Chapter 10: Who is Risty Wilde?
XAVIER INSTITUTE FOR GIFTED CHILDREN
Saturday Night
Another week had passed since the rumble with the Brotherhood. At school, the members of the Brotherhood had left Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama alone. Kuwabara was still a little down on him still not being able to control his Spirit Energy at will, only if he was holding the training sword he could make the blade. Fall was in full force in Bayville, since it was approaching November. Football season was ending, and even though Duncan was no longer on the team (due to his arrest and expulsion from Bayville High), the team was doing pretty well.
Kurama and Rogue were getting along really well; they had similar interests, and were getting really close. They both kept the views of being just friends; in fact it felt like they were best friends. The fox demon had continued to help her in her school work, and was ignoring all the girls that were fawning after him. But, around Rogue's friend Risty, he always got a weird feeling from her, and it wasn't a good one.
Keiko was gradually getting control of her new abilities, since she was able to become invisible at will now, but still hadn't harnessed the earth quaking power yet. She heard that one of the Brotherhood had that power too, but since he was on the other side, she couldn't ask him for help. Yusuke, Jean, Genkai, and the Professor had been helping her all the way though.
Yusuke however, was trying to work on the case that Koenma had sent him. During the night, he would go out to see where the demonic insects. He had found that Hiei had followed them, and was trying to get information from the fire demon.
"Sorry detective, haven't seen any insects around this area," Hiei told him, and he saw Yusuke shrug, "Anyway, I've been following you, and it seems I'm not the only one."
"You saw something with your Jagan eye?" Yusuke asked, and Hiei nodded, "What was it?"
"It was a girl, actually a woman, with blue skin and red hair," Hiei replied, "But, she was wearing a disguise or something."
"From the description, that woman sounds like Mystique," Yusuke said, putting his hand up to his chin, "From her outside appearance, could you tell me anything about that?"
"No, sorry detective," Hiei replied, "Next time, if I ever start to tail you children again, I won't use the Jagan."
Hiei then vanished, leaving Yusuke to contemplate what he just heard, "Okay, now this Mystique is back, and we got swarms of demonic insects in one part of the city and no one seems to know where those are! Damn, I hate my job…"
He decided to go back to the mansion, so he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, until he got to the estate. He leapt down from the nearest building, landing perfectly on the ground. He walked casually over to the gate, and placed his thumb on the fingerprint scan. The scan recognized him, and Yusuke walked in.
He walked into the mansion, and went straight for the kitchen. Yusuke saw that most of the cookies were gone, and went to ask Storm to get some more when grocery day came along. He went into the fridge and grabbed an apple. He saw the Professor wheeling into the room.
"Hello, Yusuke how was the patrol?" Charles asked, and he saw Yusuke sigh, "Not good I see."
"Yeah, and the worse part is I think that crazy lady I heard about, Mystique, is back," Yusuke replied, "I ran into Hiei, and he told me he used his Jagan eye to see through Mystique's disguise, but he couldn't see what form she took."
"That is troubling information. We all thought that Mystique had perished when Asteroid M crashed," Charles said as he raised his hand to his chin, "And she did go into that crystal chamber…she has had her shape-shifting power augmented…that means she could be virtually undetectable, even immune to psychic probes."
"She sounds like a lot of trouble," Yusuke said, "Hopefully I'll run into Hiei again so we can get more information."
"Yes, and you should bring Hiei back to the Institute as well, he may need to go undercover," Charles told him, and then he saw Yusuke choke, "What's wrong?"
"Bringing Hiei here, that's what's wrong!" Yusuke replied, "The guys a freakin' psychopath! He is a loner, and the only reason why he was on our team in the Dark Tournament was because his sentence would be shortened!"
"Sounds like my kind of guy…" the voice of Logan came from behind the Professor, "Might be fun to tangle with him…"
"Seriously Logan, it wouldn't," Yusuke told him, "He is incredibly fast, strong, and ruthless. Having him here with these kids would be a bad thing. The only person he's shown sympathy for is his sister, Yukina."
