Disclaimer: I own a blender, but not KKM. :( I wouldn't mind trading though!
Beta: Jessica (puppy_sariel at lj)
Chapter dedicated to: qwertyuiop and Sayoko Bizen who asked for another chapter. :)

Title: Reverie
Author: EggDropSoup

Chapter 2: Trance

Yuuri surfaced in the large pool of the royal baths, his head spinning as he took in a deep breath.

His lungs burned as he coughed and sputtered, drawing in huge gulps of air. He could never get used to the feeling. No matter how many times he traveled between worlds. He shook his head, hoping to clear his mind of the disorientation and vertigo.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty." Yuuri lifted his gaze to see Conrad smiling kindly at him from the ledge of the bath. In his arms were a towel and a change of clothes.

Exhaling noisily, Yuuri stood up straighter and waded to the shallows. He climbed up the steps, making sure not to slip on the wet tiles. "It's 'Yuuri', Conrad. Yuuuuurrrrri." He sounded out with exasperation as he tugged his shirt over his head before kicking off his ruined sneakers and peeling off his jeans. He accepted the towel and began ruffling his hair with it before running it over his shoulders and chest. "You're the one who named me after all."

"Yes, Yuuri." Conrad smiled back at him, eyes twinkling with amusement while Yuuri exchanged the damp towel for his patented school uniform.

"Good," Yuuri said as he adjusted his uniform, straightening out the creases from its being folded and making sure not to miss any buttons. "And don't forget it."

"Certainly."

Smiling and finally dry, Yuuri turned around and noticed his surroundings. It had never been this quiet when he had returned from Earth many times before. There were no enthusiastic hugs from Gunter, no angry scowls from Gwendal…

"Where is everyone?"

"Well, it is very late. Everyone in the castle is asleep. We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

"I see." Yuuri frowned as he walked beside Conrad. He couldn't help but feel slightly put off. He was the King, wasn't he? Of course, he didn't want people tripping over themselves or going out of their way, but the quiet didn't help him feel any less lonely.

"Do not worry." The ever observant Conrad caught his change in demeanor. "When they see you're back I'm sure they'll all gladly welcome you with high spirits."

"I-It's not that!" Yuuri stammered quickly. "I'm not mad or anything, it's just..."

"You were expecting someone?"

"Yeah, it's weird to not see Wolfram here." Yuuri laughed sheepishly and raised an arm up to scratch the back of his head. "He's usually the first one to latch on to me. I guess I'm so used to him being around and yelling at me that I've come to anticipate it."

"I'm sure Wolfram's absence is nothing to be concerned about." Conrad quickly reassured him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, ushering him into the hallway.

"He's probably already fast asleep by now."

Yuuri felt his lips twitch at that. Wolfram was well-known as a deep sleeper. Nothing ever seemed to stir the blonde from his slumber, no matter what activity was going on around him. The moment Wolfram closed his eyes; he became dead to the world.

'Like a hot-headed sleeping beauty', Yuuri thought wryly to himself as they reached the doors of the royal bedchamber.

"Well, I guess I might as well try to get some sleep too." Yuuri mused as he pushed the doors open. "I'll see you in the morning, Conrad."

"Goodnight, Yuuri." His godfather smiled at him and turned to take his leave.

Yuuri let the doors swing closed behind him as he walked the short distance to the bed, happily jumping onto it. "Finally, I have this bed all to myself," he sighed as he spread out beneath the covers. The cool sheets felt nice against his skin.

He was confident that he would sleep peacefully. Wolfram was asleep somewhere else and he wouldn't have to worry about him sneaking into his bed. Or waking up to find his body covered in bruises or large welts. Sometimes he'd even woken up on the floor, being kicked off the bed when Wolfram went into another one of his sleeping tirades. Greta was no better. It was amazing how similar Wolfram and Greta were in their violent sleeping habits.

He turned on his side, facing the now empty place beside him. What was he doing? Wasn't he supposed to be excited at having his bed back? He should be feeling elated! But now, the only thing he was sure of was that uncomfortable feeling again, the agitation that spurned thoughts and images of Wolfram in his mind.

