Chapter 40: Dive To The Heart! Legosi, Awaken Your WILD SIDE!
BACKGROUND MUSIC: DESTATI (KINGDOM HEARTS 3, 0:00 to 1:25)
When Louis, Haru, Jack, Gosha, and Alex came to, they saw that they were sitting on a massive floating platform in a black void. "Where the hell are we?!" Louis asked.
"Right now, you are in Legosi's heart," Leah's disembodied voice told them.
Alex looked around anxiously for his wooled friend. "Leah? Where are you!?" Alex called out worriedly.
"I'm fine, Alex. You're hearing my voice because you're still connected to the physical world which I am still in. Now, you need to find Legosi. The path to him will become clear soon," Leah instructed.
As they stood there, a spiral staircase going upwards to another platform started to appear. "That must be the path that Leah was talking about. Let's go, everyone. Legosi needs us," Alex ordered.
The assortment of animals began to ascend the staircase. "You must be careful. The heart will not take too kindly to intrusions. It will form barriers of thoughts in an attempt to keep you from Legosi. You must push through them, and in some cases, counter them with your words and emotions," Leah told them.
"Everyone I love, I've only caused them pain and worry…"
The group staggered, as if they were hit in the chest. Legosi's words pierced their train of thought and caused them to pause. Alex shook his head and began to climb. "The hell is he talking about?!" Louis muttered.
"He feels like… he's only hurting the animals he loves?" Haru murmured, looking concerned.
"Keep moving forward. You will probably find out more about his feelings as you get closer and closer to his core," Leah explained.
BACKGROUND MUSIC: FRAGMENTS OF SORROW (KINGDOM HEARTS 3)
They continued to climb the stairs, reaching a second platform. One of the circle markings on the platform started glowing, and in the circle was a portrait of Louis. A shadowy version of the deer materialized in front of them, and Louis stepped forward to meet his doppleganger. The red deer unscrewed his antlers and held one each in his paws, wielding them as if they were twin blades.
"Louis… if I hadn't asked you to come with me to the black market to save Haru…"
"You would still be here with us… with a future as the next BEASTAR…"
Shadow Louis snarled and charged forward, with Louis following likewise to meet his dark counterpart in battle. The two of them clashed, striking at each other with their antler swords. Louis grimaced as he kept parrying his foe's blows, but it was getting more and more difficult to keep blocking the attacks. Luckily, though, his enemy slipped up, and left his chest open. With a single swift motion, Louis stabbed his weapon through the doppelganger's chest, causing it to dissipate into nothingness.
"I never wanted to be the next BEASTAR, Legosi... I wanted to change the world, actually make a difference. That's why I became the leader of the Shishigumi, to make the black market a safer place for carnivores and to prevent students from being kidnapped. But you were hurt while I was away… and I'm not going to leave you again, you dumb wolf. I realize now that you mean too much to me! So don't you dare think of dying on me!" Louis yelled. Another set of stairs appeared, which Louis and the others quickly started going up.
"Haru… if I hadn't come into your life, you would have been better off…"
"You would still be with Louis, and the two of you would be happy together…"
A shadowy version of Haru appeared on the next platform, and Haru bravely stepped forward to face her mirror. "Legosi-kun… you really think that? Sure, me and Louis were happy together, but… I know that there was something missing. Something was always in the back of my mind, telling me that we weren't right for each other. And then, I met you… you gave my life new meaning. You and your silly, shy, awkward personality. Talking with you every day gave me something to look forward to. I had never been friends with anyone like you, and you slowly but surely managed to win my heart. I want to live my life with you, Legosi. And I'll always be true to you," Haru announced. The bunny leapt forwards and kicked her dark duplicate in the chest, before punching her in the face. Shadow Haru exploded into a million tiny dark particles, and they scaled another set of stairs.
