CHAPTER 6

The New Recruit

Kitty walked in silence as the professor took them backstage to meet Kurt. Surprisingly she was one of only three who wasn't talking, Rogue had once again zoned out in a world of her own and Ray was wisely keeping his mouth shut after being threatened with Logan sessions for the rest of the year for swearing eight times in a row when he saw Kurt's body. The others however babbled over each other attempting to explain his looks.

'Is everything alright Kitty?' The professor asked. 'You haven't spoken since the show ended.'

'I'm okay professor,' Kitty replied looking around at the actors getting out of their costumes and removing make up. 'I guess I like knew he had some sort of physical mutation when I saw him last night in that weird costume.' She paused considering how to phrase what she felt, the rest of the X-Men had stopped talking and were looking at her, even Rogue had broken free of her trance to stare at her. 'It's just I suppose I imagined an extra set of arms or some kind of rotting body, but I never thought he'd look…well like he does.'

'Kitty I know he looks different to you or me but I assure you that Kurt is the kindest person I have ever had the honour to meet.' Xavier said to them all

'You wouldn't say that if you saw him fight that gang' Tabitha said darkly

'Yeah' Amara agreed, 'he tore them apart.'

'Well we'll all get chance to find why he did now.' The professor answered them nodding towards a pile of boxes.

Kitty gasped. She had seen him up on the platform so she had an idea of what to expect but looking at him down here on solid ground was something completely different. The first thing she noticed was the fur covering him, it was a dark indigo blue and it had the soft look of being frequently brushed and washed. The next thing she noticed strangely enough was his face. Not just parts of it like the pointed elf like ears or the yellow orbs he had for eyes, not even the cruel fangs that could be seen framing a grin that threatened to split his face. It was his face in general she looked at, it seemed to suit him giving him a gentle appearance 'In fact he's kind of cute' she thought before she could stop herself. She heard Jean giggle and went bright red making a mental note to kill her once they got back to the mansion, which simply caused the red head to giggle again. Scowling Kitty looked back at Kurt. He was leaning back on a pile of boxes talking to Erika and the two other girls who must have been her sisters. He was about five foot eight and slightly skinny, like he missed a few meals every day. His fingers were extremely long and thick but he had only three. Kitty could feel her eyes beginning to slide back up to his face so she forced herself to look at something else, his tail. It twitched back and forth occasionally wrapping itself around things, like his sisters for example. Quickly stopping herself from thinking about anything to do with that tail she studied the only part of him left, his legs. Or to be more specific his feet. He had only two toes and like his fingers the were long and stubby, the bridge on his foot angled almost vertical for about three to five inches, she couldn't be sure because of the way he was sitting. There was also a dewclaw at his ankle giving the impression of a dinosaur's foot. The overall impression his body gave was that of a demon, but looking at him Kitty could see he was the furthest thing from a demon there could be. 'He looks more like an…an…elf.' She turned to glare at Jean daring her to giggle again but the telepath obviously wasn't scanning anymore, she like the rest of the X-Men was staring right at Kurt.

The tallest blonde looked around and started in surprise seeing them, her smile broadened and she dropped off the boxes calling in a light voice.

'Gutentag herr professor!' The other three turned to face them, Erika and the other girl's faces lit up in identical grins and they jumped off the boxes and ran up to Xavier shouting hellos as they went. Kurt however took one look at the amassed group and backed as far away as he could, his eyes wide and nervous. By the time Kitty had took her eyes away from him the three girls had crowded around the professor and were talking rapidly just like Erika and Kurt had been doing the night before.

'Yes it was a wonderful show,' the professor said to the tallest girl. 'But I have come to introduce Kurt to my pupils, could you get him for me Katja?'

'Of course herr professor' Katja replied and ran back to the now trembling mutant. The professor turned to his students, 'this is Erika and Anja Wagner.' He said introducing them. 'The older girl is Katja, and the boy she's speaking to is Kurt their brother.'

'Don't worry he gets nervous around crowds.' Erika said mildly. 'Oh that reminds me thanks again for helping Kurt rescue me.' She smiled at the five Sirens. The girls all mumbled embarrassedly looking anywhere but at the other X-Men who had all started sniggering at them. Unfortunately the only other place to look was at Kurt. Katja had reached him and was now talking to him quietly, too quiet to be heard but it involved major arm waving on both parties. Finally the blonde leaned forward and whispered something in Kurt's ear causing him to leap backwards his eyes filled with more horror in them at any one time since they had seen him. Slowly, hesitantly he nodded and turned to face them.

'Gutentag herr professor,' he said quietly. His voice was soft and he didn't look at anybody else, almost as if he was trying to forget they were there. 'Did you enjoy the show?'

'It was wonderful Kurt, you and your sisters have improved vastly since the last time I visited.' The professor replied smiling. 'You know why I came here today Kurt?'

'Ja, are they the X-Men you've told me about?'

'Yes I thought it might help if you met them personally.' Kurt smiled sadly and looked at the group.

'Gutentag all of you I am Kurt Wagner. You don't need to worry about hurting my feelings, so feel free to start any time.' 

