Thank you, Your Worshipfulness!
Actually, it is another Kuroro story, and here's Ch. 2! I'm not sure how many chapters it'll have at this point, but I don't think it'll be nearly as long as 'Earth' or 'Hero'. It might seem a little weird at first, but I'll put in lots more backstory as it goes along.
Chapter Two
Ororo Munroe called up a tiny rain cloud and sent it to float inside the humid greenhouse, her blue eyes falling on her potted fig tree. She and Kurt had planted that tree together, many years ago. Before they had lost him in that cave, encased in stone by the Gray Gargoyle.
Or so they'd believed...
Her lips tightened as she approached the tree, lightly brushing its deep, green leaves with her fingertips. It had been so small then, barely more than a sapling. Ororo hadn't seen much point in repotting it at all, doubting it would make it through the winter, but Kurt had complete confidence in her ability to coax the sickly little plant into vibrant, glorious life. He had always—
Ororo shivered and stalked away from the tree, unable to face it or the memories it evoked any longer.
It had been a year since the truth of Belasco's identity had been revealed. A whole year, and the X-Men were still reeling from the shock. All of them, Hank, Jean, the Professor, Scott, they were still unwilling to talk, to face the idea that this monster, this heartless demon could actually be—
But, no. No, even if Kurt had been kidnapped, brainwashed... It was impossible. Ororo simply could not equate the cruel, angry creature she knew as Belasco with the sweet, forgiving man she had believed dead for so long. To think her elfish friend could have transformed into the very demon he had been reviled as all his life...it was too painful for her to bear.
But...if it was true... If this embittered, hate-filled copy of Belasco was indeed her old friend...
They had known for so long. 'She' had known. Yet, they had left him alone. Alone and suffering, all this time...
Ororo raised her arms, causing her tiny rain cloud to dissipate into little more than a wisp of warm steam. Then, she turned and strode purposefully out of the greenhouse and into the hallway.
She knew where to find him. They all did. Since discovering his true identity, Kurt had settled himself in the cruelest, most violent section of the city, a place made all the more dangerous now the population was made up almost entirely by mutants. Reports painted him as a terrifying figure; a sword-wielding wraith, able to strike a dread fear in the hearts of the most hardened underworld criminals.
Ororo pursed her lips, and lowered her head. Kurt's compassion for others had always fed the heroic drive at the core of his nature. Even now, after all that had been done to him, she could still picture him as a protector, a defender; his long, red cape billowing around his lean form as he crouched in the shadows of the decrepit rooftops, a sword in his russet hand, his long tail mirroring the movements of his alert, sweeping eyes.
She saw a tortured, lonely figure, a pure soul twisted and tormented by anguished guilt and searing pain, and her eyes stung with the shame of it.
The others wouldn't approach him. This...current incarnation... They found it too unsettling, still too uncertain that he was...who they suspected he was. After all he'd done as Belasco, there was no doubt Kurt felt the same. The past year had only spread that much more distance between them, made the excuses that much easier to bear. If any sort of contact was to be made, any hope of reconciliation...
Ororo had to make the first move: no more excuses, no more procrastination, no more fear.
Grabbing her scarf from the foyer closet, Ororo turned to open the mansion's front door.
"Hey, 'Ro!"
"Scott!" she gasped. "I'm sorry, you startled me. Did you want something?"
Cyclops shook his head.
"No, not really. I was just curious." He gestured to the elegant scarf. "You look like you're going out."
Ororo peered at him through aloof, blue eyes.
"So I am."
Scott knew that look all too well. He held up his hands in mock surrender.
"I know, I know, it's none of my business," he said. "But, still, I suppose there's no chance you might fill me in on where you're going? Just in case anyone asks."
Ororo's gaze didn't waver.
"I'm going to visit a friend. That's all."
"If that really is all, then what's with all the secrecy?" Scott countered.
Ororo's glare darkened, and she assumed her most imperious bearing.
"Before I tell you, know this first. Nothing you nor anyone else may say will sway me from what I plan to do. The X-Men do not abandon their friends, no matter how terribly they may have hurt us in the past."
"Let me guess," Cyclops said. "You're going to see Kurt, aren't you."
Storm just looked at him, her blue gaze steady.
Scott nodded.
"Look, 'Ro, I understand your concern for him. I share it. But that man out there...he's not the Kurt Wagner we knew. Not anymore. He's confused, dangerous. If you approach him now, I doubt he would even recognize you, let alone listen to you."
Ororo sighed through her nose and turned her head, staring at the umbrella stand by the door.
"Scott," she said, "Kurt needs our help."
Scott pursed his lips, knowing she couldn't see his narrowed eyes through his ruby-quartz glasses.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because I know him, Scott!" Ororo snapped. "For years, whenever any of us were hurting or confused or angry at the unfairness of the world, Kurt was there to comfort us with a few kind words of honest compassion. Kurt! The one out of all of us who had the most right to be bitter about his situation was the one who gave thanks to his God each day for his good fortune! And do you know what was chief on his list, Scott?"
Scott shook his head, knowing better than to speak.
"His friends. His 'friends', Scott. He counted 'us' first among his blessings, and he always went out of his way to make sure he lived up to what he believed was our unconditional acceptance of him. And we took him for granted, Scott. We took his love for granted. That's why Mephisto was able to approach him as he did. 'We' opened the door for that demon to sneak his poison through, 'we' gave that snake an entrance into Kurt's heart. We're just as much responsible for his current situation as that monster and his repugnant father, Azazel!"
"'Ro—" Scott protested, but her searing glare cut him short.
"Kurt is hurting, Scott!" she said. "He must be in agony over what Belasco has done. And, this past year has proven he is not going to come to us. It's not his way to ask for help, not like that. He was always willing to come to our aid, to help us through our petty problems, but we both know Kurt kept his own suffering to himself, revealing his pain only to his God. That's why I'm going to him now, whether he wants me there or not."
Scott ground his teeth as a wave of shame rolled over him. He nodded, forcing himself to meet Ororo's fierce, tear-filled eyes.
"You're right. You're right, Ororo," he said. "You should go to him. And, I'm going with you."
Ororo's stern expression relaxed into a soft smile.
"No, Scott," she said. "Your offer is appreciated, but... I feel this is something I must do alone."
Scott opened his mouth to protest, to alert her to the dangers of the part of town where Kurt had taken up residence, to warn her of the danger that Kurt himself might pose to her, but he stopped himself. Ororo was a brave, capable leader. She could more than handle herself in a fight, even against Belasco.
Besides, she was right. Kurt might reach out to her if she approached him alone, but if he realized she had company he might withdraw into himself, or even get violent.
Slowly, Scott nodded, his shoulders sagging slightly.
"All right, Ororo," he said. "Just, stay in contact, and tell me how it went when you get back, OK?"
Ororo's smile broadened slightly, but it did not light her anguished eyes.
"Of course, Scott," she said. "I should be back before dawn."
To Be Continued...
