A/N: Hey guys n gals! Thanx for all the reviews! This is the fourth chapter of a probable 8-chapter story. Enjoy! R/R!



1 Chap. 4 – Black Howling

Gau ran across the streets of Kuruda, which was busy and bursting with life.

"E-Excuse me!" he said as he bumped a man for the 3rd time.

"Watch where ya goin', bakero!" the man growled. "What? Have ya lost ya brain?!"

"G-G-Gomen sir, sumimasen!" Gau apologized.

He was about to tell the man that he had lost something more important than his mind, when conscience told him to clam up and go.

He was growing more frantic as every step brought him closer to Blorahan, the land where he had met his "anikii" Dias, and now, where he would reclaim the one he loved, Kyou Phantom Ryu.

Then he would kill the bastard who took her there, Len Fuma.

He clutched the weapon that Dias bestowed upon him, the infamous "Black Wing". He marveled at how such a primitive tool could be the object of fear and death for many.

"Dias-sama, sorry for using this, but killing is the only way to solve this." He sped up and was half way through the route, when a dark ominous figure stopped him.

"Gau Ban" the man spoke, "Or should I refer to, Black Howling, why so hasty? The sky is blue, the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, the bees are buzzing, 'Tis a good day to be---"

"Spare me the poetry, Darkness!" Gau growled, not wanting to spare a minute languishing with Darkness, while his love could be dying in the hands of a monster, a Wolfman to be exact.

"Hmmm?" Darkness coolly asked "I see no hurry in what task you need to accomplish, so why not spend a few minutes conversing with an old friend…"

"An old friend, who taught me to fear the 'guy down there'." Gau muttered.

"Be it as you wish," Darkness said, reading his thoughts all the same, "But I came here not to merely reflect upon the goodness of nature, to be quite frank, I abhor it."

Gau was getting impatient at Darkness' attempt to evade the true point of their conversation. "Stop beating around the bush and get to the damn point!" he snapped.

"Temper, temper Black Howling!" Darkness said apologetically, not wanting the 'beast' within Gau to run the show, "Alright, I'll get straight to the point. I gather you want to rescue Miss Kyou, right?" the surprised look on Gau's face told him everything. "I thought so…" Darkness sighed, "I am just here to deliver a warning from Diaz-san…" "Diaz-sama?!" Gau interrupted, "M- Masaka? I thought he died? H-How?"

"Gau Ban, such trivial matters can await for sometime later, but as of now, I cannot reveal that question in which you are interested, maybe sometime, but not now. Now, Diaz-san tasks me to warn you, 'Don't let the beast within take control of you! Do not let your emotions cloud your judgement or shatter your spirit! Don't end up like Kain! Remember that you have instilled within you the pride of a Kuruda Mercenary! Do not become another "G"…'

"At this, his voice faded." Darkness explained, "So I was not able to hear more of his counsel."

"What does he mean by 'another "G"'?!" Gau fumed, "I am fighting for the woman I love! Not some sort of 'fighting spirit' crap! I will never be another "G"! No, it is just because my mind is confused and my fighting spirit is raging that I am acting like this! I…" Gau was shocked by the words he said.

"You do not want to be like Kain, yet you speak the words of one who is obsessed of assimilating his very figure!" Darkness pointed out harshly. "About the woman you love, you say! This sounds more like what Kain said when he turned to "G"!"

Darkness softened his tone when he saw Gau looking hurt and confused, a look that never occurred ever since 2 years ago, when he was still a naïve, ambitious 14 year old.

"Listen, Black Howling, I didn't mean…" he said, trying to apologize.

"Look! Just stay out of my life and everything I do!" Gau screamed, "If I wanna be "G", so what?! I can do anything with my life! So get outa my way!" he yelled, shoving Darkness out of his way and traveling at an unusually fast pace.

Darkness shook his head, saying "The beast has gotten control of him, only a person closest to him can break a trance that strong…I'm going to miss him…"

Meanwhile in Blorahan, things weren't going too well for Kyou…

"Where is that guy? He's late!" Len fumed.

