Hey everyone! Here's another chapter, this one coming a lot sooner than the last one. I would just like everyone to know that these chapters, and all my other chapters for different stories, will be coming in faster now.
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men Evolution, Marvel does, so please don't be mean and sue me.
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Ever Watchful Angel
Chapter 6: The Gift of Fire
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The earth rumbles. Off in the distance, a volcano erupts.
Amara, in the comforting darkness, feels it all.
Reaching out into the dark, Amara absently watches as a finger flickers, before catching onfire. Soon, her whole hand is engulfed in flames. The flames begin to lick down her arm, as she…
…
Amara awoke to see her arm raised, on fire, with the smell of burning wafting all around her. Cursing, Amara concentrated, willing the flames to die away quickly. Getting out of bed, Amara surveyed the damage and, to her relief, there was not a single char or burn mark on her sheets or in the vicinity of her bed. Amara jumped in alarm when her godfather came crashing through the door, roaring like a madman.
"Why the FUCK do I smell BURNING!?" he bellowed as he shoved Amara, violently, to the floor. Amara didn't answer; knowing it was better to seem subdued by keeping silent. Of course, it never completely was successful.
A vein popping above his right eye, Amara readied herself as he raised his clenched fist. "Hey, freak, I was talking to you. You think that you can ignore me, you little bitch?"
Hand only inches away from Amara's face, quivering with rage, and just as he was about to strike, Amara's godmother peeked her head from the opening of the door, saying, "Dwayne, honey. Remember, school's starting soon."
He turned his head quickly, and her godmother instantly cowered from his presence. He then glanced back at Amara, before he slowly, almost painfully, unclenched his fist. Returning his attention back to his wife, he replied, "Fine." Stalking towards her, he grabbed her tightly, dragging her outside with him as he slammed the door behind him. Amara cringed when she heard the slap that was so painfully loud that even she could hear it so clearly behind the door. Shouts ensued, all from him. Amara would never call by his name, he didn't deserve that privilege.
Standing up, Amara brushed off imaginary dusk from her knees and back, as her godmother meekly opened the door, a large, already swelling, red mark on her cheek. Looking down, ashamed, she asked, "would you like lunch after he has left for work?"
Lunch? Did I really sleep in that late? Amara asked herself, as she watched her godmother uncover the curtains, revealing the sun, shining brightly. Sheltering her eyes with her hand, Amara asked, "lunch? Colleen, did I oversleep again?" Amara had started calling her godmother by her first name after her first encounter with Rogue. She had made Amara realize that it wasn't Colleen's fault, and that Amara shouldn't punish her for her godfather's mistakes.
It always made Colleen beam.
Giving Amara a weak, but overjoyed, smile, Colleen replied, "I hope this doesn't become a habit, school is starting soon, and I don't want you missing half of your classes." Rubbing Amara's shoulder lightly, she added, "I'll be downstairs in the kitchen, come down after you're ready." Letting go of Amara's shoulder, Colleen left her room, shutting the door behind her softly.
Sure she was gone, Amara stared at her hands and arms. What am I going to do? Amara thought, worriedly. This may have been the first time her godparents noticed, but it wasn't the first time that this happened. Absently looking out the window, now adjusted to the sunlight, Amara balled her hands into fists. If this continued, it would become very unfortunate for not just her. Colleen had begun to stand up to him more and more, and if Amara continued to have trouble controlling this 'gift' of hers, she would be beaten more and more, defending Amara.
After getting dressed in her now 'normal' attire, Amara waited another good ten minutes before she headed downstairs. She would rather be cautious and wait, then have to deal with him again this morning, err… noon? Positive he was no longer in the house, Amara left her room, walking down the stairs towards the kitchen.
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"Cherie?" a voice asked softly. Rogue groaned, rolling over on her bed, covering her head with the blankets. The voice sounded so familiar, but the nagging pain in her temples stopped her from forming any larger thoughts without tremendous amount of suffering. But the pain didn't stop Rogue from noticing that whoever had spoken was ever so slowly pulling back the blankets.
