Disclaimer Thingy:  Yep, this is another story with characters created wholy 
and soley by Marvel.They own them, they use them every month and I don't want 
anyone to think for a single moment that I'm trying to deprive them of 
anything.  I just hope I've done justice to the characters I've borrowed.

Surprise Visit
Sean Venning, Feb. 1996

Illyana curled herself back into a ball as S'ym stood up, feeling the tears 
flow down her cheeks.  It hurt, it always hurt, and the bruises would take 
weeks to go away, but at least he, at least it, would leave her alone for a 
while now.  Risking a glance over her shoulder, Illyana saw S'ym take a cigar 
from his vest pocket and clamp it into his roughly fanged maw.  Almost 
instantly it burst alight, and S'ym drew the pungent smoke deep inside.

"Aah.  Much better.  Next time Sweetie, you'll know not to laugh at S'ym."  
and with that the demon turned and stalked off into the catacombs that made 
up Belasco's domain.  Illyana stared after him, ignoring the things that 
scuttled about her in the shadows.

"I'll do what I like, demon," she whispered.


Another time, another place.  Illyana looked up from her text book.

"Who cares about redox reactions?" she spoke aloud, to no one in particular.  
"I mean, what actual use are they?  I need a break.  Ciao all."  and with 
that she vanished in a circle of glowing light.
Sam looked over at a shocked looking Rahne and shrugged.


Gazing around at the bleak terrain that was Limbo, Illyana swung her Soul 
Sword idly to and fro.  Dotted over the surrounding landscape, bizarre demons 
went about their mysterious tasks.

*What do they do?* she pondered *Anyone would have thought that with all 
Belasco taught me, he could have at least told me that.  Ah well, who cares.  
Where to go...?*

Standing up from the boulder she had been perched upon,  Illyana came to a 
sudden decision.   

*I'll just trust it to chance.  What's the worst that could happen?*  And 
with that she summoned a stepping disk and passed on out of Limbo.


Katherine Pride sat on the cliff edge,  salty spray misting her hair.  
Outwards, barely visible in the late evening twilight, she could see grey 
clouds building on the horizon.

"Looks like we're going to be in for a storm again tonight, my little dragon," 
she said to the winged reptile wrapped around her shoulders.  "I suppose we'd 
better think about heading back, hmm?  See how the Peters are doing?"

Lockheed just grumbled in response.  As far as he was concerned, his Kitty 
didn't need anyone who wasn't with her right this instant.

"All right you.  Let's go."

As she said that, Lockheed suddenly tensed and looked around.  With a barely 
audible hiss, he took to the air, dodging behind a nearby rocky outcrop.

"Lockheed!  What is it!"  Rising to her feet, Katherine cautiously walked 
towards the rocks.  Ahead of her, cloaked in shadows, a figure strode 
casually forward, Lockheed writhing in its grasp.

"Stop it!  Put him down, whoever you are!  Don't hurt him!"

"Oh Kitty, relax, why don't you?"

Katherine froze.  That voice.  The figure stepped forward into what little 
light there was.  She could see now that Lockheed was wriggling as his 
purple belly was being playfully scratched.  There were few he'd allow to do 
that to him.  In fact, there were only two, herself and...

"Illyana?"

"In the flesh.  Hi there Roomie, what you doing out here?  Where is here, 
anyway?"

"But you, you're, I mean....", words failed her.

"Yeah, yeah, I know.  There's a chem midterm tomorrow, and I should be 
studying for it.  Who cares, I'll pass it, you know me.  So, where are we 
and what are you doing here?"  Illyana stepped forward.  "Hey, you know, you 
look different somehow.  I don't know, is that a new costume?  I don't like 
it, your other one is...hey, watch it!"

Katherine had her in a bear hug, squashing the loudly protesting Lockheed 
between them.

"What's up Roomie?  Come on, let me breathe!  Anyone would think you hadn't 
seen me in ages!"  Good humour turned to concern, as she felt Katherine's 
tears on her cheek.  "Kitty?  What is it?  What's wrong?  You're starting to 
scare me.  Come on, get a grip here."

Katherine stood back a little, but still didn't let go.

"You look wonderful," she said, her eyes misty with tears.  "I wasn't 
expecting you, that's all."

"Yeah, well, nice to know I have some affect on you.  So, where are we, 
again?"

"Oh, we're on Muir Island.  I've been staying here for a while, with Kurt 
and some others....", her voice drifted off.

"What do you mean?  I saw Kurt this morning and he didn't mention anything 
about...Oh.  I've done a bit of a time jump, haven't I?  So, how've I been?" 
 smiling at her own joke, Illyana let Lockheed down and wandered over to the 
cliff edge.

*I can't tell her* thought Katherine *No one should know that's coming to 
them*

"What can I say," said Katherine. "You know you, always the centre of 
attention." 

