Paper Flowers

by oldprydefan

A tale of Soulswords, Diaries, love, friendships, and connections. Kitty Pryde and Peter (Piotr) Rasputin. Ch 18 up. Rachel and Illyana's reactions to everything that's happening, the identity of that person Kitty was hugging in the graveyard.

6. Dreaming, Deceiving, and Bleeding for Yo...

Disclaimer: None of these poor, pitiful, tortured souls belong to me. They all belong to Marvel, who mistreats them even more than I do. I'm making no money, but I doubt you really thought I was.

Thanks to all reviewers:

Caliente: I totally agree about the Cameron siblings. Slipstream was positively whiney, and how, exactly, did Lifeguard manage to turn into an entirely different species overnight? As for Neal, he seemed to get over Betsy's death awfully quickly when he took off with Heather,didn't her? Yes, the Kitty and Kurt thing was positively disturbing, but it force me to write it. I swear, this thing is taking on a life of it's on. Yes, Amanda is supposed to be the Queen of Limbo at present, and we will see her later on and all will be made clear. Or as clear as this convoluted mess can ever get, I suppose. I never realized how many loose ends Claremont left lying around until I started writing this. Thanks again for your reviews. You're terrific!

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Chapter 6 - Dreaming, Deceiving, and Bleeding for You

Rogue was curled up on the sofa in the dark, the flicker of the television screen providing the only light.

She was in a melancholy mood, what with Remy having already left for New Orleans and her at loose ends until what she was beginning to think of as "The Away Team" was ready to leave.

Dear Lord. Ah've really gotta stop watchin' so much Star Trek.

The current movie playing on cable was Casablanca. It really wasn't helping lighten her mood, but it was one of her favorites and she never missed it if she could help it.

Tonight, for some strange reason, she kept assigning the various characters to members of the X-Men. It was really surprising how well some of them fit into the story. Jean made a perfect Elsa, and the character of Rick had Logan written all over it. It only helped confirm her theory that they were all living out some kind of twisted soap opera and just didn't know it.

There was a giant bowl of buttered popcorn nestled between her and the arm of the couch and a huge glass of soda on the end table beside her. The mansion, for once, was actually quiet and Bobby wasn't around to drop chunks of ice down her shirt if she happened to fall asleep. As far as Rogue was concerned, it was a perfect evening.

Though she was aware of someone else entering the room a short time later, the Southern woman didn't look up to see who it was right away. Whoever it was could stay, keep quiet, and watch the movie, or mosey on somewhere else. She didn't really care, as long as they didn't try to change the channel.

It wasn't long, however, before a dark head leaned over her shoulder from behind the couch to see what she was up to.

If it had been anyone else, Rogue would probably have ignored them, but she turned her head to smile up at this interloper. He'd looked pretty down for the last several days and she figured he could probably use a friend about now.

"Hey, Petey. What'cha up to?"

"Not very much." Peter tried to smile back, but it didn't reach his soft blue eyes.

"Well, then," She patted the empty space beside her on the sofa in invitation. "pull up a couch and keep me and Bogie company."

"Are you sure you do not mind? I don't want to bother you."

"Don't be silly, Sugah. It's no fun watchin' this kinda movie alone. Then Ah don't have a shoulder to cry on durin' the mushy parts."

Peter stepped around to the front of the sofa, sitting down next to Rogue and she, out of long habit, slid over close to him, leaning against his arm.

It wasn't something she would have done with more than one or two of the other guys on the team, other than Gambit, but Peter was about the closest thing to a brother she had and neither of them thought a thing of it.

The only skin on her body not covered by clothing was her face and he knew the drill. Like the rest of the X-Men that had been her long-time team mates, it had become such an ingrained habit to avoid skin to skin contact with her that he wasn't even conscious of doing it. Rogue didn't have to worry about him forgetting and accidentally ending up unconscious on the floor while she sprouted metal skin and a Russian accent.

Not like some of these newer guys, she mused.

Newer, in the sense of not having been on the same team with her for any length of time, not necessarily new to the X-Men. As a matter of fact, Jean and Warren were two of the worst when it came to forgetting to be careful around her. She was getting really, really tired of suddenly sprouting big white wings, or unwillingly eavesdropping on every dirty little thought within a ten mile radius.

If the girls in this outfit ever found out what most of the guys here were thinking about the majority of the time, they'd probably just kill them outright, be done with it, and consider it a service to humanity in general, and womankind in particular.

Picking up the bowl of popcorn, Rogue dropped it into Peter's lap and they both spent the next hour and a half compulsively munching on handful after handful while Bogie tortured himself over a wishy-washy woman who wasn't good enough for him anyway. At least in one Southern Belle's opinion.

"Pete, did'ja ever notice how much Elsa's character reminds a body of Jean?"

Peter nearly spit out the mouthful of popcorn he was chewing on. He looked down at Rogue to see if she were kidding, but she appeared perfectly serious.

"I honestly cannot say I ever have." he ventured carefully.

"Well, just think about it for a minute. There's this woman, with two pretty cute guys after her. One's nice and safe and sorta borin', but stable. The other one's a rebel, kinda dangerous, but interestin' and a lotta fun. But she can't decide what to do. Stay with the safe, boring, stable one, or take off with the dangerous, crazy, fun one. So she doesn't do anything. She makes a choice by makin' no choice at all. Sound familiar?"

Peter considered it for a moment, then laughed softly. "Rogue, you have a very warped mind, but I see your point. How do you come up with these things?"

"Just a natural gift, Ah guess." She grinned widely, her green eyes sparkling with humor as a thought struck her. "Hey! Maybe it's some kinda secondary mutation. You know...the amazin' ability to divine the hidden meanin' of life from old black and white movies."

"You are a wicked woman. Gambit should be very afraid."

Giggling, Rogue winked at him. "Oh, trust me, Sugah. He is."

They settled back into a comfortable silence as the next movie came on. The empty popcorn bowl was put aside and it wasn't long before Rogue was stretched out on the sofa with her head in Peter's lap.

When they'd first gotten together, Rogue's propensity for such casually intimate contact with her close male friends had driven Remy nuts. For a woman who couldn't touch anyone, he'd told her, she sure did spend a lot of time leaning, sitting, or lying on the other guys on the team. She'd just laughed in his face and told him to live with it.

She might not be able to actually touch anyone, skin to skin, but she was an affectionate person by nature and she enjoyed what contact she could with those she was close to. It might not be much, but it was all she had and, by God, she was going to make the most of it.

The second movie, something with Gene Kelly and Natalie Wood, didn't prove as interesting as the first, and soon they were both getting a little bored with it. Peter decided to make conversation instead.

"Have you heard from Gambit since he left?"

Rogue turned over onto her back, away from the television, so she could look up at him.

"Not yet. Ah figure he's busy, what with just gettin' home and all. He'll call first chance he gets."

"You do not sound particularly concerned." Peter observed, surprised that she was so casual about it. He would have expected her to be sitting on pins and needles, waiting to hear from him, especially in light of what might turn out to be a prolonged separation.

But Rogue shrugged casually. "Sure, Ah worry about the Swamp Rat. Can't help it. But Ah worry more about him gettin' hisself inta some kinda trouble 'cause of that cocky attitude of his than Ah do about him runnin' off with somebody else, or whether he really loves me. That'd just be a waste of time. If Ah can't trust him, then we got no business together."

Her confidence made him smile. Not so long ago, she wouldn't have been nearly so sure of herself, or Remy.

"So, the two of you have finally worked out your problems?" He asked and Rogue's silvery laughter filled the room.

"Heck, no. We'll prob'ly never get that far. But things are a lot better'n they have been. Even with us bein' apart."

Peter was quiet for a moment, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Rogue was just beginning to wonder if he'd fallen asleep when he looked back down at her, his eyes filled with a sort of wistful yearning.

"How did you do it, Rogue? After all your problems, everything that happened to, and between, you and Gambit...how did you work through it?"

The tone of his voice, the look on his face, had Rogue's brows knit together, as understanding suddenly dawned on her.

"Before Ah answer, Petey, do ya mind tellin' me where this is comin' from? You've gone 'round with your chin draggin' the ground for days now, and it don't take a genius to figure out somethin's wrong. An' in my own experience, Ah've learned that, if ya don't talk about it, it sure won't get any better, an' it'll prob'ly just get worse." She reached up and patted his shoulder affectionately, and settled in for a long session. "So come on and tell ol' Rogue all about it and we'll see if we can't figure out an answer to the problem. Or at least talk it so near to death that it just gives up."

