Chapter 223: The Bridge Confrontation
The garden smelled like blood and fear. Logan's claws were sheathed, but the stain of Jason Wyngarde's scent still clung to him — sweat, copper, and cowardice. He could hear it fading with the wind as the illusionist crawled off into the shadows. A part of him wanted to chase, to end it properly. But Mariko's hand on his arm still lingered in memory, the plea in her voice stronger than the berserker itch.
The X-Men spilled out into the courtyard behind him, lantern light catching on their faces.
Colossus's massive frame loomed first. "Logan… what have you done?" His voice was wary, not accusing — the kind of tone a man used when he wasn't sure if he should comfort or restrain.
"I stopped him," Logan growled, voice low. "That's all anyone needs to know."
Kitty crept forward, wide-eyed. She looked from Mariko to the blood smeared on Logan's knuckles. "That man — he was… was that—?"
"Mastermind," Storm finished for her, lips pressed tight. "The one who tormented Jean."
The name alone made Logan's jaw clench until it hurt. Jean's face flashed unbidden in his head, flame-haired and burning, her laughter swallowed in fire. He forced the image down. He wouldn't let Wyngarde's ghost win.
Nightcrawler tilted his head, tail flicking nervously. "So, he was behind Mariko's strange words? It vas all illusion?"
"Not illusion," Logan muttered. "Possession. He crawls into your skin, makes you believe his lies are your own." He spat on the ground. "Snake."
Mariko stood apart from them, veil gone, her black hair shining in the lantern light. She looked composed, but Logan could smell the storm beneath her skin — shame, confusion, heartbreak.
She bowed her head slightly. "I… remember pieces. Shadows. Words placed in my mouth that were not mine. I… disgraced myself."
Logan turned to her sharply. "Don't you start. That wasn't you, Mari. None of it."
"But it was my face," she said softly, her voice trembling. "My voice. My family will not see the difference."
---
As if summoned by her words, the doors behind them slid open. Members of the Yashida clan poured into the garden — uncles, cousins, retainers, guards, all dressed in the solemn silk of the ceremony. Swords gleamed faintly under the moonlight. The air was heavy with disapproval.
"What shame is this?" An uncle demanded. "The bride carried off like spoils, the ceremony disgraced? Yashida honor dragged through dirt!"
Logan straightened, jaw set. He didn't flinch under the man's gaze. "Your honor was dirt the moment Wyngarde stepped foot in this hall. He was pulling your strings same as hers."
The hawk-faced uncle sneered. "Excuses. Always excuses from outsiders. You bring chaos, gaijin. You stain our house with blood."
Colossus stepped forward, arms crossed, voice like thunder. "Enough! He speaks the truth. We all saw it."
"Da," Nightcrawler added with a sharp nod, fangs flashing. "The false suitor was here, twisting reality."
The uncle waved a hand dismissively. "Stories from circus freaks and foreigners. This is Yashida business."
Logan's claws slid out with a snikt before he even realized he'd moved. "Say that again."
The garden froze. Swords half-drew. The X-Men tensed, Storm's hand already crackling with faint lightning.
But Mariko stepped between them, voice rising like a blade slicing clean through tension. "Enough!"
Everyone turned to her. Even Logan stopped, claws gleaming inches from the uncle's throat.
Mariko's eyes were hard as obsidian. "Uncle, you speak of honor, but you ignore truth. It was not Logan who dishonored this house — it was the deceiver who dared to make me his puppet."
The uncle's jaw tightened. He wanted to argue, Logan could smell it, but Mariko's authority left no gap for him.
She turned then, slowly, to Logan. Her eyes softened, but not with relief. With sorrow. "And yet, Logan-san… the wedding cannot continue."
The words hit harder than any blade. Logan's claws retracted with a metallic sigh. He stepped closer, voice rough, almost pleading. "Mari, don't do this. You know it wasn't you. You know it wasn't me."
"I know," she said, eyes glistening. "But the shame lingers. I cannot stand before my ancestors, before my people, after what has been seen tonight. Even if it was not my will, the stain is mine to bear."
"You think I care about stains?" His voice cracked, anger and hurt tangled. "I've lived covered in blood. I've lived in cages, in dirt. None of it matters if I got you."
Her lips trembled, but she held herself still. "That is why you are strong, Logan-san. And why I… am not. Not yet."
He wanted to shake her, to make her understand. To tell her she was stronger than anyone in that clan of cowards. Instead, he just stood there, fists trembling at his sides.
---
The X-Men watched in silence. Kitty hugged herself, looking like she wanted to run up and comfort him but too scared to intrude. Colossus looked away, unable to bear the intimacy of the moment. Nightcrawler bowed his head, whispering a prayer under his breath. Storm, ever regal, simply watched with quiet, aching sympathy.
Professor Xavier's voice finally cut through the quiet, calm but heavy. Logan.
Logan flinched, turning toward the old man in his chair. "Stay outta my head, Chuck."
"I wasn't intruding," Xavier said aloud, his voice gentle. "Only reminding you: patience is a hunter's greatest weapon."
Logan's lips twisted into something halfway between a snarl and a smile. He turned back to Mariko, eyes locking with hers. "You hear that, Mari? Hunting's what I do best. And hunting takes patience. So I'll wait. However long it takes. You'll be mine again — no trickster, no shame, no damned illusions. Just us."
Her eyes filled, but she didn't look away. "Then I will pray I become worthy of you, Logan-san."
Logan stepped closer, close enough to feel her breath, close enough that his heart pounded like a war drum. Slowly, deliberately, he leaned down and kissed her. Not a lover's kiss, not the heat he dreamed of — but a promise, firm and unyielding.
When he pulled back, his voice was barely above a whisper. "No running, Mari. You're already in my snare."
---
Silence lingered in the garden. The Yashida clan shifted uneasily, muttering among themselves. The uncle scowled but did not speak again.
Storm finally broke the spell. "We should leave. The hour grows late, and this house no longer welcomes us."
Xavier inclined his head. "Agreed."
Colossus moved to Logan's side, laying one massive hand on his shoulder. "Come, comrade. We walk together."
Logan didn't move at first. He kept his eyes on Mariko until she finally turned away, vanishing back into the mansion's shadows.
Only then did he let himself be guided toward the waiting carriages. His claws ached to come out, his chest ached worse.
As they left the Yashida grounds, Kitty whispered to Storm, voice breaking. "He looked… broken."
Storm placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "No, child. Not broken. Tempered."
Logan walked ahead, shoulders squared, cigar clenched between his teeth. To anyone else, he looked like a man too stubborn to feel. But inside, he burned — with loss, with rage, with the slow, patient fire of a hunter who would never let go of his prey.
The wedding was over. But the war was far from done.