Once, he had been a hero.

	He had never meant to become one.  It had just happened.

	When he had been in his early teens, a Gobstopper had 
wandered into the village where he lived.  While everyone else 
panicked and ran, he had grabbed his father's axe and headed out 
onto the street.  Approaching from behind, he had buried the 
makeshift weapon in the back of the creature's head, killing it 
before it ever noticed him.  Now, years later, he found it 
embarrassing that his first victory had been so cowardly, but at 
the time, he had been exhilarated.  And, oh, how the crowd had 
cheered him.

	One thing led to another.  He became the village's defender, 
and then that of the surrounding towns as well.  He had not had 
any particularly noble goals, but he had enjoyed the challenges 
posed by the menaces he defeated and the respect it earned him.

	Then Wintergreen had attacked.  Not personally, of course.  
Some of her troops had attempted a raid.  If they had gotten 
their supplies, they probably would have left and never returned.  
But he had been young and stupid, full of himself and his role.  
He had challenged Wintergreen's troops, a dozen trained soldiers, 
and defeated them without effort.  Then more had come to meet 
their end by his hand.  And more after that.

	Finally, when it seemed that either Wintergreen would need 
to send her entire legions against that one village, or else 
leave them in peace at last... Rollo had fallen ill.

	Krackel had received a note.  It had told him what would 
happen.  His sister would live.  His village would remain 
unharmed.  His soul would belong to Wintergreen.

	Being a villain wasn't all that different from being a hero.  
Not in those early years.  Krackel didn't know if Wintergreen 
feared that even a threat to Rollo would only compel him so far, 
or if she just didn't want to squander his talents.  Whichever 
was the case, he had never been asked to raze a defiant village 
or subdue starving peasants when they failed to pay tribute.  
Instead, he handled those threats that Wintergreen's troops could 
not: things like Britecrawlers, Tictacs... and Crystal Warriors.

	His failures against the Warrior Priestesses and Knight 
Protector had finally led him here, to the Taffy Swamp.  His 
current situation filled him with disgust.  It wasn't the swamp 
that revolted him; while scouting the previous day, he had 
actually found the environment quite pleasant.  What turned his 
stomach was the group of soldiers who had been assigned to aid 
him, and the fake crystal shard in his pocket.

	Fighting the youngsters (he smiled slightly when he realized 
that they were older than he had been when he had buried that axe 
in the long-dead Gobstopper) in single combat was one thing.  
Krackel was honest enough with himself to admit that he actually 
enjoyed it.  It had been years since he had faced an opponent 
without his victory being a foregone conclusion.

	But even if he hadn't been a hero for a long time, he had 
still been a warrior.  He had held to that like a lifeline 
throughout his time in Wintergreen's service.  But a warrior did 
not ambush children, not outnumbering them ten to one.  A warrior 
did not replace honest steel with deceit.

	But what choice did he have, he wondered as the light of 
dawn filtered into the camp Wintergreen's forces had set up at 
the edge of the Taffy Swamp.  Rollo remained a prisoner of 
Wintergreen, and as long as his sister was in danger, Krackel 
belonged to the dark queen.

	Looking at himself now, at what he was about to do, it was 
hard for him to believe that it had ever been true.  But once, he 
had been a hero.

>o< >o< >o<

The Starburst Crystal
Created by Ardweden

Chapter Thirty-Four: Not In Your Hand
By Nicolas Juzda

>o< >o< >o<


	The sun had just fallen over the horizon when the Crystal 
Warriors emerged from the swamp.  They were covered in mud, which 
matted their hair and made their clothing cling to them 
awkwardly.  There was a gash on Kyouji's forehead, and dried 
blood covered one side of his face.  The movements of all three 
teens were slow and ponderous, and exhaustion was written on each 
of their faces.

	"Let's camp here," Yumi said.

	"Sounds good to me," Kyouji replied.

	Tsugiko nodded her assent.

	They set up quickly, long months of trekking across Mars 
having made the motions second nature.  They lacked the energy to 
do more than set up their bedrolls; it was a nice enough night 
that they would sleep under the stars.

	Yumi looked at her companions as they worked.  Compared to 
them, her time in the swamp had been relatively untaxing.  "I'll 
take first watch."
	"I'll go second," Kyouji said.

	"Are you sure?" she asked.  "You need to rest and 
recuperate.  We're still too close to the swamp for my healing 
magic to work on you."

	"If he wants second, let him have it.  He's old enough to 
make his own decisions," Tsugiko said.  She was already laying 
down to sleep.

	Yumi hesitated for a moment before replying.  "Well, 
alright."

	Kyouji lay down across from Tsugiko, and within seconds he 
was fast asleep.  A few minutes later, the Warrior Priestess was 
dozing as well.  Yumi sat and watched her old roommate.  Asleep, 
she looked so peaceful.  A lifetime ago, in Tokyo, Tsugiko had 
been a fitful sleeper.  Mars had changed them all, in ways both 
great and subtle.

	"Gika!"

	"Well, there you are," Yumi said, as Kit Kat emerged from 
the swamp.  "I was wondering what had happened to you."

	"Gika!  Gi!"

	"Shhh.  You'll wake them."  The Warrior Priestess cocked her 
head, indicating the other teenagers.

	"Gika," Kit Kat repeated more softly.

	Yumi reached over to pet the carret.  His fur was covered in 
muck, but so was her hand.  "And how have you been?"

	"Gika."  It licked her hand happily.

	"That's nice."

	"Ka."

	Yumi sat, stroking the carret's back in silence for long 
minutes.  Her gaze returned to Tsugiko's sleeping form, and 
lingered there as she thought.  Finally, she spoke again, talking 
to herself.  "What will I tell her?" she asked softly.

	"Gika?"

	Yumi looked down at the carret.  "Oh, right.  You want to 
know what I'm talking about?"

	"Gika," it said.  Whether this was assent or not, the girl 
didn't know, but she decided to take it as such.

	"Well, I guess if I'm going to explain that, I might as well 
tell you everything," Yumi said.  She continued to pet the animal 
as she gazed out into the night and told her tale.  "You were 
still with us this morning..."

>o< >o< >o<


	Well, I guess if I'm going to explain that, I might as well 
tell you everything.

	You were still with us this morning when we first got to the 
edge of the swamp.  Of course you were; you were leading the way.

	I remember my first sight of it.  It was beautiful.  The 
trees were magnificent, purple and blue leaves blowing in the 
wind.  When we first got to Mars, those strangely coloured plants 
bothered me, but now I can hardly imagine nothing but drab greens 
instead of plants that look like rainbows.  Birds fluttered back 
and forth above our heads, chirping.  The water was murky brown, 
not a clear blue, but the sunlight reflected on its surface in an 
ever-changing pattern, almost like a dance.  I couldn't help but 
stare at everything.

	"Are you sure it's in there?" Tsugiko asked you.

	Of course all you answered was "Gika," but you did scamper 
up onto my shoulder and stare out over the water.

	"Guess so."

	We walked in until we were waist deep.  The water was cold 
at first, very bracing.  You found that out later, I guess, but 
at the time you were still being carried by me, so you stayed 
dry.

	As we waded through the swamp, I was still trying to get 
over how magnificent it was.  There was life all around us.  The 
plants, the birds, the fish: it was incredible.  Like being 
inside some gigantic organism, a part of it.

	I know I must sound silly.  But I grew up in a city.  Not a 
Martian city, either, where a five minute stroll brings you back 
to nature.  Tokyo is this huge place, and everything there is 
man-made.  I'd seen parks, of course, but that's not the same.  
That's controlled, as artificial as the skyscrapers.

	I guess that after months here, I should be used to it.  But 
when I see something like that...

	I'm babbling.  Sorry.

	Tsugiko and Kyouji were talking about something, but I 
wasn't paying attention, until Tsugiko suddenly said, "This is 
harder than it should be."

	"What?" I asked.

	"I'm tired already.  I shouldn't be."

	"I didn't want to mention it, but so am I," Kyouji said.

	"What's happening?" I asked.

	"I think I know," Tsugiko said, after a second's thought.  
"Yumi, you're the only one of us who can access magical power at 
will.  Try it."

	I took out my wand, and pointed it upwards so that I 
wouldn't hit anything... and it was the oddest thing.  It was 
like I had forgotten how.  No, not quite.  It was more like what 
I was supposed to do just didn't make sense, somehow.  I can't 
really explain it.  "Nothing," I said.

	"Great," Tsugiko replied, casting her voice out over the 
water.  "For some reason our magic powers have gone.  We're three 
ordinary teenagers, in a swamp full of who knows what danger.  
Terrific.  Thank you, Mars."

	"Uh..." Kyouji interrupted.  "I think you guys should take a 
look at that."

	"What is it?" I asked.

	In reply, he pointed to something floating in the water.  I 
hurried over to have a look at it.

	It was a body.  Not a human body.  A Rancher.  I can't 
remember if you'd seen any of them during our time in Ferrero 
Rocher; you always run off whenever there's trouble, and the 
Ranchers were certainly trouble.

	I guess that's why you jumped off my shoulder then, into the 
water, and vanished.  I was worried about you, you know.  You 
were in over your head.

	"Kit Kat!" I called after you.  "Come back!"

	"I hope it drowns," Kyouji joked, trying to lighten the 
mood.

	I turned back to the floating corpse.  It was actually only 
the torso; something had ripped the poor thing's legs completely 
off.

	"There's more over there," Kyouji said, pointing.  We 
followed him.

	It was terrible.  An entire little village of Ranchers had 
been killed.  There were victims everywhere.  They had...  I...  
There were...

	I'm sorry.  You'll have to give me a minute.

	Okay.

	We've seen a lot of horrible things on Mars.  A few weeks 
ago, we saw the results of Twizzler going on a rampage.  I still 
can barely believe that she did it.  I know she was evil, and 
probably insane, but I just don't understand how anyone could 
just kill someone else.  But this was worse.  Those Ranchers 
hadn't just been killed.  They'd been torn apart.  I think... I 
think they'd been torn apart while they were still alive.

	It was all over.  There was nothing we could do.  We're 
supposed to be heroes, Kit Kat.  So why is it that we keep being 
unable to help people?  Heroes shouldn't feel so powerless.

	"What do you think did this?" Kyouji asked.

	"I don't know.  And I sure don't want to find out," Tsugiko 
replied.

	"We should split up to look around," Kyouji said, taking 
charge.

	We split up and looked inside the huts.  There weren't that 
many of them, less even than at the camp where Tsugiko and I were 
held prisoner, and that one was still under construction.  We 
didn't find any human bodies, so maybe they didn't have any 
slaves, and that was why they didn't build as much.

	The first building I went into was a house.  I'm pretty sure 
that's what it was, anyway.  It didn't look much like a human 
house, but somehow I got the impression that people had lived 
there.  It had been their home.

	The second building I checked had been smashed apart.  
Inside was the remains of an altar.  I called Kyouji and Tsugiko 
over to have a look.

	"I think it's clear what this held," Tsugiko said, and we 
all nodded.  It was obvious what was meant to fit into the 
carefully sculpted depression on top.

	A shard of the Starburst Crystal.

	I looked over at my two friends, unsure what to say.  If the 
Crystal Shard we were here to find had been taken away, what was 
our next move? 

	"Is it just me," Tsugiko asked, "or are those pictures of 
us?"

	I turned to see what she was pointing at.  On what remained 
of the walls of the hut were faded pictures of three girls.  They 
were crudely drawn, but Tsugiko was right; the resemblance was 
unmistakable.  Well, for two of us the resemblance was 
unmistakable.  Because in the drawings, there were three girls, 
not two girls and one boy.

	"Akie," I said, reaching out to touch one of the images of 
the blonde girl.  I remembered meeting her.  She was so sad.  In 
the pictures she seemed different.  Alive.  That's kind of funny, 
isn't it?  That she'd look more alive in a faded image than in 
person.  Of course, she was dead in person.  I think.