Yusuke then took a deep sigh, "He would shred you apart, Logan."
"I can handle him," Logan told Yusuke, and he formed a fist sending his claws out, "I could keep him under control."
"It would be your funeral," Yusuke told Logan, and then he walked out of the kitchen with the apple in his hand, "I'm going to go watch some television then go to bed, it's been a long day for me."
As Yusuke left, the Professor turned to Logan, "We may have to raise our security since Mystique is back."
"I'm on it, probably Stark can go out as Iron Man and do some patrolling," Logan told the Professor, "He's got to have something on that suit of his that can see through disguises."
"He very well might have something on the suit, since I haven't been following his upgrades of it," Charles speculated, and then he noticed the time, "I'm going to check up on Cerebro, Tony said it was almost done being upgraded and he needs me to test it."
The Professor then left the kitchen and Logan went out onto the patio. He took out a cigar and lit it. Leaning back against the wall, he started to think on what he had just learned about Mystique, and then grinned when he pictured this Hiei guy.
'He doesn't sound so tough, I bet I can take him,' Logan thought, taking the cigar out of his mouth and breathing the smoke out slowly, savoring the flavor, and then noticed something different in the air, 'There is someone on the Institute's grounds…'
Logan used his enhanced vision to see someone perched at the far end of the Institute. He was short, but had tall spiky hair, and was standing up on the branch with what looked like a third eye glowing on his head. Logan took him as a threat, and clenched his fists tightly so his adamantium claws could come out of his knuckles. It seemed like the figure seemed to notice what Logan had done, and vanished right before Weapon X's eyes.
'What the hell was that?' Logan thought, pulling his adamantium claws back into his skin, 'That person seemed even faster than that Pietro punk since he just vanished before my eyes…'
"That's Hiei for you," the voice of Kurama said from his room, catching Logan's attention, "Oh, sorry Logan, was I disturbing you?"
"Uh, no fox boy not at all, so, that guy that disappeared was this Hiei guy I heard about?" Logan asked, "And what were you doing?"
"Since I wasn't out on patrol with Yusuke tonight, Hiei was giving me the information telepathically," Kurama explained, jumping down from his window, "I know that this Mystique person is back."
Logan huffed at that, "So, Fox, what are Hiei's powers? He seemed to be just a shrimp with a glowing third eye."
"That third eye is called a Jagan. It enhances Hiei's abilities, and allows him to summon one of the most dangerous creatures in all existence, the Dragons of Hell," Kurama explained, "He is also a fire demon with ice maiden blood flowing through his veins. His speed in battle can only be matched by Yusuke, and he hates human beings for some reason. Hiei is also full of pride and is unwilling to admit defeat, and he only tolerates Yusuke's and Kuwabara's presence. His dream was the destruction of every human being on Earth."
"Sounds like a real hard ass," Logan mused, unfazed at what he had just learned of the fire demon, "I would like to meet Hiei sometime, test out my skills against him."
"It is your choice Logan; Hiei is incredibly powerful though," Kurama told Wolverine, "I'm going back in Logan, see you later."
"Yeah, thanks for the info Fox," Logan took another deep breath from his cigar, drawing in the smoke.
MONDAY
It was a school day, and no one was happy about it. The faint sign that winter was coming was signaled by a light snow shower the night before, leaving the ground covered in fresh powder. All the students were at school; while Botan was getting her papers…she had to be close to Yusuke and Kurama to give them much needed information from Spirit World.
Kurama, Rogue, Jean, and Scott were walking down the halls to their next class. Suddenly, Rogue's best friend Risty appeared, and that strange feeling that Kurama had gotten the first time he met her. It was like Yoko was warning his human host of danger, and the hair started standing on end on the back of his neck.
