A Journey Apart

by Fox MC

When the tears fade, all that remains is pain. And the only thing more daunting than this very pain, is the process of overcoming it alone, without her by his side.

2. A Feline's Promise

Chapter 2: A Feline's Promise

No matter where he looked, no matter where he turned, all that could be seen was an endless plain of hazy blue. But this familiar unending blue was nowhere near the front of his mind. The only thing he was concerned with was finding her, somewhere within the haze. He would run one direction, his gait forced and awkward looking. He was tired, his legs about to give out. He had been running for hours without end, each of his searches ending in the same failure. And he knew that it would stay that way no matter how hard he looked, but it didn't seem to matter. He was never going to give up the search, because doing so would be giving up on her. It would mean that he truly had forgotten just how much she had meant to him, and it was for this reason that he continued running, never even stopping to take a breath of air.

Suddenly, almost as if out of nowhere, there came an unexpected voice, one that spoke out to him with a calm tone, "Hey Fox, it's been a while, huh?"

It was at this point that the vulpine stopped running, allowing himself to get a few good breaths in as his head swiveled rapidly in an attempt to locate the source of this voice. It was several seconds after this initial intrusion into the silence this blue shrouded realm contained before the voice echoed past him once again, "Hey, look behind you Fox, I'm right here."

Immediately after hearing this, the slightly confused vulpine turned to face the opposite direction, and much to his disbelief, he could see a figure approaching him from the distance. He squinted hard in an attempt to find who it was, but this misty blue that shrouded this place prevented him from doing so. Because of this, he took a few short steps closer in hopes that he may identify this new figure in the distance. As soon as he did so however, the figure that stood in the distance spoke in a the same, slightly calming voice, "Hang on a sec Fox, you're not going anywhere. I'll come to you, alright? Just wait a minute and I'll be right there."

He did so, but having been running for so long to find her, he quickly found that he was not in the mood to wait. He looked over towards the shrouded figure and called out in a weak voice, "Are you…the one I've been looking for? You sound so familiar but…you, are you the same animal?"

The figure that stood in the distance wasted no time in replying, "Don't worry about that, just give me some time and you'll figure it out."

This was not the answer this now greatly aggravated vulpine wanted to hear. He shook his head quickly in rebuttal, commenting in a voice that still seemed to be under control, "You don't understand…if that really is you, I want to see you…right now. I've been waiting so long…" At these words, the confused vulpine broke out into a gradual sprint, speaking in a tired voice as he did so, "I don't want to wait anymore. I want to see you again…and I…"

Before the vulpine could finish his statement, he suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye that a second figure had abruptly appeared off in the distance. Like the first figure, its image was blurry, once again leaving Fox with no idea of who it might be. But these thoughts were quickly forgotten as this newly appeared figure began to charge in a rapid motion towards the first, as if he intended to attack. Immediately upon seeing this, the vulpine attempted to yell out in a desperate voice to warn the one he had previously been speaking to, but to his great surprise, no matter how loud or how many times he attempted to shout out his warnings, the words would not come out. This sudden aberration caused instant panic within the vulpine, forcing him to watch with open eyes as the second figure quickly overtook the first, and with nothing more than a horrified scream, the attacked figure fell hard to the ground, it's now generously flowing blood being the only break in the eternal wash of blue.

The vulpine instantly froze in place, his eyes wide with shock as he absorbed all that had just happened among this blue haze. It was just like before, just like when Scales had fought her on that day. The day that had been so fresh in his mind for so long. Before the vulpine had time to react, this new figure began to emit an enormous, booming laughter. A malevolent laughter so dauntingly familiar, that it instantly sent chills of absolute terror throughout his body. This familiar chortle lasted for only a short time, which was followed by this figure quickly making its way towards the stunned vulpine, speaking out to him in a voice that he had never wanted to hear again.

"You're next, Fox McCloud. And this time, you won't be able to return from this place. I will personally make sure of that, my friend."

The vulpine's eyes closed hard, which in doing so prevented him from seeing what was about to happen. All that he could see now were the memories from that mission, one that ultimately had caused his death because of a similar predicament. And just like before, he could do nothing more than wait for death to overtake him. He could hear the figure approaching fast, its silent footsteps pounding furiously against the nothingness that sat below them. This sound repeated for only a few seconds, ending only as the figure prepared to impart the finishing blow to this feeble, broken vulpine.

Suddenly, just as this was about to occur, a loud bell rang out across the empty blue plains, which somehow caused this unknown creature to freeze in its place, which it did so with a scream of what sounded like sheer pain. This melodic bell rang several times, each chime being spaced out by a matter of seconds, causing a strange sounding break among the silence of that desolate place. It was after the echo of this strangely peaceful bell slowly faded into the distance that the vulpine noticed something else. Not only had the bell stopped, but the screams of his attacker had stopped as well, leading the vulpine to believe that it how somehow left him. But before he could even attempt to open his eyes to see for himself, another familiar voice echoed above him, one that he had not heard since that day almost an entire year ago.

