Chasing The Flame
Chapter 5: Somewhat Straight
AN: Meh... I had to redo this chapter because I accidently saved six as five... I'll talk in six... later. *Twitches*
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He was sitting in the woods by the school again come lunch time the next day. Just watching, he told himself, grinning slightly as the blonde football player showed up again. What he wouldn't give to- He stopped, forgetting completely about the player as his little lighter came out, talking to another guy.
"So you understand the sonnet form now, right, Bobby?" Amara said, trying not to roll her eyes.
"Well… I guess, but really! What's the point of this poetry crap, anyways? It sounds like some cheap-"
"I should go. I'm uh… needing to study for a test…" She excused herself, waving as she took a step backwards, then turned, running. He had been on the same rant for the last hour, and frankly, it was getting old fast. She had always liked poetry, well… not so much reading as writing, but still. She sighed, stopping at one of the tables that sat under the trees and dropping down. With a happy smile she dragged her book out, ready to spend a nice time away from reality.
The smell of smoke made her look up. It wasn't much, but for someone as in tune with fire as she was it was enough to put her on guard. Of course, when someone started singing to himself it didn't help with the incognito bit at all.
She stood, reluctantly, heading into the trees. "I know you're here, John…" She called out. "And if you burn this place down I am going to be SOO irritated." She called, only to scream slightly as he dropped down from the trees in front of her.
"'Ello Love! Just droppin by fer a tick." He told her, grinning widely. "So 'ows things?"
"I thought you weren't stalking me anymore." She replied, with a huff. "It gets old, flame boy. Really fast." Her eye twitched as she realized he wasn't listening to her. "And I told you if you light this place up-" She stopped, blinking at the small dancer on his lighter. He was leaning against the tree, grinning at her as the little flame danced. The dancer morphed, changing to a miniature of the rose she had seen the other night.
"Why are you here, John? Don't you get it yet? You're an Acolyte, I'm an X men and… well… I don't like you like that." She couldn't force herself to look at him as she said that. She didn't think she liked him like that… sure, he was kind of funny, and cute, in a skinny sort of way, but… that didn't mean she liked him!
John sighed, dropping down Indian-style on the ground. "I know… Tis a sad thing." He looked up, hopefully. "D'ya think ya could learn?"
She sighed, tossing her hands up. "You don't learn that kind of stuff! At least, I don't think you do. But it doesn't matter. I'm one of the good guys… or girls, at least. And you're not." She blinked as he jumped to his feet, grabbing her by the shoulders again and kissing her full on the mouth.
"Yer brilliant!" He announced happily, then ran off, leaving her with an uneasy feeling. He turned once before he was out of sight, blowing a kiss. She frowned, not sure what he was thinking, but almost positive that it wasn't a good idea. With a frown she grabbed her bag and made her way back to the courtyard. For some reason she had lost her appetite.
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Gambit blinked, watching as the blonde started digging through the closet. "Bloody… can't fiond…" The blonde muttered, tossing outfit after outfit aside. "Oh well, I'll j'st 'avta use me own."
"Remy not sure he be wantin ta know what ya doin…" Gambit stated, crossing his arms over his chest as the other man stood, grinning widely.
"I'm goin straight." He replied proudly, making Gambit blink, looking slightly worried. "I'm gonna be a 'ero!"
"Oh… dat straight!" Pause… "BWAHAHAHAA!!"
"Roight. Ye'll be sorry when I 'ave me sheila and yer still alone." Pyro said, looking slightly offended as he walked past the still laughing cajun. He frowned though, not willing to ask what laid heavily on his mind until he was out of hearing distance. "Er… now if I only knew wha' goin straight consisted o'…"
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There was a group gathered in front of the large screen, laughing loudly. Amara sighed, not bothering to look as she walked past them and up the stairs. "Hey! Amara!! You should really see this!" She heard Kitty shout, stopping mid-step.
"I have a lot of homework, maybe you can tell me about it later, okay?" She replied, feeling the need for solitude.
"But it's your boyfriend!"
"Wh-what?!" She turned, tossing her bag to the side of the couch and forcing her way to the front of the crowd.
"Today, strangely enough the day has been saved by a self-proclaimed pyromaniac. The small townhouse on the side of fifth and vine caught fire unexpectedly after a leakage in the-" The sound of the news reporter's talk seemed to fade in the distance as the screen panned onto the "Triumphant hero." He was leaning down, arguing with what appeared to be a dog created out of fire. The room started cracking up as he turned to walk away, only to be followed by the "dog." He turned again, waving a finger at the dog in rebuke. Amara groaned in defeat. He was completely hopeless.
