The Young & Hopeless: Chapter One

Mutie

***

Disclaimer: X-Men: Evolution, and all characters, logos, and such belong to Marvel Comics, and probably a few other nameless companies. Daqyrii D'yarat belongs to Dead Caffeine Junkie, thanks very much for letting me use/abuse him ^_~

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Pietro sighed blissfully, as he lay awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It had been a long night, after going on three dates with three differant women. Amanda..no, wait, Amara? Nonono, that was one of the X-geeks. Maybe...Amilea? Emilia? Yeah, that was it. Emilia, Jennifer? Yeah, Jenny. She'd been hot. Who was that last one? Oh well, Didn't matter, she'd been ugly. Emilia, Jenny, and some-

He was jarred violently from his thoughts, and his bed, as the house shuddered. "LANCE!" He shouted irratibly, pushing himself up off the floor. Another tremble shook the floor, followed by his sister's own shrieks at the teen. "What is he so worked up about?" The trembling hadn't stopped, but at least it wasn't as strong as before...

"Maybe I'd better go see what's up..." he muttered, slamming the door behind him as he zoomed downstairs, where the Brotherhood had rathered to gape at the TV. "What's wrong?" he asked, but got no response. Lance's hands were balled into fists, as he sat on the couch glaring at the TV, Todd next to him looking equally angry. Standing next the the couch was Fred, a badly squished sandwhich in his fist.

Pietro didn't even have to look at the TV to know what had them so angry. He'd seen it before, many times, and it angered him as much as it did the Brotherhood, yet he looked anyway, and an all to familiar sight greeted him.

New York,New York. He reconized one of his favorite Italian resturants in the background, although it was obscured by a large, angry mob, weilding signs with anti-mutant slurs, marching around the street, blocking traffic, shouting mutant obseneties. It had been a familiar sight in the weeks that followed the exposure of mutants to the world, yet whenever he saw it, somthing stirred inside him, an angry emotion, akin to hatred, yet stronger than he had ever felt before.

Behind him, a growl signified Wanda's enterance, but nobody looked up, to entranced they were by the scene unfolding on the screen. One of the mob pointed at a passing kid, probably because he was dressed entirly in black, or because his hair was dyed blue, or just because he was there, and yelled "Mutie!" The response from the mob was the same as always. As one, they lurched towards the kid, who stood there with a Deer-in-the-headlights expression before running.

"How do they even know he's a mutant?" Fred growled, sending mustard spraying across the room.

"That's just it, Fred, They don't. And they don't care if he is either." Pietro replied in a bitter voice, before turning and walking past his sister, and into the front hall, not wanting to watch anymore. He already knew what would happen. Either the kid would get away or wouldn't. Either he would be revieled as a mutant, or he wouldn't. Either he would die, or he'd live.

It was things like that made him wonder how the X-geeks could stand by their beliefs, preaching of a perfect world where humans and mutants lived peacefully. Couldn't they see what was happeneing in the world around them? didn't they care? No, His father was right, Humans and mutants would never get along.

Never.

***

Marilyn Manson screamed into the stolen headphones of Daqyrii D'yarat as he worked his way through the crowd in New York, New York. He had no real goal, other than to find a place to sleep, maybe even someone to sleep with, if he could find someone in one of the clubs.

"Mutants Suck!" "Die Mutant Scum!" "Go Back To Hell!"

Daqyrii jerked his headphones off as he heard the shouts of another mutant protest, somthing he had become familiar with in the past few weeks. "What's the big deal, anyway?" he muttered to himself darkly, Shoving past a group of people that had stopped to watch the protest with a sick intrest.

"Mutie!" The word echoed like a death sentance

Daqyrii rolled his eyes, as he turned to see who the mob had picked to maul, and froze. They were coming right at him! Suddenly, he wished he had taken the long way to the club, as he tripped backwards, and turned to run.

He wondered breifly what made those poeple think he was a mutant, anyhow? Was it his blue hair? Maybe he shouldn't have dyed it...No, it was probably his eyes, since grey and amber we'ren't exactly common eyes colors...

The mob was gaining on him, and suddenly he wished he had worked out more, or that he has eaten more, or that...

One of the Mob fired a gun at him, sending a wave of dirt into the air as the bullet missed it's mark.

"Fuck me, I'm gonna die"

***

Warren watched from atop one of the many towers in New York, keeping an eye on the Mutant Protest, there to prevent it from getting out of hand. Mutant and human casualties were climbing as anit-mutant protesting swept the nation, and he had decided to play his part and try to prevent at least one death.

Already, his alter ego, Angel, had been dubbed a Mutant, somthing the papers had had a fieldday with. Various people had taken it upon themselves to take him out, so he knew he had to be careful. "Lay low," as Scott had said, but how could he in this chaos?

He watched as the crowd targeted some kid, and began to chase him, but he didn't go down. He hoped the kid would escape, that the mob would lose him. Laying low seemed like a good idea, and he hoped he wouldn't have to save the kid.

But as a gun was fired, he knew he would have to do somthing.

Jumping from the building, he let himself free-fall, before spreading his wings and heading for the kid.

It happened quickly, as another shot was fired, and as blood exploded from the kid's leg, the boy screamed. Angel felt weaker, and heaver, and realized his wings were...Shrinking! Angel flapped his wings as fast as he could, trying to ease his fall. Below him, the mob had stopped their chase, as they stummbled, all feeling quite suddenly very sick.

It was over quickly, Angel's strength returned to him, the mob moved to continue their chase, and the boy...The boy lay there, his leg leaking blood over the pavement.

Swearing, Angel swooped down, and scooped the bleeding kid in his arms, and shot off toward Xavier's Institute for the Gifted, hoping he wasn't to late.

***

Rouge lay in her bed, staring up at the blank white ceiling in the Medical Lab, still exhausted from her "Power-surge", as the professor had called it. Three days she had spent in here, to tired to think, to move, just laying there, in silence. It was interupped occasionally by Logan, the Professor, Mr. McCoy, and the rest of her "Family", as they all made a point to visit her and check on her,

Her silence was broken by a set of hurried footsteps, as Mr. McCoy burst through the doors, a blood-covered kid slung over his shoulder. They were followed by Logan, the Professor, and..."Warren?"

Warren glanced up to the sound of his name, and a faint smile touched his lips at the sight of her familiar face.

"Go ahead Warren, We'll can take it from here," Xavier reassured him, as Hank started to clean somthing on the kid's leg, and Logan began to hook him up to all sorts of machines.

Warren nodded his thanks, and went through the glass door to Rouge's "room".

"Hey," he offered, sitting down next to her bed, "It's good to see ya again."

Rouge smiled slightly, feeling her face grow warm. "It's good ta see ya to, Angel."

"Please, call me Warren"

"Warren," She repeated gently, before giving herself a mental smack, wondering was that hell was wrong with her? Instead, she turned to look at the kid, and asked: "What happened to him?"

He followed her gaze to the kid in the other room, "he was attacked by an anti-mutant mob. Shot."

"oh. So ah take it ya haven't been taken' Scott's advice?"

He smiled. "I have, don't worry. I kinda made an expection for him." Rouge smiled slightly, although the effort of carrying on the conversation tiring her out. "Why are you in here?"

She turned to face him, her smile gone. "Ah kinda lost control of mah powers, and Ah'm restin' up from it all."

Beast walked into the room, a smile on his face, as Warren stood up. "He's going to be fine"

***

Hello again, everyone! What did you think of the first chapter? Please tell me what you though, I'd like to know. I'm also still looking for a beta reader, and some more original characters if you'd be so kind as to send them in.

Love & Insanity,

Fiora-da-insane