A/N: Sorry for my long and sometimes scattered time gaps, but here chu all go! Another chapter down! I'm not TOO happy with this chapter, I feel as though it can have SO much more potential, but it should be enough to feed you guys for now. So bear with me and 'scuse any grammar issues, cuz spell check is a bish.

Demyrie: I've gotta hand it to you. Writing a review WHILE you read it DOES make it pretty long. Mebbe I'LL have to start doing that just to make them longer myself. I'm pleased to hear that chu like so many different things of mine. And you really look into what I write, and see little messages and details that sometimes even I don't pick up on. So yay for that and yay for you being such a constant reader. Makes me smile a lot, wOooO! MEEP!!one! And ya, the whole hallway thing got on my nerves to the point where I started rushing through it. Whoops???

Shark: I love diving deep into Daxter's mind. It's a very rare place that you find writers daring to go into. I'm not saying I'm all amazing or anything, but I DO love to take a closer look at him. But not as much as Daxter likes to look at Jak?? Wut!?

Midnyte Wolf: Yeah really. I think it was my quickest update so far, and I'm glad. I did my best to fit all the doors into one chapter cuz I wanted to give a rush of different emotions and throw a million different Daxter's out there, and center them all on Jak. Glad I could make you grin!! And from ear to ear no less!!

LadyEsca: I'm....I'm terrific? Why thanks chu very much!! –hugs- Lemme just mark that down as one more smile and....

Yakow: It's about time Daxter had a happy moment, right? I thought so. Hopefully his happy moment moved on to everybody who read about it. Keira is quite the messer upper, isn't she?



Not that it mattered, but Jak was still asleep when I got back. He was even in the same position he was in when I had left him. Such a good boy. His snoring was still softly humming, and his lips were slightly parted, shimmering tauntingly with a light coat of saliva.

Licking my lips, I had a few ideas run by at that time; Ideas that I had to reluctantly push aside... So instead of violating him while he was resting or latching myself onto a leg or arm and some other limb or body part for a little humping action (trust me, I get that random crave a lot now that I'm an ottsel), I fluffed the extra pillow by Jak, and let it serve me as a bed. My eyes closed, but sleep didn't come. Too many things were running through my mind.

The pillow I was on was right next to Jak. 'Next to' was so close, but it just wasn't close enough. Too bad my fears kept me from sitting on top of him, but my love for the guy kept me from running. Why would I run? This was the one and only being I could be around and not be judged. Come on, he's my best friend. But...

After a few attempts, I concluded that I was too afraid to close my eyes.

If I did, I would see Jak's dark side, the side that almost shredded my hide into a million different pieces. Well, ok not really, but it scared me just the same. The continuous black orbs and that hunched posture haunted me, causing me to regret ever going into that door, but knowing that I would regret it even more if I had taken another alternative.

Conversely, the red door made it all worthwhile. Snake was right; it was like a dream, for it wasn't real. But I could feel Jak's body on top of mine, and I could feel his hands wrapped around my wrists. I could see the passion and emotion in his eyes and hear the playfulness in his voice and sense the lust in his actions. It's too bad it had to end so soon. Hopefully, I can separate fantasy from reality and remember that Jak has no idea what I dream about. Or what I think about.

I rolled on over to my back, flopping my arms out to my sides and stared at the ceiling, admiring little textures and cracks. The room was quiet, save for Jak's breathing and my random sighs of boredom. I was out for some time. Jak should actually be getting up pretty soon. Unlike other mornings though, I decided to let him wake up on his own time. I was too busy inside my twisted fantasies to move from my spot. I kept revisiting that unreachable image of Jak on top of me, being so forceful and yet so very affectionate. I remember I had gotten so excited, I had to open my mouth to let ragged breathes come through. His fingers running through my hair – NOT FUR – hair, and massaging my scalp was just too fantastic to forget.

