A/N: Chapter 36 of Ginga Densetsu Alayus. Enjoy as well as Happy April Fool's Day!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OCs. Ginga Densetsu Weed along with the other Ginga series belongs to the rightful owner.
Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.
Chapter 36: Two generals down
Ravine...
"Kite...why do you follow Hougen's orders?" Weed asked as the Greyhound stood before him and Rocket. He had recovered somewhat after performing the Battouga but he was still weakened. The skies above continued to rumble with the sounds of thunder. "Why do you protect him? What benefits do you get in return?"
"Hougen-sama's goal is parallel to my own wishes." replied Kite without hesitation. His loyalty to Hougen go way above normal levels, there was no way he'd bring disappointment to his leader. "I do hate the humans because within my body, the humans embedded their own desires.
"Desires?" Weed repeated, unsure that the word meant out of context. He himself hadn't thought about his own desires but he was interested about the desires his opponent was speaking of. "What are you talking about?"
So it's his front legs right? Rocket thought to himself, listening to the conversation very carefully. Since he did fight against Kite he had an idea of what's different about the dog's body. I knew there was something different about them but...
"There's no reason to talk to you about it." Planting his feet onto the log, the Greyhound approached them. Each step made the structure shake. However before he could make his move, Tesshin fell from above and separated both sides.
"Are you two okay?" The ninja dog asked as he stood protectively in front of Rocket and Weed, glaring at Kite who managed to hop safely to the other side. "Leave it to me!"
"We're saved. Let's go Weed!" Rocket said, nudging his leader with his nose. As they proceeded to run off Rocket stopped to give one last note, gazing at the Ninja dog over his shoulder. "Be careful! His front arms are like pinions."
"Mmmm, understood." Tesshin replied and Rocket rushed off after Weed.
"How dare you interrupt." Kite growled, narrowing his eyes at his opponent. "Just when things were getting good."
"I'm not interrupting. Your opponent was originally me therefore you are in the wrong." Tesshin replied, crouching low and winded up to jump. "I'm Tesshin, the Koga Ninja dog. Prepare yourself!"
"Hmph!" Kite leaped forward, lips pulled back. They traded blows, neither one of them letting up as they ran along the ravine. When his opponent threw a rock in his direction he merely slashed it in half with a paw. He let out a huff of annoyance, watching his opponent carefully.
Those front legs...they're not flesh. Tesshin deduced after witnessing the move. Is this what Rocket meant? What is the meaning of this?
"Surprised?" Kite asked as Tesshin decided to run out of the ravine, leading him towards the forest. The fire from previous lightning strikes illuminated the trees red and yellow but luckily the snow paths kept the flames at bay. The dancing shadows seemed to be following the two fighters as they ran deeper and deeper inside.
"You don't seem like a Ninja dog." Tesshin spoke as they ran at a matching pace, watching the Greyhound with a careful eye. "Where did you learn those moves?"
"You wanna know?" Kite replied, intrigued by his opponent's curiosity. "I was trained by the humans, as an assassin dog!"
"An assassin dog?" Tesshin repeated as they ran deeper and deeper. He noticed how there was a fire raging within from where the lightning struck and took to the tree tops. They stood opposite of each other, their chests heaving heavily as they sucked in as much air as they possibly could. "Do you plan on obeying Hougen, no matter what I do?"
"I have nothing else to protect!"
"No matter what? Then forget it!" Jumping up Tesshin performed his own version of Battouga, taking with him a branch with the tip alight in flames. Landing softly he pressured his opponent, using his weapon like a fencing sword.
"Grrrr..." Kite looked behind him, noticing that there was no escape. With a quick step forward and landing on another branch Tesshin looked back to see the flesh dribbling off the dog's legs like wax.
So that's it...Tesshin watched as the shiny metal glowed within the embers. Where Kite's normal legs would have been were replace by metal ones. "So that's the reason you hate humans?!"
"To make me into an assassin, the humans messed with my body at their own convenience." Kite replied, glowering at the sight of his two metal legs. He had concealed them well up to now. "There's nobody out there that wouldn't hate them for this, is there?!"
"You couldn't be persuaded even if it was by the Devil himself right?"
"No...even that wouldn't work."
"Then I have no choice." Taking a deep breath Tesshin changed his grip on the branch, pointing it straight at his opponent. His eyes burned brightly with the flames. "I'll take control with force!"
"Try if you can." Kite growled and rushed forward. Tesshin moved as well and the two dogs collided in midair. Once they broke apart the Ninja dog no longer held the branch and the Greyhound realized that it was lodged between his collar and his neck. "What the-?! What's the meaning of this?!"
"Heh." Tesshin smirked, irritating Kite further before running along the branches with the Greyhound right on his heels. Seeing what he was looking for the Ninja dog jumped through a fork-shaped tree with ease. However when Kite tried to follow the burning branch got caught and he was struggling as his collar tightened dangerously against his neck.
