Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, but I do own the story. If it resembles anyone else's in any way, it is unintentional.
Author's Note: I'm really glad you all are liking the story so far. This would have been up yesterday, but this chapter was a little harder to write than the others, since this one is a big turning point. So enjoy! :)
"I now know for certain what has happened to Kurt," Professor X announced. He had called all the X-Men to gather in the library, all of them arriving quickly, as they were all too eager to learn the reason behind Kurt's strange behavior. But now, hearing the tone in the professor's voice and seeing the concerned expression on his face, they were slightly more apprehensive as they awaited the explanation.
Rogue was perhaps feeling a bit more tense than the rest of them. After her brief glimpse into Kurt's mind, she had a vague idea of what the matter could be. Now she was simply awaiting the confirmation of her fear.
The professor took in a deep breath and sighed, almost defeatedly. "He is possessed."
"Are you serious?" asked Scott incredulously.
"You're joking, right?" said Evan.
"He's really possessed?" Jean asked.
"As in like, possessed possessed? Like 'The Exorcist' possessed?!" asked a very uneasy Kitty.
Rogue groaned despairingly. "I knew it," she said. "I saw it in his head when he touched me."
"Professor, is there anything we can do?" Jean asked worriedly.
"Unfortunately," he replied, "I'm not entirely certain. I only got a brief glimpse into his head before he pushed me away. I honestly don't know much more of the situation than what I have already told you."
"There's gotta be something, Professor," said Scott. "We can't just do nothing."
"I agree, Scott, but I'm afraid that for the moment there's nothing we can do."
"Can't you try to find out more?" Evan inquired. "You know, like take another look inside?"
"No," Rogue replied. "Apparently, whatever's inside Kurt doesn't want us doing that."
"Rogue is right," Xavier added. "And since we don't know exactly what we're dealing with, we wouldn't want to do anything that could potentially endanger Kurt. Or at least not any more than he already could be."
***
[You're being very good. You haven't complained once since I've started. Or rather, restarted.]
*I don't want to talk to you.*
The voice laughed. [That's fine with me; I don't particularly want to talk to you at the moment either. Just keep being cooperative and this will be painless for the both of us.]
Kurt wished he wasn't asleep. But the strange thing had forced him into a state of unconsciousness for the time being. He was trying to ignore the incessant, incoherent voices in order to think. Sporadically, the fire would return in miniscule flashes, but he ignored that also. Kurt wished he understood what was going on. He wished the voice would at least tell him its name, or anything at all, really, besides threatening him all the time.
Kurt hated feeling this way: helpless, powerless, and used. He could not resist what the voice was doing to him...that only brought intense pain. If Rogue touched him or if Professor X tried to help him, it only infuriated the voice...and Kurt was afraid of what it might do. So the X-Men could not help him, and he could not attempt to help himself...what was left to do except find out what the voice was doing firsthand?
[Soon you will no longer remember this place. Soon nothing else will matter except the only thing that truly does....]
The voices turned to screams again. They were echoing, bouncing off one another, swirling and mixing into one huge essence. Kurt could hear the anguished cries of a hundred people...but they no longer bothered him. They were not nearly as disturbing as before. In fact...he rather liked them now. He enjoyed the sounds of hurting, dying, and screaming that were consuming his mind...he wondered why he had never heard them like this before.
[Do you hear that, Kurt? That is the sound of pain, in its purest form.]
Kurt was taken slightly aback. That was the first time the voice had used his name. Up until now, he'd hadn't even been sure that the thing had known it.
[This isn't who you are anymore, Kurt.]
Slowly, one by one, Kurt felt things slip from his memory. It was not completely unlike the feeling he'd had moments before attacking Rogue earlier that evening. But he was forgetting more than just faces and names this time...he was forgetting everything.
