It seems that my laptop has finally won the war by going kamikaze on me and refusing to work. It held this chapter hostage for over a month before I finally gave up and had to retype it again. *sigh* I hate technology…
Well, it certainly took me a while, but Primary Colors is back with a vengeance. A majority of the blame goes to my ex-laptop *points to what is now a pile of smoldering ash* and inordinately busy schedule. Then again, this chapter is also my longest to date, with a word count of close to 10,000. Rest assured that I have absolutely no intentions on quitting any time soon…especially since the future of Evolution has yet to be determined.
todd fan—Hmm…Pyro and Todd duking it out… frog's legs, anyone? LOL. Just kidding. I'll see what I can do about Shadowdance…it'll be kinda hard since all that episode meant to me was the beginnings of Kurt/Amanda and some fun moments with Lance/Kitty (inter-dimensional dinosaurs? What inter-dimensional dinosaurs?). And you should know better than to use the C word when there's a change of Pietro listening. ^_~
Neva—You're very welcome. Sorry this one took so long…technical difficulties and all….
Pyromaniac1—Actually, there are fanbases for both Todd/Wanda and Pyro/Wanda. I happen to be a fan of both. To be honest…I'm not quite sure how this is going to end, either. It's one of those things that has to play out on it's own. Time will tell.
pietro_kitty—Wow. Three "goods" and two "greats." You must really like this story!
ishandahalf—It's not an Evolution episode, it's an episode from the original animated series. Sometimes, one of the cable stations decides they want to air a few weeks worth of XM:TAS just to tease us. Sorry about the lack of romyness so far, but you have to under stand that this isn't a romy fic, it's just a fic with romy in it.
bunny angel—Hmm. That is strange. Y'know, I hear that random memory loss is a side-effect of hanging around telepaths for too long. Er…XAVIER DID IT! *runs away*
LadyTrunks—Yeah, I probably should write summaries…but why ruin the surprise? ^_~ Okay, so I'm just lazy. Sue me. Believe it or not, I didn't even plan the pyro/wanda. It just kinda happened as I typed. And once again, sorry 'bout the wait…believe me, it was more frustrating on MY part than it was for any of you. Not only do I have the entire story all planned out, but I've even got the entire sequel planned out! Gah! Imagination overload!
Doublekidz—Nope, last time I checked, I was the one in charge. You might be thinking of another fanfic that does episode parallels…there are quite a few out there. I hope the confusion didn't get in the way of enjoying the story, though.
this is s e x—Thanks. Luv the penname, btw.
Foxglove33—Yay! A devoted fan! Always wanted one of those… I know what you mean about standing up to your parents; my mom's two inches shorter than me, but my dad's a former sea captain, with the height and voice to prove it. 0.o
melissarxy1—I have no intentions of stopping this fic until it's finished, trust me. It may take a while, what with life happening and all, but I will work on it. Wanda/Todd are cute, aren't they? I wish they'd gotten together on the show.
WinkyBells—The "Scarlet" nickname was yet another randomly-occurring thing that just seemed to fit. Sometimes, I think this story writes itself. Will Todd get a girl? To quote Pyro: "Now that would be telling!" ^_~
Witch-Uk—Another Pyro/Wanda fan. Hmm…
evanescence kicks ass—That's not pathetic. I still have links of stories I read over three years ago that I still check out every so often. Mainly Gundam Wing, but that's beside the point. I'm flattered that the creators of that site asked to host my fic, especially if that's how you found it. I wish I could say if they're hooking up or not…but I'm not even sure.
[Random Quote: "Careful…your roots are showing." "Where?!" "I meant your heritage, not your hair."]
The same day as Todd and Kurt's rescue mission, Jubilee's parents arrived at the Institute to take her home.
It was shortly after five in the afternoon when the telltale yellow cab pulled into the mansion gates, stopping just before it reached the front door. Tensions were thick as its two occupants stepped out, their faces displaying a range of emotions varying from anger to uncertainty to relief.
Mr. Lee was a tall, well-built man easily in his early fifties. Streaks of silver ran along the sides of his hair, though the crown was still covered with a thick mop of black. Physically, he appeared to be at his peak. But it was his eyes that really gave away the man's age; the wisdom and parental concern they held rivaled that of the Professor's.
Mrs. Lee's eyes mirrored those of her husband's. She was much younger than he, only in her mid- to late thirties, and stood hardly taller than her foster daughter. Her pale blonde hair was cut just below the chin to frame her face beautifully, and along with her extremely fair skin, gave her a facade of delicateness. The aura of poise and revere she emoted, however, more than made up for her diminutive stature. It was easy to tell at a glance how the Lees complimented one another.
Neither were Asian.
Even then, they had been running much later than anticipated due to Long Island's murderous weekend traffic, so that left very little time for goodbyes. Mr. Lee stepped forward, his wife much preferring to view things from besides the taxi. "A few words with you, Professor?" he spoke in a rich baritone. "If you don't mind."
"Certainly."
The two men drifted off to one side as they engaged in conversation, leaving a heavy silence in the air as Jubilee stepped outside, suitcases in hand. The entire mansion had gathered to see her off, most already having said their personal goodbyes earlier in the day but still wishing to be there for moral support.
There was, of course, her familiar clique of female New Recruits—Tabby, Rahne, Ryo, and Amara—who were the first to envelop the girl in a large group hug. Much squealing was involved.
Next in line was Jamie, who (despite all the teasing and such he had endured at her hand over the past year) openly admitted he was going to miss one of his "big sisters." And the pranks she and Bobby used to pull late at night. Laughing faintly, Jubilee pulled the twelve-year-old into a warm embrace, ruffling his hair one last time for good measure. He swatted her away, but didn't verbally object.
