I'm sooo sorry I'm late in posting this chapter. I've had to deal with school midterms, intensive play rehearsals, tons of stuff involving Junior Prom/College, and computer complications (don't ask). I do have all these chapters written and ready for typing/editing, I just haven't had the time. Please bear with me, I doing my absolute best!
Ryo: *throws on another coat* Maybe you could get your lazy butt going faster if you turned the damn HEAT on, hmm?
Hey, not my fault the boiler decided to go out during the third ice age. As if I know how to work the thing…
todd fan—Since you were the first person to get it right, I'll tell you; It's going to be The Toad, The Witch, and the Wardrobe… THE best episode EVER! However, I have one more chapter to go through before I get to it.
Pyromaniac—Thanks a bunch for the compliment! And don't put yourself down; you write really well, too. As a matter of fact, the Apocolytes WILL be in the story. All three of 'em.
Neva—Smirky Smirkerson? 0.o That's a new one.
Lady MR—Yay! I'm a good author! ^_^ Well, obviously if I'm paralleling the episode next chapter, it didn't happen yet. As for why she was going to "kill" Bobby, that's more of a joke between me and my friends. One day at lunch, I was in such a bad mood one of the guys asked me if I was PMSing or something…BAD idea. I chased him around the whole school yard twice, only stopping when he ran into the boys' bathroom in fear (wuss!). Now, I know all girls aren't really sensitive about that sort of thing…but this is Ryo we're talking about. Jubilee is going to leave, but Rahne isn't (aha! A twist!) and I'm still debating over whether to have Evan go join the Morlocks or not.
Bunny Angel—There you go with the exclamation points again. Originally, I was going to give her the codename "Siren," but then I remembered the Syren from the comics. Rhythm was my second choice. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but I do and it's my story. Oh, and since you're SCREAMING for Rogue/Remy, I think you'll find the response below interesting..
ishandahalf—Evil? You think I'M evil? …you're learning! Very good. *evil laughter* Try this on for "evil"; you didn't even notice the specific word choosing I used in my last response: Rogue wouldn't see Remy until nearly the end of the story…I said nothing of the fact that Remy wouldn't see her at all. *wink-wink, nudge-nudge* See where I'm hinting at with this? Told ya I was evil. If you wanna know how Pietro and Ryo know one another, go back and read chapter 3. You'll hafta to understand what happens in this chapter better.
Eileen—Just wait 'till you see how interesting things get now…
[Random Quote: "Why fire engines are red: fire engines are red because books are read, too; two plus two is four, and four times three is twelve; there are twelve inches in a ruler; Queen Mary was also a ruler; Queen Mary is also the name of a ship; ships sail on the water, and fish swim in the water; fish have fins, and the Fins fought the Russians; fire engines are always russin', so that's why they're red."]
The lights were dimmed down low, a gentle roaring fire being the only source of light in the mansion den that evening. Soundproof walls kept the room almost immeasurably silent, and locks on the doors would insure the calm, peaceful ambiance would remain just that. Logan sat comfortably in a large arm chair, a cup of hot cocoa off to one side and his feet resting comfortably on the matching foot rest. In his lap was a very sleepy Ororo, who had opted to recline back so that her head rested comfortably against his chest. She closed her eyes in relaxation as he gently massaged her throbbing temples.
"You been feelin' alright lately, 'Ro?" His gruff voice spoke up, though quietly so as not to disturb her, "These migraines of yours seem to be getting worse and worse."
Ororo shifted slightly before replying, "I know, and for the life of me, I can not figure out what could possibly be causing them."
It all started not long after she had first arrived at the Xavier Institute a few years ago. Back then, her training was intense and caused her to suffer from occasional headaches at the end of the day; nothing serious, so it was hardly given a second thought at. However, when the students first arrived and she had ceased the daily workouts to aid in teaching, the nightly pain remained. Not only that, but the more kids that arrived, the more intense her headaches grew. That's when she knew something was wrong.
A couple of months ago, Ororo had voluntarily spent the night in the infirmary so that Hank could thoroughly examine her. He checked everything from her blood pressure to any possible signs for a brain tumor. Nothing turned up; although there had been signs of some brief irregularities in her brain wave patterns, further testing showed it to be inconsequential, most likely a result of the tension rather than cause.
