Disclaimer : I don't own Kyo Kara Maoh. It belongs to Tomo Takabayashi.
Rating : PG13
Warnings : Shonen-ai/Boys' Love
Pairings : Shinou/Murata, Conrad/Yuri.
Notes : This was written for a dA group's "Sweet and Steamy Valentine's Day Contest".

italics = thoughts
bold= flashback

"Murata! You're early!"

"Yes … is that a problem, Shibuya?"
Murata, always polite, started to back out of the bathroom.
"I can take a walk and come back later."

"No, don't! My mum would ask too many questions."
Yuri grinned sheepishly, put down the toilet lid, and patted it invitingly.
"Take a seat? I will come back for you, real fast!"

Yuri, in his haste, knocked his elbow against the sink and dropped the plastic box, spilling its contents. Murata helped pick up the items without comment, handing them to the blushing Yuri. He watched in silence as Yuri stepped into the filled bathtub, and was sucked into the swirling waters.

Murata sank down on the toilet seat. There he was, completely nonplussed by the fact that his schoolmate had just used a bathtub as a portal to another world. Yet it surprised him that Yuri had brought six Valentine Day's cards with him.

Shibuya is going to profess love for SIX people?
Wolfram? Conrad? Gunter … who else?

His watch said Yuri's been gone five minutes. Time flowed differently in the other world. Five minutes earth-time was plenty of time for Yuri to use that little red box of Valentine-themed … Murata removed his glasses and pressed his flushed face against the cool ceramic sink.

You've just turned sixteen, Shibuya Yuri!

Murata sighed heavily.

And I'm fifteen.
Stop dwelling on those memories, Murata Ken!
They are four thousand years old, and not even mine!

[Flashback]

Murata said goodnight to Yuri, and made his way down the palace corridors. When he had first announced that he would put up at Shinou Temple instead of the palace, Yuri was the only one surprised. Everyone else expected that Daikenja would keep Shinou's ghost company.

His footsteps slowed to a halt as he came abreast with the two paintings. Blonde, blue-eyed, and cockily handsome, Shinou grinned from the canvas. Next to that was Daikenja, black hair, black eyes, and beyond beautiful. Likened to the sun and the moon, these two young demons sealed the evil Soushu in the Four Forbidden Boxes, brought temporary peace to their world, and came to be known as Shinou, The Original King, and Daikenja, The Great Sage.

They finally met up again as planned, four thousand years later, to do what they were not strong enough to accomplish. Yuri, the reincarnation of Shinou, and Murata, the reincarnation of Daikenja, finally destroyed Soushu.

Murata sighed softly, turning to continue his walk to Shinou Temple. And so the world was saved. But the loose ends had become somewhat complicated …

"Daikenja! Your Eminence!"
Ulrike looked distraught, and very different from her usual High Priestess self.
"Shinou … he …"
Her young face flushed.
"… please make him stop, Your Eminence."

Murata rolled his eyes in exasperation, confident that his lenses would conceal that un-sagely act from the High Priestess. Once again, Murata Ken, Daikenja-incarnate, was called upon to play baby-sitter to a bored and energetic ghost! After Shinou's last prank of possessing Wolfram and making him kiss Yuri, he had been far from contrite, muttering that there was nothing to do, now that the world had already been saved.

Not knowing what to expect, Murata pushed open the heavy doors cautiously. He stared, and then hastily angled his glasses to hide his eyes.
"I didn't know that ghosts could do that."

Shinou grinned unabashedly.
"Neither did I. This new energy level has its benefits."

"Couldn't you at least erect …"
Murata blushed, cursing himself for his choice of words.
"…put up a thought barrier? You know that Ulrike and the temple maidens pick up your thoughts."

"Ah, I forgot. The barrier's up now."
The voice became teasing.
"Oh-ho, now all the priestesses have seen you unclothed."

"Stop it. I'm not your Daikenja. I'm not your lover. I'm fifteen years old! Please cover yourself."

Shinou didn't exactly do that. He shimmered, dissipated, and reformed again, fully clothed.
"Sorry."

"Apology accepted. Goodnight."

"Wait. You're returning to your world tomorrow morning?"

Murata nodded.

"Take pity on a retired ghost, and forgo a bit of sleep, won't you? Ulrike is so reverent, I feel positively dead."

