Future Dreams and Foregone Schemes
By Twilight Dusk

Summary: When Mokuba tricked Bakura, Malik, and Ryou into giving him some lessons on shadow magic, they thought they only had to worry about Seto or the Pharaoh finding out. They certainly weren't expecting to show up on a computer in Bayville.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine. Kyoko is mine! So is Bakura and Ryou's nickname.

Age Guide:
Angel, Psylocke-25
Isis Ishtar- 24
Gambit-22
Colossus, Rishid Ishtar, Sage, (OC)^- 20
Pyro, Avalanche, Ryou Bakura, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Kyoko Lore- 19 *Sort of Forge
Rogue, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Boom-Boom, Malik Ishtar, Anzu, Otogi Ryuuji- 18
Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Amanda Sefton, Blob, Toad, Iceman, Yugi Mutou- 17
Magma, Sunspot, Jubilee, Seto Kaiba- 16
Cannonball, Wolfsbane- 15
Multiple, Mokuba Kaiba, X23- 13
Prof. X, Magneto- 60+
Storm, Hank, Forge*- 40+
Mastermind-53
Mystique, Logan, Sabretooth- Who Knows?

Chapter Warnings-

KurouXKyoko, Brits, JOTT, Scott-bashing (This won't go on forever, I promise. The boys are punks and Rogue's PMSing.) I have no idea whatsoever what an Arabic/Egyptian accent would sound like. Malik's accent therefore requires imaginary input from you readers. Also, I realized my timeline's even more screwed up than I originally thought, so we'll play this by ear. Eventually I'll point out where in the timeline we are.....maybe.

Japanese Translations-

Baka- stupid, in this case means Jounouchi

Niibaka- Idiot number 2

Shobaka- Idiot number 1

Please Review; flames will be used to cook Kurt's dinner.

I know it's short, but seeing as how I last updated a year and a half ago....

Ch.3- Dinnertimes

LONDON, ENGLAND

When describing Aldera Lane, visitors always began with the word beautiful. The semi-modest almost-mansions that lined it were pictures of tasteful elegance. Behind the cherry wood doors, idyllic tranquility, upright respectable families, and soft sonatas reigned, for the most part. Every rule needs its exception.

"IN THE WHITE ROOM WITH BLACK CURTAINS, NEAR THE STUDIO, I'LL WAIT IN THIS PLACE FOR LIZZY TO COME BACK WITH THE DAMN PINS!" Kyoko sang at the top of her mediocre voice, impatiently paraphrasing Cream, as she struggled to hold the dress in place until her roommate, best friend, and design partner could return with the pins so they could finish fitting the dress.

"You can keep waiting until Damnation, because ALICIA can't find where you put the bloody things!" Alicia put up with most of Kyoko's odd quirks, like the tendency to constantly quote sixties and seventies songs, but she would not tolerate those ridiculous rock and roll nicknames.

"They're in the false panel behind my door with the guns!" Alicia started.

"What did you put them in there for? Forget that! Why the 'ell do you have a secret panel full of guns? Found 'em."

"You have met my grandmother, haven't you?"

"It's the crazy old paranoid's doing, then? That explains it." Alicia handed Kyoko several pins and knelt to fasten the hem of their latest project.

"The lunatic is on the grass," Kyoko sung absently.

"I thought she was on the beach. You done yet?" Alicia stood up. Kyoko nodded and began struggling out of the dress, careful not to knock any of the pins loose, or snag the embroidery on her shorts. They managed to get the dress settled on the dummy and Alicia started stitching the hem just before the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it, Lizzy."

"Kyoko, wait-" Kyoko ignored her friend. It wasn't exactly polite to leave people waiting at the door too long, and she still hadn't figured out all of her grandmother's security systems yet. She was fairly certain she'd turned the doorknob tazer off, but she couldn't be completely sure. She flung the front door open with a hurried greeting.

"What can I do for you?" she asked cheerily. The poor boy who'd been conscripted for a messenger fainted. Alicia came up behind her, shaking her head sadly.

"You do realize you didn't put your shirt back on yet, Kyo?" Her friend's fierce blush answered the question.

"Go get dressed; I'll take care of him," she said. Still blushing furiously, Kyoko headed back to the dress room. A stand to the left of the door held a pitcher of water, cups, and a flask of brandy. Seconds later, a cup's worth of water splattered on the boy's face. He awoke instantly, keeping his eyes firmly shut and jerking his hands up to cover them. He peeked through his fingers and his lashes ready to close them again instantly if the wild, exotic, beautiful, half-clad woman was still there. The woman standing in the door way with a cup was still exotic and beautiful to his young eyes, but thankfully she wasn't half-clad and she seemed far too composed to be wild. She was definitely smirking at him though.

