Chapter 40
The bright sunlight streamed in through the window's on board the ship. They rarely opened the portals for the windows and Jun was glad Ryu suggested they do it before they went to sleep. The natural warmth of the sun left her feeling refreshed and ready to start the day anew.
A childish giggle over the other side of the room caught her attention.
Joe was sitting next to Jason throwing shuriken at the back of Jinpei's leather chair which Joe had drawn a target circles on it including a bullseye. So far three were sticking out of the bullseye. Those had to be Joe's throws.
"Now this is how you do it…" Joe said picking up his little hand he placed the feather dart into his palm, he leaned in closer and helped him throw it. The dart missed and fell close to Jinpei's feet.
Jason squealed with delight and clapped his hands and ran over to pick it up causing the Swallow to stir.
"Joe that's dangerous, you can't let him play with Shuriken…" Jun's disapproving tone made Joe sigh heavily.
"I had to entertain him somehow, he's been awake since the crack of dawn, and I was the one he woke up to play with." Joe said in his defence as he carefully pried the feather Shuriken out of Jason's hand. This caused the small boy to tear up and he began to cry loudly. Enough to wake up a sleeping Dyami who'd been curled up next to Ken in the far corner of the ship wrapped in his mantle. Ken sat up too, picking up his helmet he rose to his feet and began to straighten up his birdstyle, and place his mantle back around his shoulders.
Jason stomped his foot again and tried to reach for the Shuriken in Joe's hand.
"No Jason, you can't have it, not now anyway…" Joe said putting back inside his mantle away from sight. "Later I promise…we'll play some more with it."
"I want it…I want to play…hate you…" He yelled angrily and stomped his foot again and ran away to sit in the corner and sulk. Dyami quietly walked over to him and sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't do much he just kept Jason company- with a sad haunted expression on his little face.
"You got attitude kid…give ya that much." Joe crossed his arms and looked away from him shaking his head. "We'll find you're parents…don't worry someone must own you."
"It looks like we need to get moving Kamo's just sent a message wanting us back at the base not far from Utoland pronto." A sleepy Ryu said looking at the transmission.
"I have an idea." Ken said making eye contact with Joe and a bright smile spread across his face. "Let's give them both a treat. We split up into our vehicles, Dyami can come with me in the G-1 and Jason can go with you Joe."
"Why not…" Joe agreed grinning at the two traumatised children sitting in the corner.
"Before we do that they need to eat." Jun pointed out leaving the bridge she ran down the hall to their food supply and picked out some cereal and milk and quickly put it into the disposable bowls kept on board for emergencies.
A few minutes later the boys had eaten and they were ready to launch the Gatchasparten.
Mark and Jason watched in awe as the ships engines fired up for take off.
"Kids make a mess when they eat." Joe observed, watching Jun clean up the floor with a cloth. She threw it at him, he ducked and it hit the wall behind him instead.
"That's for standing there watching instead of helping clean it up." She said when gave her a questioning look over her actions.
"Come on Dyami…you and I are going flying." Ken sounded excited for the first time in ages. Jun thought as they all took their places and separation sequence began with the ship.
"Hey Jas, we can out run them in the G-2 what do you say boy…I feel the need for speed!" Joe said wildly picking him up playfully and perching him in his lap as the walls went up around him to form the G-2.
The next few hours brought the greatest joy the five of then hadn't known in what felt like years. She felt like she was transported back to the days before the war began when they first started training together. The carefree days of their youth that she knew would never come again, too much had happened over the years for them to regain the innocence of those days.
She listened to the joyful laughter from Dyami as Ken swooped dangerously low over Joe and Jason in the G-2 as they drove along the vast stretches of the African continent on their way to Jafaru's house.
They all stopped to show them tigers and lions and elephants. Ken would hover low enough for Dyami to see them closer and then he would chase them just above the ground and then fly back higher into the open skies. Joe drove alongside wild running elephants and with a herd of Giraffes. She listened and he told Jason about the mission where they turned into Galactor mecha like it was just a story rather than something that really happened.
She listened to Joe and Ken talking to the boys as they flew. It was like they were trying to teach them their years of experience and skills in only a few hours to two toddlers who barely talk. It warmed her see what kind of fathers they would be one day…She felt so proud of Ken and how he was handling his feelings, knowing it would be his only chance to do this in Dyami's lifetime.
Jason didn't cry or become bored the whole time he was with Joe, and the more reckless Joe became the more he enjoyed it. Dyami was the same in the G-1 with Ken.
Eventually they arrived at their destination. By this time they parked the vehicles in a secret location and hired a car to drive to Jafaru's house. Back in their civilian uniforms both boy's had a nap in the car, exhausted from all of the excitement.