A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to the final chapter of this fic! I rather enjoyed writing the finale, but there may have been some vital points I may have missed out. If there is anything, such as OOC-ness or spelling mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me!
Also, note the titles! You can see they kinda loop, and just keep going and going ^^ It's meant to describe Wolf and Krystal's feelings as the fic progresses, meaning they're avoiding each other by the end.
Meanwhile, hope you enjoy it and thanks for everyone who has been here since the beginning!
/\/\/\/\ Chapter 5: Running Again /\/\/\/\
He was alone for what felt like a mere second. The protesting doors had told him so, for they had once again opened with such little delay. He highly doubted it was his tail that had done it.
The company didn't say anything, but simply sat by the wolf. He didn't bother looking up to see who it was, but he didn't exactly need three guesses. There was only one person who would stoop down to his level.
"If you want me to apologise, then forget it," Wolf snapped, raising his head towards the ceiling. "I meant everything."
Krystal offered a weak smile. "I know. You lost yourself, so it's only fair that you express the things which you've kept bottled."
She reached out a reassuring paw, almost as though she wanted to take the wolf's paw into her own, but reconsidered. Withdrawing it, she dusted her leg instead. He had already seen her previous intention though.
The lupine snorted. "Bottled? More like saved until the ideal moment. And this was the moment." He didn't bother meeting her gaze – it would either make him lose it again or take back his words in a massive hurry. Both ways would ruin his pride a little more, and he couldn't afford that right now.
Alternatively, he fought his mild curiosity by flexing his fingers.
Krystal took her time to reply. "So it was an accident waiting to happen?"
"Yeah, 'course." He knew he sounded heartless, but there was no point in trying to take it back. A lot of the time, it was better to be harsh rather than beating around the bush.
There was a swallow. A small one, but the leader's ears picked up on it quite easily. "So there's nothing between me and Panther?" Her voice sounded hesitant, and it was clear she was feeling uneasy about what the answer was going to be.
It was perfectly obvious what his answer was though.
"Nah," Wolf confirmed, circling his wrist nonchalantly. It was then he met Krystal's gaze at long last.
Her eyes were once again wide, her tentative lips biting on an unfortunate claw. With her knees tucked almost to her chin, it was a wonder she was able to breathe at all. As if by reflex, that second of eye contact broke as Krystal looked away.
Wolf's gaze also lingered away from his company, opting to take interest in the metal wall instead. A small growl escaped his throat as he tried to sigh – his gullet seemed to be obstructed like a massive road work.
There was a small pause, but it felt like it lasted an eternity. "What about me and you?" the vixen questioned next.
To be honest, he really didn't want to answer that. One part of him was urging him to take her into his arms right there, another one was just to break it off whilst he had the chance. One was ordering him to tell her everything would be all right, the other part wanted to shout at her and pull her insides out with the power of words.
It was all about showing who was boss, right?
The lupine scoffed. "What about us?" he said casually, yet he knew exactly what she was talking about. He heard his voice waver slightly as he said those words – it certainly was hard to cover emotions.
"Is it…more than friends?"
Yeah right, a tiny part of his subconscious immediately thought, sarcasm practically flowing out of his ears. Then, one split second later, it was just the first word. Just a genuine 'yeah'.
Wolf closed his eyes, attempting to shut out his surroundings. This couldn't be happening. He got to his feet before he even knew he was doing it. "I'm heading back in. I'm hungry."
He didn't bother to see whether Krystal was following. There was the faint murmur of "Everywhere I go, it's the same thing", but that was all there was. He needed to get as far away from her as possible, even if it meant having to see two more subordinates annoyed at him. At least he had a vague idea as to how to tackle them.
Leon and Panther were sitting at the table by the time the leader returned to the office. Both pilots looked up, but soon resumed to their bagels. One did, anyway.
"Hurry up," the chameleon snapped, one elbow on the table grouchily. Paper was notably on the floor now – evidently, he had brushed it aside in his rage.
The lupine didn't bother questioning why or the fact he was being far too bossy. He just gave him a dirty look before ambling to the table to his specific seat. Panther didn't even appear to notice the extra company opposite him.
Leon returned the disharmonious look, and didn't even reserve one for Krystal. Impressively enough, it appeared they were on good terms in comparison. "Good, now debriefing can start."
Wolf could have mentally slapped himself. Of course, whilst he was venting his anger, there were more important issues out there that required their attention. He arched an eyebrow for the chameleon to continue – there was obvious friction between team members, but that had to be set aside for the time being.
"Looking into the Cornerian Military's files, it appears that there has once again been a threat to the Lylat System. Not Andross though, but rather the trail he has left behind." The lizard put his other elbow on the table and steeped his fingers. It was apparent he enjoyed being the boss. "Venom has always been an acidic planet, and it is only natural for a life form to grow there eventually."
The vixen held up a hand to stop him mid-way. "So, just to make this clear, are we doing this because Star Fox is out of action?"
The twitching tail was the only part of Leon that moved. "No. We're doing this so we can claim a name for ourselves and get that bounty off our heads."
Upon hearing the direct answer, Krystal let the matter rest. Her head lowered forlornly. Panther made to hold her hand, but the vulpine simply placed it on her lap again.
