not exactly the intended homecoming
He ran onwards keeping to the darkest parts of the street, the night had finally closed in well enough for Kage to move around without too much fear of people seeing his true face underneath the darkness of his hood, but the sound of sirens blaring in the background closed in on the blue skinned mutant as he ran through the cold streets heading out of the city.
It had all started less than a week ago in the shopping centre as his hunger had finally got the better of his common sense and driven him to seek food.
But for once it had not been his fault that something had gone wrong, he had managed to cage his anger by avoiding large groups of people. He remembered several incidents in the past where people had bumped into him and his rage had tried to take over, he had used every ounce of strength he could muster to contain himself but usually it was too late to stop them from seeing what lay hidden beneath the flowing coat and hood.
He couldn’t remember the exact particulars of what had happened but there had been a robbery in the store as he was paying, a group of men had come in and threatened the staff with guns, then it was mostly a blur as his anger took over. What he could remember though was the police ignoring the robbers, instead going straight for the innocent creature that had disarmed them.
It was something that Kage was used to by now though, but still it hurt to think that the only gratitude he received for saving peoples lives was their fear.
He had ran from the store, fighting hard against the rage inside to stop it from boiling over in the direction of the officers but that did not matter, they had seen enough, there was a dangerous creature on the loose. Since then he had been hunted, a feeling that was not all to unfamiliar to Kage, but this time it was harder than before. In the wilderness there were places to hide and no people for miles – but in the city there were crowds, eyes everywhere that would gladly turn him in to the police.
What hurt most though was the media reports of the situation that seemed to get it wrong in every possible way, there had been reports that it had actually been Kage that was robbing the store and the actual criminals had tried to stop him, they even had an interview with one of the so called ‘heroes’ that had driven off the creature.
That was how it had started… ever since then Kage had been skulking in the shadows waiting for the hunt to be called off, but he had not reckoned for it to last this long. Kage had been growing impatient and knowing that every day he hid away was another day of finding a cure wasted, and his time was counted now. So after only two days of hiding out he had ventured into the streets to make his way to the institute with the forlorn hope that his old friends might be able to help him out.
Leaving the relative safety of an abandoned apartment block he swiftly made his way along the streets, dodging passers by with all the grace of a drunken elephant.
But grace was not Kage’s style, the rage that burned within his body and caused him an almost constant anguish did not help him with his grace or movement at all. The darkness covered him well as he moved around the city towards Xavier’s, though the prospect of going back there after everything that he had gone through was not a totally welcoming one. It was not that anything bad had happened at the school whilst he was there… well not to him anyway
Even back then all those years ago he had been dangerous and so he had left without intending to come back, for their safety, now it was potentially worse after such a time, his powers had grow stronger and his rage more intense. Though now he was left with no choice or alternative that he could see, he was no longer able to control himself to the extent that he could think straight or rationalise well enough to continue self treatment, he had to do the one thing that he feared the most… seek help, return to those that he ran away from in order to protect against what he was becoming, or in this case - had become.
Keeping his hands in his pockets in order that no one should see the talons atop his fingertips the blue skinned mutant looked just like a hunched up tramp trying to keep warm against the chill of the night, a disguise he had perfected along his travels to keep his looks hidden away from a judgemental world. With is hood up his face was shadowed in the dark, a scarf pulled over his mouth and nose also aided just in case anyone did see through the dark veil of night, his skin colour could be easily passed off under low levels of light.
It was then that a man bumped into the mutant, knocking his hood off and exposing the blue hair and skin beneath, his black eyes staring out in partial fear Kage quickly pulled his hands from his pockets to replace the hood before anyone could notice but it was too late. There had been panic from people nearby; the creature was walking amongst them.
Again he had run away from the situation, leading to this moment, heart pounding almost as loudly as the sirens behind him. Kage was in the middle of the road now to avoid an obstruction on the pavement, his coat flowing behind him the hood and scarf that covered his face had gone, the scarf had come off as he escaped a capture attempt as he’d leapt a police car.
Try as he might though Kage’s speed even in his most enraged state was no match for the pursuing police cars, but that did not matter though in the city for he could lose them in the alleyways and over rooftops. It was the guns that were a real problem to him as he was not bulletproof, far from it in fact, but he had not felt the pain of the bullet that had pierced his right shoulder before he had leapt the police car.
He did not even feel it now as he sped out of the city, though he had run for what seemed like days he did not tire whilst the rage had full hold of his body, instead he felt the effects afterwards. The sirens behind him still could be heard even though they were now far from the city only now they were accompanied by car lights… his head start on them had not been long enough, Ahead of him in the distance he could see the large familiar gates of Xavier’s institute and relative safety from the pursuing police.
With a roar he made one last push, he had no time to use his old card to get through the gates, instead leaping high, his taloned hand taking hold of the metal and throwing him that extra bit over, the other hand throwing his card towards the startled man in the security booth, hopefully he would put two and two together and not make five.
Upon landing it did not take the blue skinned mutant to reach the buildings, knowing full well that the security at the gates would have informed at least one of the older X men by now. The door was locked, not a total surprise though as it was a school, instead Kage could see an open window to one of the rooms above. Discarding his boots on the floor and ignoring the blood seeping through his clothing where he had been shot Kage scaled the wall with his clawed hands and feet to the window above, the scent coming from the room belonged to Hank as far as he could tell from memory of his old friend.
As he reached the window the mutant could feel himself calming down, the fatigue and pain of the nights excursions began to set in and his mind became more rational realising that climbing through someone’s window was probably not the best way of returning to the school. Still he was already beneath the open window and what harm could it do, he just had to apologise explain that he was desperate.
Something was wrong though; Kage knew it as soon as his clawed hands reached over the window ledge and pulled himself through the open window… there was someone else within. But it was too late to stop, the rational part of his mind telling him that he was seriously in trouble now, he’d jumped the gate in front of security and broken into someone randoms room thinking they were Hank. but rationality did not figure when he was still in one of his rage’s, not able to think straight he froze, his breath coming as if growling “Hank” it was spoken like a question, the mutant’s voice not sounding at all friendly but he could not help it.
Zia was not one to be called a heavy sleeper when it came to sounds that were out of the ordinary pattern of things so when the sound of something coming up the wall outside of the window came, she broke out of her sleep suddenly then rolled over from where she had been laying on her side on the floor and raised herself into a crouch. Her markings painted themselves brighter onto her body, giving off a glow of warning that dimly lit the room.
There was an intruder, male, and he was growling out her mate's name in an unfriendly manner. As she locked her eyes on him, they took in his agressive posture. It wasn't only her territorrial nature that caused her defensieness to flare up but the thought of Jade and Melantha passed through her mind, causing her to give a small snarl and her markings to light up even more.
There was one more factor that was against the intruder... For the last day or so, Zia had been having bouts of restlessness and her moods had been flaring randomly. Before she had gone to sleep she had even gotten into a little tussle with Melantha. A very mild one and one that ended after the child submitted. The sudden change in emotional pattern had caught Zia off guard as much as it had caught Melantha off guard. She couldn't explain it but the whole thing was familiar. As if she had gone through this before even if she couldn't remember it.
The reason for her moods shifting didn't matter, what did was that she was feeling angry now and defensive. She leapt into a huntress crouch on top of the back of the couch, balancing there while at the same time preparing herself to lunche off and attack the intrusing male. "You are in my and mine mate's territorry. Leave now on your own feet or leave here by my aunt's scythe!" Zia warned, her voice echoing and tone cold as ice. Thanks to Hank, she spoke rather than attacking the intruder immediately as she would have not even a full moon ago... But one detail had been forgotten.. She was speaking in her native tongue rather than modern Human.