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The dreams came every night now. Only Kitty wasn't so sure anymore that they were dreams. They were too solid, too real. She could see, hear, feel everything going on around her with absolute clarity. Almost like she was living in someone else's memories.

She sat up in bed, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead with clammy hands as she waited for the images to fade.

Tonight hadn't been as bad as some. At least she hadn't awoken choking back her own screams, or with her hands covered in blood, as had happened a couple of nights ago. She still didn't know where it had come from. There hadn't been a mark on her.

Except that, in the dream on that particular night, she'd been viciously beaten and tortured, covered in her own blood. It had run down her arms in crimson rivers.

But dreams couldn't manifest into reality. Could they?

Pushing the covers back, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. When she felt able, she'd get up, maybe go downstairs and watch TV, maybe read, but she knew she wouldn't be sleeping any more.

Tonight, in her dreams, she'd watched one friend die a horrible, brutal death, watched as another was tortured, corrupted, broken, until he was no longer the man he had been, only a vile, evil thing, wearing her friends face like a mask.

And it had been familiar. The whole scene. But that wasn't how it had happened. When her team had gone into Limbo after Illyana, no one had died, no one was left behind. For probably the millionth time in the last few days, Kitty desperately wished her friend were here now. Not only did she miss her terribly, but she needed some answers.

Illyana had spoken very little of her time in Limbo. All Kitty really knew was that an alternate version of Storm and an alternate version of herself had tried to help her, had kept Belasco from fully corrupting her, as he'd wanted. She'd always had a suspicion that Illyana had been forced to kill one, or both, of them at some point in order to defeat the Demon Lord and escape, but her friend wouldn't talk about it.

Now, there was no one who would know. No one she could ask who might confirm or discount her suspicions that her dreams, the Bloodstone Amulet, and the Soulsword were all connected in some way to recent events with the X-Men.

The Soulsword had begun to appear to her again just after Pete was killed, the dreams and the Amulet, right after she'd gotten back from Moira's funeral in Scotland.

Kitty looked down into her open palm, where the Amulet was nestled, as it had been every night since the dreams began. No matter where she put it before she went to sleep, it was always in her hand when she woke up. Just as the Soulsword was always right there, at eye level, whispering to her, begging her to take it up.

Her resolve, she knew, was weakening. Tonight, the sword had promised her that, if she'd take it up willingly, let it become a part of her again, the dreams would stop. After the hell she went through every night when she closed her eyes, it had almost been more tempting than she could bear, but she wasn't quite ready to give up her soul just yet.

As the worst of the nausea finally passed, she stood up, not bothering with a robe or slippers, and phased through the floor of her room into the downstairs hallway. Rubbing her tired, bloodshot eyes, she headed in the direction of the kitchen.

Was it already a moot point?, she asked herself. Perhaps, her soul was already forfeit, and she just didn't know it.

Kitty knew she wasn't herself, that she was acting strangely. She was having periods of blackouts, now. Times when she was apparently walking around, functioning at least somewhat normally. She just didn't happen to remember any of it. Like today.

They'd had a training session just after breakfast. Kitty had participated. She knew she had. But she didn't remember it at all. In fact, she didn't remember anything she'd done until lunchtime. And she was truly afraid she didn't want to.

Passing the door leading to the den, she saw that someone had left the TV on. She stepped inside, intending to turn it off, and noticed the two figures sprawled out on the sofa.

Peter and Rogue.

Kitty felt a twinge of yearning, mixed with a dab jealousy, a painful little twist in the vicinity of her heart, but firmly pushed it away. She had no claim on Peter anymore, if she ever had to begin with.

It was obvious they'd fallen asleep in front of the television and she wondered if she should wake them up. Rogue looked comfortable enough, stretched out the length of the sofa with her head in Peter's lap, but he didn't look particularly comfortable with his head lolling back on his neck and at least one leg probably numb.

She stood there, torn by indecision, until she realized that Peter was awake, watching her with steady cobalt eyes.

"Hi, sleepy head. Fell asleep during the movie, did you?" she whispered.

He yawned widely and started to stand up, until he realized Rogue was still laying on him.

"Da, and it seems that I am trapped. I do not want to wake her up, but I do not particularly want to spend the rest of the night here, either."

"Here." When she stretched out her hand to him, he visibly hesitated before taking it. Kitty phased him, allowing him to slip out from under Rogue without waking her. "You'd better take her upstairs. If she sleeps on that all night, she won't be able to move in the morning."

Peter's eyes met hers for a moment, almost questioningly, and Kitty felt her face flush as she quickly looked away, though she wasn't sure why. Then, without another word, he turned away, scooped Rogue up and left.

With a sigh, Kitty bent down to retrieve the empty popcorn bowl that had fallen on the floor and also paused to gather up the empty drink glasses on her way to the kitchen.

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Peter carried Rogue up the stairs and down the hall to her room, carefully laying her down on her bed and covering her with a blanket. She never so much as twitched the entire time, remaining sound asleep.

She was a good friend to him, had listened patiently as he poured out his heart about his relationship with Kitty, what he hoped for, what he was afraid they would never be able to have. If anyone here could have any idea what he was going through, how he felt, it would be Rogue.

In her relationship with Remy, the two of them had been through nearly as much as he and Kitty, had faced tragedy, betrayal, and separation, and still managed to come through it together. Peter wanted the same chance for himself and the woman he still loved very much.

Rogue had listened with quiet sympathy to everything he had to say, had commiserated with his plight, and had then answered his question in three simple words: talk to each other. It was, she had said, what she and Remy had learned the hard way that they had to do, if they wanted to stay together. And they were surprised at how much it helped to just sit down together and get everything out in the open.

Closing Rogue's door as he left her to sleep, Peter made his way down the hall to his own room. Once inside, he undressed, pulling on his pajama bottoms and continued to ponder his current situation as he dropped down wearily to sit on the edge of his bed.

Of course they needed to talk. It was just so difficult to get Kitty to listen to him. Lately, she had done her very best to avoid him. When she shut him out in that manner, he didn't know how to get through to her.

She was a strong willed woman, had been so even as a girl, and if she didn't want to talk to him, he doubted he could force her. But he wasn't ready to give up, either Surely, there was still something between them that could be salvaged.

There had to be.

Taking a deep breath and making a quick decision, Peter rose and headed back downstairs, determined to try one more time.

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Kitty dropped the dirty items in the dishwasher, took a bottle of mineral water out of the fridge, and returned to the den.

Plopping down on the sofa, she picked up the remote and began to channel surf, trying to find something interesting to watch at two a.m., which did not prove to be an easy task.

Her choices finally came down to deciding between an infomercial for an amazing new egg peeler, and some bald guy extolling the virtues of spray on hair in a can. Shaking her head in disgusted amazement, Kitty was making a second round through the various channels, when the remote was firmly, but gently removed from her hand.

She whirled around to find Peter, now dressed in his pajamas, sitting very close to her. Her heart skipped a beat, then started up again, doing double time.

"I thought you went to bed." She said it almost as an accusation, as she tried to put some distance between them. Having him this close, with the rest of the household asleep and no one else around, made her decidedly uncomfortable.

Why are you fighting this? He belongs to you.

The voice whispered in her ear, turning the blood in her veins to ice as her heart hammered in her chest. She had to get rid of Peter, had to get him away from her. Now.

"I thought perhaps we could talk." He reached for her hand, but she snatched it away. Seeing the hurt that flashed into his eyes, she told herself to ignore it, even though it broke her heart. If she had to hurt him to keep him safe, she would.

"Peter, I really don't think we have anything to talk about. You should go to bed, get some sleep. We've got an early training session again tomorrow." Kitty was surprised at how cool she sounded, when inside she was screaming. Turning away from him, she picked up the remote again and went back to surfing the cable stations.

"Katya, I know there is something wrong. Please..."

He had to leave. She had to get rid of him. It was too hard to be this close to him and pretend she wasn't affected by his presence, his nearness. She was going to break down if he kept talking to her. It was killing her, hearing the pleading in his voice, wanting to tell him so badly, and knowing that she dare not.

Channeling her pain and frustration into anger and consciously directing it toward Peter, Kitty turned on him.

