Hey, yall... thanks for the reviews! Don't have time for shout-outs today (on the way to work) but I wanted to go ahead and upload the next part, since I'm not sure when I'll get a chance later. Here you go!
============ break ============
Yuuri frowned. Something was tickling his nose. He shifted, lifting his hand to swat weakly at it. His hand hit something strange, and he opened his eyes.
A man chuckled above him, and Yuuri looked up to see a toy, blue and soft and vaguely resembling a cat being held above his face by a pale hand. He blinked, squinting his eyes. Slowly, they focused.
"A cat?" he rasped, then swallowed. His throat was scratchy. Gwendal?
"Shibuya."
Yuuri startled. His eyes focused on the person holding the stuffed animal.
"Murata…" he answered quietly. His eyes were wide, and he looked around in amazement at the long, rectangular stone room. It seemed the cots lining the other wall were vacant. "Am I… awake?"
Gisela came to stand behind Murata. "Good afternoon."
"Afternoon?" Yuuri replied breathlessly. His eyes passed over the room again.
"You're not dreaming," Murata said. "You brought yourself here using your blood as a medium for travel." He set the stuffed creature on the bed beside his pillow.
"Are you…" Yuuri passed his eyes over Murata's form. "Are you all right?" His eyes were full of unspoken things that he knew Murata would understand.
"Yes," Ken replied, almost laughingly. "Thanks to you. That was stupid, you know."
Yuuri pouted, grumbling. "You're welcome."
"Here," Murata said, reaching into his breast pocket and taking something out. "This was still on you when you arrived."
Yuuri gasped. It was his box, the cliché black velvet stained and flattened here and there by blood. The tag was red and splotchy, Wolfram's name a smear of barely legible black. The young man grasped at it with wide eyes, clutching it tightly. He looked timidly up at Murata.
"Did the… blood get inside?" he asked quietly, and Murata blinked as if the possibility hadn't occurred to him.
"I didn't look."
"You didn't?" Yuuri echoed in surprise. He stared down at the box. "I guess I'd better check." He opened it just a crack, peering inside, then sighed, snapping it closed. "It's fine." He looked up at Murata again. "Hey…"
"Yeah?"
"About Wolfram…"
Murata nodded, and Yuuri continued.
"Is he… I mean… Is he still available?"
Murata frowned. "What do you mean?"
Blushing, Yuuri turned his eyes away. "It's been a long time, you know. Has he…"
The Sage's eyes softened uncharacteristically as his resolve steeled.
"Look, Shibuya," he said, "Wolfram never married anyone else, but he intends to serve you with annulment papers."
Yuuri's hands tensed around the box in his hands.
"But he doesn't mean it. I know he doesn't."
"Why not?" Yuuri asked quietly, disbelieving.
"Because he left them on his desk, unfinished, the whole time you were gone. It wasn't until he heard of the conditions for your staying here that he decided to finish them."
"Conditions?"
"Shinou says you have to get married within six months in order to form a blood tie to Shin Makoku. Then you can stay."
"…Oh."
"Knowing Wolfram, all the papers mean is that he wants you to stay and his pride won't let him tie you down."
"I… guess…"
"You do want to stay, don't you?"
Yuuri scowled, turning his face away. "You know I do."
"Then win Wolfram back and marry him," Murata insisted, his voice hard.
"What if he won't marry me?"
"Then chalk it up to karma, marry someone else, and stay anyway."
Yuuri's eyes widened.
"There are lots of people who will marry you, Yuuri, if you ask them," Murata said, then hesitated. He gathered strength and crossed his arms over his chest, straightening his back. "If I'm wrong, then I'll marry you."
"Murata!" Yuuri gasped, scandalized.
"Well, I want to stay too, and I have a feeling that if you go back, I have to go with you." His eyes narrowed, and he leaned in close to Yuuri's face, touching the double-black's lips with his thumb. "Besides…" he purred, "would it be so bad?"
"Bleh!" Yuuri spat, knocking his hand away, thoroughly unthreatened by Murata's show. "That's be like marrying Shouri!"
Murata laughed, and some of the tension in his face eased. He stood and moved away. "Anyway," he said lightly, "I'm sure Wolfram will marry you. You have a talent for winning over stubborn people, Yuuri. Besides, I've got a plan."
"A plan?" Yuuri's ears perked.
