A/N: Happy day after Valentine's day, folks. I actually had this done yesterday, but it needed a final look through. It's really long - over six thousand words - but that's just 'cause I couldn't stop rambling. Still, I read it over, and it sounded pretty cute. Really romantic. This is a Kyou Kara Maou and Soukyuu no Fafner crossover, meaning all the characters that you don't know belong to the other series - I hope you know at least one. I made this crossover because, while my favorite series is xxxHolic, tied for second are both Fafner and Kyou Kara Maou. That's why my Valentine's day special is dedicated to YuuRam and KazuSou. Because they're cute. I don't think you really need to know very much about the Fafner universe, because this is an AU.

Disclaimer/Warnings: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou or Soukyuu no Fafner. Nigata Commercial is the name of a Japanese school, which I borrowed from Wiki to be accurate. This is a slash fic, meaning it has same-sex pairings. Other than that, no big warnings.

Soukyuu no Fafner: This series is a really good one. It takes place in the near future when the whole world, save one small island paradise, has been destroyed by alien creatures called the Festum. Kazuki Makabe and his friends rise up to fight them by piloting giant mechas called Fafners. Soushi Minashiro was Kazuki's childhood friend - and they obviously love one another because Soushi's only beloved photo is one of Kazuki and Kazuki compares his relationship with Soushi to his mother's relationship with his father - but they drifted apart after Soushi damaged one of his eyes when possesed by a Festum, which was partly Kazuki's fault. They grew closer again when they all stood together to fight the Festum. Soushi isn't a pilot, though, because he handles the Siegfried System, which allows him to help the pilots battle. But the Festum get wind of it, and they kidnap him, causing Kazuki to become suicidal. He finally rescues Soushi, but at that point Soushi's body has been destroyed, and all he wants to do is move on, especially if it'll save the island. But Kazuki begs him not to leave him, so Soushi promises to someday come back. The bastards haven't made a sequel, though, so we don't know if he kept the promise. All characters mentioned who aren't from KKM are Fafner characters, and vice-versa. This takes place on Yuuri's earth, so it's an AU for Fafner. No evil aliens. They're all students in Yuuri's school.

Translations: Don't worry, I didn't use a billion stupid translations to confuse you guys. These are pretty basic.

-Kun/-Chan/-San: Japanese honorifics that classify the relationships between the speakers.

Giri-choco: Obligation chocolate given by a girl to a boss or male friend whom they don't have feelings towards.

Honmei chocolate: True love chocolate.

Soukoku: Double black, meaning with black hair and eyes.

Kareshi: Boyfriend.

White day: March 14th, when males who got chocolate on Valentine's day can return the favor.

Summary: When one of Yuuri's classmates comes out of the closet, he is forced to finally deal with his feelings for Wolfram.

Bishounen Trouble

Yuuri was currently in his element, playing baseball, his favorite pastime in both worlds, with his close friends. While baseball was enough to put a smile on the young Maou's face any day, the bonus was that he didn't have to worry about blonde pretty boys and possibly being gay. With a happy — or rather, overjoyed — smile on his face, he readied himself to pitch the ball towards the current batter, a popular young man called Makabe Kazuki.

Kazuki was a rather talented young athlete, and as popular with the ladies as honey was with flies. This bothered Yuuri sometimes, as he was the captain of the team and gained no recognition for it, but Wolfram's voice in his mind, shouting at him for being a wimp and a cheater, always put him in his place.

"And besides," Yuuri thought with a smile, "it's a good thing that Makabe-kun is on our team."

And so, with these thoughts in mind, Yuuri threw the ball. It was a clean shot — straight as an arrow and just as fast — and Yuuri had no doubt that his number one hitter could make a home run. Then Minashiro Soushi walked by, across from the baseball stadium where the fence enclosed the area from the school. He turned uninterested grey-violet eyes towards the young batter, eyes meeting Kazuki's for about a second, before turning his head away with a flick of his honey-colored locks. Kazuki swung the bat prematurely, the ball not even close to his proximity, and hit air. Needless to say, when the ball finally did come, it met with Kazuki's handsome face, rather than the bat. Blood spurted out of the brunet's nose, as Yuuri watched him fall to his knees in shock. Who was more shocked — Yuuri or Kazuki — was the biggest mystery of all.

