A/N Hello guys, time to begin the next chapter, and did you notice the nice little easter egg I put in the last chapter? If you haven't, the last name Ludlum in one of Eric's different passports is an easter egg to Robert Ludlum, the author of the original Bourne novels so may he rest in peace since he's been gone for a long time now.
Well, time to begin the events of Beastars so sit back and enjoy.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, I woke up in my new dorm room and could hear everyone else getting up as I yawned and sat up, pulling back the curtain and grimacing from the sunlight hitting me in the face before I got out of bed and saw Jack and the others getting ready for breakfast.
I paused when I saw a gray wolf with the others this time and took a good look at him, seeing that he was tall and a bit on the lanky side while his fur was a steel gray with a cream color but I noticed that his eyes looked different than a regular gray wolf's and I wondered if he was a mixed species when the wolf spotted me and his eyes widened, just as Jack saw me and smiled.
"Morning Eric," Jack greeted and I nodded.
"Morning, is that Legoshi?" I asked as I motioned my head at the wolf.
"Yeah, so why don't you guys introduce each other while the rest of us get ready for today," Jack suggested before he and the others went into the restroom to wash up, then there was nothing but an awkward silence after that while the wolf simply stared at me.
"So, I'm Eric Miller, your new roommate," I said as I held out a hand, only Legoshi didn't take it and the intense look he gave me made me sweatdrop until he slowly took my hand.
"Legoshi," Legoshi replied quietly before he tentatively shook my hand.
I didn't know what to think about this guy since he looked fierce, but his body language showed him trying to be less intimidating and meek so I assumed that he was shy once we stopped shaking hands and I cleared my throat awkwardly as the silence felt suffocating.
'Damn, this guy doesn't talk much, does he?' I thought as Jack and the others left the bathroom.
"Oh good, you two seem to have gotten acquainted so we'll wait until you guys are finished taking a shower and getting dressed," Jack told us happily as he and the others were now dressed in the academy's male uniforms that consisted of a white button-down shirt with a gray tie, blue vest, gray striped slacks, and brown loafers.
I nodded and found my uniform in my dresser before heading inside the bathroom and stripping out of my shirt and boxers, then I stepped into the shower and cleaned myself for a few minutes until I was done before drying off with a towel, getting dressed after that and exiting the bathroom with my dirty shirt and boxers when I dropped them into the laundry basket.
"Damn, you look pretty good in that uniform, Eric," Miguno complimented, and I rubbed the back of my head while smiling bashfully.
"Thanks, Miguno," I replied as Legoshi went into the bathroom with his uniform.
After waiting for a short while, Legosi left the bathroom fully dressed in his uniform before he dumped his dirty clothes in the laundry basket and we all left the dorm room with our backpacks, then I found myself being stared at by the other carnivores as my roommates and I were heading to the cafeteria for breakfast.
We left the male carnivore dorm and headed to the main building, arriving at the cafeteria section and getting our breakfast consisting of a carnivore meal before sitting at a table and chatting while eating our food. I ignored the stares from the other students.
"So, Eric, are there any clubs you'd like to join today?" Jack inquired and I started looking thoughtful.
"Well, the drama club sounds interesting since the headmaster told me that there are plenty of people there who are unique, so I should have no trouble fitting in," I answered before Jack perked up.
"Really? Well, Legoshi works as a stagehand in the drama club so he should help you get adjusted if you decide to join," Jack informed me while Legoshi started avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment while one of his ears flicked.
"Um...just the lighting so it's not that much of a big deal," Legoshi mumbled bashfully, and I couldn't help but smile at how humble he was being before concluding that we would be great friends once he opened up a little.
"Actually, I worked on a shipping boat before I arrived in this country, so I'm good with my hands and should be alright with hauling boxes or working on the lights in the drama club," I said just as we finished our breakfast and went to class.
Turns out that I had the same classes with Legoshi and Jack, much to their surprise but we focused on our schoolwork as the morning went by, only I noticed that something was off when herbivores started acting warier around the carnivores that began looking grim, though I tried not to pay attention to it as Jack, Miguno, Durham, Collot, and Voss had forgotten to do their homework and were forced to clean up the grounds around the herbivore dorms.
As for me, I was going to get lunch until I saw a bunch of police cars and an ambulance surrounding one of the main buildings, causing me to become nervous and I quickly walked away before any of the officers could see me since I was still wanted for putting two of their own in the hospital the other night, but I was wondering what was going on since it looked serious as I arrived at the cafeteria building and saw a small group of female herbivores gathered together while they were looking uneasy with one of them holding a school newspaper.
"Hey, there's a bunch of cops sealing off one of the main buildings so do you girls know what's going on?" I asked in concern, causing the herbivores to look at me.
"Didn't you hear? An herbivore was killed last night and he was found this morning, but what's worse is that the one who died was Tem from the drama club," a gazelle notified me, and I was shocked to hear that as I widened my eyes.
"What? I can't believe it, I just met him yesterday," I gasped in disbelief.
"Wait, you met Tem?" a parrot inquired, and I nodded.
"Yeah, he seemed like a decent guy so I don't understand why anyone would want to hurt him," I said, trying to wrap my head around the fact that Tem was murdered last night.
