Odds and Ends: Epilogue

I'm gonna say it now, so I don't put the mood in the ending away. This is the very last chapter of Odd and Ends, I'm afraid. After this chapter, I'm going to click the "complete" button thingamajig with a very heavy heart. Thank you all so much for bearing every chapter, let it be fantastic or just plain sappy. You've all been such a wonderful audience, and I must say that I truly believe that I don't deserve this many reviews. But, you seemed to tolerate it, nonetheless, and in return, I will continue this as a series. Thanks again, and I bid you all adieu.

Kate sighed irritably. "Coco, are you so sure that this will work?" The bandicoot girl looked over from her titanic computer monitor.

"Well, you don't have to do it, you know. It's the only way to get your body back."

Kate fidgeted uncomfortably in the chamber she was in. "Well, if you say so… I'll won't be running around in this metal carcass anymore, right?"

"If everything goes according to plan."

"Wait, something could happen?"

"Kate, in order to move forward, we must take risks."

"I'm not gonna die, am I?"

Coco hesitated, but smiled uneasily. "No, no. You'll be fine."

Kate felt her heart skip a beat, but she closed her eyes and cleared her mind. "Alright, run the machine."

Hours earlier…

Kate Clark was sitting in the living room to their house, watching Crunch and Crash do reconstruction on the roof. Crash sighed. "You know, Crunch, I shouldn't be doing this." The larger bandicoot stopped pounding his hammer, and looked at him.

"Hey, this is going to add on to your little girlfriend's bedroom, so you might as well help." Crash rolled his eyes and jumped down from his ladder. He grabbed another piece of wood and climbed back up to the roof. The he realized he'd forgotten his hammer, and he poked his head through the hole of the roof.

"Hey, do you mind handing me my hammer, Kate?" he asked. Kate furrowed her brow, and looked up at him.

"Magic word?"

Crash groaned. "Please."

Kate turned her head away for him. "I don't like your tone."

"C'mon, babe, please? This needs to get done!"

"Pfft. Like you've been such a big help," Crunch derided. Crash didn't bother arguing, because Kate had already gotten up and was handing the tool to her companion. He grabbed it and flashed a smile.

"Thank you," he said, and disappeared from her view. Kate sighed, and started toward the front door, yet she was stopped by Coco.

"Kate, hey, I was… just wondering if you'd want to do something with me."

Kate considered it a bit. "What's in mind?"

"I don't know. Talk?"

"Eh, why not? Crash is busy anyway."

"Alright. Why don't we do it in my room?"

"Lead the way."

The two girls walked into Coco's room, and the bandicoot girl plopped onto her bed. Kate decided to stand, because he chairs looked flimsy and unable to hold her bulky metal weight. Being made of titanium was a pain.

"So, Kate, what was your life like in America?" Coco asked in curiosity. Kate thought it over, and spoke.

"Well, it was rather interesting. I had plenty of friends, and college was okay I guess. I didn't like my headmaster at all, though. She was a haggard old woman who had a cat."

"Had?"

"I accidentally ran over him… I felt really bad and tried to apologize, but she didn't give any forgiveness. Old woman needs to retire already."

"So does Cortex, but we all know that Crash would sooner stop being a wise ass," Coco joked. They chuckled lightly, but Kate seemed to be in a melancholy state at the moment. "What's wrong, Kate?"

The Cyborg shifted and leaned up against the wall. "I wish I was human again."

Coco was perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, first of all, I've been here for three days and haven't slept a wink. I can't. And besides, being charged in your lab for hours a day really sucks. I feel like a machine with only a heart, lungs, and brain," Kate explained. She fixed her ponytail with her metal hand, and groaned. "I can't even put my hair up correctly. I only have one hand."

Coco gazed at the crestfallen Kate in sympathy. "I can't even feel the hugs Crash gives me. Hell, I can't even cry." Kate sighed. "But, I need to stop complaining. At least Cortex didn't kill me."

Coco thought about Kate's problems. The poor young woman was going through a lot. But maybe… she could fix it. "Hey, Kate, I have to go to my lab for a minute. Wanna come?"

Kate shrugged, and pushed her dejected thoughts out of her mind. "Sure."

After researching and testing, Coco figured a way that Kate could be as organic as possible. It was a big decision, but as soon as Kate heard of the way, she agreed immediately. She didn't fancy her metal body whatsoever.

Present…

Coco pulled the lever to the machine. The chamber was filled with a rotary noise, and heavy metal clanging. She looked at cut on her hand and quickly tried to bandage it. The machine was creating clatter that and stopped five minutes later. As soon as the whirling ceased, a giant crash of metal was heard inside.

Coco gradually walked to the compartment, and the door cracked open slightly. "Coco," coughed the voice inside, "get me a towel or something."

"Did it work?"

"*Cough*…yeah… it worked. *Cough, cough*."

Coco rapidly dashed out of her lab and into her room. She sorted through her clothes, and tried to find a shirt that was too large for her, along with a pair of pants. She succeeded and came across a light pink shirt and a pair of jean shorts. She hoped that they were the size Kate wore, grabbed a pair of undergarments, and ran back to her lab.

Coco handed all the clothes to Kate's outstretched hand from the door, and heard a "Thanks," followed by a coughing fit. The young bandicoot girl figured that during this transformation, Kate had to become acquainted with her new body, and was having difficulty with it.

