"What? They stopped you from gathering females?"

One of the soldiers before Gemba coward. "I'm sorry! It was Akame and that old Kai. And someone else named Hook!"

Gemba obviously wasn't happy about this failure. "Dumbasses! How pathetic, especially with so many of you!" He looked at the Irish Wolfhound. "Kamakiri, kill them! We don't need these cowards!"

Before Kamakiri could finish off the failed soldiers, Hougen stopped him. "Wait! Even though they were useless, they're still soldiers. It was probably too much for them to handle."

Gemba gave his older brother a confused look, only for Hougen to continue. "We have 700 dogs on our side. I'm sure a couple are exceptionally strong. Let's use them to determine our top generals!"

"Good idea, brother!" Gemba agreed.

"Gather those who are confident in their strength!" Hougen ordered his troops, raising his head and laughing afterwards. "Let's get ready for a festival of bloody fighters, shall we?"

[LINE BREAK]

Weed stood before his pack, smiling as he watched Thunder and Lector apologizing to Rocket and GB for attacking them. Rocket and GB accepted their apology, Rocket quickly adding that he too was once one of Hougen's minions.

Thunder and Lector gasped. "What? Really?"

While Rocket told his story, Jerome and Kyoushiro watched with suspicion from afar.

"I don't trust this," Jerome glared at the Doberman brothers.

Kyoushiro gave his Shepherd friend a wink. "You and me both, Jerome." His scowl returned. "I mean, how could Weed have had spared them? They're assassins!"

Jerome sighed. "Had you known me in the past, Kyoushiro, you would've known that I too was an assassin."

Kyoushiro gaped at Jerome. "What? You?"

"Four years ago, I was charged with the task of guarding a genetically enhanced dog named Kaibutsu, along with my fifteen other friends. Once he broke out, he started attacking and killing human and dogs alike. I was reduced to four last subordinates before I met Weed.

While my friends had died, I was able to nearly rip out his arteries, only to be tossed into a river. And it was Weed who'd succeeded in doing what I couldn't have all those 4 years, impaling the monster on a tree branch. When I'd thought I'd given up, Weed told me that I survived for some reason, allowing me a second chance at life."

Kyoushiro glanced down at his Akita friend. "Weed," he whispered.

Jerome moved next to his friend. "Weed's just trying to be a voice of reason in a world of killing and bloodshed, Kyoushiro. Don't shove so much hate on his sense of mercy."

Kyoushiro sighed reluctantly. "Fine. But if I sense one hint of treachery, I'll be the one to rip out their throats." Just then, the white Kishu's ears pricked to the left, causing him to look over at a Golden Retriever puppy leaping behind a rock. He went over to investigate, asking coldly, "Hey, kid. Why are you hiding?"

"Kyoushiro!" Rick called to his scarred white Leader. "Weed and his group are about to depart! Let's hurry after them!"

"Wait!" the puppy said. "Did you say, 'Weed'?"

Jerome was a lot more calm and friendly. "Do you know him, young one?"

"Yeah!" the golden puppy replied. "Let's go after him!" With Jerome at his side, the puppy skid down the slope.

Kyoushiro caught sight of what happened and called after his Shepherd friend, "Wait, Jerome! That kid could be a spy!" After earning silence as a response, the scarred white dog scowled and slid after Jerome and the puppy. "Damn it!"

Weed then heard someone call his name and looked up to see Mel sliding down a slope. "Mel? Is that you?"

Mel stopped in front of his Akita friend. "Weed, be careful! It's the enemy!"

After Jerome and Kyoushiro slid down after Mel, Weed chuckled. "Take it easy, Mel. They're friends. Let me introduce you." He led the Retriever puppy towards the rest of his pack. "Rocket? Hiro? Kyoushiro? Thunder? Lector? Tesshin? This is Mel. He helped protect Gajou. Mel, meet my newest friends."

Mel nodded to each one of Weed's dogs, only to cringe in wariness as he saw Thunder and Lector. After gaining a reassuring smile from the Dobermans did Mel finally feel safe. However, in an instant, he realized why he was meeting with his Akita friend. "Weed! It's Gajou! Gajou has been completely taken over!"

While Weed and Ken gasped, Kagetora asked, "Mel, where's Akame-san?"

"He's fine," Mel responded. "He's with Ben-san and Kurotora-san in a safe place. I'm here to relay a message from Akame-san that the battle will take place at Futago's Pass." He frowned in remembrance. "On the way here, I saw Hougen's army. A badly hurt Leader was with them and being publicly humiliated."

