A room…

I know this place.

On the bed a woman's sleeping.

Who are you?

Her face, where tears obviously just dried out, seems so lifeless and…lost.

It seems like she's not capable of smiling, but he knew she was.

She's even capable of laughing out loud!

But he couldn't name her…

As he looks at that face, he could heard her say, 'I was never home. I lost it years ago… Until I met the most despicable creatures in the universe…and they welcomed me home.'

Such a long talk for someone sleeping. But Spike knew she meant those words.

And he realized something, Was she really smiling or laughing… or were those just self-defense mechanisms of herself just to hide her dejection? I should have thought…

Slowly fading from his view, the woman woke up and hugged a noticeably damp pillow and started humming a familiar tune.

'I wish I could go home… but where's home? You're my only home. Now, I have to leave because… shocks! This is getting to my nerves…I could never have the home I want. I guess I just have to find a new one, then…'

Faye?

……………………………………………

It's been minutes since he woke up.

Spike feels a sudden pain in his head. Must be from the medicine they gave me.

He looked around looking for signs of any living creature. Maybe Jet's at the cockpit. Maybe Ed and Ein went home. Maybe Faye's…

But he couldn't think of where she could be. The dream he had, bothered him like hell!

He remembered waking up, seeing her face, hearing her humming the same melody Julia used to hum. But she's nowhere.

He heard those familiar footsteps. Heavy steps that reflects the age of their proponent.

Jet.

"You went half way to Lucifer's place, didn't you? So, how was it?" The warm tone filled the corners of the room. It was then that the smell of fried beef and green peppers reached his nose.

He smiled thinly. "Nice. Lucy says hello! He wanted me to stay but I said I can't."

"That's because a blue-haired devil took you away from the underground eh?'

"Ha. Ha. Your joke's not funny. So, where is the nuisance?" his voice with no sign of sarcasm but it was just some plain question.

Jet turned around, him not seeing the guy's expression, and said "She flew off. Said she needed some fresh air."

Spike held his breath. He couldn't explain the feeling. There's nothing inside him that he could portray. "Maybe she needs fresh air."

"she needs more than fresh air." He spun around to face Spike, his hand imitating the form of a gun. "And you need some sensitivity. Bang!" As if shooting Spike straight to the heart.

"You're acting strange."

"Look at the mirror and ask who's acting weird." Jet walked away, smelling his halfway-to-burning meal. "I cooked something. You need some energy. Haunting down an azure lunatic is harder than any bounty hunting."

Jet left him with his eyes focused on the bandage on his chest. There's a strand of hair on it. It's blue. Faye's.

So… she left.

……………………...

What an asshole… He's just like any guy.

The difference is – he's hair resembles torrid thorns!

Smiling sadly, she took a last glimpse on the old metal that adopted her, which seemed to her like decades ago – bebop.

A home found… and lost.

Not lost… I left it!

"Sayonara bebop… It was nice staying there. I wish I could bring more trouble that would make your boring lives sprint in high spirits, but I guess I can't. I know you're better off without me, anyway." She laughed melancholy to herself. "I have some sense to protect myself, my only property. So, I guess, I can't hand myself to you Spike. You're just not worth it!" She smiled grimly as she tries to visualize the grinning Spike. But when she smiled deviously to herself, as though, she discovered the truth behind the existence of the universe, a tear streaked down her cheeks.

Faye shoves a few strands and geared her MONO racer to full speed.

"Spike… you good-for-nothing, booby, imbecile, no-account snob, brainless, dim-witted, rag hair! Why do you have to exist!"

Exist… just to make me feel like this.

And… just to notice me not…

I hate you…Damn! I don't?

Someday I'll really hate you until I forget you completely!

And Faye Valentine would never be on the list of crazy dense women who tumbled and never stood up because of love. Not me!

"Damn!"

The metal, with it s pilot digging deep into her emotions, fled away to the vast universe – leaving bebop.

………………………………………………………

What's with this entire hullabaloo? The noisy rumbling awakened his senses. The noise had been coming from the kitchen. That sounded like pans and saucers having a party…

The noise of a made-up mono pod sound seems to be coming nearer… 'swoooosh-oosh'… nearer…'swish! Swoosh!... and a skinny kid and a dog came bubbling in with the noise.

"Ed? Ein?" Spike stared at the two figures chasing each other around like two mono racers.

Ed stopped on his tracks and halted the dog, too. "Hey , Spike- Spike! Jet-Jet thrown us out-out the kitchen – kitchen…" He glanced around looking for something or… someone. "Where's your wifey? Faye- faye?"

Spike let out a heavy sigh and touched his bandaged chest. "She went out for fresh air."

Ein barked at Ed. The boy turned at the dog as though he was talking to it. "Oh.. yeah! I forgot!" He turned to Spike after glancing at the kitchen. "Jet told us to get you. We need to go now. We're gonna play with Faye-faye!" Ed didn't even wait for his answer. The two sprinted away, still playing their chasing- mono-racers, going somewhere to fetch Faye.

"I thought that boy and that dog.. they're genius but there's no fresh air in space. Might as well attend to Jet's cooking." And he smiled grimly to himself before clutching the blue strand unconsciously.

……………….

And Faye landed… You're better off without me. And I'm better off this way.

Humming along the sad song she used to hum while the injured Spike sleeps…

I just need to chill out! Her lips moved into a wide smile but her eyes didn't.

I just need to chill out. She didn't smile when she told herself this.

I just need to chill out… Now, she didn't even think she's telling it to herself. It's like she lost a big part of her.

Some stupid part… Stupid but worth happiness to live with.. something she left behind with bebop… though she tries to ignore and deny it.

I can't get you out of my mind.. prickle-headed cowboy…

……………………………………………………..

Last chap comin' out!

Be patient please…