Author's Note: I own none of the Star Fox characters except the OCs. This is my first story and hopefully it will turn out nice. Please read and review.

UPDATE(Nov. 10, 2012): I recently edited the chapter, fixing most of the grammatical mistakes if not all of them. Let me know if there are still any mistakes I might have missed. Thanks!

Enjoy the story!

Chapter 1: Dreams and Memories

The Great Fox slowly orbited around the nearly perished planet in the outer Lylat System. It had been an hour after Fox and Krystal defeated the Aparoids on Sauria. Now that the planet is saved, the team must prepare to head out again and face the menacing creatures which threatens their home system.

Fox leaned on the railing of the observation deck, viewing the magnificent planet in view of the large window up front.

I wonder when will we come back here again. He sighed, thinking back what happened an hour or so back.

"Yeah! Yeah! I'll take care of the things here so you two can come back on your honeymoon!" Fox chuckled at his Earthwalker friend's words. Though he pondered about it.

"Honeymoon.." He wondered aloud.

"Were you thinking aloud, Fox?" Fox jumped from the surprise of Krystal standing right beside him, getting a giggle from the vixen at his embarrassment.

"Kry-Krystal! I didn't know you were here.." He stuttered, blushing and embarrassed. She just let a smile stretch across her perfect face.

They both stared at the beautiful planet for a few awkward silent moments before Krystal decided to start up a topic.

"Fox, when is the next time we'll be back here on Sauria? I mean like perhaps a vacation or some sort." She glanced up at the vulpine, catching his deep emerald eyes into hers.

"I-I don't know." He managed to mutter, trying his best to hide his blush and looked back at the view of the planet.

Krystal tilted her head, a playful smile now washed across her face as she edged closer and gently placing her paw on his but the vulpine jerked his hand away to her disappointment. She looked up to his face and seeing the nervousness in him, letting out another small giggle.

"Don't worry, I won't bite." She teased.

"I-I.." He tried to find words but they wouldn't leave his tongue, only able to stare into her blue-green orbs.

A moment or so, they just continued to stare at each other, unable to start up another conversation. He didn't have the courage to ask her yet. And even worse, what if she rejects him? He believed someone like himself was not worthy enough to have her anyway. He sighed. If only…

Another moment had passed as he started to build up his courage. He turned a bit away from her, taking a deep breath and exhaled. He could do this. He couldn't wait any longer. Now is the chance. He turned to face her only to be greeted by an empty space where she was a minute ago. Where did she go?

"Krystal?" He looked all over the observation deck, finding no one. He sighed and glanced back at the viewing glass only to be shocked. Outside hovering in front of him was a Wolfen. What shocked him the most was the pilot inside it.

"Krystal!" He ran and pressed himself against the glass, attempting to get a closer look to confirm his fears.

She merely glared at him, not saying a word. Another few seconds passed before she turned her craft away and blasted off into the black unknown. Words echoed in his head, they were painful to hear but he couldn't cover his ears and block it off. It was stuck in his head and soon he collapsed, crying to himself as he kept hearing those words..

I can't forgive you, Fox. You've shattered my heart…

"No…Krystal!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, his paws gripping the side of his head and baring his fangs, kneeling down and leaned his head onto the glass as he tried to keep his eyes shut to prevent the river of tears from flowing.

"No.."

IIIII

His eyelids slowly opened up and he found himself staring at the dark cold metal ceiling of his room within the Great Fox. It was just another nightmare. Another painful dream to remind him of his terrible decision back then. He couldn't help it. It nearly always get him. He could feel his fur near his eyes soaked in tears. This was torture to him.

He got up from his bed, pulling off the sheets and sat at the side, wearing nothing but his plain gray boxers and a sweaty white tank top. The smell of alcohol was strong on him. He had been drinking ever since she left him. Nearly every night, he'd fly down to Corneria City and start drowning himself at a local bar until he passed out.