Weed bared his fangs and began to growl. "My father?"

"We can't just sit here," Tesshin decided. "Weed, let us hurry to Ohu!"

After the blue Akita nodded, he ordered his pack to leave with them, Thunder and Lector close behind.

[LINE BREAK]

A large Tosa-Inu slammed a paw down on a dog's head, earning a grin from Hougen. "You. Your name?"

The Tosa lifted his head. "I'm Toube the Demon."

Hougen chuckled. "Demon, eh? Then kill him."

When Toube asked why, Hougen simply (and sadistically) answered it'd be better to die with pride than live in shame. In agreement, Toube killed his opponent. Hougen then named his four Generals: Toube, Kite (a greyhound), Bat (a black Labrador with no eyes), and Buruge (a Tan Blackmouth Cur).

[LINE BREAK]

"What a terrifying bunch," Kurotora whispered. "We can hear the uproar at Gajou all the way from here."

"Don't be too surprised," Akame said, "They're under military rule. It sounds like they've chosen their tops by pitting them against each other. They'll probably try to go to the villages again. But this time, with their Generals . . . "

Then, to himself, he thought, As long as we don't know where Gin is, we can't set foot inside Gajou. Mel, hurry and bring Weed here!

[LINE BREAK]

After two days of nonstop running, Weed and his pack finally neared Futago's Pass.

"Look," Kagetora observed. "That's Futago's Pass."

Ken spoke up. "This our Paradise."

Kyoushiro scowled. "That is if Hougen didn't exist."

"Weed," Jerome said to his Akita friend, "let's rest here for a bit. Everyone spirit's are strong but their physical strength is close to their limit."

Weed agreed. "Yeah. Everyone do that. I'm going to go ahead."

"Hey, hey!" GB sputtered. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Are you going to treat us like extra baggage?" Kyoushiro scowled.

"No. I just want to assure Akame-san as soon as possible." Weed looked toward the Twin Mountains. "From here onward, it'll be enemy territory. Since we aren't going to fight right away, I only want a few escorts."

Tesshin stepped up to his friend. "Then I'll go too. I know this area."

"Kagetora and I will come too," Ken added with his Kai-friend bedside him.

Weed declined their help and told them that they should stay. "Since you know this area, if something happens, I want you to lead everyone out of here." He then told GB and Rocket to come along with him as messengers, as well as Jerome for a bodyguard.

With a bark, Weed and his group took off to Futago's Pass.

[LINE BREAK]

Having caught sight of Gemba's huge army, Hook, Akame, and Kurotora hid upon a slope. Kurotora suggested attacking them, but Akame warned his Kai-friend of Gemba in the front and the fighting dog beside him. Akame looked to the sky, trying to come up with a plan, only to be motioned by Hook that another group of dogs was heading towards Gemba's army.

Kurotora easily recognized his nephew in the front.

Shigure came to a halt when he recognized the murderer of his brothers.

"You make me laugh!" Gemba laughed. "You've brought more friends to have them get killed like the last time?"

After receiving a nod from Gemba, Toube walked up to Shigure's group of six and introduced himself as the Twelfth Heavyweight Fighting Dog Champion. In response, Shigure's group of six introduced themselves as Kisaragi's sons: Izou, Shirosake, Shinsake, Shintaro, Kogoru, and Hichinosuke.

Akame, Kurotora, and Hook charged into battle. Shigure leaped for Gemba only to be grabbed by the back of his neck and tossed into a hill.

A blur came at Gemba, knocking him on his back and revealing itself to be Akame. Gemba laughed in reply and leaped for the white Kishu, who easily dodged his lunges. The Dane was bitten on the throat by Kurotora and his nephew in revenge for killing Shouji, Buru, and Dodo. However, a slight glance of an injured Izou caused them to be thrown off of Gemba like fleas.

Akame rushed forward to save Izou, but was bitten on the back of the neck and pinned by Gemba. "You piece of shit!" the much larger dog snickered. "I'll take your life right now!"

However, before anything else could happen, a loud roar of rage came from a leaping Tora-Ge Akita puppy. Hook recognized him instantly and called him by name. "Weed!"

Please read and review. P.S. I know it was Kyoushiro who'd accompanied Weed, but since Jerome wasn't banished, I felt that it'd be best if he went along with his friend (and as a substitute for Kyoushiro, as a means to show more of his loyalty).