Hello! Another chapter has arrived! Thank you to my four reviewers! This chapter underwent a few revisions in order to reflect my significantly altered plot. This is a good thing, as my changes are actually going to make the whole story a little more interesting (hopefully) then they would have been originally.

Also, I want to address the way I deal with telepathy in my stories. Here are the two types of telepathic powers that you will most commonly see in use:

:Thoughts:

::Telepathic communication::

Disclaimer: Sorry, I only own Hitomi.

Ch 7, Discussions and Choices

Professor Charles Xavier sighed as he looked down at the list of information that he had been able to garner from his contacts. There was very little on the list, and none of it was good. All Charles could think of it was that it was a good thing whoever kidnapped the five mutants had underestimated Hitomi, and that they were able to get them all out of there with relatively little trouble.

"Come in, Logan," he called as he surveyed the list again, trying to put together the whole picture based on the information he had available.

"Well? Did you find out anything useful?" Logan demanded as he entered the room, a grim expression on his face.

"Perhaps," Charles admitted with a sigh. "Whoever set up that 'company' used a false name, and as far as I can tell, most of the people who worked there didn't realize what was going on. And those who did know what was going on have vanished. I'm planning on meeting with a few of the company workers to try and figure out who might have an idea on what is going on, but they'd rather not go public with what transpired last night."

"Damn," Logan grumbled, an angry expression appearing on his face. "I don't like this, Chuck – it's not looking good at all. What did the ones who didn't vanish think they were doing?"

"They thought that they were studying DNA and researching ways to correct mutations, including mutant DNA," Charles answered, shaking his head. "I'll hopefully find more out on Monday, but until then, I'm afraid that this is all I have to go on. Whoever is really behind this is clever enough to keep himself from being associated with this company. It is going to take a great deal of time and effort to locate him."

Logan growled at that. He wasn't a patient man, but it appeared he'd have to be to find the guy who was responsible for this whole mess. "You're going to get information no matter what, right Chuck?" he had to know.

"Yes, Logan – we need to know who is behind this. If I have to, I will get the information that we need," Charles informed him firmly. "Even if it means I simply take the information." He sighed. "If there is another way to locate the mastermind behind this, I would use that method, but there may be no other method of locating him."

"I know, Chuck," Logan sighed. "But this is important – you said so yourself. We don't want this guy to try snatching another one of our students. We got lucky with Mule – we probably won't get that lucky again."

"Unfortunately, you're right about that. We were lucky that Hitomi has healing abilities that they didn't realize she had," Charles agreed with a grimace.

"Idiots," Logan snorted. "I still can't believe what they did to those kids. No one deserves that, and it pisses me off."

"I know, Logan," Charles smiled at that. "And I agree with you – it's horrifying, and it makes me wonder how Hitomi fits into the picture. Moreover, it makes me wonder what they were planning on doing to her." Logan merely growled at that statement, his eyes flashing angrily. "Now, you were there when Hank told them what happened to their DNA?"

"Yeah – that thing about them being able to shape-shift and being mutants like us, too," Logan nodded. "What about it?"

"It's curious, and very disconcerting. That indicates to me that their cover, particularly the 'correcting mutation' part, is false. They had a different goal in mind, and the results hint at a number of different goals, all of which are not good goals. I think that they were trying to create soldiers at the very least, and that means that, most likely, the next phase of their 'program' would be –" Charles explained.

"Controlling them," Logan interrupted, a snarl escaping from his lips at that.

"Yes, and the most likely method would be brain-washing them," Charles agreed with a heavy sigh. "As much as I hate to say this, it appears to have been a good thing that Hitomi was kidnapped as well as having been underestimated. She prevented them from experiencing something far worse than simply having their appearance change."

"Yeah," Logan agreed reluctantly, a scowl on his face. "It was lucky for all of us. Speaking of the kids, what's going to happen to them now?"

"We're about to discuss that now," Charles told him with a smile. "You may come in, Hitomi," he called, raising his voice. Logan rolled his eyes as Hitomi pushed open the door, and let Splinter in as well.

"Professor, this is Master Splinter, the father of the guys we rescued," Hitomi introduced the rat-like mutant politely. "Master Splinter, this is Professor Charles Xavier."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Professor Xavier," Splinter greeted politely.

