Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ The Man With Different Eyes ❯ Daddy Of Mine ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Faye dragged Rosa to every store in the Central city of Mars. Rosa hadn’t known what to try on first, but she never had to worry because Faye was always quick to shove at least ten outfits into her arms. When Rosa finally decided on a loose blouse and skirt combo, Faye insisted that she also buy a pair of jeans, and a t-shirt. But while she was at it, why not buy a nightgown. Rosa had tried to live by what Jet had asked her, but frankly Faye was just to persuasive. Rosa ended up with four bags of clothes, and only a spent money card in her pocket. With nothing left to spend the two girls headed back to the Bebop ship. Rosa had almost forgotten about the reluctant father that was also waiting back at the ship, that was until she crashed into him as she entered the ship. He had caught her arm, and helped her stay on her feet. He even smiled at her, like nothing had even happened.



“S-sorry,” Rosa apologized, and then before he said a word she rushed away, pulling from his grip. Faye watched as Rosa walked away, and then turned accusatory eyes onto the spiky hair man.



“Did something happen? Did you say something?,” She asked, getting in his face. He was caught off guard by her sudden bombardment, and stumbled backwards, almost losing his footing.



“What?! No,” He said, holding up his hands. Faye just glared at him, and then she turned to follow after the girl. Spike sighed, and then realized that he’d have to go and deal with the girl. He didn’t want anymore hostility, but did he really want to have her hang all over him. She was his daughter, but he didn’t like the thought of her hanging on his arm, and chattering to him. He sighed, realizing their wasn’t anything he could do, so he turned around to head back the way he had just come.






Rosa sat down on her makeshift bed and tossed her clothes beside her. She pulled her legs to her chin, and rested it there as a swarm of emotion hit her. Faye came to stand in the doorway, and looked at her gently.



“What’s up? You can tell me you know,” Faye told her. Rosa just shook her head, and hid her face from her adopted sister.



“I’m fine, just tired. I think I’d like to be alone for a while. If that’s ok?,” She said. Faye nodded, and then she went to go and talk to Jet about the repairs on her ship.



Rosa sat there for a few moments trying to gain control over her ever watering eyes. She didn’t want to cry, but she was losing the battle, as a few tears slid down her cheeks. He had smiled at her, and kept her from falling. Was he playing a game, or had he gone into such a denial that he forgot what they had talked about. Rosa didn’t want to be stuck here, she didn’t want to live another second under the same roof as him. But she didn’t have a choice, she couldn’t go anywhere, because he would just follow her and bring her back.



“Um…”. Rosa looked up at the familiar tone, and found his different shaded eyes gazing down at her. She wiped away the tears staining her cheeks, and tried her best to remain emotionless.



“Rosa… can we talk?,” He asked. She nodded, and he entered the room to take a seat on Faye’s bed. A silence fell over them, and Spike felt himself feeling a bit awkward sitting with the silent teenager. He cleared his throat, and then balanced his arms on his knees.



“I’ve never been much of a talker, but I suppose your mother told you that,” He started out. Rosa didn’t look at him, and he felt his courage slip. “Look, what I said last night. It was wrong. I was mean, and… I’m sorry”. Rosa sniffled, and he looked at his hands.



“When she had finally found me, I was so deep in an old war there wasn’t anything she could of done to convince me to leave it behind. I couldn’t let go of my past, and because of my stubbornness, Julia was killed. I watched her die with my owns eyes. I had finally had the one thing I’d searched for, but through a cruel twist of fate, I’d lost her the same day I’d found her”.



“I couldn’t let it go, that she was gone. So when you told me about what she had said to you, and how they were almost the same things she’d promised me, it was like she could have been alive again. But the reality is, she’s gone for good. I couldn’t except that, so I pushed you away”. He sighed, and looked up to meet Rosa’s teary gaze.



“You… look much like her. Except for your eyes, they might both be the same shade, but their still mine…. Rosa, I’d like to try and work on this father, daughter thing. I mean, if you want to,” He asked. Rosa lifted her head from it’s stoop, to reveal a brilliant smile.



“Yeah, sure. We can work on it,” She said. Spike nodded, and then they sat there for a few minutes in silence.



“So… what know?,” Spike asked. Rosa unfurled from her position, and kneeled in front of him. She was hesitant, but then she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. Spike was surprised, but then when he looked down he couldn’t help but smile. He wrapped his arms around her to return the embrace.



“Can I call you, Dad?,” She asked. Spike was caught off guard by the question, but then he thought it over in his head and let out a sigh.



“We can try it”.










“Master the hunters have located what they believe to be Spike Spiegel’s ship. Should they attack? Or wait to make sure the girl is not there?”. An old man draped in a dark cloak awaited the answer, from his young master. The boy, turned to smirk at him, and then he got to his feet.



“I would like to go to this ship. And if the girl is there we will take her, and kill everyone else aboard,” He replied. He tuck a hand gun in a holster around his waist, and then a silver sword beside it. He, like Vicious knew how to handle both.











