Author's Note: [I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read this story. I plan to come out with chapters regularly. Warning, this story is not going to be as light and fluffy as many other CB fan fiction. This is taking a more realistic look at the world the Bandicoots live in, their inner personalities, and how they get along with each other. Please leave a review - I am looking to always improve. Thanks, have a nice day! -Sirbaron]
"Coco, you should have not stood in my way. I'm not sure that you know what you have done. Humans cannot be trusted," Crunch said while brushing off the remaining sand on his shoulder. "I have yet to see the responsibility Aku'Aku expects in you."
"Don't tell me a thing about responsibility! I know more than you could ever imagine - I have built contraptions that will help the world! You run around shirtless and sweaty, always itching to make yourself look better. You're just a hulking hypocrite!" Coco retorted with a caustic comment.
"Have you ran a mile in your life? That tends to make one sweat. Oh, but you wouldn't get exercise if it weren't for me. If you truly have the intelligence you never lose a moment to boast about, at least listen to this. Crash, you too. Both of you pack an emergency backpack just in case. Even if I'm wrong, it could prove handy against future Cortex invasions. I may not be a rocket scientist, but I have common sense. I look ahead," Crunch said in a very calm, yet furious tone.
That evening, a terrible storm socked the tropical islands in. The gloom of the poring rain reflected the gloom of the family, the lightning the anger, and the thunder the argument. Aku'Aku and Crash were able to do nothing but watch the argument unfold. It was clear, there was a rift within the family. Coco had retreated to her lab while Crash huddled next to the fire in the house's hearth. Crunch was already packing his backpack. As lightning and energy flared outside, morale and motivation was low inside.
Coco sat in her tan chair, staring at the cooling cup of tea in her hands. Her eyes were wet and red from crying. During the fight, she had shown nothing but stubbornness, however, now that she was in her laboratory, she wept. She did not want to admit it, but her brother was probably right. Nothing good could come from inviting a human to her house. Yet, that is not why the tears flowed from her soggy eyelashes. She wept because she knew that she had lost her brother's trust. How dark of a world it must be for him, to have nobody looking after him. Coco always felt safe because she knew that her older brothers would stand in front of Hell itself to keep her safe. Crunch had no one. He was a protector. Tears began to flow from her swollen eyes again. She got up off the tan chair, set her tea down, and began to quietly arrange a pair of clothes. She put this in her pink backpack along with her laptop, a small package of utility gizmos she had made, and some toiletries.
While Crash does not talk, he understands speech and body language better than most people think. After bearing witness to the blow-out between his siblings, Crash promptly packed his emergency backpack. He included several Wumpa fruits, a pair of sunglasses, a yo-yo, and some pants in the denim pack. Crash thought carefully about the fight. Crunch had been awfully hard on Coco, but his sister had done something very stupid. However, despite the moods that both of his siblings tried to convey during the fight, he saw them both hurting inside. Coco was obdurate, but he saw her blaming herself for the tear in the family. Crunch was calm and accusatory. Yet, Crash got the feeling that Crunch was hating every moment of the fight. Crash decided that if there ever was a better time for him to mature, it would be now. He would do it for Crunch and Coco.
Crunch was kneeling on the floor of his room, packing as many things as he could into his black backpack. He stuffed extra food, water, and rope in it. Additionally, he put a small pocket knife in his bag along with a flashlight. He then packed an another pair of camouflage pants, and even a shirt, just in case it got cold wherever the Bandicoots may end up next. Wherever that may be. Crunch thought. He sighed. The burgundy-colored Bandicoot had thought that wearing military pants and going shirtless conveyed plenty of machismo. But, he thought, no man would be as hurt as me by the end of that fight. Crunch had come from a cruel world-one ruled by Cortex. Therefore, Crash and Coco were all that he had, and he had just blown-up on his sister.
"Life has a way of ordering us around. I would just like to know where the hell we are bound for next."