Katawa Shoujo Forums

Mirage_GSM wrote:Oh right, Magneto's name is Magnus, not Maxwell, isn't it?
Seems I focussed to much on the surname.
Given what I know about Magneto's background, I think the possibility of an evil - okay, good - twin is slim... Guess, I'll let myself be surprised...
Regarding the backstory: I don't know much more about the characters than I did before. Just that they travelled realities and did some - a lot of - unbelievable stuff... Most of it went right over my head, and you mentioned a lot of characters that have no relevance to yor story whatsoever (yet?).
'm not even sure what their powers are at this point...

Magneto's name is Erik. At least, thats what he usually goes by. His actual name is far more complicated. And no, this guy is not a twin.
And Yes, I admit the backstory is complicated. Marvel comics has this annoying continuity snarl where the continutity is so complicated, its hard to explain to anyone who doesn't read it regularly. So I'm sorry if I'm confusing you. Hopefully it'll get easier later on, where there's less exposition.

The powers:
Hisao: Telepathy
Lilly: Molecular sense
Shizune: Flight and energy blasts
Misha: Indestructibility
Hanako: force fields
Rin: Teleportation
Emi: To be revealed later.

Anyway, here is chapter 5 The next chapter is very long, just so you know:
Chapter 5: Relationships.

Shizune woke to Misha shaking her shoulders vigorously. As she regained her bearings, she looked at her girlfriend. Misha was grinning widely, but had bags under her eyes as if she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

[Misha] Shizune signed crossly [Its four in the morning! Class isn't for hours!]

her pink haired friend responded [But I just couldn't wait! I've found my ability! Took all night, but I got it!]

[All night... You've been trying out superpowers since I got back home from flying at eleven last night?!]

[Before actually, I started right after you left. At first I couldn't figure out what I was given. I tried everything. Linguistic fields, magnetic control, ice creation, plant communication, flame manipulation, eccrtera.]

[Flame manipulation... you started a fire in out apartment?!]

[Small one. Put it out as soon as I confirmed it was not the case.]

[Misha, that was reckless and irresponsible! If it had gotten out of control...]

[Don't worry, I was careful.]

[You're never careful!]

[Anyway] Misha continued to sign, ignoring Shizune's clear irritation [I finally got it! Watch] Misha then grabbed a knife she had left on the bedside table, and held it dramatically.

[What the hell are you-] Shizune began but Misha then slammed the blade into her gut. Shizune's mouth dropped open, but Misha then pulled the knife out, to reveal she didn't have a scratch on her. Instead, the blade was now bent backwards.

[Ta-da!] Misha signed, grinning like a fool [I'm invincible! What do you think?]

Shizune paused for a long time [Please tell me that wasn't how you tested it to begin with.]

[Of course not! I'm not stupid. No, I just made a small cut, or tried to. It didn't take. So I tried harder and harder, and nothing happened. So then I jumped off our balcony and came out none the worse for wear! Made a big dent in the pavement though.]

Shizune wanted to groan [Misha, I love you, but that was a terrible idea! What if the invincibility only worked for lesser injuries? Or if it didn't work on blunt force? You could've been killed! I'm not about to lose you again-]

Misha winced [Ok, maybe that was a bit stupid. But it came out for the better! Now you can fly me around and not have to worry if you drop me! Lets go flying!]

Shizune did a facepalm but resigned herself to Misha's impulsiveness [Very well] she signed. The two of them went down to the dark street.

[Ok. I think I know how we can communicate while flying. From I heard, it's called 'armpitting you.'.] Shizune signed

[Armpit me? What do you-] Misha didn't finish her thought as Shizune slid her long arms under Misha's armpits.

[Geeze Misha, you're heavy.] Shizune signed in front of Misha's face. She then concentrated on her feet, and her soles ignited. Soon the two of them were blasting off across the cityscape.



“You're breaking up with me?” Emi shouted into the phone “Couldn't you have done this in person at the very least? What? Not intimate enough for you? Well goodbye to you, buster!” She reached out to slam the phone on the hook, then remembered the call had come on her mobile. Not wanting to damage the device, she groaned and put it in her pocket. Then she let out a scream of frustration.

“Boyfriend trouble?” Maxwell asked.

Emi sighed and nodded “Yeah. Fifth guy to break up with me in four years. All for the same reason.”

“What might that be?”

Emi shrugged “That I have 'intimacy issues' and don't 'want to let people close to me'. Even if that's true, I'm dating you because I like you, not to be psychoanalyzed. So get off my case, jerkface!”

Maxwell thought for a moment. “Is there any truth to that?”

“Little bit” Emi admitted “But only a little.”

“Well, far be it from me to tell you how to run a relationship, but in my experience being with someone means being with someone completely. To laugh with their joys, sympathies with their sorrows, share in their tears...”

“First of all, that's cheesy. Really cheesy. Second, I don't want a lecture. And third, I disagree. Some things, you keep to yourself.” She looked around the room “I need to get to class, it starts in an hour. What are your plans?”

“Thought I might take a look around town, see if anything sparks my memory. That sound good?”

“Yeah sure. If you need me, I got a schedule of classes over on the fridge there. If I'm not in class, I'm almost certainly at the track.”

“You're on the track?”

“Yep. One of the best at it too. Emi Ibarazaki, fastest thing on no legs. That’s me.”

Max nodded and smiled “Actually, I think I'll come watch.”




Hanako arrived early, over an hour before her first class, and began to work on the computer. The latest app the club was developing was the digital equivalent of a board game a different club had produced called “Invincible Alignment.” Programming it was hard. The mechanics alone were tough to code, but the AI was worse. It was always difficult to program artificial intelligence, especially for games of strategy. Fortunately, this time they had help. About a year ago, Yuuki Suzuki had arrived to the campus, and he was a beast at programming. Light years ahead of the rest of the group in fact. Oddly, nobody seemed to know much about him, as he rarely discussed his past or family. Occasionally he would hint a great tragedy in his background and one time he referred to him as “The Fitz” but nobody was sure where that nickname had come from. Even more odd, his voice was tinged with a strange accent that did not fit any region the club could guess. But he was a nice guy, and coded better than anybody else, so the rest of the club left him to his mystery. Except Hanako. Hanako was extremely curious, as Yuuki was sort of the opposite side of her coin. He too was unusual and reluctant to discuss his past, but on the other hand, he was quite extroverted and reluctant to read books.

“Project going well?” A voice spoke, disrupting Hanako's thoughts.

“I was just thinking about you,” Hanako said to Yuuki “And its going ok. Having a bit of trouble with the armor rules. How about your part?”

“Almost finished.”

“Seriously? You programmed an entire AI in just one and a half months?”

“Yeah, You could say I have a knack.”

“I'll say, we've tripled the number of programs created thanks to your abilities.”

Yuuki chuckled. Hanako looked him over, his roguish good looks and bright green hair were quite attractive.

“Well,” he said “I have had practice.”

“Where did you practice?”

“Oh, here and there.”

“You know, I'd really like to know more about you.” Hanako stated flat out. “You never seem to let anyone get to know you, and I'm curious. I mean, where'd you learn to program to such a degree? Why did you say you 'can't see your family anymore?' Why do you call yourself “The fitz?”Why do you always wear that emerald necklace around you? For someone so outgoing, you're really enigmatic. And I know enigmatic.”

Yuuki laughed “It's part of my charm, isn't it?”

