A Second Chance
By FoxMcCloude
Disclaimer: Fox, Krystal/Kursed and all the Star Fox series belong to Nintendo.
Part IV: Confessions.
Planet Kew, 12:40 pm…
After Fox and Kursed reached an agreement in regards to working together, they started making their plans to ambush Furio and Feral. They had about a week or so in expectation, trying to gather up information they could use, although with little success. A few informants where they could locate some of Furio's henchmen, but after what happened with Draco several days before, Fox decided it would be best not meddling with them to avoid drawing the attention. At this point it was on the planet's journals and on the TV news the authorities were investigating Draco's death, after finding his corpse splotched against the pavement. By that time, Furio should knew what happened, and even though the police found signs of a struggle at Draco's office, the assassin had left not even a single fingerprint which could give him away. Thinking about that, Fox felt a bit at ease, Furio perhaps knew there was someone after him, but not WHO was after him. Lucky for him Fangs had been forbidden from making phone calls from the detention center for inappropriate behavior.
Just now, the two foxes were at the restaurant of the Marine Bay Hotel, having their lunch quietly. They were at the terrace, taking the fresh air outside and with an incredible sight. This time it was Fox's turn to pay the bill. They both had spent some time talking and getting to know each other better, and even while Fox refused to admit it, he had come to tolerate and even enjoy Kursed's company. She seemed to feel very pleased with him as well.
Kursed noticed Fox was staring at nowhere with a hand on his chin, and with the other he was moving incessantly the fork over his plate. The vixen really felt uncomfortable when seeing him that lost, that wasn't the Fox she knew, so she decided to get him out of his trance.
- Are you going to eat it or what? -
- Huh? – Kursed's comment surprised him. – Sorry, I just was… thinking. -
- Thinking of what? -
- Nothing important, just… it's been so long I last saw my friends, that's all. -
- You're talking about your friends of the Star Fox team? – Kursed asked, to which Fox simply replied with a nod. – That reminds me, I never asked you why you guys separated. -
- We were no longer needed, I supposed. – Fox said. – Besides, my friends had the rights to keep on with their lives, I was nobody to force them to stick along with me. -
- And what happened with them? -
- Well, Falco decided to form his own squadron, which he named Star Falco. – Fox said. – He joined with his "more-than-friend" Katt, and a pilot from the Cornerian Army named Dash. I worked alongside them a couple of times, and for what I know, they're having a lot of success. I'm glad for Falco, I know him well and I always knew deep inside he wanted to be in charge. -
- Hmm, that's quite interesting. What about the others? -
- Well, Peppy still remains firm on his post as the Commander-in-Chief of the Cornerian Military Forces, and Slippy is living very happily with Aquas with his wife. According to what they've informed me, they have quite an army of kids. -
- Tee hee, so they don't waste their time, huh? – Kursed giggled when she thought about that. – Hey… wasn't there a girl in your team? -
- Ah, her. – Fox said. – About that… I prefer not to talk. -
- Why? – Kursed asked, although in reality he had a good idea of the reason why Fox didn't want to talk about it. Fox stared at her oddly, Kursed raised her hands in front of herself trying not to lose her self-control. – Hey, you don't need to tell me if you don't want, I just thought… -
- Hmm, well, I guess I could tell you. – Fox said. – Well, turns out… Krystal. – Fox made a huge effort to pronounce her name, it was quite painful for him to do it. – Not much time passed after we met when I realized I had fallen in love with her. It was hard for me to accept, but in time we finally realized our feelings for each other and decided to be together. -
- And … what happened? – Kursed asked, pretending not to know.
- I was worried about her safety, because of that I decided it would be best to separate, for her sake. – Fox said. – I'll never forget the expression she had that fateful day, she was heartbroken, I could see it in her eyes. I thought I was doing the right thing… but I was wrong. -
- It wasn't your fault, Fox. – Kursed said, struggling hard to not to say it aloud. – It took me all these years to realize you were doing it because you cared about me. -
- And well, I found out she had joined my rivals, Star Wolf. – Fox said. – If that wasn't enough, I knew she was involved in a relationship with Panther in the time she spent with them. -
- The worse mistake I've ever made. -
- Well, the fact is, I didn't have much time to worry about that, during the last skirmish the Lylat System had. I tried to charge onward on my own to face the Anglars, but shortly after I realized I wouldn't be able to do it. So… I went to look for some help… and since most of my teammates were busy in other parts … I went to see Wolf. –
- Like they say, drastic times require drastic measures. – Kursed admitted. – So what happened then? -
- To make a long story short, Wolf and his team were the ones who defeated Emperor Anglar and put an end to all that. They did their job very well, as much as I hate to admit it, perhaps even better than me. -
- Yes, we did it well, but using you as stepping-stone. – Kursed thought. – What happened exactly? -
- Well, I made a deal with Wolf to help us. Seemingly, he knew more than me about that device Andross had created. -
- Device? -
- Yes, a device to neutralize the acidity in the Venom oceans, the secret weapon to defeat the Anglars once and for all. He had me taking care of defeating the guardian protecting it… and then he fled with it. – Fox let out a small sigh before continuing. – I was such a fool to believe he was helping us, he simply used me to make the dirty work and then he took the glory for himself. -
- Wow, that was quite low. – Kursed said trying to keep her composure, what Fox had just told her was cutting her like a thousand sharp swords, as a result of the guilt.
