Sailor Moon X: Lunar Eclipse - Chapter 16

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Rei's eyes fluttered open as the early rays of dawn crept into her bedroom. This previous night and the last had, mercifully, given the Shinto priestess restful, dreamless sleep. Which was surprising, given the tough times that doubtlessly lay ahead, despite having new allies. Never mind how said allies proved their worth by locking horns with the Sailor Senshi, battling them all to a standstill. That is, until Usagi and the X-Men's founder showed up and told them to knock it off.

She still had mixed feelings about Usagi's arrangement with the X-Men. Their Blackbird was still hidden behind the shrine. One of the most dangerous superhero teams from the other side of the world, camping in her backyard. Rei hated to admit it, but she still found that a little disconcerting.

Still, in hindsight, getting help from those who had fought Sentinels countless times was such an obvious choice, it was ridiculous how Usagi was the only one who pursued it. Then there was the reason Usagi tracked them down in the first place: Naru.

If only Usagi had told us. Maybe we could've figured out her mother was being harassed by yakuza and stepped in, Rei mused as she sat up.

In a way, she understood what gnawed at Naru's heart all too well. All the whispered comments when people thought Rei couldn't hear, the anxious stares of those unnerved by stories of her spiritual powers… And now with so many in Japan growing fearful of mutants, it was little wonder Naru was so terrified of her secret getting out.

And now there's such bitterness in Naru, because she feels we neglected her. And what did we end up doing? Try to blow her away. How do we make things right?

Her eyes finally opening fully upon sitting up, Rei was greeted with the sight of a pair of alien eyes staring back at her. And breath that carried an unfamiliar, noxious smell.

For a moment, Rei just stared wide-eyed at the alien dragon perched on her knees, staring back at her curiously. Then, with a scowl and a scream, Rei shoved Lockheed away. The little dragon snarled in protest.

"Ugh, Lockheed, any special reason you're in here!?" Rei demanded as he fluttered about. "Just because Kitty's our ally now doesn't mean you can barge in on us anytime. Especially in a place that's not exactly fireproof."

"Don't worry, Rei. I've been keeping an eye on him," came Artemis's voice. Rei turned to see Minako's partner glaring over at the dragon. Lockheed promptly landed in front of Artemis, glaring into the cat's eyes as he had done with Rei. The tension that lingered between those two was still palpable.

"Whatever, just make sure Yuuichirou and my grandfather don't see him," said Rei as she got out of bed. After throwing on a clean shrine maiden outfit in the bathroom, Rei made her way outside.

The sun hadn't completely emerged over the horizon, so a chill still hung in the air. Which made Rei aware of some aches that still lingered from the other night. To think, that Iceman guy packed such power. Cold that seeped into the marrow of her bones, the Senshi that commanded flames!

But he's out of the country now. So are Rogue and Gambit, the Outers' two least-favorite X-Men. So maybe they won't be so edgy when our teams meet again, Rei reasoned.

Still, the X-Men who remained weren't exactly staying out of sight. Rei caught a glimpse of two figures clad in training gis, going at it not too far from the front of the shrine. At first glance, one might guess they were twins, given one wasn't much taller than the other, and both sported brown hair tied back in ponytails. But upon further inspection, one would notice the Caucasian features of the shorter girl.

"Ugh, those two are at it again!?" Rei grumbled to no one in particular. It was Kitty's idea to have these sparring sessions. Evidently, Makoto was far more miffed with Kitty than Rei could ever be with Iceman. Makoto came at Kitty with a howl, but Kitty sidestepped and grappled her to the ground, using Makoto's momentum and mass against her. But Makoto's strength, even while not transformed, meant Kitty couldn't hold her for long. Before Kitty could get Makoto's arms in a lock, she shoved Kitty off. Kitty sprang right back up, blocking a series of kicks Makoto launched at her face.

Rei winced a little. It would be a miracle if Kitty wouldn't be bruised all over. Yet this was something both insisted upon. Mamoru once said harsh collisions were sometimes necessary for two hearts to understand each other. Hopefully, this meant that Sailor Jupiter and Shadowcat would understand each other very well.

"Ahh, such youthful energy," came her grandfather's voice. Rei hadn't noticed him and Yuuichirou were standing at the front of the shrine as well. Unsurprisingly, her grandfather was paying VERY close attention to the sparring match. "And much easier on the eyes than the other one who's sticking around."

"I'll second that," Yuuichirou said. Rei was about to bean him good, but then he added, "This other guy who you took on as a temp… Seriously, he's spooky."

"Other guy? Temp?" Rei muttered. Looking around, Rei spotted someone else seated on the front balcony. Rei froze in shock, her mouth hanging open. Logan was sitting there, wearing the outfit of a Shinto priest trainee. He hadn't taken notice of Rei, nor was he watching his fellow X-Man spar with Makoto. He just… sat there, staring straight ahead. Was he meditating? No, Rei could sense he was quite mindful of all his surroundings.

Still, Rei wanted to know what this was all about. As she approached, it struck her how enigmatic this whole situation was. How could Logan stick out like a sore thumb, sitting there like that, yet still give the impression that he belonged? Tranquility wasn't a word one would use to describe Wolverine. Yet as he sat there, 'tranquility' fit the man perfectly. There was still a hardness to him, but somehow sitting there like that made him look thoughtful, and almost vulnerable.

