Turning to face Jubilee, Kurt stretched his back and stood tall. Holding his lightsaber in one hand, true to his character, he ignited the blade and spread his feet into a fighting stance. "You don't know the powerrr of the dark side," Kurt said and then chuckled.

Jubilee pressed the button on her sword and raised it. She squinted her eyes and pursed her lips, trying her best to look serious. C'mon, she told herself, this is it. You ace this, and you're in.

Raising the blade over her head, she slashed down and stepped forward simultaneously. Kurt turned his blade and raised his arm, deflecting the blow easily. When the red and green lightsabers met, there was a flash of light and a loud crashing. As she'd been taught, Jubilee drew the blade around and struck again. Once again, the blades met and fizzed and sparked in complaint.

"Good, good," Scott said as he watched Jubilee's stance and movements.

Kurt threw his arm forward, pressing Jubilee's blade back and followed up with a quick (albeit easily blocked) succession of attacks. Scott watched her face as she winced. A slight panic came into her eyes. No, he thought. Watch him, not the sword.

A hint of sweat was starting to form on Jubilee's forehead. She could feel herself slipping. Ease up! she wanted to scream, but she bit her lip and persevered. Taking a wild chance, she stepped forward, cutting off Nightcrawler's advance and suddenly throwing him on the offensive. Without letting go of her lightsaber, globules of light flowed from between her fingers and started floating around the pair.

The swirling blades seemed to disappear as the room was suddenly filled with colorful, blinding explosion, with Jubilee and Nightcrawler right in the center.

Scott squinted through the bright lights, trying to follow the action. Even though his eyes were largely protected behind his visor, he could barely make out their dark shapes in the wall of light created by a seemingly endless stream of explosions of light. Buzzing and crackling and grunts filled the spacious room. The cacophony was so overwhelming, Scott almost didn't hear the soft "bamf" of rushing air filling the void left by Nightcrawler.

The light show continued for just a second longer. Slowly, Scott's eyes adjusted to the relative darkness, only to see Jubilee standing alone, her lightsaber dropped in front of her and a frustrated look on her face.

"What gives?" she said. "Where'd he go?"

Scott, too, raised his eyes, searching the corners and planks of the elaborate replication. He knew the act was futile, though. Kurt was always conscious of his surroundings, almost innately. It was one of his strongest gifts as a fighter. He was undoubtedly somewhere where he could see Scott and Jubilee as plain as day, and yet he was miraculously invisible to their searching.

Scott smiled at Jubilee and shrugged. "I guess you're just going to have to find him."

"Aww, c'mon!" Jubilee exclaimed. "That's not fair!"

"As opposed to your little lightshow…"

"Alright, alright, I'm lookin', I'm lookin'."

With the blade of the sword dropped in front of her, Jubilee plodded down the staircase to the left of the "Emperor's" throne. About three steps down, she started swinging the blade aimlessly, cutting through the handrails like they were butter and leaving smoldering remains in her wake. Scott simply shook his head and stepped forward so he could watch her as she descended.

"Don't see why I gotta chase after him," Jubilee muttered to herself. "Call me crazy, but I think he should be the one comin' after me." She swung the blade hard in frustration. She miscalculated the blade's trajectory, and it cut right through the tips of the stairs in front of her and sent a large chunk of metal falling to the ground. She froze, a shocked expression on her face. "Sorry," she called out without turning around. Cyclops didn't say anything, so she just kept climbing down the stairs, though she pushed the button on the side of the lightsaber that closed down the blade.

When she reached the bottom of the steps, she stopped and looked around, squinting into the shadows. "Come out, come out wherever you are," she said. There were all kinds of pillars and columns that seemed to serve no purpose except to create a myriad hiding places. Her shoulders drooped and she sighed heavily as her suddenly lead feet dropped to the floor. "C'mon, Kurt, let's get this over…"

Before she could finish the sentence, she was interrupted by a loud battle cry from behind. She screamed and spun on her heel. Kurt's face was sticking out of the shadows. He'd removed the helmet, but he was still in costume. It was a very strange sight, seeing Darth Vader crouched on the side of a pillar. His red blade sprang to life, casting a strange shadow on his dark face and yellow eyes.

Jubilee chuckled, delighted by Kurt's flare for the dramatic. "Bring it!" she cried up to Nightcrawler, igniting her own lightsaber.

