All right! I finally got this chapter done! I've been playing Tales of Symphonia...a lot...and I couldn't really stop playing it. This chapter took a little, er...I mean, a lot longer than my normal one new chapter per three- day schedule calls for. Oh well, here it is! In record breaking slow time!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------

Chapter 11: Painful Thoughts

Pepper's voice again rang across the bridge, forcing Fox's attention off his old friends face. "Star Fox, do you read me?" Fox answered, withdrawing his laptop back behind his chair, "Ya, We read you loud and clear General." Pepper sat up a little straighter and folded his hands on his desk. He quickly raised his hand to his mouth as he let out a brief cough as an attempt to clear his throat. He folded his hands once again and began to speak, "Star Fox, It has been two days since you left Corneria for the planet Kymach, did your first assignment go as planed?" Fox looked out the bridge's window, staring back at the yellow planet and answered, "We were successful in setting up the M.C.D. system, and we witnessed one of the Kymachians return to normal which..." Pepper cut him short and asked, "Did he remember anything concerning the creature who put him under mind control?" Fox looked back at the screen and replied, "Not really, he gave me a really brief description, but he couldn't seem to remember anything after he was put under mind control." Pepper responded, "Yes, an unfortunate effect of mind control...at least for us. Can you tell me what the Kymachian described him as? Maybe we can find someone in our archives that match the description." Fox began gently rubbing Krystal's hand with his fingers and replied, "Like I said, it wasn't much, but he mentioned this individual as a tall green creature with a deep voice and short snout." Pepper raised an eyebrow, "That isn't much is it? But any information, even characteristics as trivial as this, may be the key to identifying the attacker." Fox replied, "We'll keep our eyes open General, you won't have to worry about that." The was a slight pause until Fox asked, "When is the special forces team going to get here. You said back on Corneria that they were going to set up a stronger signal?" Pepper cleared his throat again and responded, "Actually, they should be arriving at the planet at any hour. They left just yesterday, but I wouldn't be worried about them. If there is anything I should be worried about right now, it would be your safety. Which is why I have decided to send you another crewmember." Everyone on the bridge focused all their attention squarely on the screen, except for Katt, who kept her head down on her chest. She muttered under her breath, "So he is coming back...heh, He couldn't stand it by himself...heh, so pathetic...

Pepper continued, "He's actually no one new to you. He's standing right here. I'm sure you'll remember him." Pepper motioned for the blue avian to walk into view of the screen. Falco reluctantly walked into view, but his gaze was not fixed on the entire monitor, but rather on something within the image. Fox said with a slight sound of excitement, "Hey Falco, how's it goin'?" Falco blankly replied, "Pretty good." Fox gave him a weird look as he replied, "Something wrong Falco?" Again, Falco answered inexpressively, "Nah." Fox turned his attention back to the General and asked, "Is he ok? He seems kinda distracted by something..." Pepper hid a small grin behind his now raised paw and pointed past Fox towards the bridge door. Fox turned quickly and saw Katt leaning against the wall, talking to herself. Fox turned back with a smirk and said, "Oh, I get it. He must be pretty shocked that she's here." Pepper again folded his hands on his desk, "Quite. At any rate, you must remain in orbit of the planet until Falco can catch up to you. At that time you will contact me and I will have your next assignment. Oh...and one more thing." Fox looked over at the screen with a questioning gaze, "What is it General?"