"Self-awareness isa virtue, even for a ghost."

"Haha. That reminds me … I'm going transparent for a bit."

Murata climbed onto one of the Forbidden Boxes, as was his habit when he spent time with Shinou, back when Shinou's presence could only be felt in this room of the temple.
"Right …"
He smiled, stretching out on the box.
"… your Power Save Mode."

The ghostly outline squatted next to the reclining boy.
"Earth-term?"

"Yes. Too difficult to explain. It means to be in an energy-saving state. I'm going to do that now. You don't mind talking to closed eyes, do you?"

"Nope. In any case, half the time I don't get to see your eyes, just two reflecting glass discs. Hmmm, since you're not trying to see anything, how about taking off your glasses?"

"Fine, if it pleases you to watch my eyelids."
Murata felt a warm hand on his forehead.
"What? Are you corporeal again?"

"Only my right hand, the rest of me is still transparent."

"A disembodied hand. Totally freakish. I'm glad my eyes are shut."

The hand moved to cup Murata's crown gently.
"What's it like in there? Do you remember everything about your past lives? Are you able to differentiate those memories from your own?"
Shinou's voice was tender.
"I'm sorry to have placed such a burden on you."

Murata took a while to answer. The gentle hand, the warmth in Shinou's voice, the intimacy of the moment … he felt like a fool, and dangerously close to crying.

"It's like watching a movie. The details are all there, but everything feels one step removed. But that doesn't mean I don't feel the emotions … I'm a sucker for sad movies, that's why I always watch them on my own. It's not quite the thing for boys to cry at the movies."

"What's a movie?"

"Moving images that tell a story. I can't think of any equivalent in this world. What I was trying to say is that the inherited memories and emotions don't feel the same as my own. I can tell the difference."

I can tell the difference between Daikenja and myself.
But can you?

They remained quiet for a bit, with Shinou's hand resting lightly on Murata's closed lids. Shinou's thumb caught the tear that slipped out from under the dark lashes.

[End of flashback]

Getting up from the toilet seat, Murata ran the tap, and splashed cold water on his face. Shinou was right, the world, that world, had already been saved, they were retired. Murata's job was done, he had no more need to piggyback along when Yuri opened the portal to that world.

The Great Plan, put together by Daikenja and Shinou four thousand years ago, was born out of desperation. Two years after the sealing of Soushu, Shinou revealed to his lover the reason he never exposed his right arm, not even when they made love. Soushu had infected his right hand when he had quartered the evil entity with his sword. The evil spread, defiling his arm, changing his personality, giving rise to bouts of anger and paranoia. Shinou gave up his life and sealed the evil that infected him within his own soul, in the hope that there will be one among his future incarnations strong enough to destroy Soushu completely.

Daikenja's role was to guide the Shinou-incarnate when the time was right. As such, Daikenja needed to retain his memories throughout his many lifetimes. Shinou's soul was split. His memories, and the sealed evil within his soul, remained as a ghost in Shinou Temple, while the rest of his soul went through the cycle of reincarnation. Shinou's ghost was to select the right Shinou-incarnate, the one strong enough to destroy Soushu.

Yuri was the chosen king, and he was brought from earth to fulfill his duty. He had the demon power, the right personality, but no knowledge of his past lives. Murata, his schoolmate on earth, carried the burden of full knowledge. Yuri surpassed all expectations. He destroyed Soushu, without having to obliterate Shinou's ghost that was bound to it.

Shinou's ghost not only found himself still existent, but more energetic than he ever had been. His energy was released from the burden of keeping Soushu sealed.

And so we are left with a retired, bored, over-charged horny ghost!

Murata sighed, re-seating himself.

And then there's me, perched on a toilet bowl, waiting for Yuri to return, just so as to see a ghost!
A confused ghost who can't even tell the difference between me and his long-dead lover.

The usual welcoming party was there when they emerged from the pool in Shinou Temple. Gunter as always threw himself upon the soaking Yuri with his "I miss you so much, Your Majesty!"; Wolfram sniffed and commented "Must you make two trips in such a short time, you wimp?"; and the ever-reliable Conrad with his for-Yuri-only smile handed them dry warm towels.

Toweling his hair, Murata observed Yuri laughing good-naturedly as his retainers fussed over him. Nothing appeared changed. Did Yuri really use the Valentine's Day stuff he brought over?

