FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

All Starfox related characters belong to Nintendo and its' respective owners. I don't own any of them. I don't consider this my best piece of work as of late, though it seemed to fit the site well enough. Anyway, there are six chapters following this one but I think I'll wait and see how you guys take it the first time around. Let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

©2010 Kira Kitanya

My hands were trembling, no breathing exercise in the world could stop them. The room was quiet with only the sound of a nearby fan and my dog Nico to keep me company. I braced myself as my opponent sent out his last Pokemon, a Level 51 Gardevoir; a powerful Psychic type no less. My heart jumped as a supposed ray of hope made itself clear. For I had an ace up my sleeve, a Bug-Type Pokemon called Scyther; whom I nicknamed "Zhao Yun". Before sending him into battle I took a glance at the Type Match-Up chart strategically placed next to me for quick reference. Running my finger down the page's smooth surface, I wanted to confirm that I wouldn't be sending Zhao Yun into a losing battle; considering that rest of my team was either afflicted with a status ailment or low on health. If he was knocked out in the process, then my chances of winning would be completely dashed. Not to mention that I'd have to start from the very beginning of the Elite Four's challenge. This made me cringe; After about a dozen or so restarts losing again would probably leave my DS handheld in pieces on the floor. I wasn't about to let that happen.

_"Yes! I was right! Bug is strong against Psychic." _I thought as I studied the chart intently. With no amount of hesitation left in me, I shifted Zhao Yun into the fight and chose his first move, all in a matter of seconds. I held my breath in tightly, I could do nothing but watch and see who would attack first. Suddenly, words typed their way into view on the screen's lower section,

" Zhao Yun used X-Scissor! It's super effective!"

Everything around me seemed to freeze as I read those words. They meant only one thing, I was about to move on to the final trainer in victory. The game began chiming it's winning jingle in a free way, I was unbelievably floored and proud of how far I've come.

"One down, three to go." I chirped to myself.

I let out a breath of satisfaction in seeing that none of my teammates had fainted, a very uncommon trait this far into the Pokemon League. With the tension I've been through so far, I decided to save and quit for now. It was very much like the feeling you get after stepping off a rollercoaster for the first time; you're immensely relieved that the ride is finally over yet you can't get stop reliving every twist, turn, loop, and drop. Still slightly shaken, I laid my head back against my soft, memory foam pillow; each and every inch of my skull was shaped into the plush surface, creating an absolutely perfect fit. My name is Justin, kind of a boring one huh? Both my parents agreed on that when I was born. And I'm just your typical laid back teenager who loves to play videogames, slack off, read, and slack off again; see a pattern there? Since I was a kid it has been the extent of what I do with my life, and it suits me just fine. My room is stocked with figurines, models and posters of all shapes and sizes; including my black furred dog Nico that never leaves my side for a second. For some time now I find myself just lying still in my bed and letting my imagination take flight. Like a prison inmate who dreams of being paroled, I'd just sit there; frozen in time and space. My imagination took me to some pretty far out places if I let it completely take over. Places like the Pokemon Universe in which I was a trainer. This always brought a giddy smile to my face no matter how silly it seemed. The fact of the matter is, I was bored with my life. My best friend was a dog, I had no girlfriend to call my own, and the only outlet for me was writing. I didn't take pity from anyone, I only asked myself,

"What did I do wrong?"

Yet unbeknownst to me, events were about to unfold that would take me on an adventure beyond anything I could ever imagine, and meeting someone that would change my life forever. "This is my story".

After I set the DS down on the table next to my bed, I took a quick glance at Nico who was lying quietly at the foot of my bed. He occasionally lifted his head up to stare at me with chocolate brown eyes, like he was sensing something in the distance. I don't know why he chose me to follow around. Was it something I did when we first got him several years ago? I have no idea and now, he never leaves my side. Still, he is one of the best dogs in the world, even though he can be a bit off a pain in ass sometimes. If I took the time to name everything he did that made me want to tear my hair out by the roots, I'd be doing it until next year.

"It's only 1:30? Yeah, I think I have time to take a nap." I mused to myself with my eyes half-closed.

The only sound that was present in the room was the soft whir of the AC unit, which was very relaxing. With that I entered the place of dreams, a place known to no one else but me. Soon my nap was interrupted when I heard a loud noise from outside my window. BOOM WHOOOSSSHH! It startled both Nico and me as I sprang up to see what happened. When I looked out the window I saw nothing but a trail of black ash on the street and a small, golden staff lying on the front lawn.

"What the hell?" My whole body was washed with fear. Before alerting the police, I had to at least see where the object landed.

