Hmm, so, Todd and X23 are in school, just made a new friend and are late for class on their first day…wow, sounds like most of my first days back at school. And to think that they still need to meet up with the rest of their friends. That's right, Evo-fans, we're goanna be finishing up this here chapter and we have a little peek-a-boo at the end of the chapter, kind of what some of you have been hoping to see since you started reading. It took a while but rejoice, it is here. Violence has made it's come back, yay!

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy all and a merry non-denominational winter celebration!


The Welcome Home: Part 3: Family and Friends, Reunited

Mr. Eugene Durrant just stared at the three new, and he noted in an overly-obvious look to the clock, late students as they swung the door open with even force to stun a full grown elephant. There was a lengthy pause as his green eyes swept slowly and searchingly from the green toned Todd, to the dark haired X23, to the sheepish Sebastian. He then looked above the board to the clocked, peering over his glasses to see that they were in fact only seven minutes late.

"First day back in school, children?" The older man asked with some mirth and they all nodded sheepishly, to which he shook his head. "Go on and take your seats then."

X23 and the two boys made a bee line for a section of seats that were vacant and they managed to sit together, with Todd next to X23 while Sebastian sat in front of him. She was surprised that these two seats were left but she wasn't about to question something this lucky. The three of them pulled out their paper and pencils, quickly scribbling down what little words were on the board.

Todd didn't feel so bad about being late, something he had developed with being a slacker at school for nearly five years successfully. X23 was not thrilled, since she prided herself on her ability to be punctual and her slightly lazy boyfriend tested that pride daily. Preston was embarrassed a little because he was completely new to the school and he didn't want anyone to think poorly of him.

"Now that the last few members of the class have joined us, maybe they could give us some useful trivia on the human body?" Mr. Durrant asked with a slightly evil grin, surprised when all three returned the smile.

"The average human body has approximately six hundred and forty skeletal muscles and roughly about two hundred bones throughout our entire body, not to mention one of the most complex nervous systems in the animal kingdom, yo." Todd answered first, slouching back and began spinning a pencil around his fingertips. "When striking the correct nerves, you can lock up sections of muscles and render people motionless with the mere prick of a pin, which was cultivated into the art known as Acupuncture in China."

"The human body has around five liters of blood in it, making up seven percent of the human body weight. There are eight major locations in the body that can allow for major blood loss; the two arteries on inside of either arm or leg and the two on either side of the neck, also known as the cardiovascular system." X23 answered curtly after the amphibious mutant, her posture that of a school militant student. "Once the body loses thirty percent of it's blood, it becomes notably lethargic. When you reach forty five percent, you loose consciousness and, after that, death is more that likely a high possibility."

"The human body has around three hundred and sixty joints, eleven different kinds, collectively inside of it that all work together to make controlled falling become walking and ligaments, strong tissue that connects the bones together, keep the bones in the joints." Sebastian recited, his posture like of a student in a dojo. "With the correct application, one could either manipulate the entire body from a single point or terminally disable someone for life."

The silence that followed from their little explanation was loud enough to hear the water dripping from the tap in bathroom down the hall. The rest of class was staring at the three of them with such shock that it was as if they had just said they were serial killers and the poor teacher looked like he was going to wet himself.

Oh, how X23 had missed giving this kind of shock to people. It was just a way for them to glimpse at how much they didn't know about her and how scary she could really be. Her green eyes glanced to Sebastian, excited that someone else could offer the same kind of challenge to the rest of the class. It would also take some of the glare off of her and Todd since they had just come back, his new kid status a lot more interesting.

"Well, that…that was very…interesting, I believe is the best description for that information." Mr. Durrant said as she smelt a cold sweat trickle down his neck. "And how is it that you three know all this?"

"I'm in a military family and I've done martial arts since forever." X23 said punctually, playing her role to a T. "It's reflex knowledge for me."

"It's the martial arts for me, sir. I'm a second degree black belt." Sebastian added, Todd nodding in agreement.

"Same here, yo." Todd added with a bright smile.

