Author's Note: Hello Lads and Ladies

Back into the breach. A few chapter pre-written as my life again stands on upheaval. On tuesday I'll be leaving home for what is essentially a boarding school but instead of schooling it's for work reintroduction. I'll see you next time from a new home that I will have slept in for a few nights already. See you there fellas :)

Edited by: SuperAverageFoxyboy, The Dude who likes Tanks

Enjoy!

-Portal

"What can I do for you?" The jeweler stood there smiling with a perfectly white smile. Legosi noted how the panther had obviously gotten his teeth surgically dulled and flattened.

"I want a ring for my girlfriend."

"Ah, thinking about popping the question, aren't you? Well, what kind of wolf is she."

The assumption annoyed him. It was correct, however, what if it wasn't? How must've Louis felt when he got dirty looks having to explain that his ring wasn't for a

deer doe but for a rabbit doe instead? Legosi had another internal urge to smash the glass front to pieces and scream.

"Lovely, helpful, kind..." He watched the panther delicately reach for a golden ring with a diamond fitted into the tiny gem holder atop it.

"Modest... Yeah, I'd describe her as modest. She doesn't like to show off." He said with an undertone of spite. The panther looked back with offense as if Legosi had insulted him.

"I think I should first ask what your price range is, young wolf." The blinding smile again.

"Money is not a problem," Legosi replied and the Panther again looked as if he was trying to find into just what little box to put the situation at hand. Legosi was tired of categorizing.

"Well, then what kind of design are you looking for?" Legosi browsed the glass cages.

"Something simple. Silver... something to remind of the moon I guess."

"Aha, now I get you. A romantic. How about... this." The panther resumed smiling and produced a small silver ring with a sapphire fitted atop it.

He looked at the ring and thought of her reaction... to see her overjoyed was the light at the end of his tunnel.

"That's perfect... thank you."

"No need to thank. That should be, yes, 157000 Yen Please."

Legosi handed over his card and watched the Panther move the card through the reader, a smug expression already crossing the carnivore's face in preparation for a 'that's what I thought.' moment.

The reader beeped and after Legosi put in his pin code the screen flashed the message 'Transaction complete'. Unwelcome surprise flashed over the Panther's face as he read the name on the card again. He noticed Legosi's glare and switched back instantaneously to a blinding smile.

"Would you like a box for it?"

"That would be nice."

"Here, fitting with the moon theme. Free of charge for you, Beastar Legosi. I hope Beastar Juno enjoys it, truly." He offered him the ring within an elegant midnight blue box.

"Thanks."

It felt right to get the ring first. He kept feeling it in his pocket when he left the store. He left the upper-class commercial district as soon as he could afterward, the quiet admiration of the shoppers making him uncomfortable. He constantly reminded himself when he felt even an ounce of pride that they would tear him to shreds if they knew how superficially impure he was.

He took the EL train deeper into the city and when this time people actually came up to ask for photos he allowed himself to be present.

"Just everything you do, it's so impressive!" The squealing schoolgirl was a border collie. She was holding her hands in front of her body as she jumped up and down, still clad in her stark white Uniform.

"Yamako contain yourself! I'm so sorry Beastar Legosi. She seems to have forgotten all her Manners." Her friend, A moose buck, was apologizing profusely.

"It's ok." Legosi waved it off, Yamako continuing her big over-excited declaration of admiration.

"Fighting Omnivora must surely be so dangerous... you're a true hero for pledging to fight them with Sublime Beastar Yahya. I-"

Legosi tuned out for a minute. She was perfectly normal, like everybody else, yet his mind was sick of normal people. It wasn't her fault but right now he wished anyone was talking except her state-romanticizing muzzle. He saw Riz stand behind her in his student uniform, Legosi was sure he would never see him in anything but that ever again. Time grinding to a halt, not even the world outside moving past the windows anymore.

Animals like her are Yahya's work. Years of propaganda, misinformation, and constant, dedicated, and very quiet dividing of the people. This is his life's work, and you'll have to undo It. That is worth fighting for.

"Beastar Legosi?" he had drifted off again and the two fans were now expectantly looking at him, reaching out their yearbooks.

"ahem, sorry. What?"

"Could you sign our yearbooks, that would be super cool," Yamako explained and he obliged without saying anything else.

