Heavy Meldar was the waypoint between the Earth Federation and the independent systems. It was a planet where ideals and booze were more important than law and order, and the infamous Gun Frontier was the most lawless place in the known universe.
Harlock was a little surprised to find Shinunora back on Heavy Meldar. It was where he and Tochiro first met her when they were still traversing space on the Deathshadow. Harlock often thought of those times as the best in his life, when nothing seemed impossible and everything was much simpler. That is, until he made the mistake of trusting Shinunora.
Even now he felt long buried resentment bubble up inside him as the ramp lowered into the desert sand. He stared into the desolate wasteland and to the town that lay a mile or so away. Years ago he looked forward to coming here, a welcomed respite from the hardships of the pirate life. Even now he could remember he and Tochiro rushing down the ramp, with nothing but booze, women, and fun on their minds.
"You gonna be okay?" Yattaran asked, noting the faraway look on his captain's face.
"I'm fine," he stated, looking down at his first mate. "I'll be fine."
Yattaran looked uneasy under Harlock's gaze, but he said nothing and nodded. He knew what bothered the first mate, Yattaran was one of the few who remembered just how madly in love he was with Shinunora, and how bitter she left him. He wasn't sure if Yattaran was worried that he would let old sentiments or old grudges get the better of him, but Harlock was damned sure that he wouldn't feel any affection towards her.
"Alright," Adalyn said as she shoved a clip into her favorite assault rifle. With two pistols and plenty of ammo clips in her belt pouch, she was fully prepared to follow him into hell and high water to get the girl. "Now that you've thoroughly destroyed our engines and we're stuck here for a while, I say we go get what we came for Captain."
Harlock softly smiled, he had barely seen her these last few days. His race to get to Heavy Meldar had kept him occupied on the bridge with little time to do more than shower and sleep.
"I need to go alone," he said, making both Yattaran and Adalyn raise a brow.
"Are you serious?"
Harlock knew what she was thinking. They had not fought a battle, gone on a rescue mission, or raided a ship without the other since before their relationship started. For him though, this was way too personal. He wouldn't allow her to become involved in this, no matter how much he loved and trusted her.
"Please, I'm going to have to talk to Shinunora and I don't want you there when I do," he said.
Adalyn fingered the trigger guard on her rifle as she glared at him. She wanted to whack him in the head with her gun and scream at him there was no way in hell she was going to let him go off and confront his ex-girlfriend alone, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. He was giving her that pleading look she couldn't refuse.
"Fine," she said, shouldering her rifle. "You'll do what you want anyway."
Harlock squeezed her shoulder then proceeded down the ramp without another word. Yattaran and Adalyn watched him go, both lost in their own thoughts.
Yattaran sighed and folded his arms. He didn't think it was a good idea at all, Harlock going to see Shinunora alone. He normally trusted Harlock's judgement completely, but this was one instance where he wondered if the Captain was making a mistake.
"You know what she did to him right?" Yattaran asked, to which Adalyn nodded.
"Of course," she replied in a matter of fact tone.
"So, you're not letting him go alone are you?" It was more statement than question.
"Hell no," she said. "I'll give him a ten-minute start, then I'll follow him."
"He'll get mad if he sees you."
"I don't care." Adalyn turned to face him and lowered her rifle. "This whole thing hasn't set right with me for a while. You and I both know how Harlock feels about kids, don't you think it's strange that we're here cause a little girl needed help? What if this is some plot of Shinunora's to try to turn him over to the Feds again? He could be killed."
Yattaran shifted on his feet as he pondered, and felt himself growing increasingly concerned. Adalyn herself could now barely keep her anxiety from showing. She fidgeted with the gun in her hands and her eyes kept shifting towards Harlock's direction.
"I'll keep my distance though, I won't step in unless it turns out to be a trap," she explained after taking a steadying breath. "But I can't just sit here, I worry too much about him."
Yattaran felt his resolve crack. He groaned loudly as he began to walk away, leaving Adalyn blinking in confusion. The first mate was not one to disobey a command, and his heart was pounding wildly in his chest at the mere thought of what he was about to do.
"I'm going to get my gun, don't leave without me."
Bordello Town had changed little over the years. It was still a large town made up of closely clustered buildings, weather worn and old-fashioned. The roads were dry compacted dirt that Harlock kicked up with every step he took.
