Author's Note and Disclaimer: *Cough* Yeah... I don't anything here. All
related to StarFox and StarFox Adventures belong to Nintendo and Rare.
Anything related to Japanese mythology (Jigoku and the chains) belong to...
well, Japanese mythology. Otherwise the only thing I own here is the plot
and Diva and Starr Jenson, Kuro Youkai, and his pet Golden Bafomdad (I
don't own his name Drip, though... Drip belongs to David Hopkins) Oh, and I
forgot to mention it in earlier chapters, but the idea of the Spirit Weapon
itself belongs to Kyros Lokorr, a friend of mine from the EZboard community
"McCloud Space Station" (regardless if you're a StarFox fan or just wanna
hang out, PLEASE COME AND JOIN US!!! ^_^). I, however, own what the Spirit
Weapon IS. I know "Spirit Weapon" sounds cheesy, but I can't think of a
better name right now (and for now that's what it's called cuz not even Fox
knows what it's called either @_@)
THIS STORY IS ONE CHAPTER AWAY TO COMPLETION!!! Please, PLEASE REVIEW after reading! Thank you.
~~Imagen~~
***
Part II
Chapter 10: "Spirit's Showdown"
***
"This.... is... THE SPIRIT WEAPON???!!!" Fox screamed in frustration, literally shaking the trees and water around him that was left despite the planet's crumbling. Tricky, unshakened by his yelling, just stared at the chest's contents.
He leaned in picked up an object with his mouth. "Dis looks like sun kinda hilt otha soerd (This looks like some kind of hilt of a sword)..." he said through clenched teeth.
"A hilt! That's it! A hilt!" Fox shouted as he snatched the object from Tricky's mouth and held it up close to his face. Held in his hand was a gold and iron hilt, the design around the handle itself like a braided rope, the end with the head of a Krazoa, and the other where the blade should be set on was shaped like dove-like wings of an angel. That was it, however. Nothing else. No blade, no saber, nothing. Nada. Zilch. Need I say more?
"Maybe the blade's invisible," Tricky suggested.
Fox gently touched where the blade should be but felt nothing. He then quickly passed his hand through it. Nothing. He stared at it for a while. "Maybe there's a switch somewhere... it could be some kind of light- saber..."
"Look for it, then!"
The vulpine pointed the hilt away from his face then searched around the hilt. He pressed every point of the handle, the Kazoo's head, and even the wings. It was made of pure gold and iron. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!! Maybe the previous user broke the blade then decided to his stoopid hilt in a chest, making it look valuable!"
"That's it. We're screwed."
Drip reawakened as the two were gawking over the hilt in disbelief. It gasped, seeing that Fox finally took hold of the hilt that he and his master has been hiding for years. It quickly hopped to its feet then leaped on Fox's head, biting his ear. Fox yelped then tried to shake him off, but Drip leaped off just in time before he would fall off. He landed on Fox's arm and quickly took hold of the hilt. He snatched of the hilt with his mouth and hopped off, but it fell like a stone from the weight of the hilt, since it was made of pure gold and iron. Tricky laughed, watching the Golden Bafomdad fail at its attempt to steal their "spirit weapon". "What a loser!"
"What do you think you're trying to do?" Fox frowned as he asked, kicked the Bafomdad in the air and catching him, taking the hilt back from him. "Take the hilt to your master?"
Silence.
It was if a light bulb appeared over Fox' head. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Tricky asked, befuddled.
"This little Golden Bafomdad is going to lead us to his master, that Kuro guy! And maybe even Scales!"
"Fox! Those guys are trying to kill you!"
"Yes, but............ they have the other Golden Bafomdads! And maybe the SpellStones as well, since this planet's falling apart..."
"Oh... I forgot about the SpellStones... are Scales and Kuro that desperate to kill you off that they're making this planet to crumble to ensure your death?"
Fox, with Drip still his grip, slowly kneeled, as if in deep thought. "Maybe..."
"Oh, great..."
"No... It has to be more than that..."
"Maybe they're trying to kill everyone on this planet as well!"
"Perhaps... but..." Fox began thinking back at the time before the crash, where their ship was bending in space. "I.... have a feeling it's much more than that... but what?"
Silence hit them hard again. Drip squirmed in Fox's grip, trying to release itself.
Fox stared at the little furry creature then at Tricky. "It's decided."
"What's decided?"
The vulpine stood up and dropped the Bafomdad. "Go."
"What?"
"Not you! That Bafomdad!"
"Huh?"
Drip glared coldly at Fox.
The mammal smirked. "You heard me. Go! Go back to your master, Kuro!"
"Fox! They're trying to kill you! Do you have a death wish?!"
"Do I have a choice, Tricky?!" Fox turned sharply at the little EarthWalker. "Kuro and Scales have the Golden Bafomdads AND the SpellStones, or at least we think they do! Plus..." He held up the hilt close to his face. "I want to try this out..."
"There's no blade! What's there to try out?"
As Fox and Tricky were arguing, Drip crawled away from the EarthWalker and canine and then hopped away to safety. Both of them caught on soon then chased after him. Drip quickly changed his plans then hopped to a pyramid.
"Oh, you think you can get away, huh?"
Drip bounded inside the entrance of the Moon Temple.
"What if he's really leading us to Kuro?" Tricky questioned.
Fox thought hard. "It doesn't matter... I have a feeling he's in there... good... at first I was thinking he was in the Krazoa Temple Ruins... heh, now we don't have to go very far..."
***
In the main room of the Moon Temple, Kuro Youkai sat on the altar, dipping a spear with a razor sharp spearhead in a small clay jar. After he soaked the blade with the jar's contents, the hawk pulled it out and examined it carefully. The spearhead dripped with black poison that he was able to steal when he was in Jigoku shortly after his death. The poison... which was really that of a venomous Oni's blood... began dripping down to the tiles of the temple, then slightly drying up. Kuro smiled. "This poison... there is no cure, for it is Oni's blood... once in contact with a living body, the victim will die a slow and painful death in less than an hour..." he whispered to himself. He began chuckling, his chuckling then turning into sinister laughter. "Ah, yes! Poison from the pits of Jigoku! With this weapon, there is no way for Fox McCloud to live! All I have to do is just simply get this spearhead into his blood... then my master's revenge will be complete!"
