Chapter 9

The steps were lethargic but steady. With each movement, the buildings got taller. No longer did they seem like dollhouses, but real dwellings: shops and homes around the village square. Wolfram remembered the path that they'd taken. It was a narrow trail made by white tail deer, perhaps. So, doubling back was easy enough for someone with his soldier's training. Yuuri, on the other hand, wasn't so skilled. He did his best to follow the blond and to do as he did. But the thick weeds pulled at his legs. And, more than once, he noticed that Wolfram's head turned slightly to see if he was okay. That made him smile. Wolfram still cared.

They walked on in silence, the two of them. Yuuri was searching himself, trying to find something to say. A part of him wanted to prattle on aimlessly until the blond snapped and volleyed insults. Another part wanted to say that he was sorry for hurting the person he considered to be his best friend and that he was sorry for the way his "friend" found out about his girlfriend on Earth.

Yuuri shoved his hands into his pockets, planning the perfect way to phrase it all, when his fingers brushed against the folded piece of paper. He knew what it was without even taking it out. It was a page of lined notebook paper with a message written in bright purple ink and little hearts that dotted the ends of the sentences. Kumiko had slipped the note into his shoe locker at school along with a fuzzy, bear keychain that matched the one she had on her cell phone.

His fingers wrapped around the note. Two worlds. Two lives.

The guilt was eating at him, now. Look what happened to Wolfram, who took their silly engagement much too seriously.

Wolfram was broken.

Yuuri took another deep breath and recited in his head what he wanted to say. In the next few steps, he'd begin somehow.

Wolfram, still feeling tired—both physically and emotionally—wanted the next few minutes to be quiet. If he could have that much, at least, then he could deal with the rest. And, if he couldn't, Tra'va would be more than willing to take over. But, the blond soldier didn't want to do that just yet. He wanted to prove to himself just how much he could take without running to her for help.

"Ummm…Wolfram?" the double black said from behind.

In an instant, stress began building within him. It gripped hard. Wolfram stopped and turned wearily in his direction. His blond hair was limp and the shirt that he was wearing flapped slightly in the breeze like a tattered flag of surrender.

Yuuri met glassy green eyes and almost forgot what he was going to say next. "I just…need to tell you…" …To tell you that I really want to hold you right now...because this isn't right. It doesn't feel right at all.

"That you're sorry?" Wolfram finished for him because the pause was turning into a long silence.

"Well, yeah…and…" his voice trailed away.

"Accepted," the blond said in the same even tone he reserved for the foreign dignitaries who visited the castle. "It's in the past. It's best to leave things there." Wolfram turned back to the trail and began trudging again. But, this time, he pushed himself to walk a little faster even though he didn't feel like it.

"O-Okay," Yuuri said cautiously. "I just don't want anything to…"

The blond head turned back slightly, "…Change between us?"

"Yeah," the double black said with a nod. That was it.

There was a harsh sigh from up ahead and it made the double black cringe.

"I'm sorry, Yuuri Heika," the voice said back. "Change is all I have."


There was a firm knock at the bedroom door and Murata opened it with curiosity. Who could it be now? He'd just gone to see the owner about the hole in the wall and passed it off as an off shoot of the bachelor party that was still in full swing downstairs. The owner got his money as compensation, trudged up stairs, nailed a thin piece of wood over the hole, and went back to join the rowdy crowd.

The door swung open, almost of its own accord, with a surprised sage watching Wolfram and Yuuri stepping through.

"I'm back," Wolfram said flatly. His eyes scanned the room. With the spirit in charge, it felt like a thick daydream—the kind of stupor every one of Günter's students had going into hour three of his lectures. But, now, everything was crisper and clearer.

"Wolfram?" Conrad said with concern. He could see them. Wolfram's neck was beginning to show signs of bruising from when The Maou reached into the barrier and grabbed Tra'va by the throat.

Conrad moved to place a hand on Wolfram's shoulder. And, some part of him—a bratty part—wanted to shove the hand away. It wasn't anger. It was reflex.

