The winter sun beamed down on a small, peaceful-looking town, the town of Iga. It was just another day for its inhabitants. The humans went about their daily business, the Pet Dogs enjoyed the warmth of their masters' homes, and the strays scrambled about, searching for food and shelter from the bitter cold. Nothing out of the ordinary was going on; no mad dogs looking for power or monstrous Demon Bears. No, Iga was just simple, little town. It was the perfect place for a puppy that lost her home.
Akame's grandsons, Muu and Rara, stood atop a snowy hill, looking over Iga. Laying on Rara's back, soundly sleeping without a care in the world, was Weed's only daughter, Bellatrix, Bella for short. They as well as their brother, Shirozaru, had found the Ohu heiress being attacked by some vile rogue, not long after Fatugo Pass was torn about by a volcanic explosion. The whereabouts of the other Ohu soldiers, including Bella's family, were unknown to the Kishus, but what they did know what that Bella needed to be taken somewhere safe. And what place was safer than a town of humans?
"Come on," said Rara suddenly, breaking the silence between the three. "Let's go." The ginger-furred Kishu began climbing down the side of the hill, his paws sinking into the white blanket with each step he took. Muu was quick to follow him.
"Are you sure they'll take her?" asked Muu. "Absolutely certain?"
"Yes, I'm sure," replied Rara with a nod. "I heard them clearly when they said they were looking for a dog for their son. I'm sure they'll take her."
"I hope you're right," Muu said, staring at his comrade out of the corner of his eye. "If they don't take her, she'll have to become a Stray Dog, and we don't have time to be looking after a girl."
"You worry too much," said Rara. "Come on. Their house isn't far from here."
The two Kishus walked on in silence, hearing only the soft snoring of young Bella as she continued to sleep. It was a long journey getting to Iga, and despite her best efforts, Bella eventually got tired from the hours of continuous walking. Still, both males were surprised that a young female such as herself had even made it as far as she did.
Eventually, they arrived at a house. It didn't look any different from any other house, but Rara recognized it instantly. He nodded to Muu, and the charcoal-colored male pulled Bella from Rara's back. Together, they rushed to the front door, Muu setting Bella down on the doorstep and Rara scratching on the door. They then rushed off, rounding the house and peering over the side to watch events unfold. The house's door opened, and out stepped a middle-aged woman. She looked around for a moment, before glancing down at Bella's sleeping body. She gasped.
"Another one…?" she murmured. She knelt, carefully scooping Bella up in her arms. She moved her around, checking her over, before staring at her again. "No injures on this one…but she looks so young…maybe three or four months old? Who would leave a little puppy out here like this…?" She glanced around once more, before letting out a sigh. "Well…it shouldn't be a problem if I take you in for a bit…" The woman then smiled. "Come on, little one."
With that, the woman headed inside with Bella. Rara let out a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. Despite what he had said before, he had to admit…it would've been rather embarrassing had he been wrong.
"Well, that's that then," Muu said.
"Not quite," Rara replied. "I want to stay here for a few days and see if she settles in."
"Even a female should be able to handle the Pet Dog life, Rara."
"True, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Go back to our brother; I'll catch up with you later."
"Very well," Muu nodded, turning on his heel. "Take care, brother."
Muu began to make his way back the way they came. Rara headed in the opposite direction, to the house next door from the one they had visited. This was his home. He, as well as Muu and Shirozaru, were born Pet Dogs. It was because of this Rara knew exactly where to bring Bella. And there, she would stay, hopefully permanently. He didn't believe the wild was any place for a female; a nice, warm house was where she belonged. Although, as the Kishu jumped the fence of his own home, entering his old doghouse, there was one question that lingered in the back of his mind.
What did she mean by, "another one"?
The first thing Bella heard as she began to stir was the sound of a woman humming. Her body felt warm; she could feel something soft beneath her body...it reminded her of the moss her parents would set down for her. As her sleepy mind cleared up, she began to wonder…had it all been just a bad dream? Was she still at home, in her family's den, not running for her life in the middle of a snowy forest?
Her eyes fluttered open, expecting to see her mother, her father, or her brothers but instead, she saw a human towering over her, no one she could recognize. It wasn't Daisuke or Hidetoshi, but instead, a woman. She was standing at the stove, cooking something that had the strong smell of meat; it almost distracted the puppy from the fact that she had no idea where she was. Bella lifted her head from the floor, looking around for Rara, Muu, and Shirozaru, but to her dismay, they were nowhere to be seen. Bella's ears fell back, her eyes moistening with tears as she began to whimper. The woman looked down at her.
