Louis's back cracked as he stretched in his chair. He looked at the clock. Three hours of homework.

"I should probably take a break.", he muttered. He found himself talking to himself more, keeping artificial company when none was around.

His thoughts drifted to Legosi, no surprise there. He also thought of all the animals he had met through him. For such an aloof and socially awkward guy, he had the ability to draw animals to him. Louis was proof enough of that.

He slipped on his shoes and walked out of his dorm. It was a relatively cool summer evening, and he needed some air. The clouds were numerous in the sky, fluffy and massive. They reminded him of Legosi's friend, Collot. He found himself wishing they could all hang out again.

Oh yeah, I'm a no good carnivore lover, he thought to himself, amused. A Louis that had not dated Legosi may have had a small crisis over the revelation, but this was one of the gifts that wolf had given him.

Louis found himself on the train, aimlessly traveling wherever his legs took him.

His thoughts drifted further in the past. He had started thinking about the Shishigumi much more since the beach trip with Legosi's friends, and now they forced their way into his mind once again. He wanted to tell himself that that part of his life was behind him, and that the things he had done while he was their boss were wrong and immoral. He felt sick thinking what Legosi's reaction would be if he had known every detail.

But, he did change those lions. Ibuki had said it himself. They were left better animals because of him. It was hard to believe they had kidnapped Haru just last summer. The lions he had left behind would never do such a thing.

He brought each of their faces in his mind. It was an understatement to say he was fond of them, but Free's promise to him was absolute: if they saw him ever again, he'd be eaten.

Louis noticed that he was walking, snapping him from his dissociative thought bubble. He looked around.

Well shit.

He turned around, realizing his mind was leading him toward the back alley market. Did the Shishigumi really have that strong of a pull on his mind?

He glanced up, seeing a familiar gray tail.

Legosi was walking along the sidewalk across from him with determination not usually seen in his casual gait. It wasn't a surprise seeing him here, since his place was maybe only a few minutes away. What was a surprise, though, was what appeared to be in Legosi's hand.

A mask from the illegal masquerade he and Yafya had infiltrated. The night Legosi had been…

Louis shook his head. Had he seen wrong? It was too late to double check, because Legosi was gone. Louis jogged after him, a feeling of dread overtaking him.

He was heading toward the back alley market. Louis looked around, keeping an eye out for any lions. He knew Legosi had frequented the market for his training with Gouhin, and he knew he'd never buy and eat meat from it. That wasn't the problem.

He heard a door close above him. Up a flight of steps was a metal door with a simple sign with TATOO emblazoned on it. There was no way the wolf could have gotten out of his sight without going in there. He trudged up the stairs, willing himself to calm down. He approached the door, pausing only for a second before pulling it open, which took almost all of his strength. Damn rust.

The sound of it opening was enough to get every animals' attention inside, including a certain gray wolf.

"L-Louis?"

Louis stepped in, ear twitching in irritation. The interior of the place was a bit dank, with a lingering moldy scent in the air. Besides Legosi, there was a koala tattoo artist that was about to take him, along with some movement behind the curtains in the back. He only took a moment to soak it all in, though, since he turned all of his attention to his boyfriend.

"Legosi." He marched over to him, snatching the mask from his hands. He held it out, shaking it slightly. "What's this?"

"Th-that? Well, it's...um..."

Louis's brow furrowed. "Don't!" Legosi and the koala jumped, and Louis softened his expression and tone. "...lie to me, Legosi. Please. What are you doing here?"

The koala looked quizzically between the two, before shrugging and going about other business.

"...this is the mask Melon wore to that party."

Louis stiffened at the mention of his name. "Why do you have it?"

Legosi's posture lowered, looking at the floor. "Yafya...gave it to me."

Louis wanted to spit at the mention of his name. He clenched his fists, throwing the mask to the ground. "So what, you're gonna sniff him out and bring him to justice?"

