BTW, thanks to all who gave me Magneto's true name. However, I'm on the computer without 'net connection as I type this, meaning that if I misspell the last name, oopsies-my-bad, so sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or X-Men Evolution. So sue me. No wait…don't.

The X-Evolution - The Rise of Dusk

Chapter 2: Glimpses

Kouji was in a bad mood.

His slightly protective nature when it came to his brother reared its stubborn head the moment he discovered that Kouichi was sick enough to be sent home and no one had bothered to tell him in time to walk his twin back to the Institute. Never mind that he'd be skipping class out of pure stubborn will.

Takuya, Bobby and Kurt had been expecting this, but that didn't mean they had to like it. Especially since they had to walk home with him, and run to keep up.

"Jeez, buddy!" Takuya gasped, finally catching up to his friend outside the Institute gate. Bobby scrambled up behind him, as Kurt took the opportunity of no one watching to bamph thirty feet and catch up with them. "I know you're worried and all, but you seriously need to chill!"

"Yeah." Bobby nodded vigorously. "He's just got a bit of a flu, that's all. A little under the weather."

Kouji scowled at them as the blue beam washed over him. It took in a very small sample of DNA electronically, as well as a slight reading of his facial features. It was from the light scar under his right eye that it identified him from his brother's exactly similar biological make-up, beeping, "Welcome. Home. Yang." as the gates swung open.

The group burst in the doors of the main hall to find Storm, Beast and the Professor talking at the base of the stairs as though waiting for them. Indeed, as the door opened, the group turned slightly to smile at them.

"Welcome home." The Professor nodded softly.

Kouji took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm. "Where's Kouichi?"

"In your room. Sleeping." Ororo said kindly, turning her head to one side just a bit. "He had quite a fever. A little rest will do him good."

Kouji sighed, somewhat mollified. The other three behind him also sighed, through theirs were with considerably more relief.

The Professor nodded, smiling at the emotions he was getting off of their collective minds. The sudden clam in a sea of turmoil was very relaxing, as mental waves go, and it helped soothe the headache he'd received erecting Kouichi's mental barrier.

Kouji, of course, made for the stairs, his mind completely taken up by the thought of checking up on his brother. The Professor caught his arm as he slipped past. "After you're finished there, I'd like a talk with you, Kouji." He said kindly. "Go put your concerns to rest, then please meet with me in my office. All right?"

The boy sighed, his mind breathing a sigh of relief. "…Yes, sir." He muttered, and hurried up to the room he shared with his brother.

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Some people would wonder why an obviously-over-the-hill man with snow-white hair would be standing by himself in the middle of the park, but nobody did. This had something to do with the large quantity of trees surrounding him, and the gloomy setting of the sun behind him, masking him from all but a scant few eyes.

The man's name was Eric Lansher, though he preferred the term 'Magneto'. He was waiting for someone, dressed almost completely in red, a special helmet over his head to protect his mind from 'prying eyes'.

After a moment a large, black raven fluttered down from the trees and landed beside him. He looked down at her and smiled a strangely crooked smile. "Good evening, Mystique."

The raven squirmed slightly and changed shape, stretching out and changing colors until it became a tall, blue-skinned woman with yellow eyes and bright red hair. Raven Darkholme, known better as the metamorphic Mystique, straightened and stood beside Magneto.

"Good evening, Eric." She said softly and curtly. "I trust you have a reason for calling me out here?"

"Indeed." Magneto was quite for a long while, looking out at the sunset as though contemplating his next words. "In regards to that boy of Charles's…the shadow-puppet… I believe there may have been a new revelation."

Mystique looked at her companion with a raised eyebrow as her only expression. "Has he gotten stronger?"

"Naturally enough, young mutants grow and develop like weeds." Eric said dismissively. "But it is wise to note that our little…problem…has grown stronger with him. Much stronger. The time is fast approaching for those who hide in shadow to make their move, as ordered."

Mystique allowed herself a soft frown. "You still intend to allow it to go through, then?"