- You think so? That's not the worst part… -
FLASHBACK: Five years ago…
Wolf had just run away with the device, and he was communicating with Fox and Falco who had returned to the Great Fox, to laugh in their faces before leaving.
- Heh heh... Sorry, Fox, but I've got a crew of my own. It's our turn to play the heroes and clear our names once and for all. -
- Wait! Wolf! – Fox screamed.
- No! Bad wolf! Sit! Stay! – Falco yelled.
- If you've got a message for Krystal, I'll deliver it! – Wolf replied. – This was her plan after all! -
- That's not... – Fox was left open-mouthed when he heard that. – It can't be! -
- I believe I can accurately forecast Wolf's destination. – ROB intervened. – In all probability he is heading for Venom via Sector Y. -
- Blast! – Fox yelled falling on his knees and pounding the floor in anger. – We were fools to have ever trusted him! -
END OF FLASHBACK
- I couldn't believe it. – Fox said. – That plan had been hers. It was none other than her who had the idea of making me do the hard work, and then they would leave me out in the cold to get all the credit. Never, ever in my life I felt so humiliated, my pride broke in pieces that day. – Fox remained silent for a moment before continuing. – Then again, perhaps I deserved it for what I did to her in the first place. I suppose I was in part responsible in making her take that attitude. I couldn't blame her for hating me. -
- If only you knew, Fox, if only you knew… - Kursed thought, then she spoke aloud. – And what happened to her, in the end? -
- I don't know, a few months later, she disappeared from Lylat without a trace. – Fox concluded. – I could never tell her how I felt, and that was the worst experience I've ever had. Quite ironic, isn't it? One same person being the best and at the same time the worse thing ever happened in your life. –
Fox exhaled a sigh when he said the last part. Kursed kept silent for a moment. She wasn't still clear about what were Fox's sentiments towards her currently, but something was for sure, the fact she had left him had affected him as much or perhaps even more than her. Fox noticed she was staring at him oddly, as if somehow she could understand his pain.
- Sorry, I didn't want to go sentimental. – He apologized. – This must be very boring to you. -
- No, not at all. – Kursed said. – To be sincere, I think I know how you're feeling. I… made a very similar mistake when I left the persona who loved me the most with no words at all. –
- Really? -
- Yes. – Kursed admitted, but before she would let slip more than necessary, she changed the topic. – So tell me, didn't you try to search for her? -
- Tsk, it was pointless. – Fox said. – I wouldn't have the courage to look at her face to tell her. It's not pride or something like that, I just think I don't deserve her forgiveness anyway. I think that's my punishment for having made that mistake in the first place. -
- Hey, Fox, I think you're going a bit too far, you shouldn't be so severe with yourself. -
- What do you know? – In that moment Fox realized something. – Wait a second, did you just call me Fox? -
- Oops, sorry about that… McCloud. – She corrected.
- Hmm,… - Fox stood up from the table, and stared at Kursed, but then his expression softened. – No matter, don't worry. And you know? I think I feel better now having left all that out, I freed myself from a huge weight. Thanks. -
- Glad I helped you. – She said.
Fox smiled and got out of his jacket a small roll of cash, which he left on the table.
- This is to pay the bill. You can keep the change. I'll take a stroll around, catch you later. -
- Sure. – Kursed said taking the roll while Fox left quietly.
After the fox left the restaurant, Kursed stared at the roll of cash he had left for her, reflecting a bit on those last words: "My punishment for having made that mistake in the first place". Kursed knew Fox well, and if something set him apart from others was the fact he always took very seriously his mistakes, although she never though he would go THAT far.
- To think he has been tormenting himself with that for all these years, and it's all my fault. – She said to herself. The vixen closed her eyes and pressed the roll of cash against her chest. – Fox, I'm going to straighten our paths. I betrayed you, I abandoned you, and you have suffered a lot because of it. But it's over. I won't run anymore. We'll be together again, whatever it takes. -
It was not the right time yet. Kursed was not fully prepared to confront Fox and tell him who she really was. She wanted to wait a bit more, prepare herself mentally to tell him. But she knew she couldn't wait too much. She had only until that work was done to do it, and if they took separate was it was highly unlikely they would meet again. It was then or never.
- Destiny rarely gives you second chances… but I'm lucky and now I have one. I won't let it pass. Fox, I hope you can forgive me, I'll demonstrate you I still love you. -
/--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /
At the quays, several days later, 11:32 pm…
Finally the night came. The two foxes agreed on meeting half an hour before midnight at the quays, to wait for Furio and Feral to show up for the interchange. Fox had already arrived, he was by the entrance of a storehouse at Quay 25, and at the moment he was walking around while he waited for Kursed. A few minutes later, he heard the noise of a hoverbike, and the vixen appeared. She took off her helmet and hopped off her vehicle.
- Sorry I'm a bit late, got stuck a few minutes in the traffic. – Was the first thing she said. – Well, anything to report? -
- Not even a soul around here. – Fox answered. – It's still a bit early, let's go hide for a stakeout. –
- Take these, we're gonna need them. – Kursed said handing him a pair of night-vision glasses, and an earpiece.
