All the students were paralyzed by the Geass ability, unable to move, each staring at Kurogai in fear.
He could have simply knocked them out. It would have been easier. But Kurogai had something else in mind—he wanted them to witness everything.
"Kurogai, don't hurt them!" Jean pleaded. She, too, was immobilized. Had she fully tapped into the Phoenix Force, she might've been able to resist the Geass, but at this moment, that power lay dormant. It wouldn't awaken—not against Kurogai.
"Jean, there are things I must do," Kurogai said calmly, stepping toward her and meeting her gaze.
He felt emotions. He wasn't a cold machine. But emotion would never cloud his pursuit of power.
"Then don't kill them," Jean begged softly.
Kurogai studied her for a moment. Then, he nodded. "For you, I won't kill them. But I will take their blood."
A wave of relief swept over the group. After the horror of seeing Cyclops killed, hearing that their lives would be spared brought comfort. Their fearful eyes turned to Jean, now filled with gratitude.
In their eyes, Jean was the reason they were alive. The teacher who pleaded with a monster—and won.
As for Jean, the moment Kurogai uttered those words, the sadness in her expression softened. Her face flushed. Despite everything, despite the chaos around them, she found herself moved.
"For you." It was direct. Too direct. And in front of her students, no less. Embarrassment crept across her face.
Jean's thoughts scattered. She was overwhelmed—but undeniably affected.
"For making that concession… don't you think I deserve a little something in return?" Kurogai asked, the corner of his mouth curving into a smirk.
Jean blinked. "I… I'll do it. What do you want?"
Before she could finish her sentence, Kurogai leaned in. Her eyes widened in disbelief as his lips met hers.
Silence fell like a curtain. The students, unable to move, watched in stunned silence.
The kiss hadn't been part of Kurogai's plan. Originally, he never intended to kill the students. That was already decided in his conversation with Professor X. He needed mutant blood, not bodies. Killing them would have gained him nothing.
So he staged this moment. He built tension, created fear, and waited. He had predicted Jean would intervene—and she had. Now the students were loyal to her, and Jean… Jean was slowly becoming bound to him.
As for the kiss—it was spontaneous. An opportunity he hadn't planned, but one he didn't let slip away.
Regarding Cyclops, Kurogai had no intention of killing him at first. But the moment he felt the intent to kill in Cyclops's attack, his instincts took over. Kurogai didn't forgive those who tried to take his life. It wasn't personal. It was just the way he survived.
Ironically, Cyclops's death had helped the plan. The students were terrified, compliant, and now saw Jean as a hero. In their eyes, she was the angel who had tamed the devil.
After a moment, Kurogai pulled away from Jean. Her face was flushed, her hair slightly messy. She didn't speak, only lowered her head, burning with embarrassment.
"Remember," Kurogai said softly, "from now on, you're mine."
Jean didn't respond. Her silence and blushing cheeks said everything.
Kurogai turned to the students, his voice firm. "I need your blood. Any objections?"
It didn't matter what they thought. He would take it regardless. But to his surprise, they didn't resist. Perhaps because of what they'd just witnessed—perhaps out of sheer fear—they cooperated without protest.
Kurogai raised an eyebrow. That went more smoothly than expected. But it proved his earlier plan had worked. The true prize today, however, wasn't just the blood—it was Jean.
Once he was done, Kurogai approached her again.
"I have to go now. But I'll come back for you," he said.
Then, without warning, he kissed her again. A heartbeat later, his body distorted and vanished into the void.
Jean stood still, dazed, eyes fixed on the space where he'd disappeared.
"Ms. Jean… thank you for saving us," one student finally said.
The others joined in, voicing their gratitude. The moment Kurogai left, the Geass wore off, and they were free again.
Jean nodded slowly, her cheeks still flushed. "It's nothing. I'm your teacher. That's what I'm here for."
But inwardly, her heart pounded. The more they thanked her, the more she recalled what had just happened. And the more she remembered, the redder her cheeks became.
That man… Kurogai. He was dangerous, unpredictable—and yet…
Jean gathered herself. She had to lead these students back to the X-Mansion. For now, her job wasn't over.
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