Chapter Six: Catfight
At dinner, Kurt hardly touched his food. Mystique's question floated throughout his head, constantly ringing, her voice never leaving his thoughts. *"If I died, would you be sad?"*
*Vould I miss her? Vould I... cry, if she died?* Kurt thought. *Vhat vould happen zen?* A thought hit him like a ton of bricks. *Vould it be me who vould kill her?*
"Kurt... Hello? Kurt, there be you? Kurt, be you kah?" Erine peered closely at Kurt. The girl had only tuna fish on her plate, and a glass of milk. It was all she had been eating since she got there... Tuna and milk... Every day... (AN: Now, that MUST be disgusting.) Kurt was surprised she knew how to drink from a glass. He remembered how she had been clueless about the fork and other silverware. Maybe one of the others had showed her.
"Huh... Vhat? Oh, I am sorry, Erine. I did not notice you." Kurt glanced around, noticing that Mir, Mara, and Ms. Meos weren't there. *Zey probably vent home,* he thought. He also saw that Jean's chair was empty as well... "Hey, vhere is Jean?"
"She went out for a while... said something about... something," Scott said in confused rush.
"Oh..." Kurt picked at his food with his fork, busying himself so he couldn't think anymore. His last question has scared him. *"Vould it be me who vould kill her?"*
"Okay, something's gotta be wrong. He didn't eat, and he's not talking." Logan said. "Plus, he didn't hang from the lights at all."
"Honestly, Logan, I never thought you'd care," Rogue said impishly. Logan glared.
"No, I am fine, Logan. I... am just not hungry today." Kurt said with a sigh.
"Is he catching Kitty's flu? It did start out with a fever..." Ororo said.
"No, I feel fine, honest!" Kurt protested.
"Woah, woah. Calm down, everyone. I'm sure if Kurt felt ill, he would tell us, wouldn't you Kurt?" Professor X asked.
Kurt nodded vigorously.
"Kurt no be sick now?"
"Yes, I swear, I am fine!"
Erine grinned. "That be good!"
"Although, Kurt, there is the factor that you still haven't touched your dinner."
"Yeah, man, what's up with that?" Evan asked, flexing the fingers of his broken arm out of habit.
"You usually eat everything on the table!" Scott said.
"Vell, not today," Kurt muttered to himself.
Erine's smile disappeared. "So... now, you be not not sick?"
Kurt laughed half-heartedly. "You guys are confusing her!"
"She's confusing me!" Rogue said.
"I assure you guys, I am alright!" Kurt pleaded once more. "I am just not hungry right now."
"Oh! I see. He sneaked out snacks from the kitchen again," Scott said with a smirk.
"Busted," Evan said.
"Uhh... Ja, heh heh..." Kurt said with a faint smile.
"Kurt be not sick or not not sick?!" Erine asked, frustrated.
"Not sick, Erine... just grounded," Logan said.
"Ground-ed?" Erine asked with wonder.
"He is not allowed to go anywhere until we say so," Logan explained.
"Oh... brother," Kurt said. He sighed and put his head in his hands.
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"Kitty? Be you kah?" Erine poked her head in Kitty's room. To her surprise, she found her up and dressed for once, and she was making her bed. She must have been up for a while- the room was spotless, even Rogue's side. Kitty looked up and smiled.
"Hey, Erine. Yeah, I am feeling a little better. I need to get up and do some stuff anyway."
"Can I come with you?" Erine asked softly.
Kitty blinked. *Wow, that was totally scary. That sounded like real English! She must be, like, catching on,* she thought. "Sure, why not?"
"You me might want not."
"No, I want you to come along."
Erine grinned. "Aaaiiiee! Good, good! Be you hungry? Kurt no eat dinner- you eat!"
Kitty sneezed, almost phazing through her bed- facing down, for once. "What?!"
Erine blinked. "Blesses you! Eat you dinner of Kurt?"
"Kurt didn't eat his dinner?" Kitty asked, worried.
"Eh?"
Kitty stormed out the door. "Kurt!"