Pepper's serious expression broke as a smile formed across his face. "Ahh, Krystal my girl, are you enjoying your time on the Great Fox?" Krystal ran her fingers across Fox's hand as she responded, "Yes General Pepper, It has been quite enjoyable so far." Fox's stomach turned over, knowing that's exactly the response Pepper was looking for. Oh Man...I know where this is goin'... "Good...good, I'm happy to see our newest recruit doing so well. How is the crew treating you?" She replied, "Quite well, I'm happy they were able to accept me so easily. It is probably not easy receiving new members like myself." Pepper smiled and questioned her again, trying to take advantage of her complete honesty, "Very good, and the leader, Fox? What do you think of him?" I knew it... Every ear on the bridge seemed to perk up as Pepper posed this question and each of them awaited Krystal's answer. She slowly looked over to Fox and replied, "To be honest...I couldn't imagine...working with any one else..." Fox blushed hard as Krystal spoke these words, and Slippy could be heard giggling quietly from the back of the bridge. Pepper lowered his hand from his face, no longer trying to hide the now huge grin on his face. "Is that so? Well...I'm glad I placed you with a suitable team. And I'm sure your getting along just as well Fox?" Pepper replied amusedly, making an obvious point by gazing their interlocked hands. Fox looked up, trying to forget his embarrassment, and responded, "Uh...Ya, I'm getting along just, uh...fine General." Pepper let out a deep, booming laugh, "That's good to hear...Fox...go...dee...hea..." The screen suddenly went dark and silence again filled the bridge.

Slippy looked across the room with a smile he could not hide as he said, "Hey Katt, didja hear? Falco's coming back!" Katt's head did not rise off her chest as she evasively replied, "Your point?" Slippy gave her a sideways glance and answered, "I dunno...I thought you'd like the fact that he was..." Slippy stopped as he saw Katt hastily walk out of the bridge and the large, metal door slide to a close behind her. There was again silence on the bridge, only the sound of Slippy's footsteps on the metallic floor could be heard. Peppy stood up with a yawn and said, "I haven't had a decent nap since we left Corneria...I'm headin' off to bed, you mind holding the bridge down for me Fox?" Fox gave a quick nod back to Peppy, who slowly walked off the bridge. As he left, Fox could hear him mumbling, "I just don't understand young people these days..."

Fox smirked at Peppy's comment and slowly walked over to the front of the bridge. Krystal curiously followed Fox and stood quietly next to him, watching the planet below them slowly rotating on its invisible axis. She leaned forward and looked into his eyes, which seemed to be wondering freely around the dark, star spotted universe. Krystal asked inquiringly, "What are you thinking Fox?" Fox looked over at her quickly and returned his eyes to the planet outside the ship, "Oh...It's just that...what I said before...I guess animals don't think I should be with you...but...why is that? It's not like...like I'm violating any kind of regulation...I just...don't get it..." Krystal replied encouragingly, "Fox, you're a famous mercenary, there are going to be animals that disagree with everything you do...but you can't listen to them...Sometimes...even though it's hard, you have to follow your own thoughts..." Fox looked over at her and replied reminiscently, "Trust your instincts...That's what my Father said too...but...how do I know I'm always doing the right thing..." Krystal took his hand and responded, "As long as you are doing what you feel is right...that is how you will know..." Fox brought her head against his shoulder and replied regretfully, "If only it were as easy as you make it sound..."

ROB broke their conversation as he announced, "Fox McCloud, Peppy has just informed me that you should make sure the following circuits are operational: Transmission, electrical, and life support. Approximate required time for requested operations: Five Hours. Estimate time of Peppy's sleep duration: Ten hours." Fox nodded back at ROB and returned his attention back to Krystal. "I'll need to be doing some work on the bridge for a while, why don't you go down to the kitchen and have something to eat?" Krystal looked up at him from his shoulder and asked, "Are you sure you do not want to come with me?" Fox answered with a smirk, "I don't really have a choice. If I don't get all this stuff done before Peppy wakes up...I'll be in deep trouble, and I don't want to see Peppy when he's mad, especially right after he wakes up." Krystal lifted her head off his shoulder and replied with a smile, "All right then, I'll see you later." Krystal released Fox's hand and walked off the bridge. Fox's eyes followed her across the room until the sliding metal doors closed behind her. His gaze was broken only after Slippy managed to say, "Uhh...Fox? Hello? Are you gonna help me?" Fox blinked a few times to regain his focus and weakly replied, "Oh ya, right..."