The next day, she was released and continued on with her daily routine, though by then the pain had graduated to migraine-level, far stronger than even what she had first experienced during the manifestation of her mutant powers. The Professor now had the former weather goddess on three different types of medication, which helped some, but not enough to completely eliminate the pain.
"Maybe it's just stress," she murmured, sighing as she laid her head to the side, "A lot's been going on around here these past few months, after all. Between revealing ourselves to the public, dealing with Trask, looking after the children…"
"Eh, the kids ain't that bad," he quipped, earning a minute smile from here. "Speakin' of the little darlin's, I don't suppose you know what they're all up to tonight, do you?"
Ororo opened one eye to meet his gaze. "Charles is giving them a special treat in honor of making it through their first day back at school. Ice cream sundaes and soda floats in the kitchen, sort of like a mini party." Logan paused a moment to blink. THOSE kids on sugar?
"Ugh…now I think I have a headache."
That evening, Ryo stood in front of her bedroom mirror, staring at her reflection as she finished tying the strings of her halter top behind her neck. She had gone to see Hank down in the medical lab earlier to get her bandages removed, and wanted to be sure her usual ensemble would cover up the vast number of scars that still remained. It wasn't much of a problem during the oncoming winter season, when the young blonde could easily cover them up with a sweater or jacket, but then there was the issue of New York's warm, summer months….
"What do you think, Jubilee? Can you see anything?" She glanced at her roommate through the mirror.
The younger girl looked up from her bed, where she was lying on her stomach facing Ryo so the two could talk. "Yeah, the back doesn't go high enough," she responded after a moment, tilting one head to the side, "Try pulling it up about another inch or two." Groaning in defeat, Ryo opted to change the conversation topic as she continued tugging at the cotton material.
"So, have you told anyone else aside from me about leaving yet?"
The answer came a bit hesitantly. "I…told Bobby a little while ago."
The tone of her voice brought Ryo to a halt in her tracks. She turned around to see Jubilee staring down at the pillow in her clutches with a now somber expression. Feeling guilty for having brought the subject up, she moved towards the edge of Jubilee's bed. "How'd he take it?" She asked softly while sitting down.
Jubilee managed to force a smile as she sat up. "Better than me, that's for sure."
"Oh, Jubes…" Ryo reached over and gave her friend a tight sideways-hug, the two of them nearly toppling over as she leaned on her a little too much. Jubilee gave a small giggle at her friend's spontaneous antics. "It's gonna be okay, and you know it; Bobby loves you too much to let you go that easily."
"He…what?" At this, she pulled away in astonishment, eyes wide. "How do you know?"
"I just do," Ryo answered, trying not to roll her eyes at the 14-year-old's innocent naivety. "Trust me; that boy never seems anywhere near as happy as he when you're with him. I can tell just by the look in his eyes…and something tells me you can, too."
But Jubilee was no longer listening, seemingly lost in thought as she stared out into space, a mixture of shock and delight adorning her facial features. Ryo carefully got up, leaving the girl to her musings.
The heavy silence lasted for hardly a few seconds when it was broken by a knock at the door. Sam Guthrie poked his head in, unaware of anything he may have been interrupting. Behind him, the distinctive sound of Scott's voice could be heard shouting something, as well as the commotion going on downstairs.
"Hey, ya two commin' down ta the party? We've gotta bettin' pool on how long it takes before Kurt gives himself brain freeze."
A grin appeared as Jubilee eagerly hopped off her bed to follow Sam out the door. She paused briefly when Ryo didn't tag along, turning to her questioningly. "Aren't you coming, Ry?"
"You guys go," she answered, sitting on her own bed. "I'll be down in a few, kay?" With a nod, the two set off towards the Institute kitchen.
Ryo took one more sideways glance at the mirror, twisting her torso around so she could get a better look. She audibly groaned at the sight; it was easy to tell just from the few inches of skin that the rest wasn't very pretty. The wound marks were still very pink from being freshly closed up, though not as tender as they appeared.
"I'm sorry, my dear," Hank had told her sadly, "But I'm afraid there's a very real chance the scarring will be permanent...."
Shaking the memory from her mind, she grabbed a black mini-jacket from her closed and hastily pulled it over the halter top before releasing her ponytail to fix it. As the curly strands fell down over her shoulders, she reached for the nearest brush to try and straighten them out again.
