-Chapter XXXIV-

(The Dark Star)

4:24am

The others didn't know what to make of Fox's condition, he'd lost far too much blood; his breathing had grown weak since they had arrived, and he was showing no signs of waking up. Krystal simply stayed by his side, hoping to see some sort of a positive change in his condition but, there was nothing. She worked over everything time and time again...Arlex was alive, but, what was wrong with him? The person she saw on Fichina was not the same Arlex she'd known all those years ago, the person she recalled was kind and would never raise a hand toward her...not even in anger, but, the Arlex that had attacked them seemed to have no trouble attacking anyone...even Voss who once idolized him for his strength and courage. Nothing made sense anymore. The stress of trying to find the answers to everything that had happened over the last month or so weighed her down; Omni, Arlex, Fox's condition, the Blade, these things all had something in common but, she could come nowhere near placing a common factor between them. Having exhausted her self both physically and mentally she could find no other recourse than to at least try to get some sleep...something she thought to be impossible at this late hour but, she found that once she lay down next to Fox in the only place she could find that wasn't occupied by someone else, she fell quickly to sleep...

It would be hours before she would wake again, the first thing she did upon waking up that morning after checking on Fox's condition, which sadly hadn't improved, was to take a shower. She tossed her clothes to one side before stepping into the stream of hot water. For a moment she was well and relaxed...but something didn't feel right. She opened her eyes only to realize that the shower head was spurting thick red liquid...blood. She quickly tried to run back out of the shower but the slick liquid caused her to trip and fall to the hard cold floor, as she lay there trying to figure out what could've just happened a familiar black figure walked into the room, a long blood soaked sword in his paw, and a sickening smile on his face. He rose his blade and as he brought it down on her she threw her arms up in front of her face, letting out a terrified scream...

"...ystal...Krystal!!"

At the sound of the voice the terrified vixen opened her eyes...

"Fox?"

She was certain she was still hallucinating or something, but, she found herself in bed, her head was pounding, she reached for her head only to recoil at the touch. When she saw Fox hovering over her she quickly sat up despite the discomfort throwing her arms around his neck...

"YOU'RE OKAY!!"

Fox's face was frozen as she did this not realizing that she had nothing on under the covers that had fallen from her torso as she sat up to hug him, making the only barrier between them the thing material of his shirt...but, his mind was elsewhere at the moment as Krystal seemed to have a slight memory problem...

"Of course I'm okay...what did you think...I was dying or something?"

Krystal pushed herself away from him and thought back, the memory was all there...she could recall every second...but Fox was just fine...

"We were on Fichina...you were hurt..."

Fox examined her face with a confused look, "Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought. Krystal we never left this ship, we were talking about what to do about Creed last night and you went into the bathroom to take a shower then I heard you hit the floor. You tripped and hit your head on the sink...you've been out for nearly 18 hours, it was one helluva concussion."

"So what? That was all a dream..." She asked wincing as she touched the patch of bandages on her head, "...brrr...Why is it so cold in here?" She asked shivering a bit, as she crossed her arms across her chest she realized that she wasn't wearing anything, her face instantly turned a deep purple as the blood rushed to her face, "WHERE THE HELL ARE MY CLOTHES!?"

"Wherever you put 'em...You were naked when I carried you in here last night. I didn't want to move you around too much so I did the stitching right here." Fox said turning his head away, "And it was hard enough to look at you in that state of affairs...much the less dress you. Sorry if I offended you."

"No Fox...thank you for helping. My head feels like it's on fire." She said taking the moment that he wasn't looking to go for at the least a pair of panties and a bra.

"That happens sometimes with a concussion like that...what were you dreaming about anyway? You kept saying that Arlex guy's name in your sleep."

Once she was at least moderately decent she started to walk to the closet but, her knees buckled, before she could hit the floor however Fox pulled her back upright, "You need to take it easy..." He said pulling her arm over his shoulders and helping her to the closet, "...there's no telling what kind of damage you did when you fell."

