Harlock cursed as he heard from Doctor Zero that state Falco and Mind was in. The wolf had passed out again after getting to the sickbay and were struggling with a bad fever. Falco was worn out and were struggling with his fever and blood loss.
"Captain, we are running shot on medical supply on all three ships. We need to resupply, or we risk losing them." Doctor Zerò said gravely. Young Harlock looked to his father worried.
"Can we call up the Deathshadow island, dad?" He asked, knowing there were supply there. Lighting shook his head.
"We resupplyed there when we saved you, and have little left there." Lighting reminded him.
"There must be somewhere.." Kai said low and worried. Captain Harlock looked at the map over where they were. There were none places were they would be welcomed and getting the supply's would be hard.
"You know... There is one place." Lighting sent to him alone. Harlock looked at him.
"That place? Maybe..." He answered looking to the others. "But that would be a great risk..." He said worried.
" I don't see how we have much of a choice here, my friend." Lighting said. Harlock nodded.
"There is one place we can go... This place." He said pointing to a city on Mars. Young Harlock paled and looked at his father like he had gone mad.
"Dad. That is the planet of the Bounty hunters, and that the main city of theirs." He said. Fang whined by his side.
"There is no way we will get any supply's there." Tochiro Jr said, shaking his head. Harlock smiled.
"What is your plan, Harlock? Take it from them?" Kai asked confused, seeing his smile.
"No, we have some...friends down there." Lighting said with a faint smile. "They.. owe us a favour."
"One we could use now." Young Harlock mumbled angry.
"Are you sure they will help?" Tochiro asked worried. Harlock nodded.
"That much I am sure of." He said strongly.
"But still... That is more dangerous than I like it." Kai mumbled.
"We will have to risk it... for Falco's sake." Doctor Zero said. The others nodded.
"Young Harlock, Tochiro. You two will go down there first. Head to an inn called the 'Deadly Blade'. Head to the bar there and order something to drink, when you pay give him this." Harlock said, giving his son some paper money.
"Dad?" He asked confused.
"The barkeeper will understand. Then just wait." He said.
"Just make sure no one gets a second look at you. Keep your cloches on at all times. Don't worry, you wont stand out if you do." Lighting said to them.
"Fang, stay close to them. Make sure nothing goes wrong. Oh and make sure the barkeeper does not try anything... If he does, give ham one of our greetings. That should keep him in place." He added with a faint smile.
Fang looked confused but did not ask. The three of them left to the hanger to take one of the Cosmo Wings down there.
"Will they be okey?" Kai asked worried. Harlock nodded.
"They should be." He said, as he took a good sip of his glass.
"All we can do now is wait." He said and sat down.
As the Cosmo Wing took down in the rocks outside of the city, young Harlock and Tochiro took on the capes, hiding their faces under the black hoods. Harlock bent down and took of the medallion on Fang's collar and hid it in his pocket.
"Are we ready?" Tochiro asked worried. "I really do no like this idea." He mumbled. Young Harlock nodded.
"Neither do I... But we have to get help for Falco's sake. Even if that help have to be from hunters." He growled and walked towards the city. Soon after they realised why Lighting had said they would not be noticed in the black capes. Almost every one walked around with capes hiding their faces.
"What a little inviting city." Tochiro mumbled as they walked on.
"Let's just find that inn." Harlock said, looking around. Tochiro had been hanging after, and as he ran to catch up with them, he ran strait in to a man.
"Oh so sorry. I was looking for something" Tochiro said as he held his hood up.
"Just look where you are going. What where you looking for any way?" The man growled.
"An inn, the Deadly blade." Harlock said, holding a hand to his gun under the cape.
"Aha you have good taste." The man said, quickly changing his tone. Harlock relaxed a bit and he could see Fang relaxed as well.
"You know of it?" Harlock asked, careful to not let the man recognise his voice.
"Everyone knows of the Deadly Blade. It is the most popular inn and hang out for all Hunters in this city." The man said beaming up.
"Oh great... This is not gonna be easy then." Young Harlock muttered to Fang. The wolf looked back at him and whined.
The man apparently oblivious of this, talked on. "I have to dare and say that everyone in the city is in love with that young inn keeper, but her brother.. well lets just say if one is even trying getting near to her, will find themselves flying out of there either with help or with knifes flying after them." The man laughed. Harlock and Tochiro exchanged looks of worry.
