Zoostars.

.

AN: As you can guess I watched a certain anime series a few days ago. This was inevitable. In this AU, all characters are living in the Zootopia Universe (so mammals only) and studying at Cherrington University, as I feel that the slight age up allows a bit more flexibility.

Thanks to Jaff96 for letting me use one of his Beastars pics. Major thanks to the guys of the Zootopia Author's Association who helped look through a section of this at a reading session. Especially Dancou-Maryuu, for his excellent verbal imitation of Wild-Side.

.

.

Chapter 1. Well Bred Rabbits.

.

"I lost my appetite."

Those were the first four words of this conversation, taking place in a quiet area behind the canteen, that Judy heard. She'd didn't like the sound of it; she didn't like the look either. Three mammals standing tall, led by a rabbit doe, their fisted paws on their hips as they stared down at the one who'd so casually rebuked her. It was a classic scene of something bad about to go down, something Judy was sure to get in the way of. She began marching forward, just as the fourth mammal, a white bunny doe who'd been sitting on a step and casually trying to eat her lunch, picked up her tray and stood up to face them.

She kept calm, casual, slightly smug almost, and spoke. "Why don't you reconcile with your ex instead of bad mouthing me around school?"

"What?" the leading doe scoffed. She had a startling fur colouration, one half of her white, one half black, the division line bisecting down her centre, through her nose, mouth and tail. "Who do you think you are? Who's fault…"

"-He's the one who suddenly kissed me," the white doe reminded her, shrugging cheerily and chuckling slightly as she did so. "Besides, I'm not interested in a guy who'd get so excited over such a small and simple peck." She closed her eyes, smiled and nodded. "Now, excuse me please."

She moved to step past them, only for the bi-toned rabbit to take a step to her right and then forward, jabbing an elbow into the other doe. She was thrown off the raised step they were all on and sent face first onto the floor, her food flying away and her soup splashing onto the dusty ground like a meagre rainfall after a long drought. Silent and firmly, the attacking doe leant down, grabbed a metal bucket of water, and made to toss it over the humiliated doe.

Something grabbed the bucket, and in the time it took for her see who it was Judy Hopps had already returned the gallons of freezing cold liquid to sender. "Gaaaahhhh…"

Down on the floor, the white rabbit looked up to see the attacking posse backing off from a grey furred rabbit doe. A very angry grey furred rabbit doe. Her foot was thumping, her brow was furrowed, and she was staring down the bi-toned bunny as she shook and cried, clearing the water out of her eyes and shaking it out of her drenched clothes. "Who do you think you are!?"

The grey bunny folded her arms across her chest. "Judy Hopps. I think I can ask you the same question."

"I'll tell you who I am," she spoke, shaking now with rage instead of cold. "I'm an endangered harlequin rabbit! I had a boyfriend of the same species, a perfectly matched and highly desirable couple. Up until that slut there," she seethed, pointing down at the bunny on the floor. "-Took him from me. So, I was just going around telling the school about what she really is, up until another pathetically common bunny decided to thrust her nose into other mammal's business."

"Yeah," Judy said. "Except firstly, anyone picking on anyone else kind of is my business. Secondly, however much you don't like her I don't like jerks more. Thirdly, this is the best university for miles around and I'd of thought that those going to it would have grown out of petty childhood squabbles."

"Petty," she spoke. "You do realise that endangering protected species is a major crime!"

"I do," Judy replied. "But under the endangered species act there are no laws against species, endangered or otherwise, having a relationship with those they want to. Moreover, the act only covers actual species, not subspecies unless specifically stated, such as with certain rhinos. Now, no bunny subspecies are counted in the act, though that wouldn't really make much difference as you aren't even a subspecies. You are just a unique colour mutation. I come from a large family, I have a cousin who looks just like you but is much nicer. So, you are nothing but a standard common run of the mill bunny, just like me, or that girl down there who you just committed felonious assault against."

"How dare you," she stomped. "You had no right to douse me with water and as for the other stuff you're just making it up."

