With a gleeful skip in your step, you make your way back to your hotel. In all honesty, you did not think that you would find your new home today, especially not after all the disasters that happened at the other places, but it seems the universe might have taken pity on you and bestowed some luck upon you.

You still have to stay at the hotel tonight, mostly because that's where your necessities currently are and you are only allowed to officially move in tomorrow. Having already cancelled the meetings with all the other real estate agents that you would have had the next day, you can pursue with your next plan without any worries.

Well, that's not the entire truth. You still have the worry of telling Legoshi about all of this.

The grey wolf had not responded to your text yet, though you know that he has read it. So you can only hope that he eventually will answer and not just entirely ignore it due to freaking out about all the possibilities that single text could mean for your relationship.

He's probably just busy doing stuff with his roommates. I can't really fault him for that.

The sun has set when you return to your hotel room, the vibrant lights of the city being wonderfully visible from your window. Silently humming a delighted melody to yourself, you move around the room and collect stray pieces of clothing or other personal belongings that were strewn across the room in the haste of the morning and stuff them back into your backpack. Gazing around the space, you can barely contain your joy at the thought that by tomorrow night, you'd be sleeping in your own bed, in your own apartment.

Honestly, you never thought you'd get this far.

Growing up and becoming a part of the big, confusing world of adults was always something you believed to be lightyears away during your time in school. When you're a kid, independency and all of that crap seems so far away from reality, that it's incredibly shocking when the time has finally come to leave the nest to set off on your own adventures. For some reason at the time, it had seemed like nothing existed outside of school-life; that was your little world. You knew how to navigate it, how to deal with the trouble in it and with almost all the situations life could throw at you. Then, when suddenly the life outside of that secluded campus began to claw at you with its greedy hands, you had no choice but to adapt and overcome its challenges.

Now here you are, a human who just bought her own apartment. The first step to true independency.

And while your new place is about the same size as your hotel room, it certainly holds a more viable promise of security and importance.

Hastily, you take a shower and do your nightly routine, before scampering off to bed with light steps. Yawning, you set your alarm for the next morning, checking for any new texts from your partner and with a heavy heart, discovering that there are none.

Rolling over, you let the mysterious hands of sleep take you.

The space you find yourself in next is not your hotel room.

It's cold and dark.

Your heavy breath echoes in your ears, your heartbeat thundering inside your chest. The stench of iron and decay causes you to gag, bile gathering in your throat at the foul odour that nearly suffocates you. There's a scorching pain coming from your leg, moving up your body until it reached your head.

Pitch-black has your entire field of vision taken captive, not an ounce of light flickering in front of your orbs. Clanks and cracks resonate through the darkness, your breath hitching in fear. Your hand touches something wet and slimy, the liquid running across the ground and staining your clothes and skin. There's pressure on your ribs and you groan, agonizing pain immobilizing your limbs.

"Human..."

The voice is airy and raspy, a wet gurgle in its background. It's hard to make out but it sounds female.

"Human...."

This time, it's male.

Over and over, constantly switching, the haunting voices repeat that one word. Chanting and mocking, growing closer with every second. Fear and dread make it hard to breathe; it feels like your ribcage is going to explode.

Something slithers past your legs, bumping the skin. Out of reflex, you try to move away, but this only causes more suffering for you. You're doomed to your spot, doomed to endure whatever torment you're being subjected to. The foul, irony stench grows stronger while the chanting becomes louder, almost deafening.

"Human...human...human..."

Over and over; it's driving you insane.

Suddenly, there's a flash of light. It's cold and dim, but enough for you to make out the grey, metallic walls. Enough light to see the grotesque, canine figure in front of you.

Mangled body, split skull, broken jaw. His hand grabs onto yours, his lower jaw threatening to fall off at any moment. Yet, he manages to fill your ears with haunting screams of the same, antagonizing word.

"Human! Human!"

The guard's body crawls towards you, his bones cracking while blood squirts from his wounds. You try to move away, to flee, but you're utterly frozen. Not even screams make it past your lips.

