Disclaimer, I always seem to forget these things, well, yadda yadda. You know whom belongs to whome by now.
Chapter Four: Of Two Minds
This was strange. This was strange.
Kurt started at the duality of his thoughts. He looked up, lowering his hands from where they had been grasping the sides of his head. What was going on? What was going on?
He looked around the alley. Somehow it seemed sharper, clearer. He knew there was a rat behind that Dumpster. He knew that it was going to stop raining here soon. Kurt placed a hand over his stomach, trying to soothe the sudden feeling of nausea. He hadn't eaten for quite a while, he should be starving. But now, the mere thought of food, and food he knew he couldn't digest, let alone name, turned his stomach.
The last thing he remembered seeing was a flash of blue light and pain. A sudden sensation of needing to be back in Upstate New York crossed his mind. He wondered where the thought came from, he certainly hadn't been thinking of home. But now, it seemed like a nice thought. Kitty's smiling face, Evan's constant chatter, Scott's perfection, Jean's long hair, Rogue's acerbic attitude, Logan's distance, Ororo's calm, and Xavier's guidance. Even the Brotherhood crossed his mind, with a scowl, but he missed them in an odd way. Any familiar thing would be welcomed in the cold, pounding Seattle rain.
His thoughts turned to Traddess. His ethics teachers, Sean O'Shanna had turned out to be an alien Jedi named Ce'it Ki Oshanna, much to Kurt's delight. Ce'it had proven his mettle time and time again. Donnye and Skimmer still confused him, the young mutant had not had the chance to spend much time with them. But he had to admit, he was fascinated by all things Traddess.
For some odd reason, his thoughts hung on Ce'it. Had the Jedi been Human, he might have been Kurt's father. But he wasn't, Kurt pouted. The elf hunkered down, trying to coax more shelter from the Dumpster.
The ride to the Port of Seattle was rough at best. The logging truck made a point of seeking out every pothole from here to the Pacific Coast, and his aching tail and back still felt them all.
He chewed on one lip, a white fang flashing in the dim light. Didn't Char and Menga come from here? Perhaps there was a group of mutants in this area that could help him get back home, but how? How could he find them? Find them.
Kurt paused at the echo in his mind. Find them. He had to find them, but how? It wasn't like he could just walk up to the information booth and ask where the nearest group of mutants were. He crouched in the deepening shadows.
The light faded from the sky, the clouds muting what little light the streetlights afforded. At least he had some cover. Kurt poked his head from the alley, slapping himself slightly on the forehead when he saw what perched just beyond the corner. A payphone, and hopefully functional.
A quick glance determined the road to be clear, and he darted to the phone, typing in the first number that came to mind.
Donnye scowled at the readout hovering above his desk. The image of the Earth was dotted with red and blue blotches, irregularities in the Balance. They would dissipate soon, and hopefully before any permanent damage was done to the ecosystem.
The phone rang, and he picked it up, answering absently since only the members of Traddess had access to such a number, "Meyek."
"Oh, sorry, vrong number." The voice was familiar, he knew this person. His mind flashed through the thousands of beings he knew, starting with the most recent.
"Kurt?" he switched to speaking English. "How did you get this number, and why are you calling me?"
"Zith isn't Professor Xavier, is it?"
"No, It's Donnye."
"Donnye?!" Hope and happiness filled the distant voice. "Man, I'm stuck in Seattle, and I want to go home!"
"Calm down, stay hidden, we've traced the phone call. You'll be home soon."
"How soon?"
Donnye tapped a flat black panel, and a display covered in Itexian text filled the air before him. He traced a few words, highlighting them. "Keron," he said softly. Yellow light flashed in the room, and a very confused Kurt stood in front of him, soaked and smelling of grease, trees, and garbage. Donnye wrinkled his nose, "Ug, fast enough?"
Kurt looked around, confused. He looked around again, his expression lost. Then he brightened. "This is it! Traddess! I really am back in New York!" His yellow eyes turned to Donnye. "How did I get here?"
The being in question motioned absently to the wall beside him. "Just a little bit of technology that hopefully your people will develop sometime in your lifetime."
Kurt's mouth formed into a silent "O". "Can we go home now," he whispered quietly.
"We?"
"Vat do you mean, ve?"
