11: 36 P.M.
"Get me another Scotch," Wolf demanded. He was sitting in the Smash Mansion's Bar, accompanied by Meta Knight. They usually spent their days in the bar, trying to drink away their sadness. Speaking of Meta Knight, the small knight was watching the newcomers that had come down to party in the bar, a Scotch of his own in one hand. The bartender slid down another beverage for Wolf, who took a big glug, sighing when he finished. He turned to watch the newcomers as well. Waluigi and Shadow Mario were shouting out random gibberish while showing signs that they were going to fall over. Big Boss, who was next to the two drunks, looked at the two with annoyance, but kept focus on whatever he was doing there. Ridley, Samurai Goroh, Mallow, and Geno were passed out on the floor with several bottles of beer around them. Closeby, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Mewtwo, Dixie, Funky, Birdo, Dr. Mario, Midna, and Roy were merely cheering out in celebration, telling tales of back at their homes, and how their family and friends took the news. The happiness in the bar ticked off Wolf and Meta Knight.
"How can they celebrate at a time like this?" Wolf shook his head, growling lowly. Meta Knight took a swig of his drink, and sighed.
"They don't know," Meta Knight calmly replied. The two sat for a few minutes, watching the party. Eventually, Meta Knight slammed down his glass, and let out a loud burp.
"I can't take this. I'm outta here Wolf," the knight hissed, walking out of the bar with some difficulty. Wolf watched him go, and let out a small hiccup, almost falling out of his seat. When he regained his composure, Wolf looked up, and saw Krystal sitting alone at a table. Wolf narrowed his eyes, and wondered why the vixin wasn't partying with the others. Letting his curiousity get the better of him, Wolf walked over to the table.
When he came close, he tapped on Krystal's shoulder. Krystal jumped, and looked up, relaxing when she saw Wolf.
"It's just you," she sighed, chuckling lightheartedly. Wolf got straight to the point with her.
"How come you're not partying with the other noobies?" Wolf asked, slipping into the chair across from Krystal. Krystal sighed, and looked down. She looked hard at Wolf, revealing small tears.
"How can anyone party when you know that your friends and loved ones are dead?" Krystal asked the wolf. Wolf sighed, and took a sip of his drink.
"That's what I'm wondering with these guys," Wolf answered, glaring in the newcomers' general direction. Krystal let a tear roll down her cheek.
"I can't believe that Fox is... gone," she sighed, shaking a little. Wolf stared back at the vixin.
"What about all those relationship problems with you two? Believe me, I could care less, but that's just... I can't even think of the word for it," Wolf added, showing a look of confusion. Krystal stared back at Wolf.
"I know that we had all that, but... we still cared about each other. Besides, we settled down with a kid, didn't we?" Krystal retaliated. Wolf let a strange look cross his face.
"Remember, none of those endings were cannon?" Wolf reminded her. Krystal smirked.
"Just because they weren't cannon, doesn't mean that EVERYTHING never happened," Krystal hinted, winking. Wolf blinked a couple times, before smirking himself.
"Thanks for sharing. Now then, that image is stuck inside my head," Wolf joked, finishing off his drink, and carelessly tossing the glass onto the floor, where it shattered into pieces. Krystal watched the glass break, and scowled at Wolf.
"Hey, don't litter!" she scolded, making Wolf raise an eyebrow.
"Why are you telling ME what to do?" Wolf shot back. Krystal let her face relax, and looked down.
"Sorry, I don't know what came over me..." Krystal mumbled. Wolf felt a strange pinge in his heart, like guilt. But, why should he feel guilty? Here was Fox's... lover. If anything, he should dispise her just as much as he did Fox. Dismissing the confusion, Wolf decided to change the subject.
"So, you... also depressed he's gone?" Wolf inquired, immediately being confused at his own words. Did he just admit that he was depressed that Fox was gone? Wolf didn't have time to think about it, as Krystal reenforced his thoughts.
