Disclaimer: Starfox is copyright nintendo. "Weak and Powerless" is copyright A Perfect Circle

Chapter 5 – Play

Desperate and Ravenous

So Weak and Powerless

Over you

A Perfect Circle "Weak and Powerless"

Fox wasn't sure what he really wanted to do at this point. He figured Krystal would want to be left alone to meditate, so he wasn't going to go barging in on her. What else was there to do on this ship? Usually, when the team was bored, Pepper called in just before insanity set in with a job for them. Fox was starting to agree with Falco. Maybe the world was simply devoid of unrest needed their attention. Despite how hard he tried to keep Peppy off his back by taking his advice and being patient, it was oftentimes too difficult for Fox.

Then it hit him. He would call Pepper. He could keep the General busy for an hour just trying to convince him that Fox was himself, and not someone playing a horrendously sick joke. Yeah, why not?

Fox headed to his quarters. It didn't take long before he got there, pushed the panel beside the door, and went straight for his computer terminal. He keyed the device on, and put in a channel to General Pepper's office. Fox knew he'd be in. A second later, the General answered the vidcom.

He eyed Fox suspiciously. "Can I help you?"

Fox smiled. "Yes, you can. I'm calling to inform you that the Starfox team is getting really bored up here, and we'd really appreciate a job."

Pepper looked stunned. It's certainly Fox's voice, but that face is anything but. "And who might you be?"

Fox was still grinning. "Uh, yeah, I would be the team's newest member, Fox McCloud 2.0."

General Pepper looked as though he were going to spontaneously combust. "Listen, mister. If this is some joke, I'll have you locked up for the rest of your blue fuzzy life!"

Fox was still laughing. "This isn't a joke, General. You're not going to believe this, but something incredible happened to me. I am Fox McCloud. Ask me something only I- er, he, would know."

The General stared at him. He definitely acts like Fox... unfortunately. "What did James always keep on him, no matter where he went."

Fox decided to play with Pepper a bit. "That's easy. His blaster."

Pepper frowned. "Anyone could guess that. No, sorry, I don't buy it."

Fox was still smiling. "Wait! He also kept sunglasses that my mother gave him when they were married in his jacket pocket. He kept complaining after the wedding that the sun visor in his hovercar was too low, and the sun kept getting in his eyes, so they stopped by a convenience store, still in their tux and dress, and my mom got him the glasses."

Pepper was totally stunned. That was more of the story than he even knew. "I don't know how or what happened to you, Fox, but you are most certainly you. Your father stopped that story at 'when we got married.' I never heard the rest of it. Apparently you did."

Fox nodded, pained by the memories of his mother and father. "My mom told me that when I was 8. I'm surprised I remember the details."

Pepper shook his head. "I'm not. Good memory you've got, Fox. Now tell me, what the devil happened to you?"

Fox laughed. "Well, it's kind of a long story, but you remember Krystal?"

Pepper nodded after a bit. "Yes. That girl you found on Dinosaur Planet. What has she to do with this?"

"Well, her people were keepers of crystals on their planet that produced strange energy. This energy transformed the first colonists of her planet into what Krystal is. The people were originally from Lylat."

Pepper chewed on that. "So what does that tell me about what happened to you?"

Fox nodded quickly. "I was getting to that. So we detected some really high, unusual energy readings from the place where the planet used to be. I'm sure you're aware that the planet was destroyed several years ago?"

The General nodded. "Yes, we don't know who it was, but we know they were capable of tremendous destructive power, and that they disappeared shortly after, never to be heard from again."

"We found a rather large crystal in the planet's debris," Fox continued. "I thought we might be able to use it, and Krystal informed us that, despite it's power, it shouldn't be harmful to us, and she gave us permission to use it for peaceful means. Slippy thinks he can use it to upgrade the Arwings' engines. But we decided not to use the large one, so it's still on board. But having it here had some unexpected side effects on me."

Pepper's brows went up. "So it turned you into one of Krystal's people, the same way it did her ancestors?"