Legosi flinched. "It's my fault he got loose. I need to be the one to capture him."

"No! You don't!" Louis rubbed his temples. "I can't believe that fucking guy still wants you to try and catch him."

Legosi looked down at him solemnly, and extended a hand to his shoulder. Louis didn't look at him, instead staring at the mask on the floor. "Louis...I need to do this."

"...then why didn't you tell me?"

"...you know why."

Louis let out a slow, shuddered breath. "So, you would rather die without me even knowing? I can't...", he took another shaky breath, wiping the moisture from his eyes as the image of Legosi's lifeless, bleeding body flashed in his mind. "...I can't do that again."

Legosi gripped him harder, staring at him with determination. "I won't die!"

"Yeah, you won't, because I'm coming with you."

Legosi let out a sound that was between a shout and a cough. "N-no! Absolutely not! It's too dangerous!"

"And that's why I'm coming with you! You keep getting in trouble without me around to help!" Louis crossed his arms.

Legosi's ears drooped. He knew he was losing.

"Excuse me? Gentlemen? Do you have business here or not?" The koala finally spoke up. They both looked over at him, in embarrassment.

Legosi raised his hand slightly. "Uh, yeah, I'd like to get a tattoo."

Louis looked at him incredulously. "Seriously? You just came here to get a tattoo?"

Legosi shook his head, pointing to the mask on the floor, and then to his nose, and then waving the finger around the air to indicate the room. Louis nodded, understanding.

"Alright, come along with me, wolf." The koala got off his bench, walking past them and pulling a curtain aside. "You coming with?", he looked over at Louis.

Louis nodded, following Legosi in. He took a seat on a stool, and Louis pulled one up next to him.

"So, where you want it?"

"The tattoo?"

The koala grunted. "Of course."

"Um, my shoulder, I guess." Louis still couldn't believe he was doing this.

"Alright. Take off your shirt please."

Legosi complied, showing off his muscular body, wrapped up in that soft, two-toned fur. Louis coughed.

They heard some chatter from a curtain next to them.

"...at least he's gone now. I'm surprised he can still walk after losing all this blood."

Louis craned his neck around the curtain, seeing an aardvark with tattoos on his arms mopping up what appeared to be a large pool of blood off the floor, with a sloth sitting on a stained mattress, observing him with a smile. Louis could only look in horror.

"I wish you would be the one to clean up his blood.", the aardvark sighed. "Then again, it'd probably take you a week, huh?" He looked over at Louis staring at them, and his eyes widened to match the deer's. "Oh, shit. Uh, don't be scared or anything! We didn't kill anyone!"

Louis looked skeptically down at the large puddle of blood before returning his focus back to Legosi, who looked at him in confusion. Louis just shrugged.

"...so.", Legosi's tattoo artist tried getting his attention again. "You want it on your shoulder, right? What do you want?"

Legosi gave a blank look. "Like, what tattoo?"

The koala seemed to be at his wit's end. "Yes!"

"Hmmm." Legosi looked around the room. There were designs hung all over the walls, ranging from animal fur patterns, to tribal designs, to mechanical drawings. His eyes eventually fell on Louis. "Can you make a design based on his antlers?"

Louis blinked, frowning. "Oh, no you don't want to do that!"

"Why not?", Legosi asked, ears flicking.

The tattoo artist put a hand on his chin, observing the deer's antlers. "I could make a design out of it. How big?"

"Oh, not too big. Like this." Legosi curled his thumb and index finger against the shoulder, making a circle just about ten centimeters wide.

"Alright then. Let me sketch this out." The koala took a piece of paper and a pencil and started getting to work, looking up at Louis every so often. He felt a bit awkward.

"Welcome, Melon-san."

Both Legosi and Louis perked up. The previously quiet sloth had spoken up.

