Valentine
Thirteen
Jun pulled at her hair nervously, twisting it around her finger as she spied on the boys. Once she had trailed after them, playing with them (when they had let her) and proudly competing against them in school lessons and martial arts classes. She had earned their grudging respect and become a part of their group, albeit sometimes feeling on the fringes of their tight-knit friendship. Finally, it hadn't mattered that she was a year and a half younger than they were. Finally, it hadn't mattered that she was a girl.
And then suddenly it had begun to matter once again.
How or why, Jun wasn't certain. But around the time Ken, Joe and Ryu had turned fourteen, they had begun to ostracize her once more. Nothing had ever been said about the matter, but Jun could tell. They fell silent when she approached, and often 'forgot' to mention their outings to her. She was no longer on the fringes; she was on the outside.
At first, Jun hadn't understood why. But then when she had turned thirteen, she had started looking at the boys in a new way, and with a flash of insight she had begun wondering if this had been the problem all along. As children, boys and girls are similar, but as they begin approaching adulthood, things change.
Jun glanced down at the small breast buds protruding from her chest, visible now even underneath the baggy t-shirts she liked to wear. They weren't much, certainly not compared to those girls on those websites she knew the boys liked to look at. But they were still growing. And maybe, one day, perhaps even one day soon, they might be enough to get the boys to look at her once more.
The way she was looking at them right now.
There was Ryu: broad-shouldered, kindly, always smiling and full of fun. Joe, with his rugged good looks, devil-may care attitude and an aura of coolness Jun couldn't quite define. Ken, the leader of the trio, was carelessly beautiful, like the boys in the teen magazines Jun had recently begin to read, save that he had never possessed the vapid, vacant stare that seemed to be a requirement for young celebrity heartthrobs.
All in all, it was enough masculinity to turn any young girl's head, particularly a girl without a female friend, or even a mother figure, to confide in. Everything Jun knew about the way teenage boys and girls interacted came from her magazines, and as a result there were still so many unanswered questions.
She needed to know if they liked her.
Her heart pounded as she thought through her plan once more. It wasn't much, just to approach them and speak her mind. After that, she would see what happened. And if any day was the day to do it, it was today.
February 14th.
Carefully she stepped from her place of concealment, taking care to not let the boys notice her until she approached them. When she was a few meters away they stopped talking, looking up and staring at her as she walked toward them.
"Uh, hi." Jun stumbled over her carefully planned words, her nervousness rising to the fore as they looked at her. "I… um…"
She glanced up at them, seeing their curious, yet slightly annoyed, faces. Taking a deep breath, she plunged ahead.
"I was wondering…." She took a step forward, holding out the red, construction paper heart she had made only that morning. "WouldyoubemyValentine?"
The last five words came out in a rush, blurring together into one long sound.
"My Valentine." she repeated, forcing herself to speak a bit more slowly. "Would you be my Valentine?" She held out the heart a little closer.
"Me?"
Joe's voice squeaked as he uttered the word, his face turning a shade of red only a hair lighter than the construction-paper heart. He stared at her offering as if it was a snake about to bite him. Ken and Ryu smirked, choking back their laughter.
"Why?" Joe asked plaintively, his glare sending daggers at his companions. "I mean… why me?"
"I…" Jun was completely at a loss, having never anticipated this kind of reaction. "I don't know…"
"Well…" Joe smirked, attempting to salvage what little manly pride he still possessed, "why don't you think about it, and get back to me?"
Jun, nodded, her eyes filling with tears, the construction paper heart crumpling in her fist. Her ears rang with the sound of their laughter as she ran away.
...
Fourteen
The previous year's rejection welled up in Jun's mouth, as if it were yesterday. But it hadn't been yesterday. It had been three hundred and sixty-five days ago. A whole year. And during that year, a lot had changed. Her body had changed, and the boys had changed too. They were taller, more muscular, and certainly a lot stronger. Jun still stared at them, although she did it more surreptitiously now that they knew she was watching. Occasionally they would even puff and strut, showing off for her benefit, yet none of them ever stared back. Still, they were tolerating her presence a bit more, and she was able to hang out with them occasionally, rather than remaining with Jinpei all of the time.