Fox…Xantia, there you will begin to understand. Go now, you have no time to waste. She, as well as the entire galaxy, is waiting my son. Don't let either of them down…

Immediately upon hearing this voice, the vulpine matched it with its source, and with sudden yet subtle eagerness, he opened his eyes and said in a tone that matched his expression, "Mother…?"

His own voice seemed to startle him, but that was not the only thing that had done so at that moment. As he opened his eyes, he quickly found that he was no longer surrounded by that endless flow of blue, but rather found himself in a much more familiar environment. He hesitated for a moment, quickly realizing that he was back in his own room, which was now fully illuminated by merit of the morning Cornerian sun. The vulpine took a deep breath and quietly brushed aside the small amount of moisture that had accumulated on his face as a result of his perturbing dream. His hand hesitated atop his furry head as he thought back to what he had just seen, what he had just heard.

Why can't you all just leave me alone? I don't want to hear those voices…or see that place ever again. She's…gone, and I'll never see her again. If I go out and try to fix everything, I'll probably just screw it up again, and if someone's gonna cause the destruction of the galaxy or something weird like that, it's not gonna be me. It's someone else's problem, and I really don't want any part of it. This is all I have to look forward to, and I've accepted it. So just…leave me alone, please…

The pensive vulpine was abruptly cut of at this point in his thoughts as a sudden noise broke out from above him, a soft chiming noise that seemed oddly familiar. But to the vulpine, this ringing noise was not the most welcome of things. His doorbell, someone had come to see him. Over the past year, he had learned that opening his door to people was not the best of actions he could take. Often it would be reporters from the Cornerian media trying to interview him, a proposition he had never once accepted. And because of this, there was rarely a time when he would even approach his entryway, but somehow, he felt as if he should answer the door, that this was not merely another futile visit from one of the many media companies that were on Corneria. It was strange, but he felt no need to resist. The vulpine quietly stood from his bed, and with a gait as hesitant as his thoughts at this point, he slowly made his way free from his large bed room and out towards the source of this gently echoing sound.

(Cornerian Highrise)

Through a window that stretched across the entire wall of this large and beautiful room shone the gentle glow of the Cornerian sun, just as it peaked over the crest of the distant mountain ranges. These warm rays slowly filled up this room, gradually illuminating the well-sized space as the sun slowly rose higher and higher, until eventually the room was completely filled with this soothing ray of orange light. Usually, this event would be met with great hesitance by the resident of this extravagant room, but today, it was viewed for what it truly was, a beautiful, natural event that few have truly had the opportunity to appreciate. The young girl's interest in this morning's event quickly faded however as she placed her head in her hands once again. Not doing so out of sorrow, but out of mere contemplation. Today was the day she was going to fulfill her promise to her dear friend, a friend she had not seen for what seemed like far too long. She had gone in and out from this position as her legs hung freely over the edge of her large bed, but now that the sun had fully risen in the Cornerian sky, she finally willed herself free from this head in hand position and dropped her feet the short distance down to the ground, which in doing so inspired a slight sigh from the young girl. It would not be easy, but she had made a promise, one that she intended to keep no matter how much she doubted the effectiveness of her plan. Despite this however, the now standing creature slowly took her first steps away from her bed, her mind filled with mixed thoughts as she did so.

As she walked, her eyes scanned across her large room, hoping that perhaps doing so would distract her, and maybe make her feel more at ease about what she was about to do in the coming hours. She never seemed to get tired of doing this; especially during mornings like this were every object that sat within this large room cast their own, uniquely shaped shadow, ones that seemed to directly contrast the array of colors that accompanied the sunrise. As much as she wanted to enjoy this sight however, the thoughts of that one vulpine still intruded into her mind. No matter how long a time it had been since their team had parted ways, the memories of him, as well as all of his seemingly flawless attributes, were still fresh. He was a great leader, always putting his team's safety before his own. Not only was he brave, but he was so kind, and caring. Even though he was the most famous name in all of Lylat, he was never throwing it in people's faces, but merely kept it to himself, something that she had never seen in an animal before...

That word, before. Just the mention of that word made her remember back to those days. Not the days of her being on the Great Fox, trying to end the mind controls of those planets. These newly recovered memories were of a time even further into her past. Memories she had wished she could forget forever, but like so many other things in her life, she found it was impossible for her to do.