	I still haven't told them.  Kyouji knows part of it now.  
I'll get to that in a minute.  But not all of what she said.  
They shouldn't have to hear it too.  I'll bear that burden for 
all of us.

	Besides, that's not going to happen to us.  So there's no 
reason to tell them.  No reason at all.

	Where was I?  Oh yes.

	"That's Teru," Kyouji said, pointing at the third girl.  I 
remembered seeing her d- seeing her in my vision right before we 
arrived on Mars.

	Tsugiko looked at both of us for a minute.  "Whatever.  I 
still say that one's me."

	"Hey, can you feel that?" Kyouji asked.

	"What?"

	"The swamp."

	I could feel it.  The water was no longer still.  Something 
was disturbing it.

	We headed out of the hut.

	The birds were all taking off from the trees.  But there was 
no grace to their flight.  They were panicking.

	A second later, I found out why.

	The Jawbreaker was a reptile, a large snake.  Its diameter 
must have been six feet, so most of its body was out of the 
water.  It was over a hundred feet long.  Its skin was covered in 
scales that were a pale blue, and the series of meter-tall spikes 
on its back were a darker shade, almost black.  Its eyes were 
yellow, set above a mouth that was about four feet wide.
	Oh, don't be scared, Kit Kat.  There's nothing to be afraid 
of now.  We killed it.  It's okay.

	Of course, back then, I was pretty scared.  It was 
slithering toward the village surprisingly fast, occasionally 
knocking over a small tree.

	Kyouji, quick to react to danger as always, pulled out a 
poppy and threw it towards the creature.  I think that's what he 
was trying to do, anyway.  What happened was, the flower sort of 
twirled in the air and fell into the water a few feet from him.

	The Jawbreaker had reached the village by then, and it 
stopped its charge to bite off the head of one of the poor 
Ranchers.  The only mercy was that it was already dead.

	"Stay back," Kyouji, turning to face me.  Then he pulled out 
his sword and raced towards the Rancher, without a moment's 
hesitation.

	I can't understand why he's always so self-deprecating.  
Sure, he's lost a few fights, but I've never seen him act in a 
manner other than courageously.  He's a true hero, no matter what 
he thinks.

	He didn't have a chance, though.  The Jawbreaker casually 
swatted its tail, and the tip hit Kyouji right on the forehead.  
He collapsed, flopping facefirst into the water.

	"He'll drown!" I cried.

	"I'll get him," Tsugiko said.  She had been in the process 
of grabbing her hammer, but she put it back and ran over to where 
we had last seen Kyouji.  Like him, she showed no fear.  Mars has 
really brought out the best in Tsugiko, I think.  I know that 
back in Tokyo, she had sometimes had trouble living up to her 
potential.  But since we got here, she's proven herself many 
times over.

	We were lucky.  The Jawbreaker was still ignoring us.  
Instead, it was picking through the villagers.

	I was trying to figure out what to do.  I wanted to go and 
help Tsugiko, but trying to find Kyouji in the swampwater was 
taking all of her attention, and someone needed to keep an eye on 
the Jawbreaker for her.

	"Got him," Tsugiko called, pulling Kyouji up out of the 
swamp.  At first I was terrified that it had been too long.  He 
was so still.  I could see that his chest wasn't moving, and I 
realized that my own breath was being held too.  I forced myself 
to let it out.  Tsugiko was dragging him back towards me, calling 
something, but I couldn't focus on her words.  I thought my heart 
had stopped.  I remember thinking that Akie had been right after 
all.

	Right about everything.  Right that we were all going to 
die.  But more importantly, right that I should have grabbed love 
while I had the chance, because there never is a second one.

	Then he started to cough up water.  Thank God.

	I realized that I had been distracted from watching the 
Jawbreaker, so I turned back to it.  And that was when I noticed 
something.  Stuck between two of its teeth was a glowing Crystal 
Shard.

	I stood there, not sure what to do, until Tsugiko pulled up 
to me.  Kyouji was at her side, still not quite conscious.  He 
had one arm wrapped around her, so she could help him stand.

	"Let's get out of here," she said.

	I agreed, and we backed up through the swamp, leaving the 
Jawbreaker to feast on the dead Ranchers.

	As soon as we were out of sight of the village, we stopped 
to rest.  Without the enhanced abilities we had received as 
Warrior Priestesses, we tired rapidly.  Looking back now, it was 
kind of nice, actually, in a weird way.  Sort of a reminder of 
home.

	We didn't talk, just stood there panting.  There was a nasty 
cut on Kyouji's forehead, and I wished that I could heal him.  I 
still do, even though he seems okay now.  He seemed basically 
okay then too, actually.  He was fully alert by that time.

	"Let's find that Crystal Shard and get out of here," Tsugiko 
said.

	I told them what I had seen.  

	Tsugiko said... some bad words.

	"Are you sure?" Kyouji asked.

	"Yes.  Positive.  The Crystal Shard is in that creature's 
mouth."

	Tsugiko said some more bad words.  Then she added, "So, let 
me summarize.  We're up to our waists in swamp water, we're 
totally powerless, Kyouji's injured, and we've got to retrieve a 
Crystal Shard from inside the mouth of something that looks like 
it came from Monster Island.  Could this day possibly get any 
worse?"

	That was when Krackel and the soldiers showed up.

	You remember Krackel, don't you, Kit Kat?  The big 
swordsman?  I'm sure you must have seen him at some point.  He 
had seven soldiers with him.  Six of them just looked like the 
typical member of Wintergreen's army, but not the other.  There 
was something about him that gave me the creeps.  Krackel called 
him the "seeker".  I don't think Krackel liked him much either.

	Most of them were wounded.  Even the ones who weren't were 
covered in blood, so it was hard to tell just who was hurt and 
who wasn't.  A man had even lost an arm, and something was 
wrapped around the stump to staunch the flow of blood.

	There had been many more bodies in the Rancher village, and 
their corpses had looked much worse, but at least then I didn't 
have to hear the pain in their voices, or meet their haunted 
eyes.

	We're fighting for them too, Kit Kat.  The soldiers who 
serve Wintergreen.  Most of them don't want to fight for her mad 
dreams.  None of them want to die for her.  We're fighting for 
their freedom, as much as the people they are forced to subdue.  
We have to remember that.

	"It's called a Jawbreaker," Krackel said.  It was an odd 
greeting, and we didn't reply.  "The monster," he finally 
elaborated.

	Tsugiko had pulled out her hammer, and Kyouji had a hand on 
his sword.  That's actually one of the few things I really don't 
like about them; they're both too quick to resort to violence.  
But don't tell them I said that, okay, Kit Kat?  Good boy.  
Actually, now that I think about it, it's funny that Kyouji had 
his sword, since he was holding it in his hand when the 
Jawbreaker knocked him out.  I guess Tsugiko picked it up when 
she grabbed him.  It's not important.

	"I've beaten you twice," Tsugiko said.  "Third time, maybe 
you'll stay down."  She really is fearless, you know that?

	"You're outnumbered," Krackel replied.  "And, from what I 
just heard, powerless.  Your hammer never beat me; only your 
magic.  You wouldn't stand a chance."

	"Kill them," the seeker hissed.  "Kill them in the name of 
the dark queen."

	The men all drew their weapons.  They were tired, but they 
were still soldiers.

	It looked like we were going to have to fight them, 
unfortunately, but there was something I wanted to know first.  
"How's your sister doing?" I asked.

	Krackel turned to look at me.  "What?"

	"I'm just curious if she's okay.  The last time I saw you 
was right before Riesen grabbed her.  Then you ran off after 
them, and I never found out what happened."

	The other soldiers began to advance slowly, but Krackel held 
up a hand and they stopped.  "You're serious," he said in 
amazement.  "We're about to try to kill you, and you really are 
concerned about Rollo."

	"Sure," I said.  I don't know what he found so strange.  
Rollo seemed like a nice girl, even if I didn't spend very much 
time with her.

	"Wintergreen has made Rollo her personal attendant.  I am as 
enslaved to the Dark Queen as I ever was, to ensure that my 
sister stays alive."

	"That talk is treasonous!" the seeker shouted.  "What are 
you men waiting for?  These are the Warrior Priestesses and 
Knight Protector!  Kill them!"

	"Shut up," Krackel said.  Then he turned back to me.  "I 
never did thank you properly for healing her.  I am in your 
debt."

	Wasn't that nice of him?

	"In light of Krackel's blatant disloyalty, I am assuming 
command of this regimen," the seeker declared.

	"Are you now?" Krackel asked.  "These men owe me their 
lives.  If not for me, none of us would have escaped from that 
Jawbreaker.  You, on the other hand, failed to warn us there was 
a Jawbreaker in this swamp, and that cost the lives of dozens of 
men."

	"It shouldn't have been here!  I know this swamp like the 
back of my hand, and I've never seen it before."  But the 
seeker's protests were falling on deaf ears.

	"If you speak again, I shall kill you," Krackel said.  I 
thought that was going rather far, but I didn't say anything.  
"Wintergreen cannot see us here, seeker.  I will tell her the 
Jawbreaker ate you."

	The seeker didn't respond.

	"Do you want to join us?" I asked.  "You could help us fight 
Wintergreen."  I hoped he'd say yes, because he really didn't 
seem like a bad person.

	"I cannot risk Rollo's life that way.  But I have a proposal 
for you.  The Crystal Shard cannot be retrieved without killing 
the Jawbreaker, and neither of us can do that alone.  Together, 
we stand a chance.  After that... we will determine who gets the 
shard."

	"You mean, we'll try to kill each other?" Tsugiko asked.

	Krackel smiled thinly.  "Actually, I'd prefer not to.  But 
we can cross that bridge when we get to it."

	I didn't like the sound of that at all, but Tsugiko nodded.  
"Okay.  I'm willing to kick your butt a third time."

	"How do we defeat the Jawbreaker?" Kyouji asked.

	"Jawbreakers have one weak spot.  On the back of their necks 
is a single red scale.  Sliding a sword under it will cut the 
artery that brings blood to its brain.  My men and I can distract 
the creature while the Knight Protector circles around, climbs 
onto it, and kills it."

	"That puts an awful lot of risk onto Kyouji," Tsugiko said.

	"No, I can do it," he replied, full of confidence.  See what 
I mean about him being more courageous than he thinks?

	"We shall be the ones attracting its attention," Krackel 
said.  "There's more than enough danger to go around."

	"What do Tsugiko and I do?" I asked.

	"You can help us distract the Jawbreaker."

	"Joy," Tsugiko muttered.

	"Hey, why didn't you try this plan yourself?" Kyouji asked.  
"Your men have swords."  He's smart too.

	"None of them has the skill to do what is required, and I am 
not limber enough to climb aboard the Jawbreaker's back."

	Kyouji and Tsugiko both looked over at me.  I'm not sure 
why, but they seem to let me do most of the negotiation for us.  
I don't really mind, since I like talking with people, anyway.

	"I think we have a deal," I said, though I still wasn't 
happy that we would probably end up fighting them afterward.

	Everyone relaxed then, even Tsugiko.

	"So, are we going to go attack it now?" Kyouji asked.

	"No," Krackel replied.  "We're still weary, and so are you.  
Let us rest here and regain our strength."

	We all stood there in silence, leaning against the trees and 
watching one another.  I have to admit that I was suspicious, 
since these were Wintergreen's agents, involuntary or not, but 
they didn't try to do anything bad.  I should be more trusting.

	After we'd waited there for a little while, Krackel got up 
and stretched.  "I'm going to take a look around," he said.  "You 
wait here until I get back."  He was addressing his own men as 
well as us.  Then he wandered off into the swamp.

	"I don't trust him," Tsugiko muttered.  "I'm going to see 
what he's up to."

	"He told us to wait here," I said.

	"So?  He's not the boss of me."