Not wanting that, Rogue's arm whipped out, to hit that someone, but was caught quite unexpectedly, just a little roughly, as if whoever it was didn't want to hurt her. Opening her eyes, the blankets no longer covering her head because her arm had flung the blankets back, Rogue stared into red on black eyes. Those gorgeous eyes bringing her back to the world outside her mind, Rogue weakly asked, still groggy and pained, "Remy?"
"Oui. 'Ow do y' feel?" Remy asked, not gloating that she had said his name. He was much more worried about her health; it had been slowly, but surely, deteriorating ever since the war. One day, and Remy was hoping that it would never come, Rogue will wake up, and no longer be Rogue, a different personality taking control.
"Lahke shit," was Rogue's blunt response. Remy held in his laughter, but couldn't hide the smile that graced his handsome face. She then hunched her shoulders awkwardly, sort of like a weird twitch. Glaring at him, Rogue scowled, before saying, "help meh up."
Eyebrows lifting in surprise, Remy remained silent. It was rare for Rogue to ask for help, she must really need it, or she wouldn't have asked. Nodding, Remy leaned in, placing his other arm underneath Rogue, holding onto her back. She was grateful he was being completely serious, so Rogue could wrap her free arm around his neck without needing to exert herself to have him behave. Pulling her up, Remy was as gentle as he could be, while still being forceful enough able to raise her. After Rogue was more upright, Remy helped her slide backwards so she could lean against the headboard.
"Thanks," Rogue said, embarrassed. Remy just gave her a small, caring smile, still worried about her. She was panting, sweating greatly, just from that small act. Will these bouts of extreme weakness become more frequent? After a few moments of nothingness, thinking she was more composed, Remy asked, "so, should Remy tell Kurt t' leave?"
Head snapping to face him, Rogue asked, flustered, "Kurt's here?"
"Oui."
"Bring him ta meh!" Rogue exclaimed, ordering Remy loudly. Remy couldn't argue with that. Letting go of Rogue's wrist with a gentle rub, Remy stood up, leaving Rogue's room. About a minute later Remy came back, Kurt coming into the room.
Kurt was a heaven-born angel who only looked a year or two younger than Rogue. His wings were a darkly deep blue, very much like his fur. Kurt had blue fur, only three large fingers and toes on his hands and feet, not to mention a tail, which made him look like a demon. He may have looked like one but Kurt was a saint at heart. His shoulder length hair, hiding his pointed ears, was the same colour as his fur, and his warm yellow eyes were the same colour as his mother's, Raven, when she was in her true form. He wore a Romanian-styled buttoned-up white shirt, the sleeves short and had intricate patterns woven in the front and back. His dark pants were made of a loose, jean-like, material that was accommodated for his tail. He wore no shoes, and always carried a rosary with him.
"Remy will leave y' t' alone," Remy said, leaving the room. He went unheard, the two already immersed in their own little world. Remy didn't mind though, Rogue was always so lively during, and after, Kurt's visits. So instead, Remy went to wake up the still sleeping John, hoping his friend's recently changing sleeping habits weren't due to sickness.
"How are things Rogue?" Kurt asked, already comfortable in the chair by Rogue's bedside. (A/N: Kurt won't have an accent in this story because he didn't grow up in Germany, he grew up in heaven.) Kurt glanced at where Remy had last been, before returning his gaze to his surrogate sister. A mischievous smile appeared on his blue face, before he quirked his eyebrows in a suggested way. "How are things between you and Remy?"
Rogue blushed, lightly punching the laughing boy's arm. "Don' start!" she exclaimed. Kurt just laughed harder, while Rogue seethed. They were always like that: play fighting.
Wiping a tear from his eye, Kurt asked, now serious, "how are you really Rogue?" Rogue stopped pretending to be angry, suddenly looking terribly tired.