"Oh, how…interesting." Their teacher said in a fumble as he quickly hurried to get some papers. "Here, here is a few worksheets for you all to work on and you may work together, if, if, if you wish to."

Todd shook his head as he took his sheet and smiled at Sebastian as he joined the two. The whispering picked up as the class sunk into work but with a new kind of interest and gossip as they tried to watch the three. But that was nothing new to there three, each of them sharing their own amount time as a strange interest of the general public. X23 would have never quite fathomed why they found their actions so confusing a year ago, but now she understood a bit better.

But still, it was fun being a shit disturber, she had to admit to herself a little bit.

"So, military family and both of you are martial artists?" Sebastian asked as he looked as his two new friends. "Sounds like a party."

"Eh, her dad is a little mental about stuff like that and I just find it calms everything down a lot." Todd simplified, his pencil scribbling out the list of major organs.

"Hey!" The dark haired emitted defensively, followed by a light backhand.

"What? He is, yo." Todd said as defensively, causing Sebastian to laugh with him.

"What about your parents?" Sebastian asked, curious about his new friends. "Are they strict or they cool?"

"Neither, really." Todd said distantly and shrugged with a heavy smile. "I'm an orphan, yo."

"Ah, oh, shit, sorry, man." Sebastian said apologetically.

"Hey, don't sweat, man. They weren't goanna win parents of the year." Todd said heavily, before switching up into a lighter mood. "You said that you were a black belt, right?"

Sebastian wasn't stupid either. "Yeah, I got a second degree black belt in Kenjutsu and Jujutsu. My major focus was on swordplay for the longest time until I switched to grappling." Sebastian explained, his hand aimlessly tugging on his sleeve. "I also have had training in Aikido, Fencing and in using the Chinese Dao."

"We trained in the Dao too, yo. I really liked the weapons that we studied in China, they were really a lot of fun." Todd added, his worksheet half done and forgotten. "Your stuff focuses a lot on the use of the katana sword, right?"

"Yeah, Kenjutsu's focus entirely based around the Japanese swords." Sebastian said, equally as excited. "I saw someone giving a demonstration when I was a kid; man, that was all it took and I was in love."

"I've only done a few weapons but I know what it's that like. Man, I watched this demonstration in the temple of a chain whip and it blew my mind, yo."

"Wait, you were in China recently? In an actually temple?" Sebastian said in a fashion similar to a hyper child. "Dude, I just got back from Japan, like two months ago!"

"No way!"

X23 watched the two boys talk, her smile unseen by them and the rest of the class and she didn't mind. These two were kindred spirits of a sort, able to relate due their collective interests. As she listened to them talk about China and Japan, she finished her work sheet and smugly wondered if they would be able to in time.

She doubted it a fair bit.


"Man, I was lucky I got that sheet done in time." Sebastian said as they left the classroom, the hallways full of people heading out for lunch.

"Huh, I didn't get the last part finished, yo." Todd said grumpily as he slung his bag over his shoulder while his girlfriend just chortled at his side. "What's so funny, Laura?"

"Nothing, sweetie, nothing at all." She said placating, before her eyes opened in realization. "Are you going to go find the others?"

"Others?" Sebastian asked in confusion.

"Oh, sorry, Sebastian." X23 said in earnest. "But, we haven't seen our friends for nearly a year and we wanted to get together in the lunch hall. But those guys rarely eat there, so we have to find them."

"Oh cool, that's a great idea." The brown haired boy said happily, pointing to the cafeteria. "I'm goanna head there now and maybe I'll see you guys there."

The two mutants waved the other boy off, Todd smiling as students passed them by. He liked Sebastian a lot, the teenager similar to them due to his love of the arts. But Todd could sense that the new kid might be similar to them in a few more ways. He sighed and looked back at his girl, happy to see her bright smile too.

There were no words as X23 hugged him, just a sense that she wanted a hug whether for reassurance or for desire. He didn't really mind because he enjoyed the hugs as well and he wasn't ever going to stop her from giving them.

