AUTHOR'S NOTE:

First of all, I would l like to thank my reviewers (all two of them; I mean I know not many people read KKM these days, but this is just dismal :( ). Especially want to thank QuaintReticent, whose review came at a time when I was seriously considering giving up. I really hope I am able to finish this one despite the low traffic; I have big hopes for this fanfic.

Also, I have what is known as exophoria (latent squint), pretty common, but because of that, despite of proof-reading like five times (not exaggerating), some mistakes still creep into the final version. I am really sorry for those mistakes.

Now, relating to the story.

This is a Yuuram-centric fanfic, progressing to a very evident love-triangle; hence, the personal stories of other characters are not going to figure much in here. They only appear as and when required by the plot.

Also, I didn't want to show Yuri as a wimpy character. I mean, come on, he's the Demon King, and a Leo at that. Plus it's been seven years, so now he has plenty of experience too. So, it is kind of a constant struggle to write him in his character, and also try to not make him too wimpy. Any inconsistencies because of that is deeply regretted. :/

Disclaimer: I do not own KKM.

CHAPTER 3 –ROYALTY TO THE RESCUE

The King was sitting in his office, sifting through the documents, with Wolfram standing at his side. He had only just started to wonder if he should utilize the time to train again, when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Yuri called, without looking up.

The door opened and Wolfram recoiled a little. "What are you doing here?" he demanded sharply, after rallying himself.

Wolfram's reaction made Yuri look up. Irene was standing at the door, smiling.

"Reporting for duty, what else?" she answered breezily. "Good Morning, Your Majesty" she addressed Yuri, as she walked towards him.

She had donned on the same white military-cut jacket as before, but now she had paired it with white trousers and black boots. Her hair was pulled back into a high tie at the back. She, however,had retained her gold head-band.

"Don't tell me I have to keep reminding you too, Irene. It's Yuri" he chided her playfully.

"Sorry, Yuri", she corrected herself, smiling apologetically.

Yuri smiled, deciding he liked how his name sounded when she said it.

Wolfram had enough. "Alright, Lady Irene, now that you have officially reported, you may leave" he said shortly.

Irene stared at him. "I am the King's bodyguard; I am supposed to be where he is."

Wolfram wasn't going to give up. "We are inside the castle right now. So don't fret yourself; there won't be any danger here."

Irene was beginning to lose her patience. "As I remember, we were in the castle when he was last attacked," she retorted, slowly enunciating the words, as if talking to a child. Her ridiculing tone was not lost on Wolfram. Without waiting for his reply, however, she walked up to the desk and calmly took her position, standing near Wolfram stoically. This only incensed him more.

"I will remind you, that apart from being his guard, I also happen to be his fiancé, and so as long as I am here, Yuri is not in any –"

"Hey, Wolfram, don't you have to practice the White Flame thing?" Yuri cut in innocently.

It took all of Wolfram's self-control to keep him from frying the double-black's head. He crouched to face Yuri, and quietly said, "Why don't you keep your mouth shut and I will do the talking?" His eyes were sinister and his voice was dripping with venom. Yuri almost fell from his chair in his eagerness to get as far back from the fiery blonde as possible.

"The White Flame?" Irene asked, distracted from their argument. "I thought it was only a myth – I have never heard of anyone who has learnt the skill."

"So now you know who you are dealing with" Wolfram said slowly, letting a not-so-subtle hint of menace crawl into his voice. "Be careful, Lady Irene, you obviously do not want to antagonize me."

Irene smirked at his threat. "Keep trivializing me, and one of these days I might just take your breath away, Your Excellency" she sneered.

Wolfram flinched and almost took a step back. Almost.

'Round One to Lady von Radford', Irene thought, satisfied at having quieted the brat.

"There, there, both of you can stay" he said warmly, keen to avoid conflict as always. "So, how are you finding your stay here at Covenant Castle, Irene? Everything okay, I hope?" he enquired.

