Okay, I am deeply sorry about taking so long for this chapter but I jst didn't know where to go or what I wanted to show. I settled with a mixture but don't worry, I actually have a plan for the next chapter.

iamhollwood: So you liked the style of the last chapter, huh? I'll keep that in mind for later chapters. You never told me what you thought of the Sin City fic, but I'll assume you liked it. This chapter will be a little darker and might be tad extreme with cruelness but it's the characters What's next? More fighting, what else is there? But, I'm going back to Todd in the next chapter and will start with a memory. Just a sneak peak for ya.

Lecheecopae: Kill her? You can't do that! That's Rahne's job. And yes, she would deep fry your sorry butt. And why do you need anti-freeze? And Pejime?

(Lin points over his head and the demon cat is suddenly covered in glue and feathers. Lycurgus and Seraph walk away whistling and suddenly bolt away from the furious panther.)

Have fun.

Okay, this chapter follows up the previous with the continuing memory and a little insight. The vast amount of cursing and the graphic beginning of the torture might be a little disturbing, so I apologize but for certain characters it was needed.

Enjoy.

The Love of a Psychopath

Kale groaned as he felt himself come around, his head hanging down. Strained to lift his head that screamed with pain, the draconic mutant gently opened his eyes and hissed as bright florescent lights burned into his eyes. Searing pain vibrated from his back as Kale felt blood ooze down from the eight slashes, the cut above his eyebrow dripping into a growing red pool.

Kale tried to transform and a suddenly high pitched wail tore through his mind, like salt and sulfur poured on his brain. A heavy collar around his neck soon told him why; a power restraint, a goddamn fucking power restraint specifically designed to negate his powers.

Suddenly a hand blurred out of no where and struck him in an open hand slap across his face, rocking his body and the chair he was chained to. Kale groaned as the blow left a sting heat on his cheek and as he turned to get back up, the other hand came ringing across his face.

Kale shook his head and suddenly it was like he was a punching bag, fist randomly connecting with his stomach, chest, face and arm. There was more that one of them, Kale could barely smell them but he could hear them talking when they stopped briefly.

Kale squeezed his eyes shut as his body was mercilessly pummeled, a hand grabbing his head to expose his neck to a fierce kick. Kale coughed, then gagged and finally spat a good deal of blood out of his mouth, breathing heavily. A suddenly blow to his swollen and torn back made him scream, giving his the adrenaline to make leg go tearing through his leg restraints to kick the man between the legs.

Kale sat up and saw the man cradling his crotch, everything between his legs probably crushed or inside his stomach; rearing his leg back, the mutant teen sent his heel slamming the man's nose and teeth. The other two looked at Kale; his cheeks were busted open, teeth stained red, his eyes still a crimson color but from punches to the face and his large body flexing like a caged animal.

"Enough." A powerful female voice rang out, the speaker dousing the light a bit. "Leave me with him."

Kale breathed heavily, his throat dry as he coughed up flam and blood. The contents of his mouth were spayed over the floor as he leaned over. He listened as the two men dragged their friend out, who would undoubtedly need some plastic surgery, and lifted his head to look around the room for the first time.

The floor was the first thing he noticed, ironically enough. It was a smooth tile surface without any visible routes

It was encased by sleek but dark metal walls, staggered on top of one another and had small spots of light shining out. The only wall that Kale could see that was different was the one in front of him and that was completely flat, a door off to the right.

Then Kale saw her.

Her long red and gold hair was pulled back and several braids ran down her back. A few feathers were tied into her hair, but other than that, Phoenix, for the first time in the years Kale knew her, actually showed her human appearance. Without her feathers cover her skin, Kale saw she had a soft brown color to her body.

Her face was slightly long but had beautiful soft curves and a little button like nose, a very big contrast to her beak. Thick eye brows were raised over twinkling eye and her red lips were in a devious smile.

"Should have known…..that if the Hand wanted me….they would need someone….on the inside, but I hoped it wouldn't be you." Kale said as his back joints started popping due to the flexing of his arms. "Why, Phoenix, if that's even your real name?

The red head gave a chuckle and strolled over to Kale, her slow foot steps slightly aggravating. She wore a gold kimono with a red phoenix emblazed in the designs, but the long robes had been cut so they only went half way down her thighs.

