(A/N: Here's chapter three in ya mouth! Naruto, anything to add?

(Naruto): You're already on the sequel you speedy bastard? That's unbeleivable, 'ttebayo.

(E.I.): well I don't like to brag but…

(Naruto): Why the hell not!? Bragging is fun and it makes you feel good!!

(E.I.): Yeah… you're awful erm… modest, naruto. -realizes that ninjas might not take kindly to insults-

(Naruto): HEY! I CAN READ WHAT YOU'RE TYPING, 'TTEBAYO!!! YOU DIDN'T CAPITALIZE MY NAME YOU SON OF A BITCH!

(E.I.): Oh god start the story!!!

John kicked a can into the gutter, emotions rattling around inside him like ping pong balls in a tin wind tunnel. At first he had been angry. Then he'd gotten resentful. Finally, though, he settled down enough to realize that he probably overreacted a bit. A bit… yeah, just a teensy bit. He walked another two blocks or so before he felt Jean's prescence brush his mind, asking for entrance. John let her in, and he felt a cold rush, the same one that always came of someone being in your mind. "John, are you ok?" her voice said in his mind. "Yeah, I've settled down. How 'bout Scott? How's he doin'?" A moment of silence followed. "He's still a bit… iffy." John chuckled out loud. "That bad, huh?" He saw the lights of the mansion ahead, still about a half mile off. The buildings had began to grow smaller. "Look, Jean, tell him I'm sorry, and I'm almost home." He felt her withdraw from his mind like his brain was leaking out of his head. He gave a light shiver and scratched his cheek absent mindedly. He knocked on the front door of the mansion. The door swung open and John stepped inside to say hello, to be met with a stinging slap that sent his head rocking back. "What the FUCK were you thinking!?" John hadn't realized Laura might be angry. He rubbed his cheek. "Ow." "Ow? I'll show you 'ow'! What the fuck John!? The Hellfire club is everywhere! They could have seen you, and what THEN smarty-pants? Huh? What the fuck would you have done then!?" She struggled to contain her rage and failed. She kneed John between the legs, hard, then turned and stormed out of the room. John made a strangled noise and fell forwards, curling into a ball. "Ow…"

Kurt stayed with John untill he had recovered from his brutal assault well enough to stand. He helped his gray-skinned friend to his feet. "Kurt?"

"Da?"

"Make sure you never date a girl with steel kneecaps."

"Yes, Mein freund." Kitty and Jean were still giggling uncontrollably. Kurt could practically see the stars floating around his head. "Let's go get you some ice, ja?" John nodded weakly and Kurt led him out of the room. He gave John a pack of ice, then walked back to Kitty. She was still trying to restrain her giggles. Kurt gave a false frown. "Zhat's painful you know, not somezhing to laugh at… when it happens to you, that is." She only started giggling harder at this, and she leaned against his chest for support as she laughed. He gave har a fanged grin and put his arms around her lightly, trying to restrain his own laughter. Soon enough however they were both rolling around laughing raucously. A loud bang sounded from upstairs promptly followed by a "SHUT UP!" Kitty and Kurt looked at each other. Scott was still in a bad mood, it seemed. They laughed quietly together for a while after that.

As three hours passed it was time to run training. In lou of the danger room sessions they had grown used to they leapt from rooftop to rooftop, sparring back and forth against whoever was chosen as partner to another. They would racefrom rooftop to rooftop in a circle around the city. To choose their partners they would put all their names in a hat, and whoever someone chose would race them. The person who performed best won 'immunity' and didn't need to run the race the next training session. The latest winner was Kurt. He stood next to the professor and Logan as Laura stepped up to the hat. She dug around for a while, then pulled out a piece of paper. She looked at it then smirked. "John." John rolled his eyes. As Laura walked by she slammed John's shoulder with her own. He jerked backwards and fell. A few of the others snickered. John's cheeks grew darker grey, which only happened when he blushed. Kurt felt sorry for him. He stood and grumbled something, then walked outside. Kurt smiled at Kitty as she stepped up. "Umm, oh hey! Amara!" They squealed happily and jumped up and down in a circle. After, Scott stepped up and reached into the hat. He pulled out Sam. Rahne pulled Iceman, and Roberto pulled Storm. Beast and Logan chose to go against each other of their own free will. Kurt knew that Kitty and Amara would be first, so he moved up to the roof. Kitty smiled, kissing him lightly. "Wish me luck." "As if I hadn't already." She giggled and stepped into the starting circle.

