"I want to go and see Louis-senpai so that I can tell him about my decision, though I don't know how I'm going to get close to him since my fur grew back and the Shishigumi is on high alert at the moment so the only way I'll be able to get close is if I wear a disguise or something," I said thoughtfully while I was lifting barbells, then Gouhin hummed while holding his chin before he nodded.
"I think you can wear my wife's clothes since they won't be expecting you to cross-dress," Gouhin offered, then I stopped lifting the barbells and sent him a deadpan look.
"Okay, I won't be caught dead dressed as a woman so forget it, and do I seriously remind you of your wife?" I questioned dryly before Gouhin glared at me unamusingly.
"Well, you're going to have to look inconspicuous if you don't want the Shishigumi to recognize you," Gouhin pointed out, then I sighed and put down the barbells.
"Fuck it, I'll just wear a hat and hoodie so, that way, my face will be covered up enough to where they won't be able to recognize me right away," I stated decisively and Gouhin made a face at that.
"Yeah, like that won't make you look suspicious at all," Gouhin remarked sarcastically before I sent him a look for the comment.
"If you're done being a smartass, I need to get this done quickly," I retorted as I went to grab my hoodie and took a ballcap before putting them on and leaving the living room.
Three hours later, I had gotten everything set up by doing some recon on Louis and his movements to determine the best way to approach him until I eventually followed him and a single Shishigumi member to a bar after acquiring a Glock and some ammo from one of Gouhin's secret caches and concealing it, then I opened the door and walked into the building with my hood up and my hat lowered to hide my face as I headed over to the bar and sat down on a stool right next to Louis as I could feel his confused gaze on me.
"Don't look at me, we're just two strangers sitting next to each other so just hear me out first," I whispered while I could see Louis looking surprised, just as the lion with glasses left the bathroom and spotted me before appearing suspicious while the bartender walked over.
"What will you be having?" the bartender asked me and I turned my attention to him.
"I'll take a bourbon, neat," I replied gruffly and the bartender nodded before he went to pour me a drink as I frowned thoughtfully.
'Okay, now I've approached him but that Shishigumi member showed up suddenly so what's next? I'd rather not start a firefight while there are innocent people around, though I might not have a choice if that lion pulls a gun on me, so what are my options?' I thought as I started planning a strategy just in case everything went to hell, then Louis looked at the lion.
"Ibuki," Louis said and the lion turned his attention to the deer.
"Yes?" Ibuki asked before Louis sighed.
"Leave," Louis suggested as Ibuki frowned at that.
"Are you sure, boss?" Ibuki questioned in concern as he looked at me suspiciously, then Louis nodded.
"Yes, I'm sure," Louis stated and Ibuki stared at him hesitantly.
"Got it, boss," Ibuki replied reluctantly before he left, then I looked at Louis fully.
"Thanks for taking the time to hear me out," I told him and Louis shrugged.
"Just say what you've come here to say," Louis said and I cleared my throat as the bartender handed me a glass of bourbon, then I proceeded to tell the deer everything about Riz and how he was responsible for Tem's murder as Louis listened and didn't say anything until I was finished.
"So, Riz is the killer, huh? That means that bear's stuffed-animal act was just a facade he used to get by at school," Louis commented thoughtfully, just before I started glaring at nothing in particular.
"Exactly, the bastard thinks he's gotten away with it and rubs it in my face every day, which pisses me off like you wouldn't believe," I growled irritably and Louis sent me a dry look.
"Well, if you know he's the killer, then hurry up and turn him in already," Louis remarked, making me glare at him unamusingly.
"Why the hell does everyone keep saying that? It's not that simple because the police would've arrested him not long after the murder happened, which tells me that they covered it up to preserve the bullshit peace that everyone keeps spouting, so I'm going to show him my brand of justice by using force.
If I lose, then he'll just have to kill me because I'll never stop coming for him," I stated as I sipped from my glass and removed my hood and hat before I gestured at my bandaged head and added, "You know, I got this nasty injury on my head because of Riz but that's only because the bastard managed to break through my defenses."
"Hold on, you're going to fight Riz one on one?" Louis questioned in disbelief while staring at me like I had lost my mind.
"Louis-senpai, I'm going to settle things with him on new year's eve and I want you to be there so that you can provide backup if things get terrible for me," I said seriously before Louis looked away and sipped from his drink.
"Why the hell should I?" Louis asked, looking unconcerned and I scoffed.
"Don't give me that because you do care, or you wouldn't have kept leaving flowers at Tem's memorial back at school so don't you dare say that you don't give a shit about what happened to Tem and that you don't want justice for his death," I pointed out bitterly, causing Louis to start gripping his glass as he scowled.
"How many times do I have to fucking tell you?! I belong in the black market and have nothing to do with school anymore!" Louis retorted hotly, then I had enough and grabbed his shoulders before forcing him to look at me as I glared firmly.
"Listen, I am done trying to convince you to come back, but I am asking for your help because there's a good chance that I will die during the fight, and I can't do it on my own since it would be suicide so help me," I pleaded and Louis glared back at me before shrugging my hands off his shoulders.
"Get this through your thick skull, I'm not going and that's final so fuck off," Louis snapped, then I looked at him in disappointment before I finished my drink and paid the bartender until I put my hat on and flipped my hood up before getting up from my stool.
"I see...that's a damn shame so if my dead body is reported on the news tomorrow, then you'll have to live with the fact that I died and you did nothing to help but if by some chance you change your mind, Riz and I will be under the gazura bridge in front of the school at new years eve," I told him before I left the building and sighed as Legosi floated next to me.
