Voices all around, some able to be hear by all; others by one. Sukiko pushed her sunglasses back into place as she entered the large building with a crowd of workers. They were all dress very nicely compared to her usual civilian clothing.

Pulling her cloak tighter around she took comfort in the cold metal that sat in its holster at her side. The voices were persistent as ever as she moved according to their commands. Her eyes were from the long night, but alert for danger.

She trembled lightly, not enough to notice unless one really looked, but enough to warn her of her own weakness. She was only human, or she still only felt as she were a mere human. A high pitched wail from some distance reached her as if it were right next to her. It was all she could do to stay on her own feet, but as it was people cast curious glances in her direction as she wavered.

A familiar color, grey almost silver, moved in the corner of her vision. Turning lightly her vision shifted awkwardly with doubled vision. It was him, two guards at either side of him as they moved toward the stairs.

"Vicious. . ." The name escaped her lips unwilling as she rushed after him. Be damned with those voices demanding their revenge! "Vicious, please. . ." His name was becoming a mantra that she once had only cursed, and spat upon. Now, it seemed as if he was the only one who would be able to help her at all; the only one who understood.

Her body burned and ached even though she was not changing form. Any more and she felt as if she'd lose control. That she might fall to the ground crying out in agony, and some kind soul would simply put her to rest. She didn't know how, but she knew her body was finally breaking down.

Whatever had been done do her, it was destroying her from the inside out as something within awakened. It fought to free itself of the restraints that had been placed upon. Forced to stop she leaned heavily against the cool metal wall of the stairwell hoping to regain some of her form of control.

Opening her eyes slowly she angrily ripped off the sunglasses. It was uncomfortable having her vision hindered by the thin dark barrier. Vicious stood before her watching her sympathetically as she trembled uncontrollably. "You're walking right to him."

"Vicious. . ." She couldn't help herself as she threw herself into his welcoming embrace. Her body shook even harder as she suppressed her tears. She'd cried enough, it was time to be strong again.

"I've become so weak, why have I changed so much so quickly?"

"Emotions, stress, the situation. You're not invulnerable to such things, and despite my denial of it neither am I." He gently released her from his embrace catching her attention; and silencing the voices that tormented her. "Why are you here?"

"I must kill him."

"Once you wanted to kill me."

"He must die! These experiments must stop!"

"That may be true but someone else with less to lose may pick up where he left off."

"Then, I'll destroy the entire building, and all record with it!"

"You would take many innocent lives at the same time." He trying to reason with her, and she could feel herself giving into him piece-by-piece.

:He's near: The force of the voices this time were savage and left her clinging to Vicious for support.

Looking to the solid wall she'd been leaning on moment earlier she growled lowly. All at once launched herself away from Vicious throwing him down and herself through the wall.

Time seemed to slow as her gaze settle on Nathan, and her claws struck home. He writhed away snarling back, and reaching for his gun. It wasn't trained on her, but the man who stood surprised behind her who quickly regained his own footing.

:Touch him and I'll kill you slowly.:

:You're going to kill me then my little pet.:

:You're time is up, it's over with:

He grinned at her baring his own fangs. Blood ran down his chest but he ignored it as if it were a simple flesh wound. She wasn't quite sure what had happened next, but one moment she was standing and in the next a large golden tiger had launched itself at her pinning her to the floor. She was larger though, and with little effort regained her footing.

:Bitch: Again he came at her and she met him with fang and claw. Flesh was torn from the bone, fur from the flesh. Angry, savage snarls filled the air as fangs sank into flesh, and the beasts battled on.

Vicious was helpless to do little more that watch as they fought. If he tried to take aim at one, chances were he'd hit the other. Never, not even when he'd fought Spike, had he seem a battle so brutal. Bloodied fangs glimmer as glass shattered and chemicals fell to the floor. Some mixed together creating small explosion, smoke, or fires. The lights flickered as Sukiko missed her target and pounded into the wall badly damaging it.

She cried out awkwardly as he hit the bullet wound in her side, and clawed at his face in retaliation. Blood flowed from both their bodies as she took advantage of his momentary distraction of his clawed face and shouldered him to the ground. Screaming out her challenge she raced in biting into his exposed throat.

An inhuman cry pierced through the air silencing everything but the low whisper of fizzing chemicals.

His body slowly shifted back into that of a human as he gurgled awkwardly. Sukiko released her grip on his throat and he clawed at it making a futile effort to stop the bleeding. His eyes were wide in surprise, unfocused. His voice viciously cursed her in her own mind as he finally died.