The three New Recruit boys each gave the girl a quick hug, wanting to remain as cool as possible in such a situation. Few words were muttered aside from the usual "take care" and "keep in touch," though Sam did remark on how their late-night joyrides just wouldn't have been the same without her.
"Now who are we going to get to fry up the controls mid-flight?" he joked.
Most of the older kids hung back, feeling slightly out of place. None of them had really gotten to know Jubilee that well, not being a part of the Newbies inner circle and all, though it wouldn't be wrong to say she had still been a big part of their lives—she and Bobby had managed to prank the lot of them at least once, after all. And speaking of…with all said and done, Jubilee finally turned to the last person in line.
Bobby.
His hair was ruffled into its usual unruly mess and his smile was as mischievous as ever. Having already promised herself she wouldn't cry, Jubilee choked back the sobs threatening to overwhelm her as she wordlessly closed the gap between them. Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, she buried her face in his shoulder as his arms gently encircled her tiny waste. The two were vaguely aware of the numerous pairs of eyes on them at that moment, yet for once, neither cared.
Their relationship was practically legendary at the Xavier Institute, a legacy fueled by everything from the tender moments shared when they believed no one was looking, to the outrageous pranks and gags which had victimized even Logan. They were the Bonnie and Clyde of Bayville, as their friends had so appropriate dubbed them, a title held with the utmost respect and pride. Masters of the mischievous. Prince and Princess of the Pranks.
But for the moment, they were simply Bobby and Jubilee. Two teenage kids about to be separated by close to three thousand miles.
"I don't want to go, Bobby." Jubilee whispered as she lifted her head to look him in the eye. "California's too far away. I don't want to go back. I want to say here, with you." She sounded childish and spoiled, and she knew it.
In response, Bobby reached up and kissed her on the forehead. "I know, Angel," he murmured so only she could hear. It was a special nickname he had for her, one he only used in private. "But look at it this way; it can't be for too long, right? You'll be back before you know it, smacking me in the back of the head for doing something stupid, like always."
This drew a small bout of laughter out of her. "You mean there's a few brain cells in there I haven't killed yet?" She asked teasingly.
"Might be."
Her smile grew brighter. Bobby always knew how to make her smile, no matter how upset she was feeling at the time or how bad things got. It was one of the things she loved most about him, that had drawn them together in the first place. And it was with that in mind that she leaned forward until her forehead rested against his, closing her eyes.
"I love you." She whispered, her hair loosely falling forward so none of the eavesdroppers could see her lips moving.
If Bobby was surprised, he didn't show it. A brief moment of silence passed between them before he finally whispered back: "I know."
It was his way of saying he felt the same way, and Jubilee knew him well enough to understand.
"Ironic, ain't it?"
"What is, Logan?" Ororo turned her sights to the burly man standing beside her. The two of them had joined their pupils outside earlier, though at the moment they simply stood off to the side, close enough to be considered a part of the farewell party, but far enough away so that the others couldn't hear their conversation.
In spite of himself, Logan allowed a sigh to escape his lips. "We've be able to train these kids in high-level combat simulators…they've been on the run from military…been hunted by mutant-hunting Sentinels…heck, they've seen more and been through more in the span of one month than most people should ever have to deal with in a lifetime. And yet, something so trivial as saying goodbye…"
"Separation is never an easy thing, at any age." Ororo interrupted. "You, of all people, should know that."
"They've been separated before." He reminded her.
"Not for this great a distance over this length of time." She answered back. "You must remember; it's true that the children have been through a lot this past year. But no matter what they've faced, they've faced it together, and that's what helped them though it."
Logan scoffed lightly. "Children? It's easy to forget that sometimes. These kids've been forced to grow up way too quickly, Ororo, and we both know it."
"Perhaps…but is that really such a horrible thing?" This time, Logan turned to face her with a look of confusion. With her eyes diverted towards the scene unfolding before her, she gave a knowing smile. "Just look at them. Bobby and Jubilee. Just barely teenagers, yet already so in love. Truly and purely, with all the innocence of youth. Can you honestly tell me that something so precious, so rare this day and age, isn't worth the struggle?"
For once, Logan was absolutely silent. He glanced from Ororo's smiling face to the kids and back again. She had such an ominous look about her, one only a proud mother-like figure could possess, that he felt inclined to agree. But the natural misanthropist in him refused to allow whatever vision it was she saw.
In the end, the question was left unanswered.
The sun rose early the next morning only to be greeted by a gorgeous, cloudless sky. By seven o'clock, it was already well past fifty degrees Fahrenheit, and expected to hit sixty before noon. Unusually mild weather for mid-November, though Storm insisted she had nothing to do with it. Apparently, Mother Nature had chosen to smile down upon the New York island for once.
This, added to the present mood in the air over Jubilee's departure (particularly that of the New Recruits), gave Xavier little reason why the students shouldn't be give a day off from training.
It was during breakfast that the official announcement was made, quickly followed by an expected chorus of cheering and whooping. Even as he was leaving the kitchen and headed up the stairs, Evan could still hear the sounds of an animated discussion in progress. A picnic in the park was definitely in order. Okay, so it was a "group" picnic—according to Scott—but it was still better than dodging lasers and running obstacle courses all morning. Just as the voices faded away, however, another sound drew his attention. It was faint, musical, and coming from the girl's wing.
That was when he remembered Ryo. Mr. McCoy still had her on a restricted training schedule, so she didn't participate in the usual morning sessions. And that morning in particular, she'd wanted to utilize the extra free time by cleaning out her room. With Jubilee gone, Professor Xavier had given her permission to turn the double-occupancy into a single, and she wanted to get started on that immediately. (In fact, Evan had gotten the distinctive feeling that she was more than just alluding to his assisting in moving the heavier furniture later on.)
