Faces Old and New
By Gypsygirl77
Author's Notes: As usual, the X-Men are not mine, but Marvel's. I just like to borrow them every once in a while. However, Hikari is my own creation. As far as the rest goes, this story is the first of a series, though I don't really follow Marvel continuity. The story would take place after Gambit came back from Antarctica and he lives in the boathouse. Shadowcat and Colossus are a couple again, though this is their last appearance. Rogue and Gambit aren't a couple (They're too high-maintenance for my taste.), but they have at least remained friends to an extent. Any thoughts are marked with stars (Couldn't upload the story with italics for the life of me.). Telepathy is marked with arrows. Hope this isn't too confusing. Anyway, away we go…
*So this is it. I'm actually leaving. I was just a kid when I came here. Man, this is going to be hard. How am I going to tell everyone? True, I'm just going to university. Well, at least Peter's going to live with me.*
Katherine "Kitty" Pryde took a deep breath and walked out of her quarters to Professor Xavier's office. On the way there, she met Peter Rasputin, who smiled at her. "Are you ready, Katya?" he asked.
Kitty took a deep breath. "Can I get back to you on that?"
"Don't worry so much. It'll be fine."
They reached Professor Xavier's office and Peter knocked on the door. "Yes?" asked the professor.
"It's us." Kitty replied.
"Come in please." Both Kitty and Peter sat in chairs beside each other in front of Professor Xavier's desk. Kitty looked slightly nervous, so Peter took her hand in his to comfort her.
"So what is it you want to discuss?" asked the professor.
Kitty took a deep breath and said, "Do you remember when I told you that I wanted to apply to Harvard? Well...I just found out last night...I got accepted."
"Congratulations Kitty! Did you get the scholarship as well?"
"Yeah, only..."
"Only what?"
"It'll just be a little awkward with out you guys. I know I shouldn't be worrying about this but I can't help it."
"It's alright Kitty. We've had to find new members before and after you. But don't worry, we'll try and make this easier for you. You've wanted to go to Harvard for years. We're certainly not going to get in your way."
"Thanks, professor.' said Kitty. "See you later, Katya." said Peter, and gave her a kiss before leaving the room.
++++++++
Three days later…
"Your shot, Rogue." said Wolverine.
"Ah know, ah know. Just stop remindin' me how many beers I owe ya."
Suddenly…
X-MEN! REPORT TO THE WAR ROOM IMMEDIATELY!
"Don't think this saves you from playin' later, honeybunch." said Wolverine as he put out his cigar.
"Yeah, yeah."
Everyone proceeded to the war room in uniform, with the exception of Gambit. As each of them entered, they saw Professor X, Cyclops, and Phoenix, and all sat in chairs around the table.
"So what's the problem here?" asked Rogue. "Ah was just about to beat poor ol' Logan here with a pool shot that woulda made his eyes bug out in shock."
"That's what you think, sweetheart." said Wolverine, snorting, his mouth curled into a smirk. Rogue stuck out her tongue.
"Actually, it's not a problem per se." replied Cyclops. "We've been keeping an eye on a mutant who's been making headlines on the world news as of late. Jean and the Professor have been working with Cerebro to find out more details on her. I'll let them fill you in further."
"Now if everyone will turn their attention to the computer screen," said Professor X. "We will show you why you are all here." Professor X pressed a few keys on the keyboard and a large picture of a young female mutant with chin-length black hair and jade-green eyes appeared with basic information on the screen.
"Her name is Hikari Kimura. Born in Hiroshima, Japan, she was raised in a Buddhist temple where she was given up shortly after her birth. The temple also served as a mission where homeless mutants would go to find food, shelter and sanctuary from the outside world. The monks and nuns there raised her as a "ward of the state" and Hikari would occasionally help with the tasks involved. She went to school in Hiroshima and became an activist while still in high school. After graduating, she won a full scholarship to Oxford University where she majored in Law and Modern Languages. She still speaks at conferences and schools around the world."
"I've seen her on a few news programs as well." said Beast. "She's quite an articulate young woman."