I ran to the end of my driveway and scanned the area for the source of the impact. But then I noticed the staff, it was long, gold-colored and had a twisting blue pattern all over it. At the end of it was an object that was sort of pinecone shaped and was also gold. I picked it up, examined it closely and began twirling it in my hands. I remembered taking a Bo Staff class during Martial Arts training so I recalled how to fluently handle one such as this. I stopped when I thought something peculiar; "Wait a minute, this does look familiar. Is this-" Suddenly, a painful cry from behind me pierced my heart. Ignoring everything else I dashed in its' direction, not even acknowledging _what _made the noise. All I could tell was that the voice was female and sounded kind of young. The wreckage of the strange object was not recognizable in the slightest, just a mangled shadow of what it once was. To me it resembled a starfighter of some sort, with a pointed fuselage that was offset by two, slanted wings. My eyes began to burn at the heat coming from the wreck, yet I continued to hear the voice from within. Once I got closer to the ship, I noticed that someone was indeed inside; I could make a blue-shaded form inside but nothing else was visible. To my horror, the gold-tinted canopy of the ship began to fog up rapidly and the voice started screaming in a language I didn't understand. It didn't take an idiot to know that this person needed help.

"Hold on! I'm gonna get you out! I you can hear me I'm gonna get you out!" I repeated with cupped hands around my mouth.

Instinctively, I reached for the front of the canopy's shield and pryed it open using all my strength. All that mattered was getting the smoke of there so this person could breathe. I grunted angrily as I continued to pull with all my might, the shield screeching and whirring like a broken engine. By the time the shield was open just a few feet, my palms turned a shade of red and trembled with shock. Using my foot to push it the rest of the way, a thick cloud of black smoke burst fourth and nearly blinded me. I shielded my eyes but was relieved to hear that the pilot was breathing as the smoke cleared. A bit hesitant in my movements, I stepped over to the now exposed cockpit and was stunned at what I saw, the woman returned my gaze with a puzzled but thankful look.

"Th...thank you. Cuh, cuh! I thought my death was assured." She said with a few coughs.

When I looked at her closely I noticed she had a deep slice on her left arm and was losing blood. _"Damn, that doesn't look good." _I thought.

"No problem but, your arm is bleeding."

The strange vixen clutched the wound tightly,

"You needn't worry, it's nothing." She tried to shrug it off.

I initially thought it would be crazy to bring an alien into my house, but I couldn't ignore the fact that she was in pain. Though my mind was disagreeing with me, I outstretched my hand,

"Come on, I'll take you inside. I have medicine that can heal your wound." I offered politely.

She tilted her head and studied me intently. I felt like an alien to her and not the other way around. Still, within moments, she cracked a smile and nodded.

"Of course, lead the way."

I carefully grasped her furred paw and trembled in doing so, it just felt so soft and warm to the touch. Using me as leverage, the vixen took a step up and over the broken canopy of her ship and onto the ground. She was probably the same height as me, about 6 feet or so; and wore very elegant clothing: a long, white loincloth and a diamond pendant around her forehead. She had a very lithe, hourglass figure and was covered with blue and white fur, with the white being on her stomach and chest. Her face had fox-like characteristics: a long, pointed muzzle, sharp ears atop her head and flowing blue hair that was braided into thick strands. I still had no clue how she got here but at that moment, I didn't care. I half-expected her to let go of my hand after stepping off the ship, but a slight tug on my palm told me otherwise. Looking back at her with a smirk, I escorted her into my house through the garage.

"It's this way." I said, opening the door.

Soon we arrived at my room after climbing a short staircase. What a strange spot I was in, I must have been crazy bringing her to my room yet I couldn't think of anywhere safer. The door opened with a very slow creeeeaaaack as the two of us stepped inside.

"Have a seat right here. I'll be back with the medicine." I said with a few pats to the bed sheets.

She then slowly glided her hand over the covers, exploring every contour and bend of its' surface. I addition to this, the vixen swiveled her head around to gaze at all the figures and models adorning the shelves.

"What a strange place you live in." The vixen announced in wonder.

Thankfully I remembered what my Mom did to quickly treat wounds such as this; being a Paramedic, she knew what to do. I snatched the Peroxide and Medical Tape from the bathroom cabinet and ran back into my room.

"I need to see your arm for a second. Alright?"

She nodded and I gingerly grasped her arm and applied the antiseptic.

"This might sting a little." I said as I dabbed the wound.

The slice began to sizzle with fluid as the Peroxide set in; it sounds disgusting, but I didn't mind. I slowly wrapped the bandage around her arm and taped it down.

"Wh... why are you helping me?" She asked softly.

"Do I need a reason? You're bleeding."

When I set her arm down at her side she smiled and looked at me with light, sapphire-colored eyes.

"Thank you young one. You are very kind." She said.

I smiled back, "Do you have a name?"

"My name is Krystal, of Planet Cerinia."

Before responding, I suddenly realized that I was still holding what I surmised to be her staff. It was simply lying on the front lawn after her ship crashed; I hoped that I didn't seem like a thief, so I handed it to her,

"I'm sorry but...is this yours?" Krystal's eyes lit up,

"My staff! Thank you so much. I had thought it was lost!" She exclaimed.