"Can I borrow him?"

His room was transformed. Four clashing shades of pinks, countless red hearts, yards of lace, a long-stemmed red rose tied with a pink ribbon, a teddy bear, a heart-shaped cake, a three-by-two feet giant card … and every imaginable tacky Valentine's Day must-have-icons. To buy time while he thought of something to say, Murata picked up the slip of paper next to the cake.

I implore you, Your Eminence, accept his love!
Give meaning to my sacrifice!
My body violated! My will subdued! My skills borrowed!
Possessed by a lusty ghost for two hours, to labour over this cake!
That smudge in the icing was an accident, brought about by a mental image of Your Eminence that I cannot bring myself to describe in words, no doubt courtesy of the one who possessed me!
Your servant, Gunter von Christ

The note attached to the teddy bear was along the same lines, but a whole lot more clipped and threatening, by the dour Gwendal von Voltaire.

"You did what?"

"Time constraint. I needed baking and sewing skills, fast. But I did ask, nicely."

Gesturing at the rest of the Valentine paraphernalia, Murata asked,
"And how many other hapless demons did you possess to make all that?"

"Anissina gathered the materials, and Yuri provided the cards from earth as reference, but I did everything else."
He grinned uncertainly.
"So then, Murata Ken, how did I do?"

Shinou wrapped his limbs around the pyjamas-clad boy.
"You're so small. Daikenja must have lost considerable mass in reincarnating."

"I'm not done growing!"
The round lenses flashed.
"At least, I hope not."

"But seriously, Murata Ken, thank you for accepting that I can't help but see him in you sometimes. You are so much like him, and yet completely different."

"I see. That explains why you have to insert 'Murata Ken' into every other sentence!"
Murata chuckled.
"Are you planning on calling out my full name in the throes of passion?"

Laughing, Shinou retorted.
"I don't see the point of speculating that far into the future!"

Murata snuggled closer.
"Thank you for agreeing to wait."

"Not a problem. I'll use that time to think of new moves."

"Moves?"

"You have Daikenja's memories, so you already know all my best moves!"

"How many ways can there be to do it? Never mind the novelty factor. It's not important."

"It is to me. I want our first sexual encounter to be unique to you, not a rehash of a Daikenja 'movie' you watched."

Murata was silent for a full thirty seconds.
"You are so silly, but so sweet."

Shinou ruffled Murata's hair absently.
"Hmmm … I'm a ghost … there must be things I can do now that I couldn't do before …"

"Just so you know, I don't fancy having your disembodied head attached to my member …"

"… or my disembodied member pounding into you!"

They both burst out laughing, clutching each other for support.

"How about if I possessed you?"

"Notwithstanding the fact that you would be inside me, that still doesn't count as a sexual encounter."

"It's up to us to make it so. To share one body, to share the sensual caresses as my will guides your hands … does that sound sexy enough, Murata Ken?"

Murata looked into the blue eyes just inches from his own.
"Too sexy."

The blue eyes widened in comprehension. Shinou adjusted his position, bringing his eyes level with Murata's pyjamas pants.
"I take back what I said earlier."

"What?"

"Daikenja's mass didn't diminish through reincarnation. It's just … differently distributed."
Shinou whistled softly.
"Magnificent. So what do we do now, Murata Ken?"

Murata smiled ruefully at the newly-materialized Shinou.
"Sorry about that. Where did you go?"

"To visit Yuri."

"Oh, you returned the little red box."

"Yuri didn't hand me any box."

"Oh …"
That must have been for Yuri's own use afterall.
"Never mind. What were you about to say?"

"I went to update Yuri as he was concerned about how you'd react to that overdose of Valentine tackiness."

"Shibuya told you?"

"Warned me, yes, but I figured this over-hyped lover's festival from your world would be the perfect way to show that it's you I love now. Daikenja's the past, you're the present."
Leaning over threateningly, Shinou asked,
"Murata Ken, you did get that message, didn't you?"

"Actually, I didn't."

"If you weren't such a comfortable bolster, I wouldn't even be hugging you now."
Shinou wrapped himself around Murata.
"Happy Valentine's Day, for whatever it's worth."

