It's My Cross To Bear



--Tiny little voice inside the head that argues with you--



Faye Ma'at stood there glaring at them.

"I said, what are you doing here?" Toxin looked to Iris. Iris glanced at the others and stepped forward.

"We are doing what he did all those centuries ago."

"Why?" Faye Ma'at asked sharply.

"You are to fight as are we. No matter how long ago this started we will finish the job." Faye Ma'at turned and started to walk into the cave.

"This is not your battle. Leave now." Iris shook her head at this.

"You're wrong." Faye Ma'at turned and looked at her.

"How so?" Iris sighed at her question.

"Because, it is our sworn duty to help you in this battle." Faye Ma'at glared harder at her.

"No. This is not your battle. Do not stay. I must fight alone."

"This is as much your battle as it is ours." Hellwing snorted. Faye Ma'at looked sharply at her.

"No. It is not. Leave. Now." Hellwing rolled her eyes.

"We started this with you and we will finish it with you. We did not go through a life of immortality just to sit by and let you fight this alone." Faye Ma'at sighed at this.

"Fine. You are no longer immortal. I release you from the contracts." A faint glow surrounded the three. Soon it was gone. "Now you can finish living out you life and you can age. Happy? Go." Hellwing shook her head.

"No."

"Why not?" Faye Ma'at growled. Toxin decided to step in before things got too intense.

"Our battle is with the horsemen. Yours is with your father." Faye Ma'at shook her head.

"No. You battle ended all those centuries ago. You defeated the horsemen and that finished you battle. These new ones are not your concern." Toxin smiled faintly.

"Yes, but battle those horsemen was not our duty. Our duty is to clear the way to your father. Until there are absolutely no obstacles at all and you defeat him our duty is not over." Faye Ma'at looked at them hard. She sighed and shook her head.

"Why do still care?"

"Well, you are our mistress. We look after you. Make sure that you fulfill your job. Whether is be fighting you father or cooking a cake. We help you. We don't interfere directly but we help the best we can." Toxin smiled as she said this.

"But your mistress died all those years ago. I'm not her. Her soul is merely trapped inside this body." Toxin frowned slightly.

"Yes, well that all said and done, we also want to help get Rogue back. So that is why they are here." She motioned to the others. "Besides, what kind of humans, mutants really, would we all be if we don't do our part and help." She walked up to Faye Ma'at and put her hand on her shoulder. "You see. You are not going to get rid of us so easily." Faye Ma'at glanced at the others quickly.

"Merely hours ago I was trying to kill you." Iris looked at her.

"Yes. But that was then, this is now. We can't stop you from opening the last door. With Wanda as the last mutant that you absorbed there is no way we can stop you." Wanda glared at Faye Ma'at when she heard her name. Faye Ma'at shook her head.

"Things do not change so fast. How do I know that you will not try and stop me like before?" Iris glanced at the other two Furies.

"Because . . . we want Rogue back and if we do not help you now then we can't get her back." Faye Ma'at glared at her.

"You might try something. I don't trust you." Toxin looked at the cave.

"Whether or not you trust us is no concern of ours. Our only concern is that you finish what you started long ago."

"Fine, just stay out of my way." With that said Faye Ma'at stalked off. Iris motioned for the others to follow her.



