Kyou Kara Maou: Chronicles of Color

Disclaimer: I do not own Kyou Kara Maou, or any of its characters.

1. Moments Without Those that I Adore (Shibuya Yuuri and Murata Ken)

Shibuya Yuuri sat at his desk, pushing away the mathematics homework that he had just finished the last problem of. He could hear his mother in the kitchen, bustling around getting dinner ready. He picked up his cellphone – seventeen minutes past six. He heard the phone ring, but made no motion that indicated that he was going to make his way over to the living room to pick it. As expected, his mother picked it up, and he heard the murmur of her voice, as she spoke to whoever was on the opposite end. Ah, phones.

Sometime between his supposed last trip to Shin Makoku and then his subsequent surprise return, because of, as Murata Ken said, his own powers that surpassed even those of the Original King's, his mother had the idea of getting the entire Shibuya family on a cellular phone plan. Shouri already had his own cellphone, but with a little pushing from Shibuya Miko, aka Hamano Jennifer, he gave in. Few people can resist a dear mother's love. Yuuri did not complain – it was going to be his first cellphone. That is, he did not complain, until he open the box his mother gave him.

Somewhere, far far away, he could feel Wolfram saying, "Of course, don't you dare think you will ever be able to get away from me! I'm your fiancé!"

The cellphone was pink.

Pink.

Pink.

PINK.

"MOTHER! WHAT IS THIS?"

"It's Mama, Yuu-chan. Haven't you been listening? It's your new cellphone, so we know what you're up to, so you don't get into any trouble! Honestly, you've definitely had more…"

Shouri snickered. Shibuya Shouma, their father, decided that he would not participate in this conversation, and proceeded to look for a newspaper to hide the smile that was already blossoming on his face.

I give up. I'll keep the silly cellphone. What does it matter if it's wimpy and pink? If it's the only reminder of Wolfram…wait, what am I thinking?

Yuuri took the phone and went up to his room without a word. He buried his face in his pillow and willed himself not to think anymore.

His cellphone read six twenty-nine p.m. when a knock sounded on his door. By this point he had sprawled on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Before he could say anything, the door opened and Murata Ken, his baseball team manager and Shin Makoku's Great Sage, walked into the young Maou's room. He was wearing blue shorts and a yellow t-shirt like Yuuri, only Yuuri's shorts were green and his shirt was white.

Yuuri was surprised but not overly so, "Murata? What's up?"

The Great Sage sat down on Yuuri's bed next to his left leg, and crossed his own legs. "I thought I'd come over for dinner. I told your mother in advance, so that it wouldn't be any trouble. She said there'd be curry."

Yuuri sighed loudly. "The Great Sage has a hankering for curry. Why hasn't that gone down in the annals of Günter's historical events?"

Murata grinned. "Probably because it would fall into the category of biographies and character descriptions. Hmmm, I should look at what's written about the Great Sage…"

"You're such a smart-ass, Murata."

"Of course. Can you expect anything else of me?"

Yuuri turned on his side, and looked at Murata fully in the face. "Ok, Murata, maybe you can explain why I got sent back to Earth just half an hour after I got to Shin Makoku today." Yuuri could not get rid of the accusatory tone that entered his voice.

Murata Ken looked thoughtful. "Well, couldn't that be because you were thinking about home? Maybe you just need to control your power, since you do seem to have a lot of it, you know."

Yuuri sat up. "So does that mean if I stare at water, thinking about Shin Makoku, I'll be able to go?" He would have jumped off the bed and run off to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen, if Murata had not lifted an arm to block his way.

"Shibuya, we'll go after dinner." Murata said quietly.

Yuuri slumped. "I'm just afraid that today was a dream - that it really didn't happen! That you were wrong about my power…that Shinou is still around, messing around with our comings and goings…" Yuuri put his head in his hands.

Murata moved up to sit next to Yuuri, and leaned against the wall. "Shinou isn't there anymore. Trust me on this one. You just need to learn how to control your maryoku. That's all it is."

Despite Yuuri's unhappiness, he noticed how heavy Murata's voice was when he said 'Shinou'. "Murata…about Shinou…were you…"

"I was his consort, yes. Many years ago. That doesn't matter now." Murata looked away from Yuuri, at the window where the sun was dipping below the horizon.

Yuuri just stared at Murata in shock. Inside his head, Wolfram was yelling, "How dense can you be, you idiot of a wimp? Of course, the Great Sage and the Original King were lovers!" Yuuri blushed.

Murata turned back to Yuuri with his trademark tongue-sticking-out-grin. Of course, I still like girls. And you, of course, Shibuya." Murata's grin disappeared, and his face grew more serious. "I do like you. I told Shinou that many, many times."

Yuuri's voice got caught in his throat. And his muscles refused to move, even when Murata put his arms around him and pulled him close.

"Shibuya." Murata whispered and he hugged Yuuri tighter. His face was only five inches away from Yuuri's…now four…three inches. "I always knew you would make a wonderful king. Everybody loves you, you know. And nothing makes me feel better than to see you feel the same way about them." Murata closed in on the last three inches and placed a soft feathery kiss on Yuuri's lips, and then leaned back against the wall, releasing Yuuri from his embrace.

In the dimming light, Yuuri looked dark red.

Murata blinked and glanced at Yuuri again.

Not red. Purple.

Murata got up from Yuuri's bed – "I think your mom would appreciate a hand in the kitchen!" – and promptly disappeared, but now without flashing the most evil smile Yuuri had ever seen in all his sixteen years of his existence.

I've been kissed. By a guy. Murata Ken. MURATA KEN OF ALL PEOPLE.

Wolfram's voice became deafening in his head, "YOU FILTHY WIMPY CHEATER! YOU KISSED THE GREAT SAGE! – No, I didn't, I swear, Murata kissed me, I wasn't expecting it – YOU'RE MY FIANCE! DON'T FORGET WHO SLAPPED WHO! WHAT IS GRETA GOING TO DO WHEN SHE HEARS THAT HER FATHER IS HAVING AN AFFAIR – I'm not having an affair – I'M GOING TO TELL GWENDAL!

Yuuri slapped himself on the head to get rid of Wolfram's voice, and then sighed. If that's the way it has to be, then that's how it would be. He was a king, and one who was loved on top of it. What good could it be if the great Maou could not show his feelings to the ones he cared for most? Yuuri went downstairs, found Murata setting the table.

"Thanks, Murata, " Yuuri smiled and gave Murata a quick, warm hug before he went and helped his mother with dinner, the first time in many years that he lent a hand in the kitchen.

Author's Note:

This is a series of one-shots about what happens after the events in Kyou Kara Maou the anime. I thought this might be a better idea than writing a long story, because I have no idea when I might get the next stretch of spare time and the inclination to write. My work on an Escaflowne fanfiction piece had such a fate, started a few years ago, but unfinished because of irregular schedules and a declining urge to write.

Each of these one-shots will probably deal with a certain relationship in Kyou Kara Maou, and I will probably make numerous pairings involving the same people, and there might be some yaoi, so be warned. I only hope this creative streak lasts.

As for the genre, I've realized that the music I play seems to affect the stories I write. I intended this particular one-shot to be a comedy, but my iTunes was set on random, and the music it played steadily became more depressing, my story followed that path. So, I decided to add the culprit of song as the theme song for the current one-shot.

That being said, please enjoy this story.

Theme Song:

"Regret" – Escaflowne the Movie Soundtrack

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne either.