Author's Note: This was BY FAR the hardest chapter to write thus far, but I like how it came out. It's from Gin's POV, and it reveals some important things about a few characters. Hope you like it and please comment!
---
The world seemed to be muted. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gin wondered why that was as he heard the cacophonous symphony of voices that erupted around him, all of them sounding like they were coming from another place, another time. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't break his weathered gaze away from his son's mangled form, and it was only the sound of Joe's voice, screaming his brother's name, that snapped him back to reality. Feeling fear gripping his throat, Gin leapt like a bullet over to Weed, seeing Jerome and Joe already ahead of him, both of them shouting his name frantically. His sudden entrance nudged them both roughly aside, though neither said a word to him as he looked down at the form below him.
"Weed!" he shouted, tears stinging his eyes. "WEED! Wake up! WAKE UP!"
Weed didn't stir and though he seemed to be breathing, it was very shallow, and like Kagetora, labored. Gin rolled his son onto his back and shook him with his paws.
"Weed, please wake up!" he begged as Akame came seemingly out of nowhere and pressed his ear to Weed's chest.
"He's alive." the Kishu said urgently. "But just barely."
Then he leapt aside and shouted loudly to the other dogs outside.
"All of you!" he yelled. "Find water and any medicinal herbs you can! GO!"
The dogs that were gathered all dispersed quickly in every direction, and then Akame came back as Gin saw Jerome gently lick the side of Weed's muzzle, Joe doing the same a few inches over.
"Come on, Weed!" the Shepard said, his voice frantic. "Don't do this to us! Wake up!"
Weed still was unresponsive and it was only then that Gin heard Kurotura calling Kagetora's name, his normally rough voice sounding every bit as frightened as Gin's was. Looking over, he saw his friend licking his son's cheek, trying to wake him up and failing as completely as they were. Ken bit Kagetora on the neck and shook him lightly, looking dismayed when the Kai dog still did not stir.
"If they're alive then why the hell aren't they waking up?" Kyoushiro asked fearfully and Akame glanced over at him, then went back to licking Weed's head wound.
"Kagetora is hurt badly, but he seems to be just unconscious," he said. "With some luck he should be awake soon. Weed's unconscious as well but his head wound is serious. I don't know if he even will wake up, let alone when."
"What can we do?" Gin cut in, trying to stay calm but not succeeding.
"We may have to take him to your old master, Gin." Akame said. "But right now we can't move him. All we can do is clean his wounds and keep him warm."
"And Kagetora?" George asked, looking worriedly over at the small group containing the stricken dog and his brother.
"The same." The ninja dog said. "But right now, we need to try and get him awake."
George nodded and Gin saw him move quickly back over to Kagetora. Trying not to appear scared, he leaned over and looked at Weed's head wound, which was where most of the blood on the ground beneath them seemed to have come from. Now, however, the bleeding had slowed and Akame had managed to lick most of the excess blood away. What he saw made him even more frightened. Looking closely, he could see a tiny part of Weed's skull underneath the matted fur and blackish-red flesh. The wound was big, and the jagged look of it made Gin almost positive that his son's head had been forcibly smashed into something hard like a rock. This suspicion was confirmed when Tesshin spoke up from his right.
"There's a lot of blood on this part of the wall that's jutting out." he said. "I think Weed must have hit his head here."
"Or Scimitar hit it there for him." Jerome growled, clearly angry.
"Are we sure it's Scimitar who did it?" Sasuke asked, trying to contribute something to the talk.
"Sniff the ground." Tesshin responded. "You'll smell a wolf's scent."
Sasuke did just that and was shocked when he discovered that the ninja dog was right.
"But how did he get close enough to attack them?" he asked.
"Better question:" Joe cut in, looking around the cave at the blood-spattered walls. "Why didn't they fight back? All this blood is theirs."
"Why don't we ask them?" Rocket said and they all looked at him in confusion. "Look."
