Chapter 3: Busloads of bad assumptions.

Once upon a time, Bayville was a quiet little town, like so many quiet little towns that attracted families like flies ever since the Great Suburb Explosion of the 1950's. Families used to come here all the time. But today, traffic seemed to flow in only one direction – out.

I glanced over at the Bayville billboard. Some wise guy painted over whatever was at the bottom of the billboard and, in big red letters, wrote "MUTANT CAPITAL OF THE WORLD".

I snickered. Thanks to Betsy, I knew that Hong Kong was one place that actually deserved that title. Bayville just got better media coverage.

Of course, that didn't stop people from running away.

I yawned.

There was me.

There was Rogue.

There was luggage, a bus stop and a billboard.

The bus wasn't going to arrive for another five minutes.

And, to make things worse, I just ran out thoughts.

BOORING

Rogue signed:

"Believe me, Shion, I feel your pain."

She traded an outfit she wore in the morning for a simpler, somewhat less Gothic outfit. She wore dark baggy pants, long sleeved shirt, her ever-present spiky dog collar and a black wide-hooded jacket. A glimpse at her shirt revealed a majestic silver dragon that held the forest-green fabric in an intricate embrace. Meanwhile, the shirt's sleeves were black. If it weren't for emerald bands that framed the bracelets she wore just above her wrists, I would of thought her dark gloves were merely extensions of the sleeves. 

"It gets windy in New York," she explained when I asked her about this sudden change in wardrobe. 

Except Rogue prides herself on never changing clothes during the day - after all, it's a "Kitty thing". And she first wore that T-shirt during my last birthday. And she never let things like practicality or common sense get in the way of her fashion choices…

Something was amiss here.

"What?" Rogue looked at me strangely

"Nothing," I replied, trying my best to sound nonchalant. "Just a bunch of pointless speculation."

"Humor me."

"No thanks. I am not that suicidal."

"I thought we decided we won't let stuff bottle up."

She had me there.

"Believe me, if I find out that Gambit is actually Mystique in disguise, you will be the first one to know."

Rogue allowed a hint of a smile.

"Then what is it?" she persisted.

"Well, how should I put it… remember that time I let it slip that Jubilee had a crush on Nicholas Tse?"

"Yeah, that was a tad bit suicidal," Rogue acknowledged impatiently. "What's your point?"

"Simple. What's on my mind is stupid enough to earn your infamous Dutch Rub ™. I like my hair Dutch-rub-free, thank you very much."

This time, my comment earned a snicker.

"Your hair is already a mess," Rogue pointed out

"Ah, but there is method to my messiness. You know that."

"Sure," Rogue rolled her eyes, "Toss in a few drops of gel, run your hand through it and run off before it even has a chance to dry. Some method."

"I can't believe I am getting hair advice from the ultimate shampoo addict," I commented wearily.

"You better keep your twisted thoughts away from my shampoo, Ghost-boy. "

"Only if you let my hair be, Madame Mystery. "

We looked at each other. We smiled. And suddenly, the world got just a little brighter.

The was me.

There was Rogue.

What more could you ask for?

SCREECH!

"Oh, for crying out loud!" I cried.

"Stupid bus," echoed Rogue, quickly glancing at my watch, "how dare it arrive on time!"

"We should sue somebody," I whined along with her, picking up some of our luggage. 

The door opened.

"Mutants can't sue," Rogue retorted curtly and stepped onto the bus.

Shaking my head, I sighed and followed suit.

We quickly bought tickets and headed to the back of the bus, scanning for empty seats. Thankfully, we were in luck – six seats were completely and utterly free. This meant that we could have plenty of room and hopefully some privacy.

I glanced at Rogue. She nodded.

"Hey, keep your greedy hands off our women, you f*cking Jap!"

Huh?

I turned around, quickly tracing the outburst to a rather bleak-looking guy in an oversized business suit. Realizing that I spotted him, he stared back menacingly.

