Dragon Light, The Untold Tale of Winter

[Rurouni_Gemini1983]

Winter sighed, as he watched and listened to the sparring session going on close by. From his place in front of Hiko’s kiln, he watched as the ancient warrior trained the small boy before him. At his own insistence, Himura Shota, grandson of Himura Kenshin, and son of Himura Kenji, had decided to also train in the use of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu (much to the dismay of said grandfather, and the Thirteenth master of the swordcraft).
“Greetings, Winter. How goes it?” Sei asked, as he arrived in the glen; flinching slightly when the boy was sent flying headlong into a snowdrift.
“Shota: One, Hiko: Too many to count.” Winter muttered, bemusedly; chuckling when the small boy climbed back out of the snowbank, hissing out curses under his breath as he went.
“Lemme guess….That one hit came about by hitting Shishou on the head when his back was turned, wasn’t it?” Sei asked, as a mischievous glint appeared in his dusky blue-violet eyes; laughing softly when Winter sighed and nodded.
“But the boy is catching on quick, despite that. It proves he has the blood of a Heaven’s Dragon in him, if nothing else.” Kagemaru added, as he entered the glen, with Gemini and Silver right behind him.
“True enough…..Though I guess I should take the fact that, since my father and brother aren’t with you, that they’d gone back to the Arcadia for the time being?” Sei questioned, and got a nod from the trio in response.
“Either that, or they’ve gone to Deep Cavern City to get some sake from there.” Gemini said, with a slight laugh; knowing beyond any shadow of a doubt that Hiko would have a thing or two to say to the two men when they returned.....and it would all have to do with Shota’s stubbornness.
“His fourth apprentice…..I’m sure he’d never thought he’d do this again…..” Kagemaru murmured; watching with some amusement as the boy fumbled his way through a Ryu Shou Sen, and Hiko’s exasperated reaction to that.
“Why do you say that, Kagemaru-san? Was it because he didn’t think he’d live this long? Is that it?” Gemini asked, curiously. Kagemaru shook his head.
“Even though that may have been the thought in mind in the beginning, before the ougi had been passed to Kenshin, his determination to live hasn’t faltered…..with the exception of that time before Natsu-sama returned to him, and his recovery after his encounter with the electrocution rings. A time when even I had doubted that he had the strength to continue.” Kagemaru murmured; his expression darkening, as he remembered that time before the battle on Rhine......

[Ligthingtooth]

"the swords men seem to be getting better." Snow said with a relived smile as she entered the captain's room in the Arcadia.
"have they woken up?" Harlock asked as he took his cape on. Snow shook her head.
"not yet... but we hope that they will come around during the day." she smiled and nodded to Lighting before leaving to let Young Harlock know as well.

[Rurouni_Gemini1983]

Ever since their arrival on Luviji, Kenshin hadn't wandered far from his master's side. Worried purple-hued eyes took in the sorry state the elder warrior was still in; he was pale, and sweat clung to his powerful frame. Every breath Hiko took was painful for the ancient rurouni to listen to, and the bandages wrapped around his neck and wrists already showed hints of bloodstains.
"But his ki is stronger than it was before.....Some sign, at least, that his will to live is starting to rekindle." Kenshin thought; looking aside when he heard Kagemaru enter the healers' home, with Winter right beside him.
"Still no change?" Winter asked, quietly.
"Very little. The healers have done all they can for Shishou, for the time being. Now they can only wait till they've rested before trying to break his fever again." Kenshin replied, somberly. Hearing the subdued note in the rurouni's voice, Kagemaru then sighed, and placed his head in Kenshin's lap in an effort to reassure him.
"Have some faith in him, Kenshin. Believe it or not, he has been through situations that were even worse than this, and somehow survived. He's the most stubborn human I have ever known, aside from Captain Harlock, of course." Kagemaru said, confidently, even as a slight smirk appeared on Kenshin's face, as well.
"Somehow, Kagemaru-kun, I don't think Shishou would take too kindly to being compared to Harlock.....even though Harlock had saved his life, his pride would probably prevent him from seeing it that way." Kenshin murmured, knowingly, as he then stood, and made his way out of the room to try and find something to sleep on, in the meantime; somehow knowing that they were in for a long wait, till Hiko awoke again. As the ancient rurouni and great cat left, Winter remained behind to watch over his newfound master. All told, he was still amazed by the fact that his soul was connected to the warrior's, and yet......
"His mind is so closed off.....All I can tell, at this point, is the general sense that he's still alive.....He won't let me in, he's so guarded." Winter mused, with a discouraged sigh, before he jumped up onto the bed beside the ailing man, laid down, and continued watching over him from there.

