StarFox: Stars of Yearning

Chapter 4: Guardian Angels!

Greetings dear readers and fans. I'm leaving this author's note here to inform that I've decided to rewrite the whole story from the ground and not leave you in the dark of whenever a new chapter is coming out or not. I'm really sorry if you were looking forward to a new chapter! I feel I've gotten a lot more experience as a writer now (At least that's what I like to believe :p). And I want to write the best possible version of my story that I'm capable of! For both you (dear readers and fans) and me! Please look forward to the new chapter of the new version and I hope you'll stick with me as I head into this new direction!

Other then that, please stay safe and stay home! Watch some tv series/movies, play the video games you never had the time to play/finish and have a wonderful day :)

"Ugh... W-where I am? Wait, wasn't I-? Ah, it all comes back to me now. Hello darkness of crippling loneliness and depression... my old and hateful friend... It seems I've returned here to you , which means... I've failed once again... You can't seem to leave me alone, can you? It's either a horrible nightmare or a visit from you, reminding me of my failures these past years... It's been a while since we've last seen each other... I hate seeing you but at the same time... I feel... relieved when you visit me... I can be who I really am here, not having to put up an act. Not have to put a fake smile for the world, acting as if everything is all peachy... having no one to return home to for years... Same routine for so long now... This time however, I had the most wonderful thing happen to me before I woke up here... I was having a most exhilarating time with three of the funniest, kindest, most beautiful and lovely ladies I've ever met.

We got along so well and so quick as well that... It almost felt like a dream... perhaps it is one and I'll wake up to the cruel reality soon... that indeed it was all a dream and that truly, I was all by myself all along and I have to wake up in bed... and continue with the sad, miserable life I had before meeting Fay, Fara and Miyu...

Fay... She's just sooo... precious and innocent, ... almost everything she did and said I find so... adorable! Just her smiles and giggles alone lifts my spirit up... Makes me want to hug her and not let go of her so I can protect her from scumbags such as that Steve guy... Yuck! I wonder if she's playing Monster Duel as well... She was talking about a valuable trading card earlier in our group conversation...

And Miyu... Oh man... She's so... so fierce and feisty and... so hot...! She's what I would be like if I was born as a super hot lynx girl instead of you know... me? I'm surprised we had so much in common in terms of personalities! No wonder it clicked so quick between the two of us... Definitely would like to spar with her one day... Now that I can think about it... she also reminds me of Falco... minus the sarcasm, attitude and cockiness...

And then Fara, man she's not only beautiful and caring but oh so smoking hot as well... and I bet she knows it as well since she's not afraid to show it. While she might be a bit green, I feel like she's going to be a great leader one day... Seeing how Miyu and Fay hold such respect for her and how she remained calm during the incident where I got stabbed... oh...

Ah I see now... That why I'm here... because of that bastard Steve... He was gonna stab Miyu! I couldn't risk the chance! He might've hit a fatal spot and killed her... but... he might've end up killing me knowing my luck... oh man the irony... Damn it all! I wanted to spend a lot more time with them... Get to know them better... I hope they're alright... But... more than anything... I want to see them again... I... I don't want them to go... Oh... suddenly... feeling... sleepy..."

And so, everything faded to black for Fox once again, unable to feel or sense anything, eventually losing his sense of time as well and succumbed to the darkness...

Fox laid motionless on his stomach on the operating table with his head sideways on a clinical pillow as the anaesthetic gas from the mask on his muzzle had finally taken effect and his arms and hands were in a neutral position on both sides of his body, with a tube that was connected to a blood IV pack hanging from a hook on a pole, sticking out of his right arm. He was still conscious, albeit barely, when he was resuscitated and then kept stable when he was inside the medivac on his way to the hospital. A group of eight people in blue surgeon outfits with one in a green one instead, signifying that person is the head surgeon, surrounded the table with Fox on it. They were frantically walking around each other and the medical equipment, either to grab additional surgery tools, to monitor the screens, to grab blood packs or medicine. One of them in the blue outfit turned towards the one in the green one.

"Joy, the patient is now down under. We may now begin the surgery ." The male tabby cat Lylatian said to the female deer-like Lylatian known as Joy as he was putting a clinical sheet on Fox, leaving only the wound exposed via the hole in the sheet.

"Thank you Nick. First of all before we begin, Darius, a quick recap of what we know of our patient so far please?" Joy gestured towards a male white wolf Lylatian next to Nick as she was grabbing her tools.

Darius nodded at Joy before looking at his clipboard "Ma'am, the CT scans have shown that the patient has sustained major trauma in the back, a stab wound from a hunting knife to be precise, penetrating the stomach as a result. The patient had recently eaten, unfortunately that means that the build-up stomach acids has leaked out of the wound, damaging the surrounding muscle tissue and organs around the stomach. However, our patient is very lucky the knife didn't penetrate any major blood vessels and I also report no major damage to his bones." Darius said in a baritone voice.

Joy sighed in relief "Oh thank Lylus whoever stabbed him missed the major blood vessels." She then began addressing her colleagues in the room "Okay first things first, we must remove the contents of his stomach so prepare him for gastric suction."

"Yes ma'am!" Most of her colleagues exclaimed.

Joy continued addressing "After that, we can then work towards closing up the wound of his stomach and then begin treating all the severed tissue of his organs and muscles around it. Then, we finally clean up all the leaked stomach acid and treat the tissue damaged by the stomach fluids. Am I clear?" Joy commanded with a stern and confident tone.

"Yes ma'am!" Her colleagues exclaimed once more.

Joy frowned as she looked at Fox as her colleagues prepared him for the gastric suction procedure. "You're not gonna die today... Not on my watch! Or else... I could never face them ever again without eternal shame..."


Meanwhile somewhere in the outskirts of Corneria...

"Sir! Bad news!, Bad news!" A male German Shepherd like canine Lylatian in a black suit and white dress shirt with black sunglasses and black shoes, exclaimed while running through a bustling control room of what appears to be a high tech military base. There were multiple computer terminals set up and communication set ups through out the room with many people in it. The German Shepherd man stopped next to a important looking male beige Labrador like Lylatian in a red military attire, who stood with a confident and attentive pose, overseeing the people of the control room.

