Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Shounen-ai, lime, fluff/sap

Pairings: Conrad/Yuuri/Wolfram

Spoilers: Does not take place in or after any particular episode, so there are really no spoilers. However, you must have watched the first three episodes at least to have an idea of what this show is all about.

Summary: Yuuri is ‘taken’ back to his kingdom where he finally gets to confront his feelings for two valiant soldiers. Can Wolfram ever get himself to like Yuuri? And will Conrad’s innermost wish finally come true?

Author’s Notes: I sincerely hope I captured their characters in this, although I am still a bit nervous about it. I’m sure any or other subsequent stories (and of course after watching some more episodes) will make me feel a bit more comfortable when writing about these boys.

Enjoy!

 

 

Valiant Hearts:

 

“Striiiiike Three!!!”

 

“Awww…Yuuri-kun! What’s wrong with you today?! You’re not even paying attention! Is everything alright?!”

 

Shibuya Yuuri Harajaku Furi, otherwise known by friends and family members as just Yuuri, gave a loud yawn and scratched his raven locks in obvious weariness. He had gotten little to no sleep last night and having a baseball game to play today hadn’t seemed the best of ways to relieve his depleted energy. The person who had been yelling some form of encouragement was his best – new best friend - Murata Ken. Ken was the typical nerdyy character of any high school. He was too smart for his own good and those geeky looking glasses didn’t help his case much. Murata had decided to become Yuuri’s manager and had seen to it that his friend was back playing the game he had always loved.

 

A year ago, Yuuri had quit playing baseball over an incident with his team manager. Now, that he thought of it, it had all seemed too petty a reason to stop playing in the first place. But his feelings had been hurt then and no one else would have been able to understand what he had gone through emotionally. No one except…

 

Conrad…

 

“Yuuri! Look out!”

 

“Huh?”

 

Too late. The wayward baseball ended up hitting him squarely on the forehead sending our hero falling flat on his back to the dusty ground with a growing and rather nasty looking bruise on his forehead.

 

His hazy vision could barely make out the concerned faces that hovered over him but he knew without a doubt – as he slowly began to slip into unconsciousness – that he was going to have a field day explaining this to his mother.

 

 

__

 

 

“Augh…why me?” came the low groan as he settled into the bathtub already filled with water. Of course he had done a thorough check for leaking holes or faulty drains as lately he had had the tendency of finding himself being flushed down said places.

 

He closed his eyes and placed a hand gently upon his bruise. He winced and allowed his hand to drop into the water with a weary sigh. The past few months had been a whirlwind of confusion and misunderstandings and if he decided to tell anyone about it, they would all think he had gone crazy.

 

It had all started a few months ago on his way home after school. At fifteen years old, he was rather cute or still baby-faced and had the tendency to be picked on by guys bigger than him. Of course, he could stand his ground most of the time and had decided to do so on that fateful day. A group of seniors had begun to pick on Murata on the school grounds and being a nice guy – he not really knowing why he had volunteered to help in the first place – had stood up to the bullies. Needless to say, the group of senpai had decided to use Yuuri as an example and had decided to flush him down the toilet. Well, they hadn’t really intended to do so, but somehow, Yuuri had ended up being flushed down…

 

…and right into another dimension or universe – he still wasn’t sure. Their weird clothing and languages had given him cause to think that he was in some sort of role-playing or worse - a cos-play amusement park. But harsh reality had set in when his life had been in danger. If it wasn’t for the help of one man, Yuuri was sure he would have died there and then.

 

He sighed again and opened his eyes to stare at the rippling water below his chest. Yes, it was one man who had saved his life and had become his guide and mentor in his new home. His name was Conrad and apparently he was a human that must be a million years old – although he didn’t seem to look a day over twenty-five. According to Conrad, Yuuri had fallen into the land of Shinmakoku – a place ruled by the Maou who was a king to the Mazoku, a race of demons. In this world, however, it seemed as if the humans and the demons didn’t get along well as each race seemed to have bigoted ideas about the other. To make matters worse, the so-called demons looked anything but…well…demons. Yuuri had envisioned them to have horns, wings and ugly looking teeth, but he had definitely not expected the beautiful and cute people – especially the men – that he had come across.

 

To cut a long story short – Yuuri was told that he was to become the new Maou much to his chagrin and disbelief. He was still a high school kid – who hadn’t even had his first kiss yet let alone having to deal with taking care of a bunch of demons! And as if his life wasn’t miserable enough, he had somehow ended up proposing to one of the fieriest person he had ever met in his life.