	I shrugged.  There's no talking Tsugiko out of something 
when she's got her mind made up like that, and I didn't see the 
harm in letting her go.

	"Okay, I think we've got enough energy to establish a 
perimeter.  You men spread out, and if you see the Jawbreaker 
heading towards us, or anything else suspicious, give a shout," 
one of the soldiers said after a few more minutes.  The rest of 
them wearily complied, leaving Kyouji and me alone.

	I took a deep breath to gather my courage, and then I turned 
to face him.  "Kyouji, I've been thinking a lot about what you 
said."

	"What I said?" he asked.

	"On our way to the Heaths.  You haven't forgotten, have 
you?"

	He paused, frowning a bit, and for a second I was worried 
that the blow to the head had damaged his memory.  But then he 
smiled and said, "No, of course not."

	It was time for honesty.  I needed to tell him everything, 
starting with Akie.  Tell him everything important, I mean.  "And 
I've come to a decision.  Kyouji, I didn't tell you or Tsugiko 
this, but I had a dream a while back.  I met Akie, the Warrior 
Priestess who I'm re-incarnated from."

	"I hope she kept her clothes on," he said.

	"What?"  I almost lost my entire train of thought.

	"Nothing.  Sorry."

	"She told me that I shouldn't fight my feelings."

	"Your feelings?"
	My next words spilled out of me in a rush.  I needed to tell 
him before I lost my nerve.  "Yes.  You were brave enough to tell 
me how you felt, and I should have shown the same courage.  I... 
I feel the same way you do."

	"Great."  He smiled, and I could see how happy he was.

	"Akie died before she could face up to her desires, and she 
spent a thousand years mourning her indecision.  A millennia of 
nothing but longing and regret...  She was insane.  I don't want 
that to happen to me."

	"It won't.  I won't let anything happen to you."

	"It's not just me I'm worried about.  Kyouji, when Tsugiko 
pulled you out of the water this morning, I thought you were 
dead.  I could feel my heart tearing up inside of me.  That was 
when I realized that... I love you."

	Yes, I said it.  I finally said it.

	"You love me?" he asked.  It wasn't exactly the reaction I'd 
been hoping for, I admit, but after the way I reacted when he 
told me that he loved me, I don't blame him.

	"Yes."

	"Are you sure?"  I didn't think that I had given him quite 
that much reason to doubt I did, but I guess so.  The poor boy: I 
must have rejected him harder than I thought.  And he'd been 
bearing the pain so well.

	"Yes."  I smiled at him.

	"Uh..."

	"I guess it must come as a bit of a surprise to you that I'm 
willing to say it now."

	"A bit, yeah."

	"But I do love you."  I paused, because I saw the look on 
his face, and it wasn't what I had been expecting.  "What's 
wrong?  You seem like something's bothering you."

	"Well, yes."  He turned away from me.  I was filling with 
worry.  What had happened?  Had my rejection of him days ago lost 
him to me forever?

	"What is it?"

	"It's... Tsugiko..."

	Of course it was.  I bet you guessed that already.  He was 
worried, like I had been, about how Tsugiko would take it if we 
got together.  Even though he had told me how much he wanted me, 
even though I said he could have me, still he held back.  Is it 
any wonder that I love him?

	"I know.  You don't want to hurt her."  I took his hand in 
mine, and he turned to face me again.

	"Or her to hurt me."

	"I don't want to hurt her either.  She's my best friend, 
Kyouji.  And I've tried to give her a chance, to see if anything 
was developing between the two of you.  But I can't wait 
forever."  I looked into his eyes, hoping he could forgive me for 
being willing to hurt her.

	"I don't blame you," he said.  And he smiled at me, and I 
knew that he did forgive me, and that everything was going to be 
okay.  Just then, however, the look of concern returned to his 
face.  "But, Yumi, I'm really not sure how to say this...  Well, 
you didn't just assume that I'd automatically want to be in a 
relationship with you, did you?"

	Well, of course I hadn't.  Why would he ask that?  And then 
I realized.  He knew that Tsugiko has always had a silly worry 
that I could beat her at anything, and he was concerned that I 
had told Tsugiko that he was mine.  It's true, that if I had done 
something like that right at the start, that might have been the 
reason she had never been willing to get close to him.  But of 
course I had done no such thing.

	"Absolutely not."

	"And you wouldn't go leaping to conclusions about how I felt 
before I said anything, right?"

	"Of course.  Without you telling me outright that you loved 
me, I'd just be waiting to see what happened.  Especially 
considering Tsugiko."

	He nodded.  I had reassured him that Tsugiko had stayed 
closed off from him for her own reasons.  I guess I should be 
jealous, because after all he had basically just said that he 
would have preferred her, but I wasn't.  It would be silly to 
begrudge Tsugiko that, especially now.

	"Okay.  Good.  For a second there, I was worried."  He 
relaxed, and I realized that that was it.  The final barrier had 
been overcome.

	Can you believe it, Kit Kat?

	Kyouji and I are a couple!

	And that's why I was wondering what I should tell Tsugiko.  
I never got the chance, you see.  Oh, you want to know why not?  
Okay, then I'll continue the story.

	"That's alright, Kyouji," I said, to reassure him that I 
understood his concerns about Tsugiko.

	"I want you to know that I care for you, Yumi.  A lot," 
Kyouji said.  He's so sweet.

	"I know."

	"You're a wonderful girl."  I bet you didn't know he was 
such a charmer.

	"You don't still have to win me over, Kyouji.  I already 
said I loved you," I teased him.

	"Okay.  Sorry.  I really am glad that we had this 
conversation.  It makes things... well, not easier, but clearer."  
I knew what he meant.  Telling Tsugiko certainly isn't going to 
be easy.

	"Thanks.  I think."

	That was when we heard the shouting.  One of the soldiers 
came running back to the two of us, shouting that the Jawbreaker 
was approaching.  Krackel and Tsugiko ran up to join us.

	"You girls come with me," Krackel said.  "Kyouji, you 
remember what I told you?"

	"Yeah.  Get up onto its back, find the red scale, and stab 
it.  Piece of cake."

	As Kyouji headed off to do his part of the plan, I followed 
Krackel.  I wasn't really sure how much help I would be, but I 
had to do something.

	Krackel led his men in charging the Jawbreaker.  He didn't 
give them any orders; they knew their job.  They had to occupy 
the creature's attention, and if possible stay alive.

	It was terrible.  One of the soldiers approached too 
quickly, and the Jawbreaker darted forward, swallowing the poor 
man whole.  After that we were all a lot more cautious.

	I stayed close to Tsugiko.  She seemed to know what she was 
doing.  She'd run up to the creature, swinging her hammer, then 
pull back.

	I heard a horrible shriek, and I turned to see one of the 
soldiers... his arm had just been bitten off, at the elbow.  He 
was just standing there, screaming.
	For a second, I thought that he was the one who had been 
missing an arm earlier, but that man was still fighting.  This 
was a different soldier.

	If no one did anything, the Jawbreaker would eat him for 
sure, but Krackel shoved the wounded man toward me.  "Take him to 
safety," Krackel called.

	I nodded, and put my arm around the soldier.  "It's going to 
be alright," I said, as soothing as I could.  I didn't like 
saying that, because it was sort of a lie.  His arm was gone.  
But I had to get him to come with me.

	We backed away from the fight as quickly as I could move the 
wounded man.  He wasn't walking on his own, just staggering as I 
dragged him.  After a while, he started to say something I could 
understand.  "My arm.  It hurts.  My arm.  It hurts."  Just those 
four words, over and over again.

	In a way, he reminded me of Akie.

	Once we were out of sight of the Jawbreaker, I considered 
leaving him and going back, but I just couldn't.

	I pulled off his shirt, and tied it around what remained of 
his arm, trying to make it into a tourniquet.  I think I did a 
decent job, but I would have preferred to have been able to use 
my magic.

	He had stopped speaking, but he was clearly still conscious.  
Tears were rolling down his cheeks.  I don't know if they were 
from pain or grief.  As I held his shaking body, I wished for the 
hundredth time that my magic worked here.  I don't think I could 
have regrown a limb, but I could have eased his discomfort.

	The enemy are people, too, Kit Kat.  Frail, mortal, people.

	We stood there together, listening to the battle, waiting.  
Finally, the noise ceased, and Tsugiko, Kyouji, Krackel, and four 
soldiers joined us.  Another one had lost his life.  Tsugiko was 
carrying Kyouji, but I could see that he was still breathing and 
he had no visible wounds except the cut on his head from earlier.

	"It's dead," Tsugiko said.  "Krackel's got the Crystal 
Shard."

	No one seemed in the mood to say anything more.  Krackel 
took the wounded soldier from me.  "Good job," he said, 
indicating the tourniquet.  I thanked him.

	As he took the soldier from me, I considered checking on 
Kyouji, but Tsugiko gave me a dirty look when I approached.  I'm 
not sure why.  So I let her hold him, even though I longed to be 
the one with him in my arms.  Well, I guess we've got plenty of 
time for that now, don't we?

	Anyway, after a while, Kyouji regained consciousness.  "What 
happened?" he asked.

	"You did it," I said.  "You killed the Jawbreaker."

	"So, now do we fight?" Tsugiko asked, looking at Krackel.

	I wished she hadn't said that.  Even if it was necessary to 
resort to violence, that shouldn't have been the first 
suggestion.  We could have given talking it over another chance.

	Fortunately, Krackel proved that he was a good guy after 
all.

	He pulled out the Crystal Shard and held it up for us to 
see.  "No.  The valour you displayed today reminds me of 
myself... as I was a long time ago.  You've earned this."

	Then he walked over to Kyouji and gave him the Crystal 
Shard.

	See?  I told you he wasn't such a bad guy.

	We headed in separate directions peacefully after that.  
Doesn't that make you happy, Kit Kat?  That we could cooperate 
like that?  It give you hope, doesn't it?

	Now, all that's left is talking to Tsugiko about Kyouji and 
me.  It's funny, but that was the scariest part of today.  Not 
the big snake, or the soldiers.  Telling Kyouji that I loved him.  
But now that's done, and we can be together.

>o< >o< >o<


	"But now that's done, and we can be together," Yumi 
finished.

	"Gika," Kit Kat said.  It had remained quiet throughout her 
entire oration, but now it began to purr as it rubbed its head 
against her leg.  "Gika."

	Yumi yawned.  She stood, her legs aching from their long 
period in the same position, and looked up at the night sky.  
With no clocks, she had had to adapt to telling time by the sun 
and the stars.

	"I think it's time for Kyouji's watch," she said.  She 
looked over at the sleeping boy, and smiled fondly.  Her Kyouji.

	She considered not waking him, allowing him the additional 
rest, but realized that she couldn't remain awake for much 
longer.  Yumi glanced at Tsugiko, but decided against waking her 
instead.

	The Warrior Priestess sat by the Knight Protector, and 
ruffled his hair fondly.  "Kyouji," she said softly.  "Wake up."

	"What?  Yumi?" he muttered.

	"It's time for your watch," Yumi said.

	The Knight Protector sat up, rubbing his eyes to clear the 
sleep from them.  His cut was already fading on his forehead, 
Yumi was relieved to see.

	"Yumi," Kyouji said, "There's something that I think we 
should talk about.  I've been thinking about what you said."

	"Uh huh," Yumi said.  She lay down on the ground.  "I'm 
listening."

	"Well, I want you to know that I am flattered," he began.  
"Really.  I know you said you can't wait forever, so you must be 
expecting me to answer one way or the other fairly soon, but..."  
His voice trailed off into silence as he looked over at the 
Warrior Priestess and saw her fast asleep.

	"Figures," he said.

	"Gika," said Kit Kat.

	"Oh, you're back, huh?  Wonderful."

	"Gika.  Gika gika gika.  Gika!"

	"Get lost, furball.  Go to sleep.  Anything, just don't 
bother me.  Not today."

