ISSUE #6

John had returned to school where he rested for the day until it was time to pick Noriko up from work. He quickly made his way down the stairs and noticed that something felt wrong, especially since he saw men in suits outside the gates as he left the school grounds. He shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind but kept his guard up in case he needed to defend himself.

" What the hell is going on? Man, something doesn't feel right."

John thought to himself.

" John!"

Noriko called out to the man as she ran down the street.

" Nori?! What happened? I was on my way to pick you up."

John asked the girl as he caught her in his arms.

" I overheard Dani and an agent in a suit back at the shop. They want to arrest Kevin."

Noriko explained.

" What? Why?"

John asked in disbelief.

" I don't know."

Noriko replied.

" And the school is just going to let them? Did Dani say anything against it? Or something defending him?"

John asked.

" I don't know, I got out as soon as I overheard them."

Noriko said to the man in a hurry.

" Okay, come on. We need to get back to the school quick."

John said as he picked Noriko up in his arms. He then turned and raced towards the school as fast as he could to inform the others.

The two arrived to see the rest of the New Mutants already outside with Kevin.

" What are oyu guys doing out here?"

John asked the group.

" We're trying to get Kevin out of here before the police get to him."

Laurie explained.

" I see, well I could help with that."

John said as he and Nori joined the others.

" Alright, let me see what I can hear."

Sofia said as she floated up the wall of the institute.

" Can you hear anything Sofia?"

Josh asked.

" The wind is bringing me their voices."

Sofia explained.

" Just take the kid tonight."

One of the agents said to the others.

" Some of these F.B.I. agents are not as sympathetic as agent pierce is. David, is there anything you can tell us?"

Sofia asked as she floated back down to the ground.

" I've picked up all sorts of F.B.I. procedures. They're probably using a standard deployment to watch and contain. If that's the case, there's probably just a single car watching the gate by the stables."

David explained to the group.

" Are we really going to take on the F.B.I?"

Josh asked.

" I have my reservations... this isn't exactly a field day exercise we could be facing some serious trouble."

David explained.

" Kevin's one our own. He doesn't deserve to be punished for something he can't control."

John said to the boy.

" Hey, if you're not up for this David then why are you helping?"

Kevin asked the boy.

" Because Sofia asked me to and she's in charge. I just don't know if it's a good idea kevin."

David explained to the boy.

" You didn't hear what I heard at the Grind Stone. Dani's under some serious pressure."

Noriko replied to the David.

" I don't really care if it's the F.B.I. or not. Kevin is one our own. We take care of our people, trust me the police and the F.B.I. aren't concerned about the mutants when we're the ones who are getting hurt."

John said to the group.

" Thanks John."

Kevin said to the boy as the group walked over to the gate.

" Do not worry, Kevin. We will take care of you. Sorry, David. But we are going to do this."

Sofia said to the boy.

" We're not going to walk through the gate, are we? They'll spot us in a second."

David explained to Sofia as the group approached the gate.

" No. I will take Kevin, over the fence with my wind."

Sofia explained.

" And I can jump over and carry him out of here."

John explained.

" We'll need a distraction though. Nori would you mind?"

John asked the girl.

" Distraction coming right up!"

Nori said as she walked over to the gate. She stuck her hands out and fired a small charge of electricity to get the guards attention.

John and Sofia quickly ascended the wall with Kevin and arrived on the other side only to get caught off guard.

" Do Not Move. I don't want to shoot you!"

Agent pierce said to the students as he held them at gun point.

" You're pointing a gun at us? I swear you pull that trigger and you won't even see how you die tonight!"

John said to the man as Lighting flowed out of his eyes and mouth.

" AGENT PIERCE! JUSTIN! JOHN! NO!"

Dani yelled as she ran up to the group.

" Mr. Ford was trying to leave campus!"

Agent pierce explained to the woman.

" AND YOU'RE ANSWER IS TO SHOOT KIDS?! DANI HE BETTER PUT THE GUN DOWN NOW!"

John ordered the man.

" I'm sure you're mistaken agent pierce. The kids often have a craving for late night trips to the grind stone. Am I right?"

Dani asked the three kids.

" Yes, Miss moonstar."

Sofia said as she stood in front of Kevin.

" Fine, I'll be back tomorrow. Just remember what we talked about."

Pierce said as he put his gun away and left.

" You three come with me."

Dani whispered to her students.

She opened the gate and drug Kevin and Sofia inside.

" you kids almost made a horrible mistake."

Dani explained to the group.

" No, Pierce did. If you hadn't showed up..."

John was explaining before Dani cut him off.

" What? You would have attacked him?"

Dani asked in a patronizing voice.

