tower, Yada Yada Yada. Come
On, I've Heard This All Before; Get To The Question.*

	Kyouji held his tongue before the Lord. "Lord Mars... which one do
I choose?"

	And lo, Mars did answer that third question.

	*Twizzler, My Child, Choose Twizzler.*

	"WHAT?!?"

	*She's A Redhead, Fool! And A Natural One To Boot.*

	"But she's a murderer! She tried to kill Tsugiko!"

	*Details, Details... Besides, Who Among Us Hasn't Tried To Kill
Tsugiko At One Point Or Another?*

	"I haven't!"

	*Not Yet, But You Will.*

	"No!" shouted the Knight Protector and did stand in defiance
before his Lord. "I refuse to accept fate! I'll refuse YOU! And I'll
fight you until Yumi, Tsugiko, and I are back on the Earth and you are
nothing but a _memory_!"

	*So Basically You're Refusing Me And My Divine Plan?*

	Kyouji did shake his fist at the Holy Cabbage. "Yes!"

	A righteous pause.

	Soon a mighty quake did shake the mars for the second time that
day, seven times seven the strength of the first. So powerful was the
will of Mars that across Mars rivers did flow backwards and cats did
give birth to snakes. Its anger and fury focused upon the lone Warrior
Priestess, the non-female Kyouji, and Mars did tear open a chasm in the
mars and then cast the infidel into that abyss.

	And lo, Mars did smite Kyouji back to reality.

	*Refuse That.*



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



	The inside of the Starburst Temple was much as Wintergreen
remembered it, all wood with fancy runic carving. Even the stone table
and silver pedestal, upon which the Starburst Crystal had rested for a
thousand years, were where exactly where the queen remembered them to
be. Unsurprisingly, she carried no nostalgic satisfaction at the site of
her former prison.

	Fighting off a shudder, Wintergreen directed the Spear of Mint to
protect her from the Temple's intrinsic energy. That done, she
approached the stone table in the center of the chamber.

	*Hello,* said a disembodied voice.

	Wintergreen looked up expectantly above the table. "You're afraid
to show yourself-"

	The witch paused as a dozen fast-moving swords and knives
materialized behind her. In a flash of pale green the weapons were
annihilated as they passed through a barrier created by the Spear of
Mint.

	"-aren't you?" she finished.

	In response, a three-ton anvil appeared over Wintergreen's head.
With a sigh, the queen batted the item into a nearby wall.

	"Really, you'd think at your age you'd be past this childishness."

	Suddenly the room was filled with ghostly young girls dressed in
robes, every one with their eyes closed. One flash from the Spear of
Mint later, only a single ghost remained.

	Wintergreen smiled at the ghostly girl who floated above the
silver pedestal. "That's much better; now we can talk."

	*I already know what you want to say.*

	"Really? Someone told you about my new dress?"

	*You will fail,* said the Temple Spirit, *the Warrior Priestesses
will again trap you within the Starburst Crystal. It is destiny.*

	The queen sighed in exasperation. "Of course! How could I forget
about the three warriors, the three *child* warriors, who are 'destined'
to defeat me."

	*It is destiny.*

	"And it came to be a thousand years ago," retorted the witch. "And
in case you hadn't realized, they failed then too. I may have been
contained momentarily, but in return I tore them apart with a wave of my
hand."

	The Temple Spirit trembled, but said nothing.

	"Tell me," began Wintergreen, "do you believe in fate?"

	*Yes.*

	"Why is that?"

	The girl lowered herself onto the pedestal at her feet. Curling
her non-existent body into a fetal position she said, *I believe in fate
because I am Fate.*

	Her blood chilled, the witch glared at the ghostly girl.

	The Spirit opened its eyes.


	The forests and fields of the world were poisoned with the salts
of hatred, corrupting everything that sprang from their soil. Monsters
and animals alike were twisted into gross parodies of living things,
venting their hated existence on their unspoiled brethren. Even the
eternal seas and mountains shuddered as the corruption of that
overwhelming evil reached to every corner of the globe.

	Cities fell to ruin and the wisdom of ancient civilizations was
lost. People turned on one another as the sword of conquest severed the
ties of law and order. Civilians were treated as soldiers were, and met
similar fates. Men and women of noble orders were captured and tortured,
not to force them to reveal their secrets but because it was command by
the would-be ruler of the world.

	And somewhere a child cried out for its mother, only to meet a
swift end, because the armies that marched defiantly across the face of
Mars cut down any that stood against their banner.

	All because of one evil, one woman.


	"I have done nothing yet," Wintergreen's face grew hot as an
ancient anger welled up within her, "my heart, my HATE, will consume
you!" She leveled the Spear of Mint at the Temple Spirit. "I will have
destruction!"

	Ferocious emerald light exploded from the Spear of Mint, consuming
everything in the Starburst Temple.

	And then it happened.



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



	The Starburst Temple was packed with kings, queens, village
elders, other important persons, and, of course, the Crystal Warriors.
Everyone huddled at the center of the temple, eyes drawn to the
multicolored crystal that floated atop a pedestal in the room's center.
It was the Starburst Crystal, the most powerful magical artifact in the
world and, once again, the prison of Queen Wintergreen.

	*Your holy quest is completed Crystal Warriors,* announced the
Temple Spirit. *Mars sends its thanks to you.*

	A roar of cheers and applause rocked the Temple.

	Yumi, her eyes brimming with tears of happiness, joined her
friends in a group hug. After savoring the sweetness of the moment, the
pink Priestess broke away from Tsugiko and Kyouji.

	The three turned their attention to the guardian of the Starburst
Temple.

	"Temple Spirit," Kyouji said, stepping forward, "we're ready to go
back home now."

	The Temple Spirit wavered in the enchanted air, its face showing
an anxious apprehension that the Crystal Warriors could only watch with
trepidation.

	*I am sorry Priestesses, that is not possible.*

	The proclamation struck the assembly like savage punch in the
kidneys, leaving kings and skittles alike sputtering oaths. The Crystal
Warriors stood stunned, none more so than Tsugiko, whose only response
was a locked-jaw and shallow breath.

	"WHAT?!" the sword-wielding Knight screamed.