When they followed the Borzoi's gaze, Gin drew in a quick breath. Kagetora was stirring, and those that weren't already there quickly went over and began helping lick his wounds as he did.
"Come on, Kage!" Ken said urgently, nudging him, and Akame quickly went over and monitored the situation.
Much as he hated to leave Weed, Gin managed to tear himself away from him long enough to join the group as well, and he arrived just as Kagetora let out a ragged groan and spit some blood out of his muzzle. Then his eyes opened a little bit and he groaned again.
"Uuuuunnnnnnhhhh…" he said. "Wh-What's…Weed…"
Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he lifted himself up fast, startling a few of them.
"Weed!" he shouted, then nearly collapsed again, but the group of them caught him and lowered him down again gently.
"Easy! Easy…" Akame said kindly. "You're hurt pretty badly Kagetora, I'm amazed you're awake so soon. Apparently you're as durable and stubborn as your father."
Kurotura, who normally would've laughed at this, pretended like he hadn't heard and put his front leg over his son's side to help hold him down. Kagetora, for his part, did not try to move again and just panted in pain as he lay on the ground.
"Kagetora," Gin said sternly, feeling alternately furious and afraid at the situation. "What the hell happened here?"
Kagetora looked up at him slowly.
"Sc…Scimitar." he said and a few of the lower ranking dogs who were listening in from outside gasped. "I never even saw him. I was following Weed up to explore a-another cave and…and the minute my feet hit the ground it all went dark."
"And?" Gin pressed, not having time to coddle him despite his sympathy and concern.
Kagetora looked back at the cave floor, the expression on his muzzle looking almost like shame.
"He used me." he said. "That sick son of a bitch used me to make Weed cooperate."
"Tell us everything." Akame said as Shigure rested a paw comfortingly on his cousin's flank.
Kagetora nodded slowly, pushing himself up just enough to lean against Ken for support and not re-collapse.
"We never had a chance…" he started.
***
Kagetora felt pain pulsing in his head as his eyes opened slowly. He had been just behind Weed and about to follow him into the cave when something had hit him hard from behind and everything had gone black. Now he had no idea how much time had passed or what exactly had happened, and his own carelessness made him angry. Growling under his breath as his vision focused gradually, he pushed himself to his paws. The minute he had, he was grabbed hard from seemingly all sides and held in place, and then his feet were knocked back out from under him and he hit the ground with an unceremonious 'THUD'. Looking up, he found himself eye to eye with a black furred wolf, who was grinning toothily and looked genuinely excited that the Kai dog was awake, though not in a good way. Kagetora grunted in shock, remembering Lydia's story and realizing instantly who it was. Scimitar leaned down and tilted his head so that Kagetora was looking him right in the eye.
"Well look who's up." he taunted and the Kai dog growled loudly.
"Where's Weed you bastard?"
"Right in front of you if you'd care to use your eyes." came the response and Kagetora looked and saw Weed lying motionless on the ground only a few feet away.
He gasped and glared at Scimitar.
"What did you do?!" he demanded angrily and the wolf snorted.
"He's just unconscious." he said, looking down at Weed with an oddly interested expression. "In fact, he should be coming around soon. I must say though, I'm glad you woke up first."
"Why is that?" Kagetora asked darkly, trying to get a good look at the numerous dogs that were holding him immobile.
Scimitar came right up to him and smirked, making sure he saw it.
"Because it will make things much easier." he said. "And because I can't wait to see the look on your face. It'll be so much fun."
"Let's see how much fun you're having when I get up and rip your balls off!" Kagetora growled. "Unless your scared to fight like a real male."
Scimitar seemed to ignore him and walked over to Weed, stroking one of his paws across the akita's throat, as if he were itching to slit it. Then he looked back at Kagetora and smiled.
"What do you think?" he asked. "Should I wake him up?"
Kagetora refused to answer and Scimitar snorted derisively.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." he said malevolently and smacked Weed with his paw in the muzzle.
