Chapter Five

Practice, Practice, Practice

"AI-YEA!" Yoshiko whirled around and did a spinning jump kick.

Logan stepped to the left and grabbed her ankle in mid air, and preventing her from landing, sending her to the ground with a loud thud.

"You need to gain speed kiddo," Logan smirked, "No speed, and they can see you attack before you even try."

Yoshiko starred at the blue sky on her back, her bangs mocked her as they swayed in her face from the cool breeze passing by. The grass beneath her tickled her bear feet, with a groan she sat up and starred up at Logan from the ground.

"Yes Logan-sensei," Yoshiko mumbled, "May I try again please."

"If your up to it kiddo," He held out a hand for her to get up.

She ignored it and got up herself, for a strange reason she always refused people's helped weather it was a small thing like getting up off the floor or a big thing like homework. Yoshiko stood up, she brushed aside her black and white bangs and put her hands together and bowed deeply before she took a low cat stance.

"Persistent little kid isn't she?" Scott said as he watched from the library window.

"She's been at it all day with Logan," Kurt said, this time he had a real banana in his hand that he was munching away at, "Poor girl, it's just bringing down her self esteem, she'll never be able to beat Logan."

"Oh come on! She's a very bright kid, I'm sure she'll figure it out somehow!" Jean said, she snapped the book shut that she was reading, "I say after her practice we take her out for a day on the town, I bet she's never seen a grocery store before!"

"Oh that sounds fun!" Kitty giggled, "I'm sure she'd like that! What do you think Rogue?"

"Me? Na, I have some homework that's due tomorrow," Rogue lied, she didn't really want to go anywhere with Jean, "Besides, I've just got back from the mall the other day."

"Oh, that's too bad," Jean said, "We'll pick something up for you if you want."

"No thanks," Rogue grabbed a book and pretended to read it, "I'm fine."

"AI--AHH!"

Yoshiko was about to do a high kick to Logan's face but he hit the ground and kicked her leg she was standing on out beneath her sending her back to the ground whence she came. She fell with a thud and a loud groan, she quickly got up and bowed again.

"Please Sensei!" Yoshiko pleaded, "May I try again? I'm bound to-"

"-No," He finished before she could start, "You've been at it all morning, I think it's time we stop." He grabbed a towel off a near by tree and tossed it to her, "Will'yea quit calling me Sensei?"

He grabbed an extra towel and wiped the little beads of sweat from his face, Yoshiko grabbed the towel out of the air and threw it to the ground.

"Onegaisimasu!!" Yoshiko yelped. (Please!!)

"Later," Logan grumbled reluctantly, "Later tonight, when it's cooler."

"Yakusoku-suru!" (Make it a promise!)

"Sure, sure, fine, fine, I promise!" He picked up the towel from the ground and threw it at her face, "Now go back to English! Your making me think!"

"Arigatoo gozaimasu!! (Thank you very much!!)"

Yoshiko giggled and stepped into the shadow of the tree, with a small blink of the eye she seemed to blend in, she was gone before he could notice she was.

Yoshiko was transported by the shadows to her bedroom, she striped off the white fighting uniform they had given her and jumped into a clean orange sari and white under top. She glanced at her sandals that staid lined up by the door, she hadn't worn them even once since she arrived. She never had to. She was either inside, traditional Japanese don't wear shoes indoors, or she was outside where it was starting to get nice and warm and she felt like it wasn't necessary to wear shoes.

She looked up when she herd a knock on the door, she walked over to open it up to see Kitty standing out there with one of her giddy smiles on her face.

"Hey Yoshiko!" Kitty stepped inside when Yoshiko opened it wider for her to enter, "Me and some of the others are going into town, do you wanna come with? We were going to get some ice cream, have you had ice cream?"

"Eye-see Sk-team?"

"Ice, cream," Kitty said nice and slow, they were told by Mr. McCoy when ever Yoshiko tried to say something, to repeat it more slowly and sound it out so she'll learn it quicker, "It's a frozen treat your bound to love! Everyone loves ice cream! Even the Professor!"

"Really?" Yoshiko cocked her head, "Yes! Time?"

"We're leaving right now, get your shoes on!" Kitty left with a wave as she phased threw the ground below, "We'll meet you in the garage!"

Yoshiko grabbed her jade pendent off from her dresser and quickly put it on her right ankle, she grabbed her thin leather sandals and tied them on. She ran to a shadow, with a blink, and was out of sight.

"Aisukurimu!" (Ice Cream!)

"Let's hit the ice cream shop first!" Kurt said, "I'm hungry!"

"What's new?" Scott looked back at Kurt threw the rearview mirror.

"What does aisukurimu taste like?" Yoshiko asked, Kitty and Kurt cocked their heads and looked at Yoshiko who was sitting between them in the back seat of the car and then to Jean who was sitting in the front seat with Scott.

"Aisukrimu, (EYE-SOOK-RAYE-MU) it's ice cream in Japanese," Jean said with a giggle, "Yoshiko, say it in English or we won't get you any."

