-Disclaimer-
I do not own Cowboy Bebop, or any of the characters therein.
Well, except for Vicious. I bought him in the form of a plush toy from eBay…Seriously, if you saw a Vicious plushie, you know you'd buy that just for kicks, too. =)~
Chapter I: Lamentation's Requiem (The Real Folk Blues)
[The Real Folk Blues]
Aishiteta to nageku niwa [Too much time has passed by to]
Amarinimo toki wa sugite shimatta [Lament that we were deeply in love.]
Mada kokoro no hokorobi wo [The wind is still blowing, while my heart]
Iyasenu mama kaze ga fuiteru [Cannot heal all the tears in it.]
Hitotsu no me de asu o mite [One of my eyes sees tomorrow]
Hitotsu no me de ke no o mitsumeteru [And the other sees yesterday.]
Kimi no ai no yurikagode [I wish I could sleep in the cradle of your]
Mo ichido yasurakani nemuretera [Love, again.]
Kawaita hitomi de dareka naite kure [Someone, cry for me with parched eyes.]
The real folk blues [The real folk blues]
honto no kanashimi ga shiritai dake [ I only want to know what true sadness is.]
Doro no kawa ni tsukatta [Sitting in muddy water]
Jinsei mo waruku wa nai [Isn't such a bad life,]
Ichido kiri de owaru nara [If it ends after the first time]
Kibou ni michita zetsuboto [Hopeless hope,]
Wanagashikakearoteru ko no chansu [And the chance laid with traps.]
Nani ga yaku te warui no ka [What is right, or wrong?]
Koin no omoi to kura mitaita [s like the two sides of a coin.]
Dore dake ikireba iyasareru no darou [How long must I live until I release?]
The real folk blues [The real folk blues]
Honto no yorokobi ga shiritai dake [I just want to feel a true pleasure.]
Hikaru mono no subete ga [All that glitters is not gold...]
Ougen wa kagiranai
~Be careful when you're with that woman.~
The chilling, hollow hiss greeted him in his ether realm. Tainted memory in a nostalgic black and white soon placing vile face to the equally charming voice.
~Women are all liars.~
Haunted words escaped the crease of her lips in a sorrowful premonition, sapphire pools of hers conscience laden. She had known.
~I see you were able to meet Julia...I'm glad.~
Annie sat morbidly hunched on the homely bench beneath the window of her small shop on the corner. Wrapped securely around her waist were her arms, steeped in a valley of crimson. Even at the eve of her passing, she had genuinely been happy to be comforted by the reminiscences of a world she once knew.
~That day, if I had killed you...I would have been free.~
Regret? Fate was cruel, but was fate also that malevolent? Alas, her quivering hand that held the gun before him did, indeed, tremble with the tears of some remorse. One couldn't help but wonder what it was she regretted; leaving, or having left without his elimination?
~My left eye sees the past.
-Then what about your right eye?~
~Doko iku no...?
Naze iku no?~
He found himself staring down the stout barrel of the Glock, not so much intimidated by the artillery as he was by the imperative glare he received from behind it. It was the first time he felt her eyes pierce his soul, etch their path, and begin tearing away at the essence of his misery with its talons. The first time she saw through him.
~Kore wa...yume ne...
Julia murmured her words to him in a tone barely audible. He beheld his own reflection in the glistening, slowly dimming depths of her orbs as he helplessly cradled her in his arms. Feeling her life draining from between his very fingertips, all he could do was tenderly reply...
-Ah...warui yume sa.~
~Oh, you're finally up...~
Darkness stalked him once more, Faye's voice a diminishing echo surrendering to the infinite night.
~*~
Author's Notations
~…..~ = Recollections
I know this was an extremely short chapter, but this is also CRUCIAL to plot development. So I wanted to reveal as little of the plot as possible while still being able to make sure everyone follows. I really don't like putting things in plain English, so, if something puzzles you and you're not quite sure what it means, feel free to e-mail me at EuphoricMoonPies@aol.com. I really appreciate all the reviews ^^, too, especially since the people who complimented me on the writings happen to be very talented themselves.
Glossary: "Doko iku no…? Naze iku no?" – "Where are you going? Why are you going?"
"Kore wa...yume ne…" – I wasn't sure how this was properly said in Japanese, so, if anyone could correct me, you're more than welcome, but it should mean "This is…a dream"
"Ah…warui yume sa." – Again, I wasn't exactly sure of this, but it was intended as "Yeah, just a bad dream"