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It was sometime in the evening when Gohin prodded his patient with a length of bamboo. "Juno," he said. He nudged her shoulder, rousing her from her meditation. "Juno, you have to get up. It's been too long. You have to eat something."

Juno glared up at her therapist with bleary eyes. "I'm alright. I told you I couldn't afford to waste time." Her gaze fell to the bamboo. "What's with the stick?"

Gohin shrugged. "Just a little safety precaution. You never know when a hungry carnivore is on the verge of snapping. Come on, move. You need to take care of your body if you're serious about this. Go get some rest and come back tomorrow."

A raw cow leg hung in front of her. Juno looked up at it and thought about dropping back into her meditation, but she knew that Gohin would only come back to kick her out more forcefully. Oh well. She gathered her things from the table and slipped her shoes back on. "Thanks," she said, accepting the donut that he offered her. "I want to ask something before I go. I hope it doesn't seem strange."

"Shoot."

"Do you know what her name was?"

The old panda smiled. "Shezu," he said. "Her name was Shezu. She was fifty-eight years old. Died of internal hemorrhaging after a bicycle accident." He took a deep drag on his cigarette before tapping it over the ash tray. It was rare for him to look so pleased with her. "Legosi asked about the names after a while, too. You're making progress. Not to say that you're ready, of course. You can't get complacent."

"I don't plan to." Juno checked her phone and frowned. "I missed a call from Louis while I was busy. Thanks for everything, Gohin. I'll see you tomorrow. I promise to eat plenty today." She trotted out the door, eager to call her beloved back as soon as possible.

The phone didn't finish its first ring before he picked up. That was already a bad sign. He also didn't greet her, which was even worse. "Is this some sort of game to you?" Louis demanded. Juno stopped in her tracks, stunned by the anger in his voice. "My nightmares are absolutely none of your business, Juno. You don't get to bring up my past and throw it in my face like that. It's completely unacceptable."

"What are...you're having nightmares?" Juno quickened her pace, heading for the nearest bus stop. "Louis, what's going on? What happened?"

A muffled groan came from the other end of the call. "Is playing dumb an instinctive response in canines?" he asked. "Or are you really such an airhead that you can't tell when you've done something wrong? While we're at it, maybe you should explain how you found out about my childhood. Are you stalking me? Is this some sort of horrible cat-and-mouse game that rejected carnivores get off on? Answer me, damn it!"

"Please just talk to me," Juno said. The anxiety and sadness in her voice gave the deer a pang of regret as he interrogated her. "Don't be like this. What did I do wrong? Whatever it is, I'm sorry!"

Louis felt the righteous anger inside of him sputtering out. If she was feigning ignorance, then she was doing a very good job of it. He knew she wasn't a good enough actor for that. It would have been fine if she'd tried to argue with him or tempt him in that cute-but-clumsy way she had, but he hadn't expected to make her cry. He leaned against the windowsill and sighed, watching the sun set over the city. "The texts, Juno. I expected better of you."

The she-wolf went silent for a long time. "I didn't send you any texts."

Louis put her on speaker and pulled up his texting app, looking over their last conversation. "I have it right here! It's from your number!" He read it aloud, wondering if he was starting to lose his grip on reality.

Juno still sounded confused, but there was a hint of relief mixed into her voice. "That's my old number, Louis. I lost my phone months ago. Don't you remember me telling you? You must still have it in your phone under my name. Have you been texting a stranger all this time?" He was starting to feel sick to his stomach. Louis glanced back out the window, only for his blood to run cold.

The rear of Ogma's family mansion looked out over one of the city's many parks. It was a quiet, grassy area with a playground and walking path that animals could use to escape some of the hustle and bustle of the city. Sitting on one of the park benches was a stocky white animal. They were too far away to be seen clearly, but Louis knew that they were staring at him. He could feel those beady, covetous eyes boring into him as clearly as he felt the phone digging into his clenched fingers.

The animal stood up and waved. Louis's heart dropped, and his phone clattered to the floor. He scrambled to pick it up. "Juno, I want you to meet me at our cafe. Go straight there. Stay in public areas and don't stop for anything."

"What's going on, Louis?" Juno's sounded small and frightened, almost like an herbivore. "Please just tell me what's happening!"

Louis grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "Someone's come for me," he said. "It's a polar bear named Kora. He had an...unhealthy interest in me as a child."

Juno froze as she was climbing the stairs to board the bus. "An interest?" she asked. "As in...?"

"He didn't want to eat me," Louis said. "Well, perhaps he did, but he didn't see it that way. He was very disturbed, possibly a pedophile. I'll tell you everything when I see you again."

Juno flashed her bus pass and sat down in a seat near the front. The only other passenger was a polar bear, which worried her until she remembered that Louis was describing a male. This one was clearly female. "I'm scared, Louis."

"It's going to be okay, Juno. Just stay safe. I'm on my way." Louis hung up, and Juno put her phone away. Her body shivered from a mix of weakness and fear. Maybe fasting all this time hadn't been such a good idea after all.

---

Louis was stopped at the door by his fiance. "Where do you think you're going?" Azuki asked. "It's late, Louis. Are you going to make me go to bed alone?" She pushed her lips upward, but it wasn't really a smile. Disapproval oozed from her voice with every word.

