Chapter Six

By the time noon had rolled around, the rain had finally stopped, and the sky had cleared; yet, it didn't help with the unease that was now working its' way into the Arcadia's crew. Even without La Miime's intuition, they could all tell that something was about to happen…..

"But what could it be, I wonder? What is this feeling of doubt I am sensing, all of a sudden? These aren't the Captain's feelings I'm picking up….nor are they Young Harlock's. Whose are they, then?" La Miime wondered, as she tried to focus on the source of the emotions, yet only became more confused the harder she tried.

"Are you all right, La Miime? You look tired." Kei said, concernedly, from her position close by.

"I am fine; no need to worry….I'm just hoping that they come back safely." La Miime sighed, as she sat down and started tuning her harp.

"Same here." Kei agreed, "I definitely don't want to see the Captain or Young Harlock in the same shape they were in after each incident with those damned rings."

"You'll get no arguments there, Kei-san." Sabu said, since he had been told of the earlier incident by the rest of the crew, and had seen Young Harlock's condition at the time with his own eyes; knowing for a fact that he wouldn't have wished that on his worst enemy.

"Except for that damned Kichigai, of course." Sabu silently growled, the very thought of the pain he had inflicted on the younger pirate captain and his rival, enough to make his blood boil. Little did they realize just what the future had in store…..

…………………….

Darghund waited patiently for the scouts to report in with Harlock's whereabouts; eager to wreak his revenge on the pirate captain.

"I've waited this long for revenge…..I will not let the opportunity slip away from me!" Darghund thought, looking aside when one of the scouts finally appeared, and bowed politely to him.

"We've discovered their hiding place, Baron. They are being sheltered by that widow, Mira Harlock, at the ancestral estate. There are three men; one looks to be in his mid to late twenties, the second, in his mid to late forties, and the last looks to be about fifty or fifty-five. There are also two grown wolves and a wolf cub within the house, as well." The scout murmured.

"Excellent. Send a message. Let them know that there is no place in Arcadia that is safe for them, as long as they carry the name Harlock." Darghund said, his voice deepening into a growl as he mentioned the hated name. The scout bowed again.

"As you wish, sir." The scout again said softly, before swiftly disappearing into the woods again.

………………………….

Falko could only watch in amusement, as Fritz followed Harlock around the house, the boy quite eager to learn about his 'uncle' in the process. On a couple of occasions, Fritz almost ran into the back of the elder pirate captain; this getting a somewhat wry glance over the shoulder at him when this happened.

"Why are you following so closely, Fritz? I'm not going anywhere." Harlock said, calmly, when he'd finally stopped and sat down in the dining room; giving the boy a curious look as he did so.

"Um…..Just makin' sure you don't go anywhere?" Fritz responded, as he gave the older man an abashed smile that, in more ways than just one, reminded Harlock even more of Young Harlock.

"Why would you want to do that?" Harlock questioned.

"'Cause I want to learn how to be a space pirate too!" Fritz answered, shining at the thought. At this, Harlock could only sigh and roll his eye heavenward; just how could he explain this in terms the boy would understand?

"Being a space pirate…..isn't something you learn. It's a way of life. Once you become one, there's no turning back." Harlock stated, then silently added, "Speaking of which, I wonder if Mother has explained the rite of passage to either of them?"

"Does becoming a pirate mean getting a cool scar like yours'?" Fritz asked; this question almost being enough to cause Harlock to fall over backwards out of his chair in shock.

"Why would you want such a thing, Fritz?" Falko asked, feeling as shocked as the elder pirate captain looked.

"Well…..both Phantom and his dad have scars….." Fritz said, trying to name the reason why he wanted a scar like their's so badly.

"Mine came about by a freak circumstance, kid." Young Harlock muttered, noticing the disturbed look on his father's face, at this point.

"You never had the rite of passage carried out?" Mira asked, startling all of them by coming up behind Young Harlock so quietly. Harlock was the first to calm down, and spoke instead of his son.

"No. That was one thing I didn't have in me to do…..Call it cowardice, but I just couldn't slash my own son's face!" Harlock murmured, as an expression of shame appeared on his scarred features…..an expression Falko was only too familiar with. And yet, all Mira could do was sigh and walk over to him; placing a calming hand on his shoulder as she did so.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of…..In fact, your father had reacted the same way you are, now. It was one of the reasons why he was away at that time." Mira said, comfortingly.

"I thought as much…." Harlock murmured, then gazed at his hands. Hand that were normally so steady and strong in the heat of battle, were now shaking badly at the thought of putting the scar on Fritz's youthful face.

