Chapter 7
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Wearily, Yuuri sat in the infirmary. He was crouched over with his head in his hands. It felt like he'd been doing that a lot lately. Beds were occupied by the same three men—sleeping—fighting off the poison of The Gaki. And, Heaven only knew where the beast was now.
Once more, the double black's attention turned to Wolfram, remembering events from an hour ago:
"It's not," Wolfram said.
The body was stiff, still. No response. But Yuuri was holding on. He had to. Some terrified part of him sensed that the delicate thread that linked them at this moment would break, and his connection to Wolfram would disappear forever.
"This isn't my grave."
"No!" He was frightened and angry now. This wasn't Wolfram…but it was. Sickeningly so. "Don't talk like that, Wolfram," Yuuri whispered harshly against a seemingly bloodless cheek. "P-Please…"
The blond took a soft breath and let it out. "Face it…alone…"
The double black rubbed Wolfram's back—not for the blond's sake, but for his own, making himself calm down and, at the same time, willing Wolfram to stay with him. He had to. "I…I don't understand." He forced himself to listen beyond the pounding of his heartbeat. "Explain to me…"
"…Save you, Yuuri…even if it means…" Wolfram collapsed into his arms, head tilted back and lips parted slightly. Green eyes, almost lifeless, stared through him.
"Wolfram?!"
Pathetic. Pathetic and weak. He'd whimpered the name.
The small spark of life left in Wolfram's eyes and vanished. A blond head fell to one side.
The world became a watery blur—warm tears.
No….no, no, no…!
"WOLFRAM!"
Yuuri worried his bottom lip between his teeth. "Passed out from blood loss," he muttered to no one in the room. "I'm glad you're here now…where we can take care of you." Kindly, Yuuri placed his hand on Wolfram's shoulder. Even through the hospital gown, he could feel the warmth and that mild heat was reassuring. "But, at the same time, I wish you'd wake up and tell me…"
Yuuri rubbed Wolfram's shoulder again and felt a sudden impulse. A part of him—some kind of instinct—wanted to touch Wolfram's face, to move blond bangs from Wolfram's eyes, to hold his hand and take away every ounce of pain that he felt.
But wanting to wasn't enough motivation to actually do it. Inwardly, he cursed himself for his cowardice.
"This isn't helping," he grumbled. Yuuri leaned back into his chair and replayed the memory again. He'd done it one hundred times, but it didn't matter.
"Save me…? Save me from what?"
Yuu frowned in thought from his place in the corner. "From whatever Wolfram believed was a threat…assuming, that is, he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating. It could also be a life goal. So, we don't know." Then, he ran his black braid between his fingers, slipping the strand back and forth. "But, each time, it seems like he's preparing to leave you. First, he's angry because he thinks Conrad has died. Once he's dead, too, there will be no one with you. The second time, he's searching for 'home' but plans to protect you until the very end."
"It seems that way," Conrad said, watching the door as Gissela entered with the pink haired healer.
"I hear someone's gone walkabout…" Gissela stifled a yawn. "We'll deal with that. Medically speaking, it's not uncommon. For now, you all had better get some rest."
"We should go," Yuuri agreed easily, much to Yuu's disbelief and Conrad's curiosity. They stepped into the hallway.
He heavy, wooden door closed with a low thud, leaving Yuuri, Yuu, and Conrad in the breezy hallway.
"Obviously, you're fine with leaving him," Yuu's anger boiling beneath the surface. Words like "unfeeling jerk" were coming to mind along with "prat." This time, he was actually looking forward to turning down another hallway and returning to his room just to be away from the other double black. "So, you've failed Lesson Number Two," Yuu muttered darkly.
"He'll be with the healers. And that's the most we can do. Now," he turned down Yuu's hallway, "we've got other things to take care of if we're going to help Wolfram and learn more about what's going on."
"Eh?" Yuu said, scratching his head.
Yuuri stopped at Kenneth's door. "Right before Gwendal gave us the report on The Gaki, I overheard them whispering about another drinking party." He knocked loudly. On the other side, there were chuckles and then the door opened. A head with caramel hair stuck out. Kenneth was slightly pinkish in the cheeks and his glasses hung low on the tip of his nose. "Hi! We just started twenty minutes ago. Join us!" He swung back the door to reveal his counterpart sitting on the bed with Wolfgang beside him.
Yuuri entered the room, followed by Conrad.
Yuu glanced inside, surprised to see Wolfgang there. "What 'cha doing?" He folded his arms against his chest and leaned against the door frame casually. A frown was forming between his eyes. "Playing spin the bottle, Wolfgang?" A raven head casually tilted to one side, but the vibe was dark, disappointed.
