Forgotten XIII

Disclaimer: Kyou Kara Maou does not belong to me and I make no money from this work of fanfiction at all.

Pairing: Wolfram and Yuuri, others mentioned

A/N: Not too many more chapters of this particular story, I hope. Two at most. This one, one more, and maybe an epilogue. Here I will try to explain my plot points… and I think in a few more episodes of KKM, all my ideas will be obsolete. That sucks, but I still want to write this. I hope everyone has enjoyed the ride. I also hope my writing has been okay. If you want to tell me otherwise… please do?

Thanks to Zab Jade for giving me a good reason to destroy the world. Thank you Luriko-Ysabeth for the beta-ing.

Yuuri huddled in a dark part of his own mind, shivering as he was forced to view memories of a life long over.

He watched the erratic memories pass by like some strange movie. The scenes would jerk along, going back and forth in the past. Here and there was a birthday, or festival; the colors were soft and faded, the edges smoothed from frequent handling. Other times there was a painfully awkward moment so sharp he was surprised he wasn't bleeding. The colors varied from dim shades of gray, to soft glows where a particular color would stand out: one special flower in a garden, his blue eyes, or the light glinting off a sword.

The bad memories though…

He saw them in merciless detail.

Yuuri wondered briefly how Murata had not gone insane, remembering- but then changed his mind. There were times when Murata was more than a little mad…

He remembered being a young king, much like he was now and watching his friend (love?) fighting for him, while all he could do was watch. He could remember coming to a horrible conclusion.

They were losing.

An idea born of desperation took hold. It was his decision to research and to discover the force sleeping inside the ancient seal. He chose to awaken it, believing he could use it to protect his people.

It worked…

That was the problem.

Gwendal's office was buzzing as dawn's light drizzled through the windows. Wolfram's body was the hub of the activity, directing soldiers, aides and messengers coming back and forth.

So far, a complete explanation of what had happened was not forthcoming. Gunter- in fact, everyone not involved with last night's debacle- had been left in the dark. Yet they all obeyed. Even without being told who resided inside Wolfram's body, they would have followed the commands of this man without question or complaint.

Conrad watched his younger brother as he gave orders, wondering darkly at the ancient king. He had lost Yuuri- what about his brother?

"I don't know," Murata said, out of the blue. Conrad jumped. He had forgotten the Great Sage had been standing quietly beside him since all of this began.

"I'm guessing, though your face is pretty obvious right now," Murata went on. He wore his Great Sage expression. His lips were in a flat line, eyes hidden behind his bangs and glasses. "I truly have no idea what Shinou has in mind at this time."

"Will Wolfram be all right?" Conrad asked, licking dry lips. His baby brother…

"Shinou won't hurt him deliberately." Murata's tone was neutral. "But he knows what is at stake here. Even more- it depends on the contract made."

Conrad's head felt light. "Contract?"

"I admit I was paying attention to other things at the time, but I saw Wolfram fall to his knees before the door. I could hear Shinou whispering to him- and then Wolfram said aloud 'I understand. I accept.' Then Shinou manifested."

"Like last time," the soldier whispered.

"I doubt the price was anyone's memory, if that's any consolation," the Great Sage's said levelly.

"How was he able to-" he began, when Murata cut him off.

"Wait until we have some kind of meeting. It's a long story, and telling it once means we don't have to repeat everything over and over again."

Conrad swallowed. "Why do we need to have a meeting?" His words were bitter. "Shinou-heika seems to have everything well in hand."

"He's mitigating the damage… Yuuri may or may not be on a rampage, and we had to act immediately. I don't think anyone besides me would truly understand what's going on… and he's had four thousand years to plan."

Conrad's eyes were still watching as he listened to the Sage. It was still Wolfram's body, he thought. Certain small, habitual gestures seemed to play out instinctively, but new ones had been added to the mix. The sword Wolfram had worn so comfortably was now an unconscious part of the King, like another limb.

The motion of his left hand was curious: Shinou kept wiggling Wolfram's ring finger and pinky, and glancing down at them ever so often.

"He lost part of his hand during the final battle with the Sovereign. I imagine it feels strange to suddenly have fingers there again," Murata again supplied, also noting the gesture.

Conrad shivered.

"The idea of Shinou possessing Wolfram does not sit well with me," he said softly. "I can understand a lot… but Wolfram had better be all right."

Murata's face became fixed in a bland smile. "I'm sure Shinou-heika will do the best he can."