"You did this, Human!" Another voice screams, its feminine chords filling the darkness before the light flashes again, faster and faster, over and over again subjecting you to the terrific sight of the canine guard. Once more, something slithers past you.

It's too fast to process. Strong muscles wind around your body, before a powerful force crushes your bones, agony exploding in every single one of them. It keeps you in place, forbidding you from breathing, from moving. You can't escape, you can't fight, you can't scream. All you can do is watch as the guard closes in on you, his bloody hand pressing your face into the cold, wet ground.

The river of blood coats your face, drowning you in its irony stench.

"It's your turn...Human." They croak. The light flashes again, the integrate pattern of the reptilian scales meeting your frightened eyes, the pressure on your body making you fear that they may pop out at any second.

It bares its fangs and then, the snake lunges towards your head. Drowning your world in crimson.

"Ah!" Covered in cold sweat, you sit up in your bed, your hair sticking to your forehead. Trembling and gasping for air, a suffocating pressure on your chest, you stare off into the darkness of your room. As fast as possible, you switch on the light on your bedside table. The adrenaline in your blood has yet to simmer down, the quiet sounds of cars outside your window resonating through the otherwise quiet room like a grounding melody.

Breathless and cold, the blanket and your pyjamas sticking to your skin, you lean forward against your knees, seeking comfort in your own embrace. It's not like there's anyone else here with you to hold your hand. Swallowing thickly, you run a hand over your face, solely focusing on return back to your regular breathing-pattern.

It's not like you expected everything to be fine and dandy after everything that's happened; you're actually surprised that the peace lasted so long. Sooner or later, you anticipated that your sleep would get disturbed in one way or another. Still, that nightmare was haunting, its reminiscence still shaking you to your core.

A small part of you wants to call Legoshi or someone else from your friend group, but you don't want to burden them with your problems. Besides, it was just a nightmare, that's nothing you can't handle on your own. You'd try calling Valentina, but she's been ghosting you ever since the day at the hospital. You haven't heard from Free either, or anyone else in the Shishigumi; not that you expected them to stay in contact with you after Louis left them. And while you kind of miss the chaotic bunch of felines, the logical parts of your brain tell you that cutting contact with them would give you a clean cut to that portion of your life. One less reminder of the fact that you were Masago's little lab rat. One less reminder of the blood on your hands.

Wanting to waste some time before attempting to go back to sleep, you grab your phone off your nightstand.

I also need to call the school tomorrow so I can pick up my stuff the day after. And I need to start looking for a job.

While you certainly didn't need one, a job would grant you the opportunity of earning your money separately from letting other doctors use you for scientific research. It's a necessary step to the future you want to have; one where the government can't hold your finances over your head to pressure you into certain experiments. And if you ever have children, that way they'd be safe from the fate that you had to endure.

Mindlessly, you scroll through social media, calming yourself down with funny videos online and going through the pictures of your friends on your phone. Eventually, your eyelids grow heavy and you let the dim light of your nightstand lamp lull you back to sleep.

***

The next day, the weather is far more gracious to you than it was yesterday. While the sun isn't showing itself entirely, it also isn't pouring buckets. Instead, it's a calming, peaceful day. Excited, you check out of the hotel and step onto the hybrid train, unbothered by the small arguments between the different animals.

It's around nine in the morning when you arrive at the office of 'Ox Real Estate', finalize the contract and pay your fee and then, you're handed the key to your new apartment. Enthusiastic and eager, you speed-walk to the hidden condo and up the stairs until you stand in front of the door with the number 603 on it, ready to finally call this place your own. You open the door and are struck by the same rush of emotions as yesterday; joy, pride and a hint of anxiety at all the unknown currents in your future.

Swiftly, you close the door behind you and grin, stemming your hands on your hips.

"Home sweet home."

Setting down your backpack, you instantly begin to take out your belongings and put them in their designated places. The small bundle of clothes goes into the dresser, your washing utensils are put into the cupboards beneath the sink and everything else finds a place either on the dresser or the small table in your room. Then you call the school, letting them know that you would swing by tomorrow to get all of your bearings, not including the many school uniforms. When all is done and your backpack is empty, you let yourself fall onto your futon.

