Title: The Retrieval: Memories and Love

Chapter 4: Breaking apart

Written by: Lisse08

Yuuri took a deep breath and exhaled it. He would need this courage.

"No, thanks," Yuuri threw his smile at her, whose face was showing a distinct disappointment.

"But, Yuuri." He knew he mustn't stay; he would change his mind again if Ayami came any closer.

"I need to go, bye." With a wave, he jogged off. His heart was still beating crazily even when he was now several feet away from the scene. He closed his eyes.

He would need this courage, not to betray his most loved.

Xxxx Yuuri xxxX

Yuuri emerged from the freezing December water of the pool. He sensed the tensed atmosphere in the air as soon as he got up. There weren't much people or guards around the castle. He frowned. Didn't he order Conrad to tighten the security? Clattering his teeth for heat, he dragged along with his wet clothes and ran down the corridor.

"Your Majesty!" There was an unmistakably sound of panic and guilt. Yuuri turned at the voice, and saw a young soldier in his appearance of mid twenty. 'Never judged a mazoku age by his appearance,' was what Yuuri learnt.

"Is something wrong?" Yuuri questioned immediately even before his soldier could bow.

"Lord Wolfram. He's injured." He reported. Yuuri's nerves went numb again. Incensed, he turned right at the spot and ran, heading towards their chamber.

"What happened?!" Yuuri's voice was already out before the door was pushed. Wolfram was lying on the bed, his eyes closed. His body was covered again with the bandages. Gwendal, Conrad, Gunter and Gisela glanced towards him with anticipations in their eyes. Yuuri felt sick to his stomach. He wasn't ready to lose Wolfram.

"Heika."

"Enough, just tell me how's he?" Yuuri cut them off before they could say. Compared to what had happened, he would very much prefer to know how his fiancé was. He walked over to the bed, where others had backed off for him to pass through. Yuuri sat down on the edge of the bed sheet, watching the blonde. His hands trailed over the bandages, and started spreading his healing magic. His other hand reached the prince's hand and held them tight in his palm.

"Broken ribs. He was hit against hard texture. We weren't sure what it was, probably stone or tree. Other than that…" Gisela's voice trailed off.

"Say it." Yuuri ordered.

"I… Lord Bielefeld's Maryoku... Half of them had disappeared from his body. He was weakened severely."

"How bad is it?" It sounded like a stupid question. But Yuuri couldn't see the point why a maryoku would be taken and why it weakened Wolfram.

"Maryoku was a mazoku's weapon. It was part of them," Conrad said.

"It would take Wolfram some time before his strength and level of maryoku was restored to the normal level."

"Which mean… if he was assaulted again during this period, the chances of him surviving without assistance is…," Yuuri said.

"…minimal…" Gisela finished it for him. She would not allow 'none' in this conversation.

Xxxx Wolf xxxX

"Should I finish him?"

'Finish who…?'

"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill him!"

'What's happening here?'

Wolfram squirmed further. The images that had been blurred were clearing up little by little. Part of him was eager, part of him was afraid. He had had an inkling idea of who that person was ever since he heard those words. He was afraid to confirm his theory. As the mist slowly cleared, Wolfram's chest tightened. His nerves went numb.

He saw the one who was held hostage.

It was himself.

….

With a yelp, Wolfram jerked and forced his eyes opened. Yes, forced. His consciousness in the dream was as strong as it was in reality, and he could feel the strong repulsive pulse beating in his veins.

"Wolfram?"

His eyes swiftly locked on the black onyx. Beads of sweats were prickling down his forehead. He blinked at Yuuri, who was lying side by side with him. His eyes closed at the gentle touch Yuuri applied to his cheek.

"How're you feeling?"

His mind was racing.

"Awful."

"Gisela said you need rest. Get some more sleep,"

"Yuuri…?"

"Yes?" Wolfram gulped.

"I…" 'I had a nightmare…'

"What is it?" Yuuri said, rather softly and leaned over. Wolfram looked away.

"I want you to stay by my side." 'Why don't I have the courage to mention it?'