[Ligthingtooth]

as Harlock came out to were Young Harlock, Tochiro jr and Young Emeraldas stood outside the deathshadow, talking low to them self Harlock could only sigh low.
" we have seen this to many times, haven't we?" Lighting asked looking up at him with a sigh as well. both of them reminded of the many times they had almost or lost good friends of them during the Illumidas war and after.
"I just hate the fact that Young Harlock had to go thought it as well.." Harlock answered low and looked at his son's worried face.
"any news from Falco, dad?" young Harlock asked as they came up to them. Harlock nodded.
"so far they have found no signs of there being any other prisons or satellites... but seeing how long it has taken us to find and take those that we have found.. I fear there might be some that we have yet to find.."
"alt least we know that the main boss behind all of this is dead and not coming back.." Fang growled low, as he could still feel the satisfaction it had been to crush the personality chip of that maddened doctor between his teeth.

[Rurouni_Gemini1983]

"From what Kagemaru has been able to tell us, it seems that he's finally convinced Kenshin to get some rest.....But they are all still very worried." Maya said, as she stood alongside Young Emeraldas; the concern in her gaze echoing that of all of those who were standing there.
"All we can do is wait, at this point. From what I have already seen, Hiko has a strong will, he won't let death claim him so easily.....But it will be a long, uphill battle." Harlock murmured; remembering very clearly, at this point, just how much he owed the ancient warrior for freeing Marian from Alberich's grasp.
"And it seems that the same can be said of Sanosuke, as well." Young Harlock added, since he knew that the renegade was also still hanging on.

[Ligthingtooth]

"the great leader has allowed them to stay for as long as they like and we can only hope that it would help seeding Hiko's recovery with being somewhere he can feel free." Ligthing said and looked around. the others nodded.
"isn't there some one we could bring here?" maya asked worried.
"I know of one doctor that could have helped... but there is no telling where he is at this point." Harlock sighed and remembered that one renegade doctor that had helpt him in the past.
"do we know where the three-nine is now? the last thing we need now is if they get in to some sort of problem.." angel asked.

[Rurouni_Gemini1983]

"I think we'd better hope, at this point, that we've seen the last of Kichigai's legacy." Tochiro Sr.'s voice muttered, in the back of Harlock's mind, "Though this sure as hell is one of those occasions where I wish I could still use a katana."
"I know what you mean." Harlock silently agreed; knowing that the ghost of the engineer wanted to do something that would take his mind off of what was going on, as well as how little they could help with Hiko's and Sano's recoveries on Luviji.

[Ligthingtooth]

"I wounder if there are others like Hiko, kenshin and sano out there..." Fang muttered low thinking to himself.
"it there are, we better hope that they have more luck than our friends.." Ligthing growled not liking the thought of maybe finding others in the same sorry state as Hiko was in when they found him, or worse yet dead.
"we should ask Kenshin when he wakes up, if there are others, they would probably be worried for their friends as well." Angel said calmly and added: "for now I think kenshin should get some rest." the others nodded and started to head towards the healer's place where their friends were resting.
as they sat down around the fireplace that had been lighted to keep the telt warm they spoke low and drank the sake that had been broth from the town. the spoke low as to not disturb the healers as well as to not wake up those that were resting.