“Well, I guess. But some things you've mentioned have indicated you're hiding from someone. You refused any sort of credit in the seven apps we've created, despite doing more work than any other three people put together, you never let anyone have your email address, you don't even have a phone even though thats what our programs are developed on. I'm not even sure if Yuuki is really your name. At first I thought it was, but the way you sometimes delay your reaction when your name is called, its almost like it's an alias. So yes, I do think you're in hiding, but from what?.”

Yuuki pulled out the necklace with the bright green gemstone that he always kept tucked into his shirt and stared at it.”Well, I did finally break down and buy a phone” he said frankly. “The rest is a mystery. Anyway, would you like to go out to eat tonight?” he asked

Hanako did a double take “Are you asking me out?” she said, surprised. She brushed the hair that covered her facial scars self-consciously

“Yes, actually I am. I've actually been trying to work up the courage to ask you for a few weeks now. I mean, you're intelligent. And funny. And very attractive.”

Hanako blushed “You think I'm attractive?”

“Well, of course.”

Hanako stared at the scars on her hand “But...my...” she stammered out.

“Trust me, when I look at you, the scars are the last thing I see. I see a beautiful girl with great body and powerful intellect. And I find it impressive you still ask me about myself despite my dodging the question every time. So what do you think?”

Hanako looked at Yuuki for a long time. He was quite attractive, and its not like she got a lot of date offers. “Allright,” she said “But I want you to tell me about yourself. Its hard to make conversion with someone if they never let you know anything about themselves.”

Yuuki considered this for a long moment, twirling the pendant in his hand. “Very well” he finally said “I will tell you...I'll tell you everything. I suppose I've kept it in for long enough. But swear to me you will keep it a secret.”

“I swear.”

Yuuki nodded. “I'll meet you at the East cafe at seven tonight.”



As Max watched the track team from his seat on the bleachers, he couldn't keep his eyes off Emi. She was beautiful, with her cute pigtails, her perky attitude, her sheer determination. Quite possibly the most attractive person he had ever met. And she was fast. So fast he half wondered he she had a minor superspeed abilities. Probably not, but she was at the very peak of speed for a norm. After the final race, he got up and walked down to meet her.

“That was impressive.” He stated as he walked up to her

“Oh hey Max,” Emi commented “Glad you liked it.”

“I loved it. I was wondering, would you like to grab a movie? I'd love to get to know you better.”

“Heh, well, I got my next class in a few minutes. Maybe after?”

“Sure thing.”








“Any luck navigating?” Hisao asked Lilly as they traversed the crowded hallways.

“Its easier than normal,” Lilly replied “The images you are projecting aren't doing much on their own, but being able to sense the molecular structure of everything around me is a great aid, and together I think I can make a decent guess as to whats around me.”

“Great! I'm glad its working so well.”

“Well, its easier than normal, but its far from perfect. Its a lot to take in. I mean, with all the people around us, I'm analyzing every part of their body, every piece of clothing they wear, every book in their backpack...It's a bit overwhelming.”

“Well, you seem to be doing excellently in spite of that. So when you talk to the molecules can you... I don't know, persuade them, I guess?”

“You mean get them to do things?

“Yeah.”

“Not sure. I haven't really tried.” The two ducked into a side passage that was mostly barren. Lilly walked up to a potted plant and began to focus on it.

“Move,” she whispered to the plant “Move. Move.” she shook her head “It doesn't seem to be working. Maybe I'm limited to getting information.”

“Hmm” Hisao said “Maybe if we-”

“Talking to plants are we?” a familiar voice piped up. “You shouldn't do that. It's the first sign of insanity you know. You talk to plants, then you start seeing portals everywhere, then you start eating weird stuff. Like sauerkraut. Nobody in their right mind would eat sauerkraut. Plus its a really bad idea in any case. One of out every ten plants have microphone recorders in them.”

“Kenji.” Hisao groaned.

“Yeah, good to see you guys again.” Kenji continued “Sorry I had to rush out of the room when I last met you. I had to iron my pillowcases.”

“Iron your pillowcases?” Lilly asked, her polite voice sounding slightly strained.

“Yeah, of course. You have to have ironed pillowcases. Otherwise the feminists can walk into your dreams and steal your thoughts. Ironed pillowcases form a barrier around your brain to prevent that.”

“I thought you said you should never sleep?” Hisao asked.

“Of course you shouldn't sleep. But dreaming is okay. Dreaming is very important. I dream for at least two hours every night, sometimes more.”

“But how do you dream if you don't sleep?”

“Trade secret. Anyway, I was wondering what superpowers you've gained.”

“What makes you think we have superpowers?”

“You broke a Godstone. Obviously. Anyone without powers who is near a broken Godstone gains powers. People who already have powers are unaffected, otherwise it would be redundant. Like a screen door on a screen door. So, can you teleport?”

“No”

“Summon animals?”

“No”

“Read minds?”

“Ye-No.”

“Ah ha! You're a telepath! Read my mind!”

Hisao groaned, and against his better judgment reached out and touched Kenji's mind. He immediately recoiled as a cacophony of very loud thoughts assaulted him. How did Kenji think with that racket in his head?

“See? I'm brilliant, aren't I?” Kenji said triumphantly and turned to Lilly. “How about you?”

“I can read objects molecular structures” she said plainly

“Psychometrey huh? You know, three fourths of people who gain that later develop molecular manipulation powers. You could really powerful if you practiced it. Wait a minute.” Kenji scrunched up his brow “You look familiar, whats your name?

“Lilly Satou”

A look of utter horror spread across Kenji's face. “GAH!” he nearly screamed “I KNOW you. You were in my class in Yamaku! You're the one in the Mafia! And now you have molecular warping powers?” he spun around and faced Hisao “You! Go call the Avengers! Or the X-men! Or the Fantastic Four! Or the Defenders! Or-”

“Kenji” Hisao said angrily “She's not in the Mafia!”

“Yes she is! I still remember that day she was walking down the street and that man in the pinstripe suit came out and talked with her! Third scariest moment of my like! After that bird pooping on my head and learning my girlfriend was stealing my life energy!”

“You have got to be-” Lilly began but Hisao interrupted.

“Kenji, you have this all wrong.” he said calmly

Kenji stopped talking and stared at him. Hisao had originally planned to tell Kenji exactly how screwed up his mind was, but now he had a better idea.

“Kenji,” Hisao started “Can you keep a secret?”


“Yeah, sure.”

“Promise? Its very important.”

Kenji pushed his glasses up his nose “I promise.”

“Lilly may appear to be in the Mafia, but she's not. She's actually going undercover at the behest of the police to take the mob down.”

Kenji visibly relaxed “Oh. OH. That actually makes sense. You're a smart man, aren't you?”

“Yeah, I guess. By the way, I wanted to thank you for the computer. It was a very nice gift.”

“Oh, no problem bud. I have ten others at home.” Seeing Hisao's look of shock, Kenji let out a laugh.

“Let me guess, you want to know how I afford all this equipment?”

“It did cross my mind” Hisao admitted

“I cracked the lottery.”

“What.”

“Yeah, took me a few years, but I came up with computer algorithms that allow me to win prizes in the lotteries whenever I want. Unique number lotteries, selected number lotteries, I can even locate the best scratchcards. It provides a great source of income for the upcoming war.”

“If you win the lottery so often, why haven't you been in the paper?”

“Do I look like a nutjob? I don't win the top prizes, I only go for the smaller ones. I need to avoid any kind of publicity but still make a good income, so I typically win a few hundred thousand yen at a pop. I can make enough to share though.” Kenji then pulled out his wallet and pulled out a couple ten-thousand yen notes and handed them to Hisao. He then took a couple more out and gave them to Lilly.