"Do you think he'll help?" Legosi asked before I shrugged.
"No idea, but I did kinda guilt-trip him back there so there's a good chance he'll show up to assist," I replied as I started walking back to Gouhin's place.
Three days later, it was time for the final confrontation with Riz and I was at Gouhin's clinic mentally preparing myself for the possibility of dying a second time as Gouhin looked at me with a nod and gestured at my bandages since the injury has healed up by now and it was time to take them off.
"Well, it's finally happening so make sure to take off the bandages on your head since it'll just get in the way," Gouhin told me, then I reached up to unwrap the bandages on my head before I walked over to a window to look at my reflection and saw three scars in the shape of claw marks that ran from the top of my head to above my eye.
"Hmm, it's not pretty but at least it didn't turn out worse," I muttered as I turned my head to examine it this way and that.
"You might find this interesting, but it's said that a change in your face's appearance shows that you're going through a turning point in your life so, whether you win or lose, your fight with Riz will surely bring a great change in your life and if you'll live or die...it's going to get messy.
That being said though, don't die because you're a carnivore of distinguished strength, mentally and physically," Gouhin said before I turned to look at him and we shook hands.
"I won't promise anything since there is a good chance I'll die, but I'll go down fighting if that's the case," I stated with a look of determination, knowing that something big was coming and I didn't understand why but I've been feeling emotions that weren't my own and I could've sworn that I saw my larger human brown eyes in my reflection for just a second.
Either way, I filed it away for later as I got dressed in my tracksuit and left the clinic before walking through the streets of Tokyo as I became lost in thought about how everyone around me was looking excited for the holiday and I haven't experienced it in a long time, not since my former life in the vault so it would be nice if I could celebrate it with Haru and the others once this whole nightmare was over.
"Yen for your thoughts, Connor?" Legosi asked and I snapped out of it before looking at him out of the corner of my eye.
"I was thinking about how you once told me that Jack would spend new year's eve with you every year in Cherryton since he didn't want to leave you in the dorm all by yourself, though now it's got me thinking about how devastated he would be if I were to die and I don't even want to imagine how Haru would feel once she found out about that.
You know, the guys in room 701, the drama club members, and Louis...it surprises me that I've grown attached to them throughout this entire year after I woke up in your body and I don't know how I feel about that since I've spent the past 13 years on my own," I admitted quietly while I walked down a bunch of steps, causing Legosi to send me a look of sympathy.
"You've grown attached because you don't want to feel lonely again and I know how that feels, believe me," Legosi told me, then I sighed as I reached into my jacket pocket and took out my phone to call Haru before I perked up when I saw that she attempted to call me a few minutes ago.
"Huh, looks like Haru had the same idea as I do," I muttered with a look of surprise before I called her and held up the smartphone against my head as the call came through.
"Hello, Legosi-kun, and happy new year!" Haru greeted cheerfully and I smiled softly since it was good to hear her voice.
"You do know it's not exactly the new year yet," I pointed out jokingly before Haru laughed.
"Yeah, I have to spend new year's eve with my family so I wanted to talk to you while I still had the chance since small animals are family-oriented, you know...hey, it's a full moon tonight so I'm sure next year will be wonderful for you, Legosi-kun," Haru said and I chuckled warmly.
"Well, happy new year and I'll see you soon, Haru-chan," I stated softly before I hung up and stared at the moon in the sky, then my smile went away and I started looking regretful.
"You okay?" Legosi asked in concern, making me put up a fake smile as I looked at him.
"Yeah, I'm good," I evaded as I continued walking and Legosi didn't look convinced, only I paid no mind to it as I kept walking.
I had a lot of regrets, but my biggest one was stealing Legosi's life from him and that still haunts me since I hated this and wanted the poor wolf to get his life back, but there was nothing I could do about it since this was permanent and the kid would be trapped as a spirit as I grew old and died in this body, something that was agonizing for me as I arrived at the bridge and passed through an opening in a fence until I saw Riz waiting for me and came to a stop a few feet away before I started rolling my shoulders.
"Sorry for taking so long, just had to make some last-minute preparations," I greeted with no apology in my tone as I got ready with a few stretching exercises, causing Riz to chuckle.
"Don't worry, you came just in time so you're diligent even now, huh?" Riz asked as I glared at him coldly.
"Well, I'm the one who suggested this fight in the first place so it would be bad manners if I didn't show up," I remarked humorlessly before looking around, not seeing Louis anywhere and I was peeved that he basically abandoned me when I needed his help.
"So, when are we starting? I've brought the starting gong with me so you just need to notice it," Riz told me, then I made a face at that as I looked and didn't see a gong in any of his hands.
"A gong? I don't see it in one of your hands so what the fuck are you going on about?" I questioned suspiciously as a bad feeling appeared in the pit of my stomach.
"He won't be making any more sounds, I'm afraid...you're normally ruthless and able to restrain yourself whenever your temper flares up, so I decided that I should do something that would enrage you to the point of seeing red so that you won't hold back in our fight," Riz said as I caught a familiar coppery scent coming off of him and my eyes widened.
'Wait, that's the scent of...Pina's blood,' I thought as my blood ran cold at the implications of what that monster did to the Dall sheep, then Riz unzipped his hoodie and opened it to show signs of blood on his shirt while I was horrified by what I was seeing.
"A Dall sheep's body is really a lot to take in, now let's get started," Riz stated with a sinister grin while I started looking at him with murder in my eyes.
"You better be lying or I'm going to fucking bury you," I threatened coldly and Riz smiled at that.
