1963-07-26 - Family Reunion of Sorts
Summary: Akihiro goes in search of the Wolverine; his father.
Related: None
Theme Song: None
logan akihiro jean 


Logan has been up near the treeline on the edges of the property. He made sure he had enough right to it, that Xavier owned the forest beyond. He didn't need some damn New York redneck with a shotgun crawling out of the trees wanting to know his business.

He had a good foundation set, at least, and the beginnings of walls. Today, he'd been digging the pit for the outhouse. As a result, when he marches back towards the mansion, he's muddy and shirtless, wearing just his jeans and boots, a cigar at the corner of his mouth as he heads in, catching an unfamiliar - and yet somehow familiar - scent in the air. No one he's smelled here before…but someone he's smelled before…

*

Akihiro is heading towards the woods, cigarette hanging out the corner of his mouth. He's dressed in his cuffed jeans from earlier but a pair of boots replace his shoes and his shirt has been untucked. "Hello?" is called out curiously as he catches a scent that puts him on edge, the claws in his arm breaking the skin and slowly extending to their full length. "Who's out there?"

*

Logan follows the voice and finds the young man, cocking his head as he sees the claws first. He's wary immediately - he knows he isn't the only clawed mofo loose in the world, although this pretty clearly isn't the one he doesn't want showin' up here.

Yeah, definitely familiar. It's like something trying to worm its way out of the back of his skull, wriggling and pecking at an eggshell from the inside. "Well. I reckon yer prob'ly lookin' fer me, whoever you are." he says.

*

"Unless you're the Wolverine, nope." Akihiro says, claws retracting and wounds they made healing up in the blink of an eye. His thump jerks up to indicate the woods, "Was just gonna go smoke." He still seems tense though, brows furrowing as he regards the older man.

*

Logan snorts, "Shouldn't go lookin' fer someone if you don't know what they look like, bub. Can get ya in a whole world o' trouble," he says. He sees a nearby stump and takes a seat for a moment, drawing on the cigar for a moment, "Wolverine. Now, that's a name I ain't used in quite a while. Name I used back in the outfit," he says. "I thought about usin' it now, since folks here do seem awful fond o' their nicknames. But it ain't one I been spreadin' around," he says.

And he holds out his hand and makes a fist, popping the adamantium claws from the back of his hand and looking through the blades at the boy, "So, you want it, you got it, pal. What's on yer mind?"

*

Akihiro pauses, jaw going slack and the cigarette falling from his mouth. "Well.." he seems at a genuine loss for words. He takes a moment to exhale, "I guess I should introduce myself then? I'm ah.. Akihiro. Akihiro Howlett." His hands raise up slightly like he doesn't know what to do with them, "And.. well. Ah, I'm your son."

*

Logan slides his claws back in. He looks stunned, of course. Shouldn't be. He knew well enough he probably had a kid or two around in the world. Not like he's exactly been celibate and he's lived a long damn time. Still, to have one just…here. Out of nowhere.

He looks back up sharply, looking at the boy's face, the cast of his features. And suddenly it's her face, looking back at him. Her eyes, the shape of her mouth and he's almost stricking by it, "Itsu," he says softly, falling forward and placing his face in his hands for a moment, "How…?"

*

"I don't know." Akihiro admits. "I was left on Natsumi and Akihira's doorstep as a baby.. I was hoping you could tell me. All Romulus told me is that you were my blood father." He seems to regain a bit of his confidence, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck, "So I came down here from Canada, where they sent me off to train with Silas Fucking Burr." His fists tighten at that, "It's a good thing I'm here, because I don't know what I'd have done if I had to stay another day there."

*

Logan snarls, "Burr," he says, rolling his neck for a moment, the metallic vertebrae popping a bit, "There's a devil. I'd have hoped that bastard was dead an' burnin' by now," he says. He places his cigar back to his mouth, drawing on it.

