Chapter III: Blue Skies

He acknowledged that every bit of this was insane as he climbed into the cockpit of his Arwing. Quickly backtracking through every moment this morning that had led up to this. The vulpine inhaled as he turned on his fighter's engine, listening to it blossom into life. The exhaust behind the starfighter brimmed with violet-white fire. Fox strapped himself in, then looked to the communications channel. He activated his communications, talking into the microphone.

"Are you sure about this, Krys?"

The screen turned on, depicting the azure vixen resting comfortably in her Arwing's cockpit. Her teal eyes stared through him like cutting daggers. Her stern expression took him back to when she had joined the team. Quickly, he had learned that the vixen could be as icy as Fichina's wintery weather and, if provoked, as fiery as Solar's oceans of lava. She was a woman of extremes and this was just another example of her zeal. He hoped it would not be the death of her someday.

"Yes."

One word. But its tone was piercing, making him wince. She had set her mind to this and there was no talking her out of it. That much was certain.

He glanced at her Arwing beyond the glass of his own cockpit. ROB and Slippy had just finished repairing them after the fight against the Aparoid Queen- he did not want to cause much damage to them so quickly after being fixed. He set his lasers to stun. When her Arwing moved for take-off, he readied himself to follow. She zipped carelessly from the hangar once she had aligned herself properly and Fox chased after her with broiling dread in his stomach.

Once the metallic ceiling of the hangar fell away into the boundless, clear skies. He boosted after her, pursuing her starfighter as it glided out over the Corneria City skyscrapers. She gave a cheeky barrel roll, then accelerated. He hung back for a few moments, watching her somersault and then angle back around to face him. She was showing off, teasing him- he did not want to fall for it, but it was tempting. He just wanted to get the fight over with.

"You set your lasers to stun, right?" He asked her.

"Of course," she said, sounding offended.

"Good. First one to run out of spare shields is the loser?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me," she replied.

A button next to his communications screen flashed red suddenly. His brow furrowed and he pushed it. Falco's face came into view for a moment, looking concerned as he stared at Fox over the top rim of a set of sunshades. In the background, he could see that Falco was at a park, its foliage a healthy verdant green. There was a bit of background noise to accompany it. Fox winced visibly at the avian's glare.

"Hey uhhhh was there a drill that I forgot to put on my schedule?" Falco asked.

"No…" Fox sighed. "Just… don't worry about it."

"I know that's you and Krystal up there," Falco began, tapping his chin thoughtfully with a finger. "Don't tell me it's a lover's quarrel?"

"Ugh, don't get me started," Fox grumbled.

"Well, you're drawing a bit of attention," Falco said, panning his camera out so that Fox could see a gathering crowd staring up at the sky. "Make sure you don't lose this one, okay Foxy boy?"

"You gotta be kiddin' me," Fox said, palm meeting his face.

"Kick her tail," Falco winked and then vanished from the communications screen.

Krystal's spent her whole life training for combat. Cerinian battlecruisers, Cerinian starfighters, hand-to-hand martial arts, staff martial arts, and magic to boot. Sure, half of those things can't help you in an Arwing. But people who have seen combat know how to think on the fly. Her lack of experience in the Arwing doesn't make her any less of a threat… but I know the Arwing like I know how to walk and breathe. I've got this.

He shifted his Arwing from a hovering stance into all ranged mode, accidentally bumping the radio as he did. A small bleep resounded in his cockpit and he quickly turned it back to the setting it was before. The vulpine gave himself a quick shake, peeling his ears back as he massaged the bridge of his lengthy snout. He was tired. His fingers did not feel their usual crispness that they did when he was sitting in his Arwing. Despite knowing the environment, he felt a flurry of panic as he took note of Krystal moving her Arwing, circling around him. He mirrored her, easing his ship into a steady pace.

I know this ship like the back of my hand. I've helped save the Lylat System countless times now. Sure, I'm tired. My body hurts. But does she really think she can win? Or is this some desperate attempt to get me to listen?

"Are you ready?" her voice came on cue, with confidence that oozed like honey.

She does think she can win.

"When you are," Fox said with a shrug.

The glow of her Arwing's exhaust flashed brightly, signaling that she was up to something. Fox's fingers drummed against the joystick, thumb lightly grazing over the trigger. Something felt criminal about firing at an Arwing—much less the one being piloted by his girlfriend. The last time he had fought anyone from his team had been Falco and that had been years ago, above the sandy dunes of Titania. Needless to say, those had not been happy times. Fox paused for reflection for a brief moment. Was this a happy time? Even in the face of victory over the aparoids, the jury was out on that.