But if she was still upstairs, she hadn't heard about the rest of them getting off of training as well.
So he made a quick three-sixty upon reaching the balcony and headed down the girl's wing instead. The sound grew louder with every step he took. By the time he reached his intended destination, there was no doubt in his mind where it was coming from. Music blared out from the slightly ajar doorway. Bohemian Rhapsody, his mind registered. Not a bad choice.
Knowing very well he risked the Wrath of Ryo (a horrible fate, as Bobby could attest to) if she caught him spying on her, Evan allowed his curiosity to win him over anyway. Quietly, so she would be able to hear him even with her sensitive hearing, he creaked open the door further for a better view. The opening chords of a new song rang out as he did so, though he didn't recognize the tune.
"First, when there's nothing…but a slow, glowing dream…that your fear seems to hide…deep inside your mind…"
It was a slow ballad, featuring a rich female alto. Most likely some 1980s hit, knowing Ryo. Definitely not his style of music. But something about the lyrics rang a bell of familiarity within him and he strained for a closer listen.
"All alone, I have cried…silent tears, full of pride…in a world made of steel…made of stone…"
As the tempo began to pick up, he opened the door completely, and the girl in question finally came into his line of sight. Her back was to him, standing on her toes to reach and polish the impressive archery kit stored on top of one bookshelf. It was a birthday gift Xavier presented to her some weeks before, having heard of her leaning the sport back at her old orphanage. Evan, himself, had only seen her shoot a couple of times…and immediately understood where she acquired her killer aim.
Already dressed for the day, Ryo donned her usual pair of dark jeans and black top, though a navy blue bandana was also tied around her otherwise unrestrained hair. In one hand, she held a dusty rag cloth, while the other was busy helping maintain her balance. A feather duster was wedged in between her teeth. Since she seemed a bit preoccupied for the moment, Evan took the opportunity to glance around.
It dawned on him that he'd never actually been in Ryo's room before, even though she'd seen his a few times. There was nothing particularly out of place, considering she was in the process of moving furniture. Her walls were decorated with a few pictures and movie posters, but otherwise untouched. Having almost no personal items of her own, there were very few knick-knacks on the dresser—what was there were mostly things Jubilee had left behind.
The shelf above her bed was probably the most personal, holding a small stereo (something found in every student's room) loaded with CDs Kitty had burned specifically for her, and a number of DVDs. Though a devout fan of the horror genre, as was he, it was easy to see her preferences lay particularly in the eighties classics from the titles. From where he stood, he was able to make out a few: Who Framed Roger Rabbit…the Back to the Future trilogy… Spinal Tap… Clue… The Princess Bride…and Howard the Duck?
An eyebrow went up at that last one.
"What a feelin'…being's beleivin'…" Evan was drawn away from his thoughts suddenly when his mind registered a second voice suddenly accompanying the CD. "I can't have it all, now I'm dancing for my life…" Much to his surprise, he looked over and saw Ryo singing along, the feather duster now in her left hand.
He almost didn't recognize the voice coming out of her mouth. It was very soft and had a high pitch to it. Not the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard, mind you, but certainly not uneasy on the ears.
"Take your passion…and make it happen…pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life…."
In fact, the closest comparison he could make was to that new pop duo who just recently released an album…what were their names? Ami PuffyYumi? Something like that.
As the instrumental section continued to play, Ryo started dancing around the room, eyes closed and arms waving around freely. Evan could distinctively see the faint blush on her cheeks from enthusiasm; she was finally getting some of her coloring back. That was a good sign.
When Ryo had first arrived at the mansion some months before, she was deathly pale and close to twenty pounds underweight, even taking into consideration her naturally petite frame. Though refusing to stay in the hospital wing to be treated for malnutrition, she made a deal with the Professor and allowed Dr. McCoy to keep a watchful eye, monitoring her weight gain and eating habits. Along with daily training exercises, it was more than enough to assister in a slow, but steady, recovery.
Leaning up against the doorframe, Evan folded his arms and crossed his legs. An amused smile appeared on his face as he watched her.
"Now I hear the music…close my eyes, I am Rhythm…" His smile grew wider at this, knowing how much pride Ryo held in her codename. "In a flash, it take hold…of my heart…"
But his amusement quickly turned to shock when he noticed something amiss. In fact, Evan had to blink several times and rub both eyes before he was sure they weren't playing tricks on him. They weren't. A collective ball of energy—no doubt sonic on nature—was forming around the stereo, giving the appearance of some type of heat wave. Unbeknownst to Ryo, who seemed oblivious to everything around her, the ball began to spread across the room, guiding by the waving of her hands as if she were subconsciously controlling it.
It wasn't long before the entire room was infected, the very air before him rippling in distortion.
"Take your passion…and make it happen…pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life…"
For whatever reason, Ryo chose that particular moment to spin around. She froze when she saw Evan standing there. Their eyes locked.
"What a feelin'…"
The remaining lyrics echoed through the air, reverberating unnaturally off the walls. Ryo was the first to break eye contact when she detected the subtle change in sound, glancing over in time to see the sonic waves retreat back into the speakers they came from. The stereo itself was thrown back from the sudden impact, recoiling into the wall behind it as the plug as pulled from its socket.
Silence overtook the room as Ryo slowly turned back to face Evan, the expression on her face not unlike that of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car: "…busted, huh?" She finally said, smiling weakly.
"You could say that." He entered the room, eyes darting about as if expecting the waves to reappear at any second. "That was amazing, Ry!" I thought all your powers were capable of were those blasts."
