A/N: Special thanks to Star-of-Chaos, closet geek, Enchantedlight, Caliente, 4Rogue, and ishandahalf for your reviews of the last chapter, I really look forward to reading all of them. I know it's been a little while since my last update, but writing two stories at the same time is taking longer than I thought it would. (Yeah I know, silly me.) Anyways, I hope everybody enjoys reading this latest chapter…
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"If you don't stop fidgetin' around, Ah'll never get this necktie together." Rogue said as she was putting the finishing touches on her makeover masterpiece.
"I do know how to tie one on my own." Logan replied as he sat on the edge of the bed in his hotel room.
"Could'a fooled me, seein' as I've never seen you wear one." Rogue said as she finished tying the tie, "There, Ah'm all finished. Go take a look in the mirror."
Logan got up from the bed and walked over to the mirror on the wall. He stood there, looking at his own reflection. Rogue was determined that she was going to get him dressed up for his first date tonight, with Mariko Yashida. Rogue had picked out a fairly conservative ensemble for him, a medium brown suit, a dress shirt in a brownish-orange color, and a matching brown tie. She had even finished off the wardrobe with a moderately expensive pair of wingtip shoes.
"So, this is my new look?" Logan said as he stood there, taking in the sight of his 'new' self.
"Yep. Ah think you look very handsome. Brown is definitely your color." Rogue said as she stood behind him and looked at his reflection also, "When Mariko sees you, she won't know what to do with herself."
"Probably try to keep from bustin' out laughin'." Logan replied.
"She will not." Rogue quickly responded.
"Mariko's too smart and sophisticated a lady to let some fancy new clothes really decide how she feels about me." Logan stated," 'sides, new clothes or not, it's not gonna change what's inside."
"Ah don't believe mah eyes." Rogue said to him, "Logan, the man who'll take on the entire army single-handedly, is actually nervous."
"I'm not nervous, just realistic." Logan responded, "That, and I'm just tryin' to get used to these fancy new threads."
"Well, you can't wear t-shirts and jeans all the time." Rogue said.
"Says you." Logan said as he finished looking at his reflection in the mirror. He then went over to a chair in the room, where his leather jacket was laying and pulled out a cigar case that he kept in one of the pockets.
"You can't smoke that, not when it's almost time to meet Mariko downstairs." Rogue exclaimed, "You'll smell like cigar smoke the rest of the night."
"For someone a third o' his age, you're startin' to sound a lot like Xavier." Logan said as he put the cigar in his mouth, but didn't light it.
"As long as Ah don't get the matching hairstyle, that's fine with me." Rogue replied sarcastically as she and Logan prepared to exit the room.
"You sure you don't wanna join us?" Logan asked Rogue as she started walking down the hallway towards her room.
"Nah ,you two go ahead. Ah have a ton of homework to catch up on." Rogue said to him as they stood in the hallway.
"Alright darlin', then I'll see you later." Logan said as he got into the elevator.
"Just don't do anything I wouldn't." Rogue smiled, as the elevator doors closed in front of Logan.
As Logan made his way down to the lobby, he went to the front of the hotel and passed by the check-in desk.
"You look magnificent, Logan-san." Morihiro, the hotel manager, said to Logan as he walked by, "You must have a special evening planned."
"Thanks, Morihiro-san. I haven't planned anything yet, but I will be spendin' it with a very special lady." Logan replied, "She should be here any minute."
Logan then continued towards the waiting area of the hotel near the front entrance. He sat down in one of it's numerous chairs and looked out of a large window, watching as the traffic and pedestrians passed by. Then he looked at the clock on the wall, which read five minutes 'til seven. As he sat there, he thought about how his life had changed so much in the months since he was first brought to Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted.
He had spent years roaming the backcountry of Canada like a nomad. Now, he was a teacher, trying to impart his knowledge of survival skills on the next generation of mutants. It seemed like he had finally found a purpose in life, something that felt like had been missing for so long. He even began to look with renewed optimism at the internal struggle he faced everyday, the one to control the animal within. He now believed that he might stand a chance against it after all. But his new sense of hope couldn't keep him from wondering one thing. Was the Wolverine, that he fought so hard to control, a sick creation of the 'scientists' with the Weapon X project? Or had Stryker been right, had it been there well before that?
Regardless of the answer to that mystery, Logan felt that the most important thing that he had gained now were the friends, family even, back at an aged mansion in Salem Center, New York. What he had found there was a place that he could now call home.
As Logan sat in the waiting area in deep thought, he completely lost track of time. When he looked up at the clock again, he saw that it read 7:40 pm. After seeing the current time, the realist in him came out, attempting to place doubt on his newfound sense of hope.