Her pace quickened at this point, not liking where her own thoughts were headed, and because of this, she soon found her way into her comparatively small bathroom of her residence. After successfully doing so, she quietly closed the door behind her, breathing with a deep sigh as she did so. So many things had happened since that day, but among all of these happenings, this girl was given far too few answers. And because of that single reason, this pink-furred feline had been living with such questions lingering in the back of her mind ever since that day, a day that seemed more recent to her at this very moment than it ever had before.

She remained in that same spot momentarily, not really feeling as if she ever wanted to move from the position she was in at that moment, but quickly reasoned herself out of it. After a few short steps across the cold tile that served as the floor of this room, she reached her arm past a draping, pink curtain that concealed a fairly large shower. She quickly activated the shower, adjusting the temperature to her exact liking before eagerly shedding her cloths and stepping into the humid spray of water that rained gently down upon her exposed fur.

This was her place of refuge, whenever she felt uneasy, this shower was the first destination the feline sought out for comfort, and it always had been. Whether it had been after a stressful day at the Academy when she was younger, an argument with her parents, or maybe more recently, a mediocre shoot at the studio, she could always seem to find the comfort she needed within the soothing comfort beneath this placid stream of warm water. There were only a few times that she could remember where her refuge failed to have its intended effect of her, and this was one of those instances. The moments that her mind was merely too busy to even consider enjoying the warmth her body was enveloped within. It was at these times that her worry truly began to grow, because it was those same thoughts and worries that she had no control over. It was at these moments that the feline could do nothing more than let her mind wonder off as the feeling of the calming water that ran gently down her body faded into the back of her mind.

Fox…I know you need help…but what can I do? I mean, it's not like I've got some great advice for him, but maybe if he knows that someone is still worried about him he'll cheer up. It has been pretty much a whole year since she died, so he's gotta be over it at least a little bit by now I'd think. Actually, I'd think he woulda gotten over this whole thing a long time ago. Stuff happens, and sometimes there's not much you can do about it. At least…that's what I told myself back when McCloud was dead. But is that really the right thing to do? Saying that makes me think I was just trying to get the blame on someone else…and I guess I really did. No way did I want to be held responsible for that injury Fox got on Katina, but…if I coulda got through that door before it closed…maybe I could have…

The feline's thoughts hesitated here, her mind quickly recalling everything that happened on that day. And not long after that, the rest of the mission came back into her mind, creating a surge of oddly painful memories to flood back into her mind. Because of this sudden reoccurrence within the feline, she suddenly began to feel somewhat lightheaded, and was forced to place a suddenly shaky hand against the wall of the shower for support. The surprised feline froze in place, shortly after raising her free hand toward her chest, only to find that her heartbeat had somehow become much faster. From here, the somewhat frightened feline raised her free hand against her forehead as her vision fell towards the shower floor, her thoughts completely taking over as she did so.

What the heck was up with that? Am I really getting that worked up about that mission? It…all happened a really long time ago, but now it seems like the whole thing happened yesterday. Why am I acting up like this…right when I was about to talk some sense into McCloud…but how can I do that, if I don't even feel that great about it myself? So many things happened during that week or whatever it was…and I think I'm gonna make all that better just by showing up at his house and telling him he couldn't have changed how things worked out? But…I can't sit around and let the guy stay in this depression or whatever he's going through right now. I'd think if I was him…I'd want to know someone still cared. Maybe…that's all I need to do, tell him that I'm still behind him. I'd sure like to think it was that easy, but I gotta take a stab at it at least. If anything, I think that's what she would want me to do for him. She might not be around anymore to help him through times like this, but I am, and I'll do whatever it takes to get him through this...

As these final words echoed in her mind, the feline quickly righted herself into a normal posture, taking a quiet sigh after successfully doing so. Whatever had just caused all these thoughts to reoccur within her mind had gone, allowing the pink feline to regain control of herself. At first, that abrupt recovery of those memories had seemed like one of the worst things she had ever experienced, but now, it seemed as thought it was the force that would drive he to fulfilling that promise. During the entire duration of the team's time apart, this feline had always been nervous of confronting their leader as she did once before, but now whatever doubts she once seemed to have fled from her thoughts. She felt a sort of sudden driving energy that motivated her beyond what she would have believed possible. A moment ago, her focus may have been solely on what hardships that mission had brought about in her life, but for the first time in nearly a year, she could finally feel herself overcoming those memories. And the only way she could complete this process was to assist Fox in his time of greatest need.