"Up you get, lad." She grabbed the lad, twelve or thirteen at a guess, and hauled him up by the wrist. "Come in." She handed him the brandy flask. "Quick sip for strength. I'll be getting you a real drink. You did have a shock. Sorry about that. Kyoko doesn't always think before she moves." She dragged his unresisting form to a chair. He stared at her almost blankly.

"Thank you, miss," he managed.

"Would you like a Coke or a cuppa?"

"Coke, please, miss."

"I'll get that for you then and you can tell me why you're here alright?" Alicia turned and sashayed from the room, laughing to herself. The boy was most likely head over heels for her already.

"It's a pity you're so desperate as to bask in the admiration of a preteen, Lizzy." Alicia ignored her. Sooner or later Kyoko would have to use her name and then the world would be a better place. "Ah, poor little Lizzy, lacking a love of her own, 'But I swear before the day is over you folks'll see some rain.'" Kyoko laughed, dodging the thrown ice cubes. "Take the lad his ice, Lizzy, and find out why he's here. Maybe he'll bring some rain for you." Kyoko smirked sadistically at the expression on Alicia's face. She had yet to figure out what song her nickname came from and the more Kyoko referenced it, the more Alicia wanted to kill her.

"Some day, Kyoko, you are going to get what's coming to you," Alicia half-threatened.

"Five billion and my own clothing line, right. Any day!" She quickly left the kitchen before Alicia could find something heavier or perhaps sharper to throw.

Alicia glared at Kyoko's quickly escaping form. Kyoko would be Kyoko, she supposed, but she wished devoutly that her friend's boyfriend would stop encouraging her.

"Here you are, lad," she chirped. "What brought you to us here, now?" The boy hastily swallowed the great swig he'd taken.

"Message for Miss Lore and Miss Singer. I do a bit of yard work for Miss Braddock. She gave me five pound to ride over with this," he explained. "Here you are, Miss?" he added pulling a fancy purple envelope from his jacket pocket. Alicia reached under the end table and removed its well-sharpened stiletto. The lad started at the sight of the gleaming blade. Alicia laughed.

"It's just a letter opener." The boy eyed Alicia warily. If that was a letter opener, he didn't want to know what she'd call a knife, and he'd thought she was the normal one. Alicia quickly skimmed through the enclosed card.

"Lady Elisabeth Braddock requires the presence of Misses Kyoko Lore and Alicia Singer at her supper table this evening. Guests should be comfortably and gorgeously attired and accompanied by their design notebooks. Lady Braddock would like to discuss the possibility of a new style. Misses Lore and Singer ought to arrive promptly ante septum. From the Desk of Elisabeth Braddock, Supermodel and Super Personality." Alicia shook her head, fighting a smile. Betsy was hardly a lady. She was, however, Kyoko and Alicia's best chance of breaking into the industry, as well as fun incarnate and a good friend.

"I got bowled over for a dinner party!" the boy burst out indignantly, despite having conveniently forgotten that he'd fainted.

"No, you got flashed and five pound. Go on and spend it, lad. We'll get Betsy back for you. I promise," Kyoko assured the lad, waltzing into the room on heels as sharp as the letter opener. He gave her a frightened look and sped out of the house. His mum called Aldera Lane "the nicest, most respectable part of town." He knew better.

"And I'm feeling glad all over. Yes, I'm-a glad all over. Lily, I'm glad all over," Kyoko sang, speeding up the stairs to grab her sketchbooks. Alicia, similarly excited, didn't even bother to ask why Betsy was Lily, opting instead to head for her room to change. This could be it. Too bad about that kid.

THE X-HANGAR

Storm was the first one out of the jet and out of the hangar. A mere minute later, she was safely ensconced in her greenhouse with all that lovely distance between her and Bakura Ryou. He stretched lazily as he disembarked from the plane. It was good to be feared, no matter what some foolishly softhearted, guilt-stricken host thought. Speaking of whom…

"Are you still brooding? They invited us here. That means they brought us upon themselves. I am not standing in for the friendship wench," the ancient thief lectured. Laughter echoed through the hangar as Ryou took over their body before Bakura could make them any more enemies. It was far easier to steal from people who wouldn't suspect you.

"Storm's fear is not funny. Laughing at other people's fear is not an attitude we want to see in the X-Men. I expect you to apologize to her. The X-Men show a respect for others. I don't care what kind of hoodlum you were in Japan, but here you will show some respect," Scott ranted at Ryou, who ignored him in favor of the mental image of Bakura dressed like Anzu. Behind the fearless leader, however, Mokuba and Malik were debating the best way to kill him.

