Author's Note: Hello Lads and Ladies
This Chapter here introduces the character I had originally planned to completely replace the melon man from my story as I absolutely despised him in canon. However, my friends and even my editors brought me around to the idea of just rewriting the character in itself to make him fit the framework better as the sort of third chaotic force that will loom over Edobutsu during Season 3.
Of course, I am a bit worried that introducing this character will bloat the number of story arcs to be completed even further, but I think Yajuu brings an interesting spin to the whole thing by showing the most passive aspect of hybrid living into the mix.
I wish you all the best, hope the war is not having any catastrophic influences on your lives. War is always terrible for everyone involved. My heart goes out to the Ukrainian families being ripped apart by Putin's insanity. Much love from me, a german who will probably have a cold winter without heating as our gas pipeline (our main supply) from Russia is obviously shut off right now. And even then there are worse cases of people suffering right now.
I hope this chapter here serves some sort of distraction, some sweet relief in all the matters at the minute. Chapter 4 is already 1,5 k in. I'll be back soon enough fellas. Have a good one!
Edited by: SuperAverageFoxyboy, The dude who likes Tanks
-Portal
Chapter 3: The Weindeer
Legosi looked up photos of the state building online, the giant skyscraper reflecting the sun deep into the city. Besides housing the Office of the Beastar, being the biggest meeting place for all kinds of politicians, police, and military leaders, it was also the only building that could be seen from the entire inner city district.
Legosi didn't know what to expect. He had never met the Beastar before. But if Gouhin was to be trusted, he wouldn't be the friendliest person to talk to, knowing that his links to the black market were jaded and negative. He once again cursed himself a fool. However, there was still the weird small smidge of hope that by some bizarre turn of events he would be able to truly help, maybe even change something in a meaningful way.
He wasn't sure if sabotage was the right word, but he and Louis had talked about why he should do it; to gather information.
Louis had read the legislation changes Yahya had planned to do. Hybrids would receive a specific Special Classification and then be submitted to mandatory state testing. Legosi didn't understand half of the specifics, but Louis had explained the basic points. They would be categorized. They would receive experimental gene therapy and other treatments as a form of first test subjects. And then, they would receive a stamp on their Hybrid identification papers, and they would be free to go for three months when the testing would restart.
The whole process started from as young as 12 years old and continued on well past retirement age. And that's not even half of it. Segregation due to 'infection risk' and 'cross contamination.' No more restaurants, B-strike, Cinema, no more free time. Yahya's planning to make an enjoyable life impossible for Hybrids.
The door to the apartment opened, Legosi awaiting Juno's return already. He turned it off and then closed the laptop, placing it back towards its charging station in the corner of the room.
"Ready to go to the roof?" She held a few groceries bags in her arms, surely filled with all sorts of grilling goods.
"Yes, I am." Legosi stood up and grabbed one of the bags, looking into the bag while smelling some of the wonderful things in the bag.
"You can eat those when we are on the roof." She giggled, taking him by her free hand and pulling him behind her.
The roof of the Beast Apartments was a sort of community hub garden substitute. At first, when you ascended the stairs and left the stairwell hut on the roof you came out to a sprawling little area with tables and little couch corners being spread under the plastic roofing that had been built between the transformer shed and the stairwell hut. There were small herbal gardens under the sun, though the biggest plant to grow on the roof was a large oak tree that gave wonderful shade in the summer.
When they arrived on the roof, the first view that greeted them was three of their neighbors playing cards at a table just at the wall of the transformer shed. Raika, a stellar eagle with beautiful red feathers lining his head and torso, Ebisu, an entirely white Raven sitting on the table, and Mugi the Shiba-Inu who was looking at his cards nonchalantly.
They were at the end of the round, Mugi raising by a few poker chips. They were playing with their duties instead of money, all three taking responsibilities for the complex by betting it on their little game. Gambling with real money was frowned upon, not only by the building's management, but by most parts of the city, even though in places like these, no one would care.
Raika looked longingly at his cards and then at his opponent, the dog letting no sign of emotion except the endless smile of a dog break through.
"Come on." Raika followed, setting his chips on the table. Ebisu laid out the last card of the River, and Raika revealed his cards.
