X-Men 1st Redemptions

58: X-trageneous

[Extrageneous: Belonging to another kind]

Shine and Wally found them soon after, having been a couple minutes from finding Mystique themselves.

Rogue then caught up.

"You guys found her.... Oh...my... What happened...?"

"Shock," Logan said.

"From...what?" Rogue said.

Shine put a hand to Mystique's forehead, and her eyes gleamed. "It's a combination.... Raven has been in distress for some time, silently.... I could sense it, but getting injured and then the tension of the last 3 days must have made it worse. Couple that with the medication and being out here for hours and dehydrated... We should hurry--she could get a temperature at this rate."

"She's more likely to get too cold," Logan said. "If ya can do that summonin' thing, Likstar, I'd get a blanket."

Shine did so.

"How did no one notice?" Rogue was mad because she was scared.

"I never knew she'd gone," Kurt said. "I left... How does this alvays happen?"

"Kurt, it is not your fault," Shine said. "She was stupid to sneak out, but I think I know why... It's not you, all right? ...Logan, she'll be all right as long as we hurry, right?"

"Probably. She's not that easy to kill," Logan said. "But a portal would help."

"Oh...no," Shine said. "A portal should never be used on someone who's already weak physically, unless you have no choice. It could kill her. Or make her much worse."

"I'll fly her, then," Rogue said. "It's fastest." She took her and flew away.

"This whole day has been a lot handle..." Morph sighed.

"Why'd she come out here?" Logan grumbled.

Shine hugged her sides. "I should have known all this would upset her too much... I should have just made sure she went back in her room."

"Shine, it's not your fault she snuck out," Wally said. "She can easily do that, even with us."

"Makes me wonder why she hasn't more often," Morph said.

"Because she's got nowhere else to go," Shine snapped, worry making her terse. "Duh!"

"Shine, he's not trying to be like that," Wally said.

Shine leaned on him. "Yeah...I'm sorry, Morph.... That was wrong."

"Oh...no problem," Morph said. 

"Ya really do like 'er." Logan shook his head at Shine. "I just don't get it."

"Shine sees the best in people," Kurt said. "Ve all should try."

"No," Shine said quietly. "I see myself in her... We all could, really...but I know...just a little too personally...what it feels like. Ah...but I can't tell Rogue; it would crush her."

"She'll get it," Wally said, "sooner or later... You're doing all you can, Shine... Mystique's gotta want help, remember that."

"But sometimes we have to try even when they don't want it," Shine said. "Because people do not always know what they want."

Logan and Morph exchanged a look.

"You know...I think, for a second, she did though," Morph said.

"Why is she so afraid of me?" Kurt said.

"I don't think that was fear of you, Preacher," Logan said. "Hard to tell, but it seemed more like she was afraid of somethin' else... You were just caught up in it... She was still in some kind of trance. Who knows? People imagine weird things when their minds aren't workin'."