I was silent as Logan held me. I had always known Romulus would eventually find out about me, and then would set his sights on me for one reason or another. I always knew it would happen, but I never really let it sink in I guess.

I knew who Romulus was. Well, everything Logan told me about him sure as heck clued me in.

Conner spoke up, "He said it was your turn."

I bit my lip, "Yeah."

"Who is he?"

I sighed, pulling away from Logan, and turning to Conner. "My great grandfather. His name is Romulus, and he's one of the most twisted, evil men you'll ever meet."

My gaze drifted to Conner's hand, "That's an example. He doesn't care about life, flesh, or pain."

"He's someone you'll never meet again." Logan said with finality. "You're all going back to Mount Justice tomorrow. Pack your stuff."

"Logan." I protested, "I'm not afraid-"

"And that's why you're going!" Logan snapped. "Because you're not afraid. You'll be stupid, and reckless, just like you are with Daken!"

I blinked, taking half a step back, and he continued. "I can barley come out of a fight with Romulus, and if you don't think you're ready, I'm not putting you in one with him."

So that's what this was about. Not ready to take over for Logan. Didn't expect him to criticize me for it, but I should have.

Logan grew up in a time where children where treated as property, and women the same. If you could survive to twenty five: congratulations, you can actually live now! If not, it's not like you could have done much anyways, right?

He didn't have a say if he was ready for something or not, if someone needed him to do it, he would do it. I knew he must have been disappointed in me, he had raised me for five years, probably hoped I would have turned out better. Better than this.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is not my fault! I'm not ready, and Logan should know that. I'm not being selfish, if I try to take over for Logan, I'll fail, and people could get hurt, I'm being considerate here.

I shook my head, "Whatever. Just whatever."

I walked out of the medical wing, I have had enough of Utopia X, and everyone here! For the past five years I have bent over backwards for Logan. I have given up killing, rages, blood thirst, everything that used to keep me going. I have been through hell and worse for him, I think I have every right to draw the line here of all places.

I run to the garage, I don't even know why until I see Scott's motorcycle. Now I know what I'm going to do. I kind of missed the rebellious me, the me who used to throw caution to the wind, and just do what I wanted. That was before I had things like Logan, Lovette, all my adopted sisters, and now the team holding me down.

I get on the bike, and smirk to myself. Not tonight. Tonight, I was going to be me again. I felt the animal in the back of my mind, stirring for the first time since my danger room session yesterday. I had practically mastered the beast in me. I only felt it when I thought about it, and it only made itself known when I was fighting. That was the only slight control it had over me anymore. But it knew that I was doing something bad, something dangerous, especially with Romulus in town.

But I didn't care, all I wanted to do was fight right now, and I wasn't going to risk running into Logan, Jubilee, Conner, or anyone else on the way to the danger room. I took off across the lawn on Scott's motorcycle. I would have taken Logan's, but I don't have a death wish. Even if I did, I'd have to get over it pretty quickly.

IN TOWN:

I had nearly gone into a bar, everyone would be all riled up by now, easy to provoke a fight. The smell of that ridiculously loud bar made me second guess myself. Made me second guess this whole thing. I remembered why I didn't do things like this anymore. Lovette was at home, and she needed a big sister to come home to her.

There's a lot of reasons why Lovette should look for someone better to look up to. For some reason, she wants me though, and the kids deserves to have her way. With everything I've put her through, I might was well throw her a bone.

So, I ducked inside the nearest Starbucks, and sat down with some frozen coffee the guy at the counter had recommended. Whipped cream, chocolate fudge, and caramel. This wasn't coffee, this was ice cream.

I didn't really like Starbucks, it smelled like coffee, which I didn't really like, and it played some stupid song in the back ground that kept talking about 'last Friday night' or whatever. What did TGIF even mean?

I didn't really pay attention to the door when it opened, but I sure paid attention when the guy at the counter, Mark I think, asked, "Hello, what would you like to order?"

"Same thing my cub's having." Came the answer form the voice I knew so well.

Mark looked a little taken back, but soon realized he was talking about me, and gave him one.

Don't come over here. Don't come over here. Don't come over here. Come on God, throw me a bone down here, I've had a rough day! Probably the roughest I've had in a long time! All my pleading didn't stop Daken from walking right over, and sitting down across from me. "Didn't expect you to leave Utopia X so quickly. How'd you get off that meteor? Steal the Black Bird?"

"I swam." I answered, glaring at him. "Drove Summer's motorcycle into the ocean, and swam all the way here. Proof? My hairs still wet."

