Alrighty, second chapter up. Aoshi Shinomori will be the ghost of
Christmas past and Spike gets a look at his childhood. The Julia/Spike
relationship has been changed to suit the story I am mocking as has Spike
as a kid. Not a tear jerker! Oh yeah, here's some thanks for your
reviews:
Elf-Vulcan: Yeah, the scene with Kagato was in good humor. I don't know where I came up with that idea. My mind goes kind of crazy in the night.
meheeners: Christmas is my favorite holiday too! Thanks for the review. Cool that your birthday is 14 days before Christmas. Hope you like this chapter.
Read on.
Spike sat up with a start. What had happened since he had fallen asleep? He could only vaguely remember somebody telling him something about being less greedy and then he had fallen asleep. That was all he could recall. He was aware of one thing however. The lights in his room were on and he was clutching his gun to his chest protectively. Had it been a dream? He was sure of it. There were no such things as ghosts. "Me believing in ghosts." Spike mumbled bitterly. "What a load of bull." He turned out the light and was just about to fall asleep when he became aware of another figure in the room with him. The man was tall and wore a white trench coat. His hair was short and gray black colored and his face was stern and cold. In his hands he held a pair of kodachi blades. An aura of light covered his body, giving him an almost angelic appearance. "Oh man, it wasn't a dream." Spike groaned.
"Hello Spike. My name is Aoshi Shinomori. I am the ghost of Christmas past." the ghost said in a cold voice.
"Mine I bet."
"Yes, you are correct. I am going to show you your childhood and how different you were before you became a bounty hunter." he said.
"I hated my childhood!"
"Tough beans. Now let's go." Aoshi sliced his blades into the wall of Spike's room and tore the wall away. Amazingly, nothing got sucked out despite being in deep space. Spike had to admit that he was amazed. Aoshi stepped towards where the wall once was and beckoned Spike to come.
"I can't go out there! I'm not dressed and I can't fly like you can!" Aoshi darted at Spike and grabbed him by the wrist. He began to fly off into space. Spike struggled and kicked at the ghost, but Aoshi was incredibly strong. After a short while they stopped. Aoshi took his kodachis again and swung them in a circle. A hole appeared, which he took Spike into. Now they were in a city with people hustling and bustling to get to places. Spike finally wrenched free of his captor's grasp and went flying back into a garbage can. Strangely, he went through it instead of stopping when he slammed into it.
"Why didn't it spill?" he asked his companion.
"You went through it because these are just shadows of things that have been. They are not aware of us and they cannot feel us. Do you remember this place?" Aoshi asked. Spike frowned a little. This was where he had grown up. Why, of all places did he have to come back here?
"Yeah I know where we are: My home." he growled. Aoshi nodded and smirked. He led Spike down towards an apartment and went inside. They stopped in front of an elevator. Aoshi pressed the button and waited. (He probably doesn't know how it works being from meji era Japan, but let's say he did).
"You're a ghost for God's sake! Can't you just fly me up like you did in space?"
"Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I can fly everywhere." Aoshi scowled. After what seemed like eternity, the elevator arrived and the two of them got in. Aoshi pressed the button with the number nine on it and the machine began its ascent. Halfway through, the elevator jammed. Aoshi pressed the buttons more but nothing happened. Getting angry, Aoshi cut open a hole in the elevator ceiling and climbed out, closely followed by Spike. Just as they got out, the elevator went plummeting to the ground seven floors below and exploded. Aoshi and Spike clambered up the cables that had once held the elevator up and busted down the door to floor nine.
"I thought you said the past couldn't be affected by us!" Spike said indignantly.
Aoshi rolled his eyes. "I lied a bit, okay?" he muttered. They went down the hall and stopped at a room at the end of the hallway. Aoshi walked through the closed door and pulled Spike with him.
The room inside wasn't decorated that much, but it was decorated enough to be just right for the holidays. There was a Christmas tree with a few ornaments on it and some candles lit around the room, but nothing else of interest. In the kitchen, a teenage boy was talking to a little girl with blue hair that was tied in pigtails. The boy seemed to be very happy. Spike gasped.
"That's me when I was kid! And that girl is my little sister Sasami!" he exclaimed. Aoshi beckoned for him to come into the kitchen to hear the conversation between him and his sister.
