Edited: 3/5/16

Chapter 25 – I See You

"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light." Norman B. Rice

Wizarding World – Diagon Alley

Cornelius Fudge settled his bowler's hat on his head and gave himself a once over in the mirror. The image reflected there gave him a roguish smile. "Looking splendid as always, Minister." Giving his tie a final adjustment, the Minister of Magic disapperated. He appeared a second later standing behind the podium that had been set up in front of Gringotts Bank.

The waiting crowd clapped politely at his arrival. Fudge fought the urge to straighten his tie again before he gave the gathered witches and wizards his best smile.

"As the Minister of Magic, it is my duty to inform the magical public that the matter of the escaped convict known as Sirius Black has been resolved. After a lengthy six month investigation by Aurors with the aid of Dementors, we have concluded that Black never made it to shore after his escape. He perished in the sea."

"Did you find his body?" A man's voice shouted from the depths of the crowd. Color darkened Fudge's cheeks at the interruption.

"No. His body hasn't been located. We believe it's been consumed by sea life. However, we've searched extensively for the convict and found no sign of him. There have been no sightings and the Dementors have not located a trace of the man on shore. A Death Eater the likes of Black would have made his presence known by now." Fudge concluded, puffing his chest out.

"How'd he escape?" Came another shout.

"At this time, I'm not at liberty to divulge that information. Rest assured, the matter has been resolved and the weakness in Azkaban corrected."

"Humph, that means they don't know their tea kettle from their cauldron." Augusta Longbottom's voice cawed over the other voices easily, much like the cry of a vulture. Fudge looked like he'd bitten into a flubber worm, but wisely didn't dispute the elderly matron. Even now, her tongue was known to draw blood when riled. It didn't help that she had the ear of most of high society. No one liked the old bat, but none could deny her political pull either. The last thing he needed was for her to begin a whisper campaign against him.

Clearing his throat, he continued. "Right, well as of today we will be returning the Dementors to Azkaban. The case of Sirius Black is now closed. Thank you." A cheer went up at the declaration, more for the fact that the foul beasts would no longer be roaming about than belief in Black's demise. After all, how could a bit of water defeat You-Know-Who's right hand man? Still, they were willing to go along with it. The story had grown stale in the months since the escape without any new information and the public had lost interest.

His feet moved silently over the rough wooden planks that made up the cabin's floor. No squeak betrayed him as he passed down the hall. Tiny drops of blood trailed behind him, marking the macabre path he took. Slowly, he pushed open the white painted door. Tiny bunnies had been stenciled on the wood along with a word. Maddie.

No, dear God, please don't make me do this. The thought screamed through his mind, but didn't seem to touch his body. Each breath came smooth and slow as his heart throbbed indifferently in his narrow chest. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop himself from walking into the tiny nursery. All around him he could see the love of parents who would never see another dawn. The walls, like the door were painted white, but each wall also had a hand painted mural of different forest scenes. A doe and her fawn drank from a tranquil pond, a trio of rabbits frolicked with a squirrel, a fox mother and her kits nosed around a flowering bush.

His eyes swept past this coldly, ignoring the objects in the room in favor of the small white crib. Again his mind cried out, tears burned in his thoughts but didn't blind his sight. Without as sound, he stalked forward. Blood, the life blood of sweet little Maddie's family, dripped off the tip of his dagger, desecrating the tiny pink bear cuddled next to the sleeping baby.

"No!" He screamed as the knife plunged down into the tiny chest, stilling the delicate heart and ending a life before it had a chance to begin.

Tears slid down his wrinkled cheeks and his heart seemed to leap in his chest as Charles woke from the nightmare. His skin crawled, every inch felt stained in the blood of innocents. Gritting his teeth, he forced his sweat soaked body to relax back into the mattress. He knew from experience that clawing at his flesh wouldn't help.

IX had been alive for a few short years, but in that time he'd accumulated enough horrific memories to ensure Xavier never had another good night's sleep. He took a long deep breath and pushed the memories aside, letting them fade back into obscurity. When he was awake, the things he'd seen and experienced in IX's mind could be guarded against. But when he slept, they haunted him.

After wiping away the sweat and tears his mind turned once more to his charge, as it often did when he woke in the middle of the night. Xavier reached out and touched IX's thoughts. Instead of finding a sleeping mind, he found the raven-haired youth awake and working on an assignment for his class. A glance at the clock showed it to be a little after one in the morning, and he knew that particular assignment was due today. He clucked his tongue, knowing that IX had finished the work two days ago.

The last four months hadn't gone as well as Xavier would have liked. He'd known the students would resist the assassins integration into their midst, but he hadn't anticipated the level of hostility they showed. Though, he had to admit, some of their pranks were quite imaginative, he still found himself disappointed in their cruelty.

