A/N: So now we know Shane and Katt have had something in the past. I touch on it a bit in this chapter. Oh, and this chapter is pretty long. Much longer than all the other chapters in this fic thus far. This is part one of a chapter I cut into thirds because I felt they were just too long if I crammed them all together. This in itself is pretty long compared to how long my chapters normally are. So read, review and most important, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Starfox, Nintendo and/or Rare do. Any relation to my original characters in anyway is entirely coincidental. If you'd like to use my original characters then feel free to ask!

_______________________________________________________________________

Chapter 17: Secrets Untold

Mia was up making herself a cup of tea in the kitchen. She hadn't been doing much since she got in Zoness. She'd merely slept and read the whole time. A few words of wisdom to Shane every now and then; but she knew something else with Shane was going on.

Of course Mia had also read The Will of Great Fox. She had more knowledge of it than any other fur in existence. She too was destined to do the things she had done. She was gifted and cursed with immortality. Her age was a mystery. She had fought in the war over one thousand years ago.

She remembered the black fox that struck the Great Fox down. The black fox was a traitor among furs. Not on the side of Great Fox but neither was he sided with Andross.

The black fox looked EXACTLY like Shane and even bared the same name. Yes, the black fox years ago WAS Shane.

Mia remembered it well. After the black fox stabbed the Great Fox, Mia vowed to kill him and she did. With the Great Fox's final days of life he wrote a will and granted Mia immortality. She was supposed to spread the words of Great Fox, but she only distributed the Will around the world.

But the humans didn't take into the Will. They refused to believe an animal could be a God and they stuck by Andross, not knowing the ultimate truth. Throughout life and the science that humans called "Biology" they made the mistake in proving that they themselves were animals.

Not just that, but humans were oblivious to the fact that Andross and the Great Fox were once in liege with each other. Even though humans had more physical strength and endurance, they were deep down inside, furs created by the Great Fox and Andross.

Mia couldn't see why this difference couldn't be put aside. The curse she had ultimately placed on Shane was mere coincidence but she knew it was he.

But who would've thought the Will of Great Fox was telling the truth about him? Who knew that someone who had been born a human that hated animals would actually WANT to be a furry?

Something puzzled Mia, however. According to Will, Shane would go out and spread this peace among humans and furs with a human companion. It was his ultimate "mission" in life and Jon was obviously the human to help him. But as with Jon, the thought accord to Mia. What if Shane didn't go through with it? What if Shane stayed because of Katt? Then that would mean the entire Will of Great Fox was faulty. Then another thought accord to Mia… what if Shane was killed?

***

That very night, Shane walked into the house with Katt close behind. The two were holding paws as they stepped into the warmth of Katt's home. As Shane stepped inside he heard Mia call his name. He looked to Katt and she said nothing. Mia called his name again and Shane started towards the kitchen with Katt, "Alone!" Mia said.

"I'll just, go out and find Jon. I'm sure he's at the pub." Katt hugged him tightly.

Shane let Katt go and walked into the kitchen where Mia was sitting quietly at the table. She hadn't touched her cup of tea since she made it. Contemplating on whether or not she should reveal things to Shane. "Please, sit down."

"I'd prefer to stand." Shane said, knowing full well something wasn't right. Mia had a different tone in her voice… a more serious and deeper tone. Her eyes were a tranquil blue. Soothing as always, but a deeper shade than usual.

"Please sit, or you'll be standing for a while." Mia advised him. She watched Shane continue to stand. You're a great fur but you still only do things when you're ready. Mia thought. When Shane finally took a seat she gave a faint smile.

"You look awful." Shane noticed.

"That's because, I feel I may have made a mistake. The Great Fox entrusted me with a mission and I abused it in the wrong way." She admitted. "Maybe I was destined to it… or maybe it was pure coincidence."

"Is this about the war?" Shane asked. "I've heard the story of Great Fox… how he was betrayed by his own kin."

"I know you know the story. You also have knowledge the fur that killed him was a black fox, yes?"

Shane didn't say anything. "Mia, I didn't even live over 1000 years ago."

"But I did, Shane." Mia sighed and stood up. She walked over and poured her tea out and set the cup down. "I watched it Shane. I watched the black fox stab the Great Fox and I watched the Great Fox die. He died in MY arms!" A tear actually came to her eye. Shane had never seen Mia cry.

"You couldn't have been around over one-thousand years ago." Shane mused. "If you were you'd be older than the Great Fox himself."

