Thanks to those of you who stuck around. It's been fun.

"You may want to give him to one of my men before you see the other children." I nodded to the boy Yuuki's arms, undoubtedly related to Mamoru. The boy's soft features and brunet curls matched the image in my head of the assassin. That meant the bloodied corpse Yuuki carried had once been the Susumu that Mamoru had mentioned.

Yuuki's eyes ached with regret as he looked down at the boy. "Alright," he whispered.

With a nod, I turned and raced down what was left of the stairs. Chunks of debris marred the path. I'd known we were close to hitting Kei and the others, but ramming the station was our fastest option. One body was too many. I loathed to think of the consequences had we been any slower.

The air toward the foot of the stairs was still thick with kicked-up dust and ash. I struggled to make out the forms at the foot of the stairs, the deep red of the emergency lights offering little aid.

"Captain, that you?" someone called.

"It's me. Is anyone injured?" I asked.

Any attempts at a response were drowned out by the scream of "Daddy!" Something slammed into my legs, threatening to knock me over. "Are you okay!?" the small voice cried, now directly in front of me. "What happened to your face? Did you get hurt? Susumu got hurt! Is he okay! Big sister lady took him upstairs. Did you see them?"

I knelt down to find tears filling wide, terrified eyes. Ash clung to the boy's hair and clothes, puffing into the air once more as he tackled my neck in a hug. He had to be one of Yuuki's boys, but as he broke down into sobs beside my ear, I couldn't bring myself to tell him I wasn't his father. Hesitantly, I circled my arms around him and held him in return.

"Ah, it's alright," I said, though perhaps it wasn't. "We've cleared the upper floor, so we'll get you all to the infirmary and get you checked over."

The men heaved sighs of relief, and though I could make out one gripping his bleeding shoulder, they appeared alive enough. The other little boy frowned at me until a voice caught his attention.

"Manabu, Mamoru," Yuuki called as he descended the last of the steps.

The younger boy pulled away from me, his mouth agape. "Daddy!" he cried again. He looked back to me, then his father, then me again.

I caught his hand as it started toward my eyepatch. "I'm afraid my name is Harlock," I said, grabbing his other hand as he tried to snatch my eyepatch away with it as well. "You don't want to see what's under there. Trust me."

"You're Harlock?" he barked, turning to his father. "Daddy! It's Harlock!"

"I know it is." Yuuki scooped the boy up and placed him onto his shoulders. With two quick strides, he lifted the young girl into his arms.

"He looks like you," the small boy insisted.

"I know he does, but he is our friend. Are you all feeling alright?"

"I'm okay," the elder boy said. The girl nodded, swinging her feet.

"I'm okay," the younger boy chirped. "Is Susumu okay?"

"I'm afraid not," Yuuki said, his voice low and gentle. I hadn't expected him to be honest with them right away. "He was badly hurt. He didn't make it."

The children paused. The elder reached up to fist his hand into his father's coat, but silence held until the youngest took his father's hat and dropped it on his own head. It fell to cover his eyes. "Like Mommy?" he asked, pulling the brim down.

"Yes," Yuuki said. "Come on. We're going to go on Harlock's ship now. Then we'll get you all cleaned up."

They all mumbled some sort of confirmation, but none of them cried. My gut twisted at that, to think that those children had seen so much death already. They had learned to bury their pain and accept the death of their friend.

"I'll show you to the infirmary," I said as Yuuki walked past. "Once my doctor looks them over, they can use the baths. I won't have any clothes that would fit them though."

"It's alright. We'll make do. Thank you, Harlock. I can see why Yama stayed with you. Kanna was right." He sighed. "We should have sided with you as well."

Kei stuck herself to my side, resting her temple against my shoulder. We shared a single infirmary bed while the doctor tended to a few gunshot wounds. Looked like nothing was too serious.

"We thought you were dead, you know," Kei mumbled, seemingly half-asleep. I couldn't be certain I was awake. The room felt tinged in a numbing haze, my bones achingly heavy. But that was probably whatever drugs the doctor had running through my veins.

"Thought I was dead too. Still not sure this isn't a dream, honestly. Everything was shaking when I woke up, and there was a bunch of yelling going on. Everyone was too busy to tell me what was going on."

"Maybe they couldn't understand you." A smile tugged at Kei's lips. "You're slurring terribly. I'm sitting right next to you, and I can barely make out some of what you're saying."

"Huh. I'm tired."

"Me too."