"It's nothing! I just had a nightmare. I'm not sleeping well and I just want everybody to leave...me...alone!"

As she lashed out at him, Peter's face fell. He bowed his head dejectedly and Kitty felt the tears burning at the back of her eyes.

"I only want to help."

He reached for her again, and she forced herself to shrug him off, to ignore what she was doing to him, the pain she was causing him, though it cost her to do so.

"Please, Peter." she replied tiredly, combing her fingers through her hair in agitation. "Just go. I don't want to talk to you." Kitty had force herself meet his eyes, then, as she spoke her next words with slow deliberation. "I don't want your friendship...Do you understand?"

For a few seconds, he said nothing, only stared at her, unbelieving. Then his eyes turned hard as flint, his voice flat and cold when he spoke, with none of it's normal warmth.

"Da. I understand."

Without another word, he was gone.

Kitty waited until she was sure he was far away before she buried her face against the sofa back and sobbed.

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"Ah still think you're makin' a mistake, 'Roro." Rogue reiterated firmly, moving the food on her plate around idly with her fork as she scowled up at her team leader, who sat across the table.

Ororo sighed heavily, resisting the urge to rub her throbbing temple. Must she have this conversation with every member of the household, over and over again?

"Rogue, I understand your position and, in different circumstances, I would agree with you. But not this time. I stand by my initial decision. Kitty, I feel, is better off keeping to her current plans to move to Muir with Rhane, or to stay here for the moment."

From beside her, Tessa, who had been listening quietly to the ongoing debate between her two team mates, finally spoke up.

"I must say, I fail to follow your logic, Storm." the dark haired woman put in. "Granted, Shadowcat has been acting somewhat oddly of late, but that is certainly not unusual for the X-Men in general, or this team in particular."

On the other side of the table, near the end, Betsy Braddock, who until now had been steadfastly ignoring the entire discussion, nearly choked on her steamed vegetables as she tried to stifle a bark of laughter, earning her a glare from Ororo, and a grin from Rogue.

"Well, you must admit," The purple-haired ninja gave her leader the sweetest, most innocent, smile she could muster. "Sage has a point. It's not like the rest of us tend to be all that emotionally stable, either."

"Yeah. Just take a look at the few of us here at the table." Rogue jumped back in enthusiastically, now that she seemed to have garnered some allies. "Ah've got more people in my head than Sybil, Betsy's wearin' somebody else's body, along with all that Crimson Dawn crap lurkin' around in her head, and Tessa here's a walkin' Palm Pilot that worked for the Hellfire Club for the last decade or so. Face it, girl. We all got issues. But we're goin'. So, why should Kit be any different?"

"And", Betsy interjected then, a wicked gleam in her eye. She loved a good debate, and she agreed with Rogue. Kitty should be going with them. "That's just the three of us." Propping her elbows on the table, she rested her chin on her hands and batted her lashes at their team leader. "Would you like us to go down the list for you, Bishop, Neal, and Hank?"

"That will not be necessary." Storm replied dryly, sending Betsy and Rogue both a rather arch look. "And yes, I know we all have our specific problems to contend with. How could we not, considering the life we live? But, for Kitty, this type of behavior is not exactly normal, even under more stressful circumstances than these."

Betsy regarded the regal African intensely, setting down her fork and turning away from her plate to address her. "Ororo, is there something going on with Kitty that you're not telling us? This just doesn't seem like you. Of all of us, I would think she would be the first one you'd want in on this."

"From the purely logical standpoint of team dynamics," Tessa added, also turning toward Ororo. "it would make sense to include her. We have a wealth of raw power, of fighting strength and skill with Rogue, Bishop, Thunderbird, Psylocke, and yourself. Yet, I am the only support oriented member. I can fight, if the need arises, but who would take my place if I were incapacitated? Shadowcat is one of those rare individuals who posses formidable fighting skills, both mutation and non-mutation based, along with a genius level, technically oriented, intellect."

With a grin and a wink in Tessa's direction, Rogue interrupted. "In other words, the rest of us are just muscle and we need more brains in the outfit. Ah can live with that. Besides, Ah think Kit and Tessa'd make a good team."

"Absolutely." Betsy agreed, giving the other two women an almost parental look of approval. "Sage, for all intents and purposes, is a living computer. Shadowcat is an undisputed computer genius, a technical and electronic master. What Tessa can theorize, Kitty can make reality. It should be a no-brainer. And I really haven't heard anything in what you've said so far that I would consider a good enough reason to exclude her. In fact, the very points you've brought up only support bringing her along. If for no other reason than to get her out of this angst-ridden madhouse."

"And that's not even takin' inta account what the girl can do in a fight." Rogue continued. "Ah'd wager she could hold her own, and then some, with most anybody in this outfit."

Pushing her half-eaten lunch aside, Ororo turned to the other three women at the table. It hadn't been her intention that their meal turn into an impromptu discussion concerning the soon-to-be-departing team, but since it had, she might as well lay everything out.

She had heard everything all three women had said. In fact, she had debated the very same issues with herself, but one thing always seemed to outweigh all others. Kitty's behavior was becoming erratic to the extreme and she couldn't baby-sit both her and Rogue. But she wasn't about to say that out loud at this point.

"Very well." she sighed. "You all want to know why I feel she should not come with us, at least right now? Then I will tell you. I see the same thing happening with Kitty that happened to Peter. She has suffered one loss after another and she is bottling everything up inside, because she feels overwhelmed. You have all recently born witness to her abrupt, and occasionally violent, mood swings, her slow but steady withdrawal from us."

She gave them a moment to absorb what she was saying and saw them all nod somewhat reluctantly. "We failed Peter miserably, continuing to send him out on missions, even when his sister was dying, ignoring his mounting emotional problems because we needed him on the team. And look what happened."

Rogue and Betsy exchanged a knowing look and Rogue's expression softened as she reached across the table with one gloved hand, laying it gently over Ororo's.

"Ororo, ya can't blame yourself for what happened with Peter. We all saw it, but didn't want'a deal with it. We all failed him, me and Betts included. Hell, I knew he was headin' for a fall, but Ah was too wrapped up in my own problems with Remy to try an' do anything about it. But Kitty's not Peter. Her needs are different."

"In a few days, she will be leaving for Muir Island, to stay with Rhane and attend college." The white haired mutant continued as though Rogue hadn't spoken, riding roughshod over her opinions. "I feel that is for the best. For now. She and Rhane share a close bond and will be able to help one another through their difficulties." Since she will not accept any help from Peter, she added silently.

Despite the others continued protests and attempts to convince her otherwise, Storm remained firm on her standing, convinced she was making the correct decision. "Later, if she wishes to join us, I will be more than happy to have her. But I will not see what happened with Peter happen to Kitty. Her well being is more important than this team or the Diaries."

Rogue sighed, seeing that further argument was useless, but not willing to give up just yet. Why did the woman have to be so damned stubborn?

"That brings me to another point all together. Irene's Diaries." As Ororo had done before, she pushed her plate away, leaning back to regard the older woman seriously. "She left that Diary to Kitty for a reason. And it wasn't just so she could bring it ta you or Xavier. Kit's connected to 'em in some way that we can't see yet. Maybe even more'n Ah am. Ah just have this feelin' that she's supposed ta be on this team and, if she's ain't, we may not be able ta do what we set out for. Ah have a real bad feelin' about leavin' her behind."

"Be that as it may, my decision is made." Her flat, warning tone, the flicker of irritation in ice blue eyes, said, in no uncertain terms, that she would entertain no further debate on this particular issue. "If you disagree with me, you are under no obligation to join us when we leave."

Wrapping herself in the invisible cloak of the regal weather goddess, Storm abruptly pushed her chair back from the table, stood, and strode out of the room, the other three women watching her departure in silence.

Irritated, Rouge turned back to her tablemates, arms crossed over her chest, her face set in an irritated scowl.

"Ah swear, sometimes that woman's got a stick up her ass as big as the one Cyclops used ta have."

Betsy shook her head, sighing in frustration. "Ororo has blinders on when it concerns someone as close to her as Kitty is. She feels she didn't intervene enough with Peter, so she's doing the complete opposite with Kitty and trying to make her decisions for her, protect her from the big, bad world. She's just not taking their differences in personality into account, which is sure to lead to disaster."