"I do." Magneto turned from her, making his way back into the darkness of the trees. "Charles will understand, when the time comes. That boy must be a sacrifice for the good of us all."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji carefully eased the door open, peaking in to the darkened room. The curtains were tightly drawn, leaving on a bit of sunlight and a little silver of hall light to illuminate the room. It made him a little uncomfortable, but at the moment his own comfort mattered very little.

Silently, he made his way over to his brother's bedside. He couldn't help but smile at what he saw. It may have prompted a rather lot of teasing jokes from the others, but it always struck him as amazing how sweet and innocent his darker twin could be. That was one trait he knew they didn't share, leaving the more psychologically-based people such as Hank and Jean to mutter about paradoxes and the meaning behind darkness being more innocent than light.

It might have been a literary paradox, but it was true. It was also obvious, what with the way Kouichi curled up on himself like that when he slept, pulling the blankets right up to his chin and mumbling softly…

Kouji couldn't help but smile, reaching down to brush his brother's hair gently out of his face. He didn't feel hot, but that was no surprise. He'd figured when they walked in that Kouichi wasn't actually fever-sick, because every time either of them got a fever, they got it together. Other symptoms come and go, but they always got the same fever.

Kouichi shifted suddenly and open his eyes, looking up at him sleepily. "…Hi, Kouji."

"Hey." Kouji whispered, sitting next to him. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Mm…no." Kouichi smiled softly. "I was just waiting for you to come back."

Kouji smiled as well. "How're you feeling?"

"Better." His twin sighed, snuggling back into the blankets. "The Professor helped a lot…I'm sorry if I worried you"

"Don't worry. You just get some sleep." Kouji soothed as he stood, running a hand through his brother's hair the way their mother used to when they were sick. "I need to go check in with the Professor…"

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

A crystal blue lake had formed in the depths of the cave. There was little to no light there, but what was there was reflected off the small, shining gems set into the walls and ceiling of the cave, making the entire room seam to be in a perpetually moonless night. It was only one of the many rooms in the extensive cave system, each specially carved and outfitted to suit its boarder.

This one was currently occupied by a lithe, short girl with blue-green hair and sea green eyes, swimming laps back and forth through the crystal clear lake. Her thin body made barely a ripple as she moved, and she never seamed to come up for a breath.

A new figure appeared at the door suddenly, a tall man with shining silver hair and pale blue eyes, wrapped in green and carrying a large, circular mirror. He stood at the opening of the cave, looking out at the huge lake and its occupant. After hovering there a moment, he made his way across a small outcrop of land to kneel down and speak to the woman.

"Aquani."

The girl looked up at him, revealing that her sea-green eyes had no whites, and that the pupils were unusually big, making her rounded face look vaguely like a frog's. She kicked off, bursting from the surface to land on the ground next to the man gracefully.

"Bein' awful formal, ain'tcha?" She asked perkily in a distinct southern belle. "Come'on, Marcus. We've known each other long enough for ya to call me by meh first name. It's Rana, 'member?"

'Marcus' frowned. "That is your human name, milady." He said simply, though it sounded much more complicated with his fine old English accent. "Ye know as well as I that while within the coils of our union, we shall address one enough by the true names of our mutant heritage. Thus, I shall address thee by thy true name, and ye shall call me properly."

"Whatever yeh say, 'Mercurious'." Aquani rolled her big eyes dramatically. "So? What's the damage, slick?"

A thin, eager grin slid over Mercurious's face. "Taper has informed me that our Lord is mere days from a full connection."

"Meaning?" Aquani's eyes lit up slightly in eagerness, knowing exactly what it meant.

"It meanth that soon, our Master shall return unto us, and his glorious dream will finally become reality."

"Oooh, goodie."

( - ) ( - ) ( - )

Kouji sighed, hovering outside the large double doors that lead to the Professor's office. He didn't mind the man much at all, but after what had happened the first time he 'reached' into Kouichi's mind, he lost a certain amount of trust in their patron. It wasn't huge, mind you, but it was large enough that he would really rather not let the wheelchair-bound man touch him or his brother if he could help it…

A large hand suddenly descended on his shoulder, making him jump a foot. It was accompanied by a low voice. "You shouldn't just stand out in the hall, bub."

