Chapter Text
It's been two months since that harrowing trial, where Gina stood accused of a most heinous crime. Ryunosuke, willing to stop at nothing to prove her innocence, landed himself in his own bit of trouble after exposing his first trial in Britain as a fraud.
Oh, and the whole "leaking government secrets in a public gallery" thing was a problem as well. That probably also had something to do with it.
Ever since then, Ryunosuke had found himself out of a job, life stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of studying in the attic and acting as Sholmes's personal house servant. Preparing tea, delivering meals, doing the laundry, running errands, tidying up everything but his desk… The days bled into each other as his pen ink bled through his papers in his attempt to actually study law during his forced vacation.
So, of course, he was more than willing to break the monotony when Iris oh-so sweetly asked him to accompany her while she went grocery shopping.
As they meandered down the street on their way to the marketplace, Iris kept fiddling with some sort of smoke gun device in her hands. At least, Ryunosuke hoped it was just a smoke gun.
"Don't be silly, Runo! This isn't a smoke gun!" Iris, astute as always, seems to have read his mind. Ryunosuke's eyes widened a bit.
"Huh? Really? Then, it couldn't be… a r-real gun?"
She giggled as she charged the gun and pointed it his way.
"It's my newest invention: a telepathy device!"
Ryunosuke nodded absently. "Ah okay, I see…" Then he snapped back to attention, surprise striking his spine stock straight. "Wait, what?! D-does that mean you've been reading my mind this whole time because of that?"
"Oh Runo…" Iris lowered the gun and tilted her head. "It's only a prototype. Besides, I don't need this device to read your mind."
Ryunosuke deflated a bit. Right, of course… And here I thought that skill only extended to Susato.
Their outing was honestly going smoothly at first. Ryunosuke dutifully held various heavy bags as Iris dragged him from place to place, buying some alarmingly suspicious items: tools, chemicals, herbs, all of them harboring names Ryunosuke couldn't pronounce. It rained come midday, but Iris came prepared with an umbrella for them to share.
It was when the overcast skies grew slightly darker from the setting sun that their shopping trip came to a close. Just as the pair was heading home, they spotted a familiar figure stepping out of a quaint little flower shop on a street corner.
Tall, dark, brooding under a black billowing cloak and clutching a bundle of pretty white flowers was none other than Lord van Zieks. A picture perfect reaper, he was. Honestly, all he was missing was the scythe.
"Oh, look Runo! It's Mr. Reaper! Let's go say hi!"
"I don't think that's a good id-"
"Hello Mr. Reaper!"
"Mr. Reaper" actually seemed a bit surprised to see the pair, eyes widening ever so slightly, almost ready to turn tail and run. Ryunosuke certainly wouldn't be upset if he did. But Iris was much too powerful, and her cheerful greeting glued him to his spot on the sidewalk. With a groan, Ryunosuke followed behind her.
"Good evening, young lady." Van Zieks didn't abandon his signature scowl, but his expression did soften for the girl. When his gaze trained on Ryunosuke, however, his face became stone cold yet again. " … Nipponese boy."
Ryunosuke politely nodded in the lord's direction. "A pleasure, Lord van Zieks."
"… A pleasure indeed."
Alright dial back on the venom, big guy.
Before it could get too tense, Iris took over the conversation, introducing herself, enthusiastically talking to the lord, and asking him about his day and how he was feeling. Van Zieks replied politely, though he was still a bit evasive about his own business. He did mention something about working on some sort of high profile case, which got Iris excited.
Tired from a day's worth of lugging around shopping goods, Ryunosuke wasn't really listening. Not like he'd be allowed in on the case anyway. Besides, from the look van Zieks kept shooting his way, he was under the distinct impression that he wouldn't be particularly welcome in the conversation. He tuned back in when Iris offered van Zieks some tea.
"It's a special blend I've made for Hurley's depressive episodes! Hopefully it'll cheer you up, too, Mr. Reaper!"
"Thank you very much, Miss Watson. I'd most certainly appreciate it."
"Just a tick, then!" Iris pulled off her backpack and set it on the ground with a thud, where she began rummaging through it for her special blends. That left Ryunosuke alone to speak with the least approachable man in the world. In a futile attempt to make small talk, his eyes drifted over to the pretty bouquet in the reaper's hand.