Looking down, I found Mamoru's harmonica in my hands. My mind swam for a moment as I wondered how I'd gotten it. If not for the coolness of the metal, I might have thought I was imagining it. I started to ask Kei where it came from, but the pink, splotchy stains on her hands struck me. Right, she had brought it to me. That was why she'd been crying. Susumu was dead.

I'd only seen him in a photo, a smaller version of his brother with round cheeks and bright, wide eyes. I wanted to keep that as the image of him in my mind, alive and grinning forever in a snapshot. When I tried to think of Mamoru, the sight of the light fading form his eyes impeded on every happy memory. Kei must have seen the same thing with Susumu, must have seen those bright eyes hollow.

"Are you feeling okay?" I asked her.

"No," she sighed. "Sometimes I forget we can't always 'win' everything. Sometimes there is no real way to win. We're just lucky to make it out alive. We just have to try to save everyone we can. What about you? You've been through Hell and back. How are you holding up?"

"I'm not sure. Think I'm too drugged up to feel much. Feels kind of like I'm swimming, except there's no water, I guess."

She giggled at that, so I must have said something right.

"Harlock's okay, right?"

"Yeah." The word dragged from her mouth. "He looked fine…whichever one was him."

I wasn't certain what that meant, but I just felt content to hear that he was alright. Before she'd come in, I'd asked anyone else who happened by about Harlock. Some of them just smiled and nodded, and thinking back, they probably just did that because I was incomprehensible, but it was comforting nonetheless.

A small voice approaching from the hall made me pause. It sounded like a little kid, just chattering away. When the door slid open, Harlock stood there with one kid sitting on his shoulders, another in his arms, and yet another trailing at his heels.

"Speaking of," Kei said as I jumped to my feet.

"You're back!" I cried. I couldn't help but break into a grin.

"Yama?" His eyes widened, and he settled the girl in his arms to the floor as I rushed to him. Before he could right himself fully, I put my hands on his cheeks and pressed a kiss to his lips.

He seemed too surprised to react, freezing in place until I pulled away. Kei cackled as I looked into Harlock's…eyes. "How did you get it back?" I asked, my brow furrowed.

"Wow, do I get a kiss too, Mr. Yama?" I looked up to the small boy resting his hands atop Harlock's head. His chin sat atop them, a grin on his face.

I knew those curls and pudgy cheeks. "Manabu? Is that you? You're so big!" Well, no, he was still tiny, but he was bigger than when I last saw him.

"Yes," he cooed, reaching for me. "I wanna kiss too."

If Manabu was here, and Harlock had two eyes… I opened my mouth, but all that came out was an "ah," sound of realization. My cheeks and ears burned as I drew my hands back.

Someone cleared their throat from the door, and I peered around to see Harlock leaning against the doorframe. Irritation reflected in his eye as he looked to the man in front of me – Wataru Yuuki. I looked back to Yuuki as well to find him glaring toward Harlock in return.

"Yama," Yuuki said, smiling as he returned his gaze to me. "I thought you were dead. I'm so glad to see you're well."

"I'm on so many drugs," I blurted out, hoping to explain to both men why I'd kissed the wrong one.

Amusement shone in Yuuki's eyes as he tried to hold back a smile. "It's alright. Kanna said we would be lucky to add you to the family." He placed a gentle kiss to my forehead before righting himself.

"Kanna?" I echoed. "Is she here too?"

I could tell from the way all their eyes drifted from me that something had happened to her. Little Manabu and Mamoru pressed themselves closer to Yuuki. Even the small girl I didn't recognize reached up and patted Yuuki's hand to console him.

"She's gone," he said in the tone of a man trying to keep his composure. "But let me see to the kids for now. I'll tell you everything once they're cleaned up and you're…sober."

Mirroring his weak smile, I stepped out of the way so he could lead them to one of the open beds. Harlock took his place in front of me. His hand came to rest against my cheek as he smiled, his brow furrowed with worry.

"You're a mess," he said. It wasn't quite the romantic greeting I'd hoped for.

"Speak for yourself."

His smile widened into a grin, and he pressed his forehead to mine. His arms wrapped around my back, pulling me flush to him. "Now then, where's my kiss?"

"Guess I already gave it away," I hummed. He must not have gotten the chance to shave because his stubble scratched at my palms as I took his face in my hands. I should have known better than to think Yuuki was him, considering how clean-shaven Yuuki had been.

Kei gave a groan. "God, could you two take your sap somewhere else? It's too sweet. I'll puke."

"No puking," the doctor called. "I have enough to deal with."

My hands dropped from his cheeks as I recalled how many people shared the room with us.

"Right," Harlock sighed, though he didn't release me. "We'll put this on hold until we're discharged. I still say you owe me a kiss though."

