C H A P T E R eight:
Eva the Carrier
After another night of the most wonderful sleep he had experienced in a year, Fox woke up. He blinked hard and focused his eyes on the ceiling that spilled out above him. I should wake Krystal up as well, he thought. He turned in the direction of the love of his life only to find the bed empty on her side. The sheets remained neat, undisturbed, as if they hadn't been slept in for a matter of weeks. Fox sat bolt upright, confused. He raced out of the room and began frantically searching the hallways and rooms aboard the Great Fox.
"Krystal!" he shouted. His voice echoed briefly against the cold metal of the ship. "Krystal!" She was nowhere to be found. Fox rushed to the bridge of the ship. Upon entering, ROB64 whirred to life.
"Fox, what should we do with Krystal's quarters?" droned the robot. Fox simply stared back, quizzically.
"What do you mean 'quarters'? Krystal has been staying in my room. Where is she?"
The robot whirred again. "Krystal left to re-join Star Wolf after your confrontation yesterday." Fox felt himself go slack-jawed, his mind reeling.
"What? What!? That was a year ago!" He started flailing blindly, kicking and punching the air around him as if he was at battle with a phantom. "No!" he shouted. "No! No! No!" The room offered no remorse. He sucked himself into fetal position. "No, no, no, no, no," the word spilled out, over and over. "No." He felt tears wet his cheeks.
At long last the words and the tears stopped, and Fox simply laid down on the floor of the bridge gasping for air.Why? he asked himself. His thoughts were askew. What? Why? How is this happening? Why?
Suddenly, an uncharacteristic warmth surrounded him. A feeling of love that washed throughout his veins. A familiar feeling. Familiar how? He could swear that he heard a muffled voice calling his name.
"Fox, wake up…" it lulled. "I'm here. It's okay. Wake up, Fox. Follow my voice." Slowly, the nightmare faded from around him. Fox stared, seeing only the blackness of the inside of his eyelids, the warmth caressing him and comforting him.
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Krystal had felt the nightmare start before it had even begun to play inside Fox's head. Such a feeling of loss and sorrow. She cracked open her eyelids, seeing on the darkness of the room around her. Her lover laid next to her, his face taking on a grayish hue as his hands gripped the blanket in front of him tightly. Cold sweat formed over his brow, and his mouth began to move slightly as his teeth ground against each other.
She sat bolt upright and put her hands on his temples, feeding off of his emotions and his mind. She ran through his thoughts and dreams, observing them as they rushed through his mind. She watched his nightmare like it was a horror film. She cringed as she felt Fox's heart sink. He was dreaming about her being gone again. Her face transformed from a cringe into a grim slash of determination as she set about freeing Fox from his nightmares.
Fox, wake up, she thought. I'm here. It's okay. Wake up, Fox. Follow my voice. She felt the nightmare loosen its grip on Fox's mind and smiled to herself. His mind moved from a state of intense sadness to one of comfort and warmth. His fingers relaxed, leaving deep wrinkles in the blanket where they had been. His face relaxed and his mouth turned upward until it became a small smile. She took her hands away and sighed happily. She gave him a quick peck on the forehead and checked the clock on the nightstand. The numbers 06:45 glowed back at her.
Krystal laid back down and tried to fall back asleep, but her thoughts kept her awake. They played through her mind repetitively, dancing to an unheard rhythm. She thought back to how her present situation had come about. She remembered. She remembered leaving Fox and going to Panther as revenge. She remembered the insults they had hurled at her, endless faces chanting, "Traitor!" with malice. She remembered taking off in her CloudRunner, leaving Lylat behind.
She had taken up residence in Ecaps. To disguise herself from the eyes of those around her, she had changed her hair and her name, adopting a different style of dress and a different profession. She had become accustomed to her life as a bounty hunter when Fox unknowingly intruded, leading her up to where she was now. Lylat… she thought. She remembered back to a little over two years ago, when she had first lain eyes on the city of Corneria. She thought of the apartment she had shared with Fox and wondered what had become of it. She thought of walking through the city in the summer, enjoying the warmth of the sun as she sat on Fox's lap and they watched the sunset.
Sauria. How long has it been? She wondered. Surely there was still activity. What had become of Tricky and the rest of the dinosaurs? She felt small, knowing that she had so much to catch up on. She turned to look at Fox again. He seemed so content in his slumber. He began to mumble to himself, under his breath. Krystal couldn't make out the words, so she reached over and placed her hands on his temples once more, letting his dream wash over her.
She found herself in a white dress, standing next to Fox. He was wearing a tuxedo, and their arms were linked. A man in a robe stood before them, speaking softly. Finally, he looked up at them and concluded his speech. "I now pronounce you husband and wife." Krystal gasped and turned her head to look at Fox. Fox turned to her, his teeth gleaming in a wide smile. He was radiating joy from the very bottom of his soul. Their eyes met, and they moved towards each other, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss. It took Krystal's breath away. A cheer came from an unseen audience.
They broke off the kiss and looked into each other's eyes. Krystal felt so much warmth in the emerald sea of his gaze. Suddenly, a minor buzzing pushed through the fabric of the dream, growing in intensity. She shut her eyes tight, knowing that the dream would disappear the moment she opened them again.
