Soak the beans in six cups of water for at least 4 hours, changing the water at least once if you can.
Drain the soaking water and toss it. Add 6 cups fresh water to the beans. Bring to a boil.
While the waters coming to a boil, coarsly chop the onion and mince or crush the garlic. Toss them and the bay leaves in. After the water reaches a boil, back it off to a simmer, cover, and let er cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
In the last 15 minutes, add the cous cous and the boullion. This will thicken the soup up. If you want just beans, you can drain the broth at this point. Add pepper to taste.