Author's Note: This chapter's a little jumpy, but I think it turned out pretty well. Also, the action will begin to pick up after this. Please review!
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Rocket panted as he ran, his breath coming out as thin, white puffs of steam as the air got colder around him. He wasn't worried about it affecting him, though, as he had an unusually thick layer of fur that kept his skinny frame warm in the winter, but he was concerned about its effect on his passenger. Weed lay slumped over his back, his eyes clenched shut tightly, with only the slightest hint of pain etched into his features, despite the grave injury to his head.
'That wound is bad enough.' Rocket thought. 'The last thing he needs right now is to get sick from the cold.'
He was beginning to enter the mountains now, having only left the pack and the cave a few hours ago, and snow was beginning to appear in patches on the ground, making the Borzoi have to slow his pace occasionally for fear of hitting ice. The rest of the pack had left as well, headed back north towards Gajou, from which they could launch a counter-attack against Scimitar, Ronin, Takeshi, and their forces. He hoped that they wouldn't encounter any more trouble along the way, a hope he was also reserving for himself and Weed. Leaping over a narrow gulch, Rocket shifted Weed's position on his back as he landed, making it more comfortable for him, and more secure as well. The Akita had gotten heavier since the last time he had carried him, he noted, and now it was more difficult than he had thought to move at his normal top speed. Still, he would not slow down, he told himself. His leader and friend needed him and he would not let a little fatigue cause him to fail, not after Gin entrusted him with this task.
At the pace he was going, it would take him at least until tomorrow before he could reach Gin's old master's home. He remembered where it was from when Ken, GB, and Sasuke had once taken Jerome there in a similar attempt to save his life after the Shepard had nearly been killed in a river while saving Weed during the war against Hougen. GB had told the pack later where it was in case a similar emergency ever developed in the future; like the one they had now.
'Was that really 3 years ago?' Rocket thought. 'I am getting old.'
He shook the thoughts from his head and ran harder, dirt and snow being kicked up in his wake.
'I'm going to get there.' Rocket swore to himself. 'I don't care if it kills me.'
He glanced over his shoulder at the unconscious dog riding him.
"Hang on, Weed." he said. "Hang in there."
Jerome trotted to a halt as Gin did, the rest of the pack following suit behind them. They had been moving at a very rapid pace for quite some time, and he heard some of the dogs breathing hard as they attempted to catch their breath from the effort. They were just under halfway back to Gajou and night was beginning to fall, so Gin and Akame had decided to let the pack rest one final time before they tried to make it the rest of the way back home in one go. To his right, Jerome saw Hiro panting in near exhaustion, Kyoushiro, Ken, and George standing next to him, looking at him with an almost playful disdain.
"See," Kyoushiro said in a teasing voice. "That's why you shouldn't have retired, Hiro. You're out of shape."
"Yeah?" the Great Pyrenees answered in his deep voice. "Maybe you'd like to carry me then, you little twig."
Ken and George laughed but then Akame looked over at them.
"Enough." he said sternly. "Everyone rest while you can. We move out in a couple of hours."
Jerome was in no frame of mind to rest, but he padded back towards the rest of them anyway, intending to at least lay down with them. He lay down next to Kagetora on the edge of the group, resting his head on his paws and watching their banter silently. Then he glanced at the Kai dog and frowned slightly. Kagetora seemed to be staring off into space, an almost angry expression on his face, one paw absentmindedly stroking part of his front leg where a wound had been.
"Kagetora." Jerome said, but was not answered. "Kagetora!"
The other dog jumped slightly and looked at him with a slightly irritated expression.
"What?" he asked. "What is it?"
"Are you okay? You were – "
"Fine! I'm fine!" came the answer and Jerome laid his head back down.
"Is 'fine' Kai dog slang for 'not fine at all'?" he asked and Kagetora growled slightly.
"Screw you."
"Come on, Kagetora," Jerome said. "I know I'm not Weed or Ken, but you can talk to me."
"Oh yeah?" Kagetora said bitterly. "You know, Jerome, if I were you I wouldn't delve too deeply into what I'm thinking right now. It should be hard enough already for the rest of you that I can't even be trusted to protect my own leader and friend without having to listen to me talk my shit on top of it."
Then the Kai dog stood up abruptly and walked away, leaving Jerome staring after him in concern. When he stood as well to go after him though, someone stepped in front of him. Jerome looked and saw Akame.