"Krystal.." Her name trailed out of his breath. He closed his eyes and sighed in sadness.

Soon, the vulpine finally got up from his bed and headed towards his personal bathroom to take a shower. Maybe then he would freshen up from the nightmare. Maybe the warm water would wash away some of his guilt and lighten up his mood.

Though he may have been down in his mood, he was still the kind fox he was back then. Manners were always in check, honesty, and his other traits. He still helped out once in a while on missions. Mainly just preventing smugglers or escorting. Though it was only him on the team now.

Falco went off with Katt Monroe and another pilot he barely knew and formed team Star Falco. Not the best name but Falco is usually sloppy when it came to naming. They gained popularity fast, but it was mostly because he used to be one of Fox's wingmen. They took on harder missions while Fox alone did the minor ones due to the fact that he was alone.

Slippy left and joined the Cornerian Research and Development Department with his father, Beltino. The two were doing quite well with their current job from developing new fighter engines to further improving warp space. And from rumors, Slippy and Amanda were getting more and more closer, some even said they had planned on marriage soon.

Lucky guy. Fox thought, though he may be a bit jealous that his friends had found love, his happiness for his friend overcomes his more negative feelings. It was just not him to be back stabbing people. He never was that type of person anyway.

Peppy, his mentor and surrogate father had rejoined the Cornerian military and taken Pepper's place as the General. The old hare had aged a lot afterwards, sporting a beard-like look on his facial fur and looking more serious and intimidating. But he was still the same rabbit that used to be on the team; always looking out for the vulpine and giving him plenty of advices.

Rob was still with him on the ship to tend to the controls. The robot never seemed to stop. Though at some point during the months he would plug himself to the ship to recharge and go to 'sleep'. The fox would chat with the service bot once in a while and wondered if the mechanical being understood anything they had talked about.

He got out of the shower and dried himself off, wrapping his lower body in a towel and searched his room for a pair of boxers. After finally finding them in a stack of recently washed clothes that were sitting in a corner of his room, he then went searching for some other clothes. He picked up a pair of dark blue jeans and a black sleeveless shirt and put them on, strolling for the door.

Only as he walked out of his room did Rob came rushing from his left.

"What is it Rob?" The vulpine asked, his face got serious, Rob wouldn't be rushing to him unless something is wrong.

"A message from Peppy." The service bot spoke out.

"Is it a mission?"

"No."

"Is he in danger?"

"Negative."

The orange furred fox scratched the back of his head. If it wasn't any of those cases, then Rob wouldn't need to come rushing to him.

"Then why the rush?"

"Peppy told me to get you as soon as possible."

The vulpine just shrugged and headed for the bridge. As he headed to the bridge, he had to pass by the hangar. He couldn't help but stop on the platform overlooking the hangar and look down at the nearly empty area of the ship.

There in the middle sat Fox's Arwing II all alone in the cold. He remembered when there were three more fighters alongside the lone blue ship. He sighed as he remembered the hangar when it was a bit more lively.

But then he looked to his right side and his eyes watered. There, sitting in the furthest right corner of the large area was the Cloudrunner. Krystal's personal ship before she had left. Though it sat there without ever being used anymore, Fox would still maintain it in hopes that maybe the beautiful sapphire vixen would come back. But that was a hope all lost. He now only cherished it as one of the few things left by her.

He looked away and continued on.

As soon as he reached the bridge, Rob immediately went for the controls, tapping on the keys until the hologram came to life and an aged hare's head appeared.

"Fox! It's good to see you again!"

"Hey there Peppy, you're the same as ever." Fox let a slight smile to appear on his face as he continued. "So what's the rush, old timer?"

"Oh! Right! I was about to say happy birthday." The rabbit's head chuckled.

"Oh, thanks," was all the vulpine could say. He couldn't believe he had forgotten his own birthday. Probably because he never really cared much since Star Fox broke apart and all his mind wandered to the blue vixen out there somewhere with Star Wolf.

