So I had been hoping to post this way faster than I did, but my computer died, and I was not happy after losing the files. Anyway, here is another chapter. Hope you like it!
Over the next few days, Gwendal and Yuri were very happy together. Nights were spent together in each other's arms. Everyone knew what they were up to and waited with baited breath for the day that one proposed to the other. Not, of course, that there was any rush, but the entire castle was happy that their precious king had found true love.
The afternoon that things came to a head with Wolfram, Yuri was out wandering the gardens with Yozak. They had been chatting quietly about setting up another camping trip when rustling was heard in the nearby bushes. Yozak, not one for people to sneak up on easily, was startled and grabbed his sword. Wolfram popped out and strutted over to the pair, a sly grin plastered on his face.
"Hello, Cheater. I see that you are such a cheater that you've even gone beyond my brother for this… red-haired spy. Ugh!"
"W-Wolfram. What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to take you back to earth. Your family needs to realize just how much of a cheater you are and what you've done to me. I've been banished for two years now, and it's been hell. You don't know just how- Oh wait, here's the sorry sack of crap now."
Yuri looked behind him and saw Gwendal marching toward the group, worry etched across his face. He had his hand resting gently on his sword.
"Wolfram, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at your own castle. We told you not to come back here."
Yozak looked from one brother to the other, confused. He knew something had happened to make the bratling run off two years ago, but he never knew what exactly. The three people that did know kept the secret closely guarded. Being the great spy that he was, though, he would never ask about it. Patience usually paid off in the end.
"We're going to head to earth, Brother, and let Yuri's family know about the situation. Do they know that he dumped me for you? Do they know about your nighttime activities? How are they going to feel about Yuri dumping my beautiful self for… you? You're mean, and selfish. What gives you the right, what makes you think he could ever some someone as terrible as you."
Gwendal deflated slightly. "I can agree with you on that. I don't deserve for him to care for me, but he does and I will cherish our time together forever. Now, calm down and we can talk about what's been going on."
Conrad and Gunter had received word that Wolfram was in the gardens with Yuri and came over to make sure Yuri was well protected. They joined Gwendal behind Yuri and Yozak, both of them placing their hands on their swords.
"Oh and the two of you. Heh. The "never gonna get any" soldier and the little lost puppy dog, always following this cheater around. Let's all make the trip to Yuri's world to talk to his family. I know that all of you will be joining us because, let's face it, you don't trust Yuri to behave himself around me."
When everyone hesitated, Wolfram called fire to his hands. In order to avoid confrontation, everyone followed Wolfram to the nearby pond. As they arrived on earth, they were greeted by Jennifer's happy smile and bear hugs. She saw Wolfram and hesitated because Yuri had told her a while back that they had broken off their engagement in kind of a bad way. Everyone was herded into the living room and drinks were passed around. Shori and Shoma had heard the commotion and joined the group.
"So, what brings you all here?" Jennifer asked with a hesitant smile.
"I just wanted to make sure that you guys knew what a lying, no-good cheater your son is. He has dumped me, ME, for my brother Gwendal. Can you believe it?"
"That's not how it happened, Wolfram, and you know it." Yuri said it quietly without even looking at Wolfram.
"Well, Yuri," Shoma said, "maybe you could explain what did happen."
Wolfram tensed up. Shori knew by the look on Conrad, Gunter, and Gwendal's faces that Wolfram had done something to Yuri and he was starting to get angry. He remembered back to that time, two years ago. Yuri and Gwendal had arrived suddenly on earth and Yuri was a bruised mess. They had explained it at the time as Yuri just being clumsy and falling down the castle stairs, but with the look right now on Wolfram's face, Shori knew something had happened and he was really getting angry. No one would hurt his baby brother and get away with it. Wolfram jumped up and pointed a finger at Yuri.
"Everything that happened was because of him being a cheater!"
"Wolfram, you know I've never cheated on you. I'm in a relationship now with your brother instead of you because we are no longer together. You ruined your chances with my by your actions."
Shori couldn't take it any longer. He had an idea. The little blond bitch probably raped Yuri. That was where the bruises came from two years ago. That was why Yuri had trouble sitting down or laying down while he was here recovering. He jumped up from the couch and stalked over to Wolfram, pointing a finger in the younger man's face.
