Nasa

(Narrator POV)

It was 3:00 AM.

The world outside was asleep in silence. But within a dim room where moonlight peeked through half-drawn curtains, a boy trembled.

Ritsuka Fujimaru, the last Master of Chaldea, lay on one side of the bed. His body stiff, covered in cold sweat. His lips moved in whispered fragments—names long gone, screams of people who no longer existed, and apologies he could never stop uttering even in dreams.

Tears rolled quietly from the corners of his closed eyes.

Hakuno Kishinami was already awake before his voice could escape.

Like it had become routine. No—because it was her routine.

She sat up in silence, brushing her short hair behind her ears as she turned toward him, heart aching. He always broke down like this during the second or third hour of sleep, as if time itself had punished him for daring to rest.

Her hand reached gently toward a golden sigil on her palm—one gifted to her long ago by Asec, the younger and kinder aspect of Morgan le Fay during their time in Chaldea. A backup spell, entrusted to Hakuno with a quiet warning if hakuno was summoned before Asec/Morgan: "Use it only when he needs peace in sleep. You'll know when."

Hakuno murmured the spell softly, and a warm, gentle light emerged, enveloping Ritsuka's body. His tensed muscles eased, his shaking stopped. The pain ebbed into stillness.

He was finally… sleeping. Peacefully.

Hakuno whispered, "Thank you, Asec."

She looked at him quietly, gently brushing a few locks of hair from his forehead.

"He only sleeps three hours a day," she murmured, "so every three hours… I help him sleep again."

It wasn't a burden. Not to her. She sacrificed her own rest for his without question. Because unlike the world he saved, she refused to let him suffer alone.

Smiling softly, she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Sleep well, kouhai."

Her fingers slid into his, and holding him close, she drifted off with a smile—finally letting herself rest.

(Morning)

The sunlight was soft. The windows open. The table warm with food and the quiet sounds of morning birds in the distance.

At the table sat four figures.

Karna, as regal and composed as ever, sat silently, sipping tea. His presence was calm almost divine.

James Moriarty, in his gentleman's coat and perfectly tied cravat, smirked as he nibbled toast with criminal elegance.

Hakuno, freshly dressed and brushing her hair back, kept glancing at Ritsuka.

And Ritsuka Fujimaru, a bit more rested than usual, but still weary. Something dark lingered in his eyes.

He looked up.

"…I'm feeling uneasy."

Hakuno's hand froze over her cup. "Are you feeling sick?"

Ritsuka shook his head. "It's not my health. It's something else. I… I can't explain it, but it feels like someone's watching us. Not just now. Since yesterday."

Karna placed his teacup down gently. "I feel no ill intent in the area. But I won't dismiss your intuition, Master."

Moriarty's eyes narrowed. "Do you suspect Hydra?"

Ritsuka hesitated, then nodded. "Possibly. They have my face from the video leaks. If there's anyone watching for strange anomalies—it's them."

James leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "Then it could be a mutant with clairvoyant or telepathic powers, like Charles Xavier—recruited, or perhaps manipulated, by Hydra. A stretch, yes. But not impossible."

"It does make sense," Ritsuka agreed.

Moriarty's smirk curled. "That being the case, Master… we must establish legitimate identities. You, me, Hakuno, Karna—we're all technically ghosts in this society. And ghosts can be hunted."

"I've thought about it," Ritsuka replied. "But everything here is digital. Traced. Monitored. HYDRA could find even the smallest footprint. I can't risk getting the X-Men involved."

Karna nodded. "Then we should minimize our ties to them. I agree."

Moriarty stood. "Then allow me to propose: Karna and I will begin searching for Hydra's regional data caches and staging points. Without active hostilities, your command spell's 'Enemy of Humanity' detection isn't triggering. But with investigation and… light coercion, we may expose something."

Ritsuka considered it. "You're suggesting you both go off-grid?"

"We'd have to," James said, adjusting his cuffs. "I'll have to resign as a mathematics professor. I don't believe Charles will miss me."

Hakuno raised an eyebrow. "So that's your plan? Resign your teaching job and run around in the shadows again?"

Moriarty gave a charming smile. "Now, now, that's a bit—"

"He's lying," Karna said flatly.

