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The full moon shone in the sky. With it, a howl was heard. Too miserable to be from an animal, too wild to be human. It felt like something out of a nightmare.
Ryunosuke hugged himself, feeling his body freezing and his heart breaking. How had they ended up in that situation, that horror?
He remembered earlier in the day, when they had been at the van Zieks manor, the three of them. When Barok had tried to warn them, to dissuade them.
“You shouldn't go. Not with a full moon tonight.”
“Do you think I wouldn't have chosen another date if I had the chance?” Kazuma had replied. “But time is running out for us. The last session of the trial is here, and we need to solve the mystery.”
So they left. Barok bid them farewell, as he held a cup of lamb’s blood in his hand.
“If you haven't come back by nightfall, I'll go after you.”
He couldn’t accompany them in broad daylight. He wasn’t able to protect them on a day like that, in a case that seemed to bring so much danger.
Ryunosuke and Kazuma left home. And they walked into the trap. Like a wild animal stepping directly on the bait that a hunter has set in the forest.
Ryunosuke felt like crying as he looked at his situation. Locked in an empty room, that was his cell. And he knew that Kazuma's would be so much worse.
He was afraid to imagine what they had done to him, how he would be at that moment. Kazuma, chained, wounded, suffering the horrors of the transformation with no one to be there him.
The pain he must be going through. The horror that awaited them all.
There was no way out of the cell. He had looked out it barred window, to see that there was nothing but a slope that dropped straight down to the moat. Even if he managed to break the bars, no human could escape through that window. The door was strong and guarded, at any moment the guards would come in and take him away.
To him. To Kazuma turned into a wolf.
Transformation was never easy. He was in pain as his skin was torn and the wolf emerged, but that was not what Kazuma feared the most. What he was really terrified of was hurting the ones he loved.
That is why they always took precautions. Every full moon Barok gave him a drug that made him sleep through the night. That way he didn't suffer during the transformation, he just remembered it as a cruel nightmare. That protected Kazuma.
To protect Barok and Ryunosuke, in case the effects of the drug were not enough, they had one more method. There was a chamber in the basement under the van Zieks mansion. They locked him there, behind a metal gate with bars. Sometimes, through that door, Ryunosuke had to watch Kazuma transform, screaming, into a rampaging beast. And he was afraid, afraid of his partner, as Barok held him protectively as the terrible night passed.
Ryunosuke was afraid of him. Barok was on guard every second of the night. He understood those savage instincts, that inhuman possession.
But if there was anyone who truly feared that, it was Kazuma. The greatest fear was the one he had of himself.
On that full moon, his fear had come true.
He heard a knock. That stopped his dark thoughts. He lifted his head, looking out the window. At first he found nothing in it beyond the night sky, until he saw a shadow move behind it. A shadow that got his hopes up, and made him jump to his feet, run to the window.
“Barok!”
“Ryunosuke” he said with a soft and loving voice. But he knew the danger, and his eyes were sharp. “What happened? What has he done to you?”
He was so furious, but also so protective. Ryunosuke felt the tears returning to his eyes.
“He has Kazuma. Now that he is transformed… he's going to finish him and me off in one fell swoop. That is his plan.”
“What?” The flame of anger continued to grow. Ryunosuke watched as his jaw clenched, and his fangs became visible.
"He's… he's going to make Kazuma attack me," he said, his voice trembling. “To get rid of me… and to report Kazuma for my murder. To put an end to us both, the prosecutor and the defence attorney of the trial. To stop us from solving his crime.”
For a moment, the anger was too much. Barok's hands that were holding onto the window trembled like an unstoppable earthquake. His eyes glowed, his pupil expanded.
For an instant, he did not seem human. As if the Nosferatu had taken over his being. When the bloodlust became his only feeling.
What brought him back was affection. Ryunosuke's warm hand on his, always so cold, caressing his skin through the window.
His gaze focused, and he could see him.
"Barok," he whispered. That was all he needed.
The vampire took a few deep breaths, calming himself down. He had done it many times, each time the bloodlust called him. He had learned to regain control.