As she used Fox as a living crutch Krystal slid on a pair of sweat pants and a light red tee shirt, "What time is it?" She asked.

"4 o'clock last time I checked. We got a message from Creed a few hours ago...he says he's on his way back...but, he looked kinda depressed." Fox replied, "Come on..." He said stretching an arm across her back for extra support, "...maybe if we get you something to eat you'll feel better."

As Fox helped her slowly through the halls of the ship toward the kitchen, Krystal explained everything she'd seen while she was unconscious. Fox was a bit taken...they'd never talked to him about what he'd done to the Beta Complex, he recalled the scenario but to him it was all just a hazy daydream, he was surprised, to say the least, to hear that was capable of such power...but also confused. If he was only half Cerinian, then why was he capable of a power that much greater than Krystal who was a full Cerinian? He was also however a bit worried about Krystal...she seemed to be stuck on that dream she had while she was unconscious. She seemed to calm down a bit after a short while in the kitchen while Fox prepared them both something to eat...

"Well if it makes you feel any better..." Fox said as he sat their plates on the table she was seated at, "I've decided that we could stand to wait until Creed gets back to go down there."

"That dose make me feel a little better...but..."

Fox cut her off, "Krystal, I'm not going anywhere...and I damn sure ain't dying...not anytime soon."

Once they were both done with their food Fox took their plates back to the sink, as he got back to the table Krystal let out a rather long yawn, "You look tired still..."

"I am a little..." Krystal replied rubbing her eye a bit with her palm.

"Well come on then..." Fox said lending her his shoulder again, "...lets get you back to bed."

Fox led her back to his old room, which had recently been made into Krystal's personal room, and lay her on the bed, making sure she was comfortable before turning to leave...until he found his shirt was caught on something and turned around to see that Krystal was trying to hold him in place...

"Don't leave..." She pleaded, "...I wanna make sure you're still here when I wake up."

Fox crawled next to her and lay down drawing his arm and the blankets around her, he had no intention of staying...after all he wasn't necessarily tired, it was just one of those nights in which he couldn't sleep. Yet, as he lay there feeling the warmth from her body he found himself in a state of relaxation that was nearly hypnotic, the sound of her sleeping breaths didn't help matters either as he found the sound incredibly soothing, not to mention the sheer fact that he was this close to her. As his eyelids began to gather a tired weight, he lay his muzzle on the side of her neck falling quickly into a peaceful sleep like he'd not known in some time...

-000-

When Fox woke up he looked at the clock on his old night stand...it was 10:42am, he found himself a bit hesitant to get up from his current position, holding Krystal while she slept...but he had some questions for his mother at the time. He had to admit that when he had laid down he wasn't all that tired but, to tell the truth he had never had a more relaxed sleep. He was still dressed as he was the other day, his normal gray tank top and his camo jeans...so he didn't bother to get dressed any further, he simply headed out of the room and toward the kitchen where he could find something to eat...as well as hopefully find his mother. For some reason he missed the sounds that filled the halls of the ship when there was a ship full of Cerinians, at least some sort of ambiance to take away the dreary quiet that normally filled the halls until someone's echoing footsteps came through the area. He was happy however at the same time that not so many would be getting in his way when trying to do maintenance on the ship. He was a bit hopeful that he'd find his mother in the ship's kitchen but, sadly the room was devoid of life.

After a small snack Fox headed out into the halls of the Dark Star...his mother only really went to several different rooms of the ship. As of recently she'd been spending most of her time on the bridge or in the docking bay. He tried the docking bay but found the only people there were Roxy and Lia moving things around, while Silver was doing the maintenance that he'd been shown to the arwings...that only really left one place for one place. Sure enough when he walked onto the bridge he found the white vixen sitting in the captain's seat, the holographic imager displayed several newsprints from the time she'd missed while locked away...

"Catching up on the past huh?"

"I didn't know, that Andross killed James..." She said in a sort of a depressed voice.

