Note: Credit once again to Meian16!

Chapter Thirty-Two

Meanwhile, Jun had made his way back to the tunnels and had arrived at the entrance of Mutopia.

He was feeling rather glad he had helped someone as well as stopped a crime, but he still didn't feel any better from the fact that he was a mutant tiger and that he and Dahlia couldn't go back to their old life.

Running a hand over his head and through his black hair, he wondered whether to confess to Dahlia where he had been if she had even noticed he had gone.

"She may not have noticed?" he thought to himself "But she's not an idiot, and given now she has a new nose and a stronger sense of smell…."

He sighed again.

"I've never kept secrets from her." he said "Never, whether it be my fights or anything else, I can't start now as mutant!"

He pushed the entrance door open and he found himself back in the sanctuary.

He could hear muttering coming from a room on the left as well as some whirring sounds from another.

"Man! She didn't have to be so rough with me!"

Jun raised an eyebrow ridge as he heard Rattletrap's voice and he tiptoed over to the room and saw the scruffy brown rat rubbing his shoulder as well as some bandaged areas on his body.

Jun was surprised but he kept quiet and listened to the rat muttering to himself.

"She might have been rough, but she is kinda hot."

Jun narrowed his eyes as he realized he was talking about Dahlia and how given his bandages that she must have patched him up from whatever accident he must have had.

"You were checking out my girl?" he thought and he was sorely tempted to go over and give the rat a piece of his mind, but he stopped himself and pulled away from the door.

"Ugggh! I'm not an over-possessive arsehole!" he thought to himself "but I'll keep an eye on him."

He turned away from the room and walked down the corridor to get to the main village.

As he went around the corner, he saw someone appear but he wasn't quick enough to stop himself and he bumped into them!

"Hey!"

"Sorry!" Jun said quickly yet as he looked at the figure he saw it was Dahlia!

"Alex!" he cried as he saw his wolf girlfriend "I mean, Dahlia!" he corrected himself

"Jun!" Dahlia exclaimed "Where have you been?"

Jun cursed silently as he had hoped he could sneak back to their room then go and look for her, but that hadn't been the case.

As he looked at her, he noticed that she wasn't dressed in her usual clothes, but rather she was wearing purple scrubs!

The last time he had seen her in those or her nurse's uniform was when he saw her at the hospital when he visited her at lunchtimes.

"Where did you get those scrubs?" he asked.

"James." Dahlia said "That rat, Ryan or Rattletrap, whatever they call him had an accident and I helped the chimpanzee doctor in his practice."

"Makes sense." Jun muttered when he thought back to what he saw earlier.

"Where have you been?" Dahlia repeated "You weren't in bed when I awoke and I couldn't find you here."

She eyed her tiger boyfriend as he rubbed the back of his neck, she could tell that he had been doing something she wouldn't approve of as he always rubbed the back of his neck when he was feeling guilty or awkward.

Jun sighed as he saw the look on Dahlia's face and he knew he couldn't lie to her.

"I just needed time to get my head straight" he admitted "And some fresh air so I went above ground to the city." he blurted out.

"Wait what?" Dahlia asked "You went topside?! Jun!"

"Yes I did!" Jun shot back "Being cooped up here...just wasn't doing it for me, you know? I had to get out!"

Dahlia frowned then looked around then up at Jun.

"Does anyone know you left?" she demanded.

Jun shrugged.

"I don't know. I left while everyone else was sleeping." he replied.

Dahlia sighed exasperated.

"Jun! You could have been seen!" she then paused "You weren't seen were you?" she asked hoping that he hadn't.

Jun went a bit pink as well as felt himself get hot.

"Well, yeah and no." he muttered.

Dahlia narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean, yeah and no?" she said in a low voice and Jun knew that voice, it was the 'you better tell me the truth or there's trouble.'

Jun looked her in the eyes.

"Could we talk somewhere more private?" he asked.

Dahlia frowned but she nodded.

"Sure!" she said then gestured with her head.

"Where we going?" Jun asked.

"There's the temple of the Well." Dahlia answered "I was shown it earlier, it's one of the most sacred and private places in this place."

"Okay?" Jun said as he saw Dahlia hold out her hand and he took it and they walked together.

It didn't take them long and they soon arrived at the temple of the well and walked down a long rocky tunnel to get to it.

Jun blinked as he looked at the room that was lit up with the same crystals from outside as well as the different words and runes on the walls.

he was curious to know what they were and what they stood for, but he decided to ask their question later as he knew he had to face the music with Dahlia.

"We'll be fine here," Dahlia reassured Jun.

"No-one comes in here often, unless it's Tyroth, he comes to meditate here sometimes, he told me so."

"Hmm I see" Jun mused.

"Now that we're alone." Dahlia said, her voice low and serious "What happened up there?"

Jun chewed his lip.

"When I got up there." he said "I spent a good bit of time just wondering the streets, staying out of sight and just...thought to myself as I just went." he added quickly to which Dahlia nodded, the frown still present on her face.

"Saw so many people and...couldn't help but think of how good they have it, being able to do things that we can't anymore." Jun went on "Window shopping, eating out, going to the movies…"

Dahlia's frown softened as she heard that and she sighed.

"I can understand that." she said "I never realized how many things I took for granted as a human…."

Jun nodded and carried on talking.

"Eventually I found my way up onto the roof of an electronics store. And I just, well, sat there, just thinking. Lost track of time and before I knew it, the sun had gone down."