Having been about the only one to actually finish her lunch, Sage spoke up for the first time in a while. She hadn't been with the team all that long and was still trying to sort through all the complicated and confusing interpersonal relationships.

"According to her files, Kitty joined the X-Men quite young and it seems that Ororo became something of a Mother figure to her. Parents are often blind, to a certain extent, to the fact that their children have grown up and are capable of thinking and acting for themselves."

"Oh, yes." Betsy confirmed. "And Storms stubborn refusal to acknowledge that Kitty is an adult, that she can think and decide for herself, has hurt their relationship. Ororo just refuses to see that."

"Well, Ah still say she's wrong." Rogue clung stubbornly to her opinion. She knew she was right and she didn't intend to back down. "An' Ah have a really bad feelin' that, if we leave Kitty behind, we're gonna be sorry later."

Betsy nodded. She had some of the same feelings and certainly agreed that Ororo was being a stubborn ass about this. "I hope you're wrong, Rogue, but I'm afraid you aren't. I'd feel better if Kitty were coming with us, for her fighting skills if nothing else. No offense to you, but we can't always count on being in a situation where we can use our powers. It'd be nice to have someone else along whose skills weren't mostly depended on their mutant abilities."

"Don't worry, Betsy. Ah know Ah'm pretty much useless without my powers. Besides, Ah'm a brawler. So's Bishop. We got no finesse what so ever. An' Neal just don't have enough experience or control yet to do much but blow stuff sky high. But you and Kit are precision, you two can get in and clean house without stirring up the dust on the floor, with or without your powers. And Ah think we're gonna need all the help we can get."

"It's a shame that we cannot seem to convince Storm to take her." Sage put in. "I haven't had much of a chance to get to know her and I was looking forward to seeing her in action, after all I have heard. Maybe even sparring with her, though I'm sure I'm nowhere near her," She inclined her head toward Betsy. "or your, league. Not to mention working with her on the diaries."

Rogue's smile widened as an idea occurred to her. "Well, Ah don't know if Ah can help ya with the rest of it, but a sparring match sounds like fun. We haven't done anythin' like that in forever." She looked to Betsy for her reaction. "What'cha think, Betts? Maybe even get Ororo in on it. That woman either needs to beat the crap out of somethin' or get laid."

"Girls only?" Betsy looked at her two companions as they nodded. "Great! Let's go find Kitty."

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Rogue was in the control booth, watching the other four women as they entered the Danger Room. Punching a sequence into the computers, she leaned over to speak into the microphone in front of her.

"Ok, ladies. What'll it be? We got jungle, warehouse, loadin' dock, alien planet, city street, or my personal favorite, bar room."

Down on the floor, Storm, Shadowcat, Sage, and Psylocke debated among themselves.

"I guess we need to decide who's going first, then they can pick whatever setting they want." Kitty suggested.

"How many rounds?" Psylocke asked as she examined her sword.

The four women had agreed to forego their powers, using only their own fighting skills, with the exception of Tessa , whose powers and learned skills were so inextricably intertwined that she couldn't really not use them. No one really minded, though, as she was the least experienced of the four in hand to hand combat.

"One with each opponent. The overall winner will take on Rogue, no holds barred, powers active." Storm replied.

"Why don't Storm and I take the first round?" Sage looked to the rest of the assembled X-Women for agreement and they all nodded. "Very well. Storm, what setting would you prefer."

"Jungle, I think."

"C'mon, Betsy. We'll go up and watch from the control booth 'til it's our turn."

As Kitty and Betsy left the room, Sage called up to Rogue.

"Rogue, please load the Jungle sequence."

Almost instantly the blank room was completely transformed into a verdant jungle, complete with thick brush, massive trees, vines, even the call of wild animals overhead and in the distance.

The two fighters began rather tentatively, Sage unused to unarmed, hand to hand, Storm unsure of the exact skill level of her opponent. They circled one another warily for several seconds, surreptitiously taking in the details of their surroundings, before either committed to making the first move.

When it came, it was from Tessa, who swept down low, surprising Ororo and nearly knocking her legs out from under her. Storm managed to dodge at the last minute and the combat began in earnest, arms and legs flying as the two fighters struck out or countered one another's moves, each looking for a weakness to exploit in the other.

"She's better'n Ah figured she'd be." Rogue observed, impressed with Sage's initial performance against the vastly more experienced Storm. "Ah figured Ororo'd have her down and out in no time, but she's holdin' her own."

Below them, Sage dodged a roundhouse kick from Storm, ducking down and spinning around quickly to pop back up inside the other woman's defenses, delivering a blow to her midsection that had the weather mutant doubling over reflexively.

It proved to be a near fatal mistake, as Sage took the opportunity to grab her, flipping her over onto her back.

"Storm's underestimating her." Kitty said with a shake of her head. "That was a stupid mistake. She knows better."

"Ninja rule number one." Psylocke started and Kitty joined in, both women repeating the phrase simultaneously. "Regardless of the situation, always treat your opponent as if he is more skilled than you are."

Laughing, Rogue shook her head in mock disbelief. "Y'all are scary."

"We know." They both replied in unison once again.

"Ah rest my case."

Betsy and Kitty grinned at each other, giggling like schoolgirls.

"We're gonna kick their butts, you know." Kitty observed matter-of-factly.

"Of course." Betsy replied.

"What happened to Ninja rule number one?" Rogue wondered, her eyes still glued to the action below.

Kitty shrugged. "Just because we treat them that way, doesn't mean it's true."

Suddenly, Rogue squealed as Sage managed to kick Storm's feet out from under her, sending her slamming to the ground. She barely avoided being pinned by the other woman, rolling out of the way at the last minute.

"Damn, this is better than WWF Saturday night. Why didn't we do this sooner?"

"Maybe because we've been doing too much of it for real against the villain du jour lately?" Betsy guessed.

"That'd be my guess." Kitty agreed. "But, I gotta admit, this is fun. I'm gonna miss you guys when you leave." Her brow suddenly knit together as a thought struck her. "Wonder why none of the guys will ever spar with me? Well, except for Logan, but he isn't really any fun, what with his healing factor and unbreakable bones."

Turning from the viewing windows, Rogue rolled her eyes at her friend. "Sugah, I think you just answered your own question on that one."

"Well, as for Sage, Rogue, and myself, Kitty, we wish you were coming with us. We think Storm's making a mistake leaving you behind."

Kitty smiled gratefully at her two friends. She'd been a little reluctant at first, when they'd come to ask her to join their sparring match, but now she was really glad she'd agreed. She felt more like herself than she had in days. And after last night's encounter with Peter, the lighthearted banter, and assorted pummeling, was just what she needed.

"Thanks, Betts, Rogue. I really appreciate it, but I think Ororo's right. I need a break from all this for a while. Maybe once I get my head straightened out, I'll look you guys up."

"Well," Rogue began, crossing her arms over her chest, still a little ticked off by their leader's attitude at lunch. "she coulda at least gave ya the option."

Kitty was still smiling at Rogue's righteous indignation when Betsy walked over to lay a hand on her shoulder. Turning toward the violet eyed ninja, the younger woman could read the concern on her friends face.

"Kitty, you know if you need someone to talk to, I'm here. Any time. Just say the word. I know the last few months have been bloody miserable for you."

Shadowcat lay her hand over Betsy's, giving it a gentle squeeze of silent thanks and acknowledgment. Of all the X-Men, except for Logan, Psylocke most likely knew her best. After all, they'd spent a significant amount of time inside one another's head. Literally.

When Betsy first joined the X-Men, she'd been in the young Kitty's mind for weeks, trying to hold her together while Reed Richards and Doctor Doom worked out a way to keep her from discorporating. That, combined with Kitty's time in Excalibur, where Betsy had frequently visited her twin brother, had forged a special bond between them that was unlike any other friendship she had.

"Yeah, they have, but I think it's something I've got to deal with myself, though I appreciate the offer. And I might just take you up on it sometime. You just never know."

Before Betsy could reply, Rouge gave a loud whoop, drawing their attention back to the two women battling in the Danger Room in time to see Storm grab Sage's leg as she kicked out at her.

The white haired mutant, who often looked, and acted, like the goddess she was once believed to be, had actually grown up fighting on the streets of Cairo. She could be lethal when the situation called for it. Using the other woman's momentum against her, Storm flung her to the ground and had her pinned in the next instant to the cheers of her friends watching from above.