"It's worth lots and lots. Valentine's Day will never be the same again."
Murata poked at the firm chest through the nightshirt.
"Amazing … you feel so real. Don't go into Power Save Mode until after I've fallen asleep, please?"

"Got it."
He removed the glasses gently, placing them on the bedside table.
"Goodnight, Murata Ken."

The response came back slurred.
"… night … I'm in love with a ghost …"

"Murata's in love with a ghost, he doesn't need it."
Yuri bit his lip.
"You still don't get it? Shinou's physical body is not real. It doesn't need food or water. It has no diseases to transmit. It can't get a girl pregnant – not that that is relevant in this case …"

Conrad got it, finally. When that little red box fell out of Yuri's pocket, he had picked it up, saw what it was, laughed, and said that Yuri's forgetfulness was going to ruin things for the lovebirds. Yuri's inexplicable response of first turning white, then red, then looking like he was about to burst into tears finally made sense.

"Give it back to me."
Yuri snatched the box from Conrad's hand, turned, and walked away.

Conrad cursed his own obtuseness. They had sat on the two-seater bench, drank light wine, and talked under the moonlight for two hours, and it didn't hit him why Yuri had seemed tense beneath the casual banter.

He caught up with Yuri, and embraced him.
"Yuri …"

"It's alright, Conrad. You don't have to say anything."

Conrad held Yuri tighter, and buried his face in Yuri's hair.
"You must know that I'm yours. I will always be waiting, for when you are ready. There is no need to rush it."

"I am so afraid to lose you. I want my first time to be with you, even if you can't stay with me."

"Why would you lose me? I've promised never to leave your side."

"I've been having nightmares. I'm back on earth, and I can't open the portal."
Yuri turned around to look at Conrad with panicked eyes.
"Why were our worlds connected, Conrad? Because I had a task to do here. My task is done. Will the connection be broken? If that happens when I'm back on earth, I'll never see you again."

"You're right. I've been too complacent, taking it for granted that you will always be crossing between our two worlds."
He smiled at Yuri.
"I reiterate my promise: I will never leave your side. I will cross worlds with you every single time. That way, if and when the connection breaks, we'll still be together, no matter which world we are on."

"But, Conrad …"

"I've lived in your world before, I know it well, I can find my way about … maybe even better than you."
Conrad took the little red box out of Yuri's hand, and grinned.
"Like this, for example."

Yuri blinked, and grinned idiotically.
"Uh .. you surely don't mean you can put that on faster than I can?"

Laughing, Conrad shook his head.
"Of course not. I meant, these fancy-themed ones only come in standard size."

"There are sizes?"
Yuri's eyes were as large as saucers.
"I didn't notice that, even for the regular ones … but of course I was too busy trying to make sure I wasn't seen by anyone I know …"

"Convenience stores only stock standard size."
Conrad smirked, and winked meaningfully.
"I'm beyond standard size."

Yuri clamped his hands over his very red ears.
"You shouldn't be telling me this!"

Laughing softly, Conrad pulled at Yuri's hands.
"See? I knew you weren't ready for intimacy … never mind that you've saved the world!"

"You're always making fun of me."
Yuri grinned good-naturedly.
"Alright then, Sir Conrad Weller, prepare to receive your king's orders."

Conrad bowed elaborately before prostrating himself at Yuri's feet. Yuri placed his right hand on his retainer's head. The hand twitched.

"Damn, I can't think of any ready-made proverbs for this! Whatever. A king must never be made to wait. Readiness to serve is a knight's greatest duty. Make sure you buy your own size the next time we're on earth."

The grinning knight caught his king's hand and pulled him down. They lay on the ground, holding hands, looking up at the stars.

"I await the day when I can serve you in bed, Your Majesty."

Shinou watched as Murata settled into sleep. What he had overheard shocked him so much he couldn't think straight at that point. He needed Murata to be in deep sleep. He needed to warn Yuri not to voice his concern to Murata. Unlike Conrad, Shinou didn't have the option of crossing over to earth. And he couldn't let Murata abandon earth, not when his existence as a ghost was dependent on factors not within his own control.

Murata's eyes flew open.
"My glasses. Where did you put them?"

Reaching for the bedside table, Shinou asked,
"What happened to sleeping?"

"Sit up, you dishonest ghost."

Shinou did so, studying Murata's expression, and realizing that he was serious.
"I have never lied to you."

