Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction ❯ Unveiled Emotions ❯ Awakening ( Chapter 1 )

In a well-lit room, a young girl with aqua hair and magenta eyes sat listening to a doctor's voice. She looked as though she had been through a memory wipe as she struggled to remember her name.

"My name is…."she said and paused. What was her name? It began with an "R" didn't it? Yes, yes, it began with an "R". What was the rest of it? R…ei? Something inside her mind clicked and she glanced up at the doctor.

"My name is…Rei," she said and sighed in contentment. That was it. Her name.

"Good," the doctor said. "Now your last name."

Last name? Last name? Wasn't a first name good enough? A last name? Did she have a last name? She supposed she had to have one at one point in her life, but what was it? Again, she struggled to remember.

"My name is Rei…Ma…"

"Again," the doctor said and she looked at him. Again? Her head was starting to hurt. Why couldn't he be satisfied with a first name? She wanted to go to sleep. She felt tired from all of the work he was making her do.

"Again," the doctor repeated and Rei sighed. Why did he have to be so difficult? Why couldn't she stop? It was all too much for her and she was getting tired of it. The doctor cleared his throat and Rei glanced at him. She wouldn't get any rest until she tried again.

"My name is Rei Ma…(what was the rest of it?) zuka…"

Was that right? Mazuka. Rei. Rei Mazuka. Yes. That was right. She gazed up at the doctor and smiled. She knew. She knew her name. She knew who she was.

"My name is…Rei Mazuka," she said, pleased at the fact that she had remembered her own name.

"Good. Now tell me who is closest to your heart."

What? Closest to her heart? Was there someone like that? Did she expect him to remember that? She had just remembered her name for crying out loud. How could she remember who was closest to her heart? Perhaps it was just a joke. She glanced at the doctor's serious face and sighed. It wasn't a joke. The one closest to her heart. That was a question that she could not answer.

"I…" she said and stopped.

"Would seeing him help?" the doctor asked and Rei blinked her eyes.

"It's a him?"

"Of course. You're not one of those kinds of girls."

"There's more than one kind? What other kinds are there?"

"Just sit there and try to concentrate on what he looks like. Close your eyes if you have to. Do you remember anything about him? Anything at all?"

"Darkness and light all in the same body. He had the ferocity of a tiger and the killing instinct of a snake but…"

Her voice trailed off and she gazed up at the doctor apologetically.

"I'm sorry," she said and shook her head once again. "I can't remember. All I see is gray. Not very descriptive, is it?"

"No, but your vocabulary is growing. I think you'll recognize him once he's brought in. Just stay right there and concentrate."

"He's here? If you know him then why are you asking me to tell you?"

"You experienced a great deal of shock. You've been here at the institution for half a year now. My colleagues and I were not sure whether you would ever be back to normal. Even now, the progress back to a functioning member of society is slow but I think it will go much faster if you make the effort yourself."

"I remembered my name. Isn't that something?"

"It's something but the road to recovery is still a long one. There is much that still needs to be done. I believe now is the time that he can see you, though. I don't understand your relationship with him, but he has a genuine concern for you. I find it strange…"

"Why?"

"Never mind. Just close your eyes and tell me what you remember about him. Don't force yourself. Just let it come. Say anything that comes to your mind, all right?"

"Yes. Then will I be done?"

"For today."

She closed her eyes and gazed at the darkness in her mind, trying to sense something, an idea or thought that was elusive to her. She saw the outline of a body, tall and thin wearing perhaps a suit. She couldn't tell from her faded vision but she could tell that he held something in his hand. A weapon of some sort.

"A sword," she said, her eyes still shut tight. "It looks like he's holding a sword. He seems tall and thin and…and…"

She opened her eyes and gazed at the doctor and sighed.

"That's all," she said as she placed her hands over her head. "That's all I can see. I can't think any more. It hurts too much. Please tell me, why am I here at the institution? Who put me here? What happened six months ago? Why can't I remember anything?"