"I know, it's awful," a goat agreed solemnly and the parrot looked at her.
"Els, he was in your club, wasn't he?" the parrot asked, and Els nodded.
"We just rehearsed yesterday," Els confirmed, and I felt terrible for her since I couldn't imagine what it was like losing someone you know in such a manner.
"I bet it was a carnivore student that was responsible," a donkey said before the girls nervously looked at two male carnivores that were standing nearby, who realized that they were being stared at and started looking uncomfortable.
"Well, we can't be sure it was a student," Els chimed in and the other girls looked at me.
"Hey, you should be careful since you're an omnivore who's considered in the herbivore category and you might be targeted because of it," the donkey warned, only I sent her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, I'll be just fine as long as I stay with a group of people I trust," I assured before the parrot sighed.
"Still, the drama club was the only place where carnivores and herbivores got along with each other," the parrot stated before the donkey looked at Els.
"Anyway, you have to be really careful, Els, because there is a gray wolf in that club of yours, right?" the donkey asked her before I perked up.
"Excuse me, you're talking about Legoshi, right? I know him," I spoke up, causing the female herbivores to look at me in surprise.
"You know Legoshi?" Els inquired and I nodded.
"Sort of, I'm his new roommate and I go to class with him," I replied and the donkey widened her eyes.
"Hey, maybe you should transfer yourself to another dorm room because that wolf is dangerous and he could hurt you," the donkey suggested uneasily, only I shook my head.
"No, I don't think he's dangerous because even though he looks intimidating, he's actually just a quiet fellow who's shy and wants to stay out of trouble," I said calmly.
"How do you know?" the gazelle asked, and I shrugged.
"I'm just good at reading people and you ever hear the saying don't judge a book by its cover? I don't want to sound rude or anything, but maybe you girls should get to know him first before you make any judgments of him," I explained with a small smile, causing the female herbivores to stare at me until the parrot cleared her throat.
"Either way, I'm not feeling hungry anymore after what we just learned about Tem," the parrot stated before she and the other girls started to walk away.
"Same here," the gazelle agreed as she and the other girls were about to leave, only I stopped them by clearing my throat.
"Excuse me, if it's not too much trouble, is it alright if I talk to Els for a second?" I inquired politely, then the girls looked at one another before the donkey nodded.
"Sure, just don't take too long with her since she can't be late for the drama club," the donkey said before she and the other girls left, leaving me with Els as she looked at me curiously.
"What did you want to talk about?" Els asked, causing me to rub the back of my neck.
"You're with the drama club, and I'm thinking of joining since the headmaster recommended it to me when I arrived here yesterday, so I was wondering if it's alright I signed up?" I inquired, then Els started looking thoughtful.
"I don't know, you'd have to talk to the club president about that," Els answered before I nodded.
"In that case, once I'm done with lunch, would you mind showing me where the club is?" I requested and Els smiled.
"Sure, there's still some time left before I have to head there so I'll help you," Els replied.
"Thanks, now I'm going to get some lunch and I should meet up with you shortly," I said before I walked away from Els and entered the cafeteria.
After getting some lunch and meeting back up with Els, we walked together while she talked about the drama club and what its members are like, but the one called Louis had me contemplating about what kind of person he really was since Els described him as someone who strived for perfection and was really critical to someone if they made the smallest mistake, so I decided to file him away for now as Els and I arrived at a building with the number three on it and entered it.
Once we went inside, I could see that we were in a practice room while carnivores and herbivores were staring at each other with emotions consisting of suspicion and fear on the herbivores' side while the carnivores mainly looked tense as everyone was wearing simple outfits that consisted of a white t-shirt, red sweat pants, and white sneakers until everyone turned their heads at the sound of the doors opening and started staring at me with looks of surprise before a tiger approached me.
"Who the hell are you?" the tiger asked in confusion and I held my hand up in greeting.
"Hi, I'm Eric Miller and I'm here to join the drama club, so do you happen to know where the club president is at?" I inquired before the tiger kept staring at me, scrutinizing me and it made me feel a little awkward until Els frowned.
"Bill, you're being rude so would you please quit staring at him?" Els lectured, making Bill shake his head to snap out of it.
"Um, yeah, the chief should be here soon so have a look around to get familiar with the place since classes are canceled for the rest of the day because of...you know," Bill told me, hesitating on the last part before he walked away and Els sent me an apologetic look
"Sorry about him, Bill tends to be a bit blunt but he usually means well," Els said and I waved it off.
"It's no problem, everyone's different in their own way so who am I to judge?" I reassured calmly.
"Well, I'm going to get changed so why don't you take the time to get to know everyone before the club president shows up?" Els suggested before she walked away, then I sighed while scratching the back of my head until I started to approach a small group of herbivores.
As the rest of the day went by, I interacted with the other members of the drama club and got to know them while they were fascinated that a human was a new student in Cherryton before I once noticed Legoshi leave the male dressing room and he spotted me, prompting me to wave at him a little bit and he sent me a look of acknowledgment until he went off to work on the lights up in the rafters and I could see the sun starting to set outside as I gazed out the window.
I could see Els speaking to a few of her friends quietly before they looked up at where Legoshi was working, causing me to look as well and I saw him staring back down at them and it made the female herbivores appear unsettled just before someone entered the building, and I looked to see that it was a male pelican who had glasses and was wearing the same male school uniform as he came in with a clipboard.
