Author Notes: Okay...I'm back again. This time however, with this form of writer's block cure...I had a little help from a friend...Mykll. I can promise that it'll be a big pitch from what i normally write but, I came to like it. So I intend to keep it going. However, I will apologize in advance that this fic may not be produced very quickly since I've been spending a lot of my time on my other fics. Once I manage to get Chains of Fate 2 out of the way however, I'll have more time for my more neglected works. I apologize again to anyone that's been waiting for an update on any of my other works. Thank you all for your support and understanding...

The Footsteps in the Darkness ~ SkullFox

and

Mykll


-Intro-

The greatest divide between friend and enemy is that small fraction of indifference between you and those you share an opinion with; however that opinion can be swayed very easily…most everyone has a price, some try to hide it, while others try to deny it, but the idea is the same. There are no exceptions in the game, keep friends close and enemies closer, for you never can fully tell when one will become the other, and when your entire world can crash in around your eyes…

Chapter 1: Lost…

Years passed after the Saurian mission, giving the Star Fox team a new member; the light blue furred vixen very quickly caught the eye of both the media and famed hero Fox McCloud. They young leader of the mercenaries found himself unable to pay attention to anything at all when she was nearby, and yet of all things he seemed to fear the idea of telling her that he felt the way he did…it was mainly because he feared the notion that something could end up happening to her the way it did for his mother, who was killed in an attempt to take out James. He sighed a bit in his current position sitting in a reclined chair staring out at wall length window that looked out onto the city; quietly daydreaming about a little house somewhere in the country, where none could bother him or his blue furred lover…where it could only be the two of them no matter what. It was a nice little dream to be forgotten, but, it was only just that, a dream. No matter where he went, or how he got there, it seemed he always had the media riding his ass asking him a thousand and one questions about his possible relationship with Krystal for the sheer fact that she was a female of his own species and a member of his team; were she an Avian, or an Aquian he was certain that this would have fallen on Falco or Slippy, and he would be constantly badgered with thoughts on whether or not it was anything that was going to endanger the team as a whole. He figured that the reasoning behind this was to figure whether or not the next child in the McCloud family would be born anytime soon; Fox never said it out loud but, he was ashamed in the Cornerian military, or Lylat's to begin with. When anyone is in trouble his team was called, and though they were paid, it was hardly enough. The tower they stayed in, The Den, was given to them by the military and the people, but, it was mainly just a place to sleep while the team was on firm ground…there was hardly any sort of monetary cash flow to the place at all. What the team did make from their military incursions was primarily offset by, fuel, repairs, and ammunition costs…not to mention feeding the now five man team; at times it became so frustrating that Fox often thought about taking Krystal to a casino and taking advantage of her ability to read a Blackjack dealer's mind…but, in the end he was certain that his conscience would never allow him to do something that went so far against what his father had believed in…not to mention the fact that he cared about Krystal far too much to take advantage of her in any way. Clasping his paws together, Fox stretched his back causing his head to lean back over the headrest of the chair he sat in…as he did this the electronic door that sat behind him, on the other end of the room slid open with an airy hiss. His eyes instantly locked on the beautiful blue figure of a vixen that walked in; he often found it hard to believe that she could even exist, as far as he saw she was perfect as a female, she carried a slender form that ensnared his senses any time he looked at her; her hair was much longer than when he'd first met her now reaching down a good portion of her back, the young vulpine's mouth hung open a bit when she placed her paws on the back of her neck stretching them out and back, which caused her gorgeous hair to flair out, and caused her chest to stick out quite a bit from the extra large night shirt she often wore in the early mornings, she clearly hadn't noticed him sitting there, because as she stretched her back further clearly trying to relieve a stress on her back, the night shirt came showing the rather flimsy panties she wore…

"AHEM!!" Fox coughed into his fist.

The vixen jumped and after settling herself held a paw over her heart, "Fox…you scared the life out of me!" She chuckled.

Fox chuckled a bit as he looked away from her, "Um……" He stammered for a moment, "Sorry…" He couldn't bring himself to tell her what he'd seen, it would have embarrassed him to death, "…just thought I'd get you attention."

