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Arriving back at the institute at the end of his fifteen days away, Xavier was looking forward to the quiet its emptiness would offer him, as well as the chance to finally talk to and get to know Kurt that little bit better. Of all his students, Kurt was still the biggest mystery as he hated to give any scrap of information about his past, thoughts or feelings.

Looking around the large house, the man frowned at the layer of dust that had settled over everything, even bowls that had been set onto the table. Beginning to worry, the man did a quick sweep of the mansion and realised Kurt was nowhere to be found.

Contacting Logan as all the other students and staff where away, he sat at his desk and began to worry. Had Kurt been kidnapped? Killed? Run away with the belief no one cared about him?

After an hour, Logan entered the office, brushing bright blonde hair off his arms as well as dried blood. It seemed that a rodeo wasn't on his agenda after all…"This better be good, Chuck, I was busy taking care of a little feline problem."

"Sabre tooth?" Acknowledging the nod, he formed a steeple with his hands. "We have a problem, Kurt has gone missing."

"Have you done a mind swipe?"

"The first thing I did."

"Tried cerebro?"

Sometimes Xavier wondered if Logan ever paid attention at the 'In event of' meetings. "He's not using his powers at the moment so I can't locate him."

Logan nodded, time to try the real searching methods. "I'll try and track him then." Turning round, he paused. "Where would he have gone?"

"The cupboards are only half full."

"May as well be empty to Kurt's appetite, I'll try the shops and see where I go from there." The Canadian sighed and pinched his nose. "Are you going to tell the others?"

"I'll contact them tonight if we haven't found Kurt by then, I don't think he would like everyone to know he went missing if it was over a simple, innocent matter."

Logan just raised his eyebrows. "Nothing is ever simple with that kid."


After walking around the mall for nearly an hour, mostly in the ice cream bar where he asked a few of the workers if they had seen someone fitting Kurt's description and only receiving odd looks, Logan picked up the trail again and followed it.

Maybe it hadn't been a good idea wearing his biking leathers inside the mall, they all probably thought he was going to try and rob them.

Thankfully, the scent led him outside and, glad that it hadn't rained to wash the scent away, he followed it to the cinema. After questioning the staff there, he was surprised to be given Wanda's description from one of the ushers.

More probing questions revealed that the guy had been slightly jealous of Kurt as he was getting mauled by Wanda and 'some blonde', most likely Tabitha.

And, coincidentally, the scent led him straight to the brotherhoods house. There where signs of a scuffle of some form outside and, claws out, Logan kicked the door open and marched into the living room.

He was hit with three cushions and then a flying ball of blue fur.

"Kurt! Get off me!"

The blue fur ball did get off him in a cloud of smoke only to reappear wielding three very sharp swords and narrowed eyes. "Who are you and why have you just marched in?"

Logan stared at him incredulous. "Kurt, it's me, Logan."

"My name isn't Kurt."

Sure enough, now that he looked closely, Logan realised that the mutant, although it was most certainly Kurt, was a little bit taller and leaner than the one he remembered, and also sporting a butchered haircut that seemed to make him older and fiercer. "Ok, look, I'm just going to -"

"Leave?" Mystique suggested as she walked up behind him. "Michael, it's alright, this is Wolverine, he's one of the x-men."

Michael cocked his head. "X-men…did Pietro tell me about them?"

He hadn't, but the woman leapt at the excuse. "In passing, they're our rivals in the war of mutants and humans but, right now, we're at a truce so I'd like to question this one about why he's breaking this truce."

Reluctantly lowering his swords, Michael just scowled. "I'll be in the attic if you need me, just yell and I'll rip his throat out for you."

"Thank you, Michael." Watching the mutant vanish in a plume of smoke, she turned round to face Logan. "We have a lot to talk about and not much time, and I'd rather speak with the organ grinder and not the monkey."

Growling, Logan managed not to release his adamatium claws and go for the woman. "What have you done to Kurt?"

"He was startled by Magneto, ran into a tree, was hit on the head by a falling branch and then was hit again by all the dustbins."

"And he thinks he's called Michael because…?"

"Let's put it this way, he didn't know who he was, where he was and why he was here, what were we going to tell him? That we're his enemies and all his friends have gone and left him?" She smiled smugly at Logan's scowl. "Good, now go and I'll speak with Xavier tonight at the mansion around seven, if he could collect some of my son's things I'll bring them to him."