"No, I'm remembering it from the law modules of the criminal justice degree I'm doing right now," she said, smiling a little. "As for the water, as my dad always says: sauce for the peas is sauce for the sugar snaps."

The harlequin bunny scoffed. "Typical dumb farm bunny. You do realise that it's three against two, and we're the popular ones. We'll have the whole school believing that you're both sleeping around, you both spilled my lunch and you both tossed water on me."

"Actually," Judy said, bringing up a carrot pen shaped pen, a voice recorder built in. "It's three against three." We'll have the whole school believing that you're both sleeping around, you both spilled my lunch and you both tossed water on me. "Now, if you all give my friend a big helping paw with some lunch money, I might not pursue this."

"Pursue it where," she spoke, desperation entering into her voice. She stood up, closed her eyes, and went all high and mighty again. "You really think that the police would bother with something as small and dumb as this?"

"Yes, I do," she spoke sincerely. "After all, their integrity is why I plan to join them…" She paused as the crowd in front of her burst down laughing.

"-Oh god, we can just tell everyone that you're a crazy bunny who wants to be a cop. It doesn't matter what you do with that recording, you'll just be too funny."

"Well, I think the school admins would care."

"…"

"It would be a shame if your academic careers here were cut super short, wouldn't it?"

There was a pause, then a growl from the lead bunny as she grabbed some bills from her pocket and tossed them on the floor. The others followed and then they marched off, stropping like toddlers told that they couldn't have dessert.

Judy picked them up before jumping down to the other bunny, standing there waiting patiently. "You okay?"

"Yes, it was nothing," she said.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," she said, turning to glower at the vanishing gang of three.

"But thanks so much for standing up for me! That was incredible."

Judy turned and smiled. "Hey, that's what I do, Miss…"

"Call me Haru," she said, smiling. She couldn't help but tremble as she did so. She looked at this bunny who'd marched in, who'd kicked bunny butt, who help herself tall and took nothing from nobody, and was in awe. "Say, do you really want to join the police?"

"Yup," Judy said, nodding. "It's been my dream ever since I was eight."

"And all this time you've been working for it?"

"Well," she said, "I've been doing exercises, learning the codes, I am doing a justice degree… If worst comes for the worst, I'll sign up to the Bunnyburrow PD."

"And if the best comes to the best?"

"Well, Zootopia will pass their Mammal Inclusion Initiative and I can train and work there," she said, a massive wide grin on her face.

Haru blushed a little, beginning to find Judy's cheerfulness just a little infectious. She had always lived and accepted that she was a rabbit, that she was small, and that, bar a few outlets, others would always see her as such. But seeing this fellow member of her species charging forward and breaking glass ceiling after glass ceiling, all while enjoying it… It was as if she was opening up a whole new path for her to follow.

"-Say, do you want to get lunch together?"

"Yes please," she chirped, only to pause. The reason why she'd been out here in the first place was due to all those inside politely declining to let her sit down next to them, all thanks to her reputation. While part of her kind of wanted the thrill of she and Judy standing up for themselves, a larger part wanted this to be quiet. "Sure. I know the perfect place to eat."

.

.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, this is like the Garden of Eden!"

"Thanks," Haru replied, smiling a bit as they walked out into the warm air and fragrant smells. Judy had been acting confused as they'd entered the main academic block, winding their way up the stairs. Little did she know what some green fingers had done to the flat roof on top of the East Wing. All around them, planters and trays were filled with all sorts of flowers and laid out in a rainbow of colours for them to enjoy. From low growing marigolds to the rising fronds of white, pink and purple foxgloves; bushes of rosemary to sweet blue and purple lavender, humming with bees; there were even trestles against the wall, covered in pretty sweet peas or green Virginia creeper, not yet rusted bronze by autumn. "I spend most of my time here. It acts as a nursery; I take what grows here out into the beds around the campus."

"It's…" Judy gasped, her head just flicking around the place. "And you say this is mostly you!?"