"Is that how you came about your scar, Harlock?" Falko asked, his voice soft, yet carrying a deadly edge in it. Harlock nodded.

"My grandfather gave me this on the morning of my tenth birthday…..It's a scar that has been passed down through the generations, ever since the Pirate Knight first received it in battle….." Harlock replied, then added, "This may be the reason why your ancestor had run away." For a moment, Falko bristled at the idea, yet then calmed when the thought occurred to him; he could understand why.

"No parent really wants to see his child in pain…..That was why you couldn't do it to your own son…...and I don't have the right to carry it out on mine, since I don't have the scar, either." Falko said, reluctantly agreeing with what the elder pirate had mentioned.

"But I still want it, Dad!" Fritz almost shouted, despite the feelings of unease the thought had engendered in the elder pirate captain.

"Are you sure? Son, this is something that can't be undone, after it is over. It will be with you for the rest of your life." Falko said, trying to talk some sense into the boy, even as he was trying to brace himself for what was to come. Fritz nodded; this time solemnly.

"Yeah." Fritz replied, then looked directly at Harlock; the determined glint in his young eyes reminding them that he was also of the proud Harlock Clan.

"Fine, then." Harlock softly said, agreeing with it, even though it seemed that the very idea of it was making him feel ill.

"He really doesn't want to do this….but it looks like he's got no choice, now." Young Harlock mused, as he watched his father stand, and then walk out of the room.

"Does the Captain hate me now?" Fritz asked, shakily, uncertain if what he'd said had offended the older man.

"No, he doesn't hate you, kid. It's just the fact that he cares too much…...He doesn't want you to hate him. You're family, and he's vowed to protect his family, no matter what…..It just goes against what he believes to hurt you in any way. Even if it is the rite of passage we're talking about." Young Harlock said; listening as his father went outside in an effort to regain his composure.

"We can only hope, at this point, that young Silvereye doesn't decide to attack while the rite is being carried out." Lightningtooth stated, with a smirk; even as Harlock (who was just beyond the back door) mumbled something about the 'pot calling the kettle black', under his breath. By the time Harlock had returned inside, Mira was just finishing the preparation for the rite. The room had been darkened, some candles had been lit, and a slightly nervous Fritz had been seated and tied down in a chair.

"You're sure you want to go through with it, even after seeing all this?" Young Harlock asked, when he'd noticed how nervous the boy now looked.

"Yeah." Fritz said, as he watched Harlock enter the room. Even though the man looked no different than before, Falko, Young Harlock, Mira and even Fritz noticed how much Harlock dreaded doing this. And that dread only deepened when Mira handed him an ornate knife with the family crest carved into the handle.

"You'd almost think it was him that's about to get cut across the face with that, instead of Fritz! He isn't liking this idea at all!" Falko thought; restraining himself when the older man neared his son, and started to lower the knife to the boy's face. At this, an almost sepulchral silence settled onto the room, and it wasn't lifted in the slightest when the boy gasped at the feeling of the knife entering his flesh, nor softly whimpered when it was drawn across his left cheek…..But not a single scream did he allow to leave his mouth.

"Brave kid." Young Harlock thought; jumping when a flash of silver rushed past him and leaped right onto his father's arm!

"Silvereye!" Fritz yelped, in surprise, when he saw the wolf pup angrily sink his teeth into Harlock's forearm; the suddenness of it making him drop the bloodied knife with a half-growl of pain.

"He trusted you! He trusted you and you attacked him!" Silvereye howled, furiously, when he'd finally released Harlock's arm, and stood defensively in front of Fritz; silvery fur standing on end and his lips curling back in rage.

"He didn't attack your master, young one." Lightningtooth said, as he carefully approached and sat down in front of the angry pup.

"Then why'd he hurt Fritz?.! Why's Fritz's face bleeding like that?.!" Silvereye asked, as tears of rage spilled from his eyes and down his furry cheeks.

"It's called the rite of passage. Most Harlocks go through it when they reach ten years of age. Your master came to this decision himself, even though my master was extremely against doing it." Lightningtooth stated, patiently, then looked over his shoulder at Harlock. The older man was holding what appeared to be a scarf around his bleeding arm; trying to stanch the bleeding in it, since Silvereye's fangs had cut deeper than even he had thought possible.

"You all right, Dad?" Young Harlock asked; smirking slightly when he got a rueful glance from his father.

"If you could say that. That pup's teeth hurt worse than that knife! Maybe, instead of being called 'Silvereye' he should have been named 'Silverflash'. That pup came in and attacked even faster than Lightningtooth had." Harlock muttered, as he watched Mira move in and begin to stitch the boy's wound closed.