"Pair of Kings." Ebisu commentated.
Mugi smirked and flipped his cards.
"You're shitting me. Full house again?!" Raika slapped the tabletop, the cards nearly flying off the table.
"Why the hell are you working as a model when you should go make millions in Poker Championships," Raika grumbled under his breath, Mugi smirking In a smug stride.
"A magician never reveals his secrets."
"Oh, Shut up. I'll just take my share of chores and let it rest. I don't want to clean bathrooms all over again." Raika lamented and looked at the floor. The white raven looked up from the table at the wolves.
"Oh, hi Legosi, Juno." He nodded at both.
"Hi, Ebisu!" Juno greeted back, Legosi nodding in acknowledgment. The Raven looked at their bags in interest.
"What are you two doing up here?" The raven stood up from the table, walking over the cards and jumping onto a chair from the table's edge.
"Doing a roof picnic, you want some?" Juno's kind offer made the Raven flap his wings and fly over.
"No one says no to free food!" Ebisu shouted as he flew over the wolves' heads towards the grill by the backside of the roof. Legosi looked at Mugi and Raika sitting at the table.
"You want some too? Juno got the good stuff." The two carnivores looked at each other, shrugged, and stood up to follow the two.
"Barbecue for dinner doesn't sound half bad." Said Raika.
"Thank you for offering." Mugi expressed his gratitude with the compulsion of shaking their hands, a little tic he had gathered from his time working as an office assistant.
They gathered around the fireplace and the little group enjoyed the dying sunlight as they ate their meals and talked about their days. Legosi himself viewed this as the calm before the storm in many ways, not just as he was going to start playing a role again as he had done back on the stage all those many days ago, the mere thought of it made him hug Juno close and rest his head upon hers, but it was always a risk.
He was becoming a double agent in an attempt to fix the problems his country had. He was offering himself up as a sacrifice to something much bigger. And of course, Juno could see through his facade like an open book, and that made him worry even more. If I can't even act tough to her that to whom will I-
He stopped the thought, the logic of it being twisted. Of course, his mate would know what was going on in his mind, no questions asked. It was just how it worked. Yahya didn't know him, so he would simply have to try his best.
After a while, the others having eaten their meals, the rest of them decided to leave. They had things left to do, papers to fill, things to pack, and rooms to organize.
They thanked them for the meal, and Legosi and Juno took their appreciation and leaned back, both talking or basking in each other's silence in the darker and darker growing sky. And so both forgot time for a minute.
Both didn't know how deep into the night it already was when the stairwell door opened again. The first thing both of them noticed was that the animal leaving wore a fine red robe-like coat. It seemed to be thick enough to combat some of the chilly cool night air, yet not thick enough to really do anything against real winter cold.
The person held headphones and his phone in another hand, closing the door behind them before turning around to reveal their features to the two wolves sitting by the old barbecue grill pit.
He wore a blueish-gray pelt reminiscent of Legosi's, even though his was a darker blue. His face looked at most to be a reindeer, although the antlers coming from his head were sharp and pointed not unlike Louis's antlers rather than the dull and fluffy coating of a normal Reindeer's head adornment. He also sported a dog-like nose and disheveled fluffy fur much like Legosi had on his own face.
His mouth was shut, little folds of skin overlapping his lower jaw similar to that of a dog's snout.
The deep rich brown eyes looked at the two wolves, and his figure visibly jumped, the hybrid almost stumbling back…
"Oh…" His mouth ever so slightly opened, not revealing any of the hybrid's teeth. Legosi instantly recognized the habit of trying to hide one's teeth in shame over oneself.
In a moment of deep-seated empathy, the wolf smiled and waved his hand. His tail wagged slightly beside him, his mind still halfway fogged by the scent of the wolfess beside him.
He observed the two, looking both up and down as if to check them for threats. He seemed so lost in himself that he was about to burst into tears. It was obvious he had not planned to find anybody up here this late in the night.
"You can sit down if you want. We're not waiting for anybody," Legosi said, trying his best to keep his voice as kind and calm as he could. The hybrid seemed to be terrified of the prospect of getting closer. His eyes darted from one thing to the other, his arms hugging his frame, holding his phone close to his midsection, and pressing his coat around himself in the process.
