Sorry that Chapter 4 is a day late... I got distracted by watching Bleach. On top of that, My internet crapped out yesterday. I may or may not have pulled an all-nighter to finish this chapter.

I noticed that my chapters are getting longer, but the next one shouldn't be too long, I think...

Thank you to everyone who reviewed. The support is greatly appreciated. *cries tears of joy and passes out*

Panther: "So it looks like the author is unconscious..."

Fox: "YES FINALLY I CAN GET MY REVENGE ON THAT BASTARD" *starts kicking unconscious author*

Wolf: *puts Fox into a headlock and pulls him away* "Woah there pup, calm down... you're supposed to be the peace-loving one"

Fox: "PEACE-LOVING MY ASS! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT BASTARD IS GOING TO DO TO ME?!"

Leon: *jumps out of nowhere* "Hey guys."

Fox, Wolf, & Panther: "WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU COME FROM?!"

Leon: "The front door, and I seem to have the most lines... Why do I have to do so much talking?! You three are the loudmouths here..."

Fox: "YOU TAKE THAT BACK! I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!"

The Twisted Past

"BEEP—BEEP—BEEP"

"Uhhhhhg…Panther… what time is it…?" mumbled a sleepy Fox.

"BEEP—BEEP—BEEP"

"Panther…?"

"BEEP—BEEP—BEEP"

'Damn it, he's already up. Seriously, what time is it anyway?'

Fox sat up and looked at the beeping alarm clock. It was 6:30 AM, and it was still dark outside. The days were getting shorter as winter approached. Fox quickly realized that he was shirtless from the cold autumn air biting at his chest and back.

'Panther must have somehow taken my shirt off while I was asleep. Either he's super stealthy, or I was one hundred and ten percent unconscious last night…"

"BEEP—BEEP—BEEP"

"SHUT UP!"

Fox slammed the giant metal "dismiss" button on the alarm clock with his open hand, but he was instantly met with an intense electrical jolt that ran up through his entire arm. He yelped in surprise before shouting:

"BLOODY SON-OF-A…"

Fox stopped as soon as he noticed Panther standing in the doorway. It was still hard to see, as the thick drapes on the window blocked what little light was available from outside. Fox could only barely make out the silhouette of the feline. Panther's golden eyes, however, seemed to glow like a candle flame, which was the dead giveaway of his presence.

"Looks like you enjoyed the alarm clock surprise. I assume you're awake now?"

"Haha, very funny…"

Panther sat down on the bed next to Fox, while holding two mugs in his hands. Fox wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and pulled it around himself to cover his chest.

"I figured you would be cold, so I made some hot chocolate."

"Is it spiked?"

"Yep."

"Kay."

Panther handed one of the two mugs over to Fox, who held it as gingerly as possible, like it would spontaneously explode if it were disturbed. He quickly noted how nice the warmness of the mug felt in his cold paws. Fox took an over-exaggerated deep breath, as if it were his last, before taking a sip at the aromatic liquid. Fox eventually said:

"I'm surprised I'm still conscious… What did you add? Vitamins?"

"No I added Viagra… OF COURSE THEY WERE VITAMINS YOU FURRY DIPSHIT! WHAT ELSE COULD IT POSSIBLY BE?!"

"I could think of some things…"

The two started giggling uncontrollably as dirty thoughts came to their minds, and soon the giggling turned into an all-out laughing fit. Even after the wave of hysteria passed. It took about five minutes before either of them could finish a coherent statement without laughing like a crazy idiot halfway through. Fox was the first to succeed and return to the realm of normalness.

"This stuff is really good. Personal recipe I assume?"

Panther gave a small nod in response before they both went back to sipping their drink. The next couple of minutes became an unspoken competition to see who could make the loudest, most exaggerated sipping sound. Panther came out as the winner, but only because Fox ran out of hot chocolate first. Fox, feeling warmer, opened up the front of his blanket-cloak to keep himself at a comfortable temperature. Panther suddenly stopped and stared at Fox's chest, which was now giving off an almost unnoticeable blue glow. Fox was completely oblivious as to what was going on.

"Panther? Is there something wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Panther set his drink down on the bedside table before slowly reaching his hand toward Fox's chest. He reached for Fox's pendant and brought it toward himself for a closer look. Fox started panicking a little so he decided to say something.

"Oh that's just something my dad gave to me. Doesn't it look pretty?"

"Bullshit."

