DISCLAIMER: I don't own Heat Guy J; Pioneer/Geneon does. I do, however, own this original story.

Angel/Guardian

By The Lady Razorsharp

For T.

Kyoko yawned and stretched, trying to get the kinks out of her neck. She glanced at the clock on the upper right hand corner of her monitor, and had to do a double-take to make sure her blurry vision informed her correctly. 10:30! No wonder I'm so stiff; I've been hunched over my terminal for—she did a brief mental calculation, sighing unhappily at the result—13 hours today. She pushed her chair back from her desk, unable to stifle another yawn. Grampa is going to have a fit.

Daisuke, on the other hand, had bugged out at exactly 5:00, after dumping his activities reports (hastily typed, from what Kyoko could gather by the plethora of spelling errors) wily-nily on her desk. J had been standing in the corner, preparing to shut down for the day, when Daisuke practically bounced out of the tiny office.

"See ya later, Kyoko. Bye, J," he tossed over his shoulder.

"Have a pleasant evening, Daisuke," the gravelly-voiced android returned.

"I plan on it, partner." Daisuke grinned. "Just might be my lucky night." He waggled his eyebrows at J.

The massive android tilted his head to the side a fraction. "A man should make wise choices in order to give him the best possible future," he pronounced solemnly. "Logic determines that 'luck' is the state of well-being or discord resulting from an interconnected, and sometimes unconscious, series of choices."

Daisuke chuckled. "Geez, J, you just take the fun right out of everything." He gave his partner a jaunty half-salute. "See ya tomorrow."

Kyoko shot out of her chair, banging her fists on her desk. "And just where do you think you're going?" she snarled.

Daisuke looked back at her over the top of his sunglasses and cracked a rakish smile. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Anger and embarrassment dyed Kyoko's cheeks to match her pink-lemonade hair. "Well, I—these activities reports are atrocious," she blurted, shaking the clipboard he'd so unceremoniously dumped on her desk at him. "It's disgusting the way you think it's okay to just trip on out of here and leave me to clean up your mistakes."

The slender blonde turned to face his rampaging officemate. "It's not my fault that you don't have a life other than this place," he shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. "You really should get out more. You don't want to end up like Antonia, practically married to your job, do you?" He tilted his head toward the hulking android. "'Cause no matter how hard you try, it'll never love you back."

Now Kyoko's cheeks were the color of cherries. Antonia Bellucci, the beautiful scientist who designed, built, and maintained J for Judoh's City Safety Management Agency, always lectured Daisuke about how J's damage often resulted from protecting the impulsive young civil servant. Antonia tended to J almost lovingly, treating him more like a person than a potentially dangerous machine. For his part, J was a tamed lion in her hands, politely asking after her health and taking the rough edge out of his voice modulator whenever he spoke to her.

Surely Antonia was only concerned because J was such an important asset to Judoh—not to mention her life's work, Kyoko had told herself. She had almost believed it, too, until Daisuke's thinly disguised comment dragged Kyoko's darkest musings out into the light.

Kyoko wasn't sure what she was angriest about; Daisuke's deliberate toeing of the line when it came to the subject of Antonia and J, or his implications about her own personal life (or lack thereof). "What I do on my own time is none of your business," she replied, her tone so frosty she expected to see her breath. She primly resumed her seat and focused on jogging the sloppy report sheets into a neat pile. "You'd better get going. You don't want to be late for your date with destiny."

"Thanks for reminding me." Daisuke's voice retreated into the distance. "See ya."

As she recalled the conversation, Kyoko found herself getting angry all over again. While Daisuke didn't shine in the procedural day-to-day of the Agency, he was good at his real job—protecting the city of Judoh by halting illegal activity that could escalate into crime. Beyond that, he was looking out for one person and one person only—Daisuke Aurora. What was maddening, Kyoko fumed as she stomped over to his still-running workstation, was how he used his good looks and easy charm to get his way 99% of the time.

