"Fight Coward!" She growled as she again swing her saber after him. Waiting for him to parry or counter strike, and all the pirate did was pulling back.
Is this really the feared pirate Captain Harlock? She thought as this man before her, refused to pull out his saber.
"I will not fight you, Mayu." He said as he again pulled away from her.
His one hazel brown eye watching her coldly. His hazel brown hair waved, as he moved and covered and uncovered the black patch over his right eye. The scar over his left cheek spoke of his ability to endure pain.
She lunged at him again making the pirate spin to move out of the blade's way, making his black cape wave as it followed him, before covering the back suit with the white skull and cross bones again. She stood still breathing angry. Even as the pirate refused to fight her, he had managed to start wearing her out. His eye seemed to shine and it angered her to see that, as it reminded her of something she could not remember. She forced it back, refusing to think about it.
She was dressed in a black closely sitting suit with red markings at the neck, arms, and legs. She had a red spider mark on her chest. Her sea blue hair was bond up in a braid behind her back. Her brown eyes glowed hatefully.
"Fight Damn you!" She screamed and put all her strength into the thrust, closing her eyes. She froze up as she felt her saber go though something. Her eyes shot open as she could feel warm blood spray up in her face.
Her saber had gone strait through the captain's heart. As she in her shook pulled her saber out, the captain gasped for air and held his right hand to the hole in his chest, as he stretched his other hand out to touch her.
"Ma..yu..." He gasped as he fell to the ground and lay dead at her feet. She dropped her saber and pulled back quickly, holding her blood stained hands up to her face.
Then suddenly a young nine year old girl came running up to the dead captain, crying.
"Harlock! Harlock get up!" She cried as she shook his cape to make the pirate move. Then the girl looked up at Mayu. Her brown eyes looked up at her, filled with tears. The girl blue hair and red dress with the ocarina hanging around her neck, made Mayu pull even further back in shock.
"Why? Why did you kill him? He looked after us! Why?" The young Mayu cried as she lay over the man she had been raised by.
"I didn't mean to. He was gonna parry or pull away.. Why... Why didn't he pull away?" Mayu asked as she shook violently.
"Because he loved us!" Cried the young Mayu to her.
"Captain?" A voice called as a hand placed itself on Mayu's shoulder. Mayu wake up with a startled sound and looked around. She was in her captain's room onboard her own ship. She had fallen asleep at her desk. An android stood next to her and looked at her. The android were dressed in a black cloth that covered her entire body, giving out only the contours of her form.
"Captain are you okey?" The android asked worried. "Your pulse is racing and you are sweating. Are you sick, madam?" The android asked. Mayu stood up and walked over to the grand windows of her room.
"No Rowa. I only had a nightmare. A really bad one." She said stroking a hand up to her head. She was shaking a bit as she was still scared by the dream. She looked at herself in the refection of the window, as outside there were only darkness and stars to be seen. She was dressed in a suit, much like that of her mother Lady Emeraldas, only hers were light purple in colour with white pants. Her sea blue hair hang down from behind her head, where she had placed it up with a hair band with a white skull and cross bones mark on it. Her brown eyes looked over herself and the suit she had on. She had two belts around her waists, one with her saber and a gun. She pulled up the saber and looked at it.
Was that really a dream... Or was that a memory I have forgotten? Have I... She thought worried to herself as she looked at the saber.
"Nightmare captain?" Rowa the android asked. Mayu shook her head as she walked around to her desk, where a picture of her father and mother stood. She smiled as she saw that her suit were like her mothers. She moved over to her bed as she took the saber back in its place and sat down on her bed.
"You wanted something?" Mayu asked trying to take her mind of her dream.
"Yes captain, we are on the coordinates of the Deathshadow island and will be there in a few hours." The android said and look like she was gonna leave.
"Wait Rowa." Mayu said. She did not want to be alone after that nightmare.. Not just yet.