Spike watched the young girl out of the corner of his eye as she played cards with Faye. Her long blonde curls were tied back in a loose braid, that hung over her shoulder. She didn’t realize that in the smallest ways she reminded him so much of her mother. He wasn’t sure how to be a father, but he knew that the best thing to do was try. As for now he had to worry about the Syndicate, and keeping track of their progress. Not to mention find out why they were after Rosa.



“So, have you talked to her?,” Jet asked, gaining Spike’s attention. The spiky hair man smirked and then took a long drag from the cigarette in his hand.



“Yeah, we’re trying out the whole father daughter thing. She wants to call me, Dad,” Spike said, a touch of humor entering his voice. Jet smiled, glancing at the two women.



“Well, she has a right. Does Faye know? Or is she last to find out again,” Jet said with a chuckle. Spike smirked, and shrugged his shoulders.



“She’ll find out sooner or later. I’m not one to go bragging about a daughter I just found out I had,” He said. Jet chuckled again, an amused look on his aging face. Spike glanced over again at Rosa, she was watching him, and smiled sweetly. Spike returned the gesture, before he turned back to Jet.



“She’s a sweet girl,” Jet said. Spike shrugged, as if he hadn’t noticed. Jet just sighed and stood up abruptly.



“I’m going to water my Bonsai Trees,” And then he was gone. Spike shook his head, and took another long drag from his cigarette. He didn’t get to enjoy it long, before the area around him jolted. He heard a screech from Rosa, and looked over his shoulder seeing both her and Faye sitting on the ground from where they’d fallen.



“You two ok?,” He asked jumping up from his seat. They nodded, and Faye jumped to her feet, an angered look on her face.



“What the hell was that?,” She shouted. Jet popped back in at that moment.



“Looks like we’re being attacked. Some weirdo creatures are bumping the ship,” Jet said. Spike walked over quickly, and rushed up the steps, already pulling his gun from under his jacket.



“I go deal with it. Keep an eye on the kid,” He said gruffly.










“Master, do you think it wise to stand out here in the open?,” A weary cloaked figure asked. The silver hair youth laughed maniacally, and shook his long mane.



“Please, the hunters would not anything come out alive from there. Except for the girl,” He replied. He watched then as one hunters fell unceremoniously to the ground, in a puddle of black blood. Vendom’s blue eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight before him.



“Damn it. Stupid Cowboy,” He grumbled. Spike stood now on the hull, a few bodies lay around him, his gun steaming from use. Vendom pulled out his own gun.



“Master I don’t think it wise-,” He stopped as the shot rang out. Vendom had shot into the sky, to gain the attention of the spiky hair man.





Spike let his gaze fall on the young man who stood a few feet off to the right. He stood tall, and held a large handgun in his hand. His long silver mane, was whipped about his pale face in the sharp ocean breeze. The creatures around him, the few that were left quickly disappeared.



“Spike Spiegel. So after all this time you’re still alive,” The boy said in a baritone voice. Spike glared at him.



“Who the hell are you? And what do you want,” Spike shouted back. The boy smirked at him, and slid his gun back in his jacket.



“I want the girl. I know you have her, so hand her over and there will be no problems,” He said. Spike rolled his eyes, and went to jump down off the hull, landing gracefully on two feet.



“Why the hell would I do that?,” He asked. The boy’s steely gaze met Spike’s brown one.



“Because, if you don’t you will die, and so will everyone else aboard that ship of yours,” He replied maliciously. Spike just raised an eyebrow.



“I don’t like it when people threaten me. I find it kind of annoying,” He replied. He lifted his gun and held it in line with the boy’s head.



“I wouldn’t do that,” He warned. Spike just smirked, and rested his finger on the trigger.



“To late,” He said, he didn’t get to pull the trigger however, before a scream reached his ears. He wiped around to find the creatures had ripped into the hull of the bebop, and saw to his dismay that Jet was trying in vain to fend them off.



“Fuck,” Spike swore. He quickly raced off and tore one of the creatures off the hull, blasting a hole in it’s head. He scrambled inside, and shot at two that had been advancing toward Rosa. Faye was quick to pull out her own gun and stand at his back.



“What the hell is this?,” She asked him.



“Their after Rosa. It has something to do with the Syndicate,” Spike told her.



“I thought you ended all that,” Faye said.



“Yeah, so did I,” Spike replied. Jet shuffled past them and helped Rosa to her feet. He looked to Spike as a dozen more creatures poured in through the hull.



“It’s up to you Spike. What do you want to do?,” He asked. Rosa quivered behind Jet, and looked to Spike with wet eyes.



“Damn it,” Spike swore. He shot into the approaching figures. Then he went over to Jet and grabbed Rosa.



“If we leave they’ll follow. Just hold on until then,” He said. He pushed through Jet and then rushed with Rosa to the space port. He jumped into his ship, and pulled Rosa in with him.



“Dad, what’s going on?,” Rosa asked, trembling. Spike looked down at her, and gave a small smile.



“Just some weird shit,” He said. Rosa bit her lip, and leaned against him as they took off.






As the space port opened, Spike frowned seeing the creatures flood in, he shot off his shot guns, and cleared a space, when he took off. Below he watched as the young silver hair man called off the creatures. Spike with a smirk headed into the center city of Mars.



