Author's Note: This is the final chapter of the story and I personally like the way it came out. There IS an epilogue, though, so this technically isn't the end. Hope you like it!

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Daisuke could see the fire before he even got to where he was going. Rounding a bend in the road, he caught glimpses of the flashing lights of the fire trucks and managed to see flames shooting out of the forest beside them before it all went out of his view again. Stepping down harder on the car's accelerator, he pulled up behind the first of the bright red vehicles that he came to. Once he had thrown the car into 'Park' and jumped out, slamming the door behind him, he saw Hidetoshi standing beside one of the trucks ahead of him, using a portable fire extinguisher to help subdue the flames closest to them. Daisuke didn't know how his friend had gotten there before him, but he didn't dwell on it for long. Breaking into a run, he stopped next to the doctor right as the older man looked up to see who was approaching him.

"Daisuke." he said. "I was wondering where you were."

"Yeah, well," the younger man retorted. "Your car isn't quite as fast up here as my truck is. How's it going?"

"Much better." Hidetoshi said. "The fire's not quite as serious as we originally thought. We have most of it under control in this area already and we're getting ready to move further in."

"That thunderstorm looks like it's about to start any minute." Daisuke said, looking up at the dark clouds and realizing that he couldn't quite distinguish between them and the smoke from the fire.

"If we're lucky." Hidetoshi responded and Daisuke suddenly gestured back over his shoulder.

"Was that that Daigo guy I saw leaving on the way up here?" he asked with a frown, remembering the Jeep that had passed him on the road, and Hidetoshi nodded.

"Yeah it was." he answered. "We saw him too. Looks like he and his group are leaving for good."

"What makes you say that?"

"I know Daigo." the older man said. "Better than he probably thinks I do. Trust me, he's leaving."

Daisuke clapped a hand on his shoulder, secretly feeling a combined sense of relief and dread at the hunter's departure.

"In that case, I'll be back!" he said and leapt into the trees, getting drenched by one of the fire truck's water-spouting hoses in the process.

"Daisuke!" called Hidetoshi and he turned back to his friend.

The older man looked disapproving, but understanding.

"Be careful." he said. "We haven't put out most of the fire where you're going yet. I'll meet you back at the town a little later."

Daisuke nodded with a smile.

"I'll be there, Sensei." he said.

Then he turned and disappeared into the forest.

There were very few times that Gin could remember where he had ever collapsed, where his emotions had overwhelmed him so completely that his powerful legs had given way beneath him and he had dropped physically to the ground below. He had felt embarrassed after these incidents, but had internalized it, making it so no one except the most astute, like Akame, knew how he felt. After all, a leader had to be strong for his subordinates, for his comrades, even when he wasn't the leader anymore, and collapsing like that made Gin feel vulnerable. That was a feeling he had never liked, and he had made a promise to himself after the last time that it would never happen again if he could help it. On that day, however, with the image of his beloved son falling lifeless to the ground burned into his mind, he broke that promise.

He had vaguely registered the group of them dashing over to the spot where Weed had fallen, his legs seeming to move of their own accord, and he had heard his son's name being called all around him as bile rose in his throat. When he had finally gotten a good look at the limp, bloody form, though, a gaping hole in the back of its head and its eyes closed peacefully as if sleeping, Gin had crumbled, letting out a moan of sheer horror and crawling up to what was left of his son. All around him, the others were doing the same thing, and the expressions on their faces reflected what each one was feeling. Tesshin looked crushed, tears streaming down his normally stoic face as he shouted Weed's name vainly. Kyoushiro, meanwhile, looked as if someone had hit him upside the head with something large and heavy, and it seemed to Gin like he was trying to convince himself that it was all a bad dream that he could force himself to wake up from. Finally, looking completely heartbroken as he lay beside him, was Jerome, and Gin felt an irrational anger rise in him towards the Shepard for his inability to stop Weed before. Before it surfaced any further though, he managed to cast it away.

When he tried to form words to speak, Gin found that he couldn't, and finally, unable to maintain his fragile control any longer, the elder Akita dropped his head down onto his son's neck and sobbed, not even acknowledging the voices around him or what they were saying. Then he felt someone lie down atop him and hold him tightly to them, and he only recognized them when they spoke. It was Akame.

