Shadow Knight
Alone
Chapter 4: Bitterness
Disclaimer: What do you think?
I felt cold. A numbness seemed to seep into me, sending ripples under my skin. I never had felt so cold. It spread around me like a blanket of darkness, wrapping me carefully in it's numbing folds. Even as the blue furred boy slipped from my stiffly arched fingers, I didn't hear his breath push past his pale, cracked lips. I didn't see his eyes shut, the darkness of pain enveloping him like welcoming arms. I could only concentrate on what he said, his words burned in my skull, repeating over and over like a broken record.
Save my swiezer, Pietro. Go get her before she leaves us all. I could feel my hands shaking unconsciously. Grabbing my left hand with my right, I gripped it roughly, forcing it to stop. I couldn't freak out now. I had to go stop her. I reached for my jacket and, with trembling fingers, I found my way into it. I turned around and straightened Kurt, propping him against my bureau. My fingers nearly leaped to the window seal as I made my way to the decaying frame.
Pulling the window up silently, I stood there for a minute, absorbing the sight before me. Fresh snow fell, twirling slightly in the cold wind. The moon, creeping silently along the ground, draped its long fingers languidly across the snow. I closed my eyes, almost without willing to do so. Tendrils of the icy currents curled around me, making me shiver as it seeped into my skin, only further numbing me. I could feel the snow flakes land on my face, instantly melting, but I didn't open my eyes. I only took in a deep breath of the cold air into my lungs, wanting to taste the winter's chill. Burning cold crept through my nostrils and into my lungs, filling them with a sort of numbing, making me feel almost drunk with exhaustion.
I knew in my mind, I couldn't continue to drink in the freezing cold, trying to numb the pain that resided in me. I had a task to do. Flicking open my eyes, I felt my leg jump up to rest on the edge of the window. Taking one last look toward my room, I forced the rest of myself out the window. It almost seemed to take forever to land, even though in reality it was a few seconds. Yet, I suppose that's how it feels when your whole world revolves around speed. Tucking my feet in slightly, I kick at the ground before I land and roll with the force.
Standing up, I brush the flakes of the powder off my jacket and look around. I can only see a few feet ahead of me now, the snow obscuring my view, falling faster and thicker. As a fat snowflake lands on my head, a small drop runs down my face in a thin rivulet. Then, before I can stay still any more to admire the scenery, I'm off. I start almost slowly at first, then I let my mutant gene kick in and take control, my feet moving faster then my own eyes can follow.
I don't know where to go. The elf didn't even tell me where he saw her last, not that it looked like he could anyway. Yet, in a way, I was thankful. Looking for her would take up a lot of time, and help me figure out what to say when I faced her again, only this time, on a different side.
Shutting my eyes, briefly I can almost see flashbacks play back in my head, showing me of a past that I had tried so hard to forget. A past with her.
~
When I had first arrived, my first impression of the Brotherhood was basically summed up in one word: Crap. I felt a wave of revulsion creep in my body as I stepped into the "living room" of the "mansion". Piles of trash lay all around, littering the ground with containers and moldy food. I felt a bit of bile rise in my throat as I saw a cockroach and rat play scavenger with a piece of crusty pizza in the corner. I knew that I hadn't been in the best of houses in my life, moving from one foster family to the next, but I had never had roaches and rats crawling around me.
My supposed "savior" mutant had left me with a lady that had a smile that could burn through metal if she wanted it too. Flashing a set of pearly white teeth, her eyes flicked dangerously while she extended a "welcoming" hand toward me, expecting me to be overflowing with gratitude. I hesitantly took her hand and tried to give her a firm handshake without letting her see my fear of her. She let my hand go to my relief and told me about how happy I would be, saved from all the harsh humanity that betrayed me. I nodded along with her every sentence, trying to look as convincing as I could that I was taking her seriously.