"How ya lived, I can't guess. I knew she was…pregnant, but the man…she was killed," he says. "To try and get at me. Same as anybody else I give a damn about. Anything I love," he says. "He ripped her open right in front of me and I thought you…I thought you died with her. In her," he says. "I went after 'im. Never did get the bastard. Russians…" he says, shaking his head, "Too many resources, too much…I wasn't in good shape. My head, I was…" he says. How can he explain that he was mad with grief, as mad as he'd been after he'd had every bone sheathed in metal. That he'd kill at the drop of a hat. That his rage had so totally consumed him he'd never thought to go back and even look.

"I'm sorry, kid. I can't say you weren't prob'ly better off without me. But I'm sorry all the god damn same."

*

"Ah." Akihiro is quiet for a long moment. "I killed her." he says quietly, "Natsumi that is. She thought I killed her baby and wanted me dead." His fists come up and all six of claws extend, the two up top and the one on the bottom. "I didn't mean to, it just kinda happened. I didn't know I was a monster." he's quiet, this clearly isn't something he's told anybody else. "Akihira killed himself afterwards. I was fourteen. Then Romulus sent me to that fucking camp." his claws retract once more, but he's left shaking his head. "I dunno if that's preferable to you being there."

*

Well, Logan wasn't where he was. Jean had prepared at least a decent meal for him to eat. A nice ham and cheese sandwich with all of the fixings. A side of potato chips that probably wasn't the generic kind yet some elaborate posh thing that costed twelve cents too much. Two bottles of beer for him and a soda for her. All on a tray that was carried as she searches. And her search was a damnable thing, if she wants to find it, her feet carries her in that direction towards a path near the woods that mark where they remain.

They.

Who else was there? Her bare feet slow within the grass as her brows lower into a scowl, listening. Even though her hearing wasn't super sonic the picks up two minds like flames in the darkness.

'You're not wanted here.'

She flinches, immediately lowering the tray with food and drink to the ground to quickly step forward to hide behind a tree and watch.

*

Logan notes Jean's approach, because he can hear and smell far better than any ordinary human could. He wondered if the boy could sense her, too. "That's just my friend, Jean. She don't mean any harm," he says. "Nobody I trust more," he says.

"Things…happen. Ugly things, things we didn't want. If you're like me, an' it looks like you are, times you ain't rightly yerself. I dunno Romulus an' I'm sure Burr put the fear o' God into ya best he could," he says.

"But, whatever shit you got from me, you got her blood in ya, too. Itsu's blood," he says and there's actually a tear that comes from his eye. He's not sobbing, not even openly crying, but even that one tear is probably more emotion than he's shown in a long time.

"If you got her blood in ya, you ain't no monster, I can tell ya that."

*

Akihiro does in fact look back to where Jean is, nostrils flaring slightly. "Thank you." he says eventually, quietly. His attention turns back to Logan, "But whoever I was gonna be? I don't think they're in me any more." He bends over to retrieve his cigarette, popping it into his mouth once more and lighting it. "Don't think you ever really come back from that."

*

Jean frowns a little. There really was no sneaking up on anyone with enhanced smelling and hearing. But she does remain where she is for a time, focusing upon herself to block and blot everything out. Once.. she was at least satisfied, she slowly turns to walk towards the tray of food, picking it up with a quick bend and an uprise, and with a turn she strolls towards the two with a false smile upon her lips. "I.. got food." She says quietly, holding up the tray in between the two men as she looks to both of them curiously. "What's going on?"

*

Logan gets up, "I smell it. Ham and cheese," he says. "My favorite. If you ain't met yet, Jeannie, this is Akihiro. He's new 'round here, I guess," he says. "And he's my son," he says simply.

"Daddy or no Daddy, you're a man now. I can't tell ya who to be - gotta figure that out for yourself. I seen too many other folks tryin' to control other people's lives to do it myself. I can tell you that the Professor an' some o' the others provide a damn better example'n me."

*

Akihiro lifts his hand in a small wave. "Good to meet you." he says to Jean. He nods at Logan again though, "Well I'm an X-Man now regardless of what I've done. Gotta behave myself, at least long enough to figure out where I go from here."

