Author's Note: Two people asked for this particular idea XD and I have to say I really do enjoy it. (Though uni classes are taking up some of my time XD) The second (final) part will be up soon. XD
Disclaimer: Own nothing.
Based on Episode 36- Farewell, Conrad . (I couldn't resist XD) Yuuri always wanted to go back for him XD
The air seemed to freeze in his lungs, his entire world stilling as out of the mist strode the one man that he thought he might never see again. Yuuri Shibuya's heart thundered in his ears, loud and insistent. His fingers clenched slightly, trying anything to prevent the others from seeing that he was just straight out trembling as he studied every inch of Conrart Weller, his insides melting just a touch to see his protector well and alive.
"Conrad!" Yuuri couldn't help himself, his own body jolting forwards. One step, two, before Yozak shifted in front of him, blocking his way, preventing him from reaching Conrart. Black eyes misted over with emotions as both Yozak and Wolfram drew their blades on the soldier, his fingers clenched harder, knuckles white within his gloves.
"It's dangerous beyond here." The voice was so soft, steady and quiet, just like Conrart had always been. "There are soldiers. Please make a detour as there is a passageway."
A hand snaked out to rest against Yuuri's chest when he again attempted to step forwards through the wall of bodies between him and his closest friend and advisor. How could this be happening? Why would Conrart turn his back on him? What had he done to drive away the only man that had ever... "Conrad! Why are you with Big Cimaron?" His fingers clenched in the back of Yozak's shirt, trying to prevent his new protector from even considering going after Conrart. Fear had replaced hope in his gut, an ice cold squeeze on his insides knowing that these soldiers with him would more than likely not hesitate to go after Conrart if he threatened them.
"Now hurry."
For a brief moment across the distance, cinnamon met obsidian, Yuuri catching a glimpse of something in those soul deep eyes, emotions lurking there that spoke of something more than just the glacier cold that had descended across Conrart's features. Guilt. It glittered there, a spark of regret and deep guilt about what he was doing and that rallied everything inside of Yuuri. "Let's go back together! Back to Shin Makoku!"
"No, I can't go."
The fog was slowly swallowing Conrart up, creeping in and drawing the image of the man back into the greyness of the day, making the man appear as if he were nothing more than another of the leafless trees.
His heart was breaking, his soul being ripped apart without Conrart by his side. "Why?" A plea for understanding, for anything from the man.
"You are not my master any longer."
Yuuri's heart dropped at the words, shattering as it hit the snow covered ground. Suddenly his head whipped around at the soft whine that filled the air just as he was shoved hard down out of the way, hitting the ground hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs. Something grazed across his cheek, stinging him as feathers brushed against his skin and he turned enough to realise there was an arrow lodged in the ground beside his head, the end still vibrating rapidly.
"Majesty!"
Arrows were struck from the air just above him, Yozak deflecting as many as he could before they could strike the black haired Maou, the boy trying to flatten himself to the ground as quickly as possible. The snow was cold against his cheeks, the dampness slowly seeping into his clothes as he was shifting forwards, trying to seek the cover of one of the trees. Turning his head just enough he could catch sight of the Big Cimaron archers through the trees, their bows releasing a steady wave of deadly bolts through the mist. His heart dropped. They were aiming for him. His dark hair standing out against the stark white of the snow and dusky grey of the leafless trees about him.
Yuuri turned his head just enough to look at the faces of Lady Flynn and Ken Murata, knowing that they were not what the archers were aiming for, even though they had the box, the guards would not be looking for it. they were after him. It was plain and simple. The box needed to go back to Shin Makoku.
Yozak caught him looking, blue eyes widening slightly, ready to call out just as Yuuri took off through the trees, running as fast as his tired body would carry him through the towering trunks. Silently he prayed for Yozak, Dacauscas and Wolfram to be able to protect the others and the Box and not come after him. Conrart was somewhere amongst the trees, hidden amongst the wispy eddies of mist that clung to every inch of the forest, he could feel him, a warmth spreading knowing that his protector was close.