"I'll do so even if you don't ask, Wolfram." He squeezed his fiancé's palm and placed it tenderly under the blanket. Gently, he planted another kiss at the blonde's lips and pulled back. Resting his head back on the pillow and smiled slightly as the blonde snuggled into his chest in respond.

"Goodnight, Yuuri." A smile surfaced along Wolfram's face. He closed his eyes again. 'That should only be a nightmare…'

Xxxx Yuuri xxxX

The morning light seeped through the window, blinking Yuuri's eyes. For a moment, Yuuri thought he was still at Earth, for the sun in Shin Makoku never shone this bright. He shifted a little, seeing Wolfram snoring by his side snapped him back to reality.

Stretching his hands, he climbed out from the bed casually. Wolfram's life was in no danger for now. The broken ribs would heal in two weeks time. His physical health was in no danger. It was his strength that was weakened. From now onwards, he should not let him out of his sight. He would depend on no one to protect his fiancé.

Xxxx Wolf xxxX

His chest was squeezed tight. He couldn't tell what was going on. One moment, he felt the unmistakably bleeding on his neck and something icy pressing persistently against his flesh. His hands were twisted behind his back, restricting his movements. He heard voices, travelling from all directions. His experiences were telling him, this was related to those nightmares he kept on having. He caught the words. Those familiar words…

"It seems like he was badly hurt, emotionally, even before I approached him. Poor kid, he was crying to himself over there."

"Who did it, eh?"

"I guessed it's you, Maou heika. Ah. What a sight. But I should thank you, if it weren't for his miserable state, I might not have succeeded in seizing him. You know, Lord Wolfram was known as a powerful fire magic user. An attack like that shouldn't have missed by him. But, he failed. You must have been really harsh on him."

'Yuuri…?'

"Which one do you love more, your country, or him?"

'… Eh?'

A bone deep pain penetrated through his body. Everything turned red, all that left was a buzzing sound in his ear.

A shout shook through the castle, waking every living soul up.

His door was busted open instantly. Yuuri was the first to come in. On seeing his fiancé, Wolfram's heart seemed to beat even faster.

'What was that dream about…?

Yuuri… What had you done to me…?'

"Wolfram, what was happening?"

"Someone please call for Gisela,"

"There is no need, brother." Wolfram said quickly. "It was a nightmare."

"Nightmare?" Gwendal raised his eyebrows.

At that, Yuuri pushed the stern man, beckoning to go out.

"I'll talk to him, leave it to me, okay?" Wolfram let him weight dropped back down into the bed, listening faintly at voice at the doorsteps. Few seconds later, he heard the chamber door closed, followed by footsteps.

"Wo…"

"Yuuri, tell me." He cut off. His hands were on his forehead, blocking off half of his view of the white ceiling.

"Yes…?" Wolfram could sense no movement at this point. Yuuri must have stopped.

"Is there anything that you are hiding from me?"

"I had nothing to hide from you, Wolfram. Why are you asking?" Shift of the fabrics in the silence told Wolfram that Yuuri was approaching him.

"Nothing… Just want to rest my uneasiness…" Wolfram whispered and removed his arms. He turned and smiled up at the double black.

"Want to tell me about the nightmare?" Yuuri said as he sat down beside him.

'I had reached my limit… It wouldn't hurt to tell him, Wolfram. May be, they will stop after I reveal them to Yuuri.'

Wolfram pulled up into sitting position. He took in a deep breath and stared back at the king through the dark lashes of his. At seeing the tensed expression on the king's face, he assumed Yuuri had braced himself. So, he let himself began.

"I saw… myself being held hostage by a man…" A flicker of surprise through Yuuri's eyes betrayed his faked calmness but Wolfram chose to regard it as a sign of concern.

"What else?" Yuuri urged.

"I heard voices, from those conversations, I could sense that he wanted me as exchange of something, and I feel myself dying," Wolfram had deliberately excluded the crucial details…i.e., Yuuri and Shin Makoku. These were something that he must ascertain himself before confiding it to Yuuri, he wouldn't want to make accuses that only indicated his refuses in trusting his own fiancé.