"You would have to be a brave man to enter there, as the barkeeper is as though as they'll get. If you two feel brave enough for it then its just up the street here." The man said and pointed out the way.
"Thank you." Harlock said and hurried up the street with Tochiro and Fang by his sides.
"Here it is, The Deadly Blade." Tochiro said looking at the sign.
"Lets get this done then." Harlock said and lead them in there. The in seemed calm at first until they saw all the hunters enjoying their drinks in the bar.
"Bingo! No one is even lose to me when it comes to darts." A man laughed, as three hunters where throwing darts at wanted posters.
"Yeah right, maybe you should try your dart skill against the real Captain Harlock and see if you can hit in between the eyes then." Another one laughed.
"Yeah, you should try that." The third one laughed. Tochiro growled low.
"Don't let them get to you." Fang said low.
Suddenly a man bumped into Harlock hard, making the young pirate trip and nearly fall, before Tochiro managed to support his friend. Harlock took hold of his hood with his right hand and held it in place.
"Look where you are going!" The man growled to Harlock. Fang stepped in front of Harlock and growled dangerously, showing his fangs. The man backed of scared, as the wolf growled.
"Easy. No harm done." Harlock said taking a hand to Fang's head making the wolf relax.
"We are only here to get a drink. I really don't want to get in to a fight before that." Harlock said calm and gave the man a icy stare that made that man back of quickly.
"Just watch it from now on." The man growled and left quickly.
"Let just hurry. We have gotten into enough trouble all ready.." Tochiro said mumbling, as they quickly made their way to the bar. There was just two seats left and a young man was walking back and forward serving drinks.
"Tom, get out of here, you have had enough. Don't start arguing with me, you know what happened last you tried." The barkeeper growled to a drunk man at the end.
"Gareth! Don't even think about starting a fight here! I am not in the mood to clean out your mess if you do!" The barkeeper barked to two men starting a fight, the both of them freezing as two small knifes locked their hands to the bar.
Harlock and Tochiro exchanged looks, seeing the blade skill of the barkeeper.
"Ah new comers, welcome, welcome to the Deadly Blade inn. How can I help you two?" The barkeeper asked, as he sett his sea blue eyes into Harlock's hazel brown ones.
The man had chocolate brown hair and were dressed in a simple shirt and pants and smiled to the two of them.
"Just something to drink." Harlock said calm. Fang looked around looking to the men around them. Luckily no one seemed interested in them.
"This is for you." Harlock said and gave the man the money his father had given him. The barkeeper smiled and started to count the money to give back the change, when he paled, staring at the money for a few seconds. Locking back up the two men, he swallowed hard.
"I see.. Wait here, I will get you our order right away." The keeper said and disappeared into the back.
"Order?" Tochiro asked low. Harlock shook his head.
"I have no idea.. My dad may have forgotten to say something." He answered low.
"I do not like this." Fang growled low.
Suddenly to their surprise, a young woman came up to them. She was dressed in a beautiful blue dress with some white markings, her chocolate brown hair flowed freely around her back, as she moved up to them and her sea blue eyes looked at them kindly, as she smiled. For a few seconds the two men were paralysed by her beauty and could not move. It seemed all the men in the bar where under her spell as well, unable to move at all.
"You two ordered my home-made soup, right?" She asked kindly.
"Soup?" Fang asked Harlock and broke the spell on him.
"I am not sure.." He said low. He got more than surprised as the woman laughed. A sound that enchanted even more.
"Don't worry. Follow me. We only serve this soup in the inn itself. As a homage to the man that saved us." She smiled, as she took Young Harlock's hand and dragged the stunned man with her. Fang followed quickly but sensed no evil in her at all. Tochiro came after them as soon as he could. She took them into a new nicely decorated room and closed the door. She smiled as she turned to them and her smiled widened, as she saw the distrustful look she got from Fang.
"You can rest easy, my friends. Soon the inn will be cleared out for any hunters. My bother is just waiting for a chance. And as well as I know this place, it should not take long." She smiled, just as she had said the voice of the barkeeper suddenly yelled out.
"I told you I was not in the mood for any fights! Get out all of you! We are closed!" The woman laughed.
"See? Oh sorry I have not yet introduced myself. My name is Dora." She smiled but her smile faded, as she saw the two men did not move an inch. She held out the money Harlock had given the barkeeper.
