Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ In a Sentimental Mood ❯ Chapter 1

"Where is he?"

 

Jet looked up from the bonsai tree he was shaping and frowned at Faye. "Would you mind not storming in like that when I'm working in here? I almost cut the wrong branch and ruined the whole thing."

 

"Where is Spike, Jet?" Faye persisted, jabbing a finger into his shoulder with each word.

 

"Not back yet," Jet answered. He bent over his tree once more, knowing Faye wouldn't get the hint. All he wanted was a little peace and quiet, and her presence was disturbing the serenity of his private sanctuary.

 

"You know what he did, don't you?" she accused. "You know he took that bounty right out from under my nose and now you're covering for him!"

 

"I don't know anything," he mumbled. He put the final touch on his bonsai and held it up for inspection. Not bad, but it still needed work. "Spike doesn't tell me what he's up to anymore."

 

Faye went to her room in a huff, leaving Jet rubbing his aching head. He wouldn't admit it to Faye, but he was worried about Spike. They'd been partners for years, and it wasn't the first time Spike kept his activities secretive. It was, however, the first time storming from the Bebop after threatening to kill Jet.

 

Jet knew coming back to Mars was a bad idea.

 

"I don't know, Ein.” He gave the dog a pat before standing to stretch his tired muscles. "Something is really wrong here, but I have no clue what it could be. Maybe it's better that way."

 

Ein gave a short whimper of understanding and followed Jet to the kitchen. Tying on an apron, Jet searched through cupboards to decide what kind of meal he could put together with the meager supplies that were left. If Spike didn't come back soon, he was going to have to come up with another way to get some woolongs. He couldn't depend on Faye; she gambled away any bounty she earned. Ein checked his dish, but turned his nose up at the dry dog food piled there like a half-finished pyramid. Settling on a few licks of water, he left to find Edward.

 

“Must be nice,” Jet called after him. “If we didn't get such a great deal on that crate of dog food, you wouldn't be so picky.”

 

"I found you!" Ed shouted as Ein jumped onto the couch. She gave the Corgi a big hug and raised her virtual goggles to her forehead. "He's here, Ein! He's here! Yaaayy!"

 

"Who's here?" Jet asked from the doorway.

 

"Big bad bounty," Ed growled, crawling around her computer on all fours. Ein whined and hid his head under a pillow.

 

"Really? Who? Where?" Jet asked, hurrying over to read the monitor. If it was a quick enough catch, maybe they could afford real food tonight instead of something canned or packaged.

 

"Fifty million woolong guy!" Ed said, biting at Jet's pant leg.

 

Jet brushed her off and sat on the edge of the couch, careful to avoid landing on Ein. He wondered how his quiet ship had turned into such a zoo in so short a time. It almost made him long for the days he and Spike were on their own.

 

"John Doe? That's the big bounty?"

 

"Big bad bounty!" Ed agreed and dropped her goggles back in place. She reached up to the keyboard with her toes and punched up the bounty information for Jet.

 

"John Doe . . . fifty million woolongs . . . murder . . ." Jet eagerly scanned the biography, but paused when he got to the bottom. "Bounty paid for by . . . WHAT!!??"

 

"Paid by Vicious!" Ed growled again, baring her teeth and clawing at the air.

 

"No way!" Jet said, getting up to head back to the kitchen. "I don't care how hungry I get, I am not about to go after a bounty paid for by that psycho!"

 

"Not you," Ed said. "Spike!"

 

"WHAT!!??" Jet shouted again. He raised his voice even louder, his call reverberating all through the ship. "FAYE!!"

 

"What?" Faye came in, dressed in a fluffy white robe and still towel drying her hair. She didn't flinch at Jet's yelling as she plopped herself down on the couch, sitting on Ein's tail. The dog yipped in pain and hopped down to the floor to take refuge under the table.

 

"What bounty were you after?" Jet demanded, towering over her, hands on his hips. "The one you said Spike took from you?"

 

"A lady bank robber," she answered with a roll of her eyes. "So of course he would find her faster than I would. Why do they always accuse women of using their looks when men are just as bad?"

 

"So it wasn't John Doe?" Jet's voice lost its thunder in a wave of relief. At least things weren't as bad as they could've been.

 

"No. Why?"

 

"I just thought . . . never mind," he said, rubbing his throbbing head. The pain hadn't gotten any better since Spike stormed out. And if Spike was involved with Vicious at all, Jet knew it was going to get a lot worse before it got better.

 

"Who's John Doe?" Faye asked.

 

"Big bad bounty!" Ed said and bit at Faye's bare leg. Faye kicked her off and leaned forward to see the computer screen better.

 

"Bounty? How much?" Greed shown in her eyes and Jet could just imagine how fast her mind was calculating the odds of the next horse race.

 

"Don't even think about it," Jet warned. "Take a look at the bottom line."

 

"Bounty paid by…" Faye's eyes flew open wide and her jaw dropped, "…Vicious?"

 

"So if you value your health, stay away," Jet said, heading back to the kitchen. "I just wish Spike had the sense to."

 

"Spike is going after a bounty paid for by his mortal enemy?" Faye asked in utter astonishment. "And you let him?"

 

"I didn't know. He hasn't been very…conversational…lately.”

 

"Edward found John Doe for Spike," Ed said climbing on top of the table to access the computer files. "But this is all I found," she added regretfully.

 

Faye read the screen over Ed's shoulder. "John Doe…dark hair, dark eyes…medium height, medium build…last seen on Mars. Well that certainly narrows it down, doesn't it? It would help if people used pictures," she added as she left to dress.