"You see, there's another engagement tradition you probably never learned about. When Wolfram brings you the papers, you legally must sign them, but you must do it in this way…"
============ break ============
"Oh, Heika…" Gunter sighed, clasping his hands together in front of himself. He stood on his balcony, staring up dramatically at the moon. "Could it be that you're really in love?"
But not with me…
"If what Murata says is true, can there be any doubt?" Conrad said from inside the room, watching Gunter through the open glass doors. It was chilly, but somehow Gunter didn't seem to feel it through his thin, flowing nightgown. The gown had little ruffles on the edges that suited him perfectly but would have looked ridiculous on anyone else, except, perhaps, for Wolfram.
"What does the box look like?" Gunter asked as he stepped back in.
"It's about as wide as a man's hand, and it's very flat," Conrad said. "What does it matter?"
"I wish we knew what was in it…"
"Unnecessary," Gwendal muttered from where he was sitting at Gunter's breakfast table, still in his uniform, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were narrowed with tension. "The Sage is manipulative, but I do not believe him to be an outright teller of tales… especially concerning the future happiness of the Maoh. He is, ultimately, too much his friend."
"I agree," Conrad said.
"Then I suppose we shall have to help them along. Oh…" Gunter sighed at the romanticism of the idea, though he was pricked by a small pang of jealousy. "Heika! Will you finally live happily among us forever?"
"His Majesty will probably wake up tomorrow," Conrad said, "and when he does, Wolfram will undoubtedly rush to his side with those papers to get it over with. The Sage has informed me that he will be waiting by Yuuri's side day and night so he can speak to Yuuri first… and tell him what he must do."
"Will he have the guts to do it?" Gwendal asked, his brow twitching.
"If he doesn't," Conrad said softly, "then perhaps he truly does not deserve Wolfram."
Gunter gasped, but Conrad had already bowed, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, as was his habit, and started striding toward the door, his head lowered.
When he was gone, Gunter sighed, melancholy overtaking his features. He didn't feel comfortable showing his true face to Conrad, but Gwendal was a closer friend. The quiet man at the table sighed, too.
"Do you still love Yuuri?" Gwendal asked, and Gunter tossed his hair lightly back over his shoulder with a sad smile.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. In any case, he belongs to Wolfram."
Gwendal leaned back in his seat. "You would offer yourself as an alternative if Wolfram refused to marry him, would you not?"
Gunter frowned, reluctant to answer. Gwendal returned the gesture, standing and striding toward him in his heavy boots. Gunter's frown deepened as Gwendal got closer and closer, showing no sign of stopping, and the slender mazoku staggered back a step, but too slowly. Gwendal wrapped a muscular arm around him, staring down into his eyes. He was practically crushing Gunter against him, forcing the smell of lavender into the air from his clothes. Gunter's arms were curled up, tense, between them.
"Couldn't you forget about him?" Gwendal murmured. "Couldn't you notice someone else, for a change?"
Gunter's eyes widened, and he blushed. His lips parted, but he stammered breathlessly. Eventually, he was able to sputter, "L-Lord von Voltaire…"
The tall mazoku's eyes darkened with displeasure. His arm released Gunter, and he took the man's shoulders in his hands, pushing him gently back a step. He turned away. "Goodnight, Lord von Christ."
Gunter found himself staring at the door long after Gwendal had passed through it. He shook his head slowly, going to close his balcony doors and sit on his bed. His heart was pounding.
He couldn't say that he'd particularly liked or disliked it when Gwendal had put his arm around him. It had been so unexpected that Gunter had used all his time being surprised and nervous.
"Does Gwendal… want me?" Gunter muttered.
He sighed, pressing his hand to his forehead for a moment before deciding he was ready to sleep. He reached back and started braiding his long hair for bed.
============ break ============
"You look tired," Yozak observed as he finished tying the drawstring of the breeches he usually slept in. The small room was lit only by a candle on the nightstand beside the man, who'd been preparing for bed. The entire back wall was covered by his quivering shadow.
Conrad was dragging his feet through the door of their bedroom. His hand, normally resting atop the hilt of his sword when he walked, was pressing down on it as if the hand itself were heavy.