"You were placed here because someone cared about you a lot. If you had been allowed to live in the state that you were in, you would not have lasted two days," the doctor replied.

"That still doesn't tell me what happened."

"Rei, the past is the past. Leave it there. Be thankful for your new life and make the best of it."

"Well then, who brought me here?"

"You must make the effort to remember that face."

*************************************

Vicious laid down his cloth and picked up a cigarette and lit it. He picked up the cloth and began to polish his sword again. Stinger watched him for a moment, and then picked up a glass of beer. He brought it to his mouth just as the telephone rang.

"Pick it up," Vicious said and Stinger looked at him.

"Why can't you get it?" Stinger asked then drew back at the look Vicious gave him. He set his glass down on the table, stood up, and picked up the phone. "Hello? Okay, I'll tell him. That was the doctor."

"What's her status?"

"She's remembered her name and he thinks you can see her."

"Once she's back to normal, are you going to go off on your own again?"

"I don't know. Being involved with you sure makes life pretty damned interesting. I like that. I may just hang around here."

"You aren't going to stay here for free."

"This place is much nicer than the one that blew up. Also, your insurance paid off pretty well, didn't it? You need a cook, don't you?"

"I'm not paying you."

"I don't care. I've paid off my debt to you anyway."

"What the hell did you do to make me dig you out of that damned hole? You never told me. Someone in such a prestigious rank shouldn't have had the Black Wolf group after him. How the hell did you piss them off?"

"That's a long story. Basically I screwed them over. Me and one of their top men got into a fight one night where I was working and I killed him. I escaped and laid low for a bit. I went to a bar one night, met Rei, and found out from an informant that the Black Wolves were following me, just waiting to skin my hide. I left the planet early the next morning and eventually wound up with the Red Dragon syndicate."

"After you took advantage of her."

"Not true. She agreed to it. It's not taking advantage of if she agrees to it."

"So are you going to try for her again?"

"Hell no. I'm still not ready to die. I ain't touching anything you have a claim on."

"The only reason I have a claim on her is because of what she knows about me."

"That's the only reason."

"Don't mock me or my pet might feed off of your pathetic carcass. You have no loyalties to me and I have none to you. Your death, if needed, would be strictly routine."

"I understand, but you haven't run out of use for me yet. I'm not a Regal Taliban for nothing and you sure as hell know that."

"You are now quite comfortable in your natural form, aren't you?"

"I see no reason to hide my natural state any more. So when are we leaving?"

"Soon. I wish to change first."

"Suit yourself."

"Don't get sarcastic with me."
Stinger said nothing as he watched Vicious walk out of the room. He was glad that she was doing better. The past six months the snake had his fangs bared, venom dripping from them as he tried to hide his concern for her. Stinger found that the only reason he had survived the past six months was that he had avoided Vicious as much as he could.

He picked up his glass of beer and drank it, wondering why he kept fantasizing about someone that was off limits. He was glad that Vicious did not have Rei's ability to hear thoughts. If he did, then Stinger would have been quite dead by now.

"Funny," he mused. "How he's changed and yet he's become more dangerous than ever."

"Come if you are," Vicious said as he stepped into the doorway. He gazed at the leather easy chair that Stinger sat in and waited for him to take action. Stinger stood, set down his glass, and took out his gun. He pulled out a box of cartridges from his pocket, loaded the thin barrel, spun it a few times then walked out of the room and fell into step behind Vicious.

"What are you going to do when you see her?" he asked and Vicious said nothing.

"What I do is none of your concern," Vicious replied as he typed in a code on a keypad near the front door.

"Sorry. I was just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat and I think you would fall into that category because of your feline reflexes."

"Call me what you want. You're carrying the bigger weapon."

"Let's go. I've been looking forward to this day for quite awhile now."

"Do you think your enemies are at rest? It's been pretty quiet around here. Too quiet, if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you and right now, I don't care. My opponents will show themselves or strike when they feel the time is right. There's no need to worry about it before that time. Get in the car and let's go. Otherwise, I'm going to leave you behind."