A/N: Okay, I know a lot of you will skip right to the story, but this is an explanation, and perhaps a very necessary one (well, I think it is). So bear with me a bit and sorry if it drags on.
Right. This is a RAW chapter. What do I mean? Before I started posting TBT at all, I did a quick outline of what I intended to say. The previous chapters were all thoroughly edited and changed before they made it here to ffnet.
This chapter was more than halfway through the clean-up process when, as I have already told some inquisitive reviewers, my hard drive got wiped out.
Everything was lost except for the rough outline which I had saved on a USB. The USB then proceeded to get lost for over a year before it was finally found by our maid.
I spent ANOTHER year doing academics and not having much time for fanfictions (especially since the prospect of having lost so much work and being forced to rewrite it made me positively sick with anger).
I got a severe wake-up call when someone pointed out that it'd been two years since I'd updated this story, and even then I kept putting it off hoping that my schedule would free up enough for me to do the work.
I've now realized that this is impossible. I just finished my first week of sophomore year and if the rest of the academic year is anything like this (probably worse, with my luck), I WON'T HAVE THE TIME FOR THIS UNTIL I GRADUATE. And the idea of me leaving readers hanging for another two, maybe three years, makes me ill.
I apologize for this. In my opinion, I sound like I'm making excuses, and I hate that fact. I decided on my own to post this in its natural state. That means it was written off the top of my head, with no polishing whatsoever. I figured that some will be happier with that than having to wait forever for a slightly better version. If you guys think otherwise, tell me and I'll remove this chapter and replace it later on with the better version stuck in my head, where the ending is actually completely different and most of the latter half of this chapter was lopped off and replaced.
At this point, I'd just like to thank you for reading this author's note this far (I wouldn't be surprised if you lost the patience or ignored it completely). I love all people who read my stories, and especially my wonderful, amazing reviewers.
I'll continue in the later A/N, so without further ado, the long overdue Chapter Eight.
Chapter Eight: The Breaking of the Trinity
"Good morning," Devon murmured as he entered the room, looking as though he had hardly slept. He noted that the Demon King was dozing fitfully, sometimes murmuring an occasional word with his face twisted, as though he was having nightmares. He wondered briefly whether Shinou had visited his dreams as well last night. "Wake up, I brought you two breakfast."
Yuuri sat up groggily. He felt as though he hadn't even closed his eyes last night. "Ah… man, it's hard to believe that we've only been here a couple of days or so…"
Devon shrugged. "If you want to shorten it, there's always the option of signing the contract."
The king glared at him. "In your dreams."
Dreams? Devon suppressed a shudder. Yuuri didn't miss the gesture and raised his eyebrows questioningly.
He just rolled his eyes. "If not for Prince Wolfram, I would probably starve you," he sniffed disdainfully as he slid a plate of bread and cheese through the bars. "But if I tried to serve only him and then left you to your own devices, Lord von Bielefeld would probably give you his food."
"I miss miso soup…"
"Whatever the hell that is," Devon said, bored and not really paying attention to him. He turned to Wolfram, giving him a casual glance before pouring out water for the two of them. "Lord von Bielefeld is still asleep?"
"Obviously."
"He looks a little better than before, though. He's sleeping a little more naturally now, I think."
Yuuri grinned. "Guess he's finally gotten accustomed to the esoteric stones. Just like he said. So that little plan of yours is a complete bust."
Devon turned to face him. "What do you mean?"
"Ah… demons get conditioned to gradually accept esoteric stones."
"Idiot, of course not. It would take millions of years of evolution and careful training for that to happen." Devon's brows furrowed as he watched the sleeping demon. "What… did… he… say?"
"That the pain would go away…"
Devon cut him off as he ran to Wolfram's side, hurriedly taking a key out of his pocket and unlocking the cage. "Damn it, no!" He tugged at the knots in frustration. "No, no, no! He can't die like this!"
"Die?" Yuuri nearly broke his neck by flinging himself to the bars to see. The demon prince looked as though he was simply sleeping, with his golden eyelashes making shadowy little semi-circles on his cheeks. "He's not dead! He's only sleeping!"
"He's… breathing… I think?" Devon, seeing that it would take too long to untie him properly, pulled out a knife and cut through the bonds. "Prince Wolfram… damn that Shinou! And you, if you had only signed the contract a little earlier—"
"He told me that he would be fine in a few days!" Yuuri said anxiously. "If he lives, oh God, I'll sign that contract, I'll sign anything. Just let… let him… why didn't you let me heal him when I still could?"
