"Dirty Sunshine" and "Sick" are by Lillix

BTW: I still don't own the X-Men, though they would come in handy.

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Mikaia and John were soon inseparable friends. The fire-child and the earth- girl were soon a common sight around the institute. Mikaia was talking, but it seemed only really to John. John was smiling, but it seemed only to Mikaia.

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"John, you ready?" Mikaia asked as she stood next to the fire-child after class one Friday.

"Yeah," he answered gathering his stuff and following her out of the room.

"You okay?" she asked as they headed to the room she shared with Rogue.

"Yeah," he said. Mikaia stopped and pushed him against the wall.

"Stop lying to me," she said calmly.

"I'm fine, Kaia," he said pushing her away from him.

"Please John," she whispered as he walked away. "Tell me what's wrong."

Stopping, John turned and simply said, "You wouldn't understand."

Nodding, Mikaia let him walk away knowing she couldn't really make him stay. She walked the rest of the way to her room alone. Ducking inside, she checked for Rogue and, finding the other girl missing, grabbed her guitar and headed out to the gardens to play. Plucking the strings, Mikaia started singing as she let her pain seep away.

"Dirty black clothes
A spider creeping up the wall
Moldy pizza
Sits where I left it on the floor

What's that breeze upon my face?
How did a human make lights?

You hit me
It all turns to sunshine
Dirty sunshine
You walked in
It all turns to sunshine
Dirty sunshine

I slammed the door
And I shut the blinds
Dirty sunshine

I feel like shit now
But I don't mind
'cause it's that time again
I'm in my sweat pants
And I'm a mess
Don't want to let you in
'cause sweetness gives me cavities
You're all that, I don't want to

You hit me
It all turns to sunshine
Dirty sunshine
You walk in
It all turns to sunshine
Dirty sunshine

I slammed the door
And it shut the blinds
Dirty sunshine

I don't wanna run in
Your merry go round
Stop picking me up
When I want to be down
Scratch my nails on the floor
And I'm not gonna say
What's that breeze upon my face?
How did you make it?
You...
You walk in and it all shines bright

You walk in
It all turns to sunshine
Dirty sunshine
You hit me
It all turns to sunshine
Dirty sunshine

I slammed the door
And I shut the blinds
Dirty sunshine

You walked in and it all turns bright
Sunshine, dirty sunshine"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (meanwhile, inside) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What did ya do, John?" Rogue asked the fire-child.

"Why is it always my fault?" he asked flipping the lid of his Zippo.

"Cuz you were the last one tah talk tah Mikaia," Rogue answered.

"So why does something have to be wrong?" he said glaring at her.

Rogue stood up from the couch in the living room and pushed John towards the window facing the garden. Forcing him to look out, she made him see the girl in the garden angrily strumming her guitar.

"Cuz she hasn't done that since she got here," Rogue said gesturing to the guitar.

"She plays when she's angry?" he asked quietly.

"No," Bobby said walking up and wrapping his arms around Rogue. "She plays to keep from crying."

"I made her cry?" he half whispered to himself.

"No John," Bobby answered. "You made her close up again."

"Like you know her," John spat as he turned from the room.

"Do you think he knows yet?" Bobby asked Rogue.

"That he's losin' her or that he's runnin' for her?" Rogue asked.

"Both," Bobby whispered as he watched Mikaia start a new song.

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"Mikaia!!" John called over the screeching of the guitar but, she kept playing as her lips formed different words.

"I'm never going to be what you want to see
Always got to be me and free
Right or wrong, you'll be gone

Well I've heard it all before, and I'm tired of the lies I've tried
I won't compromise
You're a thousand miles away, draining under my flooded veins
Take away the strain

I don't think that you know
I'm about to let you go
Before I put you away
One more thing I've got to say

I'm not sorry, and I don't want to worry
I'm sick of you again and I'm thinking no
I'm not sorry, and I don't want to worry
Of falling behind, don't want to worry and cry again
And I just want to say
Stop, go on

I have thrown it all away, reaching over a cloudy day
And I'm on my way
Cast my shadows all aside, creeping over into the sky
Shining brighter I feel alive

I'm never going to be what you want to see
Always go to be me you're free
Carry on, run along
Frustrated by you, typical what you do
I'm tired and through, renew
Living on with you gone

Stop, go on!!"

Mikaia sighed as she fingered the last chord. Her eyes looked into John's and she stood there, almost as if waiting for him to say something. When he said nothing, she sighed again and started to leave.

"Mikaia, wait," John said and grabbed her arm.

"What John? What do you want?" she asked irately.

"I want to talk," he said staring into her eyes.

"So did I," she said. Then wrenching her arm free she added, "But you didn't. So now I don't."

"Kaia," he said as she started to walk away.

She stopped and looked at him again. When he had said her name, something in her told her he needed her. He face was blank, but his eyes swirled with hurt, anger, sadness, and so many other emotions. Mikaia was overwhelmed. His energy was drowning her. She couldn't breathe, she was dieing. Everything was so black.

!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@!@ !

"Mikaia?" John tried again. He had no idea what had happened. One minute she was leaving the next she had looked at him and then fainted.

Picking her up bridal style, John carried her into the mansion and toward the infirmary. He kept thinking about that feeling he got when she had looked at him. He felt an intense heat, stronger than any fire he had ever known. He could almost sense her energy growing and infusing with his. He had lived for a long time with mutants and he had never felt anything like what had just happened.

Looking down at her relaxed face, John whispered to himself,

"What are you, Mikaia? And what happened?"