"I wish Yuuri would wake up," Conrad sighed as he let himself fall back on the chair at the little breakfast table in the corner. He smelled Yozak coming up behind him, freshly washed with unscented soap, and the man's hands came to rest on his shoulders. After a moment, he squeezed the muscles beneath his palms and started massaging Conrad's shoulders slowly.
"He will wake up soon," Yozak said. "He's too strong to let something like that kill him."
"Nnn…" Conrad sighed, relaxing under Yozak's strong hands. His head rolled forward. Those hands had killed, but they were only ever kind for Conrad. His lover's thumbs kneaded his back with gentle force, digging into battle-hardened muscles. Conrad lifted his hands and unbuckled his sword belt, letting the metal and leather hit the floor with a clang.
"It's time to rest."
"Tomorrow Yuuri's going to contest Wolfram's annulment papers," Conrad spilled. Yozak's hands stopped moving. "Good for him," he said, amusement showing through in his voice. "Come to bed. I'll help you relax."
When Conrad went to stand again, he found his knees were stiff after sitting, but he followed Yozak to the bed and sat on the edge where his lover had indicated. Yozak smiled, kneeling on the floor between his legs, and leaned in for a kiss. Conrad sighed into it, letting Yozak do whatever he wanted for once. The redhead unbuttoned the brunet's shirt and pushed it insistently down off of his shoulders. Conrad chuckled into Yozak's mouth, shifting his arms to let it fall off the rest of the way. Yozak ran his hands over his chest, still kissing Conrad unhurriedly. Conrad wrapped his arms around Yozak's waist, and the redhead sighed as his lover squeezed him.
He broke the kiss. "Turn on your stomach. I'll rub your back."
Conrad obeyed, kicking off his boots into the floor as he stretched out along the mattress, and he felt the bed shift as Yozak climbed in after him. Straddling him, Yozak pressed his palms into his back and started working on his muscles. The brunet relaxed easily under the redhead's loving touches.
"I want this kind of thing for Yuuri and Wolfram," Conrad breathed.
"They'll have it," Yozak said quietly, leaning down to place a small kiss on the back of Conrad's neck. "They just need to work it out for themselves, like we did."
"I guess so…" Conrad's voice was getting quieter as he started drifting off. Yozak smiled, lightening his touch more and more until he could tell by his breathing that Conrad had fallen asleep. He sighed, leaning over Conrad's prone body to blow out the candle before stretching out beside him in the dark.
============ break ============
The next morning, the retainers and Cheri were having breakfast as usual. No one spoke, anxious about this and that. About halfway through, a servant came to intrude nervously on their meal with a handful of notes. He handed them out to each of the retainers with an anxious bow before scuttling away.
"What?" Gunter gasped. "Heika has already been reinstalled in his former lodgings without my being informed?"
"You're being informed now, aren't you?" Cheri sighed.
"The Great Sage's doing, I'm sure," Gwendal grumbled.
"He's invited us all to lunch?" Conrad murmured, frowning, peering at Gwendal's note next to him.
"That means he's awake!" Gunter suddenly realized. "Oh, Heika! To think I must wait until lunchtime to see you!"
Wolfram stood, bracing himself with his hands on the table. He wouldn't meet their eyes as he excused himself and made immediately for the door.
Cheri leaned over to look at his note, which he'd abandoned by his plate. "Yuuri wants to see Wolfram immediately."
The retainers looked at each other nervously, suddenly losing their appetites.
============ break ============
Wolfram was not allowed to hesitate at Yuuri's doors, though his pounding heart made him want to freeze. As soon as he arrived, a guard politely informed him that he was expected and opened the door for him. Scowling, Wolfram walked in like a soldier at attention.
"Your Majest…" Wolfram's voice trailed off, and he blushed, turning away with a cough of irritation.
Yuuri was sitting on the edge of the bed. One maid was behind him, holding him up, while another was helping him put on his shirt. The wounds which only a few days ago had run freely with blood were now only flecks of shining white against his ribs.
Wolfram crossed his arms over his chest, his attempt at formality falling away. "Yuuri… why would you summon me if you're still getting dressed?"
"Wolfram…" Yuuri said, and he laughed quietly, nervously. His voice had deepened, and Wolfram restrained a shiver.
Yuuri seemed to be growing into the very man Wolfram had always seen in him, no matter how he'd railed against him.
"I didn't think it would take this long to get ready," he said. "Anyway, it's nothing you haven't seen."
