Woots! I be back for another chapter! Go me! Now if any of you follow my author page, I've teased some neat stuff for this chapter, kinda a rocky start and end, but I just had to get it done. But there is this bit in the middle, it just...ah...I love the feeling when it just clicks so right. I'm really happy with that bit. Just remember, I never usually go with what people expect. With all that out of the way, I present to you:

Star Fox: The Dead Planet Chapter 10: Bill and Answers

As Kursed caught up to where the others were waiting for her, she saw that Falco was holding his revolver in one hand and a small flashlight in the other, while both Katt and Fox had activated the built in flash lights on their blasters. The three of them were running the beams over the dingy walls and burnt out torches. Kursed collapsed her staff and ran a finger across the middle, causing a small flickering flame of plasma to light on the tip and cast its bright light around Kursed. She slid the staff into her harness and drew her own blaster.

Fox knelt down to examine the locks on one of the cells. He brushed off a layer of rust and pulled on the bar gently only to have the entire mechanism fall apart at his feet. He looked up as he brushed his pants off of the reddish dust. "How much use did this place actually get?"

Kursed glanced around at the similarly dismal cells. "Not much, its hard for anything to serious to happen among a race of telepathics. We're pretty quick at defusing situations before they get too big."

Falco spoke up as the four of them started walking down the wide corridor. "What about when somebody blocks their thoughts like you were doing for us just now?"

Kursed was silent for a moment as they reached a cell where a set of yellowing bones stared at them accusingly. "Like I said, not much." Kursed took a moment to examine the cell, kneeling down to look over the bones. "Poor bastard, looks like he came here to avoid the fighting that Andross brought about, without success."

Fox knelt down next to Kursed. "Why do you say that?"

Kursed pointed to the ribs, where a few of the bones looked like they had been melted. "You should know what that is."

Fox nodded. "Heavy Blaster wound." Fox paused then shook his head. "Andross was never gentle when he attacked. Always went for the biggest gear he could bring to the fight." He glanced at Kursed. "Do you know what happened to him?"

Kursed shook her own head. "No, the last I saw of him was when I was following him to see what he was up to." she paused. "Or, rather, I followed Krystal, not that she knew."

Fox felt his ear twitch as he heard Falco talking to Katt. "You find it creepy that Kursed stalked Krystal everywhere when she was younger?"

Fox glanced at Kursed, who frowned as Falco finished his question. Fox turned before Kursed could and spoke up. "Should I tell Katt how many times you snuck out of the academy to follow her around town? At least Kursed had a reason."

Falco blinked as Katt raised an eyebrow at him. "Fox, man, I was just saying-"

Katt interrupted him. "And how many times did you follow me around, hmm?"

Fox turned back to the bones as Falco stuttered to put together an answer for Katt. He noticed Kursed grinning slightly out of the corner of his eye. "Thanks." she whispered as they both stood up.

Fox gave her a grin of his own. "You're welcome. Of course, I'll take any chance to pick on Falco." Fox lost his smile as they both turned back to the corridor. "So, where is Bill?"

Kursed paused for a moment, her eyes closed. "Further in, I can't tell how far, but I'll let you know when we get close."

Fox nodded. "Well then, lets go."

The four of them continued down the dark hallway, whenever they reached a junction point , they would stop and wait for Kursed to figure out which way to go to get to Bill. Eventually Falco spoke up. "So, Kursed..."

Kursed was focusing on scanning the cells they passed, so her reply was a few seconds in coming. "Yes, Lombardi?"

Falco glanced behind him towards Kursed. "Fox said that you somehow knew those things that we saw were Cerinians. Do you know what happened to them?"

It was Fox who answered. "Andross."

Falco turned his gaze from Kursed to his his friend walking next to him. "What makes you so sure?"

Fox glanced at Falco before he replied. "Come on Falco, you saw what he did to Solar during the Lylat wars, and I know I don't need to remind you of that stuff with Sheers. Who else could it be but Andross?"

Falco was silent for a moment. "I hope he died slow."

"What makes you think hes dead?" Katt asked from her spot next to Kursed.

Falco turned around walking backwards to face Katt. "You think he's still alive?"

Katt shrugged. "I've heard the stories just like everybody else. Some say he can't be killed."