 

Lord Fonbeelfelt Wolfram – the youngest son to the previous Maou and Conrad’s younger brother.

 

Yuuri groaned thickly at the thought of his fiancé. The whole proposal thing had been an accident to begin with. The blond but very beautiful Wolfram – who was about Yuuri’s age – had insulted Yuuri’s mother. And not one to take such a thing lightly, the new Maou had slapped his rival’s left cheek with an open palm.

 

How was he to know that he had just asked Wolfram to marry him?!

 

And he would not even get into the other weird and strange laws he had had to deal with over his time in that place. It was rather unfortunate that Wolfram didn’t seem to care too much about him though. The blond soldier’s pride and stubbornness was enough to grate on Yuuri’s nerves sometimes. So what if he was cute and would have been the most popular guy if he ever did come to Earth? It still didn’t give him the right to act like he was such a brat!

Unfortunately for Yuuri, he was so lost in his thoughts that he barely noticed the gurgling sound from the drain below him.

 

If it wasn’t for Conrad’s support and help, Yuuri was sure that Wolfram and his older and mean-looking brother, Lord Gwendel would have loved to get rid of him.

 

The gurgle became louder.

 

And then there was Gunther, the very pretty-looking assistant to the Maou, who seemed to have fallen in love with Yuuri and was willing to do anything for the young King. Of course, Yuuri appreciated the purple-haired man’s advice but all the added adulation and excessive hugs were a bit too much.

 

“Eh…?”

 

He blinked as the water began to swirl around him quite rapidly.

 

Oh no! Not again!

 

He tried to scramble out of the bath as quickly as he could, but some unforeseen force – too powerful to comprehend – continued to tug him relentlessly towards the black hole. And clinging desperately to the edge of the porcelain tub, Yuuri screamed for help although it was soon lost in the whirlpool that quickly took him away from his home and into his kingdom.

 

 

~*~

 

 

Lord Wolfram hummed softly to himself as he walked into the steamy indoor bath. The waters were always kept warm or hot and he rather enjoyed having the large place all to himself. He tightened the white towel around his waist and stopped before the edge of the bath, sharp eyes peering through the mist to make sure that there was no one else in there with him. It wasn’t as if he was ashamed of his body, he just didn’t enjoy having to share such an intimate act with anyone no matter how close they were.

 

Of course there was the time his mother had tried to scrub him just a week ago…

 

He shivered at the thought and removed the towel with a careless flick of his wrist. He tested the water with a toe and giggled softly at how good it felt. Of course he had to glance around quickly again, just to be sure no one had heard him make such a weak sound. He didn’t dare show his ‘sensitive’ side or he was bound to be the laughing stock of his soldiers. He was a military man and his pride was at stake.

 

Satisfied at the knowledge that he was, indeed, by himself, he sank into the soothing depths and closed his eyes with a low moan of pleasure.

 

But then that damning image of his fiancé had to pop into his mind at that very moment. He scowled and tried to will it away but to his chagrin that smiling visage would not let go. How could such a dumb looking boy be their King? He was a human to begin with and didn’t even know half of their customs and ways. He was so…so…ordinary looking. There was really nothing special about him. He couldn’t even summon a Mazoku without transforming into his darker form and even then Yuuri himself couldn’t remember ever becoming something or someone else.

 

“What a moron,” he muttered softly to himself, although he failed to notice how wistful he had sounded.

 

He didn’t want to admit that he…well…he missed the moronic King. Despite all his uselessness and clueless nature, there was just something rather…endearing about Yuuri. Although, this would have taken wild horses stomping all over him to make him admit to such a thing. Perhaps deep down inside, he was happy that Yuuri had proposed to him, even though it had been an accident. But he knew that the human didn’t really care for him in that way and his reaction had only done more to prove his point. All Yuuri seemed to think about was that damn human brother of his.

 

Conrad this and Conrad that.

 

Kami, it was enough to make him want to blow up something! But then again, they were both humans, so it was only natural for Yuuri to want to be with one of his kind.

 

Kuso! I’m his fiancé! He should be paying more attention to me!

 

He sulked and dived beneath the waters to cool his heated cheeks. He knew he was acting jealous but he couldn’t help it. Yuuri was cute, friendly and brave – something Wolfram had always admired albeit reluctantly. At first, he had wished for the dark-haired boy to be as far apart from him as possible, but with each ‘surprise’ visit, Yuuri was making himself more acquainted with the Mazoku and was doing his best to fit in with them. Even Gwendel who had once hated Yuuri’s guts was a bit more accommodating. Everyone loved Yuuri….

