1Chapter 2 Nambu
Disclaimer: If I owned Gatchaman, the Ken/Jun situation would have been solved a LONG time ago. So needless to say, I don't.
Kozaburo Nambu looked up form the report he was reading as someone knocked on his office door, and called out, "Enter!" He was surprised to see Oniishi and Masake slip into the room. He rose from his desk to greet them. "This is a surprise gentlemen. What can I do for you?"
Masake shook his head, "Nothing my friend. We came by to give you this." He handed the scientist an envelope. "Kentaro asked us to give this to you. Call us if you need us." The two men slipped out of the room, leaving Nambu to stare at the missive in his hand.
He sat heavily on the nearby couch, elbows resting on his knees for a few minutes before he hesitantly broke the envelope's seal and pulled out the paper inside. Memories flooded his mind as his eyes scanned the familiar handwriting.
Hello old friend,
Well, you're reading this so I have to assume that things turned out like I expected them to. Yeah, I know that this is going to be my last mission. Even I can't keep dodging death forever. Bet you're glad to finally have this old thorn out of your side.
Nambu smiled wryly, "A thorn you could be my friend, but a welcome one. Damn Washio sense of humor." He continued reading.
Now that I have your undivided attention for once, I'm going to take the opportunity to tell you a few things I've had on my mind. We've been through a lot together Koz, to hell and back. You were the best damned gunner I ever had, even under that stuffy scholar's mask you like to wear. Not to mention my best friend. We've raised our share of hell together, we've watched each other's backs. You were my best man, and godfather to my son. You were next to me when he was born and raised him when I left. I don't know if I ever thanked you for watching over my family for me. If not, then I do now. You took care of Sayuri when I should have been there, and you raised Ken to be a man I'm proud of. I could never repay you for that.
You know better than anyone that I've done a lot I regret. And a lot I regret not doing. I regret leaving my family, even though it couldn't be helped. I regret not being there when Sayuri was ill. I regret having to watch Ken grow up from a distance, through your letters and pictures, rather than being there for everything. Although you've raised him better than I ever could have. I regret not being able to stop this war before it got to the point where our kids were involved. I regret not telling Ken that I was his father, and spending time with him as a parent, rather than an occasional, irritating comrade. And I regret that I won't be there to see him and the others live the lives they deserve when it's all over.
Quite the list isn't it, and that's only part of it. I can't change any of it now however. I only hope that in time I'll be forgiven for the decisions I've made. They may not have been good decisions, but they were what I felt was necessary. Hell, how many times have we had that discussion over the years? Dozens I suppose. You probably think I didn't listen to you all those times you said I should tell Ken who I was, that he'd understand why I did what I did. I listened, but I was afraid.
Yes, you heard me right, I was afraid. I was afraid to see disappointment in my son's eyes when he looked at me. I've failed him as a father, so many times over I've lost count. I failed Sayuri. Hell, I even failed you. Right now I piss Ken off on a regular basis, but he still thinks of me as a hero. And I'd rather he looks at me as the heroic pilot than the father who failed.
Oh, I know you'll tell him who I am after I'm gone, you won't let him live with false hope. Don't you dare try to take the blame for not telling him and have Joe or Jun kick some sense into him if he tries to blame you. It was my decision and my blame to take. His not knowing until after I'm gone will just be one more thing to add to my list. At least I won't have to see the disappointment in his eyes.
You've done a great job with those kids of yours Koz. Every one of them. Don't pass out from shock now, I'm serious. Ken's matured into an able leader, and a man I'm proud to call my son. Joe, despite his attitude, is far more mature than he lets on to be and a far better man than he would have been without your guidance. Jun's turned into a remarkable young woman and warrior. You do realize that you're probably lucky you haven't had to bail one of the boys out of jail for kicking some unsuspecting idiot's ass because they flirted with her, correct? Jinpei's remarkably normal for a child his age who's seen as much as he has. I contribute a lot of that to you. And Ryu has grown more confident in himself and his abilities through you than he ever could have on his own. You've got a great group of kids there, every one of whom regard you as a father in one way, shape or form. Take it from one who regrets losing that privilege, cherish it.
And lastly, I'm going to give you a little advice. Now normally I'd be the last one to attempt to give parenting advice to someone else, but this is on an issue you seem blind to. Things happen for a reason my friend. Years ago I questioned your sanity when you told me you were putting a girl on the team. And for a long time I still doubted the idea, even though Jun proved herself as well as the boys. But we both know now that she's the heart of the team. She's a sister to Ryu and is the one that Joe trusts most. She's both mother and sister to Jinpei. These things you know. But what you don't seem to see is that there's a bond between her and Ken that is very strong. I'm not talking that of a sister and brother either, or of teammates and friends, it goes much deeper than that. The word love describes it well enough.
The normally composed scientist's jaw dropped and a loud, "What the hell?" escaped him, causing his alarmed assistant to look into the room to see what was wrong. He waved her out, trying to comprehend what he'd just read. Kentaro had to have been joking, there were no signs of anything like that between Ken and Jun. Regulations forbid any romantic relationships between team members. He'd made that clear to Ken and Joe both when Jun had joined the team. He continued reading, hoping to read something to help him dispute that last statement.
Listen to me my friend, you know I'm right about this. Either one would take a bullet for the other in a heartbeat, and the loss of one would probably mean the loss of the other soon after. It almost happened once before, remember? Not that either one will admit it, duty and regulations keep it out of the open. Most of the time. But that's not going to last forever. I may have passed my 'duty before all else' attitude onto Ken, much to my regret sometimes, but even that won't hold things back forever. What's meant to happen will happen. My advice to you: when it does, don't try to stop it. Make the possible repercussions clear by all means, but don't try to stop it. If it goes that far, they'd just go behind your back anyways if you forbid it, and the rest of the team would help them. Save yourself a lot of headaches and just support it and be glad for them. They deserve some happiness in this insane life we all live.
Good luck to you my friend, and take care. Keep up the good fight, don't let the enemy win. And I ask you one more time to watch over Ken. He's all yours now Koz. Take care of him for me. Sayuri and I will be waiting for you, but you better not join us for a damned long time. Sayonara, and thank you.
Kentaro
Nambu sat back and absently refolded the letter, lost in thought. Now just how the hell to deal with this little piece of news?
GoldAngel2: I cringe every time I watch those episodes and hear him scream. I'm hoping to acquire the II and F episodes just for the perspective on their interaction. The only dub I saw did no justice. Hope you liked this chapter.
Faux Fox: Thanks, that's the reaction I was going for!
Denise Allen: Glad you like the story. I'll update again as soon as I can wrestle another chapter out of Impulse. He's damn stubborn!
Two down, four to go! Condor's is up next...God help us all...Ja ne!