Fox spoke up again. "Oh he can be killed, he just has a habit of not staying dead."

"Lombardi, stop."

Falco jerked himself to a stop as Kursed spoke up suddenly. He turned to face her. "What's up with the orders Kursed?"

Fox took a step past Falco and peered into the cell behind him, shining its light into the depths. "Falco..."

Falco turned around, adding his light to Fox's. "Oh hell. Bill."

As if his name was the start gun firing, both Falco and Fox rushed into the cell to drop down next to the bulldog laying in the middle of the cell. Kursed and Katt following them in a split second later.

Kursed put a paw on his forehead as Falco and Fox checked him over for wounds. "He's alive, just unconscious."

Fox moved Bill's flight vest and hissed gently. "Falco."

Falco took one glance and cursed softly under his breath. "That's not good. We need to get him up to the Great Fox."

Kursed glanced at what had the two other pilots so worried. Bills torso was wrapped with white gauze, but it was clear there was a large wound underneath that hadn't been properly treated. Kursed reached out and moved the loose wrappings to look at the wound. "We can't carry him through the jungle like this. We could end up killing him."

Fox glanced up at her. "We got to get him out of the dungeon at least."

Kursed nodded once. "I agree with that, we just can't risk taking him through the jungle like this."

Katt stood up and walked out of the cell. "I'll look around and see if I can find something to use as a stretcher."

Kursed stood up as well. "I'll help her, you two do what you can to stabilize Bill. We'll be back as soon as we get something together."

Kursed walked out of the cell and past Katt, heading for the exit to the dungeon. "Come on, our best bet is going to be on the upper floors."

The two females took off at a brisk walk down the hallway while Fox shrugged off his shirt to replace the bloody wrappings around Bills chest. "Hang on you old dog, don't give up on us yet. You still owe me a beer."

Falco started working on slicing up Fox's shirt into strips while Fox worked on removing the old bandages. "Hey Fox?"

"What is it Falco?"

Falco paused for a moment before he continued. "Do you like Kursed, like as much as you loved Krystal?"

Fox glanced at his friend as he finished pulling off the old bandages. "Is this really the time Falco?"

Falco shrugged as he started wrapping their makeshift ones around Bills lower chest. "Not like I've had a chance to ask you lately. You've always been around Kursed, or, you change the topic."

Fox shook his head. "For once Falco, just butt out." Falco glanced at Fox as he sat back against the wall, his eyes focused on Bill. Eventually he spoke up. "Why do you care?"

Falco had gone back to watching Bills chest slowly rise and fall. "Just curious if you want her sticking around. I know she looks a lot like Krystal, but I just don't want you getting hurt again because of her."

Fox was quiet for almost ten minutes and Falco considered the conversation over when Fox started speaking. "Thanks for looking out for me Falco, but I learned my lesson, the hard way, I know what I'm doing. Besides, I thought you would be happy for me, no more moping around the Great Fox or the garage now."

Falco leaned his head back against the wall behind him. "Yea, won't miss that. I guess I'm just wondering, if we do keep Star Fox in the air, are you going to ask her to stick around?"

Fox looked thoughtful, even though his eyes never left Bills chest. "I won't lie to you, I've thought about it. But I doubt she'll take me up on the offer."

"Why's that?"

Fox shrugged. "Call it a gut feeling."

Bill coughed once and Falco and Fox both focused on him for a few beats before continuing their conversation. "There's something else I want to ask you."

Fox glanced up at his friend for the first time since they started working on Bill. "What's that?"

"When you asked Krystal to marry you, how did you know when?"

Fox raised an eyebrow at Falco as he met his eyes. "Falco...are you...to Katt?"

Falco just shook his head. "Nah man, I'm just wondering."

Both Fox and Falco looked down as Bills voice floated up from between them. "Falco?"

Fox leaned down over Bill. "Hey, Bill, can you hear me?"

Bill's eyes slid open slowly and his stared unfocused through Fox. "Fox?"

Meanwhile, Kursed and Katt had made it to the upper levels and had located a stretcher and were carrying it between them as they headed for the stairway back to the dungeon. Katt glanced at Kursed who sighed and spoke up. "That's the fifth time you've looked at me in the last three minutes. What do you want Monroe?"