	*Mars has ordained that its champions should walk upon its face
during times of the gravest peril. Though Wintergreen is once again
contained within the Starburst Crystal, her taint still poisons the land
far and wide. Until Mars is healed, your mission is but half completed.*

	Tsugiko and Kyouji glared at the ghost child, stares juxtaposing
one another's tempers. Yumi stood perfectly still, her face and heart
distraught. "That's not fair!" the two yelled in unison.

	*Fate rarely is.*

	With this pronouncement only the reality of the Temple Spirit's
intangible form held the Crystal Warriors from flying into a berserker
rage. Yumi sank to the floor, the illusion of hope supporting her heart
no longer. Tsugiko stood on the verge of hyperventilating from her
anger. Kyouji, meanwhile, was there for neither girl; his attention
focused totally on the Temple Spirit's angelic face.

	A tense silence settled over the room.

	It was then that Patty of York, that aged woman who also hailed
from Earth, stepped forward. "Spirit, why did you deceive these
children? And what of the promise to my fallen friends? Did you intended
to strand them here on Mars as you've done with me?"

	*I have deceived no one,* insisted the ghost girl. *I made it
clear that I alone do not have the power to return you to your homeland.
Only Mars, the very heart of this world, has that ability and he has
dictated that your quest is incomplete; this world is still in grave
peril.*

	"So we have to keep fighting?" asked Tsugiko, her expression
stony.

	*Yes, and you must begin this second quest where you brought an
end to the first: Wintergreen's castle. At that place, the woman known
as Clorets gathers the reins of power from those few that remain.*

	Silence as the pronouncement sank in.

	"Well," said Yumi, turning to the group's long-time companion, "at
least we still have you Kit Kat."

	"Gika," the little cat-ferret mewed sadly.

	*Kit Kat's journey is completed; his presence is no longer
necessary as the Shards have been found. He has earned his rest.*

	Kyouji grinned. "Well, at least we got something of a reward."

	"I'll say," agreed Tsugiko, flashing a small smile.

	"Hey!" shouted Yumi. "There's no need to put down Kit Kat."

	The Knight Protector chuckled at the thought of 'putting down' Kit
Kat. "Oh, I think there is."

	*Excuse me,* said the Temple Spirit, *but I believe I have an idea
as how to possibly speed up your return home.*


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


	Soon they moved on, returning first to the lands of Wintergreen in
order to remove Clorets from her self-assumed throne. But they did not
travel alone; a motley army, one cobbled together by the leaders of all
the countries of Mars, marched alongside the Crystal Warriors. With
their combined might, only the foolish or the stupid stood against them.

	As weeks went by, a stony code of silence settled over the Crystal
Warriors. No one wanted to talk about the entrapment of duty that bound
the three to their positions.

	Finally the Crystal Army (as it came to be called) arrived at
Clorets's castle, only to find the place deserted. Smelling the rising
stink of defeat, the ex-general of Wintergreen had fled to a reserve
fortress on the coast. There Clorets dug in with the army and prepared
for a siege, all the while building a navy to flee the continent for one
less hostile to her ambitions.

	Determined to defeat their last "adversary", the Crystal Warriors
and their army carried on in pursuit. Along the way they removed the
tin-pot despots that had appeared to fill the power vacuum left by
Wintergreen's death. Quickly, the Crystal Army arrived at "Fortress
Clorets".

	It was then, two years to the day the Crystal Warriors had arrived
on Mars, that the final battle of the Second Wintergreen War was fought
on the beaches bordering the Ginger Ale Sea.

	For three days the two armies clashed, trading blow for blow in a
desperate battle for the fate of Mars. The Crystal Warriors took to the
field: Tsugiko, on wings of emerald fire, in the air; Kyouji, sword in
hand, on the ground; and Yumi, with her healing light, saved countless
lives on both sides. Yet, despite the fury of the battle, no end seemed
in sight.

	Then, in the pre-dawn hours of the fourth day, a new enemy took to
the field: Warrior-Queen Clorets. In the past the Crystal Warriors would
have struck down the ex-general easily, but now Clorets wielded a
remnant of the Spear of Mint. Now the tide of battle had turned against
the Crystal Army and Warriors alike, for Clorets cut swaths of
devastation through both the bodies and hearts of men.

	Tsugiko was batted from the sky, and fell to Mars like a comet.

	Kyouji suffered egregiously at the mercy of Clorets, but fought on
to his last breath.

	Then, when all hope seemed lost, the Warrior Priestess Yumi stood
before Clorets. Desperately pleading for an end to the senseless
slaughter of the battle, she was ignored by the bloodthirsty Clorets. In
response, the Priestess knelt in the bloodstained sands and surrendered
to her enemy.

	All at once Clorets became aware of the carnage surrounding. A
terrible revulsion welled up in her soul, and the Warrior-Queen released
her deadly hold of the Piece of Mint.

	Something happened then, something miraculous: dawn came.

	Not the dawn common to the mortal days of Mars, with gentle yellow
and orange light that warmed all, but a dawn of healing pink light. It
was as if a second sun rose from the heart of Mars, first swallowing
Yumi and Clorets, then the armies that surrounded them, and finally the
land of Wintergreen itself.

	When the light faded and true dawn came to Mars, the Second
Wintergreen War had ended. Soldiers on both side, regardless of injury,
stood unharmed beside one another. Life, once poisoned by the evils of
Wintergreen, flourished. And the Crystal Warriors, once fallen in
battle, lived again.

	Clorets, redeemed in her final moments by the compassion of one
girl, vanished without a trace.

	Thus, in one small corner of the world, Mars was made pure.

	But Mars was a whole world, and the Crystal Warriors were only
three young teenagers. In a way that new day marked the beginning of the
end; as a future skittle historian would put it, only one thing is
certain after a new dawn:

	Twilight.


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


	One Year Later...


	"Heathen!" screamed one.

	"Spawn of Wintergreen!" retorted the other.

	"Order!" yelled Tsugiko, banging her (normal-sized) gavel on the
wooden table. "I will have order!"

	The two adversaries continued their tirades.

	Yumi tried her best to calm the two diplomats but, to her chagrin,
was instead used as an example of so-and-so's favor of so-and-so's side.

