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Ultimate Mariko	By : Polymer Category: X-men Comics > Het - Male/Female Views: 1702 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men comics, or any of the characters from it. I make no money from from the writing of this story.

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Chapter 28/P>

Mariko shivered under silk sheets. It was the beginning of the second week she mentally noted as she snapped fully awake. The sort of arousal that happened in the pit of an intense dream, and realizations crashed heavily as she was slammed into a wide-awake state, heart pounding in her chest. Forgotten snatches of memories swam out of her head and she hugged herself. It dawned on her that was just the sort of thing that happened to Logan.

"Darlin'� you ok?" he asked, somewhere from the shadows in the bed next to her, and she held her hand to her chest, wiping at tears that dripped down her cheeks.

"Amaterasu� I�" she heaved, and babbled a string of something in fast Japanese that totally lost Logan. Damn he wished he had a better command of the language.

"Another nightmare? Was it the Compound?" he urged, sliding his strong arms around her and holding her fast to his sturdy body. That adamantium skeleton underneath anchored himself and her to reality, and she was aware of the densities of bodies around her with senses screaming at full enhancement.

"I remembered something, and now it's almost gone," she cursed, feeling her hair fall in wisps around her face. Something was poking her oddly and she tugged several of the hair clips out that had not been removed, then threw them across the room in frustration.

"Easy darlin'� that's all right� shhh� not gonna let anything harm ya I promise," he whispered in English, and she shivered both in anger and frustration.

"I thought the dreams would go away� I guess I was a fool to think such things� but being here� I almost forgot WHERE I was�"

"From what ya told me it's the Agrashima prefecture or somethin'� yer family's ancestral digs� an' I'm still takin' the whole joint in�" he mumbled, trying to sooth her as best he could. Accusingly familiar to him were the smells and scents of fear and instinct pouring off her.

"Yes I'm home, I'm home," she murmured, wiping away more tears. "But it just feels wrong and right at the same time�"

"I know what yer goin' through� yer rememberin' things that they suppressed. Whole lotta memories rollin' around in yer pretty head an' ya can't sort out the real from the illusion, huh?" he asked, kissing her ear softly to distract her. "Don't try t' make sense of 'em� just let 'em go� relax�"

"The whole time Logan, the memories of college with hank� they're all� illusions," she stammered finally. "Coming here� to the Yashida Castle� I'm remembering something ELSE that seems far more real�"

"Ya mean this joint's unlockin' memories� damn�" he shook his head. "Shoulda guessed you had implants too� damn 'em�"

"You're no stranger to it. But I almost wish I couldn't remember� I� just BEING here�"

"Ya don't know when you're lucky, M'iko chan�" he murmured, struggling to put his words into Japanese for her sake. He felt like the Michelle he had known in West Chester was far different from the lady now. More than ever she was becoming something that frightened her and him. An embodiment of power, a product of ancient blood that she never fathomed.

"Who I was, I'm just so frightened that the me I thought I knew� is nothing like who I was, Logan-chan�" she mumbled in Japanese. She struggled to keep the pace of her speech into something he could comprehend.

"I know love, believe me I know," he said, steadying his voice. "But you don't realize M'ko is that I can tell truth from lies. Part of my gifts. And what you're telling me is true. All true�"

"What is truth, Logan?"

"You scared that you're going to become some totally different person and that I'll stop loving you? Is that it?" he whispered, stroking her sweaty hair. "I don't think that I ever could. Just thinking of being without you, I can't stand the thought. You might think all this is frightening, but you're so fortunate to KNOW who your family is. It's everything I'd ever dreamed of, cause I have no clues�"

"And are you not at least scared that if I knew your true self, I'd be repulsed, Logan-chan?" she asked, stroking his cheeks. "You cannot deny that there is the fear that I would reject you if I knew your past as well as you're discovering mine� can you not?"

"I won't lie. Part of me's scared I'll lose you if I ever did dig up my past, but M'ko, it wouldn't stop me lovin' you. An' I can sense that you'd never stop either� there's this bond that's between us I can't deny�"

"Soul mates," she murmured. "Is that the English word?"

"I didn't used t' buy into the crap that there was some 'love of my life' that would come along. But damn if this doesn�t feel close�" he murmured.