Today they were all in the gym, practicing their fighting moves individually while the master took people aside to work on combat techniques. As Jun was pondering how she would enact her plan this February 14th, providence intervened. The master instructed her to team up with Ken to fight Joe and Ryu, while Jinpei was pulled aside for one-on-one training. Quickly, Jun walked over, taking her position and bowing formally first to Ken, her partner, and then to Joe and Ryu, her opponents.
To an outsider, it would have looked like an unfair match. A young girl and a slim, shorter man, paired up against a husky man of great strength and an aggressive, taller man. Yet that was hardly the case. They had all been training together, fighting each other, for years. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, and none of them liked to lose.
At some indefinable moment the combat began, and Joe came out, striking straight at Ken. Ken dodged the attack easily, rolling on the ground to come up behind Joe, placing him in a chokehold. Joe flipped Ken over his head, loosening the grip and allowing escape. Thusly freed, the two faced off once more.
In the meantime Jun was left with Ryu. While he was incredibly strong, Jun knew that his weakness was his lack of agility and speed. She had two choices: tire him out, or move incredibly fast. She chose the latter approach, diving to the floor and rolling neatly between his legs as he grabbed at her, then sending out her leg to slice through the air at the back of Ryu's calves. He yelped at the blow, but with such bulky muscle it was hardly enough to disable him. He grabbed at Jun again, this time managing to get ahold of her wrists. She stepped toward him, twisting her body and pulling her arms out of his grasp, using his own strength against him. When he lunged again she dropped, launching her foot into the air and using it as a fulcrum to pivot Ryu over her head and onto the mat.
Except it wasn't onto the mat.
Ken, watching her out of the corner of his eye, suddenly ran at Joe, forcing Joe to jump backward to avoid the attack. Yet as Joe jumped, he landed in the same spot as Ryu, the two of them effectively colliding in midair before crashing to the ground. Jun began to giggle at the comical sight of Joe and Ryu entangled on the floor, both groaning and cursing as each tried to blame the other.
"We make a good team." Ken grinned at Jun. The warmth and laughter in his expression highlighted his perfect features, taking Jun's breath away.
"Um, Ken…" she said, suddenly shy. "I was wondering… would you be my Valentine?"
"Uh…" Ken's face lost its grin, and his forehead furrowed in an expression of confusion. "Me? Uh… okay. I guess…" He flushed crimson, his red skin standing out sharply against the white of his gi.
"What?" Ryu remarked as he pulled himself free from Joe. "So it's your turn this year, Ken! I guess I'm up next year." Now it was Jun's turn to go red, and she wished she could drop down into the floor.
"Better you than me." Joe smirked, coming to a stand and brushing off his hands on his pants.
"I…" Ken started to respond, but he was interrupted by the master calling an end to the session and ordering them all to the showers. Ken was still flaming red as Joe and Ryu pulled him off toward the boys' locker room, making goofy faces and kissing noises all the way.
Jun, grateful for once to have a locker room all to herself, ran out of the gym, tears coursing down her face.
...
Fifteen
For the next few weeks, the boys had teased Ken, until he had begun avoiding Jun as a matter of course. It was only around the Christmas holidays that he had finally started to relax, and the matter had finally been forgotten.
Almost.
While the sense of humiliation from Joe's and Ryu's teasing had faded, Jun still recalled Ken's response. Although surprised, he had agreed to be her Valentine. He liked her, even if he wasn't very good at expressing his feelings. From the magazines Jun had read, she understood that a lot of boys were this way, and had trouble communicating their emotions. But she could help that along.
At New Year's Eve, Jun had stayed close to Ken, so that when the clock had struck midnight they had been standing next to each other. Although she had planned to give him a big kiss, her shyness had taken over at the last moment, and she had only managed to peck him on the cheek. Still, Ken had been flustered, but smiling. Even better, he had bent down and kissed her cheek as well!
