Part 3- Quiet Contemplation and a New Destiny

5 Hours Later

Crash had taken a nice sleep and devoured a light snack before he made his way to the beach. He had already gone to the house in search of Coco, but she was nowhere to be seen. Although it was frequently Coco's pastime to sneak away from Aku to go for a tumble with Pura, she had always had the foresight to tell him where she was going. Crash wasn't one to blab to Aku about her whereabouts. Yet she hadn't given him the faintest clue of where she was headed, and now Crash was starting to get a little antsy. He walked onto the beach, staying clear of the drifts to keep the sand out of his shoes, and started to search. Crash noticed a few tracks, but they faded as they headed into the jungle again. Crash shrugged, but still felt the tension in his shoulders.

"What am I worried about? That tiger of her's has probably got everything under control. No worries."

His own statement of encouragement did little to ease his nervousness. As he strode into the jungle, he noticed an amber flash in the underbrush. It was Pura. Before Crash called out, he could see that the tiger was sniffing at the ground and searching though the air with his pink nose. Crash gulped back his alarm.

"Hey Cat!"

The tiger lifted its head, capturing Crash within his intense golden gaze. Crash shook it off.

"You don't know where Coco is by any chance?"

The large cat didn't reply, obviously, but as he continued his search that clarified his answer. Crash darted back onto the beach, and felt his pulse quicken slightly as his concern rose. There were a lot of things, dangerous things, situated in the jungle. The contamination was still mutating plants and animals alike, and Coco would have no way to defend herself against one of the man-eating plants Crash had so fortunately been able to avoid. Crash decided to do the one thing Coco would have slugged him for.

"Aku!"

Almost directly after the call the friendly witch doctor's mask sailed through the trees and stopped directly in front of Crash.

"Yes Crash, what is it? There was a degree of tension in your voice."

Crash swallowed uncertainly, wondering how he could tell Aku without sounding like a doting moron. "Ah, well, I haven't seen Coco for a while and that cat is starting to get on my nerves. Could you maybe tell her to get back from wherever she is and get that feline out of my hair?"

Aku turned to see what was getting Crash so riled up, and when he noticed that Pura was quietly searching on his own, minding his own business, he raised an eyebrow. Crash smiled sheepishly.

"Alright Crash. I'll look for her."

Then Aku floated off into the jungle, and Crash settled down in a shady spot. He was still not at ease, but at least he felt better with the islands' protective spirit on the search.

--

Coco shouldered her way through the strange plants and exotic flowers, careful to keep her eyes open for anything dangerous. She was in the deeper part of the jungle now, and the green vegetation was so tangled and pressed together that sometimes she found it hard to find different routes. She brushed away vines and fan leaves, still completely unsure of what she was trying to accomplish. Her brow had grown wet with perspiration from the restless trek, and she paused for a moment to retie her hair. She pulled the elastic out of her hair and shook the tangled tresses down her back. The humidity was making her hair sticky, and it was starting to annoy her. She growled as she pulled her fingers through her hair, and then she reapplied her elastic, pulling back as many loose strands as possible. Crash had told her how he had wandered through a similar jungle to find one of the power crystals and he had stepped right into a sinkhole. She was careful not to make the same mistakes as her bumbling brother.

She had been walking for a while, and had seen nothing but the same dense trees and knit foliage that surrounded her at every angle. She was beginning to get a little nervous, but not nervous enough to turn back. Wherever the way back was. Coco continued to press on, her frustration gone now and only an unexplainable desire to keep treading remained. For what seemed like an hour she sloshed through the wet foamy jungle carpet, and finally burst out of the trees into an open clearing. The sight was remarkable.

A cliff that stretched straight up to the sky towered before her, and accenting it like some ancient garden were beautiful flowers and handsome leafy trees that shaded the tiny paradise from the sun. To her left was an open pool of crystal water and beyond the lagoon was a cascading waterfall. It was such a gorgeous scene. Coco took a step forward, transfixed in a sense of awe, when she suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise straight up.

She dropped to the ground just as a wooden stick sailed over her head. She wasn't fast enough to dodge the full attack, and she felt a sharp pain in her right ear as the blow connected. She moved out of the way, her eyes open and her arms in front of her in a defensive position. Yet her enemy was not where he had been a moment before. She spiraled, and saw that she was alone again. Yet she could still feel another's presence.

"Hey out there!" Coco called, frightened but annoyed enough to blast anger into her tone. "Come out here!"

There was a moment of silence before a voice rose above the crashing echo of the waterfall.

"Who dares disturb my solitude?"

Coco swallowed hard, wondering what she should do. She didn't see any harm in offering her real name, and she thought that maybe if she kept her attitude to a minimum the trouble would only be slight.

"My name is Coco Bandicoot. I live here on this island."

There was another bit of silence, which caused Coco to shuffle her feet restlessly.

"Coco? Coco?" The voice seemed to be considering, and then finally the realization dawned. "Ah Coco Bandicoot! Of course! Younger sister to the famous Crash Bandicoot."

Coco felt a jab of anger at the build-up of her brother's reputation. "That's right."

