(Please get back to me on that damn song. I got two comments so far. Oh and enjoy)
Chapter 7
"Thank you, Cerinian……."
The strange, if not polite, words echoed through Fox and Krystal's minds, as the light began to fade. The two "twitterpatted" foxes opened their eyes and found themselves back in the gym room, same as it was before they merged minds. Falco and Slippy had not moved either, both of them simply looking wide-eyed and mouths agape. This would normally have been the juiciest moment Falco could have picked to throw out a bunch of love jokes, but neither him nor his frog companion were in a regular mood. They were too confused.
For once, Slippy broke the silence before Falco. "What….what happened….Krystal?"
He swallowed deeply, his toad tongue taking what seemed like forever to run against his throat.
"Is he….is he ok? Does he need any medicine or…?" Falco offered. He usually had something smart to say about everything. But witnessing your best friend become a feral monster is one of the few scenarios where Falco's nervous side would reveal itself.
Fox grunted weakly and put his hand to his head. "No, no. I'm ok, I think."
Krystal put her paw to her breast and let out a large sigh of relief. "Kit, oh kit, do we have a lot to tell you," the vixen sighed.
The two foxes opened their eyes simultaneously and noticed that she was still sitting on top of him, her hand having found its way to his cheek, and his tail having wrapped itself over the back of her ankle. Both blushed as he brought his tail back and she started to get up off of him, and then help him to sit up.
"So…what happened in their, or wherever?" the avian inquired.
Fox calmed down, and saw that this was a captain moment. "A lot, let me tell ya," he snickered. "Ok, before we tell the story, let's head to the kitchen and get some breakfast in. I'll tell ya, before anything else, we've got a long day ahead of us, we just found out. And then we'll talk."
His female teammate nodded. "That's right. Don't forget, I still wanted to talk to you all earlier as it is."
The goggle-eyed mechanic managed a slight smile. "Um, alright then. Do you guys want to me to whip up some coffee, or tea, or anything? You know, something to help us relax? That was pretty intense," Slippy offered.
Fox smiled. "Yeah. I'll take it black, very black," he joked.
Falco smiled at the humor. He, along with his captain, was a major smartass, but he had been genuinely frightened for Fox's condition a moment ago. "Ditto, Slip-up."
"Well Fox," Krystal began, "that's very sweet of you to make us your famous pancakes."
The orange male looked up and blinked. "Uh, I did?"
"Uh-huh," the beauty smiled. She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and then got up. "Two, please." And with that she made her way to the kitchen.
The todd just stared at his buddies, trying to register what just happened.
Half a second later, Falco and Slippy got up and started leaving as well.
"Four for me, dude."
"Quatro, please."
A few seconds after they were gone, Fox just fell back on the floor, staring at the fluorescent lights on the ceiling.
"Sigh. Captain's Log……….."
ooo
"Mmm. Damn, I love your flapjacks," Slippy said as finished his last bite.
"I second that. Nothin' like McCloud pancakes and maple syrup," Falco grinned, before placing another delicious piece into his beak.
"I'll take blueberry syrup any day," Krystal smiled cheerfully.
Fox snickered. "Blue likes blue, naturally."
All four laughed at the amusing fact. It was, after all, kind of a funny thought.
Krystal put her finished plate in the sink and gave Fox another subtle kiss, while Slippy and Falco were too distracted by their pancake "orgasms" to see anything.
"But opposites attract, naturally," she whispered in his pointy ear.
Fox returned the quick kiss before clearing his throat, gathering everyone's attention.
"All right, team. I guess I owe you guys a major explanation from earlier."
"And that's puttin' it mildly, Foxie," Falco quipped. "That was extremely out of the ordinary, even for us."
Slippy nodded in agreement. "He's right Fox. I'll be honest; I'm still kinda scared from earlier. How does someone just toy with a 335-pound barbell. And how did you make that roar sound?"
The captain's ears hung a bit lower. "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't even know that much. All Krys and I really have is what we saw and what happened in my mind," he confessed.
Falco leaned back in his chair. "Well, might as well get started." The red marks around his eyes seemed to shrink a bit as his eyes widened a bit towards Fox. He knew sounded a bit more demanding, and that was because he was really concerned. This was not something he nor Slippy could just be left in the dark about.