BACKGROUND MUSIC: DISMISS (KINGDOM HEARTS: BIRTH BY SLEEP)
"Jack…you've done so much for me… you've been the brother that I never was given…"
"You've taken care of me and supported me through all these years…"
"But I've only caused you worrying and pain… more than I have made you happy…"
Another dark version of one of them appeared. This time, it was a dark form of Jack. The labrador whined, but realized he had to face his fears and walked up to his opponent. "Legosi… how could you think this way?! Yes, I worry about you, but that's because you're my friend! Worrying about you is just part of our bond. You've made me so much happier, Legosi, you made me appreciate being born a labrador. You're smart, and wonderful, and kind… I wouldn't change any part of you if I had the chance! I like you for the wolf you are, and you shouldn't ever feel as if you're a burden to me!" Jack cried out.
Hearing his best friend doubt his friendship made Jack angry, and he judo-flipped the spectral dog, causing it to explode into nothingness. Alex was impressed. "Where did you learn to do that, Jack? I thought you were a pacifist," Alex remarked as they walked up another flight of stairs.
"I took a few martial arts classes when I was young! I was a huge Power Rangers fan, and I wanted to learn how to protect myself if I ever got into any real danger that went beyond just standard schoolyard bullying," Jack answered, his tail wagging from Alex's praise.
"Alex… you and I have known each other for only a few months…"
"But I feel like you've been a part of me for a very long time…"
"You've helped me with Haru, the drama club, and so much more…"
"I'm sorry about messing up the investigation for you. You won't have to worry again…"
An Alex apparition appeared, and the white wolf started fighting his clone. "I won't let you leave my life so easily, Legosi! You've got a lot of life left to live, and you made this investigation worth continuing. I would have lost interest in this if I hadn't met you and the rest of our friends. Together, we'll find out who killed Tem and put you in this coma, and we'll bring him to justice! That's a promise!" Alex growled as he managed to destroy his shade. Panting, Alex stopped to catch his breath before they ascended another flight of stairs.
BACKGROUND MUSIC: L'EMINENZA OBSCURA II (KINGDOM HEARTS 3D)
"Grandpa… I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble…"
"I haven't talked to you in ages… you must be worried sick…"
"Do you even know that I'm in the hospital? Oh god… if I died and you weren't there…"
"It would be so awful for you… it would break your heart…! I'm a terrible grandson!"
"I shouldn't have cut you out of my life like this… I miss you, Grandpa Gosha..."
Gosha sobbed and sank to his knees as a Gosha clone gnashed its teeth and hissed. "Legosi… you missed me that much? I'm at as much fault for the sorry state of our relationship as you are… I never called, or wrote a letter… I guess I was afraid that you would remind me of my daughter Leano. And I was afraid that if I tried to stay in your life, people would reject you for being a hybrid. I truly thought that staying away would be the best for you... But I know in my heart that I was wrong. I was being a coward. We need each other in our lives, Legosi. I'm going to start making it up to you, beginning RIGHT NOW!" Gosha exclaimed as he stood back up and started to fight his specter.
The two Komodo dragons grappled, and it was clear that Gosha was struggling. An emerald green liquid shot forward from his mouth and disintegrated his evil twin. The reptile then wiped his mouth off with his shirt. "Komodo dragons can spit venom, you see," Gosha revealed to the others. They then went up a sixth flight of stairs, and this was the final platform. A dark barrier surrounded a door.
"That's it! There's the entrance to his core! All you have to do is destroy that dark barrier, and you'll be able to reach Legosi!" Leah announced. Alex took a step towards it, but was knocked backwards by a surge of negative emotions.
"Mom… why did you have to leave me?"
"Did you really value your beauty over your own son and father?"
"Your scales started to take over your fur when you were 19…"
"And when I was six, you shut the world out… you locked yourself in your room…"
"You only spoke to me through a hole in the door… you never came out, or showed me your eyes…"
"And then, when I was 12… you slept with me in my bed for one night… and then you left us!"
"Maybe if I hadn't been born, you would still be alive! At least I'll be with you soon…"
BACKGROUND MUSIC: DIVE TO THE HEART (THIRD REVIVAL) (KINGDOM HEARTS III)
A shining ball of light flew down from the sky. A feminine voice, smooth as silk, spoke to him. "Oh, my sweet Legosi… you've grown so much… I wish I had done many things differently. I shouldn't have died for the sake of my appearance, and left you when you needed me the most… but I will not let you perish, my son. You still have a bright future ahead of you, and I want you to live a better life than I did. I love you with all of my heart, Legosi. All the way to the moon and back." The ghost of Leano lamented.