Krystal chuckled again before walking to another seat to too far away from his spot, "Just a 'good morning' would have sufficed love." She said leaning back in her seat, "I take it the General has no work for us today then?"

Fox sighed with a bored huff, "I guess you don't need telepathy to see that." He said looking out over the Corneria city horizon, "It's been pretty damn slow…not that I'm complaining. No work means no wars..."

"Hmm..." The vixen smiled, "At least you can look positively at this. It is good that there is no more killing at the time." She sighed, "So...where are Falco and the others?"

Fox sighed, "I don't know..." He replied sitting up, "I guess you heard all of that last night huh? Sorry..."

Krystal looked a bit guilty, "Do they really feel that way about having me around?"

Fox stood up and walked to the window, looking out over the city, "No……Falco's just an insecure prick." Fox replied, "He thinks having you around I'm going to tun into some sort of love sick moron and start swooning over you all day everyday…start ignoring the team."

Krystal was a bit happy that Fox wasn't looking at her now at the moment as she was turning a deep shade of purple with embarrassment. She'd thought about in that way…though it made her feel a bit horrible about it now, since her presence alone was threatening to turn Fox's team inside out…

"Fox would it be better if I just left?" She asked.

The young vulpine quickly turned around, "Don't let Falco's bullshit get to you Krystal. It's just who he is." He said, "He's always gotta blame something on someone or he isn't having a happy day. He'll come around."

Krystal stood up joining Fox at the window, "I don't know…I've been with the team for over three years now and he still acts like I'm here to suck the life out of you or something. Why does he only seem to think I'm here to break up his family?"

Fox rubbed her head with a smile before turning toward the door, "He just isn't comfortable with change…" He said, "Don't pay any mind to it and eventually he'll see you in the same light that I do." He added heading toward the door, "Now if you're hungry let's got get something to eat…the others won't be back for a while now."

******

Krystal liked the fact that Fox was always so kind to her, even though she knew there was no real cause for it. She could have read his mind at any point, but, she had already developed a level of respect for him as her friend…she could never invade his mind the way she would some criminal that she needed information from. Though she didn't like to show it, it made her smile when Fox was happy with her, then again she'd never seen a time when he wasn't happy with her; even she noticed the way he looked at her, not that her fondness for Katt's way of life was making this any easier on him. She admitted to herself that she did care about him, she simply wasn't so sure that admitting that out in the open at this present time was not the best of ideas; Falco already seemed to have his complaints. She wondered why it was the avian was so afraid of Fox finding a female that he could possibly have a relationship with…maybe he was simply afraid of Fox forgetting about him. She'd been inside his head; hell she'd been inside of the minds of everyone on the team at some point when they had first met, it wasn't that she didn't trust them even at first, it was simply a way of knowing them better, a Cerinian thing that most Lylatians would not fully understand. Fox had known somehow right away that she was probing his thoughts they day she first came aboard the Great Fox, and he was fast to let her know that, not only was it disrespectful, that if she ever wanted to know anything she only had to ask. However, when she was inside Falco's mind she realized right away that it was a fractured mind, scared and torn by constant heartache and broken promises…despite his constant façade of the tough, hardened, mercenary…was the injured mind and heart of a small child who's entire life had done little less that drive him mad. She did not wonder why he had gone on for hours the night after he'd seen the two together at a diner; even though there was nothing between herself and Fox, Falco was petrified of the very thought……not of Fox being happy, but, of him being left alone without the only family he knew, the team. It was as she and Fox sat down to a small breakfast that she realized why it was Fox would think the way he did about Falco, though it was simply a façade it was not by any means a small one; he played the part quite well, even enough to nearly fool a telepath…but, Krystal was experienced in these matters, her powers stretched a bit further than simple telepathy. A moderate portion of her psionic abilities were based around Empathy, or an ability to feel and sense people's emotions, an ability she wasn't always happy to have. Krystal wanted to say something to him, she could tell that he was depressed; Fox had shouted some things at Falco the other night she was certain he wished he hadn't…but, it was already said…

"I…I think you and Falco really care about each other…" She suddenly said.

