Chapter VI
Shortly after Fox was deemed alive, Eric had collapsed from his injuries and Sarah stumbled to her knees. Technically, victory was theirs, but it was too dearly bought. Venom's army had been smashed to shambles in the battle, but the casualties of dead and wounded on the Cornerian side estimated around 85% of the strike force. The fallen heroes lay on Venom's soil; there wasn't enough ship space to haul the dead back.
One body did go back to Corneria. The body of the last Cerinian. The Star Fox Fellowship started with six members. It ended with five. Krystal McCloud would be buried during a military ceremony at Dinosaur Planet in two days.
"B-but…" Sarah cried through muffled tears. She was covered in burn ointment and had bandages covering almost half of her body, but she found it in her to limp to the lieutenant in charge of the now battered strike force. "What about those alters… the revival alters?"
The lieutenant, who was named Rosa, stopped. She looked long and hard at Sarah before coming up with her answer.
"The stocks of the materials necessary to power the machine have hit an unexpected shortage. The fact the primary material, the Power Gems, have been getting massive shortages of late is surprising, but we don't even have the resources for a single resurrection. It's unbelievably expensive, Ms. Terminham."
Sarah sank to her knees. For a brief period she had hoped that she would be able to see Krystal again, who had helped Sarah learn the ropes of this strange new world, but that possibility fell at those grave words.
The funeral was held at Dinosaur Planet, at the foot of Krazoa Palace. Eric was still in too bad of a shape to be able to attend, but everyone who both knew Krystal and still had full access to all four limbs attended. And seeing as she was queen of Dinosaur Planet, the former was the entire Dinosaur Planet population.
Tricky was bowing deeply at Krystal's marble coffin. Sarah dissolved into her hands while in a seat in the back row. She couldn't listen to a single word General Pepper said; she just couldn't.
Another movement to Sarah's left. Looking down, there was a small fuzzball, teetering on two legs.
"Wha hap'n me now?" Jade garbled, only a single tear staining her cheeks. "Why mommy go away?"
"She didn't want to," Sarah sobbed, looking at the coffin. "She didn't want to."
"Buh why?" Jade inquired. "Is mommy ever coming back?"
"No." At this point, Sarah's voice cracked beyond conversation. What was going to become of Jade now? Fox was always out on active duty, he couldn't always look after Jade. What would become of her? She highly doubted the officer Pepper appointed would put up with her forever. She could only hope it would work out… somehow.
"Fox." Eric mumbled in his hospital bed.
"Mmm?" Fox muttered.
"I'm not your father."
"I never said you were," Fox said softly. Somehow, they had made a silent agreement between the three of them. The same for Vixy. Eric and Sarah would have to go back to their worlds. Fox had been fighting to accept the fact of his parents death, and even though he could have sworn he saw his dad in the second Lylat War, to be seeing them again, and then lose them again as Eric and Sarah went back to their own home would be too great to bear. Fox realized this, and while it would hurt tremendously, the pain would go into remission.
Just like it always did.
Eric told Sarah not to talk to any of the Star Fox World inhabitants for very long. They had to leave. They had accomplished a good, but the alter egoes within would cause too great of a ripple in this dimension.
"But… why?" Sarah said in between choked back tears.
"I told you-"
"No, why can't we come back? I like it here, can't we at least help them out with the aftermath of the battle?"
"No. We need to go."
"Wait…" Sarah said.
"What?"
"Jade."
"What about her?"
"Fox can't keep his occupation and look after Jade with Krystal dead, Eric," Sarah said. "Let me look after her."
Eric snorted derisively. "Look after her in our universe. And just how do you expect to accomplish that? You start blabbing about what we've done and they'll have us locked up in a padded room with our own personal straightjackets. Come one. It's hopeless."
"But what do you want me to do?"
"Nothing. You do what you what you want; I'm not responsible."
That evening, Sarah went to Dinosaur Planet in the Thunder Hammer. Going up the many floors in Dinosaur Planet Capital City, she went to Jade McCloud's room. Jade looked up at Vixy McCloud, the body Sarah was currently in.
"Don't worry, Jade. I'll keep you safe."
They told their respective stories to each of the rest of the Star Fox world, but it all added up to one thing: They were going to leave. They didn't know how long they were going to be, but they needed to head back home for awhile. Eric was heavily bandaged and on crutches, but he wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to at least Falco.