- Thanks. – Fox put them on and tried them to verify they worked fine. – OK, you keep an eye over there, and I'll go that way. -
The vixen nodded and they went their respective ways. Keeping themselves hidden as best as possible, Fox and Kursed had their eyes open to any activity signal. Fox hid inside a dark alley behind a dump, while Kursed was in an elevated position next to a crane for a better sight of the zone, and also work as a sniper if needed.
Exactly at 11:52 pm, Fox heard the noise of a car approaching. Watching in every direction, he focused his night-vision glasses for a close-up, and he saw a military jeep, driven by a puma wearing a high-ranking uniform, and escorted by other three guys armed with assault rifles. Fox immediately turned on his earpiece.
- Kursed, Feral's here, stay on alert. -
- Yes, I see him. – She replied.
Fox stood behind the dump while he saw the jeep passing just by his side. Kursed could easily see from her position the jeep was going to the accorded meeting point, and upon focusing the sight, indeed, it was Feral. He was carrying a black suitcase, surely enough containing the disks of the Zeraph. For a moment she felt tempted to take advantage of the moment and shoot him before he had realized what had happened, but since Furio had not arrived yet, that wouldn't be convenient, given that Fox wouldn't like her to do that. Besides, they had agreed that he would decide what to do, and he had clearly said no shooting without consulting, so she was going to oblige with no questions.
Feral and his henchmen hopped off the jeep and stood there to wait. Fox went surrounding the storehouse and placed himself behind them to watch them more closely. He didn't notice anything peculiar, they were just standing there waiting. A few minutes elapsed, and Fox heard the noise of another vehicle approaching, this time a black limousine.
- That must be. – Fox thought staring at the luxurious vehicle.
Two guys dressed as mob guys, the first a leopard, the other a lynx, both with black sunshades, went out through the front doors of the limousine. The lynx walked towards the back door and opened it, coming out of it a voluptuous female black cat. She was wearing a very thigh red dress and showing her cleavage, a lock of her long white hair fell on the left side of her face giving her the air of a seductress. Escorting her, there was a largely-built male tiger, wearing a black suit with thin light grey lines, having the complete appearance of a big mafia boss, in all the words sense.
- Furio… - Fox said when he saw him, he pressed his earpiece and spoke as low as he could. – Kursed, get ready to fire as soon as I give you the signal. -
- I'm ready when you say. – The vixen said, attaching the sniper scope on her weapon, meanwhile, Fox was still watching, awaiting the right moment to attack. He listened more closely to hear what they said.
- Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Feral, we meet at last. – Furio was the first to talk.
- You can omit the "Lieutenant Colonel" part; you must know I'm officially… "retired" from service. – Feral replied. – Mr. Tiger Fury, better known as Furio, one of the most powerful magnates of the black market, time to close our deal. -
- Hehe, of course. – Furio said. – Did you bring the Zeraph? -
- As you can see. – Feral said showing his suitcase and showing it before Furio, but at a safe distance, so he could ascertain the containing, effectively, the three computer disks were inside. – And I suppose you have not forgotten my reward for the Zeraph. -
- Naturally. – The lynx handed a silver suitcase to Furio, he opened it before Feral in the same fashion to ascertain the containing, it was full of banknotes. – Fine, shall we proceed with the interchange? -
Feral nodded and gave the black suitcase to one of his escorts, while Furio did the same with his, giving it to the leopard. The two met face to face and exchanged the suitcases, and then they went back to their respective sides. Meanwhile, Fox and Kursed still watched the scene. They were waiting for them to let their guards for a moment, but their henchmen were alert to the surroundings. Fox knew Kursed was in a good position to shoot, but if she did that would make them go on alert and it could ruin their plans, aside from the fact they had to recover the disks safe and sound, and during a shooting that would be a hard feat.
- Hehe, fine. The deal is closed. – Feral said while he prepared to leave along with his men.
- Ah, by the way, Mr. Feral. – The black cat called her, with a sexy, but at the same time malicious voice.
- What is it? -
- I hope you like the little gift I gave you. – The cat replied with an evil grin.
- What do you mean? – In that moment Feral noticed there was smoke coming out of the suitcase, having no time to think he hurled it as far as he could, and while it was in the air…
¡¡KA-BOOOMM!! The suitcase exploded, the burning pieces of it and the money it had inside were spread everywhere. Feral turned to see Furio with a boiling rage, Fox on his side was totally speechless from what had just happened.
- Well, I didn't see this one coming. – Fox thought. Pressing the earpiece he called in Kursed. – We have a change of plans. Let's take advantage of the commotion to strike. I'll try and distract Furio to retrieve the disks. -
- Understood. –
- You treacherous bastard, you deceived me! – Feral yelled, pulling out a pistol and preparing to shoot Furio, when…
WHACK!! ZAP!!
- Aaahh! – A sudden lash forced him to release his weapon, when he realized what had happened he noticed the black cat was carrying an electro-charged whip.
- No, no, no, bad puma. – The cat said denying with her index finger. – Nobody else than me can touch Mr. Furio, nobody. -
- Thanks a lot, dear Kitty. – Furio said, placing his arm around her waist.
- You and your dear Kitty have earned yourselves a one-way-with-no-return ticket to hell. Terminate them! – Feral ordered, immediately the soldiers prepared their assault rifles to fire, but the Kitty lady was faster and with little problems disarmed them all with her whip.
- For all of you, I am Miss Katherina Claw; get it through your heads. – She said, preparing her weapon again.