	"Gika?"

	"What have I done to deserve this?"

	"Gika."

	"Right.  'Gika.'  Well, listen, furball, this hasn't exactly 
been a fun day for me, okay?  So why don't you cut me a break, 
just this once?"

	"Gika.  Gika gika."

	"Well, maybe once you've heard my tale of woe, you'll have 
some more sympathy."

>o< >o< >o<

	Well, maybe once you've heard my tale of woe, you'll have 
more sympathy.

	It all started right before you ditched us.  Tsugiko, Yumi, 
and I were wading through the swamp.  You were being carried by 
Yumi, you lazy furball, but the rest of us were slogging along.  
And it wasn't easy, because something about the swamp had made 
our powers useless.

	Of course, I'm pretty useless even with my powers.  I think 
that's been proven pretty effectively by now.  But at least 
normally I don't get tired just from moving around.

	So, there we were, walking along, when all of a sudden I 
bumped into a corpse.  Just what I needed.

	It was already incredibly gross.  It wasn't even a whole 
corpse; just the top half.  The bottom had been bitten off.  And 
swampwater does not make the decomposition process pretty.  The 
flesh was soggy and peeling, and sort of coming apart.  I pushed 
it away from myself, which was a mistake, because that meant I 
got some of it on my hand.

	At least it wasn't a person.  It was one of those Ranchers, 
like the ones back in Ferrero Rocher.

	It makes sense, actually.  We know the Ranchers dislike 
magic, and this swamp prevented it.  I wonder whether the 
Ranchers moved here because of that, or if they caused it 
somehow.  They did have some way of shutting off Yumi and 
Tsugiko's power.  I guess we'll never know.

	Actually, having Ranchers around didn't seem so bad.  They 
turned out to be on our side in the end.  We helped stop Clorets' 
army for them, and they told us where to find a Crystal Shard.  
So, hopefully, all we were going to have to do would be find some 
live ones, identify ourselves, and they'd tell us where to find 
what we were looking for.

	It didn't turn out that way, though.  Because we never did 
find a live Rancher in that swamp.

	We did find a village of dead ones, though.  I thought just 
one was gross, but that was really disgusting.  There were 
torsos, and limbs, just floating there.  They all looked like 
they'd been torn apart, and some of them had been ripped open, so 
that their guts were falling out.  There were intestines floating 
in the water, and hearts, and spleens, and...

	Well, it was all I could do not to throw up, then and there.

	"What could have done this?" I asked, trying to take my mind 
off what I was literally wading in.

	"I don't know, and I don't want to find out," Tsugiko asked.

	A Rancher's head floated by, just the head, and I gagged.  
"Let's split up and have a look around," I suggested quickly.  I 
wanted to get away from the girls so that they wouldn't see me 
vomit.

	Which I did, the minute I was inside one of the buildings 
alone.

	You laughing at me, furball?  Because I'm not the one who 
vanished at the first sign of trouble, remember.

	Oh, who am I kidding?  It was pathetic.  The mighty Knight 
Protector, grossed out.

	I stood there heaving, until I heard Yumi call that she had 
found something.  I hesitated until I was sure that I was done 
puking, then I headed over to join her.

	She had found a temple of some sort.  There was only one 
thing left in it, an altar.  We could all see what it was for.  
The Crystal Shard we were looking for was supposed to be on it.  
But it wasn't.
	

	I was trying to figure out what to do next, but having no 
luck.  We didn't have you around to lead us to the Shard, and I 
had no idea how else to find it.  Yeah, you would actually have 
been more useful at that moment than I was.  If there's a sadder 
way to sum up my life, I can't think of it.

	Tsugiko had turned to look at one of the walls, which was 
half-demolished but still held some pictures.  "Is it just me," 
she asked, "or are those drawings of us?"

	Considering that the pictures were of Teru, not me, that 
wasn't exactly a comment I was dying to hear.  But I suppose she 
could have just meant herself and Yumi by "us".  Maybe.

	"That's Akie," Yumi said, touching one of the pictures that 
looked like her.

	"That's Teru," I said, a bit pointedly.  I mean, I was just 
starting to get over the idea that I should have come back as a 
girl, and here Tsugiko's saying...

	Maybe I am a little defensive.  What of it?

	Before I had time to dwell anymore on the matter, though, I 
noticed something.  The water wasn't still anymore.

	"Do you feel that?" I asked.

	"What?"

	"The swamp."  They both nodded, and we headed out of the 
temple.

	I wished we hadn't.

	It wasn't exactly the scariest thing that we'd seen.  I 
think that that Wintergreen the Twixes summoned- and I don't have 
a clue anymore if she was the real thing or not- probably tops 
the list.  And the Britecrawler was pretty nasty.  But this 
definitely rounded out the top three.

	It was huge, the size of a subway train.  It could crush a 
man flat easily, just by running him over.  Its back was covered 
with spikes, long and sharp, ready to skewer anyone it didn't 
just make into a pancake.  And then there was its jaw, big enough 
to swallow a person whole... but it wouldn't have to, because its 
mouth was filled with row upon row of razor-sharp teeth, some of 
which were still stained with blood.  

	Scared, furball?  Good.

	Yumi said later she saw a Crystal Shard in there, and of 
course she was right, but I didn't spot it then.

	I took out one of my stupid poppies and tried to throw it at 
the creature, but it was useless.  Without magic, it flew like... 
well, like a stupid poppy.  I couldn't even manage to throw the 
bloody flowers properly without my magic.

	I noticed Yumi was right behind me, and I realized that 
without her powers, she was basically just a high school girl 
with a stick.  Now, I like Yumi a lot, but there was no way she'd 
be able to take care of herself in a battle, and just then I did 
not need to have to worry about her.  I mean, I may be pretty 
lousy at this whole Knight Protector thing, but at least I had a 
sword.  Of course, Yumi with a stick is probably more useful than 
me with a sword, isn't she?

	"Stay back," I ordered.

	And then, just like an idiot, I ran at it.  I guess I felt 
that I had something to prove, you know?  Heck, I wasn't even 
trying to demonstrate that I could be a hero even without magic; 
I just wanted to show that I wasn't a complete screw-up.

	So, naturally, it knocked me out before I even got close to 
it.

	I never even saw what hit me.  Tsugiko said that it was the 
tail.  I don't know.

	Great job, there, Kyouji.  You really showed them all what 
you were made of.

	"Knight Protector"?  Ha!  "Deadweight Loser" would be more 
accurate.

	It's not that I should have been a girl; I'd probably be 
just as much of a screw-up then.

	Was that a nod?  Probably.  Well, it was your Temple Spirit 
who thought I was up for the job, so go whine to her, furball.  
Me, I'd just as soon be back in Tokyo.

	Anyway, the next thing I remember, the three of us were 
resting against a couple of trees.  The creature was nowhere in 
sight.

	My head was throbbing.  I hadn't felt as bad since that 
Brittle Shock curse.  Of course, it was my own fault for being so 
stupid.

	The first thing I heard after coming to was Tsugiko saying, 
"Let's find the Crystal Shard and get out of here."

	"I think I saw it in the mouth of the big snake," Yumi 
replied.

	Tsugiko started cursing like a drunken sailor.  Some of the 
words she used I'd never even heard before.

	"You sure?" I asked Yumi.

	"Yes.  Positive.  The Crystal Shard is in that creature's 
mouth."

	Tsugiko's language actually got even more colourful.  
Finally, she calmed down a bit.  "So, to summarize: we're up to 
our waists in swamp water, we're totally powerless, Kyouji's 
already had the stuffing beaten out of him, and we've got to 
retrieve a Crystal Shard from inside the mouth of something that 
looks like it came from Monster Island.  Could this day possibly 
get any worse?"

	And the answer was: yes.  It can always get worse, 
especially for me.

	In this particular instance, what made it worse was that 
Krackel and a bunch of soldiers suddenly surrounded us.

	I guess that I had grown more dependant upon my Knight 
Protector powers than I thought.  I mean, I didn't think I'd been 
relying on them too much, but there was no way that a whole squad 
of soldiers should have been able to sneak up on me.  Not unless 
I'd grown accustomed to not paying attention to my surroundings 
unless the ol' Danger Sense kicked in.

	Yet another addition to the list of "Ways Kyouji Screwed 
Up".  Collect the entire list in its full twenty-seven volumes at 
your local bookstore.

	On the plus side, most of them seemed injured.  I still 
didn't like the odds, but between Tsugiko and me, I figured we 
could probably take out a half-dozen wounded men.  Of course, I 
was basing that off our performance at Clorets' camp, when we 
still had our powers.  In fact, they'd probably have kicked our 
butts.  Well, my butt.  Maybe not Tsugiko's.

	But Krackel... even at full power, I wasn't a match for him.  
Twice he had beaten me.

	I was scared.  More scared than I'd been of the giant snake.  
Because when I looked at Krackel, all I saw was myself, lying on 
the ground, barely alive, Tsugiko standing over me, saving me.

	It's not that I almost died that was frightening me.  It's 
that I failed.  The Knight Protector, needing his charges to 
protect him.

	"It's called a Jawbreaker.  The monster, I mean," Krackel 
said.  He was so utterly unafraid of us that he was just making a 
casual comment.

	Tsugiko's hammer was already out, and I realized that I 
should have drawn my sword.  Here was the most obvious danger, 
and I was letting my fear paralyze me.  I put a hand onto my 
weapon, ready to pull it out, even though I wasn't sure how much 
good I could do.

	Tsugiko, she had no fear of Krackel.  Of course, she didn't 
need it.  Past experience was on her side, unlike me.  "I've 
beaten you twice.  Third time, you'll stay down."

	"You're outnumbered, and powerless.  Your hammer never beat 
me; only your magic.  You wouldn't stand a chance."

	He was right, and I didn't draw my sword.  But Tsugiko 
didn't waver.

	One of the soldiers- the "seeker" he was called- one of the 
soldiers said, "Kill them, kill them in the name of the dark 
queen."

	I thought that we were finished then, but Yumi spoke up and 
saved us all.  She didn't even realize she was doing it.  She 
just said, "How's your sister doing?"

	Huh? was pretty much what went through my head.  But Krackel 
waved back his soldiers, and turned to her.

	"You're serious?  We are about to kill you, and you want to 
know about Rollo?  Amazing.  Very well.  Wintergreen has made my 
sister her personal servant.  I remain as enslaved to the Dark 
Queen as I ever was, to ensure Rollo's life."

	The seeker didn't like that sort of talk at all.  "That's 
treason!  What are you men waiting for?  These are the Warrior 
Priestesses!  Kill them!"

	"Shut up," Krackel said.  "By the way, I never did thank you 
for healing Rollo.  I am in your debt."

	That's right.  I was practically planning my own funeral, 
and Yumi had just saved the day without breaking a sweat.  The 
threat wasn't quite over yet, though.

	"In light of Krackel's blatant disloyalty, I am assuming 
command of this regimen," the seeker declared.

	"Are you?" Krackel asked.  "These men owe me their lives.  
If not for me, none of us would have escaped from that 
Jawbreaker.  You, on the other hand, failed to warn us there was 
a Jawbreaker in this swamp.  Dozens of men died because of that."

	"It shouldn't have been here!  I know this swamp like the 
back of my hand, and I've never seen it before."

	"If you speak again, I'll kill you and tell Wintergreen the 
Jawbreaker ate you," Krackel said.

	Now, that's the kind of decisiveness a Knight Protector 
should have.  I hadn't even said anything, let alone worked up 
the courage to try intimidating anyone.
	

	"Why don't you join us?" Yumi asked.  "You could help us a 
lot in the fight against Wintergreen."

	That's right.  She came out and said it.  The swordsman in 
our group needs replacing.  She was absolutely correct, too.  
Krackel would be a lot more useful than I ever was.

