Ashby flew into the rec room. Kitty Pryde and Kurt Wagner were lounging on the couch watching a movie.
"Hey Ash." Kitty said as the child flopped down between them.
"Hi Kitty. Hi Kurt."
Kurt noticed Ashby was not her usual bouncy self. He put his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. "What is wrong liebschein?"
She snuggled up to him. "When's Logan coming home?"
He looked at Kitty over her head and sighed. The child had been taking Logan's absence harder than they thought she would. Logan traveled to Japan, home of his beloved, Mariko Yashida, Lord of the Clan Yashida one of the oldest and most powerful clans in Japan. In two weeks, they were getting married. "Ashby, Logan is getting married. We don't know if he's coming back here. He may have a new home."
She looked up at him, her violet eyes wide and shining with unshed tears. "He's in Japan, right?" Kitty had shown her where Japan was on a map when Logan first left.
"That's right."
She thought for a moment. "Can we go visit him?"
"We are going remember. We were all invited to his wedding." Kitty reminded her. She understood what the little girl was feeling; she missed Logan as well.
"Is Lady Mariko nice?" Ashby asked seriously.
"I think so, sweetie. I don't think Wolvie wouldn't marry anyone who wasn't." Kitty smiled.
Logan held his arms wide as he welcomed him friends into his new home.
"Logan!" A childlike voice yelled him name joyfully. A white streak barreled into his arms.
"Darlin'!" He hugged her close. "I missed ya."
"Missed you too." She said as he put her down. She tugged on his sleeve and he knelt down to her height. "Is that Lady Mariko?" She asked in a stage whisper. He smiled and nodded. "She looks nice. Kitty said you wouldn't marry anyone who wasn't nice."
He laughed and picked the nine-year-old up. She wasn't only a little taller than she was when he found her four years ago. "Is that so pun'kin? Nice ta know ya think well o' me." He winked at Kitty. "M'iko, this is Ashby, a good friend o' mine."
"Pleased to meet you Ashby. Welcome to our home." Mariko bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Lady Mariko." Logan set her down and turned back to the rest of the X-Men.
Mariko stopped him. "Logan-san, there is still someone in the genken. Will you not invite her in?"
He looked at saw the figure he had smelled when they had arrived. "If it were up ta me, M'iko, I'd cut her heart out." He growled.
"Regardless of what you think of her, she is still a guest in our home." Mariko shook her head and held out her hands to Rogue, the shy young woman waiting in the foyer. "Welcome, Rogue-san."
Ashby watched the adults drink their tea. She wanted some too so she climbed up next to Logan.
"Yeah, darlin'?" He looked down at her insistent tugging.
"Can I have some tea too?" She turned what could only be called puppy dog eyes on him. "Please?"
He laughed and poured her a small cup of the hot tea. "Won't hurt ya."
"Thank you." She said and sipped her tea happily as Logan chatted with the other adults. The tea was strong and she suddenly felt very sleepy. Her head swam and she was pulled down into darkness.
"Logan-san please do not go. It is suicide." Mariko begged Wolverine. She glanced around at the other X-Men, all unconscious from Viper's poison in the tea. His healing factor pushed the poison out of his system quickly but there were still traces of it left.
"M'iko, you'll be safe here." He slipped on his mask.
"How's the kid?" He glanced at Ashby. Viper's poison had hit her hardest because of her size.
"Like the others. If she survives the night she will survive."
"Will you keep an eye on her while I'm gone?"
She nodded. "Of course."
Rogue stood near the doorway. "Ah'm goin' with you."
"The heck you are."
"Ah'm an X-Man too. Xavier said so." She told him.
Logan shrugged. "Then work with him not me."
"How'm Ah supposed ta prove mahself if non o' you'll give me th' chance?" She stood stubbornly, her hands on her hips.
"The poison?" Wolverine questioned.
"Cause Ah'm near invulnerable, it didn't work so well on me. You need a back up."
