Hearts and Diamonds
Chapter 1
Number of words: 1424
Summary: In which both Rogue and Kitty gain a new roommate, to Jean's dismay .Kana's trying to learn the ropes in the Institute. Rogue hates Jean,hates herself and does her best to be nice to the new girl.
Author's comments: As always, feed the author and review. Oh and er, enjoy the fic.
"Welcome to your new home," Professor Xavier smiled. "The Xavier institute."
"It's beautiful," Kana breathed.
And it was. It was also all too much, too overwhelming. It'd all happened so fast.
Sensing her distress, Xavier spoke.
"Your parents had your best interests at heart when they sent you here, Kana," he said, trying to soothe the girl.
They always do, she thought bitterly, and then flushed, knowing the telepath had heard her.
"I'm sorry," she said aloud. "I don't mean to be rude or anything. But it's all just... a little hard to take in. I mean..." She closed her eyes, seeing the events play out in her head again, clear and vivid.
One minute we were arguing, and I stormed out of the house. When I came back my mom had packed my bags and told me I had to leave on the next flight. I don't -
Kana, the Xavier interrupted mentally. It's perfectly understandable that you're confused. But please, trust me.
He could still hear her confusion, anger, and bitterness raging in the small space of her head. Then she breathed, and somehow, she seemed to push away the turbulence, suppress it and shove it down roughly so deep in her head he had to hear it all clamouring in her head.
Kana smiled, and it almost felt real. She was calm, in control again. "Of course, Professor," she said evenly. "After all, you're an old friend of my parents, right?"
"That's right." Somehow, he felt he shouldn't have been too surprised at her almost formidable self-control. After all, her parents, perfectionists that they were, would have trained her from a very young age.
"Well then," he said. "Let me introduce you to your new roommate. I know she's around here somewhere." He chuckled, as though he'd just made a joke. "Rogue!" he called out.
Almost immediately, the goth walked in the dining room, her face a little flushed from being caught at spying. "Yes Professor?" she asked.
"Rogue, I'd like you to meet your new roommate. Kana," he said, "This is Rogue. She'll be helping you settle in."
Kana examined the girl, and thought she looked more than a little intimidating. She could feel herself being examined and judge in turn, and the scowl on Rogue's face wasn't too welcoming.
"Erm. What about me Professor?"
Another girl stepped in; shorter and frailer-looking than Rogue, and far friendlier-looking. Kana figured it was the pink she was wearing.
"Professor," Rogue said, twirling her hair nervously. "Ah'm not really sure Ah'm the right person to ask for babysitting."
"Kitty, you'll be rooming with Jean," Xavier told the smaller girl. Rogue caught what he meant - he knew about her impatience with the other telepath. Better Kitty roomed with the redhead than her.
Thanks Professor, she thought.
You're welcome. Rogue could have sworn that the Professor was almost amused.
Rogue tried her best to stop scowling and mustered a passable smile at the new girl. Lordy, was she a tiny thing. Awfully young looking too.
"Hey there," she greeted in her friendliest voice. "C'mon, get your things and Ah'll show ya y'room."
"Whelp, looks like I'm gonna have to clear out my things," Kitty said. "C'mon, let me help with your bags."
"Th - Thank you," Kana stammered. Their sudden warmth was unexpected. Overwhelming almost, but she didn't dislike it. She smiled, and this time, the expression was real.
XXXXX
"So," Rogue said. "This is our room."
It was plain and simple. Heavy-looking wooden furniture, white sheets on single beds. Nothing fancy. But still, it somehow managed to look warm and homely, like much else in the institute.
"It ain't much," Rogue said when Kana didn't say a thing.
"It's lovely," Kana replied, meaning it. She turned to the goth. "So, where do I put my things?"
"Here," Kitty called, her voice muffled. She emerged from her wardrobe carrying a pile of clothes almost as tall as she was. "Just gimme a sec to clear all this up." As she said this, she stumbled, and a couple of shirts and a pair of shoes fell off.
"C'mon, we'll help. Jean's room ain't far."
"Thanks guys! There's more back there," Kitty said breezily, fumbling her way towards the door.