"I couldn't do anything!"
"YES YOU COULD HAVE!" Blue light was starting to form at Yuuri's fingertips. In a fury, he rounded on the other man. "You knew that he would die!"
Devon was white. "We knew that he could die from it, that's true. But… I didn't know that it would happen so soon… I thought that by then, you would have had the contract signed and we would all be all right…"
From the other cell Murata knew somehow when he opened his eyes from his peaceful slumber. He knew.
And that was when all mayhem broke loose.
"Looks like we arrived a little too late," Jossak said.
"A lot too late, if you ask me," Yuuri grumbled.
Conrart coughed significantly. "Your Majesty, the troops have been riding these past few days without any sleep. We only stopped to question people on the way so that we could find you." In fact, they had been combing the lower mountains for them. It was only when they had seen the explosion that they had rushed to the highest peak in the whole range—only to discover that the mountain had become a pile of rubble, while Murata held Wolfram in his arms, glaring at the bodies crushed under the stones. "The men did their best under the circumstances."
Yuuri winced. "Sorry." His eyes went towards Gwendal, who was instructing the troops now. With a gesture, Gwendal indicated that he would join them shortly as soon as he was finished.
"I'm still hazy about the details about what happened," Jossak complained. "Could you explain it?"
The explosion from the other room had startled both Yuuri and Devon as it blasted half the wall away. Inside came Murata, his eyes like twin black flames of hell.
"Wolfram," he said, his hands glimmering with magic.
Devon was white to the lips. "Great Sage—"
"You dare address me by my title? You dare to speak to me without my permission?"
Yuuri was too lost to react, and he felt the angry magic building up within him slowly dissipate in the face of his friend's wrath. Instead, he licked his dry lips and tried to speak. "Murata… Wolfram's…"
Murata let out a low cry of rage and grief as he looked down at the stricken demon, still beautiful, death already ghosting over his lips. "I know. I woke up and I knew. " He raised his face. "And I knew what I had to do."
"He isn't dead yet!" Devon said.
"Silence!"
Jossak looked impressed and amused. "That must have been a real sight to behold. He's usually so happy-passive that you can't picture him going berserk like that. Man, I wish I'd seen it."
Yuuri shook his head vehemently. "You really don't want to see Murata when he's mad—believe me."
"So what happened after that?" Günter asked.
"The gist of it is that he demolished the mountain. Nearly buried all of us there, if he hadn't had the foresight to shield the three of us." Yuuri sighed. "He just went berserk. Not that I blame him. At the time, I was ready to murder them myself."
"But Wolfram's alive, thank Shinou," Conrart murmured.
Murata had refused to let go of Wolfram even for Gisela, who had wanted to heal him. "I'll do it myself," was the Great Sage's grim comment. And who was a mere army doctor to contradict him? His abilities were far more developed than hers, in any case. They had been holed up for hours in one of the makeshift tents that Gwendal had ordered to be set up.
"Hey, he may be Little Lord Brat, but he's still our Little Lord Brat," Jossak agreed.
"I thought… that he was dead." Yuuri looked down at his lap. "He lied to me. He said that the pain was going to disappear."
"He was telling the truth," Günter said grimly. "In his own roundabout way."
"Do you think it would be safe to venture in there now?" Yuuri asked. "I wanted to go check up on Wolfram, but Murata's still in there, and I have no idea whether it's okay—I really don't want to get on his bad side, considering that he just leveled a mountain higher than Everest without even breaking a sweat."
"We're not sure whether Wolfram's all right yet. He might still be unconscious, Yuuri."
Gisela appeared at Günter's side just as Gwendal joined them. She looked down. "The Great Sage may not have seen fit to let me treat Lord von Bielefeld, but he did allow me to stay during the first hour or so. Lord Wolfram's injuries are extensive. I think that some of the esoteric stone entered his bloodstream." Her eyes were troubled. "He might die."
"Die?" Conrart echoed. "But…"
"He's too young," Gwendal murmured, his face pained. "He never even reached full maturity."
Gisela hid her face in her hands, trying to hide the tears that were coursing down her face. "I'm sorry. There isn't much that we can do. He was already on the verge of dying when he was brought here. I think that all we can do right now is to ease his passing."