Feral and his soldiers started stepping back, Furio's bodyguards have pulled out their own weapons, and that woman's whip had been too fast for them. They were cornered.
- And now, Lieutenant Colonel Feral… our deal is closed. -
- NOW!! – A scream was heard, and at the same time they heard the whistle of something flying through the air, a cylindrical object landed between both sides, and started spelling smoke, making everybody start coughing.
- *COUGH, COUGH, COUGH * what the heck *COUGH, COUGH*, is going on here? –
- You're mine, Furio!! -
WHOMP!! In the middle of the smoke, Furio received a kick in his stomach which forced him to release the suitcase, then an uppercut which made him fall backwards. The suitcase slipped a few meters before completely stopping, and about one minute elapsed before the smoke had dissipated completely.
- What the heck just happened? – Furio while he tried to see where that unexpected attack had come from, when he noticed Feral and his men running towards their jeep to escape. – Oh, no, you ain't going nowhere. -
The tiger took a machine gun and started shooting like crazy. Feral and his men started running their vehicle in reverse gear to try and escape that place, barely missing the shots. Meanwhile, Furio's bodyguards charged towards the suitcase with the Zeraph, but they were stopped by a couple of shots they didn't know where they came from, and when they tried to evade, a grenade which fell close of them sent them flying off the dock and they both fell into the water. The chauffer of Furio's limousine apparently was scared with all this mess, because without thinking too much about it he stepped on the gas at full and fled the scene, abandoning his master.
At the same time Feral tried to locate Furio, who had hidden inside narrow spaces between containers in the quay to escape an imminent ram-in from his jeep. From all the shooting he had run out of ammo and since he hadn't brought more to reload, he had had to hide inside a dark area. Finally when Feral lost his sight, he resigned.
- I'll come back for the Zeraph later, for the time being I'll let whoever is causing this mess to take care of Furio. – He said. – Let's get outta here. –
Immediately, Feral sped up his jeep and they left the place at full speed. Furio inspected the zone to make sure he had left already.
- That was close… Time to get the Zeraph and go to a less hostile place. -
- The only place you're going is to prison. – He heard someone's voice behind, and upon turning back he saw a fist charging towards his face.
WHAMP! The punch had enough strength to take Furio down despite his large size. It was so hard it got blood out of his nose and mouth. The tiger tried to wipe out the blood and saw the silhouette of his aggressor in the shadows, he couldn't see his face, but he had a gun in his hand.
- Get up, and put your hands behind your neck. – It was Fox, coming out of the dark.
- You… you are… yes, Fox McCloud, the legendary mercenary pilot from Corneria. –
- Stop the small-talk and do as I say. – Fox put the finger on the trigger.
- Sure, sure… - Furio obliged. – I should have guessed, I never thought somebody of such high reputation would be after my head. What an honor. -
- Flattery will get you nowhere, buddy. – Fox said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. – Time for you to pay your debts with the society. -
- Hehe, I wouldn't bet on that. – Furio stared at Fox with an evil grin, but he didn't change his countenance.
- If you knew what's expecting you, you wouldn't laugh. –
- Haha, ah, but I'm laughing because of what's expecting YOU, pal. -
WHACK!
- Aaahh!! – Fox received an electrified lash on his back, the shock made him drop his weapon and fall to the ground, moment in which Furio took a hold of it, but Fox recovered in time to use his reflector to shield himself from the shots, even though now the odds were against him as Kitty had joined the scuffle, whipping him around non-stop, not giving him any chances to counter.
- Be good and stand still, that way it will be less painful for you. – Kitty said.
- No thanks. – Fox replied, then he said to himself inside. – Kursed, where the heck are you?! -
Meanwhile, Kursed had gone to pick up the suitcase with the Zeraph, taking advantage of the commotion, but as soon as she got a hold of it, her attention was directed towards where Fox was fighting for his life against Kitty and Furio. Realizing she couldn't waste any second, she got the disks out of the suitcase and put them inside her pants, while at the same time, taking a page from Kitty's book, introduced a detonator inside of it, programming it to explode in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. She immediately raced towards the place where the fight was on, just when Fox was at the edge of the quay.
- Hey, Raging Tiger! – The vixen yelled, the tiger immediately knew it was him who she was talking to. – You looking for this? – She yelled showing him the suitcase, then throwing it as far as she could into the water. – I dare you to go after it! -
- No, the Zeraph! – Furio exclaimed diving in after the suitcase, leaving Kitty alone to deal with Fox, giving Kursed the chance to go to Fox's aide. She ran towards the feline, and getting a hold of her she twisted her arm to force her to release her whip, then she threw him above her shoulder slamming her into the ground, she then ran to see Fox.
- Are you OK? – She asked.
- I'll live. – Fox replied. – Thanks for the help, but you could have hurried a bit more. -
Kursed was about to say something when Kitty got up, still a bit dazed for the fall.
- Ouch. You accursed meddling vixen, who do you think you are? -
- Well, well, I thought cats always fell on their feet. – Kursed mocked her, not paying her a lot of attention.
- Are you making fun of me? Well, why don't you put your money where your mouth is? –
- Don't you think we're gonna… - Fox was about to face her, but Kursed stopped him.
- Leave it to me. This is just for women. And to make it fair, please hold this for me. – Kursed handed her weapons and her utility belt to Fox.
- Well, you do have guts, I see. – Kitty adopted the Tiger style Kung Fu stance, Kursed prepared to attack as well.
