Chapter Three

"So, Logan, why Japan?" Rogue asked as she tossed her hiking backpack into the luggage compartment of the X-men's jet. Wolverine had pulled seniority and commandeered it for their excursion under the guise that it was actually a mission. Storm had seemed reluctant to loan it out, but when he informed her that both Rogue and Colossus would be joining him she allowed it.

It seemed that the presence of Rogue and Colossus legitimized the venture as a mission, because surely not all three of them would be going AWOL. Besides, Colossus seemed incapable of telling a lie and so Storm had to trust his innocent Russian face.

Wolverine shrugged. "It's a good place. I have fond memories of it."

Rogue turned to him with surprise etched clearly across her face. "You remember your past?"

"Bits and pieces. I remember Japan."

"That is good," Piotr said placing his duffle bag neatly next to Rogue's bag. He then took the old battered Canadian Army duffle bag out of Wolverine's hands and placed it in the luggage area with the others. "What do you remember about it?"

"I remember I know how to speak freaking Japanese," Wolverine muttered turning abruptly away from them toward the cockpit. He looked down skeptically at the controls and scratched the back of his head. "You sure you know how to fly this thing, Marie?"

"It's Rogue. And yes, I'm sure. You think I'm incompetent or something?"

"Uh, no?"

"Konichiwa!" Piotr said flopping down cheerfully in the seat behind the cockpit area.

"Con I chiwawa what?" Rogue asked staring at him stupidly.

"It's how you greet people in Japan," Piotr explained. "Japan is near my country so it is a language I learned. I worked hard to learn to speak. I had always wanted to vacation there as youth, but finances and then mutation would not allow."

"Better late than never!" Rogue said with an enthusiastic smile.

Piotr returned her smile glad to see her in an upbeat mood. Her previous melancholy bothered him. It seemed that the prospect of flying and an adventure on the other side of the world was all that was needed to cheer up her spirits.

Wolverine reached for the front pocket of his jacket and unzipped it to pull out a photograph from within. He held it out for Rogue and Piotr to inspect. A young man with long dark hair in a weird half-shaven style and many tattoos was the subject.

"I would prefer to see Geisha," Piotr commented.

"Me too," Rogue agreed. "He looks scary. Who is he?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think he's my son."

Rogue and Colossus both gaped at him. "Son?" they voiced in unison.

"How do you have a son and not know it?" Rogue added.

Wolverine shoved the picture back inside his pocket and sat heavily in the copilot seat. "I've started to have dreams and then this picture showed up in the mail back at the institute two weeks ago. No return address. The only words were on the back with Kyoto Japan written in kanji form. And as soon as I saw the kanji I could suddenly remember how to speak fluent Japanese."

"That is very strange," Piotr mused. "Perhaps a subliminal message to trigger memory."

"That is awesome!" Rogue enthused. "I wish I could learn another language that fast!"

"Technically," Piotr started, "if you learn to harness your powers when they return and you meet another mutant with the ability to learn languages instantaneously you could claim that ability—without putting into a coma the individual the ability originally belonged to—and know it."

"That's a nice little fantasy world you live in, Colossus," Rogue said bitterly sitting down in the pilot seat and starting to adjust various levers and gears.

"I prefer positive fantasy to the negative. Positive thoughts lead to happier life."

"What do you know of negative Mr. Happy?" Rogue asked with a skeptical glance at her companion.

"The death of an older, beloved brother would certainly qualify as negative experience," Piotr said quietly.

Wolverine and Rogue both had their eyes go wide and turned to stare at their giant Russian-softy. Wolverine gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder while Rogue tried to get her foot out of her mouth.

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Piotr," she said before biting her lip uncertainly.

Colossus shrugged. "Mikhail would be proud of the way I take care of our little sister. Illyana was born after he died. That is reason it is important we find her best doctors for the condition that ails her."

"We'll do just that," Logan assured him.

OoOoOoO

Piotr had to admit, he was impressed. Perhaps Ororo was a better teacher than he gave her credit for because Rogue's skills as a pilot were pretty impressive. As a matter of fact, they'd traversed the journey from New York over the North Pole to Japan without crashing. From what he'd heard of Rogue's skills of flying on the mission where Jean Grey had died the first time she'd improved dramatically.

The blackbird landed gently and Rogue turned first to Logan who was sitting with a white-knuckled grip on the armrests of the co-pilot seat and then to Piotr with a proud grin.

"How was that for service?" she asked.

"Your skills have seen that we've arrived safely," Piotr conceded. "Logan, I believe you can breathe now."

Wolverine's tight grip loosened and he unfastened his belt before standing and stretching his neck first right then left with audible popping of his stiff vertebrae. "Good job, kid. Now let's get out of this bird and get some fresh air."