"Anyway...." continued Phoenix, but was interrupted by the entrance of Gambit, clad in a leather jacket and holding his motorcycle helmet.
"So what de heck's going on... 'ere?"
Gambit saw Hikari's picture onscreen. As he took of his sunglasses, a flood of memories invaded his head, the most resounding of which being a young, green-eyed girl crying and screaming in the night.
*Non! Could it be?*
"Hey Cajun, nice of you to be in on time." said Wolverine, interrupting Gambit's thoughts.
"What's it t'you?" Gambit retorted as he went to sit in one of the chairs, placing his helmet on top of the table.
Rolling her eyes, Shadowcat asked. "Anyway, what else have you got on her?" before the two started fighting.
"As far as her powers are concerned," replied Phoenix, pulling up more information on the computer. "Hikari has the ability to control kinetic energy. When attacked, she usually reverses the kinetic energy of any objects thrown by sending them back in the opposite direction. Hikari can also fire kinetic bolts as an offensive attack, possesses the ability to fly, and a force field which can absorb the attacks."
Wolverine let out a whistle. "Kid's not half-bad."
"So what's the reason behind her current "notoriety", mein Professor?" asked Nightcrawler.
"Well, during a visit to Tokyo where she was at a conference, she defended the city from a Sentinel single-handedly. Needless to say, she's been on every major news station around the world."
"No wonder!" said Colossus, awestruck.
"So how do we find this girl? Has Cerebro found out?" asked Storm.
"Yes." replied Professor X. "There's a rock concert for peace being held in Hiroshima a week from now where she is a guest speaker on behalf of mutant rights. Before we had brought you here, we had discussed the possibility of going there to persuade Miss Kimura to become a member of the X-Men. Of course, we would like your approval as well before we proceed."
"Hey, she's got the powers and the hutzpah. Sounds like a good mix to me." replied Wolverine.
The rest of the team nodded in agreement, although Gambit was quiet.
"Are you opposed to this, Gambit?" asked Cyclops.
"Hey, as dey say, let's blow dis pop stand!" he replied as he got ready to leave. The rest of the team followed him. Gambit sighed as they reached the door.
*And somet'ing tells me dis is gonna get ugly for me.*
++++++++++
The X-Men arrived at the "Come Together, All Together" concert in Hiroshima in civilian clothing. Various bands and singers from all walks of the music world participated in the concert to show their support for world peace and tolerance. After the current singer finished his number, one of the emcees walked out to introduce the next speaker and the large audience finished applauding.
"It is my privilege to introduce to you one of our youngest and most courageous guests attending our event today." said the emcee. "She is speaking on behalf of one of the most important and controversial issues of our time; mutant rights." A few scattered boos and insults were heard amongst the audience, but were largely ignored.
"A mutant herself, she is one of Japan's most celebrated activists. You may recognize her as the hero of the recent Tokyo Massacre. Ladies and gentlemen, Hikari Kimura!"
Most of the audience applauded loudly, including the X-Men. The remainder of the audience started to boo and utter insults.
"Where did Gambit go to?" asked Storm. "He seems to have vanished."
"Hey, if the guy wants to play lone wolf, let him." replied Wolverine.
"Will you two be quiet! She's coming onstage!" yelled Nightcrawler.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my privilege to be present today in this significant moment in human rights history." announced Hikari. "Every generation has had their own event protesting the world's mistakes, for example, the Vietnam War, apartheid, and world hunger. Today will be marked forever not only as a mass protest against the violation of human rights, but of the persecution of the mutant population within it. People have long debated on whether mutants should be called human, which is understandable, considering that our characteristics can be so...obvious. Yet one wouldn't persecute a person who carries the cancer gene, or the one for Alzheimer's disease, so why do the same to mutants?"
All the while, Gambit was hiding backstage behind the stage left curtain, taking care not to be spotted by the technicians and security people. The visions in his mind from earlier were still in his head.
