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He reached forward and intertwined his fingers with the vixens, knowing that it was a miracle that he was getting to feel the sensation once again. The steady beep of the holter monitor was like music to his ears, every ping reminding him that she had made it, that she was alive, regardless of the shape she was in.
Falco stood behind him, watching with a content look on his face. They had done it. They had managed to stop Panther. The fact that a complete stranger had been the one to kill the insane cat didn't matter, not any more. All that mattered was that she was alive and by his side once again. Tears formed along his eyes but he managed to hold them back, leaning forward and gently kissing the sapphire beauty's lips. Regardless of how battered and beaten she looked, how unkempt her fur was, she was still unbelievably beautiful.
A pang of guilt still managed to find its way into his heart though, as he looked down at the injuries she had suffered. The stabs to her leg looked extremely painful, and the bandages that had been placed over them still showed blood on each side of her leg. He tried not to imagine what it had been like for her to have suffered through that but he couldn't help but picture her face, writhing in pain as Panther pulled the vulpine's knife out and stabbed her over and over.
Then there was the gash on her shoulder, almost in her neck area, again from his knife. He remembered the blood that had been running out of the wound, accompanied with the look of shock and pain on her face as she had laid there.
Everything he loved had been right in front of him, lying there in a pool of blood while he pathetically lost the fight that would save her life. The pain he felt then was nothing to what he felt now, realizing that, had help not arrived, he wouldn't have been able to protect her. He couldn't protect her.
"I'm sorry Krystal," he whispered, resting his head on her chest.
"I'm sorry I let him do this to you."
The lightest tap of a footstep told him Falco had left the room and he couldn't help but allow a few tears run down his face. He knew he should be happy, he knew he should be thankful, but the fact that things had gotten this far was enough to gnaw at his insides. He was the leader. He was supposed to protect his friends and fight off their enemies, but this time he had failed, miserably. Every one of them had been on the brink of death in the past three days, some more than once. But it wasn't the fact that they could've been killed, that was part of their job, it was the fact that he had been so blindsided by love that he hadn't seen it coming.
I can't believe I let this happen. Regardless of what she says, this is my fault.
"No its not."
He wasn't sure if the voice had been real or if his imagination playing tricks on him, that is until he felt the vixen's hand tighten around his. He slowly looked up and met her gaze, almost falling to his knees in relief as he looked into her beautiful conscious gaze.
She lightly smiled and began to sit up, only to cry out in pain, not moving more than an inch. Instantly he rested his hand over her chest and held her down, telling her not to move anymore.
"Just stay still," he said softly, "You need to rest, you've been through a lot."
Out of nowhere a hand connected with the side of his face, almost knocking him to the floor. He looked back at Krystal, surprised at the amazing change in attitude as she brought her arm back down to her side.
"K-Krystal...
"You have some nerve telling me that!" she yelled, grabbing his hand tightly.
"W-what? I-
"How can you honestly say I've been through a lot after all the hell you've suffered? How can you say possibly say you're sorry when we both know that this was all over me!"
"No, I just...
"Look at me," she continued, her voice not hardly a yell, but still angry, "I've got a few bruises and cuts"
"Cuts? Krystal those...
"Then look at you!" she replied despairingly, tears in her eyes, "A broken arm. Shot in the leg, shot in the stomach, beaten to death...,...how can you possibly say something so...so...stupid!"
Tears were running down her face now and she held onto his paw with all the strength that she could muster, which wasn't much. He wasn't sure how to respond. It was obvious that neither one of them would be willing to allow the other to take the blame for this. But the vixen was so beaten up, both physically and mentally, that he feared she would never recover from what Panther had managed to do.
Would things ever be the same after all of this? Could such wounds heal? Be they mental or physical, after all that they had been put through, all that they had been forced to witness, was it possible to forget them?
It was then that he realized how much damage Panther had truly done. Their hearts and minds had been pushed to the limit, both of them had been ready to suffer fates worse than any imaginable death simply to protect the other. Torment and fatigue had battled them both to the point of collapse, the whole time both still doing whatever it took to save their lover. Everything seemed to pile up and explode in front of them in one night, knocking them against the wall and forcing them both to watch the nightmare unfold.
And now that it was all over, now that he finally had her once again, he couldn't help but wonder if things would ever be the same.
He met her tear filled gaze, their muzzle's only an inch apart, the salty substance had made its way down her cheeks and was falling onto her bare chest, causing the vulpine to reach forward with his one good hand and wipe them away.
"I can say stuff like that," he murmured, stroking the side of her face, "Because I love you."
The vixen sniffled and nodded before leaning forward and gently connecting her lips with his, instantly pulling the vulpine forward. He enjoyed the taste of her once more, ignoring the scent of blood that still filled his nostrils. Before, he had feared that the next time he'd be kissing the sapphire beauty was in his dreams, or in the afterlife. But somehow they had both made it. Sure they had gotten the hell beaten out of them, but they had made it.