"What do you mean late? You were too stupid to tell him what time to come! What kind of an evil person are you? At least you didn't forget to tie me up… " Kyou pointed out.

"Oh, shaddap! Can't you see I'm trying my best? Sheesh… What a critic…" Len muttered.

"If you'd only use your mind I'd stop pouring it thick on your incompetence." Kyou reminded, "For the first few hours I WAS scared, now, I'm just scared because I'm stuck with an idiot…"

Len's temper had reached the boiling point after this insult, and he slapped Kyou, hard, on her cheek. Kyou whimpered in pain.

"SAY THAT AGAIN BITCH!?" Len screamed, "AN IDIOT?! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO REGAIN SHA KHAN-SAMA'S TRUST?! OF COURSE YOU DON'T! YOU JUST SIT AROUND BEING PROTECTED BY PEOPLE A LOT STRONGER THAN YOU ARE! YOU DON'T KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF PAIN! YOU'RE TOO WEAK TO!

Len's lips curved into a cold smile as an idea struck him.

"Yes, I'll show you the meaning of pain…when I take something…"important" from you."

He advanced towards Kyou, who was too shocked with what "important" thing he wanted.

"He's…g-going to…rape me?!" her mind screamed.

Len then picked her up, but as he just started trailing kisses, unwantedly, down Kyou's neck, a voice out of nowhere said, "Go any further, and your back's not the only thing I'm gonna break."

Kyou stared in happiness at the source of the voice, Gau's. Her joy turned to fear as she saw Gau's eyes. No more were they the sapphire color that looked at her with compassion, but they were now red, in anger and fury, the beast's color.

"Ah, Black Howling, I was expecting you, I was just "warming up" to the matter." Len said, faking a tone one would use when he sees an old friend, "But anyway, lets end the story we started shall we?" he said, morphing into the Wolfman once more,

"Yeah, lets end it. So you die…" Gau said.

Len then charged at Gau, unleashing a barrage of techniques only known to the Wolfmen. "Shadow Claw!" he said, slashing with his claw, charged with his own dark energy. "Kamui..." Gau calmly said. He disappeared from view, rendering the Shadow Claw useless.

He appeared behind Len and uttered a few inaudible words at him, but the only audible thing he said was, "You see, I've been practicing some Ying style ever since you fought me…Cougar!!!!!!" His fingers glew an unmistakable shade of red, a color only emitted by one possessed by the 'beast' within oneself. He plunged his fingers deep into the abdomen of Len, regardless whether he was a Wolfman or a human, he was still a monster.

Len felt the rays ripping through his body, then he flew away and hit a nearby tree, obliterating it. "Your gonna pay for that ya bastard!" he hissed, "Try this, Hell Cannon!" Len then ran towards Gau, but all of a sudden, he jumped in the air and twisted his body so that he was charging in mid-air, feet first towards Gau. As he got closer, his feet gathered wind and dark energy alike and smacked Gau in his torso.

"Hehehehehe" he sneered as he got up, hoping that the youth would be on the ground, writhing in pain. To his surprise, Gau was not even fazed by the attack, but he wore a furious expression on his face. "NANI?!" Len thought, "That was the ultimate Wolfman move ever taught and this guy just stands there like I hit him with a pillow!"

"Hmph!" Gau snorted, "The strongest you say? I will show you a move I have mastered…one not taught in Shadow Skill…guaranteed to send you to hell…" Len then quaked at the words, something he had never done towards an opponent. "O-Oh-h y-yeah, w-w-well I'll send y-y-you t-t-to he-he-hell first!" he stammered, "Screw!" He dashed at Gau, then stopped midway, and raised his feet to hit him. He found out that he only hit air, because Gau had used "Kamui" without saying anything. "H-H-Huh?!" Len yelled, "No man could…" He was cut off when a dozen Black Wings came at him. Being surprised, he took the full force of the attack, opening numerous cuts and breaking many bones, for Black Wing can be deadly in the hands of a killer, or for this instance, a beast.

Just as he was dropping to the ground, Gau reappeared, and said sadistically, "Where are you going? The fun has just started!" Then, Gau slashed at him with Black Wing, followed by an uppercut to bring him back up, then hacked at him again. At first, the process began slowly, but it sped up so much until all Kyou could see was a black blur destroying a white-brown one.