I wasn't really banished from society or anything. I just was banished by my foster parents. Or rather forgotten. I didn't care now though, I lived a new life, covering up my scars with my "I'm the bomb" routine. Sure, I may be arrogant and a little annoying to others, but at least it kept me hidden. Soon, we stopped at the footsteps of a large house, or what the lady called, a mansion. At first, it looked nice on the outside, not too shabby. As we walked up to the doors, she made a motion to herself and told me her name was Mystique. She had told me a lot about her job at the nearby high school, and how she played Principal Raven Darkholme, but she told me it was not her real name. Now that she told me, I guess I was getting somewhere.
When she pushed open the door, my whole opinion of the place changed dramatically. As we stepped in the door, she suddenly yelled out, making me jump. I never thought such a loud voice could come from such a small lady. Suddenly, I heard a swift whoosh over my head, and found myself soon staring at the grinning face of a young teenage boy. Balancing with perfect stability on his crouching somewhat crooked legs, he smiled and stood up. At first I thought that there was something wrong with how his legs could bend so, but then, as he stood up they seemed perfectly normal with the minor exception of being a little long.
Must be his mutant ability, I thought. Next came a somewhat larger guest. Stomping about, no, walking with large proportions, a tall fat teenager came in, holding a half bitten sandwich in his hand. A yellow mohawk stood crisply on his head, not doing much for his already odd appearance. His stomach bulged outward, reminding me of a beanbag. I later learned it was his mutation, but it still took a while to convince me.
My eyes were suddenly averted from my blubbery companion when a new character walked in from inside the kitchen. Dark hair shaded his eyes slightly, giving him a menacing look. From his posture, I could tell that he wasn't all too happy to be seeing a new team mate. I couldn't really blame him. Who else would wanted to live in this dump? I instantly knew that we probably wouldn't get along too much. His bored expression explained that much. I stood there, trying to figure out what his mutation was when it seemed the last resident came down from the staircase.
I waited, expecting to see another odd teenage boy walk down, but as the figure twirled around, I felt my eyebrows perk up. A girl? She didn't seem to mind hanging around all these guys as she came and took her place lined up next to them. From her gothic apparel of a dark forest green shirt and stockings, to her black skirt and combat boots, I could tell that something was different about her. Besides the fact that she was the only girl in the group, I could sense that she was hiding something. Her face covered in thick chalky make up, I wondered what secret she was concealing.
Before I could explore any farther into the subject, I felt a hand pat my shoulder and nearly cringed from the force. Looking up, I saw the pearly grin once again. Mystique raised her hand toward him and simply stated that he was Pietro and his mutant ability was having super speed. Also that everyone better treat him kindly since he was new. Gee, how nice, I thought as she said this.
Suddenly, she motioned to the others in an orderly fashion describing each member of the house. The first one I met was Todd or Toad who had the agility and strength of frogs, as implied by his legs, and could hurl goo in someone's face. Next was blubber boy who was named Freddy or Fred for short. His code name was Blob, and his mutant ability was having super strength and being unmovable. The dark and shady one was Lance or Avalance. How original…His mutant ability was to make geological earth masses move, or basically cause tremors and earthquakes. Finally, as she stopped at the mystery girl, I found myself anxious to know who she was. Rogue. I waited for some real name, but that's all I heard. Her mutant ability was to absorb the abilities, psyche, and memories of any person or mutant she touched.
That's what she's hiding…her power, I thought. I felt a deep sadness for the girl. I guess all that gothic crap she put on was a façade to hide herself from hurting others. I wanted to somehow find a way to help her, but before I could continue my thoughts, I was once again cut off by Mystique when she finally pointed to herself and told me her name, once again. But, as I was about to advert my eyes, I found myself unable to do so. I was entranced as I suddenly watched Mystique's body quiver slightly and mold out from its shape and into another one. Soon, I found myself staring at the form of a blue lady with red hair and yellow eyes. All these things made me even more terrified by her. Smiling, I could see that her canines were slightly long and acted almost as if tiny fangs.