Legosi and Juno both remained seated, the wolves leaning back into the couch and looking at the still-burning embers of the little fire pit.
After a little while, finally, did the reindeer slowly begin to move forward. He made his way, ever so slowly to the opposite couch and sat down, looking between the two still with caution. Legosi found that the hybrid reminded him of his mother. A bundle of nerves and fear
"I don't think we've met before. I'm Legosi, I live in room 504 with my mate, Juno." He introduced himself and then squeezed Juno a bit.
"Nice to meet you," Juno spoke, her voice was as soft and mellow as it always was. Legosi again looked at the hybrid, who in perplexed silence looked Legosi up and down, cautiously slipping in and out of eye contact.
"What's your name?" He lay on the couch now, Juno laying leaning into him. He brushed through the fur on her head as he asked the question, Juno nearly melting in soundless bliss.
"Y-Yajuu…" The hybrid introduced himself and both Juno and Legosi cringed at the memory of the different horrible depictions of Yajuu the hateful carnivore spirit. Both looked unsettled at the hybrid, their faces speaking volumes.
"My mother didn't like me much… having a son as a p-prostitute… and then a hybrid at that…" Yajuu looked at the floor in sadness, Legosi feeling an ever deeper connection to him. Legosi looked between each other.
"Well, we don't hate you. You can stay here as long as you want." Juno did her best to ease Yajuu's senses.
"We were just having a small roof picnic. Do you want something to eat?" Legosi was the picture of kindness, although he himself was unsure if he was overdoing it. However, he felt relief when after another uncertain look the mysterious reindeer replied with a nod.
"Do you have something vegetarian? I don't eat much meat." The reindeer said, laying his phone on his side. He seemed still on edge, not having expected to be talking to others but had calmed down from his near panic.
"Of course we do." Legosi grabbed the bag and extended it to the reindeer. He picked it up and looked through it, his near-jittering hands emerging from the bag with a small package of bread-based fake meat. Legosi leaned back, trying his best to let any tension in him pass before he could accidentally startle the reindeer any further.
"Thank you." His voice was subtle and wispy like a gentle breeze. A voice of someone who rarely spoke much louder than a conversational volume. Once the food had been shared and all three had come to comfortable positions, Legosi felt like he could finally continue the conversation.
"In which room do you live?" Legosi asked out of curiosity.
"503… we're neighbors." Yajuu quietly nibbled on the fake meat as he looked at the ground, his eyes staring off into space.
"I guess you like to hide a lot, don't you?" Legosi asked, knowing perfectly well the answer.
"Look at me." Yajuu opened his mouth widely for the first time during the conversation, the wolves inspecting his teeth from afar. The teeth on the side of his muzzle were flat, made to crush plants, but the teeth at the front were sharp and pointed, perfect for tearing into meat.
"You think a Carnivore herbivore hybrid is gonna have an easy time outside?… I'm thankful enough that I look enough like my father from the outside… Though you two are a perfect example that any wolf can see that my eyes don't belong to a herbivore…" Yajuu's hand brushed over his face, it was apparent that his hands wanted to slip before it, obscure it somehow, even if that was impossible due to his snout.
"I couldn't," Juno said, her face a warm smile as Yajuu looked at her.
"I think Legosi can, but not because he's a wolf… well just a wolf…" Juno's voice started to tease, Legosi looking at the Reindeer with a smile.
"My Grandpa is a komodo dragon, so I'm not as pure as you'd think." Legosi enjoyed one thing most about his little open secret since leaving school. It caught people off guard, making them show themselves to the world in their true colors. A wonderful little gift to have.
When he told his open secret to Yajuu, he was met by a cautious look to see if there was any hint of a joke between the two. There was none. His eyes darted to the wolf, scanning him up and down until looking directly at his eyes.
"Reptilian Eyes… you got lucky," Yajuu stated, now looking at his still slightly shaking hands in his lap, overlooking the sharp claw-like nails at the ends of his fingers.
"You were a second-generation hybrid… I got the full mix, firstborn and probably last of this bloodline…" His voice and tone once again wandered deep into melancholy. Legosi glanced at his mate, Juno looking directly at Yajuu.
