heey!! I got a new story but I won't forget my other two I hate unfinished stories...

Title: The men we've become
Rating: uhm PG-13? just to be sure (perhaps later NC-17, if I'm brave enough)
Pairing: Mainly Yuuram
Genre: angst, drama
Chapter: 1/?
Warning: AU, a little shin Makoku and a little Europe during the middle ages, not sure if it'll be a happy ending, un- beta'd
Summary: two boys grow up in different environments

This story is inspired by my favourite children's book Hasse Simon's dochter and my love for the history of the middle ages and the magic in that time.

About the demon ages I just thought of what sounded most logical
enjoy! (and if someone want to beta this story please let me know!)

The men we've become

Yuri's past

"Look at him, it's the devil's child. That black hair and eyes..." the woman hugged herself and moved both her hands up and down her arms as if she were cold, looking at a little boy that was caught up in playing with its wooden toys

A man placed himself behind her and put his hands on her shoulders "O honey.. can a devil's child be so sweet?" joining her to look at the happy little boy that didn't know a care in the world, he knew that soon would be over and that gave his face a look of sadness

"I know.. but people are talking, the way he looks.. that woman, the one who gave birth to him, she was sentenced as a witch burned at the stake. She was promiscuous, she had pact with the devil! The devil, Jan! She probably also gave her body to her master and we have her child." the woman said and at the mention of the boy's mother she spoke with disgust

"We don't know that for sure.." the man called Jan said with a certain sympathy in his voice, looking at his wife side with despair

"are you calling father Duc a liar??" She turned her head and looked at him with disbelieve, her husband couldn't be one of those heretics, could he?

"no.." he sighed to his wife's relief and stroked affectionately down his wife's long ginger coloured locks, that were hanging loosely around her face.

"he is a holy man, he wouldn't burn an innocent woman... anyway nothing good can come out of a creature that was created by evil itself, it is a half demon for god sakes Jan" the woman looked at the boy again and her fair features showed how worried she was, her dark green eyes narrowed as if she were thinking.

The man had moved his hands to both her sides and hugged her from behind, the side of his head leaning on his wife's mixing his brown haired locks with the ginger ones of his wife "you can't blame the boy for his mother actions, Gemma"

Gemma pulled out of her husbands embrace and turned around looking at him almost angry "Don't you understand! Evil is build in it, it is just trying to deceive us with its innocent and childlike face. You can't fall for it!, I don't want to lose you.. ever" she pleaded, her eyes turned soggy at the thought of losing her loveable husband

"You won't.. I promise" he reassured her, cupping the woman's face with both his hands making her look at him "honey go buy something for dinner, our supplies are all gone. I'll watch over Yuri" he bowed his head to give her a quick peck on her lips and then he retreated his hands.

"that child also cost to much" She mumbled as she walked to the door and pulled her long hair together covering it with a grey shawl, before she left she gave her husband an appreciated smile.

She'll be damned if she let that cursed child hurt her or her spouse, they were married as teenagers and were already together for quite some time. The elder humans in the village had requested if the young couple would adopt the orphan boy knowing they wanted children. She would have turned the offer down, knowing exactly were that kid came from but her husband was delighted and considered it an honour. Truly he was to kind for his own good and she knew he was taking a liking to the black haired boy. She probably would like and love the kid too if she wasn't so afraid of it, the fact that child could take the one thing she loved so much, her husband Jan, away from her made her hate that black haired boy more than anything. The gossiping villagers weren't helping either, her own mother had her convinced that the kid was the son of the devil and told her that she had to get rid of it.

She was planning to do just that...

-xXxXx-

Jan looked at the kid for a little while longer his smile growing as he saw the black eyes meeting his brown ones. The look the boy gave him, there was so much love in those eyes how can anyone think that he was evil? He couldn't let anything happen to his little boy and he knew that keeping the boy in this village near his wife was dangerous. The brown haired man knew what he has to do but it hurts him just so much.