“Thank you Kenji” Lilly said

“Yes. Thank you.” Hisao said, a bit dumbstruck.

“No problem. Always good to help out a fellow ally against the feminist conspiracy. By the way, do you know what powers the other five got?”

“My other friends? No idea.”

“Ah well. We could form a team later. Strike at the very heart of the feminists. Now I’ve got to get some books from the library, I'll see you two later. Good luck with your infiltration Lilly, glad to hear you're on our side.” Kenji turned and scampered off.

After a long silence Lilly turned to Hisao “That was a brilliant move on your part. I take it you understand how he thinks?”

“Not at all, I doubt even Kenji knows how Kenji thinks. But I figured explaining things in his own terms would have a better chance of working than blowing up in his face. I looked in his head and nearly went nuts myself. It was like listening to ten rock concerts simultaneously, only all the concerts deal with conspiracies.”

“Do you really think he wins the lottery at will?”

“A week ago I would say he was just being even more nuts than usual. But I'm beginning to think he might actually be the super-hacker he's claiming to be. I mean, he figured out we would develop powers long before anyone else. If he really did hack the Fantastic Four's files...I heard in a magazine Reed Richards has encryption fifty years ahead of the rest of the world, compared to that, developing a win the lottery program sounds comparable.”

“Maybe he was just making stuff up.”

“I don't know. While we were at the mall, Sunfire told me Kenji knew secrets few other people did. That bit about Spider-man was known to almost nobody, in particular. I think he may be nuts, but also a hacker on par with Tony Stark.”

“And he had a girlfriend? That stretches credibility.”

Hisao chuckled “Actually, yes he did. Yuuko, if you can believe it.”

“The librarian back at Yamaku?”

“Yeah. Shame about what happened to her... Anyway, He mentioned having a girl at one point, and over that summer I did some digging. Took a while, but I found a picture on a previous student's facebook where the two of them were making out. I think if Kenji ever saw that, he'd freak. More than usual. You know, if he wasn't so wrapped up in this “feminist conspiracy” I think he'd be a really nice guy.” Hisao looked at his watch “We'd better hurry, our next class starts in five.” He grasped Lilly's arm, and quickly began leading her to their next class.




“So, I was trying to form a picture of a cat” Rin's friend Riko was explaining “But I couldn't get it right. I tried paint, sketches, graphite, inks, and other forms, but the cat just wouldn't get on the paper. You ever have that problem?'

Rin nodded “Yes.”

“Really? The way you only paint abstraction, I would have thought you just go with the flow.”

“No. I see things. I cannot get them painted correctly.”

“Wait, you see the things you paint?”

“Yes.”

“Geeze. That's impressive. I can't even understand much of what you create. I really wish I had your talent. Even with my own gifts, I can only be a fraction as good as you.”

Rin shrugged. “You have a lot of talent yourself”

Riko smiled “True, but not as much as you. You want to grab scones? I'll race you to the coffee shop.”

“No need to race. I can take us.” There was a sharp “pop” and Rin and Riko disappeared and reappeared outside of the local Starbucks. Riko did a double take

“How did you do that?” She asked, shocked

“I can teleport.” Rin said “It's nothing special.”

“Nothing special? You've got honest to god superpowers, Rin! I'm so freaking envious! All my genes got me was art talent, but you can teleport too? AND be ten times the artist I am?”

Rin shrugged again.

“So, are you a mutant?” Riko asked

“No.” Rin said “I broke a stone a couple days ago.”

Riko seemed slightly disappointed, but nodded, “Ok then. Here, I'll treat you. Celebrate your gifts. Have you considering being a superhero?”

Rin shrugged yet again “I can't be a superhero. My brain isn't spelled right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Articulating my thoughts is very hard. Appearing normal is impossible.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. What with your odd patterns of speech and body language and stuff. But you could probably be a superhero anyway. They got all sorts of weird ones now.”

Rin shook her head “No.” She said flatly.

Riko thought about pressing the point, but decided against it.



As Hanako entered the East Cafe, she noticed Yuuki sitting in a corner booth. He waved her over and she happily obliged.

“Good to see you,” Hanako said “I thought you'd change your mind.”

Yuuki shook his head “I've hidden myself for long enough, I need someone to confide in. It's been..” he thought for a moment “about four years since anyone knew who I am.”


“How many of my guesses were right?”

“Almost all of them. I am hiding from someone, and Yuuki is not my real name. Not in witness protection though, but close. Before I continue, let me ask a question. What would you do if you met yourself from the future and you turned out to be one of the worst supervillains to have ever existed?”
Hanako was taken aback by the question. “Is this hypothetical?”

“Unfortunately not. What would your actions be?”

“I really don't know.”

Yuuki nodded “Neither did I. My name isn't Yuuki. Its actually Trevor. Trevor Fitzroy. What you need to know is that first, I'm from the future, second, I'm from a parallel universe, and third, I'm on the run from an older version of myself who is soulless. Both literally and figuratively.”

Hanako gave him an odd look. “Seriously?” She asked

“Serious as a heart attack.” Fitzroy noticed Hanako flinch at the statement, but continued.”I've been running for four years and lived on over a dozen worlds.” He pulled the green gemstone he wore from beneath his shirt. “I had this created to tell me when my other self is in the same universe I am. If he arrives, I have to leave.”

“How would you leave a universe?”

“My mutant power is to drain lifeforce and use it to open trans-temporal portals. I only use it on animals for the most part. And no, I can't use it on my other self, as he's clad in armor similar to Iron Man's.” He shook his head sadly.

“Whats the future like?”

“Well, mine was a blasted hellhole. Most of the world had been nuked out of existence and the rest was under the rule of giant robots for the better part of a century. But not every planet winds up like that, some actually wind up being really nice. I like this one in particular. Nice people, great food, very few giant robots...”

Hanako stared at him for a long time. This wasn't what she had expected at all out of her friend. But as ridiculous as the story was, it actually explained a lot.

“So you've been hiding too...” She said softly.

Trevor nodded. “It's a heck of a life. Don't tell anyone okay?”

“Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me”

The food arrived and the two began to eat.

“Thanks for this” Hanako said “I haven't been on a date in...ever, really.”

“I'm sad to hear that. You're such a wonderful person...”

“Yeah well, most people can't get past my appearance..” Hanako sighed “On any of the worlds you visited, were there ways to treat my scars?”

Trevor shook his head. “I'm not sure. Healing burns at the level you have is a rather tall order. A cosmic cube could do it. Or an infinity gauntlet. Or an omega level healer. Or certain supervillains, like Doctor Doom or Apocalypse. But I can't think of someone off the top of my head. Sorry.”

“No, it's alright. I just... I just want to be pretty.”

“You are pretty Hanako. You are one of the most beautiful people I know. You kindness matters more than anything else.”

“I know, but its hard to believe when people freak out at the sight of me.”

Trevor nodded “I'm not going to lie and say that your burns won't put people off, but I want you to know that there are people who will love you. Scars and all.”




As Misha pulled her car up to the office of X-Corp Tokyo, she grinned at Shizune

[So, superheroes huh?] Misha signed

[Yes. I believe training with a team would be beneficial. Many heroes share my drive and ambition, which is sorely lacking at school. Hopefully working with like-minded people will make my social life easier.]

[Going to drop your plans for founding a charity?]

[Of course not. I have plenty of time to attend school, do homework, and spend my nights and weekends throwing energy blasts at aliens from outer space. Anyway...] Shizune got out of the car and marched inside. Misha followed close behind.