Arrows buried themselves deep in the trees as he passed through them, several almost catching him, but he kept going, sliding down the slope and away from the others, he could hear the voices calling after him, the alarm... he hated that. Hated that he could not defend himself, that he placed others in danger because of his own good nature and recklessness. "Sorry." He whispered to the cold winds, "Stay safe."
The rocky ground gave way beneath him, throwing him hard as he slipped and almost tumbled head first down the embankment and right into a snow-drift, thumping hard into and feeling little foolish as he pushed himself upwards, shaking his head and scattering flakes of white everywhere, his entire face feeling incredibly cold. Spitting out snow, he continued on, making enough noise to keep the archers tracking him even as the mist grew thicker, turning from soft milky streamers to a thick white that almost blocked his vision completely.
Morgif moaned softly, reminding Yuuri that he was still armed, though he knew his abilities would not provide any kind of true defence against the likes of the Big Cimaron Army. Iced grass blades crunched under his boots as he scrambled up along a deer trail between the trees, his boots sliding in the powdered snow.
Another arrow slammed hard into a branch just over his head and he ducked, pressing himself against the bank and into the shelter of the gully. He could hear the sharp crack of stiff twigs and the brush of cloth against the trunks of the trees as the soldiers were making their way through the thick mist, hunting him.
Crouching against the rocks, his breath joined the white haze, all the warmth being slowly sucked out of his body as he tried to slide backwards, press himself deeper into what cover he had. His own hand covering his mouth to stop the sounds from escaping when he spotted the soldier just on the edge of the gully, no more than fifteen paces from him, bow in hand searching the ground for any telling marks.
Fear was a living breathing thing inside of him. Exhaustion pulling at him, reminding him of just how much the 'exhibition' he had made of himself in the arena back in the Big Cimaron Capital had really cost him. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, his shoulders drooped slightly, knowing he was practically trapped in the gully, the stones loose and quite ready to give way to his weight the moment he put it on them.
"Here." The archer called to one of his fellows, kneeling down beside where there were clear signs of where Yuuri had ended up slamming face first into a snow bank. "HERE!" He called out to the others, drawing more in towards his position.
There was only one choice in this matter, he slowly inched his way back down the side of the gully, trying to pull the lighter coloured fabric of his jacket up over his head, sliding down slowly on his belly along the ground. Cheeks flushed from the cold, his hands were trembling, while he willed himself not to make a sound, he was not the most graceful of boys, usually ending up blundering his way through something rather than having any of the finesse that Wolfram or even Murata had. Rocks ground slowly together underneath his weight, the sound unnaturally loud to his ears as he shifted slowly, creeping down backwards towards the lower part of the slope.
Suddenly his hand brushed against something incredibly smooth as his body suddenly slipped to one side, his boots no longer finding purchase. He almost screamed as the air rushed out of his lungs when he lost his footing. The ground gave way and Yuuri was rushing down the slope in a cloud of powdered white flakes and a sense of both fear and odd exhilaration, the archers vanished amongst the trees high above him. The natural shoot had him abruptly skidding out across a frozen lake, pin-wheeling rather humiliatingly across the thin ice, his body staying down when he finally caught at a tree root, yanking himself to a stop and almost jarring his shoulder right out of its socket.
Obsidian eyes darted around, catching movement amongst the trees along the shore, a glitter of steel amongst the grey and white, and immediately he was scrambling up over the roots and behind the trunk. Another wave of arrows slammed into the trunk, burying themselves deep in the wood, the hollow sound making Yuuri shudder to think what they would do if they had caught him.
Panting hard, his cheeks flushed hot, burning against the cold, he slipped down between the roots, pressing himself back into the protection of them for a long moment, listening to the sounds of the soldiers moving swiftly from their vantage point along the edge of the lake. Glancing back over his shoulder, he caught another glimpse of steel flashing in the dim light that slanted down through the mist that swirled heavily around him.
