"Damn it all!"

	Yumi watched silently as Kyouji raged, angrily peppering innocent trees with poppies and 
sword slashes. The Gobstopper, as the Spree book had said, was a remarkably simple monster to 
defeat, as long as one didn't look into its eyes.

	Tsugiko, unfortunately, had done just that. And now, she was laying motionless on the 
ground. Yumi had tried to use her healing powers to bring Tsugiko out of her comatose state, but 
to no avail. Whatever the Gobstopper had done to Tsugiko, it was beyond Yumi's ability to repair.

	Yumi was dealing with the situation as best she could, trying to keep Tsugiko comfortable
as Kyouji worked the frustration and anger out of her system. Yumi looked down at Tsugiko, and 
noted with a relieved sigh that she was still breathing normally, her chest rising and falling 
at slow, regular intervals. 

	Satisfied that Tsugiko's condition was remaining stable, at least for the time being, 
Yumi turned to see if she could get Kyouji to calm down. "Kyouji...could you please stop killing 
all the trees? I need your help to figure out what to do..."

	Kyouji paused in mid-slash and laughed ruefully, his back to Yumi. "Like my help's going 
to do anything. I haven't been able to help either of you so far..."

	Yumi scowled slightly. "Stop being so hard on yourself. It's not your fault Tsugiko..."

	"It is my fault!" screamed Kyouji, turning to face Yumi, who gasped slightly upon seeing 
the tears running down his face. "I'm the Knight Protector! The whole reason I'm here is to keep 
you two from getting hurt, and I've screwed it up at every opportunity!"
	
	"That's not true..."

	"Like hell it isn't! There hasn't been one single fight that we've been in here where 
either you or Tsugiko didn't almost get killed. I didn't do anything to help her in our first 
fight here, I would've been killed fighting that bee thing if you hadn't healed me, Tsugiko got 
her crystal cracked in the fight against Wintergreen...and now this!"

	Kyouji shook his head, his voice dropping almost to a whisper as he sank to his knees. 
"I can't protect either of you, you two end up saving me more often than I save either of you, 
the best I can do in a fight is throw pointy flowers...I'm useless."

	"You are not useless!" Yumi insisted, walking over to Kyouji and gripping him by the 
shoulders. "If you hadn't thrown out that attack on Wintergreen, we would've never survived that 
fight."

	"For all the good it did," Kyouji spat, looking down at the ground. "Tsugiko still got 
her crystal cracked."

	"There was nothing you could do about that. None of us realized how powerful Wintergreen 
really was until it was too late," Yumi replied. "And we'll get Tsugiko's crystal fixed 
somehow..."

	Kyouji, still not looking up, waved his arm towards the still form of Tsugiko. "And what 
about just now?"

	"You can't blame yourself for that. It happened before any of us realized what was going 
on..."

	"And you would've gotten hit with that energy blast if Kit-Kat hadn't saved you."

	Yumi let out an exasperated sigh and bapped Kyouji on the head. "You can't do everything,
baka," she said, reaching down and pulling his head up so she could look him directly in the 
eyes. "That's why we're a team. A few days ago, we were all just normal teenagers. We don't know 
anything about being warrior priestesses or knight protectors...we're all learning as we go, and 
we're all supporting each other as we learn. I know you're doing the best you can, and I'm sure 
Tsugiko knows that too."

	Kyouji stared into Yumi's eyes for a few seconds before shaking his head, chuckling 
lightly. "You know, it's impossible to stay depressed with you around. You're just too 
relentlessly optimistic."

	Yumi blushed. "Thank you, Kyouji-kun...you need a hand getting up?"

	"Nah, I'm okay now, I think," Kyouji said, getting back to his feet with a grunt. "And 
thanks for being so patient with me... it's all just been so frustrating..."

	"I know Kyouji, but it's bound to get better from here," she said, smiling. "So what do 
you think we should do now?"

	Kyouji shrugged. "I think the best thing to do would be to continue on to York. If this 
wise woman is as wise as the Spree made her out to, she might be able to tell us what's wrong 
with Tsugiko, and help us cure her."

	"I was thinking the same thing," said Yumi, "and I think we should get going now. The 
sooner we get to York, the sooner we can see about helping Tsugiko."