"Yeah... Wait, are you saying you miss Fox too?" Krystal suddenly asked. Wolf tapped his claws on the table, and let his eyes slide back to face the newcomers again. Krystal smiled, seeing that she was right.
"You DO miss him!" Krystal blurted out, teasing the wolf. Wolf stared down Krystal, and spoke confidentely.
"It's only because I wanted to be the one to kill him, not Slash," Wolf retaliated. Krystal chuckled.
"Yeah, that excuse has been LONG gone, especially after Assault. Everyone knows you secretly respected Fox," Krystal continued teasing Wolf. Wolf sighed, and let his head droop. Krystal stopped smiling, and stared at Wolf, not sure what to do.
"Is there something wrong? Was it something I said? If it was then-" Krystal began.
"No, it's not you. Listen, I just... it's not... I don't know," Wolf interuppted, struggling with his words. Krystal nodded her head, and stared at Wolf. Wolf took a big sigh, and stared back at the vixin.
"Let me tell you something I've never told anyone else," Wolf suddenly burst out. Krystal was taken aback by Wolf's sudden action of opening up to her. But, she merely nodded, and prepared to listen.
"I met Fox one day when I was living on the streets. After yelling at him for not looking where he was going and a buncha other crap, we got into a small fight that his dad broke up. Then, you know what he did? He offered me to stay at their house for dinner. I accepted, and stayed. I opened up to that man, while obviously picking on his son right in front of him. But, the guy didn't do much to stop me, just telling me to stop, nothing else. When we were sleeping in the same room, Fox and I got into another fight. But, this one was worse. It got pretty personal between us. Pretty soon, I was beating Fox until he started to bleed. By then, his dad walked in on us, and saw the mess. Now, he was pretty pissed off at me for what I did to his son, but I never thought that man would go so far. He beat the hell outta me, even clawing out my eye, as you can see. Then, he tossed me back out onto the streets, where I wandered helpless and alone, with one eye. Now, anyone would think that this meant that we would forever hate one another, but then something happened," Wolf continued in his tale. Krystal was listening attentively, interested in Wolf's story. Wolf cleared his throat and continued.
"Anyway, I found refuge in a box, and shivered from cold, pain, and sadness. After losing an eye, I feared to go back out into the world. And just when I was going to start crying from the pain, someone appeared. Honestly, it was the last person I would expect, and with good reason. It was... Fox. He was cleaned up from the bloody fight. Then, you know what he did next? He handed me an eyepatch, and told me to wear it to conceal my missing eye. Then, he offered me some food he brought over from his place. I took it, as I was hungry again. While we ate, I told him about my life, and he told me about his. To tell you the truth, it was like... talking to a true friend. But, when it was almost dawn, he had to leave. But, before he did, he promised to help me at any chance he could get. I looked forward to it, when many things happened that completely changed everything. The Star Fox at the time was sent to Venom, and I was captured by two men. The two men were Leon Powalski and Andrew Oikonny, who trained me to fly, and convinced me to create Star Wolf. They made me forget all about Fox, and focused on my hatred for James, who I thought I would be fighting. Andross let me do just that, as that hare told Fox when he escaped. Now, I was convinced that Fox would hate my guts, and Andross wanted me to kill him, in addition to his friends. I knew I couldn't do that to him, so I never went full force with my piloting skills until we had joined up to fight the Aparoids. Ever since, I've been trying to steer away from that, and focus on going back to like the time we stayed up in the night, eating cookies and telling stories, but that chance is gone... for good," Wolf finished off, feeling tears rise up in his real eye. Krystal felt sorry for the wolf, who she normally would try to shoot down. But, with this new little information from his childhood, she felt pity towards him.