The Labrador canine man turned towards his colleague with a concerned frown "Calm down Smith! Take a breath and tell me what's wrong." he said calmly.

The German Shepherd man now known as Smith was panting heavily before taking a deep breath and steady his breathing "Of course! Forgive me, General Pepper!" Smith made a small bow before continuing "Sir! We've lost sight of Fox McCloud!"

"What?! How did this happen?! Please, elaborate agent Smith!" Pepper commanded.

Agent Smith stood at attention and saluted "Sir! We've shadowed him all the way from his home to the Jolly Croc, after eating there he left the establishment accompanied by three women. He, together with the three women entered a parking garage after a short walk. He took the elevator to the upper floors, we couldn't determine which floor however. We tried following him in there but the elevator didn't allow any more people and thus we had to take the stairs."

Agent Smith took a small breath before continuing again "We ran as fast as we could up the stairs but by the time we made it to the floor he was going to, he got into a fight with a butch looking male canine Lylatian and he got severely injured! The three women kept him company, making safe extraction without being discovered impossible... Shortly after one the women, a vulpine Lylatian to be precise, called the emergency line, a medivac aircraft picked Fox up and transported him to a hospital. We're terribly sorry for failing you! Sir!"

Pepper let a out a deep sigh "That is terrible news... Do you know to which hospital he's being transported to? And second, what of the villain that attacked Fox?" Pepper gestured to Smith.

Agent Smith nodded "My agents managed to pin point the trajectory of the path the medivac took and from the looks of it, it's to the Cornerian Sanctuary hospital sir. And thankfully, the group of women left shortly after the medivac took Fox away, allowing us to extract the ruffian and have him transported to our secure prison in the city. He will be transported to this location shortly."

Pepper nodded to Smith "At least some good news, good work agent Smith! As for what to do next, have one of your agents sent over to the hospital to keep tabs on Fox, it will be catastrophic if they were to discover Fox's true identity. We may have been able to alter Fox's info since he could give us his consent but... we couldn't do the same for either his father's or mother's info. Thus it is possible to connect them if they were to dig further. Make sure your team puts a stop to that Smith!"

Agent Smith saluted once again "Sir! Yes! Sir!"

General Pepper himself stood at attention and saluted back "Those are your orders! You are dismissed!"

"Sir!" Agent Smith made a small bow before turning around and marching out of the control room.

General Pepper turned around and sighed before looking around the control room once again. "This just took a turn for the worse, if that bastard Shears finds you... Fox... My prayers go out to you... Please... be safe..." Pepper mumbled to himself.


Meanwhile outside one the many ER rooms of the hospital named The Cornerian Sanctuary, said to be one the biggest and best hospitals of Corneria, with a in-door shopping mall, hotel and recreation area in their own seperate wings in the hospital's mega complex, we find the trio of ladies, Fara, Fay and Miyu waiting in a hallway. The hallway had a teal-green floor with sterile white painted walls and large windows for a nice view of the city.
It also had several rows of chairs mounted to the walls which the girls were sitting on next to each other with a glum visage on each of their faces. The hallway they're waiting in ended at a big doorway with two metal doors and a lit sign that said 'ER' above them. The other end of the hallway was a intersection leading to the other wings of the hospital.

The hallway was bustling with activity. Doctors and nurses were running to the room/floor where they're needed. Hospital workers rushing in with new patients, some of them even in critical condition. Loud, rapid chatter could be heard everywhere in the hallway. The girls were silent while looking at the floor, neither of them feeling like talking. It had been 8 hours since their encounter with Steve, it being 3pm in the afternoon as of now.
Fara had driven with her car to the hospital with Miyu and Fay in tow since there was no space left for them in the medivac aircraft. Since arriving at the hospital they've been waiting outside the ER room where Fox was admitted to, with the girls sometimes leaving to either go to the bathroom or to get something to eat every once in a while.

Fara had just finished her phone call with her instructor at the academy to explain where they were and that they're going to take the next day off. The girls were silent afterwards until eventually Fara and Miyu heard light sniffling to their right, causing theirs ears to droop down. When they looked, they couldn't help but tear up as well as they saw Fay with her eyes closed and her hands folded in front of her while making little sniffles. Miyu placed a comforting hand on Fay's back with Fara placing one on her shoulder.

"I... I-I don't want him to die..." Fay croaked, as she tried to hold back her tears but failed, ended up crying "H-He doesn't deserve this... please Duke... I-I just met you but...! I don't want you to go already!"

"Same goes for me Fay... *sniff* He even saved my life..." Miyu clenched her hands into fists in anger as tears streamed down her face "Damn it... why Duke?! Why did you took the knife for me?! Don't... don't you dare die on me! Not before I repaid my debt to you..." Since Miyu didn't want others to see her cry, she was wearing Fox's sunglasses since Fay forgot to give it back to him.

Fara held her hand on her chest where her heart was with a crestfallen visage as she looked to the ground, trying to hold back her own tears "H-how long has Duke been in there now? It's been 7 hours since we've been here... W-what if he's not-!?... Oh Lylus!... I-I don't want to think about it! Duke you better come back to us..."

Fara snarled as she too began to cry, "You're not even part of my team but I... I somehow feel like I've fail you as a leader... I didn't even got to see what you were made off, If... If you would've been a good fit for our team... Duke... come back to us... stay with us for a while longer..."

All the people who saw them felt sad for them, most of them wishing that whoever they were waiting for would make it. Some even stopped by to ask if they were okay and if they needed anything or someone to talk to. Even more hours passed after that until it was late into the evening with the sun already gone under. The girls were starting to lose hope as they still haven't heard anything about Fox's condition until one of the surgeons, a middle aged male tabby cat-like Lylatian whom we know as Nick, who was performing surgery on Fox came out of the ER room as a colleague of his switched with him so he could rest and informed the girls that they are still unsure if Fox's gonna make it but that they're doing everything they can to save him.
They were offered to spend the night here at the hospital's indoor hotel, specifically made so people can stay close to their loved ones that had to stay at the hospital. They agreed to spending the night at their hotel, seeing that the surgery was going to take even longer, probably late into the morning of the next day.

