Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.

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Vicious Cycle

It began with the Father.

In the days of his youth, he held great love for the world, for that is the nature of children. He loved the earth, the sky, and all the people and places in between. But instead of returning the Father's love, the world showed him only cruelty. It took from him his parents and all those dear to him, but still the Father loved the world. It captured him and forced him into a horrible camp of hatred and death, but the Father held onto his love. It was not until the world had beaten and starved him; persecuted and worked him until he could barely breathe; exposed him to all the horrors it could muster that the Father grew bitter and turned his back on the world.

Angered and embittered, the Father set out to make the world pay for its transgressions. Time passed, and eventually the Father met a beautiful woman, married, and had two children. But the Father was blind to all this love, for his hatred of the world blocked out all else.

So, it came to pass that when the Daughter began to show the Father love, the Father remained cold and distant. And so, like the cruelty of the world had poisoned the Father, so too the Father's coldness poisoned the Daughter. She became angry and bitter toward the Father, for he did not return her love. As time passed, the Daughter began lashing out at the Father, hating him for his coldness and distance. Eventually the Father grew unable to control the angry fits of the Daughter, so he had her committed to a place different from, yet far too similar to the camp he himself had been sent to all those years ago.

For over a decade the Daughter resided in that hellish place. As the years went by, the lack of human contact and the frightening and invasive tests began to take their toll on the Daughter. Her anger and bitterness were twisted and warped into rage and an all-consuming desire for revenge. When the day came that the Daughter was freed, she vowed to make the Father pay for his transgressions.

Time passed and several others came into her life. Soon, one of them began to show her love. But, like the Father before her, her hatred blinded her to the Other's love. The Other continued, undaunted by the Daughter's rage, hoping to one day win her love. However, because the Daughter knew only hate, she could only ever show him hatred.

This continued on for some time, and although the Other's will was strong, he could only take so much. In time, a small seed of bitterness planted itself in his heart and began to grow and sprout with each further rejection. Soon the Other began to hate the Daughter for she spurned his affections at every turn. The Daughter, however, remained oblivious to this development, for her hatred for the Father clouded her sight.

Thus, it came as a shock to the Daughter when, as she prepared to cast the Other aside yet again, he preempted her and lashed out in fury. So caught off guard was she, that the Other's powerful legs sent her flying across the room and into a wall where she lay dazed as the Other began to scream and rage at her.

She sat there, entranced as he ranted of the injustice of her actions, of the cruelty of her harsh treatment, of the unfairness that she should hate him when he showed her nothing but love. Then, as the Other vowed that he would maker her pay for her transgressions, the Daughter's eyes were opened and she saw the cycle for what it was.

But by then it was too late.

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Author's Note: Well, incase you're too stupid to figure it out, the Father is Magneto, the Daughter is Scarlet Witch, and the Other is Toad. The idea for this story just grabbed me when I noticed the cycle of hatred that goes on between those three. Person is scorned, person becomes scornful and scorns other person, that person becomes scornful…etc. etc.

C'mon man, don't hold out on me... I'm Jonesin for reviews man!