"What're you doing out here?" Rei hissed. "Getting Grandpa to take you in as a temp, Logan? Come on, way to keep a low profile."

"Just fulfilling our end of the bargain," Logan whispered back, still staring straight ahead.

"Your… end of the bargain?" Rei echoed dubiously.

"You Senshi are our allies now," said Logan. "It sounds like Kizachi's figured out who all of you are. If she's workin' with Magneto, his whole cabal might know too. I'm standin' watch, darlin'. If any of 'em comes to mess with the Senshi or their headquarters, they mess with me."

Rei didn't know what to say. Minako had made it sound like the Wolverine was a wild animal, lusting after battle. Yet here he was, a quiet guardian, content to wait for a fight come to him. And she was still mystified by how that outfit looked like it belonged on Logan, despite how he looked so out of place sitting there. She still wished to know how he understood the Japanese so well, but something told her it still wasn't the right time.

"In the meantime, Cable's got the Tsukino place covered from a distance, now that we're all back from Kizachi Technologies," Logan went on. "Me and Kitty were lookouts for Ororo. She was tryin' to break in. It wasn't easy, even with Ororo's thieving talents."

"I thought Gambit was the X-Men's thief," said Rei.

"He's a thief among the X-Men, not our only one," said Logan. "Anyway, as for me, I'm here only until the Professor wakes up and can keep track of everyone." Rei forced herself to stand firm. She wouldn't let Logan think his leader being so close still made her anxious. "It shouldn't be much longer. Once he can take over, me and Kitty got some business elsewhere."

"What, more intel gathering regarding the yakuza?" Rei asked delicately.

"Did some more of that last night. Soon enough, I'll get back to it," said Logan. "But in the meantime, there's other stuff I gotta do regarding Osaka. Your princess thinks she's a good fit for the X-Men? Well, she's had time to calm down. High time we stated our case. Let her decide."

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The sun finally rose, and much work was left to do in the house. Yet Ikuko could not pull her gaze away from the television. Here was yet another morning news report about anonymously donated footage showing a fight between the Sailor Senshi and the X-Men. This time, it was in the middle of a shipyard. And the devastation left behind in their wake was extreme. Something the newscaster did not hesitate to emphasize, though she seemed quite intent on pinning the bulk of the blame on the X-Men.

"A good chunk of the shipyard is in shambles after the mutants from overseas once again took on the Sailor Senshi, with over a score of cargo containers destroyed and one of its cranes damaged beyond repair," said the news anchor.

Ikuko's hands flew to her mouth as she watched a woman in an eerie black suit fly, calling down lightning against a Sailor Senshi standing atop a crane. She thought only one of the other Senshi could do that! Her, and the supposed Asgardian thunder god with the Avengers. Yet here was someone BORN with that power due to a genetic quirk, not magic. And she was only one mutant among millions and millions!

More footage was shown of Senshi fighting the mutants. A man made of ice, creating a 'slide' to travel on, shooting blasts of cold down at Sailor Mars! One struck her shoulder, making her shriek. Thankfully, Sailor Mercury was there too. She conjured piledriving tendrils of icy water from a harp that smashed apart his ice slide, and knocked him silly. After he hit the ground, Mars returned the favor by clipping the ice guy's shoulder with a blazing arrow, while Mercury generated fog to stymie a man of SOLID METAL flanking them. He was much quicker than he looked, however. He managed to grab Mercury and toss her against the side of a van so hard, the windows shattered.

I can't believe it… How dare they go after the Senshi like this!? Ikuko wondered. A man of metal, a man of ice… To think, there were so many people out there like this! It made Ikuko queasy, but as she thought back to that man of ice... Wait a minute, didn't Kenji say there was an X-Man like that, went they first went after Magneto!?

After Usagi's outburst the other day, she had asked Kenji about that. Ikuko had thought he'd never stop, going on and on about how the X-Men drove Magneto off in only a few minutes, after the American soldiers were rendered helpless for almost a day!

But Magneto was still around, and perhaps even in Japan! The very thought made Ikuko's knees weak. Weren't the X-Men still supposed to go after him? Yet they were constantly fighting the Sailor Senshi instead. It didn't sound like her husband would see it that way. He was disheartened by how they were butting heads with Japan's defenders, yet he hadn't lost faith in them. And that had obviously rubbed off on Usagi.

Usagi losing it the other day shook Ikuko to the core. What made her daughter explode like that? Usagi had demanded to know what she would do if turned out she and Shingo were mutants. The hell of it was Ikuko truthfully still didn't know. She loved her children dearly, and would still love them if they wound up being… different. But if Ikuko was honest with herself, she had to admit she had no idea how such a revelation would affect her.

All those stories of parents rejecting their children… Ikuko would never go that route! But Usagi raising such an uncomfortable question forced Ikuko to think long and hard. She truly was growing fearful of these mutants, but if Usagi was born different like they were, how could she justify trusting in her, yet fearing the rest?

The doorbell ringing snapped Ikuko out of her troubled thoughts. Before she could even take a step, she heard Shingo say, "I'll get the door!" She then heard the door open, followed by a shriek of surprise from her son.

Eyes widening, Ikuko rushed toward the front door. Shingo had stumbled and fallen back upon opening it. Ikuko looked to see what had startled him, and barely suppressed a shriek herself.