"My son probably would have done the same." Lightningtooth said, smiling when Harlock gave him a mock scowl.

"If I'd even tried to carry out the rite, back then, my arm would have been so torn up, I probably wouldn't be able to even hold a sword, much less fight hand-to-hand if I had to!" Harlock growled; flexing the fingers of his right hand to make sure that the nerves in his arm were all right. By now, Silvereye had calmed down enough to see that Fritz wasn't in danger, nor had he been betrayed; starting to feel a little guilty about what he'd just done.

"Sorry." Silvereye mumbled, as he lowered his gaze in shame. He was therefore surprised when Harlock walked over to him, kneeled, and then gingerly lifted the pup's head so eye contact could be established between them.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, pup. You were just defending your master….and living up to your own clan's code of honor." Harlock said, smirking as he motioned to his arm with a nod.

"Code of honor?" Silvereye asked, confusedly.

"I'll let Lightningtooth explain that one." Harlock answered, and gave the scarred wolf a look that seemed to say 'Your turn'.

"Have fun, Dad." Fang said, as he stuck his head into the room and grinned mischievously at his sire. Lightningtooth's expression promptly deadpanned.

"Thanks." Lightningtooth muttered, his tone warning them that they were going to get it later, as he led the silver-furred pup out of the room; talking quietly to him as he went.

"You all right over there, Fritz?" Young Harlock asked, when he'd looked and seen that Mira was just finishing the stitches to the boy's face.

"Ouch……Yeah…..I'm okay." Fritz replied; flinching slightly when the needle went in and came out a final time, before Mira tied it off and started wiping the blood away.

"Good." Harlock said, then looked to his mother, "Was the wound easy to close?"

"You both did fine. Neither one of you passed out, so you both came out of this relatively unscathed!" Mira laughed; proud of both her own son, and her adopted grandson for their courage. She chuckled again when Harlock breathed a sigh of relief, and rubbed his eye with his left hand.

"I hope the wine cabinet is still in the same place as before, since I could use some alcohol, at this point." Harlock muttered, as he started to walk out of the room; only stopping when his mother took a good close look at the wound on his arm.

"It doesn't look deep enough to require stitches….Just keep an eye on it." Mira said, as she cleaned the wound out, and bound it properly. Harlock nodded, then continued on his way.

"Holding up okay over there, Falko?" Young Harlock asked; when he'd noticed how strangely quiet the other man had been, up until this point.

"Somewhat. Though it's strange…..my son looks more like a Harlock now than I do!" Falko said, with a weak laugh as he mentioned that.

"It doesn't matter what you look like…..With or without that scar, you're still a proud member of this family." Mira said, boldly, as she reached up and touched the left side of Falko's face; her fingertips brushing the vertical scar there as she did that.

"I can only agree…..since I can't really think of anything good to say as an argument." Falko murmured, then turned and looked in the direction Harlock had gone, "I hope he manages to save some of that alcohol, since I could use a drink, myself."

"Just don't pull a La Miime." Young Harlock warned; grinning when he got a bewildered look from Falko in response to that.

"Should I even ask?" Falko questioned, curiously, as he looked down at Fang for an answer.

"La Miime is a survivor of the Juran race, which survived solely on alcohol. What Young Harlock had meant was, don't drink from the bottle like she usually does." Fang stated, calmly. Falko only gave them a smirk of his own.

"I might just do that….I think, at this point, I'm entitled to it." Falko muttered, as he also wandered off to find the alcohol.

"What can I do, now?" Fritz asked, seeing now that the room was almost empty.

"How about a fencing lesson?" Young Harlock offered; smirking when the boy beamed at him, and then hurriedly stood up.

"Guess I should take that as a 'yes', then." Young Harlock thought, as he checked the safety on his gravity saber, and then went to see if his father would allow them to use his saber, as well (and if Falko would agree to it).

……………………..

Darghund sat astride a dark bay horse, as he waited for the 'message' to be delivered to the Harlock Clan's current head; able to see the house clearly, from his vantagepoint.

"All is almost ready, Baron." One scout murmured.

"Good." The Baron growled, then added, "Fire at your discretion."

"Right." The scout responded, then motioned to his compatriots within the woods; relaying the order through that signal alone.

……………………..

For a few moments, Harlock and Falko stood quietly in the back garden; taking thoughtful sips from their glasses of brandy as they did so.

"I'm actually rather impressed with your restraint in there. I didn't think you would allow me to do that." Harlock finally said, after a few more moments of almost comfortable silence.

"It was Fritz's decision. Try as I might to talk him out of it, once he makes a decision, there's no way to change his mind…..It seems a rather notorious trait to have inherited from this family, doesn't it?" Falko asked, rhetorically.

