Written By: Jon Lindquist of Reison Ayanami Studios

It is advised that you watch the previous 26 episodes of Cowboy Bebop before reading this story. Seeing the movie would help too.

Recap on recent events...

After briefly meeting her father, Edward left the Bebop and once again became a drifting hacker with Ein by her side. Faye started to recall her past and began searching for the school she once had attended long ago, only to find it had been torn down. Spike had become a target of the Red Dragon Syndicate when Vicious had made his move in attempting to seize control. This resulted in the Bebop being grounded upon Faye's return. Before she returned, she had a run in with a special component of Spike's past, Julia. He left to go meet her in the location she was supposed to meet him in long ago. Upon their reuniting they went in search of an old friend, Annie. When they did find her, she was close to death since she too had become a target.

After saying goodbye for the last time to their friend, Spike and Julia attempted to escape from Annie's place, which resulted in Julia being killed. Now believing he had lost everything left to live for, Spike returned to the grounded Bebop for one final meal, and to say goodbye to Jet. Upon finishing his meal and chatting with Jet, he ran into Faye who begged him not to go off and die, and told him he still did have one thing left to live for. As a result, Spike finally revealed a bit of his past to her, and she told him that he was all she had left. Spike chose to leave anyhow since he knew Vicious was waiting for his arrival and he too believed he had nothing left. What soon ensued was a full frontal one-man attack against an army. During the battle, Shin, Lin's brother, ran into Spike and helped him out in finding his target. Shin didn't last long and died before they both made it to the final destination.

At last, Spike and Vicious were together again for their final stands against each other. A deadly fight played itself out at the highest point of the Red Dragon's Headquarters. In the end neither of them feared death and both quickly mortally wounded each other. Vicious died quickly, while Spike emerged from the building bleeding badly, ready to say his last words before he meets death.

C O W B O Y
B E B O P
A F T E R
D E A T H

"Bang..."

In a heartbeat, Spike's end arrives. A man's battle has reached its end as both his legs buckle, then give out and he collapses onto the steps of the building behind him. Indeed, he had met a woman, she pursued him, and then death had come for him. This mortal did not fear this death when the time came, he welcomed it with an open embrace.

High above him, as well as above the heads of everyone in the vicinity, the sky contains a star burning bright. It is a star that, if one were to follow its trajectory from the location of the dying man before them, could be said to belong to Spike, a representation of his spirit that had indeed burned bright upon reaching this point. Slowly, it begins to fade out as the end of its life has arrived.

"Call for an ambulance!"

"Someone keep him from dying!"

Many shouts reverberate throughout the wide open space outside as those who had survived Spike's assault now make an attempt to save him from death. Though, whether or not he lives is of no concern to the dying cowboy. As the end nears its full consummation the star above has become so dim that it is hardly visible now. Soon, Spike looses all sense of being as at last, along with the star high above, his life reaches its end.

C B A D

In a new state of existence, the cowboy's senses begin to portray images both familiar, yet unknown to him. It is a state that provides him with a floating sensation, yet also provides him with no feeling what so ever.

"You have met death with open eyes and not feared its approach."

"What is this place?"

In front of Spike sits a figure of an old man he met long ago and last saw after being badly wounded on Mars. Beside the figure are those of a younger man and a small boy, all facing the origin of their reason for being here. Currently, only the eldest speaks.

"This is a place between what is life, and what is death. A place where the Great Spirit chooses your course of either returning to Life, or continuing to Death. A few times now, you have arrived at this point, and each time been returned to the course of Life, as if you still have not reached your true end."

"What else could I have left now that the ones I cared for have died?"

"Not always apparent to us are all that we truly care for. One can go through a life having never found that answer until their time has arrived at last."

Spike is slightly surprised by the response given to him by the figure ahead and begins to think about all those that he has met, hoping that his answer is provided with a clearer understanding.

"But everyone that mattered to me has met death before me. Who is it that I am not remembering?"

"For that I cannot provide you an answer. It is a part of your journey you must find the answer to yourself. All I can tell you of that journey is this: You have met a woman, she will pursue you...then death."

"What does that mean? I am already dead."

"No. Your fate is still not decided upon. The Great Spirit remains to choose your path from this point."

"When will I meet this Great Spirit."

"You will not see the Great Spirit unless it wishes for you to see it."

Not being entirely satisfied with the answers provided to him, Spike sighs and closes his eyes. When he reopens them he quickly glances at the other two figures and wonders if they are present to serve a purpose as well that is not yet revealed.

"Why is it there are three of you?"

"Our presence here serves as a means of communication of the answers you seek and the answers you yet need to uncover yourself on your journey. We are manifestations created by the Great Spirit from memories past and memories future."

"None of this helps me at all. How can I have memories of the future if I have yet to live that future?"

"What you seek and what you remain to seek shall be clarified when the time has arrived, Swimming Bird. Knowledge sought cannot be of use unless at the right time."

"Is this why they call you Laughing Bull? Because all your answers come out sounding like bull?"

"The sands reveal that your time is nearing for choice. The Great Spirit will then pass decision on the path you must pursue next."

As a means of punctuating his statement, Laughing Bull opens his hand wider to reveal very little sand remaining atop his palm.

"I still don't see what I have left to live for. I fought my final battle with Vicious. Annie and Julia are dead. Who else remains?"

"An answer you must find on your own..."