"Yes captain?" The android asked, ready to reserve new orders.
"When did my father build this ship?" Mayu asked. "How long have it been waiting for me?" She asked as she stood up again moving over to her table and filled a glass of wine. As she looked into it she looked back at her much older face, than she could say she was.
"I can't remember anything... Last thing I remember I was nine years old... What the hell happened to me?" She asked more herself than any one else. She had Rowa and the medics Android check her, as she wanted to know how old she was now. She had gotten quite the shook to learn she was 29 years old and with no memory of what had passed during those years..
"Your father began the constriction, as soon as he heard your mother was pregnant, Captain." Rowa answered.
"I am still not used to being called that." Mayu smiled to the droid.
"Master Tochiro programmed us to have you as our captain, madam." Rowa answered. Mayu smiled and sat down at the chair next to the window.
"I suppose so. You may leave." She smiled and looked out to the sea of stars. Rowa left as Mayu started to think back to how she had ended up there.
--
As far back as she could remember she had been living at a children school as her parents wanted to keep her safe. Her one year older brother Tochiro Jr had told her that before she was seven, they had been living in a hell of an orphanage, her mind had erased all of those years before. Tochiro and his best friend Young Harlock had ran away from the orphanage to lead a rebellion and later left to find their parents. She could remember coming to that school and getting taken well care of there. She had been happy there even as she was alone since Captain Harlock, her father and brother often come to visit, but as her father had died Harlock had looked after her even as dangerous as it was to him as she knew Harlock were a wanted man.
Then the last thing she remembered, was running to get to greet Harlock and her brother, as they had returned from being gone for so long. After that her memory was all gone.
Her life had seemed to begin again as she had woken up again.
She looked around and found herself in her bed in her old room. She jumped a bit seeing an old lady sleeping in a chair next to her. She looked at her carefully and suddenly recognised her as the teacher that had looked after her.
How old she looks.. I can't remember her being so old.. She thought as she tried to sit up. The sounds of her moving woke the old lady up.
"Mayu-Chan, you are awake!" She said glad.
"What happened to me... I.. can't remember..." Mayu whined painfully as her head hurt.
"You should take it easy.. Your memory will return." The old lady said as she pushed her back into her bed.
"I found you outside unconscious. Image my shock to find you laying there after you have been gone for so long. The way Harlock looked when he told me that you were gone, I believed you were dead for sure." The old lady cried.
"Harlock? Is he okey?" Mayu asked quickly. The elder lady froze as she asked.
"We don't know where the pirates have gone of to. All of them have been missing for nearly a year now. Mayu-Chan, you have been gone for nearly 34 years now, and you don't look any older than 25-30.." The old lady said worried.
"What? Last I remember was running to met him, and I was only nine years old then. How is that even possible?" Mayu asked.
"I have no idea.." Said the old lady. "Oh, I have something for you." She said and hurried over to the closet in the room.
"Harlock gave this to me before he vanished after you disappeared. he reappeared some years later with the rest of the great pirates and a few more joined up as well. He wanted me to return this to you, if you returned. He seemed so broken down by your disappearance. I have never seen a so heartbroken face before." The old lady said sad and put down a box in front of her.
"What is this?" Mayu asked worried.
"I don't know. I never had the heart to open it. I'll let you open it in peace my dear, I will make us some tee." The old lady said and left.
Mayu looked at the box for a long time and at the end, she found the courage to open it. In the box there were only two things laying. Her ocarina that she had lost along with her memories and an envelope. She lifted up the ocarina and looked at it for a long time. She had been given this ocarina on her seventh birthday by Harlock. Carefully trying it out, she found that she still knew how to play it and as she played her tears came rolling down her cheeks. After a while she could not play it anymore and sank into her pillow crying. Then after a while there were like a sharp edge on the envelope that she was laying on. She dried her tears and looked at it.