	I admit that a part of me was afraid that he'd say yes.  
Most of me would have been happy, don't misunderstand.  I want 
Yumi and Tsugiko to be safe, and Krackel would have ensured that 
they were.  But a part of me... a part of me was terrified that 
he'd show them just how lousy at the job I've been.  He wouldn't 
even have to anything particularly spectacular.  Basic competence 
would have been enough.

	But it was all a moot point, because he shook his head and 
said, "I can't risk Rollo's life.  But I have a proposal.  The 
Crystal Shard can't be retrieved without killing the Jawbreaker, 
and neither of us can do that alone.  Together, we stand a 
chance."

	"And what happens to the shard then?  Do we try to kill each 
other for it?" Tsugiko asked.

	"Actually, I'd prefer not to.  But we can cross that bridge 
when we get to it."

	I really didn't like where that was heading.  Fighting 
Krackel again?  Powerless?  It might be better just to forfeit 
the shard and walk away with our lives.

	Of course, Tsugiko didn't see it that way.  "Okay.  I'm 
willing to kick your butt a third time."

	That was when I finally decided that I needed to say 
something.  It didn't even really matter what.  I just wanted to 
make some sort of contribution.  And, fortunately for me, there 
was one part of this deal that was still more than a little 
unclear.  "How can we defeat the Jawbreaker?"

	"Jawbreakers have one weak spot," Krackel said.  "On the 
back of their necks is a single red scale.  Sliding a sword under 
it will cut the artery that brings blood to its brain.  My men 
and I can distract the creature while you circle around, climb 
onto it, and kill it."

	Me?

	Try to contain your shock, furball.  And yeah, I did do it 
in the end, though of course I almost screwed everything up 
first.  But I did it.

	That's getting ahead of the story, though.

	So, my head was still spinning from the revelation that I'd 
be the linchpin of the entire plan.  Finally, I thought, a chance 
to prove myself as a Knight Protector!

	Ha.  Ha.  Ha.

	As you probably guessed, things didn't exactly turn out that 
way.  They didn't turn out that way at all.

	"That puts an awful lot of pressure onto Kyouji," Tsugiko 
said.

	Well, thanks a lot for the vote of confidence, huh?  Not 
that she was wrong.

	"No, I can do it," I replied, forcing my voice to sound 
certain.

	"We shall be the ones attracting its attention," Krackel 
said.  "There's more than enough danger to go around.  The 
Warrior Priestesses can help us distract the Jawbreakers."

	"Joy," Tsugiko muttered.

	Something was still bothering me, though, even through my 
delusions of grandeur.  "You've got swords.  Why didn't you try 
this plan yourself?"  If there was some danger they hadn't 
mentioned, I wanted to know about it.  I wouldn't have backed out 
or anything; I just wanted to be prepared.

	"None of my men has the skill to do what is required, and I 
am not limber enough to climb aboard the Jawbreaker's back."

	That's right, furball.  He said I had skill.  Hard to 
believe, huh?

	I looked over at Yumi to see what she thought.  She nodded.  
"We have a deal."

	"Actually, there is just one more thing I was wondering 
about," I said, once we had all relaxed a bit.  "When we found 
that Rancher village, the Jawbreaker had clearly already torn 
through there, but it hadn't finished eating them.  So why did it 
leave?  It was you, wasn't it?  Your men lured it away."

	Krackel nodded.  "We happened upon the Rancher village just 
before you must have.  The Jawbreaker pursued us into the swamp, 
until we lost it.  Then it returned to continue its meal, and 
that was when you encountered it.  Now, enough talk.  You should 
rest and regain your strength."

	"So, we're not going to attack it now?" I asked, almost 
disappointed.  I was eager to show off, I admit it.  I wanted to 
put my "skill" to work.  Sure, I was tired and my head hurt, but 
I was pumped at the opportunity to prove that there was a Knight 
Protector in this little group.

	Krackel wandered off a few minutes later, and Tsugiko 
followed him.  Then the soldiers left as well, leaving me alone 
with Yumi.

	That's when things started to get weird.

	"Kyouji, I've been thinking a lot about what you said," Yumi 
told me.

	I didn't have a clue what she was talking about.  "What I 
said?"

	"On our way to the Heaths.  You haven't forgotten, have 
you?"

	I was about to tell her that I had.  I remembered some 
chitchat, but no conversation leaped to mind as anything 
important.  But then I saw the look on her face.  Whatever this 
was, it was important to her.  And... well, on the way to the 
Heaths was when she was getting over Winis' death.  If something 
I had said had helped her do that, I didn't want to undermine it.  
Which is why I replied, "No, of course not."

	"And I've come to a decision.  Kyouji, I didn't tell you or 
Tsugiko this, but I had a dream a while back.  I met Akie, the 
Warrior Priestess who I'm re-incarnated from."  I winced.  I 
thought that I was the only one who was being forced to listen to 
some long-dead know-it-all.  You hear that, Teru?  If you're 
listening: rest in peace, already.  Anyway, I was sorry to hear 
that Yumi had to go through that sort of thing too, and from the 
tone of her voice I could tell that she had enjoyed it even less 
than I had.

	"I hope she kept her clothes on," I said.  I couldn't 
imagine how Yumi would react to a creepy necrophilic narcissistic 
attempted seduction.  Probably she'd politely decline.

	"What?" she asked.

	"Nothing.  Sorry."  I'm not even sure now if I had been 
trying to make a joke or not, but obviously I shouldn't have 
interrupted.

	"She told me that I shouldn't fight my feelings."  Yeah, 
that old routine that Teru's been pulling.  I guess all Warrior 
Priestess get the same Haunting For Dummies manual when they die.

	"Your feelings?"  I had a hunch that I knew where this was 
leading, but I wasn't sure yet.

	"Yes.  You were brave enough to tell me how you felt, and I 
should have shown the same courage.  I... I feel the same way you 
do."  She looked at me expectantly.

	"Uh, great."  Well, what was I supposed to say?  I still 
wasn't completely sure what she was talking about, and she had 
just said that she felt the same way as me, which sounded like it 
had to be good, and the way she was looking at me...

	Okay.  I screwed up.  I'll admit it.  I was just setting her 
up for a let-down a minute later.  If I'd had the courage to tell 
her right away that she was moving too fast... well, a lot of 
things would be different if I had more guts.

	"Akie died before she could face up to her desires, and she 
spent a thousand years mourning her indecision.  A millennia of 
nothing but longing and regret...  She was insane.  I don't want 
that to happen to me."

	I felt an irrational surge of anger at Akie.  She'd had her 
time.  Why did she have to make Yumi suffer?

	"It won't.  I won't let anything happen to you," I said.

	"It's not just me I'm worried about.  Kyouji, when Tsugiko 
pulled you out of the water this morning, I thought you were 
dead.  I could feel my heart tearing up inside of me.  That was 
when I realized that... I love you."

	I think my jaw fell open.

	She said it.  She really said it.

	Even now, I don't know how I feel about that.  I mean, a 
part of me is overjoyed, but another part of me is uncertain, and 
yet another part of me is certain that I want Tsugiko instead, 
and I think there's even a small part of me that's rooting for 
Twizzler...

	Let's just say I'm conflicted.

	It's amazing that no snide comments from beyond the grave 
were filling my head, but I guess the anti-magic effect of the 
swamp was keeping Teru at bay.  Hmmm... if we get stuck on Mars, 
maybe I should live here.

	My mind was in the process of shutting down, I guess, 
because the first words out of my mouth were, "You love me?"

	"Yes."

	"Are you sure?"  Honest, that's what I said.  Kyouji, master 
of romance, that's me.

	"Yes."

	"Uh..."  And I'm witty, to boot.

	"I guess it must come as a bit of a surprise to you that I'm 
willing to say it now."  Well, there was an understatement.

	"A bit, yeah."

	I was trying to figure out what to say.  I didn't want to 
reject her.  First, I didn't want to hurt her.  Second, I wasn't 
sure that I wasn't interested.  But on the other hand, I wasn't 
ready to accept her.  I still wasn't sure!

	Why does my life have to be so complicated?

	"But I do love you," Yumi said.  I guess my reaction to that 
was finally obvious enough for her to see that I was being torn 
up inside.  "What's wrong?  You seem like something's bothering 
you."

	"Well, yes."

	"What is it?"
	How could I tell her?  How could I say that even though she 
was smart, and beautiful, and kind, and everything a guy could 
ever want in a girl, that I still wasn't sure she was what *I* 
wanted in a girl?  How could I tell her that maybe I wanted her 
best friend instead?  I'd sound like a total creep.

	God, I AM a total creep.

	"It's... Tsugiko..."  I fumbled for the words, but nothing 
came.

	"I know.  You don't want to hurt her."

	"Or her to hurt me."  Again, taking the coward's way out.  
Don't face the confrontations, Kyouji, because that would require 
courage you don't have.  Make a joke, smile, and hope the problem 
goes away.  Stick with what you're good at.

	I finally get away from Teru, and I start delivering her 
lines.  Figures.  Well, at least you stick with "Gika", furball.

	"I don't want to hurt her either.  She's my best friend, 
Kyouji.  And I've tried to give her a chance, to see if anything 
was developing between the two of you.  But I can't wait forev-
er."

	And there was the catch.  Yumi told me she was available, 
but won't be forever.  I have no idea how long she'll wait, but I 
do know that I'm just not ready yet, even if she is.  So now I 
have to figure things out, while some invisible clock ticks, or 
else I risk losing her.

	Aaargh!

	"I don't blame you," I said.  And I really don't.  She 
shouldn't have to wait around forever while I try to sort through 
all the junk in my head.  Still, there was something about the 
whole way Yumi had been treating this that was bothering me.  She 
was almost acting as though I'd already agreed to be with her.  
"But, Yumi, I'm really not sure how to say this...  Well, you 
didn't just assume that I'd automatically want to be in a 
relationship with you, did you?"

	"Absolutely not."

	I hadn't thought so, because it wasn't like her.  I guess it 
was just my imagination.  But I had to make sure, so I asked 
again.  "And you wouldn't go leaping to conclusions about how I 
felt before I said anything, right?"

	"Of course.  Without you telling me outright that you loved 
me, I'd just be waiting to see what happened.  Especially consid-
ering Tsugiko."

	"Okay.  Good.  For a second there, I was worried."

	"Alright."

	Of course, I didn't want her thinking that just because I 
hadn't agreed yet, that I wouldn't if she gave me a bit of time. 
"I want you to know that I do care for you, Yumi.  A lot."  I 
figured that that would also help buck up her ego, in case she 
was upset that I hadn't taken her up on her offer immediately.

	"I know."

	"You're a wonderful girl."  Okay, maybe I was laying it on a 
bit thick.

	"You don't still have to win me over, Kyouji.  I already 
said I loved you."  

	I smiled nervously.  "Okay.  Sorry.  I really am glad that 
we had this conversation.  It makes things... well, not easier, 
but clearer."

	"Thanks.  I think."

	I wasn't sure what to say next, but fortunately, I didn't 
have to think of anything, because at that moment, Krackel, 
Tsugiko, and the soldiers all ran up to us, shouting.

	The Jawbreaker was headed towards us.

	"Do you remember the plan?" Krackel asked.

	I shot him a dirty look.  I may be a second-rate Knight 
Protector, but I'm not a moron.  "You distract it, I climb onto 
its back, find the red scale, stab it.  Piece of cake."

	He nodded, and then the Jawbreaker came into view.  It 
wasn't exactly a quiet entrance.

	"Men, follow me," Krackel cried, and then he and the 
soldiers headed towards it.  Tsugiko and Yumi followed them.

	I headed in another direction, circling around until I was 
off to the Jawbreaker's left.  I may not be a master of stealth, 
but between the soldiers, Krackel, and Tsugiko, it was adequately 
distracted.

	Man, that thing was even bigger up close than I thought.  
And it wasn't still, thrashing around as it fought.  If it 
suddenly moved towards me, I'd never survive.

