(If this story fails to hook you, please leave me even a one-sentence review of why. Something more than "it sucked" but no obligation for paragraphs of detailed information. Just a summed-up point of what you were looking for and how I failed to meet it. I give my word you will receive no harassment in return.)

Chapter 1

"I will always love you Fox, even if you never loved me."' Her soft, innocent voice trembled.

But I did love you… He replied from his own shaken mind.

The darkness was suddenly flooded with the image of when he first saw her; unwinding the Vulpes instantly.

Imprisoned within a large, mystic gem was a royal blue vixen whose soft, groomed fur encompassed her svelte, curved body; bushing out steadily along her dazzling tail. Silky hair of the same shade flowed around her tapered ears, continuing down her head smooth as a stream; ending near her jaw line towards the front and at her neck in the back. Her round, sculpted face was covered in short, snow white fur; with a pair of vast, vibrant, sapphire eyes shining forth that shamed the hue of the transparent stone holding her. The snow-white fur continued down her throat, over her sphere-like breasts cupped in a mussel-shell bra, and past her toned abdomen to a white, gold embroidered loin cloth that hung freely from her hips; covering only her front and rear pelvis.

He could not deny the lust she ignited in him. Along with her bare appearance, she'd decorated herself in native Saurian jewelry composing of a golden choker, wrist and ankle cuffs, shoulder plates, a sapphire gem necklace that rested just below her defined collarbones, and a pearl beaded forehead band with a ruby crystal at its center.

A sparkle announced itself from her fascinating eyes, and Fox suddenly witnessed her wearing a bright red silk dress that hugged her slender, curved figure flawlessly, with a bright white ribbon wrapped around her waist and bow-tied at her back; all underneath a single mistletoe in a room all to themselves.

The joyous warmth within Fox's core had completely overtaken him in her presence. Her very name held so much beauty to him, he voiced it in longing. "Krystal…"

Her smooth lips grew into a smile bearing innocent mischief as she tilted her head.

He blinked, and she was inches from him; wearing a look of blissful wonder as he felt the berry roll from her hand to his.

Her grace entranced him as he closed the distance; the warmth of her kiss numbed his nerves completely as she opened to his gentle touch. He'd searched every inch of her furred skin with his hands and lips as they undressed each other; learning her body in an incomparable way.

Krystal's voice echoed softly in his ears. "Thank you for everything."

Fox heard himself chuckle as he answered. "And what would that be?"

"For showing me your world," Her words brought him to the time he'd taken her to pick out her modern combat and casual clothing, the times he'd introduced her to theaters and sky parks; falling in love with the wonder and excitement it brought out of her expression. The times they went hunting for scenic planets for the mere pleasure of a good view; hiking them together as she showed him her vast knowledge of the numerous aspects of nature. "Accepting me for who I am," He now held her mystic gold staff in his hands, following her instruction as she furthered his knowledge in how to conjure its powers. Then he was sitting directly across from her, entering another realm entirely during one of the many intimate glimpses she gave him of her telepathy.

Fox was instantly back in the room with her, enwrapped in sheets, steadily bringing her to come with his tongue and teeth; ever stimulated by the taste and the cry of pleasure she released.

"Training me," He now was introducing her to the anatomy and various controls of her custom build starfighter, then instantly watched her flying it amongst the stars as he demonstrated and talked her through the basics of their many combat maneuvers from his own Arwing; the joyous excitement in her tone poured through his comms as she worked.

His lingering lust returned him to the bed, her sensual sighs drowning out his own as he finally entered her; feeling her tight, warm, moist flesh swallow him as far as he could press. His body felt her every curve as he laid himself upon her, her body's exhilarating heat underneath her soft fur intensifying their intercourse.

"And just… always being there;"

Her hands clenched his back as he moved, her body tensing with every thrust as he gradually maneuvered her into different positions; exchanging glances of loving passion fueled by their long-built friendship.

"For me." Fox witnessed her back in her fighter the moment she cruised to a stop, and was privileged with the sight of her magnificent eyes absorbing the twinkling darkness around her; her mouth agape in a smile of pure awe as a pair of streams escaped her eyes. "They were all I had when I lost everything else." Echoed her soft, sweet, and still voice; yet in her tone, he heard the grave sorrow that her aching heart could not hide. She now sat on the wing of his starcraft; staring past the Great Fox hanger opening that led into space, looking out upon the innumerable stars.

"What happened to them?" He listened to himself ask, already knowing the answer as an awakening pain enwrapped his heart.

Krystal took a slow, deep breath and opened her mouth as if to reply, but nothing came. Her mournful expression strained as her eyes became moist. "I... I was only fourteen..."