 

Beneath the water, his cheeks grew even darker with color.

 

I do not love or even like him!!

 

A splash had him shooting his head out of the water quickly, frantic green eyes peering through the mist at who might have joined him. His entire body stiffened as it became silent again. Now wishing he had brought his sword with him, Wolfram began to swim as quietly as he could towards the platform. He was aware that his breathing was now quite rapid and he was beginning to feel a sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach. The thought of anyone seeing him naked was just too…

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”

 

He was pulled rather roughly back under water by the sudden tug on his ankle and with arms flailing about to steady himself, widened green eyes peered through the bubbles to see who his attacker was. It took him a moment to recognize the familiar black hair and his first irrational thought was to yell at Yuuri to leave him alone. Of course, it wouldn’t have been a good idea as he would have ended up swallowing a lot of water and two…well; he couldn’t even speak to the King as the boy seemed to be sleeping.

 

Ah! Yuuri was unconscious!!

 

Feeling as if his chest would burst with lack of air, Wolfram swam as fast as he could to catch up to the sinking boy. He placed both arms beneath Yuuri’s and began to kick upwards to the surface. He tried to ignore the feeling of having the other boy’s naked skin against his but that little thought was quickly replaced with the realization that he was going to drown as well! Yuuri was heavy and the surface seemed to be even further than before!

 

Damn it! Someone…help…

 

He couldn’t keep up anymore. His lungs were not that strong enough and as he felt his eyelids grow heavier with weariness, he silently asked for his fiancé’s forgiveness.

 

I am not strong enough…Yuuri…

 

He barely noticed the feel of much stronger arms around him as he finally became unconscious.

 

 

__

 

 

 

Yuuri opened up his eyes slowly, lashes blinking as he stared at the ornate decorations overhead. Even without turning his head around, he knew that he was back in his palatial bedroom in Shinmakoku. He could already hear the sounds of Gunther moving about the room, muttering something about dangerous baths and how he ought to have a talk with Lady Tsetsirie – the previous Maou – about leaving her perfumes in there. Yuuri smiled softly to himself and snuggled deeper within the heavy and warm blanket. It was quite odd that he couldn’t remember much after being sucked into the drain. Usually, he was conscious whenever he arrived but he would attribute his unconscious state to the bump on his forehead. He must have hit it again along the way here.

 

“Your Majesty? Are you awake now?”

 

His smile widened as he recognized the deep voice that could only belong to his best friend and mentor.

 

“Conrad!” he greeted happily as he sat up quickly, only to slump back amongst the pillows as he groaned in pain. “Oooow…”

 

“Your Majesty!” Gunther exclaimed in alarm as he rushed towards his King’s bedside. “You must not move too much, your Majesty. Your bruise…”

 

“I’m fine, Gunther,” Yuuri said quickly in reassurance as he noticed the worried look on the older man’s features. “You shouldn’t worry too much about me.”

 

Conrad pushed himself off the wall and walked towards the couple with a warm smile on his handsome features. He had dark brown hair that complimented his eyes quite well. Dressed in his brown military uniform, the young guardian looked quite dashing today and for some reason Yuuri could feel his cheeks darkening with color at the stray thought. He lowered his lashes and bit his lower lip in growing worry. He really hadn’t just thought of Conrad in some other way – in that way, had he? What in the world was wrong with him now?!

 

“Yuuri, you must still be feverish. Your cheeks are red and your skin is burning…”

 

And Yuuri’s cheeks did flare up with even more color as he felt Conrad’s gentle hand upon his forehead. It didn’t help that the older man was now much closer and he could literally feel the soldier’s warm breath against his skin.

 

“I…I…”

 

A sudden bang of the bedroom door being opened and the consequent bellow of,

 

“What the hell’s going on here?!”

 

…had all three men turning their heads in surprise at the heaving blond standing within the doorway. Wolfram was now dressed in his blue military uniform and those beautiful green eyes seemed to flash with pure fury as he glared at the men gathered around his fiancé.

 

“Wolf…Wolfram,” Yuuri breathed softly in surprise at just how angry the other boy looked. A sudden image of the blond wrapping his arms around his came to mind and he blinked in understanding. “Aah! It was you, wasn’t it?! You were the one in the bath!”

 

Wolfram could feel the slow rise of color from his neck to the roots of his hair as he opened and shut his mouth like a fish for several seconds.