Putting the jar away, the hawk looked outside the window and sighed. "Very close here, two years ago... this is where I died..." Kuro muttered to himself as he recalled the moments of his death. He finally found her... that woman, Serena... that luscious, beautiful woman who satisfied his time of lust... yet that child just HAD to chase him off... and that RedEye just HAD to be nearby and hungry... Kuro remembered that very moment when the RedEye appeared out of nowhere, how it stormed up to him and Starr... Kuro Youkai, of course, was frightened. He tried to run away... it was not that he was slow. Starr, being much shorter, was underfoot. Youkai had some of Serena's clumsiness rubbed off on him, and he tripped over the boy as he tried to run. The RedEye, seeing the older falcon as a better meal than some measly child, stormed toward the fallen Kuro and bit his leg. Kuro screamed as he felt his bone break from the dinosaur's teeth as he was lifted into the air. He looked at his son's face, who was crying with fright, shivering and frozen in his spot. Why wouldn't the RedEye eat him as well? Kuro spat out his last curses when the carnivorous dinosaur began chomping on his legs, swallowing him as it munched on his ankles, calves, thighs, then stomach. Kuro felt his blood flow from his lower torso to this face, covering his eyes with crimson. He gurgled his last cry as he began to numb, dying as the RedEye finally began dining on the rest of his delicious bird body, from his chest, arms, to his head. The hawk already died as soon as it swallowed him whole, flesh, bones, and all. All that was left was a puddle of blood.
The red-tailed hawk's thoughts were interrupted by the noises from his pet Golden Bafomdad's hopping. Kuro turned and noticed the frightened Drip, then walked to him and held out his hand. Drip hopped on it then began whimpering. "What is it?"
Drip imitated a rough cough and a spit then began spinning around. He then bent down and shook his head as if it was handling something below him, like opening a box. Kuro raised an eyebrow as Drip hopped up and down furiously. "So... Fox is here... he was able to take the key from you and open the chest to the Spirit Weapon. Right?"
Drip nodded.
"What is it? What kind of weapon is it? A mace? Ax? Spear? Sword?"
The Golden Bafomdad hesitated. He looked at Kuro's side then hopped away in a hurry, leaping to the ground then cowering beneath a loose tile on the floor.
Kuro turned around. Fox McCloud stood just several feet away from, standing at the entrance of the main room of the Moon Temple. His eyes were widened, mouth agape, and his grip loose on the hilt he found in the chest he opened. Tricky, who stood behind the fox, looked around, confused.
Fox held an index finger and pointed at the ghost. "You... you must that Kuro Youkai guy..."
Kuro gasped. "YOU CAN SEE ME???!!!!"
"Fox...." Tricky murmured. "But... how..."
The fox turned to the hilt that he held. He noticed that it was glowing with an eerie blue light. "This hilt... it really IS the Spirit Weapon, isn't it..."
"A HILT???!!!" Kuro spat. "That Spirit Weapon... is a HILT???!!!"
Fox's hand shook, the same hand that gripped the handle. His breath began to shorten as he held the hilt up, feeling that very object on its own. Tricky gasped and stepped back, the hilt glowing harder. Fox muttered, "This... this... I can't believe it..."
"Neither can I," Kuro murmured in a low voice. He held up the spear and held it back, then like a javelin thrower he shot the weapon towards Fox, heading towards the vulpine's heart.
"FOX!!!!!!!!!!!!" Tricky warned as the spear shot in the air towards his foxy leader. Fox's ears perked as he looked up, seeing the weapon fly like a dart blown at its prey. Fox flipped back as soon as the spear inched near his chest, the canine first leaning back then picking his feet up while the spear kept flying. The weapon shot through then stabbed into a slab of rock, the spearhead completely disappearing in it and causing cracks all over the stone.
Kuro clicked his tongue, snapping his fingers, er, feathers. "Damn... I was so close..."
Fox grabbed the sides of his mouth and stuck his tongue out, taunting the bird at his blunder. Kuro scowled then disappeared in thin air, reappearing directly behind Fox and pulling out the spear from the stone like it was a stick in a bar of butter. Fox screamed in surprise then ducked quickly as Kuro slashed horizontally at the mammal. As he raised the spear up for a vertical slash Fox rolled out of the way by rolling back, missing the spearhead by an inch. The canine took a quick glance as he backed away from the menacing ghost. The hilt was still shaking and glowing, but nothing else. Fox made his own blunder when he backed away too far and fell out the window, tumbling out the pyramid and unto the ground, landing directly on top of his head.
Kuro raced to the window and leaped out, holding the spear with the spearhead straight down in mid-air. He allowed himself to fall, aiming the spearhead towards the fox, but before the weapon could even touch him, Fox rolled back again. A cloud of dust blew against the fox, making him roll further backward, over and over again like a bowling ball. As his world was spinning, Fox felt his head hit against a tree, four Dumbledang Pods dropping on his head. As soon as his eyes could focus again, he could see the dark ghost in the middle of a crater created by the great force of the dive, the spear several inches deep into the ground... and stuck. "Dammit!" Kuro cursed as he struggled and pulled the spear, even though it remained stuck. He began to fear the poison is going to rub off.
While Kuro was struggling with his spear, Fox felt the hilt shake violently one more time. In the blink of an eye and in only a heartbeat, chains spat out and flew towards the hawk ghost, darting towards him in as if it was the quick strike of a snake. Kuro gasped at the sight of the chains and immediately released his grip on the spear, flipping backwards. Had he done it sooner, however, the chains wouldn't have touched him. The very tip of the links, which darted like a knight, only managed to slash the bird on the shoulder. No blood was shed, since Kuro is only spirit... his wound, however, glowed in white light. Fox saw everything that happened before his very eyes, his paws actually rubbing them in disbelief. Chains... Chains from Jigoku itself shot from the hilt and wounded the ghost. This... is truly a Spirit Weapon.
