Fox waited outside of Krystal's home early morning to go to school together, instead of Krystal coming over before to take care of Jamie and to see Fox, he was going to pick her up everyday from now on. Though he wasn't so sure just how her parents would respond to that. Just as Fox pulled up Krystal came sprinting out in her black uniform of the same design, rushing straight into Fox's car.
"Here go quickly now please." Krystal rushed as she fought to put on her seatbelt to quickly, Fox didn't know what was going on but figured it would be better to listen as he drove and gained speed down the road.
"I take it your parents didn't like the idea of me coming to get you…" He sound depressed as he looked from the road over toward Krystal every couple of seconds.
"Well my mother was alright with it but my father absolutely refuses. So I left them a note this morning telling them I had to leave early for something." She looked over with a small smile.
"So you lied to them?"
"Of course not, perhaps I should have chosen my words better. I left early for someone." Krystal contradicted his answer with her own, "I left early for you." She closed in toward his figure as she planted a small one onto his cheek. Fox felt a little guilt on the inside; Krystal still tried so hard for him…even after what happened just yesterday.
"So, how is your-"
"You didn't notice?" She seemed a bit surprise as Fox wondered what she meant, at the next red light he looked over to see what she meant as he was completely surprised. Krystal's injuries seemed so much more serious then what was presented on her face. Only a few cuts and scratches now replacing the blood and huge bruise.
"How did you-"
"My people have another special talent Fox, besides being telepathic. We are fantastic healers."
"Fantastic doesn't quite cover whoever healed you. It's just flat out amazing."
"My mother healed me, though sadly I still can't receive or respond mentally." Krystal slouched in her seat, letting out a heavy sigh, "That's damage neither my mother, nor anyone can heal. But she did say that although these cases are rare, they're most likely only temporarily. So eventually it should come back…"
"I'm sorry I didn't notice at first. That's a huge relief for me, you have no idea." Fox continued to drive as he heard the news. Although not happy it was extremely relieving of guilt.
"No please, don't feel sorry Fox. Like I said I knew what I was getting into when I had it out with Jessie. And I would do it again, and again, just to see that look on her face. That she's been replaced by me." Fox seemed a bit surprised in the high pitched tone of his voice, sly smile but demented eyes.
"Krystal."
"It was definitely worth it."
It didn't matter what you wanted to call it. Expelled, suspended, temporarily relieved. Jessie was banished from the school for her actions, though it was unsure just how long she would be gone. Sadly enough though she couldn't have been permanently banned from the school, the funding provided through her family was just too great to let the school to pass by. But they had a very long discussion with her father, saying if she was even one step out of place, she would pay the price, and they would have no choice but to let her go. Or in this case, kick her out and never come back.
X
"I'm honestly trying to calm down and not be angry, just why wouldn't you tell me first?" Now it was Bill's turn to get the lecture from Fay though it wasn't a lecture, it was a demanding interrogation of why she wasn't informed.
"Look Fay, bottom line is that Fox is and always will be one of my best friends. We all need to just calm down, take a good breath of fresh air, and move on with our lives."
"I know you're right…" She admitted with sadness in her tone, "I just I don't know I can't seem to forgive him so easily. I mean after what he did to us? Did to you?"
"Yea I know, but friends don't let friends fall."
"I suppose you're right." Bill grabbed her paw as the two looked at one another, her smile was weaker then his.
"Tell you what, next time Fox needs a babysitter; we'll all go for him. He has one of the cutest kits ever and I'm sure you would think the same." Fay wasn't so sure at first though, thinking it wouldn't be the greatest idea to see the kit first before even seeing her dad. But she did admit she was tired of always feeling this way, sapped of energy and empty with her life so far. Everything seemed so different now that Fox was no longer here and nothing would be normal. But everyone was willing and starting to move on, so why not her?
The two stood up from the library as they wanted to walk around the school before classes would start. Fay's smile had improved tremendously.
"Sure then."
X
Fara was going around the school quickly, looking for one specific person. It was about time she came to her senses and joined the group again, and talk with Fox. Life and friends just weren't the same without her. Finally after about twenty minutes of searching this enormous school Fara found the lynx she had been looking for. Looking out the window staring at nothing in particular, listening to her music to block out the rest of the world, just the way she wanted. Fara tapped her on the shoulder multiple times to make the lynx look, although she looked away quickly.