"I'm sorry if we offended you." Juno apologized. Legosi quickly apologized as well, sinking his head to the floor.
"No, no… It's hard to offend me… I didn't mean to sound like I have it worse. I just… My features are not as hidden as yours, Legosi." The hybrid wrung his hands, the atmosphere of the entire conversation having turned gloomy and dark.
"That explains why we didn't meet you before. Though, I do have to say that everyone In this apartment block has problems of their own kind. Money troubles, mental issues… I don't think these people really have the ability to judge." Legosi looked ahead to see the Reindeer still looking at the ground.
"I don't know." came a mumble from the hybrid. "I prefer to stick to myself."
"What hybrid are you anyway?" Legosi asked with curiosity, changing the subject not only due to the atmosphere but possibly due to his own rising fear of surfacing some ugly memory of childhood that he didn't want to open here. Even if he had said his goodbyes and ended the chapter of fear it didn't mean the old box of memories was any more merciful. He still cried every now and then, but not here, not in front of Yajuu. He didn't deserve that.
Yajuu looked up at him and then off into space, remaining still for a moment. His eyes became glassy as he recounted his life.
"My mom was a prostitute… Canis Lupus… and my dad was a banker… Rangifer tarandus, a reindeer." Legosi and Juno knew why his past was awful even before Yajuu continued.
"Mother wanted to use me as a way to blackmail father, make sure he pays her to keep me a secret… it didn't work out the way she wanted… And when there was no money to be made, she just had… me." He grabbed his arm in an expression of restrained pain.
"She despised me, a failed plan. She made me work physical jobs for money ever since I was eight… sometimes I lament my tall stature, makes me look strong… I don't think I am." Yajuu looked at the ground again, this time a single streak of tears dropping from his face.
"It seems neither of us were given good mothers." Legosi leaned forward, channeling his own memory of his mother.
"Mine killed herself when I was Twelve." Legosi looked at Yajuu, the weindeer looking at him with equally sad eyes.
"I hope that she at least cared for you."
"She did… she just couldn't help herself. Being a first generation Hybrid… it made her despise herself." Legosi looked over the sleepless city, lights in apartments, night walkers on the street, and the occasional car driving past the nearest street. No matter how different they were at night, they were connected by the lack of sleep, they were connected to each other. No one was alone anymore.
"Well, I can tell you I sympathize with her… but she can't leave a child behind, I can see that you suffered… My mother didn't care, but yours should've kept fighting for you." Yajuu spoke, and Legosi nearly growled in retaliation. He knew that he was right, however, hearing it now only tore up the still not healed wound.
They remained in silence for a little longer until Legosi regained control of himself. He doesn't know her like I do. He told himself and closed the door again, shrinking the hole in its middle to the size of a penny.
"I think I recognize you," Yajuu said as he turned his head, studying the features of the wolves. His face lit up with recognition.
"You're the new Beastars! Of course, you'd be the kind ones… Sublime Beastar Yahya doesn't like my kind very much." He wrung his hands again this time however with fear instead of pain.
"I don't want to know what he'll do if no one takes his place."
Legosi looked at the Reindeer and found the missing piece of courage that he needed in order to do what he needed to do.
"Our friend Louis is on that and I promise you we will not stop fighting until we leave our mark on the city. Things need to change." Juno joined the conversation again, saying exactly what Legosi wanted to say.
"I hope so." Yajuu's default emotion seemed to be a state of total hopelessness, something that only passed to be taken up by fear, sadness, or pain.
"We have more stories to tell if you want to hear them." Juno's eyes sparkled, remembering the past year.
"Maybe it'll take our minds off things… sure, I'll listen." Yajuu agreed.
And then they talked, deep into the night, going through most of the heroic acts that gave them their titles in the first place. They talked until the clock struck three, and the night was still pitch black, neither sun nor moon being visible except for the stars.
They walked down to their floor, the two following Yajuu to his apartment.
"I-…" He stood in his open doorway, his eyes switching between wolf and wolfess.
"I'd like to do this again. Talking makes things easier… Thanks for accepting me."
"I'm glad to be your friend." said Legosi, his mate adding in a somber voice "Both of us are."
With that, the door closed, and the wolves went back to their apartment. As soon as the door fell closed into the lock, Legosi fell to his bed, tears making his world look like the runny color on a canvas.