Katt blinked before she started talking. "What are your plans after all this?"

Kursed glanced at Katt before she focused back on walking. "Sure as hell not joining Star Fox."

Katt nodded. "So, that's it then. You'll leave, just like that?"

Kursed nodded in return. "Just like that. No fuss, and no mess."

Katt was silent for a moment. "Right. If that's what you honestly think."

Kursed looked at Katt. "What the hell does that mean?"

Katt scoffed softly. "You must be some kind of special stupid if you think you can just cut ties and leave." She shook her head with a small chuckle. "I've seen the way you look at Fox when you think no one is watching." When Kursed looked away Katt grinned, "I've also seen him watching you, and he doesn't care who has seen him doing it. You two have something special, no sense in denying it."

Kursed brought her gaze back to Katt. "I'll deny it alright, there is nothing between me and Fox."

Katt's grin got even wider. "Oh really? Then how come you call Fox by his first name and the rest of us by our last?"

Kursed was silent while she thought of an answer, meanwhile Katt continued to grin as they walked. "Its because I respect him."

Katt still had that grin on her face as she nodded. "Right...and you took so long to answer because...?"

"Why does it matter to you anyway?!" Kursed snapped out as Katt trailed off with her question.

Katt finally lost her grin as she replied. "Because, if you just leave like you're planning, you'll end up hurting Fox. I don't want to see that happen again."

Kursed scoffed. "What you're afraid he'll try to off himself again? Big deal. Let him."

Before Kursed could react, Katt threw her weight onto the stretcher between them, Kursed lost her balance on the step and fell into the wall where Katt reversed her grip on the stretcher and used it to trap Kursed again the wall. "Lets get something straight right now. What Fox almost did is not something to joke about or dismiss. Ever. Next time your staring at him, focus on his left ear, look hard along the edge, you can see the scar tissue near his head where the bullet grazed him. If Falco had been a half a second slower the round would killed Fox." Katt paused for a breath. "Then, take a minute to look at Falco's left hand, he tried to pull Fox's head down and the bullet cut a swatch across the back of his hand as well."

Katt's eyes were hard and steely as she stared into Kursed's blue eyes, her blue eyes that looked a little odd...Katt jerked her gaze down to Kursed neck, darting her hand out and lifting up Kursed head as she protested. Katt stared at Kursed neck for a few moments before she reached out and rubbed the front of her neck, she released her grip with a small gasp and backed away, a shocked look on her face. Kursed rubbed her neck and coughed softly as the stretcher dropped to the ground between them. "What the hell was that for?!" she demanded as she took a step towards Katt, who backed away bumping into the wall and running her eyes repeatedly over Kursed.

"What?!"

Katt's eyes were no longer steely, in fact they were scared and tears were building up in the corner of her eyes, as she raised a shaky hand to cover her mouth. She slid down the wall slowly, never breaking eye contact with Kursed, who was now watching her with worry.

"Monroe?"

Katt's voice was no louder then a whisper as she spoke up. "...My...God..." she finally broke eye contact with Kursed and stared at the ground. "It makes sense now...The eyes...the voice...Fox's bond...All of it..." She raised her gaze to stare at Kursed in shock. "What did you use to cover your tattoos?"

Kursed frowned "What are you talking about?"

Katt surged to her feet suddenly and slapped Kursed, hard. Kursed stumbled down two steps before she recovered and rose up with anger. "What the hell bitch?!" she cried out as she took a step towards Katt.

Katt stood her ground, her anger once again in control. "You have no right to call me a bitch! Not after what you did to him!"

Kursed closed the distance between them, her fist clenched and ready to be thrown. "You got three seconds before I knock you down these stairs Monroe!

Katt snarled and slapped Kursed again. "Damn it Krystal!"

Kursed froze where she was, still recovering from Katts second hit.

Katt's voice was quiet with fury as she spoke again. "I'm right...aren't I." It wasn't a question.

Kursed straightened slowly, a wary look in her eyes as the two females stared at each other. The silence between them stretched into a full minute before Katt snapped. "Answer me!" she demanded in a yell that had Kursed taking a step back down the stairway.

Kursed glanced down at the ground before she raised her gaze to Katts hard eyes and nodded once.