I don't know if I really did let McCloud down before, but I'll make sure that it doesn't happen again. I'll do whatever it takes to get Fox back on his feet, and knowing what he's had to go through, it probably won't be easy. But I didn't think getting over Falco would be easy either…and it wasn't, but it was Fox's advice that got me over him. And now…because of him, I'm one of the most famous animals on Corneria. I've been able to do so much after moving on from Star Fox, and if anything, I'm gonna pay Fox back for all he's done for me…

Her own words seemed to bring the feline completely out of whatever doubt she had previously experienced, a fact that was immediately made apparent to her as the gently flowing water that washed over her body quickly regained its feeling of soothing warmth. A sensation that could now freely take its desired effect on the feline, whose thoughts could now easily be centered on the water's comforting warmth as the worries of her upcoming visitation seeming to be carried away from herself and down the drain thanks to the water's placid spray.

(Cornerian Countryside)

Everyone who knew about the planet Corneria had always regarded it as a massively developed world, one where technology and tall skyscrapers prevailed. But there was another part of this planet that few knew, including several of the animals that resided on the planet themselves. It is true that Corneria is a land of great technology, but there were still very few areas of this great planet that had not been caught up in the seemingly endless technological expansion of the planet. A place where trees stood high above the ground, and pristine blue lakes and steams glistened with the magnificence of the Cornerian sun. It was a place of refuge for those who had grown tired of the busy life in the city, and none could ask for a better way to do just that. There were no buildings, no traffic, no pavement, just natural beauty that could be seen as far as the trees would allow. It was rare for a vehicle to penetrate into this technologically void area, but this was one of those times. On a lone dirt road, one that wound slowly through whatever break within the trees and brush that could be found; a single hovercar could be seen. It was sorely obvious as well, not only because of it's metal exterior and but because the bright pink color that covered it completely contrasted all that stood within this peaceful wooded area. The driver didn't seem to notice this however, herself being too awestruck by the green majesty that surrounded her. She had lived on this planet for much of her life, and not even she had partaken of this sight before. The forest was only a temporary distraction however, because she knew that as every second passed, she was slowly coming closer to her intended destination. A destination she was both anticipating, as well as dreading at the exact same time. She knew this had to be done, Fox had to emerge from his current state and move on with his life, and she wasn't going to leave until that happened. Yet, even with this devout mindset, the feline had very little idea of what she could actually say to accomplish such a task. There was so much about this entire ordeal that she did not understand, but that was not going to stop her. The words would come to her, she just knew it. There was no way she was going to let Fox down again, and that's all she needed to know.

It had been almost a full two hours of this sea of green before her ultimate destination finally appeared through whatever few glimpses of open air the trees provided. In a large clearing, one that looked highly conspicuous among the surrounding greenery, stood an enormous house, one that seemed unusually large for a single animal to reside within. The building itself was of a plain white color, its exterior standing a full three stories from the ground before a dark black roof prevented the edifice from climbing any higher. Among the white exterior sat many windows, each giving nothing more than a partial glimpse into the lonely vulpine's large abode. As her vehicle managed to gain entrance into this clearing, she guided her pink vehicle along a perfectly white fence line, one that ended only when it came to the edge of a neatly paved driveway, one that stretched for several yards before coming to a stop at the foot of the house. The feline carefully guided her vehicle onto this manicured pavement, slowly gliding across its surface until she sat only a few feet away from his front door. She hesitated here, remembering back to the time when she had done this exact same thing almost a year ago, but she quickly diverted her mind from these memories as she quickly dismounted from the vehicle and gradually made her way towards the front door, the only door she had ever seen on this entire household.

It was only a matter of seconds after she had left her hovercar before she stood only inches in front of the vulpine's house. All she had to do now was ring the doorbell and hope that he would answer. She raised her hand to do so, but found herself hesitating slightly as she did so. This was something she knew she had to do, but the fact that she still did not know what to say drifted in the back of her mind, causing a small amount of doubt to seep back into her former confidence. The feline could tell what was happening, and before this slowly reoccurring doubt could control her thoughts, she eagerly thrust a single pointed finger forward, depressing a small button to the side of the vulpines door that resulted in a pleasant chime to echo from within. The pink feline smirked slightly, feeling that she had really accomplished something just by ringing that doorbell. She waited for a few moments, pressing the doorbell a few more times at regular intervals, and before long, she could hear quiet footsteps approaching the door, a sound that was then replaced by a turning door handle, and then the noise of the slightly creaking door as it gently swung open. It was only seconds after all this happened when she caught her first glance of the vulpine in nearly a year. She smiled upon seeing his unemotional-looking face and said in a voice that matched her expression, "Hey Foxboy, it's been a while since I've seen ya. How's it goin'?"

Fox's features remained even as he saw the pink-furred feline, making it clear that he was not as excited to see her as she was to see him. But before the vulpine could take the same action as he had during her previous visit, she quickly walked in through the now open door while making a casual observation, "Wow, think this place is big enough for you? I mean, Pepper might be the highest paid guy on Corneria, but I bet his house isn't half this big." Fox merely watched in slight confusion as the feline walked in without invitation. With the same mindset, he quietly closed the door, merely looking on as Katt continued to saunter aimlessly around this area of his house. Without any regard to what the feline had been saying over the past few moments, Fox slowly approached her and asked simply in a flat tone of voice, "What are you doing here?"