Panther then immediately reached inside his own shirt and pulled out something that made Fox gasp. It was a similar looking pendant, except it featured a red crystal instead of a blue one.

"You… have one too?"

Panther simply nodded before stating:

"If we are connected then they should fit together like puzzle pieces right? I guess there's only one way to find out."

The two held their breath as Panther tried to fit the two pendants together, but they didn't match up. Panther tried flipping one of the pieces over but to no avail. The two both let out a long, drawn-out sigh before Panther spoke again.

"Well that was uneventful… So we don't match up…For a moment I thought the wait was over."

"Ditto."

"That doesn't mean we can't still have fun with each other…right…?"

By now Fox was quite experienced at giving Panther blank stares, who was now grinning ear to ear as he finished the rest of his hot chocolate. Once the vulpine's mind had finished processing everything he gave his reply.

"I would like to meet this fated lover girl first. I'm not about to lose my virginity to anybody other than this gal. That, and I'm not gay."

"Correction: it's a guy. Also, YOU'RE A VIRGIN?"

"Ehh…what?"

"Your mate-to-be is going to be a male, and you've never had sex?"

The blank stare officially became Fox's signature expression for the day. Eventually he broke out of the trance and inquired further.

"How do you know?"

"You really didn't do much research on these pendants did you? Normally, when the crystals pair a guy and a girl, the guy will get the Alpha crystal, while the female gets the Omega variant. If the two being paired are the same gender, the more dominant of the two will get the Alpha crystal. You got an Omega crystal. Your match is a guy, and why are you still a virgin?"

"I still don't get it…"

"If you are a guy, and you get an Alpha crystal, your pair could be either gender, but if you get the Omega crystal, your pair would be a male. Likewise if you are a girl, and you get an Omega crystal, your pair could be either gender, but if you get an Alpha crystal, your pair would be a female. Also, you should not be a virgin."

"But I'm not gay… or bi… I think."

"Oy…"

Panther then pushed Fox back onto the bed and pinned the vulpine on his back.

Fox made no move to resist as shock once again took hold of his mind. He could only lie there and watch the feline looming over him. Panther made quick work of his own clothes, and in a blink of an eye, all that was left on his figure were obsidian-black form fitting boxer briefs from last night that matched his fur so well, you wouldn't have been able to tell they were there.

"P-Panther… W-what are you doing…?"

"Sexual divination, just go with it."

Panther straddled Fox's hips and used his hands to pin the vulpine's shoulders to the bed, rendering him helpless. Panther was much, much stronger than his outward appearance showed, so Fox's couldn't break free, but he didn't make an attempt to either. He simply squirmed a bit under the feline. As much as he tried to fight it, his eyes were transfixed on the slender body in front of him. Panther began slowly grinding his ass on Fox's crotch, which was covered only by his own boxer briefs. The vulpine let out a small, but stifled moan, followed by near inaudible whimpering.

"Panther… stop… please…"

Panther worked his hands over Fox's chest and used his claws to draw small circles around the 2 hardened nubs on the vulpine's chest, before squeezing them hard and rolling them between his fingers slowly. This was answered by a loud gasp from Fox as his member began to swell and harden. Once Panther took notice of this, he immediately stopped and got off the helpless Fox. Panther smiled and said:

"Well, it looks like you passed the test. Welcome to the queer club!"

"Fuck you." Said Fox as he stared at his own crotch in frustration. Panther just grinned as he got up out of bed.

"It could have been worse. I could have gone down on you right then and there."

"Like hell you would have! Not on my watch!"

Fox was fuming, but Panther simply broke into a laugh. Fox quickly found it extremely difficult to stay mad at the feline, and ended up laughing too. After they calmed down, Panther resumed the conversation.

"Now that you've admitted that you like guys at least a little bit, back to my other question. Why the hell are you still a virgin?"

"Well, I've only ever dated Krystal, and my dad told me to wait until I found that one true love, and that hasn't happened yet."

"Your dad's an asshole."

"Hey! You watch your mouth!"

"May I add that he fucked everyone who was attracted to males in the flight academy at least three times? Even some of the instructors did it with him…"

"SAY WHAAAAAAT?!"

"Yep, your dad was a walking libido. Embrace your family history, right? From what I know, he stopped sleeping around after he met your mother, but after that incident… he kind of went back to his old habits…"

"I always wondered where he was disappearing off to…"

"On a brighter note, I know from personal experience how great he is in bed. I was also one of the only people who managed to get him to agree to bottoming, albeit only once."

