Chapter Text
The Prosecutor’s Office always had an eerie atmosphere to it, for some reason. Perhaps it’s the bats hanging out by the wine casks, perhaps it’s the miniature crime scene that’s always on display, or perhaps it’s the giant painting that covers the wall.
Kazuma has to strain his neck a little bit in order to get a good look at the face of the painted man, Klint van Zieks. One look at him and you can immediately tell he and Barok are somehow related, though Barok never wanted to tell him in what manner. Only now is Kazuma starting to understand why it must be difficult for Barok to talk about.
Kazuma had come to Britain with the intention to find out the truth about his father’s death. He promised himself he would not stop until he uncovered everything, all because he knew deep inside that his father could never be the one responsible for such heinous murders.
“It seems that the more truths I reveal, the more people are hurt.”
That’s what Ryuunosuke had said earlier, and Kazuma is beginning to wonder if that’s true. He thinks of Barok – poor Barok, who must be in great pain, after everything about his brother that was revealed today.
Kazuma arguably is the victor of this horrible affair, having successfully proven his father’s innocence, clearing the Asogi name. It has been his lifelong dream to come to Britain and find the man who wrongly convicted his father…
And yet now that he has completed his objective, he felt no happier because of it. At the end of the day, neither his father nor Klint can be brought back to life.
So did revealing the truth do any good at all?
Someone’s at the door. Who could be visiting at this late hour?
Kazuma draws his sword before he cautiously opens the door, not discounting the possibility that this might be another hooligan trying to attack Barok for no reason. To think that they would dare do such a thing just days after his acquittal – truly, these criminals are the lowest of the low –
But he couldn’t be more wrong.
“Susato?” He quickly hides his sword before she could notice, “What are you doing here? It’s past midnight.”
She seems equally surprised to see him open the door, but her expression quickly changes into a smile.
“Kazuma-sama, I am glad I found you here.” She bows respectfully, “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”
“No, I’m not doing anything at the moment,” he replies, “Did you come to see Barok… Lord van Zieks, I mean?”
She shakes her head, “I came to speak with you, Kazuma-sama, if you would be so kind as to hear me out.”
“Of course! It’s been such a long time.” He opens the door to let her in, “Let me go make us some tea.”
“No, it’s alright, I can do it–”
Kazuma sighs as he pulls out a chair for her, “Susato, you’re a guest in this office, so let me do my part as the host, will you?”
The fact that she came here without Ryuunosuke tells him that whatever she wants to discuss likely has to do with him, so it could be important.
“How did you know to look for me here?”
“I consulted with Mr. Sholmes and my father,” she replies, “They said that you would either be at the van Zieks estate or here. Since the estate is about an hour away by carriage, I figured I might try coming here first.”
Kazuma puts down a cup of tea in front of her before he sits down. She’s looking at him fondly with a big smile on her face.
“I can still hardly believe you’ve been alive all this time, Kazuma-sama,” she remarks, “I used to go to your grave and pray for your guidance.”
“Wait, my grave?”
Susato nods, “It is at the hill in our hometown. Perhaps you should see it sometime?”
“That’s a morbid suggestion… but I suppose not everyone has the privilege of having a headstone while they’re still alive.” Kazuma nods, “You need to show me next time I visit Japan, then.”
“Speaking of that, Naruhodo-san is set to leave for Japan tomorrow.”
“…is that so?”
It makes sense, in a way – Ryuunosuke is here as his replacement, and now that he’s alive and no longer an amnesiac, he would be able to fulfill the duties of the study exchange, sans the assassination plot.
He had hoped to bring Ryuunosuke here with him, though, both as a friend and as a potential defense lawyer if he gets caught… but now that the assassination plot has been revealed, that won’t be necessary.
“I should send him off, then,” Kazuma replies, “He is here because of me, after all.”
Susato falls quiet for a moment, looking down at the teacup in front of her – something must be troubling her, Kazuma can tell.
“Out with it, Susato,” he nudges, “Did you come here to ask if you can go with him?”
“Kazuma-sama, the terms of the study exchange was that Japan would send a law student and a judicial assistant,” she reminds him, “But with your permission, I would like to follow Naruhodo-san back to Japan.”
“You didn’t need to ask for my permission,” he agrees immediately, “I can see that the two of you work really well together. Thank you so much for guiding him in my stead.”
