CHAPTER 25 – FIRE AND ICE-CREAM!

My broken heart frantically demands to know, the reason for my unconditional, unwavering faithfulness to you
When did you become more important than all the thousand wishes that I wished before you
Instead, I chastise my heart, for being so careless and so fragile
And letting me fall into the inexplicable hypnosis of those eyes that were darker than night...

Three demons emerged with a collective gasp, coughing out water, in Yuri's bathroom in his home in Japan.

'Murata?' Yuri coughed urgently.

'Yeah, yeah… On it' Murata muttered wearily; he climbed out, and pulling out the towel from the stand, opened the door, and went outside, all the while mumbling 'Since when did I become the official spokesperson…'

'Why do you keep doing that?' Wolfram asked, as he climbed out the tub.

Yuri rubbed his hair nervously. 'Murata explains things really well… Plus mom loves him, so…'

Wolfram sighed, and shaking his head, took the translation ear plugs that Yuri held out for him. As before, they both changed, and headed downstairs.

'Oh, Yu-chan! I am so happy for you!'

Yuri had only just heard the shrill squeak before being plastered to his mom as she ran to him and hugged him tightly in the hallway. 'You are finally getting married!'

'Ah! Mom – thanks' Yuri managed to gasp.

She let go of Yuri and turned to Wolfram, and Murata coughed pointedly.

Miko Shibuya absolutely gleamed with joy, as she rushed to hug Wolfram. 'Oh, Wolfie-chan! I am so happy you have come to visit us again!'

'Happy to see you too, Jennifer' Wolfram's mumbled as he too was squished into a warm hug by Yuri's mother.

'What's gotten into mom?' Yuri whispered at Murata.

'Well, her son is getting married, Shibuya; she is ecstatic!' Murata replied back.

'And you explained everything to her?' Yuri asked of him.

Murata nodded in reply. Yuri sighed.

Just then, Shouma Shibuya and Shouri Shibuya entered the hall. Shouma walked up to both Yuri and Wolfram, and hugged them together.

'Welcome, boys! How have you been?' he said, genially patting the boys on their backs.

'Fine, dad, thanks…' Yuri muttered, embarrassed.

'Yu-chan!' Shouri called, and pulled Yuri into a hug. 'Congratulations!' Once they hugged, Shouri quietly whispered, 'Is this what you really want?'

Yuri nodded resolutely, as Shouri released him, not caring to go to the details now.

'It's lucky you were in town this time so we can now throw Shibuya his Bachelor Party, big-brother-of-my-friend.'

'I agree, friend-of-my-little-brother.'

Yuri gagged inwardly. Some things never change. 'Hey, I don't want anything fancy, alright? Just a small party among friends is good.'

'Of course!' Both Shouri and Murata grinned toothily in response. Yuri narrowed his eyes at them.

'It's still morning, Yuri, there's plenty of time for partying. Now, come! Have mamma's curry, all of you!'

'Sorry, mom, got to go! Wolfram, quick!' He took hold of Wolfram's hand and rushed out the door.

Jennifer stared after her youngest son as he rushed out hurriedly. She then turned to Murata.

'Ken-chan, you will have my curry, won't you?'

'Of course, I will, mamma-san!'

'Don't we have to plan the party? I suppose it has to be held today?' Shouri enquired impatiently.

Murata nodded seriously. 'The wedding is in five days from now, Shin Makoku time. If we leave tomorrow morning, only then will we be able to make it there on the day of the wedding.'

'But, how will he work on an empty stomach, Sho-chan?' Miko chided Shouri sternly.

'That's true too…' Murata's glasses gleamed white. Before Shouri could say another word, his mom had ushered Murata inside the dining room.

oOoOoOoOoOo

'Where are we going, Yuri?' Wolfram asked, as they walked on the street.

'We are going to buy you a suit for the wedding' Yuri replied with flair.

'What? Yuri, I don't need a suit!'

'Why not? It's my wedding, after all!'

'Suddenly you're excited about your wedding?'

'I am excited about buying something for you, Wolfram' Yuri replied simply.

Wolfram blushed.

