Disclaimer: The character are Marvels and are being used for non-profit entertainment. The story belongs to me, Magik, the author.

by Magik

The Present:

    The blood flowed thickly down her throat. God, she could feel it tickling her windpipe as it crept down into her lungs. She coughed and watched as the think, red liquid covered the ground next to her. She was dying. And as she died, her mind began to wander.

The Past:

    Illyana Rasputin gazed out the window of the room that she shared with the X-Man Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat. Kitty was gone right now, though. She had gone home to see her parents. But after what had happened with Peter, Illyana didn't blame her a bit for leaving.

    The pair of cool, blue eyes narrowed as the young girl watched her team mates in the New Mutants playing baseball outside. It had probably been Dani's stupid idea to go and play sports in this heat. Normally, Illyana would have been invited along. But today didn't seem to be very normal at all and besides, she had just fought with all of them the past day.

    It had been a nothing pointless fight really. But the fight had mainly been between herself and Dani which meant that every other member of the New Mutants would just have to get involved. Dani had formed pretty close friendships with all the others and so they felt obligated to stick up for her even if Illyana had been right.

    Now as she sat, scowling, on her window ledge, Illyana's thoughts drifted back to the whole stupid fight that had made her even more of an outcast from the otherwise tightknit group.

The Flashback:

    "I don't understand why the hell we aren't doing anything?" Illyana questioned angrily as her blue eyes watched the television screen.

    Danielle Moonstar who, as Mirage, was the New Mutant's main leader, tucked a strand of black hair, which had escaped from one of her tight braids, behind her ear and sighed. "It's really not our place to interfere, Illyana."

    In a flash, Illyana glared at Dani with her startling ice blue eyes. Betrayal made her even more angry at the young Cheyenne because Dani was basically her only friend in this group. "It's our fight too, Dani," she hissed in a low, threatening voice.

    "We're just students, Illyana. Amateurs at best. Dani's right to keep us out of it," Roberto DaCosta added with clear disdain in his cultured voice. The young Brazilian was leaning against the doorjamb regarding Illyana coldly.

    "Stay out of this, `Berto. This is a discussion between Dani and me," Illyana quickly corrected him.

    Dani just sighed and toyed idly with the loose strand of hair. "We're not rushing out to help with this, Magik," she began showing her authority by using Illyana's field name. "It's just out of our league.

    "It's clean-up duty, Dani!" Illyana snapped, her voice full of rage and spite. "The Avengers are there cleaning up OUR mess but we aren't lifting a damn finger!" She jumped up from her chair and it clattered to the floor. With a few quick steps, she was over be Dani's side, teeth starting to sharpen slightly and eyes glowing.

    "Back off, `Yana. It's not our mess. We did' cause that," Samuel Guthrie drawled as he lightly pushed her away from Dani's seated form.

    "Ye leave Dani alone, ye heathen," small Rahne Sinclair shot out from her seat on the kitchen counter.

    Illyana turned to face all of them, letting her eyes and voice harden. "We may not have caused this but we should take a little blame. If not for us, us collectively as mutants, this," she waved her hand at the TV, "wouldn't have happened."

    Douglas Ramsey rolled his blue eyes. "Right, like the Sentinels wouldn't have just persecuted someone else."

    There was silence in the room for a long moment while Illyana silently fumed and waited for someone, anyone to say something that would se her off. Finally, Dani's clear voice broke the stillness. "Y'know, maybe it would be best if we all just cool off for a while. Find something to do where we won't be annoying each other all day." The words were simple enough but the glare in Illyana's direction clearly stated who this "cooling off" period was going to be used to isolate.

    "Fine with me, Chief. But if you need me, don't bother askin' cause for the rest of this day, I don't know any of you!" Illyana declared and then teleported herself upstairs.

The Present:

    The large, red puddle around Illyana's fallen body just kept growing. There wasn't enough life left within her to try and apply pressure to the wounds. More blood slid down her throat bus she couldn't seem to be able to cough it up as once again, her mind slipped into blackness.

The Past:

    Illyana kept her gaze on the scene outside the window. Apparently her "cooling off" period still wasn't over. Ever once in a while, one of the New Mutants would look up at her window, smile somewhat evilly, and then talk to the others. Something was wrong. They weren't acting like themselves.

The Present:

    Cough, girl. Cough, the thought drifted lazily though her mind, blocking out everything else for the moment. Come on, Rasputin, bloody well cough and keep the blood out of your lungs. Don't drown, bleed to death. Bleeding to death is slower and gives someone time to find you. Cough, girl, cough! But her effort was in vain as her mind protested and melted into more shadow.