The barrier blocking the way to the door disappeared. "Leano… I promise, I'll carry out your wish," Gosha solemnly said, before walking up to the door.
"This is it everyone. Legosi's just past here. Come on!" Gosha cried out, before opening the door and walking through it.
Everyone else quickly followed suit. They entered another stained glass platform, with Legosi standing in the middle. "LEGOSI!" Gosha sobbed, before running up to his grandson and tackling him in a hug.
"Grandpa!" Legosi exclaimed, smiling and wagging his tail rapidly.
"Oh, how I've missed you!" Gosha sighed happily as he let Legosi out of the hug.
Haru and Louis were next, with the bunny planting a kiss on his snout as he bent down to her level and Louis ruffling the fur on the wolf's head affectionately. Then Haru slapped him in the face, causing him to wince. "Don't you DARE do something reckless and stupid like that ever again, you hear me?!" Haru yelled at him. Legosi gulped and nodded.
"Y-yes Haru…" The canine meekly said.
Then Jack gave Legosi the tightest hug out of all of them, and Alex threw his arm around the gray wolf's shoulders. Legosi's tail wagged as he looked at all of his friends, who had risked quite a lot to come and see him in this ethereal void. "Did you really mean all of the things that you said about me?" Legosi asked excitedly.
Alex snorted in response. "OF COURSE WE DID YOU DUMBASS!" Louis and Alex yelled out.
Jack then extended a paw towards Legosi. "Let's head back to the world of the awake, buddy." Jack told his best friend. Legosi reached outwards to grab Jack's paw, but a sudden rumbling of the ground knocked all of them flat on their behinds.
BACKGROUND MUSIC: VS DARKSIDE (KINGDOM HEARTS III)
"W-what was that?" Haru yelped as the ground continued to shake.
Jack's eyes widened and he started shaking in fear. Trembling, he raised a paw and pointed behind Alex and the others. "L-LOOK OUT!" Jack screamed.
Gosha, Louis, Haru, and Alex turned their heads and saw a gigantic shadow monster rising from the void. The silhouette solidified and colladesced into a monstrous Legosi that had lizard scales covering its body. "I thought we defeated all the guardians that were keeping us from finding Legosi, Leah!" Alex groaned in anger.
"This isn't a guardian… it's a manifestation of the inner emotions Legosi has kept inside of him! This must have formed from all the pain and guilt he had felt for keeping his hybrid self a secret from everyone all of these years!" Leah explained.
Shadow Legosi roared at them, and all of them took fighting stances except for Legosi. Alex pounded his fists into the massive shadow's arms, but it didn't have any effect on it. The creature quickly lifted its arm up and slammed it down on Alex, sending him flying. "Gahh!" Alex cried out in pain, feeling like he had just been hit by a car.
Louis wielded his antlers as swords, slashing wildly at the monster. He managed to bring down his antlers on the creature's arm, but they broke on contact with the scales. The monster then sent him flying and he landed near Alex. Haru's punches and kicks harmlessly bounced off of Shadow Legosi's scales as well. Gosha went for a tail strike, wrapping his tail around one of the demon's digits, but this backfired when the monster picked him up and dangled him over the void. Lunging forward, the titan grabbed both Haru and Jack in one swift motion, beginning to crush their windpipes.
Legosi could only watch in horror as his friends' attempts to stop his repressed emotions failed and got them hurt. He screamed when he saw the behemoth begin to suffocate Jack and Haru. It really WAS true then. No matter how hard he tried, he would hurt his friends and loved ones somehow.
Legosi dwelled on that thought for a while as time seemed to slow down. Hurting the animals he loved most… everyone did that to their friends and family, most of the time not on purpose. It was just a part of life. And he didn't exactly care about how society viewed him. He didn't care if most animals didn't approve of his relationship with Haru, he knew that he loved her and that was enough.