The blue-haired fox took a few sweeping glances around my room and asked;

"Wait, where am I?"

"You're on the North American Continent of planet Earth." I replied.

"Does it exist in the Lylat System?" She asked.

"No I'm afraid not. But how did you end up crashing here?" I questioned, puzzled at the name "Lylat System."

"I think I might have gotten separated from Fox and the rest of the Crew during a hyperspace jump. Then I ended up landing on this world."

A light suddenly came on in my mind...I recognized the name, Fox from Star Fox 64! One of my favorite childhood games. Though I didn't recognize Krystal as being a familiar character. Wait...how is he real? No I must be dreaming, there is no way a videogame character can be real! Yet it was all being spilled fourth; I guess those theories of parallel universes were true after all!

"Crash-landed is more the word." I quipped.

She smiled and chuckled a little. "-And then you saved me."

"I guess I did."

I started to get a bit shaky when I realized she was staring straight into my eyes, almost as if she was seeing through my soul. When she noticed that I was about to tense up she put a hand on my shoulder and said: "It's alright, I don't bite." She smiled at me and I relaxed somewhat.

"Your thoughts tell me that your familiar with Fox McCloud. Why is that?" Krystal asked, much to my surprise.

"Did you read my mind? Are you psychic or something?" I probed.

"I do possess telepathic abilities. Your thoughts are very interesting to listen to." She replied with a giggle.

I merely returned her with a blank stare and my mind began to race even faster than before,

"Woah!, I didn't think she could read minds! That's cool and all but she might find out that I think she's pretty. Ah well, maybe she'll take that as a complement. Wait...I think she looks pretty? Guess my love of Foxes is starting to show."

Krystal giggled even more and batted her eyes, while I just remained as dumbstruck as a door-knob.

"You think I'm pretty? Thank you."

Being smooth around women isn't something I'm good at. At this point she probably sensed that I was a loner and wasn't used to this. I hung my head in shame, I must look like a total idiot to her. Then she surprised me by placing her hand on my cheek. I froze in place and didn't speak, like a scared hamster.

"You don't need to be nervous around me Justin, I'm a nice girl." Krystal said caressing my face gently.

Great, now she knows my name without me uttering a single syllable. Maybe bringing her inside wasn't such a good idea. Then again, she does seem really nice. And those eyes...their so beautiful, almost hypnot-no! no! focus Justin, focus!

"Wait, how are you going to get back to Fox and the others?" I asked.

She paused for a minute and then realized she still had her hand-held communicator. She tapped a button and static came out of the speaker.

"Fox, come in. This is Krystal do you read me?"

She spoke into the device and eventually Fox McCloud's voice came online.

"Loud and clear, what's wrong?"

"I seemed to have gotten separated from the team when we made the jump to Hyperspace back on Corneria." She answered. "Where are you now Fox?"

"We are currently in the Dashing Zeta Cluster looking for you."

"Okay, make a jump to light speed towards these coordinates; I'll project them to you now."

The radio was silent for a few seconds.

"Roger that, we'll be there as soon as we can. Fox out."

Krystal then looked back at me.

"What exactly are you?"

I then remembered that she doesn't know about our race.

"Oh, I'm part of a species known as humans." I explained. "And this planet is our home."

I said as I pointed to a globe on top of the shelf. She raised her eyebrows when I showed her the amount of continents that existed on the planet.

"I see. You truly are fascinating!"

I blushed a little when she said this.

"Me, fascinating? I'm just some human kid." I said.

Krystal was about to respond when she suddenly felt a rumble emanate throughout the house.

"What's happening?" She asked a bit worried.

The object that I saw when looking out my window almost made me shit my pants, it was the Great Fox! When I was a kid I used to dream about seeing that ship after playing Star Fox 64 for the umpteenth time.

"It looks like Fox is here!" I announced excitedly.

When I looked at it, my jaw dropped as I marveled at its' scale. It was probably three times the size of my house! I was white in color and had a bright-green logo on the side of it that said STARFOX. I was absolutely amazed that it was landing right in front of my driveway!

"Come on, we'd better go see them." Krystal said as she tried to rise.

"Hold on let me help you." I said as I took her arm and escorted her out to the driveway.

Along the way, she stopped to stare at the various furnishings of my house. For her, it was like your first walk through Disney World, you never forget it. Despite the numerous objects that could be heard falling off shelves, the walls remained intact.

The only problem was that the house was still shaking from the force of the Great Fox's landing. Thankfully I had put Nico in his cage and no one else was home.

"Okay, it's just through here." I said as I pressed the button to open the garage.

As the door slowly lifted, Fox and Falco were both standing there waiting for us. I recognized both of them immediately. Fox had brownish-white fur and was dressed in gray and black clothing with combat shoes. It was the same for Falco, who was slightly taller than Fox and was covered with dark blue feathers. His yellow beak opened slightly when I stepped out of the house. They both eyed me in a surprised manner, and walked towards us when the garage door fully-opened.