"Kitty?" Erine blinked again, then followed her new friend. She caught up to her when she had paused in the hall to search for Kurt.
"Where is Kurt? Why did he not eat?" Kitty asked her. "Is he sick? Did he get it from me? Tell me, Erine, tell me!"
Erine blinked once more. "Kurt... he be not sick! Or be that not not sick... Ah... I know not no more." Erine shrugged.
"Come on- we're looking for him!"
Erine cried out as Kitty grabbed her wrist and pulled her along.
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"We not ask Professor? Why do not?"" Erine asked, as Kitty called out Kurt's name. They were outside, and it was starting to get dark, and extremely cold. But the silly girls had forgotten to bring out their cloaks, or any jackets. "Because, Erine, I do not want them to realize I am out of bed. Kurt! Kurt where are you? Are you feeling okay? Oh, where is he?"
"Kitty?" Erine cocked her head to one side. "Do you... not to hear that?"
"Huh?"
Erine slowly straightened her head. "I think, maybe this way?" Erine walked away, leaving Kitty to sneeze and cough till she figured it out.
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"Erine? What are we doing here?" Kitty looked around. They had long since left the Institute's surrounding estate. They were now entering the city, and the sun was setting over the horizon. The darkness surrounding the city was starting to make Kitty nervous.
"Do you hear not it?" Erine smiled and sped up a little.
"No, I don't hear it! Where are we going?"
"We go to find Kurt!" Erine turned into an alley.
"Are... are you sure? Why would Kurt... Oh, unless he's hurt, or worse-"
Kitty stopped. They had reached a dead end. Kurt was no where to be found.
"Erine!"
"Ohh..." Erine tilted her head to one side, confused. "It stop!"
"What stopped?" Kitty asked, frustrated.
"The sound. The... the nice sound. Pretty. Like this." Erine focused her head once more and hummed a strange yet hypnotizing melody.
"Oh... wow, that is pretty. But you do, like, realize... that, like, totally had nothing to do with Kurt!"
"Eh?"
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*There's two of them?* Mystique, as a cat, noticed two figures approach the alley. *Oh well. It'll do,* she thought to herself. She changed to mutant form, then grinned evilly, as she realized who exactly were there before her.
"Here, Kitty Kitty Kitty...."
"Huh? Who... Who's there? Erine, let's get out of here!"
"Hello, Kathy..."
"Kathy?! No! No, no say that, that be not mine name! Mine name be Erine!" Erine started to panic, and covered her ears with her hands.
"Huh? Erine, what's wrong? What's going on here?"
"Come now, Katherine..." The strange voice said, referring to both of them.
"NO!" Erine cried out.
"Hey, what's- Hey! Help!" Kitty screamed. She could barely make out a dark figure looming over them.
Then everything went black.
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Kitty woke up slowly, and looked around when she didn't recognize her surroundings. She didn't know where she was... she for sure wasn't in the alley! She was trapped... the feeling overwhelmed her. Help! Where was... She coughed, this time spitting up blood. It floated around her, mixing with a jelly-like substance. She was still breathing, though. She was standing up in an encasement, and she could see out... It looked like a lab. She was chained in- she could see the doors open- Wolverine! And Rogue and Nightcrawler and Spyke and Storm, even with his broken arm, and Cyclops... they all were there. They were countered by objects... robots... Firing lasers and... They couldn't get to her!
*You're too...* Kitty coughed again, blood spreading around her. *You're too late...* If only she would sneeze, maybe she could phaze through! She couldn't think, couldn't move... couldn't breathe, anymore... Couldn't do anything... Where was-
Suddenly the glass smashed around her. A spike had penetrated the encasement. Spyke could still function with his arm busted. Kitty fell to the floor in a heap. All the sounds rushed to her ears, keeping her awake. She heard another crash as Jean fell unconcious to the ground beside her, along with broken shards of glass. A spike fell to the floor close beside her.
"Jean..." Kitty gasped.
"Miracle! Rogue! Get zem outta here!" Nightcrawler said, fighting to keep one of the robots at bay.
