Hello everyone and welcome to chapter fourteen of this beautiful fanfiction for this wonderful fandom. Yes, I may be over exaggerating when i say "beautiful fanfiction" because that's just MY opinion. But it seems to be doing well, so I guess I'm doing something right.
Now, we are only two reviews away from reaching 50 reviews for this story. *throws confetti in the air and hands everyone cake* I'm counting down you guys. I'm really excited. i never expected to do this well, let alone fifty. So, i reach that goal, I will cry and you will all be responsible and *screams at the sky*
Anyhoozles (I did a thing a certain someone with understand :P), this is another kind of filler chapter. Nothing much happens this chapter. It's mostly check ins and taking care of Yuri and Wolfram and we introduce some useful OC's and shit.
They are mine...just because they have names of anime characters I know, does not mean it is them. It may be influenced by them, but they are not all and exactly like them. I only chose their names to be the way they are because I can't make a name for shit -
So, let's get started. I hope you all enjoy and review for me. I will love you all for life if you do. Show your support for the Yurram :D
Whispers in the Dark
Chapter 14
Father Time
The medical wagon rocked, bumped, shook and jumped as it was being speedily pulled away out of the desert of Svilara. The on hand men that Gwendal brought along with him stared down at the mangled bodies of their king and his fiancé, heir to one of the ten aristocrat seats, and nephew to Lord Waltorana von Bielefeld, Wolfram. Their nerves were on edge as they prepare for the risky extraction of the arrows lodged in the bodies before them. They could not wait until the boat reached land. Too much blood would be lost and their critical states could worsen if the arrows were removed incorrectly.
Wolfram's current state was critical, yet stable. An arrow stay lodged in his collarbone, his right side and two open wounds in his left leg and right arm. The doctor treating him could only assume that the blonde ripped them out on his own as a defensive. It was all he could do, it seemed as his clothes were burned in many areas and he no longer had his boots. The soles of his feet carried burns as well.
Yuri's state however was more serious. His condition was critical and unstable. Any wrong move and he could die. With an arrow lodged in his right arm, right through his vein. Another on his left leg, one lodged in his stomach, and another through his hand.
However, the worst arrow lay impaled in the head of the demon king. Blood, even now, continued to slowly roll down his head, over his nose and around his eyes. It was a gruesome sight! That arrow was going to be one of the toughest to remove, along with the arrow already lodged in his arm, which seems to have been removed beforehand, but was later placed back in. A smart move! It helped slow down the blood from escaping his body.
Once the medical supplies were gathered, the doctors began to go to work on their patients. With anesthetic, gauze, medical scissors and thread in hand they began to remove and repair the wounds that were more stable. For Wolfram, any arrow wound was acceptable. However, for Yuri, those options were limited to everything but the arrow in his head. The doctor wanted to keep that arrow in as long as possible until they get to more stable ground or at least until they board the ship. With the environment they were in, a catastrophe could happen at any moment. It was best to wait until then.
However, just because they chose to work on the easier wounds, does not mean that it will be any easier to clean and close. The shaky environment will still be a hassle to make sure nothing goes wrong.
As they each removed an arrow from a body, they were quick to apply the anesthetic before hand and wipe away the blood as the arrow was taken out. Even though they were both unconscious, it was still painful and the pain alone could wake them up, as they believe.
As of yet, they still do not know that the Wincott poison is running through their veins.
Wolfram's finger flinched as the doctor started to stitch the wound in his arm from what was left of the arrow. He was not waking up. It was a normal reaction. However, it was a sign that he was still alive.
Yuri, however, did not react at all when the doctor began to stitch the wound in his thigh shut. He was not as lucky to be able to show any reaction.
"His majesty has to pull through." He mumbled as continued to work away at the leg of his majesty. Blood was being continuously sucked up by the gauze in his hands as he sewed. Yuri has already lost far too much blood. If he loses enough more, he could go into shock, his organs could shut down and he will die. "I can't let that happen."