"Well, I suppose it was kinda ridiculous of me to think I really had a chance with her anyways." Logan thought to himself as he got up and walked back to the lobby, "Hell, she's probably better off not gettin' involved with a guy like me."
As he walked back towards the elevators, Logan passed by the front desk and caught the attention of Morihiro.
"Logan-san, your evening is at an end already?" Morihiro asked him.
"Nah, I've just had a change of plans." Logan replied, "Looks like the lady I was waitin' on, got a case o' cold feet."
"That is too bad." Morihiro replied.
"Well, no point in me sittin' around moanin' about it." Logan said to him, " I'm gonna go up and change outta these clothes. Then, I'm gonna find me a bar and really start the night off right."
"I would think an activity that exciting would be reserved for our second date." A voice behind Logan said to him.
Logan turned around to see, none other than, his date for the evening Mariko Yashida.
"I figured maybe you had second thoughts about us goin' out." Logan said as he looked at her. Logan had thought that she was beautiful when he first laid eyes on her at the Imperial Gardens, but tonight, she looked totally stunning. She was wearing a jade short-sleeve blouse with a mandarin style collar, a matching colored knee length skirt, and a small handbag to accessorize the ensemble.
"Second thoughts? I have not been able to think of anything other than meeting you here tonight. I am sorry that I was so late, but I was delayed in a business meeting." Mariko said as she apologized. She took in the sight of Logan and admired how regal he looked in his attire.
"Well, what're we waitin' for," Logan said as he took her hand in his and guided her to the front of the hotel, "Let's hit the town."
As they went outside, Logan went to hail a taxi for the two of them. He was surprised when a very large black limousine suddenly pulled up in front of them.
"I know I'm good at gettin' a cab, but this is a first for me." Logan said, unsure of where the limo came from.
"Do not be alarmed, it belongs to me." Mariko replied, "Please, let us have a seat inside."
Logan threw a look of surprise to Mariko, and then they both got inside of the limousine. It quickly whisked them off to a reservation at one of the finer restaurants in all of Tokyo.
After they had arrived at the upscale establishment, the owner of the restaurant, himself, greeted Logan and Mariko at the door. Logan started putting two and two together, realizing that only a V.I.P. would receive this kind of attention. He wondered what else there was that he didn't know about Mariko. Once inside, the couple was shown to a secluded table within the restaurant. As Logan helped Mariko with her seat and then sat down himself, he decided he was going to find some answers.
"So, you said you were held up in a meeting? What line of work are you in?" Logan asked.
"Oh, I run my own company, Yashida International. We have business interests in almost every country around the world." Mariko answered, as she continued to look down at the menu that had been left by the waiter, "I believe you may have heard of one of the American companies that we have a partnership with, the Brand Corporation."
Logan could hardly believe the way that Mariko replied to his question, in a tone without any pretensions about her importance.
"Unbelievable, I'm sittin' here with Japan's answer to Donald Trump, and she seems like she could care less." Logan thought to himself as he read his menu, occasionally glancing at Mariko as she looked at hers.
"Have you decided what you will order?" Mariko asked Logan, breaking his current train of thought.
"Not yet." Logan answered as he looked up from the menu.
"I cannot decide either." Mariko responded.
"You know, you're pretty young to be the head of a huge company." Logan pointed out as he looked at Mariko, who barely appeared to be in her thirties.
"It would seem so, but there is a rather long explanation." Mariko started, "I inherited a shipping & distribution company from my father, Shingen Yashida, upon his death. When I became old enough to take it over, it was on the verge of bankruptcy. After a few years, and many late evenings, I was able to make it into a highly profitable business. Soon, others in the business world took notice, and I was able to expand our operations beyond our regional boundaries. But, there are some days I wish that I had never undertaken such a daunting task."
"What's the matter, job not to your liking?" Logan inquired.
"No, I value my career and the responsibility associated with it very much. My only regret is that with such a hectic schedule, it leaves me little time for anything resembling a personal life." Mariko replied, her tone a tad bit depressed, "I believe that it played a small role in ending a relationship of mine recently."
"I guess you're livin' that old saying, 'All work and no play…'," Logan responded, trying to lighten Mariko's current mood, "At least your job explains why you definitely need the comfortable ride you got out there."
After Logan made his last comment, he waited for Mariko to respond, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she just sat there with her face resting slightly against her hand, staring at her water glass.
"Great," Logan thought to himself, "I've managed to piss her off in under fifteen minutes."
After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Logan spoke again.
"I'm sorry if I offended you with that last crack." Logan said as he apologized.