"You… and my dad… fucked?"

"On multiple occasions, and trust me, that's not that surprising… a lot of people had sex with him… Rumor at the academy said that you could tell who spent the night with him just by looking at them. After he was done with you, you would have trouble walking the next day. I can also second this to some extent."

"Well, do you have anything else to tell me that's startling?"

"Yeah I do. After your mother passed, James fell into a state of depression for a while. Then one day he crossed paths with Wolf, and through some bizarre turn of events they started liking each other."

"What… the actual… fuck?"

"Yeah… long story… I'm sure Wolf will tell you in the future, but in short, your dad died in the Lylat War, which you already know. Anyway, Wolf tried to commit suicide, but Leon and I managed to stop him. He's never been the same since…"

"Why the hell hasn't he gotten over it yet? Even I have, and I'm James own son!"

"Well, about a week before James died, they had gotten married… Your dad was actually buried with the ring. Wolf also still wears his, so he's a long ways away from getting over it, especially because he feels that it was his fault. Trust me, things get complicated very, very fast."

Fox was so in shock that he almost tumbled off the bed.

"They were… m-ma-married…?"

"Yeah…"

"I… think… I… need to lay down…"

"Yeah… you probably should."

Panther got up to leave the room but turned around at the doorway and watched for a few minutes to make sure Fox would be okay. After Fox had completely fell asleep, Panther left the room.

When Fox awoke, he found a note on the bedside table. It read:

"Hey Foxy, I actually had to leave for a business meeting with an advertising firm, and I won't be back until late. Feel free to explore the house if you want. Sorry that I had to tell you all that earlier… I just felt that it was best to tell you that while you were in a calm mood. Please feel better soon and try not to get too worked up over it, okay? There's a TV and a bunch of video games in the space sectioned off from the living room for entertainment. My computer is in the office. I made an extra account, and it's already been configured to recognize you, so you don't need a password. The computer extends throughout the house, so you can access your stuff from any of the touch panels located on the walls. There's food in the refrigerator for you to eat. If you want to look at and/or touch stuff, feel free, as long as it's within reason and you don't break anything. Oh and one last note, if you want to experiment with any of the "toys" in that room I showed you, be sure to toss them into the black receptacle on the wall when you're done with them. That's the automated cleaner which also disinfects the inserted items, because, you know… safety is important, right? There's also an extra touch panel on the wall in case you need to look up how to use any of them. So yeah, feel better, have fun, stay safe, and see ya later!"

'I… think I'll stay away from the "toys" for now…" Fox thought to himself.

Fox decided to get to know the house better first. There were two bathrooms and bedrooms, an office, a kitchen, a living room, and a garage, but at the end of the hallway, there was a thick steel door. Fox tried to find a way to open the door, but when he touched its surface, a screen on it immediately lit up and said:

"Sorry, you do not have permission to enter this facility."

Fox thought to himself:

'That's odd, what in the world is behind that door that requires so much security? Ehh… it's probably none of my business anyway.'

Fox eventually settled on playing videogames. When he got to the entertainment room, his eyes almost jumped out of his head. Along with a huge TV, there, lined up neatly in several rows, was every game console that ever existed. To the left, one large bookshelf spanned the entire wall. It was filled with games and random game related things that were collected over many years. However, to the right, there was another bookshelf that took up the entire wall as well, except this one was covered by bulletproof glass and lit by gallery lights. Inside were a plethora of exclusive limited edition items from Nintendo, many of them in mint condition.

'Damn, Panther seems to be a hardcore Nintendo fan. Why does this not surprise me?'

After Fox finished marveling at everything, the Wii U caught his eye. He picked up the gamepad and sat back on the couch, which was very comfortable. The TV turned on automatically along with the Wii U as Fox pushed the power button on the gamepad. Super Smash Bros. Brawl was already loaded into the disk tray, and Fox couldn't pick a game to save his life anyway, so he just went with it. After fifteen minutes, he was already mashing keys and yelling at the CPUs. Three hours flew past when suddenly a voice spoke to him from the right.

"Hey Fox."

Fox was so startled that he jumped out of his seat and flew to the left before falling onto the carpeted floor, which had, thankfully, cushioned his abrupt descent. The voice spoke again.

"Sorry, it's just me."