Kitty was the first to charge with a flying kick, which Kursed blocked with her right arm, Kitty wasted no time and using the impulse she sent a second kick with her other leg hitting the right side of Kursed's torso, the vixen winced a bit in pain but she didn't allow that to stop her, she grabbed the cat's leg and spinning around a bit she threw her. Kursed ran to finish her off while she was on the ground, but just as Kursed tried to drop her leg on Kitty's stomach, she rolled to avoid it, and even on the ground she was able to make a spinning kick which made the vixen fall on her back, but she recovered delivering a kick towards Kitty's stomach, which made her lose her breath, Kursed ran towards her while she was dazed, grabbed her from the collar of her dress, slapped her a couple of times an threw her against a container. Recovering from what had just happened, Kitty got up even more furious and ran towards Kursed, continuing the fight.
While Kursed dealt with Kitty, Fox searched all over trying to locate Furio. He had dived into the water after the suitcase, and since it was dark he couldn't see clearly where had gone. Chances were the suitcase might have sunk, and should that be the case it was highly unlikely if not impossible to recover the Zeraph, or at least so he thought. Instants later, Fox spotted, at a distance of about 20 meters from the farthest edge of the quay something moving, he immediately deduced it had to be Furio, so he ran after him.
Furio swam around all the area chasing the suitcase; it was quite an effort, but after searching a lot he finally saw it and with no hesitation he swam towards it, even while he was aware Fox was coming after him. As soon as he put his hands on it, he exclaimed triumphant:
- Finally, the Zeraph is mine! -
At that very moment inside the suitcase, the detonator's timer marked, 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… 0.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMM!! There was a huge explosion which splashed quite an amount of water, taking Fox totally off-guard, luckily he had not come too close. By the time he realized what had happened he could only see Furio's lifeless remains floating on the water.
- But what the heck was that? – He said confused.
- Huh? – Kitty exclaimed when she heard the explosion. – What was that? -
- Hehe, looks like your boss has passed onto a better life. – Kursed said with no remorse at all. – Or should I say, onto a worse life? -
- Curse you, what did you do! –
- Nothing you haven't done before, am I wrong? -
- Grrrrr. – The cat growled in rage. – I'll let you live for now, but the next time we meet you won't be so lucky. You and your friend will pay for what you did. –
The cat ran away from that place as fast as she could, not before picking up her whip from the ground. Fox walked towards Kursed, who smiled triumphantly.
- May I ask you what you did exactly? – Fox asked.
- I put a detonator inside the suitcase, and I programmed it to the estimated time Furio would retrieve it if I threw it there, with that I distracted his attention from you. – Kursed said. – Don't you like my style? –
- And on top pf that you sacrificed the Zeraph to help me? That doesn't favor you very much. -
- Don't be silly. – Kursed said pulling out the disks off her pants. – I wasn't planning on leaving my own reward. I never work for free. -
- Well, we both got what we wanted here. – Fox said. – I'll call the cornerian authorities to tell them Furio will not be causing any problems. -
- And if they ask, it was you who got them, right? – She said.
- Glad we agree. – Fox said. – Well, let's leave this place, this work is officially concluded. -
Fox went back to where he had parked his bike. Kursed waited for a moment before following him.
- Not yet, Fox. There's one more thing I need to do. -
/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /
A couple of hours later…
Kitty wandered around the streets, totally furious and filled with a thirst for vengeance. The only thing on her mind was to make those two foxes what they had done. Particularly the blue-furred vixen, for making her look like a fool.
- They better be prepared, for once I find them, I'll make sure to give them a tortuous end. -
But she was so concentrated on her thoughts she didn't notice she was heading close to a dark alley, from which out came a hand which grabbed her from the mouth and dragged her in.
- Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm!! -
- Shhh, you're prettier when you're quiet, precious. –
Just in case, two more guys held her arms, and Kitty ceased her struggle upon realizing it was useless, these guys surpassed her in number and strength. The guy who had muffled her finally released his grip, of course not without whispering to her ear that if she screamed or something she would pay dearly, so she remained silent, but not changing her angry expression.
- Well, well, this is quite a small planet. – A known voice was heard, who else could be, but Feral. – Would you look at who we got here… Miss Kitty. -
- Miserable, who do you think you are to call me that way? –
WHAP!
- Listen dear kitten, I'm in charge here, and you shut up unless I ask you something, understood? -
- Hmm… - Kitty said nothing else, but she really wanted to give Feral a taste of his own medicine for slapping her. – Tell me what do you want of me and let's end this ASAP. –
- Calm down, it's not a bad thing, I simply wanted to make a little proposal to you. -
- Sorry, I don't accept compromises, I'm a free woman. – She answered with irony.
- Quite the feisty woman, aren't you? Hehe, sorry to disappoint you, but if that's what you thought, you were wrong. You see, the only thing I care about, is retrieving the Zeraph. –
- And what do I have to do with that? –
- Listen up kitten, if it wasn't because you and your darned boss double-crossed me we wouldn't be in this mess right now. I lost the money, and you guys lost the Zeraph because of that. -
- Blame it on Fox McCloud and his little friend, they took it away after all. -
- I do it, yes, but you can't deny you and Furio are in part responsible for this too. – Feral said. – Of course, since those two foxes made both of us lose, we have a common enemy. My proposal is, if you help me recover the Zeraph, I'll spare your life. I'm willing to pay you a cipher of at least eight digits, in case you're interested. -
- And if I refuse? -
- Well, my subordinates here will make you be indisposed… permanently. –
Kitty evaluated her options. She wasn't sure if the deal was safe. Just to be sure, she decided to ask one last question.