"I didn't take you for the romantic type, Lord van Zieks."
Van Zieks tightened his grip on the bouquet, crinkling the decorative wrapping. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Well, that's what the flowers are for, right? Are you courting someone?" Ryunosuke tried to smile, but he was too tense under that scathing glare. In his pause, a number of insults seemed to pass through the prosecutor's head before he simply settled on turning away and sighing.
"I will choose to ignore your blatant ignorance in the language of flowers."
"O-oh? I'm sorry!" Ryunosuke bowed stiffly; a gesture that also went ignored. "If I may ask, then… what sort of flowers are they?"
Van Zieks took a long moment to reply, as if debating whether or not to regard the question at all.
"… Orchids, lilies, and gladioli."
Turned out van Zieks was generous today.
"What do they mean?"
Not generous enough to grant him any more answers.
Giving up, Ryunosuke looked about the city streets. Nightfall was approaching, so many were within carriages on their ride home rather than walking around. Nearby shops were preparing to close for the day as a bobby a good block away was lighting the streetlamps.
"Ah! Here it is!" Iris chimed as she held up a small bag of crushed herbs. "I need to tidy up my bag…" She picked up her telepathy device as she began to stand.
And that's when the trio heard it: the rapid, frantic, thundering of hooves and creaky wheels on cobblestone. Rounding the corner they stood upon was a speeding omnibus. A person was inside, wailing in pain as the driver whipped his poor horses with fervor. A man seated directly behind the driver was desperately screaming, "Her water's broken! Go, go, go!" as the omnibus came barrelling in towards them.
Ryunosuke acted fast, dropping the groceries and hastily grabbing Iris to yank her away from the edge of the sidewalk. In her surprise, Iris dropped the tea bag as well as her device, both of which fell into a puddle from the earlier rain. Ryunosuke then felt another pulling him back as darkness overtook his vision. So he instead listened carefully.
The sound of splashing, the clattering of hooves, a loud CRACK accompanied by more crushing and snapping… All of it too much to process as smoke began to fill his lungs.
Why was there smoke?
Ryunosuke began coughing violently for a moment as his eyes teared up. Immediately, he looked down to check on Iris.
A large, gloved hand was covering her nose and mouth while another held up a dark cloak that encompassed them all. Ryunosuke then realized he wasn't alone in his suffering, feeling the chest pressed up behind him lurch with each cough of its own.
The sound of horse hooves and creaky wheels soon became distant, then the smoke dissipated as well.
Iris broke free of their grasps first, running up to the edge of the sidewalk again to assess the damage. Ryunosuke turned to come face to face with van Zieks, who was hovering over him much too closely, their bodies mere centimeters apart. Van Zieks grunted then quickly stepped away before turning his back on Ryunosuke. His cloak and hair were both soaking wet with muddy water. Ryunosuke looked him up and down as it all began to click.
Did he… protect me?
"Don't be so presumptuous, Nipponese." Barok stayed turned away from him, but Ryunosuke didn't need to see his face to know what sort of nasty expression sat upon it. After a beat of silence, he spoke again, softly.
"Are you alright?"
Ryunosuke perked up. "Oh! Yes sir! It was just-"
"I'm not talking to you." Van Zieks shot yet another nasty look at Ryunosuke, who decided that shutting up was the right thing to do now. Iris stood up and wiped down her clothes.
"Oh, I'm just fine Mr. Reaper! But… are you feeling odd in any way?"
Van Zieks shook his head. "Not at all. Why do you ask?"
Iris got ready to explain but then decided against it. "No reason! Just making sure!"
Despite her reassuring smile, she turned away and started speaking under her breath. Ryunosuke was almost certain he heard her mumble out "thank goodness" and "failure" somewhere in there.
Instead of focusing on that, however, Ryunosuke assisted her with fruitlessly attempting to salvage the goods.
The tea bag was utterly destroyed. A good portion of the shopping ingredients had been crushed under merciless hooves and heavy wheels. Iris's backpack was soggy with puddle water and, worst of all, her new telepathy device was completely broken. Some smoke still lightly billowed out from its cracked remains.
Meanwhile, van Zieks searched the area for something until his eyes stopped on the ruined bouquet that lay in tatters, floating along in the puddle. His face barely changed, but Ryunosuke could've sworn he saw the man's eye twitch. The lord glowered at the torn up flowers, then turned back to the store.