Again his mind reached out to feather through IX's. It was like sinking into a pool of calm, and that made him cringe. It was the same feeling he had in his nightmares. That endless tranquility filled the assassin no matter what the situation was. He felt the same way when he killed as he did when the students tormented him. Then again, even as harsh as they treated IX, it was nothing compared to what he'd come from.

The amount of pain and suffering IX received at the hands of the students over the last four months wasn't a match for a single hour in the Doctor's lair.

Indecision pushed at his thoughts, as it did every night. IX was the problem, but Xavier couldn't find the solution. He could lecture the students and teachers, demand they behave themselves and accept IX, but if he did that, it would simply weaken IX's position in their ranks. They would see it as IX having to hide behind him and seek his protection. On top of that, IX had never come to him for aid. No matter what happened, IX never reached out to him. Xavier was reluctant to act without IX coming to him first. For now, the assassin wasn't overly bothered by the students' behavior. It was better for him to work it out with them himself, than to have the adults try and force it.

Perhaps I should allow IX the use of his power? No, he dismissed the thought, remembering the feel of blood on his skin. IX was too dangerous. He didn't understand the meaning of a warning. If he used his powers against the students, it would be to kill.

Rubbing his temples, Xavier closed his eyes and like every night before, he chose to do nothing.

Logan sat on the edge of the bed, his elbows on his knees as his fingers gripped his hair. Every breath was a ragged pant. Sweat beaded on his skin, sliding in tiny rivers down his naked back. All of his focus was drawn inward, focused on containing the raging monster inside of him.

Things hadn't been so bad when IX was locked up, but after he'd been thrown to the wolves, it became almost impossible remain in control. Bad enough he was forced to see IX, to be tormented by his delicious scent, but what the students were doing made things a thousand times worse. The rage had become like a second heartbeat in his chest, one that throbbed for blood instead of pumping it through his body.

"I won't let you escape," he hissed between clenched teeth as a drop of sweat fell from his chin. Everything that was X demanded he defend and protect the tiny assassin, but Logan refused to do so. The past four months were nothing short of hell as he fought against the demon in his mind. Why wasn't Xavier doing something? He couldn't even confront the bald bastard, because his anger only fueled X. At this point, he'd taken to avoiding the rest of the inhabitants of the school entirely to keep in control.

The one time he'd smelled IX's blood, he'd almost lost control. It was the only time he'd reached out to Xavier, and together they'd put their mental shoulders against the door of nightmares to keep the monster caged.

He couldn't even eat in the dining room anymore because every time he saw the little bastards deprive X's mate of food, the renegade weapon in his skull was thrown into a killing rage. Logan knew he was all that stood between the students and a bloody death.

A low growl trickled through his lips like venom, unnoticed by Logan.

At first, he hadn't believed the Professor about the whole multiple personality bullshit, but as weeks wore into exhausting months, he found himself starting to believe. Even when he slept, Logan found himself bone weary. Staying in control was becoming more difficult by the day, and the depths of his mind whispered sweet promises of relief to his drained mind.

No. I will…not…yield.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Scott's voice slashed over the early morning sounds of the forest like the crack of a bull whip. IX didn't jump like he'd expected the teen to do. Instead, he turned his head enough to give Scott a bland look. His hands were painted red with squirrel blood from the half skinned corpse he held. The sight made Scott's guts churn as he remembered one of the classic signs of a serial killer was mutilating small animals in childhood. Then again, he's already killed his fair share of people, he thought. But still, those were orders. What if IX had gotten a taste for killing and couldn't stop? He fought down the shiver the thought inspired.

"Well? Can't you handle not killing something for a few months? How long has this been going on?" Scott demanded, waving his hand at the tiny body IX still hadn't dropped.

Tilting his head slightly, IX studied him with those frighteningly dead eyes of his. "I am hungry." Three simple words jerked Scott up short. I am hungry. Bile burned the back of his throat as he really looked at the teen. His face was thinner, the cheek bones sharper than when he'd been released. Now that he was looking, he saw the small fire pit behind IX, and the sharpened stick beside it, ready to spit the prepared body. When he'd first spotted IX, all he'd seen was the blood, the small knife being used to skin the animal. He hadn't taken in the rest of the picture.

Unbidden, memories began to assault him. Student after student maiming IX's food, ruining it before the small teen had a chance to eat. All the teachers had seen the behavior, but like him, he doubted they realized how far it had gotten. He hadn't realized that they weren't letting IX eat at all. That things had gotten so bad he'd been forced to find alternative food sources. Guilt gnawed at his insides, but he refused to show it.

