Characters: Leo, Klaus, Gilbert & Zapp

Description: For the little amount of time Leo had helped started helping Libra, something like this had never happened. That of itself was why he felt so guilty and so utterly helpless.

Yami- The Lord of Darkness: Aw thanks, that was what I was going for. Now that happiness has been turned into angst. Haha.

Hey guys, sorry for being so dang slow to update my story. Once school started it just hasn't been the same for me. Hopefully this can bring you happiness (coughangstcough) from my absence. Without further ado, enjoy! As always thank you everyone for reading and reviewing!


Leo had always known since the first time he met the white-haired man named Zapp Renfro; trouble would ensue. That was why when he walked into the HQ of Libra, the fact that Zapp had not appeared to kick their boss-botanist in the head was utterly unexpected.

"How strange," Leo muttered to himself after walking further from the elevator doorway. The building was just as it was yesterday, potted-plants, Klaus's desk, the couches except no Zapp. His eyes squinted while looking around the room for a sign of chaos, or anything remotely out of the ordinary.

He noticed Gilbert looking towards him while filling beverages glasses on a tray, "Wondering where Zapp is?"

"Oh uh, it's just weird that he isn't here trying to strike down Klaus today." After finally looking up from his computer, Klaus looked towards Leo with a grim look on his face.

"Leonardo, we haven't seen Zapp at all this morning. He didn't respond to our calls."

Zapp was missing? Leo realized that the man was a punk, but he had never seen him skip out on work. He seemed more endowed then that to him. The man had never ceased to exist in Leo's personal space since his beginning of joining Libra, "Missing?" It was only the morning though, so perhaps he would turn up sometime soon?

Upon seeing Leo's contemplating features, Klaus spoke again,
Leo, we will definitely start searching for him as soon as we can."

Leo could see at that moment the amount of worry placed on Klaus. It was plastered right on his face. That was, after all, the type of man he was. Zapp had already taken advantage of that once before, does that mean would he do it again?

Leo realized that nobody else was at HQ today, a normal time for everyone to commonly be there, "Where is everybody else?"

"Turns out we sent Chain on a mission yesterday and she has yet to return. We contacted her recently though," replied Klaus.

"I see." Today had turned out to be weird already, not only was Zapp gone but Chain was out on a mission too. Leo knew her nose could help too.

Leo didn't know how he could help other than keeping an eye out for the man. He had no superior tracking skills or clues to solve the problem; all he could really do was wait.


Time:

Day Two of MIA
11:16

Lunch

Zapp still had not returned and Leo decided to go eat lunch alone. He needed to gather his thoughts. Everyone had already done almost all they could, and Klaus was almost at his wits end. He took a stroll to Jack Rocket Burger's again like he always did but this time he didn't see Nej. Ordering a takeout he was bringing his bags back to eat at Libra.

That was when everything went wrong.

He had only looked into the alley-way passing by on a whim and what he saw was a grotesque sight that filled his eyes. There was blood that layered the cold, concrete ground and brick walls in crimson mesh. A body lay close to the damage, but the clothes were soaked with so much blood is was almost impossible to tell what color it used to be. What didn't pass up his eyes though was the matted white hair. He dropped his bags, and almost puked at the sight, for he knew exactly who it was.

"ZAPP!"

He remembered contacting Klaus as fast as he could, his blood was rushing faster and faster and his heart felt like it would break in half. He almost puked a couple times but had managed to look away and calm down as best he could.

After that he tried to help Zapp, wake him up, or get him something, anything would work… but… laying in a hospital bed, he couldn't remember anything. He didn't think it was amnesia, but everything seemed blurry and unclear. One thing he could remember though was the sound of people screaming, none of the nurses told him who it was when he asked. They denied him ability to walk out of his room and Leo only felt more frustrated. Zapp could be in that alley-way, he had no idea… he could be dead. That was when he heard a familiar voice.

"Ah, Leonardo, I see you are awake now," Leo looked up to see Klaus walk in. The man looked ready to drop any moment. He had dark under circles from lack of sleep and he looked nothing near his usual professional self.

"Klaus, what happened?! Zapp, he! I called… I couldn't-"

"Leonardo you need to breathe," Klaus rested his hand on Leo's shoulder, a worried look on his face.

Leo felt overheated like he was outside on a hot summer day, his hands were shaking and his heart was beating faster then he realized. He felt his throat close up and he no longer could breathe. "Leonardo! Take slow breaths!"

Klaus was telling him to breathe, but Leo could hardly think let alone follow instructions. Scenes played back and forth in his head, horrible scenes. "Doctor, I need a doctor!" He couldn't calm down, he felt like he was in a deep dark ocean.


He was injected with a sedative. His mind was foggy and everything seemed like one blurry dream but he heard one voice.

"Leonardo, are you alright? Zapp is fine. You though, have been in the hospital for a while." A while? Zapp was okay? How long was he in the hospital? Why? Leo had no idea what Klaus was talking about, but the man's voice held an extra sense of gentleness and he didn't use his full name this time. Something was wrong, something was missing.

"W- why?"

"You had a panic attack, like just now. When we found you and Zapp… both of you looked horrible. We immediately admitted you into medical care with him as fast as we could." He didn't remember, but something told him he shouldn't.

"Panic attack… h-how long…?" His words came out sluggish and tired.

"Around two days. They had to calm you down and get you to breathe."

"Zapp is… fine though?"

"Yes, he is recovering quite well although he was closer to death then we thought."

"I see," Leo felt his heart calm at those words. Suddenly he felt extremely tired and his eyes started to close. He knew he wouldn't wake up for a while but he needed to ask Klaus something, quickly before he passed out.

That was when he saw it, the open book despair above him, "Kl…aus… are… yo…" His voice died and he could no longer speak. He looked at Klaus's face through hazy vision and what he saw made his heart wrench before slowing down and finally sleep caught him in its grasp.

...

Klaus was crying, although his eyes were shadowed and hardened. He walked out of the room slowly, and upon seeing a nurse said, "The patient in this room just fell asleep."
She thanked him and he continued down the narrow white hallways of the hospital.

"…See you soon, Leonardo," he said as he walked into the room of the man named Zapp Renfro. They had admitted him in a couple hours ago.

He was in critical condition, and his chances of death were high and from the looks of the body the doctor told him he may never walk again. Klaus prided himself on never lying, but in this case, lying was the best thing he could do. After all, he had strength, he was Klaus von Reinherz and no matter what he was a gentleman.

Even in the face of a crisis, even in the face of an unforeseen accident, even in the face of his dying comrade, partner and friend. He had to have strength… the strength nobody else had.