"No, wait… I rember now. Professor X was injured by Mystique—he won't be able to use Cerebro to locate Rogue. That ans… the next person to try will be Jean."
Kurogai froze. A sudden chill ran down his spine. He had nearly overlooked sothing critical.
In the original tiline, after Professor X was ambushed, Jean had stepped up and attempted to use Cerebro herself—despite her body not being fully healed. If that happened here, with her current condition, the consequences could be catastrophic.
He couldn't let it happen.
"Skye, stay here and assist Director Mary with whatever she needs. I have sothing urgent to take care of."
Without another word, Kurogai conjured a portal and stepped through it, vanishing from the orphanage.
In an instant, he appeared outside the Cerebro chamber at Xavier's School. As he moved down the corridor, he saw Storm already waiting anxiously by the door.
"She's inside!" Storm said urgently. "Jean went in. She's trying to use Cerebro on her own!"
Kurogai's expression darkened.
"Move," he snapped, already opening a golden portal beside her.
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped through and materialized inside the Cerebro room. The golden shimr faded behind him just as Jean stood poised to place the Cerebro helt on her head.
"Kurogai?!"
Jean spun around in surprise, eyes wide. She hadn't told him what she was about to do—because she already knew he wouldn't approve.
"Hmph. Get over here."
His voice was sharp, and Jean hesitated for a mont before slowly approaching. She opened her mouth to explain, but he didn't give her the chance.
"Kurogai, listen. It's not that dangerous—"
Before she could finish, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his chest. Caught off guard, she stumbled and fell against him.
Then—slap!—a sharp sting landed on her backside.
Her face flushed red.
"What were you thinking?!" Kurogai's voice was low but brimming with anger. "You're still recovering. If you push yourself to use Cerebro now, do you have any idea what that could do to your body?"
Jean looked away, ashad.
In the original tiline, even at her best, Jean had almost suffered a backlash from Cerebro. Using it now, weakened as she was, could easily kill her. Kurogai couldn't allow that.
"I get it," Jean muttered, still red in the face. "You can let go of now."
"Will you try sothing like this again?" he asked.
"I won't," she said quickly. "I promise. I won't touch Cerebro."
Only then did Kurogai release her. But Jean still looked conflicted.
"Still… I think I've recovered enough to help," she said quietly. "The school needs . The students—"
Kurogai narrowed his eyes.
"So you think I've gone too easy on you, huh? That you still have energy left to risk your life?"
Before Jean could react, Kurogai conjured another portal and whisked her back to his private residence.
"H-Hey! That's not what I ant!" Jean protested, instantly recognizing the golden glow. "Now is not the ti for that kind of thing!"
Her protest went ignored. Kurogai tossed her gently but firmly onto the plush sofa.
"Since you think you've got energy to spare," he said coolly, "I'll make sure you don't have any left."
What followed wasn't combat—but it might as well have been. Jean couldn't win. Not against him.
---
Half a day later, Jean lay sprawled in Kurogai's arms, completely spent. Her body ached, her limbs refused to move, and her cheeks still burned.
"You're a beast," she muttered weakly, casting him a withering glare.
Kurogai said nothing. He knew he'd made his point.
His body, empowered by the Phoenix Force, restored itself effortlessly, but Jean… Jean was human, and she had limits. And right now, those limits had been tested thoroughly.
"…Kurogai," she said after a long silence. "Will you help them—just this once?"
She didn't need to say who. He already knew.
The X-Mansion. Her ho.
Kurogai was quiet for a mont. Then, in a serious voice, he replied, "I'll handle it. But I want sothing in return."
Jean looked up. "What is it?"
"After this, you leave the school behind. No more running back. No more risking your life for them. I want you by my side—completely."
His voice was calm, but the emotion behind it was deep. It wasn't possessiveness—it was fear. Fear of losing her.
He'd thought about asking this before, but seeing her today, about to throw herself into danger again, had pushed him over the edge.
He needed her safe. With him.
Jean hesitated. Her heart tugged in both directions. But when she rembered the look on Kurogai's face, the anger, the fear masked by control—her decision was made.
"I promise," she said, eting his gaze.
She had made her choice.
---
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