I used this one for description practice, so it's a little long. Ultimate-Journey requested "Daiba skating on thin ice and falling in, and Harlock having to rescue him and treat him for hypothermia."

So maybe I didn't have a huge number of talents, but I figured I could do at least three things pretty well – name constellations, shoot things, and ice skate. It had snowed every winter where I grew up, and the pond not far from our house would completely ice over. When I was small, Mom took me out, lacing up my skates so they fit just snug enough. She'd teach me how to glide or twirl in simple, fluid movements. I never enjoyed or was even any good at any sport requiring much muscle or cardio, but I spent endless hours skating on that pond.

The thing about most ice planets was that they were just ice. It was as if you'd just jumped headlong into the North Pole, and the cold immediately sunk through your skin, stinging and aching against your bones. Cold planets were always worse than desert planets. There were no nice, frosty-yet-bearable temperatures like Earth. At least, not usually.

I'd seen a pair if ice skates in a secondhand store of the last merchant planet we'd stopped at and had immediately used my allowance to get them. I wasn't entirely sure why they were there, considering how hot the planet was, and they were slightly big on my feet and much heavier than any of the skates I was used to, but I certainly didn't mind. It was just nice to have a pair again. I didn't even know what had happened to all my things back at home, and I didn't have many possessions aboard the Arcadia.

So it seemed like a miracle when we made land on that beautiful icy ball of a planet. From far out in space, it reminded me of a snow globe, but closer to the ground, it showed itself to be a frosted-over version of Earth, complete with frozen lakes. It was certainly colder than I was used to back home, but on the side facing the sun, my thermal suit and coat would keep me cozy enough. I hugged my new skates as I stared out my window. Finally I would get to skate gain. I didn't even care why we were stopping. I just wanted to skate for a bit.

The captain seemed less enthusiastic about the stop. Apparently we needed to restock our water supplies, and he hadn't been planning on making any stops in this area. It took me a while to even manage to get close enough to talk to him, as he strode through the halls without stopping for even a second, calling out lazy orders in order to have a pump drill through one of the lake surfaces to get to the unfrozen water below.

When I finally managed to get his attention long enough for him to hear me, he still didn't seem to comprehend my question. "Just be back before we head out," he reminded me.

I was happy enough with that as a confirmation, and I rushed out before he could change his mind for some reason. Usually he didn't like for me to go out on my own on unfamiliar planets, since I tended to get myself in trouble. But this time I knew what I was doing. The ice was thick, and the snow was nice and powdery. It was much too cold for any plants to try hanging around. This was my sort of element.

I picked out a small lake not too far from the ship, opposite the lake they were stealing water from. After strapping on the heavy skates, I spent some time getting myself used to them, gliding around the untouched ice. I was actually more accustomed to the rougher ice of the outdoors than any indoor rinks, smoothed down by machines. This way was better. It reminded me of home, my toes numbing so much they ached, my nose and cheeks chapping from the icy wind. I didn't mind the cold, because it was just nice to have fun for once.

I traced patterns along the ice, circles and waves. Just to go around and around put me in a comfortable, dream-like state. I just hoped no one would see me and make fun of me for it.

After about fifteen minutes, a sharp crack reached my ears, cutting through the silent landscape. It must have been from the water supply pump, and I was glad I'd been smart enough not to go on that lake. The ice was beginning to split and shift from the strain. Each snap was like a small firecracker, spreading out from the pump, all across the lake. I watched out of simple curiosity at first. Then the ship gave a startling groan, and one of the landing gears smashed through the surface of the planet.

For a moment, I didn't know how to react. I quickly realized the snow separating the lakes was all a lie. This entire area was one big sheet of ice, and those cracks were speeding toward me.

There was little chance of making it to the ship, but I needed to make myself light enough to not fall through and prepare for an event in which I did. Mom had taught me this, so I could recall at least a few things that would be a death sentence should I go underwater. Throwing off my coat, I moved down to one knee and yanked myself free of the tight knots I'd put into the laces of the skates. I managed to get one off and was starting on the second when another crack sounded. It was right in front of me. Then behind.

I awkwardly got down on all fours, trying to spread out my weight to keep from being too heavy. I really wasn't all that heavy to begin with, but it didn't take much with all the ice already damaged. A quick glance up showed the ship to now be pulling itself from the water, causing another ripple to go through the ice. As soon as the Arcadia pulled itself free, my little floating island wobbled. Everything felt so still and calm for an instant. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes just before I went belly-up.

Cold. God it was so cold. It hit me like a wall. The air above had been nothing compared to this. My entire body went stiff against it in shock. It sank through every layer and froze every inch of me. Finally, I remembered the cold wasn't my main problem. I needed to breathe.