"You did gave us this right?" She said and showed the paper that had been laying in-between the money. It was a black paper with the white skull and crossbones mark on it. Fang whined as he saw it, and Harlock jumped a bit. He had not know it was there.
"You do belong to the Great captain Harlock's crew right? You must be or you would not have had this... And the wolf.." She said confused.
"Dora... where have I heard that name before..." Fang asked Harlock.
"I don't know... I too have heard that name before.. but where.. I'll take a chance... for Falco's sake." Harlock answered and pulled his hood down. The woman gasped out as she recognised him.
"Young Harlock! Then you must be.." She said to Tochiro that pulled his hood down as well.
"But what brings you here? Is the captain in trouble?" She asked worried. Harlock was surprised to hear her worry like that.
"Not my father no.. but a friend and distant relative is. We are in need some medical supply's." Harlock answered. Fang suddenly growled. The door opened and in came the barkeeper. The man froze as he saw the two men.
"Young Harlock and Tochiro have come here as a friend of theirs are in need of medical help." Dora said quickly. Her brother shook his head and nodded.
"Lucky for you, there is no one around in the in.. Not until the three-nine comes." The man smiled.
"Is your ship far away?" The man asked. Tochiro shook his head before he even thought of it.
"Good, then I will contact the captain right away. I guess he will be waiting for me to do so." The man said and hurried out of the room. Dora looked at them smiling, but her smile faded as she saw the worried faces of the pirates in front of her.
"You don't need to worry... We are friends of the captain." She smiled reassuring. Fang whined low.
"She is not lying.. but I still don't like this." He said to his friends.
"Your brother, what's his name?" Harlock asked coldly.
"Kansei." Dora smiled.
"Friends.." Tochiro whined low as he could feel a cold chill go down his back. Dora looked confused at them, before she giggled a little.
"You don't need to worry at all. My brother have learned his lesson after what happened. We stopped being hunters after that run in with your dad. As I am sure you saw, my brother only uses knifes now to keep the hunters under control. My brother cant hold a gun any more.." She said smiling as she sat down.
"So you help pirates now?" Fang asked a bit shocked by this news. She smiled.
"Yeah.. You would be surprised over how many that does help pirates.. Even at a place like this." She smiled kindly.
Soon after Falco was resting on one of the Inn's beds, with Mind beside him.
"We need those supply's soon." Doctor Zerò said worried, as he noticed that Falco's fever was rising even more. Captain Harlock nodded, as he stood in the door way, looking at his friend.
"Why did you not tell us, dad?" Fang asked Lightingtooth. The older wolf smiled faintly.
"If I had, would you have not gotten to confident, to not be careful?" He asked, looking at the three of them. None of them had any answer to that.
"I will be going strait to the hospital now. My friend there will help us. I am sure of it." Dora said as she pulled her hood up.
"Can we come to?" Fritz asked, he held Silvereye in his arms, as he came up to her. Dora smiled kindly, before looking to Harlock. the elder pirate nodded.
"Just be careful, Fritz." He said. The boy nodded and took on a cape as well.
"I think I have learned my lesson." He said shameful as he pulled his hood up. Harlock nodded slowly before they left.
"What did you mean, learned your lesson?" Dora asked kindly, as she lead them through the streets.
"Falco got captured by the hunters because of us." Silvereye said as he whined. Dora looked at Fritz kindly.
"I see." She said low, and they continued in silence. Dora could not help but feel sorry for the young boy, as his father lay almost dying and it has his fault.
"I know the feeling... It was my fault the captain got captured once." She said and smiled to him. Fritz looked at her shocked by this news and Silvereye whined.
"Don't worry. Harlock learned me to face myself and learned my brother to stay out of the hunter business. And don't worry about your dad. Marian will have him up and running in just a few days, just you wait and see." She smiled, as she opened the door to the hunter hospital. As of right now there was no one around, one one waiting to get in or anyone waiting for patients either.
"It's really dead.. Are you sure this place is even open?" Fritz asked confused, as he looked around. Dora pulled down her hood and smiled.
"Yeah it's open.. No one is around because no one remains sick for long here. The doctor and his nurse Marian fixes any one in a few days." She smiled. Silvereye whined as he suddenly saw the grey female wolf that came down the stairs towards them.
"Good evening, Dora. The doctor is a sleep and Marian has gone to sleep as well. Can I help you?" She asked, her voice were warm and friendly, yet she did get a bit curious look in her blue eyes, as she saw the young boy and the wolf cub in front of him.