"See you later, Falco," Eric said with a grimace.
Falco chuckled in spite of recent events. "I'll be seeing you later. I'll be expecting your arrival is going to be the onset of major stuff going down again, y'hear?"
Eric laughed. "I hear, Falco. I hear." At that, he pulled off the sunglasses.
Sarah stayed longer. She stayed to apologize to Fox and ask him if she could look after Jade. Fox agreed, but only if Jade got to come back and visit frequently. Sarah was more than happy to agree, but she couldn't help but shake the feeling they may not be coming back for awhile. She apologized to General Pepper, who had to give Sarah the Captain rank instead of Eric (who they were going to give it to whether he wanted to or not after the fight at Venom), for their hasty exit. Of all of this, Katt and General Pepper seemed to be most opposed to the two humans leaving, but it must have been Sarah's imagination as neither of them said anything.
Sarah went to her ship as she put a hand on it. She and Eric had seen sights the both of them wanted to cherish forever, and ones that would keep them up after dark, screaming into the night. Brushing her hands along it, she let the sunglasses fall from her face. Until the next time the shades were needed, they would be kept under lock and key.
Eric stayed at his house. He opened a loose floorboard and hid his new wristband (replacing it with his watch on his wrist), Murasma and the sunglasses under it. He then wondered if it was the right thing, to run from the world that he was now permanently linked to, due to his alter ego. He pondered the things he could have done otherwise. He questioned all the things he had not had time to thoroughly investigate. Oh well. More time for that later, as he could hear his parents coming in through the front door. Until next time.
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face this pain here all alone
Something has been taken from deep inside of me
A secret I kept locked away no one can ever see
Wounds so deep they never show/ they never go away.
Like moving pictures in my head/ for years and years they've played
If I could change I would/ Take back the pain I would/ Retrace every wrong move that I made I would/ If I could stand up and take the blame I would if I could take all my shame to the grave I would
If I could change I would/ Take back the pain I would/ Retrace every wrong move that I made I would/ If I could stand up and take the blame I would if I could take all my shame to the grave
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to go
Than face all this pain here all alone
Sometimes I remember the darkness of my past
Bringing back these memories I wish I didn't have
Sometimes I think of letting go and never looking back
And never moving forward so there would never be a past
If I could change I would/ Take back the pain I would/ Retrace every wrong move that I made I would/ If I could stand up and take the blame I would if I could take all my shame to the grave I would
If I could change I would/ Take back the pain I would/ Retrace every wrong move that I made I would/ If I could stand up and take the blame I would if I could take all my shame to the grave
Just washing it aside
All of the helplessness inside
Pretending I don't feel misplaced
Is so much easier than change
It's easier to run
Replacing this pain with something numb
It's so much easier to run
Than face all this pain here on my own
It's easier to run
(If I could change I would/ Take back the pain I would/ Retrace every wrong move that I made I would)
It's easier to go
(If I could change I would/ Take back the pain I would/ Retrace every wrong move that I made I would/ If I could take all my shame/ To the grave)
Sarah took one of her combination lock kid safes, opened it and put her wristband and sunglasses into the safe, and then took it out into the backyard with a shovel and started digging a hole. She probably was digging it deeper than she needed for the small safe, but she didn't care. She dropped it and buried it. Just in case she needed it again, she marked the spot with a cross of stones. This way, she could claim it was a place to worship if her parents got suspicious.
She didn't want to go back, but she had to keep her promise to Fox. It was her faith to uphold her word, so every now and then she'd have to dig it up, but she hoped that it would be awhile before it would get to that. She put Beamstriker and the quiver under the religious paraphernalia that she knew her parents would never go through, and then went to her room to comfort Jade. She didn't know what she would do in the future, but all that she could do now is wait and hope.
Wait and hope.
Memories consume
Like opening the wound
I'm picking me apart again
You all assume
I'm safe here in my room
(Unless I try to start again)
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate
And say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I know it's not alright
So I'm breaking the habit
Tonight
Clutching my cure
I tightly lock the door
I try to catch my breath again
I hurt much more
Than anytime before
I had no options left again
I don't want to be the one
The battles always choose
'Cause inside I realize
That I'm the one confused
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
Tonight
I'll paint it on the walls
'Cause I'm the one at fault
I'll never fight again
And this is how it ends
I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
To show you what I mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
Tonight.
The End