It was closed. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I think… it is time for me to go."
"I'm sorry about your flowers Mr. Reaper. And the tea…" Iris teared up a bit, but van Zieks once again softened his scowl for her.
"Worry not. Flowers can be bought again. I am terribly sorry about your device, though. I doubt that can be so easily replaced." Iris nodded solemnly, then van Zieks gave her a short bow. "I wish you well."
"Thank you. Have a goodnight, Mr. Reaper." She smiled back at him with a sniffle. Van Zieks shot Ryunosuke another look but did not give him the courtesy of a goodbye.
As the pair headed home and the skies grew dark, Ryunosuke couldn't help but ask.
"Iris? Did your telepathy device not work? It just seemed like another smoke grenade launcher from the looks of it."
A long pause.
"I… suppose it didn't work! Good thing then, since I can simply build a new one!"
"Yeah. I guess you're right."
When they got home, Ryunosuke was hit with an intense feeling of fatigue right after he ate dinner. He chose to go to bed early for the night.
~*~
Barok woke up feeling stiff. The bed was firmer than usual for sure. Uncomfortable, yet the scent of bacon and eggs wafting through the room soothed his soul as he briefly felt taken back to a simpler time. Back when he could still excitedly run down the stairs and eagerly await breakfast as his dog wagged its tail at his feet. That very scent had him waking up in a better mood, stretching until his body cracked just right.
It was an odd feeling, waking up refreshed. In fact, he couldn't even recall the last time he'd slept nearly as well as he did last night. With a pleased sigh, he lazily opened his eyes, only to come to a horrible realization.
This wasn't his room.
Well, of course it wasn't. His house was much too large and imposing for him to actually smell breakfast from his bedroom. His bed was too grand, too soft and luxurious to even compare to this… brick. In his own room, the light shone through his tall windows and enveloped him with a pleasant morning glow every day, but here, the room was dim and dusty, with only a bit of light filtering in through a small window. Etching his brow with concern, he looked down at himself.
Small… He was small. Why was he so small? Why was his skin so tanned and healthy, as if he still possessed some youthful glow? Why was his nightshirt so cheap, holed, and questionably stained? And most importantly, why did he feel so wrong?
Immediately, Barok glanced around the room, searching desperately for a mirror. Once he caught a glance of one - cracked, body length, and leaning precariously against the left wall - he stumbled out of the bed in a rush, staggering from legs that felt far too short.
When he reached the mirror, he was paralyzed. The reflection stared back at him, deep brown eyes as wide as saucers, mimicking his fear, his rage, his utter disbelief. They were the very same eyes he would lock his gaze with from across the Old Bailey. The eyes that, in one minute, would flit about and loudly announce the owner's every frantic thought, then, in the next minute, pin a lying witness down and devour them. The eyes that fueled a fiery hatred within Barok, eyes so open and pure, so determined, so unmistakably Nipponese.
"No… no! NO!"
Barok's voice was too high and juvenile, thick with an innocent passion he'd lost long ago. That only served to drag him further into desperation.
He gripped the offending object tightly as he checked once, twice, three times to make sure this wasn't a window. That this wasn't some sort of tasteless, elaborate prank. The backside of the mirror was naught but wood, and the glass on the other side cracked just a bit more from Barok's furious grip. Despite the cracks, the mirror faithfully displayed his every action to perfection. Every rise and fall of that small chest from his ragged breaths. Every crease in those furrowed, dark brows. Every drop of sweat that trickled down that large forehead, down that strong jawline that held up those chubby cheeks.
After a few deep breaths, Barok slowly raised a hand to his - no - that face, gently touching it. Much to his dismay, the reflection in the mirror followed suit. He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose as he wondered if perhaps this was all just some vivid nightmare. After all, it wouldn't be the first time that wretched Nipponese lawyer had plagued his dreams.
"Mr. Naruhodo!"
Barok nearly had a heart attack as he quickly whipped around to come face to face with the very last person he wanted to see right now. A pair of glowing goggles gleefully gazed back at him as smoke occupied the air around them with one puff from his surprise visitor's signature pipe.