Growling, Logan turned round and stalked out, dreading how he was going to tell Xavier about the changes in circumstances.

Thankfully, the man was a telepath and so the explanation was cut short.

Apart from one tiny dilemma. "What are we going to tell the other students?"


True to her word, Mystique met with Xavier at seven and left at eight after explaining everything. She also took with her all of Kurt's, or now Michaels, clothing in a suitcase so that her excuse of getting the last of his things from the airport was believable.

And then, three days later, everyone came back to the mansion, only a few days earlier than planned, although no one was complaining as it seemed the general strain of being with their parents and not having as much freedom as they were used to was getting to them.

And Rogue seemed ecstatic at being able to get away from Kitty.

Chatting, the place quickly filled up and, summoning them all to his office, Xavier had the difficult job of telling them all about Kurt. But where to begin?

"Students, I have some difficult news. You see the brotherhood have gained a new recruit called Michael Darkeholme." He noticed their confusion. "But Michael is in all reality, Kurt. There was an accident and he's gained severe amnesia – everything, the x-men, his family in Germany, has been forgotten."

"But surely we should have explained things to him?"

"It happened whilst Kurt was with the brotherhood, Scott, and, as Mystique rightly informed me, he woke up in the enemy's house, not knowing anything, and how would they explain that all his friends where away and he was on his own with only them to look after him?"

Ororo was covering her mouth. "The poor child…surely there is something we can do, Charles?"

"Unfortunately, we can only wait until Kurt's memory returns, if it ever does. For now, we have to accept that he's now Michael, and a member of the brotherhood." Xavier sighed as everyone broke into fervent chatter. "I'll leave you to your thoughts."

Rogue turned round to face Kitty. "I can't believe Mystiques pretending he's her son."

"Well, she is his mother."

"And not a good one!" Rogue frowned. "Aren't you even slightly worried?"

Kitty shook her head. "I don't know, I mean, they're obviously taking care of him if they've gone to so much trouble."

"You mean, you're glad you don't have him around you all the time."

"Well, that's a bonus…" The girl grinned weakly as the goth rose to her feet and stalked out of the room before turning to Scott. "What do you think?"

"I think I want to pay the brotherhood a visit." The teenager glanced at the professor who was suddenly looking a lot older. "But I'm afraid we'll have to wait until everything settles down – it's going to be weird not having Kurt around though."

Kitty shrugged. "Not that weird."

"He's still attending school, Kitty, his image inducer has just been adjusted so he looks different is all." Scott rose to his feet also. "And I think it's going to be really weird having to call Kurt 'Michael' and acting as if I don't even know him." With that, he left, Ororo walking behind him with Logan, the woman worrying still.

"The child is probably being starved – he has to have double portions at every meal and single portions as his snacks between meals."

Logan patted her shoulder. "I'm sure he isn't being starved."

"But what will I do when I see him?"

"You'll have to pretend you didn't, Ororo." The man didn't want to add that they might have a shock when they saw him next anyway since the blue mutant was quite simply no longer Kurt.

He was starting to worry about what memories Michael had from Kurt's rather dark past. Hopefully a few good ones.

Those sharp yellow eyes came to mind.

Hopefully.


Not far away at all, Michael sat on the roof of the brotherhood house and simply watched the sun set and then the first of the stars come out. He glanced away from the scene only when a large raven landed next to him which then changed into Mystique.

The woman settled herself next to him and watched as the last of the sun dipped into the horizon. "Are you happy here, Michael?"

"Ja, I really like being around everyone."

"And yet you're hiding up here?"

He laughed. "You know I like to watch the sun rise and set, mother." He looked at the scenery just as Mystiques face fell. "Its just…so much has happened in such a short space of time – it worries me a little. Nothing good ever happens to me for long."

"I'm sure everything will work out this time."

Michael nodded, leaning into her side and his golden eyes watched as more stars blinked into life in the darkening sky. "Do you really think so? Only, last time we tried to go somewhere together it turned into disaster." His eyes closed and he buried into her side. "I don't want to be burnt again."

She stroked his hair and, not for the first time, felt her heart melt and freeze at the tiny glimpses her son offered of his past. "It won't happen again, I'll protect you."

"Where's dad?"

The woman froze completely. "You're dad?"