"Nope, while you were off doing god knows what, a Dall sheep lost his life so whatcha going to do now, Legosi-kun?" Riz asked while I was glaring at him, then I picked up Pina's scent that was somewhere nearby and I visibly calmed down.
"Nice try, but you're lying," I said calmly and Riz looked taken aback.
"Not really, he's inside my stomach," Riz lied and I shook my head with a chuckle.
"No, because he's alive and located in a dump under a bridge 2 kilometers and 100 meters away from here while also having a gash on his arm so you came here with some of Pina's blood on you, hoping to provoke me into a bloodthirsty rage but too bad for you that it was a waste of time.
Basically, whenever I pick up a person's scent, I memorize it in the event that somebody I care about is in serious trouble and I need to get to them quickly so, as for my sense of smell, it increases greatly whenever I pick up the scent of an herbivore," I explained darkly as I got down onto all fours with a rumbling growl and Riz grinned menacingly.
"That's the thing, we're both carnivores that are crazy about herbivores so that makes us the same," Riz stated gleefully before I scowled with a dark look in my eyes.
"Don't you ever fucking compare me to you because I don't kill the people I care about," I growled as I got ready and we charged at one another.
(Play The Price of Freedom by Takeharu Ishimoto)
Riz attempted to grab me but I weaved out of the way and sent a swift kick into his side, knocking the breath out of him as I used hit-and-run tactics to hit him in vulnerable areas as I passed him a few times and dodged any punches that would've knocked me senseless before I did a spinning kick to send him to the ground, then Riz moved quickly as he swiped at me and I went to dodge but he faked it at the last second and kicked me hard in the ribs with as I was launched across the area.
I flew through the air and collided with the ground while I couldn't breathe and coughed up blood harshly as I struggled to stand up, shocked by how strong he was suddenly until Riz came out of nowhere to pull my jacket and shirt up until he bit down onto my side with his teeth tearing through the skin and I didn't feel it at first.
"I said I'm happy and such a hard stomach...your flesh and blood will be more than enough to purge my loneliness," Riz growled while his words were muffled as I struggled to breathe, then the pain hit me and I screamed in agony before I reacted by slamming my elbow into Riz's head more than once to make him let go but he wouldn't budge.
"Get...the fuck...off me!" I snarled as I empathized every word with an elbow to Riz's head.
"I think your bones are a little too hard so that's not normal...what, did you eat someone too?" Riz questioned as I gritted my teeth and glared down at him.
"You would never understand, Riz...the only way for living beings to respect and understand each other is to become one with their flesh and blood!" I roared as my voice, which sounded like Legosi's, altered into my real one and it caused Riz to let go before his eyes widened at the sight of Legosi's eyes changing into my real ones until I slammed him into the ground with a nasty hit to the face and broke his nose in the process until he grabbed my wrist with both hands.
"You know, you make it sound like Tem and I didn't respect or understand each other but, while you took me off guard with how skilled you are, it's really nothing special and any more slander against my genuine friendship with Tem is unacceptable so no more talking," Riz rasped in pain as he stood up and I was lifted off my feet while I snarled at him.
"You killed Tem so does that sound like something a friend would do?! No, you're trying to justify your heinous actions when you took a life by ripping him apart, so I'd feel sorry for you if it wasn't so fucking pathetic!" I yelled ferociously and Riz scowled at that.
"Don't worry Tem, I'll shut this asshole up permanently," Riz muttered to himself as he suddenly swung me and there was nothing but pain as my body was slammed into the ground hard more than once as ribs broke and my face swelled up from the damage while I weakly wheezed from the intense agony that ran through my body.
"Legosi...Legosi...that's right, when a person is at the brink of death, their body becomes like liquid," Riz said as he swung me again, my body colliding into a support column and I slid down barely conscious as I sat against the column limply while Riz now held onto my ankle.
"Still, you're pretty tough since five to six-wall slams and you're still not dead, so are you still conscious? Legosi?" Riz asked with concern in his voice as my vision was blurry and I let out a quiet groan.
"Sorry to...disappoint you...but I'm just...too fucking stubborn...to die," I wheezed out weakly and Riz looked surprised.
"Oh, you're still alive," Riz said with wide eyes and I let out a raspy chuckle that turned into pained coughing.
"Shit, you're trying your damnedest to kill me so there's no point in being worried about me," I groaned before Riz smiled as he laughed at that.
"True, but we're in a special relationship now so I just wanted to make sure," Riz stated and I gritted my teeth while I could barely breathe, knowing that I'm suffering from massive internal damage and the fact that I could barely breathe and that I'm coughing up blood tells me that one of my broken ribs punctured a lung.
"You're insane," I rasped out before Riz blinked at that.
"To tell you the truth, when I ate Tem, I knew all along that there was no friendship between us and that it was...well, just one-sided murder and some part of me knew that it was true, so you're going to die after a few more hits and that's why I want to confess before I kill you," Riz told me and I weakly held up a hand.
"Wait...tell me more," I wheezed as I fell down onto my back with a grimace and Riz looked stunned to see that.
"W-Why the hell are you laying down like that?! We're trying to kill each other here!" Riz exclaimed in disbelief until I moved my head to look at him.
"I know...but I'm rather interested in what you have to say...not to mention that I'm too fucked up to stand at the moment," I admitted weakly, hoping that I could stall him enough so that I could recover to the point where I could keep fighting as Riz surprisingly went to lay down next to me.
"Well, you're fucking nuts, but I would like to get it off my chest and a little break doesn't sound too bad...funny that two monsters are lying down together," Riz commented and sent him a strange look.
"We're monsters?" I questioned and Riz sighed.