Sighing, Rogue took a hold of Kurt's hand, squeezing gently. She then smiled softly, her shoulders slumping. She could allow herself to be weak in front of her brother; she knew he would keep this side of her to himself. He squeezed her hand in return, patiently waiting for her to be ready to confide in him.
"Ah had anotha of those nahghtmares Kurt," she started, looking almost scared. Kurt's hold on Rogue's hand tightened. "And this mornin'! Ah didn' even recognahzed Remy!" Her voice quivered slightly, the fear in her affecting her voice. Staring at her brother, Rogue asked, unsure of herself, "what am Ah gonna do?"
Kurt's brows furrowed, thinking. A moment later he asked, "have you told Xavier or Magnus about this?" Rogue shook her head slowly, almost weakly. "Why not tell them?"
Rogue gave him a sad, slightly embarrassed look. "Could ya mayba do it for meh?" Rogue asked. "Ah don' seem ta have any strength today." Kurt shook his head, smiling.
"Alright." Kurt stood up, letting go of her hand.
"Thanks." Rogue began to slide down the headboard, needing sleep. Kurt left with a smile. Entering into the room that led to the outside, Kurt saw a sleepy-eyed John and Remy sitting at the table, John eating breakfast. (A/N: yes they eat, and sleep. Because of their powers they need to eat and sleep or else they would wear into nothing without being able to recharge themselves.) Smiling to them both, Kurt said his goodbyes to them as he left the house.
Knowing he had nothing else to do, Kurt walked towards the Leader's Hall hoping Xavier would be there. Xavier had disappeared a while ago, and no one knew where he was. Well, maybe Magnus, Kurt thought, walking past a sleeping wolf. It was Rahne, and it was not uncommon to see her sleeping around this time of day. Though Magnus was known to disappear every once and a while, it was strange for Xavier to do the same. And Rogue's need a telepath like Xavier. True, Jean could possibly help as well, but Rogue would never allow it: she hated that girl with a passion.
Walking into the devil side of the Leader's Hall, knowing that Magnus would definitely be in, and so he could also see his mother, Kurt was surprised to see that not only his mother wasn't here, but in her stead was Magnus' daughter, one of the infamous hell twins, Wanda.
Wanda was a devil with pure blood red wings. Like her father and brother, she had ice blue eyes. Unlike her only relatives, she had pure black hair. And for some strange reason Wanda could change her appearance at will. It probably had to do with the magick in her, but Wanda's hair would occasionally be infused with bright red roots. This is when her hair is short. Today, though, her hair was pure black, and shoulder length. Sitting down, her body was almost completely covered with her deep scarlet trench coat. Through the tiny rips in her coat, you could small bits of her shiny black, leather pants, her combat boots, and all her chains, necklaces, and bracelets. She also wore a scarlet red, sleeveless blouse, though it was hard to distinguish from her coat. She wore darker goth makeup than Rogue, accenting her features with red, and dangling from her ears were ankh earrings.
Glancing to her side when she heard Kurt approach, Wanda gave him one of her half smirks. Smiling back, Kurt asked, "what are you doing here?"
Eyes flicking to the door, Wanda replied, "waiting for my brother. He's in a meeting with our father." Kurt held back a shiver. It always scared him how much contempt those two could place in that one word. Giving a nonchalant half shrug, like she didn't care about how much she hated her father, Wanda asked, "so, what are you doing here?"
"I was hoping to see Xavier, but I figured he was still missing, so I thought I could ask Magnus for some help or advice. Maybe at least tell me when Xavier is coming back," Kurt replied, deciding that it seemed safe enough to sit beside her. Sometimes, Wanda would get in these… moods that made her completely unapproachable. Taking the seat beside her, Kurt added, "it's so weird that he is away."
Wanda nodded. Tilting her head slightly, Wanda read the hidden meaning in Kurt's words through the expression on his face. Some unknown darkness shadowed her features. "You will not find out the reason of his disappearance from me." Wanda spoke with such malice in her voice, Kurt flinched, unable to hold back his fear of this magick wielder.
