My Heart My Home - by Darlin
A/N – Many thanks to all those who reviewed. Blackpanther2288, I'm really trying to update faster now – thanks to your gentle encouragement. I guess it's working! :D Bluemist418, Mariko is definitely out of the way! Wow is nice, Digital Tempest! And I hope you update soon, I really am anxious to read the next installments of all your wonderful stories (I highly recommend them people! :D). Isis Aurora Tomoe, if you're updating often you probably don't have a life or you'd have to be exceptionally well organized and brilliant neither or which I am (sigh) so I guess I kinda don't have much of a life right now – kinda. I guess we could all be better updating quicker, eh? Speaking of which, lilWolvie are you doing anything lately? Oh and yes again, Mariko is dead and Yukio – well, we'll just have to see. Redhead2 you're welcome indeed but I think one or two more chapters and I'll be finished. TheWolf – cliffhangers bad? Now why on Earth would anyone say such a thing? Read on and I think you'll find this one isn't as bad. Verena Gruen, me kill Ororo? Moi? No righteous RoLo shipper would do such a thing although I do have a story that I wrote over the summer where she dies and Viral has a good story where she dies. Guess I have to revoke that statement! Now you have me thinking. Hmm. WOLF8, I have that miniseries and I feel quite complimented that you like this version better. Why can't Marvel see it that way? Why I ask, why? Okay, enough ranting. On with the story. Oh, and welcome to the wonderful world of being a real fanfiction.net member HughXJackman!
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Chapter Twenty-four – Ride the Wild Winds
As night
came the sky grew darker and the rain became less intense. The air was
chillingly cold but the Wolverine barely noticed. He had discarded his shirt
and boots long ago and now was roaming along the grounds clad in only his jeans.
It was as if he had never been coherent and had never had a mind that worked
anything remotely like other humans. He saw only a red haze. He felt only hate
and a deep raw emotional pain that wouldn't let him go. He had no way of
knowing that Ororo wasn't dead and therefore no way to keep the beast at bay.
There was so much rage and guilt and anguish within his soul that he could
barely stand the ache inside him and nothing else matter any more.
Logan was no longer Logan but the Wolverine – no
longer a man but an animal. He was acting on instinct only now. His healing
factor was pressed hard to combat this but his body was still weak from the
gunshot wound he'd received. It would take a very long time for him to come
back from this animalistic state now – if he ever did.
The Professor had attempted to locate Logan with hopes of bringing
him back but Charles, even aided by Cerebro, had not been successful. There was no mind to connect with
just anger that was so thickly mixed with guilt and grief that if the Professor
had been able to reach Logan the sheer emotional
impact would have overwhelmed Charles' sensitive mind.
With only feral thoughts running around in his head Wolverine had run off
trying to track his prey hours ago. So far he hadn't been able to find
Keniuchio. The Silver Samurai had disappeared into thin air leaving no trace of
his scent. This only fueled the Wolverine's rage and he continued searching the
extensive grounds, his mind not able to comprehend more than seeking revenge,
and bringing death.
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The Silver
Samurai had easily escaped Logan through the means of
an extraordinary invention – a teleportation ring. There were only two of these
rings in existence, the first owned by a Hydra agent known as Viper. Hydra was
a well known organization that's main objective was to rule the world through
any means necessary and Viper was a woman who desired power above all else. She
worked with many people, including the Silver Samurai in order to achieve her
goals, much as the Samurai used her to achieve his own goals.
Now however, the Samurai's number one goal had been achieved – that is if he
could get out of the country without being discovered. The Wild One hadn't
helped matters any by drugging him. He had been fortunate that he had trained
himself to maintain control over himself under any circumstances. A simple
touch of the ring had brought him to a motel room several miles from Xavier's
School.
Even unconscious Keniuchio was such a disciplined warrior that his mind had
shut down entirely making it impossible for anyone to track him, including the
Professor. It had taken many years of meditating and practicing all forms of
martial arts to enable him to achieve such exceptional command over his mind
and body. This was what Keniuchio lived for – the life of a Samurai with the
mindset of a righteous and even serene warrior. As such his will was almost
indomitable.