	I was tempted to run away, I admit it.  But then I'd never 
prove myself anything but a failure and a coward.  So I steeled 
my nerves, and charged toward it.

	Getting onto its back was tricky.  It was taller than I was, 
and even with a running start, there was no way I could jump 
seven feet.  Maybe with my Knight Protector powers, but without 
them?  No way.

	So I did the only thing I could think of.  I ran, jumped, 
and tried to get a handhold among the scales.

	I didn't.

	I bounced off its hide and landed in the water, on my back.  
At the last second before I submerged, I gathered enough sense to 
close my mouth and eyes, but it was still not fun.  

	I stood up as quickly as I could, gasping for air.

	Okay, plan one had had all the traditional hallmarks of a 
Kyouji venture: failure and embarrassment.  So, what would plan 
two be?

	I remember wishing that Krackel had been a little more 
specific in this part of his instructions, but then I frowned.  I 
was the Knight Protector, not him.  I should be able to figure 
out what to do without help.

	That's when I realized that I could climb one of the nearby 
trees and leap onto its back.  For once, I was glad that my 
uniform was just a dress shirt and pants, instead of something a 
little more along the lines of plate mail.

	Even without any enhanced strength or agility, I was able to 
scamper up one of the trees, and looked down at the back of the 
Jawbreaker.

	Remember when I said the back was covered with spikes?  
Well, looking down at them, they didn't seem quite so bad.  Sure, 
they were long and sharp and would kill me instantly if I landed 
on one, but there weren't nearly as many as I had thought.  I 
should be able to jump between them with ease.

	At least, that's what I told myself.

	I wanted to close my eyes, but I knew that would be 
foolhardy.  Instead, I figured out where I needed to land, and 
jumped.

	That was when it suddenly moved.

	It's actually much scarier now then it was then.  Now, I can 
realize exactly how lucky I was, but at the time, I didn't have 
time to analyze.  I just acted.

	What I was falling toward wasn't a spike, fortunately, since 
it had moved aside completely.  What was below me was a ten foot 
drop into the water.  I would miss landing on its back by less 
than two feet.

	My mind was suddenly free from self-doubt and 
recriminations.  There simply wasn't time for them.  Instead, I 
saw everything clearly.  It's a pity that the feeling passed 
quickly, but at least it lasted long enough for me to act.

	I reached out as I fell, and I managed to grab one of the 
spikes.  They were thin, and my hand wrapped around it easily.

	My arm felt like it was being wrenched out of its socket, 
but I held on.  There I was, dangling alongside the Jawbreaker by 
one hand.

	I managed to pull myself up.  It wasn't easy, but I did it.  
I just kept repeating to myself that this was my big chance to 
prove myself, and I was not going to blow it.  Over and over 
again, like a mantra.

	Finally, I was on top of its back.  It wasn't a steady 
surface, obviously, and I had to fight to keep my balance as I 
worked my way up to its head.  Every twist and turn it made 
almost caused me to fall off, or onto one of the spikes I was 
walking between.

	It seemed to take a lifetime to reach its head.  I think I 
must have walked about fifty feet along its back, but if you'd 
asked me then, I'd have said it was miles.

	The movement at the front was worse, because the Jawbreaker 
was moving its head all over the place as it tried to eat the 
people in front of it.

	I wasn't actually standing on its head, but right behind its 
neck.  I could see down below me: Krackel and Tsugiko and a 
couple of soldiers, attacking it and then feinting back, over and 
over.  They were still trying to keep its attention so that it 
didn't notice the irritant on its back, namely me.  I couldn't 
see Yumi; later I found out that she had dragged a wounded 
soldier to safety.

	None of the fighters noticed me.

	The red scale was easy enough to spot.  It stood out against 
the pale blue pretty clearly.  So I pulled out my sword, tried to 
get a good grip...

	And I dropped it.

	Can you believe that?  I dropped the bloody sword.

	I guess I was nervous.  But really, it was incompetence, 
plain and simple.  Just when everyone was counting on me, I 
screwed everything up.  Again.

	My sword slid off the Jawbreaker, and into the water below.  
I had no weapon.

	The fighting was still going on below me.  I knew that 
people might be dying; Tsugiko could even have died while I stood 
there.  And it should have all been over already.

	My great moment to prove what I was made of.  And I proved 
it, alright.

	I ran out onto the head, as far as I dared.  "Tsugiko," I 
shouted, "I need a sword."

	For a second, I thought I'd caught her attention, but she 
didn't hear me.  She and the others were all so focussed on the 
Jawbreaker's teeth that they didn't notice me up on its head.

	"Tsugiko!" I called again, and this time I did get a 
response, but not from her.  Krackel looked up at me.

	I held up both my empty hands, trying to indicate that I had 
no weapon.  I almost lost my balance as a result, but he 
understood.  He pulled a dagger from his shirt, and tossed it up 
to me.

	It was a perfect throw.  Do you remember the last time I 
tried to throw something?  It was the poppy that landed at my 
feet.

	I caught the weapon, made my way back to the red scale, 
pulled the dagger out of its sheath, and slid it under the scale.

	The creature roared.  It was possibly the loudest thing I've 
ever heard.  It started to convulse, and I went flying-

	It was oddly peaceful, actually.  Just soaring through the 
air, like a bird-

	I was sure I was going to die, but that was okay, because I 
did it, I killed it, I was a hero-

	And then I got knocked out.

	Again.

	I don't even know what I hit.  A tree?  The ground?  I could 
ask, I suppose, but I don't really care.

	When I came to, Tsugiko was holding me.  "Finally," she 
said.

	I looked around, confused.  There was Yumi, and Krackel, and 
five soldiers.  I did some mental arithmetic and realized that 
two of them had died.  Had the delay after I dropped the sword 
made the difference?  I never did ask, because I'm afraid of what 
the answer might be.

	I pushed myself up.  "What happened?" I asked.

	"You did it," Yumi said.  "You killed the Jawbreaker."

	"So, now do we fight?" Tsugiko asked, looking at Krackel.

	Already, we had moved into two groups, facing one another.  
But then Krackel pulled out the Crystal Shard.

	"No.  The valour you displayed today," he said, and I swear 
that he was looking at me when he said 'valour', although I'm 
damned if I know why.  "It reminds me of myself, a long time ago.  
You've earned this."

	He shot a glance at the seeker, who nodded once, slowly.  
Then Krackel walked over to me.

	Actually, I wasn't the only one with butterfingers today.  
Even the mighty Krackel can be clumsy, since he had actually 
dropped the Shard into the water as he approached me.  "Sorry," 
he said.  Then he fished it out.

	It's funny, but the shard looked a little different 
afterward.  I guess it was just the water coating it, but I 
thought...

	Never mind.

	We went our separate ways after that.

	So, in summation, I got knocked out twice, puked my guts 
out, waded through Rancher intestines, had to worry about a 
gigantic snake, almost screwed up the entire thing, spent my 
moment of glory unconscious, and now I have to worry about what 
to do about Yumi.

	It's been a real fun day, furball.  So leave me alone, okay?

>o< >o< >o<


	"It's been a real fun day, furball.  So leave me alone, 
okay?" Kyouji finished.

	"Gika," Kit Kat said.  "Gika!  Gika!"  It licked his hand.

	"Aaaargh!"

	Kyouji gave the carret a kick, and it scampered off.
	"Huh.  Should have done that to begin with," the boy said.  
He rubbed his eyes wearily.  "Time to wake Tsugiko."

	He walked over to the sleeping girl.  Looking at her, Kyouji 
tried to sort out his feelings for the Warrior Priestess.  Unlike 
Yumi, Tsugiko had never professed to love him, and in fact most 
of her actions towards him had been more violent than 
affectionate.  But there was something about her that he was 
attracted to.  Her vitality, perhaps.

	Reaching out, he gently moved aside a lock of hair that had 
fallen across the girl's face.  "Tsugiko," he whispered.

	"Jus' fi' mo' min'tes," she muttered, turning over.

	"Time to get up," he repeated, a bit more loudly.

	"Kyouji?  What's happening?"

	"Time for your watch," he said, stifling a yawn.

	She nodded, standing up to stretch.  "Fine.  Get some 
sleep."

	He nodded, laying down.  Within minutes, he was snoring 
softly.

	Tsugiko stared at her two sleeping companions.  The night 
was bright, and even though she had taken a seat over a dozen 
feet from them, she could see the other two teenagers clearly.

	"I hate you," she said simply.

	"Gika?"

	Tsugiko looked down to see Kit Kat staring up at her.  "You 
want to know why?  I'll tell you why.  I'll tell you just exactly 
what they did."

>o< >o< >o<


	You want to know why?  I'll tell you why.  I'll tell you 
just exactly what they did.

	It all started this morning.  We were wading through this 
godforsaken swamp you had led us to, up to our waists in sludge.

	You were high and dry, perched on Yumi's shoulders.  Big 
surprise that you picked her to carry you, but I'm not 
complaining.  Let her do some work for a change.

	The water was disgusting.  It wasn't like being in a 
swimming pool back in Tokyo.  It was more like sewage.  It clung 
to my skin.  I could feel things moving in it, brushing by my 
bare legs.

	I can't believe I destroyed that pair of pants.  Who cares 
if people think I look like I'm in Wintergreen's army?  That's 
their problem.

	No one to blame but myself, though.  It's my own fault I'm 
back in the schoolyard stripper suit.

	I was talking with Kyouji.  We were chatting about sports 
teams, from back on Earth.  I wasn't really saying much, since 
I'm not a big sports fan, but I was willing to listen.  There 
wasn't much else of interest around.

	Yumi was trailing behind us.  She kept looking around like 
she'd never seen a tree before.  Strange.  She didn't even seem 
to mind that her oh-so-pretty pink dress was being ruined by the 
swampwater.

	That was when I realized that my muscles were aching.  "I'm 
tired.  I shouldn't be tired already," I said.

	"So am I," Kyouji added.

	"What's happening?" Yumi asked.

	How was I supposed to know?  It's not like I had a copy of A 
Tourist's Guide To Martian Swamps on me.  Nevertheless, after a 
moment's thought, I figured it out.  And people say Yumi is the 
smart one.  Ha!

	"I think I know," I said.  "Yumi, we can't use magic at 
will, but you can.  Try it."

	So Yumi pointed her little wand up in the air, and did 
absolutely nothing except look dramatic.  It was pretty funny.  
"Nothing."

	"Great.  Our magic powers are gone.  We're three ordinary 
teenagers, in a swamp full of who knows what danger.  Really 
terrific.  Thank you, Mars."

	"Uh..." Kyouji interrupted.  "I think you guys should take a 
look at that."

	He was pointing at a corpse, floating in the swamp.

	Before I got a good look at it, I heard a splash, and turned 
to see that you had jumped into the water.  "I hope the furball 
drowns," Kyouji muttered.

	I turned back to the body and finally recognized what it 
was: one of those damn Ranchers.  Well, things were looking up.  
That particular cold-blooded creep had gotten exactly what he 
deserved, and a little ways off was a whole village of dead 
lizards.

	Talk about poetic justice.  Those bastards liked to hunt 
people like animals, and now they knew what it felt like.  I hope 
they found the experience enlightening.

	It was beautiful.  Well, it was sort of disgusting, 
actually, but it sure was nice to see.  I'm still annoyed that we 
had to let the Ranchers who imprisoned us in Ferrero Rocher go 
free, but this went a long way towards making me feel better.

	"What do you think did this?" Kyouji asked.

	"I don't know.  And I sure don't want to find out," I 
replied.  Hey, I may have liked the results, but I wasn't stupid.

	"Let's split up and look around," Kyouji said.  He looked a 
bit queasy.  But then, he hadn't gone through what Yumi and I 
had.  He didn't know what the Ranchers were capable of.