I remembered everything that happened since the X-Men got exposed on global television. Betsy telling me how she was forced to leave everything behind because she was afraid that her family would be killed if anyone found out she was a mutant.  President McKenna assuring the public that "the US government will do everything in its power to deal with the mutant threat". A bunch of idiots burning rag dolls that looked disturbingly like Kurt. Cheerleaders using Kitty's purse for a soccer ball. Mr. Sheldon getting fired by then-Principal Kelly simply because he dared to draw parallels between the current situation and the struggle for civil rights of the 50's. Some punk tried to run Jamie over with the car because he thought no one would care…

And after all that, some suit dares to call me a Jap?

I laughed. I laughed hard. I laughed with cold, boundless abandon. I couldn't stop and, quite frankly, I wasn't sure I even wanted to.

Suddenly, the business guy didn't look so haughty anymore. And Rogue… she simply shook her head.

 I calmed down about two minutes later. By that time, all the other passengers decided that we were both hopeless nutcases that should be avoided at all costs.

"Way to make a first impression, Shion," Rogue scolded, rubbed it in.

I shrugged:

"Hey, the way I see it, if this gets bigots like the suit off our backs, we should probably do it more often."

Rogue slapped her forehead and groaned:

"You are hopeless."

I was tempted to make a joke about being a spirit of hope, but I realized that now was not the time.

"I am sorry," I sighed, "I didn't mean to do a Wicked Witch impression in the middle of the bus. It just that…"

"He was an as*hole," Rogue nodded solemnly. "A bigoted shrimp of an as*hole."

"It's not quite it. Normally, I wouldn't let myself be bothered by someone like him. But for the past year and a half, I've watched his kind hogging the spotlight while good, decent people got dragged through the mud or bullied into silence. I keep on waiting for someone, anyone to realize that we have been through all crap before. We should know better. But incidents like this make me realize that some people never learned anything to begin with. Just when you think it's safe to go back in the water, they come back and ruin everything, or at least, make a perfectly nice day unpleasant... "

Rogue gave my hand a quick squeeze. In the back of my mind, I noted that her gloves were very soft.

"It must be hard for you," she said quietly.

"What?"

"To be optimistic. Always cracking jokes, always trying to find a better angle, always make sure we're not wallowing."

"Somebody has to do it."

Rogue stared out the window toying with her white streaks.

"You know, it's okay to admit that life sucks," she assured me.

"I don't know. The universe might just collapse on itself."

"I am serious. You seem to think you should always be this perfectly nice, perfectly suave guy with a joke for every occasion. "

"And cute. Don't forget cute."

"I am trying to be serious here!" she snapped back.

"Sorry," I whimpered.

"Anyway… You aren't perfect. Vanishing acts and mind control aside, you are just a normal guy with normal flaws who sometimes makes mistakes. You shouldn't be afraid to admit it."

The bus stopped, picking up another passenger.

"Do you know why I fell in love with you?" I asked

"Because I could put up with your babbling for hours and hours on end?"

"No. Because no matter what happens, you always stay true to who you are. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Pardon me while I gush over this prettyful speech," Rogue snorted.

"There you go," I smiled

"Are you guys married?"

My head snapped in the direction of the voice, ready to pummel anyone who dared to try to interupt us….

…Only to find myself confronted by the most adorable little girl I've ever seen.

Oops.

She looked about eight years old. Her sea-blue eyes stared back at me with innocent naiveté. Her carefully brushed sandy hair reached all the way down to her knees. It was topped by a wide-rimmed hat with a red ribbon. She was clad in red pullovers and a white, dark-striped shirt. 

"Well, are you?" she smiled

Like I said, adorable.

"No," replied Rogue, "Why would you say that?"

"Because you look cute together!" the little girl beamed, clasping her hands

Rogue tried to suppress a snort.

"What's your name?" I asked, smiling

"Madison Ashcroft," she replied proudly. "But everybody calls me Madi. Who are you?"

