[[Chapter 3 focuses completely on Ryo, her past and how she came to be a mutant. I feel it was a necessary part of introducing her to the readers, and hope you can all bear with me for at least one chapter. You might even like what you read.]]
Well, considering the responses I got for the last chapter, I'm going to give you all the benefit of the doubt and blame Fanfiction.net's downtime for my previous lack of reviews. Plus, they've FINALLY begun to sell egg nog in the stores around here again, so I'm in a very good mood. All is right with the world! ~Happyness~
Todd Fan—lol. No echo this time…thanks to you. Look ma; reviews!
Eileen—Wow. I didn't even think about that while writing. No, nothing's "going around"…giving Roge a little bug is all part of my plan. There is a method to my madness. *insert a crash of thunder, a burst of lightening, and an evil cackle in the background* You're adding this to your favorites? Schweet! I love your fics, too…they're so hilarious!
Neva—Actually, Rogue outgrowing her reservations is addressed well later into the story…when she gets better, that is. I'm trying to cross her Evo personality with that of XM: TAS Rogue. Fun-fun. So happy you like it so far; something tells me you'll like what happens in the next few chapters as well…
ishandahalf—Ain't Remy a doll? BTW—next chapter is all about how our favorite couple can come in contact with one another. Think you can wait that long?
Lady MR—Yeah, I probably should translate Remy-speak, shouldn't I? Darn my laziness. Oh, well…you can always go to altavista.com if you really need literal stuff. Heck, I don't even TAKE French; everything I know comes from readin' comics and other fanfics. Don't worry; I've got a good reason for my anti-Xavier motives. And know what? It even makes sense! *gasp*
gambitgirl—eep! Is this soon enough for you? *hides behind computer* Thanksgiving break is coming up, so I'll have some time away from Grease rehearsals where I can write more. Promise.
[Random Quote: "Great boredom causes turkeys to die in my notebook!"] (…don't ask. Let's just say my friend Rachel was bored and doodling Thanksgiving dinners in her American History notebook, and leave it at that.)
"How is her progress coming, Hank?" Xavier softly asked as he wheeled himself over to the young girl's bed. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully at the moment, a look of tranquility adorning her facial features. "She doesn't seem to be feeling any pain right now."
Hank was busy pulling the curtains closed between Ryo's and Rogue's sections of the infirmary so as to give them a little more privacy. "Indeed, Charles; Miss Cadencey's healing very nicely. According to my observations, the bandages should be able to come off within a few weeks at most. Now, if you will excuse me, I must go check up on our young Southern Belle…that is, if I can manage to get past her Cajun protector." This last part was said with a faint smile, which was warmly returned.
No sooner had Hank left when Xavier immediately diverted his attention back to Ryo's sleeping form, adjusting his position so that he sat directly behind her head. Were it not for the seriousness of both her condition and the situation, he might have gloated at how easy it was!
Each time a new mutant arrived at the institute, Xavier felt it necessary to scan through his or her memories for anything that could hint to possible future disloyalty or even danger to his students. It was true he always felt a pang of guilt forming in the back of his mind, but he'd long ago made the decision that the advantages to such a procedure far outweighed any sense of wrongdoings. He never prodded. Only key memories, things that might be crucial for him to know about, were scanned.
However, he'd had yet to find the perfect opportunity to scan young Ryo's mind…until now.
Satisfied that he was alone in the room with her, Xavier immediately set to work. He placed both hands on either side of Ryo's head, inches away from her temples and palms facing inward, and closed his eyes to allow for better concentration. Blocking out all other thoughts, he cautiously entered her mind…
A relatively comforting world greeted Xavier as he took his first few steps inside Ryo's subconscious. The overhead sky was a deep navy-blue color made to simulate the night sky, complete with a vast array of shimmering stars. It was obvious the girl had studied astronomy in the past, for he was able to spot and recognize quite a few northern constellations as well. There was no moon, leaving it very dark, though not impossible to see. The ground was covered in soft, luscious grass as far as the mental eye could see. And yet, Xavier could distinctively hear the gentle breaking of waves as if he was right next to a beach. There were few trees nearby, and much of the terrain consisted of many hills of various sizes.