"Krystal, there you are!" Fox ran over and hugged her as we walked over to them.

"Are you alright? What happened to your arm?"

Krystal chuckled and eased him away.

"Heheh, don't worry Fox I'm fine. It was thanks to this man right here."

She motioned them to where I was standing.

"_Fox and Falco too? This is awesome! I shouldn't freak out in front of them though." _I thought as Fox came over and outstretched his hand.

"I'm Fox McCloud, the leader of StarFox. Who might you be?"

"My name is Justin; it's good to meet you and Falco."

I said as we shook hands. Fox suddenly stopped.

"Wait, how do you know his name? Fox asked surprised.

"I know about Star Fox, I've seen archives about it on the Internet."

I explained.

"In fact, I'm not the only human who knows of you, many others are aware as well."

Fox raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Really? Wow, that's pretty interesting. But what's this thing called the Internet?"

"It's a multi-faceted database in which you can find just about anything. Everyone has access to it as well." I explained.

"Hey Fox we don't have time for this. Let's just take Krystal and get out of here!" Falco yelled from the Hangar of the ship.

Fox seemed a bit irritated when Falco interrupted him.

"Well, thank you for your help but we need to get back to the Lylat System." Fox said in farewell.

At that moment my heart sank when I realized that I wouldn't see them or Krystal again. For some reason I felt that I would miss her, even though I knew her for just over five minutes. But why? Am I...in love with her? The answer seemed to walk away from me just like Fox was doing.

"I only just met her..."

A tear almost fell from my eye as I turned away from them. Dammit I'm such a friggin loser, if I can't get a girlfriend in real-life what chance would I have with her? Ughh, I'm done...

"Alright, take care." I said solemnly.

I was about to walk back into the house when someone put a hand on my shoulder and stopped me. When I turned to look it was the hand of Krystal. She then wrapped both her arms around me and we were soon in an embrace.

"I felt your pain Justin. I'm not going anywhere." She whispered softly into my ear.

"But why would you-?" I tried to say but was swiftly cut off,

"Care? I can sense that inside you are very unhappy; yet to others it's the contrary." Said Krystal. There was no arguing with her on that one, let alone whatever else she saw in me. Strangely enough, it was comforting to be in a warm hug; the kind you get from those you are very close to. I'm not just talking about parents either. I honestly didn't want to accept anymore pity, so I slowly pulled away from her grasp, only to see Krystal frown in response.

"Krystal, I'm sorry but just...just go back with them okay? Don't worry about me." I said, getting a bit flustered.

"But I was going to ask you something..." Krystal answered in a disappointed tone. I hoped that I didn't accidently hurt her feelings so I immediatly sprang back.

"Oh alright, sure. Ask me anything."

"Do you want to come with me?" She suggested happily.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard what she said.

"Me? You want me to come with you? Why? What could I do to contribute to your cause?"

"You've already proven to me what you are capable of." She answered.

"All I did was fix your arm, nothing too big." I said.

"Yet you showed me compassion in doing so." She retorted.

"Your heart is pure, and I sensed greatness in you. That's why I need you to join us." She said smiling at me.

I was astounded by the suggestion and could never dream of hearing it from someone like her. I thought for a second and said;

"But I can't fight or fly Arwings, what use will I be?" I said disappointingly.

"You needn't worry." Krystal answered. "Fox will teach you everything you need to know. So will you join us?"

I paused for a moment and realized that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance that I'll never experience again. I knew well that I would be leaving my home behind, but I decided to take this chance. I felt like my prayers were finally answered and it was clear, I yearned for something extraordinary to happen, and now it has. As tremendous courage rose up in me, I answered: "Yes I will."

"Now, is there anything you need to take with you?" Krystal asked after I agreed to leave with them.

At first I wondered what I could take with me. Obviously I couldn't take any of my game systems along, so I decided to only bring what I needed.

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes okay? Can you tell Fox to wait?" I asked nervously.

"Of course, don't worry." She assuringly answered.

I nodded to her and ran back into the house as fast as I could possibly go. When I reached my room I grabbed one of the small, white travel bags my family and I took when going on trips. I was still in my pajamas so I changed clothes quickly. I put in a few t-shirts, pants, and of course my toothbrush and toothpaste. Also, to chronicle this extraordinary event, I took the journal my English teacher gave me in freshman year at High School. Finally, just as a few mementos, I grabbed the small, Optimus Prime figure from atop the shelf, my High School Ring and my Nintendo DS from my dresser. I felt it was a good idea to keep something that reminded you of home. With the bag filled up, I immediately dashed back downstairs. But before leaving, I stopped by Nico's cage and patted his head.

"I'll miss you buddy, you be a good boy now alright?"

