Title: Life's Changing Moments

Genre: Kyou Kara Maou, Yuuri x Wolfram

Ratings: PG

Summary: Life's changing moments.

HNO3: My attempt at condensing a novel-length muse into a one-shot. is sheepish

His life as he knew it changed in that moment.

The setting sun colored the sky fiery red, raging orange; the light glinting off the blue-green of the sea. It happened exactly when the waves crashed against the cliff rocks, sea-salt forming white foams in the waters.

His king's eyes were bottomless, filled with guilt and pity as he looked at him. The look wasn't all too different from the other ones he gave him, and yet, it struck him there and then as the hypnotic sound of the waves echoed in his ears.

I'm sorry, he could almost hear him say in that unsophisticated way of his, even as he continued to look into the bottomless depths of his black eyes; the royal eyes that were his birthright here in this kingdom. I'm sorry, said the eyes that gazed steadfast into his. I'm sorry.

It was at that point that he knew; that what he yearned for would never come to pass, that he had best give up. Even so, he smiled, coaxing a sheepish smile from his king.

The almost impalpable tension dissipated with the next crash of waves and as he turned back to watch the dying sun that reflected the sorrow inside, he could see him scratch the back of his head sheepishly, carelessly.

I'm sorry too, he would have said had he trusted his voice not to break.

He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't touch, couldn't feel.

A crack crept ominously towards the centre of his world.

He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't touch, couldn't feel.

"No, no, no," went the mantra in his head as the crack extended, threatening to shatter the fragile pieces held together. "No, no, no."

"No," he managed to whisper, the sound wretched and hoarse. His eyes followed the crack, watching as it ran along the rest of the plane. "No!" he shouted in despair. "No!"

Shatter. Break. Freeze. Stop. Off.

"What do you mean you can't save him?" Yuri all but shouted as he faced Gisela and her team of healers, the helplessness and despair masked by the anger he felt against them all. "There isn't even a scratch on him! You can't not be able to save him!" he said forcefully as he strode towards her, his body trembling in rage and frustration.

"Yuri…"

Yuri turned sharply towards the brown-haired soldier, bearing down on him instead now that he diverted his attention. "They have to save him," he said almost viciously, hands darting out to fist in Conrad's uniform collar. "They can't not save him!"

His hands were trembling and if he didn't calm down, his anger would take over. He would have gladly allowed it to happen if it could save the pale blonde prince nested in the bedcovers, looking so fragile Yuri was afraid he'll shatter with a touch. But it couldn't. It wasn't the lack of magic that they couldn't save him. It wasn't even because he was physically injured.

He trembled, could see Conrad about to take him into his arms and soothe away his anger and frustration, his helplessness. He stepped back almost immediately, averting his gaze from Conrad and everyone else in the room.

No. He couldn't break down now.

He was the king and he couldn't afford to break down now.

The tense silence that settled in the room ebbed away when he told them all to leave him alone, and surprisingly, they all did, albeit reluctantly, on his first order.

When the doors closed behind him, he could almost feel his anger disappear, despair replacing it acutely, the emotion almost overwhelmingly hard to bear. He suddenly had the urge to break down and cry. He didn't, instead making his way towards the bed.

His prince, so strong and fiery and rash and everything that made him so very alive, lay unconscious on the bed, features pale and washed out. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his beautiful features twisted in pain.

Choking back a cry, Yuri pulled back the covers to slip in beside him, curling up beside the blond, his right hand placed over his prince's chest, the heartbeat beneath his palm weak but reassuring.

"Please be okay," he whispered as he finally allowed the first of his tears to fall. "Please," he pleaded, arms going around the blond to cradle him. "Please…" he choked as he pressed a kiss to the blonde strands of hair. "Please, you can't leave. Not now," he said almost desperately. "Not when I just…" he paused, swallowing back a sob. "Not when I just realized how much you mean to me…"

"Please," he sobbed, whole body trembling even as he continued to cradle his prince. "Please…"

When he next woke up, the sky was fiery red, raging orange.

Tears glistened on his prince's cheek, but he was already dead.

xxx

Nitric Acid 2007

HNO3: Oh the angst! To think my first venture into the Kyou Kara Maou fandom would be a deathfic. facepalms Anyway, so how do you like this new style? I'm attempting the snapshot effect. Is it working? Oh well... Comments are much appreciated. :)