The voices were gone.

Her body shifted back to her human form as well leaving her slumped over of the floor weak with exhaustion and blood loss. Vicious was at her side in moments as gunfire went off downstairs.

"S-spike i-is-" Her word were broken as she held the worst of her bleeding wounds tightly.

"Shut up and save your energy." Vicious look down at her carefully taking note of each wound and it's severity. Binding the worst of them to the best of his ability he prayed the unseen ones would be fine. Her eyes slowly fell closed as she tired, and he shook her harshly to wake her.

Gunshots were getting closer, and voices could be heard.

I'm dying? She laughed lightly at the idea. In the arms of my enemy, my first enemy, I'm dying! All well, I'm just happy to be done with, and that I'm not alone in my last moments. Another rough shake made her open her eyes to see Spike and Faye watching over Vicious' shoulder; Spike's gun pressed to the back of his head.

"The moon. . . ." Her head moved sluggishly as she looked out the window to the full moon. "Where am I?" She looked back to the strange faces of those around her. A dark haired man, a purple-haired woman, and a silver haired man. He was holding her rather tightly, and seemed to be so sad.

"Why are you sad?"

He looked surprised and she laughed lightly; a good feeling. Her hand lifted on it's own accord brushing his cheek. "Don't be afraid, I'm be just fine. I swear that to you. I'm going to be fine." She smiled vaguely aware of a dull pain echoing through her body. It was hard to breath, but she didn't mind at all.

There was love and warmth in the silver-haired man's eyes who looked down upon her sadly. Are you a lover? Or are you more than that? She wondered fleetingly trying to find the answer.

The gun at his head wavered and fell from the green-haired man's hand clattering to the floor. His head was lowered and she couldn't see his eyes through the shadow cast over his face by his hair. She quickly turned her attention back to the silver-haired man holding onto her tightly.

"I'm going to be okay. I promise my love." She reached up hugging him to the best of her ability. Sharp pain raced through her body, and she winced but it quickly vanished again.

The man was crying now as she hugged him tighter. The pain was lifting from her body as he hugged her back. Medics came in and pulled her from his embrace. Then darkness. Then peace. Then nothing.

Whimpering against the bright lights she felt oddly numb. With a sigh she questioned herself again. Who was she? Where was she? Who was that man who'd held her with lovers hands?

Smiling she watched the balding man who sat snoring in the corner. Was he her father? A mirror sat across from her, and she saw similarities, but nothing to really answer that question for sure. She sighed lightly and sat up stretching gingerly as wounds made themselves known.

Another man enter smiling at her with amusement. "Name's Spike." He grinned down bumping the sleeping man to awaken him. "That's Jet."

She blushed lightly as he sat down beside her bed, and played with a stray lock of hair. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

He laughed at her lightly and she jumped startled by his odd behavior. "Well, I really don't know how much you used to know about us, but in a way you do." He turned serious suddenly unbalancing her even more. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all?"

"No, I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing. Does the name Vicious or Nathan mean anything to you?"

"No."

"What year is it?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know the date?"

"No! Stop it! Leave me alone! I don't them, just go away! Please if you insist on doing this just go away!" She held her head in her hands crying. There were images bubbling to the surface but they were dreamlike, as if they were not her own. The man called Spike stood to leave, and she caught his hand before he could move out of reach. "Who am I? What is my name?"

"I believe you name is Tsukiko." The voice from the doorway had her sitting up straighter as she looked over to him. "I'm Vicious."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember anything."

"That may be for the best." He nodded to Spike, said his goodbye, and left.

Spike quickly joined him in the hall with a half-grin. "Now what?"

"I leave. It's best if I don't stay around."

"What do the doctors say?"

"It's the loss of her memories that allowed her to survive the virus in her body. She forgot, and her body forgot. The cells are slowly mutating back to those of a normal human."

"Uh-huh?"

"There will always be the chance of her remembering, and if that happens, we don't know what she'll do. They're setting her up with a whole new life, and it's best if we were not a part of it."

Spike stopped dead in his tracks staring after his old friend and enemy. There was no way Spike was just going to step off of it, and neither was Jet. They couldn't! There had to be more to the story than what was seen on the surface, and the girl was key. How could Vicious just walk away from it all, walk away from the girl who so desperately seemed to need him?

No it was not the true end, just the end of that chapter. There was always more; for a bounty hunter.

A/N: Yes, I am stil alive. Expect a new story for the crew of bebop by late may. The first chapter is already in the works. . . .in my head that is.