Rogue sat in the darkness. Sometimes, whenever she tried real hard she could hear what Faye Ma'at heard. But . . . whenever that happened the things that crawled on her would seem to multiply. So she sat in the darkness. The only things she could to was think. Think about her life before it got so complicated. Before mutants were known to the world. Before she became a mutant. Before she was told about her skin condition by Irene. Back then her life seemed so great. So wonderful. No need to worry about the school kicking her out if she uses her 'gift.' No need to worry about accidentally brushing up against someone in the hall. Or running to someone and their skin touching. No need to cover up at all. Whether it be her mutation or her fake skin condition. What she wouldn't give to be able to live like that one more time. Care free. Back then she was full of joy. But, as what happens whenever someone thinks about the past, she went down her memories. To when she first touched Cody. Then Kurt. When she was attacked by the 'X-men' and went to the Brotherhood. To when Mystique tried to kill her. Then when she was on asteroid M. Her short time as a Bayville Siren. Then there was also her time with Risty. The girl that used to be her best friend. She thought of the time they fought the Acolytes for the first time. When she first met Gambit. When she was rescued from Trask's base. She thought back to when she fought on national T.V and beat Juggernaut. To the time when she first talked to Gambit. When her powers went out of control after she found out that her crush was dating Jean, the girl she hated. Rogue paused at that. Why did she hate Jean? Jean was the only X-man that she was able to trust when she first absorbed someone. She was nice enough to her but for some reason Rogue hated her. Was it because she was Ms. Perfect. Good grades, well, Rogue didn't really tried and some of the things taught to her seemed to come easier to her. Plenty of boys drooling over her. Kitty said that without all her makeup on she was beautiful so no. Was it the fact that the guy she liked had a major crush on her? No that wasn't it. The fact that she had a real family? She knew her parents? No, Rogue was honest with Kurt when she said that she really didn't think of her real parents much. Maybe it was the fact that Jean could touch. That the girl had not been striped of a basic human right and took that right for granted. That she did not have to fight back psyches every waking moment? Or was it all of that combined? Was it the fact that Jean had a great life and took it for granted? Perhaps. But Rogue didn't care about that now. She wanted out. She wanted out so badly. Now, memories of before this place seemed to fade as time past. Like a dream she woke up from not so long ago. That she was slowly forgetting everything. 'Is this what Faye Ma'at felt while she was here? Is that why she has all that anger? What is this place anyway?' Rogue had so many questions. But no answers to any. She had a few things while there. Awhile after she first arrived, when Faye Ma'at fought the others using clones, she had seen and felt it all. Each blow to the clones was like a blow her. It seemed like this pain was her only window to the outside world. And she boiled over with anger when Faye Ma'at and Gambit fought. When she had gotten anger, the creatures seemed to die off. There weren't near as many as before. She realized that the angrier she got, the les things there would be. After awhile she figured it was a simple way to remind Faye Ma'at of why she was there. So she could never forget her anger and so she could increase her anger towards her father. Rogue shuddered at this. In her opinion, Faye Ma'at was truly twisted and cruel, to herself and to everyone around her. And that threw Rogue into hatred. Hatred towards herself. She hated herself because she was too weak to control her powers. Because she gave up her heart so easily. And because she was a reincarnation of some psycho manic that would destroy the world if it meant that she could have her revenge. She had every right to.

"After all, who would care for a weak, pitiful fool lahke meh?"

--Remy does.-- Rogue groaned. It was there again. That annoying voice, that tiny little annoying voice that argues with her whenever she heard it. Oh how she hated that voice most of all. Why you ask? --Cause I'm always right.-- That was why. (AN: Told ya it was annoying! How I hate it. Grr . . . K, now that my rant is done for the moment, back to the story!)

"Shut up. Ah don't wanna talk ta ya. Hell, I don't wanna even listen ta ya."

--Too bad. Nothing you can do about it.-- (AN: ANNOYING!!!! K, I'll shut up now.)

"Just leave meh be." Rogue laid on her side and tried to get comfortable. She had been feeling pretty drained lately. At first she felt like she was being drained then would have a boost of energy then it start all over again. All Rogue wanted to do was sleep but for some reason she couldn't.

--Why?-- God how she hated that voice. She just wanted to sleep! Not listen to how wrong she was.

"I'm too tired."

--Remy loves you.--

"Stop, just leave meh be. Leave meh so Ah can rest." She didn't know if that voice came back or not. She just zoned out. Nothing was there to hold her back. She really didn't want to go back. Why go back? So she can live out her life having her heart ripped to pieces every time she saw someone touch another person. No, that wasn't enough. And Faye Ma'at said either Rem or she would die. And Rogue wouldn't let Remy get hurt because of her. There was no way in hell that she would allow that.