This question quickly brought Katt back to the matter at hand. She wasn't here to beat around the bush like this; she came to help Fox get his life straitened out. And so, upon his questioning, she said plainly in reply, "I came to help Fox." This statement instantly caused the vulpine to turn his head from the feline, which he followed by slowly walking away from her. Before he got too far, he quickly pointed towards the door she had just passed through and said in a quiet voice, "Leave, I don't want anybody here right now…I'm really busy." This caused a slight chuckle to arise from within the feline, after which she sarcastically replied, "Busy? With what, you take up knitting or something? Sorry Fox, but I'm not buyin' it. Besides, I didn't come all the way out here to say hi." Katt quickly closed the small distance that the vulpine had put in-between them, speaking out in a calm voice as she managed to successfully do so, "Listen, I just want to help you out Fox. I'm not here to make you feel guilty. Just give me…"

Before the feline could finish, Fox abruptly turned around, his face now full of emotion as he spoke out against her, "I don't want to talk about it, alright? Just get out of here and worry about yourself." The feline was slightly taken aback by the vulpine's tone of voice, but she only shook her head before offering a reply, "Not a chance Fox, I'm not leaving until I talk some sense into you. I don't care how long it takes, I'm gonna get you through this." After hearing this, it was Fox's turn to shake his head, which he did while responding quietly, "Then you're going to be here for a really long time. Just…leave and forget about me."

Katt hesitated here, not sure of what she could do to make Fox change his mind, but the only thing she needed to know was that if she was successful in bringing Fox out of his current state, he would finally be able to move on with his life. It was something she had wanted to do for so long, and she had finally got the opportunity to do so. After this brief pause, the feline gently reached out and placed her hand against the vulpine's shoulder, speaking in a calm voice, "I'm not giving up on you just like that Fox. You mean too much to this planet, you know they all want to see you're alright. Even though a year went by, animals still look up to you Fox. And…I want you to get over this." She paused slightly, not knowing what type of reaction the vulpine would give, but to her surprise, it seemed as if he was not going to make any motion in response, which spurred the feline to continue on in the same tone of voice, "I can still remember that time back on the Ladekahn, I was having some serious issues back then. Maybe I only told you about a few of those issues, but just having someone around to support me during times like that…you have no idea what a help it was. Now seeing you like this, it really makes me see why you would do something like that for someone else. No one wants to see their friends in pain, and…I'm no exception. I want to help you Fox, but I can't do anything unless you let me, alright?"

After finishing her reasoning, the feline looked with anticipation towards the vulpine's head, hoping that it would soon turn, revealing a much brighter, understanding expression. She did so for a few moments, but was soon jolted from her optimistic mindset as he gently shrugged her hand off his shoulder and began to walk away from her. It took her a second to realize what had just happened, after which she spoke out in slightly confused voice, "Wait Fox, where are you going? Don't you have anything to say?" The vulpines body stopped as he heard these words, an action that was followed as he turned his face towards the pink-furred animal that stood behind him. His expression remained even as he spoke in simple reply, "You want to help, right? Then follow me, there's something I should show you." A slight smirk broke across the face of the feline, she had done it. It would only be a matter of minutes before she would set Fox straight, before he would finally be able to move on with his life. It had been almost an entire year since that day, but the time for Fox to put it all in his past had finally arrived. With this positive outlook placed firm within her mind, the now subtly ardent feline quickly made her way after the vulpine, knowing that as she did so, she was slowly coming closer to fulfilling her long-standing promise to this vulpine.

(Spirit Realm)

Andross…

It was such a simple word, but it was also one that held great meaning to the young vixen. How could it be the same Andross that had killed Fox's father, and almost destroyed the Lylat system so many years ago? The same Andross that Fox had defeated only a few weeks before their confrontation with General Scales? Perhaps Andross had caused many problems even before the Lylat war. She didn't know, how could she? These thoughts clouded her mind for a moment and she felt as if she were to begin crying again. Just the thought of him and what had happened made her want to cry. It had been so long… so very long without him. It was worse than death. Death was supposed to mean peace, but her parents told her she was not truly dead. Were the scrolls wrong, or had they meant this from the very start? They had said that there would be many hardships, and even her parents said there would be more trials. Trials harder than when Fox was dead. Could this be what it had meant? That she was destined to die, in order to help destroy a threat greater than any had ever known? But when the scrolls were created, Andross didn't exist, or did he? It was too confusing… She turned back to her parents, her voice containing both confusion and desperation as these questions further enveloped within her mind.