When he had done it, there were only a few words left in his throat.
“I'll stop him. I'll find a way in. I'll save you," he swore, wrapping his hand in Ryunosuke's.
The human moved closer to the window bars, and beyond. He and Barok shared a kiss in the middle of that terrible moment.
A second later, the door was knocked on.
Barok stepped back. He backed away from the window, descending the same impossible wall he had climbed, as the same guards who had locked Ryunosuke took him away.
The prosecutor wasted no more time. He arrived at the mansion’s doorway. A door he would break down and go through if he was allowed, to run through each of its halls until he found his lovers.
A butler opened the door.
"Bring me Stapleton," he ordered. And he obeyed. Perhaps because of the vampire's power of persuasion, perhaps because of the terror that he would end his life if the butler did not obey his orders.
"Lord van Zieks," Stapleton said when he finally appeared in the doorway. “Why have you paid me this visit?”
“There are urgent matters to discuss, Stapleton. Let me in.”
“I'm the one with urgent matters right now. You are distracting me from a show I really want to see.”
There it was, the flame of anger, fuelling every inch of his being.
And fear. The realization that they didn't have much time left.
“I'm not asking, Stapleton. Let me in.”
He accompanied his words with the sound of a gun being loaded. Stapleton raised an eyebrow.
“Have you come here to kill me?”
“I have come to protect what is mine. If you let me in now, no blood will be spilled tonight.”
But the man ignored his orders.
"So the legends about you are true, Prosecutor van Zieks?"
He began to understand. The gun didn't intimidate him, it was useless. But Barok had a more powerful weapon. The legend that surrounded him, the shadow he cast in London.
If that was what he wanted, he would give it to him.
"Very well," he said, suddenly throwing the pistol into the moat around the house. “Do you want to know the truth? I'll show you.”
He opened his lips. In his mouth, sharp fangs showed.
***
Ryunosuke was dragged through the halls of the mansion, descending underground. He didn't resist. If he did, they could hurt him, make him bleed, and that would make it all worse.
He couldn't do anything else. Everything was in Barok's hands. The only thing he could do was hold out until he rescued them.
And pray that he made it on time.
They arrived to the cell. The first thing he saw, beyond the bars, was his eyes. Red as blood, they shone in the middle of the night. He listened to his breath, a growl with each inhalation. Then, his body. The black wolf seemed like a shadow darker than darkness itself.
It was the beast. And it was his Kazuma.
He had felt fear before. But never had such a cold sweat running down the back of his neck. He never felt unable to breathe.
The guard hit the bars loudly. The wolf arched his back, raising every hair on his body. He growled at the guard, and then Ryunosuke saw his teeth, and heard his fury. And he felt like fainting.
The wolf's fury only increased when the guard opened the door. Ryunosuke was thrown into it, and immediately backed away, positioning himself in the opposite corner.
Despite himself, he closed his eyes instinctively, and gripped the bars. At first, he couldn't help it. Fear had taken over him.
Even so, he could still feel the wolf's red eyes, staring at him.
***
"You are a criminal," Barok said, in his deep, grim voice. You have already killed. And tonight you will have blood on your hands again. Do you know how much I despise your kind? That's why I became a prosecutor. To be able to sentence you to hell, where you belong.”
He reached out for Stapleton, bringing his hand to his neck. The man's strength seemed to waver.
“You know my legend, don't you? What I do to those who, like you, try to escape from justice he pressed a little more on his neck. “Tell me.”
“Torture,” said Stapleton, almost shivering.
“What kind of torture? What do I do to them? Say it.”
He needed to take a deep breath before he was able to answer.
“You drink their blood.”
Barok laughed. A laugh of thunder, cruel.
“That's not enough for my legend. They say it is a torture worse than hanging. That criminals who were declared innocent confessed in order to escape from it.”
He noticed how he swallowed, and the sweat on his forehead.