The night was dark, and Yuuri felt like he was borrowing his own eyes as his attention flickered from the inside to the out.

He felt the power the Sovereign had unsealed; he remembered how addictive it was each and every time. It had worked inside him… it was there now, seething to be used. It was like being hungry- he could only ignore it for so long.

Was it raining?

He didn't receive an answer. Though a voice did point out there was a village ahead.

A village- a place where people lived. A place he could play and-

"No!" Yuuri shrieked, knees making the mud spatter as he fell. Why did the memory of blood on his lips sound so appealing? He wasn't a killer, it was not his nature to destroy or take lives…

The blond man (Wolfram?) had tried to tell him opening the seal was a mistake. Yet he hadn't listened. He had been so sure.

The little urges and whispered suggestions in his ear had not yet led him astray.

(No! This is another life! I don't want to do this!)

Yet he was already lifting his hand…

"We don't have a lot of time to move in," Shinou began, sitting on the edge of the table. Around it were arrayed the heads of the Shin Makoku state: Gisela, Gunter, Celi-sama, Gwendal, Conrad, and Ulrike. Murata, like Shinou, had not taken a chair and was leaning against a bookcase.

"We need to get word to all our allies- to leave Yuuri alone. Do not approach. We can't allow him to kill anyone. If he does… There may be no hope of reaching him," Shinou stated. "Ready everything as soon as possible. Two days may be too long."

Celi-sama blinked.

"Ah… I may be confused… but Wolf-chan… when did you begin giving orders? I know something happened… What exactly occurred last night?" she asked, tentatively.

There was a knock on the door and Yozak rushed in, not realizing he was interrupting the ex-Maou.

"We've had word that a man with black hair and eyes has wiped out a village," the spy said, eyes wide. His voice shook slightly. "It was near the border- but no one was killed. The priestess of Shinou-heika had a vision of great danger and ordered the village to evacuate. All the buildings are gone… but the people are alive."

There was an audible sigh of relief from everyone.

Shinou tilted his head to the side. "Hmm… near the border near Cabalcade…"

"How'd you know that?" Yozak blurted. "I was about to report-"

"Yozak," Gwendal said, standing, and turned to the assembled people. The ones who did not know of Wolfram's state were looking extremely confused. The Earth mage opened his mouth.

"Ah, Gwendal, you may want him to take a seat first," Shinou said, smiling slightly.

Gwendal jumped, before snatching a chair and scraping it across the floor.

"Er… what's going on? Who died and made Wolfram Shinou-heika?"

Gwendal developed several new wrinkles. "Yozak, this is Shinou-heika."

Murata snickered.

"This is Shinou-heika? When did you get a sense of humor? Or are you drunk?" Yozak eyed Wolfram, unimpressed. All he saw was a disheveled blond man with smudges under his eyes, without his blue dress coat and covered in dust and soot.

"Yozak… This really is Shinou-heika," Conrad broke in, noticing that Murata had started howling in the background.

"Ah, well… he doesn't necessarily have to believe who I am. No one does, so long as we manage to save Yuuri," Shinou said, rolling his eyes.

"Kiddo, you're taking this joke too far. Shinou-heika is not a little boy who just looks like him," Yozak said, and stood up.

"Do you want to save Yuuri or not? It should be fairly obvious who it was who destroyed that village," Murata said, getting some control over his hilarity and standing up. "And Yozak- please don't tempt him. He will prove it to you."

The redhead blinked, nonplussed.

"Geika, this isn't funny." He'd finally noticed Murata's laughter.

"Well, when Shinou speaks… you have to listen, don't you?"

The blond man shook his head. "Daikenja… Would you have believed it was me?"

Murata shook his head. "Oh, no; you really did look like that snot nosed brat- even more you're in his body so…"

Yozak's jaw went slack.

Shinou-heika rolled his eyes. "Your sense of humor hasn't changed," he muttered, before turning to the redhead, and gesturing for him to come over.

Yozak eyed him warily before he did- and Shinou whispered something in his ear. Yozak's jaw finally made the fall to the ground, before he stepped backwards and knelt.

"I apologize, Shinou-heika," Yozak murmured, eyes wide. "I didn't realize…"

"That's quite all right. As I said, belief is unnecessary; we just have to save Yuuri."

"From what?" Celi-sama asked, eyeing the strange additions to their party, notably Flurin and Adelbert.