Never the less when he woke up on the faded carpet of the cheap motel room he
couldn't help but feel the effects of the tranquilizer in his system. He sat up
gingerly then fell to one side immediately bringing both hands to his head.
After he took a deep breath to regain his equilibrium he pushed himself up and
walked to the open cloths rack that passed as a closet.
"I am going back to take the gaijin's head,"
Keniuchio said with finality as he bowed before various pieces of a silver suit
of samurai amour.
He grinned to himself. No man or woman would ever tell him what he could or
could not do any more. He was now the head of his House, Clan Yashida, and he would do as he saw fit. He pulled a large
suitcase from the makeshift closet and placed it on the small bed. Opening it
he pulled out a long katana – the true sword of a samurai. It glowed white hot
when he took it into his hands as his mutant powers energized it. With a gleam
of delight in his eye he placed it onto the bed and began to dress.
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Wolverine's
sense of smell was not as potent in the pouring rain but he continued his
search until finally he picked up the scent he was seeking. Growling with rage
he took off and reached the school in record time. There on the front steps
standing with arms akimbo was Keniuchio donned in full silver Samurai armor. He
had just teleported back from the motel but now he was debating whether to
steal inside and seek out Logan's body or to go boldly
in and take it.
Now seeing Logan running towards him he
stared at him in confusion. The distinctive 'sknit'
sound of razor sharp claws being released gave him no time to wonder how or why
Logan was up and running as if he had never been
shot. The Samurai stalked down the steps, his armor clanging against the bricks
as he went. He unsheathed his massive sword and easily, even gracefully,
blocked Logan's attack. Then
touching the ring on his finger the Samurai disappeared.
Wolverine howled like a rabid animal. After a few seconds his cries stopped
abruptly. He'd caught the Samurai's scent near the woods. He turned around and
saw the Samurai smiling – smiling and waiting. Wolverine bounded across the
lawn and entered the woods at such a fast rate he would have knocked the
Samurai over had he been able to make contact. But the Samurai easily dodged
the charge.
When Logan tried to get in close for a killing blow the
Samurai warded him off with the skill of an expert swordsman. Logan grew even angrier than
before and he became careless diving for the Samurai head first with his claws
pointed directly at the Samurai's throat. The Samurai laughed, side stepped,
spun around in a full circle, then plunged his sword
through Logan's back as Logan tried to stop himself
from falling. Blood gushed from the wound and Logan hit the ground with a
loud thud. The Samurai withdrew the sword and kicked Logan over onto his back.
Wolverine growled savagely as his wounded back made contact with the ground. He
made an enormous effort to stand but the Samurai sent a solid front kick square
into his chest and Logan hit the ground again.
Then, with pure satisfaction and utter enjoyment Keniuchio thrust his sword
straight into Logan's heart. Logan's eyes opened wide in
shock and then closed, as all life seemed to leave his body. Withdrawing his
sword, Keniuchio stepped on Logan's lifeless body with
one booted foot and gave Logan's neck a blow that
would have beheaded any ordinary man.
"What is this? He bleeds but I can not sever his head!" Keniuchio murmured to
himself wondering if Logan had some type of magic
that he had never heard about before.
Without hesitating the Samurai again tried to cut Logan's head off only to
meet with the same results. Frustrated but also satisfied that his enemy was
dead Keniuchio grabbed a handful of Logan's hair and wiped the
blade clean with it. He then sheathed his sword and walked out of the woods.
The thrill of victory would have to wait. The Samurai wanted Logan's head but that was
proving difficult to manage. He stood in the falling rain and looked around
wondering if he dared risk returning to the school. He wanted Logan out of the way
completely and if he couldn't have his head he would bury him so deep that even
with whatever magic or new technology Logan was using he wouldn't
be able to escape. All he needed to do this was a shovel.
He fingered his ring sliding it along his gloved finger and wondered if he dare
use it to send Logan back to his motel
room. As he pondered his next move it was then that Ororo spotted him. Flying
high above the grounds she saw a huge man dressed in silver armor pacing
purposefully to and fro in the clearing. She turned in midair and dropped down
before him, her robe snapping behind her in the rain and wind.