"Yeah. After he was told that it was Andross that planted the bomb that allegedly killed you...he couldn't be stopped."

"That was just like him...it's good to know that Andross met his end at the hands of a McCloud." She replied, "But enough about the past...did you need something dear?"

Fox strode over to her side, "You know a lot about the Cerinians right?"

Vixy chuckled, "I should...I am one."

"Is telepathy the only power they normally have?" Fox asked.

"No...Cerinians have been known to display a great verity of different abilities..."

"What about...precognition?"

Vixy seemed a bit confused for the most part, "On a very rare occasion yes...my great grandfather was an Oracle...Why do you ask?"

"It's just that...you know how Krystal hit her head yesterday?"

"Oh yes...is she doing any better?"

"A lot better...but, apparently while she was unconscious she had some sort of odd dream about me being seriously hurt on the surface when we go down to Fichina..."

"Was she talking in her sleep?" Vixy asked.

"Yes..." Fox answered.

"Could you see her eyes?"

"No..."

"I don't know what to say Fox..." Vixy said, "If it was a vision of the future...you should be careful. The visions of an Oracle can be very accurate but, like in most stories nothing is set in stone when it comes to the future, what she saw could have been one of many possible futures...some could be a great deal worse."

"Well some things are already different than the dream...for one thing we aren't going until Creed gets back...Which should be here in a few hours." Fox said, "And second off...I'm thinking about leaving you and Krystal here on the ship. If something like what she described dose happen I don't want you two caught in the crossfire."

"Fox. Krystal told me what happened last time you did that...do you really want her to feel like that again?"

Fox had been beaten on that point, he really didn't want Krystal to hate him again, "I don't want her to hate me...but, I also don't want her to get hurt."

Vixy noticed the down look on his face, "Then explain it to her. If you love her you're just going to have to respect her decision."

Fox looked at the floor with a defeated sigh, "You're right...thanks mom."

With what he'd been told clearly still in his mind he made his way back through the halls, he was a bit worried about Krystal in the first place. When he stepped back into the room he smiled, the poor vixen was still asleep, but at least she was smiling while hugging a pillow rather tightly which she most likely had mistaken for him in her sleep. Fox slipped his boots back off and decided to try sneaking back in beside her...he really did enjoy everything about lying there with her; the warmth, the comfort, and the smell. As he lay on his back behind her she sharply rolled over laying her head on his chest with her pillow still clutched in her paws...

"You left this morning..." She voiced keeping her eyes closed.

"Sorry but...I needed to ask my mom a few questions."

"And?" She asked.

It took a moment for Fox to find the proper words, "Krystal...I want you and her to stay here when we go to the surface."

The sentence caused her eyes to snap open, "What? But..."

"Please hear me out..." Fox said putting a finger in front of her muzzle, "I love you Krystal...and if anything like what you said happens down there, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you or my mom were caught up in it and hurt..." He said hugging her.

"But Fox...I..."

"Krystal please." Fox cut her off. Krystal's ear flinched as she felt something wet landed on it...

Krystal took that moment to look at his face, his green eyes were full of tear, just the thought of loosing her caused him more pain that she could imagine...she never could stand to see him crying because of it causing the same effect in her, "Fox please stop..." She said trying to fight back her own tears, "If it means that much to you I won't go. Just please stop crying..." She pleaded holding him tightly.

"Thank you Krystal...I love you..." He said as his tears started to calm down a bit.

"I know...I love you too, but if you don't come back. I'll never forgive you..."

"It'd take a force greater than god himself to keep me from coming back to you."

-000-

Fox came to as he heard MIA's voice sound over the PA system...

"There is an unidentified ship attempting to enter the docking bay captain...pilot has claimed to be crew member Creed."

"Just let him in..." Fox replied.

"Yes captain."

Fox made sure he didn't wake Krystal when he slid out of bed, he made his way toward the docking bay where he would find Creed checking over what appeared to be his new ship...something was different though...he had...arms. Fox made his way to the massive vulpine noticing that he looked unusually down...even for Creed.