"You're giving up right now?" Yuuri demanded.
"No!" Gisela said. "Don't think of it that way, Your Majesty. But in all honesty, I don't want to raise your hopes." She wiped at her face and looked him squarely in the eye. "Your Majesty…"
Conrart placed a hand on Yuuri's shoulder. His face was also contorted with pain and unspeakable sorrow. "Yuuri…"
But Yuuri just pushed him away. "I don't believe it!" he cried out as he tore off towards the tent.
"Wolfram, love… you've got to breathe," Murata whispered hoarsely in his ear, cradling the demon in his arms. "Breathe for me. Please." A halo of magic surrounded Wolfram, emanating from Murata as the Great Sage fed the prince his magic.
"Ah… Murata…" It was just a whisper, but it gave the Great Sage hope. "Ha… I hoped…" A dreamy smile spread over Wolfram's face, momentarily replacing the tormented visage that he had worn just moments ago. "I am glad… I'm dying… I asked him to grant me this wish…" He coughed, worn out from the effort of talking.
"Ssh… you'll only wear yourself out…" Murata stroked his hair, transferring as much of his energy as he could, concentrating on Wolfram's wrists. The demon had fallen silent once more, but he tried speaking anyway, just in case he could hear him. "I need you, love. If you die…"
"If he dies, you die too."
Murata raised his head, dazed. "Shinou?" His eyes narrowed with hatred when he saw him. "You—"
"Enough, Great Sage. I do not wish to hear your remonstrations and adolescent ranting." Shinou walked slowly over towards them. "It's rare that I show myself like this, but…" He sighed. "Circumstances made it inevitable. This was the only turn of events that I could agree on."
"You… you would have him die…"
Shinou met his gaze with steady coldness. "For your sake, of course, and for the Demon King's sake, I would offer him to be a sacrificial lamb. If it came to that, then yes, I would let him perish." He smiled. "I was the one who told you upon your waking of what was transpiring in the chamber beside yours. You would not have left had I not sent you that vision, and I couldn't send it unless it really was happening. I am glad that you finally escaped from that prison, Great Sage."
"But that has no meaning… not like this…"
"There is a meaning to everything," he said sternly. "This was the right path; it was not just I, but fate that chose it."
Murata held on even more tightly. I will not let go of him like this, a puppet in your amusements. "Shinou… I beg of you…"
"The rest is not up to me, Murata. I now abstain, and will let fate take its course. This choice belongs not to the Original King, but rather the trinity that will soon be divided." And with that, he vanished.
Yuuri burst into the tent, followed closely by Conrart and Gwendal. Jossak trailed behind them, comforting Gisela and assuring her that it wasn't her fault. All of them stopped dead at the sight.
For the first time in his life, Murata was weeping.
"No," Yuuri said in horror.
It was said that the Great Sage did not know how to cry—not counting, of course, his first cries as a newborn child. But apart from that, his eyes had been unstained by those sorrowful waters.
In all of his past incarnations, he had never shed a tear; not when he was being burned at the stake, not when he was being tortured, not when he was beaten and trodden upon and killed. He had stayed silent and unfathomable, a statue who bore pain without effort. And now he was screaming, his shriek roughened by his sobbing—shrieking with an unearthly anguish that made them stop their ears.
"Oh, Shinou," Conrart whispered, his eyes suddenly watery, leaning on Gwendal for support.
Murata didn't seem to hear him. If he had been aware of the soldier murmuring the name 'Shinou', he would likely have killed him on the spot; it was fortunate for Conrart that he was too caught up in his own sorrow to hear or see anything around him.
Yuuri started to approach them. "Murata!"
Jossak grabbed his arm, holding him back. "It's not safe, Your Majesty," he said in a low voice. "The Great Sage is nuts right now. If you tried to go anywhere near him or Lord Wolfram, you would likely be killed."
Gisela let out a breath that she hadn't been aware of holding. "Everyone, we should get out." She herded them out; all save for Yuuri.
"Wolf…" Murata's screaming had lowered to a desperate wail as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Wolfram, please…"
Yuuri bit his lip. What can I do?
There was a voice answering in his ear, sounding suspiciously like Shinou. "There is nothing more that you can do, Demon King. This is not your decision to make."