After shutting down Daisuke's workstation, Kyoko considered her reflection in the darkened monitor. Despite the frown (leftover from a glimpse of Daisuke's decidedly non-work-safe wallpaper), she felt she would classify as cute. A halo of sleek hair, dyed a fashionable bubble-gum pink, just covered her small ears and curled gracefully on the back of her slender neck. Wide green eyes looked back at her, framed by a delicate fringe of lashes and finely arched brows. Her nose was tilted up a fraction too high to suit her, but her mouth was stylishly pouty, and her chin was determined yet pointed enough to give her an elfin prettiness. I'm not bad to look at, she thought. Just because Daisuke's never noticed doesn't mean I'm ugly.

Then she caught sight of the Beauty Cards pasted on the side of Daisuke's monitor (put there as 'research' during the case, and conveniently never taken down). The candid photos, featuring some of Judoh's loveliest ladies, had been taken secretly by a freelance photographer. The photographer then printed the photos with a decorative backing and distributed them on the black market. In a matter of days, all the men and boys in town were collecting the cards, all feverishly seeking the most coveted card of all—that of the beautiful Antonia Bellucci, captured on her way to work. Kyoko had tried to spend as much time as possible in the plaza, hoping to be one of the subjects, and had gotten teased by Daisuke for her efforts. Then Daisuke figured out that the cards were a catalogue of bomb targets--i.e. the buildings in the background behind the lovely subjects. Kyoko had indeed had her own beauty card, as Daisuke discovered, with the City Safety Management building featured in the background. Just in time, he and J stopped the bomber from destroying the building. Afterwards, Daisuke presented Kyoko with her card—but not before giving Kyoko's likeness a set of cat ears and a throbbing temple vein.

Kyoko tossed her head and rose from the workstation, stowing the chair neatly under the desk. Well, what does he know? I got my own Beauty Card after all, even if he was too immature to appreciate it.

She went back to her own desk to tidy up before leaving, lost in thought. Was beauty a substitute for common sense or a kind spirit? She knew that she would never be as beautiful as Dr. Bellucci, but did that matter? Kyoko was small and compact where Antonia was tall and curvy, though the good doctor usually hid her figure in the folds of a stark white lab coat. Kyoko favored mini-skirts, tights, and sweater sets in shades of pink, with crocheted touches at wrist and collar. With glossy blue-black waves that fell to her trim waist, Dr. Bellucci preferred understated colors, but often wore midnight blue to match her eyes.

Of course, Antonia had other things going for her besides looks; it didn't hurt matters that she drove a screaming red sports car and had a prestigious job. Kyoko rode her bicycle to a job where she slaved away behind a desk and babysat a loose cannon.

Then again, I'm not the one who acts like I'm in love with an android. Kyoko switched off her terminal, watching the many monitors wink out one by one, their darkened screens all reflecting a slight young woman, her brows knitted in thought. It was just sickening, Kyoko decided; Antonia practically had her own fan club, and yet she was hopelessly devoted to a glorified toaster.

Well, Kyoko had to give J more credit than that; he was incredibly lifelike, and that was by design. J could learn tasks and amass incredible amounts of information. His logic patterns gave him the ability to reason and seek the best outcome in a situation. Recently, J had 'learned' how to tilt up one corner of his mouth when appropriate, softening what was normally a stern, craggy appearance. He was unfailingly polite, and modulated his voice when speaking to females. J was governed by Asimov's Three Laws, but even he had admitted that malicious programming could make him a threat to humans. It would have to be the intent of a human to use J to harm other humans, though, and J had always made that fact abundantly clear.

With a shock, Kyoko realized that Antonia's job, while glamorous, probably left little time for a personal life. Antonia saw J on a regular basis—she had created him, for crying out loud, had programmed his thought patterns and sculpted his frame—so it was little wonder that she had strong feelings for him. Glancing at the silent, hulking figure of the android, Kyoko remembered the story of Pygmailion, about a sculptor who fell in love with his creation. It was only a story, a fairy tale; there would be no benevolent goddesses descending from Olympus to turn J into a human, and Kyoko suddenly felt sorry for Antonia.