"No, not older--as old." Mia corrected him. "I was the first of his kin, born into this world. I watched the war rage on and I watched senseless bloodshed. But the black fox was taunting."

"Why?" Shane asked.

"The black fox was named Shane… just like you. He LOOKED just like you… he sounded like you even wore the same clothes you do." Mia pressed on. "He was a kind gentle fox. He thought if Andross and the Great Fox died, everything would be okay and we'd know just stupid the war was. He told me, right before I killed him, that the Great Fox would be eternal. He told me in the end everything would be okay. The very next day, The Great Fox died and left a Will for me to distribute around the world."

"The Will of Great Fox." They both said in unison and Shane looked up at her. "Have you read it?"

"Yes, and I realize what I had to do by the Will. He gave me immortality and gave me the power to be a shape-shifter. I can mimic his powers through spells now. But now I realize what I had done once I met you."

Shane's heart sank. It was almost like a piece of his past came back to him in that moment. He started to feel guilty and didn't know why.

"You ARE the black fox, Shane. You killed the Great Fox and told us all that everything would be all right. Before the Great Fox died, Shane he spoke to me and told me that black fox was right. He told me with his dying breath that the black fox would be born one thousand years after the war in the year 1000. He told me the black fox would be born in the light of a human and turned into the same black fox that killed him years ago. It's no coincidence I found you Shane. The Will said I would. But I can only find out through reasoning. What year were you born? If it isn't the year 1000 then I've made a mistake in my judgment and you're not the next 'Great Fox' to spread peace and love between the animal and human kingdom. If you were, then our meeting with Jon is not a coincidence either. Now tell me Shane, what year and day were you born. The Great Fox said he'd be born on the first day of the year 1000. The ONLY one born on that day."

Shane's eyes widened and Mia repeated once more. "When were you born?"

Shane took a deep sigh. He seemed about to cry, as he knew Mia was. "I was born January 1, 1000."

Mia smiled and approached him, a tear in her eye. She embraced Shane and released the tear. "Then it is you."

Shane pushed Mia away and gave her a concerned look. "You're saying that by the Will of Great Fox I am the Great Fox. I can't be, I wasn't even born a fox."

"That all the more makes it true. By the Will you ARE the messiah and you ARE going to bring about the 'Eternal Calm.'"

Shane stood up and began to walk out, "Don't run away from your destiny Shane!" Mia called out to him and he stopped in his tracks.

"I'm not running away, I'm only turning my back on it. I can't do it Mia."

"And why not?"

"Because I know nothing of the story. I know nothing of a murderous deed. You're accusing me of killing the Great Fox over one thousand years ago… a thousand years before I was even born! It couldn't have been me!"

"But that's EXACTLY WHY IT IS YOU!" Mia screamed. "You were reborn to keep your word that a bond between humans and furs can exist!" She walked up to Shane and grabbed his shirt. "I watched you die! I watched you die right in front of my eyes and I watched you transform from a human into a fox. I watched the 'rebirth' of the same fox I killed over one thousand years ago. I saw the look in your eyes. You KNOW you did it, don't you? You know this is what you're meant to do and you're avoiding it! You knew from the very moment you were changed into the fox that this was going to be your destiny!"

Shane didn't say anything. "I didn't know and I didn't ask for this task. All I wanted was the chance to love someone."

Mia understood what it was like. "I know you don't want this burden, but I've waited a millennium for this. When you broke your curse when Krystal told you she loved you, you came to me for help. When I turned you back into the black fox you KNEW what your destiny was."

Shane turned around and began to walk away again. "I don't want he destiny."

"Yes you do!" Mia argued. "If you didn't want it then why did you tell Jon, 'yes?!'"

At that moment Shane stopped. He didn't turn around but then he came to the realization that Mia was absolutely right. It was then Shane knew who he was and why he was here. Right at that very moment the memories came back to him. The flames of war, the blood of the Great Fox on his paw. He covered his paw now and never looked at Mia. He remembered it all now and he remembered Mia killing him. That was how he got the first scar on his chest only it was much deeper and then no one could heal such a wound.

Shane turned to face Mia, realizing full well that he was the one who killed the Great Fox, he knew it now. He closed his eyes and saw Mia's face and she looked exactly as she did now. Not angry, but sad. "Did you love him?" Shane asked.

