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“You should try this on. It will look good on you.”

She remembered that day as if it had just happened yesterday and not so long ago, and as clearly as she remembered that day, she remembered that thing, that T-Shirt even more.

There was nothing special about it. It was black, just like most of the clothes she wore then….most of the clothes she wore now. What was special was the small flowers embroidered into the waist and wrists.

Those flowers…..They had been so plain, just white, so unnecessary, serving no purpose, so useless…so precious.

She had worn it, worn that blessed t-shirt only once, after all it was her special occasion t-shirt….her anniversary t-shirt. By the time the second chance came around, both the t-shirt and the cause were useless. The t-shirt no longer fitting her growing body, and the reason for wearing it….

-SNIKT-

-----

“Hey kid.” Shaken out of her musings, the teenager known to the X-Men only as X23 looked up at her ‘father,’ his face half-hidden by a cloud of smoke, the smoldering end of his cigar easily visible to her incredibly sharp eyes.

“Hey,” she responded with a stiff nod, her guard still not completely down. After all it wasn’t easy to forget and overcome years of programming as a living weapon. The original Weapon X, the man she saw as her father, still had remnants of his training active within him. Even after decades of freedom, he still didn’t know where the weapon ended and where the animal and/or man began. Finally giving up, or maybe overcoming it, he had stopped analyzing, trying to break it and had made his peace with it.

“Why the claws?” Logan jerked his head towards X’s left hand where her claws had extended and dug into the ground.
“Nothin’,’ she shook her head as the claws retracted with a -snakt-, the wound instantly healing over.

“We’ll leave soon,” Logan laid a supportive hand on her shoulder, but only after checking for any approaching scents, sound or sights. He knew that even after more than four years of being free and in the civilized world, well as civilized as she could get with him, Laura was still an intensely private person. ‘Even more so after….’ He started to think but stopped when his own claws reached up to his knuckles. He had promised himself that he wouldn't think about it and he had stayed true….tried to stay true to that promise…everyday…unsuccessfully.

Being here, so close to her, wasn’t helping things either….not when the animal inside him wanted to tear her apart.

----

A few hours ago,

**Tring Tring** the phone rang in Japan. It was the same number that Remy had called to; even the person receiving the call was the same. What was different, was the person who making the call.

As with Remy, four rings rang and just as the fifth ring started, a female Japanese accented voice answered. “Hello.”
“Message for Wolverine,” a male voice answered from the other end….an unfamiliar male voice.

Knowing that it wasn’t a crank call, not from the security level of the line, the young Japanese woman asked suspiciously. “Who are you?”
“Message for Wolverine,” the caller repeated himself. “Tell him to get the girl out of there, out of New York. Magneto has found him.”

“Magneto,” the young woman repeated the name with a mixture of fear and anger. It was a name she knew well….by personal experience. She also knew which girl Magneto was coming after. “Who are you?” She finally found her words.

“It doesn’t matter who I am,” the man answered, his voice cracking with the barest of emotions. “Just tell Wolverine to take care of the elf, and that this warning was a one time deal.”
“Elf,” the word barely left the girl’s lips, when the call ended with a click, the line going dead. She knew which Elf the man had spoken about…..he was the only elf she knew.

Left holding the phone receiver, a dial tone in her ears, the smartly dressed woman wondered aloud. “What do I do now?”

Her indecision lasted for a couple of seconds before she rushed out of the room, calling out in Japanese.

“Amiko chan, get ready. We are going to America. We are going to father.”

----

Back in New York,

“Come on Cherie, Remy new to this place. You can help Remy see the sights and sounds.”
“I know which sights and sounds you are thinking about Gambit,” the redhead telepath shook her head. “I have read your mind, remember.”

“How can Remy forget that,” the Cajun charmer leaned against the fridge, his red-black eyes dancing over the lithe figure of the green eyes beauty standing a few feet away from him. “We had our self a good time, non.”
“Non,” Jean mimicked him, breaking into giggles at the wounded expression she got from the street performer. “Like I said, I have seen what little is in that brain of yours. I know you are doing this, this flirting, only to pass your time. You already have someone you love.”