Katt shook her head and turned around taking a few steps away from Kursed as she threw her hands into the air. "I can't believe this. All this time! You've been alive all this time! You could have said something, sent a message, anything!" Katt spun around pointing at Kursed again. "I buried a body with Fox! I cried like a baby because I thought I had lost my best friend! Fox tried to kill himself! This entire time! You've! Been! Alive!" Katt was shaking with rage. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Katt-"

Katt scoffed "Oh Katt now is it? No more Monroe? Whats the matter Krystal? Afraid to piss me off now that I know? Too late for that!" Katt paused and blinked. "I have to tell Fox." she started to head down the stairs but stopped when Kursed reached out and grabbed her arm.

Katt looked at Kursed's grip before she raised her eyes to lock them with Kursed. "Let go of me Krystal."

Kursed blinked and whispered her next words. "Please Katt...Don't."

Katt broke their staring contest to stare down the stairway. "Why the hell shouldn't I?"

Kursed sighed and let go of Katt who turned to face Kursed as she dropped down onto the steps, her head in her hands. Katt turned back to go down the stairs when Kursed spoke up again. "Because...I just...I can't do that to him."

Katt stayed where she was for a long minute while Kursed watched dejectedly from her spot on the stairs. Eventually Katt sighed and her shoulders loosened. "You're right." She turned and faced her 'friend' "This will crush Fox. I won't tell him...yet." Kursed looked up at Katt who pointed at her. "But you're not getting off Krystal. Fox has to be told, and if you're too much of a coward to do it when we're off planet. Then, I sure as hell will, and you can fucken count on that." Katt exhaled softly and closed her eyes, her head tilted towards the ground.

Kursed was silent for a moment before she spoke up. "How?"

Katt looked at her, distrust plain in her face. "How what?"

Kursed bent down and picked up the stretcher. "How did you figure it out?"

Katt started walking, leaving Kursed to carry the stretcher herself. "Your eyes. You're not the only one who dips into the darker areas of the law. I looked into getting my eyes color changed a few years ago. I remember the doctor saying that you could always see the original color if you looked hard at the pupils. When I saw the green mixing with the blue, I looked for a voice modifier on your neck. Most people confuse them for your adams apple, but once you feel it, its easy to tell its there. After that, it wasn't hard to make the leap." Katt paused for a moment. "Why?"

Kursed was silent for a moment. "Why did I fake my death right?" She sighed softly before she continued talking, focusing on what little she could see of the stairway. "When I first got into Bounty Hunting I was still Krystal, and all the big bounties in the underworld were run by mob bosses and the like. People who knew my name and face, who refused to give me any details on bounties. So, I set out to change my looks, to confuse people, but it wasn't enough, and when somebody came looking for Krystal, I gave them a body that had been typed with my DNA and left it at that." Kursed paused again. "I didn't know Fox was behind it until a few years later. By then I was well into being who I am now, and...I thought I had moved on."

Katt spoke up. "So, you came here to see if you were over him?"

Kursed snorted softly. "No, Peppy forced me to work with Fox remember. I didn't want to, partly because I was afraid something like this would happen, but with Fox. Partly because some part of me still loves him, even after what he tried to do to me."

Katt turned around as they reached the landing to the dungeon. "What, try to keep you safe? To love you?"

Kursed put the stretcher down against the wall and turned to face Katt. "Look, I...I made a mistake, I have my reasons for it, but that is something for me and Fox to talk about. Just know that I realize now that I fucked up back then, and if I could go back and fix it, I would. But, the past is the past, and it can't be changed."

Katt nodded. "What about now? You were serious about leaving?"

Kursed sighed and sat down on the steps. "I'm a different person Katt, eight years is a long time to change. I love Fox, and I know hes growing to love me how I am now. But how long could it last before he figures it all out? I can't let that happen, I don't want that to happen. I should just leave before things get to serious and save us both the pain. Also..." Kursed sighed and stared at the ground. "I...I'm scared of how he'll react...if..." Katt raised an eyebrow and Kursed changed her next words. "When. When he finds out."