This was a strange place. What was he doing here? He didn't live here, did he...he couldn't. Kurt remembered growing up someplace else.... What time was it? Hadn't he meant to do something today? Or maybe he'd already done it...or perhaps it wasn't time yet. Wasn't he bilingual? What other language did he know besides...besides...what was his native language? Kurt couldn't remember. What was his middle name again? Wasn't it the same as his father's name? Or maybe it was his mother's...who was she? Didn't she used to sing him to sleep when he was really little...or did she yell at him all the time? No, that had only been the time he'd left the front door open and accidentally let geese in the house...or were they ducks? Maybe it was the back door....
Kurt tried to sort his thoughts out, but they were being shuffled and shredded into an indechiperable mess. Every time a memory came to him, it would seem unclear, and then he couldn't remember it correctly until he forgot it altogether. Perhaps if he tried a more recent memory something would make sense....
....
.......
There were no recent memories. Kurt couldn't remember the events of yesterday, the day before yesterday...not even anything from earlier that evening. He remembered attacking Rogue, and he remembered the professor trying to penetrate his mind...but that was it. Kurt tried to recall some of the other X-Men's faces to see if they might trigger anything...no, nothing. How many were there, anyway?
This was driving him crazy. Kurt knew he was forgetting things, but what exactly were they? He wanted something to feel familiar, anything at all; he wanted some other memory besides his brief fight with...with...what was her name??
*Please wake me up.*
[No.]
*Why not?*
[I am almost finished here. Then we will see how well you do.]
*I can't remember anything.*
[What do you mean by that?] Kurt couldn't help but notice how uninterested the voice sounded.
*I just...there were people I used to know...I know they exist, but I can't remember their names or what they looked like....*
[Are you certain they're real? Why would you forget them if that were true?]
*...I don't know.*
[They must not mean anything to you then. Otherwise you would at least remember a name.]
*...Yeah...I guess so....*
***
Rogue couldn't sleep. Or at least she couldn't sleep peacefully. As much as she probably didn't want to admit it, she was too busy worrying about Kurt to do much of anything else. Every time she did manage to doze off, she would have vivid nightmares of the fire she had seen in Kurt's head and wake up instantly.
Ever since their little scuffle in the hangar, Rogue had known that Kurt was possessed. She had seen it when she touched him...plus, why else would his eyes have changed color like that? The only thing she didn't know was who was possessing him. The first person that came to mind was Mesmero...but as far as Rogue knew, he didn't change the appearance of his victims and he couldn't give them convulsion-like attacks. No...it couldn't be Mesmero. So then who else would want to do this to Kurt?
Rogue didn't have any answers. She almost desperately wished to touch him again so she could find out more, but she was too afraid of hurting him, whether directly or indirectly. Rogue sighed and sat up in bed.
"I can't deal with this," she said, kicking the blankets off her. She got up and walked out of her room; she had to talk to him. Rogue couldn't stand this state of not knowing. Something told her that it wouldn't be the same; it wouldn't be like talking to Kurt normally. It didn't stop her though. Even if she got nothing out of it, she at least wanted to see how he was doing. She had never wanted to leave him alone in the first place.
"Why am I so worried about him anyway?" she wondered aloud.
*'Cause he's your brother...* her inner voice answered softly. She sighed and decided that it was a good enough reason...for now.
Rogue came to Kurt's door and knocked lightly. After not receiving an answer after a few seconds, she let herself in. She shivered. The room was colder than the hallway...much colder. "Kurt?" she whispered. "You awake?"
There was no answer, but she could hear him breathing. Quietly, she made her way to his bedside. He was lying on his side, facing away from her. "Hey, Kurt, wake up," she said, gently tapping his shoulder. "Just for a minute...I want to talk to you."
***
*Aren't you finished yet?* Kurt was tired of being taken advantage of. He was sick of having to just sit there while the voice did whatever it wanted to him. He felt like being a little snippy.
[Be patient for one more moment. It is almost complete. In a few seconds you will no longer be as you were...you will be as you were meant to be.]