(Meanwhile in Katt's room)

The room was dark, the windows were closed, no light could find it's way in the room. Suddenly, out of the darkness, a bright, clear bulb flashed to life, giving off a soft, colorless light that streaked across the room. She sat on her bed, thinking of years past...where had they gone? It had been eight years since she had last seen him. She quietly opened a small folder that was filled with old pictures...pictures from those lost years. She slowly flipped through each one, studying each with great detail, and in each one she could see that face. The same one she had not seen for all these years...but now...she would see him again...In her mind...her heart, she could hear herself saying, You can't let this opportunity pass, you have to tell him what you feel this time...you have to stop lying to yourself... While at the same time, her pride and ego spoke these words, You can't fall for some space jock! You have your own life; you can't let yourself get tied down by him. You have too much to lose and nothing to gain... She was almost driven to the point of madness, the two voices conflicting inside her couldn't help her, and she had rarely ever listened to her heart. She felt so alone, but no one could know...no one should know her weakness'...She held her head in her hands and began to cry...her mind and heart taking over, but her pride quickly regained control. She stood up and perturbed. She had to make this decision on her own...her pride still had a strong hold of her, but she could feel her heart and mind slowly coming back...telling her that this was the chance...and that she couldn't let these chances go by any longer...She walked out of the room and considered every possibility...What was the right thing? Which was the correct path? She muttered under her breath as her mind was completely consumed by thought, "There's got to be an easier way...I can't take this...anymore..."

(Meanwhile, in the Great Fox kitchen)

Krystal entered the food closet where she and Fox had been the night before. There were many types of food, more than she could've ever imagined. She realized as she looked across the rows of food, "I really don't know how to make any of these dishes..." She pulled down a carton of eggs and some sealed pancakes. She took these items into the backroom where the stove was located and set everything down. She had seen Fox do this a few days ago, but she couldn't quite remember how to open the eggs. She tried twisting them and pulling each end apart, but nothing seemed to crack its white shell. She gave up on those and tried to open the package of pancakes. She easily tore open the plastic packaging and set the cold dough on a pan on top of one of the stove's burners. She waited for the dough to heat up, but nothing was happening. "Maybe there's a switch to activate the heat..." Krystal said, thinking out loud. She looked around the stove's white surface for a few minutes, but could not find the activation switch. "If I could just have an open fire, like on Cerinia, this would be much easier..." Krystal told herself in a slightly frustrated voice.

She was about to give up when the door opened from behind her. She turned around with a smile, expecting it to be Fox, but quickly took a surprised step back as she saw that it was actually Katt. Katt took a step back in surprise as well, not expecting any one to be in the room. There was a silence between them. Krystal didn't know what to say to her after she and Fox argued yesterday. Katt looked over Krystal's shoulder and asked, "Never cooked before?" Krystal gave a weak smile, "Well, actually I have, but not with this kind of equipment." Katt smirked, "Here, I'll show you how it's done." Katt activated the stove and began to flip the pancake around in the pan with ease. She then effortlessly cracked a few eggs and let them simmer in another shallow pan. Krystal carefully watched Katt work from the side of the stove. She commented, "You certainly are quite good at that." Katt smirked and replied, "Heh, well, I work alone a lot..."

