Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Tenshi Trail: Shin Heart ❯ Vol. Three, Chapter Thirty-Three: Tenshi Gift ( Chapter 33 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Shoot awoke to someone whistling to him in the early hours of the morning. He sat up in bed and slowly opened his eyes.
“Amanda?” he asked. He swung his legs out of the bed and walked out of the room as if in a half-daze. He felt around in the darkness to guide him out. The boy didn’t wake up until he came out on the beach. Soot looked around in his roused state.
“What the…?” he asked, “Why am I out here?” The waves hitting the shore put him in a calm that he couldn’t explain. The sun hadn’t even come up in the sky. In his pajamas, he felt out of place.
Why am I even up this early?, he thought, I should be back in bed now. He turned to walk away when he heard that whistle again. The boy stopped and looked over his shoulder. At first, Soot thought that he was seeing things.
“Amanda?” he asked with narrowed eyes. A girl stood inches away from him surrounded by bright lights. Soot felt his heart beating at such brightness. He started to see a face through the light. Two years and she still looked the same. He stared into the round green eyes.
“But that’s not possible,” Soot said, shaking his head, “Are you really there?”
“Yes,” the girl in the light answered.
“But how?” the boy asked. The girl frowned at him.
“Come on, Soot,” she said, “Isn’t it obvious?” Her former boyfriend nodded at her slowly and still confused.
“I guess…” he mumbled. Amanda shook her head and groaned.
“Seriously?” she asked.
“Okay, okay,” Soot said, “You’re an angel.” Amanda folded her arms across her chest and nodded.
“That’s better,” she said. They let the breeze and the waves fill in the empty silence.
“So, what are you doing here?” Soot asked. Mandy smiled at him richly.
“I came to see you, of course,” she replied.
“Was that you whistling at me?” he asked.
“Yes,” Amanda answered. Soot took a moment to balance this all in his head.
“Wow,” he mumbled. He had seen his girlfriend since she was hit by a car two years earlier. The boy couldn’t even bring himself to go to her funeral. His friends did their best to comfort him.
“I don’t understand,” Soot told her.
“Understand what?” the angel asked with a puzzled look on her face.
“Why come back to me all of this time?” her boyfriend asked.
“Well, that’s a nice way to put it for someone who’s missed you since death,” she said. Soot put up his hands.
“Okay, okay,” he said, “I missed you too.” Amanda smiled at him as the light around dimmed. They sat on the beach waiting for the sun to rise. Soot held her in his arms. The angel glanced up at him in the dim morning.
“You haven’t changed at all,” she told him in a low voice. Her boyfriend’s eyes looked down at her.
“Hm?” he asked.
“You were always a creep, but you cherished the memory of us,” she said, “I’ve watched you every day.”
“You don’t say,” he said. Amanda nodded as she pushed some of her straight brown hair behind her ear.
“You know I’ve cherished you for a long time,” she went on, “Even after death. So, I must tell you this.” Soot’s face dropped a little bit.
“What?” he asked. Amanda grabbed onto his hand.
“Do you still cherish me the same way I do now?” she asked.
“Of course I do,” Soot replied.
“I mean it, Soot,” Amanda pressed, “Do you really cherish me the same way that I do now?”
“I mean it too, Mandy,” he said, “I love you and I still do.” The angel put her hand to her chest.
“I am so glad to hear that,” she said, “For that, I must tell you this.” Amanda paused for a beat. “Kiss me,” she said. Soot gave her a long, blank stare.
“Why?” he asked.
“Just kiss me,” the angel pressed. Soot dropped his shoulders.
“Alright,” he told her. The boy leaned and closed his eyes. Amanda gave him a gentle peck on his lips. In that kiss, Soot heard a screeching noise in his head. Images flashed in his mind too fast for him to keep up. The swirling colors pushed his understanding too far behind. Soot fell behind in the kiss.
A-A-Amanda!
When Soot opened his eyes and looked around, his girlfriend was nowhere to be found.
“Amanda?” he asked. He couldn’t grasp it at the time, but she seemed to have warned him about something grave coming for the crew at the beach.