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
As soon as the body moved on the bed he could tell it was not that of Hank, for a start his old friend had a much larger frame and the movement was too aggressive. The mistake had been made though and there as little he could do to make time go backwards and undo all he had done in the past few days.
There were much better ways of returning but as always in the heat of the moment his rational mind was pushed aside by the rage that burned within him, all sensible thought was consumed by the desire to act, instincts driving him onward to his goal… to hell with the costs along the way. And these costs were not cheap, the scars over his body, the blood seeping from open wounds, the bullet hole in his shoulder… all products of his inability to think straight when his ‘powers’ took hold.
It was only now, when he began to regain control, when the flow of adrenaline slowed that he paid the price for his actions. He felt the pain the sorrow the tiredness and everything that he had sustained whilst in one of his rages, once the event had occurred and he stood in the dust of the aftermath it hit him like a ton of bricks. He could liken it to drinking, the more you drink the less you can think straight… there’s the period where you feel invincible but no sooner it wears off does the hangover kick in.
Hangover period would have to be put off though this time, the woman’s posture and tone of voice indicating a threatening pose. To any normal person or even to Kage in a normal state this would be taken as a defensive mechanism to an intruder in her room at the dead of night, but to him now it served only to rekindle the flame of anger that had slowly been dying down again. As the inner rage rose the pain that he had begun to feel numbed once more, his weariness ebbing away again as the adrenaline began to pump once more.
“You’re not Hank” he growled, his muscles rippling as he sidestepped slowly away from the open window, the moonlight glinting off his sharp talons “where is Hank” right about now any normal sane person would be explaining away that they were not wanting a fight, that they were an old friend at their wits end and looking for some help and a bit of medical attention. But Kage was not a normal person, he was Kage and his emotions went out of control, right now the blue skinned mutant had narrowed his black eyes on the woman crouched in a pouncing position on the couch, a low growl emanating from deep within his chest with every breath he expelled from his lungs.
thogh his face adn most of his body was still concealed by the long hanging clothing hie piercing gaze would still probably be evident from where she was crouched, the eyes full of an anger that only those who knew him well understood and could calm.
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
Reports had been coming in for quite a while now, as they usually did, each day bringing its fair share of so called ‘mutant’ activity. Strange how every unsolved crime, every masked robber who somehow managed to escape justice suddenly became a new and unstoppable super powered villain. Still the Institute could hardly turn a blind eye to such occurrence in case they proved to be true. And if they did…….?
Well that was where the real problem started, wasn’t it? That split second when they had to decide if what they saw on the screen was some fabrication by the media or a hysterical reaction to some unfortunate teenager’s all too real emergences into mutancy. Because, lets face it, if it was anything else, for example a real menace to humanity, some impending apocalypse, demon or mutant inspired, then that became pretty clear pretty fast.
This was why Hank had installed a filter system for dealing with TV and radio broadcasts! It didn’t mean that any report that could be the result of mutant activity, no matter how vague, wasn’t treated promptly and acted upon. It just meant that it didn’t end up systematically on his desk.
This one had though. And to be honest Hank wasn’t sure whether he should have been appalled or relieved by the correlations he was automatically getting from the data bank. Already he had the police reports, though to be honest he may not have done anything more than dispatch a team to the area if he hadn’t heard and recognised the very real fear in the reporting officer’s voices. If he hadn’t also had, albeit illegal access to the CCV footage that showed him the ‘crime’ in progress!
However they might edit the films afterwards, it was obvious enough to Hank that it was the mutant who had tried to end the hold up. Though sadly it didn’t surprise him that subsequent press statements told a different story! What did surprise him though was the flicker of recognition that ran through him as he watched the mutant’s doomed intervention. Even if the form had changed, surely there was something familiar about the movements?
The possibility that it might be so had almost sent him out into the night to offer help. Then his more pragmatic side had said that if indeed this was the prodigal son returning, then he was perhaps better placed to help here at the Institute than elsewhere! Still he had imposed a time limit beyond which he was not willing to sit still.
And fortunately he didn’t have too. If Hank had been swift to alert perimeter security to a probable ‘incoming ‘ they were equally prompt to alert him to the moment when an access code that hadn’t been activated for years once again flickered to life, one factor amongst many which halted the security system in its tracks, letting the intruder emerge unscathed inside the grounds of the Institute .Though where security told the doctor that the unannounced visitor intended to make his presence felt! That was something else entirely.
If Hank still been living alone then the news that this potential danger was heading for his room wouldn’t have been a problem that unduly worried the doctor. Now though, everything had changed. His life had changed!
Even knowing that this might be a friend, making an admittedly unwise and thoughtless arrival at the Institute, even being more than aware of Zia and Jade’s ability to defend their territory, Hank couldn’t help but feel his hackles rise, the recently acquired male’s reaction to any intrusion that could threaten his family taking control of his body even as he struggled to keep control of his mind.
He may have told security to stand down, to let him deal with this. He may also have been almost certain of who had made their way unannounced into his apartment. That didn’t mean that he was anything other than ready for battle as he kicked open the door to his own bedroom and took in, not only the scene that lay before his eyes, but also the scent he so desperately needed to recognise.
That Zia was on the defensive was only to be expected. That she hadn’t already attacked was little short of a miracle! The stand off couldn’t last, though if what hi s senses were telling him was true it had too.
“Kage!” Hank said relaxing a little though still ready to interpose himself between the two potential adversaries. “Normally visitors knock rather than enter by the window! Though” Hank could still hear the sirens howling at the gate, so many more lies the Institute would have to throw in the direction of the NYPD “ I suppose you were in rather a hurry”
He moved forward as he spoke, claiming instinctively, for those able to recognise his behaviour, this space as his and his prides, according access only when he decided it should be granted. As he now did for this long lost friend! “I see you and Zia have already met. You are lucky. Not many men have entered her territory and escaped unscathed. It is a privilege she accords me as her mate and one for which, on this occasion, I am truly thankful.”
“ And this ” he continued moving to Zia’s side, his arm slipping intimately around her waist in a gesture that said at one and the same time “we are a couple” and “we can lower our guard…. Almost” “Is Kage!”
Oh time had changed them both. It had brought Kage back to the institute. It had brought Hank to this apartment with this most unexpected and vibrant of women .But that didn’t mean that all that had gone before counted for naught. And Hank readily acknowledged it now saying. ” My friend. For whom my door”He couldn’t help the mischief that crept into his voice…. “Or should I say my window is always open”
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming“You’re not Hank... Where is Hank...” Words did not serve to calm her in the least as she glared back into the anger filled eyes of the tresspasser. Her muscles bunched under her skin, her body preparing to lunge as she wanted so much to do... Her thoughts of the what ifs being the only thing keeping her from attacking. That and the tinge she felt up her spine that alerted her of her mate's closeness. Hank would be there soon. Then, she would be able to know how best to react. She would watch his reaction then take her cue from it. If Hank became aggressive, she would go in for the kill.
As there came a loud sound of the door as it was kicked in, Zia almost lost her restraint for the briefest of moments, her muscles giving a single spasm as she stopped herself from leaping at the intruder that she had been dealing with for the last few passing of moments. Still a low almost subsonic growl came from deep in her throat and her markings lit to where almost the whole room was basked in a dim blue-green light. One wrong reaction... that was all she needed... Just one single wrong reaction...
“Kage!.. Normally visitors knock rather than enter by the window! Though, I suppose you were in rather a hurry” Her mate stated. He seemed to have relaxed some since his arrival, this causing Zia to force herself to relax as well even when her instincts were screaming for her to attack the intruder. The concept of 'friend' hadn't sank completely in yet but she was most certainly giving it time to. Hank was doing what was needed with his bodylanguage. He was speaking of this being the territorry of his and his family.