A few minutes later, Katt had finished preparing everything Krystal had set out and they headed back into the kitchen. Krystal took a seat next to the food and began eagerly placing as much of the cooking on her empty plate as possible. Katt hesitated to join Krystal, not knowing what her reaction would be, especially after she had the argument with Fox, but eventually, Katt's hunger took over and she decided to start eating with Krystal. Krystal was busily eating the food as Katt began to dish up her own cooking for herself. Krystal hesitated, she didn't know what she should say to her, she had never really talked to her, only the single time at the Cornerian Army Base, and even then, she had said only a few words. Krystal thought for a second and politely commented, "This food you made is quite good...Even a little better than Fox's versions of these same dishes." Katt smirked, "Ya, like I said, I took a lot of missions on my own, so I've had to cook for myself for a long time." Krystal added as she swallowed a bite of pancake, "Do you enjoy working by yourself?" Katt hesitated and replied, "It's not bad, you can go wherever you want, taking whatever missions you want. I actually never have been with a team up until now..." Krystal then asked, "Doesn't it get lonely out in space by yourself?" Katt hesitated again, but this time she turned her head back to her food and scraped her fork around on her plate. She replied, "Nah, I don't...mind it that much." Krystal then innocently asked, "What about this bird...what was his name...Falco?" Katt looked up from her plate with a strange look on her face. Krystal realized she must have hit a sensitive topic and quickly changed the subject, "So do you enjoy it on..." Katt raised a hand and signaled for Krystal to stop. Katt mumbled, "Wait...what you just said...Falco? Ya I know him...He's an idiot...but..." Krystal receptively responded, "You don't have to hide your feelings...I know that is what you are doing...if you are tired of having this indecision overcome you...you have to follow your heart...you know it is speaking to you...perhaps you should listen." Katt looked at her with shocked eyes, "What do you mean...are you saying I like Falco? Ha! Where'd you get that!?" Krystal replied hesitantly, "I can tell by the way you reacted on the bridge." Katt stood up quickly and walked to the doorway. She stopped just before she reached the hallway and said quietly, "It's not as hard for you...what have you got to lose?" Krystal responded with a confused face, "What?" Katt shook her head and walked into the hallway. Krystal stayed seated, knowing that continuing this conversation was not a good idea. She quietly ate the rest of her food alone. She quickly grew tired of the silence and loneliness. Krystal left her plates on the table and headed back for the bridge, hoping that Fox would still be there.

(Meanwhile on the bridge)

Fox quickly scanned over his laptop's screen, trying to find a break in their communication port. Fox asked without looking up from the brightly lit screen of his laptop, "Hey Slippy, you figure out which circuit it is?" Slippy ran across the bridge to a collection of many different computers and responded, "Looks like circuits C and G are down..." Fox added, "And what about our life-support system?" Slippy glanced over another computer and replied, "We have plenty of air for a while...I think about 90 hours...I'm seeing a small leak on deck four though. I'll get down there right now and fix it. You'll be ok on your own for a little while, right Fox?" Fox nodded, still busily typing on his laptop, "Sure thing...I think we're about done anyway. Why don't you just take the rest of the day off after your done?" Slippy replied with a look of surprise, "Really Fox? Thanks." Fox nodded with a smirk, "Just don't do anything stupid like last time." Slippy began to blush slightly, "I'm tellin' ya, ROB was already malfunctioning, you just came in when his arm happened to fall of...and besides, he's fine now. Right ROB?" ROB replied without emotion, "Affirmative, upper-right mechanical appendage fully functional." Slippy replied with a grin, "See I told ya so!" Fox rolled his eyes, "Just get off the bridge already..." Slippy lost his grin and let out a weak chuckle, "Oh ya, right...sorry Fox." Slippy then quickly ran off the bridge and the large metal door closed behind him, leaving Fox all by himself.

Fox continued typing for a few minutes, making sure that he was ahead of schedule. He deactivated his laptop and placed it back behind his chair. Silence shrouded him, no one was on the bridge except for ROB. He leaned his head back in his chair and closed his eyes. The noise of the working computers seemed to comfort him as he began to drift off into thought.