Wolfram took a shuddering breath before going still, and peace settled on him.
"Heh. So I'm dead?" Wolfram asked, slightly bemused. "Not exactly the way I pictured it, but then again, I never dwelled much on what would happen after I died. I was always too concerned with living."
"And I was perhaps your polar opposite," Shinou told him, seemingly coming out of nowhere. "I knew of what power I would have once I died—a god, almost, reigning over the demon kingdom."
Wolfram shrugged. "I'm glad," he said matter-of-factly.
Shinou raised his eyebrows. "You aren't dead yet, demon prince. Even as we speak, the Great Sage is doing his best to revive you—although I wonder whether he already views it as a lost cause."
"I'm not dead yet?"
"No. Why, do you want to be dead?"
He was troubled. "For a while, yeah, I did. But we're out. And the pain's starting to disappear. I haven't fulfilled my ambitions yet…" He sighed. "But it's too selfish of me to expect that they can get out without having to make some kind of sacrifice. And if it comes to that, I really want it to be me."
"Too selfless, demon prince." Shinou was scowling again. "I hate people like you… so spineless, so weak, so ready to give everything up for the sake of the ones that they love…"
"That's why it's called love, Shinou. Because you would be willing to give it all up for them." He folded his arms across his chest. "I'm surprised. I thought that you would be a lot more venerable and wise."
Shinou purpled with rage. "Are you saying that I'm stupid?"
"No," Wolfram said simply. "I just wondered how someone as powerful and honored as you are doesn't know what it's like to love and be loved."
"It is precisely because I don't know about it that I'm powerful and honored." Shinou shook his head. "But my path and yours are far different."
"Hey, you're dead and I'm dying. We'll all end up the same way at the end of the road, so we can't really say that we're all that far from each other."
"Pathetic, little demon. Giving up so easily?"
"Succumbing to the inevitable with my head held high rather than kicking and screaming against it."
"I want to show you something." He drew the demon towards him and placed a hand atop Wolfram's head.
"Eh?" He blinked and gasped when he found himself looking at a completely different room.
"That," Shinou said, pointing, "is Murata."
Wolfram grimaced. "I…" They were in some human village, and the Great Sage was tied to a stake. There were people shouting, brandishing torches at the great pile of fire that supported him.
It was a good thing that Shinou had pointed him out, else he would never have been able to recognize him; the only thing similar was the black hair and eyes. Murata was taller, older, his face more lined; he looked different from the way Wolfram knew him. And yet there was that same steadiness and determination.
"Have you anything to say?" one man asked Murata grimly. Murata shook his head with decisiveness.
"Then burn, demon." Wolfram covered his mouth to muffle his gasp. He knew, somehow, that this was the past; and he knew that technically they weren't there. But he could have sworn that he smelled burnt flesh and he had to turn away from the sight of the Great Sage suffering silently as he went up in smoke.
"Why did you have to show me that?" he whispered to Shinou.
"And now this," Shinou said mercilessly. He watched as some jailer was stretching Murata's limbs on the rack. Murata didn't even blink as muscle and flesh were torn, instead staring unwaveringly up at the ceiling.
"That's enough!" Wolfram said.
"I have a dozen or more incidents to show you," Shinou said. "But those two will suffice. And this one, here, is for you. This is how they are all reacting to your death, Wolfram."
At once, Wolfram had to cover his ears as an otherworldly wail assailed them when he saw Murata and Yuuri by his body. Suddenly he became aware that it was Murata who was screaming as though his heart was being torn out of him.
"Murata, calm down!" Yuuri yelled, but the Great Sage didn't seem to hear him at all. It was as though his anguish had transported him into another dimension where he could neither see nor hear anything around him.
All he was aware of was his screaming.
"You see?" Shinou whispered as Wolfram spun around to face him, tears streaming down the demon prince's cheeks. "He never cried out once—until you came along. Until you died in his arms."
Wolfram swallowed hard as Shinou continued. "He said that your life is his; that if you died, he would too. And I'm afraid, Prince Wolfram, that I cannot let that happen. He must live. I don't want to see him die all over again."
"Shinou… you love him still…"
The Original King made no objection. "Perhaps it's just malice on my part… being spiteful merely because he's happy now. It would be difficult to try not to be jealous when he's acting with feelings and abandon that he never quite displayed towards me."