"Yes, Yuri," she answered enthusiastically. "It's all very comfortable. The people here are really nice and friendly. Princess Greta came to visit, Doria brought me snacks even before I could ask for them, and Lord von Voltaire come to personally see me to fill me in on the details of my job. Lord von Kleist even accompanied me to the stable and helped me choose a horse. Nessie is a fine steed", she chirped happily, thinking about her doleful-eyed, chocolate-brown mare.

"Nessie?" Wolfram scorned distastefully. "Don't tell me you named your steed after the 'neigh' sounds horses make?"

Irene looked away sheepishly. "I am bad at names…" she admitted ruefully, her voice trailing away.

"Well, I think it's cute" Yuri remarked loudly, while throwing Wolfram a stern look. He 'humph'ed and looked away. He was already sour that he had to forego his practice because Irene showed up (he obviously wasn't going to leave them alone with each other), and Yuri favouring Irene was definitely not helping.

A while later, Gunter's voice serenaded from the hallway. "Your Majesty! It's time!" he declared as he sprang open the door with flourish.

"Time for what, Gunter?" Yuri looked at his Chief Adviser questioningly.

"The courtroom has been set for the redressal of the grievances of your subjects! Don't tell me you forgot, Your Majesty?"

Yuri reflexively turned in his seat and glimpsed out the window. His heart sank – the serpentine queue of people extended well outside the palace gates. He sighed; they had not even began yet and he was already tired.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

After hours of listening to the petty problems of his people – neighbor stealing the pet cat, missus forcing the hubby to turn vegan, sewer problems, remedy for baldness, remedy for excessive hair-growth (Yuri just had those two talk to each other), guests overstaying their visit – Yuri finally decided he had had enough, and leaned from his throne sideways towards Irene.

"I heard new recruits are invariably over-enthusiastic to carry out their jobs" he whispered to her.

"That is correct" she replied from the corner of her mouth.

"So, right now, if I order you to rescue me-"

"I will create a distraction, so that you can escape" she winked.

"I am not kidding, Irene."

"Neither am I, Yuri" she answered seriously. "Nobody should be subjected to such torture for such lengths of time."

"Where were you my whole life?" Yuri joked, relieved that he had at least one aide he could count on to get him out of his workload; he missed Irene's prompt blush in the process.

"What are you two muttering about?" Wolfram snapped; he appeared between the two so quickly, one would think his Majitsu specialty had switched to that of teleportation.

"Uh… Nothing!" both answered quickly. Wolfram sensed the guilt in their expressions and was about to reprimand them, when a throng of people entered the courtroom.

"Halt, everybody. Approach the King one at a time. He will hear you out, please maintain order" Gunter addressed the crowd strictly.

One man from the group stepped forward and spoke, "Sire, we all have the same problem. You see, all of us have been robbed by the same group of thugs."

"Don't worry, we will catch those thugs" Yuri assured them. "Give their description to the soldiers and they will start the investigation."

"Actually, sir, none of us have any idea what they look like. We haven't seen them" the man replied uneasily.

"Masked robbers, of course" Gunter deduced thoughtfully.

"Actually," the man called out again, then stopped, still nervous. Yuri looked at the bunch – all of them were fidgeting uncomfortably.

"What is it? Go on, tell me" Yuri coaxed, mildly interested now.

A young girl, about twelve years old, answered. "None of us have seen them, Your Highness, because they are invisible!"

"What?" the royals exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, sire" the man confirmed. "At first, there would just be petty pick-pocketing, and snatching. But now they have resorted to breaking into houses and even violence!" He pointed at a few men who were clearly beaten and had sloppily bandaged themselves before gathering in front of their king.

Yuri got up from his throne, both angry and emphatic, all thoughts of his previous escape plan forgotten. "Have Gisela and the other healers treat the injured men", he ordered. "As for the thugs, rest assured. We will catch them and make sure you get back your valuables. They, too, will get their dues" he added gravely.

Those who were assembled turned hopeful and relieved at their King's words.