Standing in the doorway was this big, blue, monstrous being, wearing a suit that belied his fiendish appearance. Though he was… smiling, as if nothing was amiss.

He wasn't alone, either. At his side was a girl only a few years older than Usagi, and a gruff-looking little man, barely the girl's height! Both of them looked like they were from the West, and that monstrous beast showed himself to be as well, suddenly speaking with what was definitely an American accent. Yet, he spoke Japanese! Perfect Japanese!

"I apologize for the intrusion at such an early hour, madam, but Usagi Tsukino agreed to accompany us this morning," said the blue-furred beast.

Ikuko was still flummoxed, but then, something clicked in the back of her mind. Kenji said that one of the original X-Men, the Beast, grew blue fur later on, taking on an even more monstrous appearance. Could this be him?

Ikuko stepped forward, reaching down to hoist Shingo back on his feet. "And you… Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you Dr. Henry McCoy, the world-famous biochemist?" Ikuko managed to get out. As she waited for an answer, Ikuko realized she was holding Shingo close. She fervently hoped these three didn't pick up on that.

"Why, I most certainly am," said McCoy amicably. "I'm here with fellow instructors at our school, Logan and Kitty Pryde." The two with him… They both did a quick bow. They observed Japanese mannerisms as well? And those other two, were they also mutants? "We're on a… recruitment drive of sorts while we're conducting business in your country," McCoy went on.

"Recruitment drive?" Shingo echoed dubiously. "Don't tell me you actually think my dumbass sister can sit in your classes…"

"Well, it's not exactly Usagi who's being offered enrollment," said Kitty. "It's a friend of hers, and she's offered to come along so she can help make a decision."

"In any case, don't sell your sister short," Logan added. "The kid's made of sterner stuff than you realize."

There was a sharp, resounding wail from the floor above. "AHHHH! Dr. McCoy is here already!? Oh, I'm so behind!"

The next thing Ikuko knew, her daughter appeared at the top of the stairwell. But in her haste, she tripped, and wound up descending the stairs by bouncing on her butt the whole way down, crying in pain the whole time.

For a moment, all of them could only stare awkwardly where Usagi had fallen. As Usagi rubbed her aching behind, Shingo said, "Well, maybe you got a point about 'sterner stuff'…"

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Umino stared up at the American standing in his doorway, who smiled down at him slyly. His father was working another late shift, and his mother was out of town on business, so Umino was quite alone. That was for the best, as it turned out. This Remy LeBeau brought some unwelcome news. He looked exhausted and battered, and reeked of seawater, yet delivered his news with a wry smile all the same.

"W-W-W-What are you talking about?" Umino demanded, doing his best to play dumb. "W-W-Who are you anyway? H-H-How do you know about my girlfriend? Why are…"

"No need to play dumb, Umino. Your lady's secret is safe with us," LeBeau cut in. Umino just scowled back at him, not trusting him at all. "Because, y'see, your lady and I, we got somethin' in common."

With that, LeBeau whipped out of a playing card seemingly from nowhere. It began to glow, and Umino noticed his eyes gave off a black and pink glow of their own. Despite his resolve, Umino took a step back. There was no telling what this power of LeBeau's could do.

Thankfully, nothing destructive, at least not here. LeBeau tossed it into the air, and the card crumbled into ash in a flash of light. "I can charge whatever I touch with pure kinetic energy. Charge it up enough, and a single card can total a car, or even a mansion," LeBeau explained. "Sort of like how your lady can take apart something a dozen different ways."

Playing dumb was useless with this guy, but mutant or not, Umino still didn't trust him. There were bad mutants out there as well as good. Plus, he looked like that guy on the news, one of the three X-Men who went after Naru.

"Long story short, we figured out she's the one callin' herself Eclipse," LeBeau went on. "And before you go getting all flustered, her secret's safe, like I said. We got somethin' to offer her. Her and you both."

"OK, I'll play along," said Umino anxiously. "What is it?"

"Well, actually, it's not exactly the same thing for the both of you," LeBeau admitted. "You're a smart kid, you'll piece it together once the press gets wind of what just went down at the shipyard, so I'll just tell it to you straight." Umino tried to keep his eyes from widening. For days, Naru had talked about intercepting yakuza bribing shipyard workers in order to make a clandestine delivery. "I'm one of the X-Men, and we're offering your girl a slot on our team."

So he just came out and said it. With all the research he had done on mutants in his zeal to help Naru, Umino naturally came across material on the X-Men. The infamous mutant group branded as outlaws by many, but always there to tackle mutants abusing their powers, especially Magneto. And now, they wanted Naru in their ranks?

Well, she was tough enough for the job, that was for certain. Yet Umino doubted that would interest her much. Every day was now a struggle to keep her life in Tokyo from falling apart! The stress of being a superhero might be an offer Naru could easily refuse.

"Let's assume that, yes, my girlfriend's a mutant, and she would agree to join you," Umino said in a reserved tone. "What's that got to do with me? I don't have any mutant powers…"

"Well, Naru said you've got a big brain in a head screwed on right," LeBeau said with a grin. "That's why you'd be a shoo-in for this."

LeBeau reached into his coat and pulled out a stack of papers. No, not just papers, big fat brochures. He handed then to Umino who, despite himself, flipped through them eagerly.