Yuri looked at him from the corner of his eyes. 'Is that okay?'

Wolfram nodded meekly, before looking away.

A few minutes later, Yuri and Wolfram stood outside an old antiques' shop.

'This is the place where they make suits?' Wolfram asked, eyeing the rusty, dilapidated tiny shop dubiously.

'No, Wolf, this is the place where we can get the money… In exchange for this.' Yuri juggled his pocket; it clattered. 'I nicked some gold coins from my account in Shin Makoku' he explained.

'Yuri, you really don't have to –' Wolfram started, but Yuri cut him in.

'I know I don't have to, I just want to.'

With that, Yuri entered the dainty shop, closely followed by Wolfram. The bespectacled man sitting at the counter narrowed his eyes with some interest at the odd couple that had just entered his less-frequented shop – a native with shoulder length hair, and a blonde who had porcelain white skin and green eyes.

Yuri took out the small pouch from his pocket, and, unfastening it, spilled a few coins carefully on the counter. 'How much for these?'

The shopkeeper gleamed with greed, as he picked up a coin, and observed it closely, scratching it all the while. He took out a small monocular and started studying the signs on the coin. 'Where is it from?' the man whispered, staring at the magnified lion insignia, with a few symbols, which held no meaning for him.

'No clue. Just running an errand for my boss' Yuri replied breezily.

The shopkeeper nodded, apparently satisfied with his reply. 'I will give you 10,000 yen for this.'

'Boss said twenty.'

'Twelve.'

'Eighteen.'

'Fifteen, final offer!'

'Done.'

The man slipped the pouch into his pocket and began to count the money to give to Yuri. While he was counting, Yuri strolled deeper into the shop, glancing at the various items. A while later, he let out a gasp.

'Whoa!'

'What happened, Yuri?' Wolfram asked, as he rushed to where Yuri stood.

Yuri stood frozen, staring at the glass table on the counter, his eyes gleaming and mouth open in an 'o'.

'What is it?' Wolfram repeated urgently.

'It's a vintage Red Sox pin!' Yuri whispered excitedly, pointing at the table.

Wolfram bent to take a closer look. Squinting through the stained glass, he could just make out a small shining emblem, a pair of red-coloured socks stamped over a white base, encircled by a red ring. A tag next to it had something scribbled on it in black ink.

'5000 yen' the shopkeeper called out from the counter.

Yuri turned incredulously at the man. '5000 yen for a pin?!'

'It's vintage, and it's signed.'

'How do I know the sign is genuine?'

'Hey, don't take it if you don't want to, but do not insult me! I have run this shop for decades and-'

'Alright, alright, I'm sorry! Relax, please!' Yuri back-tracked quickly. He walked over to the counter and took the money from him.

'Come on, Wolf, let's go!'

'But what about the pin?' Wolfram asked.

'Ah, it's fine… I don't really need it.'

Wolfram was about to protest, but thought the better of it, and followed Yuri out.

oOoOoOoOoOo

'Champagne, sir?'

Yuri was sitting on a large, cushioned sofa, and Wolfram stood on a pedestal in front of him, as the tailor deftly took his measurements. They were in one of the most expensive garment shops in entire Saitama.

'Ah, well, why not…' Yuri replied casually. 'Weddings should be celebrated, shouldn't they, Wolf…?'

Wolfram, who had his back at Yuri, looked sharply at Yuri through the life-size mirror in front of him, as the bearer handed Yuri his drink. Yuri returned Wolfram's gaze from above the brim of his glass, while taking a sip, as Wolfram took his glass from the bearer. They locked eyes, before Yuri, very obviously, looked up and down Wolfram's stoic figure, passing appreciative glances the entire time. Wolfram flashed his eyes at him warningly, and Yuri chuckled. Wolfram smiled too.

The tailor looked up for a second, wondering if he was missing something very obvious, then shrugged and went back to his work.

'Done, sire… As per your request, we will have the suit ready for you tomorrow morning.'

'Thank you very much' Yuri said while getting up.

'Yuri, we could have gone for a more obvious shade of blue… You know, which looks blue instead of black' Wolfram whispered to him, as he got down the pedestal.