"You said, 'Can we go home now?' Who is 'we'?"
"I don't know vat you are talking about."
Donnye stood, pacing around Kurt, sniffing at him from time to time. "I have been around too many odd things to not let 'we' pass by. Something is not right here."
Kurt was suddenly very worried, Donnye took a small step back as his scent changed. "I remember a strange blue light, zen mien head hurt."
The Shapechanger looked at Kurt, whispering something fast and fluid.
"No, but danke."
Donnye's brows burrowed into the bridge of his nose. "I just spoke in Mersakii."
"Mer-Mersakii? Like Ce'it?"
He nodded gravely. "He had an accident, and due to the Imbalance, he become separated from his body. Which is healing nicely."
Kurt couldn't explain the sudden rush of relief that flooded him.
The small Shapechanger walked around the desk, pulling a multipurpose scanner from a drawer. He tapped at it a few times, passing it over Kurt's head. Two lines, not to dissimilar from the readout from a seismograph, flitted across its surface. Two lines, not one. Two lines, one red and one blue. Two lines, one strong and dominate, the other quiet, barely registering anything.
"Vat does zis mean?" Kurt was looking over his hand at the scanner.
Donnye tapped Kurt's forehead. "It means that you better take care of yourself, you're eating for two."
"Vat?!"
"In his noncorporeal form, Ce'it must have gone looking for you." Donnye pointed to where Seattle was on the hovering Earth. "There is a large disturbance above that area, it would have killed him if he got too close. I presume he took refuge in your head."
"Vat?" Kurt was confused.
Donnye tapped his forehead again, speaking something soft and quick.
"Ja, I understand you."
"Kurt, I want you to relax, think of nothing. Just say whatever it is that comes in your mind first."
The mutant nodded, nervous. "Ja, but I don't zink it'll do anyzing."
"Just try it."
What happened to me? "What happened to me?" Kurt started, surprised at the unbidden, half-form thought. And at his lack of an accent. He breathed deeply, a quacking, shuddering breath. "Thalano nalla gorani hasakerrnera?"
"You're stuck in Kurt's head, Ce'it. Just relax and we will try to get you out." Donnye focused his eyes firmly on Kurts'. "And that goes for you, too. I'd rather not sedate you."
"Vat did I say?"
"You said nothing. Ce'it said that he wanted out, it's crowded." Donnye placed a hand on Kurt's arm, turning him towards the door. "Time to get you back to the mansion, odds are everyoine is worried about you."
"I am worried about me."
"Kurt!" Kitty jumped up from the couch, running towards the blue elf. She phased through the coffee table, grabbing him in a fierce hug. "Keety," he gasped, trying to push her away, "Glad to see you, too."
"Where were you, man?" Evan put down the video game controller.
"Seattle, but Donnye brought me back. Vere's the Professor?"
"He's with Cerebro." Kitty released her death-hold, standing at arm's length.
"Danke, I vould like to see him."
"Is something wrong?" Evan stood, concern on his dark features.
"Ja, but maybe he can fix it."
"Like, what happened?" Kitty's blue eyes pinned Kurt to the spot. He had to look away. "It's a long story. Don't vorry, you'll find out soon enough."
"Good, I don't think I can wait long!" Even quipped.
Kurt smiled sheepishly, walking across the room, Donnye in tow.
Professor Xavier was where he was promised to be, eyes closed and his thoughts far away in the maze of sensors that was Cerebro.
He sighed, removing the helmet. "I am glad to see that you are well, Kurt. We were all very worried." He turned his chair to face Donnye and Kurt fully. "What happened? You are nervous, and there is something else…different about you, I'm not sure as to what."
Donnye spoke first, "He must have teleported when the Imbalance struck, and it affected his powers. He ended up in Seattle, but he was able to contact me in order for me to bring him here. While he was in Seattle, Ce'it went to look for him, and was trapped in a disturbance in the Qua'Xia just above the city. In his spectral form, it must have been painful." Donnye motioned to Kurt with a hand. "He sought refuge in Kurt. Perhaps there is something the most powerful telepath on this planet can do."
"We need to return Ce'it to his body."
"Not yet." Kurt was startled by his response. Donnye and Xavier stared at him.