"Clothes aren't." He pointed out.

"The modern marvels of public bathrooms and those no touch hand dryers. They dry clothes pretty fast." I explained. "Jubilee taught me that one."

He nodded, smirking, "Logan know you're gone?"

"By now? Probably." I said, shrugging. "Don't really care."

He snorted, "Please, of course you care, You've always cared what that old man thought of you. You're his perfect little girl, his good child. The one that always listens to him no matter what, follows him around like a good little puppy. Makes me sick."

"I'm here." I said, glaring at him. "That's proof I don't always do what Logan says. I won't deny that I care what he thinks about me. He's the closest thing to a father I have, and my own stupidity has probably left me forever screwed in his point of view."

"Oh." He said in a mocking tone. "Poor baby. She's got her first real problem-"

"Shut. Up." I said in a deadly tone. "I came into town to get a fight out of the first drunk guy who happened to walk in front of me. I know you have no respect for me, I get that. I understand that, almost, and I don't really care anymore. I might have come to some resemblance of an understanding about you, but do not, ever, tell me I have not gone through tough times."

"You haven't-"

"I saw my own mother die." I stressed. "Right in front of me. They stormed into my house, interrupted a ten year old girl and her mother having breakfast, and dragged both of us out into the yard, and made me watch as they killed her."

He was silent for a moment, and I shook my head, looking away from him. "You're so lucky. You didn't have to watch."

He reached out, and I expected him to stab through my neck or something, but instead he grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "You're lucky." He said firmly, not letting me look away. "You knew her."

I held his gaze for a moment, and then sighed, looking away. "I'm sorry about your mother. From what I've been told, she was a good person. Didn't deserve it."

"I know." Daken said, reaching inside his jacket, and pulling out an old, worn leather book.

My eyes widened. "You-"

"Yeah." He said, setting the book down in front of me. "I went to your old house. I found this under her mattress."

I bit my lip, it was my mother's old diary. "Did you…"

"No." He said, knowing what I was going to ask. "I didn't read it."

"Then, why would you-"

"Because." Daken said firmly, yet deadly. "I felt like it."

I glared at him, "You never do anything without a reason. Everything is a game to you, and you're always playing three at a time."

"True." He said. "But not everything is a game."

"To you, it is." I said firmly. "You don't care about anything!"

Mark spoke up, "Uh guys, we closed five minutes ago, so-"

We both shot him a look, and he withered a little under our gaze. "Okay, never mind, we're now open twenty-four-seven."

We turn back to each other, and I glared at Daken, daring him to tell me I was wrong.

He just laughed, "You're right, I don't."

"Then why would you bring me this? Why would you even go there?" I asked.

"Something wrong with wanting to know who the mother of my child is?" he asked innocently.

I gave him a dry look. "You stay away form there."

"Why?" He asked, "It's just an house. I was surprised actually, it's relatively clean. Some of the villagers must be taking care of it."

I shook my head, "That house means more to me than Utopia X and everyone on it. You will stay away from it." I said firmly.

"No." He said, smirking. "Actually, I think I'm going to go back soon. It's a nice place, I may crash there for a few days, I kind of miss Japan."

"Stay away form it." I hissed.

"The grave was nice too." He added.

I paused, "Her grave?"

"Yeah, nice little headstone, nice clear letters, said stuff like caring friend, loving mother, and my personal favorite, fighter. Yeah right, that woman probably never through a punch in her life. I saw a picture of her, she was small, fragile."

I glared at him as he continued. "Why people thought she was a fighter is beyond me really."

"Because she was a fighter." I insisted, ready to rip his head off. "There's more to fighting than kicking and punching. She fought, but it wasn't with her body. She raised a kid all on her own, and a kid like me at that. She might not of been the strongest person in the world, but to me she was. She didn't get mad at me when I got into fights, no matter how ridiculous the reason. Granted, most of the time I had to fight, but more often than night, I could have just walked away. She dealt with me, better than most would have. She never got mad at me when I came home with bruises and cuts. She loved me, and so help me God!" I stood up, popping my claws and shoving them right through the table. "If you talk about her like she was some wall flower again, I will get the Maramusa blade, and cut your head off!"

I turned to Mark. "Sorry about the table." I said, and walked out. My life, as of right now, sucks. I can't be me anymore, the old me isn't working for me, and the new me keeps getting people to care about her. Not to mention the whole 'take after Logan' thing.

I shook my head, to be like Logan would be an honor, but I couldn't do it. Laura, she could do it, couldn't she?