A/N: Chapter 19 of Ginga Densetsu Alayus. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. Ginga densetsu Weed belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers, I truly appreciate it.

Chapter 19: Thunder and Lector

Weed's Group...

While Weed and his little army rested for the night, he couldn't help but feel compelled to ask Kyoshiro for help. He sneaked around his comrades and hoped that he didn't wake anyone up. At a safe distance he broke off into a run and went of to search. He didn't have to look long before he heard a wail. Following the sound he realized that Teru's father was in hot water again. Kyoshiro had him pinned down.

"What did I tell you about coming near Teru?!" He snarled. "This time I'll kill you for sure!"

"Kyoshiro stop it this instant!" Weed yelled and knocked him away. He growled as he stood protectively in front of the mutt.

Him again...Teru's father thought as he watched Weed and Kyoshiro faced off against each other.

"There's no turning back now." Kyoshiro stated evenly.

"I'll never run away from anything." Weed answered calmly.

"Is that so? How impressive!" Leaping forward, he bawled Weed over and tried to get a good grip on his neck. Weed tried to do the same thing. Both dogs rolled over the snow field in a tight scuffle; most of Kyoshiro's group jumped out of the way and watched with interest.

"Not bad Weed."

"You remembered my name? I'm glad!" The group of dogs cheered and hollered while Weed's comrades watched from the shadows. Jerome was the first to realize that Weed was gone and he woke everyone else up to go and search for the leader. They heard the commotion and decided to check it out.

"They've started." One of the dogs stated.

"Yes. Weed is trying to prove himself to Kyoshiro. Let's watch for a bit." Jerome stated patiently, a smirk on his face. Two of Kyoshiro's dogs tried to attack Weed but he avoided them easily.

This guy isn't a normal kid...Kyoshiro thought with interest. "Weed, why do you hang around with that bunch of mean adults?"

"Mean adults?"

"That's right. All adults are liars, they completely use their kids and don't even think of them as comrades."

"No. My comrades aren't those kind of adults!"

"Moron. You're just being used by them."

"Don't insult my comrades." Weed growled angrily. "I don't want to hate you. Why do you hate adults so much? To punish this guy in front of that child's eyes is too much. No matter how bad they are, your parents are your parents. If that child wants his father dead, that's an absolute mistake."

"You must have been such a spoiled brat. Parents should be the ones teaching their kids about love. But in some cases," Kyoshiro growled at Teru's father. "love is not shown."

"Shouldn't you be the one teaching him, then? Enforcing love, instead of hate?"

"Heh. A spoiled brat like you couldn't possibly understand!" Jumping forward, Kyoshiro grabbed Weed's front paw and dragged him across the snow, throwing him down against the ground. "If you apologize now, I'll forgive you Weed. I'm not the demon you think I am."

"Kyoshiro-san! Kill that guy!" Teru's voice spoke up. Both dogs turned to look at the pup whose eyes blazed of hatred. "He's made a big mistake! Anyone who goes against Kyoshiro-san should be slaughtered!"

"Look." Weed turned his attention to his opponent. "Look how your words are influencing those around you!"

"Do it! Kill him!"

"Shut up, Teru!" Kyoshiro snapped, stopping the pup's little speech. "Hey, someone take that kid away!"

"Why? No...I wanna see!" Teru threw a tantrum as another dog grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and took him away.

"The talking has gone on for long enough. The time to finish what we started is now." Kyoshiro stated.

"As you wish." Weed said. Both dogs got ready, watching each other carefully. Breaking out into a run, they matched each other step by step before Kyoshiro struck forth, smacking Weed's head straight through the snow. Digging himself out, Weed shook the snow off and saw the white dog digging in the snow.

"This is a friendly present from me." He smiled at Weed as he continued digging.

"What?" Weed thought before he noticed some snickering from the crowd.

"Which way do you want it? How deep? How wide? I'm digging you a grave." At this this the snickering turned into full blown laughter.

"Kyoshiro, don't make fun of a real fight!" Weed scolded him and rushed forward.

"Here it is Weed. I've lived ten times the life that you've had!" Throwing his paws back, he sent a barrage of rocks flying. Thrown off guard, Weed's head snapped back and he tried to shield himself from the rock shower. Wrapping his paws around a large stone, Kyoshiro pulled all his strength into it and sent it flying. It smacked Weed right between his eyes. The pup fell back in a daze, unmoving.