***
He paused as the others absorbed all that he'd said so far and Gin met his gaze solemnly.
"Was he alone?" he asked, hearing Jerome and Joe tending to Weed behind him and wanting to join them.
"No." Kagetora answered. "He had about 15-20 dogs with him. I had about 6 or 7 holding me down. The others were mostly outside."
"You couldn't throw them off?" Kyoushiro asked in a slightly harsher voice than he'd meant.
"Yes," Kagetora said, irritated. "I probably could've. But that bastard came prepared."
***
Weed stirred almost immediately after he was hit and Kagetora looked concernedly at him, wondering if it even made sense to shout a warning when Scimitar was already so close. He saw Weed shake his head to clear it and then look over at him and he tried to throw off his restrainers, but found that he was still immobile.
"Kagetora?!" Weed asked urgently, seeing his situation.
Before he could warn him though, Scimitar jumped on his back from behind and pinned him to the ground on his underside. Weed grunted in surprise as the wolf grabbed the side of his neck in his teeth. Scimitar laughed and bit harder.
"Hello, 'Soudaishou'." he said sarcastically, "Nice of you to join us."
"Scimitar..." Weed growled, recognizing him instantly just as Kagetora had. "If you think we're going to let you toy with us then you are massively underestimating the soldiers of Ohu."
"Oh, I'm not underestimating anyone." Scimitar responded. "Why do think I came here personally? And then ambushed you? I'm not fool enough to take dogs with your reputation lightly."
"Why did you bring us here?" Weed demanded. "I know you know I'm not going to let you live after what you've done."
"Well," came the response. "Seeing as we're the leaders of two opposing sides in a war, it seemed to me like we should meet face to face. Reputations only say so much. You have to look your enemy in the eye to really know him. And since unlike you dogs, I don't much prefer the ass-sniffing technique, here we are."
Weed suddenly pushed off from the ground with all four legs and threw Scimitar off, but the wolf was prepared and landed cleanly next to Kagetora and the dogs holding him.
"Now, now." the wolf taunted. "None of that from you. You're going to be on your best behavior."
"Sure of that are you?" Weed growled, baring his teeth at the warlord.
"Oh, I'm positive." Scimitar said in a truly evil voice and nodded behind him at someone.
Kagetora saw Weed's eyes widen and craning his neck as best he could, he saw another of Scimitar's followers holding a small puppy in his teeth. It was a young dalmation, and it whined and squirmed in protest as the older dog held it immobile by the scruff of the neck with his teeth. Kagetora felt his breath catch in his throat and he looked at Scimitar in disgust.
"That pup's just a kid!" he snarled furiously. "Leave him out of this!"
"No." the wolf said bluntly. "He's what's going to ensure that you two don't misbehave. I don't want to have to kill you before I've had my fun."
"You wouldn't dare!" Weed said, looking as if the concept of someone willing hurting a pup was something he couldn't comprehend.
"Like I said," Scimitar responded with a grin. "'All's fair in love and war'. And if this pup's death doesn't bother you, I can always kill dear Kagetora here instead. It wouldn't be my first choice, but we can't always get what we want I guess. You really want to test me and find out?"
Weed glared angrily at him, but then looked at the puppy and backed down.
"Get on with it you monster." he said.
"Why thank you." Scimitar said mock-sweetly, then turned and ran a claw down the yelping pup's back lightly. "I do love pups. My troops found this one lost in the woods nearby. Speaking of which, a little bird told me that you're about to be infested with them yourself. You and that Shepard friend of yours."
Weed stopped dead, looking shocked.
"You- "
"Did you pick out any names yet?" he asked with a lick of his lips and Weed glared at him.
"Shut up…" he warned.
"Naming any after me?" Scimitar taunted, not breaking eye contact or his triumphant grin.