"So the two of you… were involved…"
Shinou shrugged. "It would have been almost impossible not to, considering how attracted we were to each other's intellect and capabilities. No… we were both arrogant little toerags, thinking ourselves quite above everyone else. So we had no one else to turn to in the end but to each other. But the ideological separation was inevitable. He stayed on to advise those on the mortal plane. I could not. There was too much power within my grasp here."
"Then… what?"
In a voice of absolute conviction, he replied, "Go back to him, little wolf. Live for him. But," he added softly, "it's time you decided whether you will live for him and love him at the same time."
Wolfram raised his head, eyes mirroring the confusion that he was feeling. "Tell me what I have to do."
Gwendal tried to say something but ended up closing his mouth again as he looked back at the tent when the sound of the Great Sage wailing his head off suddenly restarted. After taking a deep breath, he finally said, "I think that…" he trailed off. Soldier as he was—with the bravery to face down his own death—he didn't think that he had the courage to utter the words he was thinking.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," Jossak insisted, grabbing Conrart's arm. His captain looked stricken, but he forced himself to forge ahead. "Come on. We can't just…"
Gisela nodded slowly as she moved forward.
"He's not breathing," Yuuri whispered as they entered.
Wolfram lay silently on the cot, surrounded by a haze of blue light. "Murata…" Yuuri murmured. The Great Sage had finally fallen silent, focusing all his attention on the magic enveloping the demon.
"Hey," Wolfram mumbled. "Could you guys stop making so much noise?"
They all stopped in shock.
"YOU SLIMY LITTLE BRAT!" Yuuri suddenly roared. "You made us all scared for you for no reason!"
"Your Majesty!" Günter exclaimed, moving to restrain him. "Remember that Prince Wolfram is still injured!"
Wolfram opened one emerald eye and sat up with pained hesitation. "Ow. My ribs hurt like hell… I think I was dead. Or almost dead, and I was supposed to die… but Shinou sent me back." His eyes met Murata's and communicated what was left unsaid. For you.
Thank you, Shinou, Murata thought as Conrart hugged his younger brother, ignoring Wolfram's protests. Gisela was fussing over him already, while Jossak was trying to control Yuuri, who was ready to hit him on the head.
I'm sorry, Great Sage. You know that sacrifices have to be made for this. This world is balance, and it cannot be tipped in one man's favor.
He nodded. I'm aware. I believed that this would happen from the very beginning. I think I foresaw it, but I rather didn't want to say anything.
Oho. So you're smarter than I am?
No, I simply know you too well, Shinou. Is this what you meant about the broken trinity?
Yes. I apologize again, Great Sage.
It is unnecessary.
"Murata…" Wolfram raised his head to meet his gaze. "Could I speak to you for a moment?"
"Eh?" Yuuri said.
"In private," Wolfram clarified. He saw the glances being exchanged by Conrart and Jossak and suddenly suspected that they knew more than they let on. Did he somehow give himself away before? It could be that time when he and Murata were holding hands during the meeting. "Shinou has a message for you," he added to allay their misgivings.
"Could you all please leave?" the Great Sage asked.
Yuuri looked down. "Uh… could I talk to Wolf afterwards as well?"
"Yeah," Wolfram said. "I actually meant to speak to you later."
Gwendal briefly placed a hand atop Wolfram's head. "I'm glad that your back, little brother."
"Thank you," Wolfram said, looking up at him with gratitude. It was rare that his eldest brother showed any affection or emotion for him, and he was glad.
Gisela ushered them out. "Come on, people. We don't want to interfere with the Original King's orders, do we?" She smiled briefly at the two. "And Great Sage?"
"Yes?"
"Remember that he's still a patient, so don't keep him too long." She smiled sweetly. "Much as I respect your superiority, I would still have to break your neck if his condition takes a turn for the worse."
Murata grinned. "I'll remember, Gisela. Thank you."
When they had all left, Wolfram looked into Murata's eyes. "We need to talk."
Conrart silently stood near the tent flap, just enough so that he could hear them without being caught by the others. He pretended to engage in casual conversation with Jossak, who knew that his captain was really watching out for his younger brother. If Gwendal noticed anything of this, he made no comment, instead leading away the king to inspect the troops. Perhaps it was fortunate that Yuuri insisted on thanking the soldiers for all their efforts.
