Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, they belong to Tomo Takabayashi, Geneon, and lots of other people who aren't me.

For Better or Worse

" 'Get bigger breasts in days!' Do I look like I need bigger breasts?" Yuri rolls his eyes. "What kind of crack are these people on anyway? None of the ads I'm getting even apply to a fifteen year old boy! Ooh, what's this one? 'Suffering from penile dysfunction?' -Uh huh, delete. Delete. Delete. Aw come on! A hundred and sixty three messages and only two of them are from real people."

I stroll over and bend down to lean over Yuri's shoulder and look at what he's doing. Ah. So this is e-mail? Fascinating.

"And no response from Murata yet. This day is never going to end is it?" A black head of hair starts banging against the keyboard in frustration.

"Cheer up, Yuri. You only have forty three-excuse me- forty two more minutes before its tomorrow," I provide helpfully.

It startles me when he yelps and spins around staring at me in shock.

"Wolfram?"

I shrug, giving a tiny shake of my head. Of course I'm not Wolfram, silly boy. You see that now though, don't you?

"Wha-how- You- my bedroom… You- in my bedroom. Stress. It must be stress. Everyone is trying to marry me, and it's causing hallucinations… No I went back to New Makoku and Wolfram killed me, and now I'm dead, and that's why I'm hanging out with dead guys."

I grin at him patiently, waiting for him to finish his rambling theories about how this is possible.

"And we're in Earth, because this is where I'm most familiar. That only makes sense right? And dead people haunt familiar places, except that doesn't explain why you're here because this isn't your house…"

"Yuri," I interrupt finally, "Stop talking." He shuts up and stares at me with wide eyes.

My, my, a king that can take orders? How refreshing. I think I rather like this newest Maou. Perhaps I should send every heir of mine to another world? Hmmm. Always a possibility but that's not important just yet. Right now, I have to help my poor befuddled successor come to terms with the changes his new status brings about.

"Yes, I am the First Great Demon King. Yes I am in your world. No, you're not dead. Yes, I am dead, but that's not really the point. I'm sure you have several questions that you're simply dying to ask if you can regain control of your tongue. Now. Please feel free to ask me anything you like."

"Why are you here? In my room? How? Why?" he asks waving his hands in the air.

"Well you have to understand one thing about this world. It's not real."

"It's not real! What's that supposed to mean!"

"Well, rather, it's not so much that this world isn't real," I frown thoughtfully as I try to find the words to explain it. "Rather that so much in this world isn't real. Your desk looks like wood doesn't it? But is made from plastic. You see? It has the illusion of being a wooden desk, and serves the same function that a wooden desk would, but it's not the same is it?"

"Well, no, I suppose not," the dark haired boy at the desk agrees, "but I still don't see what that has to do with anything."

"I'm like that desk of yours. I can take a form in this world, but I'm not truly from this world, not part of it. It takes a lot of energy for me to exist in this world though, because unlike you, no one has made a vessel for my spirit to reside in. I have to expend energy to take form in this world."

"If you can be visible and speak to people then why don't you talk to people directly? Why do you need Ulrike?" Yuri asks curiously.

He's not quite so stupid as he leads some people to believe. Easily sidetracked perhaps, but not stupid.

"Because I am a part of that world, and by those rules I am dead, and therefore need someone to speak my words. Look, it's not important right now, and I haven't much time here. It's too hard to hold a form in this world for too long. What is important is you are engaged to two different members of royalty, and you have to decide what you're going to do about it."

"Why is this happening to me? Why does everyone want to marry me? I'm a nobody," he mumbles, hunching forward slightly. I feel my expression soften in sympathy.

"Yuri, Yuri. I know this must be confusing for you, but you're not a nobody. You are a king. King's marry. Everyone knows this. Some will want you to marry personal happiness, others for personal gain. The final choice will have to be your own. That's just the way it is."

Uh oh. I recognize that look. He's getting that obstinate glint in his eye. Now I realize why my advisors often looked at me with dread when I started to give a similar expression to them.

"Why do I have to marry at all? You decide who rules next. That's why guys can marry right? So it's not like I have to have kids, or anything. So why do I have to marry?" he demands, stubborn in his perceived triumph.

"Yuri, it's not about having children. You're right, I will decide who will rule next if a suitable heir is not presented. It's about giving your people a united front, about having someone who can help make important decisions when you get too close to a problem to see all of the possible dangers.

I was going to simply leave you alone and let you marry Wolfram, but you kept complaining that you had been given no choice, that he was too male. This is what you wanted wasn't it? Now you have your choice."

"Yeah, but not like this!" he bursts out, tugging at his hair in agitation.

Thud!

I glance at the door, raising an eyebrow at the voice that is complaining about whoever left a puddle of water in the hallway. Finally the swearing dies down. Yuri looks embarrassed. I shrug the distraction away and pin the squirming boy with a steady look.

"Miya is beautiful and of impeccable lineage. She is someone who can understand your values, and yet is familiar with demon laws. She perfectly fits any criteria that anyone can come up with for a bride of the Demon King. Wolfram is strong and protective, and will serve you faithfully forever. He too will meet any demands that will be placed on your mate. Or you can marry any of Lord Bastion's swarm. I don't really care at this point. Anyone from the demon realm or Miya from this realm. You have twenty four hours from midnight to make your decision. Choose wisely young king. "

I allow my form to flicker from sight, I just don't want to expend the energy it takes to make myself visible any longer, and I don't want to hear him complain about the ultimatum I just laid down. Before he can explode, I allow my consciousness to drift back into the shrine where my body is housed. I know he's not going to like the command I issued right now, but he doesn't understand that there's a reason for it. I just hope he makes the right choice.

For all our sakes.

I just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. Unfortunately the response has been strong enough that I feel the need keep updating until it's complete so that it'll be totally out of the way. Your comments have encouraged me to keep going, when I would have just have written enough to get the idea out of my head so that I can work on the actual fic that I want to finish. (Which was the original plan.)

Also I'd like toapologize for the shortness of the chapters, I simply post what I manage to write that day as the chapter.