"Aw…" she cooed, slowly kneeling down. She carefully brought her hand towards Bella. Despite the puppy's fear, she knew that humans were friendly, at least the ones she had met were. With a nervous lick of her chops, she inched forward, her nose quivering. It lightly touched the back of the woman's hand, and Bella took in her scent. Bella began to calm down as the woman gingerly ran her hand along her coat. The woman smiled. "There we are…Ah, you're such a pretty girl. I can't believe someone would just abandon you like that."
Abandon…? Bella's heart sank. Rara and Muu had promised to help Bella, they had said that they were help her find her way home. Did they really just drop her off with some humans and leave? She let out a sigh. Well…she supposed it was better than being in those scary woods…
"Here you go, little one." Bella was shaken from her thoughts as the woman set down a plate of cooked meat in front of her. "Just until we get some more kibble."
Bella took a cautious sample of the meat. Her eyes then widened as her tail began to wag. It was delicious! She didn't recognize the flavor as any prey her parents had caught for her, but nevertheless, she really liked it. The woman chuckled, watching her scarf down every last morsel.
"Haha, just like Aki," she murmured.
"Hmm?" Bella murmured. "Aki?" It must've been another dog that lived here. She hoped if they were friendly.
After the meal and a quick bath to get the dirt and grime from her fur, the nice woman had allowed Bella to walk around the house, taking in the new sights and scents of her new home. The brindle pup entered the living room. It was a small, cozy looking place. A fire roared within the fireplace, startling Bella at first. Memories of that dreadful night replayed in her head, the explosions, the fire, the screams of panic…Bella shook her head, blinking back tears forming in her eyes. This wasn't like that. This fire was meant for one thing: warmth. Carefully, she inched towards the fireplace, sitting down and sighing as the she felt the chill of the cold vanish.
"Mmm…"
Bella looked around at the sudden noise. She noticed a small figure a short distance away from her, their side rising and falling gently. It looked like a puppy, one with an Akita's build, just like her. A majority of their body was wrapped with bandages, but from what Bella could make out, they had a pale red coat and a collar. Perhaps this was Aki. She inched closer to them.
"Um, h-hello," she greeted softly. "A-Are you ok?" She heard a yawn as the puppy began to wake up. They sat up, turning to face Bella. Bella's jaw dropped, and her eyes nearly popped out of her skull. "…K-Kōshirō?"
"Bella…?" gasped the young male, equally as shocked to see his cousin.
"Wha…? How…?"
"I…I can't believe it's really you!" Kōshirō forced himself to his paws, and limped over to Bella, throwing his uninjured forearm around Bella's neck in an attempt at a hug. Bella simply stood there, still in shock. She had to admit, Kōshirō was the last dog she had expected to come across again. The older pup had since left her mind after the eruption, and even prior to that, he was never someone she or her brothers really interacted with. It wasn't that they disliked him (at least, Bella knew she didn't), it was just that they were never particularly close. Despite that, he was just so happy to see his cousin that Bella couldn't just leave him hanging. She hugged him back, her tail swishing gently.
"Me neither…" she whispered in reply. She stepped back, glancing him over. With all the bandages, he had to have gone through a rough time getting away from Fatugo Pass. It was amazing he had even made it so far from Iga. And all alone too...meanwhile, she was running and crying for help while nearly being kidnapped. Her ears fell back; was she really that pathetic?
"Huh? What's wrong?" Bella looked up, seeing Kōshirō stare at her, puzzled.
"Oh, uh, nothing…" she lied, looking away. "I'm just glad to see you're ok…"
"Same…" said the red male. While he didn't really believe his cousin, he thought it would be rude to pry. He laid down, running his tongue over a paw. Bella sat, yawning. There was a moment of silence.
"So…" Bella suddenly spoke up. "That lady...she's, um, really nice."
"Oh, Mrs. Shibata?" replied Kōshirō. He then smiled. "Yeah, she's cool. She was the one who found me and bandaged me up after I got here. The rest of her family's nice too; her son, Yoshiro, was the one who named me. I guess they're planning on keeping me."
"Really? But...won't you want to go back home?" Kōshirō hesitated to speak, staring at the fire with an expression Bella couldn't read. He then looked back at her.
"This is my home now, Bella."
"I...I see." Bella looked down at her paws.
"But," Kōshirō added, now grinning a bit. "At least I have family here to keep me company now."
"I don't plan on staying," the female murmured. Kōshirō tilted his head.
"So you'll just leave?" he asked. Bella opened her mouth to answer, but found that she couldn't. Her place wasn't here, she refused to believe that. But she couldn't make it home on her own, not after what nearly happened to her before. The world was dangerous, cruel and scary, and she was nowhere near as brave as her brothers. It seemed she had no choice but to stay. She sighed.