"Wait, Jerome." the Kishu said. "I'll talk to him."
And without waiting for a response, he turned and followed Kagetora into the burgeoning darkness. Jerome stared after him for a moment, then turned back to where he had been. The moment he did, something else caught his eye. Standing alone at the edge of the tree line, the dim light making him a silhouette as he stared out over the ledge they were currently following, was Tesshin. The Shepard recognized both the ninja dog's Mohawk and his scent, and he heard the voices of his comrades fade slightly as he walked over to join him. Tesshin glanced over at him as he sat down, then turned back to the scenery as Jerome turned to look at him.
"Do you need something, Jerome?" Tesshin asked in a calm voice that contained only a slight trace of the same irritation Kagetora had had at first.
"Well, I'm 0 for 1 in helping friends tonight who look like they need to talk." the Shepard said. "I figured I might as well make it a perfect score."
Tesshin smirked.
"So I'm number 2, huh?" he said. "Good luck with that."
Jerome smiled slightly and looked up at the sky, wondering how Weed was doing on his own journey north. Then something else came back into his mind and the smile faded from his muzzle. It was the same worry that he'd had ever since he'd committed to fighting Ronin only a day or so before. Tesshin didn't miss a beat.
"Are you worried about the fight?" he asked and Jerome looked down at the ground.
"Yes." he admitted and the ninja dog looked at him again.
"You're a great fighter, Jerome." he said. "You can beat him."
"It's not beating him that worries me." Jerome said. "It's what I'll have to do to do it."
Tesshin frowned, looking confused and Jerome turned and met his gaze.
"You didn't know me when I was an assassin, Tesshin." the Shepard said. "I was a cold, violent dog with no regard for anything but my mission and my duty. The only thing that changed me was Weed. Meeting him was the greatest thing that ever happened to me because it led me to all of this. A new pack, a new purpose…a new family. I'm going to be a father soon. I'm worried that the only way to defeat Ronin permanently will be to become the dog I used to be. That's something I never want my pups to see."
Tesshin stared at him for a moment, taking this all in. Then he rested a paw on Jerome's shoulder.
"We've all done things we're not proud of." he said. "But it's the other things you've done that show what kind of dog you are. You and I know better than most the things we're forced to sometimes do to protect our pack and our land. And I know that you're a great enough male that you'll be able to hold onto who you are, not what you used to be. If you sense yourself slipping, just think of your pups. That alone should keep you grounded."
Jerome was both grateful and taken aback by Tesshin's words and he nodded at the ninja dog gratefully. When Tesshin nodded back, Jerome stood.
"I think I'm going to rest after all." he said, "But can I give you some advice as well, Tesshin?"
"Of course."
Jerome looked him in the eye.
"If anyone has a reason to hate Takeshi, it's you." he said and Tesshin tensed immediately at the name. "And I won't presume to tell you what to do in your battle when the time comes. But whatever happens, however you choose to defeat him, don't let your hatred for him turn you into what he is. You're too great a male for that."
Tesshin didn't say anything and turned back towards the ledge. Jerome walked a few feet away and then stopped.
"Defeat him, Tesshin." he said. "Don't become him."
Then he continued on back to the pack, leaving Tesshin the ninja dog alone with his thoughts, staring into the dark.
Daisuke was beginning to get frustrated. There was just no way to do it. He was currently in a large building right next to the hospital where Hidetoshi worked that had been used for years as a gym. A few feet away, he heard the customary 'THUNK' of an arrow hitting a block of wood as Hidetoshi practiced with a bow and arrow, the same bow and arrow that Daisuke had once used himself when he was a boy. Daisuke wasn't paying attention to him, however, because he was busy poring over reports from hunters, hoping that he would find one that had seen Gin and his pack in or around Futago Pass when the Oroshi disaster had occurred. But unfortunately, he was having no such luck. People just didn't notice stray dogs anymore these days, even ones that had once saved the people of the town. He threw the papers down on the ground in disgust as he heard another 'THUNK' and Hidetoshi swore. Leaning back in the chair he was in and resting his head against the wood and concrete wall, Daisuke saw that his friend had missed the block of wood entirely and stuck an arrow in the wall paneling.
"How's the practicing going?" he asked, not having the heart to smirk when Hidetoshi glowered at him.
