AN: Sorry, about the break from updating silly school tried to take over my free time. That and I have been trying to get a better hold on the characters. I am not sure I have succeeded but you have to give a girl credit for trying. Not to mention this chapter and I have been having a fight so it may be a bit rough. Also the delineations are shifts in where who we are watching and in
Below him, he sees her pause when confronted by a street and a wall. He stops silently waiting until she has chosen her direction. As she wavers shifting from foot to foot, he worries that she will collapse as she had before. He prepares to jump down and catch her if she should tip beyond the point of saving herself.
Creeping along the rooftops and alleys keeping out of site as she passes brightly lit convenience stores and darken shop windows he has followed her since she left him in the shrine. This is the third time she has paused in this way seemingly unsure of which way to go. In the back, his mind he cannot help but wonder if she is lost or does she suspect that she is being followed and is trying to lose him.
After what seems like eternity, she begins to walk again following the path of the wall around the Imperial Palace until reaching the far side from her moment of indecision and entering a brightly lit hotel lobby. The doors swish closed behind her. This should be enough; he has seen her home safe.
However, he finds himself captivated staring at the door she has just entered. He cannot bring himself to leave this girl who in mere minutes has managed to capture his attention like no other.
Inside the girl makes her way across the lobby to the front desk. There she retrieves her room key and turns waiting for the elevator that will take her up to the room. She steps on as the doors pressing the button for her floor. Silently the doors shut in front of her and she begins to ascend.
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She reaches her room, turns the key in the lock flipping the light switches as she enters she goes over to the television, and turns it on. She then flops down on her bed to watch the news praying that she there will be no images of her incident. It still amazes her as much as when she was sitting on the plane to know that she understands Japanese without having studied a day in her life. Obviously somewhere, among her many absorptions there was a person who spoke Japanese but until that point, she had been unaware of that fact.
After half an hour of watching television, she decides that at least for tonight she is still safe. She gets up and turns off the television. She then heads into the bathroom and starts running a bath adding some of the lavender bath oil she had brought along just in case she needed to relax.
She goes back into the main room and leans over the desk and jots down a quick note to Kitty just to be safe incase she comes back before Rogue has finished her bath. She places the note on Kitty's bed.
She then kneels in front of her suitcase, looking for her brush and a ponytail holder. She stands stripping off her jeans, gloves and shirt. Reveling in the feeling of exposed skin, she heads back to the bathroom with her brush in hand. She closes the door behind her and locks it tightly.
She stares blankly into the mirror as she brushes her hair out. Tugging slightly at the tangles that have made their way into her hair during the course of the day, she pulls her hair up into a loose bun. She then strips off the last of her clothing and shuts off the water going into the now nearly brimming bath.
She then eases herself slowly into the scalding hot bath water. Once she is covered to her neck in the soothing liquid completely surrounded by heat and the sweet scent of lavender, she shuts her eyes and begins to relax.
She finds herself sitting at a table faced with Logan. He looks at her questioningly waiting for her to start. This is a scene that has played out many a time when she was faced with a difficult decision. The part of Logan that remained in her was the one she turned to most often when she wanted to talk things over. It was comforting to air her feelings "out loud" without having to deal with the looks others gave her at times.
"What am I going to do now? I can't stay here and jeopardize the other students. So far, it hasn't hit the news so I think that I have the night to figure out what to do."
"What do you want to do darlin'?"
"I want to go. I think it's better for everyone if I do. They may not even trace the accident to the school if I leave soon. But where will I go? I'm in a country I don't know even if I do speak the language. Who would take someone like me in? Especially once the story breaks. I have to have a plan before I leave. You and I both know that I can't just blend in here."
She is crying softly in her mind and distantly feels the tears pouring down her real cheeks. She is vaguely aware that she must be sobbing loudly even if her ears are deaf to the sounds. He rises from his chair, comes over to her side of the table placing his arms around her, and holds her tightly. Rocking her gently in his arms, he whispers into her ear.
"Don't give up Marie there is a way. Even if you do leave there are people in this world who don't hate you for what you are. We'll find you someplace safe until this blows over and you can contact the Professor. I promise Darlin'"
Still the tears stream down her face as she tries to speak "What if such a place doesn't exist? What then? Maybe it would be better if I went home just snuck back on a plane."
