Disclaimer: I do not own starfox. Nintendo does. "Blue" belongs to A Perfect Circle

Chapter 3 – Transformation

Call it aftermath she's turning blue

Such a lovely color for you

Call it aftermath she's turning blue

Such a perfect color for your eyes

-A Perfect Circle, "Blue"

The next morning, Fox woke up, unable to tell where he was at first. His vision was blurred, and the absence of sound didn't help him, either. The first thing he noticed was he was on a bed. He rolled over and saw the blurry red of a digital clock. 1000 it read. Fox groaned. What time had he fallen asleep? And why couldn't he remember falling asleep at all? He hadn't been that tired, had he? He decided it didn't matter. All he cared about was getting to the bathroom to splash some cool water on his face; he wasn't going to find answers to his questions if he was only half awake...

He practically fell out of his bed, and stumbled over to his bathroom. What the hell had happened to him? He had a small headache, and his body felt weird, too. He felt lighter, like he had lost a lot of weight. His stomach growled. Maybe he felt light because he was hungry. But he'd just eaten. What time had he gotten up? He remembered his clock had read 0900 when he looked at it last, but then he'd gone out and eaten breakfast, and then... something about fighting in his Arwing... yeah! Now he remembered! The big crystal! They'd found one, and he'd gone out to get it, but some defense system somewhere didn't like that, and it attacked him and Krystal and Falco. They'd dealt with it easy enough. And then he brought the crystal on board so Slippy could look at it. The last thing he remembered was falling on the floor... Nothing after that. Damn! Too tired, still. He turned on his sink and splashed water on his face. He did this several times, until the fur on his face was totally soaked. Then he moved over a little to a towel on the wall a dried it off. Much better! Now he was awake. But something looked weird. His paws weren't the right color. They were... blue? Had he gotten something on them? No, it didn't feel like it. They felt clean. They smelled clean. They just didn't look right. Maybe his eyes weren't adjusted properly. Maybe there was something wrong with them, too. He decided to check them in the mirror.

He looked at them, not really seeing the rest of his face. His eyes were blue, too! Why was everything blue? Then he focused on the image in the mirror. It was not what he expected. A figure with a smaller muzzle, which was surrounded by white fur, but blue fur everywhere else, was staring back at him. Wow, Fox, what did you smoke! You don't look like you at all. Something seemed familiar about his face. It wasn't his, it was closer to someone else's... He closed his eyes. The memory of Krystal cornering him came back to him. Krystal! That's who he looked like! Only a little different. Not with all the feminine facial features. No, he was him, just... not. "Wait a second," he said. And the image in the mirror said it, too. He began to panic. Did he dare look at the rest of him? He pulled off his flight suit, leaving only his boxers, staring at the rest of his body in a panic. He was blue. Everywhere. He looked back at his reflection, gasping. "No..." he said quietly. "This can't be right! I'm not me, but I am me!" His voice hadn't changed. "Computer!" he was yelling frantically. "Recognize voiceprint, McCloud, Fox!"

"Voiceprint verified," the computer said calmly. "Error, command conflict."

Fox didn't like that. "What? What command conflict?"

He really didn't like the computer's response. "Sensors show that command was issued from within Fox's quarters, but there is conflicting data."

Fox was really panicking now. "What conflict?"

"Fox McCloud is not on board Great Fox."

Fox didn't know what to do. So he did the first thing that came to mind.

He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Krystal left her quarters at 0955. She had been checking in with Fox all night, but he hadn't been awake the whole time. She was starting to get worried. Maybe he just really needed to sleep. But as far as she knew, he'd been sleeping normally the last few months. Nothing had come up the whole time since they'd left Corneria, and nothing even before that that she was aware of had kept Fox from sleeping well. If he had had trouble sleeping, why hadn't he said something? You would think he would have at least complained about it. But she was most worried about the fact that he hadn't eaten anything except a little bit at breakfast the previous morning. He must be starving by now. Peppy was probably cooking something now. She wanted to go check on Fox one more time before she went to eat. She knew she was hungry. And if Fox wasn't awake when she got there, she was going to wake him up and drag him to breakfast if she had to. He needed to eat something.

A few minutes later found Krystal approaching Fox's door. As she reached for the panel, however, she jumped as a loud noise erupted from inside the room she was about to enter. It sounded vaguely like a scream. Whatever it was, it was really loud. She tapped on the door. "Fox? Are you okay in there?"

Fox heard something. It sounded like someone tapping on his door. Then he heard Krystal's voice, asking him if he was okay. She sounded really worried. Well of course she's worried, dumbass! She probably heard you screaming! He heard Krystal knock again. "Fox! Can I come in?"

