Thanks for the review guys…I didn't really think you would like it, but I'm happy you do! So anyway, I finally got to chapter two, yay! A lot happens in this chapter, or at least I think so. Read it and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy! And don't forget to R&R!
Chapter two
"Hey, you! Get out'a there!" a man looking in his mid 40's yelled irritably as he watched an odd-looking boy…or girl, struggling to steal one of his watermelons from the stand.
"Nyaaa?" the kid asked innocently as though she wasn't aware of her own intentions.
"Hey, you! Oh for the love of--"
The man watched the kid wiggle and twitch continuously as she approached him. A Welsh Corgi trottedbehind her. Immediately after reaching the man, the youth hopped on him, using his clothing as climbing tool to make her way upward. With her face merely inches away from that of the man, he stared at her as though she was some sort of a loony. His left eyebrow twitched. The kids face was weary, and upon her lips was the oddest frown the man had ever seen.
"What the hell…get off'a me yah little twerp!"
With that said, the kid with fluffy red hair hopped from the man in a monkey like fashion, landing on her feet as well as her knuckles making her resemble a chimp. A sound, which was rather similar to a grumbling gorilla, emerged to fill the ears of the man as well as the youth, and the youth suddenly stood to her feet, of course the facial expression she had earlier was still there.
"But Ed is hungry." She whined
The man blinked a few times, trying to decipher the gender of the kid before him.
"Just what the hell are yah, kid!"
"Nyaaaaaa?" she looked at the man, blinking a few times also. And out of nowhere, she began prancing about, circling the man, while she sang. "Ed is hungry…Ed is hungry…Ed is hungry, and Ein is too!" She repeated herself over and over again, like it were some sort of a protest. The dog barked incessantly in acceptance.
The man quivered and petulantly twitched, and for a moment, he thought he was losing his intelligence. "ALRIGHT, Alright! Take it! Take it! TAKE IT!" He inhaled and exhaled deeply, recollecting the oxygen he had lost. A hand left his side to massage his temples.
"Nyaaaaaaaa?" Ed paused on the spot, and she commenced in blinking yet again. It took her a moment to realize that the man was actually offering her the fruit. Sweet Success! "Yaaaaaaay! We've got food, Ein!" Her frown was replaced with her famous ear-to-ear grin, and the little mutt barked in acknowledgment. "Thank you Mr. Stranger- person!"
Ed collected her prize and savagely bit into it, despite the green layer, which surrounded it. The man watched in amazement. She offered a piece to Ein, which he happily accepted, and the duo contentedly hopped away, while munching on the juicy treat.
The Bebop's coordinates were set on earth, and within a matter of hours, it arrived at its destination. Spike wasted no time in collecting some fresh air himself. He was still upon the Bebop, yet he was capable of inhaling the almost purified air, which surrounded the area from the workshop where his ship resided. The dock was open, so the view was phenomenal. Jet had paid for the cost of the repairs for the Swordfish II, and to Spike's surprise, he did not complain. It was a bit awkward, and even though the green-haired man did not want to admit it, a part of him wanted Jet to complain…just like he used to. Spike leaned against his ship, and his hands remained in his pockets, as brown hues looked towards the heavens, searching for a lost love.
"Julia…" he whispered as though he had found her, and was calling out to her.
"Hey, Spike"
Jet emerged from a door leading to the workshop, and a distracted Spike turned to face him. His facial expression, which once revealed some concern, had vanished. And what replaced it was that sangfroid demeanor. Spike said nothing as his comrade approached him. He merely watched as the distance between the two lessened.
"I have a lead on a new bounty." Spike raised a brow as the old man spoke. "Name's Sash Eckener. He's 5'7' with blonde hair and blue eyes. Bob says he's hauling tiny tablets—"
"And?"
"You didn't let me finish! These tablets are actually filled with the spores from Venus, and on top of that, are packed with heavy explosives. If one explodes, the whole of town will be filled with suffocating spores."
"But if the spores do all the work, what is a point adding explosives?" Spike illiterately asked.
"The explosives are to help spread the spores, Spike. Even Faye can figure that one out."
That name…Faye… it was oddly familiar, and for a second or two Spike paused in his tracks, instead of giving some arrogant response. And Jet saw it all too well. He knew that Faye's absence had an effect on Spike, but also knew that the lanky man would deny it until he dies.
"How much?"
"1.2 million woolongs."