"These pieces are coming together far too fast. And returning here, Logan exacerbates it. I was so convinced that what Professor X helped me uncover was the real me. I was sure that at one time that Lady Mariko no longer existed. That I had always been Michelle, a Japanese American student studying in Japan. That I had known Hank and all these other people since age 10� but Lady Mariko vanished at age 16. She was trained to be the leader and diplomat that her family demanded. Learning ancient traditions while still experiencing Western culture. You might think that if you only knew Japan from what you see here, that it's all samurai and swords. But this is an aging relic of something that once was, and can hardly be in the face of progress�"

"But look at it this way darlin'. You were scared that cause of what Weapon X, an' Creed did to ya, it made ya less of a person. Well guess what sweetheart? Now that yer here, I'm seein' you're one of the most incredible women I've known. Ya got far more class an' civilization than ya ever coulda dreamed� an' they couldn't ever take that away� no matter how much they pumped ya full of drugs an' jeans�"

"Logan� I apologize if I seem so ungrateful for what fate has dealt me. But it makes me all the more sad that you know far less than I could ever hope�" she whispered.

"Don't feel sorry for me, Darlin'. Ya remember I told ya that Creed had this envelope of stuff about me� the man I was, an' right in front of my eyes he burned the whole goddamned thing. He dropped hints like I was married an' had a kid. That just eats me up if I let it�"

"Family is EVERYTHING in Japanese culture, Logan. I know it would destroy you� that ring you had, I saw the guilt, and yet you threw it aside for my sake� that is a level of giri�" said Mariko.

"Giri?" asked Logan.

"Honor. Personal honor. In this culture the face you present to the world is everything. What you appear to be says what you think. It's hard to explain� but that's WHY things are not spoken, nor certain behaviors tolerated. Because the actions of one shaming the family shames the entire�" said Mariko.

"Just hard for me t' grasp. But if you're dishonored, can't ya redeem�" Logan said.

"Of course. Giri� honor can be reclaimed with deeds. Revenge can be exacted for wronged deaths. Balance can be achieved where there is none� and savagery can be tamed and shaped for an end that is productive. But it's all balance� just like nature. Even if you can never achieve that which you see as perfection, it's the process that shows your true measure�"

"Impossible dream, huh? Like Camelot�"

"King Arthur must have been a samurai," she joked. "I suppose that's the appeal of our culture that we've given back to the West. They gave us their best, and we gave them our anime and manga�"

Logan began to laugh, and she joined in at the thought of the pop culture exchange. "You know what ya never did? Why doncha take me on a tour of yer hometown? I've seen the history, why not spoil me with what you enjoyed doin' as a kid�"

"I was escorted everywhere with security. Watched while at school. But you are right when I had my places I knew and loved. I think a day's sightseeing would do us all some good� I could show you the cram school where I almost thought I'd never make the grade to study in Toronto� and the Tokyo tower� and the best places for enjoying yourself on a Friday night�"

"You sneaked away to night clubs, right?"

"You haven't seen anything till you've been on the streets at night. For one such as myself, I would often sneak off with Kaori and Yukio to the streets under cover of dark, and dance till dawn. At least when my father and uncle weren't aware�" she trailed off.

"Kaori's yer maid, but Yukio�" he mumbled.

"But how could she be friend when she was�" Mariko trailed off. "Yukio was one of the members of my family given as 'payment' to Weapon X. My uncle�"

"Sounds like a real prize�" he mumbled.

"Treating people like property may seem barbaric, but it is still employed extensively more than one might wish to admit, Logan," she shivered. "From an early age I remember recalling that I could be married off as if it were the feudal era. That was perhaps why my father denied his obligation, much to my grandfather's anger. He died when I was quite young. I only have glimpses� and it's all coming back�"

"I'm so happy for ya darlin'," he said, crushing her close. "Ya deserve t' have yer life back�"

"But it's not the life I chose, Logan. But the one I must lead," she muttered.

"Just as long as I can be a part of it, that's all I care about, cause I love ya," he whispered.

"And I you�"

For a time they lay there, kissing each other softly in her vast bed. Then Mariko found her thoughts again wandering, as her analytical mind often-pondered puzzles. "Logan, you mentioned that you saw Creed burning your past� but I just realized� I could help you unlock your past�"

"What darlin?" he snapped up. "How?"

