A/N: OK, this is the moment we've all been waiting for! This chapter isn't
quite as long as I thought it would be. Well, this isn't exactly the
moment we've been waiting for (you'll see at the end).
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Star Fox. Nintendo and/or Rare do any relation to my original characters in any way is coincidental. If you would like to use my characters, please obtain my permission. ____________________________________________________________________
Chapter 23-Behind the Fox's Eyes
****************************
Fox sat against the tree and took his dagger in hand. He felt much calmer now, but suddenly grew sad. "Now I've done it." He said to himself as he came to a stance. "She's going to go back with HIM no matter what now." He rasped. How could he expect to obtain Krystal's love if he'd shown her that he was...crazy?
"No," Fox said to himself, "I won't let him win so easily." Was this what it was coming down to? A competition? That's what it had been all along right? To Fox this wasn't about how much Krystal loved him; it was about how much he loved her.
But how often had Fox told her that? Not very often actually. When he said so though, he usually did mean it. But when was the last time Krystal said those words to him? He tried to recall when she said it and actually MEANT it. He couldn't think of such a time.
Fox walked through the forest, unwilling to return to Corneria just yet. He had to think. He usually didn't act the way he did. But it was for Krystal right? Didn't it just show how far he would go to protect her? Krystal probably didn't see it that way. She probably saw it as an attack on Shane's life. "She doesn't understand..." Fox told himself.
To Fox, Shane was evil. Evil was a bit harsh though. Let's just say that Shane wasn't evil, but he wasn't exactly a good fur either. "What is it that Shane has that I don't?" Fox began to ponder. "He's nothing more than a human in disguise." Fox said. "If only Krystal knew what was behind the fox's eyes, then she'd understand my point." Humans weren't any friends of Fox's.
He took his dagger and began to carve a heart in one of the trees. In the heart he carved an "F" and a "K". Then with anger he made an "X" through the heart. "It wasn't real." Fox said. "All was nothing but a lie. Everything had only happened for HIM!" That wasn't entirely true, but Fox felt as if were. All the time spent with Krystal was just a set up somehow, for Shane. Maybe Fox hadn't played his cards right. "If I hadn't taken her into the woods..." Fox sighed. "NONE of this would've ever happened."
He began to relax more now. He was actually trying to think of some good points about Shane. Sure, Shane looked like he wouldn't harm a fly, but the trophies Fox had seen had already proved that wrong. He seemed like a nice fellow, but from the moment she saw of him with Mia, that was wrong too. But then again, that certain moment was four years ago. He didn't seem as black hearted. Not only that, but Fox had noticed that Shane had no combat experience. "He must've been a pretty lonely guy."
Fox sat down once more and continued to think. Something good about Shane...for Fox this was going to be harder than he thought. Shane did seem like a good fur, but he wasn't even a fur. "Behind the Fox's Eyes..." Fox mumbled and scratched his chin. Then he remembered Shane's hand.yes, hand. Not a paw, but a flesh human hand. "Behind the Fox's Eyes..." Fox whispered again.
He played back what Mia had shown him back in the abandoned cabin. "Behind the Fox's Eyes." Fox said louder this time. There was something that had to be done, but Fox couldn't figure out what. "She said he had to find love for a vixen." Fox scratched under his chin. "Then why isn't he fully human yet?"
Fox stood up and started to think again. Not about Shane, but now about Krystal. "Does she love him?" Fox asked himself in an almost frightened voice. "If so...why?"
He remembered something that he had pilfered from Shane's mansion. He pulled out the drawing of two foxes watching the sunset. The one that Shane had just about finished when Fox took it. He looked at it again and saw one colored black and the other colored blue. Fox folded it and stuck it in his pocket once more. "He doesn't love her." Fox said out loud. "He only thinks he does. Once Krystal finds that she loves a human in disguise it'll all be over."
"But what breaks the curse?" Fox scratched under his chin. "A love for a vixen right? So then that means that the vixen needs to love him back right? Then..." Fox shivered at the though of Krystal admitting her love to a human in disguise. "That must be it!" Fox shouted. A few birds flew away, but now Fox knew something that Krystal probably didn't. He took his dagger and Shane's gloves and started back towards the village.
***
Mia, Katt and Jon walked back to the human village. Each time they came back from the woods someone was always looking at them suspiciously. "I'm not liking it much here anymore Mia. They seem to know something." Katt whispered.
The kids came running up and giving Mia hugs. Some of the adults didn't seem to care why Mia and Katt were in the woods. Other humans were more superstitious it seemed.
As soon as Mia was done hugging all the kids, she looked to Jon and signaled him to come back with Katt and her. "Pepper will be coming by shortly."
When they were back at the house, they took a look at the crystal ball. "It seems as though Shane is getting into more trouble." Mia said. "It's almost time for him to meet me here. Once he does so, we'll head back with him."