Mia looked to Shane and dropped her lip. "That… isn't any of your business…"

"Did you love the fox or not? You didn't kill me for revenge of him being the Great Fox, you killed me out of revenge of killing your lover!"

Mia breathed heavily and nodded her head. "But when I looked into your eyes I knew I'd see you again. I knew you'd keep to your word when you said everything would be alright. But when I killed you I didn't believe you. But after I read the Will I knew."

Shane walked back up to Mia and embraced her and watched as Mia began to cry. "But when I looked into your eyes I only saw hurt and pain." Shane rubbed her back. "I can't give you the Great Fox back. I'm Shane and that's the only fur I can be. Regardless of the fact that I'm to be the next Great Fox, I'm Shane."

He rubbed her back softly and let her cry in his arms. "But tell me. Why didn't I have any memory of it until now? Why did I spend so long not knowing what I've done?"

"Because it's rebirth. The shadows of the past don't matter anymore and your conscience knows that. That's why you blocked it out of your memory, because it doesn't matter. You can run from it if you wish but you must realize it's the past that brought you here." She wiped away tears. "And it's the future that will take you."

***

Katt walked into the pub, knowing full well she'd find Jon. The feline needed to get away from Shane for just a moment. The moment on the hilltop reminded her of the past. The past she kept lying to everyone about. When they asked her if she ever felt anything for Shane, she'd either answer "No" or "I don't know". Of course that never got past Mia.

As Katt walked around in the pub she stopped short of breath when she finally saw Jon. Except Jon was with Wolf and that made Katt uncomfortable.

"Come to join us?" Jon asked as Katt came up to him. She smiled when she saw Wolf and forced one when she saw Jon.

"How's it going?" Wolf asked as he took a sip of his beer. "You seem distraught."

"Nothing's wrong, if that's what you mean." Katt said.

Wolf set his beer down and smiled. "Would you like to come back with me? I've been pretty lonely lately and could use some company."

Jon shook his head, "You going back home? I wouldn't dream it. I brought you here to Zoness for the sole purpose of reviving a social life. You're not going back to that mansion for a while."

Wolf wasn't so sure. There was always the thought of seeing Jade and he didn't want that. If he saw Jade he didn't know what he'd do. "I'd prefer to go home--"

"Then no wonder you're a social outcast. I bet most of these furs don't even know who you are!" Jon said. "So stay here tonight. It'll do you some good."

Seeing that he wasn't going to win this battle, the lupine finally agreed to stay. "Well, seeing as how we've spent so much time here perhaps we should be going then?"

"I just got here." Katt said. "And Shane and Mia are having a discussion right now. It must be important because she told me to leave."

Jon set his beer down and stood up. "Regardless, we do need to leave. We've been here for hours."

As Jon and Wolf came to their feet they spotted the jade husky approaching them. Jon was happy to see her; where as Wolf was wishing he was dead. "Jon have you seen Shane? I was looking for him earlier this morning and…" she stopped speaking when she caught a glimpse of Wolf. She hadn't seen him in a long time and the reality of him being in Zoness right now was unbelievable. What was more jaw dropping was Wolf, of all furs, was with a human. "I thought you were never coming back?"

Wolf twitched an ear and spoke slowly and softly, "I hadn't planned on coming. I'm only here because of him." He pointed to Jon. "I've not seen you for ages."

Jade smiled, "Well, at least you have a better attitude. So you don't hate humans anymore?"

"I guess not every one of them you meet is so bad." Wolf spoke.

"And what about the Will of Great Fox?"

"It's part of the reason why I'm here, actually. I can't hate humans; it defies the Will if I do. But why are you here?"

Jade put a paw up in his face and shook her head, "I live in Zoness, if you haven't forgotten! The question isn't why I'm here; the question is why are you here?"

"I was in the neighborhood…" Wolf groaned

"Don't take that kind of attitude with me." Jade snapped.

This is sad. Kat thought and looked to Jon, whom was thinking the same thing.

Wolf sat back down at the bar and shook his head. "I'm not telling you why I'm here. You wouldn't understand… and why are YOU looking for Shane?"

"So you're looking for Shane." Jade sat next to him and avoided his question. "For what purpose?"

"You wouldn't understand and you haven't answered my question yet."

"Of course I don't understand. How can you expect me to understand if I don't know what it is you're talking about?"

Wolf rolled his eyes back and then looked at Katt and Jon. The two were staring intently. For the first time in a long while, Wolf was feeling embarrassed. "You WON'T understand!" Wolf raised his voice.

