Disclaimer: I own nothing

Okay, so I finally got my computer back and its more fucked up then when I sent it away…so if anyone knows how to change the permissions for application files (exe) please please tell me how. I don't want to pay $200 to the geek squad to get it fixed. Anyway, I'm gonna try to write this next chapter and hopefully I will be able to upload it.

Conrart opened his eyes and was immediately aware of three things. One, his entire body ached. Two, the aching was actually very pleasant. And three, he was alone in bed.

"Yozak?" he called without result. He sighed and shoved the covers off the bed, and looked down.

He gasped. The sheets were laced with blood. He scrambled off the bed, searching his body for wounds. The blood trailed up in between his butt cheeks. He remembered that someone somewhere in his past that being penetrated for the first time meant some bleeding, but it had never occurred to him that he would be the one bleeding.

He hastily used the already bloodied sheets to clean the blood off his legs before slipping on last night's clothes, grabbing a fresh uniform and bath supplies. He shoved the sheets into the wardrobe in case the maids came in with fresh ones, then hurried from the room to the army bath house.

…

Conrart winced as he lost his footing in the middle of a mock fight for the second time. The pain in his back and upper thighs was seriously throwing off his fighting technique.

"Weller-kyo!" Wolfram's voice came out of nowhere. Conrart signaled a halt to the duel and turned to face his half brother. "What is the matter with you? I thought you said you weren't ill."

"I'm not." Conrart began hunting for an excuse. "It's an old wound from the last war that's acting up."

"Liar, I know you don't have any lasting injuries."

"You don't know anything," Conrart snapped, losing the apathetic composure he had carefully cultivated over the past twenty years.

Wolfram stepped back in surprise. "Brother?" he asked, his language falling back into that which he used when his brother still had that personality.

"I'm sorry," Conrart said, instantly, returning to himself.

Wolfram hesitated, then said, "If you're not feeling well, then take a break. I'm ready to practice and my people are completely useless when it comes to anything other than maryoku."

Conrart knew to take this with a grain of salt. "Fine, but just for a little. I'll observe how much you've improved."

Wolfram scoffed. "I'm one of the best fighters in Shin Makoku!"

"Yes, you are," Conrart replied. "But let's see how you do with my men. Oh, and you can't use your elemental fire since a lot of these men are half human and have no maryoku."

There was the slightest twitch in Wolfram's hand. "I will still kick all of their asses, with or without maryoku."

"That's good to know, since you are Heika's greatest line of defense."

Wolfram blushed at the praise and hastily turned away, hiding it. "Go sit down and rest your wounds."

Conrart smiled his usual smile and said, "You're treating me like a decrepit."

"Well, according to Yuuri, being over a hundred is decrepit."

Conrart couldn't help himself. He laughed. "Okay, go fight."

Wolfram nodded and faced one of the brown coats. "Get ready for the fight of your life." The soldier gulped audibly.

...

To the solier's credit, Wolfram found himself pleasantly surprised that the man actually made him breathe hard before collapsing in a heap on ground.

Conrart applauded him and stood up, the pain in his backside having subsided a bit. He went over and ruffled Wolfram's hair for a second before the blonde ducked away, blushing angrily. "Weller-kyo!"

"Yes, yes," Conrart said, lightly. "I feel fine now. You go on and see Heika."

"Yuuri is in lessons, right now."

"Oh really?" Conrart had been acutely aware of Yuuri coming out to the training yard about ten minutes into Wolfram's duel. Interestingly though, he found that his stomach didn't quiver in the way it usually when Yuuri was around. He still felt a fierce need to protect the boy king. But he didn't want to claim the double black as his own. It was strange, not feeling that way anymore. It was beginning to bother him. "Look."

Wolfram looked behind him and saw Yuuri watching with awe. "Yuuri!"

"Wow, that was an awesome fight, Wolf!" Yuuri walked over and embraced Wolfram tightly. "You fought that entire thing without using maryoku!"

"Pssh, I don't need maryoku to defeat half breeds, thank you very much."

"If that's true, then why do you always use maryoku on me?"

"Because you have maryoku!"

"Excuse me, Heika, Prince," he used formal titles. "I will be getting back to training now."

"Oh, okay, have fun, Conrad." Yuuri turned his attention back to his husband before he could be accused of cheating and pressed a kiss to his lips. Conrart turned away, expecting to fight off pangs of love and anger, but they never came. His eyes widened in surprise and spun back. He watched Wolfram and Yuuri kiss passionately. He felt nothing other than a mild embarrassment for watching his brother make out with someone. But why? Why was he suddenly feeling this way? A face formed in his mind.

"Weller-kyo, quit staring!" Conrart snapped out of his daze and realized exactly what he was doing. Wolfram and Yuuri were staring at him.

"My apologies." He nodded to the pair of them and turned away, drawing his sword. He called out to one of his men, Evrard.

"Sir?"

"Where is Yozak?"

"I haven't seen him all day?" Conrart waited for him to elaborate. "Perhaps he had a mission."

Conrart his surprise. "He didn't mention he was leaving."

"I'm sorry, sir."

"It's not your fault, Evrard." He pitched his voice for everyone in the training yard to hear and called, "Fifteen laps around the castle then take ten. If I'm not back, pair off and spar."

"Sir!" they all yelled, and jogged off. Conrart turned to see Yuuri and Wolfram were gone. He sighed, feeling strangely unaffected by that turn of events and walked back to the castle and headed up to Gwendal's office.

…

"Yes, I sent Gurrier on a mission. It was top secret, so he wasn't supposed to say anything."

"As Yozak's commanding officer, I ought to at least be made aware of my second in command's movement, secret or otherwise."

Gwendal raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you care so much? I send him on missions all the time and I've never heard you complain about it."

Conrart's lips tightened. "I don't care," he replied, almost childishly. Then he paused. What the hell was wrong with him? "I'm sorry." He seemed to be apologizing a lot lately. "Just...please don't send my men off on spy missions without at least telling me."

"Fine, I will inform you next time."

"Thank you." Conrart turned and left.

…In a dark underground room…

Yozak woke, pain burning his thigh. He tried to reach down to touch it only to find both wrists cuffed to the wall over his head. He glanced down at his leg to see an arrow jutting out of it. He cursed. That bastard had got him from behind!

He tried to move his leg, biting back a cry of pain. He steadied his leg again and said aloud, "Well, this is a lovely predicament I've gotten myself into."

Aaaaand cliffhanger!

Author's notes: Since most of the characters' names (in the alternate world) are derived from German names, any names I make up in this story will be German

Another note: The part where Wolfram calls Conrart "brother," I'm well aware that he stopped calling him brother long before Conrart dropped his bad attitude, but I thought it was cute so I left it in.

Please review, I really need to be cheered up right now and reviews are music to my ears XDDD

Thanks for reading