"It seems that this heroic pyromaniac has some magic tricks as well as a good heart. Perhaps these mutants aren't such bad people after all…" The reporter said, looking cautious. She could lose her job for this one and she knew it.
"He's insane! Did you see where he made the dog roll over?"
"I liked it when it played dead!" Jamie said, grinning widely.
"But now EVERYBODY will know his face… or his outfit at least…"
"Like that's something new." Amara sighed, turning away from the still chatting group and heading up the stairs, only to pause as Professor X called her telepathically. With a sigh she turned and headed for Xavier's office.
Charles looked up from his papers with a slight smile. "Amara! What a pleasure."
"Is there something I can do for you, professor? Because I have some homework that-"
"Oh, this shouldn't take long. I was just wondering about your response to the television program you just watched. Your friend seems quite helpful, don't you agree?"
"He's crazy. He has some great idea of becoming a good guy, but he does it all the wrong way!" She dropped down in the chair in front of his desk, shoving a hand into her hair. "He's constantly doing strange things, and he never thinks his actions out. It's driving me crazy!"
"I must admit, Mr. Allerdyce's approach has always been a bit… erratic, but it seems he saved many people from that fire today. And if I'm not mistaken, I do believe it was because of your influence on the boy."
"B-But… he's the enemy…"
"It is difficult, this war that we fight. More often than not the ones we call enemies are the ones that are most like us. I, myself, had a close friendship with Magento at one time." He sighed, looking away for a second before continuing.
"Life is made of decisions, Amara. And we do not always choose correctly. But we should not be so quick to place life into categories of good guys and bad. Not without understanding the motives behind the decisions." He gave her a bittersweet smile. "But I keep you from your pressing homework assignment. You are dismissed."
"Th-thank you, professor."
"Any time, Amara." He replied, looking as though he was returning to his memories as she left.
When she got to her room she tossed her bag into the corner, dropping down on the edge of the bed. Silently her head dropped into her hands, her shoulders shaking slightly. It was as though she was being attacked on all sides, but the worse part was… she didn't know what they wanted her to do in the first place.
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Chapter 5: Somewhat Straight
AN: Meh... I had to redo this chapter because I accidently saved six as five... I'll talk in six... later. *Twitches*
************************************
He was sitting in the woods by the school again come lunch time the next day. Just watching, he told himself, grinning slightly as the blonde football player showed up again. What he wouldn't give to- He stopped, forgetting completely about the player as his little lighter came out, talking to another guy.
"So you understand the sonnet form now, right, Bobby?" Amara said, trying not to roll her eyes.
"Well… I guess, but really! What's the point of this poetry crap, anyways? It sounds like some cheap-"
"I should go. I'm uh… needing to study for a test…" She excused herself, waving as she took a step backwards, then turned, running. He had been on the same rant for the last hour, and frankly, it was getting old fast. She had always liked poetry, well… not so much reading as writing, but still. She sighed, stopping at one of the tables that sat under the trees and dropping down. With a happy smile she dragged her book out, ready to spend a nice time away from reality.
The smell of smoke made her look up. It wasn't much, but for someone as in tune with fire as she was it was enough to put her on guard. Of course, when someone started singing to himself it didn't help with the incognito bit at all.
She stood, reluctantly, heading into the trees. "I know you're here, John…" She called out. "And if you burn this place down I am going to be SOO irritated." She called, only to scream slightly as he dropped down from the trees in front of her.
"'Ello Love! Just droppin by fer a tick." He told her, grinning widely. "So 'ows things?"
"I thought you weren't stalking me anymore." She replied, with a huff. "It gets old, flame boy. Really fast." Her eye twitched as she realized he wasn't listening to her. "And I told you if you light this place up-" She stopped, blinking at the small dancer on his lighter. He was leaning against the tree, grinning at her as the little flame danced. The dancer morphed, changing to a miniature of the rose she had seen the other night.
"Why are you here, John? Don't you get it yet? You're an Acolyte, I'm an X men and… well… I don't like you like that." She couldn't force herself to look at him as she said that. She didn't think she liked him like that… sure, he was kind of funny, and cute, in a skinny sort of way, but… that didn't mean she liked him!
John sighed, dropping down Indian-style on the ground. "I know… Tis a sad thing." He looked up, hopefully. "D'ya think ya could learn?"