"Oh, Wolf," Krystal stuttered, walking over and hugging him. Luckily for them, the newcomers had finished their party, and had left to go to sleep, save the ones that had already passed out. Wolf stood up, and slowly let tears run down his face as Krystal hugged him. Normally, Wolf would be disgusted and against the gesture, but he let Krystal hug him. Krystal slowly shook him from side-to-side, and began to gently stroke Wolf's fur.
After a few minutes, Krystal let go of Wolf, but let her arm go around his shoulder.
"How about I take you back to your room?" Krystal offered in a soothing voice, watching him stare down at the ground. Wolf sniffed, and nodded, letting Krystal lead him back to his room. No one was wandering the halls at this hour, leaving the mansion in an eerie silence. The only sounds were those of Wolf and Krystal's footsteps as they walked. The walk was short, and Krystal led Wolf into his room. Off in the corner was a set up for a workout type area, with weights, a jump rope, and a punching bag. Off in another corner was a place where there were signs that it was a scratch post. In the center was a bed, the covers decorated with wolves and the full moon on it. Wolf climbed into his bed, sitting on the bed with his head still low. Krystal thought about just saying good night and leaving Wolf to sleep, but something inside her made her stay to comfort him. Krystal took a seat next to Wolf, staring at him with concern. Wolf looked back up at her.
"You know, you should probably get some rest," Wolf suggested.
"But I'm worried about you," Krystal explained, not even noticing that she had placed her hand on Wolf's (well, paw, but you get the idea). Wolf didn't say anything, but he felt his heart skip a few beats when Krystal said that. He hadn't heard anyone say that since he was a pup, when his mother was still barely alive. Wolf smiled, and continued to stare into Krystal's enchanting eyes. Wolf wasn't sure why, but, he suddenly felt the urge to... kiss Krystal. Not thinking as he usually did before acting, Wolf began to lean towards Krystal, who just let a look of shock cross her face. Their lips met, and Krystal was confused on what to do. But, she soon let herself go, closing her eyes and kissing Wolf back. Her arms slid up around Wolf's neck, while Wolf's wrapped around Krystal's hips. The two kissed for a long time, enjoying it as it lasted. Soon, they found themselves rolled over, with Krystal resting on top of Wolf. The two had only removed their boots in their shift, and their lips remained locked together. Neither of them noticed that a certain blue fox had wandered into the room, and saw the two lying on the bed, kissing each other. Marcus was confused. Why was his mother kissing one of their enemies? It didn't make any sense at all, and it gave Marcus a headache thinking about it. Eventually, he just headed off back to his room, deciding to go back to sleep, and ask his mom about it in the morning. The two lovebirds just continued to make out on the bed, until they soon fell asleep, at which point Krystal rolled off of Wolf, and slept next to him. She still kept her arms around the wolf, however, as it gave her comfort.
8: 24 A.M.
At this time of day, most of the Smashers would start to wake up. Of course, not everyone is a morning person. Wolf was one of those people. When he woke up, he also woke up Krystal next to him, who had her arms wrapped around him the entire night. Naturally, he yelped in surprise when he saw her, and Krystal did the same. Both of them literally jumped out of bed, quickly checking to see if their clothes were still on. They sighed with relief when that was true.
"Good morning," Wolf blurted out, smiling at Krystal, if a little awkwardly at that.
"Good morning Wolf," Krystal returned, feeling a little more calmed down from her morning scare. The two gave one another a quick kiss, and headed down to get some breakfast. As they were heading down the hall, Krystal stopped.
"Oh wait! I promised Marcus that I would take him down and eat breakfast with him," Krystal remembered. Wolf stared at Krystal.
"Maybe we could all eat together," Wolf suggested. Krystal stared at Wolf with a confused look on her face.
"Marcus already knows about the rivalry with you and his dad. I'm not sure that's a good idea," Krystal informed him. Wolf blinked, and stepped towards Krystal.
"Oh come on. I'm sure I could convince him that I'm not all that bad. And if not, I'll find some way," Wolf promised. Krystal sighed, and smiled at Wolf.