"Kyoko," a gravelly voice called, and she shook herself out of her reverie.

"What is it, J?"

The android turned his odd golden eyes on her, and she knew he recognized her by the information stored in his databanks about her height, weight, voice patterns, and retinal scan. She also knew that at this moment, he could read her biometrics—heartbeat, respiration, temperature—and check for irregularities. "This is the third night this week that you have stayed at the office for more than three hours past closing time. You need proper rest in order to function optimally in your duty."

Kyoko smiled. "I know, J. Blame it on your partner; he's always creating more work for me." She stood and stretched. "But you're right; I can't be of any use to anyone if I don't stop with the overtime. It's not like Shun—that is, Chief Aurora, will pay me any more for it," she snorted.

"A man should do an honest day's work to earn his living, and not be dependent on others to supply his needs." J swung his gaze back to the wall opposite him. "I shall make a note to speak to Daisuke about shirking his duties and putting unnecessary strain on you."

"Thanks, J. I don't think he'll listen very well, but I appreciate the effort." Kyoko picked up her handbag and retrieved her folding bicycle from the closet. "Well, goodnight J. See you soon."

J's hand fell gently on Kyoko's shoulder—it registered in the back of her head that he could crush her simply by closing his fingers—and stopped her just inside the door. "There is sufficient statistical evidence to suggest that a single female on the street after 10 p.m. is more likely to be attacked than if she is with a male companion." He quirked his 'smile' at her. "Especially if she is a cute angel such as yourself." With a quiet whir of servos, J moved to the coat rack and retrieved his leather fedora. "I will accompany you to your residence. The proximity sensor built into my system will enable me to re-enter the building afterward."

"Oh, you don't have to, J," Kyoko protested. "I'm already disturbing your recharge as it is. Dr. Bellucci will kill me if she finds out you're not getting all the recharge time you need."

"I am sorry, Kyoko." J tapped the button on the door. "That is not logical. You are much more susceptible to injury. I can use my backup batteries if my recharge is interrupted. I will inform Antonia if such action is necessary." He picked up her bicycle as easily as a child picking up a toy. He stepped out of the doorway and motioned her through. "Ladies first."

Kyoko couldn't help smiling at him. "Why, thank you J."

"It's a nice evening," Kyoko remarked as she and J stepped onto the sidewalk. She tipped her head back to look up at the patch of star-spangled sky visible between the towers of steel and concrete.

"It is four degrees warmer than usual for this time of year," J remarked. "However, it is not as humid." A breeze stirred the gray ponytail trailing down his back. "A fine summer night spent with a beautiful lady can bring contentment to a man's soul."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, J," said a familiar voice.

Kyoko and J turned around and came face to face with Daisuke, whose arm was draped around the shoulders of a curvaceous young redheaded woman. The girl's skirt was shorter than Kyoko's, and she was wearing a little too much makeup.

J scrutinized the young woman. "Young lady, I am unfamiliar with your patterns. Unauthorized personnel are not permitted within ten meters of the City Safety Management building after hours. Therefore, I must ask you to leave immediately."

Daisuke scowled. "Don't get your diodes in a bunch. This is Corinne, she's a friend of mine."

"Friend, my foot," Kyoko growled.

During the exchange, Corinne had backed up a few steps, trying unsuccessfully to hide behind Daisuke. She blanched as she took in J's seven-foot frame, and quailed under J's glowing golden gaze. "Wh—who's he?" she quavered.

"This is J. Most of the time he's my partner, but right now he's just being a pain." Daisuke jerked a thumb toward his livid officemate. "And that's Kyoko."