- How do you know you're not lying? -
- Kitty, unlike you gangsters, I'm a man of word, and I always fulfill what I promise. When we have taken care of those two, I'll let you go wherever you want, and we won't see each other anymore. Do we have a deal? –
- … Fine, but first tell your men to get their hands off me, I feel quite uncomfortable. –
- You may let her go now. – Feral ordered, they immediately obliged. – Alright, this is what we'll do… -
/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /
Two days later, 6:30 pm…
Fox was riding his bike towards the Heaven's Gate Hotel. He didn't seem to be in good mood. The previous day he had contacted the cornerian authorities in order to inform them he had gotten rid of Furio permanently, and that morning they had called him to notify him they had transferred his fee to his bank count. He was making the preparations to leave planet Kew and return to Corneria for his next job, when he got a call from Kursed, telling him she needed to see him to tell him about something very important. At this point Fox did not want anything to do with Kursed, but she insisted it was absolutely necessary he knew about that. Feeling somehow in his debt, Fox decided at last for the sake of being polite he should go listen whatever she had to say. Since she told him to come at 7:00 pm at the Heaven's Gate Hotel, he had to wait until the next morning to set off to Corneria.
- It better be important. – He said taking off the helmet and walking towards the hotel.
The fox went straight towards the entrance, where before passing through, he saw a certain female panther leaving the hotel with her baggage, very furious.
- You might stick with your miserable hotel! Marie has been kicked out from better places! -
Fox let out a half-smirk; seemingly the hotel staff finally got fed up of that so feisty and headstrong guess. About time they did. Then he went back to reality and entered the hotel. He spoke to the receptionist and then he went to Kursed's room.
Before touching the intercommunicator to call for her, Fox felt something weird inside. A strange hunch. He had no idea what Kursed wanted to speak with him so badly, but something inside told him it was really going to be as important as she had said. It might be something he wouldn't like to hear, perhaps some dark secret the lady was hiding.
- Whatever it might be, you won't find out standing here like an idiot, will you? – His rational part intervened. He was going paranoiac, perhaps for working too much. Nah, it couldn't be so grave. Convincing himself it was just his idea, he finally touched the intercommunicator. – Here I am. -
- Come in, please. –
The door opened, and Fox accessed the room. The place had the lights low, giving it a mysterious, almost romantic, atmosphere, you could say. Getting those thoughts off his head, Fox saw Kursed sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed.
- Take a seat. – She said pointing at one of the chairs before the sofa. The atmosphere of the place made him felt quite uncomfortable, but Fox gathered up some courage and sat. – Sorry I made you come like this, but believe me, what I have to tell you is very important. -
- It better be. – Fox replied frigidly. – Well, whatever you need to say, say it at once, I'm all ears. -
- Do you prefer the long version, or the short one? -
- I cannot leave until tomorrow, so might as well be the long one. We've got plenty of time. -
- Fine. – Kursed said. – You know, when I said I knew your records, you had no idea what I meant with that. At least, I knew your records up until the end of the Anglar Wars. -
- So what's with that? -
- When I approached you, I did thinking you would accept my help immediately. But I was wrong. I never thought you would be so distrustful and lonesome, let alone such a cold person. Definitely you were not the Fox McCloud I used to know. -
- The Fox McCloud you used to know? What the heck are you talking about? Up until two weeks ago we had never met before. -
- You're wrong… Fox. You and I know each other very well… we could say… too well. -
- Listen, I didn't came here to speak nonsense with you, so if you excuse me… -
- No, I do not excuse you, not until I have finished what I have to say, and soon you'll realize it's not nonsense at all. – Kursed said. Fox was about to say something, but Kursed's sharp stare made him desist. – Yes, Fox, you and I know each other much more than you think. What surprised me the most was the fact I recognized you, but you didn't recognize me. -
- Will you stop all this and talk outright at once? Why don't you go straight to the point? -
- Didn't you say you wanted the long version? Now deal with it. – Kursed said. – The day you made Krystal leave the Star Fox team, according to your words for her own safety, she was crushed. Because she thought you didn't love her anymore, you didn't want her by your side. And that's why she ended up going to your rivals, out of despair, that was the only way she found to suppress a bit her inner pain. She was such a fool, who in their sanity is capable of leaving behind everything they have for something as worthless as that? -
- Hey, don't talk about her that way! – Fox interrupted.
- Let me finish. – She continued. – When you went to get Wolf's help, she decided to take advantage of your good faith, that way you would do the hard work. It's true she was still resentful towards you, she thought she hated you, and that way she could pay you back for what you did to her. But in actuality things were not that way. It wasn't you whom she hated. She hated herself for what had happened, and she unleashed that hatred against you, against the person she loved the most. Yes, Fox, she never stopped loving you, even though her pride never allowed her to accept the obvious. -
- Wait… how can you know that? – The hunch Fox had before entering the room was starting to come back, and multiplied by ten. He wasn't sure whether he wanted or not to know the rest, but he had came all that way, there was no turning back.