Fox nodded. "And as a result, the Great Fox's computer doesn't recognize me, I had to go through a rather lengthy explanation to Krystal first, and then the rest of my team, and just had to live with the fact that no one was going to know I was still me. But it also did some good for me as well. Krystal says when the colonists were transformed, their genetic structure was purified. All ailments and impurities are gone from me. I'm in better shape than I was when I was born. And it looks as though I live to be older than you, General."

Pepper scowled. "Har, har. Have any of the others been affected?"

"No. As far as I can tell, it only affects vulpines."

"How do you know that?"

"Because according to Krystal, all of the Cerinians were vulpine."

The General looked somewhat disappointed. "Darn. I was hoping to cash in on this fountain of youth thing myself. Ah, well. I guess I'll have to continue to endure the increasingly unoriginal cracks about my age from those who haven't been blessed with age yet." Fox laughed at that, and even Pepper chuckled. "Unfortunately, I don't have any jobs for you."

Fox shrugged. "Falco's not going to like that, but that's about it."

Pepper's brow furrowed. "I don't give my tail about what Falco likes. That boy is a pain in my ear! He's worse than you, Fox!"

Fox laughed. "Thanks. I think."

"You're the only one who can keep him in line. Unfortunately, Peppy's the only one who can keep you in line. I don't have any say in your behavior whatsoever!"

"That's not entirely true, General. Peppy's not the only one who can keep me in line. Not anymore. Females have that effect."

Pepper's eyes widened. "Really? A female? In your life? You really have changed, McCloud! I thought you didn't have time for that!"

"I don't have a choice now."

Pepper grunted. "Sounds like hell. My wife is the same way. You know, between you and me, I think the old bat lets it go to her head more than she should."

Fox chuckled. "Sounds like someone else I know."

Pepper's eyes narrowed, and he pointed a finger viscously at Fox. "You watch your step, there, mister. Or I might just lose the paperwork on your next contract, and you'll be stuck with the consequences!"

Fox quit laughing. He cleared his throat. "I read you, General."

Pepper shook his head. "Sometimes, I wonder why in blazes I put up with you." Then he smiled, still shaking his head. "But you're the best there is, Fox. No doubt about that. I'll try to get you some work soon, but these things only happen when they want to. So don't expect anything for a few more days. Pepper out."

Fox got up from the chair in front of the now dead screen and stretched. Now what to do?

Then something to do found him. His terminal powered up again, and Slippy's face appeared. He was energetically holding something in front of the screen. "Hey, Fox!"

Fox turned to see his friend. "Hey, Slip. You finished it?"

Slippy nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Can you go out and get some crystals for me? I'll install the soundproof stuff in your quarters while you're gone."

"Yeah, sure. I need something to do, anyway. I'll be right down."

"Okay. See you in a bit!" The screen powered off again. Fox started out of his room.

Well, it's better than sitting around all day, he thought. Maybe I'll run into more of those little drone ships we saw yesterday. He walked quickly down the hall to the deck lift. "Hangar bay," he ordered it. Suddenly he found himself thinking about Krystal. Had their relationship been special to her before he changed? It had been to him, but Krystal hadn't changed. Yet he found himself even more attached to her now that he was her... well, equal. Something she always wished she could have, but thought she never could. He was her dream come true. He hoped this meant that she would be happier to be with him. It seemed to be that way now. The way they both had acted at breakfast this morning surprised him. He was rather shocked to find that he had developed an obsessive tendency to touch her. He just liked to. Every time he did, he felt how she reacted to it, and was almost intoxicated by the closeness. He supposed she felt the same way. She certainly acted like it. She was almost purring when he'd rubbed her ears. She seemed more annoyed when he was playing with her tail, but he suspected that was because he'd done that first, before she'd gotten used to him touching her while she was on his lap. Or maybe she just liked having her ears rubbed better? He decided he would explore that. But Fox guessed that, whatever he did, she would enjoy it, because they were being close to each other, and that was all that mattered. He fantasized about what her more intimate side would be like... Thoughts coursed through Fox's mind, and most of them were less than modest. He hadn't even noticed that the lift had stopped. When the door opened, he was shocked to find himself kissing the wall... Not really what he wanted to be seen doing by Slippy. He quickly regained himself, thankful that Slippy hadn't appeared to notice his lapse in character. Or maybe lapse in sanity.