"Are you sure?" the Professor's voice was soft.
"I am, but I don't know how."
"When you are ready, I will help you. But first, a bath."
It had taken Logan guarding the door to the bathroom for Kurt to bathe in peace. He curled his blue toes, sinking deeper into the water, soaking the worse of the grease and road dirt off. Kurt was home, Ce'it was in his head, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was not quite right. Frowning, he concentrated in that something, amazed at his sudden focus. The world snapped into startling clarity. Logan's determination to guard the door. Char and Kitty talking softly. Rogue and Evan arguing. Scott and Jean going over some math homework, and Scott's frustration at the assignment.
The soft gentle power of the wind blowing through the trees, the peaceful abundance of life. Dark blots of unhappy thoughts, painful red swirls of Qua'Xia. He could sense it, see it, almost but not quite, touch it. Some of it, oddly intelligent, reached out to him, then curled back, confused. Something was wrong.
Kurt reached out, but it stayed just out of range. The Force backed away from him, remote, alien.
And so familiar.
Like an old friend from many years ago. Like a half-forgotten snippet of a childhood dream. Like the mind of a Jedi trapped in his own.
Ce'it needed the Force. Kurt reached deeper into himself, seeking the Jedi.
An aura of pale blue filled his mind, weak and confused. It reacted out of instinct and need, not under the conscious control of anybody. It was afraid. And it was Ce'it. The Jedi had been badly weakened by his ordeal, and he continued to fade.
A thin tendril of blue reached for the Force, drinking it in a sip at a time. Kurt gasped at the sudden rush of warmth, his senses spiking.
Logan was thinking of the newspaper article he had read that morning. Kitty and Char where thinking that they were going to miss each other, but hadn't told each other yet. Scott was thinking of Rogue, and how pretty she would be if she just relaxed, and he knew how she felt, to be deprived of something everyone took for granted. He envied her sight.
The quiet rush of Donnye and Xavier's minds.
The life and death struggle of existing.
The Balance.
Kurt screamed, placing his hands on his head, but it was not time to stop, he had to finish what he started. With a push, the door was held shut milliseconds before Logan rushed through. Kitty was ordered to stay out, before she had even heard the scream.
When he had teleported, Qua'Xia had disrupted the delicate balance within himself. Now, it was nothing, but he knew, he saw what would happen if it didn't get fixed.
Ce'it's unconscious mind sought out the imbalance, snapping it into order. It was small, a mere twist of the Force, and so deep within himself that he knew, he sensed, that it could not be fixed except from within. And by the time it was big enough to be sensed outside, the damage would be done.
Only know did Kurt sense the imbalance, and only now did he sense it's disappearance.
Logan raised his hand, claws sliding out of his knuckles. A quick, rushed thought filled his mind, stunning him immobile for a second. To Ce'it.
He nodded, sheathing his spurs and trotting down the hall. Kitty phased through him so he wouldn't run her over.
"Hey!" she shouted, trotting to catch up to him.
Logan didn't respond, only stopping when he reached Ce'it's too-still form. Donnye, Jean, and the Professor were already there. Kurt bamfed in a second later, wearing a loose pair of sweats. His blue fur was matted to his body, flecks of soap spotting him. "Get me out of here!" He grabbed hold of the sides of his head.
"Jean, hold Kurt's mind! I will assist Ce'it!"
Jean rushed forward, placing her hands on the side of Kurt's head, closing her eyes. Kutr could feel her mind race through his like a lance, but he held onto her light, her thoughts. He cringed, "Got him."
Another mind, far more powerful and older, speared into Kurt's mind, darting around his thoughts. He reached the soft blue glow that was Ce'it and wrapped him in his embrace.
Kurt gasped, his hands digging into Jean's forearms. He didn't remember grabbing her. "Focus on me," she ordered. "Pay no attention to anything else."
"Arghhh…how?"
"Well, I hear the megaplex is playing 'Revenge of the Swampthing'. How about we go?"
Kurt started, go to a movie, with Jean? "Ah, sure."
"And after the movie, was can go out for ice cream. "
"Oh, ice cream, I love ice cream!"