"Are you serious?" the young Spike Spiegal asked. "Dad is really coming to visit?"
"Yes he is! He's become a lot nicer over the past few months and I think he really has had a change of heart Spike! He really did say that he would visit us." Sasami said with a giggle. Spike watched his younger self hug his younger sister and sob with happiness.
"The old man never was around for me that much." the real Spike muttered. "I guess that's why I never liked this time of year when I was a kid."
"Your sister died quite young. It really is a shame."
"Yeah, don't remind me."
"I do not have much time left Spike. We must go see another Christmas." Aoshi said. He sliced open a wall and jumped out of it with Spike in tow. They landed near a large building.
"Do you remember this place?" Aoshi asked.
"Duh! This is where I worked before I became a bounty hunter!" Spike said and went inside. The building interior looked like a warehouse of some sort. Boxes and crates were strewn all around the room and dust was everywhere. Sitting at a small desk was a tall, elderly man with gray hair and glasses. In front of him stood a boy with green hair and another boy with brown hair.
"Katsushito Masaki? Is that really you?" Spike said, forgetting that what he was seeing was just shadows of the past and not actual things.
The old man looked at the boys and said "Well guys, it's Christmas and we must prepare for the party that we planned today, so clean up this place!" the old man commanded. Without a moment's hesitation, past Spike and the other boy were sweeping the floors, packing away boxes, and doing just about anything that involved cleaning. Spike watched them clean with rapidly increasing boredom. He wished that he could see whatever the spirit wanted to show him so he could leave.
"How much longer will this take?" Spike asked with a yawn. Aoshi did not reply. Spike turned to see the ghost sitting in an armchair which had somehow materialized without him noticing it. Aoshi was eating a bag of popcorn and a pepsi. "This isn't good." Spike muttered. After two hours, his past self and the other apprentice finished cleaning. Spike sighed with relief, but then groaned when they began to decorate the room again. He looked Aoshi and reached for a handful of the popcorn that was in the ghost's lap, but jerked back when Aoshi snarled at him and chopped at him with his swords.
"Well excuse me!" Spike snorted. Aoshi grunted and took another swig of pepsi. After another two hours, the entire room was decorated with everything that could be even slightly related to Christmas.
"Excellent work!" Katsushito exclaimed. Soon enough, guests began to arrive. Spike watched as everybody took part in the festivities. The memory left a warm feeling in him that he had not had in so long. Well, except when he was drunk. People were dancing to all sorts of Christmas songs and others were talking at the food tables, stuffing their faces with ham and punch. Then Spike saw something out of the corner of his eye: A beautiful young woman who was looking for somebody to dance with.
"Julia!" he whispered.
Aoshi smirked. "You remember her?"
"Yes, yes I do!"
"You must also remember how much joy it gave you when she asked to dance with you." Spike ignored the ghost and watched his younger self dance with his lost love. Then, as quickly as they appeared, the guests and the food vanished into thin air. Spike gasped.
"What happened? They're all gone!"
"This was just a vision you know. It was such a small thing to bring these fools so much joy." At that Spike whirled around and seized the ghost by his coat.
"Small?! I'll have you know that this was a large contribution and it was anything but small!" he snarled. Aoshi smirked again. He swung his kodachis and they were in another shadow of the past. Now Spike could see himself at the age of what looked like 18 speaking to Julia. She did not look happy.
"Are you sure this is what you want out of life Spike? Is money all that matters to you?" Julia asked.
"Well I have to make a living somehow Julia! I can't live in poverty." the past Spike exclaimed.
"I have watched you change over time Spike. I have watched you change for the worse and focus only on collecting bounties until nothing matters to you but money."
"True, I have grown much wiser!" The present Spike could not believe that he had said those words. Maybe if he had not been so greedy, things would have turned out different. Oh what a mistake he had made!
"If that is how you feel, then I will leave you. Goodbye Spike Spiegal! May you be happy in the life you have chosen!" Julia cried and walked off. Spike turned to Aoshi.
"Take me back home! I can't take this anymore!" he begged. Aoshi smirked again.
"One shadow more." he said. Before he could react, Spike grabbed the man's swords and swung them at him. He missed his intended target, but ended up creating another dimensional hole. Spike dove through it and wound up back in the bebop. He panted like a tired dog. He now had officially lost any hope that this was just a dream. Now what would happen? Spike threw himself under the covers on the floor and fell asleep. Maybe when he woke up, things would be better.