"I'm on it!" Miracle soon picked Kitty up and propped her against the nearby wall, out of the way. Rogue grabbed Jean, with a little struggle. Jean was out for the night. No help there.
"Speak to me, Kitty... Kitty? Kitty!"
Kitty suddenly thrashed around, crying and screaming. "No! No, don't take me! Don't hurt me!"
"Shhhh... Kitty! Kitty, it's me. It's us, Rogue and Miracle. Kitty, what happened? Where's Erine?"
Kitty tired out, gasping for breath. "Erine... Erine! Where is she? I, like, don't know what... where... What's going-" She turned onto her side and coughed more blood. "Ohhh... What's happening?"
"Colleen's spirit visited Mystique's dreams from Hell and took her over... Mystique didn't provide a struggle, since Colleen had promised to give her Kurt. She also took Jean from her car- she had been missing since before dinner. Well, we're fighting for him... and you, Jean, and Erine," Mir explained.
Kitty struggled to rise. "Kurt... Erine..."
"Katherine Pryde GET BACK HERE!" Rogue dragged her down. "Stay here and don't move! We're handlin' things, Kitty. You stay here. Promise me!"
"Rogue..."
"Promise her, Kitty!"
"Hey, I'm, like, the only person who can, like, defeat these things! They're robots, right? I just, like, totally phaze through them, and then I'm outta there!"
"Kitty, you know you're in no shape to do that to so many. Don't worry, we're handling it!"
"The last time, like, someone told me that, I later, like, found out, my cat was missing."
"She... does have a point, Rogue."
"Shut up! I... I'm not gonna try to defend myself anymore. Kitty, get down, and stay down, no matter what you think, no matter what happens. You are too weak to help out, and that's final. Got it?""
Kitty pouted. "Fine... Erine! She... said something, before..." Kitty closed her eyes, welcoming the unconciousness. "Her name- Kathy..." Kitty's eyes suddenly flew wide open. "Katherine!"
"You're worryin' about her NOW?" Rogue exclaimed.
"No, I mean, yes- I, I mean... Erine IS Katherine! From what she's done around me, and what you guys have told me about her..."
"What?"
Cyclops's laser beams cut close to their corner, quickly cutting a deadly robot in half.
"Hurry it up there, Miracle! Rogue!" Cyclops called out.
"Aww, shut your trap and open your eyes, we're busy, we'll be there in a few seconds!" Rogue shouted at him.
Kitty laughed, but it soon turned into a raw coughing bit.
"Kitty?" Suddenly Erine appeared right by her side, beaten and sore. Mystique/Colleen had locked her up as well. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Erine!"
"Katze!" Nightcrawler called out. "Hurry up and get busy!"
Katze shook her head. "Kitty... My sorry! My sorry! I should have to listen never to Minuit! My sorry! My sorry!" Katze started to bawl, cat cries mixing with the sobs. "My fault, it be my all fault! I you drag here... I bring bad people! I bring bad place! My sorry! My sorry... I want never things bad to happen-"
"Katze, are you Katherine?"
"Katherine be name Master give me... Bad people name Kathy, Min call Kathy... almost. I say Erine. People name Erine. Other human name be Katze."
"So you're saying Min turned you into a person?" Mir asked.
"Yes. I want to become friend to Master. Kitty!" Katze howled in sorrow.
"This wasn't your fault, Katherine," Kitty said weakly.
Suddenly, all the robots stopped attacking. They dropped to the ground with a heap. Cautiously everyone stopped what they were doing.
"The battle has just begun," said in a strange voice. Mystique popped out of thin air and into the middle of things.
"She's possessed!" Everlast cried out. "Grandmother..."
"That's Colleen to your mother... It's Colleen to you as well!" Mystique/Colleen grabbed Everlast by the arm.
"Hey, you let her go!" Miracle yelled and stormed over to them as Everlast cried out in alarm. Mystique/Colleen laughed.
"There's no way you two can harm me without the help of your friends... and I don't think you have all the support there, either." Mystique/Colleen threw Everlast to the floor and walked over to Nightcrawler.
"Well, Kurt? What is your answer to my question?" Mystique asked in her normal voice.