"Clan Yashida is one of the most powerful in Japan. As such we have top level access to information that can be bought or sold. You know that Remy used less than honorable means to gain information about who attacked us. Well, I am ashamed to admit it, but there are some ties yet to be severed that could discover your origins� indirectly� the Japanese government has members of my clan in key places that monitor international affairs. We can claim the rights to classified secrets, and they turn a blind eye�"

"You mean call in some favors?" he blinked. "But we're talkin' US black ops�"

"I was in Weapon X. A Japanese citizen. If I can find details to explain myself, I can find yours. Somehow our fates were intertwined there. And I have a feeling that where I find information about myself, I'll uncover files that still exist about you."

"You fed me at the compound�" he mumbled.

"Where are the gaps that are ambiguous Logan-chan� those are road maps in my mind that help me to unravel truth from fiction� it can be so for yourself� I can help repay the help you have given me�"

"It wasn't about payment, darlin'. What I'm doin' is cause I love ya�" he growled.

"I meant no insult," she murmured, turning away.

"An' cut it out with the overly polite stuff. You'd never 'shame' me like yer afraid of. I already said I don't care about that. Although I'm getting' the feelin' I should� if I'm gonna continue bein' yer 'champion�"

***

Instead of a kimono she wore a light blue business suit. A ruffled blouse peeked out from under the classic jacket and matching A line skirt. She wore pumps with a moderate heel, and a matching ladies hat that pinned over her hair, immaculately styled. A long black raincoat was draped over her shoulders, and she even had gloves on her hands. Almost like something a member of the British Royal family would wear, Logan thought.

It had been a stint trying to figure out what he was supposed to wear, but Kitty had the answer. He tugged at the shirt collar of the western style dress up he'd agreed to. Marlborough man had again saved the day, in bolo tie, tan leather coat, and western finery the best side of Houston Texas. Since he was Canadian which was close to American, to appear in such flamboyance was the best equivalent. Ether that or a suit, and Logan hated suits.

"I'm gonna kill Kitty for this," he mumbled. "But I guess I should be thankin' her�"

"You look very distinguished actually� westerns are near and dear to the hearts of most Japanese youth even today�" she smiled.

"Cowboy friggin bebop," he mumbled. "An' friggin Trigun�"

"Relax� could be worse�" Kitty grinned. "You guys sure you don't want company?"

"Actually if you and Gambit wish to come I'd welcome the company," Mariko said brightly. Kitty whooped in pleasure, and rushed off to find Remy.

The other two were dressed semi formally. Kitty in a nice outfit, while Gambit wore a fine suit that marked him almost like Mariko's house staff. In public they wore western style suits. Even the women. Pryde was sure enjoying her self by the look of excitement on her young face, while she walked arm in arm with Pyotr. He wore a casual outfit himself, towering head and shoulders over most of the Japanese in the group. At the front, behind the group walked Lady Mariko, with Logan at her side as an 'escort'. Behind them strode Remy, amidst Kitty and Pyotr. Guards brought up the rear, funneling them towards the limousines that had pulled up.

"Won't this bring more attention?" Kitty whispered.

"No petit, dis actually da best wat t' hide. In plain sight," Remy whispered back. He nodded in self-satisfaction, pushing a deck of cards into the breast pocket of his suit. When offered shuriken, he had politely declined them for playing cards were a less obtrusive and obvious weapon. Kurt had elected to remain behind with Shiro, who was still patrolling the grounds.

Kenuchio Harada had arranged separate meetings with the others, and said he'd entertain the thought of meeting them for dinner. A lavish apartment was the Yashida home in Tokyo, and they had stopped to 'freshen up' before being taken to their respective locations.

"So we're gonna play tourist?" Kitty asked.

"That's the plan," Mariko said over her voicelink, a small pin clipped to her collar. "Logan-san and I will see the Japanese embassy� while you and Pyotr accompany Gambit for any leads he might have. Keep in the immediate vicinity around the Embassy and the Diet, and accompany your escort."

"You mean Asamo-san?" asked Kitty.

"Hai," she nodded. "He's a family friend. And apparently Gambit already knows him. He'll direct you from the embassy, under the cover of being a tour guide�"

"Better be a good friend, for his sake," Logan mumbled.

"He would be wise NOT to endanger such a bond," she said meaningfully.

"Lady Mariko, it is has been far too long since you've graced us with your presence," said the foreign ambassador to the US.

"Meet Asamo-san� he's the chief ambassador to the US from Japan, and a personal friend of my father�" she said, bowing slightly. At the offices of the consulate, she had taken Logan and a small retinue of security in plain clothes with her.

