Wolverine ate a plate of nigiri with some miso ramen. "This is the best miso I've had outside o' Japan." He lifted another piece of sushi to his mouth with his chopsticks and ate it, chasing it with sake.

"Mon ami, if Ah wanted to eat raw fish, I'da caught my own, non?" Gambit said, poking at his own sushi with disgust. Wolverine reached over and took his sushi without a word and began to eat it. "Ah don't recall sayin' you could have mine, Wolverine."

"Shut up and eat yer teriyaki, Cajun." Gambit began to grumble as he ate.

"So, who's the mutant?" Jubilee whispered excitedly. "Ooh, I bet it's that huge guy over there with the braided moustache." A Japanese man who stood well over seven feet and was built along the lines of Colossus stood near the door to the dressing room for the entertainers. "He looks like he'd have super strength or something."

"Hush, child," Storm said kindly as the lights dimmed a little.

"Fire, a force as deadly and destructive as it is hypnotic and beautiful. Man has sought to harness and control it for millenia, but all we have managed to do thus far is conjure her and placate her for a short time before we must extinguish her flames or allow her to sate her hunger with those things most precious to us. Finally, one man has managed to tame the cruelest of the elements. Here he is, 'Dragon' Ryuu, the Lord of Flames," the master of ceremonies exclaimed. The curtains on the small stage were lifted and a Japanese boy of about 16 stepped out wearing black tights emblazoned with beautiful reddish gold flames.

As the patrons watched, he took a juggling torch and lit it with a lighter. The flame burned brilliantly for a moment, then, at a gesture from Ryuu, seemed to flare hotly before subsiding again. He dragged the lit torch up his arm, touching it to his bare skin. When he showed the audience his arm, they were amazed that he had not been burned.

He held up another, unlit torch, and blew the flame from the first onto it. He then relit the now extinguished torch. He lit a third torch and began to juggle, passing the torches dangerously close to his body without being singed. He put two of the torches in brackets on a stand behind him, then dragged the third over his tongue, leaving a fluttering flame burning in his mouth. He extinguished the flame calmly, then put the last torch in the stand.

As the audience applauded, Ryuu lit a baton and began to twirl it skillfully, making shapes with the path of the flames: a variety of flowers, sunbursts, a twisting ribbon. He began to blow the flames into various shapes as well, phoenixes rising from flames and Chinese dragons among them. The other guests at the restaurant thought it was merely a trick of timing the twirling baton and his breath, a combination of skill and self-hypnosis that made them see the shapes in the flames. To end his act, Ryuu extinguished the torches and baton he used with his own mouth, bowing calmly at the end as though he did nothing more amazing than a typical juggling act. A thunderous applause broke out, washing over him as he smiled and left the stage.

"I think we've found our mutant," Storm said as she and Wolverine stood to leave. Gambit and Jubilee followed suit reluctantly.

"That kid's a mutant? No way!" Jubilee said in disbelief. "I definitely would have put my money on that big guy." They left the restaurant after paying their check. Wolverine led the others to an alleyway two blocks down.

"Why we hiding here, mon ami? Da Professor tole us to keep an eye on da kid." Gambit turned back toward the way they came pointedly. "Da Bruddahood would love to get their grimy hands on him, non?"

"I'm gonna double back on foot and track him from the ground. Storm, you cover him from th' air in case I lose 'im. You two can try an' keep up." Wolverine said, pulling his hat down over his eyes. Storm changed into her uniform and took to the skies to follow Ryuu. Wolverine, meanwhile, stalked off with his hands in his pockets to loiter in an empty doorway near the restaurant.

"Why ever time sometin' good 'bout ta happen, Gambit get lef' behind?" Gambit's red eyes narrowed behind his tinted glasses as he fixed his ponytail moodily.

"Let's go back to the restaurant and wait for Ryuu. If he gets suspicious, I'll just say I waited to talk to him because he's cute. You can say I dragged you along." Jubilee walked back toward the Mikado without waiting for an answer.

"Well, Gambit definitely wouldn't be lyin', petit." He straightened his gloves and followed her. They waited in front of the restaurant for nearly half an hour, growing more impatient by the minute, before Ryuu came out through the front. He was now wearing a black shirt with a reddish dragon on it, black jeans and boots, and a pair of headphones over his ears. Ryuu walked down the street without looking around even once, bobbing his head in rhythm with whatever he was listening to on his Walkman, singing along quietly. On his way home, he cut through Bryant Park, still oblivious to the people tracking him.

Ryuu suddenly stopped, for ahead of him, directly in his path, was a blue woman with glowing yellow eyes. He tried to walk around her, but she blocked his path. Without warning, she kicked him hard in the temple, knocking him to the ground, dazed. "Who are you?" he stammered, trying to clear his head.