'So this is the Demon King working', Irene thought in mild surprise. She never would have expected such sternness from the double-black.

Gunter turned to the soldiers standing at the side. "Question the townsfolk and gather all the information you can. One of you, inform Lord Weller, and tell him to meet me at the earliest."

The soldiers bowed and marched off to carry out their orders.

oOoOoOoOoOo

It was almost night when all could gather at the office again after the day's work. Conrart filled them in on the information he had gathered. "The first incident was reported about two weeks ago. It was merely a case of pick-pocketing, only the victim didn't remember standing close enough to anybody for it to actually happen. Of course, due to lack of consequences, their bravado grew, resorting to more brutal crimes, where they would corner innocent, unsuspecting people, beat them up and then take their valuables. That's when it was reported to me, a couple of days ago. Since I could not ascertain if they were indeed invisible, I thought it unfit to worry His Majesty unnecessarily" he finished apologetically.

"It's alright, Conrad. I know you meant well", Yuri assured him.

"But what do we do now? How will we catch them, if we can't see them?" Wolfram asked.

"I may have a plan" Murata spoke. He had readily agreed to join the investigation, when Gunter had suggested it to him – invisibility was still not as common as one would expect here in Great Demon Kingdom.

"Let's hear it, then" Yuri said.

"Well, first, we have to lure them out, at a place and time that we decide, so that we can surprise and corner them" Murata said.

"And how will we get them there?" Gunter asked.

"By setting up a false trail of stolen valuables" Murata explained. "All we have to do is spread a rumour in the black market that a treasure has been stolen from Covenant Castle, and that the thief is set to sell it at a particular place and time. They will not be able to resist such an opportunity."

"Brilliant" Irene breathed.

"Indeed. I will get Yozak to plant the false information" Gwendal said.

Murata continued "Alright. But the thing is, we do not know how strong their network is. It would be a folly to underestimate him – it may ruin our single best opportunity of catching them. So, I think it's best that an item is actually stolen, so that even the castle's inhabitants believe it. That way, even if they find a way to double-check, the information is corroborated."

Yuri laughed nervously. "I swear, Murata, I would never be able to decide if you would make a better detective or a thief" he joked, as Murata's glasses gleamed.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

A couple of days had passed. Everything had gone according to plan. Yozak had, through his own network, spread the word, that the coveted sapphire-encrusted gold crown of the twelfth Maoh had been stolen, when it was taken out of the warehouse to be polished. The deal would take place at the ruins of a watchtower built during the Great War, near the borders of the Great Demon Kingdom. The last bit of information was slipped near the end, along with a couple of decoys, so as to ward off any vagabond crooks, looking to make quick money – they hoped the actual 'invisible' thieves would be better informed.

Presently, Yuri, Wolfram, Murata and Conrart were standing outside the main castle building, waiting for the last member of their entourage.

"What's taking her so long?" Wolfram demanded impatiently.

"Relax, Wolf, it's only been a couple of minutes since we reached" Yuri said.

"Besides, putting up a disguise does take time" Murata offered.

"How come she and Yuri get to play thieves anyway? Why can't I do it?" Wolfram demanded angrily.

"Because you couldn't act to save your life, Wolfram" Yuri said lightly.

"Why you –" Wolfram spun towards Yuri, his hands curling into fists.

"What Shibuya means to say is, your looks are way too noble to pass off as a petty thief, Lord von Bielefeld" Murata interrupted hurriedly.

"I meant that?" Yuri started uncertainly. "Oh, yes, I did!" he corrected himself when Murata passed him a stern look.

A little later, a cloaked and hooded figure descended down the stairs; the robes were a loose fit, and did nothing to hide the pale and tattered clothes underneath.

"I must say, Lady Irene, you look quite the part" Murata told Irene as she joined him. "Though there is no need to wear the hood just yet."

Irene shuddered a little before slipping off the hood.

"Oh, my," Murata exclaimed as the others gasped.

