"So tell me." Naruto and the Professor were standing in front of a solitary door at the end of a long hallway.
"Behind this door is Wanda Maximoff, the daughter of my old enemy Erik Lehnsherr. Or Magneto, as he is known these days."
"So why is she here?"
"Unfortunately for her, Erik is not a very good father. He has little patience for those who do not follow his will. It really does not surprise me that poor Wanda ended up here."
"So you have an emotional, unstable mutant with daddy issues on your hands." Naruto deadpanned. "That's hardly something that would take the Sorcerer Supreme to deal with."
"Yes, you would be right. But her particular mutation if reality manipulation. She has already turned two doctors into mice, and opened a hole in the fabric of time and space last year."
"Ah, so that's what dad was talking about. I see." Naruto looked at the door. "I might as well take a shot at it. But you'll owe me a favor."
"If you succeed."
"If I survive." Naruto grinned and walked through the door.
The room was padded white, a waste in Naruto's opinion, with a small bed at one end, under a tiny, barred window. The bed was messy, and obviously recently used. But the patient was no longer in it. She was in the corner furthest from the door, locked in a straightjacket, long raven hair covering her face.
Naruto looked at the girl and calmly walked towards her, his leather shoes clicking on the ground. "Hello." He crouched in front of her with a small smile on his face. Her head lifted up and two piercing blue eyes shone through the black locks. "I'm Strange. Naruto Strange." Her mouth twitched a bit. "I thought you might like that little joke. What's your name?" She remained silent. "Come on, I promise I won't use it to cause chaos and misfortune. You can trust me; I'm the son of a doctor." Her mouth twitched again.
"Wanda." She muttered.
"Tell me Wanda; is your face as pretty as your voice?" She glared at him. "Don't be like that; I can't see your face behind all that hair." He lifted his hand to her bangs and tucked them behind her ears, revealing a rather pretty face with slim black eyebrows, said blue eyes and full red lips. "I guess it is."
"Why are you here?" Her voice was a little hoarse, with a slight exotic accent to it.
"Well, you see, I'm here to help Professor Charles Xavier. I think you know him, bald guy, rolls around in a wheelchair. No sense of humor." He chuckled.
"We've met."
"You see, he really wants you to go to his School for Gifted Youngsters, so he called my dad, who was too lazy to come himself. My dad then sent me. So, really, I'm here to help you."
"Why? Is your father a psychiatrist?"
"No. Dad was a surgeon a few years ago, but he's… retired."
"Then why you?"
"For now, just to help you out of here."
"And into the School for Gifted Youngsters."
"Ideally, yes."
"'Gifted' here meaning 'crazy'."
"No my dear, 'gifted' here meaning 'mutant'."
"What?"
"You see, there are some people on this Earth born with an extra gene. This gene, dubbed the 'X-Gene' by people who do such things for a living, causes them to manifest a wide array of abilities. From wings, to eye-beams, to…" He motioned to her. "Reality manipulation."
"So I am a mutant?"
"Yes. Your dad must've mentioned something about that." She flinched.
"I do not like talking about my father."
"Ah. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up any… well, I'm sorry." She nodded.
"So why you? What is your mutation?"
"I don't have any; I come with no more genes than the ordinary human being." She looked at him puzzled. "I, my dear, am a sorcerer. A magic user."
"Magic? There is no such thing."
"Oh? Tell me then, why don't you have your straightjacket on anymore?" She looked down to see she was dressed in a white hospital gown, her hands wrapped around her stomach. She looked to Naruto to see the jacket in his arms. "I think that's better, don't you? You can hardly have a civilized conversation in one of these." He threw the white jacket over his shoulder and walked over to the bed, sitting down in one corner of it.
Wanda stood up slowly, rubbing her wrists to alleviate some imaginary pain, and looked cautiously at the blonde. Naruto just smiled at her and tapped the space on the bed next to him. After another few long moments, Wanda moved slowly to the bed and sat on the opposite corner. Naruto pouted at her. "So can we talk about the school now?"
"And you say Professor Xavier can teach me control."
"You don't need control Wanda." Naruto said softly. "You need guidance. And the Professor's school is a haven, especially for scared and confused kids. He will help you."
"And if he cannot?"
"Then I will. What you do is surprisingly similar to what I do, so maybe by teaching you magic I can help you own your other powers."
"Own?"
"You're scared of them now, aren't you?" She looked away, but moved a bit closer to him. "You shouldn't be. They are part of you. Dangerous, yes, but so is an ordinary human being."
"Why?" She asked after a few tense moments of silence.
"Why what?" He raised an eyebrow. She was now looking straight into his eyes for her answer.
"Why would you help me? You do not know me. We have just met not one hour ago. You do not know my father, what he has done."
"Yes, I do." Naruto answered simply. "I know of Erik Lehnsherr, and what he's done." She flinched again at the name. "And I also know you, Wanda Maximoff. You're scared. Of your powers, of your father, even yourself. You're confused about the world. But most of all, you're lonely. But you don't have to go through all this alone. You have me now." Her eyes started to water. "You asked me why I would do this for you? Maybe it's because I see some of my old self in you, before my father adopted me. Maybe it's because i want Charles to owe me a favor. Maybe it's because I think you're beautiful, and I want to be close to you." She blushed lightly. "Maybe it's because I see in you the potential for a strong, smart young woman, a great woman, who might change the world for the better." He smiled at her. "So what do you say?" Wanda launched herself at Naruto, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing into his chest. He just smiled sadly, gently caressing her back and kissing the top of her head.
Charles sat at the doorway, silently watching the scene. Naruto's father was right, he concluded, the blonde really did have the power to change people. He turned around, leaving the two teens to their moment. He had a few arrangements to make.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
You know, it's really sad only like two people got the Batman joke. Mainly that it was a joke, and not a three-way crossover.
Actually, there may be something out of it, now that I think about it. Nothing major enough to warrant a crossover, though.
Really sad.