"A…Andross? But how…how can he exist…in both worlds? How can his spirit reside in both realms?" This question seemed like a complete paradox to her; no matter how she tried to explain it, there was always something impossible about it. Nothing seemed real at this point, was this a dream? She knew it couldn't be, the fresh images in her mind, as well as the now healed scars that were strewn across her body from that brutal fight, were proof enough. But her parents were not the ones to answer her question. A new figure appeared and answered her question. The vixen looked Cerinian, and strangely enough, the young vixen almost believed to be looking at herself. This new vixen had bright green eyes, eyes she recognized. This was the spirit of Fox's mother. Her head hung low, her face heavy, as if the news she was to impart was as grim as death itself.

It is unknown why Andross can exist in both worlds. It is an enigma that we who dwell in this realm cannot solve. But, like your father has said, Andross is wreaking untold havoc on both worlds as we speak. Spirits, who are normally safe in their resting places, are disappearing as if they had never existed. This is also a mystery we know not the answer to, and this is but one reason the remaining spirits are terrified. All we know presently is that he is manipulating a dark energy that enables him to make spirits disappear from this realm. How he obtained his dark energy is also a mystery. As you can plainly see, there is much that we do not understand.

The vixen sank to her knees. Andross had so much power that he could destroy the dead? How could one being have that kind of power? It was almost as if he was… a god. How does one stand up against a god? Then something else came to her mind. If Andross was slowly destroying spirits from this realm, then her parents and Fox's mother would also disappear given enough time. She had to do something… but she felt so helpless without Fox. She was alone here, and she felt weak. She wondered what her vulpine counterpart must be thinking. But it was a pointless thought, she already knew. He, like herself, would want nothing more than to find the simple, warm comfort of each others presence. But if she ever had any hope of ever seeing him again, Andross had to be stopped. She slowly arose, with no small effort. She was weary, afraid, and alone, but her only hope of seeing Fox ever again rested in the task these spirits set before her. Her voice was shaky and weak, and she was near to tears, but she managed to speak again, "How…do the spirits disappear?" The vixen's father again spoke, shaking his head sadly.

It is a terrifying fate. One that, other than for the sake of informing you, shall never again be discussed between anyone who resides here. Using an unknown type of dark energy, Andross' spirit places the residents of this realm in a trance-like state. It is as of yet unknown what takes place as this occurs, but it is clear that the proceedings of this occurrence are highly undesirable. We have seen several of such instances, spirits are unresponsive to our calls, no matter how hard we may try. The only movements they make are of sheer pain. Abrupt convulsions, the screaming out of family and friends, and several more that I dare not mention. This only happens for a short time however, because after these spirits finally appear to have shed whatever symptoms this dark energy had caused, that is when it happens. Their very spirit begins to glow a deep red, a red that glows for only a few brief seconds before this light, as well as the spirit itself, completely disappears from this realm.

This news was even more shocking. Andross was destroying the inhabitants of this world! Shaking her head, the vixen struggled to comprehend the severity of the crisis. But what was he trying to accomplish? How long had he been doing this? Then something else struck her, a thought that she had previously forgone. This was the Cerinian resting place! Why was he destroying spirits from here? She shook her head again, and looked back up at the three spirits and asked, "Why would he do such a thing…why does he continually try to discontinue our race?" The vixen's mother took a step toward her and sullenly replied.

We Cerinians are the only ones who can stop Andross' reign of terror. Fox has done it twice, where his father had failed. James was not Cerinian, and therefore he lacked the power to defeat Andross. For this reason he is trying to destroy us completely, both in the physical world and here. Ever since Andross' exile, and after our own deaths, our people have been appearing here far too often, especially with the destruction of our planet. We are a dying race, here are so few of us left now, Fox being the only one who still resides in the realm opposite our own.

The vixen sank back down onto the 'ground,' and found herself unable to speak. Why were the Cerinians the only ones who could stop him? The deeper into this she went, the more baffling it became. It seemed as if there was no way out of this. How could one destroy something that had power over both the living and the dead, influencing the living to destroy each other, and then eliminating them for good in the afterlife? Slowly finding her voice, she looked back up at the spirits, her face almost blank, except for the pain shown in her eyes. "Why must…such a burden be placed on only the Cerinians? Why are we the only one's able to stop him?" Fox's mother spoke once more.

We Cerinians existed long before our ancestors began recording time, perhaps even before other races had become civilized. It was long ago that we discovered the Energy of Life. It is a positive energy, using one's heart and soul to manifest it. Andross uses a perverted form of this, instead using negative energy. It is not even the Energy of Life, but something different then our own power, or rather, the exact opposite. Fox's previous triumphs over Andross have been in vein, for only once he fully understands the true power he holds within himself can he truthfully defeat this menace. If he is allowed to continue on in this way for much longer, he will complete his goal and no one will be able to stand up to his terrible power. But I digress; too much time has already been wasted. One full year has passed since your death, and Andross has made use of this time.