Irene's face had been painted, every colour one could think of, all shapes of all sizes inked onto her skin – purple triangles, red squares, green circles and even some serpentine figures. Not an inch was spared.

Irene slowly started to speak, clearly embarrassed. "El was visiting, and he and Greta offered to help put up my disguise… They might have gotten a little carried away."

Wolfram burst out laughing. Yuri would have asked him to shut it, if he was sure he wouldn't start laughing the second he opened his mouth.

"I would have washed it if we weren't already so late", Irene said, trying to ignore Yuri's contorted expression. She started walking, then added, "It's alright, you can laugh."

Both Murata and Yuri howled with laughter; Wolfram had doubled-up, clutching his sides, and even Conrart was sniggering.

"You can laugh and walk at the same time" Irene reminded them testily, already losing her patience at the guffawing boys in front of her.

oOoOoOoOoOo

They reached the ruins. The plan was simple. Yuri and Irene, the 'thieves', would go inside the ruins, while Conrart, Wolfram and Murata would keep a watch on them from their hiding place. Though they were accompanied by their soldiers, they could not bring them near the ruins, there was not enough place to hide. The area was just a vast expanse of sand with sparse vegetation, surrounded by dilapidated walls, the remains of a watchtower at the farthest end from the entrance. Wolfram was supposed to send a fire signal up into the sky, when they were sure the thugs had arrived, so that the soldiers could join them.

Yozak, the 'buyer', had already camped nearby overnight, to make sure nobody was spying beforehand, till they were ready to set up. After all, even invisible men would leave footprints on loose sand.

Yuri and Irene entered the ruins. They saw a raven-haired man with blue eyes, sitting on a boulder, some distance ahead, waiting for them.

'Yozak,' Yuri thought, as his hand involuntarily went to hold his satchel, which had the crown.

They walked towards him slowly, intending to give ample amount of time and opportunity for them to be intercepted. Yuri realized how stiff he was, and consciously worked to relax himself a bit. He glanced sideways at Irene – despite the horrendous face-paint, he could make out her somber expression.

They reached Yozak.

"You have it?" he asked in a rough voice, keeping up the act. "Alright there, kiddo?" he muttered from the corner of his mouth.

Yuri nodded 'yes' to both the questions. He then opened the satchel, as Irene fought to ignore her instincts to grab her sword hidden in her cloak.

Yuri took out the shining, sapphire-encrusted crown, and showing it to Yozak, started, "May I –" Irene coughed discreetly and he corrected himself. "Give us the money, first" he finished, in what he hoped was a gruff vice.

Yozak nodded, took out a bag full of coins and threw it at Irene. She made a show of opening and checking it, then nodded. Yuri extended his hand for Yozak to take the crown.

Several things happened at once. Both Irene and Yozak pulled out their swords, as the sand around them started to rise in puffs. The sounds of feet landing on the ground and cloaks swishing came from all around them. A blade came out from nowhere at Yuri's side, just as Irene blocked it. The blade withdrew and disappeared again.

"It seems like their weapons are invisible only as long as they are kept hidden in their clothes!" Irene announced, as Wolfram, Conrart and Murata joined the fight. Wolfram sent a spiraling blue and orange twine of fire above into the sky; it disintegrated, sending small spheres of bluish-yellow fire all around, which in turn burst into specks after another second. Irene took a moment to appreciate the fireworks, before turning her attention back to the fight.

"Quick, Your Highness, put the crown inside" Conrart said, as he warded off another blade; he went a step ahead and lunged his sword quickly in the 'air' in front of him.

"AAAAAGH!" came a loud shout, as a heavily-built man slowly appeared, his face contorted in pain; he was clutching at his side, where the sword had left a deep gash. He fell to the ground.

"The magic fails when they are hurt!" Murata exclaimed.

"Everybody, don't take out your blades! This was a trap! Retreat now!" a voice shouted from a few yards away.

"Shut up, idiot!" another voice reprimanded angrily.

But it was too late. Yozak and Wolfram had already sprung in opposite directions, and bestowed a similar fate on the owners of those two voices.

