I AM SO SORRY. I'm sorry that I haven't gotten anything out in a while but school is really kicking my butt and I've been writing other things (again not my fault) but I managed to finish this up tonight, so I hope it came out okay. Anything that is wrong with it spelling or grammar wise I will fix tomorrow, its just time for me to get to bed so...

Spring Break starts this weekend so HOPEFULLY i can write more. I'm hoping to watch a little bit of KKM during the break to refresh my brain on characters and stuff.

Anyway, enough about me, let's get on to the fic.

Whispers in the Dark

Chapter 21

Welcome Home

Days after Wolfram finally awoke from his coma did Yuri finally begin to see the light begin to shine again. Hope bubbled within him that maybe, just maybe, things will finally begin to return to normal.

Before he knew it, he slowly began to regain mobility in his legs. At first it was a wiggle in his toes. But now, now it was so much more. He could move them, towards himself. He could even walk with help from support. He still had a long way to go, however, he could not walk properly on his own. He needed support beams as he had in therapy, or a cane. Yuri hated the cane. His condition was worse than when he needed it last time. If he used the cane now he could not stand up on his own for little over a minute.

He was getting better. But he still had a long recovery to go.

There is one thing that Yuri couldn't help but think about. He has not seen Wolfram since he woke up. And it was bugging him a bit. He had no clue how the blonde was doing, and whether or not he's recovering. It brought him great stress, but he kept telling himself to push it away for now, that stress was not good for him.

"Your Majesty?" Gisela announced as she slowly opened the door and poked her head inside. She saw Yuri in his bed as he has been for over a week, she saw his sad face as he looked down at his hands that were folded in his lap. He was thinking again, she could tell. She hated seeing Yuri this way. She missed his smile. "I have good news. Would you like to hear it?"

Yuri raised his head to meet Gisela's gaze. Gisela could see the ware in those black eyes, the stress from everything that has happened. This brought out a whole new determination inside of her, a new flooding of emotions, a want to find whoever did this to his majesty.

"Oh yeah. What is it?" Yuri asked.

"It's about your release. You'll be let out today, this afternoon to be exact." Gisela responded, a bit of excitement in her tone. "Are you happy to hear that, your majesty? You finally get to leave this place and return to Blood Pledge."

Yuri smiled. He was happy to hear that, ecstatic even. He wanted to leave this place, so much so it hurts him just to think about it. He loves the people here, they did so much for him, but he's had enough. He wants to go back to Blood Pledge and relax there in his king sized bed, have tea with his daughter and let his people know that he was doing okay. There was so much more he could list, but those were the main things. He knew that there would be other things that needed to be taken care of when he returned. Like paper work if Gwendal pushes it onto him the minute he walks through the doors. He will have to start an investigation to find Belar.

"Miss Gisela," Yuri placed his hand on top of hers. "How are things being handled back at Blood Pledge? Are they really going as well as I've been told?" A flash of guilt in Gisela's eyes let Yuri know that everything is not as it seems. Something is going on and he was being left in the dark. He wanted to know. "Miss Gisela please, tell me everything you know. I have to know what's going on over there before I get back."

Gisela sits down on the far end of the bed, away from Yuri as if in fear of hurting him or being hurt. "Blood Pledge has been on high alert. Everyone has been active on making the castle look presentable for your return. However, we have also been trying to gather any information on your captor." Yuri looked away from Gisela at the mention of Belar. "Your Majesty, I know you're upset, but he must be found and soon. Whether as a corpse or in the flesh with blood pumping through his veins. So much has happened to you and to Wolfram that he has become an A Class villain. He is priority number one now."

Yuri didn't know what to say, or what to think about all of this. He was grateful that his friends were working to help him, to find Belar before they even knew it was Belar. No one knows who was the captor, only Yuri and Wolfram. No one else knows but Yuri knew that was going to change soon. He would have to tell someone. Just not here. It was too risky.

"Thank you for doing all that. I'm glad to have so many faithful people in the castle who care about me." Yuri said.

"We all care about you." Gisela replied with a smile. "You are our king. We want the best for you, but we also want you to feel safe. You are such a good person Yuri, and we want you to be our king for a very long time."

"I know you do." Yuri mumbled. He wanted to be king for a long time as well. He loved this place, the people and being king. He wanted to be king for as long he could. "That's why I'm going to help you find my captor. But if we are going to do this, I want this to be done my way."