Katt was busy looking out a window and trying to make sense of the human culture. "Why are they always giving us funny looks when we come back from the forest?"
"Because they think you're betraying them." Jon spoke up. "They don't find it 'normal' to go into the woods as often as you all do. They think its something that a furry would do."
Katt sighed and shook her head. "What the hell is 'normal' anyway? I don't find it 'normal' to drink coffee in the morning! I don't find it 'normal' to walk around scratching my butt like some of these men do!"
"Calm down Katt." Mia said in a calm, soothing voice. "We'll be fine. Let the humans have their suspicions. Our concern right now is Shane."
"So what do we do?" Jon asked
"We wait." Mia replied.
***
"I've got to see what's Behind the Fox's Eyes." Fox said as he pressed on back to Corneria. "Got to protect Krystal from the human threat." Fox said. There was nothing that could convince Fox that Shane wasn't a bad fur.
Fox crept back into Corneria and was greeted by Bill. "Fox, everyone is scared to death of what we just saw." Bill said urgently.
"What is it?" Fox asked, as if he didn't know already.
"It was the scariest thing." Bill said, and pointed to Krystal's home. "She walked into the village with a wounded fox. The thing was though, this fox had HUMAN hands! I swear it was the Dark Fox too." Bill said. "He had one human hand Fox and I think the other one is shedding."
Fox looked Bill in the eye. "You say Krystal was with this fox?"
Bill nodded and didn't put his finger down. "Everyone is scared Fox. Everyone but Falco."
"There won't be anything to be scared of. I'll take care of it." Fox said and approached Krystal's house. "It'll be fine Bill."
"I don't like him Fox. There's something odd about a Fox with a human hand." Bill shook his head. "But you shouldn't let Krystal off that easily for bringing in such a thing."
***
"This is going to hurt a little so hold still." Krystal said and applied a wet cloth with rubbing alcohol onto Shane's wounds.
"That stings!" Shane rasped.
"It won't sting as much if you hold still." Krystal said, and applied the cloth again. "What happened? Between you and Fox, I mean? I'd never seen him like that before."
Shane closed his eyes as the pain started to die down, but Krystal hadn't applied it to the other arm yet. Not only that, but Krystal didn't seem to notice his human hand yet. "Krystal...Fox and I just aren't the best of friends. You remember when I told you that I was actually a human?" Krystal nodded and Shane continued. "Fox doesn't like that part of me. I didn't know he hated humans THAT much. I was on my way to see you when I saw him."
"But what happened?" Krystal demanded. "You both had me scared. I come and your hurt, and I've never seen Fox like that before." Krystal started to feel a little scared for Shane now. She took the cloth and applied it to his other arm, and that's when she finally noticed it, his human hand. "What's this?"
Shane looked down at his hand. "It's my hand. This is a human hand. This is the reason why Fox attacked me."
Krystal looked at it for a moment. It was still in proportion, and she didn't know what to say. This was actually the first time in a while she'd seen a human hand. "No claws?"
Shane shook his head. "No claws."
"This probably did set Fox off." Krystal said as she rubbed her paw along Shane's smooth skin. "It...feels so smooth."
"Krystal, this is probably going to be the last time I ever see you."
"Why?"
"I can't stay in the same village as Fox. He doesn't like me, and I wouldn't want a repeat of what just happened."
"Don't worry about Fox. You should worry about yourself. You should stay. You can warm up to Fox and then stay here with us. I know I'm making it sound simple, but Fox is really a good vulpine, Shane. Please don't go."
Shane sat up and hugged Krystal tight. "I can't stay like this. I have things to attend to."
"What things?" Krystal asked.
To this Shane didn't know how to respond. "Have you ever felt like you were just getting in the way of something? So you felt as if you wanted to leave it all behind?"
"You're leaving? But why?"
"I...wish not to tell." Shane said. He didn't want to tell her that he felt like a burden in Fox's side. That he had come and destroyed what Fox and Krystal had. Perhaps it was his love for Krystal that made him come to this decision.
"Shane...don't go yet. There's still so much I want to share with you."
"I'll be leaving soon. I just wanted to say good-bye." He really was set on leaving. It saddened him a little. But it was probably for the best. After all, there would be other vixens right? Well, not like Krystal.
"Shane, stay just a little longer please?" Krystal begged and hugged him close. "I Love You Shane. And I couldn't stand to see you leave." She said as she closed her eyes and leaned in to give Shane a kiss.