"Actually, I found it rather amusing Logan-san." Mariko smiled, "But your statement reminded me of my motorcycle, and how un-comfortable it must be in comparison."
"Really." Logan said, surprised by her statement, "How long you been ridin'?"
"Oh, I would never have the courage to actually get on it. I have it in storage at my family's estate at Agarashima." Mariko told him, "Shiro, a cousin of mine, bought it for me as a birthday gift a few years ago. But he is the daredevil of the family, ever since we were children he has had an adventurer's heart."
"For someone that probably spends her days starin' down major players from all over the world, gettin' on a bike seems like it should be a piece of cake." Logan told her.
"So it would seem." Mariko replied.
Mariko then remembered something that she had been meaning to ask Logan.
"I forgot to ask earlier," Mariko said to him, "Where is your student, Marie? I hope that she is not feeling ill?"
"Nah, she's fine." Logan answered, "Rogue said she had some homework to catch up on. But, I think she was just bein' considerate and givin' the two of us some time to ourselves."
"Rogue?" Mariko asked, having never heard that name before.
"Yeah…Rogue is kinda like a nickname that Marie goes by." Logan explained.
"Oh, I understand now." Mariko responded.
Just then, their waiter returned to take their order. After they had made their selections, they picked up their conversation from where it had left off.
"I believe that I have talked enough about myself, I would like to hear more about you." Mariko said to Logan.
"There's not much to say." Logan replied.
"Well, you have yet to tell me your full name?" Mariko asked.
"John Logan. But most folks just call me Logan." Logan said, as he told her the alias that he used most frequently.
"I have been wondering, how do you like being a teacher?" Mariko continued inquiring.
"To tell the truth, I never thought I'd have the patience, or the people skills, for it." Logan answered.
"Really? You seem to have a genuine way with people." Mariko pointed out.
"That's one way of putting it." Logan laughed out loud.
Just then the waiter brought them their appetizer, momentarily pausing their exchange. After the waiter had left, Logan asked her something he had been curious about since Mariko had made a mention of it earlier.
"So, things didn't work out between you and your boyfriend?" Logan asked.
"Unfortunately, it did not." Mariko said as she remembered her earlier comment, "On top of the time constraints that my career put on us, we each had different expectations from our relationship. I suppose that we simply grew apart."
"That can happen sometimes." Logan said
"What of you? Do you have anyone waiting for you back home?" Mariko asked.
"Well, there was someone really special to me back home. But, things didn't work out, despite how much I wanted 'em to." Logan told Mariko, as he revealed his feelings regarding the star-crossed romance between himself and Jean Grey.
"It sounds as if you've had similar bad luck with love." Mariko confessed.
"More like bad timing, at least that's what I keep tellin' myself." Logan replied.
"What happened exactly?" Mariko inquired.
"Me an' the lady had great chemistry together, but she was already involved with another guy." Logan continued.
"Under better circumstances, do you think things might still work out between you two?" Mariko asked, wanting to learn more about the man before her.
"Probably could've." Logan replied, "But it doesn't really matter now, she…died last year."
Mariko could see by the way that Logan relayed that last sentence, how much thinking about this lost love still deeply affected him.
"I am sorry if I brought back any painful memories for you." Mariko apologized.
"It's all right." Logan responded.
"I know that it must be hard to lose someone that you truly care for." Mariko said trying to comfort him, as she grasped one of his hands with her own.
"Yeah." Logan said simply.
Mariko and Logan sat there gazing into one another's eyes, both feeling an intense sense of déjà vu. It felt as though there was a familiar, unspoken bond between them. As they sat there looking at one another, time seemed to stand still.
After an enjoyable meal, Mariko's limo arrived to take them back to the Royal Prince Hotel. After a short ride, the limousine stopped in front of the hotel, and its occupants prepared to wish each other a good night.
"I really enjoyed spendin' time with you," Logan said to Mariko, as they sat next to one another inside of the limo, "If your calendar's clear, maybe we can go out to one of those fancy nightclubs later this week? I'm warnin' ya though, I ain't much of a dancer, but I'm willin' to give it a shot."
But this time, it was Mariko's turn to do the asking.
"Actually, I wondering if you would like to visit to my family's ancestral estate later this week. Please tell Rogue that she is invited as well. I believe that she would enjoy a tour of its rich history." Mariko said as she extended her invitation to both Logan and Rogue.
"Yeah, that sounds real nice." Logan said as he prepared to get out of the limo, "I'm sure Rogue'd love it too."
"My home is a good distance outside of the city, so I will send my driver to bring the both of you." Mariko told him as Logan opened the door, "Until then."