"Uh huh.  So, feel like a bit of a laugh?"

"Always."

"Good.  There's....someone I've been meaning to settle things with for a 
while now and I think you might get a kick out of it too."

"Anyone I know?"

"Not well.  So, up to a quick jaunt?"

"With you, always."

"Right.  All aboard the Illyana express.  First stop, Limbo!"


"And I thought Kurt's 'bamfs' smelled bad!" gasped Kitty as she covered her 
mouth and nose with her hands.  "Ugh!"

"Oh, stop whingeing." said Illyana, looking around through the red gloom 
that was Limbo.  Katherine looked over at her friend.  

"That's easy for you....oh!  I'd forgotten what this place did for you."

Illyana smiled and curtsied.  In place of the jeans and t-shirt she had been 
wearing was a gleaming suit of armour.  Illyana performed a dainty pirouette, 
which displayed the sinuous, red barbed tail that extended from the base of 
her spine, through a break in the metal.  On her head was a horned helm, 
which framed her glowing red eyes.

"Darkchilde, at your service." the warmth of her smile was ruined only by the 
forked tongue that darted out between her lips.

"Cut that out, Illyana.  I know that inside of all that gleaming metal 
there's no monster."

Illyana looked back at her, the smile slowly fading.    

"No.  Just a little girl and her demons.  Let me tell you about one of them.  
It's name is S'ym."  she looked away from Katherine, into the distant 
darkness.

"But I know about S'ym," said Katherine, "You told me about him."

"Not everything.  For all his evil, Belasco was rarely cruel.  Well, not 
without reason.  But S'ym.  He was different.  He was cruelty given form.  
>From the start I learned to fear him.  The fist from the dark, claws in the 
night.  Without warning, without reason.  And it wasn't always S'ym himself.  
Sometimes it would be his minions, formless horrors creeping in the dark."  

"But what about Belasco, didn't he.."

"He was a demon Kitty,  he didn't care.  I think it amused him to see his 
lieutenant abusing his pupil.  As if he thought it would teach me something - 
harden me to an existence in Limbo.  And it did, too.  It taught me that we 
only fear what we don't know, what we dread during long dark nights.  Once we 
know something, truly understand it, the fear goes.  
"I lived in fear of S'ym for a long time," Illyana went on, "Until one day, 
after he had just beaten me again, this time for laughing at him.  I realised 
that somewhere, deep down inside of him, S'ym feared me even more than I 
feared him.  Feared what I was to become, what I could be.  That's when I 
realised that I didn't need to be scared of him any more."

Katherine stared over at her friend.  She'd known it must have been terrible, 
those seven long years trapped in Limbo, Belasco's pawn.  But she'd never 
actually considered what had happened, other than as an abstract passing of 
time.  She held Lockheed close as she stood there, mute.

"The beatings continued, as well as the...other things.  But they didn't 
matter any more.  I knew that I had won.  S'ym feared me more than I feared 
him."

Illyana looked back over at her, red eyes glowing in the gloom.  "Now's the 
time to remind him of his fear."  


"Comfy?"

"If you can call hiding on a hot, rocky ledge in the middle of Limbo with 
no one but a pint sized dragon-"

"Gggrufff!"

" - no offence Lockheed-and a demon sorceress for company comfy, then yes, 
I'm comfy.  What about you?"

Illyana giggled.  "I was raised here, remember?"  She stopped smiling.  
"Right, I can sense demons approaching.  He'll be around here somewhere, 
about......there.  Watch this."

Katherine looked over in the direction that Illyana gestured.  Coming into 
the smoky cavern was a group of shambling, misshapen beings.  Demons.  Behind 
them, cursing them along, was a hulking, purple monstrosity.

"Come on SCUM!" it bellowed, " I could get humies to work harder than you 
miserable wretches."  pausing only to take the cigar out of its maw, it 
continued with its tirade.  "I haven't got FOREVER!  GET ON WITH IT!!"

It was at this point that Katherine noticed Illyana gesturing.  Behind the 
demon S'ym, a truly hideous form was coalescing from the smoke.  Horrible 
beyond belief, it was a form composed of tentacles and claws, fangs and 
spurs.  Deep within its shadowy bulk could be seen three burning red 
pinpoints of light.

"What is that?" whispered Katherine.

"Just something I whipped up," Illyana whispered back, "Remember I do have 
absolute power over Limbo." 

Noticing Katherine's apparent concern, she continued  "It won't actually 
cause any permanent damage.  But S'ym doesn't know that!"

Down in the cavern, the demonic phantasm had finally formed.  Letting forth 
a great bellow, it leaned forward and down, reaching out a wickedly taloned 
claw.  Petty demons ran shrieking as it grasped S'ym and lifted him high into 
the air.  S'ym struggled frantically, but to no avail.