Susato smiles sweetly – it is quite a pity that his friends have to leave so soon, but if that’s what they’ve decided, it would be useless to try to stop them.
“We’ve known each other for a long time now, haven’t we, Susato?”
“Yes, it has been ten long years.”
“I remember when Uncle Mikotoba first introduced us to each other,” he reminisces, “You were so small back then, and very shy, you always hid behind your father.”
“Oh, Kazuma-sama,” she shakes her head as she picks up the cup, “I remember when you were barely taller than Karuma, and didn’t have the strength in your arms to wield it.”
Kazuma places his hands on his knees, and bows his head down deeply – Susato covers her mouth with her hands, surprised by the gesture.
“I must apologize for the way I behaved these past few days,” Kazuma humbly states, “I was not myself, and I caused hurt for everyone.”
When he first regained his memories in the courtroom of the Old Bailey, everything was overwhelming, and yet it made sense.
The voice that has been telling him repeatedly to go to London, where his destiny awaits – it must be his own. He was so obsessed with the idea of finding out the truth of his father’s death, even as every other part of his identity crumbled, that part remained intact, and kept him going… though whether it moved him in the right direction is an entirely different matter.
The wheels of fate started turning ten years ago, with the duel between Genshin and Klint, and inevitably, he got caught up in the teeth of the gears.
When he thinks of all the adults around him back then – surely they only had the best intentions, so he thought. Perhaps if Yujin Mikotoba had been honest about the cause of his father’s death, if Seishiro Jigoku didn’t dismiss his questions, if Mael Stronghart didn’t try to blackmail anybody – perhaps everything would have turned out differently.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Kazuma-sama,” she says, “You must have been in great pain, after everything that happened.”
He slowly gets back up to an upright position to look her in the eyes. She’s looking at him as confidently as ever – she’s never been the type to mince her words.
“You and Naruhodo-san worked together to reveal the truth, and while the dead cannot come back to life, at least now justice will be served.”
…and then there’s the matter of Barok van Zieks.
When he first realizes that he had been under the care of the man who sentenced his father to death – Kazuma nearly lost his mind at that idea. It’s not as if Barok knew who he was, otherwise Kazuma cannot imagine him agreeing to it. To think he was at the mercy of his sworn enemy for the time he’s been in London, to even have harbored such deep feelings for him…
It wasn’t right, it goes against everything he has believed in his whole life. He came here to find the truth, and he cannot let anything or anyone derail his plans.
“I need to apologize to Barok as well.”
“Oh dear,” she sighs as she picks up her teacup, “Is this all just practice in preparation for the big event?”
“No, of course not!” he denies immediately, “I needed to apologize to both you and Ryuunosuke anyway. But… it’s going to be much harder to ask for Barok’s forgiveness.”
“I thought you apologized to him immediately after the trial?” she asks, “If my memory serves, the two of you left for the van Zieks estate together.”
“He has not spoken a single word to me since then,” Kazuma sighs, “I imagine he’s still in pain after everything that happened.”
Susato takes a few minutes to drink her tea before putting it back on the saucer. Kazuma waits tensely – her drinking tea must be an excuse to remain quiet while she’s thinking of what to say.
“I can’t help but notice that you refer to him by his given name, Kazuma-sama,” she points out, “Not only that, earlier in the antechamber, he would steal glances at you when he wasn't being spoken to.”
Kazuma feels the blood rushing to his cheeks – perhaps she’s been hanging around Sholmes a little too much. She’s always been observant as a judicial assistant, but if she were to combine it with skills of deduction… how terrifying.
“As Mr. Sholmes says, the furtive glance tells all!” She smiles proudly, confident of her observation. “So, if I may be so bold to ask, what kind of relationship do you have with him?”
Kazuma glances at the clock – it is almost two in the morning now.
“Don’t you have to pack your bags if you’re leaving for Japan in the morning?”
“I can pack it in less than two hours.”
Well, she has always been a terrifyingly effective assistant, Kazuma shouldn’t be surprised.
Perhaps it’s not such a bad idea – he hasn’t been able to confide with anybody else about this dilemma, and Susato has known him for ten years, they’re practically siblings – she might be able to offer him some advice.
“You really want to hear about it?”
She nods resolutely.
So he recounts to her as much as he can remember.