"On a bed?" Murata Ken joked, "Not likely. For some things, it's better to use the floor."
Yuuri's face twitched. You just had to phrase it that way, didn't you?
Even though the room positively reeked of spiced wine, Yuu noticed that Murata seemed to be totally sober. Wolfgang's crystal goblet was resting in his wide palm with the stem descending between his first two fingers. The drink appeared to be untouched—which didn't seem like him. Kenneth came across as though he'd had a few, but not enough to be inebriated. He was giggly at best.
"Yes, our good friend, Wolfgang, was feeling down…skipped dinner… So, we decided to invite him in here to raise his spirits." There was a devilish gleam, glasses shining to hide his eyes. Kenneth finished his explanation by crossing the room and giving a friendly pat on Wolfgang's arm, as was his habit.
"They forced me to come," Wolfgang gave a quick nod at Kenneth in particular and swirled the drink in his hand lazily.
"Well, grab your things. We're going," Yuuri said, now giving the three men before him a determined look.
"What happened, Yuu?" Wolfgang asked gladly putting the drink down on the table next to the bed, a fire was lighting within him. "Is it The Gaki again?"
"In a way," Yuuri answered for him, turning to go out of the room. "We're going to pay Shinou a little visit."
"What?" Murata Ken said, walking briskly to catch up with his friend. "Why are we going at this hour?"
"Because he knows something…and I want to know what it is."
Gwendal sat in his office with a message just delivered to him by pigeon. He dreaded reading it because some part of him sensed it would be bad news. There had been a lot of that lately. But, considering the safety issues that they were facing, and the political climate that would result if something was not settled within a very short span of time, it was best to simply face facts regarding The Gaki no matter how unpleasant.
The report was written by Alistair Dupree, the soldier he appointed to handle all major correspondences with him.
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To Gwendal von Voltaire
Commander of the Mazoku Army
STATUS REPORT
Since noon, we have been receiving information regarding the Gaki's activities. At present, the majority have been sightings by the local villagers at a distance only. We have also detected what appears to be the animal's tracks, moving in an erratic pattern. There have been unsubstantiated claims by area huntsmen that three deer have been slaughtered in a manner most horrible in the Piney Woods. At daybreak, we intend to send out an investigative team and will, upon compiling the findings, report back as soon as possible.
Awaiting any orders that you should direct in this matter.
Sincerely,
Alistair Dupree
Correspondence Officer
Mazoku Army
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"Well, if this is true…and if it is The Gaki…then, at least, no one was harmed," Gwendal rubbed the bridge of his nose. But, for how long?
He sighed, getting up from his desk.
He had to pay someone a visit before calling it a day.
It was an amusing spectacle. Well, Shinou found it amusing and that was all that truly mattered. He had two beautiful versions of The Great Sage standing before him with adorable frowns on their faces. He scratched his chin in thought, a wicked smile coming with the images he played out in his mind.
Oh, the possibilities.
Of course, he was also intrigued by a tall, brunette version of Wolfram standing behind them with Conrad and twin Yuuris.
Ulrike stood at the door, a bit flustered at having visitors barging into the shrine at this hour of the night. The shrine maiden guards, still crowding the hallway, were none the better—angry that they'd been ignored and dismissed without a word.
"I take it that there's a problem?" Shinou said with mock curiosity, crossing his legs. He was sitting on one of the four boxes—"Hellfire on Frozen Tundra."
Wolfgang fought back a scowl, remembering his own issues with the Shinou in his world not to mention the "Hellfire" box. The brunette soldier didn't care what Wolfram's relationship was with this flamboyant version of Shinou. All he understood was that, in both worlds, the spirit was a menace at best and not worthy of being perceived as a saint or deity.
Yuuri's eyes narrowed angrily. He stepped around the sages and approached Shinou. "I know you've been meeting with Wolfram," he said. Yuuri's hands made fists at his sides. "And I know that you've been preparing him for something…something secret."
Tell me!
A blond eyebrow went up in mock astonishment. Then, he let his legs swing lazily side to side. "You have to understand that I'm…surprised," Shinou murmured. His tone reflected his mood. There was something lackadaisical about it. He flipped his blond hair back. And a breeze from nowhere caught the cape that hung carelessly off of one shoulder. "Or…rather, let me rephrase that…" He jumped down and approached Yuuri with a thin smile on his face. "What surprises me is that you have not come to see me sooner." He strolled lazily long the line of boxes. "Tell me, Yuuri Heika… What does it take to get your attention?"
Yuuri suppressed a frustrated growl.