"Perhaps rent a few video games that we can play deep into the night." Her mind whispered to him, trapping his thoughts. "Or, would you like to watch and old movie, just you and me?" An image of himself wrapped in Jean's arms filled his mind. She forced him to focus on her, distracting him. "I hear the original special edition of the 'Walking Dead' had just been released on DVD." A fleeting image of a startled Jean seeking refuge in his arms.
"That would be nice." His mind whispered back.
She grabbed onto a memory, enhancing it and playing it back as a future possibility. "How about next time we get the chance, going to that beach you keep talking about and watch that sunset?" In his mind, he saw them walk down the beach, the silver sand parting at their feet. The ocean was stained with gold.
Jean played the memory, a pleasant distraction.
Xavier gasped. Ce'it had burrowed deep into Kurt's psyche, trying to protect himself. Jean was doing her part well, Kurt's mind had balled up around hers, reliving pleasant thoughts.
The Jedi was another matter. His mind was a jumble of instincts and confusion, Xavier feared that if he was to rescue Ce'it, he first must subdue him. Xavier reached for him, gently, exuding calm and friendship. He felt an older mind, an ancient and powerful ally tickle his senses. Donnye added his own unique flavor, and Ce'it responded, a quieting of the turmoil. A flash of regret and Donnye's mind was gone, but he had started the process to calm the Jedi.
Xavier likened Ce'it to a scared puppy, alone and confused. He reached out, soothing Ce'it's thoughts. Alien images of planets and stars flickered for a moment. Bits of memory. A flash of spots on a graceful neck. Calm gray eyes. Delicately pointed ears. Ships traveling faster than light. The cat-like K'Payr. Skimmer's sleek hull. A weapon of glowing blue light.
The half-gotten smile of his mother, the anguished cry of an orphan.
Xavier did not notice the tear roll down his cheek; he had a Jedi to save.
He wrapped the fading mind in a cocoon of warmth, of being there when needed, of comfort. Ce'it responded slowly, the roiling in his mind calming. Xavier was surprised at how weak the mind seemed, and it was growing weaker.
Xavier cupped it in mental hands, pulling it delicately from Kurt. He keep soothing it, doing his best not to disturb the mind. The last think he wanted to do was for Ce'it to bolt deeper into Kurt, forever removing the possibility of rescue.
Xavier opened his eyes, looking at a globe of blue light no larger than the average bowling ball. The light swirled slowly, exploring its new environment. Kurt sagged against Jean, smiling, "He's gone." His eyes slid shut, and she lowered him to the floor. Char, Scott, and Evan crowded the doorway. Kitty had her head poking through the wall, her roommate beside her. Logan just leaned impassively on the wall across the hall, trying to look unconcerned and failing. Xavier knew him better.
He turned to Ce'it's still body, placing the globe of blue light on the chest. "Go home."
The light sat on the chest, considering the request. It took only a second for it to make up its mind, disappearing into the Jedi's body.
A fleeting feeling of joy surprised the Professor. He smiled as Ce'it took in one shuddering, deep breath. The Jedi remained unconscious.
Jean levitated Kurt, floating him to a chair next to Ce'it's bed. She covered him with a blanket. With a wordless nod, she backed out of the room, letting Kurt and Ce'it sleep off their ordeal.
Ce'it woke up. Not that he hadn't woke up before in his life, but his time it was different. He could blink. He could feel the warmth of the blankets, the air rushing into his chest, the beating of his own heart.
And the bandages wrapped around his aching thigh and belly. He winced. Those were going to leave scars.
Kurt was asleep in the chair next to him, his chin resting on his chest.
The door opened, a spear of light playing over the blankets. Xavier rolled in, several pairs of eyes vying to peer in for an update.
Ce'it smiled.
"How do you feel?"
"Tired, sore, whole." His stomach growled audibly. "Hungry."
Xavier smiled. "Then, let us get you something to eat."
Just one more chapter to go on this one, folks! If you want to see more Star wars and X-Menevo X-over, just tell me! BTW, "Not Easy Being Fuzzy" has a secret chapter, rather weird so I haven't posted it yet. Okay…it's VERY weird, and only because it explains how my AU Star Wars universe (which has a Earth from the Shadowrun Role-Playing Game) and the X-Men Evo universe (which has its own Earth) are tied together. Kinda cool, kinda weird. Kinda fun to play with.