His first meeting with Barok in the Lord Chief Justice’s office, when Barok had thought he was mute and didn’t want him as an apprentice. The following weeks when they would avoid being in each other’s presence – Kazuma spent much of his time in the different reading rooms and studies, trying to absorb as much knowledge as he could – though Barok eventually let his walls down after they spar with each other in the yard. He asked about the Reaper, which led to Barok ordering him to speak, at least when nobody else is present – he leaves out the part where Barok claims to like the sound of his voice, because even to this day, he’s not sure he heard that correctly. They started having tea time together, where they spent time talking about any interesting news or old cases Kazuma found. He spoke of the night of the attack, when Barok reveals his face, and bits and pieces of what happened after – he cannot bear the thought of telling sweet, innocent Susato what happened that night – but even that’s enough to make Susato’s eyes as wide as the saucer her teacup is sitting on.
“Oh… oh my,” she stammers, “I never would have guessed Lord van Zieks to be such a romantic. Did you say anything in return?”
Kazuma shakes his head, though he knows full well it is a lie – it’s just too embarrassing to recount out loud.
He can still hear his confession of love for Barok ringing in his head – now that is one troublesome memory. But is it entirely untrue?
“I must say, even after all the time I’ve spent with him, sometimes I still can’t tell what’s on his mind. Which is why I’m not sure how to proceed from here.”
“Don’t you think he would be happy to see you?”
“But things have changed,” he laments, “I am no longer just his apprentice. He has harbored his hatred and mistrust for the Asogi clan for ten years… I don’t think our relationship will ever be the same.”
“Perhaps not,” she agrees, “But it might open the way for a different relationship – one that isn’t shrouded in secrets.”
Kazuma admits she’s right about that. Barok may have seen his face, but he still wasn’t completely aware of Kazuma’s identity – same with Kazuma, who knew Barok’s name and face, but not what he had done ten years ago.
“Except for the fact that you have now remembered your true self, nothing has changed about either of you,” Susato points out, “Now that we know the truth about the Lord Chief Justice, there was no way Lord van Zieks could have avoided making that mistake.”
Mael Stronghart, the puppeteer behind this circus – to think that he is the cause of all the misfortune that has befall Barok, and he was going to use Kazuma as yet another puppet to end Barok’s life…
“Having gone through the trial the other day, I think I’m starting to understand how he felt back then,” Kazuma reflects, “My judgement was clouded by rage. All I could think about was how he should be condemned for taking my father away from me, no matter what it takes. If it wasn’t for Ryuunosuke, I… likely would have succeeded, too. I would have also sentenced an innocent man to death.
“Whatever he may have said, I don’t imagine he would forgive me so easily.”
“Quite the opposite, Kazuma-sama.”
He turns to Susato, who is smiling reassuringly at him. She’s always so sure of herself, she makes everything sound so easy…
“…if he does kill me in a duel, Susato, then my death will be your fault.”
Susato can’t help but smile. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. Lord van Zieks must have meant every word when he said you belong to him forever,” she reassures him, “He does not strike me as the type of person who would say such things lightly.”
Thus he finds himself standing before the gates of the van Zieks estate once again, armed with nothing but Susato’s reassurance that he will surely come out of it alive. (Sholmes and Iris had offered to come with him, but Kazuma declined, deciding it would be best not to traumatize the little girl should things go south.)
The servants who are standing guard in front of the mansion have noticed him, and though they don’t seem particularly happy to see him, they’re not stopping him from entering, either.
It’s only been over a week since he left the estate, yet he can’t deny that he somewhat misses this place… or perhaps it’s Barok whom he misses, he can’t really tell the difference anymore.
It’s just as dark and gloomy as he found it when he first stepped foot here three months ago – the painted eyes of the previous van Zieks seem to follow him as he walks past the hallway and up the grand staircase.
Here he stands, before the door that leads into Barok’s chambers.
He knew that doing this wouldn’t be easy, but now that he’s standing here – his mouth feels dry, his stomach is in knots – it’s much more nerve wracking than he thought it would be.
It shouldn’t be a big deal – he just saw Barok a few days ago in the courtroom, behind the witness stand, holding his tongue as Kazuma put out every argument he could possibly think of that Barok is indeed the Reaper.
The longer he stood before the door, Kazuma could feel what little courage he had slowly slipping away. Maybe this is a bad idea after all, maybe he shouldn’t have come here…
…but Susato was convinced that everything would work out. If she was here with him right now, surely she would have opened the door without any hesitation.
He pushes the door open as carefully as he can, trying to minimize any sound that it might make.