"Please," she whispered, pulling away just far enough to speak, "Don't ever leave again."
He began to respond but the vixen's arms had made their way around his waist, pulling at him, signaling for him to lay down with her. He easily obliged, trying his best to ignore the searing pain that he felt all over his body as he bent over and eased in beside her. She shifted to her right, also doing her best to mask the pain that came with any sudden movement, giving him room to lie next to her on his side, once more placing his paw on the side of her face as he took in her beauty.
"I couldn't even if I tried."
She immediately released his hand and threw her arms around him, ignoring the pain that came with it. Whatever it was that she had been holding back on she let it go right then and there as tears ran down her cheeks and she buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"I love you so much!" she cried, pulling him as close as she could, "And seeing you back there...getting hurt that way...oh Fox I'm sorry!"
His left arm was already around her waist, holding her sobbing body as she finally allowed the pain and suffering to escape from her. All this time, throughout everything that had happened, she had kept it all bottled up. But now, even with her unbelievable mental powers, she couldn't help but let it all out.
"It's okay Krystal...I'm alive see? We're both alive." he rested his muzzle on her head before adding, "And we still have each other."
"But you have gone through so much pain...you've suffered so much for me." she replied guiltily, "I should have never joined you, at least then none of this would've happened!"
"Didn't you hear me?" he asked, this time with a bit of intensity, "I'm alive! You're alive! That's all that matters."
"B...
"You know I'd go through hell for you," he added, now back to his calm self, "Any amount of torture, any amount of pain or suffering, it pales in comparison to how I feel about you."
"Besides," he continued, pulling her face up to meet his, "If you had never joined my team then I'd still be looking for a reason to live."
She opened her mouth as if she was going to respond but paused and merely shook her head, the tears falling off her chin onto his chest as she did.
"And I cant lose that reason."
The gap between them closed once more as the two foxes met in an amazing embrace, each of them reminding the other how much they truly cared as they pushed back against the kiss. Both of them knew that this was their reason for living now. Not StarFox, not Corneria, not Andross. The only thing that kept the two of them alive was the same thing that kept their hearts beating; and that was each other.
He rolled over onto his side and pulled the vixen on top of him, relishing the familiar feeling of her naked body above his. But he had no intention of getting that far tonight, not that he could if he wanted to anyways. He simply wanted to feel her once again, to hold her in his arms until he passed out from either fatigue or the pain that was making its way back across his body from the lack of morphine.
The passionate kiss ended with the vixen's tongue brushing the side of his muzzle before she rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his neck once more.
"There's so much I want to say to you," she muttered softly, "So much that needs to be said and done because of all this...
"No there isn't," he interrupted, kissing the side of her face, "There's just one thing you need to say. The rest is history."
He felt her hand on the left side of his face, turning his gaze over to his right and connecting her lips with hers, allowing him to once again fall into the safety and comfort of her emerald gaze.
"I love you Fox."
"I love you Krystal."
He looked into her tear filled eyes once again, wishing he could erase the pain and guilt that were in them, but grateful for the love and passion that he could find as well. She would always feel responsible for all of this. That was something that he could never fix. But on the same note, he would always feel the same way for allowing her to suffer this much. She was his mate, his lover, his fox, and the fact that he had allowed this much pain to be inflicted upon her, the fact that she had been subjected to this much suffering, it left him with a feeling or remorse that he could never vanquish.
He turned back on his side, resting his arm around her waist and holding her close to him as they continued to hold onto each other. Those feelings would never leave them, but they were the past. He knew that in order for things to ever be back to the way they were they'd have to look forward and not back. All he knew anymore was her. She was his world, she was his reason for life, and all that mattered anymore was her life being in his own.
He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers, savoring the taste of his mate. He could feel the vixen relax as the embrace went further, her body almost melting into his as she finally allowed the events of the past few days to fade into nothing more than what they were. Memories. Instead, all she focused on now was him. Regardless of what the hell happened in the future, or the past, they would have each other. They had made it this far, they had survived Panther's sadistic plan, now the two of them would never allow it to happen again.
For the first time in what felt like forever they closed their eyes and allowed sleep to take over, not worrying about anything on their hearts as long as the other was by their side. The pain from their injuries seemed like a far off place now. As they held each other close, slowly drifting off to sleep to the beat of the others heart, everything else seemed more insignificant than ever. As long as they had each other they would make it. No enemy was too powerful, no threat was to massive. All that mattered was that he could go to sleep every night with her by his side, her beautiful scent washing away all the problems of the outside world as he drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
She was his. He was hers. They would gladly die or kill for the other if that was what it took to protect them. Their own safety, the pain or suffering they could possibly endure, it didn't matter, not when the other was in danger.
For him she would do anything.
For her he would do everything.
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