"You live! How is this possible? More magic . . .? What manner of people are
you?" Keniuchio asked with alarm as he stared at the exposed bandage around Ororo's chest.
Ororo recognized Keniuchio's voice. She took in the
armor and sword that he wore sizing him up as she did so.
"So you're the Silver Samurai," she stated without expecting a reply.
"Where is Mariko?" Keniuchio asked for if Ororo was alive might Mariko also be alive?
"I don't know," Ororo said in all honestly. She paused to catch her breath.
The Samurai pulled his sword free from its scabbard and started towards Ororo.
With a short harsh laugh Ororo lifted herself up into the air safely out of
reach.
"Where's Logan?" she demanded.
Keniuchio bowed without replying then moved to touch his ring preparing to
teleport. Ororo wasn't aware of the ring's power but she sent Keniuchio
tumbling backwards with a forceful blast of air. She stifled a groan and
crossed both arms over her chest and her stomach to still the increasing pain.
For a split second Keniuchio was panic-stricken. He'd actually removed his ring
when he'd been considering whether or not to send Logan back to his motel room
and now the ring was gone! He looked around searching the grass with wild eyes.
"Tell me where Logan is!" Ororo hissed; her
eyes no longer blue and weary but white burning orbs of energy.
"Your friend is dead and I am the one who killed him!" Keniuchio shouted
triumphantly as he recovered his senses, and raised his sword to the sky in a
sign of victory.
"If . . . he's dead . . . you're going to share his fate!" Ororo gasped. "Tell
me . . . where is Logan!"
Only an inhuman howl answered her. Logan was entering the
clearing running so low and at such a fast clip he was nearly unrecognizable.
Half clothed and growling incessantly he was closing the distance quickly.
Keniuchio turned to face his enemy holding his sword in front of him with both
hands.
"Logan no!" Ororo cried out.
Logan looked as if he were going to kill Keniuchio
or die trying. He snarled in frustration as Ororo came down to the ground and
sent a powerful wind between the two men. Logan kept fighting against
the wind trying to reach the Samurai who also fought to get to Logan. It was then that
Ororo realized Logan had lost himself to a
berserker rage.
She knew she had to stop him – stop them both from killing each other. She took
several deep breaths or at least as deep as she could manage and slowly
increased the strength of the wind until it knocked both of the men flat onto
their backs. It took a tremendous effort to keep the intensity of the wind
going while she fought with her pain.
Unfortunately her efforts did little to deter them. They continued trying to
fight against her assault desiring nothing else but to annihilate each other.
Ororo knew there was only one thing she could do to end this. She closed her
eyes and prayed for strength then, gritting her teeth together, she summoned a
bolt of lightning that crashed into the Samurai.
The scream that rent the air was full of shock and agony. It sent shivers down Ororo's spine as the memory of Shiro's
fate overcame her. She would never forget either of their cries of anguish no
matter how prepared she was to deal with her decision this time. She had tried
to talk to Keniuchio, she had even warned him but he had refused to listen. She
had no other choice but to put him out of commission.
It was impossible for her to stand by and let Logan be hurt – not in his
current condition. It had come down to either Logan or Keniuchio. She loved Logan and so she chose to
save him. It wasn't an easy decision but it was made and now she would live
with it. Either Keniuchio was dead or severely hurt but at this point she had
no time to contend with him. Her only thought was to help Logan though she had no idea
how at this point.
The sight of Logan now on his knees still
trying to crawl towards Keniuchio's unmoving body,
made her realize that once again there was only one choice she could make. She
remembered a challenge that she'd made to Logan when he had come back
right before their trip to Japan. She knew now was the
time to show this man what she was made of and too, show him what he was made
of.
"Logan . . . come . . .
ride the wild winds with me!" Ororo challenged him.
She held her hand out to Logan as she moved towards
him slowly and very carefully. Logan watched her every
move. He looked almost like a dog that had been beaten too often and now
trusted no one. Ignoring this Ororo took to the sky pulling him up with her in
a wind that was so wild and so strong that it was fast becoming a tornado.
