"Relax." Vicious raised his hands, proclaiming peace. "As you see, I brought no syndicate members with me…I mean you no harm." Faye stood like a deer in the headlights, ready to run at a split second. Vicious turned away from her and walked a short distance. "I come here often. There used to be the most beautiful house here, on this very spot." When he turned back around, Faye stood with her arms wrapped around herself, her red jacket zipped up all the way. She stared at the ground, her eyes large and brimming with tears. "Why have you come, Miss Valentine?" She looked up at him, searching his face.
"I was just taking a walk," she said finally, voice soft. They stared at each other in silence.
"Ah," Vicious said at last. "Well I didn't mean to disturb you." His voice was angry, frustrated, and desperate all at once, and he began to walk away.
"Wait!" Faye cried, as if against her will. "Is that all you have to say to me, after fifty years?" Vicious whirled around and headed towards her with long, quick strides. He swept her into his arms before she could back away.
"You remember…" He breathed in a hiss, eyes wild.
"Y-yes," she choked out, fighting back tears.
"How long?" he demanded, breath hot against her face.
"Just today," she answered quietly. He gazed at her with a longing so fierce it made her shiver, then crushed her against his chest, mouth searching for hers hungrily. Faye turned her head to the side, avoiding his lips.
"What?" he demanded. She refused to look at him and bit her lower lip in troubled silence. Vicious released her suddenly, as if she burned him. "It's Spiegel, isn't it." Faye jerked her head up.
"Spike? I – no!"
"What, then?" he growled. "Tell me!"
"We're different people now," Faye said, voice thick with pain. "You're Vicious and I'm Faye Valentine. I'm not…I'm not in love with you," she stammered, hiccupping back a sob. Vicious looked the most alive she'd ever seen him, his dead face flickering with emotion.
"How can you say that? I gave my life for you!" he shouted. "They said you would be frozen for years and years before they could heal all your wounds. I scraped together every cent I had – sold everything – and paid to be cryogenically frozen. I told them to wake me the same time they woke you, so we would always be together. I thought our love was eternal… But they fucked up, Faye, and unfroze me ten years early. You've been on your own for three years. I've been alone for thirteen. I had no idea where you were…I had no idea were I was – they had to move everyone off the hospital on Earth because of the asteroids. I searched for you for two years before I gave up hope and joined the Red Dragon Syndicate. By then I was dead, so it was easy to make a career out of killing." While he spoke a light rain had begun, and they were both soaking. Cold droplets weaved down Faye's face and slid under the warmth of her jacket. Beads of rain clung to the tips of Vicious' silver strands, making them look like a cluster of dripping icicles.
"I'm sorry," Faye whispered. Vicious' lip curled.
"You're sorry," he repeated.
"I just can't do this," she cried emotionally. "I've spent the past three years clinging to any scrap of proof that I ever existed, continuously searching for something to link me to my past… It's brought me nothing but pain and sorrow. It's time to let go, to move on and look towards my future." Vicious leaned forward and grabbed her arm tightly.
"You are who you are," he said grimly. "And you are Faye Harte." Faye winced.
"No, she's dead."
"You're Faye Harte, who am I?" Faye shook her head.
"Who am I?!" Vicious screamed in rage. Faye sobbed and tried to wrench free, but he only jerked on her arm harder.
"You're David Yung," she answered dully.
I'm a high school lover, and you're my
favorite flavor
Love is all, all my soul
You're my Playground Love
Yet my hands are shaking
I feel my body remains, time's no matter, I'm on fire
On the playground, love.
You're the piece of gold, that flushes all my soul.
Extra time, on the ground.
You're my Playground Love.
Anytime, anywhere,
You're my Playground Love.
David! Spike thought. A recent memory flashed through his mind: he leaned over an unconscious Faye in the cramped quarters of the Swordfish II's cockpit, she caressed his cheek lightly with a slender finger, "David" tumbling out in a murmur from her full red lips…
"Then what happened?" he demanded of the mysterious eavesdropper, Muffy. Muffy closed her eyes.
"He let go of her and she fell to the ground on her knees, one hand holding her arm lightly where his fingers left bruises. She stared at the ground, rain coming harder and faster, pelting her already bruised and fragile body… When she looked up, he was gone." Muffy opened her eyes. "Are you Spiegel?" she asked suddenly. "Spike Spiegel?" Spike raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah," he said after a moment's hesitation.
"Vicious thought you stole his Faye's heart." Muffy's eyes were sharp and bright.
"Yeah, well, Vicious was insane," he responded shortly, shrugging his shoulders and turning to go. "Thanks for everything."
"Would Spike like to see a picture of David Yung?" Muffy asked quickly, and began rooting through her shopping cart without waiting for a reply. Spike paused and took the picture she handed him. It was of an attractive young man with black hair to his shoulders and dark, intense blue eyes, his pale lips quirked in a half smile.
"This was Vicious?" Spike asked incredulously. Muffy frowned.
"No. David Yung," she corrected. "Vicious has pale hair and pale eyes, like the color of dead fish." Muffy pulled down on the loose skin under her eyes for emphasis.
"I wonder what made him look that way," Spike murmured to himself.
"A frequent side effect of cryogenic freezing is the loss of pigmentation in the hair and eyes," Muffy announced expertly.
"Ah," Spike said feebly, holding out the picture for her to take.
"No, Spike keeps that, and this one too." Muffy handed him the picture of Faye.
"Hey…where'd you get these, anyway?"
"Found 'em," Muffy said vaguely.
"Oh. Thanks."
"Good bye now."
"…Bye."
Sooo…whaddya think? Now you know about the tie b/twn Faye and Vicious (I think most of you guessed it), but you still don't know why she killed him… Sorry Blooknaburg, I have several more yards of evil string…Mwaha.
Song: "Playground Love" by Air. I LOVE this song…very cool and jazzy…perfect for Bebop.