Katt scoffed "If he has any sense, he'll beat you into the mat a few dozen more times." She paused and sighed "But since hes Fox, he'll be shocked, and he'll say some things he doesn't mean, but he'll love you anyway." Kursed raised her head and locked eyes with Katt again. "You didn't see him after you left Krystal, he was devastated. I was on the station that the Great Fox was docked at when you left, I was there to surprise Falco, but I ended up trying to comfort Fox." Katt sighed again. "We walked in through the airlock and there was all this food in bags on the counter in the kitchen and his vest was across one of the chairs. But we couldn't find Fox, at first we just listened to Falco who said that you two were just occupied down in his quarters. But eventually I went looking for him." Katt paused and shook her head. "I heard him crying as soon as I stepped out of the elevator. I ran down the hallway and into your room. I have never, before that day, seen a man look so defeated in just every way. It looked like the only thing holding him on your bed were the sobs that racked his body. I paged Falco and went over to find out what was wrong. He just keep muttering two words. 'shes gone.' then he would point at that crap note you left." Katt stared at Kursed until she looked away. "It took us hours to get him out of that room, and for the next month he slept in there every night, and cried himself to sleep."

Kursed was silent for a long minute while Katt watched her. "I...I didn't..."

Katt frowned. "You what? You didn't think he would be so devastated? Didn't think he loved you that much? You really are stupid for not realizing that." Katt inhaled and glanced upwards once like she praying for guidance. "Look, we can argue about this for the rest of our lives, and while that's something I plan on doing, no matter what you try after this is all said and done. We need to focus on helping Bill right now. So here is how its going to work, I'll play along, and I'll keep your secret, but you are not leaving the Great Fox until you tell Fox the truth."

Kursed nodded. "I can't ask for anything more."

Katt nodded sharply in return. "Too damn right you can't, now lets get this stretcher to the guys." Katt walked past Kursed and grabbed her end of the stretcher as Kursed stood up and grabbed her end. The rest of their short journey passed in silence, with the most communication happening between the two of them being Katt looking at Kursed whenever they reached a juncture and Kursed pointing the way to go.

When they reached the cell with Bill, they found Falco and Fox trying to hold a conversation with him. They approached and set the stretcher down next to him. As the four of them worked him gently onto the stretcher Fox started talking. "I think hes delirious, he doesn't think we're real. We need to get him to the upper rooms where we left the rest of our gear. Maybe some pain killers will help him come around and we can find out what happened."

Kursed nodded and they lifted Bill up between them and headed for the exit. Fifteen minutes later found them locked away in the throne room, all of their stuff moved in and the doorway barred against any of the Cerinians that found them. The four of them had spread out sleeping bags for later that night, but as the sun started to set, the four pilots just sat around in silence, sometimes one of them heading out to stare out from the balcony or just closing their eyes for a moment. There wasn't much to say since they had come to the realization that they couldn't contact the Great Fox in orbit. So instead, they all took turns checking on Bill, who was still slightly out of it, even though they had injected him with some pain killers and basic antibiotics, while also swapping out their makeshift bandages with actual ones for a med kit.

As they were about ready to go to sleep for the night, Bill gasped and started breathing hard as he glanced around the lit room. Falco and Fox were by his side instantly, making sure he didn't move too much and disturb his wound.

"Easy man, you got a giant hole in your side." Bill looked at Falco as he spoke.

"Falco? When...Where?"

Fox chuckled softly. "Today actually, and you're still in the palace, we just moved you to a room that we could defend if need be."

Bill glanced at Fox and blinked. "Fox? What are you doing here?"

Fox shrugged. "You know, I got bored of Racing and Peppy told us you had done something stupid and got yourself shot down and we needed to come find you."

Bill nodded and looked at Falco. "Just you two?"

Falco shook his head. "Nope, we brought along Katt Monroe and a Bounty Hunter named Kursed."

Bill frowned. "Why the bounty hunter?"

Fox took over. "Because, shes a Cerinian like Krystal was, and this is Cerinia, so we figured she could be useful."

Bill blinked and stared at Fox. "Was?"

Falco hissed softly. "He got shipped out right around that time."

Fox sighed softly. "You know I was looking for her...I didn't find her in time."

Bill was quiet for a moment and Fox looked up when he saw Katt frown at Kursed suddenly, who shook her head. He turned back to Bill as he started talking again. "I'm sorry man."

