AUTHOR NOTE: This takes place right after the movie and I couldn't decide to use either Yama or Logan for his name so I just used Logan. I hope you all like this fanfiction! There's a little twist at the start so please bear with me on it! Hope you enjoy!
New Beginnings
Logan gritted his teeth as he swung the wheel of the Arcadia. The ghost ship groaned, the thrusters bursting to life as the ship rose from the ground.
"Repairs haven't been made yet," Logan hissed while looking over his shoulder at Harlock. The Captain hadn't moved from his throne, the shadows playing over his face to hide his expression from him.
"They will be." Came the simple, expressionless reply and Logan narrowed his eyes, turning back around to face Miime who stood beside him.
"How much longer?" He demanded and Miime's eyes slicked close for a moment before she answered him.
"Approximately three minutes." She turned her head, her light green hair always flowing to gaze at the former captain. Harlock didn't raise his head to meet her eyes, merely keeping his gaze on Logan's back. Logan could feel it and he felt the hair on the back of his head stand on end. He clamped his jaw harder and spun the wheel once more. The pirate ship responded, breaking free and bursting forth. Steadying himself at the wheel Logan gazed out at the fleet of Gaia ships that surrounded them.
"The crew." He turned to Miime who once again took a moment to respond.
"Alive, and responsive though…" she didn't finish and Logan caught her looking at Harlock. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when something slammed into them. The Arcadia seemed to scream and both Logan and Miime were knocked off of their feet. Harlock snapped his head to the right, his one good eye narrowing when he saw the enemy space craft. The wheel was spinning uncontrollably and Logan peered up to watch the legendary space pirate stand. The black cloak billowed out from behind him, a light breeze ruffling the ends of his hair as the explosion overhead cast his face in blood red light.
His heart stopped…
With steady, calm steps Harlock crossed to the wheel, grasping it firmly in his hands and righting them. With ease he sent them careening through space, the swiftness of the ship dodging the shots fired at them. With a deadly calm Logan had only seen with Harlock, he watched the captain as he kept his one good eye on the front of the ship.
"Tochiro, if you please." Harlock called to the ship and the Arcadia itself seemed to respond to his voice. Logan felt the guns shift, felt them powering up and a moment later they fired. Explosions surrounded them, shuddering the deadly pirate ship but Harlock was unaffected, standing steady at the helm.
Logan could only watch him, unable to move from his position on the ground and he gritted his teeth, the realization donning on him.
"Logan," Logan's head snapped up at the sound of his name on Harlock's lips. "Let's show them the true might of the Arcadia." He glanced at him, his fierce eye seemingly to burn holes through Logan. Logan nodded, standing and moving towards Kei's position. His fingers drummed over the command center and after a moment he nodded.
"All ready…Captain." He murmured and either Harlock didn't hear him or he wasn't going to respond to the title. He looked ahead, his eye fixing on a target only he could see and for a moment all was quiet.
"Fire." He commanded and Logan did as he ordered. Lights and fire exploded around them and reaching down Logan prepared them to Skip yet he gazed at the destruction that surrounded him. Ships were being torn to shreds, falling into nothingness while the Earth lay behind them. He closed his eyes and hit the command.
Leaving the destruction behind them…
VVVV
A week later…
The room was quiet…
Dark…
He was beginning to like the dark, the quietness of it, the odd comfort that it provided him, yet behind the shadows lurked demons. He took another drink from the ale, the alcohol burning his throat but he didn't care.
He'd decided after escaping the Gaia Fleet that Harlock was better suited as captain. There was no mistaking it, Harlock was the true captain of this ship and no other would ever come close to meeting him on that same battlefield. Logan took another drink, his head fuzzy but he didn't mind. He didn't feel anything and that's how he wanted it to stay.
At first Harlock hadn't said a word about his plan, to have him remain captain while Logan learned underneath him but he'd nodded wordlessly. Before Logan could say more to him the rest of the crew had burst in, ready for a fight but finding that it was already over.
He knew that the crew still didn't fully trust him, and he hadn't blamed them. There were times that he didn't even trust himself. He clenched his fingers on the table, remembering his betrayals. Not just to Harlock, to the crew of the Arcadia or even to the Gaia Sanction.
No…
He was remembering his betrayals to his brother…
To Nami…
At the thought of their loss he felt his heart jolt, the pain seemingly to make both his heart and windpipe shrink until it felt as if he couldn't breathe. He picked up the ale again, taking a long, hard swig of it until his throat burned. After a few moments he set the nearly empty tankard down on the table, closing his eyes to keep the ship from spinning.