The office was fairly spacious. At the counter there was a teenage girl filing paperwork. At the two girls entrance, she immediately looked up.

“Welcome to X-corp Toyko,” She stated “My name is Armor, how may I be of assistance?” As Misha signed to Shizune, Armor's eyebrows arched.

“Hi there!” Misha spoke up “This is Shizune, or Shicchan, as I call her. My name's Misha. We're here to see you have part-time positions available.”

“Ah,” Armor said “And you are making hand gesture's because...?”

“Shicchan is deaf and mute. I'm her interpreter. And her girlfriend!”

“Understood. This is rather unusual, I'm going to have to get my boss. Can you hold on?”

Shizune nodded and Armor went up some nearby stairs. After a few minutes, she returned with a
short, clearly foreign, man with a distinctive hairstyle dressed in an X-men uniform with yellow highlights and a cowboy hat.

Misha gave a puzzled look at Shizune, who didn't seem phased in the least.

[Who is this?] Misha signed

[Misha, have you looked at a TV lately? Out of all the X-men he gets the most press coverage by far.]

[But he's clearly American, why is he running X-corp Toyko?]

[Canadian, mind you. Name's Wolverine.] The man glared at Misha, clearly annoyed at the gaffe. [And yes, I know sign language, so don't think I don't know what you're saying. Armor says you're looking for positions.]

“That we are.” Misha responded, “Shiccan's got flight and energy blasts. I'm invulnerable.”

Wolverine chuckled [Do you really think superpowers are the only qualification for this kind of lifestyle? Being an X-man takes determination most people don't have. I've had good friends die in ways that would make your hair curl. Wild Child, burned alive in a vat of molten steel. Copycat, her insides torn out and left to bleed to death, Changling, dismembered by a HYDRA experiment. Maggot, eaten by his own digestive system. I have personally been burned, frozen, disemboweled, crucified, devoured, disintegrated, and had my skeleton ripped out of my body. Do you really think you can handle this lifestyle? I doubt it. ]

[I figured you'd try to dissuade us, so I spent most of last night doing research, and you know I found? For most of the X-men's existence, they recruited almost any mutant they could find, including ones that really weren't a good idea.] Shizune begin, [Let's take the Mimic for example, who was a bipolar egomaniac who nearly got the team killed. Or how about Legion, who had four personalities for most of his life and then proceeded to nearly destroy the planet when they were healed? Or that terrorist Marrow, whose first meeting of the X-men was when she tried to blow up a train filled with civilians. And then there was Cypher, who had no combat powers whatsoever, yet you recruited him anyway, with predictable results. Contrast those cases with the two us. We have no mental issues, a clean history, and most of all, we want to help. Death doesn't scare us. Failure does.]

Wolverine smirked at her, and Shizune continued,

[I've looked over the news reports of your team.] Shizune responded firmly, [This branch of X-corp has four members. There's you, there's that teenage girl who supposedly was cloned from your DNA, the telepath with the psionic blades, and Armor over there. Very limited power sets, especially since you and X-23 have the exact same powers. You don't anyone who can fly. That is a major liability in this day and age. I can fly, and while I may have no experience, I seriously think I could help this team with the proper training. While Misha may not have the most unique power set, she's stubborn as all get out and has the potential to kick some major ass.]

Wolverine chuckled, [You have confidence, I'll give you that much.] He leaned back against a desk, [Impress me.]

[Fine.] Shizune nodded, and let out a the largest blast of energy she could generate. It enveloped the southern end of the room, reducing the desk and most of the other furniture to rubble. A badly burned Wolverine hit the wall from the momentum of the blast.

Misha looked down at the scorched figure in front of her friend. [Shicchan, what did you do? You could have killed him!]

[He's got a healing factor, Misha.] Shizune explained, [You really need to do some research, for goodness sake...]

As wolverine got back to his feet, his burns healing before their eyes, he glared at Shizune [That was my favorite hat. Ten points for gumption, minus a hundred for collateral damage. However...] He shook his head. “Armor, take Shizune and give her the usual array of tests. Mental, physical, psychological... And dig through our armory and find those dictation glasses Forge made for Echo.”

“Dictation glasses?” Armor asked, clearly not phased in the least from the explosion.

“Yes, the ones that print nearby language spoken on the lenses. Much as I hate to say it, she's got potential.”

[Misha too.] Shizune stated as her friend translated.

[Shizune, your friend is an airhead. From what I've seen, she's as likely to be a hindrance than a help in a fight.] Wolverine signed.

[I'm sorry, but we work as a team. Either take both of us or neither of us.]

Wolverine pondered this for a moment.

[Fine. But I'm holding you responsible if she screws up.]




As Emi and Max left the theater, the night air was crisp and cool.

“That was fun.” Emi remarked.

“Yes” Max said “I haven't been on a date like this at all as far as I can remember.” The gloves of his armor retracted and he gently touched Emi's face “It's so nice to be able to touch people.” he said softly.

“Do you remember why you couldn't?”

“I think anyone I touched would die. Not sure on the details, but after I came back it stopped happening. My memory is slowly coming back however, so I think I will remember soon enough. Maybe it's just my living in the moment, but I feel a real kinship with you. It's like we are very similar deep down.”

Emi looked at Max, and planted a kiss on his cheek “Well, you're a cutie. And I love your hair. If you want to go on more dates, I'd be more than willing.”

Max laughed “Live fast and love hard huh? You certainly strike me as the type.”

The two hooked hands and strode back to Emi's apartment.

So does this "Earth-27" you set this in exist in canon, or did you make that up?

Mirage_GSM wrote:So does this "Earth-27" you set this in exist in canon, or did you make that up?

In the marvel continuity, there are a infinite number of earths, each given a number. Earth-27 appears once, but I don't want to say exactly where because it might spoil a surprise.

Chapter 6: A shooting at the university

In the dead of night, Max woke up to the sound of crying in the next room. Getting up, he walked over to Emi's bedroom and peered into her door. Emi was sobbing into her pillow.

“Emi, whats wrong?” Max asked

Emi looked up and shook her head “Just a nightmare. I'll be fine.” she stated, her voice sounding strained

“You sure?” Max sounded concerned “If you want to talk about it, I'm more than willing to listen.”

Emi shook her head again “Really, I'm okay. Go back to bed Max. Please.”

“I don't know, you sounded really upset. Are you sure...?”

“Yes Max” Emi said determinedly “I'll be fine. Go back to sleep.”

Max hesitated then added “Well, alright. But if you need anything at all, let me know. I'll be willing to help.” Max started at Emi for a long time, then walked back to the couch. He spend the rest of the night staring at the ceiling.



Hisao groaned and hit the button on his alarm. It was a Tuesday, so he had to get down to exercise with Emi. While he had stalled on the running practice for a while, after his second heart attack it finally sunk in that he really should try to strengthen himself, after all, he wanted to live another sixty or seventy years with Lilly if he could possibly do so. Getting up from his bed, he blew a kiss to Lilly's sleeping form, then threw on his gym clothes, took his pills, and headed down to the track.

When he arrived, he was surprised to find Emi with a guy. The fact she was with a guy wasn't unusual, but this man was clearly foreign, had red armor clad over most of his body, and a very unusual hair style.

“Hello, I'm Hisao.” he introduced himself to the new arrival

“Max Lehnsherr,” the man said, “Good to meet you.”

“Yeah!” Emi piped up, “Good to see you again Hisao! Shall we get started?”