It was early morning and already sweltering. Harlock felt sweat beading at his forehead and the back of his neck as he trudged up the rickety stairs of the Scarlet Tavern. He pushed open the swinging doors and trudged across the worn wooden flooring, heading towards the bar at the end of the room. The tavern itself was dark, with a high ceiling with exposed rafter beams and an L-shaped stairwell beside the bar that led to a landing above.
The chairs and booths were empty, save for three women in a corner, one crying while the other two consoled her. Harlock paid them no mind and sat down, only acknowledging the portly bartender with a nod of his head.
"Haven't seen you in a while," the barman said, setting a glass before Harlock.
"Haven't had a reason to come back Phil," he said.
Phil nodded and reached under the bar, producing a bottle of bourbon that he filled Harlock's glass with. The pirate drank, savoring the hard spice. He set it back down when he was finished and glanced around while Phil poured him another. Nothing had changed since he'd been gone, though the red embellished wallpaper looked faded in the dim light. This place brought back so many memories.
"So, why are you back?" Phil asked, snapping Harlock from his thoughts. "Looking for someone?"
"Where is Shinunora?" The question visibly startled the bartender.
"Well, uh, she's upstairs," he pointed to the landing above them. "She had a couple of clients last night, probably won't be down for a while. Why? She do something to you again?"
"No," Harlock shook his head. "I got a call from her daughter Lena, she said her mother was in trouble."
"Ah, I see," Phil said. "Yeah, Shinunora's gotten in bad with a local pimp she owes money too. He roughed her up a few nights ago, trying to scare her into giving it to him, but she's fine. Funny thing is, she makes plenty of money, but won't pay the guy. I don't know what's going on in that head of hers."
"I don't think anyone does," Harlock said, drinking again. "Where is the girl? Lena I mean. Is she alright?"
"Oh yeah, Lena's fine. She's got a little hideaway down in the basement," he said. "Usually stays there when her mom is working. I went down there a while ago to get a couple of things for the bar, she's sound asleep."
Harlock nodded, then lapsed into silence and the bartender made no more attempt at conversation. Phil had always been an honest man who knew everything that was going on in town, so Harlock did not doubt his word. He decided he'd wait for the girl to wake up, then confront Shinunora.
Harlock found it very strange that she had come back to the very place they first met. He wondered if it was purely out of choice, as Harlock himself had avoided this place and all remembrances of her for years. However, being back here brought those recessed memories to the forefront of his mind.
A recent victory against a fleet of Federation Destroyers was what prompted he and Tochiro to come to Bordello Town to celebrate. Still riding high on their success, and with plenty of money made from the cargo of the merchant ships the Destroyers were escorting, Harlock, Tochiro, and their entire crew had no other plans than to spend as much as they could on booze and women.
Harlock could still remember all the laughter, the sounds of glasses chinking, and the feeling of being untouchable. He set his glass down and Phil refilled it. But when it picked it up again and drank, the memories completely overwhelmed him.
Harlock slammed his glass back onto the bar, his eyes and teeth clenched as the hard liquor he swallowed burned his mouth and throat. Once the sensation had subsided, he took a deep breath and shoved the glass towards the barkeep.
"Damn that was good! Give me another Phil!"
"You're going to die if you keep this up you know," he frowned as he poured the young pirate another glass of his homemade whiskey. "This stuff's pretty much pure alcohol, most people spit the stuff out."
Harlock didn't listen and downed the drink. As he dealt with the afterburn, Tochiro grabbed his sleeve and pointed to a woman on the other end of the bar.
"Look at that one! Look at that one!" Like a kid in a candy store, Tochiro was overcome with excitement as he bounced on the barstool, marveling at every female in the tavern. "She's gorgeous!"
"Not bad," Harlock said when he looked at the striking redhead Tochiro pointed out. "Not for me though."
"I know, I know, you're only interested in blondes," Tochiro responded with a frown. "You know you shouldn't do that, a woman's beauty isn't defined by her hair color. What if you miss out on someone amazing?"
"Then I'll miss out," Harlock said as the barman filled his glass with bourbon. "C'mon, you have no room to talk, you have preferences too."
"Yeah, but when you're as ugly as I am you take what you can get," he said.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, you think Emeraldas likes you because of the way you look?" Harlock replied, sipping the much more palatable drink.
"You really know how to be a great friend and a killjoy at the same time you know?" Tochiro said, turning back to his own drink on the bar. "Emeraldas would be furious if I slept with one of these prostitutes."
