Conflicts

Author's note: This takes placed between the original New Mutants 17'th and 18'th issues. Some Illyana/Rahne interactions.

It started with the Bible, if the intent is to draw a line between desires and actions. Rahne so wanted Illyana gone. Demon. She was a demon. Why couldn't everybody see that she had to be driven out?

Rahne was always on edge whenever Illyana was present, and she was present so very much now. To be fair, not like Rahne was trying to be fair, Illyana did live there before any of the New Mutants showed up; although she did live in the X-men wing of the house and not the New Mutant wing.

Before Illyana had mostly kept to herself and Kitty. She had not been in the classes with the New Mutants. But now she was.

Plus, Illyana and Dani were always going off and talking privately. Very suspicious. And Dani refused to tell anybody what had happened to her and Illyana in Limbo; or what they talked about. Bet the witch put a spell on her or something.

Rahne tried the trick when it was her and Illyana's turn to clean up after breakfast. Illyana was putting the clean dishes away and Rahne was loading the dishwasher.

Rahne passed Illyana a book. "Here Illyana, please hold this for a moment".

Illyana accepted the book without comment. She wasn't really paying attention, she looked kind of distracted about something.

Rahne waited for her to vanish, it was an old Scottish tale on how to banish the devil; the devil could never hold the good book.

Nothing happened.

Illyana had a questioning expression on her face as to why she was holding a book, and then she glanced down and saw that it was the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Illyana gave a sigh and quickly flipped to Exodus 22:18, with a practiced ease, and read the quote.

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live".

Illyana had dark look on her face and a bitter smile. "Well technically I'm not a witch Rahne, I'm a sorceress. And I've always preferred the Living Bible myself, let's see what that version has to say. She flipped though the pages and the book morphed into another version of the bible. Ah here we go, Exodus 22:18 again. Ohh, better quote for you Rahne".

Illyana read out loud. "A sorceress shall be put to death".

Illyana flipped the bible back to Rahne who barely caught it.

"So what did you expect to happen Rahne? That I'd go up in smoke? Scream and burn? Morph into some horrible creature and flee? Hmm planning on taking a shot? Kitchen knife by chance or are you just going to hit me with the milk pitcher"?

Rahne didn't quite know what to say. She'd hoped Illyana would have vanished but... no such luck. The sight of Illyana reading from the bible was disquieting, wrong somehow.

Rahne spoke from her heart "You shouldn't be here with good people. This isn't your home you... you... devil".

"Thanks Rahne. Right back atcha. Last time I checked you were a werewolf".

"Leave me out of this witch. I know I'm cursed"!

Illyana had a look of pity. "Well Rahne, since you're such a big bible reader, although I do have to wonder how much of it you practice vs. reading, read First Corinthians 13;2 sometime and then come back to me. Hope for us all I guess".

This was not the discussion Rahne could ever have imagined. Illyana dispensing bible quotes at her. "And how do you know so much about the good book"?

Illyana suddenly look troubled. Ahh the truth thought Rahne. Then a statement that left Rahne even more confused.

"Belasco had an entire book shelf of bibles. It was... required reading as it were. He really liked the damned, as it were, to understand what was lost to them. Liked to occasionally grind the knife in figuratively, which oddly hurt more then when he was grinding it in literally".

Illyana turned away and left the kitchen. She left a parting comment on the air. "I'll leave it to you to finish up Rahne. I think we're done interacting for the day".

Well that did not go as planned. Rahne reluctantly turned to 1 Corinthians 13:2 and read it to herself.

"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing".

Now what does that mean Rahne thought to herself.