Hisao nodded and the two sprinted down the track. Max followed shortly behind. At first, Max and Hisao were about the same speed, with Emi way ahead of them, but after a couple miles, Hisao reached his limit and slowed down. Max continued for a bit longer, but did the same, stopping near Hisao.

“So,” Hisao said “You a friend of Emi's?”

“You could say that” Max replied, “She kind of brought me back from somewhere.”

“Brought you back? What do you mean?”

“Not sure exactly, but I was lost for a while there. I don't remember”

“I don't understand.”

“Most of my mind is a blank, I can't really remember where I was. I think I may have amnesia. I know Emi stood out like a beacon however, so I'm grateful for her. Do you know if she gets night terrors?”

“Not that I am aware of, why?”

“She just was crying last night. Maybe its nothing to worry about, but I'm concerned anyway.”

Hisao shrugged, “Emi never really let me close to her. We're friends, nothing more.”

Max gave that some though and nodded “Alright then. Want to get showered up?”




“Ok where was that guest lecture located?” Hisao muttered as he racked his brain trying to remember. “I thought it was in the physics building, but nobody was there...”

Then all of a sudden, the alarm started blaring.

“Now what?” Hisao said exasperatedly. Then he heard gunshots.

“Oh, god DAMIT” He swore and began running as fast as he could away from the sound of the bullets.

“I'll ask again!” he heard a voice behind him “Where is Riko Kudo?”. Shots rang out again and Hisao heard a scream. Hisao then ducked into a side passage and tried desperately to calm his heart. He was glad he was keeping up the exercise regiment with Emi, had this happened at Yamaku he would not be in nearly good enough shape.

“You!” A voice said and Hisao saw the gunman. He was big, at least six feet tall, and had bright blonde hair. His face was covered in scars, nothing like Hanako's though, it appeared that the man had experiences some horrible cuts on his face in the past and they had healed in a nasty way. Most notable of all is that his hands were his guns. His right arm was formed into a shotgun and the left terminated into some sort of plasma cannon.

The gunman stared directly at him

“You don't see me, you don't see me.” Hisao thought at the figure as hard as he could. The man laughed

“Trying to get in my head, kid? You a mutant too?”

“No.” Hisao stammered out

“Yeah, didn't think so, you didn't light up on my radar. Now tell me, where is Riko Kudo?”

“I have no earthly idea who that is.” Hisao lied. Rin had mentioned her friend in the past, but there was no way he was helping this monster with anything.

“You're useless then.” The man said, and there was a loud sound as a bullet rocketed out of the right arm and struck Hisao in the side. Immediately, Hisao's heart started going out of rhythm. Collapsing to the ground, Hisao screamed at the pain, and clutched at his chest.

“Notgoingtodiehere,” he thought “Not going to die here. Please god, don't let it end like this.” his fingers went numb, along with his toes. A ringing sounded in his ear. He was vaguely aware of the gunman leaving the room.

“Lilly, I'm so sorry.” Hisao thought. Pain consumed his body. Having survived two heart attacks, he was pretty sure this was number three. Then something odd happened. The pain died down, his fingers and toes regained feeling, his heart started beating again. He looked down at the gash where the bullet had entered his body. The wound seemed to be fading before his eyes.

“Impossible” he mumbled. Then added “But I'm not complaining.” He got up off the floor. Nobody was around.




“Why is he looking for me?” Riko cried “What did I do?”

“I don't know.” Rin replied “I can take you out of here.”

“No, if you do that he'll just keep shooting people until the cops get here. I can't let that happen.” Riko looked around at the closet they were hiding in.

“Other option then.” Rin replied.

“What other option?”

“Fight” Rin said simple, and kicked open the door.

“Wait, you're going to fight that guy?”

“Yes.”

“Rin, that's suicide!”

“I'll be fine.”

“Damnit Rin, you're the best damn artist in the country, I'm not going to let you throw your life away!”

Rin just strode out and kicked the door shut behind her.

“Where is Riko?” A voice shouted

Rin spun to face the gunman and give him a long look.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked plaintively

The gunman laughed “She's a mutant artist. And that is the kind of people I kill. Names Bushwacker. Now, where is Riko Kudo?”

Rin didn't answer, and the gunman fired a bullet at her. It lodged in her shoulder and she winced in pain.

“Missed.” Bushwacker snorted and took aim with his left arm. He never got a chance to use it. A popping sound occurred and his left arm was suddenly displaced from the rest of his body, landing in a trashcan several feet away. There was then another popping sound and his right arm was teleported onto a bookshelf on the other side of the hallway. He let out screams of agony and then flailed around on the floor, the stumps where his arms used to be forming a large pool of blood. Rin watched with her passive gaze as the man bleed out on the floor. A few minutes later, it was over. Carl Burbank, former priest, ex CIA agent, self-hating mutant, was dead, never to take another life.

“Geeze Rin,” Riko said as she stepped out of the closet. “You killed him”

Rin shrugged, “He was going to kill you.” she replied

“Well, yeah... But..” Riko shook her head “Thanks. Glad he missed when he fired at you.”

“He didn't miss.”

“You got shot? Oh my god.”

“I'm now better.” Rin motioned to her shoulder. The wound had completely healed.

Riko looked at Rin oddly, “You have a healing factor too?”

Rin shrugged, “So, he said you're a mutant.”

Riko looked at her feet “Yeah” she admitted “Its the only reason my art is a good as it is. Before my gene manifested I couldn't draw at all. Or paint. Or anything really. I hope you don't hate me for it.”

“Why would I hate you?”

“Lots of people hate mutants. Its not that bad in this country, but when I visited America that one time...”

“It doesn't matter,” Rin replied, “You're a friend.”

She nodded and turned around, then looked down sadly at the dismembered figure at her feet. “For what it's worth. I'm sorry it had to happen this way. I really am.” she stated to the dead man. A tear ran down her face as a series of police officers barged into the room.

“Allright, put your hand up-oh my god...” One of them said, and the group stopped dead in their tracks

“That's that Bushwacker follow, right?”

“Most of him...God. What happened?”

“He was going to kill my friend,” Rin said “So I disarmed him.”

“You tore off his arms?” The first officer asked

“Teleported. I have teleport powers.”

“Beware the quiet ones..” The third officer muttered “You're Rin Tezuka, right?”

“You know me.” It was a rhetorical statement, but the officer replied anyway

“Yeah, I love your work. Uh, we'll need to take your statement. I don't forsee any problems. You too.” He motioned to Riko, who nodded weakly.





Lilly, Hisao, Hanako, Emi, Shizune, Misha and Max were gathered outside the school. The remainder of classes were canceled, but they had pulled together for comfort.

“So, Rin took him out?” Lilly asked Hisao.

“Yeah, I didn't expect it, but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, “ Hisao replied “She really is the type to keep calm in a crisis.”

“Teleport powers?” Emi asked “Really?”

“I guess,” Hanako said, shaking slightly. Despite being on the opposite side of the campus when it happened, she was taking the event harder than the others.

“Lilly and I developed powers too” Hisao added “She can talk to molecules and I read minds.”

“Really?” Emi asked “What am I thinking now?”

Hisao looked in her mind and replied “You're thinking about how hungry you are.”

Emi blushed slightly and said “Lucky guess. Well, maybe not. I haven't gotten any powers. I think.”

“Maybe it's subtle.” Misha replied “It took me ten hours to learn I was indestructible.”

Shizune made some signs and Misha added “And its not always pleasant. Shicchan felt like she was going to explode when she hers developed.”