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Fox was pushed from the most pleasant of dreams by the irritating buzzing of his alarm clock. He turned his neck and stared at it with malice, daggers shooting from his eyes. Lazily, he swiped at it, successfully turning it off. He turned his attention toward the warm weight bearing down on his chest. He looked down and smiled at Krystal, who was curled into a tight ball, on top of him. Maybe I should wake her up, he thought. Still, he had to look at her for a couple of seconds. She had tried changing her name and her appearance to escape the trouble she ran into in the Lylat system, and they still found themselves together. He shifted his weight slightly and felt Krystal snuggle closer into his chest. Fox leaned back onto his pillow and allowed himself a sigh of contentment. His mind began to wander slowly.
His first thoughts were of Corneria, and the apartment they had shared in Corneria City. It was an apartment that had been left to him by his father. He couldn't remember staying in it long before he had met Krystal, and he couldn't remember staying there after Krystal had left him. He mused on that for a few seconds before a realization dawned on him. It's because I feel most at home when I'm with her. He stared up at the ceiling and grinned. He couldn't help it. Pure, unadulterated jubilance ripped through his body like a tidal wave.
Absentmindedly, he curled a piece of Krystal's violet hair in one of his fingers. Her blue roots were coming in again. He moved his hand and traced the white markings on her arms. He tallied up the days they had spent on board. It was day eight, leaving another week before they reached Corneria. That's fine with me, thought Fox. The more time I can spend with my wife, the better. Fox blinked once, and corrected himself. Girlfriend, not wife… God, I hope Krystal didn't hear that. What would she think?
He felt Krystal move on his chest again, adjusting her head until it was only centimeters from his own. She cracked open an azure eye and stared at him. "She'd say 'yes,'" she whispered. Fox caught his breath caught in his throat. He leaned forward and gave Krystal a long, tender kiss.
"I feel so inadequate," he said with a shy grin. "I don't even have a ring to give you." Krystal closed her eyes and smiled. Fox felt her nuzzle gently under his chin. He wrapped his arms around her and held her. For a long while, they sat in contentment, enjoying the company of the other. Suddenly, something dawned on Fox. "Krystal, I have something I need to show you."
Krystal still laid lazily on his chest, unwilling to move. "Mhm?" she asked. Fox chuckled and drew her up further into his arms. He lifter her as he had done so many times before and walked towards the window in his room. It was shut tight, revealing nothing of the outside world.
"ROB," began Fox. "Open the large window in my quarters." He kissed Krystal until she opened both her eyes and looked at him. She smiled and sighed lightly.
"I could get used to waking up like this," she giggled a little bit and nuzzled into Fox's chest. Fox felt his tail wagging wildly behind him, a huge grin spreading over his lips.
"I could get used to waking you up. Of course, we would probably have to share the same room, live in the same house, you know…" His voice trailed off and he offered the blue vixen a wide grin.
"Didn't I already say yes?" Krystal responded. She lifted her muzzle up and her lips met his. They met in a brilliant kiss. Meanwhile, the window in front of them was peeling itself open, revealing the stunning spacescape just beneath the ship. A planet sat before them, rippling with brilliant blues and greens, while violets and browns bathed the sides. A swath of gold cut across the whole of the planet as light from a distant star reflected off the surface. Fox heard Krystal gasp, and he grinned to himself.
"Is that… Is that…" her voice got caught in her throat. Fox nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head and whispered in her ear.
"Sauria." Krystal turned her head and kissed Fox. The passion was overwhelming. She slipped from his grasp and planted her feet firmly on the ground without breaking the kiss. She allowed her hands to roam across his muscular figure. Fox felt the hairs on the tip of his ears stand on end as Krystal massaged the back of his neck with one of her hands. He melted into the kiss. After a long time, Krystal took his face into her hands and broke away, leaning her forehead against his.
"Krys," panted Fox, out of breath. "I love you." Krystal looked into his eyes and smiled. Their eyes were no longer as tired and sad as they had been only days ago.
"I love you, too," breathed Krystal. They broke away from each other and began scavenging for clothes. Fox became aware that he was out of flannel pants. Sighing just a bit, he slipped on a tee-shirt and a sleeveless jumpsuit. Krystal worked her way into a tee shirt and a pair of jeans, as she was also out of looser clothing.
"All dressed up and nowhere to go," sighed Fox. Krystal moved to his side and slid her paw into his. They stood and watched Sauria float by, silently admiring it's beauty. Suddenly, Fox had an idea. "ROB," he said.
"Yes, Fox," crackled the robot.
"Prepare two Arwings with overnight gear. We're going to the surface." Krystal looked up at Fox, surprised. His eyes met hers and he grinned. "Care for a short vacation?"
Krystal kissed him on the nose and giggled. "Just one modifier," she began. Fox nodded quickly. "Last one to the surface has to set up camp… Naked." Fox blushed heavily. Krystal broke away from him and darted toward the door. Realizing what had just happened, Fox sped after her. They were so engrossed in their love that they didn't realize that several unknown ships were approaching the Great Fox...
Author's Note:
I'm not gonna lie, I hate this chapter. I think it's one of my worst. If I can find a way to improve it, I will, believe me. Hopefully, the next one will make up for it. Don't stop reading just because this chapter sucks the big one. It'll get better, I promise.