"Is everyone here? Gather around, please...I'm sure you all know by now, but something terrible happened here at school this morning so I regret to inform you that one of the actors, Tem-" the pelican started to say, only he looked taken aback by how the carnivores and herbivores had filed into two separate groups and were staring each other down while I stayed back since this looked like it was going to get ugly at any moment.
"But sir, you know that Tem was closely involved with the carnivores in this club," Ellen stated, the female zebra glaring at the carnivores while Bill scowled.
"Are you accusing us of something?" Bill questioned with a dangerous tone in his voice.
"Maybe someone got jealous since he was recently cast in a good role," Ellen spat out before Bill started looking pissed.
"You know what, you got a lot of damn nerve and that's exactly why I can't stand herbivores, always playing the victim when you're just as bad as everyone else!" Bill exclaimed in outrage.
"Oh, want a fight?! Did you know that if a carnivore hurts an herbivore, then they get suspended?!" Ellen shouted while Bill clenched his fists.
"That's ridiculous, and you're not even worth it!" Bill retorted lividly, then I decided to put an end to this so I inhaled and let out a sharp whistle that caused the argument to stop and everyone turned to look at me while the pelican widened his eyes at the sight of me.
"Everyone, please, someone was just murdered and pointing fingers at each other is not helping! I met Tem yesterday and even though I didn't really know him, I'm sure he wouldn't want the drama club to fall apart like this, so don't do this to one another because this will tear everyone apart if you can't let go of your suspicions of who did it.
Look, I'm sure the police will find the killer but until then, you can't be at each other's throats like this since it's only going to do more harm than good," I reasoned loudly, causing everyone to gawk at me until the pelican snapped out of it.
"He's right, so please calm down, all of you since this isn't what Tem would've wanted," the pelican agreed before the rest of the meeting went by and it ended shortly until everyone went into the dressing rooms and came back out in their school uniforms as I approached the pelican.
"Excuse me, are you the club president?" I asked and the pelican nodded.
"Yes, I'm Sanu and it's a pleasure to meet you, so I want to say thanks for resolving that argument before it could get any worse," Sanu said thankfully.
"No problem, it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time...now, I'm looking at joining the drama club so is it alright?" I inquired, causing Sanu to frown thoughtfully.
"Well, I'll have to notify Louis about it since most of the club activities and requests for new members are taken care of by him, but I think it's okay for you to join," Sanu explained before I nodded.
"Thanks, I'm good with my hands and I worked on a supply boat before I arrived in this country, so I should be fine with doing work as a stagehand," I replied and Sanu smiled.
"That would be splendid, so I'll inform Louis and you should be a member of the club once he accepts your recommendation," Sanu told me before I grinned.
"Good to hear, now I should get back to my dorm room since it seems like everyone's already left," I pointed out, seeing that we were the only ones in the practice room since everyone left while we were chatting.
"I'll see you tomorrow then, but I should warn you that Louis is a bit strict and rather picky about who'll be a member of the drama club based on their skills, so don't be disappointed if he refuses to let you join because of that," Sanu informed me, then I said my goodbyes and left building three before I started my stroll back to the male carnivore dorm.
I continued walking until I sat down at a nearby bench to take a break, then I thought back to the nasty argument that had broken out in building three and it got me thinking that something like that probably happens all the time, which I thought was unnecessary since throwing around blind accusations like that only leads to more grief and chaos while it would give the actual killer the opportunity to cover their tracks.
I have only been in this country for two days now and didn't know enough to have a reasonable and valid opinion about it since I can't remember what it was like for me during my stay here, but what I did to those cops last night taught me that everyone has the potential to be dangerous, even herbivores and one of them might be responsible for Tem's murder so I doubt the alpaca would ever get justice if that's the case because everyone would be focused on a carnivore being responsible.
"I should visit his memorial tomorrow, to pay my respects," I mumbled to myself, then I let out a quiet sigh as I thought about what a mess this turned out to be.
I hadn't noticed that I had decided to sit right outside of another dorm until I spotted Els and a female lemur talking before they parted ways, then I was about to mind my own business and continue heading back to my dorm room when I noticed a dark shadow starting to approach Els, who looked terrified.
'What a damn second, how long have they been waiting behind that tree?' I thought as I wondered if I should intervene, then the figure stepped into the light and I could see that it was Legoshi while the tall wolf held a blank expression.
"Stay away!" Els shouted nervously, only Legoshi ignores her and looms over the female goat while I tensed up since I didn't really know much about this guy and wondered if the meek and shy appearance was just a front to hide his true self.
"You pretend to be my friend, just so you could eat me when you get hungry?" Els questioned uneasily, only there was no response from Legoshi and Els took out a pair of scissors to hold them up threateningly while I widened my eyes at the bold move.
"Don't underestimate me, I'll use this! Tem and I are tougher than you think!" Els yelled desperately, just before Legoshi suddenly grabbed the scissors and Els let out a terrified scream while I was about to run over there to help her, only Legoshi pulls out a letter from his pocket and shows it to Els.