“What did she get?” Emi asked

“Flight and energy blasts. The two of us went to X-corp last night and signed up for training.” Shizune made more signs and Misha added “The rest of you should too.”

“Did you develop anything?” Emi asked Hanako, who looked down and nodded

“I can make force fields.”

“Maybe we could all train together” Misha suggested

“I don't want to exert myself” Hisao shook his head “I got lucky this time, but its not something I want to repeat.”

“Got lucky this time?” Lilly, repeated with a worried tone in her voice.

“The guy shot me. Right near my chest. By some miracle I didn't die, but it feel like hell.”

“Oh my god Hisao!” Lilly cried and hugged her boyfriend “I am so sorry!

“I'm alright Lilly. Not a scratch on me”

“You should still see a doctor. I don't want...”

“Its alright. It's alright.” Hisao comforted his girlfriend.

“I'm sorry I wasn't able to get there in time,” Max added “I was flying around the city, trying to spark some memories. By the time I got there, it was all over.”

“Spark memories?” Misha asked.

“I don't remember much of my past. I remember being in a big explosion and winding up in a grey city where nobody seemed to perceive me until I found Emi. I think someone called me Magnus at one point. I remember I couldn't touch people for a very long time. I don't remember much else.”

Shizune made some signs and Misha translated, “Didn't Mariko mention a Magnus while we were shopping during her visit?”

Hanako nodded “Yes, she said that she head of someone by that name who died on the Exiles's first mission. Is this the same man?”

Max shrugged “Could be. The term Exiles does sound familiar. But if that is the case, how did I come back to life?”

“Maybe Emi can raise the dead?” Hisao suggested. Emi flinched slightly.

“But Mariko said Magnus died in a nuclear explosion. Wouldn't there be no body left?” Hanako asked

Magnus was concentrating very hard “You know, when I was stuck in that city, I seemed to find Emi as a beacon. I could sense her presence for very far away. If I had died, maybe I got “stuck” in between worlds and Emi...I don't know, maybe she can call lost souls into existence.”

Emi rolled her eyes “Or maybe I don't have powers and Max is completely different guy than the Exile's Magnus. Whatever.”

“Can I talk to this Mariko lady?”

Hanako shook her head “I'm afraid she left this dimension after the shopping trip. And I really don't have a way to contact her. Sorry.”

There was a popping sound and Rin appeared in front of the group

“Hi there,” she said “Is everyone okay?”

“No we're not,” Lilly said. “Hisao got shot.”

“Lilly, I'm fine. There's not a mark on me.” Hisao replied.

“You too?” Rin asked

“Pardon?” Hisao replied

“I got shot too. And got better. Healed right up.” Rin said frankly

“Really?” Hanako asked

“Yes.”

“But if that's the case...” Hisao began and winced. This was an awkward question. “Why didn't your arms grow back?” he finally got out.

“Well, from what I've read in books, with most healing factors, they don't heal conditions that already exist” Hanako said softly “Only ones that come along after the powers develop. Now exceptions do exist...”

“So what, we have healing factors now?” Misha asked for Shizune.

“There's a way to find out” Max stated. He gestured and a metal shard formed out of a nearby hubcap..

“You can prick your fingers.” He handed the piece of metal to Emi, who looked at it for a long time, then touched it with her index finger. The injury immediately stitched itself up, leaving not a mark on her finger. She handed it to Lilly, who sighed but followed suit. Same thing occurred. Each of the others performed the same action, and each time the cut healed, except for Misha, who couldn't get it to pierce her skin.

“So, we've got healing abilities” Hisao smiled and burst into laughter “”Halle-freakin-lujah!” He cried, “I was so worried I was going to kneel over from my condition someday, but I guess that’s not as much of an issue.”

“You could still die,” Hanako pointed out “Healing can help, but they can be overloaded.”

“I said, “as much of an issue”. I have no delusions of immortality. I know I could still die, I just am glad I have a “buffer” of sorts between getting hurt and having a heart attack.”

“Will we age?” Emi asked, sounding a bit scared

“Most likely not,” Hanako replied. “Most healing factors reduce the aging systems to a crawl.”

Emi looked worried.

“Emi, whats wrong?” Max asked

“I just don't want to live forever” Emi said softly. “I don't want to watch the world grow old and die while I remain young. Its just a very depressing thought.”

“Don't worry too much.” Misha replied “It might not work that way, and even if it does, so what? You'll still have all of us!” She grinned widely.

Emi shrugged “I guess.” She didn't sound convinced.




Deep within the bowels of a celestial starship, two figures watched the figures on a screen

“She is perfect.” A large, imposing figure said. His grey face twisted into a sinister grin.

“Which one? The one with no arms, or the blind one?” Ozymandias inquired. The tall, grey-skinned man twisted a dial and the picture on the screen zoomed inward.

“Neither. I mean the scarred one.”

“The scarred one? My lord, the others...”

“The others are strong yes, but this...Ikezawa girl... she has the most incredible inner will.”

“But the readouts on the others, particularly this Satou girl. The emissions on her are unlike anything I've seen. If we take her...”

“Satou lacks the mental fortitude necessary. So does Tezuka. Ikezawa, however, has taken everything the world threw at her and remained standing. She shall make the perfect Famine. Send out the other horseman to collect her.”

“Yes, lord Apocalypse.”

Regeneration for everyone just seems a bit too convenient...

Chapter 7: Desire



“Is it working?” Hisao asked

Lilly shook her head. “I'm sorry, no. I'm still not getting it.”

“It'll come.” Hisao replied, his voice holding a note of disappointment. When he had first tried letting Lilly see through his eyes a little over a week ago, the initial attempts had been promising. Combined with her molecular sense, she had been able to walk through rooms without the use of her cane. Unfortunately, after that they had run into the proverbial brick wall. While navigation was possible, many parts of sight, such as perception of color, appreciation of art and even being able to perceive many static forms, still remained out of her grasp. The worst part was the fact that Hisao wasn't even sure if she could learn. The documentation on people who recovered their sight after being blind since birth was limited at best, and all the case studied dealt with people seeing through their own eyes, not someone elses.

“Don't worry too much,” Lilly said, “I don't mind my blindness, why are you so focused on it?”

“Because I get the feeling I could help you if I just knew how. But I don't know how, and it's frustrating.” He sighed “Maybe if you could see through your own eyes, rather than mine it might be working, but as far as I can tell, cures are still in the experimental stage.”

“Hisao sweetie, you're thinking too hard about this. I know you want to make everything perfect for me, but I’ve managed without sight for twenty two years, I can function perfectly well without it for however long I live. And it doesn't matter if I can't understand the images you project,there are always things people cannot understand. I mean, you still have difficulty with your English grades.” she chuckled slightly,”Look, we've got all the time in the world. Literally, if Hanako's research on healing factors is accurate.”

“I know Lilly, I just tend to feel a bit overwhelmed. Especially lately. In two weeks, we meet superheros from another universe, gain superpowers of our own, our university gets shot up, and then it turns out we heal from almost anything. It's a lot to take in. Occupying myself with this helps me cope. You understand?”

“Perfectly. But I can handle anything with you by my side.”

“Thank you Lilly, I believe the exact same thing with you. There is one more option I'm considering.”

“And what might that be?”

Hisao thought for a moment and then spoke “It occurred to me that maybe, if I had more skill with my telepathy, I could copy the visual abilities from my brain and put them in yours, taking a sort of shortcut in regards to learning. The problem is, my skill isn't nearly as good as it would need to be to perform that kind of task. So, after school I'm going to see if this X-corp place can give me training.”

