Ranma laid in her bed, staring at her hand. She watched it carefully as she forced her chi to focus there and shift back and forth. Ever since her meeting with Rogue, she felt a strange longing to help her feel the touch of another person. She had a few theories on how to make this possible, but she wouldn't know if she couldn't touch Rogue's skin again. Of course, she'd figured out a way to do this and not raise suspicion. She didn't want to get Rogue's hopes up after all.
'If I can just touch her long enough... maybe I could do that...' Ranma wondered to herself. 'It worked on the teach after all...'
Checking out the window, she noticed it was well passed time to get up. Her usual morning, if you could call it that, started a trip to the basement to meet up with Jean Grey.
- - - - -
"Good morning Ranma," Jean cheerfully greeted Ranma. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Yeah," Ranma answered, remember how soft her bed was.
"Oh, have you met Storm?" Jean pointed to the African woman standing next to her.
"Storm? Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too Ranma."
"You must be the one that predicts the weather around here."
"Close, but it's more like, I'm the one that makes the weather around here," Storm replied with a smirk. "Like rain at above room temperatures."
"What! So it was you that did that yesterday? I was wondering how come it suddenly rained... not to mention how it was suddenly warm rather then cold."
"It takes some doing, but yes. Jean told me to do it." Ranma turned to Jean.
"I sensed you were having trouble talking to Rogue and decided to help you get over it. Don't worry, I'm not trying to set you up with someone," Jean reassured Ranma before sending a telepathic message to Storm, 'Yet.'
"About that rain Storm?"
"Yes?" she asked.
"If it's all the same, would you mind not doing that to me any more?" Ranma asked.
"Since you asked so nicely, I promise."
"Me and Storm have some things we need to talk about and we're done here Ranma." To this, Ranma nodded and made her way out of the medical bay.
- - - - -
Ranma spotted Rogue and called her over.
"Hey sugah," she called out.
"Hey Rogue."
"Now yah aren't plannin on tryin to touch me again?"
"Not sure."
"Ah don't want you to go hurtin yourself or worse."
"Don't worry about me Rogue."
"Yah always full of confidence ain'cha?"
"Eh? Yeah, when you're as good as me, why not?" This caused Rogue to laugh.
"Both times you touched me, I felt a swell of confidence. It was a great feelin." To this, Ranma could only shrug. She'd never really thought about how it feels to be confident. She just was and that was enough for her. "Yah never did tell me why exactly ya like tryin to touch me."
"Eh," Ranma started, wondering if she should tell Rogue what she had in mind. "I wanted to see if that energy drain you have is the same as a 'friend' of mine."
"Ya say friend, but I hear a little bitterness in there."
"She's my teacher and she prefers to drain me of my energy once or twice a day."
"That must be why yah were able to hold on to me as long as you did without fallin over," she said with a smile.
"There's some differences between you two of course. Her ability comes from a modified metabolism. I eventually learned a way to turn off the power to her ability..."
"Yer joshin me right?" she said, her voice obviously filled with nervousness and distrust
"No, but I don't know if that technique would work for you. Also if it did, doing it daily might eventually turn off your power for good."
"But wouldn't it be worth it to finally be able to touch someone?" Rogue wondered aloud.
"Don't go gettin your hopes up. After all, I don't know if it'll work. Also I gotta touch you some place that might seem perverted." To this, Rogue could only muster a lifted eyebrow. "It's some pressure points. Three on your chest and two on your back."
Ranma pointed to the locations on herself causing Rogue to laugh.
"Interesting place for pressure points don't ya think hun?"
"I told ya, they make me look like a pervert, but they're real."
"Relax sugah, I believe you." Rogue stated in a relaxed tone.
"You do?" Ranma replied in a shocked tone.
"In the two times we've made contact, I've never gotten any memories that made me feel as if you were the type that would harm me."
"Well, I better get going. I need to see the professor," Ranma suddenly announced. She turned to walk away.
"What, not gonna try touchin me after all?" Ranma could only imagine how perverted that sounded. She turned and reached out, letting her hand glance Rogue's cheek. The moment Ranma made contact, there was a brief spark that appeared. Ranma then turned and left, leaving Rogue behind to try and figure out what had just happened.
- - - - -
"Ranma, thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Xavier greeted the young man.
"Sure, no problem. What's up?"
"I was wondering if you'd considered my offer to stay."
"I really haven't thought about it much. I think I don't really have a choice. My fiancée back home would kill me if she found out about this."
"I understand. Would you like to call them at least and let them know you're alright?"