Ryo grew very distant all of a sudden, wandering over to the dresser table. Gently lifting a small, black jewelry box, she focused her sight on the delicate Sakura petal designs rather than on him. "In a way…that is all they're capable of," came her reply after a moment.
"What are you talking about?" Evan asked, understandably confused. "I just saw—"
"What you saw was a fluke!" She snapped, slamming the box on the table in frustration. "It happens every time I start dancing; I can't control it any more than the rest of my stupid powers!" Looking up, she met his stare through the dresser mirror and her expression softened. "Sorry…"
Crossing over to the bed, Evan took a seat on the edge and motioned to the space next to him. She plopped down dejectedly, keeping her eyes to the floor and her hands at her sides. The feather duster tickled lightly against her skin from where it was wedged in her jean belt, but she ignored it.
"Why didn't you say anything?" He finally asked, when it became clear she had no intentions of speaking up first.
Though her line of sight didn't shift, Evan could still detect the hint of sadness and frustration in her eyes. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to be cooped up at the mansion all the time because of poor control?" She lifted her head. "I can't even go to school with you because the Professor doesn't trust me enough. It's bad enough I can barely keep my blasts under control…but to have the ability to manipulate all kinds of sound waves and not know how to use it…" Her voice trailed off.
"You're not the only one, Ry. Jamie has the same problem you do." He reminded her. "You're talking as if the rest of us have mastered our powers. Look at me, for instance…one sneeze, and the boy's locker room looked like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, remember?" He joked lightly, having told her about that little episode of his.
She didn't even crack a smile.
"Evan, I'm seventeen years old. I've had these powers since I was fourteen. I'm not saying I should have perfect control, or anything like that…but I should, at least, be able to walk down the street without worrying about taking somebody's head off!" Groaning in frustration, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. He responded by gently wrapping an arm around her.
Several seconds passed before, once again, he spoke up first. "Listen…I heard the other talking downstairs about heading to the park for a group picnic this morning. Xavier gave us a day off from training. I'm sure he'd let you come along, since we'd all be together. Want to?"
"No," she muttered, shaking her head lightly before burying her face further into his shoulder. "I wanna finish cleaning up, or it'll never get done."
Evan paused to blink, then sighed.
This girl was nothing short of an enigma to him. In the brief time he'd known her, two things had become apparent to him. One was that, in spite of her insistence on never being left out, she seemed to hate being around large groups of people and always tried to find some excuse to get out of it. He could understand the sentiment of not really fitting in—it was one of the things in common they had that originally drew them together as friends—but it was almost like she didn't want to fit in.
Normally, this wouldn't have been too much of an issue, if it weren't for the other one: her stubbornness. The kind of stubbornness that often times got her into trouble, as well. Fortunately, months of experience had taught him how to deal with it.
Almost.
Neither were sure just how it started: a playful slap of the arm…a gentle shove. Whatever the reason, Evan and Ryo soon found themselves engaged in an all out tug-'o-war. Essentially, they were fighting over thin air…but it was the act, not the object, that mattered. It wasn't long before Ryo began giggling uncontrollably, and Evan was just relieved to see her smiling again
When she threatened to blast him into next week if he didn't let up, he resolved the problem easily by grabbing both her wrists and holding them over her head with one hand, the other needed for offense. She squirmed and wiggled in a vain attempt to get free, but only succeeded in knocking herself off-balance, collapsing backwards onto the bed. Refusing to let go, Evan too fell so that he was lying on his side next to her, hovering slightly so as to maintain his hold on her wrists.
"Get off me, Evan!" Ryo exclaimed, sounding slightly annoyed, despite her laughter.
He replied by leaning over to look her directly in the eye. She tried to maintain a steadfast glare, but the smile on her face betrayed her. "You promise to come with us?" The way he said it sounded almost like an ultimatum, so Ryo gave him the first, most mature reply she could think of: she stuck her tongue out at him. "Okay…you asked for it…."
Holding down her arms, he began to tickle her with his free hand. The only thing preventing skin contact was the thin layer of cloth as his fingers danced across her stomach. Ryo shrieked with laughter and tried to curl herself up in defense. Under normal circumstances, she might have been able to push him away. But she was simply laughing too hard to gather enough strength to do so.
And, if was completely honest with herself, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to push him away.
"Okay! Okay!" she managed to reply in between gasps after a moment. "I'll go!"
The tickling abruptly ceased, but Evan didn't let go quite yet. Instead, he leaned in close until their noses were almost touching, a grin of triumphant plastered on his face. He wanted to gloat. "You promise?"
"I promise!"
"…good." Satisfied, he finally freed the girl and sat up.
It took Ryo a moment before she could do the same, however. With all the excitement done and over with, she was surprised to find herself short of breath. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, pounding against her chest. I must've been more tired then I realized, she thought to herself, blaming the physical exertion on her current condition. Good thing we don't have any Danger Room sessions today. That in mind, she closed her eyes and willed her heartbeat to slow—a trick Wolverine taught her in meditation.
Evan was already at the door by the time she regained her composure to sit up. "Hey, Ry?" He called back over his shoulder, turning briefly to look at her.
"Mmm?"
"Since you're so enthusiastic about cleaning…wanna do my room next?" Laughing, he barely ducked in time to avoid the feather duster that went whizzing by his head.
As it turned out, Ryo wasn't the only one reluctant to join in that day. Try as they might, no one could manage to drag Bobby out of his room. He locked himself inside and refused to let anyone else in—including Sam—claiming he had "more important things to do." Few believed him, but there wasn't much they could do about it. Still, it was with a heavy heart that they packed and left the mansion gates for Bayville Park.
"Got any fives?"