"Oh...why do you have to be so violent, Melon-san?", the sloth continued to speak slowly. Louis looked back around the curtain, while Legosi struggled to peek from his sitting position. The aardvark had finished cleaning up, leaving the sloth alone, seemingly talking to himself.

"I'm not being rude...huh?...What happened to you?"

Legosi's ear flicked. "Is...is he having a delayed conversation?"

Louis shrugged. "Looks that way."

"...maybe I can get something out of this, then, since Melon doesn't seem to be here anymore."

"Well, you're getting this tattoo apparently. Might as well eavesdrop too." Louis was glad the tattoo artist didn't ask any questions. Perks of having the shop near the back alley market.

"It feels...wrong, somehow."

Louis scoffed. "This is the same guy that shot you."

"I know..." Legosi focused his attention to the tattoo artist scribbling away on his notepad. "Um, excuse me? When did that other tattoo artist have his last customer? Uh, Melon?"

The koala flinched slightly at the name. "Hell, that was before my shift started, and I'm almost done. It must have been early in the morning. He usually finishes his 'conversations' with him pretty late like this. I don't understand it." He held up the paper to Legosi. "How's this?"

Legosi looked it over, comparing it to Louis's own antlers. "It looks good. I'll get that one."

"Alright then. Please hold still while I work."

The koala pressed the ink into Legosi's shoulder, and as the minutes passed by, the sloth let loose more and more information.

"Is this about your appetite for food and sex? Oh, Melon-san."

Legosi shifted slightly, causing the tattoo artist to hold his arm tighter.

"You must be very lonely, Melon-san. It's okay...there's no such thing as a rain shower that never ends."

Legosi swallowed audibly, while that feeling of dread filled Louis once again.

"You are...a lonesome hybrid...if only...there was someone that could understand you..."

"I'm done, sir.", the koala rubbed Legosi's shoulder with a cloth. "Is this really your first time? You seem awfully resistant to pain."

Legosi pulled himself away from the sloth's rambling. "Oh! You're done?"

"Yeah. What do you think?"

Legosi looked down at his shoulder, and then to Louis. He smiled slightly. "It's really nice."

Louis stood up, walking over to observe. The design definitely incorporated the shape of his antlers, only in a more circular design. It looked kind of cool, Louis had to admit. It also looked like Legosi had just gotten recruited into some herbivore cult. He smiled. "I like it, Legosi."

The wolf stood up and slipped his shirt back on. "Let's go. I know Melon comes here often, so I can use that."

Louis let out a nervous breath, but nodded. Legosi was set on this track.

Suddenly, the sloth began to talk again. "What are you going to do later, Melon-san?"

They both turned back toward him.

"You're going to the sea? ...I see...I hope it will soothe your heart...Melon-san..."

Legosi looked at Louis, jaw set and eyes unblinking. He then walked out, handing the artist his money as he left.

"So what? We're going to the ocean now?", Louis marched after him. "It's not much to go on, if we consider what the tattoo artist told us. He was here hours ago!"

"Well, it's more than what I have now." Legosi sighed. "Look, if this doesn't turn up anything, I'll stop looking."

Louis caught up with him, grabbing his wrist. "I like the sound of that deal."

They continued along. The sun had started setting at this point, and the streets began to thin out.

"So...", Louis broke the silence. "Do you buy all of that? What the sloth was saying?"

Legosi looked back at him. "It matches up with what I observed when I first met him. Melon must feel isolated and extremely lonely from being a hybrid. He may have done horrible things, but I still want to reach out to him."

Louis bit his lip. "Are you sure? Aren't you scared?"

"I'm terrified.", Legosi's response was deadpan. "But this is something I have to do. I need to help him."

"...alright." Louis rubbed his arm. He felt his chest, and the holster he wore under his shirt every time he went out poked his hand. It'd become a habit, and today he was especially glad it had become one.