*Man, dis is sure stirrin' up some ghosts for me. If it ain't her, fine. If it is, den dis is one more mistake dat's gonna haunt dis Cajun. Den again, I never was an angel.*
Meanwhile, Hikari was still speaking. "The most important thing that we should all remember is this: We may not be considered "human" by some, but we are all God's children."
All of a sudden, someone from the front row shouted, "Die you filthy mutant scum!", pulled out a gun from inside his coat, and began firing. Gambit rushed out and flicked one of his kinetically charged cards towards the assailant while tackling Hikari to the stage floor, but not before she put her shield up. The card hit the gun, and shrapnel flew onto his chest, arms, and hands. Security came and took him away as he screamed in pain. Gambit then got up and took her offstage and off the grounds. The audience rushed away screaming and shouting from the stage in panic, looking for every possible exit.
"Why in the blazes was he there backstage?" shouted Rogue.
"I have no idea, but it's possible Gambit may know something we don't." replied Professor X. "Shadowcat, Colossus, and Nightcrawler, make sure everyone gets out safely. I don't want anybody to get trampled to death while they are running for their lives. The rest of you come with me to help find Gambit and Hikari."
A few moments later, Gambit and Hikari stopped in an alley a few blocks from the park. Both were catching their breath, and Hikari saw Gambit holding his shoulder and moving his arm to rid himself of the pain from the impact of her shield. Going towards him, she said, "I'm sorry about that. I put a shield up to stop the bullets. I didn't expect you to come out and save me. Anyway, thank you very much for..."
Gambit turned around to face her, still holding his shoulder. She saw his red-on-black eyes and fell back onto the ground screaming "Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!"
*Yup, it's her.* He kneeled and covered her mouth to keep anyone from hearing her screams. "Now, now chere, I thought you were thanking me?" he said smiling.
"You've got a lot of nerve." Hikari retorted, her voice muffled by his hand.
Gambit laughed, and said, "You got dat right." Hikari punched him in the stomach and again in the face, which knocked him on the ground.
"How dare you come back into my life!" she yelled as he got up off the ground. "Do you know what you did that night? Have you come back to hurt from me again? Or was stealing from a temple enough for you? Was it worth it? How dare you!"
At this point, Hikari had ears streaming down her face, and Storm just flew overheard and landed on a building away from their view and observed the commotion, wondering what is going on. She pressed the X-emblem on her right earring and spoke. "Professor, I have just found Hikari and Gambit. They are about three blocks west of the main entrance to the park in an alley."
"Excellent Storm. I'll alert the others. We'll be over there promptly." replies Professor X.
While Storm was waiting for them, she continued watching Gambit and Hikari.
"I never hated anyone till I met you," she said. "And I doubt that I'll ever hate anyone more. I hope you're happy with what you did, because I will never forgive you for it." Suddenly, Gambit quickly got up and grabbed her by the collar. Staring directly at her, he said, "See for yourself you little runt!" Hikari stared back into his eyes, which showed his anger, but the look was mixed with something else.
*No! He can't be guilty, can he? Or is he just trying to fool me? Why is he here for me? What is he going to do to me?*
After watching this, Storm decided to alert the other X-Men. Just as she was about to do so, she saw them coming by. She joined the group, who saw Hikari being held up in mid-air by Gambit.
"Gambit! What are you doing? What's going on here?" asked Professor X, incredulous. Gambit and Hikari turned their heads and noticed the group, and he dropped her to the ground.
" Who are you? Why are you here for me?" asked Hikari, her eyes full of tears.
Professor X wheeled over to her. "We are the X-Men, Hikari." he replied. "We are mutants like yourself who fight for the good of mankind. Have you heard of us before?"
"Yes." replied Hikari, who then looks back and forth between Gambit and the rest of the group, wondering why he is with them. Professor X smiled at her and said, "Come with me, I think we need to talk."
++++++++++
Back in a hotel suite, Professor X and Hikari were chatting with each other and drinking tea, both for his own enjoyment and to break the ice between them. After explaining further whom they are, how they had found out about and sought her, the conversation stalled. Then Professor X broke the silence.