"You just don't give up, do you?" Krystal asked. Wolf returned the smile.
"Nah, stubborn as a mule," Wolf replied, referring to himself. Krystal chuckled, and shook her head.
"Okay, I guess we'll try it," Krystal gave up, turning back to face Wolf. Wolf nodded, and Krystal headed off to wake up her son. Wolf, on the other hand, headed down for the dining room to get a place to sit.
--
Meanwhile...
"What? But, why, brother?" Crazy Hand exclaimed, shocked that his twin, although more calm, brother hand had suggested such a crazy idea.
"They really need it Crazy; you've seen them all week," Master Hand retaliated, staring out his office window. Crazy Hand just floated in place, not being able to stand still, due to a... birth defect, I guess? Crazy floated over to Master, floating next to him, shaking his head... or the closest thing to it.
"But, you can't do that to them," Crazy tried to fight back, protecting the Smashers for a change. Master faced Crazy, worry written across his face... you get the idea.
"Look, I don't want to this either Crazy, but I have to. I'm their boss/ owner. It's my job to make sure they enjoy themselves in the time they are here," Master explained to Crazy, turning back to look out the window as he finished. Crazy floated closer to his brother.
"I know that you want to help them, but... therapy? I'm... not sure that's the right way to go brother," Crazy spoke, being in one of his smart moods for once. Master sighed, and settled into his desk chair. Crazy took the seat across from him. Master looked hard at his twin brother glove.
"It's for the best Crazy. Besides, it's already set up," Master informed him. Crazy sighed, and floated out of the chair, heading for the door to his room. Just before the door, he faced Master again.
"So, I guess I can't stop you then?" Crazy questioned. Master nodded, and Crazy headed into his room, shutting the door behind him, leaving Master in silence. After a couple minutes, Master activated the announcer used to inform the Smashers of various things.
"Attention please. Would Mario, Luigi, Peach, Link, Toon Link, Samus, Pit, Meta Knight, Wolf, Ness, Lucas, and Slash report to my office after breakfast? That is all, thank you..." With that, Master Hand waited for the Smashers to report to his office, planning out what he was going to say.
--
Back down at breakfast...
Mario, Luigi, and Peach were the first ones done eating, so they had already headed up to Master Hand's office. Toon Link, Ness, and Lucas, who usually ate quickly so that they could play, soon followed after the three residents of the Mushroom Kingdom. Meta Knight had never even come down to breakfast, so it was assumed that he had headed to Master Hand's office at the sound of the announcement. However, the other five that had been called up, were still eating. Wolf, Krystal, and Marcus were enjoying their own breakfast in an awkward silence, while Slash, Samus, Pit, and Link were seated at their own table. Slash and Samus kept exchanging glances, at which point they immediately looked back to their food. When Slash wasn't peeking over at Samus, it was glances from Pit, leaving him very comfortable. Link, on the other hand, was oblivious to these events, including the fact that the other three also shot an occasional glance in his direction. At the Star Fox table, Wolf and Marcus also exchanged glances. Wolf tried smiling at the boy, but he kept ignoring the wolf. Krystal just shrugged when Wolf looked at her. It was a very quiet, and strange breakfast for both groups. However, someone soon broke the silence.
"So, you're Marcus, huh?" Wolf asked, trying to start up a conversation with Fox's offspring. Marcus just stared at Wolf with blank eyes, but Wolf sensed hate behind those large eyes.
"Why did you kill my grampa?" Marcus asked bluntly, causing Krystal to glare at her son.
"Marcus, don't be rude!" she scolded. Wolf held up his paw, giving Krystal a confused look.
"No, the kid deserves an answer, and I'll give him one," Wolf promised. At those words, Wolf explained the same story he had to Krystal last night, while Marcus listened in wonder. When Wolf finished, Marcus blinked a couple times.
"Wait, so you only hated my grampa, not my dad?" Marcus asked, slightly confused. Wolf took another bite of his pancake and nodded.