Star Wolf, just a mention of their name made him clench his paws into tight fists and bared his fangs. He had always wanted to fly back to Sargasso and kick their asses for turning Krystal against her former friends. He especially wanted to deal with the so called Panther Caroso. The black feline's behavior towards females made him sick to the stomach.

"Is something wrong, Fox?" The General eyed him with concern.

The vulpine snapped out of his deep thoughts and shook them away. "Nope, I'm fine."

"Well, if you want, you can come down and I can arrange a private party to celebrate my dearest friend's birthday." The aging hare suggested, grinning with the hope that it would cheer the depressed vulpine at least a bit.

"No, I'm fine Peppy.." Fox faked a smile as he said it. "Thanks though."

"Fox. You can't keep yourself down all the time." The hare started to lecture him. "You have to think brighter. What's in the past stays there. Now you need to think of the future."

"I know." The orange vulpine sighed, scratching his head with an annoyed look on his face.

"No, I don't think you do." The hare gave him a more serious look than before. "It is a shame that she left but you can't do much about it right now. Though I hate to say it, you need to get over her."

The vulpine stood silent, staring at the floor of the bridge, his expression clearly showed the sadness that made its way out of him. He couldn't get over her so easily. Her image, her personality, her everything is burned into his mind and would stay there forever.

"Even if you still have these feelings for her doesn't mean she feels the same for you."

"As if I didn't knew that."

"Then why are you still so upset about it Fox?"

"I-I don't know Peppy.."

"She's not a companion more or less a friend anymore. She's the enemy no-"

"She's not an enemy!" The orange fox slammed his fist onto the panel in anger. It took him a few seconds before he realized what he did and calmed himself down a bit, falling back into his depressed state. "She would never…"

"How are you certain?"

"Because I know her well!" The vulpine shot back. "She's kind, gentle, caring, she would never do such a thing! Even if she's in Star Wolf, she would never go against us and attack us at her own will!"

The rabbit stared into his watery emerald eyes for a minute and sighed, shaking his head and looked back at him. "She could change."

"How would you know?! Are you the all-seeing being just because you got the rank of General?! Only I know her this well! And I'm positive that she wouldn't dare do such acts on us!"

There was a moment of silence within the bridge after Fox's outburst on the matter. His glare on the holographic head of his former mentor eased back and gazed back down to the ground as tears slowly slid down his cheeks. He couldn't imagine it. Krystal wouldn't do such a thing. But he was just lying to himself. The hare is right; people would change in time.

"I'm sorry Peppy…" He finally said. "I need a break. I'll talk to you some other time."

"Fox, wai-" The hologram vanished and the projector went dead as the lone fox pressed a button to end the transmission. He needed to get his mind off the topic. He didn't want his mind to dwell on the possibility of Krystal changing into a ruthless barbaric smuggler like Wolf and his team.

He walked down the halls of the Great Fox slowly, head hanging low. He passed Falco's old room then Slippy's and finally stopped in front of Krystal's. For a moment he just paused there, staring at the shut mechanical sliding door, remembering those times he would be on this exact spot and the beautiful vixen of his dreams would walk out and look up at him with her own jade orbs and smiling. Sadly that will never happen anymore.

He walked up to the door as it responded by automatically sliding open, allowing the vulpine entry into her quarters. As he stepped in, he could still smell the sweet vixen's scent everywhere in her room. Though the bedroom was now void of any of her belongings. He just stood there and looked around before heading to her bed. There, the scent was the strongest because she had laid there countless times during her time in Star Fox. He sat there as he continued to take in her scent and started to wander off in his mind, thinking back to a more happier memory.

IIIII

Fox had been standing outside her room, pacing back and forth and trying to keep calm, building up his courage to do what he wanted to do for a very long time. He wanted to ask her out since the team was free from any missions now. It was a peaceful week. He started biting his thumb nervously while continuing to pace back and forth, playing over hundreds of scenarios of what would possibly come out.