	Tsugiko, still angry at having been forced into the role of
mediator, summoned her real war hammer. "ORDER!" she declared, smashing
the magic weapon down onto the table, breaking it cleanly into a dozen
separate pieces.

	It had the desired effect.

	al'Toid glared across the fractured conference table, clearly
unhappy to be in the same room with his sworn enemy. For the first time
since the peace talks had started the True Spree was silent.

	"Now," said Tsugiko, reclaiming her position of warrior-diplomat,
"I'd like to hear what the representative of the Chosen Spree has to
say." She looked over at the Spree in question.

	b'Rath Savior nodded. "As I was saying before this pawn of Win-"

	"Hey!" yelled Tsugiko, cutting of the diplomat before al'Toid had
the chance to. "I thought we were clear on the ban of 'descriptive'
adjectives in these sessions!"

	"I... apologize," replied the Chosen Spree. "What I meant to say
was that we are willing to accept the surrend... capitulation... of our
brethren Spree so long as they dismantle their factories."

	al'Toid stood up at the indignity of b'Reath Savior's offering,
but quickly took his seat again after seeing Tsugiko hungrily finger the
grip of her hammer.

	"As we have repeatedly pointed out, the war is over," explained
b'Reath Savior. "The Starburst Crystal has been reformed; Wintergreen is
gone. Any continuation of the war between the Spree is not only futile;
it's pointless as well. Therefore the manufacture of the tools of war is
pointless as well."

	As the Chosen Spree diplomat let this sink in, Yumi moved over to
the trembling al'Toid. "This is the best thing you can do for your
people," she insisted. "Help us to help you make a better world for the
True Spree, one free from the tragedy of war."

	"Perhaps," haltingly said the former warlord, "but many of our
factories now manufacture items of trade rather than weapons of war.
Recently, we have begun to grow prosperous from the trade of those
items." al'Toid shot a demanding look at Tsugiko. "How will I help my
people by destroying their livelihoods?"

	The green Priestess considered the point, and then turned to the
representative of the Chosen Spree. "It's a good question, one that I
think you should consider while we draft the treaty."

	b'Reath Savior set his hand on the table, palms facing up. "Our
tradition forbids such practice; you are asking us to accept a way of
life that if foreign to us."

	"But we cannot survive without our factories!" shouted al'Toid.
"Would you have our children starving in the streets?"

	"Better for _your_ children in the streets," hissed b'Reath
Savior, "than to have _our_ people dying in the countryside, defending
themselves from the so-called 'True' Spree!"

	Jumping onto the ruin of the table, Tsugiko got between the two
diplomats before they could resume the war right then and there. "STOP
IT!" Disgust spread across her face. "You're such children, both of you!
You both want peace but aren't willing to even *talk* to one another!"
The Priestess raised her hammer as she moved into a battle stance.
"Well, I've had enough! If you don't sit down RIGHT NOW and start
talking POLITELY to each other, then I'm going to start _busting_ some
_heads_!"

	The two Spree respectfully complied.

	"Good," said Tsugiko.

	Yumi sat up from her seat. "I'm going to go check on Kyouji."

	"Right," nodded the other Priestess before turning her attention
back to the Spree. "Now, Mister Savior, we were discussing your idea
about letting al'Toid keep some of his factories." She smiled at the
Spree's discomfort. "Why don't you go over the details one more time,
for my sake."

	b'Reath Savior leaned back in his chair. "Well..."

	Yumi shut the door behind herself and breathed a sigh of relief.

	"Getting a bit hot in there?"

	"You could say that," the blond sighed to her boyfriend.

	Kyouji looked at Yumi with concern in his eyes. "Are you alright?"

	Stepping forward, the blond Priestess passionately locked lips
with the Knight Protector. A startled Kyouji closed his eyes and sank
into the kiss.

	The two separated.

	"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT USING *ADJECTIVES*!?" came the roar,
followed quickly by a crash, from the conference room.

	Kyouji chuckled. "She's certainly something, isn't she?"

	"I'll say," said Yumi somewhat less enthusiastically.

	"I still don't understand why they chose Tsugiko of all people to
head the peace negotiations."

	"Compromise, I suppose," answered Yumi.

	Kyouji laid a hand on Yumi's face, and then slowly trailed it down
her side until he met her own hand. Holding that hand, he said, "None of
us can do everything, Yumi. No one but you could beat Clorets. Now it's
Tsugiko's turn to do the impossible."

	The blond nodded. "I know... it's just that I feel so helpless."

	"Why?"

	"There's so much suffering on Mars," she sniffed. "And I can't
help but wonder if will be able to save everyone."

	Kyouji lowered his head. "I don't know if we can either," he said
glumly, "but we have to try. It's our only ticket home."

	Yumi sighed. "I know."

	"Besides," he said, "we have a long time to do what needs to be
done. Look at Patty, she was here for a thousand years and she only
looks sixty or so. And we have *powers*, ones that keep getting
stronger, so we'll be done in no time at all."

	"I suppose."

	"NO!" came the scream. "AIR-QUOTES ARE *NOT* ACCEPTABLE!"

	Yumi kissed Kyouji again. "I'm guess I'm just afraid, that's all."

	"Well you don't need to be," he replied, "I'm here for you."


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


	Ten Years Later...


	"I just feel a little tired," insisted Yumi, "that's all."

	Patty, resident wise woman of the village of York, clicked her
tongue against her teeth, something that bothered the blond Priestess to
no end. "I see."

	"You see?" Yumi raised an eyebrow. "See what?"

	"You're getting old," answered the elderly woman, setting down her
cup of hot chocolate.

	The blond shook her head. "I'm noting getting old, and I certainly
don't look old."

	"Don't argue with your elders," teased Patty.

	"Besides," the pink Warrior Priestess said, "why would I be
getting old? I don't look a day past-"

	"-sixteen?" offered Patty. "Seventeen? I'm not talking about
biology dear, I'm mean you're getting old experience-wise."

	"Huh?"

	"Everyone goes through it," she said, and then placed her hands
over her heart, "even the best of us. It's the time in life when we
realize we are who we are and there is nothing but the view at the top
of the hill to look forward to. 'Old', dear. You, and likely your
friends, are getting old."

	"That's impossible," insisted Yumi, sipping from her steaming mug.
"I still have my future in Tokyo to look forward to."