Krystal sat back down. "Well, to save some time, I suppose it would be better if I just showed exactly what happened. Everyone, hold your hands out."
They all did as she said. "What's this for, Krystal?" Slippy inquired. He couldn't help but swallow a bit, already feeling nervous.
She smiled at him. "Nothing to worry about. I'm just going to generate mine and Fox's experience into the two of your minds, so you'll see what happened. Now everybody take each other's hands. Form a circle, or box, or whatever," she commanded.
Again, they obeyed. A second later Krystal began the display, and created a telepathic link between all of their minds. In a span of about ten minutes, they all relived what only two of them had witnessed mere moments ago, from Fox's bloody, bruised, and battered form (which actually caused Falco to throw up in his own mouth a little bit), to the kind and cryptic last words of their captain's mysterious doppelganger. When it was over, they all brought their hands back and sat in complete silence, but only briefly.
"…That's all she wrote," Fox said flatly.
Slippy couldn't move his eyes. He sat like a zombie in his chair, mouth hanging open. "That was….unreal," the amphibian spoke.
Falco reclined in his seat, looking as if he had just seen a ghost. "So you've been hiding your cocaine, where now?"
Fox shot him a look, but nothing upset. It was merely a quick response of his own concentrating face, simply defined to Falco as "now's not the time."
Falco looked to him, then down for a second. It the language of expression, it most accurately would have meant, "right. I'm sorry."
The captain looked around the table at his crew, and then fixed his eyes on Krystal. "Well, the floor is yours, Krystal. What did you need to say earlier?"
She crossed her arms in front of her and looked at the table, full of thought. "Where to begin, where to begin," she said quietly. She took a minute to focus as she let the words form in her mind.
"Well, I don't suppose the rest of you noticed, but there was something that stuck out to me, in those pictures, I mean."
"Pepper's pictures?" Slippy asked.
She nodded. "Yes, those ones. There was something I picked up on. You all noticed the condition those soldiers were in, right?"
"Right," the boys all agreed.
"Those claw marks, combined with cauterized wounds. That seems like something that would require a brutish person, with access to modern tech. And modern furs don't use their claws. We are of a punching and kicking society, not a clawing and biting one. Do you see where I'm getting?" she asked, narrowing her eyes towards them.
Falco and Slippy could only put their hands to their chins as they tried to figure it out.
Fox felt a bit foolish. He felt as though she was getting at something obvious, but he wasn't.
Krystal looked at him. "Fox, bear in mind, I'm only speculating. But think very hard, is there anyone you've crossed and maybe did not completely finish as you might have thought so far. Anyone who may have had some chance at living, albeit a bit slim, because of your encounter with said fur?"
The russet-gold vulpine gave it some thought for a moment. "Well," he started.
They all leaned towards him.
"If anyone," he continued slowly, "I guess the only person who may have managed to survive, and fit your description, would have to be…."
Falco looked at him, eyes widening nervously. Slippy just swallowed, having not even a guess. Krystal knew what he was about to say, and with no aid from her powers.
The red fox's head lifted up as his eyes snapped open. "..Scales."
Falco's beak dropped open. "Wha? I-I thought he was killed."
Fox looked at him, unblinking and unchanging. "Well, what happened is that Andross took away his Krazoa. He seemed defeated, and his minions were already celebrating as if they won the death of a dictator. Hell, I even saw one of them hold up his belt in victory. But, there's no actual reason to assume he was so dependent on that Krazoa that it became his source of life. And besides, he may have very well been taken a mere prisoner or became a refugee." Fox hung his head with a sigh. "I guess I did a half-assed job with him, eh?"
Krystal put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey come on now. It was an honest mistake. We all settled on him being dead, so don't feel like the guilty one of the bunch. Besides, if it is him, you can beat him, no problem."
Fox looked at his best friend and managed a smile. "How can you be so sure?"
Falco grinned. "Well if you were being honest when you said you killed a 10-story mutant T-rex, then one has-been General shouldn't be so bad. And even, like she said, if it ain't him, then that should probably just make things easier."