It was no easy task to ignore the ache that her chest and stomach caused her
and control the raging storm that she summoned but Ororo managed it. They
twirled up into the air together, the wind battering them unmercifully and finally
when Ororo felt she couldn't stand the strain on her body anymore she threw
back her head and screamed.
The pain that she felt was unbearable but she refused to succumb to her
physical limitations. She would rather die than leave Logan lost to his feral
nature. Logan made small guttural
noises of confusion but he was no more himself than he had been a moment ago.
He may have quieted to some extent but his claws were still thrust out ready to
attack at any moment.
This pained Ororo more than the effort it took to ignore her injuries and
conjure the storm. Her heart was breaking every time she looked at the wild man
before her but it also strengthened her need to bring him back. And she would
bring him back despite her pain and in spite of Logan himself. She directed all
of her concentration onto Logan now rather than
herself or the tempest that held them within its grip.
A high-pitched whine left Logan's throat as if he were
trying to communicate. She took that as a good sign and increased the wind, all
the while keeping her eyes locked on his. The wind blew their hair about so
sharply that each strand felt like small whips slashing at their faces. Still
higher she took them, neither paying any attention to anything now but each
other.
"Ride the Wild Winds with me! Show me what you're made of!" she shouted over
the loud rushing winds, her voice now strong and vibrant.
The wind and rain pounded him so furiously, and roared so volubly all around
him that it was as if his own rage had been turned against him. Gradually the
unintelligible noises he was making subsided as he looked with awe at first
Ororo and then around him. His mouth fell open as if he were going to speak but
his mind hadn't quite reached that point yet and nothing came out. He stared
opened mouthed at nothing but space beneath his feet and nothing but empty
darkness all around him. Finally he gazed at this goddess before him who was so
obviously causing all this and his claws sunk back into his hands.
Ororo breathed easier now and let the wind draw him closer to her. He looked at
her uncertainly and for the first time he noticeably and curiously sniffed at
the air between them. Ororo let her wet robe fall off her shoulders. It was the
most natural thing for her to do for it was what she always did when she rode
her wild winds. She felt rejuvenated and free and she wanted Logan to share this
experience with her. She watched the robe whip off into the sky as she took
them even higher and further from the school and then her deep laughter filled
the air.
Logan looked at her as she laughed in the face of
this tempest as if defying him, her pain, and the elements, and something
within him was roused and he began to recognize her. Whether it was her
laughter or something else she didn't know but seeing the change in his
expression filled her heart with joy and she slowly reached out to touch him.
Logan jerked away from her and tried to back away
from her. There was no where for him to go and panic engulfed him but it was
only for a moment. Without fear Ororo placed her hand on his arm as gently as
she could. He looked down at the sudden touch feeling her warmth spread through
his cold flesh. He saw her brown hand and instinctively wanted to cover it with
his own hand. He struggled with his emotions as lucid thought came back to him.
When he didn't pull away Ororo smiled and maneuvered around him all the while
keeping her hand on his arm. She then laid both hands on his bare back. He felt
peculiarly warm and safe with her hands on his body. Despite the fact that they
were miles above the ground he began to visibly relax. He breathed in deeply
letting Ororo's odor fill his nostrils. The freshness
and sweetness of her scent was beginning to soothe him. Even though the foul
smell of blood still confused him something about her smell was hauntingly
familiar.
He felt her lips brush the back of his neck and his eyes closed as peace
settled over him. Next her lips brushed against the top of his shoulder and her
hands traced the length of his arms, her touch as light as a feather causing
goose bumps to form on his sensitive skin. She pushed her body up against him
and he welcomed the contact. He could feel hot tears fall onto his skin and he
could almost feel her suffering as if it were something solid and touchable. He
could smell her anguish too – it was as familiar as his own.
Her arms snaked around his waist and without thinking he leaned back into her
wanting to feel every part of her against his body. Ororo complied and rested
her head against his back. She slowly let her hands wander over his taunt
stomach and skillfully undid his belt and pants. His eyes opened wide when she
let him go. He wanted to pull her back to him but she dived downward taking his
pants with her and let them fly away into the dark horizon.
