Disclaimer: Characters belong solely to Marvel, but this fanfic belongs solely to ME! Hey doesn't that make me more powerful? No? Grrrrr!! :o)
comments to roxx@pacific.net.sg
marriage proposals to Vicki at southern_efx@hotmail.com ;)

Hate Is An Understatement
by Diana Othman

Chapter 13

The piercing cries tore through the sounds of battle on the bayou refused to stop. Rogue's bloodcurdling scream of pure pain could have chilled the bravest warriors that walked the earth. Gambit shouted for Candra to stop but she was enjoying herself too much to pay heed to his pleas for the girl he had come to love. Candra had stopped attacking Rogue but the aftermath of her and Gris-Gris's handiwork were often worse than their assaults.

Remy watched helplessly as Rogue twisted and turned on the ground screaming, "No No NO!!!!!!!!!!"

Rogue saw images...terrifying ones. Some of them memories of those she had absorbed from years before. She felt the pain of a thousand men and mutants. They were none of the unfortunate victims of her powers which was uncontrollable a long time ago.

'Then where's all this comin' from?' she thought helplessly to herself as she felt another surge of pain racking her shivering body.

"What de fuck y'doin' t'her Candra?" Gambit demanded.

"Oh nothing much," Candra shrugged. "Just transferred a piece of you into her and with Gris-Gris' help, I was able to strengthen her greatest fears." Gambit's eyes widened partly from fear and partly from shock. "That's right Remy.. she is experiencing your memories, your thoughts...your pain and all of those who YOU'VE hurt in your lifetime," Candra hissed. Her anger was finally appeased through this rite of revenge. "And I took it upon myself to aggravate it by re-surfacing some of her own worst ones."

Candra crossed her slim arms against her ample bosom. Rogue was still trapped in the abyss of her onrushing insanity. Random images of people she could not even recognize flooded into her feverish mind threatening to override her senses. Suddenly she found herself huddling in the dark unable to see anything around her.

"Fancy findin' ya here sweetheart." She heard a familiar southern drawl and turned up to see Cody approaching her from the shadows. He was his handsome self, charming grin, kind clear blue eyes and radiant skin.

"C-Cody?" Rogue managed.

"In the flesh!" he replied cheerfully. "But o' course," he began, his face screwing into a scowl," cos o' you... I don't have much flesh ta speak of no more!" With that, Cody's cheeks sank and his eyes bulged. His limbs twisted gruesomely and his back bent like a fetus. "See Rogue!! See what you've done!!"

Rogue shut her eyes tightly and whimpered. "No No NOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I didn't mean to!!!"

She broke into sobs. She felt a hand clutch her chestnut tresses and pulled her head up forcefully. Cody grinned at her, his corpse-like face breathing foul, decaying breath into her tear-stricken one.

"Look at me Rogue...this horror is you...you and your powers. You think you finally got it figured and controlled? This is what's gonna happen to all those you love..and I am the first stupid bastard who got it comin'. You cain't run from your past nor your powers Rogue. You don't control 'em...they control YOU!"

Rogue's gloveless hands that held onto Cody glowed eerily and Cody began to crumble into a heap of bones before her. She heard clapping and looked up to see Carol Danvers, Miss Marvel coming towards her.

"Bravo Rogue! You killed him once again!"

Rogue screamed unable to take the terror that she was exposed to. She looked at her bare hands and wailed,"Nooo!!!"

All those painful therapy sessions with Professor Xavier, all those grievous days she spent crying herself to sleep when she had failed, all the disappointment, all the rejection, all the suffering, everything resulting in nothing. She was losing the most difficult necessary skill she had acquired, her control...over her powers, her pain, her emotions, her sanity.

Outside of Rogue's mental discord, Gambit was still locked to the tree watching as Rogue ranted, "Oh God! Oh God nooo! I'm losin' control..I'm losin'..cain't! So much pain..too much...cain't handle it!"

Remy struggled but it was futile, Candra had a strong grip on him. As a last resort he shouted to his tortured team mate,"Rogue!!!!!!! Chere!! All dat not be real..it's Candra she be playin' wit' your head! Fight back!"

She twisted onto her side, trying to respond to him, but she was trapped too far inside the voodoo trance. Then as her dilated eyes flitted open for the briefest of moments, she caught sight of Candra leering over her, a smug expression of satisfaction that struck a familiar temperamental chord in Rogue. And what of Remy and her fellow team mates? The complete strangers that became, first her friends and then her family. She just couldn't give in now, she owed them that much, these people whom call themselves the X-Men. Rogue was willing to sacrifice her life but not theirs..not now...not ever.

Galvanized by her vow, Rogue concentrated, siphoning and collecting bits and remains of the powers that Candra had inflicted on her...The feeling of those powers were flowing through her veins and with all the strength she had left, she centered them on Candra's unsuspecting mind. Candra was paralysed for a moment as the terror of her own powers worked against her. No longer held captive, Gambit charged at Candra and with a swift flick of his wrist successfully knocked her unconscious with his bo-staff.

"Protect de benefactress!" Singer cried as all the Assassins retreated and moved to the external, who lay motionless on the ground.

Gris-Gris turned to scowl at Gambit, "You will pay for dis boy!" With that, he lifted his arm and threw a smoke bomb to the ground that exploded unleashing a fog of thick mist that enveloped them. When it finally cleared, they vanished into thin air and the silence reigned supreme once again.

Rogue's petite frame jerked and shuddered against will as she curled into a ball on the ground. She choked on her sobs and convulsed, even as Remy knelt down next to her, enveloping her traumatized body with his strong embrace, stroking her arm soothingly.

"It's over mon cherie."

"I haveta do dis Belle...no way I c'n stay after what I've done...I'm so sorry m'amour." Gambit froze at the familiar words spoken by the fallen comrade in his arms. He watched as the beautiful innocent before him re-lived the worst moments of his life. "Sold my soul t'de devil..got paid big time..not'in I c'n do to make t'ings better for you. Dere's not'in left on dis world f'r us an' it's all my fault. Goodbye Belle...I love you."

Gambit's eyes fell, holding back tears of sorrow he thought he could never shed again ever. Rogue reached out and clutched onto the cuffs of his sleeves weakly.

"It hurts," she croaked, back in her own psyche.

"I know," He bent down to place a light kiss her warm forehead. "I know," he whispered again into her ear as he picked her up gently and cradled her in his strong embrace. He made his way back to the Blackbird clutching a fragile young woman who fell into a fitful slumber, exhausted from a fighting a battle that she had won.

To be continued.

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