"Respect, Scott, right," Rogue drawled. "Like the respect you showed for their culture while you were runnin' around usin' first names and patronizin' people. We ain't soldiers, O fearless leader. Ah mean I at least got a day before I started gettin' lectured. Even Lance got enough time to get in trouble first." The Goth glared. She was seriously starting to wonder why she'd ever liked Scott. Did he realize how much of an ass he was making himself out to be? Had already made himself out to be? Since Lance's brief time with the X-Men, the protective boy-scout Scott she liked had been overshadowed more and more by over-protective alpha male bluster. Any male who seemed to get along fine on their own authority, Lance, Gambit, and now Bakura and Ishtar became a threat to him.

Across the hangar, one well hidden blue German and one intangible valley girl high-fived. Well, her hand went through his at any rate.

"Rogue's like totally reaming Scott. He's gonna totally blow," she chattered excitedly.

"I don't know, Kitty." Kurt's voice was dubious. "Surely the Professor vill stop zem from fighting," he postulated, hoping for exactly the opposite. Kitty grinned. She couldn't wait to tell Lance about this.

"He totally would, Kurt, but I heard that he like, can't read the new kids' minds at all. Logan's totally the only teacher here, and he's, like, probably enjoying this as much as we are."

Scott reddened as Rogue's criticism continued. Didn't she understand these people couldn't be trusted? After what the white-haired one had done to Jean and Storm, why on earth was she defending them? And what was that about Avalanche? Hadn't he proven he couldn't be trusted? It wasn't the same as her situation at all. Bakura and Ishtar had hurt innocents his conscious insisted, conveniently ignoring the quiet voices of his conscience and his reason pointing out that Forge and Storm had been spying and that Storm had thrown Ryou into a tree. Jean's telepathic invasion attempt wasn't mentioned, since even his conscience couldn't cut through the clamor of his emotions shouting that Jean could do no wrong.

Of the three duelists, it was Malik who spoke first. He'd been translating what he wanted to say as Rogue spoke. Now he just had to try and pronounce it.

"Are you always this stupid?" Malik wondered, in somewhat mangled English. "Or are you looking for a fight? That's welcoming. Mind if I call you Jounouchi? Your shoes are untied," he finished with the complete non sequitur. Despite himself, Scott looked down.

"Idiot. You're wearing rubber boots," Bakura noted from behind, "and what we choose to do is no concern of yours. Relax, Scott," he added with a nasty, promising smile. "I promise we won't be the kind of- hoodlums, did you say?- that we were in Japan. Malik, don't be mean to the Baka."

"Won't ya?" Rogue asked, trying not to snicker at Bakura's sickly-sweet sarcasm. Malik gave her an angelic, butter-wouldn't-melt-in-his-mouth grin.

"Of course we won't. We'll be an entirely different kind. Mokuba-chan, what do you think of the nickname Jounouchi for Scott?" the Egyptian rattled off.

"Too long," the younger teen replied. "Niibaka suits him."

"So who's Shobaka then?" Rogue grinned. The three brushed past Scott's choleric countenance. Rogue and Jamie followed not far behind. Malik, Ryou, and Mokuba chorused the answer.

"Jounouchi."

"I don't trust them," Scott told Logan, Jean, and Forge as they left the hangar. "They're too…smooth. They're influencing Rogue somehow and-" Logan cut him off.

"The world ain't rosy, One Eye. Those kids and Stripes, they know that. You oughtta show him what it looks like without the goggles sometime, Red." He felt the presence of Professor X in his mind. // We're back Chuck. //

// I'm glad to hear it, Logan. What do you think of our new students? Scott doesn't seem to like them much, I'm afraid.//

//They're rogues. 'S why she keeps jumpin' in for 'em. Those kids have eyes like war vets, 'specially Whitey. Cyke ain't used to people who don't let him lead. He ain't handling it too well, and those kids aren't about to gentle him. The Kaiba CEO kid got pissed as all hell when Cyke used his first name. The Japanese are serious about manners. Next time we leave the country the team gets a crash course in customs.// Logan directed the professor to his memories of the mission. //Better not try to 'read 'em either. They won't like it too well, bub.//

//I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Logan. I hope they will settle in soon. Their powers seem quite dangerous, and they seem to be very cautious about revealing them. I wonder what they've faced. Bring them to the dining hall. I've arranged for pizza. They can meet the others and then I'll talk to them. Oh, and do remind Kurt and Kitty to set the table.// Logan's head snapped upwards as his nose caught the familiar scent of fur and brimstone. Sure enough, Kurt and Kitty were hiding just above the hangar's exit. They were reasonably well hidden today, but Kurt's eyes caught the light, and the metal behind Kitty looked heat-shimmered.