"That's what Tem said and, that night, I was desperate for him to accept me but I got carried away and gashed his arm before he called us carnivores monsters, but that strangely didn't shock me when he said that.
In fact, I felt comfort from his words because it was proof that he saw through my nice bear facade, and it made me so happy that I blocked out most of what happened after he said that until I ripped him apart in an emotional frenzy.
Carnivores are monsters on the inside so it's sad, really...I can hardly remember Tem's face and voice but I can quite clearly remember how he tastes and smells so vividly," Riz explained and I didn't know why, but I pitied him since it was clear that this kid was broken by what happened and my eyes softened.
At that moment, it hit me that I could've turned out just like him if I had let the wasteland consume my last remaining bit of humanity and became a serial killer, just murdering indiscriminatingly with the victims ranging from age, race, gender, and more while I would've enjoyed it and that was something that scared me all this time since I could've started killing innocent people in this world if Haru and Legosi weren't there for me because I doubt anyone in this world would be able to stop me if I went on a rampage across the city.
"If you really regret what you did, then you should've turned yourself in because it's what Tem would've wanted but you didn't," I pointed out and Riz looked at me with an expression of surprise until he resumed looking up at the bottom of the bridge.
"You know, that reminds me, you once told me to enjoy my life while we were fighting in the shower room so, right now, I'm definitely living my life to the fullest as a young carnivore...but I can't turn my back on my beliefs and I know you're not capable of fighting anymore, but we need to continue.
If there's one thing I know, is that carnivores have claws and fangs only for the sake of preying on others so stand up and I won't be so brutal when I eat you," Riz told me while he grabbed my hand and stood up, lifting me up to my knees as I groaned in pain until I saw Louis standing behind Riz nearby with a look of shock before I started feeling determined while I fully stood up.
"No Riz, I won't turn my back on my beliefs and you're wrong because carnivores have claws and fangs so they can protect those they care about greatly, not to mention that I've been stalling to recover slightly so because of that, I'm feeling better than ever," I stated as I smiled at Louis, confusing Riz as he went to look behind himself and I used the distraction to throw my jacket onto his head and knee him in the face.
(End song)
At that moment, I limped over to Louis just as a train drove above us and we quickly got out of the area until we climbed up and sat on the side of the bridge while I was resting, wheezing slightly as Louis looked at my injuries in disbelief.
"Shit...good thing that train covered the sound of our footsteps," I groaned while I was gazing up at the night sky.
"Legosi, I'm sorry I'm late so what are you going to do now?" Louis asked in concern and I smiled at him.
"Louis-senpai, it's okay now and thanks for showing up...you know, I can't help but smile since this is the last time I'll see the night sky again since you're finally here and I've told Riz everything I wanted to tell him, so all that's left for me to do is finish the job.
Hey, I feel kinda fucked up at the moment so could you give me a hand?" I asked as I weakly held out a hand, only Louis slapped it away while looking at me like I'm insane.
"What are you, some suicidal moron?! Do you think you can 'finish' the job when you can't even stand up on your own two feet?! Listen, you look like hell and I can see a nasty bite mark on your side that's bleeding," Louis scolded before I chuckled and started coughing.
"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure Riz was trying to kill me but the thing is that this isn't about winning or losing, it's about getting justice for Tem so I need to see this through and take responsibility for my own strength," I stated as I forced myself to stand up, causing Louis to look shocked before he looked down.
(Play Many Stories by Satoru Kosaki)
"You still remember that?" Louis questioned quietly.
"That's not all, I remember everything we've been through this year and you were one of the ones who kept me from becoming a monster," I stated as Louis looked up at me with surprise in his eyes until he started appearing bitter.
"And you're going to prove that by getting killed? Such savagery is beyond me...getting justice for Tem, what bullshit since you carnivores have great strength but very low self-worth so, if you want to die so badly, then go ahead and just leave me, the weakling, out of it...just go," Louis retorted weakly and to my shock, his eyes started welling up until tears ran down his cheeks while I widened my eyes at that.
"Senpai, you're..." I trailed off as Louis started wiping the tears away as he sniffled.
"Rain? That's unexpected," Louis muttered while he got rid of the tears and let out a shaky breath, then he began crying again and I was stunned that I was seeing him looking this vulnerable while he tried to get rid of the tears again.
"Huh...it just keeps coming back so how sickening," Louis whimpered as I gawked at him, then I sat back down with a grimace and looked at him in concern.
"Hey, I can stay here a bit longer if you like," I offered kindly while Louis stared at his hands.
"You know, I think this is the first time I've ever cried and I can't stop," Louis told me as he sat down before I reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder, causing him to freeze at the contact while I smiled at him.
"Louis, there's nothing wrong with crying because it shows that, underneath that hard exterior, there's still a person in there who cares about everyone around him even if you don't admit it...god knows I have my share of regrets," I said with a tired sigh as I removed my hand from his shoulder and Louis stared at me like he was trying to figure me out.
"You've always been strong, Legosi, now go and settle things with Riz since I don't have the right to stop you," Louis stated with a look of guilt and I started appearing regretful.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly before Louis shrugged.
"Don't be, but you'll probably die if you try to fight him since you're barely able to stand," Louis told me and I chuckled before grimacing.
"Maybe, but I'd rather go down fighting than die a meaningless death," I stated firmly, causing Louis to look at me with a slight glint of respect in his eyes before he appeared hesitant as he removed his right shoe and my eyes widened at the number 4 that was tattooed on the underside of his foot.
"Eat me, Legosi, so that I can give you the strength to keep fighting," Louis suggested as my eyes bugged out at that.