"W-What are you doing?" He asked when Tesshin gripped his leg. "Let me go."
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to help you."
"Don't make a fool out of me! I won't accept this!" Kite struggled to get out of his opponent's grip, protesting loudly. "Kill me! Hurry up and do it! I refuse to be helped!"
"Kill you? Why?" asked Tesshin. When Kite didn't respond he continued speaking, "My goal is not to kill you. Our leaders forbid the killing of enemies because everything that breathes deserves a chance. Use what I have said to do good and not bad."
"You're going to let someone like me go...?" Kite asked, making sure he didn't hear wrong. "I've done...so many things...and yet...you're willing to save me?"
"That's right."
"I...I..." Kite began to cry as he allowed his opponent to help him.
"You deserve kindness because of what you've been subjected to." Tesshin told him once he helped the Greyhound down, watching him shed tears he had long since forgotten. "The cruelty of Humans and the world...your lifestyle cultivated from there. I hope that now, you'll be able to live happier and with a better purpose."
Elsewhere...
"This is hella bad..." Ken uttered as Kagetora and his cousins stood by his side. They were almost driving off a cliff by Bat's army but stood their ground despite being outnumbered. "How did this even happen?"
"Well it seems like we fell into his trap to begin with." Kagetora replied as some of the enemies chuckled evilly, licking their lips with anticipation. "Tch, those bastards..."
"We don't even have a way out." Shigure noted as he glanced over his shoulder. "With the cliff behind us and the enemy in front of us, we aren't in the best position to do anything."
"Exactly. This is what 'Rat in a bag' means." Bat mused as he pictured the situation within his mind. He chuckled before it died in his throat and he frowned. "What...what is this?" Cries filled the air as a couple of his subordinates were sent flying. As Ken and his group watched the chaos they were greeted by their saviors.
"On Alayus-sama's orders, we're here to lend you a hand." Ryu spoke as he stood with his siblings.
"Now, let's clean this mess up." Ryo smiled as she and her brothers got to work, knocking aside some more enemies.
"Reinforcements...?" Bat spoke as he continued watching. Releasing a sigh he turned to address his two subordinates that stayed by his side. "We have a change in plans."
"Yes sir." One of them spoke and rushed off to do his bidding. Not too far away Ben, Cross and Kurotora arrived on the scene and hadn't been picked up yet, giving them an advantage. Upon arriving at the scene the subordinate realized that Bat's army was having difficulties and ducked out of the way as a dog's body flew overhead.
"Shit...Hey, report this to Bat-sama!" He turned to a dog hiding up in the tree. His comrade wasted no time and immediately tapping the rock he held within his mouth against the tree bark.
"What? A mission failure?" Bat growled as he listened carefully. "God damn it..." He turned to the last dog sitting by his side. "Hey, let them know that failure is not an option."
"Yes sir." The dog bowed and rushed off.
"Damn the Ohu army..." Bat cursed under his breath before the sound of his subordinate's cry reached his ears. Peeking his head out from between the rocks he asked, "What happened?"
"What do you mean 'what happened'?" Kurotora snapped, keeping a paw on the downed dog before him. "Bat, you can no longer send orders to your followers. You can't escape."
"I'll go and let Ken and the others know." Cross spoke and turned to run off, knowing full well that her mate and Kurotora could handle it but there was a possibility that they won't be able to.
"And now there's two senile old fools? And one is the same as me." Bat commented once she disappeared, alluding to Ben's blindness. "Hmph. Do you actually think you can take down the one who has been taking down so many others using the mind's eye?"
"What?"
"Kurotora, calm down." Ben advised, noting the rise in his friend's body temperature. "He's a master at what he does."
"That doesn't matter! I'm gonna kill him!" The old Kai rushed towards his opponent without hesitation, ignoring Ben's voice to stop. Bat was ready and he knocked Kurotora back without much effort, landing gracefully on both paws as his opponent fell to the ground breathless.
"You old shits, I'll kill you both slowly."
"Father!" Ken's voice spoke up forty-five minutes later as he, Kagetora and Cross ran up. The snow fell harder after his mother rushed to tell them the news so they had to be careful. Following her lead, they arrived on the scene with the looming rock structures jutted out through the white blanket. "Where are you, Father?"
"You too Dad!" Kagetora added his own voice. "Where did you go? Please, answer me!"
"You lot!" Kurotora's voice finally replied through the snow. "Don't come here!"
"Shit, I can't see anything in this smoke..." Ken growled once the three of them came to a stop. "The fire from the forest is messing with my vision..."
"Not to mention the snowstorm...Ugh!" Kagetora added before an unseen force smacked him into the ground. With a groan he opened his eyes and noticed Kurotora laying not too far away. "Dad!"