A happy sigh leaves your lips and you enjoy the small moment of peace and quiet.

All of this still feels so surreal. Like I'm playing some very realistic life simulator or something...it just feels like it's not me actually making these decisions, I'm only acting as the playable character. Is this what being an adult feels like? It's...literally the same as being a student, I still have a bunch of questions that I don't have any answers to.

....I kind of wish my family would be here to see this.

It's been a long while since you thought of the loved ones you left behind in your old world. The last time you remember was during the car crash, when you were about to die. The fact that their faces are no longer clear, but instead merely blurry images still pains you a lot. Things that you thought you'd accomplish with your loved ones behind you are now done alone.

That knowledge causes a heavy lump to form in your throat, melancholy spreading in your chest and suddenly, the small room feels much bigger than before. Emptier. Less like home.

Guess I'll just have to get used to this, won't I?

Staring out the window at the greyish sky, hints of blue separating the blanket of clouds, you take a few deep inhales. With a final exhale, you banish those sad notions from your mind, deciding to focus on being productive to keep yourself busy.

So you stand up and move to the kitchen, writing everything that you still need down on your phone. Certain items like dishes, pans, pots and groceries, etc. You repeat the process throughout the entire apartment and at the end, your list also includes bathroom supplies and a few small houseplants that would be easy to keep alive but still manage to fill the place with life. Grabbing your jacket and backpack, you decide to go to a couple of stores a few blocks away to get the things needed to complete your new home.

It's a strange feeling that fills you as you lock the door behind you, now that you know you're the only resident inside and also the legitimate owner. Smiling, you turn towards the stairs, only to be stopped by a sudden voice.

"Hi there!" A small, female Gerbil calls out to you, sitting on the shoulder of a tall Steller's sea eagle. "You're our new neighbour, right?"

"I am, yes." You respond, smiling at the newcomers. "I'm Y/n. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. I'm Fina and this is Raika." The Eagle nods to confirm his name while the Gerbil returns your smile. "Welcome to the hidden condo. How do you like it so far?"

"Oh, it's nice. I haven't been here for long, but the area is quiet and the rooms are good, especially for the price. I'm going to buy some more things to make the place feel a bit more like home." Turning slightly to indicate that you intend to leave, you wave at the two animals. "I hope we can be good neighbours to one another!"

"We hope so, too. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask!" She calls after you and you swear you heard her mumble something to the Steller's Eagle. "Such a young thing."

You make your way down the stairs and onto the street, mentally going over your list of things again before the sound of a notification on your phone has you still on the sidewalk. Glancing at the screen, you see a new text from your boyfriend.

"Finally," You mumble before opening the message.

I'm sorry, I'm busy this week.

It takes you a moment to fully comprehend the words.

This week? This week?! Okay, I know that I haven't been the best girlfriend but come on, there's no way he can't spare ten minutes to talk to me for the entire bloody week! It's the first week of school, how busy can he be? Besides, it's Sunday!

...Is he seeing someone else? Did he meet another girl while I was in the hospital or something?!

No, quit being paranoid, Y/n. Legoshi isn't the type of guy to do that sort of stuff. No offense to him but he's not social enough for that.

Then, another thought crosses your mind and your eye twitches in annoyance.

I swear to God, if he's ignoring me again because he's going after another criminal, I'm done. I'm not doing all of that again, hell no.

Feeling your irritation grow with every passing second, you glare at your phone screen. A huff comes from you, a slight scowl on your lips before you pinch the bridge of your nose and let out a long sigh. "I should just call him."

Pressing the 'call' symbol next to his number, you hold your phone to your ear and let it ring, waiting for him to pick up. Ring after ring, moment after moment; absentmindedly, you repeatedly tap your foot against the concrete.

Of course, he doesn't pick up.

"Call me back, idiot. It's important." You grumble into his mailbox, before stuffing your phone back into your pocket. Now a bit less happy than before, you stroll through the neighbourhood. Ignoring the few stares from strange animals, being quite used to that sort of attention, you let your mind wander.