Peppy seems kinda upset lately, I wonder what he's thinking...I can't believe the amount of dedication that guy would need to continue taking missions at his age...I wonder if I'll still be doing this when I'm that old...Krystal...heh, I can't stop thinking about her...Every time I start thinking to myself, I think about her...Even if she is only trying to follow the scroll...that's not gonna change the way I feel about her...and I doubt that's what she's doing anyway...there's just no way...I'll ask her about it someday...So Falco really is coming back, Heh, that guy never seems to catch a break. I wonder how he'll react around Katt? Probably just more of the usual...big arguments and disagreements...with all that fighting, you'd think they would never want to see each other...I guess every one has a different way of showing how they really feel...Speaking of Falco...I wonder how much longer he's gonna be...I don't want to wait a whole day just for him...I want to get this mission over with...I guess I could contact his Arwing...

Fox reluctantly opened his eyes and let out a quiet yawn. He spun the chair around to face ROB, who was busily working behind him. Fox asked, "Can you send a transmission to Falco's Arwing?" ROB replied, "Affirmative, retrieving access codes to: Falco's Arwing." After a few minutes of pressing several buttons and switches, ROB continued, "Unable to locate access search?" Fox stood up from his chair with a confused look on his face and walked back to ROB's computer. He typed in a few search commands, but nothing appeared. As he searched, a message appeared on the screen in front of him. It read, "Requested data has been deleted..." Fox stared at the message, but wasn't surprised. Fox muttered to himself, "Heh, that's something Falco would do...he obviously didn't want us to talk to him when he was out on his search...heh, he probably never thought he'd be coming back this soon..." ROB suddenly announced, "Fox, incoming message from unidentifiable number...allow communication access?" Fox's concentration on the computers broke at ROB's voice. He replied, "Sure ROB, let him through...I guess I've got nothing better to do..." A small screen among ROB's large collection of displays came to life. Fox waited for ROB to clear the transmission and clean the static. After a few seconds, the picture came into perfect view. Fox saw the figure that was trying to get through and said, "ROB, transfer transmission through the holographic screen." ROB responded obediently, "Affirmative, switching over to holographic screen now." Fox quickly jumped over ROB's computer and down into his chair. He spun around to face the center of the bridge where a large, holographic image was being displayed. In the center of the screen, Fox could see his old friend...

"Hey McCloud, looks like your still alive. Who's been savin' your sorry butt while I was gone?" Fox smirked and replied, "What are you taking about, I'm the one who always ending up saving you!" Falco replied with a smirk, "Whatever McCloud, I just rang in to tell ya I'm about there. Think you can wait a little longer? I know you can't wait to have me back." Fox responded sarcastically, "I don't know, think you can take a little longer? I mean, come on. I've been waiting a good six hours for you to show up..." Falco replied, "Heh, ya, maybe if these Arwings weren't so old...ever think of buying new ones? You gotta admit...these babies just don't got the juice they used to have." Fox responded with a chuckle, "That's a pretty lame excuse Falco..." Falco retorted with a scowl, "Ya, well when you think of something better, let me know." There was a short silence until Falco said with a sound of awkwardness, "So uh...McCloud...How are things goin' on the Great Fox?" Fox looked at him with confused eyes, "What? Why would you care how we're doin'...you've never shown concern for anything for the...Ohhh." Fox smirked, "I get it...What you mean by that is, how Katt is doing...right?" Falco muttered as he began to blush under his feathers, "Shut up McCloud..." Fox smiled and sarcastically replied, "Ya, she's just fine, great actually...She won't stop talking about you. She seems pretty excited to see you again!" Falco turned from the screen and replied quietly, "Heh, ya right...I don't know...what your talking about...and besides...that doesn't sound like something that pink idiot would say anyway..." Fox's smile got even bigger, "Heh, you have a weird way of saying you like someone Falco." Falco blushed hard and angrily responded, "Whatever McCloud...what about you and that blue girl? Huh? Got anything smart to say about that McCloud?" Fox hesitated and searched for an answer to Falco's question. As he thought, the door to the bridge opened and closed behind Fox's chair. Falco smiled for the first time and said mockingly, "Well McCloud, look who just walked in..." Fox hesitated to turn around, because he already knew who it was...