" Yeah! I would have. Kevin is one of our people. We can't just let them haul him off like he's a criminal."

John explained to the woman.

" Nobody wants to see Kevin get in trouble."

Dani replied.

" That's good to hear, Miss Moonstar."

Kevin said gratefully.

" But this is an Issue for the school and for Kevin. You can't involve yourselves. You'll only make things worse."

Dani explained.

" So, what? We're supposed to sit back and wait until they cart our friend off? Just let them take him, is that it? Kevin is one of us! It's our job to look out for each other."

John explained to the woman exasperatedly.

" John, stop. You're being overly emotional."

David said as he placed a hand on John's shoulder.

" No, you prissy motherfucker. You don't know a thing about the real-world David. You think they care about us? They don't. If we don't look out for each other then no one will."

Jon exclaimed.

" I think it's been a long day. Come on, John, let's go inside."

Noriko placed her hand on his shoulder and said to the man with concern written all over her face.

John looked at the woman and smiled before placing his hand over hers.

" It's all right. I'll see you tomorrow, Nori."

John said to the girl as he walked back inside the building. He skipped over dinner and went straight to his room.

The next day wasn't any better for John or Kevin as the rumors had spread around school that Kevin was going to jail. The poor boy spent all day in and out of class hearing his school mates talk about him like he was a monster. And John had been called to the teacher's office where he received a lecture from Cyclops and Dani. Though he did also receive some support from the person he expected the less.

: " The others might see wrong in what you did. But I must say young man you were right to defend Kevin as one of your own."

Emma said to the boy as he left the office.

John nodded as he left the woman and headed for the cafeteria arriving just in time to see Julian giving a speech to the rest of the students.

" You've all been talking. Gossiping. About how one of our classmates is going to jail. You should be ashamed of yourselves. He's a mutant. Just like you and me. Some flatscan from the F.B.I. shows up and says he's dangerous. And you all believe it? So, Kevin Ford is dangerous? We all are. We're the next step in evolution and they want to shut us down. And all you can do about it is gossip?"

Julian exclaimed to the cafeteria drawing everyone's attention to him.

John looked at the boy and grinned in agreement with the boy for the first time

" Take a good look at Kevin cuz he could be you. Ben, when your flame powers manifested, you torched your town's park. Did they send you to jail? Because if Kevin goes you might be next. Hey, Nori, you were homeless, your powers were out of control, you robbed the local coffee shop. They come for you yet?"

Julian asked.

' And he lost me.'

John thought as he hated how Julian had disrespected Noriko's privacy.

" And Dallas, first time you went into your shadow form, your grandfather had a heart attack. Are you responsible for that? Sofia, didn't you trash your dad's store? You got to avoid jail because you came here. This is the place we go to be safe. They want to take one of us away and all you can do is gossip. You're terrible mutants. You're not fit to be called homo superior!"

Julian exclaimed in disgust to his fellow mutants before sitting back down in his seat.

" I got to admit, I didn't think Julian had it in him."

John said as he joined the other New Mutants at their table.

" Seriously dude? Did that speech sound like speeches made right before someone tries to wipe out humanity?"

Josh asked.

" I think he made a lot of sense."

Sofia said

John looked over to see Nori was angry. He moved closer to the girl and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and smiled at the girl.

" You alright? I heard what Julian said. He was wrong to put your business out there like that."

John said to the girl.

" Yeah, I'm okay. But thank you for asking."

Noriko said as she leaned into his chest.

The two ate their lunch unaware the side-eye David was giving them.

" You busy the rest of the day Nori?"

John asked as the two got up to leave for lunch.

" Nope, just waiting to see what happens with Kevin."

Noriko replied.

" I'm hoping the school does the right thing. They can't let them just take Kevin."

John said to the woman.

" But maybe that's the right thing to do."

Noriko spoke up.

John turned his head to the woman in confusion.

' Look, just hear me out. If they take him in and he cooperates, it will set a precedent for mutants if he's found innocent."

Noriko explained.

" If Nori. If! You were on the streets too Nori. You know the justice system doesn't always do its job. Especially when it comes to Mutants."

John explained to the woman.

" And you're right. But what can we do? Fight the government? If we do that we risk every single Mutants life on the planet. John, please let's just see how this turns out. Let's give Dani and agent pierce the benefit of the doubt. Please."

Noriko asked the boy earnestly.

John took a deep breath and sighed before hugging the girl.

" Okay, I'll give them the chance to do the right thing. But I still don't like this, Noriko."

John said to the woman.

" I know John. I don't like it either."

Noriko replied as she hugged the boy back.

The two of them sat in the middle of the hallway until they heard a commotion outside. They stepped out the doors to see Kevin being escorted into the agent's vehicles in handcuffs.