"I'm very sorry I couldn't give you a more adequate answer miss Fara..." Nick said in a apologetic matter. "I really wish I had good news for you but... I don't want to give you girls false hope..."

Fara shook her head "Don't worry. I appreciate you're being honest about this mister...?" Fara said while gesturing Nick.

"You can call me Nick miss Fara. Here, let me give you this hand communicator." Nick handed Fara a small pebble-like metallic device with a receiver speaker and a several numeric buttons on it "Dial the number assigned to the room/department you wish to contact and the secretary of that room/department will try to contact back as soon as possible. Call whenever you need an update on the status of the surgery. The number of this department is 270497"

"Thank you Nick. I'll try not to overdo it with the calls." Fara smiled as she shook Nick's hand.

"Well that will be all miss Fara. I'll take my leave and rest now" Nick made a small bow to Fara and then took off, walking in the direction of the recreation wing of the giant hospital complex.

"Well then what shall we do for now. Miyu, Fay, any suggestions?" Fara asked while gesturing Fay and Miyu to follow her as she made her way to the shopping mall part of the hospital. Miyu and Fay held their chins as they contemplated on what to do now since it was too early to go to bed.

"We could check out the shopping mall and see if we find any good shops and maybe hit the recreation area next?" Fay suggested "What do you think Miyu?"

"Hmm... well you know me, I much rather do something or eat something than shopping but if you and Fara gonna go shop first that fine by me." Miyu said with a shrug "Might also be a good idea to go to our houses and get our sleeping cloths since we're going to spend the night here."

Fara frowned at Miyu's last comment as stopped walking "I erm... much rather not go back to my house right now. Still not welcome since he yelled at me because I refused to go out with that greasy slime ball of a panther and ruin a potential partner deal between our companies." "And walking in on him and discovering his 'method' of coping with his problems also doesn't happen..." Fara said with a crestfallen visage while letting out a shaky sigh.

Miyu flinched as she and Fay stopped walking as well when they saw Fara's reaction "Oh yeah... I forgot about that one, so sorry sis. Want me and Fay to get you spare sleeping cloths from our house then? I'm sure one of mine fit you. I'm afraid you'll suffocate in one of Fay's if you were to wear one of her's hahaha!" Miyu laughed as she received a faux left hook to her left shoulder from Fay.

"Hey I'm not that small Miyu!" Fay said with a mock scowl before smiling "But yeah, I don't think my cloths will fit you Fara."

Fara smiled sadly as she shook her head "Thank you kindly for the offer you two but it's okay. If the shopping mall has a cloths store I'll just buy us new ones. Thank goodness I have my own company on my name so that I have my own money..." "Setting me up with my own company is one of the few good things he had done for me since mom left him. Even if mom did kind of had to force him to do it..."

Fay looked with sympathy at Fara before hugging her which Fara returned while whimpering "It's so cruel of him to kick you out like that... I can't imagine how I and Miyu would feel if our parents were to do that to us except being heartbroken." Fay patted Fara's back "Know that our offer is still open Fara. You're more than welcome to stay at our house for the time being. Dad would be ecstatic to have a third daughter in his house." Fay said with a sweet laugh.

Miyu laughed as well as she hugged Fara from behind "And a badass one at that as well. Believe me, pops gonna love having you around Fara"

Fara sniffled as she hugged Fay tighter "I've said it already today but... you two are truly..." Fara wept softly "the reason why I'm able to push on through this whole mess! I'm truly blessed to the both of you as my friends..." Fara heaved a sigh of relief before she wiped at her tears away with her right hand "But we can worry about that later. Let's get going again okay?" Miyu and Fay nodded as they let go of Fara resumed walking towards the shopping mall. "We need to be there for Duke as he needs all the support he can get right now."

"That's true... I hate situations like these to be fair. Wanting to help someone really bad but you're powerless to do anything in that moment and can do nothing but wait..." Miyu sighed.

"Well that's not entirely true, we've managed to keep him alive long enough for the medivac to pick him up and transport him to the hospital. So we did help him in a major way Miyu." Fay said with her usual cheery tone "Of course it sucks we can't do anything right now but look at it this way, we've done our part in saving his life, now... we must put our faith in the surgeons and doctors to save him and that Duke himself has the willpower to make it!"

"Man you always know what to say when you're not a stuttering, nervous but adorable fluffball hahaha!" Miyu smiled and laughed as Fay pouted as she looked at Miyu "But seriously, I appreciate you always being there for me Fay. Couldn't have wished for a better sister even if I tried!"

Fay smiled affectionately at Miyu "Remember that I'll always be there for you Miyu. As for you Fara..." Fay gave Fara a small peck on her left cheek as she smiled "Same for you Fara." Fara giggled at Fay's gesture of affection "By the way Miyu I notice you're wearing Duke's sunglasses. I thought you were only gonna keep it safe for him?"

Miyu kind of fidgeted in place as she felt put on the spot "Oh yeah... I was supposed to that do ha ha... but then I tried it on and noticed how badass it made me look and I kind of didn't want people to see my eyes since I've cried and... yeah... don't want people to see that." "I totally get why you like sunglasses so much now Duke..."

Fay realized something else as Miyu gave her explanation "That reminds... it's been a while since the last time I've seen you cry Miyu... You're not bottling up your emotions again are you?"

Miyu grimaced at what Fay said "No..." she went silent for a while before muttering out "Yes..."

Miyu once again sighed as she now felt like she had to explain to both Fay and Fara what she kept hidden "As you know, I have a hard time accepting help from others. Especially if others get hurt when they help me. I'm prideful like that. Couple of friends of mine, back when I lived on the streets and in a gang, lost their lives when they saved mine... and... seeing Duke do the same for me, even though we barely know each other... it was too much..."

Miyu stopped talking for a moment as she, Fay and Fara entered through the gate to the shopping mall "Let's talk later about this. This is not the place for such talk."

Fara concurred with Miyu by nodding "I agree Miyu, but as your leader I feel you should finish this conversation later on, don't think you're off the hook miss! I'm worried as well..."