At dinner, Kurt hardly touched his food. Mystique's question floated throughout his head, constantly ringing, her voice never leaving his thoughts. *"If I died, would you be sad?"*
*Vould I miss her? Vould I... cry, if she died?* Kurt thought. *Vhat vould happen zen?* A thought hit him like a ton of bricks. *Vould it be me who vould kill her?*
"Kurt... Hello? Kurt, there be you? Kurt, be you kah?" Erine peered closely at Kurt. The girl had only tuna fish on her plate, and a glass of milk. It was all she had been eating since she got there... Tuna and milk... Every day... (AN: Now, that MUST be disgusting.) Kurt was surprised she knew how to drink from a glass. He remembered how she had been clueless about the fork and other silverware. Maybe one of the others had showed her.
"Huh... Vhat? Oh, I am sorry, Erine. I did not notice you." Kurt glanced around, noticing that Mir, Mara, and Ms. Meos weren't there. *Zey probably vent home,* he thought. He also saw that Jean's chair was empty as well... "Hey, vhere is Jean?"
"She went out for a while... said something about... something," Scott said in confused rush.
"Oh..." Kurt picked at his food with his fork, busying himself so he couldn't think anymore. His last question has scared him. *"Vould it be me who vould kill her?"*
"Okay, something's gotta be wrong. He didn't eat, and he's not talking." Logan said. "Plus, he didn't hang from the lights at all."
"Honestly, Logan, I never thought you'd care," Rogue said impishly. Logan glared.
"No, I am fine, Logan. I... am just not hungry today." Kurt said with a sigh.
"Is he catching Kitty's flu? It did start out with a fever..." Ororo said.
"No, I feel fine, honest!" Kurt protested.
"Woah, woah. Calm down, everyone. I'm sure if Kurt felt ill, he would tell us, wouldn't you Kurt?" Professor X asked.
Kurt nodded vigorously.
"Kurt no be sick now?"
"Yes, I swear, I am fine!"
Erine grinned. "That be good!"
"Although, Kurt, there is the factor that you still haven't touched your dinner."
"Yeah, man, what's up with that?" Evan asked, flexing the fingers of his broken arm out of habit.
"You usually eat everything on the table!" Scott said.
"Vell, not today," Kurt muttered to himself.
Erine's smile disappeared. "So... now, you be not not sick?"
Kurt laughed half-heartedly. "You guys are confusing her!"
"She's confusing me!" Rogue said.
"I assure you guys, I am alright!" Kurt pleaded once more. "I am just not hungry right now."
"Oh! I see. He sneaked out snacks from the kitchen again," Scott said with a smirk.
"Busted," Evan said.
"Uhh... Ja, heh heh..." Kurt said with a faint smile.
"Kurt be not sick or not not sick?!" Erine asked, frustrated.
"Not sick, Erine... just grounded," Logan said.
"Ground-ed?" Erine asked with wonder.
"He is not allowed to go anywhere until we say so," Logan explained.
"Oh... brother," Kurt said. He sighed and put his head in his hands.
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"Kitty? Be you kah?" Erine poked her head in Kitty's room. To her surprise, she found her up and dressed for once, and she was making her bed. She must have been up for a while- the room was spotless, even Rogue's side. Kitty looked up and smiled.
"Hey, Erine. Yeah, I am feeling a little better. I need to get up and do some stuff anyway."
"Can I come with you?" Erine asked softly.
Kitty blinked. *Wow, that was totally scary. That sounded like real English! She must be, like, catching on,* she thought. "Sure, why not?"
"You me might want not."
"No, I want you to come along."
Erine grinned. "Aaaiiiee! Good, good! Be you hungry? Kurt no eat dinner- you eat!"
Kitty sneezed, almost phazing through her bed- facing down, for once. "What?!"
Erine blinked. "Blesses you! Eat you dinner of Kurt?"
"Kurt didn't eat his dinner?" Kitty asked, worried.
"Eh?"
Kitty stormed out the door. "Kurt!"
"Kitty?" Erine blinked again, then followed her new friend. She caught up to her when she had paused in the hall to search for Kurt.
