As Lighting used his time gate to get back to the Arcadia, he carefully held his wounded cub in his teeth. As he came out he had ended up not to far form the sick bay and was happy for it. Lighting was walking slowly as he forced himself to put the weight down on the badly cut right paw, to make it easier on his son. As he came to the door nothing could have prepared him for what met him. As the door slided upend and he saw the man sitting on one of the beds and the state he was in, he nearly dropped his son in shock.
Harlock, his beloved friend and master sat on the bed as doctor Zero was bandaging the captain's wrists. Lighting could see the badly burned hands and the burn mark around his master's neck. He moved quickly up to him still in shock.
"Lighting! You found him." Harlock said as he saw the wolf and took the cub from his friend and carefully looked at the wounded cub.
"This does not look good. Zero, you need to help him now. My wounds can wait." Harlock said and gave the cub to Zero. Zero took the cub and placed him down on the bed, as Harlock jumped down to make room.
"This is bad. I can't tell if his back is broken or if he has any internal bleedings." Doctor Zero said looking over the wounds first.
"I need to check his back, and run some test to check his stomach." The usually drunk doctor seemed to have sobered up, as he suddenly had a dying cub that needed his help. As the doctor hurried of to the scanners carrying the cub, Harlock called for Tochiro over his communicator watch telling him that Lighting was back and his cub was hurt. It only took Tochiro a few minutes to get down there. Lighting got even more worried as Tochiro had a bandage around his head as he was followed by Mimee. Her yellow eyes widened as she saw the wounds on Lighting.
Lighting could not hold it back any more.
"Harlock, what happened? How did you get so beat up?" His dark blue eyes shined in worry over his friend's wounds and his worry for his son. Harlock looked down at him feeling bad as he knew how worried he was for his son. He did not need to worry about him as well.
"Bounty hunters." He said growling low looking down at his hands.
"Let me finish up taking the bandages on." Mimee said trying to help. Harlock sat down on one of the beds and told Lighting about what had happened onboard the Arcadia the last three days as Lighting had been on earth looking for his son, after hearing that the family had been killed. Lighting snared to himself as Harlock finished telling. Tochiro stood next to him and knew as well that now Lighting felt torn between the worry of his son and his anger for not being there when Harlock needed him. He would probably never forgive himself for it.
"Where did you find him? What happened?" Harlock asked hoping to get some answers out of Lighting as well. The wolf sighed and told of the Doberman brothers that were killing him as he found him. He told of the fight and as he finished he could see both Harlock and Tochiro grinning a bit even as worried they were, as they heard of his son's courage.
"Like father like son.." Harlock said shaking his head a little.
Suddenly the Zero came back inn. The two men stood up and Lighting moved towards him.
"How is he?" Lighting could hardly make himself ask. The doctor laid the cub down on the bed and sighed relived. It almost seemed like he could not believe it before but as he was gonna tell them it sunk in.
"His back is not broken anywhere and he barely escaped dying. A few millimetres longer up and it would be nothing I could do." The doctor said as he got ready some shots and needle to sow his wounds. Lighting exhaled relived.
"That son of yours must have the devils luck." Tochiro said reviled. Harlock smiled and stroke a hand over the cubs head. He was much smaller than Lighting had been when he saved him from the farm, but the young cub where identical to his dad. The same black fur the same markings of lighter fur. As the doctor finished sowing and then bandaging the cub's wounds he turned to Lighting.
"He'll properly sleep through the next days as it would be best for him to do so. Keep him warm and stay close to him. If anything changes come get me." Lighting nodded feeling a little strange as this was not something the doctor would normally say. Still every one of the crew knew his son as he had been on board the Arcadia for the few days before he had left him on earth. It would not be so strange that they would be worried.
"Now lets have a look at your wounds." The doctor said and turned to the cut on his paw. Harlock, Tochiro and Mimee stayed in the room with them until Zero was done. The deepest wound on him was the wound on his leg. As zero sowed it up Lighting though to himself that he could not fail again. He had already lost his dather as his failure as a father, he nearly lost his son today and he could have lost Harlock as well.