"I'll take my leave now." Spike spoke calmly as he entered the Swordfish II. The Engine began seconds later, and he prepared for take off.
"Hey, Spike wait! You don't even know where he is. Spike be careful out there! If you lose this I'll—"
"Yah-yah…" he responded without a hint of concern before blasting out and into the skies.
Jet could only sigh as he watched his partner disappear, and he rubbed the back of his head while exiting the workshop. He was the father figure, and yet, he could not control the 'kids'. One abandoned him, another ran away, and the third had a problem with listening to orders, as well as cooperating with others. What a mess…
A woman with silky blonde locks, and ocean hues, quite capable of losing a soul entered the Jazz-Craze, a bar, which Spike was quite fond of. Her body structure was a masterpiece on its own, flawless in every way. The skin hugging leather jumpsuit, which served as a second skin portrayed her curves quite well. All eyes were upon this new arriver, and she knew it too. The men drooled like dogs, and the women, if there were any, would watch with a hint of jealousy in their eyes. Yet her demeanor remained high and mighty. The bar was somewhat dark, and the smoke from cigarettes hovered about the entire room, polluting the air. On the stage, a man played the saxophone, and his style was quite unique.
The woman positioned herself on a stool, as she closely and quietly watched the sax player. His style was sole and yet, she knew another who was just as talented as he was. The thought sent shivers down her spine.
The woman was too focused to notice the bartender who poured vodka into a shot glass without her consent.
"For you…" Even the bartender saw the beauty within her, and the only gift he could present her, was a free drink.
It was then than the woman turned to face the bartender. "But I didn't ask for—"
"Its alright." A welcoming smile was given her way, and she of course returned it.
The mini glass containing the powerful liquid was lifted to her lips, when a new arriver with fluffy green hair distracted her. A few seconds were wasted on him, as she studied him. There was something about him that she could not quite put her finger on. But she would get it sooner or later. The man approached the bar table, positioning himself beside her.
"Didn't your parents ever tell you it's rude to stare?", he asked teasingly, with his title smirk plastered upon his lips.
"I'm sure they would have… if I knew them that is." She smiled warmly, despite the fluffy-haired mans attempt at teasing her. "The name is Sasha. And you are?"
He grinned as he also studied her features. And for a minute or so, a part of him went numb as he noticed the striking resemblance between Sasha and a certain angel of his, but he also knew it was too good to be true.
"Spike…" His eyes never left the beauty, not even for a second. "Well Sasha, its dangerous to talk to strangers. How do you know I won't capture you and try to kill—"
"I don't. But I do know that if those were your intentions you wouldn't be telling me this. I'm quite vulnerable as you can see. So if you were going to try anything, you would've done it already."
"Is that so?" he smirked
Sasha once again brought the glass of vodka to her lips when she was distracted by the beeping of her communicator and she sighed before tending to it.
"Excuse me." She spoke to Spike before turning, allowing her back to face him.
Spike merely raised a brow as he watched.
"Do you have them?", a masculine voice asked from the other end of the communicator.
"Yes. I've got them with me." She answered
"Bring it over."
"Now?" Sasha asked in a whisper, yet sounding somewhat surprised.
"Yes, now! I need them. Over and out!" the man answered irritably before ending their conversation.
"Trouble in paradise?" the fluffy-haired man asked jokingly.
"You don't even know the half of it." She stood from her seat, but paused for a minute to have one more glance at her new friend. "I have to go. Something's come up."
"So it seems." He smirked.
"We'll meet again, someday." A warm grin was offered before she proceeded for the exit.
"I'll be looking forward to it." Spike situated himself so he would face the sax player, when he became aware of the drink Sasha had left behind.
"It's my lucky day." He grinned before lifting the glass of vodka to his lips. Unfortunately, he too was distracted by the beeping of his communicator.
"This better be good." He spoke with a hint of annoyance in his voice."
"Spike! The bounty… Sash Eckener. He is a, I mean she is a…It's a woman, Spike! Her name is Sasha Eckener!"
"Huh?" he asked with a puzzled facial expression. A pause was given before he finally came to terms. "Shit!" Spike immediately dropped the glass of vodka, which sadly no one got the chance to drink, and dashed for the door.
"Hey, Spike you—"
Spike turned off his communicator before Jet had a chance to complete his sentence.
