Lighting was nearly blind with rage. a quick glance over at the two boys and his son, made him turn back around towards the man that had cased all this pain. Tochiro hesitated as the wolf began to move slowly towards Gokai. he had pulled a knife from his belt as his sword had broken during Lightning's first attack. usually the clever man would have been smart enough not to take on both of them with only a knife but having lost the one price he had wanted all his life had left him not caring about his life anymore.

Lightning snarred outraged. his son had suffered enough already. Lightning had been somewhat glad his son seemed to have no recollection of his twin sister's death. Lighting could see the blood on him as Young Harlock held him. seeing his son hurt yet again and his life mate wounded and weak reminded him that once again it seemed he had failed to protect his family. Lightning felt nothing but rage and he saw red.

"Lightning!" Tochiro's voice suddenly cut into his ears and mind, and he stopped and looked behind him. Tochiro could swear a second there, before he looked at him, there was something wrong with the color of his eyes. yet it was gone as soon as his eyes met his.

"together." Tochiro said coldly looking back to Gokai. Lightning nodded and looked back at Gokai growling.

Lighting curled together and then bolted of to the right of Gokai. Tochiro followed right behind to Gokai's left. Tochiro jumped right into him, Gokai barely blocking his blade over his face. Gokai forced him of, roaring as he followed after Tochiro who bounced around. suddenly Tochiro bolted at him again, his sword slicing up Gokai's face. Gokai fell backwards holding to the cut on his face. he had a bleeding cut across his face like Angel.

"that's payback for what you did to Angel." Tochiro snared, swinging the blood of his sword. Gokai snared gripping the knife better. Tochiro bolted away as Gokai came after him, Lighting suddenly came like a bullet passing Gokai, cutting up his chest. he landed and jumped again in the same motion and cutting up his chest again.

"that's for Tochiro and Fang." Lighting snared as he turned back to Gokai who recoiled as his chest opened up.

"you bastard!" Gokai snared angry holding to his chest. he to both of them surprise ran and jumped Tochiro, slamming the smaller man into the ground. sitting on top of him, his knife at Tochiro's throat.

"you move, he dies, beast." Gokai snared, looking at Lighting.

"Tochiro-san!" the others shouted. Lightning snared backing up, but Gokai didn't see Lighting curling together.

before Gokai could react, Lighting was not only moving, he was over him, his fangs deep into his neck, puling the man of Tochiro and his blade falling out of his hand.
"no..." Gokai gasped before Lighting tore out his throat.

"the lightning attack.." Fang gasped. he had never seen his father move that fast before.

"you OK?" Lightning asked Tochiro as he stepped away from Gokai, spitting out the man's blood with disdain. Gokai was wheezing for air, and Tochiro came up to him, standing over him.

"I am fine." Tochiro snared to lighting. Emeraldas smiled faintly seeing Gokai was finished, and finally let herself pass out.

"mom!" she barely heard her son call as the darkness took her.

Tochiro stood over the dying man, anger still flashing in his eyes.

"I would prefer to stand here, watching you drown in your own blood, you bastard son of a worm but I don't have time." Tochiro snared and drove his sword into Gokai's chest killing him of. as he pulled his sword free the group heard the Arcadia come towards them. Tochiro ignoring his own wounds rushed back to the Cosmo wing. Tochiro Jr opening the cockpit.
"you OK?" Tochiro Sr asked his son quick before looking to Emeraldas.

"I am OK.. Mom passed out a moment ago. dad.. what wrong with her?" Tochiro Jr asked scared.

"I don't know son.. let's hope Doctor Zero will figure it out." Tochiro Sr said scared seeing how pale his love was. Angel had passed out as well.

the Arcadia landed next to them. The doctor and quite a few of the crew rushed out to help the Doctor get the sick Emeraldas and wounded Angel out of the wing carefully and on to stretchers the others came with.

"you said it was some kind of poison?" Doctor zero asked Tochiro Jr as he quickly checked over her.

"that's what Angel said earlier yes.. but she didn't say much more." Tochiro Jr looked so scared for his mother. he jumped feeling his father's hand on his shoulder. Doctor Zero nodded and hurried to sick bay with her.

"She is strong, son. trust her." he said looking a second to Gokai's corpse and snaring to himself.

"Tochiro." captain Harlock arrived out of the forest having followed Lightning. "are you OK?" he said worried seeing the cut across his chest.

"I'll be fine.." Tochiro snared. Harlock didnt press anymore knowing now wasn't the time.

"you three did good." captain Harlock said looking to the three youngsters. he had to admit he was glad to see them mostly unharmed. Fang was the only one hurt by the look of it. he gave the pup a quick pet over the head, inwardly thanking the pup for keeping the boys safe.