"So THAT'S what the Spirit Weapon is..." Fox muttered to himself as the chains withdrew themselves back into the hilt. "This exorcising weapon... it's actually Jigoku Chains on a hilt! It's as if the chains itself is the blade of the sword! Or maybe even a whip!"
Kuro cursed under his breath and struggled to pull the spear out one more time. Fox saw this and smirked, then thrust the hilt forward. The chains shot out again towards the hawk, making him release the spear again and flip to dodge. Kuro flipped until he had his feet touch the base, and as soon as they did, he pushed himself into the air like a torpedo and dived towards Fox, head-butting him into the ground. Fox fell and dropped the Spirit Weapon, hitting his head on a rock. Even there the chains continue to lash at him like a snake, striking the hawk on the knee. Kuro fell back then flipped at a good distance from the chains, which were only able to reach about twelve feet. The hawk kneeled as he leaned against his tree, holding his knee. Now not only was he struck on the shoulder, but his shin was glowing with spiritual pain as well.
"What the hell is that?!" Tricky gasped by the time he reached the field of battle at the base of the pyramid. Fox sat up and rubbed his temple, where he hit his head on the rock. Looking at his hand, he saw that it was bleeding. In fact, there was a long gash on his forehead, the exposure of the open wound pulsing with pain. But it was only superficial... Fox knew it wouldn't kill him. The vulpine just turned to the EarthWalker prince and smiled, then crawled to where the Spirit Weapon lay, which was just withdrawing the chains.
Fox held it up, standing up and smiling. "It's the Spirit Weapon, believe me... now I know what it does."
"Really?" Tricky dashed to where Fox stood and searched the hilt. "I see nothing... What does it do?"
Kuro panted and caught for breath then looked up to where the fox and dinosaur stood then widened his eyes. His raptorial orbs caught sight of the vulpine's bleeding temple. "An open wound..." Kuro muttered to himself. "If only I could use pour some Oni's Blood on it... then my master's revenge will be complete..."
Footsteps of the hawk were heard in Fox's ears. Sharply he turned, and before him the hawk was racing towards him with a small clay jar in his hands. Fox's eyes widened as his black nose sniffed the air... the smell of blood.... no... the smell of death... he smelled the foul stench of death in that jar. Kuro, with the jar opened and still in his wings, leaped up into the air then swung the jar toward Fox. But Fox saw this ahead of time and stepped back to make another flip to dodge... yet his foot, stepping on the rock, stumbled and caused the mammal to fall back.
And the black poison made its way to Fox's forehead.
Kuro saw that his poison made a direct hit and laughed sinisterly. Tricky gaped at the very sight... black liquid poured all over his hero... the poison all over his face. Fox stared at the sky as he fell back, the poison soaking into his fur and entering his bloodstream from the open wound.
"You see that?" Kuro shouted as he pointed his wing towards the StarFox Leader. "That is Oni's Blood... one of the most deadly... and incurable poisons in Lylat!"
"Poison..." Fox muttered as he lay on his back, his hand trembling as it touched the poison. He brought his fingers close to his eyes, seeing that they were dripping with black liquid... the same liquid that smelled foul from death.
The hawk smirked and nodded. "That's right... In less than an hour, you will die... so even if I DO lose this battle, and those chains will take me to Jigoku... you... will... still... lose..."
"Shaddup! SHADDUP!!!" Tricky bellowed as he rushed to where Fox lay, still unable to see the ghost. He bent down to the fallen leader, who stared at his black-tipped fingers. "Fox...?"
"I can't die..." Fox muttered as his life began flashing before his very eyes... his mother... his father... Peppy, Slippy, and Falco... Krystal... the two Jenson birds... even pictures of his previous adventures, like his victories from the Lylat Wars... they all flashed before his eyes in a split second as his breathing already began to shorten. "No... not now... I only have about an hour left to live? No..."
"Fox..."
"I can't die... I won't..."
"You will..." Kuro chuckled.
"I'll kill you... even though you're all ready dead!" Tricky shouted as he grabbed the Spirit Weapon, which was unsoiled by the poison, with his teeth, then raced to where the voice of the ghost was heard. Even while holding the enchanted hilt, he cannot see the dark hawk. Kuro laughed again then kicked the little dinosaur as he passed him.
The bird of prey haughtily guffawed. "You wish to die too?" He approached his spear one more then, after more pulling added from before, drew the weapon with much ease. He held it up then forward, the spearhead, with most of the poison rubbed but with only a bit still on it, pointed at the little EarthWalker. "I have only a little bit of Oni's Blood poison on this spear... but if you like, I can make your death quick and-"
Before he would finish, chains shot into the air. Kuro watched those chains fly... but to the sun? He realized it too late... he just watched the chains rise higher and higher until the very first chain link reached the burning bright sun. The light blinded him, but not the light from the sun. The light from his wound... a very big hole on his back and chest... glowed brightly, streams of white light shining before his piercing eyes. The chains from Fox's hilt pierced into the evil spirit while it was distracted. Kuro slowly turned around to look. Fox was standing triumphantly with his Spirit Weapon, as if he was a hero from the heavens, chosen by the gods to rid the world of evil. Through the streams of light, Kuro watched Fox draw the chains back, the links of metal clanging through his being and returning to the hilt.
"Only an hour to live..." Fox spoke as he held up the hilt. "Then that would mean I won't waste this hour... to send you and General Scales back to where you belong......... in flames!" Swinging the hilt, the chains flew out again towards the ghost and wrapped themselves around him, squeezing the hawk's wings close to his body (well, what looks like it @_@). More streams of white light shone through Kuro's spirit, shining so brightly even Fox was beginning to be blinded.
Rumbling..... it was heard again. The earth beneath the hawk gaped, opening its mouth like a hungry lion. Fire and brimstone burned beneath him, the chains of Jigoku clanging together and the smell of burning flesh coming to the ghost's nostrils. Aside from the clanging, screams, moans... roaring was heard in Kuro's ears. Familiar roaring... that of a foe he knew of two years ago.