"The… Xavier Institute for Higher Learning?" he said dubiously, looking it all over. The late hour, and the shock of Naru's secret getting out, dulled his thought process. But soon enough, the name clicked. "Wait a… Charles Xavier's school!? The guy who literally wrote the book on human mutation!?"

"And founded the X-Men. He be a mutant too, Umino," said LeBeau. Umino stared back in utter shock. "The school's a front for our other operations. But while the X-Men are all mutants, that don't mean the regular students all have to be. There's no way Naru would ever go to the States without you, so you'd get enrolled, no question."

This was too good to be true. The fabled X-Men, led by Charles Xavier himself… They'd train Naru far better than he dared dream! And he'd go along with her, to one of the most prestigious schools on the planet!?

"There's a catch. There has to be," Umino muttered.

"Other than going to the other side o' the world? Not really," said LeBeau. He then put a hand on Umino's shoulder and pulled him close. "Not a lot of guys out there would be so loyal to their girl upon findin' out their DNA looks all funny. You're different. You got somethin' too many boys don't, and you be proud of it, not carin' what anyone else thinks. Consider this your reward. And the ultimate romantic getaway for the two of you."

Umino scowled up at him again. "Sounds like you're about to give all sorts of advice about girls…"

LeBeau let out a barking laugh. "Actually, I was thinkin' we could compare notes. I'm all ears about how you handle a girlfriend that can punch a hole in a mountain." After laughing again, LeBeau said, "Unfortunately, I gotta be leavin' the Land of the Rising Sun. Some of the other X-Men be stayin', though, and they'll be by in a day or two…"

For the last day or so, Umino still half-believed LeBeau's visit was just a dream, despite the stack of brochures still lying in his room. And despite Naru coming by to tell him that, yes, the X-Men were here in Japan.

Even now, as the two of them sat in Mayumi Osaka's private study above the jewelry store, Umino had a hard time believing it. He sat at Naru's left on one couch, his hand over hers. Her skin… Silky smooth, but nowadays Umino couldn't help but think it felt like hard rubber. Bulletproof, according to her, yet it couldn't keep fear and self-loathing from seeping into her heart. For their meeting, she threw on one of her old long-sleeved school uniforms. The special versions of her new high school uniform her mother bought had yet to arrive.

On the couch directly across from them were Dr. Henry McCoy and his two companions from the United States. Dr. McCoy, the world-famous biochemist, would be one of their teachers!? The girl, Kitty Pryde, was apparently an instructor too, despite being only a few years older than either of them. She had an air of maturity about her, though. But that last guy, this Logan… Umino had no idea what he taught, and he dreaded finding out.

Usagi also sat with the X-Men. She made a point of smiling, but it was an awkward smile, and anxiety bled through. Naru said her suspicions about their friend were on the money. Yet even though Sailor Moon and Eclipse had clashed more than once, Umino sensed no anger between them. There was too much regret and confusion for that.

"Please understand, Dr. McCoy, that I'm grateful for what you're offering my daughter. And how you're being so… forthcoming about all that it would entail," said Mayumi Osaka, who was sitting at Naru's right. She reached for the table in between the couches, pouring herself more tea. "But as a mother, it's hard to let Naru go clear across the world. Not to mention you want to train her to become, well, one of the X-Men."

The three of them had let Naru's mother in on who they really were. Despite seeing them on the news fighting the Sailor Senshi over her daughter, she was willing to hear them out.

"It's Naru's choice whether or not she becomes an X-Man," said Logan. "She'll need more training to fully control her powers, regardless."

"In the meantime, she'd get the best education," Kitty added. "She could stay on with us as an X-Man and teach others, or return to Japan, with total control and contribute to bettering her homeland."

"I-I-I feel like I've gotten better at control already, thanks to Umino," said Naru nervously. Umino wished she wouldn't put him on the spot like that. Compared to what Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy could do, his efforts were pitiful stopgap measures. "As for actually being a superhero… I don't know. It's fun to think about it, but now that it may actually be possible, I'm not sure."

"Besides, what if she's called to confront this… Magneto?" Mayumi demanded. Her voice shook a little as she said that name. "Dr. McCoy, I understand that you were among the X-Men who fought him that first time, yes? Weren't you still a teenager yourself?"

"I most certainly was," said McCoy. "Though Professor Xavier trained us for a good long while before that fateful day at Cape Citadel."

"Chuck knew Mags was out there, plannin' something that wasn't kosher. He knew the world had to be ready," Logan added.

"At any rate, nowadays, potential recruits go through a lengthier training period before they're allowed to put on a uniform," said Kitty. "You have our word, Ms. Osaka, that your daughter would not be asked to fight someone like Magneto until she's had sufficient training."

This placated Mayumi a little, but Naru seemed to grow more doubtful. "Y-Y-You three really think I could be powerful enough to fight a mutant like THAT!?" The notion scared Naru as much as it fascinated her.

"Not precisely," McCoy said quickly. "You must understand that Magneto is an exceptionally powerful mutant. The X-Men, and other groups, have only defeated him through rigorous teamwork. And from what I've surmised, this is how the Sailor Senshi defeat the majority of their foes as well."

Umino saw Usagi and Naru's gazes meet, an uneasy look in their eyes. He could guess why.