"Go fish." Sighing in defeat (her fifth in a row…but who was counting?), Kitty reached over to the middle of the circle and drew the top card. Three of Spades. Damn. She hastily shoved it into her hand and glanced down at the one measly booklet she had managed to gather.
"My turn!" Jamie exclaimed from his seat to Kitty's immediate left. This earned a simultaneous groan from the rest of the group; he not only had more booklets than everyone else, he had more than everyone else put together. "Ray, got a six?"
"Damnit, Multiple!"
The group of mutants had found a relatively peaceful, secluded area of the park to camp out at. No kids hounding them to "show off" their powers, no adults to give them distasteful stares. Very pleasant. This wasn't all surprising, though, as there were very few people outside that day, tourist season having ended the previous month and the majority of the summer population already returned to the city.
Jean—who had been bared from partaking in the card game for obvious reasons—sat off to one side of the circle, cleaning up empty paper plates and cups left over from brunch. Potato chips, cookies, and other random snacks were scattered around the blanket, along with a few packs of cards.
Most had agreed to start a card game after eating, but a few opted for other activities. Roberto, for example, had been delighted to find a wide open, grassy field nearby just begging for a game of soccer, and dragged off Rahne and Amara for a two-on-one match. Kurt was still at Sunday mass, but would be meeting up with them later on. Sam curled up against the bark of the tree they were under, apparently engrossed in some novel.
"Spyke? Any Jacks?"
"I don't believe this."
"Is that a 'yes'?"
After inwardly debating if the Jamie's skills were some repressed mutant power (the jury was still out), most of the Fish players were considering following the others' examples.
The twelve-year-old mutant enthusiastically collected his winnings before turning to his next victim: "Any twos, Miss Ryo?" Silence greeted him. "…Miss Ryo?" Nothing.
All eyes turned to the young blonde in question, located comfortably in the space between Evan and Jamie. She was lying on her stomach and wrapped in a thick, warm blanket. Arms folded in front of her provided for a headrest, though she still managed to hold her cards steadily in one hand. The presence of any booklets were conspicuously absent, and it had yet to dawn on her the reason could be Evan and Jamie's ability to see her most of her cards from where they sat.
Then again, she was fast asleep.
Resisting the urge to laugh, Evan leaned down and gently shook her. "I think he means you." He whispered, just loud enough for those close by to hear.
"…hmm? Wha—?" Ryo stirred at the touch faintly before coming awake with a start, wearily darting her head. Unfortunately, she dropped her cards in the process. "Oops."
Scott leaned over to collect them, reshuffled the deck, and handed her new ones. "Are you feeling alright?" He asked while the cards were still being distributed.
"Yeah." She answered dismissively, moving to sit up. A hand absently went to her forehead, as if checking for a fever. "Just a little tired, is all. I guess I didn't get enough sleep last night." As if emphasizing her point further, she stiffled a yawn.
"Are your 'muffs working okay?" Evan spoke up. " 'Cause—" but he was quickly silenced from saying anything further when she elbowed him in the ribs, shooting the boy a quick glare.
"What 'muffs?" Tabby wanted to know, eyebrow raised in question.
After threatening to elbow Evan again for opening his big mouth, Ryo sighed in defeat and began explaining. Most of the students already knew the basics of what her powers included…namely, an enhanced sense of hearing, more acute than that of a dog's. But what they didn't know was the difficulty she had sleeping at night because of it. The everyday (and night) noise around her was much too loud for even a moment of silence, and even at the Institute she'd gone several of her first nights without sleeping before finally going to Xavier for help.
Regular earplugs didn't work. She'd tried them all. Every material, every brand. Earmuffs—the ones used when operating close to loud, heavy machinery—were slightly better, but uncomfortable to sleep in. So together, Beast and the Professor designed something new: soundproof pieces of cloth that Ryo could slip over her ears, easily blocking out almost everything.
They worked beautifully. Made of some mixture of a metallic alloy and fabrics she's never heard of, each 'muff was so soft and light it was like adding another pillow, compared to the hard bulk of plastic she'd used beforehand. Jubilee and Evan were the only ones (aside from the teachers) who knew about it. She hadn't wanted to tell anyone else because it was embarrassing to admit. A stupid problem she couldn't solve on her own.
"But if they work so well," Scott began, trying to understand what she'd just told them, "then what's the problem?"
Ryo shrugged. "I wish I knew."
"Maybe," Jean suggested, "your powers are growing."
Again, Ryo shrugged, but this time it was accompanied by an internal groan at the thought. To be honest, she had considered the possibility on more than one occasion. So many, in fact, that it seemed the only logical answer. That's all I need right now, she thought to herself, quietly so Jean wouldn't be able to hear, more power to have no control over.
Out loud, she said, "I don't suppose the Prof. can build me one of those soundproof tanks, like in DareDevil, huh?" The question was met with blank expressions and odd stares. "…didn't think so."
"You're listening to Z-100, New York's number one hit music station." The small radio Rogue had brought with her blared out. "That was 'Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5. Our next song is by request…"
The rest of the radio DJ's announcement was drowned out by Tabby's squealing as the first chords to a new song began: "Oh, I love this song!" she exclaimed, cards long since forgotten as she jumped to her feet, dragging a very reluctant Ray with her. "Come on, Sparky, let's dance."
His only reply was a weak moan of protest, but the boy complied to his girlfriend's wishes, somewhat relieved by the fact that was starting to act like her old self—like the same old Tabby—again. Frankly, that episode of hers a few weeks prior had scared him; it was a side of Tabby he'd never seen before. Fear.
Of him?
Whatever had been going through her mind at the time, however, was gone now. At least, he hoped it was.