"Well it's mostly bunnies that join the gardening club," she explained. "But most of them are on botany courses anyway. They join when they start the year, but then they're off doing their studies on boring crops and they get farmed out. You get a little relapse coming in after teaching has stopped and everyone is gearing up for exams, just to help them destress, but it's not much. To be fair, I think I like it that way. It's peaceful up here."

Judy paused and nodded, closing her eyes and taking a breath in. She was an energetic bunny who bored quickly, but she could easily see what Haru meant by this. The sounds of the busy campus below had faded out into the background, replaced by the rustling of leaves and flowers alongside the buzzing of insects. "It is," she replied. "Living out on a farm, botany was just a thing you did in life, looking at boring plants and stuff… But this kind of gardening, I think I would like to give it a go."

"Really?" Haru gasped, smiling.

"Yeah," she said. "I mean what you've done is beautiful," she said, pausing to smile smugly as Haru blushed. "I mean, the only plants I recognise are those there." She pointed over to a pot filled with a small number of little purple crocuses. "Midnicampum holicithius. We use them for pest control."

"So do I," Haru said. "-though I just call them nighthowlers. Actually, that's kind of what my thesis is on. I'm studying under Professor Otterton, trying to see if raising domestic plants in close proximity to these reduces the bug take when they're put out in the wild."

"Because they're a class C botanical," Judy chimed in. "And I don't think home gardeners will want to work for the license."

"Well it's more to see if it can help save local governments gardening money," she admitted. "But it means I get to plant these and the control group all across the campus, then check up on them."

"Meaning you don't get all planted out," Judy sassed.

Haru smiled. "I mean, I've never gotten completely planted out. But last year and this year have been my biggest so far. I've almost run out of room up here. Apart from my plants, the only other things there are are the small area for exotic crops."

"Exotic crops?"

"Well, bit of a misnomer. More: big, valuable, easy to steal crops. A few pumpkins, some watermelons, some berry bushes and some wolf-apple trees; there's a few maned wolves who tend the last ones and keep the fruit. Apart from that, the only other thing is a few durian trees that came in years ago."

Judy looked over and nodded. "Yeah, I see then."

Haru smiled. "They've only recently begun producing nice sized fruits, and it would be cruel to uproot them after spending so long waiting for them to become useful."

"Yeah," Judy agreed, looking around and smiling. It truly was an incredible space that the other rabbit had made. The only thing missing was a bench and table for them to sit down at and enjoy their food.

"This way," Haru said, gesturing Judy over to a corner, the grey bunny smiling as she saw a worthy substitute. It was half shed, half greenhouse, but from the looks inside it was a perfect place to have lunch with her new friend. The pair walked over, Haru briefly pausing as she looked at one of her nighthowler tubs and swearing that a few had died, before they went in, sat down, and enjoyed their meal together.

.

.

"So, you get other mammals to pay attention to you. How?"

Judy paused to think as she reclined back on Haru's bed. The sun was hitting them through the greenhouse end of the little shelter, making the place stiflingly warm. Judy couldn't help but fan herself. "Well, I won't say it isn't hard," she began.

"I mean I know it isn't," Haru said, a hint of frustration in her voice. "I remember just walking around and getting bumped into, and everyone would drop down and ask if I was okay. I mean, sure there are other things to be annoyed about, but getting treated like a precious child your entire life… I'm a tough bunny, I can deal with it, thanks."

"Yeah, I got that too," Judy sighed. She waved her paw a bit before deciding to pull off her shirt. Haru looked on as it was raised up and over, leaving her in just a vest-like crop top. "Less though. Back in Bunnyburrow it was mostly bunnies, so there wasn't much of the 'looking down upon' from others. I think my parents must have sensed that and tried to make up for it."

"So, they coddled you?"

Judy rolled her eyes. "More like tried to persuade me to settle."

"Settle?"

"Settle."

"Oh right. That is a bit much from them," Haru said, a little indignantly.

Judy groaned. "Don't you believe it. I mean, okay, I should always keep my options a little open," she said, looking to Haru. "You never know when something interesting might open up, if you know what I mean."