"Fools! I told you not to come here!" The old Kai snapped when he saw his son. "When will you ever learn?! I'll have to discipline you after this is over!"
"Dad! And Old man Ben!" Kagetora noticed the blind leader protecting his friend's body with his own. "What the hell happened?!"
"It's Bat. I had no chance against his attacks..." Kurotora told them as Cross and Ken padded up. "I would've had him, but this dumbass here interfered!"
"Ha! If I let you die in front of me, I'd never be able to face Gin!" Ben replied with a huff. "And I cannot accept that."
"Bat, come on out!" Kagetora challenged boldly, looking through the sleet of snow in hopes of spotting the cunning general. "To stay hidden is not something a real fighter would do! Quit being a coward!"
"Now we're your opponents!" Ken added, ears perked up with alertness. "Fight us! Bat!" From beyond the smoke Bat attacked, slashing with his fangs on both dogs before disappearing once more, a chuckle erupting from his chest.
"You morons. Don't think you can win against my mind's eye in this kind of situation." The Weimaraner spoke to them as they picked themselves up from the ground, taunting them as well. Trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from Ken and Kagetora charged only to run face-first into the rocks. "Ha, you won't get me like that. I've put my life on the line to be able to train this mind's eye. You can not overcome this!"
"Damn it, this isn't working!" Kagetora snapped, making sure he didn't damage his snout from running into the rocks. "Ouch, this will leave a mark somehow."
"We have no idea where he's coming from either..." Ken looked from side to side. "This is really bad..."
"Don't get overwhelmed. Calm down." Ben spoke from where he sat guarding Kurotora, getting their attention. "Anger is not the way and you two are letting that emotion run. It's clogging up your judgment. You can't defeat Bat like that. Being a soldier, in front of an enemy...no, when you're confronting death...you can't afford to lose your composure."
"Father..."
"Composure huh..."
"The weakness or strength of your power will determine life or death. This is Ohu. This is our Paradise. Hear the voice of this land with your strong hearts." Looking at one another after digesting the words, Ken and Kagetora turned around and closed their eyes.
Jeez, this is annoying. The Kai dog thought with a small smirk. Patience isn't really something Kai dogs are good at...my dad is a prime example of that!
My father still knows what he's talking about. That's why he was a great Commander back in the day. Ken smiled as well. The two of them stayed absolutely silent, letting the winds blow through their bodies. Suddenly they opened their eyes simultaneously and looked up with revelation, sensing Bat who was going to attack from above.
"What the-?! Arrgh!" Bat yelped as their fangs sliced through him. Falling to the ground in defeat he was held down by his opponents. "N...No way...! They defeated my mind's eye..."
"Father we did it!" Ken spoke up with glee, watching his parents trot up to greet them. "Did you see us?"
"Fool, I'm blind!" Ben snapped before smiling. "Of course I knew you two could do it. I had no doubt!"
"Yes, well done!" Kurotora added, looking at his son lovingly. "You make us proud parents."
"That was great, both of you!" Cross praised them, her tail wagging back and forth with happiness. "You looked like your fathers back when they were younger."
"Tch...talking as if I wasn't here." Bat said, getting their attention. "Just kill me, it's better than living in shame."
"We're not gonna let you die so easily." The older Kai spoke, looking at the defeated dog sternly. "Killing opponents is never an option. Ben would agree with me here, Ohu's not black and white."
"Having learned that knowledge, use it for good from now on." Ben said, gesturing for his son and Kagetora to release their opponent. The black Weimaraner looked up at them with surprise, unsure of what to do since he had never been given such kindness before. "You poor thing...having been raised with cruelty on all sides."
"Due to circumstances I would say you didn't really have a choice." Cross noted, her tone gentle. "But now, you do have a choice and you are the one in charge. Doesn't it feel nice to be in control of your life again?"
"...yes..." Bat replied, head bowed towards them as he too began to cry. "Y-Yes...it feels...feels..." He couldn't finish his thought and continued to weep.
Meanwhile...
The waterfall flushed Hougen further than he had intended and the Great Dane stood panting on the banks, angrily shaking the water from his ears. Looking down to see the shallow wound on his neck he pulled his lips back with anger.
"Damn you, you little shit..." Kneading the ground with a paw he turned to walk off, unaware of Alayus who happened to catch his scent. The German Shepherd felt that something was wrong and crawled forward on her stomach, managing to spot the Great Dane when he hoisted himself onto the bank.
Hmmm...seems like he's wounded but too heavily... She thought to herself when she noticed the mark along the neck, silently stalking after him from higher ground. Her ears picked up bits and pieces of curses before concluding that Weed was behind his bad temperament. Formulating a small plan within her head she kept her steps light, any noise like the crunch of snow could alert him to her presence. But...if Weed had used his Battouga to hurt him...then I'll have a chance to attack him as well. The time and place has to be good so for now...I'll follow him.