"I'm sure your fiancé," and he purposefully accented the word 'fiancé,' "kept mum about the secret encounters and preparations…in the night." He continued to stroll. "Or, upon my word, that was the impression he gave me."
Murata was about to join in, to find a way of forcing his most difficult companion, Shinou, to say something useful instead of implying something sordid, as he was doing right now with his tone of voice. However, Yuuri gave Murata a hard glance, saying "Stay out of this" with his eyes. Murata Ken, surprised, wisely held his tongue.
"I know that you've been preparing Wolfram for…for something! Showing him things! That's why Wolfram accepted this whole situation better than anyone."
"Showing him what?" Wolfgang asked curiously.
Yuuri glanced at the brunette version of Wolfram out of the corner of his eye. "You…in fact, all of you…coming here to our world." Yuuri turned back to Shinou. "Isn't that right? There was some sort of mirror that showed Wolfram what was to come. He knew that there would be a doorway. And he knew who and what would be coming out of it."
"We all saw him. Wolfram was as surprised as any of us," Conrad spoke up.
"Acting," Yuuri said with a shake of the head in dismissal, "because he had to."
"Nevertheless…the future? That's impossible," Kenneth stated, pushing his glasses up on his nose with his middle finger. "The future is something yet to be."
"True," Murata said as though thinking out loud, "but if the mirror detected doorways…portals…and those types of anomalies are not necessarily bound by timespace."
"Hmm…" Kenneth rubbed the back of his head, thinking. "That could be possible, you know. The universe is made up of four dimensions: length, width, height, and time. But it wouldn't be like watching a whole movie…more like bits of pieced together video tape… Theoretically speaking, tapping into…"
"It's enough," Wolfgang complained, putting a hand to his head. He had a sudden, overwhelming desire to grab both sages, dump them in two boxes, and send them down a river with a waterfall. Hopefully, there would be sharp rocks.
"So, why did you do it?" Yuuri asked impatiently. He could feel anger and adrenaline arcing through his body. "You know his sense of duty to Shin Makoku." The double black waited a beat for an answer, but got none. "Maybe…it was simpler than that," Yuuri stated, thinking out loud. "Maybe…you did more than call on his honor or devotion…"
A blond eyebrow quirked. Amusement was running out, being replaced with a quiet seriousness that put both sages on edge.
"Maybe," Yuuri reasoned, "you used…me."
Anissina sat on the narrow couch that she'd ordered to be taken from her quarters to the lab so that she could nap when she needed to.
The lab was bright. Some of the inventions hummed. Others tapped or clinked in time. However, the newest machine that produced The Gaki antidote was special. It had a steady rhythm that she'd come to love. And its sounds blended in with the others—music as soothing and familiar as a lover's heartbeat. Then, she smiled a little at that, remembering her first love and all the promises, not to mention "regrets," that came with that first feeling.
Was it worth it…knowing how these things always end?
Anissina leaned against the arm of the couch, feeling her body wilt. This lab was the world she created, both the good and the bad. Anissina was proud of all the accomplishments that she'd made. And she had done so on her own, without a man holding her back. If she had married, she reasoned, she would never have gotten this far. No man could understand her completely—especially her first love, who, even now, was stubborn to the core and married to his job. "Married," Anissina sighed the word.
She shook her head a little. No, her experiments and her independence…those were wonderful, necessary, important…
Yes, those were the good things, but not all of her experiments worked. There have been…failures… Her eyes flicked to the machinery piled up against the east wall. Yes, she'd opened a portal with her tinkering and unleashed a monster. But, nobody had died. Anissina was sure that she'd see to that—making as much of the antidote as possible for Gissela. Sleep be damned.
The red haired inventor blinked when she sensed movement to her right. A body was sitting next to her on the couch.
"Sleeping with your eyes open again?" Gwendal asked. He seemed concerned, head tilted slightly to the side to get a better view.
"That's not possible," Anissina said with a bit of scolding in her voice. Mind coming out of a thick fog, she patted against her head red hairs straying from her ponytail. She really needed a shower and to brush her hair a little. "I'm just taking a break," she explained while trying to fight back a yawn. "Another bottle will be ready…in twenty minutes. It will be fine. I'm fine, too—semi-indestructible." She showed him her strong right arm.
"I see," Gwendal commented without being convinced.
Anissina seemed to be wearing yesterday's clothes. She had dark circles under her eyes. And, most likely, she hadn't been eating properly. His indigo eyes scanned the lab. There were six coffee ups lined up in a row on her desk. Behind the row, a thick blanket of papers was spread out with coffee mug rings decorating the surface.
"I was just…just thinking," she fibbed sleepily.