"What the FUCK did you do to my baby brother?" Shori roared out the question.
Wolfram backed away, afraid of the suddenly glowing earth Maou. Conrad put a hand on Shori's arm. The younger man shook off the hand and pulled his own hand back before once again pointing his finger at Wolfram. This time, the digit was glowing even more brightly than the rest of his body. Yozak and Gwendal stood, pulling Yuri behind them.
"How could you? He was innocent. He was precious- no, strike that, still is precious. You saw him falling for Gwendal and just had to do something to break him. Well, you'll pay for that!"
A bolt of yellow light struck Wolfram square in the chest. He slammed into the wall behind. Shori flung another bolt. This one stuck and pinned Wolfram to the wall. Wolfram gasped with pain. He held his hand over the other open wound trying to staunch the blood flow.
"I don't know what you are talking about. You make it sound like I raped him. I never did!"
"LIAR!" Shori reached out to fire at Wolfram again when Conrad tackled him to the ground, trying his best to calm Shori so he wouldn't burn down the house.
"Shori, he's not lying. He never did rape Yuri, but if Gwendal hadn't stopped him, he probably would have."
FLASHBACKGwendal sat in his office chatting with Gunter about Yuri's upcoming trip to Caloria. They were only about halfway through the planning when Gwendal felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He glanced around the room, but noticed nothing amiss. The general opened his mouth to speak again when he got the sinking stomach feeling he always got when Yuri was in trouble.
"Gunter, where is Heika right now?"
"Why?" Gunter paused. "Are you also feeling that he is in trouble?"
Gwendal stood and moved quickly toward the door of his office. "Gunter, you check outside, I'll check here in the castle." Both men hit the hallway at a dead run.
Gwendal started by checking the Heika's chambers and had to look no farther. Yuri was bloodied, naked, and tied to the bed sobbing. Wolfram stood over him, also naked, grinning like he had just won the lottery. It took several seconds for the scene to register on Gwendal brain because he simply couldn't believe what he was seeing. When it finally clicked in, he bolted over to the bed, startling both young men. Yuri whimpered in embarrassment and relief. Wolfram howled in rage, then sneered.
"Well, Brother, you're a bit late. Yuri here has already been taken. He's spoiled goods. But if you want a chance at him, I'll leave him tied up for now."
Gwendal's hands were shaking with barely check wrath at his youngest brother. "If you do not leave Shin Makoku immediately, I will not hesitate to bring severe harm to you, brother or not."
Wolfram paled at the look in Gwendal's eyes. He leaped off the bed, dressed quickly, and ran out of the room. Gwendal turned sorrowful eyes to Yuri and began untying his Heika. When he had finished, he pulled the younger man to his chest.
"Yuri, I'll help you clean up, but then you will gather your things and-"
"I understand, Gwendal," Yuri practically whispered. "I've shamed the Maou title and must resign the position and head back home."
Gwendal's arms tightened around Yuri. "No, you don't understand. You and I will be taking a trip. We will be gone for several days. No one will know where we've headed. You need to escape here for a time and if I don't get out of here quickly, I'll track down my youngest brother and kill him!"
Yuri cringed at the anger in Gwendal's voice, but nodded against his chest. He was too afraid to head down to the baths, so Gwendal helped him clean up with towels in his room. When they had finished packing, Yuri held onto his general's hand like a lifeline as they walked down to the stables. Gunter met them halfway in a panic.
"Oh good, he's alright. Thank Shino! Gwendal. What-what is it?"
Yuri shrank into Gwendal's side and shook as Gwendal briefly shared what he had witnessed. Gunter's lavender eyes flashed and he wrung his hands in grief and anger.
"So now Heika and I are taking a trip. We should be back in a week or so."
"Shouldn't you let Conrad know?"
"Let me know what?"
Yuri whimpered with despair and tugged Gwendal's arm. He got the hint and told Gunter to fill Conrad in on what had happened. Conrad's thoughts followed those of his older brother. If Wolfram were around, he'd be dead. The adjutant and the soldier agreed to not tell anyone else what had happened. As to the disappearance of Wolfram, well he had been called suddenly back to his homelands and may never return.