Zia slipped out of the crouch on back of the couch and lowered herself off of the perch she had been planning on pouncing from. She then brought herself to stand on the floor instead pulling herself into more of a human mode and less of an animal one. The outcome was a pleasant one as this allowed Hank to wrap his arm around her waist in an easier way than if she had still been in her earlier position.
“I see you and Zia have already met. You are lucky. Not many men have entered her territory and escaped unscathed. It is a privilege she accords me as her mate and one for which, on this occasion, I am truly thankful...” Hank spoke out. He was right... Not many have entered her territorry without being slain or injured due to tresspassing but that had been back when she had not been sharing it with anyone else. Back when the territorry was hers and hers alone also back when there was no one else to defend it or to tell if the passer was friend or foe.
" And this is Kage! My friend. For whom my door... Or should I say my window is always open” Her mate introduced the stranger to her and by his tone, she managed to futher lable the other male as a friend of Hank's. He had told her that this male had free roam of the territorry with those words and with that, Zia forced herself to relax almost completely. Not as much though to allow the Kage male to go unwatched though.
He may be friend to you, my mate, but I hope you understand if I do not let this barely met male too close to the cubs alone." Zia spoke smoothly, her voice holding the same slight echo it always had in her real form and her words being spoken in the first language she had learned.
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
The tense atmosphere in the room only served to make the situation worse, as his blood pumped faster due to the anger it caused an increase in blood loss from the bullet wound to his shoulder, a patch of red slowly making its way through his clothing. He still did not realise that he had even been hit, such was his condition the blue skinned mutant had barely heard the shot let alone felt the bullet as it pierced through his loose clothing and skin, the lead tearing its way through his flesh before stopping against his bone.
But as his black eyes studied the woman in front of him his sense of smell picked up the familiar scent of his old friend all around the room and her, it served to communicate with his more sensible logical side beneath the rage and hold his tensed body back from the lunge. It did not however do much to calm his breathing… the air still rushing out as a growl through his half open mouth, his arms twitching against his will.
The sound of a door being kicked open caught his attention, the enraged mutant glancing up, his head now joining the arms with twitching “Kage!” the voice carved right through his rage like a hot knife through butter just as much now as it had done may times before in the past and although he had virtually no control over his anger, Hank had been the one that Kage had sought out and his presence now had a soothing effect not only on the woman but also on the blue skinned mutant.
“Normally visitors knock rather than enter by the window! Though I suppose you were in rather a hurry” he felt stupid now, but that was not the only thing that Kage felt as things began to calm down in the room and his rage mellowed “I see you and Zia have already met. You are lucky. Not many men have entered her territory and escaped unscathed. It is a privilege she accords me as her mate and one for which, on this occasion, I am truly thankful.” Coal black eyes flicked from Hank to the newly introduced Zia.
How could he have been so stupid… it was a thought that had crossed his mind already but been suppressed by the curse of his anger, though now that was ebbing away and he could think straight the stupidity was all to evident. All he had to do was walk use his card to get through the gates and walk to the front door… but no, without thinking properly he had vaulted them and climbed through hanks window.
As he was introduced to zia and his breathing slowed, feeling out of place and ashamed of himself his taloned fingers relaxed and curled the deadly claws harmlessly inwards to his palm, his muscles loosening slowly whilst she spoke in the same strange language as she had done before. Kage was slightly shocked that Hank had recognised him through the changes that had occurred to his physical form since leaving the institute, not that time had left Hank unchanged either, and if it had not been for the blue fur and familiar scent the blue skinned mutant may not have recognised him either. “I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come here like this” the man’s voice was raspy like before as though he were in dire need of a drink, though it was clearly discernable that he was different from only a few minutes ago, his entire demeanour had changed from the desperate angry individual that had clawed his way up the side of the building.
It was why he had left in the first place… he was a danger to himself and people around him.
Whilst all this happened though a slight tingling began to make itself noticeable in his right shoulder as it had begun to do before zia had caused his anger to flare up again, the tingling swiftly giving way to a dull ache. Glancing down to his clothing the red patch had reached the outer layer, pain growing from the wound his left hand crept over it as if trying to hide the blood patch from the doctor “I should never have come back” the window was still open and there were no obstacles between him and it…
He wanted to run, to leave the school and go back to where he could do no more harm to anyone, to live out the remainder of his shortening life and let his friends carry on with theirs. “I have to go, I…” as Kage spoke he began to move to the window but without the anger to fuel him his tired legs could barely keep him standing and he stumbled into furniture and dropped to his knees in only two short steps cutting his words short, a grunt of pain erupting from within and forcing itself through gritted fangs. As he forced himself upwards again the room span around him for a moment before returning to normal… window was out of the question then.
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
There were no questions, no demand for an explanation, no arguments even over his acceptance of Kage’s presence in this their most intimate of places. Just an acquiescence that spoke of Zia’s faith in his judgement, her body relaxing more, even as some of the deadly brightness faded from her markings. Not that she was complacent. That was something Zia would never be, but the fact that she, who had had so little cause to trust anyone in her long life, trusted him enough to let him make this call despite the intruder’s unorthodox arrival warmed Hanks heart.
Though she still had her reservations, as was only to be expected under the circumstances! Still they were voiced calmly, her statement clear and infinitely reasonable. “He may be friend to you, my mate, but I hope you understand if I do not let this barely met male too close to the cubs alone."
Hank readily nodded his understanding of her feelings. Cubs did somehow change everything, risks you were ready to take for yourself suddenly unacceptable when your offspring were concerned. Even if to date his “offspring “ consisted of one adopted otherworldly being and a “step daughter” who could hardly bare to be in the same room as him. Nevertheless the urge to protect them was deeply grounded in the human psyche not to mention in the most primitive instincts both Hank and his mate also answered to. As did the mutant before them.
The years of absence had changed Kage to the point that he was almost unrecognisable unless you knew, as Hank did, how to look behind the advancing mutation and see the friend. *I wonder if he feels the same when he looks at me* Hank asked himself, knowing how his own mutation had metamorphosed him since the last time he had met with his visitor. There was no doubt that he was more feline, the fangs more pronounced, the claws retractable certainly but there none the less, the facial structure subtly altered Even his mentality had changed or rather seemed to be changing as his relationship with Zia reaffirmed the usually bridled connection to his animal side.
But underneath, despite everything he was still the same person who had told Kage all those years ago that he didn’t have to go through this illness alone. Who had offered help and support and even at the end, when Kage’s fear of his own uncontrollable anger had driven him away in a desperate and misguided attempt to keep those around him safe.
Now that was one change Hank would have welcomed. A lessening of that fear in Kage’s eyes! But alas it wasn’t the case. Already there was shame and self loathing creeping into them as he said “I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come here like this” A look of immediate concern crossed Hanks face not just at the words and the emotion behind them but also at the blood, previously only smelled but now visible against the mans hand as he held his shoulder. “I should never have come back. I have to go, I…”
It was obvious he wasn’t going to make for the door. Hank was already moving as Kage turned back towards the window, his own body thankfully informing him that such an exit route was little less than folly in his present condition, dropping him to his knees before he had even gone a few steps. As he struggled to his feet Hank was at his side, strong hands ready to help “Don’t be silly” the doctor said softly. “You’re hurt and you need help. Where else should you but amongst friends. Though I am only sorry that it took this extremity to bring you back! We have missed you Kage he told his friend with a smile that no amount of fangs or claws could keep from being gentle" and I for one am more than glad that you have come home. ”
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming“Don’t be silly You’re hurt and you need help. Where else should you but amongst friends. Though I am only sorry that it took this extremity to bring you back! We have missed you Kage It was only marginally comforting that Hank’s assistant presence was therenow, it would be more so if Kage actually thought that any good could come from his return to the school and his old life… for now all he could see was the destruction he would invariably cause to those he loved. " and I for one am more than glad that you have come home. “I doubt you would be saying that if you had not arrived when you did” the blue skinned mutant was ashamed and it was clear in his voice, he had been on the verge of attacking possibly his only freinds mate and the way he had been going lately the cances of kage bieng able to control himself to not kill were remote.