"It's the leader's final attack!" Most of Kyoshiro's dogs barked with excitement as they awaited the attack. Suddenly a scream sounded, throwing Kyoshiro off course and he missed.

"I heard a scream. The fight's on hold. Come on!" With Weed on his heels, Kyoshiro took off running to where he heard the scream. Not far behind Weed's group followed. "Riku! Hachi!" Seeing two of his comrades in the snow with disturbing wounds, Kyoshiro felt anger boiling up within him.

"Leader!" They said.

"Are the two of you okay?"

"We're sorry. Those guys we were following ambushed us!"

"GB? Rocket? Why are you here?" Weed spoke when he spotted them not too far away. It looks like they received wounds as well.

"Who are you bastards?" Kyoshiro snarled.

"No...! Those guys tried to help us." Riku spoke up before his leader did something bad.

"Be careful, those who attacked us weren't normal dogs." Rocket spoke. "They were pros, and their teeth were completely unusual."

"Heh. Do they think we're gonna let them hurt us? Let's go you lot! We'll make them realize that they can't match our power." Taking off again, Weed ran with them because he felt responsible for his friends getting hurt. Noticing that the trail spilt into two, Kyoshiro ordered his group to split and search. He saw Teru running with them and ordered him to stay. Weed watched in interest between the two of them. Kyoshiro acted more like Teru's father than his actual father. The sound of paw steps alerted them that the groups were back. Losing focus for a split second, Weed and Kyoshiro noticed that Teru was missing.

"Release me! Release me now!"

"Teru!" Kyoshiro took off when he heard the pup calling for help. Rounding around the bend he came to a stop and gasped at what was before him. Teru was caught between two Dobermans.

"Kyoshiro, tell your friends to back off." One of them ordered. "Challenge us on your own."

"You already know my name...what do you want from me?"

"Well..."

"Do it. Teru doesn't care about his own life." Kyoshiro's words shocked Weed. "If it's for me, he can die anytime."

"What?"

"Isn't that right Teru?"

"Everybody, watch with your own eyes. Teru's heroic ending." Teru's father stared as he watched from afar. "You can die like a real dog can't you, Teru?"

"Yes Leader..." Teru's voice came out in a whimper.

"Don't joke with us!" The two assassins pulled roughly, causing Teru to whimper with tears in his eyes.

"I'm a fighter!" He cried out. "I'll die like a real soldier should! Kyoshiro-san, I'll give up my own life to be bigger than these cowards! So that one day for sure, kids like me can live in peace and comfort! Make sure that peaceful Earth can exist!"

"Yes, well said Teru. You're a real dog. Those words will never leave my mind. I'll make sure that peaceful Earth becomes a reality." With that praise, Kyoshiro flipped over so that all four legs were in the air. "Go on, go straight for my neck. Take me instead of him."

"Alright then. First, send your followers away." The leader of the two ordered.

"All of you, get out!" Kyoshiro ordered. Of course he was met with opposition. With no choice but to obey, they ran off. However one dog remained.

"Who are you?"

"I'm not one of Kyoshiro's followers."

"Even if you're not, get lost."

"No I'm here because you wounded my own comrades." Weed replied gruffly.

"Kid, what are you talking about?"

"I came here from the Paradise in Ohu. I'm the leader of the Ohu soldiers, Weed!" At this the two assassins released Teru in shock. Then they laughed.

"That brat is the leader of the whole Ohu?" Weed's group managed to catch up and watched from the shadows. Teru quivered behind the two leaders. "Thunder, don't interfere." One of the dobermans spoke.

"Yes Lector. Kyoshiro is all yours." Thunder replied. Jerome immediately tensed up for he knew exactly who they were. The two brothers that were said to be professional killers- Lector and Thunder.

"Killer Fang!" Thunder started off, jumping straight into the air and aimed at Weed. Jumping nimbly, he thought he dodged every single one before noticing a cut on his cheek.