"When I first noticed your heightened energy level, you said it's because you no longer needed to seal Soushu."

"Yes, but that's the truth."

"Not the whole truth. Everything clicked as I was drifting into sleep. The other reason is that your popularity is currently at a peak. Yuri's destruction of Soushu has revived the four-thousand-year-old back story."

Shinou sighed softly.
"As to be expected of The Great Sage. How did you figure that out, Murata Ken? Daikenja didn't know that truth about ghosts. Neither did I when I was alive."

"The first thing that bothered me was what I read in the Archives. Three thousand years ago, Shinou Temple launched what can only be described as a popularity campaign. Shinou Temple effectively means you, since the priestesses hear your voice and carry out your bidding. As to be expected of you, you never fail in your undertakings. The citizens of Shin Makoku revered you. Your name was constantly on everyone's tongue, even at the expense of Daikenja, whose deeds became overshadowed by yours. Shinou Temple tripled the number of priestesses in service to you. Young maidens from all over Shin Makoku arrived for a chance to devote their lives to you. Children sang your name in praise when they played the game 'Shinou-ed Away'. "

Murata half-smiled.
"Self-promotion didn't sound anything like the man Daikenja remembered, nor anything like the ghost I fell in love with."

Shinou reached for Murata, but was stopped by the latter's upheld hand.

"Let me finish. The second thing is your dependency on Shinou Temple. Outside of the temple grounds, you can only materialize as a one-foot tall miniature. The third clue is your Power Save Mode. That was totally out of character; I mean, for the you that was alive. I thought it amusing - a man who never saved for a rainy day suddenly becomes a ghost who's obsessed with thrift."

Murata stopped, and looked sadly at the ghost seated opposite him.
"Why didn't you tell me? That your existence depends on people thinkingabout you? If the citizens of Shin Makoku forgot you, you cease to exist. You must have been terrified three thousand years ago, when you felt your energy level drop."

"I was terrified, and alone. I needed Daikenja, I needed my strategist, but at that point in his reincarnation, I could not access him. I was paralysed with fear, and saw our great plan crumbling. If I ceased to exist, or even if I weakened too much, the seal on Soushu would be broken."

"What snapped you out of it?"

Shinou's eyes were far away when he answered.
"The song. Daikenja's happy song, as he called it. He hummed the song, the tune rather, when we had time to take a break and spend half a day in the hills."

Murata thought it best if he kept silent. He waited for Shinou to return to the present.

"Sorry …"

"Don't be."
He looked at Shinou's face and asked gently.
"You have a question, don't you?"

"Did Daikenja have words to go with that tune? He would never answer when I ask."

"Yes and no. He 'sang' it with words, but the words were spontaneous, and ever-changing. But they always celebrated life … and you."
Murata smiled.
"In essence, the lyrics you chose for the children's song 'Shinou-ed Away' fitted Daikenja's tune perfectly. He would have been amused. And proud of you. You did well, even without your strategist."

Shinou smiled and said simply,
"Thank you, Murata Ken."

The smile wavered and disappeared.
"I'm not sure that Daikenja would have been proud of all that I did. I had to triple the priestesses. They are selected for their strong demon powers. Their thoughts, prayers, devotion, all serve to sustain me."
The blue eyes became shadowed with guilt.
"It is an entirely self-serving exercise, but I had no other choice. The plan needed to be carried out."

Murata crawled forward on the bed and embraced Shinou.
"And now that the plan has been carried out, you know that after an initial spike in popularity, Shin Makoku will slowly forget you. Even if you could try to revive your popularity, I know you wouldn't, because you feel it's not justified anymore. You go into Power Save Mode at every opportunity, to last a little longer."
He pulled away from the embrace to smile crookedly at Shinou.
"And yet you would waste energy pleasuring yourself!"

Shinou returned the same crooked smile.
"That's only because it's you! Actually, everything is because of you. If I hadn't fallen for you, I would have closed Shinou Temple after the destruction of Soushu. The only reason I want to last a little longer is to be with you. Therefore I'll let the legend of Shinou die a natural death."

"So when were you planning to tell me about your endangered existence? Before or after we have sex?"