Seeing me gawk, I guess she thought she should explain her power. Shape shifting never seemed so nerve wracking to see. As things went on, I learned more about my teammates and their habits, but there was one person in the house who seemed to almost be avoiding me. Rogue. I think she knew I was trying to help her, trying to learn something about her.
One night, as I lay awake in bed, I heard a soft scuffle go past my door. At first I thought it was Freddy going for a midnight snack, but I realized that Freddy couldn't make quiet steps even if he tried. Without blinking, I was on my feet and at my door. I was just in time to make out the shadow of a figure reaching the bottom of the steps and moving swiftly toward the door. Thinking it was an intruder, I swiftly made my way down the stairs and pounced on the figure.
Forcing the intruder to face me, I tried to uncover the hood that shadowed his face when suddenly a hand reached out for my face. I was expecting a punch and tried to dodge it, but the hand was splayed out and the fingers touched my cheek. Instantly I wished it was a punch that landed on my cheek. What happened next was worse than that. I felt something being sucked out of me, a chunk of my life, my soul. I felt my hands loose their grip and fall from the invader's shoulders. As the darkness began to cover my eyes, I feel to the ground and was staring into the worried face of Rogue. Then I blacked out.
It was later that I recovered and found myself lying back in my bed, covers up to my chin. Looking to my left, I saw Rogue, trying as best as she could to make a chair a comfortable sleeping place. I nearly laughed at the sight of her oddly positioned body. Reaching a hand over, I poked her in the shoulder lightly. Her eyes suddenly flashed open, and before I could help her, she fell out of the chair in surprise. I laughed then, not caring what fate I had for laughing at her clumsiness. Instead of feeling a bop on my head, I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder lightly. I stared at her as she looked worriedly in my eyes. "You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah." Was all I could say in response.
She seemed satisfied with the answer and turned to go, but I had to ask her something before she left. "Why do you hide, from everyone?"
Rogue turned slowly toward me and put on a forced smile. She tried to tell me that she wasn't hiding and had no idea what I was talking about and walked out stiffly. But, I knew she was lying. I was determined to figure her out. I later did. She wasn't hiding from others. No, rather she was hiding from herself. She was trying to hide her past and start anew, but I could see that she struggled. I once asked her if she wanted to tell me about it. She started to, but as soon as Mystique saw us, she stood up and walked back to her room. I knew she would cry at night. With her room being right beside his, he could here her try to muffle her sobs. He never did figure out what she was doing that one night, but he had a vague idea what it was. She was trying to leave them. He knew that she wouldn't be going to the X-Men, but rather just to get away.
Later, he prided himself when he thought that he must have been the reason why she didn't leave them in the end. Yet, when she left them for the X- Men, that fantasy was shattered like a broken window. He tried desperately to figure out what had eventually caused her to leave, but it was to no success. He then closed his eyes and tried to forget her, trying to forget how much he loved her presence, how much he loved to be with her as if solving a puzzle. He closed his eyes and turned around, walking away from that life. He walked away from that connection with her.
~
I know that I can't ever truly forget those memories, they're stamped in my mind forever, reminding me of how betrayals hurt. I only went faster as a tear threatened to slip from my eye. I wouldn't let the world see my pain. It would only laugh at me. It would only betray me like she did.
~
Phew! -_- Finally done! I finally came up with a new chapter. Not to mention my longest one yet! I'm so happy! Jump around with joy! ^_^ Anyway, I hope you liked it. I wanted to make it an intro on how Pietro and Rogue eventually met, and it got a little too lengthy for me and I had to kind of cut down a bit. I hope you basically understand what the title means now and how Pietro feels toward Rogue…right now. Well, review if you like it and tell me what you think. Any ideas are appreciated too! ^_^ I don't want to get stuck on such a long writer's block again! Rietro is mainly the couple that I'm thinking about, so if you don't really like that couple, I'm sorry. But, if you have any suggestions on whom, shoot away. Ciao! ^_~
Alone
Chapter 4: Bitterness
Disclaimer: What do you think?