“words cannot tell how much I have missed you, this building,.. Everything and everyone in and around it..” his voice was cracking, a mixture of sorrow and joy forced a tear down his cheek, something that had not happened in many a year “I wanted to come home from the moment my feet stepped out of the front door…” the coal black eyes of sorrow, joy and fear locked with those of Hank, this man was his friend but it did not stop Kage from being afraid of him now, he had been foolish in his return and that was something he could not get away from or take back even if he tried. “The further away I ran the more I wanted to return. But I knew that I couldn’t for to come home would expose those I held dear to the monster that I cannot control… myself” it was a moment of surrender that Kage had held off for as long as possible, he had kept telling himself things were going to be ok and that he had some semblance of control over his anger, but that was not the case now and had never been the case and he had just admitted it.
“that is not the only reason though” he continued, his head slumping towards the ground at his feet in shame “I was afraid, I could not bear thinking about the looks of fear, shame and disappointment that would inevitably come my way. I failed in my efforts to control what I am and everyone would know it… I’m not safe to have around and everyone would see it… even you” he would be in confinement for a long time, probably until his illness ran its course and the inevitable happened. No doubt that during this time Hank would try and look for a cure but all the same he would be caged like the animal he was, like he deserved to be.
It occurred to him now that he was still shadowed underneath the heavy clothing that had been his only protection against the outside world for so long now. “Look at me… look at what I’ve become” desperation was in his voice as he took a step back and threw back his hood, his breathing becoming heavier, the hole and bloodstain on his coat visible now for everyone to see instead of covered in the hope of hiding it from the doctor “I’ve failed… I cannot control myself and it’s taking over, even here, even now I can feel it consuming me, taking hold with every breath and clouding my thoughts” the voice raised as his emotions raged inside him, just being back here conjured up so may feelings and all of them overpowering him all at once.
Though now the feeling was mainly of pain, a slow numbing pain that encompassed a good proportion of his body, weakened by lack of sleep and the constant running of the past days. Staggering a little before falling once more to his knees the blue skinned mutant could do nothing but accept the consequences of his actions as he always had to do, though usually it was alone in his little hideaway from the rest of the world. “Every inch of my being cries out for rest” the shaky voice seemed distant as kage struggled to keep himself calm through the barrage of emotion.
“For 9 years I have tried to outrun this and 9 years I have failed… and now there is no where else to run, even if there was…” he paused, his head once more drooping to the floor “I probably wouldn’t make it that far” the words in his head were a little different to those that came out ‘I can’t see if there’s a point in running’ most likely wouldn’t go down too well, though it was easily guessed what he meant from the defeated tone and stench of failure that lingered round him, almost toucheable.
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming“I have to go, I…” Even before Kage spoke, Zia could tell that he was thinking of leaving. She could also read in his bodylanguage that he would not be able to. With the combination of the scent of fresh wounds and the way his form seemed to be almost on the verge of collapsing it would be hard not to know that he was better off just laying down and waiting for Hank to help him. Kage was on the floor and on his knees before he even took a full three steps.
Zia had seen that he was about to fall but made no movement to catch him. It was the mixture between the thoughts from the human world and the world of the wild that caused her to decide against stopping his fall in any way. Sometimes, one had to fall to accept that they were not able to stand on their own. At the same time, she was observing to see if he had the will to get back up. As he pushed himself up, she saw that he did. The male seemed worthy to be a friend of Hanks after all.
Zia had just observed and noted but her mate on the other hand had moved to aid Kage. This was nothing surprising. Hank was a healer by occupation and by heart. It had been instinct for him to go to the falling and fallen friend and to h... You’re hurt and you need help. Where else should you but amongst friends. Though I am only sorry that it took this extremity to bring you back! We have missed you Kage... and I for one am more than glad that you have come home." [/b][/i] Ah yes, those words of honesty and comfort... she would have expected nothing less.
“I doubt you would be saying that if you had not arrived when you did.” Kage stated. Zia knew the meaning behind those words and felt the need to interject but before she could, the male continued on. “words cannot tell how much I have missed you, this building,.. Everything and everyone in and around it... I wanted to come home from the moment my feet stepped out of the front door… The further away I ran the more I wanted to return. But I knew that I couldn’t for to come home would expose those I held dear to the monster that I cannot control… myself." Kage stated.
Zia couldn't help but to shake her head as she took a pertch an the arm of the couch. This seemed to be a common thing in this modern human life. Where the children felt at one point or another that they were the worst kind of creature if they acted more of the wild than of domestication.
“that is not the only reason though.... I was afraid, I could not bear thinking about the looks of fear, shame and disappointment that would inevitably come my way. I failed in my efforts to control what I am and everyone would know it… I’m not safe to have around and everyone would see it… even you... Look at me… look at what I’ve become." As the male threw back the hood of the clothing he had been wearing, Zia found nothing to be appauled at or even too surprised at. With all the different faces wandering the land of this territorry, his was not something to be startled by.
“I’ve failed… I cannot control myself and it’s taking over, even here, even now I can feel it consuming me, taking hold with every breath and clouding my thoughts... Every inch of my being cries out for rest... For 9 years I have tried to outrun this and 9 years I have failed… and now there is no where else to run, even if there was… I probably wouldn’t make it that far”
She rose, her body moving fluently as if she were the incarnate of water. Then, Zia walked until she was only about a foot or so away from the two of them, her cool gaze locked on the lost friend of her beloved mate. "You speak..." She paused as she let the rest of the sentence translate in her mind before she continued. "Of yourself being a monster... Of you running, of you running away and at the same time trying to find to a place to run to..." As always, there was the echo that followed her words ut unlike usual, she was having almost no difficulty drawing the vocabulary of the modern tongue of Human.
"Can you not see already that you have run away and you have found the place where you were running to." Zia made a gesture with her hand to indicate the area they were in. "This is the land that you have been seeking. Some would call it home, others call it sancturary, and others still... call it by a word that it is deserving of: hope." She told him. "Rest, you can find here. Help, you can find here. Friends, you can find here.... Before, this was not what you truey needed so you made yourself away. You needed the time away so you could be here now. Everything happens for a reason. Nations fall so others can arise in their place and learn from the fallen. You have fallen for nine cycles of seasons and now, you are here. You can become a new nation and learn. Zia told him.
There was a good chance that the child wold not understand. It was the people of her day and age who would have been able to understand clearly and she was not sure if the children of this time could grasp the meaning of her words for her style of speech had the tendancy to slip into the past. No, he would understand. Even if he were wrapped up in his own pain so much as to not see clearly of what was going on, she had given him something to ponder over possibly. Now, with one topic spoken, she switched to the next.
Zia gave Kage a look up and down before looking to his face again. "You speak of monsters yet I see none. You speak of not having control yet here you stand speaking as others do, feeling as most would were they in your world. As soon as you admit defeat is when you are truely defeated. And even if you were a monster, there is always a chance to step out of that title and to become one who is weaved into the life of others rather than the one cutting the strings that bind the souls to existance." She didn't know if she were making any sense to anyone but she continued anyway.
