Discovery
A Cowboy Bebop Fanfic
Inspired by Daft Punk
LadyAkitsu- Hello there, and welcome to my latest creation. I know it's not much, but it is a WIP, so please do me a favor and bear with me. More than likely, I'll revise or perhaps even rewrite the entire thing after I'm done.
(Those of you who got the link to this from my LJ, feel free to skip the next paragraph.)
I was inspired to write this while listening to Daft Punk's album Discovery. If you've never heard it or even of Daft Punk, I highly recommend checking it out. Anyway, my original idea for this was for one long AMV, or Anime Music Video. Unfortunately, I lack both the materials and the skills to do so, and as a result, I opted to turn my idea into a written story instead.
So, sit back and enjoy. If you want, go ahead and comment with words of encouragement or constructive critique. And please, no mindless flaming. If you don't like it, either tell me why or don't comment. Thank you.
OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: I do not in any way, shape, or form own or claim to own the musical group Daft Punk, their music, ideas, or their album Discovery, nor do I own or claim to own the characters Spike Spiegel, Faye Valentine, Jet Black, Ed, Ein, or any other attributes to the anime/manga Cowboy Bebop.
Introduction
In the cold, dark, and starry emptiness of space drifted the ship Bebop. As she calmly waited, two smaller ships appeared from the distance in the direction of the Bebop, twirling and weaving as they approached to dock themselves in the docking bay.
Chapter One: Celebration
The once quiet environment of the Bebop was shattered as the door leading from the docking bay burst forth, colliding with the cold steel wall behind it with a loud metallic clang.
"Whoo!" exclaimed Faye, the amethyst-haired seductress/bounty hunter. She grinned and stretched her arms behind her, her boot-clad feet clanking in rhythm across the metal mesh floor of the hallway, which lead to the main room of the ship, or the "lounge," as she liked to call it.
"Man, what a rush! That was definitely one of our best bounties yet!"
The tall, lanky man behind her wore an easy grin as he shuffled along after her with his hands in his pockets.
"Well I guess, but I can't really say anything since you were running around like some kind of amateur and did just about everything."
Faye gave a light laugh and shook her head, sending her short-cropped hair softly swishing across her fair face. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled teasingly.
"Oh, give it up, Spike. You have to admit that I did a damned good job this time. Besides, I didn't see you complaining."
Spike scoffed as he drew his hand through his dark and wildly ruffled green hair.
"Yeah, right. Then what was I saying when I kept having to get your sorry ass out of trouble, huh? Compliments?"
"Please! You like it, Spike. Admit it."
"Admit what, exactly?" asked Spike, giving her a hard stare.
"You like being the rescuer, the hero," Faye answered with a smug smirk.
"No… I like being a bounty hunter. What I don't like is being your damn bodyguard half the time," countered Spike. "You're the one who keeps reminding us that you can take care of yourself."
"Yeah, and I can."
"How 'bout proving it, then?"
"Why, you…! Fine then, I will!" She retorted crossly. Faye's left eyebrow irritably twitched a few times as she watched Spike casually stride past her with a small satisfied grin on his face. She cast a dark glare in his direction, resentfully knowing that he rather enjoyed teasing her, making her look and certainly feeling like a fool.
Arrogant bastard, she thought. Damn you and your sadistic sense of humor… I'll get you back for that one of these days, Spike Spiegel. But until then, I refuse to let you see me like that again. Besides… Faye smirked. I'm still pumped from that last bounty. And with that, she walked out into the lounge with some retained confidence.
Jet Black was sitting calmly on the table in the middle of the room when he saw Spike from the corner of his eye and smiled as he rose to greet his young partner.
"Ah, another success for the Bebop, eh?" he said and clapped Spike hard on the shoulder. Spike just shrugged and nodded.
"Yeah, I guess." Spike replied, plopping down on the couch with a sigh. Jet sat down on the cushioned chair opposite him.
"You don't sound too enthusiastic about it."
"And that would be because he didn't do anything this time," added Faye, ambling in form the hallway.
"What? You wouldn't let me!" protested Spike. Faye gave a hollow laugh.
"That's enough, you two." Jet interrupted. "I don't want fighting on my ship, damn it. Is that understood?"
"Feh. Whatever… " muttered Spike as he slouched in his seat.
"If you say so, Jet."
"Good. Now since you were the one who did just about everything, Faye, why don't you tell me about it?"
Instantly, Faye's eyes lit up, practically beaming. She leaned forward and somehow, Spike couldn't help noticing her crossing and uncrossing her rather shapely legs as she chattered excitedly with Jet about everything that had transpired. He rolled his eyes at himself and looked away.
Damn it, Spike, you dumbass, he mentally cursed himself. He inwardly cringed as he also remembered admiring the way she sauntered away from him when she was upset. What the hell is wrong with me!
"Something wrong, Spike?" Jet's deep baritone voice quickly snapped Spike out of his thoughts.
"Uh, no. No, of course not." Spike faltered for only a second, but it was enough to earn him a few strange looks from his fellow bounty hunters. God damn it all to hell!