Kale thanked heaven she was wearing shorts, but even then they clung so tightly to her thighs it left little to his imagination. The leggings stopped at her knees and her feet were bare in her shoes.

She lifted his head and searched his eye briefly; Kale didn't have any strength after taking that man down and his whole body was stinging with pain. Kale watched as she slowly wiped his face from blood, the dragon warrior yanking his head away. Her face tightened briefly, then relaxed back to her devilish grin.

"I was sent to the bar because the Hand found out that Toad and Gabriel often went down there regardless of age restrictions and you always went after them." Phoenix said, trailing her hand around his face. "The whole rape incident was something we knew you would hate to see and not do anything about it."

Kale turned his head as all the pieces fell together; he had beaten five men and sent four of them to a hospital that night because he refused to not do the right thing. He remembered her small sobbing form and how she had curled around him in her torn clothes, the truth of the situation now making his body shake with a rage he never knew he had.

Phoenix saw this and laughed at his shaking body, standing up so her hair cascaded around her like a veil of death. Kale's arms suddenly surged, the chains binding his wrists and arms clanking together. Phoenix stopped and saw how the links strained slightly, the smile never leaving her face.

Suddenly electricity ripped through Kale's body and the teenager screamed, the pain stopping when his arms slackened. Kale breathed heavily as feeling in his body returned after the brief but powerful shock subsided.

"You were saying something?" Kale asked tightly.

"You know, when we first met that the men were actually Hand operatives?" Phoenix said, Kale's eyes burning at with an unholy hate. "They were playing a part because we knew you had such a high level morality. But you surprised me in Nigeria, when you slaughtered those nine thousand soldiers. And just with a sword! You did impress Master Roshi with that."

"I aim to please." Kale said in a growl. "Your name, what was it?"

This time Phoenix lost the smile and her eyes darting quickly to look around the room, the reaction making Kale chuckle into full blown laughter. Phoenix glared at him, striking him with the back of her hand with so much force the chair fell over. Kale hit the floor hard and shook his head, but kept laughing.

"This is rich; you don't know your own name." Kale said chuckling darkly. "I keep forgetting you momma and daddy kicked you out of the house when you were eight. Never mind that they are still alive and mine are dead, but you could find out what it is, oops, I forgot, you're too scared to go home!"

Phoenix screamed and kicked him in the chest, sending him into the air and crashing down on his face. Kale groaned as the head of the chair pulling down on his neck with his own weight and nearly snapped his spine.

Kale pressed his knees to the ground and rolled over, blood smearing on the floor from his head. Kale wheezed before resuming his laughter. Phoenix breathed heavily as she walk over to her boyfriend, picking him up by the neck.

Kale had to stop laughing because his oxygen was limited but he kept his damn half grin on his face. Phoenix looked at his chest and saw the crescent cut on his chest and pierced the top of the wounds on his shoulder. Kale grimaced and gurgled a growl as she sliced open the two month old scars.

"I was ordered by Master Roshi, the leader of the Hand and my sensei to make sure you were ready to meet him." Phoenix grounded out. "Are you?"

"More than you are, chicken shit." Kale snarled through his smile. "Let's go."

Phoenix released him from the chair, although his arm and wrists were still bounded but he was on his feet. As Kale stretched his back, Phoenix suddenly drove her fist into his solar plexus and diaphragm and Kale doubled over but had enough strength to barely hold his body up. Her knee to his groin sent a streak of white fires through his nerves and finally made his crash to his knees, his breathing shuddering at best.

"You will serve us and love me, or trust me; you will learn the true meaning of torture." Phoenix said, with a smile on her face. "Trust me, we will break you indefinitely."

To her surprise and his own, Kale shakily got up and stared at her. His eyes weren't their normal red but a different color she couldn't tell in the light, but still they flared with unbound hatred.

"Then you are in for a surprise." Kale breathed shakily, his toned body imposingly outsized her. "For I will not break."

Beast watched with worry as Kale flinch and shook in his unconscious state, his breathing hard and driven. A stuttered growl came from his throat every now and again. His condition was impressive for someone who had taken on two opponents that beat him to near death.