Upon completion of the conversation, the last few grains of sand slip through from between the figure's fingers. At the same time, Spike watches the space around him grow dimmer with each passing second. It isn't very long before he can see nothing. Then, ever so slowly, a faint, distant sound raises in intensity and awareness and time continues. After what feels like forever, all of his senses have become clear again as he assesses within his mind where he is before he opens his eyes.

'So I have returned to the path of Life. I guess it wasn't my time yet to die. I must be in a hospital somewhere by the sound and feel of it.'

"Lunk-head!"

Quickly, Spike throws open his eyes as he hears an unfamiliar voice yell out inside the room. Once his eyes have located the source, he notices a teenage girl standing at the foot of the bed he is laying in, smiling with a vague familiarity present within the person's features.

"Who...who are you?"

"Silly! You know who I am. From Bebop?"

As the girl finishes her sentence, the familiarity slowly grows stronger as Spike tries to remember who this person could be. Finally, after several long but well thought moments, an answer manages to surface from deep within his mind.

"It couldn't be you, could it?"

"Come on, guess!"

"You can't be her...could you?"

"Be who?"

"Are you...is it you, Edward?"

"Lunk-head guessed right!"

"But..."

Spike can't believe his eyes as he looks at the person in front of him. His last memories of her were of a younger, wild, pre-teenage kid. The person in front of him has shorter hair and is tamer in attitude. Otherwise, her features are not unlike those of his past memories of Edward.

"Edward is an older Edward now."

"How though?"

"You had slept for five agonizing years! Ed waited for Spike to wake up again from a wonderful, relaxing dream..."

As she finishes, Ed does a ballet type dance round the room.

"So you have been waiting for me to wake up this whole time now?"

She stops dancing and quickly returns to the foot of the bed.

"Edward missed Spike after leaving Bebop and chose to search for you and Jet and Faye. But found out that you had almost died and that Bebop had crashed."

"How are Jet and Faye?"

The cheery, happy demeanor present within the girl quickly changes to one of sorrow and despair.

"Jet passed away three years ago while hunting down a bounty head. Faye Faye isn't doing too well either..."

"What happened to her?"

Suddenly, Ed's face contorts into one of anger as she glares at Spike.

"You left! That's what happened!"

"What does my leaving have to do with how she is doing?"

"You shattered her heart. She cared about you a lot, and you were all she had left after she found out there was nothing for her to go back to. Everything from her past was done away with before she had been unfrozen. She was devastated when you left!"

"Why would Faye care about me?"

"Because you are the only one she has left..."

Ed's face quickly softens as she looks down at the floor after replying. Spike stares at her with keen interest as to the reason for her mood swing.

"You're dead serious. Huh."

"Faye and Jet continued being bounty hunters after you left them. Without you though, they only stayed together for six months before they went their own ways. She has been miserable for five years."

"What about that mut?"

"Ein died when a meteor crashed close by to he and I."

"So I have even less now. Why am I still alive?"

Ed sighs and walks around to a side of the bed to sit down while she explains further.

"This is only what I have heard, so I don't know how accurate any of it is, but..."

"Edward, why am I still ALIVE?!"

"I've heard that after you succeeded in killing Vicious, those left of the Red Dragon Syndicate saw you walk out of the building, badly injured and bleeding. They chose to save you in hopes of you taking over the syndicate once you had managed to recover. That was five years ago. Then they found out that Vicious had a younger brother he didn't tell anyone about."

"A brother?"

"Malicious. Sort of funny how they were named. He swiftly gained control from the bottom of the chain. He doesn't know you are here yet, otherwise you would be dead right now. He went after Faye four years ago in hopes of tracking you down to kill you. Spike, she hates being with him! She doesn't have much of a choice though considering he provides for her."

"Does Faye know I am here?"

"I didn't want to put Faye Faye in danger, so she believes you are dead."

"I have to go after Malicious then before he finds me first."

"YOU COLD-HEARTED ASSHOLE!!!"

Spike's eyes go wide as he witnesses Edward shout out her response. So much in shock is he that the color of his face could easily match that of a ghost. Once about a minute has come and gone, he slowly relaxes again while still under the deathly icy glare being emitted by Ed.

"I..."

"I told you that Faye is miserable without you, yet you still wish to ignore her and go off to die! Can't you just forget Malicious for a while and try to recover a happiness that long since has been forgotten by one for ages now? Can't you simply love a person back instead of trying to get yourself killed? Are you so cold and ignorant that YOU WOULD RATHER HURT EVERYONE WHO OPENS UP TO YOU?!"

Ed begins to hyperventilate after finishing her sentence. As Spike continues to look at the girl, he almost could swear she is trying not to cry, that if she cries she would look foolish.

"Ed, I..."

The girl sighs and interrupts the man before her.

"It's...don't worry about it. She has survived for this long. I am sure she will survive for a while longer without you too. I need to get going now. Need to get food for the next week. I will try to swing by tomorrow if I can."

"Ed, wait."

"Nice to know you are awake once again, lunk-head."

Without another word passing between them, Edward walks out of the room and closes the door behind her, leaving spike in silence with his thoughts.

"She really has changed..."

End of Session 27.
End of Preface.

Author's Notes

This is my fourth official fiction series and I don't plan on making it super long. It is based off of a dream (a good, but odd dream) that I had one night and yes I do have all the basic part planned out. Of course, that doesn't mean there won't be a few additions occurring along the way. For those of you that are wondering about Edward, she has gone through some changes over the past five years. A hint of this change is in the preface itself that will be answered in the final Session of After Death. If you happen to figure it out, drop me a line and I will tell you if you got it right. Anyhow, so long for now.

Don't Scratch Your Brain...