I could try to call Juno, Haru or Louis and have them hunt him down at school and tell him to call me back. I think Juno would be the best for that job, she's the most persistent of the three. I could try Pina, too, but I feel like he'd just forget to go make out with whoever's available.

Shaking your head frantically, you get rid of those pesky ideas. This is between you and Legoshi; no need to get anyone else involved. Besides, this is probably just Legoshi being his mysterious, confusing self. A personality that you've grown to love and cherish, yet also to dislike at certain times.

Legoshi is and most likely will always be a difficult character to understand. While he has his moments of wisdom and maturity, he's also incredibly naïve and oblivious, trusting everyone and anyone around him. He's like ying and yang thrown into one pot. One half represents his airhead-ways and gentle nature, while the other serves to show his carnivorous courage and strength, both physically and mentally. One thing you have always admired about him is his willpower and determination. If Legoshi decides something for himself, then it's basically impossible to change his mind about it.

For a moment, you wonder if he's suffering from any mental scars after his fight with Riz. He had to eat Louis' foot after all and suffered from intense physical damage. When he visited you, he seemed to be fine, ecstatic even.

Still, maybe there's something going on with him. It would be a good explanation as to why he's avoiding you.

I really hope he's doing alright. We both have a habit of dealing with hardships on our own instead of helping each other through them.

Guess that's a lesson we both have to learn.

Setting foot into the local market district of your neighbourhood distracted you rather quickly from your current dilemmas and you fish out your phone from your pocket to go over your list. Much to your dismay, you would have to make multiple trips because Doctor Baron had strictly forbidden you to carry extremely heavy loads, dooming you to waste a lot more time than usual. Now you couldn't make one huge haul and buy everything you need, instead, you'll have to kill your stamina by walking here more than once. Not to mention that you need to get all of that stuff up to your apartment.

Man, what a drag.

But alas, you can't change it. You just have to live with this bullshit for a couple of months.

"I'll just start with kitchen utensils," You murmur to yourself, scratching the back of your head, "Then I'll get everything I need for the washroom and lastly some groceries and plants. That shouldn't take too long...hopefully."

Oh, but how wrong you were. Truly, a stupid assumption to make about the flow of time.

When the clock strikes five p.m. when you make your way back home with your bag of groceries and two small houseplants, the dark night sky shimmering above you. You had severely underestimated how heavy kitchen utensils can be, especially pans and pots. This meant that you had to take multiple trips solely to stock your kitchen with things to cook your meals. Then, you had noticed that you may need a better lock to ease your paranoia, so you had to walk another two blocks to find a store for that. And lastly, it had taken way longer to gather everything you needed for your bathroom, not to mention that you had to walk even further to find a grocery store that was open on Sunday.

"I'm so hungry," You whine with a sigh, pulling your jacket tighter around you before adjusting your grip on your bag of groceries. In your other hand, you're holding your bag with your plants; a small watermelon Peperomia and a Philodendron. Both are relatively low-care plants that don't require high amounts of sunlight, making them the perfect plants for your small, one-window apartment. You'll still ask Haru for some advice in terms of houseplants though.

Your mood had significantly dampened throughout the day. About a dozen times, you had tried to call Legoshi to ask him what's going on, why he's clearly avoiding you. Yet every time, your call went to voicemail or was downright cancelled. Naturally, you're more than a little concerned about your wolf. What if someone had told him before you that you've dropped out and now he doesn't want anything to do with you anymore?

So many 'what if's.

Finally, you round a corner into your street, already seeing the Hidden Condo standing in the brightly lit street. Quite honestly, you're surprised at how harmonious and ordinary this area is, seeing as it's merely ten minutes away from the black market. Even though you have come to learn that the animals from the black market are often far easier to deal with than the ones outside of it.

Mentally, you are already thinking about what you're going to cook for yourself once you get home, but something has you stagger in your step. Your eyes narrow in deep concentration at the sight of the big Komodo dragon standing in front of your apartment complex. In front of him stands a familiar, tall grey wolf and even though you can only see his back, you'd recognize this oblivious canine anywhere.

