Disclaimer: I do not own any of the X-Men movie characters.
Title: Unforgivable Sinners
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .
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Thank you for the wonderful reviews, SKETTY24 and TOPWITCH o!!! Here's the next chapter....and it looks like Yuriko isn't the only one questioning her past ;)!
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CHAPTER 29: Innocence is bliss
Stryker looked at Yuriko and noticed the confusion in her eyes. He knew what she was going through because he also feared what the past might unearth. He once wanted to remember his past too. He would have done anything and given everything to remember the person he once was. But after seeing the monstrous outcomes of his past actions, after awakening in a world that hated his every move, he didn't want to remember anymore. He just wanted his past to fade away like a long-forgotten dream...like a faded painting never to be restored.
He clasped his hands together and looked at the professor. "So...how long before I regain my memories? How long before I remember everything?" He asked nervously. He hoped it wouldn't be too soon.
"I am really not sure, William." The professor said. "Your retrograde amnesia is different than any of the ones I've encountered before. Unlike Yuriko and Logan's memory loss, yours was brought about unintentionally by the device in your brain. So it all depends on how long the device can keep your memories a part of your subconscious."
Stryker furrowed his eyebrows. He barely understood what the professor just said. "What do you mean different?" He asked curiously. "Look, I didn't even know I had something wedged in my brain until you told Yuriko about it. I don't even know what it's doing up there! Something about telepathy or something like that. And now you're telling me that it's the reason why I can't remember a thing about my past?!"
He stood up and walked to the middle of the room. "I know what amnesia is, okay?" He asked, looking at the professor. "I know it as much as I know what chess is and what a table is and what a window is and what a book is." His eyes wandered at the different objects in the room.
He walked towards the window and looked at the view outside. "I can even tell the difference between a tree and flower, a daisy and a rose, black and white, a man and woman, north and south...." Then he looked at Charles. "I can even read...and write...and tell you that one plus one equals two."
"...But I can't remember a thing about my past. Nothing. Not even the name of my very own mother, or where I was born." He said as he looked at Charles. "This..." He pointed at his temple. "This is not amnesia. And you know what?" He looked at Yuriko. "I don't even want to remember the past anymore...and now you're telling me that I'm going to remember it whether I like it or not? Don't I have a choice like her?!" He pointed at Yuriko.
Stryker suddenly clenched his fists tightly. "Because I know that once I remember the past....." He looked at the professor with anger in his eyes...so much anger and hatred.
Yuriko noticed the sudden change in Stryker. He didn't seem like the innocent and naive Stryker anymore. She could see the intense fury in his eyes as he stared at the professor. There was something different in Stryker...something different, and yet very familiar.
He gritted his teeth as he looked at Charles. "....Once I remember the past....I know I will remember....What Jason did. I will remember...How he killed her!" He shouted through gritted teeth as rugged breaths escaped from his lips.
Logan also noticed the rapid switch in Stryker's persona, and he didn't like it. He didn't like the way he was looking at Charles. The anger in his eyes was so intense, so pure. It was as if he had completely transformed into another person...a person who was fueled only by hatred and revenge. He could see Stryker's fists shaking as he clenched them so tightly. He suddenly realized what was going on, and was about to lunge at Stryker, when the professor mentally paralyzed him in place.
/"Calm down, Logan. Everything's going to be fine."/ Charles told him telepathically.
"He killed her!" Stryker shouted angrily. "He made her suffer so much, that the only escape she had was death!!!" He emphasized every word, each of them said with so much resentment and hatred. He looked at Logan and Yuriko "You two...You think you have the right to question me...to judge me for what I had done. Well you know what? You hurt me first. If you only knew...."
Then his eyes darted to the professor. "And you....Professor Charles Xavier...You think you can help everyone. You think you can save everyone from this twisted, merciless, imperfect world that we live in! Well you can't!!! You can't save everyone!!!" He shouted.
/"He's starting to remember...."/ Yuriko thought to herself. Her eyes opened wide with fear as she watched Stryker. She could barely move as she saw the immense anger in his eyes. And the fury in his voice sent chills up her spine. Why couldn't she find the courage to attack him? Why did she fear him again? How come whenever he became his past self, she couldn't fight?
The professor looked at Stryker. There was calmness in Charles' face as he looked into Stryker's eyes. "I do the best that I can to save both mutants and humans alike. That is why the school is always ----"
"LIAR!!!" Shouted Stryker as he took a step towards the professor. "I came to you for help, but you couldn't save me, or my son! You're the reason why my life ended up the way it did! I could have been a father and a husband, but you couldn't save us!!! You ruined my life!!!" He suddenly grabbed the solid glass paperweight from the table and swiftly moved it towards the professor's face.
