Stages
Summary: While in battle, Yuuri dies in an effort to save Wolfram from an underhanded blow. Wolfram survives the battle, and later finds that his fiancé is, in fact, dead (Uses the five stages of death). One-shot, Yuuram, CHARACTER DEATH
--
"Yuuri, you wimp! Get out of here!" Wolfram yelled, parrying a blow that had been aimed for his head.
"No way!" Yuuri retorted. "I'm not leaving you by yourself, and I'm not letting you fight by yourself anymore!" The double black swung Morgif at his opponent, nicking his sword arm.
"Idiot! You're my king! If you get yourself killed, I—"
"Have confidence in me for once, would you?" Yuuri retorted.
Wolfram grimaced. He hated that his wimp refused to listen to him at the most crucial of moments. Didn't he realize that he'd get himself hurt? Conrad was too far away to be of any help – all the way at the castle. These assassins from Dai Shimaron had ruined their 'romantic getaway', as Yuuri had called it.
Wolfram felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He parried, ducked, and attacked those against his fiancé and king with no mercy – if they wanted to harm what was his, they'd have to kill him first.
Wolfram yelped in pain as an unseen blow hit his arm, knocking his sword from his hand. He glanced towards his attacker, and ducked as a sword swung right above his head. He kicked out a leg, tripping his opponent, barely acknowledging that his arm was bleeding.
"WOLFRAM!"
Wolfram turned as quickly as he could, and saw the glint of metal falling on him. He couldn't even get out a scream before a mass of black jumped in front of him, Yuuri's arms closing around him and knocking him out of the way.
"Yuuri…?"
"You okay?" he asked, smiling down at him. Yuuri winced in pain and touched his shoulder.
"You idiot! What the hell did you think you were doing?!" Wolfram yelled.
"Protecting you," Yuuri said sheepishly. "I couldn't let you get hurt…"
"They can live without me, but without their Maou, Shin Makoku will—" Wolfram cut off as his king's eyes rolled up into his head and he fell forward. "Yuuri? …Yuuri…! YUURI!" Wolfram shook him. His Maou groaned, but didn't respond. "I-idiot wimp," he muttered half-heartedly. He grabbed the sword from a fallen assassin and faced the remaining three opponents. The one who had hit Yuuri was smirking annoyingly.
Wolfram let out a scream of anger, and charged.
--
Stage One: Denial"Stop it."
"Wolfram—"
"I said stop it!" Wolfram yelled at his brother. "He's not gone!"
"Wolfram," Gwendal tried, hoping he'd be successful where Conrad had failed. "You fought to your best ability. But it was futile – there were too many of them—"
"He's not dead!" Wolfram yelled, covering his ears, as if it could tear him away from the reality. "Stop saying he's dead!" Wolfram tore his arm from Gwendal's grip and sprinted towards the black coffin that held the sleeping Yuuri in it. "Wimp! Get up! You get up this second! I demand it!" he sobbed. He hit Yuuri on the chest. He felt strong hands grip onto his shoulders as Gwendal pulled him back. "Let go, brother! Let go! Yuuri isn't dead—!"
"I'm sorry, little brother," Gwendal said quietly. "I'm truly am."
--
Stage Two: AngerWolfram lay on the bed he had once shared with Yuuri. He pulled the king's pillow closer to him. "I hate you, Yuuri," he whispered. "I hate you! How could you leave me like this?!" he yelled. "Why? I HATE you!" he screamed, throwing it to the other end of the room.
"Why the hell would you leave your daughter and fiancé alone?! Why, Yuuri?! Answer me, damn it all…!"
Greta, for one, could only cry outside the door as her second father raged within. She missed Yuuri, too, but she knew her pain was nothing compared to Wolfram's. After a few minutes of Wolfram raging, she could only hear sobs coming from the blonde's room. She respected his privacy to grief, and quietly padded away.
--
Stage Three: Bargaining"Yuuri," Wolfram whispered, standing over the coffin for the last time. Yuuri was to be buried the next day. "Come back," he begged, leaning over the coffin. He bowed his head, laying it on his fiancé's chest. "I'll do anything, Yuuri. I'll… I'll stop yelling at you. I'll stop calling you a wimp. I'll believe you when you tell me you aren't cheating… I'll do anything, Yuuri, I swear…!"
Greta watched in pain as her father pleaded with the long-gone Maou. She was wearing white – the color of mourning. Wolfram had one-upped her, and worn what was to have been his wedding attire, chosen by the Maou. In Yuuri's world, white was the color of purity. Wolfram had liked that idea, and so he'd planned to wear white as a surprise to the Maou on their wedding day – which had been set three days after his death.
Greta felt tears running down her face. Conrad, who was standing next to her, put a hand on her head and pulled her close, kneeling down and embracing her, letting his own tears flow, his soldier's discipline forgotten for the moment.
--
Stage Four: Depression"Wolfram, please. You have to eat," Conrad pleaded, hating seeing his little brother like this.
"I'm not hungry."
"Wolfram—"
"I'll eat when I'm hungry, Conrad," Wolfram said emotionlessly.
"You haven't eaten in three days, Wolfram," Gwendal snapped. "For God's sake! We know you miss Yuuri, but you have a duty! What about Greta? Don't you care for her at all?!"
Wolfram rolled over, not meeting his brother's eyes. Of course he cared about his daughter. But the fact remained that Yuuri – his Yuuri – was gone. Nothing Wolfram did anymore mattered. There was no black-haired angel smiling at him, praising him for the smallest things, or simply sitting with him.
Greta was the only one who understood his grief. She would just sit with him, sometimes lying in bed with him. They would share their pain, and comfort one another. Sometimes she would move close to him, sobbing into his chest. More often than not, she just did her best to let her father cry himself to sleep, doing her best to stay with him as he tried to cope.
Two more days passed. Still, Wolfram hadn't eaten.
--
Stage Five: AcceptanceWolfram looked up at the canopy of his bed. Yuuri was gone. Greta was currently getting over that fact. She said that, while Yuuri was gone, he was looking over her, and that was enough for her.
It wasn't enough for Wolfram.
Wolfram wiped the latest stream of tears off his cheeks. Yuuri was gone.
Soon, he would be, too. He signed his name at the bottom of the paper left on his bedside table. Everything he owned would soon belong to Greta. He asked to be buried alongside Yuuri. He left Greta's care taking to his brothers and mother, and had made plans to make sure she was taken care of until she married.
Wolfram closed his eyes, held the paper close to his heart, and placed it down, sealing it with a wax seal, into which he pressed his family ring. He then left it next to the letter. That would belong to Greta, as well.
He reached over to the spot next to the letter. A small vial of poison was there. A small amount, but it would be enough.
He tipped it back into his mouth, swallowing the bittersweet liquid. He coughed as the first thing for a few days hit his stomach. It felt strange, having even that small amount in him after nothing for over a week and a half.
He lay down and close his eyes.
I'm coming, Yuuri.