"Your Majesty! You're still recovering. You are not in the right condition to be doing something so careless and stressful." Gisela stood up from the bed and looked at her king. "I'm sorry, your majesty. I want you to seek justice for what happened, but your health comes first. Please, recover so that you are back to being your best. We will take care of the rest."

That wasn't something Yuri wanted to here. But he knew that Gisela was right. He was in no condition to be dealing with Belar. He has to recover, he had to get stronger, and only then could he confront Belar for his wrongdoings.

"I understand. I shouldn't push myself before I can walk. Literally." Yuri said.

Gisela smiled. "Well, there is one thing we will all need you to do while we work on this."

Yuri perked up. "Which is?"

"You have to keep Wolfram at bay, and make sure that he recovers."

That's easier said then done.

The sun was shining down on Shinou's temple. It was a beautiful morning. The priestesses were busy cleaning up, putting in their best effort to bring out the temple's natural beauty, both for Lord Shinou and for King Yuri when he returns.

Murata was with Shinou, sitting on the front steps of the temple, taking in the sunshine and the gentle breeze. Shinou shined in the light of the sun, his blonde hair stood out.

But Murata was not paying attention to Shinou. No. He was thinking of Yuri and Wolfram, how they were in that clinic about to sent back to Blood Pledge. He was glad that his friends have finally recovered enough to come back, but he knew that they were far from healed. Yuri was doing well, but he still got major migraines, as well as his lack of mobility being a major issue. Wolfram was not as bad as Yuri, as his burns were healing, but moderately. We expected him to be completely, if not mostly healed by now. But something was holding him back.

"You should be with Lord Yuri, and yet you stay here with me." Shinou said. He knew Murata wanted to be with his friends, but he did not know why he pushed himself to stay here. "You may leave to meet with them before they are to return, nothing is keeping you here."

"I'm fine. Shibuya and the others will be here in a few hours." Murata replied.

Shinou moved closer to Murata and sat down beside him. "What's wrong? You're troubled."

Murata remained silent. He didn't know what it was exactly that was troubling him. It was something that even Murata was unsure of, if whether or not it was really something to worry about. "Something happened, I don't know what it was, but I saw it, heard it in the forest."

"What did you see?" Shinou asked.

"That's what's troubling me. I don't know what it is I saw. All is heard was a rustling in the trees. That was all. But something felt off." Murata explained.

Shinou closed his eyes. "I believe you. If you felt something that night then something must have happened. Nothing slips past you." He placed a hand on Murata's shoulder. "After all, you are my wise man."

"I'm not yours. I am not an object." Murata replied. He save Shinou a side glance, you could see the annoyance in those black eyes. "Stop laying your claim on me. I am Murata Ken now, no longer the same great wise man."

"You're such a pain. You take things so seriously." Shinou sighed. "You are still my friend, no matter how many lifetimes and years separate us, you are still my great wise man."

Murata stood up from the front steps. He looked up at the sky, he watched as the clouds moved ever so slowly. "I should get going. Shibuya will be back before long."

"I understand. I'll be here when you come back." Shinou stood up. "Or maybe not. I never stay in one place for too long."

"Yes, before I know it you'll be perched on my shoulder again like an annoying bird." Murata mumbled.

Shinou looked offended. "You know you appreciate my company."

"Sure." Murata replied.

There was silence. Murata looked over at Shinou again before making his leave. He had to get back to Blood Pledge to make sure everything is in check before Yuri comes back.

"Dammit, quit touching me!" Wolfram shouted. He smacked Conrart's hand away from his face. He was obviously annoyed that he was being treated like such a baby.

Ever since he woke up, people have been constantly checking up on him asking if he was alright, touching him without his consent. It was beginning to irritate him. He was just grateful that they were finally getting to leave. He was not in as much pain as he was before. He could move his body without feeling as much strain or burning, however, he was still weakened.

"I'm just checking to make sure healing properly." Conrart replied. Conrart moved back to give Wolfram some space. "You've been acting quite strangely since you woke up. Is something bothering you?"

Wolfram said nothing to answer Conrart's concerns. He wasn't sure himself if anything was truly wrong with him. He did not feel something was wrong, he was healing quite well, all he really felt was annoyance. So, why did he feel like saying something? What did he want to say?

"Are you getting enough sleep?"

"No."