[Rurouni_Gemini1983]

Winter roused up slightly, when he sensed a shift in the ki surrounding Hiko; noticing that his new master appeared to be in the throes of what seemed to be a dream of some sort.
"Hiko?" Winter asked, trying to reach the ill man through telepathy, since he could tell that almost everyone else within the building was either asleep, or about to go to sleep.
"Who.....is there?" Hiko replied; his mental voice sounding weak, almost too faint for Winter to even hear him.
"I'm known as Winter, my friend. I was one of the guardians of the First Master, long ago." Winter said, in response.
"You guarded the First Master? Then how is it that you could still be alive?" Hiko asked, confusedly, and a little skeptically. At this, Winter allowed himself a slight, ironic smile.
"I could ask the same of you, since you have been alive for quite a long while, as well." Winter stated; chuckling softly when he felt some irritation from Hiko, at that comment.

[Ligthingtooth]

unaware of the conntact Winter had reached with Hiko the pirates kept on talking about what they were gonna do now..
"at least it is good to know ehat no one was come after Hiko and Sano since we found them.. and yet that worrys me.. why if they when througth all that trouble to capture them and torture them for so long if they are not worth comeing after?" Tochiro jr asked.
"it could something so simple as the fact that Kichigai is dead." fang said.
"still that makes no scene... according to what they did tell us.. hiko manged to escape some time after kichigai's death yes, so he probably left hiko in the care of some one else during the time I has captured. but it does not add up with Sano.. kichigai had been the only a few times himself.. it would seem that Sano was being held by someone at least just as mad as Kichigai.." young harlock hissed wondering if they were really done with kichigai or if there was still something ahead of them.
"but so far there has been no signs of anything like it.. most likely the one that held sano was killed as well." tochiro said reminding his friend that they cleared out that prison. young harlock nodded feeling that it had to be that way.

----------------------------------

in one of the rooms Sano was lying still as in the grave as a wind caster was trying to counter the hing fever by cooling him of. the wolf whined low worried as it seemed that the man was having a really bad nightmare..

in his mind he was reliving the hell that he had been through. he had found himself wakeing up to this living nightmare, after the rescue of Hiko where he had been forced into a corner by a swarm of bug robots. as he saw the great cat come out of a side hall he had told the cat to get his master out of there and that he was fine on his own something he was gonna regret later. fighting them of as good as he could there seemed to be no end to them and at a point where he was desperately needing a breather the robots had manged to trip him and pin him down to the ground while one of them struck him hard at the side of his face hitting the template so hard that he was knocked out cold.
he had awoken in a cell chained to a wall with his arms pinned out to the sides. as he begun to struggle a maddened laughed came to his ears. in front of his cell the man he knew as Kichigai laughed at him.
"struggle all you want. I have analyzed the battle you had with the bug droides and I know what you are capable to do. also I derfore know just how to keep you forming doing it.." the mad man's eyes glowed pleased as he looked at his new test subject.
"oh an don't expect anyone to come to get you. you are not in the same prison that I held your friend at. quite a show you put on for a rescue there, but to no avail. still he is already half dead so I am not sure how much more use I will have for him still.. I think you should be so much more fun." the doctor laughed again knowing just wat to say to anger Sano.
"bite me." Sano hissed and pulled at his chains.
"oh, well well." the doctor laughed pleased seeing how much fight there was in this one as well.
"let's see you take this on for size." he laughed as he activated the ring around his neck. the pain was unbearable yet as Sano twisted around in pain he never uttered a sound. as the doctor gave him a breather, sano panted for breath yet he looked up at the doctor and his eyes where shining.
"I've been.. thought this sort.. of torture.. before, bastard... don't think you.. can brake me..by just doing this." he growled Angy.
"oh but this is only the start, we are gonna have so much more fun than this. so much more..." his words echoed in his mind, as the dream faded away.