"What do you want?" She sounded so despondent, so depressed.
"Miyu…" The lynx in respect to Fara shut off her music as she took a seat in front of her, "Look…I know it's strange to think that things didn't go so well between you and Fox, and now especially with the fact he has a baby kit now…"
"I know…" She admitted sadly, "You don't have to tell me that."
"My point is..." Fara tried to get out as she played with her paws, "He really misses you, Fox misses all of us, and envy's the fact our group isn't the same without you, without all of us."
"I honestly don't care." Miyu began to zone out again, Fara stricken with anger grabbed her music before she could plug out the world again.
"You don't care? You honestly don't believe that Fox misses you dearly? I thought you guys were friends since childhood…How could you say that?"
"Don't you put that on me!" Fara didn't know what she had sparked in the lynx but she knew it wasn't pretty. Miyu stood up instantly to defend herself as she shoved Fara to the side. Fara breathed uneasy as she had never seen this side of Miyu, tears filthy with bitter hurt and eyes that withheld a fiery envy.
"Whoa wait a second Miyu please! I don't want any trouble I'm just trying to help." She put her paws up defensively as Miyu stepped closer, Fara stepping back, "I know how you feel."
"No one knows how I feel!" Instead of venting anger the lynx began to let out all of her sadness, all of her pain as she crumbled to her knees in front of Fara. They were in a more secluded part of the school as hardly anybody was even up here where the two were. She spoke through her choked sobs.
"I've loved Fox for so long…Ever since we were kids." She looked up to the vixen as the two met eye contact, "How could he do this to me? He's dated everybody, loved everybody, but me…"
"Miyu…" Fara didn't know what to say.
She only bowed her head as Miyu let the tears fall. "It started with you, you, a girl he knew for two days before you started dating. After you two were done it was my turn, finally after all this time. But it was over before it even began; he left me…Me for the one person who hated us all this time. He left me for Jessie."
"Miyu that's not…" Fara tried to help but the lynx wasn't even listening, she was lost somewhere in her own world. Letting it all out, perhaps this is what she needed.
"And even after he and Jessie were through, now he's with Krystal…A girl he's only known for a year, and they're even closer then we are…I've known him, loved him for seventeen years. Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve being so alone? Why doesn't he love me?" Miyu wanted to know all of this and more, what made her so different? So left out, decimated by Fox's unintentional heart.
"Miyu…That's not how Fox feels." Fara sat down on her knees next to the lynx, "He loves you."
"But not in the way that I love him. I cherish him; I would do anything for him."
"And he would do anything for you."
"Then what makes me so different!" Miyu shoved Fara away yet again as she sat on her knees, then it struck her as her expression changed as she studied Fara. It had to be, it had to be that reason why…And if it was true, and then she came to realize…
"Is it because I'm not a vixen?"
"Miyu! You're talking nonsense." Fara tried to reason with her but to no avail.
"No you are!" She pointed her finger to the vixen as she bowed her head, "its true isn't it? He doesn't love me because I'm different, I'm a lynx and you're all vixens. He'll never love me then…"
"No Miyu that's not it at all!" Fara tried to bend over and touch the lynx but her paw was instantly swatted away.
"Don't touch me! Don't lie to me!" Miyu instantly sprang up to her feet as she shoved Fara against the wall. The fear in the vixen's eyes was real as Miyu had her pinned up like a doll. It seemed like to Fara Miyu had been tormented by her own rational thoughts and emotions; she was a delusional as someone wanting to commit suicide. "He'll never love me. He'll never love me."
"Miyu please…"
"No! No more words!" She pushed even further, "Stop lying to me! Just shut up!"
"What's going on out here?" A nearby teacher saw the scene of the two girls as he saw the pain in Miyu's eyes. She was breathing heavy as her paws were starting to bleed from grasping Fara's uniform so hard. There was nothing left to do, she figured it out, and if Fox could never love her. Then this life of her's wasn't worth dealing with. Miyu instantly fled the scene, taking her things as she ran for it. The teacher gave chase but he wouldn't catch Miyu. Fara was a bit taken back as she looked at herself, her uniform wrinkled and blood stains on the front. More teachers arrived on the scene a bit too late to do anything about it. Fara knew something bad was about to happen if Miyu wasn't contained soon, she had to find him. Fara sprinted through the school searching for the one vulpine that would maker her come to her senses.
