Memories
Guilt and Innocence
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If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.
She sat still as the talk continued. They were actually turning her home into a reservation! She snarled, stood up and walked out. Halfway down the hall, Eloise caught her arm.
"Marie?"
"Eloise? What's wrong? You only call me Marie if something big has happened."
"I'm leaving."
Tora grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her into an empty classroom.
"Pardon?"
"Luke was depowered. He…he wants to go home. And I want to go with him."
Tora's face flashed with shock, sorrow, pain and then settled into a look of understanding and happiness.
"It's your choice."
"You…you aren't going to stop me?"
"No. Although… If you aren't at the mansion, can we send the kids to you whenever something big is in the works?"
"Of course."
Tora smiled and hugged her sister.
"Teenage romance? What is the world coming to?"
Eloise instantly made a book hit her elder sibling around the head.
"Not. Funny."
Tora laughed and hugged her sister tighter.
"Just…be happy."
"We're thinking of staying somewhere in the Lake District."
"Etana's home in Scotland is empty right now."
"Isn't it that creepy castle with no central heating?"
"Apparently there is central heating. And water, and antiques to the total sum of a couple of tens of thousands."
"Okay, a creepy castle in the middle of nowhere."
"That's better. Always get your facts right."
"You sound like our mother."
The look on Tora's face was a mixture of shock, hurt and confusion. Eloise smiled slightly.
"You should get back in touch."
The dark woman got up and walked slowly away from Phoenix and Death.
"Where are you going?"
"Just…somewhere. Keep watching. I…I just want some time alone."
The uncomfortable silence filled the room. Jamie shifted on his mother's lap, the attention span of his two-year old mind not being very long. Eva was sleeping in the carrycot at Tora's feet. It had been decided to save Curt for later. There was only so much weirdness a person could take in one sitting. Tora looked up, her eyes dark and she looked down again, pulling Jamie closer to her.
"You know, it is a little annoying to find out that one's first grandson has been born from someone other than one of my daughters."
Tora shrugged.
"At the time, I had other stuff on and Eloise was training. So we asked Professor Xavier to tell you."
"We tried to get in touch but they said you didn't want to talk."
Tora shrugged.
"I have trouble forgetting things."
"We wanted to see you."
"I was busy."
"Doing what?"
"Raising a family, saving the world, dying, trying to prevent the complete extinction of the mutant race. Stupid stuff like that."
"You know, sarcasm is a low form of humour."
"It's the one I understand."
"You are too old for your years."
"I have seen terrible things. I remember things from before the world began."
"How?"
"I share my head with a being as old as the Universe."
"Don't lie."
Her eyes flashed silver as a voice that sounded deeper than oceans rolled off Tora's tongue.
"I do not lie!"
Jamie grinned.
"Hello Dragon. Where Maman?"
Tora smiled and pressed her face to his head.
"I'm here. Don't worry."
Her mother reached out.
"May I?"
Tora hesitated then slid Jamie off her lap.
"Go and see Grandmere."
"Grandmere?"
"Go on."
The boy pulled himself over to his grandmother and tilted his head.
"Méme?"
"Oui petit."
Jamie let himself be picked up and blinked.
"You look different."
"What?"
"You're not like Mémé."
"Different reality Jamie."
"Oh…"
The two women looked at each other for a moment then nodded. For the sake of a child, they would remain in contact. And for the child's sake alone.
"Parents…"
The woman was back, her face unmoved, her eyes dry. Phoenix and Death shared a glance, knowing that she was removing herself further from her humanity each moment this went on.
She stood by the door, pacing back and forth every now and then. She glanced at her watch, bit her lip, almost reached for the phone. And stopped.
Finally, Logan limped in, his uniform torn and bloodstained, the places where he had been stabbed and shot obvious to Tora's trained eye. She hurried over and let him hug her.
"Logan, you're killing yourself."
"I… Tora, I've done so many bad things, it's time to pay the world back."
"But you're killing yourself! Every day, you go out with the Avenger's and the X-Men and I don't know if you're going to come back! You're working yourself to death!"
"If that's what it takes."
She pulled away, eyes angry.
"Etana never had to work herself to death for everything she did!"
"Yeah, but she was Etana."
"And you're a lot more like her than you care to admit!"
"I. Am. Nothing. Like. Her."
"Why?"
"Because she was basically a selfless person who gave her life to keep others safe!"
"So what do you call what you do?"
"Trying to atone for what I've done wrong!"
"How do you know Etana wasn't doing exactly the same thing?"
Silence. Then Logan shrugged.
"She never talked about her past fully."
"Look, can you stop trying to get rid of the guilt by risking your life? None of us care what you may or may not have done. I don't care. You're not that person anymore!"
Logan shook his head.
"I need to show you something."
"What?"
"Come."
They walked up to their room and Logan pulled out a long, oddly shaped package before unwrapping it and revealing a katana. Tora shuddered.
"That feels…evil."
"It's mine. At least, it was forged with a part of…my soul. Years ago. This was the deal with a demon I told you about."
Tora reached out and Logan snatched her hand back.
"Don't touch it! It can cut through anything, and I mean anything."
Tora's fingers brushed the black sheath. Then she smiled.
"Muramasa?"
"How the…"
"You're not the only one with a sword made by a legendary Japanese swordsmith."
"What?"
Tora dived into a chest and pulled out a similarly shaped package and unwrapped it.
"Muzai. Etana left it to me. Told me it was one part of the puzzle and I needed to find the other. I think I may just have found it."
The wrappings peeled away to reveal a white sheath. The sword was about the same length only the feel was different. Whilst the first sword had a dark, angry presence, this one seemed…soft, calm.
"Who made it? Muramasa?"
"He couldn't make a sword like this. Not one this…pure. No, this is Masamune's work. Odd, isn't it? Muramasa and Masamune were always being compared and now two of their swords lie side by side, waiting to be used."
Logan pulled out the blade, revealing dark grey steel. Grinning, Tora did the same to Muzai, revealing highly-polished metal that glowed and shone, appearing almost pearly-white in the bright light.
"You should name it."
"What?"
"Name the sword."
"Why?"
"It's traditional. I know! Tsumi! Muzai and Tsumi, Innocence and Guilt, a Masamune blade and a Muramasa blade! And guilt is what motivates you, so as a name for a sword that's a part of you, it's perfect!"
"Tsumi?"
"It works."
"You have given this way too much thought."
"Yes, well, you keep going off and Curt spends all his time with Spider-Man or Xixy and 'Ro's spending a lot more time with T'Challa, especially since he proposed and Rogue's got stuff on and Tessa's ignoring everyone and Emma's busy so…I'm bored."
"Kitty?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Muzai and Tsumi. Flagships of the Utopian space fleet. Is it just me, or are X-Men themes rather prevalent in the evacuation of Earth?"
"There was the Steve Rogers if I remember correctly. And the Reed Richards, the Henry Phillip McCoy, the Scott Summers, Charles Xavier, and the Ororo Munroe. I'm sorry, I'm primarily acquainted with the Utopian evacuation fleet. I think the US had a Greer Grant, Anthony Edward Stark, Henry Pym, Janet Van Dyne, Jennifer Walters, and… Did they have a Bruce Banner?"
"I think it was called Hulk."
"Did they have a Skaar?"
"They had a Xixswalmer, which almost caused a war with the K'Meer."