"Welcome back Creed...everyone's been worried about you."

There was a moment in which Creed didn't reply, "Thanks..." He said in a flat tone.

"So what's with the new arms?"

"Some kinda synthetic polymer..." Creed answered.

"What the hell happened to you? This isn't your ship."

Creed turned to face the ship laying a paw on the hull then looking to the floor, "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Well that is your business...but, we'll be going to the surface soon...I want you to come with us...you feel up to it?"

Creed sighed deeply, "Yeah...just let me know when we leave..."

Fox didn't like how Creed was being...so much depression wasn't like him at all, but there were more things to think of than how one person was feeling at the moment...he could look into how Creed was doing later. There was however one more person that he wanted to talk to. He made his way toward Silver and Creed's room, he knocked on the door twice but received no sort of reply. He knocked one last time before sighing in frustration...

"MIA override the door to this room..." As soon as Fox said this the door slid open revealing that Silver was indeed in the room, with his face practically merged with that of a familiar pink bunny, Fox smiled for a moment, "Ahem!" He cleared his throat loudly gathering the two's attention, causing Roxy to quickly leave the room in a fit of embarrassment, Silver watched her leave and cast Fox a slightly irritated look.

"You know when someone knocks on a door...to avoid an embarrassing situation, you may want to answer." Fox suggested, "But that's not important now...I'll apologize to Roxy later. Right now I need you to get your gear."

"But didn't you say that I wasn't going to the surface?" Silver asked.

"Change of plans...it's just you, me, Creed, Voss, and Jared...none of the girls are coming with us."

"Alright...and I'm sorry...but Roxy told me not to answer the door." Silver said.

"No apologies necessary...just keep the lewdness down a bit." Fox said heading toward the door, "There is such a thing as learning too fast."

As Fox left the room he was stopped by a very embarrassed pink furred bunny...

"Listen I'm sorry...not going to the door was my fault don't blame Silver."

"Now why would I do that?" Fox asked, "You should say good bye before he goes to the surface with me."

"I'll go too."

"No you won't...I'm not risking any of you girls on this...me, Silver, Creed, Voss, and Jared...that's it."

Roxy sighed, "Fine...but you'd all better come back alive."

Fox started to walk away, "I'll see what I can do about that."

-000-

A bit more than an hour later Krystal woke to the sound of Fox's voice echoing from the PA system...

"Voss, Jared, and Silver...report to the docking bay to meet with me and Creed...we leave for the surface in 10 minutes. So move your asses."

Krystal quickly rolled out of bed but found that she still had a hard time with her balance...but regardless she headed toward the docking bay. As she walked she recalled the promise she'd made to Fox this morning, but she at least had to wish him luck and it seemed he'd forgotten an important factor to what he was looking for. Soon she walked into the docking bay seeing that while the others were all boarding their small fighters Fox was doing some last second checks on his arwing. As he heard the docking bay doors open and close he turned to look behind him, seeing her walking toward him with her staff in hand...She didn't really say anything at first, rather as she approached him she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his lips into hers which caused Fox's paws to go to her waist pulling her close to him. After a minute or so Krystal broke their kiss and rested her head on his should...

"You'd better come back..." She whispered.

Fox gently ran his paw through her hair, "I will come back...I promise."

As they released their embrace, Krystal wiped away a stray tear and handed Fox the staff, "According to my dream you'll need this."

"Thank you...I'd hate to get there only to find that I left this behind."

Fox was the last one to board his arwing, it didn't help leaving with Krystal watching him...the look she gave him really made him want to stay but he had no choice but to go. He was the last to leave the ship. Little did he know not everyone would come back...

AN: Sorry if this took some time but...I've been incredibly sick:-( Anyhow the next Ch will be one of those long dragged out fights...I just gotta get rid of this stupid stomach virus. Well anyhow R&R and I'll see you all next time...