Fox now saw a weeping, juvenile Krystal curled up and concealed behind mounds of cargo within a cold, dark, cargo cruiser bearing a giant 'A' insignia while her parents lay lifeless on their ravaged forest grounds surrounded by dead reptilian lylatians outside the vessel; every corpse riddled with seared holes.

"I wanted to die fighting with them!" Krystal's words from the day she told him her story echoed all around him, her tone filled with wrath and betrayal. "I didn't want to leave my family behind, but she took my choice away!"

Fox's throat contracted as he relived the aerial firefight where Krystal's fighter took a warning shot from an enemy pilot; one that would have ended her instantly had it been anything more. "I wish I could be your hero that could protect you no matter what…"

"I can protect myself!" Krystal snapped back through her tears.

Star lit darkness covered them and the open rooftop on which they now stood. Krystal's response knocked Fox's gaze away with clenched eyelids; receiving the same anger from her that she felt towards her mother.

"Please don't leave me alone again."

Against his every wish, his voice spewed the words of his eternal regret. "…You, would not be here, had I not let you in. I will not be the reason you die, I won't."

Silence hung until Fox could no longer bare it. His eyes opened to see her walk away and into the arms of a materializing, sleek black panther; his fur contrasted by a white asymmetrical nylon jacket, pants, and leather boots. A lustrous violet cape draped his left shoulder, held there by a gold shoulder plate. The panther's sharp yellow eyes glared pridefully at Fox from a strong, bold face.

Krystal warmly returned the panther's embrace and began caressing the scar that ran from his right eye, along his cheek, and to his jaw line; gently placing her other hand on his firm abdomen whilst nuzzling her face deep into his solid, soft furred chest.

The panther's malevolent stare remained locked on Fox, a corner of his mouth curving into a boastful smirk as he steadily rested his hand on the hilt of a rapier sheathed to his athletic frame.

Fox felt as if a poison were being pumped through his veins as he was slowly engulfed in darkness. Blood burning and heart throbbing, he fought the urge to assault anything in reach and release a loud cry of regret brought by the formed bond.

"I will always love you Fox," Her voice came again.

Without warning, the shadows evaporated to reveal Krystal's starfighter flying between his and the panther's, taking the damaging blast meant to end Fox. "Even if you never loved me." The whole scene skipped before his eyes to her plummeting fighter disintegrating into the jagged terrain below as its burning fuel, oil, and shredded scrap dispersed along each crevice; then blackness returned.

Someone… Help me…

Fox jolted awake with a short, sharp cry from the sound of her pleading. There was something intimately familiar about her voice: he hadn't heard it externally, but internally. Her telepathy... "She's still alive!" he breathed, flooded with relief, taking a brief assessment of his cockpit. His vision was still foggy from waking, and the dim amount of red light leaking in through the glass did little to illuminate the picture.

Fox looked down at his chest where the buckle held the straps together that kept him stationary in his Arwing. He pressed the button to release the buckle and instantly fell from his seat, slamming head first into his cockpit window, the rest of his body crumpling down afterwards.

Fox hollered in torment from his head igniting with a fierce, throbbing pain as he remembered the crash. He had pulled his fighter up just enough to avoid a nose dive into the rocky terrain, yet he could not escape the bottom of the Arwing smashing into the ground and grinding away as it began to slow to friction. He felt the fighter ram into something large, yet instead of bursting through the obstacle, the Arwing gave, flipped into the air then landed belly up; continuing to slide along the surface.

He had begun to lose consciousness due to being thrown back and forth into the walls of his cockpit windshield in the process, but he noticed a transition from rocky terrain to steel pavement before his head was thrown into his dash as the Arwing smashed through a wall and came to an abrupt halt; then all went dark.

Now Fox was left to deal with the worsening headache, disputing whether he regretted loosening his straps in his desperate search to spot her after the surreal sight of her graphic crash; praying she'd ejected herself just before. Fox let out another short-lived holler as the agonizing pain rushed through his cranium again, reliving his reaction to the setting reality of her unending absence. He had grasped his head, flattening his ears with his palms and pressing into his skull with his fingers; his nails drawing blood that trickled down his face as he dragged them towards his forehead. The deserving sting brought no relief; the pain of the hellish dream overwhelmed his entire being.