"As you wish," he said. He vaulted off of the column with a massive leap. He spun in the air. Jubilee watched him enviously as he sailed over her head. She bit her lip determinedly and spun, sword extended. No way he's gonna get me from behind! she thought.

Jubilee felt the hilt in her hands jump as the blade connected with something, and then cut right through it. There was a sickening sound and smell of burning, and Jubilee's scream of terror reverberated through the Danger Room as Kurt's body fell to the ground, unseeing eyes frozen in shock. Jubilee dropped the lightsaber in her hands. Her head started swimming, filled with noise and static, and her open palms slapped her forehead as her eyes locked into the sight before her. The blade had cut him in two, right below his rib cage. His upper torso lay across his legs. She wanted to look away, she wanted to throw up, but she couldn't do either. No, she thought. This can't be real. This can't be… She kept repeating it over and over in her mind, trancelike. She was unaware of how much time passed or if anything was said until she felt a large hand on her arm, pressing her to the side.

She turned, wide-eyed, as Cyclops pushed past her, bent over the body. His face was red, flushed, and his lips were pursed, but she couldn't decide what his expression meant. Was he angry? Of course he was! Why was he mad? It wasn't her fault! This isn't real! It's not really happening! He said it was fake! That it wouldn't hurt him!

He pressed his fingers to Kurt's neck, checking for a pulse.

"Oh, my God," Jubilee whispered. "Omigod, omigod, omigod. Is he dead?"

Scott's head bent forward. All she could see was the back of his head, as it shook from side to side almost imperceptibly. He leaned forward over the body, hands shaking, and slowly pressed the lids of Kurt's eyes closed.

"No!" Jubilee shrieked at the top of her lungs. "No, no no!"

She slapped Cyclops in the back. "You said it wasn't real! You said it couldn't hurt him! I saw! The blade went right through you!"

She pushed his back with both hands. He lurched forward slightly, but he only wiped his mouth and sighed heavily. He stood and turned slowly, dropping the cloak from his shoulders. His face was redder now, and harder, as if his flesh had been replaced with stone. He raised his arm and his hand landed on Jubilee's shoulder. His touch felt like cold needles prickling Jubilee's skin.

"It was an accident," he said. "It wasn't your fault."

"No!" she shrieked louder than before. She jerked free of Scott's hand and fell to her knees, completely drained of everything. Tears began flowing freely down her face, and her chest convulsed as she started crying. Crying harder than she could ever remember crying.

"I didn't mean to," she said. She was only barely aware of her hands pressing hard onto the cold ground, moving back and forth. "He can't be dead… It was an accident."

Jubilee jumped as a warm hand touched her on the face, a fuzzy hand. Her eyes dropped to see a blue, three-fingered, warm fuzzy hand. She looked up, shock on her face, to see Kurt's face, a slight smile on his face, but his cheeks was just as wet as hers, darkened by the tracks of his tears.

"It's okay, liebchen," he said warmly. "I'm okay."

Jubilee sprang from the ground and wrapped her arms tightly around the startled mutant's neck. "You stupid dork," she said, sniffing back her tears. Kurt's curly hair tickled her neck and he patted her back gently.

Suddenly, Jubilee's eyes shot open, and the full realization of what had just transpired struck home. "Hey!" she said, pushing Kurt away. "You tricked me! You jerk!"

She bent and grabbed the handle of the lightsaber and tossed it at Kurt. He brought his hands to his head, and the holographic piece of metal clanked as it bounced off his arm and fell to the floor. Kurt's face was washed in pain. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm sorry."

The towering frame of Scott Summers stepped between them. Like the both of them, he was wearing black, but his outfit seemed to be almost a bodysuit, so that his head seemed to float above a shadow in the darkness of the room. His tanned skin, unruly hair, and the bright red glare of his ruby quartz gaze seemed to be hanging on nothing. "Stop it," Cyclops said. He spoke softly, but it was most decidedly a command. "Kurt is not to blame. He was simply following orders. This was all my idea."

"Why am I not surprised?" Jubilee shouted. "Of course it was! Just when I was starting to think you were an okay guy, you have to go and remind me what a dick-head you are!"

"This was part of your training," Scott said, still not raising his voice. "Being an X-Man is not a game. Your actions have consequences. The slightest loss of control can cause untold damage and pain, not only to your opponents, but to civilians, even friends." His voice was growing soft.