"I'm not sure what Magneto would want with such an unremarkable mutant," she murmured to herself, ignoring his question. "But those were his orders." She kicked him again, knocking him unconscious. Before she could drag him off, however, she was struck with several playing cards which exploded on contact.

"Now, cher, if you know what good for you, you leave the kid alone, oui?" Gambit said, charging another card. Mystique lunged at him but was blown out of the way by Jubilee's fireworks. She hit a tree, head first, and lay, unconscious at its base. "Gambit tink we should get outta here 'fore her sidekicks show up, eh?"

"That's th' first smart thing I heard you say all night, Cajun," Wolverine said, slinging Ryuu over his shoulder and carrying him off.

Later that night, Ryuu awoke slowly, blinking in the bright light of a well lit room. As his vision cleared, he realized he wasn't at his uncle's apartment. There were machines and monitors all around him and the walls were an antiseptic white. He blinked vigorously, trying to get rid of the fog over his vision. Suddenly a large shadow fell across his face. He looked up to see a large man in a white coat holding a cool compress to his head.

"You've got quite the nasty lump there," a soft, deep voice from overhead told him. It was an assuring, comforting sort of voice, like a father or a teacher. Ryuu closed his eyes and allowed the man to tend to the throbbing ache at his temple. "Are you all right?"

"I think I must have been hit harder than I thought." Ryuu's voice was soft and slightly hoarse. "For a second there, I thought you were blue and fuzzy."

The voice chuckled good naturedly. "Well, at least I know your eyes are working properly. I am, in fact, blue and rather more furry than fuzzy." Ryuu's eyes shot open and he looked up to see Beast. He was too stunned to even yell as he backed away from Beast.

"Who...?"

"I am Dr. Henry McCoy. I'm a mutant, like yourself. My friends rescued you a few hours ago from an evil mutant calling herself Mystique. Before you get yourself worked up, I wish to assure you that we have no intention of holding you here against your will. You are, however, free to stay as long as you like." Beast sat back calmly on his stool, observing Ryuu with a sort of detached interest.

"You're... you're a doctor?"

"Indeed I am. Is something troubling you?" Beast raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I know I'm a mutant. My parents, well, they were happy that I was different. They said I was special, that my mutation was a good omen. I've come to terms with my mutation, but I was wondering about the pains I've been having in my back." Ryuu sat back down on the edge of the bed, eyeing Beast nervously. He had not met many mutants before, let alone so many in one night.

"What kind of pain? Dull, sharp? Throbbing, constant?"

"They're sharp pains. I've been getting them for about a month now. It used to be a dull throbbing, but it's just gotten worse. Medicine doesn't work anymore." Beast stood up and walked behind Ryuu and began to prod his back gently with his finger tips.

"Does it hurt when I do this?" Ryuu shook his head. "How about here?" He shook his head again. "How about here?" Beast asked, prodding just between Ryuu's shoulder blades. Ryuu let out a howl of pain as Beast prodded the area. "All right. Can I ask you to take your shirt off?"

Ryuu took off his shirt carefully, exposing his back. "Oh my stars and garters," Beast murmured. There were two inflamed patches on Ryuu's back on his shoulder blades. In the middle of the red areas were large lumps. Beast gently prodded one and found it to be hard. The skin there was slightly rougher than the rest of Ryuu's skin. "I'd like to take some X-rays if you don't mind. It may help me better pinpoint the problem." Beast led Ryuu to the X-Ray machine and took several X-Rays of his back and shoulders. Then he took pictures of Ryuu's back. "All right. Once I have an idea of what the problem is, I'll let you know immediately."

"Thank you, Doctor." Ryuu stopped in the center of the room. "What did you mean I could stay as long as I like? Where am I?"

"I was wondering when we'd get to that," Hank responded with a smile. "This is the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. It's a school for mutants to learn to control their powers and cope with their mutations. It's also a sort of safe haven for mutant teenagers who suddenly find themselves unwanted by their families because of their fear of mutants."

"You can teach me how to use my powers?"

"If you'd like."

"Then, if you'll have me, I'll be a student."

"Do you wish to notify your family first?"

Ryuu considered for a moment. "It's only right that I do. Besides, I have to pack up my belongings if I'm going to be living here. I think a week should be enough time to prepare."

"Very well. When you return, you can be properly introduced to Professor Xavier. In the meantime, perhaps you would like a ride home?" Ryuu humbly accepted the offer and Dr. McCoy drove him home in his Jeep. "Whenever you're ready, our doors are open to you."

"Thank you, for everything," Ryuu said, bowing formally and going into his uncle's apartment building with a grateful wave at Hank.

Ryuu had a hard time explaining to his uncle where he had been and a harder time explaining that he meant to go live at the school for mutants. However, once his family understood that he would be learning greater control of his abilities and interacting with others like him, they were supportive.

"Ryuu-chan," his mother said, "we always knew you were special. You were always such good luck for us. Fortune smiled upon us the day you came into our family."