A wet sensation in the fur on the back of his head, neck, and his forearms bought him back to the present. Fox let his head roll to one side and felt the moisture creep up his cheek as he laid eyes on the murky red liquid he was lying in. He lifted his hand and held it above his face, watching the scarlet fluid drip from his fingertips; feeling each one land on his snout. The image returned him to his flight. Deep grief struck his heart as he returned his hands to his sight, perceiving in despair the blood that covered them not as his own, but as her's. A tear fell from his eye, mixing with the red liquid streaming from his scalp as it ran down his fur. "I'm so sorry..." He looked up from his blood drenched hands and towards where Krystal's burning wreckage remained. Another tear rolled down his cheek as he choked out three unspoken words that only haunted him more with her passing. "I love you..."

Dizziness set in and Fox began to feel light headed due to his sudden knowledge of blood-loss. He let his hand and arm fall back into the cold, thin spread pool; terrified to decipher what was reality. His HUD had scanned her fighter, her cockpit was sealed; she'd never ejected. But you heard her cry, that… that was her! You can't die here! You have... you have to save... save... her... Fox was slipping from consciousness fast. He focused on Krystal, not knowing what state she was in. All he knew was she was alive, and he'd been the only other one who pursued her into the atmosphere of the damned rock.

Fox's previously closing eyes snapped open as fiery passion and determination radiated from his hazel green irises. He rolled onto his side, ignoring the chill caused by his blood that continued to soak his fur and seep through his clothes as he brought himself to his knees. He looked up and around his tightly enclosed prison, giving his eyesight a moment to clear itself of the fog brought about by his movement.

Suddenly and violently he curled over as an overwhelming nausea rose in his stomach. Fox quickly made himself still, taking deep breaths until the nausea subsided. Once under control, Fox took another look around until he could perceive everything as it was. He looked up toward a section of the Arwing's flooring that held a built-in door; the escape hatch. Better grab a mask first. He reached over to another side compartment and pulled out a small, black, muzzle shaped mask that was designed to mold and fit to the wearers snout; allowing the wearer to breathe filtered oxygen.

Fox remembered his headset when it provided resistance against applying the mask. He removed the headset with his free hand, examining its extensive damage. Pretty much done for… The eye visor had snapped off, the mic piece was bent and deformed, and the three-limbed body was dinged and dented enough that the internal parts had most likely taken damage. At least you helped protect my skull from fracturing, and thank Lylat that visor didn't pierce my eye! Fox thought with the brief tilt of his head as he swapped the headset for the snout filter and applied it.

After strapping it on, he took a moment to wrap his dark red, black checkered shemagh around his neck in a way that covered more of his skin, and he rolled his white and grey soft-shell jacket sleeves down along his forearms.

Fox returned his attention to the escape hatch above him and slowly got to his feet; maneuvering his head between the seat and the dash board until the two rotating handles built into the secondary exit were easily in reach. Fox pulled both handles from their safety locks, took a preparatory breath, then rotated them. Two simultaneous clicks sounded off, then silence. Fox's brows furrowed as he pulled on the door to see if the air locks had disengaged; it didn't budge. Fox rotated both handles back to their starting position and tried again; this time there was no sound at all. Oh hell…

Fox pulled on the door again to find his sparking fear to be true, the inner mechanisms had faulted. His heart started to race as he retried his actions over and over, yanking on the hatch with all his might. This isn't supposed to happen! This isn't supposed to happen! Fox violently continued trying to pull the hatch open. These things are built to open under any condition! His roaring frustration brought him to punch the panel. "Fuck!" He spat, grasping his head as the pain spiked; bringing him near to a migraine. Fox looked down as his eyes danced in all directions; thinking of his next options as he fought the claustrophobic dread of being condemned to the metal tomb. Okay, keep your head… There's another way out of here, there's always another way! He suddenly observed a three-decimeter long fracture the Arwing's dome. Worth a try.

He searched for something he could use to break through the transparent canopy. My rifle! Fox looked over at the compartment that was built into every Arwing to hold an aviator's secondary weapon while in flight; the rifle was still there. He grabbed and yanked it out of the holder, flipping the weapon around to use the butt of the weapon to break through the windshield trapping him in his fighter. He knelt back down, inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly; summoning as much energy as he could. Arwing protective canopies were made of dense polycarbonate; built to withstand blows from miniature asteroids as large as a meter in diameter, traveling at speeds of up to ten thousand kilometers an hour. The only hope Fox had of smashing through said cover was due to the cracks already placed in the windshield from the crash.

He aimed at the fracture, grasped his rifle with both hands as tight as his muscles would allow, swung the weapon above and past his right shoulder, and brought the butt of it hammering down on the center of the crack with enough force to split a concrete brick; no change. He swung again, nothing; the crack remained its original size. Fox took a deep breath, then began continuously swinging at the polycarbonate. He hit it a third time, then a forth.

Come on! His mind begged in desperation.

A fifth, a sixth.

Please just break!