"I know in truth that you are no monster. I have seen monsters, I had been seen as a monsters for the passing of the time of a civilization beginning and ending... so I would know monster if I were to look upon one. You are no such thing in this time here. Monsters do not care. Monsters to not fear. Monsters do not want change or friendship or help. You, Kage, are a man. One of many that feel that just because they are not in the barriers of the thing 'normal' that Humans had made up, there is something terribly wrong with them."
Zia stepped back, turned, walked to the couch, and took a seat again before looking over again. "As for your other words of speaking doubt of wht my mate had told you in saying he has missed you and saying that he is happy to see you back... You underestimate him. My mate speaks no lies.... And if you were thinking of what would have happened had he not come when he had... There are a couple of paths that could have been treaded but none would have changed the fact that he would be relieved in your return. I do not say you are weak but I will tell you that I can hold my own. I have not lived over a millenia without facing battle or fending off attackers. And I would have kept from ending you due to what I have learned from my wiser than his years mate."
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
It was hard to stand there and hear Kage speak of his loneliness, of his overwhelming desire to come back to them and his inability to do so because of the disease that wracked his body and tortured his mind. Or no , inability wasn’t the right word for in truth there was nothing but his own overwhelming desire to keep those he cared for safe to keep him from returning. But it had proved enough and to be honest if hank had been in his shoes he didn’t know that he wouldn’t have done the same thing.
And now, despite all those years of fighting this battle alone, he was back but not in triumph, rather engulfed in a sense of defeat that radiated from him as strongly as his anger did when the rage fell upon him. I was afraid, he told Hank I could not bear thinking about the looks of fear, shame and disappointment that would inevitably come my way. Hank shook his head in denial. There was no one here who would see Kage’s struggle as anything other than a success. Even if he himself seemed unable to do so.
I failed in my efforts to control what I am he went on desperately and everyone would know it… I’m not safe to have around and everyone would see it… even you... Look at me… look at what I’ve become. The hood fell back to reveal….. what? A man certainly… in many ways more so than Hank himself! Yes there were changes, the doctor wasn’t blind to that. It was clear that the disease had progressed Taking some of the outer trappings of humanity with it. But in all honesty the three of them Hank Zia and Kage could have been family. There was the same strange skin colouring even if Hank was the only one actually sporting fur, the same fangs, the same claws….
It wasn’t easy to live with though….. at least not at first. Hank was well placed to know that. If Kage was being transformed by a disease he had never asked for, Hank only himself to blame for his present form. And if the unlooked for and miraculous love that Zia gave to him had somehow made him not only accept, but actually start to rejoice in what he now was he doubted that such an epiphany had come into Kage’s life . At least not yet in any case. The despairing words that followed made that fact only too clear.
“I’ve failed… I cannot control myself and it’s taking over, even here, even now I can feel it consuming me, taking hold with every breath and clouding my thoughts...” Yes that was the real source of the problem Not the physical changes but the mental ones. The constant battering that Kage’s psyche must have taken over the years as his rage screamed to be released.
nd yet he resisted! Alone. Without any proper medical supervision. With not so much as someone to talk things over with when the pressure became unbearable as it surely did. How could that be seen as anything but an achievement. Except that Kage was too closely involved to see that .
Every inch of my being cries out for rest... For 9 years I have tried to outrun this and 9 years I have failed… and now there is no where else to run, even if there was… I probably wouldn’t make it that far” It was as near to despair as anything Hank had ever heard and he only prayed that he could find the words to haul Kage back from the brink he was so obviously teetering on. Though in the end he didn’t have to!
Because Zia was moving, her grace enough even now to stop the breath in his throat! There was no threat in her actions, no deadly intent. Just purpose and something that Hank hadn’t seen before in her dealings with other people, one more surprise that she reserved for him, yet another reason to love her……. compassion. "You speak..." If she was hampered by the strange language she forced herself to use her intent was nevertheless clear and the words to express them soon followed. "You speak of monsters yet I see none.” She could read Hank’s heart. Or rather in this moment their sentiments were so alike that with her words she could express his thoughts. And she did so as eloquently as he could ever have hoped to.
“You speak of not having control yet here you stand speaking as others do, feeling as most would were they in your world.” If her markings no longer blazed her voice was in its own way just as intense. “As soon as you admit defeat is when you are truly defeated.”“God how I love this woman!” Hank though, as he listened to his mate speak.
“And even if you were a monster, there is always a chance to step out of that title and to become one who is weaved into the life of others rather than the one cutting the strings that bind the souls to existance." That is what she had done for him Oh he hadn’t been cut adrift like Kage. He had had his place and his friends and a job that brought him infinite fulfilment. But she had brought him to life. She had woven him back into the fabric of existence and given him a future that was made up of more than just healing others.
"I know in truth that you are no monster. Zia went on I have seen monsters, I had been seen as a monsters for the passing of the time of a civilization beginning and ending... so I would know monster if I were to look upon one.
Oh yes . She too was well placed to know what this felt like Being different. And it was something she had suffered for longer than either he nor Kage could imagine, though Hank wished that were not the case. Still her long road had led her to him and if he realised in his heart that no matter how hard he tried he would only be a fleeting interlude in her existence yet he was determined that for the time they had together he would do his utmost to make her happy. As happy as she made him with her wildness and her passion and her underlying wisdom. A wisdom she was sharing now with the lost soul in front of her.
You are no such thing in this time here. she reassured him Monsters do not care. Monsters do not fear. Monsters do not want change or friendship or help. You, Kage, are a man. One of many that feel that just because they are not in the barriers of the thing 'normal' that Humans had made up, there is something terribly wrong with them."
She was so right. If there were many things about everyday living that seemed incomprehensible to her, there was little about life that was.She was moving away no<, leaving kage room to come to terms with what she had said. Though she wasn’t finished yet.
"As for your other words of speaking doubt of what my mate had told you in saying he has missed you and saying that he is happy to see you back... You underestimate him. My mate speaks no lies....” So much trust. Such implicit faith. When had he gained that? What had he done to merit it.Not that he would ever let her down . He just hadnt realised that she believed it.
And if you were thinking of what would have happened had he not come when he had... There are a couple of paths that could have been treaded but none would have changed the fact that he would be relieved in your return.” Now that was a revelation in itself. That she would have refrained from killing someone who had entered their territory by such means. Merely on the off chance that he was somehow welcome. Was this progress beyond any Hank had anticipated or was it that Kage was a male and therefore jealousy took a back seat as it hadn’t with Tessa for example.
In any case he had no doubts that Zia would have held her own in any fight something she was now making abundantly clear to his newly arrived friend. “I do not say you are weak but I will tell you that I can hold my own. I have not lived over a millenia without facing battle or fending off attackers. And I would have kept from ending you due to what I have learned from my wiser than his years mate."
Kage was still on his knees, injury and blood loss draining him physically as much as his despair did mentally. Hank dropped down beside him and said quietly “You asked me to look at you and I have. And believe me what I see is very far from being a failure. Nine years with this disease running through your veins and yet you are here like this. Still thinking more of others than of yourself. That my friend, as Zia said is nothing short of a triumph!
The great yellow eyes were concerned but nothing other than proud of Kage’s achievement as he continued. “Yes you have changed on the outside. As have I. But I’d still have recognised you anywhere. Your spirit is the same no matter what you may think. Hank held out a hand that sported claws as fierce as his own My mate has already told you so as have I but I will say it again. You are home. You can rest. You have more than earned that right. And as for the rest….well we too have had nine years to progress. You may well be surprised at how far we’ve come.”
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming"You speak... Of yourself being a monster... Of you running, of you running away and at the same time trying to find to a place to run to..." it had been unexpected of the woman to speak before his old friend Hank, though Kage did not know much about her he had already assumed from her earlier reactions to his arrival that she was not normally like this. But then again neither was he acting as he would normally, his anger being restrained to the maximum in response to her aggressive nature of earlier.