"Daisuke, your blood alcohol level is .02 above the legal limit. Studies show that at this level of intoxication, judgment is impaired significantly." J turned to Corinne. "I will only ask once more: leave the premises immediately."

Kyoko put her hand on J's massive forearm. "Come on, J. If Daisuke wants to be a jerk, then let it be on his conscience. You did your duty."

"Yeah, spare me the lectures." Daisuke steered Corinne toward the entrance. "Say goodnight, Corinne."

Before they could reach the entrance, Corrine broke away from Daisuke. "On second thought, Dice, I'll take a rain check." She backed away, still never taking her eyes from J. "I'll see you around." The girl all but ran from the scene, her high-heeled shoes the only thing keeping her from breaking into a sprint.

"Wait, Corrinne!" Daisuke stood looking forlornly after his date, and then shoved his hands in his pockets. "Great," he groused. "Two months of trying to get her to go out with me—down the drain."

"From the looks of her, you're probably better off, Dice," Kyoko informed him. "At least now you'll still have a job tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you." He shuffled over to the entrance and swiped his keycard. "I guess I can keep that date with my bed, at least. 'Night, you two."

"An android can be programmed to avoid a hazardous situation, or to read the signs and determine that escape from a situation would be the best course of action," said J as he and Kyoko moved up the street and away from the City Safety Management Building. "Humans have no such programming."

Kyoko grinned at her massive companion. "You're wrong, J. We have the same capability; it's called judgment. We learn the difference between good judgment and poor judgment through life experience."

"Then it seems...that Daisuke is finally learning how to exercise good judgment."

Kyoko rolled her eyes. "You know what they say, 'there's a first time for everything.'" The red hand on the crossing signal was replaced by a green stick figure. "'Bout time; this light is so slow." Kyoko stepped off the curb.

"STOP!" J bellowed. He reached out and grabbed Kyoko around the waist, snatching her back from the street just as a black sports car ran the red light. Three black-and-whites with lights and sirens followed hot on the car's bumper. All three zoomed over the spot where Kyoko had been standing a split second earlier.

When the sirens had faded into the distance, J glanced down at the girl quivering against his side. "Are you injured, Kyoko?" he asked, modulating his voice to its most non-threatening level.

Her eyes wide as dinner plates, Kyoko managed to shake her head. "N-no. I'm all right." The world tilted, and her knees sagged under her. "Then again, maybe not," she murmured.

J swung Kyoko into his arms. "You are in shock. I will take you to your family's residence." He looked down at the frightened girl. "I am sorry, but we will have to leave your bicycle. It may not be here when I return."

Kyoko smiled at J. "D-don't worry," she tried to reassure him through chattering teeth. "I'll t-take the b-bus."

The android studied her for a moment. "Kyoko, would you do me a favor," he asked.

"Sure."

"Hold on to my hat." J ducked his head, and Kyoko removed the leather fedora. She settled the hat on her own head, one hand keeping it from falling into her eyes, and J 'smiled' down at her. "You're such a cute angel."

Kyoko blushed. "Thank you J, but I don't understaaaaaaaandd!!" she shrieked, as J leapt twenty stories straight up. The pair rocketed into the night sky on a white plume of steam.

"I've got you," J reassured her, clearing one rooftop to use a neighboring building as a springboard. "This route is faster, and we will not encounter any speeding cars."

"Uh-huh," the girl nodded, clutching a white-knuckled handful of J's leather lapel. "D-do you do this often?"

J was silent a moment, the flapping of his coat the only sound. "Several times in the pursuit of criminals—and once with Antonia."

Kyoko forgot to be scared and looked up at J, making sure to keep hold of his hat. "Really? You and Antonia did this?" She glanced around them, finally daring to peek over J's shoulder at the glittering carpet of lights below. "J, you don't have to answer this, but—do you like Antonia?"

"She is my creator. She maintains my systems. I am indebted to her for my existence."

"But do you like her?" Kyoko shook her head. "Oh, why am I asking you this? You don't even know what I'm talking about."