"We wouldn't have to be here if Shinou-heika hadn't messed things up," Adelbert growled. There was a pause as the blond man turned to him.

"There is only one real chance of us putting away this evil once and for all, von Graz," he replied, deadly calm. "Yes, I orchestrated events. Yes, I am the cause of all your pain, and yes, we could fight. However, that would wind up with you thrown out the window and making a very large stain, which we don't have time to clean up. There is also the fact that Yuuri would not thank me if I let you die for being an idiot. All right? Moving on, we need to save Yuuri."

Celi-sama was the only person who did not seem to either be in shock, or in awe of the presence of the Original King in their conference room.

"How?"

"A very long time ago, there was a good king," Murata said, having calmed down enough from his giggle fit to begin.

Conrad leaned over to Yozak while Murata spoke. "What did he tell you?"

"I've only prayed to him one time in my life," Yozak answered, face pale. "And he told me what it was."

Conrad blinked. "What was that?"

"None of your business."

Yuuri could remember the long, painful descent into darkness that had taken place. Part of him had resisted; as long as possible… because he'd held on to a hope.

/"I love you," he remembered telling the blond man (Wolfram? No… Wolfram wasn't born yet)

"I- I care about you," the man had said. "But I can't." He was fingering a ring. "I'm married- and no matter how much time and distance separate us… I won't break that promise."

Then the man kissed his forehead, and he felt like such a foolish boy for hoping./

His will to fight diminished.

Then he had seen the Great Sage kiss the blond soldier- and his heart had broken.

I don't want a world where you will betray me

The words had been insinuated so easily into his mind, he wasn't sure who had originally thought them. Himself, or the voices that whispered it was okay to let go. It was okay to let himself be angry. After all, when someone betrayed you, it was okay…

(But Wolfram would never betray me)

Conrad had. Conrad had done it to save everyone… but he had still betrayed him. He couldn't trust Conrad.

He couldn't trust anyone.

(But Wolfram wouldn't betray me. I know he wouldn't)

"He would never betray me," Yuuri said aloud, to the many laughing, clapping, screeching and ranting voices that had taken up residence in his ears. He finally noticed where he was… a barn? Maybe? Some place with walls.

Thinking was too hard now. He couldn't make himself move, there was another person using his mouth and eyes and hands, and all he could do was watch. The voices liked the memory of the blond man (Not Wolfram!) wet with blood. Beautiful, they said it was. The gold of his hair and the red of the blood…

So beautiful.

But killing and destroying was not what he did, and being contrary was part of his nature. He didn't want to be part of what the Sovereign was.

The voices seemed to have prying hands, with cold fingers that scrambled through his mind and memories as they tried to find purchase, somewhere.

I hurt Wolfram

He could remember all the times he had killed, had delighted in the killing, in the screams (Not me! Not me! The Sovereign!), the times he had made him bleed, saw him pass out from trying to remember Yuuri- hurt him by ignoring him-

He had no reason to fight. If he hurt Wolfram (Wait- wasn't the blond man different?) then… he didn't deserve to be free in this lifetime…

(Is this what madness feels like?)

Murata watched his old friend closely as the meeting closed, leaving them to make final preparations to move out.

"You've done all you can, Shinou," he told the old king. The final preparations for the army were more than easily handled by Gwendal, Conrad and Gunter. "But I've noticed that your ability to delegate has not improved."

Shinou smiled, vaguely, and Murata noticed that the dark smudges under his eyes were becoming more pronounced.

"Have you rested at all since taking over Wolfram's body?" he asked, frowning. "Or eaten?"

The old king shook his head, attempting to straighten his posture, before slumping against the wall. "I don't have the time. This has to be done."

"Time? Rest a little, you old fool." Murata could feel the old patterns of behavior start again. Sometimes getting his best friend to take care of himself during the war had been a battle in and of itself. "You're in a young body- but it won't do you much good if you burn it out."

Shinou sighed. "You really should worry about Yuuri. I'm going with the long odds on this one, my friend."

"Shibuya… It was really him the whole time?"

"Yes… and you also know I couldn't just let him be sealed away…"

"Damn it, Shi-"

"Wolfram!" Greta shrieked, running down the halls. She had spotted Ken and Wolf, and headed for them full tilt-

-Shinou snatched her before she hit, spinning them around.

"What happened to Yuuri?" she babbled. "I heard something bad happened. I'm worried- will Yuuri forget Greta?"

Murata inhaled.