Miyu grinned at Fara "Aww how sweet of you to worry about me boss!" Fara rolled her eyes before smiling.

Fay nodded as well "Ah, fair enough Miyu. I'm just really worried about you, you know. It breaks my heart to see you and Fara sad..."

Miyu smiled warmly as she patted Fay on the head, which Fay didn't stop surprisingly "You're a real sweetheart you know that? Sometimes even too sweet for this world..."

As they entered to main hall, the girls looked in awe at the spacious and busy shopping mall. White marble floor tiles, stands, shops and people as far as the eye could see and dozens of stories with even more stores and halls to explore to your heart's content. The girls knew they weren't getting bored anytime soon, even Miyu seemed to agree with that notion.

Fara grinned upon seeing all of this "Didn't think it would be this big! Look at the shops! Well then team! Let's shop till we drop!"

"Yeah!" Both Miyu and Fay exclaimed

They then spend the rest of the evening and many hours after browsing all the shops they desired to see. From multiple clothing shops to comic book stores and finally, several game shops. This went on for several exhausting hours until it was late in the night, that being 2:00 am. The girls laughed and smiled as they each carried multiple bags of a variety of stuff they've bought as they made their way back to their hotel. It still was as busy as it was a few hours ago in the shopping mall. Not very surprising since Corneria is the kind of city that never sleeps.

"That was a lot more fun than I've expected it to be! Also, thanks for indulging me and Fay by going to the comic book and game stores together with us sis!" Miyu said with smirk.

Fara smirked back at Miyu "You're welcome Miyu. I knew that if I didn't, that there would be no way for either me or Fay to convince you otherwise in coming to a clothing boutique with us." Fara grinned when Miyu shot her a annoyed look at her with Fay giggling at Miyu. "How you don't love chic clothes as a fellow woman will always remain a mystery to me..." Fara shook her head as she said that.

Miyu shrugged "Ehh... most chic clothes are overrated if you ask me. If I see something that I like I just buy it and wear it. Don't really care about if it's made by some famous, flamboyant dude who's acting super feminine or not."

"While I do agree with most of that Miyu, I still think you should own a few chic clothing pieces, including a few dresses." Fay interjected. She giggled when she saw Miyu grimaced in disgust while making mock vomit noices. Fara sighed, being disappointed in Miyu's answer.

"Aww hell no Fay! I... HATE... DRESESS! And those frilly, glittery fancy clothes and shoes that all those stuck up rich women who think they're holier than thou, wear... the thought alone! Plus I have better things to spend my money on!" Miyu exclaimed.

"Like what? You mean video games and glimmering cardboard playing cards?" Fara said dryly.

"Exactly!" Miyu said shamelessly with a cheeky smirk and her hands on her hips.

Fara facepalmed "Miyu... You're a real mystery to me sometimes, how you're not born as a guy is beyond me..."

"Well I could pretend to be a dude if it makes you feel better! Also, you can blame Fay for giving me with a video game and card game addiction sis!" Miyu laughed heartily as she heard Fara irritated growl.

The girls found themselves in the main square of the hospital's complex. They decided to rest and sit on one of the benches that surrounded the giant fountain of the square. The fountain had a large statue of Falco Lombari sporting his iconic smirk on his face and attire that he wore during the Lylat Wars, posed in a confident, triumphant pose with a champagne bottle in his left hand that the statue held above it's head with water shooting out of the bottle overhead.

All three girls look at the statue in awe and all three thought the same thing

"Jeez what a poser... but kind of hot though..."

The girls put their bags next to them. Miyu placed a white paper bag on her lap. It had the wonderful smell of food wafting from it. She took a hamburger wrapped in paper, a paper container with fries and a large soda cup from it and placed them on her lap before passing the bag over to Fay who took out her food items before passing it over to Fara. Their mouths watered as they smelled their food before digging in.

"Oohhh... I can never get enough of a good burger and fries..."Miyu sighed with delight while eating.

"Ditto Miyu! Surprised you're eating a burger together with us Fara!" Fay said jovially before continuing eating.

"Ehh, every once in a while is not gonna kill me. Plus thinking back to the advice Duke gave me, I figured I should loosen up a bit." Fara sighed as she made herself and her other two team mates a bit sad at the mention of Fox's 'name'.

Fara stopped eating for a bit as she sighed once more "I really hope he's gonna be okay... sucks that the best thing we can do for him is pray right now..."

"Well he better make it back or else I'm gonna be mega pissed since we've bought gifts for him! And for leaving us behind... hmpf!" Miyu looked sideways with her eyes closed with her arms crossed across her chest. After a short while she looked to the floor "Aww who am I kidding? I feel so bad that he got hurt because of me..."

Fay looked concernedly at Miyu "Miyu it could've happened to any one of us. I'm actually surprised he didn't swung the knife at me all things considered... I get what you mean though. Best if we don't dwell on it for now."

Miyu smiled at Fay "True that Fay... that reminds me Fara, I know you don't want to talk about it but I've been wondering. Since you've been kicked out of your house, don't you need a place to stay besides the academy? Have you found a place to live in yet? You should have no trouble finding a place I think, considering your wealth. Miyu paused for a moment "I've just realized that sounded narrow minded, Sorry Fara..."

Fara had a downcast visage before taking a bite from her burger and finished chewing and swallowing before speaking again "It's okay Miyu. You would think it would be a piece of cake considering my wealth but that couldn't be further from the truth even if I tried. Ever since that missile blew up the centre of the city, along with my father's previous house... The government has trouble housing all the victims who became homeless that fateful day, even to this day! There's such a long waiting list, even for people with my income, it really sucks..."

Fara looked up with a determined visage. "However, my misfortunes regarding housing pales in comparison of the victims of explosion, who've lost not only their houses and belongings but their loved ones as well... those people... they'll never come back... I don't mind waiting for a house since they need it way more than me, even... if it means that I don't know where I'll live for now..."

Fay and Miyu looked in awe at their leader "Just when I thought my respect for you couldn't grew even bigger... I'm really glad I ended up in your team sis!" Miyu smiled warmly as she said that "Are you really sure you don't want to come live with me and Fay for a bit? I know our house isn't as big as the previous one but still." "Really sucks our previous house got destroyed in that explosion... Damn those invading bastards... Guess I should count my blessings since we weren't home when that happened, however."

