This chapter wins the awkward award. Someone needs to explain to dogman that he is no longer a dog and his behavior is not really acceptable in human form.

This is still acceptable as rated T, right? Anyway, thanks for reading.

Daiba felt like shit. No matter how tightly he crushed the pillow to his face, he couldn't ease the pounding in his skull. It was worse than any hangover he'd ever experienced, and his entire body felt fuzzy on top of that.

"Come on," the doctor grumbled, "You haven't eaten in almost two days."

"Not hungry," he huffed, his voice muffled by the pillow. "Leave me alone."

"I can always feed you through tubes."

The teen glared out from his hiding spot at the doctor and the tray in his hands. It was just some rice and vegetables, things that would be easy on his stomach. They didn't look all that appetizing though.

Giving in, he sat up and allowed the tray to be placed across his lap. The doctor gave a sigh of relief before moving to the other room to return to work on the prosthetic. He'd been interrupted so much that he'd barely gotten any work done.

The last couple days had been a bit foggy for Daiba. He recalled seeing Kei and the captain, but mostly he remembered seeing Tsuyoshi. Maybe it had all been a hallucination, every bit of it. It was so blurry in his mind that he guessed it must have been. He hoped it was anyway. He remembered feeling airy and amused and frightened in strange, distant fragments of memory, not that he could exactly recall why.

His feet hurt too. He wasn't sure he wanted to know all the specifics actually.

Trying to use chopsticks with his left hand was, well, impossible. He began cursing and spitting at the food and himself each time the rice fell. He was really just making a mess. The vegetables weren't any easier. He was getting fed up with this. Hell, he had more water in his stomach than anything. His curses swelled. "Well, just fuck this!" he screeched.

As his captain stepped through the door, a bowl of rice flew past the man's ear and out into the hall, shattering against the metal wall.

"Daiba," Harlock greeted, frowning.

"I'll clean it up," the teen muttered.

"Having trouble?"

The aggravated blond stabbed a cucumber with the ends of his chopsticks. "If you've come here to tell me you told me so, just leave. I get it."

"As long as you've realized your mistake, I-"

"Oh yeah," Daiba snorted. "Listen to what the captain says cause he's not straight up gonna tell you when he knows you've picked up a flesh-eating dog alien thing."

"I didn't know what sort of alien it was," Harlock said. "I couldn't even be certain that it was an alien. I just thought it was odd for it to be on an uninhabited planet. I thought you would listen to my order without needing further explanation."

The carrot Daiba had stabbed fell off before it reached his mouth, and in a rage he began stabbing at all the vegetables with the small sticks. "Fuck this!" he roared. "Fucking goddamn useless dumbass bastard! Can't even fucking eat!"

The captain waited for him to calm to a simmering rage. "Once you get your prosthetic, you won't have any problems. Just have a little patience."

"What do you want exactly?" the teen sighed in irritation. "Did you come to laugh at me?"

"And why would you think that?"

"Well what other reason could you have?"

Harlock almost missed the obnoxious drunken child from the previous day. Almost. "Even though you obviously know the immediate consequences of what happened, I do need to discuss more about that creature with you. We haven't been able to identify its species, even with the samples we picked up, and I can't be sure it wasn't some sort of spy."

Daiba's lip curled in annoyance. "Spy? Like hell. I don't know what he was, but he wasn't here to get any information. He was a dog up until he started trying to eat me. Stayed in my room the whole time."

"But you weren't in your room the whole time," Harlock countered. "You can't confirm that he was a dog at all times."

"Ugh, don't remind me." The teen squirmed in discomfort. "I don't think he was a spy. He really just seemed interested in…eating me."

"Yes," the captain frowned, "that did seem to be his primary interest."

"You met him?" Daiba murmured, still uncomfortable with the topic. He didn't like thinking about his dog, about the way the thing had talked or grinned or looked at him. Its eyes had wavered somewhere between hunger and affection.

He suddenly remembered seeing the freak gnawing on his arm, and his hand flew to his mouth, holding back the gags shaking his entire body. The captain attempted to give him something to throw up into, but the twisting of his stomach beat out the captain, and he emptied what little was in it onto his tray.

With a sigh, the man gingerly took his crewman's food and replaced it with a trash can. "You alright now?" he asked the green-faced teen.