Then an idea occurred to him. Why not apply that same outlook to his hybrid side? It would alleviate much of the future pain and suffering it would cause him. Yes, that would work. If he was going to continue being honest with himself, he had to admit he was growing tired of hiding who he really was from the world, and letting everyone continue to keep their preconceived misconceptions. If the world was going to change, he would have to be more open with it.
It was time! No more running! Legosi took a deep breath and stepped forward. "STOP! It's me you want! I don't want to run from you anymore." Legosi howled.
Shadow Legosi looked at his other half and released Gosha, Haru, and Jack from its grasp. It then let out an ominous laugh, before turning into a large cloud of black vapor. "You are a part of me. One that I've tried to lock away since I was a child. But I won't anymore. I need you. You need me. We need each other. I accept you!" The gray wolf hybrid continued.
The shadow creature grinned, before the black vapor shot into Legosi's mouth. The hybrid wolf started choking, and that was the last thing Alex and the others saw before waking back up in the hospital. Legosi's heart rate started to spike, and he began to convulse wildly. His eyes started fluttering open, and he made several grunting noises.
Then came the burning sensation in his arms. Legosi let out a painful scream as he felt the part of his arms in between his elbows and his paws ignite. He looked down at them, and gasped in shock to see the fur in that area falling off of his arms like shedding season on overdrive. Then, his skin began to harden, and green spots began to spread across his exposed skin. At the same time, he felt something that was smooth and leathery take over the areas of his arms that had shed their fur. He realized that his body was now manifesting his Komodo dragon side, which would accelerate his healing process. That meant that these green spots were scales!
Legosi grunted and then sighed as the pain he was feeling began to subside. He brought his arms closer to his face and began to inspect his new-grown scales. Haru walked over to him so she could get a closer look for herself, putting a paw on his arm and running it across his scales. "Ooh, that feels nice!" Haru purred.
"Legosi, it doesn't matter what you look like, or what kind of animal your family is. We're your friends, and we'll stick with you through thick and thin." Collot's voice gently told the wolf.
"Yeah! And you look even more cool now!" Voss chimed in from atop Collot's head. Legosi cracked a smile as his friends complimented him. "Heh heh, you really think so?" Legosi chuckled.
"Absolutely! You look like a badass, Legosi." Louis agreed, nodding his head and grinning.
"Or an anime protagonist!" Bill added. Legosi grinned and nodded his head before grunting as he got on his feet.
Gosha was there instantly, letting Legosi lean into him for support. "It's still way too soon for you to go back to Cherryton, you need to rest for a few days!" Leah scolded him.
Legosi sighed in understanding. "I know, I know… but I don't want to be stuck in this hospital either. Grandpa? Can I stay at your house for a few days? I think we have quite a bit of catching up to do." Legosi then asked.
Gosha smiled, overjoyed that Legosi wanted to spend time with him. "Of course, Legosi! I would enjoy that very much." Gosha enthusiastically replied. They started to slowly walk out of the room and Alex smiled as he watched them disappear from his view of vision.
"You know, we need a group name." Sheila suddenly said.
Alex looked at her incredulously. "Group name? For what?" Alex asked.
"For this group, dummy! The group that's going to figure out who killed Tem and attacked Legosi!" Bill exclaimed.
"He's right! Most of us may not have known Tem too well, but we DO know that Tem was Legosi's friend, and a close friend at that! He was a really great animal. One time, he visited the 701 dorm, and he was really friendly. His wool was almost as soft as Collot's fur too!" Voss added.
"And when you mess with Legosi, you mess with ALL of room 701!" Jack cried out. "RIGHT!" All of the other canines chorused.
Alex looked at all of the animals in the room, and sighed before nodding his head. "Fine. You are dead set on assisting me. In that case, Sheila is right. We need a group name. Got any suggestions?" Alex murmured.
At this, Bill's eyes sparkled. "We'll be… the BEASTAR Crusaders." Bill declared.
When a sudden emergency occurs on Legosi's first day back at school, Alex and Bill must take the lead! But this unforseen crisis is not entirely bad... Alex takes advantage of it and uses it to determine the identity of Tem's murderer! You'll all find out who the murderer is next time, on BEASTARS: Converging Destinies!
Chapter 41: A Sudden Emergency! The Killer Slips Up, And His Name Is...!