Kagetora suddenly realized in horror that Scimitar must have been spying on them since they arrived in this place and had overheard the conversation Weed had had with Jerome. Weed obviously had worked it out too, and Kagetora saw him shaking in fury, looking as if it were taking all his willpower not to attack the warlord on the spot.
"Why are you doing this?" Weed asked in a furious voice.
"Why?" Scimitar said, walking up to him. "This is why."
Then he suddenly hit him across the muzzle as hard as he could, and Kagetora shouted Weed's name in fear as he flew back into a wall and landed on his back. Then Scimitar grabbed him in his jaws and threw him into the other wall. When Weed landed, the wolf took him by the hind leg and began repeatedly slamming him on the hard floor of the cave, making blood go flying as he was cut by the rocks that formed it. Finally, when Weed was stunned enough for him, Scimitar jumped on him and pinned him by the shoulders on his back. He glared down at the akita, no longer grinning or taunting.
"You want to know what this is about?" he said, this time looking deadly serious. "You want to know why? Let me tell you a story then. Once there was a wolf named Scimitar, and he ruled over the entire eastern coast of Russia. He was able to do this because he didn't care about anything others did. He just played his little games and watched his fellow dogs and wolves run around angrily like little ants as he killed off groups of them at a time for fun. No one could so much as touch him, so he pressed outward, hoping he could find more of you noisy things to torment. But then he met two that were a genuine challenge. The German Shepard war dog Ivan and his idealistic, pathetically righteous son. His name was Maxime."
Weed inhaled sharply at those words, recognizing the second name instantly as his pack's onetime friend and ally. Scimitar, however, appeared not to notice or didn't care. He moved his paw to Weed's throat and began putting pressure on it, making it difficult for him to breathe. Then he kept talking.
"And so a war ensued," he said, "And it was long, and it was violent, and it was bloody…and it was tons of fun. But Ivan was no fool, and I while I reveled in his pack's pain he came up with a plan. Before our final battle, a fight he knew he would lose, he broke into an abandoned human building where they used to take dogs to experiment on them. Inside, he found all kinds of poisons the humans had left behind and he drank them. They got into his blood and so when I killed him and ripped him apart piece by piece, his blood got into my system and so did the poisons. I only found out when he told me about it with his dying breath, clever little bastard that he was. They seem to be very slow acting because I'm still alive and kicking, but who knows how long that will last. Either way, kid, I'm dying."
He leaned in closer and whispered in Weed's ear loudly enough for Kagetora to still hear him.
"What he did was only possible because Maxime helped him build an army with the strength to challenge me." he said. "That, in turn, was only possible because you and your brood let him live to return to Russia. That makes it your fault that I'm now rotting away from the inside out. So you ask me why I'm doing this. I'm doing this to return the favor."
"H-How…di-did you?" Weed choked, looking alternately shocked and angry.
"How did I know about your pack and Maxime?" Scimitar asked with a grin. "Because he wasted no time upon his return spouting your sad philosophy, trying to make other dogs better."
He said this last word with such venom that Kagetora saw his spit hit Weed in the face. He didn't have time to yell in anger though, as the wolf was already talking again.
"This world has tried to thwart me since day one, and the fact that I've been able to return the suffering and hear its screams just makes me smile." he said. "So if I'm gonna die…I'm taking you all down with me when I do. I'm going to kill every…last…dog in this pitiful land of yours for this. To put that in motion, though, I have to go through you. So that's what I'm going to do. And when you and your pack are dead and gone, I'll get what I want, and all will be right with the world. But for right now, I'm going to let you live, because I want to see what you'll do. Because I don't need to rule your precious paradise, and I don't need to fight you just to prove my strength. You've never dealt with anyone like me before and that scares you. Consider this my last little game, and every one of you is expendable, your dogs…and mine. I only sent Ronin up north to Gajou to distract your friends. By the time this is over, he'll be dead right alongside you. By the time this is over...there won't be anyone left to have the scars to remind them of it. And then I'll have…peace."