"I won't tell," Harlock winked, but his friend shook his head.
"Nah, I'll sit this one out. I care too much about her to hurt her feelings, so I'll just pick out one that'll be good for you."
"You're too good a man sometimes," Harlock said as Tochiro turned back to the hoard of women with a more inquisitive eye. "Just make sure- "
"Yeah, I know, she's got to have great legs." He adjusted the glasses on his nose as he scrutinized every blonde he saw.
Harlock chuckled, feeling somewhat sorry for his friend. He was happy that Tochiro had found the love of his life, but not always being together clearly had its drawbacks. Harlock half listened to Tochiro's nahs and nopes while he continued drinking. Once or twice he scanned the crowd, seeing plenty of attractive possibilities, but none jumped out at him.
"What about that one?" Tochiro pointed to a woman in a long red dress standing against a wall, surveying the room. "She looks to be your type."
Harlock considered her heart shaped face and wide green eyes. She was slender, with long pale hair that curled around her face. After a few moments of consideration, he figured he'd go talk to her for a bit, then if he liked her, he'd ask her if she wanted to get a room. The pirate then reached into his jacket pocket and handed Tochiro a wad of cash.
"Use this to pay for our tab," he instructed before finishing his drink and getting up from his seat. "I'll meet you back at the ship in the morning,"
"Sure thing," Tochiro replied and pocketed the money. "Just don't get robbed again, okay?"
Harlock nodded and patted his friend on the shoulder, but as he turned to look back at the woman, another caught his eye coming down the stairs from the landing above. Tall and slender, with long blonde hair and flawless features, she was Harlock's vision of feminine perfection.
Tochiro saw her too, and like his friend, he stared at her in complete awe with his mouth hanging open. She noticed their gaping stares and smiled, but didn't say anything to them as she walked up to the bar.
"Phil, can I get a glass of wine?" she asked, sitting down beside the two pirates and resting her chin in her hand.
"Sure," he said and filled a glass for her.
Harlock was still standing by his seat, unable to tear his eyes away from her. She was so close he could smell her soft, floral perfume. He cleared his throat and slid back into his seat, choosing to try his luck with the beauty beside him.
"You're that pirate Harlock, aren't you?" she asked before he could introduce himself.
"I am," he responded with a smile and heard Tochiro cough, then nudge him in the ribs. "This here is my friend Tochiro Oyama."
"It's very nice to meet you!" he said, peering around Harlock.
"Likewise," she responded. "My name is Shinunora."
An awkward silence fell between them as Harlock and Tochiro continued to stare while Shinunora sat and smiled, waiting for them to say something. After a minute or so, Tochiro finally looked to Harlock who still sat quietly. He gave him a light kick, but Harlock only cleared his throat and shoved his glass towards Phil for a refill.
Unbeknownst to his friend, Harlock was beginning to feel the effects from Phil's homemade whiskey and the numerous other drinks he had already consumed that evening. His muddled brain couldn't come up with anything intelligent to say that would charm Shinunora. In fact, it was another part of his anatomy that was telling him to get her upstairs as quickly as possible, but he wasn't about to listen to that.
Harlock never liked jumping into bed with a woman he didn't feel like he won over for several reasons. He was well aware of his intimidating reputation, and didn't want anyone to feel like they couldn't say no to him simply because he was the infamous Captain Harlock. But more than anything, whether a prostitute or not, he believed everyone deserved to be treated with respect and no small amount of courtesy.
He took a drink as soon as Phil had finished pouring it and Shinunora sighed.
"Are you going to ask me if you want to come back to my room or not?" she finally asked, causing Harlock to slam his drink onto the bar and look up towards the ceiling in relief.
"Yes!" he said.
Of course, there was no reason to be the intelligent, and sober, charmer if he was the one being propositioned.
"Have a good night," Tochiro snickered as Harlock got up from the bar.
Unbeknownst to Harlock however, there was someone watching him follow Shinunora upstairs. The blonde beauty turned on the landing as if looking back at the pirate who stumbled on the stairs, but her eyes went to the woman in the red dress still leaning against the wall. Shinunora gave a smile and inclined her head before taking Harlock by the arm and leading him to her room.
Young drunk Harlock is so much fun to write. :) Reviews are much appreciated, I love hearing what you guys think!