Fara shook her head while smiling "I'm sure Miyu, I wouldn't feel good intruding and living in your and Fay's house at the moment since your mother due for another child soon, right? And you've still have yet to move houses since you and Fay too have to wait for a open house so you can finally move to a bigger house."

"While that is true, I'm sure she wouldn't mind and I'm also sure we can work something out, even considering the cramped space of the house. I'm really worried that you'll end up with no place to call your own Fara..." Fay looked at Fara with a concerned visage "Please, at least reconsider our offer Fara!" Fay pleaded.

Fara smiled at Fay, touched that Fay cares so much about her well being "Okay Fay, I'll think about it..."

Miyu smiled at Fara as she finished her fries "Please do sis! By the way, it's getting quite late now." Miyu yawned "We should head back to our hotel."

"Good idea Miyu!" Fara concurred "Have you finished your meal Fay?"

Fay wiped her mouth with a napkin "Yep! Well good to go Fara!"

"Let's go then." Fara got up and grabbed her bags, Miyu and Fay doing the same and they were on their way to the hotel. It was a quiet and cold autumn night but it wasn't raining any more, much to the delight of the girls since they've had their school jackets to keep them warm, all three having zipped up their jackets all the way. It was a short walk from the mall to the hotel. It was a tall, silver oval shaped building with surface looking like it was entirely made up from square windows, Most had the curtains up, blocking people outside from looking in. They walked through the door and they've arrived in the hotel's lobby.

The lobby itself was quite modest. Black and white stone tile floor with a long red carpet leading to the stairs to the upper floors of the building. Several potted plants scattered around, some on the floor and some on the lobby desk. There were several speakers hanging from the ceiling, playing cheesy elevator music. There were also several posters of various things on the walls, including one of the StarFox team striking a triumphant pose with the planet Venom exploding in the background with the text: 'Saviours of Lylat' at the bottom of the poster.

The next poster was of a scruffy looking male labrador like Lylatian, who appeared to be George Shears in his usual green military suit with several medals pinned on it, who was yelling at a stand up microphone that stood on a speech desk with him behind it, with the text: 'Are you also sick and tired of rogue mercenary teams and criminals gallivanting here? Of the government doing nothing? Want to improve the economy of our beloved cities and planet?' at the top of the poster and at the bottom with bold and colourful letters stood: 'Vote George Shears as your next president! Together, Let's make Corneria great again!'

Miyu scuffed at the poster of George Shears "I don't know what's more baffling? How that blabbering bastard still has his position after his screw up with the attack from three years ago or the fact that there really are people out there that support and vote for him."

Fay frowned when she looked at the poster Miyu as looking at "Some people say I'm crazy but I feel things were a lot when Pepper was still general of the Cornerian army. This selfish idiot on the poster only cares about himself, his status and his own pockets. He doesn't care about the people of Corneria!"

Fara meanwhile went to the front desk of the lobby and saw that the receptionist was fast asleep with his head on his crossed arms on the desk, who was drooling and snoring loudly. "Eww disgusting..." Fara said with a disgusted face.

The man who was asleep was a muscular bulldog like Lylatian with short white fur and brown spots here and there. He had a large, pushed in black button nose and a wrinkly face with floppy ears which were longer than was common among his kind. He wore a fancy red suit with golden trims as you would expect from a hotel receptionist.

"Hey! Please wake up!" Fara softly slapped with her hand several times on the service bell on the desk to wake him up.

"Aaahhh! Please don't hit me!" The bulldog man fell backwards with a crash, startling Fara as well "Ow ow ow ow..." the canine man looked up as he laid on the ground and then gasped while blushing "She's beautiful... aaahhhh..."

"Ahem, excuse me sir, I would like to rent a room for the night?" Fara asked politely before she raised an eyebrow as the canine man kept staring at her with his mouth agape "It's impolite to stare at a lady, you know"

The canine man flinched as Fara finished speaking "Aaahh! So sorry miss!" he hastily got up and picked up his chair and sat in it with a thud "Please forgive me for my behaviour! It's been a long night..." he sighed "My colleague who was supposed to take over my shift has gotten sick... I've been here since yesterday since we've got our hands full these past few days and my boss said it's either you stay or you can kiss your employment goodbye..." the canine man said teary eyed "I swear to Lylus if my boss doesn't pay me extra for this... uuhhh but she's so scary though..."

Fara smiled sympathetically at the canine man "I'm so sorry to hear that sir...?" she gestured towards the canine man.

"Aah! It's Bruce ma'am!" Bruce said as he nodded "And your name miss?"

"My name is Fara. Pleased to meet you Bruce" Miyu and Fay joined Fara as she talked to Bruce "Oh and these fine ladies here are my best friends, Miyu and Fay!" Fara said as she placed her arms on Miyu and Fay and leaned on them, causing both Miyu and Fay to giggle.

"Hey Bruce. Nice to meet ya" Miyu said with a two finger salute.

"Hello! A pleasure to meet you Bruce" Fay said with a sweet smile.

Bruce was speechless as he looked at Miyu and Fay "Even more beautiful ladies..."

"You like what you're seeing Brucey?" Miyu chortled and smirked as Bruce flinched when Miyu called him out and then shyly looked away in embarrassment.

"Ooohhh! Please, forgive me for staring ladies. It's been a long day..." Bruce said as he made a small bow "Anyhow, you said you wanted to rent a room miss Fara?" Bruce gestured towards Fara.

"Yes, Bruce. Room for three and separate beds please. King size." Fara said.

"Aww..." Miyu looked disappointed. "Joykill..."

"Well we could always snuggle together Miyu!" Fay comforted Miyu with a smile.

"Yeah that's true... but I wanna snuggle with Faraaaa for once!" Miyu whined as she leaned on Fara, who growled in annoyance.

"Is... this... really something you should discuss in front of a guy, Miyu?!" Fara hissed in a irritated tone while clenching her hands into fists.