"E-Excuse me?" I sputtered in disbelief while I looked at him like he was out of his mind.
"Eat my right foot, now, before you go out and keep fighting," Louis insisted as I was trying to understand what I just heard.
"Are you completely fucking insane?! The whole reason why I trained in the first place was so I could get stronger without having to eat meat, not to mention that you'll bleed to death if I decide to go along with this stupid idea of yours!" I exclaimed incredulously, just before Louis started glaring at me.
"Listen, you've reached your limits and you know it so quit being such a stubborn idiot and do it! I'll make you drool, alright?! Now hurry!" Louis argued as he rolled up his pant leg and I couldn't help but stare at the brand on his foot.
"Louis, that number on your foot...is that a fucking brand?" I questioned with a look of horror before Louis started avoiding eye-contact with me.
"It's my curse, now break my curse, Legosi," Louis told me as I started clenching my fists and held a look of indecisiveness until I started glaring at him.
"No, I have no idea where you got that tattoo, but you should never be ashamed of who you are...in fact, you should keep that mark on your foot with pride because it's proof that you survived and you can't keep running from the past forever!
You're a survivor, not a victim so be proud of that because you went through hell and you should accept that it wasn't your fault, just like it wasn't my fault for experiencing so much in the past so I've accepted that everything I've gone through had happened and feeling sorry for myself won't change anything.
All I can do now is move on and if I die while coming to terms with my past, then so be it," I declared sternly as I weakly stood up and went to hop down from the side of the bridge.
"Wait...you're not Legosi, are you? I've suspected it for a while but your eyes and your voice prove that you're someone who's taken over his body, correct?" Louis asked and I looked back at him with a soft smile.
"I knew that you would've figured it out eventually...that's what I've always respected and you're right, I'm the spirit of a dead man who's possessed Legosi's body so let me give you a piece of advice.
Whatever you do next after I'm gone, you do it right and don't tear down the world as I did out of anger and spite, so you build it up and do something decent with your life...oh, and Legosi says hi," I said wisely before I jumped down from the side of the bridge and went to confront Riz, who perked up when he saw me.
(End Song)
"Hm, it's been 15 minutes and I gave you plenty of time to talk to your friend, so I knew that you weren't going to throw in the towel," Riz told me before I scoffed.
"Awful nice of you, so how about we get back to killing each other?" I suggested while I noticed something off with Legosi's transparent appearance, see him starting to glow brightly while Riz chuckled.
"Agreed," Riz said before I put my fists up in a boxing stance and got ready, then something unexpected happened where everything around me turned white and I knew nothing after that.
The next thing I knew, everything cleared up and I could see that I was now human while in a classroom with very young animals as a teacher talked about the carni-herbi war I looked up once, only she was sugar-coating it until she finished explaining and asked if anyone knew how long the war went on until a small male labrador pup raised his hand.
"Okay Jack-kun, stand up and tell the class," the teacher encouraged and I was surprised that I was looking at Legosi's childhood friend at 7 years old as he stood up from his seat.
"90 years ago, the war only lasted for one year," Jack answered and the teacher smiled.
"Correct, good job," the teacher complimented before Jack sat down and the class continued until it ended and Jack left the room with the other kids, but something compelled me to follow him and I went after the little pup while some kids walked right through me like I wasn't even there until three kids approached Jack from behind and one of them clapped a hand on his back.
"I bet you're happy you got to be the teacher's pet again," the goat said snidely before Jack turned around and smiled sheepishly at the kids.
"I-It was just a coincidence," Jack commented shyly and one of the other kids, who was a mongoose, scoffed.
"Liar, you got a 100 in that last test," the mongoose pointed out with an unpleasant smile.
"I wish I was 'artificial' since I'd have a good noggin from the day I was born, but we're not like you since we're the genuine article so seeing as you don't need to work hard to get good grades, you could make yourself useful to us and help us cheat," the third kid suggested rudely, then Jack started looking uncomfortable while I frowned since all of this didn't make any sense, and I wondered why this was happening.
"W-What? Ah, I don't know..." Jack trailed off uneasily before he started looking at something that was right behind the bullies, who started shouting at him for ignoring them until they eventually left him alone before Jack went outside with the other kids and he looked at one who was alone and kneeling in the courtyard away from the other kids.
The other kids whispered to each other as they looked at the lone kid warily, just as Jack gazed at the kid and walked over to him as I followed and watched this play out since it seemed like it was all I could do as Jack came to a stop behind the kid.
"Hey, what are you doing? Don't you want to play with anyone, Legosi-kun?" Jack inquired, taking me completely off guard and imagine my surprise when the kid paused with whatever he was doing and looked back at Jack, showing that it was Legosi at 7 years old with bigger pupils and dirt on his face while he stood up to face the labrador fully.
"I-I know your name since we live close to each other...um, you got dirt on your face," Jack pointed out hesitantly with a nervous smile before Legosi used his long-sleeved shirt to wipe the dirt off his face and ran away from Jack without so much as saying a word as he blinked at that.
"Oh, wait!" Jack called out as he briefly looked at the unfinished sand castle Legosi tried to make before the labrador chased after him with me following right behind, Jack calling out for Legosi to stop more than once until he tripped and fell face-first onto the ground before the pained yelp made Legosi stop and turn around to walk over to Jack before kneeling down in front of him as the labrador groaned in pain.
"You're not smiling," Legosi pointed out as he reached down and Jack took his hand before he was helped up by the wolf pup.
"O-Of course I'm not, I'm mad since this is the first time I've ever talked to a wolf...but I didn't think I'd be jealous of you," Jack told Legosi, who cocked his head and I couldn't help but find that cute as I watched the exchange.