'To my princess Mayu' The envelope said and she opened it carefully, as she did a pendant in gold shaped like a scull and cross bones with a gold chain fell out. She lifted it up and looked at it. Then her eyes turned to the envelope again. She took out the letter that was placed with the pendant. Her tears were coming up in her eyes again as she started to read what it said.
Dear Mayu, my darling daughter.
If you are reading this then I have passed away, as I have asked Harlock only to give you this letter, if I could not tell you this in person.
You are one of my greatest treasures. You and your brother are my treasure that I hold so close to my heart, and no matter what happens ,no matter what you do, I will always love you and so will you mother. We never wanted to leave you on Earth but you were safer there. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive us.
The pendant I lay with this letter, will open up a secret I hope you will find good use of.
Travel to the cliffs near the old wreckage close to your school. There you will find a place where the pendant will fit perfectly.
Good luck my little princess,
Love daddy Tochiro.
After reading the letter, she started to cry again but dried her tears, as she remembered how Harlock always wanted her to smile and be glad. Now she had to both for her parents and Harlock.
She dressed in a simple white dress and took the pendant around her neck, and the ocarina in her hands. She had left a letter to the old lady saying that she had to find her memory back. She then travelled down to the old ship wreck, not to far from her old school were she usually met Harlock back then.
She looked to her father's grave under an old grand tree. She quickly gathered some wild flowers and made her way up there, placing the flowers on his grave and then played the melody on her ocarina. Standing there for some time, she then moved down to where the cliffs where.
She walked along the rocks holding a hand to the rocks, feeling the rocks with her fingers. She looked to the old ship wreck and wondered why it was still here, if so many years had passed. She smiled slightly. Even as much as she had seen other things had changed this place remained unchanged. It was still just as she remembered it. Then suddenly as she lowered her hand down she suddenly felt her finger slip into a hole in the rock. She turned quickly making her hair wave a little. She looked at it closer and got surprised as the hole in the rock was shaped as a skull and crossbones.
"Now that is not suspicious at all." she smiled as she stroked her hand over it.
"Dad.." She said low as she took of her pendant and looked at it. Smiling slightly to herself, she looked around to make sure no one else was looking. As she saw no one, she sighed.
"Okey, here I go." She said and put her pendant into the hole. At first nothing happened, then she heard a slight click and the ground started to shake as a door suddenly opened out from the cliffs in front of her.
"Wow!" She said surprised and wide-eyed as she looked at it. Looking around one more time she swallowed her worry and moved into the door taking with her pendant. As the door closed behind her with a bang, she jumped a little. She stood completely still as she could not see anything in the pitch black room.
Suddenly a screen came on in front of her lighting up the room. She blinked for a few moments letting her eyes adjust to the light. She jumped a bit surprised as she saw a face appear on the screen.
"Welcome Mayu. I knew you would find this place soon enough." Tochiro Sr smiled at her.
"Dad..." She said as tears came up in her eyes.
"Now now, don't cry." Tochiro said surprising her quite much.
"It's been a long time since we have seen each other I am sure, and you must have missed me a lot but don't cry. I have already chosen my fate, now it is time for you to choose yours." He smiled. Her tears started to fall now.
"Dad you already knew you were dying at this point.." She whimpered as she stroked the screen.
"I have made you something.. Something I think you will like. Heh had I know back when I started this, that I had a son as well I would of Corse made him one as well, but seeing how he is already picking up on his own my old tricks..." Tochiro said with a grand smile. Mayu smiled tearfully knowing what her father meant.
"To open the door here, place you pendant into the panel. There you will be met by a guide who will show around. The pendant is the key to your surprise, so keep it with you at all times. My dear daughter, may the sea of stars treat you well. Good luck my dear dear daughter." Tochiro said and gave her a fling kiss. Mayu sat down on the floor crying, as it again felt like she had lost her hole family. For a moment there she did have her father there, talking to her like her mother and Brother was right outside the room. She could not move for some time before she remembered what Harlock had said to her on her seventh birthday.
