Sorry it took me a (LONG) while to update. ^.^;; School was extremely hectic but thankfully, it's all over!! O

I only have high school to worry about now.... But thankfully, school doesn't start 'til June. I can let my brain rest 'til then. ^_^;;

Anyway, what the heck is Cody's last name?!?! If you know, please tell me if ever you decide to review (which you will, RIGHT?!). Once I know, I'll fix that part up.

Chapter Four: Calm After the Storm?

Kurt slowly moved his left hand to his right wrist. With one press, he switched the image inducer off.

He shyly looked up at the eager Rogue. "Well?" He asked. "I'll understand it if you run out and scream." He then smiled a sorrowful smile.

Rogue smiled warmly then slowly walked up to him. "Did you know..." She touched Kurt's cheek with her gloved hand. "Blue's my favorite color."

DUN! DUN! DUN!

Ice Blue Angel: CUT!!!! XD I bet you're shocked huh? Don't worry, I'll never write a Kurt/Rogue pairing! I find it sick, even if they aren't biological siblings.

Anyway...

THE REAL Chapter Four: Calm After the Storm?

            Kurt slowly moved his left hand to his right wrist. With one press, he switched the image inducer off.

            With one click of a switch, from a very normal - even handsome - young teenager, Kurt's disguise was finally taken off to reveal his true, though quite similar, appearance. He changed from a normal looking teenager to some sort of creature who was slightly shorter for he was standing in an very awkward and uncomfortable position.

            Rogue was taken aback for a second as she took everything in. She looked at his dark blue skin then down to his long, two-toed feet. She wondered how Kurt could stand with his knees always slightly bent. She glanced at his three-fingered hands then at his prehensile tail, which kept moving around as if it had a mind of its own. Rogue then stared at Kurt's deep yellow eyes, which when looked at, seemed to hold things one wouldn't normally expect from a usually cheerful teenager.

            Kurt shyly looked up at the eager Rogue. "Well?" he asked. "I'll understand it if you run out of the room and scream." he then smiled a sorrowful smile.

            Still deep in thought, Rogue said to herself, 'I wonder how it was for him growing up...'

            The apprehensive look on Kurt's face told her that it wasn't that easy.

            Rogue suddenly changed her expression after seeing the one on Kurt's face. "It's not that bad," Rogue replied then smiled a similar smile as Kurt's. "I mean, it's surprising at first but I'll get used to it."

            "Thanks," Kurt said, putting on a thankful smile. "You don't know how much that means to me."

~*~*~

            It was a quiet Monday morning, the sun shone brightly and promised an eventful day for the people in Westchester County[1]. The cool wind blew past the trees, making their leaves rustle from the force of the blow. Outside the mansion were many Bayville High students making their way to school, chatting happily about a wide variety of topics for conversations.

            "Wake up!" a blue mutant cheerfully greeted his sleeping fellow teenager.

            Not used to being woken up so early, Rogue simply rolled onto her other side, turning her back to Kurt.

            "...Go away...10 more minutes..." she sleepily grumbled to her beloved pillow.

            "Come on, Rogue!" Kurt insisted, for he was very accustomed to being used as a human alarm clock. "Rise and shine!" he added with his trademark grin, though the sleeping goth failed to see it. He then jumped towards the curtains and opened them with a flick of his wrist, finally letting the bright morning light penetrate into the room.

            "Uhh..." Rogue burrowed her face deeper into her pillow to shield her eyes from the offending brightness. "It's still too early, Kurt..." she mumbled.

            Kurt then decided to look at the clock on top of the bedside table, which read 7:00 am. He sweatdropped but didn't let that fact prevent him from doing what he's supposed to do. Rogue didn't know the exact time anyway.

            "True," he eventually replied as he thought of an excuse. "but it's your first day in your new school, so you shouldn't be late."

            This made Rogue sit up, much to her disliking.

            "Ugh...forgot about that..." she stated, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she yawned.

            "Besides," Kurt added. "don't you want to meet the other occupants of the Xavier Institute?"

            Rogue swung her legs off the side of the bed and stood up. She stretched her arms as high as she could as she replied.

