Jumping on the Greyscale
#01 – Walking
It was his duty, and he strived to serve—because of his loyalty, his pride, his own sense of protectiveness and his commitment—and even if he couldn't get what he wanted (but of course not what he deserved) he would keep following, walking just a step behind until the time he was needed (or possibly not), until time the sun stopped rising.
#02 – Waltz
Even after all the hours of lessons and practice Yuuri had been put through in preparation for the ball, he still managed to crush Wolfram's toes more than once.
#03 - Wishes
As a mother, she should be trilled—after all, isn't it such a dream to raise a proud, successful child?—but at first Miko was just the slightest bit regretful, that maybe she didn't get to spend as much time with her son as she planned.
#04 - Wonder
When he was first unceremoniously thrown into that world, it very nearly scared him beyond all the previous experiences of his short life combined—it was just too different, too new, too foreign; but even now, some things have still managed to never cease amazing him.
#05 - Worry
There was always a nagging feeling, at the back of his mind, even though he knew for himself how subdued Earth could be to this country—that maybe, for whatever reason, the King would not be returning this time.
#06 - Whimsy
The glass figure nearly mocked her, she felt at times; asking why she wouldn't play with him and, oh yes, maybe it was her fault after all, and Greta just wished everything could be so much simpler, so less complicated because maybe then everybody could be happy, and she wouldn't ever feel the guilt of hurt.
#07 - Waste/Wasteland
Some people fought for greed, some for duty, some for a misplaced sense of justice and some for love, but what drove him on—always, it was like this—even when he thought it was the end was the thought of them, Nicola and their precious baby, and how he couldn't ever stand to bear letting them see what he had seen—not ever.
#08 - Whiskey and rum
The first time Wolfram drank, it was with Yozak and they were sitting inside some dingy bar being served strong alcohol in less-than-sanitary conditions.
#09 - War
If there was one thing that made him worry, it was the prospect of war; he knew now that it would come eventually, in his lifetime or not, but he would do his best to avoid it because he wouldn't ever want someone else to feel the pain of losing someone you loved.
#10 - Weddings
Their wedding was lavish, elegant, magnificent, aristocrats and other royalty in attendance for the event; but none of that matter as Wolfram walked down the aisle and simply smiled.
#11 - Birthday
Nobody really knew how old he was now, with the combined times of living in Shin Makoku and on Earth, but they celebrated each year nonetheless.
#12 - Blessing
Sometimes he'd wonder why the Sage would even attempt to reason with him; after all, isn't it a good thing to be in such high favor with someone who's practically a god—oh wait, it was because the Sage was still his Sage, even after all these years.
#13 - Bias
". . . So what you're trying to tell me is that all the times you were talking about wedding dresses with Wolfram, it was really about my wedding dress?!"
#14 - Burning
Whichever element a Mazoku had control over, it showed in their personalities and in their actions; so whenever the blond was angry it felt like the feeling was going to consume him, destroy him and at the same time whenever he felt love, passion—it was nearly the same, except maybe that time he wouldn't mind being consumed.
#15 - Breathing
Before dawn had fully come, while the sky was still a misty grey, there were times when Wolfram would just stop and listen; to the sounds of others inhaling and exhaling, and to take a moment to just stop and breath.
#16 - Breaking
When Yuuri walked away, not pausing to look back as Wolfram yelled his name, and into that portal that led him far away, he could almost feel something shatter and the tears streaming down his face no longer bothered him.
#17 - Belief
He always held some sliver of hope in his heart (if you could still even call it that), that maybe he didn't truly deserve what had happened with his life, with the people he loved (or was it just Julia) and that maybe his so called destiny wasn't cursed, and he called that glimmering piece of hope, of faith, Yuuri.
#18 - Balloon
He himself had to admit that hot-air balloons were curious things, filled with nothing but gas yet able to lift up hundreds and hundreds of pounds; so when he received "The Look" from practically everyone in the group, he had no choice but to comply.
#19 - Balcony
The wind was crisp and refreshing, a nice dose of reality aside from the party going on indoors, and when Nicola came up to him, wrapping her arms around his firm shoulders, Hube couldn't help but think about how he was so lucky.
#20 - Bane
Murata—no, Daikenja?—Janus?—had seen much more than his fair share of anything in all of existence, his nearly 4,000 year long one, with no one to blame but Shinou, Almighty Shinou, smirking mischievous Shinou, and never once did he show any concern about anything not in his favor—truly, it seemed that man to be the bane of his existence.
#21 - Quiet
Sometimes he felt just a bit useless, just a bit inadequate for his position, just a bit less of the man he had always strived to be, one that could stand up and fight for and defend and shield his brother—and Shouri would remember that it's hardly his place to think like that anymore.
#22 - Quirks
There were always little things Wolfram noticed Yuuri doing, the way he used to sometimes nearly revert to bowing, or the way he had the just the slightest, hardly perceivable slip-up with his dining ware, and they only made him cherish him all the more.
#23 - Question
Greta peered up at the two men in front of her, eyes shining with innocence, "Daddy, Wolfram, how are babies made?"
#24 - Quarrel
They always had petty fights, arguing over the most trite of things (You cheater; I know what you're thinking; Stop eyeing that girl) and they had had various duels and such, but neither could remember a time when they had actually fought, and whether or not that was a good thing.