They circled, a world of skyscrapers, stark white buildings, and rubble below them. The sky around them was devoid of even a single strand of wispy clouds. It was an endless blue around them, soft and cheerful. So unlike the dread in his stomach. So unlike the visceral rage he could sense from the vixen.

This was just supposed to be a stroll; how did it end up like this?

She slowed, pulling the Arwing to a stop directly across from him. He did the same, facing her once again. Was she done leading him around? The city buildings were well beneath them. He could still make out individual buildings and he was certain quite the crowd of spectators had gathered below.

"All right. Let us begin, then."

Krystal struck like lightning. Her Arwing rocketed forward with such speed that Fox found himself quickly backpedaling. He zipped below her initial onslaught of lasers, diving low and then jerking upright. Fox's eyes danced to the radar for a brief moment, taking in her position as he gave himself more space to work with. She was coming around fast again to pursue him. Typical confidence—he had seen it before with countless cocky mercs and with Wolf, back in the Lylat Wars. Wolf. Wolf who was dead, a victim of the Aparoid Invasion. A willing lamb to the slaughter. Did that… make Wolf O'Donnell a hero?

Wolf… ugh, if you saw me now, you'd be laughing your ass off.

Lasers fried his left wing and he realized he had not been paying attention. Fox somersaulted quickly, sending a few well-timed shots at her Arwing's rear. She rolled and dived to the right. He tried to chase her but he was not angled properly. Krystal gained a large enough distance to the point Fox knew chasing would be the incorrect answer. She turned, a swell of light brimming beneath her Arwing's nose. A charged shot! It illuminated his front windshield like a supernova. A stunned cry tore from the vulpine's lips but he pressed his Arwing into a boost on pure instinct. The charged shot fizzled out behind him and he breathed out a sigh of relief.

Though his eyes were still dancing with stars from the bright shot, Fox could see her position on the radar. He moved to cut her off. She threw the brakes. His ears went back, understanding exactly what she was doing. Fox somersaulted again—it was a simple trick but he swore by it. Somersaults had gotten him out of hairy situations before, this being no exception. She rocketed past him but cut off to the side sharply, arcing around him in a semi-circle.

Krystal boosted. Fox followed suit, angling his Arwing high. He trimmed back his speed a hair, just enough to let the vixen gain on him. When a shower of lasers came for his tail, he threw forth the thrusters and bolted sharply upright- a near vertical angle. She must have been expecting another somersault because she was already in process of repositioning to receive his Arwing but he kept his ship angled high. After a few moments, he let off the boost, flipped the ship over and plummeted dead on towards her, squeezing hard on the trigger. She escaped but not without taking a few hits.

"Clever. Tell me, Fox," Krystal said to him in a voice as sharp as knives. "Did you think I asked you to do this because I believed I would lose?"

He pressed his Arwing after her. She was on the run now, in a disadvantaged position. And she knew that. The edge of his mouth drew up into a small smile.

"I think you think you can win," came his nonchalant reply. Her Arwing skirted just out of his crosshairs.

"I know I can."

A little bit closer; he lined up the shot for the engines. Stun lasers readied, a charged shot swelling in the cannons of his starfighter. Two well-timed hits and the vulpine knew she would go down. It was just a matter of making sure she went down in a prime location. Not a street or, stars forbid, into a building. And that spot Fox was looking for soon came into sight on his radar—a stretch of land just outside of Corneria City. The field would be a perfect place to end this. Away from prying eyes and devoid of life. He guided her there as best as he could, shooting at her flanks to steer her that way.

"Krys, I have years of experience in the Arwing. I'm sorry to say but I think I've got this in the bag," Fox said as soon as the shot was open. He squeezed the trigger.

The shot blazed forth like a comet towards her tail. And he watched it, the way it brimmed like a sapphire star in the pale blue sky. It hurtled towards her at an impossible pace for her to dodge. The world moved slowly, her Arwing rocking to the right. Her left wing cut down and the starfighter descended in a shallow dip. The charged shot rocketed just feet over the cockpit in what he was certain was a blinding flash of light. Missing her somehow. Somehow… somehow…

"What!?" Fox bellowed incredulously.

His peripherals blurred. Shock and exhaustion overcame him like a wave but he shook it off. Teeth gritted, Fox dove after her. More shots fired, a bit more brazen and rash this time. She swerved, ducked, dodged. A somersault and he looked at the cockpit as she passed by. Her turquoise eyes were fires, burning and daring him to come close. She would burn him alive. And he could not have that. He could not get shown up by her. Fox chased blindly, mad and with emotion frothing in his chest like a stew sat too long upon a stove. And Krystal wove around him in a way he could not fathom.

"You're in my mind," Fox accused. The aspect of that angered him more than normal. More than he wanted to admit.

"No, Fox," Krystal said, a melancholy about her tone. "You are just moving too predictably."