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Lighting lay down in his bed putting his son close to his stomach. He looked at his master and felt bad again as he had failed to protect him, the story Harlock had told him about the torture ring and the chuffs were going trough his head. If any one would try something like that again he would show them how fearful he could be to them. Harlock sat holding his wine glass and looked at the wolfs. Lighting had laid his head down and were almost asleep his cub resting up to him. Lighting had nearly paid the highest price any one could pay, his son's life. He knew all to well why Lighting and Angel agreed to leave him on earth for a while so that he would be safe, as they had already paid with one cub's life, their dather. Harlock sighed feeling sorry for his friend and well as he knew how worried he was for him as well. His wrists hurt pretty badly and he had taken the cloves of as it had helped the pain a bit. He sighed and rested his head back on the chair. The wound on his neck screamed in pain as he did.
Suddenly a sound came from the desk, a sound meaning that the bridge tried to get hold of him. Lighting looked up as Harlock stood up and moved over to the desk, tripping once as his wounds on the legs sometimes made the legs give in.
Pushing a few buttons, one of the crew member's face came up on the screen on the wall next to him. Harlock turned and leaned up against the desk crossing his arms across his chest.
"What is it?" He asked looking at the young pirate.
"Emeraldas is calling for you sir, would you like me to punch it through?" The pirate asked looking a bit worried. Harlock turned and looked at Lighting and the cub as he nodded slowly. Lighting looked at him sighing as he looked down on his cub again.
Right now he looked like he was sleeping peacefully, still Lighting could hear the rasping sound that came when he breathed.
The screen went dark before it lighted up again this time showing another familiar face. A fiery redhead with a similar scar to the captain looked at him with her green eyes. Harlock turned his eye to her and they looked at each other. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the bandages on Harlock's hands.
"What has happened? Did Lighting find him?" She asked wasting no time. A white wolf sat next to Emeraldas looking at Harlock with her dark blue eyes. Lighting stood up lifting his son carefully and forced his weight on the wounded paw to make his way up to Harlock more stable to the cub. Harlock took the cub from him as he sat down next to him. Harlock held the cub carefully. Emeraldas eyes seemed to widen as she saw the bandaged cub, and Angel gave out a worried whine.
"He was lucky, Angel. He'll be fine." Lighting said and smiled weakly. The dark blue eyes of the white female got filled with tears as she sighed relived.
"We are on our way to you now." Emeraldas said her voice was cold as it usually was.
"We'll be waiting for you." A familiar voice said as Tochiro came in. Emeraldas eyes seemed to soften as she saw the small man, yet her eyes narrowed seeing the bandage around his head.
"What did you two get yourself into this time?" She asked slowly. Tochiro grinned and Harlock sighed.
"Long story, old friend." He said.
"Well we'll more than enough time when we arrive." Angel said lifting an eyebrow of sorts to them. Lighting smiled seeing it, getting a little relived as it meant that she was not so worried anymore.
"Until then..." Emeraldas said and smiled as she turned of the screen. Harlock smiled to Tochiro and walked over to the dog bed as Lighting limped over there and lay down. Harlock lay the cub down carefully next to him and stroked the two wolf's over the head. Lighting smiled and lay his head down to sleep.
"What now, captain?" Tochiro grinned. Harlock turned to his friend as sat back down in his chair.
"We wait. For now I think we all need some rest." He said as he took the glass again. Tochiro grinned and sat down on the other chair.
"Still, it was a small wonder the cub was not deadly wounded. It sure did look that way." He said and filled a glass as well. Harlock looked at the cub.
"He started a fight with five grown dogs, even as he was wounded because he would not have then attack the birds for sport." He said more to himself than anything.
"Just like his dad." Tochiro said smiling. "What did his humans name him?" He asked. Lighting looked up at him, his eyes seemed sad.
"The little girl named him Wolf. But I have a feeling he does not want to be called that anymore." He said and looked at Harlock. Harlock smiled.
"Until I found your name you were only called Wolf as well." The old wolf smiled remembering back to that more happy time. Tochiro smiled.
