The Usual: Characters? Not Mine. Money? None Being Made. Song belongs to Bob Dylan. Tendo Aika, a.k.a. Kitsune, belongs to me (with a nod to Rumiko Takahashi for the last name, and a personality based on my friends Stace and Anna.) Everything else belongs to whomever it belongs to. Note: I have heard TWO different versions of this song as sung by Dylan, and I found TWO different versions of the lyrics for this verse. I decided to go with this version, as it just fits better. Takes place 5 years after the last chapter. That said, Onwards.

Spoken in Japanese

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Respite from the Storm
Jeanne M.



Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved.
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."

Shelter from the Storm by Bob Dylan



The meditations, the katas, training, I haven't felt this good in years. I feel cool, cleansed, in control of myself and the events around me.

Sensei, however, is sitting beside me trying to find the words that I can understand. The lady scares me shitless. Tiny, frail-looking woman in her late nineties, close as I can guess. She's got a soft voice like silk that sheathes a steel blade. An' these cold, blue eyes, that look right into yer soul. Not ta mention that the lady is the only person alive that can kick my ass faster than I can blink.

Your mind is not on your work, pupil. Whatever distracts you, face it and move past. At first it was your focus, now it is ruining concentration. Her sharp eyes bore into me. Fearless blue orbs hold mine in an unbreakable gaze. Name your fear, Logan.

I fear nothing. I try to ignore her and sink into the meditation. It doesn't work. I fear no creature or man.

Then it is a woman. Damn her! She must be quite remarkable to cause such a disturbance.

A couple of women, Sensei. And they are more than remarkable. She gives a snort of laughter at that. What's so funny?

You and women, Logan. I swear, you haven't changed a bit. Let me guess. You can't find the words, they can't understand, and everyone gets upset. Her eyes crinkle in amusement. And I thought it was a serious problem.

Dammit, Aika, this is serious! Instantly, I find myself laying on the ground, her dainty fingers resting against lethal pressure points. Wha?!?

It is Sensei, Logan. I am the teacher now, not one of your girls. Her voice is perfectly calm, her scent carries no trace of anger, but I remain still. To you, I am no longer Tendo Aika. I am either Sensei, or you may call me the Kitsune. And you are being ridiculous. You and your women. She moves aside, an' I hastily jump to my feet, glowering.

You don't understand the situation, Sensei.

Take that tone with me again, and you are out of this dojo faster than I just put you on the floor. She gives me an annoyed look, and gestures for me to sit again. You've been in and out of my life since I was a small child, Logan. I have seen you in the various stages of your life, and the women that pass through that life like a feather on the wind. Strong willed and tempestuous, all of them. Not a single one has been a weakling. However, the fact remains that they come and go like the tide. You are a man who does not know his own soul, how can you understand that same restless spirit in another?

Women do have a disturbing tendency to die on me, Sensei.

My sarcasm is not lost on her, she simply chooses to ignore it. That they do. They are ultimately mortal, you know. With all the mortal faults that entails. She looks at me with a small grin. You love them despite these human flaws, because they speak to both the Man and Beast within you.

This is not a new understanding for me, Tendo Sensei. I know I'm sulkin', but I can't help it.

Then perhaps you should listen harder. Her voice is a stinging whip, an' I find myself wincing. Your problem, Wolverine, is that after all this time you assume. You assume your women will understand you. You assume that only you know how bad things can be. You assume that you are the best at what you do. You are not always the best, and when that happens, you cannot understand. The comrades do not always understand, and you become resentful. Sometimes, the fabric of your life unweaves itself, and you clamp down at the first sign of change to try and stop it from unraveling. You never realize that for a new pattern to be added, the tapestry must first shift shape and size. She waves her hands, sketching lightly in the air. I know someone else who does that. I do not say your women are guiltless here. They share the blame as well. You are all being so dense! Aika Tendo fixes me with such a frozen glare that I want to run. Very very far away. Have none of you ever heard of communication?

