Author's Note: This is sort of a 'linking' chapter between two more action packed ones, but it is an important one. Also, I changed my mind about having GB still be alive so…yeah. Thank you to "SakuraAyanami" for reviewing!

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"Remember," Weed said loudly to the dogs. "Elders get fish! Females get meat!"

"Oh yeah?" came a voice to his left. "And what do the rest of us get to eat?"

"Pipe down, Kage." another voice answered, "The last thing you need is more food in you."

"Screw you, Ken." came the response as laughter sounded from around the cave.

Weed chuckled and nodded at the dogs who had been out hunting. They picked up the meat, small squirrels and rabbits that had been caught, and began passing them out amongst the dogs, giving the best pieces to the females, specifically Koyuki and Lydia. As Lydia got her piece, she thanked the dog who had caught it and took a bite out of it, laying her meal on the ground in front of her. Next to her lay Jerome, who seemed to be resting, but who Weed suspected was actually wide awake, ready to get his mate anything she needed at a moment's notice.

They were all inside Gajou, and were resting until they needed to head to where each one of them was going. Gin and Akame were heading north to Hokkaido to check on Suzaku, the son of their deceased friend Hakuro, who had died during their war in Hokkaido against Victor and his invading Russian Army dogs. Suzaku had taken over his father's role as boss dog of the island after it was all over, and Gin wanted to make sure he didn't need any help, as most of his pack had been killed during the war. Tesshin was about to depart for Koga, to give orders to his dogs there before heading back to Ohu. Weed, meanwhile, wanted to head South to visit his brother Joe, who had returned to his job as a bear hunting dog with his human owner and also to raising his young son, Koshiro, who had missed his father greatly Weed had been told, when the other had traveled to Ohu to meet his own father, Gin, for the first time. Kyoushiro and Jerome were going with him, as were Ken and George, and the rest of them were staying to guard Paradise from any intruders that might show up in their absences.

At the moment, he was just waiting for Hook to return from Shikoku to give his report on the situation with the escaped dogs down there. He wasn't worried though, because half the police dogs in the country were down there looking for the escapees, as were Musashi and Jaguar, two of their own who had gone to visit Musashi's old home in Shikoku, where he had been a fighting dog many years ago until Gin had met him and convinced him to join their fight against the bear Akakabuto. Then he heard Koyuki make a noise next to him and he turned in concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked and she smiled at him.

"I'm fine." she answered, nuzzling his cheek, "It's just my appetite has been being strange lately. I'm not really hungry anymore."

"I noticed." he teased. "Here I get all this great food for you and now you don't want it anymore."

"Hey, it's not my fault. It comes with being pregnant." she said half indignantly.

"And whose fault is that?" Weed smiled.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted pups this fast." she said, licking him.

"Oho!" he laughed, returning the lick. "Not as I recall, princess. You were- "

"Hey! Hey! I'm eating here!" George said with a disgusted look from across the cave, "Can't you see I'm eating?"

"You know, I think George is feeling left out." Kage, whose real name was Kagetora, grinned at him.

"Yeah," Kyoushiro agreed, scooting closer to George. "C'mon, George, we can join in! Give us a kiss!"

George held up his paw threateningly.

"Touch me and die," he said in response and they all laughed again. "Go ahead if you want, but you will die."

Weed saw Jerome lick Lydia's muzzle and he smiled, feeling happy as he noticed his father smiling too on his other side.

"Leader," came Ken's voice and Weed turned. "Hook is back."

Weed looked over at the entrance and saw the guards outside going to meet a dog who was just running out of the tree line towards Gajou. Weed stood and Gin, Akame, and Jerome did as well. He saw Hook talking to one of the Koga guards, looking very agitated and he sensed that something was wrong. He started walking out to greet him, but Hook suddenly came towards him fast and stopped in front of the group of them, panting.

"Hook," Weed said, "What's wrong? What's the news from the South?"

Hook looked at him and hesitated.

"Leader, I…" he started, but then paused, looking unsure. "I…have some bad news."

"Did Ronin and Takeshi escape?" Akame asked.

"Yes, Akame-san." Hook said, "But that's not- "

"Where are Musashi and Jaguar in finding them?" Gin said urgently before he could finish.

"…That's just it sir." Hook said shakily, with an air that said he was getting to the point. "They're not looking for them anymore."

