Wolverine is getting married to his lover Mariko
Yashida, who’s inheriting the leadership of her clan from her recently deceased
father. The rest of the X-Men arrive and Wolverine greets them warmly, with
Kitty Pryde even introducing him to Lockheed, which Logan takes in stride.
Mariko then points out that one guest is still waiting slightly outside.
Wolverine knew it was Rogue from the moment they got there, and though he
reacts with disdain, he accepts the fact that she’s now an X-Man. All the
while, everyone is being watched from an adjacent rooftop by Silver Samurai,
with plans to strike. Silver Samurai is in turn being watched by Yukio, a
friend of Wolverine’s, who gets the jump on him. Wolverine hears the scuffle
and has Nightcrawler teleport him over there. Silver Samurai uses a device to
teleport away before a fight can get too far, and Yukio also slips away.
Yukio bounds across rooftops, carefree as a bird,
until she suddenly slips off one, only being saved by Storm. Storm admonishes
her carelessness but Yukio says the possibility of dying is what makes her
ventures thrilling. She cartwheels away, with Storm wishing she could have as
carefree an attitude. Later, the X-Men all discuss the event, Storm having
recognized Silver Samurai from a recent confrontation he had with the New
Mutants. Logan theorizes that he’s after the criminal empire built up by his and
Mariko’s father, Shingen, that he feels he’s owed, being Mariko’s half-brother.
Colossus asks if Shingen can be stopped, and Wolverine responds that he already
has, in a more permanent fashion. Meanwhile, Mariko receives a summons to a
meeting by Silver Samurai, which she tells her maid not to inform anyone of.
Shortly after, her maid is ambushed by Viper, who sneaks in to tamper with the
X-Men’s tea.
Wolverine approaches Storm, noticing the changes that
she’s been undergoing lately, and Storm points out similar changes in
Wolverine. Logan admits that it’s still hard for him to believe that he’s
really marrying a high-class lady like Mariko and that part of him doesn’t feel
worthy. He also expresses concern that her father’s criminal dealings may not
be so easy to dismantle, which could put her in danger. Logan suddenly realizes
that something’s wrong with the tea after tasting some and prevents Storm from
drinking any, while he and the rest of the X-Men get poisoned! Mariko then
leaves for her meeting, only we see that Yukio has taken the place of her
driver! Meanwhile, in Alaska, Scott Summers continues to spiral over his
concerns about Madelyne, even looking into her files. When his brother Alex
confronts him, asking him why he’s trying to ruin a good thing, Scott reveals
that the mystery gets stranger; Madelyne not only survived her plane crash on
the same day Jean died, but at the very same moment! “Mariko” arrives at her
meeting with Silver Samurai, Viper, and the leader of the Yakuza, Nabatone
Yokuse. Silver Samurai feels the clan, and its criminal dealings, are his by
right, but “Mariko” rejects him. She’s then revealed to really be Yukio taking
Mariko’s place, and she begins a brutal battle with Silver Samurai.
Viper heads to the car where she guesses the real
Mariko is, but she gets taken out by a surprise gust of wind from Storm, who
Yukio had the foresight to bring along. Storm channels her lightning but starts
to lose control, her recent inner turmoil causing her powers to act up. The
lightning arcs all over the place, even drawing back into Storm herself, and
setting off the explosives the nearby warehouses are full of! Yukio saves Storm
by flinging the two of them into the ocean and when they resurface, they see
what appears to be the fire-bird symbol of the Phoenix lighting up the shore!
Silver Samurai and Viper miraculously survive the ordeal and Samurai swears
vengeance after he’s finished with Mariko! Later, the X-Men are being treated
at the hospital, unsure if they’ll survive. Wolverine, whose healing factor
purged enough of the poison from his system, plans to stop the Samurai once and
for all and Rogue, whose partly alien physiology also protected her, decides to
go with him. Wolverine reluctantly agrees, so long as she follows his orders,
every step of the way! To be continued!