My first attempt at a fanfiction, so please, be kind.
I don't own any of the characters; I only borrow them to appease the plot bunnies.
Summary: Those who feel that they've led complete lives pass on to Heaven, those who don't must live again in Purgatory until they've accomplished their life's unfinished goal. This story will focus on the Bebop crew during their "life" and have Purgatory based on the anime series.
Prologue
On a rocky bluff overlooking the outskirts of the city, a single wisp of smoke drifted lazily into the air. The fire crackled, warming the elderly native and his son. Running Horse clasped his hands in prayer and began to chant.
"Father," his son asked, "who do you chant for?"
"For those who are lost between worlds, who have not passed on to the Heavenly Realms, whose driving purpose was not reached in this life, who must now wander Purgatory until their souls are at peace."
"Are there so many that you must chant for them all?" His son continued.
"All living things, every being that walks and breathes, each has its own star."
"Huh?"
"When a life is born, a new star appears. That is the guardian star; the star that warms this planet is someone's guardian star as well. The red star you see overhead and the blue star in the horizon. And when a life ends, the star falls and disappears."
"Has Uncle's faded, then, in death?" The boy asked, head tilted upwards at the endless expanse.
Running Horse quietly chuckled. "Laughing Bull's star shines the brightest above us. Even in his death, the North Star will shine until his task is completed in the netherworld, and he joins our ancestors in peace."
The boy sat in silence as his father began the chant again. The boy thought for a moment, trying to think of what unaccomplished goal would keep a soul from entering the Heavenly Realm, but, unable to do so, returned his gaze to the heavens and wondered how many stars still burned for those lost in Purgatory.