"Aura, yes.. Young Fritz father has been hurt by the Hunter Brothers... badly. We need some supply's to help him." Dora said smiling to the wolf.
"The Hunter brothers?!" A young woman's voice called. A beautiful woman stepped out of a room and closed the door behind her careful. Two hazel brown eyes looked worried down at them. She was dressed in a simple purple dress and her fire red hair moved gently behind her as she moved down the stairs. The female wolf smiled as she moved up tot the woman that apparently were her master.
"They are far to brutal in their methods." The woman growled as her eyes seemed to flame up.
"Marian, you know the doctor is not gonna like it if you go to help a prisoner again." Aura, the wolf reminded her.
"He is not a prisoner any more... He is resting at the inn." Dora said low. Aura sniffed around suddenly, and came up to Fritz. Even as Silvereye did not really feel any threat from her, he moved in front of his master.
"You are bleeding.." The grown wolf whined. That got Marian's attention.
"Let me see.." She said coming up to him, Fritz backed of and Silvereye growled low to her.
"Don't worry.. Marian is a friend, she will not harm you." Dora said. Marian carefully pulled down Fritz hod and gasped out as she saw the bleeding wound across his face, one she recognised soon enough.
"Who are you?" She asked low and shocked.
"My name is Fritz Harlock, son of Falco Harlock." He said cold. Marian lifted him up and set him down on the bench.
"Sit still, I'll sow that right up. Aura, can you help Dora find the supply's they need?" She asked, as she went to get her needle and thread. Silvereye jumped up next to Fritz and rested his head in his lap. Aura lead Dora out to find the things they needed. Fritz watched Marian as she stood up again and walked past a wanted poster of Captain Harlock. She looked at it and sighed to herself, touching the picture, before coming over to him.
"Why have no one done anything about this?" She asked, as she cleaned the wound carefully.
"They have not had the time. Falco is really sick and so is my uncle." Silvereye said low as Fritz hold on to his fur, as he tried not to twist in pain as she began to sow.
"Then I will come with you back to the inn, maybe I can help as well." She smiled as she quickly were making the stitches.
"I cant prevent any scaring on this.." She said low. "But hearing your name, I guess you want it like that." She smiled as she made the final stitch on it. Fritz nodded, as Aura and Dora came back.
"We found most of it but not enough to refill the ships. But if we can just get Falco back on his feet that should do." Aura said worried.
"Good. Let's go back to inn and see if we can help." Marian said as she took on a grey cape. Aura nodded.
"He is not gonna be happy when he find out that we went out to help pirates again." The wolf smiled faintly, nodding to the door where the mechanised doctor had gone to sleep. Marian nodded.
"Let's not tell him then.." She grinned, as they walked out again with a wagon with the supply's behind them.
"I sure hope nothing has happened to them.." Young Harlock muttered were he sat with Fang by his side. Tochiro nodded.
"The only really danger to them is the fact that most of the men are after being with my sister.. There seem to be a contest about who is more pretty, my sister or the nurse Marian, going on between the hunters now a days." Kansei huffed from his seat.
Harlock stiffened a bit hearing the name Marian and Lighting lifted his head, but both of them knew better by now to get their hopes up. Marian was not a unusual name after all.
"What I don't get dad, is how you can be so calm around the hunter that hurt your master." Fang growled low hoping Kansei did not hear it.
"Oh believe me, little wolf. Your father was not so calm around me the first time. Lets just say your father did get his revenge on me." The ex hunter laughed. Fang as well as every one else listened now. Captain Harlock smiled and so did Lighting.
"The first time I met that wolf, he could not stop growling at me, and where constantly watching my every move. Then the first night before dawn I was waking up to start my daily routines and were stumbling around in the dark. I was making my way out to the stairs, when just as I was gonna go down the stairs, I looked into Harlock's room to make sure I had not woken him up. I had completely forgotten about Lightingtooth and where holding my knifes in my hand, as I was gonna go down and train as I always do. I can easily see how that looked to the wolf." Kansei laughed and stocked Lighting's head.
"So there I was standing nearly at the end of the stairs looking into Harlock's room with my knifes in my hand, when in the corner of my eye I suddenly saw something black moving. Before I knew it I were thrown down the stairs head first, and ended at the end of the stairs, in a heap, looking up at Lighting's shining eyes and fangs at the top of the stairs." Kansei laughed out loud. Captain Harlock smiled and the other pirates laughed.