I felt cold. A numbness seemed to seep into me, sending ripples under my skin. I never had felt so cold. It spread around me like a blanket of darkness, wrapping me carefully in it's numbing folds. Even as the blue furred boy slipped from my stiffly arched fingers, I didn't hear his breath push past his pale, cracked lips. I didn't see his eyes shut, the darkness of pain enveloping him like welcoming arms. I could only concentrate on what he said, his words burned in my skull, repeating over and over like a broken record.
Save my swiezer, Pietro. Go get her before she leaves us all. I could feel my hands shaking unconsciously. Grabbing my left hand with my right, I gripped it roughly, forcing it to stop. I couldn't freak out now. I had to go stop her. I reached for my jacket and, with trembling fingers, I found my way into it. I turned around and straightened Kurt, propping him against my bureau. My fingers nearly leaped to the window seal as I made my way to the decaying frame.
Pulling the window up silently, I stood there for a minute, absorbing the sight before me. Fresh snow fell, twirling slightly in the cold wind. The moon, creeping silently along the ground, draped its long fingers languidly across the snow. I closed my eyes, almost without willing to do so. Tendrils of the icy currents curled around me, making me shiver as it seeped into my skin, only further numbing me. I could feel the snow flakes land on my face, instantly melting, but I didn't open my eyes. I only took in a deep breath of the cold air into my lungs, wanting to taste the winter's chill. Burning cold crept through my nostrils and into my lungs, filling them with a sort of numbing, making me feel almost drunk with exhaustion.
I knew in my mind, I couldn't continue to drink in the freezing cold, trying to numb the pain that resided in me. I had a task to do. Flicking open my eyes, I felt my leg jump up to rest on the edge of the window. Taking one last look toward my room, I forced the rest of myself out the window. It almost seemed to take forever to land, even though in reality it was a few seconds. Yet, I suppose that's how it feels when your whole world revolves around speed. Tucking my feet in slightly, I kick at the ground before I land and roll with the force.
Standing up, I brush the flakes of the powder off my jacket and look around. I can only see a few feet ahead of me now, the snow obscuring my view, falling faster and thicker. As a fat snowflake lands on my head, a small drop runs down my face in a thin rivulet. Then, before I can stay still any more to admire the scenery, I'm off. I start almost slowly at first, then I let my mutant gene kick in and take control, my feet moving faster then my own eyes can follow.
I don't know where to go. The elf didn't even tell me where he saw her last, not that it looked like he could anyway. Yet, in a way, I was thankful. Looking for her would take up a lot of time, and help me figure out what to say when I faced her again, only this time, on a different side.
Shutting my eyes, briefly I can almost see flashbacks play back in my head, showing me of a past that I had tried so hard to forget. A past with her.
~
When I had first arrived, my first impression of the Brotherhood was basically summed up in one word: Crap. I felt a wave of revulsion creep in my body as I stepped into the "living room" of the "mansion". Piles of trash lay all around, littering the ground with containers and moldy food. I felt a bit of bile rise in my throat as I saw a cockroach and rat play scavenger with a piece of crusty pizza in the corner. I knew that I hadn't been in the best of houses in my life, moving from one foster family to the next, but I had never had roaches and rats crawling around me.
My supposed "savior" mutant had left me with a lady that had a smile that could burn through metal if she wanted it too. Flashing a set of pearly white teeth, her eyes flicked dangerously while she extended a "welcoming" hand toward me, expecting me to be overflowing with gratitude. I hesitantly took her hand and tried to give her a firm handshake without letting her see my fear of her. She let my hand go to my relief and told me about how happy I would be, saved from all the harsh humanity that betrayed me. I nodded along with her every sentence, trying to look as convincing as I could that I was taking her seriously.