Wolfram?

Yes, Tra'va?

Let him touch your shoulder.

Narrowed green eyes turned down at the floor as he asked, "Why should I?"

Then, he felt the large, warm hand. It gave a reassuring squeeze.

Her voice whispered back, "…Because he needs it…and you do, too."

Conrad's brown eyes deepened. "Why should you what, Wolfram?" The hand was still there.

"Trouble was just saying something to me. It's nothing, really."

So, my words are "nothing," huh, Wolfram? There was a feminine lilt.

Wolfram frowned slightly. You confuse me. One minute, you're rude to them and the next minute, you're nice.

Yes, I'm complicated. But, so are you. And I understand what you're feeling right now. But I also want you to know…I love you, Wolfram. Never forget that. I'll always place you first.

Thank you, but… Slightly uncomfortable, he bit his lower lip. Being told that felt weird. For so long, he'd wanted to hear those words. But he wanted them to come from Yuuri. Now, he didn't want to hear them at all.

Don't worry about that, she said with a smile in her voice. Look at Yuuri. Letting Conrad touch you, console you, has made him happy.

Green eyes darted to Yuuri. He was, in fact, looking at Conrad with a smile on his face.

I'm proud of you, Wolfram. You've pleased your king. That's a good thing, right? It's what you said you wanted to do…right? Tra'va didn't sound convinced.

Yes…I suppose…

Well, then, you'll have to do more of that in the future if you plan to be a good soldier and stand by your monarch's side.

"Wolfram?" Conrad said. He tilted his head in his brother's direction.

"Oh, sorry," the blond mumbled. Then, he eyed the people around him. Yozak stood there with his beefy arms folded across his chest. His face looked amused but his sky blue eyes spoke of concern. Wolfram had a sudden flashback of kissing him on the bed not too long ago. His stomach got an instant, greasy feeling. Wasn't this the same guy who had a thing for his older brother? And it took Tra'va very little effort to win him over. Wolfram tucked a strand of his blond hair behind his ear and tried to push away the millions of tiny details that the spirit had "accidentally" stumbled across when making out with him. He squirmed inwardly and could hear the distant echo of Trouble laughing at him. It's too bad you feel that way, Wolfram, she said. From what I can see, he's great in bed.

Wolfram turned to Murata next. The sage's glasses flashed, making them more like little round shields—blocking any view of his black eyes. Wolfram's face hardened at him. The sense of betrayal and hate came back, fierce and fiery. This was the sage—the figure his people revered. Even though the blond knew that Murata's morality was questionable at best, he had wanted with every fiber of his being for the sage to support the engagement—to encourage Yuuri to do the right thing and be loyal. Since the day of the slap, Wolfram had been faithful only to Yuuri and had sworn off any kind of physical affection, from anyone, in the hopes that Yuuri would one day want him. It was a lonely life, to be sure. But he had convinced himself that the double black would be worth it.

Wolfram's thoughts drifted back to the spirit within him. You called Murata your husband, Trava.

Hmm? Yes…he is…

The blond's right hand made a fist. You have bad taste in husbands.

There was a sigh. I know why you feel that way. You think that he betrayed you, right? Well, you could see into his heart when "we" kissed him. Murata was just acting like the juvenile that his body is…and the age…he pretends to be.

Without a word, Wolfram turned away from Murata, walked to the edge of the middle bed and sat down on it. So, you're making excuses for him?

Maybe, she said in a softer tone, …maybewe expected too much of him. Maybe, we should consider that… and kick his ass.

Really? He brightened.

No, actually… 'forgiveness' would be a better choice here.

Feeling slightly foolish, Wolfram's teeth clinched. You're only saying that because you want him.

Possibly… But, there's also the possibility I'm suggesting this because I'm not going to finish the job I started. This isn't a game. Chipping away at your feelings for Yuuri is simply too painful…for either of us…and I won't alter your soul more than I already have.

He stopped himself from growling, but he was pissed. I knew you were going to say that.