"Look, Jubilee, several of our training sequences have ended with you storming off, angry at me. That's okay. You can do that again today. I don't care how you feel about me. You can hate me as much as you want, but you won't be out there," he pointed towards the wall, "in the field, in the real world, facing the monsters we have to deal with on a daily basis. Not when you're not ready to face the harsh truths." His voice grew harder now. "Now while you're still too immature to take orders or to take anything seriously."

He dropped his hand. "Not on my watch," he said. There was real conviction in his voice and deep, deep down, almost completely hidden from perception, a break—a hint of pain.

Scott turned for the door. He hated himself for what he'd just done. Goodness knows what Jubilee had seen or experienced in her life before joining the X-Men, or even witnessed while she was trekking around the globe with Wolverine. His brow furled as he imagined the disembowelings she was bound to have been privy to. But he had broken the girl's confidence and, perhaps, destroyed the shred of trust that had developed between them.

It had to be done, he told himself. Better that she learn here, in the Danger Room, than out there, where everything can't be fixed by the touch of a button. Better that she learn the pain of losing someone you love to this war now, while there's still a chance for her to choose whether this is the life she wants or not.

As the doors parted and he exited into the hall, he pressed a button and then threw the remote control from his hand. It bounced off of the wall and landed unharmed on the floor. Behind him, the Danger Room transformed into the plain grey walls that marked it was off.

"It's better this way," he muttered to himself, as the doors closed behind him.

Jubilee watched him leave with anger seething from her skin. "God, I hate him," she said aloud. She ripped the black gloves from her hand and slammed them onto the now brightly lit, stark metal floor. She balled her fists and let out a grunt of frustration and anger through bared teeth. "Nothing is worth this," she said, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "You guys can kiss my butt. I'm outta here."

She pulled the black overshirt off and dropped it to the floor. "See ya, Kurt. Thanks a lot," she added, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Glad to know you're a friend I can trust…"

She looked at him, with his head bowed, clearly ashamed by his actions. It was unnatural to see him look so sad. She almost gave in and apologized, but her anger flared as the image of his dead body flashed through her memory. How could he? How dare he try to make me feel guilty!

"It's your decision to make," Kurt said, his voice low and choked. He swallowed.

"You bet it is!" Jubilee said, and she started for the door. I can't get outta this madhouse quick enough. I'll find Wolvie. When I tell him what that jackass Scott did to me, he'll rip his colon out and feed it to him inch by inch.

"He didn't have to do this," Kurt said behind her.

She stopped. "Well, you'll excuuuuse me if I don't fall all over myself thanking him," she said. "Psh." She resumed her march for the exit when a familiar sound behind her marked Kurt's exit. Sure, she thought, just leave. That's what everybody else does.

But Nightcrawler reappeared directly in front of her, holding out his hands. Jubilee's nose curled at the smell of sulfur. "Get outta my way, you freak!" she exclaimed, and she tried to push him aside with her arm and move around him.

A strong hand gripped her wrist. "Professor Xavier said the decision was Scott's," Kurt said softly. "I don't know what he told you, but Charles made it perfectly clear to all of us, including Wolverine, that on the field, the team is Scott's and he would not endanger you or any of us by placing someone inexperienced on the roster. If Scott had wanted to, he could have sent you straight to the dorms for the students, where you'd be learning with the rest of the children your age. Or sent you to an orphanage. He could have done so at any point during your training."

"Before you pass judgement, before you start saying things you might regret later, I suggest you think about that."

Jubilee stared at the German mutant from underneath an angry brow. His words seeped past slowly, and she looked at the door that Scott had exited through.

"Scott Summers is a very difficult man to understand," Kurt said. "We've all had our disagreements with him. But his shoulders carry a weight neither you nor I can understand. Leading a team is not easy, my child, and Scott Summers is the best there is."

"I hope you change your mind, mein freund. I will miss you if you go. Just don't forget that Scott, and myself, too… We were only trying to help."

He released her wrist and patted her on the shoulder. "Goodbye, Jubilation."

With another rush of smoke and the stench of sulfur, Nightcrawler disappeared and left Jubilee to her thoughts. The silence was almost painful, and Jubilee's mind was racing. She put her head to her brow. All of the conflicting thoughts and emotions were giving her a headache. Her legs collapsed under her, and she sat on the floor, unsure of what to believe. She continued focusing on the large doors of the Danger Room and everything that walking through them could represent.

Her hands dropped to her lap and she cried because she didn't know what else to do.

"This sucks," she said.