	"..."

	"What?" asked Yumi.

	Patty spoke slowly. "It's just...  no. Never mind."

	The blond teen sat back in her chair. "You don't think we're going
to get back home, do you?"

	The short, wrinkled old woman stood up. Walking over to her
kitchen counter, Patty brushed aside a set of curtains and took a look
out her window.

	Yumi sipped her drink. "You're avoiding the question."

	"Ah," said Patty, "your friends are back."

	"Really?" asked Yumi, moving over to the kitchen window. "They
were supposed to be back this morning."

	Peering out the window, the two women saw Kyouji and Tsugiko,
covered in grass and dirt stains, walking down a dirt road together. In
their arms they carried boxes of supplies and were laughing at a joke.

	Patty cocked her head to the side. "I suppose they ran into a few
monsters along the way."

	"Yeah," agreed Yumi, "I suppose they did."

	Patty walked away from the window. "So you've made up your minds
about going to the lands of Klondike?"

	Yumi nodded slowly. "The Temple Spirit said a poison was seeping
into the land there, something only we could deal with."

	"You do realize that, at least to best of my knowledge, Klondike
was where Wintergreen exiled anyone or anything she couldn't fully
control with her power. Not the best place to be taking a vacation..."

	"We know," sighed Yumi, "but it's the only way to get home."

	Patty sighed, but said nothing.

	"You said you could give us maps to navigate the Orange Soda
Ocean, are you going to go back on your word?"

	"No," replied the old woman, suddenly looking her real age, "I'll
keep my word."

	"Thank you," said Yumi.

	"Don't thank me," Patty said, her voice full of melancholy. "It's
just... want you to be happy."

	There was a knocking on the front door.

	Patty turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Yumi alone
with her thoughts.

	Yumi frowned. "But I am happy."


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


	Fifty Years Later...


	Yumi dabbed the washcloth on her friend's forehead. "Hang in there
Tsugiko, Kyouji will be back soon. I promise."

	The brunette writhed on her makeshift bed, consumed with pain.
Yumi, attempting to calm the girl, pinned her to the ground at the
elbows and whispered soothing words in her ears. "Shhhhh... You're safe
here Tsugiko, you're safe."

	The feverish girl calmed, then fell into a light sleep.

	Yumi sighed.

	Over four decades on the island continent of Klondike hadn't yet
conditioned the Crystal Warriors to all its dangers, and ever since the
fall of the Resurrected Riesen a decade ago it had only gotten worse.
Without the guiding hand of the master manipulator, the inhabitants of
Klondike had reverted to their feral mindsets. Only the tiny Kibler
Elves had retained a portion of their unnatural intelligence.

	It had seemed like the right thing to do: Riesen had poisoned the
land and the only way to heal it and Mars was to purge that evil. But
when Kyouji had finally bested the manipulator in one-on-one combat, all
that had resulted was anarchy.

	Now, the better part of the decade later, the three Crystal
Warriors were still fighting there way out of the heart out of the
primordial jungle that covered the continent.

	Worse yet, Yumi thought to herself, Tsugiko had been poisoned by a
prickly plant that they had once heard referred to as 'Splenda', and
Kyouji, who had left for the village of the Kiblers, was her only hope
of survival.

	"I'm so useless," the blond whispered. "I can't even heal you."

	Tsugiko woke from her feverish sleep. "K...."

	"Shhhh!" insisted Yumi, dabbing her friend's forehead again.
"You're not well; you need to rest."

	"Ky... kyou," she moaned.

	Yumi leaned in closer. "Kyouji? He's gone for help."

	"Kyou... kyouji," whispered Tsugiko, "i... lo... love... you."

	Blinking away tears, Yumi tended to her sick friend.

	"You're going to be alright," the pink Priestess insisted.
"Kyouji's coming back, you'll see.

	"...love... you..."


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


	One Hundred Years Later...


	"...and by the will of all-knowing Mars, we do here today consign
Patty of York to her eternal rest. Amen."

	It was a rainy day in the town of York, but that hadn't stopped
the largest assembly in its history from gathering at the town cemetery.
Friends, well-wishers, patients, no-bodies, and even the ancient woman's
few enemies had come to bid Patty farewell.

	And, standing beside the open grave as pallbearers were supposed
to, there were two young women and a man.

	The town cleric closed his water-stained text with a quiet thump,
and then turned to the three brightly colored humans. "Now I believe the
Crystal Warriors would like to say a few words."

	Glancing at one another, they wordlessly decided among themselves
to let Kyouji to speak for the group.

	The Knight Protector stepped forward.

	"I'm going to be brief," he said, choking back tears, "because I
know if I wasn't Patty would mock me for being a... a gabby kid."

	The assembled villagers chuckled sadly.

	Kyouji went on. "I didn't know Patty all that well, but I should
have. She was one of the first friendly face the three of us saw when we
came to Mars and, on more than one occasion, she's saved us from
screwing up horribly."

	"Patty was from a world called Earth, just like we are, and she
was brought here by accident over a thousand years ago. She's was just a
girl then, like the original Warrior Priestesses were, and felt out of
place in a battle for the destiny of Mars. Still, if it hadn't been for
her efforts back then, Wintergreen would not have been defeated and
contained within the Starburst Crystal for the first time."

	"After that, I imagine Patty went through something we can
scarcely imagine. With her friends and only connection with Earth dead,
Patty was forced to start a new life on this strange planet. For a
thousand years she tended to the people of York and bided her time,
waiting for the second coming of Wintergreen and of the return of the
Warrior Priestesses... us."

	"Back when we first met, Patty saved Tsugiko's life." He gestured
to the woman in question. "And though I had to do something I still
regret to this day, the killing of a Nestling, I could not and still can
not be anything for Patty's help. Without her Tsugiko would be dead, and
our quest would have come to a tragic and abrupt end."

	The Knight Protector found the next words hard to give voice to.
"And now Patty's gone."

	"So today I, and my friends, say goodbye to this good and
courageous woman. She was a woman who found herself as a stranger
stranded in a strange land, and then built a new life for herself. A
woman who lost her only friends to the evils of Wintergreen, only to
carry on the fight for over a millennium until she could help those
friends again."

