Character(s): Kyoushiro
Genre: Character study/gen
Content Advisory: Nonexplicit mentions of Kyoushiro's abusive past.
Notes: Mid Legend Weed, I often found myself sympathizing with Kyoushiro—not necessarily his methods, but his frustration versus Weed's eternal optimism. This resulted, and is set somewhere after Jerome leaves. Anime-based, not comic, because full English translations don't exist that I can find.

Weed, hey. Weed, I wanna say something to you. Man to man, if a little pup like you counts. Haha, of course you do. I bet you're even taller than me now, all that Akita blood in you.

Enough'a that. What I'm here about, it's your Paradise. I wanna believe in you and your dad and all, but if he's as hopelessly naive as you I worry about how we're gonna make it.

Though lookin' at who follows him, he's got dogs like me. John, never met him, but any bastard who'd go out like that is one I'd follow into death myself, right? Akame, way too big on duty like Tesshin, but man can he lay a plan. He'll keep your head out of the clouds and thinking, and I'll bail you out when your heart gets too big for your legs. We've all got your back, Weed, even if we have to kill for you.

Ah, don't wrinkle your nose like that. And perk your ears back up! I told you, I'm here to talk about the future. You're still sore about Jerome, but you needed him to keep that pure heart beating and inside you. He told me before he left, you're the one dogs like me and him need to follow. A Paradise needs its leader, and a bastard like me isn't cut out to be one.

Hougen's just another bully like the ones I've thrown down since I could bare my teeth, even with an army protecting his spotted ass. And Shirogane Kyoushiro doesn't tolerate bullies any more than he does the adults who think it's right beating on their kids, 'cause a world without cowards like them is my Paradise. I never thought I'd run with a pack of adults to find it, but who am I kidding? You're all a lot better than "not bad at all". You treat each other like I taught my pack to treat each other.

That's why I follow you, for the young ones I don't want growing up like me. Don't forget, don't you dare forget, you're who you are 'cause of how you were born, they need the peace we're going to earn them. By force, if we have to...mercy, that I'll have to learn. Maybe I can, for you.

You might be way too big on forgiveness, but the both of us, we want justice, and if we go on fightin' about how to get it it's the monsters that'll win.