"Well I may not he his master, and as I know he will properly get a better name when he finds his new master, but for now he needs a name that we can call him by." Tochiro said as he came up to the cub. Lighting looked at him.
"Do you have something in mind, my friend?" Harlock asked as Tochiro carefully lifted the cub up.
"Yeah, Keikai." He said. The cub seemed to move on one of his ears as he said the name.
"Keikai?" Lighting said looking at him. Tochiro nodded slowly.
"It means Vigilance in Japanese. A fitting name for him." He smiled as he lay him back down. Lighting smiled and licked over his son's face.
"Keikai. For now that will be your name. Who knows what fate has in store for you my son." He sighed and fell finally asleep.
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The Queen Emeraldas lay next to the Arcadia and the two members from the ship made their way to the other ship. Tochiro stood ready to meet them smiling ready to meet his love again. As the door opened at Emeraldas came onboard a big grin came over him. The white wolf next to her had to smile seeing him. Emeraldas bent down and gave him a hug, widening the smile on her lovers face even more.
"I'm glad to see that you came past those military ships with out trouble." Tochiro said as she let go.
"Like they could stop me, they could not even see us as you fixed the stealth devise on the Queen Emeraldas." She smiled. Tochiro could not stop smiling.
"What have happened to you? What had happened to the captain?" She asked looking more serious now. She touched the bandage around his head. Tochiro's smile disappeared.
"Let's get to the captain's room. You'll get the whole story there." Tochiro said and lead them down the halls. Passing his room Tochiro ran in and picked up something in his room. As he came out Angel noticed that he hid some thing made of metal under his cape.
Entering the captain's room, they stopped. Lighting was laying in his bed with his cub still sleeping next to him and Harlock sitting in his chair. Mimee sat on the bed and played a calming melody. Harlock stood up and smiled to his friends as they entered. Angel wasted no time and came up to her life mate. Lighting smiled and stroked his head towards hers. Her eyes turned watery as she saw down on the young cub.
"Little lighting..." She whispered as she stroked her nose down on her son's fur.
"It's okay, Angel. Zero says he will wake up today or tomorrow." He said as he stood up and let her lay down to keep her son close. Laying down next to her he rested his head on her shoulder.
"What happed to him?" she asked fighting to keep her tears back. Lighting sighed and told her the whole story. Lighting had come before any other humans had found the family and without knowing it only been a few seconds later from his son running of. He had told Angel and Harlock and set out to find his son as he could smell that he was hurt, but he had lost the trail as the sky had opened and washed away the tracks. It had taken him nearly two days following the words of other animals that had seen him like the grey cat in the ally. When he had finally made his way to the park it was the cries from the crow that had lead him to him. Telling of how he had fought the dogs and of how his son had risked his life to help him, when he was pinned down. Emeraldas seemed to pale as she heard how the wolf cub had nearly been killed. Her fists were shaking in anger.
"He was lucky, little Keikai." Tochiro said and sat down next to Mimee. Emeraldas turned and looked at him.
"Keikai?" She asked as she turned back to look at the cub again.
"The name Tochiro gave him. It means vigilance." Harlock said, breaking his silence.
"Harlock..." Emeraldas said and noticed the bandage around his neck. She came up to him and gave him a hug. He smiled as she let go and offered her a glass of wine.
"I am okay. I was a lot worse yesterday." He said as he sat down.
"What has happened?" She asked as she sat down. Mimee seemed to stop playing and her hands shook. Harlock's eye seemed to turn dark and he looked past his friends.
He stared to tell on how they had been hiding out on one of the pirate islands when Lighting had travelled back to the Earth to check on his son as he always did. As they had gotten word of his son's disappearance, Harlock had ordered The Arcadia back to Earth as he wanted to help Lighting find him. That's when they had been attacked by the bounty hunters, forcing then down on a small planet and where Harlock had been captured and tortured. Tochiro pulled out the accursed ring, as it was that he had picked up in his room, and showed it to Emeraldas. Her face nearly paled as she got to learn of how much pain it had cased her friend. Lighting were snaring where he lay and even Angel growled low. As Harlock finished his story helped out by Tochiro's inputs Emeraldas hands shook as she tried to hold her glass. She was enraged for not even knowing what her friends had been through.