#25 - Quitting
When Conrad offered to "whisk him away", to save him from the responsibilities of being King, Yuuri couldn't help but laugh at the notion.
#26 - Jump
Shouri was pounding down the hallway after him, nagging about some stupid mark he got on a test or something dumb like that, and with Murata at his side to guide him, the pair splashed into the tub—leaving his brother dripping wet and more than slightly irritated.
#27 - Jester
Günter knew his dramatics could be, well, dramatic, so to say, but he hadn't actually thought they were a source of entertainment for the entire castle.
#28 - Jousting
"So, Captain, is that a sword in your pants or are you—well, I suppose it could work either way, but I think you're just especially happy to see me today."
#29 - Jewel
If Wolfram had to be a jewel, Yuuri decided one day, he would have to be onyx—not emerald or sapphire because they matched his looks, but onyx because it was not only gorgeous, but bold and at times devastatingly understated.
#30 - Just
The man was always just barely affected by the boy's words; had him thinking that maybe one day, if things continued like this it all could be true, until Conrad remembered nothing, nothing, ever turned like you wanted it to, because life wasn't fair, and that was that.
#31 - Smirk
There used to be times when Gwendal felt like smacking that arrogant grin off of his younger brother's face, regardless of him being family, if it would only teach him a lesson.
#32 - Sorrow
The fire Mazoku knew it was inevitable, knew nothing could stop it, but when the Maou died after hardly a century of ruling he felt as though it was just too soon and almost felt like cursing humans for an entirely different reason.
#33 - Stupidity
It was the look he got on his face every time someone referenced some long forgotten battle or convoluted tradition; one of childish confusion and slight embarrassment; one that gradually faded over time, hardly showing itself again.
#34 - Serenade
Yuuri vaguely wondered if his fiancé always got like this after drinking; belting out off-tune love ballads to everyone in the vicinity and attempting to swoon inanimate objects.
#35 - Sarcasm
It was yet another area Conrad so utterly failed in; after realizing that perhaps his hilarious jokes where just too complex for his companions to understand, he had taken to an edgier form of wit, and only ended up insulting everyone he had ever tried it on.
#36 - Sordid
It was disgusting, the lows people could drag themselves down to, the way one person could treat another like there were no consequences for what they did, and it made him fight all the harder—regardless of the circumstances.
#37 - Soliloquy
Sometimes he wondered if he was crazy for nearly narrating parts of his life to himself, but then Yuuri realized he didn't really mind.
#38 - Sojourn
Yozak was a spy, and a good one at that, and was used to the constant stops and disguises and patience that his job required; but sometimes he wished that perhaps he could just stay in one place for just a while longer.
#39 - Share
The first night he felt the other boy creep into his bed, Yuuri was stunned that he was actually going that far just for some silly mistake on both their parts.
#40 - Solitary
In the beginning, sometimes she still felt alone; not that she literally was, but it seemed like that in her head, because she was still so unused to it all, still full of dreams that maybe her real parents still wanted her, were still living; but accepting what she had been given might be a nice place to start.
#41 - Nowhere
It was dark, oh so dark, and he was shivering—thinking about what had been said, what he should do, would do—but he was too weak for that, right—Shinou's words mocking him, making him realize once and for all how unfit he was for all of this.
#42 – Neutral
If anything was going to be the boy's downfall, Gwendal sometimes thought, it was that he was too idealistic and naïve, too excitable and then depressed, always jumping on the greyscale from black to white but never settling for grey itself—never compromising.
#43 - Nuance
Yuuri would always smile, that was just how he was with himself and others, but if you paid close attention sometimes the smile would change just the slightest bit, his eyes sparkle with a slightly deeper depth and it was something you might not even be able to tell.
#44 - Near
Sometimes he wondered if Yuuri was actually capable of breaking off the engagement, not be held back by anything like guilt or some odd form of consideration for others feelings and just do as he truly (that must be it, right) desired; Wolfram had already decided what he wanted to do, and hated feeling like this all for nothing, for being so close but not close enough.
#45 - Natural
As vastly different as Shin Makoku was from Earth, so many things were still exactly the same; the soft glow of the stars and moon, the gentle breeze that managed to just barely brush the delicate flowers blooming in the garden, and the familiar look of tranquility that was always offered in the end.
#46 - Horizon
The sun was glorious, the scenery pretty, the air fresh and the temperature pleasant, but what mattered was the man in front of her—and after all these years, what had she truly expected from him?—and his reaction, the predictability of it stinging just the slightest bit; and after all, hadn't Anissina learned that men can't be depended on, that she has to earn her own future, grasp what she can barely see, yet know—just like this sun setting the backdrop over the horizon.
#47 - Valiant
What was there to truly being noble, to being a good person, Conrad often thought, if those notions were just twisted lies?
#48 - Virtuous
Just the mere thought of seeing that selfish loafer in His Majesty's bed was enough to make him angry; sure, they were by law fiancés, but wasn't that brat's reputation already bad enough without him stirring up more rumors?
#49 - Victory
The whole ordeal was over with, and Shin Makoku had been saved from Soushu; the rejoicing cries of the townspeople echoed, filling the emptiness.
#50 - Defeat
The whole ordeal was over with, and Shin Makoku had been saved from Soushu; and sometimes he wondered if that was enough.