"As it is a pleasure to meet you, Master Splinter," Charles responded with a smile.

"Well, I've got homework I should work on – I'll see you later!" Hitomi told them all and turned to leave.

"Hitomi, I would like to talk to you for a moment before you run off," Charles told her firmly. He knew the girl too well, and despite being told repeatedly to take it easy, she was determined to ignore them. Further, she was going to ignore what her own body was telling her just to prove she was stronger than they thought. If she continued to use her powers, the headache she had steadily growing would only get progressively worse. He couldn't allow her to injure herself like that. Hitomi stopped and looked back at him. "I would like you to take it easy for the next three days. That means no telekinesis, unless it is necessary. If I have to, I will ensure that you follow those instructions."

Hitomi glared at him, and her furious thoughts were like darts, but he easily held her eyes. He was quite serious about what he had just said, and she knew he was. He didn't usually threaten to force someone to follow instructions, but considering Hitomi's rather stubborn nature, he felt that he had to. He wouldn't threaten it if he didn't think it wasn't for her health.

"Fine," she agreed with a sigh before she turned and left the room. Charles could tell that she was serious, and would listen to him.

:Point to Chuck,: he 'heard' from Logan, and had to hide a smile. Logan and Hitomi constantly went head to head, and only the fact that Hitomi was patient as well as stubborn helped her win most of her arguments with him. So far, Logan had 'won' only a few times, including the nickname he had given Hitomi. She had resisted it for three weeks before she finally figured out that he wasn't going to call her anything but 'Mule.'

"It appears that you have trouble in keeping her from doing things her way," Splinter noted, amusement in his voice.

"Tch – that's why I call her Mule," Logan snorted. "Stubborn kid. I've never met anyone who is more stubborn than her."

"She is difficult to handle at times," Charles had to agree. "Now, you aren't here to discuss Hitomi."

"Miss Weber has informed me that you are telepathic, and that she let you know what I wish to discuss with you," Splinter noted, with a gentle smile on his muzzle.

"Yes," Charles confirmed. "It is a rather startling revelation, which is why we have not told your sons yet. There is enough going on in their lives that they need to get used to before they learn about everything else."

"I understand," Splinter agreed calmly. "My sons and I were wondering if we might remain here, at least until they are able to move about as they were able to before all this happened."

"Of course – you may all stay as long as you'd like," Charles replied easily. "Actually, if I might make a few suggestions…"

"Please, continue," Splinter raised an eyebrow, curious now as to what Charles might be considering.

"It seems to me that, despite the shock of what has happened to them, they now have more opportunities than they did before," Charles explained. "I have a few contacts, and might be able to give them official identities, so that they might attend the local high school once they are able to move about more freely."

"Yes… it would be good to give them the opportunity to act as 'normal' teenagers do," Splinter agreed slowly. "But I do not wish to burden you with our presence."

"It would not be a burden, Master Splinter," Charles informed him. "In fact, Hitomi made a suggestion that makes sense. She 'told' me that you were trained in ninjutsu, and that you might be willing to teach martial arts to the students here." ::That is, if you are all right with this, Logan,:: he added silently.

:It's not a bad idea, Chuck,: Logan thought back. :I'm fine with it. It'll give me more free time to plan group training sessions.:

Splinter seemed surprised, but grew thoughtful. "That does seem to be a good plan of action," he agreed thoughtfully. "I will have to think on it, and discuss it with my sons, but I do believe that this would be a good plan."

"Of course – you can let me know at any time if you would like to either take up my offer, or simply return home upon your sons' full recovery," Charles told him sincerely.

"Another benefit of staying here is that whenever their powers show up, they're going to have people who can help them control 'em," Logan put in suddenly. He shrugged when Splinter and Charles looked at him. "Just thought I'd put that out there – they are going to have powers, at least from what Hank says, and powers tend tah cause problems right off."

"I see… still, I should discuss this with my sons, so that they can have a say in what we shall do," Splinter replied calmly. "If you will excuse me, I believe I can find my way back to the Infirmary."