Beast sighed; Kale had an extremely high tolerance to pain due to his previous life and thanks to all the abuse and cruelty he experienced. But the price was that he was torment in his dreams and memories of that had transpired. There might even had been some psychological damage in that he might not be able to turn any of his training completely off

Beast rubbed his face and sighed; they had to wait for Kale to wake up because they needed to know who else was there and that look like it would be a while.

Rogue and Jean watched out side the glass door as Kale twitched on the medical bed, his face flinching every so often as though he was enduring something. Every now and again, he would gasp or snarl and sometimes let out a very weak whimper.

Kale was bare chest on the medical bed and his injuries were bandaged in heavy white gauze wrappings, his red scars that still showed forced Rouge to stare at them in horrific wonder. Several smaller cuts that couldn't be bandaged on his face had stopped bleeding but the flesh was still visible.

The two girls had come done to help treat Kale but when Rahne nearly took their heads off with a barking of orders, they had wisely chosen to get out of Rahne's way as she bandaged Kale. He had done a good job and from what Jean remembered her foster mother was a doctor, she had learnt how to bandage people properly.

Rogue let her gaze shift sideways and saw Rahne sitting in a chair inside, hugging her knees. The Scottish girl had practically whisked Kale down to the Medical lab and had blatantly refused to move from her spot. Rogue admired her strength; Rahne had stood by Kale as Dr. McCoy checked the Irish teen out.

Hank walked up to the Rahne and patted her shoulder before walking out, walking up to the two X-Men girls.

"He's stable but I can't really do anything until he gets up. By some miracle, he has no broken bones but I suspect this is because they were broken several time before hand and have strengthen since." Hanks said taking his glasses off and rubbing his face. "It might also have something to do with the uniqueness of his Dragon Flame."

"It's amazing that he wasn't killed by the Juggernaut." Jean said, watching as Rahne moved to sit by Kale. "I mean, if he is this strong now, how strong will he be when he grows up?"

Hank shrugged his shoulders, the question and the possible threat very real in his mind as he had tended to the draconic mutants wounds. Kale was a unique mutant, his strength and questionable skills obviously tampered with. Xavier and the older teachers refused to inform him and the students of Kale's past but what would the cost be?

The second attack had been specifically directed at him and the Juggernaut was supposed to attack him, not the entire mansion, from what the Professor deciphered. And Kale had barely survived with the intervention of Rahne. From the description of the Scottish girl, Kale's attack had been an extremely unique mutant and extremely deadly.

"What was up with the whole black scales and gold spikes thing?" Rouge asked, turning to Hank.

"I believe when Kale saw Rahne in danger, his powers went into an overload to try and save her." Hank said crouching down, leaning against the glass wall.

"So it's driven on his emotions?" Jean asked, looking at the large furry professor.

"More likely the most powerful emotions are the ones and at their extremes, but essentially, yes."

"What would happen if he got really pissed off?" Rogue asked.

"I wouldn't hang around to find out." Hank said, sighing deeply. "Come one, we best get some lunch."

Jean followed Hank's large form but Rouge looked back at Kale. Rahne had her hand wrapped his and was holding it against her face. Rouge smiled at the young girl and the love she showed. It was admirable and understandable since he was her first boyfriend.

It stung deep in her that she would never be able to do that but she wouldn't let her own problems cloud the happiness she saw, at least not tonight. Turning around, Rogue hurried to catch up to Jean and Hank.

Serpentina narrowed her eyes in fury and the sun dipped down, shadows covering the grounds rapidly. She knew that Kale had managed to best at the end, but the teenager was still wounded and was vulnerable.

She was crouched in a tree near the mansion and had watched as the SHEILD agents lifted the Juggernaut by helicopter back to his holding cell. Serpentina didn't care; Cain Marko had merely been an instrument, a weapon to weaken and possibly break Kale. The other kids had just gotten in the way so she didn't care about them being injured.

Her eye slits narrowed in fury as she thought of Kale how he had been so easily accept into the X-Men, the ignorance a deadly fault in their thinking. His fighting skill should have been a hint at what he was, warning them of who he was.

But Serpentina had another reason for her hatred of Kale; it was that Tattoo chose him over her as his apprentice in the Hassassin's Blade. The draconic warrior was barely a boy and she had just turned twenty when they first met and she practically idolized the older man, his power and looks attracting Serpentina in a way that was nearly foreign to her.