Yuuri didn't offer any kind of comfort for a while. His whole body was trembling vigorously beneath his black linen. He shifted his arms a little away from Wolfram's side to avoid him feeling the shaking images. Suddenly realized that it would only create a clear giveaway, he gave out a laugh and concentrated on Wolfram's feelings.

"From what I can see, you're alive, Wolfram. Don't worry about it." Feeling the need to give in more confidence to the boy, Yuuri forced himself closer and wrapped his arms shakily around Wolfram's shoulder and snuggled him into his chest, careful not to let his heartbeats raised.

Wolfram closed his eyes again at the warmth, not realizing or sensing any strange movement of the king. Moments later, he slept.

Xxxx Yuuri xxxX

Watching the blonde finally fell into his peaceful slumber, he let his hands slipped off from his shoulder and placed his head onto the pillow carefully. Yuuri then, left the room, quickening two strides at a time.

There was a person's face that came into his mind for now… the only person that could have permitted these forgotten pieces to resurface.

Tesca…

To find Tesca, he would need to find Murata and Gunter first to track down his whereabouts like how they used to one year ago.

His mind wandered off, thinking. Tesca had promised, that Wolfram would never ever for whatever reason, remember this memory. But wait… didn't he make an exception to this…? Yuuri frowned. It was…

But if you hurt him again, I shall presume that you would be glad for me to restore all his memories.

Had he hurt Wolfram before…? He couldn't comprehend what was the meaning behind all this. As suddenly as it was, Ayami's face emerged in his mind, making his heart palpitated. He shook his head fiercely. Even if he did feel something for her just then, he had indeed refused Ayami. Does this counted as a hurt too? In his midst of confuse, he missed his steps, stumbling down the stairs and right into the pond.

As strangely as it was, Wolfram awoken from another dream, only this time, it wasn't that repeated dream, but a different one. Even though it was a different one, its effect remained the same, i.e., traumatic. He saw Yuuri being surrounded by a bunch of charming looking girls and that wimp was having a victorious smile on his face. Wolfram frowned, as he shifted around to find his bed empty. He raised his arms high and felt them limped back down onto the mattress weakly. His strength had yet to return. The dreams and the reality interconnected and haunted him mindlessly. He had been used to that dream, the same dream, despite the frightening horror scene inside. But now, why did the dream stopped? Is it because he had learnt about the meaning behind the dream … or something else had happened that caused it to be no longer needed? Thousands of possibilities crossed his mind. He searched frantically among them, using his logical and thinking skills, locating and discarding each and every one of them.

Was it a nightmare, something that had happened before or a premonition? Now, he could rule out that it was not just a nightmare. And judging from his memories, he had no account of having that kind of experience, the second possibility was ruled out as well.

So, what was that premonition? He closed his eyes, his head spinning from all the thinking. He was upmost afraid to admit it. The dream had asked his fiancé to choose between him and the country… and in the end, it seemed like he was the one who was abandoned. That result would only mean either Yuuri will gradually get tired of him or…

"Is there anything that you are hiding from me?"

He stared at the stuffy pillow which the king used. Wolfram could tell from that stuffy look there was no sign of occupants for the last two hours.

"Are you cheating on me… already…?"

Enraged, Wolfram lifted his fingers over to his head. He stared at them, the fire elements were stirring weakly inside his body. 'Are they still there?'

"To all elements that made up of fire, obey this brave mazoku who summoned you…"

Changes were occurring, he felt the hot prickling fire on the tips of his fingers, slowly gathering up the heat but on the second when he tried harder, they puffed like a fire on the grass being thrashed out by the feet. His nature wouldn't allow him to give up, he gave the second attempt.

"C'mon." He urged.

His breathing was hushed but he was almost happy when this time, the fire had succeeded in gathering up a lot better than previous try.

The burning was building, and building. Wolfram panicked as he realized something was wrong. If usual, he could always determine the amount of fire he wanted and close the path down before it was overloaded. To his relief, he had opened up his channel, but the bad part was that it was going out of his control.

He let out a soft scream and flunked his hands in the air, putting out the fire only after several seconds later. He lied back on the bed, panting for breath. He put up his hands on the forehead, testing for his temperature. Actually, he didn't need that method to confirm his theory. Even without that, he could feel it.

He could feel his body burning.