Chapter 21

Flopping onto her bed exhausted Jun tried to blot the last mission from her mind. She needed sleep, not her usual mental wonderings. A dreamless sleep would serve her well.

"Sis," Jinpei knocked quietly on her door.

Jun buried her face into her pillow and didn't respond.

"Sis…" Jinpei opened the door and peered intently through the narrow crack.

Sighing she forced herself to move and sat up on her bed her hair fall haphazardly over her face and around her shoulders.

"What is it Jinpei?" She said flatly.

He swallowed hard before saying what appeared to have been bothering him for sometime.

"Is big bro gonna die… just like Joe did but even worse because-"he blurted out and the words caught in his throat.

"-because is no longer around to change him into a cyborg so at least he'll be still with us." She finished for him.

"Kinda…I…I…just don't think I could handle big bro being dead." He whimpered he began rubbing his thin shoulders like the room temperature suddenly dropped.

Swiftly she leaped off the bed and wrapped her arms around like she did when he was little. He looked so much like a frightened child in that moment instead of the young he was becoming. Every now and them she could hear his voice deepening as he spoke, Joe made fun of one day about it a few months ago. Ken came to the Swallows defence forcing Joe to apologise. Joe did and he ruffled the young teenager's hair playfully. "I was just mucking around Jinpei, there's no need to get all sensitive about it."

Jinpei's eyes brimmed with tears. "We lost em too haven't we…Dyami and his mother and father. Everyone's dying and…I…don't wanna be alone sis…"

"Oh Jinpei don't be so silly, everyone's not dying Jin." Jun lightly scolded the crying Swallow.

"Sis, maybe if you and big bro get back together than he won't die cause he has you to live for." Jinpei brightened at his idea.

Jun felt a hot blush rise to her cheeks at Swallows simple solution to all their problems.

"Jin it's not that simple, it's far more complicated than that-"She began to explain.

"No its not," He declared his voice going up an octave to make his point clearer." You love him and he loves you what's so complicated about that, the only ones not seeing it is you and big bro… I just think you're both stubborn and that's why you broke up in the first place. Just about different things."

Jun didn't know what to say, instead she let go of her brother and walked away from him then she became angry with him and turned to face him with a glowering expression. "Is that why you came here? Just to make me go and beg Ken to take me back?"

"Yes… well I didn't mean beg, just tell him how you feel about him and-"Jinpei stood taller, like he always did when they squabbled.

"I doesn't happen like that Jinpei, we have work to do and now's not the time for any of that." Jun snorted in disgust. Except the nagging tug at her heart when thought about Ken and the way he once touched her…

"Agghhh, why did you have to drag all that up Jinpei? Why." She shouted." I was perfectly fine with how things are…besides he doesn't feel that way about me, he can't feel that way… we just have a strong bond because everything that's happened in the past…"

"Liar…" He said softly." You always have had a thing for big bro…"

"That 'thing' belongs to a sixteen year old girl I used to be Jinpei. I've changed and so has he, we're just not the same people any more. I do still care about Ken a lot I'll always be fond of him. Just…" She couldn't put words to hoe she felt, and why did it feel like a lame excuse for keeping a comfortable distance between them.

"Fond of him? "Jinpei rebuked. "Listen to yourself sis, you're fighting it. It's like the day you discovered he wanted to go off and do things other than stay in Utoland… You got angry with him can called him selfish one day when he was gone, I remember it very well…and then you found out you were pregnant and it was like…like…you became terrified he'd want to marry you or something so you ran away from the only real happiness you've ever had. I thought you wanted to get married and have a family? You know sis you can be just as selfish sometimes."

Jun felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks as he spoke. His words cutting her like a knife.

She didn't want to be the one who held Ken back from doing what he needed to do. She knew his sense of duty drove him and it was part of her attraction to him. If she stopped him, tied him down when he needed to be out saving the world. He'd eventually resent her for it instead of being in love with her and then it would have all fallen apart between them anyway.

"We don't always get what we want Jinpei, one day you'll learn that lesson too." Jun said between ragged breaths, and buried her face into her hands.

"I'm sorry sis." Jinpei let it go. "Sis, I'm so sorry- I didn't want to hurt you." For the first time in his life he was being serious with her, she stared at the boy maturing into a man before her eyes.

"I suppose it's really none of my business, it's only because I love the both of you." He confessed.

"Thanks Jinpei." She said sincerely wiping away her tears and reaching for a tissue. "I can be there for him- you know I won't abandon him. I don't have to be in a romantic relationship to have a bond with him."

"I know." He said softly, the tension running from his voice, the Swallow went into deep thought like he was digesting what she had just said.

"Jun, get down to the medical bay now." Joe's voice came loudly through her communicator.

"What's happening Joe." She said glancing at Jinpei's pale face.

"Its Ken…he collapsed and they're working to try and revive him. The last treatment they just tried could have killed him. They have to find some other way…" Joe sounded livid.

The colour drained from her face and her heart began to race." On our way." Jun replied.

Jinpei didn't wait for her to tell him to move as they both sprinted down the corridor towards the medical bay.