Scott scowled at IX, who stood waiting for punishment. Without a word, the elder mutant turned and stalked away, leaving IX alone with his kill.

That night, once the students were all seated and about to eat, Scott stood. He waited until silence fell over the dining hall. One of the students who'd been creeping towards IX froze, not wanting to draw attention to himself or the jar of homemade purple slime he had tucked under his shirt.

"Students, it's been brought to my attention that IX is being deprived of food daily. This is not acceptable due to the fact that he's turned to eating squirrels to make up for not being able to eat here." A sneer curled his lips. "In an effort to save the local wildlife, IX's food is now off limits for your pranks. Any student caught ruining IX's food from this point forward will receive a month of bathroom duty." Scott sat down and began eating, ignoring the heated glares directed toward him from the students, and the curious ones shot at him by the other teachers.

Whispers broke out around the room like fall leaves rustling in a sharp wind.

Eeww, how gross, he eats squirrels?

Monster.

I can't believe he'd kill the poor little animals.

Ha! Squirrel pie anyone?

Disgusting.

IX let the words wash over him apathetically. The taunting remarks were no different than the ones the caged mutants used to shout at him while he managed them. Ignoring the students, he pulled his tray a little closer. Over the months, he'd learned to keep some distance between him and the food to keep from being in the line of fire of whatever prank the students wanted to play on him next. It felt strange to pick his fork up and take a bite of food without anything happening to him, uncomfortable even. With quick precise bites, he ate, finishing well before anyone else.

The food tasted better than the unseasoned meat he'd been eating in the forest, but it still sat like a lump of lead in his gut. IX was tense, even though his face didn't show it, waiting for an attack that didn't come. Not wanting to push his luck, and feeling the endless eyes staring daggers at him, he left the dining room.

When the door closed, he felt someone behind him an instant before icy liquid poured over his head. "Don't forget to drink your milk, IX," Pietro hissed in his ear before disappearing. Without bothering to look and see where the speedy mutant went, IX pulled his shirt off to mop up the spilled liquid so he wouldn't get into trouble for the mess.

The door whispered open as he swabbed up the last of the white liquid.

"Squirrels, I mean gah! Sure, I could see, like, rabbits maybe. Or a duck. You know, game type stuff, but who eats squirrels?" Jubilee demanded. Before she could answer, Kitty frozen, staring at IX's still form. Something unpleasant jumped in her stomach when she saw the sharp curve of IX's ribs and the small ridges of his spine. His hair was soaked, small white drops slid down his cheeks like mock tears as he stared at them.

May I eat? Nope. Nope, nope, nope. That word resounded in Kitty's mind as the memory of not letting him eat flooded her mind. Her face burned with shame at the memory as she stared at the way his skin stretched over his bones. Who eats squirrels? People who have nothing else to eat.

Jubilee grabbed her arm and pulled her around the kneeling teen. "Come on, we've still gotta get our homework done," she said, refusing to look at IX.

Kitty nodded, almost choking on the apology that wanted to escape. She let the other girl pull her away and forced herself to turn her back on IX. Maybe they'd taken the food thing a little too far, but he'd stabbed Siryn. Kitty remembered the blood on her hands when she'd tried so desperately to keep her friend from bleeding to death. What was a few missed meals to that? Nothing. He deserved everything we do to him, Kitty thought, refusing to acknowledge the way her stomach twisted as she resisted the urge to look back.

In the halls between classes, the other students often attacked or pranked him, but it was also one of the few areas where they forgot about him if they didn't have something planned. In classes and the dining hall, they were always hyper-aware of his presence. Much of the fear had dissipated in the months since he was forced into their company, but it never left them completely. It was only in the halls while they focused on getting to class before the bell that they forgot to hate and fear him. He was just another body moving in the herd.

Even though the students forgot about him, he never forgot them. An attack could come from anyone at any moment, so IX never allowed his guard to falter. While he couldn't defend himself, IX refused to be taken by surprise by their foolishness.

A sharp cry of fear broke through the normal babble of students, and IX thought a prank meant for him missed its mark. Then he spotted the girl as she began to fall down the stairs. He was closest, and in a few short strides, IX positioned himself to catch her. She crashed into his chest, and IX wrapped his arms around her to keep them both steady.

In the past four months, Alice had gotten used to the prosthetic leg. While it never worked as well as her original, and it took more energy to use, she'd finally mastered it. Except when it came to stairs. They still gave her trouble now and then. The major problem was the simple fact that she had no feeling in the limb, so it was horribly easy to catch her toe on a stair and not know it until it was too late. Her eyes clenched shut as she fell, unable to catch ahold of the banister like she usually did.