"I'm goanna go see if I can find Otero, kay?" Todd said softly, the black sea of hair bobbing as X23 nodded.

"I'll see if I can find either Rahne or Preston. They should know where Erica and Tiffany are." She said, rising up on her toes and kissing his brow. "See ya in a few, darling."

"Kay, sweetie." He said as they detached and went their separate ways.


Todd headed off down the hallway and once again, he noticed how people were watching him rather curiously. He would never get why these guys listened so intently to people that were just a little better liked. Todd vaguely reflected when he so desperately wanted to be a part of something and how far he went for that feeling, to join such a sadist like Mystique.

He guessed that it was similar for everyone in the hallways, as they hushed their tones and whispered about him. Some of the more mentally independent girls gave him a sultry wink and those jocks that never cared about social stands nodded their heads welcomingly. The rest of the kids in the high school just watched him, stared and point when they could.

Todd shook all that from his mind as he rounded a corner and saw Otero's classroom, the black teacher still inside as he wrote something down in his lesson planner. The young man stepped with a faster pace out of happiness and nearly stumbled as a boy with glasses and blonde hair stepped before him. The green teenager noted the space above his head and the distance between him and the lockers, pivoting his directed energy to his right side.

He then skipped his feet up and then swung up with a quick hop, his hands gliding over the metal surface. Tightening his fingers, Todd almost closed his eyes as his body turned around so he was facing the ceiling and his body glide over the kid. One foot kicked off the lockers and Todd landed with a gentle and deft flip.

The looks of shock and mystification from the people in the hallways weren't of any interest to him, so Todd hurried into the art room. There was little change to the room; pictures from the various students still adorned the walls, the large tables were still clumped together and Otero's desk was still the furthest away from the door with lost space spread around the room.

And then there was the young man's foster father.

The older man's build hardly seemed to diminish at all, his short sleeved shirt showing off the toned forearms and defined biceps. His face was still baring it trimmed goatee and mustache, while his black hair was now trimmed neatly instead of in a Mohawk. As he turned around, the older man's eyes widened and his mouth inflated into a grin as he saw the amphibious mutant.

The older man tossed his folders and papers on the nearest desk while Todd literally flew over the cluster of tables, vaulting over his hands. As he landed, he was literally lifted up the second he landed and in a bear hug from the powerful Capoeira instructor. Todd just wrapped his arm around the broad shoulders of Otero and laughed with him.

"Ah-ha-ha, my boy." Otero said with overwhelming joy, as he stepped back to look at his adopted son. "Your ass was out of this town way too long, you know that kid?"

"I know, I missed this place but not as much as missed the people, yo." Todd said as he hugged the man again. "I missed you way too much, Otero."

"I know, kid. I missed you too." The man said as he held the boy again. "Everything alright, Todd? You had me worried there for a bit."

"I'll tell you about it later, when we're home." Todd said, pushing the dark matter aside as he smiled pure and unadulterated joy. "I just want to see what's new with you."

He had missed his father figure far too much to dwell on the bad that haunted him.


She was irritated when she didn't know important details, so she figured that she would just go the one that would have all of their information at hand and that was Otero. He always knew what was going on with those two.

Hence why Rahne just strode into the art room with a purpose, raising a brow when she saw Otero show some drawings to some stranger. She couldn't see him very well since he was bent over, but did he have a cute ass and his shirt rode up a fair bit to show that he had some nice muscles. He wasn't a jock, he was completely the wrong build, and he had some interesting fashion choices.

"Hey Otero, whose the guy with the cute ass there?" The Scottish lycanthropic asked saucily, happy that she was able to emulate X23's confidence.

"Since when do you find my ass cute, yo?" Rahne froze as she heard that voice and she saw that face. "How you been, Wolfy?"

The red head let out a squeal as she raced around the tables and floored the boy with a hug, which was closer to tackle. Todd laughed the whole way down, returning the hug and smiling as she sat up on his stomach. From here she could see him clear as day and she couldn't have been happier to see that he had remained the same good ole' Todd.