He allowed himself a moment to take in the initial surroundings, for they represented her current state of mind, before reaching in further.
The first images to surface were, unsurprisingly, those Ryo could still remember in her state of consciousness. They came mostly in brief flashes, images displayed against the night sky of Ryo's mind in a hazy, circular frame, each one consisting of a random period in time. There were even a few of her time at the institute, including moments she and Evan had spent together soon after she first arrived. At these, Xavier smiled.
Many revolved around years spend at an old orphanage. It was a very cozy looking place, and very large to accommodate for what looked like more than two dozen children who lived there. Xavier had expected instances of extreme angst and torture that would suggest a troubled childhood, much like he had with both Todd and Lance, but what he found seemed almost the exact opposite. Her legal guardians seemed to have a knack for taking care of children, giving all those under their care plenty of love and attention while maintaining strict rule in the household. Her friends were typical young boys and girls, some who got along and some who didn't. She had her enemies, of course, though from nothing more than childish disputes. To Xavier, it would appear she had, despite being orphaned at a young age, lived a perfectly healthy childhood.
Then the real memories began.
Xavier found himself suddenly in little control of his surroundings, and they faded away into a lower middle-class neighborhood. He stood (having the ability to do so in the mind, where he was no longer restricted to a wheelchair), eyes focused on a vaguely familiar girl with curly, deep auburn-brown hair. It took him a moment before he realized it was a slightly younger version of Ryo; two or three years younger, at least, since she still had her natural hair color.
The image of Ryo appeared deep in through, carrying her school books tightly to her chest as she made her way down the sidewalk. Clearly, she was just returning home from school, Xavier noted as she literally walked right through him. He was careful to observe every last detail, almost positive as to what was crucial about this particular moment.
Sure enough, the fourteen-year-old soon began wincing, lightly shaking her head to ease the pain but only making it worse. Xavier could feel the sudden rush of power flowing through the young girl's body, as well as the amount of determination she possessed to try and ignore it. She made it as far as another two blocks before collapsing to her knees a few feet away from an old oak tree, dropping her books so she could cover her ears tightly with both hands. Various sounds from all around here were begin magnified nearly tenfold, and she could hear everything. Car horns…people talking…babies crying…feet stomping…
"Ryo!" A voice from behind called out to the young girl. He turned just in time to see another girl around the age of twelve (a friend from the orphanage, her mind told him) running towards her fallen friends at full speed. The fear and concern were clearly evident on her face.
Ryo looked up, and for an instant Xavier was able to see everything from her eyes. The excruciating pain had blurred her vision, leaving her scared and confused. All she was able to make out was a shadowy figure coming straight towards her, and it frightened her. "No!" She screamed. "Stay away!" In panic, she held out her arms crossed directly in front of her.
The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. With her eyes closed tightly and head turned away, Ryo wasn't able to see what was forming in front of her hands. It looked like some kind of controlled heat wave, just barely visible to the naked eye. Whatever it was, it took less than half a second to develop before releasing itself in a concentrated blast, hitting the twelve-year-old square in the chest. All Ryo heard was a sudden scream, turning her head just in time to see her friend go flying backwards straight into a nearby fence, banging her head against one of the planks. Hard.
She found herself completely paralyzed, her mouth open in shock. Slowly, she uncrossed her hands to stare at them, then back at the girl. What exactly just happened, she didn't know…except that whatever it was, it was her fault.
Then it hit her: "Mai!" Ryo scrambled to the blonde girl's side, gently shaking her. "Mai! Mai…come on, Valentine, wake up!" The girl was still breathing, thankfully, but otherwise completely unconscious. A large bump was already beginning to form on the back of her head where it hit the fence.
Ryo stood up very slowly, trying her very hardest not to cry. No, she couldn't cry, but she'd never been so scared before in her life. In a blind moment of panic, she took off in the direction of the orphanage, her books forgotten. Xavier was barely able to keep up with her.