"You're not?!" Conrart placed a hand on Wolfram's leg. The blonde flinched at the touch and Conrart removed his hand. "I understand. It's still fresh on your mind."

"There's nothing wrong with me." Wolfram mumbled. He kept his head down, looking at his hands as they clench together.

"Soon you'll be back at Blood Pledge with Yuri and you can recover there." Conrart said. He stood up from Wolfram's hospital bed. "I'll be back soon to help you get ready. We leave in a few hours."

"Right," Wolfram said softly. Conrart made his leave. "But Conrart," Conrart stopped and turned to face his brother. Wolfram was looking at his hands, they were open, the burns visible and fading. "How is Yuri? Have you seen him?"

Conrart smiled. "His majesty is doing well. He still has a lot to work through, but he's improving."

Wolfram cleared his throat. His eyes drifted to the other side of the room, to the window. "I want to see him. Can you bring him here?"

"I'll see what I can do." Conrart replied.

"Thank you." Wolfram said.

Conrart left the room leaving Wolfram to himself. Closing his eyes, Wolfram tapped into his energy trying to conjure up his flames. As he imagined it, those red hot demon flames of his he felt himself growing hotter and hotter, as if his blood was bubbling inside of him. He released himself from his concentration and fell back into the bed, his breathing was heavy as he tried to calm down and cool down. Sweat rolled down his face and neck, his blonde hair slightly damp and clung to his head.

"Still can't do it." Wolfram mumbled. He closed his eyes. "Dammit!" Slamming his fists down onto the bed Wolfram felt his frustrations building. Something as simple as conjuring his magic was still impossible. He felt useless. How was he supposed to protect Yuri like this? There was just no way.

Pulling his knees to his chest, Wolfram wrapped his arms around his legs and laid his head on his knees. He felt useless now. This fight has taken so much away from him. And for what? Wolfram didn't know. There seemed to be no good in this. Only darkness and despair.

Images of Belar rotted his mind, his dreams while slept. The fire, the archers, those assholes who took him into the next room. Everything that has happened has been another step down the wrong path. Wolfram didn't know how much further he was able to go before he was completely destroyed.

He still loved Yuri, that love burned inside of him like his flame. However, he can't help but fear him. Not just his power, but of losing him too.

"I'm sorry," Wolfram mumbled. He buried his face further into his knees. "but I don't know if I can protect you."

"Protect who from what?"

Wolfram sat up and looked up at the door. He saw Yuri in his wheelchair, Conrart behind him. Yuri's face showed that he was concerned and Wolfram looked away. He wiped the tears away that collected in his eyes. He wanted to stay strong for Yuri.

"Wolfram?" Yuri rolled closer to the bed so that he was at Wolfram's side. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry." Wolfram grabbed Yuri's hand and squeezed it tight. Yuri looked at their hands for a moment and then looked back at Wolfram. He was shaking. He wasn't looking at him either. "I'm sorry."

"Wolfram," Yuri squeezed his hand to show that he was here. "You have to tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if you won't."

Wolfram looked at Yuri, the pain those emerald eyes was unmeasurable. Wolfram lowered his head again, like he couldn't look in Yuri's direction, as if it hurt to do so. Yuri closed his eyes. He never thought it would come to this, to the point where Wolfram would completely detach himself. He raised his left arm and placed his fingers in Wolfram's blonde locks. He brought him closer until their foreheads touched. Wolfram still kept his gaze down. Yuri growled.

"I promise I'm going to make this right." Yuri said. He bit his lip. "I'll make sure that you get better and all of this goes to the past. We'll fix this. I promise."

Tears rolled down Wolfram's cheeks as he took in Yuri's words. He wanted nothing more than to believe him. He wanted that. He wanted this all to get better, so that he was happy again. But it wasn't that simple.

"I want to believe you." Wolfram said. He placed his burned hand on Yuri's cheek. "But I still have my doubts. You may be our king," Wolfram looked up into Yuri's eyes. "but you're not strong enough."

Yuri's eyes widened at Wolfram's words. Not strong enough? He defeated the originators? He defeated Shinou himself. He defeated the Janus. They were all strong foes. And yet, he's not strong enough to defeat a regular guy like Belar? No. That's not right. I can't be.

"Don't say that. I am strong. I'm going to set this right. We'll do it together if we have to."

"I'm not strong enough either! You saw what happened! I was useless! You could have died. I could have too!"

"We managed to get out. That's all that matters."

