Very early the next morning Ken quiet got out of bed, he left a thank you note for the Nakanishi family on the dinning room table, he had told Mr and Mrs Nakanishi that he was leaving the night before and when he looked at the bag on the table he smiled, she had put together a travel packed lunch and some other pieces of food. Ryu came from a kind generous family, and it was reflected in his nature.
He hesitated at Dr.Nambu door but he decided against going in, they had talked into the early hours of the morning, Dr.Nambu warned him that to much interference could have the opposite affect of what they both wanted to achieve if he tried to stop to many future events.
The effect that it had on Dr.Nambu when asked Ken to transmute was astonishing, they went outside to a location not far from the house, Ken didn't realize that at that point in time they had not perfected the process of transmuting from civilian to Birdstyle, it wasn't until about 18 months later in the time he was in now that they began to train in birdstyles…
"It doeswork…I kept tell them that it will, my funding is being cut next month if I don't produce a full working Birdstyle. I think I know what's happening with the process now…the word 'Birdgo'is needed tocomplete the process." Dr.Nambu put his finger on his chin in deep thought. "I wonder why?"He looked at him thoughtfully." Do it again Ken…I need to see how it works…" So Ken did it again several times for the Doctor, after the third time he smiled broadly, something Dr.Nambu rarely did. "It's the signal, the voice pitch must be tuned into the user's voice patterns…mmm…our prototypes produce deadly levels of radiation that would kill you during the transmutation. There a few other alterations to it I have seen from the end result you have just showed me, well I'll look into as soon as get back to Utoland. "He let out a long breath from all the information he had been processing in his brain. "And we need to change the style of civilian clothing from business attire to casual…Now if only you had the Cessna…" He mused quietly.
Later that night Dr.Nambu promised to help Joe's parents and warn them that Galactor knows he's trying to defect and they will send an assassin to kill them all. If Ken could help Joe in that way…well at least it was something.
They both agreed that if Galactor could be stopped now from growing to powerful, then the planet would benefit from Ken knowledge of future events.
Ken's mission now was to go back into the cloud and succeed in destroying the cloud and close the gap that it was passing through in time. So Ken instead walked further down the hallway.
Ken couldn't help but stop by Ryu's bedroom on his way out the door.
He looked in on the sleeping boy and smiled. "See you soon Ryu…I hope." He whispered as he looked at him. And then he left the house quietly.
It didn't take long for him to get a lift that was heading in the right direction towards the Himalayan Mountains, the truck driver was not a talker and that suited Ken.
He was still toying with the idea to go and find his father…maybe just maybe…he thought, after he helps Akiya.
A few hours later the truck driver dropped him off at a service station.
He waited for a while to get another ride and finally he managed to get in the back of a Ute half filled with hay bales. It took two days to reach the bottom of the mountains but his trek wasn't going to take him far into the mountain ranges, he skirted around the perimeter in a cross country trek that took him about half a day, even though he'd never been to these parts before, he knew where he was going, the map Akiya had instilled in his mind showed him the way.
He managed to kill a deer not far from the place he was going, and he cut off as much meat as he could carry, he wrapped the bloody venison in a cloth and continued his search for his friend.
It was late afternoon when he came across the cave. "Akiya." He called out as he approached, he knew with her that sneaking up wouldn't be a good idea. "Akiya its Ken..."
He looked inside the cave to see her perched in a corner- her feathers looked dull and she was barely able to raise her head.
Ken he put his bag down along with the food he had for her as he walked over as she tilted her head to look at him.
"I'm sorry I too so long…" He was feeling like he should have left as soon as he had made contact with her.
"You did what you had to do…" She whispered in his mind." I need to teach how to protect your mind…I sense him."
"Sense who?" Ken asked as he stole a glance behind him.
"Sosai Xeng, he's in this time I know it…I have managed to block what I could from him, but I can feel that he is seeking me, if I can feel him. Then he can feel my life strands as well." She looked at him with dull amber eyes." I feel you should not stay with me…I should have told you to go and find your own people…Xeng is dangerous." He voice was full of regret.
Ken narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips at the thought of this Xeng. "He thinks a lot of himself this Xeng." He told her as casually as he could as he went over get the venison out of the bag he had put it in. "You cared for me Akiya when I was ill, now it my turn…"
"Can you cook it for me?" She asked him.
"You cook your meat!" He asked her in surprise.
"Yes…raw meat is uncivilized…why wild animals eat that way and my flame takes a great deal of energy that I do not have right now…" She responded with a curl tone which he chose to ignore.
So Ken set about making a small fire at the entrance of the cave, a short while later just on dark he helped Akiya feed from the stick he presented as she tore at the cooled venison.
"I'll get us some water…the river isn't far." He said as he picked up his water flask and headed out of the cave as she closed her eyes to rest.
It was still light but from the way the smouldering burnt orange sun was sinking in the sky he figured he didn't have long before he was in the dark, the crunch of fine branches under foot and the fresh smell of wet leaves reached his nostrils and made him feel more alive than he had felt in weeks.
He reached the running river in no time and as he bent to fill his flask he heard a female scream echo from the other side of the fast flowing river. He looked up in time to see a young girl was trapped in the current. Ken acted fast and from his natural instinct to help he dove into the icy cold river and swam as fast as he could over to the girl who was being dragged under the water by something.