	"Goodbye Patty," he pronounced, bending down to rest a poppy on
the lid of her coffin. "The world is a poorer place without you."

	A hush fell over the funeral, broken only by the pitter-patter of
raindrops on stone and oak.

	It was still quiet an hour later as the Crystal Warriors assembled
in Patty's home, a place that still smelled of the old woman and her
eclectic holding of herbs and spices.

	Exhausted from the events of the day, the three sat down at the
kitchen table and mulled over the past.

	"Remember when we first came here?" asked Kyouji. "How I kept
falling over Tsugiko. Literally."

	Despite the somber atmosphere, the two girls smiled.

	Yumi leaned on the table. "I think I'll always remember that look
on your face when we found out Kit Kat was our guide."

	"Yeah," chuckled Kyouji, "I suppose I must have looked pretty
goofy."

	"Like you wouldn't believe," said Tsugiko playfully.

	The Knight Protector raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Or how
about that time we fought that Jawbreaker in the whatchamacallit bog?

	"Taffy Swamps," corrected Yumi. "Whatchamacallit was the second
monster the Twixes sent after us."

	Tsugiko scratched her head. "I thought it was the first?"

	Yumi shrugged. "Who can remember?"

	"Anyway," said Kyouji, "do you guys remember when we fought the
Jawbreaker in the Taffy Swamps? Or, more specifically, all the new words
Tsugiko took it upon herself to teach us?"

	"Hey!" shouted Tsugiko.

	Yumi and Kyouji laughed.

	The brunette leveled a finger at the Knight Protector. "I'll have
you know I don't remember uttering anything unbecoming."

	Kyouji leveled a finger to match Tsugiko's. "Well I do."

	"So do I," chimed in Yumi.

	"Well," huffed the green Priestess, "it seems we have conflicting
accounts of that day's events. So I, with the superior memory, will
claim the factual account of my so-called 'foul' language."

	"Fine," said Kyouji with mock-seriousness, "you can go live in
your own little reality; Yumi and I can party hardy then."

	And so on it went...

	A little after nine o'clock, Yumi made to leave for bed.

	"Well, off to bed," she announced. "We need to get an early start
tomorrow if we want to make it to the Temple before the solstice."

	Tsugiko and Kyouji did not respond.

	Yumi frowned. "Guys?"

	"Yumi," said Tsugiko, "I'd like you stay a minute; there's
something I need to ask you."

	An awful looming filled the blond as she sat back down in her
chair. "And what would that be?"

	Tsugiko looked over to Kyouji, who looked back at Tsugiko.

	"We've been talking, and..."

	"Yes?"

	"...we were wondering if you wanted to wait on going back to the
Temple," the green Priestess finished.

	Yumi blinked. "How long? A day? A week?"

	Tsugiko opened her mouth, and then closed it upon second thought.

	"Forever," said Kyouji, filling the silence. "We want to stay away
from the Temple forever."

	Yumi was speechless.

	"We were also thinking," Tsugiko added, "that you could come with
us somewhere, maybe Guylian."

	Yumi was speechless.

	Kyouji leaned forward. "The king there offered us a piece of land
the last time we were there, and the two of us figure that if he'd offer
it once he'd do it again."

	Yumi was speechless.

	"Think about it," said Tsugiko, "we would finally have a place to
call our own. A home." The green Priestess looked in her oldest friend's
eyes. "What do you say to that, Yum-"

	"TOKYO IS HOME!" screamed the blond. "HOME IS TOKYO! TOKYO IS OUR
HOME! MARS IS NOT!"

	The two warriors sat silently as the tirade carried on.

	"WHAT ARE YOU TWO *THINKING*? DON'T YOU EVEN WANT TO GET HOME!?!"

	"No, Yumi," spat Tsugiko, two centuries of bitterness welling up
in her throat. "I don't want to try to get back home if it means
climbing another mountain, crossing another valley, or journeying to
some long-lost continent on the ass-end of the world." The twenty-
something looking woman stood up. "What I want is some place to put my
feet up, to put down some roots. Maybe even find somebody to love."

	Yumi stared coldly at her dearest friend, then turned that gaze to
the man sitting opposite of her. "Is that what you want Kyouji, somebody
to love? Somebody besides me?"

	"No!" he insisted. "I don't want any of that, I just want to stop
wandering aimlessly across the face of Mars!"

	Yumi looked back over at Tsugiko. "You still love him, don't you?"

	Tsugiko blinked. "Who?"

	"Kyouji!" the blond pounded her fists on the table. "You're still
in love with Kyouji!"

	Kyouji laid a hand on Yumi's shoulder. "That's enough."

	"And you," she said, jerking away, "you still love her!"

	"WHAT?"

	"Don't lie to me Kyouji," sneered Yumi, "we've known each other
too long. I see the way you look at her, the way you look at each other.
Don't tell me you don't feel something!"

	The Knight Protector shook his head. "No! Not for a long-"

	"Then why don't you touch me?!" screamed Yumi. "We haven't even
kissed in how many years? Thirty? Forty?" She turned to Tsugiko. "Maybe
'Miss Superior Memory' can tell us!"

	"You wanted to wait!" yelled Kyouji, knocking his chair over as he
stood up. "YOU, NOT me, wanted to WAIT! Wait till we got back to TOKYO!
Wait till I got to meet your PARENTS! Well guess what Yumi, WE'RE NEVER
GOING TO GET BACK!"

	Yumi slapped Kyouji.

	"Why did it have to be *her*?" the blond asked, tears flowing
freely from her eyes.

	Then she turned and ran off into the night.


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


	Three Hundred Years Later...


	Under the hot yellow sun, Yumi wiped a stream of sweat out of her
eyes. It had been a long day but well worth her time; the land that,
over a millennium and a half ago, Wintergreen had laid to waste in her
anger to claim the ring Pop was now alive again, all thanks to one
person's will.

	As she walked back to her cabin, a building donated to her by
Wonka's decendants, the pink Priestess thought with pride of her work.
Over two centuries of lonely work had finally resulted in return a dead
land to life, and now Yumi could almost find herself calling it 'home'.

	But it wasn't home, nothing on Mars was.