Herlock Sholmes. Barok had seen the man here and there before, poking around crime scenes he had no business in. They'd met years ago, but back then, the man had actually been competent.
Not competent enough to save my brother.
That bitter thought left as quickly as it came as he noticed the detective staring oddly at him, encircling him with a predatory pace and a shrewd smile.
"Just a moment ago, I heard you scream, Mr. Naruhodo." The man mumbled as he held his pipe between his teeth. "Hrm… yes, quite the scream indeed. And from your frightened gaze, it seems you've yet to recover from your distress." He suddenly pocketed the pipe before dropping his smile. "Are you quite alright? It wasn't that nightmare again, was it?"
Well, this most certainly was a nightmare, but Barok was pretty sure he wasn't talking about this.
"I - er…"
Barok couldn't think of a single thing to say. Where could he even start?
"Just as I thought. The fair young lady's absence seems to be taking a toll on you." Sholmes patted Barok on the back a bit too hard. "Come, get dressed and enjoy breakfast with us! No use moping around in your room!"
The smell of sizzling bacon and eggs still seeped into the room's walls, all of it simply divine. The Nipponese boy's stomach, in a show of inferior discipline to the one he was used to, growled loudly.
Perhaps some breakfast would help him gather his thoughts.
~*~
Ryunosuke woke up from the deepest sleep he'd had in a long while. His body felt heavy, like he was piloting a suit too large for him. A special kind of exhaustion plagued him, much like the kind he felt that day on the S.S. Burya as he drowsily woke up to a crime scene and a splitting headache. To accusations of murder. To the most terrible news.
His eyes shot open.
The room was bright with the morning's rays. The bed was softer than usual, so pillowy and pleasant that he honestly never wanted to leave. But… this wasn't his bed. This wasn't his room. This comfy, silky nightshirt most certainly wasn't his either. None of this was. He quickly ripped the blanket off and looked down at himself.
Too large. Everything was just too large. His arms, his legs, his chest… All of it. His skin was pale, as though he'd been sick with death. His hands reminded him of Kazuma's: rough, battered, and scarred with the marks of a swordsman. They shook as his mind began to catch up with his eyes.
Past the veil of the canopy bed, a hardwood vanity stood against the opposite wall near a display case of familiar looking crystal chalices. He scrambled out of the bed like a newborn deer on stilts, forging his own clumsy path toward the vanity. As he tripped over his feet with his annoyingly long legs, he knocked over the crystal chalice display in his panic. Despite that, what he saw in the vanity's mirror was much more concerning than broken glass.
He knew those eyes. Blue, yet so icy and lifeless they might as well be grey. Pupils so small and sharp - almost slitted like those of a monster. Widened with an expression Ryunosuke never thought he'd see on their owner: fear.
And nestled nicely between those eyes was a familiar cross shaped scar.
The hair was messy and unkempt, some of it plastered against his forehead, making the man in the mirror almost unrecognizable. But it was that same odd shade of purple that Ryunosuke could only associate with one man…
"Lord van Zieks…?" Ryunosuke muttered, only to be shocked at his own voice - at the way it came out too deep and grumbly, with a slight lisp even.
He reached out to the mirror, and it reached back.
"No way…!"
"Master van Zieks, are you alright?"
Ryunosuke quickly turned to see a manservant standing in the doorway. Were he more sound in body and mind, he might have mused, with a smile, about how much the man looked just like the English butlers in picture books. He would've had a snarky thing to say about the man's pencil stache and refined salt-and-pepper haircut. Unfortunately, Ryunosuke was anything but sound, and he screamed at the sight of the man before stumbling back against the vanity. The servant's brows furrowed with worry as he gestured for other servants to enter the room.
A pair of maids immediately got down to cleaning the broken chalices, as if this was all routine. The leading manservant - perhaps the valet - came close to check Ryunosuke's condition and offer reassurance.
"My lord, it's alright… It was simply another nightmare. Please calm down."
Oh no. It was anything but alright right now.
"Terribly sorry, sir." The valet bowed solemnly. "It was brash of me to assume otherwise. I will call the family doctor immediately."
Ah. Perhaps Ryunosuke thought that a bit too loudly. The valet hastened to go fetch the doctor, leaving Ryunosuke with the maids. A third maid urged him to lie back down in bed and he dumbly followed, circuits too fried to disobey. As he lay there, he overheard the pair whispering amongst themselves as they swept up the glass.