Its reply was surprisingly frightening. As Kurt was meant to be? What did that mean? He had never been able to think up even the most ridiculous thing this voice could be doing to him, but considering what it had just told him...it was chilling. Kurt felt fear rising up within him. *Are you going to kill me?*
It was a silly question; he knew it was. But Kurt just had to say something. This thing was never going to tell him what it was doing. He had asked it enough to know it was pointless. But Kurt was starting to become extremely scared...he was afraid now that it was more powerful than he had originally feared. He had done nothing before because he was afraid of the pain...but now that the thing was nearly done with whatever it was doing, Kurt felt a desperation to know the truth that had not been there before.
[In a sense, yes.]
Kurt panicked. *But you told me--*
[I said 'in a sense'. You're not going to die, Kurt, so stop whining.]
*Please, please tell me something, tell me anything...I'm so confused, I can't remember anything, I don't know where I am....*
[Do you notice how your moods change so quickly? One minute you are irritated and touchy, the next you are practically begging for your life.]
*So what?*
The voice laughed. [That means it is working. But I will not say any more now: you have a visitor.]
***
Kurt made a small noise and turned over in bed, facing towards the ceiling. His eyes slowly eased open, blinking as he awakened.
"Kurt?" said Rogue.
He turned to look at her. His eyes seemed blank and emotionless. "Who are you?" he asked tiredly.
"What do you mean 'who am I'? Kurt, I just want to talk to you for a minute."
"No, no..." Kurt rubbed his eyes. He seemed confused. "Vhat's your name? I don't know you."
A tiny bit of hope left her. If Kurt could no longer remember her...it had to be because of his possession. But how long would it last? Was it even permanent? Rogue was starting to worry that that thing inside him had been there far too long.
Somewhat despairingly, she replied, "My name's Rogue...Kurt, you know me. Come on, don't you remember me?"
He blinked lethargically and slowly shook his head no.
"Oh, come on! You nearly strangled me in the hangar today, remember?"
Kurt narrowed his eyes, like he was concentrating deeply on something. He gradually sat up in bed, staring at Rogue all the while, realization becoming evident in his face with each passing second. She watched him hopefully, thinking that maybe she'd brought him to his senses.
"I remember you..." Kurt whispered slowly. Rogue suddenly felt uneasy. There was something about his tone she didn't like. As he was remembering her, he was becoming different...she could see it. He was getting angrier. Rogue's heart momentarily leapt into her throat as she saw Kurt's yellow eyes start to fade. The color was just...disappearing.
"You were the one who touched me...." Kurt scowled at her.
Rogue started to back away. She didn't like what she was seeing. Slowly, very slowly, his eyes were turning the ugly color they had been before: a deep blood red, replacing the previous yellow. His eyes started to glow, brighter and brighter as his rage built up further....
"You tried to kill me!!" Kurt yelled, jumping up. Rogue was so startled she could barely move. True, she had seen Kurt like this before, but he had not been so angry then. He hadn't even said anything. Now, he was staring at her even more murderously than before. His fangs were bared and his eyes were glowing so bright it hurt to look at them.
"What!? No I didn't, Kurt!" she exclaimed, holding her hands up in defense. "Just calm down...I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise."
"Well, that's just fine," he replied dangerously. "But I cannot promise you the same thing."
Rogue was even further shocked. His voice had changed entirely. It didn't sound like Kurt in the very least, not by any stretch of the imagination. The voice that had just come from the fuzzy mutant's mouth was a low, deep growl, almost like Logan's but at least two octaves deeper. Not to mention the fact that his accent was gone.
She had no more time to try and persuade Kurt as he began to advance on her, his eyes glowing brighter all the while. Rogue knew he couldn't touch her, but she didn't care to stick around to find out what he would do instead. She turned around abruptly and sped out the door, slamming it behind her and holding it shut.
"Logan!" she shouted. "Professor! Scott!! Something's happened to Kurt!!"
***
Kurt watched Rogue run away but did not care to follow her for the time being.
[How does it feel, Kurt? How does it feel to be truly yourself for the first time?]
"More liberating than you can know," he replied, grinning maniacally.
[That's precisely what I thought.]
"Will you reveal yourself to me now so I can thank you face to face? I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you for releasing me from that weaker state of being."
