The Curse of Beasts (BEASTARS)

Darkened Moonlight

    Alan was silent as he walked with Todd, the two out of The Ghetto and entering the subway. The goat was worried about the human, his body still tense even after meeting with Gouhin. He didn't look stiff, but he was moving like he was getting ready to run. As they entered the tunnel and found themselves alone, Alan seemed to relax slightly, slowing down as the goat caught up.

"Alan...are you really going to fight Riz?", Todd asked hesitantly.

He didn't answer, but he seemed to sink a bit.

He said he wants to hear it from him, but if it comes to blows...

"What could I do..?"

"Huh?"

The human stopped walking and pulled off the mask, "What could I do against him, Todd?"

He continued, "I say that I'll do what I can if talking doesn't work, but...when I really think about it, what good am I against him? I don't compare to him or Legosi."

Todd stayed silent for a moment, "You managed against Will, back then. That counts for something, right?"

"Will was just about my size. Riz is at least twice that and Legosi isn't much better.", he sank lower. "Could I even do anything to stop it? Legosi saved me before the summer and Riz helped me apologize to you. They're both my friends..."

He clutched the mask shakily, "How could this happen? Why would Riz kill Tem? They were friends! Now Legosi's fighting him and he could die because of the difference in strength— not to mention he kept it from me, so what the hell am I—"

    Todd had moved around in front of him and grabbed his arms, making him freeze. The human's eyes were still crimson, on the verge of tearing up and filled with confusion. He may have kept the act going even after he calmed down back at school, but now it was starting to crack. In The Ghetto he seemed hesitant, maybe even scared of the possibility of fighting Riz. He still ran out, though, and that means something whether he acknowledges it or not.

"You should go.", the goat finally said.

"W-what..?"

"You should go to them.", he said with a small smile. "You wouldn't have tried running out if you didn't care about them. If you stayed, you would've lost it wondering if you could've done something."

"What about you?"

"I'll go back to school and wait for you.", his smile grew sheepish. "It's not like I can hold my own like you can. Besides, you said you wanted to find yourself, right? This could be your chance to figure it out."

"But...what if Riz won't listen to reason? What if it really does end with me fighting him..?"

"If he's your friend, he'll listen to you.", he grabbed the human's shoulders. "You're not just human, remember? You're part-carnivore, so you at least have some ground with him and Legosi— strength or not. If you stay back, you'll regret it later."

Alan looked conflicted for a moment, trying to run every possible outcome through his mind. There was so much that could go wrong, and not just for him! If Legosi wasn't already hurt, he could be worse for wear by the time he gets to them. Not only that, but Riz could be too far gone to listen to reason. What happens afterwards? What comes next, regardless of the result?

He sighed heavily and shook the thoughts away, "You're right."

He stood up fully and smiled, "Thank you..."

Todd chuckled, "Hey, what are friends for? Now go show them what you can do!"

"You got it!"

~~*~~