"Apparently I'm not as strong as I used to be." Hidetoshi answered. "Old age and all that. Although it sounds like I was having more fun than you judging by those noises you were making."
"I just can't figure out a way to clear Gin and his pack." he said, closing his eyes and putting his hands behind his head. "Nobody has seen them that can vouch for them. Or nobody cares."
"Well what did you expect?" Hidetoshi asked, picking up his things and walking to the door that Daisuke sat by.
"More than this." the younger man said and standing followed him out, letting the door close behind him.
Once they were out, they turned a corner onto the town's main street and headed for the outskirts, where Daisuke and his family lived in the Hotel Fujiwara, and where the two were planning on having dinner with Daisuke's family that night.
"I did find one thing though," Daisuke said, throwing his coat over his shoulder. "A number of hunters just a little to the south of Futago Pass have reported seeing a black wolf wandering around…"
"So? There are wolves all over the place –"
"…leading a large pack of dogs." Daisuke finished and Hidetoshi looked at him with a frown.
"That is odd." he admitted. "But it proves nothing."
"Oh come on." Daisuke pressed. "It's at least worth looking into right? I mean, how many wolves that you know lead packs of dogs?"
"You do what you want, Daisuke," Hidetoshi answered as they approached the Hotel Fujiwara, which was in the off-season and looked empty. "But I'm not going to –"
Suddenly, Daisuke looked ahead and froze. Then he grabbed Hidetoshi's arm hard.
"What?" the doctor asked. "What?"
"Look." Daisuke answered and pointed forward.
Standing on his home's raised porch, pawing at the front door and occasionally whining, was a large orange dog that Daisuke recognized immediately as one of Gin's pack mates. Lying on the ground next to him was another dog that looked either dead or close to it. It also looked very familiar.
"Oh no." he said and sprinted at the porch.
The orange dog, a Borzoi, saw him coming and moved aside to let the two humans get access to his stricken companion, and began barking at them urgently when they had. Daisuke looked at the dog carefully and then glanced up at Hidetoshi.
"This is Gin's son." he said.
"I remember." came the answer. "I healed him before. He's in a bad way, though."
"This isn't a gunshot wound on his head."
"No, it looks like he hit it on something hard." Hidetoshi answered, running a hand over the wound.
"We've gotta help him, Sensei." Daisuke said quickly and the other human nodded.
"Take him inside," he said, "I'll run back and get my medical kit."
Daisuke slipped his hands underneath the limp bluish-grey form and picked it up gingerly. Then, while his partner sprinted back towards the hospital they had just come from, he carried the dog inside and shut the door behind him.
Ronin snorted and looked away as he leaned against the tree, seething as he flexed his jaw back and forth. It still ached from his fight with that damn Shepard friend of Weed's a few days ago and he was itching for some payback. He didn't care when he got it or how, but he wanted it, at any cost. At this point, he wanted to kill Jerome almost more than anyone, especially now that Weed was about to be…well…taken care of. He smirked to himself proudly. He had gotten sick of waiting for Scimitar to take action against Ohu, and had been positively livid when he had found out that not only had he been used as bait without his knowledge, but that the wolf had had Weed in his grasp and had let him live. Let him live. He took some comfort in knowing that Scimitar had supposedly thrashed the Ohu leader half to death, but letting him go had been unforgivable…so he had done something about it.
He had secretly, without the knowledge of either Scimitar or Takeshi, sent an assassin, one he had gone to in the past, to kill Weed after one of his scouts had seen the injured dog being carried to a human village by one of his packmates. When the assassin's job was done, he was to come back and report directly to Ronin himself to confirm it, and then Ronin could concentrate on the other dogs of Ohu that were still left. He looked over as Scimitar finished saying something to the group that was gathered around him. He couldn't hear what it was, nor did he really care, and he glanced over at Takeshi as the ninja dog stalked away through the trees silently away from them all, probably towards a group of his own. All he knew was that they were in one of Ohu's neighboring territories and were about to go do some killing. That's what he cared about. Ronin stretched his neck and looked over at Scimitar again, but the wolf was gone. Wrinkling his nose in confusion, the malamute turned to saunter off, and nearly walked right into the black wolf, who now stood right in front of him with an unreadable look on his face.
"What?" Ronin asked in a deliberately challenging tone.