"You should have this, it's a letter for you from Tem," Legoshi said quietly as he handed Els the letter, and I relaxed since he wasn't going to hurt her while Els took the letter.
"I was waiting around out here until you were...um...alone," Legoshi explained, then that's when I decided to leave them alone since it wasn't my business and it wouldn't feel right listening in on something so personal, not to mention that Legoshi wasn't a threat to Els so she should be fine.
I got up from my bench and made sure I wasn't seen as I continued walking back to my dorm room, looking up at the night sky and wondering if I would ever be able to remember who I am as I eventually arrived at my dorm room and stripped down to my shirt and boxers before I went to bed and fell asleep.
Tomorrow morning, I had woken up and got out of bed before yawning as I stretched before I saw that Legoshi and Jack were also awake while they sat next to the window until I was curious to see Legoshi letting some kind of bug crawl on his finger.
"Morning, guys," I greeted groggily, and Jack smirked as he looked at me.
"Morning, sleepyhead," Jack remarked wryly, causing me to send him a dry look as he chuckled.
"Anyway, you seem to like bugs, Legoshi," I said, catching the gray wolf's attention as he looked at me.
"Yeah, they don't scare me as long as they don't try to hurt me," Legoshi told me stoically.
"I see..." I trailed off thoughtfully, concluding that Legoshi was a decent guy and it didn't seem fair to him that people were suspecting him of the murder just because he was a large wolf.
"That's also true for people in the drama club, so it's a nice place to be in," Legoshi added, causing Jack to perk up.
"Oh, the play is coming soon, right? I'll come and see it, only you're not in any of the roles on the actor team, are you?" Jack questioned, then Legoshi shook his head to confirm it and I chuckled.
"Yeah, I kind of assumed that since you don't seem to be the social type," I commented with a smirk, then Legoshi looked embarrassed as he avoided eye contact while Jack turned to me with a smile of amusement.
"Yep, he never changes and always has that big tail of his do the talking," Jack joked, then Legoshi grabbed his tail and held it in his hand while he made a face at our teasing until I cleared my throat.
"On a serious note, I'm going to join the drama club soon so that play I've been hearing about lately, how does the story go?" I asked and Legoshi dropped his tail before turning his attention to me.
"It's called Adler and that's the name of the shinigami in the story," Legoshi told me, and I nodded.
"So, he's the main character in the story?" I questioned.
"Yeah, he's supposed to hunt down the soul of a girl, but the girl convinces him to go on a journey with her to find her a place to die," Legoshi explained before Jack perked up.
"Oh, I get it, the shinigami and the girl like fall in love, right?" Jack asked.
"Well, kind of...they see many things on their journey and discover the joys of life, but they end up dying at the end of the story," Legoshi said while he watched the ladybug move across his hand, and I couldn't help but make a face at the story.
"That's...really morbid so you're actually into that kind of stuff?" I questioned dubiously and Legoshi looked back at me.
"I like tragedies since they make me sympathize with the characters, and they make me feel calm," Legoshi told me before I heard someone approach us quietly, only I could tell it was Miguno because of the way he walked.
"Hey!" Miguno greeted loudly, startling Legoshi and the large wolf accidentally flung the ladybug away as his eyes widened in horror.
"Morning Miguno," Jack replied nonchalantly.
"So, whatcha talking about?" Miguno asked as I looked at him, and I could see him only in a shirt and boxers while I shrugged.
"Just chatting while waiting for the others to wake up, though I think you already did that after shouting in such a manner," I said as the remaining 701 canines were getting out of their beds and Durham glowered at Miguno.
"Shit, Migs, could you be any louder? I think the entire floor was woken up by your yell," Durham grumbled unamusingly, only Miguno didn't look bothered by the glare but I noticed Legoshi trembling and appearing traumatized by the death of the ladybug before I patted him on the shoulder.
"Sorry about the ladybug, man," I said sympathetically, causing Legoshi to freeze up from me touching him and I hesitantly removed my hand while wondering if I went too far by getting into his personal space like that.
"Thanks..." Legoshi mumbled, which I took as a good sign while I went to take a shower and get dressed.
Once I was done, I went to my classes with Legoshi and Jack while the staring from everyone around us was starting to become annoying, and even though I understood why they were doing it since they've never seen a live human before, but I could only take so much until it starts to wear on me.
My time in class was even worse because everyone found me, a member of an endangered species, far more interesting than learning sea speak so it put me in a slightly bad mood as I tried to ignore it, and during one of my free periods, I had bought a bouquet of white lilies and orchids for Tem.
When I arrived at the memorial, which was in front of the broken doors that led to the crime scene, I could feel the lingering heavy sensation of death coming from the area and saw Legoshi sitting on his knees as he stared at the picture of Tem, though I didn't say anything as I quietly walked over to place the bouquet with the others and kneeled onto the ground while I could feel Legoshi's eyes on me.
I didn't pay it any mind since I was here to pay my respects for someone who was taken from this world at such a young age, and I closed my eyes as I sent a small prayer for Tem and became lost in thought.
'Hey Tem, I know we just met the other day, but I'm sure that we would've been great friends so I hope you're happy, wherever you are...I'm sorry, you deserved better than this and I hope the killer is found so that you can rest easy,' I thought solemnly as I opened my eyes and looked at Legoshi, who stared back until I sighed.
