Chapter 4:

"No," he stops her at the word, "I can't accept that. We're more than just friends. You loved me. I loved you—no, I love you, still. And I will for the rest of my life, Krystal."

"I'm sorry Fox… we tried. And we gave it a good shot. But it just didn't work out. It was wonderful. We were lucky to spend such a year together. But in the end… it was a mistake, the best mistake I'll ever make, but a mistake nonetheless."

"A mistake, that's what you call it? That whole year together was a mistake? After what we had? There's no going back from that. It happened like it was supposed to…

Of all the things that could've been waiting for me there on that planet, it was you. It was more than just a coincidence. It had to be. I need it to be."

"Okay Fox, yes, it may have been fate that we met there on Sauria. But afterwards, after we made a promise to be together, what about then?"

"Krystal, I intended on keeping our promise. Why did you leave me?" Fox's question indicated that he was oblivious to her feelings. 'The nerve,' she thought. She couldn't believe he said that. She was furious.

"W-what! Seriously, Fox? You're the one that left me! You broke our promise! Star Fox was my life, my life with you. And you took that away from me! Fox, I had nothing else. I needed to find something to give me purpose." It finally hit him. That's right. He left her with nothing. How could he have been so inconsiderate of her feelings?

"But why Star Wolf? Why Panther?"

"Fox, I'm the pilot you made me. I was just using what I had, doing something I was good at. Panther was my way in. That's all. I'm not proud of it, but didn't have many options." Her eyes watered as she continues in anger, "…But I wouldn't have had to make that choice if you hadn't thrown me away like that!" she ended, waiting for a response. Fox growled at the last comment.

"I know I made a mistake and I paid for it. We both did," his eyes slowly well with tears. He's ready now. Ready to show her that he meant everything he'd said and that he wasn't going to make the same mistake again. It's in this moment that he proves it all; that everything is okay and that it had been all along... "But Krystal, I was going to give you everything. I was gonna give it up; all of THIS! So I could settle down with you." Fox chokes through his frustration as he points at the ring on his dresser. Her heart started to pound when she saw what lay before her. Krystal recognized the object.

"Is that—," the blue fox starts to tear. On Cerinia, such trinkets had little significance. But during her time on Star Fox, she'd become familiar with the Cornerian tradition of marriage and the significance of an engagement ring. That ring… It was a symbol of the promise he had never broken; a symbol of their promise that he intended to keep. Krystal had been so wrong to jump to conclusions. She pulls him into a tight embrace while crying on his shoulder. It was her embrace that seemed to put the pieces of his heart back together. Fox continued softly.

"But I knew that was impossible once the war broke out. Why couldn't you see that I just wanted to keep you safe? All I ever think about is you. My mind's not that difficult to read," Fox whispers as familiar warmth returns to his voice. Unable to contain her emotions any longer, Krystal starts to cry as if her heart had burst open.

"Fox, I'm so sorry!" the blue vixen cries everything away: her frustrations, her anger, her sadness. Fox notices the dampness to his fur. He holds her tightly while gently rubbing her back. She cries into his chest for several minutes before composing herself.

"To tell you the truth," she says sniffing happily. "I stopped reading your mind a long time ago." Fox looks puzzled. He didn't understand why. "I couldn't handle it. It was just too much." More surprises. What had he done this time…?

"Wait! W-why? I didn't mean to—," he says, feeling like he'd done something wrong. Fox adored her completely. There couldn't have been anything he could think of that would disturb her… 'Well, she is a hell of a vixen, andthere were those times, you know… when you're in the mood you're in the mood.' There'd be times when he'd just want to pounce on her like a thunder cat.

"—No," Krystal laughed lightly between sobs. She read what he was getting at. "It's nothing like that. It's just… when I read your mind… it occurred to me, you give me more than I could ever give to you in return," Krystal smiles.

"I felt guilty. You made me so happy as I listened to your every thought. But then you wore this troubled look on your face. I thought that I'd been disappointing you and your expression was telling me, 'You will never do enough for the people you love.' The more I looked into it, the more insecure I felt. I couldn't handle it. I felt like I no longer deserved you. And I guess that guilt played a part in my decision to leave. I convinced myself that you were through with me. And I left, so you could get on with your life."

Fox was taken back. It made him happy that he could bring her such joy yet sad because she felt unable to return the favor. He couldn't stand for that. She needed to know.

"…get on with my life?" Fox repeats her words slowly. He cups her muzzle and brings her face to his as he whispered, "Krystal, you are my life." Tears of joy gently stream down her blue coat. He follows through with a series of soft kisses. Fox surprises himself sometimes. 'Maybe there's a little Panther in me after all… but hopefully not,' he thinks.

"I know, and I've been such a fool not being able to realize that until now," Krystal said with a full heart. Her loneliness was a thing of the past.

Fox wonders if those two had gotten close… in that way. 'No, no. It's none of my business!' Fox slaps himself mentally for such thoughts. Whatever they did, he deserved it.

"Fox!" Krystal senses his jealousy.

"No-no-wait I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—I just… ugh. Sorry," he tries to explain himself.

"No, it's okay. I understand," replies the vixen as she prepares to indulge his curiosity. She would give him a piece of her mind until he understood. "Here's the thing: When you and the rest of Star Fox went off to war and left me behind, I felt ashamed. I felt like I wasn't good enough; that I'd been a burden the entire time. But no matter how deeply you hurt me…"

Fox sickens at the thought. He hated himself for hurting her like that. Fox listens as she continues.

"…I still wanted to be around you in any way I could, even if it was through Star Wolf… And… it was through an opponent's perspective that I realized: the only person I was watching and will ever be watching… is you, Fox! About Panther, I didn't want to manipulate him like that, he was a nice guy, but I only used him to get on Star Wolf… and, well… it's a bit immature of me, but I wanted to make you jealous."

"Believe me. I was," Fox interrupts. 'What a relief.'

"He's tried making moves on me, a number of times. And when things looked like they'd go past the occasional kiss on the cheek, I'd just do what my instincts told me…" she smiles.

Fox smiles back. He knew what she meant by this. They'd already found their mates. Once a fox finds its mate, it rarely ever finds another. Foxes mate for life.

"So… in theory, if I died during some battle with the Anglars. What would you do then?" asks Fox.

"Well… I guess I'd… try and marry Slippy and live awkwardly ever after," they both laugh at her joke. "No, I guess… I'd wait until you came back to me in some other lifetime."

They feel a bit tired, but not quite ready for sleep. They look at each other slyly, knowing what to do with the last bit of their energy.

Fox and Krystal intend to keep their promise. Whatever life throws at them, they'll get through it together. It's true, Fox hurt Krystal but she knows that he'll spend the rest of his life making it up to her... starting with tonight.

*Furry sex omitted* (But he gives her one hell of a night. I'll leave it at that.)

*** Aww yeah. That's right! You go, Fox! Go on, git 'er done!

did I get anyone with the whole wetness thing? hope ya'll were expecting something dirty! i would be. Read on!