"Y'know, I would've never pictured you as a blonde." A voice spoke up, startling her so much that she visibly jumped, dropping her brush and hair tie. Before Ryo could compose herself, the nearby mirror shattered into a million pieces from yet another one of her accidental blasts. Instinctively ducking to avoid getting cut, she could hear the same voice from a few seconds ago gasp. Ryo looked up to see a speechless Pietro standing next to the window with his mouth open.
Ignoring him for the moment, she headed straight for the glass shards, hastily trying to pick them up before anybody came up and saw it. Getting over the initial shock, Pietro zipped over to lend a hand. "Geez, Ry, I'm sorry, I didn't know—" No sooner had he knelt down, however, when his apology was interrupted by a banging on the door followed by Scott's voice.
"Ryo? You okay in there?" They both froze. "I thought I heard the sound of something breaking."
She cringed, thankful Jubilee had locked the door when she left. "Yeah, I…um…was trying to adjust the mirror, and it slipped through my fingers." She lied, praying that Scott would buy it.
He did. "All right. You need any help cleaning up the glass?"
"No, I got it. Thanks, though." She waited for his shadow under the door to disappear before releasing the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Pietro followed suit, drawing attention to the fact that he was still there. Bad idea.
She stood up, arms folded across her chest and her foot tapping. The glare in her eyes sent shivers down the boys spine as he slowly got up as well. Realizing he still had a number of mirror pieces in his hands, he hid them behind his back and attempted to flash an innocent smile.
Ryo didn't buy it for a second. "What ever happened to knocking, huh?"
"Er…sorry?"
She tried keeping up the angry façade a few seconds longer before the glare melted away into a grin. For the moment, everything was forgotten—rivalry, anger, fighting—as the joy in seeing her childhood friend again took over. She closed the short gap between them and embraced the silver-haired boy tightly with a slight giggle. In return, Pietro dropped the glass in his hands to return the gesture, briefly lifting her slender figure up off the ground in excitement.
"Pietro Lensherr, you haven't changed a bit. Now put me down!" She managed to get out through fits of laughter.
"It's great to see you again, Ry." Pietro said to her once her feet were back on the floor. Then, jokingly, he fingered one of her curly locks. "Now would you mind explaining this, young lady."
She swatted his hand away before bending down to pick up her hair tie. "Long story, short…took a bottle of bleach to my head shortly after my powers first emerged." She pulled her air back, securing it with the band, then shrugged casually. "Just figured 'new powers, new life'…I guess I needed a change of some kind."
He grinned. "So now who's the albino rat around here?" Ryo paused as if the question were worth pondering over. Tilting her head to the side, she took a good look at him before replying.
"Nope; still you."
Pietro's expression didn't waver. I wonder how Wanda would react to seeing her now… He thought to himself. Then his eyes lit up with inspiration. Why not?
"Uh-uh, Pie, I know that look. What evil scheme are you up to this time?"
He smirked mysteriously. "Grab your coat. I know someone who'd absolutely love to see you."
"O…kay…" She knew better than to trust him when he was like this, but grabbed her new frosty-white winter coat (a gift from the professor) anyways. "And how exactly are we suppose to get to wherever this person of yours is?"
"Like this." He picked her up with little resistance other than her initial shriek of protest, and in a flash the two of them were out the window, across the front lawn of the mansion, past the gates, and on their way towards the Brotherhood household.
Had the two paused for even a moment to look back at the Institute, they might have noticed that single beam of light on in the Professor's study. A single, solitary figure resided by the window, watching the couple speed off into the forthcoming night. But rather than try to stop them, the figure only watched amusingly, a smirk clearly present on his aging facial features…
It was eerily silent at the Brotherhood house that evening, and Wanda was loving every minute it. She wasn't quite sure what the boys were up to or where they were, and quite frankly, she didn't care. In fact, she didn't care about anything at that moment as she reclined comfortably on the Living Room couch, lying on her back with a pillow over her head. For the first time since she had moved in, The Scarlet Witch felt completely relaxed.
She should have known it wouldn't last.
A gust of wind signified her beloved twin's entrance. Inwardly groaning, she tried ignoring him. He had another idea in mind. "Hey, sis…lookie who I got here."