I said as he looked up at me wagging his tail.

"See you around Nico." With that I opened the door and shut it behind me.

As I walked out, Krystal was still standing there waiting for me; her long, blue and white tail swaying left and right. I pressed a button to close the garage shutters as I walked onto the driveway.

"Alright, I'm ready." I said to her eagerly.

"Then follow me."

After that, I walked with Krystal towards the hangar of Fox's ship. I took one last look at my house knowing I wouldn't lay eyes on it again, and I began to shift my view to the entire neighborhood.

"What a great place to grow up. And thank God I live in the suburbs, because the Police, News, Military and FBI would be all over this place after seeing the ship land!" _I thought as I looked around. _"Thank you lord for blessing me with this opportunity."

I then turned and stepped onto the metal floor of the hangar.

"You wouldn't want to be in here when the ship takes off." Krystal told me from the other end of the room.

She motioned for me to follow her through a sliding metal door as the large hatch behind me began too close. It sounded like a steam engine starting up as I walked behind Krystal through the door and up some stairs. When the entrance at the top of the stairs slid open we emerged onto a wide corridor with five doors aligning it.

"You might want to strap yourself in." Krystal said pointing to a line of seats along the wall.

I immediately sat down in the closest one and felt the whole ship rattle.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed as I felt the ship lift off the ground.

It was much like that tower-drop ride I went on at an amusement park. I felt my stomach lift up after the feeling overtook me.

"We're about to break through the atmosphere. Hold on!"

Fox's voice suddenly resonated from an intercom and I tightened my muscles even more, while Krystal was casually sitting back next to me. I felt so spineless when I noticed the difference but then Krystal assured me,

"It's okay, you'll get used to it."

Soon after, the ship started to fly smoother than before,

"_We must be clear of the atmosphere." _I thought as I loosened my grip.

"Alright, settle in team! We'll be making the jump to hyperspace in about twenty minutes." Fox said over the intercom.

I bent over and started to breathe heavily, I don't know why but I guess the take-off just took the wind out of me. I began to feel a bit dizzy but suddenly; Krystal patted my back and asked, "Justin are you alright?"

I looked and grinned, "Never been...better."

As I looked around I the room I began to wonder where I was going to stay aboard the ship. I felt kind of silly asking but I decided to get it out the way. Right before I opened my mouth Krystal spoke, "I'm not exactly sure where you would stay Justin."

Krystal scratched the back of her head and thought for a moment. I began to realize that my thoughts wouldn't be concealed when she's around.

"I'm not sure if we have any spare bedrooms so you'll have to bunk with someone." She said. I felt a bit unprepared when I heard it however. Obviously I couldn't share a room with her; that would be too sudden! I honestly didn't know where to go at that moment.

"With who?" I asked, "I doubt anyone here would want an unexpected guest sleeping in the same room." I said in dismay.

"Why don't you share a room with Fox?" She suggested. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"I guess that's okay. But only if he approves." I answered.

"Okay I'll talk to him later. Right now you should probably introduce yourself to the rest of the crew. I'm sure they'll welcome you."

I nodded. "Thank you...for everything."

She then turned around and smiled. "It's good to have you here Justin."

With that, she walked up towards the bridge and a door closed behind her.

There I was, standing inside the mothership of Fox and his team while traveling through space! Even now I still wondered if it was dream or not. So to prove it to myself, I decided to try something I did in most of my dreams. I held my hand out and expected a Covenant Energy Sword to land in my grip. When it didn't, I knew I wasn't dreaming. I grinned ear-to-ear when I saw some windows on one side of the corridor. When I looked out, the deep void of space immediately overtook my senses. The thousands of stars, planets and everything! I was in pure, intergalactic heaven. But then I had forgotten that I still needed to introduce myself to everyone else on the team. I was pretty terrible at making first impressions, let alone to people that I didn't even know existed. What I did notice was that the doors had names imprinted on them. In the order that they appeared, they read: FOX MCLOUD, FALCO LOMBARDI, SLIPPY TOAD, PEPPY HARE, and KRYSTAL. I kind of relaxed knowing that I could at least choose whom to start with, it didn't really lessen the tension I was feeling though.

"Okay I'll save Falco for last, and then I'll- wait, no. Maybe I should start with, uuuuugh! Damn!"

I began to pace endlessly around the room wondering what to do next. I just couldn't bring myself to knock on one of the doors.

"Come on Justin, snap out of it! You can do this, just calm down."

With that I approached Falco's door.

"I can't believe I'm starting with him, but I want to see why he reacted so impatiently. Well, here goes nothing." I said as I raised my hand and knocked twice.

"Hello? Falco?" I asked, waiting for a response.

"What? Who is it?"

I heard his voice from behind the door and it suddenly slid open in front of me. Falco was wearing a white vest with red pants and he seemed shocked to see me.