Slippy smiled, but only for a second. "Um….that reminds me."
They all turned to him.
"Fox, in that vision you and Krystal had, the other Fox made a comment that caught my attention."
The vulpine looked at Slippy curiously. "Which one?"
Slippy stared at him strongly with his rather comical eyes. "He mentioned something about you being 'already different, already stronger.' He said you would 'notice the difference.' What do you suppose he meant?"
Fox shrugged. "I don't know. I figured it was just more cryptic talking."
Slippy blinked. "Oh. Well in that case-NYAH!!"
With no warning, the sly toad shot his long tongue right towards Fox, giving him no preparation. With reflexes he never before knew, Fox's eyes widened as he pushed the tongue away at incredible speed, causing it to strike the bottom of his empty coffee mug.
"Thit!!" Slippy cursed.
The mug went soaring through the air, and was set on an arc to land in the living room, where it would likely, after 11 years, shatter like the glass it was made of.
Krystal, Falco, and Slippy all closed their eyes as they waited for the breaking noise.
It never came.
"The heck?" the vixen said quietly. She opened her eyes slowly, as did the other two and looked to the living room, where they were met with great surprise.
A panting Fox stood in the living room, a solid 16-18 feet away from them, holding the coffee mug carefully and cautiously. "What the hell, Slippy?" he asked in annoyance.
Falco opened his mouth to speak.
"How the hell did you do that!" Krystal exclaimed instead.
Fox was about to respond when he took a moment to look at himself, and then the floor, then back to his teammates. The distance between them would normally have yielded no chance for someone to do what he just did.
"I….I don't know….." he stammered. He then noticed everyone staring at him. "What? I just ….I just ran to it!'
They all eyed him, not one blinking, while their captain did the very same.
Krystal broke the silence again. "I'm not so sure." With that she lunged forward towards, gaining some momentum before she jumped into the air.
"KRYS!" Falco and Slippy yelled.
As Krystal's leg extended to deliver a brutal kick, only she and Fox remained silent. She was about to make impact, it being less than a quarter second away.
But things seemed different for Fox, who watched the spectacle with a level of perception unfamiliar to him.
"What the..?" He dodged the kick nimbly, completely avoiding her. His body pivoted off his foot as he continued to face his front towards the vixen. This was wise, as the instant she landed back on the floor, she immediately spun to deliver a series of swift punches.
Impressive thought they were, Fox dodged them all, as if they were moving in slow motion. He ducked, swerved, leaned back, and spun with unimaginable reflexes.
He dodged a neck-snapping roundhouse, spun, and jumped, placing his feet against the fridge and the kitchen counter suspending himself. Krystal finally stopped her assault as she froze at the spectacle.
"Why in the HELL are you guys trying to attack me?" Fox snapped.
But no one answered. Falco had gotten half way out of his seat before he paused, unsure how to react to Fox's frightening new speed. Slippy sat motionless in his chair, with his goggle-eyes turning into what seemed like twin cue balls.
Krystal began to sweat and pant heavily, her eyes unmoving from her changed crush. "Since when can I not even touch you?" she finally asked. He, on the other hand, was completely fine.
Fox dropped his scowl as he looked at her, and he hopped back to the ground. He quickly glanced back at the other two, then to the vixen again. With great focus, he averted his gaze towards his open palms.
They all watched as he brought his arms out, slowly and gently. He flexed his arms, clenched his fists, and moved his joints about in every way he could, as if he was testing something.
"I feel….kinda' good," he finally spoke. His mouth began to form a small smile.
Falco walked over to him. "So that apparition wasn't just speakin' in riddles. You did get a little stronger."
Fox raised his brow. "A little?" he whispered curiously. His eyes narrowed and his scowl reappeared. "Let's find out."
Without any words, he turned and ran to the front door, then outside.
Slippy got up. "I think we should follow him."
And they did.
Once they were all outside, they found Fox, staring at his car with great focus. For a while, no one made a comment. Then Krystal finally realized what he was doing, without her telepathy.
"Whoah, Fox. 335 pounds and a vehicle don't go hand in hand. I don't really see this turning out well," she said matter-of-factly.
It dawned on the others as well. "Wait a sec, Foxie. The lady's got a point. You're getting a little cocky."