Like always, my thoughts were interrupted. Jak was tossing and turning in his sleep lightly, about to rouse. On pure instinct I sat up and waited for his eyes to open. It's a weird thing, but I like to watch his blue stare as his eyes opened for the first time during the day. It was one of those small pleasures that I get out of life, I guess you could say.

His mouth opened to say something, only to be closed. His face twisted into confusion and discomfort as he arched himself on the bed and reached down and under the covers. When his hand returned, it held that stupid ... glowing rock.

I think I may have cursed... verbally, mentally... I don't really remember. All I can say is that the next thing I knew we were headed out to you know where to see you know who to do who knows what. And it was becoming tiresome. It would for anybody. I couldn't even control my lids from drooping down because of all the reverberation.

But it was not up to me to say anything otherwise. We were going to Snake's hole in the ground no matter what, and even if I had somehow managed to convince Jak to let me stay put, he would still go. His yearn for danger wouldn't let him have it any other way. And given the choices to tag along with the object of my desires or to stay behind to get lost inside my loneliness and the thoughts that came along with it, I was gonna have to go with the former, for reasons that are far more than obvious.

The city never changes. The sky is dirty, just like it always is. The puffs of dirt in the air and the grim on the ground always makes me regret and wish that we never found that crummy rift gate. (In case you didn't know, I've decided that I HATE precursor artifacts!) People never seem to gain any kind of generosity and the unlawful that we work for get lower and dirtier by the day.

My ears lowered faintly, almost unnoticeably, as we stepped through that hidden door and into one of those many places that I don't like to be.

Snake has always been a little creepy with her tone and the way she went about doing things, but this time was a little bit weirder. Her face was stern and when she spoke, her voice was serious.

"This one really counts. Don't screw it up."

"Nice to see you again, too," I drawled to myself in annoyance, examining my claws in false casually.

Woo! If looks could kill! Her eyes showed me I had better shut up soon or I wouldn't be having any fur left to keep my warm in the winter; talking to myself or not! With lament, I piped down as she firmly made eye contact with Jak, making sure more than anything that he was listening closely.

"Don't waste a single second, Jak!" She spat his name in simply disgust, pointing a finger at his person. "Go down to the bazaar and look for a man in a black cloak. Do NOT let him out of your sights. Track him down, take the package from his possession and bring it back to me right away. You got all that!?"

Jak stayed sturdy, and his expression told her that she could count on him to get anything done. With uneasy satisfaction, Snake kept her brows lowered in authenticity, and kept her hands clenched. As Jak climbed that staircase in a rush of urgency, a thrill he must have gained from Snake's performance, his speed was somehow increased as his body became pumped and alive with enthusiasm.

Jak sprinted at top speed, the people and scenery passed as nothing but a mere blur. Nervously, bouncing madly on his shoulder and clinging on for dear life in his sudden rush, I gave a panicky glance to the side. His face was consumed in what had to be fulfillment. It made me nervous, almost sick, and I was forced to turn my head back to the recoiling image in front of me.

In what seemed to me to be a new record, Jak had already made it to the bazaar. First thing he did was search the sky for the closet zoomer. Without any kind of thought, he disregarded an unsuspecting driver, and leaped onto a nearby roof, using the zoomer's height to reach the new altitude. The driver recovered quickly from his dizzy state, and drove off on his zoomer, plus a dent or two, muttering something about 'lowlifes' and whatnot. My lips twisted to the side while Jak walked along the rooftops, searching the buzzing crowd below him in the process. Now seemed like one of those times I should make a comment or two, or maybe vent about something unrelated. But I couldn't find the heart to say anything good enough. By good enough, I mean something that would be filled with the old Daxter whit and charm. Anything less and he would suspect something.

Stalking people from the tops of buildings had gotten old quickly, and soon he was sitting on a single roof, assuming that with his luck, the guy he was looking for would come by this area. And knowing Jak's luck, he probably will.