"I see you lookin' at me. I can tell by your eyes that you're feelin' me. And I really want you to get close to me. So would you…dance with me? Dance with me?"
The rest of the group looked on in faint amusement as the couple began stepping in time to the beat. It was a slow, cyclic beat—slower than a salsa, but with a very similar feel to it. Their rights hands clasped together, Ray lifted them over his head as Tabby rhythmically twirled underneath it, throwing a bit of hip into the movement. Glances were exchanged sporadically. Her trademark smirk was as mischievous as ever.
"Muffins, anyone?"
Everything seemed to come to a screeching halt as Kitty's voice rang out suddenly. A number of pairs of eyes turned to face the most horrific sight imaginable. Some could have sworn, right there and then, they heard the haunting music looming over them from somewhere in the background.
Standing…well, sitting before them was a fresh batch of Kitty's homemade muffins. Blueberry, to be precise.
Cautiously, so Kitty would be able to detect the motion, Evan leaned slightly to his left—where Scott was seated—and whispered, "Does the Professor know she's been cooking again?"
"Professor?" he whispered back, gulping nervously. "I doubt even Kurt knew, and he spends more time in that kitchen than—"
"What are you two whispering about?"
"Nothing!" They answered simultaneously, trying to look as innocent as possible.
Kitty gave them a strange look before choosing to ignore them altogether. "So…who wants one?" she asked instead, brandishing the plate. "Ryo?"
"Hmm?" The girl was still half asleep, and almost started to drift off again, but lifted her head at the sound of her name. Ignoring the frantic warning motions coming from the boys, she gave the brunette a quick nod. "Sure. Why not? I missed breakfast this morning." As the rest watched on in horror, she picked on up and took a bite…and grinned. "Yum!"
Everyone did a double-take.
Kitty practically glowed with pride. "I'm glad you like!" Then something caught her attention off in the distance. "Hey, Kurt! Hold up!" Setting the plate back down, she stood up and ran over to meet up with her best friend, who had come straight from Church, as his dressy-casual ensemble indicated.
Ryo waited until she was out of sight before hastily grabbing a napkin and spitting out the bite of muffin. "What…was that?!" she managed to gasp out while reaching for a bottle of water.
"That," Rogue grinned, "Was ya first experience with Kitty's cookin'. Sorry…we tried ta warn ya."
Understandably confused, Ryo swallowed another gulp before speaking up. "But what about…"
"Your birthday breakfast?" Tabby finished for her, referring to the batch of muffins the girls had brought to her in the sick bay for her seventeenth birthday. "I thought you'd've figured it out by now. Those things were store-bought, of course. Jean here made the switch when Kitty wasn't looking." She motioned towards the red-haired girl.
"Well, we couldn't very well allow her to poison you on your birthday. That would be almost cruel." Jean joked lightly, giving the rest of the girls a quick wink. Laughter erupted from the group, including those who hadn't been in on the original joke.
But Ryo instead stared down at the…thing in her hand. That was no blueberry muffin. Sure, it looked safe enough. Maybe the edges looked slightly burnt, but the rest of it was a crispy golden brown speckled with indigo-colored berries. An aroma of nothing but blueberry could even be detected, but it wasn't the blueberries that were the problem. Those actually tasted pretty good. The rest of the muffin, on the other hand…
When she reached for her bottle of water once more, the thing accidentally slipping from her grasp. It landed on the blanket with a soft thud. And bounced. The laughter ceased abruptly as everybody watched it catapult into the air, hitting the sidewalk before continuing its way down the concrete path. Not unlike a rubber ball.
Sitting the closest to her at the moment, Evan was the first to notice Ryo turn slightly green. "You know," she began weakly, "I think I'll hold off on the baked goods for a little while. Say…oh…the next twenty years."
Sam tried to keep his mind focused on Oliver Twist, an English assignment he'd put off for far too long already. He'd even managed to succeed in ignoring most of the commotion coming from the picnic blanket. But every time he got around to skimming a few lines, his eyes would drift upwards and over to the nearby field.
What originally started out as a friendly two-on-one match—Roberto versus the girls—had escalated to a not-so-friendly competition between he and Rahne. Amara had long since been reduced to cheering her friend from the sidelines.
Even he had to admit Roberto was good. Maneuvering the ball with great ease, the Brazilian boy was apparently enjoying his clear advantage over Rahne, taunting her with a few Portuguese phrases he knew she wouldn't be able to understand between plays. Not that Rahne let him get away with it, periodically getting her own shot or two in. While nowhere near Roberto's level of skill, she could certainly hold her own.
Of course, Sam knew that already.
Except the game itself wasn't what drew his attention. It was the interaction between those who were playing. Little things. Glances…smiles…bouts of laughter. Seemingly innocent enough, right?
Sam would never consider himself to be a jealous person, but he wasn't blind either. Rahne had told him all about her brief crush on Roberto, back when they were still just friends. He knew all about the field trip to the redwood forest. Secrets were a rare thing between them, one of the things he loved most about their relationship. She'd sworn to him that it was all in the past, that she was over her stupid crush, and he took her word for it.
This morning, however, doubt was beginning to creep into his mind. No matter how many times Rahne had told him those things didn't matter to her, he just couldn't shake the knowledge that he and Roberto were as different as night and day. Roberto was average height, but with well-toned muscles bronzed by hours spent in the sun and the agility of a true athlete. Sam was tall, lanky, and an absolute klutz. His ability in sports was satisfactory, at best, and good for little more than a few rounds of basketball or football with the guys. Rahne was the real outdoors of them both, sheer enthusiasm more than making up for whatever she lacked in skill—which wasn't much.