'Wolf, that's the beauty of midnight-blue! Besides, it suited you so well when you draped it over…!'

'Yeah, but-'

'I know you loved it, Wolfram, I saw it in your eyes; don't lie to me.'

Wolfram shook his head. Emptying the last of his drink, he muttered, 'Whatever…'

As they were leaving, Wolfram enquired 'What about your robes for the wedding?'

'Gunter wants to go traditional… Since I am not that interested in the wedding anyway, I didn't argue. He had the dressmaker take my measurements, so I am guessing it would be ready by the time we go back.'

'It must be really busy in the Castle, huh?'

Yuri merely nodded.

When the nobles had arrived to act on their ultimatum, and Yuri had informed them of his decision, the entire castle had collectively gone into an overdrive. Gunter furiously had a few soldiers, who had some calligraphic talent, write out hasty invitations for the Royal Wedding to the Nobles, their allied nations' rulers and other important dignitaries, and sent them out immediately; Lady Celi had rushed to the royal dressmaker with Greta following after her frantically; Gwendal, somehow, had found himself being made in charge of the food for the D-Day, and had been barking instructions to the cooks, about the menu and the required supplies when Yuri had last seen him; Murata was responsible for relaying the instructions for the royal wedding ceremony from Lady Ulrike, and had been moving back and forth repeatedly between the Tomb of the Great One and the Covenant Castle; Conrart and Gisela had combined forces for setting up of the places for the actual wedding ceremony – both the tomb of the Great One, and the Covenant Castle Banquet Hall. Doria, Sangria, Lasagna and Ewe had gone berserk, practically running amok, washing and cleaning every speck of the Castle they could lay hands on, and shouting instructions to the other maids to follow suit.

Yuri did not think sharing the details of the wedding preparation with Wolfram was a good idea. So he remained quiet. They then left the shop and returned home.

oOoOoOoOoOo

'Murataaaaaaaa! What part of a small party did you not understand?' Yuri yelled, as he was crowd-surfed through the packed pool-side club that Murata and Shouri had ultimately finalized for Yuri's bachelor party.

Murata shouted back 'You only get married once, Shibuya...!' 'Hopefully…' he added under his breath. He pumped his hand in the air and shouted, 'Who's the King?'

Shouri, and the rest of their group shouted back 'Shibuya's the King!'

'Who's the King?!' Murata repeated, sipping his beer.

'SHIBUYA'S THE KING!' the crowd bellowed.

'Aaah!' Yuri screamed, when he was almost dropped due to a gap in the crowd.

Wolfram quickly intervened and caught hold of Yuri before he fell.

'Please get me out of here, Wolfram' Yuri pleaded, as Wolfram sat him on one of the couches in the lounge. 'Please!'

'It's your party, Yuri, you can't just leave like that' Wolfram replied.

'I don't even know these people; I hardly ever talked to them in college – they are all Murata's friends! Wolfram, please, I am begging yo-WHOA!'

Shouri and Murata had pulled Yuri off the couch; with Shouri holding Yuri's shoulders, and Murata holding his legs, they started carrying him to the pool, amidst the chanting and howling.

'No! Please, no!' Yuri yelled, as Wolfram quickly followed them, alarmed.

Just as they neared the pool and were about to throw Yuri in, Wolfram shouted, 'Jennifer! What are you doing here?!'

Murata and Shouri reflexively dropped Yuri to the ground.

'Mamma-san? Here?'

'Where?'

They started scanning the crowds. Wolfram chuckled evilly as he rushed to them, and, taking advantage of their momentary lapse of attention, pushed them both into the pool.

'There!' he screamed gleefully, wiping the splashed water off his face. He then caught hold of Yuri's hand, and pulling him up, ran towards the exit, dragging Yuri with him; they had left before anyone could gather their wits.

Even with the club out of sight, they kept running for a few blocks, just to be safe; once they were sure they were not being followed, they eased to a slow walk, panting slightly.

'Phew…'

They caught each other's eyes, and after a second, both of them burst out laughing.

'Murata soooo had it coming!' Yuri howled, clutching his stomach.