***

They wandered after their escort, Mr. Hideki, who was another family associate with ties to the government foreign office. So far the lavish offices had been unassuming and unthreatening enough.

"I am to understand that you wish to have access to certain information� Milady?" he asked.

"That's right. I'm interested in piecing together the circumstances leading up to my absence�" she said. "I am attempting to find the whereabouts of�"

"Your honorable brother Lord Harada has briefed me. If you'll follow me�" he said, and glanced questioningly to Logan. She gave a small intimation that earned him a more generous head bow, and they were off.

In the lavish office, Logan watched as Mariko paced about, holding the pile of papers. He grabbed one of the bound dossiers, turning it over to see the Kanji scrawled on the front. Grumbling he struggled to pick out what words he knew to help her in some manner.

"Dammit, what I wouldn't GIVE to remember this� I mean I know some of it�"

"So far nothing but the usual pleasantries and platitudes," she murmured, leafing through another ream of documents. Security cameras followed their progress, while just outside waited her bodyguards. Logan sighed, and grabbed for the nearest beer that was sitting next to his ashtray. Thankfully they allowed people to smoke indoors in some parts of Japan, he realized.

"Why don't ya sit down an' have some more to eat. Ya look frazzled Darlin'," he urged, patting the sofa next to him.

After downing some Ikaru beer, he felt a bit more relaxed. He had to admit the Japanese did make some reasonable brews. Not to mention the cigarettes were far better than most he'd found this side of the Pacific. The remnants of lunch, consisting of choice sushi were still being picked over intermittently.

Mariko sat down, and set the file before her. Logan handed the lacquered box still half filled with sushi, with a question on his face. "Want? I just can't finish it� an' I know it's yer favorite kind�"

"No, you can have the rest, if you hand me that one�" she pointed to the other tray. Logan grinned as he traded trays, and watched her pick up her chopsticks. Deftly she picked up the cluster of fish wrapped in rice and seaweed, then dipped it in the wasabi. Without having too much of the food fall off she maneuvered it to her mouth and took a bite.

"C'mere� ya have a bit of the wasabi on yer cheek� right there�" he urged, and leaned over to lick it off her cheek. She almost dropped her chopsticks as he tugged her and stole a kiss.

"Logan-chan, you sneak," she groaned, and saw his mischievous grin.

"I think ya need more of a break than that," he said, pulling her effortlessly onto his lap. She kicked off her shoes, and saw the desire in his eyes as he tried to pull her closely to his body.

"You're still hungry, I see," she smiled meaningfully as he leaned up for a kiss. Instead he found a mouthful of spicy wasabi and rice mingled with kalimari.

"Hey!" he grunted, swallowing it whole. "That wasn't the kinda break I meant�"

"You were being so brave trying to use the chopsticks I thought I'd give you a break, love," she whispered, grabbing another bit of sushi between her ivory chopsticks and waving it before his mouth. Logan groaned and let her feed him some more.

"It'd be better if you were facin' me more like, darlin'," he grunted, grabbing one leg and shifting forwards so he was on the edge of the seat. He hitched up her a line skirt, silently glad for the kick pleat and she let him throw her leg over his hip while tugging her to straddle him.

"Unless this is gonna dishonor ya or somethin'�" Logan said.

"Actually it might be FAR more entertaining and commonplace," she winked, shifting onto his lap closely so he groaned with the motion. Together their hands lay on the ornate belt buckle that had somehow cut into both of them with a measure of pain. Momentarily he shifted clothes and she did the same, then sighed with relief. Mariko felt a filling sensation that was just as satisfying as the food she was nibbling, and saw the look of pleasure twisting his features.

"Much better, doncha think?" he groaned, tugging her into place. She gasped and almost dropped her chopsticks. Logan tossed the tray to one side of him, and pulled her lips down to his. A few snaps of his hips and she was carried along in the hot wave of desire that overcame them both.

She pressed her face into his shoulder to muffle her cries as he did the same. Logan bit into her neck, groaning as he all too soon reached release. Then she was lying atop him, gasping into his neck and panting as her body relaxed.

"Feel better darlin'?" he murmured into her ear, lightly nipping it. "Know I do�"

"As do I� that felt remarkably decadent and satisfying� not to mention naughty� I think you're catching onto more aspects of Japanese culture than I bargained for," she laughed, as he gave a few more thrusts that told her he wasn't finished.
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Ultimate Mariko