"Hi Fox." The voice spoke from behind him. Fox turned around in his chair slowly and saw Krystal approaching him. He replied with in weak voice, "Well, uh...Hi Krystal...what's up?" Krystal replied, "I just came from the kitchen...I never would have guessed it would be so hard to cook with this technology." Fox responded carefully, knowing that Falco was listening to every word, "Well, uh...did you end up eating anything?" Krystal responded, "Yes, I had plenty to eat. Katt found me in the kitchen and showed me how to cook the food. I talked with her a little bit, she seemed quite depressed, I think it has something to do with that bird we saw earlier...Falco was it?" Fox pointed over to the holographic screen in the middle of the bridge. Krystal looked over and said pleasantly, "Oh, yes. That's him. Nice to meet you." Falco only nodded in response, trying to get Krystal to continue speaking to Fox. His plan worked out just as he predicted. Krystal turned back to Fox and said, "By the way Fox, are you almost done working on the bridge? There's something I need to show you as soon as possible..." Falco smirked and replied amusedly, "Wow Fox, I didn't know you picked such a feisty girl! Heh, who woulda guessed..." Fox looked up at the screen with a glare, "What!? You idiot...she doesn't mean that! Besides, does that even SOUND like something I would do!?" Falco snickered and replied mockingly, "Meh, not really, but I haven't seen how you act around this girl before...Heh, you really are growin' up aren't ya Fox?" Fox got up from his chair without saying a word and positioned himself behind ROB's computer. Fox responded with mixed emotions, "Save it Falco, I'll deal with you later!" Fox pressed a small red button that made the holographic screen suddenly hum to a stop.

Fox stared into the now empty, black monitor. Jeez, I don't know why the heck everyone has to make such a huge frickin deal about this!!! Fox slammed his fist hard against the computer and managed to leave a small dent in the metal frame. Krystal looked up at him from the floor that was slightly below ROB's computer. She walked up a short stairway to her left and stood next to Fox. She gently removed his clenched fist out of the small crater he had just created and placed it inside her two soft, furry hands. Fox looked up at her with rage still remaining in him, but as he gazed into Krystal's deep blue eyes, the rage and anger within him slowly began to fade. His eyes became soft and began to water slightly as he let the remaining anger filter out through them. He leaned his head against Krystal's shoulder, "Krystal...Why...why is everyone...doing this to me...to us...why can't they just...leave us alone...why do they have to..." Fox stopped as he allowed more tears to flow out. Krystal slowly stroked the golden hair on Fox's head as she replied, "Fox, I don't know why people insist on doing these things to you...whether it be in pure amusement...or shear coincidence...whatever the case may be...no matter what..." Krystal stopped as she held back tears of her own. She hated to see Fox in pain...and she could feel the emotion surging through his entire being... "No matter what...Fox McCloud...I'll be there with you...and together...I know we can triumph over anything...We don't need destiny to realize that." Fox raised his head slowly and allowed Krystal to gently wipe the tears from his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but Krystal lightly placed her hand over his mouth and wrapped the other around his body. "It's all right Fox..." Fox put both his arms around Krystal and held her tight. Fox kept silent as Krystal's caring arms seemed to absorb all his anger. Fox released Krystal after a while and stared into her eyes as he lost himself in thought.

Maybe...maybe I've been overreacting...I don't know why I would want to hide her from everybody...when I was talking to Falco...about Katt...I was doing the same thing to him. I was doing it purely for fun...And maybe...everyone else is doing the same thing...but to me it seems hurtful...It must be weird...seeing a famous mercenary like me...with a new crewmember like Krystal...but no one knows how we met...and what we are doing right now...what we are trying a accomplish...If they could know that...maybe they would understand...My Father never hid his relationship with my mom...and it seemed like they were able to live without any problems like this...Everyone expects so much from me...maybe she isn't what I need right now...but I can't give her up...There's something about her...It's weird...but...looking at her now...even as I am filled with rage and anger...It all seems to disappear...as I look into her caring, blue eyes...and to think...even though I keep saying to myself that it can't be true...the possibility of her...doing all of this...showing all these emotions...caring for me...all for the sake of the scroll...I keep reminding myself of it...If I ever want to bring that up...we'll need to be alone...away from security cameras and computers...but...as much as I would like that...That day...may never come...and I'll still be living with the same thoughts...