"Do you think it's happened? Has he gone mad?"
"Did you see the look in his eyes? Poor dear looks like a frightened animal."
"I do hope we'll not have to send him to asylum. The young master has been through enough."
Asylum. Ryunosuke held back a terrified squeak at the thought.
Eventually, the maids left and he found himself alone again. It was time to take a deep breath and finally process it all.
The body he occupied was none other than the one belonging to Lord van Zieks. That was obvious. This was all too vivid to be a dream or hallucination. The body followed his every intent just as naturally as his own, even if something still felt wrong. He most certainly didn't belong here.
Ryunosuke thought about Karuma. If a soul can occupy a sword, then a soul could occupy another body, right?
That begged the question: was van Zieks occupying his body at the moment? Was he panicking? Was he handling the situation just as cooly as he handled himself in court?
Ryunosuke needed to meet with him, but there was no way these servants would let him walk out. Not that he could. He was hardly dressed and his hair was a mess. As funny as the thought of the Reaper walking the streets in his nightwear would be, Ryunosuke wasn't about to ruin the man's reputation.
He looked back down at the man's body. Massive… but he seemed smaller without his regalia. Almost vulnerable. The sight was almost too intimate. He definitely should never have seen this. That thought doesn't stop his itching curiosity at the sight of a mark on his left leg.
A scar. Seemingly from some sort of stab wound. Another one rested on his right arm. He felt a third as he pushed the nightshirt up his thighs…
English underwear was strange.
A more sensible part of his brain told him to respect the man's privacy, but Ryunosuke was nothing if not nosy. And extremely curious. He slowly lifted the waistline of the underwear-
"Milord!"
And immediately, he let go. The valet stood in the doorway, face horrified as a man in a lab coat followed behind.
So much for that reputation.
"Oh dear. It may be worse than we thought." The valet muttered under his breath as quietly as he could. Ryunosuke sighed.
"Terribly sorry you had to see that."
The doctor gave him a comforting smile. "Worry not, Master van Zieks. Everyone has their vices, including lust. Though I'll admit, I never thought you'd be the type."
Ryunosuke wanted to bury himself alive and never come out.
The doctor approached carefully with a briefcase full of medical supplies. "Please, allow me to check your condition."
If there was one thing Ryunosuke absolutely hated, it was doctors. But, for the sake of whatever shred of dignity the poor Reaper had left, he toughed it out.
Fortunately, no needles were involved. Just a general physical check-up. After a half an hour passed, the doctor finished the job looking bewildered.
"Well, he's perfectly healthy. At least, just as healthy as he usually is. I cannot find anything wrong with his body."
Except for the fact that it's currently not his body, Ryunosuke bitterly thought to himself. The doctor spoke quietly with the valet for a little bit, too quiet for Ryunosuke to pick up. He did, however, hear that last part:
"If he continues to act strange, it'd be in your best interest to call a psychiatrist."
"Thank you, doctor."
Ryunosuke buried his too heavy head in his too veiny hands and groaned. Van Zieks’s stomach groaned as well in agreement.
He’d kill for Iris’s cooking right about now.
~*~
221B was messy. Horribly messy. Barok couldn't possibly live in such utter cacophony. Walking into the living room was like getting an information overload. He desperately wanted to see to it that the whole place was emptied out and deep cleaned. But of course, a mess was the least of his concerns as Sholmes invited him to what appeared to be a large chest with a tablecloth on it. Some plates rested upon the thing with utensils and tea. As he sat down, Barok heard Iris playfully call out "Almost ready~" from another room.
Breakfast was incredible. Barok had to commend the young girl for her excellent cooking skills, to which she responded with a bashful blush.
"Oh Runo, it's just bacon and eggs! I serve it all the time! But thank you!"
"My dear friend is right!" Sholmes loudly commented with a mouth full of eggs. "It's always delicious! Sometimes you must appreciate the simple things in life, no?"
Sound advice, if only chewed eggs weren't spilling from his mouth with each word.