It takes him a second before he sees where Barok is in the room – the prosecutor is sitting on his chair that faces the window, although the curtains are drawn.
Kazuma walks into the room as quietly as he could as he closes the door behind him. Barok is either unaware he is in the room or choosing to ignore him, but he wouldn’t be able to tell unless he comes closer–
Seems like it is the former, since Kazuma finds him fast asleep in his chair. He’s wearing a white shirt under a black velvet robe, and on the table next to him is a half full bottle of wine; Kazuma can’t help but notice his complexion is even paler than usual.
Ever since the day he received that letter, as Kazuma lay in bed every night, he would think of his father.
His father, who taught him the way of the samurai, and promised that one day, he would be worthy of carrying Karuma, the sword that carries the soul of the Asogi clan.
His father, who tearfully left him to go to Britain, with dreams of transforming the justice system in Japan.
Whoever this Barok van Zieks is, he’s wrong! His father couldn’t have committed those murders! Kazuma swears, one day he’ll go to Great Britain himself to find this man, and he’ll avenge his father’s death!
If this kind of opportunity was presented to him a mere week ago, Kazuma very well may have drawn his sword and pierced it through Barok’s heart. There’s still a little voice in the back of his mind, telling him that this is the perfect opportunity for revenge, yet he finds himself frozen in place.
Barok lets out a soft groan as he slowly blinks his eyes open. His head is throbbing slightly, no doubt the aftermath of his drinking the previous night.
He immediately realizes that someone else is in the room with him, standing by the window. Kazuma…
“Still not waking up?”
He doesn’t reply, keeping his eyes shut – but the voice he heard undoubtedly belongs to his apprentice.
He hears footsteps as Kazuma walks over to him, so he opens his eyes – Kazuma is now standing right in front of him, staring intently at his face. Barok reaches his hand out to Kazuma – he could feel the warmth of Kazuma’s cheeks in the palm of his hand.
“...so it’s not a dream,” he muses, “Have you come back here to carry out your final assassination?”
“I have been back here for two days. I would have killed you by now if I wanted to,” Kazuma peels Barok’s hand off his face, “You haven’t stepped foot outside your chambers since I returned. Strange behaviour for someone who was recently acquitted, don’t you agree?”
Barok doesn’t say anything in response – Kazuma stares at him, trying to gauge his reaction. Barok’s acquittal isn’t entirely joyous, Kazuma is aware – while he was able to confirm that his father was innocent, Barok had to face the bitter truth about Klint.
“If I understand correctly, Ryuunosuke Naruhodo and his assistant are set to leave Great Britain today.”
“That’s right. As a matter of fact, I had just sent them off this morning.”
“Yet, you did not take the opportunity to leave this country as your friends did,” Barok correctly points out, “You must have returned to this manor because you still have unfinished business… with me, I would presume.”
Kazuma falls quiet for a moment – Barok has every right to be upset with him after everything that happened.
“I have no excuses for the way I acted. I was angry that my father was taken away from me, and I believed the only way to get him the justice he deserves was to seek revenge. But I realized that if you were found guilty, it would bring me no happiness at all.”
He looks away to – he does not dare look at the disappointment that must be apparent on Barok’s face.
“If anything, it would only prove what a joke the British justice system is, to condemn two innocent lives to death.”
“The fact of the matter remains that I sentenced Genshin to death. At the time, I truly believed that he was the Professor, and sought to convict him of his crimes by any means necessary,” Barok replies, “I deserve to die by your hand, Kazuma Asogi. That would be justice.”
Kazuma shakes his head.
“In retrospect, maybe losing my memory wasn’t such a bad thing,” he reflects, “It was the only way I could see you not as my father’s killer, but for who you really are: a man haunted by the past.
“Neither of us had any say in the events that unfolded ten years ago – my father and Klint made their choices, without any inkling of what it would do to us. But we cannot change the past. We can only make our own choices for the present, and the future.
“History needs not repeat itself, Barok. No Asogi shall ever slay another van Zieks.”
Barok falls silent, his steely blue eyes staring deeply into Kazuma’s. Everyone had always thought of Barok as the ruthless Reaper of the Bailey, but deep inside, he is anything but. Kazuma had come to this conclusion before, but when he regained his memories, his lifelong resentment towards Barok also returned.