Bruce meanwhile was blushing profusely and panted as his mind went into overdrive as he heard the girls arguing and it took him all his focus to keep his eyes glued to the pc monitor on his desk while he was searching for a available room for the girls. "I-I-I have a room available for you on the 7th floor for you miss Fara!" Bruce stammered loudly as he tried really hard not to stare at the girls and hide that he was panting "It has a nice view and everything!"

Fara and the girls got startled by how loud Bruce said that "Oh! Oh Bruce, we're so sorry if we made you uncomfortable with our conversation! My apologies for Miyu's vulgar behaviour!" Fara said as she scratched behind her head out of embarrassment.

Bruce waved his hands in front of him frantically "No, no, no ,no! It's totally okay Fara! No need to apologize! Hehehehe!" He smiled uneasily. "Thank Lylus for this desk covering my bottom half... Damn it brain and your wild perverted fantasies!"

Bruce took a deep breath to calm him self down "Okay, okay... back to business..." he mumbled. "I have a room available on the 7th floor if you want the extra luxurious room? Also, for how many nights?"

Fara smiled as things were finally back on track again "Yes please, Bruce. I'll take the room! And it's for two nights."

Bruce typed a few more times on his keyboard before nodding and handing Fara a tablet "And if you would fill in this form for me please?"

Fara nodded and took the tablet "Of course Bruce, give me a moment please."

Fara scribbled, tapped and swiped a few times on the tablet before handing it back to Bruce.

Bruce gave the form a look over before nodding and then turned around to walk to the cabinet that held all the keys for the hotel rooms. He looked for a while before he found the key for Fara's hotel room and took it out. He walked back to his desk afterwards and handed Fara her hotel key "Here's your hotel key miss Fara. Hotel room 734! Hope you'll all enjoy your stay here!" Bruce said as made he made a bow this time.

"Thank you very much Bruce!" Fara said with a smile "Alright girls let's head up upstairs! Have a good night Bruce!" Fara waved she made her way to the elevator.

"Have a good night Bruce!" Fay said with a warm smile before joining Fara on her way to the elevator.

"Hang in there tough guy!" Miyu said with a wink before joining her team mates. Bruce waved back slowly as he was still in a daze from the whole experience "Ooohhhh what I would do for a date either one of them... not that I have the courage to do so..."

Thankfully it was a rather uneventful elevator ride to the 7th floor this time. Despite that, Fay still felt uneasy in the elevator, not surprising considering what had happened in the morning involving a elevator ride as well. Fara and Miyu noticed Fay's uneasiness and both wrapped a arm around her for comfort. Fay let a delighted sigh as she felt her worries melt away. They soon arrived at their designated floor and made their way to their room. The floor comprised of a long hallway with white painted room and a curved ceiling, with coloured doors on both sides of the hallway, coffee tables and lounge sofa's in front of the large windows of the floor for lounging with a nice view. The girls made their way to their room. Fara slid the key into the keyhole and opened the door till halfway, much the confusion of Miyu and Fay.

"Is something wrong Fara?" Miyu said with raised eyebrows.

"Is everything alright Fara?"Fay said with a concerned look.

"I just wanted to say..." Fara looked back at them and paused before facing the door again to hide her grin "THAT I CALL DIBS ON THE LARGEST BED!" Fara cackled as she stormed inside their hotel room!

Miyu was taken aback before realizing what Fara just said "WHAT THE?! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE SIS!" Miyu hollered as she chased after Fara.

"Hey! No fair Fara!" Fay joined Miyu in her chase before all three of them were laughing heartily as they jumped on the largest bed of the room together, face down as they giggled.

"Wooow it's soooo soft..." Fara sighed with delight as laid on her back.

"Ditto!" Both Miyu and Fay said with them laying on their backs as well, facing the ceiling.

They laid there, enjoying the moment they just shared. After a while Fara sighed "I wonder how Duke is doing..."

"Probably going through the worst time of his life right now... Damn that Steve guy!" Miyu grumbled.

"Why did that creep had to ruin such a good start of the day?..." Fay mumbled sadly.

"Sometimes that's just how life is I'm afraid." Fara said.

"Still doesn't make it fair what happened to Duke..." Fay sighed.

"Yeah, it doesn't indeed..." Fara frowned as she faced the ceiling again.

They were silent for a while. Not knowing what to say any more. The hotel room they are in is quite spacious. It consisted of three separate rooms and a small hallway, a living room, a bathroom and a small kitchen. It had a wood panel floor with colourful round carpet on it. It also consisted of two beds next to each other on the left side of the room, a lounge couch on the right side of the room, facing the large window. A mini bar next to the bed they were on with a drawer on the other side. A closet next to the door to the bathroom containing blankets, towels, etc. and finally, the walls consisted of small glass tiles of varied colours.

Miyu broke the silence "We should take a shower and and get ready for bed." She said in a sad tone.

"Yeah that's probably a good idea. You can go first if you want Miyu." Fara offered.

"Thanks sis... Don't mind if I do." Miyu then hopped off the and took off her boots before heading to the bathroom.

After Miyu left the room Fara faced Fay with a concerned visage "How are you holding up Fay? You know you can tell me if things become too much for you right? I don't want you pushing yourself if they are." Fara hugged Fay, with Fay returning it "Too be honest, this is all a bit too much for me... I never had to deal with something like this! And so shortly after mom left and me being kicked out by my dad... a-all within the span of two weeks!" Fara said shakily.

Fay sniffled softly into Fara's shoulder while rubbing Fara's back in a comforting way "I... I feel I should be saying those things to you Fara... You know you can be vulnerable with me and Miyu, right? I hate seeing you so sad... and not knowing if Duke will make it on top of all this? It's torture!"

Fara tightened her embrace while sniffling "I feel that as a leader I shouldn't show both you this side of me. So vulnerable, weak, broken... Yet it gets tougher every day to keep smiling like nothing can take me down! I feel... that's the kind of leader the both of you need! Every team/unit for that matter. If the leader can't inspire his/her teammates or if the leader him/herself isn't confident or strong at all. Everything will fall apart..." Fara broke down in tears "I hate feeling like this Fay..." Fara bawled out "I-I wish I didn't walked in on my dad that fateful night... and that I went out with stupid jerk of a panther! Maybe... maybe all of this could've been avoided! I miss mom so much..."