"Take your time. If you rush you will kill him." The doctor stitching up Wolfram spoke. He did not look up from Wolfram's wound, but assumed his comrade was looking over at him. "His majesty will be fine if you do this correctly. Relax and take your time."
"That's easy for you to say. If I am responsible for the death of our Maou, it is my head that will be on the line for execution." He stopped his stitching as he neared the end of the wound and wiped the sweat from his brow with his arm. "Wolfram's injuries are not as serious as his highness'. He will most likely recover swiftly and quickly if he listens to Gesila and rests after we return to Blood Pledge. However, his majesty, his condition is unstable. Even if I remove the arrows and get his wounds closed up, something could still happen. He could still die either way. What kind of stress do you believe I carry on my shoulders? It is heavy. This burden of wanting to trade him off to the next doctor so that I no longer have to bear the weight, it is both insulting and selfish but it is what I feel is right. I believe that even I cannot completely heal his majesty on my own."
Cutting the thread, the staff-men working on Wolfram rolled his eyes. "The weight you bear is the most important to carry out at this very moment. If you choose to back out and disobey Lord Gwendal's orders, I am not exactly sure what he will do with you, but you will no doubt be shamed. He is trusting you with this task of healing his majesty, he believes in you to keep him alive. Do you not trust him or his judgment? We need you to keep him stable until a proper healer can heal his wounds completely."
"It's not that simple Mana." Mana, the aid assisting to Wolfram's injuries, looked up at his comrade. "The Maou is practically our savior, a god in the eyes of many as he is still so young and yet has changed the world around us in so many ways in such a short amount of time. To have him leave us now, after we just got him back not too long ago, it would sure cause sorrow for all of our people. It is a huge responsibility to have such an important predecessor's life in my hands."
"You're foolish to believe in such things." Mana replied. "To let your insecurities overrun your thought process is what will cause his highness more stress if you do not get back to extraction. Everyone is counting on you to do your very best to keep his majesty alive. Don't worry about being his majesty's savior. As long as you keep his heart beating and his chest keeps rising, you are doing your job. Stop acting so foolishly, Jean."
Jean, the aid of his majesty at the moment sighed loudly and placed the bloodied gauze down on the floor. "I understand. I know how important this is to you, and to the rest of our country and its people, not to mention Shin Makoku's allied nations. No one wants to lose his majesty. I will do my best to make sure that he lives to see another day."
"Thank you." Mana said with a smile as he used the anesthetic on the wound in Wolfram's leg. He was grateful that his friend has finally released his hold on the "what ifs" and has decided to continue on with his treatment on the Maou.
Jean looked down at the open wound, the stitching still incomplete and some blood had managed to roll down the Maou's arm when he was not paying attention. He picked up a fresh gauze and began to wipe away the fresh blood until it was nothing but a faint red stain. After that, he kept the gauze wrapped under the arm and finished up with the stitch line he had previously started.
Both Jean and Mana still had a long way to go until their tasks were complete. And the ends of the desert were nearing closer and closer. It was only a matter of time. Time that they do not have.
It was another morning in Japan. The sun was up and shining and the birds were chirping. However, no matter how beautiful it was, Miko could not get herself to do much of anything that she needed to do. So many chores are being left undone, but Miko had no motivation what-so-ever to do even the simplest things like cooking breakfast for Shouma before he leaves for work and doing the laundry and hanging them up on the line outside. She had no will power to do so. All she could think about were her sons and how something terrible was going on back in the other world.
The letter from the other world was all she could think about. How her son was captured and so had Wolfram. All she could think about were the negatives of it all. How they could be torturing them. How they may just be suffering. It was that went through her mind. She wants nothing more than to be able to somehow get a chance to go to the other world and save her son and his fiancé, but she could not. She was stuck back here in Japan, waiting for her sons safe return.
