Seeing the Sun

Chapter.

A/N: Just sitting here, wondering if anyone's noticed the abnormal chapter names... They started at nine, but skipped out a bit after 15... I get bored. Oh, and xXSilverFireHawkXx, you're free to hug Kannibal any time. Just don't sue me if he bites your face off. It was your idea, after all. Hm..

She doesn't admit it, but she feels horrible.

Maybe it's the lack of sleep catching up with her, or maybe the medicine isn't strong enough anymore. She needs five at once, now. In all actuality, it's probably both. Maybe the cigarettes, too. But that should have happened long ago. Not now.

But it feels like shit.

Her markings feel like she's constantly being jabbed with needles, the stinging pain becoming very hard to ignore at times. It was just a little burn before. Her eyes feel heavy, but she feels like she has to keep them up. She can feel the anger inside of herself, feel the heat of it.

Meg sees her, slouching as she sits on the bench. She looks miserable. Her dog is looking up at her worriedly as she scratches it's head. Slowly, she walks up to Jo. Jo's gaze travels to her love's face, and she smiles. Her jacket is off, saving a spot for the red-head. Jo moves it away for her.

"Say, Jo," Meg looks off into the sunset, "why don't you ever look at the sun?"

"Hm?"

"You never look at the sun, you don't like being in the sun, and you keep to the shadows. But it's so pretty. So why?" Meg looks at Jo, curious. "Why don't you seeing the sun, Jo?"

Jo thinks for a bit. "It's too happy."

There's something to the tone of her voice...

"Liar," accuses Meg.

Running a hand through her short silver hair, Jo chuckles. "Yeah, pretty much." She glances, for just a bit, into the sunset. "It reminds me of someone."

"Who?" A face flashes in her mind again. "Maria?"

"Yeah."

"Why would that be a bad thing?"

"You're not ready to hear that yet." Jo leans back, closing her eyes, and Kannibal seems to slouch a bit. "I'll just stick to saying that my last memory of her is a bad one. Let's leave it at that, okay?"

Jo leans on Meg, resting her head on the younger girl's shoulder. Yet somehow, in any state, Jo still seems to be protecting her.

"You should stop fighting."

Jo fumbles with her cigarette, dropping it on the floor. She stamps it out, clearly not wanting to start a fire in her room. Yet. "That may be the weirdest thing I've ever heard you say, Meg," she comments as she lights up another, blowing out smoke.

"Well, your markings hurt, don't they?" Meg is worried. She worries too much. "And you use them when you fight, so wouldn't it be better to stop, just for a little?"

"No can do," Jo states. "You see, Meg, I'm in a death-die situation right now. If I stop fighting for the syndicate, they'll take away my medication and I'll die because of the sickness these give me. If I keep fighting for the syndicate, then death will eventually find me or I'll end up being eaten up by it. So really, I have no choice but to die. I figure the second option is the least painful. You have no idea how bad it feels to get sick."

Meg looks down, and then in the general direction of the door. "Then can we at least go for a ride? Not going insanely fast?"

"I guess I have to give you something." Jo stands, holding out a hand to Meg. "Let's go."

"Stop here."

"Why- Oh, I see. This was your plan the whole time now, wasn't it?"

It's a cliff, directly facing the sunset. Meg gets off of the bike and sits down, looking into the fiery blaze. Jo smirks, sitting so that she's back-to-back with Meg. "I'm not looking." She can still feel the dying heat of it, just a bit. "Nope. Not looking."

"I don't care if you look. It's just good to see, and I'm happy you're here."

"Good, because if you made me look my eyes just might burn."

"Way to kill the mood."

"I kill a lot of things," jokes Jo. "Let's just add that to the list."

Meg chuckles, wanting to turn to look at her. But she loves watching the sun set, and she won't stop looking at it until it's sunken into the ocean. Her resolve shatters when she has a thought.

She won't be able to keep Jo forever.

The sun will continue shining long after she dies, but Jo's living on borrowed time. Like the silver-haired girl had said earlier, it was a die-death situation. Either way, she was going to die. If it wasn't for either of those reasons, then lung cancer. Smoking would catch up to her eventually.

As she has these thoughts, she turns around and embraces Jo, crying slightly.

"What's wrong, Meg?" asks Jo, awkwardly returning the hug. "You were happy a second ago."

"Jo, do me a favor."

"What's the favor?"

"Don't die anytime soon," begs Meg. "I don't want you to die."

Jo's cold red eyes soften, closing as she presses her lips onto the top of Meg's head. "I didn't plan on it, Meg."

They sit in silence, both facing away from the sun. Eventually, Meg falls asleep. A soft smile forms on Jo's lips as she picks up the sleeping red-head bridal style, walking over to the bike. She makes sure Meg is safe before slowly driving towards the girl's house.

"Meg, wake up."

Meg slowly opens her sapphire eyes, adjusting to the darkness a bit. She's in her own house, and of course Jo hasn't turned the light on yet. She chuckles at this, reaching past Jo for the switch. Jo rolls her eyes, saving her the trouble and reaching back to flip it on herself. Meg is resting with her head on Jo's lap, the later looking down on her with a smirk and kindness in her eyes.

"Morning already?" Meg asks.

Chuckling, Jo shakes her head. "No. Well, really early in the morning, in a sense. Three A.M." An almost child-like excitement sparks in Jo's eyes. "And it's raining. That's the most important part. It's raining, Meg." She extends a hand. "Let's go."

"Jo, you'll get sick."

"It feels great, to me."

Meg is standing under a clear umbrella, while Jo (refusing to go under it) takes off her jacket and watches the lights dance on the streets. A smile, not Meg's smile, forms on her lips. If Meg closes her eyes, she sees the same smile on a different girl. Jo, but happier. No scars. Long hair.

Kid Jo.

But then she opens her eyes, drops her umbrella, and hugs her Jo.

She really does like the rain.

A/N: Oh, I haven't forgotten about the rest of Jo's past. I just like making you people wait. :D