Fox looked up from the floor to see a familiar green chameleon staring back at him. He was wearing a dark grey hoodie and light grey sweatpants.

"Jeez Leon, you scared the living shit out of me! Where the hell did you come from anyway?!"

Fox got back onto the sofa as Leon reached for controller.

"I came in the front door like any normal person. You were just too busy screaming at the TV. Mind if I join you?"

"Uh, go ahead…"

They began to play one-on-one matches, with Leon always winning somehow. Fox was getting steadily more frustrated. Leon eventually noticed and spoke.

"You know, I've been sitting here watching you play for about two hours now. I've been analyzing your strategy, and to be brutally honest, you don't really have a strategy in this game, do you?"

"TWO HOURS?!"

"Yeah, and that's the only reason I'm beating you. Once you catch onto my playing style, we'd probably be more equal, but then again, I can just change it as soon as you figure it out."

"I kind of guessed, but tell me this, how in the world have you gone completely unnoticed all this time?"

"When you're playing videogames, you seem to drop your guard completely. You also seem to start becoming less and less aware of your surroundings. However, it isn't all to blame, I'm sure. Oh and by the way, you've died four times since you started looking at me."

"OH COME ON THAT'S CHEATING!"

"You were the one who looked at me without pausing, not me."

Suddenly someone came in through the front door.

"HEY GUYS, I'M BACK FROM SHOPPING AT THE MA…"

The figure stopped as soon as he saw Fox leaning backward over the couch staring at him, upside down. Leon had simply turned around. They both said in unison.

"Hey Wolf."

Wolf was wearing the same clothes that Fox saw him wear yesterday and was also carrying over a hundred shopping bags in his hands. A brief glimmer brought Fox's eyes to the lupine's left hand. There, a beautiful golden wedding band shone and glimmered, almost obscured by all the colorful paper bags. After staring at it for a couple seconds, Fox's eyes moved back up to the lupine's face.

Wolf was staring in disbelief at the scene in front of him. The fact that Fox and Leon weren't trying to kill each other was, in his eyes, completely insane. Leon, however, was extremely skilled in reading people, so he spoke first.

"Killing Fox in a game is good enough for me. All I care about is humiliating him, and I got what I want. You can calm yourself now. Put all that stuff down go rest in your room."

"Yeah, but first, tell me: Why the hell is that brat here? And when did he get here?"

Wolf's attitude got Fox angry, so the vulpine stood up to face Wolf.

"I'm here because I was invited here last night, you got that? So, don't start anything you're going to regret…"

However, Wolf was silent, so Fox spoke again.

"What, cat got your tongue?"

Leon quickly jumped in.

"Fox, remember how I stated that you are unaware of your surroundings? I was being quite literal. You're still in your boxer briefs as you completely forgot to get dressed. Wolf simply paused to admire your beautifully well-toned body, isn't that right?"

"SHUT IT YOU ANNOYING LIZARD! I was just looking at the matchmaker pendent you're wearing. It makes you look girly," interjected Wolf.

"So you know about them… does that mean you have one?" said Fox, raising an eyebrow. Wolf quickly snapped back.

"What the hell do you think you're trying to pull, pup? All I know is that Panther has one. You can search all you want, but you won't find one belonging to me."

Leon got up out of his seat and walked over to Wolf and slipped him a s folded note (which went unnoticed by Fox) while saying:

"Wolf, you've been awake for more than 24 hours now. Please calm down and go rest. You really need it."

Leon took the bags from Wolf and set them down in a corner of the room while Wolf went down the hallway. Fox heard the steel door at the end of the hall open and close. It was a normal sound to hear, as almost all spacecraft and space stations use similar doors. It just wasn't normal to hear in a civilian home. Leon came back and sat down again. They resumed playing on the Wii U. After a brief period of silence, Leon spoke again.

"Sorry about all that Fox. Wolf is usually not that agitated, except when he's around you. I know a lot of things about him, but I still haven't figured out why he's eternally pissed at you. I do know, however, that his feelings and emotions are a threat to himself."

"Well first, I happened to him. Then, my dad happened to him."

"So Panther told you then? Figures. I mean, I have an idea as to why he acts the way he does, but it's obvious I'm missing some key details."

"Where has he been this past day anyway? He looked really worn out…"

"There was a 24 hour sale at the Corneria City Mall where everything was 50% off. He likes shopping, so he wasn't about to pass up the opportunity."

"Uhuh, but seriously, how did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Get him to do as you say."