"Who the heck a' you? I've never seen you around here before." He asked bluntly.

I expected that kind of response from Falco so I answered.

"That's because you didn't bother to stick around to watch come onboard."

Falco's blue eyes narrowed.

"Look, I'm not here to cause trouble, my name's Justin."

I held out my hand sort of reluctantly. But Falco outstretched his hand as well. Actually he didn't really have a "hand"; his arms were topped off by wing-like appendages with four, feathered digits in total. It actually felt soft when I shook it though.

"Falco Lombardi. So what's your story?" He asked.

"Well, after Krystal crashed near my house and I patched her up, you guys arrived to take her away." I answered.

"I thought you would be gone after that but Krystal said I should join you."

"What? She wanted you to join us?" Falco asked, staggered a little.

"I don't know why, she just told me to come and I agreed. I was planning on introducing myself to the rest of the crew."

Falco leaned back and crossed his arms.

"I can see you're not one for small talk so I'll leave you alone." I said as a quick escape from the clearly awkward situation.

"Hey Justin," said Falco before I walked away.

"Yeah?"

"Just watch yourself around here, and don't touch anything." He instructed in a cold voice.

"I'll keep that in mind." I replied with a tinge of fear. Would the place explode or something if I touched anything? No probably not but pressing further wasn't the best option.

He nodded and returned to his room. I didn't know if Krystal expected me to follow her up there or what, but I decided to find out. I walked up to the door that Krystal passed through and discovered it was an elevator. I pressed a green button on the side that corresponded to the word BRIDGE. I then stepped into the elevator; "Elevator going up, destination: Flight Deck." A robotic voice suddenly emanated from a nearby speaker. It startled me somewhat but then I assumed it was just an automated thing. "BEEEE-BUU" The elevator doors closed in front of me and it began to ascend.

"Hm, maybe the bridge has a good view." I said to myself as I looked around.

I then began to hear a soft and catchy melody from the same speaker.

"Jeez, even this ship has elevator music? Ha." I said with a chuckle.

"BEEEE-BUU"

"Oh this must be it."

When the doors opened, I emerged onto a short, black corridor with a door at the other end. Whe I walked up to it, I could faintly hear the voices of Fox and Krystal.

"What were you thinking bringing him aboard this ship? He's not even one of us!"

"I know, but I felt a great sense of safety when I was near him. Please, you have to trust me on this one. His potential has not been fully awakened yet."

My chest began to throb as I continued to listen.

"Just give him a chance. You won't be disappointed."

"I hope you're right." Fox said.

I decided not to wait any longer and pressed the switch to open the door. When I walked in, Krystal and Fox both turned to me looking a bit unprepared.

"Justin, we were just talking about you." Krystal said as I approached.

"Yeah I heard. I was just checking out the rest of the ship, sorry if I interrupted." I said.

I tried to act like I didn't hear what Fox said but it wasn't working.

"Don't try to hide your feelings Justin." Krystal said, reading my mind again.

" Look, I know I must seem like a stowaway but I really don't mean to cause trouble." I responded.

"You're not causing any trouble; before you came up I asked Fox if he could train you." Krystal said.

"How could he train me here?" I asked.

Fox suddenly broke in;

"We do have a training room and simulations that should get you up to speed in no time. But I have to know, are you willing to commit yourself to becoming one of us?"

I grinned, "I've never been more willing to do anything in my entire life. I promise I won't let you down." I said proudly.

"I know you won't Justin, that's why I brought you here." Krystal suddenly said.

I looked at her and nodded.

"But where will I stay?" I asked.

"Sadly, I don't have an extra bed in my room, but we do have one other area where you could sleep. Don't worry, it's fully furnished."

"Oh thank God, I thought for a second you were going to have me sleep in the cleaning closet or something."

They both laughed when I said it and I indefinitely relaxed.

"Come on, I'll show you where it is."

He then motioned me to follow him and Krystal. We made our way back to the elevator and Fox pushed the button to take us down to the main corridor. I stood near one of the corners of the lift and I couldn't help but stare at Krystal the whole way down.

"_She's so beautiful." _I thought.

She then smiled back at me and batted her eyes, as if saying: "Thank you." At this point I still didn't know if she felt the same way about me so I decided not to push it. The elevator soon stopped and we walked into the main corridor. The two Foxes then lead me through a sliding door at the other end. When I walked through, I was inside what looked like a lounge of some sort. There was a large circular couch-like object with a round table in the center. What really amazed me however was that the entire wall at the other end was a window! The view from where I was standing looked spectacular. A long, black bar with some cool-looking appliances behind it lay on the right side of the room. I almost got distracted and continued to follow Fox. "Okay, it's right here."

He pointed to a blank door on the Lounge's left side-wall.

"By the way, you should input your name into the security lock. That way we'll be able to know this is your room." Fox suggested.

"How do I activate it?" I asked.

"Just hold your hand in front of this scanner right here."

