Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Kyo Kara Maoh. This is purely fan-made.

(Chapter Updated 4/17/2019)

Chapter 1: Unanswered Question

There are so many ways that a person can express their feelings of love; a gentle smile; a shared moment standing together in the rain; a sideways glance; maybe a tender well-thought phrase. So many seemingly simple ways to convey such a powerful feeling, love. But, what if you had no words? How would you show that special person how much you care...?

This is a story about a girl with no words. A girl who loved someone so deeply that she kept waiting for that person to come back, even long after he had forgotten about her. Her heart was so full of love, even though her voice was empty of even the slightest sound. Long ago, she promised to wait until he did what he must, and wait she did. For nearly four thousand years, this girl waited; ever watchful for his familiar gaze in the eyes of passing strangers.

This man had many faces, but his soul remained unchanged, and that was the part that she could see. Ever since she was a small child, this girl had the power to see into the souls of others, into their hearts. Some, like him, had many faces and many hearts. Lifetimes spent in search of something they never found or resolved...

That was what this girl was always searching for, people who had hurts that they needed to mend, things to say, goals to finish, and people to meet. She could see the links that tied each person to the next; whether it was an object, a memory, a place, it didn't matter; she could see them all.

Their pain was also hers bear, and she carried it all gladly if it meant seeing him just one more time. She wanted so badly to share with him her stories and to tell him how much she loved him. But in her heart of hearts she knew that day may never come. The words she meant to tell him had left her long ago, and now, only her eyes told the tale of what she had seen and done while waiting for him. And she knew if her eyes could meet his even just once more, than she too, would find peace at last...

Like with all days blissfully unaware of the extraordinary events about to unfold, the sun was shining bright with gold, the sky was clear of any pale misty clouds, and the birds sang their little songs to greet the morning as if nothing was out of the ordinary. It just another normal day at Covenant Castle, occasional explosions in Anissina's laboratory and all. But absolutely nothing about today betrayed the unexpected encounter the occupants were soon to have...

Everyone in the castle was engaged in their various activities, as usual. Yuri was off enjoying his morning jog with Conrad; Wolfram was still dead asleep in the Demon King's bedchamber; Gunter was busy fussing over which books to use in his next lesson plan for Yuri in the library; Gwendal was mulling over official documents with a stern yet practiced eye; and lastly poor Ken Murata, the Great Wiseman, was trapped doing manual labor in the Tomb of the Great One by the priestesses.

It all began when everyone gathered in Gwendal's office to discuss the progress they'd made so far on the repairs they were making on the castle. Lush plant life of all sorts still clung to the walls outside as evidence of their last grand adventure. There were even some plants whose roots had grown so deeply into the walls that each stone had to be removed in sections. In order to avoid the chances of some walls totally collapsing in on themselves under all that weight.

"Progress has been slow, but at least the damage isn't as severe as we first anticipated," Gwendal explained from his seat at the head of the table. "With any luck, we might be able to get the majority of these vines cleared out within the week."

"Well that's good to hear," Murata signed dramatically. "That last wave of the Divine Sword's power when Shibuya used it spread all the way to the Tomb of the Great One. They've been working me like a dog over there!"

"Oh cheer up," Conrad joked, "Aren't you glad to have all those priestesses fawning over you all the time?"

Murata winced, "If only! All they care about is using my man-skills to fix something or lift a heavy crate for them. I swear...I'm beginning to feel my age with how hard they work me. I think my back might give out any day now."

Yuri laughed, "Yeah, the only strong muscle you have is your brain Murata. Everything else is just for show."

"Hey, that was uncalled for!" Murata pouted. "I'll have you know I'm quite the ladies' man! I was married more than half the time in my other past lives. People just couldn't get enough of me!"

Yuri raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Well, that might have been true before, but now you're in the same boat as me. You've never had a real girlfriend either."

"Hey at least you're engaged," Murata sighed heavily.

"What about you and Lady Ulrike?" Gunter wondered aloud. "The two of you seem to get along rather well."

Murata shook his head, "It's not the same..."

Wolfram looked up then from what he was doing and asked out of the blue, "Why not?"

Murata stood up from his seat and strode over to the map of their world hanging on the wall, lazily tracing the borderlines as he explained, "She might be over eight-hundred years old, but when you really think about it I'm much older still. Plus, there's the fact that her eight-hundred years of experience only spans one lifetime. As for me..." his eyes narrowed slightly and Murata continued more softly, "...I've been so many different people up until now and I've dealt with my fair share of pain and loss, but nothing compares the combined suffering of several lifetimes. I mean, look at what happened with Janis? Janis is one of those countless people I used to be and as far as I can see, his pain was by far the greatest if he was able become such a terrible monster with powers rivaling the Originators themselves. I don't think that Lady Ulrike could ever understand what that sort of experience is like; to die, to come back, and to remember every moment of it from birth."

"Murata..." Yuri whispered worriedly.

After that Murata turned back to them with one of his brightest smiles and finished in a more light-hearted tone, "So to put it bluntly, I'm too old for her even if we did have that sort of relationship! Sure, as Ken Murata I might only be a sixteen-year-old elite high school student, but as the Great Wiseman, I've been through too much for anyone to really know how to handle. I'm just-" Then, unexpectedly, his voice caught in his throat and Murata said the most personal thing he had ever said in front of any of them. He said, "-to be honest, I'm glad that it's finally over after this. I can finally enjoy just being me for once and I don't have to worry about what comes after, and that's something I haven't been able to do in any of those other lifetimes. And now I can, finally."