As of such her words though heard did not register very much through the confusion of his mind and the pain of his body but it was however registering that they were trying to help and the softer tones aided that cause. "You speak of monsters yet I see none. You speak of not having control yet here you stand speaking as others do, feeling as most would were they in your world. As soon as you admit defeat is when you are truely defeated. And even if you were a monster, there is always a chance to step out of that title and to become one who is weaved into the life of others rather than the one cutting the strings that bind the souls to existance." Her words, they made some semblance of sense to the blue skinned mutant though he could do nothing but stare at the hand that held him stable against the floor in his semi crouched position.
The clawed hand seemed to slowly distort in shape back and forth, it was now that the logical side of his mind told him things were not all ok, his rage had all but subsided as the woman spoke You are no such thing in this time here, Monsters do not care. Monsters do not fear. Monsters do not want change or friendship or help. You, Kage, are a man. One of many that feel that just because they are not in the barriers of the thing 'normal' that Humans had made up, there is something terribly wrong with them." But this subsidence of his anger had brought its own problems, without the adrenaline and deep burning anger with which to fuel his weakened body there was very little he could do to avoid the inevitable pain, fatigue and feeling of worthlessness that came with it.
If he were not a monster then why could he not retract his claws, the carpet itself now bore the marks of his inhuman traits; threads lose where the sharp talons lay, it was lucky that he had not tried to catch his fall by reaching for the sofa or that too would have been much worse for wear. How could anyone say that this was normal, that he was not a monster she looked human enough apart from the obvious markings from earlier and the skin colour, and even hank could work without being hampered by razor sharp claws projecting from his fingertips where nails should be. But then again Kage knew for one that it was not his own doing which caused the inhumanity of his body… the genetic disorder he had carried all his life had made it this way, he used to be able to change at will but that was even boefre he had run away from the school in the first place.
“You asked me to look at you and I have. And believe me what I see is very far from being a failure. Nine years with this disease running through your veins and yet you are here like this. Still thinking more of others than of yourself. That my friend, as Zia said is nothing short of a triumph! That was what he had done wasn’t it… thought of other people lives above his own, and until now that had been successful. No one had died by his hands yet and over 9 years he had managed to contain the rage that threatened to consume him whole, he had kept damage to the minimum whilst working on a cure for the disease that was killing him.
“Yes you have changed on the outside. As have I. But I’d still have recognised you anywhere. Your spirit is the same no matter what you may think. My mate has already told you so as have I but I will say it again. You are home. You can rest. You have more than earned that right. And as for the rest…. well we too have had nine years to progress. You may well be surprised at how far we’ve come.” Kage had tried for so long to find a cure, years spent working on discovering what exactly the nature of his illness was.
But all Kage had met with was failure and for every failure there was the obligatory frustration leading to the demolition of his work. Certainly he had been no monster then, locked away in the wilderness far from anyone he cared about… “You are right on some counts my friend, for me to have survived is a triumph but not one entirely of my own doing” the words as always nowadays came out in a growling fashion though there was no malice in the unavoidable noise “but you are wrong about me not being a monster, if I were anything but I would not put friends at risk, I should have stayed away… I did not, my will gave in to the desire to find a cure and overpowered reason more than my condition itself ever could have managed. In that I have failed”
Black eyes traced the lines of his friends hand held towards him, not knowing if it were offered in assistance or as an example… right now he could but stare at it wishing that things could be different, that he could have returned with better tidings than this. Gingerly a hand was raised as if to take Hank’s and pull himself to his feet, only he could not bear to do it… the claws he sported himself inhibited most simple tasks and to risk injuring Hank was not something that he wanted to do.
Retracting his arm the claws were once again turned inwards in a fist so as not to allow them to damage anyone else, his legs struggling to raise him unaided through the fatigue. “I’m sorry” he whispered now standing, looking down at the other hand “I’ve ruined your carpet” the threads from where he had caught his fall visible on the tips of his clawed hand. With a sigh it was closed slowly to a fist, his head drooping, eyes closed for a moment in both anger and despair
She could see the changes although they were minor; The shifting of his claws to be exact... but she had continued to speak, not breaking her string of words as it was har enough to keep herself from fumbling over the modern tongue. She could not see the struggle going on but she could sense it in a way.. in the way an animal usually as able to sense when a Human was feeling disturbed or violent. There was definately something going on and it was something he had to handle mostly by himself as no one was able to crawl inside another to fix everything that may have come undone in a time of trauma.
“You asked me to look at you and I have. And believe me what I see is very far from being a failure. Nine years with this disease running through your veins and yet you are here like this. Still thinking more of others than of yourself. That my friend, as Zia said is nothing short of a triumph! It was Hank who spok after she had finished and she looked at her mate with appreciation in her eyes. “Yes you have changed on the outside. As have I. But I’d still have recognised you anywhere. Your spirit is the same no matter what you may think. My mate has already told you so as have I but I will say it again. You are home. You can rest. You have more than earned that right. And as for the rest…. well we too have had nine years to progress. You may well be surprised at how far we’ve come.”
Her mate could easier relate when it came to speak of changes. With Zia, changing was an option she could take whenever she felt the need to. For the two of them, it was the change that had the control to make the option and force it on them. The change had had a will of its own and shaped itself onto them without their concent it seemed. Personally, Zia believed that their current appearances and nature may have been an improvement. Humans were frail things with no natural defenses or weapons except for their minds. With the changes that had come over Hank and Kage, they had the chance to have both worlds. Have the bodies they would best survive in and if they could merge in the way a Human mind had of being able to evaluate situations and think things out they could be almost the perfect beings to be able to adapt in almost any situation.
“You are right on some counts my friend, for me to have survived is a triumph but not one entirely of my own doing... but you are wrong about me not being a monster, if I were anything but I would not put friends at risk, I should have stayed away… I did not, my will gave in to the desire to find a cure and overpowered reason more than my condition itself ever could have managed. In that I have failed..... I’m sorry, I’ve ruined your carpet”” Zia gave a quick breath outward.
"You are young and foolish." She stated simply from the place she still sat at. Zia looked to her mate once more, slipping into her native tongue. "This child knows nothing of what being a monster is. He feels that just because he does not have full control, it makes him a demon. Yet he has shown control otherwise there would be nothng but blood and bodies here. Is he not aware that there are 'regular Humans' that have less control than the likes of him? He simply has more consequences to land upon him depending on if he keeps himself as he desires or not." She said before giving a stretch. All of this talk was something she wasn't too used to.
Zia looked to Kage once more and slipping back into the modern tongue, she spoke once more. "You came because you knew that although there is danger, there is hope. Yes, your friends are in danger but you have friends. Danger.... Danger is in every moment with or without you. You are not so important as your being here is the end of the world. There are others living in this world, it is not only you. Somewhere, there is a child going with the exact same ... movements?.... no.... motions as you." She stated bluntly.
She paused and turned her gaze to her mate once more. All of this speak about monsters had her thinking and some of the thoughts disturbed her. "My mate, I feel I need to speak to you when the ripples have stilled." She told him, having used her first language.
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
Dan.. i stopped where i did in case kage was going to react to what zia had said... didnt want to have Hank talk too much if you were going to explode for example. If not and you want me to continue for a bit just yell!
....................................
In the end you only really hear what you want too. And despite all their best efforts it looked as if Kage wasn’t ready to hear reassurances. Or at least not to accept them! Of all the things in the world, self loathing was amongst the most difficult to live with, and Kage was full of it. It oozed out, darker and more corrupting than anything his mutation threw at him. It transformed everything he had achieved into so much dust leaving him barren of hope, and on the edge of despair.