Mariko then gave Logan a small peck on the side of his face, as he got out of the limousine. Logan stood out on the sidewalk in front of the hotel, with a huge smile, as he watched Mariko's limousine drive off into the distance…
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Meanwhile, at a large estate located near the heart of Tokyo, a very long limousine pulled up in front of it. Here, a meeting was about to take place between two very different and very enigmatic individuals.
"Please, come this way." A servant said to a young man as he walked up to the front door of the spacious estate. It was owned by Keniuchio Harada, a man better known by the moniker that he used in his dealings with Japan's Jigoku criminal underworld, the infamous Silver Samurai.
"Dis some place y'all got here." Remy Lebeau, known worldwide as Gambit, thief extraordinaire, said as he walked into Harada's mansion.
"Lord Keniuchio has been awaiting your arrival this evening." The servant told him.
"Gotta admit, I been lookin' forward ta seein' him too." Gambit replied.
As they neared a well-crafted wooden door, the servant knocked before opening it.
"Your guest has arrived." The servant said as he opened the door and then took his leave.
"You are the one called Gambit, I presume?" A very muscular and imposing figure said as he stood at a window, looking out onto the Tokyo night skyline.
"Everybody 'round here sho' likes to presume things. But yeah, Ah'm him." Gambit answered.
"You are not quite what I expected." Harada replied.
"What's dat s'pposed to mean?" Gambit asked as he leaned against a wall in the room and lit a cigarette.
"The name Gambit is known world-wide as the greatest thief alive. I merely expected you to be…a bit older." Harada told him as he turned away from the window to face him. Gambit could see Harada was dressed in a suit that must've cost a small fortune.
"Age ain't got nothin' t'do with what I can do. I been taught by de finest thieves in de world, since I was a pup." Gambit responded.
"No one is questioning your credentials, or your skills for that matter." Harada replied.
"Speakin' o' credentials, yours ain't too shabby none either. To think, Ah'm standin' here wit' de one and only Silver Samurai, de big boss o' the entire Japanese underworld." Gambit told him, with a smile that could melt stone. "We could keep on and spend all night exchangin' pleasantries, but I thought you needed me fo' some kinda 'mportant job."
"Indeed, there is something that belongs to me and I want you to retrieve it." Harada said as he pulled a large envelope from a desk drawer. It contained numerous photos, which he handed to Gambit.
As Gambit saw the item that he was being hired to retrieve, he asked the first question that came to mind.
"What's so important 'bout dis sword that you sendin' me ta get?" Gambit asked, as he mulled through the photos and blueprints inside of the envelope.
"It is more than just a sword. It is the Honor Blade of my Clan. It has been passed down in my family for more than 800 years." Harada revealed.
"Well, it must have some sentimental value, considerin' what you willin' to pay me for dis pinch." Gambit said as he closed the envelope.
"It's value is priceless, that is why I have brought you here." Harada responded as he sat down at the desk, "It is located at an estate outside of Tokyo, near a port city called Agarashima. The estate is well protected by guards there, but a man such as yourself should have no difficulty with them."
"Well, my lucky streak hasn't run out yet." Gambit told him, "Now, dat I know de score, be seein' ya soon wit' de prize."
Gambit then walked over to the large window, the one that Harada had been looking out of earlier, and made his exit.
"Lord, do you believe he can be trusted?" One of Harada's most trusted advisors asked as he walked into the room.
"Retrieving the Clan Yashida's sacred symbol is but a small part of my over-all plan. If the one called Gambit does dare to betray the Silver Samurai, he will pay for such a mistake with his life." Harada answered as his advisor sat down in a chair in front of the large, wooden desk. "Tell me, have our spies learned whom my dear sister was meeting with last night?"
"They said she was meeting with Nabatone Yokuse. He was at one time a rival of your father's, Lord Shingen. But, they apparently settled their differences years before your father's death." The advisor replied, "They also said that he brought with him a briefcase, carrying what appeared to be very important papers."
"Inform the Hand that I once again have need of their services." Harada ordered, "Tell them to bring Nabatone-san to me. I want to know what exactly was in those papers."
"Do you believe that it is necessary to employ that band of ninja murderers for such a simple task?" The advisor asked.
"If my suspicions are correct, I may have need of their abilities as highly-skilled assassins as well. No longer will I be satisfied with the crumbs that my father left to me as an inheritance. There is about to be a power shift within the Clan, and I intend to be the one to reap its benefits." Harada said as the advisor left to carry out his request. Keniuchio Harada then turned back around to the window, to continue watching the busy city under the starry night…
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Next chapter: Wolverine vs. Gambit…