================================
PART 5
"Target: Charles Xavier"
================================

Betsy collapsed on the couch, letting out a long sigh. Her hair was still wet from swimming and clung to her face, the curls pulled straight by the weight of the water. Scott and Kurt had volunteered to go out and rent a movie, leaving her the only student at the mansion at the moment. Last time Betsy had checked, Professor Xavier was in his study reading, other than that she was completely alone. Xavier apparently believed that he could get Creed to act more like a normal human being, rather than the savage beast he had become. Logan hadn't bought it, and had stormed off at the mere suggestion, riding off on his bike into parts unknown. He hadn't returned in weeks. Betsy sprawled herself out on the couch, looking out the window to see the stars strewn about in the black sky.

================================

Kwannon was crouching in a tree branch just outside the gate of the Xavier Institute. She had changed into her battle uniform, which consisted of thigh-high, dark blue leather boots, each with a dark band of leather which wrapped up around her thigh and connected with the main body of the suit, which was also made of dark blue leather and skin tight, providing great ease of movement. The main body was cut similar to a one-piece bathing suit, Kwannon liked to let her skin breathe. She also wore dark blue fingerless gloves, and strapped to her back were twin katanas. She looked the part of a beautiful ninja warrior, and was more than well-trained in the deadly arts of ninjitsu. What gave her even more of an advantage was her special "talents." Kwannon was a mutant, with the ability to blend in with shadows, teleport between said shadows, and psychic powers, with which she could form a telekinetic katana, which quite effectively destroyed the mind of her target. This was her weapon of choice, the katanas strapped to her back were really more for tradition's sake, although she occasionally used them if the occasion called for a less clean kill.

The assassin let out a soft exhale as she watched two young men drive away from the institute in a red convertible. It was time. She closed her eyes, transforming into what essentially was a living shadow. A blackness slowly crept over her, first covering her boots, then up the pale skin of her legs, over her torso, down her arms, and finally, her face vanished into darkness. Only then did she open her eyes, which had changed from dark brown to a softly glowing violet. She leapt off the tree branch, hitting the ground on the other side of the gate noiselessly. Kwannon shielded her mind, remembering that her target was also a telepath, so now she was unnoticeable to both eye and mind, the perfect assassin. She crept along the shadows until she found an open window, and let herself inside. Once inside the well-lit kitchen, she phased out of her shadow form, and relied purely on her stealth to get through the mansion undetected.

================================

Betsy grumbled, hitting the "power" button on the remote control and watched the images on the screen vanish back into the nothingness from whence they came.

"Nothing on, as usual," she sighed, pulling herself to her feet and making her way down the halls to the library. If there was nothing good to watch, maybe she could find something short and sweet to read until Scott and Kurt got back with a movie. She made her way up the stairs and down the hall to the library, passing by Professor X's study on the way. As she stopped at the library door and reached for the knob, she thought she saw some movement out of the corner of her eye. She felt an unfamiliar presence nearby, but she couldn't get a lock on it with her powers. Betsy followed her instincts and moved down the hall where she had seen the movement, just in time to see the Professor's door slide shut again. She paused for a moment, knowing that Xavier valued his privacy, and turned to go back to the library.

//X-Men! I need help! Quickly!// Xavier's voice rang in Betsy's head. He was panicked, which was rare for the Professor. She ran back down the hall, cursing herself for not following her instincts to begin with.

================================

Kwannon drew her katana, smiling grimly at the figure in the wheelchair, his eyes were filled with fear. She knew he was more than shocked that his telepathic powers didn't detect her, and probably more surprised that his telepathic "bolt" didn't knock her unconscious.

"Professor Charles Xavier, I hope you die well---" Kwannon was interrupted by the door swinging open, the figure of a young girl darting inside with a cry and leaping on the assassin's back. She reprimanded herself quietly for letting this girl get the jump on her as she collapsed to the ground with the force of the impact, her katana clattering across the floor. Kwannon looked up at the girl, who now had a fist raised in the air, a blade of what she recognized as pure psychic energy raised in the air. She quickly brought her own psi-katana up to block the strike. Kwannon brought her legs up to kick the girl squarely in the chest, easily knocking the wind out of her. Xavier wheeled out quickly from behind his desk, mentally calling out for more help.

Betsy could hear the Professor's cries in her mind, they caused her head to throb due to their intensity and her proximity to the Professor. She tried to block them out and concentrate on the fight, but the blow she had just received had impaired her ability to continue in the battle. She saw the assassin coming at her, her psi-katana crackling with glowing, purple psychic energy as it swung towards her head. She managed to block with her own smaller blade, but the force of the older woman's blow knocked them both back over the Professor's desk, sending papers and books scattering over the ground. They continued to roll, crashing through the enormous window behind Xavier's desk, glass slicing into their flesh. Their momentum carried them further, tumbling out of the second-story window and onto the ground. Betsy was stricken unconscious by the fall, but Kwannon expertly landed, muttering curses in Japanese at the girl. The assassination was a failure, but some good might come of it after all. She regarded the unconscious girl, pondering the powers she had used against the expert assassin, very much like the assassin's own powers. Matsu'o might be able to put her to good use, after a bit of persuasion. Kwannon heard a car pulling into the front driveway of the mansion, and made a quick decision to bring the girl's unconscious body with her back to her master, Matsu'o. She wrapped her arms around the young one's torso and hefted her onto her badly cut shoulder, retreating swiftly into the woods.

================================
To Be Continued
================================