Forgiveness.

Forgiveness was all that the vixen wanted.

It was a way to show her love for the one who truly cared about her. A second chance to prove to him what she was truly about.

I forgive you.

Now, she finally had it. This was her time. Her time to focus on rebuilding what she had with the vulpine so, so long ago. Because she cared about him. Because she couldn't live without him.

Because she loved him

She didn't know how long they were in each other's embrace. She wanted to be with him… savoring what she missed this entire time.

Breathing in his scent, feeling the warming feel of his touch… Krystal couldn't even begin to describe the stupor she felt when she was with him. After they finally revealed their apologies, their true feelings for each other, she just wanted a few seconds more… a few moments longer with her Fox.

The one who couldn't bear to hate her.

The one who saved her.

Truly, this was their time to rebuild, to restore their love for each other. She would say whatever could come to mind to bring him peace starting now… and this was only the beginning of what she had in mind.

She was cut short.

"What the hell are you two doing?!"

The wall of silence was broken. The cocky avian's yell managed to break through the peace and solitude that Fox and Krystal so desired, a look of disbelief on his face, eyes cold and unblinking as he stared at the tattered couple… a dirty, exhausted vixen with a bloody, battered vulpine.

Slowly their gazes shifted to that of Falco's, but not a moment's notice could pass before they reverted back, much to his annoyance.

She wanted to see the vibrancy again, the compassion and kindness that she had remembered long ago, as it returned bit by bit into the vulpine's eyes. And he wanted to see the vixen's hopes and dreams, that confident, optimistic look she gave off once upon a time that inspired him to become better… for himself, for his team.

For her.

But sadly, they both knew that their time together would come to an end… for now.

That was one week ago.

It wasn't long after his argument with Krystal that the vulpine was discharged from the sick bay, so it was clear that this was the time to heal. The vixen wanted him to reconvene with the team, to reveal every single ounce of his emotional vulnerability that he had to spare. Peppy, Slippy, even Falco… they all wanted to see him, because it was time to make things right for him… for everyone involved.

Together they all waited outside the hulking metal doors of the sick bay, the atmosphere full of tension so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Together they waited in silence and loneliness, all staring at the room's entrance as they awaited their former friend, or what had become of him.

And slowly, the door opened, releasing a torrent of the sterile air that was sealed within the facilities before the object of their interests appeared.

There was Fox McCloud. There was Fox, with his dirty, unkempt fur and the sick grimace on his face as he inched slowly past his former teammates without a single syllable being uttered from his maw. He couldn't even go so far as to face his family… why that is the vixen would never know.

Slippy… his childhood best friend.

Peppy… his mentor and father.

And Falco… his most trusted companion in battle.

One by one the vulpine made his way past his former family, not letting a single sniff or sigh sound off in amidst their presence.

Why is he like this?

What happened to him?

This isn't the Fox that I used to know.

The thoughts from vixen's teammates echoed within her head at this point, but she couldn't pay any attention to them in the meantime… not when her Fox was in so much pain. He tried to mask his emotions with same old stoic expression as before… that apathetic appearance that just seemed to scream:

I'm fine. Leave me alone.

But Krystal knew. She knew that he needed help.

Time slowed as the vulpine seemed to inch his way slowly past the vixen's frame. She was sure that she would've been ignored like the others, but much to her surprise, the vulpine hesitated in front of her, his head bowed slightly towards the ground before he looked to the side and shot her a glance with his emerald eyes.

Those warm, compassionate eyes that told her all that she needed to know as they spoke to her…

Let's talk later, okay?

Her maw was faintly ajar at what he had just done, but she could only nod at his small gesture while he continued on, off towards the end of the hallway, the only sounds in the vicinity being the clacks of his boots as they collided with the metallic floor.

Soon enough, the sounds trailed off before it was completely silent yet again. He was gone. Nobody knew what to do. Nobody knew what to say. They were all too stunned by his reaction.

He was supposed to open up, to let his family help him through the darkest times in his entire life. Instead, he ignored them.

Instead, he locked himself in his room.

But the sapphire vixen knew that something was coming.

Something good.

000

For three days and three nights the vulpine spent his time alone, restless and starved like he had treated himself the past four years.

He wouldn't rest until he had thought things through. And so he spent his hours in the dark, staring through the glittering blackness that was space.

Deliberating. Contemplating.

He knew what he had seen while he was unconscious. The vulpine couldn't stop thinking about it, his father's quirky personality and charm… his mother's caring embrace and warming affection… they were all tucked away at the back of his mind.

And it was because that one experience, that he kept thinking about it that he had to ask himself just one question:

Is this life worth it?

He was left alone.

He grew up alone.

And for a time, he fought side by side with people he thought could be called family.

Now he was alone again. Now, he needed to think.

His teammates, however, were becoming increasingly anxious.

