Part III-JINPEI'S JOURNAL
Jinpei's buggy pulled into the garage at the Snack J where he sat alone and sullen in his gloomy temper. He was glad that Jun decided to go for a ride on her motorcycle after the grief counseling at ISO, he really wanted to be alone after his session. He was thoughtful about and more than a little annoyed by the session with the counselor, not liking his probing questions which bordered on nosiness. What right had he to question the Great Swallow of Gatchaman about his family? And what did writing in a journal hope to accomplish?
With an exasperated sigh, Jinpei headed into the door that led right up to his and Jun's living quarters above the Snack J. He climbed the stairs and briefly checked the answering machine in the living room for messages. Seeing none, he made his way to his room, tossing a black leather bound book on his desk closing the door none too gently. He frowned darkly as he flung himself on his bed muttering about the utter pointlessness of the task before him. After moping for an indeterminate amount of time, Jinpei sighed heavily, jumped off his bed, reluctantly approached his desk, sat down, and cracked open the book. He picked up a pen and began to write.
This is so stupid! Writing down about how I feel about being on the team. What the hell does he mean by telling me to do this? Even in school, when I had to write some dumb composition, the teacher never asked me to share about my being the Swallow, that was private. After all, I was helping to keep her, her family and friends safe from Galactor and that scumbag Katse. So what's the deal with this guy? Doesn't he know that me, onechan, aniki, Ryu, and Joe-aniki were the guardians of his peace and well-being? What an idiot!
My family is my family. Onechan and me have been together since she found me in the Himalayas at the foot of Mount Jupiter when I was a baby. She took care of me even when the monks found us and brought us to that orphanage where Hakase found us. When me and onechan were brought to Utoland by Hakase, we had hopes of being adopted and joining a real family. Hakase tried to find a home that would take both of us, but he couldn't so because we refused to be apart, he agreed to keep us at his home. We were so happy 'cause we wanted to be with aniki, Joe-aniki, and Ryu, they were like our real big brothers. They pushed Hakase into bringing us into the team 'cause we had proved to them that we could do the Art as well as them, he didn't want to 'cause I was only seven and oneechan was a girl. So we all became the mighty Kagaku Ninjatai.
Ryu has been my best buddy and the greatest. He often takes me out on his boat with him and I can fish almost as good as him. He plays video games with me and taught me how to sail on an old skiff he fixed up. I even talk to Ryu about things I can't say to onechan because she's a girl or to aniki because he's so dumb about some things, especially girls and Ryu has good sense even he looks like he's dumb. Ryu even helped me with a problem I had in school with some bully who liked the same girl as me. Like I said, he's the greatest.
Aniki is terrific too but I'm not as close to him as I am to Ryu. He's like an older brother, telling me to buckle down and do well in school, not to talk back to onechan, and to pick up my room even though I've seen how he keeps his shack and he should talk! If onechan didn't go over there once a week to clean up after him, he'd be living in a roach nest. He doesn't even pay his bill at the Snack! But he is my commander when we go up on missions so I look up to him. He's a really great leader except sometimes when he does dumb things. Like the time he made us give him our bracelets on a mission 'cause we didn't want Galactor to know who we were as we went among the crowd in Lawnpark City. Me and onechan almost died when we were caught by Galactor and tied up in those coffins. But him and Joe-aniki found us and rescued us to I guess he was right. Onechan agreed with him and wouldn't let me say anything to him about it when we got back, she's always agreeing with him no matter how wrong he is. She's got the major hots for aniki anyway and he does for her though he doesn't show her, I know he does. He doesn't know that I've caught him staring at onechan whenever she's busy doing the dishes behind the bar with his big blue puppy-dog eyes and I saw once how he leans over the counter to gawk at her when she bends down to pick up something she drops, what a perv! I even heard him whisper to Joe when we were all at the beach once that he thought onechan was really cute in her red bikini. He should just ask her to go out with him and get busy!