[Not yet. But the time for answers will arrive soon.]
Kurt could hear the sounds of the other X-Men on the other side of the door. He smiled again, but the voice stopped him before he got any ideas.
[I know you are eager, but you must be careful around them.]
Kurt sighed exasperatedly and practically yelled, "What for!? I could kill them all in half a minute!" Kurt still did not remember the X-Men as he used to anymore, but he knew that the southern girl with the white streaks had nearly killed him earlier when she touched him, and he figured that the people gathering outside his room were her allies.
[If you are not cautious, they may be able to revert you back to how you were before.]
Kurt groaned in annoyance. "Can't that be helped in any way at all?" he asked curtly.
[Only if you learn a little patience. They want you to be the way you were before I came here.]
"All the more reason for me to kill them now."
[No, Kurt. The longer you stay this way without any interference, the sooner your weaker form will be destroyed. Just wait for a little while...you will stay powerful that way.]
***
Rogue didn't have long to wait for the rest of the X-Men to arrive. Logan was the first to get there, his claws already out and ready. Kitty actually came straight through the wall without even bothering to open her door.
"What's going on, Rogue?" asked Scott hurriedly.
"It's Kurt," Rogue replied. "I was just in there and all of a sudden he just changed!"
"Into what?" asked Jean confusedly.
"I don't know, but his eyes started glowing all red and his voice got deeper...and he was trying to attack me again!"
Logan growled, having all the answers he needed. He pried Rogue's hands off the doorknob, which she had been clinging onto tighter than she meant to be, and flung the door open violently. It was too dark to see anything, but a familiar lingering scent hung in the air. Logan sighed defeatedly.
"He's gone," he said. "He teleported away."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ha ha! Now the good stuff will begin! ^^ I just have a few more things to say. First, the identity of Kurt's possessor won't be revealed for another few chapters, and I've been trying not to give away too much. If you think you might know who it is then that's great, but if you don't I won't give you any hints. Second, I've been debating whether or not to bring Mystique into this story. Leave your opinion in a review and then we'll see what happens. Please review and tell me what you think! =)
Author's Note: I'm really glad you all are liking the story so far. This would have been up yesterday, but this chapter was a little harder to write than the others, since this one is a big turning point. So enjoy! :)
"I now know for certain what has happened to Kurt," Professor X announced. He had called all the X-Men to gather in the library, all of them arriving quickly, as they were all too eager to learn the reason behind Kurt's strange behavior. But now, hearing the tone in the professor's voice and seeing the concerned expression on his face, they were slightly more apprehensive as they awaited the explanation.
Rogue was perhaps feeling a bit more tense than the rest of them. After her brief glimpse into Kurt's mind, she had a vague idea of what the matter could be. Now she was simply awaiting the confirmation of her fear.
The professor took in a deep breath and sighed, almost defeatedly. "He is possessed."
"Are you serious?" asked Scott incredulously.
"You're joking, right?" said Evan.
"He's really possessed?" Jean asked.
"As in like, possessed possessed? Like 'The Exorcist' possessed?!" asked a very uneasy Kitty.
Rogue groaned despairingly. "I knew it," she said. "I saw it in his head when he touched me."
"Professor, is there anything we can do?" Jean asked worriedly.
"Unfortunately," he replied, "I'm not entirely certain. I only got a brief glimpse into his head before he pushed me away. I honestly don't know much more of the situation than what I have already told you."
"There's gotta be something, Professor," said Scott. "We can't just do nothing."
"I agree, Scott, but I'm afraid that for the moment there's nothing we can do."
"Can't you try to find out more?" Evan inquired. "You know, like take another look inside?"
"No," Rogue replied. "Apparently, whatever's inside Kurt doesn't want us doing that."
"Rogue is right," Xavier added. "And since we don't know exactly what we're dealing with, we wouldn't want to do anything that could potentially endanger Kurt. Or at least not any more than he already could be."
***
[You're being very good. You haven't complained once since I've started. Or rather, restarted.]