"That's right. Just when we thought we would never have children, your mother got pregnant with you. Against all the odds, you were a healthy baby and you've grown up to be a fine man," his father said with pride. "Always so noble, selfless, brave, and pure of heart."

"But, Mother, Father, what about the restaurant?"

"We'll survive without you. After all, your cousins are quite capable performers too," his uncle said with a laugh. "Besides, education is always more important than money. And this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Do not throw it away."

Ryuu looked more excited than his parents had ever seen him. "I won't, Uncle! Mother, Father, I'm going to go to that school! I'll visit as often as I can and I'll tell you all the things I learn." He hugged his family and went to pack.

"I will miss him, though. Now who's going to distract his Aunt Kuki?" his uncle said with a laugh.

A week later, the big day came. His family drove with him up to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. Jubilee met them at the door. "Hello. We've been wondering when you would come back, Ryuu. I'm sure the Professor will be happy to meet you and your parents. I'll take you to his office if you'll follow me." She led them through the downstairs into the western wing of the mansion. Ryuu's family looked around in awe. The place was huge and everything looked impressive without being too lavish or gaudy. The rooms they saw were decorated with care and it was obvious the owner possessed a lot of money and even more style.

"Oh my, Ryuu-chan. You're going to live here?" his mother asked. Ryuu looked just as stunned.

Jubilee knocked and opened a door off of a corridor. Ryuu's family walked into the office timidly and sat across the desk from a bald man with kind features and a calming air about him. He smiled warmly at them. "Good morning. I'm Professor Charles Xavier, the founder of this institution and a mutant. You must be Ryuu's family."

"Yes, I'm his father, Ooka Seitaro. This is my wife, Ooka Ren, and my brother, Ooka Daitaro." His father bowed slightly in his seat. "We're grateful that you've given our son an opportunity to attend your school."

Professor Xavier seemed a little embarrassed by the formality and gratitude. "I am given to understand that your son has great potential. Once he's fully trained, I'm sure even he will be pleasantly surprised."

"Our Hiryuu has such potential?" his mother asked, tears of joy and pride in her eyes.

"Oh, indeed. I doubt we've seen even a fraction of what he will ultimately be capable of." The Professor looked kindly at Hiryuu as he blushed.

"We leave our son in your hands, sir. Hiryuu, listen closely to everything they teach you. I know you will make us very proud," his father said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't forget to write, Ryuu-chan. Tell us all about what you learn and your new friends," his mother said as Jubilee returned to escort them out. Ryuu followed his family to the door. His mother hugged him fiercely and his uncle shook his hand.

"I don't know why, but, though we barely know this Professor Xavier, we can't help but trust him. I know you'll do well, Hiryuu." His father hugged him and his family left with barely a backward glance, his mother still crying.

Ryuu turned to Jubilee. She smiled at him. "Your family seems proud." Ryuu shrugged and blushed scarlet. "My name is Jubilation Lee, but everyone calls me Jubilee."

Ryuu bowed formally. "I'm Ooka Hiryuu. My family calls me Ryuu."

"Hiryuu. That's Japanese right? What's it mean?"

"It is Japanese for 'Flying Dragon'." He followed Jubilee as she headed up the stairs. "Where are we going?"

"I'm going to show you your room." She led him to a room near the end of the hall. "This one's yours. I hope you like it. Dr. McCoy already brought your bags up."

"He shouldn't have done that. He's a doctor. He shouldn't be dragging my bags around like a common servant."

"He figured he might as well. He was headed up to his own room anyway. It's across the hall from yours so it wasn't much trouble." Jubilee was staring at him. "You know, you are pretty cute."

Hiryuu had dazzling almond shaped eyes, the color of polished amber. His hair was a dark brown that faded naturally to a fire engine red at the ends and his shy smile revealed beautiful, white teeth with slightly sharper canines than most people had. He stood almost a head taller than Jubilee and was trim, almost thin. "Thank you. You aren't too bad looking yourself." Jubilee returned his awkward smile. Suddenly, Ryuu stifled a yawn, quickly looking apologetic. "Sorry. I was so excited about coming here that I didn't get any sleep."

"You must be exhausted. Hey, get some rest. I'll come wake you up for dinner and then I'll show you around."

"Thank you, Jubilee. See you for dinner." He bowed formally to Jubilee then went into his room. His room was modestly furnished, but he was surprised and pleased to see that it was noticeably larger than his room at home. He flopped onto the bed, sinking into the soft blankets and mattress, dozing off almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Almost no time later, Jubilee was shaking him. He opened his eyes to see her leaning over him, her almond eyes very close to his face. "Um, hello."

"About time you woke up. I've been shaking you forever," she said with a slight trace of a grin.

"Really? I'm not going to be late for dinner, am I?" he said, bolting into a sitting position as Jubilee stepped back.

"Nah, not really. Come on, I'll show you to the dining room." She walked to the door