"Half-pint, Elf, go set the table if ya want any pizza."

"Piz-" Kurt bamfed them away mid-joyous cry. They reappeared three feet directly above Malik's head. The Egyptian's reflexes were well-honed courtesy of three years well spent annoying Kaiba and Bakura, not to mention Mokuba's homicidal driver. Therefore, he was not buried under two hundred pounds of mutant. Unfortunately, he still ended up unconscious and hurting.

~Bakura stands before her, shrouded in shadows. Purple and blue auras fade slowly from the air, but the darkness remains. He turns away from her with a cruel smirk.

"I thought I would not lose, but we have the same goal. Am I right?" The albino's voice was...frightening. Something in her shivered at the way the shadows seemed to curl around the odd ring pendant resting on his chest. She laughed, dropping her hands, but still warily clasping her weapon, ready to draw the knife if necessary. Dark, bloody rage flared somewhere in the back of her brain, tainting her laughter with immeasurable bitterness and cruelty.

"I seek the power of the gods and the death of the pharaoh. I've seen you helping him," she observes, somewhat suspicious of the sinister, shadowed teen before her. His smirk widens to a shark's grin and his blood-coloured eyes gleam.

"The fool has befriended my host. I want all of them. When I've helped you achieve your goal, you'll give me yours." She wasn't sure whether that was a command or an offer, but it made her match his predatory smile.

"Agreed." Some part of her, a part that feels somehow separate, screams as he raises a knife and plunges it into his own arm. The rage is laughing. She simply nods as though it were expected.

"Sealed in blood."~

Someone grabs Rogue's covered arm and pulls her away from Malik sharply but cautiously, so as not to touch her himself. Her eyes snap open and she sees that it's Ryou's hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright? Rogue-san? Malik?" Ryou flinched at the slight horror in Rogue's eyes, wondering where it came from. The flinch turned into a startled grimace as her fingers closed around his left bicep, directly over the scar.

"Rogue, are you like totally okay? Sorry about that, new guy. Kurt, you like seriously need to think before you bamf!" Kitty scolded the fuzzy elf, as she, Kurt, and Scott leaned in close to peer at Rogue.

"Do you always talk at lightspeed?" Mokuba wanted to know, while kicking Malik lightly in the ribs to try and wake him up.

"Get out of my face, all y'all, NOW!" To Rogue's surprise, Scott, Kurt, and Kitty leapt back from her as though thrown; Ryou's half-hearted attempt to do the same failed to free him from her surprisingly strong grasp.

"She shouldn't- how is she doing that?" Bakura whispered, coming out of the ring. That was the Rod's power, not Malik's.

"Seriously Rogue, you're okay right? I mean you don't look so good," Kitty babbled from the wall.

"Ah- Ah'm fine," Rogue lies guided half by habit and half by instinct and half by a mind not her own. The answer was, is now, and ever shall be 'fine'. "Kurt, stop apologizing to the unconscious body and take him- carry him to a couch or something." What was that? Her voice sounded- she struggled for the right word- powerful. To her shock, Kurt, who generally grumbled when ordered, picked up the Egyptian gently and without a word heading straight for the rec room couch. She shrugs it off as guilt or apology and turns her head back to face Ryou, trying to reconcile what she saw with the sweet-looking man in front of her. She knew he was dangerous, but was he still the sinister psycho of her memory or...?

Surprisingly, it was Mokuba who made the connection between Rogue's power and her death grip on Ryou's arm.

"Rogue-san? Power isn't all you take, is it?" he asked quietly, moving carefully towards her and the still captive Ryou.

"No," she whispered, as her fingers finally slipped away from Ryou's Bakura-inflicted scar, "Sometimes, Ah get memories too." She slumped to the ground as Malik's psyche slid towards the back of her mind. His rage had exhausted her.

White Room by Cream

Lizzy and the Rainman by The Hollies

Brain Damage by Pink Floyd

Glad All Over by Dave Clark 5

Pictures of Lily by The Who

A/N: I have no idea how actual Japanese people feel about foreigners failing to show respect; I just needed Scott to be an idiot, largely because I promised myself I wouldn't bring Jounouchi into this fic and the brotherhood hasn't shown up yet.

Risk-Egyptian Style: Where there are dragon knights instead of cavalry, Blue Eyes instead of cannons and Kuribo instead of cannon fodder (infantry), where some of the cannon fodder has a mind of its own and sneaks around the board stabbing enemies, taking hostages, and stealing territory, not to mention the dice landing exactly the way somebody wants them to. And where opponents, for seemingly no reason at all make suicidal attacks such as sending two soldiers to attack a Blue Eyes. And where one person never gets attacked