"Bring it on! Thing you can tear my head off!" Kyoshiro taunted Lector as they raced together. The white dog jumped nimbly out of the way causing Lector to fall face first into the snow. "Quick turns won't work for big dogs!" An unfortunate swipe from Lector caused him to somersault through the air and he landed next to Weed who looked paralyzed. "What the hell is wrong with their teeth?" The two of them quickly jumped out of the way when the brothers attacked and took off in different directions.

"Hold still and let me put you out of your misery...huh? Are you trying to dig an escape route?" Lector watched as Kyoshiro began to scrape the snow away.

"I'm digging you a grave." Kyoshiro grinned. Lector growled and rushed forward. He's falling for it!

"Lector-san! It's a trap!" Teru's father spoke up from the side, stopping the Doberman in his tracks. "He's going to throw rocks at you!" Kyoshiro cursed inwardly as his attacked missed.

"Dammit you old bastard!" Teru shouted. "Why the hell are you interfering?!"

"Huh? Open your damn eyes! We should be going against Kyoshiro not with him!" His father protested.

"Shut up, you old shit! Kyoshiro-san is much more of a father than you will ever be because he actually cares about my well-being! That's something you would never do! I've been reborn, you're not my father!"

"What kind of Ohu leader are you? Running away at the sight of the enemy." Thunder taunted, his eyes trained on Weed's nimble form. Diving in once more for the kill, Weed ducked at the last second. Growling with anger, he ripped off the entire piece of bark from the tree and snapped it in half. Thanks to that near death experience, Weed's inner bear-hound instinct that he inherited from his father has awoken.

"Kyoshiro-san!" Hearing Teru's startled voice, Weed looked over to see him trapped in Lector's jaw.

"You're caught, the end is near." Lector growled.

"Kyoshiro!" Weed tried to help but Lector swung his head, using Kyoshiro as a baseball bat. Jumping at the opportunity, Thunder managed to deal another bite to the neck.

"You fool!" Kyoshiro spat. "Deal with your own troubles!" As the fight drew on, even Weed's comrades had a hard time debating on whether they should step in and help.

"Exhausted already? There's no running away now, you won't get past me." Thunder grinned. "Here comes your death." Suddenly Weed struck first, drawing blood with a deep slash down Thunder's chest. The doberman stood still as his brain tried to figure out what happened. He also noticed that Weed didn't care about his own wounds so he knew that attack was just a fluke. After successful attacks, Lector realized that his brother was in trouble. In anger he attacked Weed only to get held back by Kyoshiro.

"This scarred Leader will stand and fight! Your fight is with me!" He growled. Snarling in frustration, Lector rose to the challenge. Kyoshiro was faster so he landed a lot of attacks however Lector endured his hits, waiting and conserving energy. This tactic worked out when he managed to pin him down and held him there. Weed rushed forward but his path was blocked by Thunder.

"Don't ! Save your energy!" Kyoshiro gasped. "Riku and Hachi are my comrades. There's no way in hell I'll let these bastards walk away from injuring my comrades. A boss fights for the sake of his follower's lives...just as a parent should fight for their own children!"

"Shut up. A kid can't be smart by taking big!" Lector growled as he added more pressure to his prey's neck. Seeing that Kyoshiro was in trouble, Teru rushed in and attacked, latching onto his snout. Roaring in pain, Lector threw the pup down and pinned him against the ground. Both Weed and Kyoshiro took a paw step forward before something weird happened.

"Stay back." A voice that sounded weak like the wind blew through their ears. A sudden blur raced past them and bowled Lector over. The two dogs tumbled in the snow as Kyoshiro quickly grabbed Teru and pulled him back to safety. No dog in his group had that kind of speed.

"What the—who the hell are you?!" Lector snapped as he shook the snow from his pelt. The stranger gave no name but stood there defiantly, head low and lips pulled back.

"Huh? What's the matter Lector?" Thunder looked at his brother in worry.

"Who's that Kyoshiro? A friend of yours?" Weed asked.

"No. I've never seen such a dog before."

"Peh! While my brother's being an idiot, I'll finish the job myself!" Thunder leaped forward.

"Hold it." Another voice said, stopping Thunder in his tracks. Turning around, he noticed a pair of gleaming yellow eyes from the trees. "Attacking a bunch of kids, where's your sense of honor as a male?"

"Who the hell are you? Stop playing tricks with me you bastard!" He addressed the strange dog.