"Please Fox…Where are you?"
X
The foxy couple had just arrived to school, hand in hand as they were walking toward the front door. It was still cold this morning but Krystal felt as though he had better tell him now when they were alone.
"Fox."
"Hmmm?" He looked toward her.
"Please Fox, don't do what I think what you want to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"Fox, just because I don't have my telepathy right now doesn't mean I'm not good at reading facial expressions. I know she won't even be here but you want to confront Jessie. Please don't"
He was a bit shocked to Krystal's wish, how could she even think that he wasn't going to defend her.
"What are you talking about? I'm going to give her a lot more then a piece of my mind!"
Krystal stepped in front of him, taking his hands within her own as she looked deeply into his hurt emerald eyes.
"No Fox you mustn't. That's exactly what she wants you to do. She wants you to come and defend me so she can start some fight and mix us up, making us fight and feel miserable. She's the one feeling miserable. The best thing now is to separate ourselves from her." Even in the mist of all of that, Krystal was able to smile, "And with her suspended I'm relieved it'll be sometime before she even comes back. I'll be strong," She held their paws together onto her heart; "We'll be strong."
Fox, although he knew she was right was a bit disappointed defined in his sigh, "You're right."
Krystal kissed him briefly on the lips as they broke apart, "Thank you." Though before Fox could even reply, there came a yell from the school entrance.
"Fox!" Fara's mood changing howl broke warming moment as the vulpine wondered what she so shaken up about was. As she neared he could tell her uniform was wrinkled, and stained with blood. "Fox you have to go to Miyu's house immediately!"
"What's going on?"
"There's no time! Something's horribly wrong with her! Go now!" Fox didn't argue as he rushed for his car, dropping everything and leaving as quickly as possible. A moment later did he pull out onto the road probably speeding but it didn't matter.
Krystal turned to the vixen out of breath as she was bent over hands on knees, "What's going on?"
After a moment of fresh air she stood tall as her eyes held the truth, "It's Miyu, she's thinking like a crazy person, thinking that Fox doesn't love her. I think she's going to…"
X
Fox was stricken with tremendous worry as he approached Miyu's house. Truth be told her home wasn't so far and could easily just walk. But he feared the worse, he always knew Miyu to be a rational person and always believing in what she thought was true. Even if it did seem a bit strange. What was she going to do? She wouldn't dare…
Fox neared the lynx's house as he jumped over stairs and sprang through the front door, surveying for Miyu but she was nowhere in sight.
"Fox?" Miyu's mother came from the living room to see the worried vulpine.
"Diane! Where's Miyu?"
"She's in her room she just came home." Fox sprinted for the lynx's room up the stairs over toward the pink door. It was locked shut.
"Miyu its Fox please open the door!" He got no verbal response as she banged and rattled with the doorknob. He put his ear to the door and could hear she was in there, moving things around. Fox took a few steps back, and with all his speed and might, bashed down the door to see the most horrid sight of his life. Miyu turned quickly, still dressed in her school uniform with tears in her eyes. She stood directly in the center of her room, standing on top of her desk chair, a rope around her neck tied directly to the ceiling fan above.
"Miyu no!" But she didn't listen, the lynx closing her eyes saying her goodbyes stepped off the stool, wanting life to take her away. But to the lynx's despair, her escape from life was denied…
She opened her eyes to see Fox holding her within his arms. Miyu let out horrid yell of pain and sadness.
"Let me go of me!" Miyu demanded pounding on his chest. He would never let her go.
"No!"
"Let go of me!" She tried to push her self out and away, but he was to strong for her to do so.
"No!" Tears started to pour down his sights as Fox tried to get the rope off from around her neck while holding her still.
"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" She broke into enormous cries as Fox was finally able to get the rope off from around her neck. He held her close as she tried to push him away and get him off, using her claws to slash at his face. He knew a way to calm her but she was proving difficult. In one quick motion Fox cupped her face with his hands and pulled her in. Fox stole her breath with this sudden kiss as her eyes went wide while her claws dripped with his blood. She finally succumbed to his ways, as she closed her eyes entranced by his lips. After a moment the two broke away as Fox still held her close, he cupped her face as the tears streamed down her bloodied face.