The voice made a sound of utter delight, and Coco could hear the sound of a figure dropping to her right. Sitting in a cross-legged position atop a raised platform of rock was a strange creature that looked like it was a combination of a great ape and a lanky monkey. Whatever it was, it certainly had anthro characteristics. Coco took a slow step back, extremely wary, but the monkey-man before her remained casually perched in a crouch, now unbothered by her intrusion.

"So what are you doing wandering the high mountains of the jungle? I thought you dwelled closer to the ocean."

"Well, I do. I was just going for a little walk."

The Monkey-man raised a skeptical eyebrow. "A little walk would not have carried you this far young one. What is it you seek from the mountains?"

Coco wasn't really in the mood to spout off her problems to strangers, but something in his face looked so very kind that she couldn't refuse.

"I assisted my brother in rescuing the world, but as I look back on it I don't think I was as much a help as I could have been."

"Many things are contemplated after the deed is done, and there is always a way to misinterpret key facts. I seriously doubt you were of little help."

"But that's just the thing." Coco spoke with an edge of distress. "Sure I'm pretty good at using the computer, and I have fun inventing things, but I really want to be prepared if my brother and I ever have to defend the world again."

The Monkey-man nodded with a pondering expression. He meshed his long fingers together and leaned forward slightly.

"So you want to learn to fight?"

Coco felt her pulse quicken in excitement. "Yes."

The Monkey-man considered this, and then he settled on a stern look. Coco instantly felt like she was in the presence of Aku when she had done something wrong. She met the Monkey-man's gaze. Then he sighed.

"You wish to learn to fight only in the defending of your family and your home? There is no other hidden motive for you, is there, Coco Bandicoot?"

Coco was confused. "No, there isn't. I want to make sure that I can use whatever abilities are at my disposal to protect my brother, since I'm pretty sure that most of his other successes were just from sheer dumb luck."

The Monkey-man chuckled quietly. "Ah. It is unwise to judge someone on appearance Coco. I have heard that your brother is quite the whirlwind when it comes to hand-to-hand combat."

"Yeah, well sure he can spin around and knock people over, but-"

"If that method benefits your brother, it is enough to assume that luck plays a minor part in his success."

Coco silenced herself, properly scolded.

"Just as a certain fighting style will fit you. Every creature on this earth is substantially different from the other."

In a sudden rush of air, the Monkey-man was standing directly before her. He didn't look as threatening when he was crouched over, but now, rising nearly three feet above her Coco felt a twinge of worry. His eyes were on her again.

"I will not only teach you the way of action, young bandicoot. To truly be a master of the mind and body one must embrace each reaction as well. To teach strength and chaos, you must first find silence. To teach speed, you must first find calmness. To teach combat you must first understand the world around you, and thrive off its life. One cannot defeat an enemy on anger or hatred, for there may be a time when neither is accessible. Yet creation, and the freedom of mind is around you wherever you go. You must understand, and learn from your surroundings before you can ever learn to strike out at another."

Coco had listened to his statement with unblinking eyes, feeling as though every worry she had ever felt about not learning to fight rise from her and disappear. The Monkey-man raised an eyebrow.

"Are you still so determined, young one?"

Coco gathered her thoughts and calmly replied, "Yes I am."

"Very well." The Monkey-man turned on his heel and began to stride toward the jungle. Coco followed behind. "So begins your training."

As Coco scampered to keep up to the old monkey, she asked a question she had missed at the beginning.

"Sir?" The Monkey-man didn't turn, but Coco could tell that he was listening. "May I ask, what is your name?"

Now the Monkey-man did stop, and Coco nearly rammed into the back of him. He turned his head.

"My name is far too long for you to ever remember, young bandicoot. You may call me Teacher."

Coco nodded as her Teacher turned again and strode through the trees. "Yes Teacher."

--

Crash was digging a hole in the sand using a broken shell as a shovel. He wasn't really in the mood to get his fingernails dirty, but he needed to do something to calm himself. When he grew bored with the little hole he created, he tossed the shell and lay back against the smooth rock, clapping a nervous beat on his knees. It had been a while since Aku had left, and Crash was really starting to worry. Something must have happened.

Usually not one for taking action unless the threat was definite, Crash jumped up to his feet and prepared to dash thorough the jungle. He skidded to a clumsy stop when Aku appeared directly in front of him. Crash frowned.

"Wow, mind if you give me a little warning before you materialize?"

"I don't materialize Crash, I-"

'Whatever." Crash interrupted, slightly ashamed at his rudeness. "Where's Coco?"

Aku grinned warmly, and Crash knew immediately that she was alright. Aku confirmed the suspicion.

"She is in the best of care Crash; there is no need to worry."

"Well, where is she?"

Aku looked to the mountains high above their current position. "She was wondering aimlessly, so I asked an old friend to watch out for her."

Crash was relieved, but his expression was still full of suspicion.

Aku didn't pick up on his uneasiness. "Now don't worry about a thing Crash. Coco will return when she's ready."

Crash still didn't feel totally convinced, but he nodded in submission. At least he'd be able to get a decent sleep without her always around to wake him up. Crash tromped back into the jungle toward his favorite tree, planning on enjoying a snack before his snooze.

"Just for the record, Aku, I wasn't worried." Crash said before he disappeared into the trees, his last ditch effort to preserve his fragile pride.

"Of course Crash. I'll not breathe a word."