"Follow me, Ronin." Scimitar said in a low voice. "I need to discuss something with you."
Ronin snorted again and followed him after a pause, wondering what pointless task the wolf wanted him to do now. They stopped after only about 20 feet. Then Scimitar turned to face him.
"I have a question for you, Ronin." he said, his eyes suddenly piercing. "And do your best to answer truthfully."
"Yeah? What's that?"
"Do you want me to kill you?"
Ronin froze.
"What did you say?"
"Do you. Want me. To KILL you?" Scimitar said slower, but in a voice dripping with barely contained fury. "Because if you do, then you're doing a great job of getting yourself there."
"What the fuck are you talking abo–"
"When I spared Weed's life, I did it for a very specific reason." the wolf said. "And that was so I could see his reaction when he woke up and saw what we've done in his absence, especially given all that I told him. Now that seems like something that would be very difficult to accomplish if he's dead…which is why the only explanation I can come up with for why the FUCK you sent an assassin after him, directly defying me, is that you want me to kill you. So? What's the answer?"
Ronin backed up a step, his breath catching in his throat. How the hell had he found out?! Before he could take another step, though, suddenly he was knocked clean off his feet and onto his back. As he landed, he felt Scimitar stomp down hard on his balls and he let out a howl of pain. Then the wolf's paw was at his throat and Ronin's eyes widened as he looked up at the warlord, not having the mobility to roll away. Scimitar glared down at him murderously.
"You listen to me, you pathetic, ungrateful thing." he hissed at Ronin, and he was clearly very angry. "Thus far I have tolerated your insubordination solely because you are useful to my final goal. That is also the reason I didn't just castrate you instead, because I still need your strength. However, the fine, invisible thread that is my patience is wearing thin, and if you ever do anything to piss me off again, it will snap…along with your neck. Do I make myself clear?"
Ronin nodded shallowly, unable to determine whether he felt angry or scared.
"Oh good." Scimitar said mock-sweetly, then his voice changed back again. "Now go to your group!"
Then he let him up and Ronin leapt aside instantly, choking for breath. Once he had caught it, he shot Scimitar a hateful glare and moved back towards his troops.
"Oh and Ronin?"
The malamute froze again and looked over his shoulder at the warlord.
"You better hope to god he doesn't die." Scimitar said malevolently. "Because if he does and it's not on my terms…then you will really see me angry."
Ronin felt a chill go through him, but he didn't let Scimitar see him react. Then, seething quietly once more, he stalked away.
Rocket shook sleep off of him as he awoke with a start. He was resting in the same place he had been ever since he'd arrived at the humans' building, under the porch behind the stairs, and didn't particularly want to move. Despite the kindness of Gin's former master and his friend, part of Rocket still didn't trust humans entirely, and he didn't venture out unless he wanted to check on Weed. Right now, the humans had all left and the place was empty except for Weed, who Rocket suspected was busy recuperating in the small room they had been treating him in. Realizing that he was still tired, Rocket wondered why he had awoken, a thought that only stayed in his mind for a second. He suddenly heard a dog ascending the stairs only inches above his head and froze up, realizing that whoever it was had apparently failed to notice him, as he was currently downwind and out of sight. Standing up as silently as he could, Rocket slunk out from his hiding place in time to see a thin, spotted tail disappear around the corner of the door, which had been left partially open by the humans.
Realizing that the strange dog was headed directly for the room where Weed was, Rocket crept up the stairs and followed him inside. When he'd rounded the corner as well, he saw the dog clearly, now standing at a door that must lead to Weed. The dog was a foxhound, with white fur and brown spots that coated his form, and Rocket's senses told him instantly that the dog was not friendly. Then he saw the foxhound push open the door with a paw.
"Hey!" Rocket barked and the dog whirled in surprise.
The second it saw him, the stranger turned and ran full tilt into Weed's room, and Rocket lunged after it as fast as he could go in the limited space. Once inside he lunged without thinking further, only barely registering the foxhound's jaws about to close down on the unconscious and bandaged Weed's throat before he barreled into him hard and sent them both sprawling. As Rocket jumped to his paws, he found that the attacker already had, and he was smacked across the muzzle hard before being grabbed and thrown into a wall with a painful 'CRASH'.
'Shit!' Rocket thought, shaking it off, 'This guy's an assassin! Only they move that fast, and he's no ninja dog!'