Fox nodded. "Me too." he turned his gaze back to Bill. "Now that we're all caught up, want to tell us what happened?"

Bill paused before he started talking again, filling in the team on how he had been woken up in his barracks with an alert that a planet had just appeared, he told them of flying out to scan it, and the apparent betrayal of his squad mate, which led to him chasing after his last surviving pilot as he fell to the planet.

"I tracked Typhon's fighter to where he crashed just west of this destroyed town. I landed near him and worked to get him out of his fighter, I brought him here where we held up for a few days. He had been hurt and moving was hard for him at first. As he recovered I realized that I couldn't call for help, something was blocking the radio and emergency beacon. When Typhon was rested enough to walk, we went to go see about repairing my fighter, only to find that all the communications equipment had been taken. Including my beacon. Something had also been stuffed into my engines. An easy fix, but time consuming. We came back here and that's when Typhon mentioned that his radio had cleared up as he passed over the mountains behind this place." Bill paused and took a drink from a canteen. "We decided to head back out and check out his ship, see if whoever had scrapped mine, had missed his, since it had gotten stuck in the tree tops. Typhon stayed on the ground while I climbed up and found his ships emergency beacon intact. While I was up there, the ship fell out of the trees and a piece of wreckage stabbed me in the side. Typhon got me back here and bandaged it as well as he could, that was last week I think. A few days ago, we saw those gray creatures in the halls and headed down to avoid them. Typhon laid me up in a cell down there and said that he was going to take the emergency beacon up to where his radio had cleared up in the mountains to call for help. I haven't seen him since."

Kursed spoke up, stepping forward into Bill's sight. "Where in the mountains?"

Bill blinked, "Holy Hell, you look a lot like Krystal." Fox saw Katt frown again out of the corner of his eye.

Kursed just rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I've been getting that a lot. Now, where in the mountains did your friend go?"

Bill frowned as he thought. "Some cliff up high near the tallest peak I think."

Kursed sighed. "Shit."

Fox looked up at her. "What's wrong?"

Kursed was silent for a moment. "That was where Krystal told Andross to go."

Falco scoffed. "So?"

Fox looked at him. "So, if Andross is still active, and really is the cause of all this, that's where he'll be. If he's not, that's where one of his bioweapons will be."

Falco frowned. "Oh...shit."

Fox stood up and looked at Kursed. "What's up there that Andross would want?"

Kursed looked around the room before she jerked her head and walked over to the corner where she waited for Fox. When he got there, Kursed started speaking in a quiet voice that wouldn't carry. "Remember what I said about that thing Andross was after? The entrance is up there, there is a cave up there that leads into a massive tunnel system that leads down to a crystal of some sort. Legend says its what gives us our telepathic powers when we are born here."

Fox nodded. "But Krystal took the staff and that stopped Andross right?"

Kursed leaned up against the wall. "That's what she hoped, but for all we know, he could have found another way in. I've never been down there, but I heard that there's a giant sphere of the same type of stone from the landing pad there that keeps people out."

Fox glanced out to where Kursed's staff laid against her bag. "Unless you have that."

Kursed nodded. "Right."

Fox was silent, staring at the staff before he turned back to Kursed. "Is there another way into the caves at all?"

Kursed thought about it for a moment. "Not that I know of. Do we have to go down there? We found your friend, and we can just say Andross is behind this. We could leave and call it quits."

Fox shook his head. "No, we need to find Typhon, and if Andross is alive, or one of his Bioweapons is, I need to kill it. I can't risk leaving it here any longer then it has been already. I need to get to the bottom of all of this Kursed. Are you with me?"

Kursed was silent for a long minute, while Fox stared at her. Eventually she sighed. "I still think we should get out of here before something happens to our ships, if it hasn't already. But I'm with you. We're going to need a plan though."

Fox nodded again. "Of course, but for now, I think we should all get some sleep. Come on, lets get back to the others and tell them that we're going after Typhon as soon as we have a plan set tomorrow." Kursed and Fox walked back over to the other three.

Falco called out as they started back over. "We allowed in on the plan now? What's going on?"

Fox waited until he was closer. "Tonight, we sleep. Tomorrow, we plan on how were going to go after Typhon."