He looked at her. "You know, dad, a big, hairy guy who can be quite frightening but also really kind?" The mutant blushed, the light only just allowing it to show as he began to blend into the shadows it granted. "I forgot his name…and I can't really remember his face either – is that really bad? I hate not remembering things."

"It's alright." She stroked his hair and wondered just what to do, she had one idea but it meant putting a little of her perfect plan to jeopardy. "He's away, remember? For work."

The mutant frowned as his mind tried to remember any details, only drawing a blank. "I don't, sorry mum."

"Don't worry, I understand." Watching as the sky fully turned to night, she smiled at him. "Would you like to do anything tonight?"

"I would just like to stay here and think for a while, if that's alright." Michael smiled as she nodded at him. "Danke." Watching her change to a raven and fly back into the house, he simply returned to watching the night sky. After a long while, he stood up and then jumped, letting himself for a while, fly.

It made him feel really happy and, teleporting himself back onto the roof, he suddenly felt oddly alive.

He wished he knew why he wanted to fly so badly.

Underneath, a window opened and Pietro poked his head out to look at the ground. "Michael?"

"Up here."

Smack! Rubbing his head, the speedster squinted, trying to see onto the roof, or better yet, the mutant up there. "Did you jump off the roof?"

"I was flying."

"That's alright." Pausing, Pietro peered out again. "Are you going to come inside? I don't quite like the idea of you jumping off roofs and trying to fly." He jumped and hit his head, again, on the window frame as Michael appeared behind him in a plume of smoke. "You should warn me before you do that." Turning round, he noticed the mutant grinning mischievously. "But I take it that was deliberate."

"Only because you joked about my flying." Lying on the bed, he looked at the ceiling before closing his eyes. "I can fly you know, not like a bird, but I can."

"Yeah?" Sitting next to the mutants feet, Pietro waited. "Well, how do you fly?"

"I can't remember." Opening his eyes, he looked at the speedster. "And that makes me feel really sad."

Pietro managed a smile. "You'll remember, if it's really important, you'll remember it."

"You think?"

"I know."

Grinning, the mutant teleported out of the room and into his own where, for a while, he hopped about the twisted metal climbing frame, the actions tickling the back of his mind in a way that both annoyed and pleased him.


There had been a unanimous decision in the brotherhood house to go on a small shopping trip and 'spruce up', as Tabitha put it, Michael's wardrobe. He seemed to agree as he couldn't quite understand why he had so much bright clothing.

No one dared even mention his previous wardrobe as Kurt, even in jest.

So, as a group, they hit the shops which, as it was still the holidays, were utterly dead and so they had the run of the place really.

Meaning the girls abused the position and had all the guys consider a wardrobe change as they themselves browsed the clothes shops. After a few hours, they settled down to have an ice cream feast and to discuss their various influences on poor Michaels' wardrobe.

The blue mutant was consoling himself in a super size bowl of ice cream. Although even twelve flavours wasn't enough…

Just outside the mall, the x-men had decided to get some various things they needed for their next year of school and, entering, they immediately came face to face with the brotherhood.

The two groups sized one another up as Michael…

Walked past them all carrying a small mountain of bags and boxes. "Come on, mother said we had to be back in time for dinner."

Kitty's jaw dropped when she realised that the rather rough and punkish boy that had walked right past her was actually Kurt. "Kurt!"

And he kept on walking.

Smirking, Wanda passed by her. "He doesn't remember you, so you can forget that pathetic crush of his that you only ever used to boost your ego. Later."

Tabitha chuckled as she passed by and, after everyone else, Lance paused.

"Lance, what is like, going on with Kurt?"

"The professor didn't explain?"

She sighed. "Well, he like, did, but that's…"

The teenager shrugged. "Sorry, Kitty, but Kurt's kind of…gone. Later." Waving, he too left the group behind.

Scott clenched his fists. "I think we have to have a word with all of them."

Rogue nodded. "Yeah, and it wont take long until they give us the opportunity."

And she was right.

At around eight, Lance had declared that everyone go out and have some fun away from the adults. He was surprised when they were encouraged to leave by both Mystique and Magneto, but continued his crusade anyway.

On their journey out of town, Pietro was pleased when he spotted the x-men who were also out and, as it happened, in uniform as they were practicing some kind of situation. Silently, he and the brotherhood agreed on giving them a surprise.