At last, when Len fell Gau smashed his face beyond recognition with a "Rapier", then followed through with a "Sword" through his abdomen, after which he swept Len off his feet. Literally, with a "Boomerang" breaking them in the process. Len thought it was finally over, his brush with hell was finally over.

Boy, was he wrong.

Gau appeared surprisingly fast behind Len, and proceeded to break Len's backbone with a "Chainsaw". Just as Len was going to hit the ground, Gau reappeared on top of him and crushed his skull to powder with a "Blade". He then somersaulted over to where Len's rib cage was located, and broke them like twigs with a "Tonfa". Normally, "Tonfa" was used to cancel out energy spheres or blasts, but while used by Gau, who was all the more dangerous due to his possession to the 'beast' within, it was as deadly as a "Sword".

Len's battered and broken body hit the soft grass, yielding defeat to the 60th Cevar, Black Howling. But Black Howling was not yet done.

Gau leapt in the air, high above Len's body, then…"Think of this as my farewell present before you meet Satan himself!" Gau yelled, "CANNON!!!!"

He connected with Len's body, sending a spectrum of dark, not bright colors flying into the sky, to be admired or feared by all, he did not care which.

At long last, Gau stopped the attack, bent over to Len's body and collared him, lifting him in the air. "How d'you like my 'Soul End-Shadow'? He questioned, not sounding any different from 'G'. "That was a version of the Seven Blows of 'G', only done my way…the Shadow Skill way!" He then bashed Len's head to the grass, raising Black Wing high in the air afterwards. "Now, GO TO HELL!" He screamed, bringing Black Wing down to Len's throat. A pair of arms locking themselves around him, gentle yet pleading stopped him. "Onegai…Yamero…Gau-kun" the soft, angelic voice of Kyou pleaded, "I'm alive, there's no more need of killing."

"Demo, he tried to…play with you!" Gau protested, the 'beast's' hold loosening a sliver, "He kidnapped you, he tried to…"

"I know," Kyou interrupted, "But that beating you gave him was enough…onegai Gau-kun, just stop"

Gau lowered Black Wing, then collapsed in Kyou's arms, the adrenaline leaving him, along with the 'beast's' control. "Gau-kun?" inquired Kyou, worried about his exhaustion leading to death, as G's did. "Daijobu ka?"

"Daijobu, Kyou-san" Gau answered, getting up with no trace of exhaustion, his eyes now resumed to its sapphire color. Kyou was so happy; she jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly, sobbing out tears that could no longer be kept.

"I missed you, Gau-kun, I thought you'd never come!" she sobbed, choking now and then in tears of happiness.

"It's all right, Kyou-san, it's all over now." Gau reassured, enjoying the closeness of her body to his, the scent of her hair, and everything about her. They stayed in that position for a while, until Gau broke the embrace, walking over to Len, who was still in the world of the living, but barely.

"I would've killed you, but Kyou stopped me." He told Len, bending down so he could hear Gau. "If it wasn't for her act of kindness, I doubt you would be living, but there is no use grieving in the past, I'll just turn you over to King Iva Stolla, and see what he decides."

"Not before I send you to hell first, Gau Ban!" Len croaked, then thrusting him in the stomach with a sword hidden by his fall. He sneered, then drew his last breath, before crumpling in a heap, sleeping the eternal rest.

Gau saw the whole thing in slow motion, only to be brought back to reality with a searing hot pain in his abdomen. "I'm…going to…die?" he thought subconsciously. He saw Kyou scream in horror, seeing all the blood lost by him. He pulled the sword out and gasped in horror.

It was Low's sword.