I held my hand out in front of a sphere-like object on the door and a holographic keyboard materialized. It wasn't a QWERTY keyboard but all the letters were still the same. Using one hand, I typed my name in: Justin C.

"There we go."

"You have a last name?" Krystal asked.

"Of course, all humans do." I answered. "Mine in particular is kind of hard to pronounce. But I'm sure you'll get it eventually." I said, beaming.

"I should probably get back to the bridge and see how ROB 64 is doing. See you guys later." Fox said as he made his way out of the room. Only Krystal remained behind.

"Alright let's see what it looks like," I said as I pressed a button to open the door.

The inside was simple: a bed, dresser, and a small alcove, which probably was the bathroom. The walls had a distinct gray and metal sheen. I wasn't too big on fancy, decorative rooms, so it suited me just fine.

"Cool I'm likin' it so far," I said as I tossed myself onto the bed and bounced a little.

"Ahhh, it's actually pretty comfortable. Are the rest of the bedrooms like this?" I asked.

"Well, they are slightly more elaborate with the decorations, but yours isn't much different from our rooms." Krystal explained.

I stretched my arms out over my head and yawned.

"Uuaaahh, man, I never thought I'd actually be able to see this place first-hand. I have you to thank for that." I said to Krystal.

She suddenly walked over to the bed and sat down near me. "I sensed what you thought in the elevator."

"What, you mean when I thought you were...um, you were-"

"Beautiful?"

She finished for me and smiled.

"Yeah that." I said getting more nervous by the minute.

"You intrigue me Justin. I think we'll get along just fine." She said putting a hand on my cheek.

For a few minutes we just stared into each other's eyes; she was finding out everything that I felt about her in that moment. To me having a girlfriend was a completely foreign notion, now, I think I understand it. Her gaze was so welcoming that I didn't even turn away like I usually do. Her hand slowly caressed the side of my face and through my black hair, which sent absolute chills down my spine. Yet somehow, I wasn't afraid of what she would see because I felt like she... wanted this. Then something struck me, as if a mugger suddenly pointed a gun to my head.

"My home, my family, I'll never...see them again."

"You have a family?" Krystal asked.

"Yeah, my Mother, Father, and my brother Jared, they were the best family anyone could ask for. My Mother was very caring, if I needed help with anything, she was always there. My Father, he was very headstrong, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to Jared and me. And Jared, even though we fought constantly, I knew deep-down that he would always stand up for me."

"You miss them don't you?"

"Well I just..."

Soon immense sorrow took control and I began to feel unimaginable guilt for leaving them. I shut my eyes tightly to try not to cry, but nothing could stop it. As a tear slowly ran down my face Krystal reached over and gently wiped it away. Her hand felt like a silk cloth as it passed over my skin.

"I'm sorry, I just...I'm sorry."

Krystal then embraced me tightly. "It's alright, you don't need to explain yourself. I understand." She whispered.

"Did you ever have a family?" I asked trying to regain focus.

"I did, my mother and father. But I barely remember what things were like back then, after Cerinia was..." She hung her head low and didn't even look at me. I must be selfish to think that I have it worse than her. I glimpsed a single tear lazily trail down the side of her face, and decided not to push it.

"Krystal I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way."

She raised her back up and simply smiled.

"There are people here that care about you. For me, I'm not sure what they think." I said looking down.

"The others do not see what I see in you." Krystal said tilting my chin up.

"What do you see?" I asked.

I flinched when she put her hand on mine and as if by pure luck, we both turned our heads and blushed. I could tell that she felt the same when she and I exchanged glances.

"What's that you're wearing around your neck? It's beautiful!" She asked.

"Oh this?" I said unhooking the necklace.

Krystal gazed upon the arrowhead as if it was a priceless jewel.

"It's called an arrowhead. Back on Earth, ancient tribes used to use these as weapons. My Grandparents gave this to me when they visited once."

"Can I see it?"

"Of course", I said.

She examined it closely for a minute but her eyes soon turned to me. "I think this will look much better on you."

Krystal said as she reached around my neck and fastened the hook. As I held the arrowhead I made the decision to never take it off, ever.

"I felt your love for your family Justin, I know you are very kind at heart," She said. "And I'll always be here if you need someone to talk to."

"Thanks Krystal, that means a lot," I said looking back at her. "I've never had a lot of people I can trust, I was always the "weird kid" growing up."

"I know what you mean," answered Krystal. "My powers have always been strange to others. I felt so lonely when I was younger, and even now the feeling doesn't go away; despite the friends I have. I sense the same feeling in you."

"You're right," I answered. "Remember when I said that my brother and I constantly fought? Well he always had this I idea that he should be the one that sticks up for me. I wanted to prove to him that I wasn't weak. But now, I know that I can trust you Krystal, more than anyone else."