Then, her face grew soft, almost drained. "Sorry," Wanda sighed, giving Kurt a weary smile. "He'll be back, he has responsibilities," Wanda paused. "Is the reason you're here to hopefully see Xavier for Rogue?" Kurt nodded slowly, almost unsure to tell her. It almost felt like he was betraying Rogue. Many knew of her… illness, but few knew the cause or her symptoms.
"I would suggest to see Agatha to help with the nightmares, since Rogue doesn't wish to be aided by Jean," Wanda suggested. Kurt would have been surprised by her knowledge, except that it was her. For some strange reason, even though Wanda and Pietro were in hell more often than not, they always knew what was going on. More so than anyone else actually, and they didn't even have close ties to their father to find out from him.
Just as Kurt was about to give his thanks for the suggestion, the doors to enter the Leader's Hall opened. Kurt watched Wanda stand, briefly glancing to the doors. No one was there. Giving Kurt a small, but true, smile, Wanda lifted her arm in some sort of semblance of a wave, before a gush of wind, Pietro, blew past Kurt, causing him to close his eyes, his arm shielding them more. When he opened his eyes, Wanda was no longer there.
Standing up himself, Kurt shrugged at their oddities. They seemed to make it a point to not be seen together. Though it was more usual to see Wanda than Pietro, since Pietro only gives a very selected few the time of day to actually have a conversation with. No one understood their reasons, but accepted them, since they never stayed in heaven often.
Leaving the Leader's Hall, Kurt headed to one of the oldest houses in heaven, belonging to the eccentric witch, Agatha.
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The day went by incredibly slow. Amara knew the reason: it was because Rogue hadn't shown up. The first day Rogue hadn't shown up, Amara had grown extremely worried, thinking she was never going to see Rogue again. The next day, though, Rogue returned, explaining to Amara that due to some difficulties she wouldn't go into (her powers) (A/N: Rogue hasn't told Amara about her powers because that's one of the rules of being a guardian: you cannot reveal your powers in any sort of way.), and that would cause her to miss some days. But if Amara desperately needed her that day, she would be there. Amara wouldn't try to trouble her too much, and because she's suffered through a lot already, she could go through the day without Rogue if need be. Amara didn't want to force Rogue to exert herself too much if she was ill. Amara knew that Rogue would be back tomorrow, and that gave her hope through the day.
The day hadn't been that bad anyway, since Colleen and Amara had gone back to school shopping. And other than the incident this morning, Amara had not had another bout where her advancing gifts went out of control. Lying down onto her bed, Amara closed her eyes, her fiery dreams entrancing her happily, making her forget all her worries over her powers, or the fear for her godmother and herself.
As she dreamed her very being begun to burn.
To be continued…
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Sorry it took so long for me to update! And I'm so sorry that this chapter is so short. I know my last chapter was almost twice is long as this one, but last chapter was full of information. The upcoming chapters will be definitely longer than this one, but probably not longer than the last chapter, sorry.
Reviewers:
Lady Shalafay: I know, it's rare for a Amara centred fic. I really like the character and thought why not? Thanks for the review!
o-dragon: Thanks for the support. I get it a lot that people don't really get the whole angel/devil thing. It's sorta like a religion but not. It's kinda hard to explain. But this is it in a nutshell. Angels and devils are celestial beings that watch over earth, occasionally coming down to earth and interacting with troubled people. Depending on their personality they are either an angel or a devil. And before they lived together peacefully, they were at war, now they're not. Try re-reading the chapters again, it could help. Thanks for the review!
I recently did a small revamp for this story, and I've added it in with this chapter. I hope you guys like it. I'm trying to update as fast as I can, so please, anyone who is reading this, be patient. To quote my favourite author A Spot of Bother: "reviews are love."
Angel of the Fallen Stars
