Cornered, suddenly Yuri empathized with caged majestic beasts, those poor tigers. It was horrible! The space between he and the escape route grew farther as his territory became smaller and more confined.

"You wimpy cheat, come here, I need to have a word with you!"

His elbow jarred backward, knocking into a vase full of Cheri's favorite blooms. Pivoting, his hands instinctively grabbed out to fumble, no, not to fumble they went out to catch the vase! The effect was fumbling; the cause was the desire to prevent the inevitable.

Yuri's hands went down all the way, following the vase with a constant hope that maybe this time he won't fumble and actually get a good grip on the vase. To his credit, he did catch it, as it simultaneously hit ground shattering. The crack at the base of the structure quickly moved from the epicenter causing the remaining vessel to become a pile of shards, most of which in Yuri's hands.

This time, he really, really wish he hadn't fumbled but between the water, the flower stems, and the actual glass shards already poking out, his hands slipped. He was adding too much power in his grip, "Kyah!"

With shaking hands, he released the mound of destroyed heirloom to his shoed feet. Flowers and water landing upon it almost made of an artistic interpretation, until fat droplets of his blood on it told him art critique wasn't his thing. Stumbling back, hands still quaking in lingering pains he counted the several large pieces protruding into his now split skin, as well as grainy beads of countless other shards. Tesrs were welling in his eyes as he backed from the corner and into his original predator, though now, suddenly the hunt seemed to be stayed.

"Yuri! Your hands!" Wolfram said in disbelief, his hand at first reached forward before stopping midair. He looked around at first as if searching for something. "Tch, nothing's in here…" He grabbed Yuri by his wrist and proceeded to pull him from the room and toward where Gisela must be. It was high noon on a hot, sunny day. She'd have taken over the training grounds by now.

Yuri stumbled, more focused on his hands then looking to see where he was being pulled, it hurt so much! Oh gods it hurt! Even with his right hand slightly more forward than his left and his feet moving he didn't care to understand why.

Conrad was the first to stumble upon such a sight, wondering why Yuri wasn't arguing with Wolfram to let him go, nor laced with a defeatist face… and focusing on his hands, with—was that blood?! He landed on Yuri's face and saw the lines of saline and pain before his legs were moving him toward the two in a paced run.

"Heika! Wolfram!" Yuri didn't even look up to acknowledge him or chastise the title, that was hardly a good sign. He grabbed Wolfram's wrist that was tugging at Yuri. "Wolfram what is going on here?"

"He cut his hands up on glass, I'm bringing him to Gisela, obviously."

"I see, Wolfram let go of Yuri-heika at once. Go find Gisela, I'll bring Yuri-heika to his bedroom."



Wolfram looked ready to protest until Conrad lifted Yuri, demonstrating just why the order was given as it were, he couldn't carry Yuri princess-style that distance, if he could have, he would have been doing so to bring him to Gisela.

"He mustn't be jarred, and bringing him out to such a dusty place with open wounds could get it infected. Please hurry." Conrad said before addressing the unresponsive teen in his arms, currently Yuri's entire world involved his two hands, shiny glass shards, and the equally glossy, sticky-wet blood matrix around said fragments of glass.

The blood wasn't a horribly large amount, but the shock of that and the pain he must be feeling made it apparent as to why Yuri had gone into tunnel vision.

"Yuri-heika…" Conrad laid Yuri gently upon his bed, propped up just slightly by a plethora of pillows behind his head, neck and shoulders. "Gisela will be here in a few moments."

Taking the empty basin intended for Yuri to use to rinse his hands and face in the mornings along with a pitcher of water, Conrad pulled Yuri's hands over the basin as he spoke, "This will help get the glass out and rinse the wounds, please hold still."

The water gently began to pour into Yuri's palms earning him a screech, "Kyah!"

A reflex jerk of the wrists was locked by Yuri's own elbows as he forced his hands to remain forward in the large bowl. His muscles were twitching as he allowed his sore hands to soak. The water became clouded with red as Yuri's eyes scrolled up.