"Whoo Hoo!" Rogue yelled into the microphone. "Way to go, 'Ro!" Turning to the other two women in the room, she eyed them speculatively. "All right, ladies, who's next?"

Kitty and Betsy looked at one another and shrugged.

"I'll go." Betsy offered, heading out the door just as a sweaty, out of breath Sage came into the control booth.

As Rogue fiddled with the computer console, changing the Danger Room setting to warehouse, Kitty turned to Sage.

"You're good. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

Sage dropped into a nearby chair, holding her side as she tried to catch her breath.

"As I've been trying to tell you people all along, I trained to fight in this room just like you did. Only I trained alone or against simulations. And my mutation gives me the ability to analyze an opponents fighting style and calculate their most probable moves and plan of attack. Makes it a lot easier to counter it, if you know what's coming."

She favored Kitty with a rare smile, which Kitty returned. She hadn't had much of a chance to get to know Tessa, but she seemed like an extremely interesting woman. And she could definitely relate to the walking computer thing. It was a mutation Kitty herself wouldn't mind having.

"Very useful talent. It's just hard to think of you as being one of the X-Men, when we got so used to seeing you as one of the enemy." The chestnut haired woman shrugged lightly. "But we'll get over it."

"Eventually." Rogue added dryly, prompting Kitty to stick her tongue out at the skunk-haired girl. "Hey, y'all really outta see this. They're really goin' to it down there."

Conversation came to an abrupt halt as all three women turned their attention to the match below them. It was obvious that these were two very skilled opponents, but it soon became apparent that Psylocke was doing slightly better than Storm.

Moving as quickly as Storm's vaunted lightning, Psylocke punched and kicked, arms and legs moving at blinding speed that the team leader was hard pressed to keep up with. Even more to her advantage was the fact that Betsy was making use of all the items scattered throughout the warehouse setting. She leapt from tables, used chair as blocks, and, occasionally, weapons.

Storm, as Sage had been when fighting her, was holding her own, but that was about all. Psylocke was simply out of the weather mutants' league when powers were not a factor. Where Ororo had let herself become dependent on her powers, not developing her fighting skills as she could have, Betsy considered her ninja training one of her best assets and kept them honed to a fine edge. In the end, Kitty knew that Storm would be beaten.

But the weather mutant wasn't going to go down without a fight. She managed to counter a good measure of Betsy's skill and experience with pure, devious cunning, keeping furniture and boxes between them, maneuvering the other woman into tight spaces, where movement was limited, and occasionally resorting to plain old, down and dirty, street fighting tactics.

The three of them were so caught up in the action of the ongoing battle that they didn't hear the door to the control room open, didn't know there was anyone else about, until a gruff voice spoke up from behind them.

"I was wonderin' where all the women got to. Now I know. Ya came down here ta kill each other."

Kitty and Rogue turned at the same time to find Logan, with Kurt trailing just behind, standing just inside the door.

"Hey, Logan, Kurt. Find a space and enjoy the entertainment. It's shaping up to be a really good bout." Kitty told him, waving them inside. She flashed a smile at Kurt and was surprised when he returned it only half-heartedly, looking a little uneasy.

What's up with that?

Shrugging it off, she went back to watching Psylocke slowly and methodically take Storm down.

**********************************************************************************************************************

By the time Shadowcat and Sage had taken the floor, the control booth had acquired even more spectators as word spread that games were afoot. Everyone was choosing sides and good naturedly cheering on their chosen champion.

Again, Kitty was surprised at how good Tessa actually was in hand to hand combat. Though the outcome of their match was never really in doubt, the young ninja found that her opponent learned very quickly, never making the same mistake twice and getting better and better as the match went on.

Geez, if Logan'd work with her for a few months, she'd be awesome. Maybe better than even me or Betsy.

Kitty and Tessa had decided to keep the warehouse scenario, and Kitty executed a powerful flip off a table and over Tessa's head to land behind her, dropping down and using her leg to sweep the other woman off her feet as she tried to turn.

Sage went down briefly, but was up again before Kitty could pin her, dropping into a roll, trying to come up inside Kitty's defenses to deliver a blow to her shoulder. Shadowcat blocked the move efficiently, grabbing her opponents arm and spinning her around, pinning her arm behind her back.

The black haired mutant tried to shift, to get enough leverage to flip the smaller woman off of her, but Kitty hung on like a burr, waiting for an opening. It came a moment later as Sage shifted her balance to try another tactic. Taking immediate advantage of the opportunity, she knocked Tessa's feet out from under her a second time, dropping her full length on the ground, face first, her arm still twisted behind her, and Kitty's foot on the back of her neck.

After a couple of seconds, Kitty released her, stepping back and holding out her hand to help the other woman to her feet to the loud cheering and cat calls from the spectators overhead.

Tessa stood and bowed politely, surprising Kitty, who promptly returned the gesture.

"You are an excellent fighter. I had heard you were good, but I believe that was quite an understatement. How long have you studied martial arts?"

Kitty, who'd been bent over, catching her breath, straightened up to look at the other woman.

"Since I was about fourteen."

"I would say you have a natural talent for the combat style to have achieved your level of skill in nine years. I've known people who studied for a lifetime without acquiring a fraction of your ability."

Kitty smiled, her eyes twinkling a little mischievously. "Well, you could say I had a bit of help. A...jump start, you might call it. As well as a really good teacher." Before Sage could question her further, the younger girl quickly changed the subject. "What next? I'll leave it up to you to decide. You can go ahead and take Betsy on, or I'll have my match with Ororo."

"And what of you and Betsy?" Sage was eager to see the two ninja's combat one another. Even after analyzing everything she'd seen so far, she had no clear picture of which one might come out the winner.

"Oh, Betts and I are saving each other for last," Shadowcat told her with a wink and a grin.

**********************************************************************************************************************

Since Sage decided, as she put it, "to go ahead and get my last beating over with", Kitty went back up to the control room as Betsy took her place below.

Or, at least she tried to go to the control room. An action made rather difficult considering that every person currently in residence at the mansion seemed to be stuffed into the small room at the moment.

"Good grief, what the heck's going on in here?" Kitty groused as she squeezed through the door and was immediately forced to plaster herself against the wall.

"Hey, Darlin'!" Logan called to her from somewhere that sounded like the middle of the room, but she couldn't tell for sure. "Lookin' good out there."

Waving in the general direction she thought he might be, Kitty turned, trying to catch sight of Rogue. "Rogue? Are you still in here?" she called out, unable to see the control panel, much less her friend who was supposed to be operating it.

"Just barely." came the slightly muffled reply. "But somebody better get their hand off my butt before they loose an arm."

"Sorry." This from Bobby, who apparently was wedged behind Rogue. "I'm not doing it on purpose."

"Yeah, right, Popsicle. Ah really believe that."

"I'm not!" came his indignant reply to Rogue skeptical statement.

"Kit, can you please get me outta here. Ah think Ah'm havin' a panic attack. An' if Ah loose it, somebody's gonna get hurt."

"Hey, I said I was sorry!"

"Hang on, Rogue. I'll be there in a second." Kitty turned and ended up with a face full of furry, blue, Henry McCoy. "Sorry, Hank." She smiled apologetically.

"No harm done, Katherine." The huge, blue, furry Beast grinned down at her engagingly. "And may I say what splendid entertainment you ladies are providing."

"Thanks." She replied with a laugh. Kitty adored Hank. She didn't see how anybody could not adore Hank. He was one of the happiest people she knew. "Now, if you'll pardon me, I have to go rescue Rogue before she removes one of Bobby's vital body parts."

"Of course." He replied genially. "I could not, in good conscience, allow my erstwhile frozen friend to come to any undue harm by detaining you."

Still laughing, she phased herself thorough Hank, and what seemed like at least half of the rest of the team, until she made her way to where Rogue was trapped at the front of the booth.

"Here I am, the faithful Shadowcat, at your service."

"Thank Gawd." Rogue declared. "Just phase me through the floor, if ya don't mind, Kitty. I'll just hang around out there outta the way 'til y'all are done."

"Okey dokey." Kitty shrugged. Then, placing her hand on her friends shoulder, she phased her until her body sunk through the floor of the control booth and out of sight.

True to her word, Rogue floated in mid-air, legs crossed lotus style, and watched the rest of the match between Betsy and Sage.