"Sorry if this seems insensitive, but were you a friend of his?" I asked tentatively, causing the wolf to look surprised at first until nothing but sadness flooded his eyes as he tried to respond and looked away.
"We were in the drama club together and Tem was...he was such a great person who didn't care if you were a carnivore or herbivore and cared about you regardless while he also knew how to brighten your day up," Legoshi explained quietly and I let out a soft chuckle as I looked at the photo of Tem, seeing the alpaca look so happy in the picture while I smiled sadly.
"Yeah, he was a decent guy when we met the other day...I just wish that I had gotten to know him," I admitted as Legoshi looked at me.
"Well, I'm sure you two would've been great friends," Legoshi told me before we went back to staring at Tem's picture.
Suddenly, feminine screams echoed throughout the hallway and I looked back to see a male red deer, whose uniform was different from the others because of his green jacket and I realized that the screams are for him while I caught the name Louis being mentioned among the group of fangirls.
'Huh, so this is Louis, the lead actor of the drama club,' I thought just as Louis sets down a bouquet and kneels down on my left, then I found myself in between the herbivore and carnivore while I tore my gaze from Louis so as to not appear rude.
"You're staring," Louis told Legoshi, who quickly mumbled an apology as the deer added, "Is rudeness something that's inherent in wolves? You're the pup in the art department, right? I've got a task for you, so come along."
With that said, the deer stood up to leave but I could feel his eyes on me as I watched Legoshi stand up as well.
"You're the new student who wishes to join the drama club as a stagehand, arent you? Come to the club later, I'm sure we'll find a job for you," Louis told me before he started walking away without so much as letting me get a word in, then Legoshi waved at me timidly before he followed the deer and I was left alone.
'Well, Sanu was right about him being strict but he let me join just like that? I don't know what I feel about this guy, so I guess I'll have to get to know him before I make my judgment then,' I thought with a confused frown until I stood up and left the memorial site so that I could get to class.
Once classes were finally finished, I took the time to stroll around campus to clear my head and to get away from everyone staring at me like some kind of science experiment before I remembered that Louis needed to talk to me, so I headed to the drama club and entered the building before I found myself being stared at once again as I frowned slightly.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for Louis so does anyone know where he's at?" I asked and several club members pointed at a door that was located near me.
I thanked them and went over to the door before I adjusted my tie so that I could look presentable and knocked on the door twice, then a voice tells me to enter and I went inside the room before I could see Louis leaning against a small round table with his arms crossed, but it was the heated glint in his eyes that made me start to reconsider joining the drama club since I had a bad feeling about this.
"So, you wanted to talk to me?" I asked and Louis nodded.
"Yes, the headmaster had approached me and said that it would be best for the school to have you in the drama club, mostly for good PR seeing as this club is wildly known for its diversity," Louis explained before a look of realization appeared and he added, "Forgive my manners, my name is Louis, a third-year and student and the head actor of the drama club."
"Nice to meet you, I'm-" I started to say, only to be rudely interrupted.
"You're Eric Miller, a human and a second-year student. So, you wish to be a stagehand, correct?" Louis questioned, and I frowned slightly at being cut off in such a manner before I nodded.
"Yes, I'm not sure if I would be good on stage or if I'm skilled in acting, but I worked on a shipping boat before I arrived in this country so I should be able to help with the lighting or haul boxes...but if you put me on the actor's team, then I might be more of a nuisance than a useful member of the club so I'm sorry," I told Louis, then an unpleasant silence fills the room while the deer's eyes were still fixated on my mouth, which increased my discomfort.
"Um, is something the matter-" I tried to ask, only I was cut off.
"You show off your fangs as if you're proud of how unpleasant it is, or does your body get aggressive at every chance it gets?" Louis spoke up with a sneer, causing me to be taken aback by that.
"E-Excuse me?" I questioned in bewilderment, then Louis started approaching me menacingly and it forced me to back up while I started feeling very uncomfortable and more than a little nervous.
"Or can you not resist your feral instincts? That dark beast that wants to devour everything it sees?" Louis continued as I kept backing up, then my chest tightened anxiously as he got closer and I decided to leave.
"You know what, this was a mistake so I'm just going to go," I stated as I attempted to get the hell out of here, only Louis pushed me against the wall to prevent me from leaving.
"Don't even fucking think about it, now why don't you take responsibility for who you are? If you can't hide it completely, then I expect you to have the decency to show me your true self," Louis spat hatefully as his hand grabs my neck and that's when panic started to set in.
I didn't know what to do since I wanted to defend myself, but that would end badly for me because of the system apparently set up against carnivores and hurting a 'helpless' herbivore who had money and influence throughout the school would turn my life into a living hell, not to mention that I'm still wanted by the police so the last thing I needed was to bring more negative attention to myself as Louis' grip on my neck tightened.
"I'm telling you to show me your fangs, carnivore!" Louis demanded and I was about to protest, but the second I opened my mouth, he shoves his hand in and pushed my upper lip away to expose my teeth while I stared at him with fear in my eyes.
"Don't play weak in front of me, big carnivores like you piss me off the most so don't hold back now, come at me with everything you got! Quit fucking pretending!" Louis yelled as I started to hyperventilate.
