CHAPTER 5

AFTERMATH

Back at the Hogo-sha-gumi Headquarters, Louis put the cap back on a bottle of wine and sat it on a desk, then placed his cane on a rack above the desk. A lion his age walked in the room, file in hand.

"Boss, we found this in Hikari's office." said the lion.

"Thank you, Mr. Leonard." said Louis. "Prepare my ride. I shall read it on the way to the manor."

"As you wish, sir." said Mr. Leonard and bowed, then started walking to the car.

2030. 21 years prior.

Louis and Legoshi were sitting side by side in the lobby of Lougosi Corporation.

"Should I really be announcing this?" asked Louis.

"I wish I knew the right answer." said Legoshi. "What I do know is if you tell them, they may be able to sleep better at night."

Louis smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you for the reminder, love." he said and got up.

"Anything for you." said Legoshi with a smile.

A few minutes later, Louis walked out the door and up to a podium. Cameras were rolling.

"Good afternoon." said Louis and bowed. "For those of you unfamiliar with me, I am Louis Graywolf. My husband and I are currently known for a caring act of bringing herbivores and carnivores together. Today, I bring with me more news. One year ago, the Kuma-gumi disappeared off the face of the Earth. As long as they had operated, they raped, murdered and devoured herbivores." he said and took a moment before he spoke again. "I was the one who decapitated the leader." he said and went quiet again. "Tyrants like them must never again be allowed to harm the citizens of Tokyo. Therefore, the night after I ended the Kuma-gumi, I formed the Hogo-sha-gumi. We intend to keep an eye so close to dangerous individuals, they'll wish they were pure as gold."

The crowd cheers.

2051.

Back at Golden Manor, after Melon was dropped off...

"V.A.S.A., play the album 'Who Made Who' by AC/DC, in random." said Melon.

As requested, the album plays, with Hells Bells playing first, all throughout the house. He starts first by staring into the restroom mirror with a hacksaw and hesitating briefly before he starts sawing off his antlers, leaving very very small nubs. After having walked down to the basement, he finds a wall of weapons. Guns and bombs of many different types were on the wall from one end to another. Now wearing a hooded sweatshirt with a duffle bag over his right shoulder, he smirks and starts loading the bag. In the first few rooms, he started making tripwire traps, using various weapons. After making the traps, he steps back and admires them before turning the music off and getting out a pistol.

"Turner!" Melon called out.

The butler came in and Melon quickly shot him in the forehead, killing him instantly. He quickly hid from plain sight.

As the Hogo-sha-gumi rush the manor, elsewhere, Louis was in the back seat of his car, reading a file on Melon. It read:

"Colley, Melvin 'Melon'. 54 year old pansexual male. Leopard/gazelle hybrid. The patient is severely sadistic and masochistic. Criminal acts committed include rape, murder, matricide, pedophilia, cannabalism..."

Louis felt lightheaded and dropped the file before reading any further.

"What have I done?" Louis asked.

"Hmm?" asked the driver.

Louis then got on a radio.

Back at Golden Manor, the doorway was destroyed and on fire, with 5 bodies lifeless and in pieces. A male gazelle, polar bear and anteater in black suits were trying to traverse the manor to find Melon.

"WHERE ARE YOU, MOTHERFUCKER!?" shouted the gazelle.

"It's Louis!" Louis said through the walkie. "He's extremely dangerous. Shoot to kill if spotted!"

The anteater accidentally activates a tripwire and there's a loud bang as a shotgun shoots him in the head, causing it to explode.

"We need to get the fuck out of here." said the gazelle.

"Open your damn eyes." said the polar bear.

"My eyes ARE open!" shouted the gazelle. "That's why I think we should get out!"

"Do you have any idea what will happen to us if we let him go?" asked the polar bear.

The gazelle remained quiet.

"Didn't think so." said the polar bear. "Come on."