"I saw that, on the news," said Mayumi. "That's how you kept the Sailor Senshi away from my daughter. I still can't believe it was them who tried to bring her in."

"That leaked footage didn't tell the whole story," Kitty cut in. "The Sailor Senshi now realize their mistake. They won't be coming after Naru any longer."

"'Specially since there's no longer any need for an Eclipse," Logan added. "I'll be takin' over the yakuza-suppressin' duties. There's a reason they call me 'gaijin'."

"You, Mr. Logan?" Mayumi asked dubiously. "You hinted at this before, but how… Just what is your power?"

"Mostly stuff you'd rather not see," said Logan. "I'm the best at what I do, but it's not pretty. But let's just say I can tell you passed a sushi place and a florist on the way back here." He then made a show of sniffing.

"I… see," said Mayumi nervously. She then turned her gaze to Kitty. "But… what about you?"

Kitty smiled as she stood up. She took a few steps forward, and Mayumi gaped when she saw her legs pass right through the table!

Umino couldn't keep from gawking himself. "You… have the ability to pass through solid matter!?" This defied most known laws of physics. But then again, so did a girlfriend who kept an oily exoskeleton in pocket dimensions housed just underneath her skin, not to mention harnessed an elusive form of energy. And if Usagi was truly Sailor Moon… THAT was a whole other can of worms!

"That and more," said Kitty proudly as she backed up and sat back down.

Mayumi's hand had flown to her heart. "Please, forgive me, Ms. Pryde. I… It's ridiculous, I know, showing such unease after seeing what my daughter can do. And even meeting Shiro Yoshida in person."

"You've met Sunfire? Oh, that must've been fun," Logan said with a laugh.

"It's OK, Ms. Osaka," said Usagi. "You'd be surprised what the X-Men let roll off their backs."

"Ms. Tsukino is quite right. What matters is you've done right by your daughter," said McCoy. "That's, sadly, something that cannot be said of all parents who discover their children have mutant gifts."

Or men who find that out about their girlfriends, Umino added silently, giving Naru's hand a squeeze. He wondered if she even noticed.

"And I want to keep doing what's best for her, even if it'll hurt to let her go far sooner than I would've liked," said Mayumi, looking ready to cry. "Even if I wasn't so willing, well, Naru's not exactly a child anymore." Turning to her daughter, she said, "Naru, you do realize that whatever you choose, I'm behind you."

"I'm… still not sure what to do," said Naru. "These last few months, I've been laser-focused on protecting you and making sure I don't slip up in public. But now that I may not have to worry about either… I-I-I-I just haven't thought about what comes after."

"That's part of Professor Xavier's life work, Ms. Osaka. To reach out to young mutants like yourself, to grant them opportunities they may not otherwise consider when mired in fear and uncertainty," said McCoy. "Our hope would be that you no longer see your powers as a curse, but a blessing. Something that can be harnessed for the good of all."

"That's what bein' an X-Man is all about," Logan added. "Doin' the right thing, no matter what."

Naru still looked conflicted, uncertain. After considering their pleas in silence for a moment, she turned to Umino. "What about you? You've been offered a spot, too. Would you really want to go through with this?"

On the surface, the answer should've been obvious. But now that Naru had put him on the spot, the totality of what was being asked of him sank in. Sure, he'd be studying under two of the most revered scientists in the modern age.

On the flipside, not only would he be leaving Japan for years, but at this school, HE'D be the oddball. Well, a bigger oddball than usual. A normal human among scores of mutant students? But as he stared into Naru's eyes, the answer came to him. None of that mattered so long as he could stay with THIS mutant.

"Wherever you go, I go, Naru," said Umino, squeezing her hand even tighter. "I don't know of anything that would change that."

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Though their meeting with her mother was finished, and she had given Naru her blessing to choose whatever path she wanted, her day with Usagi and the X-Men wasn't over. She still had many questions to ask them. Namely, about what life would be like at Xavier's school and as an X-Man.

Not to mention, she still had questions for Usagi. You don't dump a story like that, something involving a magical kingdom from millennia ago and reincarnation in present day, all at once. It still rankled, how Usagi had kept it a secret all this time. At least she was forthcoming now, finally.

At the moment, however, there wasn't much talking. Out the corner of her eye, Naru saw Usagi staring at her, utterly baffled. Little surprise, there. After leaving the OSA-P, the two of them, along with Umino and the three X-Men, went to the Fruits Parlor Crown. That in itself wasn't unusual. She had come here with Umino and Usagi many, many times. What was different, however, was Usagi never saw her pig out like this. Naru's chopsticks moved at warp speed, shoveling the contents of her sushi tray into her mouth. And this wasn't her first tray. Rather, it was her SIXTH.

"Are you really the girl that berated me for trying to eat lunch early that one day?" Usagi grumbled with a deadpan air. "Seriously, does anyone have a camera? I want documented evidence for the next time Rei calls me a pig."

"I can't help it, Usagi! I get so insanely hungry nowadays!" Naru cried in protest, throwing down the empty tray. "Believe me, I have no idea how I haven't put on weight when sometimes it feels like I can EAT my own body weight. And some days, I think I have."

"Doubtless this is all part of your mutant physiology," McCoy interjected. "That oil slick doesn't appear out of nowhere. You must metabolize a massive amount of food, especially foods rich in protein, to build it up and replenish whatever mass is lost in battle."