"How long have you been bottling up these feelings Fara?" Fay said with a saddened tone as she felt Fara trembling as she cried her eyes out "While those things you said about leadership is true for the most part, that doesn't mean you should sacrifice your happiness and well being for our sakes! It's not healthy to keep all these feelings hidden and then suffer in silence! Remember! It's okay if you need to lean on us Fara because even though you're our leader, you're also our best friend in the first place! Never forget that..."

"I'm sorry for breaking down like this Fay! I'm so sorry for throwing all of this on your lap..." Fara bawled while taking a shaky breaths. The both of them fell towards the bed and were laying sideways on the bed now.

"Shhh... it's okay Fara... it's okay... take your time..." Fay said in a soothing and motherly tone as she continued to rub Fara's back.

This went for a while as they embraced each other while laying on the bed. They didn't notice the bathroom door opening and with it, a saddened Miyu heading towards them after checking to make sure the door of their room was locked.

"Sis?..." Fara got startled as she felt Miyu embracing her from behind "I couldn't help but overhear you crying while showering. Please don't cry... let us shoulder some of your pain and sorrow sis... know that we're always there for you..." Miyu said.

"T-thank you Miyu..." Fara sniffled as she wept softly "I-I feel a bit better already..."

"Any time sis... any time..." Miyu silently wept as she felt heartbroken hearing Fara cry like that.

The girls stayed like this for a long time before Fara finally calmed down and before they knew it, all three fell into a blissful slumber and thus bringing an end to their day. The night went by without any trouble for them. It was the next day. It was a soft and sunny autumn day as the sun shined brightly, firing it's piercing sun rays on the unfortunate eyes of the fennec fox in bed, waking her from slumber as she let out a annoyed grumble.

"Ugh... stupid sun... leave me alone..." Fara mumbled as she tried to move her hand to rub her eyes but discovered that she couldn't move her arm very much. "W-what the..."

Fara blinked a couple of times to return the vision to her eyes and was surprised when she saw the sleeping face of Fay very close to her face, feeling her breath as she exhaled. Fara smiled as she looked at Fay, remembering what happened last night. She heard Miyu mumbling and groaning she was waking up and felt Miyu letting go of her.

"Ugh... morning sis..." Miyu said groggily as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Fara gently took Fay's arms off her and roll around to face Miyu "Good morn- WHAT THE HELL MIYU?!" Fara suddenly exclaimed. Miyu yelped and jumped away from Fara, causing her to fall off the bed with a loud thud.

"Aahh! Oooow..." Miyu laid on the ground on her back while rubbing the back of her head "My head... Grr, don't scare me like that sis! What's wrong with you?!"

Fay awoke with a yelp as she heard Fara yelling and Miyu falling to the floor and got up "AAHH! W-what it's going on Fara?! What happened?"

Fara looked away with a blush as Miyu got up. Fay gasped when she saw Miyu as she got up. Now she too looked away with a blush.

"What?" Miyu asked with her head tilted and her hands on her hips before noticing what she felt with her hands.

"Y-your... your hooters are on full display Miyu!" Fay stammered out in embarrassment "In fact, everything is on full display!"

"Huh?!" Miyu looked down and gasped "Ooohhhh... that's right... I must've fallen asleep when I comforted sis last night..." Miyu scratched behind her ear as she laughed and grinned in embarrassment "So sorry about this hehehehe..."

"W-whatever! Just put on some damn clothes Miyu!" Fara shouted as she pointed towards the shopping bags on the ground.

"Okay okay I will, jeez it's not like you haven't seen me naked before..." Miyu said with a huff as she made her way to the shopping bags to pick out her new outfit.

"You're so shameless!" Fara said with a growl "Can't believe you were naked when you hugged me last night..."

"Well the way you purred during the night, it sounded to me like you enjoooyed it last night sis!" Miyu said in a sing song way while wagging her tail in a enticing way. Miyu laughed as she heard Fara growl in annoyance. "Can't blame you though, even women sometimes can't resist these supple, juicy boobs and rock solid abs of mine!" Miyu laughed even harder she felt a pillow colliding with her head "Oh you're so lucky I'm not a dude right now ahahaha!" "Ooohhh teasing you never gets old sis... it also helps you forget those nasty feelings that are eating you up inside for a while..."

Fara threw her hands in the air in frustration "Ohhh you're so unbelievable sometimes! I'm soooo not in the mood for this..." Fara pinched the area between her eyes as she facepalmed.

"Please stop teasing Fara, Miyu!" Fay plead while blushing "Wish mine were as big as Miyu's though..." Fay unconsciously felt her own breasts before noticing and stopping "Also Fara, I notice you're still wearing your clothes from last night."

Fara looked down and then to Fay "Huh, you're right, you too it seems."

Fay giggled as she looked down to see that she too was still wearing her clothes from yesterday "We must've fallen asleep together when Miyu and I comforted you Fara, by the way, how are you feeling now?"

Fara sighed with bliss "I feel a lot better now thanks to you and Miyu. I truly appreciate what the both of you have done for me last night. I really needed that... Thank you."

Miyu groaned while holding her new clothes under her arm "Oh please stop with the thank you's, you're practically like a really cool sister to us Fara. Of course we would do these kind of things for you. I say it again, we'll always be there for you, no matter what."

"Thanks Miyu, even though you're driving me up the wall right now..." Fara said with a wary smirk. "Any ways, Since it's morning, I should contact the receptionist of the wing where Duke is being operated..."

Fara began searching where she left the small pebble-like communicator until she found inside the inner pocket of her school jacket, and began dialling the number she was given by Nick. After a few rings someone picked answered, a feminine voice by the sounds of it.

"Good morning you're speaking with Leonie from department ER, wing B of the Cornerian Sanctuary Hospital. How many I help you?" Leonie said with a friendly and professional tone with chattering and the sounds of typing on loud keyboards on the background.

"Good morning miss Leonie! You're speaking with Fara here. I'm calling to ask for a status update of my friend who's in surgery right now in your department. His name is Duke Vulpes. Your colleague Nick told to call you if I wanted an update." Fara said.