The walk to the beach was spent reflecting. Or at least, Louis was reflecting. Was he wrong about this Melon guy? Of course he'd be biased against him, considering the only thing he knew about him was that he shot his boyfriend, and in his mind nothing could excuse that. It still filled him with a seething rage. How could any animal, no matter how ruthless or cruel, look into those eyes, those twitchy ears, that soft cheek fuzz, and adorable nose, and pull the trigger? Louis drew closer to Legosi as they walked.

He would protect him. He had to.

…

The sun had dipped completely beneath the horizon as they approached the beach, meaning that it was completely empty. There was still enough light to see, however, and the tide had gone out, leaving lots of space to walk around. Legosi and Louis stepped out onto the beach, taking a few strides forward before stopping. They looked out at the ocean, illuminated now by the remnant pink light of the day. Legosi slipped his shoes off and sat down. Louis did the same.

"...he's not here."

"Of course he isn't...", Louis moved an arm around his back, resting on his shoulder. He rubbed him gently. "Are you disappointed?"

Legosi shrugged. They stared out into the ocean.

"I wonder...", Legosi murmured.

"Hm?"

"What Melon thinks of when he looks out to the sea?"

"Beats me."

"That night, he said to me, that herbivores and carnivores are expected to get along, and yet their children are treated like freaks." Legosi looked down at his feet. "Both Melon and my mom are hybrids, and they both suffered in life because of it. I just can't see Melon as evil."

Louis stared at him as he spoke. There was a profound sadness in the wolf's eyes.

"Remember when we all went to the beach? You and my roommates."

"Yeah. That was like, just last week."

Legosi smiled. "That was nice. I'd like to take Haru here sometime as well."

Louis propped his legs up, resting his chin on his knees. "How did your little date with her go, anyhow?"

Legosi glanced over at him, ear flipping. "W-well, it wasn't a date, since that'd go against the rules she set. But, it was nice spending time with her again. I think she was really scared when I almost died."

Louis looked at him in disbelief. "Of course she was!"

The wolf ignored Louis's outburst, looking back out to the sea. "I'd like to go out there with Zaguán-san, someday. He's always talking about how he wants to show me his home. I'm not sure where we'd get a boat, though."

"A rental isn't too expensive.", Louis offered.

Legosi just nodded. "We could invite Sebun-san as well. And you too, if you'd want."

Louis smiled. "I'd like that."

Legosi stood up, brushing the sand off of him and holding a hand to Louis, which he took.

"I think I'm finally beginning to enjoy life for the first time in 18 years." Legosi's voice was happy for such an extremely sad statement. "It's all thanks to my friends. To Haru. To...you." Legosi looked down at him with that toothy smile that he loved.

They looked back out to the sea. "This view is pretty romantic, huh?", Louis observed in a sing song voice.

Legosi just nodded. "Maybe...Melon looks out at the sea in complete solitude, longing for someone to understand him." He blinked slowly. "I don't think I can be that animal for him, but I would like to get to know him better..."

"Legosi..."

CRACK

The next few events took place over the span of about a second, but the time had slowed to an eternity for Louis. Legosi was holding his ear, which was now gushing blood. Louis held an arm out in front of him, stepping between him and whatever threat was behind them. At the same time, he used his other hand to reach for his gun underneath his shirt. He switched the safety off and took aim. There was a gazelle aiming at them. That was all the information Louis needed before firing twice. Ibuki always taught him to shoot twice. The first bullet whizzed over the target's head, while the other splintered his left horn less than halfway up. Another shot rang out, and Louis's gun flew from his hand and onto the sand. He stood in a daze for a few seconds before holding both arms out, trying to block as much of Legosi's body as possible with his own.

"Oh! Ahh! AH TATATATATATATA!" The gazelle shouted, jumping up and down while holding the stump of the horn that had just been shot off. "Wow! Nice shot!" He stomped his feet on the sand, shaking his head and splattering blood around him.

Louis came off his adrenaline rush somewhat, enough to see the carnivore features on the gazelle. He was wearing a pink floral pattern button up shirt with some formal slacks. He still brandished his gun, but he handled it like it was a toy.

