"Mum, I'm home!" Yuuri called out as he locked the front door behind him. Upon turning around, he saw Wolfram's huddled, trembling, form on his couch and gave a confused expression, quietly slipping behind the blonde ex-prince, since he wasn't looking his way, and stood beside Miko. "What's up with Wolfram?"
"I don't know Yu-chan. He just appeared in the outdoor pool all of a sudden sopping wet and looking frightened. Maybe something happened back in Shin Makoku?" Miko replied shaking her head. "I got him changed but when that uniform of his dried he just changed straight back into it... Perhaps you can get something out of him, he is your fiancé remember Yu-chan"
Yuuri didn't comment, only walked back over to his friend and slowly knelt down to his level, taking his hand and placing his other on top in a comforting manner. Wolfram's eyes stared at nothing, but his whole body was in a constant shivering state and tears welled at the edge of his emerald eyes - no bright flames shone in them like usual. Something must've gone terribly wrong for Wolfram to be like this, and for him to be here in Yuuri's house instead of waiting for him beyond the water. Yuuri gave a silent sigh after waiting to see if Wolfram gave a reaction - any reaction to anything - and sat beside the blonde, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Wolfram...can you tell me what's wrong? What's made you like this?"
"...I'm the lone survivor..."
"Eh?" Yuuri tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"...They're all gone...all of them...everyone's gone..." Wolfram mumbled, mostly to himself.
"Wolf, who's gone? What happened back home?" When he got no response, Yuuri ended up picking the ex-prince up and carried the shaking form to his room thinking Wolfram might want a more private setting if he was to tell what had happened.
Yuuri set Wolfram down gently on his bed and sat beside him, cradling the Mazoku close as his trembling somewhat increased - at least to Yuuri it did. "Wolf, I need you to tell me exactly what's happened, alright?". He shifted slightly so they both ended up laying down against the duvet, Wolfram's head on Yuuri's chest, a hand gripping onto the black fabric that served as his school uniform. A hand caressed the honey blonde head of hair in a soothing effort before the blonde began to speak.
"There...was a huge battle, Yuuri...it was terrifying..." he gulped and paused before continuing, "There was only the sounds of screaming, swords clashing, spells being chanted, flames roaring and blood splattering..." Another pause as he sat up but still refused to look Yuuri in the eye, "Gwendal and Conrart were fighting alongside Yozak. Anissina, Mother and Greta were in the castle, Gisela too... I was trying my hardest to fight off our intruders with my brothers, but it was my fault they were there in the first place. I've forgotten why the wanted me, but that was their goal, to take me. I was fighting so hard I fought my grip would break my sword. I heard a loud shattering scream and looked at the castle to see blood splattered on the windows - the girls were dead. Mother, Greta, Anissina and Gisela...dead. Günter ended up back-to-back with Gwendal, the same for Conrart and Yozak as they became surrounded. I went to help but Gwendal told me to run. I stood for awhile blocking a few more attacks and saw Yozak and Conrart share a brief kiss as tears fell from their eyes, their lips forming silent words of farewell from what I could make out. Gwendal looked at me with the same heartbreaking look before all four of them were enveloped by our intruders... I ran to the end of the courtyard, avoiding fallen bodies and looked back as my own tears began to fall in fear. The cloud of intruders moved away to reveal the dead bodies of my brothers, our beloved spy and my former advisor. I stood rigid for a moment before bolting for the gates again, but as I did, I tripped and crashed into some source of water. Shinou must've been waiting for you to find water so he could pull you there, but the current took me instead and I ended up here..."
Yuuri sat up and just looked at the clouds that floated past his window on a clear blue sky. How long had he been gone for a war to start like that? Not to mention that Wolfram had managed to survive, thankfully, and his family had been crushed. Even Greta, who had so much ahead of her, was now gone from both their lives. Yuuri looked back at Wolfram when he heard sobs wracking from the lithe boy. Instinctively, the double-black circled his fiancé's waist and pulled him onto his lap, cradling him close and whispering sweet nothings in his ear, letting the ex-prince sob his heart out.
Who wanted Wolfram so bad that they'd order for his whole family to be slaughtered in front of him like he'd described? And what was worse, who knew where their souls were going if they were passed on. Yuuri felt extremely saddened at the thought of Greta and Cäcilie passing by them in different bodies without their realisation.