The Past:

    After watching her team mates for nearly an hour, Illyana open the door to the room she shared with Kitty and walked down the hall. It was strangely quiet in the large mansion and she had to remind herself time and time again that there was nothing wrong and the X-Men were just on another mission.

    The downstairs was just plain creepy. All the lights were off and nothing seemed to be working. She began to wonder if it was joke the Mutants had devised to get back at here.

    Illyana opened the back door and stepped out. She expected to come face to face with `Berto or Sam or Dani. However, she hadn't expected to be greeted by an empty backyard that was strewn with baseball bats and gloves. Something was defiantly wrong.

    When the attack came she didn't even register that something was wrong. It just hit her, throwing her head first to the ground while her back felt as if it were on fire.

The Present:

    Strangled gasps came out of her mouth as Illyana fought for her life and her breath. The thick, red blood had almost filled her lings and, even now, she could feel more trickling down her throat. She couldn't scream for help and she couldn't move. And as more scarlet fluid rushed out of her nose and mouth, she knew. She wasn't going to bleed to death. No, she was going to be drowned with her own blood. As lack of air reached her brain, Illyana was thrown back into memory.

The Past:

    Blue eyes fluttered open to see the lanky body of Sam leaning over her. He studied her the way a predator studies it's injured prey.

    "Hey, Sam," she choked out. Her throat felt raw and burned. What had happened to her? With a small groan, Illyana tried to force herself to her feet but found out that her hands were bound together with tight rope. "Sam, buddy, you want to help me?"

    "I don't think anyone will be helping you anytime soon," a raspy voice said as Sam stepped away from her.

    "Sam, no. Sam, help me!" she cried. She knew that voice. God help he, she knew that terrible voice.

    "Sweet child, Sam can't hear you anymore," the voice snarled as Dani stepped into the light.

    "Damn you, Farouk!" Illyana spat as she saw one of her best friends being used by his foul being. "What did we ever do to you?"

    "You freed Karma. It was you, Illyana. If not for you, I would have gotten away with all of it. Now, now, you're going to pay," Farouk's voice said through Dani's body.

    "No. No! The X-Men will find me. They'll save me."

    "Sorry, luv, but by the time the X-Men get home, you'll be dead and I'll be long gone. I didn't come to steal a new body, I came for revenge." With a low laugh the possessed body of Dani turned away to reveal the other New Mutants standing there, hate in their eyes.

    "Spit and bother!" Illyana screamed. "They'll find you Farouk, and they'll make you pay!"

    "I find that highly unlikely. Children, she is yours. Make Poppa Farouk proud."

    `Berto's first punch knocked Illyana unconscious much to Farouk's disappointment. But he knew that by the time the girl drug herself back to the waking world, she'd be well on her way to Death's door.

The Present:

    Illyana's blue eyes slowly closed and her breathing was irregular and faint as she fought for breath. She fought with every ounce of her strength but it wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough. And as she slipped into the realm of Death, not with a scream or a tortured cry of hate but with a small, low sigh, her mind flitted back to one last memory.

The Past:

    By the time Illyana dragged her eyes open, she knew. She knew that she was dying. The pain was spread out all over her body and there was so much goddamned blood. It was only a matter of time but maybe...maybe she could hold on long enough for the X-Men to come home and save her. Maybe. All she could do was try.

The Present:

    Illyana Rasputin was laid to rest on a Wednesday. It did not rain. The sun was high in the sky and the birds were signing. She was buried on what would have been her seventeenth birthday.

    All the X-Men were there, even Kitty had come back for the funeral. Everyone was suffering from the death of Illyana's shinning star. But the New Mutants suffered the most for it had been their blows that had killed her yet never uttered a word about it. There was no solace for none. None at all.

    Farouk got his revenge. He had killed Illyana swiftly but left the others slowly rotting away from the inside out. There was nothing to be done about it. Maybe if Xavier had been there...maybe he could have saved them. But Xavier had fled to the stars and Magnus was so very dim-witted when it came to taking care of the children.

    Slowly, each and every member of the New Mutants slipped away into depression and then committed suicide. Warlock was the only one left and that was because he hadn't figured out how to kill himself.

    They were all laid to rest near Illyana's grave. Their funerals were different from Illyana's in only one respect, it rained when they were buried. Yes, it rained hard as if even the sky was upset that they had gone to their grave with the secret of Illyana's death unspoken on their lips. And somewhere, hidden deep on the Astral Plana, Farouk laughed and laughed and laughed. Yes, he had gotten his revenge.