"I would if you would just tell me!" Jade screamed and now everyone in the bar was looking at them.

Dammit! Wolf thought to himself. Here we are making another scene… and in public this time. The lupine didn't want this and so he stayed silent until the gawkers started to look away. When their attention was no longer fixated on them Wolf was immediately in Jade's face whispering slowly, "The reason I don't think you'll understand is because it involves the Will of Great Fox and I don't want another senseless argument over whether or not the Will speaks any truth."

Jade couldn't help but sigh aloud. "Oh, Wolf…" She slowly spoke, "SHUT UP!" She screamed and the furs were looking again. "How can you believe in something that we have no proof ever happened? How can you sit here and say the things mentioned in The Will of Great Fox are true? How can a tome decide the fate of this world? How can a tome know the fate of this world?! It can't! There's no such thing as fate. No wonder you're alone! While everyone is living their life the way they want to, you're letting a tome written a thousand years ago control your life! You're pathetic!" Jade screamed and the entire bar was watching.

Wolf lowered his ears in embarrassment. He knew she was partially right. He was pathetic. But he knew there were other believers out there.

Jade was staring him in the face. Wolf raised his head to look at her and he was breathing heavily out of anger. She may have been right about him being pathetic but he wasn't one to let someone talk about his religious beliefs with such disdain. At one moment the two were staring at each other with no words, and in the next moment the back of Wolf's paw had struck Jade's face and knocked her out of the chair. The entire pub gasped and Wolf flipped a coin onto the bar. "Keep the change." He told the barkeep and walked out, leaving Jade on the floor.

Katt was in utter disbelief at what just happened. As Wolf pushed his way out and a crowd of desperate furs, and Jon, surrounded Jade, Katt decided she'd slip out unnoticed.

***

Wolf was running away from the scene before anyone from the pub decided to jump him for striking a woman. "Hey!" He heard someone shout behind him and it only caused him to pick up speed. "Hey!" the voice resounded and Wolf turned around to see Katt approaching. He'd stop for her at least.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Katt confronted him. The lupine looked down and then Katt slapped him and watched him grabbed his right cheek in agony and a small bit of blood began to bleed. When Katt was angry she slapped with her claws. Wolf looked at her and shock. "The second slap will remove you're whole face if you don't tell me!" She huffed.

"If you think I'm going to sit around and let her do that, you're crazy. You can insult me all you want but you may NEVER insult my beliefs. Everyone has their own beliefs so I feel it's only right to respect them."

"And there's nothing wrong with hitting a woman to get that point across?"

Wolf glared at Katt, "I don't play the gender game Katt. Male, female, it doesn't matter. Both genders exists and therefore I give both genders the same treatment!"

Katt didn't want to get into the gender game so she quickly switched the subject back to Jade, "What the hell is wrong with you!?" She asked. "I don't care about your personal beliefs anymore than you care about mine, but you will NEVER touch Jade like that again and if you do, you'll answer to me!"

Wolf turned around and started toward the lake, "I'm going home. I can't stay here with Jade around." He began to walk off and Katt stopped him. "Let me go!"

"No!" Katt screamed. "You're not going back! You're going to stay here and you're going to apologize to Jade." Katt demanded.

"Get off me, dammit!" Wolf pushed Katt to the ground. Wolf stared her in the face and looked at her eyes grow teary. He knelt down beside her and closed his eye. "I'm sorry." He said sincerely and helped her to her feet.

"What happened to you two? Why did you guys have to do that?" Katt questioned, holding back tears.

"Jade and I are separated by--"

"Don't say the Will of Great Fox! If you do I swear you'll have another scratch mark on your cheek!"

"--Different beliefs." Wolf finished. "Partly because of the Will. Jade doesn't believe in it at all and I do. I don't mind that she doesn't, but that still doesn't mean I should let her attack me for it."

"You should go and apologize to her!" Katt requested.

"I guess I probably should." Wolf agreed and started on his way back to the pub and then realized that was probably a bad idea. He stopped in his tracks.

"What is it?" Katt asked.

"I can't do this…" Wolf said. "If I go back in there that whole pub will be on me."

Katt grabbed him by the paw and lead him to the pub, "I'll protect you."

"You?"

"Got a problem?"

Wolf shook his head. "Of course not."

***

Jade was sitting back at the bar with Jon comforting her. "Why didn't you tell me things were THAT bad?"