Part three is to come soon! Bye! Thanks for the reviews!
Elf-Vulcan: Yeah, the scene with Kagato was in good humor. I don't know where I came up with that idea. My mind goes kind of crazy in the night.
meheeners: Christmas is my favorite holiday too! Thanks for the review. Cool that your birthday is 14 days before Christmas. Hope you like this chapter.
Read on.
Spike sat up with a start. What had happened since he had fallen asleep? He could only vaguely remember somebody telling him something about being less greedy and then he had fallen asleep. That was all he could recall. He was aware of one thing however. The lights in his room were on and he was clutching his gun to his chest protectively. Had it been a dream? He was sure of it. There were no such things as ghosts. "Me believing in ghosts." Spike mumbled bitterly. "What a load of bull." He turned out the light and was just about to fall asleep when he became aware of another figure in the room with him. The man was tall and wore a white trench coat. His hair was short and gray black colored and his face was stern and cold. In his hands he held a pair of kodachi blades. An aura of light covered his body, giving him an almost angelic appearance. "Oh man, it wasn't a dream." Spike groaned.
"Hello Spike. My name is Aoshi Shinomori. I am the ghost of Christmas past." the ghost said in a cold voice.
"Mine I bet."
"Yes, you are correct. I am going to show you your childhood and how different you were before you became a bounty hunter." he said.
"I hated my childhood!"
"Tough beans. Now let's go." Aoshi sliced his blades into the wall of Spike's room and tore the wall away. Amazingly, nothing got sucked out despite being in deep space. Spike had to admit that he was amazed. Aoshi stepped towards where the wall once was and beckoned Spike to come.
"I can't go out there! I'm not dressed and I can't fly like you can!" Aoshi darted at Spike and grabbed him by the wrist. He began to fly off into space. Spike struggled and kicked at the ghost, but Aoshi was incredibly strong. After a short while they stopped. Aoshi took his kodachis again and swung them in a circle. A hole appeared, which he took Spike into. Now they were in a city with people hustling and bustling to get to places. Spike finally wrenched free of his captor's grasp and went flying back into a garbage can. Strangely, he went through it instead of stopping when he slammed into it.
"Why didn't it spill?" he asked his companion.
"You went through it because these are just shadows of things that have been. They are not aware of us and they cannot feel us. Do you remember this place?" Aoshi asked. Spike frowned a little. This was where he had grown up. Why, of all places did he have to come back here?
"Yeah I know where we are: My home." he growled. Aoshi nodded and smirked. He led Spike down towards an apartment and went inside. They stopped in front of an elevator. Aoshi pressed the button and waited. (He probably doesn't know how it works being from meji era Japan, but let's say he did).
"You're a ghost for God's sake! Can't you just fly me up like you did in space?"
"Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I can fly everywhere." Aoshi scowled. After what seemed like eternity, the elevator arrived and the two of them got in. Aoshi pressed the button with the number nine on it and the machine began its ascent. Halfway through, the elevator jammed. Aoshi pressed the buttons more but nothing happened. Getting angry, Aoshi cut open a hole in the elevator ceiling and climbed out, closely followed by Spike. Just as they got out, the elevator went plummeting to the ground seven floors below and exploded. Aoshi and Spike clambered up the cables that had once held the elevator up and busted down the door to floor nine.
"I thought you said the past couldn't be affected by us!" Spike said indignantly.
Aoshi rolled his eyes. "I lied a bit, okay?" he muttered. They went down the hall and stopped at a room at the end of the hallway. Aoshi walked through the closed door and pulled Spike with him.
The room inside wasn't decorated that much, but it was decorated enough to be just right for the holidays. There was a Christmas tree with a few ornaments on it and some candles lit around the room, but nothing else of interest. In the kitchen, a teenage boy was talking to a little girl with blue hair that was tied in pigtails. The boy seemed to be very happy. Spike gasped.
"That's me when I was kid! And that girl is my little sister Sasami!" he exclaimed. Aoshi beckoned for him to come into the kitchen to hear the conversation between him and his sister.
"Are you serious?" the young Spike Spiegal asked. "Dad is really coming to visit?"