Slippy piped in as well. "Fox, don't. You're gonna' completely ruin your back."
Fox didn't need their words. He walked to the back bumper and knelt down. "You never know until you try."
The red fox gripped his paws under the bumper as he took in a few deep breaths. After the third long inhale, he pushed from his legs and tried to lift up the car. He began to grunt as we exerted all the force he could muster.
"Fox, please. Don't hurt yourself for no reason," Krystal called out.
Fox stopped his vain efforts and turned to his teammates. "Oh ye of little faith," he chuckled. He turned again to the car, looking determined."I know I can do it." He put his arm out and flexed every muscle in it, feeling his own strength. "I can feel it. I just need to believe that other fox."
And again, Fox breathed deep as he began to push up the one-ton vehicle. He began to feel the tires slightly rise off the ground. "Yeah. Yeah! It just takes a little more."
Everyone's mouth hung open as they saw the small lift. "Holy shit. He just might do it!" Falco exclaimed. They all began to cheer. "C'mon, Fox! Lift it! Lift it! Lift it!" Krystal cheered like a, well…cheerleader. "Yeah, Go Fox! Get it all the way up, and you get a reward," she chimed seductively.
Fox grinned through all the pain. "This isn't even it. I can go bigger, further, heavier. I can feel it. I trust that fox. Eeerrr! I can FEEL IT!" he growled.
Small pebbles on the ground began to vibrate and move, and as more of them became noticeable, Krystal was the only one who noticed the spectacle, and saw that they were moving away from Fox.
"What the-?"
"GRAAAHHH!!" Fox growled.
"Oh no. Fox, stop!" Slippy shouted.
"Don't worry, it's me. Its just a new feature," Fox laughed.
The area around Fox became visibly distorted and squiggly as familiar heat was given off his body.
Krystal began to worry. "Fox, don't push so hard. I don't want you to kill yourself with this new power," she voiced with concern.
"Are you kidding me?" the captain asked. It was his feral voice again.
"RAAAAAAARRRRRGGHGHGGGRRR!!!!" he roared, unnaturally and fiercely. With one swift motion, Fox dropped a bit and then clean-and-jerked the entire machine off the ground and sustained it in the air with his arms.
The three spectators began to worry about future heart damage, as they were now incredibly surprised…..AGAIN….at the condition of their leader and best friend. A beak, a snout, and toilet-sized mouth all hung open, complete with wide-eyes, shrunken pupils, and racing heartbeats- especially for a certain blue beauty.
Fox panted roughly as his lungs desperately fought for some relieving air. "I've never felt more alive," he said in a deeper, more experienced voice. He shifted the entire car to one hand as he put out the other to give the thumb's up, although his arm was shaking and twitching from the strain he had felt. "And I couldn't have done it without breakfast," he joked. He finally became tired of lifting the vehicle and set it on the ground where it had been originally. "So Krystal, you said something about a reward?"
Her mouth hung open, but nothing came out.
Fox chuckled. "Wow, Krystal. Not even so much as a 'uh…I…Fox, you…how…but that's….'?" he asked, mocking his own usual shocked stuttering and inability to speak.
Falco would have normally interjected a little piss-ant remark, since the reward was probably a kiss. If only he wasn't so distracted by the fact that his best friend had just lifted two tons of fiber glass and steel off the ground, he might've thought of something.
"Holy Shit!" came Slippy's now even higher voice.
"Kyubi in heaven!" the young vixen finally managed. "I…..I was just thinking of a kiss at first, but now….."
The red male sat down on his own hood and wiped the sweat from his white brows. "But now……perhaps a little Christmas Eve date?"
She just nodded. "Um…fine with me. But real quickly, our little meet isn't technically over."
The amphibian member of the group shook himself from his trance. "Yeah. She's right. I actually have a couple of questions."
"Shoot," she responded.
"Well first off, are you guys actually going to go to Sauria? Are you going to tell the General?" he asked.
"Screw that," came Falco's returned voice. "What I wanted to know earlier, is what in the hell is a 'Kyu'?"