"We meet for the first time in year and you greet me with tears?" He had asked. She nodded as she got back up her feet.
"I wont cry anymore." She said to herself as she moved over to the panel. Placing her pendant into the opening the door opened.
She jumped a bit as a shadow moved towards her.
"welcome captain Mayu. We have been waiting for you." the robot like voice said as the shadow moved closer, as the person came up to her, the person were dressed in a black cloche that covered the entire body of the person.
"Who are you?" Mayu asked distrustful.
"Master Tochiro named me Rowa, madam. I am the first officer." The shadow said.
"What are you? Master Tochiro? First officer? What are you talking about?" Mayu asked worried and confused. The shadow tilted her head slightly.
"I am an android. Master Tochiro made me to be the first officer of your ship captain." Rowa said as it was obvious.
"My ship? My father made me a ship?" Mayu asked shocked and more than surprised over the turn of events. The android nodded.
"Yes captain. The princess Mayu. Follow me please." Rowa said and turned around. With out knowing what else to do Mayu followed shocked after the black dressed android.
The princess Mayu? Mayu thought as she followed Rowa into a new room. Rowa moved to the side of the room and picked up something. Mayu looked around, it looked like a drawing room of some kind. She could see some blueprints laying here and there but all in all she could see this room had not been used for years. Rowa turned to her and gave her a suitcase of some kind.
"I was asked by Lady Emeraldas to give you this when you came here. She feared she would not be her herself." Rowa said.
"My mother?" Mayu said surprised as she placed the suitcase on a table and opened it. To her surprise there lay a suit for her.
"Did my mother?" She asked looking up to Rowa. The android nodded.
"Yes captain. She wanted you to have that when you set out on your own she said." Rowa answered.
"Is there any where I can put this on?ยป Mayu asked as she stood up. Rowa nodded.
"Right in here." She said and opened a door to the side. Mayu took her suit and when in the door. The room was not big at all and just looked like a store room of some kind. Placing the suitcase next to her, she took of her the simple dress and redressed to the suit she now had.
As she came out, she was now dressed in white pants, black boots, and a light purple captain's jacket. She looked at herself in the wall as she could see her refection in the metal. She smiled. All in all she looked now like a captain. She smiled but moved some locks of her hair back.
"Here captain. Captain Harlock wanted you to have this." Rowa said and gave her a white hair band with a white skull and cross bones mark on it.
"Harlock?" She asked as she took it and looked at it, before looking back to the Android.
"Do you know what has happened to them?" She asked quickly. Rowa looked at her and tilted her head.
"Happened to them? What you mean captain? They left me here to wait for you. I have been turned of since master Tochiro left and where only reactivated when you put the pendant in the panel, madam." Rowa said her voice sounded surprised.
"Oh.." Mayu sighed. "Well guess I will have to be the one to tell you my father is dead then." Mayu said sad. Rowa looked surprised as her body seemed to freeze.
"When?" Rowa asked.
"When I was 9.. My father became ill with a space sickness and died." Mayu said sadly. Rowa looked shocked still.
"You better follow me. There is someone that needs to hear this." Rowa said as she led Mayu on down the halls and into a door. Mayu froze as she saw the ship that stood there. It looked like a smaller version of her mothers Queen Emerladas. The part of the ship that looked like a balloon were coloured green with the skull and crossbones painted over its sides. Under the balloon part where a sail boat a lot like that outside of the cliffs.
As Mayu stood taking in all of it Rowa looked at her.
"Rowa is this?" She asked turning to the android. Rowa nodded.
"This is the Princess Mayu, the ship your father made for you, captain." Rowa said and Mayu could have sworn she must have been smiling. "But captain, we should hurry, she will need to talk to you as soon as possible." Rowa said and made her way to a way into the ship.
"Wait, her?" Mayu asked as she followed as quickly as she could but Rowa did not answer. Rowa lead her deep into the ship, stopping only when they arrived at a grand door.