"Do you truly have a message for me from Shinou?" Murata asked.
Wolfram shook his head, tugging on the sleeves of his already shabby Bielefeld blue uniform. "Partly, yes. He says he's sorry and he wishes you the best of luck in all your endeavors. But mostly he just talked to me. About you… and me… and Yuuri. And… I…"
Murata took a deep breath and interrupted him. "Shibuya confessed to you, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did," Wolfram said, color flooding his cheeks. "While Devon held us hostage, he was there with me—he said that he kind of realized it. And I really don't want to choose… but Shinou said…"
"That you have to choose him for the good of the great demon kingdom?"
"No," Wolfram replied. "He said that I had to choose, but that's all."
Murata nodded with a smile as he stood up to go. "I'm glad… that means that Shinou's becoming a little wiser. And a little more benevolent as well. But you and I both know that there is no real choice for this matter." He kissed Wolfram on the cheek. "I suppose I should go now."
Wolfram's eyes widened. "No, Murata, wait!" he said, his hand reaching out and grabbing the Great Sage's.
"Wolf…"
"It's not… those last few days with you… they meant something, okay?" the prince said. "All I could think of was you, when I was locked up. And I was so sorry for landing you both in that mess. But I…"
The Great Sage sat down beside him. "Don't tempt me or I might do things that the others will hear, Wolf, now that I know this is really the last. I understand, love. I really do. But your destiny… that's not me, is it?" He laughed a little. "I sort of knew that this would happen. Believe me, I walked into this relationship knowing everything that would come with it. I was the one who told you that it would only last so long as Yuuri kept insisting that he didn't love you. Isn't that right?"
"Yes," Wolfram mumbled, looking down at his lap. What could he say to make things all right? He couldn't think of anything except clichés that would only leave a flat, empty impression on Murata. He said it so calmly, so rationally—but they both knew that there was no way to rationalize themselves. There was just no logic to be applied when hearts got hurt. "And I'm sorry. I love you."
"Love you too, Wolf," he said.
Wolfram nodded painfully. "I know." I almost wish you didn't.
"No parting gift?" Murata tried to joke. "Oh well. We weren't exactly dating anyway. It's a lot different from what it would have been like back home on Earth. No phone numbers to erase, no pictures to rip up, no gifts to be returned..." Only the regret. That stays the same no matter what world it's on.
The prince's gaze was intense. "You want one?" He pulled Murata towards him. "Because..." His voice broke at his selfishness. "I want one too." He took a deep breath. "Until you walk out... let's just pretend for a while. Let's pretend that we're not saying..."
"Wolf… you're wasting time," Murata murmured with a little smile as he put his lips over the demon's. "Once I'm out of here, it's over. Stop talking."
Wolfram closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the Great Sage's shoulders. It was like Murata was putting every ounce of frustration and passion that he had into that one kiss, and after an eternity had passed he finally pulled away for air, feeling as though his lips had just been burned. Please let time stop, just this once…
"I love you," he whispered, burying his face in the Great Sage's black hair. Murata let him stay that way for a moment before he pulled away, glancing at his timepiece with a sigh.
"Thank you, Prince Wolfram." Murata gave him a short, courtly bow. "I shall call His Majesty now."
"Yes… thank you, Great Sage," Wolfram muttered, tears dripping down his face. He made no move to stop them, merely turned his back on Murata so that the Great Sage couldn't see.
He couldn't look, but he saw. He saw it all the same.
Murata came out, clenching and unclenching his fists. Conrart and Jossak both stepped aside hastily as he walked past them. "Shibuya…" He seemed to be struggling with himself about something, and for a moment he looked like he wanted to hit Yuuri rather badly. But finally he just settled for a sad smile. "Wolfram's waiting for you."
"Hey… Wolf… are you crying?"
Wolfram shook his head violently. "Ah… no, it's nothing. It's just that I still hurt all over." He gave a little shudder as he tried mopping at his face with his hands. "Ha… I'm really pathetic, aren't I?"
"No," Yuuri said, sitting beside him. "If it hurts too much, you should just rest first. It's too early for you to sit up."
"I'm not an invalid, Yuuri. I'm a soldier; I have to get accustomed to pain eventually." He tried to smile. "It's just…"
"I don't want you to become accustomed to pain."
Wolfram raised his head. "I beg your pardon?"