            "'Xavier Institute', huh?" she repeated. "are you sure I'm not in a nut house?"

            Kurt chuckled. "I'm sure."

            Rogue glanced at the clock then asked, "What time does school start, anyway?"

            "Oh, about 8:30." Kurt replied with a sheepish grin.

            Rogue had a deadpan look on her face. It took most of her will power not to strangle the cheerful mutant for waking her up so early. Calming herself down, she simply replied with tight lips, "I see."

~*~*~

            "Hey guys!" Kurt cheerfully exclaimed as he entered the kitchen full of hungry teenaged mutants in search or food. "Meet Rogue!"

            The whole room, aside from Kurt and Rogue, switched their attention from the television to the newcomer.

            "Heya Rogue!" a girl with long brown hair, which was tied into a high ponytail greeted. "I'm Kitty."

            "I'm Scott." the boy with shades said.

            "I'm Jean." the red-haired girl informed.

            Rogue was surprised at first for she remembered last night, when Mystique chased after her in both Scott and Jean's forms. She had to remind herself that it was really Mystique, and not them.

            "That's Evan and, I guess you already know, Wolverine." Kurt finished. Evan waved from his spot in the dinner table for his mouth was full of breakfast.

            "Hey." Rogue shyly greeted, hoping that they would stop staring at her.

            "'Morning, Stripes." Wolverine grunted.

            "'Stripes'?" Rogue repeated with a questioning look towards Kurt.

            "Wolverine has this thing for giving us all nicknames." Kurt shrugged. 

            "I see..."

            Rogue then turned her attention to the TV on the top corner of the wall. The mutants happened to be watching the news.

            "And, news flash!" the news reporter said as he scanned the small amount of papers in his hand. "A young teenaged boy identified as Cody [whatchamacallhim] was found unconscious on the ground in the park yesterday."

            Rogue's eyes widened. "Oh no..." she trembled. "Cody..."

            Jean gave her a concerned look. "Do you know anything about this?"

            "Doctor's didn't see any form of injury so the cause of this is still yet to be found out..." the news reporter continued with raised eyebrows.

            Rogue's lips started trembling along with practically the rest of her body.

            Kitty gave Rogue a questioning but all the while concerned look. "Rogue?"

            "I didn't mean to do it!" Rogue defended herself, attracting all the attention of the occupants of the room. She moved backwards and held the frame of the door. "I didn't know that that would happen!" she shouted.

            "Calm down, Rogue," Kurt said in a hopefully assuring voice, patting Rogue's shoulder. "we understand."

            "NO!" Rogue shrieked. "No one does!!"

            With that, she bolted out the kitchen. With a loud bang, she left the mansion.

~*~*~

            With his trademark 'bamf!', he was outside the mansion, brows furrowed in confusion as he scanned the area. His gaze eventually landed on a female's figure, curled up into a ball hidden by the comforting shade of one of the tall trees.

            "Rogue!" he called out to the girl. She was hugging her knees close to her chest and had her head tucked between them, her hair scattered around her shoulders.

            'BAMF!' and he was sitting right beside her. He put one of his arms around her trembling shoulders in a hopefully comforting manner.

            "Rogue..." he started, expecting another outburst.

            What happened though, was far from what he expected.

            Rogue turned to Kurt and wrapped him in a tight hug. He let her head rest on his shoulder while she quietly sobbed. Kurt silently thanked himself for still not turning on his image inducer. Because if he had, he would be on the ground by now, unconscious, no less.

            Feeling pity towards his stepsister's condition, he gently returned the gesture and slowly rubbed her back, calming her down. There was complete silence except for the occasional sobs, which evidently came from Rogue.

            Once Rogue had calmed down, she quietly talked in an inaudible tone that Kurt only heard it for his ear was right beside her mouth. Trying to stop trembling, she asked softly:

            "What am I going to do, Kurt?"

            And, for once since the whole fiasco began, Kurt had no definite answer to make things better for his troubled sister and new teammate.

-=-=-=-

[1] - They DO live there, right?!

Did this chapter suck? 'Coz I think it did...-_-;;

Anyway, review please!! ^_^