The X-Project

Set about two seconds after this post, Leyu rushes down to the medlab to speak with her brother. There's lots of shouting and insulting, so Shiro finally tells his sister everything.

( I thought . . . I thought that if I could just get rid of my powers, then everything would become okay. Harada would lose interest, and so would anyone else. Then you and I could be safe. )

Series of logs set on Friday around 3 PM:

Shiro is distraught. Convinced that life would be better if he weren’t a mutant, he decides to give it all up. No growth without pain. Moron.

( Never would he have the power of a thermonuclear bomb coursing through his veins, waiting to be exploited by whoever wanted that power for themselves. )

Set just as Shiro leaves, Manuel’s empathic gifts come in real handy.

( You might want to round up the fetish brigade. Based on what I just felt, I believe Shiro is going to go immolate himself very soon now. )

Nathan quickly grabs Scott and Paul to out and retrieve Shiro. They reach him just as he explodes, and with quick thinking manage to get him to safety.

( 'Giving up.' It was too familiar a taste, that cold, bleak edge to what he could see of Shiro's thoughts, familiar enough to shake his hard-won self-control. Wants it to stop. . .' )

The trip back to the mansion isn’t quite a smooth ride. Damaged by Shiro’s blast, the Blackbird has problems obeying Cyclops’ orders, and requires some help from Jetstream in order to land.

( Haroun, standing in the hangar but well-away from the Blackbird's landing pad, watched the descent with open worry on his face. They had _mangled_ his jet! )

Major huge wow thanks to Ande, Alicia, and Redhawk!

Yay! Character development (or at least the beginning of it). All four scenes took place on the afternoon Tuesday, August 24th in Japan, which is actually reallyearly Tuesday morning in the States.

First, around 4PM, Shiro and his cousin Keniuchio Harada, the Silver Samurai, catch up during a duel. Harada makes an ultimatum that Shiro cannot accept, and in turn is humiliated, stripped of his honor, and cast out.

( Hear me, Yoshida Shiro. You are hereby cast out. You are disowned. Any and all bonds between you and me are broken. And if we ever meet again, you will be greeting King Enma. )

While Shiro and Keniuchio talk, Alex approaches Leyu about her feelings for him, and tries to let her down carefully. It's all ridiculously cute and sweet until Shiro cuts in and tells them they're leaving. Alex and Shiro talk, and Shiro sheds tears for the first time.

( I am ronin. I am masterless. I have no path in life, no guide, no anything. The Yashida Clan has always been proud and powerful. I am the first one to be cast out. What does this make me? )

Half an hour later, the three try to board a plane for Hiroshima so they can get advice from Mariko. Akira Takachiho, one of Harada's Yakuza men, tries to stop them. Big fight between Baymax and Sunfire ensues.

( Up until his brief stint as divine champion, the aura that accompanied Sunfire when he used his powers was rather unimpressive: a golden nimbus, sometimes accompanied by small flames licking his body. But now it looked like he’d been dowsed with kerosene and set on fire. )

And finally, an hour later, the three land in Hiroshima and receive some unexpected help from Hikari Akuno, another of Harada's Yakuza girls.

( Family always looks after each other, Yoshida-san, for better or for worse. )

On Thursday just a couple of hours after landing in Tokyo, Shiro begins observing the Buddhist festival of Obon. He takes Alex to visit his parents' graves and the two have a discussion about "could be's".

( There are a lot of things that would not have happened if my parents had not died. Life would be very different. )

And later that night, Alex has jetlag and can't sleep, so he does what everyone does when they have insomnia: stuff himself. Shiro's little sister Leyu joins him, and they make plans to drag Shiro around Tokyo. It's all very cute.

( Leyu covered her mouth with her hands to stop a gasp from escaping. Nii-san's friend was in the kitchen too. Nii-san's really cute friend, she amended. )

Friday afternoon, set some point after this e-mail, Shiro goes to find Alex and tell him he's going to Japan. Short log.

( You're coming to Japan with me. I hope you didn't have any plans in August . . . )