Melon.

Louis continued to hold his defensive stance before noticing the dark shapes surrounding the hybrid. They were large and imposing bodies dressed in black suits.

Wait...those were…

The members of the Shishigumi all stared at Louis with wide eyes, out of view of Melon. They all held their fingers up to their mouths, and Louis almost nodded in response. Maybe they'd make it out of this after all. It still didn't explain what they were doing there with this monster.

Melon approached the two, and he could feel Legosi cower a bit behind him.

"Well! You ruined my grand entrance! No matter, we'll just improvise now." He was soon upon the two, Louis refusing to back down.

"Ehh? I don't remember seeing you ever. Shadowing my shadow, eh?", Melon gestured toward Legosi. "You know, these cats behind me used to be led by a deer like you before I took control. Of course, that deer is long gone, I bet!" He cackled, and Louis could feel himself begin to sweat.

"Get. Away. From him.", Louis spoke between his clenched teeth.

"Oh, but where's the fun in that? I want to come and observe the prey I just captured!"

Legosi shot a look over Louis's shoulder, filled with fear and anger. "A...trap?"

"PING PONG! We have our winner!" Melon clapped his hands, gun still in his right hand. Louis eyed it nervously. "Oh, I'm lonely! It feels like it's showering every dayyyy!" Melon shouted in a mocking tone. "I'M LONESOME!" His voice echoed throughout the entire beach. He suddenly shot out, pushing Louis aside with surprising strength and grabbing Legosi by the shoulders. "Hey kid! Could you be the only animal that understands me!?"

Louis got up and tried lunging at Melon, but he felt strong arms holding him back. Free and Dope. They held him tight while also rubbing his back out of sight of Melon, making their message clear. Louis swallowed. He would have to trust them.

Melon continued talking to Legosi. It broke Louis's heart seeing him so scared while he was helpless to do anything about it. "A hybrid's five senses are keen to an obscene proportion. I knew exactly where you were going to be." He waved the air in front of his nose. "Dog smell. Can't stand it. It's how I knew you were tailing me for quite some while now. Didn't count on you surviving in the first place, what with the hot lead I sent flying through your body, but hey.", he shrugged. "Anyway, that sloth tattoo artist always repeats the same cringe-worthy one liners, and yet you took him seriously!"

Melon burst out laughing, letting go of Legosi only for him be held back by Dolph and Hino. They looked between the wolf and Louis with confusion.

"Man oh man oh man oh man oh MAN! Seriously! I wanted to direct a tragedy, but nope! Comedy suits you much better!" Melon continued to laugh uncontrollably at Legosi, while the two of them were powerless to do anything.

Melon suddenly stopped laughing, fixating on Legosi in an instant. "Hey.", his voice dripped with pure unfiltered poison. "Did you take pity on me because you thought I was worrying over my hybrid identity problems? You know, I thought about this since the day you let me escape, but..." Melon's face turned from blank to a big smile, showing his unnatural fangs. "The world must REALLY treat you nicely!"

Legosi's face had shifted into something Louis had never seen from him before, and it scared him: unadulterated hatred. The blood flowing freely from his ear wound only added to it.

"Welp!" Melon brushed his hands off. "You've brought a lot of pleasure into my flavorless life. You've exceeded my expectations, and for that, I must thank you!" He turned around, walking away from the group. "I got to see you make a nice face, so now I'm satisfied." He sauntered off toward the street, waving his hand behind him and calling back. "I have to do my part to treat my henchmen. You can eat those two, now. Just don't make a mess! I'll be taking my car back."

There was silence as the hybrid disappeared into the darkness, neither party venturing to say a word. It was only until they heard the distant sound of a car starting and driving away did the lions loosen their grip on the boys.

They all stared at Louis, and Louis stared back.

"..."

"...BOSS!"