"But it's hardest word!" Yoshiko gave a small jump as they passed a large truck, the convertible's winds whipped around the car with speeds of 50 and 60.

"But it's a hard word," Jean corrected her, "Come on, you can do it, just get use to it!"

"Icea Creamasu!" Yoshiko tried to say it but it didn't come out quite right, "Ice a creamay? Ice cremus? Icea Creamay?"

"Eye-ceas" Kitty said slowly, "Kree-eem."

Kitty couldn't help but giggle when Yoshiko frowned and stuck out her tongue at her own feet, they pulled up to the ice cream shop and everyone pilled out. Yoshiko skipped in and popped up on her tippy toes to see over the counter, which everyone else could see over easily, she starred at the many colors in awe and looked up at Scott.

"Which one is ice cream-may?" Yoshiko asked.

"Well, they all are acutely," Scott bent down to her level and pointed at a pink one, "Like, that one is ice cream, but it tastes like strawberries." He pointed to a brown one, "That one too, but it tastes like chocolate."

"Wow!!" Yoshiko peered at the ice cream in awe, "I want try them all!!"

"I want to try them all," Jean corrected her, "Just pick one flavor, and next time you can try a different one all right Yoshiko?"

"Hai!"

Once they had all gotten their ice creams. -Kurt three scoops rocky road, Kitty one scoop vanilla, Scott one scoop chocolate chip mint, Jean one scoop bubble gum, and Yoshiko one baby cone of green tea ice cream.- They all headed to the mall to go look around and see if any new shops had opened, Scott wanted to stop at the magazine store and buy a monthly issue of "Garage Monthly" Kurt wanted to check out the cook books, so the boys dropped Kitty, Jean and Yoshiko at the mall and they left to the book and magazine shop.

"We'll be back in an hour!" Scott said as the two drove off, "See-yea!"

"See you!" Yoshiko waved bye to them also, "See you!"

"Come on Yoshiko," Kitty said as their small group went into the mall, "Do you wanna get some new clothes?"

"Clowe-th-es?" Yoshiko managed to spit out, "Nani?" (What?)

"Klothe-thes," Jean said slowly as she pulled on Yoshiko's sleeve, "If you like the ones you have now that's okay, we can do something else. But if you like we can get you a new outfit for when Dekua comes down."

"Really!" Yoshiko squealed, "I can!?"

"Sure!" Kitty picked Yoshiko up and prepped her up on her waist, "Why not!"

They found the nearest clothes department and picked out three new pairs of jeans and two shorts, two shirts, two tank tops, and one sweater, for Yoshiko and a new pair of tenni shoes that they guessed she probably wouldn't wear out very easily considering she hardly even wore her sandals she had then.

They were walking out of a shoes department when they saw Lance and his group walking in their direction. Kitty and Jean both stopped in their tracks, was it such a good idea to let Yoshiko meet up with them? What if they told Mystique? Mystique would surely go after such a young mind to toy with, and to turn against Charles Xavier.

The group consisted of Lance Alvers, a teen who could make geographical tremors. Tambitha "Boom Boom" Smith, who could make small telekenitic bombs. Fredrick "Freddy" J. Dukes who could become immovable mass, he is very strong and also very fat. Todd "Toad" Tolansky, he has very stronge leg muscles and a prehensile tongue, and could spit out large amounts of slim from his mouth, his skin was also very discolored. Last but not least, Mystique, or her given name; Raven Darkhome. She is a lady in her last twenties with a morphing capavlility, cerilean skin and pure yellow eyes. She is the person who created the "Brother Hood of Mutants" a group bent on Mutants taking over the world and human civilization as we know it.

"Dotira-sama? (They are?)" Yoshiko tugged on Kitty's shirt and pointed at the other party, "Tomodatis? (Perhaps, friends?)"

"Hm? Dono? (Hm? What?)" Kitty looked down at Yoshiko, and then back up at Jean, "What do we do?"

"Act normal," Jean said, as she led the way, "If they ask, she's a daughter of my Dad's friend and she's from out of town."

Kitty nodded, Yoshiko on the other hand was a bit confused. The three walked past the other group and ignored them as if they were just passing people, Yoshiko peered up at Pietro and gave a small smile.

"Whose the kid?" Pietro asked as he stopped, "New student of Xavier's?"

"No," Jean said casually, "She's a daughter of my Dad's friend, Yoshiko is from out of town and we're just showing her around Bayville."

Boom Boom looked Yoshiko up and down, "What's with the toga?"

"Watashi moosiwake? (Excuse me?)" Yoshiko stopped peering at Pietro and peered up at Boom Boom instead.

"She said nothing," Jean said as she put a hand on Yoshiko's shoulder, "Come on, let's go."

Lance looked to Kitty, Kitty blushed and gave a small wave as she turned to catch up with Yoshiko and Jean. He watched as the three girls walked away and out of hearing distance, he looked to Freddy and Pietro.

"Mutant?" Freddy asked as he watched them leave also.

"Most definitely," Lance said, he looked to Pietro, "Should we tell Mystique?"

"No..." Pietro mumbled, "Not right now at least..."