That evening, Ken walked back into the joint and sat down in a booth instead of his usual seat at the bar.
Ryu came back for dinner, too. There was no way he was going to miss the "show".
Jun came downstairs dressed up as though she was going out for the evening. She wore a royal blue sweater, a black skirt and high heels.
Ryu whistled. "What are you so dressed up for, Jun?"
"I'm going out dancing with the girls, tonight, Ryu." Jun smiled. "I figured it was time to get out some, and be a real girl for a change."
Ken tried not to panic. How was he going to ask her out if she was out dancing all evening?
He swallowed hard and spoke. "Uh, Jun, can I speak to you outside for a moment?"
Jun cocked her head to the side and smirked. "Sure, Ken. Just give me a minute to get my purse."
Ryu and Jinpei gazed at each other in wonder. It seemed like the odds were against the Eagle tonight.
Ken and Jun walked out together and stood in the alley behind the Snack.
The neon glow from the back door sign illuminated Jun's face. She looked beautiful in the soft red glow of the light.
"Jun, I wanted to explain something to you." Ken gulped. "I know I haven't been around much lately, and I wanted to say I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to avoid you, or Jinpei."
"It's ok, Ken. I knew you were busy..." Jun smiled half heartedly. She wasn't sure she believed him. He had never been too busy before the war ended.
"I need to tell you the real reason I've been staying away. Ever since Joe died, things have been...different...you know what I mean?"
Jun nodded.
"I remember what he said to you there, at the end...and I just couldn't..."
Jun held up her hands to stop him. Her finger brushed his lips. "Don't say anymore, Ken. I understand..." She knew what he was about to say.
She fully expected to hear, "I don't have those feelings for you, Jun. I think of you as a sister."
Ouch How those unspoken words pierced her heart. She vowed not to let them escape from his lips. She would be strong, and she would go on...without him.
She turned her back to him, her words grating her throat. "Listen, I want to be able to enjoy myself tonight. I have to go..."
Ken watched as she ran away from him around to the front of the building. He thought he heard her sobbing as she turned the corner.
He walked back inside, defeated. His thumbs were jammed in his pockets as he stood in the doorway.
"Well?" Ryu and Jinpei stared, anxiously awaiting the report.
"No luck." Ken turned and walked away before they could ask any more questions.
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As Jun rounded the corner, her girlfriends pulled up in front of the Snack. She quickly opened the car door and slid into the back seat.
"Jun, are you ok?" One of the girls noticed tears in her friend's eyes.
Jun nodded and wiped at her eyes self consciously. "I'm fine. Really. Let's just go. I'm not going to let anything spoil my night out."
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Ken wandered down dark back roads, thinking about what he had just done.
Why had Jun acted so strange? Was she that angry that he hadn't been around? Or had she lost interest in him?
He kicked a rock down the street, still thinking about the bet he had made.
"I'll be damned if I am going to take that stupid class...I've got to find Jun and ask her on a date, even if I have to comb every last club in town!" he thought, as his last kick sunk the rock into a sewer drain.
His pace quickened as he headed for the nearest club.
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Ken sat down on the curb under the streetlight and brushed his hand through his unruly hair in exhaustion. He gazed across the street at the only club in the city he hadn't yet searched for Jun.
"She has to be there..." He muttered. "And if she's not...I'm turning in for the night after this. Maybe I'll have a chance tomorrow."
He walked in and scanned the dance floor. Sure enough, there was the girl with the ebony locks, twisting and bouncing on the dance floor, and giggling with her friends. The girls were surrounded by several men, all of whom were vying for the girls' attention.
He stood and watched silently for a few moments, as one of the men escorted her to a table and bought her a drink. The pair leaned over the table and talked closely.
Ken cringed as the guy reached over and held her hands. Maybe she's just not interested in me anymore...it was foolish of me to think that she only had eyes for me. A girl like Jun deserves better. Someone who can give her what she really wants. She can never be a "normal" girl if she's with me.