And I knew that you were going to be mad at me. It was followed by the ghost of arms holding him closely. Had they been solid, he would have shoved them away. Instead, he had to tolerate it all. I know that the opposite of love isn't hate. It's indifference. And Yuuri has certainly shown you that… However… Don't ask me to hurt you anymore. I just can't. I'm sorry, Wolfram. And as much as I don't want to admit it, The Maou was right about this one. Doing this to you…chipping away at your soul…was wrong.

The sensation of long, red fox hair tickled his face.

In life…in death… I was never a good person. I have no illusions about myself. I'm loud, difficult, happy, rude…a free spirit in most ways. And, in time, I hope, you'll come to forgive me, too, for what I've done and what I have failed to do.

Because you "love me"? He was growing to hate that "L" word.

Yes, just like The Maou.

"Wolfram?" Murata repeated himself, kneeling down to examine the blond's face more closely. "He's not responsive again. I'm not sure what…" He patted his hand against a pale cheek. Within seconds, his wrist was snatched painfully and twisted back.

"Don't touch me," Wolfram threatened. His whisper was icy.

Murata's eyes flew open at that. He went from "fine" to "pain" in mere seconds. And the blond was still twisting his wrist back. Wolfram's face had a cruel edge to it, not unlike Shinou when he faced the enemy on the battlefield all those eons ago. But never, in all of his travels with the Original King, was the look of pure hatred ever directed at him. Murata's blood ran cold.

"I think that's enough!" Conrad said, admonishing him.

Mechanically Wolfram lifted away his thumb and index finger. Then, he retracted the arm.

"It's…fine…" Murata said mostly to himself, nursing his smarting wrist. No one believed what he was saying and, either way, Wolfram didn't care.

The blond turned to Yozak. "When do you want to go looking for those two men who followed us earlier on?' Wolfram, his temper returning to him, had a sudden itch to leave the room.

The orange haired man blinked at that. "Oh…ummm…well…" His eyes drifted to Conrad.

"Oh," Wolfram grumbled, "I guess I should have directed that question to Conrad." He looked up at him expectantly.

"I'm not sure we should now," he said, studying Wolfram a bit more. His little brother wasn't acting anything close to normal. And it might be better to just locate the shrine after all and be done with Trouble forever.

"We really need to investigate this," Wolfram said in an authoritative tone. "We've met four guys with those red stones. So that means there could be more. They want Morgif…but why? And we can deal with these guys now, or we can wait until their ranks grow and we'll have just that much more to handle in the weeks ahead."

"I don't think Wolfram's well enough," Yuuri said with certainty, echoing Conrad's feelings. "It would probably work out better to just sleep here tonight and leave early in the morning."

He rolled his eyes at that. "Yuuri Heika," the blond grumbled, "you are my ex-fiancé, not my father. My health is my own affair."

"Ex-fiancé?" Yuuri said to himself.

Shock. That's what the looks told him. It hung in the air heavily. Wolfram folded his arms and cocked his head to one side in confusion. It seemed so strange until a thought occurred. He turned to the double black. "Do you even read half of the papers you sign?"

"You slipped that past me?" he breathed.

"You and I have joint custody of Greta, too."

Yuuri had to sit down. He took a seat on Conrad's bed, leaned over, and put his head in his hands.

"To be honest, I really thought you'd approved, wholeheartedly, considering the way things were between us."

He lifted his head up. "You ran out of the room, Wolfram," Yuuri said with an accusing finger pointed at him. "You didn't even say why. There was no dealing with you."

"Your signature was on the paper and Gwendal showed it to me the morning of training with my troops. Not long after that, we met up with Tra'va at the old well."

"Wolfram…" He groaned. He just couldn't believe it.

"Mother's been using my bedroom in the castle to store some of her things. I mean, the bed is still there and all, but moving around is hard. So, in the short-term, I'll be staying in Gwendal's suite. Later, I'll have a place of my own."

Yuuri shot an exasperated look. "You don't listen very well, do you? That's not it. That's not it at all!"