"Shion Komine, at your service."

"I'm Rogue."

"Nice to meet you!" exclaimed Madi, jumping into the seat across from us, "oou, comfy!"

Personally, I thought the seats were anything but comfy. Thankfully, after surviving one little sister, I knew better then to contradict her.

"Are you sure your parents would let you sit with us?" asked Rogue.

Leave it to a Goth girl to retain common sense in the face of an all-out cuteness assault.

"Sure. I think they would like you very much."

"Why won't you go ask them?" I urged kindly.

"I can't. They aren't here."

OK…

"Where are they, then?" inquired Rogue.

Madi rubbed her chin:

"I don't know. I haven't seen them in a while."

"You mean you're adopted?" asked Rogue, pronouncing the word "adopted" with unmistakable poison.

"I guess…" Madi mumbled. "Kind of, sort of."

And that's when I realized that she didn't seem to have a chaperone of any kind:

"Are you lost?" I asked, trying to keep concern out of my voice.

"Yeah," she nodded casually.

Rogue and I exchanged puzzled looks.

"How did this happen?" asked Rogue

"Well, I was going to go meet Alita and Kat, but this guy in a blue rope-thingy came and asked if I want ice-cream. I said yes and he told me to follow him and I did. He bought me ice cream, but when I asked if he wanted one, he wasn't there. I tried to call the Moderators but they didn't come. I asked for directions, but everybody thought I was crazy so I walked around until I came to the bus stop and came on the bus and, well, here I am."

Geez, and they say I talk too much.

As I saw Rogue was struggling with a monstrous headache, I realized how lucky I was to have a little sister.

 "Who are the Moderators?" I asked

"Oh, they are my protectors and my best friends," Madi smiled wishfully. "They are really fun, but they can be really scary if you break the rules. But they are never scary around me."

"Because you never break the rules?"

"No. Because they say I am very nice and very adorable and very very cool and I could do no wrong."

"And you believe that?" Rogue inquired, still drowsy but clearly disturbed.

"Of course. Moderators would never lie to me."

Rogue shook her head helplessly.

"Geez, talk about sheltered." She whispered

"I don't know," I whispered back. "There is something odd about her"

"I am not odd!" protested Madi. "I am special."

"You know, little girls shouldn't be listening in on adult conversations," I nagged.

"I am sorry," the little spy smiled sweetly. "I won't do it again, I promise."

"It's alright," I assured her. "Now, can you tell us where we can find the Moderators?"

"Here, there, everywhere," Madi sang merrily. "They run around the world, stopping bad guys, helping people and playing games. But all the people do is whine whine whine. Very silly."

"Then how do you get in touch with them?" asked Rogue.

"I call for them and they come. Sometimes, when they are busy, they don't come right away, but they come eventually…" Madi paused, contemplating something, "But if I've been waiting for hours and hours and they still didn't come… That means that they can't hear me.  And if they can't hear me, then I must be really really far away…"

Madi teared up.

"They don't know I am here! And even if they did know they can't leave Bayville because they promised they wouldn't leave it! [Sniffle] But if I don't come back, bad things will happen. Moderators will be lost and confused and poor Bayville is gonna be overrun by evil spammers and the minions of Marty Stu and Mary Sue and there will be flaming and yelling and screaming… [Sniffle] How will they ever survive without me? Oh, Mr. Skidiot, please help me, I wanna go back, I wanna go back!"

Her sniffles quickly dissolved into an all-out sobbing.

"There there," I said, wrapping my arms around Madi, "it will be alright."

"Promise?" the little girl looked at me hopefully.

"Of course I promise."

"Thanks, Shion," she smiled, wiping away her tears, "You're the best."

"He wishes," mumbled Rogue

I smiled and winked. Rogue's chin moved enough inches to pass for a nod.