Heaving a sigh, Wanda cursed her morbid sense of curiosity as she threw off the pillow and sat up. Pietro was leaning against the door frame with a mysterious smirk plastered on his face. When he was sure he had her undivided attention, he reached out to his left and pulled the aforementioned person into her line of sight
At first glance, Wanda had absolutely no idea who this adolescent girl was, or why Pietro assumed she would want to meet her; she was about the same age as her and her brother with blonde hair and a look of bewilderment that matched her own. But there was something about her that seemed…familiar. Something about her entire presence. Wanda began to imagine this presence much shorter with dark hair and a youthful face.
It was then recognition set in, and her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Ryo? Ryo Cadencey?" She immediately stood up to greet her childhood friend. "Oh, my God…I hardly recognized you!" Propped up against the nearby wall, Pietro folded his arms in satisfaction.
But something was wrong; no sooner had Ryo laid eyes on Wanda when she abruptly stiffened, the smile on her face disappearing. As Wanda stepped forward, she pulled back as if afraid. Her eyes glazed over as if remembering something from long ago.
"It was you…" She whispered so softly Wanda almost didn't hear her. "You did it. With your powers."
Wanda paused in her steps; likewise, Pietro uncrossed his arms and stood up straight in confusion. "What do you mean? What did I do with my powers?" She questioned.
Slowly, Ryo began backing away from the two of them, careful not to let either one out of her sight for an instant. "The fire…I remember everything…you started with some kind of bolt of lightning…Mom and Dad were inside…" Her voice was cacophonously monotonous, hardly even quivering.
Pietro grabbed the girl's arm so that she turned to face him. "What the hell are you talking abou—" She roughly pulled away before he could finish, her breathing now coming in heavy gasps.
"Don't you touch me." She spat out, her voice growing almost hysterical; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wanda try to take another step forward and quickly held up one arm, sending out a sharp discharge the other girl narrowly escaped by instinctively ducking.
In that split second, as Wanda looked back at her attacker, Ryo could have almost sworn she saw a look of hurt in the raven-haired girl's eyes. It was more than she could stand; ignoring Pietro's cries of protest, she darted out of the room, ran straight though the front door and out into the black of night without once looking back.
Pietro stared after her hastily retreating figure, completely befuddled at what had just happened. Turning quickly to his sister, he saw her frozen in her tracks, mouth wide open in shock. Her eyes gained a glossy manner to them and for an instant, he saw a single tear fall down her cheek. The broken-hearted expression quickly turned to a cold, hard glare as anger took over, and the nearby radio suddenly burst into an array of sparks and melted plastic.
Without a word, Wanda abruptly turned and stormed out of the house in the opposite direction Ryo had gone. "Wanda, wait!" He called worriedly after her, "Where are you going?"
"Out." Came the quivering reply. He did this somehow, I know it. She thought to herself. I don't know how or why, but so help me I will make him pay dearly… She came to a clearing where no one was around and looked up at the night sky, spitting out one word: "Father…"
Upon her hasty return to the institute, Ryo had managed to make her way up to Xavier's study and soon found herself dropping to the floor from exhaustion, her head resting in her arms upon the old man's knees as she sobbed uncontrollably. He had been surprisingly unruffled by the fact that she had taken off without permission, but the back of her mind reasoned that it was still prior to curfew, and therefore it had been all right. Currently, he tried comforting the hyperactive girl, gently stroking her hair in a very fatherly manner.
"Shh…it's all right, my dear." He whispered to her once she began to calm down. Not wishing her to know of his recent mind-probing, he feigned ignorance of the situation: "Things like this happen for a reason. Pietro and Wanda Maximoff may have chosen to side with the enemy for now, but that doesn't mean you should give up hope."
Choking back one last sob, Ryo picked her head up. "Maximoff." She murmured softly, speaking more to herself than to him, "That was their mother's maiden name…all this time hearing it, I can't believe I never made the connection."
She stared at the floor with an empty expression, the last few tears shed gradually trailing their way down her cheek. Xavier remained indefinitely quiet, watching the girl closely as she absorbed everything that had gone on within the past half hour. Her face remained emotionless, but he could see the internal struggle going on through her eyes, sense the pain she felt. And for an instant, Charles Xavier almost regretted the choice he had made…
Almost.