I wasn't really banished from society or anything. I just was banished by my foster parents. Or rather forgotten. I didn't care now though, I lived a new life, covering up my scars with my "I'm the bomb" routine. Sure, I may be arrogant and a little annoying to others, but at least it kept me hidden. Soon, we stopped at the footsteps of a large house, or what the lady called, a mansion. At first, it looked nice on the outside, not too shabby. As we walked up to the doors, she made a motion to herself and told me her name was Mystique. She had told me a lot about her job at the nearby high school, and how she played Principal Raven Darkholme, but she told me it was not her real name. Now that she told me, I guess I was getting somewhere.
When she pushed open the door, my whole opinion of the place changed dramatically. As we stepped in the door, she suddenly yelled out, making me jump. I never thought such a loud voice could come from such a small lady. Suddenly, I heard a swift whoosh over my head, and found myself soon staring at the grinning face of a young teenage boy. Balancing with perfect stability on his crouching somewhat crooked legs, he smiled and stood up. At first I thought that there was something wrong with how his legs could bend so, but then, as he stood up they seemed perfectly normal with the minor exception of being a little long.
Must be his mutant ability, I thought. Next came a somewhat larger guest. Stomping about, no, walking with large proportions, a tall fat teenager came in, holding a half bitten sandwich in his hand. A yellow mohawk stood crisply on his head, not doing much for his already odd appearance. His stomach bulged outward, reminding me of a beanbag. I later learned it was his mutation, but it still took a while to convince me.
My eyes were suddenly averted from my blubbery companion when a new character walked in from inside the kitchen. Dark hair shaded his eyes slightly, giving him a menacing look. From his posture, I could tell that he wasn't all too happy to be seeing a new team mate. I couldn't really blame him. Who else would wanted to live in this dump? I instantly knew that we probably wouldn't get along too much. His bored expression explained that much. I stood there, trying to figure out what his mutation was when it seemed the last resident came down from the staircase.
I waited, expecting to see another odd teenage boy walk down, but as the figure twirled around, I felt my eyebrows perk up. A girl? She didn't seem to mind hanging around all these guys as she came and took her place lined up next to them. From her gothic apparel of a dark forest green shirt and stockings, to her black skirt and combat boots, I could tell that something was different about her. Besides the fact that she was the only girl in the group, I could sense that she was hiding something. Her face covered in thick chalky make up, I wondered what secret she was concealing.
Before I could explore any farther into the subject, I felt a hand pat my shoulder and nearly cringed from the force. Looking up, I saw the pearly grin once again. Mystique raised her hand toward him and simply stated that he was Pietro and his mutant ability was having super speed. Also that everyone better treat him kindly since he was new. Gee, how nice, I thought as she said this.
Suddenly, she motioned to the others in an orderly fashion describing each member of the house. The first one I met was Todd or Toad who had the agility and strength of frogs, as implied by his legs, and could hurl goo in someone's face. Next was blubber boy who was named Freddy or Fred for short. His code name was Blob, and his mutant ability was having super strength and being unmovable. The dark and shady one was Lance or Avalance. How original…His mutant ability was to make geological earth masses move, or basically cause tremors and earthquakes. Finally, as she stopped at the mystery girl, I found myself anxious to know who she was. Rogue. I waited for some real name, but that's all I heard. Her mutant ability was to absorb the abilities, psyche, and memories of any person or mutant she touched.
That's what she's hiding…her power, I thought. I felt a deep sadness for the girl. I guess all that gothic crap she put on was a façade to hide herself from hurting others. I wanted to somehow find a way to help her, but before I could continue my thoughts, I was once again cut off by Mystique when she finally pointed to herself and told me her name, once again. But, as I was about to advert my eyes, I found myself unable to do so. I was entranced as I suddenly watched Mystique's body quiver slightly and mold out from its shape and into another one. Soon, I found myself staring at the form of a blue lady with red hair and yellow eyes. All these things made me even more terrified by her. Smiling, I could see that her canines were slightly long and acted almost as if tiny fangs.