But then he froze in his steps as he heard the door's mechanical hiss. He turned his head slowly to meet the cute vixen's eyes. There he blushed and quickly turned his whole body towards her, rubbing the back of his neck and looking downwards.

"Is something wrong Fox?" She asked out of curiosity.

"N-No..I mean Yes! No…Err… " Fox was cracking his voice a bit, getting the vixen to laughed at how nervous he was.

"Well? Is it a yes or no?" She stepped forward, their muzzles only a few centimeters away.

"Uh…" The vulpine gulped.

Okay…I can do this! I really can! Just say it!

"Err…Krystal?" He started, the vixen tilting her head cutely at him, smiling as he continued.

"Yes Fox?"

"Wou…Would you like to go.." He trailed off and cursed at himself but regained his composure, clearing his throat and took a deep breath.

"Krystal, would you like to spend a day down on Corneria with me?" He finally completed his sentence, though he stuttered a bit as well.

There! I did it, now comes the rejection… He looked back down, ears drooping down as he waited for her answer. But then, his eyes widened and body stiffened as he felt the vixen wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Oh Fox! Of course I would! I'd love to!" Krystal tip-toed and gave him a peck on the cheek as his face heated up. She only giggled at the reaction.

Those words let him rest easy and he sighed in relief.

"So…I guess maybe in an hour or so?" He asked, trying to regain his calmness; his heart was pounding faster than normal. The vixen released him from her embrace and stood straight, saluting him.

"Yes, captain!" She said with a wink before headed back into her room, door shutting behind her. But just a second later she came back out and grabbed his arm. "Come on in!"

"W-wait! Krystal!" He couldn't help himself, letting her pull him into her room.

She lead him to her bed, telling him to sit down and wait for her as she went for a shower. He did as he was told and just sat there on the edge of her bed nervously looking around. After a long while, she got out of the shower, steam rushing out of her personal bathroom as the door opened. She was wearing a loose pink T-shirt and dark blue jogging pants. The vixen took a seat next to him and smiled as he blushed and avoided eye contact.

"Hm?" She hummed and leaned towards him.

"Uh…Aren't we going to go down to Corneria?" He managed to ask.

"Yes, but right now I want to warm up to you…" She spoke in a seductive tone, making the vulpine's temperature rise more. "…First."

He snapped back to reality. That memory was their first personal talk, not a friend to friend talk but their first conversation as a couple. He sighed, sitting at the exact spot where he had sat that day. He turned to his right and imagined her sitting there again, smiling and paying full attention to him.

It felt like hours had passed before he finally got up and left her room. He needed to clear his mind. Maybe he could just let the alcohol wash his mind off of all these haunting memories.

As he approached his Arwing, he took a quick glance at the Cloudrunner sitting far away in a corner. His eyes glue to her former ship until he finally reached his fighter and jumped into the cockpit, firing up the engines and double checked all the systems before pressing a key on the communicator, connecting it to the Great Fox's bridge.

"I'm ready to leave Rob."

"Affirmative." The robotic voice spoke from the communicator as the hangar gates began to slowly open, revealing the dark void beyond the ship's walls.

He rechecked everything and nodded to himself before jamming the two control sticks forward as the Arwing's engine reacted instantly, shooting the fighter out of the hanger within a second. He eased back and sighed, letting the onboard computer set the course by itself.

Just dreams and memories… That's all they were…

He closed his eyes and continued to remind himself that as he neared the planet's atmosphere.

Author's Note: So here's the first chapter! I'm not sure if I screwed up anywhere in this chapter and I really hope I didn't. It took me quite a while to write this and I've yet to correct any grammar mistakes or such.

And again, I own none of the Star Fox franchise, characters and such. I only own the OCs(Which will eventually appear as this story progresses.)

And with that, thanks for reading! And please review and give me feedbacks!