	Despite what she told herself, Yumi felt age creeping in on her.
She looked the better part of thirty years old now, and while Yumi had
kept her beauty in her age she couldn't help but do the math in her
head. Four and a half centuries on Mars probably (she was never sure)
equaled a decade back on Earth. And as far as Earth was concerned, she
and her former friends were long dead.

	So here, in the land she affectionately called 'Pop', Yumi found
her quest slowing to a halt. And, strangely, it felt... good.

	But that didn't matter, thought Yumi, what mattered was what to
eat for dinner: fruit or nuts?

	"Hello down there!"

	The blond turned at the sound of the foreign voice; visitors of
any sort where rare in her part of the world.

	"Hello!" shouted Yumi, waving a hand at the visitor. "Who goes
there?"

	The stranger, a distant figure in the daylight, seemed taken aback
by Yumi's question. Finally, the figure replied, "Don't you remember me
Yumi?"

	The blond's eyes widened in shock. "Tsugiko," she whispered.

	Ten minutes later the Crystal Warriors gathered for the first time
in three centuries. The topic of conversation disturbed Yumi.

	"I can't fly anymore," she said angerly, "even during the day. Not
with *him* on our trail."

	Yumi frowned. "Who's him?"

	"Hershey," spat Kyouji. "The damnable Dark Lord who reforged the
Spear of Mint."

	"WHAT?"

	Tsugiko shook her head. "It's a long story, one even we don't know
everything about; he's an enigma to everyone, even... the Temple
Spirit."

	The two lowered their gaze to the ground.

	"Did he," asked Yumi, "'do' something to the Temple Spirit?"

	"No," replied Tsugiko, "not some much the Spirit as the Temple
itself; he burned it to the ground. The skittles say he shattered the
Crystal and, when Wintergreen was released, he... ate her."

	The blood drained from Yumi's face.

	Kyouji looked over his shoulder. "And ever since then he's been
relentlessly tracking us across Mars, not even stopping to eat or sleep.
Hershey's a veritable one-man army, no one can stand up to him."

	"Except us," Yumi said automatically, not even thinking as she
said the words.

	Tsugiko and Kyouji looked at one another, then turned to Yumi.

	"We don't even know that," said the middle-aged man.

	"Then we'll fight him anyways," retorted Yumi. "It's the only
responsible thing we can do."

	"Man Yumi," said Tsugiko, "when did you get so gung-ho?"

	"When I knew it was the only was I would ever get home."

	Neither replied to their friend, they didn't have the time.
Instead, Tsugiko and Kyouji turned around and gazed at the rim of the
valley. "He's here," both of them said.

	"Hershey?"

	Kyouji turned to his ex-girlfriend and nodded.

	A small pink wand, one that had spent three decades on a belt
loop, suddenly appeared in Yumi's hands. "Then let's give him a
welcome," she said.


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


	The battle was not going well.

	Hershey, despite being out-numbered by a factor of three, managed
to not only fend off the three Crystal Warrior's attacks, but to keep
them on the ropes with a series of bone-shattering attacks. His power
was so great that the land Yumi had spent half her life healing was once
again dying, the Priestess's great work burning before her very eyes.

	In fact, Yumi thought quietly to herself, they were losing.

	"Die you bastard!" screamed Tsugiko, taking to the sky in a final,
desperate gambit.

	"I thank you Priestess," said Hershey, gathering a ball of energy
at the tip of the Spear of Mint, "for your noble challenge."

	Tsugiko, gleaming hammer in hand, dived from the heavens with
emerald wings that carried her to the threshold of the sound barrier,
all the while yelling a battle cry.

	Hershey raised the Spear of Mint and blew her out of the sky.

	"TSUGIKO!" scream Kyouji, nearly dropping his sword as he watched
his friend's skinless body fall from the air.

	"And as for you," announced Hershey, turning to the Knight
Protector, "I salute you for your courage and valor."

	A pencil-thin beam lanced out of the Spear of Mint.

	Clutching his chest, Kyouji fell to the ground.

	"No," whispered Yumi, dropping her bloodstained wand. "NO! NO! NO!
NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!"

	The Priestess hurried over to her fallen Protector.

	"Kyouji," she pleaded, holding him in her arms. "I'm sorry, I'm so
sorry. I don't hate you. I never hated you." She began to cry. "Please
don't leave me."

	Footsteps, gingerly taken, approached Yumi.

	"You had to know it would come to this," said Hershey, leveling
the reforged Spear of Mint at the blond. "Battles may be fought, wars
may be won, but there is always a new conflict in the world of
tomorrow."

	Yumi, crying hot tears, hung her head low. "But it wasn't supposed
to be like this..."

	The hulking king regarded the last remaining Crystal Warrior with
an angry gaze. "What were you expecting, 'happily ever after'?"

	"No," she said, looking at the man below her, "just someone who
would love me back."

	Hershey slowly nodded. "I'm sorry you didn't get your wish."

	Yumi closed her eyes.

	An instant later, it was all over.


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


	Five Hundred and Thirty-Seven Years Later...

	Someone mumbled something.

	That, in and of itself, was enough to wake Yumi from her nap.
Opening her eyes, the middle-aged woman became aware of the strange
surroundings she had reappeared in: a klutzy, overly colorful room
drenched in idol posters. One interesting aspect, that brought a sad
familiarity to Yumi, was that the room seemed to be divided into one-
half order and one-half chaos as far as decorations went.

	Yumi, who was sitting one of the two beds in the room, looked
across to a young teen sitting on the opposite bed. "Hello," she said to
the pretty blond girl.

	The girl stared at her. "Are you okay?"

	Yumi didn't bother to respond.

	The girl reached over to touch Yumi, and when she did so a strange
panicked look flashed across her face.

	"It's just you," said Yumi, already losing interest.

	Hesitantly the girl asked, "Who are you?"

	Yumi frowned. "Just an old woman."

	The girl seemed ready to bounce off her bed. "You're a Warrior
Priestess, aren't you? The one I'm reincarnated from?"

	Yumi nodded absentmindedly.

	"Oh boy!" shouted the girl obliviously. "You must know lots of
things that can help us defeat Hershey!"

	"You want to know something?" asked Yumi, suddenly hating that she
had to follow a script.

	"Yeah!"

	"Don't screw up what you have."

	The blond girl frowned. "Huh?"