"What happened?" Yuuri asked worriedly, ignoring the flock of fangirls who crowded around the fallen Kazuki. He handed the brown-eyed boy a wet towel enclosing an ice pack and covered his shaky hands with his own, helping to staunch the blood.

"I dun'do," the boy responded nasally, trying to smile. But Yuuri noticed that he looked a bit troubled.

Unsurely, he responded, "Er, you sure you aren't having a problem with Minashiro-kun, or something?"

Kazuki immediately paled, his smile tightening around his mouth in a stiff manner, and Yuuri was oddly reminded of Conrad. The middle son of the 26th Maou of Shin Makoku had the bad habit of hiding all of his true feelings behind a smile.

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to," he immediately amended, giving Kazuki what Wolfram called his 'wimpy, but cute smile'. The other brunet still looked shaken, but his smile softened a bit.

"It's okay, Captain. You've got a right to know. After all, you don't want me messing up this badly when we actually have to play, right?" He winced, flushing slightly, and added, "Neither would I, actually."

Both young males laughed sheepishly, a companionable sound. Yuuri noticed just then — at the lack of all the 'awws' at the sound of Kazuki's supposedly adorable laughter — that the fangirls had vanished. In their place stood one Murata Ken, the Sage of Shin Makoku. Yuuri rolled his eyes — be it just like Murata to scare away all of the pretty girls. But the boy was his friend, so he didn't mind, and from the appreciative look on Kazuki's face, he didn't seem to mind either.

"Hey, Makabe-kun. I heard from Mei-ling in my Chinese character class that, quote, 'Your handsome face has been broken in two!' Insert 'Waaah!' here," the Sage said with a grin, a mysterious glint to his spectacles. Kazuki flushed, running a hand through his fashionably-tussled black locks.

"Haha, well, you know how the ladies are, ne, Murata-kun?" he responded, and Yuuri immediately felt bad for him. He'd have to tell Murata to lay off when they met up later. Murata's glasses glinted again, and the Sage's smile was sly.

"I'm sure no one knows as well as you do, Makabe-kun. After all, you are the most popular boy in school," he said, and Kazuki's flush darkened. He offered both Yuuri and Murata an embarrassed smile.

"I hope you guys know that I don't want them following me around. Sorry, Captain. I know you don't like it when they come to the games just to cheer me on," Kazuki apologetically answered. Yuuri blinked at this, not realizing that the other boy had ever noticed his annoyance, and placed his hands before him nervously, shaking them and his head 'no'.

"No, no, Makabe-kun. It's fine, really. I don't mind," he told the brown eyed boy agreeably, receiving a grateful smile in return. It was obvious that Kazuki didn't want anyone annoyed with him. He was too passive for conflict, which was why Yuuri liked him so much. They were alike. Murata, on the other hand, gave a cough that sounded like a laugh.

"I'm sure you don't want them around, Makabe. After all, you wouldn't want your special someone to be upset, would you?" As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Kazuki stiffened, face becoming as red as a cherry, and Yuuri could swear that he saw steam coming out of his ears. Kazuki gave them one last inclination of his head, muttering a goodbye, and ran off towards the nurse's office. Yuuri turned to Murata.

"What was that all about?" he asked, but Murata only shook his head, smile ever present.

Yuuri's mother invited Murata over to dinner that day, so the youngest Shibuya asked him if he'd like to come over right after school, hoping they could discuss Shin Makoku and play video games. In a pleasant manner, Murata agreed. After they'd eaten their lunch and were seated before the Shibuya family television set, Yuuri finally asked the question he'd been wanting to since their baseball practice.

"Who is Makabe-kun's special someone, Murata?" he asked, curious. It bothered him to be so sneaky and nosy, talking about Kazuki behind his back, but it bothered him even more to know that his friend was bothered, if that made any sense. It made sense in his head.

"Who was in the audience today, Shibuya? Or rather, who walked by the audience?" Murata answered cryptically, only confusing Yuuri further.

"Eh? There were a lot of girls there, Murata. You know they like to watch Makabe-kun play. Something about being sweaty?" Yuuri responded with wide, confused black eyes. Murata chuckled at his naivety.

"Yes, Shibuya, there were a lot of girls. But the person you're wondering about isn't a girl," he said, and Yuuri, who had been drinking a glass of soda, spit it all down on the floor, choking comedically.

"That's —" he gasped, "— not funny, Murata."