Since then, she had noticed Ken staring at her, especially when he thought she wouldn't notice. And it wasn't just Ken. Joe and Ryu sometimes stared too. And Jun loved it. She preened with their interest, enjoying the powerful feeling that took over whenever she found herself the center of attention in this manner.
Today it was February 14th once more, and this year Jun was determined to have her Valentine. This afternoon everyone was enjoying the indoor pool at Dr. Nambu's villa. Jun made sure to arrive a little later than the boys, wearing her new, pink bikini that she had bought only days before.
The sudden silence when she entered the pool area was worth every penny.
Over the past year her figure had filled out, rounding her lean body with soft curves. The bikini showed them all off to their best advantage, and she swung her hips when she walked, imagining the boys' eyes following their movement as she passed. She strolled right on by the corner of the pool where Ken, Joe and Ryu had congregated, sauntering casually toward the diving board. Slowly she climbed up to the top and to the edge of the board, stretching carefully to ensure that her audience received the full benefit of her swimwear. She bounced lightly on the board once or twice, then executed a perfect swan dive, cutting cleanly into the water. She surfaced, breaking into a slow crawl and heading over toward the boys.
As she stopped and came to a stand in the shallow end, she finally allowed herself to look at them. Sure enough, they were all staring at her, their gazes frank and appreciative.
"Looking good, Jun." Ryu grinned.
"Nice plunge." Joe smirked, eyeing her cleavage.
"Yeah." Ken swallowed nervously, but he was smiling.
"So, do you guys have any plans for the rest of the afternoon?" Jun asked.
"I might head out to the track." Joe replied vaguely.
"What did you have in mind?" Ryu asked her.
"Nothing specific." Jun shrugged. "I was thinking I might go into town, get a bite to eat." Joe and Ryu nodded casually, but Jun went on before they could respond.
"I was hoping you might come with me, Ken." she said, looking directly at him. "Would you be my Valentine?"
"Ken gets all the luck!" Ryu muttered under his breath. "I thought it was my turn!"
"Yeah." Ken grinned slowly, the expression taking over his entire face. "Sure."
"Ha!" Joe laughed. "Rookie mistake, Ken. You'd never catch me tying myself down like that. Why limit yourself to one girl when there are so many out there? Remember Darla?"
"Yeah, she was really into you, Ken!" Ryu nodded. "And then there was that redhead…"
"Oh yeah, the redhead…" Ken grinned in a goofy manner that completely evaporated Jun's newfound confidence.
"Well, if you want to go see the redhead, who am I to stop you?" she snapped, turning around and arcing back into the water, As she dove, she kicked up her feet in a manner that sent a wave of water spraying toward the three boys.
When she exited the pool, she at least had the small satisfaction of seeing them drenched on the other side.
...
Sixteen
Everything had changed.
Okay, not everything, but a lot of things. The past year had been one of the busiest and most exciting Jun could remember. She had spent hours every day in laboratories and classrooms, studying engineering, explosives, computer programming and data hacking. And that wasn't counting the practical exercises. She had learned to drive a motorcycle, moving past the basics and into racing and stunts, challenging Joe out on the track.
And she had become a part of the Science Ninja Team.
Jun loved being a part of the Science Ninja Team. She loved working together as a group, practicing five-person maneuvers and joint combat. She loved flying with her new wings, gliding about and leaping to previously unknown heights. Eagerly she waited for their first call to action; she knew it could be any day now. But strangely, the biggest change of all over the past year had not been the creation of the Science Ninja Team: it had been the Snack J.
She had moved out of Dr. Nambu's villa, into a small apartment above her very own restaurant. She had opened for business a month ago, and with Jinpei helping her, she had managed to already turn a small profit by opening in the evenings for Utoland's teen crowd. Being on her own, and earning her own money, was a type of freedom Jun had never before experienced, and she reveled in it.
Of course, the year had included another important event as well: Jun's first boyfriend. She had met Koji at the track when she had been taking motorcycle lessons. He had started out giving her tips, and it had progressed to a few dates. She had wanted things to progress further, but there had always been something holding her back. After a couple of months, she had figured out what it was: Koji wasn't the one she wanted. He was second place, at best, and not someone she would have chosen had he not been so aggressive in getting her to go out with him in the first place. When being a part of the Science Ninja Team had started placing more demands on her time, not to mention the need for secrecy, Jun and Koji had drifted apart. Still, she was glad she had spent some time with Koji, if only because the relationship, such as it was, had given her a boost of confidence she had sorely needed.