"C-Conrad!" Teary eyed, Yuri knew he would be unable to stop crying at the particular instance. "Itai…"

"I know it hurts. Gisela is coming, she'll be able to fix this more than what I can." Conrad's eyes looked around searching for something of use in the room. He spotted a second container large enough to house Yuri's hands, though this was much shallower than the basin. He recognized this as something to soak feet in for pedicures, he knew Yuri never used that once. Picking up Yuri's hands by the wrists he hovered them over the next container, pouring the rest of the water into the shallow pot. He produced a pair of tweezers from the same cosmetic set, did the maids think Yuri the type to use such things? Really now!

He took hold of Yuri's left wrist, the hand with the most debris, pulling out a larger piece from Yuri's left side. It was best to work methodically in situations like this. The shards removed found themselves placed on a plate unceremoniously on the table beside Conrad and a good meter away from Yuri.

Yuri winced as Conrad pulled out a lengthy shard, the glass had splintered into a hair-thin fragment penetrating deeply into Yuri, just to the side of his thumb. "Don't move!" Conrad commanded in a low, smooth and confident voice.

Yuri stiffened, not moving his hand within Conrad's grasp.



Conrad let out a sigh of relief when he finished fishing out the entirety of the shard. "I'm sorry, it will take me a few more moments to clean out the rest of this hand, they are only small fragments left now. This won't hurt nearly as much."

"Ah… I… I see." He winced, making his face contort into a rather forced wink as Conrad brushed down the fragments, regrettably pressing against the fresh wounds as he did. He dipped the hand into the clean water earning him a hiss of pain from Yuri. "Ss! Itai…"

Conrad set the hand to Yuri's side, "I'm going to start on your right hand now, Yuri-heika."

"…It-t-t's… Yu-ri, nazukeoya!"

Conrad smiled, "Of course it is, Yuri."

Yuri's eyes were half lidded, the pain moving up and down his forearm was fiery, excruciating pain, his fingers curled in slightly, "Kyah… ah… ah that… hurts!"

"Try not to move it, Gisela may have to put in some stitches for some of the deeper cuts and if you move too much you'll make them start bleeding again."

"…I… I'm trying…"

Conrad leaned close to Yuri's ear whispering, "You're doing very well, please hold on a bit longer. She should be in as soon as I finish removing the glass from this hand."

Yuri nodded, "O… okay." Swallowing hard, Yuri's eyebrows knitted as he focused his eyes on his hand as if telling it not to move, not to twitch in Conrad's hand, the other hand's mutiny now abandoned as it obediently lay at his side.

True enough, after following the same motions, Conrad had rid Yuri's right hand of glass just as he had done to the left. He brought Yuri's hand onto Yuri's lap. His hand brushed Yuri's cheek, "You're doing fantastically. I'm going to check to see if I can spot Gisela."

Yuri gave Conrad an almost desperate look, "But… But I can't use my hands, what am I going to be able to do on my own…"

"…I won't be gone long enough for you to have that dilemma." Conrad assured, he peaked his head out of the door to spot Gisela coming from down the hallway, huffing as she ran. She must have had to run for her supplies after Wolfram found her.

Conrad made sure she saw him, leaving the door cracked open, he returned to Yuri's side, Yuri was staring at his hands in horror again.

"…I can't use my hands… won't be able to… oh gods, what am I going to do! This is horrible! I… I can't even sign papers! No reading with turning pages… eating, bathing… no sword practice…" His eyes watered as a very painful thought hit him. "I can't catch with my hands like this… oh gods… this is horrible! Conrad what am I going to do?! I can't play baseball…!"



Conrad looked at Yuri unnerved for a moment, that was something hard to console Yuri about. He came toward the bed, sitting in the chair he had pulled up close to clean his wounds. "Though it can't be helped, you won't be able to play catch, you can still oversee the practices, you can escape Gunter and Gwendel's chores, and if you wish I'll sit with you and turn pages upon your request and be your hands in all functions you wish until you say else-ways."

Yuri locked eyes with sincere brown eyes, his own black orbs quivering, "You're such a good person… but something like that, that's so unreasonable to expect…"

"I already told you I'd give my arm, body and life to you to use as you see fit, I don't see it as outside of that oath at all." Conrad smiled confidently.

