Seeing the Sun
Chapter... I give up with the numbers...
A/N: No reviews since chapter 20... but I must finish this story!
"Jo, you okay?"
Jo, paler than she used to be, with a worse fever and a more painful scar, looks at her girlfriend. "Yeah," she assures the redhead. "I just... feel like I've been gone for a while, is all," she admits, looking out the window.
"Of course you've been gone for a while," says Meg. "It's been how long?"
"I... actually, I don't know." She looks out the window, onto the ground. "I don't keep track. I think... six years?" Meg's never seen Jo so spaced out before. Usually she's focused. Much more so than she is now. "I admit, I was kind of hoping not to come back again."
"Thanks for taking me, anyways."
"You'd be safer here," says Jo, and Meg smiles a bit because she swears she sees her blush.
Sei and Amy sit across the aisle, Amy somehow having internet connection and typing away. She looks up at Sei. "You sure she'll be okay here?" she asks quietly, although knowing Jo is distracted by the laugh attack Meg seems to be having. "We both know she has a bad history with this."
"I told her Bai-lan wanted us here, and she agreed immediately," counters Sei. "But I can tell she doesn't like taking orders from them."
They unbuckle as the jet lands in America.
"Jo?"
Jo is stopped, standing on the sidewalk, eyes on a hill that is cleared of all trees and grass. She turns, walking toward it. Meg is relieved that no cars came when she did, because she's pretty sure Jo would've crushed them. Every movement Jo makes as she approached the hill is full of emotion, something unlike her. Anger. Nostalgia, of sorts. And determination.
Meg follows her (looking both ways when she crosses the street, of course), wondering why she's heading their. The dirt is gray in color, reminding her of ash. She looks at Jo, confused, as if waiting for an explanation. But the look in Jo's eyes is the exact same as it was when she sat with Meg on the bench, talking about Maria.
Oh. Tales of the past.
They walk to the top of the hill, and Jo's eyes seem to see something that's not there for a few seconds. Then she continues, heading down to the opposite end, stopping at the end. She kneels down, not quite praying but being respectful. Any other feeling is gone now. Jo looks sad.
"Jo," begins Meg. "Where's your home?"
"My current home is in Japan, on the other side of the world," answers Jo. "My old one..." her eyes trail back up the hill.
Oh. Oh. That would explain most of it. Jo's sadness, the ashy colors, the kneeling, that sad look. But it doesn't explain the scars. The power. Why she knew how to fight. Why she went to Japan. It's as if it were a word, but not a complete sentence. It's the truth, it's just not the whole truth.
Jo does that a lot.
Jo looks lost in thought as she looks at the sign of the corporation, almost confused. Her fingers trace it on the paper, trying to place it somewhere in her memory. Eventually, she gives up, turning to Sei, who has been watching Jo with mild interest. "NTNW? What does that mean?"
"Neuro Tech Nano Works," explains Sei, also eyeing the logo. "That's the company Bai-Lan wants to work with."
"So all I have to do is watch from afar and make sure nothing goes wrong, right?"
"Yes, that's the plan."
"Sounds easy enough."
This was the reason they were in America. This was the reason Jo had to look at her past. Because Katsumi wanted them to make sure everything went smoothly. Because Katsumi was too weak to do so himself. And that, was where Jo's hate for him was rooted. In his weakness. Not because he was weak, but he had the gall to make himself appear powerful even as he cowered before any sort of danger.
Sei, sensing Jo's bad mood, continues talking about the mission, not wanting to prod. "It will take place tomorrow, Jo. Be ready."
It is too good to be back in Japan.
The mission had been uneventful, no one even showing up to interrupt Katsumi's meeting. It angered Jo even more because she had gone to America for no reason. There was one good thing about it, and the reason it was good was simple.
Meg was ready, now, to hear of her past.
As her and the redhead ride on her bike, she thinks about it. Meg is ready now. She can tell. Also, Meg genuinely wanted to know, so telling her was just that much more necessary now. She looks over her shoulder quickly so as not to crash as they speed down the street, the wind pushing her forward and back at the same time. It's an odd feeling, but she enjoys it.
She stops, the bike reacting instantly. Meg lets out a startled yelp, almost flying. She actually would've if not for her tight grip on Jo, who is grinning at her as she slowly detaches the woman's arms from around her waist, not quite wanting her to let go but knowing it has to be done if they want to move anytime soon.
They sit by the cliff that overlooks the sunset, Jo reluctantly looking at it. She does not squint, her pupils becoming pinpricks in it's golden, fiery color. Her hair seems to turn into a nova, the light setting it aflame in orange color. Meg takes a moment to watch, stunned, at how amazing Jo looks in the sunset.
"Meg," the redhead snaps out of it as Jo speaks, sitting down next to her. Jo continues. "It's about time you heard the rest of my past."
A/N: It's short, it's short, IT'S TOO GOD DAMN SHORT, I KNOW. But, I will make up for it with the fourth part of Jo's Past. That, should be long.