She hated it that Shouri left on his own without telling her anything that was going on. To have to learn about everything on her own, it was painful. And that he would willingly jump in the middle of it all was both frustrating and inspiring to her. She wanted nothing more than to scold him and at the same time give him a big hug and say: "Welcome home" but she had to wait and see just what will happen.
As Miko was lost in thoughts of her sons and their incredibly dangerous journey, she could hear the faint sound of footsteps coming from the stairs just across the hall.
"Good morning honey, I'm starving! What's for breakfast?" Shouma asked as he stepped into the living room putting on his suit jacket. He stopped a few steps in when he noticed his wife acting strangely. She was unmoving, lost in thought. And the fact that breakfast was not made was even more concerning to him as he knew his wife loved to cook. "Miko, what's wrong?"
"It's Jennifer." Miko mumbled. Shouma sat down beside his wife and placed an arm around her and held her close. "I'm worried for the boys."
Shouma rubbed Miko's arm and tried his best to comfort his wife. "I'm sure they're going to be fine. Yu-chan is strong and so is Shou-chan. If anyone can get through this, it's them. And we need to be strong for them when they return. They could be back at any moment. You just need to have faith."
"But what if they never do come back? What if the people from the other world come back and bring bad news. I'm not ready to mourn my children. I'm far too young." Miko cried into her husband's neck.
Tears stained Shouma's collar on his shirt but he didn't care. Right now, his wife needed him and he was going to do his best to make her feel better.
"Remember Jennifer, Conrart is with them. He won't let anything happen to our boys. He cares about Yuri just as much as we do. He won't let anything happen to them. I guarantee it." Shouma said in a calming tone.
"You mean Yu-chan's god father?! That beautiful man that comes along with Yu-chan sometimes when he comes to visit us?!" Miko asked.
Shouma felt his eye twitch but laughed it off. "Um, yes, that's him." Miko's eyes seemed to light up a bit and a small faint smile graced her lips. "He's going to do everything he can to make sure Yu-chan comes back alive, well and healthy. You can guarantee that!"
Miko smiled and stood up from the couch. "I understand now. Yu-chan wouldn't want me to be mopping. He would want to be continue with what I usually do." Miko clenched her fists and smiled bright. "I have to start breakfast." She looked back at her husband with a big smile that he hasn't seen in what feels like an eternity. "Just wait a few minutes dear. I'll make everything you like. Eggs, octopus sausages, toast! Don't you worry."
Shouma smiled as he watched his wife put on her usual apron, step into the kitchen and do one of the things she loves to do. He was happy that he succeed for once. Usually Miko never listened to him and would get even more upset, but this was one of those rare times where what he says actually reaches her, and she took his words to heart and this was the result. He felt pretty good!
All they needed now was for their sons to come back.
Back in Shin Makoku, everyone was hustling and bustling trying to get everything done. Even without the Maou around, there were still many things that needed to be done. And with Anissina in charge of the castle, it was mandatory that everything be taken care of as soon as possible and in an orderly fashion. Especially since she has Gesila help her in keeping everyone in check. It was official. The castle was being run by girl power!
So far, no word has reached Blood Pledge Castle about the whereabouts of his majesty nor has there been any updates about how the search is going. Everyone was getting worried that something terrible has happened. But since nothing has come back yet saying the worst, they keep the faith high.
In the office where his majesty usually sat, was Anissina who was taking care of some paperwork that needed to be taken care of while his majesty was absent. She didn't mind doing his work for him in his absence, she just wished that she could be doing some experiments now instead. But the kingdom needed her so she had to do this first and if she had the time or the energy to do so, she will do as many experiments as she can.
Bur now, she had paperwork to do.
The door made a soft squeak as it was opened ajar just enough for a small body to fit through. Annissina looked up as Greta walked inside, shutting the door behind her as she walked inside.
"Annissina, I'm not interrupting you, am I?" Greta asked as she walked inside and sat down at the long table.
Annissina smiled and placed her quill down onto the table and stood up from the desk. "Not at all. I always have time for you."