But he chose that worthless mutant over her, a woman who shared his power and could have shared his heart. Serpentina clenched her jaw and her snake's writher in frantic anger they did not understand. They were bonded to her mind, desire, body and of course, her will.

Creeping careful on the branches, Serpentina dropped down behind the tree in silent crouch. Glancing around the trunk as the serpent assassin ran around the clearing, heading back to her headquarters. If the Dragon wasn't coming out of his cave, then the Toad would come out of his pond.

Kale growled as he opened his eyes and pulled himself up, the tape from the bandages around his throat tightening as his breaths increased in size. Kale breathed heavily as he leaned over his legs and say a pool of red ahir around his lap, a loving smile coming on his face when he saw Rahne sitting near his bed.

Her head was resting in her arms while her upper body leaned over onto his shins, like she was protecting her wolf mate from any danger as her animal side would. Kale felt his breathing hitch as he suppressed a chuckle when he saw the blanket hung pooled on the floor and admired the care shown by Dr. McCoy.

Kale carefully cupped her face in his hand and lifted it up, sliding his battered body out of the bed and its sheets. His muscles were throbbing and his bones definitely were bruised with out question, but Kale was able to move and operate as normal.

The bandaging wasn't hindering and allowed him the required movement to function in life. As long as he didn't fight, he would be fine but with Serpentina running around with orders to kill him it would difficult.

Kale knelt next to Rahne, resting her head on his shoulder as he picked her up in a cradle position. Just standing there, Kale watched as Rahne snuggled closer to him and softly breathed his name. Kale stealthily took out of the room and to the elevator, stepping into the bright room only once he shielded her eyes.

As they floated up, Kale gently rubbed his thumb against her cheek and hummed a soothing song as the droll of the elevator. Rahne sighed deeply and Kale smiled as the doors opened, resuming his silent walk. The entire mansion was pitching black, but this made little difference for his heightened senses. His red tinted vision brightened and darkened to give him depth and precision.

Kale paused outside his room; it was a tempting to say the least to just have Rahne in his room but he couldn't. The other night when they had shared the couch was beyond pleasant even though nothing happened, but it was an area of their relationship he wasn't ready to make frequent. Making out was a big enough step for him without doing……anything else

The draconic mutant continued until he reached Rahne's room, opening the door with a long creak and Kale held his breath. Kale had never been so still for five minutes he waited to see if his girlfriend would wake.

When he was positive she was still sleeping, Kale then moved into the room and took a moment to look around. He felt a strange feeling in the room, like it wasn't completely homely. There room was the same as his and she had decorated it with pictures and poster around the room.

But Kale noticed something; there was hardly a picture of her old home. He then let his eyes wander to her desk. Rest her down on her bed, kale walked over to the desk and looked at the pictures.

The one that mainly caught his red eyes was Rahne when she was very young and she was riding a horse, she had to be eight or seven. Standing beside her and holding the reins, was who Kale assumed was Moria MacTaggart. She was around her twenties, maybe twenty six and had her red hair cropped around her face. Kale could get strong sense of motherly love from the woman and he felt his fear of her increase.

As absurd as it was, Kale was actually scared of meeting Rahne's mother. He had no idea what her expectations were and what she would think of him. Kale sighed and looked Rahne, his girlfriends curling up slightly.

Kale walked over the bed and pulled the cover back, lifting the Scottish girl into the bed. Carefully, Kale laid the covers over her and gently kisses her forehead, passing the heat of his Dragon Flame to her. Standing up, kale exits the room with the silence of night itself.

Making his way back to his room, Kale sent a quick, threatening prayer to God, one he knew would be received.

God, you had better have angels watching over her watch or so help, I will cross the barrier with the Dragon Flame and teach you lesson Kale swore as he lay down. You owe me one and it's long past due.

Kale sighed as he closed his eyes and let his body unwind, completely unaware of his brother's plight and the peril his friends were in at the moment.

Well, thats it for now. I know, long overdue butI had writers block so I could do nothing. The next chapter i hope will be done faster but who knows?

So, please review everyone and send my comment's, questions, insults and anyhting else. Trust me, I read em' and love em'

Anyway, peace out and may you all be kept safe.

-Lin