"Why Fox? Why didn't you love me?" she begged to know.
"Miyu…" Sadly, Fox didn't hold that answer. Once she realized that there was no answer he could give her, all she did was begin to cry in his arms. Diane raced up the stairs to the scene at hand. The two teens holding one another, Miyu crying her eyes out on his chest, blood surrounding them everywhere, and the dangling rope that swung in motion back and forth.
"Oh my god." Diane was about to feint as she held her head leaning against the door. She stepped forward as Fox turned to face her, slash marks across his face as blood still flowed down.
"Call 911." Was all Fox said as Diane saw his slashed up face, tears in her eyes as to what Fox had just done for her, he had saved Miyu, he had saved her little girl. She immediately ran for a phone as Fox continued to keep Miyu close, while she wept silently.
X
Hours later…
Fox sat alone in the main office of Corneria's Health and Rehabilitation Center as he had already received the minor medical attention needed. Now all he could do was hope and pray, pray that Miyu could see the light and how she was wrong. Diane and Chad went in hours ago with the doctors on their girl's mental behavior and structural thinking. He was still waiting to hear the news when one of the doctors finally came out, a lynx just like Miyu was. He stood up to see that solemn look on her face.
"You're Fox McCloud?" She asked politely, though it seemed a bit obvious with the slash marks across the face.
"Yes." He walked on over toward her in just a white t-shirt and his uniform pants.
"Right well." She took a pause to look at her clipboard of notes and statistics. "We believe Miyu has been diagnosed with Avoidant Personality Disorder as well as Separation Anxiety Disorder."
"Meaning exactly?" Fox had a clue to what the doctor was trying to say, but wanted to be sure."
"Well Miyu is overly afraid of anything changing, anything new in her life. And in response to that first disorder, she decides to try and separate herself from the world whenever this happens. In combination to her rational behavior, ideological choices and mood, we believe this is what pushed her to try and commit suicide. You see she has a strong desire for affection and acceptance as she wanted to obtain your love, fairly common in teens your age. But the fact that she was a lynx and all the past girls you have dated were vixens made her think that you could never come to love her. In response to that she tried to separate herself from the world and from others that ultimately led to her trying to commit suicide. But the final 'push' you see that made her finally try and do so was when her rational thinking took over, that the affection and accepting of her species of what she craved and desired was denied. And so…she wanted to end it."
"I understand…" He looked down for a moment to try and reflect on all of this. After a moment's breath he looked up again. "So what now?"
"The fact that she has two different personality disorders is very rare indeed. We're going to have to keep her overnight and see just what happens. She'll have to be on medicine from now on. We would like you to stay overnight. She's admitted so much about you. I'll give you briefing notes in a couple of hours so you can learn what she's talked about and more about her condition." The doctor wrote her final notes as she opened the door leaving Fox alone, giving him one final review of his courage. "You're very brave for what you did today. Most teens don't have a clue what's going on with their friends, I wish you the best of luck in the future." She disappeared behind the door leaving Fox alone for the time being. He couldn't help but think that this was all his doing. Maybe if he hadn't had gone into Fight Club, this would never have happened.
There was simply too many problems in the world to fix though as Fox took a seat. In just a little bit Krystal and Fara came to support the vulpine as he stood up in place.
"Fox!" The two vixens stared in silence as they covered their mouths; huge claw marks rand down diagonally across his face as well as many more all around. Krystal ran up to him as tears started to form.
"It's alright." Fox grabbed her paw and kissed it gently.
"I'm so sorry Fox…" Fara walked up slowly arms crossed her chest grasping them, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't tried talking to Miyu…"
"No it's better that you did. Sooner or later she would have probably tried killing herself and no one would be there to stop her." Fara couldn't help but to come up and hug the vulpine, just as Krystal did the same. He held them both closely while he closed his deep emerald eyes. It seemed life had changed again in a way no one could have guessed.
Time moved rather slowly as the other teens began to show up. Falco, Bill, Katt and Fay all showed up one in one large group. Fox turned to face them as they all saw the marks across his face.
"Oh my god Fox." Katt came rushing up to his side as the others approached slowly.
"It's alright it doesn't hurt so badly."
"We're sorry…" Bill and Falco came to each of his sides with a hand on each of his shoulders. Fay walked up slowly as Katt moved to the side; the two were locked in some kind of trance as she approached him slowly. Looking at the damage done by Miyu. She didn't say a word; Fay only dove straight into his chest wrapping her arms around him gently.