"Where is Kurt? Why did he not eat?" Kitty asked her. "Is he sick? Did he get it from me? Tell me, Erine, tell me!"
Erine blinked once more. "Kurt... he be not sick! Or be that not not sick... Ah... I know not no more." Erine shrugged.
"Come on- we're looking for him!"
Erine cried out as Kitty grabbed her wrist and pulled her along.
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"We not ask Professor? Why do not?"" Erine asked, as Kitty called out Kurt's name. They were outside, and it was starting to get dark, and extremely cold. But the silly girls had forgotten to bring out their cloaks, or any jackets. "Because, Erine, I do not want them to realize I am out of bed. Kurt! Kurt where are you? Are you feeling okay? Oh, where is he?"
"Kitty?" Erine cocked her head to one side. "Do you... not to hear that?"
"Huh?"
Erine slowly straightened her head. "I think, maybe this way?" Erine walked away, leaving Kitty to sneeze and cough till she figured it out.
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"Erine? What are we doing here?" Kitty looked around. They had long since left the Institute's surrounding estate. They were now entering the city, and the sun was setting over the horizon. The darkness surrounding the city was starting to make Kitty nervous.
"Do you hear not it?" Erine smiled and sped up a little.
"No, I don't hear it! Where are we going?"
"We go to find Kurt!" Erine turned into an alley.
"Are... are you sure? Why would Kurt... Oh, unless he's hurt, or worse-"
Kitty stopped. They had reached a dead end. Kurt was no where to be found.
"Erine!"
"Ohh..." Erine tilted her head to one side, confused. "It stop!"
"What stopped?" Kitty asked, frustrated.
"The sound. The... the nice sound. Pretty. Like this." Erine focused her head once more and hummed a strange yet hypnotizing melody.
"Oh... wow, that is pretty. But you do, like, realize... that, like, totally had nothing to do with Kurt!"
"Eh?"
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*There's two of them?* Mystique, as a cat, noticed two figures approach the alley. *Oh well. It'll do,* she thought to herself. She changed to mutant form, then grinned evilly, as she realized who exactly were there before her.
"Here, Kitty Kitty Kitty...."
"Huh? Who... Who's there? Erine, let's get out of here!"
"Hello, Kathy..."
"Kathy?! No! No, no say that, that be not mine name! Mine name be Erine!" Erine started to panic, and covered her ears with her hands.
"Huh? Erine, what's wrong? What's going on here?"
"Come now, Katherine..." The strange voice said, referring to both of them.
"NO!" Erine cried out.
"Hey, what's- Hey! Help!" Kitty screamed. She could barely make out a dark figure looming over them.
Then everything went black.
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Kitty woke up slowly, and looked around when she didn't recognize her surroundings. She didn't know where she was... she for sure wasn't in the alley! She was trapped... the feeling overwhelmed her. Help! Where was... She coughed, this time spitting up blood. It floated around her, mixing with a jelly-like substance. She was still breathing, though. She was standing up in an encasement, and she could see out... It looked like a lab. She was chained in- she could see the doors open- Wolverine! And Rogue and Nightcrawler and Spyke and Storm, even with his broken arm, and Cyclops... they all were there. They were countered by objects... robots... Firing lasers and... They couldn't get to her!
*You're too...* Kitty coughed again, blood spreading around her. *You're too late...* If only she would sneeze, maybe she could phaze through! She couldn't think, couldn't move... couldn't breathe, anymore... Couldn't do anything... Where was-
Suddenly the glass smashed around her. A spike had penetrated the encasement. Spyke could still function with his arm busted. Kitty fell to the floor in a heap. All the sounds rushed to her ears, keeping her awake. She heard another crash as Jean fell unconcious to the ground beside her, along with broken shards of glass. A spike fell to the floor close beside her.
"Jean..." Kitty gasped.
"Miracle! Rogue! Get zem outta here!" Nightcrawler said, fighting to keep one of the robots at bay.