His speed helping him greatly, Rocket lunged again and bit the dog hard on the back of the neck. Then he threw him aside and positioned himself in between him and Weed. The foxhound snarled and squared off to him.
'Damn!' Rocket thought. 'What the hell do I do now?!'
Everything was black. That was all Weed registered as he looked around. For some reason, he felt very light and looking down at himself, he noticed to his distinct surprise that he was completely unharmed. No scars remained from his run-in with Scimitar, and it felt as though it had never happened at all. This wasn't right. Looking up, he called out:
"Where am I?"
No one answered. Weed took a few steps forward, trying to ignore the fact that the ground he was walking on was the same shade of black as everything else and didn't seem to exist.
"Is anyone there?" he called again. "Where am I?"
"You're safe, Weed." came a voice suddenly. "You're safe here."
Weed's head whipped around, but he couldn't see anyone there the voice could've come from.
"Where are you?" he asked edgily. "What's going on?!"
Then, a few feet in front of him, Weed saw a dog appear as if out of thin air. Freezing up in shock, Weed met the dog's gaze. He was a large, majestic looking male; an Akita like himself. The dog had red fur and was covered in battle scars, but had a wisdom and compassion in his eyes that reminded Weed instantly of his father. He also was ringed by a ghostly green glow that seemed as much a part of him as every other feature.
"I'm right here." the dog said in a deep, rich voice. "I've always been here. We all have."
And before Weed could respond, suddenly more dogs appeared next to them, all of them carrying the same ghostly glow that the first had possessed. There were three of them in all, and when Weed focused on their faces, he felt every muscle in his body seize up. Trembling, he felt tears begin forming in his eyes as he looked at them: a older German Shepard with a playful, arrogant look; another red-furred Akita, but this one around his age; and a smiling black and white English Setter that was looking at him with a pride he usually saw in his father.
"G-GB?!" he stammered and the Setter nodded. "Yu-Yukimura?! John-sama?! How? Wh-Why-?"
"You didn't really think goodbye was forever, did you brother?" Yukimura asked, a smile tracing his ghostly muzzle. "You know better than that."
"But where am –"
"You're being cared for by humans." John said. "Good humans. But they've taken it as far as they can."
"And now you need to fight the rest of the way back." the first dog added, looking at Weed seriously. "Your friends and family are in danger, and you need to be there to help protect them. That's your duty as leader."
Weed looked around at them.
"And if I don't fight," he said. "…Then I die?"
All four nodded and John spoke.
"Yes. And that's a decision that's up to you and you alone. But if you're anything like your father, Weed, that won't be a challenge you back down from."
"But why are you telling me this?"
"Because it's not your time to die." GB said softly, speaking for the first time. "And I know that it's not like you to leave the others in danger."
Weed looked over at his godfather and smiled sadly.
"I miss you." he whispered and the Setter smiled back.
"You'll see me again when it's your time." he said. "You'll see us all again."
"How will I know when that is?"
"You'll know…" GB said and Weed nodded and looked back at the others.
"You need to return now, Weed." the first dog said and Weed couldn't shake the feeling that he knew him from somewhere. "The war will soon begin. When it does, fight for the survival of your pack and all the dogs of Japan. Show your enemies what a real male is capable of."
"Thrash him, Weed." John said, and his ghostly eyes still somehow managed to show the ferocity that Weed had heard he possessed in life. "Show that scumbag Scimitar the strength of an Ohu soldier."
Weed nodded at him and then at his brother and GB when they nodded in agreement with John's statement. Then suddenly, the black started to slowly become a white glow, and it grew in intensity by the second. Weed looked at the three one more time and they smiled and nodded.
"Goodbye, Weed." the first dog said. "You really are your father's son."
"Wait!" Weed called, beginning to lose sight of him. "Who are you?!"
Right before the bright white filled his vision entirely, Weed saw the dog smile at him for the first time.
"My name is Riki." he said.
Then they were gone.
Rocket choked and coughed weakly as the assassin leaned harder into the paw that was currently pressing down into his throat, and he vainly tried clawing at his attacker's eyes, drawing some blood but not making him move. The smaller dog had been a much more talented fighter than Rocket had anticipated, and though he normally could hold his own in a fight, this was one that he was undeniably losing. Blood streamed from small cuts all over his body and the room was in shambles from their duel, but the foxhound was also bleeding profusely from cuts of his own, and Rocket had managed to get him to focus on him and him alone, leaving Weed safe for the moment. His own safety on the other hand, was another matter. The assassin sneered down at him.