He called out to her as he saw her disappear under the water, they were fast approaching the worst part of the rapids and he swam harder to the point that her saw her go under the problem was she didn't come up again, after struggling against the rapid swirling water his feet caught something soft, so he dove under the water and he could see that her foot was caught by a rock, and she was only being moved by the current now as her black hair swirled around a deathly pale face as the last rays of sunlight shone through the crystal clear water. He got a hold of he waist and he reached down and pulled her leg free, then holding her close in his arms he swan to the surface.
The loud roar of the rapids hit his ears as he broke through the surface and he took a deep long awaited breath as he took in his situation, the flow of the water up a head warned him that things were about to get worse if he didn't get them to shore soon.
By this time she flopped like a rag doll in his arms and he noted she wasn't breathing, so he desperately needed to get her to the shore, but they were in the middle of the river and the current was strong.
Ken managed to get the young girl to an exposed rock close to the edge of the river., it wasn't easy to hold onto her and swim at the same time against the current but he managed by sheer will.
Finally Ken pushed her up onto the rock and then he climbed up behind her. He worked fast to administer first aid as he emptied her lungs of water and began to give her the breath of life.
After what seemed like an eternity she began to breathe again, she opened her eyes and for a split second as she tried to focus on him with a pair of familiar green eyes. He didn't have time to notice the face of the young girl who looked to no more than ten years old.
"Jun!" He said without thinking.
"I don't know you…" She croaked as he stared at her.
"I…ahhh." He had to think quickly. "We have get off this rock, now I need you to hold onto me tight…"
She nodded weakly at his request and he put his arms around her tiny waist and helped back into the current as he made his way back to the side of the river.
She passed out again from exhaustion so he pulled her up onto the bank of the river. He was exhausted himself but he picked her up in his arms and he walked back along the river bank, he managed to pick up his water flask that he had abandoned in his rescue and headed back to the cave.
When he finally got there he assessed her as Akiya watched him with hawk like intent as wrapped a blanket around Jun and placed her close to the small fire. He watched her young face in the flickering light as she lay still unconscious from the almost drowning. Her heart shaped face and soft white silky skin framed with hair so black it gave of greenish highlights. She was so tiny as a ten year old girl with small delicate hands and big innocent green eyes and a soft nature that had a spark to it when she got angry.
But she looked now, as he remembered Jun as a young boy seeing her for the first time…
He wondered then if she was tough enough to handle the training schedule that Dr.Nambu had outlined to them, but after the first day when she floored him with a move he didn't anticipate they became good friends after that, and they found that they worked well together as a team, within a team, she even began to hang out with him and Joe and as kids the three of them could get up to a lot of mischief around the mansion.
Those days were full of fun despite the long hours they all spent training together.
He was snapped back to the present by the slight twitching of her eyelid as her lashes moved like tiny fine black feathers against her porcelain skin.
He stole a glance at Akiya but she had retreated into the shadows for some reason, like she just wanted to observe them.
Jun opened her eyes slowly, and then he watched a slight panic take over as the little girl looked at her surroundings and at him.
"You're the man who pulled me out of the river." She stared at him openly with wide eyes of wonder as Ken stood up.
"Yeah that was me, what were you doing there?" He enquired casually.
"I was collecting rocks…for my, ahhh never mind. Where am I?" She sat up and pushed away the blanket.
"You're in a cave, I didn't know where to take you because you passed out, but I have to get you back home little girl. I'm sure your parents are missing you by now…" He knew someone would have to be getting worried about her, although he knew she was an orphan it was better not to let on that he knew her. Ken figured it would raise to many questions and it could disrupt things in the future for her, if he hadn't done too much of that already.
"No one will miss me…except maybe Jin…well I'm just an orphan in place that houses one hundred other kids just like me." She looked so sad as she spoke.
"Don't say that…what's your name?" He asked quietly.
This time her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she looked at him. "You said my name before I passed out…how you know me?"
He should have known not underestimate her, Jun was sharp and should have realized she'd remember something like that.
"You looked like a friends daughter…she's called Jun, and when I first looked at you I thought you was her, but she's a bit older and realized my mistake later." Ken knew it was a dodgy cover, and a lie, but would have to do for now.
"Well…My name is Jun." She told him as she stood up and adjusted her damp plain cotton dress. "I don't know my last name, so it's just Jun."
"Damn it…" She bit her bottom lip in worry. "I lost my shoe…Maggie won't be happy with me."
Ken laughed out loud at her worried expression- he had seen that expression on an older version of this girl when she lost a much more important shoe in an amusement park many years later.
"Stope laughing at me, you don't know what she's like…" Jun's tone him she didn't like Maggie.
He picked up some food from his pack and he offered her some. Jun took the dried biscuit and ate it fast.
"This is good…" She said with a full mouth and she looked at his bag for more. The biscuits were home made by Ryu's mother, so he pulled out another one.
Well thanks for the biscuit I have to be going…my brother needs me." She announced and she ran out the cave entrance.
Akiya was now taking an interest. "You mate is not mature in this time, but really Ken the Eagle…you should at least not let her run off in the dark alone like that." She pointed out to him.
He hesitated for a minute. "Ahhh… what the heck," he sighed in defeat and he ran out of the cave after her…