They landed gently on a high-rise apartment building, and J lowered Kyoko to the tiles. "I will need to initiate rapid cooling. Step back twenty-five yards," he instructed. When she had obeyed, J shrugged his right shoulder, popping the twin chrome steam ports in his chest. Superheated steam whined from the ports, bathing human and android in a roiling white fog.

J emerged from the steam cloud like a hulking specter, his golden eyes glowing. "You asked if I 'liked' Antonia."

Kyoko nodded. "Yeah. It's a stupid question. Just forget I ever said anything."

"I am willing to answer, though the answer may be different than you expect." J stepped closer, and Kyoko's head dropped back to keep him in view. "It is true that I am an artificially intelligent construct; a machine made by man to perform a specific task. However, Antonia imbued my programming with memories of her late father. He died when she was eight years old."

Kyoko blinked. "I...didn't know that."

"Even my voice pattern is a digitized copy of that of the late Dr. Bellucci." He tilted his head a fraction. "So the answer to your question...is complex indeed."

"Way too complex to ponder at this hour, anyway." Kyoko tried to stifle a yawn. "I think I'd better call it a night, J."

"Then we should get going," J agreed, and gathered Kyoko up once more. "Hold tight."

Kyoko curled one hand around the back of J's neck, and kept the other holding his hat securely on her head. "You don't have to tell me twice," she chuckled.

Colonel Yulgence was, to put it mildly, furious. His granddaughter, Kyoko, was several hours late, and she hadn't called. Only his daughter's insistence had kept him from rounding up his squadron and dividing the city into grids for each man to search.

"I'm sure she's just working late, Dad," his daughter had reassured him. "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

"Have you seen the people out on the streets lately?" Yulgence barked. "It's a veritable freak show out there! Who knows what could happen to her?"

She had managed to talk him down, but now his patience was wearing thin. He glanced at the clock. 2315. That's it, I'm not going to sit here while my Kyoko-chan is at the mercy of Judoh! Yulgence had just picked up the phone to call in the Army when he heard keys rattle in the door. He slammed down the phone and strode over to the door, opening it to find a startled Kyoko on the other side. She looked windblown, and she was wearing a man's black leather fedora hat. To his chagrin, she had the audacity to look surprised.

"Grampa! Don't tell me you were waiting up for me!"

Yulgence narrowed his eyes. "Young lady, just where have you been? Did it ever occur to you that there are three other people in this house who worry about you?"

Kyoko gulped. "I'm sorry, Grampa. I guess I just forgot, what with everything that happened."

"Everything that happened?" Yulgence clenched his hands into meaty fists. "All right, who is he?"

"Who?"

"Now, don't play games with me, Kyoko Milchan. Where's the young gentleman who occupied your thoughts so you couldn't even remember to call home?" The old warhorse cleared his throat. "I'd like to have a word with him about the importance of getting young ladies home at a decent hour."

Kyoko pulled her keys out of the door, studying her grandfather with a wary eye. "Uh, young gentleman? You mean, Daisuke?" She made a face. "No, I wasn't out with Dice." And thank God and all the saints for that.

"I mean the snappy dresser who lent you his chapeau." Yulgence pointed to the fedora perched on her head.

To Yulgence's unending surprise, Kyoko burst into peals of laughter. "Grampa, you're just too funny!" She took off the fedora and smoothed her rumpled hair. "This belongs to J."

Yulgence was not amused. "So his name's Jay, huh? Well, then, where's this Jay so we can have a little man-to-man talk?"

"You heard him, J," Kyoko said, unable to keep from giggling. "I'll leave you two alone."

"Good evening, Colonel Yulgence," intoned a deep, rough voice, and J stepped into the hallway from the stairwell door. "I did not wish to disturb you, so I thought it would be best to wait here and see if Kyoko got in safely."