The look in Scimitar's eyes as he said this made Kagetora gape in speechless horror. He was insane, the Kai dog decided, but not a normal insane. This guy was cunning and the skill to back up his threats.
'Lydia was right.' he thought. 'This bastard is scary as hell.'
Scimitar was looking down at Weed again though, and Kagetora listened in.
"Speaking of scars," he said, looking the akita over. "It doesn't look like you have a single scar on you. You must be the only one in your pack that doesn't."
"All having scars proves is that you were too slow to dodge." Weed hissed defiantly and Scimitar laughed.
"I bet your friends would be thrilled to hear that theory." he sneered. "Either way, I've got some bad news for you, 'leader'."
Then he leaned in close.
"I'm not slow at all." he whispered menacingly.
Then he stood again and looked at him with a horrible longing in his eyes.
"Let's scar you, boy." Scimitar said.
Before Weed could say anything more, Scimitar grabbed him by the hind leg again and this time swung him sideways at the wall. Kagetora could do nothing but watch as his friend's head connected hard with a jagged, jutting-out rock, and a loud crack was heard as blood flew everywhere. Weed let out a small gasp, then fell to the ground, and was still. Scimitar smirked again and then turned back to his troops.
"Hurt him." he said, referring to Kagetora. "And kill the kid. I'll be around if I'm needed."
Then he walked out and Kagetora could only scream after him, trying vainly to provoke him and get the subordinates to let him up. They didn't however, and when he felt their teeth tear into him, he passed out completely and permanently only seconds later.
***
As Kagetora stopped talking, the group just stared at him for a minute, none of them saying a word. Gin was aghast at what had taken place in the cave, and glancing around, he could tell that the others were equally as sickened by what they had heard as he was. Even Akame looked shaken by Kagetora's story, and it was a while before anyone said anything. When they did, it was Rocket who spoke.
"I've learned a lot from Weed about kindness." he said quietly. "And I've tried to follow his example and give dogs second chances, even those that might seem at first not to deserve them...but this guy is different. He's not just a threat to us; he's a threat to every dog in Japan. We have to kill him, even if he's dying already."
"I agree." Jerome said determinedly from behind them and when Gin turned, he saw the Shepard still sitting near Weed protectively. "But it's going to take all of us to end this. We need to care for Weed and Kagetora and get them back to full health before we make a move on Scimitar."
"And what happens if he doesn't wait that long to make a move?" George asked, sounding more frustrated than scathing. "What then?"
"We'll have to hope that he doesn't," Gin said and they all looked at him. "And that Weed and Kagetora will recover quickly, because none of us are going anywhere alone anymore. From now on, we stick together as a group and don't split up unless we have to."
The dogs all nodded, many of them more subdued than they had been minutes before. Kyoushiro, however, was not one of them.
"Why the hell did he screw around at first?" he asked in an angry tone. "If his goal is revenge, why not just attack us and get it over with?"
"Because he's arrogant." Akame said, "He wanted to draw it out and make us suffer as much as he possibly could. Besides, attacking an opponent directly is one thing. He may have thought it would affect us more if he hurt innocent dogs instead of dealing with us head on."
"Whatever it was, he's already put his plan in motion." Gin said in a slightly sharper tone that was more directed at Kyoushiro than Akame. "And we're going to need a plan of our own before we fight him, because if we get killed, no one's gonna be able to stop him. We're going to have to spend the night here and talk about it, just the high-ranking dogs. The rest will help care for Weed and Kagetora."
Then he turned to them, a determined look on his muzzle.
"Let's go." he said.
They all nodded in agreement and everyone jumped to action. The dogs that had been sent to find medicinal plants were just returning, and Akame took their cargo from them as the ones that had found water described the location of both a river and a healing spring close by. When they had, Ken and Kurotura carried Kagetora off to both, as Gin ordered most of the subordinate soldiers to gather together and rest. Meanwhile, as the sun began to set and darkness descended, he and Akame gathered the high-ranking dogs together as three Koga ninja dogs tended to Weed. As guards patrolled the entrance at all times, they sat in a circle at the back of the cave. When everyone was quiet, Gin spoke.