It was a long while before Wolfram calmed down to just a few hiccups muffled into Yuuri's shoulder. He was still trembling and Yuuri couldn't blame him. Wolfram had pretty much lost everything, and something told Yuuri that Waltrana and everyone in Bielefeld territory was also dead if these thugs had been looking for Wolfram. He continued to cradle the Mazoku until sleep took the blonde beauty. Yuuri shifted him slightly and laid him down, tucking him into bed and placing a light peck on his forehead like he knew Cäcilie would do when Wolfram was younger.
Wolfram awoke the next morning to find himself wrapped in Yuuri's arms. He let a smile slide onto his face before remembering where he was and why. Tears silently fell from his eyes as he curled closer to his beloved, frantically, mentally, praying that he wouldn't suddenly be taken from him too. Wolfram felt Yuuri stir from sleep and the king sat up slowly, Wolfram following suit before crawling into Yuuri's embrace again.
"I want to go see the aftermath, is that okay Wolf?"
Wolfram looked up at him with wide, curious eyes. He thought for a moment before gripping Yuuri's nightshirt in reply. "I..." he had no words to say, his heart had been ripped from him before, but this felt worse than being dead.
"You don't have to come, I just need to see..."
"No...I..."
"Wolf...don't force yourself to go back if it'll just hurt more. I won't be long, I just need to find the bodies and lay them to rest in a way only I know how. I promise, things'll be okay from here on out for you. I'm still here, I'm still with you. I'm not leaving you, ever. You can stay here with me and my family, we'll look after you. We might not be rich and royal but we can make up for that in what you've lost... I'm sorry fi that sounded lousy or cheesy or whatever but it's true... You've protected me all this time, sworn your life to that, so let me return the favour. Let me protect you too..."
Wolfram sniffled and curled up a little more before nodding and burying his face in Yuuri's neck. I'm still here, I'm still with you. I'm not leaving you, ever. He lifted his head and green met black in a silent agreement.
What greeted the two at Blood Pledge Castle made the name sound even more haunting. Wolfram was trembling again as they looked and walked past the bodies of previously fighting soldiers. Yuuri spotted Conrart's body lying against Yozak's and his heart caught in his throat. Wolfram slowly let go of his hand and walked over, cautiously, to Gwendal, kneeling down beside the body and letting tears fall silently, making small rivers on his smooth cheeks. Yuuri felt his heart shatter - everyone knew how much Wolfram looked up to and admired his big brother. He walked over and knelt beside the blonde, both of them sharing a look and began moving the bodies of their friends/family to the meadow just outside the castle walls.
Once all of them were lined up, Yuuri took hold of Wolfram and held him close while sending a silent prayer to Shinou, hoping that Murata and Ulrike weren't in the same state and were still alive. It would only crush them further if they weren't. Wolfram's grip on his beloved was tight and fierce. Yuuri had known Wolfram was constantly blaming himself since he mentioned the intruders were after him. He rubbed the blonde's back and let his own tears fall as a soft and gentle wind blew across the grounds.
Wolfram sat on Yuuri's bed a few days later, looking through photos of his family and drowning himself in memories. He had begun to say things about times he regretted - such as hating Conrad for having human blood, Yozak too - but Yuuri managed to stop that before it became too much, telling his blonde that things had been forgiven and that if they hated him then they wouldn't have continued looking after him. Wolfram had then thrown himself into Yuuri's open, welcoming embrace and let the double-black soothe him to a dreamful sleep full of the days when Gwendal and Conrad, along with Yozak, would play with him and keep him the happiest boy in the whole of Shin Makoku. Days when his mother would comfort him to sleep after a nightmare. Days when Günter and Julia taught him all he needed to know. Days when Gisela would play with him. Days when Elizabeth would cheer him up and days where Anissina would let him test her new invention if he bribed her enough not to use him as a test subject. Days when Greta would giggle when he got stuck on a word while reading to her. Days when it would just be him, Greta and Yuuri. Yuuri...he was the only one left. Wolfram set the photos aside and looked over his shoulder at the double-black who sat at his desk, sighing every now and then as he worked on his homework. The ex-prince stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Yuuri looked up in surprise and shared a soft smile with his love, moving back a little and pulling Wolfram onto his lap. The two cuddled close, green eyes slid shut and black ones looked up at the moon that was beginning to reveal itself while lacing his fingers through honey blonde locks.
I'm still here, I'm still with you. I'm not leaving you, ever...