'Start what?' Jean asked hesitantly

'Screaming.'

The amassed group stared silently. Kurt's sisters on the other hand groaned and put their hands over their eyes, Anja started shaking her head.

'What?' Jean asked again in a shocked voice.

'It's all right I'm used to it.' Kurt said in that soft quiet voice. 'Everybody screams the first time they see me, I just want to get it out the way while I'm ready.'

'Kurt!' Katja hissed at him 'stop it, you're embarrassing us.' Kurt turned to his sister and said in an annoyed voice.

'If they're going to scream at me I'd rather they do it when I'm prepared for it.'

'Dummkopf they're not going to scream, look at them. Most of them seem sick that you think they will.'

'Nein you're wrong.' He whispered looking at the ground. 'Everyone screams at me, always.'

'Did we scream bruder?' Katja asked gently. 'Did Mama und Papa scream? Did Heirelgart? Did the Professor?'

'You were babies the first time you saw me.' The blue mutant said negligently. 'Our parents and town are Romany; they're more open-minded than other people. And Herr Xavier and I met under… extreme circumstances. There simply wasn't time for screaming then.'

'Look' Kurt said turning back to the X-Men, 'if you're going to do it, do it now.' And with that he braced himself looking like someone was going to punch him in the guts.

Now it should be known that Kitty Pride was a 'difficult' person to get along with. This is not to say she was cruel or unkind to people, but a wide streak of stubbornness, hard headiness and the ability to say precisely the wrong thing at precisely the wrong time meant that she could annoy people to the point of madness with a skill that bordered on being another mutant power. So to say that Xavier was worried when she immediately walked towards Kurt would be at best a mild understatement. He would of much rather preferred Jean or Storm to talk to him, show the boy that he was mistaken. Kitty was just as likely to scream in his face. However Kurt had seen her so changing people would just fortify his certainty that no one outside Heirelgart could accept him. All he could do now was hope.

Kurt watched as the girl walked towards him. She had been the first one he had noticed surprisingly enough. 'Well maybe not so surprising, I did leap off a cliff face to save her.' He thought morosely. He had noticed her first that night too despite the danger, an angel in black leather fighting to protect someone she had never met. Emotions he had thought he could never have erupted inside him, that had been the real reason he had risked his own life like that. He knew that if she died, somehow a part of him would too. Just like it would die when she screamed at him, and she would, they all did. No matter what Katja said he knew the world simply would not accept someone like him. A freak. Bringing himself back to reality he looked, the girl had reached him and was staring at him. Kurt shut his eyes. He couldn't watch her scream it hurt too much. The sound never came 'Gut Gott' he thought 'if you're going to do it then do it.'

'Hi I'm Kitty Pride thanks again for saving me.'

Kurt's eyes snapped open, she wasn't screaming at him she was just standing there smiling nervously one hand outstretched in greeting. Kurt's mind shut down he simply stared dumbfounded at Kitty's hand.

Charles smiled slightly trying to hide the massive relief he felt. He had been terrified that Kitty would do something that would indivertibly upset or embarrass Kurt and therefore prove in his mind that he was just a freak of nature that could not be around normal people. But with one simple gesture Kitty had shown him that he could be accepted in time. Charles relaxed and cast his mind out towards Kurt. His small smile disappeared as he felt the boy's mind.

Kurt's psyche had always been a chaotic mess full of voices. The first time Xaiver had went inside he had withdrawn within seconds with a full scale migraine and the question of what had happened to cause such a defined mental break in a child. But Kurt had never offered an explanation to anyone not even his parents, and Charles had felt that forcing him to relive the trauma would only damage him further. But this time there was no noise, no other voices shouting in his head. All that existed was one emotion; one tiny flickering shred being projected by all of Kurt's 'personas'. Hope.

'Um there like something wrong?' Kitty asked the static young mutant. Kurt's eyes snapped back into focus and the fur around his face began to darken. It took a few seconds for the X-Men to figure out that he was blushing.

'Uh I-I'm Kurt Wagner it's nice to meet you.' Kurt stammered taking hold of her hand.

The moment their hands touched Kitty gasped. It felt like a billion volts were shooting down her spine. And more than that, it was like she could see someone else overlapping him, though the image was too blurry to make out. They held on for about a minute before either realised that both X-Men and Romany were starting to giggle at them. Kitty's face went slightly red and they let go, but not before Kitty managed to shove her foot in her mouth by exclaiming

'Wow it's like holding velvet!'

Kurt's face went so dark it was almost black and he started making strange chocking sounds, her 'friends' however burst out laughing along with Kurt's sisters. Kitty sighed morosely and tried to ignore the fact that once again she was going to be the butt of several jokes for weeks now

'So Kurt,' the professor said smiling, 'no one has screamed at you yet and as Kitty has just demonstrated no one will. So will you consider my offer?'

'Actually professor that's why I'm here.' Kurt grinned regaining his composure. 'I came to take you up on it.' 

(ED. N sorry this took so long to correct but I've had no Internet for a while, anyway to anyone who slogged through the blocks well done you're braver men than me)