When their lips touched they were surrounded by a white glow and the light was blinding, but their eyes were closed. When they finally parted and Krystal opened her eyes, she was no longer looking at a black fox, but a tall blonde haired man. ________________________________________________________________________
A/N: That's a good stopping point for now I think. The next chapter will answer the same question I've had since the beginning of the fic, Does Krystal still love Shane? But now something else...what will Fox do now? Read and Review!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Star Fox. Nintendo and/or Rare do any relation to my original characters in any way is coincidental. If you would like to use my characters, please obtain my permission. ____________________________________________________________________
Chapter 23-Behind the Fox's Eyes
****************************
Fox sat against the tree and took his dagger in hand. He felt much calmer now, but suddenly grew sad. "Now I've done it." He said to himself as he came to a stance. "She's going to go back with HIM no matter what now." He rasped. How could he expect to obtain Krystal's love if he'd shown her that he was...crazy?
"No," Fox said to himself, "I won't let him win so easily." Was this what it was coming down to? A competition? That's what it had been all along right? To Fox this wasn't about how much Krystal loved him; it was about how much he loved her.
But how often had Fox told her that? Not very often actually. When he said so though, he usually did mean it. But when was the last time Krystal said those words to him? He tried to recall when she said it and actually MEANT it. He couldn't think of such a time.
Fox walked through the forest, unwilling to return to Corneria just yet. He had to think. He usually didn't act the way he did. But it was for Krystal right? Didn't it just show how far he would go to protect her? Krystal probably didn't see it that way. She probably saw it as an attack on Shane's life. "She doesn't understand..." Fox told himself.
To Fox, Shane was evil. Evil was a bit harsh though. Let's just say that Shane wasn't evil, but he wasn't exactly a good fur either. "What is it that Shane has that I don't?" Fox began to ponder. "He's nothing more than a human in disguise." Fox said. "If only Krystal knew what was behind the fox's eyes, then she'd understand my point." Humans weren't any friends of Fox's.
He took his dagger and began to carve a heart in one of the trees. In the heart he carved an "F" and a "K". Then with anger he made an "X" through the heart. "It wasn't real." Fox said. "All was nothing but a lie. Everything had only happened for HIM!" That wasn't entirely true, but Fox felt as if were. All the time spent with Krystal was just a set up somehow, for Shane. Maybe Fox hadn't played his cards right. "If I hadn't taken her into the woods..." Fox sighed. "NONE of this would've ever happened."
He began to relax more now. He was actually trying to think of some good points about Shane. Sure, Shane looked like he wouldn't harm a fly, but the trophies Fox had seen had already proved that wrong. He seemed like a nice fellow, but from the moment she saw of him with Mia, that was wrong too. But then again, that certain moment was four years ago. He didn't seem as black hearted. Not only that, but Fox had noticed that Shane had no combat experience. "He must've been a pretty lonely guy."
Fox sat down once more and continued to think. Something good about Shane...for Fox this was going to be harder than he thought. Shane did seem like a good fur, but he wasn't even a fur. "Behind the Fox's Eyes..." Fox mumbled and scratched his chin. Then he remembered Shane's hand.yes, hand. Not a paw, but a flesh human hand. "Behind the Fox's Eyes..." Fox whispered again.
He played back what Mia had shown him back in the abandoned cabin. "Behind the Fox's Eyes." Fox said louder this time. There was something that had to be done, but Fox couldn't figure out what. "She said he had to find love for a vixen." Fox scratched under his chin. "Then why isn't he fully human yet?"
Fox stood up and started to think again. Not about Shane, but now about Krystal. "Does she love him?" Fox asked himself in an almost frightened voice. "If so...why?"
He remembered something that he had pilfered from Shane's mansion. He pulled out the drawing of two foxes watching the sunset. The one that Shane had just about finished when Fox took it. He looked at it again and saw one colored black and the other colored blue. Fox folded it and stuck it in his pocket once more. "He doesn't love her." Fox said out loud. "He only thinks he does. Once Krystal finds that she loves a human in disguise it'll all be over."
"But what breaks the curse?" Fox scratched under his chin. "A love for a vixen right? So then that means that the vixen needs to love him back right? Then..." Fox shivered at the though of Krystal admitting her love to a human in disguise. "That must be it!" Fox shouted. A few birds flew away, but now Fox knew something that Krystal probably didn't. He took his dagger and Shane's gloves and started back towards the village.
***
Mia, Katt and Jon walked back to the human village. Each time they came back from the woods someone was always looking at them suspiciously. "I'm not liking it much here anymore Mia. They seem to know something." Katt whispered.
The kids came running up and giving Mia hugs. Some of the adults didn't seem to care why Mia and Katt were in the woods. Other humans were more superstitious it seemed.
As soon as Mia was done hugging all the kids, she looked to Jon and signaled him to come back with Katt and her. "Pepper will be coming by shortly."
When they were back at the house, they took a look at the crystal ball. "It seems as though Shane is getting into more trouble." Mia said. "It's almost time for him to meet me here. Once he does so, we'll head back with him."