Hank had seen it before, but that didn’t make it any easier to witness in a friend. He had feared it would come to this when Kage had left all those years ago. Going into exile, cutting yourself off from family and friends was never a solution, only the start of a greater problem. Yes it was true, Kage had been, and no doubt still was, dangerous. And yes people could get hurt around him, even people he loved. He was a risk, it would be stupid to deny it and Hank had no intention of doing so.
But here at the Institute they were used to such risks. In fact they had been set up in part to deal with them. Here there were facilities designed specifically to help and control if not yet to cure. And above all there was support, friends, someone to turn too when the burden got too heavy, as it undoubtedly did all too often. Cut yourself off from all of that, force yourself to endure not only the hardships of your condition but also the crippling loneliness that such a lifestyle entailed and it was little wonder that you ended up lost and broken inside like Kage now seemed to be.
Hank listened with growing sadness and frustration as the wounded man insisted that his return was a sign of weakness and his sigh echoed Zia’s when Kage said ”I’m sorry, I’ve ruined your carpet”Who was thinking about a carpet at a time like this? Certainly not Hank. The urge to give his friend a good shake and bring him to his senses was hard to resist, but once again Zia got there first. Verbally if not physically! "You are young and foolish." she announced calmly and all too clearly in English, before reverting to her native Egyptian
"This child knows nothing of what being a monster is. she told Hank philosophically “He feels that just because he does not have full control, it makes him a demon. Yet he has shown control otherwise there would be nothing but blood and bodies here.” Oh, the doctor was all to conscious of that fact. If either Kage or Zia had showed one ounce less of control then a snagged carpet would have been the least of their worries. It was a shame that only he and his mate seemed able to recognise this fact. “ Is he not aware that there are 'regular Humans' that have less control than the likes of him?” Zia asked him earnestly “He simply has more consequences to land upon him depending on if he keeps himself as he desires or not."
It wasn’t enough for her to tell Hank all this though. She also made the effort once more to try to persuade Kage to rest easy, switching back into the language in which she was less fluent but still, Hank found, especially on occasions like this one, just as eloquent in her own way. "You came because you knew that although there is danger, there is hope.” She had read his heart once more and her words could have been his own. “Yes, your friends are in danger but you have friends. Danger.... Danger is in every moment with or without you. You are not so important as your being here is the end of the world. There are others living in this world, it is not only you. Somewhere, there is a child going with the exact same ... movements?.... no.... motions as you
How strange that someone who had been so badly betrayed in the past that trusting anyone had seemed impossible could talk so passionately of friendship. Hank knew what it had cost her to make this transition, to choose to open up and share her life with someone, even if in doing so she left herself vulnerable. He was just awestruck and grateful that he was the one she had given her heart to. Even if in her own way she was every bit as dangerous to have as a lover as Kage was to have as a friend!
Such were his thoughts when suddenly Zia slipped back into Egyptian and said "My mate, I feel I need to speak to you when the ripples have stilled." The doctor felt a flutter of concern, hearing something in Zia’s voice that hadn’t been there before! Not rising violence, as was so often the case, but rather a worry that brought him back towards her, his hand to rising to cup her face as his eyes searched hers for the cause. “Of course, my love” he told her in the same tongue “I would always have you share your thoughts with me. Though as you say, we most calm the waters before we do so”Edited by: HankMcCoy13 at: 12/1/06 4:52 pm
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
The words of hank’s mate struck a chord with Kage, the logical side of his nature could see that there was a lot of truth in there that he should take heed of. Though it was not anything that he didn’t know already, ever since his arrival as a child he understood that this was a place where he could live without fear of the world outside. But Kage was a complex person and there was always the paranoid fear that he was somehow a monster that they would rather was not around, it was these insecurities that drove him away in the first place, why should he make his friends have to go through the pain of seeing him slowly transform into a monster then die…
So now he listened quietly to her words, the pain of his shoulder and aching limbs still present but not life threatening. Words flowed through him, it made sense for him to listen to her now for everything the woman had said was pretty much true even if he did not like hearing it. She seemed hostile sometimes though in her words, calling him young and foolish did not go down too well.
As she finished talking towards him and her and Hank spoke in what Kage could only assume was their own little language he fought against his nature and the rising surge of emotion that threatened to cause a scene. What were they saying, his mind became paranoid now, as was often the case with the blue skinned mutant when the rage built up inside of him. Irrational thoughts of how they were plotting something against him crawled their way into his mind, their speech in a foreign language serving only to fuel his irrational and instinctive side. Slowly his head rose form its drooped position, his black eyes and facial expression one of inner turmoil as he fought inside against the rage within.
The exhausted limbs trembled silently as the exhaustion and pain once more began to slip away “you know nothing of my life woman…” the words growled out before Kage could even realise what was going on. The trembling stopped all of a sudden… there was a definite glow in the back of his pitch black eyes like the distant glint of a star in the night, his face no longer displayed signs of him fighting inside, there was no fight.
There would have been less than a second to react before the blue mutant leapt backwards towards the window, growling and twisting in the air his body scraped hard against the frame as it passed through, the razor sharp claws scraping the wall as he descended to the floor and sprawled for a second with a thud… instinct was driving him to run, the police sirens still at the gates was warning enough even to his irrational nature not to go towards them.
Arms and legs pumping once more Kage skirted the side of the building as if being chased by an army. His rage and instinct drove him onwards but they also directed him towards the school and relative safety. He had spent so long to get here that even now in his angered irrational state the desire to seek sanctuary within the school building caused him to dive for a nearby window, the glass shattering around his body before he hit the floor and skidded on his side past a startled student before stopping heavily against a cupboard.
Growling once more the mutant stood, his thick clothing would have protected him against the glass to some extent but the fall from hanks room would have taken its toll on him… not that he could feel it in this state.
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming“you know nothing of my life woman…” The words were growled out from the friend of Hank and had it not been for that relation the male had with her mate, she would have snarled at him as her mood shifted so suddenly that it cause her to be surprised at it. Her markings came to life once more but before she could tell the child to watch how he wagged his tongue at her, he had retreated from the immeadiate territorry of her family. The sound of irritation was a subsonic growl that came from deep in her chest but it was not a loud one.
"He acts like a wolf that has one of those ray-beams creatures eating away at his ability to think." She stated in cold tones, the chill to her words indicating that her moment of calm had passed. The cold angry Zia lurked dangerously close to the surface but there was still the rational side clinging onto the edges enough to keep her from chasing after the child and forcing him to listen. "If you go after the fool, I will follow but only to make sure to be there in case the child gets it into his thoughts to be 'sewage-side-all' and to try attacking you." She stated, mixing in modern tongue with the ancient language.
((Uber short posteh of doom... sorry it was all I could come up with.))
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
Despite all their efforts they had lost him. Hank knew that even before Kage spoke. As he had turned back after talking with Zia he had seen the reason seep out of his friends face to be replaced by the rage that always lay so frighteningly close to the surface, threatening to drag him under. “you know nothing of my life woman…” he snarled, the words bringing an immediate reaction from Zia, though even now she kept her violence in check, only the flash of her markings and the low growl that came from her fully showing her irritation. Then Kage was gone, his injured form flinging itself recklessly from the window, any though of pain or hurt driven from him by his all consuming anger.
Hanks own growl mirrored that of his mate. This was now turning into a bad situation. One that he couldn’t afford to have get any further out of hand. "He acts like a wolf that has one of those ray-beams creatures eating away at his ability to think." Zia said, her voice heavy with disapproval. Well that was one way of seeing things. Certainly there was something gnawing away at Kage’s sanity: a disease as deadly and insidious as any energy being his mate might be thinking about. And in the end perhaps harder to fight.