"H-he ate my arm," Daiba whimpered, shuddering. "H-he just p-picked it up a-and-"

Harlock glanced away as the young pirate choked on more bile. The captain had certainly seen worse, much worse. Daiba was fairly naïve in that respect. But he was sure seeing his own arm be chewed on was disturbing. "He didn't mention anything about his species, did he?" the brunette asked, trying to change the subject.

"N-no, I don't think so…God, h-he said I tasted-"

"Daiba," Harlock sighed as the retching continued. "Try to stop thinking about it. He's very dead. We made sure of it."

"Y-yeah," the teen choked, wiping off his face with the back of his hand. "He's gone. He's gone. I-it's just…he said he'd be back."

Harlock clapped a hand to the teen's thin shoulder. He wondered how many times he'd need to go over this point. "I killed him, so you should take my word over his. He won't come near you. Now wait for a moment while I get Zero."

"If you let that doctor put one more drug in me, I'll throw up on him." The blond stuck out his tongue. "I need a toothbrush."

There, that sounded more like Daiba. The captain tried to hide a smile.

The doctor forced some pills into the whining teen to fight any more nausea. "I have to go to the bathroom," Daiba continued to complain. "I want a shower!"

"You're not going to be on your feet while your stitches are healing up," the man reeking of alcohol scolded. He gestured irritably to a wheelchair. "Captain, take him down to the baths."

"Me?" Harlock blinked.

"He can't steer himself with one arm," Zero grumbled, "and I need to get this prosthetic done, unless you have something better to do."

"I'll bet can steer with one arm!" Daiba shrieked in offense.

The captain rubbed away a headache. "No…I'll do it." He really didn't have anything better to do, and he couldn't ask Kei to do something like this. Besides, she was probably working.

"I really could do this myself," the teen muttered as he was helped into the wheelchair.

"I'm sure you could," Harlock nodded. It would just take an hour or two extra.

The embarrassment on his crewman's face was obvious as he was wheeled out toward the bathroom, and as soon as he was placed onto the bath's edge, he shooed his captain away. "I can do the rest myself."

"Good."

Though Daiba immediately found removing his baggy hospital sweats was harder than he'd originally assumed. He tugged and grumbled, falling back into the cool plastic of the tub. When he'd finally managed to strip himself, he was still lying in it with his legs splayed over the edge. With a sigh, he reached up and turned the water on.

The only soap nearby smelled fruity, but no one needed to know that he liked the scent. He was about to start rubbing the shampoo through his hair when a form appeared at his back and fingers were scratching through his scalp. "You smell great, little master," he cooed.

The cogs of Daiba's stunned mind turned slowly.

Dog man.

In bath.

Touching.

Naked.

Pervert.

Naked!

His scream became more of a squeak as he tore away, falling into the sudsy water. "Oh? Do you want to play, little master?" Tsuyoshi asked excitedly as the young pirate gasped for air.

Slipping over in the tub, Daiba could only manage to grab hold of the bar soap and hurl it at the dog man's sparkling hazel eyes. He looked a bit younger than before, no more than 18, and he only laughed and tilted his head to dodge the projectile. "My turn!" he grinned.

"No!" the teen screamed as he was tackled by the larger male. He hit the back wall of the tub with a gentle thud, Tsuyoshi held him firmly down by the shoulders. "Let go of me!" His attempt at a kick was grabbed in one hand while his wrists were bound above him with the other. His next command became a whispered scream.

"You're funny, little master," it smiled, leaning close. As always, he nuzzled the small pirate's chin, showing his submission.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Daiba commanded, feeling sick.

"Oh?" the dog man blinked. "You want me on top?" Its eyes lit up. "You should have said something."

"C-captain!" the teen screeched in sheer terror. "Captain! Dog man! Naked! Captain!" Daiba was sure he felt a heart attack coming on.

Harlock tore the sliding door open, his hand hovering over his gun. He hadn't honestly expected to see that thing. He hadn't expected to see it holding his youngest crewman in such a compromising position either. "Hey!" it greeted, grinning. "You wanna come play too?"

This time, the tears in Daiba's eyes seemed well-justified, and Harlock stormed forward with gun in hand, blasting without further thought at the sick bastard touching his crewman. As soon as he was close enough, he yanked the teen out, holding him up under a protective arm. Daiba held a violent grip to it as he dangled above the tiled floor.

