Given the season, I figured this would make a good prompt: scar Have at it!

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LOL. Joe would want to crash a Bachelorette Party. Soooo, now Ken and Jun are an item, eh? Hmmm, I think it'll be interesting to see where *this* goes (or how long it might last!) Heheh. Is the next installment going to be in the Rubber Room?

Originally posted by Redbird Heheh. Is the next installment going to be in the Rubber Room?

I think there would be a few disappointed fans around here if it wasn't

I think you've gotten to know the folks around here oh-so well, KT!

So much for Ken being the sensible one! I'm glad to see them together, though.

Originally posted by KT1972 I think there would be a few disappointed fans around here if it wasn't

No doubt about that!

Oh yeah! Ken sees sense, and we get to see the Rubber Room again! ETA: Edited because yes, I made a typo in a one-sentence post

Originally posted by Daniella T ETA: Edited because yes, I made a typo in a one-sentence post

Hey, at least it wasn't a one-word post!

Back to an old favourite for this one. It takes place right after the events of "The sky is falling". //"Hey". Princess placed her tray on the table next to Mark's. The cafeteria was almost empty, but she chose to sit next to him. "How are you holding up?" she asked. "It's fine," he muttered, not looking up from his plate. Given the fact that the spag bol was now a congealed mass, she didn't blame him for not eating it. "Do you want to talk?" she ventured, picking at her chicken burger. "You'll be the first to know if I do," he replied, sarcasm deep in his voice. Princess was stung, but tried again. "Look, I know that this scar will take long to heal..." she started. "I know that this scar will take long to heal," mimicked Mark. "What are you now, a shrink?" Princess valiantly continued. "Just do me a favour, right? Put yourself in his place. Just imagine you've got this valuable piece of intel, and you have to act on it, even it means you have to leave your family behind." Mark looked straight into her eyes. "I would never find myself in that situation, Princess. Want to know why? Because I would never fall in love, marry and have a family in the first place!" Princess's back straightened. "I see," she said stiffly, getting up. "Well, if you do want to talk, you know where to find me." Mark, lost in his own grief, took some time to understand why she was walking away. "That's why I can't let myself fall in love with you, Princess," he whispered to her back. "Until this is over."//

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Daniella T ETA: Edited because yes, I made a typo in a one-sentence post

Hey, at least it wasn't a one-word post!

Actually I just realised it was a TWO-sentence post... didn't even the numbers right...

KT: Well, Ken tried to hold off. If he knew about Joe then I think he'd play this differently, but he doesn't know Joe and Jun slept together, so I think it's easier for him to give in to what he really wants. I'm still not entirely convinced that if another attractive guy paid this Jun a lot of attention, she wouldn't be tempted at least. DT: Oopsies. Grief and anger can definitely create a nasty case of foot in mouth disease. Mark's lucky he didn't end up in a mangled knot on the floor.

Originally posted by Daniella T

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Daniella T ETA: Edited because yes, I made a typo in a one-sentence post

Hey, at least it wasn't a one-word post!

Actually I just realised it was a TWO-sentence post... didn't even the numbers right...

Wasn't it a one-sentence post when you edited it, or did you already have the comment about editing it before you actually edited it? (Trying to make yourself seem more pathetic than humanly possible really ticks me off, DT!)

Poor Mark is hurting big time. Can't blame him, though taking things out on the others isn't exactly going to help matters.

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Daniella T

Originally posted by ElectricWhite

Originally posted by Daniella T ETA: Edited because yes, I made a typo in a one-sentence post

Hey, at least it wasn't a one-word post!

Actually I just realised it was a TWO-sentence post... didn't even the numbers right...

Wasn't it a one-sentence post when you edited it, or did you already have the comment about editing it before you actually edited it? (Trying to make yourself seem more pathetic than humanly possible really ticks me off, DT!)

LOL, when I edited it, it became a three-sentence post.

KT - so now that they are together, will they be able to make it work? and what will Nambu have to say about this turn of events, I wonder? Daniella - Poor Mark, too bad he didn't tell Princess that last part...

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Oh boy, Jason's got Mark on a scavenger hunt, wonder what the prize will be.

Daniella, I can see exactly this kind of thing happening in canon. You've tied it in well with the emotions from the episode! Mylari, Mark must be talented if he can 'tap' on a shower curtain! Seriously though, it looks like Jason anticipated being followed...

oh dear mylari! Whatever Jason's up to, it can't be good.....

LOL - I kind of envisioned that the shower curtain wasn't just fabric, so there would be some sort of noise as he tapped his fingers against it. And yes, I know what the message is and what is in the cooler. I just haven't figured out exactly what Mark is going to do with them yet...