“I don't drink their blood. I drain it. I suck their bodies dry. Until every drop of that vitality is gone. Until abandoning them like a withered body. Do you know what it's like to bleed to death, Stapleton? Do you know what it's like to feel life fading away with every litter of blood I drink? Do you know how long agony is? I can make it last for days. Make every moment an eternity. That when death comes you cannot even feel its relief, because you will no longer be able to consider yourself a human. Your body will have begun to rot and you will be nothing more than a rotting, empty shell. You will have nothing left but a mind in agony. And I, I will be more powerful every moment, more capable of torturing you. It is what I am. An angel of death, the devil capable of dragging you to hell myself. To make you feel hell on earth. To make you believe that the gallows are a godly blessing of your soul.”
He moved closer to him. To bring his mouth close to his neck, to feel the heat of his trembling body. Barok needed every ounce of will not to give in to the temptation to drink that blood. The only thing that helped him was the thought that he was so close to victory.
He felt his fast heartbeat trembling in his neck as Barok spoke again.
“It is a blessing that I can still grant you. A pity you do not deserve. You only have to say it” He repeated it, very slowly, his fangs touching the skin. “Let me in.”
***
The wolf did not jump on him instantly. That prevented him from dying in his first seconds in the cell. He gave him a few moments to collect himself. To be able to move through the fear that froze him.
Ryunosuke acted slowly. But he acted. He stopped gripping the bars. He slapped himself back to consciousness. And then, he put his brain to work. To remember.
Barok had prepared him for this situation. The first full moon night the three of them spent together. He had instructed him on how to act if he ever came face to face with the wolf, with no barrier keeping them apart.
Ryunosuke focused on remembering every detail. His lips moved murmuring each thought.
Do not panic. Do not scream. Do not make any sudden moves. That will only upset him.
Do not run away. It will activate his hunting instincts.
Do not look him in the eye. He will take it as a challenge.
Back away slowly if you have to escape, without turning your back on him.
He had no chance to escape at that time. He had to follow other advice.
Stay calm. Don’t scare him.
Speak softly to him. Let him see that you're not a threat.
"Kazuma," he whispered. “Kazuma, it's me. I'm… I'm here with you, okay? I do not know what is going to happen. But I’m here.”
Notice the body language. The ears, the teeth.
His ears were standing up, alert. But he didn't show his teeth at him. It was different from how he had behaved with the guard.
"Kazuma," he kept talking. “Barok is here. He is going to help us. Just… you have to hold on, alright? I know you can do it.”
His ears moved slowly when he spoke. As if he was listening to him.
If he is tame, you can extend a hand towards him. So he can smell you. He might recognize you.
Ryunosuke tried to. He gently raised his hand, closing the distance between them.
After a few seconds, the wolf got up. He moved closer, slowly. Ryunosuke noticed ruefully that he was limping on one leg. It had been one of the many injuries he had received while he was held in silver chains, resisting kidnapping, fighting.
He brought his muzzle close to his hand. Ryunosuke felt the warm breath on his skin. And he didn't feel the fear of his first moments inside the cell.
"Good," he whispered. “That's it, Kazuma.”
It seemed that the wolf was at peace. But suddenly, the animal let out a whimper, and his hair rose. He grunted. Ryunosuke withdrew his hand too quickly. Then he noticed more injuries, the ones on his neck.
"Poor thing," he said. “That must hurt a lot.”
He took a hand to his belt. He took an antiseptic solution, special for werewolves, that they used to heal him whenever he got hurt in his transformations. Every time he had used it on Kazuma in his human form, he had told him that he felt relief. That it didn't sting or hurt him. Maybe…
It was risky. But the wolf would remain aggressive if he was in pain.
And he was still Kazuma. And he couldn't just watch him suffer like that.
"Kazuma," he whispered. “Come here. Come here. I want to help you.”
Ryunosuke ended up being the one to approach him, very slowly. The wolf was still tense, but he didn't stop him. Until Ryunosuke brought a hand to his neck to examine his wound, then he growled at him showing his teeth.
