Hello again to people who have read my stories before, and welcome to those joining us for the first time. Hopefully you enjoy! I've started really liking Gunter/Yuri as a couple. Gunter is always taken for granted, and he needs someone to cherish him. Let's hope he finds it! And as always: I don't own the characters, just what I do to them!

It is said that everyone has a soul mate. One person in the entire world to be their match. Gunter Von Christ had stopped believing in that, at least for himself, years ago. In all his nearly three hundred years of existence, he had yest to find "the one." Even Gisela's mother was an unknown since he'd found and adopted the young healer at an early age. Sure he watched as the people around him paired up, but he was always the one on the outside. It was one reason why he was such an emotional man. If he shed a few tears here and there, it wasn't because he felt his heart being crushed every time a friend fell in love. It was just Gunter being himself. No one noticed his tears any longer.

It struck him like a bolt of lightning, then, when the new Maoh appeared out of the blue. True, it had started as mere adoration for his fourteen year old king, but as the years went by, that adoration grew into admiration, and grew further still into an undeniable need to be near the young man. And who could blame him? At twenty years old, Yuri cut an impressive figure. He was tall and lean, well-muscled, and quick to smile. Gunter could feel his nose start to twitch, on the verge of gushing, as he thought of his very grown up king.

An image of the smiling young man popped into Gunter's head. Yuri was nosebleed worthy, but that wasn't the only thing that Gunter fell for. The king had a beautiful heart. He was always thinking of the kingdom and his people's welfare. Also, it was the way that Yuri was able to keep the Maoh in check. The demon king had not been allowed to kill since Yuri took over.

A soft knock sounded on Gunter's office door, interrupting the adjutant's thoughts. He sighed in exasperation. It was very late in the evening, and no one usually bothered him. Gunter always used that time to do things for himself. He was a man that ran on less sleep, so he took advantage of the time when everyone was usually asleep. The knock sounded again. Well, apparently not everyone.

"Enter," Gunter called.

The person on the other side of the door knocked a third time, even louder.

"Enter!" he said with more force. This was getting irritating. When no one responded, he stood and strode quickly to the door yanking it open. A man in all black stood there. With the exception of his eyes, his entire face was covered.

"May I help-" Gunter began.

The man lunged faster than Gunter had seen anyone move in many years. He barely had time to get his maryoku shield in place, narrowly avoiding the man's sword. The assailant lunged again. This time, Gunter was ready for him and was able to parry with his own blade. Gunter was a terror with a sword. His skills were unmatched, and though this man was fast, he had lost his advantage. Gunter was able to disarm the man and knock him to the ground. Before Gunter could call any guards, though, the man had crunched down on a pill hidden between his teeth and fell over, dead. Gunter slumped heavily against the wall. That was the most intense fighting he had done in a long time.

Gunter didn't know how long he had been leaning on the wall when Gwendal came running down the hallway. The man on the floor had long since stopped twitching. The General looked in shock at the dead man and then swung his eyes to Gunter, taking in his friend's haggard appearance.

"Gunter!" Gwendal said, putting a shoulder underneath Gunter's arms and helping him into his office. "What happened here?"

Gunter took a deep breath as he sat down and winced. Apparently he had been injured at some point during his fight. "I don't really know. I was sitting here reading and he came knocking on my door. When I opened it, he attacked." Gunter peeled back his robes and lifted his shirt. A nasty gash stretched from his left shoulder to his left hip. "I didn't think he'd gotten me, but it seems that I've been hurt."

Gwendal hollered for the guards that were stationed down the hallway. "I don't know how the guy got in here. He didn't kill any guards that I noticed on my way here."

"By the way, Gwendal, how did you know to come to me?"

"Oh, I sensed your maryoku being used. It was one of your battle spells, wasn't it."

Gunter nodded, getting weaker as more blood seeped out of his wound. When the guards arrived, Gwendal sent two of them to find and wake Gisela. The other two were sent to check the castle grounds for any signs the intruder may have left. Gwendal knelt down next to Gunter and tried to start cleaning his cut.

"This isn't good, old friend. It's not even trying to stop bleeding. His blade must have had some sort of poison on it."

Gunter grunted. "It's not a surprise. With a sneak attack like that, he had to have fail-safes in place to make sure I died." He let out a small laugh, then winced again.