Krystal shuddered at the memory. "Kyu's last ash…." She had to tell them about it. It might have been very important, especially now when she looked at Fox. She studied his features for the millionth time, but, for once, for reasons besides her crush on him. The cerulean angel started to get nervous.
"I agree. Was he calling me a 'Kyu'?" Fox asked.
She nodded. "Have a seat, boys. It's an interesting story….."
"Go ahead," Slippy said politely.
The vixen took in a breath as she let the memories flow. "Cerinia, was but one of a dozen planets in a nearby solar system. You all come from Lylat, but I hail from a sector known as the Aures Infinite."
Falco let out a whistle. "Classy name. Very majestic. It actually fits you, if ya' think about it."
"Thank you," she smiled. "Anyway, it was a very peaceful system, except for one major rivalry. It was between, coincidentally, my Cerinia and a forgotten planet known as Kyitsune."
"Huh? Kyitsune? Wait a second. I've heard that word before," Fox interrupted.
Krystal was shocked. "Wait. How? You've never even been to the Aures Infinite. More importantly, they've been long extinct. Where did you hear its name?"
Fox thought for a moment. "When I was a kit, my mom and granddad used to tell me some stories about a place called Kyitsune. So, how could they know about it?"
The pieces began to come together a bit more in her mind. "Incredible," she thought to herself. "Fox, at first I thought there might have been a mistake. But between you knowing that word and the fox spirit, I think, somehow, you might have a Kyitsunian bloodline!"
He swallowed. Slippy sat silently captivated by the conversation, while Falco spoke. "I…I always thought you were pure Cornerian. . Could it be just a coincidence?"
Fox rubbed his head. "I'm not sure. My mom never said anything about foreign heritage."
"Well…." Krystal spoke almost guiltily.
Immediately, all six of the boys' eyes were on her.
She cleared her throat. "I know that your appearance comes from the fact that you're purely Red fox on both sides. But, the thing is, red foxes were the only evolved furs on Kyitsune."
Fox's ears jumped towards the sky. "So what's the deal with these Kyu foxes?"
"Well, they were very hostile towards my people, and vice-versa. They had an arrogant streak about them, for their advanced power was great and easily surpassed the mental prowess of Cerinians. They considered themselves to be the blood descendants of the very deity whose name we speak everyday."
"You mean Kyubi?" Slippy asked. "I thought he was just a legend," Falco added.
"Now I'm not so sure," Krystal spoke in a distant voice. "At any rate, they supposedly met their end after years of conflict with our militia, as well as losing themselves to their own immense powers. In the end, my people came to pity them, or so I'm told."
"So this is all before you were born, right?" the toad inquired.
"Yes. Way before me. Probably even before my parents were born, actually," she explained.
"If they're gone, then, how can I be one? Besides that, my dad was born and raised here, and the same for my mom. But why she knew the word and he didn't, I don't know," Fox spoke quietly. "And what does this have to do with the Krazoa? Aaargh! This is so confusing. That other fox needs to give us answers!"
"Hey, easy Foxie. Need I remind you, anger hasn't exactly been your healthiest emotion lately? You need to relax," Falco warned him. "It's almost Christmas."
Krystal came from behind her crush and began to rub his shoulders. "He's right. We're all worried. And that heat problem is really scaring me, to be honest."
Fox sighed. "I know. I know. It's just…..all this shit dropped on my plate, and it's almost the 'most wonderful time of the year.' All these dreams, I suddenly have a clone, Scales or Andross or whoever is planning to kill me, I get super powers and I don't have a clue!"
He walked over to the grass and sat down by Falco, and placed an arm on his shoulder.
"But before I forget, thanks for all the support, guys. I'd be an even bigger wreck without you."
Falco nodded, as did the rest. "No problem, Fox. You're our family, and it's what we do. Hell, that's the purpose of Christmas. And don't stress all this crap. We'll get the cobwebs out. Just give it some time."
The captain chuckled. "Yeah, you're right." He held out his hands and looked at his palms, slowly clenching. He turned them back towards the grassy earth. "I'm not gonna' lie to ya'. Sometimes, I wish I could just BURN something!"
In sync with his words, he made a claw-like motion towards the ground, and miraculously, he got his wish.