Fox tried to look natural as he entered the hangar. Slippy approached him a second later. "Hi, Fox! Ready to get to work?"

Fox smiled. "Yeah, sure. I'm curious to see how well this works."

"Okay. I'll get to work on your room. I should be done by the time you get back," Slippy said as he grabbed a small case and headed for the lift door. "Just call me when you get back."

"Will do," Fox said, walking to his Arwing. "This should be a piece of cake," he added to himself. He ran through a few checks, and, when everything read green on his computer display, powered up his engines, and prepared to ease out of the hangar. Then he got another thought, and decided subtlety would do justice to how he felt right then. He loaded a music program in his computer, selected a playlist, and cranked the volume up. Metal and techno spewed out of the ships industrial-strength speakers, and Fox found himself nodding his head with the music. He let out a triumphant howl as he threw his throttle forward, and exploded out of the hangar, his shield melding with the hangar's force field effortlessly, even at his current speed, as he passed though it.

Peppy rested in the command chair on the bridge. He had been reading a moment earlier, but decided to take a nap shortly afterward. He was just nodding off when ROB's harsh voice broke into the silence of the room.

"I have detected an unauthorized Arwing launch from the main hangar bay. It is moving at a reckless velocity away from Great Fox."

Peppy jerked awake. "Wha...?" he snorted. "Who launched?"

ROB answered a moment later. "It is Fox's Arwing."

Peppy tried to run every possible reason why Fox would launch and not tell anyone. The person that kept coming up in his mind was Krystal. Was Fox taking her on a joyride? "ROB, where's Krystal?"

"Krystal is in her quarters."

Well, that was out. Unless Fox had gotten Slippy to mask her bio signature, and generate a decoy in her quarters. Why would Fox do that? He decided to just ask. "ROB, open a channel to Fox."

ROB pressed a button, and might have said something in confirmation, but if he had, Peppy certainly hadn't heard it, because as soon as the channel opened, it was flooded with loud, obnoxious music. Peppy groaned, and covered his ears. "Fox! Dagnabbit, turn that down!"

Fox had seen Peppy on his display, wondering why he was calling him. Then he remembered. He hadn't authorized the flight. Oops... Fox killed the music. "Sorry, Peppy, I forgot to authorize the flight."

Peppy was still trying to get the ringing out of his ears. "Darn it, Fox, that music of yours is going to be the death of me. Now, why are you out there?"

Fox was smiling at the "music will be the death of me" comment. "Slippy told me he'd finished the energy siphon and adapted it to a booster assembly, and he asked me to go get a crystal for him. We didn't want to use the big one, remember?"

Peppy nodded. "Yes, I remember. But next time, clear the flight! We have protocols for a reason! I was trying to take a nap. What's gotten into you, anyway? ROB said you cleared the hangar recklessly fast."

Fox nervously scratched his ear. "Heh, sorry. Got a little carried away. I was thinking about Krystal."

Peppy shook his head. "That explains it. Just do things in the right order next time. It's clear flight, then launch. Not launch excessively fast, clear flight with deafening background music."

Fox laughed. "Okay, I'll do that next time. Although I can't promise you I won't leave recklessly fast... loud music does that."

Peppy sighed. "Whatever, just get the order right."

Fox couldn't resist. "Oh, you mean the fries, burger and then drink? Did you want to supersize that?"

Peppy groaned. "The only thing I got supersized was my headache. Peppy out."

Fox was still laughing at his joke. So it was lame, he didn't care. Nothing was going to spoil his mood. He wondered what Krystal was doing. He hoped she was having as much fun as he was.

Krystal knelt down on her knees before the large crystal, which she had placed on her nightstand. It wasn't a shrine, but it would serve for now. Besides, she didn't have any of the materials her people used to build shrines. They were usually constructed of rare exotic metals. The only things she had that were made with them were her staff, and the power core in her ship. She didn't have any intention of dismantling either of those.