"Why are you jealous?" Legosi asked curiously and Jack huffed.
"Dogs were made to be a refined version of wolves so you're my ancestor, not to mention that dogs don't have the belligerence or strength that wolves have...we were artificially made to specialize in intelligence," Jack explained while he looked down with a sad expression as Legosi stared at him with surprise on his face.
"Are ancestors really all that great?" Legosi wondered, causing Jack to look up as the wolf pup added, "I don't want any belligerence or strength and, to be honest, I'm the one who's jealous of you."
Jack looked surprised to hear that and was about to say something, only he was cut off when the three bullies showed up and started throwing nasty remarks at the two little canines as it caused Legosi to look a bit annoyed while Jack smiled uncomfortably, then Jack was grabbed by one of the bullies and forced back while Legosi was guided back as well until he and Jack stood across from each other and a crowd of kids started gathering eagerly as they encouraged Legosi to pummel Jack for being smarter than them.
I wasn't happy seeing this since it reminded me of how Butch and his friends would beat the shit out of me and I hated feeling helpless for not being able to stop this as Jack smiled in embarrassment and apologized to Legosi for dragging him into this situation, then Legosi started asking him why he didn't get angry with Jack not looking comfortable with the questions until Legosi started lecturing him and I was shocked to see Jack lose his temper as he tackled Legosi to the ground.
I just gawked at the two little canines as they rolled around punching and kicking each other while shouting and growling, causing me to sweatdrop as a teacher saw the fight and hurried over to break it up, but what got my attention was the feeling of frustration and anger that popped up in me and I didn't know why I was feeling like this way until something occurred to me.
'Wait, am I witnessing one of Legosi's memories?' I thought and wondered how it was possible, but I couldn't deny that I was somehow feeling what Legosi felt at that moment as he and Jack apologized to each other reluctantly before the teacher escorted them to detention until the environment started rippling and changing all around me.
After that, I found myself in the hallway of an apartment and could see Legosi standing right in front of a door that had a small hole in it while the wolf pup was holding a bunch of dandelions, just before he knocked on the door and I heard movement on the other side.
"Legosi, how was school?" a warm female voice asked from the other side of the door and Legosi shrugged.
"I changed seats so now I'm sitting next to my friend, which I'm happy about and I picked a bunch of dandelions for you on my way home," Legosi said before a clawed hand with fur the same color as Legosi's came out of the hole to pat him on the head until the hand took the flowers and went back into the hole.
"Thank you, and what cute flowers they are so we ought to put them in a vase and let them grow," the woman told Legosi happily while I was wondering why this person was hiding in that room.
"Wanna come and buy a vase with me? There's a flower shop in the shopping district down the corner that sells vases," Legosi offered and the woman sighed.
"I'm sorry, but I'm too scared to go outside," the woman admitted and I assumed that she was Legosi's mother, though I knew next to nothing about her since Legosi never said anything about her and I started feeling uncomfortable since I was basically witnessing something that was supposed to be private just as the head of a male Komodo dragon peered around the corner of an opening that led into a living room and he smiled warmly.
"Legosi, you're back! I just finished work early so you want to make spring rolls with me?" the man asked and Legosi smiled brightly at him.
"Okay, welcome back grandpa," Legosi agreed, taking me by surprise as the pup went over to his grandfather and I snapped out of it to follow them to the kitchen until they set up the ingredients on the table and sat down before preparing the food.
"So, how was school today?" the man asked.
"I changed seats and now I sit next to Jack," Legosi replied and his grandfather nodded.
"That's great, we should invite him here again sometime," the man offered as Legosi shrugged and I smiled at how happy the wolf pup looked, then I started wondering why they drifted apart since they seem close as I kept listening.
"Grandpa, is mom not coming out of that room?" Legosi asked curiously, causing his grandfather to pause for a few seconds with a solemn glint in his eyes until he smiled reassuringly at Legosi.
"Oh, don't worry about her because she's a little under the weather and she doesn't have her usual vigor, though she won't stay in that room forever and come out eventually since I'm sure she wants to see you grow up," the man assured before he and Legosi continued working on the spring rolls.
Everything changed around me again until I saw that I was in a room in what I assumed was the apartment, seeing that it was night and Legosi was in his bed laying on his side with his back turned while I noticed that he was 12 years old now as I heard soft footsteps from outside until the door slowly opened and a figure carefully walked in, then I managed to get a good look and was shocked to see that the figure looked like a female wolf but she had patches of fur missing with scales showing while one of her eyes looked deformed as the mutated-looking wolf walked over to where Legosi was sleeping and looked down at him while I tensed up.
"Legosi..." the woman muttered and I recognized her voice as the one that belonged to Legosi's mother, stunning the hell out of me while I was gawking at her appearance since she looked more like a hybrid of a wolf and reptile as the woman carefully pulled the sheets back and climbed into bed until she gently wrapped her arms around him as Legosi was held from behind.
At that moment, I suddenly felt happy and surprised so I realized that Legosi was awake now and still wasn't moving as his mother hugged him, then I started feeling dread since something told me that there wasn't going to be a happy ending to this as Legosi's mother held him for a little while and carefully got out of the futon without moving him too much until she looked back with an expression of regret before leaving the room and silently shutting the door.
Pretty soon, everything around me changed again until I saw that it was morning and Legosi was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast while his grandfather was nowhere to be found until a horrified scream from him echoed from the hallway, causing Legosi to quickly get out of his seat and hurry over to where it was coming from as I followed the kid before we arrived at where his mother's room was at.
