Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman Fan Fiction ❯ The Timepiece ❯ Take this, in memory of me ( Chapter 26 )

Chapter 26

Time freezes in that little hollow behind the waterfalls. Outside, time was flying by. The sun was setting when Joe, with a hint of a smug smile lingering on his lips, carried Yuki out from behind the curtain of water.

"Looks like it's too late for us to go back to the ship." Joe remarked, as he set Yuki down on the grass. "We'd better get some firewood and set up a big fire. Heaven knows what animals would be around here at night."

Yuki nodded and smiled up at him, "And we got to dry our clothes too."

They went around collecting wood and after a while, they had enough that would last them throughout the night. Joe took his fire-starter out and lit the fire while Yuki made a make-shift frame above the fire with some sticks to hang their clothes to dry.

Joe then took a thick stick from the pile and tested it slightly for strength. "Seems good enough!" he said to himself. Then he took out his military knife and start sharpening one end of it.

"What are you doing, Joe?" Yuki was watching him with interest.

"You hungry?"

Yuki nodded as means of reply.

"Then don't ask. Just help me keep the fire burning."

"Aye aye Captain." Yuki laughed.

Joe soon finished sharpening the stick. He disappeared into the lake with it and soon reappeared with a fish stuck on the makeshift harpoon. Yuki saw him coming back with the fish and clapped her hands. Joe smiled at her and handed her the fish, thinking how amazing it was that she could be so easily delighted.

Yuki looked up at Joe with surprise, "What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Gut it and clean it!" It was Joe's turn to show his surprise. "Didn't your mom ever teach you any cooking?"

Yuki blushed. "I am afraid not, my mom never cooks. My Dad does but he does not like fish and he never has anytime to teach me to cook anyway. He is just too busy with his work"

"Sounds like a Washio trend, getting too involved with their jobs." Joe smirked, "Never mind, let me show you." Joe took the fish from her and gutted it using his knife. He then showed her how to clean it properly and to pop it up for grilling. "Think you can do it?"

Yuki nodded, "Doesn't look too hard to do."

Joe smiled and went back into the lake to get more fishes. Soon, dinner was ready and before them was a not-too-humble feast of fishes.

"It's getting chilly, wish we had brought along some blankets." Yuki remarked after she had set down the last fish for grilling. She went over and was about to sit down on the rock next the Joe. He suddenly reached up and pulled Yuki down onto his lap. "C'mere, girl, let me warm you up a bit." Yuki giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down for a deep kiss.

The smell of burnt food brought them back to reality from the ecstasy of their kisses.

"Oh darn, this batch is all burnt." Yuki exclaimed, pursing her lips. Joe reached down and pressed another kiss on her soft lips. "That's okay, babe. We have enough to feed a dinosaur."

Yuki giggled, "With the rate this is going, we'd probably be too busy to eat anyway."

Joe laughed huskily as he put her back down beside him. "I would if I am not that hungry, that toothpaste food we had for lunch was not filling up at all and I had been starving even before we are here."

Yuki laughed, "It's just that you are not used to it, Joe baby. We depend solely on those on our missions."

Joe grimaced. He took a big bite off a fish, "Now this is some food." Yuki smiled and took a bite on hers too. "Yeah, not bad at all," she replied.

Joe smiled back at her. The light from the fire danced in her smiling green eyes. For moment he got mesmerized. Then it suddenly dawned on him that her smile looked quite familiar. He searched his mind for where he had seen it before. Then it clicked. It was just the way how Jun smiled at Ken.

"Oh my Gosh, Yuki! Your lastname's Washio?" He held her so that he can look into her eyes.

"Yes?"

"Does your father work for ISO? Or did he ever work for ISO?"

Yuki smiled at him, "Yes. What are you getting at, Joe?"

"You couldn't be… Can you?" Joe stammered out in shock.

Yuki smiled, "What do you think?"