"Of course not, Shibuya. In fact, it's very serious," Murata answered, smirking at the very wet Maou of Shin Makoku. His friend could be such an idiot sometimes. "Though far be it from you to believe that Makabe likes a boy. After all, we wouldn't want you to think any less of him."

Yuuri frowned at the almost sneered comment, bristling slightly.

"I don't have a problem with homosexuals, Murata. I just don't think Makabe-kun is one. How could he be? All the girls in the school like him," he reasoned, feeling very uncomfortable with the topic. He knew Murata was veering the topic away from Kazuki's potential sexuality to his own.

"Isn't is odd, though, Shibuya?" Murata asked, glasses glinting in his 'I know something you don't know' way. Yuuri swallowed, before asking what was odd, knowing he'd probably come to regret it. "Well, that Makabe hasn't returned the feelings of any of the girls that like him. Toomi-chan is cute and athletic. Hazama-chan is one of the prettiest girls in the school. Kaname-chan is the leader of the Kendo club. Memphis-chan is pretty hot and a foreigner. There are others, too, but he's never shown any interest."

"So you're trying to say he's gay?" Yuuri asked, or rather, shouted. Yuuri's dad, who was passing by, gave them a weird look, but ultimately shrugged it off — neither of his boys were normal, unfortunately. Murata's smile widened, and Yuuri couldn't help but shiver and lean back a little.

"Watch him for a while, Shibuya. You might just learn something," the Sage advised. Yuuri didn't think he liked where this was going, but he nodded. After all, Murata was the Great Sage, wise man of Shin Makoku. If he didn't give good advice to Yuuri, who would? He tried, and failed, not to think of honorable, honest Wolfram, who always told him the truth, the right thing to do — albeit in a rather violent way.

For the next few weeks, Yuuri watched Kazuki, noticing that his friend seemed rather anxious. Valentine's day was coming up, and White day soon after that, so the young baseball player's fans were running around in a frenzy, trying to find or make the perfect batch of chocolates for him. But that wasn't why he was so nervous.

"Apparently," Murata informed the confused Yuuri, pushing his spectacles back along the bridge of his nose, "Minashiro-san has been coming to school on and off. He's sick — he has severe asthmatic attacks — and he lives alone, because his mother is dead and his father is busy all the time."

Yuuri frowned at this, immediately becoming worried for his fellow classmate.

"Ah, so that must be why Makabe-kun is so worried. I observed him like you said, Murata, and I found out that they've known each other since their parents enrolled them in daytime care. They used to be really good friends, Kondo-kun from Kendo told me, until Minashiro-kun was in an accident of some sort. Then they drifted apart. Makabe-kun joined athletic teams, and Minashiro-kun became the class vice-president," Yuuri rambled, until a smack from Murata cut him off. Before Yuuri could return the favor, Murata shushed him, apparently thinking.

"Hm, I see. I'd better go confirm my hypothesis..." And with that the Sage vanished, leaving Yuuri gaping in his wake.

Valentine's day came. Yuuri received a lot of Giri-choco, from girls in his class, and his mother made him some, too. He was sure that when he returned to Shin Makoku, Wolfram, who had recently heard about the holiday, would have something for him, too. The thought made him flush, though he didn't know if it was from pleasure or embarrassment. Murata received some Giri-choco, too, but he didn't seem to mind.

"The shrine maidens will have something nice for me, I assure you," he informed Yuuri, smirking smugly as he popped another Giri in his mouth. But Kazuki, now flushing brightly, had three bags full of Honmei-chocolate, and more to come. He looked upset.

"You look kind of off-put," Murata jibed, a smirk on face. He continued before Yuuri could scold him. "Could it be because you haven't received anything from your true love?" Everyone shared a laugh at his expense.

Kazuki frowned, his flush darkening, and began handing out some of his chocolate silently.

"I can't eat it all," he explained, when he received a questioning look from other members of the team. They began to tease him about his many fans, and things became lighter, though Yuuri noticed that Kazuki still looked tense.