"Well, we go way back. I was relatively shy, but he reached out to me and said that we could be friends. Our species are naturally stealthy, so whenever he got into deep shit at the academy, I would clean up after him. Most importantly, I've never been caught, even by him. We're the same age, but I swear, he still has the maturity of a little kid sometimes. I had nothing better to do, so I took care of any problems that came up, beat up anybody who wanted to hurt him. After he found out about what I was doing, he told me that if I ever hurt you, he'd personally rip me to pieces, even though we were friends, and I don't think he was kidding either. That aside, he always took my advice from then on, so I had a big say in mercenary team decisions, but Wolf was the leader because he had the character of one. If at least one of us knew what we were doing, we were fine."

"Wait, Wolf actually cared about me back then?"

"Yeah he did. Wait… are you telling me that you didn't know? Well, you were very lucky he said that, because after what you did to him, I was ready to murder you and dump your body into an incinerator. Allow me to put heavy emphasis on the fact that up until that point, I had not killed or even thought about killing anybody before, at least not seriously. Wolf actually had to come to me and threaten me a second time as to keep you alive. Be thankful. Be very, very thankful."

"I am, and do you still hate me for what I did?"

"I did for a while, but eventually I realized it was a big misunderstanding fueled by jealousy and hormones, and I forgave you."

"That's great and all, but I still haven't forgiven myself."

"There will come a point where you will find solace, even after you've done something like that. Amends are made eventually, it's just not time yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Ehh... you're younger than me. You'll understand eventually."

"OKAY, DON'T YOU PLAY THE SENIORITY CARD ON ME YOU FUCKER!"

"Experience is the best teacher. I'm not saying a thing. Although I did want to ask you how you ended up here in the first place."

"I attended that big chef's contest and talked to Panther. I also needed a place to stay."

"Where'd you sleep?"

Fox blushed a bit before replying.

"In his arms…"

"Did your pendants fit together?"

Fox was completely caught off guard by how nonchalantly Leon had asked, as if it were no big deal. He was one of those people that could never be understood. You could only be glad to be on their friends list.

"Uhh… no…"

"Did he take your virginity?"

"He offered sex while we were still at the restaurant, but nothing beyond that… wait… how in the name of Lylat did you know I'm a virgin?"

"I'm magic, and I'm surprised that that's all he did."

"It's kinda obvious… isn't it? And how is it surprising?"

"Pretty much, and you are the second person to ever share a bed with Panther without him trying to get into your pants."

"Who's the first?"

"Me. He knows better than to do that with me. I'd slice his balls off in a blink of an eye. So… do you want the story of who took who's virginity?"

"I… don't know…"

"Well… Wolf took Panther's virginity, your dad took Wolf's, and nobody knows who your dad James fucked first, because as far as everyone knows, he's been going at it since the beginning of time. Although there's rumors that it was Beltino…"

"What about you?"

"I've never had sex. As far as I know I'm asexual, so I just keep friends, but I don't have many friends because I don't talk with people a whole lot. It's not because I hate talking, it's just I don't initiate conversation much at all. Strangers don't usually try to chat with me because I keep a low profile and act busy. People who do know me usually are more interested in avoiding me for fear of being murdered on the spot. They're not going to think, 'Hey! I'm going to strike up a conversation with that assassin Leon! This is a great idea!' No… Do you see what I mean?"

"Funny to think that here I am, talking with you like we're best buddies"

"It is amusing yes, but do you really want to be locked in life-or-death combat with me."

"Aren't I already?"

"This just looks like death combat for you. I've got 109 kills on you. You've only got 7."

"I was wondering if you were keeping track. You are probably one of the most observant people I know. Nothing goes by unnoticed with you, huh?"

"And you wonder why I never get caught doing anything…"

"Like sneaking up on me… which brings up the question: Why are you and Wolf here?"

"Ah. We live here, just underground. Past that steel door is a military grade lift that goes about 20 feet down. Panther originally built this place for himself, but since we didn't have any place to stay, he added rooms underground. His dad was an engineer and an architect who worked for Space Dynamics. Panther learned all the skills from his dad. There's two extra bedrooms underground, a large storage room, and another, special room, but I won't spoil the secret. I'll leave the fun for Panther, and I also value having my scales still attached to me. Did you know Panther has cybernetic claws? They're normally harmless, but when activated, they produce zero-point force fields that make them hundreds of times harder than diamond and sharp enough to split one right down the middle. Gift from Andross."