The expected pain never came. Instead, she hit something semi-soft, and to her surprise, strong arms slid around her, helping her regain her balance. Turning her head, she smiled and forced her eyes open. "Than-eeeeek!" Her thanks twisted into a scream in her throat when her crystal blue eyes locked on chipped jade. Suddenly the arms around her weren't a comfort. They were a nightmare. Any second the cold darkness would embrace them and he'd take her back to the madman.

"NO, NO, NO!" her wild shrieks rang up and down the staircase as she fought his now crushing grip.

IX gritted his teeth and tightened his hold on the hysterical girl. "Be still girl, I am not hurting you," he said, but the words were lost beneath her terrified screams. It would have been simple enough to just let the flailing girl go, but he knew she'd do herself harm in the state she was in. They were near the top of the stairs, and if he released her now, she'd fall.

The students around them were frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening. All they saw was IX holding her, and her screaming like she was dying. But they had the same problem as IX. The space was too narrow to attack for fear of harming her.

"Let her go," Pyro stood at the top of the stairs, a basketball sized fireball hovering above one hand. IX locked eyes with the fire wielder.

"She will fall."

He felt someone move behind him, and pain shot through him where a large fist connected with his kidney. Stumbling, he lost his grip. Alice fell forward, and began crawling up the stairs. Each breath accompanied by the shrill scream of no. A large hand shoved IX aside, nearly sending him head over heels down the stairs. His hand shot out to catch the railing while Peter shot past him and scooped the frightened girl up into his arms.

Taking advantage of the massive teen between him and Pyro, IX slipped down the stairs, dodging the angry fists and feet of the other students who didn't quite dare use more flashy powers while they were packed together in such a small space.

Peter desperately wanted to put Alice down and go beat the shit out of IX for what he'd done. The tiny girl clung to his chest, trembling so hard he thought she would shatter. The screams had died down to tormented whimpers that hardly sounded human.

Shouldering open a door to one of the out of the way sitting rooms, he sat down on a soft leather couch and cuddled the terrified girl. "Shhh, it's all right. Did he hurt you?" Peter stroked her hair gently, his hand so large he could palm her skull. Wide eyes looked up at his face, the pupils so large that her liquid blue irises were a tiny ribbon of color around the pits of blackness. Hell stared up at him from the darkness of her eyes.

"H-hurt me?" a choked laugh escaped her. "He's the one who caught me. Brought me to those butchers. God, he…he's the one who stopped me from escaping, always drug me back to the d-doctor." Her eyes clenched shut and she buried her face in his chest before the dam broke inside her.

In all the months she'd been there, she hadn't spoken a word about what happened to her. She hadn't shared how she'd been going to a friend's house when IX appeared out of the darkness like some sort of demon and took her away from everything she'd known and loved. She never spoke about the terror of the cages, the never ending fear as mutant after mutant was killed before her eyes. Not once had she told the story of how she lost her leg, or the part IX played in it.

But now that the words had begun, she found she couldn't stop them. Alice spilled her life out as tears fell like rain down her pale cheeks.

Her words were like tiny blades. Every one cut into Peter's heart. The other two who'd come with Alice were willing to talk about their experiences, but Alice made him live them with her. He suffered alongside her as she laid her soul bare to him. Every word added to his growing rage. There was nothing to be done about the doctor, but IX was here, and he could answer for what he'd done to break such a gentle spirit.

With careful finger tips, he wiped her tears away. "Come on, little one, you'll never become strong again if you don't face IX." She blanched at his words, shaking her head so hard that the corn silk of her hair slapped his face. "Shhh, listen, you won't be along. Okay? I'll be there, and we can get the others too. You'll be safe. But you need to do this."

Alice's heart pounded wildly in her chest, and she couldn't swallow around the fear lodged in her throat like a bite of poisoned apple. Why was he doing this? It was insanity, but she could see the calm determination in his face, and knew he wouldn't budge. Something, a tiny little flutter deep inside her, flickered. As much as she wanted to refuse, she understood that if she didn't take this step, she would never be able to heal. The rest of her life would be like this, full of pain and fear, even when no one was hurting her. If she couldn't face IX, couldn't handle even looking at him, how could she move past what had been done to her?

"O-okay," she whispered. The brilliant smile that lit his face made a tiny answering smile echo on her own lips.

IX stood in the shade under his tree. Perhaps it would have been better to return to his room, but he knew that would make things worse. No, the students wouldn't let what passed on the stairs go without retaliation, so he chose to meet them here, where they wouldn't damage the mansion with their indignant fury.