"Why not?" Weed demanded.

"Because they're…they're dead, leader."

Weed felt his whole body suddenly get cold and he heard grunts of shock from both his father and Akame. He looked hard at Hook.

"Dead?" Weed said softly, still trying to process it. "What do you mean, dead?!"

"A small army of pet dogs and fight dogs down there were helping to look with them." Hook explained with tears in his eyes. "When the group that Musashi and Jaguar were in didn't come back, the others went looking for them and when they found them…they were all dead, including Musashi-san and Jaguar."

Weed clenched his eyes shut as he heard a howl of rage behind him in the form of Kurotura's voice. He realized too late that the rest of the pack had followed them and were listening closely to what was happening, but at the moment, he was too shocked to care. He growled and asked in a shaky but deadly voice:

"Who did it?"

"The evidence…" Hook looked like he was choosing his words carefully. "The evidence seems to point to Ronin and Takeshi…sir."

Weed felt a draining effect take hold of him at those words, and he felt like he was falling inside as he turned and took a few steps away from them, trying to control his feelings of overwhelming guilt and sadness.

"God damn it!" Kurotura snarled loudly and Weed could hear very clearly that the Kai-ken dog was speaking directly to him. "That's why you don't let your enemies live! That is fucking why!"

"Kurotura!" Akame growled, sounding like he too was on the verge of tears. "Be quiet! It was Weed's decision! Not ours! Don't say something you'll regret later!"

Kurotura, who was Kagetora's father, was good friends with Musashi, and Weed could hear him quietly crying behind him as he felt tears forming in his own eyes.

"Weed," Gin said, "What should we do?"

His father's shaky voice told Weed that he too was devastated by what had happened and that made him feel if possible even more horrible. He composed himself a little and turned back to Hook.

"Hook," he said. "Go back down to where you were and gather all the pet dogs you can together. Then head to the Kyoto area and gather anyone you can from around there."

Then he turned to the group behind them.

"Ken, Kyoushiro, Rocket, go and get all our dogs and bring them back here. Tell them to get ready to head South. I'm…I'm issuing a standing 'Kill-on-sight' order for both Ronin and Takeshi."

Then he added almost as an afterthought.

"Let's move."

The dogs all jumped to action and the ones who had been named all ran off to where they had been told to go. Akame looked at Gin.

"Ronin and Takeshi must have gotten help from somewhere." he said reasonably, trying audibly to control his emotions. "Musashi and Jaguar were good enough to take care of themselves and anyone with them."

"I agree." Tesshin said from the group behind them. "They had to have outnumbered them somehow."

"All right." Gin said. "Let's all get ready to move out, and then rest up until everyone is gathered together and we can go."

Everyone nodded in agreement and then most of them turned and went back into the cave. Gin, Akame, and Kurotura went off by themselves to mourn their friends, and Weed looked after them, knowing that they would take it the hardest, which made his guilt boil up again. Except for the three of them and Kisaragi, who lived in Mutsu but was too old to fight with the Ohu army, no one else was left from their group that had fought against Akakabuto all those years ago. Weed couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for them to watch their beloved friends die one by one until only they were left, and he felt a pang of sympathy for them. He heard someone come up beside him and saw Mel, his golden retriever friend, standing there, looking concerned on top of his sadness.

"Leader, are you okay?" he asked and Weed nodded without looking at him.

"You should go rest, Mel." he said. "We have a long journey ahead of us starting tomorrow."

"I know." Mel said, looking at the ground. "But Weed, you shouldn't– "

"Tell Koyuki when you go in that I'll be there in a minute." Weed cut him off and then walked off towards the canyon behind Gajou, head drooping sadly.

Mel sighed and turned, then walked back into the cave without another word.

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Weed opened his eyes again in the dark, looking around the cave. Night had come faster than he'd expected and now the group of them was sleeping together side by side, ready for the journey ahead of them tomorrow. Weed, however, couldn't sleep and so he lay there with his eyes open, feeling Koyuki's back rising and falling underneath him as she breathed. He still felt extremely guilty over what had happened and eventually gave up on getting rest. Standing up, he walked carefully around his friends until he was outside the cave entrance. Then he took a deep, shuddering breath as he stopped. The cool night air felt good against his face and he looked up at the stars sparkling in the black sky. They were beautiful to him.