His scent was a little different, something that happened as you grew up and he did look older but he was still the same. Same amber eyes, olive green skin, grass green hair and attitude baring clothes. Rahne laughed happily as she felt tears pinch her eyes and she hugged him again.

"You're back!" Her senses had confirmed what she longed to hear and she was hyper with happiness.

"Yup, me, X, and my cute ass are back in town." The amphibious mutant commented cheekily. "Hmm, I never asked X but is my ass really that cute?"

Rahne swatted him and helped him up, willing to let his smartass remarks slide for today. She was far too happy to care.


X23 never really paid much attention to faces of people. She never really needed to when she had such a powerful sense of smell, something that was far more reliable. You could wear a hideous amount of perfume, change your diet or even bathe in lemons, but your base scent would always remain the same no matter what.

So that was the reason that she pretended to be reading a book at the top of the stairs, catching the scent of every student that walked past. And the clone wished that she never had, considering some of the smells that she was catching. Did people forget how to bathe?

But then her patience paid off, a scent coming around a corner and she felt her lips broaden as she recognized that the scent was actually two. And sure enough, Tiffany Painter and Erica Parson came around the corner as both girls were in deep discussion. X23 laughed as they walked by and just because she could, her hand flew out and slapped Tiffany's ass with the whip of her hand.

"Who the fuck…Laura!?" The fiery blonde stopped mid bark as her face fell into surprise as the clone grinned cheekily at her.

"The one and only, Tiff." X23 announced with a small bow as the shy Erica squeaked and hurried over to her.

X23 laughed as she hugged the redhead, Erica completely wrapping him up in her hug. She knew that she had made a good friend in Erica and Tiffany, but she didn't expect that she would have missed her that much. She smiled as Tiffany approached, snaking an arm out to hug the blonde too.

This was a nice feeling, to have been missed. She understood why Todd had looked forward to seeing everyone again.

"Oh my god, when did you get back?" Erica asked as they began to walk downstairs, Tiffany folding her arms with a smirk.

"I'll bet they got back yesterday and spent it just romping around." The Portuguese girl sassed and then her eyes widened at X23's wink. "You did?"

"We flew for nearly ten hours and then we had to wait nearly four hours before we saw his home. I'm actually still waiting to go home, so actually we just kind of cuddled and fell asleep." X23 corrected her one friend's perverted mind and her other friends gushing romances, before smirking. "However, this morning before school….oh man, we had some fun, honey."

"That's my girl, Laura." Tiffany said, X23 jumping slightly when Tiffany smacked her ass and saw the impish, twelve year old smile on her face. "Gotcha back…"

"You guys…" Erica said embarrassedly as people stared at them before shaking herself from it. "China looked so pretty in those pictures that you sent us. I really wish I got a chance to go there."

"Hopefully, you will, someday. I tell you, Erica, some things just can't be done justice with a single photo." X23 explained, Erica nodding in agreement

"Maybe we could all go there one day!" The cheerful redhead suggested ecstatically.

"As long as there are cute guys, I'm in." Tiffany said crassly.

"You are so bad, Tiff!" Erica pouted as X23 laughed.

While many people would have grown tired from the childish behavior of the two, X23 was enjoying the senseless jabbering from the two of them. She knew that this was the way that they bonded and the clone knew she couldn't judge them. X23 liked to fight people to gauge their personalities, so Erica and Tiffany were by far normal. And this way the clone would be able to tell what had happened between the two of them for the past few months.

They walked down to the cafeteria and chatted intently about what had happened between them. X23 was pleased to hear how some things had gone and other she wouldn't comment on just yet, choosing to keep her silence. When she heard that Erica was dating Preston, she laughed at the blushing girl and wailed about Todd being right.

"Oh man, I can't wait for Todd to hear this." X23 said eagerly as they stepped into the mess hall.

"He may have already heard it. Check it out." Tiffany said as she point to a lunch table, X23 homing in with a smirk and Erica blushed madly.