 

“What…what are you talking about?!” he began to deny vehemently.

 

Conrad chuckled softy and pulled away from Yuuri. “Actually, it seemed like Wolfram had indeed tried to rescue you, Yuuri. It was a good thing I happened to be passing by or you would both have drowned.”

 

“Eh? So you saved me…us…Conrad?” Yuuri exclaimed with awe in his eyes. “Thank you…”

 

“Passing by my foot,” Wolfram grumbled as he stalked into the room. “If you hadn’t been so careless, Yuuri, none of this would have happened…argh!”

 

“Lord Wolfram!”

 

“Wolfram!” came the simultaneous cries of worry as the blond teen staggered weakly. Conrad made a move to steady him, but was surprised as his hand was slapped away rather rudely.

 

“Don’t…don’t touch me,” Wolfram panted harshly as he straightened up again.

 

“But you must lie down, Lord Wolfram,” Gunther insisted with a frown. “You were also involved and you are not fully recovered yet.”

 

And before either boy could protest, the King’s assistant had somehow managed to place the blushing blond beside a similarly red-faced Yuuri within the large bed. Wolfram, too stunned at the sudden events, could barely find the words to protest as he blinked at the purple-haired man.

 

“And don’t you move either or I’ll send for Lady Anissina.” And with the threat of bringing in the wild and wacky inventor, hanging like a storm cloud over their heads, Gunther nodded in satisfaction and motioned for Conrad to leave the room with him. Yuuri opened up his mouth to plead for help, but the brown-haired soldier could only give a small smile of sympathy before leaving the engaged couple to their own devices.

 

The room was suddenly too stifling.

 

For a long while only the sounds of birds flying outside the windows and the dull ticking of the grandfather clock in the background was heard and Yuuri felt as if the noose was slowly tightening around his neck. He fully expected to hear some sort of explosive string of curses from his companion – who by the way smelled so very much like wild roses…

 

Eh? There he was thinking of really weird things again!

 

“What are you blushing for?” Wolfram suddenly asked curtly as he pinned his cold glare on the boy beside him. “Don’t you even think of doing anything funny to me!”

 

Yuuri blinked in surprise before responding back in his defense. “What about you?! You’re blushing too!”

 

“No, I am not!”

“Are too!”

 

“I am not! Now, drop it!”

 

They scowled and ‘hmphed’ before turning their heads away. Inwardly, Yuuri sighed in resignation. There really was no way he could ever get Wolfram to respect or even like him and being stuck in this bed with him wasn’t exactly helping matters either. He could literally feel every little motion from the blond.

 

But wait a minute….wasn’t this a large bed? Why then should he be able to feel Wolfram’s arm against his or the soft tickle of those blond locks against his chin? Not that he hated it in anyway. If anything, the feel of Wolfram against his body felt a little too good…

 

“Anou…Wolfram…”

 

“What now?”

 

“Why…why are you so close to me?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“You…are kinda…”

 

“Are you saying that I am moving closer to you or something?!”

 

At this point the indignant blond had sat up and was positively glaring daggers at the sheepish looking King before him. His blush hadn’t faded and he was now quite aware that Yuuri was still completely naked underneath the blanket.

 

“I’m not saying anything!” Yuuri denied quickly as he held up his hand in surrender. “Just don’t try to kill me, okay?”

 

“Hmph!” Wolfram lay back amongst the pillows again but this time, he made sure he was as far away from Yuuri as possible. He lay on his side and stubbornly kept his gaze fixed on some ornate vases. Damn it! He had thought he would be able to steal a little warmth from the King in some way and his little plan had been discovered!

 

But still…how could Yuuri have such a kind look in his eyes for Conrad and none for him? All he could see in the boy’s eyes was fear or worry. Much to his dismay, Wolfram realized that it… hurt…very much. He wanted more than anything for Yuuri to give him such a look even if it was for one time but…but…he just didn’t know how to act nice towards anyone let alone to his own fiancé.

 

Yuuri must really hate him.

 

“Thank…thank you, Wolfram,” came the softly spoken words that had the blond’s eyes widening in surprise. He didn’t dare turn around just in case it had only been a figment of his imagination.

 

“You tried to save me,” Yuuri continued quietly although he too wasn’t looking at his companion and his cheeks were still a bright red. “Uuum…well…I just wanted you to know that I…eh…appreciate it…”

 

And without waiting for the blond’s response, Yuuri turned onto his side and closed his eyes. If he had bothered to look, he would have noticed that for the first time, his petulant bride-to-be had a genuine smile of pleasure on his handsome visage.