After a moment of silence, he lifted his head and called over Ryo's shoulder, "You can come in now, Sypke."
The young girl stiffened at the sound of this. Evan? Abruptly, she looked up at Xavier in question than almost immediately turned her head in time to see a slightly embarrassed step out from where he had been eavesdropping in the hallway. In a flash, she stood up and tried (in vain) to wipe the tears from her eyes, not wanting anyone to see her cry. But there was no mistaking the red puffiness they still had.
"I…saw you running up the stairs before," Evan explained a bit shyly, cheeks still a little red. "Are you okay, Ry?"
Nodding in response, she forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm good. Just had a little breakdown is all, no biggie." The tension in the air was growing a little thick, and Evan could sense Ryo's awkwardness; her eyes darted around the room in search of a quick escape.
In an attempt to lighten the mood, he walked up to her and put one arm around her shoulders. "Hey, how 'bout we head downstairs and join the others, hmm?" She looked at him gratefully, and he gave her a friendly smirk. "I think we can still get you in on the betting pool."
"Kurt's still going?"
"Dude's on a roll…" Managing to bring a smile out of her, Evan lead her out of the room. Xavier watched the two friends leave with a somewhat growing interest….
Most brilliant schemes derive from long, pain-stakingly hard hours of careful planning. But every so often, they come in a single moment's worth of inspiration. And as the two retreated figured vanished from his line of sight, Xavier found himself momentarily inspired.
Ororo, He mentally called out to the former weather goddess, smiling inwardly as he sensed Logan's presence accompanying hers. I have the most wonderful idea, and it involves your nephew…
"Mein Gott, did anyone get ze license plate of ze ice cream truck zat hit me?"
Most of the kitchen occupants ignored the German mutant, who was sprawled out on the floor moaning about dying. Exactly fourty-six minutes and three seconds after, the Fuzzy Dude was finally overcome by the infamous brain freeze. Rogue happily went around the room collecting her winnings. Remy would be proud… she thought to herself as she sat in one corner to count the money.
Having gotten a root beer float from Roberto (who had dubbed himself the official "chef" of the evening—hat and all), Ryo took her seat among the X-men to join in the celebration. She and Evan had passed Sam and Rahne on their way in, both fast asleep on the couch, Rahne curled up in his lap as if she were still in wolf form. He looked like he had been petting her before they dozed off, his head still placed atop her head, and the two of them had very peaceful smiles adorning their faces.
In the kitchen itself, Jamie resided over at the counter, chocolate smeared all over his face, eating the biggest sundae she had ever seen. Kitty, ever the health-food nut, settled for a small bowl of vanilla ice cream with fruit mixed in, while Amara sipped on a strawberry-banana milkshake next to her. Scott and Jean sat off to the side, playing the unofficial chaperones of the night (everybody pretty much ignored them), while Tabby and Ray were playing "innocent" that night, sharing a bowl.
But by far, the more adorable sight came from Bobby and Jubilee, the two of them standing in the kitchen, leaning over the counter as they ate from identical banana splits. After the brief episode upstairs earlier, Ryo was glad to see her roommate obviously feeling much better. Jubilee took her eyes off her treat for a moment to turn and wave, glad to see her finally joining the party, which Bobby took complete advantage of. Managing to steal her cherry, he popped it in his mouth before she even realized what happened. Turning back around for another bite, she paused and blinked when the realization hit her that something was amiss. A snicker to her left drew her attention.
"Bobby!" Jubilee turned to her boyfriend accusingly, but with a smile.
He grinned back innocently. "…what?" She rolled her eyes and stole his cherry in retaliation ("Hey!"), making a show of eating it before he could protest.
Laughing softly at the couple, Ryo took a good look around the room, smiling at all the familiar faces. For the first time since she had left the orphanage, she truly felt like she was home. The Professor was right, she thought to herself, smiling inwardly, No matter what happened before, I'll always have the X-men—her eyes met with Evan's briefly across the room, —and true friends to rely on…
"Umm…hello, people? I'm dying here!"
…whether I like it or not.
___________________
TO BE CONTINUED…
*note—Sorry if this chapter was kind of a bust…but I guarantee the next few will make up for it, especially those of you who are fans of Todd, Wanda, Kurt, and/or Amanda (hint, hint). What craziness do I have in store for you all? You'll just have to wait and see…