"Playing tricks am I?" The other dog stated and stepped out into the moonlight. He stood before Thunder, head held high like a leader. "Maybe I should teach you a few lessons in manners, boy."

Alayus's Group...

The snow started to lift as Alayus reached the end of the road. She hadn't realized how far she walked but she knew that Hougen shouldn't be that far behind. There were a couple of times where his spies caught up to them but she managed to avoid contact. Looking around she found herself staring face to face with a bunch of little houses with smoke rising from the chimneys.

Those must be what humans call huts. I think I reached a small village. She looked at Gin who had his eyes closed. Throughout the entire trip he hadn't said a word.

"Leader are you okay?" She asked, setting him gently on the ground. She placed her ear against his body, listening to the faint beating of his heart. Oh no, his pulse is getting faint. What should I do? What should I do? Don't worry leader, I'll save you...somehow.

"John?" Hearing her father's name being called, Alayus turned her head and looked up to see a young man staring at her with interest. He looked to be about mid 20's if not younger. "Oh sorry you're a female shepherd and your face has different markings compared to John's, my mistake...huh?" Noticing another dog lying beside her, he gasped and dropped the box he was carrying on the ground. He walked over briskly and looked a bit tense. "Three marks on his face, that silver fur...Gin?! Is that you Gin? What's wrong?!"

Uh oh. Is he gonna attack? Why is he panicking about the Leader? Alayus tilted her head in confusion. Not taking any chances, she stood firm in front of her wounded leader and lifted her lips, growling.

" Please don't be mad. My name is Daisuke." The man knelt in front of her and held out his hand. "I was Gin's previous owner. I won't hurt you." Stopping her growling, Alayus leaned down and sniffed the foreign appendage. After determining that this Daisuke wasn't a threat, she sat down and wagged her tail lightly. Patting her head, Daisuke turned his attention to his friend.

"He's in such bad shape...poor Gin." Sensing worry, Alayus barked and licked his hand once. He smiled. "You're right I can't give up now." Running back to his car, he took out a massive blanket. He wrapped Gin in and carried him to the hut on the far right with Alayus on his heels. He raised a hand and knocked on the door. "Hello?! Anyone inside? Sorry to bother you but do you have a medical kit I can use?" A young girl answered and gasped at the sight. Ushering them inside, she rushed to the back room and reappeared with a weird-looking box. Placing Gin down on the floor, Daisuke propped open the box and got to work.

"Mister is this one of your dogs as well?" The girl asked as she pointed to Alayus who sat patiently with her tail over her paws.

"Please don't touch that one." Daisuke answered, never taking his eyes off his work. "She's probably a wild dog so be cautious."

"Then I'll get her some food instead. Do you know if she'll eat kibble?" She asked as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"She'll eat anything...maybe." Daisuke gave Gin a few shots to ease the pain before treating his wounds. "Shit! There's nothing I can do with his inner wounds."

"Is he gonna die?" The girl asked, a bowl of kibble in her hands.

"Never! I refuse to let him die." Daisuke shook his head. "The least I can do is try to do the basics, making sure he doesn't get infected and hopefully it'll be enough."

"Do your best." She smiled and set the bowl down. "Go on, eat. I promise I didn't poison it." Alayus stared at the food in apprehension. Soon hunger washed over her and she couldn't resist the smell. Padding forward, she took a small bite before gobbling the entire thing down. "Wow, she ate the whole thing! I wonder if I should get her some more."

"Don't feed her too much other wise she'll be totally dependent on you." Daisuke chuckled. "Almost done...and I'm finished!" Getting up, he smiled at his handy work. "His wounds should heal over night."

"I'm glad." The girl placed the bowl that was only half full on the floor again. "I'll get him a bowl as well so that when he wakes up he'll have something to eat."

"I really appreciate it. I know I was only here on a business trip but could I stay here for the night as well?"

"Sure. My parents are away at the moment but they'll be back next week. You can use the guest room for now."

"Perfect." Grabbing another blanket, he covered Gin with it. "There you go, now you get some rest." He was about to walk away when Alayus tugged on his coat. "Whoops! Can't forget you now can I?" She barked in response. Smiling, he asked for another blanket. Alayus made herself comfortable on the floor and curled into a ball. Daisuke draped the blanket around her and went to bed.