"Where did they get this thing?" She asked as she hold the ring. Tochiro shook his head.
"We don't know yet. I have been checking around to find out about it and have only found out that they were being sold on the black marked of bounty hunters and other creeps." He said angry. "Witch would mean that there are more of these things out there." Tochiro finished.
"We need to be careful. This time we nearly lost Harlock. Next time we could not be so lucky as to get there in time." He said. Lighting snared angry, feeling his anger burn as he had not been there to help. Angel stroked her head up against his and silenced his growling. He stroked his head to hers and felt his anger calm down.
Suddenly the little cub moved whining once. As the others had been silent as the sound came everyone jumped to their feet. The cub opened his eyes and looked up at his mother and father. Blinking two times he whined.
"Mom? Dad?" Angel licked his face happy to see her son recognise them.
"We are here, son, we are here." She whispered to him. Lighting lay down in front of them and smiled happy. Harlock and Tochiro's eyes met and they smiled as the danger was finally over for the young cub.
"Dad, I… failed." He said low and shamefully. Lighting was surprised to hear his son say this.
"No son, from the battle I could see you did not fail to protect them. You could not have saved them. It was meant for them to die. You have not yet met the master you are destined to protect." He said stroking his head up to the cub's neck.
"I don't understand." The cub said. Lighting smiled as his son looked at him confused.
"You will son, some day." He said smiling.
"For now my little cub, rest. You are safe now." His mother said making him turn to see her. Turing back to his father he looked around.
"Is this?" He asked not really daring to say the name out loud. It made his father smile as the cub's eyes widened as Harlock came up to him and carefully lifted him up to his face. A par of dark blue eyes that he knew well looked back at his one hazel brown eye. As his father he showed no fear only honour as he recognised the man from the wanted posters from Earth.
"This would be the Arcadia, my ship, young one." The cub's eyes widened as he realised that he was really there. Tochiro laughed.
"He is a brave one, even as he is being held by, and surrounded by the sea of stars most feared pirates he does not even blink."
"Just like his parents." Emeraldas smiled. Harlock sat him back down on the bed. The cub, sitting and looking at the pirate, with stars in his eyes.
"You will be sailing under my flag now little one. Can you fight for only what is in your Heart?" Harlock asked as he looked down on the cub. The cub nodded, bringing a smile to the captain's face.
"I don't even thing he knows what that means." Tochiro laughed looking at his friend. Harlock smiled.
"I want to fight to save someone's life." The cub said looking at the captain. Lighting and Angel exchanged looks with a small smile on their lips.
"Yes I think Keikai was a good name for him." Tochiro smiled and stroked the cub's head.
"Keikai?" he asked looking at the Japanese man turning his head to one side.
"Tochiro named you that for your vigilance. It's a Japanese name." Harlock said smiling. The cub looked up at Tochiro and smiled.
"Thanks." He smiled, suddenly he was pushed over end as his mother pulled her son back to her side.
"Now little Keikai, you are gonna sleep a little more. You need to rest to get better." She said and smiled. Lighting smiled where he lay next to them. His friends took up their glasses and offered a toast to the young cub's luck and hoped for his wellbeing in the future. Angel told her son the names of the pirates and who they were but suddenly found her son sound asleep again with a smile on his lips. She looked to her mate that smiled and lay next to her and the both of them fell asleep feeling safe for the first time since their son's disappearance.
Author's note
Okay second chapter is up and now we are getting somewhere.
Hopefully I'll just have one more to write on this one.
Thanks to Gemini as she came with the name Keikai. It will be his name until young Harlock comes onboard the Arcadia and renames him Fang as the young cub wants to protect him. But you need to read the Youth in Arcadia by Gemini for that part. As well I bind this up to the Hunter's prey story I have out as well and this acts like a beginning for my story unbreakable will of love as well.
Feel free to tell me how I did on this one.
Lightingtooth