Need

**I do not own these marvel characters. Just using them for entertainment purposes only.**

Kitty focused her energy on the punching bag in front of her. She struck repeatedly with fists and feet, trying to drive out the turmoil that twisted her insides.
"Space." She grunted, under her breath. "He needs space, huh?" She didn't cry. Her eyes burned but she fought the tears back. No man was going to make Kitty Pryde cry. Especially a man like Lance Alvers. He'd barely graduated from Bayville High two years earlier and had stuck around the area. He still lived with the Brotherhood in the crappy boardinghouse that Mystique supervised. Kitty had put up with the teasing and catcalls that Quicksilver and the others threw her way in order to spend time with Lance. Now she was eighteen and could legally get her own place, and he'd decided that he needed space. "Bastard." She said; panting a little as her workout became more rigorous. She'd scheduled the danger room for an entire hour and was pretty sure that she'd need every minute of it before she was going to be fit company for the other members of the household.
Kitty had set up the room with tumbling mats and a few punching bags around her so she could work on her "multiple man" defense. Logan had taught her that the bullies in this world didn't attack one at a time, and as a mutant, she needed to be prepared for unfair odds and dirty tricks. Logan was the master of dirty tricks and he'd taken special interest in teaching Kitty. He'd wanted to make certain that she, as one of the smallest members of the team, could handle herself when the time came. Though he didn't show it often, she knew he was proud of the way she'd taken to his training. She now had her fists and the balls of her feet wrapped in tape. She'd dressed in a sports bra, t-shirt and lycra shorts; forgoing her usual uniform. If she decided to go to college, she certainly couldn't go running around in the black and blue outfit that shouted, "Hey, crotch party USA here!" She'd always wondered why her uniform seemed to be a bright colored arrow that pointed between her legs.
Kitty was delivering a sound whipping to a group of hanging bags when a muffled *Bamf*, followed by the smell of sulphur alterted her to another presence in the room. Sweat stung her eyes but she didn't turn around.
"I think you've beaten them up sufficiently, Katzchen." Kurt said from behind her.
"I'm just getting warmed up. I've still got forty-five minutes left in the danger room so forgive me if I ask you to leave." She knew she was being unnecessarily rude to her best friend, but she didn't feel very nice right now.
"Ouch!" He said, coming into view. He was dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt, and his image inducer was turned off. "Sounds like you had a day like mine." She spun on her toe and kicked behind her, sending one of the bags popping off its chain. "Wanna talk about it?" Kitty didn't answer; she just turned her attack to the remaining three bags that still hung around her. Knowing that only pain would make his best friend lash out at him, Kurt approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
Kitty struck withut thinking and Kurt lay flat on his back a moment later. His breath came out in a whoosh and he stared up at the brown-haired girl who stood above him. He could see that she was sorry, but she didn't speak. Instead, she turned away from him with a pained expression and walked over to the tumbling mats.
"I did ask you nicely." Kitty said, keeping her back to him. She stretched her arms above her head, turned a slow cartwheel on the mat and moved into a handstand. She paused with her feet in the air before tucking her head and rolling into a somersault. When she got to her feet, the unseen limb tsnapsnapped out and knocked her onto her back startled her. Kurt, as an acrobat, moved with an almost inhuman speed. He stood over her with a grim smile.
"Okay, I get it. You're hurt and you want to feel strong for a little while." He leaned over and offered a hand. "But don't think you can just beat up the Elf and get away with it." She grasped it and stuck her foot into his midsection, rolling backards and sending him over her head. She wasn't sure why she was doing it, but she couldn't seem to get herself under control.
"I don't think you *do* get it, fuzzy." She replied, jumping to her feet. "I was here to try and blow off steam after Lance dumped me with the stupidest excuse in the book. I'm not weak, I'm angry; and you walked in at the wrong moment." She shook the sweat out of her eyes and smiled humorlessly at him. "Feel free to stay, but I'm not pulling any punches right now."
"Well, Amanda gave me the old 'it's not you, it's me.' line today, so I guess I won't be pulling any punches either." His lips curled back from his fangs and he bent his knees in preparation to spring.
"No powers, no quarter?" Kitty asked, squaring herself. It was a term Wolverine used when he made them go through an obstacle course that he'd made up. The course was designed to utilize their agility and speed, and they couldn't ask for help or use their mutant gifts. Only the students eighteen years and older could take the test. Kitty and Kurt had both passed a month ago and this wasn't going to be a light sparring match. They were out to beat the crap out of each other.