They left, Yamako and her moose friend leaving to go down along the train, leaving Legosi stew more in his thoughts. He couldn't let it all go on, he just couldn't. They didn't love him, they only loved the idea of him. What they saw in Magazines, what they read in books, the image of the perfect protector. He was a symbol to them, one that was washed of all sin and sunder.

He left the train and went along on his way towards the black market, through some residential buildings built with a foot and a half between them. He squeezed through here and there and as he approached the next road he heard a car approach. He walked along casually and kept thinking.

There was no single thought behind what he would say, or what his plan was. But he wanted Tokugawa to help him devise a plan that didn't involve him working for Yahya's army of terror.

The Van shot out from across the corner, the wheels shrieked as the rubber burned over the ground. Legosi had little time for thought before he heard the second vehicle speeding down the road behind him. He readied his stance walking backward towards the moderately big passageway between the next two residential buildings. He thought of turning around to check a moment too late.

The first blow to the head knocked him into a stumble, the Van door opened, and footsteps approached. Legosi threw his fist at the attacker from behind but only earned a hit to his face instead. As he landed on the ground the only thing he could make out was an eagle wearing a jacket that he was damn sure he had just seen yesterday. The next thing he saw was a boot, one that he later realized had a steel cap at its front, and then darkness.

Another day, another campaign. It all slowly became clockwork, soon that uncomfortable feeling of the invasive spotlight would fade and Louis would probably feel right at home being the laughingstock of the entire city.

Things remained tense and people reacted with even more hostility and animosity instead of searching for other solutions. Soon they would tear each other to bits and pieces, starting to question just how pure everyone around them was. Legislature defined a pure animal as at least three generations of same species parents. Many second-generation hybrids would soon be revealed for all to see, even the public Hero Legosi.

He looked over at his opponent, Yahya bending over his podium as if he was sick. He looked unwell, stressed out, sweating, and generally sleepless.

Louis questioned just for a moment if he had anything to do with that stress on every layer of his being. The civil war raging out on his streets seemed more plausible though.

"Beastar Louis. Do you have any grasp of the term Conflict of Interest?" Louis froze at the words spoken by Sublime Beastar Yahya. He almost immediately concluded that his political career and his general city reputation were to be, after the conclusion of today, effectively flushed down the toilet.

"A situation where a person of authority deciding over something has outside factors that directly conflict with a neutral or unbiased decision."

"Good that we're on the same page regarding that. Now I am correct in my assumption that your goals were to stop any form of legislation that would force hybrids into medical facilities because as you put it, it might cause psychological stress and fear. Right?"

"Yes." Louis couldn't do anything else. It was an oversight the size of Mars that he had not thought of. Maybe it was caused by the rose-colored glasses of love that had kept at him for so long. Haru was the best thing that had ever happened in his life and he couldn't deny that the influence went as far as to make him a little blind. A blindness that would be his unbecoming.

"What species is your wife?"

The room stocked, faces turned from disgruntlement to actual shock. Louis was standing with his head in a guillotine, and his judge, jury, and executioner had a very itchy trigger finger.

"Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus, a dwarf rabbit."

The guillotine came down and his reputation shattered like glass. Yahya had just killed any chance of Louis ever changing anything.

"What would that make your son?"

Gasoline poured into active flames. Now there was no more shock, there was open hatred. He had not only gone against what the populous stood for, no, he had contributed to their problem. He had sired a hybrid.

"A hybrid." He repeated clinically and felt shame. He had overlooked a detail that spiraled so far he had never seen it coming. All hopes of his campaign managing to change anything were gone. But then he felt a different type of feeling. One colder, more primal, something herbivores were so used to most of the time they just tuned it out if they could. Fear. Something only amplified by the group dissecting themselves from the main bubble of citizens, leaving the hall.

I need to get home as fast as I can.

The meeting ended shortly after, Louis not even taking the time for the goodbyes as he ran down through the convention hall through the admin block until he reached the back entrance. He threw open the door where some hooligans were already waiting.

"Protecting Hybrids and fathering one yourself... you god damn sicko."

"We should beat your face in just for tha- hey, everything's... cool" The second troublemaker was looking down the barrel of Louis's gun, something he still ever vigilantly carried around with him.

"All of you, on the ground, or I'll start picking you off one by one." He was again ice cold, nothing mattered except he got out of here as quickly as he could. He looked straight into their souls as they followed his command, realizing he was in no mood to joke.