Another missed shot and he heard her hiss angrily at him. As if she had wanted him to strike true. As if she was disappointed in him.

"All those years of experience and you're not using an ounce of it!" the vixen remarked. "And do you know why that is, Fox?"

His tipped ears peeled back, jaw clenched and teeth gnashed harder until his gums ached. He wanted to tell her he was just tired, just having an off day. But that fed her argument, didn't it? Stubbornly, he adjusted his grip on his joystick and stayed quiet. She was satisfied by that as an answer—the smugness in her teal eyes was near unbearable. He told himself to channel that emotion into the fight. Into his arms, to pilot the Arwing more precisely. Into his mind, to anticipate her reactions. But as he told himself to do this, he lost track of her. The blue skies around them folded in. And as he searched for her, she found him. His Arwing trembled with each shot that hit true.

A warning flashed on his screen that his shields were nearing their limits. Victory was in her grasp.

"Your mind is a mess," Krystal said in a way that was a fact but sounded like a taunt. "I don't have to pry to know that. You bottle it up well but every bottle has its limit. Every person has their limit."

"And I haven't hit mine yet!" he snapped back as he tailed her. A few shots grazed her wing but she kept steady.

"If not now, then when?" Krystal asked him. "When you've passed out and I have to rush you to the emergency room? When you go through another night full of nightmares again and I have to pretend I can't feel how you're feeling—"

She cut herself off but he noted the quiver in her voice. It sounded so frayed. So tired, in a way that he could resonate with.

"I didn't know—" Fox began, slowing his Arwing.

"This isn't about me, Fox, it's about you," Krystal replied. "I just want you to understand… that it's okay. It's okay to step away. To take the time you need. Because you're the Hero of Lylat but you're a person before that."

"You know people don't see it like—"

"I don't care what they think! People will speculate regardless."

More shots exchanged. Another hit to his hull and a final warning message showed on the screen. Desperate, he charged at her. Ducking low under a rain of shots, he fired at her Arwing's underbelly. A hit—so critical and so precise that it rocked her ship. She yelled, a sound of anger and surprise.

The next few minutes as he went in for another pass became a blur. She was in his sights, target swaying… swaying… locked. It was then that he realized he was dizzy. The feeling of his anger mixed with adrenaline, causing his body to sway in his seat. He told himself to press through it. Press through everything. Keep going until the end.

Focus on moving forward, Fox... forward… forward…

He blinked and his Arwing was spiraling—the only indication that he had been shot. System warnings flashed in tandem with an alarm loud in his ears. Blaring at him that he had been shot down. When was the last time he had heard that sound? He mused on it numbly as the Arwing stabilized. Its landing gear unfurled as he neared the field he had spied before. The fight was over. His heart thrashed and screamed for more. The rest of him trembled. Exhaustion, lack of sleep. When he pulled his hands from the joystick, he realized his palms were sweating buckets. Fingers twitching involuntarily. The glass of his cockpit rose, fresh Cornerian air streaming in. It did little to revitalize him as he climbed out. His boots touched the grass and he tried to ignore the weakness in his knees. And as Krystal flew overheard, Fox was left wondering when this had happened—this sudden onset of frailty. He felt unlike himself, as if it would have taken all of his strength to muster up unholstering his blaster.

Fox swallowed back a clot of saliva in his mouth and fell back into a sitting position. Fingertips touching the grass and digging small holes into the dirt. Krystal's Arwing circled again and then he saw her descend. He wanted nothing more than for her to turn back. To not see him like this.

When her Arwing landed and she climbed out, he did not look at her. He only listened to the sound of her footsteps, soft and gentle over the field. She stopped a few yards away, teal eyes scrutinizing his sorry state. And Fox waited for a harsh statement from her. About how she had been right and he had been a moron. But it never came. Instead, the vixen walked to him before settling down at his side. Sunlight streamed down upon him but it felt too bright for comfort and nearly too bright to tolerate.

"All right," he said after a moment. "I'll take a break."

"I didn't do this to hurt you, Fox," Krystal said as she put a hand on his forearm. "I just wanted you to see how tired you were."

He laughed bitterly, looking at the grass near his tail.

"What's been bothering you?" the vixen asked. "I know you've been having… nightmares… Tell me what they're about."

"Andross," Fox said, finding a twig on the ground. He jabbed it at the dirt. It gave his tired hands something to focus on. "The aparoids. Hallways that don't end. Failing."

A light squeeze on his arm but it did little to beat back the swings of numbness and too much emotion.

"We almost failed, Krys. You realize that? Corneria City's a wreck. And we almost lost Peppy and the General… And Wolf and his team? All of 'em are dead," Fox continued. "What happens the day when I can't win the fight for us? What happens to the Lylat System?"