"Should I be feeling angry at the name?"

"I'm not surprised, but no. Andross was never evil to start. He was one of the nicest people you could meet. He pushed our technology hundreds of years into the future, yet he never kept any money for himself. He was also a doctor, and he came up with breakthrough cures that saved millions of lives. He gave people cybernetics for free, because he thought that people should have the right to being whole again. Although Andross designed millions of weapons, he kept all the blueprints in flash drive imbedded next to his heart. He never made any of them a reality, with a couple of exceptions. Four to be exact. His most dangerous technology was known as the zero-point energy manipulator. It was code named 'hard light' due to it being like a hologram in appearance, but acting like a solid object. He implanted this into four cybernetic devices and gave them to me, Panther, Wolf, and your father, James. A high-ranking government official wanted to buy the technology from him, but he refused, fearing the damage it could do. As a result, said official framed Andross for plotting to destroy Corneria, so the old scientist was exiled to Venom. That planet has a toxic cloud which should have killed him, as only venomian natives and reptiles can survive in that atmosphere, but the universal antidote he developed a few years prior saved him. He hired us to help clear his name, but the toxic cloud quickly started deteriorating his brain. He gradually began to develop a split personality. That other version of him had no morals and became increasingly evil by the day, and it started taking control over his body. While he was still sane, he tried to treat himself, but it was already too late. The last time he was ever his old, kind self, he ripped out the flash drive in his chest and uploaded his own consciousness to it. He then used a special algorithm to remove his evil alter ego from the copy and gave the flash drive to James, the man he trusted most. I'm not sure what your dad did with it, but I have a vague feeling that he gave it to Wolf. Eventually Evil-Andross formed an army, and you know the rest of the story."

"Why did he murder my dad?"

"Well, the old Andross was one sneaky bastard… always a step ahead of everyone else… While he didn't manage to destroy his unwanted alter-ego, he did manage to isolate his own knowledge and memories, and then wipe those of his alter. As such, Evil-Andross didn't share the same knowledge as he did. The alter eventually learned that the original had weapon blueprints. He also learned that the original had given them to your dad. On top of that, he discovered rumors that your dad had a fully working version of the zero-point energy manipulator in his cybernetic. He was trying to get his hands on your dad to extract the information from him, but died before Andross got to him."

"What was my dad's cybernetic implant anyway?"

"Your dad had been poisoned at one point. The chemical targeted the heart and completely destroyed it. There were no donor hearts available and he was dying. Andross decided to take drastic measures and took the smallest version of the zero point energy manipulator he had and installed in place of the heart after configuring it. The device worked, drawing energy from the surrounding cells to form a fake heart, and he lived. Andross eventually hooked up the device to your dad's brain so he could control it. It enabled him to do crazy things like make force fields and pick up stuff from a distance. His body acted as an excellent amplifier for the device, so it synced with his movements, enabling to even punch through walls if he wanted to. This was all amazing, except he almost never used it, for fear of being discovered, and for fear of a side effect: If he used it too much, he would collapse, because the device draws energy from the body reserves. Due to its size, the small energy buffer couldn't hold very much, and it was only used to keep him alive if he couldn't replenish his energy supply. Same goes for the three of us, so we keep use to a minimum as well. Back to the story, Evil-Andross eventually declared war, and Pigma betrayed your dad. While your dad was on the transport ship with Wolf, he killed himself, sorta… This is where the story gets shaky. James did something which caused the device to vanish without a trace. It even left a dead heart in its place with his own DNA. His entire body just instantly died. Beforehand, James had told Wolf to make it look like he was murdered, and he did so. As such, Evil-Andross lost his chance to get his hands on a weapon that would have guaranteed his victory. But something wasn't right. I was there to watch, and it looked like his body was just replaced by a dead corpse. Completely instant death. Do you want to know your dad's last words?

"I'm not sure, but you're probably going to tell me anyway."

"He said: 'I'll be back,' and since then, I've been trying to find clues as to what really happened. Wolf is convinced that he'll never see James again, but I'm not so sure…"

"I think I saw my dad during the Aparoid Invasion, but I assumed I was hallucinating…"

"We know Andross found a way to cheat death itself, and I wouldn't be surprised if he did that with James as well, albeit through a different method."

"Wait a minute, how do you know all this to be true? And how do I know you're not lying to me?"

