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"Naruhodo-san, you have to actually knock on the door or Lord van Zieks won't know we're here.", Susato-san said patiently.
Ryunosuke, who'd been staring at the door for the last 15 seconds with his fist hovering only centimetres above it, flinched.
They'd come to the prosecutor's office in the hope of getting a lead on Kazuma's whereabouts, but now that he stood in front of the cold and unforgiving door with the prospect of meeting the cold and unforgiving man behind it, his courage had deserted him.
Still, Susato-san had a point. He couldn't back down now.There was a chance Lord van Zieks had some information regarding his former assistant and as his best friend, it was Ryunosuke's duty todo everything in his power in order to find Kazuma.
Ryunosuke hesitantly knocked on the door. When they received no response, he looked over to Susato-san, who encouragingly gestured for him to open it.
He sighed, steeling himself for the upcoming confrontation and pushed down the handle.
"Excuse me, Lord van - "
Ryunosuke's words died on his lips at the sight of Lord van Zieks slumped over his desk, unmoving.
("Oh no. No, no, no... This can't be true.")
Next to him, Susato-san let out a strangled gasp, her eyes wide with horror.
For a moment, neither of them moved, frozen in shock. Then Susato-san put a tentative hand on Ryunosuke's arm, a determined expression on her face.
"We ought to find out what happened to Lord van Zieks.", she said softly and while her words were as firm as ever, even she couldn't suppress the tremble in her voice.
Ryunosuke closed his eyes to block out the awful truth in front of him. Susato-san was right, of course. They had to go and confirm what both of them knew already. That Lord van Zieks had been... No, he couldn't despair now. Susato-san was counting on him. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes again and walked over to Lord van Zieks, his faithful assistant close behind him.
As they approached the desk, Ryunosuke got a better look at the man. Lord van Zieks' eyes were closed, his head resting on the back of his left hand while his right was still holding a fountain pen. ("Like he'd been in the middle of writing, when... Wait.")
Had he imagined it? Holding his breath, Ryunosuke watched the prosecutor closely. No, his mind hadn't been playing tricks on him. While Lord van Zieks had appeared completely motionless from afar, Ryunosuke could now make out the slight movement of his shoulders as they rose and fell in the rhythm of his breathing. His legs grew weak with relief. ("He's alive... He's alive. He's still alive.")
But what had happened to him, then? Ryunosuke circled the desk, expecting to find a blade stuck in the prosecutor's back. There was none, however. No sign of any injury, in fact.
What else could it be?
His eyes fell on a half-empty cup of tea sitting on the desk. Had Lord van Zieks been drugged? Poisoned?
He didn't appear to be in pain, though. His breathing was calm and even, his body relaxed and his expression peaceful.
("Almost as if he were just...")
("...")
("...")
Ryunosuke suddenly felt incredibly stupid.
"Susato-san", he said in a low voice, "I think he's just sleeping."
"W-what?", she stammered, "A-are you sure?"
He nodded.
"Oh dear, what a relief." She tilted her head. "It seems very unlike Lord van Zieks, though. He must've been extraordinarily exhausted."
Ryunosuke had to agree. The idea of the fearsome Reaper of the Bailey doing something so profoundly human like falling asleep at his desk was just so absurd, he wouldn't have believed it if the evidence hadn't been right in front of him.
Momentarily shielded from the soul-scorching gaze of those icy-blue eyes, Ryunosuke dared to study Lord van Zieks' face more closely. It surprised him how... innocent the man looked. Like sleep had stripped away the dark veil of the Reaper and for the first time allowed him to see the kind and caring young man Professor Harebrayne had described.
("If only he could be like that all the time...")
As if reading Ryunosuke's mind, Lord van Zieks suddenly tensed and his expression darkened into his familiar scowl.
("Oh, come on now, really?")
However, Ryunosuke's exasperation quickly faded when he saw the pain on the other man's face. The loss of his brother, being feared as the Reaper and the resulting attempts on his life had to have taken a toll on his psyche andmost likely made him no stranger to unpleasant dreams.
Still, he certainly wouldn't appreciate it if he woke up and found Ryunosuke staring at him. It was time for them to go. But he just couldn't bring himself to leave Lord van Zieks like this, vulnerable and in the throes of a nightmare.
"Naruhodo-san, what are you doing?", Susato-san whispered anxiously when Ryunosuke picked up the dark cloak hanging over the back of the prosecutor's chair.
Without answering her, he carefully draped it over the sleeping man. It wasn't much, but it would at least protect him from the persistent chill in his office and hopefully provide him with some sense of comfort.
And indeed, Lord van Zieks appeared to relax a little. Satisfied, Ryunosuke returned to Susato-san.
"I think we should leave now. We can talk to him some other time."
Susato-san nodded in agreement and together they exited the office.
Right before closing the door, however, Ryunosuke had one last look at the prosecutor.
Barok van Zieks.
The man was still an enigma to him, but one thing Ryunosuke knew for certain: He wasn' the malevolent demigod the public made him out to be. He was human, like everyone else and didn't deserve all the scorn and hatred he had to endure.
Barok awoke with a start.
He blinked, forcing his senses to break free from the images of his dream and to focus on his surroundings.
Where was he? Not in his bedroom, no... his office.
Was someone else present? No.
He took a deep breath to calm himself and assessed the situation. He'd fallen asleep in his office, which was... not good. Showing weakness in public could very well prove fatal for him. If someone had found him like this... Barok closed his eyes. He had to be more careful in the future.
He rubbed his face in an attempt to dispel the fatigue still stubbornly clinging to him. While sleep hadn't been his friend for a long time now, the last couple of days had been particularly bad. The last trial against that Nipponese lawyer had dredged up many unpleasant memories and with them nightmares long thought to be put to rest had resurfaced.
He shook his head. There was no use in dwelling on this topic any longer. He had work to do. As he sat up straight to resume his writing, his cloak slid from his back and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor.
That was odd. He distinctly remembered hanging it over the back of his chair, so how...
Barok froze.
Someone had been here.
He scanned the room again, but still found himself to be the only one present.
While the idea of having been seen in such a vulnerable state was deeply unsettling, whoever had been here hadn't harmed him.One might even say they had extended an act of kindness to him.
It was beyond puzzling. Who would take care of the Reaper?
With a sigh, he picked up his cloak from the floor. He'd probably never find out. When he eventually resumed his work, however, he did so with a feeling he hadn't experienced in such a long time he'd forgotten how it was called.
Thank you for reading!
Poor Lord van Zieks, you just want to give him a hug.
I must admit that I felt cheated when we didn't get a farewell scene between Lord van Zieks and Ryunosuke in which they properly discuss the emotional fallout of the last chapter and acknowledge each other as friends. I like to think they had one off-screen and continued to stay in touch.