"If you go after the fool, I will follow” Zia told Hank, obviously reading his intention to do just that. but only to make sure to be there in case the child gets it into his thoughts to be 'sewage-side-all' and to try attacking you." Even now, with a potential disaster on his hands she could make him smile and not just with her quaint misuse of English. No, it was the easy assumption that they would act as a couple that cheered him. And knowing what was probably going to happen in the next few minutes Hank did feel in dire need of some cheering. “I have to go after him” he replied with a sigh.” “When he gets like this he is a danger to himself and to others and I can’t risk him hurting any of the students.”
It didn’t take more than a few seconds for the doctor to follow his temperamental patient out of the window. The landing hurt less than it had the last time he had made the jump, though the healing injuries Zia had inflicted upon him during their battle in med lab still complained a little that he wasn’t treating them with the respect they deserved. Then Hank was running, Zia at his side, towards the rapidly disappearing figure of Kage.
Hank had been worried that he would charge mindlessly towards the police who still gathered round the Institute gates no doubt being expertly warded off by the security detail, but instead Kage stuck close to the Institute as if even in this enraged state he could sense it was a potential haven. So much so that he seemed determined to get back inside….
The reinforced glass would have stopped most mutants but then Kage wasn’t most mutants. He hit it at a run, crashing through almost as if it wasn’t there. Hank was hard behind him arriving in time to see Kage rise to his feet and catch the look of fright on the face of a student whose late night snack had been interrupted in the most violent of ways. With a bound Hank placed himself in Kage’s path positioning his body between the enraged mutant and the innocent bystander. “Go. Quickly” he told the youngster, his voice calm but commanding all the same. “And as for you…. Kage….. This isn’t you. This is the disease. And if you must fight anything then it is that and not me.”
Hank wasn’t stupid. He knew that the chances of his words reaching through the fog of Kage’s anger were slim to non existent. But if there was even one in a million then he had to take it. Because this man was his friend and that’s what friends did. They held on to belief even when things seemed hopeless. They kept each other safe. And if, on this occasion, Hank couldn’t do that with words then he would do it with actions. Though he would much rather it didn’t come to that. For his own sake as well as Kage’s.
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
At this stage of his condition words slipped to nothingness to the blue skinned mutant, his black eyes darted around the room instinctively looking for a way out of the enclosed situation he had found himself in but it appeared there were none that was not covered by a person… well more to the point covered by Hank. this was not a good situation for him to be in, for although he would never knowingly harm an innocent there was very little he would be able to do to stop himself in this enraged state of mind.
Right now he was like a wild animal being cornered by hunters, his primal side not allowing him to distinguish friend from foe, this was a curse, it was his curse… something that perhaps most mutant thought of their powers at some stage in their lives but Kage felt it all the time. This was uncontrollable, it was getting worse and it was killing him slowly but surely, even optimists like Hank and the Professor could surely see that this mutation was not a ‘gift’
Though then again perhaps it could be if it were not for the disease that had developed with it, like a cancer it had spread within him and corrupted his entire being, twisted his body into something inhuman. The mutation was not so much the problem, it was what had arrived alongside it that caused the real trauma.
To calm Kage down from his point was difficult at the best of times, to calm him down quickly from this point was near on impossible without the Aid of a telepath to assist him to regain control of his mind, but like a true friend Hank was attempting the impossible, even if it were just to help the student in the room with them.
Kage was tiring though after being in this state for so long without any sustenance or sleep, for although the rage machine growling and snarling and backing down like a caged beast was fuelled mainly on adrenaline his body could still only survive for so long without the energy it would normally use. There were telltale signs of this, his swaying could be put down to the rage as Kage tended to do a lot of that sort of thing when he was not in full control. But his breathing was beginning to slow and become more ragged, the blue mutant’s legs were slowly but surely bending leaving his body closer to the floor.
As all this was happening his mind was able to see a little clearer though the fog of rage that had descended in Hank’s room and he was able to fight against himself once more. Kage regained control gently, the fatigue taking over at the same time he sank slowly back against the cupboard his body had come to rest against, not caring that he was sitting himself in broken glass “please” his growling voice was quiet as it escaped his lips “make it stop” so much violence, so much pain all things that Kage disliked but was unable to stop. His body ached from both wounds and fatigue. It was a sorry state for him to be in, but at least here he was safe
Re: not exactly the intended homecoming
The student at least was gone, all non combatants safely cleared from the scene just as Scott would have wished. Which just left them! Old friends suddenly converted into enemies With at least one of them wishing that it wasn’t the case. The disease had taken hold of Kage that much was certain. It had him in its grasp, like a demon possessing him to his very core, one against which he could no longer fight. Where then did that leave the doctor? The one who had taken up arms against this very plague years ago and sworn to fight it at his side?
It left him where he had always been. Confronting the disease! Even if now his means of doing so was more primitive than medical! Claws against claws with no assurance of his patient’s survival! Not with Zia thrown into the mix.
Ok she knew he cared about Kage. That might stay her hand for a second. But not if Hank himself was in danger! In real danger! Hank knew that she would never underestimate him, just as he would never underestimate her but still………..she wouldn’t have to do so in this situation to know that there was a risk. It was more than obvious that the enraged mutant was an enemy to be reckoned with by anyones standards and, given the fact that the doctor wanted to do anything rather than hurt him, that stacked the odds considerably in Kage’s favour.Not that Hank didn’t realise that, even if he fought all out, they might very well still have been.
Hank took a breath, pushing such thoughts and concerns out of his mind for the moment at least, focusing on the ‘enemy’ in front of him as he knew he would have to if he was going to get them through this anything like intact. And so when they came he caught the signs, signs that perhaps this battle wouldn’t in fact be fought tooth on claw in this most homely of settings but rather where it had been fought most often over the past ten years. In Kage’s own mind.
It wasn’t his words that had turned the tide of that he was sure. Rather it was the stress and pain that injury and flight had put on an already fatigued system that had made him falter. The rage may have been like a separate creature blanking Kage’s thoughts with its unreasoning anger but it needed his body to act. And, even despite its immense reserves of strength,his body was failing.
Never dropping his guard Hank nevertheless watched some kind of lucidity fight its way out of the berserker state and back into his friends eyes leaving him spent and lost, sinking down finally into the chaotic wreckage of the kitchen and whispering desperately “please, make it stop”
If only they could! For a moment Hank almost gave into the despair that was so clearly reflected on his friends face. Certainly he had continued looking for a solution to the problem during Kages absence but his work had been hampered at every turn by his lack of access to his patient. By his inability to see whether he was in fact on the right track through testing and observation. Oh he knew that Kage had carried out his own experiments but even given his resolve and determination it was still certain that his progress was nothing compared to what they could have achieved together.
With a conscious effort Hank pulled himself away from such thoughts and the feelings of waste and frustration that accompanied them. Very well, they had lost ten years of collaboration but that was over now. Kage was here at the Institute and that changed everything.
Maybe his research had turned up something that would complement, or confirm some of Hank’s own studies. Maybe looking at Hank’s work would provide him with the one piece of information he needed to unlock this terrible puzzle and set himself free. Time alone would tell. But at least now they had that time, together, batteling side by side against this common enemy instead of tearing each other apart as they had so nearly done. And that had to be a start if nothing else!
And so Hank sank down to sit beside Kage, knowing that if things exploded into violence once again Zia was there to control the situation but feeling in his heart that it would not. “We will make it stop together”he told the blue mutant softly.”I have so many more resources at my disposition now that I had when you left, many more I’m sure than you have had to work with over these years. I’ll show you them tomorrow But first you must rest and heal and sleep! Because we are going to fight this thing. And I need you strong to help me do it. “
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