"Here it is. She is waiting for you on the other side, captain." Rowa said and turned to her.
"Her? Who is she?" Mayu asked worried.
"The heart of the ship, if you will excuse me I will go activate the rest of the crew." Rowa said and left. Mayu looked at herself in the refection of the door.
Well now that I look the part of a captain, I better act up like one as well. She thought as she looked quickly to the hair band and sighed. She took her hair up in a pony tail behind her head letting it fall lose behind her back. She moved closer to the door and the door opened. A she moved in to the grand room, she was quickly reminded of the main computer room of the Arcadia. She jumped a bit as a voice spoke to her.
"Welcome, Mayu, daughter of Lady Emeraldas and master Tochiro." A kind female voice called inside her head.
"You are?" Mayu asked moving closer to the computer.
"I am the heart of the Princess Mayu. Your father build me from your mother's ship, and placed a part of the soul of the ship here, were I was born from that. Your father named me Kikan, as I am the mirror of your mother's ship's soul. I was created to serve you." The computer blinked and made sounds but the voice were clear and kind.
"My father created you.. For what reason?" Mayu asked.
"So that you could make your own way in the sea of stars, like he, your mother and Harlock did. He wanted you to have the choice. What you do with it is up to you." The computer stated. "Your father is a great man. He wanted only the best for you." Mayu jumped a bit.
"You don't know either... My father has passed away. He got a space sickness and passed away when I was nine." Mayu said, not liking to be the one to tell, at all. the computer went silent.
"I sort of knew... He was very ill when he was here last. Poor master." The voice said sounding like she was crying silently.
"Of sorts he is not really dead. Harlock told me that my father's soul lives in the main computer of the Arcadia. He is still out there sailing the sea of stars." Mayu said hoping to lift the ships spirit a bit. It seemed to do the trick too.
"I see." She said sounding still sad but a bit glad as well. "Well then princess.. What will you do now that you have the Princess Mayu to use as you please? Follow in your mothers footsteps and become a pirate, or live like your mother did during the Illimus war as a free trader? Or will you use your ship to explore the universe?" The computer asked harshly, almost demanding an answer. Mayu did not answer at first, thinking for herself.
What do I want out of my life? What did I want... I cant remember... She cursed angry for herself, not knowing that the computer could hear her.
"I want to find my mother and Harlock." Mayu said strongly after thinking a bit. She wanted to find them as she had a feeling at she could find her memory as well when she met Harlock again.
"Then we go to find the great pirates, captain Mayu." The computer said and started its engines.
"Mhm." Mayu said and nodded.
"Rowa!" The computer called and the door opened with Rowa entering quickly.
"Take Mayu to the brigde. We are leaving for the sea of stars." The computer said sounding like she almost smiled.
"Hai, this way captain." Rowa said and started to lead Mayu out of the room.
"Captain, use the pendant on your chair when you get to the bridge. It will give you control over the ship when you need it." Kikan said. Mayu smiled.
"I trust you to get us to were we can find them, Kikan."
--
"We will soon arrive at the Deathshadow island, captain." Kikan said in her head. Mayu had been quite surprised the first time Kikan talked to her when she was not in the main central computer room but now she was used to it.
"Are you sure we will find any clues there... Harlock and the others have been missing for a year.." Mayu cursed.
"Even if we do not find any pirates there. Harlock would have left some sort of clue for us. That I am sure of." Kikan said sure. Mayu nodded.
"Yeah. We'll find them. We have to." Mayu said and stood up looking out of the window. Soon she would find out if her dream was just a dream or if she really had killed her stepfather...
Authors note:
So here is the third chapter of this story and now things are coming together.. I am really pleased on how this one came out. This time I really had the suspense down like a nail.
Hope you liked it as much as I did. Next chapter should not be to far of as well.
Kikan means mirror by the way.
Feel free to tell me how I did.
Lightingtooth.