*

"Oh. Your son." Flatline. Just in time. There was little to no surprise in that she takes a step towards Akihiro as he waves, holding out the tray, encouraging him to take the sandwich, chips and beer for himself as well. "Pleased to meet you too."

Considering that he was now a fellow X-Man, she supposes studying him was in order. Though, studying him more closely and turning to look at Logan and back again.. she couldn't hardly see the resemblance. "He's asian." She says rather bluntly.

*

Logan laughs, "See, can't slip one past our Jeannie," he says. "I was married, once upon a time. In Japan. His mother was…a wonderful woman," he says, then darkly just finishes, "She died. I didn't know about him until now," he says.

Jean can feel the love he had for her, but also the rage and anguish at her death. It nearly pushed him to madness. "We're all X-men now," he says, strange as it seems to say.

*

Akihiro feels a little uncomfortable at that observation. "Yeah, I take after her." he says quietly, waving a hand slightly at the food, "No thank you." His brings his hands together in front of him and worries his lower lip. "And I'm Japanese. Though you weren't wrong."

*

Jean slowly moves the tray behind her to offer towards Logan. She probably already knew that he wouldn't take the food, but she doesn't hint at knowing or even if she does. If he takes the tray or not, it would remain on a pedestal, held up by her telekineses as she invades Akihiro's personal space with another step closer and a slight lean in. More studying with her green eyes sans glasses.

Though, Logan's emotional assault causes her head to turn, her cheeks to burn red, the air around her slowly growing hot with anger as she stills herself with a clench of her teeth and a hand that prematurely wipes away a tear that barely has a chance to fall from her eyes. Back to the inspection, she leans close enough.. too close..

"Your mother was very pretty."

*

Logan winces as he realizes Jean could feel what was going on in his head, "Sorry about that, darlin'. Gotta get a better handle on myself," he says.

He watches her inspecting his newfound son, taking a bite of the sandwich and settling back down on the stump. "She was," he says softly. "Damn, though, I gotta say - havin' some blood…that ain't somethin' I had in a long time. Worth celebratin', to me. Think Chuck'll kick in for a keg?"

*

Akihiro gets slightly tense when Jean gets in too close, eyes shutting as something dark flashes through his mind, a burly man snatching out his eye in a snowy camp. "Thank you." He exhales slowly clenching his fists. "Sorry. Sometimes I get a little stressed out when people get too close." he flashes an apologetic smile as his eyes open once more.

*

"It's alright.." Jean mutters, still searching Akihiro's face. It really wasn't alright. There was an untapped rage that lingers and nearly shows within her face until it wills itself away.

And that was due to the sight that she catches, the chill felt but not, and the sudden and sharp pain that has her drawing back, both hands snapping up towards her face to cover as she walks away from the two men just as the tray that lingered within the air crashes to the ground.

"AH!" She snaps out, a slight tremble going through that nearly sends all of her senses out of whack. She needs to go back inside. "I.. I gotta go.."

*

Logan sighs, "Sorry, kid, ain't yer fault. Jeannie's brain got a habit o' poking into yours whether she means to or not. She's working on it,' he says.

"C'mon, let's get ya indoors, kiddo. Maybe you need a bit o' food this time, huh?"

*

Akihiro reaches up to cover touch his eye as Logan says that. "Shit, I'm sorry." He worries his lower lip, "Nobody ever wants to feel getting their eye snatched out." is said sympathetically. He drops his mostly forgotten about cigarette and stomps it out.

*

Jean shakes her head quietly as she draws her hands down. One eye was bloodshot, she could feel the pain behind it but she keeps it closed for now, the good one settling upon the food that was dropped as she kneels down to pick it up. "Its fine.. really.." She says with a little bit of earnest, quickly picking up the spilled contents by placing them upon the tray and rising quickly.

"Just.. spend time with your son. I just wanted to check on you and bring you some lunch. Dinner.. whatever.." She steps back, a little awkward smile gone to Akihiro. "Um.. it was good to meet you Mr. Howlett?" She laughs a little awkwardly. "I'll.. I'll see you both inside!" Goddamn Howletts.. messing up her mental defenses.

*

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