"If you require any assistance, you can either ask anyone nearby or 'call' me," Charles told him easily. "As for your two friends, I suspect they have jobs that they can't abandon, and as such, I will give them the code to the gate, so that they might come and visit any time they wish," he added before Splinter bid him farewell, and left the room.

"Do you think they'll stay?" Logan asked Charles, frowning slightly in thought.

"It does seem likely, Logan," he answered with a smile. "Particularly since all four of the boys enjoy Hitomi's company. We'll have to see, though, if they wish to stay here."

"He invited us to stay on a permanent basis?" Leo blinked in surprise at the newest revelation that Splinter had just revealed. He had not yet mentioned the offer for them to go to school – that could wait until later. If they agreed to stay here on a permanent basis, he would wait until they were able to move about before he gave his sons that bit of information. They would have enough to think about as it was until then. They had been particularly interested when he had mentioned Charles' offer to give them official identities.

"Yes," Splinter confirmed. "As Mister Logan pointed out to me, once you are able to transform, as well as develop powers, you will need to learn control. Here, you are less likely to cause… problems, and you will have aid in learning control. In addition, they have offered to have me teach the students here martial arts."

Although it had not yet been confirmed, everyone in the group had decided to assume that Leo, Raph, and Mikey had the same situation as Donnie. It was easier to assume that their results would come back positive than the other way around, for it meant that they were not stuck permanently in their new forms. None of them wanted to breach the topic that maybe, just maybe, they were permanently changed into normal, ordinary human beings.

"You know, it does make sense to stay here on a more permanent basis," Donnie commented thoughtfully. "Especially since it is true that they will be able to help us learn control over whatever abilities we develop."

"That, and we're completely accepted here," Leo had to point out, unable to resist the smile that spread across his face at those words.

"Yes, Leonardo," Splinter had to chuckle at those words. "No matter what we look like, we are accepted here." The few students he had encountered on his way to and from Xavier's office had simply blinked in surprise before going about their business as if they saw strange things every day, and it didn't matter to them. Which, considering their own status as mutants, was entirely possible.

"I'm for it," Mikey grinned. "It'll be cool!"

"It'll be nice to hang out with other teenagers, who are as unique as we are," Leo had to agree.

"Definitely," Donnie had to agree. "It'll be a whole new experience, and I've got to admit, I'm looking forward to it." Everyone looked at Raph.

"Eh, sure, why not?" Raph shrugged. "It'll be interestin', that's for sure. But what about Casey and April?"

"We live and work in the City – we can't stay here, Raph," April answered a little sadly.

"Yes, but I have been informed that both you and Mister Jones will be given the code to the front gate, allowing both of you to return to visit at any time," Splinter put in, knowing that that would make everyone feel better about the arrangements they were currently making.

"Sweet! So it's settled! We're staying here!" Mikey grinned, bouncing slightly. "And you guys can come up any time you want!"

"And we'll probably be able to go home during vacations," Donnie felt compelled to point out. "Most of the other students are going to be gone anyway."

"New York City won't be the same without you guys, but at least you're close by," April chuckled. And safe, was her private addition. She wouldn't have to worry about them while they were here, considering the fact that they had revealed that Hitomi had been visiting her parents in NYC when she had been kidnapped. As long as they were safe, she didn't care where they lived. It wouldn't be as easy to visit them, but it wasn't impossible, either.

Author's Notes:

One of my reviewers mentioned that Hitomi seemed like a Mary Sue. She's not - I don't allow my characters to be Mary or Gary Sues, period. Part of the problem is that this story, while having seven chapters, takes place over just barely a day, so within the story, I just haven't had time to fully explore her personality. However, I do have to point this out - I've never seen a Mary Sue as stubborn as Hitomi is. I mean, she's almost stubborn to the point that she could seriously injure herself just to prove a point because she's so stubborn, even when she knows she's hurting herself.

As for the turtles' powers - don't worry, I know exactly what their powers are, and I'm not planning on going overboard. Since I can't reassure anyone of this without revealing my plans and their powers, let's just say that they are not going to have tons of powers or the ability to gain tons of powers.

That's all from me for now. Please review! Also, please visit my forum thread concerning this story - I really need my readers' opinions on the question I posed there. Thanks!

~Star~