“I had hoped that their wouldn’t be a chase. But this just makes it more interesting,” Vendom said. He turned back to his limo, and climbed in.



“Follow that red ship,” He told the driver.





Jet watched the limo pull away, and then looked back to Faye. He assessed the damage to the hull, and shook his head.



“This is gonna cost a lot to fix. There goes having food for the next couple years,” He grumbled. Faye just sighed.



“Forget about that right now. We had better head out and give Spike back up. Maybe if we bring down some leading Syndicate people will get us a big bounty,” She told him. Jet just nodded and then went to get their ships and find Spike.










“Rosa, you’ve got to tell me something more about your Aunt. Or maybe something about that boy she met with,” Spike asked. They were at a dock that was void of people, just waiting to head back to the ship. Rosa looked down at her feet, which dangled over the edge of the dock.



“I just know that the boy was planning to rebuild the Syndicate. From what I can remember he and my Aunt were rather close. But like I said she wasn’t home often,” Rosa told him. She let out a haggard sigh, and then looked out at the ocean.



“I just wish I could tell you more, I wish I knew more,” She said, she wasn’t going to let herself cry over this, but still she was just so frustrated. Spike just shrugged.



“It’s fine, you can’t help what you don’t know. Just close your eyes for a minute and think back to all the times your Aunt was home. Maybe you can come up with something,” He told her. Rosa nodded, and leaned back against the wooden dock and closed her eyes.







It had been raining on that day. Her aunt had come home in a bad mood, and was complaining about her toys being in the living room again. Rosa had apologized, and went to pick them up as the door swung open. Her aunt looked at her with wide eyes, and then at the door as a figure entered the house.



“Maggie, I think we have some business,” The figure told her. Maggie was quick to bow and apologize for the mess. Then the figure entered. He was a frightful looking man, tall with wavy silver hair. His eyes held a tortured quality and you just knew he’d seen something, or done something horrible.



“Vicious, please just take a seat, and I’ll get you what you need,” Maggie said. As she passed Rosa she gave her a warning gaze, and then hurried up the stairs. At the time Rosa had just turned six, and was still not speaking much since losing her foster parents. She had been afraid to, since her aunt never was to kind to her.




As she continued to pick up her toys, she looked up to the man Vicious who sat in a chair. He was watching her with his dark eyes. Rosa clutched her doll to her chest, as she stared at him with her wide brown eyes.



“Child, what is your name?,” The man asked her in a haunting voice. Rosa blinked, and unconsciously took a step backward.



“R-Rosa,” She told him, her voice hardly above a whisper. The man leaned forward on his knees, and held out a hand to her.



“Come here, Rosa,” He said. Rosa looked at his gloved hand, and then back at his cold eyes. She took a step closer, and he lifted her into his lap, startling her.



“You look oddly familiar,” He told her. He fingered at her blonde pigtails, and traced a finger down her cheek. “Might I see your doll?,” He asked. Rosa was hesitant, but then handed him the rag doll in her grasp. He lifted it to his face, and then looked down at Rosa.



“What’s her name?,” He asked. Rosa bit her lip, and then looked at her doll.



“I, I call her Julia,” Rosa replied, remembering her mother. At this Vicious’ gaze turned dark, and he gripped the doll tightly in his hand.



“Why name her that? Why not something like Mary or Jane?, why Julia?,” He asked her, his voice dripping with venom. Rosa looked up at him with wide eyes, not knowing why he was mad.



“Oh, Vicious. I’m sorry is she bothering you?,” Maggie asked as she came to find Vicious holding the girl in his lap. Rosa looked at her Aunt, and was thankful when she lifted her from the man’s lap. Vicious eyed the girl in Maggie’s arms, and then turned back to watch Maggie.



“No, I was just talking with her. Do you have it?,” Vicious asked. Maggie sighed, and then placed Rosa on the ground to hand him a small package of papers.



“It should all be there. If not I will bring the rest to you,” Maggie told him. Vicious nodded, and then turned to look down at Rosa. He still had her doll in his hand.



“Might I keep this doll, Rosa?,” He asked her. Rosa looked at him, but didn’t answer. Maggie just sighed.



“She doesn’t talk much. She just recently lost her parents,” Maggie told him. Vicious nodded, and then gave a hollow smile to the young girl.



“I see. Well, I wish you well. We will talk at a later date, and I hope you do not betray me until then,” He said to Maggie. Maggie nodded and bowed to him as he left the house. When he had left, Rosa looked up at her Aunt with tears in her eyes.



“A-Auntie, he took my dolly,” She cried. Maggie looked down at the small girl and sighed.



“Well if you had told him no then he wouldn’t of taken it. Honestly Rosa, you need to learn how to speak up,” Maggie scolded her. Rosa fell quiet and then ran up to her room.



It was later that night that Rosa found a small disk in the pocket of her overalls. She didn’t know what to make of it, and stuck it in a small box of trinkets she’d kept from her life before her aunt.









“I think I know what their after,” Rosa said, letting her eyes flicker open.