"No… Yuuri won't forget you," Shinou said, kneeling before her. "But Yuuri is very far away right now. He's also hurting very badly. When we get him back, he'll need Greta, because I may not be able to help him then. I'll probably be hurt as well, but I will remember Greta too."

The girl seemed to relax, and then blinked, noting something was different.

"Wolf? Why did your eyes turn blue?" she asked, curious. Shinou knelt in front of her, smiling.

"They did change, didn't they?"

"I liked the green better."

"So do I."

"Then why don't you change them back?"

"I will in a few days." Murata noted that Shinou seemed to be enjoying this conversation thoroughly. He recalled that the ancient king had always been a sucker for kids… Being in a body must be affecting his mind.

Greta gave 'Wolfram' a hug, before leaving, saying something about getting ready for Yuuri's return, and Murata paused at the expression on Shinou's face.

Wistful longing. It was on his face when he walked through the castle, when he had talked to the people there. He could understand that.

"It's like coming home again, isn't it?" Murata said softly. His old friend laughed.

"It was hard- not calling people Lawrence or Seigbert," the Original King sighed, making a face. "Especially when their children are so much like them."

"And you're stuck in Rufus' descendent. I'm not sure who I pity more…"

Murata didn't dodge the fire ball quite in time.

Yozak wandered down the halls, carrying a bottle of good wine and a loaf of bread, on his way to go see if Conrad was awake. If not Conrad, then maybe the Great Sage would be up for a drink. He didn't really feel like sleeping just yet-

Soft notes drifted through the gloom, filling the shadows with a melancholy beauty.

It had been a long time since Yozak had heard a piano. His eyes closed, tilting his head to the side as the music played.

The last time he had heard one had been when Julia had been teaching Wolfram on the sly- one of the few things that had held the hyper boy's attention.

Well, finding the mystery player was better than finding a brooding Conrad.All that was left now was to ready deployment, and that was a drag. So he let his ears lead him to the dining room.

A sliver of light was visible, and Yozak walked up as the song wound through to a close. A new one started without a beat being missed, equally soft,

Shinou was sitting on the bench before the piano, fingers dancing over the keys.

Yozak hesitated, wondering if it was some kind of blasphemy to disturb the Original King like this

"Enjoying having two functioning hands?"

Yozak blinked, hearing Murata's comment.

"Yes. It's been a very long time."

"You're not wearing that ring on your hand," Yozak listened to Murata speak, noting he sounded just slightly drunk. "It was the only piece of jewelry you wore often. Even after your hand was mangled you wore it around your neck."

The Ancient King in Wolfram's body didn't answer, just went on playing for a few more moments.

"You loved that ring… You know, I just thought of something. You wore it like a wedding ring…"

Yozak raised an eyebrow. Murata was drunk enough to be thoughtful… He also tended to spew words, if what happened last time was typical.

"Wearing a ring to symbolize marriage wasn't a ritual in our time," the Great Sage seemed to be stuck on this point. "Yet you wore one. I never met your spouse…"

Yozak knew this had been a sore spot for the Great Sage.

"Why aren't you wearing one now? Surely Wolfram has something you could wear," his tone was speculative.

"I'm not married yet," Shinou said simply, as he continued to play.

"Hm. Funny. It's the kind of thing Yuuri would probably make Wolfram d…"

He stopped, inhaling sharply.

Yozak jumped at the crash of crockery. He guess Murata had dropped whatever it was he'd been holding.

"My god… Why didn't I figure this out sooner?" he whispered. Yozak's eyes widened and he held his breath. "I had it all backwards. I had always assumed that somehow Wolfram was your reincarnation, or descendent. Or even that you had possessed him. But I had it all wrong."

The piano stopped.

"That was what you've been preparing Wolfram for. That was the price he had to pay- what you had to pay- to save Yuuri's soul then, and his life now. It's why you're so sure you can get him back."

"There is always a chance something could go wrong, old friend. You know that."

"I should have figured it out just from that night."

"The night you tried to seduce me?"

"You're never going to let me live that down. No, not that one; the night you told me your name. Wolfram; I should have figured it out then…" There was a half laugh, half sob from the Great Sage.

Yozak wondered what it was about this conversation he was missing… other than most of it. Something deep and profound that should have made sense to him…

"And here I had thought you had merely been reborn. In truth… in truth… How long does Wolfram have before he has to pay the price? Does he understand what it is he's giving up? It will be thousands of years before there's even a chance he can come home!"

