Time To End The Nightmare

In the cockpit of the Bebop, Jet Black was running a full check on all the controls of the ship. So far, Jet hasn't found anything wrong with the Bebop, ranging from the air-conditioner to the main engines. Learning that the entire ship was running smoothly, Jet sat back is ses seat and tried to relax.

"Man, I'm gettin' too old for this stuff. Damn, I need a vacation. When I have the chance, I should drop Spike and Faye on Mars and head for Blue Heaven. Great music, awesome meals, sexy chiropractors; that utopia has got it all," Jet said to himself. Not only does he need catication from bounty-hunting, but also from pug upg up with the love-birds. When he was about to turn on the television screen to check out the new-and-improved 'Big Shot', he heard someone knocking on the door to the cockpit. As he got up and opened the door, he saw Spike right in front of him, wearing pair of black sweatpants and a white tank top.

"Spike. What are you doing up at this time of night?" Jet asked.

"I... I couldn't sleep. I thought that sitting in the cockpit and watching the stars could help me knock myself out," Spike said. Jet started to chuckle.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Spike asked.

"The fact that you and Faye kept screaming your heads off in your personal quarters. The screams echoed throughout the Bebop! You two were howling loud enough to wake the dead!" Jet said. Spike blushed a bit and swore to himself. Jet's smile slowly faded away.

"Ya know, Spike? I can't really shake off how you became so damn protective over Faye. I remember how you were pummeling Edge nearly to death when you saw him violating her. That doesn't really fit your profile, Spike," Jet said. That made Spike's eyes look down to the floor. Spike took a seat in front of Jet.

"Jet ... when I saw Faye get pinned down by Jagged Edge, it triggered a past that I tried so damn hard to leave behind. But it flashed right before my eye, all in gray. Someone I loved so much was pinned thee wae way Faye was, and I was helpless to do anything about it," Spike said, biting down on the bottom of his lip.

"Was it Julia? Damn, she must have meant much more to you than I thought," Jet said. Spike shook his head.

"No. It wasn't Julia. She wasn't as strong as Julia, and I wasn't strong enough to save her life."

Spike rubbed his temples and shook his head.

"It was my mother. I was only 8 years old when a man broke into our home, raped my mother and murdered her. I tried so hard to fight him, but he knocked me out and locked me in the basement. There was no way my father could protect us; he was still in the middle of busting a drug-dealing syndicate in Dark City with his SWAT Team. When I finally broke the lock and knocked the door down, I was too late. I found her stripped naked, lying in a puddle of blood with five bullet holes in her body. The ambulance arrived soon a I c I called 911, but she was declared D.O.A. It was the most horrible memory that I tried so hard to forget, but it slammed right into my face when we were at Bloody Mary's Tavern over 2 weeks ago," Spike said. Spike looked blankly out the window, watching the stars.

"I... I didn't know that happened when you were a kid, Spike. I'm... I'm sorry," Jet said slowly, lowering his eyes.

"I lost my mother... I lost Julia... but there was no way in Hell I was gonna lose Faye!" Spike said.

(Son of a bitch. He's changed so much...) Jet thought.

"Somehow, that brush with Death seem to have given you a major wake-up call. Maybe when that seer said that Death was coming for you, it didn't come to take your soul. Instead, it helped you learn that you have more to live for."

Jet's words put a crooked smile on Spike's face.

"What are you, a freakin' philosopher? What else do you think Death was teaching me?"

"I think Death taught you that you're a human being, not just some character of a fairy tale. Spike, you have to live. You can't keep looking Death in the eye and wear a grin. Someday, Spike, you'oingoing to blink, and there may be no coming back," Jet said.

A moment of silence filled the cockpit. Spike finally spoke up.

"I want to live, Jet. I really do. But how the hell can I live a life when the past keeps coming back to me?" Spike asked.

"Spike, you have to learn not to look back. My grandparents taught me that when the past is darker than night, it has no worth of whatsoever. You have to put the past behind, for if you don't, you'll turn into a pillar of salt," Jet said.

"You don't get it, Jet. I know what that's like; I've felt like a pillar of salt every day! I can't leave the past behind because the past can't leave me! It's as though the past has a life of its own, a devil that constantly torments me everywhere I go! I... I have no way to control it," e sae said.

Another uneasy moment of silence filled the cockpit. This time, it was Jet's turn to break the silence.

"Spike, why are you really here? You need something; I can tell in your eyes. What did you really come here for?" Jet asked. With a face of stone, Spike said:

"I need the cigarette burner." Spike's request put a huge question mark over Jet's head.

"That's it? The little hot knob near the radio?? If you need to smoke, then why waste your time coming here? Just use your lighter."

"That's not why I need it, Jet. I gave that up 2 hours ago. I need that burner because..."

Spike explained why he needed the burner. He explained why the burner could be his only way out of the horrible nightmare that constantly haunts him to this very day. He couldn't lie in Jet's face; besides, they've been best of friends. After Spike was done explaining, only one thought popped in Jet's head:

Spike has lost his mind.

Jet shoved Spike out of the cockpit, walked out of it and shut the door behind him.

"NO WAY, SPIKE! THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL YOU'RE GONNA USE THAT DAMN CIGARETTE BURNER TO- !"

"THERE'S NO OTHER WAY, JET! It's is my only ticket out of the hell I'm going through! Now, stand aside and let me have it. I have to do this! For Julia. For Faye..."

"FORGET IT, SPIKE! YOU'VE OFFICIALLY LOST IT!!" Jet rammed the bottom of his iron fist into the wall as he kept his attention on Spike.

"If you want to get the burner that badly, you'll have to get past me!" Jet hoped that those words would make Spike reconsider. Jet was not only a little taller than Spike, but he was also more massive. With his iron arm, he had enough strength to end Spike's life with one blow. Jet put his left foot forward and put up his fists, giving Spike cold eyes.

(Please walk away, Spike. I don't want to hurt you.) Jet thought to himself.

What Spike did next made Jet's eyes widened. With a grim face, Spike put his right foot forward and put up his fists, keeping as calm as the wind. Spike wasn't as big as Jet, but he was totally ripped. Spike got even more ripped after his final encounter with Vicious. Spike started to bounce on the balls of his feet, staying as loose as the willows and keeping his sharp eyes on his obstacle.

"Jet Black, as a friend, I'm gonna hurt you real bad if you don't let me have what I need. I'm gonna end my nightmare, even if it means breaking every bone in your body...."


... Prepare for the shocking conclusion...



-- Hey, everyone. I'm Bleeding Wings, the writer behind all this. I'm doing my best to be a good writer, and I need your reviews to help me sharpen up my writing skills. Are you readers enjoying this story? Do you feel more could be done on this fic? Please let me know how I'm doing. It would really help me out a lot.--