"Why would anyone do anything but cherish Yuri-Heika?" Gunter sobbed into his hands.
Conrad pulled him into a hug. "I don't know, Gunter, but I do know that Gwendal will take good care of our Heika. Gwendal really loves him."
After nearly a day and a half of riding in silence, Gwendal stopped them by a grove of trees near a large stream. The waterfall on the nearby cliff cascaded beautifully, covering up a small cave behind it. The trees provided shade and could be easily defended if they were attacked. Gwendal set up camp while Yuri huddled next to one of the larger trees. They hadn't brought tents, but neither one minded sleeping out in the open in sleeping bags.
Two hours after going to bed, Gwendal was startled from his sleep by Yuri screaming. His well-trained senses told him there was no real danger so he moved over to Yuri, holding the younger man in his arms until the screaming dissolved into quiet moans of terror. When Yuri had finally fallen back asleep, Gwendal disentangled himself from Yuri's arms and quietly made his way back to his own bedroll.
In the morning, he woke more slowly, and then nearly drew his sword when he noticed someone standing over him. It was only Yuri and he looked like he needed to talk. Gwendal sat up, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.
"Heika, what's on your mind?"
Yuri opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it with a snap. He blushed from his hairline all the way down his neck. He stared at the ground for a second before dropping onto Gwendal's sleeping bag, clinging to the older man for dear life. Gwendal felt his Heika's shoulders shaking as he sobbed silently. The general knew that Yuri would need time to get over what had happened, and he planned to be there to keep him safe. Several minutes passed before Gwendal noticed that Yuri was no longer crying. He looked down to find the younger man asleep. Gwendal shifted to where they were both laying down and fell fast asleep as well.
The afternoon sun was beating down on them when they finally woke up again. Yuri quietly excused himself to go take a bath. Gwendal was shocked at how empty his arms felt. Holding Yuri had been so nice, even if it was only to comfort the boy. No, Gwendal told himself, Yuri was definitely not a boy, but a young man in need of a shoulder to cry on and the comfort of a friend. He swallowed back the rage he felt, but didn't school his features fast enough. Yuri paused at the edge of the camp, fear written all over his face.
"Heika, is everything okay?"
Yuri edged backward as Gwendal stood and advanced. He tripped over a log and fell sprawling on his backside. Gwendal ran over to make sure he was okay and Yuri threw his hands up to shield himself, screaming with fear.
"Gwendal, please! Please don't hurt me! I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about what happened with Wolfram. If I hadn't been such a terrible king, this never would have happened."
Gwendal dropped heavily to the ground beside Yuri. "Heika, please listen to me." Yuri still cowered, hands held over his head, but he had stopped screaming at least. "What Wolfram did is absolutely not your fault. He made the choice to do something despicable. You are not to blame. If you want to blame someone, please blame me. I-I should have noticed Wolfram's strange behavior. Only after his attack do I realize that he'd been acting odd for several weeks. I just hope you can forgive me, Yuri. Your first, ah, experience should be something you treasure, not fear."
"Oh Gwendal, no! You're not to blame at all. I spent a lot of time around him and should have noticed something was wrong. As for the," Yuri paused and swallowed audibly, blushing, "experience. You made it before that happened. He only attacked me and tied me to the bed. I think he was angry that you interrupted and wanted you to think something had happened so you would be disgusted with me."
Gwendal reached to pull Yuri into his arms, and the younger man didn't resist. They sat there in silence for several minutes. Relief washed over Gwendal at that point. Yuri deserved someone better than Wolfram. Someone like… Conrad. The soldier definitely cared for their Heika a great deal. Gwendal was once again shocked. This time by the feeling of sadness that he couldn't be Yuri's love interest. He began that instant pushing back his emotions to be the calm, steady presence for Yuri to feel safe with.
The pair camped out for a couple more days, visited earth for a week, and then headed back to the castle. Upon their arrival, they found the castle in an uproar. Gunter and Conrad had explained that Yuri and Gwendal had gone on a fishing trip. The general had never camped "earth-style" before and was curious about all the strange traditions. Everyone had been fine with that, but then Wolfram was noticed to be missing. Only Gwendal, Yuri, Conrad, and Gunter knew why, but to protect Yuri-Heika, they all kept the knowledge to themselves.