Incredibly, Ororo was more powerful now than she had ever been before. She rose
up to face Logan, her hands reaching
for him. He made no move to ward her off and she chuckled and took hold of his
briefs sending them the way of his pants.
An inhuman wail left his lips as if he were battling unseen demons. The twister
like winds threatened to pull him apart and he covered himself with both hands.
It wasn't modesty but terror of being ripped apart by the vicious wind. He had
to fight back the anger that was still so near the surface as the cold
thrashing winds assaulted him.
Neither Logan nor Ororo would have thought it possible but the winds grew even
stronger beating them unmercifully. Ororo saw his struggle and she pressed
herself close against his naked body. His alarm died when her soft warm body
was molded into his. He felt her hot breath on his chest, felt her arms
embracing him, and her legs entwining through his.
The sudden warmth that her body radiated into his body was searing and calming.
Her unique smell with the cleansing wind and rain, even mixed with the blood
from her wounds, made him feel safe and protected. And then he laughed. He
laughed at the thought of him ever needing to feel protected and yet that's
just what Ororo made him feel – protected from his own madness.
"Ro." His voice was harsh and deep but there was more
than recognition in it.
"Y-you're . . . back," Ororo murmured, her strength ebbing so suddenly she
could barely muster the strength to speak.
Then the rumbling winds calmed though he could still see the gale blowing
wildly around them and he knew they were in the very heart of the storm. He
wondered at the power and the pure majesty of this woman.
"You're alive," he whispered and pulled back to look at her.
He saw she was covered in blood and he felt his stomach lurch. When he looked
down he saw he was also covered in blood. Had he lost his mind and gone mad he
wondered? The last thing he remembered was seeing Ororo lying dead beside
Mariko who had looked as if she was breathing her last. Or had the Samurai
truly killed him and he'd died and this was heaven? But the sight and smell of
her blood told him otherwise.
Suddenly without warning the furious din that surrounded them died completely
and he felt the winds releasing them and they began to plummet fast toward the
ground. He pulled Ororo to him, one hand around her waist and resting the other
gently on the back of her head.
"Ro?"
"L-lo . . . Logan . . ." She couldn't
muster the strength to talk but clung to him.
"Ororo, are you going to be okay?" he asked.
"N-no!"
His hold on her tightened as they tumbled through the night
sky. He felt no fear as he breathed in the sweet fragrance of all that
made up Ororo. He felt himself regaining a part of himself that he'd thought
was lost and in that moment he felt whole for the first time that he could
remember.
"You have to be okay!"
"I . . . I . . ." Ororo faltered, unable to say anything else and then her
eyes, now shockingly blue, closed and her body went limp in his arms.
"Ororo! No! Don't let go! Fight! I'm not going to lose
you again!" Logan shouted.
He heard her moan and felt her arms tug at him feebly but her eyes remained
closed. Cold hard fear gripped his heart then. He couldn't lose her now! In
desperation he cupped her face in both hands and kissed her. He kissed her more
tenderly than anyone could have ever imagined – softly at first and slow then
deeply, almost desperately.
After a moment he felt her lips move against his responding greedily and their
descent stopped altogether as air buffeted them from under them. When he looked
at her she was smiling and her eyes were blazing white, crackling with energy
once more. She took control of the wind with the last of her strength.
It wasn't a gentle landing but Logan grabbed her as they
fell twisting over so that he took the blunt of the fall. He hugged her to him.
He felt like laughing. Despite the enormity of their situation he had never
felt better.
"Wild Winds, huh? You weren't kidding were you?" he teased her. "Darlin', I don't know what I woulda
done if you hadn't made it," he murmured into her windblown hair. "Guess you
really did get to me, huh?"
Ororo didn't answer. Very gently Logan lifted her off him and
placed her on the ground. She had bled through her bandage so badly that there
was no longer any indication that the bandage had ever been white. He looked
down at his own nakedness and wondered how he was going to get them out of this
mess.
But Logan was a man who never gave up. He had come back
from his feral state because of Ororo and he would walk one hundred miles or
more if necessary to get help for the woman he loved. He looked up at the night
sky taking note of the position of the stars and then he took Ororo into his
arms as carefully as he could and he started walking.