"So would you mind telling me what was going on back in the alley?" he asked.
Hikari tensed up in her chair, unwilling to answer.
Professor X sighed. "To be perfectly honest, Hikari, we would very much like you to become part of our team. Your powers are exceptional, you've proven recently in Tokyo that you know how to use them and, most importantly, very few possess as much idealism and moral virtue as you do. One cannot possess one of these attributes and not the other when fighting for this cause."
"However, we need to know what may have happened between you and Gambit in the past to decide whether or not we'll permit you to join us. I hope you'll be able to do that."
Hikari took a deep breath. "Alright then."
"It happened ten years ago. I was about eleven years old at the time. Our temple had a very valuable Buddha statue, which drew in visitors from time to time. I wasn't able to sleep that night and I left the sleeping quarters to go outside for a walk and thought I had seen a shadow through the window of the temple. I went inside through the front door and saw a man wearing a trench coat standing in the far side of the shrine with his back towards me. I walked down the aisle towards him and asked in Japanese if I could help him, as I didn't know very much English then. He didn't answer me so I went a bit closer and asked him again. He turned towards me suddenly and saw that he was a foreigner, and I also saw his eyes for the first time. It wasn't the colour of them that frightened me but the expression in them. I immediately knew something was wrong. He told me "Go away." and I then turned my head towards the altar where the Buddha statue was and saw that it had disappeared. I started crying and shouting at him "Who are you? What have you done with the statue?" and I started punching him with my fists. As I didn't have my powers then, the punches didn't have much effect. He then picked me up by the neck of my kimono and threw me down the aisle and I started to cry even more. He walked past, then turned around to look at me and I could've sworn I saw regret in his face. But then he turned away and started running towards the front door. I chased him down the path for as long as I could but still wasn't able to catch up with him. He disappeared and I never saw him again until today."
"Was he ever caught?" asked Professor X.
"No." replied Hikari, who had tears streaming down her face for the second time today. "After I told the others what had happened we, of course, went to the police. We ended up finding out who he was, but he was never caught. It took us a long time to recover. If it wasn't for the community's help, we would have lost our temple."
*Oh Remy, why do you do the things you do?*
"May I ask you something?" asked Hikari, noticing the look of discontent on the professor's face.
"Of course."
"Why is Gambit fighting with you? I…I know why you and the others are, but not him."
"To be perfectly honest, he didn't join by choice. Several years ago, he rescued Storm whom he had met in Illinois. After befriending her, he helped fight a long-time enemy of ours. When it was over, Storm, who was already an X-Man, offered to make him one of us. Basically, he's been with us ever since."
"So what you're saying is that he's fought side by side with you out of atonement?"
Professor X nodded. "Gambit's been fighting his demons for quite some time. Unfortunately, it seems that you met him before he tried to do so, which would certainly explain your perception of him. I won't make any excuses for his actions, but I'll say this: If he were truly evil, would he have stayed with us for so long?"
"I admit I'm starting to see your point." said Hikari, though still confused.
Professor X smiled. "Sometimes the most courageous thing that a person can do is admit that they're wrong. Nevertheless, I hadn't counted on you having the history you two have together, which has made the decision whether or not to let you join us all the more complicated. I hope you'll be accommodating and grant me permission to tell the other members what we have discussed."
Hikari sighed and contemplated what he said. "If that is what you feel you have to do."
"Good." said Professor X, who then wheeled towards the door. "Meanwhile, feel free to stay in here while I consult with the others." Just when he reached the door he turned his head and said, "I think you've had enough for one day."
The rest of the X-Men were in the suite's living room, while Gambit was out on the balcony smoking. His withdrawal from the group aroused suspicion from the other members, who were also waiting patiently for Professor X and Hikari to come out. Just now, the bedroom door opened, and they saw Professor X come out alone. "Is Hikari all right, Professor?" asked Nightcrawler.
"She's fine, Nightcrawler." he replied. "I thought it would be wise for her to wait in the bedroom while I talk with all of you. Something very perplexing has come up which I think you all need to know." Professor X put his fingers to his head and relayed everything Hikari said to him telepathically to each member in the room.
