Chapter 6

"KRYSTAL!"

Fox cried out the name of his love, desperate to find her. The blizzard was making it especially difficult for him to locate Krystal or her ship. The only thing he could make out was the large climate control center, which was still quite far away. After a few minutes he was extremely worried – panicking, thinking she may not have made it.

Krystal, you have to be alive… please… you're all I have…

Eventually, Fox did manage to find Krystal's ship, but she was not there. Luckily, the ship had only minor damages like his own, and he figured she had to still be alive. Regardless, Fox's anxiety was through the roof, needing to see Krystal immediately. He continued searching, desperate as he had ever been.

He couldn't bear the idea of her being gone. If anything had kept him going the last couple years, it was the thought that she could at least be living happily. Or that maybe they could be together again…

"Fox!"

The sound of Krystal's voice was an astonishing relief. Fox's heart raced, and he ran in the direction of her voice.

"Krystal!"

"Fox!"

Then, through the snowstorm, they saw each other. Wasting no time, the two ran to each other and embraced, holding each other in a tight, loving hug. Neither wanted to let go.

"Are you hurt, Fox?!" Krystal asked, heavily concerned.

"I'm alright; are you, Krystal?! Please tell me you're okay!" Fox asked her fretfully.

"I am," Krystal affirmed, giving him a bright smile.

Fox smiled back, incredibly grateful. They continued to hold one another, each enjoying the warmth and affection. It was a wonderful moment, and they both wanted it to last. They had never been closer.

"Krystal… I… I thought I might have lost you…" Fox admitted.

"I worried about you, too," Krystal said. "But it doesn't matter now. We're okay… we're together…"

"Yes…" Fox agreed.

They shared the moment a little while longer, both still reluctant to stop hugging. They were still in an awful situation, but they were far more optimistic upon finding each other. When they did finally release each other, they pondered their next move.

"Well, what shall we do?" Krystal asked.

"We've got to fix the climate control center," Fox said. "It'll be difficult getting there, but we've got to take care of it. Let's also try getting in touch with the rest of the team."

As they began walking to the control center, both Fox and Krystal pulled out their communicators and tried calling their teammates. No response came from Falco, Slippy, or Amanda.

"That's not good…" Fox remarked.

"Do you suppose there was a trap waiting for them as well?" Krystal asked.

"Probably," Fox replied. "Let's hope they're alright…"

"I know they are," Krystal said confidently. "I'd be able to sense if they were dead or fatally hurt."

"Didn't you say you didn't sense any real danger, about the distress signals? It must have been a trap, right?" Fox asked.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I remember something did feel off about Titania to me…" Krystal said. "I was mostly worried about Fichina at the time, though. The distress signal must have been legitimate there."

"I see…" Fox said. He then grinned, and added lightheartedly, "Well, I trust your senses!"

Krystal smiled back, and playfully replied, "Thank you, Captain!"

The two walked arm to arm, trying to keep as warm as they could. They tried to maintain a brisk pace to reach the climate control center in good time, and to get out of the blizzard as soon as they could. There was no relief, for the snow was constantly pelting them, and the bitter cold only felt worse every minute. They did their best to stay focused on reaching the tower, despite the brutal conditions. After twenty minutes or so of walking silently, Krystal started the next conversation as they kept on moving.

"So, what happened to Oikonny?" Krystal asked Fox.

"I got him," Fox answered. "Him and the others."

"So… he's finally dead?" Krystal asked.

"Yes," Fox affirmed. "He sure did cause us a lot of grief over the years. Even right now…"

"True," Krystal said. After a pause, she continued, "I feel partly responsible for our situation, though…"

"What?!" Fox asked, clearly upset Krystal had taken blame. "Why?"

"Well, I told you I didn't trust the distress signal," Krystal explained. "I even thought there'd be a trap… and now we're stranded out here…"

"It's not your fault – at all," Fox told her firmly. "We had to check the planet out no matter what. Besides, we need to fix the climate control center that they messed with. Don't feel guilty."

"I suppose we had to come," Krystal admitted. "It's a shame all this had to happen, though."

"We'll be alright," Fox reassured her. "Just have to take care of the control center and get in contact with the rest of the team…"

"Should we try again now?" Krystal asked.

"Couldn't hurt," Fox said.

Krystal nodded, and the two of them once again tried to contact their teammates with their communicators. Again, no response came. Fox and Krystal sighed, discouraged.

"I wonder what's happening with them…" Fox said nervously. "I know you said they're alright, but they should have answered by now, right?"

"I'd think so," Krystal replied. "We have to remain hopeful, though."

"Right," Fox agreed, trying to relax himself.

He felt himself growing closer and closer to Krystal again. There was a question he needed to ask her; something that had bothered him for a long time. He didn't want to pry or make her uncomfortable, but Fox needed to know something. He decided he would try.

"Krystal…?" Fox began slowly.

"Yes, Fox?" Krystal said.

Fox continued, "May I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course – anything," Krystal replied.

Fox took a breath, then asked, "When you were with Star Wolf… did you… did you ever fall in love with Panther?"

Panther Caroso was one of Star Wolf's members – a brash, flirtatious pilot who had taken an immediate liking to Krystal when he first met her. He always tried anything he could to get closer to Krystal. Once Fox learned Krystal had joined Star Wolf, one of his worst fears was that Panther had finally stolen her heart. That she would love Panther…

"No," Krystal answered sternly. "Never… you're the only one I've ever loved, Fox… I promise you that…"

The words were wonderful for Fox to hear, but he still felt awkward for asking. He said, "I'm sorry if that was too personal to ask…"

"It's fine," Krystal said. She decided to open up further, "When I was with them, he never stopped trying to have a relationship with me. It got on my nerves, really! I never returned his feelings… but he'd never take no for an answer…"

Fox nodded, easily imagining what it must have been like. Panther was always bugging her, even before she joined Star Wolf, so it must have been even worse. Fox wasn't jealous of Panther in any way, but he did despise him. He likened Panther to Falco, but without any of the good characteristics. Both often overstepped their boundaries and were overly arrogant, but at least Falco cared about his friends and carried certain morals.

Though Krystal hadn't been offended by the question, there was silence between them following her answer. Fox still worried he had gone too far, but he was glad he finally got it off his chest. He knew Krystal had joined Star Wolf because he forced her away, and so he knew if Krystal had fallen in love with Panther, it would have been his fault. He was grateful she hadn't, for he might have lost her forever if she had.

They continued to trudge through the awful storm, shaking and frostbitten. The climate control center grew nearer, but every second grew harder for Fox and Krystal to keep going. Still, they stayed strong, having each other for motivation. They focused on each other, thinking about how much closer they had grown again. They ignored their physical pain as much as they could. They thought of how they were restoring their relationship, and how happy they'd be again when this was all over…

After much more walking and holding on, they made it. Fox and Krystal were at the climate control center. They had managed to keep on going and not let the storm overcome them. Finally, they reached their target.

With big smiles, they rushed into the entrance of the building, eager to end the snowstorm. It was a simple, circular structure with just the main computer room, but it was very large on the outside. Fortunately, it had been big enough for Fox and Krystal to see from afar.

Fox remembered the last time he had been here, when Pigma had lured him and the team here. The trek was less difficult then since Fox had been closer to the building at that time, and also got to use a Landmaster for help. Fox and Krystal approached the main computer, feeling much relief and delight.

"You've done this before. You do the honors," Krystal said to Fox with a smile.

Fox smiled back, seized the controls, and took care of restoring the climate. The snow outside ceased its violent gust, and Fichina was back to normal. The blizzard was over.