Sunlight filtered through the green leaves, causing dappled shadows to dance across his empty face. Dull pain throbbed where Peter hit him, and he knew if he bothered to look a bruise would already be forming. IX took another deep breath of the clean air as the group approached, led by Adelaide. Her dark serpent tongue flicked out, tasting his scent on the wind. Peter followed in her wake, with Alice tucked next to him, half hidden by his massive size. She looked like a dwarf being escorted by a football player. She was one of the few who were shorter than IX by a couple of inches. Peter towered over them both by nearly two feet. Around them, other students flocked. No one wanted to miss the upcoming fight.

Pietro gave IX a dark smirk, silently taunting him with his eyes as he stood alone facing them all.

Peter ran his large hand over Alice's back, gently nudging her forward. She stared at IX with wide, terror stricken eyes, as if he was a rabid wolf, and not a boy almost as short as her. "Go on," Peter whispered, encouragement shining in his eyes.

Swallowing hard, Alice stepped forward, standing at the front of the pack as she faced the man who'd ruined her life. "Y-you…" her voice cracked on the word, and she blushed, hating how afraid she was. Nothing would happen to her, Peter promised. IX couldn't hurt her here, not any more. The place where her leg once was itched madly, but she refused to try and scratch it.

She forced herself to begin again. "You took me away from my home." The words were soft, husky with pain and fear, but steady. Alice could do this. "You helped those people hurt me. I…" Now she faltered, not sure what to say. Then her head lifted, and for the first time since she saw him unconscious in the medical wing, she looked him full in the face. "I want you to apologize for what you've done. To me, and to everyone else you helped destroy."

IX studied the girl for a second, his features expressionless in the face of her passionate words.

"No."

Her face crumbles a bit. "Why?"

"Because I do not feel regret for what I've done."

Pietro flinched at the words, and almost spoke up, recognizing that whatever happened next was his fault. You are correct. I do not feel regret. I feel nothing. IX's words haunted his thoughts, and he shifted, indecision making his stomach clench.

Rage twisted Peter's features into a mask and in one massive step he was past Alice. His large hand shot out and caught IX by the arm. He shook the small teen viciously. "You. Will. Apologize." He snarled, every word punctuated by another savage shake. On the last syllable, a dull snap broke him from his rage filled trance as both bones in IX's forearm broke, forcing the limb to bend unnaturally in his crushing grip.

Everyone froze, stunned. Instantly, Peter let IX go, guilt replacing the anger on his face.

IX didn't scream. He pulled his arm back, cradling it against his chest as he gave the gathered mob a calculating look. Then his pose changed. Green eyes widened slightly, his shoulders hunched a bit and in a second he went from looking like the impossibly calm and emotionless monster, to a frightened hurt child.

The gathered students seemed to flinch in unison at the look. It was the first time IX had used it against them, and the only reason he did now was because Peter didn't understand his own strength. The small assassin had avoided direct confrontations with the youth known as Colossus due to this fault. Without being able to heal the damage instantly, he knew that Peter could kill him by mistake.

Doubt and guilt tore into the students as they stared at the now pitiful looking IX before a scoff jerked their heads around.

"Don't play pitiful me, IX. I've ssseen the sshow before and I know how it ends," Adelaide said, her slit amber eyes gleamed as she stared at him as if he were a mouse with a broken back. Turning her attention on the rest, she continued. "There wass a mutant who escaped once from hiss cage. He wass quite large, like you Peter, and IX wass there. He feigned being frightened, made the mutant think him cowed, before he struck. Killing the mutant with one blow. Isssn't that right?" Again her cold eyes locked on IX.

Without a word, IX straightened, though he kept his broken arm braised against his chest. The frightened child look vanished as if it had never been. Once more his face was coldly blank, not even showing pain.

An inarticulate sound of rage escaped Peter as fury instantly replaced the guilt he'd been feeling. The anger seemed to double for having almost been tricked into backing down. With a snarl that would make Logan proud, he lunged for IX again.

"No!" Kitty shouted as she dove forward. Her fingers wrapped around IX's ankle a second before Peter would have crashed into him, sending the much larger teen flying through the now untouchable assassin. Pain exploded in Peter's head as he slammed face first into the tree behind IX.

Wiping blood from his streaming nose, Peter turned and glared at Kitty. While he was recovering, the small girl had scrambled up to her feet and to the shock of all there, she'd pulled him behind her and now stood between him and the rest of them.

"What the fuck, Kitty?" Peter hissed, rage flashing in his normally calm blue eyes. He took a step towards her, but Kitty reached behind her and gripped IX's uninjured arm. "Why are you protecting that monster?"

Kitty stood tall, jutting her chin out as she glared up at the ridiculously tall mutant. "Why Peter? Why? Are you crazy? You just broke his arm!"