Yuuri was bright red, but he pretended not to notice. "I don't want you to have to learn what it means to get hurt. I want you to be safe… and sound… right here with me. I thought that I could protect you… but you were the one who always ended up protecting me instead."
"I've done nothing to deserve that praise, Yuuri. It's usually Conrart or Gwendal or… the Great Sage…" He bit his lip but continued. "They're the ones who you really rely on, not me."
"You're underestimating yourself." Yuuri tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. "You told me you would be all better. But you knew that you could die from the esoteric stones, didn't you?"
Wolfram looked away. "I'm sorry. But I tried to spare you from knowing, Yuuri."
"Why?"
"Because you would have signed the contract. And I really couldn't let that happen!"
"Are you nuts? You would have died just because of that?"
"It isn't 'nuts'! The Demon Kingdom…"
"…is nothing compared to your life! Don't you get it?" Yuuri glared at him. "Don't you understand that even if Murata and I had to go to the other world, Conrart and Gwendal would have made sure that we could reclaim the kingdom somehow? It would have turned out okay! I would even prefer to see you married to that Devon rather than watch you die."
"What about how I felt about that, Yuuri? If I were dead, it wouldn't have been a problem! Everything would have been resolved easily."
"Is that how you value your life?"
"Yes!"
Yuuri glowered at him. "Imagine, for a second, that you were in my shoes. You're totally clueless about it. And then afterwards you discover that you were the cause of my death. That you could have saved me, but you didn't because you didn't know. How do you think it feels, Wolfram?"
Wolfram was silent for a moment. "I guess it probably feels awful."
"I thought we were all going to lose you, just because I was stupid. And I was regretting all those years that you were right beside me and I took you for granted. It's silly, isn't it, that I had to wait for you to be kidnapped and almost killed before I finally realized how I really felt about you?"
The demon prince let out a chuckle. "That's because you're such a wimp, Yuuri." He sighed. "I can't believe I fell for a moron like you. I always thought that I would either end up with some pretty young girl or with someone strong like my brothers."
"Eh?! You already thought that you would have a guy as your partner?"
"I considered the possibility, of course. Oh yes… I keep forgetting that your world doesn't consider it absolutely normal the way we do." Wolfram shrugged. "And I was always what they call a 'pretty boy', so I got my fair share of attention from the male half. Although, now that I think about it, it doesn't hurt your chances with the female half of the population either."
Yuuri was flushed and coughing. "Ah…"
Wolfram grinned, playing with the bandages on his wrists. "I knew I could make you uncomfortable just by saying that. But yes, it was true. It's strange, though, that I ended up with a wimp like you…"
"Is that so?" Yuuri could still feel himself blushing, but he forced himself to lean a little closer to Wolfram. And when his fiancé smelled and looked this nice, it wasn't exactly extreme torture to do so. In fact, he realized that this proximity was actually
"Ah… Yuuri?" Wolfram said in an undignified squeak as Yuuri began invading his personal bubble. "Nn… what are you doing?"
"Maybe I'm just trying to show you how un-wimpy I really am," Yuuri said.
Wolfram burst out laughing. "Ouch… my ribs…" He kissed Yuuri gently on the cheek as he pushed him away. "Don't be stupid, you can only say that if you can tell me all those things without blushing."
"Hey Wolf… you never really told me exactly…" Yuuri stammered, still crimson. "I love you. And I want you to marry me. Will you?"
"Of course." Wolfram slipped his hand into the king's with a smile. "Of course I will."
Murata listened outside with a bleak smile. "Don't," he warned Conrart when the soldier approached him with a sympathetic expression on his face. "I don't want to hear it."
"But… Great Sage… I only…"
"Save it for someone who'll hear you, Lord Weller."
A/N: I hate myself. DAMN IT, MURATA AND WOLFRAM! YOU GUYS ARE IDIOTS!
Now you may now why the other ending I had in mind was completely different from this. On another note, if you guys DO want to know the changes I'd planned on, you can ask me to post them in the A/N of the epilogue. Yes, the epilogue is next. This is the last chapter, unless, as I said, you guys ask me to delete this one and replace it with the edited version.
As for the epilogue. THERE IS NO RAW VERSION. Which means that it will take me some time to write it. If it takes me another two years you guys can kill me, I promise.
Thanks for reading! I'd like to know what you guys think.