Now that jerk counselor says I have to talk about Joe-aniki and how I feel about him being dead. I screamed at the dumb-ass that Joe isn't dead, he found a way to escape and we'll find him. If anyone could beat Galactor and be as hurt as he was and live, Joe-aniki could! He's the toughest guy I know even tougher then aniki-nothing scares him and especially not Galactor. He's vowed to destroy them at all costs and avenge the death of his parents for as long as I've known him but he wouldn't let them get him, I know it. Joe and me kind of were funny, not buddies like me and Ryu and not all anal like aniki. We'd trade insults and disses with each other and he'd yell at me sometimes but he always pulled me out of jams on missions and sometimes let me stay at his trailer when I needed to get away from onechan and Ryu wasn't around. I remember that he didn't want me and onechan to join the team at first. Then we proved ourselves to him during training and he accepted us but still made cracks about having a woman and a boy on the team. He could be a real asshole at times but he is basically a good guy, helping aniki keep his head after his father, Red Impulse died. He's alive somewhere, I just know it and we're gonna find him!
Well, that's all I feel like writing for now so if that counselor don't like it, tough crap!
-Me
Jinpei put the pen down and closed the journal with a sigh. He wondered where Jun was and when she was coming home because he was getting hungry and he wanted to start dinner. He was worried about her because the other night when Ryu brought him home, they found her sitting on the floor up against the jukebox, her head buried in her arms. Ryu had to carry her upstairs and Jinpei had to put her nightgown on. Jinpei remembered being furious at Ken, because he had promised that he'd look after her while he was gone but when Ryu and him got there she was all alone and looked like she'd been that way for a while. The next day, she'd acted like nothing had happened and was close-mouthed about why she was on the floor the night before so Jinpei decided to let the matter drop and with the exception of basic questions and answers having to do with everyday living, they did not converse.
Jinpei frowned determinedly and figured that he'd best go start dinner even if Jun was still out or he'd never eat. He headed for the kitchen to do that, fighting a rising sense of worry for his older sister.
Jinpei's buggy pulled into the garage at the Snack J where he sat alone and sullen in his gloomy temper. He was glad that Jun decided to go for a ride on her motorcycle after the grief counseling at ISO, he really wanted to be alone after his session. He was thoughtful about and more than a little annoyed by the session with the counselor, not liking his probing questions which bordered on nosiness. What right had he to question the Great Swallow of Gatchaman about his family? And what did writing in a journal hope to accomplish?
With an exasperated sigh, Jinpei headed into the door that led right up to his and Jun's living quarters above the Snack J. He climbed the stairs and briefly checked the answering machine in the living room for messages. Seeing none, he made his way to his room, tossing a black leather bound book on his desk closing the door none too gently. He frowned darkly as he flung himself on his bed muttering about the utter pointlessness of the task before him. After moping for an indeterminate amount of time, Jinpei sighed heavily, jumped off his bed, reluctantly approached his desk, sat down, and cracked open the book. He picked up a pen and began to write.
This is so stupid! Writing down about how I feel about being on the team. What the hell does he mean by telling me to do this? Even in school, when I had to write some dumb composition, the teacher never asked me to share about my being the Swallow, that was private. After all, I was helping to keep her, her family and friends safe from Galactor and that scumbag Katse. So what's the deal with this guy? Doesn't he know that me, onechan, aniki, Ryu, and Joe-aniki were the guardians of his peace and well-being? What an idiot!
My family is my family. Onechan and me have been together since she found me in the Himalayas at the foot of Mount Jupiter when I was a baby. She took care of me even when the monks found us and brought us to that orphanage where Hakase found us. When me and onechan were brought to Utoland by Hakase, we had hopes of being adopted and joining a real family. Hakase tried to find a home that would take both of us, but he couldn't so because we refused to be apart, he agreed to keep us at his home. We were so happy 'cause we wanted to be with aniki, Joe-aniki, and Ryu, they were like our real big brothers. They pushed Hakase into bringing us into the team 'cause we had proved to them that we could do the Art as well as them, he didn't want to 'cause I was only seven and oneechan was a girl. So we all became the mighty Kagaku Ninjatai.