His hand pushes my mouth apart even more and I felt his nails scrape against my gums as tears started to well up in my eyes, and I haven't felt this scared since I woke up on that table in the shipping boat since Louis could do whatever he wanted to me and get away with it because of his status as an herbivore, also with his money and influence while I stifled sobs.
"Come on, Eric, bite me!" Louis shouted, then I suddenly reacted by grabbing his arm while my eyes turned cold and detached as my body language became far too calm.
Louis looked startled at the sudden change in behavior, just before I ripped his hand out of my mouth and kneed him in the gut to make him let go as he choked from the lack of breath when I attacked him with fast vicious strikes to the body and face until I grabbed him to hip-toss him to the floor and pinned him down with my arm against his neck that started depriving him of oxygen.
Louis gasped and wheezed as he struggled to get me off him, but I was too strong and my eyes showed no empathy or any other emotion as I strangled him without realizing what I was doing, then Louis started clawing at my face out of pure desperation until I snapped out of it and saw what I was doing, causing a shout of horror to escape me as I quickly let the deer go and scrambled back before Louis began coughing harshly as he tried to get air in his lungs.
'Holy shit, what the fuck am I doing?!' I thought as my back hit the wall and I looked at my hands in pure horror, terrified that I was about to kill somebody while it was like my body ran on auto-pilot as Louis looked at me with fear in his eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, I need to go," I said quickly as I stood up and hurried out of the room.
I saw the other members whisper among themselves once they noticed my eyes filled with terror, my shaking frame, and my rushed pace as I bolted out of building three and ran for the bathrooms until I made it to the main building and rushed inside before finding the nearest male bathroom and locking myself inside a stall.
I sat on the toilet and stared at my hands that were almost responsible for taking a life, still shaking and trembling as tears welled up and I broke out into quiet sobs while I was afraid of myself and how I might actually kill someone if I don't snap out of it next time.
"God...what the fuck am I?" I choked out as I spent who knows how long in the bathroom having an emotional breakdown, then I finally managed to calm down and leave the stall before heading to one of the sinks.
I splashed some water on my face and looked at my reflection to see that my eyes were red and puffy from crying for an extended period of time, then I realized that I just tried to kill the most popular boy in the academy and once people find out, they are going to start suspecting me of being Tem's killer and that's when I'll be alienated from everyone and treated as an outcast, which would be even worse but there was nothing I could do about it so all I can do is get ready for my life to become a living hell by Louis' fan club.
Later on, dinner had come around and no one was being hostile to me yet, but it was only a matter of time before it happened and I had opted to sit outside this time since I wasn't in the mood to be around anyone right now and I needed some time alone to clear my head so I had gotten my dinner and left the cafeteria when I saw that the sun was about to set, painting the sky in vibrant pinks and oranges as the sunset calmed me down quickly.
When I went around to the side of the building, I paused when I saw a white dwarf rabbit in a white female school uniform sitting by her lonesome and she had a small bowl of vegetable soup that she was eating from, then I let out a quiet sigh and decided to sit with her as I approached and cleared my throat to get her attention until the rabbit looked up at me and widened her eyes.
"Hey, is it alright if I sit with you?" I asked, and the rabbit hesitated for a moment until she nodded.
"Sure," the rabbit said, and I thanked her before I sat down next to her and ate in silence for a short time.
"I'm Eric Miller, a human and a second-year if that's what you're wondering," I spoke up quietly, and I would've tried to shake her hand if I wasn't eating.
"I'm Haru, a dwarf rabbit and a third-year so I'm sorry if I'm being insensitive, but why are you sitting out here with me? Did nobody want to sit with you inside either?" Haru inquired curiously and I shrugged.
"No, I just didn't want to be around other people right now since a lot has happened today and it has me in a less than pleasant mood, not to mention that you looked like you needed a friend right now so I decided to sit next to you," I explained, and was puzzled when Haru looked surprised for a second until she quickly put up an uninterested front.
"Well, thanks for that, but I'm fine," Haru said, and we continued to eat in silence while I was lost in thought.
Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse, I heard three sets of footsteps and looked to see three girls approaching me and Haru, the girls consisting of a raccoon, cat, and a rabbit that was colored black on one side and white on the other while I could see the malicious intent in their body language.
"Wow, I'm impressed, the whole school's ignoring you and yet you're sitting here still so strong, Haru. A little risky, wouldn't you say? For a bunny rabbit like you just sitting out here after that student was devoured like your lunch," the rabbit mocked while I frowned at the obvious bullying that was happening until she looked at me and added, "I can also see that you found another boy to fuck so a slut like you just can't help but shake your ass at any male that you come across."
I was about to give her a piece of my mind when Haru stood up calmly while holding her tray and while I was ready to intervene if necessary, I decided to observe and took a sip from my soda since I've been through enough stress today.
"Instead of spreading rumors about me, maybe you should concentrate on getting back together with your boyfriend," Haru said, and I started looking surprised at how bold she was being right now.
"Huh? Who the hell do you think you are, you little bitch? None of that is your fucking-" the rabbit retorted, only she was cut off from saying anything else.
