Disclaimer: I own a PC, a TV, several DVD and CD, tons of school textbooks, and a cat that apparently still has no gender… but I do NOT own Cowboy Bebop!

Notes: just three little things: 1)sorry for the grammar... you know English not my first language. 2)if you flame LEAVE me your e-mail address. 3)read, enjoy and REVIEW!

Angel'sPunishment

Prologue: L'angelo della vendetta

2071, Tharsis city- Mars

:Ding-dong:

"Damn it! Not now…"

"Just a minute, babe… I'm sending whoever it is back to hell, and when I'll be back I'm taking you to heaven…" the blonde man said getting up from the bed and putting on a black satin robe

"Don't keep me waiting too much, Clive…" half said half moaned the naked redhead who was lying on the bed, blue eyes sparkling with lust as she watched her man leave the bedroom.

Clive went through the hallway, not even bothering to turn on the lights; the sound of his bare feet on the cold marble floor was the only noise audible in the flat. He reached the door and without taking a look through the spy-hole he opened it, coming face to face with an unknown woman.

She was dressed in a black leather motorbike-rider jacket; her faded blue jeans were slung low on her hips revealing the smooth pale skin of her belly, and she was wearing knee-high black boots over the jeans. Her emerald irises stood out against the black eyeliner she wore, her chin-length dark purple hair contrasted the porcelain white color of her face, and her bloody red lips showed an impish smile.

"Is it Clive Martins' humble dwelling?" she asked with a sultry voice

"Yes, Miss… and I am Clive. How can I help you?" he replied quickly, his grey eyes looking straight into hers. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about that woman that gave him goose bumps all over his body. Being nervous was something that didn't happen so frequently to a professional killer of the Red Dragon Syndicate, especially in front of a young lady that probably had seen guns just in action movies.

"Do you know how to get a dead man back to life, Mr. Martins?" her smirk still on her scarlet lips. Clive stared at her, it was impossible to understand if she was serious or if it was only a joke… her smile was unreadable, almost enigmatic.

'This girl's brain is completely fucked up…'

"I- I don't think so, Miss… but maybe you need help, I can call you a taxi if-"

"Thanks, Mr. Martins, but I'm ok… I got what I came here for" the dark haired woman cut short letting her smile fade.

"You sure, Miss?"

"Give Vicious my best regards…" her right hand reached for something that was on the wall next to the door, his eyes widened and followed her rapid movement noticing just then the sword that was resting against the door-frame, but it was already too late even to think about escaping.

The sharp blade of the katana embedded itself into his stomach tearing apart every vital organ that was in its way; a rivulet of dark red blood escaped his lips along with an agonized groan of pain. Clive took two steps backward; his shaky hands gripped the decorated hilt of the Japanese weapon as he fell on his knees. The blade had pierced his abdomen and came out on his back, the pain was unbearable.

"You fucking bitch…" he whispered, spiting blood out of his mouth onto the polished floor, his eyes were wide open and bloodshot, beads of sweat were starting to cover his forehead, stopping on his blonde brows. His eyelids shut tightly as two gunshot echoed into the room neutralizing the cameras that were placed on the white walls; the green eyed woman put her Glock back into its holster and went past the doorway to stand in front of the dying syndicate member.

She crouched down next to him and her slender fingers closed themselves around the hilt of the sword, her gaze shifted to his pained expression and with a turn of her wrist she made the blade twist in the wound and his eyes shot open.

"Didn't anybody teach you to never insult a lady?" she teased

"P-please… I-I'll give you anything-" he begged in a low whisper

"Don't waste your last breath in vain, Clive…" her grip on the katana tightened as she pulled it out from his guts, hearing his choked scream and looking at his pain-contorted features

"Farewell…" her silken hair swirled as she stood up and turned around, her left hand picked up the raven black sheath from the ground and she replaced the precious weapon in it.

The violet haired woman speed up towards the door and closed it quickly as her feet touched the floor out of the flat; she took a deep breath and regained her composure, her heart slowed down its beating and she could almost feel the adrenaline dissolve into her veins.

Her feet carried her along the hallways, down the stairs, till she reached the exit; but before she could get past the sliding doors she heard the high-pitched voice of a woman scream bloody murder. Her legs froze, she felt like her body was ten times heavier, it was like somebody was gripping at her heart and squeezing it tightly.

'He got what he deserved… he had to be punished' the cold female voice speaking in her mind reassured her. So, she swallowed that emotion between pity and guilt that was tormenting her, clenched the katana in her palm, and stepped out of the classy structure leaving behind all her fears, doubts, and morals.

For the first time in her lifetime she had killed in cold blood, for the first time she planned to execute somebody, and for the first time it wasn't for saving her own life. It was for revenge. And she knew it was just the beginning of a long list of killings; because now vengeance was the only reason of her life, and nothing or nobody could stop her thirst for revenge.

The woman reached hurriedly the black Ducati999 (newly stolen from somebody who didn't know how to choose a good alarm) that was parked few blocks form the one she was in; she zipped up her jacket, put on her black gloves and crash helmet and after getting on it, she started up the engine. As her motorbike shot down the streets at top speed, her mind was racing through her memories, trying to remember the shortest way to the herbal medicine shop in the Chinese part of the Martian town, the only place where she could go, now that she had left for good the old spaceship she called 'home'.

'well, as long as he still wants me there after the mess I've done the last time…" she said to herself remembering how the shop, or what was left of it, looked after the gunfight between her and the men of the casino owner that kidnapped her.