	The village was actually pretty dull, aside from the bodies.  
Just some huts half-full of swamp water.  I checked a couple of 
them, and then I heard Yumi calling me and Kyouji over.

	"I think it's pretty clear what goes here," I said, when I 
saw what had caught her attention.  It was some sort of altar, 
and there was a place that was clearly meant to hold a shard of 
the Starburst Crystal.

	Kyouji and Yumi both looked at the empty altar as though if 
they stared hard enough, the shard would reappear.  I didn't see 
the point.  Besides, something else had caught my eye.
	

	All around what remained of the hut were drawings.  And in a 
lot of those pictures, there were three girls.  One of them 
looked a lot like Yumi, and another looked more than a fair bit 
like me.

	"Is it just me," I asked, moving their attention to the 
walls, "or are those pictures of us?"

	I felt oddly violated.  It's hard to explain.  The idea that 
those Ranchers had been drawing me was just creepy beyond belief.

	"That's Akie," Yumi said.

	"And Teru," Kyouji added.

	Well, yes, I had realized that.  But I wasn't sure why they 
were both treating the dead Priestesses as though they had 
nothing to do with us.  I mean, they were us, right?  Or we're 
them.  "I still say that's me," I said.  I mean, if a picture 
looks just like me, what difference does it make who it's 
supposed to be?

	"Hey, can you feel the swamp moving?" Kyouji asked.

	I could feel it, and so could Yumi, so we headed back 
outside to see what was going on.

	Then a big snake showed up.

	Betcha weren't expecting that.  Or maybe you were, and 
that's why you hightailed it.

	So, yeah, big snake.

	"Stay back," Kyouji told Yumi.  Of course.  He wouldn't want 
his precious Yumi hurt, would he?

	Then he charged at the snake, probably thinking he was being 
all macho and impressive.

	So what happened?  He got knocked cold.  The snake whapped 
him on the head with its tail.

	"He'll drown," Yumi said.  Thanks for stating the obvious, 
right?

	Of course, since she wasn't actually going to *do* anything 
about it, I had to run up and fetch him myself.

	Getting him out of the water required getting my arms in the 
sludge too, unfortunately.  Yuck.  And he'd dropped his sword, so 
I picked it up.  I had a fair amount of trouble getting a grip on 
it, since it had fallen into something slippery, but I wiped most 
of the slime off and slid it into its scabbard.

	And did he ever thank me?  No.

	I started to drag him back towards Yumi.  The snake was 
ignoring us, chowing down on some of the slaving sleazebags 
instead.  Still, I didn't want to dawdle, and Kyouji isn't 
exactly light.  "Can I get a hand here?" I shouted, but Yumi 
ignored me.  You'd think that she'd be a little more concerned 
about Kyouji, all things considered, even if she didn't give a 
damn about me, but I guess not quite enough to help with the 
menial work.

	Finally, I reached her.  "Let's get out of here," I said.  I 
didn't bother asking for help again.  It was clear I wasn't going 
to get it.

	Fortunately for my aching and no longer super-powered back 
muscles, Kyouji had started to come around by then, and before 
long he was pretty much walking on his own.

	We made our way through the swamp, trying to get as far from 
the big snake as we could.  Eventually, though, we had to stop to 
rest.

	"Let's just find that stupid shard and get out of here," I 
said, as I stood there panting.  Yumi didn't even look 
particularly winded, but I guess she had no reason to.

	"It's in the big snake's mouth," Yumi said.  She just 
casually mentioned it.  You know, like we remove things from the 
mouths of giant snakes every day.  No sweat.

	"Darn," I said.

	"You certain?" Kyouji asked.

	"I'm positive," Yumi said.

	Well, that was just dandy.

	"Let me summarize," I said.  "We're up to our waists in a 
swamp, have no super-powers, Kyouji's half-dead, and we've got to 
retrieve a Crystal Shard from inside the mouth of something that 
looks like a reject from Monster Island.  Could this day possibly 
get any worse?"

	Never say that.

	Oh, you think that it's only in third-rate fiction spit out 
by hacks under deadline that when someone says that line, 
something immediately happens to make things even more miserable.  
But sometimes, real life works that way too, believe it or not.

	Things were going to get a lot worse before the day was 
done.

	Oh, yeah, and Krackel and some soldiers showed up too.  I 
guess that wasn't so great either.

	"The snake's called a Jawbreaker," Krackel said casually as 
he approached us.  Frankly, that pissed me off.  I'd cleaned his 
clock twice, so I think that I deserve a little fear, you know?  
Instead, he was acting like he owned the place, and we were 
supposed to be intimidated by him.  That'll be the day.

	I pulled out my hammer, ready to remind him who should and 
should not have been worried.  "I've beaten you twice.  Third 
time, you're staying down."

	"You're outnumbered, and, from what I just heard, powerless.  
Your hammer never beat me; only your magic.  You won't stand a 
chance."

	Pity I never did get a chance to correct that 
misapprehension.

	One of the soldiers, a guy called the seeker, ordered the 
troops to attack, and I was just looking forward to a good fight, 
when Yumi spoke.  "How is your sister?"  Yeah, just out of the 
blue.  Who knows how her mind works?

	Krackel turned to look at her.  "What?"

	"The last time I saw you was right before Riesen grabbed 
her.  Then you ran off, and I never found out what happened.  I 
just wanted to know if she's okay."

	For a second, I thought that Yumi was showing some 
uncharacteristic battle savvy and acting as a distraction, but 
then I realized that she was serious.

	Krackel seemed almost to be having a harder time believing 
it than I was.  "We're about to try to kill you, and you're 
asking about Rollo?" he asked.

	"Sure," Yumi said.

	"My sister has been forced to become Wintergreen's personal 
attendant.  I am as enslaved to the Dark Queen as I ever was."

	"That talk is treasonous!" the seeker shouted.  "What are 
you men waiting for?  These are the Warrior Priestesses and 
Knight Protector!  Kill them!"

	I readied myself for battle.  I hadn't had a chance to cut 
loose since Clorets' camp, and this was going to be fun.

	"Shut up," Krackel said.  Then he turned back to Yumi, 
because of course she's the important one.  We wouldn't want him 
paying attention to the person who actually posed a demonstrated 
threat, would we?  Of course not.  That would be silly  "I never 
did thank you properly for healing her.  I am in your debt."  
That's right.  He actually began smooth-talking her.  In the 
middle of a swamp!  What is it about Yumi?

	"In light of Krackel's blatant disloyalty, I am assuming 
command of this regimen," the seeker declared.

	Frankly, I was rooting for the guy.

	But of course it was not to be.  "These men owe me their 
lives," Krackel said.  "If not for me, none of us would have 
escaped from that Jawbreaker.  You failed to warn us there was a 
Jawbreaker in this swamp, and that cost the lives of dozens of 
men."

	"It shouldn't have been here!  I know this swamp like the 
back of my hand, and I've never seen it before."

	Actually, I wonder why that was.  And those Ranchers had 
been here for a while, I think, so you'd imagine they'd know if a 
giant snake was part of the local wildlife.  It was rather hard 
to miss.  But if it just showed up suddenly out of nowhere, isn't 
that a bit suspicious?  Normally, I'd blame Wintergreen for 
something like that, but from the dumb looks on Krackel and the 
seeker's faces, it was clear that this time she wasn't the cause.  
Strange.

	Of course, everyone was too busy making nice to worry about 
little problems like that, and I wasn't going to bring it up if 
they were too stupid to realize it on their own.

	"Do you want to join us?" Yumi actually asked Krackel.  She 
truly is unbelievably naive.

	"I can't risk Rollo's life.  But I do have a proposal for 
you.  We can't retrieve the Crystal Shard without killing the 
snake, and neither of us can do that alone.  Together, we can."  
I wasn't too happy about that idea, but he then he added 
something I liked.  "Afterward... we will determine who gets the 
shard."
	

	"You mean, we try to kill each other?" I asked, giving my 
hammer a practice swing.

	Krackel smiled, and I think he actually looked nervous.  
"I'd prefer not to."  Damn right he'd prefer not to.  "But we can 
cross that bridge when we come to it."

	"Great.  I'm willing to kick your butt again, any time, 
anywhere."

	"The snakes have one weakness," Krackel said.  "On the back 
of their necks is one red scale.  Sliding a sword under it will 
cut the artery that brings blood to its brain.  My men and I can 
distract the creature while Kyouji circles around, climbs onto 
it, and kills it."

	"That puts an awful lot of pressure onto Kyouji," I said.  I 
was actually worried about him.  Can you believe that?

	"No, I can do it," Kyouji said.

	"There's more than enough danger for all of us," Krackel 
said.  "You two girls can help my men and me distract the snake."

	"Joy," I said.

	"We've got a deal," Yumi said.  Well, I guess I was ready to 
agree, but I still think that a bit of consultation wouldn't have 
killed her.

	"We are still weary," Krackel said.  "We'll rest for a while 
to regain our strength."

	I was already rested enough, but I decided not to object.  I 
wanted him to be at peak strength when we fought, so he wouldn't 
have any excuses.

	After a few minutes, he got up and announced that he was 
going to go have a look around.  So much for needing a rest.  I 
didn't like the looks of that, so I went after him.
	

	I caught up with Krackel quickly.  He was just standing 
there, in the middle of the swamp.  He had something shiny in his 
hand, but I couldn't see what it was.  He put it away when he 
heard me approaching.

	"I wanted to be alone," Krackel said.

	"And I want to be in Tokyo.  Life's tough all over," I said.

	"You're torn, aren't you?  You fight for a cause that is not 
your own."

	"What's it to you?" I asked.  Okay, so I wasn't exactly at 
my wittiest.  I don't like my enemies trying to psychoanalyze me.

	"I am in the same position."  First the male Twix gives me 
his life story, now Krackel.  Why do all the villains think I'm 
the person to pour their heart out to?  It's not like the 
impression I give is that of a sympathetic ear.  "How do you deal 
with it?"

	"You want my advice?"  I was about to tell him to go to 
Hell, but then I realized something; he wanted *my* advice.  It's 
been a long time since that happened.  "Do what you think is 
right, not anyone else," I said.  "Don't let anyone tell you what 
you should be or do."

	"You make it sound so easy."  It was weird.  He was making 
it seem like I was really wise.

	"Life's not easy," I said.  "I know that better than most 
people.  But knowing what to do?  That's only hard if you let it 
be."

	He looked at me for a long minute.  I wasn't sure what else 
to say.  Finally, he spoke.  "You may see some odd behaviour 
later on my part.  Can I ask you to trust me?"

	Once again, I restrained the urge to point out that we were 
on opposite sides, that we'd fought more than once, that he'd 
almost killed Kyouji.

	He wanted me to trust him.  Not Miss "How's Your Sister".  
Me.

	"I guess.  But cross me and I'll kill you."

	He laughed.  "You know, I believe you just might."

	We headed back toward the others, and I heard voices 
carrying through the swamp.
	

	"I want you to know that I care for you, Yumi.  A lot."  
That was Kyouji.  What was he doing?

	"I know."  Yumi.

	"You're a wonderful girl."  He was... was he doing what I 
thought he was?  Yumi said that he went to her after I rejected 
him, but she had turned him down.  Was he trying again?

	And then Yumi said, "You don't still have to win me over, 
Kyouji.  I already said I loved you."

	She loved him.

	He loves her and she loves him.

	Look at them over there, sleeping together.  Aren't they a 
cute couple?  Aren't they?  AREN'T THEY?

	Sorry.  It's not your fault.

	It's mine, I guess.  I had my chance.  I turned him down.  
My fault.

	But...

	Dammit.

	Why did he have to go to her?  Of all people, why her?  Why 
does she always win?  Everything I want, everything I ever 
wanted.

	I hate her.  I thought I was over that, but I'm not.  Maybe 
I never will be.

	Him, too.  I love him, Kit Kat, but I hate him.  It doesn't 
even feel like a contradiction.  Strange.