I had left his shoulder and sat down next to him, closely, mind you, and I gazed up at the sky. Somehow I had hoped that I could see something worthwhile, but I'm not as lucky as Jak. I never was.

I never knew how intense my gaze to the sky had gotten. Not until Jak's hand waving in front of my face registered in my brain. I shook my head and blink a few times, and cocked my head to the side.

"Something up?"

It's quiet up here, even from being so close to a bustling market below. And Jak's voice filled in the silence perfectly. I almost smiled. Almost.

"Somehow, I just thought that I would be able to see something tonight, you know?"

I think I freaked Jak out just a smidge with my uncharacteristic soft speech and a statement that by some miracle, wasn't a joke. But he threw the thought away and put my words into consideration as he turned his head to look up with me.

"You mean the stars."

"Yeah. 'Member we used to watch them every night?"

I tried to refresh memories of us into his brain, hoping to God that I wasn't pushing my luck. It was the perfect moment after all. We were alone, and it was quiet, and I wasn't trying to force conversation, I was only being myself.

"Yeah," he laughed softly to himself. "And Samos would yell at us to sleep for once."

I laughed at the distant memory, happy that he remembered, but a little disappointed that the memory I was trying to shove towards him was reverted from us to Samos.

"But uh, yeah. I just wonder what it would be like to see stars in the sky again."

Jak once again smiled at my remarks, and looked at me as I unconsciously uttered a fragment of a sigh. Oh and how if things were just a little different, this would be the ideal time to cuddle next to Jak and soak in the romance of us being together, and being perfect in such an imperfect world. I would be able to touch him how and where and when I wanted. I could whisper to him what I was think and feeling. And I could feel safe in his strong hold, and be able to let my mind wonder freely, without the fear of it torturing me unexpectedly. But I... couldn't do any of that. And looking at the sky only made my misery complete. It... wasn't even worth looking at. At least, that's what I thought, until Jak decided it was his turn to turn all philosophical on me.

"But I guess it's still worth a look or two."

I ruined the moment with a perplexed snort.

"I think the fumes are getting to your head, buddy..."

He laughed, a sound that I was quickly growing fond of. I kept looking up as he explained himself.

"When you look at the sky, and see those black and brown clouds and smog, you almost wish you have never looked up in the first place. But in your heart, you know that whether you can see it or not, you KNOW that there are stars and beauty up there behind them. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there."

Well curl my tail, return my buck teeth, and call me the Easter Bunny. Who knew Jak was even capable of having such complex thoughts? Who knew he could stick words together like that and at the same time, sound like he knew what he was talking about? So ya, it got me by surprise, but then I remembered, Jak was never one to talk much in the first place. But I know that he has thoughts and feelings, and I know that just like everybody else, he has those moments where he wonders about things on a different level. And it was nice to hear from him about it. It shows me that he's still there, that Jak that I know and love.

But we connect. And he accepts me. I shouldn't be surprised we have a strong connection. Even if lately, it's been hard to find.

I keep getting tossed around with my emotions. There are times where it seems like Jak will never get the message I've been trying to send aaaaaand all hope is lost. Then there's the other half. The other half reminds me that there's always a chance. There's just a matter of taking it.

I was ready to play the night, engage the conversation and strengthen the bond between us that had seemed to be slowly disintegrating. But Jak's eyes had flickered from playful to solemn in a matter of milliseconds. I followed his gaze to the crowd and immediately gathered sight of a man in a black cloak. I inwardly chuckled at the idea of someone using a cloak to sneak around the city when in reality, it only made him stand out more.

As soon as I heard Jak's body shift around in attempt to stand up, I clung to Jak's shoulder and prepared for whatever may await us, logging my newest memory into the back of my mind. I would have to revisit in on yet another sleepless night and visualize about what would have happened... or better yet, COULD have happened if it had continued.

When we hit the ground from jumping off the roof, I was surprised as Jak's skill to still remain silent. I may almost go as far as saying... a ninja? And as the little clouds of dust around us cleared, Jak stood and silently followed the man that Snake had sent him to fetch. The glint in his eyes scared me, but I still couldn't bring myself to say anything.