	"Sounds good to me, " Kyouji said, walking over to where Tsugiko was laying. Slowly and 
carefully, Kyouji picked the dark-haired girl up and cradled her in his arms, her head leaning 
into his chest. 

	Yumi smiled as she saw how delicately Kyouji was holding Tsugiko in his arms, and how 
concerned he seemed to be with her comfort. "Are you going to be okay carrying her the rest of 
the way to York?"

	If Kyouji was under any strain from carrying Tsugiko, he was stubbornly refusing to let 
it show. "I'll be fine," he said, looking down at the girl in his arms, her face peaceful. 
"Let's get going. If we keep up a good pace, we should be able to make it there before nightfall."

**********

The Starburst Crystal
Created by Ardweden
Chapter 5: Questing is Scrumptious
by Jesse Ellman
Sole Member, Insane Cod Productions
"Dear god, I'm writing magical girl shoujo. Shoot me now."   
	
**********

	"Are you sure you're okay? You've been carrying her for hours now with no break."

	"I'm fine," Kyouji grunted, not slowing down in the least. "We're almost there."

	Just by looking at him, Yumi could tell that he was lying. Beads of sweat were running 
down his face, which was locked in a grimace of determination. His arms were shaking from the 
strain of carrying Tsugiko for so long, and still he went on, refusing to stop. At this point, 
Yumi realized, it was only sheer willpower that was keeping the young man from collapsing.

	"We still have time before it gets dark," she said, a worried expression on her face. 
"We can afford to stop for a few minutes to rest..."

	"I don't need to stop. Like you said before, the sooner we get Tsugiko to this Patty 
woman, the better."

	Yumi, seeing the look in his eyes, decided not to press the issue further. He obviously 
wasn't going to be stopping until they reached their destination, and trying to get him to do 
otherwise would only antagonize him.

	And so the two teens walked silently through the woods. Yumi constantly glanced over at 
Kyouji, checking to see if he was okay, but the Knight Protector just stared straight ahead, a 
grimace on his face, arms clutched protectively around Tsugiko.

	A short while later, as the sun was just starting to fade beneath the tree line, the two 
teens reached the edge of the forest. A relieved smile broke across Yumi's face as she saw a 
small village just a short distance away. "That must be York!" Yumi said excitedly, pointing 
towards the village.

	Kyouji nodded. "Good. First things first: let's find this sage and see if she can do 
anything for Tsugiko."

	As the two approached the outskirts of the town, a large group of humanoids gathered 
ahead of them, looking curiously. The humanoids were large and muscular, with black and white 
patched skin and a small green spot in the middle of their foreheads. From the crowd, two 
figures stepped out to meet Yumi and Tsugiko.

	The taller of the two, who had largely dark skin and a curious look on his face, spoke 
first. "Are you...are you the fabled Warrior Priestesses?"

	"They are," replied Kyouji tiredly. "I'm the Knight Protector."

	"I was right!" said the man, now smiling. Turning back to the crowd, he cupped his hands 
over his mouth so everyone could hear him. "Hey everyone! They are the Warrior Priestesses!"

	A rousing cheer erupted from the group gathered on the edge of the town. "We're honored 
by your presence in our humble village, Warrior Priestesses. My name is Pepper, and I am the 
leader of this town. Beside me is my wife, Mint," he said, pointing to the lighter-skinned 
creature beside him. 

	"All that our town possesses is at your disposal, honored ones," said Mint, bowing.

	"We thank you for your hospitality, Pepper and Mint of York," Yumi said formally, bowing 
in return. "We're looking for Patty, a sage that's supposed to live here. We were told that she 
might be able to help us on our quest, and we were also hoping she could help out friend."

	Pepper turned to look at Tsugiko, who was still being held by Kyouji. "What's wrong with 
her?'

	"Well, she was first injured in a fight against Queen Wintergreen," she said, prompting 
a look of shock from Pepper and Mint and a fearful gasp from the crowd at the mention of the evil
tyrant, "and she's been unconscious since we had an encounter with a Gobstopper on out way here."

	Pepper looked at Tsugiko, concerned. "She didn't look into the Gobstopper's eyes, did 
she?"

	"I'm afraid she did," said Yumi sadly. "It happened before any of us could react."

	The look on Pepper's face went grim. "If your companion looked into the eyes of a 
Gobstopper, then this is indeed a serious situation. Follow me; I'll take you to Patty."