Dancing, rushing flame jettisoned from his hands and set the grass ablaze, as well as his unfortunate tail. Words could not describe the phenomenon.
"HOLY SHIT!"
Or maybe they could.
Falco and Slippy turned to face the blushing Krystal for a nanosecond before turning their attention back to Fox.
He was already trying to smother the fire, to protect his suffering tail. "Shit! Shit! Damnit! Help me put it out!"
Falco and Krystal got to work on the lawn, while Slippy tried to approach Fox, who wouldn't sit still.
"Ok. Fox. FOX! You have to calm down. Stop, drop, and roll!"
"Calm down?" Fox hollered. "Slippy, my tail is on fire! IT'S ON FUCKING FIRE!"
He began to slow down. "AND!" Suddenly, he began to realize the strangest aspect. "and…."
Fox finally came to a halt and looked at his tail, now swaying calmly, yet still ignited. His gaze was turned back towards his hands. One, which was used to fan the flames, bore no scorch marks. The other, now on fire as well, did not move.
"It…..it doesn't hurt. I can't feel a thing. Maybe a little warmth, but…..there's no pain, no burn……nothing!"
Slippy looked at him, dumbstruck, awestruck, amazed and dazed.
Krystal and Falco tried to quench the lawn fires but to no avail. She finally decided to grab the garden hose and soak the burning area, along with her Avian teammate. The water finally came through after a few seconds. The lawn pulled through well enough, save a pair of noticeable puddles of ash and smoldering grass. There was also the sputtering falcon, coughing water and smoke.
"Whew. That was close. Fox, are you all right?"
The vixen turned around and was shocked. She had been surprised several times already, but this was somehow the most bizarre thing she saw today, and that was really making a statement. She stared at her dear Fox, who now had fire surrounding his hands, and yet he moved calmly as if the flames weren't there.
He noticed her gaze and smiled sheepishly.
"I guess it goes without saying, that was an accident," he laughed weakly. How many times in his life had he wished for a something like fire powers or laser vision whenever he was angry, and now, all of a sudden, his fantasies became real. Fox actually had the power that every stressed creature in the universe has desired at some point or another. Sure he laughed. He had to. After all, he had just ignited his own grass with a simple gesture and a wish. But for every reason he found to laugh, he continued to keep realizing that he would now only require even more answers.
He cleared his throat. "So um, is this another 'kyu power' like you were talking about?"
Krystal nearly gawked before she began to faint. It was nothing that Fox's disturbing new agility couldn't handle.
"Whoah-whoah, Krystal! Come on, I need you to stay awake! Talk to me!" he shook her.
She managed to stay awake, though not easily. It became much simpler to do so when she saw his blazing hands were holding her arms.
"AH!" she shrieked piercingly, pushing herself away and nearly falling on her tail. Falco winced at the pitch of the scream, while Slippy shuddered in fear.
"You're hands…….are……..on fire!" the vixen gasped, extremely frightened. She saw her sleeves. "What? Wait, why aren't my clothes burned?"
Fox took a look at his hands again. "Apparently, things won't burn unless I cause it. But let's rewind really quick to my question. Krystal, are these new traits the same ones that made the Kyu so famous?"
The blue vulpine shook her head from all the surprise and managed to focus. "Incredible physiology, unnatural agility and reflexes, off-the-charts reaction capability, and pyrokinesis: yeah, that about sums it up, and there may yet be more."
She looked defeated. "Then, I guess your mother didn't tell you the complete truth. I don't think there's room for argument at this point."
They looked at her. "What exactly are you getting at?" Falco asked, surprisingly attentive.
"The words of his counterpart, his abilities and cryptic speech, why he called me 'ironic', the Krazoa, Fox's mom's knowledge, the powers, the nightmares and now the new enemy." Krystal let out a chuckle. "I think I've solved the puzzle."
"Wait what? What nightmares? What are you talking about?" Slippy demanded, with an air of authority previously unseen by any of them.
"Fox and I had some ominous dreams prior to all this trouble, and now I think I understand things."
The russet gold vulpine looked completely stupefied. "How? Up until a few minutes ago, you had no clue that I might be Kyu."
