Memories

Stabbed in the Heart

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If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.

Logan watched as Jean and Tora fought. It looked as if Jean was moving to control the Phoenix whilst Tora was standing still. And then he saw it. The slight twitch of a wrist and a clawed wave struck out at Phoenix. A flick from the shoulder and the wings curled round to shield her. Understatement, therefore giving her an advantage of unpredictability. The two women were almost matched. Then Jean went full Phoenix and the waves faltered, drawing back into Tora. Jean pulled her friend up and the words echoed across the speakers.

"You need to be able to dig deeper Tora. You're just scratching the surface."

"I want to be able to rely on my own gifts. Not just Dragon."

"You need to learn to control it."

"I'm fine as I am."

"When it…happened the first time, what caused it?"

"I'll show you."

"QUIRE!"

Tora charged towards the telepathic student. Her claws glowed with the water around them. He had gone too far this time. Leading a riot on Open Day. When they were supposed to be showing the world that mutants were good. The idiot. He stank of Kick. The waves swirled around her. After being bonded for nearly six months, control was easy. She flung out a hand, one of her few major controlling gestures, and the dragon span away from her and towards Quire. She felt Jean's anger and added her own to it. Anger gave them both an extra little something.

She leapt, twisted around a thrown object and brought her foot up in a high kick. And then everyone was screaming and Emma was bringing out a body, one of the Cuckoos. And Tora realised what had happened.

"Stupide fille."

Jean staggered towards her. Tora caught her, took her to Scott and marched off. As she walked, she let her mind wander, screaming at the idiocy of students who believed Magneto was right. Etana had tried to make him better than this. She had failed. Dragon relayed sadness.

The Dark Angel was always of special interest to me.

I can't believe Magneto turned out such a…such a jerk with Etana teaching him.

The sins of the son washed onto the mother.

I thought it was sins of the father, onto the son.

It's a Watcher quote.

Watcher?

The image flashed through her head.

Oh. The big-headed guys.

Yes. Uatu is a…friend of mine. We share an interest in history.

What exactly do you do anyway?

I recycle old life-force. There is only so much in the universe. Phoenix uses the new life-force. I use the old, and in doing so, it becomes new again. I am also the Librarian of Reality.

A librarian?

It's a difficult job. I'm interested in the Dewy Decimal System. At the moment I'm using the Kree Mach-Zar filing system which is rather unwieldy.

Okaay…

Then suddenly, whilst she was thinking, something hit her. Hard. And she felt the blackness rain down on her. Her last thought was 'I am such an idiot.'

Death sighed.

"Why did humans insist on hitting each other on the head?"

"It goes back to when rocks were the preferred weapon."

"Oh."

She groaned as her memories came back to her. She was an idiot. Wandering off after a fight. She wondered who had captured her. Whoever they were, they knew their metal cuffs. She couldn't move her wrists and her hands had been strapped into a flat position. A soft, mocking voice she knew and thought dead spoke out of the gloom.

"It never occurred to you, did it? That I, with your DNA, may have been able to use a clone. You really think I would be as stupid as to go myself?"

Poacher stepped into the light.

"You're…you're dead. I saw you die. I held you as you died. How? WHY!"

"I'm relaying this to the X-Men. Won't this be a sweet little gathering? And why have you changed your costume? Is it because your old one had too many bloodstains on it? Gotten used to being a murderer yet?"

"I…I… I have never hated myself as much as I did then."

"Pretty little words. They don't mean a thing do they?"

"I have lived in hatred of myself since that day."

"Don't lie! We are the same. And I would never feel regret at killing you."

Tora sat impassively throughout the whole evil villain monologue that followed then looked up.

"You say we are the same. But I have explored my gifts much more than you. Do you know the meaning of Dragon? You don't? How then do you expect to beat me?"

"You mean that ridiculous Secondary Mutation? It is of little consequence. After all, we are identical. And in case you hadn't noticed, I have already beaten you."

"Really?

That was Tora's killer question. When she said that, students cowered, Remy hid under a table and normal, sensible villains ran away.

"Of course I've beaten you. You're here aren't you? At my mercy."

Tora smiled. Her dangerous smile. The one that had people running for the hills.

"No. I have beaten you."

And the water burst from the cuffs having eroded them away. She stood and advanced on her ex-captor. And when she spoke, her voice was the sound of oceans roaring.

"You never learn do you? I always beat you and this time you've bitten off more than you can chew. You see, I'm not Tigress anymore. I'm not just a mutant. I'm Dragon. And I'm more than human. I was there before the universe began. And I'm as powerful as Phoenix. If not more. I am the seas and the glaciers and the rain and sleet and snow and ice. How can you beat a force of nature? How can you beat the flow of Time itself? And you haven't a chance of beating all the life that has been throughout time."

Poacher backed into a corner as Dragon advanced, hair blowing wildly and the tips becoming water. Anger, fear and a desire to be free had made Tora dig deep into her reserves. Then she leant forward and whispered softly in her clone's ear.

"We are not the same. You are all the parts of me I deny. And I've placed the past behind me. I am the past. It's easy to change time. But I don't. You once wanted the name Marie Circen. You are welcome to it. I have another name now. And it's all that I need to know I'm needed, wanted, loved. You can't get that because you hate. Learn to love and you'll be loved in return."

Then she turned to go. That final humiliation, of turning her double into a quivering wreck, was all she needed to do. And now she was going home. A noise caused her to turn, just as claws punctured her lungs and heart. Dragon's eyes widened as she saw the insanity in her opponents eyes.

Death whistled through her teeth.

"Ouch."

"Yes. Ouch."

A.N. Yes. Evil little me. Again. And so soon after the moon incident. It must look like I love trying to kill her. Well this is the bad time for Tora. Sorry!