"As I was saying, the life form that now inhibits the Venom Sea is a bunch of Anglars. Unfortunately, they're not a hostile bunch and plan to take control of the Lylat System for themselves. They even appointed an Anglar Emperor to lead them as well."
Wolf grinned. "And for the bounty to be nullified, we deal with them personally?"
Unluckily, the chameleon didn't get a chance to reply, for Panther had cleared his throat a tad haughtily. "If you're saying Venom has always been an acidic planet, what has Andross got to do with it?"
Leon rolled his eyes, as though the answer was obvious. "The statistics show that Andross was building a neutralising device. Its materials point to the general composition of Venom, implying he wanted to make Venom a harmless planet." He folded his arms across his chest thoughtfully. "For what reason, that's where the massive blank is. My bet was that he wanted to create a planet suitable for life; maybe even rivalling that of Corneria."
Clearing his throat, Wolf sank further into his seat. "Therefore, before we take the battle to them, we have to steal the device. Presuming it works, that is."
"Correct, though I wouldn't use the term 'steal'. It's too late to start a sneaky operation," the chameleon pointed out, drumming his fingers on his forearms steadily. "And it's almost definite it will work. We're talking about evil genius here."
Grinning about the ending statement, Panther leaned over the table to rest his elbows there. "We can still swipe it though, right? Any idea where it is?"
Leon took in the question for a few moments. "No," he responded honestly.
Their plans had reached a dead end. No device, no neutralising Venom, no massive reward at the end. All hopes seemed to vaporise just there, and there appeared to be nothing to hide the truth.
Until Krystal finally broke the silence. "If these things have seriously taken the Fleet of Cornerian's attention, then it would definitely have Fox's at least." She looked up from her paws, albeit only her eyes. "He's likely to have more to go on than us. We stand more chance working with him."
Panther narrowed his yellow eyes in disbelief. "Work with the man who ruined us all? Not likely."
The vixen furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to justify herself. "Temporarily," she said, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. "We only play our strengths after all. We'll be able to keep an eye on him whilst we're there, to make sure we're ahead of the game."
Leon kept his gaze on her, chewing the end of his bagel pensively. "How likely is it that he would agree? If we all come and team up with him randomly, he would be suspicious before we can even say Wolfen."
"In that case, I will go alone." The wolf rose from his seat, successfully gaining even Panther's attention. "If my assumptions are correct, Fox would need help and would seek me out anyway. Even if his cronies decide to team up again, I doubt they'll be a strong enough force. I'll go alone."
The feline's tongue clicked. "That would probably be best." His eyes finally interlocked with Wolf's violet ones properly, dark and dull. It was evident he was in no hurry to forgive.
Biting a hunk off his bit of bread, the lizard made every effort to look even the slightest graceful. "Don't reveal the plan though," he teased with his mouthful, before swallowing his food. "Tell him you're in it for the money or you're bored. Don't say the I-care-for-the-Lylat-System malarkey – it doesn't suit you."
Wolf grinned. "I know. That quote's reserved for foxes only."
Surprisingly enough, Leon returned the smile. It was more shrewd and cunning than normal, but he appreciated it nevertheless. He guessed it was because Krystal had contributed the plan, for the chameleon was glancing at her every now and again. It could have been mild admiration, but it certainly wasn't hate anymore.
"Whilst I'm doing that, I want the three of you to take on as many Anglars as you can." He circled around his chair, one claw on its backrest. "Keep 'em distracted, improve your skills, whatever. When I come back, I don't expect you to be sitting around munching on doughnuts."
He saw Krystal give a small laugh before nodding after Leon (who had only given one brisk jerk). "We'll handle things. Meanwhile, be careful."
Resisting the urge to bellow out his incredulity for the choice of words, he offered a broad smirk. Whilst he wanted to keep things strictly professional, he simply couldn't help but ponder over the last part. Be careful? That was the sort of thing Fox would say. Careful wasn't in his dictionary, for he played the rules differently. If there were any rules at all, that is.
Cheating Star Fox? Suggesting going alone so that he wouldn't have to sit with Panther? Certainly in this round, the rules were very few.
"Watch your own back, I'm good." Finally, he turned his attention to the final member of Star Wolf. "Panther, I'll leave Star Wolf in your care."
Above Leon's distasteful hiss, Wolf could still hear the feline exhaled loudly. It was as if it was just them two in the room, two minds brushing against each other like plates ready to cause an earthquake. There was only one false move necessary to make both people angry.
Panther's glare softened as he cracked a ghost of a smile. "Sure thing."
/\/\/\/\ End /\/\/\/\
A/N: So there you have it. Wolf goes off with Fox, Krystal hardens up a little, Leon's still fine with everything and Panther takes over for a while!
Yeah, about Panther in particular. I noticed he tended to watch over the two during the Command cutscenes, hence why I made it so Wolf assigned that responsibility to him without actually saying 'watch over Krystal'.
So anyway, hope you enjoyed the fic, let me know what you thought of it and will see you again, perhaps! I'll be off to my original fortress, the Super Smash Bros fandom!