That's not true, Wolfram thought. You're… grown up now.
The silence felt awkward to Wolfram, and he shifted on his feet.
Yuuri dismissed the servants, who walked out with nervously lowered eyes. The door closed behind them.
For a moment, neither spoke. It was too strange, Yuuri sitting there on his bed, facing the open balcony doors, and Wolfram standing there, watching. It had been so long. A breeze blew in, stirring Yuuri's hair, and it seemed to draw him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at Wolfram with those big, black, hopeful eyes.
"What are you doing?" he wondered. "Don't you have something to ask me?"
The blond straightened his back and went to stand in front of Yuuri. He reached into his pocket.
"Here."
Yuuri blinked, taken aback as Wolfram produced the folded leather 'wallat'. He'd been expecting something much different. His mouth hung open for a moment before he spoke. "My wallet?"
"The Sage asked me to look after this until you woke. He said it was your most important Earth possession."
The double black stared at the wallet, his head cocking to the side. He looked at Wolfram. "Thank you for taking care of it for me, just in case, but I don't need that anymore."
"Don't need it?" Wolfram echoed. "But he said-"
Yuuri took it from his hand and opened it, showing him what was inside. "This is Earth money and identification." He handed it back. "It's true that on Earth it's very important, but I won't be needing that anymore. Please dispose of it for me."
The blond stared for a moment before letting his hand drop to his side. "You're really planning to stay then."
"Yes." Yuuri's fingers clenched on the sheets. Wolfram's eyes narrowed as he held the wallet out to the side, at arm's length, and suddenly torched it with a flick of his fingers, leaving a greasy smell in the air.
Yuuri sighed deeply, turning so that he could lean back on the bedpost for support. Wolfram was still standing there with the sun at his back from the balcony. It made his hair shine, and Yuuri smiled so softly that the blond startled. His cheeks turned pink, and he fumbled through his pockets for the thing that Yuuri had been expecting.
"I've decided to give you what you need in order to be able to stay in Shin Makoku more easily," Wolfram said. It was something he'd rehearsed, and it came out because he was nervous, even though he could tell that Yuuri had been expecting this. He wasn't sure how he was going to react when Yuuri signed the papers. He set the parchment on Yuuri's lap. Squeezing his eyes shut, he swallowed hard to keep his heart out of his throat.
Please just sign it quickly.
The double black's face was tense, and his eyes were dark. "Bring me my seal, if you don't mind." His voice was quiet. "It's in the-"
"I know where it is," Wolfram spat, made peevish by impatience and nerves. He fetched the seal, some wax, and a quill and ink from the desk, setting them on the nightstand so Yuuri could work. He sat on the chair beside the bed to wait, staring, not noticing that his hands were clenched around his knees.
Why am I so nervous? Why can't I shake off that last little bit of hope?
It's going to be the end of me.
He wasn't surprised when Yuuri took the quill in hand, but when he suddenly turned the paper upside-down, Wolfram shot to his feet, knocking the chair back on the floor.
"What the hell are you doing, Wimp?" he screamed. "You can't!"
"Then torch me." Yuuri quickly signed his name upside-down on the underside of the line.
Wolfram threw his fists down at his sides as Yuuri sealed the paper officially. He pointed accusingly at Yuuri, flames building at his palms. "Who told you?" he wailed. "Why? Why are you doing this to me? Just let me shame myself and get it over with!"
I finally got together the strength to break away from you, and you do this!
"Really, you demons and your strange traditions," Yuuri chuckled nervously. "Legally, you have to… give me another year to… win you if I sign this way, right?" Yuuri said quietly. He was blushing and couldn't look Wolfram in the face. "Legally… this is the most I can do to refuse, right?"
"Yuuri, there's no reason for this," Wolfram said, gathering his composure. He went to the window so Yuuri couldn't see him fighting tears. "I already know you don't want me. Please don't… prolong this. If there's a scrap of decency in you…" He turned around, his eyes wide with tears and bewilderment. "I'm giving you the chance to escape! Don't you understand?" He glared. "What the hell did Murata tell you? He's trying to confuse you!"