As they ate, Barok kept wracking his brain for ways to fix this. He couldn't simply confide in these two. The girl would have no reason to know what had happened and the detective would most certainly laugh at him before throwing him into one of his infernal dances of deduction to reach some false truth. Besides, the last thing he wanted was people finding out about this. He needed to find his own body first and switch back before anyone would be the wiser. If his reasoning was correct, then that Nipponese lawyer would be doing God knows what in his body. After all, who else could possibly have done this to him?
"Runo, are you sure you're alright?" Iris asked, breaking him completely out of his trance.
Of course not! I'm having a crisis right now!
"Yes, I'm fine. You needn't ask me anymore."
"Well you've just been scowling all morning. Has anything happened?"
If he was going to keep up his act, it seemed his resting bitch face would need some working on. He forced a smile.
"Nothing, just had a nightmare is all."
He internally thanked the detective for the excuse. Iris lowered her head as her eyes grew watery.
"Oh, Runo…"
"Well! Mr. Naruhodo, since you're suffering from nightmares, my offer still stands." The detective rudely butted in with a dramatic pose. Barok raised an eyebrow.
"What offer?"
"Why, you don't recall?" Sholmes grinned as he flicked his deerstalker. "To sleep with me, of course!"
"Absolutely not."
Despite Barok's blunt rejection, the detective laughed uproariously at his own joke before standing up and straightening his hat.
"Anywho, I'll be off. I'm investigating a very high profile case today. Would you like to come along, Mr. Naruhodo?"
Sholmes spoke with jubilance, but his eyes were soft. Perhaps he was trying to cheer the Nipponese boy up from whatever nightmares plagued him. A part of Barok felt a bit warm about that, but he quickly shut that away. After all, his biggest concern was the case.
The only one that could be considered “high profile” that he was aware of was the one he was working on: a terrible case of murder and arson. An important noble's burnt corpse was found amidst the rubble and ashes of his own home. Since most of the evidence was burned down, it was proving difficult to figure out exactly what happened. While they did find a prime suspect, a great deal of evidence still didn't fully match up. It'd be nice to be able to look into the investigation again, but…
The trial was tomorrow.
And here he was, in the body of an insignificant Nipponese lawyer who can no longer practice law.
He needed to solve this mystery first.
"As much as I'd love to, I actually have to meet someone today."
That earned him a couple of odd looks. Sholmes had a mischievous grin on his face that rivaled the Devil himself.
"Oh my… and who might have the honor of your presence? Perhaps a fine lady? Or a gent?"
Barok slammed a hand on the chest-turned-makeshift-table they were eating on.
"It's strictly business."
Sholmes chuckled and put up his hands defensively. "Of course, of course! Such a scary expression you've got there!" He turned around on his heels and gave a lazy salute. "Well then, good luck to you!"
And with that, he was off. Iris looked about ready to say something, but Barok no longer had time for questions. He needed to get back to his body today by any means necessary. He stood up and quickly excused himself, leaving the girl to stand there with an unreadable expression on her face.
After scouring enough coins from the Nipponese boy's belongings, Barok hailed a cab to his estate.
~*~
"Master van Zieks, some far Eastern lawyer says he's here for you. I think it may be that one you often speak of. Should I pass on a word to him and send him off?"
Ryunosuke blinked at the valet. "He talks about me?"
Silent bewilderment was the servant's only response. Ryunosuke, realizing who he was, coughed awkwardly. "Ah - er, I mean… Let him in!"
The valet curiously raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You're not even decent, Milord."
Ryunosuke combed through his thoughts for a good reason Lord van Zieks could possibly have for willingly inviting a Japanese man into his home whilst still undressed. When he came up blank, he then tried to consider what the man would say. He puffed out his chest and held his head high.
"I don't believe it's your job to ask questions. Bring him to this room right this instant."
The valet stared, but then relented, bowing low. "Forgive me milord. I'll have him sent to you right away." He hesitantly walked back out.
Ryunosuke grinned. It kinda felt nice being the boss for once.
Moments later, Ryunosuke saw it: His own body, sauntering in with the poise of a prowling lion. His eyes lacked their usual naive candor, instead revealing nothing. Stark. Frigid. Inscrutable. His body held up with perfect posture and quiet stalking steps that exuded an aura of refined elegance Ryunosuke didn't even think himself capable of.
It was weird, seeing himself like this. He'd looked in plenty of mirrors in his life. He'd even seen photographic prints of himself. However, this was different. This was uncanny. He felt a bit of bile rise up within him as it all truly started to sink in.