Hope this scavenger hunt doesn't turn out to be a wild goose chase!

Mylari -- good point about Zark Anything BUT speaking to him!

Ken felt as though he was in a centrifuge, and the force was draining his strength. He still strained to hold onto the spinning floor, though it was perfectly still. He could barely maintain his grip, let alone think about how much longer he could last. A hand caressed his cheek and then gently brushed the hair out of his face. "You're making things hard on yourself." Manuel Dolor said in the most tender tone Ken had ever heard, "Please stop fighting this." Suddenly, that sounded incredibly good. Ken heaved an exhausted sigh. Off in the distance -- was it in the distance? Everything sounded like he was submerged in a pool of tapioca pudding -- Ken heard a crash. There were voices and maybe a fight. Then silence. Ken willed himself toward the surface of the pudding pool. A gloved hand touched his cheek. "I'm here, Ken!" Jun? "Stay with me!" Jun! There was more noise. Muffled voices. Ken could just hear Joe yell, "Like hell you are!" There was a thud. Heavy silence. "Joe?" Jun gasped. "Shit," the Condor spat, "I broke his neck." The sound of a woman wailing. Who's that? It didn't sound like Jun. Everything floated away....but they came back. " -- these an antidote?" he heard Joe ask. "¡Yo no se!" a woman shrieked, "He doesn't let me into the room until the boy's dead!" A dreadful thought tried to form in Ken's mind, but then everything drifted away again.... * * * * * Ken could feel a hand gently brush the hair out of his face. The room wasn't spinning. He felt strong. Act now! He didn't even open his eyes as he lashed out and throttled his target. It was all almost instantaneous: there were several shouts, Ken was pushed down and his arms were pinned to his sides, and somebody to his right was sputtering and coughing. Ken opened his eyes, ready to fight whomever was holding him down....and found Joe's eyes looking down at him. "Ken! Snap out of it!" Ken froze as confusion and surprise slammed into him. He then cast his eyes about. He wasn't in the bedroom of the Presidential Palace of Cuauhtmallan. Instead, he was in a hospital room. To his right, Jun was on her knees, coughing and gasping as she grabbed her throat and tears ran down her face. Ryu was on one knee beside her, an arm around her to comfort and stabilize her. Jinpei was just behind them -- shock drained all color from his face as his eyes darted between Jun and Ken. "Oh God, Jun!" Ken sputtered, "I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to...I thought you were -- " "We know." Joe said. Ken's gaze returned to him. "I just...I...I just..." Tears welled up in Ken's eyes. "We know, Ken." Joe replied in a gentler tone as he released his friend. Ryu helped Jun to her feet, and she went right back to Ken's side. Ken started a litany of apologies while Jun did her best to console him while still hyperventilating slightly and being hoarse from Ken's blind attack. Ryu looked back to Jinpei. The boy hadn't moved. The Owl pulled the Swallow out into the hallway. "You okay, buddy?" "Is Aniki gonna be okay?" Ryu had no idea Jinpei could sound so small. "He scared me...he hurt Neechan..." "He's gonna be okay." Ryu replied with a confidence he had to force a little, "When he woke up, he probably thought he was still in Cuauhtmallan -- there's no way he could've known we brought him home." "So," Jinpei slowly said as he thought about this, "he thought he was still in danger and was attacking that creep?" "Exactly. Now, he might have some other things to work through," Ryu added, "but I'm sure we won't see Ken do that again." At least, I HOPE so! he thought -- from what they were able to piece together from what Magdalena knew, Ken could have been through an unimaginable hell, and only being horrendously scarred would be the best possible outcome.

Good thing the others were around! Poor Jun -- just her luck, to get him back and then be attacked for her troubles.

EW: Aaaw, sounds like they got to him just at the right time before things REALLY got bad. Poor everyone. And Ryu handled explaining things to Jinpei really well.

EW, this isn't part of a trend for Ken, is it? He punched that girl (Debbie?) whose father died, and he punched Rumi... quite the trend of violence against women!

Originally posted by Transmute Jun EW, this isn't part of a trend for Ken, is it? He punched that girl (Debbie?) whose father died, and he punched Rumi... quite the trend of violence against women!

I hope not! Though, in Ken's defense, he didn't know he was out of Manuel's oooooh soooooo ultra-creepy grasp when he lashed out.

Glad to see that Ken was rescued in time! Hopefully he won't suffer any permanent aftereffects from that drug. Can totally understand why Jinpei would be so upset, poor kid.