Greta smiled sadly and kicked her feet under the table. "Do you think Wolfram and Yuri are alright?"
Annissina smiled at the young daughter of his majesty and Wolfram and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Wolfram and Yuri are strong. They'll be just fine. They'll be home before you know it and you'll be able to hug them and see their faces and everything will be just like before."
Greta nodded and leaned her head against the table. "I want that. But, I don't even know how it's going. Why haven't we heard anything back yet?"
"I'm sure they're working very hard to find them. They may already have and are so overwhelmed that they just have yet to send back word."
"Maybe."
Annissina rubbed Greta's back as the small child stared out the window from her seat at the table. Even with all the pep talks, it was still difficult to cheer Greta up at all. She was so worried for her fathers. She wanted nothing more than for them all to return safe and sound. But her hope seemed to be depleting as time goes by and receiving no word at all. It's been days since she's seen her father. She longed to see him, as well as Wolfram.
Suddenly, a loud knock was at the door of the office. Both Annissina and Greta jumped from surprise as the frantic pounding. Annissina stood tall and looked over at the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Dorcasscos. I have a message that came from a messenger dove. It seems to be from Lord von Voltaire."
Annissina quickly rushed over to the door and opened the door. Dorcasscos stood in front of her, out of breath and the small note in hand. Annissina held out her hand and Dorcasscos placed the note in her hands.
"Thank you Dorcasscos. You may head back to Gisela now."
"Yes Ma'am."
Annissina shut the door and walked over to Greta who was waiting eagerly to hear what news Gwendal has for them. Annissina sat down beside Greta, removed the ribbon and rolled up the small note. Greta looked over as well and read the note as well.
It was silent for a moment as they did. All time seemed to fall still. Annisina dropped the note, it fluttered down onto the wooden table. Greta's eyes shook with worry and fear as she stared down at the note in front of her.
It was news that they did not want to hear.
Sweat poured down the brow of both Mana and Jean as they continued to extract arrow after arrow from their patients. Mana was just about done with his patient. All that remained was the arrow in the blonde's side. That one would be the most difficult because blood will escape quickly and fast. He had to patch it quickly and carefully. The arrow in his collarbone was especially difficult because there were many nerves that were around the arrow that he had to be carefully to not hit. It was extremely dangerous.
Yuri was doing fairly well. Better than expected! However, all that was left to remove was the arrow in his head. Jean knew that this particular arrow was going to be the most difficult and that removing it was Yuri's bridge between life and death. Jean knew it was best to leave it in, he didn't dare to touch it.
"We've both done well thus far. No casualties or emergency situations. We must keep the situation at this level. We are nearing the docks but we still have too much time until we get there. If anything happens now, and we cause them to shift in their health, they will most likely die." Mana spoke his mind as he put on a fresh pair of white gloves.
"No pressure or anything." Jean mumbled while glaring at his comrade. He was stressed out enough already! To hear that from Mana made him even more nervous for his majesty.
"More like, as much pressure as possible." Mana replied as he applied pressure around the arrow. He placed his fingers around the wooden stick and kept a good grip on it. Anesthesia has already been applied so all he had to do was remove the arrow, stop the bleeding and sew.
As he was about to pull the arrow out from Wolfram's body, the medical wagon jumped and shook, the horses were going so fast that the jump caused everyone and everything in the wagon to be forcefully lifted into the air a few inches off the surface for a few seconds.
It was when everything came crashing back down from the large impact that Jean noticed something was off. He felt something sticky running against his finger tips and his hands sloshed around in something warm and murky. He raised his wet palm and examined it. His eyes widened as he was the warm and sticky blood sliding down his hands and arms. He looked over at his majesty, there was no blood escaping his body, but the arrow has been lodged deeper into his skull because of the hard impact to his head.
He then looked over at Wolfram. He was Mana's hand still clenched around the arrow, it was lodged deeper into the blonde's side now and blood was now pouring from the wound and onto the wooden wagon's floor boards. Mana groaned and slowly raised his head from Wolfram's stomach and examined what he had just done. His eyes widened and he quickly removed the arrow from his hands and crawled away from the body.