A few hours later, when practice was done, Yuuri saw him sitting sadly on the steps of the stadium, with what was left of his chocolate — still a formidable amount — at his feet, painting the very portrait of loneliness. Just when he was about to wander over, he saw Minashiro Soushi walk gracefully in. The way to the dorms — where he stayed because his father was rarely home — was through the stadium, so after class and club activities everyday, the boy would walk through the stadium as a short cut. He barely spared Yuuri a glance, but the young Maou watched him intently, not really caring because most pretty people, boys or girls, tended to ignore him, the average guy — except Wolfram, he reminded himself with a flush. Minashiro was pretty — with pale skin and natural honey-colored hair that flowed waist length. He had large grey-violet eyes, framed by long, dark lashes, and full lips, almost always pulled down into a severe frown. Yuuri was sure that he had to be at least half-foreigner with those looks. He looked a bit paler than usual, and his steps, though graceful, were slow. The books in his arms seemed too heavy for his slim frame to carry. Before Yuuri could offer to take them, however, the pretty young man noticed Kazuki, who was still sitting alone, oblivious. He seemed to hesitate, his normally apathetic face looking slightly worried, before he bit his lower lip, looking resigned, and walked over to Kazuki's side, sitting primly besides him and setting down his books between them. Yuuri followed, hiding behind a wall and feeling kind of like a ninja, and watched as Kazuki's face lit up with pleasant surprise.

"Soushi!" Kazuki exclaimed, looking delighted. The other boy gave him a passive look, completely exhausted, and folded his hands in his lap elegantly.

"What is the matter with you today, Ka — I'm sorry — Makabe-san," the pretty boy asked softly, voice resonant and with a deeper pitch than Yuuri would have expected of such a delicate-looking boy. Kazuki looked guilty, Yuuri thought, and fiddled his dirty hands — from playing baseball— together sheepishly, keeping his eyes tucked down.

"You can call me Kazuki, Soushi. I mean...we've known each other for years," the brown-eyed athlete said, voice breaking on Minashiro's name. The long-haired boy blinked, looking confused, before offering a small smile. It looked a little tense, but it was genuine, or at least more genuine than the boy was with other people.

"Alright, Kazuki. Why do you appear to be so upset? Too much chocolate to return on White day?" Both Yuuri — still in hiding — and Kazuki blinked at this, feeling surprised. It seemed like the fair-haired boy was teasing Kazuki, which was rather out-of-character for him.

"I guess you could say that," Kazuki finally replied, looking a little tense. "But I don't like any of them," he added hurriedly. Minashiro blinked, before smiling. He took a candy bar out of his pocket — a rather popular brand that Yuuri had seen him snacking on in other occasions — and unwrapped it, breaking it in half.

"Share with me, then?" he asked, still unaccountably polite, while Kazuki looked almost moved to tears.

"Of course!" he responded, almost too quickly, and Minashiro looked lost, but gave the chocolate to him anyway. Yuuri left then, leaving the two to share their chocolate.

"It seems Murata was right, after all," he thought, biting his lip nervously.

Minashiro collapsed in his first period class a month later, on White day, and needed to be taken from the nurse's office to the hospital for care. The baseball team had practice that day, as well as a home game the next day, but Yuuri excused Kazuki when he didn't show up, even when the other players and angry fangirls didn't.

"Will he be okay, do you think?" Yuuri asked Murata, taking a water break. The baseball team's manager shrugged.

"Who do you mean?" he asked, voice dry. Yuuri fiddled with his glove.

"Both, I guess. I mean, if Minashiro-kun isn't okay, I doubt Makabe-kun will come back," he shyly remarked. Murata clapped his back at this, smiling in what seemed to be an almost proud way.

"Ah, so you've finally realized, have you?" he asked, smirking with superiority. Yuuri frowned. He had a feeling Murata thought he was stupid.

"Yeah, I did. It became pretty obvious to me after watching Makabe-kun for a while," Yuuri said with an embarrassed smile, rubbing the back of his head. Murata smiled again.

"You don't think it's wrong, then?" he asked, putting on his best innocent face. Yuuri frowned.

"I know what you're getting at, but I still don't think I'm gay. I like Wolfram, sure, and I think Minashiro-kun and Makabe-kun make a good couple, but..." He trailed off, blushing brightly, and Murata tsked, glasses glinting.

"I see... Well, let's go visit the hospital," the Sage chirped. Yuuri, though still embarrassed and somewhat nervous, could find no reason to disagree.

Minashiro was okay, when they finally arrived in the hospital. He was taking breaths from a respirator to get his lungs back in order, while playing — and brutally defeating — Kazuki at a game of chess. The brunet did not seem to mind, his eyes shining happily, though he did look embarrassed upon seeing Murata and Yuuri.