"Gin." the Kishu said softly, clearly crying as well. "He's gone. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"

Before Gin could respond, Kyoushiro suddenly leapt up and smacked Weed across the muzzle with his paw, startling everyone there.

"Wake up!" he commanded loudly, and Gin saw Rocket rest a paw on his shoulder.

"Kyoushiro…" he said, but the younger Kishu didn't listen.

"YOU IDIOT!!" he screamed, tears streaming down his furred cheeks as he began smacking the dead dog's face repeatedly. "YOU MOTHERFUCKING IDIOT!! YOU STUPID PIECE OF – "

Suddenly, Joe leapt up and half tackled him off Weed's body, simultaneously restraining and hugging the other dog as he cried uncontrollably, his own body trembling with grief as he tried not to look at his little brother's motionless form. Then they all heard a noise.

"Gin!"

The group of them looked up. It hadn't been a dog's voice, and the Akita looked towards its source just in time to see a human emerge from the trees behind them. He was soaking wet and covered in what looked like soot, and at first Gin didn't recognize him. He leapt to his paws, throwing Akame off him, and made a snarling rush at the intruder, wanting to hurt him as badly as he possibly could for what had happened, for what should never have had to happen. The human stopped dead in his tracks, looking taken aback, and Gin suddenly felt both Akame and Kurotura restrain him from behind, neither one having the heart to say anything to their grief-stricken friend. The human however, said Gin's name again, holding his hands up in front of him like a shield.

"Whoa! Whoa!" he said loudly. "It's me! Gin, it's me!"

Gin stopped struggling, recognizing the voice instantly now that he'd heard it a second time, and he found himself looking up at the face of the young man who had once been his puppyhood best friend and master. It was Daisuke.

Daisuke put his hands down, looking at the three dogs in front of him and wondering silently what that had been about. When he glanced at the larger group a few feet away, though, he saw a motionless figure on the ground right in their center, its blue fur instantly recognizable.

"Oh no." he said and walked quickly over to them, hearing a few of them bark and growl at him, only to be silenced by the others he knew better.

When he reached them and looked down at the form, his worst fears were confirmed. Gin's son lay in a pool of his own blood, an obvious rifle wound to his head. He was clearly dead, and Daisuke clenched his eyes shut, kneeling beside him and feeling like he had failed them somehow.

'So that's why Daigo was leaving.' he thought. 'He thought he'd finished what he came to do.'

Shaking his head in anger, the young man sighed, feeling a strange sense of relief come over that Gin himself hadn't been hurt. The sight of the body in front of him, however, almost immediately canceled that out, and he looked back at it sadly. Suddenly, he felt a nudge at his arm and Gin was there, whining and nudging the limp form on the ground before looking back at Daisuke with an almost pleading stare. Daisuke reached out a hand and stroked the top of his head.

"I know, buddy." he said softly. "I wish I could do something. But I can't…"

Gin nudged his head into the human's shoulder and Daisuke threw his arms around his friend's neck, feeling the Akita trembling as he held him. When they pulled apart after what seemed like an eternity, Daisuke could feel the eyes of all the dogs there on him, and he nodded, understanding what they must have been feeling. He reached out and stroked the fur on Weed's cheek. Then he gave a smile.

"He was quite the dog." he said, looking at Gin. "From what I saw, Gin, he was just like his father."

He thought he saw the Akita's tail wag for a moment, but then he turned and took Gin's head in his hands.

"If anyone will understand this, it's you, Gin." he said. "We've almost put the fire out, so once you get back to your home, you won't have to worry. I came to take you back with me, but I see now that I don't need to. I'll just make sure that no more humans bother you guys up here anymore. I'll get Hidetoshi to help me if I have to, but I'll make it happen. That's a promise."

Gin licked his face and Daisuke rubbed the dog's head again. Then he stood up, sweeping the soot and dirt from his pants.

"I'll be back up to check on you guys from time to time." he said, smiling at them and realizing that they probably didn't want him there at the moment. "That's a promise too."