*I don't want to talk to you.*
The voice laughed. [That's fine with me; I don't particularly want to talk to you at the moment either. Just keep being cooperative and this will be painless for the both of us.]
Kurt wished he wasn't asleep. But the strange thing had forced him into a state of unconsciousness for the time being. He was trying to ignore the incessant, incoherent voices in order to think. Sporadically, the fire would return in miniscule flashes, but he ignored that also. Kurt wished he understood what was going on. He wished the voice would at least tell him its name, or anything at all, really, besides threatening him all the time.
Kurt hated feeling this way: helpless, powerless, and used. He could not resist what the voice was doing to him...that only brought intense pain. If Rogue touched him or if Professor X tried to help him, it only infuriated the voice...and Kurt was afraid of what it might do. So the X-Men could not help him, and he could not attempt to help himself...what was left to do except find out what the voice was doing firsthand?
[Soon you will no longer remember this place. Soon nothing else will matter except the only thing that truly does....]
The voices turned to screams again. They were echoing, bouncing off one another, swirling and mixing into one huge essence. Kurt could hear the anguished cries of a hundred people...but they no longer bothered him. They were not nearly as disturbing as before. In fact...he rather liked them now. He enjoyed the sounds of hurting, dying, and screaming that were consuming his mind...he wondered why he had never heard them like this before.
[Do you hear that, Kurt? That is the sound of pain, in its purest form.]
Kurt was taken slightly aback. That was the first time the voice had used his name. Up until now, he'd hadn't even been sure that the thing had known it.
[This isn't who you are anymore, Kurt.]
Slowly, one by one, Kurt felt things slip from his memory. It was not completely unlike the feeling he'd had moments before attacking Rogue earlier that evening. But he was forgetting more than just faces and names this time...he was forgetting everything.
This was a strange place. What was he doing here? He didn't live here, did he...he couldn't. Kurt remembered growing up someplace else.... What time was it? Hadn't he meant to do something today? Or maybe he'd already done it...or perhaps it wasn't time yet. Wasn't he bilingual? What other language did he know besides...besides...what was his native language? Kurt couldn't remember. What was his middle name again? Wasn't it the same as his father's name? Or maybe it was his mother's...who was she? Didn't she used to sing him to sleep when he was really little...or did she yell at him all the time? No, that had only been the time he'd left the front door open and accidentally let geese in the house...or were they ducks? Maybe it was the back door....
Kurt tried to sort his thoughts out, but they were being shuffled and shredded into an indechiperable mess. Every time a memory came to him, it would seem unclear, and then he couldn't remember it correctly until he forgot it altogether. Perhaps if he tried a more recent memory something would make sense....
....
.......
There were no recent memories. Kurt couldn't remember the events of yesterday, the day before yesterday...not even anything from earlier that evening. He remembered attacking Rogue, and he remembered the professor trying to penetrate his mind...but that was it. Kurt tried to recall some of the other X-Men's faces to see if they might trigger anything...no, nothing. How many were there, anyway?
This was driving him crazy. Kurt knew he was forgetting things, but what exactly were they? He wanted something to feel familiar, anything at all; he wanted some other memory besides his brief fight with...with...what was her name??
*Please wake me up.*
[No.]
*Why not?*
[I am almost finished here. Then we will see how well you do.]
*I can't remember anything.*
[What do you mean by that?] Kurt couldn't help but notice how uninterested the voice sounded.
*I just...there were people I used to know...I know they exist, but I can't remember their names or what they looked like....*
[Are you certain they're real? Why would you forget them if that were true?]
*...I don't know.*
[They must not mean anything to you then. Otherwise you would at least remember a name.]
*...Yeah...I guess so....*
***
Rogue couldn't sleep. Or at least she couldn't sleep peacefully. As much as she probably didn't want to admit it, she was too busy worrying about Kurt to do much of anything else. Every time she did manage to doze off, she would have vivid nightmares of the fire she had seen in Kurt's head and wake up instantly.