"Because they weren't. Wolf has never hit me before. Up until now I didn't know he actually did hit others." She rubbed her cheek and sighed. "That hurt like hell." She mused. "He's so strong."

"Hey can we get some ice over here?" Jon asked the barkeep and the dog serving them went off to grab some ice.

At that very moment Wolf walked back in and the whole pub was watching. At the same time the barkeep got back with the ice and gave it to Jon. "Jade…" Wolf spoke.

Before he could go on Jade smiled which caused him to cease his sentence. "Honey, you pack quite a punch!" She let Jon apply the ice to her almost swelling cheek.

"Jade, I'm sorry." Wolf said and sat down across from her. "I lost control and I'll NEVER hit you again."

Jade sighed, she'd heard that from nearly everyone these days, male or female, she knew if she set him off again she'd be right back on the floor. "Save it, Wolf. You don't have to apologize, I should." Wolf raised his ears and Jade went on, "I know why you hit me. I stood there and insulted you and your own beliefs. You know, it was a certain lupine that told me we're all the same, it's only our beliefs that break us apart."

Wolf nodded. "I did say that."

"So you had the right to hit me. I'm sorry for insulting your religious beliefs. I should have never said those things."

Katt whispered into Wolf's ear, "Now was that so hard?"

"I think we better go and leave these two alone." Jon spoke.

Jon and Katt were out of the pub before Wolf and Jade even had the chance to say goodbye.

"So are you going to tell me why you're looking for Shane?" Jade asked.

"Only if you tell me." Wolf said.

"I'm looking for Shane because I needed to talk to him. It was about you, I suppose. Shane's a really good fox. He knows how to listen." Jade smiled. "Not that you don't, but Shane seems like he's actually interested in what I have to say."

"Oh my God!" Wolf squeaked like a girl. "You love him!"

To hear those words… in that voice from Wolf was kind of disturbing. "Yeah, I do. But he isn't the one I want. He's a great listener but there's something about him that makes me want to restrain myself." Jade sighed. "Now it's your turn. Why are you looking for Shane? Even if it involves the Will of Great Fox, I'll listen."

"Well, that's a relief because it does." Wolf breathed a sigh of relief. "In the Will it says the black fox that killed him will come back and spread love among humans and furs."

"Wolf, that could be any black fox."

"I know, but the Will described him as a black fox with a white tail-tip, blue eyes and red slits on his eye lids. It also said he'd have a scar across his chest."

Jade looked at him and shook her head. "You think I'm full of it, right?" Wolf said.

"Yeah, but it sounds believable. Everything except the scar on his chest matches."

"Have you seen his chest?" Wolf asked.

Jade shook her head. "I haven't seen his chest, but the odds of Shane being the one fox is one in a million."

Wolf sighed, she was right. "Well, I can do two things to prove the Will right. I can either find Shane and ask him to take off his shirt so I can see if he's got a scar on his chest, or I can find the platinum vixen."

"The platinum vixen?"

"The Will says the platinum vixen turned a human into a black fox that matched the description. If I find the shape-shifting platinum vixen with Shane then the Will HAS to be true."

Jade wanted to say she knew a platinum vixen but instead she spoke the words she never thought she'd say, and to Wolf especially. "Can I see the Will?"

Wolf raised a brow. "What?"

"The Will… I want to see it."

"When I return home you can." Wolf answered honestly. "But I need to see Shane."

***

"What a night." Katt sighed.

"I know exactly what you mean." Jon said. "But I think being here is doing some good for Wolf."

The two stumbled into the home and saw Mia asleep in Shane's arms. Mia had never looked so beautiful before. "Jon, look."

Mia was cuddled up by Shane and his arms were wrapped around her. "They look so cute together." Jon smiled.

"She may be sleeping but I'm not." Shane said and surprised the two.

Jon bought a finger up to his lips. He walked off while Katt stayed. "You're not asleep yet?"

"I can't sleep…" Shane said and stood up holding Mia. "I'm taking her to bed."

Katt waited around while Shane took Mia to rest. She felt a little nervous and scared. Nervous because Shane was around and scared because she left Jade with Wolf. Who knew what would happen with those two alone. She ruffled her feet in the carpet and sighed as she slumped down on the couch.

Soon Shane was sitting beside her and noticed something was wrong. It seemed to be a usual thing with Katt now and Shane noticed something was terribly wrong. "What's going on?"