“Hisao, that sounds dangerous. We still don't know our limits. What if you suffer another heart attack and the healing factor can't keep up?”

“I'm not going to do anything strenuous. I just am going to check if they can train me.”

“Are you sure about this? I don't want you to get hurt, especially on my behalf.”

Hisao leaned in and kissed Lilly “I'm sure. I promise, I will make safety my utmost priority.”




Later that night, Shizune and Misha had just finished a round in X-corp's danger room. The two were dressed in X-men battle uniforms. Both of them were fairly straightforward, with a black leathersuit with embossed with the X-men's logo and colored highlights. Blue on Shizune's and pink on Misha's, They also wore black gloves and knee length black boots. Shizune was also wearing a pair of dark red sunglasses notably larger than the ones she normally had on.

[Three minutes and twelve seconds] Shizune signed [That’s an improvement.]

“Yeah,” Misha said and signed at the same time. Her words appeared on the lenses of Shizune's glasses as she spoke. Despite that, she continued signed while talking through force of habit. “Maybe we'll be ready for field work soon. I hope we get cooler costumes too. Maybe something pink. But this is pretty nice too.”

[You like them? I think this outfit is ridiculous. I mean, seriously. I look like Trinity.] Shizune

“Trinity who?” Misha asked

[From the Matrix. I mean, it's better than running around in a purple leotard like Psylocke does, but why don't female superheroes ever dress conservatively?]

“I think you look really cool. I mean, you got that 'secret agent' thing going. Kind of sexy actually.” Misha grinned.

Shizune blushed and began to respond but was interrupted.

“It takes a lot to impress me, but you've managed to do so.” a voice came from behind them. Wolverine walked into the room and looked at the holographic robots lying around on the ground. “You've run through over seventy simulations in less than a week. You have quite the drive.”

[Thank you] Shizune signed [I make it a point of pride to commit completely to everything I do. A trait more people should have.]

Wolverine chuckled “You've got spunk, kid. I like that. The two of you were twenty two on your forms, right?”

“Yes, we are.” Misha replied “Why?”

“I was thinking the two of you could join the rest of the current team as we go out to a bar.”

Misha laughed “Wahaha! That sound great, actually. We've been working on these simulations for five hours, and could use a little break. Who all is coming?”

“Pretty much everyone on base at the moment. Me, Armor, X-23, and Psylocke,. You coming, Shizune?”

Shizune stared at the words on her glasses. [I was going to get a few more rounds in, but I guess that can wait.] She finally signed.

Armor's voice came across the intercom “Wolverine, could you come to the front? We have another visitor wanting training.”

Wolerine muttered something under his breath about 'recruitment drives being a bad idea' but started off, Misha and Shizune following behind him. As they approached the lobby, Misha and Shizune stopped in their tracks.

“Hicchan? What are you doing here?” Misha asked.

“You know him?” Wolverine asked

[Of course we know him] Shizune responded [It was at his party the seven of us broke the Godstone and gained powers.]

Wolverine blinked “Godstone?” he said, sounding a bit surprised.

[That's what Kenji called it.]

“I haven't heard that term in years-wait, Kenji? You wouldn't happen to mean Kenji Setou, would you?”

“You know him?” Hisao asked.

“Of course I know him. Every superhero knows him. One of the only men in the past twenty years to break Mr Fantastic's encryption. “

“That actually happened?” Hisao wasn't too surprised, but hearing his suspicions confirmed felt a bit nerve racking. Kenji was really the hacker he claimed to be. So the planet's most powerful encryption could be broken by a man convinced every major organization was being infiltrated by “militant feminists.” Not a good omen.

“Yeah, and he managed it without superpowers as well. Read over hundreds of classified documents before we traced the signal back to the source. Some of the superhero community wanted to put him in jail, but Richards thought it would be a better idea to hire him. He proved invaluable on a few missions but it eventually went sour, as Kenji started to think everything was a 'feminist plot'. So we got rid of him. Keeping him under surveillance of course. How do you know him?”

“He went to Yamaku with us.” Hisao replied “Was my next door neighbor in the dorms in fact. I mean, I knew he was odd, but this is something else. Do you know why he is the way he is?”

“Paranoid something or other. I really didn't care. That nutjob nearly got a half dozen good men killed before we kicked him out. Anyway, a godstone?”

[That’s what he termed it] Shizune signed

“There hasn't been a godstone broken in years. You know what it does right?”

“Gives you superpowers, obviously.” Misha replied

“Well, yes. And it makes you damn hard to kill. Bear in mind, you can still die, but you'll be able to heal from most wounds. So, seven of you, huh? Who are the others?”

“Classmates of ours,” Hisao replied “Hanako, Emi, Lilly and Rin are their names.”

“Rin? You mean Rin Tezuka? The artist who was in the papers last week for stopping the shooting?”

“Exact same. There were two others as well. The parallel versions of Sunfire and Spiderwoman. I don't know if they gained powers or not.”

“They wouldn't have. Godstones only touch people who aren't already powered. So, you're here for training?”

“Sort of, yes.” Hisao fumbled for words. He was clearly intimated by Logan, not in the least because of the X-men's reputation as a killer. “I would like to increase the telepathic powers I acquired. I'd rather not do anything strenuous though. I suffer from arrhythmia and I don't want to suffer another heart attack. The past few were extremely unpleasant and even if I don't actually die from them, I want to avoid such an experience if at all possible. I hope this is acceptable.”

Wolverine paused, “I'll chat with Psylocke about that. She's the telepath in our group. It would be her call as whether to give training to you.”

“Can Hicchan come to the bar with us?” Misha piped up.

Wolverine rolled his eyes, “Eh, whatever.” and motioned dismissively.




Hisao awoke the next day staring at the ceiling of a hotel room. He groaned hard. Once again, he had overestimated his alcohol tolerance. He staggered to his feet and looked at the clock. Ten thirty. It was Sunday, so no classes. Thank god. There was a knock on the door.

“You decent?” A woman said in a thick British accent.

“Uh yeah.” Hisao responded.

The door opened and a purple-haired Asian woman in a skintight leotard walked in. She looked at Hisao and smiled

“Betsy Braddock, or Psylocke if you prefer. Pleased to meet you, sorry we didn't get a chance to talk much last night. ” She stated.

Hisao gave her a funny look “Um, what is your nationality, if you don't mind my asking?”

She chuckled at him “You live with a half-Scottish lady, but get confused by a Asian woman with a British accent?”

Hisao's face flushed. “Ah...Sorry..I just meant...”

She smiled “It's fine. To answer your question, I got bodyswapped. It involved a clan of ninjas and a lot of mind control. Long story, that”

“Ah.” Hisao replied, his face still rather red, “I should probably get home, Lilly will be worried about me.”

“Don't worry about that. Voidstar got Hardhead to call your girlfriend and let her know you'd be training today.”

“Uh, who?”

“Your friends. Shizune and Misha respectively.”

“I see,” Hisao shook his head, trying to clear the hangover. “What happened last night? I can't remember a thing.”

Betsy laughed again. “You got pretty drunk. Started talking loudly about how happy you were to be alive. Then you tried your luck at the karaoke mic.”

Hisao blushed slightly.

“You were actually surprisingly good. Most people sound awful after drinking as much as you did, but you had pipes. I loved your rendition of Green Day's '!Viva la Gloria!'.”

“At least I had a good time- wait, Green Day? They're an American band. How the heck did I speak English?”