"I'm on it!" Miracle soon picked Kitty up and propped her against the nearby wall, out of the way. Rogue grabbed Jean, with a little struggle. Jean was out for the night. No help there.
"Speak to me, Kitty... Kitty? Kitty!"
Kitty suddenly thrashed around, crying and screaming. "No! No, don't take me! Don't hurt me!"
"Shhhh... Kitty! Kitty, it's me. It's us, Rogue and Miracle. Kitty, what happened? Where's Erine?"
Kitty tired out, gasping for breath. "Erine... Erine! Where is she? I, like, don't know what... where... What's going-" She turned onto her side and coughed more blood. "Ohhh... What's happening?"
"Colleen's spirit visited Mystique's dreams from Hell and took her over... Mystique didn't provide a struggle, since Colleen had promised to give her Kurt. She also took Jean from her car- she had been missing since before dinner. Well, we're fighting for him... and you, Jean, and Erine," Mir explained.
Kitty struggled to rise. "Kurt... Erine..."
"Katherine Pryde GET BACK HERE!" Rogue dragged her down. "Stay here and don't move! We're handlin' things, Kitty. You stay here. Promise me!"
"Rogue..."
"Promise her, Kitty!"
"Hey, I'm, like, the only person who can, like, defeat these things! They're robots, right? I just, like, totally phaze through them, and then I'm outta there!"
"Kitty, you know you're in no shape to do that to so many. Don't worry, we're handling it!"
"The last time, like, someone told me that, I later, like, found out, my cat was missing."
"She... does have a point, Rogue."
"Shut up! I... I'm not gonna try to defend myself anymore. Kitty, get down, and stay down, no matter what you think, no matter what happens. You are too weak to help out, and that's final. Got it?""
Kitty pouted. "Fine... Erine! She... said something, before..." Kitty closed her eyes, welcoming the unconciousness. "Her name- Kathy..." Kitty's eyes suddenly flew wide open. "Katherine!"
"You're worryin' about her NOW?" Rogue exclaimed.
"No, I mean, yes- I, I mean... Erine IS Katherine! From what she's done around me, and what you guys have told me about her..."
"What?"
Cyclops's laser beams cut close to their corner, quickly cutting a deadly robot in half.
"Hurry it up there, Miracle! Rogue!" Cyclops called out.
"Aww, shut your trap and open your eyes, we're busy, we'll be there in a few seconds!" Rogue shouted at him.
Kitty laughed, but it soon turned into a raw coughing bit.
"Kitty?" Suddenly Erine appeared right by her side, beaten and sore. Mystique/Colleen had locked her up as well. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Erine!"
"Katze!" Nightcrawler called out. "Hurry up and get busy!"
Katze shook her head. "Kitty... My sorry! My sorry! I should have to listen never to Minuit! My sorry! My sorry!" Katze started to bawl, cat cries mixing with the sobs. "My fault, it be my all fault! I you drag here... I bring bad people! I bring bad place! My sorry! My sorry... I want never things bad to happen-"
"Katze, are you Katherine?"
"Katherine be name Master give me... Bad people name Kathy, Min call Kathy... almost. I say Erine. People name Erine. Other human name be Katze."
"So you're saying Min turned you into a person?" Mir asked.
"Yes. I want to become friend to Master. Kitty!" Katze howled in sorrow.
"This wasn't your fault, Katherine," Kitty said weakly.
Suddenly, all the robots stopped attacking. They dropped to the ground with a heap. Cautiously everyone stopped what they were doing.
"The battle has just begun," said in a strange voice. Mystique popped out of thin air and into the middle of things.
"She's possessed!" Everlast cried out. "Grandmother..."
"That's Colleen to your mother... It's Colleen to you as well!" Mystique/Colleen grabbed Everlast by the arm.
"Hey, you let her go!" Miracle yelled and stormed over to them as Everlast cried out in alarm. Mystique/Colleen laughed.
"There's no way you two can harm me without the help of your friends... and I don't think you have all the support there, either." Mystique/Colleen threw Everlast to the floor and walked over to Nightcrawler.
"Well, Kurt? What is your answer to my question?" Mystique asked in her normal voice.