Fox suddenly lurched his head forward patting his fist against his chest before finally looking to her, "Where the hell did that come from?"

"Just pointing out the obvious, love." The blue furred vixen chuckled, "I've been with this team for a time now, it really isn't that hard to see that you are beating yourself up over what you said last night."

Fox stood up with a sigh as he took his fresh cup of coffee with him over to a window that overlooked the lake around the small island the tower rested on. He sighed again before looking back to her, "He and Slip were there when my mom died." Fox said, "Literally……we were so close when dad's car exploded…that Falco lost a few tail feathers." He said looking back out the window, "We found this island back when we were still kids; man you should see Slip swim, makes the rest of us look like rocks in the water. He swam out here. It was like out little spot; we used to race across the lake to get here…dad always laughed about it, telling me that I was training myself for a military career without even knowing it. I guess I didn't know what he meant back then. Anyhow, we swore when dad died…that we'd put a base here, take up the name Star Fox in his honor…we've been together for a long time, I guess in some way those two are the brothers I never had." He said, "Never got a chance to meet my real brother…"

"You…had a brother?" Krystal asked tilting her head.

Fox sighed, "When the guys at the morgue gave mom her autopsy, they found out she was about a month or so pregnant. I guess she was waiting to tell dad or something. I don't know…would've been nice though…"

"Do you ever talk to them?" The vixen asked, "Your family that is?"

Fox scoffed, "Not that it dose any good."

Krystal sighed, "On Cerinia we had a saying; The departed are never truly dead, not until the living forget them completely. I believe that the ones we love are always listening, especially when you feel you need them to hear you most."

Fox chuckled, "I like that…" He said looking out at Sol raising over the mountains on the horizon, "…your thoughts about death are a lot better than most other peoples'." He sighed as his eyes caught a small vehicle pulling up to the small tower, "Well there they are…lets go help 'em. Can't leave Falco to carry all that ammo by himself can we?"

Krystal sighed, "I guess not." She said, "Let me go put something decent on."

******

Falco, Slippy, and Peppy were all found at the front of the place; unloading several small metal containers that were most often used to carry ammunition for the more archaic weapons used by the team. Fox and Falco didn't say a word to one another…the bird simply passed two of the cases to Fox, who silently hauled them into the base. Krystal wasn't far behind, suddenly hurrying out of the tower, greeting Peppy and patting Slippy on the head before picking up two of the metal cases herself and heading back into the building. She wanted to talk with Falco, but, she felt he wouldn't listen to her even if she did; she could feel that he was still angry with her and Fox, in fact she could almost feel his eyes staring a hole in her back as she walked into the tower. Peppy sighed as he noticed the falcon's childish behavior, and looked to the six story tower of silver and blue. It was a pretty little island, not very massive at all just enough room for the tower, and some extra running room for the group when they decided it was nice enough outside to actually spend the day out…

"You know boy?" The old gray furred hare said stepping around the vehicle, "Just because you chose to live your life as a recluse, don't mean Fox has to go through his life the same way. If you'd get your head outta your ass for five seconds maybe you'd see the fact that he's actually happy for once."

Falco huffed slamming the trunk of the vehicle shut, "I guess we just weren't enough for him then." He snapped stomping his way into the tower.

Peppy looked to Slippy, who carried two of the crates to himself, their size in comparison to the little toad making it seem impossible to do without him falling over, "You need some help there Slip?" The old man asked.

Slippy chuckled setting one down to readjust his cap before picking it back up, "Peppy…you know I'm a lot stronger than I look, I can handle a few ammo crates."

Peppy chuckled to himself, "Yeah…I keep forgetting…probably ma old age catch'n up with me huh?" He said, "Lucy keeps telling me to retire. Maybe she's right."

Slippy sighed looking to the tower, "Peppy…why is Falco being such a dick to Krystal all of a sudden?" He asked, "He didn't have any kind of complaints when she first joined the team."

"It's complicated Slippy…" Peppy replied, "I think at first Falco thought she was just gonna be a member of the team. I don't think he was counting on Fox falling for her. Problem is he did a long time ago."