“You pulled the language out of my head. Rather recklessly too, I might add. I knew how to blunt the effect to prevent any damage, but you need practice before doing anything like that again. Which is why I'm here.”

“Ah, you're a telepath?”

“Indeed. One of the most powerful ones in the eastern hemisphere. Might I ask whether you wanted the training for combat capacity or for personal reasons?”

“It's the personal one. My girlfriend is blind, and I was hoping to let her see through my eyes. Thing is, to do that I need to copy the mental ability to 'see' from my mind into hers.”

“This Lilly girl, I take it?”

“I mentioned her, didn't I?”

“Very much so. Armor tried to make a move on you and you kind of freaked out. Screaming about how you were 'taken' and 'needed to get married' to avoid people hitting on you. It was kind of funny actually. So, telepathic sight? I can help you with that. Funny you should ask in fact, as I used to be blind myself and used that trick to navigate. Do you feel well enough to begin? I can come back later if you are too hung over.”

“No. I can do this,” Hisao pushed aside the pain in his head and added “I want to learn.”

“Very well.”




Misha smiled as she gobbled down a sandwich she had brought to the X-corp office. Being a superhero was fun. Fun people, impressive technology, and best of all, it was something she and Shicchan could do together that would make a difference. Sure, she had wanted to be a sign language teacher, but this was even better. You got to save lives! Well, okay, they hadn't reached the training point for actually going out on missions yet, but with luck they would soon. Shizune had spent almost every moment they weren't at school training in the danger room, and Misha had followed suit for the most part. Even better, Shicchan seemed to finally be making progress on the trepidation she felt about dating Misha. It was taking a while, yes, but Misha was more than willing to wait. She loved Shizune, and she wanted her to be perfectly comfortable with her sexuality before they took their relationship to the next level.

The door to the break room opened and Shizune walked in.

[Hey there Misha] she signed [Great party last night, huh?]

[I was just thinking about you!] Misha replied [And yes, it was. Feel kinda bad for Hicchan though, he was pretty wasted by the end. Must have one whopper of a hangover.]

[Quite likely.] Shizune smiled, leaned in and planted a kiss on Misha's cheek. [How are you doing?]

[I'm great! This past week and a half has been some of the best time of my life! I never knew being a superhero could be so exhilarating!]

[I meant more about our relationship. It occurred to me that I got a bit involved in this training program, and haven't had time to really be with you.]

[What do you mean? We've done almost all of our danger room programs together.]

[That's more like working together. I was just thinking after we train today, we could go on a date. Maybe to that new restaurant that opened up.]

[That would be great! Seven sound good?]

[Yes.] Shizune leaned in and gave her another brief kiss.




Roughly three hours into the training, Hisao was interrupted by his phone ringing.


“Excuse me” he told Psylocke, and pushed the button.

“Hello?” he asked. Then his eyes went wide, “Wait, what? Shit. Tell me everything.” There was a long pause. “I'll ask.” He dropped the phone and stared at Betsy.

“Is something wrong?” the lady asked

Hisao nodded, “I need your help. Hanako had been kidnapped.”

Chrono180 wrote:“No problem. The X-men were actually formed by Charles Xavier, who couldn't particulate in missions due to being paraplegic.”

Pretty sure you mean participate…

Though, given the existence of superpowers in this, the mental image this gives me is interesting.

Chrono180 wrote:Hows that for a cliffhanger? What do you all think of my fic so far? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

It has been improving. I wasn't liking the first chapter. For me, being such a fan of Marvel comics was the only thing that got me to read beyond the opening paragraphs.

griffon8 wrote:

Chrono180 wrote:“No problem. The X-men were actually formed by Charles Xavier, who couldn't particulate in missions due to being paraplegic.”

Pretty sure you mean participate…
Though, given the existence of superpowers in this, the mental image this gives me is interesting.

Chrono180 wrote:Hows that for a cliffhanger? What do you all think of my fic so far? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

It has been improving. I wasn't liking the first chapter. For me, being such a fan of Marvel comics was the only thing that got me to read beyond the opening paragraphs.

fixed that error. Could you give me some pointers? What should I work on? What are my strong points?

Well, I haven't quite caught up with the whole thing but so far, but it's entertaining. Having them talking about supeheroes like they're used to them feels a tad surreal though. It actually kind of reminds me of the Archie meets Punisher storyline in that respect.

All in all, it's coming across pretty good. You just need to cut down on the exposition a bit, and your Wolverine needs some work.

Well, having everyone being virtually indestructible is a surefire way to take tension out of a story...
Or if you want to put them in real danger, the story could get pretty gory quickly.
So is this godstone stuff actually x-men canon, or did you make that up?

Mirage_GSM wrote:Well, having everyone being virtually indestructible is a surefire way to take tension out of a story...
Or if you want to put them in real danger, the story could get pretty gory quickly.
So is this godstone stuff actually x-men canon, or did you make that up?

I made it up. and I suppose possibly thats a good point, it too late to change it now. I can tell you they don't play a huge role in the rest of the story, just a moderate one. Anything else?

Chrono180 wrote:Could you give me some pointers? What should I work on? What are my strong points?

It's a lot of little things. Poor punctuation, incorrect capitalization, and some cringe-worthy dialogue.

The other major comment I have is about Shizune and Lilly's relationship. Your story takes place after Lilly's good end, I'd think in part because that's the only path that keeps her in Japan. There was already the beginning of a reconciliation between them in that path, so having them start a reconciliation in your story is a little odd. It's also very abrupt and doesn't seem to affect anything.

Chrono180 wrote:

Mirage_GSM wrote:Well, having everyone being virtually indestructible is a surefire way to take tension out of a story...
Or if you want to put them in real danger, the story could get pretty gory quickly.
So is this godstone stuff actually x-men canon, or did you make that up?

I made it up. and I suppose possibly thats a good point, it too late to change it now. I can tell you they don't play a huge role in the rest of the story, just a moderate one. Anything else?

Aww. the immortality/healing factor stuff doesn't play a big role? I'm sad to hear. You have some potentially good subplots there.

So, healing factors can't change already existing conditions. We'll work with that. Most of their characters are used to the way they are, but Hisao and Hanako have some story potential.

So Hisao can still get heart attacks, he just can't die from them. How does that change him? Is he going to start pushing himself more knowing he'll be alright after a bit of (excruciating) pain? If so, how would the others react to the fact that he pushing himself to the point where he has heat attacks on a fairly regualr basis?

What about Hanako? No matter how badly she gets hurt, her body is going to regrown the scar tissue back. That can't be an easy thing for her to take. It might not even be something she's started to think about, but suppose she gets really hurt and watches her good skin regrow. Once she gets the nerve up to try something to cut away her scars, how would she handle them just growing right back?

Oddball wrote:What about Hanako? No matter how badly she gets hurt, her body is going to regrown the scar tissue back. That can't be an easy thing for her to take. It might not even be something she's started to think about, but suppose she gets really hurt and watches her good skin regrow. Once she gets the nerve up to try something to cut away her scars, how would she handle them just growing right back?

Right now I think she's more worried about having been kidnapped.

Chrono180 wrote:

Mirage_GSM wrote:Well, having everyone being virtually indestructible is a surefire way to take tension out of a story...
Or if you want to put them in real danger, the story could get pretty gory quickly.
So is this godstone stuff actually x-men canon, or did you make that up?

I made it up. and I suppose possibly thats a good point, it too late to change it now. I can tell you they don't play a huge role in the rest of the story, just a moderate one. Anything else?

If it plays only a minor role in the story, why is it too late to change it?