"You know that wouldn't work. If they are checking anywhere even now it would be the airports to make sure that you don't leave the country. Unfortunately you do have a rather distinctive look to you. There are people here who will accept you its not as though the US is the only place with mutants."
"But WHERE do I go? HOW do I find such a place? I don't even know where to start. We have been here a week and I haven't a clue where to even start looking for a safe place to stay until things cool down. I should have been so much more careful. I was crazy to go off by myself. If I had been with the other kids they would have known not to touch me. Why am I so dumb?"
Raising his voice slightly and twisting her around to face him he begins "First you are not dumb so stop thinking that and second I think I have idea of where you can go. Do you remember the Temple you went to a couple of days ago? The one where the Professor's friend lives? Perhaps you could ask to stay there? They are probably assuming that you don't speak Japanese and since staying at a Temple would be difficult at best not knowing the language they won't look for you there. Its only a short bus trip away from here you could make it by morning and when the temple opens go to the monks and ask to stay. I doubt they will ask many questions."
Her tears begin to slow as she considers this plan. "It's worth a try. The monks may even remember that I am a student of the Professor's and help me contact him." Gaining her confidence back she stands up. "I'll do it."
Suddenly her eyes flutter open she glances at her surroundings quickly to make sure nothing has shifted. The bath has grown cool during the time she searched her soul but otherwise the room is the same. Slowly she gets up pulling the drain for the water she then pulls the shower curtain and turns on the shower just to get warm again. Quickly she bathes in the hot water with a new determination.
She stops the water and steps out of the shower pulling the towel close to her to dry off. Feeling that she is dry enough she lets down her hair again and gives it a final brushing. She wraps herself in a towel and slowly turns the door handle peeking out to make sure no one is around still.
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Having not been able to summon the desire to leave the hotel he decides to find her room and make sure that she has made it up there safely. He is still concerned that she may faint and does not want to see such a pretty girl in pain.
He gracefully propels himself onto the roof top so as to start checking the rooms for light. Having search about half the lighted rooms he comes upon hers and is captivated to see her lying on the bed watching television. She is so focused on the pictures that her brow is furrowed.
He finds a comfortable place to sit and simply watches her for a time. After about half an hour she rises and shuts off the television he sees her beginning to undress and cannot help but steals a glimpse of such beautiful porcelain skin. It is as though her skin never sees the light of the sun. Such a beautiful complexion should not be hid from the world. He is surprised to see that her gloves run all the way up to her elbows. It is rare to find someone wearing such long gloves anywhere besides a wedding.
Remy shouldn't be watching this. She is just une belle femme there are many others in the world. And yet she is not the same as the others. Elle est tres belle and she captivates my thoughts. I have much more important business to attend to if I want to be able to stay alive and yet I would be happy to stay with her. Perhaps just a little longer and then I will go about my business. Her yeux est tres triste but she seems relieved at the same time. Ah she is headed to the bathroom. I should go. Before someone finds me…
Softly a woman below raises from the ground her white hair billowing about her. Her eyes are the color of opals. She lands softly behind the man's crouched figure. A strong gust of wind travels across the rooftop causing the man's coat to flap around him.
She speaks softly but in a voice filled with power "What is your business here?"
Quickly he spins on his heals to face this new threat bring his extended bow staff to bear on her with one hand while reaching into his pocket for some playing cards. He has done this purely on reflex for when he sees who has confronted him he stops himself from completing the actions of attacking her.
"Stormy, Remy was just watching une belle femme to make sure she got home alright. He meant no trouble." He says with a grin that could melt Pluto with its warmth and charm.
Her expression changes instantly as she recognizes the young man. "Well if you are done spying into her room perhaps you will come down from here and catch up with an old friend?"
He glances at the room one last time to see that the girl has disappeared and then expertly leaps down to the ground landing as softly as a cat. To his side Storm also lowers herself to the ground with ease. He then offers his arm and they proceed to the restaurant in the front of the hotel.
AN: I know I'm evil, not only did it take me extra long to update this but I leave you with a bit of a cliff hangar. Sorry. Hopefully the next chapter will go quicker since I don't have classes for a while.