- Even though the Star Wolf members were acclaimed as heroes, everybody in Lylat saw Krystal as a traitor. And they were right, it was because of her you and your team ended up hitting rock bottom, am I wrong? That was not exactly the best way to treat those who had been her closest friends. And that's why she vanished from Lylat, she wanted to leave behind everything, and everyone. -
- You have not answered my question, how can you know? -
- Isn't it obvious? – Kursed said. – I thought you were much more perceptive than that, Fox. Or it's been so long you have forgotten my face, but not my name? Or rather, my FORMER name? –
- No… it's not possible… - Fox was paler than a ghost, while he started to put together the puzzle pieces, everything was starting to make sense.
- When I told you I had interrogated Fangs after you left, I lied. Actually, I overheard your conversation using my telepathic powers. – She continued. – And let me ask you, how many blue-furred foxes you know? Didn't I tell you my planet was destroyed, and all its inhabitants murdered? Come on, Fox, I know you can put one and one together. -
- No… it can't be… then you are… - Fox knew it, he knew exactly what that meant. He couldn't believe she was in front of him all the time and he didn't realize. The woman before him, she was his long-lost love, Krystal.
- At least in one thing you still remain the same after all this time. – She said while standing up and walking towards him. Next she knelt until she was at his same height to look at him in the eyes. Fox stared back at her, those cold and inexpressive eyes inexplicably had filled themselves with love and compassion, although with a bit of sorrow as well, she seemed like a totally different person altogether. – You always take too seriously the mistakes you make. But it's not OK you punish yourself so hard for them. You had said you didn't deserve my forgiveness, but you're wrong. It is I who doesn't deserve yours. Fox… I never stopped loving you… and while you might not believe me I still do. -
- Kur… no, Krystal. – Fox finally pronounced his name, for the first time in years with no effort at all.
- After we broke up… I thought I couldn't forgive you. I thought you wanted to keep me away from you. But after… that, I realized the only person I couldn't forgive, was myself. That's why I ran away, from you, from Lylat and from everything else. But when I found you again… at first I didn't know what to do, but I eventually came to realize fate was giving me a second chance to be with you. One I couldn't… no, one I SHOULDN'T let pass, otherwise I would regret it the rest of my life. -
- I… - Fox was about to say something, but she silenced him with his finger.
- Shhh, please don't say anything. Fox, I still love you, and I want to be with you again. – She whispered, she then removed her finger from Fox's lips, just to replace it with her own lips.
Fox couldn't believe what was happening. Many emotions were mixing up inside him in that moment, but even despite that, in and act not even he himself could comprehend, he placed his arms around her and held her closer to him, making the kiss even more passionate. He had not felt her lips in so long, he had almost forgotten the sensation they gave him. For the first time in years, he said he was letting out all the feelings he had kept repressed along all that time, and all the pain she had caused him seemed to completely fade away. Little did he know she felt exactly the same way, the guilt was no longer choking her, she felt free from those heavy chains.
But after a few minutes, Fox brusquely pushed her away, as soon as his rational (or maybe not as rational) part intervened. Kursed, that is, Krystal, fell to the ground when Fox pushed her away, she didn't expect him to do that, let alone after kissing her that way. When she got back on her feet, Krystal saw Fox had a very grave expression, and was touching his forehead with his fingertips as if he had a headache.
- Fox, what's wrong with you! – Was all she could say.
- I'm sorry… - He replied. – Krystal… all of this… all of this is just too swift, I cannot simply assimilate just like that. -
- Fox! -
- This isn't right… I cannot think clearly. This… is too much for me. – Fox said. – I think it's better I leave. -
- Fox, wait! -
- I just need some time to sort out what I'm feeling right now. We'll talk later, when I have cleared up my mind, OK? Don't worry, I won't leave before clearing this up. Goodbye. -
- Fox! – Krystal tried to stop him, but he had already crossed the door. Frustrated, Krystal walked towards her bed. She dropped herself on it and embraced a large pillow. Things didn't go as she had expected. At least she had been able to tell him, but he didn't give her a straight answer, and having still that doubt was killing her in the inside. Perhaps she couldn't blame him, she had been a bit too straight on her confession. Her only solace at the moment was the fact he had promised not to leave before clearing up everything.
She had still hope, a small, but existent hope. She grasped that little hope as tightly as she grasped the pillow. She wouldn't let them go, not a chance.
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Moments later, in the center of the city…
Fox hopped off his bike, after racing off around without a course, away from the Heaven's Gate Hotel, and Krystal. He was confused, he really didn't know what to do. He needed a place and a moment to order his feelings.
- What am I supposed to do? – He said. – I can't believe it, she was in front of me all this time, and I never noticed. -
For personal self-protection, Fox had repressed his memories of Krystal, in fact he had gotten rid of everything which reminded him of her. Perhaps for that he had forgotten her appearance, however he never forgot her name, let alone the love he had for her. That love remained dormant inside for years, and now was trying to get out again. The issue was, Fox didn't know if he should let it out again or not. A part of him told him that since she had betrayed him before, there would always be a chance she would do it again. The other part was saying him he should trust her, after all they still loved each other, and she seemed to be very sorry for all what had happened.
- She still loves me... even after so long she still loves me… -
Fox always thought Krystal hated him for making her leave his side. Never ever in that time he thought she could be so willing to forgive him, let alone still loved him. If she really felt the same as him, why couldn't he accept her by his side again, accept her forgiveness and love?