Pushing himself upwards, he tugged hard at the edge of his jacket, pulling the white fabric up he slipped his arms out of the sleeves, folding the fabric down over his head and his mass of dark hair. The vivid blue pendant flopped out from under the slightly damp material of his shirt, glinting before he shoved it back. There was only one way to go, he could not head into the trees again, the archers were too close and his spot beneath this tree was definitely not safe at all. Glancing out across the expanse of ice, he swallowed hard and slowly slipped forwards, half crawling half sliding across the smooth surface. He could hear the ice creak beneath his weight as he moved inch by slow inch, desperate to escape those pursuing him.
Already half way across, the fine hairs along the back of his neck suddenly pricked, instantly rolling at the sensation, his entire body jolted hard when his obsidian gaze met the shadowed eyes of a Big Cimaron soldier standing no more than ten yards from him, sword out and ready. Just behind the man in the line of trees he could see three archers, their bows strung back, each notched with an arrow ready to fly and strike him down.
The ice creaked loudly beneath his body, the thin solid layer barely being able to support his slight weight, he could already seen the cracks beginning to form beneath the soldier's boots. His hand inched down towards the hilt of Morgif, curling around it lightly while he stared up defiantly at the soldier who approached him with a murderous smirk sliding across shadowed features.
'Conrad.' The whisper of his guardian's name was a soft sound in his mind, a cry from his heart.
And suddenly the man was there, larger than life towering over Yuuri as his sword deflected the enemy's killing slash as the archers let fly. The boy was sliding across the ice, his sword in his hand just as he heard the sickening sound of one of the arrows burying itself deep into flesh and not wood while the other two were deflected harmlessly.
Before the soldier could get in another strike, Yuuri was slamming hard into Conrart's knees with his shoulder, knocking the man down just as several more arrows whipped over the man's head, a hail of them raining down over them and burying themselves in the ice. The tips only sent another spider web of cracks spreading across the surface of the already weakened ice… There was no shelter from the next volley of arrows and not even Conrart's skill would be enough to deflect all the incoming shots. Those brown eyes had turned to stare at him for his reckless action and Yuuri only flashed him a sheepish grin.
"I hope you know how to swim." He mouthed at Conrart just as he thrust Morgif down into the nearest weak spot in the ice and twisted hard, hearing the satisfying crack as the round beneath both of them suddenly gave way to freezing water. Both he and Conrart plunged into the ice cold water, nothing could prepare either for the freezing chill that assaulted their bodies, their thick clothing weighing them down and dragging them towards the bottom.
Shafts of light pierced the inky black water and it was then that Yuuri saw the horrible trail of crimson staining the water around him, but he knew that it wasn't from him. Heart melting cinnamon eyes were wide and staring at him as Conrart's heavier frame was sinking like a stone, an arrow having punctured high on his chest to one side. Yet… there was too much blood for it to be just that…
So much red.
And he reached out for his protector, his smaller hand closing around Conrart's, kicking hard to keep them under tugging the other man along with him, watching the bubbles slowly slip out from beneath the man's soft lips. The cold was soul-biting, sapping at their strength, tearing its claws deep into them. Yuuri had been more prepared than Conrart for the icy plunge, the Maou however was tugging hard at the large hand in his own, drawing the man along with him beneath the layer of ice and just out of range of the next wave of arrows that sliced through the water where they had just been. One bolt caught Yuuri's lost shirt, piercing it and slowly beginning to rise to the surface, soaked with the watered down blood that filled the darkness around them both.
Pulling Conrart to him, he felt his shoulder and back bump against the underside of the frosted over barrier above their heads, his dark eyes met those molten honey brown and his head dipped forwards. Both of them hovering in a peaceful, watery world and their mouths met, the warmth of it was shocking against the bitter cold, the surprise on Conrart's face almost making Yuuri laugh. Lips parting he breathed out, exhaling and sharing his air with Conrart, his hand came up, curling into the silky mass that ringed the man's head like a halo, keeping him there for a moment, sharing for a moment the heated contact.