“Oh, but she’s in…she’s not ‘ere,” both Remy and Jean bit their tongues at the near slipup. Remy because, he nearly revealed the secret location and Jean because, he didn’t reveal it.
“Then I suggest you go find someone else,” Jean was quick to recover. “I have seen you try out with every single female around, even Kitty. The only girl or woman you haven’t tried to trick is Ororo, I wonder why.”

Jean had deliberately turned their conversation this side. It was a conscious effort on her side to try to find it any of Wolverine’s associates knew anything about Ororo, which from what she had seen, both buoyed and pushed down her hopes. While on one hand, it looked that maybe they knew her, on the other, they looked at her as they looked at the other X-Men, a wary caution. She had hoped that the talkative and friendly Jubilee would be of some help. She even thought that the young girl would be easy to read. What she didn’t see, what no one saw, was that, even though Jubilee talked a lot, her mouth working almost continuously, she never gave any secret of hers or Logan’s or anyone else in her group….while absorbing everything the institute’s students told her.

“But Remy like you,” Gambit easily avoided answering her question, forcing her to ask it directly.
“Remy, what do you know about Ororo?” Jean shot out. “I know that she is a few years older than you. But I also know that you aren’t going to let such a small thing stand in way of flirting with her….that is if you wanted to, which, seeing as you flirt with anything that is not a male, I am sure is not the reason for you keeping your distance from her. What is the real reason?”

“Cherie,” Jean’s blunt question had shaken Gambit. However, her lengthy explanation had indirectly worked against her, giving him the time to recover and mask his surprise. “Remy don’ know what you are talking about? Remy like you, not Ororo. That’s why he is wit’ you, not ‘er.”

To emphasize his answer and draw her attention, Remy laid a hand on her shoulder, trailing it down along her arm, reaching her wrist just in time for Scott to come through the door, his entrance completely taking Jean attention, away from Remy and from her question about Ororo.

----

Meanwhile, in Xavier’s study-cum-office,

Xavier looked at the man standing before him. Having just entered the Professor’s office, Logan refused sitting down, preferring to stand and getting right to the point.

“What do ya want now?” He had been making his preparations for leaving the mansion, when an iced-up Bobby and meek Kitty informed him that the Professor would like to meet him immediately…if it was okay with him, that is.

Putting his urge to scare the already ready to freak out Kitty, he slammed the hood of the truck shut and stomped towards the mansion, Bobby close at his heels and Kitty trailing a little back….at what she thought would be a safe enough distance.

“Mr. Logan, please have a seat,” Charles started with his usual pleasant voice. “Thank you for accepting my request.”

At the quirked eyebrow Logan sent his way, he too got the subject he wanted to talk about. “There is something I wanted to talk to you….wanted to get your input about.”
“You ain’t gettin’ shit about the kids,” Logan was quick on the draw. “Or any else or anythin’ about me.”

“I understand that and I assure you, it is not about the children or you. It is about something else….about one of the students here. However, I would very much appreciate it if you sat down,” Xavier gestured towards his wheelchair and then towards the empty chair, thanking with a nod when Logan flopped down into the plush sofa style chair.

“Talk,” Logan’s eyes bored into the man before him, his claws already itching for release. ‘Don’t trust him,’ a voice reminded him. ‘Don’t trust anyone of them….not again.’ “I didn’t do nothin’ to any of yer students, not even to the icicle.”

“Ah Robert,” Xavier cracked a smile. Highly impressed by Wolverine, Robert Drake had been a constant companion to at least one of the three members of his family. He kept his distance from the Remy, not because he was afraid of him or his powers, but because Remy was an even bigger and more importantly more successful flirt than Bobby. While Bobby joked, flirted and acted loud, to hide his true shy character, Remy seemed to be created for flirting. Hell, he even flirted with the cook, and she was forty plus. “I will instruct him…”

“Nah,” Logan cut him off. “Don’t scold the kid or anythin’. We’ll be outta here soon enough. Now, what did you want to talk about?”