	Yumi lifted herself out of bed, straining phantom muscles she
hadn't used in a half millennium. Slowly, she set herself down in front
of the blond and took the teen's hands in her own.

	"Let me guess," began Yumi, suddenly feeling more alive than she
ever had since her death, "you have two friends with you. One's a guy
you've just met, the other's a girl you've known since kindergarten?"

	"No," said the teen, shaking her head. "They're both girls, just
like me."

	Yumi bit her lip. "Okay and do you have feelings for either of
these girls?"

	The teen turned away. "Maybe."

	"Then listen to me this once," said Yumi. "You have so little
time, or maybe even too much time. Trust your feelings and don't wait,
because if you make the wrong choice it'll haunt you for the rest of
your life... and your death."

	The room flickered, waving in and out of existence.

	The girl looked around. "What's happening?"

	"You're waking up."

	"Wait!" yelled the girl. "Which one do I chose?"

	Yumi frowned. "Wait... you mean you're attracted to BOTH of your
friends?"

	The teen grinned sheepishly.

	"My," said Yumi, "and I thought *I* had it rough."

	Light began to fill the room.

	"I have so many questions," said the girl. "How do I choose the
one I love the most?"

	"I can't tell you that; it's something you have to decide for
yourself."

	The teen looked at her with bug-eyes. "But you're so *old*!
Shouldn't you know this stuff?"

	Yumi smiled sadly. "I'm just dead sweetie, I never said anything
about being wise." Now she looked with determination at the girl. "You
have to listen to me, don't let it happen the way it did with us!"

	"I believe you," said the girl, "and I promise I won't become like
you."

	Yumi smiled, her perfect teeth glistening white. "You know, I
didn't listen to her when she told me I would end up here. Let's hope
you fare better than I."

	On cue, the girl frowned. "Wait, listen to who?"

	But it was too late, and the dream was over.



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


	Yumi opened her eyes.

	"She's awake!" yelled Tsugiko.

	Someone, Kyouji, rushed to her side. "Yumi!"

	"Gika!" came the chirp from somewhere.

	"Guys," the blond said, tiredness seeping from every pore, "you
look terrible."

	It was true; her friends were soaked through and through with
sweat, plus their cloths and hair were in complete disarray.

	Tsugiko, wiping away a tear, smiled. "Well Yumi, you're *sniff* no
spring peach yourself right now."

	At the sight of her friends, Yumi started to cry.

	"What's the matter Yumi?" asked Kyouji.

	"I had a dream," said the blond between sobs, "a really bad
dream... where we all died."

	Kyouji tried to comfort his friend. "It's alright Yumi, we all had
strange dreams."

	"Yeah," agreed Tsugiko, "all because of these... cheetos?"

	"Cheerios," Kyouji corrected her.

	"I don't care," said Yumi, "just so long as you're all alright."

	Tsugiko hugged her friend, Kyouji soon joined in.

	"It's alright," Kyouji assured the blond, "we're all awake now.
Nothing bad will happen to us now, because we're all here for each
other."

	"Right," whispered Yumi, feeling better, "nothing bad will happen
to us now."



	-----------



	Riesen wanted to pace, to walk off his thoughts, but too many
people were watching him. Also, he didn't want to be missing when
Wintergreen returned; today was not the day to cross his sovereign.

	Krackel walked up to Riesen, a grim smile on his face. "I heard
about your little accident with Twizzler." The knight eyed the tactician
with much mirth. "I wonder how many of Wintergreen's slaves will want to
conspire with you after they see Twizzler's interior redecorations?"

	Angered by the armored-man's blatant joy, Riesen leaned in and
whispered into Krackel's ear, "I sure hope that Twizzler doesn't
*accidentally* find out that Rollo is so cherished by Warriors
Priestesses that they actually attempted a rescue mission." The
tactician stepped away from the knight and, in a normal voice, said, "By
the way, how'd that turn out for you?"

	Krackel's brow furrowed with anger, but the man didn't allow his
emotions to lash out uncontrollably.

	Riesen smiled in satisfaction, then began to make his way to a
more secluded location. As he brushed past Krackel the big man grabbed
hold of Riesen's arm.

	"I forgot to tell you," said the knight, "Wintergreen said I get
to execute you when your luck runs out." Krackel winked at the surprised
man. "Isn't that just _grand_?"

	Riesen jerked free from Krackel's grip and walked away.

	Moving up the hill, the master manipulator was consumed by his
thoughts. Situations, scenarios, and the prophecy all crashing together
inside his skull; it was a wonder he even heard the commotion at all.

	Blinking, Riesen realized that all the men around him were
pointing at the rainy sky in wonderment. Turning his gaze upward, Riesen
saw what had amazed so many: the sky, frothing and boiling with dark
clouds, was folding in upon itself. The heavens themselves took on a
ruddy demeanor, somewhat like a boil on the back of a god.

	The hairs on Riesen's body prickled; on instinct he threw himself
to the ground, covered his ears, and shut his eyes.

	The sky exploded.

	Others who hadn't had the wisdom to seek cover would describe what
happened in feverish tones. They would talk of a scarlet ball of light
falling from the heavens, of clouds turning to steam, and of an awful
wave of energy washing through their bodies.

	The few men who had stupidly disobeyed their queen's orders to
stay behind the hill were forever scarred. Those men that didn't die
from burns, or from the mysterious nothingness that killed some
seemingly unharmed men, would be blinded for the rest of their days. The
one blind man who retained his sanity would, between bouts of
drunkenness, talk of a valley that had fluctuated between existence and
non-existence in the twilight of possibility.

	Everyone would agree on the noise, the unnatural _sound_ --- there
was no real word for it --- that consumed everything. Several of the
more sensitive men were deafened by it, and a handful of men were killed
outright by it just after their eyes had been fried. It even drove two
men insane with its all-powerful might.

	Riesen, as he staggered to his feat, saw men clutching bleeding
ears. Turning around he sought to find his bearings, only to trip over
the remains of a shattered tree. Looking up from the heat-baked mud, the
tactician realized he was a good sixty-or-so meters from where he had
first hit the ground. As he mulled absentmindedly over that curious
fact, Clorets staggered towards him.

	"------?" asked Clorets, offering a hand to the fallen man.