"You put too much on yourself," Krystal began.

"Who would have beaten Andross if it hadn't been me? The first and second time?" Fox asked. "And Scales? And the aparoids?"

"You're tired. That's why you have these negative thoughts," Krystal said to him. "You're not sounding like yourself right now."

"Or maybe I'm sounding like the person I've always been but never told anyone," Fox began, voice rising.

"Don't say that," Krystal replied. "We both know it's not true. Sure, you worry about the future. About what happens if you fail. About the rumors regarding General Pepper's will and the weight that would bring. But this… this anger is not you. You're emotionally tired and have every right to be. And that is why I want you to take some time for yourself."

"But Krystal—" Fox began.

"The world has been imperiled far more times than you have saved it," Krystal cut him off. "You're the Hero of Lylat. But you are one man and this universe is old. It saw peril before your ancestors were even born and prevailed."

"But what happens if—"

"If you put the weight of the entire universe on you, how do you expect to live, Fox?"

"I just look at all of the wreckage around us and I…"

"You did what you could. There's nothing more anyone can ask of you."

Maybe there was some sense to that. Logically, he knew he could only do so much. But emotionally, he felt he had to break through his own limits. He had to save them all because no one else would. Yet… he knew he asked too much of himself. He expected too much of himself. But maybe that was what happened when you were the Hero of Lylat. The son of James McCloud. You were larger than life. Beyond mortal but anchored down by your own weaknesses.

Focus on moving forward, Fox. Actually moving forward. The world won't end if you take some time off.

Her hands found his. Soft, warm, breaking the numbness he felt. Their touch drew his eyes to hers and he felt exposed, vulnerable. But maybe that was not a bad thing.

"I'm sorry if I… worried you," Fox said quietly.

"I'm always worried about you. It's my job," Krystal replied with a smile. Her thumbs coursed over the back of his hands. "I know it's hard to let go of this sort of thing. It won't happen overnight. Just promise me you'll try, Fox. And I'll be here always when you need to talk."

"So… you said I should take a break, right?" Fox asked. "Where should we go?"

"I may have talked to Peppy about that already," Krystal said. "He pulled some strings and there's a beach house in Zoness that we could use. Gorgeous weather. A couple of days on the beach… What do you think?"

"You know Falco and Slippy are gonna wanna come too."

"It can be a team vacation, then."

"You're… all right with that?"

"They've seen just as many bad things lately as you have. We could all use a break and some levity."

He squeezed her hands this time.

"Thanks, Krys."

"Let's head back to the hotel and get our things packed. I'll let the other two know and we can take a shuttle to Zoness."

She rose from the ground and offered him a hand to help himself up. Fox took it, their light grip on each other lingering. Fingers intertwined and for the first time, the sun did not feel so oppressively bright. The blue skies around them felt calmer, haloing her head. Their pale hue made the rich azure of her fur stand out, her eyes glistening like twin jewels. She bent forward to kiss him and the feel of her against him awakened the parts of him the numbness had tried to kill. His free hand found her cheek, fingers caressing over it tenderly. Her palm found the back of his head, bringing him closer. Each kiss made his chest feel lighter. The weight would not lift but knowing she was there made it less heavy. And he silently thanked her for that.

When she broke away from him, it was with a smile.

"Come. I'll race you back to the hanger, if you want."

"Sure."

The vixen bounded towards her Arwing, tail dancing as she ran. He tossed a look at his Arwing then hopped in. Replenishing its shields would be a necessity before the next mission but he told himself that was a problem for later. The cockpit opened at the press of a button and Fox climbed in just in time to see Krystal's Arwing brim to life. There was still a heaviness about him, vestiges of those feelings. But he told himself that he just needed time. Time healed all wounds—that was something he had been told since he was a child. Since his mother's death. But funny… some parts about that still felt raw too. Maybe he just needed more time. He wondered if he would think that for the rest of his life.

Krystal's Arwing took off and he followed. Given that they had only fought until his shields were empty and had only been using stun guns, his Arwing flew without a hitch. He did have to shut off the warning that his shields were depleted and ignore a call from ROB informing him that he needed to return to the Great Fox immediately for repairs—ignoring the fact that the Great Fox was ash and rubble scattered near the ruined Aparoid Homeworld now. Fox sighed. That was another problem for later, he supposed.

"Fox?" Krystal's voice buzzed over the communications channel as Corneria City's white skyscrapers came back into view.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Krystal."

And into the blue skies they flew with the future seeming perhaps a little brighter than it had an hour ago. At least, Fox hoped. Regardless, he knew he had learned a valuable lesson—that problems did not need to be tackled all on one's own. Even problems such as this. As long as they had each other, they could make it through anything. They were stronger together. Better together.