First up: I apologise for the long time between this update and the last. I just had a bit of trouble writing and other things on my mind.
Second: I have Twitter now. Link is in my profile or search for LastSpikeyGirl.
Third: it is NaNoWriMo (Google it). I do plan on completing it this year. This means it may be a month (or more) until the next update.
"Wow, people must really think these things are just decorations," Max mused after turning up in another decorative 'park'. Itachi rolled his eyes.
"Not everyone is you."
"And that's such a shame, the world could do with more of me."
"If you can bear to deflate your ego for a few seconds then you may have noticed we're not alone."
"Sure I know that. I can tell if a flea's landing on a leaf in a five mile radius," Max boasted, she could tell what Itachi was going to ask her now. While it wasn't untrue if she let all of her senses go, it would overload if free for too long. She let them out for a brief few seconds as Itachi asked.
"Is a fl-"
"That is not the point I was making. But yes; 1.6 miles north-east, 3.7 miles due south and 3.8 miles south-west."
"Impressive." The two ninja were suddenly surrounded by a group of costumed adults. Ok, not really 'suddenly', both ninjas had observed the adults get into position, so it was no surprise.
"Predictable," Max responded, rolling her eyes at the slightly clichéd entrance, she eyed the costumes a bit. X-men, film version. Question was, were the other Marvel superheroes in this world too? A man in a wheel chair joined them and Max felt pressure on her mental shields and scowled at him. The scowl deepened when she realised Itachi didn't have any mind protections.
"My name is Charles Xavier. You're currently in the grounds of my school for gifted children. I would like to know if you are going to be any danger to my students."
"Then ask me before trying to wander through my thoughts. Does no one ask questions anymore? Did you gain what you wanted to know from my friend's head?" Max growled, Itachi's eyes widened briefly before settling to glare at the man.
"Telepathy doesn't always tell me what I want to know Max."
"I go by Murdock at the moment," Max automatically corrected. Something felt weird about the man's statement. She couldn't quite put her finger on it
"Well, Murdock, I believe we have to cut this meeting short, if you would follow my companions into the building and we will continue this later."
"Well my friend, shall we humour them or blow this popsicle stand?" Max asked Itachi. She had had seen all three films that had been released in her universe at the time she had left, there had been another one in production though.
"You make it sound like I have a choice," Itachi shrugged. If Max hadn't wanted to go along with it she wouldn't have given the option of staying. The X-men obviously didn't understand Japanese, it seemed telepathy only went so far.
"Now I'm getting predictable. I'll have to change that. Come on then or shall we stand out here all day." Max reminded the adults and began to walk towards the building with Itachi faithfully at her side, he had given up on his plan to take point on their adventures.
It wasn't long later Max found exactly where in the film series they were. With the presidents near assassination that made it X2. That meant the raid of the mansion would be tonight. Unfortunately she couldn't do it St Trinians style.
Itachi was sat in the common room with other mutants, observing them and some of their abilities, seeing what could possibly be replicated using Chakra. He in turn was also being observed, mostly by the female mutants.
Max was making a mental layout of the building, including subbasements. She would use a clone army if she had to.
"What're you doing?" A girl asked, a southern twang in her voice. Max flinched from the unexpected noise and her instincts kicked in. She threw the girl against a wall holding her up by the neck. She quickly realised what she'd done and released the girl who crumpled to the ground. Max offered a hand.
"I could ask you that same thing." Max said offhandedly. The girl hadn't moved from the floor, instead she was looking astonished at Max.
"How did you do that?"
"Magic, genius. You're at a school for mutants."
"You could touch me." Max then realised who the girl was, the white steak in her hair giving it away. Rogue. Unfortunately there was no right way to reveal how she knew that.
"So?" Max said, she poked the girls cheek, keeping her finger pressed there. The girl removed a glove and reached out to touch the hand, not even sure it was real.
"I put someone in a coma for three weeks last time I touched them," Rogue whispered, gripping the hand like a life line.
"If there's one think I've learnt in life, there are always exceptions and loopholes." Max pulled Rogue to her feet. "Let's go back to the others, I think my friend may be a bit… uncomfortable from the attention."
Itachi had retreated to the kitchen long ago, he was talking with one of the adults, Wolverine, and a guy about Rogues age. Iceman, or Bobby, if Max remembered correctly.
"Sup kiddies," Max greeted "'Tachi, you're a wuss." Her words were drowned out by the two other guys rushing over to Rogue.
"Where did you get that bruise?" Max noted both stopped shy of touching her skin, she could see how that would emotionally hurt after a while.
"Sorry, that was my bad, she startled me," Max apologised. "It was a reflex."
"It's a reflex to strangle someone?" The bruise around Rogue's neck was a distinct hand shape. Max winced a bit, only a split second of reason had told her not to snap Rogues neck.
"Not quite. On the plus side watch this." Max moved Bobby out of her way and prodded the side of Rogues face again with a bare finger. Both mutants went to stop her but fell short when they saw nothing happening to either of them.
"How?"
"Do I look like a genius?"
"Why exactly is that a bad thing?" Itachi asked. He was a genius, unless compared to Shikamaru.
"Rouge absorbs the life force, energy and powers from anyone she touches."
"Any particular order?"
"Normally powers first."