"So it is….." Harlock agreed, smirking to himself and remembering of all the situations in the past when his stubbornness had gotten him into trouble. They both turned to look when the sound of metal striking metal came to their ears; signaling that the fencing lesson had begun.

"Hope they don't put each others' eyes out." Falko muttered, as a deadpan expression appeared on Harlock's face.

"That makes two of us. The pain of losing an eye is no joke, as I know from firsthand experience." Harlock said, as he pointed at the patch covering his missing eye for added emphasis.

"Though your son appears to be an accomplished swordsman…..I shouldn't have too much to worry about." Falko amended, then added, "I can only hope he's a better teacher than I have been. Admittedly, my swordsmanship is rusty."

"No time to train, I take it?" Harlock asked. Falko shook his head.

"I went to a military school where fencing wasn't really focused on. I had to go to an outside source to get the lessons! Though the teacher there was quite good, and I took to it quickly, some things have been forgotten between then and now, since I haven't had to use it on a day to day basis." Falko explained.

"I see….But you'd managed to teach your son what you remembered? The basics?" Harlock questioned.

"Yes. What little I remember, I've managed to teach…..Though I suppose I'll have to learn it all again, in order to survive from here on out." Falko mused aloud; getting a quiet nod of agreement from the space pirate as a response to that. Within moments, they had lapsed into thoughtful silence again; their minds taking them elsewhere, even as their bodies remained in place. The future was spreading itself out before them, as boundless as the Sea of Stars…..and for Falko, to his mind, it was just as unattainable.

"I wonder if either of them would be willing to take Fritz with them? The earth is no longer a safe place for him to grow up…..especially now, when I have this bounty on my head….." Falko thought, grimly; sighing as he looked up and around at the woodlands surrounding the house. For a moment, all looked normal to him; and then, in a second that made his heart freeze, he saw what appeared to be the barrel of a rifle….and it was aimed right at the elder captain! With a wordless cry, Falko roughly shoved Harlock out of the way; knocking him down out of the sights of the gun. The next thing Falko felt was a fiery pain in his right shoulder; gritting his teeth against it as he un-holstered his pistol, and fired an answering shot…..Rewarded with a cry of pain and death seconds later. He landed almost on top of the elder captain, the impact wrenching his wounded shoulder terribly, and forcing a strangled growl from between his lips.

"Harlock!" Lightningtooth's voice yelped, as he dashed outside, with Mira right behind him.

"Don't come out here! There are snipers!" Harlock ordered, as he shook his head slightly to clear it (he'd been knocked to the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of him), and then gingerly picked up Falko. The former Terrestrial Military captain was barely conscious, and in a considerable amount of pain; but he was able to see the gratitude in Harlock's single eye, as he carried him back inside.

"Dad! What the hell just happened?.!" Young Harlock shouted, as he and Fritz rushed into the room; having returned indoors as well, when the shot had been heard.

"Apparently Darghund no longer fears the Harlock name…..since he would have taken my life, just now, if it weren't for Falko." Harlock muttered, as he carefully placed Falko on the floor of the sitting room, and started applying pressure to his bleeding shoulder in an effort to stop the blood loss.

"Is Dad gonna be all right?" Fritz asked, horrified when he saw his father lying there, pale and bleeding.

"Your father is a true Harlock, Fritz…..and there's no way in hell that he's going to die this easily." Harlock growled, determinedly; watching as his mother again gathered her medical supplies, and smirking when she ordered his own son to start some water boiling so they could properly tend to Falko's wound.

"Thank you for protecting my master, Falko. You did well." Lightningtooth commended, as he approached the wounded man, sat down beside him, and gazed down at him with a grateful smile. At this, he got a weak smile in return.

"What else…..could I do? I'm not about…..to let those damned metalheads…..kill anyone in my family…..Distantly related or no." Falko replied, stubbornly, despite the pain.

"And by those actions alone, you've negated the cowardice of your ancestor. You've earned back the right to be called a Harlock." Fang murmured, as he entered the room and sat down beside Fritz; giving the boy something to brace himself on….and, in so doing, something to hold onto, for the long hours ahead.

"Finally….." Falko murmured, then thought, "I can put my ancestor's shame to rest." And, in his mind's eye, he could almost see the ghostly reunion of two brothers…..one thousand years estranged, yet resolving their long-standing dispute in that single moment, at long last.

Author's Note!

Hope this chapter was all right! (It took me long enough to get to this point, so, from here, it should be 'clear sailing'). Wish me luck in the next chapter!

Gemini14