He loved his beautiful wife, he wouldn't have married her if he didn't but his wife had many faults she was short tempered and bossy. He chuckled, he actually liked those qualities about his wife, the fact that she wasn't perfect made him love her even more. Unfortunately there was one fault that wasn't so charming, her strong believe in the tales the authority made up to control the people, because of that she hated the boy. If only she knew her husband secrets and that he was 'unfaithful' to those rules of the people she considered holy... he really doubted if she would protect him or if she would betray him and give him in. Her believes made her a dangerous woman.

The man was gathering a few toys and some clothes of the boy, his wife wouldn't be gone long and he had to act quick. He wasn't dense and had made a solid plan, the boy had black hair and black eyes and that could only mean one thing… he knew that the boy would always be safe in the place he was going to go.

"Yuri! come here.. take that toy if you want" the boy picked up his toy and hurried to his father. His small plump legs moving so fast he almost tripped.

"daddy!" he smiled and filled Jan's heart with warmth, he took the boy's toy and stored in a bag with the other stuff then he pulled a dark-grey woollen clothe around the boy it was still rather chilly outside even though the new summer season was heading towards their village.

Before they went out he caressed the boy's cheek, he fought to keep his tears back and barely succeeded "you have so much love to give, my son"

The boy cocked his head "daddy?" he frowned a little.

"make sure you give that love to the right person" the man continued "always follow your heart and not what others tell you to, make up your own mind, promise me Yuri"

"I don't understand" the child said in his childish voice

Jan wondered if the kid would ever remember him and his words but he had to at least try to give the boy a part him to go and stay always with him "promise that you'll always act the way you think is right"

The boy smiled and seemed to get it "like you do!"

The man chuckled "yes"

"I promise, daddy! I want to be just like you"

"You don't have to be like me, you have to be you cause that is the best you can be" he moved his arms around the tiny boy and hugged him tightly, the tears almost escaped him "I love you.. so much"

The child had put his arms around his father's neck "love you too" he said

The man stood up, moved towards a closet in the room and pulled a drawer open, his hands were searching for something and when he closed the drawer and went to Yuri again he had a round object in his hand.

"here I want you to have this" he said once he was back kneeled in front of the small boy

The boy took the object in his tiny hands and studied it. It was round and he moved his chubby fingers along the smooth side of it, it was a golden/brownish metal and the top of the object was made of glass, under the glass there were arrows and some letters and lines, it was all kind of confusing to the boy "what is it?"

Jan looked at Yuri studying the thing and smiled the kid looked so adorable when he was confused "a compass"

The boy narrowed his eyes at his father and wrinkled his nose "what does it do?" the kid asked more confused now than before hearing the weird name.

The father laughed for a second at the silly expression his son was making "it will show you the way when you're lost, it will lead you to the right path"

"I don't need it" the boy said and holding his hand out to his father to give it back "I have you to lead me"

The words were to much for him to handle and one tear made his way out from a brown eye as he folded the boy's hand around the compass with his own "please take it and carry it always with you cause this small compass will have my spirit in it and I will lead you, that's why it can never guide you to the wrong place" he then placed a kiss on the boys forehead "we need to go"

The black haired boy didn't understand much but he saw his father was upset so he carefully listened to the words and tried to lock them up in his head. Even though he didn't get it he knew it must be really import.

Jan took his boy's hand and went out trough the back door, he was going to the beginning of the long dark forest, called the Ürre Forrest. Those woods of Ürre were feared by all those who believed, like his wife, so he had to make sure that nobody saw him. Behind the forest started a new world, the world of the demons who were just as narrowed minded as the human's with their own believes and foolish fables.

