Redemption

Chapter Twenty-one

"Laura and Gabby haven't come back," said Logan. "We have to look for them."

"They're dealing with Dark Phoenix and Daken at the same time," said Storm. "That take's time."

"No," said Professor X. "You have to go. I sense there is something wrong."

"What is it?"

"Gabby and Rogue are scared," said Xavier, concentrating hard. "Jean is also scared. And . . . I can't sense Laura. I can't tell what she's feeling."

"We have to go after them!" Logan yelled. "Now!"

"Let's go," said Scott. "Let's take a Quinjet."

When they arrived at the Quinjet, Cyclops and Wolverine jumped into the pilot's seats.

"Is everyone ready?" called Scott.

There was a collective "Yes,"

"Good," said Scott and he closed the Quinjet's back and lifted it off the ground.

It took them a short amount of time to get to the docks. It was easy to find which one Daken had been on. There was a boat and . . . a body. Wolverine was the first to get onto the dock.

"NOOOOOO!" he screamed, collapsing to his knees at the sight of his daughter's dead body. "Who did this to my daughter? Who killed Laura?"

"I think it's pretty obvious, Logan," said Scott sadly. "It was Daken. Daken killed Laura."

Laura is dead. I can't get the image of her decapitated head out of my mind. I keep imagining her eyes, dead and helpless, staring back at me. Jean was able to get Gabby away from Daken but I wasn't so lucky. I can't believe I actually fell for his tricks. He seemed so . . . genuine. He probably used his powers on me to make it seem that way. Now I'm in the back of the car he stole and I don't know where we're going and I don't think Daken knows either. All I know is Laura's blood is still on Daken's hands. Literally. 

Gabby and I are running. We're running as fast as we can and we're not looking back. At some point we're going to have to get on a boat back to Utopia but we're not going back there anytime soon.

Gabby is crying — no not crying, sobbing. I try to comfort her but it doesn't work. Nothing I can say can atone for the loss of her older sister. All I can manage to say is "It's alright, you're safe, everything is going to be fine,". Nothing is going to be fine. Nothing is going to be fine, normal, and safe until Daken Akihiro is dead.

Finally, he pulled the car to a stop. He turned off the ignition and sat there for a moment, obviously thinking about something.

"I thought we could actually be friends," he said, catching me off guard. "I thought you were different."

He sounded like an innocent child who had just been told his best friend wasn't going to be his best friend anymore. I stopped myself from being sympathetic. I will never be sympathetic for a monster.

"You probably think I'm a monster," he said, catching me off guard for the second time in the past hour and a half. He laughed, a sad, pathetic laugh that didn't suit him. "You're right. I am a monster. I'm a murderer and a psychopath. I belong in a fucking insane asylum. What have I done with my life?"

I didn't say a word, knowing this was a question not meant to be answered. Daken sniffed and looked back at me, his eyes red and rimmed with reddish-pink skin. I gasped. I didn't know he had been crying.

I'm acting like a fucking toddler. I glare at Rogue, the shock of my red eyes evident on her face.

"Too bad you can't get me to an asylum," I said, my face stretching into an evil grin. "Because that's the only thing you can do besides ramming a magical sword into my guts and twisting it around and around until my insides become a smoothie."

Whatever pity she had been feeling instantly left her face to be replaced by terror and anger.

"I can't believe I ever trusted you," snarled Rogue. "You're practically the devil."

"Thank you," I said. "It takes a lot to be the devil."

The blinding rage that Logan felt deep writhing his bones was nothing he had ever felt before. Laura's blood was still on his clothes as he ran through the docks, shouting Jean and Gabby and Rogue's names. Once he collapsed to his knees, tears running down his face, and he begged Daken to come and kill him so he could see Laura again. So he could see Itsu again. He would give anything just to hear Itsu's voice again.

"JEAN!" Logan bellowed for the millionth time into the empty sky. "GABBY! ROGUE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"It's no use, Logan," said Storm. "They can't hear us."

"We have to find them," seethed Logan. "If we find them we'll be able to find Daken!"

"You can't kill Daken," said Cyclops. "You keep saying you can but when it comes down to actually killing him, you just plead with him."

"Are you going to kill him?" Logan asked angrily, turning on Scott.

"If that's what I need to do then yes," said Scott. "I will cut Daken's head off with the Muramasa blade just like he did to Laura."

"Scott! Logan! Storm!"

The X-men whirled to see Jean and Gabby running toward them. Jean looked scared and Gabby's face was tear streaked and her eyes were red.

"Oh, thank god, you're here," said Jean when she got to them. "I thought maybe Daken would still be here."

"Where is Daken?" Beast asked in a soothing voice., appearing at Jean's side.

"He took Rogue," said Jean. "He took a car we had stolen and drove off with Rogue in the back. I don't know where they went."

"Which way did they go?" Storm asked.

Jean pointed South.

"Alright then," said Logan, cracking his knuckles. "Let the hunt begin."