Well...Did I surprise ya? : )

Honesty surprised myself, I was thinking about what I wanted to have Katt and Kursed talking about and then suddenly that was there. Now I get to weave even more Drama as Katt keep confronting Kursed about her choices and struggles not to tell the others who she really is, and then the next questions is would they even believe her? Fox and Falco did see the body after all...Oh the thoughts and plans I could go off with this...

Okay, so...I also just gotta say:

You. Readers. Are. Awesome.

Pure and simple, another thirteen reviews on the last chapter?! You have no idea how awesome that makes me feel, and how much it gets me rearing to work on this story. As what seems to be the usual with this story when I get more then Ten reviews on a chapter, I have a little bonus for ya. I didn't have anything else from the story itself to show you at the moment, but I have given you all a sneak peak on the project I work on in my off time. That being when I'm on break at work, or just away from my computer. Before you get into that though...Guest Reviews!

Blake O'Donnell: Glad you enjoyed the drama of last chapter, and I'll give you five points for trying, but...Nope : ) Close though.

Fpastrello: That...That is a really interesting idea, no, awesome idea. Honestly, if I didn't already have that plot point figured out, you might have just given it to me. Yep, shes in love again, and she doesn't want to risk getting hurt. Hence the leaving bit, but she still has to finish the mission, and she still gets to spend a little bit more time with him. Being in love has to suck some times eh?

Well, That's about it, remember to review! Less then five minutes in the little box down there helps keep this story and its ideas flowing!

I know I'm forgetting something...Oh..right..the sneak peak : 3 Its down below, taken straight out of my Doc file. Enjoy!

-Star Fox: Destines- One Shot Collection by: Emile The Watcher.

A collection of one shots with just a bunch of random ideas that I have, but never form into full stories. Quite a few are inspired by other stories on here. Also, if you feel like you have an idea that would make a good story, but don't want to do any writing yourself, you can leave a review or PM me and I'll see if I can work something out of it. So with that, I present to you:

-Chapter 1-Wretched Destiny-

'This isn't right'

That one thought ran itself around in my head, over and over, around and around, in endless loops. Never ending, never ceasing, and never being wrong. I know that I should be happy for him, and I am, Really. Somewhere deep inside the pain that has clamped down on my heart, I'm really happy for him, if hes happy, I'm happy. Perhaps in a few years I'll be able to really show that happiness.

Right?

That's a lie, and I know it, for all my false smiles and sudden laughs, inside I'm broken, ripped into pieces and crushed beyond all belief. For the past few months, whenever I'm drifting off to sleep, one last thought makes itself know to me.

He. Is. Mine. Mine!

As music starts to drift through the room, I'm pulled out of my thoughts as the notes start to gently waft through the air. The flowing cords lift the spirit of everybody in the room. Everybody that is, except for two.

I shifted my gaze around the room, taking in the sights before me. Laid out in the large room, were lengthy wooden pews, each one packed full of citizens of Corneria City. Many of them were holding cameras and pointing them to my right. Banners of bright white hung from the ceiling, streams of pink running down them in peaceful spirals. The edges of the pews had white sleeves covering them, also with pink, but this was a gently smattering of dots. To my right stood a magnificent white gable with pink streamers wound through its slats. Inside the gable stood a very nervous looking fox in a black tux.

Fox McCloud, Hero of Lylat, and Groom at his wedding.

My gaze eventually settled on the avian standing on the other side of the gable, blue feathers slicked back, and dressed in a matching Tux.

Falco Lombardi, Star Fox pilot, best man at his friends wedding, and the only other unhappy person here.

If you looked closely at his eyes you could see the same emotions that warred for dominance inside me. I wasn't alone in thinking that this whole thing was wrong. My tail twitched twice in irritation, causing the soft blue of my gown to sway gently. I spotted Falco tapping his foot slightly and I could feel his rage from here. The doors at the back swung open suddenly and my eyes were drawn along the stripe of red carpet to the bride walking through the pews towards Fox.

There ya Go, the first page from my little project. I have no idea when I'll actually get it done enough to upload. I just barely typed this up from my notes right now. So, guess we'll see how it goes. Not to mention I want to get a few more ideas penned down before I start uploading.

Peace,

- Emile