He ran for the car by the end of the driveway, slipping into the limousine.

"Master Louis, what can I do for you?"

"Drive home right now." Louis grabbed at his phone.

"This is Louis, send somebody to the house right now... Anyone who can."

No thought besides the utmost urgency remained in his mind. If anything happened to her or Oggie he would turn the gun upon himself at a moment's notice.

The car came to a rumbling stop and Louis bolted out of the car. The door was closed, which caused momentary relief. He put his gun back into his waistband, grasping for his keys. He unlocked the door and entered, the light on in the hallway.

"Snowflake? We need to-..."

The TV was on, the news channel on. The same channel which would've televised the speech. Haru stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed in front of her watching the screen, her back turned to Louis.

He couldn't speak. No words came from his suddenly dry throat. If somehow he could he would give her her little sanctuary. But even with all the money in the bank, he wouldn't be able.

She turned around to meet his gaze and he felt another hit of immense shame. On his journey into politics, traveling to the belly of the Beast, he had left this family in the dust. But it was also poetic in a way. This family would stop him from going down a path he was now getting certain he would later regret.

"It's not safe here anymore."

In these moments when he was the most uneasy, the most uncertain, he was always surprised. Because as much as he expected the mother within Haru to scamper and panic for the life of herself or Oggie she remained calm, looking ahead with mature clarity and focus.

"Let's be honest, it never was."

Louis looked around, this lovely little home they had built together over the last two years.

"I tried my best to give you and Oggie a good life. I really tried..." He hung his head low and his hand reached for his forehead, fingers curving against it in frustration. She walked closer until he felt her hand on his calf.

"You did give us a good life." He looked down and saw her smile, the motherly smile that you gave a kid that had fallen off his bike and was crying in pain.

"You say that as if it's over." He crouched down to be on eye level.

"For a little maybe. But we'll pick up the pieces in the meantime."

He looked her in the eyes and again felt the intense mountain of shame in his heart as he realized just what he had to ask of her now.

"I can't leave... For all the people, you, me, Legosi, Juno, Bill, Pina, all our old classmates, and Oggie most of all, of all the people born here I need to keep fighting... I'll drive you to the city checkpoint but then I'll have to send you on your way."

They shared a look of lament.

"For Oggie... I beg you to pack your bags. I'll drive with you to the city border and send you off."

"Are you sure?"

"You can visit your aunt out of town. I-... Really don't know when you can come back or if we have to keep going I-..."

He stopped and let his face hang, his antlers hanging in the air above her head. Her natural worry was that the running would never stop. That if he got a taste for abandoning ship now, he would use that trick over and over again until there would be no more places to seek. The outer world was warmer to Hybrids, but warmer than cold did not mean integration into society. It meant ridicule without opening your mouth. And if Yahya managed to establish an anti-hybrid society here, then others would follow in the wake of a clean Japan.

"Give me a month. I'll write you a letter. I'll have made plans by then... but I won't force you to run away. This fight is as much yours as it is mine."

Haru grabbed him by his collar and pulled him in for a kiss. He enveloped her in his arms, lifting her off the ground as he straightened his back. They broke apart and Haru looked into the eyes of her husband.

"We are survivors. We survive, that's what we do. And if your son is anything like you, then he'll survive too."

"You saved me Snowflake... We saved you from death but you saved me from drowning in the machine..."

They kissed another time, surely the last they would share for some time.

They started packing bags. Louis slipped out of his suit into something more casual. He went outside to signal Avon to Leave the car.

"You'll take the family car, Right before Utsunomiya you ditch the car and drive a rental." He handed Avon Cash on hand, the Mule looking at the paper in his hand in surprise.

"You only stop if you absolutely can't avoid it. Haru has family in Inawashiro... Avon?"

"I'm alright, Master Louis... You've never asked me for such a job before."

Louis locked eyes with the mule, the expression of most earnest trust and reverence in his eyes.

"Can I count on you to protect my family as you have protected me when Oguma Senior asked of you the same?"

Avon looked at the car keys and then back at his Boss. He stood straight and bowed before Louis.

"I will do anything you ask of me, Master Louis."

Relief washed over him as his employee pledged allegiance to his cause.

"Good. We'll stop by your house first, get out of your clothes and wear something more casual. If someone sees a chauffeur driving a lady somewhere they might just get suspicious."