"Hey, guys. What're you doing here?" he asked, as Minashiro blinked, looking confused as well.

"Hi, Makabe-kun. Hi, Minashiro-kun. I thought we'd check in on you," Yuuri said, sweeping his gaze over both of the room's participants. He might have imagined it, but Minashiro smiled behind the respiration mask.

"You guys will be delighted to know that your fans are upset that you haven't returned their Valentine's day favors," Murata interjected, grinning. Kazuki flushed, while Minashiro looked unfazed.

"I'm sure Masaoka-kun won't mind if I give him my return gift tomorrow," Soushi mused dully, taking off the respirator for a second. Yuuri, Kazuki, and even Murata gaped at him, before Murata and Yuuri turned to Kazuki, watching for his reaction. He seemed nervous of this scrutiny, but his eyes were flashing.

"That's Ryo Masaoka-kun, right?" he asked weakly, looking as if he was about ready to throw down the gauntlet, and Minashiro nodded, focused on his chess board once more. Apparently he'd challenged Murata now. "I see..."

There was quiet after that, as Murata and Minashiro duked it out in a clash of wills, before Yuuri, growing impatient, nudged Kazuki in the side.

"Minashiro-kun gave you some chocolate, too, didn't he?" Yuuri whispered, and Kazuki flushed, nodding. "Did you get him anything?"

He was surprised when the other brunet nodded again, not expecting such a bold move from his shy friend, and turned his soft brown gaze towards a small bag near the door. Kazuki wandered over to it timidly, picking it up, and took out two slips of paper from it. He handed them to Minashiro, causing the boy to look in surprise.

"Tickets to a classical pianist concerto?" the fair-haired boy asked, turning grey-violet eyes to Kazuki. The boy nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah...your White day gift, actually," Kazuki said softly, unable to meet Minashiro's eyes, in case of rejection. When he finally did get the courage to look up, Minashiro was frowning.

"Kazuki...as much as I love classical music, you do know that there are flaws in your logic, don't you?" he asked, confusion evident in his soft tone. Kazuki blushed. "Firstly, I am not a female, last I checked, and secondly, I don't believe I gave you anything on Saint Valentine's day that needed reciprocation."

Kazuki laughed at his technical terms and bemused face, before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, you actually shared your chocolate bar with me — you know, those bars you really like," he rambled, trying to cover up his embarrassment. "Though I guess that was Giri-choco, huh?"

Minashiro watched him with an unreadable expression, before smiling and accepting the tickets.

"Would you like to come with me to the concert?" he asked, almost seeming shy himself. Yuuri swore he could see steam coming out of the other boy's ears, just like in those shoujo manga comedies.

"Er, um, that is — yes!" Kazuki finally replied, getting an amused look from Minashiro, an embarrassed look from Yuuri, and a barely concealed snort of laughter from Murata. Kazuki had the decency to blush, at least.

"Well," said Murata, "now that that's over with, shall we all leave Minashiro to rest? We do have that baseball match tomorrow."

Minashiro nodded dutifully, while Yuuri and Makabe looked humbled, both having forgotten. They began to head out, all shouting 'Sayonara' in sync, but Minashiro called Kazuki back. By then, Murata had already headed out. Yuuri decided to wait outside the door for Kazuki.

"Kazuki," Minashiro was saying, voice sweet. "Remember that chocolate I gave you?"

"Erm, y-yeah," Kazuki responded, still looking embarrassed about the whole situation.

"Consider it Honmei," Minashiro declared, and before Kazuki could respond, he pulled the other boy down by his school tie and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. Then he fell back. "Now go practice for your game. I'm tired."

At that point, Yuuri ran away, deciding he could wait outside to meet with his friend. After all, maybe the cool air would help recede the cherry-red blush that had taken up a permanent residence on his face.

Their game went perfectly, Yuuri mused. They had beaten the Nigata Commercial's baseball team 12 to 8. A good feat, if Yuuri had to say so himself. It might even have to do with the fact that he'd had a dream about Wolfram, where the blonde had declared that he'd be a wimp if he lost. Or maybe it was because Kazuki had hit a home run every time he stepped up to the plate. The other players, though happy about this recent development, were shocked and confused. The rival team even said the brown-eyed boy must have taken steroids. But Yuuri knew the truth. He was just trying to impress Minashiro, who had recently been released from the hospital and watched his new kareshi from the front row of the bleachers.

