I don't own Cowboy Bebop!

Cynical World

Chapter 2

        "Good day, Zen," a passerby greeted the petite girl as she swept the dirt out of a small store. This was her place of work, and had been for months after she had met Ed. She almost always had a smile on her face, and her cat constantly followed her without bothering anyone or anything but the occasional mouse.

        "Hi Zen-Zen!" Ed greeted her happily, "Zen-Zen not happy?"

        "Not really, Ed," Zen smiled softly at the younger girl. Ed had taught her a bit about hacking and everything about what had happened after the moon had shattered. Ed was her closest and most trusted friend, next to Kal. "I miss my family. My dad promised he'd teach me so many things… and my mom had still so much to teach me… It hurts that I'll never see them again. I think I need to get away from Earth. I have enough money to get a transport or a ship of my own. Do you think I should?"

        "Ed thinks Zen-Zen should do what Zen-Zen wants to do," Ed frowned.

        "If I left, would you and Ein want to come with Kal and me?" a sad look passed through Zen's eyes.

        "Maybe later!" Ed grinned and stood on her hands happily, "Zen-Zen need to find self."

        "You're right Ed," Zen smiled sadly and hugged the younger girl.

        "So, Zen-Zen get her own ship?" Ed asked.

        "I think so. Will you help me pick out just the right one?" Zen laughed as Ed began to bounce around singing 'yes'.

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        It had been a few months since Zen had bought her ship and named it the 'Kitsune'. Before she had left Ed, Ed had given both Zen and Kal a metal band one fit around Zen's wrist and the other was Kal's new collar. Both were cutting edge technology that Ed had specifically designed to communicate with Ed, act as a mini-computer, tracker, television, and a few other little tricks that would help Zen and Kal, as they were on Mars. Ed had warned Zen, ahead of time, to avoid the Red Dragons and told her that they were bad news. Zen had complied, thus far, but sometimes life has a way of changing even the best laid plans…

        Zen accidentally stumbled over a fight which one man in a blue suit was lying on the ground getting beaten by two very suspicious looking characters, "Kal, I believe we need to intervene."

        Both men looked up and chuckled, "What's a pretty little thing like you going to do?"

        "Nothing you have to worry about." Zen's eyes hardened, "Kal." Suddenly, there was a sword in Zen's hands. Both men's eyes widened in horror at the deadly beauty of the sword; before they tried to pull their guns. "We live in such a cynical world, do we not?" Zen abruptly had slashed both guns to pieces with her sword. "I would leave, while you still can."

        Both men ran off screaming about strange women with swords that were strong enough to cut through metal. Not seeing the sword disappear, and a cat reappear at Zen's side. The beaten man opened his eyes slightly and promptly passed out.

        "How will we get him back to our humble abode, neko-chan?" Zen questioned the little cat. The cat purred as he rubbed his head on her cheek and promptly sat on Zen's shoulder. "Ah, so I shoulder the heavy weight of this man." Zen chuckled as she struggled with the heavy burden of the man in the blue suit, all the way to her small, but roomy little ship. She dragged him over to her extra bed, laid him down, took his shirt off, and began to look at the wounds he had received. Zen quickly bandaged the man's wounds properly, and asked Kal to watch the man and get her when he became conscious.