"D-D-Damn" He thought, "Not Low's sword…" Those were his last thoughts as he collapsed to the grass, tainting its emerald green color with his crimson blood. Visions of the past flew by him like flocks of birds, until all of a sudden…

He was back in Kuruda, which was burned down to ashes and dust. "What kind of a vision is this?" He thought then paused a sudden because two figures in the horizon were approaching. "It's Low-san and Diaz-sama!" he joyfully realized, then pondered why they were there, "Weren't they dead?" he wondered. Despite his doubts, he decided to ask them what happened anyway. "Low-san, Diaz-sama!" He called, "What happened?" "Gau" started Diaz; "This is what will happen to all of Kuruda if you die." "Huh?" wondered Gau "But…Len stabbed me…so that makes me dead…right?"

"Gau" said Low "That is what we are here for, to wake you up. You are not yet dead, but you are very close to. And we intend to pull you away from death, not towards it." "So…why am I here?" asked Gau. "I think Darkness has something to do with that" pointed out Diaz.

"Gau, the most important thing now is for you to regain consciousness" reminded Low

"But…why? Can't I go with you?" Gau argued.

"I think I can explain" offered Diaz "If you die, Kuruda will be besieged and destroyed by a "Black Dragon", a beast I saw in my visions. Second, you can't go with us because we are going somewhere where no living man can ever go. Lastly, who will be a shield to all the people you love? Elle can't do it alone, and what would Kyou do without you?"

Gau paused to think about what Diaz said. Yes, it was true, he loved Kyou and would hate to see her in misery, but what would happen to Low and Anikii? Would he ever see them again?

As if he read Gau's mind, Diaz consoled him with these words "Only the future will tell"

Then, Gau felt a bright light shine down on him. It soon got brighter and brighter until he could only hear Diaz and Low's voices.

"Don't worry, we have a surprise when you get up!" Diaz called

"Yes, make sure to protect Miss Kyou with it, or else I'll come back to life and beat you up!" Low jokingly threatened.

"It will help you soon!" they both said.

That was the last Gau saw of them…for now.

He woke up with an excruciating pain near his abdomen and heard a joyous squeal from Kyou.

She threw herself on top of him and hugged him so tight he swore he saw Diaz and Low for a brief moment.

"Oi, Kyou-san, Gau-kun, where are you lovebugs? Ite! Ite! All right I'll stop teasing! Quit it Faury! Now look who's teasing?! For Kuruda's sake let's just go find them!" They heard Elle's boisterous voice call out. Not long after, Elle and Faury emerged from the bushes, at each other's throats, when they gasped in shock at Gau and Kyou's "wonderful" position. "Gau you nitwit!" sputtered Faury "Save the first time AFTER marriage!"

"Demo…" Gau began.

"Aw, just leave 'em alone!" Elle laughed "If there are kids in the Green Octopus, I'm sure we can feed 'em!"

Then they argued for a long time. Even Kyou got up and joined the "debate" they were having. Gau just looked at them in wonder and tried to remember how he got such crazy friends.

It was then that he caught sight of Black Wing. Only it wasn't Black Wing anymore. There was now a sword hilt at where the cloth Diaz wrapped around the handle of Black Wing, which bore the ancient Kuruda runes of "Lightning".

The blade had now transformed into a black and silver color, at which he spied a metal sheath for the boomerang laying beside it. The sheath seemed to glow with a radiant energy, holy energy to be exact.

"So this was their gift!" he thought aloud. The girls stopped arguing to look at him with a "What the hell is wrong with you?" look and started arguing again, after which they turned back to look at Black Wing.

"Arigato, Diaz-sama, Low-san, I will vanquish all evil besieging Kuruda with this blade!" he thought, careful not to say it aloud just in case the girls stare at him with the you-know-what look again.

When the surprise faded, he sheathed the now-transformed boomerang of Diaz. It was Black Wing no more, no, something had overcome the terror it brought to many during the birth of the Var "Black Wing". No more would the blade bring to end the lives of innocent men who died protecting the city they love, it would only vanquish the reign and end the misery caused by tyrants, warlords, demons, and all that was impure upon this earth. Yes, it would forevermore be remembered not as "Black Wing", the blade of destruction. But as…

"Black Howling", the banisher of evil.









A/N: SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! How was it? Look, I've been stumped with the name of the improved "Black Wing". Have any suggestions? Just e-mail me with what you think should be the name on black_howling49@hotmail.com Pls review!!!! Thanks!