"Legosi?" Juno asked from the doorway, the wolf breaking out into tears, sobbing and crying. The flood gates had been opened, and another ugly batch of childhood memories moved past his mind at a rate that felt like kicks and punches one after the other.
He didn't try to answer, his voice was choking on tears and it wavered in pain during every outcry. Juno dropped behind him, her arms reaching around his chest, hugging him from behind. She pressed her head against his, fighting off her own tears.
"I'm here," was all she said, and more was not necessary. Wounds needed time to close, and a wound as wide open as Mother and her door was not going to close itself after saying your goodbyes.
It needed a few minutes until finally, the well had gone dry, and Legosi was still in her embrace laying there with burned-out eyes. He closed his eyes in relief and leaned further into her.
She kissed the back of his head, her muzzle resting atop his head now.
"Talking about it still hurts…" He spoke in a trembling voice, his features exhausted. Her arms broke the hug, allowing him to fall on his back, her hand now laying on his chest.
"I know…" Juno spoke quietly, delicately calming the wolf with a soft touch and a mellow voice.
"It's not Yajuu's fault…" Suddenly there was guilt. The deep dark dredge at the bottom of the pit, eating away, endlessly hungering, churning for more.
"No one said he was," Juno whispered, hugging herself closer to him.
"To think of all those hybrids… hated by their parents or the state… And I cry because my mom was one… I don't deserve to feel sad." Suddenly he felt a tug on himself, finding himself in a seated position. Juno stood up and walked to the countertop, her residual warmth still on him.
"What do we say about guilt?" Juno's voice turned stern. She grabbed for a pot and filled it with water, her tail no longer swinging. The sadness had left her completely at the snap of a finger.
"…" Legosi responded with audible shame. He remembered Gouhin's therapy notes about dealing with guilt.
"What do we say?" Juno asked again, now once again before him, kneeling on the floor. Her face was stern and calm.
"No," Legosi whispered almost. Juno's ear flicked slightly, her face straining a bit.
"What do we say?" She spoke louder now, annoyed at his little self-deprecating routine.
"WE say no," Legosi spoke in a normal tone, his voice only minimally trembling now.
"Good." Juno turned around and tended to the tea again. Her hand on her hip, her eyes going from watching the top to just looking off into space.
"I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologize. You are enough as you are, and you have a right to be sad." Juno's stern voice stayed on, something that Legosi had started dubbing Mom-voice. It rang about as close to a stern voice that he would have a reference for.
The thing which Legosi knew for sure was that Juno hated when he felt guilty. She often said how it was comparing apples to oranges when one compared one's suffering to another's suffering. It wasn't his fault that his mother committed suicide, and neither was his suffering lesser than anyone else's just because he had an 'alright' life besides that.
And Legosi understood. He pulled his legs out from the bed and laid them out before him, his hand helping to readjust. He looked at her form now and mentally stopped himself from making this whole thing about her. If he abstained from feeling guilty about his suffering because of her, then he would never understand what it was truly about. She grew mad for him, not at him.
Gouhin had talked a lot about the problems of Guilt and why it was never wise to believe oneself was the cause of all the shortcomings. But like all wounds, it needed time, attention, and care to heal.
Juno returned, giving the wolf a cup of tea, and sitting down beside him. They both drank their tea while staying quiet, no word really adding to anything at the minute. They finished their tea and Legosi just looked at her again.
In the end, whatever ailment he had, whatever pain there was, she was right beside him. He didn't think there was anything that they couldn't do together. Nothing would ever have the power to stop them. He grabbed her hand, gently enclosing his fingers above hers. She looked back with the same sympathy and care as she always did.
"I love you," Legosi whispered, which brought a smile onto Juno's face. She ever so slowly leaned forwards, aligning her muzzle with his.
"You know I love you too." The night ended with a kiss, leaving Legosi's sadness behind in the crashing cascade of the waves of his mind.