"Penny for your thoughts?" a voice rang out suddenly, drawing Sam out of his musings. He looked up to find Amara smiling down at him. "You look like you're a million miles away right now, Sammy."
He inched over in his seat to make room for her before turning his eyes back to the book. "Just thinkin' about…stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" she queried further, plopping down beside him. "Anything wrong?"
"No."
He hated lying to her. Aside from Rahne (and occasionally Bobby), Amara was his best and closest friend at the institute. More so, she was a confidant. Somebody he could turn to, for example, whenever he and Rahne were having another of their ridiculous fights. But some things, he just didn't feel like sharing.
"So what happened ta the soccer game? Ah thought ya wanted 'em ta teach ya how ta play?"
"Don't try and change to subject on me." She began, "Though if you must know, I got tired of being ignored. I swear, those two have the exact same, stubborn winning streak in them…" but trailed off as she saw the look in his eye. Realization dawned on her, and her smile softened. "Oh, Sammy…that's what's bothering you, isn't it?"
Sam chose to remain silent.
Gently, she reached over and took the book from his hands so he'd look at her. "Listen to me carefully, okay? Rahne cares about you a lot. More than you both realize. You're all she talks about half the time. No offense, but it can get pretty annoying; some of us just kinda tune her out after a while." This earned her a faint smile. "Besides, she can't stand Roberto unless it's on the battlefield."
"You mean soccer field." He corrected.
"No, I mean battlefield." She answered back with a roll of the eyes. "You, of all people, know how competitive she can be when she sets her mind to something. And like I said earlier, Roberto's the exact same way. When those two go at it…it's war." The two burst out laughing at the thought, and for a splint second, Sam's worries were eased.
While Amara absently flipped through the novel, Sam snuck one last glance out onto the soccer field. Aside from Rahne and Roberto looking close to murdering one another at that point, nothing seemed any different than usual. Even that wasn't so out of character. Maybe he was overreacting.
But then why wouldn't the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach go away?
The ice helped a little. The aspirin helped more.
"Ugh, I swear those stupid birds are laughing at me!" Ryo glared at the nest above her, if a bit unsteadily, as she tried to hold the cold compress to her head with one hand and balance a glass of water in the other. "Just listen to 'em. Chirping away…I'll bet this happens to them all the time and we just don't see it."
Taking a seat beside her on the park bench, Evan had to stiffen a chuckle. "I told you to watch out for those low-flying branches, Ry."
"That tree attacked me, and you know it!"
It hadn't taken long for the two to get bored of card games and the random arguments breaking out between those still playing. Ryo snuck away first, but Evan was right behind her. Anything to get away from those so-called muffins, she told him, but he had a feeling a touch of xenophobia was more to blame.
His skateboard was still in the back of Scott's convertible where he'd left it, and as they passed by the parking lot it gave him an idea. Ryo was always commenting on how she wanted to learn. The opportunity for a lesson couldn't have been more perfect. Finding a smooth sidewalk long enough to practice on had been easy enough. Two of her archery skills included remaining study on her feet and maintaining good balance, something she was easily able to apply on the board. A few tips and demonstrations later, she'd mastered both the Tick-Tack and the Ollie.
Granted, maybe they were two of the easiest tricks to learn, but Evan had to admit she was a quick study.
The problem came when she wanted to make an attempt at a Shuvit, a very basic but still fun trick. It requires the board to spin sideways in mid-air so that when you land, the nose and tail have been reversed. While possible to do standing still, it's usually much easier for beginners to start off moving.
Ryo had managed a good start…her kickoff was a little wobbly, but she sustained her balance…and she even remembered to bend her knees to absorb the shock on impact with the ground. Unfortunately, she'd twisted her body mid-air as her foot pushed forward on the back of the board, and accidentally landed backwards. A common mistake. Not a big deal, except that the skateboard was still rolling as she twirled around. A low-flying branch had caught her by surprise, knocking her clear off the board and causing a lovely welt on her forehead.
"Here, let me see it." Evan turned in his seat, taking the icepack from her. He was used to skateboarding injuries, and would be able to tell how serious hers really was.
She resisted at first, pulling back hesitantly, but eventually allowed him to observe the wound. A lovely bruise was developing just over her left eye, roughly half the size of his fist, but the skin hadn't been broken. Some of the tree bark crumbled away on impact before, leaving speckles on her forehead. When he tried lightly brushing them away, Ryo inhaled sharply through her teeth, noticeably flinching.
"Sorry." He quickly amended, retracting his hand and gently reapplying the compress to her forehead. Their fingers lightly brushed together when she reached up to hold it in place. Neither seemed to notice. "Guess you should probably work a little more on it next time, hmm?"
Stubborn as always, she countered back, "I don't know what you're talking about. I think I did pretty good for a beginner."
"You're doing great on the tricks." He agreed, "It's the breaking that needs work."
"Okay, so I ran into a tree one time. One time! There were plenty of other times I did it right!" She moved to cross her arms in protest before remembering that one was still holding the icepack in place.
"Really? You mean, like when we were first testing out your stance?" he teased; it had taken several tries for her to realize that, being left-handed, she was more comfortable in a goofy (right foot forward) rather than normal (left foot forward) stance. A switch-stance would come after she'd gained more experience.
"I stopped!"
"Yeah, but the skateboard didn't."
It had also taken her several tries to figure out just how far to lean back when breaking, so that she didn't just slide off the back of the board while it continued to roll away.
Ryo's eyes narrowed, and she gave him a quick glare before practically shoving the icepack into his chest, headache forgotten, and grabbed the skateboard at his feet. "You think I can't do it? I'll show you…" she muttered, storming off down the sidewalk.
Evan roll his eyes while she wasn't looking, but said nothing further.