His heart was racing, heat spiralling through him as he felt the strength return to his soldier, their lips finally parting and leaving them both stunned for one long minute. The hand still wrapped in his own tightened and he felt Conrart shifting closer, wrapping an arm around him and pushing off the ice, kicking hard and carrying them towards the murky shore.
Lungs screaming for air, he used the hilt of Morgif to shatter the ice just over their heads as they felt the stone edge of the lake against their backs. The air was even colder than the water as it hit their damp skin when they both surfaced just enough to draw in lungfuls of air into their starving bodies. Yuuri wrapped an arm around Conrart, feeling the slight slump of the powerful man beside him, a trickle of water slipped down from between those slightly parted lips.
Heat suffused his entire face at the memory of the kiss, his pale skin flushed hotly and he almost winced at the fierce burn that swept over his badly chilled face. Soon, he was shivering, every inch of his skin stinging as if needles of ice had been thrust into every inch of it. But he was soon aware of the thick warm fluid that was soaking into his clothes, staining it crimson from the deep gashes running across Conrart's skin from where the man had clearly been sliced by a sword, however it was the arrow that was sticking out of Conrart's side that concerned him the most.
"Conrad." His whisper was almost swallowed by the distant shouts of soldiers, yet the man didn't answer, those cinnamon eyes were hooded and half hidden beneath the fall of dark slicked down hair. Carefully brushing back the wet strands, he gently lifted the man's jaw enough to meet that heated gaze. "What do I do?"
His hand stretched out to lightly brush against the man's cheek softly, trying to feel for any of his powers… anything to help. Cursing himself, he swallowed hard against the lump in his throat at the sight of his protector shivering and bloody, all because of him.
All he got from Conrart was a shaky whisper of sound that no matter how he tried he couldn't make out.
Drawing the fabric away from the arrow wound, he carefully tugged at the man's long soaking military tunic, gripping the edges of it he tore the jacket into long strips, binding the wounds as best he could to prevent any more bleeding. Before his attention was on the arrow that twitched with each rattling breath the man took, his hand splayed around it, applying pressure, as his hand closed around the shaft as close to Conrart's skin as he could. He had to get it out, one knock would drive it deeper.
Closing his eyes tightly, he counted slowly to five, before he drew on what was left of his magic, anything he could pull from within himself he poured into the savage wound as he yanked hard and sharp drawing the arrow out of his protector. Conrart merely grunted, even though he knew the man had to be in excruciating pain. Forcing the bleeding to stop, he was doing his best to 'heal' what damage he could so that Conrart wouldn't bleed to death, before he packed fabric over the wound and twisted two long stripes around the broad chest, pulling it tight to prevent it from slipping.
Gazing around at all the blood that stained the snow, he was digging at the drifts around them, piling fresh clean snow across the top of the crimson streaks, before dumping snow into the hole that they had made coming to the surface, attempting to hide it as best he could.
"Conrad." The Maou shook at the broad shoulder, gaining only a groan and no response from the soldier, gritting his teeth, he forced his vocal cords into the Germanic and correct form of the man's name. "Conrart Weller."
Cinnamon brown eyes blinked slightly at the sound, some lucidity returning to that beautiful gaze. "Yuu…?"
"Yes." Giving his protector a shaky smile, he thumbed the scar running down over one eyebrow lightly, attempting to warm the man's face with his gloved hands, rubbing lightly over the pallor that stole any of the deep golden tan that usually coated every inch of the fine muscular body. "Do you think you can stand?"
A slight nod was the only answer the Maou got and it showed just how deep into shock Conrart had fallen, the cold water and blood loss sucking everything out of the usually vital and powerful man.
Making sure Morgif was slipped carefully into his sheath, he was kneeling on one knee, sliding his arm beneath the broad shoulders, straining with the half dead weight of his friend, feeling Conrart's legs slowly respond and push upwards so that he could at least get the man up onto his feet.
For once he was thankful for the slow fall of flakes the fresh powder beginning to cover over their footprints as they staggered away from the lake and in the opposite direction from the soldiers. Hopefully, his actions had been enough to throw off their attackers long enough for them to find some shelter from the slowly developing storm. The mist was lifting only a little to be replaced with the deep shadows of false night as dark grey clouds crammed themselves into the sky in a blanket so thick that not a stray ray of warm light fell down on them.