He spun around, looking up into Logan's face. Kouji sighed with obvious relief as Logan smirked down at him. The two, despite there being at least eight inches and a dozen years difference between them, had found each other to be useful as hand-to-hand (no claws) sparring partners. Or rather, Kouji found a teacher, while Logan discovered quite the eager little student.

Logan smirked down at Kouji and reached forward to open the door. As it swung in, the Professor's voice echoed out. "Ah, thank you, Logan. Kouji, I just beginning to wonder how much longer you would hover out there."

Kouji scowled at him as Logan smirked once more, taking his customary place against the wall by the door. Kouji stuffed his hands into his pockets and sauntered over to the chair in front of the Professor's next.

Professor X smiled at him warmly, making his way forward. "There's no need to bristle like that." He said, pausing in front of the boy and entwining his fingers. "I just need to speak to you a moment…it's about your brother."

Kouji's mind immediately shot to defense. The Professor waved him down gently. "It's all right, he's not in any sort of trouble." He sighed wearily. "Nor are you. I simply need a little more information so I can figure out what has been afflicting him so."

"He's sick." Kouji muttered crossly.

"You don't believe that." The Professor smiled knowingly, tapping his bald forehead. "And neither do I. He is not ill, as you well know, at least, not in the traditional sense. There is something else, something foreign, which is plaguing his mind."

Kouji shifted uncomfortably as the man went on, a bit more intensely. "We suspect that something…unusual or unfortunate must have occurred prior to his coming here to cause such a thing. Can you think of anything at all that you would find… strange?"

Kouji scowled and glared at the man stubbornly, refusing to open his mouth. Logan shook his head, finding that particular reaction to be very self-reflective.

The Professor leaned slowly forward. "Please, Kouji, there is no reason to be defensive. I want to help him as much as you do. But we need to know everything we can. If you can remember anything about it, please, just tell us."

The weight of the two adults' stares became slightly heavier, one from the front and the other from behind. Kouji scowled a little more, shifting to stare stubbornly at a far corner, before he finally sighed and muttered. "He disappeared once, when we were kids."

"Disappeared?" The Professor asked, as Logan raised a curious eyebrow.

"We were three. Mom told me 'bout it." Kouji muttered sourly, still refusing to look. "He wandered off on his own in the park one day and just…vanished. Into thin air. The police tore the place apart, couldn't find a sign of him. It was in the papers and everything; 'Toddler vanishes from family outing'. Mom and Dad were going nuts. Then he just turned up again, about a week later. He wandered into a convenience store in Nerima-ku and asked why his picture was in the window. Couldn't figure out how to get home. Didn't remember anything 'bout where he'd gone. He was hungry and little scraped up, but otherwise…he was fine. Nothing happened."

"He jumped over three districts without knowing how and the police didn't think anything happened?" Logan asked incredulously.

"They never found any proof. He wasn't even hurt." Kouji sighed with some sort of patience. "Besides, it's not like I can remember the details. We were three."

The professor steepled his fingers thoughtfully. "…I see." He said softly, closing his eyes a moment, then looking up over them again. "Is that all?"

"Yes." Kouji's narrowed eyes dared the man to try to wheedle out anything else.

Xavier, however, already had as much as he needed. "All right then. You may go."

TBC…

Yeah! I get to use Rana-san again! I'm not so fond of her in the series, but I just loooove writing Ranamon, especially her accent. It's a ball. She's just so fun to work with.

'Mercurious' is a form of 'Mercury' in Latin. I didn't use Mercury as a name because there's already a Quicksilver. (They're the same substance)

With Kouji's inborn honor and samurai-esque pride seam like perfect reasons for him to look up to Logan. Besides, Logan is as far from his father (whom I imagine to be a rather bureaucratic, serious person) as possible, and I get the feeling that Kouji isn't particularly fond of him. Kouichi, on the other hand, is much more thoughtful and even a bit feminine, having been raised in a matriarchal family. It's natural for him to admire Ororo, especially since he's more used to having a strong female to look up to.