Seconds later, she was rolling down the path at a medium-paced speed. Bent slightly at the knee and perfectly balanced in her goofy stance, things seemed to be going all right. When she passed by the bench, her signal to break, Ryo gently pushed down on the tail end of the board, leaning back slightly to allow her weight to slow her down.
She leaned too much; before Ryo could react in time, the skateboard skidded out from beneath her and sent her flying backwards. It flipped over a few times before landing on the adjacent grass, back wheels still spinning in the air. A faint cry of surprise escaping her, she shut her eyes tightly and prepared to hit the ground…when a pair of strong arms caught her.
"Gotcha." Evan's voice rang out from behind.
Seconds passed where Ryo didn't say anything. She opened one eye…then the other…but her expression remained unreadable. Almost frighteningly so. It meant any number of possible reactions from her. Just when Evan thought a major spasm was about to occur, however, she instead burst out laughing.
Standing up straight, she turned to look at him with a sheepish smile. "Well…that pretty much backfired, huh?"
"Pretty much." Evan grinned. "I hate to say 'I told you so', but—" He was cut off as she covered his mouth with one hand.
"Then don't."
An oddly new sensation washed over her just then, as if suddenly seeing Evan for the first time. Or in a new light. Two chocolate-colored orbs watched her every move. Before she realized what she was doing, Ryo slowly brought her hand down, fingers trailing across his skin until he reached up and took her own hand in his. Neither said a word.
Her mind drifted back to those first few weeks after arriving at the mansion. It was really more of an accident that she and Evan had even met up in the first place; both had conveniently been trying to get out of…what had it been? For her, avoiding a trip to the mall with Jubilee and the girls, while Evan was escaping a tag-team football game in the backyard.
She remembered everything as if it had happened only yesterday. Bored out of her mind and eager to escape the Med Ward, she'd snuck up to the top floor where Ororo kept her garden. The vast assortment of flora she found up there had literally taken her breath away; science had always been her favorite subject, and she was eager to use the opportunity to learn a thing or two in the area of botany.
That's where Evan had caught her, drifting around the makeshift greenhouse, when he came up in search of his aunt. The conversation that followed had been brief but interesting, to say the least.
It made her laugh now to recall all the things her fellow Newbies, and even some of the older students, had casually mentioned about him. Most involved passing comments about how lazy and irresponsible he could be, one or two even going into detail about how he completely lacked respect for authority figures. Okay, so maybe they were all true…but there was also another side to him. One that, apparently, only she had seen.
And in that moment, she was reminded of the fact more so than ever.
Realization quickly dawned on her of the position they were in: neither had moved from their spot, and while one hand of his still held loosely to hers, the other came to rest comfortably on her waist. A shiver ran down her spine as their eyes made contact, and her heart was beating so hard she thought it would burst. This time, however, there was no mistaking the reason. She didn't need her powers to hear his heart racing as quickly as hers.
An alarm went off in her head that silently screamed at her, but she found her legs no longer willing to cooperate. "I should…probably go fetch the skateboard." She wearily spoke up without breaking eye contact.
"Probably." He repeated, just as softly.
It remained exactly where it had fallen, one wheel still leisurely spinning.
Ryo could feel her whole body trembling as he leaned down to close the gap between them. Not from fear exactly, but something she couldn't quite explain. Her eyes closed just as the sensation of his lips brushing against hers took hold of her senses. The kiss was brief, almost painfully so, and lasted a fraction of a second, leaving her breathless all the same.
"I think we need to talk." Evan whispered as they parted, foreheads practically touching. Wordlessly, Ryo nodded in response, unable to tear her eyes away.
They remained like that for a few seconds before smiling, a bout of jubilant laughter escaping them both.
Miles away at the Institute, Xavier let out a sudden audible gasp as he felt himself loose hold. Collapsing back into his chair, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handkerchief to wipe away the sweat forming on his brow. I must be getting on in years, he thought wryly to himself, I never used to tire this easily. Yet, despite the fatigue, both mentally and physically, threatening to overcome him, the middle-aged man couldn't help wearily smile from appearing.
It worked.
His instincts had been dead on, as always. The attraction had already been there—he'd seen it, even if they hadn't—only requiring a few "suggestions" implanted into their subconscious to help things along further. And with that assurance, another impending problem had been avoided.
After all, there was no greater assurance of loyalty than the heart.
"Charles, you may want to come have a look at this." Ororo called out to him suddenly.
"What is it, Ororo?" He wheeled himself over to the controls, where both Ororo and Logan were monitoring the Danger Room session occurring below.
Having little desire to spend the day moping around, and even less dealing with the others, Bobby had requested a special simulation run that morning. It was something to do, at least. Something to keep his mind off of things. Of course, none of the teachers had the heart to say no.
"Drakes already made it up to level seven," Logan answered. There was more than a hint of surprise in his voice. "Time elapse: eighteen minutes, twenty-nine seconds. Never would have thought the Popsicle had it in him."
"Ah, remind me again," Xavier queried the two, placing his elbows on the armrests of his wheelchair and folding his hands, "Which program did he choose to run?"
A few seconds passed as Ororo called up the program details. "Simulation 5.92. Requires quick-thinking in emergency situations and a strong, take-charge attitude." There was another pause as she reviewed Bobby's current status and progression. "I must admit I, too, am impressed. We haven't seen scores like these since…"
"Since Scott ran the program when he was his age." Logan finished for her. His face had twisted into an amused smirk the more he thought about it. "Seems without anyone to show off for, Drake's got a real knack for serious leadership. Who knew?"
Internally, Xavier's grin widened further, though he maintained a neutral expression on the outside.
He knew, of course.
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TO BE CONTINUED…