"Gunter?" a voice called softly from the door.

"H-heika. You're awake. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"Oh good god, Gunter, what happened?!" Yuri rushed over to the adjutant's side, kneeling next to Gwendal. There was a sizable pool of blood on the floor.

"Someone made it in the castle and attacked me. I'm glad to see that you're okay. I guess they weren't after you."

"Gwendal, what can I do to help? This looks bad."

"Gisela is on her way. She should be here soon." Gwendal shook his head. "Unless you know how to stop an unknown poison, then you can't really do anything."

Yuri leaned forward and placed blue-glowing hands on his adviser's ribs. Gunter gasped at the sudden contact and cringed against the painful touch. As Yuri worked, his hands started glowing brighter. Gwendal held Gunter down while their king worked. Gunter arched up out of the chair with a yelp, then collapsed, exhausted. Yuri pulled his hands back and gave the older man a worried look.

"I'm not sure how much that helped. I hope it did something."

Gisela popped in the door at that point. "How is Papa doing?"

"Much... better. Heika took care of me."
"Please check him, still, Gisela. I'm not really a healer. I just let the maryoku do it's thing." Yuri stood back and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Heika, you may not be a healer, but I don't think even I could have done this good of a job on Papa. Thank you, your majesty. We just need to get him to his room." She turned to Gunter with a stern look. "Now, Papa. I know you are going to want to get up and work like usual, but you've lost a lot of blood. I want you resting for at least the next couple of days. If you can't do that, I'll have Uncle Gwendal hold you down on your bed!"

Gunter threw his hands up weakly in defense. "I understand, Darling. I will stay in my room-"

"In your bed," she interrupted.

"Okay," Gunter said with a weak laugh, "in my bed. For a couple of days." He looked over at Yuri. "I apologize, Heika. I won't be of much service to you for a little while."

Yuri had an unreadable look on his face. He walked over to Gunter and put a hand on the older man's arm, concerned about the shiver he felt. "Don't worry about it. I need you healthy, so you should rest for as long as necessary."

Gunter blushed and nodded. He started to stand, but collapsed to the floor before he could take two steps. Gwendal helped him back to his feet, but before he could pick him up, Yuri had swept Gunter into his arms. The older man gasped and blushed even brighter. Yuri moved toward the door, the other occupants in the room staring in shocked silence. Before he left, he turned and smiled timidly.

"Now what kind of king would I be if I couldn't take care of my advisers."

With that Yuri left, making his way to Gunter's room. He could feel the older man's heartbeat pounding against his chest. It was probably just from pain and loss of blood. Yuri bit his lip as he walked. He'd wanted to hold Gunter for the longest time, and couldn't figure out why. Now that he was getting to, it was better than he had hoped. The tall man's frame fit nicely in his arms, and Yuri bit his lip. The younger man could feel Gunter's muscular build through his clothes. He opened his mouth to say something to Gunter, but they had arrived at his room already. Gunter reached out a hand and opened the door.

Yuri had never been inside Gunter's room before, but it was exactly like he'd imagined it hundreds of times. Overstuffed bookshelves lined one entire wall. A chair and lamp sat in one corner by the bookshelves. The window seat had several pillows and a blanket draped across it. Gunter's bed was the last thing Yuri looked at. The bed was perfectly made, not a single wrinkle showed. On the nightstand next to the bed there was a lamp and another stack of books. Yuri stood in indecision in the middle of the room.

"Heika?"

"Huh? Oh."

"You can put me down now, I think."
"Oh! Yeah, okay. Here or on the bed?"

"I think on the window seat if you don't mind," Gunter said a bit breathlessly. It felt so nice to be held by the younger man. When Yuri paused, Gunter looked up and it was almost his undoing. Yuri's lips were just a breath away from his and the younger man's teeth were worrying the lower lip. With just one tiny movement, Gunter could live one of his fantasies. He shook his head mentally, shifting slightly in Yuri's arms. He startled Yuri out of whatever he'd been thinking.

"Window seat? Gotcha." He sat the older man down and felt oddly sad about the loss of contact. Yuri placed a chaste kiss on Gunter's forehead. He couldn't hide his blush, so he turned away quickly and moved toward the door. "If you need anything at all, at any time, just send someone for me. I want to make sure that you'll be fine."