No! She couldn't! She couldn't see him like this! She might actually like it, if he was what he thought he was, but no! It would be more embarrassing than anything he'd ever gone through before in his life!

"Uh, not right now, Krystal. I'm a little... busy," he called.

"Fox, I heard you screaming! Are you okay?" She was relieved to hear that he sounded okay, if a bit scared. But what of?

"Uh... yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just feel... weird..." he stuttered.

"Are you sure? You don't sound too good. Is there something I can do to help?"

"No! I mean, uh, no- not really, anyway."

Krystal wasn't buying. "Fox, you sound really scared! Let me in. I can help."

"No you can't! Besides, uh... Fox doesn't live here anymore!"

Krystal chuckled at the attempt at being cute, but this wasn't the time. "Fox, I know you're trying to be cute, but you have to let me in."

"I'm not trying to be cute, Krystal, really!" Fox actually sounded serious. "I'm not joking, the computer thinks I'm not here!"

Krystal wrinkled her nose. "What?"

"I'm serious! Ask the computer where I am!"

Krystal shook her head in disbelief. "Will you let me in if I do?"

Fox sighed. She needed to know, if no one else did. "Yes, I'll let you in. But you might not like what you see."

Krystal decided to play along. "Okay. Computer, locate Fox McCloud." She crossed her arms, smirking.

"Fox McCloud is not on board Great Fox."

Krystal's smirk died. "What the...? Oh that can't be right! He's in his quarters!"

"Told you!" came Fox's muffled voice.

"Damn it, Fox! Let me in!"

Fox sighed. "Computer, door unlock."

The door swished open silently, and Krystal walked in. She glanced around quickly, and found that the bathroom door was open.

There was a blue tail sticking out of the doorway.

Krystal cautiously walked toward the bathroom. She came around the corner and was shocked into gasping.

"Fox" was sitting on the floor, his legs drawn up, his head buried in them, clad only in his shorts. "His" tail was off to the side, just sticking out of the doorway. Krystal looked down at this strange person that had sounded like Fox a moment ago, but was obviously not Fox.

"Dear god!" she said quietly. "Fox?"

He looked up at her, letting his fear show through. "I don't know."

Krystal gasped again, not expecting to hear what was definitely Fox's voice come from the blue vulpine. Fox winced. "Please don't do that," he pleaded. "It's not making me feel any better."

Krystal looked at him, at his terrified eyes, which weren't really his. And then, suddenly, she smiled broadly, and began laughing.

Fox's brow dropped, and his eyes narrowed, glaring menacingly at Krystal. "This is beyond funny! This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me! How can you laugh at me like that?"

Krystal stopped laughing with some difficulty. "Oh, Fox, I didn't mean it like that... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you. Come on, let me help you up." She reached for him.

Fox was hesitant, still rather angry with Krystal. "You really believe I'm me?"

Krystal still smiled at him. "Of course I do. I even think I know what happened to you. I don't know why it took so long, but I understand what happened. I didn't actually think it was possible, but now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense."

Fox allowed her to help him up, still staring at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Well isn't it obvious? You got turned into a Cerinian!" Krystal giggled. "And a very pretty one at that!"

"What?" Fox yelled, his eyes huge. "By what?"

"The large crystal you found. It changed you. It makes sense; it's the only one that would have been powerful enough. My staff didn't do anything to you, but it sure did like you. Maybe you were a genetically ideal subject."

Fox didn't understand her, despite how hard he was trying to. "I don't get what you're trying to tell me."

Krystal grinned at him. "No, I didn't think you would. Okay, time for a history lesson. Might want to get comfortable."

Fox walked over to his bed and sat down. Krystal sat right next to him.

Krystal took his paw in hers and began explaining her people to him.

"When my people first came to Cerinia, they weren't like me. They were more like you. Not blue. They were very diverse. They were all vulpine, though. Every one of them. After staying on Cerinia long enough, they mutated. Evolved, I'd rather say. Nothing bad came of it. In fact, a lot of good came of it. Besides the fact that we changed physically into what I'm a prime example of, they also developed psychic powers. It actually happened rather quickly. Within the same generation that colonized Cerinia. But it was because the crystals that we later learned how to use were everywhere, constantly generating this strange energy. We studied it, and after a while, we discovered that it had done nothing but help us, and it was everywhere. It not only gave us beauty and psychic abilities, it also purified our genetic structure. Illness, impurities, all gone. We were physically and mentally perfect. Better than we had ever been. And it stayed that way. It got to the point where this pure race was the Cerinian race. Not converts from another planet. No one knew about Cerinia, and no one who lived there wished to leave. So our race stayed pure, for hundreds of years."