'Did you – Did you see – the look – on their faces?!' Wolfram managed to sputter.

'That should teach them to mess with me!'

'Oh yes, you really scared them with all your pleading!'

'Yeah, well, I could not really use my magic on them in front of so many people, now, could I?'

'Which proves Yuri minus magic, equals wimp!'

Yuri let out a fresh howl of laughter. 'That is the most innovative way you have used to call me a wimp!'

Just then, Wolfram's stomach let out a low growl. Both froze and stared at each other.

'Uh…' Wolfram looked away, embarrassed.

'Oh, that's right… You must be hungry; you haven't had anything to eat since morning.'

'I am fine!' Wolfram insisted stubbornly.

'Just come!'

Yuri took hold of Wolfram's hand, and nestled it on his elbow pit, holding it securely there. A few passers-by gave them odd looks. Wolfram frowned – two of them were a couple, a man and a woman, and were holding hands exactly the same way!

'So I guess you were right, Yuri… It is odd here for two men to be together…' Wolfram said sheepishly.

'They are just staring at you because they cannot believe anybody can be that good-looking' Yuri replied nonchalantly, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment.

Wolfram smiled, and blushed; Yuri peeked at him, before breaking into a smile himself.

He led him to a restaurant; once in the waiting area, he discreetly slipped the maître d' a few extra bills to provide them a table out of turn. They were quickly ushered in, and Wolfram gasped.

The interiors were dimly lit and fragrant, designer chandeliers sparkled from the high ceiling, imparting a twinkling glow on the surroundings, smooth jazz was playing in the background, the assembled diners, impeccably clothed, spoke in low, courteous tones, resulting in a general, low-pitched hum, which was in harmony with the music itself.

'I don't know much about Earth, Yuri, but this place seems quite expensive' Wolfram whispered cautiously.

'Yeah, so...? Think of it as the date we never had' Yuri winked at him, as they walked to the table that the waiter had led them to.

'But, Yuri –' Wolfram started to protest.

'Come on! It's my last day as a bachelor! Humour me, please?' Yuri said smoothly, flashing him his best smile. He pulled out a chair, and gave a slight nod at its direction, and waited, looking expectantly at Wolfram.

Wolfram stared at him for a moment, surprised. He then closed his eyes and shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips.

'Alright… Your Highness… A date, it is, then.' He took his seat, muttering, 'Shinou bless me the day I truly begin to understand you…'

'But you do get me, Wolfram…' Yuri thought happily.

Once their order arrived, Wolfram wasted no time in digging in. For most of the dinner, Yuri was content watching Wolfram gorge, eating only occasionally himself.

'Some more?' Yuri enquired softly, holding out the bottle of red wine.

Wolfram nodded without looking up from his plate, chomping vigorously. Yuri suppressed a chuckle as he carefully refilled their glasses. He was thoroughly enjoying himself pampering Wolfram. It took so little to please him…

Or was it because he expected so little of him? Yuri's smile faded a little.

'Yuri?' Wolfram was midway biting into a chicken-leg, when he had caught Yuri's expression. 'What's wrong?'

'Um… Nothing! Nothing at all' Yuri said quickly, not wanting to spoil the mood.

Wolfram frowned.

'It's just the salad; it tastes funny' Yuri lied.

'Is that so?' Wolfram turned in his seat, looking for a waiter.

'No, there's no need to call them!' Yuri said, panicking.

'Yuri, if this restaurant is as expensive as it looks, they ought to take better care of their customers' tastes, right?' he said haughtily, still looking for a waiter.

'Wolfram, you have something on your face' Yuri said quickly.

'Huh?' Wolfram was thrown off-guard. He put his fingers near his lips uncertainly. 'Here?'

'No, the other side.'

'Here?'

'A little further down.'

'Here?'

'Wait, let me…' And before Wolfram could refuse, Yuri had gotten up from his seat, clutching the dinner cloth. Wolfram instinctively tried to back away, but was limited by the backrest. Yuri easily bent over the table and reached for his face, gently stroking the corner of his lips with the cloth.