"I did not know he was standing on the end of the stairs, I just jumped him, I nearly fell down the stairs with him. You can say I was feeling dumb when it was clear he was not trying to hurt Harlock." Lighting said a bit dumb, witch made every one else laugh even more.
"Well, you can say he got my respect after that." Kansei said, drying some tears from laughing so hard.
Then the door opened and Dora came in with Fritz behind him and with Marian behind him again. Lighting stood up quickly as a familiar sent came to his nose... One he had been looking for far to long.
"Impossible..." He whispered making Harlock stand up. Dora pulled down her hood and gave the wagon to the doctors. Fritz took of his cape.
"Any change?" He asked, but as he saw the faces on his friends he knew the answer.
"Here, I also broth you some help." She smiled, as she turned to Marian that took her hood down. Harlock lost all his colour in his face and froze to the spot, looking at her.
"No..." He whispered low, but could not make his body move.
"Marian?" Lighting asked low, making the young woman turn to look at the wolf as he came closer. Her hazel eyes narrowed like she knew him.
"Marian!" Lighting called out loud like a lovesick puppy, as he rushed towards her. She looked a him shocked, as the grown wolf nearly tackled her to the ground. She held him back and looked up as Harlock finally got his legs to obey.
"Dad?" Young Harlock asked seeing the shocked face on his father. Marian's eyes widened as she saw him and changed from shocked to something that seemed like a loved look ,before she suddenly took her hands to her head and screamed out like she was in agony. Her scream made everyone freeze to the spot and Lighting pulled back shocked. Marian sank down on her knees holding to her head gasping for air.
"Marian! Marin! Hold on!" Aura called scared in front of her. Shortly after Marian passed out.
"Marian! Marian!" Aura called before turning to Lighting, with hate glowing in her eyes.
"What did you do?!" She growled to him. Lighting was to shocked to say anything and as the furious female came towards him, Fang jumped in front of her.
"Dad did not do anything!" He growled back. The female did not seemed pleased, but she turned as doctor Zero checked Marian.
"She has just lost consigns. I need to get her to a different room to check her. Harlock, Young Harlock stay here.. I am not sure what happened but it must be the shock of seeing you again." The doctor said as Kansei picked Marian up and took her into a different room.
"Dad, what's going on?" Young Harlock asked, but as his father fell back down in a chair, apparently in a state of shock. Young Harlock sat down and Looked to Tochiro. Lighting shook his head and looked at the female as she was about to follow her master.
"Wait!" He called and ran up to her. "Tell me... When did she show up?" He asked. The young female looked at him distrustful and confused.
"Show up? I met her three years ago, when she landed on me, as I was travelling through a time gate. I stayed with her as she seemed to have lost her memory." The female answered. She got worried, as the elder wolf seemed to freeze up again.
"Do you know where she came from?" She asked worried. The elder wolf nodded.
"All to well." He said sad and shameful.
"What is your name?" Fang asked, as he got worried seeing his father like that.
"Marian named me Aura. Now if you will excuse me." She said and ran in after her master.
"Three years ago." Harlock said low.
"Dad what is going on? Who is she?" Young Harlock asked. Captain Harlock looked at him with a sad look in his eyes. One that Young Harlock had only seen his father have, when he was thinking about Maya.
"Years ago we ran into a battle of gods, when a mad man tried to destroy the centrer of the universe to get rid of some gods that lives there. He used a special ring that gave him horrible powers. After defeating him once we believed he was dead, but a few years later we ran into in a a battle field and me and Harlock was transported to different times." Lighting said as he fell down next to his master, still in shock.
"I was thrown four hundred years forward in time and Harlock was thrown nine hundred years back in time, where he was saved by Marian. For the few days Harlock was there, they got a strong bond between them and as Tochiro Sr, lady Emeraldas and the others got the help from the Doctor,to get back in time to find him, I too were heading back. We arrived just in time to stop that madman Aldrich, from killing both Harlock and Marian. Harlock was badly hurt and were out for two months, during that time Marian were trying to find some way to help him, when a time hole opened op on the ship and swallowed Marian. With no way to know where she ended up, we have been searching for her this whole time. " Lighting said. As the pieces fell in place Young Harlock realised how much Marina had meant for his father and he had lost her.. And now that he found her again, just to learn she did not remember him.. No wonder he was in a state of shock.