"I don't have time for this bullshit." he said. "Now why don't you be a good mutt and die so I don't have to deal with you."
Unable to speak, Rocket managed to get all his legs underneath the dog and kick him off, sending him flying backwards into a wall. Before he could so much as catch his breath, though, he was smacked back down hard, and this time it was teeth that wrapped around his throat. Rocket knew instantly that it was over.
"Big mistake, bastard." the assassin hissed triumphantly. "Now you die."
"After you." came a voice suddenly and Rocket looked up in time to see Weed, who was still covered in bandages, bury his fangs right into the assassin's forehead as hard as he could.
A loud 'CRUNCH' was heard and the dog's eyes went wide as blood exploded from the impact point and he released his grip on Rocket, who again coughed for breath. Then, after a few seconds, Weed yanked his fangs out and the assassin fell over, landing dead with an almost insignificant 'THUD'.
"Weed!" Rocket said in between coughs, "Are you okay?"
"I will be." was the Akita's answer. "And you, Rocket?"
"I'm fine. These wounds are minor. I'm lucky you woke up right then, though, leader."
Weed smiled and stretched, shaking the bandages off him and looking very rejuvenated from his treatment, despite the large scar now on the back of his head. Then he walked to Rocket and gestured with his head towards the door.
"Come on, Rocket." he said. "We have a war to win."
Then Rocket followed him out the front door and they ran off back into the wild, leaving the Hotel Fujiwara and their human saviors behind.
Daisuke shook the water off him as he walked into the bar. It had started raining as he and Hidetoshi had been walking back from the hospital, where Hidetoshi had been getting more bandages to use on Gin's son back at Daisuke's place, and now the young man was soaked almost clear through to the skin. Daisuke had decided to get them a couple of drinks that they could take back with them, and as he walked up to the counter, the bartender came over to meet him.
"Two sakes, and I'll take the bottle." he said and the bartender nodded and walked away.
As Daisuke got his money out to pay him, he saw the man sitting to his right staring at him. When he looked up with a frown, the man pointed at him.
"You're Hidetoshi's friend, aren't you?" he said and Daisuke was taken a little aback.
"Yeah, that's me." he answered. "And you are?"
"Name's Daigo." the man answered, pulling out a cigarette from his jacket and lighting it. "I used to be Hidetoshi's hunting partner. He's never mentioned me, huh?"
"No, sorry." Daisuke laughed.
"Ehh, doesn't matter." Daigo said, waving it off and turning back to the bar. "It doesn't surprise me one bit."
Daigo was roughly mid 50's in age, Daisuke guessed, and had a clean shaven face that made him look a little younger than he probably was. He was wearing a wool-lined jacket and hunting boots that looked worn from use.
"So what are you doing up this way, Daigo-san?" Daisuke asked, giving the bartender the money he owed and taking his bottle and drinks.
"Hunting." came the answer. "I'm head of a small group that's going to be hunting up here in a few days."
"What are you hunting for?" Daisuke asked, only half paying attention as he looked outside to see if Hidetoshi was waiting for him.
Daigo looked over at him, breathing smoke from his cigarette.
"Dogs." he said. "Wild dogs."
Daisuke froze. He met the older man's weathered gaze.
"Are you –?"
"-Going to Futago Pass to hunt? Yeah." Daigo responded. "Hidetoshi told me about you. That's how I knew who you were by the way. He told me you wanted to try and save those dogs."
"I still am going to, so don't you dare go and shoot them!"
"Don't take it personally, kid, it's just a job I was hired to do." the older man said, standing up.
Daisuke still looked furious, though, so Daigo shrugged and put money of his own down on the counter.
"Look," he said. "If it makes you feel any better, I managed to convince them that I only have to kill enough so that the pack's no longer a threat, at least in my opinion. So at least some of them'll live."
Then he zipped up his coat and clapped Daisuke on the shoulder.
"See you around, kid." Daigo said. "Tell Hidetoshi I said hi."
Then he walked out the door, tossing his cigarette onto the street as he did, leaving Daisuke holding his drinks, glaring angrily after him in his wake.
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