"Hello luv, how ya been?" Risty asked, as she followed them into class, "Well, Rogue? Shuichi?"
"Ah'm good," Rogue replied, going to her seat, "Just wish Ah could have slept in later."
"So how about you Shuichi?" Risty asked, noticing the look on his face, "Tough night?"
"Uh, yes, yes it was," Kurama replied, trying to sound normal, 'I wonder why Risty is setting this off? The Brotherhood are no where in the room…I wonder what Yoko is trying to tell me…'
Kurama continued to ponder, looking around the room to see if there was any danger that his enhanced senses were picking up. But, all signs pointed to Risty for some reason. He began to sniff the air, subtly, not to catch attention to himself. He picked up the scent of an older woman in the room, and it wasn't the teacher. The smell was coming from Risty.
Sitting through class and hearing the lesson, he sent a telepathic message to Jean, 'Jean, there is something strange about Risty, the kitsune named Yoko is warning me that there is something wrong with her.'
'What do you mean something is wrong with her?' Jean asked, taking a quick glance over to Risty, 'She looks fine to me.'
'I think there might be more than meets the eye about her,' Kurama told her cautiously, 'After class, I'll talk to Rogue about this…'
'Okay,' Jean shut off her telepathy, and turned her attention back to the teacher.
Kurama wore the worried look for the rest of the class, and Rogue noticed. She decided to let it go for now, and find out what was troubling him later. The class dragged on slowly, but finally the bell rang after 30 minutes of waiting.
Rogue, Kurama, Jean, and Scott gathered their books and walked out the door. The fox demon cautiously eyed Risty as she walked to her next class. The feeling that he got, the danger warning, faded, and he turned to Rogue who was walking beside him.
"Say, Kurama, Ah mean, Shuichi, is there something bothering you?" Rogue whispered to him, and he nodded, "Well, what is it?"
"It's Risty," Kurama replied as they kept walking forward.
"Huh? Why?" Rogue asked, hoping he wasn't falling for her.
"I'm sensing danger from her," Kurama told her, trying not to get her too worried, "I think there is a wolf under that placid sheep's façade."
Rogue's heart sank when Kurama said that. Risty had been her best friend, and now Kurama.
"Ah…Ah don't believe you…" Rogue stuttered, tears filling her eyes, and she tried to suck it up, "She…can't be…she's my friend…"
"Rogue, you have to trust me," Kurama said warmly, "Take some of my powers, and find out for yourself."
Rogue took a deep breath, and shook her head, "Alright…"
She took off her left glove, and touched Kurama lightly on the cheek. She pulled away instantly, getting enough of his powers. Kurama was a little lightheaded after that, but he quickly shook it off. They walked over to their lockers, to see Risty at hers.
The enhanced senses that she received from Kurama were acting up. She smelt an older woman, someone in her early 30's, coming off from Risty. Her eyes widened, as a nagging presence in her mind warned her of the danger coming off from Risty. Risty however didn't notice them, and started walking off.
Kurama noticed the look on Rogue's face, "Are you alright Rogue?"
She sniffled, "No…Risty has lied to me…and she presents a danger to us all…"
"I'm sorry Rogue…" Kurama apologized, and he tried to comfort her, "I'm going to go get Jean to do a mind scan of her, she may just be a mutant in disguise."
Rogue's face softened from that, and she got a glint of hope from that. Maybe Risty was really a mutant, albeit older than her, trying to pass off for a teenager again. Hopefully they could still be friends.
At the next bell, they found Jean and they brought her to Risty. Risty was walking down the hall with a walkman on, and she didn't notice them. Jean put her hand to her head, and focused her mind.
"Any progress, Jean?" Kurama asked, and she shook her head.
"I…can't get through…" Jean replied, squinting her eyes harder, "She…has a mental block, but it feels like Risty isn't even there…"
Rogue listened to her, hoping against hope for a breakthrough in the telepathic probe. But after at least two to three minutes of focusing her mind, Jean collapsed from the strain.