"It's okey dad, I am sure it will come back to her.. Seems like it did, as she screamed like that. It was probably her memory coming back." He said as he rested his hand to his fathers shoulder. The elder pirate nodded slowly.
"But what I do not get is; why did a time hole open like that? And when did all of this happen? Why have we not heard of it before?" Tochiro asked confused.
"We did not know for the two months Harlock was out by his severe wounds, or for a few weeks after before we got a new visit by the time lord. The doctor told us he had seen a creature that reminded of Aldrich. And we soon found out that there were more of those things, wrecking time. We found out that the real Aldrich had been killed in that first battle as he was swallowed by a fluid that were known as the dragon's blood. The blood seemed to have gotten his hate towards us and some of the power granted to him by the ring before it was taken from him. That blood then became dogs, bats, dragons you name it, all with the white mask like face of Aldrich. We were lured into a trap as he captured some of our friends and were forced to take down a great deal of them.. but even as the final battle ended, we knew that there were more of them out there. One of them must have opened the time hole that Marian fell through. The battle against the army of Alberichs happened just a week before you two came on board. After that we.. well never had the time to tell you." Lighting answered worried, constantly looking towards the door where Marian where.
Soon after Doctor Zero came out making every one stand up.
"How is she?" Young Harlock asked and surprised Harlock and Lighting. The doctor shook his head.
"I am afraid she have a severe memory loss captain. She rememberer her life before your first meting and then nothing about the battle with Aldrich or the time after that, after that she only rememberer the last three years living here." He said sad, shaking his head.
"Also the the strange thing is that she said that for a second there, she did remember before it disappeared for her again like something snatched if from her again." He said worried.
"I think you should stay out of sight, you and Lighting. She did not seem to react to young Harlock but we are risking her losing even more of her memory, if she has another shock like that." He said worried, he did not want to ask his captain of this, but he had to. Harlock nodded.
"Just make sure she helps getting Falco back on his feet." He said as he stood up.
"Dad..." Young Harlock said worried.
"I need a stiff drink.." He mumbled, as he walked up stairs with Lighting.
"I will bring you a bottle of our strongest." Kansei said and walked of to find one.
"Thank you.." Harlock said, as he walked into his room.
"Poor dad. First mom and them Marian." Young Harlock said, as he looked at Tochiro and Fang. Fang whined low.
"I have never seen them like this..." He whined, looking up at the closed door.
Not long after Marian were changing the cold cloth on Falco's forehead. His fever had gone down a bit, thanks to the medicine Marin had, but the blood loss was still a big problem. She had gotten Fritz to rest on the bed next of Falco and the boy and cub were sleeping soundly, worn out by the fear and worry. Aura was checking on Mind.
"His fever is going down but he will not wake up." She whined low, looking at the bandaged shoulder of his.
"Why? His fever should have gone far enough down now for him to wake up now." Marian said, as she stroked a few hairs away from Fritz forehead.
"It's his bond with Falco I guess, his master is struggling to get better so he gives his master his strength, so he can make it." Aura whine as she looked at Falco.
"So to heal the wolf, we must first heal his master..." Marian said low. She looked at Falco struggling to breathe and were apparently in pain.
"Strange... I feel like I have done this before." She said as she looked at him.
"You have." Doctor Zero said, as he entered the room.
"Is he finally asleep?" He asked, looking to the young boy and cub sleeping in the bed.
"Yeah, he was worn out, poor little thing." Marina said nodding to the doctor.
"What did you mean she has?" Aura said looking at him. Doctor Zero came up and check on Falco's fever.
"You have sat by Captain Harlock's bed side, before." He said looking shortly a her. She looked down at Falco and nodded slowly.
"I had a feeling of it... No, I remember it." She said slowly. She shook her head.
"Did you find anything?" She asked, as the doctor came back from the Arcadia with the test results.
"Yes, but you are not gonna to like it." He sighed as Doctor Zerò also came in.
"Falco has a very rare blood type and to get the right blood type, and as much as we need, will not be possible here. As no hospitals carry this type of blood normally." He sighed and gave the papers to Marian. She looked at them and thought for a while.
"Was not Harlock this type as well? Falco is a relative of Harlock is he not?" She asked looking at them. The two doctors beamed up as she said this, both of them having completely forgotten about that.