As those two men fell, everything became deathly still; the now-wiser thieves resorted to silence and stealth as their weapons. Irene, Conrart, Wolfram and Yozak encircled Yuri and Murata, facing their respective directions, swords at the ready, scouring for the slightest of movements, straining their ears for even the hint of their breaths.

"This is useless… they are getting away" Murata told them, frustrated. Irene could not help but agree; she could feel their general presence furthering away with each passing second.

"I have a plan" Yuri hissed quietly. "Irene, I need your help." He quickly told Irene what she had to do.

"Just tell me when" Irene whispered. They both stood side-by-side, facing the barren expanse.

"Now!" Yuri shouted.

Irene raised her left hand and moved it in a circle, and a small tornado appeared; it slowly increased in size, gathering all the sand and dust with it. Within seconds, there was a dust-storm. She closed her eyes in concentration, as the others around her coughed and covered their faces. Gradually, all the sand collected in a huge sphere in front of them.

"Great. Now, it's my turn!" Yuri exclaimed. He raised his hands and three huge water-dragons appeared. All three headed towards the huge sphere of sand, encircling it and rapidly blending with it, creating a giant blob of dark, tarry mud.

He then flicked his hand, and the mud ball burst, sending specks of mud all over.

"Excellent, Shibuya!" Murata yelled, understanding what the King was doing, completely unfazed as dozens of mud specks splattered his face.

Wolfram and Yozak, on the other hand, choked. "Yuck! I thought we had seen the end of his disgusting creations!" Wolframs complained, wiping his face clean with his sleeve.

"But it worked! Look!" Conrart bellowed.

They were at least ten different silhouettes visible around them, the splattered mud sticking on the bodies of the thieves. Many had reached the edges. The soldiers, however, had arrived and surrounded the area; they were pushing back the thieves to the ground. The blobs moved helter-skelter, some drawing their swords as they ran, all stealth forgotten.

Conrart, Wolfram and Yozak bounded in three different directions, rapidly dealing their attacks, while Irene stayed with the King and the Daikenja. Slowly, as they got injured, the thieves fell, one after the other, revealing their forms. Wolfram sped after the last one with the splattered mud, and delivered a swift kick at his back, pushing him to the ground. However, just as he drove his sword through the guy's cloak to the ground, immobilizing him, he heard someone unsheathing a sword behind him; one thief had escaped detection in the artificially-created dust-storm. Wolfram was so busy chasing his quarry, he had not realized that he himself was being followed. He knew it was too late to withdraw his sword from the ground; he spun around quickly, all the while waiting for the strike.

It never came; instead, the clash of metal reverberated throughout the field. Wolfram gasped. Irene had blocked the attack with her sword.

"Irene…" Wolfram breathed. She paid him no attention. She pushed the man back, easily disarming him, then kicked him hard where she supposed his head would be. The man fell down on the ground, visible and knocked unconscious.

"How… how did you… see him?" Wolfram whispered, still unable to fathom the double-shock of having come so close to losing his life, and then having Irene, of all people, save it.

"The air around you was wrong" she muttered absent-mindedly, as the others joined them. She turned to look at the still aghast Wolfram. "You know things are dismal when the bodyguard needs protection" she smirked, shaking her head in fake disappointment.

The ghost of a smile appeared on Wolfram's face. "Don't expect me to thank you" he retorted, infusing generous amounts of his usual cockiness into his voice.

"Oh, no, no, no, of course not! I would die of shock if you did! Let's just pretend it never happened" she declared seriously.

"Come on, guys, let's hurry up and head back to the castle!" Murata called out, the curious excitement barely hidden in his voice. "We have to question them about how they managed this feat!"

"I don't know about you guys, but I could sure use a bath! Everything else can wait!" Yuri declared.

"Maybe next time use less revolting magic, wimp!" Wolfram remarked.

"Hey!" Yuri shouted in protest, as everybody else silently agreed with Wolfram.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 4 coming soon. Please Review!