"Do you think Chakra counts as a 'power'?"
"Ah! How about we test that? You touch her too." If it was a case of chakra then Itachi would feel it better. With the amount of chakra Max had thanks to the wolf she wouldn't notice a drain. That and she was used to having a drain with the henges she normally had up.
Itachi shrugged and poked the girl much to the mutants' surprise. He felt his chakra reserves start to steadily decrease and removed the finger.
"Yup, chakra counts."
"Low down for you guys. I have a lot of latent energy, she's absorbing that. Consequently I can touch her for as long as that reserve holds out which could be a while." Max explained. "We're also about to have company. Something tells me it's not friendly."
A crash from a window upstairs had them jumping from their relaxed positions. Both Max and Itachi formed the same hand sign and multiples of themselves appeared. The mansion was too big to just deal with themselves. Seconds after puffing into existence the clones disappeared to various parts of the mansion. Max's going down as well, having explored everywhere. Max drew her side arm, checking the ammo.
"Is there an escape route? Even if we can defeat these people they will only try again. We need to get out and regroup." Max ordered.
"Rogue and Bobby can show you to it. I'll hold them off," Wolverine growled, holding up his fist and showing them the claws. Max was about to try to one up him but Itachi placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Now is not the time for a pissing match. Rogue and Bobby can help the kids. We've been trained for war, we will not sit out."
"This isn't your battle."
"The foe won't care. Why should we?" Max said, with that she disappeared to where her clones were telling her she could be of use. This place would be held until the children were all safe.
For some unknown reason Max had found it hilarious when the invaders tried using the tranquilisers on her. She was quite fond of knocking the tiny darts into walls, safely out of the way. Even when one hit her she shrugged it off, only feeling lightly dizzy for a few seconds, they weren't even nearly as potent as some of the ones that had been used on her. It meant she wasn't afraid of getting in the way of them, allowing more children to escape.
A couple of corridors over Itachi was breathing fire at his opponents, holding up a solid wall of it with the help of a mutant. A few of his clone materialised at his side and he sent them on, bursting through the flames and incapacitating the soldiers before puffing out of existence.
Eventually the mansion was emptied of all mutants. Max didn't go far, she sat in a tree watching over the mansion, she would delay the ransacking of Cerebro as long as possible to give them time. She'd sent Itachi off with the others after giving him a brief outline of the plot.
While she waited she rummaged through her scrolls, she had an idea for something to help Rogue. Max felt bad about her situation and knew she had the power to do something, even if it was just temporary. Movement in the mansion caught her attention, it seemed some of the soldiers were waking up.
Limbering up as she walked back to the mansion Max freed up her chakra pathways, letting the energy pump around her system. She wasn't expecting to be able to flush them out without a fight.
She met them outside Cerebro, they had just tried to blow open the doors. She smiled at them, amused at their confusion. They seemed uncertain at her presence.
Then the world exploded into action Max drew out her side arm and took cover behind her new meat shield, her newly deceased meat shield. She held the body up, it easily overshadowed her small frame, and fired in retaliation over his shoulder.
Reloading was a problem while holding up a heavy body and she couldn't throw things while staying shielded. She really disliked the corridors here, they had no places to take cover either. She took a deep calming breath and dropped the body exposing herself to the hail of bullets that would have hit had she not moved. She managed to get behind them, running through a set of seals as she ran. She pivoted on her foot as she completed the last sign and blew an icy mist at them.
The men would thaw out eventually. Most of them would anyway.
Her job done, Max exited the mansion, it was still a bit dark. Maybe she could catch up with the others. Or she could go directly to Alkali lake. If she knew where it was…
"This place is boring. These kids don't know anything about how to fight. They just pretend they do." Itachi was fuming. He was alone and had walked straight past her making his way directly to the quantum mirror.
"You smell a bit singed Itachi."
"So would you if a kid decided to blow up a car right beside you." Itachi grumbled he held out the remote he had swiped from Max as he'd passed and pointed it at the mirror. Max shrugged and followed him through.
Having stumbled into Max's room while looking for a scroll, Naruto had decided to decorate his own room, the orange-peel colour was starting to grate on his nerves and he wanted change.
As he walked home with the cans of paint he bumped into Ino, she'd just finished a boring shift at her mothers flower shop and had energy to burn off. It was beneficial for both of them that she helped, or at least that's what she said and if there was one thing Naruto had learnt, don't argue with girls.
"Isn't this paint the same colour as your room?" Ino asked as the popped the lids.
"No way, this is carrot-orange; my walls are orange-peel orange!" Naruto insisted pointing between the two. Ino looked between the cans and the walls in disbelief.
"Whatever." The got on with the painting, starting at the top of the walls. Naruto was holding up the can for Ino who was stuck to the wall to paint the higher parts. Naruto was amusing himself by dipping his hands into the paint can and watching them drip.
The front door slamming shocked Ino, she lost her concentration and fell, right on to Naruto. Naruto had dropped the can and put his hands up to catch Ino but ended up falling backwards onto the floor with her on top and his hand on her boobs.
This made for an awkward position when Louise looked in to see what the noise had been about. Naruto hastily moved his hands but bright orange hand prints remained.
"I'll be at the bar," Louise said and exited the room. Why couldn't someone else walk in on people
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