Haru saw that look from Judy, which she was pretty sure meant something good, and watched her smile as she sat in her crop top right next to her. She smiled and nodded her head back. "Kind of," she said, making sure to keep an eye on the grey doe and keep her options a little open in response. After all, she was wondering if something interesting very much was opening up. It would be new for her, but she was kind of curious, and given that it was for a new friend...

"But, at the same time, I want to try everything," Judy carried on. "Yes, I might fail, but that's no reason not to try and succeed. Heck, even if you fail you could be having a lot of fun while doing so, and you know what? This bun just wants to have fun."

The white doe looked on and smiled some more. "Well, trying everything and having fun are things we seem to have in common," she said, stretching up a bit. Her paws then made her way behind her, slowly beginning to undo the back buttons on her dress.

"Yeah," Judy agreed, nodding. "I mean, I do love my family and my home town. But it's so old fashioned in a lot of ways. They do try to be nice and modern, but if you're a mammal like me you start to feel out of place." There was a sigh as the grey doe looked up into a corner of the room while Haru nodded sadly behind her.

"I'm so sorry," she said, wondering how lonely that felt. "Trust me though, you're not out of place here."

"Ah thanks," she replied, smiling. "But it's one of the reasons why I want to go to Zootopia, not just stay at home. It's the big city, it's where anyone can be anything… And that includes me being me. Something I simply think they don't truly understand back home."

She trailed off in a sad voice as Haru nodded on. "Well don't worry, you can be you here too. In fact, I'll help you be you." Oh, would she help. She'd been thinking it before, but now she was dead certain, and she carried on undoing the back of her dress with renewed vigour as Judy chuckled.

"Yeah, but with others you do have to stand tall and speak out loud. It's tough, as many do just see what they want to see, and it gets tiring repeating yourself to mammal after mammal, hoping that they'll react nicely to who you really are. But most do, which is nice." She yawned a bit, it really was hot in here, the glass expertly catching the evening sun. She had a pair of tight leggings on, and her fur was feeling itchy beneath. "Sorry, mind if I take these off too?"

Haru smiled. "Sure thing," she said softly, "I could help you if you want."

The grey bunny paused, shrugged and stood up. "Yeah, might as well," she said, noticing that Haru was taking a little bit of time to do it. Her fingers seemed to be trying to find the right place to pull down, massaging around her waistband as they went, which she guessed was nicer than just getting it yanked down. One of her earliest memories involved a rather harsh de-pantsing, she and her just shy of three-year-old toilet trained litter lining up in the morning as her mother took down their pyjama bottoms to inspect their night-time diapers with ruthless parental speed and efficiency. The harsh yank down on her hips and tail had made her cry, something only a hug and a gold star had helped rectify. In contrast, Haru seemed to be taking her time, pulling it over her tail and rolling it down quite pleasantly. Nothing on her tail and… -Okay, an odd flick on her tail, not sure why that was there.

"I mean, maybe I didn't try as hard as you did to stand up to others," Haru said, shrugging. "I was more around other species, all looking down and calling you cute."

"You know that non-bunnies can't call others cute?"

"Can't they?"

"Well, in Bunnyburrow, no."

Haru smiled. "I'll tell them that in the future," she said. "Might work, changing up from my other strategy."

"What strategy?" Judy asked, suddenly pausing as she felt one of Haru's paws stroke down the back of her leg. -Must have seen some fussed up fur.

"Oh, I found a way to act or behave that means mammals see you as something else than that," she said, smiling. "One that I quite enjoy, however much others shame me for it."

"Well they shouldn't shame you for it," she said, taking one leg out of the sweat logged leggings. "Just like they shouldn't call you cute."

"Even if I am cute?"

"Which you are," Judy said, smiling. "But they can't call you that. Of course, I can."

"And I can call you cute too?"

Judy blushed a bit; she wasn't what most bunnies would traditionally call cute, so getting the compliment from a very cute doe like Haru did mean something. "Thanks…" she said, smiling as she fully stepped out of the leggings. "You should try it. Try everything, right?"