Both men staggered through the trees, Yuuri desperate to keep his companion on his feet, they nearly fell several times down into the snow, but only luck and sheer determination had them continuing on. He had no idea where they were… all he knew was that if they didn't find shelter soon, both of them would succumb to the sweet promise of sleep and death in the snow from the violent hypothermia that was setting in from their unprotected states and their recent 'swim' in the lake.
It felt like hours… one step dragging into another until through the swirling veils of white the form of a particularly run down old shack appeared, his spirits lifting as the wind battered at both of them when they finally stumbled to the door of what appeared to be a seasonal hunter's shack. Staggering as he felt all of his companion's weight dropping against him as they stood still, he pushed hard at the twisted door and the hinges creaked from rust as it finally swung open and left them almost sprawling inside.
Allowing Conrart to drop down by the door, he pushed it back into place as another gust of howling snow laced wind slammed into the other side of it. Shifting the heavy wooden brace down against the back of it, he felt it slide into place and all the door did was rattle and almost moan in protest before it stopped bucking against his hands. It was almost pitch black inside, and he almost banged right into a table before his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and he could make out the fireplace and the dry stack of wood against the one wall. Yuuri Shibuya thanked every god and entity out there for one small mercy in this crazy day.
Finding all that he needed, it was only minutes until a fire was burning within the brick hearth, blessed with some light to see by he was soon finding every piece of padding and blankets he could find, shaking out the dust before spreading them before the fire. Instantly he was returning to Conrart, his arms hooking under the man's armpits and he dragged the dead weight of the man towards the blankets, propping him up and swallowing hard knowing what needed to happen. Both of them were in soaking wet, ice coated clothes, and they needed to come off.
"Conrart."
The man's head lulled to one side, eyes closed, chest still rising and falling quickly with the shallow breaths that left the man trembling with pain from the deep wound to his chest, blood had soaked into the makeshift bandages and stained them a brilliant scarlet. His fingers reached out and he carefully began unbuttoning the white shirt that clung to the man's damp and pallid skin, peeling it away from the broad chest he was soon setting it over a chair, before drawing the heavy boots from the slightly blue toes and feet.
Chucking his gloves off to one side, he rubbed his bare palms against the chilled skin, stimulating blood flow and soon was unbuckling the heavy sword belt and set it off to one side beside Morgif who hung over the back of one of the well worn chairs. A hot flush ran to Yuuri's cheeks as he hooked both hands beneath the edge of Conrart's pants and began to side them downwards, attempting to avert his gaze from private areas of the man. But he became aware of one particular fact as his fingers slipped down over hips and down thighs and long powerful legs. His fingers hadn't caught against fabric at all… "Now… that was something… I didn't want to know…"
But… oh the thought of it… Privately he did want to know…
Shoving the thought away as quickly as possible, he was gripping Conrart and tugging hard, bare skin sliding against the wood flooring and up onto the blankets. Half wrapping the man like a mummy in blankets, restoring some modesty, he was changing over the wet and blood soaked bandages after brushing the wounds clean and tied them back off with more fabric that he had found amongst the few possessions that remained in the cabin.
Drying off the silky brown strands, he was bundling the soldier up in blankets, keeping him close to the fire before Yuuri finally stripped off his own soaked clothes, flustering as he stood completely bare in the cold of the room, feeling only the heat of the fire against his back of his legs and up along his spine as he rubbed himself dry and attempted to ring as much water out of his clothes as possible before stringing them up to one side of the fire to dry alongside both their boots and pants.
Drawing a blanket around himself, he was suddenly aware of something. His gazed dropped down to Conrart and almost jerked back as a part of deep cinnamon brown eyes gazed up at him from beneath the rich mass of soft locks that framed a handsome face that was slightly flushed from the heat of the fire.
"Conrart?" Dropping to his knees on the edge of the cushions, a flash of relief ran across his features at the clearness of those brown eyes for the moment.