Jun was confident enough that this February 14th she was willing to try again. One last time. Now or never. She knew he was interested. She saw the way his eyes followed her, heard the tenderness in his voice when they spoke. She just had to get him to acknowledge it.
And as luck would have it, he was sitting at her bar right now. Actually, it wasn't so much luck. All of the Science Ninja Team had moved out of Dr. Nambu's villa: Jinpei into the Snack J with Jun, Ryu to a small marina down on the water's edge, Joe into a trailer at the racetrack, and Ken into the old shack on his father's airfield. But unused to spending so much time apart, the Snack J had become a kind of unofficial 'hangout' for them all, and it wasn't uncommon to see Ken, Joe, or Ryu in her restaurant well before the evening's opening hour.
Today Ryu and Jinpei were out having fun, and it was just Ken and Joe at the bar. Jun was cleaning up in preparation for that night's opening, wiping down the bar with a dustcloth. Slowly she moved over toward where Ken was sitting, sipping at a cola.
"So, do you have any plans for tonight?" she asked casually.
"Not really." Ken shrugged. "I finished my air deliveries this morning and don't have any more scheduled until tomorrow. I thought maybe I'd just hang out here."
"I like having you around, Ken." Jun smiled. "You're always welcome."
"That's good to know." Ken returned her smile, his blue eyes lighting up in the way they often did when he talked to her.
"I know I'll be working and all, but I could make a little time for you tonight." Jun said softly. "I don't suppose you'd want to be my Valentine?"
"Jun…" Ken appeared pained, tearing his eyes away from hers and staring down at the counter before looking up once more.
"We can't do this, Jun." he said firmly. "It's not right. I'm your commanding officer. I can't be… involved… with anyone, much less someone on my team."
"You mean…" Jun struggled to keep her tears from falling, but could not prevent a small catch in her throat.
"It's never going to work, Jun." Ken told her, standing up form his seat. He pulled a few bills out of his pocket, threw them onto the counter and left the Snack J.
Jun stared after him, her mouth open in shock. She blinked slowly, the realization sinking into her brain like darkness falling over the night sky.
It was never going to happen.
Blinking rapidly, Jun wiped surreptitiously at her face, turning back to her work. It was only then that she realized Joe was still in the room. She took a deep, shuddering breath, steeling herself to deal with the inevitable taunting that was sure to come. Defiantly she raised her head to look at him, but instead of the smirk she had expected, another expression was written all over his face.
Sympathy.
Somehow, that only made things worse.
...
Seventeen
It was raining: a perfect reflection of Jun's mood. It was February 14th, but the day held no joy, no promise. If anything, it was a grim reminder of the tragedy that had occurred over the past year.
Last year Ken had rebuffed her attempted advances, and he had been right about one thing: he was her commanding officer. The following day the Science Ninja Team had been called into action, and since then they had been run ragged, dealing with one Galactor plot after another. It had only been two weeks ago that Galactor had nearly succeeded in destroying the entire planet with the V2 Plan, and Ken's father had had to be sacrificed in order to save the Earth. Ken had gone through the entire emotional gamut, from grief to anger to irrational violence, until finally Jun had had to snap him out of it. Somehow, she had been able to get through to him, but ever since, he had been quiet and distant, preferring not to associate with the rest of the team except in the most peripheral fashion. Ken could sit in the same room with the rest of them, but often he wasn't even on the same planet.
All of this, combined with his response the previous year, meant that Jun did not expect to see Ken today. She had decided that she would not ask him to be her Valentine again. She would never ask that question of anyone again. It only caused pain and heartache, of which she already had plenty.
The stormy weather was not improving her mood, and glumly she realized that she wasn't up to the day at all. Barring a call to action, all Jun wanted to do today was crawl back into bed with a mug of hot chocolate and a good book. She didn't need to open the J. Even when she did, hardly anyone came around anyhow.