Throughout the hours of the day and night, his former teammates could be bothered to reason with him through a locked door. Slippy tried to get him to eat his cooking, to talk about how much he missed his best friend. Peppy would show up sporadically to do the same and offer a few words of wisdom. Even Falco tried his best: using vulgar and offensive language to rile the vulpine up, creating heated situations and engagements as he had done in the past, so so long ago.

All of them were met with silence.

Krystal knew better than to attempt to talk to him. For a short glimpse during their impassioned exchange, the vixen saw exactly what he had gone through.

Guilt and regret. Frustration. Hopelessness. Self-deprecation.

Abandonment.

Those feelings were all still there as the vulpine buried his face in his paws. It would be wrong for anyone to assume that he would be okay after a short stay in the sick bay.

He still hated himself. And Fox knew that Krystal knew.

It was because of this that he wouldn't leave. He wouldn't know how to explain his situation to anyone… never mind his teammates. He felt remorseful and embarrassed for putting them through this. That he doubted them to actually care about him. That he could have possibly assumed that he was worthless and insignificant.

For the first time in his life, the once calm and calculated leader of the Star Fox team didn't have a plan, despite how miserable and hopeless he felt.

For the first time in his life, he realized that he needed help. He was just too afraid to admit it.

That's why he could only have imagined the awe on his face when he heard her presence enter his mind.

Fox? Are you okay?

He didn't know whether or not he should respond, but the answer seemed obvious no matter how he looked at it.

She saved him once. And then she saved him again. Now, he needed her more than ever.

Krystal.

His light. His love.

All it took was one question from the vixen to help him answer his question.

Is this life worth it?

One question… from his Krystal.

Fox? Are you okay?

It was right there and then that he had a moment of clarity, lifting his head away from the palms of his hands before staring in awe into the blackness that was the empty void of space. Except this time, he focused on the stars.

Those stars that shined given the emptiness in which they lingered. Those stars that gave him hope.

"Because I wasn't lying when I said I loved you."

She made this life worth living. She was his reason to live. She was the only one who understood him… even more than he understood himself.

Fox didn't know how long he took before he gave her an answer. It could have been seconds or minutes… maybe even an hour, but he knew what he wanted to say. He knew what he wanted in this life.

He wanted her back. He wanted his vixen back, more than anything.

Krystal.

Because she saved him.

Could you come to my room please?

Because he loved her.

000

When she finally heard him answer back, the vixen let out a sigh of relief.

She was concerned about him, worried about his well-being. She was desperate to talk to him, to know that he was safe and sound within the confines of even his own living space.

Now they would finally be able to talk.

With that in mind, Krystal spent no time in entering his room by placing her paw on the palm scanner, prompting the vulpine's door to edge aside before she quickly stepped in. And yet, much to the vixen's amazement, the darkness enveloped her body as soon the door shut behind her.

For three whole days, the vulpine lived in these conditions.

For three whole days, the vulpine hadn't eaten. For three whole days the bed was unkempt, and the room was black as night. She could barely see, but as her eyes adjusted, she could make out a silhouette lingering in front of the room's lone window, the faint glimmer of the stars providing enough light to create a vulpine shaped shadow.

At first, she hesitated. But then she spoke.

"Fox?"

The vixen whispered his name so delicately in this deafening silence, the sound of her heartbeat growing louder and louder now until it began to ring in her ears.

It was like before. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. All she could do was watch in anticipation as the vulpine reacted to her presence.

Slowly he turned around, standing in place before he lifted his head. The starlight from the window gently conveyed the side of his face, allowing her to see the faint glimmer in his eyes.

And for a time, they were frozen in place. Neither of the two said a single word as they met each other's gaze, the hurt in his eyes still very apparent to the sapphire vixen at this point… but there was something different about them this time.

Something… hopeful.

She opened her jaw. She was determined to say something, anything to break the silence, but she was too late. The vulpine beat her to it.

"I'm sorry," he said, the vulpine turning fully towards her now. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, Krystal could see the abuse that he was putting on his body.

"Fox…" she murmured, her tone of voice as apologetic and concerned than ever. "Why? Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I'm sorry, I just…" his voice trailed off. The vixen waited patiently for his response, a puzzled expression on her muzzle as she wondered what he was thinking.

"I just want to forget everything that ever happened."

His statement was bold, but his posture was not. The vulpine took his gaze away from hers and looked down at the ground.

He remembered the hurt. He remembered her pain. He was eager to erase it all, given the chance.

"Everything I did that hurt you… everything I did which made you feel unloved and unwanted…" he mumbled softly. "I want to forget all of it… because it hurts just thinking about it."

That cruel, contemptuous tirade she gave him back then after the Anglar War.

That terror-struck expression she showed him after he had shot himself.

The spine-chilling tone of what he had said to her not three full days ago.

I wish you had never even met me!

They both knew the pain. They both suffered through it. And yet, he lifted his head and met her gaze again, staring deeply into her amethyst eyes before he questioned her just one more time.

"Krystal… do you think that we could start over?"