/"Let me go, Charles!!!"/ Logan's thoughts cried out as he saw Stryker's hand moving towards the professor's face. He tried to struggle against the professor's mental paralysis, but Charles just held him in place. He couldn't even move a single part of his body. /"Charles!!!!"/
"William!!!" Yuriko suddenly shouted, her voice filling the study.
Stryker's eyes opened wide and saw his hand gripping on a paperweight. It was the paperweight he saw earlier on the desk. He also saw his hand a couple of inches away from the professor's face. What was he doing? What was he trying to do?
He stepped away from the professor and let the paperweight slip from his hand. It landed on the carpet with a soft thud. He could feel his hands shaking as he looked into the professor's eyes. Did he just try to hurt him again? He moved his eyes away from Charles and looked at the woman whose voice had called him back from the darkness.
"Yuriko." He whispered. "I....I didn't know what I was doing. It was like I fell into a nightmare and...a part of me...a part of me just did things I couldn't control. And then I heard your voice. And..." He stopped as he noticed the look on Yuriko's face.
Her eyes were still opened wide with shock. She looked back at him with so much fear. When she saw his former-self resurface, she suddenly remembered the monstrous things he did to her when she was Lady Deathstrike. She remembered the pain of every wound, the hunger she could not satisfy, the feel of her naked body against the cold metal table, the warmth of his breath at the back of her neck, and the other horrifying things she dared not think of anymore.
The professor released Logan from his mental paralysis, and he quickly stood between Yuriko and Stryker. He gritted his teeth as he angrily looked into Stryker's eyes. He could see the innocence in them again. He looked nothing like the man who just tried to kill the professor a while ago. Logan couldn't understand how Stryker could have changed from one person to another in just a blink of an eye.
Stryker tried to move past him, but he placed his hand on Stryker's chest and pushed him away.
"Stay away from her." He said firmly. "You've already done enough." He felt his jaw tightening as he looked at him. If Charles hadn't held him back, he knew he would have already driven his claws into Stryker's flesh. And he wouldn't have regretted it either.
Stryker almost fell back against the table from the force of Logan's push. He straightened himself and looked back at him. "I just want to talk to her." He said calmly.
Logan clenched his fists. "But I don't think she wants to talk to you, bub." He said firmly. He looked at Yuriko and their eyes met. He was glad to see that the fear in her eyes was now gone. She was now free from whatever nightmare she just had.
The professor moved towards Logan. "Now would probably be a good time to give our newest member a trip around the school. I believe Ms. Oyama would really appreciate that." He said with a smile as he looked at Yuriko.
Yuriko smiled back at the professor. "Yes. I would really love that, professor."
She just wanted to forget everything that happened a couple of minutes ago. She was finally going to spend some time alone with Logan, and the thought of it made her heart soar. She wanted to know him better. She wanted to talk to him as a friend, not just as a teammate. Perhaps he could help her make the right decision. After all, he was once a part of her life
She stood up and looked at Logan. "How about you, Logan? Is that okay with you too?" She asked with a smile. "After all, I don't want to get in the way of your daily routines." Her voice had a teasing tone to it.
Logan arched an eyebrow and smiled back at her. "Unlike the others, I don't have daily routines. Ask Charles...He often things I'm impulsive and juvenile." He said in a joking way. "I always tend to do what I want to do. And as for now, what I want to do is act as your official tour guide to the school."
Yuriko's smile grew wider as she looked into his eyes. She wanted to touch him again...feel him against her skin. She didn't want to look away from his stare.
He suddenly held her hand and gently pulled her towards the door. "Come on. It's almost dark and I still want to show you the facilities outside the mansion." Logan couldn't believe how he was acting towards Yuriko. He wasn't even the kind of person who held hands. And yet, whenever he was close to her, he felt so at ease.
"Okay." She said with a smile. Logan opened the door and Yuriko took one last look at the professor and Stryker.
Stryker's eyes met Yuriko as she took one last glimpse of him. Then he felt his chest tighten as she disappeared from his sight. The sound of the door closing seemed to echo in his ears. He didn't like how she was now alone with that Logan.
"Now, Mr. Stryker." Said the professor as he looked at him. "Please sit down. We still have a lot of things to talk about."
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Title: Unforgivable Sinners
By: Cmdr. Gabe E.