"No. No. No. This is not happening. What have I done?" Mana screamed as he held his head. Blood got into his brunette locks but he did not care. "Wolfram will surely die now. This is my fault. Lord von Voltaire will surely have my head."
"What the hell do you think you're doing? You have to heal him. Don't just sit there. What about everything you said to me early?"
"I only said those things to help you. You were not in this situation. He's losing too much blood to quickly. It's pierced all the way through his body. I don't have enough resource and experience to fix that."
Jean crawled over to his friend and gave him a slap in the face. Mana held his face and stared at Jean.
"Don't give me that shit. You are a good doctor. Treat his wounds. Don't worry about status. Don't worry about anyone else. Just focus on his wounds. Remember, he has healing abilities as well, it could be possible that his healing energy is what is keeping him alive now. Don't let him waste that energy because you want to sit in the corner and cry."
"Jean?"
"What's going on in there?"
Jean made his way over to the curtains that closed off the medical wagon and poked his head out. He saw Gwendal riding his horse right behind them. He must have made his way back here when the wagon jumped.
"Everything is going fine."
"You lie. I heard Mana scream. What's going on? Did something happen?"
Jean wanted to tell the truth but feared scolding.
"What is that on your hands?"
Jean looked at the curtains and saw the large red blotch beginning to form.
"Things are not going to well. I'm sorry Lord Gwendal. The force of the jump caused the arrow inside Wolfram's abdomen to pierce its way all the way through him. He's losing too much blood. We must help him."
Jean could see the worry and the fear in Gwendal's eyes for a moment. He shook it off since he knew that he was only worried for his brother.
"We should be arriving at the shores shortly. Keep him alive. Do not let him perish. Do you understand me?"
"Yes sir!"
Gwendal quickly sped off, back to the front lines. Jean fell back into the wagon and took a few deep breaths. Gwendal was very intimidating. He didn't care how long he's known him. He will always been intimidating and a bit frightening.
"Mana you heard him, we must-" Jean was stopped mid sentence when he was that Mana was already doing his best to try and stop the harsh blood flow that was escaping is body. Wrapping a long strip of cloth, it seemed to be his left sleeve of his uniform, Mana began to apply pressure to the wound by tying it tightly.
"Quickly, Jean, grab the gauze and your medical supplies. I'm going to need your help with this. We must work together to save him."
Jean looked back at his majesty who seemed to be doing well, his chest still rose and fell but it seemed to be more frantic than before. He needed to remove that arrow soon. Something was wrong.
"We must hurry."
Mana nodded to his friend and slowly and carefully began to extract the arrow out from Wolfram's body. Jean applied even more pressure to help stop the bleeding as Mana pulled the arrow out. They both watched as the bloody arrow rose out from the depths of muscle, blood and tissue. Wolfram's fingers flinched and twitched as they did, but it was only a normal reaction. A reaction in the muscles that causes simple motions like the fingers to move on their own.
As the metal tip of the arrow began to show itself, Mana began to grow more and more cautious to make sure not to hit any vital organs. The only one that comes to mind at this proximity is the large intestine. They could not risk puncturing it. Mana knew he had to be extra careful.
Finally, the arrow was completely removed and placed aside. While Jean helped keep pressure applied, Mana grabbed the medical scissors and thread and began to sew away at the open wounds, layer after layer. This was only a standard procedure that must be done until they could get him to a healer. The stitching will have to be removed once Gesila can look at them and treat their wounds.
Jean wiped away the blood from around the surgical area so that Mana could continue his work without halt. He would even wipe the sweat from his forehead as well.
"You're doing great. Just a bit more."
"I'm not pregnant you know. Please don't talk to me like I'm giving birth. It's highly distracting."
"Why you!"
Mana couldn't help but smile. He loved to make small jokes to help him calm down. It kept him keep going.