At that moment, Ken decided to leave and allow Jun to enjoy the rest of her night out. He watched her giggling and blushing as she talked to her table companion, and secretly wished it had been him that was making her so happy.
He walked out and headed back to his shack. He prayed that Ryu and Jinpei would forget about their little bet. He was in no mood to take a silly class with Jun, especially after he saw her with another man.
The next day, Ken avoided everyone. He spent the entire day working on his plane and hoping no one would bother him. He wondered what Jun was doing, and if she was going to spend more time with the guy from the club.
Daylight faded into evening, without a sound from anyone. Ken plopped down on his couch and opened up a hot TV dinner, slightly scalding his fingers in the process.
"Fantastic ending to a fantastic day..." He moaned.
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Jun spent the next day preparing for her class on Monday. As she left the J, Jinpei called out to her. "Where ya going, Sis?"
"I'm going to the bookstore to get some books for my class."
"Hey, Sis, do me a favor, will ya?"
Jun stood in the doorway and held the door open with her hip. "What do you need?"
"Will you buy an extra set of books? I have a surprise for you."
"Jinpei, you know I don't like surprises. What is it?"
"Big Bro wants to take the class with you." The Swallow smirked.
"Ken?" Jun giggled. "Quit joking around, Jinpei. We both know he hates fashion."
"I know. But he said he wants to spend some time with you, so he's enrolling in the class."
Jun's voice took on a suspicious tone. " I don't know what kind of practical joke you're pulling, but..."
"It's not a joke, I promise!" Jinpei took his index finger and crossed his heart. " If I'm lying, I'll do the dishes for you for a whole year!"
"Okaaaay. Jinpei, whatever you say. I'll get the books, but you're paying for them if they don't get used." Jun chided. What in the world was her little brother up to?
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Ryu popped his head in the door once Jun left, and whispered, "Is the coast clear?"
"Come on in, Ryu. Did you do it?" Jinpei asked.
Ryu nodded. "Yeah, Ken's in. We'll have to let him know that he starts Monday if he and Jun don't go on a date tonight."
The pair laughed.
"I asked Sis to buy an extra set of books. I told her that he wanted to get into this class with her. I can't wait to see Bro's face when we hand him the books!" Jinpei doubled over with laughter.
"What did she say?"
"She didn't believe me, of course. She thinks I'm playing a joke on her, but I'll bet she comes back with an extra set of books. She'd love for Bro to take the class with her!"
As expected, Jun came in with two bundles of books and plopped them onto the counter. "There. Laugh it up, small fry. I hope you're ready to shell out some money, Jinpei, these books were expensive!"
"I know you don't believe me, Sis...but he's going to take the class with you, you'll see!"
Ryu piped in. "Have you talked to Ken today, Jun?"
"Not since last night. And things didn't go so well..." Her eyes slid down to the floor.
"What happened?"
"Well, let's just say we had an understanding. He was about to let me down easy, but I stopped him."
"What do you mean? Ken wouldn't let you down, Jun. He cares about you."
"Not in that way, Ryu. He thinks of me like a sister. But I'm not going to let it bother me. I'm going on with my life."
"Jun, you don't know what you're saying."
"Yeah, Sis, why else would he want to take this class with you? He wants to spend time with you. Right, big guy?" Jinpei elbowed Ryu, and Ryu nodded in agreement.
"Ken just has a hard time opening up. You know that. Give him some time."
"I've given him time, Ryu, lots of it. And frankly, I'm tired of giving him time. He can take this class with me if he wants to, and I'll be friendly to him like always, but I refuse to wait and hope for him to open up to me any longer. I am moving on..."
With that, Jun turned on her heels and walked upstairs.
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"So Jun has given up on him, huh?" Ryu's face bore a look of concern. " I never thought I'd live to see this day. She's loved Ken for as long as I can remember. They're made for each other."