She made her way back home in record time, but still didn't stop. Brushing straight passed one of the female caretakers ("Ryo!" she called out in vain), she refused to stop for even an instant until she reached her room, slamming the door shut before leaning against it to catch her breath just as Xavier entered behind her. As she stared straight ahead at nothing in particular, her body slowly slid down until she was on the floor, curled into fetal position. Only then did she allow herself to cry
Later that night, Ryo snuck out her bedroom window under the cloak of darkness, carrying nothing but a small bag of belongings.
Xavier barely had time to take in everything when the image dissolved into a new memory. He stood in front of a large, Victorian-styled home on a street very similar to the one before. The sound of children's laughter filled the air, coming from a primary school that could easily be seen at the end of the block. Amidst the youthful chaos, two little girls stood out. Neither of them couldn't have been more than five or six years of age. One was obviously Ryo, with her now unmistakable auburn curls, and the other was vaguely familiar to him, though he couldn't figure out why.
Her hair was midnight black, cut just above the shoulders in a fashion very similar to Rogue's. She was very pale, even more so than Ryo, but held a youthful blush that was distinctively present on her cheeks. With Ryo in tow, she hurriedly dragged the young girl to the very house Xavier stood in front of. The little girl was obviously having trouble keeping up with her enthusiastic friend.
"Wanda!" She called out, giggling all the while, "Slow down! You're going too fast!" Xavier raised an eyebrow at this, but chalked it up as coincidence at the time. It couldn't be…
"You're just gonna love my daddy, Ryo…and wait until you meet my brother!" The girl named Wanda shouted back, completely ignoring her friend's pleas of slowing her pace. Xavier followed the young couple through the doorway and into a lovely, yet simple hallway, noticing a Six-star wall ornament off to one side. "Daddy!" She cried out, finally stopping and allowing poor Ryo to rest. "Daddy! I made a new friend at 'kintergar'en' today! Come see!"
An aging white-haired man walked into the room from what appeared to be a small kitchen. Xavier gasped as his face came into view.
Unlike most parents, he immediately frowned upon seeing the young girl at his daughter's side. "Wanda, what have I told you about—"
"But you don't understand, Daddy! Ryo said her parents are like you; they can do neat things, just like you can!" She turned to Ryo, her smile never fading. "Isn't that right?" Shyly, Ryo nodded (This further intrigued Xavier. ~So, she's a *second* generation mutant.~ He thought to himself.)
Wanda's father also raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Is that so? Well, then, I will certainly have to meet them sometime." His attitude brightened drastically as he now gave Ryo a welcoming smile. "Forgive my earlier rudeness…Ryo, is it? I'm afraid you had caught me at a bad moment. Feel free to make yourself at home." He motioned towards the kitchen. "Your brother's already in the kitchen having a snack, Wanda. You can introduce your new friend to him if you like." He gave Ryo a quick pat on the head before retreating up the stairs.
Wanda giggled. "Told you. C'mon, let's get something to eat." She guided Ryo into the kitchen, where a little boy was sitting at the counter with his back towards them, munching on cookies. He seemed content in his moment of silence, happily swinging his legs back and forth. "Hey, bro! This is my new friend, Ryo."
"Wanda, what did Daddy say about bringing—" He began to say as he spun around and jumped off the stool in one motion…then froze.
"Ryo, this is my brother, Pietro. Pietro, this is my new friend, Ryo, from school."
Their eyes met and locked in an instant; hazel-gray against crystal blue. Wanda hardly noticed. Having done her introduction, she hopped over to the kitchen cabinets, climbing up on top of the counter to reach the higher shelves
The expression on their faces was practically identical, a mixture of fascination with youthful curiosity. Neither of them moved or even blinked for about half a minute, to the point where Xavier was almost sure they weren't breathing either. He watched the two with great interest, touched by the innocence of the young, and yet felt a deep feeling of dread growing within him every passing second…
Ryo was the first to break the silence, tilting her head to one side in a child-like manner. "You look like one of those 'al-bind-oh' rats I saw on TV once."
From her seat on the counter, Wanda snorted with laughter into the bag of chips she was eating from. The little boy's expression, now broken from its trance, changed from that of shock, to anger, and finally to amusement. He certainly hadn't heart *that* one before. As Ryo herself started to giggle at his reaction, young Pietro found himself smiling along with them.