Faye shrugged and turned back to Jet to continue her story of the latest bounty.
"Really, Jet, you shoulda been there! It was such an adrenaline rush!"
"Yeah, so you've told me," laughed Jet. "So what happened next?"
"Well, you remember who the bounty was, right? That business CEO guy? Well, me and Spike flew over there and we followed him to his corporate building. Anyways, we knocked out the security guys and made sure that no one else could follow us, okay? Then-"
"Listen, while you ladies gossip, I'm gonna go hit the showers," interrupted Spike as he yawned and stretched his arms up over his head. Faye glared daggers at him as she watched him rise from his seat on the couch and shuffle down the hallway.
"Jerk."
"Nah, he's just sore at you for taking over. He'll come around."
Faye glanced over to Jet and arched a brow.
"Seriously? Not that I care or anything."
Jet just smiled and gave a quiet chuckle at Faye's reaction and recovery.
Spike sighed to himself as he reached his quarters and opened the door, cringing a bit at the high-pitched squeaking of the old and slightly rusted hinges. He glanced at them for a second, then continued on his way inside.
Man, where did Jet those cheap things? They need to replaced… or at least oiled or something. Spike thought to himself as he switched on the harsh florescent light that was mounted on the ceiling. Spike remembered how he used to squint and complain the first few times before he finally got used to it.
As he looked around the room, Spike noticed how small and cramped it seemed, despite the fact that there was very little furniture. A messy bed with crumpled sheets was shoved into a corner, with a short metal chest of drawers sitting next to it, the top of it littered with small bits of paper and spare change. At the foot of the bed stood an old wooden chair, a wrinkled shirt draped over the back and a battered paperback book with a scratched black MP3 player on the seat. An amused smirk flickered briefly on Spike's face.
I guess Jet was going for the industrial look.
Spike got down on one knee and groaned as he rummaged through one of the drawers for a clean towel, but with very little luck.
"Damn it, I know there's one in here somewhere…" he muttered through gritted teeth. He searched for five more minutes before he found one, crinkled as it was. He tossed it over his shoulder and got back up, wincing as the sound of cracking bones rang out in the tiny room. He was definitely going to feel that in the morning.
Spike walked out and closed the door behind him, making sure not to slam it lest Ed, or worse Faye, would hear it. He didn't know why he was paranoid; he just was. He also didn't know why all three of the things he disliked most were living on the same ship he was.
Some things I'll just never figure out, I guess… Spike supposed, crossing the hallway to the shower room. Shutting the door behind him, he quickly locked it so that there would be no chance on an awkward moment of someone accidentally walking in on him… like Faye. Spike blinked.
Wait a sec here… why the hell am I thinking about her so damn much recently? Spike wondered as he began to undress. It's not like I'm attracted to her or anything… am I? He scoffed, lifting his shirt above his head and tugging it off, revealing a smooth and slightly cut torso. No way in hell. She's nothing like Julia. Not a damn thing.
Spike continued disrobing and stepped into the shower, turning the water on full blast and piping hot. He scatted quietly to himself as he scrubbed the day's grit and grime away. He'd rather be hungry than dirty, in his opinion. And in this case, it was certainly true. Fortunately, the bounty that they had just recently caught was worth big Woolongs, so there'd definitely be dinner on the table tonight.
Spike finished washing and turned off the water, watching it drip down from the showerhead before tapering off. He frowned. His normally out of control hair was now plastered down flat on his head and over his eyes. He shook his head, sending droplets of water everywhere before toweling it dry. After he was satisfied with his hair's condition, he tossed the towel around his shoulders and looked around for his clothes. He found his pants in a corner near the shower… and they were sopping wet. Spike grumbled in frustration.
"Great, just what I need," he muttered as he gingerly picked up the now dripping and sodden mess. "Eh. They probably needed to be washed anyway."
He dropped the pants into the mesh bag hanging from the wall that served as a dirty clothes hamper before locating his boxers and slipping them on. He then walked out of the shower room, grabbing his shirt and tie on the way.
After getting some clean clothes on, Spike walked into the main room of the ship, where Faye was apparently finishing up her story of what happened.
With a few more things added in for color, no doubt, thought Spike as he leaned against the entryway of the hall.
Faye glanced upwards in Spike's direction and noticed something a bit… off. She broke into a smile in mid-sentence and quickly covered her mouth before starting to giggle like a small schoolgirl.
Jet and Spike blinked in surprise at Faye's sudden show of mirth.
"What's so funny, Faye?" asked Jet, obviously confused.
"That's exactly what I'd like to know." Spike remarked from the hallway, his arms crossed as he arched a brow and stared at her suspiciously. Faye could do nothing more than point a shaking finger at Spike's pants and contain her laughter.
Spike glanced downwards and Jet, out of curiosity, turned around to see what the matter was. What they saw was Spike's half-zipped fly… and a certain part of Spike that was peeking out.