"Is that you, Logan?" A familiar voice sounded and Logan glanced up, his one good eye latching on a slim figure. Kei stood there, her red suit catching the faint light from overhead. "You alone?" Logan didn't reply, raising the ale to his lips once more. "I guess so," Kei observed while taking a seat beside him. "You know the rules." Kei said while reaching for the ale and for a moment Logan thought that she was going to take it but instead she took a long drink, swallowing the last few drops before eyeing him critically. "You don't drink alone on this ship." Logan snorted at her words and leaned back in his chair.
Despite letting her and the other crew members out he could see that she was weary of him and he didn't blame her but he was tired of it.
"Then by all means, who keeps the Captain company?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop it but Kei didn't seem to notice.
"Miime of course," she took another drink after opening the cork to another bottle, "She's the only one who can match his intake of alcohol plus it's the only thing that can sustain her." Logan perked his ears at this new bit of information, storing it away in his foggy memory.
"Oh," he didn't say more and Kei looked at him. He knew that look that she gave him and he didn't like it.
Pity…
It was in her eyes, all over her face and Logan felt his gut twist once more.
"Listen, I know it must have been hard for you to—" before she could finish Logan stood sharply, the ale he'd consumed making him wobbly and knocking back the chair.
"I'm fine." He gritted out and strode away before she could think of a reply. He didn't want the crew's pity, especially after everything that had happened. He'd been unable to uptake the mantle of becoming Captain of the Arcadia and it angered him but at the center of his heart he knew the real reason why he was so angry.
He'd failed…
Time and time again…
He'd failed in assassinating Harlock, failed in saving Nami and Ezra and something as simple as becoming the next captain should have been easy, as simple as breathing, but it wasn't. He shook his head, his vision beginning to blur as he stumbled down the winding corridors. The Arcadia was a massive ship, seemingly filled with mazes and he hadn't mesmerized them yet. Rounding a corner he came to an abrupt halt.
A man stood beside an observation window, peering out at the stars and planets beyond. His black hair hung down over his face, concealing it while his coat hung down off of broad shoulder to conceal the lean and powerful body beneath.
Harlock…
The captain must have noticed him but said nothing, his gaze on something only he could see. Logan noticed that his irritating bird wasn't with him and neither was Miime.
He was alone…
The thought seemed to strike him and Logan blinked, emerging from the shadows into the pale light of the stars. Harlock still did not acknowledge him but Logan felt the silence shift. It wasn't filled with pain or suffering, but a gentle quietness that rests between two people who don't need to speak to know what the other is thinking.
But that was the thing…
Logan didn't know what the space pirate was thinking but obviously the rogue pirate did. This irked him, training to be an assassin taught him how to read people, to know what they wanted and what they were thinking, how'd they'd react, but when it came to Harlock he didn't know what the immortal man might do. It was as if he were shrouded in a black mist, concealing everything in an impenetrable veil of mystery.
Yet he'd seen a glimpse of the real Harlock when he'd shown him the flower from Earth. He'd seen the young man desperate to save his friends but later couldn't, pushing him towards that ledge that lead to empty blackness beneath but then feeling free when he saw that perhaps he could be redeemed for his sin.
Redemption…
Freedom…
Harlock claimed to stand for them, but there were times when he'd seen them falter, nearly crumble yet the will beneath was absolute. Logan felt his head swim and he leaned against the ledge of the window, glaring out at the stars. He knew Harlock's façade of being calm was a joke but he envied the Captain to be able to do just that. Hold up a façade and make everyone else believe it.
A true illusionist…
"You're drunk." Harlock commented in his deep, lilting voice. Logan just flashed him a dirty look but couldn't deny how his gut was twisting.
"You noticed, Captain?" Logan shot back and missed how Harlock's typically unyielding face softened at the edges.
"I smelled it." He tilted his head, the silky black hair sliding over his eye patch. "I could ask you why, but I already know." He turned to face him, the black pirate cloak swishing about his body and Logan swallowed.
"Yeah? Well so does everyone else, Captain." He knew that if he didn't lie down he was going to puke. Harlock grabbed his arm and Logan jumped, feeling the heat of his hand even through his leather gloves and his own leather jacket.
Harlock's brow twitched but suddenly a loud, angry screeched pierced the air and feathers filled the air. Logan yelped and covered his head, doing his best to protect what was left of his face when he felt himself tipping. Landing on the ground he grunted, batting at the stupid thing. The bird retreated, landing on Harlock's shoulder and what Logan saw made him pause, his heart faltering in his chest.
He was smirking…
The slight upturn of his lips, the way his golden eye, streaked with browns and greens, softened and gleamed from the pale blue light made him seem surreal. He didn't say anything, reaching out and grasping his arm. The action made him think of when he'd been trapped and Harlock had leapt out of the Arcadia to save him. He'd seemed like a fallen angel with the devil's appearance. Logan blinked again, mentally scolding himself at his thoughts.