"We're going to die in here." the gazelle said, scared, following the polar bear.

"Shut up." said the polar bear.

Not very much further until they accidentally triggered traps. A machete swings down from the right as a meat cleaver swings down from the left. The machete becomes lodged in the polar bear's head as the meat cleaver becomes lodged in the gazelle's head, killing them both and finishing off both the targets and the traps. Melon then sees the mess left over.

"My, my." said Melon. "Too bad I don't have a maid. But... if you don't mind, fellas... I gotta leave. And I guess it's just gotta be over your dead bodies." he said and laughed as he stepped out of the wreckage of the house. With gloves on, he then opened the trunk of one of the black Mercedes-Benz, put his duffle bag in and closed it, before getting in and driving off.

The following morning, Hikari woke up naked at the hotel by himself and saw a note on the bedside stand. It read:

"I had a great time last night, but I gotta go. It's important. 😉 "

Hikari smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Yuki." he said.

He then looked at his phone and saw a text from "Father (Louis)" that read:

"Golden Manor. Be there."

"Must be serious." Hikari thought.

Some time later, Louis was looking down at the carnage left by Melon, inside, struggling to hold down a hellish rage.

"I sensed there was something wrong with that man." said Louis. "I should've just killed him."

"There's no way you could've known." said a wolf in black.

"I SHOULD'VE known." said Louis. "I'm supposed to be making Tokyo safer and THIS happens."

"With all due respect, sir..." began the wolf. "Hikari ran into him first."

Louis then looked at him, with a look one could swear was piercing into the receiver's soul, as he got closer to the wolf.

"You best be very VERY careful how you talk about my son." said Louis.

"Sir..." began the wolf. "I meant no disrespect."

"Excellent." said Louis and relaxed. "If you continue not to mean disrespect, you will be fine."

"Yes sir." said the wolf.

They hear a car arrive and walk out of the wreckage, to see Hikari's Mercedes-Benz. He got out in the mahogany and aqua green suit he had on the previous night.

"Do not allow him in there." said Louis.

"Yes sir." said the wolf.

Louis then walked over to Hikari.

"What happened here?" asked Hikari. "And where's Father?"

"Legoshi's... okay." said Louis. "He's just running an errand. What happened here is that man you and your girl ran into yesterday. He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No." said Hikari. "I guess he's wasn't ready to die yet."

"Well, he must've changed his mind." said Louis.

"Who was that, anyway?" asked Hikari.

"Melon Colley." said Louis.

Hikari raised one eyebrow.

"Melon Colley." he said. "You're kidding, right?"

"No." said Louis. "Apparently, he's been a murderer for 45 years, amongst many other sinister crimes."

"Damn." said Hikari and looked around, noticing one black Mercedes and the silver Dodge. "He stole one of our cars." he said as a black 2034 Ford Crown Victoria with large blue stripes and thin white stripes pulls in. It also had

"Public Security" in white lettering with blue outlines on the sides. A male longhorn sheep in a blue shirt and black pants got out.

"Fantastic." said Louis sarcastically.

The longhorn sheep walked over to Louis.

"Pina Ramsey. PSIA." said the sheep.

"We're well aware of your organization." said Louis. "We're trying to get to the bottom of this."

"Relax." said Pina. "The other members can be a little gruff, but make no mistake, we support you. Perhaps even moreso for me, considering I've seen death up close."

Louis studied Pina for a brief moment.

"Did you by any chance go to Cherryton?" he asked.

"Yes, actually." said Pina.

"Ah, I see." said Louis. "I invite you over for dinner."

"Actually, sir..." began Pina. "Would you mind if my husband also joined you?"

"Not at all." said Louis. "Now... back to the matter at hand... Have you seen a lone black Mercedes-Benz anywhere last night or anywhere since?"

"Yes." said Pina. "We have found two at two separate times. The first one was spotted en route to Graywolf Manor at 2:00. I assume that was you?"

