Legoshi held rocks tied to rope in a cold dark room. He lifted them with one hand, then the other, he held his position for a few moments, counting to ten in his head.

(It's not enough!. Not at all!)

He shivered, sweat dripping from his brow. He clenched his teeth in strain and closed his eyes to focus more intently.

(I'm not strong enough to beat that brown bear the way I am now! What should i do to make myself way more physically stronger!?)

The thought rippled through his mind like a sharp metal object giving him an otorhinolaryngological check up. Yet nothing came to mind through all the strain. It was a hopeless endeavor but he persevered, his spirit remaining unbroken. Through his focus he failed to hear the door opening behind him

-"HEY!" Gouhin shouted from behind, causing Legoshi to drop to the floor under the weight of the rocks he once held so valiantly.

"Don't over-exert yourself! You'll mess up your body. Come on, I'm making tea" Gouhin lectured, walking out of the room.

Legoshi groaned and let go of the rope. He stood tall, stretched and walked into Gouhin's living room. A cup of tea was already on the coffee table in front of the chair Legoshi would usually sit in. He grabbed it and took a small sip. Gouhin chewed a stick of bamboo while checking his notes.

"I understand your impatience...but your body isn't capable of getting any stronger with heavy lifting anymore."

Legoshi was silent.

"Don't forget how complicated your fighting capabilities are becoming. You can't eat meat, and you can't bite." Gouhin reprimanded.

-"I can't be patient... The culprit is a brown bear. I never even fought him, you know?" Legoshi explained, still determined to keep this hardcore training regiment going.

-"But he's just a bear, right?" Gouhin asked, still looking at his notes.

-"Just a bear?" Legoshi asked, turning toward Gouhin.

An idea.

Gouhin's a bear...

Legoshi slowly got up from the chair, starting to sneak towards Gouhin. His gaze firmly fixed on his prey.

In the blink of an eye Gouhin turned around, throwing a bamboo whip towards Legoshi, wrapping it around his wrist.

-"I'M TELLING YOU TO BE PATIENT!" Gouhin yelled, sending a chill down Legoshi's spine. Gouhin pulled Legoshi towards him. Legoshi tried to resist but it was too much. Gouhin was far stronger.

"You're 100 years too early to fight me one-on-one, especially when you can't even hide your presence!"

-"I wasn't trying to fight you!" Legoshi yelled, still trying to resist the pulling Gouhin was doing. It was no use. Gouhin put his foot on Legoshi's chest and pinned him to the ground.

-"You need allies, Legoshi! Without allies you'll be crushed by the pressure!" Gouhin snarled, striking fear into Legoshi.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before Gouhin let go of him. He removed his foot from Legoshi's chest and walked away, towards the window.

Legoshi panted, still lying on the floor. It was much easier to breathe now that he didn't have a giant angry panda crushing his delicate lungs. He got up and walked back to his chair, still watching Gouhin cautiously. He sat and panted some more.

-"What allies?" Legoshi finally spoke between breaths.

-"I think you know someone who'll be willing to help you... again."

-"No. Not him." Legoshi firmly declined.

-"You'll actually have a chance if it's the two of you against him." Gouhin persisted.

-"I said no!" Legoshi shouted. Gouhin swiftly turned around, sending yet another chill down Legoshi's spine.

-"You're gonna get yourself killed! Face it goddamn it, you're handicapping yourself this hard to prove what!? That you're better than the guy you're fighting?"

-"I'm doing it for Tem! For all the herbivores in my school! He needs to answer for what he did..." Legoshi stated his case.

-"And having Keanu be there to watch your back would somehow negate all that?"

-"He'd kill him!"

-"So now you're squeamish about killing? I guess lions don't count ." Gouhin chuckled.

-"That was different!" Legoshi yelled, upset.

The room was silent for a moment. Gouhin took a deep breath and let out a sigh.

-"Legoshi, you've been helping me for a while now. You know how much I care about my patients and believe in rehabilitation. But you and I both know that some of these guys deserve to be in the fucking ground."

-"Not this guy... There's still something there. He should be punished, answer and repent for his crimes. If he dies, the cycle will just continue with another carnivore." Legoshi explained.