Ever since their little scuffle in the hangar, Rogue had known that Kurt was possessed. She had seen it when she touched him...plus, why else would his eyes have changed color like that? The only thing she didn't know was who was possessing him. The first person that came to mind was Mesmero...but as far as Rogue knew, he didn't change the appearance of his victims and he couldn't give them convulsion-like attacks. No...it couldn't be Mesmero. So then who else would want to do this to Kurt?
Rogue didn't have any answers. She almost desperately wished to touch him again so she could find out more, but she was too afraid of hurting him, whether directly or indirectly. Rogue sighed and sat up in bed.
"I can't deal with this," she said, kicking the blankets off her. She got up and walked out of her room; she had to talk to him. Rogue couldn't stand this state of not knowing. Something told her that it wouldn't be the same; it wouldn't be like talking to Kurt normally. It didn't stop her though. Even if she got nothing out of it, she at least wanted to see how he was doing. She had never wanted to leave him alone in the first place.
"Why am I so worried about him anyway?" she wondered aloud.
*'Cause he's your brother...* her inner voice answered softly. She sighed and decided that it was a good enough reason...for now.
Rogue came to Kurt's door and knocked lightly. After not receiving an answer after a few seconds, she let herself in. She shivered. The room was colder than the hallway...much colder. "Kurt?" she whispered. "You awake?"
There was no answer, but she could hear him breathing. Quietly, she made her way to his bedside. He was lying on his side, facing away from her. "Hey, Kurt, wake up," she said, gently tapping his shoulder. "Just for a minute...I want to talk to you."
***
*Aren't you finished yet?* Kurt was tired of being taken advantage of. He was sick of having to just sit there while the voice did whatever it wanted to him. He felt like being a little snippy.
[Be patient for one more moment. It is almost complete. In a few seconds you will no longer be as you were...you will be as you were meant to be.]
Its reply was surprisingly frightening. As Kurt was meant to be? What did that mean? He had never been able to think up even the most ridiculous thing this voice could be doing to him, but considering what it had just told him...it was chilling. Kurt felt fear rising up within him. *Are you going to kill me?*
It was a silly question; he knew it was. But Kurt just had to say something. This thing was never going to tell him what it was doing. He had asked it enough to know it was pointless. But Kurt was starting to become extremely scared...he was afraid now that it was more powerful than he had originally feared. He had done nothing before because he was afraid of the pain...but now that the thing was nearly done with whatever it was doing, Kurt felt a desperation to know the truth that had not been there before.
[In a sense, yes.]
Kurt panicked. *But you told me--*
[I said 'in a sense'. You're not going to die, Kurt, so stop whining.]
*Please, please tell me something, tell me anything...I'm so confused, I can't remember anything, I don't know where I am....*
[Do you notice how your moods change so quickly? One minute you are irritated and touchy, the next you are practically begging for your life.]
*So what?*
The voice laughed. [That means it is working. But I will not say any more now: you have a visitor.]
***
Kurt made a small noise and turned over in bed, facing towards the ceiling. His eyes slowly eased open, blinking as he awakened.
"Kurt?" said Rogue.
He turned to look at her. His eyes seemed blank and emotionless. "Who are you?" he asked tiredly.
"What do you mean 'who am I'? Kurt, I just want to talk to you for a minute."
"No, no..." Kurt rubbed his eyes. He seemed confused. "Vhat's your name? I don't know you."
A tiny bit of hope left her. If Kurt could no longer remember her...it had to be because of his possession. But how long would it last? Was it even permanent? Rogue was starting to worry that that thing inside him had been there far too long.
Somewhat despairingly, she replied, "My name's Rogue...Kurt, you know me. Come on, don't you remember me?"
He blinked lethargically and slowly shook his head no.
"Oh, come on! You nearly strangled me in the hangar today, remember?"
Kurt narrowed his eyes, like he was concentrating deeply on something. He gradually sat up in bed, staring at Rogue all the while, realization becoming evident in his face with each passing second. She watched him hopefully, thinking that maybe she'd brought him to his senses.