This was because Preston Boswell, her affectionate boyfriend, was also bright red, hiding his face with one of his hands. Rahne sat somewhat opposite him and was giggling mischievously, nudging the green teenager in-between them with her shoulder. Todd was rubbing the jock on his back as he looked back and forth between the two, his smile glowing as they laughed.

It was a nice sight to walk out to.

The three girls collected their stuff and made their way to the table that the others had occupied. Erica immediately sat by Preston and the jock jumped a bit at the sight of her, making Tiffany laugh as she took the free space next to Erica. Rahne all but jumped out of her seat and Todd barely caught X23's lunch as the lycanthropic teenager hugged the clone.

Well, hug wasn't the right word; it was more like an affectionate glomping that could have flattened any other normal person. X23 happily wrapped her arms around Rahne's chest and laughed the wolf girl inhaled a breath in her hair. It was a way for Rahne to get a hold of her scent in the fastest way possible and it was a way she showed her primal affection.

"I missed you, sis." Rahne said quietly, X23 smile softening a little more.

"I missed you too." X23 assured her as they let go. "It looks like you grew a little while I was gone."

And it was true. Rahne was now just half an inch taller than X23 and she had begun to fill out into her body. She wasn't quite done but what she had on her chest and on her hips told X23 that she was going to be jaw dropper.

Rahne made a move to get her stuff aside so the couple could sit together, when X23 just plopped down in Todd's lap. Before they went to China, X23 would have had to no alternative to sit in Todd's lap and he would have been flustered and shy, trying to play it off as best he could. Now, he just wrapped an arm around her waist and she rested on his shoulder, playing with the fringes of his hair.

"Hmm, looks like Preston and Erica aren't the only ones who've gotten a little closer." Tiffany said in mock surprise and Todd sighed sadly.

"We said we were sorry about that already, yo!" Todd said in an exasperated tone that everyone found amusing. "We thought that everyone saws us that day at school. How was I supposed to know you were sick?"

"And we both thought that Erica was going to tell you, to be honest." X23 said passively, mixing the questionable mash potatoes together with her vegetables.

The blonde pouted but that pout had no misgiving in it. She hadn't been in the school because she was sick and then exams and studying had taken over everybody's life. It wasn't until the two mutants were in China and they had sent their first letter that poor Tiffany found out about them. And, oh lord, how she had let them know she wasn't happy with them.

She must have ranted at the two of them for nearly four letters until someone calmed her down or something else earned her annoyance. X23 would never forget the change in tone in her letters because of the fact that Todd had been convinced that someone else was writing them for her. She smiled, remembering the absolute certainty that he had about the letter. Oh, he could be stupid at times but it wasn't as bad as before.

"Fine, I guess I'm not goanna be mad at you two anymore…" Tiffany said as she poked at her food. "So, how is that going for you two? Gotten very far yet?"

Erica just flushed crimson, Preston cough as he turned to Erica, Rahne blinked like a gold fish while they all looked at X23 and Todd. The couple that was infamous for hiding all details about their relationship and very good at it, they were just sitting there smiling.

"We got pretty far, but the training we were doing took up a lot of our time and worked us to the bone." X23 explained as Todd nodded. "We had some time to ourselves but considering how much we were taught…"

"Yeah, the teachers there, they literally crammed some five years worth of experiences into us, yo." Todd said as he tried to stab into a piece of turkey. "I knew it was going to be tough, but what we were doing was something else."

"It sounded like that you guys had to train nearly everyday." Preston said as he let his girlfriend lean against him. "Was it really that bad?"

"Nah, we got Monday and Thursday afternoons to ourselves and Sunday was a rest day too." Todd explained, stretching his neck before giving X23 an irritated look. "Not that we got much rest then…."

"Oh, hush. You didn't complain that much." X23 admonished lightly.

"Hmm, what, pray tell did you two do on these days?" Tiffany asked mischievously while Rahne and Erica leaned in.

"Train. This one here," Todd jabbed his thumb at X23, who was drinking a soda. ", decided that she wanted to train at least twice a day while we were there, yo."