"Right," Haru said, now slipping off her dress, revealing her laced panties and bra.

"And maybe I'll try your method too," Judy said, sending Haru's heart rate through the roof.

"Maybe we can try it right now?"

Judy shrugged. "Sure, why not," she said, turning around to face the almost nude white doe.

Before she even had time to work out whether she should shout Holy-Frith or sweet turnips and beets, Haru's arms were around her. One gripped her rear, squeezing in and pinching her tail, while the other cradled the back of her head. Both drew her in and over, the pair rolling onto the bed, their lips embraced. Haru kissed and licked and nipped and sucked, her eyes closed in pleasure, before she let go.

Looking into the other doe's amethyst eyes, Haru realised that she wasn't going to say that trying everything was fun as she'd planned to do. Instead she paused, wondering why Judy was looking like her brain had just flicked to the blue screen of death.

"Judy?"

"Haru…?"

"Yes."

"What-the-carrot-picking-sweet-cheese-and-crackering-turnip-patching-bean-polling-dill-pickling-where's-the-beefing-are-you-doing!?"

Haru blinked and then frowned. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

Judy blinked a few times, before bouncing right out of their bed and crashing to the floor, right onto her tail. The pain only briefly distracted her, her focus instead on getting away from that crazy bunny doe. She glanced around, terrified, before crawling backwards right into a wall. "What is wrong with you!?"

"What's wrong with me?" Haru asked, standing up on the bed.

"Yes!"

"What do you mean what's wrong with me?" She frowned, fisted paws going onto her hips. "Maybe I should be asking what's wrong with you?"

Judy, covering her crotch and chest with her paws, looked back slack jawed. "What's wrong with me!?"

"You come in her and start stripping off, giving me knowing looks, all while talking about how your parents wanted you to live a certain way. How you wanted to escape your rural upbringing, and the fact that they didn't really understand who you were, instead wishing to go to the big city to find people just like you. You kept on saying that you wanted to try everything and have fun, while asking me to help undress you, all while going on about how tiring it was to keep on coming out over and over and how nice it was to finally find a like-minded mammal. I mean, I don't think I'm bi, but try everything right? I was curious and looking forward to my first time with a female, a doe at that, and wanted to make you feel truly loved and cared for. And then you what… have a relapse back into your upbringing's prudish ways while killing the mood with your potty mouth. Maybe this is hard for you, but you could have at least made up your mind before you started flirting with me."

…

"Eh…" Judy chirped, before quivering, then groaning, then having her face collapse into her paws in an avalanche of humiliation. "Ohhhhhhh sweeeeetttt cheeeesssseeeeee….."

"Judy?"

"I am not into does!"

Haru's head tilted as she looked at her. "Then what was all that about?"

"This was me talking about how my parents wanted me to give up on my dream of being a cop!" Judy said in frustration, paws out and clutching the air. "And me taking my clothes off because it's hot in here."

"It's a greenhouse," Haru said. "Of course it's hot."

"I KNOW!" she said, standing up and walking over to get her shirt. "That's why I was taking those things off!"

"I…" the bunny said, before one ear dipped. "I may have misread your confusing signals."

"May have!?"

"I…" she began, before sighing. She grabbed a pillow and pulled off the case, wrapping it like a toga around her as she walked up to Judy. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm sorry I misread you, I…" she began, before closing her eyes and looking away. "Please don't leave. I don't want this to mean that we can't be friends. I want you as a friend."

Shirt on, Judy paused, sighing as she hopped up onto the bed and pulled the covers up over her lower half. "Was I really that confusing?"

"Yes."

"And you thought it was all natural."

"I did. I'm sorry."

"It's just… Well, I suppose it is a rabbit stereotype," Judy mumbled. "Maybe all other bunnies than me are like this and I'm the screw up."

"Hey, don't say that," Haru said. "I'm just used to a lot of mammals, very few of them bunnies, acting in a certain way. I just misread you."