"I remember you..." Kurt whispered slowly. Rogue suddenly felt uneasy. There was something about his tone she didn't like. As he was remembering her, he was becoming different...she could see it. He was getting angrier. Rogue's heart momentarily leapt into her throat as she saw Kurt's yellow eyes start to fade. The color was just...disappearing.
"You were the one who touched me...." Kurt scowled at her.
Rogue started to back away. She didn't like what she was seeing. Slowly, very slowly, his eyes were turning the ugly color they had been before: a deep blood red, replacing the previous yellow. His eyes started to glow, brighter and brighter as his rage built up further....
"You tried to kill me!!" Kurt yelled, jumping up. Rogue was so startled she could barely move. True, she had seen Kurt like this before, but he had not been so angry then. He hadn't even said anything. Now, he was staring at her even more murderously than before. His fangs were bared and his eyes were glowing so bright it hurt to look at them.
"What!? No I didn't, Kurt!" she exclaimed, holding her hands up in defense. "Just calm down...I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise."
"Well, that's just fine," he replied dangerously. "But I cannot promise you the same thing."
Rogue was even further shocked. His voice had changed entirely. It didn't sound like Kurt in the very least, not by any stretch of the imagination. The voice that had just come from the fuzzy mutant's mouth was a low, deep growl, almost like Logan's but at least two octaves deeper. Not to mention the fact that his accent was gone.
She had no more time to try and persuade Kurt as he began to advance on her, his eyes glowing brighter all the while. Rogue knew he couldn't touch her, but she didn't care to stick around to find out what he would do instead. She turned around abruptly and sped out the door, slamming it behind her and holding it shut.
"Logan!" she shouted. "Professor! Scott!! Something's happened to Kurt!!"
***
Kurt watched Rogue run away but did not care to follow her for the time being.
[How does it feel, Kurt? How does it feel to be truly yourself for the first time?]
"More liberating than you can know," he replied, grinning maniacally.
[That's precisely what I thought.]
"Will you reveal yourself to me now so I can thank you face to face? I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you for releasing me from that weaker state of being."
[Not yet. But the time for answers will arrive soon.]
Kurt could hear the sounds of the other X-Men on the other side of the door. He smiled again, but the voice stopped him before he got any ideas.
[I know you are eager, but you must be careful around them.]
Kurt sighed exasperatedly and practically yelled, "What for!? I could kill them all in half a minute!" Kurt still did not remember the X-Men as he used to anymore, but he knew that the southern girl with the white streaks had nearly killed him earlier when she touched him, and he figured that the people gathering outside his room were her allies.
[If you are not cautious, they may be able to revert you back to how you were before.]
Kurt groaned in annoyance. "Can't that be helped in any way at all?" he asked curtly.
[Only if you learn a little patience. They want you to be the way you were before I came here.]
"All the more reason for me to kill them now."
[No, Kurt. The longer you stay this way without any interference, the sooner your weaker form will be destroyed. Just wait for a little while...you will stay powerful that way.]
***
Rogue didn't have long to wait for the rest of the X-Men to arrive. Logan was the first to get there, his claws already out and ready. Kitty actually came straight through the wall without even bothering to open her door.
"What's going on, Rogue?" asked Scott hurriedly.
"It's Kurt," Rogue replied. "I was just in there and all of a sudden he just changed!"
"Into what?" asked Jean confusedly.
"I don't know, but his eyes started glowing all red and his voice got deeper...and he was trying to attack me again!"
Logan growled, having all the answers he needed. He pried Rogue's hands off the doorknob, which she had been clinging onto tighter than she meant to be, and flung the door open violently. It was too dark to see anything, but a familiar lingering scent hung in the air. Logan sighed defeatedly.
"He's gone," he said. "He teleported away."
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Ha ha! Now the good stuff will begin! ^^ I just have a few more things to say. First, the identity of Kurt's possessor won't be revealed for another few chapters, and I've been trying not to give away too much. If you think you might know who it is then that's great, but if you don't I won't give you any hints. Second, I've been debating whether or not to bring Mystique into this story. Leave your opinion in a review and then we'll see what happens. Please review and tell me what you think! =)