"Stay here," whispered Illyana, as she vanished through one of her stepping 
disks.
Katherine held her breath as she watched the cavern below her.  Illyana 
appeared in the cavern, in front of the captive S'ym.  Seeing her arrive, 
he screamed loudly.

"Another one!  Get her NOW!"

Out of the shadows came the demons, showing less fear towards an obviously 
smaller, less imposing threat.  Illyana looked about in bemused wonder.

"You dare to defy me?  Ha!  Oh S'ym, you'll regret this!"  and so speaking 
she drew her soul sword and swung at the nearest charging demon.  As her 
blade touched its hide, the demon shrieked and exploded, ichor rapidly 
dissipating into the air as it spread outwards.  Others came and Darkchilde 
swung at them too, felling the demons with a careless ease.  Laughing louder 
now, she gestured with her free hand, calling into existence a seething pit 
of magma.  Moving with inhumane grace she continued to strike down demons, 
herding them towards the pit.

"Cowards!" screamed S'ym, "STOP HER!"

Darkchilde looked up at the captive demon and sneered.  "Do you forget me so 
easily, S'ym?  Do you not recognise Darkchilde when she visits you?  Shall I 
jog your memory?  DROP HIM."

With an uncharacteristic yelp, S'ym clawed frantically at the air as the 
gigantic form suddenly released its grasp.  Striking the surface of the 
flaming pool, S'ym bellowed, a mixture of rage and pain.  Darkchilde gestured 
again and the magma changed into steaming ichor.  Dragging another demon 
down in order to stay afloat, S'ym cursed loudly.  Looking around at the 
smaller demons in the cavern, Darkchilde spoke again.

"Leave.  Now."

They did.  Chuckling throatily to herself, she approached the flailing demon.

"Have a little accident, did we S'ym?" she hissed, her eyes flashing.  "I 
guess you'll just have to be more careful, won't you?"  Laughing again, she 
wandered around the edge of the pit, her eldritch armour glowing as if on fire
in the baleful red light.  "Next time you'll do well to remember just who it 
is you're talking to."

Katherine looked down from her ledge, trembling.  This wasn't her Illyana.  
She had never been like this.  This had to be some awful, horrible nightmare.  
Yes, that was it, a dream.  But down inside, she knew the truth.  Her friend 
had always been the two sides of one coin.  Bright Illyana and Darkchilde.  
Closing her eyes, she started to sob quietly, then stopped, as she heard a 
new sound in the deep recesses of the cavern.  The sound of a child's 
laughter.  Down below her, Illyana stopped laughing and whirled around, 
peering into the darkness.

"What?  Who's there?  But... that's.... Noooo!"  

Turning again she looked up to where Kitty and Lockheed lay hidden and flung 
her arms over her face, as a pair of stepping disks appeared and took them 
away.  

Slowly crawling out of the pit, S'ym growled and turned to where the now 
silent, blonde haired little girl was standing in the shadows.

"Laughing at S'ym, were you?  Well, let's give you something to laugh ABOUT!"

With a shriek the little girl ran off into the tunnel, but the demon would 
catch her.  It always did.


The cold sea wind blew over them again.

"That little girl..."  Katherine began.

"It was me, yes.  I guess my timing's been out all day.  Tell me, how long 
has it been?"

"What do you mean?" 

"Come on Roomie, don't hide from me.  How long since you've seen me.  Really."

Katherine looked out over the grey-green waters.  "Too long."

"I could tell it had been a while," said Illyana slowly.  "The way you 
reacted when I first saw you.  The new look.  And also," here Illyana paused 
for a moment, "You've, well, developed if you know what I mean."

Katherine stood puzzled for a moment, then looked down and blushed.  "It has 
been a while since I've seen you, talked to you, but.."

Illyana cut her off.  "No.  Don't tell me.  I don't want to know.  Whatever 
the reason is, I'd rather find out myself, the hard way.  Look, I've really 
got to get going now, I guess.  I've got to finish cramming all that stupid 
chemistry." She reached out and gave Lockheed an affectionate scratch.  
"Look after her for me Lockheed.  I'll see you both around."

Katherine took a step forward. "Illyana," she began.

"Hey Kitty, it's ok.  Just remember; time travelling, dimension hopping, 
teenage mutant demon sorceresses never die," she lowered her head and gave 
Kitty an impish grin, "We just get temporally misplaced."  and with that she 
stepped out of view.

Kitty walked slowly over to where her friend had been.  

"Goodbye Illyana," she whispered softly, the ghost of a smile crossing her 
lips.


Back in the caves Illyana curled herself into a ball as S'ym stood up.  It 
hurt, it always hurt, but this time the tears didn't come.