Dahlia sighed again as her initial anger towards her boyfriend leaving Mutopia faded and she started to understand why he had left.

"You had your reasons Jun.…" she said.

"Thought about so much...mom, dad, Bobby, Chrissy...you and your parents too…" Jun went on and Dahlia felt her eyes sting as she thought of her mother and stepfather, and she remembered that Hugh hadn't come to them about whether they had been informed or not.

"And it was then that I heard something from below. I looked and saw some gang members breaking into the place." Jun continued then paused as he saw Dahlia's head shoot up and her eyes widened.

"Gang members? Wait, you didn't?" she asked then looking at her boyfriend's face, his eyes didn't lie.

"You did…" she said.

"I couldn't just sit there and do nothing while they robbed the place!" Jun defended.

"You confronted them?!" Dahlia exclaimed "You let yourself be seen!?"

"Of course I did!" Jun snapped "What was I meant to do? Someone needed to put them in their place!"

Dahlia sighed.

She knew it was pointless arguing with him about it.

Even as a human, there had been times he had gotten involved with crime, not as a law breaker but as a vigilante and sometimes he had ended up on the wrong side of the law because of it or coming home with bruises and cuts she had to take care of.

It seemed that even as a mutant he wasn't going to change.

"You did? you stopped them?" she asked.

Jun nodded.

"They were run of the mill thugs. Nothing too bad to worry about, besides the fact that there were four of them, and besides, as frustrated and angry as I've been, it was a bit on the therapeutic side."

Dahlia said nothing as she listened.

"But in all seriousness," Jun continued. "I just couldn't stand the thought of those guys robbing the place and just thinking they could get away with it! Especially since those who own the shop have worked hard and are trying to make a decent living!"

Jun then saw Dahlia lift her hand and she stroked his cheek.

"You've always been a man of justice," she said with a small smile "I remember you did similar things in the past, even helping out Bobby…"

Feeling relieved that Dahlia wasn't angry with him anymore, Jun placed his hand over hers.

"Yeah...after I stopped them, I searched them for any ID but got nothing. Instead, I took all the money they had and made a call to the police about them trying to rob the place."

"You did?" Dahlia asked.

"Uh huh." Jun replied "Afterwards I started to head back here but…" he paused again.

"But what?" Dahlia asked her eyes narrowing again.

"I saw a homeless family in an alley...a mother and her kids…" Jun said "Shivering from the cold and….and."

Dahlia cocked her head as she listened.

"It hurt my heart so much, seeing that family Iike that...the kids were looking in a dumpster trying to find food and clothes.…" the tiger went on and Dahlia's faced softened again

"Oh Jun…" she said, her eyes shining.

"I wanted to do something, anything to help them." Jun said "So that money I took from the robbers? I gave it all to that family."

Dahlia blinked and pride swelled within her hearing her boyfriend was so generous.

Not that he wasn't generous or charitable, since he was always helpful to those that needed it despite the fact he was a dangerous fighter.

"You did? Oh Jun.…"

"I had no use for the money" Jun shrugged "And they were in much more need of it."

Dahlia gave a small smile as her eyes shone bright and damp with pride.

"I always admired you for that hun, putting those more needy first, and you did it again, as a mutant."

"It was only the right thing to do." Jun said.

"And I'm proud of you!" Dahlia smiled and cupped his cheeks.

"You're not only the toughest and bravest, but the sweetest man I know."

Jun blushed and leaned into her hands.

"I only did what was right." he said "Even if I was foolish to go topside and risk being seen."

Dahlia nodded.

"It was foolish." she said "But now come to think of it, if anyone did see you, its not like they would be believed, would they?"

"true that." Jun said then put his arms around Dahlia and hugged her.

"I'm sorry if I made you worry babe." he said.

"Its okay." Dahlia said as she hugged him back.

After all he had told her, she couldn't continue to stay mad at him, yet she was worried that despite the fact he had been lucky this time, he might not be a second time.

"Jun." she said as she held him close.

"As much as what you did was honourable, and brave, if you're going to go topside you need to let us know."

Jun groaned slightly.

"So now I have to let people know about these kinds of things?" he asked as he gently pulled back and looked at Dahlia.

"I can take care of myself and know how to stay out of trouble."

"I know that." Dahlia replied "And I trust you to do so, but we're not in the human world anymore, we're here in this sanctuary and we have to follow rules."

Jun grunted as his ears twitched.

He didn't like the fact that they now had to follow rules now they were in this sanctuary, but he took a deep breath and tried to focus as he kept his eyes on the woman, or rather wolf he loved as well as thought about the other inhabitants in Mutopia and how it wasn't just him who had had his life changed so dramatically.

Dahlia noticed him tense and she stroked his shoulders.

"Look Jun, if it's really bothering you, we could speak to Old George or Tyroth?"

Jun frowned.

"Them?" he asked.

"They are the founding father and leader of this place." Dahlia said "And I'm sure they'll listen to you and your feelings if you talk to them?"

Jun sighed.

he wasn't sure if talking to the dragon and the elderly turtle would help, but it couldn't hurt, and maybe if they heard his story, they could give him permission to do so, given how he had learned that some of the mutants, like Cam and Barry went topside to salvage.

"Okay." he said "Lets do it."

Dahlia smiled.

"Great." she said "Lets go and find them." and she took Jun's hand and lead him out of the Temple back to the main village.

Jun's returned from his topside adventure and told Dahlia about it, and they're going to speak to Tyroth or Old George about what happened.