"Whadda you mean?" Slippy asked innocently.

Peppy laughed out loud, "Forget it kid. For someone that has a masters in quantum mechanics you sure as hell ain't too bright Slippy." Slippy looked up at the hare with a hurt look, "Just a figure of speech Slip…don't take it literally. You'll understand what I'm talking about at some point in your life Slip."

Slippy chuckled as he walked toward the tower, "That's alright Peppy…I like the fact that Fox and Krystal like each other…I just wish they'd do something about it and stop lying to themselves."

As the toad walked into the tower, Peppy stood by; he was a bit stunned, if Fox and Krystal's feelings were so open that Slippy could see it, it really was obvious. The old hare simply stood there; he was certain that at some point Falco would come around, he was thick headed, and a bit dense when it came to the feelings and needs of others but, on some level he wanted Fox to be happy. The senior member of the team looked around, making certain that the vehicle was properly locked down; though it was rare, the occasional vehicle theft wasn't unheard of in the city, though he doubted anyone would steal a car of any kind from the Star Fox team. It was however as he approached the small tower that something hit his vision; out of the corner of his old eye, Peppy noticed a small spot crawl along the side of his face, lowering down to his chest. Though his expression didn't chance when he saw the small red spot lingering over his heart, he simply sighed and closed his eyes…

******

Mere seconds later a loud shot tore through the entire tower; this brought Fox rushing to the door only to cause him to shoot from the door to the gray furred Lapin that lay fade down in the grass near the car. His thoughts and words were all choked, he couldn't say a word, he could only wipe the tears from his eyes as he rolled the old hare over onto his back. The blood was everywhere, the fact that the old man was still breathing slightly was unbelievable, until Fox noticed the wound on the animal's left side; he'd been lung shot, most likely on purpose just so that the animal couldn't call for help as he lay there bleeding to death. The hare's paw shook violently as he reached for Fox, slowly grasping at the blaster the vulpine always had on hand. Fox quickly pulled it out of curiosity, only to have the hare tug the fox's arm toward his head. He was begging for death, there was no way of curing his condition, Fox could either end his suffering or simply let the old man wallow in agony until he finally suffocated on his own blood. As Fox came to his decision placing the barrel of the weapon on the dying animals forehead the old man grunted, forcing a pride filled smile onto his face. Fox couldn't look away, despite how much he wanted to; what needed to be done was clear, as he pressed a small switch activating the weapon with a stream of tears in his eyes…

"I'm so sorry Peppy." He half whispered.

The old man seemed to force it up alone with a mass of blood, but, his words were clear, "Not……your……fault."

Fox slowly closed his eyes, "I love you Peppy." He said, "Say hi to dad for me."

The shot was painless, and to Fox the loudest thing he'd ever heard; the low, dull whirring sound of the weapon's internal plasma coil cooling down from the shot, was like the grinding of Death's bones reaching out for the old man. When he opened his eyes Fox found himself hyperventilating, his entire body trembled, and his blaster suddenly rattled to the grass. He could feel a deathly chill run down his spine, the animal was in his sights, fully healthy just a moment ago. Though there were tears streaming down his face, he wasn't crying, even though he wanted to more than anything in his life. He used the back of his arm to wipe his eyes, eliminating the blur from his vision as the fur soaked up his tears. Suddenly something became apparent at he looked at the scene. Peppy had been walking toward the tower, and yet the aftermath of the round that had hit him was spattered across the grill of the vehicle behind him. A sudden realization struck the vulpine causing his eyes to go wide; as if the next round was already speeding for his head…

"The tower…" He said feeling his trembling suddenly cease, "…it came from the tower. Falco, Slippy, KRYSTAL!!"

The vulpine leaped to attention, rushing toward the tower only to hear a scream; and several gunshots that caused him to freeze in step. The scream, was Krystal, and was silenced. His heart instantly sank…there were three shots. He instantly fell to his knees as the weight of a hopeless situation washed over him. Once again he'd lost a family. A bitter feeling washed over his heart, his expressions went blank, as if emotions simply faded from his all at once. No tears fell, he simply couldn't believe what was happening. A heavy sounding footstep behind him caused the vulpine's ear to twitch, and his paw slowly found it's way to the handle of a large black knife held at his back…

"Not the best idea at the moment." A low toned voice said.

