[Author's note: Usually, I'm pretty against the whole "author's note" ordeal, but I digress; I feel as if this one might need some clarification. First, I'd like to mention the age differences between Crash and Coco in this story. Seeing as their official ages are non existing, I decided to do like a large majority of fan fiction writers and use my imagination to fill in the gap (that, and I have them as so many different ages in my stories, I like to be clear. Once more, I digress) Crash is roughly 18-19 years of age, where as Coco is 15-16.

Second, I would like to mention that I refuse to acknowledge how weak Dr. Cortex has become over the recent years... So, the way in which I wrote about him is a reflection of his old self- post PS2 and beyond, to say. Sarcastic, witty, and mocking... Just the way I like my Cortex. That, and I despise next-gen Crash.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Protector
A story by Kimberly C.

It hadn't took long, but Coco had concurred that death itself would have been much more bearable than what had taken place only moments before. Cradling her legs against her chest, she did the only thing her body would allow her to do: Cry. The tears fell freely from her emerald eyes, but she paid no heed to them, instead, her mind rushed in an almost supersonic speed. It was almost unbelievable how Cortex had swept his hand over the island, sending his blood-thirsty minions in flocks upon every living being, and as if a twisted deity bent on vengeance, all had fallen before him.

That is, all but her and her brother.

But even then, things only looked more bleak by each passing second. Coco placed her forehead atop her kneecaps, uttering a burdened sigh when she thought about the outcome of her only blood kin left. It seemed as if Crash had been gone for hours, even if had only been mere minutes, leaving her in this desolate building in which they had called home beforehand.

"Home." The word fell haphazardly from her lips, sour as the expression on her face. It had been hers and Crash's haven days before, the closest thing to perfection in her life; her brother, eldest of the two, was a true hero to not only the world, but especially to her. He had watched over her when Cortex had brutally killed their parents, sacrificing his own safety countless times just to assure her protection. This house, the roof that hung over her head, was the holder of her greatest memories, all alongside Crash.

Coco brought her palm to her cheek, roughly wiping away the aqua droplets that continued to fall. Visions of her brother rushing to the door at the sounds of war returned to her, the panicked wrinkle in his nose as his eyes viewed the destruction caused by the minions. He had slammed the door, his back heavily against it as she asked in fear, "What's happening?"

It was then that he stepped away from the door, quickly cut the distance in which stood between them, and took her by the hand. She had yelped in surprise, only to have another barrage of shots sound outside their door that enveloped her scream that soon followed. Both bandicoots ran as fast as their feet would carry them, up the single flight of stairs within their home, until they stopped before the girl's room. "Crash, what are you doing?"

But her brother only opened the bedroom door, gently pushing her in before replying, "Whatever happens, Coco, don't open this door."

"But, big brother-"

"Please!" His voice had been shrill, but only because of the panic that arose in his throat as he drew her into a hug. "Cortex's armies are pretty much right outside our home, and the island's in ruins. Sis, I'm begging of you, please don't leave this room, and don't look out the window."

And that's what she had been doing since; her back ached from the awkward position she had forced herself into, but it proved to be nothing compared to the beating of her own heart. The skies outside had turned dark, leaving her within the abyss of her room as she cried once more. "This is not fair."

But she suddenly stopped, the only thing audible was her own heart and the frantic footsteps heading her way. Coco frantically scrambled for shelter, barely pulling all of herself under her bed as an explosion, followed by a lone figure broke through the wooden frame that once was her door. She stifled a gasp as it tumbled to a halt, its face only inches away from her as the body lay motionless on the floor. The man stayed in such a state for only a second before she began pulling at him, forcing his larger frame under the bed alongside her as she whispered, "Big brother, are you ok?!"

Crash sucked this breath between his teeth, a throbbing ache settling into his chest before stammering, "I-I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." And with that, he flashed her a small grin, one that eased her troubled mind. How he was able to do so, even through the bleakest of moments only proved to Coco once more that there was nothing like her brother. She burrowed herself under his arm, a slight comfort creeping into her veins as she sobbed, "You had no idea just how worried I was about you."

"Likewise." She felt her brother shift, drawing her closer as an unsteady tone fell into his voice, "But it's not over, Coco. Far from it, to be honest." Silence overcame the room once more before he whispered, "They're in our home, looking for us as we speak."

Crash's words barely had time to sink in as a herd of minions, as well as their boss himself, stood before the gaping hole within the wood. "Well, what do we have here?" There was no doubt in either sibling's mind that had been Cortex's arrogant voice, and Coco suddenly felt Crash's arm protectively puller her even closer. The look upon her brother's face was dark, a snarl that she knew would be deadly if looks could kill on their own. They shuffled through the room, the sound of breaking furniture and dissatisfied grunts echoing through the air for what seemed as if forever, before they started on their departure.

One minion, who had stationed himself next to the bed, turned to leave, his combat boot scraping the side of Coco's shoulder as he did so and ultimately causing him to stop. Both bandicoots' eyes grew wide as he huffed in curiosity, "About-face, men." And as if it had been one swift movement, the minion reached under the bed, taking Coco roughly by the arm, and fished her (as well as Crash, who had refused to let go of his sister) into the open.

There was an almost demonic smirk upon Dr. Neo Cortex's face as he strutted his way up to the two, snapping his fingers as two large dingoes came to each of the bandicoots' sides to restrain them. "Ah, Crash Bandicoot… And his lovely kid-sister, Coco. So nice of you to drop in."