"Great job today, Makabe-kun," Yuuri congratulated, and the boy laughed.

"It was all you, Captain. Thanks for training us so well," Kazuki replied. Yuuri flushed at the compliment, secretly pleased, before they were both interuppted by Murata.

"Hey, Makabe, you did well. I'm surprised you didn't break your face in half again, though. I mean, look, Minashiro is right in the front row," the Sage teased. Kazuki blushed at this, glaring half-heartedly, but Yuuri didn't think anything in the world could bring his friend down today. His suspicions were confirmed when Kazuki finally smiled, bigger than Yuuri had ever seen him do.

"Yeah, he's here, so I'm really glad we won. Not that I'm not usually happy or anything, but...I don't know, he's good at lots of things, so I'm glad he could see me do something impressive for once," Kazuki confided with a happy blush. Yuuri turned to look at Minashiro quickly, before turning back.

"Well, he certainly seems impressed to me," he returned, grinning. Kazuki smiled back. They lost their chance to talk, then, because the other members of the team sidled up, throwing their hats in the air victoriously and baying happily.

"Let's all go get something to celebrate," a boy from the team said. Yuuri smiled in agreement, as did the rest of the team, but Kazuki shook his head.

"Sorry, guys," he said with a flush. "I promised my good luck charm that I'd have dinner with him if we won."

There was a few seconds of awkward silence — Yuuri could swear he heard crickets chirping, though they were in a loud stadium and it shouldn't have been possible — before everyone turned to look at Kazuki.

"Him?" one of the right-fielders asked, sounding shocked. Kazuki gave them all a hard, determined look.

"Yes, him," he returned, his normally passive voice slightly darker than usual. Many of his teammates — his friends — reared back as if struck, altering feelings of disgust and anger marring their earlier happiness. Even Yuuri winced, unsure of what to do. This was what he'd always feared. Only Murata clapped his hands on Kazuki's shoulder, albeit a little roughly.

"Good for you, Makabe. Maybe now you can tell your pretty boy boyfriend to respond to my 'hi's in the halls. I mean, I am your friend," the bespectacled teenager declared. Kazuki smiled at this, looking so very grateful, and Yuuri felt bad, felt guilty, once more. Kazuki left, and to Yuuri's surprise, spared no one a passing glance, save Murata. He just walked right up to the audience, placed his jacket around smiling Minashiro's shoulders, and led the young genius away.

Murata pretended that nothing had happened, but Yuuri had the horrible feeling that his bespectacled friend was disappointed in him. He even declined Yuuri's offer to join the Shibuya family for dinner, though he loved Yuuri's mother's curry. That night, Yuuri had a dream.

"I'll fall with you, Yuuri," Wolfram was saying, voice sweeter than he knew it to be. The blonde's face was sweeter, too, but that moment, when he'd almost fallen off a cliff, had been one of the only moments when Wolfram had really looked like his guardian angel. Not to get him wrong — Wolfram always looked like an angel, but he didn't always act like one.

"Why?" Yuuri asked, voice breaking. He hadn't asked this question the first time. He'd been in shock, and slightly too embarrassed, but this was a dream.

"Why? Because I love you, of course. You're a wimp not to know that," Wolfram mocked. Yuuri flushed at this determined, huffy response.

"But why, Wolfram? Why do you love me, when you could have anyone in Shin Makoku? You could even find some really great guys here, if you really want a Soukoku," Yuuri continued, unsure as to why his chest hurt when he thought of Wolfram with someone else. Wolfram, for his part, looked utterly disgusted and appalled. He smacked Yuuri roughly on the head, and though the Maou whined, he was secretly pleased.

"You wimp, love doesn't work like that!" the blonde shouted, and the dream seemed, at that second, almost too real to Yuuri.

"Then how does it work, Wolf?" he asked, but the blonde only smiled sadly, shaking his head. He was beginning to fade away, to Yuuri's immense shock and dismay.

"If you don't know that, then I can't tell you. Just know that, while I might fall with you, you'd never fall with me..." And with that, the blonde faded, leaving Yuuri dazed. When he woke up, tears were running down his cheeks. He touched them with befuddled fingertips, and resolved to speak to the only person who could help him tomorrow.