I blink. Sensei?

Sensei sensei sensei. What? Do you not understand the word? Has your Japanese gotten that bad? Want me to switch to English? She taps her fingers against my head.

I shudder, remembering Aika's lacking command of the English language. I understand the word, Sensei.

No, you think that you comprehend the meaning of the word. You do not understand it, or we would not be having this conversation. She gives me an indulgent look. None of you have bothered to communicate, and it has sent everything spinning into a huge crisis for all of you.

You are not aware of the whole story, Sensei. With all due respect, you have no idea what we think and feel, and you do not know what we say to each other.

"Obviously, Logan, I have some idea."

English. Aika can't speak English. But the words issuing from her mouth are smooth, with no trace of an accent. Only the wicked glint in her eyes gives away the fact she knows I am shocked. Since when?

She knows what I mean. "If you had bothered to talk to me, to communicate with me more often, you would know I could speak English. Dear Gods, Logan! I went to the University, of course I can speak English! You only remember the little child, the wild teenager, and the dojo elder, you never bothered to ask me about the rest of my life. Oh, you knew that I went away to school, and that I got good marks, but you didn't ask. And I did not tell." She folds her hands, eyes looking out at the horizon. "I was never one of your women, Logan, and that's how I can say these things to you. You find kindred spirits, wandering in this world. Together you fight as one, thinking you have found a soul made of the same starstuff as yours. However, they take that to mean that you understand them, and you assume they understand you. It is those naive ideas that get you into so much trouble. You know each other inside and out, deep in the root of your beings, but you cannot understand each other because you don't talk. That's how misunderstandings happen, Logan. How many women is it this time?"

"Two." I can't stand the pity in her eyes. "When did you get to be so old?"

"I've been old since I was born, you know that. So you have two ladies this time...." She shakes her head. "You could make a fortune if you'd sell your secret."

"It's my dark and handsome looks."

This time she acknowledges the joke, and laughs. "Don't forget that magnetic personality of yours!" For a moment I see a glimpse of the Aika I used to know, then she's gone and Sensei is left. "You and these two indomitable women need to sit down and have a chat. I only pray that you have not all suffered too greatly already, and that the wound is not beyond healing." She rises, and I know the audience is over. "You may stay at the dojo for a while longer, until you find your words. I recommend that you think carefully, my old friend. Your's is not the only pride that has been wounded. Choose your words wisely, but do not take too long in meditation on them. Heal the wound before it festers." She glides away, silently, leaving not a trace of her presence behind. I really want to know how she does that. I didn't train Aika, she found her way despite our friendship, not because of it. Training runs in the family blood, and Aika is quite possibly the best of the best. I settle down to meditate. Maybe it's time for another trip to the School, it's been awhile since the last one. Test the waters. Talk to Ororo, Xavier, Hank.

If they'll let me, I want to talk to Jean, too.

I dunno about Jubes. The kid hurt me, whether she meant to or not. I've visited the Mansion a few times since that night, but always when Jean and Jubilee were both gone. 'Ro told me once that Jubilee usually throws a fit and breaks a few things once she realizes I've been and gone. Beats up on Scooter, too. I know that she's tried to find me, and before I came to the dojo last year I'd had to leave a couple of towns in a big hurry to avoid a questing Jubilation.

It's time for another visit to the school, start to clear accounts with the team.

But my partner's just gonna have to wait until I can get that done and my head clear. B'sides, dealing with Jubilee always requires all of my wits, that kid's wicked sometimes. But in all the fun ways.

My dream love, my best friend, and my partner. Jean, Ororo, and Jubilee. Guess I lied to Aika, there's three of them this time. Only Ororo understands all of us, and she's been tryin' to bring us back together for years. Going back. It sounds so odd.....welcome.

So I retreat into breathing exercises, reaching for the elusive inner peace. Sensei said I'd have to find my words on my own, and I will.