"Between the three groups we split up into," he said, "We should have enough soldiers to take on Scimitar and his armies, especially when Izou, Suzaku, and their group get here. But eventually we're going to have to fight them, and when that happens, three of us are going to have to fight their three tops. That's one of the things we need to decide right now."
He turned to Akame, sounding as if he were struggling to contain his worry.
"How is Weed?" he asked.
"Not good." the ninja dog answered. "Kagetora should be back to full strength in a few days, but Weed is seriously hurt. Not even the healing spring will help that head wound. He needs human help or he may die."
"What about your old owner, Gin-san?" George asked.
"He could help, yes." Gin answered, "But he's a long way from here. Weed may not last that long."
"I'll take him." Rocket said suddenly and they all looked at him.
"We can't spare anyone to help protect you, Rocket." Akame said seriously. "If you get attacked, you'll be alone."
"I've lived my whole life in the wild, it'll be nothing new." the Borzoi answered, and then smirked. "Besides, I'm the fastest one here by far. I can get him there in time."
Gin nodded.
"I entrust you." he said. "But what about the battles?"
"I'll deal with Ronin." Jerome spoke up. "I have a feeling he wants payback after our last fight."
"Can you handle him alone?"
Jerome suddenly glared at him intensely, and for a moment, Gin could've sworn he was looking at his long dead best friend, John.
"I know he's dangerous." Jerome said. "But so am I. I promise you I can handle him."
Gin held his gaze and the two males nodded almost in unison, displaying their silent agreement. Then Tesshin's voice broke the quiet.
"Takeshi is mine." he said and all heads swiveled in his direction. "He'll only fight me anyway and I…I have some unfinished business to settle with him."
Gin acknowledged him as well and inclined his head sternly.
"I don't have to tell you to be careful with him." he said. "He's probably the third most talented ninja dog in Japan."
"And I'm the second." Tesshin shot back. "I'm not letting him get away with what he's done."
"But what about Scimitar?" Kyoushiro asked suddenly and a hush fell over the group.
Then Gin suddenly spoke, and he sounded both somber and enraged.
"I'll handle Scimitar." he said. "With…With Weed out of commission, that makes him my responsibility."
"Gin…" Akame said, and he sounded both worried and apologetic. "This guy was good enough to kill Musashi and Jaguar, and nearly kill both Weed and Kagetora, all almost single-handedly from what we've heard. He may be good enough even for you. Are you sure you can-"
"No one kills my comrades." Gin said in a deadly voice. "No one kills my friends, and no one…hurts my son."
Akame looked a little cowed at his friend's response, but also very proud, and he nodded in agreement emphatically.
"Yes, leader." he said with a smile and Gin looked back at the group.
"I'm not leader anymore." he responded with a small smile. "So if Weed returns, I'll relinquish the fight to him."
"Or me." came a previously unheard voice and they all turned to see Joe striding up. "I may not have fought as many wars as you, father, but I'm more than capable of dealing with this bastard."
Gin smiled and looked equally as proud of his older son as Akame had been of him. Then he looked around at the group, all of whom were looking to him expectantly.
"Everyone go rest." he said. "I have a feeling we're all going to need it."
They all bowed their heads simultaneously and then dispersed, most walking over to Weed to check on his status. Gin looked at each of them one at a time, his friends, his pack. He hoped more than anything that they could all weather this, that Weed would recover fully and they could all live peacefully in their paradise once more, as he'd always wanted. Seeing the darkness of the night around him now complete, he walked silently over to Weed, who's head was resting on Jerome's back, and who's body was now being almost cradled by the bodies of his friends and brother. Then the old warrior lay down with them, and rested his head on the side of his son's neck.
'One last time.' he thought, thinking of the war still ahead. 'One last time…"
---