"…Thank you so much…" Blushing, Yuri didn't even want to think of the implications about bathing or other such intimate thoughts, "But… bathing is a bit far for such a thing, you know?"

"It's no trouble at all." Conrad bit at his tongue for his own emphasis, that part definitely held perks of the job, as he was well aware of his own ulterior motives.

"…C-Conrad?"

Conrad smiled in such a way that Yuri couldn't finish the thought, Gisela entered the room then, immediately setting to work by removing instruments from her bag.

"I've cleaned the glass from his wounds."

"Ah, that's a relief, Yuri-heika, you do need some stitches, but most of these cuts are small and should heal up quickly on their own." Gisela patted Yuri's head, using healing maryoku to help sedate him, the onyx-haired maoh found it that much easier to escape the painful sensations aching up his body as she did so.

As Gisela finished the stitches and adding a medicinal salve, she asked, "Yuri-heika, how did you cut your hands?"

"I was trying to catch a vase I knocked over…" Yuri let out a sniffle to keep back the last of the lingering tears, he didn't quite feel like crying in front of a woman; it made him feel weak.

"Vase?"

"Yeah, I don't know what room particularly, it had your mother's flowers in it though, from the garden I think she even picked them because they were her favorite ones… I was trying to get away from Wolfram when he cornered me and I knocked it over. When I tried to catch it…" Yuri had turned his focus from Gisela in order to explain to Conrad as well, he gestured his now bandaged palms toward them both, "…this happened."

Gisela put her hands over the bandage as she continued to use her maryoku to comfort Yuri and start to seal the wounds, however shallow a patching that would be. At least it would stop any outward scarring.



Conrad put a hand on Yuri's shoulder to give him a form of physical contact, knowing the teen would appreciate any sort of connection at the moment.

Yuri smiled slightly, "Thanks… Conrad, Gisela." He lowered his head.

"I'll have the maids come to freshen up the room and clean up the vase, please refrain from balling your hands, the relaxed position would be the best way to keep them."

"…Relaxed position?"

"Like this." Gisela demonstrated, her palms slightly curled, her knuckled folding inward to their own accord, even the wrist was left to dangle the hand.

"Oh… oh I see."

"And keep the bandages from getting wet. I'll come by later to rewrap it, twice a day until they heal completely."

"Ah… ah, okay." Yuri looked down. Looking at his hands and the doorknob as she left, then his hands again he let out a pained sound, "…I can't even open doors or feed myself, I can't even use chopsticks! Oh gods, and how will I hug Greta or dodge Wolfram in bed… no, period?"

Conrad gave Yuri a moment to fret. He leaned in to whisper, "As I said, I'll happily take up the role as your hands if you'd allow me to, Yuri."

Yuri blushed. "I… actually think I'll take you up on that, but that still doesn't solve my sleeping predicament, and I can't open a door to even leave the room or grab the covers… come to think of this, I'm going to be miserable… unless!"

"Would you care to sleep beside me?" Conrad ventured.

Yuri nodded vigorously. "Oh… but…" He lowered his head, "That really is taking it too far, imposing too much on your kindness…"

"Not at all, what limits my kindness my love for you will make up in."

Yuri's head turned sharply, "Your… your what?"

"My love."

Yuri's cheeks turned red, as tears welled in the corners of his eyes, Conrad, true to his word, wiped them away as if Yuri would do so.

"But there's something your hands can't do for me…"

"And that is?"



"They can't wrap around you." Yuri slung his arms around Conrad, the hug too loose for his own choice, Conrad's arms tightened around Yuri's lithe frame instead.

Yuri blushed, "…Oh gods, maybe you shouldn't have said anything… just yet." Yuri pulled back, face quite red.

"…Ah, and why is that, Yuri?"

"…Because I can't do normal body-functional stuff like …well… it's gross to have to say it, but to piss or masturbate… or any of that sort of stuff."

"Don't worry about something like that." Conrad bit Yuri's ear softly, "That's just a benefit of the job for me."