"No... no... NO!!!" Kuro cried as the earth rumbled again, but not from the Jigoku Gates. Footsteps were heard in even Tricky's ears as the roaring grew louder. Finally, flames and blood spewed from the opening, then a great shadow... A great shadow with dark green scales, red eyes, and sharp teeth. Kuro, Fox, and even the little dinosaur Tricky, gasped when the flames and blood cleared. Rearing its ugly head back and opening its large jaws was a RedEye, hungry and thirsting for flesh or blood... or specifically, the ghost of a wicked, lustful red-tailed hawk.
"A... A REDEYE!!!" Tricky screeched as he raced behind a tree, not willing to watch. Fox, however, froze as the RedEye climbed higher and higher to the surface. This, obviously, was no ordinary dinosaur... it was one of the demons that dwelled beneath the surface of Dinosaur Planet and inside the gates of Jigoku. Fox gasped as he could smell death again... not from the poison, but from the RedEye itself... perhaps this is the Jigoku gods' way of delivering judgment towards the hawk. Fox watched as Kuro screamed and squirmed, struggling to free himself from the chains. For the very first time in a long, Kuro was scared... terrified, in fact. He was even crying... wailings and pleadings echoed from his beak. He was squirming and screaming like a horrified girl... a girl about to fall victim of rape from a thug. This truly is Kuro's judgment. The rapist murderer has taken place of the girl. The giant RedEye is the thug, ready to take him for his own.
Fox huffed then shouted his last words towards the hawk before he will be taken forever prisoner in brimstone and sulphur. "Kuro Youkai... you... are... FINISHED!!!" As soon as he said those words, the RedEye opened its jaws of sharp teeth one more time then clamped completely closed on the hawk man's spirit. As the chains from the hilt released the bird, Kuro again squirmed and screamed, but he writhed and twisted in agony and fear violently while his screams became bloodier... making this moment actually making Fox pity him. But that moment didn't last... Fox huffed again as the flames and streams of blood rose again, the RedEye descending into the darkness. Kuro kept screaming as the dinosaur sank lower and lower in the dark, the clanging of chains and growls and snarling from the demons then finally drowning him out. Fox sighed as the last of Kuro's dark feathers were seen in the abyss... then floated away down with him.
"We... we did it..." Fox sighed, panting for breath... even though his time has yet to come, he is already dying.
Tricky was about to race back to Fox to congratulate him when he caught Drip running across the field at the corner of his eye. The EarthWalker changed course and pounced on the Golden Bafomdad, then clenched the fur of its neck with his teeth then ran towards the Jigoku gap. He held Drip over it, then spoke through his clenched teeth, "All right, ya little thief... yer gonna give us our Bafomdads and SpellStones and lead us to Scale, or else yer done for!"
"Um, Tricky... Golden Bafomdads DO have the power over death, you now..."
Tricky paused for a while. "................................. Oh."
Fox turned to the side of the pyramid, which was not too far from where they are. Whimpering was heard in his ears... soft, familiar whimpering. Tricky noticed his hero's silence and turned to look for himself. Leaning on the side of the pyramid was a sackcloth bag... and it was moving.
"Fox... it's..."
"The Golden Bafomdads..." Fox finished. He bent down and took Drip from Tricky then ran to where he heard the whimpering. He was halfway to the pyramid, however, when he stopped running and fell on his knees then leaned on the ground. Tricky ran to Fox's side and noticed sweat dripping from Fox's brow, his muscles tensed from pain.
The little EarthWalker nearly cried. "Man... Fox..."
"The poison works really fast..." Fox muttered as he stood up, Drip still in his grip. "I... have a bad feeling that... practically my last moments of my life will be that of great and suffering..."
"Don't say that, Fox, please... you're going to live, believe me... all we have to do is find those Tennyos and let them heal you or something..."
Fox finally approached the bag then fell on his knees again. His hands trembled as he placed them on the bag, untying it. As soon as a bit of air was exposed to the opening, the three Golden Bafomdads popped out, Hoppy, Happy, and Haughty. They squeaked with glee and leaped out of the bag, hopping about the place in excitement. Their joy of freedom, however, was interrupted and sadly ended when they noticed Fox's weakening. Hoppy hopped baby hops to Fox and nuzzled on the knee, as if expressing affection. Fox only responded by patting her head.
Tricky continued pleading to the fox. "You are not going to die... please... I... I'll find a normal Bafomdad... yeah, that's right! I'll find a normal Bafomdad, and then we'll let that hour pass! You'll die, but I'll use the Bafomdad to revive you... then we can search for those SpellStones and three more Golden Bafomdads, and then we'll find Scales and you'll use that Spirit Weapon and then..."
"Tricky... stop..." Fox puffed as he gasped for air. "I know what you're trying to say, but... this planet's falling apart as we speak... Scales will have his revenge... and my Team... I don't know how much longer Peppy, Slippy, Falco, Krystal, Diva, and Starr will last in Jigoku... I have to revive them... I have to fight Scales... and then..."
"Fox, you can't do any of them while you're like this!"
As the fox and dinosaur argued, rumbling was felt again... but gentle rumbling. Fox noticed how Drip was trying to free himself, and using the string that tied the bag together, he made a leash for Drip by tying the string around his belly. Tricky was then given the other end of the string. By the time the gentle rumbling was felt again, Fox pushed himself up against the pyramid's wall then tread slowly to the gape. Tricky tilted his head in confusion and curiosity. "Fox?"
All of the sudden bright blue light shone from the gape. Ascending from the Jigoku Gates was a figure in colored, feathered robes, with chains wrapping around her then snapping off like a weakened spider's web. Tricky recognize that figure right away as soon as he saw the feathered robes. "Fox... it's a Tennyo! A TENNYO!!!"
"Then that means... she's freeing my Team..." Fox said with a faint smile.
However, the smile disappeared as Fox's heart sank while watching the Tennyo, the Tanuki that followed Falco and Starr down to Jigoku, land softly on the earth while floating. Surrounding her were what seemed like six blue flames that burn faintly.
Tricky approached the Tennyo with Drip in his mouth and the three Golden Bafomdads hopping behind him. Letting Drip down but still holding the leash, Tricky asked in confusion, "Miss Tanuki Tennyo............... where is Fox's Team?"