In response, Gwendal lowered his quill and cleared his throat before pointing out brusquely, "I understand that you may be feeling a bit lonely and have a lot on your mind now that we've resolved the issue with Janis, but we're here to talk about the repairs to the castle remember? Not your love life."

"How can you be so insensitive?!" Gunter gasped, "I think he has an-" but he was cut off short when a soldier knocked on the door.

"Enter," Gwendal said.

Once the soldier was in the doorway, Conrad stood and asked calmly, "What's your report?"

The soldier bowed and reported placidly, "Your Excellencies, it appears someone has broken into the castle..."

"Broken in?" Gunter asked sharply, standing from his seat as well, "Have you caught them?"

The soldier blinked and admitted, "Well, not exactly, she's with Lady Cecile' right now. She seemed very insistent on seeing His Eminence and even went as far as to elude the guards at the gate before running into her. The poor girl seemed very distressed when they wouldn't let her pass and apparently took matters into her own hands."

"Her? And how do you know she wanted to see me?" Murata asked curiously.

"I think you had better see for yourself Your Eminence. I'm afraid I don't know how to explain it," the soldier replied, opening the door for them.

Murata glanced at the others before exchanging a quick nod and stepping forward, "Alright. Please take us to her."

"Yes Sir!" the soldier saluted, leading the group down the hall.

I wonder who would go to such lengths for an audience with me? Murata asked himself. Could I have a secret admirer? Or is this a trap of some sort? I suppose I'll just have to see for myself.

Meanwhile, in one of the rooms near the castle's entrance, the girl in question sat silently on the floor while Lady Celli tried to comfort her. When they tried to put her under guard for breaking into the castle she started to sob uncontrollably. After that it really didn't seem as though she was up to anything so they decided it was alright to leave her in Lady Celli's care instead.

This was the first time she ever dared do something so reckless and disobeyed the rules. She felt so ashamed about not using the proper channels to make an appointment to see him, but this was important. After all this time, after all these years of searching and waiting, he had finally returned to this world. And while she knew he might not know her, she didn't care. Seeing his face, the face that she had known behind his eyes was more than worth it.

"Oh my, aren't we a shy one?" Lady Celli smiled softly, bringing her back to the present. "Don't worry, my dear. It must have been very important for you to see him so I'm sure you won't get in too much trouble."

Blushing deeply, the girl nodded. Brushing some more tears from her eyes, and sniffling in a very child-like manner.

"Won't you please tell us your name?" Lady Celli asked again gently, "Then we might even be able to help you with-Oh! Here they are now!"

Turning towards the doorway, they watched as the two soldiers stationed outside of the room opened the doors and the others filed into it one at a time. She glanced at each of them in turn, but was startled to see that the Demon King himself, Yuri, possessed all of the signs of a reincarnated person just like the Great Wiseman. Behind his dark eyes she saw the glimmers of a hidden truth lost behind a veil of forgetfulness. That is, except for one person, a woman with long light blue hair and matching eyes. The rest of the spirits appeared to be nothing but dark shapeless shadows to her.

Then, the person she most wanted to see the most finally entered the room and she slowly stood up to face him. Her eyes were cautious yet optimistic as she watched him come in. Hoping with all her heart that some part of him remembered her, even the faintest hint of recognition would be more than enough for her.

"I wonder who this girl is anyway..." Murata asked Yuri absentmindedly as he entering the room. But then he stopped short though when his eyes met hers and a small awed gasp escaped his lips. She's so young...Murata observed with surprise, blushing a bit. And kinda cute too...

At first glance this girl looked like was only about fifteen years old or so, and just barely too. She had a thin willowy form and small delicate hands, her hair was a pale shade of gray-lavender that became a much darker shade at the very ends and on top of that, her eyes were a very sharp, crisp, intense shade of violet that shone brightly and intelligently behind her dark lashes. As for her clothing, they were torn and travel-worn but they still suggested that this girl was at least a middle-class citizen or higher. Still, what exactly brought her here in such rush though? What did she think was so urgent?

At first, the girl backed away from them shyly, searching each of their faces for the dreaded disproving look at both her appearance and the fact that she forced her way in here so suddenly. But to her surprise all she found in their eyes was a mixture of concern and curiosity. Seeing this, she started to relax and calmly strode over to Murata, her eyes lighting up in a way that Murata hadn't been expecting.

Kindly, Murata assured her as well that they weren't upset with her either but they still wanted an explanation for her actions. Then he turned to Lady Celli and asked, "Have she given you her name by any chance?"

Lady Celli shook her head, "Why no Your Eminence. We've been trying to ask her what it is but she hasn't said a word. She was simply crying too hard before us to try to get anything out of her anyway. The poor dear must have been terribly desperate to see you as soon as she could."

Hearing this, they watched transfixed as the girl reached up and gingerly began to remove Murata's glasses. He made no move to stop her and remained calm and composed, still watching her movements carefully for any hint of malicious intent. He found none. All he saw were the deceptively innocent motions of a shy young girl looking for an answer in his eyes. What that answer was, Murata didn't have the slightest clue...

But then, she brushed some hair from his eyes that was obscuring his face and her eyes brightened even more as if to say 'there you are, I finally found you'. So it seemed as though she had found her answer. And then with a joyous smile, she wrapped her arms around him and began crying silently again.

Yuri gasped in wonder at the whole thing and asked the obvious question, "Hey, do you know her Murata?"

Murata blinked, looking down at her and shaking his head, "I...I'm not sure." But I'm going to find out.