"Are you all right, Weed?" he heard suddenly and glancing to his left, he saw his father sitting on a rock only a few feet away.

The elder akita was also looking up at the stars, but averted his gaze long enough to check if his son had heard him and was really okay. Weed walked up and sat down next to him.

"I'm fine dad." he said. "How are you holding up?"

"I'll be all right." Gin answered. "I'll just need a day or so."

"Musashi was a great dog." Weed said. "We should bring part of him back up to bury here in paradise. Jaguar as well."

"They would appreciate that." Gin said without looking at him and Weed's ears reversed as he looked at the ground.

"Dad," Weed said slowly, closing his eyes in shame. "I'm…sorry."

"For what, Weed?" Gin asked, still looking at the stars.

"For letting Ronin live." The younger akita answered. "If I had killed him the first time then this wouldn't have happened."

Gin turned and looked at him.

"You don't know that." he said. "You spared Ronin because you thought it was the right thing to do at the time. All leaders have to make hard choices, and I probably would've made the same one you did."

"That doesn't stop me feeling guilty." Weed said.

"And it never will." Gin said, placing his paw comfortingly on Weed's side. "Son, there will always be things that we'll regret we did. What makes a difference is if we do something to correct them if we can. But even then, what happened doesn't make your first decision wrong."

He stood and nudged Weed with his head comfortingly.

"I don't blame you Weed." Gin smiled. "Try not to blame yourself in my stead."

Weed nodded and bowed his head further, finally feeling the fatigue that had eluded him all night right then. As his father turned and walked back into Gajou's inner sanctum, Weed suddenly got a momentary, horrible feeling that there was something else going on with the whole situation, something that no one had seen yet. Shaking his head, he glanced back up at the stars, twinkling high above him in the sky. It had been 2 and a half years since their last war, during which he had lost his beloved godfather and best friend, GB. The last thing he wanted for his pack was this. Weed then sighed and followed his father back inside, finally intending to sleep.

'Here we go again.' he thought bitterly. 'Here we go again…'

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Ronin walked carefully between the trees, making sure not to do anything to give away his position to anyone that might have been watching. The fur on the back of his neck was standing straight up, something that had always happened when he was angry, and he was trying to keep his temper in check, which he was failing at. As he approached the tree line, he felt the presence of another dog, and the scent that he caught moments later told him that it was Takeshi, his former prison comrade. He found the Shikoku-ken-Husky mix sitting on the top of the hill that led down into the valley, looking out at the landscape. Ronin sat down next to him, just far enough away to avoid the other dog's teeth if he needed to. His anger flared again suddenly as thoughts of their commander entered his head.

"Who does that son-of-a-bitch think he's dealing with?" he fumed, teeth bared. "Ignoring me like a common subordinate!"

"It is his prerogative." Takeshi said without looking at him, sounding distinctly annoyed at being bothered at all. "He is the boss."

"A position he doesn't deserve or seem to care about." Ronin shot back. "We haven't even come up with a plan to attack Ohu yet!"

"If he has one he'll tell us." Takeshi said. "That wolf doesn't seem like the type to just sit around on his haunches."

"And you know him so well, do you?" Ronin responded with a sneer. "What has that bastard even told us? I don't know about you, but before I follow someone like a pathetic lapdog, I want to know more than just his name. 'Scimitar' means as little to me now as it did then. At least my name is known! I should be leading this pack!"

"Lest you forget, he's the one who broke us out to begin with!" Takeshi said with a growl, finally turning to look at him. "And without him, these dogs that follow us wouldn't be following us at all! He's the one who convinced them somehow, not you or I. Whatever his intentions are, he's proved at least that he means business by killing the Ohu mutts."

"Musashi and Jaguar?" Ronin said. "Big fucking deal. If he really wanted to impress me than he would kill Gin, or better yet Weed!"

"I'm sure his only thought was to impress you, Ronin." Takeshi said cruelly. "And don't underestimate the significance of Musashi and Jaguar's deaths. Their demise will lead the Ohu army down here in force. Even Weed won't forgive the murder of two of his personal friends. And when they do come, we'll get them then…once and for all."

Ronin studied him for a minute, then smirked.

