Now...
Hope. Touch. She touched him, over and over, yet.. nothing had come of it. No unwanted memories filtering into her, confusing her, driving her mad. No influx of the heady intoxicating power that came with her touch. There was simply.. nothingness. Just the warmth of another human being passing into her, the feel of skin, its rough callous texture scraping against her own soft flesh.
Aggravation. But that had more to do with her current interrogator...
"Rogue? Rogue! Come on! What happened!" Kitty chirruped, trying to make eye contact with her room mate, only to meet with heavy resistance as she quickly diverted her gaze time and time again. What's wrong with the girl? She just came running in, slamming the door loud enough to wake the dead. And.. what's that weird color on her cheeks?
"G'way!" Rogue scowled. She just wanted to be alone, think some things out before everyone found out there was some one here she could touch. Knowing them, they'll try something to help her figure this out, driving her nuts.
"Oh! My! God!" Kitty cried in shock, "Are you blushing?!?" she looked closer, "Oh god! You ARE blushing! Oh! Oh! I got to tell.. urk!" she winced as Rogue surprised her, grabbing her by the throat, thankfully with gloved hands.
"Sah one ward, an I'll drahn ya!"
---
Ranma had to admit, this place was one of a kind. The kids were unique, a testament to American civilization. He was more use to dealing with conforming teenagers in a largely conformist society, but the kids he met so far were far from that mold. Take the weird Spyke kid he had met. Black, with blond hair. Contrasting differences. That weird girl who kept poking him, black lipstick, brown hair with streaks of white intermingled. Heck, he had thought he was a rebel with his pigtail back in Japan, but here, he was just another diverse citizen seeking their true selves. The concept was weird, but not one he was totally against, either.
Beside ethnic differences, the school was a far cry from his own Furikan High. Where paranoid students often transverse the halls, wary of sudden attacks from wandering martial artist or the loon Macadamia nut of a principal. Here, kids seemed to come and go as they pleased. Absent was any form of fear, just relaxation and good natured getting along. The place was clean too, with polished mahogany floors and various articles of sculpting, painting, and other junk he didn't recognize
"In here, kid." Logan grunted in Japanese, opening a door and motioning for him to enter.
Logan was one strange guy. Ever sense he met him back at the airport, he could swear he felt a sense of.. animalism about him. He knew it well enough, it was almost the feeling he got when he was fighting back the Neko-ken. It was weird.
The red head, uh, what was her name again? Jean? Whatever. She was friendly enough, he supposed. At least she seemed so, what with trying to greet him in his own language.
The black, white haired girl was weird too. Something about her was setting him on edge. She was definitely tense about something.
The room look normal enough. Kinda like a classroom, only with numerous tables set up in a semi circle around a desk. The windows where open, giving clear view of what nature around the school had to offer. Various easels littered the walls, half finished paintings of various schemes resting against their surface. Kinda pretty, he guessed.
Behind the desk was a man, bald as a cue ball with a serious, if kind look about him. Dressed impeccably in a suit, the man lifted his gaze to meet his own, before starting, "Well, glad you could make it, Mr. Saotome."
Ranma stared blankly in return.
"Oh." Xavier chuckled, switching to Japanese, "I'm sorry about that, Mr. Saotome. I said I was glad you could make it."
"Ah." he shrugged, "Thanks." he eyed Jean, then Storm before frowning, "Don't mean to be rude or nothin, but.. uh.. "
"Be at ease." he waved the boys concern off, pushing back from the desk and motioning towards Logan, then Jean, "I'm sure you've already made Logan and Jean's acquaintance. As for Storm." nodding towards the woman in question, "She's also a member of my faculty, and already aware of the circumstances surrounding your visit."
Whoa. This Xavier guy was crippled? Ranma blinked. His mother hadn't said anything about that, least, he didn't remember her saying anything like that. "Eh, so.."
"Yes, to the point." the crippled man began, "As you've suspected, this is a school for mutants. Were children such as yourself are free to grow and learn with no fear of persecution from those within. Some even with powers so severe they have become a danger to others, to their families. But here, they are given the chance to interact with kids their own age, and relate to people who share their problems as well." he sighed, rolling up to a window before continuing, "Here we try to teach them to control their power, to teach them that despite the changes they have gone through, their lives are indeed, far from over. You're recent battle with Magneto, as I'm sure you aware, has prompted your mother into sending you here to live with us."
"Mom's just freaked out." Ranma sighed. Bucket head was tough, but he was damn sure if that dork attacked again he'd win anyway. Really. Did his mom have to send him all the way out here to protect him? "I ain't scared of that bucket head dork."
A moment of silenced past, none of the adults speaking as Ranma stood there, staring at the crippled guy, before Xavier spoke up again, "I'm afraid Magneto may have other plans then your destruction." he sighed, before continuing, "I had hoped to ease you into this revelation, but with short amount of time your mother can run interference in Japan, and Magneto’s guaranteed counter attack, It would be better if you were aware of the truth."
"That is?" What was this guy getting at?
"You're a mutant."
Ranma blinked. "Eh.. yer kiddin, right?"
Neither Logan, Jean, or Storm seemed surprised by this. Logan and Jean due to the incident involving Rogue, Storm because it would make sense, Mystique being his mother. There was always the possibility he wasn't, sense the mutant gene tended to migrate from the fathers side of the family, but it was still possible.
"It doesn't surprise me you haven't realized it. In fact, your mutation has been latent for the most part. Only recently had it actually activated." the Xavier continued.
Ranma rolled his eyes. Whatever. Was he a mutant? Did it even matter at this point? His mother was being the figuratively bulls eye for Magento when and if he ever came back. His life was filled with the bizarre, from Perverted Oni's, Ghost Cats, half dragons, the occasional Youma fleeing Juuban for fear of annihilation. Hell, from what he knew of mutants, he'd had been painted one years ago. Along with every stupid martial artist in Nerima! "So, I'm a mutant. Rawr. I don't care." He was just a tad bit apathetic to weird shit suddenly springing up in his life.
"I see." Xavier had to suppress a smile at that. Just touching the boys mind with Cerebro earlier left him with a sense of the wonder. The boy had seen so many strange things he had become quite desensitized to such things, and more readily able to believe the bizarre then any other person he knew of, and that included mutants for the most part. "That makes things easier." swiveling from the window, "There's something I would like to show you."
---
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(Posted Fri, 20 Aug 2004 06:24)
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