I saw that the door was open and Legosi came to a stop at the doorway with me right behind him, then my eyes widened in horror at the sight of his mother hanging from a ceiling fan with bedsheets tied up like rope with the bedsheet wrapped around her neck like a noose as Legosi's grandfather was desperately trying to get her down until he managed to free her from the makeshift noose and laid her on the futon.
"Leano, can you hear me?! Oh god, stay with me!" the man shouted with terror in his voice while Legosi was frozen stiff and I was render speechless by what I was seeing as Legosi's grandfather spotted him standing in the doorway and his eyes widened in alarm.
"Legosi, don't come in here and call an ambulance!" the man shouted, causing Legosi to flinch as he ran to the living room and the environment changed again while I was struggling to comprehend that the kid's mother killed herself like that and my eyes welled up with anguish and grief hitting me strangely as everything changed into the interior of a building with many people attending Leano's wake.
I saw Jack at the age of 12 years old while he was looking at a picture of Legosi's mother, who looked so beautiful without the scales and deformed eye while my heart was clenching and I struggled to keep my composure as I heard other people quietly grieving and wondering why Leano killed herself as the young labrador left the building and I went after him, following him down a path until he stopped and I did the same as I saw Legosi with his hand on a tree while his back was turned to me and Jack until he looked at the labrador.
"Jack," Legosi greeted stoically as he stared at him, only I could see the guilt and torment in his eyes while I could barely keep myself from crying at the horrific tragedy this poor kid experienced since I knew all too well what it was like to lose a parent before my eyes.
"Legosi, what are you doing here? The adults were looking for you, so what should I tell them? Do you want to stay here?" Jack questioned in concern as he walked over to grab Legosi's hands while the young wolf gazed at him.
"Jack, I..." Legosi trailed off, then Jack nodded with a determined look.
"Don't worry, I'm with you," Jack reassured and I smiled at that since he reminded me a little bit of Amata, who used to be there for me whenever I got overwhelmed and upset from being bullied by Butch and his friends.
"I have a secret that I've never told anyone before," Legosi said suddenly and it caught Jack's attention.
"Wait, a secret?" Jack asked in confusion and Legosi nodded.
"Now that my mom is dead, I can't keep it to myself anymore so don't tell anyone about this," Legosi told Jack, who furrowed his eyes.
"O-Okay," Jack replied as Legosi lifted one of his floppy ears and leaned in with his hand cupping the side of his muzzle before he whispered his secret to Jack, then the labrador widened his eyes in shock and I knew that Legosi revealed to him that he wasn't a pure-blooded wolf as the environment changed again.
Then I found myself standing on a hill and saw Legosi and his grandfather sitting next to me as I looked at the reptile, trying to figure out how it was possible for a hybrid to be born from a wolf and Komodo dragon as the name Gosha flashed in my mind, then I realized that it was the man's name as I watched them interacting with each other.
"Grandpa, were you really a scary Komodo dragon?" Legosi asked and Gosha looked surprised by that before he started chuckling.
"What, did your classmates harass you again, Legosi? You're not being bullied, are you?" Gosha inquired and Legosi shook his head.
"No," Legosi said and Gosha's smile went away before he started looking concerned.
"Are you ashamed of having reptilian blood running through your veins?" Gosha asked and Legosi sighed.
"That's not it," Legosi replied quietly and things turned into an awkward silence between them as Gosha looked more solemn and put his arm around the wolf pup's shoulders so that he could show that he was there for him while it reminded me of my father.
"That was a good funeral...Legosi, I would like it if you lived with me-" Gosha went to offer and Legosi ripped himself out of the older man's grasp before standing up and looking at him with grief in his eyes.
"How can you look so happy?! Your daughter went through so much pain so do you even care?! My mom killed herself because of what she was, and you're just smiling like nothing is wrong!" Legosi yelled with anguish in his voice as I felt what he was feeling during that moment, which caused tears to well up in my eyes and start running down my cheeks as I felt awful for him and understood the guilt and torment he was suffering from.
'It wasn't your fault, kid,' I thought sympathetically as my surroundings changed again.
I witnessed a few more of Legosi's memories as he got more resentful of his grandfather and became distant from him until Gosha sent Legosi to Cherryton as a way to get out of the house and make more friends so that he could not be reminded of his mother's death daily, then I found myself falling into the darkness while I was just staring up at nothing before I slowed down and gently uprighted myself until I landed on nothing from what I could see.
(Play Dive to the Heart)
I looked around and stepped forward before the area I was standing on exploded with light as I raised an arm to shield my eyes until I lowered my arm to see that I was standing on a massive platform of some kind that had the appearance of stained glass that showed me and teenaged Legosi sitting back to back with our eyes closed while small portraits of his friends and family in this world and mine from my world surrounded us as I was surprised to see this just as a ball of light lowered down near me and took shape until I saw that it was Legosi at 12 years old.
I stared at the kid and felt sympathy for him as I walked forward and knelt down to pull him into a hug, showing that I was there for him while Legosi didn't react to the close contact before I teared up and sighed.
"I'm sorry...you never deserved that, any of it and it wasn't your fault," I said solemnly before Legosi returned the hug.
"It's okay, I know that now," Legosi told me, and everything turned white before I saw that I was in a void with Legosi gone before I sensed him and turned around to see Legosi, who had aged back to his 17-year-old self as we floated across from each other.
I could see that something in his eyes looked different, like he was wiser and we flew over to each other before we nodded at one another and pictures of different moments in our lives appeared all around us while we gazed at each other.
