Chapter 9
It had been a busy two weeks that followed Joes return, they ran a two more missions then Galactor became quiet. Dr. Nambu had called him in for a meeting with some high end military commanders a few hours before leaving the rest of them in the new common room, Jun didn't feel up to going to the surface, so she potted around the new common room trying to make it look homely with bits and pieces she had brought from the surface, like cushions and pictures for the walls. Jinpei told her the place now looked too girly, Joe scolded him for his comments and said at least it added colour to the boring grey walls.
"Well, I'm going to have rest." Joe said, getting up from his seat, her eyes followed him out of the room. She had hoped to spend some time with him, but Joe kept his distance from her and the rest of them since he had returned.
Going back to her room when pondered on it for a while, Something about Joe didn't seem right to her. It was like he purposely kept then all at arms length, and then the other things she had detected on missions began to bug her.
Jun stood up her thoughts turned to the Olympic sized private pool especially for the team.
Glancing over her shoulder she walked over to her draws and pulled out her new red bikini and began to change.
Wrapping the sarong around her waist she walked down the corridor and pushed open the door. The smell of chlorine hit her delicate nose bringing a smile to her lips and the clear glass walls of the pool area made her feel that she was swimming in the ocean with the tropical fish already. Jun dropped the towel on the floor and her sarong and did a running dive into the heated pool. After twenty easy laps she swam to side.
She gulped like a fish when she looked up at Joe standing in his board shorts at the edge of the pool. Joe had always had good muscle tone, now he looked, like Conan the barbarian with his shirt off.
"As graceful as a Swan… no wander that's your team name." He said crouching down and smiling a playfully.
Then he dove in over the top of her in a graceful arc cutting the water like a knife before she had a chance to respond.
He swan a full two lengths of the pool before he emerged beside her.
"I didn't know a person could hold their breath that long." She said in awe.
"I've had practice." He said shrugging his shoulders like it was nothing.
"I see." She said before falling silent. Joe moved in closer, Jun chose than moment to swim to the centre of the pool.
"Are we playing tag?" He smiled and followed her and he began to circle her.
"Depends…" She said turning so she could see him. "You have been keeping your distance since you came back. Why?"
"I just wanted to get to know this place." Joe said.
"Lame Asakura…that's so lame… I know you spend all of your spare time in your room." She waded casually closer to him.
Joe didn't say a thing, but his eyes did. "So…what if I do?"
"So how can you be getting to know G-Town from your quarters?" She raised a quizzical brow." Would you like a tour?"
"I thought you'd never offer!" Joe grinned.
Sub consciously they had began to circle each other, the distance closing to only inches. She could feel something there between them, could it just be that they had grown as people in the time they had been away from each other she thought.
"Jun, you don't know me any more." He said regretfully staring into her eyes.
"We all change Joe… things happen that... we don't always have control over." She broke eye contacted with him, and thought of her beautiful relationship with Ken that soured…and then Dyami.
"What happened to you?" He asked softly.
"I could ask you the same question." She said becoming more guarded. Joe had managed to escape from some questionable situations since he had returned to the team.
"Did he hurt you?" Joe's lips hardened, then he moved away from her as something caught his eye.
She looked behind her to see Ken standing at the door of the pool. His eyes spoke his disapproval before he turned and left.
Ken standing there in the background broke the spell- Jun swam to the side of the pool and jumped out picking up her towel. Joe following close behind her put a hand on her shoulder before she could disappear from the room.
"We don't have to talk about this now." He said quietly picking up his towel he began to dry himself.
She couldn't talk- she let it slide, and walked out the door leaving Joe watching her with concerned eyes.
Once in the corridor she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Ken was no where in sight, so she made her way back to her room.
Joe watched the door for a long time after she walked out- Jun looked different in her bikini from his past memories. Jun had become a woman in the almost two years since he had been away from them. Her curves had filled out a bit more, making her even more attractive to him. Joe liked women with curves. He detected a sadness in her demeanour that had never been there before.
Pulling on his shirt and shoes he thought about it more while opening the door to leave he saw Ken standing there waiting for him leaning against the opposite wall.
"We should talk." He said in a tone that left no room for argument.
"I believe we should." Joe agreed.
They walked for a while along the vast corridors of G-Town, the silence only being broken by Ken pointing out various science stations and research projects as they walked past rooms and open auditoriums.
"Ken, you didn't say you wanted to talk to me just to take me on a tour of the base." Joe bluntly said looking at Ken.
"Your right, I don't." Ken admitted turning the corner they walked into an other room with a climate controlled artificial tropical rainforest.
"They really have gone all out on this base- it makes the Crescent Coral look tiny." Joe took in the refreshing smell of tropical plants and lush green foliage surrounding him.
Ken stopped in the middle of a small clearing and folded his arms in a stern stance. "Does this look familiar?"
Joe raised an eyebrow," Should it."
Ken continued. "In Burma I had someone following me."
"You did…" Joe felt a slight turn of his lips at the memory." Did you get his name and details?"
"I didn't say the person was a 'he'." Ken began to smile too. "What happened to your voice Joe?" he quizzed.
"What makes you think it was me? It could have been anyone." Joe shrugged, sitting down under a fern.
"Stop acting naive Joe…" Ken sat down opposite him. "Don't make me smack the truth out of you."
This made Joes smile broaden. "Like it worked the last time you tried."
"So what gives in Chad?" Joe's grin dropped a little.
Ken raised an eyebrow.
"It was me in Burma ok, confession time… What I wanna know is why you shot a missile at me when I was so close to taking out that vermin Count Blue?" Joe leaned back.
Ken burst out laughing. "So it was you… damn it Joe, I wanted him alive, and you insisted on getting in the way."
"Damn right I did, and if I was around to save your sorry ass, then I'd be the one attending your funeral." Joe said seriously.
"I would have found a way out-"Ken said confidently.
"Like hell, you crashed a helicopter and a jet that would have had you dead for sure if I didn't pull you out." Joe huffed, and he re arranged his legs into a more comfortable position. "Besides you were the one getting in my way."
"Does that include Jun?" Ken's voice dropped dangerously low.
"The real other reason decided to belt me up that day." Joe's voice dropped too, the two men stared at each other.
"She had dinner at your trailer the night before Joe, what did you expect from me." Ken said standing up. "My blessing…even now you don't have it when it concerns her."
"She doesn't belong to you Ken. " Joe pointed out joining him.
"I know she doesn't…" His tone became more controlled with an underlying hint of a warning." I love her Joe, so don't go making any moves on her."
"I told you after that mission nothing happened between us, it was just dinner…" Joe insisted.
"Why didn't you ever tell her how you felt about her?" Joe asked.
Ken's masked eyes lit up for a short moment. "I did, we got together. Joe it was the most amazing time of my life being with Jun…and then…" Ken's voice filled with hurt he looked away confusion crossing his face. "And then…it just, fell apart. She didn't want to be with me I felt it."
"Fell apart." Joe questioned. "What did you do?"
"Joe, I still don't understand how we could have been so close, and then so distant. After I came home from Burma something changed, we had an argument …" His voice drifted off. "I can't talk about this any more."
Ken walked away from Joe back down the narrow wooden path that lead out of the rainforest.
Leaving Joe feeling confused by the conversation. He decided he would keep a close eye on Jun and Ken. His intuition told him he needed too.