The old warhorse looked up—and kept going. "So, you're the one who's kept my Kyoko-chan out till all hours," he growled. "Do you have any idea what time it is, Mr.—ah, Mr.—"

"Call me 'J', sir," the android said. "It is 11:34pm." He quirked his 'smile'. "I apologize if I have kept her out later than is prudent. We were enjoying the fine summer evening."

"Ah. J, then."Yulgence crossed his arms over his wide chest, noticing at the same time that J was extraordinarily tall and muscular. What in the world does Kyoko-chan see in this brute? he wondered. "Where did you meet my granddaughter?"

"We work together at the City Safety Management office, sir."

Yulgence studied the gray mutton-chop sideburns and the long gray ponytail of his adversary. "I apologize if this is a personal question, J, but you seem a little old for my granddaughter. Just how old are you?"

"I came online three years, five months, and twenty-two days ago, Colonel."

The Colonel felt his blood pressure rise a notch. "Now, see here, are you trying to be funny?"

"J's an android, Grampa," Kyoko interjected, squeezing past her grandfather to stand between him and J. "He and Dice are partners. I was working late, and J insisted on seeing me home." She patted J's arm. "He was a perfect gentleman and we had a lovely time. Didn't we J?"

J nodded. "It is to a man's credit to raise a young girl to be a fine woman."

Yulgence cleared his throat. "Yes, well, thank you."

Kyoko hid a smile. "J, you'd better get back to the office. I'll walk you out."

J turned to leave. "Goodnight, Colonel Yulgence. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. Thank you for seeing Kyoko home safely." Yulgence stared after them, small girl in pink and large man in black, and shook his head.

"Sorry about that," Kyoko apologized as they neared the stairwell door. "He's just really protective of me, and to tell you the truth, I don't mind."

"A man shows his dedication to his family by being concerned about their well-being."

Kyoko smiled. "Then my grandfather is really dedicated." She held up J's fedora. "Don't forget this."

J ducked, and Kyoko settled it on his head. On impulse, she rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Grampa's not the only one looking out for me," she murmured. "Thanks, J."

J opened the door to the roof access stairs. "Have a pleasant rest, Kyoko. See you in the morning."

Daisuke dragged in at 10:30 am, wearing old jeans and a tee-shirt that read: I'm up. I'm dressed. What more do you want? He yawned mightily and plopped down on the striped couch with a groan. "Man, I'm tired."

Kyoko peeked around her monitors and frowned at her office partner. "I thought you had a date with your bed, Dice. You're an hour and a half late; how could anyone—even you—need that much sleep?"

"I prefer to think of it as 'fashionably late.'" Daisuke yawned again. "Well, since my date with Corrinne was a wash, I stayed up playing Space Paranoids 3000." He grinned. "Finally finished the game, though."

Kyoko was only mildly interested, but she decided to be polite. "Oh? How long did that take you?"

"Hmm, I think I shut it off about 3:30 this morning," Daisuke answered, stretching.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" Kyoko walked over and dropped a sheaf of papers on Daisuke's stomach. "As long as you're here, though, I don't suppose you'd feel like working or anything?" Her tone oozed sarcasm.

She noticed that despite his bloodshot eyes, Daisuke was already scanning the sheets. "Yeah, I hear you," he murmured distractedly.

"And if you're going out, I suggest you change into something more appropriate."

"Yeah, yeah." Daisuke gestured to his partner. "Let's get going, J."

"Right." The android retrieved his hat and followed his partner out the door.

After Daisuke exchanged his sloppy jeans and tee-shirt for his usual slick ivory suit and deep green shirt, he joined J in waiting for the elevator. They were in the elevator when Daisuke peered closely at his partner. "J...is that lipstick on your face?"

J kept his gaze on the doors. "I do not have the data to answer your question."

Daisuke leaned back against the wall, put on his mirrored shades, and grinned. "Right."

--END--

AN: Space Paranoids is from the 1982 movie, TRON , property of Disney/Buena Vista (and one Kevin Flynn ).