As the minutes flew by, her green eyes stayed fixed on the road before her, and the roar of the motor under her was the only sound her ears were listening to; she wasn't paying attention to anything outside herself. Her five senses ignored the light and the sirens wailing of the police-cars that went past her, she wasn't aware of the cold air of the night hitting the exposed skin on her lower back, and she didn't even notice that she had unconsciously arrived at her destination

The old Chinese man was settling his wide selection of natural remedies on the shelves behind the counter when the clicking sound of heels reached his ears. His hands stilled but he didn't look back to see who it was, he already knew.

"Is there still room for a lost girl who has nowhere to go?" a soft female voice asked him. He could almost hear the smile in her tone; it had been over a year since he had heard from her, and by the difficult position in which she was the last time he had seen her, he thought that he would have never met her again, or at least not in this lifetime.

"There's always a room for a Chinese beauty such you're, Faye…" the old man replied turning to her with a full smile under his drooping moustaches. "But no more gunfight in here, ok?"

The dark haired woman smiled and walked to the counter placing the katana on it and reaching for a cigar, she put it between her lips and lit it with her Zippo… his Zippo. But he no longer could kick her ass for having stolen it, and even if it could seem strange, she wasn't so happy about it. She took another drag and slowly exhaled the smoke staring intently at the lighter between her fingers and trying to keep at bay all the feelings it evoked in her mind and heart.

"Where did you find this?" Zhang questioned pointing to the sword near his cash desk

"It's a long story…"

"Care to narrate it?"

"Maybe another time… I seriously need to take a nap, now" she said and stubbed out the cigar on the ashtray; her slender fingers gripped the katana as she moved towards the stairs in the back of the shop, but the old owner's voice stooped her

"I'm pretty good with that thing, you know… I had lived ten years in Japan before the gate accident, I left China with my father when my mother died and I spent lot of time practicing with the katana…" she couldn't help but notice how his voice quivered at the mention of his mother's death "ask me if you need some training… I'd be happy to give you a hand" he offered with a small smile

"Does this training include retiring to the highest mountain on Mars and spend there some years of my youth sweating blood to learn how to use a sword?" she inquired with an arched eyebrow staring into his sunglasses covered eyes. He laughed heartily to her preoccupied demeanor

"No, no… nothing like that, my girl. I have something special in store for you…" he reassured her patting her shoulder.

"Sure…" she replied going upstairs to her old room.

Faye opened the door and looked inside, everything was like she had left it; there were still some of her clothes scattered on the stripped bed, beer cans on the floor, her TV /computer, and all her CDs in a pile on the corner. She smiled. It was like being back to a year before, when she would spend all her time gambling, escaping from creditors, and seducing old dickheaded man just to run away with their money; when she still didn't remember anything from her past; when she still hadn't crossed roads with the Bebop and its crew… somehow she wished to go back to that time of her life when she was free of everything and everybody, she wanted to never had known what love is, to never had met Spike Spiegel…

The ex-bounty huntress shut the door behind her and letting her gun fall along with the Japanese weapon on her bed, she headed for the small bathroom. She opened the shower so that by the time she would be ready the water would have been at the right temperature, she undressed leaving all her clothes on the tiled floor. She had to wash them, even if they weren't stained with blood she felt the insane need to clean anything that she had on when she had killed that bastard.

She didn't understand why, but she felt dirty, and if she couldn't do anything for making the feeling go away from inside her, she surely could wash it on the outside. The emerald eyed woman finished undressing and stepped into the shower; the hot water cascading onto her smooth skin felt wonderful on her tired muscles, but couldn't do anything to stop the hot tears from falling, or to cover the heart-wrenching sobs that she let escape from her lips as she wrapped her arms around herself, wishing they were someone else's.

A/N: it's been sooooo long since last time I wrote something! Past months have been hell… when school was over and I thought I could finally relax, my house has practically became a building site… and it's not so simple concentrating when somebody is drilling on the wall of your room, or even next your room-- But since I couldn't write during the day I spent the nights planning this story out… it'll be 11 chapters long and I really hope I will find the time to write and be able to complete it…

I removed 'the real ballad of fallen angels' from the site, I seriously need to revise it and then maybe I'll put it up again…

I hope you enjoyed the first chap… the next will be set three years after this and-

Shin: I refuse to be the Red Dragon's leader! I'm NOT that kind of man and I won't-

Me: stop being such a fussy, Shin…

Shin: no! I just want to retire in a cave and be an hermit; living my life contemplating the beauties of nature… I'm not a killer! Besides, you don't have any rights on me!

Me: I'm the author…

Shin: but you DO NOT owe me!

Me: I borrowed you, and I can do whatever I want with you! You should thank me for giving you a part in a fic… so stop complaining and go back to your room before I change my mind and give Lin your role!

Shin: B- but Lin's dead!

Me: who said that?

Shin: but-

Me: let me finish this… we'll discuss about my thaumaturgic powers later…

Shin: but-

Me: LIN! I have an offer to-

Shin: NO! It's ok, I'll wait…

Me: good boy… getting back to the point, as I was saying before this little interruption, in the next chap we'll meet the man who has led the RD for the last three years, while it was waiting for its legitimate leader to get back on his feet…

Shin: please, if you're going to review, work for a good cause and ask her to leave me and my brother out of-

Me: SHIN!

Shin: forget whatever I said! Just review and see you in the next chap… bye! --runs off--