"We only got lucky." Wolfram said. He gripped Yuri's shirt collar. "We won't get that lucky again. No one will be there to save us like that again."

"Then we'll win." Yuri replied. "We'll fight and we'll win and we won't need to be saved."

Wolfram moved away from Yuri so they were inches apart. "You sound so confident. Like you've already won."

Yuri smiled. "I'll make sure we win. I won't let him get away with what he's done."

Wolfram smiled this time. "You know, for a pacifist you seem to get into quite a few battles."

"Well, it comes with the position of being king." Yuri said.

Wolfram laid back into the pillows on his hospital bed. "Well my king, it seems we have a job to do."

"That's right." Yuri replied. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Wolfram."

"I am feeling better. But its going to be a while before I'm able to fully recover." Wolfram pulled his knees to his chest again and looked over at Yuri again. "So, do me a favor and don't leave my side. I can't protect you if you do."

Yuri nodded. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

"Is everything ready for our departure?" Conrart asked.

"Yes. We have the carriage ready and all of the forms are signed. We just need his majesty and Wolfram." Gisela replied.

"I understand. I'll get them now. They should be finished talking by now." Conrart said.

Gisela nodded. "I'll be here if you need me."

"Right."

Conrart went back inside to retrieve Wolfram and Yuri. As he made his way inside, he felt the stares of the patients and the doctors, he could hear some of them voicing their farewells and waving to him goodbye and wishing his majesty a well recovery. It made him smile, he was grateful that his majesty had so many loyal citizens, and that they cared for him.

Stopping in front of Wolfram's room, he knocked. He did not want to walk right in and interrupt their conversation if it was still in progress. It was not what he was taught.

"Your Majesty, I hate to interrupt but it's time to go." Conrart said.

"Ah. We'll be right there, Conrad." Yuri replied.

"Alright, I'll be here if you need help." Conrart said. He stepped away from the door and stood against the wall.

"We'll be fine, brother."

A few minutes passed before the door to the room opened and Wolfram came out pushing Yuri in his chair. Wolfram seemed a bit happier than Conrart last saw. He assumed that Yuri had something to do with it.

"It's time." Conrart said.

"Yeah." Yuri smiled. "Time to go home."

"Your Majesty," Gisela said. She bowed as he came wheeling towards her. "We're ready when you are."

"Thank you, Gisela." He had the dreaded cane resting in his lap. He knew he would have to stand up and walk over to the carriage, however, he had walking wit the cane, he felt silly walking with it. It wasn't as easy as when he had a sprained ankle. It was worse this time. "I'm ready."

"Do you need help Yuri?" Conrart asked.

"No thanks. I'm fine." Yuri replied.

He placed his cane down and stood up from the wheelchair. His legs wobbled and shook from the weight being put on them, but he pushed forward. He kept a tight hold on the handle of the cane and began to walk, shaking and stumbling with each step. He hated feeling this way. He felt so...inferior. Like, he was being laughed at, that this was what he has become.

He was getting tired. His legs were hurting more and more with each step. His breathing was growing more and more heavy, struggling to breath. But he was almost there. Just a few more steps.

Dammit Yuri, you can do this.

He stumbled again, just feet from the carriage and began to collapse. He gasped and tried to grab on but he was too far from its reach. He waited to hit the ground like a fool and be laughed at, or worse, be stared at with looks of pity and disturbance.

But he never hit the ground. He was caught, Wolfram grabbed him by the arm and kept him on his feet. The blonde smiled down at him.

"Take it easy Yuri." Wolfram said softly. "I'll hold you, don't worry."

"Thanks." Yuri replied.

Walking slowly and carefully with Wolfram at his side, Yuri finally managed to get inside the carriage. Wolfram sat across from him. Conrart walked over to the door before they departed.

"Are you alright, your majesty?" Conrart asked.

"I'm alright, Conrad. Just a little sore." Yuri replied.

Conrart nodded and looked at his brother. "How about you Wolfram?"

"I'm fine as well. Don't worry, Conrart." Wolfram replied.

Conrart smiled at his Majesty and Wolfram. "Then I'll tell you when we arrive at Blood Pledge." Yuri and Wolfram nodded in reply and Conrart shut the door to tell the coachmen to get ready to head out.