The vixen stared at them for a long while. She had been dead for a year… Was there any time here? Did it move quickly or slowly, and did it pass, flow, or even stop? Time was irrelevant to her now. She could think of but two things: Andross' return, and Fox. How could he be present in both worlds? Were the spirits that disappeared gone forever? Would she ever see Fox again? Would she ever be able to see him again? How was she supposed to stop Andross? What would Fox have to do? And what had happened to Fox since her death?

These questions flooded the vixen's mind. She knew what had to be done. Her heart was in pain, she longed to see Fox again, with every fiber of her being. Her soul called out to him. But in order to see him again, Andross had to be stopped. If Andross successfully destroyed both worlds, it wouldn't matter if either of them were alive or dead, they would never see each other again. She then thought what nothing could be like… and felt a cold dread pass over her body. What was nothing? Even in this vast expanse of barren blue, there was still something here. What could be nothing? She felt herself crying once again. She cried for the horrible fate they might endure, and she cried because she missed Fox. But this was her destiny. She believed in the scrolls, even through all the hardship they had brought her. In the end, she and Fox would live their days out happily. That was, unless this evil was not stopped. The young vixen could only pray that Fox could see it too. Slowly, she got up, determined even through the tears. No matter how much it hurt, she had made her decision. It would be long, and painful, but the hope of someday seeing Fox again made her strong enough to try and carry on. The young vixen lifted her gaze from the ground and looked back at the three spirits standing in front of her. In a voice that was shaky from tears yet determined nonetheless, she spoke.

"What must I do?"

-

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Yo homies! I just got back from a little 2-day golf excursion and I'm really tired. But nevertheless, I have remained devout in my typingness and have delivered yet another chapter in this seemingly endless story. This chapter would not have come nearly as quickly if it were not for the efforts of Tribal Wolf, who I have placed in charge of typing the Spirit Realm section of the story with my supervision and slight editing. He is doing this so that I may not only update faster, but also so that I may have less to type, which is a great thing let me tell you. I have also employed an editor and a creative director, the first being FoxJD, and the later being sandman. I still do pretty much all the work, but I've just got some support, and it's really swell. Anyway, I'm out. See ya next chapter!

Co-Writer Tribal Wolf says:
"Hey all you loyal fans 'o' Fox MC! This is his co-writer, BlueWolf419
(AKA: Tribal Wolf)! So, thoughts on this chapter... Fox is really at a low
point huh? Not accepting help and stuff, Katt's got her work cut out for
her. And if that's not bad enough, Andross has to be destroyed on both
fronts! Both Fox and Krystal are going to have some real troubling times
ahead... Hopefully, they'll both manage, and we'll get to see them back to
their old selves again! That would be a long ways off though... So yea, keep
reading if you wanna find out!"

No typo's or anything, how awesome is this?

RANDOM NOTES: Ya! They finally started playing new episodes of Sonic X! Booyah! And they finally figure out how to draw with a little more consistency! Not only that, but One Piece is pretty much the best show ever. Tony Tony Chopper owns all other characters from any anime ever! I can say that because Sonic is a video game character, and Star Fox isn't cool enough to have a TV show…oh well.

MAIL CALL: I just got rid of your Q responses to cut back on the size of this section. Sorry if that hurts your feelings.

Fenrir Hellfyre
Sweet. I love this already.

FoxMC: Dude, you reviewed this about 20 minutes after I posted it. I didn't even know this website could update crap that fast. You're crazy dude…in a good way.

Specter 117
AT LAST! A Journey Apart is in! Yeah! Remember me? I hope you do. I'm glad that you finally started A Journey Apart. So, Andross is back, eh? Well, I'm sure Fox & Krystal will kick his butt. If only I had a Gamecube!

FoxMC: I'm glad I started it too. It's pretty much all I could think about this summer…now I have to think about it every waking moment of my life…yeah for me…

deathscall
Heyo, it's me anywho, so far so good... I never got the alert for the last chapter of your other story, so, i'll have to go check that out now... hm, but yea, the OC's are confusing yet, but, you barely introduced them this chapter, so, keep up the good work

FoxMC: Ya, and you didn't even have to hear about em' in this chapter, but you will soon enough. Hope I can pull it off with the OC's.

AmberRose
Your summary was one of the few on the main page that wasn't error ridden, and I have seen your name and fics around for a while, so I decided I'd read this fic. I am impressed for the most part, but please, divide up your paragraphs of d00m. It'll help especially if you make a new paragraph for each new speaker, or line in quotes. You're the writer, do what you will. I am awaiting chapter 2.