Krystal cocked her head to the side as she noticed that Fox had not made any movements for a while. She waved her hand in front of his unblinking eyes. "Fox? Fox...?" He quickly blinked a few times and replied with a confused look, "Huh...wha...Oh...Guess I just blanked out there...Just thinking about..." Fox stopped himself, realizing what he was going to say. Krystal looked at him with a sideways glance, "What is it Fox? What's wrong? You can tell me..." Fox soothingly ran his fingers over the stitches on her shoulder and replied, "Trust me...I will...but...now is not the time..." Krystal replied quietly, "You know it is not a good idea to keep feelings inside yourself...they can be exposed later...after it is to late...and your emotions will overwhelm you...are you sure you do now want to talk about it now?" Fox nodded and replied, "I'm sure...and you don't need to worry about me, OK? I'll be fine." Krystal raised her hand to Fox's face and replied, "I have to be worried about you Fox...I can't help it." It's the things she says like that that tells me she can't be faking these feelings...they have to be real... Fox placed a hand on Krystal's outstretched arm and replied with a friendly smirk, "You'd think a galacticly famous mercenary could look out for himself, huh?" Krystal looked at him with her soft blue eyes and said softly, "Fox...don't ever change." Fox glanced at her with a confused smirk, "What?" Krystal answered only with a sincere smile as she took her hand of Fox's face and placed it around his back, pulling him close to her body. Fox dismissed Krystal's strange comment and quietly turned to the bridge window. As they looked out into the endless expanse of stars, they noticed a small blue flame approaching from the distance.

(In the Great Fox Rec. Room)

Katt leaned against the wall as she gazed out into space. She could not stop the thoughts of Falco from running through her head. Nothing had ever completely taken over her thoughts like this before. What is it about that idiot that would make me act up like this...I must be out of my mind...Why would I even care about him...I haven't even seen him for so long...heh, if he doesn't remember me, I guess it'll make this thing a whole lot easier...but there's no way he could forget me...not after he asked me if I would...Argh...How could he even have thought I was going to say yes? But that was so long ago...He can't think the same things now...He didn't know how I would respond...I was caught completely off guard...I had no idea what to say...I hope he doesn't think he will get a different answer from me this time...Or will he...I don't know what to think right now...

Katt noticed a small fighter as it to hovered slowly past the window she was looking through. She could see the figure in the cockpit...She knew it was him. She walked out of the room and heard the two voices inside her beginning to speak. Their opposing words brought her no comfort. She stopped in front of the door into the hall and whispered to herself, "The answer is still no Falco...although...inside myself...I feel I should deeply consider it...but no...I can't...I'm sorry...I just can't..." As the door closed behind her, the sound of Falco's Arwing landing above her pierced the silence... "And I can't change my mind either...no matter what...I just won't...you have to understand...It just can't work out Falco..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUTHORS NOTES: Yes!!!! Finally!!!! Falco came back and I can move this story forward. I was beginning to wonder if I would ever get over this speed bump. Things will really start to pick up now!!! I'm actually looking forward to the next few chapters, so maybe I'll be able to stop playing that frickin' Tales of Symphonia game and type those up instead. I'm done...Oh wait...

I'd like to congratulate Mr. Greyfox2510 for receiving the title of, "Translation Master." Receiving this award for figuring out the pathetically crappy English to Dino translating job I did for the title. I didn't think there were many people here that would actually take the time to decipher it. I bow to your greatness. And thanks to my other reviewer people for...uhh...reviewing this thing for me. Many thanks...