Seventh, eighth.

Fox's thoughts met his voice. "Damn glass, break!"

Ninth, tenth.

"You piece of shit! Why-?!"

Eleventh.

"-Won't-!"

Twelfth.

"-You-!"

Thirteenth.

"-Just-!"

Fourteenth.

"-BREAK!"

He went for another blow, but fell flat on his back mid-swing; returning to the crimson wet surface beneath him. The pain in his head had numbed into the migraine, further depleting his already spent energy. Fox couldn't even summon anything to release a howl of anger; he just lay there, his backside soaking in blood, feeling defeated.

NO! He scolded himself. You aren't giving up! If there is ANY chance she is still out there, you will, not, quit! Fox looked around, thinking of another way out. He didn't dare try shooting through the cover, lest the blast bounce right back into his face. Since the Arwing was upside down, opening the hatch was out of the question; that's when it hit him. We're just going to have to get this fighter right side up!

Fox looked through the window and observed the angle of his fighter. The nose was touching the ground and pointing towards the opening left by the Arwing in whatever it was it smashed through, which meant the engines were aimed towards the inside of the structure; angled towards the ceiling.

Fox rolled back up onto his knees, placed his rifle back in its compartment, and looked up at the switch that powered his fighter and flipped it to the on position; no response. He checked all the power routing switches that prepared the energies path of travel throughout the Arwing, ensuring they were all correctly configured; they were. Fox gave the main power switch another try with no success. "Yeah... that's what I thought…" He muttered. Still might have the reserves, though I'll have to route it to the booster engines manually... Fox maneuvered himself back between the seat and the dashboard, obtaining a position where he was looking down at what was normally considered underneath the control panel.

Reaching into his jacket pocket, Fox pulled out a single bladed pocket knife that his father gave him as a kit, flipped the blade out, and used it to carefully pry off the metal sheet that hid and protected the wires in the dash. Examining the internal wiring, Fox caught sight of a small, flashing light bulb that indicated remaining reserve power. "Now we're getting somewhere." He set to work on the wiring, directing all power to the engines while leaving enough of it for the control panel in order to fire up said engines when ready.

After a couple minutes of work, and a time or two of getting a slight zap from electricity, the power was connected exactly where Fox wanted it. Fox smoothly put the knife back in its pocket of origin; a corner of his mouth curving into a smile. "Thanks dad." He quietly remarked, then froze. 'Just a dream'... Fox instantly was back in flight, starring into his blood drenched hands. "I'm so sorry..." He looked up from his fit of trembling and towards where Krystal's burning wreckage remained. Another tear rolled down his cheek as he choked out three unspoken words that only haunted him more with her passing. "I love you..."

Just a dream! a familiar male voice suddenly filled Fox's head, followed by a sudden beeping from the Arwing's control panel. Fox looked at the source of the noise and realized he had five seconds before he flew straight into the planet's surface.

Fox felt no urge to react, he wanted to die.

JUST A DREAM!

Again, he recognized the voice. In the second before the last, hoping the words were true, Fox's instincts kicked back in as he grabbed his Arwing's control stick and yanked it rearward with as much force as he could; sparing himself for his present state.

Fox repeated the words over and over as he tried to recall their sound. 'Just a dream!'… Could that... really have been you?!

Fox remembered the first time he had come across his father on this rock; watching himself fire away at Andross while dodging the ginormous hands that swiped at him. He burned the monster down to a horrifying, brain-like form; then the beast suddenly erupted into a propulsive, fiery explosion in hopes of taking Fox down with him.

"Don't ever give up, my son." A warm voice called out.

"Father?!" Fox had responded. In the brightness of the blast, Fox caught sight of an identical Arwing.

"Follow me Fox." Was the reply.

Following it back through the tunnels and out to safety, barely clearing the explosion, the fighter vanished; and Fox never saw it again.

"What's wrong Fox?" Peppy's echo asked?

"Nothing…" Replied his own whisper.

'Nothing's wrong.' He heard himself finish presently. Still could've just been your own conscious... Come on Fox, your father's dead! It was your own instincts that got you out that day... Fox began to run through everything he knew about the rock on which he was currently stranded. Was the nightmare even from my own head? Fox snapped the cover to the opening in the dash back in place and then returning to his knees. Don't have time for meditation, either way I'll have to keep my sanity in check. He looked up at his seat. Time for a little calisthenics…

Facing the opposite direction of the seat, Fox reached up and got a firm grip on the sides of the seat, then he pulled himself up with his arms, simultaneously using the rest of his upper and mid body to roll up into the natural position of one sitting in a cockpit. Fox was upside down at this point, and by tucking his legs underneath his seat he was able to hang in place while he strapped himself in tight. "No injuries this time."Alarm struck him when he was reminded of his scalp-wounds by the blood rushing to his head. "Better do this quick."