"you OK?" he asked the two boys who nodded worried.

"let's get out of this place." Harlock said making the group follow into the ship and letting the proud ship take off. the prisoners having found an escape ship on their own.

Harlock was tending to Tochiro's wound on his own as the doctor was preoccupied with Emeraldas. Young Harlock and Tochiro Jr sat at the bed in the captain's room with them. both sitting quietly. the worry on their faces clear to see. Fang whined beside Young Harlock and got some comforting pets.

"there. that should do it." Harlock said knotting the bandage.

"thanks." Tochiro said silently.

Doctor Zero came in and it made almost everyone jumped to their feet.

"what did you find?" Tochiro Sr asked first. yet the look in the doctor's face was unusual. it wasn't often one saw the Doctor outraged but that was what he was.

"I think you two might have let him to easy of, Tochiro-san, Lighting." the doctor snared. "I have no idea if he knew what he was playing with.. had this not been lady Emeraldas.. I don't know if anyone else could have survived.." he sighed. that had everyone holding their breath.

"have you heard of the blood root?" the doctor asked. seeing the looks on their faces saying no he continued. "the root was at one point used in some drugs, but the effect of it was so terrible even the drug makers stopped using it. the blood like juice that one can extract from the root makes every nerve cell be in high alert. meaning every touch can be a pleasure or pain. it was used as a pleasure drug but the problem is. it contains a sort of plaque that cases this effect in the body, yet what they found was that the plaque does not get adsorbed in the body, nor can the body get rid of it on it's own. in small doses it isn't dangerous, but in large doses like what he gave her.. her body cant get rid of it and it's putting her body in a stress mode. it is slowly shutting down her body, killing her. luckily we know who to get rid of it.. but it will take days." the doctor said making everyone exhale relived.

"we have connected a machine that extracts her blood clean the plaque from her bloodstream, and returns it clean. yet we need to clean all the blood completely, so it will take time, sir."

"but she will be fine?" Tochiro asked.

"yes sir." the doctor nodded. "I'll be honest though.. there is a chance we may not get all of it.. there has been cases where that happened the patient would have days, weeks of illness, but it would be temporary." he smiled tiredly.

Tochiro Sr sat by her bedside. the only sounds in the room the steady beep of to monitors and the pumping sound of the machine, cleaning her blood. she still looked pale and ill. Tochiro sat back in the chair, his fingers fielding under his cape. eventually he found his harmonica in his pocket. playing the song he liked to play for Mayu, he could have sworn Emeraldas smiled faintly for a second. he stopped when the door opened and Tochiro Jr came in.

"cant sleep?" Tochiro Sr asked. the boy shaking his head. Tochiro Sr sighed. he couldn't blame him. having only just found his father, only to see his strong mother like this.

"come here." he smiled opening his arms, letting the boy climb onto his lap and leaned back. letting them both lay in the chair.

he continued to play, Tochiro Jr soon enough drifted of to sleep clinging to his father's cloak, the sound and smell of his father letting him feel safe and sleep.

Emeraldas woke up slowly, everything hurt and ached.

"where?" she though silently but then suddenly remembered Gokai.

"easy!" Angel's voice stopped her from jerking upright. "stay still."

Emeraldas opened her eyes and suddenly reacted to a weight on her left arm. looking over she found Tochiro Jr curled up in her arm, his hand death clinging on to his father's cloak that was draped over them both. she looked around recognizing she was in the Arcadia sickbay. beside her beside in a chair sat Tochiro Sr asleep. he had a bandage crossing his chest, his harmonica laying in his lap, she could remember hearing it in her dreams just now.

a pair of ivs hooked up to her right arm pumping the blood out and back in.

"easy.. go back to sleep." Angel smiled looking at her form where she sat.

"are you OK?" Emeraldas asked quietly.

"I'll be fine. you need to rest. they are working on cleaning your body from the poison. it will take time." Angel said and lay back down beside her. Emeraldas looked at her love again and smiled before looking back to her child. she had no choice back then, it was too dangerous with both the Illumidas and the Mech Empire after her back then. she could only hope the boy would forgive her. she rested her chin to his small head and closed her eyes. not knowing that contact made the boy smile in his sleep.

authors note:

so again.. another story I been letting lay for way to long.. the problem here was I didn't know how to finish Gokai of. I think I came up with a good ending for the bastard.

so in the Galaxy express series, Emeraldas is sick from some unknown sickness. I figured hey.. why not. I think it works.. I hope..

not sure how much more chapters will be coming. at least one more.

feel free to tell me how I did.

Lightingtooth