After witnessing the bemused looks of the rest of the team, Cyclops asked "So do we let her join us now that we know all this, or do we abort our mission?" But before an answer was given, Wolverine got up and left the room.
"Wolverine, where are you going? Get back here!" called Cyclops, yet Wolverine already slammed the door.
"Well...to be honest...who would know better than Hikari as to whether or not it's wise to stay with us?" asked Shadowcat before anyone else said anything. "After all, we don't know her that well."
"I have to admit that's a valid point." agreed Beast. "Even if we do agree to let her stay after all, she might not want to due to what had happened in the past with her and Gambit, and may not be able to put her differences aside in order to join us."
"I knew there was something strange about the way he stared at her picture on the screen in the war room. I figured things were going to get more complicated after that." said Cyclops, throwing an angry look at Gambit.
"And how was he supposed to know that we'd be one day asking her to join us?" said Phoenix. "This situation has as much to do with fate as with what he did in the past."
Nightcrawler shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "I guess we're going to have to let fate decide if she stays."
Back in the bedroom, Hikari was contemplating Professor X's offer. Sighing, she walked towards the window.
*What should I do? Apart from Gambit, the X-men seem to be an honourable group of people. But it is Gambit that is the problem. I cannot join the group and expect him to slip. Then again, I do not want to fight alone anymore.*
Hikari sighed again. *Please grant me the wisdom to decide what I should do.*
Meanwhile, Wolverine stood in the hall outside the hotel room.
*Stupid Cajun! She was just a kid! If he was smart, he could've at least come up with some kind of diversion so that she wouldn't have seen him steal the flamin' thing! How many more mistakes are gonna come back to haunt us?*
Suddenly, Wolverine popped out the claws in his left hand and stabbed them into the wall with a yell. He looked at the holes, and his temper started to dissipate.
*You've made worse mistakes before Gumbo, and so have I. But if she joins the team and you hurt her again, you better run, because you don't want to be around when I find out.*
Wolverine opened the door, entered the room, and slammed the door as hard as when he left it a few minutes ago.
"So, anyone come up with anythin' yet?" he asked the team.
"Possibly." replied Professor X. "Storm, let Gambit inside." he ordered. Storm walked toward the balcony door and opened it. Gambit turned his head, and she said to him "The professor wants you inside." Gambit entered the room with a cigarette in his mouth. A purple bruise on his left cheek appeared where Hikari's punch hit him, which was spotted in particular by Wolverine.
*Gotta admit, the kid sure knows how to pack a punch.* Wolverine exchanged glances with Gambit and said to
him "What's the matter, Gumbo? Don't feel like talkin'?"
Gambit simply gave him his cockiest grin and walked past him.
"Now cut that out." said Professor X who wheeled over to the bedroom door and opened it and saw Hikari sitting in the chair with her head on the table.
"Hikari, it's time."
Hikari got up off the chair and left the room behind Professor X. She stopped beside Gambit, with the professor in front of them.
"We have decided to let you into the X-Men." he declared. "However, this for a probationary period of our discretion when during this time we will see if you can put your differences between you and Gambit aside. If you do, then you are free to stay on as a permanent member. If not, then naturally you will be asked to leave." Professor X then turned to Gambit. "The same also applies to you. As you are the one who has complicated our mission with your encounter with Hikari, you are even more at risk of being a member than she. Agree to the same and you stay. If not, then you go."
Gambit, in the hopes hiding his shock, held out his hand to Hikari. "What de hell."
Hikari looked at his hand tentatively. She stared at Gambit, questioning his sincerity. Then, she looked at the others and, supposing there would be no deceit from them, finally shook his hand.
"Alright then." said Professor X.
Two days later, the X-Men left Hiroshima on the Blackbird. Cyclops sat with Professor X in the cockpit.
"Do you think they will keep their promises?" he asked.
"Only time will tell Cyclops." replied Professor X. "Only time will tell."
Fin