	Leading Yumi and Kyouji through the crowd of gawking York residents, the three (four if 
you counted Tsugiko) made their way to a large hut on the far edge of the town. Walking up to 
the door, Pepper knocked softly. "Pepper? We have guests who need your help urgently!"

	  The door opened, and a short, shriveled old woman answered, obviously not happy at 
being disturbed. "I'll have you know I was in the middle of a nap!" she said angrily, poking at 
Pepper's thigh. "What's the big brew-ha-ha?"

	Yumi and Kyouji gasped despite themselves when they caught sight of the woman. Not 
because of her size, or her age, or her less than pleasant demeanor.

	"You...you're human," said Kyouji, stunned.

	"Damn right I am, sonny," the woman said, scowling at Kyouji. After a moment, recognition 
dawned on her. "And so are your three...the Warrior Priestesses, right?"

	"Yes," said Yumi. "We're here to-"

	"Well why didn't you say so in the first place!" the woman said, now smiling widely. 
"C'mon in! I haven't seen anyone from back home in a long, long time!"

	Patty shuffled the teens in, but put a hand up as Pepper moved to follow. "Sorry, Pep, 
but I'd like to talk to them alone. Do you mind?"

	"Not at all, wise one," said Pepper. "Just be sure to let me know of anything that 
affects the village.

	"No prob, no prob," the woman said, nudging him out the door. Turning back towards Yumi 
and Kyouji, she peered at Tsugiko. "What's wrong with her? Tired?"

	Kyouji shook his head. "She accidentally looked into the eyes of a Gobstopper. That's 
part of the reason we came here."

	The old woman clucked her tongue. "Gobstopper, eh? Lay her down on that cot in the 
corner and lemme have a look at her."

	Kyouji walked over to the cot and placed Tsugiko down on the bed carefully, gently 
moving her into a comfortable position. Idly brushing a few strands of hair from her face, he 
stepped back to let Patty examine her, slumping to the floor tiredly at the side of the bed.

	The sage moved to examine the girl, but stopped short upon looking at her forehead. "Her 
crystal's cracked? How did that happen?"

	 "We got surprised by Wintergreen," Yumi answered, sighing. "She took us by surprise, 
and hit Tsugiko in the forehead with her spear."

	"That damn witch," Patty spat, shaking her head. "Is there no end to her evil?" Patty 
paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "We can worry about her crystal later. Her having 
looked into the eyes of a Gobstopper is the more pressing problem."

	Placing her hands on Tsugiko's temples, the wise woman closed her eyes, concentrating. 
After a few minutes, during which Yumi and Kyouji watched silently, the wise woman dropped her 
hands to her sides and turned to the two conscious heroes. "She has all the classic signs of 
being affected by a Gobstoppers gaze. There is a way to treat her, but it's not going to be 
easy. Are you two up to it?"

	"Whatever it takes," said Kyouji firmly, "we'll do it."

	"Good. Now girl, can you get me that gray book on the second shelf," she asked Yumi, 
pointing across the hut at a large bookcase. Yumi nodded and grabbed the book, bringing it over 
the Patty. The old woman immediately started flipping through it, quickly finding the page she 
was looking for. 

	"Okay, in order to treat your friend, we need to first make a potion. I have most of the 
ingredients, I think..."

	Darting back and forth across the room at speeds Yumi didn't think the woman was capable 
of, Patty poked through cabinet after cabinet, mentally checking off the ingredients needed. "I 
have most of the ingredients, but I'm apparently missing two."

	"What are they, and where do we get them?" said Kyouji, pulling himself to one knee 
before collapsing back to the ground.

	"Kyouji!" Yumi cried, rushing over to his side. "Are you okay?"

	"I'm fine," the boy said, grimacing. "Just a little tired. I'll be fine in a little 
while."

	"How long were you carrying that girl for?" asked the old woman, walking over towards 
Kyouji.

	"All day without stopping," replied Yumi. "I tried to get him to take a break..."

	"I didn't need a break!" snapped Kyouji. "We had to get her here as fast as..." Kyouji 
trailed off as he saw the hurt expression on Yumi's face. "Ah, crud. I'm sorry Yumi, I didn't 
mean to yell like that. I'm just worried about Tsugiko..."