FoxMC: I own the paragraphs of doom! Someone told me this before, not like I didn't know I should have spaced dialogue when different people are speaking, but this is just how I do it. And really, no one complains about it ever. I find it a little awkward for me to write dialogue when it's all spaced out. This way it seems to flow better as I write, so that's why I do it that way, and that's why I'll keep doing it that way. Good thing this is America!

Chiise
You did it again, you made one of them die, but unlike last time I have found another way to end it and its still pretty dumb. All roads lead to suck... Your story could still be good, just not great.

FoxMC: All roads lead to suck. I remember you from my last SF fic. Said that killing one of the characters was unoriginal and…well, they lead to sucky endings. That's ok though, I'm just writing for fun, and dangit, you have your own opinion. My series may suck, but I'm having a great time in the process man.

sandman91
Hey Fox MC. I was one of nameless people who reviewd your story at the end of Echoes of the Future, so I finally decided to get an account. Anyway, great start to the story. Hope Fox can get out of his depression soon and ressurect Krystal. Keep writing and don't make us wait too long.

FoxMC: I don't know about that last part. With school and golf and work, I really only have about one and a half hours in the morning to type. I try and get about 2 pages done a day, and at that pace, I'd probably update about 2 or 3 times a month, which is pretty good. But I might get that cursed writers block, but that really doesn't happen to me very often…I just would rather watch Teen Titans and Sonic X than to type sometimes…

Coldfire
Good to hear from you again, MC! Great work on this chapter, interestin' to see how the team ended up after the story...I feel pretty bad for Fox now...lost one hell of a good woman...
And...
Falco makes me sorta sick.
Katt has to keep her hands off of Fox.
Fox has to find a way to revive Krystal already.
Ho'kay. 'Nuff said. Later.

FoxMC: I'm glad Falco made you sick, I don't like him, and no one else should either! Well...not really, but whatever.

Blondie On The Run
Hey! Your back! Oh...sorry...I'm "Blondie On The Run", "running" from fic to fic, advising and writing my thoughts. You can think of me as a fan fic Santa. -Until next time, 'cuase I'm On The Run now!

FoxMC: You are quite the random child, but gifts from Santa are always cool...

Ir0n Falco
I can't sleep! Clowns will eat me!

FoxMC: Umm…That's too bad. …I guess this is why we have options to block anonymous reviews…whatever, good luck with that, man.

FoxJD
Great start to da new sequel. Im so excited ta see da next chapter.

FoxMC: Tanks Wheeler, Ah'm excited too!

Dreamer for Lyf
Now, for my review! THAT WAS AWESOME! Dude, you still got it. I feel so bad for foxboy... And Falco is - just so dumb. I never did like him, not that much at all. Well, this would be a long review but I really need to go. Please UDS
-DFL

FoxMC: Ya, Falco is dumb. Thanks for sayin' so. I'm also glad you thought this was awesome.

BlueWolf419
Okay... This is going to be a long reveiw! Sorry... I kinda abandoned you, well not really I just lost access to the net. Anyway I'm back and let me reveiw!
I think I prettymuch just did my reveiw... But yea... Anyway please let me reiterate how much I would like to see a happy ending... That doesn't include them both dying and living in the spirit realm! That would just suck, I hate bittersweet! Why can't something just have a happy ending! Sorry... Please, don't make me hate you and your story, because for all your talent, you suck if you can't give me a happy ending. Sorry, but that's my opinion. I see too many stories that suck because whenever I think about how it ended, it depresses me. Make yours end in a way that I can think back on it and be filled with a lot of emotions, all ending in pure unbridles happiness!
I ranted... Anyway that's what I think! Keep up the good work, and I may e-mail you about helping write this if you still need the help.

FoxMC: Gak, I dont' have the attention span to read so much text, but I did, thanks dude, you're a really swell guy!

Whinnie
After 2 whole months of waiting, we FINALLY hear from you. What up? I can't wait for the next chapter:D

FoxMC: Sorry for the wait, I do have a life ya know, one that consists mostly of golf.

Ricky
YES! Thank god, you started writing the next story. I swear man, I almost had a ceasar when I saw you started the next story. You rock! Just keep writing, and keep throeing out those chapters as quick as you can. can't wait for the next chapter, Ricky out

FoxMC: You almost had a ceaser? You mean, Brutus almost stabed you or what? Ehh...i get what you mean.

Yami11
Wohoo sequel time! Anyways...I'm loven the sory so far...I promise I'll have more in-depth reviews as the story goes on

FoxMC: Ya, that review was totally weak sauce. But I really do appreciate it! Long reviews are teh pwnege!111!1 1