Sighing, she turned around, preparing to go back upstairs to her room. Yet she was startled by an unexpected knock at the door. Jun paused, mildly curious as to the identity of her visitor. She had drawn all of the shades, and so she was unable to see outside. Could it possibly be Ken? Had she been wrong? Had he remembered what day it was?
She knew it was unlikely, and yet her hopes soared. Cautiously she approached the door, heart pounding, knowing that it was impossible, yet desperately grasping at the chance. The knock came again.
"Jun, are you in there? It's me, Joe."
Her rising hopes crashed down around her, falling to the floor as the pouring rain fell to the ground outside. Still, she unlocked the door, letting Joe come in, shaking the water droplets from his hair.
"I thought you might be open today." he said, once he had finished. "I guess not."
"I'm just not in the mood." Jun sighed. "Sorry to make you come all of this way through the storm."
"If that's all I wanted, I could have called first." Joe replied. "But actually, I came to see you."
"Me?"
"Yeah. I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk or something?"
Jun frowned; this wasn't like Joe at all. Something was up.
"In all of this rain?" she asked. "I was thinking I would just hang out here."
"If you don't want to go on a walk, why don't we go to the movies?" Joe persisted. "You need to get out of here, especially if you're not going to open the Snack anyhow."
"Why do I need to get out of here?" Jun eyed Joe sharply. "What's really going on?"
"I just don't think it's a good idea for you to stay at the Snack all day." Joe insisted. "Especially when nothing is going to happen." His eyes bored into Jun, and she understood his unspoken message.
Ken wasn't coming.
"You're right." she snapped suddenly. "Let's get out of here." She grabbed her keys, then hurriedly scribbled a note for Jinpei, before throwing open the door.
"Let's get out and enjoy this glorious day." she muttered sarcastically at the freezing rain.
"Let's go find someplace warm, where we can get you a hot chocolate." Joe revised her plan. He took her by the crook of her arm, leading her down the street at a brisk walk, moving from the dubious shelter of one store's front awning to the next. After a few minutes they reached the local movie theatre.
"You weren't kidding about going to the movies?" Jun asked, surprised.
"They have a café in here." Joe pointed out. "Hot chocolate and a good movie inside a warm building. Is there anything else you could want on a miserable day like this?"
Jun shrugged, finding it difficult to disagree with him. She followed along meekly as Joe bought tickets to some movie she had never heard of (to be honest, she hadn't heard of any of them, as keeping up with popular films had hardly been a priority over the past year) and then went over to the café. He ordered her a caramel hot chocolate with extra foam, handing it to her in a brisk fashion as he took his espresso.
"This is just what I would have gotten." she whispered to herself, surprised.
"I've watched you make your own hot chocolate at the J long enough to figure out what you like." Joe told her, before quickly changing the subject. "Popcorn?" He gestured to the snack bar.
"No." Jun shook her head, holding up the steaming cup. "This is great. Thanks."
"No sweat." Joe shrugged. "Let's get to the theatre then. The show starts in ten minutes."
They sipped their hot drinks in comfortable silence as they waited for the film to begin. The movie turned out to be a comedy, just sophisticated enough to hold Jun's interest, but silly enough to keep her amused. She found herself drawn into the storyline, even laughing quietly in some places. When the show finished and the lights came on, she discovered that she was sorry that it was over.
"That was fun." she admitted as they left the theatre. "I wasn't expecting that."
"I wasn't either." Joe admitted. "But I was hoping for it."
"You mean, you didn't know if the movie would be any good?"
"Something like that. Do you want to get a bite to eat?"
"Okay."
It was still raining, so they ran across the street to a nearby diner. As soon as Jun looked at the menu, she realized that she was famished. When the waitress came she ordered a double bacon cheeseburger with a mound of fries. To her amusement, Joe told the waitress to make his the same.
"You're hungry. Good." he nodded approvingly.
"I wasn't hungry before?"
"You were down in the dumps before. It's good to see you smiling again."
"Oh."