Then he turned and walked back to the tree line he had come from, making sure to avoid the areas that were still burning. When he reached it, Daisuke turned back.

"See you 'round, Gin." he smiled.

Then he turned, and was gone. After a moment, Gin turned back to the others, all of them having gotten their composure a little bit.

"Everyone." he said, surprised at the strength in his own voice. "Let's go home."

At that, he walked over and leaned down, gently nudging Weed's body onto his back, Tesshin and Jerome helping him. Once it was secure, the tired little group turned around and headed back for Gajou.

Outside the entrance to Gajou, it was all but silent. The Ohu Army had arrived back at the great stone structure only 20 minutes ago, and had laid Weed's body gently down by its entrance, finding as soon as they had that their soldiers who had stayed behind had already cleared the battlefield of the bodies of those who had died, putting them into a pile off to the side for burial later. Koyuki had taken the news of Weed's death about as well as they had expected, and had been inconsolable ever since, although she was starting to calm down a little with help from Lydia and Reika. Afterwards, they had all gathered around outside, the dozens of subordinates they still had standing around behind them, waiting for a decision on what their next move was. That is where they were now, and as they stood there, Akame looked over at Gin.

"Gin," he said. "What should we do now?"

The Akita paused for a moment, his normal composure still not completely returned. Before he could answer, though, another voice jumped in.

"Father," Joe said, stepping forward as everyone turned and looked at him. "There's something I need to tell everyone."

Gin looked surprised, but nodded, and then watched as his last remaining son turned and ascended the side of Gajou, stopping on a high rock overlooking the entire group of them, general and subordinate alike. For a moment, he looked as if he was struggling with himself as to whether to reveal what he wanted to say. A few seconds later, though, the younger Akita got a determined look on his face and opened his mouth to speak.

"Everyone," he said loudly, making sure that every dog there could hear him. "I realize that the last few months have been some of the hardest we've ever had to endure, and we've lost a lot of friends, friends that we'll all miss every day, starting with Musashi and Jaguar…and ending with my brother."

Everyone's head drooped a little, but Joe continued.

"But before the final battle, my brother told me something, had a request of me, and it's a request that I intend to fulfill. I know some of you may have seen us arguing inside Gajou right before he left and the battle began, and I think you have the right to know what he said."

Joe saw the eyes of everyone on him, and took a deep breath.

"He told me: 'Joe, sooner or later, we're going to have to fight Scimitar and his army. When that happens, he and I will have to duel and this is one fight where I can't show mercy. It has to be to the death. Scimitar's a strong opponent, despite how sick and deranged he is, and though I have faith in us, I'm not sure who will live through this… Brother, if I should die today, I want you to take over my position…as leader of Ohu.'"

There was a collective gasp from the subordinate dogs below, and Gin and the other high-ranking dogs looked at their friend in surprise, looks of silent approval on their faces despite the suddenness of the news. Joe's eyes scanned the dogs that were there.

"It was his wish that I take over for him if he should die, but I will only do it with your approval. I won't try to be my brother…no one can, but I can lead you to the best of my ability, and I promise that this place will become a dog's paradise once more, no matter how long it takes."

Dogs below barked their approval, and Joe looked over at the pile of bodies off to the side of Gajou, then let his gaze pan over to Weed's still form, a few tears sliding down his furred cheek. He looked back at them.

"I've been told that my grandfather once said: 'Howl for the honor of the dead, and celebrate with the living'." he said with a half-smile. "Well…that's what I intend to do, because we're all still here! And that, my friends, means that we've won! Our friends' sacrifices were not in vain! We're still here, and we always will be!"

Suddenly, Gin, feeling more proud of his son then he ever had before, lifted his head and let out a loud howl. Seeing this, the others joined in, and their voices echoed off the stones of Gajou and the remaining trees of the forest, and floated up into the sky. As they howled, Jerome turned to Koyuki, who had calmed down enough to be outside to howl for her dead mate.

"Koyuki." he said. "What did you name the other pups?"

She turned and looked at him, then looked down at the tiny creatures, clustered at her feet. She nodded at each one in turn.