Fox was amazed by this information. "So the same thing that happened to your ancestors happened to me?"

"Yeah," Krystal said excitedly. "Don't you know what this means?"

Fox was looking at his body. "Yeah, it means I'm going to have to re-apply for citizenship of Corneria. No one's going to believe this..."

Krystal laughed and playfully punched Fox in the arm. "No, silly!" Then she began crying joyfully. She wrapped around him. "It means I'm not alone anymore. I'm no longer the last Cerinian. You're just as much of one as my ancestors were. You're a convert, yes, but look at you! God, you're beautiful! I thought you were cute before. But this... You realize you're the first of my race that I've seen since our planet was destroyed? And the first Cerinian male my own age I've seen since I was 12." She giggled. "You know what that means! You know, I've never been with a boy before..."

Fox backed away from her as she gently ran he paw over him. "Woah, Krystal! Hold on here! Ahhhh!" He yelled as he fell off the bed. He quickly jumped up, shocked to find that Krystal was still advancing toward him. "No! Stop right there!" Krystal stopped, though she continued to eye him with what Fox could only guess was at least 6 years of lust bottled up in her. "Hold on, Krystal. Not professional. Not right. My team would have my head! Or worse..." he tried to get that ugly picture out of his head. He shuddered. "No! Damn it, I like you... a lot... an awful lot... but that's not the point! How far do we go before it becomes a problem for my team? I mean, you saw what happened in the hanger! That was bad enough! Slippy doesn't keep people busy like that very often! And these quarters are very close together on the same deck! The metal construct makes them more efficient acoustic amplifiers than sleeping spaces! You can hear e v e r y t h i n g! Not good! I mean, for people who were... you know... being noisy... Images of Krystal's bare upper body that he had seen on accident the previous day crept into his head, among other things. No! Damn it, not now! Stop thinking like that, you animal!

Krystal seemed to sense his thoughts. She grinned slyly. Then she looked at him sympathetically. She was thinking the same way. Fighting with herself, the same way he was. "Fox," she said quietly. He was facing the wall. Suddenly he began hitting his head on it. She came over to him, wrapped her arms around him. Her muzzle was right over his shoulder. "Fox? How long has it been? When was the last time you were with someone?"

Fox stopped hitting his head on the wall. "Too long," he sighed.

"Is that why you were fighting with yourself yesterday when you walked in on me?"

Fox nodded.

She ran her paw through his headfur, scratching his ear, which he found strangely comfortable. "Poor Fox," Krystal whispered. "You were trying to be modest. Now I understand why you acted so strange around me when you first brought me aboard. I'm no stranger to being stared at, Fox. I'm not as naive as some people think. I know exactly the effect I have on people. I do this stuff on purpose, especially with you, because you have so many things to worry about. I tried to take some stress off you, but it seems as though I just added it."

Fox turned around. "No, that's not true." He took a deep breath, "All my life, I've never known what I wanted. What I wanted to do with my life. I'm young still, but I'm too old to not know what I want in life. And when I found you, I knew for the first time what I really wanted. But when I'd made the decision, I didn't know how to get it. How to win you over. I used to think that helping people, fighting for those who couldn't fight for themselves, I thought that was what I wanted. But I always felt empty. The only time I didn't feel that way was when I was flying. When I jump into my ship and take off with a purpose, just me, my Arwing, and my mission. My friends are in there, too, but I have a goal, and I'm going to stick to it. But then I found something else that helped take away the emptiness." He laughed. "Of course, love isn't a flight plan. And it's taken me a long time to figure that out. Nothing is ever set in stone. Even my missions brought up things that were unexpected. But I realized that without that spontaneity, life is about as predictable and exciting as a straight line."

Krystal laughed, joining Fox. He looked into her eyes. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, good things started happening to me when I stopped fighting. Stopped trying to predict. It doesn't make any sense to me, but this is true; when I stopped trying to get your attention, you paid more attention to me. And I quit asking myself why you were interested in me. I didn't know why you did, but I quit caring. For whatever reason, you saw something in me that you liked, and I just accepted that. Maybe it was the lack of options, I don't know." He smiled as Krystal laughed.