There was a long silence before Shinou answered.
"Before, that way you can make an informed decision. I ... I wasn't planning on disclosing how I felt about you. I just wanted to enjoy your company while I still existed. But when you cried, I thought maybe it would hurt less if you knew I love you … I'm sorry, this is turning out to be the worst Valentine's Day possible. I'm sorry about everything."

"That decides it. I'm staying."

Shinou stared at Murata.
"What are you talking about?"

"Yuri believes that the link between our two worlds would disappear, now that our task here has been carried out. I will make one last trip to earth to settle things. After which I will stay put here. I can't risk being on earth when the link breaks."

"No. I'm likely to stop existing in a few years. Even so-called heroic legends will be forgotten as life goes on. I will not let you abandon your home world to be widowed before you even reach adulthood."

Murata threw the pillow at Shinou.
"On top of being dishonest, you are utterly stupid!"

"Huh?"

"How do you plan on stopping me? Commit ghost-suicide by using up all your energy?"

"Uh … maybe?"

"It won't work, not when I won't allow it. You said you can only exist when there are people thinking about you. The reverse should hold true – you can't cease to exist so long as there are people thinking about you. And I won't just be casually thinking, I will be willing you to exist. You can't win."
Murata had to laugh at Shinou's expression.
"Got you there, didn't I?"

Shinou laughed, shrugging.
"And that's why you're The Great Sage, and I'm only the heroic King. There's no way I can out-strategize my strategist!"

"Another thing. You will not need as much energy as before. You will not need to seal Soushu. You will not need to perform great feats like opening the portal between the two worlds, now that Yuri has learnt to do that. Like you said, you are retired."
Murata smiled.
"And like the good retiree that you are, you have already begun to exist frugally with your Power Safe Mode."

Taking Shinou's hand in his, Murata continued gently.
"When Shin Makoku forgets you, when Shinou Temple falls into ruins and the priestesses have left, I will need help. My thoughts alone will most likely barely sustain you. I will tell the truth to a trusted few with strong demonic powers. Is that alright with you?"

"I hate accepting charity!"
Shinou frowned, gnawed his lip, and finally nodded grudgingly.
"It's alright. It's still more ethical than making young maidens live in seclusion just to worship me."

Murata gave Shinou's hand a squeeze.
"Would you rather not exist? I need an honest answer."

Shinou gave his love a long, accusatory look.
"Of course I want to exist – you promised sex, Murata Ken!"

Fluffing the pillow, Murata grumbled,
"I have to fall in love with the horniest ghost in Shin Makoku …"

"And the sexiest."
Shinou wrestled Murata down onto the bed.

[The End]

Notes

(1) All the facts on Shinou and Daikenja's past and reincarnation are canon except:

(a) The explanation for the split in Shinou's soul is my supposition based on the fact that there appears to be TWO Shinou souls – the one we see as Shinou's ghost, and the one that resides in Yuri.
(b) The assumption that Shinou's energy level increased after Sousho was destroyed seems logical, and would tie in nicely with Shinou's ghost being only a presence/voice heard by the priestesses and Murata before Sousho's destruction, and appearing as a corporeal entity (in the 3rd Season of the anime, Murata threw a box over Shinou's ghost and kept him "prisoner") after Sousho's demise.
(c) It was not explicitly shown that Shinou and Daikenja were lovers.

(2) The movie analogy is canon. When Murata used that analogy, Shinou's ghost was not present – so there's no contradiction to have him say that to Shinou in this fanfic! ^_^

(3) Shinou's prank of possessing Wolfram and kissing Yuri is canon.

(4) It is canon that Gunter bakes (cookies) and Gwendal sews stuff toys (that no one can recognize for what they're supposed to represent).

(5) Shinou's Power Safe Mode habit (and his freakish disembodied hand) is my own

(6) The premise that ghosts are sustained by the thoughts of the living is totally non-canon. Only two things in that segment (after the Conrad/Yuri conversation) are canon. The first is Shinou's dependency on Shinou Temple – he can only manage to materialize a doll-sized body when he's not on Temple grounds. The second is the children's game "Shinou-ed Away" – Yuri played that game in an attempt to get the ten nobles to know him better. The lyrics are along the lines of "When there's sunshine, there's Shinou …" – you get the drift, right? ^_^

(7) The episode in which Ulrike's spirit (freed from her body when she ran a high fever) rebelled against the cloistered life of a priestess gave me the idea about Shinou's guilt at using the priestesses.