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Innocent Of Evil	By : KMac Category: X-Men - Animated Series (all) > General Views: 2974 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men Evolution, or any of the characters from it. I make no money from from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Just Busking For Trouble.

(Don't own 'em, just borrowing them. They belong to Marvel,
mostly...)

The kid down the street was moving
strangely, like his gait wasn�t quite in synch with his progress down the
sidewalk. Jerrin liked to tease his mom
about being a paranoid old bitch, but he�d still learned from her how to spot
things that were out of place. He kept
doing generic Blues riffs on his electric Dobro while he kept the kid in his
broad peripheral vision.
It was hard not to use all six
fingers in his picking, as his music was so much richer when he could play at
his best. He was saving his voice
because he didn�t have an audience at the moment. Street performance was all about the pacing. Jerrin sighed. The kid walking towards him was starting to get annoying. His image flickered, like watching a
television screen over a video feed.
He let the metal-bodied Dobro hang
from the strap, while he took a drink of water. Under the cover of the drink, he squinted off to the side, trying
to see under the image field around the approaching boy. Whoa� Nightcrawler! Hmmm.
That explained the oddness of his gait.
His legs were slender, different from human norm in an elegant way. Digitigrade, even. He was cute, Jerrin noticed, his features fey and
otherworldly. With his silver gray eyes
adjusted to see past the hologram, the flickering wasn�t bothering him
anymore. He brushed his long dark hair
out of his eyes. It was a cool trick
the kid had, but his own disguise was better.
With the kid up close, Jerrin was
�On�. He took up the Dobro and struck a
triumphant G major chord. �Hey, dude,
what kind of tunes do you like? Let me
play something for you!�
�Was?� The kid flinched and stared at him blankly at first. It would be a pity if he were cute but
dumb. He went into a Blues progression
in the Key of G.
�Music, dude. Songs.
What would you like me to play for you?� He changed to a Rock progression in C.
�Oh. Um� Do you know� Die Beatles? They�re oldies, I know��
�Ah. Naw, man; they�re Classic!
You have good taste.� He was a native
German speaker, with an educated, but provincial accent. Time to see how well the kid knew his
Beatles, and do something that was never played on the radio. He changed back to a Blues riff. �Yes, I�m lonely!� He played the riff again.
�Wanna die!� Riff. �Yes, I�m loonely! Wanna die! If I ain�t
dead already� whoo! Girl, you know the
reason why�� The song continued in the
same pessimistic vein, with an interesting style change half way through, just
before a long guitar solo and the fade out.
��Yer Blues�!� The kid looked pleased at his choice. �That�s a good one. You know any more?�
�Ja,� Jerrin said. He smiled and went into �Komm Gib Mir
Deine Hand�. Yeah, the kid was into
it now, maybe he�d leave a good tip. He
was even dancing a little, though he was careful to keep his tail within his
holofield. When he finished, he gave
the kid a bow. �Danke schoen, und
Ihr Name ist?�
�I�m Kurt Wagner. You speak German very well.� He sounded wistful.
�Danke, Kurt, I�m
Jerrin. My mom taught me. She�s a real polyglot.� He did a quiet glissando down his
strings. �Anything else you want to
hear?�
�Something else in German?� Definitely homesick. Poor kid.
�Die Beatles only did four
songs with German language in them. The
one I just played, �Sie Liebt Dich�, the first part of a version of �My
Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean�, and a pidgin-German version of �Get Back�. You might like this one, though.� He started into another song; �Ein Flug
In Die DDR�.
His listener�s eyes grew very large
but he waited until it was over to ask his question. ��Back In The USSR�? I�ve
never heard that in German before� where did it come from?�
He smiled. �The Beatles Revival Band; a tribute band
from Germany. Might be hard to find,
but I think it�ll be worth your while.
They�ve done whole albums of German covers like that.�
�Cool! Thanks so much, dude.�
Kurt put a hand over his growling stomach. Jerrin noticed the holofield put his fingers in awkward poses, to
account for his unusual hands. �Sorry,
I�m really hungry, so I�ll have to see you later.�
Jerrin cleared his throat and
subtly nudged his open guitar case with a foot. Kurt bit his lip and fumbled in his pockets, looking for
cash. He frowned, smoothing the wadded bills
out, looking like he was trying to figure what he could afford, and it wasn�t
much. It was too funny for Jerrin to
watch. �Never mind, friend,� he said,
laughing. �Looks like you need it more
than I do. Tell ya what; I need a lunch
break, too. You show me where you�re so
eager to get to, and lunch will be on me.�
He took the Dobro�s strap from over
his shoulder, and quickly and efficiently packed the gleaming brass instrument
away. Throwing the padded case over his
shoulder, he gestured for Kurt to show him the way. The kid held his place, though, looking stubborn. �But� don�t buskers need all their
money? I can�t ask you to do that.�
��Buskers� is such an old
word. We prefer �Street
Performers�. And you didn�t ask; I
offered. I always like to ask the
locals where the best places to eat are.
Show me?� Finally, Kurt started
moving. With an effort, Jerrin could
see both the holo and the real boy at the same time �I�ll tell you a secret.�
Yellow eyes turned back to him.
�Truth is, I don�t need to do this.
I just like to. It�s fun.� Kurt gave him a measuring look, and
nodded. Jerrin knew he was healthy
looking, with black hair, gray eyes, and no sign of substance abuse or
privation. His clothes were clean, and
his instrument was spotless and well cared for.
�I�ll let you buy me lunch, if
you�ll tell me what it�s like to travel around, performing music.�
�You got a deal, friend.�

* * *

�So,� Kurt said as they stood in
front of the order counter. �What can
you afford?� Jerrin pulled out a
Platinum Visa and let him see it.
�Whatever you want. Busking is a hobby, not a living.�
Relieved, Kurt made a huge order,
with Jerrin�s not being much less. As
they sat in the far corner with their food, Kurt interrupted tearing into his
first burger long enough to ask a question.
�What do you do for a living?�
Jerrin smirked. �Busking.�
Kurt scowled at him, and he laughed.
�I�m more of a trust-fund baby; an unfortunate result of being born to
wealthy and famous parents.�
�You call that �unfortunate�?� Kurt looked skeptical.
�It is when people figure they know
you before they even meet you. Between
the name and my parental resemblance, no one ever bothers to find out who I am�
they just assume.�
�Actually, I know what you
mean. I get that, too,� Kurt said.
I�ll just bet you do, Jerrin
thought. Your mom is almost as
infamous as mine, if she�s who I think she is. �Most people never bother to look beneath the surface, ya know?�
�Tell me about it, bro.� Kurt scarfed down a huge gob of fries and washed
it down with soda. �When they judge you
on your looks, what can you do?�
�Not a damned thing!� He held up his plastic glass, and they knocked
drinks together to toast the unfairness of it all.
�So why are you in the middle of
Nowhere, New York, busking music?�
�Trying to find myself and my place
in the universe. One thing I gotta hand
to my mom; she knew when to let go. She
taught me how to take care of myself, gave me enough money so I didn�t have to
work, and wished me good luck.�
�She sounds cool. I�ve definitely got it worse, though. I never knew my mom growing up, and yet I�m
still judged for what she�s done.� Kurt
took the lid off his soda, and looked at the brown ice inside as if for
answers.
The feelings he had for the kid had
rapidly evolved from a general sympathy to a true empathy� he could feel the
melancholy oozing from the boy. He
really is blue� Damn. That
would never do. He couldn�t burden Kurt
with his friendship. It wouldn�t work
out, they were just too different.
�It�s been real nice talking to you, Kurt, but I think it�s time I hit
the road. I wanted to try my act out at
Times Square� see what the City thinks of me.�
�Really?� Kid was easily impressed.
�Wow, that�s cool. How are you
getting there?�
�I was thinking the bus. You know where the station is?� He didn�t know why he�d asked that. He could find that out easily enough on his
own. It couldn�t be that he just didn�t
want to let him go yet, was it? Looking
through the holo into the warm golden eyes beneath, he had to admit; it could
be.
�Sure! I can show you� but then, I�ll have to go, too. I gotta get home and do my homework before
dinner.� They cleaned up the remains
and started off for the Greyhound station.
Jerrin kicked a pebble from his
path. �Homework. I remember that.�
Kurt looked at him, surprised. �How old are you?�
�Seventeen.� More or less. �I graduated early and was emancipated. Mom pulling strings again, the old meddler.�
�You�re kinda rude about her,
aren�t you?�
Jerrin felt a rueful expression on
his face. �It�s kind of a love-hate
relationship, but mostly love. I get
along much better with my dad.�
�I don�t even know who my father
was�� Kurt shut his mouth with a snap,
and shot Jerrin a covert look as if he was worried he�d given something away.�
�Sorry to hear that. I hope you have positive male role-models,
though.�
�Ja. Plenty of those around.� Kurt was frowning at his feet. Role models couldn�t be the same as a real
Dad, Jerrin knew. They passed an alley
where a cat�s meow got Kurt�s momentary attention.
Jerrin felt a change in wind
pressure, and had a flash of the large dark shape of a van on the street beside them
before he and Kurt crashed together in a net that arced pain into him. Darts followed the net in short order, and
he slipped into unconsciousness, felling Kurt collapse alongside him�

* * *

�Got the X-Men you wanted,
sir. Had to get someone else with him,�
the hunter said into his cell.
�Does that �someone� match any of
the other profiles?�
�No, just some random kid� Hello!�
�What?�
�He�s not in the profiles, but he�s
definitely a mutie. I don�t know why I
couldn�t see it at first.�
�Show me.�
The hunter pulled away his
flip-phone, and shot video of the second boy: Grayish toned skin, slightly
pointed ears, and six-fingers on each hand.
�That�s enough. Bring him along.�
�Yes, sir.� The hunter gestured to his accomplices to
carry the mutants into the van, as he tossed the guitar case deep into the
litter of the alley.

A/Ns: The information about the Beatles is accurate. German song names: Komme Gib Mir Deine
Hand = I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Sie
Liebt Dich = She Loves You. I�d
give the Beatles Revival Bands� English language Beatles recordings a pass, but
I like their German translations.
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Innocent Of Evil