"You are absolutely right! I will get some blood from Him and his son right away and test it up to Falco's.." Doctor Zero said, and hurried out of the room with some needles.
"We might have to think about using Fritz as well, if it comes to it. He needs a lot of blood." Doctor Zerò sighed, looking at the sleeping boy before turning back to Marian. Both of them jumped a bit as Fritz sat up and looked at them.
"If it will help my dad, I give as much as he needs." He said, as the stubbornness of the Harlocks shined in his grey brown eyes. Marina smiled and lay him back in the bed.
"And if we need it, you will get to help as well, but for now sleep. You need to be rested if we are gonna draw any blood from you." She smiled. Fritz were gonna protest that it did not make sense, but was to tired to even try and fell a sleep again.
Soon after the two doctors were drawing the blood they needed from Captain Harlock and Young Harlock. Marian worried a bit, as she knew that as much blood that were needed for Falco to survive this, would make a risk for the two pirates, but both of them had been ready to help. She was drawing a bag of blood from Fritz, as the boy had argued with her until he had gotten his will. As she was fishing up with Fritz, she took the bag to the IV attached to Falco's arm. Soon the doctors would come with the blood from the Harlocks. She turned to say some thing to Fritz, when she found him gone from the other bed, as she looked around she heard Aura's kind voice.
"Marian." She said and nodded to Falco's bed. Fritz had lay down in his fathers left arm and fallen asleep again with Silvereye sleeping in his arms. Marian sighed and took a extra blanket over them to keep them warm.
"He have been so close to seeing his own father die in front of him. The Hunter brothers are far to cruel." She said sad.
"They are gonna hate hunters for the rest of their lifes after this. Especially since they got away with it too." Aura sighed. Marian nodded.
"There is something I have to do Aura." She said, and looked at her wolf friend.
"Are you sure about this?" Aura whined, as they stood outside of the door where captain Harlock were sleeping in. Lighting had walked out for a bit as his master was asleep, weak from the blood drawing. Marian looked at her wolf friend and carefully opened the door.
"What if you pass out again?" Aura whined, she did not like this idea at all.
"I have to see him. I have to know what I have forgotten. Since I saw him I have not could forget that pained face he had as he saw me. He knew me, before I lost my memory. I knew to know." She said, as she closed the door behind the wolf. She stopped as she turned to see the pirate sound asleep in his bed. His cape and guns hanging at a chair. She walked slowly up to them and touched them, some faint memories came back to her as she held the cape. She remembered taking the cape and guns of him as he was out cold, she remembered running into the room and grabbing the guns as her heart raced in her chest, she remembered being a in danger at that point. An evil man had come.
She shook her head and looked at him. He was lying on his right side, his hazel brown hair lay over the black patch over his right eye. He was dressed only in the black suit with the white skull and the golden zippers. She moved over to him silently and stood over him, looking down. She remember sitting by his bed as his fever got higher and higher, sitting by his side as he had some terrible nightmares and seeing him smile as he played with her old dog Kiyu. She could not remember what had happened to her dog but as she stood standing next to him, she remembered the sorrow of losing her dog as the dog did something very brave.
Harlock was the key to finding all her lost memories but she was scared. Did she really want to know? Now that she stood there and could get it all back... did she want them back? Was she happy here on the planet of the hunters, as she was? She shook her head.
No there has always been something missing and the everlasting feeling of something dangerous hanging over her, had never left her for one day since she had ended up here. The feeling of that someone was laughing at her lost memories. Aura whined low next to her. Marian sat down of the floor and carefully stretched out to move his hair a little so that she could see his face better.
"Marian." Aura said, as the door opened and Lighting came in and looked a bit surprised at them.
"Marian.." He said low. Marian stood up again, unsure of what to do. The sound of Lighting's voice made Harlock wake up and opened his eye. He sat up suddenly, as he saw her standing next to him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked surprised but he paled, as sitting up so soon made his head spin.
"I.. came to check on you." She said, not really lying but not telling the truth either.
"You should not have done that, I am sure Doctor Zero told you that it would be dangerous to you." Lighting said as he moved up to Harlock.
"You are right.. I should leave." She said and started to walk out.
"No, wait.." Harlock said. Marian turned.
"Is it true that you don't remember anything about what happened?" He asked, she stiffened as he asked. She shook her head.
"Yeah I... It's like when I see you things come back, but I don't remember much.." Harlock seemed sad as he heard.