The Tanuki glanced at Fox with sad eyes that seemed to be about to cry. She held out her hands, showing Fox and Tricky the six blue flames that surround her. "This is Fox's Team."
"Wha..."
Fox fell again on his knees and his world blurring. At those very words, he already felt more than half of his strength leave him already.
((To be continued...))
((AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! NOOOOOOO!!! Yes. This is the end of this chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!!! ;_; And stay tuned for the LAST CHAPTER OF "FALLING STARS"))
THIS STORY IS ONE CHAPTER AWAY TO COMPLETION!!! Please, PLEASE REVIEW after reading! Thank you.
~~Imagen~~
***
Part II
Chapter 10: "Spirit's Showdown"
***
"This.... is... THE SPIRIT WEAPON???!!!" Fox screamed in frustration, literally shaking the trees and water around him that was left despite the planet's crumbling. Tricky, unshakened by his yelling, just stared at the chest's contents.
He leaned in picked up an object with his mouth. "Dis looks like sun kinda hilt otha soerd (This looks like some kind of hilt of a sword)..." he said through clenched teeth.
"A hilt! That's it! A hilt!" Fox shouted as he snatched the object from Tricky's mouth and held it up close to his face. Held in his hand was a gold and iron hilt, the design around the handle itself like a braided rope, the end with the head of a Krazoa, and the other where the blade should be set on was shaped like dove-like wings of an angel. That was it, however. Nothing else. No blade, no saber, nothing. Nada. Zilch. Need I say more?
"Maybe the blade's invisible," Tricky suggested.
Fox gently touched where the blade should be but felt nothing. He then quickly passed his hand through it. Nothing. He stared at it for a while. "Maybe there's a switch somewhere... it could be some kind of light- saber..."
"Look for it, then!"
The vulpine pointed the hilt away from his face then searched around the hilt. He pressed every point of the handle, the Kazoo's head, and even the wings. It was made of pure gold and iron. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!! Maybe the previous user broke the blade then decided to his stoopid hilt in a chest, making it look valuable!"
"That's it. We're screwed."
Drip reawakened as the two were gawking over the hilt in disbelief. It gasped, seeing that Fox finally took hold of the hilt that he and his master has been hiding for years. It quickly hopped to its feet then leaped on Fox's head, biting his ear. Fox yelped then tried to shake him off, but Drip leaped off just in time before he would fall off. He landed on Fox's arm and quickly took hold of the hilt. He snatched of the hilt with his mouth and hopped off, but it fell like a stone from the weight of the hilt, since it was made of pure gold and iron. Tricky laughed, watching the Golden Bafomdad fail at its attempt to steal their "spirit weapon". "What a loser!"
"What do you think you're trying to do?" Fox frowned as he asked, kicked the Bafomdad in the air and catching him, taking the hilt back from him. "Take the hilt to your master?"
Silence.
It was if a light bulb appeared over Fox' head. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Tricky asked, befuddled.
"This little Golden Bafomdad is going to lead us to his master, that Kuro guy! And maybe even Scales!"
"Fox! Those guys are trying to kill you!"
"Yes, but............ they have the other Golden Bafomdads! And maybe the SpellStones as well, since this planet's falling apart..."
"Oh... I forgot about the SpellStones... are Scales and Kuro that desperate to kill you off that they're making this planet to crumble to ensure your death?"
Fox, with Drip still his grip, slowly kneeled, as if in deep thought. "Maybe..."
"Oh, great..."
"No... It has to be more than that..."
"Maybe they're trying to kill everyone on this planet as well!"
"Perhaps... but..." Fox began thinking back at the time before the crash, where their ship was bending in space. "I.... have a feeling it's much more than that... but what?"
Silence hit them hard again. Drip squirmed in Fox's grip, trying to release itself.
Fox stared at the little furry creature then at Tricky. "It's decided."
"What's decided?"
The vulpine stood up and dropped the Bafomdad. "Go."
"What?"
"Not you! That Bafomdad!"
"Huh?"
Drip glared coldly at Fox.
The mammal smirked. "You heard me. Go! Go back to your master, Kuro!"
"Fox! They're trying to kill you! Do you have a death wish?!"
"Do I have a choice, Tricky?!" Fox turned sharply at the little EarthWalker. "Kuro and Scales have the Golden Bafomdads AND the SpellStones, or at least we think they do! Plus..." He held up the hilt close to his face. "I want to try this out..."
"There's no blade! What's there to try out?"
As Fox and Tricky were arguing, Drip crawled away from the EarthWalker and canine and then hopped away to safety. Both of them caught on soon then chased after him. Drip quickly changed his plans then hopped to a pyramid.
"Oh, you think you can get away, huh?"
Drip bounded inside the entrance of the Moon Temple.
"What if he's really leading us to Kuro?" Tricky questioned.
Fox thought hard. "It doesn't matter... I have a feeling he's in there... good... at first I was thinking he was in the Krazoa Temple Ruins... heh, now we don't have to go very far..."
***
In the main room of the Moon Temple, Kuro Youkai sat on the altar, dipping a spear with a razor sharp spearhead in a small clay jar. After he soaked the blade with the jar's contents, the hawk pulled it out and examined it carefully. The spearhead dripped with black poison that he was able to steal when he was in Jigoku shortly after his death. The poison... which was really that of a venomous Oni's blood... began dripping down to the tiles of the temple, then slightly drying up. Kuro smiled. "This poison... there is no cure, for it is Oni's blood... once in contact with a living body, the victim will die a slow and painful death in less than an hour..." he whispered to himself. He began chuckling, his chuckling then turning into sinister laughter. "Ah, yes! Poison from the pits of Jigoku! With this weapon, there is no way for Fox McCloud to live! All I have to do is just simply get this spearhead into his blood... then my master's revenge will be complete!"