Louis turned around and saw his wife at the door holding the quite too large Oguma Junior.

"Let me help you, Snowflake." He lifted his son from her arms and rocked him in his arms. His son observed him with awake eyes.

"Daddy loves you, Oggie. One day you'll understand that." He gave him a kiss on the cheek and loaded him into the car. He sat down in the passenger seat with Haru seated behind him, taking care of Oggie.

"All good, the two of you?" Louis looked past the seat at his only family.

"We are," Haru replied.

"Alright, Avon. Let's go."

They stopped at Avon's house first, the mule chauffeur returning a simple button-down and suit pants. Somewhat of a misplaced business casual.

They continued onwards through the city to the northern tunnel leading through a shallow part of the mountain range, allowing safe passage to the road further up the country.

The road was full of cars, the line slowly moving towards the checkpoint, newly set up to ensure that the road did not get blocked in case Omnivora decided to set off blast charges to lock the city in upon itself.

They crawled up the road, Louis getting more nervous by the second. After they got past the checkpoint he would leave the car and walk back, maybe call a cab. He didn't even know what else he would be doing first. His political campaign was effectively over, the people that were truly dangerous were ready to attack him on an open walkway, those that didn't have such strengths would shun him even if he lay dying out on the road. Suited their needs better anyway to have the only opponent to the Sublime Beastar Bleed out in the roads like a needless puppet that had gone mad once it cut itself loose from the State's overbearing string.

They rolled up to the checkpoint and immediately Louis had an incredibly ugly feeling. A goat and a Jackal stood side by side, their expression immediately souring when they laid eyes on him and the passengers in the backseat of the car.

The Jackal bent over, shining a flashlight into the car, passing left to right. They whispered among each other and Louis made an incredibly ugly discovery. The small little shack set up to allow the Checkpoint workers to rest and grab higher caliber weaponry in the sake of emergency had a small Television set that stood in the corner.

They know.

"No."

"What?"

"We're not letting you through here." The goat stood with his arms crossed, sneering at the car and all who were inside it.

"What exactly are we doing to cause suspicion? Are your detectors picking up anything?" Worthless pretense. Louis was momentarily in denial.

"We're not letting you get your rabbit wife and Bastard kid out, you can stay in this stinking city where you belong."

"Listen, sir, it is unlawful to keep us stalled for no other reason than your personal opinions. I could very well call the police-"

"We are the police." The jackal chuckled.

"All you'd do is call over more of us, and not one of us will let you through here. So tell your Driver to turn around and go back home."

"Louis... let's just-"

"No." Louis left the car. He walked around and approached the officers who were standing there defiantly.

"That in there is just a kid. I just want to get him to safety."

The jackal chuckled again.

"That thing in there is a disgrace and so are you for even siring such a thing. Get back in your car and go home, there are other people here whose time you're holding up."

Louis felt the iron ball around his ankle, the horrible memory of all that Oguma was prior to his change of heart. Louis thought for a moment longer than anyone logical animal would have. The theme of fatherhood floated in his mind and in it followed an inarguable consequence.

Fathers will always sacrifice themselves for the well-being of their children.

Louis drew his gun and held it level at the two, both taking a step back in visible surprise.

"Get on the ground."

"No way in-" The jackal grasped for his service weapon, a bullet tearing through his lower arm stopping that action completely.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah." The jackal fell to his knees, his free hand grabbing the wound.

"Both of you ignorant pieces of trash on the ground. NOW!"

The goat hesitated for a moment, yet the Jackal followed the command.

"You want to end up worse than your colleague? Don't even dare call him friend, you would never invite him to dinner or spend any more time with him than is absolutely necessary."

The goat looked at the Jackal and then down the barrel of Beastar Louis's Gun.

"You crazy son of a bitch. You're gonna regret this." He spat as he got on the ground.

"That's my mistake to make." Louis walked over and With a swift hit knocked the Jackal out, Then the goat with an even more furious hit.

Louis looked back at the car, the horrified expression of Haru in the back seat tearing itself into his head like a parasitic worm. He would remember today for the rest of his life, maybe it would be the greatest mistake, the greatest victory, or maybe even just the greatest liberation.

But when he looked into the eyes of his wife, he saw nothing in today other than needless violence. His hand was forced, nothing else would have sufficed.