"Yuuri." The soldier's voice was barely above a croak, a wash of shivers running up and down his body, still deeply chilled by the walk and the long period spent in soaking clothes. Brows came together after a moment, confusion running across the handsome features as he attempted to piece together what had happened. "The lake? I cannot seem to recall…"
Looking a little sheepish, he fingered the silky brown strands, just relieved to see that light back in those compelling eyes. "We went for a swim. Remind me never to go swimming in winter… definitely not worth it." Lips twitching upwards in an attempt to lighten the mood, he felt Conrart's head tip just enough to be able to feel Yuuri's palm stroking across his smooth jaw, those beautiful eyes sliding closed for a moment, and Yuuri was witness to a few seconds of something deeply intimate sliding between them. "For now… I think we'll be safe, this storm I doubt is going to let up any time soon."
All he could desperately hope was that all those that had been left behind had found some kind of shelter. Most of the guards had come after him… Yozak and Wolfram would have been able to protect the others from the soldiers. He desperately hoped that they wouldn't actually come looking for him, it would only place them in more danger.
"You came for me."
Guilt instantly flared in Conrart's eyes at those words.
"You don't have to say anything about your reasoning, about what happened today. I won't force it from you." Because he knew without a doubt in his mind that Conrart had not betrayed them. The man had come for him and taken an arrow in his defence. All that seemed to fill his heart was the fact that Conrart was alive. How those long weeks without this man had done to him… it had been then he had realised just what he had felt… It had been as if someone had reached inside him and torn his heart straight out of his body, leaving behind a wound so savage that nothing could fill it, until this man had stepped back into his world.
"Yuuri… I…"
"No. I don't need to hear it unless you want to tell me." And he leaned down, Yuuri's face pressing against the softness of the man's hair while a few hot tears slowly slipped down over his cheeks and soaked into the still damp strands. He would not let Conrart see his tears, his utter relief. "I am only grateful, Conrart, that you are alive. You have no idea… it killed me to think that you were gone from this world."
The soldier was stunned for one long moment, his eyes closed as he relished the sensation of Yuuri so close, of knowing how much he meant to his Maou. For all of his plans… for all of his will to do as Shinou bid him… he couldn't run. Not once he had Yuuri so close, the flutter of warm breath sliding across his skin and warming him right down to his frozen heart, melting everything out once more. He couldn't run… and he didn't want to. How could he leave Yuuri? When this dark haired boy was the reason he lived and breathed, his only reason for existing at all. "You… said my name."
"Yeah. Thought it was about time I said it properly." Settling down onto the blankets beside Conrart, he used his own covers to cover over the top of the man and scooted forwards, the blankets between their bare skin, but still…
"You are uninjured?" It was a hopeful question.
"I'm fine, besides feeling like a half frozen popsicle. A few scrapes… nothing more." One arm stretched out over the man's body, wrapping around his waist and snuggling in closer, almost half covering Conrart's frame with his own, attempting to warm the man, but avoided the deep arrow wound he had bandaged.
"The others?"
"I don't know. I have a feeling that they are alright…" He could hope. "I just… I have a feeling Gwendal is going to chew me another one when he finds out what I did. 'Stupidity is all you seem capable of'." Yuuri was attempting to deepen his pitch to the stoic slightly sour note of his Advisor's voice, being easily able to picture the man's face and the lines that would mark his brow as he would glower down at him.
Conrart managed a soft laugh at the thought of his elder sibling's reaction to that, but he knew one thing. He couldn't leave Yuuri, no matter what had been asked of him, no matter to what he had agreed, he couldn't do it in the face of his King's presence, of the fact that Yuuri had dragged him from the water, protected them as they had moved through the slow and cared for him. The gentle kindness was too much for his heart to take, if he left Yuuri… he knew he would cause the boy pain and he couldn't bring himself to do that. "It wasn't stupidity, it was courage."