Shame tried to break past the anger, but couldn't quite make it. "So what? He deserved it, you know he does. You're one of the ones who punish him the most." He threw back in her face. Heat burned Kitty's cheeks, but the brittle almost dull sound of bone breaking still rang in her mind. Yes, she'd done a lot of things over the past few months that she wasn't very proud of, but nothing like that. All her pranks had been annoying, or got him detention, but she'd never done anything to physically hurt IX.

After Scott told them about the squirrels, Kitty had been thinking a lot, and she wasn't happy with the person she'd become. IX did some pretty awful things, Kitty was the first to admit that, but did that make what they'd done in return better? No, she knew it didn't. Two wrongs never made a right, no matter how often John would say that three lefts did. Tormenting IX wouldn't change the past, and Kitty couldn't stand by and watch any more. She just couldn't.

"Yes, I was mean to him. But has that made anything better? No. It hasn't. You just broke his arm." Now Kitty turned to Alice. "Do you feel better? Maybe we should cut his leg off too. If we did that, would you be happy?" It was cruel, she knew it as the words left her mouth. Kitty wanted to call them back when Alice cringed away from her, her face reflecting the remembered agony of her own loss. Without a word, Alice turned and ran as best she could before she could break down again.

"Way to punish the real victim here," Peter said as he stalked past her and IX to follow Alice. The rest of the group had already broken apart, drifting away like early morning fog to avoid dealing with the truth of Kitty's words.

Tears welled up in Kitty's eyes as she watched them leave.

IX stood silently behind her, unable to understand why she'd defended him. Her hand still held on to his undamaged arm, forcing him to let the broken one fall so the bones would stop grinding together without the support of his free hand.

Scrubbing the tears off her cheeks, Kitty turned and gave IX a watery smile. "Well, that could have gone better. We should probably go to Hank's office so he can patch you up."

"No." He said before twisting his wrist, forcing her to release him.

Kitty put her hands on her hips and scowled at him. "What do you mean, no? You can't just walk around with your arm flopping all over the place. You have to get a cast or something."

Turning away from her, IX walked a little deeper into the forest, scanning the ground for a pair of sticks that would work. "I don't need a cast. The bones will heal quickly. A cast would get in the way." Kitty shook her head, but trotted after him none the less. It took a little while, but he found two sticks that were straight and long enough to work.

"So what are you doing?" Kitty asked. He turned and gave her a blank look.

"Go back to your friends." The words made her cringe a little before she forced a grin.

"Nope. What are you doing?"

IX stared at her, wondering what prank she was planning now. "I am splinting my arm so the bones will mend easier," he admitted.

"Let me help," she smiled brightly at him, refusing to back down.

Tilting his head slightly, IX pulled the small knife out of his pocket. She cringed, fear flickering in the back of her eyes but she refused to react. The Professor said he couldn't hurt them, and if he hadn't killed anyone over the last four months and buried them in the forest, he wasn't likely to start now. Not when she was trying to help him.

He flipped the knife, and held it out to her hilt first. "Cut off a strip of cloth from the bottom of my shirt."

Her heart beat franticly in her chest as she reached out and took the weapon. Even though she felt bad about everything that happened, being near him alone in the forest was terrifying. Kitty couldn't forget the sight of him driving his makeshift knife into Siryn's chest. Still, she promised to help, and she wouldn't back down just because he was scary.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and pulled his shirt up a little so she could cut the cloth. A shiver ran through her as her fingers brushed the skin of his stomach. The whole thing felt weirdly intimate and Kitty felt heat fill her cheeks.

Something brushed the side of her face, and she squeaked. The knife slipped and poked his stomach, cutting the skin a bit. "Oh my Gosh! I'm so sorry, are you all right?" She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

IX blinked at her, their eyes almost level, though she was a bit taller. A small line of blood dripped from the wound, but it hadn't hurt much. Instead he stared at her, his fingers hovering over the cheek he'd just touched.

"Why do you turn red like that?" It was something that he'd observed often, mostly in the females, though he could not discern what caused the strange reaction.

Kitty's eyes widened in shock, and the blush returned full force. She sputtered. "I, er, well. Uh, nothing!" IX studied the curious reaction, again he touched her cheek and she jerked her head away from his fingertips. "Stop that."

IX let his hand drop while she returned to maiming his shirt. I will need to speak with Mr. Summers about getting more clothes, IX thought, though he knew the teacher would be irritated by the request. It would be the third time he'd needed new clothes due to his old ones being destroyed by the students' pranks.

"Kay, got it." She held up the strip for his inspection.

"Cut it into three pieces of equal length."

Kitty did as he asked while he pulled up the sleeve of his broken arm. When she was finished, Kitty glanced up and felt her stomach drop. His arm had a sharp bend in the middle of his forearm, and she could already see the flesh beginning to swell.