"Ha-ha, I would have thought you both would have been having more of those nights that I walked in on." Rahne teased lightly.

"We're not that bad, you know. This guy has more control than most adults in that school." X23 purred, Todd coughing on his food. "I don't know many guys that could just make out with their girlfriends…"

"But me and Preston do that all the time." Erica defended.

"…while your in just a towel?"

"Um, not so much." The red head said sheepishly, her face matching her hair.

"Hey, the lad has some sense of decency after all." Rahne teased, flicking a pea at the green teenager.

"Actually…" X23 then stopped and her face fell. "Oh for fucks sake, he never learns…."

"Hmm, who doesn't?" Preston asked and they followed her finger as she pointed across the room.

And there was the new kid, Sebastian Tate, in an argument with none other than Duncan Mathews and his goon squad. X23 was sure that they wouldn't have him to deal with and that thought made her ecstatically happily, until Todd pointed out that Duncan was in their year. She had been in foul mood that day after hearing that.

But she really did wonder. Could he really be so happy making everyone's life so miserable that he had to do it every single person? If so, then he was far more pathetic than she ever thought.

"I feel sorry for the new guy." Erica said, blinking when Todd snorted. "What's that for?"

"I feel sorry for Duncan, yo." He said with a sigh as they watched the smack the try from Sebastian's hands. "That kid's a seasoned black belt in grappling, the worst thing for Mathews to get mixed up in."

X23 sighed and stood up, nudging Todd while pointing. "Go on, go save that moron."

"Why me?" Todd asked as he stood up before he obviously remembered something. "Oh yeah, don't answer that."

"Why not you?" Tiffany asked when Todd left and the clone glanced at her, sending a shill down her spine.

"I wouldn't be nice when if I had to put anyone in their place." X23 said shortly.


"I'll show you, you little punk!" Duncan barked, lunging towards the confused new kid.

Sebastian reacted out of instinct and experience, his mind no longer in Bayville. He was back in Japan, back in Master Hiragawe's dojo. He was back in Shinjuku High School, back in the first fight with the bullies and punks that used to beat him everyday. Sebastian just fell back into instinct and his body moved on its own, following its natural rhythm.

As Duncan's arm came around at his head, the new kid stepped towards him and both his arm extended outward. Sebastian's left arm blocked the punch at the elbow and his right palm snapped into the jock's chest. You could see that it jarred Duncan, that this skinny guy just stalled him with barely half a step. The right hand jerked back slightly as his left hand grabbed Duncan's right and Sebastian wrapped his arm around Duncan's neck, his right leg stepping around to the left.

He then jerked the larger teenager to the left, his hip providing the leverage to throw Duncan off his feet. Sebastian pulled the left arm in as he made Duncan seeming flip around the skinner boy and put him on the ground with a light thump. Sliding his right arm away smoothly, the new kid put his forearm into Duncan's left elbow and jerked the jocks arm around Sebastian's arm.

Bracing his knee on Duncan's ribs and grabbing his left forearm as he bent the hand in towards the bicep, Sebastian leaned back slowly. Pain soared through Duncan's body and he gave a great howl as he squirmed in the iron clad hold of this new kid, his eyes welling up as he felt a shooting pain through his elbow.

Suddenly, someone wrapped his arms around Sebastian and the new kid let him go as the other person jerked him away. If he had held on, there was a good chance that Duncan's elbow and shoulder would have been dislocated. Sebastian exhaled and grabbed the wrists that were holding him, his thumbs pressing down on the soft skin behind the thumb. It worked like a charm, the kid's hand quickly loosing their grip.

While his hands worked, his feet spread out into a wider stance and he lowered his hips down. With the grip broken and his legs open a bit wider, Sebastian now had the superior positioning over his new attacker. He twisted to the right, keeping a hold on the kids right arm. He then bent the arm behind the kids back, sandwiching it with his arm on top holding his wrist and his other holding his elbow by the forearm and tricep. Sebastian then lowered his left side and push his right arm forward, flipping his attack over onto the floor.