Kitty leapt from one roof to the next. She phazed through a column of flame and stepped into the winners circle. She giggled. "I win. Haha." Amara landed next to her with a pouty look on her face. "Dammit, you're just better cos you're more experienced." Kitty stuck her tongue out at Amara, and they both dissolved into a fit of giggles. Beast and Logan followed Kitty and Amara. Logan almost won but Beast wrapped a clothesline around his ankle and he won. A very giggly Jean helped Logan down, before she went against Jamie, in one of his test-runs. Jean let him win. After that, Rahne and Iceman squared off. It was a narrow race, but Iceman pulled ahead by a hair when he caught Rahne's shoulder with an ice beam, stopping her long enough to pull ahead. Storm beat Roberto within the first few minutes. Scott and Cannonball raced each other second to last. Cannonball slammed into Scott and propelled him across the finish line, making Scott the winner (Aagh! That wasn't fair!). The final race was left to Laura and John… the only race Kitty had been dreading. She knew Laura was still mad at John. She just didn't know how far Laura was prepared to take this. She watched with some trepidation as they both stretched. This was going to be painful.

John felt his nerves tighten. Laura was quite obviously still pissed at him, though why he didn't know. He stepped into the circle. Laura kept her gaze straight ahead, a determined and angry look on her face. John blinked. "Good luck?" He held out his hand. Several seconds passed. Nothing happened. "Ooookay." He turned back to the course. He blinked. Logan put his arm up. "On yer marks…" John crouched slightly. "Get ready…" He flexed his calf a bit. "Go!" He dropped his arm. They both sprinted towards the edge of the building. John leapt onto the edge. Time slowed down. He propelled himself into the air as hard as he could, boosting his velocity as much as he could. He sailed over the next rooftop, clear onto the next. He landed, rolled, and kept running. He felt a thump through the roof as Laura landed behind him. John leapt over the next roof as well, and landed harder than he had meant to. He fell face first, and scrambled to his feet as Laura landed behind him. She launched a vicious roundhouse kick at him that he barely blocked. "Hey!" He caught her leg, and she twisted her leg in his grip and kicked him back with her other leg, landing on her hands. She sprang backwards from this position, swinging her legs sideways in an almost breakdance- style move she had probably learned from watching him train. John blocked the first kick and swept his leg into the next, forcing the joint to bent outwards. He twisted sideways and Laura spun into the air. He grabbed her arm and lifted her over his head in an awkward position, one of her legs trapped under his arm, and the other in his left hand. He had her upper arm in his right. "Will you please just CHILL OUT!?" He cried. She snarled, bringing her other arm around. Her fist connected with his left eye. The dull 'clang' echoed through his head. A burst of light flashed in front of his eye and he cried out in pain, dropping her. Disoriented, he was dimly aware of her pounding off down the roof. He couldn't tell up from down or left from right. When he regained his balance Laura was already two roofs ahead of him. A surge of anger roared through him. "That was a dirty trick." He growled, to no-one in particular. He sprinted full tilt at the edge of the roof. He launched himself with every ounce of his power and energy. He sailed over two roofs straight towards Laura, who was in the air over the second- to- last roof. He slammed into her hard, slamming her into the roof. The wind whooshed out of her lungs as they landed. John rolled to his feet, pain still lancing through his head. He staggered off to one side. He felt Laura getting to her feet slowly, breathing hard. He frowned, worried he might have hit her too hard. "Laura, are you ok?" He turned to her, and something hard slammed into his nose. His head snapped back, and he staggered back. Laura punched him again in the stomach, and as he doubled over brought her knee up to meet him. He rocked back, seconds away from falling. She went to roundhouse him again, but he was already falling. Her kick passed over his head, and he went down hard. He groaned, dizziness welling up in his stomach. His head was pounding horribly. He was aware of Laura's boots pounding away from him again… was she really going to leave him there after she had kicked him, purposefully, right in his weak spot? He felt his stomach lurch sickeningly. Then he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. "Nngh…" He forced his head up and looked into a pair of worried brown eyes. "John… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" He cut her off. "Save it. I mean, for when my head's not throbbing." He smiled weakly. She smiled worriedly back at him. As she helped him up John had the unfortunate feeling this wasn't going to be easy.

(A/N: SORRY for the delay. I've been busy warding off ninja -ahem- and schoolwork and things like that. But, this chapter is also fairly long… so enjoy! Plus, my doc man isn't working. )