Yuri turned to face Conrad, "W-W-What?!"

Conrad pulled back Yuri blanched, the embarrassment a bit too much for him, Wolfram stormed in, seeing Yuri pale. "Yuri! Are you alright?! I was so worried…"

"Ah ha… ha… ha. Y-Yeah I'm… fine." Yuri laughed nervously, feeling particularly guilty for not feeling guilty. "Uh, you wanted to talk to be… about something?" Yuri said happy to throw himself to the wolves with Conrad at least in the room, and to give him a topic to run with… instead of that floating guilty, oh so obvious laugh.

"I… I think it's a bit inappropriate at the moment." He looked at Conrad then back to Yuri.

"Nonsense, nonsense, Conrad said he'd pretend to be my hands, so it's really just us, ne Conrad?"

Conrad smiled at Wolfram in a reassuring and yet teasing manner that brothers have mastered over the years.

"Oh, I… see. Well then…" Wolfram looked down then back at Yuri in his eyes, "Yuri, I want to break off the engagement. I think I've fallen in love with someone else. It would be unfair to you to just string you along."

"…Congratulations, who is the lucky lady?"

Wolfram's eyebrow shot up, "Yuri, I don't think you realize what I mean, I mean I'm really not going to marry you…"

"…Ah, oh, um… well, so long as you're happy I'm okay with that. Perfectly okay, I wish you luck with your lover, have you confessed? Who is she?"

"It's Keenan."

Conrad's eyes went wide then narrowed, though he bit his tongue and said nothing, all the while thinking how could his brother be flirting with Adalbert's men so easily…!



"Keenan, I don't know her."

"…She is a he, and you do. He's Adalbert's hand."

Yuri looked at Conrad, "Eh?" Then, returning his view to Wolfram, "…Adalbert's hands work just fine."

"Yuri I love him, I've been seeing him for months, sleeping with him for months. I'm sorry for lying to you and playing with your heart like a sandbear and a vagrant!"

"…Eh?" Yuri looked to Conrad as if wanting him to explain, "Wolfram, no offense, but I meant it when I said we weren't getting married."

"I know you were just being shy, I've seen how you've been growing more and more sexually curious… That's why I had to say it now before you asked me something to put me in a very precarious position…"

"WOLFRAM STOP TALKING, NOW!" Yuri barked, he really didn't want Conrad hearing how he secretly pined for the man even if they both had confessed their feelings. "I uh… mean… stop wasting time explaining it to me, go, be with Keenan, the man you love… go… go… for justice and free love I say to you GO!" Yuri flailed his arms toward the door as if pushing air would stimulate pushing Wolfram out.

Conrad assisted by taking Wolfram's arm, leading him to the door, opening it for him, patting him on the back and pushing him out before whispering in a brotherly voice, "You… you don't even want to know how deep you're in it when Gwendel hears this."

"B-But you're Yuri's hands! You can't say anything! You swore!"

Conrad's eyebrow scowled, "I said no such thing, I'll give you half a day to start running and I hope you're smart enough to elope before we can catch you… because if you don't pull it off you'll probably be locked up tighter than Sousho was."

Wolfram swallowed hard as Conrad gave him an extra hard pat, plus shove, out the door, "You had better run, and better run fast." And with that, Conrad closed the door with a solid tug just shy of a slam.

"You shook his hand and congratulated him, right?" Conrad smiled at Yuri's hanging question.

Yuri could ask because he knew Conrad understood his sentiments, he wanted Wolfram to be happy, especially when that was NOT with him. Well, not in any sort of marriage or anything crazy.

"Something like that, I gave him a bit of a thumb's up for him to elope."

"That's nice. I hope he's happy, though that was probably the creepiest thing I ever heard or can picture. Keenan with that hair and Wolfram the pretty-boy…" Yuri gave Conrad a come-hither look, the brunette obliged as he encroached as they stole another several sets of kisses from the other, Conrad gently cradling Yuri's hands.



Yuri couldn't help but think, maybe… just maybe he was okay with hurting his hands in order to save his own heart, though not being able to play baseball really did suck.

The End.