	"You're not going to do her any good if you drive yourself to exhaustion," said Patty. 
"You're determination is admirable, but you've can't push yourself like that and expect to be in 
any kind of shape to save the world."

	"I know, I know," said Kyouji. "Now what were you saying about those ingredients?"

	"Ah yes," said the old woman. "I'm missing two things. First, cashews from a Planters 
tree...those aren't too hard to find. I can send my assistants out to get them."

	"Assistants?" Yumi said, looking around the hut.

	"Two of the locals who help me in my research and gather materials for me. I'll 
introduce you tomorrow."

	Yumi nodded, and the old woman continued. "The other component...will be more difficult 
to obtain. I need the brain of a Nestling, intact and undamaged."

	"The brain? Eww," said Yumi, making a sour face.

	The old woman gaped at Yumi for a moment before starting to chuckle. "Ah, to be young 
and innocent again," she said, smiling. "Anyway, in order t get the brain, you're rather 
obviously going to have to kill the creature. Once you do that, al you have to do is cut off 
it's head and bring it back here. I'll do the rest."

	"What is a Nestling?" Yumi asked.

	"I was just about to get to that. The Nestling is not a creature to be taken lightly. 
It's tremendously strong and tough, and reasonably quick for a creature its size. It's also 
arrogant and stupid. But it's physical prowess is such  that, despite it's mental handicaps, 
it can be deadly in combat."

	 "So where do we find one?" asked Kyouji.

	The old woman paused to think. "If I remember correctly, there should be one just to the 
south of here. It wanders into town now and then looking for food, but the locals usually manage 
to drive it away before it can do much harm."

	Kyouji nodded. "We'll leave in the morning and track it down. Sound good, Yumi?"

	The blonde girl shrugged. "Sounds good to me. That gives us some time to rest up, ne?"

	"Your friend Kyouji could use some rest. And a good meal," said the woman, chuckling. 
"I'm going to go make some food. You two make yourself comfortable."

	As the sage gathered ingredients for the meal, Yumi walked over to Kyouji and offered 
and hand. "Do you need help getting up?"

	Kyouji looked at Yumi's hand for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. The he grabbed her 
hand with a grimace, letting her help him to his feet. "Thanks," he said, shuffling slowly to 
the table in the center of the hut.

	Plopping down into a chair, Kyouji watched as Yumi sat down across from him. "Again, 
Yumi, I wanna apologize for snapping at you..."

	"Don't worry about it," Yumi replied. "We're all under a lot of stress. It's no big 
deal."

	For the next hour, Yumi idly chatted while patty cooked. They were both tired, so the 
pace of the conversation was slow, but they managed to each talk a little about their lives back 
home.

	"And the ice cream fell all over her?" Yumi said, giggling as she held a hand in front 
of her mouth.

	"Yep, right on top of her head," Kyouji said, laughing ruefully. "Needless to say, the 
date pretty much ended there."

	"Aww, but it wasn't your fault you tripped on wet spot," Yumi replied. "She couldn't 
blame you for that."

	"She could and she did," laughed Kyouji. "I don't think I've ever seen ice cream boil...
I mean, you could see the steam coming out of her ears..."

	Yumi lost it, nearly falling out of her chair laughing. "You must've been so 
embarrassed..." she managed to squeak out, between fits of laughter.

	"Definitely not one of my prouder moments," agreed Kyouji.

	The two talked for a few more minutes, their moods rapidly improving, before Patty 
walked over to the table, three plates of food in hand. "Dinner time, kids. Dig in," she said, 
placing the plates in front of the two hungry youngsters before sitting down.

	Yumi and Kyouji quickly attacked the slices of meat on their plate. "This is good!" 
said Yumi happily, cutting herself another piece. "What is it?"

	"Gobstopper."

	Yumi paused in mid-cut while Kyouji nearly choked on the piece he'd been swallowing, 
coughing violently. "It's what!?" he said, gasping for breath.

	"Gobstopper," the woman said, shrugging, "Tasty, isn't it?"

	Kyouji blinked. "Well, yeah..."

	"So what's the problem?"

	"Well, with Tsugiko hav-" Yumi started, before the old woman interrupted her.

	"What does it matter if a Gobstopper hurt your friend? It's tastes good, it's 
nutritious, and you're both obviously hungry."