"Actually, he's the one who kissed me, and besides, a guy who gets excited over one little kiss? Kinda tells you something, doesn't it? Excuse me," Haru said, and I was impressed that she stood up for herself in just a manner as she started walking away and I went to stand up as well, then the taller rabbit suddenly knocked Haru off the platform.
"Haru!" I exclaimed in shock as I quickly jumped down to check on her and see if she was alright, just in time to notice the water being thrown at us from a bucket.
I quickly reacted by shielding the smaller rabbit with my body and was rendered completely soaked by the amount of water hitting me, making me curse to myself under my breath as I stood up and flung my arms to try and dry myself off as I felt the cold uncomfortable stickiness of my now wet uniform.
"Oops, look what you did Haru, getting someone in trouble for your actions so don't forget, my boyfriend and I are harlequin rabbits and that makes us an endangered species couple. You are nothing compared to us, Haru, a common dwarf rabbit who's trying to destroy a couple with obvious pedigree.
Well, guess I'm going to have to tell everyone in school that you're screwing with other guys," the rabbit insulted before she and her friends left with cruel laughter, then Haru stood up and stared at me.
"Why did you do that? Now your uniform's all wet," Haru pointed out with a worried look before I shrugged.
"I couldn't let her do that to you and besides, you could say that trouble just seems to find me," I said sheepishly, causing her to sweatdrop before she took me to the bathrooms and I went inside the male one while she waited outside.
I stripped down to my boxers and tank top while hanging my tie, vest, shirt, slacks, and socks on the top of the bathroom stall as I thought about the bullet wounds on my back that are scars now, thinking about what it must've been like getting shot before I lost my memories and I grimaced as I imagined being in agony from having two bullets hitting me in the back just before I heard the door to the hallway open slightly.
"Eric, why did you do it?" Haru asked suddenly, taking me by surprise.
"What do you mean by that?" I questioned in confusion, but I had an idea of what she was asking.
"You know what I mean, so why did you take the fall for me? You could've easily avoided it," Haru clarified, and I heard the sadness in her voice with the edge in her voice making me ponder an answer that would satisfy her.
"Honestly...I don't know why I really did it but I did say that trouble seems to find me, which is true since I'm in one hell of a situation where I don't remember who I am, where I'm from, or what caused me to lose my memory so you could say that you remind me of myself, lost and alone in a hostile world.
Also, you don't look at me like I'm some kind of alien and are pretty chill about everything, so I suppose that I would like to have you as a friend," I explained before I paused and let the silence settle between us, listening to Haru's quivering breaths.
"You seem like a nice girl, and I could use some friends to support me through all of this, so I took the hit for you because that's what friends do when it seems like everyone is against you," I continued, my voice sounding softer and lonely while I could hear Haru's breathing still being uneven and the sound of her gripping something while it almost made me want to leave the stall and check on her, despite only being in my tank top and boxers.
"Haru, you okay?" I asked in concern before Haru let out a quiet shaky sigh.
"Why? Why the hell do you care so much? We've only met today and you've seen how I was treated while you don't owe me anything, so why would you be around me willingly and knowingly put yourself in harm's way like that?
I'm just a dwarf rabbit so I'm not worth that much trouble, Eric," Haru told me quietly, and I was unsure of what to say for the moment as I thought about my own situation and sighed.
"You're worth it to me as a friend, Haru...you're right, we just met and I don't owe you anything, but you're worth the trouble and I won't leave you alone until you get that godawful mindset out of your head, okay?" I remarked and heard Haru giggling, which made me smile since it was nice to hear that after the shitty day I just had.
"Eric, do you know why those girls were bullying me?" Haru asked, making me frown.
"From what that harlequin rabbit said, it sounds like you're a bit on the promiscuous side and I don't have a problem with it since it's your body, and from what I understand, her boyfriend was the one to instigate things so that was a real dick move of him to do.
If you want my opinion, she should dump him since considering that he basically cheated on her without any consideration of her feelings, then he doesn't deserve to have a girlfriend after being unfaithful in such a manner," I stated and glared at nothing in particular while I thought about how much of an asshole the rabbit's boyfriend was for betraying her.
"You know, you're not like the other boys in this school since they take one look at me and tell me that they want to protect me, like annoying pests and once they realize their fantasy isn't all that's cracked up to be, they just take what they want and leave me," Haru explained, and the lack of emotion in her voice told me enough to know how hurt she really was by that.
I felt sorry for her since knowing that someone will only be around you because they think of you in a certain way, only to abandon you when they realize they were wrong, it's no wonder she continued to sleep around with assholes like them if that's basically the only way she feels valued and acknowledged.
"I've been living my life as a plaything for all kinds of guys, but I suppose that it doesn't really matter, does it?" Haru continued bitterly before I scowled.
"It does matter, Haru...look, I'm not going to stop you from being involved with others if you genuinely want that but it's hurting you, even if you don't want to admit it. This is your life and you shouldn't be living it to appease other people, nor should you be experiencing such pain for someone else's stupid fantasies.
If you want my advice, you should ask yourself what you really want and if it's sleeping around and having that kind of fun, then I'll support you but if you want to do something else, I'll support you either way.
If it makes you happy and you're not hurting anyone, then I'll have your back, but I won't stand by and let you give yourself over to other guys if it hurts you the way it does just because you think that is the only way others will value you as a person," I said firmly in a soft tone.