“Its about an older student of mine,” Xavier tried to progress as slowly as he could. “Ororo M….”

-SNIKT-

That sound and the splintering of the side of his mahogany desk, told Xavier one thing clearly…he wasn’t slow enough.

---

Hoping that the claws would retreat, but not getting it, Xavier decided to move forward.

“I was going to ask whether you knew her, but seeing from your reaction, that question is redundant.”

-SNIKT-

This time the claws did retract.

“What about her?” Logan growled dangerously.
“I was wondering if you….”

The sound of the alarm blaring cut into their talk, their attention completely occupied elsewhere as an excited Jubilee burst through the doors.

“Wolvie…wolvie…,” she didn’t even bother looking at Xavier. “They’re coming….from Japan.”
“Japan. Amiko, Kirika,” Logan was instantly off his chair and out the door, leaving a confused as well as intrigued Xavier staring after them, his eyes leaving the door at Jean’s mental call.

**Professor, we have incoming**
**What is it Jean?** Xavier responded, wondering who it was.

**It’s a small, aircraft sir** Jean answered back. **Scott is trying to….oh, it is for Wolverine sir**
**Wolverine** Xavier was sure that whoever X23 was talking about was the same person who had contact Jean. **Who are they Jean? What do they want?**

**Sir, it doesn’t seem to an attack** Scott had scanned their weapon systems, which although impressive, were not active….not yet. Moreover, whoever it was, had contacted them first. **But they aren’t revealing anything, except that they want to meet Wolverine and have message for him from Japan**

**Thank you Jean. Wolverine is on his way. You and Scott join him and the others there**

Xavier ended the call and sent out a telepathic announcement to all the X-Men. Although only the senior X-Men would be in the welcoming committee, the others were to stay at attention….just in case an emergency arose.

----

Following Logan and Jubilee, Xavier stopped short and unusually active X23 landed right before them, having jumped out of the second floor window.

“She doesn’t remember it,” this really got the Professor’s ears up and perked.
“What?” Logan asked in confusion, himself slightly taken aback by X’s behavior. “What are you….?”

“’Ro,” Everyone stopped at that, including the three approaching X-Men just on the other side of the front door, the snow haired Nubian beauty amongst them. “She doesn’t remember anything…any of it.”
“What?” Was all Logan could say. What did it mean she couldn’t remember anything? She couldn’t forget it just like that…could she? If that were true, that would mean only one thing….he had lost his past….again.

“No,” Laura shook her head vigorously, her grip on her father’s forearm tightening. “That Ice-pick and that Kitty, they told me. She doesn’t remember any of it….any of us.”
“X…Laura,” Logan whispered low enough for just the two of them to hear it, his calloused hand rising up to wipe the tears running down his daughter’s cheeks. ‘She doesn’t remember anything,’ that thought brought joy as well as sent a claw of pain right through his heart.

“Wolverine…Logan….” Xavier wheeled forward, hoping to take advantage of the situation, his progress halting at the sudden locking of his wheelchair’s wheel….the sudden magnetic locking.

---

**X-Men, we are under attack**

Note: New characters introduced and their descriptions (In order of mention/appearance)

Kirika Yashida: Although not a major character and due my whim, separate from X23, Kirika is Logan’s daughter, her mother being Mariko Yashida. In the Age of Apocalypse 10th anniversary edition special, this character was introduced. As I didn’t have the #02 issue when I started this fic., I created two separate characters X23 and Kirika. While X23 is Logan’s genetic twin, Kirika is his biological daughter. Also, unlike X23’s two per hand and one per foot claws, Kirika’s are exactly like Logan’s, meaning three on either hand. With her, there isn’t much to start with, therefore most of it will be my own imagination. (Age: Late teens to early twenties…19-22)

Amiko: Her character is pretty much as it is in the comics. Logan’s adopted daughter. However, unlike the comics where first Mariko and then Yukio take care of her, here it is a combined effort (Age: Pre teens….9-11)

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