Disclaimer: If you honestly believe these two worlds would collide in either canon, I have a pretty white coat handy for you! Not mine, in other words.

Yeah, I know, starting another new fic! Don't worry, I plan out all my fics in advance - I fully intend to finish the others as well. I don't get much time to write though, so I write what I feel like writing. :D

Also, I don't know where this came from. I offer no apologies. XD


Clutching the strap of his backpack tighter, Naruto shifted his weight and stared up at the gates in front of him. It had taken a long time – longer than he would have liked – but he was here, safe and sound and nervous as all hell.

Everyone had heard of this place. They had heard different things, true, but heard all the same. Most knew it to be a school for particularly intelligent students. The minority – people like Naruto – knew it for something else entirely.

Stumbling slightly, he made his way over to the intercom outside the gate. Glancing briefly at the plaque above it - The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning – he pressed the button to sound the buzzer. Almost instantly there was a reply.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" Naruto blinked, looked up, caught sight of a security camera and then returned his gaze to the intercom. He was about to respond when the speaker sounded again.

"Please, come in," it was a woman, her voice accented. "The Professor has been expecting you."

The gates swung open in invitation and Naruto swallowed. "Er – thank you," he mumbled, unsure if anyone was able to hear him.

Taking a deep breath he started up the long driveway. It was impossible to see much from the gate, but with distance the Mansion revealed itself and Naruto couldn't help but falter in his step.

It sprawled out and towards him, two wings of the immense building curling around a large paved courtyard. He stopped at the edge, overcome by the feeling that he was on the brink of change – like everything came down to this moment, this choice. He could almost see the paths in front of him, stretching to endless possibilities and destinations.

But here – this is where he chose which path he would take.

He gaze fell on the large sculpture in the centre of the courtyard. It was a bird carved from stone, its wings stretching up towards the sky. Stepping forwards he found himself drawn to the statue and was soon crouching in front of it to read the engraved plaque more easily.

Phoenix Memorial Statue

In Memory of our Beloved Jean Grey

May She Rest in Peace

Naruto shivered and turned his face upwards to look at the statue once more. It seemed to embody something he could barely imagine – a mutant so deeply loved that their memory was honoured in permanent stone. The building seemed almost protective of the statue, wrapped around it and looming as he lingered.

He shook himself slightly in an attempt to rid himself of the odd thoughts, glad that the courtyard was empty and no one had seen his daze. Standing, he continued towards the main entrance.

At the doors he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. Setting his jaw he nodded as if in respect, and impulsively made a promise to himself.

Someday, I'll be someone worth honouring.

And with that, he turned to meet his path.


Naruto gave a bright, albeit shaky, grin to the man before him.

The man was bald. Naruto knew that the man was Xavier, the Xavier, and that he was in the presence of the man who had saved hundred of mutants practically single-handedly. And yet, all he could think was he's really, really bald.

The professor was studying him calmly. "You are from England?"

It wasn't really a question, since both knew that Naruto had mentioned the fact in his letter. He answered anyway.

"Yes, sir." Your head is shiny.

"You have come a long way."

"Yes, sir."

There was a pause. I wonder if I could see my reflection in it, Naruto thought, slightly desperately.

Xavier's mouth twitched. "It is a side effect of my abilities. I was not aware it was quite so…distracting."

Naruto's mouth dropped open and he flushed scarlet. How utterly mortifying. Of all the things that could have slipped his mind at this unbelievably important moment, he just had to forget that the man was a fucking telepath.

"Oh – oh, god," he stammered. "Look, I'm sorry old man, seriously. It's just, it's really shiny and –". He halted, cringed, and buried his face in his hands.

The professor laughed softly. "It's quite alright. But if I could, I'd like to ask you some questions about your talents."

Naruto looked up and nodded. "But…couldn't you just…?" He made a vague gesture at his head with one hand.

"I could, but I prefer not to." He paused, flipping over a sheet of paper on the desk in front of him. "You can produce copies of yourself?"

"Y-yes."

"And these are solid clones?"

Naruto nodded. "They can move around and stuff just like me. But they do disappear if they're hit too hard by something."

"Interesting. How many copies can you make at once?"

"A lot?" Naruto laughed nervously. "I haven't really tried, honestly. People tended to notice if I made too many."

Xavier nodded in understanding. "I hope you will find all the resources you need here, then. We aim to allow our students to explore the limitations of their abilities, as well as develop finely tuned control."

A smile broke across Naruto's face. He was allowed to stay!

Xavier pressed a button on his desk before meeting Naruto's eyes. "I must return to work now, so someone will be here shortly to settle you in. In the meantime, is there anything else you wanted to mention?"

Naruto bit his lip, a feeling of dread settling in his stomach. He clenched his fists. He couldn't hide anything here, could he? He looked down at his lap.

"Naruto?" the voice was quiet. "Who is Kyuubi?"

He jerked his head up, shocked.

"I must apologise," Xavier sighed. "As I said, I do not enjoy prying into the minds of my students. But I could see something was bothering you, and Naruto, I must assure you that there is no need to keep secrets here."

Drawing a breath to calm himself, Naruto had opened his mouth to respond when the door swung open.

A woman stepped in and Naruto immediately recognised her as the woman who had met him at the door and escorted him to the professor's office. She was tall and dark-skinned, with white hair. It was a striking combination and Naruto had found himself liking her almost immediately. Nonetheless, his jaw snapped shut at the intrusion.

When Xavier spoke, his voice was gentle. "Naruto, this is Storm. She is one of my oldest and most trusted friends. You can speak freely in front of her."

Slowly, Naruto nodded.

