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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Here's chapter 44 =D! To those who are used to Stryker being an evil bastard, now you'll have to get used to him being a not-so-evil bastard! Lol! JK! Anyway, you might find Stryker and Yuriko's interaction in this chapter (and probably in the next few chapters) rather "weird" and "awkward"...but as I've stated before, everything will be revealed once Yuriko regains her past. So as for now, sit back, relax and enjoy the show =D! Thanks for the reviews =D!
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Chapter 44: Meet an old friend for the very first time
An innocent smile curled up Stryker's lips as he looked at her. It was the very first time he had ever seen her smile at him. He never thought he'd see the day when she would look at him and be happy. Perhaps he was wrong when he thought that she could never treat him the way she had treated Logan. Because now she was smiling at him, and he was smiling at her, and the night was still so young for the two of them.
His eyes were so entranced by her smile that he had almost forgotten about her hand. He breathed in and shook her hand enthusiastically. "And it's such a pleasure to meet you too, Ms. Oyama." His eyes stared deeply into hers as he shook her hand.
He still couldn't believe what was happening between them. Everything felt so perfect, so unreal, and yet so familiar. When he saw Logan and Yuriko by the pool, he felt as if he had seen himself with her in that way before. He couldn't shake the feeling that he should have been the one by her side. He felt as if Logan was playing the role that he should have been playing. But none of that mattered to him now. She was finally with him, and he wanted nothing more, but to make it all last forever.
They both put their hands back on their sides as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. Neither of them said a word as they waited for the other to say something. Both of them felt like complete strangers. They smiled at each other, and then they looked away, feeling awkward at the silence that lingered between them.
Then they both looked at each other again, as if they were about to say something. But once they stared into each other's eyes, the words they were supposed to say suddenly disappeared behind their lips as if they had lost their ability to speak.
/"Say something to her."/ Stryker thought to himself. /"Anything."/
He continued to look at her as he thought of the right words to say. With the way she was looking at him, she was expecting him to say something. After all, he was the one who wanted to talk. But the more he looked at her, the more he felt tongue-tied.
She just looked so beautiful. She looked more beautiful now than she had ever been before, and her beauty simply took his breath away. He felt like a fifteen-year-old boy standing in front of a high school crush. Then he suddenly realized how he was thinking about her and he immediately closed his eyes and shook his head from side to side. How could he even think of her in such a way? He only wanted to be her friend. And Yuriko looked half his age. To even think of her in such a way would be wrong.
Yuriko couldn't help but smile as she saw Stryker's display. She had never seen him act in such a way before. He looked so shy, so innocent, and so young underneath his old and withered facade. She also couldn't deny the fact that whenever she looked at him, she saw an image of the younger Stryker in her mind.
"William?" She asked softly as she looked at him. If he wasn't going to say anything, then she would.
Stryker suddenly straightened himself as he heard Yuriko's voice. "Yes?" He asked as he looked at her. What did she want from him now?
She smiled and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt his body tense up as she touched him. "Relax." She whispered as she looked into his eyes. "I'm not going to bite...and I'm not going to scratch either." She said with a joking tone in her voice.
For the first time in her life, she looked at him and did not feel the urge to make him suffer. She finally realized that the man standing right in front of her, the man she had found by the lake two days ago, was really not the William Stryker who had enslaved her. He wasn't the same heartless Stryker who desired to destroy the entire world's mutant population. This man was a completely different person, and he did not deserve to suffer for the sins he did not commit. In fact, he needed a chance to live.
He looked back into her eyes and a wide grin formed on his lips. How could he have been such a fool? He didn't have to say the perfect words. He didn't even have to be the perfect man. He just had to be himself. And the only words that he needed to say were the ones that he wanted to say to her. They didn't have to be special or well thought-out. They just had to come from him. Yuriko was right. He truly did need to relax.
He gave out a small laugh and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked back at her. Yuriko put her hand back down to her side and laughed as she stared into his eyes. Both of them just stared at each other, laughing at how awkward they have both been acting. Despite the fact that they have been together for the past fourteen years, it was only now that they were able to meet each other. And they still had so much to discover.
"Look..." He finally said, a wide smile still on his face. "I'm really sorry if...if I'm acting...you know, um...aloof right now. It's just that everything feels so awkward. I mean, don't get me wrong. I...I like how we're talking right now, it's just that---"
"It's all right." She said, cutting him off mid-sentence. She smiled and nodded at him. "I know what you mean. After all, we...really haven't been in good terms these past two days." She didn't want to admit it, but she too felt somewhat shy in the presence of this new Stryker. She felt like she was meeting an old friend for the very first time.