The cloaked figure was getting closer and closer, due to Jak increasing his speed. He weaved through the crowd with precise skill and seemed very eager to get to his or her destination. Jak became a bit more forceful when he realized the figure was going faster by the minute. He started to shove people out of the way, just enough to get by, and even resorted to growling. But eventually, Jak WAS close enough to touch the guy, (or girl... I was wrong last time, after all...) and he reached out his hand to clasp a shoulder.

The figure visually tensed under the sudden grip and bolted into the crowd without a moment's hesitation. Jak was stuck in surprise mode temporarily, giving chase right after his recovery. People were now mercilessly being shoved aside in Jak's eager attempt to catch up, flustered at the fact that the stranger he was giving chase to was having no problem merging through human traffic. There was a point, however, where the crowd somewhat cleared, and he was able to close a few more feet between them.

Then, in some sudden burst of energy, Jak went even faster than before, faster than I thought he could ever go. His feet padded on the ground like my frightened heart rate, his hair trailing behind him, and his breath remaining efficiently steady.

Time flew by, the distance was closed, and Jak leaped forth in attempt to tackle the exasperating partaker, and succeeded. Their bodies met concrete and smacked against it with no mercy, forcing a grunt out of them, causing me to assume this one was a dude. The package slid out from under his articles of clothing and came to a safe stop right in front of a ramp that led to a different part of the city. I jumped from Jak's shoulder and accompanied the box to keep it from being snatched ('coz I would be able to stop them if they tried to and everything, you know.) and watched from my new position as Jak struggled with the stranger in the open, people not even bothering to stop and watch.

Despite Jak's efforts and my undeniable faith that Jak would end up the victor, the cloaked man somehow managed to wriggle out of Jak's iron grip and scramble into the crowd once more. I was still on edge at it all though. It seemed way too simple, for a guy to just run off like that. Jak kept his eyes wondering as he took the package into his possession. I relocate myself on his shoulder and we hijacked a passing zoomer and started to head back to Snake's place. All seemed to be GOING well until a shot whizzed passed my ear and caused me to shrink and whip my head around.

"Dax! You alright!?" Jak shouted over the wind that thundered in our ears as he kept his foot pressed on the gas.

"Fine! But it looks as though dark and mysterious doesn't wanna share!"

With this bit of information he turned a sharp corner and alternated altitudes to avoid collision with a KG. I peered over my shoulder to see the dark madman following us on another zoomer, wielding a gun, and aiming to stop us in our tracks. Needless to say, I was a little... a little worried.

The sound of clicking rang in my ears and I looked to see Jak cocking his gun with one hand, and steering with the other.

"Jak!?"

The last thing I need is to get trapped in crossfire.

"Get down, Dax!"

I obliged without any argument and heard gunshots soon after. I heard metal on metal and ricocheting bullets and people screaming in fear. Shot after shot was fired but they never seemed to slow down. Jak's driving was wobbling due to driving with one hand and when I finally decided to look up at Jak, he was switch gun modes.

"Peacemaker!?" I panicked as Jak tried desperately to change guns. But before he could get it, and before I could even BEGIN to protest, I was engulfed in a fiery cloud that shot me into the air. My eyes closed tightly as a massive gust shot me into the air, and my limbs flailed wildly for something solid, and heat rushed against my face as I fell from who knows how high. My body blazed, my eyes watered, my nostrils ached and I was finding it hard to breathe, let alone scream.

I heard Jak scream once, loudly but shortly before I came in contact with the hard ground. I was so wrapped up in the throbbing pain that I never bothered to open my eyes. I knew there was black smoke and dead bodies of the people who were too close; in the wrong place at the wrong time. The only time I DID open my eyes, was when I remembered Jak.