- Darn it! Why can't I get off this foolish pride of mine? -
But Fox had to leave aside his inner conflicts after he heard a scream, and he saw a masked guy with all the looks of a hoodlum chasing a woman with a red dress inside a dark alley. Imagining the worse, Fox did not waste a second and ran after them, when he saw the guy had the woman against the wall.
- Hey! – He exclaimed pulling out his weapons and sending some warning shots, the guy released his prey and ran away until he vanished at the other side of the alley. Fox went to see the woman, who was reclining against the wall, seemingly still scared out of her wits. – You alright, miss? -
- Yes… I'm fine … but I'm afraid you're not… - The woman raised her head, Fox immediately recognized her.
- You, you are… -
- GET HIM! – The woman screamed as loud as she could, she was none other than Kitty, a net fell heavily on Fox, who hopelessly tried to struggle and break free, upon realizing what just had happened: it was a trap. Two guys came out of a dump and jumped over him to put him under control.
- You're too wild, it's time to tame you, kit. – Kitty said pulling out her whip, and with a swift movement, she tied Fox with it and activated it.
- GHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! – Fox's scream echoed in the entire alley, while hundreds of volts went through his body, finally it ceased, and the fox dropped unconscious on the floor. The guy who had an away to the other side of the alley walked to meet with Kitty and the other two. He took off his mask, revealing it was none other Feral.
- He fell for it. – He said. – Well Kitty, I have to admit it, you're an excellent actress. -
- I know. – She boasted. – Well, what are we going to do with him? -
- For the time being we need him alive. – Feral said. – We can use him as bait to bring in the vixen. After I'm done with her, you can do whatever you want with him. -
- You know, now I look at him, he's not that bad. I might have mercy and make him into my personal toy. – Kitty said watching the unconscious Fox.
- Well, the vixen will be receiving my message shortly. – Feral said observing his watch.
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Two hours later, at the Heaven's Gate Hotel…
Krystal was still laying on her bed, in the same position as before. About two hours had elapsed since Fox had left. It wasn't like she expected him to come back immediately, but for some reason she felt worried. A few minutes ago she felt a blow on her heart, along with the strangest feeling of something bad happening to Fox. It had nothing to do with her telepathy, that was for sure.
- Maybe… I should call him, just to make sure. -
But just as she was about to do it, an object crashed through her window, Krystal got up, and ran to see what happened. Unfortunately, she didn't see anyone outside. She went to examine the object, with a lot of caution. Upon seeing it in full she realized it was a holocommunicator, and it was twinkling, which indicated it had a recorded message. She immediately pushed the button to play the message. Feral's figure appeared on it, and begun speaking.
- If you want to see your little friend Fox alive come to the storehouses in this address in three hours starting from the moment you read this message. – A map indicating where she had to go was projected, then Feral came back. – Make sure you bring along with you the disks of the Zeraph. Ah, and don't even think of calling for help, otherwise you know who will pay the consequences. -
End of the message, the holocommunicator turned off. Krystal felt a great pain on her chest, that bastard Feral had caught Fox, and was using him as a ransom for the Zeraph. One of those impossible decisions which only happen on the movies, and she had no idea of what to do.
- I should have stopped him. – She scolded herself. – If only I had stopped him, now…-
This time, Krystal could no longer hold back her tears. Now Fox was in danger, and she felt it was his fault. If only she had stopped him before he had left. If only she had not forced him to work with her. The least thing she wanted was something bad to happen to him.
Moments later she stopped weeping, she wiped out her tears and her expression changed to one of determination and anger. The "If only" doesn't exist. If Fox was in that situation because of her, the least she could do was try and rescue him, right? At that moment it wasn't too important what he felt for her. The only important thing was to ensure he was safe and sound. Whether it was by her side, or at the other extreme of the galaxy, that was no longer important.
Leaving aside her inner conflicts, she started using her head; she needed to make a plan to save Fox. She had less than three hours, it was 8:25, which meant he had to shop up at the address she was given at 11:25.
- Fox… I don't care anymore if you forgive me or not for what I did … but at least I'll make sure nothing happens to you. -
She begun the preparations, she readied her weapons and all she might need. They wouldn't hurt Fox if she could do something about it. It took her about 10 minutes to prepare everything. She didn't know if it would work, but she wouldn't give up without a fight.
Before leaving, she looked at herself on the mirror. She observed her hair, long, messy and dyed in purple, falling all the way to her back. She saw some scissors and a hairbrush on the dresser, without thinking too much she grabbed them. She cut her hair leaving it only down to her neck, and she combed it with the hairbrush, leaving it the way she had it long ago, when she was part of the Star Fox team. She only was sorry there was no blue hair-dye around there.
- No more Kursed… Krystal is back. -
Smiling upon seeing her former self again, the vixen left the hotel in a hurry, and went towards the meeting place. Nothing was going to stop her. Nothing.
To be continued…
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Author's note:
OK, I'm almost done. One more chapter and the epilogue, and the English version will be complete. I'll try and get both of them done tonight, so I'll perhaps upload them tomorrow.
Before leaving, as usual, thanks for the reviews: ninjafoxshadow and Spellflame Fox. And for those who read and didn't leave any reviews, I'd be grateful if next time you do, because I'm no psychid to read your minds. OK, see ya around.