"Oh.. Then maybe it's better like this." He said and looked down in the floor. Lighting whined, as he heard his master give up.
"Tell me one thing... We.. there were some thing between..." She started to say as the memories started to come back with those words. Again she grabbed to her head and fell to her knees, gasping for air. Harlock ran up to her, braving the dizziness of doing so, and supported her. Aura whined loud and Lighting whined as well.
"Damn you, give me back my memories.." She cursed suddenly, before what ever it was she was peaking to, went away.
"Marian?" Harlock asked worried. She looked at him pained.
"He took it away from me again.. I was so close." She cried as tears came down her cheeks. Harlock let her rest her head to his chest and fought to keep his own tears back. Lighting whined, as tears made their ways to his eyes but he fought them back.
A few days later Mind waked up only hours before his master came back to himself. Everyone stood around his bed as Fritz and Silvereye refused to go down from him.
"You really own your thanks to Marian here. Had it not been for her I am not sure we could have saved you." Doctor Zero said making Marian blush.
"Thank you Marian." Falco said making her blush even more as the man smiled to her honestly.
"Careful Falco. She is taken." Young Harlock grinned as he had seen Harlock and Marian walk alone outside, as he still tried to help her get her memories back. This earned him a killer look from his dad, one that only made him laugh even more.
"Harlock.. As soon as I am out of this bed.. I think you will have to give me some fencing lessons." Falco sighed. Harlock smiled and nodded.
"That is a deal." He smiled.
Later Falco learned of Marian's lost memory and were just as eager to help.
"Last thing I could do for the one that saved my life." He had said. The pirates where having their meting in Falco's room as he still was not well enough to walk yet.
"Marian, tell about the man." Aura whined low knowing her master to well. Marian sighed and started to tell.
"It's like every time I seem to get close to the memories I have lost, this black dressed man with a white face... If you can call it a face.. It looks more like a white mask, a black grinning mouth and black eyes... He showes up and says: You will never remember your love, and you will never met him again. I will make sure of it. Now live with out your memory and write in pain and suffering over your lost love. He says and laughers at me and then my memories are gone again." She cursed angry.
"That must be an Aldrich creature, that have done this. The mask like person proves it." Lighting growled angry. Harlock nodded.
"Then let's find this creature and kill it. You said that killing the creatures removes any damage they have done right?" Young Harlock said, Fang barked next to him.
"The problem will be to find it." Falco said thinking.
"Aldrich probably know that Marian is trying to get her memory back. So he will probably try to prevent it." Captain Harlock said.
"Luckily Aldrich is not the patient type." Lighting said growling.
"So he will be heading to us then?" Mind asked looking to his friends.
"Most likely." Tochiro said thinking. "But we need to get of this planet before that."
"And the three-nine will be coming soon with contractors and more hunters. You should not be here when it comes, as the inn will be full then." Kansei said worried. Harlock nodded again.
"We will stay for a few more days, just long enough for Falco to be out of the bed. I just hope we will not have to drag you into any fighting soon." Harlock said and looked at Falco. The pirate looked back at him and smiled.
"Don't worry. I will help out, as long as my body will let me. For Marian's sake I will fight, I will do to repay my debt to you." He said and looked at Marian.
"Aldrich will regret targeting you Marian. We'll make sure of it." Young Harlock said as Tochiro nodded. Captain Harlock smiled.
"I will not abandon you, not after all that happened. Even if it will cost my my life to do so, I will protect you and give you your memory back." He said, standing up and taking her hands. She blushed, but she could feel her heart scream out in joy. Soon she knew, she would have her life back.. and hopefully that life would be with Harlock.
Authors note:
So this was the final chapter to this story, I promised Gemini that I would bring Marian back into the mix and also bring in Marian's wolf guardian Aura.
Hope this works Gemini. I imagined Marian's memory was stolen by the monster and for her to get it back they will have to kill the beast. But that will be in a totally different story and most likely one of Gemini's.
I added a whole bunch of homages to Gemini's story 'Nine hundred years to soon' and also so homages to the role-play we had called 'Dragon's blood' of the rpg site Wolf Planet Luviji.
The ex-hunters Dora and Kansei, I guess you knew from my fic 'Hunter's prey'. So this is what become of them after their run in with the captain. Good thing he did spare them or what?
Feel free to tell me how I did on this one as I am quite pleased with the way this came out.
Lightingtooth.