"Yes he is! He's become a lot nicer over the past few months and I think he really has had a change of heart Spike! He really did say that he would visit us." Sasami said with a giggle. Spike watched his younger self hug his younger sister and sob with happiness.
"The old man never was around for me that much." the real Spike muttered. "I guess that's why I never liked this time of year when I was a kid."
"Your sister died quite young. It really is a shame."
"Yeah, don't remind me."
"I do not have much time left Spike. We must go see another Christmas." Aoshi said. He sliced open a wall and jumped out of it with Spike in tow. They landed near a large building.
"Do you remember this place?" Aoshi asked.
"Duh! This is where I worked before I became a bounty hunter!" Spike said and went inside. The building interior looked like a warehouse of some sort. Boxes and crates were strewn all around the room and dust was everywhere. Sitting at a small desk was a tall, elderly man with gray hair and glasses. In front of him stood a boy with green hair and another boy with brown hair.
"Katsushito Masaki? Is that really you?" Spike said, forgetting that what he was seeing was just shadows of the past and not actual things.
The old man looked at the boys and said "Well guys, it's Christmas and we must prepare for the party that we planned today, so clean up this place!" the old man commanded. Without a moment's hesitation, past Spike and the other boy were sweeping the floors, packing away boxes, and doing just about anything that involved cleaning. Spike watched them clean with rapidly increasing boredom. He wished that he could see whatever the spirit wanted to show him so he could leave.
"How much longer will this take?" Spike asked with a yawn. Aoshi did not reply. Spike turned to see the ghost sitting in an armchair which had somehow materialized without him noticing it. Aoshi was eating a bag of popcorn and a pepsi. "This isn't good." Spike muttered. After two hours, his past self and the other apprentice finished cleaning. Spike sighed with relief, but then groaned when they began to decorate the room again. He looked Aoshi and reached for a handful of the popcorn that was in the ghost's lap, but jerked back when Aoshi snarled at him and chopped at him with his swords.
"Well excuse me!" Spike snorted. Aoshi grunted and took another swig of pepsi. After another two hours, the entire room was decorated with everything that could be even slightly related to Christmas.
"Excellent work!" Katsushito exclaimed. Soon enough, guests began to arrive. Spike watched as everybody took part in the festivities. The memory left a warm feeling in him that he had not had in so long. Well, except when he was drunk. People were dancing to all sorts of Christmas songs and others were talking at the food tables, stuffing their faces with ham and punch. Then Spike saw something out of the corner of his eye: A beautiful young woman who was looking for somebody to dance with.
"Julia!" he whispered.
Aoshi smirked. "You remember her?"
"Yes, yes I do!"
"You must also remember how much joy it gave you when she asked to dance with you." Spike ignored the ghost and watched his younger self dance with his lost love. Then, as quickly as they appeared, the guests and the food vanished into thin air. Spike gasped.
"What happened? They're all gone!"
"This was just a vision you know. It was such a small thing to bring these fools so much joy." At that Spike whirled around and seized the ghost by his coat.
"Small?! I'll have you know that this was a large contribution and it was anything but small!" he snarled. Aoshi smirked again. He swung his kodachis and they were in another shadow of the past. Now Spike could see himself at the age of what looked like 18 speaking to Julia. She did not look happy.
"Are you sure this is what you want out of life Spike? Is money all that matters to you?" Julia asked.
"Well I have to make a living somehow Julia! I can't live in poverty." the past Spike exclaimed.
"I have watched you change over time Spike. I have watched you change for the worse and focus only on collecting bounties until nothing matters to you but money."
"True, I have grown much wiser!" The present Spike could not believe that he had said those words. Maybe if he had not been so greedy, things would have turned out different. Oh what a mistake he had made!
"If that is how you feel, then I will leave you. Goodbye Spike Spiegal! May you be happy in the life you have chosen!" Julia cried and walked off. Spike turned to Aoshi.
"Take me back home! I can't take this anymore!" he begged. Aoshi smirked again.
"One shadow more." he said. Before he could react, Spike grabbed the man's swords and swung them at him. He missed his intended target, but ended up creating another dimensional hole. Spike dove through it and wound up back in the bebop. He panted like a tired dog. He now had officially lost any hope that this was just a dream. Now what would happen? Spike threw himself under the covers on the floor and fell asleep. Maybe when he woke up, things would be better.
Part three is to come soon! Bye! Thanks for the reviews!