Shadowcat tried to look around her, without much success, and realized that, since Rogue had left, she was left as monitor.

"Well, that was a dirty trick." she mumbled to herself, automatically checking the console that monitored the vital signs of the combatants. Finding everything in order, she tried to turn toward the computer bank on the left, the one that controlled the holographic scenery.

She knew Betsy preferred a dojo setting, just as she did. As their bout would be right after Kitty and Storm's, she intended to call up one of her personal settings, since Rogue hadn't included that particular scenario in the programs she'd initially loaded.

Boxed in as she was, Kitty realized too late that turning was nearly impossible and she lost her balance, felt herself tipping over. Just as she was about to phase in order to not fall into her nearest neighbor and begin a domino effect that would probably take out everybody in the tiny room, two strong hands took her by the waist, setting her upright and steadying her on her feet.

She looked up to find herself pressed tightly against Peter, his hands still resting on her waist as he gazed down at her. Every bone in her body seemed to instantly turn to so much jello.

"Thanks."

"You are welcome."

Unable to break contact, Kitty found she herself drowning in those deep blue eyes, the room around them seeming to fade slowly away leaving just the two of them. Peter apparently felt it as well, since he made no move to release her or take his gaze from her face. Indeed, after a moment, his grip on her tightened slightly and he moved closer, pressing her back against the computer console, trapping her between the machinery and his body.

God, she'd forgotten how good it felt to be close to him, how much she'd missed him. But it all came flooding back now. All the need, and desire, and love she'd once had for this man. Still had, if she were honest with herself.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Clearing her throat, she tried again, with little more success, though she did manage to squeak out a few words.

"Peter...I..." Her voice trailed off and Kitty wasn't really sure what she'd been about to say. Maybe "I'm sorry", or "I didn't mean to hurt you". Maybe even "I still love you", but she really wasn't sure. Her head was so muddled, all she really knew was that, for the first time in months, she felt as if she were where she belonged.

Before she could try to say anything else, Peter's hand was cupping her cheek, his palm warm and gentle against her skin and Kitty couldn't stop herself from leaning into his touch. She didn't want to stop herself, even though, in the back of her mind, a little voice whispered to her that she was only setting them both up for more heartache.

"Katya..."

Her name came out almost as a sigh as his arm slipped around her, his thumb feathering across her cheek in a gentle caress as he slowly leaned toward her. Kitty long, dark lashes drifted down as she tilted her face up to him, waiting for their lips to meet, her heart racing.

At that moment, the room erupted in a cacophony of noise, their team mates cheering and yelling as, below, Psylocke ended her match with Sage by skillfully incapacitating her opponent.

The sound crashed through her senses and, as quickly as it had happened, it was over, the spell between them broken as the world around them came rushing back. Kitty's eyes flew open, the realization or what was happening making her flush in embarrassment, unable to even look at his face, afraid of what she would see there.

Without a word, she closed her eyes tightly and phased through the control booth, the molecules of her body slipping between those of the floor until she was floating, slowly descending into the Danger Room. Fighting the sudden sting of tears, Kitty mentally cursed herself. Why couldn't she just get over him? Why did she keep putting herself through this over and over again? She really couldn't handle any more stress right now. As it was, she felt like she was standing on the edge of the abyss. One wrong move, and she would go over.

Touching down lightly on the floor, she took a moment to compose herself, unaware that she was being watched with curiosity and concern by her teammates, both above her and with her in the room below.

"Kit? You OK?"

The voice originated from above her and she opened her eyes, looking up to find Rogue hovering over her head, her face creased in a frown of worry.

"Yeah, Rogue. I'm fine, just a little tired."

"Kitty, if you don't want to keep going, it's fine." This from Psylocke, who was now standing next to her, her hand on Kitty's arm as she studied her face closely.

"You do look rather pale, Katherine." Even Sage, who rarely showed emotion, was looking at her as if she expected her to keel over at any moment. "Are you sure you're not ill?"

"No." She took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it, forcing her mind and body to calm itself as Logan had taught her so long ago. Kitty repeated this exercise several times, until she felt more like herself again. "I'm fine. Better now."

Opening her eyes, she smiled at her friends, who were still giving her odd looks. After a few more seconds, though, they apparently decided she wasn't about to drop dead on them and they all relaxed.

"Come on, Sage." Betsy slung an arm around the other woman's shoulder companionably, making Tessa decidedly uncomfortable, much to Psylocke's delight. "Let's go up to the control booth and watch Kitty kick Storm's butt."

**********************************************************************************************************************

Kitty was doing some mild stretches to loosen up as Ororo walked in, wearing her new costume, the black one with the yellow zig-zag stripe. It reminded the younger woman of a swimsuit with the legs cut so high they were almost up to her arm pits. And, of course, the matching cape and high-heeled boots that came up to her thighs.

Shadowcat wondered for at least the millionth time since joining the X-Men how anyone could fight in a cape and high heels. It was just so corny.

Of course, Betsy's new outfit also had high heeled boots, and what looked like garter belts holding them up, making the whole thing resemble something out of Frederick's of Hollywood, but at least there wasn't a cape.

What's next? Matching tiaras? Or maybe corsets? Now that would be interesting. Especially on the guys.

Right now, Kitty was wearing the solid black leather fighting rig she'd last worn when she was with Excalibur, but with everybody else changing their look, she thought she should, too. And she was never one to be left behind in the costume department. There was a time when she'd been infamous for her outrageous uniform designs.

Her new uniform was waiting for her in the locker room. She planned on changing for her bout with Psylocke, wanting to check it out for ease of movement, and she knew their combat would be more intense than the rest. It would be a perfect opportunity to get an idea how it would feel in a real battle.

Just because she wasn't planning on being with the X-Men full time much longer didn't mean fashion had to go out the window.

"Kitty, you look rather pale. Are feeling all right?"

She looked up at Ororo from where she was bent over, making an effort to smile at the older woman instead of biting her head off. The two women hadn't exactly been on the best of terms lately and Kitty knew it was just as much her fault as it was Storm's.

"I'm fine, Ororo. Really. Just haven't been sleeping too well the last few nights." Kitty straightened up as Storm continued to watch her intently.

"Are you sure?

"Yep." Kitty replied tightly, her smile firmly plastered to her face. "You ready?"

"Whenever you are."

Kitty bowed out of habit, and they began.

It had been quite a while since she and Storm had sparred and Kitty knew right away that Ororo was going to make the same mistake with her that she'd made with Sage. She was underestimating her. And, for Shadowcat, it was an insult. She took it personally.

No problem. She doesn't believe I can beat her. Fine. Time to teach "Mom" Ninja rule number 1.

**********************************************************************************************************************

Up in the control booth, a debate was raging between the mostly male audience.

"Looks like Shadowcat's not gonna make it through this one." Bobby observed to no one in particular.

"Doesn't look too good for her, does it?" Neal Sharra replied from next to Iceman as he watched the two women spar. He still had a nice bruise on his left knee courtesy of the younger woman, but he wasn't holding a grudge. After all, he had made a stupid mistake that could have gotten someone seriously hurt, though he felt like she may have over-reacted just a bit. "But Storm has been doing this longer than Kitty. It stands to reason she would be a better fighter."

Behind Neal, Besty snorted, shaking her head in amusement. She glanced across the room, catching Logan's eye as he gave her a wink and a grin.

"I'm not so sure Kitty is at her best right now. She's making mistakes that I don't believe she would normally make. Maybe she's getting tired." Bishop added, regarding the young woman thoughtfully. If he didn't know better, he'd swear the girl was throwing the fight.

"She's not even fighting as well with Storm as she did during our match." Sage too was watching Kitty, puzzled. From everything else she'd observed previously, Shadowcat was now fighting well below her ability. It didn't make sense.

Logan listened quietly, letting the speculation continue for a while before he finally spoke up.

"'Cat's just playin' with 'er."

"Logan's right. She's setting Ororo up for a fall." Psylocke threw her opinion into the mix as well, and several of their team mates regarded them both skeptically. Betsy simply shrugged, unperturbed. "If you don't believe us, just keep watching."

**********************************************************************************************************************

Though Kitty had no idea what was going on above her, Betsy had barely gotten the words out of her mouth when Ororo executed a sloppy block to one of Kitty's jabs and dropped her guard. It was all the opening the younger girl needed.