"D-Did ya get through?" Rogue asked hopefully.
"No…" Jean replied, shaking her head, squinting her eyes in pain, "It felt like something pushed my mind out of Risty's head before I could finally break through the mental shield."
"This is a problem," Scott said seriously, "We need to determine if she is really a threat or not."
"I think I might have a way," Kurama suggested, and they all looked at him, "We're going to need your car though, Scott."
Kurama told them of his plan, and they all agreed on it. Rogue was really depressed because of this, but if Risty proved to be a threat, it was the only way.
When school was dismissed, Rogue, Jean, Kurama, and Scott gathered outside of the school, and got into his car. They saw Risty walking down the sidewalk, and drove over to her.
"Hey guys, what's up?" Risty asked, looking at those in the car.
"Hey Risty, want a ride home?" Scott asked casually, and Risty put her hand to her chin.
"Of course, gov'nor," Risty replied, as she climbed into Scott's convertible.
There was an eerie silence in the car as Scott drove through the city. Risty was getting a feeling that there was something wrong, and then Scott turned the car into a parking lot. It was abandoned; the store long since closed and boarded up.
"What are we doing here guys?" Risty asked, getting nervous at the glares she was receiving.
"Ah just want to know why you've been lying to me for so long…" Rogue said coldly, and Risty's jaw dropped.
"I…I don't know what you mean," Risty stammered, seeing the look that Kurama was giving her.
"I know that is not your real form," Kurama said sternly, making Risty's hair stand up, "Now, reveal to us your true form, please."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Risty yelled, her voice sounding with anger and fear.
"Enough of the lies," Rogue yelled, and she took off her glove to learn the truth, "It your not going to tell me willingly…"
"Rogue…no!" Risty screamed as she cringed back in the seat of the car.
"So ya do know about me!" Rogue shouted, slapping Risty on the face with her ungloved hand, absorbing who the girl really was, "…no….it…can't be…"
Risty suddenly began to change. Her skin turned blue, her hair turned dark red, and her eyes became yellow. Fangs formed in her mouth, and a black one piece dress formed on her body. Risty turned out to be, Mystique.
"Why did you do this to me? Were you really trying to be my friend, or were you manipulating me like before!" Rogue yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice filled with anger and sorrow, "Tell me!"
"You…already know from the slap you gave me," Mystique replied, and then she noticed the look that Kurama was giving her, "I don't know how you found out, and frankly I don't care at the moment. Now, let me leave in peace."
"Go, you already caused enough damage here," Kurama stated sharply, as if he intended to kill Mystique for this transaction, and they both looked at the crying absorbing mutant, "Now."
"This isn't over," Mystique snapped, and she jumped out of the car and disappeared into the crowd of pedestrians who didn't even notice what had just happened.
"The Professor needs to learn about this," Scott said firmly, and the sobs of Rogue were heard in the back, "I'm sorry Rogue."
Rogue continued to cry at the betrayal of her best non-mutant friend, who turned out to be Mystique in disguise. Scott sighed for his friend, and put the car into gear. Jean patted her on the arm, while Kurama got closer to her to try to comfort her.
XAVIER MANSION, LATER THAT DAY
Yusuke, Jean, Scott, Kurama, Genkai, Logan, Hank, and Ororo were in Xavier's office, and the Professor had just been told on what had transpired a couple hours ago. Yusuke was surprised on what happened, he thought that Risty was kind of cool.
"Now this is very distressing," Charles told them, turning around in his wheelchair to face the X-Men, "Risty had access to the mansion because she was Rogue's friend, but since Risty was Mystique, there is no telling what she found out."
"What is even weirder is that I couldn't smell Mystique's scent," Logan told the Professor, "That crystal chamber must have made her undetectable, but how could fox boy here sense her?"
"He used his spirit awareness, nimrod," Genkai told Logan, giving him her new nickname for Wolverine.