Stryker raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Yeah, we really weren't the best of friends, were we?" He asked with a smile. "And I really can't blame you...for uh, treating me the way you did." He smirked and sighed. "Because that other guy..." He said as he pointed to himself. "Really sounded like such a bastard." He said with a tone of disgust in his voice. He was referring to his former self...the man he used to be, and the man he would be again once he regained all of his memories. But for now, that other man was dead.
Yuriko arched an eyebrow and nodded. "He was." Then he stepped towards Stryker and poked him on the chest. "But you killed him." She said with a smile.
Stryker snickered and looked at her with one of his eyebrows raised. "Yes. I did." He said with a proud smile on his face. Then he stepped backwards and patted his chest. "And now I'm just me." He looked at her with his chin tilted up like a proud man. "Plain old William Stryker. Born two days ago on the shores of Alkali Lake in the cold mountainous regions of the British Columbia, where I was found by ---"
"---A woman with retractable adamantium claws." Yuriko said with a smile as she folded her arms over her chest. Their eyes met, and their smiles turned into humble laughter. They looked like two stupid adults laughing about the good old days.
Then Yuriko's laughter subsided into a soft smile as she looked at the laughter on Stryker's face. He really looked so much like the younger Stryker in her vision. She felt as if she was looking at the exact same young Stryker right now. It was as if he never changed, as if he never left. Despite his older face, he still had the same smile, the same laugh, and the same young, blue eyes that were accented by his strong, dark eyebrows.
She could still remember how he looked in her vision...so young and handsome and happy. She never thought she'd see that face again. But now, there he was, standing right in front of her, the way he did, many decades ago. Though time could never give him back his youth, it could still give him the chance to regain the early past he had left behind...even if that chance would only last for one night...just for tonight.
Stryker noticed Yuriko looking at him and he stopped laughing. "What?" He asked with a sly, inquisitive smile on his lips. "You're staring at me in that way again." He said as he pointed at her. "Do I have something on my face?" He asked.
Yuriko's eyes widened with surprise as Stryker's eyes met hers, snapping her out of her trance. She didn't even realize that she was staring at him until he pointed it out. It's just that time seemed to have frozen while she was looking at him.
Then she suddenly felt her cheeks flushing. She couldn't believe that she was actually blushing...towards Stryker?! "Oh, no." She said with her eyebrows raised as she looked at him. "I mean, no, you don't have anything on your face." She said with an embarrassed smile on her lips. Now she was the one acting aloof. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the fact that he caught her staring at his face.
"You look fine." She said softly.
"Why thank you." He said with a smile.
Then he narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuriko, and then he looked around the room. Something didn't look right. He moved his hand over his eyes and noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses anymore. He remembered that Yuriko had knocked it off his face when she slapped him. He could even still feel the lingering sting of her slap on his cheek.
"I...uh, seemed to have lost my glasses." He said as he looked at her.
Yuriko knew that she was the one responsible. Her eyes wandered to the big, red, mark on Stryker's cheek where her adamantium-framed hand had slapped him earlier. She knew she had slapped him too hard...harder than he deserved, but she was just so angry with him. She was so angry at the fact that he voluntarily gawked at her naked body.
But now, the bathroom incident didn't anger her anymore. It was one of those occurrences that she would rather forgive and forget. After all, he really didn't mean to barge into the bathroom in the first place. And she too was irresponsible for not locking the door. It was as much as her fault as his.
"By the way..." She said, with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm really sorry about that." She pointed at Stryker's searing cheek.
"Oh." He said with his eyebrows raised. He was quite surprised that Yuriko had apologized to him. For the past two days, she had hurt him so many times in so many different ways, and she had never apologized to him even once...until now.
Then he smiled as he looked back at her. "You mean this?" He asked as he pointed at his cheek. "Nah. Don't worry about it." He said softly. "It was my fault anyway. I should have knocked before I...I...you know..." He really didn't know how to explain what he did. He felt embarrassed just by thinking about it.
"Yeah...yeah, I know..." Yuriko said abruptly. "Let's just forget about it, okay? Let's all just pretend that it never happened." She said with a smile.
"Okay." He nodded his head. He also wanted to forget that it happened. He wanted to forget ever seeing her naked body.
But every time he closed his eyes, he could still see the image of her naked body in his mind. It was as if her bare body had been tattooed in his brain. He could still see the contour of her form, the smoothness of her skin and the fullness of her figure. And it didn't help that she was now standing an arm's reach away from him, wearing her little tanktop and shorts. The view was just too much for him.
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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 .