Ryu has been my best buddy and the greatest. He often takes me out on his boat with him and I can fish almost as good as him. He plays video games with me and taught me how to sail on an old skiff he fixed up. I even talk to Ryu about things I can't say to onechan because she's a girl or to aniki because he's so dumb about some things, especially girls and Ryu has good sense even he looks like he's dumb. Ryu even helped me with a problem I had in school with some bully who liked the same girl as me. Like I said, he's the greatest.
Aniki is terrific too but I'm not as close to him as I am to Ryu. He's like an older brother, telling me to buckle down and do well in school, not to talk back to onechan, and to pick up my room even though I've seen how he keeps his shack and he should talk! If onechan didn't go over there once a week to clean up after him, he'd be living in a roach nest. He doesn't even pay his bill at the Snack! But he is my commander when we go up on missions so I look up to him. He's a really great leader except sometimes when he does dumb things. Like the time he made us give him our bracelets on a mission 'cause we didn't want Galactor to know who we were as we went among the crowd in Lawnpark City. Me and onechan almost died when we were caught by Galactor and tied up in those coffins. But him and Joe-aniki found us and rescued us to I guess he was right. Onechan agreed with him and wouldn't let me say anything to him about it when we got back, she's always agreeing with him no matter how wrong he is. She's got the major hots for aniki anyway and he does for her though he doesn't show her, I know he does. He doesn't know that I've caught him staring at onechan whenever she's busy doing the dishes behind the bar with his big blue puppy-dog eyes and I saw once how he leans over the counter to gawk at her when she bends down to pick up something she drops, what a perv! I even heard him whisper to Joe when we were all at the beach once that he thought onechan was really cute in her red bikini. He should just ask her to go out with him and get busy!
Now that jerk counselor says I have to talk about Joe-aniki and how I feel about him being dead. I screamed at the dumb-ass that Joe isn't dead, he found a way to escape and we'll find him. If anyone could beat Galactor and be as hurt as he was and live, Joe-aniki could! He's the toughest guy I know even tougher then aniki-nothing scares him and especially not Galactor. He's vowed to destroy them at all costs and avenge the death of his parents for as long as I've known him but he wouldn't let them get him, I know it. Joe and me kind of were funny, not buddies like me and Ryu and not all anal like aniki. We'd trade insults and disses with each other and he'd yell at me sometimes but he always pulled me out of jams on missions and sometimes let me stay at his trailer when I needed to get away from onechan and Ryu wasn't around. I remember that he didn't want me and onechan to join the team at first. Then we proved ourselves to him during training and he accepted us but still made cracks about having a woman and a boy on the team. He could be a real asshole at times but he is basically a good guy, helping aniki keep his head after his father, Red Impulse died. He's alive somewhere, I just know it and we're gonna find him!
Well, that's all I feel like writing for now so if that counselor don't like it, tough crap!
-Me
Jinpei put the pen down and closed the journal with a sigh. He wondered where Jun was and when she was coming home because he was getting hungry and he wanted to start dinner. He was worried about her because the other night when Ryu brought him home, they found her sitting on the floor up against the jukebox, her head buried in her arms. Ryu had to carry her upstairs and Jinpei had to put her nightgown on. Jinpei remembered being furious at Ken, because he had promised that he'd look after her while he was gone but when Ryu and him got there she was all alone and looked like she'd been that way for a while. The next day, she'd acted like nothing had happened and was close-mouthed about why she was on the floor the night before so Jinpei decided to let the matter drop and with the exception of basic questions and answers having to do with everyday living, they did not converse.
Jinpei frowned determinedly and figured that he'd best go start dinner even if Jun was still out or he'd never eat. He headed for the kitchen to do that, fighting a rising sense of worry for his older sister.