"Terribly sorry to leave like this," he said. He motioned to a sheep standing near the door. "Yuta, bring the car around. Something's come up. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Azuki snatched the cigarette from Louis's mouth and threw it onto the floor. "I'm getting tired of this," she said, and ground it beneath her heel. "You're not behaving like the heir to one of the most powerful business empires on Earth. You're acting like a child. Go back upstairs or people will talk."

The sudden change in her demeanor caught Louis completely off guard. "I can't do that, darling. Someone I care about is in trouble. I'll explain everything later, I promise."

"No!" Azuki shoved him away from the door. "Don't you 'darling' me. Don't speak to me that way! I'm not stupid, Louis. Who is it this time? One of your old criminal acquaintances, I assume? Oh yes, I know all about them. Many people do. You were lucky enough to escape from that world once. I won't let you drag us both back into it!"

"It's not one of the Shishigum," Louis said. "It's nothing illegal, I promise."

Azuki didn't look relieved. In fact, she only seemed to get angrier. "Another woman, then? God, you're pathetic. We aren't even married yet and you're already sneaking out to meet a mistress! All that theater training and you can't even _pretend_to be happy for a few months before running off to find something better? Was I not good enough to keep you interested? I'm not surprised that you want to fool around, but is it too much to ask that you let me feel special for just a little while first?"

"I'm not having an affair!" he snapped. "Move out of the...you're not?" Louis found himself thinking of Haru, and he wasn't entirely sure why. He'd already told Azuki all about her, and they'd both agreed that it wasn't going to be an issue. "You think I'd cheat on you right before getting married? What happens after that, Azuki? Can I just do whatever I like, and to hell with your feelings? Would you just roll over and accept someone betraying you like that?"

The doe was more emotional than he'd ever seen her. "Would you be surprised?" she asked. "It's an arranged marriage, Louis. I won't pretend that we're horns over heels in love, and you don't have to either. We're props for a pair of courting corporations. Can you honestly tell me that there's nobody you'd rather be with? Is my jealousy so unfounded?"

"I'm not a prop," Louis said. "You shouldn't be either. We were meant to be better than this." He pushed past his fiance and slammed the door behind him, then climbed into his father's car. "Take me to the cafe," he ordered. "You know the one. Make it fast." While Yuta drove, the buck reached into the inner pocked of his jacket to pull out his pistol.

There were seven rounds in his forty-five. He was more accustomed to the recoil of a 9mm, but the Shishigumi had imparted in him a taste for stylish firearms. The weight felt good in his slender hands. He checked the magazine, then thumbed the safety and put it away. These bullets were larger than the ones he normally carried, and designed to expand outward into lethal mushrooms after impact. They'd be enough to stop even a normal-sized polar bear. If he saw that evil little bastard again, Louis promised himself that he'd empty the entire magazine into his innocent-looking face.

They soon arrived at the cafe. "Go home," Louis told his driver. "Lock down the mansion until I get back. If Azuki gives you any trouble, tell her she's more than welcome to return to her own house."

"Are you sure?" Yuta asked. "Don't you think it'd be better if I stayed here? If there's trouble-"

"You'll get in my way," Louis interrupted. "I appreciate your concern, Yuta, but this isn't up for debate. Please do as I say."

The sheep sighed regretfully. "As you wish, sir. Please stay safe for us."

Louis took a moment to compose himself before walking into the cafe. He nodded to the hostess, then sat at his usual table. His eyes locked onto the door, and there he stayed for over an hour. The waiting was torture. He fidgeted in his seat, the gun digging into his body as if to remind him that he wasn't meant to take these matters into his own hands anymore.

Minute by minute he grew more desperate. Louis drank three cups of tea, then finally heeded the call of his bladder. He stared at himself in the mirror as he washed his hands, noticing for the first time that his antlers were larger than usual this year. He was growing older, slowly but surely. Despite a lack of any blood relation with his father, the two of them looked more alike every year.

A package was waiting for him when he returned to his table. "Someone left that for you," his waitress said. "More tea?" Louis shook his head and paid his tab, then quickly made for the door. He stalked into the alley behind the shop, glancing furtively around to make sure that he was alone before inspecting the box.

It didn't look like much. The cardboard was held shut with masking tape, and the only marking on it was his name written in crude, black letters. He ripped it open, a heavy weight forming in the pit of his stomach as he looked inside.

He was right to be afraid. Louis stared at Juno's finger with growing horror. His hands began to shake, and it quickly spread to his whole body. He fell to his knees and carefully picked it up, holding the cold digit in his palm. It should have been warm. It should have been alive.

A tortured, grieving wail echoed through the back alley. Had that noise really come from him? Louis felt his bravado shatter then and there. The careful mask of poise and confidence that he relied on every day was dashed into a million pieces. He knew now that he was in love. He finally understood how Juno could be so sure that he'd come to his senses and choose her over his fiance.

Such a shame that it was too late.

Louis finally noticed a slip of paper sticking out from one corner of the box. He snatched it up, still cradling Juno's finger in his other hand. "You know where to find me, Four. Come alone. You don't have long before she loses another."

"I'll find you," Louis whispered. The sadness and despair he felt began to combust, igniting into a smoldering hatred. "I'll fucking find you. I swear it. I'm going to kill you and fuckingeat you for this!"