Putting the jar away, the hawk looked outside the window and sighed. "Very close here, two years ago... this is where I died..." Kuro muttered to himself as he recalled the moments of his death. He finally found her... that woman, Serena... that luscious, beautiful woman who satisfied his time of lust... yet that child just HAD to chase him off... and that RedEye just HAD to be nearby and hungry... Kuro remembered that very moment when the RedEye appeared out of nowhere, how it stormed up to him and Starr... Kuro Youkai, of course, was frightened. He tried to run away... it was not that he was slow. Starr, being much shorter, was underfoot. Youkai had some of Serena's clumsiness rubbed off on him, and he tripped over the boy as he tried to run. The RedEye, seeing the older falcon as a better meal than some measly child, stormed toward the fallen Kuro and bit his leg. Kuro screamed as he felt his bone break from the dinosaur's teeth as he was lifted into the air. He looked at his son's face, who was crying with fright, shivering and frozen in his spot. Why wouldn't the RedEye eat him as well? Kuro spat out his last curses when the carnivorous dinosaur began chomping on his legs, swallowing him as it munched on his ankles, calves, thighs, then stomach. Kuro felt his blood flow from his lower torso to this face, covering his eyes with crimson. He gurgled his last cry as he began to numb, dying as the RedEye finally began dining on the rest of his delicious bird body, from his chest, arms, to his head. The hawk already died as soon as it swallowed him whole, flesh, bones, and all. All that was left was a puddle of blood.
The red-tailed hawk's thoughts were interrupted by the noises from his pet Golden Bafomdad's hopping. Kuro turned and noticed the frightened Drip, then walked to him and held out his hand. Drip hopped on it then began whimpering. "What is it?"
Drip imitated a rough cough and a spit then began spinning around. He then bent down and shook his head as if it was handling something below him, like opening a box. Kuro raised an eyebrow as Drip hopped up and down furiously. "So... Fox is here... he was able to take the key from you and open the chest to the Spirit Weapon. Right?"
Drip nodded.
"What is it? What kind of weapon is it? A mace? Ax? Spear? Sword?"
The Golden Bafomdad hesitated. He looked at Kuro's side then hopped away in a hurry, leaping to the ground then cowering beneath a loose tile on the floor.
Kuro turned around. Fox McCloud stood just several feet away from, standing at the entrance of the main room of the Moon Temple. His eyes were widened, mouth agape, and his grip loose on the hilt he found in the chest he opened. Tricky, who stood behind the fox, looked around, confused.
Fox held an index finger and pointed at the ghost. "You... you must that Kuro Youkai guy..."
Kuro gasped. "YOU CAN SEE ME???!!!!"
"Fox...." Tricky murmured. "But... how..."
The fox turned to the hilt that he held. He noticed that it was glowing with an eerie blue light. "This hilt... it really IS the Spirit Weapon, isn't it..."
"A HILT???!!!" Kuro spat. "That Spirit Weapon... is a HILT???!!!"
Fox's hand shook, the same hand that gripped the handle. His breath began to shorten as he held the hilt up, feeling that very object on its own. Tricky gasped and stepped back, the hilt glowing harder. Fox muttered, "This... this... I can't believe it..."
"Neither can I," Kuro murmured in a low voice. He held up the spear and held it back, then like a javelin thrower he shot the weapon towards Fox, heading towards the vulpine's heart.
"FOX!!!!!!!!!!!!" Tricky warned as the spear shot in the air towards his foxy leader. Fox's ears perked as he looked up, seeing the weapon fly like a dart blown at its prey. Fox flipped back as soon as the spear inched near his chest, the canine first leaning back then picking his feet up while the spear kept flying. The weapon shot through then stabbed into a slab of rock, the spearhead completely disappearing in it and causing cracks all over the stone.
Kuro clicked his tongue, snapping his fingers, er, feathers. "Damn... I was so close..."
Fox grabbed the sides of his mouth and stuck his tongue out, taunting the bird at his blunder. Kuro scowled then disappeared in thin air, reappearing directly behind Fox and pulling out the spear from the stone like it was a stick in a bar of butter. Fox screamed in surprise then ducked quickly as Kuro slashed horizontally at the mammal. As he raised the spear up for a vertical slash Fox rolled out of the way by rolling back, missing the spearhead by an inch. The canine took a quick glance as he backed away from the menacing ghost. The hilt was still shaking and glowing, but nothing else. Fox made his own blunder when he backed away too far and fell out the window, tumbling out the pyramid and unto the ground, landing directly on top of his head.
Kuro raced to the window and leaped out, holding the spear with the spearhead straight down in mid-air. He allowed himself to fall, aiming the spearhead towards the fox, but before the weapon could even touch him, Fox rolled back again. A cloud of dust blew against the fox, making him roll further backward, over and over again like a bowling ball. As his world was spinning, Fox felt his head hit against a tree, four Dumbledang Pods dropping on his head. As soon as his eyes could focus again, he could see the dark ghost in the middle of a crater created by the great force of the dive, the spear several inches deep into the ground... and stuck. "Dammit!" Kuro cursed as he struggled and pulled the spear, even though it remained stuck. He began to fear the poison is going to rub off.
While Kuro was struggling with his spear, Fox felt the hilt shake violently one more time. In the blink of an eye and in only a heartbeat, chains spat out and flew towards the hawk ghost, darting towards him in as if it was the quick strike of a snake. Kuro gasped at the sight of the chains and immediately released his grip on the spear, flipping backwards. Had he done it sooner, however, the chains wouldn't have touched him. The very tip of the links, which darted like a knight, only managed to slash the bird on the shoulder. No blood was shed, since Kuro is only spirit... his wound, however, glowed in white light. Fox saw everything that happened before his very eyes, his paws actually rubbing them in disbelief. Chains... Chains from Jigoku itself shot from the hilt and wounded the ghost. This... is truly a Spirit Weapon.
"So THAT'S what the Spirit Weapon is..." Fox muttered to himself as the chains withdrew themselves back into the hilt. "This exorcising weapon... it's actually Jigoku Chains on a hilt! It's as if the chains itself is the blade of the sword! Or maybe even a whip!"