 

 

 

~*~

 

 

The next day was heralded with bright sunshine and beautiful blue skies. Yuuri stretched and laughed in delight as he felt another gust of wind ruffle his hair. He grinned at the man standing beside him before asking quickly.

 

“You think this is good enough, Conrad? You should be able to throw safely and I can hit it without hurting anyone.”

 

They were standing in the middle of a large clearing in the forest a few miles away from the castle. Much to Yuuri’s pleasure, Conrad had come dressed for their day out. They weren’t exactly modern day clothes, but the simple black pants and open-neck tunic showed off the older man’s strong shoulders and legs to any wandering admirer. He bounced the baseball in his hand for a while, idly listening to the instructions his young master kept giving to him.

 

It had been a long fifteen years – a long time of waiting for his master to be reborn and to claim what was rightfully his. He was glad that the previous Maou had chosen a boy like Yuuri to be the bearer of the new soul but he knew that deep down inside, the real master he served was the Darker Yuuri – the more mature one who was the true Maou. If there was only some way to make the Dark one remain in his state for much longer…

 

“Oi…are you listening to me, Conrad?!”

 

“Ah…ah, yes, Yuuri!” he called back quickly as he stepped onto the pitcher’s ‘plate’ – a smooth but jutting piece of rock that was stable enough to hold his weight. He held up the ball and nodded quickly, watching in amusement as his King held onto the bat – a wooden stick – like a true professional.

 

If you were back in your homeland of Earth, you would have ended up becoming a great baseball player, Yuuri, he thought with a wistful smile.

 

And holding on tightly to the ball, he lifted a leg like he had seen the pitchers on Earth do before tossing the ball as hard and as fast as he could. He watched in amazement as the dark-haired boy’s brows furrowed in concentration and for one brief moment, Conrad could feel his heart skip a beat as he recognized the very same look that could be seen in Dark Yuuri’s eyes whenever he was angry.

 

“Yatta! Homerun!” came the jubilant scream as Yuuri dropped the bat and began to run around the bases. “You suck as a pitcher, Conrad!” he taunted as he stepped unto home ‘plate’. His happy laughter echoed and bounced off the large trees surrounding them and Conrad found himself unable to stop from laughing himself. There was something so infectious about the young boy’s laughter and he found that he would do anything to see Yuuri always this happy especially in a land as hostile as this.

 

“Time to eat lunch!” the King announced as he made his way towards the basket that Gunther had so lovingly packed for them. He blushed faintly at the ‘love note’ the purple-haired man had left for him and hid it quickly within his pocket with a light shake of his head. Humming softly, he began to unpack the meals before asking as carelessly as he could – so as not to give away his rather flustered demeanor.

 

“So…eh…where’s Wolfram?”

 

Conrad smiled softly to himself as he sat upon the thick and lush grass. His gaze drifted towards the running stream beside them as he replied softly. “He’s probably off training somewhere, like he always does.”

 

“Aah…is he always like that?”

 

“Always like what?”

 

“You know?” Yuuri took a bite of his sandwich. “So into training and all?”

 

Conrad chuckled and accepted his own meal. “He’s only training for you. He feels he’s not strong enough to be considered your fiancé.”

 

Yuuri felt his cheeks grow hot as he gaped at the older man in surprise. “Eh? Rea…really?” He lowered his gaze and eyed the grass below him. “I didn’t think that he cared for me that much.” He laughed softly. “He keeps yelling at me and it’s like he hates me…”

 

“Wolfram is a spoiled brat,” Conrad replied quietly. “He just needs someone to put him in his place, Yuuri.” Someone like the darker soul inside of you – the one I love more than anyone else in the world.

 

“Oh…is…is that right?”

 

They ate in silence for a while – each lost in their thoughts. Finally, Yuuri reached into the basket again to pull out a piece of fruit. He eyed the orange with a grin and fumbled around for the knife to cut it open with. As he tried to peel off the skin with the knife, his thoughts drifted towards the stubborn boy again. He really wished he could get Wolfram to like him. He was sure he could get the blond to enjoy some of the things he liked to do. Maybe he could teach Wolfram all about baseball or they could go for walks or something. What was the point of being married to someone who hated your guts?

 

He sighed heavily only to wince in pain as the knife accidentally cut his thumb causing it to bleed a bit profusely. Conrad was quick to hear the soft sound of pain and was immediately beside Yuuri with brows furrowed in concern.