"Jun, there's a reason I came by today. There's something I want to say to you."
Jun cringed. She had known that there had to be a catch.
"Jun, when I was younger, I was kind of a jerk." Joe admitted. "I know I put you through a lot back then, and I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?" Jun frowned. "For what?"
"Just, in general." Joe appeared slightly flustered. "You know, I would make a lot of cracks, without thinking about how it would make you feel. Especially on… days like today."
"Oh." Days like today. It began to sink in.
"Anyhow, this…" Joe gestured at the approaching waitress, carrying their food. "All of today… it's just… I'm sorry, okay?"
"Sure, Joe." Jun nodded. "I understand. Apology accepted."
"Great." he favored her with one of his all-too-rare smiles. "Now let's eat."
"I'm starving." Jun agreed. She picked up her cheeseburger, digging in with a gusto she hadn't experienced in a long time. Sitting there in the warm dinner, with the rain falling outside, she felt a kind of happiness she thought had been lost.
Even without a Valentine, this was the best February 14th she had ever had.
...
Eighteen
Last year she had thought that things couldn't get any worse. Twelve months later, she understood just how wrong she had been.
The Earth had been saved, but the Science Ninja Team had been left in ruins. Berg Katse was dead, but so was Joe. The price had been too high. And yet, hadn't Joe voluntarily paid it?
In the few days after Joe's death they had all moved in a fog, doing what was expected of them in a mechanical fashion. Once Dr. Nambu had officially released them from their duties ('on hiatus' he had said) they had all allowed themselves to grieve. For Ken, this had meant leaving Utoland, going off to some remote place known only to Dr. Nambu. For Jinpei, it had meant sulking in his room, reading comic books and playing video games. For Ryu, it had meant taking off on his fishing boat, wandering the ocean waves.
For Jun, it had meant fresh tears every night, and a brave face in the day. She had opened the Snack J, pasting a smile on her face when she had felt like she was dying inside. But slowly, she was starting to regain a semblance of 'normal' life.
Still, not a day went by that she didn't think of Joe. He had been gone nearly a month, yet she knew that the wound in her heart would never close. Just as she had thought that she might be turning a corner, she had looked at the calendar, and realized the date.
February 14th.
Memories of her last February 14th flooded her brain. The images wouldn't stop coming, no matter how she tried. So finally she gave in, sitting quietly in the darkened restaurant, letting them take over her mind.
A sharp beep from her bracelet shook her out of her reverie. Although the Team was on hiatus, Dr. Nambu had not reclaimed their bracelets, allowing everyone to keep them as an anchor to what they had done, who they had been, before.
"Yes?" Jun asked shakily, answering the call.
"Jun, it's Dr. Nambu. I'm having something messengered over to the Snack J, and I wanted to make sure you'd be there to receive it."
"Yes, I'm here." she replied. "What is it?"
"It's something that was found amongst Joe's personal belongings." the Doctor explained. "It's for you."
"For me?" Jun asked, confused, just as she heard a knock at the door. Seeing that it was the messenger, she stood.
"Yes, there was one for everyone, but yours had to be delayed. You'll see why."
"I think it's here, Hakase." she told him.
"Good, then I'll let you open it." Dr. Nambu replied, terminating the communication.
Accepting the cardboard envelope from the messenger, Jun shut the door, returning to her seat. With trembling hands she opened the package, only to find a small white envelope inside. Written on the front in Joe's familiar scrawl were the words, 'For Jun. Mail on February 14th.'
Part of her wanted to rip it open, but she forced herself to be careful, preserving the envelope as much as she could as she cautiously opened the sealed flap. She drew a slow breath as she pulled out the folded paper within, opened it, and began to read.
Jun,
I wanted to say this to you in person, but it looks like I won't be around for February 14th. Even if I'm not there, I want you to know that I was thinking about it.
Would you be my Valentine?
Joe
Jun stared at the paper, hardly believing what she saw written there. Splashes appeared on the page as she blinked at the words scratched onto its surface.
"Yes, Joe." she whispered, clutching the paper to her heart. "I'll be your Valentine."