"Fine-fine," I hissed. "Just let go."

As much as I wanted to be mad at him, it was just too damn hard to be upset when his smile lit up his eye. Seeing Harlock relaxed enough to flash a real, childish grin was a rarity, and it had been far too long since his gaze wasn't tinged with fear or pain.

Still, I faked a pout. If he thought I was really mad, maybe he would behave.

I forgot we owned a sewing machine, but with Yama's help, Yuuki made quick work of converting some old uniforms into new outfits for the kids. They looked like different people after baths and a good meal. Color returned to their cheeks, and the little girl's hair shone gold.

She introduced herself as Rebi Monono, Tadashi's little sister. Though I struggled to find the words to explain that her brother had died, she nodded as tears filled her eyes. "I know," she'd said, bunching her hands in the hem of her shirt. "He's gone. I know."

Yama was quick to scoop her up and coddle her until she fell asleep in his arms, worn out from crying.

Yuuki introduced his boys as Manabu and Mamoru. Manabu was insistent on trying to snatch away my eye-patch, asking me where my scar came from, and demanding to know why I was trying so hard to look like his father. His father scolded him with an impressive show of patience, even as Manabu tried to climb up my cape.

"Get down, son," Yuuki said. "You don't want to strangle Mr. Harlock."

"What is it for?" Manabu demanded. "He's not a superhero. He's a pirate."

Mamoru only seemed to speak when he too scolded Manabu, often picking Manabu up around the middle and hauling him away from me. It seemed to be an effort just to keep his brother as far from me as possible, as Mamoru's eyes always darted over me in distrust.

Yuuki shooed the two off to sit on my bed with Yama, and before long a pile of snoozing kids pinned Yama in place. He didn't seem to mind. I wasn't certain where I would sleep that night, but it was clear it would not be my own bed.

I'd offered Yuuki wine to help loosen his tongue, but he looked at the bottle as though it contained poison. And with Yama preoccupied, I was left to drink on my own. Yuuki took a seat at the foot of the bed, examining each of the children to ensure they slept.

"Are you up for giving us an explanation now?" I asked Yuuki as Yama fought away a doze.

"Alright," Yuuki began with a sigh, though a pause followed. "I suppose you know the gist of the assassination plan, so I'll begin with the fallout. After we were all retrieved, we were informed of Yama's betrayal."

Yama's eye widened. "You were all on those planets that long?"

"Yes, though we all made it back fine. Gaia was planning to leave us there until we were picked up by Harlock as a part of his crew or until one of us had killed him. When you threw a wrench in their plans, they pulled us all back. From what I heard, much of high-command was split on what to do with us. We were still a perfectly good bunch of soldiers and assassins, so it seemed reasonable to just put all of us back to work, but they'd put a great deal of resources into training us to kill Harlock, so some still wanted to try to continue the mission, despite the expectation that Yama would recognize us. They were in shambles after all you'd done, so things were a mess at the time."

His brow furrowed, his eyes growing ever-distant as he looked to the past. "We were all put on standby for a while. Again, they made the mistake of keeping us all in one place. Kanna…Kanna kept digging on what had happened. She was always a smooth talker, inconspicuous too. People tended to give her information without thinking twice about it, and she came to the conclusion that Yama had been in the right. Considering Gaia had held her and the boys hostage for months, it wasn't hard for her to convince me as well."

"They were held hostage?" Yama piped in. "Is that why they were on the base?"

Yuuki nodded. "I wouldn't accept the mission. To my knowledge, they were treated well at that time, and I was allowed to see them to ensure it. That didn't keep me from having a bitter taste in my mouth. My superiors said it was my duty to take on the mission, but I wanted nothing to do with it." He shook his head. "I think that added to Kanna's desire to rebel. After the mission was a bust, she spoke to your uncle a great deal. I think he was on her side before I was, really. He had so much faith in you, and because he was allowed to continue his standard duties, he became our information source. He was our only real ally besides each other at the time. That…that was his downfall."

Yuuki's eyes had drifted to the floor, though he didn't seem to see it. His shoulders sagged under an invisible weight. "By the time they decided to send us all back to standard missions, Kanna had convinced Kodai, Tadashi, and Bainas as well. I think Bainas just liked the idea of an unwinnable fight, but the boys were always on your side. You know them." A smile flickered on his lips, dying away just as it appeared.

"We stayed far away from Marina and Helmatier, but the rest of us worked as quietly as we could. We built up a rebellion. We had a network of thousands. The other assassins' home planets were filled with dissatisfied people. Everyone wanted to cut off Gaia's head. We wanted better distribution of wealth and resources. We wanted less military interference, more freedom."