Ryu shrugged. "I kinda feel sorry for the guy. I mean, this class is really going to make him miserable. I know he has feelings for Junie, too, but maybe we should just let the bet go...and stay out of it."
"Don't worry, Ryu." Jinpei pointed to the clock on the wall. "It's getting late, and Ken is a no show. He lost the bet, and now he has to take the class with Jun. They're bound to get closer. Maybe he'll enjoy spending time with Jun. Maybe this will do the trick and get those two together."
"I hope so, squirt." Ryu shook his head in disbelief. "I'd hate to see what would happen if Jun and Ken didn't want to be around each other anymore. We'd be caught in the middle."
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The next morning, Ryu and Jinpei showed up at Ken's door, with his school books in hand.
Ken groggily shuffled to the door and cracked it open. "What are you two doing here so early?" He growled.
"We brought you a present," Jinpei chirped. He held out the fashion books.
"I enrolled you in the fashion class with Junie. You start on Monday." Ryu added.
"Oh no...no, no, no...I'm not..." Ken backed away from the door, and Ryu pushed it open, allowing the two visitors to walk into the shack.
"A bet is a bet, Ken." Ryu smirked. "And you didn't take Jun out last night, so..."
"But she's not interested in me anymore! I couldn't ask her out!"
"Who said?"
"I found her at one of the clubs. She was flirting with another guy."
"Can't she talk to other guys, Ken?" Ryu asked.
"Yeah, well...sure. But the way she was talking to him, holding hands, and... giggling...I just didn't feel comfortable asking her out, ok? It's over between us."
"To be fair, Ken, it never started. You never even gave it a chance."
"Yeah, I know." Ken plopped down on the couch and leaned over with his elbows on his knees. "I can't give her a normal life like those other guys can."
"Who says she wants to have a normal life?"
"Well, Joe said he wanted her to settle down with me, and be like those normal girls..."
"Have you ever asked her what she wanted, Ken?"
"No."
"Do you have feelings for her, Ken?"
"Well, yeah..." He muttered.
"Well, I would suggest you take this class with her. Do something different. Show her that you see her as a normal girl, and not just as the Swan. You never know what you'll find out."
Jinpei quietly laid the books on the table next to the couch.
"We'll see you around, Ken. Make the right choice." Ryu stated, as he motioned to Jinpei to leave.
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Later that evening, Ken darkened the doorway of the Snack once more. He was holding his new books, and he shuffled over to the bar.
He laid the stack of books on the counter and cleared his throat to get Jun's attention. Jinpei picked up one of the books and thumbed through it.
Jun whirled around and was surprised to see Ken sitting there. "Ken! What a surprise..."
"Yeah, well I came to tell you something." He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "I'm signed up to take that fashion class with you on Monday."
"What? The six week course? I thought you didn't like fashion."
"Well, I realized it wasn't so bad after our last trip to Monolins." he lied. "So I figured this was something you and I could do... you know, together."
Ken looked at Jun, feeling a bit irritated as he observed the smirk that had spread across her face. She almost seemed to be enjoying his discomfort.
"Well, Jun…do you think you could help me get familiar with some of the basics before we go tomorrow?"
Jun grinned as she teased her commander. "Everything you need to know is in those books, Ken. Why do you need me?"
"Come on, Jun. Don't leave me hanging. You know I don't know anything about fashion. Reading these books will be just like trying to read Chinese."
The Swan stifled a giggle. "Okay, Ken. You win. Let's go over a few terms."
They walked over to a nearby booth and opened the books. Ken tried desperately to keep his mind on his studies, but he couldn't help but wonder what the Swan was thinking. A heavy sigh escaped from his lips.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Ken?" Jun asked.
"Yeah, of course. It will be fun, and besides, we'll get to spend some time together." Ken looked into Jun's warm green eyes. "I know I haven't been much of a friend to you since the war ended. I'm hoping this will help make it up to you."
"Ken, you don't have to make it up to me." Jun began. "I'll admit, I was feeling a little...lonely when you and Ryu stopped coming around, though."