Kuro cursed under his breath and struggled to pull the spear out one more time. Fox saw this and smirked, then thrust the hilt forward. The chains shot out again towards the hawk, making him release the spear again and flip to dodge. Kuro flipped until he had his feet touch the base, and as soon as they did, he pushed himself into the air like a torpedo and dived towards Fox, head-butting him into the ground. Fox fell and dropped the Spirit Weapon, hitting his head on a rock. Even there the chains continue to lash at him like a snake, striking the hawk on the knee. Kuro fell back then flipped at a good distance from the chains, which were only able to reach about twelve feet. The hawk kneeled as he leaned against his tree, holding his knee. Now not only was he struck on the shoulder, but his shin was glowing with spiritual pain as well.
"What the hell is that?!" Tricky gasped by the time he reached the field of battle at the base of the pyramid. Fox sat up and rubbed his temple, where he hit his head on the rock. Looking at his hand, he saw that it was bleeding. In fact, there was a long gash on his forehead, the exposure of the open wound pulsing with pain. But it was only superficial... Fox knew it wouldn't kill him. The vulpine just turned to the EarthWalker prince and smiled, then crawled to where the Spirit Weapon lay, which was just withdrawing the chains.
Fox held it up, standing up and smiling. "It's the Spirit Weapon, believe me... now I know what it does."
"Really?" Tricky dashed to where Fox stood and searched the hilt. "I see nothing... What does it do?"
Kuro panted and caught for breath then looked up to where the fox and dinosaur stood then widened his eyes. His raptorial orbs caught sight of the vulpine's bleeding temple. "An open wound..." Kuro muttered to himself. "If only I could use pour some Oni's Blood on it... then my master's revenge will be complete..."
Footsteps of the hawk were heard in Fox's ears. Sharply he turned, and before him the hawk was racing towards him with a small clay jar in his hands. Fox's eyes widened as his black nose sniffed the air... the smell of blood.... no... the smell of death... he smelled the foul stench of death in that jar. Kuro, with the jar opened and still in his wings, leaped up into the air then swung the jar toward Fox. But Fox saw this ahead of time and stepped back to make another flip to dodge... yet his foot, stepping on the rock, stumbled and caused the mammal to fall back.
And the black poison made its way to Fox's forehead.
Kuro saw that his poison made a direct hit and laughed sinisterly. Tricky gaped at the very sight... black liquid poured all over his hero... the poison all over his face. Fox stared at the sky as he fell back, the poison soaking into his fur and entering his bloodstream from the open wound.
"You see that?" Kuro shouted as he pointed his wing towards the StarFox Leader. "That is Oni's Blood... one of the most deadly... and incurable poisons in Lylat!"
"Poison..." Fox muttered as he lay on his back, his hand trembling as it touched the poison. He brought his fingers close to his eyes, seeing that they were dripping with black liquid... the same liquid that smelled foul from death.
The hawk smirked and nodded. "That's right... In less than an hour, you will die... so even if I DO lose this battle, and those chains will take me to Jigoku... you... will... still... lose..."
"Shaddup! SHADDUP!!!" Tricky bellowed as he rushed to where Fox lay, still unable to see the ghost. He bent down to the fallen leader, who stared at his black-tipped fingers. "Fox...?"
"I can't die..." Fox muttered as his life began flashing before his very eyes... his mother... his father... Peppy, Slippy, and Falco... Krystal... the two Jenson birds... even pictures of his previous adventures, like his victories from the Lylat Wars... they all flashed before his eyes in a split second as his breathing already began to shorten. "No... not now... I only have about an hour left to live? No..."
"Fox..."
"I can't die... I won't..."
"You will..." Kuro chuckled.
"I'll kill you... even though you're all ready dead!" Tricky shouted as he grabbed the Spirit Weapon, which was unsoiled by the poison, with his teeth, then raced to where the voice of the ghost was heard. Even while holding the enchanted hilt, he cannot see the dark hawk. Kuro laughed again then kicked the little dinosaur as he passed him.
The bird of prey haughtily guffawed. "You wish to die too?" He approached his spear one more then, after more pulling added from before, drew the weapon with much ease. He held it up then forward, the spearhead, with most of the poison rubbed but with only a bit still on it, pointed at the little EarthWalker. "I have only a little bit of Oni's Blood poison on this spear... but if you like, I can make your death quick and-"
Before he would finish, chains shot into the air. Kuro watched those chains fly... but to the sun? He realized it too late... he just watched the chains rise higher and higher until the very first chain link reached the burning bright sun. The light blinded him, but not the light from the sun. The light from his wound... a very big hole on his back and chest... glowed brightly, streams of white light shining before his piercing eyes. The chains from Fox's hilt pierced into the evil spirit while it was distracted. Kuro slowly turned around to look. Fox was standing triumphantly with his Spirit Weapon, as if he was a hero from the heavens, chosen by the gods to rid the world of evil. Through the streams of light, Kuro watched Fox draw the chains back, the links of metal clanging through his being and returning to the hilt.
"Only an hour to live..." Fox spoke as he held up the hilt. "Then that would mean I won't waste this hour... to send you and General Scales back to where you belong......... in flames!" Swinging the hilt, the chains flew out again towards the ghost and wrapped themselves around him, squeezing the hawk's wings close to his body (well, what looks like it @_@). More streams of white light shone through Kuro's spirit, shining so brightly even Fox was beginning to be blinded.
Rumbling..... it was heard again. The earth beneath the hawk gaped, opening its mouth like a hungry lion. Fire and brimstone burned beneath him, the chains of Jigoku clanging together and the smell of burning flesh coming to the ghost's nostrils. Aside from the clanging, screams, moans... roaring was heard in Kuro's ears. Familiar roaring... that of a foe he knew of two years ago.
"No... no... NO!!!" Kuro cried as the earth rumbled again, but not from the Jigoku Gates. Footsteps were heard in even Tricky's ears as the roaring grew louder. Finally, flames and blood spewed from the opening, then a great shadow... A great shadow with dark green scales, red eyes, and sharp teeth. Kuro, Fox, and even the little dinosaur Tricky, gasped when the flames and blood cleared. Rearing its ugly head back and opening its large jaws was a RedEye, hungry and thirsting for flesh or blood... or specifically, the ghost of a wicked, lustful red-tailed hawk.