She laid her staff across her lap, breathed deeply, and then put the staff straight vertically in front of her. Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind. She had set her door system up to not admit visitors, and to not respond to anyone trying to contact her. Likewise, she had locked out her computer terminal, and disabled the speakers in the room. She wanted to make sure she was not disturbed. So as not to worry anyone, she stuck a note on her door telling anyone who came by that she was meditating and to please not disturb her.

These were the last thoughts she had as her mind cleared and focused. The glowing crystal on her nightstand glowed brighter, and her staff's crystals began glowing as well. Then the crystals on her tiara and pendent glowed. The room filled with light, and Krystal focused her mind on her question.

That question was Fox. Since his transformation, he had become more attached to her. She didn't want to doubt him, but did he care about her more because of what had happened to him? Or was it genuine affection? Or both? Maybe he was reacting the way he was, because she started acting differently. Had she become more attached? And was that genuine? If Fox hadn't changed, would she love him as much as she did now? This question had been plaguing her since Fox's transformation. Would Fox love her as much as he showed if he hadn't changed? She focused on him. She became aware of where he was, and what he was doing. His mind was jumbled, but he was obviously excited about something. She went deeper into his mind. She smiled as she found why he was so excited. He was listening to his loud music. Krystal shook her head, and delved deeper. He had to have been in a good mood to begin with, his music was just fueling it. Then she found it. He had been thinking about her. A lot. Almost non-stop since she'd left for the hangar. He really did care! She realized she was on the brink of invading his privacy. She didn't want to see his more private thoughts, they were ones he kept to himself for a reason. She had confirmed her suspicions. He did love her. It was pretty obvious. But how much? There was only one way to find out. She fell out of her trance-like state, opening her eyes, coming back to reality. She glanced down and touched her pendent, holding it in her paw.

She knew how to find out if Fox loved her as much as she loved him.

It didn't take Fox long to gather some of the smaller crystals. Much to his disappointment, there was no further resistance from rouge robot ships. He accessed Slippy's portable communicator, and informed him that he had returned with the crystals.

"I'm on my way," he said. "I finished the soundproofing. It is wired into your main terminal, and can also be enabled or disabled by voice commands. By the way, Krystal was looking for you. She said she'd be down in the training room when you got back."

Fox smiled, happy that Krystal had been looking for him, but puzzled as to why she would want to meet him in the training room. There was nothing there, except the simulator and shooting range. What did she have up her sleeve?

"Thanks, Slip. Good work on my room. I'll look forward to testing it out."

Slippy shrugged. "It's rated to handle way more than your stereo can put out. Just make sure it's on. It always helps to double check."

Fox nodded. "I will. Thanks, Slippy."

"No problem, Fox."

Fox closed the connection and hopped out of his ship. He went to the lift, and went up one level, walked down the short hallway to the training room, and keyed open the door. When it opened, it was pitch black. The only light in the room came from the open door, which closed behind him. As soon as it did, the room changed. Suddenly there was a moon casting a bluish glow down around what appeared to be a forest. Fox glanced around to find Krystal. He heard the sound of a stream nearby. Fox grinned as he realized where he was. Krystal had rigged up a holosim projection of a forest on the outskirts of Corneria City. He had been here many times during his academy training. Krystal must have picked it out of the ship's computer of maps and terrain, and programmed the simulator with it. The sophisticated holographic simulator was what the team used to train in their Arwings and on foot in conditions and terrain not readily available.

Except Krystal had turned it into a romantic getaway.

Fox grinned broadly, wishing he'd found some more suitable clothing. He had a feeling Krystal wouldn't mind.

"Hi, Fox."

Fox turned to face the soft female voice that had spoken to him. He almost gasped at what he saw before him.

Krystal was dressed in an incredibly beautiful strapless dress. The colors on it were all shades of blue, but they intermingled with each other in a way that Fox had never seen done with clothing. It almost looked like it was not quite there, shimmering and waving.

"Krystal!" he gasped. "My god... you look... amazing!"

She smiled. "You like it? I wasn't sure what to do. Your people wear different things than I'm really used to. I had the computer replicate the original, and then I decided to do my own thing with it."