"Nice to meet you, too." He extended one hand, which she eagerly shook, and motioned for her to come and sit next to her on the counter, offering up one of his cookies.
Watching the three youngsters talk and laugh happily among each another, Xavier was caught by surprise when the scenery changed for a third time. Mainly because he was suddenly standing in front of a burning house in the middle of the night. The sound of fire trunks and men shouting from all directions was nearly overwhelming, and he nearly choked on the thick smoke that hung in the air. A young girl's incessant cries rang through the air, turning his attention to an eight-year-old version of Ryo being restrained by two police officers. She was in tears and unable to tear her sight away from the blazing fire.
"MOMMY! DADDY!" She cried out, desperately trying to escape the men who held her back.
"I'm sorry, honey, but we can't let you go in there," The female officer tried explaining as gently as possible. "It's too dangerous!"
"But I have to save my mommy and daddy! They were still inside! They were…still…" but she was unable to continue, her sobs overcoming any further words she tried to get out. Obviously weary from both crying and the time of night, Ryo practically collapsed into the police officers' arms. They looked almost ready to cry themselves, overcome with grief for the small child in their hold.
Xavier turned his attention to a group of officers that resembled the chief among a few other deputies. He could just barely hear the conversation between them:
"…just lucky she wasn't home at the time. At a friend's house all evening, according to records…"
"…something about being worshipers of Satan, claimed they had supernatural powers…"
"…definitely a hate crime, chief. Multiple gunshot wounds to the head, died on impact…"
"…real shame, too…some of the nicest folks I ever met…"
When he couldn't stand to listen to them anymore, he focused his attention back on young Ryo. She had calmed down slightly upon spotting a familiar face in the crowd. Wordlessly, she ran straight into the welcoming arms of the father of her two best friends.
"It will be all right, child." Eric attempted to sooth the girl, gently stroking her hair as she cried into his lower chest. Xavier was somewhat surprised at the genuine compassion his old friend was showing, not used to seeing that side of him. "Shh…shh, it's okay. It's going to be okay…" But he, too, was holding back tears as he stared hatefully at the burning house, furious at whoever it was that could do such a thing.
Eight-year-old versions of the twins, both in tears, walked up behind their father. As soon as Ryo caught sight of them, she immediately abandoned the older man's embrace for that of the one closest to her: Pietro. The little boy held her tightly, Wanda soon wrapping her arms around the two of them. Somehow, Xavier could feel the faint comfort Ryo felt at having them there with her.
This last image faded out much slower than the ones before it, leaving Xavier once more in the grassy fields of her subconscious. A deep frown was on his face from everything he had managed to learn. This was not good. He pondered the facts for a long moment before a brilliant idea came to mind. It wasn't right, but it was the only thing he could think of to rectify the situation.
The telepath closed his eyes and concentrated even harder, accessing the memories once more…
The job done, Xavier opened his eyes once more, finding himself back in the infirmary. He glanced down at his pupil; she was still sleeping soundly, without the slightest indication of anything amiss. Convinced that he had thoroughly, he turned to leave.
Remy was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. His legs were crossed, his arms folded in front of his chest, and his expression unreadable.
To his credit, Xavier managed to keep extremely calm. "Young Ryo was having somewhat of a nightmare." He explained. "I feared that if she began to thrash around too much, she might risk reopening her wounds. Therefore, I sent her into a dreamless sleep." Time-wise, he knew such a reasoning could easily hold up; because time travels much faster in the mind, his memory-scanning would have taken up less than half a minute entirely in reality.
Remy didn't say anything. He simply continued staring at the Professor to the point where the older man was beginning to grow unnerved. Not once did he betray his emotions, and Xavier was surprised to find he had no access to the Cajun's mind, making his thoughts impossible to read. He didn't like it one bit. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Remy broke the eye contact between them to retreat back to Rogue's bedside.
Xavier secretly let out the breath he had been holding before returning to his assessment of the situation. He glanced back at Ryo once more.
"He'll want to know about this right away…"
TO BE CONTINUED…