Naru sensed rather than felt Usagi wince and shiver. The Sailor Senshi were responsible for most of the lost mass in her oil slick. Naturally, Usagi didn't want any reminders of that. Naru didn't want to dwell on it either. Today was all about reforging old bonds, as well as building new ones.

Thankfully, McCoy had to keep quiet about her mutant powers now that Unazaki arrived to refill drinks and gather up empty plates and trays. And bring yet another sushi tray. Naru couldn't help but notice how Unazaki's gaze kept shifting nervously over to McCoy. Unazaki cut it out, however, when Usagi cleared her throat and shot her a dirty look.

Usagi kept glaring at Unazaki, even after she had turned to leave. "I don't believe it. Even Unazaki… I can't believe how this country's so distrustful of your kind, now."

As for Naru, she suddenly didn't feel as hungry anymore. Typically, Usagi was such an insufferable optimist. Now her frustrations and doubts carried over to her. What if Unazaki knew SHE was a mutant, too? Would she also view her with suspicion? Umino and her mother had been nothing but supportive, but Naru held no illusions about how not everyone she knew would be as understanding.

"It's disheartening, I know," said Kitty. "But it's important not to get discouraged. To keep working toward a world where young mutants aren't afraid."

"What about you, Kitty?" Naru asked. "When did you find out about yours?"

Kitty chuckled. "Actually, it was a setting like this, being offered a spot at Xavier's school. But then some armored goons from the Hellfire Club smashed up the place, and I wound up kicking myself right through a wall."

Naru smiled back, but truthfully, that story weirded her out. There were supposed to be Sentinels out there. She didn't want her powers revealed by the need to fight back against them.

Now that her hunger had abated, Naru asked more about the X-Men's past adventures, along with asking Usagi to elaborate more on the Sailor Senshi's exploits. The X-Men's tales wound up being as fantastical as Usagi's. Mutants just as terrifying as Magneto, like Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse, who had been around for even longer. Missions that took them into space, including a heartbreaking one that involved one of their oldest members, Jean Grey, being possessed by a cosmic force that corrupted her with its power. And this was the sort of thing she would be taking part of as an X-Man.

After they were all done at the Fruits Parlor Crown, they moved on. The X-Men and Usagi intended to spend the entire day with her and Umino. So far, the day had gone better than Naru had dared hope. It was good to be able to talk so freely with other mutants, who understood what she was going through.

Of course, Usagi could also empathize with being born with power she didn't really understand. Despite some lingering frustration, Naru was glad she came along. Even more than that night spent jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Naru felt she could put her disappointment with Usagi behind her. It was almost like before that mess with the Dark Kingdom, when they could just be two girls out having fun.

But at the end of the day, it won't last, Naru reminded herself. She's still leader of the Sailor Senshi, and now I'm being called upon to join the X-Men.

Their trek through Tokyo took them to a monorail station, one overlooking the sea. As the six of them waited in line, Naru looked out to the ocean. If she agreed to join the X-Men, she'd be going across it. Going to a completely different country, to enroll in a school populated by her own kind, partly to escape this rising tide of anti-mutant paranoia in her own. It sort of smacked of cowardice, now that Naru thought about it.

"Logan, do you think I'm a coward if I choose to go with you back to America?" she decided to ask.

Logan looked surprised by the question. "Darlin', you'd be asked to throw down on the Juggernaut by day and waltz with the Reavers by night. That's hardly a choice a coward would make."

"But I could go back to this mansion, where I wouldn't have to worry about humans that hate me. Like there are here," Naru pointed out. She looked around at all the people. People who would be terrified of her if they knew the truth. "Would it be wrong if that's the reason I choose to enroll? Take Umino from everything he knows, just so I can get away from every other human?"

Logan still looked flummoxed. According to Usagi, he was well over a century old. Not someone you could easily catch off-guard. He was the one who would keep yakuza off her mother's back, yet he seemed stumped by such a simple question.

Logan never really got a chance to answer her, as they both overheard a conversation between Usagi and… Oh come on, how do we keep bumping into HER!? Naru wondered. Then again, Haruna Sakurada was one of the few humans in Japan who stuck her neck out for mutants.

"You say you're with another teacher right now?" Haruna demanded. "Just what kind of… teacher… do…" Naru watched as Haruna fell silent, staring over at McCoy. At first, she thought her old teacher was simply fearful, as Unazaki had been. But that made no sense, not after Haruna tried to protect that one mutant girl while everyone else was screaming for her head. "Ms. Tsukino, you never told me you know Dr. Henry McCoy!"

"Well, yeah. McCoy, this is Haruna Sakurada, my old English teacher," said Usagi. "But actually, I only met him the other day."

"Indeed. This is my first trip to Japan in quite some time," said McCoy. "I'm on a bit of a recruitment drive for the school I teach at."

Haruna's eyes widened in shock, then turned back to Usagi, then back to McCoy. Suddenly, she pulled Usagi close to her, holding her so hard Usagi winced. "Well now, today is full of surprises! And here I was amazed I helped get Ms. Tsukino through her entrance exams. Now I find out my former student is being invited to study under the world's leading authority on biochemistry!"

As Haruna laughed to herself, Naru could only facepalm. Did her respect for mutants have to lead to acting like a smitten teenage girl around one she admired?