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Here's chapter 44 =D! To those who are used to Stryker being an evil bastard, now you'll have to get used to him being a not-so-evil bastard! Lol! JK! Anyway, you might find Stryker and Yuriko's interaction in this chapter (and probably in the next few chapters) rather "weird" and "awkward"...but as I've stated before, everything will be revealed once Yuriko regains her past. So as for now, sit back, relax and enjoy the show =D! Thanks for the reviews =D!
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Chapter 44: Meet an old friend for the very first time
An innocent smile curled up Stryker's lips as he looked at her. It was the very first time he had ever seen her smile at him. He never thought he'd see the day when she would look at him and be happy. Perhaps he was wrong when he thought that she could never treat him the way she had treated Logan. Because now she was smiling at him, and he was smiling at her, and the night was still so young for the two of them.
His eyes were so entranced by her smile that he had almost forgotten about her hand. He breathed in and shook her hand enthusiastically. "And it's such a pleasure to meet you too, Ms. Oyama." His eyes stared deeply into hers as he shook her hand.
He still couldn't believe what was happening between them. Everything felt so perfect, so unreal, and yet so familiar. When he saw Logan and Yuriko by the pool, he felt as if he had seen himself with her in that way before. He couldn't shake the feeling that he should have been the one by her side. He felt as if Logan was playing the role that he should have been playing. But none of that mattered to him now. She was finally with him, and he wanted nothing more, but to make it all last forever.
They both put their hands back on their sides as they continued to stare into each other's eyes. Neither of them said a word as they waited for the other to say something. Both of them felt like complete strangers. They smiled at each other, and then they looked away, feeling awkward at the silence that lingered between them.
Then they both looked at each other again, as if they were about to say something. But once they stared into each other's eyes, the words they were supposed to say suddenly disappeared behind their lips as if they had lost their ability to speak.
/"Say something to her."/ Stryker thought to himself. /"Anything."/
He continued to look at her as he thought of the right words to say. With the way she was looking at him, she was expecting him to say something. After all, he was the one who wanted to talk. But the more he looked at her, the more he felt tongue-tied.
She just looked so beautiful. She looked more beautiful now than she had ever been before, and her beauty simply took his breath away. He felt like a fifteen-year-old boy standing in front of a high school crush. Then he suddenly realized how he was thinking about her and he immediately closed his eyes and shook his head from side to side. How could he even think of her in such a way? He only wanted to be her friend. And Yuriko looked half his age. To even think of her in such a way would be wrong.
Yuriko couldn't help but smile as she saw Stryker's display. She had never seen him act in such a way before. He looked so shy, so innocent, and so young underneath his old and withered facade. She also couldn't deny the fact that whenever she looked at him, she saw an image of the younger Stryker in her mind.
"William?" She asked softly as she looked at him. If he wasn't going to say anything, then she would.
Stryker suddenly straightened himself as he heard Yuriko's voice. "Yes?" He asked as he looked at her. What did she want from him now?
She smiled and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt his body tense up as she touched him. "Relax." She whispered as she looked into his eyes. "I'm not going to bite...and I'm not going to scratch either." She said with a joking tone in her voice.
For the first time in her life, she looked at him and did not feel the urge to make him suffer. She finally realized that the man standing right in front of her, the man she had found by the lake two days ago, was really not the William Stryker who had enslaved her. He wasn't the same heartless Stryker who desired to destroy the entire world's mutant population. This man was a completely different person, and he did not deserve to suffer for the sins he did not commit. In fact, he needed a chance to live.
He looked back into her eyes and a wide grin formed on his lips. How could he have been such a fool? He didn't have to say the perfect words. He didn't even have to be the perfect man. He just had to be himself. And the only words that he needed to say were the ones that he wanted to say to her. They didn't have to be special or well thought-out. They just had to come from him. Yuriko was right. He truly did need to relax.
He gave out a small laugh and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked back at her. Yuriko put her hand back down to her side and laughed as she stared into his eyes. Both of them just stared at each other, laughing at how awkward they have both been acting. Despite the fact that they have been together for the past fourteen years, it was only now that they were able to meet each other. And they still had so much to discover.
"Look..." He finally said, a wide smile still on his face. "I'm really sorry if...if I'm acting...you know, um...aloof right now. It's just that everything feels so awkward. I mean, don't get me wrong. I...I like how we're talking right now, it's just that---"
"It's all right." She said, cutting him off mid-sentence. She smiled and nodded at him. "I know what you mean. After all, we...really haven't been in good terms these past two days." She didn't want to admit it, but she too felt somewhat shy in the presence of this new Stryker. She felt like she was meeting an old friend for the very first time.