"Nice thought that…" Though his hand ran up along Conrart's left arm, feeling the strength of it and pressing a hand over where he had seen the line of the scar that ran right around where a blade had torn the man's arm completely off. The Maou could remember that clearly, the sight of his beloved protector's arm being sliced off… the fine spray of blood. It chilled him more than the ice cold water had. "Your arm…"
A shiver rippled up through him at that thought, that this was not his own arm, that it was some ancestor's long ago, it was repugnant in its own way. "Not mine."
Calming himself, he just considered the situation and knew panicking over it would solve them nothing. "How?"
"Shinou."
Scooting closer, he gripped his protector more tightly, though his hand was slowly sliding between the folds of the blankets, and soon brushed across slowly warming skin, wrapping around Conrart's waist and trying to give physical comfort that way. "What did Shinou do, Conrart?"
"At the time of the attack, Shinou came to me after you had returned to your world. He asked me if I would be willing to abandon everything in order to create the world you wished for. Of course, I answered that I could. No matter what it was, I would do it to be able to give you your dream… Shinou told me to gather the Boxes, so that I could bring them to you… he left me here in Big Cimaron… I… wanted only..." His voice choked around the words when he felt the softness of Yuuri's lips brushing against the back of his neck, sliding softly to the underside of his ear. A quiver of heat lanced down his spine, pooling in places it shouldn't.
"You… you really are an idiot."
"Majesty…?"
"I would never have asked it of you. For all I do respect Shinou…" The Maou felt the strange jolt of possessiveness uncoil within him, the sense of… purpose. Conrart had always given that to him, the confidence to follow through with his actions and know that one person would always be at his back. "He can go rot somewhere. You are coming home with me. I'm not letting anyone tell me otherwise, including you."
"As your Majesty wishes."
"What happened to calling me by name?" Heated breath ran along the back of Conrart's ear, even though Yuuri didn't quite realise what he was doing to his companion.
"Yuuri."
"You… you do want to come home… don't you?"
"Very much so." His right hand carefully curled over Yuuri's, his long elegant fingers lacing through those of the young man that was pressed against his back. "I have wanted nothing more than to return to your side."
"Good. We can find the boxes together. Its easier that way."
"How so?"
The dark haired boy almost giggled at that question, his obsidian eyes slowly drifted shut as he just let the warmth of the fire heat them both and lull their exhausted bodies towards sleep. "It means if I get myself into trouble you're right there… rather than having to chase after me."
"Trouble does seem to follow you…"
"And it usually is named Wolfram." Groaning, he shook his head at the thought of the blonde, as much as he admired his friend, he had left things far too long in that regard. "If I have to sit for another of his paintings… I'm just going to die and he can paint what is left of me… it might actually look better that way."
"It's the smell, isn't it?"
"Kami, yes! And the fact that I have to just… just sit there."
Conrart felt his heart lighten, the weight of the world sliding away at the sound of Yuuri's voice, the feeling of the dark haired boy once more close to him. "What would you rather be doing?"
"Playing catch with you… even learning to fence." Letting out a soft little sigh, his face nuzzled against the warmth of the man's shoulder, rubbing his smooth cheek against the tanned skin. "Even paperwork with Gwendal." Squeezing Conrart's fingers, he considered the situation for a moment. "When we find the others, I'm going to sort everything out with Wolfram. I don't care how long it takes, I'm going to sort it all out. I... I found someone, someone that means the world to me."
"Hmm?" Even though he gave a muffled reply, Conrart was listening, his heart racing like it never had before, desperate for any sign… for something that he couldn't quite name.
"Conrart."
One brown eye opened for a moment at the sound of his name, his heart squeezing at the sound, relishing it. Hope flaring brightly.
"If possible… when I do go back… whenever I go back to Earth… or to Shin Makoku… I want you with me… If its possible… I want you close." Stuttering, his dark eyes closing as he just wanted nothing more than to keep his protector at his side. Privately he had long ago admitted that he wasn't that into girls. The views of the world around him, didn't matter so much anymore. What mattered was acting according to his own heart and moral compass and he wanted to have this man close.
Next Part: XD We get a little feverish.