Fox turned on his control panel and brought his engines roaring to life. His right hand reached over to the thruster lever and grasped it firmly. And in three, two, one. Fox sent the lever to its forward position. The boosters sent fire spitting from their pipes, and the fighter gradually began to edge forward before blasting off at a remarkable speed.

The nose of the spacecraft instantly barreled through one side of the structure's opening and pierced into what Fox recognized to be a hover-car. The vehicle slid with the arwing until it slammed into a steel barricade, bringing it to a halt and giving the resistance he was looking for. The rear half of the jet shot skyward, and the entire Arwing vaulted over onto its underside. Fox had kept one hand on the thruster and immediately pulled it back the moment his arwing was right side up. The engines slowly died, and all was quiet.

Fox breathed a sigh of relief, then began to chuckle like a merry mad genius. "It worked." He said, pausing from his chuckling but starting right back up after his statement was finished. He placed his hands on his head and slid them down his face, ignoring the sting and still-damp blood from his wounds that had soaked nearly all his fur and clothing. He paused his chuckling again. "I can't believe it worked!" He looked up and took in his surroundings through the splattered scarlet fluid that now coated his windshield; the air of his mood quickly grew serious and on edge. The mist remained thin on red planet's surface, revealing an unobstructed first-hand view of The Storm's aftermath.

Fox had landed in the outskirts of what remained of one of the many once thriving cities on the toxic rock. Not a soul could be seen; buildings lay badly damaged or reduced to mountains of rubble; hover-vehicles left charred, warped, and shattered; steel streets made warped, cracked, and strewn with rubble and de-rooted tree skeletons that had once burst with life; all of this shadowed in a grim red hue that suffocated it all.

Suddenly the angelic, yet terrified voice of the one who was down here with him rang through his head.

Someone... please... help me... Her words were weak and sewn with fear.

All thoughts occupying Fox's conscience died out, and his foremost mission took over as he unbuckled himself and leaned forward. I'm coming Krystal. Don't worry, I'm coming! He thought as strong as he could, hoping she could hear his message. He feared she was hurt and didn't have much time left; if it wasn't too late already. What if that's fake...? Fox froze in place. What if she is dead, and either my brain or this place is still playing with me... no! Hegrabbed his blaster rifle from its compartment, performing a quick function check on it. That's her voice alright, just as strong and clear as when she's communicated with me in the past! Until you see a body telling you different, you're not wasting another second in this cockpit!

Finding the rifle completely functional, loaded, and ready to fire, Fox grasped the rotating handle that would unlatch the air locks holding the canopy down to the frame of the cockpit; sending up a quick prayer before twisting it. A simultaneous series of clicks and squeaks sounded off, followed by a short and sharp hiss of the outside air rushing in as the cover was released from its holster. Thank Lylat! He placed his free hand on the cover and pressed upwards, flipping it over and allowing himself to climb out of the Arwing unhindered.

The moment he stood fully encompassed in the red planet's atmosphere was when he met, for the first time in his life, the humid, merciless heat that the rock contained. It was worse than any desert Fox had ever visited, or lived in for that matter on his home planet, Papetoon. The heat seemed to vacuum the very energy from his very body, while the moisture clung to his fur and clothes till he was nearly soaked; further dampening the blood that coated his fur, creating a sticky feeling over his entire being.

He hopped off the Arwing and landed softly on the ground, when an overwhelming chill ran through his entire body. Fox had been here before, but never had he physically set foot on the planet's surface; he'd always flown at least one hundred meters above it. Now here he was roaming its very grounds. He could feel the malicious aura about the place that he knew had always existed, and Krystal was here. Please Krystal, PLEASE be alright...

In that moment, Fox's eyes recognized what he had first acknowledged as different sized branches from a burned tree, to be an incinerated corpse; lying a few meters from his foot, partially buried underneath scattered rubble. Next to it lay a fleshless, blackened hand that led to another carcass, then another, and another, until his vision completely took in the endless mass of corpses that intermixed with all the rubble and wreckage, nearly blanketing the streets; each posed in its own tormented position. Fox caught sight of more in the cabs of different hovercraft, others hung out from surviving window frames, balconies, and roofs; nothing but blackened skeletons with crisp, scorched muscle barely clinging to some of their bones at best.

'Think of it, Mr. McCloud.'

Fox's pupils slowly dilated as his hands clenched his rifle; the ghostly words taking the reins of his consciousness.

'Green.'