But before he could have his existential crisis, he heard his own voice speak, aloof and acerbic.
"This is a private matter, sir."
His body was turned to the valet, who seemed to be barely holding in his indignance. The servant looked at Ryunosuke instead, as if waiting for something. What on earth did the guy want from him?
Ryunosuke's body cleared its throat. "Dismiss him… Milord."
"Oh! Sorry! Uh - er…" Ryunosuke's back went stiff straight as he wracked his brain for the right words. "Um… Go away! Please!" He watched his body bring a palm to its face. Despite his clumsy order, the valet nodded obediently.
"As you wish, Milord."
He shut the door behind him on his way out. With that, his body calmly walked up to the door, then locked it with a loud click.
Ryunosuke gulped. He was starting to realize how this all looked to the help. A mysterious young man, invited into the home while their master was still undressed. As his body approached him, Ryunosuke began to wonder if perhaps he was transformed for the sake of acting out some sort of sick fantasy-
"The only one pondering sick fantasies is you, Nipponese."
"… Lord van Zieks?" Ryunosuke spoke so quietly, almost completely out of breath at the realization.
"Hmph. Don't act surprised," van Zieks sneered. A sneer didn't look natural on him. "Were you not the one who did this? Is this not some sort of Eastern trickery?"
"Even if this was an Eastern trick, what reason would I have to do this?"
"Not sure." The sneer turned harsher. "Perhaps revenge for the way I've treated you?"
"So you acknowledge that it's wrong?"
Van Zieks didn't reply, but his scowl did soften a bit in defeat.
"When the servant informed me of your arrival, I was hoping you'd have answers, Lord van Zieks."
"Ironic. I came here with only questions."
A silence hung over the two of them for a moment. Then Ryunosuke started to pace around, trying to at least figure out the source.
"Well, yesterday we were normal. We met on the street, in front of the flower shop." Ryunosuke mumbled mostly to himself, but van Zieks joined in.
"Right, and we spoke for some time."
"Then that carriage came rushing by, ruining all of our stuff."
"Ah yes. My bouquet was ruined and the girl's smoke grenade launcher exploded-"
"Hold it!"
Such a powerful voice. Ryunosuke wasn't used to it, but he sure did like it. The outburst actually made van Zieks flinch. A sight that would've been more rewarding to see were the man not in his body, which was already prone to jumping and flinching.
"What was that about?"
"Well, it wasn't a smoke grenade launcher. It was a telepathy device."
"… Telepathy?"
"Yes, for reading mi-GAH!" Ryunosuke yelped as van Zieks grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to eye level with astonishing strength.
"I know what telepathy is. What baffles me is that you failed to consider the possibility that a telepathy device would have any connection to the very fact that we've swapped our minds."
Ryunosuke blinked, then chuckled nervously. "W-well when you say it out loud it sounds a bit crazy don't you think? Heh heh."
Van Zieks narrowed his eyes and pulled him just a bit closer. "We've long passed the realm of crazy, Nipponese." He then let go and huffed. "We need to see that girl and get her to fix this right now. If only I'd known before…"
"Right now? I'm - well - you're indecent! What's the rush anyway?"
Van Zieks clenched his fists for a moment, cracking a few knuckles, then he shot him yet another glare. Ryunosuke worried for a moment that his face would gain permanent scowl lines if this man stayed in his body any longer.
"I have a very important case I'm working on. And, as it turns out, the trial is tomorrow." He grit his teeth. "As I'm sure you're well aware, it is imperative that I stand as the prosecution. Not you."
"… Ah."
"I've already wasted most of my morning getting here, only to find that the girl at your home has all the answers."
"I see…"
"Now go on and make yourself look presentable." Van Zieks turned away and waved him off.
But Ryunosuke didn't budge. After another few seconds of precious time are wasted, van Zieks turned back to him.
"What's keeping you?"
"W-well… I was wondering… since I can't make heads or tails of your suit… if you could help me put it on?"
Van Zieks just stared at him. Silent. Ryunosuke twiddled his thumbs together when the silence stretched a tad too long.
"And, um… Could you also help me style your hair?"
…
Oh dear.
He didn't even know he could look that scary.
~*~