"I'm not confused!" Yuuri suddenly boomed in a deep voice, and Wolfram staggered back a step, expecting to see Yuuri transformed, but he wasn't. He was just older. "At least, I'm not anymore. Wolf, I lo-"
"Don't!" the blond gasped, tossing his head like a wounded animal against the hope that threatened to roar to life in his heart, like some dangerously irrepressible fire, but he stamped it out, sweeping his arm out in front of him, restraining the flames from licking their way out of his fingertips.
"Don't you dare say that to me!" Wolfram hissed. "Don't. You. Dare." He curled his hand back against his side.
Yuuri, please stop! This is what makes me love you.
Yuuri bit his lip. "I will concede that I… have not earned that right," he said quietly. "I would never wish… your previous lifestyle on anyone, not after having a taste of what it feels like. And I don't expect your trust or forgiveness instantly. But that's why I signed the way I did! This gives me time to prove to you that… that my feelings have changed, Wolfram. Or… rather that I've grown into them."
Hearing Yuuri say it that way struck a chord within Wolfram, but he grit his teeth against it. "How can I possibly believe you? You appear out of nowhere, after rejecting me and disappearing… and suddenly say that you want me? How could I possibly?"
"Wolf, I'm not asking for a whole year," Yuuri said. "Perhaps I don't deserve a year. Either way, I only have six months to marry. I ask only for six months to win you."
"And if I still refuse?" Wolfram growled.
"I… will marry someone else and be unhappy," Yuuri replied.
Wolfram's eyes flashed.
"But it will be better to be unhappy and be near you than to be unhappy and be on Earth." Yuuri looked at him, drawing his unwilling eyes to his own.
"I'm not like I was before, Yuuri," Wolfram hissed. "You saw to that."
Yuuri winced. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. But you're still you, Wolf."
"Don't call me that!" Wolfram cried, then shook his head clear of the distraction with a grunt of annoyance. "I don't want to be pursued by you!"
"That's too bad, Wolfram," Yuuri barked, sitting up on his knees, "because I'm going to devote every moment we're together to wooing you, and every moment we're apart thinking of ways to convince you!"
"I'm not giving in easily!" Wolfram gritted, stepping toward him involuntarily, challenging him with his eyes.
"Then you'd better run as hard as you can," Yuuri growled, his own eyes sharp. He held to the bedpost, gripping it hard with his injured fingers and leaning in close to Wolfram's face, which was flushed with anger. "Because I'm not going to stop pursuing you until Shinou himself is knocking on the door."
Yuuri was so close, Wolfram could smell him, and, his passion being up like hackles on a dog, it was starting to affect him. Wolfram blushed against his will, spinning toward the door on the heel of his boot. He didn't know what to say. "Wimp!" he howled, stomping his foot before practically fleeing the room.
When the door was closed, Yuuri called, "Murata!"
The Sage appeared from his hiding place behind the tapestry. "Yuuri…" he laughed quietly, "that was impressive."
Yuuri ignored him. "Tell Gwendal that Wolfram is not to go on any missions away from the castle lasting more than one night. His primary mission is a guardian of the castle until I say differently."
"Yes, Heika," Murata replied, grinning, and Yuuri's face softened.
"I'm sorry," he sighed, lying back with a wince. His burst of energy was quickly waning. He sighed deeply, relaxing into his mattress. "Do you think I've got a chance, Murata?"
"Of course. He didn't torch you, did he? Besides, didn't you hear what he said?" Murata said calmly, sitting on the edge of the bed beside Yuuri. "He said… he wasn't giving in easily."
The young man's eyes shined. "Yeah… he did…"
============ break ============
By the time Wolfram reached his small stone room, he was a shuddering mess. He clenched one shaking hand into a fist over and over as he paced, the other tightly gripping the hilt of his sword. He alternated between growling and groaning, anger and confusion, cursing the imprudent fluttering of hope in his breast. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed a handful of feather from his desk and torched it between his fingers.
He felt unsatisfied as wisps of ashen quill floated slowly to the ground. He let his hand fall against his hip with a sigh.
What are you going to do?
Yuuri wouldn't lie, would he?
He might to spare your feelings.
He didn't lie about loving you before. Why would he start now?
Well, why would he start loving me now?
Wolfram lay back across his cot, his sword jangling plaintively in its scabbard at being swung so suddenly horizontal.
Do you want to believe him?
Yes. But I can't…
The blond closed his eyes. So tired.
============ break ============
AN
Thanks for reviews! Laters.