Fox came up to her. "I've never seen colors do that. Is that your doing?"

She grinned, nodding. "Mmm-hmm. Neat, huh?" She laughed, watching Fox's expression.

"It's... it's incredible! How did you-mmmph!" Fox was cut off as Krystal kissed him.

"Quit talking so much, silly! Look around you. It's quiet. Peaceful. You should do the same. There'll be plenty to be noisy about later!" She grabbed his paw in hers and walked over to a clearing, which was completely in the light of the full moon.

Fox wasn't sure what she'd meant by that last comment, but he didn't argue. He followed her to the clearing, being tugged along. She turned and put her arms around him. She looked up into his eyes. He glanced around. He looked almost... sad. "What's wrong, Fox?"

He looked down at her, and smiled after a bit. "Nothing. I just can't believe you did this. It's really nice. I must have come here hundreds of times when I was at the academy. Never with anyone, though. Sorry I couldn't pretty myself up."

She giggled. "It's no problem. I wanted to do this for you. I also wanted to give you something."

Fox held her as she reached around to the back of her neck, and removed her necklace. She held it up so he could see it.

Fox's eyes went huge. The crystal glistened in the moonlight, and Fox's eyes glistened with it. Then he shook his head. "I can't take that, Krystal. It... I've never seen you without it."

She smiled still. "You can take it. I'm giving it to you. Cerinian custom demands it." She put it around his neck and fastened it.

Fox looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

She poked his nose playfully. "Silly. It means that I love you. Every Cerinian girl has something that she wears all the time. When she finds the boy she wants to stay with, she gives him a necklace, or bracelet, or something like that. It has a crystal in it, and if the boy loves her as much as she loves him, it will glow. I'm testing you. I hope you pass."

Fox smiled as he heard this. "What if I fail?" He knew he wouldn't.

Krystal looked at him with large hopeful eyes. "I would be very disappointed in you. But I know you love me as much as I love you. So we don't have to worry about that." She kissed him again, and Fox submitted to her, running his paw through her hair. The gem in Krystal's pendent glowed brightly, illuminating Krystal's broad smile as she pulled he muzzle away from his. Her eyes seemed to be made of colorful water, and Fox found himself drawn in by her gaze. She nudged his chest. "Told you!"

Fox enjoyed her head being where it was. He caressed her fur, rubbing behind her ears. Krystal hugged him tightly, feeling his breathing, listening to his heart.

She looked up at him again, her eyes watering. "I've never loved anyone like I love you, Fox. Even if you hadn't turned into a Cerinian. It doesn't matter to me, now. I was overjoyed when it happened, but now all I want is to make you happy. I wish I were able to change you back. But I'm not..."

Fox cocked his head to the side. "That doesn't matter. I like being what I am. It makes you happy. It lets you see something that you thought you'd never see again. A taste of home, I guess. And it brought me closer to you than I ever thought I could be. I... I don't deserve you. You deserve better than a... freelance mercenary. Whether I look like a Cerinian or not, I love you. But I still don't think I deserve you."

Krystal smiled, and rubbed his cheek. "Yes you do. You have shown me something that I haven't had. You really love me. And whatever caused that, you truly feel that deeply. So what caused you to fall in love with me no longer matters. What matters is, we both love each other very much. That's what true love is. I've heard a phrase that your people seem to like using a lot. 'Beauty is only skin deep.' I think that's true. Because when you and I are really old, it won't matter what we look like!" She laughed. "Our love will be all that matters. Besides, Cerinians live a lot longer. We could be together longer than one lifetime for a Cornerian! That's the good part about you being turned into a Cerinian."

Fox grinned at this. "How much longer?"

She giggled. "About 200 years, love. Too long?"

Fox smiled and hugged her tightly. "Not a chance." They kissed again, significantly longer this time.

When they broke away again, Krystal looked at him suspiciously. "By the way, Slippy was at your quarters today, and he told me he was soundproofing your room. You wouldn't know why he was doing that, would you?"

Fox laughed nervously. "Heh... yeah, I know why. I had him do it."