-"If that's the case... Why not let the authorities handle it? It's just a phone call away." Gouhin inquired, motioning towards the phone sitting on his work desk.

-"No. I need to do this." Legoshi declined. Gouhin gave yet another sigh.

-"I can see you want to prove something to yourself. Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Legoshi sipped his tea and sat in silence for a bit.

-"Is that headcase really my only option?" Legoshi asked.

-"He's not a..." Gouhin stopped mid sentence, exhaling through his nose and putting his fingers on his forehead.

"He's capable. And he cares about you a lot. That's what matters."

-"Yeah but how long are we gonna keep ignoring everything else about him? I've seen him kill SEVERAL people, he's violent and impulsive, fond of drugs and alcohol and he has a machine gun!"

-"He's a product of his environment. Look... He experienced a lot of trauma at a very young age, that was the spark. And when he came here, the people around him, the city he grew up in, the lack of calm and reason created the wildfire that he is now. I am amazed that he has any good qualities left." Gouhin unraveled.

The mystery surrounding Keanu was becoming just a tad bit clearer to Legoshi. Like fog on a windshield in the blistering cold of winter slowly melting away under the heat. It was all very vague still, but he felt a connection in Gouhin's words. Keanu wasn't the only one who was traumatized... If only he had a good role model maybe he would have turned out more akin to Legoshi. They both had a thing for rabbits and deer apparently, all Keanu was missing was reptile blood to go along with his ancient reptilian brain.

-"He mentioned you were a family friend... How long have you known him?" Legoshi asked, his curiosity sparked by Gouhin's vague explanation. He wished to learn more.

-"Family friend." Gouhin chuckled. "Sure, you could say that. He's been here from time to time ever since he was ten. I was there for his yearly flu, his various injuries, the ungodly amount of STD checks..." It was at this point that Gouhin started rambling a bit.

"I swear nothing worked for this fucking kid. You could staple a condom on him length-wise and he'd find a way to chew it off-"

-"Okay! Okay. I get it." Legoshi quickly interrupted, his mind suddenly painting a horrifying image of Gouhin holding a staple gun and a box of trojans.

"I just do not understand why you defend him. I know you two have history but come on. You have morals, right?"

-"Some, sure. They keep you focused on what's important. The truth is that people like him are a necessary evil. Someone has to do the dirty work, and as a consequence they lose parts of themselves. If anything I feel sorry for him."

-"Sorry? Sorry that he's having unprotected sex and fits of violence?" Legoshi sarcastically commented, still firmly opposed to Gouhin's stance.

-"I understand your hostility" Gouhin responded, leaning back in his chair. He stared deep into Legoshi's eyes and continued.

"He didn't weep in your arms after his first murder. He didn't describe to you how the blood of his father felt flowing across his hands. You didn't spend countless hours trying to give a bit of love, a bit of joy to a child who desperately needed it... Only to see it gone the next time he comes over. You don't know the ways he can make you smile, the ways he makes you want to cry."

"You didn't see dread, the fear." Gouhin stopped, leaning in towards Legoshi.

"The anger."

Legoshi's ears drooped and he stared at the floor between him and Gouhin as if an answer would be written there. He was speechless. He looked back at all the time he spent with Keanu. He always seemed carefree, loose and joyful. Well... up until the last time he saw him. It did not occur to him that the character Keanu presented himself as was exactly that. A character. A curtain to hide all the deep, fundamentally wrong things within him. He felt Gouhin's sharp gaze drilling into his forehead, and he realized he had to say something, anything.

-"He never told me..." Legoshi solemnly spoke

-"Yet he still called you a friend. A friend, Legoshi. Someone he enjoyed spending time with, someone who he trusts. Someone who he'd risk his life for without hesitation." Gouhin continued. Legoshi dragged his hands down his face.

-"I should talk to him."

Time passed and Legoshi was crouched on an AC unit above the black market. He was following two lions who appeared suspicious. His mind was still foggy from the bombshell that Gouhin dropped on him. He still has not decided if he should forgive Keanu for what he did, but he gained a new perspective that was worth discussing. Legoshi saw the lions go into an alleyway and he jumped down, staring at them while hiding behind a corner. He saw a shadow cast over him, and he turned around to see a familiar face...