The vulpine waited patiently for her answer. It was clear to her what he wanted. He wanted it to be like before, like it way it used to be. He wanted to move past all this, and pretend it never existed. He wanted to run away.

But this was wrong. He was wrong.

All she had to do was let him know.

"No."

000

The word flew out of her mouth so swiftly that the tension began to overtake them, the two now staring blankly at each other hoping, just hoping that the other would understand.

But she knew that he wouldn't, so she would have to make herself clear.

"No, Fox," she repeated. "I don't want to start over."

At first, the sapphire vixen didn't know what he thought of her answer, but she quickly realized that the vulpine's puzzled expression and the frown on his face gave it away. He couldn't have possibly hoped to understand, his tail now drooping in despondence as he wondered why she would say such a thing.

"But why?" he spoke.

Why?

Do you not remember how we've suffered?

Do you not remember the pain we've felt?

Why wouldn't you want to forget?

Why?

And yet, that 'why' was obvious to the vixen.

"Everything that we did to hurt each other can't be forgotten," she murmured, a slight frown on her muzzle as she walked up to the window, staring into space. She let herself bask in the starlight before taking the vulpine's rough, battered paw in her own, rubbing it gently and lightly with her free hand. "I wanted you. I cared deeply about you. After you hurt me… I was frustrated. I was jealous. I was ignorant."

"And because of that, I forgot what I wanted most in life," she mumbled. She looked up at the vulpine while the starlight illuminated her face, the traces of a sad smile now apparent within her muzzle.

"It was you," she whispered, rendering him speechless.

"After you were gone… I felt hopeless. I felt like I had no will to live. And..." She hesitated, clearly in doubt and uncertainty after reminiscing what happened, before continuing on with her words. "And... after I found out that you self-harmed because of me... after I found out that you loved me… I knew that I missed you."

Gently, the vixen cupped her paw around the vulpine's cheek, pulling him closer and closer until their foreheads touched, gazing deeply into the green of his irises and making sure that he saw nothing but the deep indigo of her own.

"It was you, Fox McCloud," she whispered with such intensity, the tone of her own voice burning with nothing but warmth and passion for him. "It was you that kept me going. It was you that gave me hope when I was desperate. It was you that saved me," she sniffled, the tears beginning to let loose out of her eyes the more she explained to him.

"I would always think of pain and sadness when I remember the past. But now, we're stronger because of this. If we can overcome this, if we can move past this together… then we can move past anything."

She said that with such confidence, a lone tear streaming down the side of her face as it glimmered in the starlight, before pulling her Fox into an embrace, making sure never to let go as she snuggled further into his chest and savoring his scent.

"That's why I don't want to forget… that's why I can't forget. Because it reminded me, Fox. After all this, you reminded me…"

"That I love you."

Her voice slowly trailed off until it was silent again.

Krystal.

Krystal.

Krystal.

"Oh, Krystal…" he whimpered.

How could I ever deserve her?

"Krystal…" he repeated, struggling to keep his composure. "You-"

He wouldn't get to finish that before the vixen's free paw made its way to the back of the vulpine's head and grabbed a pawful of his head fur. Slowly, gently, she pulled him into a deep kiss, both their eyes closed now as they savored the moment, hoping that it would last forever.

At last, Krystal pulled away, her eyes open and heart fluttering at what she had done, but she felt nothing but pride. She couldn't have been any more proud to be his vixen.

"That's what I think of you Fox," she said. "I'll never leave you. I'll never let you go... because you saved me!"

Fox understood now. He understood what she meant. It couldn't have been any clearer at this point, the vulpine beginning to lose all control as he began to sob.

Through all the good times and the bad, it didn't matter how much he struggled. As long as he had her by his side, there would be no question as to whether or not he could get through this... and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Krystal," he said, his voice quivering with emotion as the vixen continued to stare into his soul with unblinking eyes.

She cared for me.

She loved me.

She saved me.

"I swear that I couldn't love you more than I can right now," he whispered, his voice trembling in every single syllable. "Yet, I know I will tomorrow."

"Because you're everything to me."

The vulpine's words rolled right off his tongue as the two foxes burst into tears, struggling to keep calm in a time like this. They kept the embrace, holding each other as if they would never let go, deep in the pitch black darkness that was Fox's room. Krystal laid her head onto Fox's shoulder, feeling the deep tremors that emanated from his chest as it rocked her core. Fox did the same while rubbing her back so warmly, making sure to savor the sweet scent that he had missed for so long.

For four years, she was gone.

For four years, he had suffered.

But at long last, he finally had her back... and it almost made those four years worth it just for this. For the first time in a while, Fox felt hopeful about the future. He no longer saw the bleak reality that was his world, but instead what he saw in her was the rest of his life.

A life full of happiness. A life full of comfort and repose.

It was all because his Krystal was at his side. And as he held her within his arms, he couldn't help but think about what life had in store for him. He couldn't help but wonder...

I saw that you were perfect, and I loved you. Yet, I saw that you were not perfect, and I loved you even more.

000

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