Note: This fanfiction occurs entirely in the X-Men movie-verse . Characters' unspoken thoughts are enclosed in .
= = = = = = = = == = = = = =
Thank you for the wonderful reviews, SKETTY24 and TOPWITCH o!!! Here's the next chapter....and it looks like Yuriko isn't the only one questioning her past ;)!
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
CHAPTER 29: Innocence is bliss
Stryker looked at Yuriko and noticed the confusion in her eyes. He knew what she was going through because he also feared what the past might unearth. He once wanted to remember his past too. He would have done anything and given everything to remember the person he once was. But after seeing the monstrous outcomes of his past actions, after awakening in a world that hated his every move, he didn't want to remember anymore. He just wanted his past to fade away like a long-forgotten dream...like a faded painting never to be restored.
He clasped his hands together and looked at the professor. "So...how long before I regain my memories? How long before I remember everything?" He asked nervously. He hoped it wouldn't be too soon.
"I am really not sure, William." The professor said. "Your retrograde amnesia is different than any of the ones I've encountered before. Unlike Yuriko and Logan's memory loss, yours was brought about unintentionally by the device in your brain. So it all depends on how long the device can keep your memories a part of your subconscious."
Stryker furrowed his eyebrows. He barely understood what the professor just said. "What do you mean different?" He asked curiously. "Look, I didn't even know I had something wedged in my brain until you told Yuriko about it. I don't even know what it's doing up there! Something about telepathy or something like that. And now you're telling me that it's the reason why I can't remember a thing about my past?!"
He stood up and walked to the middle of the room. "I know what amnesia is, okay?" He asked, looking at the professor. "I know it as much as I know what chess is and what a table is and what a window is and what a book is." His eyes wandered at the different objects in the room.
He walked towards the window and looked at the view outside. "I can even tell the difference between a tree and flower, a daisy and a rose, black and white, a man and woman, north and south...." Then he looked at Charles. "I can even read...and write...and tell you that one plus one equals two."
"...But I can't remember a thing about my past. Nothing. Not even the name of my very own mother, or where I was born." He said as he looked at Charles. "This..." He pointed at his temple. "This is not amnesia. And you know what?" He looked at Yuriko. "I don't even want to remember the past anymore...and now you're telling me that I'm going to remember it whether I like it or not? Don't I have a choice like her?!" He pointed at Yuriko.
Stryker suddenly clenched his fists tightly. "Because I know that once I remember the past....." He looked at the professor with anger in his eyes...so much anger and hatred.
Yuriko noticed the sudden change in Stryker. He didn't seem like the innocent and naive Stryker anymore. She could see the intense fury in his eyes as he stared at the professor. There was something different in Stryker...something different, and yet very familiar.
He gritted his teeth as he looked at Charles. "....Once I remember the past....I know I will remember....What Jason did. I will remember...How he killed her!" He shouted through gritted teeth as rugged breaths escaped from his lips.
Logan also noticed the rapid switch in Stryker's persona, and he didn't like it. He didn't like the way he was looking at Charles. The anger in his eyes was so intense, so pure. It was as if he had completely transformed into another person...a person who was fueled only by hatred and revenge. He could see Stryker's fists shaking as he clenched them so tightly. He suddenly realized what was going on, and was about to lunge at Stryker, when the professor mentally paralyzed him in place.
/"Calm down, Logan. Everything's going to be fine."/ Charles told him telepathically.
"He killed her!" Stryker shouted angrily. "He made her suffer so much, that the only escape she had was death!!!" He emphasized every word, each of them said with so much resentment and hatred. He looked at Logan and Yuriko "You two...You think you have the right to question me...to judge me for what I had done. Well you know what? You hurt me first. If you only knew...."
Then his eyes darted to the professor. "And you....Professor Charles Xavier...You think you can help everyone. You think you can save everyone from this twisted, merciless, imperfect world that we live in! Well you can't!!! You can't save everyone!!!" He shouted.
/"He's starting to remember...."/ Yuriko thought to herself. Her eyes opened wide with fear as she watched Stryker. She could barely move as she saw the immense anger in his eyes. And the fury in his voice sent chills up her spine. Why couldn't she find the courage to attack him? Why did she fear him again? How come whenever he became his past self, she couldn't fight?