The ride up to Blood Pledge was nerve wracking. Yuri kept his gaze out the window as he waited to enter through the gates and see everyone again. He wanted to see everyone, so much so it hurt thinking about it. He wanted to see the horses and Dacoscos, he wanted to see the Castle Maids and eat Effe's sweets, and so many others. The fact that he may not have made it back at all made Yuri want to see them more.

"Yuri…" Wolfram said. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you feeling alright?"

Yuri nodded. He turned to face Wolfram. "I'm fine, Wolfram. I'm just a bit nervous."

"Nervous?" Wolfram mumbled. He moved closer to Yuri and leaned his head back against the coach seats. "I can see that. I'm nervous too."

"How come?" Yuri asked.

"Well," Wolfram licked his lips, they suddenly had gone dry. "I grew up with these people, and we've gone through so much together. Seeing them again after everything that's happened is nerve wracking. I'm supposed to be strong and I'm supposed to be your guard, Yuri. To come back, to know that I failed to do to just that means that I've lost my right to that name."

"Wolfram," Yuri turned to face the blonde. Wolfram turned his head so that he was looking at Yuri. "You were really hurt and low on power. I was too. But we both fought our hardest and won. We just didn't have the strength to get out. And if we hadn't been saved when we were, we would have died, but we would have died together and gone down fighting. I know that's not the best thought but,"

"Yuri," Wolfram mumbled. "That's just it. We could have died if not for Norica. If not for her and Gwendal's men, we would have died. Nothing could have saved us otherwise. You can say you would have died happy with no regrets, but you would be lying." He sat up and turned to face Yuri. "We would be leaving Greta behind, Saralegui as well. You're reign as king would be over and the people would be left without a king. Hell, Yuri that could have led to another war."

"A war?" Yuri mumbled. He clenched his fingers around the bottom of the seat. "No. Conrad and the others would never allow that to happen."

"But they would and you know it." Wolfram replied.

Yuri bit his lip and moved his gaze back to the window. "Let's not talk about this anymore."

Wolfram looked away from Yuri, guilt resting on his stomach making him feel ill on top of his motion sickness. He felt bad for adding stress on top of everything that Yuri was feeling, but he was only being realistic. The death of the maou at the hands of humans would lead to another war. There was no if, ands, or buts about it and Wolfram knew this. He felt that Yuri had the right to know that.

"I'm sorry." Wolfram whispered.

The carriage slowly came to a stop at the front gates of Blood Pledge. They began to open, the groans of the hinges loud enough to signal their return to everyone behind it. The cheers and voices of the citizens of the kingdom were so loud that Yuri and Wolfram could hear them from their place in the carriage.

"His majesty has returned!"

"He's alive and well!"

"Long live his majesty!"

Slowly, the carriage began to move again, making its way onto the grounds of the castle. The citizens were all inside the gates, smiling and cheering for Yuri's return. Wolfram couldn't help but smile knowing that Yuri was so loved among the people, but still kept a lookout for any females looking to snatch his fiance away from him.

"We're finally home." Yuri said.

Stopping in front of the castle steps, Conrart disembarked his horse and walked over to the carriage to let Yuri and Wolfram out. He opened the door and stepped back. Wolfram was the one to step out first, he was careful with his movements, careful not to hurt himself. Next was Yuri, who was even more careful getting out. With help from Wolfram, he got out of the carriage and looked around, hundreds of people from his kingdom came to greet him on his return.

"Your Majesty!"

"Welcome home, Your Majesty!"

Yuri smiled and waved to his people. Wolfram stood beside him, arms crossed and looking slightly annoyed. Yuri nudged his arm lightly and Wolfram looked over at Yuri who was silently telling him to follow him. Wolfram obliged and the two headed for the front steps of the castle. Waiting on the steps was Greta, Murata, Lady Annissina and Gunter.

"We're home." Yuri said, his smile bright and big from cheek to cheek.

Greta smiled and ran over to her fathers, wrapping her arms around Yuri's waist and holding him tight. She soon switched over to Wolfram who greeted her happily, kneeling down and wrapping his arms around her small frame.

"Ah, Your Highness," Gunter cried. He ran down the steps next, running straight for Yuri. Yuri stepped back, surprised by Gunter's actions, but was much too late and was held in a tight embrace by the white haired man. He cried into Yuri's shoulder, he was so overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of Yuri alive and well. "Your Highness, Oh Highness! Welcome back!"

Yuri smiled and wrapped an arm around Gunter.

"Thank you."

He really felt like he was home.