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Angel's Punishment

Chapter 2: One more chance?

2074, Red Dragon Hospital - Tharsis city, Mars

Spike was lying in a hospital bed; he was sure about that, the yellow couch of the Bebop was far more uncomfortable and small than the bed under his back. Even the smell was different, every time he had woken up on the Bebop to the intoxicating scent of cigarette smoke mixed with the smell of bell peppers or with the perfume of vanilla, either it was Jet or Faye who was there near him. Sometimes he had even awakened to the stench of Ein's solid business, but it was always better than the void smell of the hospital.

He didn't want to open his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to look around and find out that he really was still alive, but even with his eyes still closed he could sense that he wasn't dreaming anymore; the ache he was feeling in his limbs was the proof that he wasn't dead. Death was synonymous with peace, silence, stillness… death meant happiness to him; and the voices, the sound of footsteps, the beeping noises around him were evidence that he was indeed living in reality… again.

The bounty hunter couldn't believe that the Dragons saved him, after all he had been the one who killed their leader, he had destroyed their Head quarters and murdered many of their men in doing so… but it was common knowledge that the members of great crime organizations, such as the Red Dragon, were for the most part turncoats… at the first sign of danger, they changed sides and swore allegiance to the more powerful leader, often abandoning their present boss.

Vicious… the same thing he had done to Mao has now happened to him. Fate really is ironic.

His reasoning stopped as he heard a sudden increase of movements, he could distinctly hear the heavy footfalls in the hallway, and he knew that whoever was coming towards his room surely wasn't a doctor or a nurse. He remembered of having asked to talk with Shin, he didn't know why he had thought of him, he was probably dead… like the others. But at the moment he needed to see a friend, and the younger man was the only friend he had in the syndicate, the only person he could rely on.

Spike decided to keep his eyes closed, he didn't feel like being drugged up again. His ears caught the voices of two men talking on the door of his room, but he couldn't hear what they were saying because the door was still closed. They seemed to disagree about something, most likely about his physical condition, then one of the two raised his voice and their argument was over.

Shin slowly turned the doorknob, the little debate he had with the doctor helped him to relieve some of the tension he had started to accumulate since the moment he had found out about Spike's awakening; however he still felt nervous about confronting his old friend, he didn't know what to expect when he would tell him he was the new leader of the Dragons. Knowing Spike, he was sure it was going to be a difficult fight.

The green-eyed young man entered the room, his eyes scanned over the small place noticing that his older friend was still sleeping; he sighed with relief, at least he would have some time to prepare a little speech. Shin placed his black coat on a chair next to the wall, he took off the black jacket of his business suit and even unbuttoned the first buttons of his satin dark red shirt, he couldn't understand if it was the temperature of the room, or his anxiety that made him feel so hot.

He sat down on a chair that was settled near Spike's bed and folded his hands in his lap patiently waiting for his friend to wake up. After a few minutes Shin's left leg was moving up and down, it was a nervous tic he'd had since his childhood and he had never been able to control it; he tried to stop the movements but in vain, so he gave up. He planted his elbows on his thighs and laid his head on his palms, he couldn't take it anymore; he had to speak with Spike before he went crazy.

Spike didn't move, he had understood it was Shin the moment he entered the room, the guy had always been the affectionate type, someone else would have shut the door closed without paying any attention to the person sleeping in the room, but Shin always tried to cause the least amount of disturbance to anybody around him. The bounty hunter even observed that his friend was quite tense; it wasn't easy not to notice the ruffling sounds of his pants brushing on the leg of the chair. Spike thought that maybe it was the right moment to open his eyes, but he changed his mind when Shin started to talk.

"Spike, I know that you'll hate me for this, I helped you even if I knew it wasn't what you wanted, I saved your life, when you already told me you had nothing to live for… but when I saw you there lying in a pool of blood I couldn't stop myself from thinking that it couldn't end like that, you were one of the few people who I've ever trusted in my life, one of the few friends I've ever had, and I couldn't lose you…"

Shin stopped and took a deep breath before going on with his talking still unaware of Spike listening to him.

"I just wanted to give you another chance, you deserved another chance… I-I know this may seem just a cover for my act of selfishness, but believe me, Spike, it's not…" his voice trailed off as his eyes studied the expensive black leather shoes he was wearing.

"And don't you think Julia, too, deserved another chance?"

Shin looked up immediately, his glare fixed on the still calm face of the green haired man on the bed, his eyes were still shut and his thin lips were closed in a tight line, if a doctor entered the room he would probably think that his patient was still sleeping. But Shin was sure he had heard his voice… ok, maybe he was a little stressed out, but not to the point of hearing voices in his head.

"S-Spike? You're awake?" he asked staring intently at Spike's motionless face.

"Don't you believe Julia deserved another chance, Shin?" he questioned again opening his mismatched russet eyes and tuning his head so that he could look the younger man in the eye. Shin was so happy with seeing that after three years of hell Spike was finally back, that he would jump out of the chair and hug him, he probably would even kiss him; but noticing the cold stare in his eyes he preferred answering his question.

"Of course she deserved another chance, Spike… my brother, Annie, Mao, even Vicious deserved another chance, but they didn't have it, they couldn't … you instead got that possibility, and I don't want you to waste it…" Shin looked up at him with a glare of determination in his jade eyes and continued.

"I won't let you to waste it…"

Spike's eyes widened slightly at his friend's firmness, Shin had sounded almost like Mao Yenrai in one of his usual lectures after he and Vicious had risked their necks for being too careless in a dangerous mission.

'Maybe he's finally became a man…' the bounty hunter wondered to himself.

"We'll see about that…" Spike said letting a small smirk appear on his lips. Shin's eyes lit up as they noticed the Cowboy's smile; it was Spike's trademark and he remembered that no matter how beaten up his friend could get during an assignment, his smirk was always unique. He couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Can I hug you?"

"Uh?" Spike didn't even have the time to ask him to repeat the question before his younger ex-partner was hugging him tightly, his hands gripping at his shoulders almost painfully.

'Or maybe not…" he said to himself denying his previous thought.

A/N: thanks for all the fantastic reviews!