He walked forward and pressed the button that raised the traffic gate. He aggressively waved at Avon, the steady mule wearing an expression of aggressive focus.

"Drive and don't look back. I will come back for all of you, I promise!"

The Grey Family car sped off down the road, many other cars following through the unguarded checkpoint. Families and Hybrids alike sped off past him, more than none showing him faces of deepest gratitude. Louis placed his gun on the ground and grabbed one of the radios off the unconscious guards.

"This is Beastar Louis. I just knocked out two checkpoint guards on the northern exit to Utsunomiya. I shot one of them in the arm as he was about to shoot me. I will wait here for someone to detain me."

Running made little sense. Besides in many ways, he thought that running now would more than likely get him killed more than anything else, these roads were inviting him inside to be consumed entirely.

He had no tools to change anything anyway... but he had some people who could.

"Hey, Legosi... for a change, it's me who did something stupid... I'm gonna be in prison for a while... Stay safe"

He dialed in the next number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Juno..."

"Hey Louis, what's going on?"

"I... I'm calling to let you know that I won't be able to answer your calls for the next few months... I'm going to be in prison."

"What the hell happened?" Worry in her voice. It was a welcome thought that at least someone cared about him. The only other people who did just left the city behind.

"Sublime Beastar Yahya revealed my wife's species for everyone to see, and then revealed I have a son... I ran home and packed the car, told Haru to take Oggie to her aunts in Inawashiro... the officers at the checkpoint refused to let us through so I forced them on the ground at gunpoint and knocked both of them out... One of them I shot in the forearm because he grabbed for his gun..."

"What's gonna happen now?" Juno's answer sounded about as hopeless and clueless as he knew himself to be.

"That's the question. I don't have much time. I'm waiting for them to detain me now, but I need you to find a way to Tokugawa and tell him where I am. And make sure your boyfriend doesn't get himself killed, alright?" He ended the message with a chuckle but got none in return. He figured so, he hadn't exactly come to call with a message of peace.

"I will... I'll talk to you soon I hope."

"So do I. Thanks a bunch."

He hung up and put the phone back into his pocket. He stared at the cars driving by and the two unconscious cops on the ground. They looked like the slipstream of the cars had blown them over.

He looked ahead again and figured that today he would never forget his wife's face least of all.

Legosi woke up in a dark place, the air smelled of concrete and his eyes needed a minute to fully work out the space. There was so little light that even his night vision had trouble mapping out the room. As he moved he could feel a cold weight around his throat, the metallic noise of chains cluing him into what it was.

He was in a makeshift cell, chained to a whale while laying on a wooden board with minimal padding, a miserable excuse of a bed. The room had no lights and the atmosphere was dry and slightly acrid. He thought of suffocating but realized quickly that there was some minor airflow coming from the back wall, he grabbed out yet the chains kept him close to the bed. After wiggling just a bit further his fingertips felt the metal of a vent. Enough to circulate the air to keep him from succumbing to the most basic of needs.

He stood up his ears, trying his best to try and place where he was. Hearing was the one thing he could do plenty of here. People were conversing outside of the door, The chatter of radio, and the occasional footsteps.

He remembered back to how he got here and extended his hand slowly to his face. He flinched as he touched the hurting and bruised flesh around his eye, it was nearly swollen enough to not even allow him to open his eyes.

He thought back to the eagle, to the mysterious attacker that had knocked him out. It was Omnivora, this was their hiding place. He had gone to look for a wasp's nest and gotten a private trip straight to its heart.

He grabbed at his chains and tugged, weakness keeping him from ripping the chain out of the wall. He was sure that if he had the energy too he would be able to, but outside were nothing but animals that had every right to hate him, besides the fact that not only did he murder one of their own, but besides that he looked like a pureblood.

Legosi looked at his hands in the darkness and thought that a lot more pain would follow the next... he didn't even know how long. Days, weeks, months. It was well enough possible that he had bitten off more than he could chew, that this was his last stand.

It can't be.

Legosi looked into the corner of the room, Riz sitting on a nonexistent chair.

You wanted to help them, now you can. All you gotta do is to convince them.

"Louis's the talker, not me." He spoke the purest hint of a whisper.

The imaginary bear phased closer to him, kneeling before him.

You got time without end now. You better figure something out. Because if not then...

Legosi looked ahead and saw the apparition change into an image of his mate.

Juno will be all alone.