There was a beautiful man waiting at the place, exceptional beautiful as he knew a lot of demons were. This one had long lavender hair and suited lavender eyes, a well build man that looked just as strong as he were beautiful, dressed in a grey coat. Next to him was a young boy, he had brown hair and brown eyes nothing exceptional or extreme beautiful, a normal boy but with the most kindest smile he had ever seen and with such lovely charm that was expressed through whole his face. The boy was also dressed in a grey coat, Jan smiled it was just something for Gunter to think that would hide their identity's. It was fortunate he didn't come to pick the boy up in the village.

"Gunter!" he said

"Jan! finally, we were starting to worry that you weren't going to show" Gunter said stepping towards him and his kid

"I'm sorry for that but it was the earliest as I could come"

The lavender haired man averted his eyes to look at his son and his face lit up "O Shinou, what a wonderful, beautiful small boy and such great noble colours!" his eyes were literally shining as he hugged the kid, who looked extremely confused at the demon beauty but excepted the smothered hug anyway, when he stood up again his shiny eyes stayed on Yuri "he truly is the one"

Jan smiled and nodded "I thought so, I know he will be in good hands and loved in the palace"

"Jan" Gunter's hands rested on the other man's shoulders and looked in to his eyes "you made the right the decision, it must be hard on you but you're a good man"

The brown haired man smiled in a appreciated way "thank you" he averted his eyes on the brown haired boy "who's the little warrior?"

"that's Konrart, my apprentice also the Maou's second son" the beautiful man said

"Come here Konrart" he kneeled when the boy got to him, the kid looked like he was about eleven in humans age "I trust a strong young man like you to take care of your king" he said with a smile

The boy nodded enthusiastic and smiled broadly doing so "I will! I promise" he said

"Good boy" he said patting the kid's head and smiled gratefully, then he turned to Yuri, who's eyes were watery. He was smart even though he was so young only thirteen, as a half-demon his mental and physical stage were as a five year old human, he knew exactly what was going to happen. Those people were going to take him away "now try to remember everything I told you, ok?"

The boy cried shamelessly but nodded, he understood somehow.

"be a good boy" the man continued, suppressing his tears again wanting to stay strong for the boy "I'll always love you"

"I love you too" Yuri said before jumping into his fathers arms and giving a hug that lasted to short in the opinions of both of them

"Konrart, take him with you"

The little soldier to be pulled the small boy gently with him to the horses

"why don't you come with us?" the lavender haired man said to the man who watched his son been taken away "he is after all your son maybe not in blood but in every other sense of the word"

"I can't my heart lays here, it has green eyes and a hell of a temper" he turned his eyes back to Gunter, he smiled half sadly thinking about Yuri and half grateful to have the love of the woman he also loved. The man was always torn between those two, the two persons he loved most.

"ah yes, so you wrote. A hand full I guess?" the other man smiled too, he loved watching love between young ones

Jan chuckled "yes, you won't even know"

The lavender haired beauty turned serious again "they'll find out soon you know"

"I know" the man said and his eyes were filled with sadness again "I'm hoping times will have changed by then"

"that's not likely Jan"

"It has to,, my live depends on it"

"You also know, your wife will die even before you look older than thirty"

It was like the demon had thrust a dagger in to his heart and he fisted his hands, pushing his nails in to his palms to handle the pain, he himself was a half breed too and would eventually, if he wasn't killed, see his wife grow old and die "I know you, don't have to remind me"

Gunter laid one hand on Jan's shoulder and nodded "take care then"

"Oh and Gunter send my condolence to the Maou, I heard and now I know exactly how she feels" he said, pain filled his brown eyes

"You can always come to see Yuri… but she will never be able to see her son again, he's dead Jan.."

He nodded understandably "what was his name?"

"Wolfram"

Not long after that they were gone. He could still hear Yuri screaming for his father and it tore his heart out, now that he was alone he could at least cry and he did, collapsing to the ground on his knees and cried. He watched trough his moisture eyes at the place they left from, he was gone and no matter what Gunter said he couldn't come to the palace to see Yuri, he couldn't …