But the truth is revealed now, and while Barok may have had a hand in his father’s demise, Kazuma can finally see Barok for what he is – another victim of Mael Stronghart’s grand deception.
“Do you plan on handling Lord Stronghart’s trial?”
Barok shakes his head, “I have considered it, but I do not wish to see that man ever again while I’m still alive. The next time I see him will be in the depths of Hell.”
“You did everything in your power to personally sentence my father to death because he killed Klint, but you won’t do the same for his blackmailer?”
“It is selfish of me to ask this of you, but you must let someone else handle this trial.”
Without even realizing it, Kazuma grabs Barok by the lapels of his robe, almost yanking him off the chair – he feels all the blood rushing into his head, his fists clenched so hard it hurts his palms.
“I understand it may seem unfair,” Barok says, unfazed by Kazuma’s aggression. “However, Kazuma, you have seen the influence this man has over the entire judiciary. If Her Majesty didn’t get involved, everyone in that courtroom could very well have voted to acquit him.”
“Which is why we have to prove his guilt beyond all reasonable doubt!” Kazuma scowls, “What of your pursuit of justice, Barok? Or does it only apply to us Nipponese?”
“You’ve got it wrong, Kazuma,” Barok refutes, “Mael Stronghart is the true Reaper of the Bailey. I’m certain that even if their leader has been put behind bars, their members will continue to uphold their misguided idea of justice. If you take this case, I fear that you may be putting yourself in harm’s way.”
“I’m not scared,” Kazuma insists, “If you’re going to chicken out, that’s your problem.”
Kazuma is about to let go of him, but Barok grabs him by the wrists, forcing him to stay.
“If you wish to preside over Stronghart’s trial, you will do it over my dead body.”
Despite the harsh words, Kazuma has never heard this tone from the older man – defeated is the only way he could describe it.
“I cannot lose you, Kazuma. Too many people that I hold dear have been taken away from me, and I can’t let you be the next. I understand that our relationship is meant to be temporary. In hindsight, Mael must have put you in my care because he expected you to kill me once you regain your memories.
“I thought that as long as I kept you at a distance, I could save myself the heartache when you inevitably leave. Though clearly, I was unsuccessful.” Barok sighs as he shakes his head, “You have no idea what havoc you wreaked when you left. I was beside myself with worry every night that you failed to return. Sleep evaded me as I feared you might be dead…
“The idea that you might be gone forever terrified me. That is why I decided to go after the Reaper once again, even if it cost me my life,” Barok explains, “I thought that I should do something meaningful, before I die of a broken heart.
“So please, Kazuma, I understand that you must despise the man with every ounce of your being, I ask that you don’t throw away your life because of it.”
Kazuma feels his heartbeat accelerate with every word Barok utters – he hadn’t expected Barok to lay his heart bare as he did just now.
“Pardon the discourtesy of subjecting you to my monologue,” Barok sighs after Kazuma’s prolonged silence. “But that is how I feel about the matter – I hope you will consider it.”
“You should know by now that killing me won’t be so easy,” Kazuma counters, “I must make sure he does not escape the consequences of his actions.”
Barok presses his lips into a thin line, as if holding himself back from saying something, but he elects to simply sigh and shake his head.
As much as Barok is concerned for his apprentice, he knows he holds absolutely no authority over Kazuma, and he can only plead so much to the young man. But he can see the fire still burning bright in Kazuma’s eyes, can hear the bite in his every word. What a stark contrast to Barok – over the years, with every tragedy that befalls him, his heart has succumbed to sorrow and became numb.
“Genshin would have said the same. You truly are your father’s son.”
“If you are so worried for my safety, you should do it with me,” Kazuma suggests, “They can either let us live, or kill both of us, but they can’t just choose one or the other.”
“So now you’re trying to take me down with you?”
Kazuma sits on the armrest of the chair and leans over Barok – their faces are now just a few inches from each other, and Barok holds his breath, suddenly all too aware of the lack of distance between them.
“Do me this favor, Barok, and I promise I will stay by your side forever, as your faithful apprentice.”
Kazuma closes his eyes as Barok pulls him into a kiss. It is just as exhilarating as the first time they kissed that night in the Prosecutor’s Office; Barok tastes of bitter wine and smells like musk, and Kazuma would not have it any other way. Kazuma feels like he’s slowly melting as Barok slowly trails his fingers all over his body, as if trying to commit every inch to memory.
“How I have missed hearing your voice, Kazuma.”