Moving through the building, Jean spoke into her com piece. "There's no one on this floor, how about yours?"

Scott's voice replied. "No one on this one either, keep looking."

"Will do." Sighing, the red head turned round and froze as all the objects in the room suddenly burned bright green and began to move around. "Wanda?"

"It's the Scarlet Witch when in uniform." The girl stepped out and grinned. "Time to scream!"

Elsewhere in the building, Rogue looked up at the loud noise and, cursing, started to run back down to the ground floor where Jean was, she stalled when she spotted Pietro in front of her. "I should have known it would have been you lot!"

"What's wrong with that?"

Spinning round at the German voice, Rogue froze. Could she attack Kurt?

Walking forward slowly, the demon came right up to her and gently cupped her chin in such away he didn't touch her but forced her to look at him. "Oh, don't worry; I'm only a demon in appearance, not in nature." He looked completely different – his hair, his manner, his height – when had he gotten so tall? The mutant gently whispered in her ear. "I'm more of an animal then." Then he teleported.

Several times.

Releasing her, he then spun round, knocking her feet out from under her before pouncing. Grinning, he then flipped her onto her stomach and tied her hands behind her back. "We can use this one for ransom."

"Ransom?" Pietro raised his eyebrows. "Careful, don't touch her -"

Michael froze, blinking. "I can't touch her skin? It really hurts if you do…why do I know that?"

"Lance probably mentioned it, Michael, he's always getting zapped by her, and he always go on about it." Quicksilver zipped over to him and pulled Rogue to her feet; we'll just take her to the others, but why we need ransom I won't know."

"It never hurts to take precautions." Michael grinned. "And this one is prettier than the others, so we at least have someone nice to look at if she isn't much of a conversationalist."

Pietro frowned. "Are you sitting this one out?"

"I might, I feel really odd at the moment. See you downstairs." Shaking his head, Michael teleported and reappeared behind some crates. "You alright?"

"Don't even think of trying anything."

"Why would I do that? If I even wanted to, touching you would probably kill me." He paused. "Would you turn all blue and furry if you absorbed my powers?"

Rogue growled. "We could try it." Getting a hand loose, she dove towards Michael only to hit smoke and then a crate.

His weight then hit her hard. "If you keep pulling stunts, then I'll be forced to hurt you."

"What's stopping you?" This really wasn't Kurt at all – he couldn't bear to touch people let alone hurt them! Or was it that he was too scared they would touch him if he touched them?

Suddenly, Kitty phased through the crate. "Rouge? Where are – Rogue!" She blinked at the sight of Michael who was staring at her. "Err, Jean kind of needs us."

"In the fray?" He growled, bristling suddenly and then grabbing her hand before teleporting. When he reappeared, right in the middle of the battle, he actually felt dizzy from teleporting them both.

Or was it something else?

Spinning round, he kicked Rogues feet again and then leapt onto Kitty, rolling over her and producing his swords which he then grinned at. "I believe the tables are changing?" Behind him there was a roar and then Logan charged at him.

In a flash of blades and smoke, Michael reappeared above the brotherhood. "Why are we fighting these people again?"

"Because they'll attack us."

"Right…" He blinked as Scott blasted the group with his red laser beams, destroying several crates and hitting Wanda. "Hey!" Vanishing, he reappeared behind the teenager and hit him on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword. "One down." Another teleport and all hell broke loose.

It was insane, Michael was fighting with everything he had – acrobatics, biting, scratching and his swordplay, intending to injure but not permanently harm. And everyone was shocked at this, the x-men quickly realising that he was most certainly not Kurt and that they had to fight him.

Because he wasn't going to back down.

Logan actually called a retreat when he realise how quickly the x-men where falling and, leaving the brotherhood celebrating, he turned back to roughly grab Michael who hissed at him, but nothing more. "Look, bub, I really hope you get your head sorted out or else I'll really have to hurt you."

The blue mutant looked at him blankly and, again, Logan noticed how much he had changed in such a short time. "Just, try and remember me, eh, fur ball?"

Being released, Michael watched him leave. "Who is he?"

"Wolverine." Lance replied, grinning and clapping the blue mutant on the back. "And we finally won against them!"

Todd was hopping up and down. "Yo, blue, you're our lucky charm! Everything is looking up!"