	Yumi looked down at the food in front of her, then looked over at Kyouji, who shrugged. 
"I suppose we could consider it a kind of revenge," he said, grinning slightly.

	Yumi stared at him for a moment, then started giggling. "You're impossible, Kyouji," she 
said, kicking him lightly in the shin.

	"Hey, what'd you kick me for?" he yelped.

	Patty shook her head as Yumi and Kyouji playfully argued, eating as they went along. 
"Kids nowadays..."

**********

	Both the meal and the argument eventually ended, leaving the three humans sitting at the 
table, full and content. With a groan, Patty got up and walked over to Tsugiko, pulling a small 
vial out of her robe.

	"What's that?" asked Kyouji.

	"Nutrient potion," replied the woman, tilting Tsugiko's head back and pouring it down 
her throat. "She obviously can't eat, so this will provide her body with the energy it needs 
while we work towards curing her."

	Kyouji nodded in understanding, leaning back in his chair. A silence fell over the room 
for a moment, before Yumi decided to ask something that had bugging her. "Patty-san?"

	"Yes dear?"

	"How did you get here?"

	The old woman blinked, then smiled. "I was wondering when one of you were going to ask 
that. I actually came here with the last group of Warrior Priestesses."

	"But that was a thousand years ago!" Yumi said, confused.

	"We humans age much slower in this place," said Patty, sitting back down. "I'm still not 
sure why, but I think it has something to do with the magic that brings us here."

	"So...you're the fourth Warrior Priestess?" Kyouji said, just as confused as Yumi.

	"Not quite, boy. I actually got brought here by accident when the other three were 
transported here. I was right nearby, and I got caught in the spell that brought them here. 
Wrong place at the wrong time, I suppose."

	"So what happened?" Yumi asked.

	"Well...when we arrived, the spirit filled us in on what was going on with Wintergreen 
and all. The other three got powers, and I was stuck here, since the spirit didn't have enough 
power to send me back. I traveled with the three for a while, trying to help where I could, but 
it became obvious I was just being a burden."

	The old woman sighed, then continued her story. "When we got to this town, I met the 
town wise man, an old, kind sage who knew almost everything there was to know about this world. 
I realized that, if I couldn't help the other three directly, I might be able to help them by 
finding useful information. So I apprenticed myself to the sage, telling the Warrior Priestesses 
to come by whenever they needed help."

	"I did the best I could. Me and the wise man worked diligently, trying to uncover useful 
information. And we did manage to help them several times. But in the end...well, there was 
nothing I could do to stop that damn Wintergreen from killing them. Somehow, though, they 
managed to imprison that vile woman in the Starburst Crystal."

	"Everyone was relieved, but the sage I worked with knew better. He realized that the 
crystal could only hold an evil as powerful as Wintergreen for so long. So he made it his life's 
goal to gather all the information he could about our world, the Starburst Crystal, and 
Wintergreen, in anticipation of a time when that knowledge would be needed." Patty laughed 
sadly. "And when he died, I made it my life's goal."

	"Wow," said Kyouji.

	"And now that you three are here, I can put all of that knowledge to use," the woman 
said, now smiling. "Wintergreen won't know what hit her."

	The two teens sat silently, digesting what they had just heard (as well as their food.) 
Yumi finally broke the silence. "What were they like?"

	Patty thought for a moment. "Well...they were headstrong, overly emotional, often rushed 
to judgment before knowing all the facts, at times rather immature...basically, they were 
teenagers," she said with a chuckle.

	Yumi and Kyouji blushed, which only made Patty chuckle harder. After a minute, she 
regained her composure and continued, a serious look on her face. "But they were also brave and 
noble, always trying to do what was right, never giving up whatever the odds," she said, looking 
at the two teens. "I see those qualities in you two as well, and I'm sure Tsugiko possesses them 
as well."

	"Thank you," Yumi said quietly.

	"Don't mention it. Now you two better get some sleep; you've got work to do tomorrow."

**********

	Yumi woke up as the first rays of the sun began to shine through the windows of the hut. 
Shaking off her grogginess, she got up and went outside to get some fresh air.

	She didn't expect to find Kyouji out there, fully awake, practicing with his sword.

	"What are you doing up?" she yawned.