"Actually, it wasn't my spirit awareness I used," Kurama clarified, "Yoko enhanced my senses to feel the danger coming off from Risty, then he added his sense of smell to mine and I was able to find the scent of a woman Mystique's supposed age. It turned out to be Mystique in the end."
"What I can't believe is that Risty was actually Mystique!" Yusuke blurted out, "I mean, from what I have been told about that crazy lady, Risty doesn't sound like the persona she would take."
"That is why it was the perfect disguise," Charles told Yusuke sternly, and then he looked to Kurama, "Rogue will be okay, she is a strong girl you know."
"I wouldn't doubt that she will be up and about in a day, Kurama," Genkai told him, noticing the boy's expression.
"That is all for now, you are dismissed," Charles told his friends and pupils, after sensing the mood in the room.
Kurama and Yusuke walked out of the room and Yusuke turned to his friend.
"Hey, you alright man?" Yusuke asked, seeing the expression on his face.
"I…feel sorry for Rogue, I feel that I shouldn't have told her," Kurama replied, looking down at the floor.
"Look dude, just go up to her and talk to her. I mean, it was a good thing that she found out before Mystique did something wrong to her," Yusuke told him, and he noticed Keiko and Kitty walking down the stairs, "Any luck talking to her girls?"
"No, she doesn't want to speak to anyone right now," Keiko replied sadly, Rogue had become one of her friends and she didn't like seeing her friends hurt.
"May I go up to see her?" Kurama asked.
"Yeah, sure, if she'll let you in I mean," Kitty replied, and Kurama nodded and walked up the stairs, and then she turned to Yusuke and Keiko, "I think Kurama has some feelings for Rogue."
"I knew it, but he keeps denying it," Yusuke told her.
"So has Rogue, she apparently really likes Kurama," Kitty added, "You notice anything Keiko?"
"Well, they do seem to like to spend time together," Keiko replied, "But I think we'd better leave them alone for now."
"Agreed," Yusuke and Kitty nodded in agreement, "Meanwhile, lets start planning on getting those two together," Kitty said, and Yusuke and Keiko nodded and smiled in agreement once more.
The lights were off in Rogue's and Kitty's room, as the southerner continued to cry. She had so many betrayals so far in her life, and she actually thought she found a true friend out of the mansion. But like everything in her life, it turned out to be false. Her makeup was all messed up from her tears, and she continued to cry. There was a knock on her door.
"It's locked…I want to be alone…" Rogue sobbed, wiping away her tears.
"It's me, Kurama, I just want to talk."
Rogue continued to cry, but she looked up to the door, "I'm…coming…"
Rogue unlocked her door, and let the fox demon in. She went back and sat on her bed, and Kurama went over to her.
Kurama took a deep breath, "I am sorry Rouge, I shouldn't have told you."
"No…no…it's alright, Kurama," Rogue sniffled, trying to wipe away her tears, "She was no doubt going to hurt me in the end….the why does it hurt so much."
"Because she was the first person to really accept you for who you are Rogue," Kurama told her, and then pulled up his sleeve, "You shouldn't beat yourself up about though; you're just proving that she accomplished her mission."
Kurama wiped the tears off Rogue's face, and then looked at her, "You can't let her win."
Rogue then cracked a small smile, and hugged him. This caught him by surprise, and he looked down to see her crying softly into his shoulder. He sighed and smiled, and he returned the hug. They held each other like that for about an hour that is when supper was ready. Rogue had stopped crying, and was just resting in Kurama's warm arms.
"Rogue, I think it is time for dinner," Kurama whispered to her, and she smiled.
"Thank you for being there for me Kurama," Rogue said to him as they got off her bed, and she started to wobble, "Ah think Ah've been in one position for too long."
"Me too," Kurama chuckled, and they both walked out of Rogue and Kitty's room and went down to the dining room.
To be continued…
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