Fox slowly stood up, "You think I care what happens to me now?" He asked in a flat tone, "Your concern should be how long you've got left to live."

"You may actually live to regret attacking us Mister McCloud."

Fox turned to face them, only to see two figures dressed in white outfits; one roughly his size, while the other was massive, taller than Falco and wider than two of Fox. Their faces were covered by a white hood, their gear white, held in place by leather belts that crossed their waist, and chest holding the white tunic like top close to their bodies, leather gloves scaled a short way up their arms. A small flap of the white cloth of the tunic ran under their belts hanging down to their knees, thick leather shin high boots covered their feet. Despite the fact that the shorter of the two held a pistol and had it precisely aimed at Fox's face, the vulpine gritted his teeth, he felt the wet rush of blood run between his knuckles as his grip on his knife tightened until it was beginning to tear at the flesh of his palm. Suddenly in a rush of partial insanity, and desperation to avenge his dead friends; Fox shot out toward the two in a blinding speed. The one holding the pistol fired, causing a small object to lodge itself into the vulpine's shoulder, however the rushing animal slammed into the larger of the two driving the massive animal up off his feet and onto the hood of the vehicle behind him, shattering the glass of the windshield as Fox came down on top of the animal's chest driving his knife down at the large creature's face with both paws. The animal however swiped his head to one side causing the knife to plow into the metal hood of the vehicle. The large assassin reached out taking Fox by the paws and quickly whipped around switching their positions, and reared back a massive fist. However, with a scream of pure rage, Fox shot upright driving his forehead into his attacker's face causing a small eruption of blood to shower his face. The large animal staggered back off the vehicle and onto his feet holding his still hidden face and possibly a broken nose. A very sudden chill crawled down Fox's spine, there was no way he could win this fight, no matter how angry he was, or how bloodthirsty, something about the small dart he quickly tore from his shoulder was making him feel weak. A very mortal realization rushed through his mind all at once and before the two in white could respond, they found themselves in a foot race after the young vulpine. The larger of the two quickly fell behind, but, the other kept up quite well. Fox quickly rushed toward the larger parts of the city, but, something struck a nearby trash can. Suddenly two more of the small darts struck him in the back causing him to stumble into a nearby alleyway. His footing felt strange as he tripped falling into a puddle of disgusting smelling water. He slowly began to crawl as he found that he could no longer get back to his feet. As the shorter assassin stepped near him, Fox could hear the animal huffing and wheezing before a foot forced him over onto his back…

"You're not an easy man to take in alive…" The animal said, "It takes a lot of adrenalin to fight off that much tranquilizer. Too bad for you…it'd be best for you if you just stayed asleep."

Fox could do nothing but lay there as his vision faded, his last thoughts of what had happened today, in a matter of moments his entire world was completely ruined. As he sat by, he slowly hoped he'd never wake up…

******

In a far off place where the darkness gathers, several animals stand in a dark room…

"I told you that we'd get this done didn't I?" One said.

"Yes you did." Another said, "And I digress that I underestimated the notion…but, you also did not finish the job. The female was never found was she?"

The first voice sighed angrily, "It is not our fault that your fall through man couldn't handle a simple female."

"Hey! Back the fuck off Furball!" A third voice shouted, "You know as well as I do that she's no ordinary female. She ran, took a docked Arwing."

"Why?"

The third voice scoffed, "Think about it. She's got nowhere to go…and she's new to the Star Fox team. They'd be quicker to blame this all on her than anyone else, the media is already keeping an eye on her."

"Hmm…That's true."

"And even so…who cares?" The third voice said, "We've got McCloud now…he's on his way here."

The second animal sighed in thought, "Speaking of which…what do we do with the scapegoats now that they're pretty much useless?"

"Get rid of them…as soon as they hand over McCloud."