Kana and Rogue picked their way through articles of fallen clothing and looked at the wardrobe.
"How," Kana finally said. "Did she manage to fit all this in there?"
"She has her ways," Rogue said dryly. "C'mon, just grab some of this junk and follow the pink road to Jean's room."
It took a while, but between the three of them, they managed to cart over every article of Kitty's extensive wardrobe to her new room.
"Finally," Rogue groaned, plopping on Kitty's new bed.
"Um," a red-headed girl said as she walked in. "What's going on?"
"An' here Ah thought you were a telepath," Rogue muttered under her breath, just loudly enough for Kana to hear.
Kana saw annoyance quickly flit across Jean's face, which she quickly brushed aside when Kitty bounced her way to the red head.
"Hey Jean," Kitty greeted. "Guess what?" And before Jean could answer, she squealed "We're new roommates! Isn't it awesome?"
"That's... Great, Kitty," Jean replied a shade less unenthusiastically.
Kitty was completely oblivious to Jean's apprehension. "I know, right? Oh," she spun around, and pointed to Kana. "This is Kana, she's taking my old bed."
"Hi." Kana waved.
"Hey there," Jean said, all smiles and warmth. "Just let me know if you need anything, kay?"
"Yeah, she will," Rogue spoke through gritted teeth. "C'mon Kana, y'gotta unpack." And she stormed out.
Kana quickly followed, not missing the way Jean quickly bit down her lip to stop her retorts. She waited until they were back in the safety of their room and shut the door.
"Why so hostile?" Kana asked, then flushed, embarrassed with her abruptness. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"S'kay." Rogue slumped on her bed, brooding as she twisted the fabric of her blouse. "You're the first person to ask. Ah mean. Ah guess everyone here knows anyway." She bit one dark-coloured lip, closed her eyes and sighed. "Ah'm just a psycho bitch Ah guess."
"Not true," Kana contradicted.
Rogue's lips twisted into something that was more grimace than smile. "Kana gal, y'don't even know me. Unless you're a telepath. But if ya were a telepath, y'd know Ah'm big, bad and crazy."
Kana didn't believe any of it. She didn't know why, she just didn't. It was probably because Rogue's eyes seemed to speak volumes; they were a dark green, ebbing with a sorrow she couldn't begin to comprehend. It was what made her lash out at Jean, she figured. It was what made her so angry all the time. She knew what that felt like.
But because she was a new girl who didn't know anyone or anything, she kept her mouth shut and just shook her head.
"Say," Rogue said, tone changing from acerbic to something that was almost curiousity. "What canyou do?" At Kana's incomprehension, she clarified "Your powers."
"Oh." It was Kana's turn to close her eyes, blink. She struggled for the English term for a moment. "I... How do you put it? I'm a hydrokinetic. I can manipulate water."
"Cool," Rogue grinned. "Bet that must b' fun in th' shower."
"So, what's your gift?" Kana asked.
It was the wrong thing to ask. Kana saw her eyes darken - like someone just drew the curtains in the windows she thought abstractly - and the way Rogue seemed to fold into herself.
"Gift ain't the right word," Rogue said bitterly, staring at her hands. Slowly, she peeled off the glove and stared at the exposed skin. "Curse, more like."
Kana waited patiently a long minute for what the other girl had to say. "Normal lookin' hand, right?" Rogue finally said. "When Ah touch somebody - not just with my hands, but with any part of my body, Ah take their energy. The'r memories, and if they're mutants, the'r powers too. If Ah hold on long enough," she paused, and then gave a short, sharp laugh. "Well. They die."
"That's..." Kana struggled to find the right thing to say. "That's awful." It sounded lame, even to herself.
"Yeah, it is," Rogue said shortly. She shoved the glove on, and then gave Kana a half-smile that didn't even come close to hiding the unhappiness in her eyes. "C'mon, let's get you unpacked."
And that was that.
Author's comment: Nothing related, but the italics is seriously pissing me off. When I upload it on Doc Manager it gets all screwed up. Anyone else facing this problem? On a side note, Gambit (and Acolyte related humour) up in the next chapter.