"A... A REDEYE!!!" Tricky screeched as he raced behind a tree, not willing to watch. Fox, however, froze as the RedEye climbed higher and higher to the surface. This, obviously, was no ordinary dinosaur... it was one of the demons that dwelled beneath the surface of Dinosaur Planet and inside the gates of Jigoku. Fox gasped as he could smell death again... not from the poison, but from the RedEye itself... perhaps this is the Jigoku gods' way of delivering judgment towards the hawk. Fox watched as Kuro screamed and squirmed, struggling to free himself from the chains. For the very first time in a long, Kuro was scared... terrified, in fact. He was even crying... wailings and pleadings echoed from his beak. He was squirming and screaming like a horrified girl... a girl about to fall victim of rape from a thug. This truly is Kuro's judgment. The rapist murderer has taken place of the girl. The giant RedEye is the thug, ready to take him for his own.
Fox huffed then shouted his last words towards the hawk before he will be taken forever prisoner in brimstone and sulphur. "Kuro Youkai... you... are... FINISHED!!!" As soon as he said those words, the RedEye opened its jaws of sharp teeth one more time then clamped completely closed on the hawk man's spirit. As the chains from the hilt released the bird, Kuro again squirmed and screamed, but he writhed and twisted in agony and fear violently while his screams became bloodier... making this moment actually making Fox pity him. But that moment didn't last... Fox huffed again as the flames and streams of blood rose again, the RedEye descending into the darkness. Kuro kept screaming as the dinosaur sank lower and lower in the dark, the clanging of chains and growls and snarling from the demons then finally drowning him out. Fox sighed as the last of Kuro's dark feathers were seen in the abyss... then floated away down with him.
"We... we did it..." Fox sighed, panting for breath... even though his time has yet to come, he is already dying.
Tricky was about to race back to Fox to congratulate him when he caught Drip running across the field at the corner of his eye. The EarthWalker changed course and pounced on the Golden Bafomdad, then clenched the fur of its neck with his teeth then ran towards the Jigoku gap. He held Drip over it, then spoke through his clenched teeth, "All right, ya little thief... yer gonna give us our Bafomdads and SpellStones and lead us to Scale, or else yer done for!"
"Um, Tricky... Golden Bafomdads DO have the power over death, you now..."
Tricky paused for a while. "................................. Oh."
Fox turned to the side of the pyramid, which was not too far from where they are. Whimpering was heard in his ears... soft, familiar whimpering. Tricky noticed his hero's silence and turned to look for himself. Leaning on the side of the pyramid was a sackcloth bag... and it was moving.
"Fox... it's..."
"The Golden Bafomdads..." Fox finished. He bent down and took Drip from Tricky then ran to where he heard the whimpering. He was halfway to the pyramid, however, when he stopped running and fell on his knees then leaned on the ground. Tricky ran to Fox's side and noticed sweat dripping from Fox's brow, his muscles tensed from pain.
The little EarthWalker nearly cried. "Man... Fox..."
"The poison works really fast..." Fox muttered as he stood up, Drip still in his grip. "I... have a bad feeling that... practically my last moments of my life will be that of great and suffering..."
"Don't say that, Fox, please... you're going to live, believe me... all we have to do is find those Tennyos and let them heal you or something..."
Fox finally approached the bag then fell on his knees again. His hands trembled as he placed them on the bag, untying it. As soon as a bit of air was exposed to the opening, the three Golden Bafomdads popped out, Hoppy, Happy, and Haughty. They squeaked with glee and leaped out of the bag, hopping about the place in excitement. Their joy of freedom, however, was interrupted and sadly ended when they noticed Fox's weakening. Hoppy hopped baby hops to Fox and nuzzled on the knee, as if expressing affection. Fox only responded by patting her head.
Tricky continued pleading to the fox. "You are not going to die... please... I... I'll find a normal Bafomdad... yeah, that's right! I'll find a normal Bafomdad, and then we'll let that hour pass! You'll die, but I'll use the Bafomdad to revive you... then we can search for those SpellStones and three more Golden Bafomdads, and then we'll find Scales and you'll use that Spirit Weapon and then..."
"Tricky... stop..." Fox puffed as he gasped for air. "I know what you're trying to say, but... this planet's falling apart as we speak... Scales will have his revenge... and my Team... I don't know how much longer Peppy, Slippy, Falco, Krystal, Diva, and Starr will last in Jigoku... I have to revive them... I have to fight Scales... and then..."
"Fox, you can't do any of them while you're like this!"
As the fox and dinosaur argued, rumbling was felt again... but gentle rumbling. Fox noticed how Drip was trying to free himself, and using the string that tied the bag together, he made a leash for Drip by tying the string around his belly. Tricky was then given the other end of the string. By the time the gentle rumbling was felt again, Fox pushed himself up against the pyramid's wall then tread slowly to the gape. Tricky tilted his head in confusion and curiosity. "Fox?"
All of the sudden bright blue light shone from the gape. Ascending from the Jigoku Gates was a figure in colored, feathered robes, with chains wrapping around her then snapping off like a weakened spider's web. Tricky recognize that figure right away as soon as he saw the feathered robes. "Fox... it's a Tennyo! A TENNYO!!!"
"Then that means... she's freeing my Team..." Fox said with a faint smile.
However, the smile disappeared as Fox's heart sank while watching the Tennyo, the Tanuki that followed Falco and Starr down to Jigoku, land softly on the earth while floating. Surrounding her were what seemed like six blue flames that burn faintly.
Tricky approached the Tennyo with Drip in his mouth and the three Golden Bafomdads hopping behind him. Letting Drip down but still holding the leash, Tricky asked in confusion, "Miss Tanuki Tennyo............... where is Fox's Team?"
The Tanuki glanced at Fox with sad eyes that seemed to be about to cry. She held out her hands, showing Fox and Tricky the six blue flames that surround her. "This is Fox's Team."
"Wha..."
Fox fell again on his knees and his world blurring. At those very words, he already felt more than half of his strength leave him already.
((To be continued...))
((AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! NOOOOOOO!!! Yes. This is the end of this chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!!! ;_; And stay tuned for the LAST CHAPTER OF "FALLING STARS"))