"Yuuri Heika, you should be relieved…" Wolfram forced a thin smile on his face even though the ache in his heart worsened.

"Don't tell me what to feel," Yuuri shot back, "and STOP CALLING ME HEIKA!"

Eyes like green bottles simply blinked at him. He didn't react because there was no need to. "Don't worry about me anymore. I'm fine, really," the blond said and rubbed the faint bruises on his neck. "I'm well enough to simply walk around the town with Yozak. And Tra'va can direct me if any of those men come back. There's very little risk." He stood up and gave the spy a look that said "time to go."

Conrad gave Yozak a reluctant nod and the pair made their way to the door. While leaving, the spy motioned to the hole in the wall and chuckled, "That was impressive, you know." Wolfram nodded in agreement. "Those two really don't like each other, do they?"


Ten minutes had passed and Yuuri was still sitting on the bed with his head back in his hands. He'd slowed his breathing down to normal, but his mind was racing. He was having difficulty grasping what just went on. With a single stroke of the quill, he'd signed away Wolfram and handed over half of his custody of Greta. It was like a bad dream come to life.

Murata rubbed his sore wrist again to get some circulation back into it. "Well, it's finally over, Shibuya."

Yuuri raised his head at that. He could feel the spirit of the maou stirring within him. He was pissed. There was no other explanation that he could give for the turmoil.

"I had no idea I'd signed that." He shook his head, feeling miserable.

"And, considering your habit of slacking off on paperwork, that signature came at a surprisingly fast clip." The sage suspected an enthusiastic Gwendal of putting it near the top of the stack. "But, if you were seeing someone back on Earth…and Wolfram knew that… It's no wonder Wolfram believed that you knew what you signed." Murata tilted his head to catch Yuuri's reaction.

Then, the double black looked up at his godfather, almost afraid to ask his question. "Did you know, Conrad?"

He shuffled his feet a little. "Some guards saw Gwendal and Wolfram heading to the baths. And it looked like Wolfram had…been…crying." He shrugged awkwardly. "I was going to check up on Wolfram after he trained his troops, but…well…you know the rest."

"I understand," Yuuri said and rested his head back in his hands. "I really made a mess of things, didn't I?"

Murata fought back a smile. "It's not too late, Shibuya," he said in a tone of reassurance. "There may yet be a chance that you can make things different…better."

"Not if I don't know what I want."

Murata pushed the glasses up on his nose a little. "I think you've had more than enough time to know what you want…and what you don't want." He leaned in a little. "Someone, a long time ago, once told me that sometimes knowing what you don't want to happen is far more important than knowing what you do want." Murata sat next to Yuuri and gave him a friendly nudge on the shoulder. "Maybe I should have said this to you awhile back… I was just having too much fun. Sometimes, being with you…it gives me the chance to enjoy this youth that I've been given again. Sometimes, I can forget that I've lived for so long."

Onyx eyes turned to him sincerely. "What should you have said?"

"As the wise one of the bunch, I should have encouraged you to be more of a king and less of a teenager. I should have shown you the perspectives of the people around you. And I could have warned you that von Bielefeld would be like this. His ancestor, Rufus, had a similar talent for making snap, self-destructive, decisions. Nonetheless, if you knew that you had no attraction to him whatsoever, you should have dissolved the engagement before he became attached to you."

Yuuri combed his hair back with his fingers. "What do I do now?"

"That's up to you, Yuuri," Conrad said.

"Deep down," Murata added, "I think you know the answer. You've always known."

The double black sighed. "What? That I should just give in and accept Wolfram's feelings for me?"

Murata shook his head "no." "If that's truly how you see yourself with him, then you need to leave things as they are."

"No!" Yuuri practically shouted. "How can I do that? You see what he's like now." Yuuri pointed at the closed door. "I've got to find a way to do the right thing."

Slowly, Murata closed his eyes in frustration. Yuuri could be so dense sometimes. "I believe Lord von Bielefeld feels that what he's done so far is, as you put it, 'the right thing'."