"That's not how you play!" Tsuyoshi scolded, dodging most shots with ease. Even the blasts that hit didn't slow him down, and he regenerated within moments. "Oh, I get it!" he laughed. "You're the alpha dog! Can't touch the alpha dog's things!" Still, he shrank back, collapsing into a puddle of the acidic yellow substance and disappearing down the drain.

Keeping his gun pointed toward the tub, Harlock whipped off his cape and covered his youngest pirate in it as he settled him down on the nearby sink's edge. Daiba clung to the tattered fabric like a life raft, his eyes wide and rimmed red with tears. He shook so much that his small form seemed to vibrate, and his face was a bright, stunning scarlet. "D-don't let him touch me," he stuttered.

"I won't," the captain snarled. He tried to keep his grip light as he again gathered the trembling teen up. There was no way he'd leave the trouble magnet anywhere on his own now.

He'd dropped the change of clothes in the hall, and irritatingly, no one had bothered to check on the commotion. He would need to get onto them for that. After retrieving the clothes and placing them on his crewman's stomach, the two returned to the bathroom.

They sat in silence except for the occasional sniffle that escaped the teen. After helping him into his pants, Harlock dragged the black sweater over his head and pulled him into the sleeves, one of which flopped, empty. "Did he do anything?" the captain finally asked as he ruffled his crewman's hair dry with a fluffed towel.

"N-no," Daiba whispered, his voice shaking. His face still radiated heat from the violent blush that covered his face, neck and ears. "I don't know what he was going to do. I'm sorry, captain. I-I just got so scared. D-damn it, I-I just froze up."

"Fear is normal," Harlock murmured. "If you can fight back against a bastard like that despite your fear, that makes you brave. I promise you, I will hunt him down. He won't touch you again."

His blush faded as he rubbed his hand harshly across his face as though to wipe it away. "I'm tired, captain. I'm tired of being scared. I don't want him to hurt anyone. I'm so stupid. Should have never brought him on board. So stupid."

Yes, stupid, but his intentions had been good, Harlock thought as he carried him back to the wheelchair. Once seated, Daiba brought up both his legs, hugging them with his arm under his knees. "I'll bet the doctor's almost done with your prosthetic by now," the captain attempted as he set off into the hall.

"Do those hurt? I've heard they hurt."

"I wouldn't know, but I've heard that too. I've also heard you can have a variety of weapons installed in them."

"Think the doctor would let me have that?" the teen asked, managing a nervous smile.

"I don't think you need anything major, but considering the circumstances, well," the captain smiled, "I suppose it was a good thing I asked for that retractable knife to be equipped." He'd ruined the surprise, but he supposed something to cheer his crewman up would be good at that moment.

"I'll just stab him next time," Daiba muttered, regaining his confidence. "You won't even need to kill him. I'll do it myself."

"Men should put their own dogs down," Harlock mused. "It's not a job to be left to someone else. But I won't feel bad if I manage to take him out first."

"I would. I want to be the one to kill him. Hmm, I'm hungry," the teen grumbled.

"You know the doctor will want a full briefing of what happened before he'll let you do anything else."

Daiba sighed, curling over in his chair as sleep began to take hold again. "Do I have to? Oh, I wonder if that rice I threw out here is still there."

"You're not going to eat that."

"Why not? I'm starving. Haven't really had a proper meal in weeks."

Apparently it didn't matter if there were drugs involved or not. There was no logical reasoning with Daiba.

"You know what, Captain? I'm not even all that clean. I didn't actually get to finish my bath."

"I'm not going to guard you while you take a bath," Harlock muttered.

Daiba scrunched his nose. "Ew, I didn't say that."

"Well, I can't very well leave you alone. Every time I do, that thing shows up."

"That was kind of the point I guess," the teen sighed. "None of you were supposed to see him, so I kept him hidden."

Harlock considered it. "You think we can lure him out if we just leave you alone for a while?"

"C-can we not? L-later. We can do that later."

"Sounds like a fair plan," Harlock nodded. Besides, he still needed to blow off a bit of steam before he'd even think of letting that freak near his youngest crewman again.

And thus commences protective dad-guardian vs. preverted dogman master. This goes about as well as expected.