Breaking through the shock, I forced my arms to claw and my legs to kick. With one skate still on my left foot, a hard weight dragged it down. Still, I managed to fight enough to reach the top.

A massive wall of ice blocked my way to the surface. I felt around it, trying to find some sign of all the cracks I'd seen before. My lungs began to fight me, desperate for me to open my mouth and breathe in despite my surroundings. The heaviness in my foot was starting to spread throughout my body.

Just as my hand burst through into open air, my lungs burst as well. Somehow, I dragged myself to the surface, hacking up mouthfuls of frosty water. The frigid air greeted me by freezing the water plastered to my skin. I clawed for an ice floe, starting to feel sluggish and completely exhausted. Each piece of ice I tried to grab dipped under my weight and sunk. My skate felt like an iron boot, dragging me down. I was so heavy.

"Would you calm down and listen?" someone shouted from above me. I looked up, fighting to keep my head above water. There was the captain, sitting on top of the outside of the smaller fighter craft I used as my own. It was suspended in the air above me, and I was unsure how long it had been there.

The captain lowered something down my way while yelling an order, but I could barely understand much of anything at this point. I simply reached up and grabbed the object – a rope – and twirled it around my arm a few times. He dragged me out as though my weight was nothing and placed me beside him in the cramped interior of the craft as he climbed in. I think it was heated inside, and I imagined he was probably much warmer than me too, but I couldn't feel anything other than the cold and the pain all over.

"Next time you're going to go out ice skating, make sure you let someone know," I heard him growl.

"I did tell you," I reminded him. He threw me a quick glance, his brow furrowed in confusion. He probably didn't remember.

I had no idea what Daiba was saying. It was impossible to tell around the chattering of his teeth. His entire body was shivering so much that he probably could have powered a small engine. Clear droplets of ice had attached themselves to his eyelashes, and his lips were a cool blue, while his face was impossibly pale. He actually seemed awake and interested in his surroundings, but no matter how much I spoke to him, he only heard every now and then.

I recalled he'd asked me something about going outside a short time before the ship had nearly taken a bath. Honestly, I hadn't been paying much attention to him at the time. Maybe he had said something about skating, but I hadn't realized that was what he'd been doing until I'd fished him out with one skate still attached to his foot.

By the time I got him back to the ship, he'd given up on speaking. His movements were so sluggish and weak that we had to put him on a stretcher instead of allowing him to try walking. It was then that I noticed the gash cutting diagonally across his foot. He must have cut it with the blade of the ice skate while trying to swim, but he certainly wasn't bothered by it. It wasn't bleeding much either, likely due to restricted blood flow.

Once we brought him into the med bay, we removed his soaked clothes while the doctor lectured him. He didn't appear to be listening to anything anymore. At this point he was just fighting off sleep. His fingers and toes were also a worrying blue. He'd really done a good job nearly getting himself killed again.

We weren't properly equipped to handle the moderate hypothermia Zero explained that we were now dealing with, so Daiba was given a home remedy instead. We covered him in hot water bottles and wrapped him in blankets, while he finally gave into sleep.

I wasn't sure why I was stuck with the job of sitting with him and changing out the water bottles when they cooled off. It really wasn't my job, but they said it was "because it's Daiba." Honestly, I didn't mind. At least this way I didn't have to pretend not to worry about his condition.

Of course, once we finally had heated him up, his temperature immediately spiked into a fever. When he woke for the first time, his eyes were glassy, and a wobbly smile crossed his face as he caught sight of me glaring at him. "Hey, Captain," he whispered hoarsely.

"How are you feeling?" I huffed, giving up on the stern expression.

"Cold."

His internal body temperature was still somewhat low, and the fever wasn't helping matters. "Well next time, just don't go skating," I advised.

"I like skating," he mumbled.

"Then don't go skating alone. You wouldn't have been in such a bad condition if we had known your position."

He blinked up at me as a sudden shiver ran down him, shaking him beneath the blankets. I got him another hot water bottle, placing it against his neck, and he leaned against it with a murmur of thanks. "You should go skating with me then. It's really fun."

I tried to imagine myself managing to wear those bladed shoes without falling on my face or looking like a complete idiot. "Maybe Kei," I suggested.

He giggled softly, probably imagining me skating too. "You should skate with the cape. That would be real funny. Woosh."

"Get some more sleep, Daiba."

"Yeah, okay," he smiled. "Thanks for saving me, Captain."

I nodded. I was getting fairly used to it after all. "Anytime."

In the next fic, Harlock and Kei face a Christmas conundrum.