"Well, think about it, Fox! Falco, too full of himself. Peppy, too old. Slippy, no interest in anything but his toys. That left you. You were a fox, my age, cute, single, a little arrogant. But on the inside you really cared about things. Most of the other members of your team can make that claim, but not one of them have all of your good qualities. They have their own. Even Falco. But you were closer to me than them. More thanI really wanted at first. I thought I couldn't handle a relationship. I thought I had too many things to worry about. But I decided to try, when I found out what you really felt. Granted, our relationship has been pretty quiet. Not a ton of mush, if you know what I mean." She looked deep into his eyes now. "But I want that to change. I want it to be more. And I know you do too. Don't try to deny it!" She giggled, and Fox smiled a little. She hugged him tightly. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was really worried about you. I came in to check on you all last night, and you were still asleep. I actually came to get you for breakfast! You must be starving."

As if on cue, Fox's stomach growled. "God, I am starving. I feel like my stomach shriveled up."

"Well, let's go eat something," Krystal grabbed his paw and started toward the door.

"Uh, Krystal?" Fox said pulling back.

She turned. "Oh don't worry, you can explain what happened over breakfast." She started tugging him out with her.

"Krystal!" Fox objected.

"What?"

Fox gestured his body. "I don't think they'd like it very much if I came to breakfast half naked."

Krystal giggled. "No, they probably wouldn't. Do you want me to leave while you get dressed?"

Fox laughed at the irony of the situation. "Only if you want to. I didn't."

Krystal laughed with him. "I'll try not to stare."

Fox went over to his closet, and tried to find something casual. He picked the various pieces of clothing one by one, his tail swishing behind him nonchalantly.

Despite what she'd said, Krystal found herself staring at Fox's tail. It was so cute and fuzzy... she wanted to hug it. No! Don't you go thinking that! she scolded herself. Fox has been a perfect gentleman to you! The least you can do is not molest him with your eyes! She bit her lip, and sidestepped over a few feet.

He was changing his boxers. She thought she saw something she really shouldn't have. Ah! Bad girl! God, what's wrong with you? She squeezed her eyes shut, and quickly moved over to where she had been. I'm sorry Fox! I really shouldn't have done that...

A minute later, Fox emerged from the closet, fully dressed. When he looked over at Krystal, he found her collapsed against the wall, crying.

Fox was surprised. "What's wrong, Krystal?"

"Oh, Fox..." she sobbed. "I haven't been very respectful. I told you I wouldn't stare..."

Fox blushed, and smiled. "Well, thanks for the attention. It's been awhile since anyone really admired my looks!"

Krystal was still crying. "It was a bit more than just admiring... I don't think I was supposed to see you without anything! That's why you were in the closet, right?"

Fox was really blushing now. She was peeping on me! If I didn't know her better, I'd say she was a dirty little... Well, then again, not. No! Of course not!She is my girlfriend. I know she didn't mean any harm. She's been alone way longer than I have. Poor Krystal... "Uh, Krystal? It's really no big deal. I saw you damn near naked. And... you know. I kinda looked longer than I really should have. I'm sorry for staring at you."

Krystal stopped crying. "Yeah, but you didn't move over two feet to get a better view!"

Fox laughed. He hugged her tightly. "Like I care, anyway. Like you said, it's pretty obvious we're more than friends. If my girlfriend has to spy to see more of me, then I'm a lousy boyfriend. Look if you want. I like the attention."

Krystal smiled, still somewhat mad at herself. "So you don't think I'm a dirty little..."

"No, of course not. You said you've never been with someone before. I assume that means you've never been... urm... intimate, with anyone...? So it's understandable. I would have expected this sooner, actually. Don't beat yourself up over it."

Krystal was relieved. Fox had every reason to be hopping mad at her, and he just shrugged it off. Well, it made sense, right? Fox was like that. Besides, she was showing a lot of attention that Fox hadn't gotten in a while. This was probably something he welcomed. "Thanks, Fox. I don't feel so dirty now." She smiled, and kissed him.

"Let's go eat," Fox said, lifting Krystal onto her feet. "I could eat the ship right about now!"

A/N: I noticed that someone commented that I should go light on the romance. Well, actually, this is primarily a romantic comedy type story. That was the focus, anyway. So I think this chapter did just the opposite... Sorry. I thought of what would really have occurred in this situation. Fox getting turned into Krystal's dream, how would she react? And how would Fox react to being turned into something that Krystal couldn't help but love? I decided that this scenario could be just as funny as it was romantic. I'm not usually one for mush, but this chapter is full of it. Oops... Anyway, thanks for the feedback thus far. I'm not sure how much longer I should continue, but I hope you guys are enjoying it. This is not all I'm capable of, I assure you. But it is my writing at it's best. So keep the comments coming. I like hearing from you guys!