Colossus swung the three bags over his shoulder and then waited at the bottom of the steps for the others to join him. Rogue looked a bit disoriented and he reached out to brace her when she looked to lose her balance. His bare hand grasped her upper arm where her t-shirt had been wrinkled out of the way and for a moment he felt as if his energy were being drained.

Rogue flinched immediately, but took hold of his strong forearm with her gloved hands seeming to not notice that her powers might have been re-emerging.

"Thanks, Pete," she said with a wan smile as she stepped away on more sure-footing.

"No problem, Marie," Colossus answered not ready to be the one to tell her that the thing she dreaded most was starting to happen. At least her company was Wolverine—whose ability was that he couldn't die—and himself—who could turn into impenetrable steel at a moment's notice and suffer no more than a minor headache from contact with her "poisonous skin."

"What's the game plan, oh wise leader?" Rogue asked with a pointed look toward Wolverine.

He used the remote that camouflaged the Black Bird and caused the giant aircraft to appear invisible before answering. "We go into town, get a place to stay for the night, and then start looking around."

Colossus worked hard to quench the need to ask Logan when they would be going to Russia. Japan would be fun, but his mind was on his sister and her failing health. How much time did she really have?

"So like, a hotel?" Rogue asked taking her duffle from Colossus, unzipping it and taking out a sweater out of habit. She slipped it over her shoulders and handed him back the duffle.

"Perhaps something a little more discreet. Ororo talked to Hank about the mission and he arranged for us to stay with some scientist friend of his." He scratched the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "He seemed to think that a hairy Canadian, a giant Russian, and a moody teenaged girl with an obvious Southern drawl might attract curiosity by the locals."

"Why does it have to be moody teenaged girl? Piotr's the same age as me!" Rogue huffed irritated.

"Because he's a giant," Logan answered calmly.

Piotr could feel his lips curl a little in amusement until Rogue sent her angry green glare toward him. The small grin vanished completely. "Let us go then. It will only get cooler outside."

"It's not like we're Kurt. We don't stick out that much," Rogue pouted as she started to walk away in angry strides.

"It's the other direction, kid," Wolverine called out in amusement. Rogue spun on her heels and started in the Western direction. "Almost, try forty-five degrees more to the left."

"Why don't you just give me a compass then?" Rogue asked.

Wolverine pointed to his nose. "It's stuck right here."

Rogue growled in annoyance but then started in the direction Logan had suggested.

Piotr sighed at his companions' antics. It was hard to believe that when Professor Xavier first approached him about being his student with the hopes of having him eventually become a member of the X-men that it would be like this. After his brother's death Mikhail's best friend, Alexander, had protected him from the government and had apparently approached Xavier about him in an effort to help. Otherwise Piotr would have found himself a slave to the communist regime of his country from his youth. He had worried how Piotr would fit in with his "soft-heart" as he put it. He'd imagined the American heroes to be efficient, strong, brave, and very powerful.

They might have been all that, but it was a relief to know that they were human too. Some were even overly emotional teenagers he thought with a fond look toward Rogue. Piotr shook his head not liking the direction his thoughts were taking. Marie was his friend and this mission was to do what he could to help his sister and help Marie cope with her powers. Illyana helped him with the acceptance of his powers loving his shiny form. What would it have been like if his power had instead kept him apart from people instead of bringing him closer to them? Besides, he saw for himself how her relationship with the ever laid back Iceman fell apart. If it couldn't work with Bobby what hope did he have?

"Heavy thoughts going on in there?" Logan asked walking in step beside him.

"Just a little worried," he admitted.

"Don't sweat it. We'll only be here a day or two to recharge. You and Marie need to get used to the time change. I'll get in contact with Moira here and we can collect your sister then. I'll hunt down my clues afterwards. My past isn't going to change, so what will it matter a few more days of blank memories?"

"Thank you, Logan."

Both of them walked in silence for several minutes. Piotr noticed the hunter-like quality Logan possessed never sent dormant. He was always on full alert and most certainly a good member to have on your team. He also couldn't help but notice the way he kept an extra close eye on Rogue.

"You care for her," Piotr observed softly.

Wolverine sniffed as if offended by the idea of himself caring for another before he relaxed and shrugged. "I feel a connection with Marie. She's like that annoying kid sister that you love in spite of her attitude because deep down you know she loves you too. She's like me in that she's got a soft heart and a hard attitude. Can't survive the first without adapting the last—usually through hard experiences."

"I understand," Piotr said.

Wolverine clapped his hand on his shoulder and gave him a serious look. "I know you do, Pete. That's why it's the three of us on this mission. We're the same."