Anissina's eyes drooped a little.
"About?" Gwendal prodded as she knew he would.
Anissina folded her arms against her chest and smirked. She'd let her eyes close for just a second. A little rest was all they needed. Then, she'd get something hot to drink and keep on going.
"I don't understand, Gwendal."
"Don't understand…what?" the voice said next to her.
She smirked at it. She didn't understand why. But, it didn't matter, did it? The voice warmed her somewhere down deep.
"Gaki." This time, she yawned and didn't bother to cover her mouth. Every bone in her body ached for sleep. Her voice was unusually soft, beautiful. "Kenneth tells us that they attack the castle in their world with humans wrangling them—leading them on."
"So?" Gwendal looked at her sharply. Her eyes were still closed and she leaned a little in his direction, teetering as she'd catch herself. Gwendal rolled his eyes, took her by the shoulder and pressed her against him. After all, it wouldn't be the first time.
Not turning up to look at him, she simply opened her eyes briefly and smiled.
"As you were saying?" Gwendal went on.
"Hmm…yes, well…" With eyelids drooping, she said, "I don't understand how humans…" She yawned. "…Can herd a creature like The Gaki…let alone many... How do they manage it? If they're as wild as they seem… and as poisonous…as we know…?"
"I've been wondering about that, too."
She rubbed her nose sleepily. "Physically, humans simply don't compare with Mazoku. We're stronger, faster, wield magic, and have stronger immune systems…which is why Humans fear and hate us." Then, she wrapped her arms around Gwendal's left arm like holding a teddy bear and gave a brief hug before catching herself and stopping the idiotic display. What was she thinking? "Sorry," Anissina murmured. "Just…really tired…" She sighed at herself. Maybe, she should take on a new lover after all…just to get the "warm fuzzies" out of her system. "So, what makes these Human wranglers unafraid and…I'm assuming it here…immune?"
Gwendal waited for her to say something more. But noting came. Only the sound of the equipment in the background met his ears.
Then, a soft snore.
"Good questions," Gwendal observed, getting up from the couch. He picked up Anissina's legs and placed them gently on the couch. She settled in, arms folded defensively against her chest, head tilted away from him. A frown.
Typical…
Gwendal gave her a fleeting look before walking out the door and shutting it with a soft "thud."
Gwendal was not a cold Mazoku by nature. He would have picked Anissina up and carried her off to her bedroom to rest. But he knew that she didn't really belong there. Her bedroom was Spartan and held only the most basic of necessities.
Among her offspring—the crazy gadgets and gizmos of her imagination—was where Anissina truly needed to be and felt happiest.
This was it—her lab. And he'd grant her nothing less.
"You really are a troublesome person," Murata said simply, walking forward, his glasses shining. "To have so many people come here in the middle of the night…demanding answers." He tilted his head to the side with a slight, angry curl to his lips. "And, I happen to be one of them."
"Really, my sage…" Then he eyed Kenneth. "My…sages," he corrected himself.
Kenneth rested his hands on his hips, frustrated. In both worlds, the man was incorrigible.
"I want to know exactly what you told Wolfram." Yuuri's dark eyes were shining, meeting bright blue ones. There seemed to be a threat on the side of one and jovial determination on the other. Yuuri had no intention of backing down to the spirit—no matter how powerful he may be.
"Why ask me? You should know," Shinou practically purred, "As you've stated, you understand it so well…because you were there the last time."
Onyx eyes widened. He knew!
Shinou disappeared and reappeared on the "Hellfire" box again. He gave Yuuri a shrug and said, "I had wondered how long it would take for you to realize that your…um…shall we say 'beloved'…fiancé was disappearing in the night." Next, a flash of mirth. "You could have thanked me, by the way."
"Thanked you?" Yuuri practically shouted out the words. "Whatever for?"
There it was—that domineering smirk that Shinou was so famous for. "I convinced him of the truth…that he'd served his purpose. After all, if you had really wanted him around… 'loved him'…something would have happened by now." He threw up his hands dramatically.
Though not a fire Mazoku, Wolfgang's eyes were ablaze at the words and his jaw set. It didn't intimate Shinou by any means, but it did entertain him greatly. With this encouragement, he went on. "But your fiancé still had his honor and his duty to uphold. And The Gaki creature can only be slain by a fire wielding Mazoku of great power and great lineage."
Remembering the blond suffering in the infirmary, Kenneth grumbled to himself, "Well, your 'perfect' genetics didn't improve the chances of Lord von Bielefeld succeeding this time."