"Sure... I guess that would be a good idea..."
Xavier went to one of the drawers and pulled out a cell phone and tossed it to Ranma. Ranma carefully caught the phone and stared at it for a moment.
'Who to call?' he mused.
"You can keep that phone. I don't want you to feel rushed. Take your time and call whomever you feel would desire to know you are well."
"Thanks..." she absent-mindedly replied. Her thoughts were still deeply focused on trying to decide who would care that she wasn't there any more.
"I'll leave you to your thoughts, but feel free to come to me if you need any advise. My door is always open." Xavier proceeded to leave his own office.
- - - - -
Rogue slowly munched on her food and wondered for a moment about Ranma. She touched her cheek where Ranma's hand briefly made contact and she remembered the feeling of electricity.
'Who is he really though?' she asked herself. 'All I have are a hand full of memories, only a few of which make much sense at all and he hasn't told me a lick.'
As she pondered it some more, one memory in particular hit her. Nerima.
'I think it's where he's spent the most time recently... Maybe I could stop in there and have a look around...'
For the next hour, Rogue thought long and hard before deciding on her course of action. She went to her room and pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down a long message. She would leave it on her bed, knowing someone would come looking eventually.
- - - - -
Ranma wandered around the mansion aimlessly, her attention focused on the phone. Since the moment she opened her eyes in the strange hospital, she'd focused on watching where she was, where she was going, and how to keep on her toes. She hadn't allowed herself to think of home and of Akane.
She slowly began to enter the numbers to the Tendo family phone. In her mind, she wondered who would be the one to answer. As she entered the last number, she pressed send. The ringing started and moments seemed to pass before she heard a click sound.
"Tendo residence."
"Hi Kasumi."
"Oh hello Ranma. It's so good to hear your voice. Everyone has been so worried around here about you."
"I'm sorry Kasumi, but things happened. I'm alright though," Ranma lied. She didn't want anyone to know what had happened to her. Not if she could help it any ways. "Kasumi, I'm gonna be gone for a while, but I'll be back. I promise."
"Do you know how long?" Kasumi asked, her concern was obvious in her voice.
"I'm at a school. A higher learning school. They're gonna teach me all sorts of stuff. I think I should be done in about nine months though..."
"Higher learning? Sounds like so much fun. I wish I could join you there," then there was a pause. "Nine months? You should really take more time and enjoy your stay there Ranma."
"No, it's alright Kasumi. In nine months, everything should be over with. It'll all be over then..."
"Are you alright Ranma?"
"Yeah, why do you ask?"
"Oh... nothing. Something in your voice got really depressed sounding for a moment. Is there a number we can reach you at?"
"I'm not sure the number to this phone, but I'll call back as soon as I can and let you know."
"Thank you very much Ranma. I have to be going now so I'll talk to you later."
"Ok. Bye Kasumi." With that, the receiver went quiet. She didn't pull the phone away from her ear right away though. She just stood in place, thinking. She wanted to tells someone what she did, but who to tell. She didn't want to bother Xavier and she was definitely tired of seeing Jean. Her only other real option in her mind was Rogue.
She quickly made her way to Rogue's room. When she arrived, all she found waiting for her was the note.
- - - - -
"She's left you say?" Xavier asked.
"Yes, she left this," Ranma said as she handed Xavier the letter. She gave him time to read it. "It seems she's decided to take a trip. I see nothing wrong with this."
"But..." She had to pause. Why was she so worried. After all, with powers like hers, there weren't many places she'd would be in danger going to. "I wanted to tell her something..."
"It seems you two have become rather good friends in your short stay."
"Well, she sort of reminds me of someone I used to consider a good friend."
"I'm sure she'll be back soon. In the mean time..."
"I'll be staying till the baby is born," Ranma interrupted.
"Wonderful. Welcome to the mansion then."
- - - - -
A month had gone by since Ranma was taken against her will and implanted with the unknown mutant embryo. She was living in the mansion of the world's most powerful telepath, Professor Charles Xavier. Each day, she went down to see Jean and they did a scan to make certain the baby was still healthy.
Despite Jean's request, Ranma still felt it necessary to change into her male form once or twice a day. She felt if she didn't, she would lose her male identity.
At the moment, Ranma was male and on his back. The table he was resting on had just slide out of the scanner and he was waiting for Jean to tell him they were done.
"Ranma, come here," Jean called to him.
"What's up?"