"No…" she finally said. There was another silence. Kōshirō stared at the brindle female, his ears slightly falling. Even if she didn't want to admit it, Kōshirō knew what was really bothering her. He had seen the way Orion and Rigel would treat her, the way she would slink off back into the den after being told that she was just a "whiny girl". Although he had never made an effort to get to know his cousin before, something told him that this reunion would be his chance to change that.
"You know, I'm getting out of these bandages soon…" he yipped. Bella glanced at him inquisitively. "The humans'll let us go outside and meet the locals. Even if it isn't home, we should still try and make some new friends here. Who knows? Maybe we'll need some really neat dogs."
Bella couldn't help but smile. Kōshirō was trying so hard to make her happy. It made her wonder why she never hung out with him before while Sirius had his hands full with Orion and Rigel. She decided to throw him a bone.
"Yeah," she barked. "Maybe we will."
"Honey, we're home!"
Mr. Shibata and ten-year-old Yoshiro entered the house, both bundled up to protect themselves from the cold. Mr. Shibata carried a hunting rifle, which he held carefully as she walked down the narrow hallway. Mrs. Shibata emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron as she kissed her husband hello and ruffled her son's hair.
"Hello, you two," greeted the missus gently. "I hope you both had a nice day."
"Yeah!" Yoshiro chirped as he kicked off his boots. "Dad finally let me use his gun!"
"We were just practicing his aim," Mr. Shibata added quickly, seeing the look of worry appearing on his wife's face. "He didn't actually pull the trigger."
"I see…" Despite the explanation, Mrs. Shibata still looked grim. She sighed. "I'm still not sure how I feel about this whole hunting thing, Atsunori. He's still so young..." Mr. Shibata simply laughed.
"Don't be so worrisome, dear," he said, watching Yoshiro shrug off his winter garb and rush towards the living room, announcing to "Aki" that he was home. "If he's going to be a great hunter like his old man, he'll need to start early."
"I know, I know...it's just that-"
"Whoa!" Yoshiro suddenly cried from the living room. "Since when did we get another dog?"
Mr. and Mrs. Shibata shared a glance, before going to join their son. Yoshiro was standing in front of the fireplace, staring down at the sleeping pair of puppies curiously. Mr. Shibata eyed Bella, before glancing at his wife.
"I can explain," she began quickly. Mr. Shibata cocked a brow, but allowed her to proceed. "I found her on our doorstep, just like when we found Aki. But she looked so much smaller; I couldn't just leave her out there. So I brought her in."
"Can we keep her, Dad?" Yoshiro had gotten onto his knees, petting Bella. "Please?"
"Well, we already have one puppy...and besides, she's female. I couldn't make a hunting dog out of her like with Aki."
"Why does that matter?" Mrs. Shibata stepped in, joining her son's side. "Besides, we could just have her as a house dog."
"Could we even afford another dog is the real question."
"I could help take care of her," Yoshiro offered. "I can start shoveling people's driveways for money or something."
"Hmm…" Mr. Shibata put a hand on his chin. "Tempting offer, son, but…" His eyes wandered to the missus, who narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "If we are going to have another puppy, there's something I you to do for me, Ren."
"What's that…?" asked the woman cautiously.
"If we keep the puppy, you can't say anything about me taking Yoshiro out hunting."
"Ooh…" an interested Yoshiro murmured, glancing between his parents. Mrs. Shibata looked unimpressed.
"Why am I not surprised?" she uttered under her breath. She then sighed. "Fine. I won't say anything."
"Then it's settled." Mr. Shibata looked pleased with himself. Yoshiro cheered, while his mother shook her head. Despite her annoyance at the obvious attempt to keep her quiet on the hunting subject, she was still happy to have a dog to keep her company when "Aki" and the boys were out training.
"Alright, now that that's out of the way, what should we name her?"
"Well, Yoshi named Aki, and I got what I wanted out of the deal…" Mr. Shibata snickered at the dirty look his wife flashed at him. "So, why don't you name her, dear?"
"Ok then…" She stared at the sleeping pup. "How about...Chiko?"
"Chiko?" both Yoshiro and his father echoed, staring at her in confusion. Mrs. Shibata nodded.
"I used to have an Akita named Chiko when I was a little girl. I thought it be nice to relive some old memories."
"Fair enough," her husband shrugged. "Aki and Chiko... Huh...doesn't sound too bad when you say them together."
And so it was decided on that cold, winter's evening. For Bellatrix and Kōshirō, it was the start of a new life, one away from the dangers of the wild. But that didn't mean that they would not face their own adventures. In time, they would find that even a peaceful little town like Iga had its own brand of excitement.