While Haru was too busy fully comprehending what I just told her, I checked my watch to look at the time and found myself sighing while running a hand through my hair as I realized that more time had passed by in this bathroom than I expected.
"Haru, you should head back to your dorm since it'll be dark soon and my uniform hasn't fully dried yet, so it looks like I'll be stuck in here for a little while longer and no offense, but with recent events, it's safer for me to be outside in the dark than it would be for you," I said and Haru started to protest but I cut her off with a warm chuckle.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine because I can handle myself pretty well and I'm not stupid, not to mention that your dorm is closer than mine so even if we were to walk back together, one of us would be alone so might as well make sure one of us is safe, you know?" I pointed out logically, and when I didn't hear her respond or move, I poked my head out of the stall to show her a small smile and it grows when Haru started smiling.
"Really, you don't have to worry about me so I'll meet you by the cafeteria after school and then we can hang out for a little bit to get to know each other, alright?" I offered, then Haru nodded eagerly as her eyes gleam in surprise and excitement.
"Just promise me that you'll be careful, okay Eric?" Haru told me, and I chuckled sheepishly.
"Well, I can't exactly promise anything since trouble tends to find me, but I'll try to be careful," I assured warmly, then Haru is gone and I'm left alone with my thoughts as I gently closed the door and check my uniform.
'Ugh, at this rate, I'll be here 'till midnight so what I wouldn't give for a blowdryer right about now,' I thought dryly as I rubbed the back of my neck tiredly and sighed.
"Shit, just what the fuck am I even doing here?" I muttered as I thought about my situation.
Sure, it felt good making another friend, but I was still facing the problem of not remembering who I am or where I came from and recalling how I put those two cops in the hospital while also nearly killing Louis has me questioning myself of who I really am since how I fought and combine that with what I discovered in the safety deposit box seems like something out of an action movie, where I'm actually some government spy or something.
I let out a groan and rubbed my eyes since this was all so confusing and terrifying at the same time, so I tried not to think about it as I waited for what seemed like hours until my uniform was finally dry and I redressed myself, leaving the bathroom and exiting the building.
I felt goosebumps appear on my skin as I'm exposed to the cold and fresh night air, seeing the stars shining brightly in the midnight dark blue sky while the full moon glowed peacefully above to clouds.
"Great, it's way past curfew so I better not let any teachers or the dorm mother catch me outside my room since I'd rather not get into trouble, especially since Tem's murder has the faculty members patrolling the school grounds at night," I muttered as I grimace at the thought of the dorm mother giving me an earful for being out after curfew.
I continued to stroll through the night during my trip back to the male carnivore dorm, passing by a certain fountain as I kept my eyes and ears open during my walk back to room 701 until I suddenly paused.
I didn't know why, but alarm bells were going off in my head and I suddenly felt a sense of danger hitting me while I started to slowly look around for any threats as I felt like I was in serious danger and needed to run as fast as I could.
Somehow, I picked up the sound of faint growling coming from nearby and my eyes turned cold and detached as I cautiously moved into a defensive fighting stance without realizing what I was doing just before a large dark shape lunged at me from a nearby building.
Seeing the glowing red eyes told me that this person's instincts had taken over and I analyzed my attacker before concluding that it was a large male, possibly a carnivore who looked canine in nature as the analysis took only a few seconds and I got ready.
Just before the figure went to tackle me to the ground, I quickly moved out of the way and sent a swift kick into the carnivore's side before it cause him to let out a sharp yelp of pain as the figure crashed onto the ground hard and got back up on all fours with a snarl of rage and hunger.
I couldn't tell who he was since it was too dark, but the glowing eyes were able to help me pinpoint when he's going to attack as the figure suddenly moved fast around me in a circle, a classic attack pattern to confuse prey before the figure lunged for me and I dodged until I carried out fast and nasty strikes in retaliation that sent the figure to the ground again.
The carnivore growled angrily as I kept my focus on him with a sharp look before he charged me and I went to dodge, only I didn't expect him to fake it at the last second and he collided into me as I let out a whoosh of air since it was like getting struck by a semi-truck as we rolled across the ground in a tangle of limbs until I found myself being held from behind, the carnivore's arms wrapped around my midsection with a canine snout right beside my face as I snapped out of it and my legs started quivering in fear while my heart pounded.
'Oh god...I don't want to die, not like this,' I thought as the carnivore held me, nothing but pure terror flooding my system as I prayed for anyone to save me.
A/N I know, pretty evil of me to leave it on a cliffhanger, but this chapter has gotten long enough so I'm going to stop it here. So, what did you think about the interaction between Haru and Eric? I think it was good character development between them and before anyone says anything, I'm going to make their relationship more like siblings since this will only be a Legoshi pairing in this story.
Also, there were plenty of changes that occurred with Louis getting his ass kicked and Eric putting up a fight against Legoshi, who had lost control of himself so things are going to get interesting.
One more thing, I'm trying to figure out when the Castel fight should happen and I know that it'll happen in the second arc, but when will it happen is the question since I was thinking it occurs when Eric and Legoshi reunite with Louis and they are taken back to the Shishigumi's place, so let me know when you think the Castel fight should happen.
Well, let me know what you think and stay tuned.