	"If this Nestling thing is as tough as Patty says, I want to make sure I'm prepared," he 
said, pulling out a few poppies and tossing them at a nearby barrel, which was covered with the 
flower darts.

	Yumi smiled, but the smile never quite reached her eyes. Kyouji had the same expression 
on his face as he had when he was carrying Tsugiko to York, and it worried the blonde teen. 
Would Kyouji do something foolish trying to protect her from the Nestling?

	There was nothing she could do about it, though. Arguing with him had proven useless 
before, and she didn't see it working now. Better, she thought, to just keep an eye on him, and 
make sure he was thinking clearly when the fight began.

	"Well, you better come back in," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "I think 
Patty's making breakfast."

	With a nod, Kyouji sheathed his sword and walked with Yumi back to the hut, where Patty 
had breakfast prepared. They made their way through the meal quickly, not really talking much, 
and gathered themselves for their trip into the forest.

	"Before you two go," said Patty, smiling, "I want you to meet my two assistants, Almond 
Joy and Mounds."

	"I'm honored," said Almond Joy, bowing.

	"Mounds happy to meet you too."

	Yumi smiled. "Thank you for helping us gather the ingredients. We really appreciate it."

	Almond Joy smiled. "Anything we can do to help the Warrior Priestesses."

	"Mounds glad to help."

	The two assistants waved as they walked into the forest, Patty watching them go. Once 
they disappeared into the trees, the sage turned back to Kyouji and Yumi. "Remember, be careful. 
The Nestling shouldn't give you too much trouble as long as you're careful, but if you get 
careless..."

	"We understand," said Kyouji. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to Yumi...or me."

**********

	"I think this is the place."

	Yumi and Kyouji stood in front of a large cave. It was exactly where Patty had said it 
would be, and they'd made it here in just over an hour. "Looks like it," said Kyouji, holding 
his sword in one hand and a few poppies in the other.

	"So how do we get it out?" Yumi asked, peering into the dark cave. "We can't fight it in 
that pitch-black cave."

	"Fire one of your energy blasts in there," Kyouji said, thinking. "That'll get it to 
come out, and then we can surprise it and kill it."

	Yumi nodded, and the two got in position. Holding her wand out in front of her, Yumi 
concentrated and fired a beam of pink energy into the cave.

	Both teens quickly scurried to hide behind some trees, waiting for the Nestling to come 
out. As they waited, something clicked in Yumi's head. "Kyouji...isn't firing into it's cave 
going to make the Nestling angry?" she whispered.

	*RRRARRGH!!*

	 "Uh oh, " said Yumi nervously.

	The loud thud of footsteps suddenly split the silence of the forest. Yumi gulped audibly 
as the ground started to shake in time with the footsteps. "Kyouji..."

	Before Kyouji could reply, the Nestling emerged from the cave. It was huge, easily over 
eight feet tall, and massively built, with large, pointy claws at the end of each finger.

	And it was pissed off.

	"Who dare bother Nestling?" yelled the creature, thumping it's chest. "Nestling is 
strongest one there is!"

	"On three, fire a beam of energy into it's face to stun it, then go after it while it's 
disoriented," Kyouji whispered, tensing to charge.

	"Nestling smash!"

	"One."
	
	"Nestling bash!"

	"Two."

	"Nestling CRUNCH!"

	"Three."

	Yumi fired a blast directly into the Nestling's face as Kyouji dashed out to the right, 
poppies in hand. Yumi leaped to the other side of the Nestling, turning to fire another burst of 
energy as she landed...

	And finding herself looking directly into the eyes of a very, very angry ten foot-tall 
monster.

	"Eep."

	Yumi dodged desperately as the Nestling swung a huge fist at her. She managed to avoid 
the swipe, but she was left off-balance as the creature readied for another strike.

	Kyouji, seeing this, tossed some poppies at the creature, sticking several in the 
Nestling's hand. Growling, the monster turned towards the Knight Protector, and began to advance 
on him. 

	"Kyouji, look out!" Yumi shouted, firing another blast into the monster's back. The 
monster barely flinched, and continued towards Kyouji.

	Kyouji tossed more poppies at the advancing creature, but they weren't doing much good. 
Readying his sword, he charged at the monster, intent on skewering him.