The Maou pushed angrily inside Yuuri's chest. He could feel the rage and, this time, he agreed. "I can't leave it at that."

"So, what are you going to do?" Conrad asked, curious.

"I'm going to go find Wolfram," he said, standing up. "And I'm not going to stop until we've worked something out."

"Then, let's go," Conrad said with a slight smile.

"I'm coming along, too," Murata said. "I'd just be bored sitting here all by myself."


The quiet was starting to annoy him. It just felt awkward now that they'd been together and nothing was being said.

"So, how is Trouble doing?" Yozak asked casually, walking at Wolfram's elbow. He was a little nervous when he asked the question. There was a bit of stress in his voice. Wolfram caught it but pretended not to.

"She was talking my ear off a few minutes ago," he complained. "But, now, she's starting to doze. That fight with Yuuri in his 'maou' form really drained her." He continued to walk on but his eyes were on the sky.

"Does that mean that you slept…a lot…when you were not in control?" he asked hopefully. The spy was getting flashbacks of making out with Wolfram and the delicious things that Tra'va could do to him with only a touch. She also liked being on top when she kissed him with full, passionate lips. It was probably her dominant nature, he reasoned. But, it could also have had something to do with not wanting to get her wings crushed.

Wolfram's eyes cut sideways with a smirk. So, you feel the same way about me that I do about you, huh? It cheered him up. And, somewhere inside him, the spirit chuckled sleepily.

"You know, Yozak," Wolfram said, trying to keep his voice even, "about Conrad…" He could feel Tra'va starting to stir at the words and she was feeling edgy. What was Wolfram going to say? The blond smirked at that, too, as well as the strange look on Yozak's face. "Well, it's none of my business…and it has nothing to do with me….but…"

Yozak's stare intensified. He stopped walking and Wolfram, as a result, had to stop as well.

"I'm not the best brother in the world, but… I want Conrad to have someone, in his life, someday…" Dull, glassy green eyes stared back into sky blue ones. "I don't want him to be like me…or Yuuri. No one deserves that."

The spy ruffled his own orange hair awkwardly to relieve the tension. "I don't quite get you," he laughed uncomfortably.

"I don't think people were meant to live alone. They should find that special person to share their lives with."

Yozak cleared his throat a little. "About the kiddo…" His mind flashed to Yuuri and all they'd been through. "Things seem complicated right now, but…"

Wolfram smiled up at Yozak. It was serene, peaceful, and kind. It struck him that he'd never seen Wolfram looking that way before—ever. "I hope Yuuri finds someone who will make him happy. And, maybe, Conrad will, too."

Yozak tugged at his collar a little nervously. "Did…um…Trouble tell you that Conrad or Yuuri…uh…that they seem to like each other…or something?" His face got a little twitchy. "Maybe, I shouldn't have asked, though…"

Wolfram grinned on the inside. This was fun, and he had learned a few things from Trouble. But, he also knew when to quit. "No…she didn't. Conrad just sees himself as Yuuri's godfather. And that's all they'll ever be to each other. That's what Tra'va showed me."

Yozak let out a breath quietly. Then, his eyes got a hint of mischief. "Wait… So, that means no more running around the castle accusing Yuuri of flirting with Conrad?" This scenario was dangling a bit of "jealousy" bait and he knew it. But would Wolfram bite?

Putting his hands behind his back in a casual way, Wolfram began walking alone. His ragged shirt blew in the wind again, and his shadow was his only companion. "I know what Yuuri, as the Demon King, wants… but it's not realistic. Once Yuuri accepts that he's signed the paper, which shouldn't take long…I think…He'll find someone else… No, what am I saying…?"

Yozak quirked a grin.

"Yuuri's already found someone else…on Earth…" Wolfram took a slow step, and Yozak's smile faded.

"And I can quietly…" He took another step. "Walk…away…" He turned back to the orange haired spy with a thin smile and the wind whipped at his hair, blowing it back.

"Stop it," Yozak said in a pained voice.

"What?" The blond tilted his head, confused.

"Stop smiling…when you're absolutely miserable."