Swallowing back the urge to throw up, Kitty said, "Are you sure you don't wanna go to Hank? I mean I'm sure he could give you some pain meds first." Her voice turned into a sharp squeak when he grabbed his wrist and pulled. "IX! Don't do that," she cried out, but as she watched, the bend disappeared. He forced the fractured bones back into alignment without showing any sign of discomfort.

"Holy Cannoli, doesn't that hurt?" She demanded. His face looked like it always did, and he wasn't even shaking.

The look he gave her was eloquent. "Yes. Grab the sticks."

Kitty grabbed the sticks and positioned them where he indicated, all the while thinking about his answer. Even though she'd never hurt him, she'd watched the others do so. He never seemed to react to the pain, and truthfully, Kitty hadn't thought he could feel it. No one would be so emotionless if they actually felt it, could they? Now she realized how wrong she'd been.

IX held the sticks, and kept the pressure on his arm to hold the bones on traction while Kitty tied them to his arm. "Tighter." She cringed, but did as he asked, tightening the bits of cloth so that the bones wouldn't be able to shift out of place before they'd healed.

Once she was finished, IX tugged the sleeve down, concealing the sticks effortlessly. Another lance of guilt stabbed her heart. How many times had he been badly hurt and covered it up like this? Could he have splinted the arm himself, without her help?

"Why do you let them hurt you?" She couldn't help but ask, completely forgetting that this morning she could have been classified as one of 'them'.

IX flexed the fingers in his broken arm, satisfied that the bones were set. He could feel the low warmth in the limb, and knew his power was already at work. By tomorrow, they would be fully mended.

"I am not permitted to harm the students," he answered. Turning away from the puzzle that was Kitty, he started to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" Kitty chased after him before falling in step next to him. "I know you can't hurt people, but don't you know how to fight? Couldn't you just, I don't know, block their punches?"

"No. My training was extensive. I would not be able to defend without attacking. I was trained until my body was able to react faster than thought. The risk of harming a student is too great."

Kitty digested that bit of information. "How come you haven't told the Professor? He'd help you."

IX stopped and gave Kitty a long empty look that made her squirm. "What?" She demanded.

"The Professor is one of the most powerful telepathic mutants I've ever seen. Do you believe anything happens in this school without his knowledge?"

That threw her for a loop. Sure, she knew Xavier was powerful, and that he was a telepath, but still. If he knew what was going on, why didn't he stop it? "That doesn't seem right. He should have helped you." Her naivety confused IX. She was a mutant, and here, certainly she wasn't as blindly innocent as she appeared?

"Charles Xavier is a man who sees himself as good. However, he is angry that I attacked his school and those under his protection. Because he feels he is a good man, he cannot simply torture me for a day and satisfy that anger. Instead, he allows the students and staff to punish me in their own way. This way, I am punished for my deeds, and he can pretend his hands are clean in the matter," IX said. His quiet monotone made Kitty want to hit him.

"What's wrong with you? How can you just accept that? It's so messed up. Wait, do you mean you'd rather he tortured you?" She was stunned by what he was saying. Xavier wouldn't really use them to punish IX, would he?

"It would have simplified things. If I had been whipped in front of the students, their anger would be satisfied and they would have moved on. They wouldn't feel the need to bother me if they thought I'd been properly punished from the start."

His logic was as flawless as it was twisted. Kitty tried to think about how she would have reacted if he had been whipped. It would have made her sick to watch, she knew that. "You're wrong. I would have hated to see anyone treated like that."

"But you were content to watch the other students hurt me. Why is this different?"

Kitty bit her lip. "It's just, well, the adults are supposed to protect us. If they went around whipping you, then they could do that to any of us."

IX shrugged. "Indeed. Pain is a good teacher." That made her scowl at him.

"No it's not."

"It is. If I told you to memorize a lesson and you knew you would get five lashes if you failed to do so, instead of extra homework, you would do it."

"That's crazy. You know that right?" Kitty demanded, unable to believe what he was saying. It was the most she'd ever heard IX speak, and she couldn't believe half of what was coming out of his mouth. No wonder he wasn't bothered by what the students were doing to him if he thought whipping people was a reasonable punishment.

"It's expedient."

"Expedient," she said in a deadpan voice that almost mimicked his. "Right. Well, I say you've been punished enough and I'm not going to let them hurt you anymore."

Again, he stopped to stare at her. Kitty was starting to hate those long looks. His eyes were so cold and dead that it made her skin crawl when he did it. Most of the time, she had a good idea of what people were thinking, but IX was a blank wall. "No. It is not your responsibility to protect me. The students may turn on you in their anger and harm you."