Seeing me gawk, I guess she thought she should explain her power. Shape shifting never seemed so nerve wracking to see. As things went on, I learned more about my teammates and their habits, but there was one person in the house who seemed to almost be avoiding me. Rogue. I think she knew I was trying to help her, trying to learn something about her.
One night, as I lay awake in bed, I heard a soft scuffle go past my door. At first I thought it was Freddy going for a midnight snack, but I realized that Freddy couldn't make quiet steps even if he tried. Without blinking, I was on my feet and at my door. I was just in time to make out the shadow of a figure reaching the bottom of the steps and moving swiftly toward the door. Thinking it was an intruder, I swiftly made my way down the stairs and pounced on the figure.
Forcing the intruder to face me, I tried to uncover the hood that shadowed his face when suddenly a hand reached out for my face. I was expecting a punch and tried to dodge it, but the hand was splayed out and the fingers touched my cheek. Instantly I wished it was a punch that landed on my cheek. What happened next was worse than that. I felt something being sucked out of me, a chunk of my life, my soul. I felt my hands loose their grip and fall from the invader's shoulders. As the darkness began to cover my eyes, I feel to the ground and was staring into the worried face of Rogue. Then I blacked out.
It was later that I recovered and found myself lying back in my bed, covers up to my chin. Looking to my left, I saw Rogue, trying as best as she could to make a chair a comfortable sleeping place. I nearly laughed at the sight of her oddly positioned body. Reaching a hand over, I poked her in the shoulder lightly. Her eyes suddenly flashed open, and before I could help her, she fell out of the chair in surprise. I laughed then, not caring what fate I had for laughing at her clumsiness. Instead of feeling a bop on my head, I felt a hand squeeze my shoulder lightly. I stared at her as she looked worriedly in my eyes. "You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah." Was all I could say in response.
She seemed satisfied with the answer and turned to go, but I had to ask her something before she left. "Why do you hide, from everyone?"
Rogue turned slowly toward me and put on a forced smile. She tried to tell me that she wasn't hiding and had no idea what I was talking about and walked out stiffly. But, I knew she was lying. I was determined to figure her out. I later did. She wasn't hiding from others. No, rather she was hiding from herself. She was trying to hide her past and start anew, but I could see that she struggled. I once asked her if she wanted to tell me about it. She started to, but as soon as Mystique saw us, she stood up and walked back to her room. I knew she would cry at night. With her room being right beside his, he could here her try to muffle her sobs. He never did figure out what she was doing that one night, but he had a vague idea what it was. She was trying to leave them. He knew that she wouldn't be going to the X-Men, but rather just to get away.
Later, he prided himself when he thought that he must have been the reason why she didn't leave them in the end. Yet, when she left them for the X- Men, that fantasy was shattered like a broken window. He tried desperately to figure out what had eventually caused her to leave, but it was to no success. He then closed his eyes and tried to forget her, trying to forget how much he loved her presence, how much he loved to be with her as if solving a puzzle. He closed his eyes and turned around, walking away from that life. He walked away from that connection with her.
~
I know that I can't ever truly forget those memories, they're stamped in my mind forever, reminding me of how betrayals hurt. I only went faster as a tear threatened to slip from my eye. I wouldn't let the world see my pain. It would only laugh at me. It would only betray me like she did.
~
Phew! -_- Finally done! I finally came up with a new chapter. Not to mention my longest one yet! I'm so happy! Jump around with joy! ^_^ Anyway, I hope you liked it. I wanted to make it an intro on how Pietro and Rogue eventually met, and it got a little too lengthy for me and I had to kind of cut down a bit. I hope you basically understand what the title means now and how Pietro feels toward Rogue…right now. Well, review if you like it and tell me what you think. Any ideas are appreciated too! ^_^ I don't want to get stuck on such a long writer's block again! Rietro is mainly the couple that I'm thinking about, so if you don't really like that couple, I'm sorry. But, if you have any suggestions on whom, shoot away. Ciao! ^_~