Soon enough, Kate stumbled out of the chamber, and nearly fell to the floor. Coco helped Kate stand, and was astonished as she got a look at her face.

The renovation had been successful.

As soon as Kate was able to stand on her own, Coco stared at her in utter awe. Kate's ear twitched, and her nose wrinkled. "You got a mirror?" she asked. Coco quickly grabbed a handheld mirror that had been conveniently lying on a lab table, and gave it to Kate.

Kate held the mirror to her face, and gasped in shock. She was indeed an Anthrian bandicoot now. She saw her light orange fur glow in the sunlight through the window of Coco's lab. Cream color bordered her mouth and ran down her torso. Kate had changed drastically.

She began to poke at her abdomen, it receding slightly with each contact. She giggled, and looked up at Coco. "This is so weird…" She fiddled with her bandicoot ears, and looked at her hands. Where were her fingernails? A sharp grumbling ran through her stomach, and tiny claws shot out, and retracted. Well, they were claws now.

"Seems you're hungry," Coco laughed. Kate smiled nervously.

"Starving, but before we do that, why don't we show Crash and Crunch?"

"They won't even recognize you!"

"Exactly."

So, the two girls walked out into the living room. Coco inhaled deeply, and shouted up the hole, "Crash! Crunch! Come here!"

It took a few minutes, but there came a reply. Crash's reply. "What do you want?"

"You need to see this!"

"You heard your sister," Crunch's voice said. "You need to see it."

"Wait, no Crunch—what are you doing? Don't do it! NO!" Crash shouted as he fell through the hole. He landed on the floor with a pain-filled grunt, and he moaned. "Ugh. There's no need to throw people."

He got up and dusted himself off, and he looked at Coco and the Kate. He looked at Kate a little longer, and he faced his sister. "Who's she?"

Coco smiled, as did Kate. Crash was puzzled. "What?"

"You know who she is," Coco sniggered, and Kate kept her gaze on Crash. He narrowed his eyes, and studied the redheaded bandicoot female.

"Okay, I'll bite. Who is this?"

Kate readied her voice, and stared at Crash hard. "Magic word?"

Crash groaned in frustration. "You're just like Kate. Please? … Wait a minute…" He scrutinized the woman more, and was in disbelief. "Kate…?"

"It really is all odds and ends around here, isn't it?" she beamed, and he looked at her in bafflement.

"You're… A bandicoot now! How the hell did this happen?"

"Well, Coco donated some of her blood to help me become fully flesh again. I don't know how to thank her for it, either," Kate briefed. Crash blinked a few times, and he quickly embraced her and held her close.

"Oh, Kate," he muttered. "You keep surprising me with a new appearance. Before I know it, you'll be a tree stump."

Kate pulled away slightly so she could see his face. "Nah, I think I like this better." Their faces were mere inches apart, and Crash smiled.

"I love you."

"I love you too, you little idiot."

Coco rolled her eyes, and began to walk to her room. But, just as she was passing behind her older brother, she pushed him toward Kate, and the two's lips pressed together. Their eyes were wide in shock for a moment, and they pulled away.

Crash and Kate was blushing a shade of red that seemed impossible, and he turned his head to Coco, who was already walking into her room. "Coco!"

Coco was snickering madly as she closed her door. Kate inhaled deeply and kept her eyes to the floor in embarrassment, and Crash was just shoving his hands into his pockets and looking at the ceiling. Crunch jumped through the hole in the room and landed on his feet.

"Alright, what was it?" His eyes shifted to Kate and Crash, and he sighed. "I'm not even gonna ask why you two are blushing redder than your own hair, and why Kate's a bandicoot." He walked past them, and into the kitchen.

Crash shook himself, and came to the present. "Well, Kate, I gotta go outside and do something."

"What exactly?" Kate questioned.

"I'm craving a nap under my tree."

"Did I say you could?"

"I don't need your approval," Crash snickered, and Kate feigned a hurt tone.

"And you don't even invite me?"

"You can tag along, I suppose." Crash pushed open the door with Kate in tow. It was a short walk, with Kate and Crash giving playful shoves to one another, and they finally reached the tree. The sat down with a huff, and stared at the setting sun.

"You know, Crash… This is really nice."

"Yeah, yeah. The sunsets are really nice around here," Crash sighed.

Kate snuggled closer to Crash. "And romantic." The two were happily quiet for a moment, until a grumbling noise erupted from Kate's stomach. Crash furrowed his brow and turned his head to Kate, who was currently looking sheepish and guilty.

"I know of a way to silence the beast in your gut." He stood up, and shook the tree. Several Wumpa fruit fell to the ground, and Crash picked one up. He took a bite out of it, and quickly swallowed it. "Delicious."

Kate smirked at him dubiously, and picked up a fruit. "If you say so." She took a hesitant bite, but as soon as she swallowed, her face went blank, and Crash settled himself next to her, devouring his own Wumpa fruit already.

"Well?"

"My word, you weren't kidding!" She began to heartily eat the fruit, and as soon as she was finished, she grabbed another. "This so good," she muttered between chews. Crash could only laugh at her as she continued to inhale as many Wumpa fruit as possible.

He put an arm around her as soon as she proclaimed herself stuffed, and he chuckled. "Oh, Kate."

"Oh, Crash."