	Riesen frowned at the woman's oddness, but took up her offer
anyway. Once on his feet, he said, "-------?"

	"R---?" frowned Clorets, staring intently at him. "-yo--c---righ--
-?"

	Riesen tried to explain himself, "You--ke--no-."

	Clorets leaned forwards and snapped both sets of her fingers by
Riesen's ears. Batting them away, the tactician suddenly realized he
couldn't hear anything besides a dim roar.

	Another person, some faceless soldier, hobbled over to the two
lieutenants and asked, "-ir? ---ou--alrigh-?"

	"-es," replied Clorets. "But--'s--got-a---blem-with---is ears."

	"--mmm," nodded the soldier, wiping blood out of an eye. "Maybe---
shell-hock?"

	Clorets looked at Riesen; he nodded dully in agreement with the
soldier. "I--an-hear-a--it-b-tter."

	The general nodded. "-hould-fade---time."

	"Right," he said.

	Riesen felt a hand on his shoulder, spinning around he saw it was
Krackel. The premature swelling under the knight's left eye brought a
small measure of satisfaction to him.

	"Was--hat-Wint--green?" asked the injured hero.

	The four shared a knowing look.

	Clorets nodded. "I-thin--so."

	"So," said Riesen, "where is she now?"

	"-ver the hill," said the solider.

	Krackel began walking towards the summit. "We should go."

	With nothing else to do, Riesen and the others followed the knight
up the hill. Along the way they came across many injured men, but the
unharmed soldiers, those like Clorets who had been at the foot of the
hill, came to the assistance of their countrymen.

	Soon they reached the summit.

	"Caramello's bane," Riesen hissed to himself.

	The valley was totally barren: lacking landmarks, devoid of water,
empty of life. The floor of the Starburst Valley was stark white
bedrock; both the topsoil and the deeper ground having been wiped from
existence. The surrounding country and hillsides varied as far as
devastation, but it was a foregone conclusion in everyone's mind that no
form of life, however hardy, would grow there for the better part of an
age.

	The Starburst Temple, once situated in the center of the formerly
lush valley, was simply gone. Its once majestic stain glass walls and
intricately carved wooden interior had boiled away into nothingness,
much like the waters of its surrounding moat had. The Temple had been at
ground zero, and, for some incommunicable reason, the area was painful
for anyone to look upon.

	Perhaps, as Riesen thought to himself, it was because everyone
knew something so beautiful had existed there once, and that a force
beyond nature had exterminated it from the face of Mars.

	Krackel fell to his knees.

	Riesen did not see the reaction that consumed the knight's soul,
nor did he hear it with his abused ears. And, for the first time, the
tactician felt empathy for the fallen hero.

	"Ugh," muttered Clorets, nearly toppling over as she stabbed her
sword into the baked surface. The blade did not penetrate the hardened
clay (stone?) but did provide enough support for the general to prevent
her from toppling over.

	Riesen felt numb, and not just from the total and complete
devastation before him. His mind boggled at the idea that anything, let
alone a mortal --- which despite all her power that was what his queen -
-- could have survived such power. He didn't ask the question because,
like the others who began to gather around him, Riesen was afraid of the
answer. But that didn't matter, because it came to them anyway.

	Wintergreen stood before the assembly in all her power and might.

	Beside him, a weaker man broke down into tears.

	"Do you understand now?" the queen looked upon her subjects. "Do
you understand hate?"

	Riesen, along with many others, nodded. They all understood their
sovereign's question because, in each of their hearts, they had learned
that day what hate was...

	...because they had learned to truly hate Wintergreen.

	Wintergreen smiled, her white teeth glistening. "Good."

	Unable to conceal a shudder, Riesen took a half-step away from his
queen; today he had learned to fear her as well.

	"Today was a valuable day," announced Wintergreen, Spear of Mint
in hand. "We all learned what lies before us and what we must do to
accomplish our task. To my soldiers, I say go forth and tell the world
what you have seen today, let all of Mars understand the might of
Wintergreen."

	The queen approached her three lieutenants. Confidently she laid a
hand on Krackel's shoulder and the armored man did nothing in reaction;
he just knelt there. "And to those who serve me, who wish to claim the
position of Second, I say this: let my will be done."

	"Today we rest, tomorrow... we go on."










	"In our sleep, pain, which cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon
the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom
through the awful grace of God."

	-Aeschylus-






------------------------------------
	Author's Notes:

	It's funny, when I was discussing plot ideas with Ardweden my main
worry (aside from the love triangle) was that I'd be following three 90-
100Kb+ parts; the largest I've ever written in a week was 50Kb. Now look
at me: I've joined the 100Kb+ club. Weeee!

	Let me say this right off: the Teru here is not the real Teru. So
if ANYONE uses this characterization of Teru I will hunt you down and do
stuff to you.

	The idea of Wintergreen attacking the Starburst Temple came when I
considered the fate of the ancient Crystal Warriors' dead bodies. The
bodies were tossed (thankfully) but the attack stayed in. Also, the
Starburst Temple is gone in a 99% kind of way. If a future author wants
to use the Temple Spirit she'll be, at the very least, the worse for
wear.

	The Crystal Warriors ate Cheerios when they thought they were
eating Apple Jacks, the result was their drug-induced vision quests.

	I apologize for any grammar errors that escaped my attention;
thoroughly editing something this big takes more time than I have right
now.

	I'd like to thank Neremworld, Ardweden, and Nicolas Juzda for
going over their thoughts with me, as well as supplying ideas when my
well ran dry. Also, big thanks to my prereaders: Ardweden, Nicolas
Juzda, and Anna. Without their help this part would have been poorer for
us all to read. And, for the third time, a big thanks to Ardweden for
creating this fantastic series.



Candies used:

Breath Savers    ------     A breath mint
Cheerios         ------     A cereal
Ginger Ale Sea   ------     A type of soda
Hershey          ------     The archetype of all chocolate bars
Klondike         ------     A mint chocolate
McVities         ------     A British 'digestible' (tea cookie) that I
                            had the pleasure of subsisting on during my
                            10-cent tour of London last spring.
Oreo             ------     The archetype of all chocolate cookies
Splenda          ------     An artificial sweetener



	That's all.


~Doublemint (02/04/2003)