Something crashed behind him and Sebastian spun around, with his hands raised defensively. He was ready for anything that may have come his way.

"Take it easy, yo." And there was Todd Tolansky, holding off a larger kid by having a kick stop right by his head. "I think we all need to calm down a little bit, seeing how Mathews is hotheaded as ever."


Todd ran along the open spaces to where he had seen Sebastian toss Duncan to the ground and jumped up on a table, so he could see over the crowd that had collected. He had to admit, the guy knew his holds and he was good at it. The amphibian mutant sighed and took two steps back, crouching a little bit.

He then sprung forward and flipped over the people as Sebastian was grabbed. He landed as the new kid managed to break free and then Todd noticed two jocks about to join in the fray from the other side. Todd exhaled as he swung his arms to the right and then tossed his body to the left. As his body twisted around, the green teenager kicked off from the ground.

And much to shock those around him, his body spun in a series of control twists as he literally floated over Duncan. He landed with his leg back and ready, arms by his stomach and head before his foot swept up. The sneaker stopped short of the jock's jaw, Mathew Barlow stopping in a series of stumbles and his partner, Damien Decanter, following predictably.

"Take it easy, yo." Todd said in a placating tone as he held his foot up without even really trying. "I think we all need to calm down a little bit, seeing how Mathews is hotheaded as ever."

It didn't take a mind reader to know what was coming next

"Get out of the way, freak!" Gary said as he backhanded the foot aside.

As his foot moved, Todd applied more speed to it as he jerked it back towards the ground and leapt from his base leg with a small hop. His spring pushed him up about three feet and with the way that Todd had pulled his foot back, it sent body into a speedy spin in the air. He did nearly two full rotations before he stopped his body, his right leg snapping out before he jerked his body to stop.

He had no idea why, but these aerial moves always made him feel calm and relaxed. Maybe it was the fact that he had the unfair advantage with his powerful legs or maybe it was the way it seemed to be flying with no aide at times. But this was hardly the time for him to be thinking of such things.

And there he was, landing on his left leg with his right leg extend about a hundred and sixty degrees away and his shin right next to Mathew's head. It was clear that Todd could have just plowed through the guy if had so chosen to.

"You done now, yo?" Todd asked in an irritated tone, his hands held loosely at his chest and he then lowered his foot at the other kid's nod. "Good. Hey, Sebastian, come on, let's go."

The two young martial artists made their way past the crowds, which readily parted for them, and were about to sit at their table when the bell for the last sessions of class rang out.

"Hey Todd, thanks for helping out back there." Sebastian said as Todd gathered his stuff and the green teenager shrugged.

"Ah, no big deal, man." Todd said with a pat to his back as he got his bag on, grinning knowingly. "I mean, it wasn't as if you ever lost control of the situation, right?"

"I don't know, man. It did look a little tricky for me." Sebastian said with a smile as he shrugged and left. "See ya later, Todd."

Todd and X23 left with the rest of their friends and they made it to their last class, History, which they didn't share with Sebastian. The two quietly got their books out and sat side by side as the class filled up. At least until X23 looked at Todd intently, her questioning face staring deep into his heart.

"Did he lose control back there?" She asked, although she was well aware of the answer.

"No, not even for a second, yo." Todd said softly

"Hmm, looks like this years is going to be interesting Bayville."


Yay, the martial arts have made their official comeback! And the next chapter will continue this and all will be well again. If any of you are wondering about the chapter length, don't worry. The reason their so long now is because I want to talk about and show you all so much that I actually had to split the first chapter into these four chapters. There was just way too much writing put together for these chapters, that I absolutely had to put them into four separate chapters.

And so you know what's coming next. Yup, I'm sure you do. It's about time for the X-Men to meet up with Todd and X23 and I can imagine that some of you might want to see the comparison of skills between them. As for the Brotherhood, I have something special planned for them so don't worry.

Peace and love, guys and gals,

– Lin