Kagaku Ninja-Tai Gatchaman Fan Fiction ❯ The Timepiece ❯ Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

A month has passed since the Final Battle. Peace had finally been restored to the Planet Earth. It was a sunny spring afternoon. All over Utoland, grass was turning green and wild flowers were blooming.

Joe skilfully swerved Sweetheart round the Curve of Death on Highway No. 5 times and times again. He tried his best to concentrate on his driving and to banish that gnawing feeling that had been growing stronger by the hour.

Joe had gone over to check on Ken after coming out of a meeting with Dr. Kamo. Ken had been responding very well to the treatments and it was believed that he would fully recover in another month or so.

The girl was there. She was carefully waiting on Ken.

All of a sudden, rage had possessed Joe. He torn out of the base, revved up the Sweetheart and headed directly for the highway. That was about an hour ago.

Many times during the past month, Joe had tried without success to understand his feelings towards this girl. It seemed that she had captured his fancy the first time they met. He must admit that she was a beautiful girl with a good figure. But that was nothing out of the ordinary. He must also admit that her air was something extraordinary. She seemed so carefree and light-hearted, and she had the ability to delight over almost everything. Her mood seemed contagious and he could not help but feel good when she was around. She was like a light cool breeze in a hot summer afternoon, making everybody around her comfortable. But even all these could not explain the possessiveness that he felt and was trying very hard to hide. It drove him insane seeing her with Ken. Maybe that came from his feeling when he first saw her, that she was sent to him from God to ease his lifelong yearning for Jun, a woman he had loved all his life but had always belonged to the brother he loved and esteemed.

Joe brought Sweetheart to a stop at the Lookout and walked over to the cliff where it overlooked the city. Joe drew in a deep breathe of the fresh cool air which smelled heavy of grass and soil. Leaning against the fence, he lit a cigarette. He recalled that day when Jun and Ken had come out of Ken's room with a most blissful look on their faces. Ken had coyly announced that he and Jun were now officially a couple. The others were overjoyed with the news. Jinpei was so excited that he was unable to sit down at all for the rest of the day. Ryu was all grins. It was with ambivalent feelings that he received that piece of news. On the one hand, he felt happy for Jun, because he knew it was what she had been dreaming of all these years. But on the other hand, it had extinguished the slightest hope of his ever having a chance with Jun.

Since then, Ken had been getting better everyday. Jun and Yuki had spent most of their waking hours taking care of Ken. If Jun was not there, Yuki was. And vice versa.

Joe again felt that gnawing feeling. What was it? Could it be jealousy? He shook his head and extinguished the cigarette. Throwing the cigarette-butt into a nearby tray, he stalked back to his car.

He was about to go for a few more times round the Curve of Death when his comlink blared and Ken's voice came on.

"Joe, where are you? The entire universe is waiting for you." Ken nagged.

"What? Who is waiting for me? We don't have any meetings scheduled for today, do we?" Joe snorted.

"No. No meetings, Joe. Just a barbeque. Don't tell me you have forgotten our barbeque party over at that ISO villa in Petesborough." Ken snapped back.

Joe smirked, rolling his eyes, "Oh yeah. THAT Barbeque. Tell me, whoever in a sound mind would suggest a BBQ on a beach in May? Man, it is still so cold outdoors that it can freeze your butt off. Who would want to go to the beach, let alone go swimming? Flyboy, such brilliant ideas of yours would definitely kill us all one day"

"Oh quit that, Joe. We just want to have a good time. Who is asking you to go swimming anyway? As if we want to see your hairy chest." Ken retorted.

Joe shook his head. "Okay, okay. I give up. Will be there in about half an hour." He got into Sweetheart and sped towards the ISO villa.

Joe was the last one to arrive at the party. Ryu had already got the barbeque going and was joyously chatting with Pepsi while cooking. Jinpei, Jun, Ken, Yuki and Dobby were playing Beach Volleyball while Chris was reading a book by the seaside.

"Hey Joe, come over and play." Yuki shouted as she waved at him. "Oops!" Jinpei had taken the opportunity of this distraction and shot the ball at her. Yuki throw herself onto the sand in a valiant attempt to save the ball but missed by an inch. She crashed into the sand face down. When she got herself out of the sand, she had sand all over her. Jinpei was the first one to burst out laughing.

"Hey, it's not fair!" Yuki shouted and went after Jinpei chasing him down the sand bank. The rest burst into laughter.

Joe grinned at the silliness and dropped off his bag at one of the lounging chairs. He then stretched himself out on it, indulging in the delicious smell of the cooking. Ken sauntered over Joe, seeing that Joe had no intention in joining them, while the others resumed the game after Yuki successfully pushed Jinpei into the sand.

"Hey, Joe, what are you doing lazing around?" Ken asked as he approached Joe. "Aren't you coming over to help?"

"Help? Ken, you are already playing 3 against 2. You want 4 against 2?" Joe smirked. "And by the way, it gives a much better view here than over there. Going over there ruins the perspective." Joe gives Ken a toothy grin.

"Ruins the perspective? What are you talking about?" Ken followed Joe's line of vision and soon discovered what he meant. Joe was looking hotly at Yuki's long legs as she jumps up to send the ball over the net. Her white sweater flew up with her every jump, exposing her tiny waist. Her long curvy legs were being displayed to their greatest advantage with her sky-blue hot-pants.

"Joe!" Ken chided.

Joe smirked, "By the way, I do not want to intrude on her privacy with that Doberman. They seemed perfectly happy with one another."

Ken raised his brows at Joe, "Hmmmm…. That sounds bitter, bro. You are not jealous are you?"

Joe felt uneasy. He tried to cover his embarrassment with a growl, keeping his eyes on the volleyball game. "No! Of course not!"

Ken shrugged, "Joe, you know very well that Yuki is not in love with Dobby. It's just like Brother and Sister between them. And you have to remember that Dobby is not human."

Joe muttered out without thinking, "So what? I am not human either." He bit his tongue after noticing what he had just let slip.

Ken turned towards Joe and regarded him with interest. "Oh, so we ARE talking about you afterall, eh? Come on, out with it, bro."

Joe inwardly cursed himself for being such a big mouth. Joe drew his eyes away from the game and looked at Ken, "Out with what? There is nothing to tell. Nothing at all."

Ken smirked, "Really?" Ken got up to face his foster brother. He stared at Joe with his arms crossed. "I thought we were brothers."

There was a brief period of awkward silence.

Finally, Joe sighed and raised his hands in mock surrender, "Okay! Okay! Ken, if you must know. Yuki is a pretty girl and I do feel attracted by her."

"And?"

Joe snorted, "You do have to get to the bottom of everything, don't you?"

Ken looked at him with a smirk.

Joe rolled his eyes, "#1, She seemed to be more interested in you than me. #2, I am a cyborg and not human. #3, She comes from the future and must some day return to it. So, I really don't think we have any chance at all."

Ken studied Joe for a while, then shook his head and put his hand on Joe's shoulder, "#1, I am sure Yuki is not interested in me. She knows very well that Jun and I are a couple. #2, I don't think she would mind a part of you had been enhanced. Her team is all humanoids and she treats them like human. As for #3, coming from the future." Ken shrugs. "Maybe she'd stay here for you or you can go to her era. But gee, you are really serious, eh? Considering the future already?"

Joe shrugged and looked back at the volleyball game. "I don't know, Ken. I just have a feeling that it's not that simple."