"I should be, Heika. I'm sorry that you had to carry me all this way. I don't mean to be a nuisance."

With his back still turned, Yuri answered, "you'll never be a nuisance to me. I just hope we can figure out why someone wants you dead." His heart lurched at that thought. "Get some rest, Gunter, I'll see you soon," he said before nearly bolting out the door.

o.O.o

Gunter watched his young king leave rather quickly. He dropped his head back on the cushions and placed a hand on his heart, hoping to slow down the pounding. Yuri had carried him all the way here and kissed him! Well, only on the forehead, but still! He felt like a giddy little school boy. He shifted uncomfortably. Yuri hadn't seemed to notice just how much he had affected the older man. Gunter was glad of that. He'd never be able to show his face ever again if the king knew he gave him a hard-on.

He knew it was probably not the best idea, but he really wanted a shower, a cold shower. It was getting more and more difficult to hide his feelings. Gunter made his way carefully to the shower. Heika had healed the wound, but the blood loss couldn't be overcome with anything but time and rest. Gunter let the water run for a while, then stepped in. The shock of the cold water took his breath away. He had been hoping that the cold water would relax him, but the ache between his legs made him groan and drop his head against the wall. He reached down and started stroking, finding release quickly, whispering Yuri's name. After cleaning himself up, Gunter dressed and sat back down on the window seat.

He reached for a sketchpad. Drawing always calmed him down, and it was relaxing, so Gisela couldn't get onto him about it. He let his fingers fly across the page and in minutes, he had drawn the outlines of his assailant. He finished it after a few more minutes. The eyes seemed to pierce right through him. He'd have to get this to Gwendal. First, though, he needed to sleep. His body was shutting down, eyes drifting closed, forcing him to get the rest he needed.

Gwendal popped his head in a couple of hours later to check on his old friend. Gunter had always been able to bounce back from anything, so seeing him sprawled uncomfortably, and very much asleep, on the window seat cushions threw the General for a loop. When he lifted Gunter to put him in bed, a paper slipped from his fingers. Gunter woke up with a jolt, first flashing a smile, then a frown at Gwendal.

"I'm sorry, Gunter, I thought you'd be more comfortable on your bed."

"No, no it's not that, I just," Gunter sighed, "I was having a wonderful dream and thought when I woke up that maybe it wasn't a dream."

"I see. Were you expecting it to be Heika carrying you?"

Gunter pushed until Gwendal stood him on the floor. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Gunter, how long have we been friends? I've known about your feelings for Yuri-Heika for quite some time." He paused and gave the lavender haired mazoku an odd smile. "You've changed, old friend. There's a lightness to your step and a brightness to your eyes that I don't think I've ever seen."

"I shouldn't love him," Gunter whispered. "He just took me by surprise."

"I think he's surprised all of us. We were expecting either someone as carefree as my mother, or someone as harsh as my uncle. Yuri is neither of those, and it was a shock. I myself kept wondering when the boy's soft heart would finally destroy the country. He's proven to be the best king we could have ever imagined."

"I know. And I know that everyone loves him, but why do I have to be in love with him. I've always been alone. I've gotten used to it. I never thought I'd find somebody. Of course with my luck, I have to fall in love with the king, and one who has shown no interest in getting married. He broke up with Wolfram a few years ago and hasn't made any advances toward anyone since."

He walked over and sat down on his bed. Gwendal followed, dropping an arm around his shoulders. "The worst part about being in love, is being in love alone."

"Maybe you could try talking to him. He has a huge amount of respect for you, he even cares about you. Who knows, maybe Heika even loves you in return."

Gunter dropped back on the bed. His energy had finally been depleted. "Yeah, that kind of thing only happens in my dreams."

Gwendal watched as his friend's eyes closed, and he fell into a troubled sleep. Poor Gunter. Why did this kind of thing have to happen to such a wonderful person. Gunter always took care of everyone else, never thinking about his own welfare. He needed someone that would take care of him and keep him from overdoing it.

o.O.o

The next morning, Yuri made his way slowly down to the baths. They had been unsuccessful in finding any information about the man that made it all the way in to Gunter's office. One of the guards had been poisoned with the same substance that had affected Gunter, but that was the only other clue. It was as though the man were a shadow, but his very obvious corpse proved that he was real.