Harlock was no angel…
At least not to him per say…
Was that why he'd pulled the gun on him in the ship, threatening to kill him because Harlock had affected him the way he had? Harlock pulled him to his feet, but must have misjudged Logan's weight. He pulled too hard and Logan yelped, falling against the man's broad chest.
Harlock's arms came around to steady him and for a moment he was holding him. The thought made Logan's mind go blank, his heart thumping madly in his ears and his breathing nearly stopped, his body growing still. The steady thrum of Harlock's heart beat against his collar bone, each beat nearly making him quiver. His fingers curled when he felt Harlock's cool yet hot breath beside his ear, his gut twisting harshly. Logan inwardly shook himself, pushed his body away from Harlock's but he wobbled. Harlock steadied him again and for a moment Logan felt his cheeks flush, his breathing clamming up in his throat as he inhaled Harlock's scent. It was surprisingly woodsy, like a forest but not a forest. Perhaps a glade, or a mountain river, shrouded in mist and it made his heart jump again and again.
Must be from the alcohol…
He brushed Harlock's hand from his arm but noticed that when Logan returned his gaze to the stars beyond Harlock didn't. He could feel that piercing gaze on him and gritted his teeth but before he could lash out Harlock spoke.
"I understand your anger." He murmured, his voice low, like a whisper and the softly spoken words were surprisingly like a gust of wind that blew away the anger that filled him. Logan turned his head, looking up into that captivating eye and felt his throat close.
Compassion…
Not pity or scorn but something else entirely and Logan swallowed.
"You lost people you cared for and this is more than anyone can fully understand." Harlock tilted his head, turning back to look out at the stars. "There a few that will understand; that know the feelings that consume your heart and mind. Losing the ones closest is truly maddening, our only defense being the others who have lost as well." His eye met Logan's and though he didn't say more, Logan knew.
It oddly comforted him…
To know he wasn't alone in his suffering…
The thought sparked his next words…
"You forget, Captain," he clamped the ledge with his fingers to keep himself from falling, "I am not the only one who has lost people dear to him." He turned his head so that he could look at him. "After all, how did you become the infamous space pirate again?" At first Harlock didn't reply to his words, his aura cold and unfeeling and for a moment Logan was afraid he'd struck a nerve but Harlock answered him.
"Too shay," he met his gaze with his own, "but who is also the one cursed with immortality?" The question made Logan pause, gauging the look on Harlock's face. He seemed tired and perhaps after a hundred years a person would be tired but did that mean that Harlock truly wanted to die? The thought made icy fingers clasp his gut and he flinched. Harlock must have taken for him being drunk, even more so than he already was, and smirked slightly. "Are you able to return to your quarters?" He inquired and Logan shook his head.
"I don't need your help, Captain." And he didn't want it because having the captain in his room caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. Hell even being in this close proximity was making his nerves scream. The ship swam and he groaned, pressing his fingers to his temples and Harlock shook his head.
"Then I trust you to find your own way back?" He waited patiently for Logan to answer.
"Yes, Captain." Logan remained firm and Harlock stared at him for a long moment. Logan felt his heartbeat speed up, his body tingling at the thought of him and he bit the inside of his cheek.
Damn ale…
"Then I bid you goodnight." Harlock pivoted, his footsteps light, the faint echoes sounding like the ones of a ghost's. Logan watched his silhouette disappear into the shadows of the ship, the bird perched atop his shoulder, and wondered where he went. Was it to talk with Tochiro, to converse and drink with Miime? What was their relationship? Logan shook his head, keeping his hands on the railing to guide him back towards where he'd come.
It wasn't any of his business…
But he couldn't help the gnawing feeling that clawed at his gut and prickled at the back of his groggy mind.
Blast it all to hell…
After what felt like ages he finally reached his room. Stumbling inside he managed to pry off his clothes and collapsing onto the bunk, buried his head beneath the pillow. To no avail his brother's face and Nami's swam before his eyes and he groaned, rolling over onto his side. As he did so, his fingers brushed his face and a slight twinge of pain erupted along his nose. The thought made his eye open to stare up at the ceiling.
His eye…
He'd lost the right one due to Ezra and his hatred of him, becoming nearly a duplicate of Harlock himself.
It was funny how fate worked…
He felt sleep pulling at him and closed his eye, hoping the waves of quiet blackness would take him into the world of dreams and not the nightmares that had plagued him. Harlock's face suddenly popped into his head, the way he'd looked when he'd comforted him.
Comforted him…
The thought made his brows draw together. The legendary space captain might have held those morals but it was hard to believe that he'd show them to Logan. Was it because he was to be the next captain? Logan grunted, his head hurting from all this and clamped his eye shut, forcing his mind to empty of everything. After a few moments it did and perhaps it was due to the ale he'd consumed earlier that left him in a deep sleep.