My brows rose. In such a short span of time, one woman had created the sort of rebellion I'd strived for over the past hundred years. A few small pockets of revolution had existed in the past, but I'd never heard of one quite so large. Undoubtedly, that was their downfall.

"I'm uncertain who ratted us out, who pointed the finger back at Kanna," Yuuki continued. "But all the assassins were rounded up, even Warrius, Marina, and Helmatier. Gaia knew we'd been the source of it all, though they had no confirmation of who exactly was involved beyond Kanna." His tone grew empty as he continued. "They executed her as an example. They made my boys watch along with the rest of us. Then they said we'd have to prove our loyalty. We would execute Harlock and the traitor. The mission was born from that. Marina, Helmatier, and Bainas were the most willing to face you both, so they did not require hostages. The rest of us did. Gaia wanted me to go last as a precautionary measure, but we were allowed to choose the order beyond that. And, well, you know the rest."

Yama tugged the kids closer, his eye heavy with pain. Yuuki revealed nothing more with his expression. The story had taken too much out of him.

"I'm sorry," I breathed. "If I'd known sooner…If I'd known anything…"

He shook his head, stopping me from anymore excuses. "Kanna's goal was to contact you. She wanted for all of us to join you. I suppose, now that I'm here, I've accomplished that much for her." As he looked up, his eyes burned with renewed fire. "If you'll have me, I want to join your crew."

Truly, he didn't have anywhere else to go. The idea of dropping him and the kids off somewhere to fend for themselves didn't sit right with me. The mission had been my fault. All of their deaths were on my shoulders. I owed them this much.

"Of course you can join," Yama said before I could speak. "And we'll take care of the kids – keep them safe."

Yuuki's gaze softened as it flicked over the children. "I would prefer for them not to become pirates, though I suppose it's unavoidable at this point. Perhaps we can create a world where they don't have to be in order to survive."

I could have done without him suggesting that being a pirate was such a torturous profession, but I understood the desire to give the children greater freedom. I wanted all of my crew to join by choice. At the very least, Yuuki said that he wanted to. I owed him a spot on my crew just like I owed the children a chance to live as they pleased.

"I would never wish to force a life of piracy onto them," I said. "Every man deserves the freedom to choose his own path, including you. You should feel no requirement to stay here once everything is settled. The doctor even said he could remove the implant without harm."

Yuuki nodded. "Good to know because the damn things sure hurt going in."

"I do ask one thing in return for you staying here, however."

His brows rose, a silent sign for me to continue.

"I want to know why it is you look so much like me."

"I suppose that's fair." His tone didn't match the acquiescence of his words. He seemed to want to bite his tongue as he continued. "Look, I don't know everything, so I probably won't be able to answer any questions. I would also prefer you didn't discuss this with anyone beyond the doctor because I'm certain he'll find out in due time. Under no circumstances should you tell my sons. I don't want…" His glare against me broke away. "…that trouble for them."

"I promise," I said, though I wasn't sure what this had to do with his children.

He took a slow, deep breath. "I wasn't born. I was grown in a lab. I'm your clone. We're identical down to our fingerprints."

I waited for the joke, just stared him down and waited for him to crack a smile.

He was taking too long.

"No," I said. I'd intended to say more about how that was a bad joke and not possible, but I only managed the one word. He couldn't have been my clone. He didn't even like wine.

"You don't have to believe me," Yuuki said with a shrug. "I chose not to believe it for a long time. Truthfully, I feel no connection to you. I do not consider us the same person or even family, and I want things to stay that way." He glared daggers into me. "Don't you dare ever think to hold any claim over my sons."

"I won't…" I said like a deflated balloon. But when I thought of it, technically, the boys were biologically my sons as well. I was certainly no father to them, but as I looked at them, I couldn't help but think that I could have had children like that. My head buzzed with the thought that they could have been mine.

Yama didn't look shocked enough. It bothered me. Rather, he looked thoughtful, his eye rolled up. "So," he said, shattering the tense silence we'd fallen to. "Really, I did kiss Harlock in a sense."

"Not really," Yuuki corrected just as I was about to. "But you're welcome to do it again anytime."

One of these days, when all my injuries were healed up, I would duel him again. Maybe not to the death, but we would certainly need to have another duel so I could prove myself the better man. He was too damn cocky, thinking he could speak to Yama that way.