Katt was busy looking out a window and trying to make sense of the human culture. "Why are they always giving us funny looks when we come back from the forest?"
"Because they think you're betraying them." Jon spoke up. "They don't find it 'normal' to go into the woods as often as you all do. They think its something that a furry would do."
Katt sighed and shook her head. "What the hell is 'normal' anyway? I don't find it 'normal' to drink coffee in the morning! I don't find it 'normal' to walk around scratching my butt like some of these men do!"
"Calm down Katt." Mia said in a calm, soothing voice. "We'll be fine. Let the humans have their suspicions. Our concern right now is Shane."
"So what do we do?" Jon asked
"We wait." Mia replied.
***
"I've got to see what's Behind the Fox's Eyes." Fox said as he pressed on back to Corneria. "Got to protect Krystal from the human threat." Fox said. There was nothing that could convince Fox that Shane wasn't a bad fur.
Fox crept back into Corneria and was greeted by Bill. "Fox, everyone is scared to death of what we just saw." Bill said urgently.
"What is it?" Fox asked, as if he didn't know already.
"It was the scariest thing." Bill said, and pointed to Krystal's home. "She walked into the village with a wounded fox. The thing was though, this fox had HUMAN hands! I swear it was the Dark Fox too." Bill said. "He had one human hand Fox and I think the other one is shedding."
Fox looked Bill in the eye. "You say Krystal was with this fox?"
Bill nodded and didn't put his finger down. "Everyone is scared Fox. Everyone but Falco."
"There won't be anything to be scared of. I'll take care of it." Fox said and approached Krystal's house. "It'll be fine Bill."
"I don't like him Fox. There's something odd about a Fox with a human hand." Bill shook his head. "But you shouldn't let Krystal off that easily for bringing in such a thing."
***
"This is going to hurt a little so hold still." Krystal said and applied a wet cloth with rubbing alcohol onto Shane's wounds.
"That stings!" Shane rasped.
"It won't sting as much if you hold still." Krystal said, and applied the cloth again. "What happened? Between you and Fox, I mean? I'd never seen him like that before."
Shane closed his eyes as the pain started to die down, but Krystal hadn't applied it to the other arm yet. Not only that, but Krystal didn't seem to notice his human hand yet. "Krystal...Fox and I just aren't the best of friends. You remember when I told you that I was actually a human?" Krystal nodded and Shane continued. "Fox doesn't like that part of me. I didn't know he hated humans THAT much. I was on my way to see you when I saw him."
"But what happened?" Krystal demanded. "You both had me scared. I come and your hurt, and I've never seen Fox like that before." Krystal started to feel a little scared for Shane now. She took the cloth and applied it to his other arm, and that's when she finally noticed it, his human hand. "What's this?"
Shane looked down at his hand. "It's my hand. This is a human hand. This is the reason why Fox attacked me."
Krystal looked at it for a moment. It was still in proportion, and she didn't know what to say. This was actually the first time in a while she'd seen a human hand. "No claws?"
Shane shook his head. "No claws."
"This probably did set Fox off." Krystal said as she rubbed her paw along Shane's smooth skin. "It...feels so smooth."
"Krystal, this is probably going to be the last time I ever see you."
"Why?"
"I can't stay in the same village as Fox. He doesn't like me, and I wouldn't want a repeat of what just happened."
"Don't worry about Fox. You should worry about yourself. You should stay. You can warm up to Fox and then stay here with us. I know I'm making it sound simple, but Fox is really a good vulpine, Shane. Please don't go."
Shane sat up and hugged Krystal tight. "I can't stay like this. I have things to attend to."
"What things?" Krystal asked.
To this Shane didn't know how to respond. "Have you ever felt like you were just getting in the way of something? So you felt as if you wanted to leave it all behind?"
"You're leaving? But why?"
"I...wish not to tell." Shane said. He didn't want to tell her that he felt like a burden in Fox's side. That he had come and destroyed what Fox and Krystal had. Perhaps it was his love for Krystal that made him come to this decision.
"Shane...don't go yet. There's still so much I want to share with you."
"I'll be leaving soon. I just wanted to say good-bye." He really was set on leaving. It saddened him a little. But it was probably for the best. After all, there would be other vixens right? Well, not like Krystal.
"Shane, stay just a little longer please?" Krystal begged and hugged him close. "I Love You Shane. And I couldn't stand to see you leave." She said as she closed her eyes and leaned in to give Shane a kiss.
When their lips touched they were surrounded by a white glow and the light was blinding, but their eyes were closed. When they finally parted and Krystal opened her eyes, she was no longer looking at a black fox, but a tall blonde haired man. ________________________________________________________________________
A/N: That's a good stopping point for now I think. The next chapter will answer the same question I've had since the beginning of the fic, Does Krystal still love Shane? But now something else...what will Fox do now? Read and Review!