Madi shook her head hopelessly:

"Grownups…"

I spent the rest of the trip telling Madi funny stories. Rogue butted in occasionally. Ever a vigilant guardian of common decency, she made sure that I don't tell the kind of stuff little girls really shouldn't be hearing. When I had to stop to catch my breath, Madi told us a few stories of her own. They were all as neat as they were strange. Before we knew it, the bus arrived at our destination.

"Well, this is where we get off," I told Madi.

"Can I come with?"

"Sure."

I decided that we were going to drop Madi off at the nearest police station. It may be a little scary to a kid, I know, but I couldn't have her tagging along while we're trying to figure out what happened to Angel.

Then again, the cops would probably think Madi isn't right on her head and throw her in the insane asylum…

Fortunately, I never got a chance to decide her fate. As soon as got out on the street, Madi gasped and ran towards a guy who looked like he was waiting for a bus.

"Skidiot!" she squalled, "you came!"

"That's Mr. Skidiot to you, princess," he smiled.

He allowed himself to be hugged. Naturally, Madi was delighted to return the favor.

At a closer examination, "Mr. Skidiot" turned out to be a tall, brown-haired guy wrapped in a tightly buttoned trenchcoat and a white scarf. His face showed weariness of prodigy who spent the past four days trying to explain to a bunch a fanboys that none of the Matrix sequels were really that profound.

 "Now, how did you get all the way here?" asked Skidiot as he released Madi from his hug.

"A guy in a blue duster promised me ice cream," Madi explained curtly, "I went along. Yeah, yeah, I know. It was stupid. But I figured no one would actually be stupid enough to try to harm Madison Ashcroft."

"You let Moderators spoil you too much," Skidiot chided the girl who suddenly sounded a little too old for her age.

"Yeah, thanks for rubbing it in."

"I see you are still the same spoiled, narcissistically inclined Peter Pen groupie!" Skidiot joked

"And you are still a pathologically dehumorized prick!" Madi echoed.

They glared at each other, laughed and exchanged high-fives.

Skidiot shot a look in our direction:

"You really should close your mouths. A crow might fly in."

Madi giggled.

We obliged silently.

"Madi, did those people take care of you?"

"Yeah. They're cool"

"A power leech and a chronomencer, trying to protect a versemaker…"Skidiot murmured, "How… fitting."

"Excuse me?" said Rogue

"Thanks for taking care of her." Skidiot said, completely Rogue. "As for you, Madison, we really should get going. Knowing the Moderators, they are committing ritual suicide as we speak."

"Hey, that's not fair," Madi protested. "You were a Moderator once!"

"Ah, but I was always the sane one. I guess that's why I left."

"Well, at least you came to get me."

"Hey, you were once my Administrator," he grinned broadly. "What else could I do?"

"Kheh-Khem!" Rogue coughed loudly.

"Well, off we go," said Skidiot, putting his arm around Madi's shoulder, "Shion, Rogue: for your sake, I hope I will never have to see you again."

"Wait a minute! What's that supposed to mean!" I cried, but it was too late. Skidiot mouthed "taniji" and, in a quick flash of blue light, he and Madi vanished into thin air.

"Damn!" Rogue and I cried in unison.

We looked at each other and let out a sigh of wry disbelief

"What the hell just happened?" asked Rogue, sounding more bemused then annoyed.

"I don't know," I shrugged wearily, "and something tells me we never will."

Rogue toyed with her hair streaks.

"I just feel so… powerless," she mused.

"Ditto. But like I said before, what can we do?"

We started heading in the direction of the hotel.

"Do you think Madi will be okay?" Rogue asked.

"Yeah. I wonder if she needed our protection to begin with."

I glanced at the skyscrapers overhead. It finally dawned on me. I was in New York, a city of wild dreams, tireless energy, limitless expectations and eternal hope.

"Next time we bump into an anthill," mumbled Rogue, "remind me too be gentle."

"How about we just make a point of avoiding anthills?"

"Works for me."

I knew that Rogue and I were on a life-and-death mission. But just the same, I was glad to be here.

New York City has this kind of effect on mutants.