Sighing, Naru told Haruna, "Actually, Ms. Haruna, it's Umino and I that are being offered enrollment."

Haruna blinked and turned Naru's way, noticing her and Umino for the first time. She let go of Usagi and pulled the two of them close in her place. "Is that so, Ms. Osaka? Well, Dr. McCoy, she and Mr. Umino were also my students! I'd like to think I've prepared them well to study in America!" McCoy looked rather befuddled by how sprightly Haruna was being. No doubt he wasn't used to random women gushing over him like this. "In fact, if you're taking on new students while in Japan, I must ask, what about teachers? I'd like to think I…"

A strange crashing sound coming from the direction of the monorail track, along with startled screams, cut Haruna off. They all looked over to the track. The next train had arrived, but part of the track was broken, as if the pillar underneath was giving way. Worse still, the last train car had separated from the rest, and now teetered nearly thirty meters above the water.

"Hank, much as I hate to break things up with your new girlfriend, looks like we got work to do," said Logan gruffly.

Kitty nodded, then pulled Logan close. "You heard him, Hank. Fastball special for the both of us, now."

"My apologies for cutting this short, Ms. Haruna. But as they said, my attention is needed elsewhere." With that, McCoy grabbed hold of his two friends. With a roar, he spun and hurled them at the teetering train car. As for Haruna, she looked EVEN MORE smitten with McCoy after his display of strength, but gasped along with everyone else upon seeing Kitty and Logan go right through the train's wall.

Naru watched helplessly as people screamed in panic. The monorail car teetered again. McCoy pushed his way past people, taking off his shoes as he did so. "What're they doing!?" Naru demanded of no one in particular.

"Probably getting as many people off the train as they can before it tumbles into the drink," said Umino.

"Well, we've got to do something to help!" Naru cried.

"You're right. We better go someplace so I can transform and you can find something else to disguise yourself with," said Usagi.

"B-B-But Usagi, it could go over any second!" Naru protested.

"But Usagi's got a point," said Umino. "The X-Men don't really have secret identities to protect. You and Usagi do."

"C'mon, Naru! We better hurry!" Usagi cried as she ran to find someplace to transform. Naru started to follow, but turned back to look at the derailed monorail car. She shivered as she saw it precipitously slide a little more.

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Logan and Kitty hit the floor of the train car hard after she phased them through its wall, rolling to a stop. Grunting as he stood up, Logan took in the situation. A score of passengers they had to get off, from the looks of it. Logan's eyes met those of a man sitting in the backmost seat, someone else who looked to be from North America. A relatively old man, by the standards of normal humans, though he still looked rather spry. He had short, matted white hair, and sported huge, tinted glasses. Beside him sat a Japanese woman approaching her fifties, sporting shoulder-length black hair, who also looked quite fit for her age.

Hopefully that means they won't be much trouble to get off this train, Logan mused as he walked over to the closest set of doors. He heard some passengers gasp when he popped one set of claws.

Logan paid them no mind, just as he ignored the stinging pain he felt every time his adamantium claws emerged. Many things in life could hurt, something he had learned over many decades. What was important was learning to push past the pain, to do what was necessary. That was why he barely hesitated to return to Japan when Xavier asked, as painful as it was for him. Logan's instincts told him he was needed in Japan again. And as it turned out, this kid Naru Osaka could sure use him, not to mention these passengers.

I've always been able to trust my instincts before, Logan thought as he stabbed through the top of the doors. Let's hope they're still on the money.

Logan cut his way downward, then forced his hands into the gap he made, slowly pulling the train doors open. He felt the confused, fearful stares of the passengers on his back, but Logan ignored them. Soon enough, the doors had parted just enough to get people through.

As he hoped, Hank was already in position, latching onto the fence along the platform with his bare feet. Kitty phased through Logan as she ran out, using her power to stand in midair, right between the train car and the platform. It was a distance of about ten feet, far too much for these passengers to safely jump. That's where the three of them came in.

"OK people, this is what's gonna happen," said Logan, turning to the passengers as he sheathed his claws. "I'm gonna toss you out the train, one at a time. Kitty'll then catch you and toss you to Hank. The big, furry guy who'll get you to safety. And please, no arguing. There's no tellin' how long we got until this thing splashes into the drink."

Mercifully, there were nervous nods and little argument. Funny how fear of mutants faded when their powers were suddenly needed.

"Kids first," Logan said gruffly. He grabbed a small girl and threw her out to Kitty.

She screamed in terror, coaxing Kitty to hug her tightly for a moment, whispering encouragement in her ear. It looked like the girl calmed down a little, despite being suspended precipitously over the churning ocean, so Kitty tossed her into Hank's waiting arms. Soon enough, the girl was back on solid ground, and Hank was ready to receive the next passenger.

Thankfully, it looked like none of the passengers would be too heavy for Kitty to hand off. After getting a few more passengers safely out to Kitty, Logan dared entertain hope that he would get them all out alive.

Those hopes were soon crushed when the train car lurched again. Logan could hear the concrete in the pillar below giving way.

"C'mon, faster! Faster!" Logan spat as he grabbed a young boy by the wrist. He chucked him out to Kitty, then turned to grab someone else. Logan didn't fear going down with this train car. He had survived far worse. But there was no way he'd let a single one of these passengers plunge into the ocean with it.

