Disclaimer – I don't own Cowboy Bebop
Shuffle
By Crimson Skies
Ace of Hearts
Jet Black made his living hunting bounties. It wasn't so different, actually, from what he'd done before. Only this time, the primary beneficiary was himself.
When Jet was younger he was an idealist. At a later age, he'd deny being one anymore. Even so, the person he'd once been was buried somewhere. After quitting the Force, he could have gone anywhere and done anything. It would have been much easier to run a supply route, do deliveries, and maybe a little smuggling on the side. Certainly it would have provided a steadier income. But a dog, though it's domesticated, is still a hunter at heart. A dog that's abandoned its masters is even more likely to revert to its natural instincts.
It could be said of Jet that he was set in his ways, a stubborn old fool. Certainly he'd almost been convinced of this when he realized how set in his ways he was.
Jet certainly hadn't thought he needed a partner. A partner was something he'd had back in the old days. When Jet had made a deal with a half-starved man, he thought he'd temporarily taken leave of his senses. He was taking in a virtual unknown, living on his ship, sharing his income. He cooked the meals and the other complained but ate them anyway. For a while Jet convinced himself that he had just been feeling charitable. That he hadn't really taken on a partner in his newly fledged bounty hunting business. When Jet realized exactly how much he relied on his 'charity case' he also realized how predictable he really was.
How Jet's crew of free-loaders had expanded, he didn't want to contemplate. He also didn't want to think about how he'd never thrown them out, though he could of.
The Bebop was Jet's ship. It was his home before everything else. Certainly it was irritating when he could no longer get a moment peace within the sanctuary of his home. His poor bonsai trees had suffered terribly. Every time he retreated to the only personal space he had left on his own ship, someone entered in a most unsettling fashion causing his hand to slip. And then Jet would sigh in a most dejected manner at the newly butchered plant.
Never once did Jet even dream that he would miss the headache that came with the crew. And he didn't. But he soon came to realize that the silence was just as disturbing.
The Ace of Hearts, straightforward and steadfast. The Ace takes what it gets and gives back in turn. Its individual value is multiplied tenfold in the proper company. It's the card that by all rights should be common, but usually isn't. Give and take.
Jet Black was the Ace of Hearts.