Krystal crossed her arms and closed her eyes, putting her new epiphany into focus. "Imagine this. The clone of you we saw represents your Kyu heritage, an ancestry of incredible power that you never knew about. This means that it had to have laid dormant somewhere in you. Your mom's family must have migrated from Kyitsune, part of why the population dwindled during all these conflicts, and probably didn't want to reinstate that type of culture in her, her siblings, nor you. But then if you were to carry another spirit, like, oh I don't know, five different Krazoas, or spend time with a certain blue vixen and her mental powers, then that would have likely triggered your dormant self. Completely unused and only infantile, it probably took some time to develop its mental presence and manifest itself in your subconscious during the last three years, hence the nightmares. But the reason it was such a threatening nightmare, is because this power plus your own gut feelings were probably trying to inform you of a new threat. And the fact that you're Kyu is why your other 'self' called my involvement 'ironic'."
A heavy silence of awe filled the air.
"Sweet, fucking Kyubi," Fox finally spoke. "Krystal, I really think you figured it out."
"Well then she's a genius," Falco mumbled. "I'm still trying to figure out what she said. Apparently, my best friend is some type of mega-alien in the midst of super-powered bouts of blind rage, all the while ripping steel apart, setting his front lawn on fire and lifting a car off his driveway. But as it turns out, on a far away planet I've never heard of, this is the norm. And his heritage, which was for some reason, a huge secret, is embodying itself as we speak and painfully reminding our captain to multi-cultural, and all because we're about to have one of those types of missions."
Slippy smirked. "I don't know Falc. I think you picked it up pretty well."
Falco had to smile. "So the only question left is what's our next move?" questioned the Avian. "Like, do we see a doctor or something? I mean, I've seen a giant monkey head and his hands trying to take over the universe, but this is the weirdest shit I've ever seen."
Fox looked to the sky, just to clear his mind. "What would Dad do at a time like this?"
A gentle breeze blew past them and spoke only to Fox. His gold fur, like a field, shined and swayed softly as he listened for the answers he sought. The wind carried silent whispers, quiet voices that only Fox could hear, while the others were oblivious to James insight. Finally, his son heard his words and spoke again
"All right then. Team, I've reached a verdict!" he claimed with authority.
They all shook themselves from their wonder and stood at attention, all of them grinning ear to ear at their leader's regained confidence. "Yes sir!"
"Here's the new plan, team. First thing's first. We head back to the Base and tell the General what we've arrived at."
They all looked at like he was mad.
"Of course, not without demonstration," the vulpine smiled as he blew actual smoke from the tip of his claw. "We have to get this information squared away. Following that, we prepare for our different objectives. Falco? Slippy?"
"Yes, Fox," they acknowledged.
"Guys, I'll need you to run the primary StarFox defenses against the eventual arrival of our undetermined opponents."
"Huh? Fox, what about you?" asked Slippy, very surprised.
"Well, I'm gonna' be counting on you boys. The thing is, I'm actually going to listen to my other half and head to Sauria like he said. And Krystal will be joining me, since she's familiar with Sauria's surface layout. I'll check if the Saurians know anything about Scales or if they've noticed anything while I'm there. And if it actually is Scales, then maybe I can coax the Saurians to help with our fight. You guys can take the GreatFox II. Krystal and I'll use a Cornerian Carrier and use the space bridge gates to get there and back quicker. Once this is all over, all that's left is the hardest part."
They all shifted their eyes. They were waiting for him to finish. Krystal moved her hands side to side. "And…that would be….?"
"Christams shopping. Duh," he finally concluded.
Six eyes were rolled while one mouth tried to conceal its immature chuckling.
"All right then. Let's go, guys." Fox said as he made his way to the car.
They followed, and Krystal had an idea. "Hey Fox. Are you going to drive us, or can we get in the car and you just carry it."
There was light laughter before the car took off. At least the Christmas spirit was still alive.
( Again, I appreciate comments of all sorts. But if its about how farfetched the powers are, then save it. I've got an explanation, and again … "fan-fiction". Anyway my thanks to past, current, recent and future readers. But again please, please let me know if you approve of that damn song, or if you think you have a better one. Go a few chapters back if you don't know what I'm talking about. Thanks again and God bless y'all)