 

“It’s a deep cut, Yuuri,” he mumbled softly as he held the smaller hand within his. “I’d just have to…”

 

The boy’s eyes widened in shock, surprise and some other dull sensation that he couldn’t quite fathom as he watched his finger disappear into the older man’s mouth. He blushed darkly, his mouth opening and closing, trying to find the words to say to break this spell that had come over him. He tried to look away, but he couldn’t! His body became flushed with heat as he felt Conrad’s warm tongue lick and suck on his finger in a way that was damn too…

 

“YUUURII!!! KISAMA!! GET AWAY FROM HIM, CONRAD!!!”

 

A flash of something blue and golden filled Yuuri’s visage and before he could make a sound, he found himself being pushed aside and now a witness to a sudden showdown between his fiancé and his mentor. Both men had already drawn out their swords and Wolfram looked about ready to murder someone…namely Conrad. The older man looked more amused than anything – although there was a dangerous glint in his eyes as he watched the heaving and angry blond before him.

 

Yuuri staggered to his knees, trying desperately to diffuse the tense situation.

 

“Wolf…Wolfram…”

 

“Shut up, you traitor! I can’t leave you for five minutes and then you go about cavorting with him!”

 

Ca-what? Yuuri was still trying to understand what the word meant but it seemed like Wolfram wasn’t done yet.

 

“Have you no shame, Conrad?! He’s my fiancé for crying out loud!” His eyes narrowed in challenge. “And do not think I’ll go easy on you just because you are my…well…you are…”

 

“Your brother?” Conrad finished with a small smile. “Come at me then, Wolfram. You’ve always wanted to get rid of me, so this is the perfect time for you to do it.”

 

Yuuri held out his hand, his worry growing by the second as he noticed both men about to charge towards the other. “No…stop…both of you….”

 

“Prepare to die, Conrad!!” Wolfram bellowed as he raised his sword and made a mad dash for the older man. Yuuri squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the sudden clash of blades. His hands clenched into tight fists as he listened to their grunts and sounds of strain.

 

They are going to kill each other…because of me…because of me…me…I’m the cause of this…it’s all my fault…

 

His body trembled as he grit his teeth. He could feel the undeniable surge of power course through his body before allowing his mind to blank out completely as he let the deeper spirit within him take over.

 

And with a loud roar, he cried out angrily. “Stop it…both of you…STOP IT!!!”

 

The peaceful blue skies suddenly gave way to darkened clouds and strong winds. Both fighters paused in mid stride, gaping in surprise at the sudden change of events. They had thought that Yuuri would be able to summon the Mazoku only when another person was in trouble – but this was…different.

 

“Why do you continue to fight?” The Maou asked as he eyed both men with a thunderous scowl on his handsome features. He was much different from the flushed fifteen-year old that had been on his knees moments earlier. Standing in his place was a boy of about eighteen who had much longer dark hair that kissed his shoulders and seemed to rise and fall with each gust of wind that went by.

 

“Your Majesty…” Conrad began but was quickly silenced as the Maou had walked up to him and placed a hand upon his lips.

 

“I will not punish you today, Conrad,” came the husky whisper as dark blazing depths stared deeply into the brown ones that he had known his whole life. “Wait for me a bit longer,” he whispered softly so as not to let Wolfram hear. “Someday I’ll be ready for you…until then…bear with him for as long as it takes.”

 

“Yes…yes, your Majesty,” the guardian replied thickly as he lowered his gaze and placed a tender kiss on the back of the King’s palm. He had waited for fifteen years and he would wait for fifteen more if need be.

 

Wolfram watched the proceedings with confusion and bitterness. So it was true then. It had always been that way, hadn’t it? Yuuri and Conrad were meant to be together. He had little to no room in the Maou’s life and that was the way it had been intended from the beginning. If only Yuuri hadn’t slapped him to begin with! If only he didn’t have to suffer this humiliation! Damn him! Damn them both!

 

And hardly giving the couple another glance, the blond spun on his heels and began to run as fast as his feet could take him - away from everyone and everything. Perhaps in his absence, Yuuri could have all the time in the world with Conrad. They did seem to have more in common after all. He wasn’t stupid. He had seen the way the older man had been ‘protecting’ the King. All the lingering glances, the moments they had spent together…it was too much.

 

“Oow!”

 

He sprawled to the ground as his feet got entangled with some undergrowth. Burying his face within the grass, he finally let go of his pent up frustrations and began to sob softly. It was unmanly and quite weak of him to be acting this way, but he couldn’t help it and he hated himself for feeling this way. And to make things worse, he still wasn’t strong enough. He wanted to prove himself to Yuuri but at this rate…he wasn’t sure he could even achieve that anymore.