"Yep, your grampa seemed nice at first, but he's what made me have to get this robotic eye implant. But, I always tried to get back to being friends with your dad," Wolf elaborated. Marcus settled down in his seat.
"And all this time, Dad hated you for killing you his father, it was because of what he did to you... wow, that's amazing," Marcus commented. Wolf nodded, finishing off his last pancake and downing the last of his orange juice, sighing as he set the empty glass back on the wooden table. Wolf then stood up.
"Now then," Wolf began, grabbing Krystal and Marcus's attention.
"I have to head up to Master Hand's office, but I think we should spend more time together when we have some time. I can help you get used to this place," Wolf promised. Krystal nodded.
"That sounds like a good idea. What do you think Marcus?" she asked, looking over at her son. Marcus nodded.
"Sure, sounds like a good time. And, it'll be like hanging out with Fox," Marcus added, making Wolf suddenly stop and look at Marcus. Wolf felt his heart stop when Marcus said that, but he shook it off, and headed off for Master Hand's office.
During this whole ordeal, Pit had tried to start up a conversation to stop the awkwardness of the moment. "So, why do you guys think Master Hand called us up to his office?" he questioned his fellow eating Smashers. Link didn't answer, as he was focused on eating his waffles in peace. Slash took a drink of his water before he answered.
"Isn't it obvious? It's about the... mansion stuff," Slash mumbled, staring at Link as he said it. Samus and Pit looked at the Hero of Time as well with concern. Link just took another bite of his waffle in silence.
"Still, what is there to talk about that won't affect certain people, like Link here. If anything, he got it the worst," Samus added, staring worryingly at him. Link looked up at this, and swallowed what he was chewing, a tear rolling down his cheek. He pushed his plate forward, standing up.
"You know what? Suddenly, I'm not hungry anymore. I'm heading up to Master Hand's office," Link announced in a breaking voice, leaving the eating area. The three Smashers watched him go, feeling sorry for the elf. Slash continued eating his scrambled eggs with a side of crunchy French toast, while Samus was eating some Cheerios. Pit himself was enjoying a couple blueberry muffins. Each of them also drank some ice cold water with their food. They each finished within a couple minutes, and left their empty plates to the workers as they headed up to Master Hand's office as the last ones. The walk didn't take long, and they entered the familiar place.
The others were already seated, waiting to see why Master Hand had called them up. The comfortable couch was filled by a couple Smashers, while most of the chairs were also taken. Pit and Samus took the last two chairs, forcing Slash to stand. Master Hand counted out the twelve Smashers from his desk, nodding when he successfully counted out twelve.
"Okay, I know each of you are wondering why you're here," Master Hand began, getting nods from a couple Smashers. Master Hand came out from behind his desk, and now floated a couple feet away from them.
"Well, after the... events at that mansion last week, anyone can tell that you guys are depressed. As a result, I've signed each of you up to therapy," Master Hand explained, getting a couple shocked looks from the Smashers.
"Therapy?" Wolf shouted, standing up in his seat.
"Down boy," Master Hand lightly joked, watching Wolf obey his command. Master Hand cleared his throat.
"Now, I'm sure some of you are reluctant to trying therapy, but I believe it will help you guys out," Master Hand assured them. At this, the Smashers sighed and looked down. Master Hand was just trying to help them out, so they may as well try it out. They turned their attention back to him.
"Okay, we'll do it," Meta Knight agreed. Master Hand nodded.
"Good. It will begin in an hour. Report up here in an hour, and yes, all of you. You'll be taken one at a time for as long as the therapist believes. If need be, we'll go into days, weeks, months, it's all worth it," Master Hand told them. The Smashers nodded, secretly surprised by Master Hand's determination with this therapy idea.
"Well, you're dismissed for now," Master Hand sent them off. The Smashers filed out the door, ready to return in an hour.