Stryker raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Yeah, we really weren't the best of friends, were we?" He asked with a smile. "And I really can't blame you...for uh, treating me the way you did." He smirked and sighed. "Because that other guy..." He said as he pointed to himself. "Really sounded like such a bastard." He said with a tone of disgust in his voice. He was referring to his former self...the man he used to be, and the man he would be again once he regained all of his memories. But for now, that other man was dead.
Yuriko arched an eyebrow and nodded. "He was." Then he stepped towards Stryker and poked him on the chest. "But you killed him." She said with a smile.
Stryker snickered and looked at her with one of his eyebrows raised. "Yes. I did." He said with a proud smile on his face. Then he stepped backwards and patted his chest. "And now I'm just me." He looked at her with his chin tilted up like a proud man. "Plain old William Stryker. Born two days ago on the shores of Alkali Lake in the cold mountainous regions of the British Columbia, where I was found by ---"
"---A woman with retractable adamantium claws." Yuriko said with a smile as she folded her arms over her chest. Their eyes met, and their smiles turned into humble laughter. They looked like two stupid adults laughing about the good old days.
Then Yuriko's laughter subsided into a soft smile as she looked at the laughter on Stryker's face. He really looked so much like the younger Stryker in her vision. She felt as if she was looking at the exact same young Stryker right now. It was as if he never changed, as if he never left. Despite his older face, he still had the same smile, the same laugh, and the same young, blue eyes that were accented by his strong, dark eyebrows.
She could still remember how he looked in her vision...so young and handsome and happy. She never thought she'd see that face again. But now, there he was, standing right in front of her, the way he did, many decades ago. Though time could never give him back his youth, it could still give him the chance to regain the early past he had left behind...even if that chance would only last for one night...just for tonight.
Stryker noticed Yuriko looking at him and he stopped laughing. "What?" He asked with a sly, inquisitive smile on his lips. "You're staring at me in that way again." He said as he pointed at her. "Do I have something on my face?" He asked.
Yuriko's eyes widened with surprise as Stryker's eyes met hers, snapping her out of her trance. She didn't even realize that she was staring at him until he pointed it out. It's just that time seemed to have frozen while she was looking at him.
Then she suddenly felt her cheeks flushing. She couldn't believe that she was actually blushing...towards Stryker?! "Oh, no." She said with her eyebrows raised as she looked at him. "I mean, no, you don't have anything on your face." She said with an embarrassed smile on her lips. Now she was the one acting aloof. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed at the fact that he caught her staring at his face.
"You look fine." She said softly.
"Why thank you." He said with a smile.
Then he narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuriko, and then he looked around the room. Something didn't look right. He moved his hand over his eyes and noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses anymore. He remembered that Yuriko had knocked it off his face when she slapped him. He could even still feel the lingering sting of her slap on his cheek.
"I...uh, seemed to have lost my glasses." He said as he looked at her.
Yuriko knew that she was the one responsible. Her eyes wandered to the big, red, mark on Stryker's cheek where her adamantium-framed hand had slapped him earlier. She knew she had slapped him too hard...harder than he deserved, but she was just so angry with him. She was so angry at the fact that he voluntarily gawked at her naked body.
But now, the bathroom incident didn't anger her anymore. It was one of those occurrences that she would rather forgive and forget. After all, he really didn't mean to barge into the bathroom in the first place. And she too was irresponsible for not locking the door. It was as much as her fault as his.
"By the way..." She said, with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm really sorry about that." She pointed at Stryker's searing cheek.
"Oh." He said with his eyebrows raised. He was quite surprised that Yuriko had apologized to him. For the past two days, she had hurt him so many times in so many different ways, and she had never apologized to him even once...until now.
Then he smiled as he looked back at her. "You mean this?" He asked as he pointed at his cheek. "Nah. Don't worry about it." He said softly. "It was my fault anyway. I should have knocked before I...I...you know..." He really didn't know how to explain what he did. He felt embarrassed just by thinking about it.
"Yeah...yeah, I know..." Yuriko said abruptly. "Let's just forget about it, okay? Let's all just pretend that it never happened." She said with a smile.
"Okay." He nodded his head. He also wanted to forget that it happened. He wanted to forget ever seeing her naked body.
But every time he closed his eyes, he could still see the image of her naked body in his mind. It was as if her bare body had been tattooed in his brain. He could still see the contour of her form, the smoothness of her skin and the fullness of her figure. And it didn't help that she was now standing an arm's reach away from him, wearing her little tanktop and shorts. The view was just too much for him.
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