[Rurouni_Gemini1983]

"Shit......Hiko.....You'd better not be.....dead.....Kenshin's.....still lookin'.....for you." Sanosuke hissed, painfully, as he suddenly forced his eyes to open; startling the wolf sitting at his side when he did that, and as he abruptly started trying to get out of bed.
"What're you doing?! You shouldn't even consider moving, as bad as your fever is! Lie down!" the wolf yelped; his raised voice rousing Kenshin from his much-needed sleep, and getting the rurouni to come in and try to help calm the ex-fight merchant.
"Sano! Calm down! Everything's all right! You're safe!" Kenshin said; his worry knowing no bounds, since he could see and sense that the fever within Sano was causing his delirium and confusion.
"K-kenshin? Is it really you, my friend?" Sanosuke asked, hopefully. For the first time in days, the barest hint of a relieved smile appeared on Kenshin's face.
"Aa, and it's good to see you again too, Sano, de gozaru yo." Kenshin stated, as he carefully got the fighter to lay down again.
"I knew that yarou wouldn't catch you.....since you'd evaded the Meiji government just as well, before the Shishio Incident. But Hiko hadn't been so lucky.....Kichigai'd hurt him pretty bad, by the time my group and I got in there to help 'im......He's probably dead by now......I'm sorry Kenshin.....I couldn't save your shishou, no matter how hard I tried." Sanosuke murmured, sadly; the grief in his words reminding the ancient rurouni just how well he remembered Sagara Souzo's long-ago death.....and how close the bond had been between Kenshin and his master.
"Sano, Shishou is still alive. He's here on this planet, recovering from his wounds. And karma has seen to Kichigai, don't worry." Kenshin said, as he tried to convince the fight merchant that Hiko had indeed survived his ordeal.....albeit just barely.

[Ligthingtooth]

the raised voice of the wolf had also made the pirate's notice, that something was up.
Young harlock and Tochiro made it to the room first, closely followed by the others.

[Rurouni_Gemini1983]

"Good to see that you're finally awake, my friend." Young Harlock greeted, as he and Tochiro got alongside the rurouni, and grinned at the ex-fight merchant.
"Good to see you both again, too.....Though it looks like you'd encountered those damn rings, as well." Sanosuke replied; his eyes narrowing when he saw the still-red scar around Young Harlock's neck (something he hadn't noticed, previously, since it had been covered at the time).
"Unfortunately." Young Harlock admitted, with a growl.
"Did Kenshin tell you that Kichigai is finally dead?" Tochiro asked, as Harlock also approached the head of the bed.
"In a roundabout way, yeah." Sanosuke said, painfully.



------------------




Meanwhile, at the same time, Winter was even more relieved, when Hiko finally opened his eyes again; hazily taking in the sight of the odd building he now lay in, as well as feeling the ki of the wolves nearby.....Noticing almost immediately that there seemed to be too many in the area for him to even be on board the Arcadia anymore.
"I'd kill for some sake, right about now." Hiko silently muttered, as he slowly levered himself into a sitting position; closing his eyes and grimacing when pain-induced dizziness and nausea accompanied the movement.
"As ill as you are, I don't think you should have any." Winter rebuked; from beside the swordmaster; getting an unreadable glare from the ancient warrior he knew with certainty meant 'Shut up or else'.
"He's right, you know." a female voice said, as it's owner trotted sedately into the room; seeming not in the least bit surprised nor alarmed by the fact that Hiko was sitting up so soon after his ordeal.
"There's no winning in this situation....." Hiko grumbled, moodily, with an equally annoyed sigh for added emphasis. At this, he got slight grins from both of the wolves before him.
"Glad you agree." the female stated, cheekily (and getting Hiko's equivalent of the 'evil eye' for her efforts, moments later).

[Ligthingtooth]

"sounds like Hiko is up too.." Ligthing said, looking towards the place where hiko was before turning to looking at kenshin.

[Rurouni_Gemini1983]

"Aa.....And someone has just told him he can't have any sake." Kenshin murmured, laughing softly at the irritation he was picking up from the ancient swordsman, and understanding the hint of confusion in his ki, as well.