"Andross was a good friend of mine, and I keep all my friends under constant supervision. I know with absolute certainty that he was framed. I have also never spoken a lie. I simply refuse to speak if I'm unable to give the truth. Lies help no one."

"Okay, at least I know I can trust you, so how do you know he was framed?"

"Said government official from earlier was accused of many crimes by the Court of the Eclipse. One of the ones listed was framing Andross and being the root cause of the Lylat War. He was found guilty."

"What is this Court of the Eclipse?"

"Okay, whatever I say next must not leave your mouth, understood?"

"Yes."

"The Court of the Eclipse is the dark side to our justice system. They operate behind closed doors. No jury. No public hearings. The accused is completely unaware of the prosecution. A third of the court defends the person, another third prosecutes, and the final third makes the decision. The only punishment they deal is death. If a decision is not reached, they continue to monitor your every move. Only the Commander in Chief is allowed to request an Eclipse Case, as they're called. Almost no one knows about this Court. I only know because I work for them. I perform the assassinations."

"So, you killed the guy."

"I murdered him and made it look like an accident, yes. On another note, I usually don't enjoy murdering people. Torture is definitely more fun, but I enjoyed every minute of watching that bastard die for what he did to Andross, and in extension, all of Lylat."

"Why don't they put him through the regular court system?"

"Too complicated, too slow, too much drama, and he knows ways to worm his way out. He's done it already, and he can't be found guilty for the same crime after he's been found innocent. After going through the court once, he didn't leave any decisive evidence that could justify another arrest. The Court of the Eclipse has its own laws, so that was the only way. He was also committing too many crimes too quickly, and it was decided that he must be stopped. Any other questions about the court?"

"No, and I promise not to speak of this."

"Good."

"So… do we talk about something else?"

"It's actually half past noon, so it's time for lunch."

"Can't we eat it later? I want to keep playing…"

Leon immediately tackled Fox to the ground and locked the vulpine's arms behind his back.

"That wasn't exactly a question. You never ate breakfast. You're not skipping lunch too."

"Damnit! Get off me! And I did eat breakfast!"

"Hot chocolate isn't breakfast, sir."

"WHAT THE?! HOW THE HELL DID YOU KNOW?"

"Well let's see, you still have traces of a chocolate milk mustache. I do the dishes around here since I don't mind water, and when I came in, there were two empty mugs with traces of chocolate, as well as an empty plate and one set of utensils. That plate was Panthers personal kitty plate that he never lets anybody else use. On top of that, being part of the culinary arts has given him a large amount of respect for the three meals of the day. He'll never skip a meal unless he's forced to. Also keep in mind that I have an acute sense of vibrations. So much so, that laying against things allows me to see inside of them in a manner akin to ultrasound. Your stomach is empty, and if you don't eat I will shove food down your throat. Understand?"

"Okay, okay… but since when have you been so concerned with my eating habits?"

"I'm not, it's just if I let you keep playing, you'll wind up skipping dinner as well, and if Panther finds out that you went a whole day without eating, may God have mercy on your soul…"

"Yeah well what's he going to do to me?"

"You don't want to know… I'm just trying to spare you from that experience. I saw Wolf go through it, and it's not pretty. Trust me on this one."

"How would he find out anyway?"

"When it comes to food, he's magic…"

"So if I agree to eat, you'll get off of me, right?"

Leon let the vulpine go immediately and walked over to the dining table, which was right next to the kitchen. Fox followed closely behind.

"So what do you want to eat?"

"I'm sure it won't matter if it's Panther's cooking."

"I second that."

Meanwhile, Wolf was down in his room laying on his bed. He didn't want to read the note Leon gave him earlier during his little confrontation with Fox, but he felt like he should. The image of Fox lingered in his mind, but it was the pendant that stuck out the most. He didn't expect the vulpine to have one, and he didn't know how to feel about it. Wolf eventually opened the note, though rather reluctantly. It read:

"You are such a terrible liar, you know that?"

IT'S A CLIFFHANGER... sorta... not really...

Next chapter will be a flashback, so it won't be as long. That should give me a little bit of a break...

I only had enough energy to revise this 1.5 times, instead of the usual 3+ times I do it. Please review and tell me if anything can be improved. Also, feel free to bash me for IRL references. I love Nintendo. Deal with it.

Chapter 5 next week, and hopefully on schedule this time around. Thank you guys so much. It's super awesome to see people reading this.