Yet again, another short chapter. And with this, the story is complete! I hope you all enjoyed it.
As always, read and review. Thank you all for your views and reviews in the past. Hearing your encouragement is a great motivator.
And once again, if anyone knows someone who could help me with editing, please let me know.
God bless, and be safe.
Chapter 3
Fox opened his eyes slowly, and realized that his eyes were wet with tears. Blinking away his blurry vision he saw Krystal beside him, also blinking away what looked like tears. He thought back to what could have made him cry in his sleep, and in a wave the whole of what he had dreamed about washed over him. Krystal, Cerinia, the catastrophe...it all came back. By and far, it had been the strangest dream he had ever had. But it also been the most affecting dream he had ever dreamt; comforting his beloved in the dream had caused him to feel an incredible intimate connection with her, something so deep that it dominated his senses. All of his heart had been focused on her, and her alone.
On the whole, he would classify the dream as a good one. A profound one.
He sat up in his bed, watching Krystal wake up and stretch. He admired her body, how lithe it looked, how every curve and imperfection came together to create a beautiful figure who had his heart firmly captured. Her fur, her tail, her hair...it was all perfect.
Once she had finished stretching she sat in the same way Fox did, and she looked at him with an indecipherable gaze. For a moment they just sat together like this.
"You had a dream too, didn't you?" she asked.
He must be pretty easy to read.
"That," she giggled out, "and you have that look about you that says you just went through something...deep. I know I did."
"Really?" he asked. "I mean, yes, I just had a...very interesting dream last night." He rubbed the back of his head. This might be awkward to talk about.
"What did you see?"
"You."
She chuckled. "Really? And what about me did you see?"
"I saw...well..."
And he told her. About seeing her as a kit, about seeing her home, and its horrible fate. Krystal's reaction was partly what he expected. She gave him a curious glance at first, but then that glance morphed into something like disbelief, and then into something he couldn't discern. When he finished telling her, another silence settled between the two of them.
"I...I dreamed something similar," she whispered.
She told him how she had seen him, as that scared young boy after his mother's death, and as the still scared but resolute young man who led his friends to save the galaxy. A blush, probably quite red, dawned on his cheeks.
"So...we both saw each other's memories, huh?" Again he rubbed the back of his head. This was getting even more awkward by the second.
"Yes, we did," Krystal replied breathlessly. Her eyes had widened, and she had a faraway look. Fox cocked his head to the side and frowned.
"What's the matter?" he asked, now worried.
"It's...it's what my parents told me about. The mental link," she replied.
"Mental link?"
Krystal blinked, and looked up at him. That faraway look had vanished, and in it's place was...excitement?
"My parents once told me of an occurrence that happens with Cerinians and courtship. As you know, we Cerinian's are telepathic, but we also have the ability to form mental bonds with others. These bonds can vary in strength, from the bonds of comrades-in-arms, to the bonds of friends, to the bonds of intimate lovers. These bonds are very special to us, and very meaningful.
"But...there is another kind of bond. Something deeper than all of the others. It occurs between those...fated to be with each other, as it is said."
Krystal began to blush, "This bond forms between those who...click with one another. They love each other in a way that is not so easily put into words. It's the most deep, most meaningful bond there is.
"My parents told me that between two Cerinians, who deeply love each other...this bond will form. They told me they had this, and I could see the proof of it, in all the ways they interacted. Even in the simple moments where they just looked at each other and smiled. There was an absolute certainty, between the two of them, that they were meant to be together. That all was right in the world.
"And...and when they told me how this bond started, they said..." and here Krystal trailed off.
Fox was breathless. "What did they say?" he asked.
"They said...they started having dreams of each other. Dreams of being with one another in troubling times in their life, and many other moments as well." Krystal answered.
Fox swallowed, and blushed harder. So...if they were having these kinds of dreams of each other...
Wow.
Slowly, Fox reached over to her and drew her into an embrace. She did not resist, and she nuzzled his neck as he did the same. They didn't say anything for a time. Fox felt something wet on his neck. Looking down, he saw that Krystal was crying.
"Krystal, what's-?"
"Shh..." she breathed out. "Fox, it's just...I can't believe that we're this fortunate. That we...we share something like this..."
"I'm the one who needs to say that more. I drove you away, and-"
"Shush," she interrupted him. "Those days are behind us. Now, we have one another, and even more..." she pulled out of his embrace to look at him. Her eyes held all his attention, and as always, he felt lost in them.
"We share something very, very beautiful, Fox.," she said, smiling.
And they kissed, deeply and wonderfully. Not overidden with passion, but fully endued with love. Fox, even through all he had gone through, simply couldn't believe how lucky he was.
And when they pulled back, they looked at each other, content with basking in the glow of each other's love.
"Do you want to know the most beautiful thing about my dream, besides comforting you?" Krystal asked.
"Sure." Fox replied, smiling.
Krystal gave him a playful, coy look. To Fox's surprise and further embarrassment, she reached up and pinched his cheek.
"Why, what else would it be than to see my favorite fox as an adorable little boy~?" she cooed.
Fox made the conjecture that if his cheeks were to get any redder and hotter, they were going to burst into flames. His whole face was actually going to be a fireball. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Words had suddenly become an impossible task
"Honestly Fox, if that dream hadn't been so sad, that kit would not have been able to free himself from my arms. You were such a cute little boy!" she squealed.
Okay, time to try to get it together.
"Well...w-well I g-got to see y-you as kit too!" he stammered out.
Krystal raised an eyebrow, smirking mirthfully.
"Are you trying to tease me, Fox McCloud?" she asked, amused.
Fox sighed in defeat. "There's no way I can win this, can I?"
"Maybe with a little more practice, you could! But for now...I would say no," Krystal giggled out.
Well, that was something to work on.
Fox smiled, got out of bed, and headed to his closet to grab some clothes to wear.
"Well," he began, "we ought to get dressed and make some breakfast. Put a hold on the teasing."
"I don't know, Fox. I would say teasing is always a little called for," replied Krystal.
Fox looked back at her, trying to give a withering look, but his efforts were fruitless. He couldn't help but smile at the love of his life.
Life was looking up.