Moriarty sighed and gave Karna a betrayed look. "I see I can no longer enjoy even a little theatrics."

Ritsuka laughed quietly, then grew serious. "Alright. But one condition. Before you two go—meet with the X-Men one time. Even if Charles isn't watching, forming connections is important. Holmes would've insisted on that."

James went still.

"…I suppose helping you better than Holmes ever could is a fine reason."

Far away, in a dimension beyond linear time

The stars stirred.

Uatu the Watcher stood high above Earth, his eyes focused—not on armies, nor empires. But on one boy.

"...He sensed me," Uatu whispered. "That shouldn't be possible."

No one, not even the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj or ancient one herself, had ever looked back at him. But Ritsuka had. Not directly—but with soul and instinct sharpened by god-killing, world-walking, and the unbearable grief of sacrifice.

"Just who are you, Ritsuka Fujimaru…?"

The Watcher's eyes narrowed with cosmic intrigue.

"This one… I must continue to observe."

And the Watcher did not blink.

---

[Jean's Room]

Moonlight slipped through the curtains as Jean Grey lay tangled in her sheets, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead. Her breath hitched — her sleep disturbed by hazy, painful images.

A crash. Screams. The screech of tires. The impact.

Jean sat up abruptly, her eyes wide, heart pounding. The remnants of the nightmare clung to her like smoke. She reached for her forehead, trying to make sense of the fragments.

"...A car accident?" she whispered to herself.

It was distant, blurred like an old photo. But the raw pain echoed deep within. She knew it had something to do with her parents. But Her mind, her true mind, had locked away the trauma long ago. And she doesn't know it yet.

Trying to steady her breath, Jean's gaze fell upon a picture frame on her nightstand — the one with the whole X-Men team. Her fingers brushed over Scott's image.

And then... Hakuno's words echoed in her memory:

"Be honest with your feelings for Scott. Ask yourself about it. You have to figure it out yourself."

Jean's brows furrowed.

"I can't understand it..." she murmured. "Every boy I met has always felt the same... just a friend. But Scott... there's something else. Something... faint."

She paused, then made her way to the bathroom, letting the cold water splash over her face.

"Is it like what Professor Beast felt for Mystique?" she muttered. "Or like how Hakuno looks at Ritsuka?"

Her lips curled into a conflicted frown. "I don't understand at all... I can't tell what this feeling even is."

---

[NASA Command Center – Houston, Texas]

Inside the high-tech mission room, engineers and mission control personnel stared anxiously at the monitor. A satellite deployment rocket had just breached the ozone layer—when a swirling, deep-purple space cloud enveloped it like tendrils of a sentient being.

"Telemetry's frozen!"

"No response from onboard systems!"

"Switching to backup comms—nothing!"

The lead scientist gritted his teeth. "This was supposed to be a standard orbital drop... Contact the President. Tell them we need the X-Men immediately. Lives are at stake."

---

[Front Gates – Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters]

The sunlight filtered through the trees as the gate creaked open. Standing at the front was Kitty Pryde, blinking in surprise as four unfamiliar yet dazzling figures stood at the threshold.

"Oh wow..." Kitty whispered, her eyes trailing briefly over Karna's ethereal presence, and the confident, gentlemanly aura of James Moriarty.

"You guys must be the guests Professor Xavier told us about!"

Colossus, towering in his metallic form, stepped forward next. "Welcome. It's good to finally meet you."

James adjusted his cravat uneasily. "I suppose this is the famous metallic gentleman, then. Hm. So mutants really are... more literal than metaphorical."

Karna nodded to Colossus. "You carry the scent of earth's strength. I respect that."

Piotr smiled humbly. "And you shine like the sun itself."

Ritsuka stepped forward calmly. "We're here as planned. Hope we're not late."

"Not at all," Kitty beamed. "Scott and Jean are inside. I think Jean's been... waiting for someone."

---

[Moments Later – School Hallways]

Jean approached, her demeanor more composed but distant.

"Ritsuka. Hakuno."

"Jean," Hakuno replied with a soft smile.

Jean hesitated before reaching out. "Hakuno... can we talk?"

Hakuno glanced at Ritsuka, who gave a small, reassuring nod. With that, she followed Jean down the hallway.