Yuuri began to toss and turn uncomfortably, becoming restless. It was Wolfram's fault, he decided. All those years of sleeping together in the same bed had unintentionally become some sort of routine for him. And now that he was without the comfort, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get any sleep at all.

Sighing, Yuuri kicked off the covers and jumped down from the bed. Maybe if he got a drink of water or walked around a bit, that'd help to alleviate his anxiety?

He left the room and continued to walk down the hall, his eyes trained unhappily to the floor. He turned a right and all but ran Anissina over. They collided like two trains on a track and the books Anissina was carrying clattered to the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Yuuri apologized and began to help her gather up her materials. "It was my fault; I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's quite alright, Your Majesty." The inventor smiled kindly at him as she picked up the last book and Yuuri handed her the ones he had collected.

"You're back early," she observed. "Did you enjoy your time on Earth?"

"Yes, it was nice to spend some time with my parents."

"That's nice. Now that you're back, would you mind trying out my latest invention?" She bounced eagerly, already formulating the outcomes of what could happen with her experiments in her head. "It's called Show-Me-What-You're-Thinking-Kun. It can read the thoughts of any person!"

"Uh, no thanks." Yuuri raised his hands in an attempt to mollify her enthusiasm. Sometimes Anissina's personality was too much for him to handle. "By the way, have you seen Wolfram?"

"Wolfram?"

"Yeah, he's not in the room. He didn't even greet me when I came back. I can't seem to find him anywhere."

"Hmm...." She lowered the books in her arms to rest at her hip. "If he's not there then he could be in his old room."

"You mean the barracks?" Yuuri frowned. "But why would he choose to sleep there?"

"Perhaps he thought there was no point in staying in the royal bed chambers if you weren't there?" She offered. "Either way, I don't know of anywhere else he'd be at this hour. It wouldn't hurt to look."

Yuuri nodded. It wasn't a definite, but it was the only lead he had so far. "Right, Thanks, Anissina!" Yuuri waved at her as he took off down the hall.

Shaking her head, Anissina began to walk back the way she came. "Men." She grumbled to herself as she made her way to her lab.

Wolfram definitely owed her for this one.

Yuuri stood outside Wolfram's old quarters, nervously switching his weight from one foot to the other. What was he doing here? It was the middle of the night, and like all the other citizens of Shin Makoku, he should be in his room sleeping.

He sighed as he stepped closer to the door. Of course he would be sleeping if it obviously didn't depend on a certain blonde demon…

"Ngh!"

His thoughts were cut off abruptly at the unexpected sound. Unconsciously, he moved closer to Wolfram's door, wondering if that sound was a sign that the other boy was still awake.

Curiously, Yuuri placed his ear to the surface, furrowing his brow in concentration as he strained his hearing. He could barely make out Wolfram's loud muffled breathing.

"I…please!" The voice inside groaned, followed by a distraught whimper.

Yuuri frowned as he pressed closer. Was Wolfram having a weird dream? It wasn't unusual for the blonde to speak in his sleep or toss and turn, but the words sounded strange to Yuuri, like they were full of desperation.

"Yuuri!" Another strangled cry came from behind the door, this one sounding akin to a sob.

He flinched away, guilt ebbing at his senses. It was his fault. This explained everything. The reason Wolfram was missing from the room. He'd caused Wolfram to be upset and whatever it was had disturbed the blonde so much that he was having nightmares.

He turned his head back to the door, expression full of shame. The only thing to do now was to confront Wolfram and apologize. It wouldn't be easy. Wolfram wasn't a forgiving creature by nature and Yuuri had no doubt that he'd have to endure one of the blonde's bad tempered moods. But the longer he waited to address the issue with his friend, the worse the problem would be. There was no other way to go about it; he'd have to talk to Wolfram.

Taking a deep breath so as not to lose his nerve, Yuuri inhaled through his nose and grasped the door handle, pushing it open in one go.

He stumbled through the opening in his stride, but caught his balance enough to remain upright. Cursing at his horrible attempt at an entrance, he squinted into the room, searching through the dim lighting.

His eyes suddenly went wide and his heart leapt into his throat, not believing what he was seeing. "W-Wolfram?"

To be continued...

Author's Notes: What will Yuuri find behind the door? And will Anissina ever find Gwendal to experiment on? Check back next time!

Please review to let me know what you think!