Krystal smiled and took my hand in her's. When I saw how similar our hands looked, I began to realize that to her, I wasn't a monster or an alien, I was a person. Then I started to wonder how I would tell my parents where I disappeared to, by now they must be worried sick. Krystal suddenly reached behind her head and loosened the green, diamond pendant that was on her forehead.

"Here take this. Close your eyes and focus on it in your mind," She instructed.

As I did I heard her voice once more,

"Think about what you would tell them, and send those thoughts to my pendant."

"Mom, Dad, everybody. I love you all so much and I want you to know that I'm okay. Really, don't worry about me, I'm fine. I guess you could say that I'm living the dream. Love you guys."

Soon the image of her pendant began to glow brightly.

"Alright, I did it," I said opening my eyes.

"I'll beam this back to your home as soon as I can." Krystal said as I handed the pendant back to her.

"Thank you Krystal, I can't tell you how much that means to me."

She glanced back, "Anytime, Justin. I've really enjoyed this moment we've had together, and we should do it again very soon."

After kissing me one last time she got up and left the room. I never thought anything like this would happen to me at any point in my life. I was living a mundane, human existence until now. Not to mention that I got kissed by a girl!

"This is gonna be fun." I said to myself as I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

"Okay, making the jump to Hyperspace in three... two..."

"What the?"

"ONE!"

"CRAAAAAP!"

I had so much trouble sleeping that night, with everything that has happened, including my unexpected first-hand hyper jump experience. I still managed to get a few hours of shut-eye. Yet with everyone else asleep, I decided to take a look around the ship. I pulled away the blue sheets of my bed and waved my hand in front of a sensor to switch on the low-powered lights. The room became dim with a white glow and I slouched my way over to the small, bathroom alcove.

"What did Krystal sense in me? I just don't understand." I said as I stared at myself in the mirror.

I was always told during my childhood that I would find someone who loves me for who I am. I constantly heard: "Ohh, you look so tall and handsome!", every time I was with my relatives. I always disregarded those claims because I knew that it wasn't true. Girls could care less about your intelligence or your imagination. If you have a pretty face or muscles, they chase after you. That's something that I lack. I guess now I have found someone who understands me, but does she love me? Or is she just toying with me because she feels bad? I had no idea and it kept me wondering for a few minutes. Before I lost myself in thought I left my room and emerged onto the lounge area. Even though the lights were off it was faintly illuminated by the glow of the stars outside the large window. I carefully sat down on the large circular couch and sank a little. Even though I wanted to move, my eyes told my body to stay put and be transfixed by their light. It was truly mesmerizing. Since I had this tendency to wake up before everyone else, I was relieved that I could do this to pass the time. I sat back and put my feet up on the foot-rest for comfort, even though the room was quiet I could faintly make out a soft whirring coming from somewhere, I didn't know what it was but it was relaxing all the same. I took a swig from the water bottle that I brought with me and continued to stare; I had forgotten to ask where they keep their food so I was lucky to have this. Suddenly, I heard a door slide open behind me. I glanced to look so fast that my neck cracked in the process. I couldn't really tell who it was that entered the room. When the silhouette walked closer into the faint glow of the stars, I saw that it was Krystal. She was wearing only a white bra and panties and I promptly turned away so I wouldn't stare, even though I desperately wanted to.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I heard noises from in here and came to take a look. Are you alright Justin?" She asked.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep that's all." I answered.

I really didn't expect to see her in what she was wearing, though I'm sure she understood.

"Something's on your mind Justin, I can feel it." She said as she walked over to where I was sitting.

I nervously took another sip of water as I watched her sit down next to me and cross her legs. Against the light of space, she looked like a goddess.

"It's okay, you can tell me." She said gently.

"I still can't believe I'm here right now, a place that I never thought I could go. I can't begin to describe how grateful I am that this is happening." I answered.

Krystal smiled and said, "I knew that what I sensed in you was true, and you are truly a remarkable person."

"So are you Krystal."

She seemed to blush a little when I finally said it. Krystal suddenly got closer and put her arm around my neck and we just sat together from then on. As we both admired the view of space she broke the silence.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you Justin, or what we talked about yesterday."

"Me neither." I answered.

"You were very open with me. You weren't afraid."

I turned my head to the stars, "You're someone that I trust Krystal, and for me, that doesn't happen often."

Krystal and I both knew what was about to be said.

"You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met, and I'm just-"

She softly brought a finger to my lip.

"Shhh, I know that you want someone to keep you warm." Krystal began, "I know that you'll find her soon enough Justin." Maybe she was right, even in this new galaxy there might be a girl for me. Though I still had a unique feeling about Krystal. I just need to be patient, I'm not ready yet.

As I closed my eyes I whispered, "Thank you."

There was a brief pause but then I heard,

"My pleasure."

My heart stopped; did I really just hear that? My mom's words soon echoed in my head: "One day you'll find someone that loves you. Just be patient."