And surely not because of Harlock's words or the way he'd looked at him…
VVVV
The Arcadia was quiet…
Harlock didn't mind it as he strode back to his rooms. His faithful companion alighted from his shoulder, squawking into the shadows. Harlock watched him and snorted when the bird smacked into one of the pipes overhead. The thought made him think of another young individual.
Logan…
He could see the pain that afflicted him and knew what it was like. It'd been unlike him to be kind to anyone else besides Miime or Tochiro, but Logan would be the next captain.
Was that why he opened up to him?
He entered to find Miime at the long table, a glass of wine in her fingers. She didn't turn her head to look at him and Harlock passed by silently, taking the seat opposite her. He didn't reach for the wine and Miime must have noticed it but she didn't say anything. Silence consumed them but he'd noticed that in the last few years that was what being together had been for them.
Silence…
But it wasn't cold or emotionless, it was just silence…
No need to talk…
Harlock appreciated that and it seemed that Miime did as well. Together they could let down their barriers and just be themselves. Miime raised the wine to her lips and sipped it, setting it down on the table and fixing him with her eyes.
"Where to now, Captain?" Her tone was like an eerie melody that Harlock had long ago been familiar with. He smirked, the thought ironic for him. He'd always had a plan, always known where to go and what to do but now…
He didn't…
"Opportunities will present themselves." He leaned back in the chair, his body usually tired but surprisingly enough it wasn't. It was as if a small spark had been lit inside his chest. Miime must have sensed this and warmth flooded her face.
"This suits you, Harlock." Miime observed and a soft chuckle sounded at the back of Harlock's throat.
"Perhaps," he glanced at the bottle of wine and then back at her.
"Why did you act?" Miime asked softly and Harlock stared at the table, his mind playing back to the memory of taking the helm of the Arcadia once more.
This time had felt different…
It was as if seeing the flowers growing there on Earth, a promise that one day they would be able to return, filled him with hope.
With freedom…
He'd been unable to resist…
He had a new purpose now and knew what it was and though he was tired, he'd been unable to pass the mantle to Logan, to give up his title.
Not quite…
Miime was still watching his face and he knew that she could tell what he was thinking.
Being with a person for a hundred years tended to do that…
"He is strong, but is he strong enough?" Miime took another sip of her wine, her eyes like pools of mint green. Harlock stared steadily into them. The alien depths had never bothered him and he knew that they never would as he knew she saw him the same way.
"He will be. I'll guide him, teach him." He glanced at the distant hourglass, noting the time. He never slept, catching only a few hours here and there if that much. Miime didn't reply, sipping her wine before draining the glass. Standing, her hair flowing about her, she dipped her head.
"Goodnight, Harlock." She swept from the room and Harlock watched her go. He was left in the silence once more but he looked at the wine glass. On regular evenings he would have happily drank, anything to stem his sorrows but now he didn't want to. Standing he moved to his private quarters. Pulling the coat that donned his shoulders off he draped it on a peg. Unclasping his weapons he set them on the dresser. He undressed with graceful precision until he stood naked in the pale moonlight. Moving towards the wash basin he splashed his face, careful to keep his eye patch dry. Patting his face with a towel, he looked at himself in the mirror. His muscular body was covered in scars, marks of his battles, and he glanced at his face. Reaching up he touched the harsh lines, the memories of how he got it coming back to him.
He didn't dwell on them, simply letting them flow through his mind until nothing remained. He thought of the face that looked so similar to his own. Logan's scar was more slender than his, matching his face while Harlock's did the same with his own. Logan, despite what had happened to him and what he might have done, was young and naïve, a certain innocence surrounding him that intrigued Harlock. He on the other hand, was not. He knew this and so did the inhabitants of the entire universe.
He was scoundrel, a thief, a murderer, a terrorist, and a pirate…
All of these matched him but he remembered a time when none had applied to him. He'd held honor, courage and determination but that had all changed in one drastic moment.
Perhaps now things could be different…
He felt the small spark of hope in his chest and turned towards his bed. Sliding underneath the sheets he closed his eye, the odd sense of longing filling him.
Longing for what?
He didn't know and again didn't dwell on it, he'd learned in the long years of his unnatural life that things always made themselves known.
Whether he wanted them to or not…
He drifted off to sleep, a pair of eyes like his own, yet so different, playing across his mind.
VVVV
AUTHOR NOTE: Okay so I know this chapter is kind of short and doesn't have much action in it but I had to set things up. Hope you liked it and I hope I wrote the characters well. This is my first FanFiction with Harlock/Logan (aka Yama) so don't judge too harshly! Please review and comment!