"Who is Kyuubi?"

"I –" he swallowed. "I don't really know. He's just…always been there. He's a fox, I think. I mean, I know that sounds stupid but I've seen him a couple of times and he looks like a gigantic fox."

"You've seen him? Have you spoken with him?"

"Yes," he winced. "It wasn't pleasant."

"I see," Xavier looked pensive. "Does he affect you at all?"

Naruto glanced away. "Yeah…I can kind of feel it when he does. It's like I'm drawing on his power…he makes me stronger, faster," he shuddered. "But I don't try too often."

He found himself looking to Storm. Her expression was gentle, but unreadable. When he glanced back to Xavier the man was rubbing his mouth, brow furrowed.

"Storm," he started. "Tell me. Does this remind you of anything?"

"It reminds me of Phoenix, Professor."

Naruto looked between the two of them, surprised. "Phoenix?"

Xavier turned his eyes to Naruto, considering him carefully. "There was once a woman here, a telepath by the name of Jean Grey," he paused, but soon continued. "For part of her life her body also housed an entity by the name of Phoenix. Your experiences sound similar to hers."

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. He had thought himself to be alone, even among mutants. And Jean Grey…the statue.

Xavier was still speaking. "Phoenix proved to be a difficult case. If your situation is similar we must approach it immediately, though with caution." He eased his wheelchair out from the desk and navigated it around until he was face to face with the blond boy. Lifting his hands, he placed one on each of Naruto's temples, and then raised his eyebrows in question.

Naruto bit his lip, and then nodded in permission.


When he opened his eyes he was in a familiar dark corridor, water splashing around his feet. Xavier was standing beside him.

He did a double take.

"You – you're standing!"

The professor looked faintly amused. "We are in your mind. This is simply a mental projection of myself, not my physical being. Therefore, I no longer have the limitations of my usual body."

Naruto blinked and, deciding that pretending he understood would be the best move, nodded. "I guess you want to see the Kyuubi?"

"Please."

Turning, Naruto lead the way down the corridor. He had only been here twice before but he knew where to go instinctually – there was a pull, drawing him towards their destination.

Neither spoke, the silence broken only by the soft splashing sounds made by their footsteps. Gradually, however, they became aware of a deep growling on the edge of their hearing. It was more a physical shuddering than sound, echoing through the walls themselves.

Catching sight of the doorway ahead, Naruto's fists clenched involuntarily. Light spilled through it, a dark, hot orange. He glanced towards Xavier, who nodded at him briefly. Swallowing, Naruto stepped through.

The room was enormous, the ceiling stretching into darkness. It was dominated by what Naruto referred to as – for want of a better term – the cage, because that's exactly what it looked like. Bars as thick as trees stretched upwards, forming the structure for a pair of doors. Plastered across the middle was a piece of paper with unfamiliar writing. The inside of the cage was in shadow.

"Don't…er," Naruto started, strangely nervous. "Don't get too close. He can be a bit…angry."

The professor's attention was focused upwards, towards the slip of paper. "The writing is Japanese…I'm afraid my Oriental languages are a little rusty, but I believe it says 'seal'."

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Does that help?"

"Somewhat," came the response. "It seems your situation differs from that of Jean after all."

"So we're not the same?" he couldn't help the frown that pulled at his mouth.

Xavier looked thoughtful. "There are similarities. Both of cases involved an inhuman entity residing in the mind, presumably capable of taking control of your body. But where Phoenix had freedom within Jean's mind, your guest," he spoke the word with a small, sad smile, "appears to be imprisoned."

Observant of you, mortal.

The voice was something primal, shuddering through Naruto's body and jarring his heartbeat. He tried not to flinch, but instead looked to the side. Xavier's expression was calm, face tilted upwards. After a moment, Naruto followed his gaze.

The sight was familiar, but nonetheless terrifying. A pair of eyes, huge and gleaming, was set in darkness above a fanged grin. Each tooth, he couldn't help but notice, was larger than he was.

Xavier tilted his head. "Who put you here?"

A sudden growl ripped through the room, nearly loud enough to be a roar. It was utterly terrifying. Xavier didn't flinch.

How can he possibly be so calm? Naruto thought, panicking slightly.

Who are you to ask questions, mortal? The voice was laced with malice. I should shred you where you stand.

"I'm afraid you would not achieve much satisfaction from that," the professor said, unfazed. "I am not actually here, after all."

Naruto blinked. That would explain it.

Rustling came from beyond the cage, as if the fox was shifting.

There was silence. Naruto shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

The professor tried again. "Why are you here?"

Teeth glinted in the torchlight. They dared.

"Who did?"

A snarl, quick and sharp. It does not concern you, insolent mortal.

Xavier sighed. "I see." Naruto watched as the professor turned his back on the creature, deliberately. "Come. It is time for us to go."

And just as an enraged roar filled the room, Naruto found himself back in the office with silence ringing in his ears.


Okay, so I completely raped X-Men canon. But that's alright, because X-Men canon rapes itself all the time. For the most part, I'll be drawing from the old animated series – this means, for example, that Rogue is her spectacularly awesome Southern self (as opposed to a wangsty teenage moron) and that Gambit, y'know, exists. But basically I intend to pick and choose as it suits me, so ne'er.

If you want a rough timeframe though, it's mainly comic book - I'll go with after the construction of the dorms but before Magneto blew the thing sky-high. So Phoenix is dead, but Xavier is still hanging around.

Also, Naruto's currently a bit OC. But I figure anyone would be like that, having flown halfway across the world to meet the only bunch of people who didn't particularly want to set them on fire. Don't worry, he'll be back to normal soon!