 

His sobs became soft sniffles as he realized that the dark clouds were beginning to give way to blue skies again. So the Maou was gone and he would bet that Yuuri had fallen asleep like he almost always did afterwards. He sighed heavily and moved backwards slowly, until he felt the sturdy thickness of a tree against his back. He raised his knees and buried his face within them not really knowing what to do with himself now. He was hurt and rightly so. He doubted he would ever forgive Conrad or Yuuri for what they had done but he would have to try somehow and then see if his mother could find a way for their engagement to be called off.

 

“So that’s where you are!”

 

He lifted his head quickly to blink in confusion at the smiling boy before him. He gawked in surprise for a few moments before rising to his feet in bemusement and wariness. Holding out his sword like a shield before him, he growled softly.

 

“Who are you?! And why are you disguised as the King?”

 

Yuuri, who was still trying to catch his breath from running so fast, stared at the bewildered blond with a sheepish look. “Conrad told me to come look for you…eek!”

 

The sword was now inches away from his neck and Yuuri swallowed tightly.

 

“Wolf…Wolfram…”

 

“Did you come to laugh at me?” came the low snarl from the soldier.

 

“Laugh…?”

 

“Are you and Conrad laughing at me?!”

 

Yuuri gasped softly as he noticed that there were actual tears beginning to form in the blond’s eyes now.

 

“Wolfram…I…”

 

“Why aren’t you sleeping like you’re supposed to?!”

 

“I don’t know either!” Yuuri replied quickly. “Conrad said it might because I didn’t summon a Mazoku this time around…”

 

“Conrad this…Conrad that…it’s always about him, isn’t it?!” Wolfram bellowed. “Why don’t you just go be with him instead?!” And with a desperate cry, he lunged towards the unarmed boy with a wild swing of his sword only to suck in a harsh breath as his wrist was caught within a very firm grip. The sword fell from his hand and to the ground with a noiseless clatter, but it was his pounding heart that seemed to make the most noise as he suddenly found himself just mere inches before the other boy.

 

“Let...let me go!” he demanded hastily although to his chagrin it had come out as a rather weak plea. His face, no his entire body seemed to be burning with a heat that he had never felt before and as usual he began to struggle against his feelings by calling on what he knew best. His anger. “Let me go, I said!” he bellowed again, as he raised his left hand to try to smack Yuuri or at least to push him away. But to his dismay, it was caught again and before he could make a sound of protest, he was pushed against the tree none too gently.

 

“Now, that I’ve got you, you’ve got to listen to me,” Yuuri said firmly as he stared into the slightly fearful green depths before him. “I…I li…I mean why don’t you like me, Wolfram? I thought you would have been over the fact that I am the new Maou by now. Am I not good enough for you?”

 

Yuuri could feel his cheeks burn with heat as he realized that he had asked a question that had been bothering him for a long time now. He wondered why he had even listened to Conrad in the first place and just what had possessed him to do this. According to the older man, he had become his darker counterpart for some time. Of course, Yuuri had had no recollection of this and he had wondered why he hadn’t passed out as he usually did. Conrad had explained that it was probably due to him not using any magic spells but all Yuuri could think about was his blond rival. Wolfram had been nowhere to be found. Conrad had then given him a wistful smile and had told him to go after the petulant soldier.

 

“He needs you now,” the older man had said. “Talk some sense into him and make him understand, Yuuri. He’ll listen to you…”

 

And so here he was, before his stubborn fiancé and yet embarrassed at the strange sensations he was beginning to feel. Wolfram wasn’t helping matters much by writhing against him in an effort to release himself from Yuuri’s grip.

 

“Wolfram…” he began again. “Why don’t you…?”

 

“Because you annoy me, alright?!” the boy finally replied quickly. “You think you’re so special being the Maou and all! You are just an ordinary human who got lucky and I don’t know why you even had to propose to me even if it was an accident! Why didn’t you take it back if you liked Conrad so much?! Why didn’t you just propose to him instead?! Why didn’t you…?!”

 

“You are not Conrad…”

 

“…just go to him and be with…what?”

 

Yuuri smiled softly, his dark eyes now filled with understanding and warmth. “You are not Conrad, Wolfram. You are my partner and my future…eh…” He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to say bride or husband and the very thought alone caused his cheeks to darken a bit more.