	And let's go for three.  I hate myself, too.

	But mostly I hate the two of them.

	I love him, Kit Kat.  I always have.  From the moment I saw 
him, in Tokyo.  Maybe it was just a crush on some cute boy at 
first, but over the months we've been here...

	He's funny, and thoughtful, and courageous, and he's 
certainly not full of himself.

	He's not perfect, but I don't want perfect.  I just want 
him.

	Even if he is an idiot.

	He...

	I...

	Oh, forget it.

	Anyway, they said a few more things, but I didn't hear 
another word.

	Krackel looked at me, and there was pity on his face.  How 
dare he pity me?  How dare he?  He even had the gall to say, "I'm 
sorry."

	I was ready to storm over to Kyouji and Yumi, but before I 
had the chance, one of the soldiers started screaming that the 
snake was on its way towards us.

	We regrouped quickly.  I shot a dirty look at the two 
lovers, but even I know when it's really not the time for a 
confrontation.

	"You girls come with me," Krackel said.  I shot him a nasty 
look too.  He knew what had just happened, and he was keeping 
Yumi and me together?  What, did he think we were going to bond 
in the face of adversity or something?  If it hasn't worked by 
now, it isn't gonna.

	The snake wasn't hard to find.

	The plan was simple: run up, attract its attention, retreat 
to safety, repeat.  We had to keep it from noticing Kyouji, like 
it had before.  Once he was on it, we'd still have to make sure 
it was too busy to notice that it had an idiotic Japanese boy 
riding its back.

	No problem.  Who hasn't distracted a giant snake before?  
I've been doing it for years.  It's practically second nature.

	Right away, one of Krackel's soldiers demonstrated the 
intelligence for which the men of Wintergreen's army are so 
justly renown, and became lunch.

	One down.  I was pretty pleased, since that would help even 
the odds when it came time to fight over the Shard.

	Yumi winced, of course.  You'd think the guy had been on our 
side or something.

	Another soldier got its arm bitten off.  Two down, five to 
go.

	"We're being slaughtered," the seeker shouted.  "We have to 
retreat."

	"No," Krackel said.  "We fight."

	"Very well.  In the name of the Dark Queen!"

	The other soldiers chorused that battle cry, but I noticed 
Krackel didn't.

	I ran toward the snake's mouth, swinging my hammer.  I could 
see the Crystal Shard, wedged between two of its fangs.  I was 
tempted to reach for it, but then the jaw snapped shut.

	I backed up, then charged again.  One of the soldiers was 
right alongside me.  He was young, just a few years older than 
me.  His left arm was gone, but he wasn't the one who had just 
had a limb bitten off; his had been lost in that earlier battle 
that had decimated Krackel's men.  He was smiling.

	It was not a sane smile.

	I should have been paying attention to my balance, not him, 
because I slipped on a patch of slime or something.  My arms 
pinwheeled, and I started to fall forward.

	The snake's mouth was just feet away from me.  I would 
practically fall right into it.

	Then the soldier pushed me aside, body-checking me.  He 
leaped forward, sword out, into the snake's mouth.  It wasn't an 
accident, either.  He meant to do it.

	The jaw slammed shut.

	I regained my footing, running back.

	Somehow, I didn't think about how the odds had just shifted 
a little more, come the battle with Krackel.  I don't know why 
not.  He was just one of Wintergreen's soldiers, after all.  It 
wasn't like he was anybody important, not even if he did save my 
life.

	I turned to look behind me.  I think a part of me was 
expecting that soldier to just leap right out of its mouth the 
next time it opened.  How silly is that?  It didn't happen, of 
course.

	I turned around, preparing for another charge, but as I 
watched the snake, I noticed something out of the corner of my 
eye.  On its head I could see Kyouji.  "Tsugiko, I need a sword," 
he was calling.  I could just make out his words over the din of 
battle.

	And I...

	I was going to help him.  Really.  I just needed a second, 
that's all.

	I kept hearing his voice in my mind.  "I care about you, 
Yumi.  A lot.  You're a wonderful girl."  Over and over.

	Where was his wonderful girl now?  She had taken an injured 
soldier to safety, but why hadn't she returned?  Was she too 
cowardly to face the same danger as I was risking?

	"I already said I love you."

	"You're a wonderful girl."  A wonderful girl.  Yumi, not me.

	I was going to help him.  I was.

	Honest.

	I just needed a second to sort out everything that was 
happening.

	It was a battle, alright?  Anyone might have hesitated.  I 
was risking my life, trying to distract a snake so that he could 
kill it.  What more can you ask?

	Just one second.

	That's all.

	One second.

	That's all it was.

	Before I could finish hesitating, Krackel had thrown him a 
knife, and the next thing I knew, the snake was thrashing all 
over the place.  I saw Kyouji fly off its back, hitting the water 
thirty feet away.

	I went over to check on the idiot.  Second time today I had 
to fish him out.  It was getting to be a habit.

	He'd been knocked out, of course.

	As I made my way back, dragging Kyouji after me, I saw that 
Krackel had pulled the Crystal Shard out of the snake's mouth.  
He was talking with the seeker, and I saw him put the shard in 
one pocket, then take another shard out of a different pocket.

	It was pretty clear that he was going to do a switch on us!  
He asked me to trust him, and then he tried to betray me!  Well, 
I was ready to show him what happened to people who think they 
can take advantage of this girl!

	I was approaching from behind the seeker, but Krackel could 
see me.  He looked right at me, and shook his head slightly from 
side to side.

	Something about the look on his face made me decide to wait 
to find out what was going on.  Besides, it would have been just 
me against all of them if I had attacked then.  I wasn't afraid 
of that, but I'd have had to drop Kyouji, and he still wasn't 
conscious.  I didn't want him drowning; I wanted to kill him 
myself.

	I'm joking.  Ha ha.

	I walked over to Krackel, and started to ask what that had 
been all about, but he shook his head again.  He glanced out of 
the corner of his eye at the seeker.

	Fine, I figured I'd play it his way.  It wouldn't make any 
difference in the end.

	I dragged Kyouji over to where Yumi and that wounded soldier 
were.  Of course, no one offered to help.  Carting unconscious 
Knight Protectors around, that's Tsugiko's job.

	"The snake's dead," I told Yumi.  "Krackel's got the shard."

	We all just stood around for a while, not doing much.  Yumi 
walked over to me at one point, doubtless wanting to take her 
loverboy, but I was having none of it.  I didn't lug him around 
just to watch her fawn over him.  For once, she got the message, 
and backed off.

	He woke up a few minutes later, anyway.

	"What happened?" he asked.

	"You killed the snake," Yumi said.  Of course, she neglected 
to mention that it had been a group effort.

	"So, now are we going to fight?" I asked.  I looked at 
Krackel.  For the first time, I wasn't sure I understood him.

	We had split up into two groups.  Even Yumi was able to 
figure out where this was going.

	Then Krackel looked over at Kyouji.  "No.  The valour you 
displayed today... it reminds me of myself, a long time ago.  
You've earned this."

	That's right, after all that, he was looking at loverboy.  
What a world!

	Then he pulled out what looked like a shard of the Starburst 
Crystal.  I say "looked like" because it wasn't.  Unlike Yumi and 
Kyouji, I had seen the one in the snake's mouth up close, and 
this wasn't it.  He was trying to make a switch after all.

	Then something very unexpected happened.

	Krackel dropped the so-called shard into the swampwater, and 
when he picked it up again, it was the real shard.  He'd switched 
them back.  It was the genuine article that he handed over to 
Kyouji.

	I don't know why he did it.  He works for Wintergreen.  Why 
would he risk that, to help us?  I didn't think that asking him 
then would be a good idea, and he left right afterward.

	It's been a very confusing day.

	But one thing is crystal clear.  Kyouji and Yumi are 
together now, and neither of them has even had the guts to tell 
me.  That's why I hate them.

>o< >o< >o<


	"And neither of them has even had the guts to tell me.  
That's why I hate them," Tsugiko finished.

	Dawn was breaking over the distant horizon, as the Martian 
sun rose for another day.  The Warrior Priestess petted the 
carret.  "Come on.  Let's go wake the two lovebirds up.  I want 
to get away from this place."

	"Gika," Kit Kat said.

>o< >o< >o<

Author's Notes:


	"That ought to hold the little S.O.B.s for another week."  
And if it doesn't, I don't know what will.

	This was a blast to write.  Really.  The technical 
challenges of plotting in three parallel tracks alone made this 
the most interesting by far of my three SC parts to create.  It 
probably doesn't read quite that well, being a bit on the long 
side (like, half again as big as the largest part prior to this) 
and repetitive (though I tried to minimize that as much as was 
practical).  But man, this was fun.

	The normal message of stories that replay the same events 
from different viewpoints (such as Rashomon, the X-Files episode 
Bad Blood, and the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode A 
Matter Of Perspective) concerns the subjectivity of truth.  That 
wasn't quite what I was going for here, though.  This was 
intended more as a character study of our three heroes, to see 
how their thought processes differ when faced with the same 
events.

	That said, the differences between the three accounts are 
intentional.  Re-working the dialogue to be similar yet different 
was actually a very time-consuming job, but it was necessary.  
This was not real-time first person narration; this was lengthy 
chunks of dialogue within a third person narration, recounting 
earlier events, and there's no way that they'd have remembered 
the conversations in a completely identical manner.

	Oh, and I'm not saying that Yumi is always quite this 
cheerful, or Kyouji this self-doubting, or Tsugiko this pissed 
off at everything.  But look at the day they each just went 
through.

	No prereaders this time.  I sent it out around ten this 
morning, but I this part was just too big for them to get through 
today.  I can't say I blame them.  I will, however, thank Kenji 
for his (somewhat incidental) review of my previous part on the 
MB.

	And now, everyone's favorite part of my Authors's Notes 
(beating out such tough competition as the listing of how many 
Impro parts I've written, the occasional Wizard of Oz references, 
and the ever-popular Vague Air of Defensiveness): the sources.  
My primary sources were parts 31 through 33.  Krackel was 
revealed to be a hero in his hometown in part 17.  Wintergreen 
gave him a fake Crystal Shard in part 33.  Part 33 also revealed 
that the swamp was full of creatures who couldn't be seen and 
that there was no magic therein, which to me spelled Ranchers.  
The Ranchers were around for parts 27, 28, and 30; they 
imprisoned Yumi and Tsugiko in the former two chapters, negating 
their magic, and aided the Crystal Warriors in the latter one.  
Yumi met Akie in a wonderfully written scene during that same 
chapter 30, and she had a vision in which she saw Teru "d-" in 
part 1.  Kyouji faced Wintergreen (or some duplicate) in part 3, 
and a Britecrawler in part 13, contracting the Brittle Shock 
curse during the battle.  Tsugiko beat Krackel in parts 15 and 
24, while Kyouji got his butt kicked by the swordsman in the 
latter.  Yumi cured Rollo in part 18, but in that same chapter 
Wintergreen made the girl her servant.  The male Twix told 
Tsugiko his life story in part 14 (though she has apparently 
forgotten that he did so at her request).  Riesen, disguised as 
Kyouji, told both Tsugiko and Yumi he loved them in part 31, but 
was turned down by both.  Kyouji recalls Teru stripping for him 
in part 15, right before she told him to sate himself on her (why 
doesn't anything like that ever happen to me?).  Tsugiko acquired 
a pair of pants in part 30, but destroyed it in part 32 (you 
know, I tried to give the poor girl some dignity, but you fuku 
fetishists just wouldn't let me...).  Yumi saw the results of 
Twizzler on a rampage in part 29.

	Jawbreakers are hard round candies that one is supposed to 
suck, not bite, hence the name.  "Not in your hand" comes from 
the M&Ms slogan "Melts in your mouth, not in your hand".

Nicolas

Six Impro parts, no skips, and counting