The look of surprise on Storm's face was priceless as Kitty caught her with a scissor kick, knocking her badly off balance. Before she could recover, Shadowcat whirled around, jabbing her in the ribs. As the weather mutant tried to twist away, Kitty grabbed one edge of her flowing cape and effectively wrapped the woman up like a mummy, trapping her in her own costume.

With her arm around her opponents throat, the difference in the two women's height forcing Storm to bow over backwards, Kitty put her mouth near her friend's ear.

"And that's why wearing a cape into battle is a really stupid idea, Storm." she whispered, grinning wickedly, before releasing Ororo.

The regal weather mutant stood, carefully untangling herself from her cape. Hands on her hips, she shook out her hair, giving Kitty her most haughty look.

"Young lady..." she began sternly, but then broke into a wide grin, walking over to Kitty and putting her arm around the younger woman. "I believe you are right!"

**********************************************************************************************************************

Everyone in the control room, except for Logan and Betsy, was staring down in shock at what had just happened, most of them with their mouths hanging open, a few snickering as Storm was trussed up in her own clothing like a Christmas goose.

Betsy and Logan laughed, sharing a conspiratal look, then said in unison: "Told ya."

**********************************************************************************************************************

"All right, ladies and gentlemen, time to place your bets." Bobby rubbed his hands together gleefully as he looked around the still packed control booth. "Hank, what're the odds on this one?"

In the corner, Hank McCoy flipped through a small note pad. "Ah, here we go. We have Psylocke favored to win, odds two to one."

Rogue rolled her eyes, Storm just looked disgusted, and Sage appeared to be lost in thought as the men in the room began calling out amounts and choices.

"Put me down for 50.00 on Kit." Logan growled as he was jostled in the close confines.

"I will take 20.00 on Katzchen as well." Even Kurt had finally seemed to pull himself out of his blue mood and was getting into the spirit of the games.

"I'll take 40.00 on Betsy."

"Me, too."

"Ok," Bobby was writing it all down as the bets were called out. "that's forty on Betsy for Bishop and Neal, fifty on Kitty for Logan, and twenty on Kitty for Kurt. Anybody else?" He looked around the room, his amused light blue eyes falling on the three women. "Hey, how about you Storm, or Rogue?"

"Ah don't think so, Popsicle."

"Nor, I, Robert. This is childish."

To everyone's complete surprise, Sage suddenly spoke up.

"I would like to place 100.00 on Katherine, please, Robert."

Bobby looked a little stunned, but then shrugged and wrote it down.

As everyone's attention turned back to the windows of the control booth, Rogue shot Tessa a questioning look.

"Ah didn't take you for a bettin' woman, Sage. What's that all about."

When Tessa turned to look at her, Rogue could have almost sworn her clear blue eyes actually twinkled, but her face was as serious as ever.

"The odds they are giving are incorrect. According to my data, both combatants are nearly evenly matched. I believe that, if either has an advantage, it is Katherine."

"And why is that?" Storm asked curiously.

"Psylocke, though to a lesser extent than many of the X-Men, has become somewhat dependent on her mutant ability in battle. Shadowcat's mutant ability is more defensively oriented, as opposed to offensively oriented, such as Storm's weather manipulation or Thunderbird's energy blasts. Therefore, she tends to depend on her own learned skills in hand to hand combat and more easily compensates for the inability to use her mutation, giving her a slight edge."

Rogue burst out laughing. "In other words, we're all so used ta dependin' on our powers that we get lazy and don't keep up with our other battle skills and that's gonna get our butts whipped eventually."

Unflappable as ever, Sage regarded her seriously. "In a word, yes."

**********************************************************************************************************************

The dojo setting was loaded, thanks to Rogue, and Betsy was already on the floor waiting for her when Kitty emerged from the locker room.

Even though she tried not to show it, she was more than a little self conscious about unveiling her new uniform. She just knew she was blushing and was really, really glad she couldn't hear the comments being made up in the control room.

As she took her place across from Psylocke, Betsy grinned cheekily, eyeing her up and down, delicate brows arched in surprise.

"I must say, Kitty, I definitely approve of the new costume."

"Thanks." She blushed lightly again, and Betsy shook her head.

"Don't you dare be embarrassed. You look smashing."

Nearing her mid-twenties, Kitty had decided it was time to dress like the rest of the grown-up X-Women, even if her figure might not be quite as lush as some of theirs. And this outfit was most definitely a different look for her. She'd gone with all black, leather-like body armor, but it was nothing like any other costume she'd ever had.

The material clung to her like a second skin, the sleeveless, v-neck, cropped top coming to just below her breasts, while the pants rode very low on her hips, with oval cutouts on the outer legs beginning at her upper thighs and ending just above her knees. It left a lot of leg, as well as other body parts, exposed, but it made for greater ease of movement. Completing the ensemble was a pair of low heeled, lace up, ankle boots, a heavy, cropped jacket, and fingerless black gloves that reached to just below her elbows acting as protection during sword play.

She'd left off the jacket for this session, but even with it on, she felt almost naked. The costume left her entire midriff bare, from just under her breasts to as low on her abdomen as possible while still allowing her to wear a pair of skimpy bikini or thong underwear.

Though she loved the way it felt, the freedom movement it allowed her, Kitty was feeling so insecure about it now that she was actually out where people could see her, that she was beginning to rethink the whole idea.

"I'm just not sure it's me." she said with a wistful sigh. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"Trust me, gel. You have what it takes to pull it off. It's high time, in my opinion, that you stopped playing into everybody's delusion that you're still the baby of the group." The elegant Asian featured woman waved one graceful hand toward the observation booth overhead. "You're only a couple of years younger than Rogue and I. And you're older, by at least that, than Paige, Jubilee, and Sarah. I don't see anyone treating them like they're still in Junior High."

"I see your point, and appreciate the support. I may need you to repeat the performance when Logan gets hold of me, though."

"Nah. He won't be a problem. At least not for you." Betsy replied with a wink. "But God help all the guys ogling you up there in the control room right about now."

The two women shared a laugh as Rogue's voice came to them over the loud speaker.

"Are you two gonna spar, or spend the rest of th' day gabbin'?"

"Ok, Ok." Kitty called out. "Sheesh. Give a girl a minute, why don't you. You ready Betts?"

"Absolutely. You know I'm not going to pull any punches, right?" Betsy's face was serious as Kitty lips curved wickedly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

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"Oh, my...!"

"What is it, Storm? Oh...Mein...Gott."

"Holy shit! Look at the way her..."

"Don't say it. Don't even think it, Iceboy. Not if ya know what's good fer ya."

"I do believe our fair Shadowcat has procured a new costume."

"Thank you for stating the more-than-obvious, Henry. It is quite a change from the norm for her."

"Ah like it."

"Uhm, I'm fairly new here, but that is Kitty, isn't it? Has she always looked like that?"

"Yes, Neal, I believe that she has, except for the costume. I fail to see why everyone is so excited over a simple change of clothing."

"I think it's a man thing, Sugah. They can't help it...Petey, are you OK? Ya look kinda funny?"

"I believe, Rogue, that he is in shock."

"I think he's in a coma."

"I am considering joining him."

"What's the matter, 'Ro? Jealous 'cause Kit's actually showin' more skin than you this time?"

"Heck, she's showing more skin than Betsy!"

"Ah'm gonna tell 'em both ya said that, Bobby."

"Take my advice and run for your life now, mein freund."

"My similarly hued compatriot gives excellent advice, Robert. You should listen to him. Especially when you take into consideration that one lady was trained by S.T.R.I.K.E. and the other by Wolverine. Though they may be quite lovely, they are also quite deadly."

"An' then there's th' very real possibility that, when this big Russian here comes to, he's prob'ly gonna rip your head, or some other body part, clean off."

"If I don't get to ya first."

"Uh, Rogue, you may want to encourage the ladies to begin their match before the bloodshed begins up here."

"Good point, Bish....Are you two gonna spar, or spend the rest of th' day gabbin'?"

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Bowing formally to one another, the two women immediately went into nearly identical fighting stances, as they circled one another warily, each looking for an opening, without much success.

The seasoned ninja's spent several minutes feeling one another out, analyzing each other's fighting style and adapting their own movements to match as they circled, spun, punched and kicked. This wasn't serious fighting, it was a test. Know thine enemy as thy self.