"Connor, I've seen your life and now I understand why you are struggling to let go, why you are carrying so much guilt...it wasn't your fault, never was," Legosi told me before I nodded.
"I know it wasn't my fault," I agreed before everything went white and I felt our forms and our minds melding into one as I knew nothing after that.
(End Song)
We lifted our head as white light burst out of our mouth and eyes before Riz and Louis were forced to shield their eyes as we exploded into light while our form started changing with a pillar of light rising up in the night sky until it cleared away and Riz and Louis gasped at the sight of us on all fours as a white wispy quadruped wolf with fur that was flowing as if a gentle breeze was passing by.
We lifted our head before roaring at Riz and lunged forward to bite him while Riz was forced to backpedal as we chased after him like liquid and used our head to send him through a fence while he bounced across the ground and struggled to stand up as we shaped ourself like mist and flew over until we were above him while we formed into a humanoid wolf made of white glowing mist that was shifting to fully human and back before kicking him into a pillar that left a crack.
Riz hacked up blood as we shifted into human and moved like lightning before striking Riz several times as he couldn't defend himself and we used hit and run tactics to overwhelm Riz until the bear collided onto the ground hard and spat out blood while he groaned in agony and got up onto his hands and knees.
"You chose to become a monster when you ate Tem, Riz...what do you think of Tem now or is his taste the only thing you remember about him?" We asked as our voice was a combination of Connor and Legosi's voices with a distorted growly noise while Riz looked at us in shock.
"What the hell are you?" Riz questioned in disbelief and we sighed while shaping ourself into the form of a wolf.
"That's not important, now answer the question," We insisted as Riz flinched before he softened his eyes and looked away.
"I wanted him to be my best friend...even now, it's the only thought that occupies my mind and my feelings for him are much stronger than your feelings for Louis-senpai because he never felt the same for me," Riz admitted before he attempted to attack us but his fist went right through our body and we grabbed his arm, throwing him into another pillar as he shouted in pain.
"Legosi, finish it," Louis told us suddenly and it caused us and Riz to look at him while Louis smiled and we swung a fist to knock Riz down with a nasty right hook before he laid there wheezing in agony.
At that moment, we lifted our head to let out a distorted howl of victory before the sensation of being ripped in half painlessly ran through our body until I was sent flying and landed onto the ground with a groan, feeling like myself again but something was different as I weakly sat up and froze when I saw Legosi also sitting up while he was in his body.
I looked down at my hands and saw that they were human as I noticed the familiar pipboy on my arm and that I was wearing the armored vault jumpsuit with the brown duster while I tentatively reached up to feel my face to discover that I no longer had a canine snout anymore as Louis and Riz were gawking at me in disbelief before I heard the sound of bells ringing in the distance as Legosi stared at me in shock until he snapped out of it and looked at Riz.
"Riz...it's the new year," Legosi muttered, causing Riz to blink at that before he began chuckling.
"I don't know what the hell just happened but you win, Legosi...my heart's been broken for the past year since I had sugarcoated my memory of Tem and looked at the herbivores around me like they were nothing but meat so I could protect myself from getting hurt, but I was wrong about everything and a very strange wolf, as well as an equally strange creature possessing him, figured me out so now I feel like I can rest easy.
I don't know what that creature is, but I do know that you three established a genuine friendship with each other and I'm happy to see that," Riz told us while I struggled to stand up and almost fell back onto the ground face-first if Legosi didn't hurry over to hold me up.
"Easy Connor, us merging into one being and separating into two people took a lot out of you," Legosi told me as he looked at me in concern, then I grunted as I made him let go of me and rested my hands on my knees.
"You might be right, but we have a problem because I'm now human and things are going to get ugly for me once someone sees me and calls the police on me," I pointed out weakly as Louis slowly walked over to get a good look at me, then police officers suddenly showed up with their revolvers out as they aimed at us.
"Police, put your hands in the air!" a coyote officer ordered as a rhino and buffalo ran over to tackle Riz to the ground before they arrested him as the other officers looked at me like I was an alien.
"What the hell is that thing?" a dog wondered with a look of shock.
"No idea, its clothes are unlike anything I've seen before and is that a computer on its wrist?" an alligator questioned while the cops started looking wary since I was unlike anything they've seen before.
"You there, wolf, get away from that creature because it might hurt you!" an eagle shouted in alarm as he saw Legosi standing right next to me, then Legosi opened his mouth to argue before I shook my head to stop him and stepped forward with my hands up.
"Don't shoot, I'm unarmed," I placated before two officers approached me nervously and one of them put my hands behind my back to cuff my wrists while the other kept his gun on me.
(Play Hope Of This World by Satoru Kosaki)
After that, I was taken to a police car and put into the back seat until the door closed and I stared outside the window as Legosi met my gaze with a worried expression, but I sent him a nod of reassurance and he smiled as he went to talk to Louis before they said a few words to Riz until I looked at the night sky that was above the city in the distance and something came to me before it felt like a great weight had been taken off my shoulders as I smiled genuinely for the first time in 13 years.
'I'm not alone...not anymore,' I thought as the two officers that arrested me got into the car and one of them started the engine before driving us away from the bridge, then I closed my eyes and rested my head against the window while I felt peaceful and knew that this was the start of a newer, better chapter in my life.
(End Song)
A/N Pretty unexpected, am I right? Connor had gotten his body back and has to deal with living in a world where he's the only human in existence while also facing the problem of how to tell Haru that he was the person she was dating instead of Legosi, so things will most certainly get awkward between them while a certain beastar will show up in the next chapter so I wonder how that will go?
Anyway, let me know what you think and stay tuned.