"Take a look at this," she said as she directed his attention to the screen. Her attention was focused on an x-ray view of his forearm. He saw the two bones. There was something else there though, but not being a doctor he couldn't tell what he was looking at.
"What is it Jean?"
"As far as I can tell, it's cartilage. Two columns of it to be accurate. It almost seems as if your body is collecting calcium in a mass quantity," She then moved the image to Ranma's foot. "As you can see here, there's a column of the cartilage in each of your feet as well."
"This must be one of those mutations you said were gonna happen..." Ranma said with a hint of nervousness as he messaged his forearm.
"It might be nothing though. We'll just keep monitoring your progress. For now, please change back into a girl." This request only brought a dark cloud over Ranma's head. Jean knew Ranma preferred to be a man, but she was glad that Ranma wasn't likely to make any more trouble for her other then a mild bit of depression.
As Ranma left the room, she continued to look over the scan's results carefully. Something about the scan didn't add up. Her attention was drawn to the X-Gene scan which oddly enough appeared to be under-going a mutation of it's own.
She quickly reached for the phone and dialed the only person she knew that could help her.
"Yes?" a sturdy voice answered.
"Hank?" Jean requested.
"This is he speaking. How are you this fine evening Jean?"
"I'm doing good. I'm sorry to bother you like this."
"No bother. Is there something I can do?"
"Yes, we've recently taken in a mutant with a rather odd X-gene. I was hoping you'd be willing to look over the scan and tell me what you think."
"Of course Jean. I'd be most happy to assist. In fact at this very moment, I have nothing at all do to."
"Thanks Hank."
- - - - -
Hank was at first a bit surprised at the large amount of raw data that was sent to him by Jean, but decided with a smile, one could never really have too much data. He quickly entered the data through a comparative search to show the differences in the various scans he was sent.
"Amazing," he commented to himself as he eyed one of the scans showing the newly developing cartilage inside Ranma's arms and feet. The computer suddenly bleeped to let him know it required his attention. He saw the computer wanted to tell him it would be three hours. Looking at his watch, he decided lunch on the town was what he needed.
- - - - -
Ranma sat in her room, once more considering her current set of problems with no real information. She only knew that as time went on, her life in Nerima was going on without her and for whatever reason she couldn't figure out, it bothered her.
'Ranma,' a disembodied voice called out. This caused Ranma to jump.
"That you Professor?"
'Yes, I was wondering if you would meet me in the sub-basement.'
"Sure... I'll be right there..."
'For what I have in mind, it would be best to change into a man. Less risk to the baby you're carrying.'
"Sure..." the mention of the baby made him frown, but he considered how normally everyone wanted him to be a girl, so this request was a refreshing change of pace.
- - - - -
As the elevator doors opened, Ranma was greeted by Xavier and a small group of teenagers.
"Welcome Ranma. I asked you here because I would like you to participate in an exercise. I created it to help teach combat against Sentinels."
"Sentinels?" Ranma's mind began to picture gladiator like humans.
"Sentinels are giant mutant hunting robots designed and run by an off shot group formed by the US government. Rather then explain them, follow me and I'll show you what one looks like."
Ranma and the group of young mutants followed close behind Xavier as he lead them to the Danger Room. Inside, Ranma saw it. The hulking form, chromed in red and standing as tall as an office building. Something most mutants prayed to never meet and many others never lived to regret. The Sentinel.
- - - - -
(A/N This chapter is so far the second shortest chapter. I hope to write a fairly long 4k to 5k fight scene in the Danger Room against the Sentinel, followed by several other events including the return of Rogue. I was going to have her return in this chapter, but decided having her leave and return in one chapter defeated the drama of it all.
Speaking of Rogue, I'm writing a side story to explain where she is during that month. It'll be a one shot and I'll post it by itself probably. Not sure it'd work as a chapter 5 since it takes place in the middle of this chapter. I suppose I could've written it in chapter 4, but it's going to be roughly 30k to 40k long and wouldn't follow very much of what's happened in this story so far. It just seems natural to publish it on it's own and hope that people don't wonder where Ranma is.
I hope no one threatens to hunt me down for publishing chapters even though I fully admit they aren't the final product and that I'm already planning a sever rewrite of them. I feel almost evil, but I just can't leave these sit on my computer or they'll die and the story would never get written in any form. I think that would be a great disservice to my muse who is really working hard despite my busy schedule.
I could really use a pre-reader. Someone I can email these new chapters to. Maybe then the rewrites will be more about improving the story and less about correcting the grammer I didn't realize I'd messed up on.
Till next time, have a great day.)