"So, what you're saying is that you convinced him that he wasn't loved or wanted. All that was left was his fighting skill." Yuuri felt sick just saying it. He knew there was a childish part of the ex-prince that was frail, fragile. And in this world, Shinou was practically a god to the people of Shin Makoku. What if your god told you that you were useless?
"Why are you so surprised?" Shinou asked, slightly curious now. "The last time, you heard everything from your hiding place in the hallway by the door. I was half tempted to give you away…just to see how Wolfram would react."
"Shinou!" Kenneth barked only to have a calming hand placed on his shoulder by Wolfgang.
The Original king's lips tilted upwards. "And, yet, you did nothing…even the next day… Did nothing…said nothing…"
Heatedly, Yuuri turned his face away.
"Is that true, Yuuri?" Conrad asked, surprised that his godson had given him none of these details.
"I wanted to speak with Wolfram when we got back to the castle. I know how proud he is. I didn't want to hurt him." Then, Yuuri squeezed his hand into a fist at his side. "We won't let Wolfram die. We just won't."
That got a "humph," from the Original King. "Wolfram's heart has been dead for a long time…but I'm not the one who killed him." He winked at Yuuri. "Now, the rest of his body will simply mark time, like a good soldier, until his body follows."
"No," Yuuri said with an edge, staring into Shinou's eyes defiantly again. "We will all be there together. And Wolfram won't face The Gaki alone." It sounded good, the double black reasoned. Everyone was here together right now—telling Shinou that they were working as a team. And, once Wolfram knew that he wasn't as alone as Shinou made him feel, the situation would get even better. As one, they would defeat The Gaki.
"Truly?" The spirit's amusement was back. "We seem to be having two different conversations here, and I am enthralled by your repetitive use of 'we.'" At that point, Yuuri didn't catch the hint, but both sages did, sharing glances. The Original King went on. "Come to think of it, can anyone in this group even wield enough fire to light a candle?"
Yuri worried his lip between his teeth. "I refuse to give up because it's hard. I'm going to keep on trying because I don't want to lose Wolfram."
Shinou's eyes danced. "You should have held that opinion long ago and then, possibly, your life in Shin Makoku would have been…very different."
Yuuri's face twitched. He'd gotten it—finally. "You're talking about my…engagement…to Wolfram, right?"
Like a professor who was thrilled that his "D" student finally caught on to the necessity of reading the syllabus, Shinou smiled broadly at Yuuri. "You don't have to worry about that anymore."
"Eh?" The double black blinked at him.
"It's over."
"Over?" he parroted dumbly.
The blond pushed back the cloak hanging off of his shoulder, puffed out his chest, and made his proclamation. "I, Shinou, The Original King, do hereby proclaim that the engagement between the 27th Maou of Shin Makoku, Shibuya Yuri, and my descendant, Lord Wolfram von Bielefeld, null and void due to severe emotional and physical neglect."
"Neglect?" Yuuri squeaked the word. All of the visions popping in his head of a "neglected Wolfram" didn't match the strong, unwavering person he'd come to know after all these years. Wolfram was manly and brave. He cut a sharp figure in his uniform and had almost anything he desired. Almost… Yuuri's memory flashed back to the dusty room with Shinou, Wolfram, and the mirror. All the blond could think about was the safety of his fiancé —of Yuuri—and his desire to see him become a great king. That was all. That was everything his heart's desires had come down to. Wolfram didn't even ask for my love. But what would be the point? Shinou told him even that was beyond his power. No wonder Wolfram told no one and gave in without a fight.
"Well, truth be told…" Yuu muttered from his place behind his twin. It got him an almost lethal glare from a pair of onyx eyes that mirrored his own.
No, he wasn't going to accept this. "Neglect? That's impossible. I didn't do anything to Wolfram!" Yuuri was frustrated, angry. This is so stupid!
"My point exactly." Shinou's sigh was faux and over the top. "Wolfram was to be your partner in life—devoted, steadfast, supportive, beautiful, desirable…" He scratched his chin a little and added. "Gender never even occurred to me. So, I left that up to fate." What a mistake that was. But it was too late now to berate himself over it. Yuuri had a well known preference for girls—not that it was bad, mind you—but it made the whole situation much more complicated from the start. "But, Yuuri Heika, as you are now more than capable of standing on your own two feet and gathering loyal people to your side, Wolfram's time has come and gone."
"That's…" Yuuri stammered. "That's…What are you saying?! You can't be serious…!"
"Too bad." Shinou's grin was cat-like. He jumped down from the box he was sitting on. "I've just proclaimed it in front of witnesses." He gestured to the room with a grand sweep.
Yuuri stared at him incredulously.
"Congratulations, Yuuri Heika," Shinou taunted. "You're now a free man."