Katt couldn't hold in so much anymore. "I'm disturbed about Wolf… about Jon." Shane gave a puzzled look and Katt went on. "Just at the pub I watched Wolf hit Jade. He's sorry and they seem to be alright now but I'm still worried."

"What else is on your mind?" Shane asked.

Katt sighed, "You…"

Shane pulled her close, "Katt, do you remember the day we met?"

"When I brought you the book from Mia?" She asked.

"Yeah. You know what my thoughts were the very moment I met you then?" Katt shook her head and Shane smiled. "I wondered why you weren't a vixen. You were astonishingly beautiful."

Katt smiled and then remembered another part of their past. "You're gorgeous." She giggled.

Shane smiled. "No I'm not." The two of them laughed recalling the event. "So why don't you ever talk about it to anyone anymore?"

Katt looked up at him, "What do you mean?"

Shane looked her in the eyes; "You won't ever admit to anyone that we kissed or that we actually had something at some point in our lives… why?"

Katt sighed. "We didn't have anything Shane. We could have but you don't remember the rest do you?"

"I remember." Shane said. "I snuck into Corneria and I saw Krystal for the first time." Then he forgot about Katt and broke her heart. "I didn't mean to hurt you. But you know…"

"I know, the curse. But you didn't have to do that."

"And you never came back!" Shane said.

Katt sighed again, "Shane…"

"I want to go back to the days before I saw Krystal." Shane admitted. "Remember the night you showed me how to love?"

Katt smiled, "And you yet when it came to Krystal you were still the most nervous little fox I'd ever seen." Katt sighed. "But I don't know."

Shane's heart sank and he knew the reason why. "Because I left you for Krystal?"

Katt nodded. "It reminded me of Falco in a way. But you never lost feeling, did you?"

Shane shook his head. "How could I? I was stupid then. All I wanted back then was to be human again."

Katt knew how it was. She couldn't deny that much. He was right about that. Back then he had the curse and why shouldn't he have wanted to be human again back then? "I understand." She stood up and started toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To think." Katt answered. "There's this saying, 'The past always comes back to bite you in the ass' and this doesn't seem any different. You'll only hurt me again." Katt said and she walked out the door.

Shane didn't go after her. "She's right." Shane said.

"You wouldn't be able to stay for her anyway." Mia walked in. "You've got a mission to fulfill."

"I won't leave."

Mia gasped. "What?"

"I won't leave. Not without her. The Eternal Calm means nothing to me if I can't share it with Katt. You would understand that, right? You felt the same way about Great Fox."

"That was different…" Mia said.

"In what way?!" Shane raised his voice for the first time in what felt like centuries. "You know it isn't any different. You know what the feeling is like."

Mia walked over to Shane and sat next to him on the couch. "If Katt chooses not to go that is her choice. But it is your destiny to go."

"I wish it wasn't mine." Shane said and held his head down. "I wish I wasn't the one chosen to be the next Great Fox."

Mia patted him on the shoulder. "Nobody wishes for these things to happen. They're already planned. Life is based off of fate. The Will of Great Fox had you do this and you know you must."

"I know… I just wish I didn't."

"I'll go with you." Mia said. "If Katt chooses to stay… I'll go with you. I promise I will."

"You'll go with me even if she says yes." Shane smiled.

"That's right, I will. It's a heavy burden Shane and we both have to experience it together."

"Is that in the Will?"

"No, but it should be. I cannot die. I'll be here until judgment day. Even if you should die Shane, immortality will keep me here."

"It's a fate worse than death." Shane said. "I don't want to leave your or Katt but I know someday I will. But you, Mia. You're going to go on. When I'm gone you'll still be here to keep the calm forever eternal. You'll carry the message across the land, I know you will."

Mia smiled. "I'll never forget it."

Shane stood up and started towards the door. "I'm going to find Katt now. She's probably at the lake. I should speak to her."

"Shane…" Mia quietly spoke, "She hasn't anyone left to care for her. Her parents are gone and Falco betrayed her. Don't you betray her too. Let her know you love her."

"How do I do that?" Shane asked.

"Look inside yourself." Mia whispered. "Look inside yourself."

_______________________________________________________________________

A/N: A rather long (and dramatic) chapter. Alright, I didn't stick any romance in this chapter like I said I would because it would've been too long (I basically broke this chapter into three parts). The chapter originally was supposed to go all the way up to the lake with a flash back to Krystal and Fox but it would've been longer than the whole fic itself if I did that! Well, not really but I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.