Kitty huffed at him. "So what? No one else is going to stand up to them, so someone has to do it. And unlike you, I don't have to play nicey nice with them." Then her lips split into a wide grin. "Anyway, you're my friend now, so I can't just let you face them alone."

"Friend? We are not friends," IX said, unable to comprehend how she'd come to that conclusion.

"Yep. I've decided to be your friend," she said with a finality that a more socially experienced person would have been able to pick up on.

"We cannot be friends."

"Yes we can."

"I stabbed that girl whom you claim as your friend. She is the reason you punished me. How can you claim me friend and her as well? That is a conflict of interests."

Kitty scowled at him, irritated that he'd bring Siryn into this. "Her name is Theresa, though she prefers to be called Siryn, not 'that girl'. She's my roommate, and yes, we're very good friends. But, that doesn't mean I can't be your friend too. You should apologize to her for stabbing her though."

The apologizing ritual again, IX didn't understand it. He was attacked for apologizing, and attacked for not apologizing. It seemed like a maze with no exit to him. "The," he paused, trying to recall the boy's name and not the number he'd been given at the facility. Names had very little meaning to him, and he hadn't bothered to learn the students' names in the time he'd been here. "The male mutant whose power is speed-"

Again Kitty made that little aggravated sound in the back of her throat. "Pietro."

"Pietro," he repeated. "Informed me that one should never apologize for something they do not feel regret for."

Wide hazel eyes glared at him, anger flaring in their depths. "What do you mean, you don't regret stabbing Siryn," she demanded, her hands clenching. Even though she didn't want to be his enemy any more, he drove her crazy and made her want to prank his pants off sometimes.

Indifferent green eyes studied her face, memorizing the expression of anger on her features. "My emotions were stripped from me during the training process. I feel nothing."

Kitty gaped at him. "What the Hello Kitty kind of training is that?"

He blinked at her, uncertain what felines had to do with the conversation before deciding it was best to ignore the peculiar reference. "I was created to be a living weapon. Emotion would have made me less effective." Kitty shuddered at the admission. Reaching out, she touched his uninjured arm lightly. He gave her hand a puzzled glance, but didn't protest.

"IX, you know they didn't…create…you right?" She stumbled over the word, feeling disgusted by it. "You were born, and had a life before they took you. You were your own person once. IX, you aren't like a robot or something. They didn't build you in a lab. Don't you remember who you were before they kidnapped you?"

IX shook his head, and started walking, letting her gentle hand fall away from him. "I have no memories of life prior to waking in the lab."

"So, what, you grew up there?" That thought was horrifying. Kitty couldn't imagine a little baby being trapped with those monsters. Was it any wonder he turned out the way he was?

"No. I do not remember being a child." The words were spoken quietly, without inflection, just like everything he said, but it made Kitty want to cry for him. What would it be like to have no memory of being a child? There was such wonder in childhood, even if it wasn't perfect, that couldn't quite be felt as a grownup. Even though she wasn't quite an adult yet, Kitty still felt the innocent wonder of childhood had faded. At least she still had her memories of the magic and mysteries life held when she was small.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. IX gave her a curious glance and watched silently as a tear slid down her cheek. He had no idea why she was apologizing to him, or crying. This was the first true conversation he'd had with one of the students, and instead of making them easier to understand, he found himself tangled in an even more complex web of confusion.

Not knowing what else to do, he said, "I accept your apology." A small giggle escaped Kitty at the formal words. Most people would have said it wasn't her fault or simply waived it away.

IX studied her small smile, while more tears fell down her plump cheeks. He was beginning to think the girl was emotionally unstable. That would explain her irrational behavior in attempting to befriend him.

Kitty reached out and gently tugged him to a stop. "So, friends?" She asked once he was looking at her again with that hollow gaze. Now that she knew a bit more about him, his empty face and eyes made sense, even if they still creeped her out.

"I do not know how to be a friend."

She pouted at him. "Don't you have any friends? What about Logan, I thought you guys used to be friends."

IX shook his head. "I was X's handler. He took orders from me and I controlled him. We were not friends."

"Well, were you friends with anyone else?"

"No. I was not close to the other mutants on my team. If any of them went rogue, it was my duty to destroy them."

"Destroy them?" she squeaked.

"Yes."

"Uh, I can see how that might get in the way of friendship."

IX glanced at the setting sun. "It is almost time to eat," he said, turning to head back to the mansion and leaving her to follow or not. Kitty ran after him.

"I don't care if you don't know how to be my friend, I'll teach you," she chirped. A headache was starting to form behind his eyes, and IX wondered what he'd gotten himself into.

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