John went to say something but was pulled back by Noriko who simply shook her head, telling him not to say anything.

John watched on in anger as one of his teammates was carted off like a villain. Once Kevin and the agents were gone John walked over to the teachers.

" You let them take him out of here in handcuffs?"

John asked.

" Now isn't the time John go back inside."

Scott said to the boy.

" You let them take him like an animal. Embarrassing him like that. Is that what this school does for their students?"

John asked.

" John..."

Dani spoke but John turned to the woman and told her very clearly.

" Kevin trusted you. And you turned your back on him. What kind of teacher are you?"

John asked.

" Enough, John. None of us want anything to happen to Kevin. But this is the proper and only way to go about this. So, do as I say and go back to your room."

Scott got in the boys face and ordered him.

Feeling his anger boiling over John lifted his head roared

" BRRRAAAAAAHH!!!!!"

John roared as a massive wave of lightning erupted from his mouth. Lightning danced around his mouth as the blast ended leaving behind a smoke cloud on the ground.

The students and teachers watched in awe as the boy displayed his full power.

" John!"

Noriko called out to the man drawing him from his anger .

John turned and walked towards the girl with tears in his eyes, still angry to see one of his new friends gone.

" Listen, John. We will get Kevin back. Please just trust us."

Dani said to the boy.

" If you don't get him out. If he goes to jail..."

John was explaining to the woman before choosing to just walk away. He stormed past Noriko and into his room, slamming the door hard enough to crack the wall around it. He flopped down on his bed and felt his face getting wet.

Noriko followed the boy to his room and knocked on the door. Hearing the boy weeping, Noriko entered the room and closed and locked the door behind her. Luckily John didn't have a roommate at the time.

" What do you want Noriko?"

John asked the girl as he wiped his face.

" Are you okay, John?"

Noriko asked.

" No! No, I'm not okay Nori. Those bastards let him get taken out of her in chains like some animal. They didn't even let him keep his dignity."

John exclaimed to the girl.

Noriko sat down on the bed and placed her hand on the boys back and rubbed it as softly as she could with her gauntlets on.

" I hate losing friends Nori. I lost them once, I don't want to lose anyone else."

John said to the girl.

" It'll be okay, John. Trust in Miss Dani. She won't let anything happen to Kevin. He'll go to court and once they see it was an accident, they'll release him."

Noriko explained to the boy.

" If we're lucky. But still the teachers should have fought harder. They could have at least made so he wasn't cuffed."

John said to the woman.

" I know John. But there's nothing we can do now but hope."

Noriko said to the boy.

John sighed and got up from his bed.

" I need to go! I'll be back later."

John said to the woman.

" John where are you going?"

Nori asked the man as she got to her feet.

" I need to be alone, to get my thoughts together."

John replied.

" John don't go after Kevin please. I don't want you to get in trouble."

Noriko pleaded with the man.

" Nori..."

John called the woman's name as he placed his hand on her cheek.

" I promised you I would give it a chance. I keep my promises, especially to the woman I care about."

John said to the girl as he hugged her.

" Then where are you going?"

Noriko asked again.

" The city, the forest, I don't know yet. But I need to be away from here for a bit. But don't worry I will return. Just Nori... Stay safe. And if you need help give me a call."

John said as he moved his hand back to the woman's face and caressed it softly. John gazed into Noriko's beautiful brown eyes as she stared back into his ocean blues.

The two stood there in quiet for a few minutes feeling their hearts beating rapidly, John started slowly moving his head down to meet Noriko.

" John?"

Noriko called out the boy's name as she slowly raised her head.

The two teens closed their eyes and felt the world around them slowly burn away as their lips met in a sweet and tender kiss.

John moved both of his hands down to Noriko's waist as Nori wrapped her arms around John's neck.

The two teens pulled back and stared into each others eyes in silence before smiling at each other.

" I'm going to be honest. I've wanted to do that since the moment I met you Nori."

John said to the girl.

" I have feelings for you John."

Nori said to the man as she looked up into his eyes.

" And I have feelings for you Nori. Will you be my girlfriend?"

John asked the girl bluntly as he held her waist.

Nori nodded and the two proceeded to kiss once again this time opening their mouth to allow their others half's tongues entrance.

The two lovers shared this sweet and gentle embrace until a knock came at John's window.

John turned angry at the interruption and opened it up to reveal Jay flying in the air.

" Sorry, to ruin the moment. But my team is in a lot of trouble right now. And I need you guys help."

Jay said to the two New Mutants.

" What did Julian do?"

John asked

" I need you get the rest of the New Mutants first. I'll need all of your help."

Jay said before flying off and leaving the two in confusion.