Finally he gave in. "All right, fine. Let's go." He pushed open the doors and left the hospital. "But get one this straight. Ya follow my directions every step o' the way."
Sometime later, Mariko heard a commotion in the hallway. She got up from her place at Ashby's bed to investigate. As soon as she was gone, a figure emerged from the shadows. He pulled out Ashby's IV and tossed her over his shoulder. Blending back into the shadows, he crept out of the intensive care unit.
"My Lady, I have the child." He said quietly into a radio.
"Excellent. Take her to the car. I'll be there as soon as I finish here." The response came and he went out to the car.
Out in the hall, Logan was about to deliver the killing blow to Mariko's half brother, the Silver Samurai.
"Logan-san! No!" She grabbed his arm. He turned to look at her. "Please spare his life. He has lost." He started to protest but Viper's voice stopped him.
"Move away from him or I'll shoot."
Logan started edging toward the door, taking Mariko with him. Viper reached for her gun as he made for the door but she was faster. Suddenly, he saw a streak of green flying toward them. Rogue shoved them into the intensive care unit, taking the blast herself.
Logan was up in a second, moving slower than normal. Viper's blaster overloaded, exploding in her hand and Logan caught Rogue as she slumped to the floor. Her pulse was barely detectable.
"There goes mah brilliant career. And Ah think mah life." She coughed out.
"Don't say that darlin' My healing factor-" He began.
"Ya need it." She said as she realized his intentions.
"If Ah take it, ya could die."
He leaned closer. "I'll survive. 'Sides, who's gonna stop me?" He whispered as his lips met hers.
When Logan woke, the other X-Men were also awake. Immediately, he noticed something was wrong. "What's going on?" He demanded.
Kurt looked at him sadly. "Mein freund, Ashby is missing."
"Whaddya mean, missing?" He looked at the other X-Men.
"She's gone. When we woke up, her bed was empty. The nurse has no idea what happened." Kitty told him dejectedly. Peter put his arm around her and she leaned into him before bursting into tears.
He sat in shock for a moment before jumping into motion. "Viper has her." He said and proceeded to call Viper every name he could think of while trying to disconnect himself from the monitors.
Mariko laid a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Wolverine, perhaps we should all return home to discuss this?" He nodded and began to dress.
The wedding day. What should have been a joyous day was subdued. Logan was worried about Viper and Silver Samurai making another attempt on Mariko's life and how quickly Ashby disappeared. They had searched everywhere they could in Tokyo and the surrounding areas but there had been no trace of her.
He welcomed more of his friends, letting the professor tell them about Ashby's disappearance. Soon it was time for the traditional Shinto ceremony to begin. Mariko appeared in the doorway, wearing a traditional wedding kimono. Logan fell into step behind her. As they approached the altar, Mariko turned.
"Stop the ceremony!" She demanded in Japanese. "There will be no wedding."
Logan looked at her in shock. "Why?" He asked, also in Japanese.
"Because gaijin, you are not worthy." She spit out and left. Logan stood at the altar still in shock, a single tear running down his cheek.
Kurt watched Logan, who was staring dejectedly out the hotel room window at busy downtown Tokyo.
"This isn't going to bring either one of them back, Logan." Kurt stood next to him.
He glanced up at Nightcrawler. "I know, elf. I just wish I knew where Ash was and why M'iko changed her mind."
"We searched everywhere we could for her, did we not? Then there is nothing more we could do. As for Lady Mariko, the music of a woman's heart changes quickly and men are not always able to hear it."
Logan laughed harshly. "But the song remains the same, don't it Kurt?"
Kitty knocked softly on the door before entering. "Our plane leaves soon. We're leaving for the airport." She told the two men.
Kurt nodded. "I am packed, Katzchen. I'll meet everyone in the lobby."
"Okay." She looked uncertainly at Logan.
"I'll be down too, kiddo." He told her gruffly. She nodded and left. "I'll see ya off." He said to Kurt and grabbed his jacket, following him out the door.