Kazuki was ignoring him, as well as most of the other players on the team. He still showed up for practice obediantly, and he still followed Yuuri's directions to a 't', but he did so only out of duty, and left right after practice, ignoring the teasing from the other boys on the team. He only ever said goodbye to Murata, if the team manager was around, and left to Minashiro's dorm room straight away. Yuuri sought to change that. He caught Kazuki by the arm after practice, ignoring the catcalls from the rest of the team.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked, perhaps sounding a bit desperate. Kazuki blinked, looking reluctant, but the helpless look on Yuuri's face convinced him to nod.

"Sure," he responded, following as Yuuri led him to a private storage shed.

"I... First, I want to apologize. I don't mind your relationship with Minashiro-kun, but I was afraid to stick up for you. I thought I'd lose the team's respect if I did," the team captain admitted, feeling ashamed as he said this, toeing his well-worn sneakers along the dusty ground. Kazuki offered him a somewhat softer look.

"It's okay. You've been raised in Japanese society. So was I, but everything I learned flew out the window as soon as I first saw my Soushi — he was beautiful even when we were children," Kazuki grinned, completely unashamed at how mushy he sounded. "Plus, my father's really accepting, you know? He's known Soushi for a long time, too, and he thinks we're the best couple — Soushi's practically his second son."

This was obviously said to comfort Yuuri, but he felt even worse. After all, his family was accepting, too. His mother loved Wolfram and both Shouri and his father accepted the blonde, too. Only Yuuri was a big, close-minded bigot. He tried to forget this by saying something else.

"How...do you know that you're in love?" Yuuri asked weakly, voice a whisper, and Kazuki blinked, obviously not expecting this.

"Well..." he responded, unsure of how to start, "you think they're beautiful, as soon as you meet them. Your heart always pounds when you're around them. You can't stand to see them hurt, and you'd rather let harm come to yourself than see them cry. But if they do feel sad, you always want to be there for them — to give them a shoulder to cry on."

He seemed almost embarrassed for saying all this, but Yuuri's grateful smile made him feel better.

"Can I ask you one more thing?" Yuuri asked, and Kazuki, bemused, nodded. "What gave you the courage to publicly admit you were gay — what made you choose Minashiro-kun over society?"

Kazuki laughed at this, he couldn't help it. Yuuri blinked in confusion, lost as always.

"What?" Yuuri asked, feeling nervous, embarrassed, and more than a bit paranoid.

"Nothing, Captain. It's just that — I'm not gay, I only love Soushi. It's not like I find you or the rest of the guys attractive, when we're all changing together in the locker rooms. Soushi, on the other hand..." Kazuki trailed off, and Yuuri blushed at his insinuation. But Yuuri had one more thing to ask.

"How does that work — lo-liking only Soushi?" he asked. This was the question he really needed to ask. He had to know. Kazuki smiled softly, face lighting up with understanding.

"Love doesn't work like that, Captain," Kazuki said, and Yuuri swallowed dryly. Wolfram had said the same thing in his dream. "You think I haven't tested my feelings? Granted, I met Soushi when we were both really young, but I met loads of pretty guys and girls afterwards, and I haven't felt a flutter. When you love someone, Captain, you have to forget about everything else, or you can't be with them. Love doesn't compromise."

"Love doesn't compromise?" Yuuri thought, and finally he understood. "Thank you, Makabe-kun. You really helped me out. Now, I'm going to do something I should have done ages ago. Your Captain might be a little dazed for a few days after this. You know how love works." He winked.

"Yeah, Captain," Makabe said with a happy grin, "I do. So I'll be sure to forgive you if a ball hits you in the face."

Yuuri smiled and left, waving to the other boy all the while, and dragged Murata away from his seat in the bleachers.

"Let's go back to Shin Makoku," he told the Sage in a determined, almost Maou-like voice. The other boy looked surprised, but eventually smiled.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he chirped, and for the first time Murata meant it, voice filled with pride rather than sarcasm. The only stop they took was to Yuuri's house, to get something important from his mother.

Wolfram was waiting by the fountain when Yuri and the Sage arrived. Yuuri had to wonder how the blonde knew he'd be coming on that day, but he thought, somewhat guiltily, that Wolfram must have waited daily for him. The blonde looked sad, briefly, until he noticed that Yuuri had arrived. Then, he brightened, though he tried not to show it, much to Murata's amusement.