PRESENT"So you see, Shori. Wolfram didn't rape me. He and I never had sex at all. In fact, my first time having sex was with Gwe-"
Yuri gasped and slapped his hand over his mouth. All of the people from earth stared in shocked silence at Gwendal as his face burned. This wasn't news to the inhabitants of Shin Makoku, but Yuri never meant to be so open about it with his family. Gwendal's mouth was set into a thin, embarrassed line as he turned and strode from the room. He was never one to put his feelings out in the open and was not happy about being the center of attention.
"Gwendal, wait," Yuri rubbed his hand through his hair. "I never meant to say that. Even so," he made sure to make eye contact with everyone in the room. " I will be asking Gwendal to marry me. Soon."
The glow around Shori faded as he stared at his little brother. Wolfram collapsed to the ground, forgotten. Shori walked over and pulled Yuri into a hug and said nothing for several minutes. He was relieved that Yuri hadn't been raped, but was not quite over the fact that he had been attacked in such a brutal way.
"I'm sorry I got a little carried away. I know you have plenty of people that care about you and protect you, but Gwendal? Yuri, I'm sorry, but he terrifies even me! He's so quiet and, and ominous and well… I always thought, if anyone, you'd end up with Conrad. Or at least Murata."
"Okay, first off, you're not upset with me being with a guy?"
Shori shrugged. "I'm happy for you if you're happy." Shoma and Jennifer nodded their agreement with a smile.
"Alright, then. Shori, you need to get to know Gwendal." Yuri looked at his brother, his heart in his eyes. He never noticed Gwendal enter the room. Conrad raised a finger to his lips to make sure his older brother stayed quiet.
"He may be silent, but he's a good listener. He only seems ominous because, well that's what he's used to: being stern with his troops and showing the enemy no mercy. However, Gwendal is much more than that to me. There have been so many times that he's put himself in the way of danger just for me. A lot of the scars he has is because of me. I can't begin to explain how much he means to me. I respect your opinion, Shori, but please tell me you give me your blessing on this. I don't know what I'd do without him by my side."
Shori pulled his brother into another hug. "Yuri, you're all grown up now, so you don't really need my permission. However, I wholeheartedly give my blessing." He stepped back from Yuri and looked over at Gwendal. "You'd better take good care of him."
Gwendal walked up behind Yuri and draped an arm around his shoulders. "You needn't worry about Yuri-Heika. He is well taken care of and very loved."
Yuri stepped out from underneath Gwendal's arm. Gwendal gave him a slightly hurt look that Yuri pulled away from him. That look was replaced by confusion as he felt his left cheek start to sting. Shoma and Jennifer gasped in shock and the inhabitants from Shin Makoku started smiling.
"Gwendal, I don't know how you ever came to love somebody like me, but please know that your love is returned tenfold. I'm standing here now, asking you to marry me in both the traditional Shin Makoku way and the traditional earth way." Yuri dropped to one knee and pulled a small box out of his pocket. He had intended to do this in the castle gardens, but now was as good a time as any. "Gwendal von Voltaire, will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"
Everyone held their breath. Gwendal stared at Yuri, unblinking, for several long seconds. An unreadable look crossed his face and much to the dismay of everyone in the room, he started to shake his head.
"This wasn't how I expected this to happen. I'm really sorry, Yuri. I just wish that... well, I just wish that I had asked you first. You deserve to be catered to and swept off your feet. So, in answer, I will marry you and..."
With that, he scooped Yuri up into his arms and planted a kiss square on Yuri's mouth. Everyone cheered for the newly engaged pair, and Jennifer started talking faster than ever, latching onto Gunter. The pair wandered off to the office to begin wedding preparations. Yuri only smiled happily at their retreating backs.
Conrad and Yozak took it upon themselves to see to Wolfram. They scooped up the younger man, apologizing for leaving so quickly. Yuri understood and was thankful to have Wolfram out of his parents' house. Wolfram didn't fight the pair. After having woken up, he had merely laid sullenly on the floor. The soldier and spy made their way outside, wishing everyone well before jumping into the pool.
Well, I should be able to tie this story up with one final chapter. Maybe an epilogue if people want to know what happens with other characters. Let me know what you think and as always, I love to hear suggestions!