"I'm sorry, Jun. I wasn't thinking. I was having a hard time dealing with normal life...I guess we all are having a hard time transitioning, huh?"
Jun nodded. "I'm trying to do 'normal' things, and be a 'normal' girl, like Joe suggested, but it's hard. I'm far from normal."
"Can I tell you something?" Ken leaned in a little closer. "I hated the way our last conversation ended. I didn't like seeing you so upset, and I tried to find you."
"You did?" Jun's eyes widened.
"Yes. And I found you in the very last club I went to. You seemed to be enjoying some guy's company." Ken was curious. He had to know what she was feeling.
"That guy?" Jun laughed. "Oh yeah, he's great if you like someone who talks about themselves the entire evening and doesn't let you get a single word in. I was relieved when it was time to go home. Besides, our conversation bothered me, too."
Ken felt his heart beat faster. He was relieved that Jun wasn't interested in the guy at the club. "Well, let's start over, shall we? Let's just enjoy our time together. You never know, you could be starting a whole new career."
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On Monday, Jun and Ken rode together to the University campus.
Ken immediately locked eyes with a very strange looking man. Or was it a woman? He wasn't sure.
The "person" winked at him, causing him to avert his eyes to the floor.
He walked in apprehensively and took a seat with Jun in the back of the room.
Ken elbowed Jun and whispered. "What was that?"
Jun's eyes narrowed. "Ken, that's not nice." She whispered hoarsely. "Besides, I'm not sure."
Soon after they had been seated, the classroom filled up with students and the professor casually walked over to the podium and shuffled her papers.
"Welcome to Fashion Design and Merchandising. I am Madame Nina Caledon. I am looking forward to our time together. I hope you will all gain much information from this class."
"There she is, Madame Caledon!" Jun gasped. "I am so glad the UN troops were able to rescue her from the Galactor prison after the fashion show last year."
The professor began to call the roll.
"Christopher Beaumont."
"I'd prefer to be called Velvetina if you don't mind." The shemale in the front interrupted.
"Velvetina?" Caledon's eyes widened as she scribbled down a note on her page. "Yes, very well, then. Velvetina Beaumont."
Ken whispered to his companion. "I don't know if I can handle this, Jun. Velvetina? Give me a break. That's the guy who winked at me when we walked in."
"She must think you're cute." Jun giggled.
Caledon made her way through the list until she got to Jun.
"Jun Nambu."
She gazed across the sea of faces and her eyes stopped on a face she recognized. "Jun Nambu? You're the girl I asked to model last year for my fashion show. I remember your stunning figure."
Jun blushed. "Yes, Madame Caledon. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I am sorry the show didn't turn out the way you planned, and I am glad you are okay."
"Yes, that was most unfortunate. However, the show will go on this year, and hopefully there will be no more interruptions, now that the Science Ninja Team has defeated Galactor."
Jun nodded.
Caledon smiled at Jun and then continued with the roll. When she was finished, she passed out a syllabus to her students.
"I am sure you are all curious to find out my expectations. This is a 'hands on' class, which means you will be broken up into groups to work on projects together throughout the six week period. Each group will be responsible for designing a collection for Monolins fashion week, where a contest is being held between all of the local universities to showcase the up and coming talent in the fashion industry."
Ken began to sink in his seat. He was in way over his head. He silently prayed that Jun would be on his team.
"Each team will not only design their own clothes, but they will choose a team member to model the clothes in the Monolins fashion show at the end of the six weeks. Today, we will choose the groups by counting off."
She pointed to one of the students. Ken cringed as he heard the pupils counting "1, 2 and 3" over and over, until Caledon came to him.
"One," He called out.
The girl behind him called out, "Two."
And then, Jun, who was beside him, called out, "Three."
Ken gulped. He wished the floor would swallow him up so he could get out of this mess. Not only was he expected to design clothes with a bunch of total strangers, but he would have to do it without Jun.