"This one is Sirius." she said. "He's the oldest. The black one is Rigel, and the female is Bellatrix."

Jerome nodded in approval.

"I like it," he said. "It may take me awhile to remember them all with my pups coming too, though."

Then he shook his head.

"I'll do my best." he smiled slightly. "After all, I'll be the one teaching them how to hunt. It would probably be good if I could call them by name."

She cocked her head in confusion.

"Why do you have to teach them, Jerome?" she asked.

For a moment, the Shepard didn't answer, thinking back to one of the final things Weed had said to him, whispering it in his ear before they'd parted. Then he looked down at the pups and his smile widened.

"Because I'm their godfather." he said and Koyuki gave him a startled look that quickly became a knowing one, as if she had expected this all along.

Before she could say anything, though, he walked over beside Gin and howled once more, his voice joining theirs until they all silenced, their eyes coming to rest on each other. Then the Ohu Army all stood together, Gin, Akame, and Joe at the front, each of them knowing that the grief they felt would soon end if they stuck together as a pack, and that suddenly there was more hope for the future then they had previously thought possible.

There was a storm coming. Joe could see this clearly from his perch on top of Gajou, and the further he looked to the west, the blacker and more foreboding the sky got, and he wondered how long the rain would last this time. Down below, on ground level, he saw some of his pack playing and horsing around, not yet realizing that their idyllic day wouldn't be lasting much longer. But he couldn't blame them. They were just common soldiers after all, and didn't have the stress and responsibility that he and the other high-ranking dogs of Ohu did. Plus, they had been through so much recently, that allowing them to indulge in a few moments of fun was just the kindest thing to do.

It had been 2 days since Weed had been buried, dogs coming from all around to pay their respects to the departed leader of Ohu, and Kisaragi and Izou had offered to let the Ohu Army stay with them in their territory until Paradise was restored to its former beauty. Joe knew that this could take months, but truthfully, he wasn't worried. The chances of another pack seizing it while they were gone were slim to none, especially with the state that it was in after the fire, and they would be keeping an eye on it closely anyway, sending scouts back every so often to make sure that it was exactly the way they had left it when they decided to return. Suddenly, he heard someone come up behind him.

"Leader." Came a young but strong sounding voice.

Glancing over his shoulder, Joe saw a white Kishu with scars covering his finely tuned form. It was his close friend Kyoushiro.

"Kyoushiro." Joe greeted him. "What is it?"

"Gin says that everyone's ready to leave." Kyoushiro said. "Teru and the other scouts that we sent out just got back and they all report calm."

"Even from the South?"

Kyoushiro smiled slightly.

"Even from the South." he replied and Joe nodded his approval.

Then he stretched his hind legs and turned to Kyoushiro.

"All right," he said. "You, Tesshin, and Jerome gather everyone together and we'll move out immediately."

"Yes, Soudaishou." Kyoushiro said, then cocked his head curiously as the other dog began descending the side of Gajou. "Where are you going?"

"To check on Koyuki." Joe responded with a smile. "To let her know that she doesn't have to carry those pups all by herself."

Kyoushiro grinned and nodded at him, and then turned and ran for the group gathering below as Joe walked towards the entrance to the cave in the side of Gajou where Koyuki and others were resting. Over in the west, the sky looked as bleak and foreboding as ever, and Joe silently hoped it wouldn't rain. The place they were going to was too beautiful to let the rain wash away their rejuvenated spirits. Whatever happened though, Joe knew that they would be together, and that they would survive. When he reached the bottom of Gajou, he saw that the pack had begun to move out already, heading North towards Kisaragi's homeland of Mutsu with Gin and Akame at the front. Right before he ran to catch up with them, though, he stopped at Weed's grave, positioned next his grandfather Riki's at the front of Gajou, both of them surrounded by the graves of other Ohu heroes from the past. Looking down, Joe smiled.

"See you in a couple months…brother." he said.

Then he leapt after his departing comrades, his powerful strides taking him closer and closer to the front of the group with every movement, and soon they were out of sight, the place that they called Paradise already healing peacefully in their wake.

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