The professor looked at Stryker. There was calmness in Charles' face as he looked into Stryker's eyes. "I do the best that I can to save both mutants and humans alike. That is why the school is always ----"
"LIAR!!!" Shouted Stryker as he took a step towards the professor. "I came to you for help, but you couldn't save me, or my son! You're the reason why my life ended up the way it did! I could have been a father and a husband, but you couldn't save us!!! You ruined my life!!!" He suddenly grabbed the solid glass paperweight from the table and swiftly moved it towards the professor's face.
/"Let me go, Charles!!!"/ Logan's thoughts cried out as he saw Stryker's hand moving towards the professor's face. He tried to struggle against the professor's mental paralysis, but Charles just held him in place. He couldn't even move a single part of his body. /"Charles!!!!"/
"William!!!" Yuriko suddenly shouted, her voice filling the study.
Stryker's eyes opened wide and saw his hand gripping on a paperweight. It was the paperweight he saw earlier on the desk. He also saw his hand a couple of inches away from the professor's face. What was he doing? What was he trying to do?
He stepped away from the professor and let the paperweight slip from his hand. It landed on the carpet with a soft thud. He could feel his hands shaking as he looked into the professor's eyes. Did he just try to hurt him again? He moved his eyes away from Charles and looked at the woman whose voice had called him back from the darkness.
"Yuriko." He whispered. "I....I didn't know what I was doing. It was like I fell into a nightmare and...a part of me...a part of me just did things I couldn't control. And then I heard your voice. And..." He stopped as he noticed the look on Yuriko's face.
Her eyes were still opened wide with shock. She looked back at him with so much fear. When she saw his former-self resurface, she suddenly remembered the monstrous things he did to her when she was Lady Deathstrike. She remembered the pain of every wound, the hunger she could not satisfy, the feel of her naked body against the cold metal table, the warmth of his breath at the back of her neck, and the other horrifying things she dared not think of anymore.
The professor released Logan from his mental paralysis, and he quickly stood between Yuriko and Stryker. He gritted his teeth as he angrily looked into Stryker's eyes. He could see the innocence in them again. He looked nothing like the man who just tried to kill the professor a while ago. Logan couldn't understand how Stryker could have changed from one person to another in just a blink of an eye.
Stryker tried to move past him, but he placed his hand on Stryker's chest and pushed him away.
"Stay away from her." He said firmly. "You've already done enough." He felt his jaw tightening as he looked at him. If Charles hadn't held him back, he knew he would have already driven his claws into Stryker's flesh. And he wouldn't have regretted it either.
Stryker almost fell back against the table from the force of Logan's push. He straightened himself and looked back at him. "I just want to talk to her." He said calmly.
Logan clenched his fists. "But I don't think she wants to talk to you, bub." He said firmly. He looked at Yuriko and their eyes met. He was glad to see that the fear in her eyes was now gone. She was now free from whatever nightmare she just had.
The professor moved towards Logan. "Now would probably be a good time to give our newest member a trip around the school. I believe Ms. Oyama would really appreciate that." He said with a smile as he looked at Yuriko.
Yuriko smiled back at the professor. "Yes. I would really love that, professor."
She just wanted to forget everything that happened a couple of minutes ago. She was finally going to spend some time alone with Logan, and the thought of it made her heart soar. She wanted to know him better. She wanted to talk to him as a friend, not just as a teammate. Perhaps he could help her make the right decision. After all, he was once a part of her life
She stood up and looked at Logan. "How about you, Logan? Is that okay with you too?" She asked with a smile. "After all, I don't want to get in the way of your daily routines." Her voice had a teasing tone to it.
Logan arched an eyebrow and smiled back at her. "Unlike the others, I don't have daily routines. Ask Charles...He often things I'm impulsive and juvenile." He said in a joking way. "I always tend to do what I want to do. And as for now, what I want to do is act as your official tour guide to the school."
Yuriko's smile grew wider as she looked into his eyes. She wanted to touch him again...feel him against her skin. She didn't want to look away from his stare.
He suddenly held her hand and gently pulled her towards the door. "Come on. It's almost dark and I still want to show you the facilities outside the mansion." Logan couldn't believe how he was acting towards Yuriko. He wasn't even the kind of person who held hands. And yet, whenever he was close to her, he felt so at ease.
"Okay." She said with a smile. Logan opened the door and Yuriko took one last look at the professor and Stryker.
Stryker's eyes met Yuriko as she took one last glimpse of him. Then he felt his chest tighten as she disappeared from his sight. The sound of the door closing seemed to echo in his ears. He didn't like how she was now alone with that Logan.
"Now, Mr. Stryker." Said the professor as he looked at him. "Please sit down. We still have a lot of things to talk about."
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