"Right," Judy mumbled, before pausing. "Including a certain Harlequin bunny's…"

"I…" Haru began, before mumbling. "I may have slept with him."

"Which makes that doe's still indefensible actions a bit more understandable," Judy pondered. "I… Do you do this often?"

"Remember when I said that there was one thing I could do that made others look at me like I wasn't just some cute thing. That I enjoyed and did, even if others hated me for it? I sleep around with a lot of boys, and if mammals turn up here, alone, it tends to be for that."

"And you…" Judy began, her nose twitching and one ear drooping.

She shrugged. "We have a nice time."

"Cool," she remarked. "I guess…"

"You're okay with it?"

"Well, I'm fine with you being into girls."

"-I'm not, actually," Haru clarified. "But I thought that you were, and with all this talk of trying everything…"

Judy guffawed a little. "Yeah, try everything."

Haru nodded. "Sorry we got off on the wrong foot.

"Me too."

The grey bunny doe smiled a little, before suddenly looking away, frowning. "When you said I was cute… Did you really mean it?"

"You are cute," she said. "A different kind of cute, but still cute. Like comparing two different flavours of ice-cream. Both can be very nice, but they're different."

Judy smiled. "Thanks."

Haru nodded, then stepped down to grab the bunny's leggings. "Here," she said, sighing. "Guess we won't be trying everything today."

Judy took them before pausing, noticing that the white doe's ears were drooping. "Say, you really were looking forward to that, weren't you?"

"Yeah, out of curiosity," Haru replied.

Judy nodded and then paused, thinking. A lot of her was still nervous, and there was no great hot-blooded urge. But… Well, there was a slight curiosity. She put on her leggings and shirt and then flopped down in front of Haru, her eyes looking up.

"-Judy?"

The grey bunny shrugged. "Hey? Try everything, right?"

The white doe paused, thinking for a second, before smiling. "Try everything," she said, leaning down to pet her ears. She held up the tips of both and kissed them, before working down the insides, all while Judy, not sure what else to do, began massaging Haru's tail to her great pleasure. Soon Judy's shirt came off again and, standing up, they replayed the pulling down of the leggings. Judy turned around, was gripped in the same places and pulled back onto the bed where she was kissed like before. This time she kissed back, this time they went on.

.

.

.

The air was hot and warm, smelling sickly, as the two buns relaxed on the bed. Haru had brought out some sheets of kitchen roll and was cleaning up, while Judy stared up at the ceiling. "Sorry about that."

Haru shrugged. "If anything, it's me who should be sorry, you certainly entertained me."

Judy chuckled, looking over. "Try everything, right."

"Try everything."

"Yeah," she said, sighing. "But I think I now know when to quit."

"When I've done it twice and you have to look up images on your phone to get over the final hurdle."

Judy groaned and looked away. "Lesbun I am not."

"There's no shame in that," Haru said. "Just like there's no shame in what I do."

"Nope," she said, looking over and smiling. "Thanks for putting up with me though. Friend."

Haru smiled back. "Friend."

Judy groaned and stood up, slowly putting her clothes back on. "Given that I'll be coming here to do gardening, when is this open?"

"Oh, all days of the week."

Judy nodded. "Well, I'm trying out for the acting society too, so that rules out Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's. But the T and S days sound good to."

"They do," Haru said, smiling.

Her clothes on, Judy pulled out her phone, gasping at the time. "Yikes, it's that late? What have I missed…"

"Oh, nothing much," Haru noted, shrugging. She carried on getting her dress on, noting that a few plants needed watering, before turning around to get the can. She froze though as she spotted Judy, her face aghast as she looked at her phone. "Judy. Did we miss anything."

The grey doe trembled and then looked her way. "A murder… There's been a murder."

.

.

AN: Dun-Dun-Duuuunnnnn... There's been... A slight change around with the order of events.

Next chapter, we see the aftermath, as well as introducing our favorite rhinoceros beetle. (Oh, and a random wolf and fox too).

Updates will come... Whenever.

So like, subscribe, comment and stay pawsome!