"Yes." said Louis.

"Second one was spotted at 2:15 near here at a marina." said Pina. "The car appears to have been abandoned there."

"Best case scenario, he's going to North America." said Louis. "DAMMIT!"

Pina sighed and got out his phone, then looked through security footage. A figure in a hooded sweatshirt walked onto a ferry.

"If your guess is correct, the car's still in the country." said Pina.

"Just what I thought." said Louis.

"However..." Pina began. "It might be difficult to track him down at this point. He didn't drive onto the ferry."

Louis sighed and turned to the wolf.

"Stay on this case." he said. "I want as many details as you can gather."

"Yes sir." said the wolf.

"Two men with me." said Louis and turned to Hikari and spoke only loud enough for him to hear. "Legoshi needs our support."

At the graveyard, not too far away, Legoshi puts a basket of cherry blossoms at a gravestone.

"Thank you for everything, grandfather." he said, tears in his eyes.

On the gravestone, it said "Gosha Komodo. 1965-2047."

"The death of a close loved one." Legoshi thought. "You can do what you have to to distract yourself from the pain, but time after time it resurfaces over and over and over again. And don't get it wrong. It's strange and painful what it does to you. Makes you feel alone when you're surrounded by loved ones... Makes you feel like the ones who love you the most are just torturing you..."

Legoshi sighed.

"You were a good man." he said and took a moment to speak. "I know you and grandmother are happy again." he said and wiped his tears away, then smiled.

"I love you, grandfather." said Legoshi.

He then felt two familiar hands on his shoulders.

"He had a good heart, Legoshi." said Louis.

Legoshi put his hand ontop of Louis'.

"Thank you." said Legoshi and got up, then hugged Louis and Hikari.

"You going to drive the Malibu, or you wanna come with me?" asked Louis.

"I'd like to be with you, hun." said Legoshi.

"Alright." said Louis.

"Fathers..." said Hikari.

They then look at him.

"You need anything before I come back home?" asked Hikari.

"Yeah." said Louis. "May you get some champagne and perhaps a pie?"

"As you wish." said Hikari.

"Be careful, son." said Legoshi.

"I will." said Hikari.

2047.

In the afterlife, Gosha was walking. He felt 20 years old again, surrounded with bright white light. The ground underneath him was soft. In the distance, he saw an object glowing golden light. He felt a strange feeling of having no limits to his stamina, as he took off running toward the object. He smiles, having not been able to run in years. Soon enough, he made it, standing in front of giant golden gates, with a large golden cross at the top. The gates opened, seemingly by themselves, and the landscape behind them seemed to just materialize out of a fog. There were churches and buildings for blocks. Healthy, green grass lined a marble walking path. Gosha walked in and saw a pink whippet in yellow clothing standing on the path, with a smile.

"Welcome to Heaven, Gosha." she said. "My name is Annabelle."

"Nice to meet you, Annabelle." Gosha said with a smile.

"God sent me to give you a tour if you would like one." said Annabelle. "If you don't want one, that is perfectly alright. If you would like one, we can go whenever you're ready. Just say my name. I can hear you at any time."

"Alright, thank you." said Gosha. "Is Toki here?"

"Yes." said Annabelle. "She's at the lake."

His eyes began to tear up as he took off toward the lake, not even knowing where he was going, but he knew how much he wanted to get there. Soon enough, he made it to the lake. There was a large, healthy tree there with a homemade swing. A brown furred wolf in a blue blouse and pink skirt was on the swing, admiring the sight.

Gosha slowly walked up behind her.

"Toki?" asked Gosha.

The wolf, looking 20 years old, was quick to her feet as she looked at him.

"Gosha?" she asked.

"It's me, darling." Gosha said with a smile.

They then hugged each other and kiss passionately.

"Welcome home." Toki said with a smile as tears started streaming down her face.

Gosha smiled as tears streamed down his face as well as they embraced.