"Hey, kiddo," Yozak called from the shadows before joining Yuri on his way to the baths.

"Oh god, Yozak, I didn't see you there."

"Well, that's the point, isn't it? I'd be a terrible spy if people saw me."

"I suppose that's true," Yuri said with a laugh. They walked on in silence for a while longer before Yozak spoke up again.

"So I hear you're the one that carried Gunter-sama to his room."

Yuri blushed and rubbed his cheek. "Yeah, he wasn't able to walk very well on his own, so I helped him."

"Oh, ho! What's with the red face? Maybe it wasn't just to help the old guy that you carried him."

"I don't know what you mean. And Gunter isn't that old."

"You mean you didn't have ulterior motives?"

"I-I don't know. Should I not have carried him? I mean, Gwendal was there and all, and I know he could have, but I'm the king and I just wanted to take care of one of my people. Gunter has done a lot for me that I've never shown appreciation for and I just wanted to make sure he was going to be okay."

"Don't worry, Heika, you didn't do anything inappropriate." Then he added almost to himself, "though I do wonder how Gunter-sama took it."

"What?"

"It's not my place to say, kiddo. I'm just glad you're not engaged to the bratling anymore. Here we are."

The baths were a safe haven for Yuri. It was here that he could soak away the day's troubles and relax away from everything. He would sometimes soak for what felt like hours, just thinking though his problems. Today he had a major one and it came in the form of a mazoku with beautiful lavender hair and amethyst colored eyes.

For the first few years after he came to Shin Makoku, he avoided Gunter like the plague. The man would crush him to his chest every time he returned from a trip. He cried at the slightest thing. Worst of all, his lectures would last for hours about things that Yuri didn't understand. For the last several months, though, Yuri found himself enjoying the lectures because he could sit and listen to Gunter's smooth, sexy voice for hours. The tears he had gotten used to. As for the hugs, just remembering the feel of the adjutant's arms around him made his heart flutter. He found himself returning the hugs.

Yuri had completely forgotten that Yozak was bathing with him until the spy wandered over and offered to wash his back and he accepted before continuing his thoughts. He felt breathless every time Gunter smiled at him. Lately, though, Gunter had been avoiding him. He hadn't sought out Yuri if he was late for lessons, and even more recently, had refrained from his nearly bone crushing hugs.

"Yozak," Yuri began.

"Yes, Heika?"

"Has something happened lately to make Gunter want to stay away from me?"

"You mean, why has he been leaving you alone?" Yuri nodded. "I think you're going to have to bring that up with Gunter-sama. It's not my place to say, if something has happened between you two."

"Yeah, I guess that's best. Wait, did something happen? No, don't answer that. Thanks, Yozak. I, well, I think I'll just head off to breakfast."

Yozak watched as Yuri pulled himself out of the bath and wrapped a towel around his waist before taking the secret tunnel to his chambers. The kid was so oblivious to Gunter's feelings, as well as to his own. That overly emotional mazoku had loved the king from the beginning. Yozak slowly climbed out of the bath, thinking about what could be done to get them together. First, though, would be the problem of finding out who, and with what, had poisoned that guard, and why they wanted Gunter-sama dead.

o.O.o

Yuri paced the castle hallways later that night. He had been unable to sleep. Thoughts pounded through his skull like a tidal wave on the coast. Who was after Gunter and why? What did Yozak know that he wasn't sharing with Yuri? Why was Gunter leaving him alone lately? And what in the name of Shino did Yuri feel for Gunter?!

His path took him right by the hallway that led to Gunter's room. Yuri very nearly turned to go that way, but stopped. It was too late at night to bother his teacher. Instead, he leaned up against the wall and swiped his hand over his face. It was hard to deny that he felt something for the older man, but what exactly he did feel remained hidden.

A stray thought struck Yuri. He pushed off the wall and made for his office at a brisk pace. Whatever his feelings for Gunter, nothing would come of it if he got hurt. Or worse, if he got killed. They had to find the people behind the attack, and Yuri was a man with a purpose.

So there we have it. Who's after Gunter? Will Yuri find out? Please review and let me know what you think. See you all in chapter 2!