"Thinking of Tesshin are you?" he asked. "And here I thought you were beyond grudges. Some professional you are."

Takeshi glared at him hatefully, growling low in his throat.

"Don't provoke me Ronin." he threatened. "I've waited for a long time to kill that bastard and you know that. If anyone has earned holding a grudge it's me."

Ronin's smile widened. Takeshi acted like he was emotionless, but the malamute knew exactly how to push his buttons when needed.

"I'm not blaming you." he said, turning away. "After all, I have grudges of my own. But the point is, Scimitar better do something to give us the chance to make good on them soon or so help me god I'll kill him and do it myself."

"I'd love to see you try." Takeshi snorted.

"So would I."

They both whirled around and saw Scimitar sitting no more than 10 feet away, lurking in the shadows next to a tree and wearing a smile on his muzzle that suggested he was thoroughly enjoying the whole conversation. Takeshi and Ronin shot to their feet.

"Boss!" they said in surprise, turning to face him.

Scimitar stood slowly and walked up to them at a casual pace, giving off no clues as to what he was thinking. He looked at Ronin pointedly.

"So how about it Ronin?" he asked malevolently. "You want to try your luck?"

Ronin glared back.

"No." he answered bitterly.

"I thought not. How about you Takeshi? Despite your loyal words, I sense you doubt me as well."

Takeshi just looked at him silently, not saying a word.

"No?" Scimitar's cruel smile widened. "Too bad. I really would've loved to see you try."

He turned and walked a few steps away from them. Ronin took a step after him.

"You may be the boss," he said bitterly. "But don't think for one second that I fear you. And do not underestimate me."

"Oh?" Scimitar asked calmly. "Well then, I'll make a note to myself to change that. But first, we have a message to send to the dogs of Japan."

"It won't work." Takeshi said stepping forward. "Weed and his pack know that we've attacked innocents before. They're probably expecting it. They'll see it coming."

"Oh no." Scimitar said, turning to him as a horrible grin spread over his muzzle. "They won't see this coming."

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Weed looked at the pack gathering in front of Gajou. Most of them he didn't know well, but he was happy to see that so many had been loyal enough come when they were called, and he mentally reminded himself to thank them when he could.

"Get ready to move out!" he called loudly. "We're heading south!"

He turned as he heard supportive cries from the dogs, indicating they were ready, and looked at Koyuki, who stood looking at him with a mixture of sadness and pride. He nuzzled her and she licked his cheek.

"Be careful." she said, sounding worried. "Deal with this and then come home."

"I plan to." Weed answered. "Try not to worry while I'm gone."

"I'll try." she said.

"-And fail." Sasuke, who was one of Weed's friends, said walking by, earning him a dirty look from the female as Weed smiled.

A few feet away, Jerome saw this and smirked. Then he turned and walked up to Lydia, who looked longingly back at him.

"I won't worry about you." she said, also nuzzling his furred cheek. "I trust you."

But then her look turned hard.

"But please Jerome." she said. "You be careful too. I don't want our pups growing up without a father."

"I will." he responded gently. "Weed and I have had each other's backs for years now. He's there for me as much as I'm there for him. They all are. We'll be safe."

Then he leaned in and they licked each other's muzzles as Hiro walked by, having just finished saying goodbye to Reika, his mate, who stood back behind Lydia with 2 of her 4 pups, who were now over 2 years old. Hiro, who was a Great Pyrenees, had been called out of a self-imposed semi-retirement from the Ohu army yesterday by Ken to help with the situation, and two of his male pups, Kin and Kanto, were accompanying the group on their mission. It had helped that Hiro and his family had still lived in Ohu after he had stopped actively fighting with them for a while, so it had only taken a few hours for him to arrive. Jerome nodded at Lydia and then turned and followed Hiro, walking past him until he was up next to Akame and Tesshin, who stood next to Weed. Glancing over, he saw Kagetora and Rocket falling in next to Gin on Weed's other side, and soon all the dogs were ready and waiting.

Weed looked around for a moment, as if making sure that everything was the way he wanted it, then met Jerome's gaze. The German Shepard nodded at him and Weed, seeing that the others were just as ready, lifted his head high.

"Dogs of Ohu!" he shouted. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!" they responded and soon the group of them was running, away from the safety of their paradise home and down south towards conflict, towards war.

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