"Gosh you are Ken and Jun's daughter!" Joe exclaimed. "No wonder you keep reminding me of Jun whenever I see you."

Yuki pouted, "You are not trying to tell me that you are using me as a replacement of my mom, are you?"

"No! Of course not." Joe wound his arms around her waist and pulled her into his lap, kissing her forehead. "You two are so different in so many aspects. And you have attracted me like no other woman have."

"Joe, I love you, you know?" Yuki asked, her eyes sparkling like the twinkling stars above.

"Ditto.." Joe mumbled, reaching down to search her lips again, "You know you are driving me crazy?" Yuki smiled and met his lips with hers.

The flames of the fire flickers, burning brightly as it watched the two of them consumed in passion, performing the age-old ritual of love, as they join together as one in both body and soul, times and again.

**********************************

The flames were still softly flickering and the tiny sparks shot quietly into the dark night. The night seemed so still and dark in these wee hours right before dawn came.

Yuki gently stroke Joe's hair as he rested his head on her lap lying on the soft grass with one knee bent. He had his eyes closed and was enjoying every gentle stroke of her hand. She leaned down and gently brushed his lips with her own soft velvet ones.

"Oh Joe, how I wish this would last forever?!" she whispered softly in his ear.

He reached his hand up and traced the outline of her features with his fingertips without answering.

"Joe, will you remember me after I left?" Yuki searched his eyes expectantly, the reflection of the flames dancing in her clear green eyes.

Cupping her face with his palms, he pulled her down and kissed her passionately, "Don't think I can ever forget you."

Yuki looked at the fire frowning deeply, "Then why had I never even heard of you

before this trip? It's like everybody had carefully removed every trace of you from the world. Like with your relationship with my parents, shouldn't we have met before? You know, I know both Uncle Ryu and Uncle Jin. But I have never even heard them talk about you."

Joe sat back up and draw her into his arms, "I don't know, Yuki. I really don't know." Then he continued with an evil grin, "Maybe I got hooked up with other women soon after you have left and they all got so mad with me, that they ganged up against me and disowned me? You know, I am the Condor after all and you should have known my reputation with women."

She raised her brows at him, "I thought you just told me that you won't ever forget me."

"Oh yes, I did. But did I say anything about not having any other women?" He winked at her with an evil grin.

She looked at him with a pout, then shook her head and sighed, "Frankly, Joe, it would not even be fair if I ask you to keep away from other women."

Joe looked at her deeply. He pulled her closer in and held her tight, "Yuki, Ken was right, who knows about tomorrow? We don't even have an idea whether we can go back or not. Maybe we got stuck here and vanished together. Who knows? So, just take it as it goes, okay?"

She nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.

*******

The dark curtain that was the night sky started to lift and the sky became lighter and lighter. The first rays of the sun filled the sky into a lovely crimson glow. Yuki looked at the sky and sighed, "How lovely!".

Joe nodded and they just sat there watching the color medley in the sky as the sun slowly climbed up from the horizon.

At length, she turned and smiled at him, "We got to watch the sunset yesterday, Stargazed the whole night through and now we got to watch this sunrise together. Fate is rather kind to us already. At the very least we got that for remembrance.' She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small hard object. She caressed it gently for a short while and then pressed it into Joe's hand, "Joe, I want you to have this."

He looked at her puzzled, and opened his hand. On his palm laid a beautiful antique timepiece, the one that the older Ken had given Yuki for Christmas. Joe looked back up at Yuki, "This is beautiful, you really want me to have it?"

Yuki nodded, "As remembrance of me when I am gone."

Joe rubbed the face of the timepiece with his thumb gently and examined it lovingly before pocketing it, "Thanks, babe. I will always keep it with me."

Turning to look up at him deeply, she could clearly see the millions of emotion in his eyes. She reached her delicate fingers up and gently touched his lips. Joe leaned in and tasted her sweet lips again. Passion began to build, heating up the air and fully enveloping them.