The blue mutant just shook his head. "Can we go back now; I'm feeling really dizzy…"

Pietro looked at him, concerned. "Yeah, we've done more than enough tonight."

Behind his back, Tabitha made kissing noises and was hit on the head by Wanda. "Hey, I was teasing your brother!"

"Over something I want." The girl replied before taking Michaels arm. "Come on, how about we get some ice cream?"

The blue mutant immediately perked up. "Sounds good."

Eating their ice creams, a staple food in Michael's diet they were beginning to realise, they returned to the brotherhood house.

Lance was laughing as he opened the living room door where he simply froze at the sight of Magneto, Mystique and Sabre tooth in deep conversation, well; the feline man was listening rather than talking. "Oh, we'll just go upstairs."

"Anything to report?" Magneto asked, watching as Pietro dashed into the room.

"We won against the x-men – you should have seen Michael!" He paused when he noticed Sabre tooth. "Why is he here?"

The woman sighed. "I hadn't counted on Michael remembering so much of his German family, so this is an experiment to see if Sabre tooth is anything like what he thinks his dad is."

"That's a recipe for disaster – this is Sabre tooth we're talking about."

The woman shrugged. "It's only for a few days, if it works, and then he'll be going to 'work' again."

"Right…I'll tell the others and send Michael down." Vanishing up the stairs, Pietro was beginning to worry. "Michael, your mum wants you." He stopped when he realised that Tabitha and Wanda where grooming a now shirtless blue mutant with cat brushes. "Michael."

"Ja, I'm coming." Sitting up, he yawned and stretched. "I'll see you lovely ladies later." He then vanished in a plume of smoke.

"What's happening?" Wanda asked.

"Mystiques panicked about Kurt's dad so she's trying to see if Michael might accept Sabre tooth as one – his description was 'big and hairy' of him, he can't remember much else."

Wanda was giggling. "This is going to be interesting, and you could always say you can see where the fur came from…"

Downstairs and things weren't going so lightly as Sabre tooth spotted Michael and nearly lunged for him before remembering this was the mutant he might have to be playing happy families with.

"You called, mother?" Michael looked from Mystique to Sabre tooth and then back at Mystique.

"Michael, do you remember this person?" The blue woman chewed her nails as Michael walked up to and then peered at Sabre tooth for a long moment.

The feline growled. "I'm not a freak show."

"Neither am I." The blue mutant replied before scratching behind one ear. "Your name is Creed, isn't it?"

"Victor Creed, that's right, but I prefer -"

"Sabre tooth?"

The blue woman waited with bated breath.

The hairy man nodded and then, carefully, petted the blue mutant on the head and ruffled his mohawk. "What's with the stupid haircut?"

"It's better than yours, dad." Michael pushed the paw off and glowered at him. "You are my dad, right? Only I can barely remember."

Glancing at Mystique and Magneto who nodded in approval, he looked at the blue mutant in front of him. "Yeah…" Growling as he was abruptly hugged, he tore Michael off him. "Kid…"

Sticking his tongue out, Michael grinned. "I've really improved with my swords – do you want to see?"

Suddenly, Sabre tooth looked a lot more interested. "Why don't we have a little practice session…?" Grinning, he watched the blue mutant vanish.

"Don't even dare think of tearing him apart." Mystique warned.

"I'll only push him round a little." The man promised before looking up as Michael reappeared with his three swords. "Did I only say a little?"


Flashing swords and dancing acrobats, Sabre tooth didn't really stand a chance, but he tried anyway and, surprisingly, had a lot of fun trying to catch the blue mutant.

The main problem was that Michael knew that teleporting threw off Sabre tooth's senses, and so he used it to his advantage along with his speed and agility.

After nearly an hour, Michael had to call it quits after Sabre tooth found an opening and managed to knock him over so hard he went flying into the wall where, picking himself up, he just laughed.

"I was never any good defending my left side."

"We'll work on that there whilst I'm here." Sabre tooth told him before catching sight of Mystique. "Have you done your homework?"

"It's the holidays, and I haven't even started school here yet."

"I see. Fancy another round?" The large man grinned as, once more, swords flashed and he had to dodge them, getting pretty badly sliced in the process.

It looked like things might actually work.

Watching from the door, Mystique smiled and shook her head. She had always wanted her son back, and she was growing really fond of Michael. It just pained her that he might be forever lost to her one day if he became Kurt again.


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