Psylocke had a noticeably more elegant, refined fighting style, while Shadowcat was stealth, suprise, and speed. And neither lacked for either raw power or skill. They were very evenly matched, which became evident as the battle was joined in earnest.

Both women had agreed that they wouldn't be pulling any punches, that they would be treating this match as an actual battle and the sheer ferocity of some of the blows that were landed had the observers noticeably wincing. Kitty and Betsy knew they would feel the effects of their combat the next morning, but for now, they didn't care. They were born fighters, glorying in the opportunity to pit themselves against someone else whose skill was equal to their own.

Storm and Colossus, watching from above, exchanged a concerned look, wondering if perhaps they shouldn't put a stop to the bout before someone was seriously hurt, but Logan stepped in and told them to leave it be. The two women involved were well aware of their own limitations and wouldn't do one another any serious injury.

Neal Shaara looked on as Shadowcat executed a perfect back flip, landed and immediately spun around, landing a punch with such force that it sent Psylocke flying backwards, skidding across the floor, and he thanked his lucky stars to have escaped their recent encounter with nothing more than a bruised knee.

Rogue leaned forward against the computer console, a wide smile plastered on her face, keeping a close eye on the escalating imbroglio and wishing she were down there with them, in the middle of the action. She loved nothing better than a good brawl and this one looked like one of the best.

Bishop was enthralled with the action, admiring the skill, tenacity, and sheer toughness of his two team mates, gaining a new respect for both women as fighters and X-Men, while Iceman simply enjoyed the view of two beautiful women in skimpy clothing bending and flexing in all manner of interesting ways.

As for Sage, she was, as usual, observing every single detail, down to the smallest movement, storing and cataloging the information for further analysis at a later date. Not only could she use her mutant ability to anticipate another fighters likely moves, but she could also process what she observed and incorporate it into her own repitoir for later use. This experience was providing her with quite a bit of very useful material.

Standing near Wolverine, Nightcrawler watched the young woman he'd known since she was thirteen years old and pondered on how far she had come since that time. It was a difficult concept for him to accept at times, but right now, there was no denying that the young girl he remembered had grown into an exceptional woman and a force to be reckoned with in her own right. Now, if they could only get to the bottom of her strange behavior of late.

After Psylocke delivered one particularly vicious kick to Shadowcat's midsection, Henry McCoy began considering the wisdom of calling down to the medlab and telling Cecilia to get ready for incoming injuries, sure that there would probably be a least a few minor ones before they were done. Those two women were giving it all they had and beating one another to a pulp in the process.

As it turned out, his instincts were absolutely correct, but not in the way he might have expected.

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The two women went at each other for quite some time, neither really able to gain the advantage for long enough to end the match, the ferocity of their assaults gradually escalating until each was taking brutal hits. Though neither was in danger of losing control, both were putting everything they had into what they were doing, lost in the adrenaline rush and the call of battle. They were warriors born and it showed.

It never occurred to the observers that something was terribly wrong until it was far too late to stop it.

From their vantage point high above, their friends couldn't see Kitty's eyes turn from dark, golden brown to a bright, flickering, flame red, or the way the Crimson Dawn tattoo over Betsy's left eye began to pulse, glowing a deep, dark, blood red.

The first clue any of them had that things were not as they should be, was when both women suddenly stopped, standing in the middle of the floor, gasping for air, as they each seemed to take the others measure.

This went on for several minutes, and the gathered assemblage in the control room began speculating that they were about to either end the match and call it a draw, or that they were taking a break to catch their breath before continuing.

So it came as quite a surprise to everyone when the two women, acting in unison as though they had rehearsed it beforehand, reached behind them, pulling their katanas from their scabbards and, again bowing formally, took up a fighting stance.

A blade in each hand, the two women ran at each other, emitting bloodcurdling war cries to the clash of blades so violent it set up a shower of sparks around them.

Every single person in the control room was watching the battle with rapt attention, eyes glued to the flashing, swinging blades as they struck and skimmed off one another, the two women wielding them simply blurs of motion as they moved more quickly than the eye could follow. But it wasn't until first blood was drawn that the trance wore off and the spectators realized that the two women below them had, at some point in the fight, completely lost their minds.

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Kitty was on one knee, arms raised high, blades crossed in an X shape as she blocked one of Betsy's katana's from striking her in the head. With a flick of her wrists, she repelled the blade away from her and spun, shooting upright as she turned, managing to evade the violet eyed ninja's defenses and slice her upper arm, drawing blood from a, thankfully, shallow wound.

Psylocke retaliated with an upward slice of the blade in her right hand, which Kitty successfully dodged. But she wasn't quite as lucky with the downward arc of the blade in Betsy's left hand and it caught her across the top of her right arm, just above her elbow, the cut somewhat deeper than what she'd inflicted on her sparring partner.

As the two women backed off slightly to regroup for another go, all hell broke loose overhead.

"What the hell!" Logan's shouted exclamation was echoed by several others in the room, Storm, Peter, Neal and Rogue among them. "Somebody get down there now! Clear a path!"

The Canadian mutant popped his metal claws automatically with a soft "snickt", and those X-Men in his immediate vicinity began looking frantically for somewhere else to be, though, in their present close confines, their options were somewhat limited.

"Logan, something is terribly wrong. We must separate them before someone is seriously injured."

"No shit, 'Ro. Tell me somethin' I don't know." he turned to Kurt, who was standing in front of him, the feral mutant's mind working overtime. "Elf, get Rogue down there, let her see if she stop 'em." Logan was literally growling in agitation. All he was interested in at the moment was getting down there, getting his Kit out of danger and getting her to the medlab.

Rogue turned toward Kurt; who was between her and Logan, reaching for his hand. "Ah'm on it."

"I am going as well." Peter's expression said he would brook no refusal and Rogue didn't have time to argue anyway.

"Hold on, mein Freunden." Kurt grabbed the hand of each team mate then"bamfed" away in a cloud of smoke and sulfur as Logan called out to the rest of the assembled team while pushing his way to the door.

"McCoy, call down to the medlab. Tell Cecelia she's got incomin'. Everybody else, get down there. I don't know what th' flamin' hell's happenin', but we gotta be ready for anything."

But he needn't have wasted his breath. The other X-Men were already on the move, squeezing their way out of the cramped, tightly packed room in a rush to help their friends and teammates.

**********************************************************************************************************************

Down in the Danger Room, the conflict had escalated once again, both women fighting with a deadly ferocity, the clang of swords and the occasional grunt as one or another of the fighters took a hit the only sounds reverberating through the large room.

Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Colossus materialized a few feet away, but neither Shadowcat nor Psylocke paid them any mind. Indeed, they didn't even seem aware of their presence.

Instinctively changing into his organic metal form, Colossus started forward, calling out to the two women. "Katya! Elisabeth! Stop!"

The women paid him no heed what so ever, and Rogue restrained him before he could plunge into the fray.

"Whoa, boy. You go chargin' in there, those gals'll make mince meet outta you, metal hide or not."

"Mein Gott, Colossus, Rogue, look at their faces, their eyes."

At Kurt's exclamation, the other two X-Men took a good look at their team mates, noticing the red glow of the Crimson Dawn tattoo on Psylocke's face, the way Shadowcat's eyes seemed to leap with flame, and their hearts dropped into their stomachs.

Their faces were completely blank, eyes almost glazed over, as if they were fighting on some kind of automatic pilot. Each woman sported wounds of varying severity all over their bodies from which blood flowed freely, but they seemed oblivious to this as well.

All three observers felt a cold chill run down their spines as they watched the two young women, apparently on destroying one another, their faces devoid of expression or emotion. It was as if the souls that should have inhabited the bodies were gone, leaving only the empty shells.

Rogue broke through the horrified shock that had rendered her momentarily motionless, throwing herself bodily between the two combatants at the first opportunity and bracing herself for the blows she knew were coming. But they never did.

Instead, the two ninja's stopped dead in their tracks, seeming confused by this unanticipated event. They stood for a moment, unmoving, before their eyes rolled back in their heads and they collapsed to the floor without a sound.

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A/N: This thing is taking on a life of it's own at this point and I apparently have no control over what these guys are doing, so it's anybody's guess how this is all gonna end up. Obviously, this is slightly AU, taking place sometime shortly after X-Men 109. If you read, please review. All reviews are welcome.