"Four years, five months, three weeks and five days. I don't remember the hours and seconds."

"That's how it always works, doesn't it? To get your wish, to save Yuuri, you had to go back in time and become the king of legends. Instead of you born again as Wolfram… Wolfram will become Shinou."

Yozak's lungs froze in his chest.

"Wolfram would never betray his marriage vows. He would fall in love with the person who bore the same soul as Yuuri. He would even put himself inside the Holy Seal if it meant giving Yuuri's dream a chance. That was the price. To give up everything to endure a living death in the past…"

"Ah, yes… I would. I also imagine Yozak is very confused right now," Shinou said, amused.

The red haired man gaped, before pulling the door wide.

Inside was Shinou, still sitting at the piano bench, and Murata's back was to the crackling fire, leaving his face in shadow.

"Geika… Shinou Heika," Yozak's heart fluttered with unreasonable fear. "Did I hear that right? I had to have been mistaken…"

"No, you are not," Shinou turned to Yozak, lifting a golden eyebrow. "I am- I was… Wolfram von Bielefeld, son of the former Maou, Cecile von Spitzberg. The reason the portrait of the Original King looks just like Wolfram- is because that is Wolfram."

It was too much. Wobbling over to a chair, he found a seat, and eyed the bottle of wine he had with him. Opening it, he took a swig, and offered it to Murata, who looked like he needed it.

"But- you- you don't act anything like that brat!" Yozak exclaimed, and Murata smothered hysterical laughter.

"Oh, trust me! He was! He was!"

"I like to think I grew up," Shinou answered.

"You did. That was when I," Murata stopped, sobering.

"My old friend, I knew you loved me." Yozak inhaled as the ancient king stood, walking over to the Great Sage and gently cupping his face. "But…"

"I know. I know…"

Yozak found it vaguely disturbing to see Shinou kneel before Murata. "I want you to find some kind of happiness. Please? I'm not worth hanging on to anymore. You've got a chance to live your life. Mine… Even if all goes as hoped… If you hold on to me, there will be no comfort for you in the future. No happiness. You deserve to find yours."

They acted so comfortably together. He could almost see himself and Weller in their places.

"This is bizarre," Yozak finally announced. "Wolfram is… damn, that makes no sense… You- you're Wolfram. You really are Wolfram."

"I think it goes without saying that I must ask you to keep that to yourself," Shinou said, turning to him. His face transformed into the faintly cocky smirk Yozak remembered. "Or I could throw a fireball at your ass. I do have to admit to being rusty. I might set your hair on fire by accident."

"That was why Wolfram had to lose his Maryoku," Murata said under his breath. "So that it could be replaced with what you have now."

"Yes. And I never did remember what happened that year," Shinou said, a smile gracing his lips. Standing, he found a chair. "It was funny watching it from a third person perspective… Thankfully, I couldn't randomly faint."

To Yozak, he looked exhausted.

"What about the kid? You get him back, and you marry him- at least, that's what I'm assuming- and then he loses you? Everyone loses you? He'd be heartbroken. Conrad, Celi-sama, Gwendal, and hell- Greta; all of them would be devastated," Yozak whispered hoarsely.

"Yuuri will heal this world," Shinou said with conviction. "He's needed in this time far more than I will be."

"Yes, but he needs you," Murata snapped. "Not Shinou- he needs Wolfram. How can you take that from him?"

"I have thought of that- but it doesn't work that way. I didn't, so I can't. It's a paradox. I cannot change history- and believe me, I've tried. From the moment I stepped back into time, things became set. The only way that things can change is in the present."

Yozak was getting a headache. "You're the Original King. We did need you- if you hadn't been there the world would have been destroyed. I think most people would say that's important."

"I have to wonder when all is said and done, what people will think of the Original King," Shinou said quietly. It bothered Yozak how tiredly he moved. "I can only hope that someday my legend will fade and that people will remember Yuuri, the king who brought peace…"

"Was it worth the price you paid?" Murata finally asked.

The smile on the king's face transformed it into the young man Yozak had known.

"Yes, to all of it. I have regrets… but none I can't live with."

"What happens now?" Yozak interrupted again. Shinou sighed softly.

"We bring Yuuri home. No matter what it takes."

To be continued

A/N: It should read very well because I actually had someone beta. Thank you again, Luriko Ysabeth! The last part should be done in a couple of days… I hope the plot bunny being revealed makes sense!