Ryunosuke kept going despite the fear. Knowing that he couldn't heal him any better, he opened the bottle and directly poured a few drops onto his wound.
The relief was immediate. He could see it in the way he relaxed, and his ears lowered. Ryunosuke almost smiled.
“See? I'm here to help. This will make you feel better.”
The more he applied, the more Kazuma calmed down. He even lay down on the ground as Ryunosuke finished his work, whispering words of comfort as he did.
He did not dare to heal the leg. But despite this, the wolf felt relief. And Ryunosuke was able to breathe.
For a moment, they stayed like that. Kazuma lying down, Ryunosuke sitting on the ground. Without any violence inside that cell. Until Ryunosuke was filled with courage, or maybe love, and he dared to make one last move.
He put his hand on his head, petting him between the ears. Softly. Just once. But Kazuma did not complain. He did not reject him.
He kept petting him. And Kazuma lowered his ears in a gesture of calm. And he waggled his tail. Then, Ryunosuke smiled.
Kazuma moved closer. He ended up with his head in his lap, relaxing as Ryunosuke caressed him.
When footsteps were heard from further away, Ryunosuke strained. Kazuma didn't. There were two humans that wolf trusted, and now they were there.
When Ryunosuke recognized him, all the weight left in his heart disappeared. Only hope remained.
Barok opened the cell door. When he entered, the expression on his face was one of utter incredulity. He opened his mouth to say something, but could not find words for that incredible image.
Ryunosuke just smiled a little more.
He told him to come closer. Barok, hesitantly, did it.
He crouched down beside them, slowly. The wolf looked at him out of the corner of his eye, and his ears were raised again, alert. But he did not show too much hostility.
Barok looked at Ryunosuke. He nodded for him to continue.
Slowly, the vampire reached out his hand, placing it close to Kazuma's muzzle. He smelled him, just like he had done before with Ryunosuke. As the human caressed him, he seemed calmer by the moment.
However, even when Kazuma had already closed his eyes and was wagging his tail again, Barok didn't dare to take the next step. Ryunosuke had to take his hand and put it on Kazuma's fur. After a few moments, Barok dared to caress him, gently, while Kazuma settled himself on Ryunosuke's lap.
"I don’t believe my eyes" he finally said, what he had been thinking since he had entered that cell.
After that, there was a warm silence, between the three of them, keeping each other company in the aftermath of those terrible moments.
But they were still in that mansion, in enemy territory. Ryunosuke frowned as his mind reminded him that, and he looked for Barok.
“Mr. Stapleton...”
"He's already under arrest," Barok said. “He confessed, he is guilty.”
“Did you get him to confess?” Ryunosuke asked, hope in his voice. “How?”
Barok shook his head.
“He believes too much in old wives' tales. His own fear overtook him.”
He didn't say anything more, and Ryunosuke didn't ask. He looked down at Kazuma.
“How are we going to get back? You should leave before the sun rises, but Kazuma…”
“Do not worry about it. I have brought my carriage, the three of us can leave with the dawn.”
Barok had a personal carriage, black and completely enclosed, to keep out the slightest ray of sunlight. It was the one he used to move through London during the day, to go and come from the Old Bailey.
So there they stayed. In silence, in company, waiting for the warmth of the early hours in the morning.
At some point, Kazuma fell asleep on Ryunosuke's lap. That made the transformation easier. The metamorphosis from wolf to human when the sun rose was much calmer. There was a grimace on his face as his body shrank and his fur disappeared, but nothing more.
He lay curled up in Ryunosuke's lap, the human's hand still stroking his head. Naked as he was, he shivered, and blinked trying to focus. To understand where he was.
“What…?” he murmured hoarsely. “What happened?”
Ryunosuke smiled at him, and placed a soft kiss on his hair. Barok stood up and took off his cloak, and wrapped Kazuma in it. He scooped him up in his arms bridal style, knowing he was too weak to walk out of there on his own.
They walked towards the carriage, to leave that place, while the dawn shone in the sky, in shades of pink and orange. Although the sun could hurt him, it felt more pleasant than the full moon.