"Legoshi!" The sound of your irritated voice has the grey wolf freeze in his place, his ears folding on his head in shame. His tail begins to wag rapidly, though it still curls in between his legs, his canine instincts hoping to appease you with this display of submission. He turns around to stare at you, catching your heated gaze. "We need to talk, Mister!"

"Y-Y/n! What are you doing here?!"

Legoshi's definitely freaking out now. First, his grandfather appears in front of the hidden Condo and now you show up as well; the two animals that he desperately wanted to avoid meeting one another for a little while longer, until he was confident enough to share that part of his life with you. On top of that, he had no idea how to explain to you that he dropped out of school and was now going through meat-withdrawal, gifting him with horrible nightmares concerning you almost every night. At least now, he's not sure if he trusts himself around you.

"You!" Ignoring his question, because you still want to explain everything to him during a calm conversation, you halt in front of him and poke his chest with your index finger. "How dare you ignore my calls! 'I'm sorry, I'm busy this week', is that the best you've got? At least come up with a better excuse as to why you can't talk to me!"

"Well, uh, you see what happened was-" He stutters, grinning awkwardly with absolutely no idea of how he's going to weasel himself out of this mess. "Uh...I, uhm..."

"What?" You ask sharply, openly scowling at him.

Nervously, he scratches the back of his neck, slouching over slightly in embarrassment and shame. "I uh...I don't really know how to tell you this....I didn't want to ignore you or hurt your feelings though...I'm sorry, Y/n."

For a moment longer, you glare at the wolf. Then, you let out a long, exhausted sigh, your expression growing softer. "You're really worrying me, Wolfie. And that's why I wanted to meet up...so we could talk properly."

Head angled towards the floor, Legoshi mumbles under his breath. "I'm sorry."

Once more, you let out a tired huff. Then, you hold up your grocery bag. "Well, you can make it up to me by helping me carry these to my floor. That would be very, very nice of you."

Immediately, he takes the grocery bag into his big hands, tail eagerly wagging behind him. The komodo dragon only watches this interaction with a slightly confused but suspecting smile, while Legoshi's hesitates for a moment, eying the back abashedly. "Wait...your floor?"

Letting out a long, embarrassed exhale, you decide to let the cat out of the bag rather now than later. "Yup. I live here now. I dropped out of school."

"What?!"

Bewildered, Legoshi towers above you with his massive height as his mind tumbles all over the place. There are so many questions inside his head, yet he has no clue how to ask them. Deciding to change the topic to spare both of you some awkwardness, you lean to the side to wave at the reptile.

"Hello there, Sir. Long time no see. How are you?"

"I've been fine, young Miss." Taken aback slightly, he answers swiftly and walks closer to you two. His eyes flicker between you and the wolf. "So you really do know my grandson. How long have you two been friends?"

At the question, your gaze crosses Legoshi's. While his dark eyes show his disorientation and inner turmoil as he swallows thickly, there's a hint of desire to be completely honest within the ebony pools. So, gathering your courage, you glance at the Reptile with a flustered smile.

"Actually..." You begin, peering over at the wolf one last time and smiling when he nods, "I'm his girlfriend."

***

Hello there, homies! I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! It's longer than I wanted it to be, but oh well.

We've finally seen Legoshi again! And the cat's out of the bag, aye. Let's see where this takes us.

I've been quite busy this week. I finally had my first practical driving lessons and holy hell, are they scary. Fun, but scary. Still, it's necessary for my future, so I have to do it. A car just makes things a lot more convenient. I have my theoretical test in two weeks, so I'll be studying for that as well, which isn't really a problem, I've got a lot of free-time.

And on top, I've been writing five whole chapters for my bnha fanfic, so that one will be renewed towards the end of July. So bnha fans, hold onto that one. It'll still be a hawks fanfic... but with a fruity twist👀

I'd also like to say how stunning it is that this fanfic is now one year old. Around this time last year, I was crazy enough to create this bastard of a story and surprisingly, a lot of people liked it and that sent me down the writing hole of doom. Still, I'm glad I did, every positive comment makes my heart swell with joy.

Anyways, I hope y'all are all safe and healthy.

See you next chapter!