Scott, watching them leave, folded his arms. "Jean's been acting weird since last night. Not bad... just different."

Ritsuka folded his hands behind his back, gaze thoughtful.

"She's reflecting," he said quietly. "Sometimes... that's the first step to understanding yourself."

Scott glanced at Ritsuka curiously. "You sound like Wise man"

"Not quite," Ritsuka replied with a faint smile. "But... I've had my fair share of Ordeal call crises."

---

The warm afternoon light filtered gently through the canopy of the Xavier garden trees, casting a peaceful hue over the private bench where Jean Grey and Hakuno Kishinami now sat. The gentle rustle of the breeze was the only sound as Jean looked toward Hakuno with contemplative eyes.

"I want your opinion on a few things," Jean said finally.

Hakuno blinked, slightly surprised, but smiled warmly. "Sure. Go ahead."

Jean hesitated, then softly said, "Thank you."

"No problem," Hakuno replied, her voice casual and kind.

Jean looked down at her hands before asking quietly, "Why did you fall for Ritsuka Fujimaru? What made him different from the other boys you've met before?"

That question struck Hakuno like a sudden gust of wind. She blinked several times. "Huh?"

"…Why are you asking me this?" Hakuno asked, her tone a mix of surprise and caution.

Jean looked ahead, voice barely above a whisper. "Because I don't know the difference between friendship and… love. I've never really understood it. All my friends feel the same to me. Even Scott… I just—don't know."

Hakuno looked at her, then slowly leaned back, eyes thoughtful.

"I don't think I can explain it perfectly with words," Hakuno began softly. "My love for Ritsuka... it's not something logical. It's a feeling that starts small and grows every time I'm with him."

She smiled faintly.

"Even before he ever really met me, I saw him… from afar," Hakuno said. "It was during a time when I didn't know where I belonged as my journey is over. But when I looked at him, I wanted to know more. I wanted to talk to him. Maybe because he looked like someone who had suffered like me. But now it's different…"

She paused, pressing a finger to her cheek with a playfully cute expression.

"…Because I started thinking about things I never thought about before. Like what he thinks about the way I look. If he thinks I'm cute. What kind of things he likes. And, really... why is he so tall compared to me?! My heart beats so fast when I think about him," she admitted, blushing.

Jean was caught off guard by Hakuno's tone and honest expression.

Hakuno gave a soft giggle and smiled dreamily. "I guess I just accepted that this is love. That this feeling inside me is my heart telling me the truth."

She turned toward Jean more seriously.

"But... every person experiences love differently, Jean. You can't measure it with a formula. You feel it. I think if you're not sure Scott is special to you, that's okay. But if he is… time will tell you. Your heart will guide you."

Jean looked touched. Her lips curved ever so slightly. "Ritsuka's lucky to have you."

Hakuno immediately pouted in a teasing way. "Are you making fun of me~?"

Jean chuckled for the first time in a while.

"Anyway," Hakuno said with a mock-proud smirk, "I'm going to say lovely things to Ritsuka later like, 'Hug me,' 'Kiss me,' or 'Being with you makes me feel relaxed,' or even, 'I want to be with you forever, Ritsuka~.'"

Jean turned bright red.

"You're so… so straightforward!" Jean gasped, her mind spinning.

Hakuno gave a confident wink. "The way I look at Ritsuka is probably the same as the way you look at Scott."

Jean froze. Her whole face flushed crimson.

"W-Wait… are you saying I'm making the same expressions to Scott that you make to Ritsuka!?"

"Yes," Hakuno said with a decisive nod, "Exactly that."

Jean's inner monologue kicked into overdrive.

'Wait… I'm blushing like some cute girl in front of Scott?!'

Hakuno folded her arms. "You said yesterday that you feel easy around Scott. That's not something you say to just anyone. That kind of peace… is special."

Jean covered her face. "I can't handle this…"

Hakuno looked smug, arms on her hips like she'd just finished a mission. "Operation: Wake-Up Jean to Her Feelings" — success complete. She silently gave herself a mental gold star.

[End Chapter]

---

Note: how is the chapter? I'm recovered now so I will start the main Story. Sorry to say but I love writing love development between Marvel superheroes characters. It's all Ritsuka fault i guess. So you will see more romantic development between characters of Marvel.