Once the sewing was complete and the surgery was a success, they both sat back and took a few breaths. Wolfram was officially free of all arrows that were once lodged in body, but was now littered with stitches and potential scars. The only untreated wounds that they could not take care of, were the few scattered burns on his body and the soles of his feet. But other than that, he was to be left on watch to make sure nothing happens with him internally.
Jean picked up one of the arrows and examined it. He was always curious for old fashion weapons such as archery. As he examined it, he noticed that there was no blood on the metal blade of the arrow. The wooden staff of the arrow had splashes of blood, but the metal was completely clean of any blood at all. Jean grabbed a small cotton ball and began to dab the metal with the cotton. He brought the cotton ball closer and began to examine it. He noticed that it was wet and had a faint purple color.
"Mana."
"Hmm...?"
"We may have a problem."
Mana sat up from his leaning position and looked over at his friend. "What is it?"
"We must report this to Lord Gwendal." Jean showed the cotton ball to Mana who closely examined it. "Do you know what this is?"
"Of course. It's Wincott Poison."
Jean stood up from the against the boxes and made his way over towards the men on the horses that were pulling the carriage. It took him a moment to reach the front so he had to grab the curtain and pulled against it so that he could stick his head out. His ginger hair blew around in the wind as he looked out in front of him at the men on horseback. His comrades! The man on the horse to the left looked back at him first when he felt his presence.
"Jean, how are his majesty and Wolfram holding up?"
"No time, pass on the message. Lord Gwendal must hear this. The arrows seem to have been laced with Wincott poison. We must get in contact with the von Wincott family immediately."
The man said nothing but nodded in understanding. Jean nodded back and stepped back inside. He saw that Mana was watching over both Yuri and Wolfram to make sure nothing else goes wrong.
"How could this have happened? The Wincott poison was locked away at the temple of Shinou. How did they manage to get their hands on it?" Mana asked himself.
"I'm not too sure how, but it is not good." Jean said as he sat down in front of his comrade. "If they have managed to get their hands on the poison, that means that they are even more dangerous than before. There is also the fact that they still have it as well, if there are more of them that were not inside the court house."
"Are you suggesting that this fight is not over just yet?" Mana asked.
"I can't be too sure." Jean clenched his fists and bowed his head as he tried to think about their situation. "All I do know is that we must get back to Blood Pledge, report the situation to Gesila so that she is ready and quickly get a hold of the von Wincott family and have them send out a representative of their family as soon as possible."
Mana reached into his pocket and pulled out a small paper that is used for messenger doves. He found a quill and quickly began to write a short but informal message. He then quickly rolled it up, tied the string back around the small piece of paper and reached behind one of the large boxes and pulled out a messenger dove cage. Reaching inside, he pulled out the dove, placed the message inside the small bag around its neck and he placed his hands out from inside the wagon. "Take this to Blood Pledge. Make sure it gets to Lady Annissina."
The dove flew away and Mana came back inside the wagon. He saw Jean writing a message as well. Walking over to Jean, he sat down beside him and watched him write.
"Who are writing that one to?"
"His Majesty Saralegui. I heard that he is also on the search for his majesty. He has a right to know that we have located him and the situation that we are in."
"Tell him to meet us at Blood Pledge. He will most definitely want to see his majesty and Wolfram and see that they are alright."
"You heard 'em. Take this to King Saralegui." Jean released the dove and it flew out of the wagon.
Jean and Mana sighed and leaned back against the wooden boxes. Their tasks were complete. The shores were just ahead, just a ways longer. Before they would know it, they would be bringing his majesty and Wolfram out of the wagon and onto the stretchers so that they could be hoisted onto the large vessel. Once there, it was going to be a long boat ride to Shin Makoku. They had to hope and pray that their medical training was enough to keep them alive. They would be monitoring them non-stop until they reached the castle. Once they got their, it was up to Gesila to save them.
All it took was time.