	The Nestling just swatted him in mid-charge, sending the dark-haired teen hurtling into 
a tree.

	"Kyouji!" Yumi yelled, eyes wide. Gritting her teeth, she fired several blasts into the 
monster's back. This time the monster did more than flinch, roaring in pain and stumbling 
forward. With a snarl of rage, it turned back towards Yumi.

	Yumi, rather than running, stood her ground, trying to keep the monster from going back 
to the dazed Kyouji. She fired beam after beam at the monster, sweating from exertion. 

	But the monster kept on coming. The blasts were hurting it and slowing it down, but it 
never stopped moving towards Yumi. Seeing that it was getting close, Yumi darted to the side, 
but was caught as the monster shot out a hand and grabbed her.

	"Now you pay for hurting Nestling," it said, lifting Yumi up in one hand and squeezing.

	"AAAHHH!" Yumi screamed in pain, and the monster slowly started to crush her. Yumi could 
feel her head swimming, and she was slowly losing consciousness. 

	"Kyouji...help..." she gasped.

	"Let her go!"

	The Nestling turned to see Kyouji getting back to his feet, glowing bright red. "Put her 
down, you bastard," he spat, walking towards the surprised goliath.

	"Feh! What can puny thing do to Nestling! Nestling is mighty!"

	As the Nestling taunted, Kyouji began to glow even brighter. The glow concentrated around
his sword, which grew larger with each passing second. With an scream, Kyouji charged, leaping 
into the air, sword held high above his head.

	The Nestling's eyes went wide as the glowing Kyouji streaked towards it. Instinctively, 
it raised it's free arm in defense, hoping to ward off the anticipated blow.

	It didn't matter, though. Kyouji's slash cut right through the Nestling's arm and sliced 
through it's neck, severing the head instantly. Kyouji landed at the same time as the head, but
the body stayed upright for a few moments longer. Eventually, the body went limp, and Yumi fell 
from the monster's grasp into Kyouji's waiting arms.

	"Are you okay?" said Kyouji, holding Yumi in his arms.

	"I'm sore, but I think I'll be fine," she coughed. "Let me down; you need to carry that 
head back."

	Kyouji hesitated for a second, then gently put Yumi down. Waiting for a moment to make 
sure she was going to be able to stand on her own, he went over and grabbed the head of the 
Nestling, placing it in a large sack and slinging it over his shoulder. "You sure you're gonna 
be okay walking back?"

	"Yeah, Yumi said, taking a few test steps. She was limping slightly, but it didn't hurt 
too badly. "I'll be okay. Let's go."

**********

	The trip back was uneventful, and the two soon arrived back at Patty's hut. "We got it," 
Kyouji said, "but Yumi got hurt. Make sure she's okay."

	"Good job!" said Patty, smiling. "I'll go inside and get everything ready. Yumi, come 
with me."

	Kyouji sighed in relief as he let the sack with the Nestling's head fall to the ground. 
Turning towards Patty's two assistants, who were sitting near by, he waved. "You guys have the 
cashews we need?"

	"Almond Joy have nuts, Mounds don't," said Mounds, pointing towards the other assistant, 
who was holding up a small pouch.

	"So how did it go?" Almond Joy asked.

	Kyouji was about to respond when patty called for him to come in, and to bring the 
cashews and head. Groaning, he picked the sack up again, took the pouch from Almond Joy. And 
started towards the house. "Thanks again for your help, guys!" Kyouji called back.

	Once inside, he saw Yumi and Patty were already sitting at the table. "Put those down, 
I need to tell you about what you have to do now," the sage said, a serious look on her face.

	"What do you mean? We already got the ingredients..." Kyouji said, confused.

	Patty shook her head. "You don't understand. The Gobstopper paralyzes it's victims by 
forcing them to face their greatest fears, their greatest doubts, all their negative emotions. 
Faced with such a situation, the person's brain shuts down, their mind retreating back into 
itself to avoid having to face what the Gobstopper has unleashed."

	"The only way for you two to save Tsugiko is to go into her mind and convince her to 
come out. If you can't...well, then she will never awaken again."

***********

	Authors Notes:

	I'm drained. Four Impro things in about a month. I'm ready to collapse. Hope this 
doesn't suck too bad. Apologies if it does. C&C appreciated.

	Jesse Ellman