My lids snapped open in an instant, jittering in every direction only to see smoke, smoke and more smoke. I was so worried, I tried to lift myself off the ground to search for him, but my body refused to do so, and my arms collapsed from under me. I had a second unwanted meeting with the hard ground.

I could feel my lungs burning. I could smell my fur was fringed, and I could hear the flames and feel the falling ashes. I started to slip into unconsciousness but Jak's voice brought me back and reminded me that I wanted to stay awake. It seemed so much easier now that I had to reason not to close my eyes.

Jak's silhouetted figure came rushing through a cloud of black smoke, his hand shielding his face from the heat, his eyes in shear horror of trying to find a needle in a haystack, or more accurately, a small animal in a big chaotic portion of Hell. It was a phenomenon he saw me and he approached me in a hurry.

He kneeled next to me, bringing his hand down from his mouth to stroke my fur gently. And regardless of my state, and me not even attempting to move, I smiled and half lidded my wandering eyes.

"What," I took a deep breath when the twinge in my throat made me bear in mind that I needed to get oxygen in me if I intended to talk. "...was that?"

"Dunno," Jak breathed, ripping off a piece of his sleeve as he spoke. "He pulled out some weapon I've never seen before. Never thought it would be so powerful..."

"We need...to get one of them... toys," I mused, and Jak smiled at my attempt to make him grin and hopefully, not worry so much, apart from the encircling walls of black haze.

"Ok, Dax, we'll bring it up at the next meeting. Right now, let's get you out of here."

Hurriedly, but carefully, he folded me into his arms, and tucked the cloth from his sleeve over my mug, which made breathing not necessarily easy, but better than before. I closed my eyes, knowing and trusting that Jak would be able to get us out.

I was a little uncomfortable, however. Jak still had the box tucked somewhere one him 'coz I can feel one of its edges digging into my side. I twitched and opened my eyes again to look at Jak and wonder how the heck he can get out of these messes without a single scratch on him...

Things happened so fast. More than likely that other guy was safe, 'cause surely he knew the power of his own weapon and thus, knew the correct distance to fire it without cause harm to himself. But I never imagined things could be flawless, sittin' on a friggen rooftop and going back in time with my best friend and secret crush, to being caught in a rapid explosion to be tossed into the air and come crashing back down to Earth.

A reality check, if you will.

It's an amazing stroke of luck I'm still alive, really. I... don't think anything's broken. Then again that could be cause I can't feel anything 'cept for Jak's arms and chest surrounding me.

As time slowly crept by and Jak kept walking, the cloth was eventually removed and the air around me was becoming more bitter, and I knew that we were a safe distance from the dangerous flames. Only when Jak caressed my brow did I open my eyes lazily, still a little agonizing but bearable, and saw him leering down at me.

"Daxter," He whispered. I almost winced at the used of my full name. "I am... so sorry..."

But I didn't want him to fret over me, no matter what I looked like. Still not bothering to raise an arm or even lift my chin, I reminded him:

"You need to return that package ASAP. You don't wanna rattle Snake's tail now, do you?"

Coughs, strained and pitiful escape my dry mouth. I forget how small and weak my lungs are now. And with Jak's curiosity triggered, he pulled out the said box with one hand, keeping me safe and positioned nicely with the opposite. He held me closer as he began to finger the box, now dented and darkened in certain areas. Slowly and peeled off the remaining tape and lifted the flaps.

Only the brightness emitted from it forced me to turn my head to the side. My pupils adjusted in their own time and I finally got a good gander at the box and what it held. Immediately I had a flashback to our first adventure, the one I thought was difficult until we had more. I remember smacking Jak upside the head and ranting on about how I could return to normal. ...But then decided to play charity and helped Jak save the world instead.

Jak closed the box as quickly as he could, as if it would somehow help him absorb this new information. And because Jak likes to mention the obvious sometimes, (it's not always me that does it!) and muttered it under his breath as he tucked the box away, secured me in his grasp and headed deeper into the city.

"Light Eco..."