Yajuu awoke the next morning with a checklist of things to do in mind. He wrote his shopping lists, cleaned his dishes, and gathered his clothes for work. At around midday, he drank his coffee and put on his outfit for going into the outside world. His dark brown pants with a white shirt tucked in being the base layer of his outfit. He was always particular about the color of his clothing, never straying from the soft colors that indicated him to be no threat. Black had a swallowing effect of making him seem almost invisible, but black clothing in itself seemed suspicious enough to the random everyday person in the city. He slipped his phone into one side and his wallet into the other. He then grabbed his coat, disappearing into the large piece of brown-colored pockets and buttons. His coat reached down below his knees, the piece being made for a reindeer, fitting him to a tee. Only now started the complicated part.
Life as a first-generation hybrid was much like fighting two kinds of instincts simultaneously. His herbivore side tried to be protective and defensive, while his carnivore side had an honor to uphold, a reputation to upkeep. The fact that Yajuu didn't need nor wanted any of that was lost to his senses; they were hard-coded a long time ago when the species evolved from savages treading the lands on all fourths to bipedal beings of intelligence. Certain aspects of evolution just stayed over.
He grabbed perfumes, smells of the most different kinds. Mint oil, lavender, and a small case of smelling salts in the case it got really bad. Besides the obvious point of hunger and cravings causing problems, the biggest of his fears was the aspect of arousal. The one aspect that his herbivore and carnivore side synergized and became even stronger together.
If he got into full swing, he grew distracted, the singular instinct to procreate overtaking his mind with the snap of a finger. During his teen years, the times when mother allowed him to have free time, the attraction he felt towards the carnivore girls he saw was so strong he could hardly keep his eyes off them. His mind screamed and beckoned him to go forward, to make a move, to do whatever every second that he smelled even the faintest instance of their pheromones. Since then, he always prepared different smells to distract himself as best as possible from any smell that he couldn't handle in day-to-day life.
Once the various smells had been put into his coat he grabbed his sunglasses, which he wore every time he left the house in order to obscure his eyes. It didn't matter how dark and gloomy the day or even night, he would always wear them. He felt exposed without them.
The last item of his personal attire was his hat, a wide-brimmed hat that most closely resembled a late forties to early fifties detective. He pulled it over his head, guiding the hat along two slits that allowed his antlers and the hat to co-exist. He closed up the slits at the back and looked himself over in the mirror. A large reindeer with sharp antlers clothed in long light brown clothing.
He left his apartment and went to the EL-train platform. He waited not more than a few minutes until the train arrived. He sat down, advertising his head from looking directly at any animal in front of him. His hand snuck into his pocket, grabbing his headphones, which he always had in his coat, placing the small earbuds into his ears, and then playing music on his phone.
A few she-wolves caught his eye a little further down, the three chatting while setting their aroma through the air. He grabbed a small bottle of mint and smelled it, erasing the dangerous instinct instigating smell from his radar.
Not long after he arrived at work, a block of warehouses in the industrial district to the out-most east of the city. He entered through the warehouse entry towards the locker room, showing his employee badge to the guard manning the small employee-only entrance.
He entered the locker room and passed the already filled rows until reaching the back of the room, sitting down in front of his locker. He began the long-winded process of disrobing his outfit, placing it on a coat hanger and neatly placing them on the bar in the locker. Neatly he slipped into the blue overalls of his innocuous job. Warehouse technician. To any layman, it would mean something to do with electronics or engines, fixing anything. His job was waiting for orders, moving boxes in and out of storage, and keeping proper inventory of any object leaving or entering.
He fought tooth and nail to make sure he landed the job that had the least of stigma. If he wasn't special he wasn't suspicious.
Yajuu grabbed the locker door and caught himself staring through the mirror. He stopped, looking himself up and down. I look just like that wolf.
It was a gift that he had. Besides his fur, he was just a reindeer. Besides his fur, he was… normal. He looked into the mirror longingly, wishing to talk more to that extraordinary wolf. Though, in the end, he could care less. There was only one wish he could think of right now.
I wished my parents never met each other.
After the dark thought echoed through his mind, no neuron daring to shoot back a response, he closed the door and locked it placing a hard hat on his head with a similar method as before, two slits allowing the hat and antlers to co-exist.
He looked at the empty row, hearing his co-workers go to work. This time he wished for a little peace and quiet somewhere far away, where no one would miss him. He indulged in melancholy, adjusted his hard hat, and went to work.