Unfortunately, Yama had decided to take it as a joke, and the way he laughed with a blush splashed across his cheeks left me a bit too flustered to be properly angry. I couldn't recall the last time he'd looked that happy.

He cried often over the next several days. Sometimes the children cried with him or comforted him. Sometimes I held him close as he sobbed apologies, for crying and for a hundred other things. Sometimes Yuuki cheered him up, and sometimes Yama couldn't bear to look at him.

Despite that, Yama could laugh again. He'd cackle at the kids' antics or snicker at my attempts at being romantic. And always, when he was done crying, he'd break into a fit of giggles. With tears still shining in his eyes, he'd ask a question – always the same, yet always different.

"Have I told you about when Bainas took over the station's loudspeaker?"

"Did I tell you how Uncle Warrius would carry off anyone who got injured, even the smallest scratch?"

"I don't think I've ever talked about how we kept pissing off command the day we all left."

"No," I'd answer every time. "I don't think you've told that one yet."

He'd wipe away his tears, trembling lips widening into a grin, and I'd get to hear him remember everything Gaia wanted forgotten. That small victory was ours, one thing I would never let them take from him.

"They took us all to this hangar area," he began. "There was a small transport ship for each of us."

Mamoru smashed a kiss to my lips, directly in front of my uncle. It was the first and only time he'd dared to touch me in front of Warrius.

"Kodai," Warrius growled.

Mamoru slipped out of his grasp just as Warrius snatched for his collar. "Just one for the road," he said, grinning. "I need something to tide me over until we have that date. Right, Yama?"

"Just get on your damn ship," Warrius snapped. "We're running behind schedule as things are." I had a feeling he was just upset that Mamoru had kissed me after I'd gotten a hug from him.

Mamoru bounded out of his reach and snagged a hold of the ladder on his ship's side.

"What are you doing?" Warrius sighed as he gave up the chase, watching Mamoru climb to the top of the ship.

"I'm on it now, like you wanted. And anyway, I wanted to give a proper goodbye to this hellhole." Clambering to the sleek, metal surface, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled. "Hey! When I kill Harlock, you'll all have to buy me a drink!"

"Yeah right!" Bainas cried, already halfway up her ship's side. "I'll be the one to kill him! You all wait and see!" She hopped to her feet on the top, her hands on her hips. "I'll best him with a saber too."

"That's cute," Helmatier called. I hadn't even seen her climbing her ship. She just seemed to appear on top of it, sitting with her legs crossed. "But I will be the one to do it, and then you can buy me drinks if you like, I suppose. I won't say no."

"What about me?" Tadashi huffed. His legs flailed as he pulled himself up to the top of the ship. "I could kill him, but I don't want drinks."

"We'll buy you dinner then," Mamoru said, laughing.

"Shouldn't the winner be the one buying for everyone else?" Marina asked as she stepped up onto her ship. "They are the one getting the reward, after all."

When I noticed Yuuki scaling his ship as well, I realized I had no choice but to join in on the strange ritual. Warrius stood in the middle of the room, one brow raised in confusion as he looked up at all of us.

"That sounds like a fair bargain," Yuuki said. "I'd be happy to buy dinner for all of you."

"How 'bout it, Yama?" Mamoru asked as I found my footing on the uneven surface of the roof. He tossed me a wink. "You going to buy if you get the bastard?"

"Uh, sure." I had no idea why they thought the assassin who took Harlock's life could come back alive, but they all seemed so sure of it. Maybe they all had plans I didn't know about.

Mamoru crossed his arms with an assured nod. "It's settled then. Whoever kills Harlock buys dinner."

"So you'd all better get back in one piece!" Warrius snapped. "Do you hear me? That's my last order to all of you!"

"Yes sir!" we answered in chorus.

"So I'll see you all again," Yuuki called.

"Perhaps on another mission," Marina said.

Helmatier shrugged. "Or perhaps in another life."

"'til next time," Bainas said with a lazy salute.

Mamoru, being Mamoru, gave a sweeping bow. "One fond embrace ere I depart, until we meet again."

"Um, yeah," Tadashi added. "I'll see you later."

"Goodbye," I said when it seemed to be my turn. My throat threatened to close against me. "Thank you all for your help. I hope we can meet back up someday."

Someday, when we didn't have to be called assassins any longer, I hoped we could meet again as friends. Even if Helmatier was right, and it had to be in another life, I just hoped I knew well enough in my next life not to let them pass me by.

Maybe then we could be that lucky.

And thanks to everyone who reviewed...several chapters ago when I still got reviews haha. I hope you all enjoyed me killing so many characters. I was going to kill more, but my girlfriend encouraged me not to.