'There you go' Yuri said cheerfully. He took his seat again, trying hard not to laugh at the reddened and abashed Wolfram sitting in front of him.

They finished their dinner and left. Once out, they strolled the streets leisurely for a while, enjoying the night breeze. A few minutes later, Yuri asked Wolfram to wait, and he dashed to the other end of the street. He returned after a while, holding two small conical things, which had, what Wolfram reckoned, some sort of cream on top.

'Here' Yuri offered him one.

'What is it?' Wolfram eyed it suspiciously.

'Just try it…'

He took it from Yuri, and with the tip of his tongue, licked a small bit of it from the top, smacking his lips slowly, trying it out. He then smiled and took a more generous bite, remarking happily, 'This is so delicious, Yuri! What is it?'

'It's called "Ice-Cream"' Yuri answered, chuckling at Wolfram's sweet tooth.

Momentarily, the thought of eyes sprouting lips which screeched 'Wolfram… Wolfram…' filled Wolfram's mind. He shuddered at the thought and quickly banished it.

'Are you cold, Wolfram?' Yuri enquired softly on seeing him shiver.

Before Wolfram could reply, Yuri had taken off his jacket and put it lightly onto Wolfram's back. He then strolled inside a park, and Wolfram followed, clutching at Yuri's jacket, too engrossed in his ice-cream. They sat on a bench, and watched the stars, while having their ice-cream cones. Yuri realized it was late, but he trusted Murata to make some excuse for him. He was not ready to call it a night. Not yet.

Presently, Yuri yawned widely, then swung his legs up and leaned sideways; lying down, he rested his head on Wolfram's lap.

'Do you mind?' he asked as an afterthought, closing his eyes.

'Not at all, Yuri.' Wolfram had taken a moment to answer; his voice was almost a whisper. As he watched Yuri rest serenely, his own worries seemed to ebb away.

Because, of course, he was worried. In fact, he was absolutely terrified. Not only would any chances of them being together ever would be dashed to the ground, tomorrow, Yuri would become someone else's husband. How would he handle that? Granted, he did not know the first thing about this Esmeralda person, but surely, being the Queen of Shin Makoku, she would not allow him, Wolfram, the King's former fiancé, to remain close with Yuri? He would definitely be seeing less of him; he even expected a change of position of sorts… Would he be even allowed to stay on in the castle? Would he be able to see Yuri at all? How close he had come to attaining everything that he had wished for in life, and how he had lost all of it, all over again… He just couldn't catch a break, could he?

He wondered if all of this was even worth it, and if he should take Yuri up on his offer to elope. Does the Great Demon Kingdom really need him that much? Did he not need him more?

The memories of the last few months with him made him smile… It had been perfect; better even than what he had always imagined it would be. And still, he was giving him up…

Now he looked at Yuri, and the entire time of his rule played in his mind in flashes… Yuri always had pulled up something amazing at the end, become the beacon of hope in the darkest of times. He had always guided them to the right path, whether it was by his kind words, or his judgment. Sure, he hardly behaved like royalty, and had to be reminded about the customs and protocol, and would not waste a second in ditching the formalities… But, somehow, it made him a better king. He actually considered his "allies" as his friends, he actually thought of his subjects as family. Of course, he had gotten them into quite a few tight spots because of his ideals. But hadn't he also protected them, and made absolutely certain that they were unharmed? Fought for them, with them?

Wolfram might have been Yuri's bodyguard, but Yuri was his King, his Protector. At that thought comforted him. He needed Yuri to remain King. For as long as he was his King, Wolfram knew he would not come to any real harm. Yuri made him feel… safe. More than anyone else ever had, including his personal guard, his two Army General brothers, and even his Mother. Throw in the entire Shin Makokan army, for good measure. Yuri made him feel safer than all of them combined. And he had no doubt that his subjects felt the same way.

Wolfram started to stroke Yuri's hair lightly… Probably out of habit, he half-expected a rebuttal, a protest, a denial… But it never came. Instead, Yuri seemed to be smiling now, even though his lips had not moved.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Guys, we are nearing the end! Please review! Pretty please?! Can I cross a hundred please?