"Aw, Jesus, Spike… " Jet cringed and turned away while Spike hastily tucked himself back in and zipped himself up with a slight flush on his cheeks. Faye simply couldn't hold it in any longer and collapsed into hysteric giggles, rocking back slightly in her seat as she did so. Spike glared at her.
"Why the fuck didn't you just tell me instead of laughing at me like that!"
Fate smirked smugly and stood up to face him.
"I couldn't help it. I was amused, so I laughed."
"Why, you…!"
"Who looks like a fool now, Spike?" whispered Faye with a wicked grin.
Spike's shaking fists balled up at his sides as he watched her saunter back to her seat, the white-hot anger churning in his stomach.
How dare she! How could she be so cruel as to laugh! Angry thoughts circled viciously in his mind. Especially at… that.
"I swear I'd punch you right now if you weren't a woman."
"Don't let that stop you," scoffed Faye. "I can take care of my own, thank you."
"Fine, have it your way…"
"Hey, hey! That's enough, damn it." Jet stepped in between the two. "I said I don't want any fighting on my fuckin' ship. Besides, we should be celebrating the big bounty we just caught, right?"
Faye smiled at Jet and nodded.
"You're absolutely right, Jet. In fact, I've gotten us a little something to celebrate the occasion."
"Oh, have you? It better had been with your half and not mine, Faye." Spike replied and crossed his arms over his chest. Faye simply laughed lightly.
"Keep your pants on, Spike; it was."
Spike's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly in response to the snide remark. Jet glanced over to him and gave him a look.
"Relax."
Spike sighed and did so. He didn't know what it was, but there was just something about Faye that got under his skin and got him so tense. It was strange, but no one else made him feel that way. Not even Julia.
"Faye, why don't you go get whatever it was you got for us, hm?" asked Jet. She nodded and stood back up before walking over to the hallway that lead to the docking bay.
"It's in my ship right now. I'll be right back," she said before running off. With Faye gone, Jet turned to Spike and looked at him with apprehension.
"What is with you today, buddy?"
"I… I dunno, Jet. It's just… I can't figure it out."
"Well you'd better figure it out, Spike. And fast, or else one or both of you will be off my ship." Jet retorted, jabbing a metallic finger at Spike's chest. "And you know damn well that I'm serious about that."
Spike nodded.
"Yeah… I know, Jet. I know."
Minutes later, Faye re-entered the room with a smile on her face and a large green bottle in her hand, carrying it by the slender foil-wrapped neck. She raised it for them to see and shook it gently, the golden liquid inside sloshing softly.
"Can you guess what this is?"
The men stared in shock. Jet stepped forward to get a closer look and took it from Faye, cradling the fragile glass container lest he accidentally drop it, while Spike just stood where he was. Jet looked back from the bottle to Faye, puzzled.
"Is this what I think it is?"
Faye just smiled and put her hands behind her back.
"Depends on what you think it is, Jet. Take a guess."
Jet looked back to the bottle's label, studying it.
"This… This can't be."
"Can't be what, Jet?" asked Spike. Faye grinned, clearly pleased.
"Bona fide sparkling champagne from Earth, gentlemen. Enjoy."
Spike blinked.
"What? But… But I thought that real champagne hasn't been made in decades. The Earth's current soil can't handle the grapes anymore and the soil on any other colonized planets has too much acidity to grow them."
Jet nodded and offered Spike the bottle to study for himself.
"You thought right. This stuff here is one the rare antique bottles. See?" He pointed to the top center of the label. "It says 2001. This bottle is a little over a century old!"
"And we're gonna drink it!"
"Don't see why not, do you?" said Faye, taking the bottle from them and making her way to the galley kitchen. "Now all we have to do is find some glasses or something."
"They're in the cupboard on the far left at the end!" Jet called after her.
"Got it, Jet." She walked back in, glasses in hand. "You think these will be good?"
"Sure," he said, taking his glass from her. Faye offered Spike his glass, then grabbed the champagne bottle from the low table. She grinned.
"Here we go!"
The pop of the cork shooting from the foaming bottle was nearly deafening, and a fountain of champagne gushed forth for a few seconds. Spike only stared in wonder, since he had never seen such a thing as a real champagne bottle opening.
"Um, aren't we supposed to drink this stuff?"
Faye giggled and smiled at him as she took his glass, her fingers lightly brushing his. Spike blinked, taken aback with a barely visible blush on his features. Clearing his throat, he looked away as if he didn't care.
What the hell just happened? He asked himself. Why in God's name did I blush at that? I don't blush at anything! … She does have a cute smile, though, and a cute laugh, too… UGH! Snap out of it, jackass. I sound like a woman!
Faye poured the golden and bubbling liquid into the three glasses, handing them back to the two men before picking up her own.
"I say we make a toast. What do you think?"
Jet nodded and looked to Spike, who shrugged. They raised their glasses.
"To the Bebop; may she have many more safe years ahead of her!"
"Hear, hear!"
"Hear, hear!"
Now I know it's not much now, but rest assured, there's more coming. Lots more. So hang on, 'cuz there's one HELL of a ride up ahead!