"Ah miss Fara! It's good to hear from you again! Nick told me about you. If you please would hold on for moment, I'll go look up on the status of your friend's surgery right now!" Leonie said.

"Of course Leonie, take your time." Fara said in a polite manner. Moments later said heard to telltale sound of being put on hold from the hand communicator.

"Fara?" Fay asked in a quiet voice as she stood next to Fara "Are you nervous as well for what kind of news they have for us?"

Fara had an uneasy smile on her face "Actually I am, but it's better to hope for the best instead of thinking of the worst scenario right now."

"Agreed." Miyu said as she joined Fay at her side "Well what do you think?" Miyu posed for Fara and Fay, showing her new clothes which consisted of olive green halter top and a v shape cut in the middle that showed off quite a bit of cleavage this time and showed even more of her midriff, a dark blue hot pants with wavy white cloud patterns, camouflage pattern leg warmers ending just under her knees along with her signature black spiked bracelets.

"Wooow... you look amazing Miyu!" Fay exclaimed.

"I concur Fay! But isn't a bit cold to be wearing such a outfit now?" Fara said with a smile.

Miyu had a embarrassed grin on her face as she was shy finger twiddling with giggling "Hehehe... I suppose, but as floozy as it sounds... I want to look sexy for Duke as a thank you, the first of many them."

"Oooohhhh I see what you're doing!" Fara said with a cheeky grin "Can't blame you however, if I had time, I would've done the same thing."

Fay had a blush on her face "I don't I could do something like that... besides we don't know if Duke has made it or not..."

Miyu put an arm around Fay "Best to stay hopeful Fay. As for the other thing, it's not as scary as it seems! Sure all the guys will be staring at you even more but if you can sweep that special one of his or her feet, it's worth it!"

Fay smiled at Miyu "I suppose that's true. Maybe some day I will wear such a daring outfit..."

Fara heard a click from the communicator, making a silence gesture with her index finger on her lips. Miyu and Fay stopped talking and held their breath, listening attentive to that Leonie has to say.

"Thank you very much for waiting miss Fara!" Leonie said with a friendly, polite tone.

"No problem" Fara replied.

"I'm happy to report that the surgery has concluded! Please come to the Wing B front desk. One of the surgeons of the surgery will be waiting there for you to tell you more about it." Leonie concluded.

"Thank you very much for your help Leonie!" Fara replied with a hopeful and excited tone.

"You're welcome miss Fara! Anything I can be of assistance to you?" Leonie questioned.

"No that will be all. Once again thank you for your help Leonie, see you at the front desk!" Fara answered back.

"See you later miss Fara!" Leonie ended the call.

After the phone call, Fara, Miyu and Fay packed their stuff while leaving shopping bags in the room, save for two. Fara turned towards her team mates and faced them with a determined visage"Well it's time for the moment of truth... Are you two ready?"

Fay and Miyu returned with their own determined looks and nodded.

"Let's do this!" Miyu said with a confident tone and a fist pump after putting on her socks and combat boots.

"I'm ready!" Fay said confidently.

"Team! Let's move out!" Fara exclaimed and made a two finger gesture towards their hotel room's door! They marched towards the with determination and confidence.


Meanwhile inside a private postoperative room of Wing B

While the hospital have large postoperative rooms for their patients, it also had smaller, more private ones, specially reserved for VIP persons who couldn't afford being discovered they were in the hospital. Fox was inside one of them now, he wasn't conscious however. He had a peaceful visage on his face as he laid inside the comfy hospital bed while a gas mask on his muzzle and several wires and tubes hooking him up to the medical equipment monitoring his health and several IV and blood packs that were hanging from two poles on each side of his bed.

Next to him, sitting on a chair was the head surgeon named Joy. She smiled warmly at Fox as she was patting him on his head "You're lucky I was around to take care of you my dear Duke..." Her smile widened.

"Or should I say..."

"Fox?"

*Gasp* Our mystery surgeon Joy knows Fox?! What could possibly be her connection to him? Find out in next chapter of StarFox: Stars of Yearning!

P.S. Please as always, if you liked (or not, please be nice if you didn't!) the story or have any questions, feel free to leave a review/question and possibly some feedback regarding the story and writing. I would really like to hear your opinion of what you have to say about the story and don't be afraid to write something. I appreciate it nevertheless :) Until next chapter!

(A/N)

I've read a interesting question posed by Tyfang360 in the review section and since I can't directly reply in the review section, I'll post my reply here in case you guys and girls were wondering the same thing

Tyfang360's Question: Though I have a question, I'm kinda going off the characters with their in-game voice actors as I read it since the ladies don't have any voice actors yet, who would you choose as their voice actors?

And here's my answer:

Fara Phoenix

Pharah from OverWatch (Jen Cohn) watch?v=0gmWh5NNy3w

I picture her having a voice that exudes confidence (on the outside most of the time), someone who takes charge and is used to having things go her way but also knows how to be laid back and have fun, be seductive and sultry when she wants to. A very charismatic leader if you will. That's why I imagine her having Pharah's voice. (Also helps that their names rhyme lol)

Miyu Lynx

Vi from League of Legends (Cia Court) watch?v=xU3dfRgLCIw

Hands down thé voice I imagine her having, especially the way Vi laughs and her attitude. Someone who always shoots (or punches) first, ask questions later, quite a clown and not taking crap from any one, especially authority and rules. Super tomboyish but realizing the feminine assets her body has and always looking out for her sister Fay and friends. The kind of friend you love having around and hang out with :P

Fay Spaniel

Tracer from OverWatch (Cara Theobold) watch?v=23HdsSDZMws

From what little we have of official lore of Fay, that she's from aristocratic family and that she left the high society life for that of a pilot to defend her homeland, I imagine her having a posh british voice but one that is bubbly, playful and super cute, reflecting her innocent and playful nature but also mature enough to understand why men desire a girl/lady such as herself, hench why she's kind of shy around men. That's why I imagine her having tracer's voice (I especially love the way Tracer giggles).

I hope that answers your question Tyfang360 :)

*Stands at attention and salutes at you (the reader)* This is The Supreme Bookwyrm! Signing out! *Bows*