 

Wolfram’s struggles ceased as he slumped wearily against the tree. He lowered his gaze and whispered thickly. “Then why do you like being with him so much? You seem to have more fun with him.”

 

“Because he’s human like me and he’s seen most of the things I’ve seen,” Yuuri explained quietly as he released the blond’s wrists, knowing the boy wouldn’t be making any more sudden moves. “I would love to show you all the things from Earth but…” He scratched the bridge of his nose gently. “…you wouldn’t like to learn…”

 

“Yes, I would!” came the sudden vehement response that had Yuuri blinking in surprise. Wolfram had lifted his gaze again and now had an earnest and almost desperate look in his eyes. “I want to learn all about your human ways…well…” He turned his gaze away and mumbled the rest quickly. “If you’d teach me.”

 

Yuuri could feel something light fill his chest as a wide grin came to his handsome visage. “Really?! You’d really like me to teach you all about baseball and other games that I know?!”

 

Blushing furiously, Wolfram nodded. “Yes…it did look interesting…”

 

“Of course it is!” Yuuri interrupted with a loud laugh of pleasure. He took hold of Wolfram’s hand and began to lead him back towards the clearing. “Baseball is the greatest game in the world and you could…aaaah!”

 

His foot got entangled in the same tree root that Wolfram had sprawled over earlier. Unfortunately, his hand was still holding onto the blond’s and in mere seconds they were both crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

 

“Sor…sorry!” Yuuri apologized quickly as he tried to get off the scowling boy below him. “I didn’t mean to…”

 

“Argh! You are so damn clumsy, Yuuri!” came the petulant cry. “Why don’t you look at where you’re going….mmmmphff!”

 

Green eyes widened in surprise and shock as he felt the warm lips against his. He could barely get his frozen body to respond much as the enormity of the situation slowly began to sink into his dulled thoughts.

 

Yuuri…Yuuri…do you know what this means?! Do you understand what you are doing?!

 

But it felt good – oh, so sinfully good and as he felt his insides begin to melt from the warmth that seemed to seep from Yuuri’s mouth, Wolfram closed his eyes and slowly but shyly parted his lips to welcome his King’s tongue in acceptance. I can live with this, he thought ruefully as he savored Yuuri’s taste with a low moan of pleasure. I can definitely live with this…

 

 

__

 

 

“Oi…Gunther…”

 

“Yes, your Majesty?”

 

“Is there any other rule I should be aware of when it comes to being with Wolfram? I don’t want to step on his toes and then it will mean that he has to have my babies or anything.”

 

“Oh, your Majesty is being funny! Hmmm…let me see…ah! There is one final thing though.”

 

“Oh? What’s that?”

 

“Your first kiss, your Majesty.”

 

“First…kiss?”

 

“Ah. You see in this land, the first time you do kiss your bride or husband to be, it’s considered a vow of eternity.”

 

“A vow of eternity?”

 

“Yes, your Majesty. It means that you and your beloved are now bound for life no matter what happens.”

 

“Ah…for eternity, huh?”

 

 

__

 

 

He released Wolfram with a shy smile, wondering if the blond would finally use the sword to dice him to pieces. He had actually kissed Wolfram to get him to shut up for once, but deep down inside, Yuuri had known that it was the best time to let the blond know just how he really felt deep in his heart. And much to his pleasure, the blond looked just as flustered and as hot as he felt and was really making no attempt to get off the ground himself.

 

Yuuri slowly rose to his feet and held out his hand with a warm smile on his lips. “Let’s go, Wolfram,” he said softly. “I’ve got so much to teach you.”

 

The soldier eyed the offered hand for a moment before snorting lightly and rising to his feet on his own. He dusted the seat of his pants and reached for his dropped sword before retorting a bit coldly.

 

“You’ve got another thing coming if you think I’m suddenly supposed to like you for kissing me.”

 

Yuuri blinked in confusion as he began to follow his striding fiancé. “But…but I thought…?”

 

“You think nothing!” Wolfram replied as he pointed his sword towards Yuuri’s forehead with a smirk. “As long as you are a mere human, I can defeat you at any time! Now, take me to this place of basicball…”

 

“Base ball, Wolfram. Ba-se-ball.”

 

“Isn’t that what I said?!”

 

“Ah…”

 

And as the two bickering couples made their way down the slope, a beautiful blonde woman hiding amongst the trees giggled in pleasure.

 

Everything, it seemed, had gone according to her plans. Things were definitely going to be interesting in the kingdom from here on out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~The End~

 

 

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