Crash's snarl curled his face further, his voice bitter as he spat, "You just killed a bunch of innocent bystanders! Why are you even doing this?!" With that, the scientist stepped forward, a calm demeanor washing over him and his reply, "Easy, m'boy. They got in the way; besides, I spared them the trouble of suffering a much harsher death in my chambers." A gloved hand quickly seized the boy's face, pulling him forward to lock dark green orbs with crimson. "And you can't do anything to stop it, Crash Bandicoot."

Coco lurched forward in a vain attempt to break from her caper's grasps, a bewildered cry escaping her voice as she was pulled back, "No! Y-you're a monster!"

Her tears were blinding her once again, something in which Cortex quickly noticed; "My child, there's no reason to cry." His remark was sickly sarcastic as he snapped his hand away from her brother's features and came towards her. Then he pressed a finger against her cheek, and mockingly wiped the droplet from her eye, "You'll be seeing them again soon enough-"

"Get your hands off of my sister!" Crash now thrashed wildly against the much larger dingo, a fiery hate burning in his eyes that made even the smaller scientist step back for a moment.

His battle, however, proved to be just as effect as his younger sibling's before, which caused an irate growl to sound from the marsupial. With a small chuckle, Cortex flashed a devil's grin towards the siblings, "But of course… I've got big plans for you two anyway."

The protest from both Crash and Coco had been futile, as the two guards easily lead them outside of their once-humble abode and into the now barren remains of N. Sanity Island. Before them rested two iron-clad boxes, much larger in size than any other seen amongst the forest before. The smell of fresh dirt filled their nostrils, and the sight of two new pits within the earth soon greeted them. Coco silently reeled in horror as she realized Cortex's true intentions for both her and her brother.

… But it was Crash who suddenly became aggressive with the idea. "Oh no. No, no, no, no, Cortex!"

He was instead accosted by a victorious grin across the pale man's features, his brows knitted together to make him appear as a demon in the flesh as he roared, "See you in Hell, Crash Bandicoot."

The last thing she heard was Dr. Cortex's evil laughter, her brother's frantic repetition of her name, and the screeching of the metallic lid coming to a close above her that sent her into darkness.

"Big brother!… No, Crash! Please! Don't leave me!"

Coco awoke with a start, but she fearfully kept her eyes shut; the covers around her were smothering as she struggled in vain to free herself from the cotton cocoon, her mind still in constant motion over the world playing in her head. She was dying in that box, that she was sure of, but that had not been the part that frightened her the most. Her brother's cries replayed in her head, ringing in her ears as she abruptly turned to her side and sobbed.

How she would've went to great lengths to rid herself of that horrid nightmare! She curled her knees forward, wrapping her arms against her chest as she whimpered softly, "Big brother…"

"I'm here."

A ping of panic rushed through her chest as she gasped, wide-eyed as she hurled herself forward, coming nose-to-nose with her eldest sibling settled at the foot of her bed. Time fell into a crawl as the two locked eyes, seemingly studying the expressions that covered their faces despite the midnight darkness, before Coco flung herself into his arms. "What's up, kiddo?" His voice was soft as he brought his arms around her small form, evident concern etched into his features that deepened when she gave him no answer. Crash placed his finger against her forehead, pushing aside golden strands of her hair as he somberly met her tear-filled eyes. "Coco, please. Tell me what's wrong, sis."

"Cortex's armies are pretty much right outside our home, and the island's in ruins. Sis, I'm begging of you, please don't leave this room, and don't look out the window." Hearing his pleading voice only reminded her more of earlier, gasping softly as her mind played a sick game of déjà vu against her. She imagined him leaving as he had in her head, embracing her before stepping into the enemy's arms…

But she bit back the troubling thoughts, allowing herself to calm, if only for a moment, in Crash's arms before murmuring, "Bad dream, that's all."

Coco had hoped that her brother would let that be the end of it, but the curiosity in his eyes said else wise. "But, you said something about me not leaving you… Was it that bad?"

"You have no idea." Quickly, she wished she had held back on her remark; new concern had made its way onto his face as she instantly pulled away. "But please don't worry about it, big brother."

Crash had a way about him that not even Coco could understand. A majority of things didn't bother him, things that would send herself, or the larger portion of the world into a state of frenzy; yet he was getting worked up by a simple dream, a philosophical phenomenon that could not hurt its beholder with physical force. It was something in which she saw in retrospect as comical, but for the moment, it was awing.

The look of uncertainty sent her way by fiery-haired bandicoot forced the young girl to sigh, a slight tremble in both her hands and lips as she skeptically recited the horrific novel written by her subconscious. Despite her greatest attempts, small tears had formed in the corners of her eyes at the end of her oration.

Tears in which Crash hastily wiped away, a small, but genuine smile gracing his lips as he cooed, "Coco, you know you have nothing to worry about, right?"

Of course it was childish of her to fall prey to her imagination as she had, but even she wasn't responsible for her wandering thoughts. Coco lowered her gaze, her own inquisitiveness overcoming her as she whispered, "What do you mean?"

At this, he chuckled; Crash was surprised at the naivety she was displaying, especially when her own intellect in which she was infamous for was seen in perception. It was moments such as this in which her true age became ever-more apparent to him, and he grinned towards her once more. "You're never going to be alone in this life, okay? I'll always be here for you, no matter what happens, I promise."

And with her brother's assurance, Coco felt her own mouth curve into a small grin.