She sighed, tossing her hands up. "You don't learn that kind of stuff! At least, I don't think you do. But it doesn't matter. I'm one of the good guys… or girls, at least. And you're not." She blinked as he jumped to his feet, grabbing her by the shoulders again and kissing her full on the mouth.
"Yer brilliant!" He announced happily, then ran off, leaving her with an uneasy feeling. He turned once before he was out of sight, blowing a kiss. She frowned, not sure what he was thinking, but almost positive that it wasn't a good idea. With a frown she grabbed her bag and made her way back to the courtyard. For some reason she had lost her appetite.
************************
Gambit blinked, watching as the blonde started digging through the closet. "Bloody… can't fiond…" The blonde muttered, tossing outfit after outfit aside. "Oh well, I'll j'st 'avta use me own."
"Remy not sure he be wantin ta know what ya doin…" Gambit stated, crossing his arms over his chest as the other man stood, grinning widely.
"I'm goin straight." He replied proudly, making Gambit blink, looking slightly worried. "I'm gonna be a 'ero!"
"Oh… dat straight!" Pause… "BWAHAHAHAA!!"
"Roight. Ye'll be sorry when I 'ave me sheila and yer still alone." Pyro said, looking slightly offended as he walked past the still laughing cajun. He frowned though, not willing to ask what laid heavily on his mind until he was out of hearing distance. "Er… now if I only knew wha' goin straight consisted o'…"
**********************
There was a group gathered in front of the large screen, laughing loudly. Amara sighed, not bothering to look as she walked past them and up the stairs. "Hey! Amara!! You should really see this!" She heard Kitty shout, stopping mid-step.
"I have a lot of homework, maybe you can tell me about it later, okay?" She replied, feeling the need for solitude.
"But it's your boyfriend!"
"Wh-what?!" She turned, tossing her bag to the side of the couch and forcing her way to the front of the crowd.
"Today, strangely enough the day has been saved by a self-proclaimed pyromaniac. The small townhouse on the side of fifth and vine caught fire unexpectedly after a leakage in the-" The sound of the news reporter's talk seemed to fade in the distance as the screen panned onto the "Triumphant hero." He was leaning down, arguing with what appeared to be a dog created out of fire. The room started cracking up as he turned to walk away, only to be followed by the "dog." He turned again, waving a finger at the dog in rebuke. Amara groaned in defeat. He was completely hopeless.
"It seems that this heroic pyromaniac has some magic tricks as well as a good heart. Perhaps these mutants aren't such bad people after all…" The reporter said, looking cautious. She could lose her job for this one and she knew it.
"He's insane! Did you see where he made the dog roll over?"
"I liked it when it played dead!" Jamie said, grinning widely.
"But now EVERYBODY will know his face… or his outfit at least…"
"Like that's something new." Amara sighed, turning away from the still chatting group and heading up the stairs, only to pause as Professor X called her telepathically. With a sigh she turned and headed for Xavier's office.
Charles looked up from his papers with a slight smile. "Amara! What a pleasure."
"Is there something I can do for you, professor? Because I have some homework that-"
"Oh, this shouldn't take long. I was just wondering about your response to the television program you just watched. Your friend seems quite helpful, don't you agree?"
"He's crazy. He has some great idea of becoming a good guy, but he does it all the wrong way!" She dropped down in the chair in front of his desk, shoving a hand into her hair. "He's constantly doing strange things, and he never thinks his actions out. It's driving me crazy!"
"I must admit, Mr. Allerdyce's approach has always been a bit… erratic, but it seems he saved many people from that fire today. And if I'm not mistaken, I do believe it was because of your influence on the boy."
"B-But… he's the enemy…"
"It is difficult, this war that we fight. More often than not the ones we call enemies are the ones that are most like us. I, myself, had a close friendship with Magento at one time." He sighed, looking away for a second before continuing.
"Life is made of decisions, Amara. And we do not always choose correctly. But we should not be so quick to place life into categories of good guys and bad. Not without understanding the motives behind the decisions." He gave her a bittersweet smile. "But I keep you from your pressing homework assignment. You are dismissed."
"Th-thank you, professor."
"Any time, Amara." He replied, looking as though he was returning to his memories as she left.
When she got to her room she tossed her bag into the corner, dropping down on the edge of the bed. Silently her head dropped into her hands, her shoulders shaking slightly. It was as though she was being attacked on all sides, but the worse part was… she didn't know what they wanted her to do in the first place.
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