Despite his resolve, the crumbling pillar refused to cooperate. The train car lurched once more, and Logan knew the pillar had finally collapsed completely, with him and a dozen passengers still in it. The old man at the back and the woman beside him, they screamed as the train car began its plunge.

Obeying instinct once more, Logan tackled them to the ground while popping his claws, arms spread out. Both of them were pinned down with one of his arms, his claws anchoring them all to the floor. Assuming these humans survived the car's impact with the water, Logan could at least make sure these two didn't get tossed around and injured more. He could get at least two more out alive.

Logan shut his eyes, bracing himself for when they hit water. Amazingly, seconds passed, and nothing of the sort happened. Yet there was an odd sound in the place of a splash. A noxious, burbling, slurping sound.

Opening his eyes, Logan looked up, along with the two passengers he had pinned down. Tendrils of some thick, black ooze spread over the windows. And then, to everyone's amazement, the train car began creeping back up, slowly but surely, scraping against the side of the stone wall.

"Oh no no no. No kid, you didn't…" Logan muttered as the train car continued its slow ascent. He had told the girl that being an X-Man was all about doing the right thing, no matter what. He never imagined that saying something so innocuous would backfire like this.

Naru probably saved the rest of these passengers from a watery grave. All at the expense of her secret. And if past experience taught Logan anything, saving all these people would barely register. All that would matter was Naru Osaka being a mutant.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It turned out that her control over her powers may not have been as good as Naru thought. It was almost like her oil slick shot out of its own volition, reacting to her emotions more than her thoughts. When Usagi ran to find a safe place to transform, Naru stayed behind, unable to tear her gaze away from the separated monorail car. Hope swelled within her as the three X-Men got a few passengers to safety, but soon it was clear the whole thing would topple over with Logan and many more inside.

That was when Naru decided something had to be done. Partly of her own will, partly due to her emotions getting the better of her, Naru had raised her arms, and her tendrils of ooze shot out through them. They wrapped around the monorail car just as it tumbled off the crumbling railway.

Naru screamed as the falling car dragged her across the outdoor monorail station, and people desperately dove out of her way. Gritting her teeth, Naru tried planting her feet firmly, but they dug into concrete as she continued sliding toward the platform's edge.

In desperation, she willed more tendrils to form. A few more wrapped around the car, but some shot out from her back, ripping through her clothes. The ones behind her drove down into the concrete, serving as anchors. Between that and digging her heels in, it was finally enough to stop her slide off the edge, just when she came within a few meters of the mangled fence.

Naru's eyes were screwed shut, but she could feel all the gazes upon her. In her haste, she had forgotten to cover her face with ooze. Now everyone would know she was really Eclipse! But at the moment, that hardly mattered. Besides, Logan said being an X-Man was all about doing the right thing, always. And he had volunteered to take care of her yakuza problems. Letting him plunge into a watery grave was a shoddy way to repay his kindness.

But this thing was so heavy! In her sessions with Umino, she had used her tendrils in conjunction with pulleys set up, to lift semi trucks with her oil slick. However, this monorail car was far more massive! It felt like its weight was pulling her tendrils apart, and herself along with them!

Taking a few deep breaths, doing her best to block out the pain, Naru brought her forearms up, willing her tendrils to retract. She now knew her maximum lifting strength, but Dr. McCoy never tested the tensile strength of her oil slick. There was a chance her tendrils could snap, and she'd lose Logan and those passengers. Fear threatened to break her concentration, let the pain come crashing back.

No, this is what Logan said I have to do, Naru told herself. And this is why I wanted to be a Sailor Senshi before, to help people. She concentrated even harder on retracting her oil slick, bringing the monorail car back up with it. And after several long, torturous minutes, Naru opened her eyes to be greeted by the sight of the car's roof emerging over the edge!

Naru willed the tendrils coming out of her back to lengthen, puhsing her ever so slightly toward the edge, while the ones latched onto the monorail car now pulled it straight up. It tumbled over onto its side, crushing the fence underneath its weight, letting Naru get her hands underneath the middle of it. Now that she could use her own musclepower, it was a simple matter to lift it up and drag it backwards. People gasped and screamed, but that was almost drowned out by the sound of the monorail car being dragged across solid concrete, sparking.

At last, Naru felt she had dragged it far enough from the edge. Her oily tendrils retracted back under her skin as she slumped over, her breathing ragged. Despite all those sessions with Umino, using her power like this felt like it almost killed her. McCoy and the others had a point about needing more training.

As she struggled to get her breathing under control, Naru heard Umino calling, running up to her. "Naru… Oh God, you've never tried lifting anything THAT heavy before!" he cried as he put an arm around her shoulders. "That was AMAZING! Are you OK!?"

Naru didn't answer as she looked into his eyes. Then she took a good look around her. As she had dreaded, everyone else didn't look too impressed. Instead, they all looked terrified. Terrified not just about how she was clearly a mutant, but the mutant they had all heard horror stories about. Their gazes bore into her soul, filling her with shame, making her eyes fill with tears.

But the worst blow came when she spotted Haruna again. Even her old teacher, the one who stood up for another mutant, looked absolutely petrified. "Oh no… Naru, how can it be you? You're Eclipse…" she whispered fearfully.