Krystal's eyes widened. "Whatever for?" Then her eyes narrowed. "As if I didn't already know!"

Fox smiled, glancing around. "I have a feeling you probably do."

Krystal shook her head. "Now, you know better than that, you naughty fox. Your thoughts are much less modest that what comes out of your mouth!"

Fox's eyes went huge. "And how would you know that? Prying into my brain? Who's naughty now, you dirty little telepath!"

Fox, of course, was joking with her, but he was still shocked that she had peered into his mind and had a look around. Krystal put her paws up in innocence. "Hey, I wasn't the one thinking the dirty things! I was just... re-thinking them with you in them instead of me."

Fox chuckled. "Oh, were you now?"

Krystal looked at him smugly. "Yes, I was. And what do you think you're going to do about it?"

Fox shrugged. "Let it stir you up inside, I guess. The lust has to come out sometime. I just hope I'm around when it does. Because I can only imagine what you'll be like when it happens."

She giggled slyly. "Yeah, I bet you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Fox shrugged again. "Hey, I won't deny it. It would be an interesting side of you I definitely haven't seen before."

She laughed. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet!" She headed for the door, tugging Fox along behind her. "Well, come on! I don't want to drag you back to your quarters!"

"Coming dear," Fox laughed.

Krystal grinned. "Oh you can't now. We haven't started yet!"

Woah! Fox's eyes went wide again. She's full of surprises tonight!

Krystal felt adrenaline course through her as she began running down the hall. Must go faster, must go faster! They stopped at the lift. It seemed to take forever before the door opened. She dashed into it dragging Fox behind her. "Waaa!" he yelled as his body suddenly started moving again. Krystal grabbed Fox, pushed him against the wall, and kissed him ravenously. Fox tried to end the kiss with subtlety, but that didn't work. He finally had to push her off him. "Jeez, Krystal!" he laughed. "Can I breathe before you devour me?"

Krystal was nearly panting. Fox couldn't tell if it was because she'd been running, or something else. "Sorry, Fox. Getting carried away. Haven't felt this... crazy... before."

Fox shook his head. "More like you were carrying me away. You need to slow down, enjoy the feeling, don't go insane."

Krystal collapsed. "I'm sorry, Fox. I... can't really control myself. I wish I knew how. But these feelings... I can't ignore them. It's really difficult to deal with them, in a way that... still shows I'm me. I don't normally act this way, as you probably know. But... something about tonight has really set me off. Maybe I'm just weird..."

Fox hugged her. "No, you're not weird. You've been alone too long. Most girls I know would have freaked out some time ago. I think it's about time."

She looked up at him. "Really?"

Fox smiled. "Yeah. You just need to get it out of your system."

Krystal tried to smile at him. Fox scooped her up in his arms, one in the middle of her back, the other under her legs. "Come on. I'll take over from here."

Krystal was more than happy with that, and she nudged him to let him know. The lift stopped, and Fox walked out, with Krystal wrapped around him. It was a short walk to his quarters, and when they got there, Krystal kissed him and asked him to put her down.

"I'm fine, now. But I still feel like dragging you in there!"

Fox sighed. "I almost wish I'd let you."

She smiled. "Well, you still can." She hit the panel to open the door, took both Fox's paws in hers, and took him over to his bed. She wrapped her arms around him, kissed him gently, and laid him down on the bed. She reached around behind her and undid the zipper on the back of her dress.

"Computer," Fox said, watching Krystal intently. "Lock door, enable soundproof."

The last thing one could have seen through Fox's door was Krystal's naked body falling onto Fox.

A/N- Bwa, ha, ha, ha! No more mush for you! I think I exceeded the T rating as it is, so I don't think getting anymore graphic is going to help me. You want more graphic, write it yourself! Anyway, this isn't the end, so don't panic. I finally figured out how to put messages in the review thing for you guys, too. God, this chapter got long, though! The last time I checked it, it was 2000 some-odd words, and it turned into over 5000 in one day! Gasp! Okay, that's it from me. I hope you guys liked this chapter, because I sure as heck enjoyed writing it.