"Ein, stop twiiitching." Ed whispered from the trunk of a car. The driver was completely unaware of their presence because they had managed to slip in without being spotted. Ed was similar to a rubber band. Her body was very flexible, and she could squeeze into the tiniest of holes. So being in the trunk of a moving vehicle wasn't much of a problem. And Ein…he was a small breed so he was perfectly fine. The car stopped at a gas station, which was not to far from the Jazz-Craze. And the driver, who happened to be a woman, stepped out. After realizing the car had stopped, Ed hopped out, and Ein followed.
Spike had just exited the bar, and his mismatched hues scanned the premises. He smirked after spotting his bounty…and two others he never thought he would lay eyes upon again. He knew he wasn't hallucinating because, thanks to Jet, he had lost his free drink, as well as the opportunity of getting drunk. Of course he had left the Bebop before giving Jet a chance to fully explain the information he had collected on the bounty. Nevertheless, he was positive Jet knew nothing about the bounty being a female…until now. Spike casually approached the Ed and Ein who were standing beside the woman, impelling gas into her vehicle.
"Spike-person?" a surprised Ed asked.
"Ed…who's your friend?" Spike asked, knowing that his voice would cause the woman to turn. And indeed she paused to look upon a familiar face.
"Spike!"
"Yo." He smirked, with his hands buried within his pockets. "I guess you were right about us meeting again, after all."
"I guess I was." This whole reencounter began to seem suspicious. Sasha knew he had something up his sleeves. "Did you want something?"
"As a matter of fact I did…the 1.2 million on your head."
She grinned devilishly. "1.2 million woolongs, huh? Is that all I'm worth?"
Spike paused for a second as Sasha's question replayed continuously in his mind. Someone else had asked a question like such in the same manner, and of course it was non other than Faye Valentine. This woman before him, had Julia's features, but also possessed Faye's mind. What a combination…
Ed watched the two, but mostly paid close attention to the man who resembled Spike in everyway.
"Yup…and its good enough for me. So why don't you just hand yourself in? No point fussin right?"
"Right!" after she replied, she dashed for him. Her hands balled into fists and she attempted to strike his jaw with the right hand.
In a single fluid motion, Spike's head swayed to the side, while he caught her aiming arm, firmly pulling her towards him. Spike held both of her arms behind her back and his left arm was wrapped about her waist to fully tighten his grip on her. Her head was cocked to the side, and she could feel Spike's warm breath upon her neck.
"You willing to give in now?"
"No." She replied irritably
Spike added a bit more force into his grip "How about now?"
She gasped, yet denied to falter "No."
"Well, aren't we determined."
As Spike prepared to strengthen his grip again, he was sidetracked by a skipping Ed who continuously called out his name and a dog who, for some reason, thought it funny to annoy others with his migraine-giving bark. Of course dogs can't laugh, but they can mock like non other. Spike came to this conclusion after observing the relationship between Faye and the mutt.
"Spike-person! Spike-person!"
"Huh?"
And the opportunity for escape revealed itself. Spike's hold had loosed for a mere second, giving Sasha a chance she welcomed with open arms. She elbowed him in the stomach and as he stumbled backwards, she performed a series of back flips, the last one perfectly landing her in the roofless vehicle.
A mocking grin was given. "See ya, cowboy." With that said, she drove away, leaving nothing but dust to circulate about the area.
"Hey, wait!…SHIT!" he signed miserably. His confident demeanor was reduced to a simple slouch. "Dammit, Ed. This is all your fault!"
"Dammit, dammit, shit, shit, shiiiiiit!" Ed imitated, not seeming to realize she had just caused Spike the bounty, as well as a whole lot of scolding from Jet. She hopped on his head, and sat with both legs crossed, in a criss-cross applesauce fashion.
Despite all the trouble the youth had caused, Spike was still please to see Ed alive and well.
"Ed, don't say that...and get off my head!"
"Nyaa?"
He signed knowing that his attempts at getting the redhead to comply were pointless, so he tried to ignore her, as well as the dog that trotted behind them. His hands remained buried in his pockets as usual, and his back miserably slouched. His facial expression was non other than annoyed. Ed had the biggest of smiles, her famous ear-to-ear grin. She was going to be just fine. They all headed for Spike's ship.
Authors Note: All done! Hope you enjoyed that chapter! Including Ed in this chapter was the best part of it all. I just love her. Anyway, hoped you all enjoyed it and make sure you look out for chapter 3! Oh yah…don't forget to R&R. I'm open to any suggestions you might have. Well have a nice day and thanks for reading.