"I'm so sorry, thank you for saving her." He tried to coed the canine as he rubbed her back with much tender love. There was a weird awry silence between them all. They knew everything was going to change, these would be days they would remember the rest of their lives, whether good or bad.
"Of course." The door that led to the doctor's stations opened yet again, and out came Miyu's parents. Diane rushed toward Fox immediately wrapping her arms around the smaller child as Chad came up from behind.
"Fox. I don't know what to say. You know we've loved and thought of you as our own, and so does Miyu. No words can express how gracious we feel, thank you for saving her. If you hadn't come when you did…" She kissed the vulpine's forehead while still hugging him to death.
"Diane…" The broad lynx Chad stepped behind her as he placed his hand onto her shoulder. He looked down to Fox as the two met contact, and each showed an approving nod.
Soon the room began to flood; all the parents of the children present came to comfort their children along with Miyu's parents. Fara's Father, Fay's parents, Bill's mother, everybody. They all stood by their children in this time of grief and sadness. Fox's parents showed up last as the two went toward their son with the slashed face.
"Fox!" Vixy hugged her son immediately as he just stood there, looking up to his father. James held Jamie as Vixy went toward Diane, embracing her immediately as the two sobbed in one another's arms. Everyone had shown up, the room was flooded with parents and children alike. Fox was crowned the hero of the day, but sadly his heroism would not be rewarded, but deprived.
"Fox McCloud." The nurse called out to him as everyone focused in on her. She walked on toward the center of where the vulpine stood tall. She handed him a bottle of antibiotics, as well as some bad news. "Here you go son, it's for the slash marks on your face, to keep them from getting infected. Though I'm sad to say, those three that run down your face diagonally across your nose and eyes, I'm afraid those are going to scar."
Everyone seemed to let their heads down from the bad news, but Fox took it the best he could. He received three scars in exchange for his friends life, and he believed it was more then a fair trade. Somehow through it all, Fox knew everything would be alright. Everything would return to normal eventually, it was a trade off that he would make again and again. He could never imagine a world without Miyu, and his decision made all the difference.
"We're so sorry Fox." He turned to see Miyu's parents in tears as they grasped his shoulders. To their surprise he only showed them a small smile.
"Don't be, it's a fair trade. Three scars for Miyu's life, I'm just sorry you had to witness that Diane."
"Oh Fox." She took a hold of him again into a loving hug, "If you hadn't came when you did it would have been too late."
"It's never too late."
X
Fox coed with the doctor's advice and spent his night in the center's lobby with Jamie in hand. After not seeing her all day it was what he wished, everything was brought to him. Her food, crib, everything she would need. All his friends stayed with him that night, showing their support for Fox and Miyu. There was an awry silence amongst the teens as Fox tried to handle it the best he could, all of them stunned.
"It's funny you know." Fox broke the silence as he had just finished feeding Jamie. "My life seems to be just one big drama series."
"Fox." Krystal let out sadly as he looked over with a small smile.
"It ranges to jealousy, fights, a child, friends committing suicide."
"Come on Fox…" Falco tried to aid him, but sadly enough it was true.
"A big, downward fall, ever since…" He looked over toward Fara sitting across the room as she looked away. Ever since they had broken up, nothing had been going right in the vulpine's life. Though he knew none of it was her fault, just his own.
"That's not true." Fay broke from it all, "You saved Miyu. That has to be an upraise."
"You're right. I saved her; I would gladly save her, give anything she needed." Fox held Jamie close in his arms as Krystal leaned in to him. Here Miyu thought so long ago Fox was the depressed one who would commit suicide, and now here they all are, showing their support for the lynx who wanted to end it all.
"Life is so precious." Fox rubbed his head against Jamie's. "It's not worth giving up on." He looked up to see he had grabbed everyone's attention with that last sentence. "And you guys shouldn't think the same. We're going to have to be there for Miyu in anyway we can, even if things will never be the same."
"Right." Katt added as she wiped away a few tears, touched by Fox's hearted speech. He looked down at the precious life in his arms as he closed his eyes and kissed her forehead gently, just as she was about to close her eyes for the night.
Never give up…This life is too short to give up on…It's never to late…