"Yuuri, you wimp!" the blonde shouted, running over to their side. He took off his blue coat and handed it to the very wet Yuuri. Then he noticed the equally drenched flowers in Yuuri's hand, and faltered, looking almost sad. "Cheating on me again, are you?"

His voice sounded dangerous, but it was a brittle, forced sound.

"He's given up on me," Yuuri realized, feeling depressed. How hadn't he noticed Wolfram's sadness? He only hoped he could still fix things.

"Nope," he said with a cheesy smile, raising the wet roses out of the water. They were a little soggy, but still presentable. "It doesn't count as cheating if I give these to my fiancé, right?"

He handed them to Wolfram, and the blonde blushed brightly.

"You aren't lying, are you?" Wolfram asked suspiciously, and Yuuri shook his head, smiling even wider. "You'd better not be. And look at these roses — completely ruined," he added, trying to sound angry. But his eyes were glowing with a light they hadn't had in years, and his lips were fighting a smile. "Thank you, wimp."

Yuuri grinned. Wolfram didn't even know the half of it yet. He turned to Murata.

"Hey, Murata, as the Great Sage, you can do what I asked before we came, right?" The Sage's following smile was answer enough. He'd do it, and he'd be more than happy to. Yuuri slapped Wolfram, who cried out in surprise, but when that died out, tears filled his beautiful green eyes. By then, all of the castle's dwellers had evacuated to the gardens, to watch this event unfold. Yuuri felt briefly guilty, but all would be resolved, he knew, if he just went ahead with his plan. So he did. He bent down on one knee before the confused wolfram, and took the hand that wasn't touching the bruised cheek in his own. In his other he held a box, which he placed inside his and Wolfram's conjoined palms.

"Wolfram von Bielefeld," he said softly, though loud enough for the people around him to hear. He opened the small box, exposing a simple, yet elegant gold band. "Will you marry me, and stay by my side forever?"

The tears of sadness in Wolfram's eyes were replaced with tears of joy. He nodded happily, apparently unable to speak, a truly amazing feat.

"Yes, Yuuri!" he finally responded, stealing his tongue back from the bear-bees, and his voice was thick with tears. Yuuri grinned, slipping the ring on one of Wolfram's slim fingers. He kissed each finger of the boy's hand after that, before standing up to kiss Wolfram's bruised cheek.

"One as lovely as you should never have been bruised in the first place, and yet I have hurt you twice," he said, in a voice that sounded distinctly like the Maou form's, though he still looked like Yuuri. "I hope you will not mind if I do so again, for the sake of forming a true, marriageable bond between us."

Wolfram only nodded, dumbstruck by this change, and the Maou gently patted his cheek with a strong, cool hand. All pain that existed evaporated, and Wolfram forgot his surroundings, becoming lost in twin pools of obsidian, Yuuri's magic flowing through him. He only closed his eyes when the Maou bent down, capturing Wolfram's lips in his own. Murata, watching the scenario, patted a sad Gwendle's arm comfortingly, but the action was not perceived honestly, for he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes, Your Majesty," thought the Sage, "I'd be honored to be the officiate at your wedding."

A/N: So, what did you guys think? This is my...third, I think, Kyou Kara Maou fanfic. It's YuuRam, obviously, because I love that pairing, and it's pretty fluffy. It also crosses over with Fafner of the Azure. I hope it inspires you to watch Fafner, because it's an awesome anime. Of course, things are a bit more fluffy in this fic than they are in Fafner. But I still recommend it. Fafner is the only anime that made me cry (when Soushi vanished and Kazuki shouted his name was so heartbreaking). Some characters are from Soukyuu no Fafner: Right of Left, which is the equally depressing, though less slashable prequel.

Hypnosis: Go watch Soukuu no Fafner. Go! It's good for you. It's slashable. Go write KazuSou fanfiction. Ship them! Listen to my plea! No, honestly, it's a lovely series, but it's lacking in fans. I hope this will inspire the few people that read to go watch Fafner.

R&R: This took me all day yesterday to write, and a hour of today to fix grammatically, so please leave me some feedback. If you like Kazuki and Soushi, I might write a sequel where they visit Shin Makoku. So please leave me a review. Even if you didn't like something. But no flames, because I thought it was pretty good, and I tried to write it well. Thank you, and happy Valentine's day.