Trial of Fire
By: AstroKender
Fandom: Kyou Kara Maou
Pairings: Future Yuuri/Wolfram
Warnings: Rated T for light violence angst, and adult situations.
Spoilers: Murata Ken's identity.
Notes: …and the angst begins.
Chapter Four
"Yes, my Lord Shinou. I will send for him at once." Ulrike's head bowed submissively before the bas-relief centered on the temple wall. Three of the four forbidden boxes sat below it, appearing at once both innocent and menacing.
"I understand." The priestess's voice was so soft that the echoing silence of the great hall very nearly drowned it out. "All will be as you wish it."
The ageless girl once more listened to the silent instructions, her eyes widening slightly before closing in unquestioning acceptance.
"Yes, my Lord." Ulrike bowed low. "I will make sure the Great Sage does not interfere…"
uoamaou
"Owww…my head…." Yuuri struggled weakly into a sitting position. The dark-haired boy raised a shaking hand to gingerly cup his forehead, afraid that his skull would shatter with any sudden movement. Yuuri reluctantly pried one eye open, only barely making out the blurry shapes and colors that made up his bedroom.
After a couple of minutes of staring blankly through one eye until the world finally regained focus, Yuuri carefully removed his hand from his head. When the Maou was certain his ailing cranium wasn't going to be attacked by miniature wolframs (holding baseball bats) he carefully toed one foot out of his rumpled nest of blankets.
The stone floor was cold; near freezing to Yuuri's clouded mind. Almost to the point that he almost gave up getting out of bed entirely, if it meant being amble to snuggle back into the warm and sweet-smelling linens of his bed.
Sweet-smelling?
That thought gave Yuri pause. Normally his blankets didn't hold such a flowery perfume. They always smelled clean, of course. The maids in the castle did their jobs well, after all. But only the lingering smell of soap usually remained after the bedclothes were laundered.
Shrugging, Yuuri shoved the matter to some dusty corner of his mind. Perhaps the maids had just changed detergents. With a backbreaking stretch, Yuuri hopped out of bed. And immediately felt a noticeable draft.
Glancing down, Yuuri's face quickly drained of color, before suddenly lighting up like a Christmas tree. Stammering like a fool, the dark-haired boy hurriedly swiveled around on his heels and dived head-first back down into the covers. Eyes tightly closed, Yuuri prayed that this was just one of his crazy dreams, like the one where he found himself playing baseball in his underwear. His hands shot out; grabbing at the first thing they met and pulling it against him like a security blanket.
"Hnnn….Yuuri?" A groggy voice muttered out from the other side of his protective cocoon of covers.
The warm object in his arms shifted and Yuuri yelped. Biting his lip, the dark-haired boy slowly ran his hands across the appendage, with was quickly revealing itself to be a sizeable portion of Wolfram's milky smooth leg. With a nervous gulp, Yuuri's head slowly emerged from the blankets.
Wolfram was sitting up next to him, scratching his head and yawning in a lazy manner. "Is it time for breakfast yet?" the blond mumbled out between a series of smaller yawns.
Yuuri was too busy staring at the nobleman's naked chest to answer. Memories were slowly seeping back to him, and it was enough to make his black hair stand on end. Things were looking less and less dream-like in the harsh light of day.
Wolfram finally turned towards him, one delicate eyebrow raised. "Yuuri, what's--?" the blond paused, his face scrunching up a fraction.
Yuuri held his breath.
"Why does my ass hurt?" Wolfram demanded suddenly. Realization dawned quickly and without mercy. Yuuri wasn't the only one naked under those covers.
Eyes wide, Wolfram stared at the other boy, hoping for some sort of explanation. But Yuuri --face flaming with embarrassment-- quickly switched his gaze to the small stretch of bed between them.
Weird smelling oil, clumsy hands and ripped fabric…the events of last night came back in an earth-tilting flash. Yuuri closed his eyes, as he suddenly remembered little details such as the texture of Wolfram's hair and the taste of his skin. From the sound of the blond's indrawn breath, Yuuri could tell that the other was having a similar experience.
"We—we—" Wolfram stuttered out, his eyes wide.
"Did it." Yuuri muttered, bracing himself for the inevitable explosion.
uoamaou
"It is quite unusual for Shinou to send me to Earth by myself." Murata smiled blandly, his eyes squinting up into guileless crescent moons. "Are you sure Shibuya isn't supposed to come along?"
Ulrike kept her gaze steadfast to the floor. "Our Lord's wishes were clear, your Highness." Murata remained silent, so the pale-haired seer continued. "It is his command that you be gone three days. Shinou will not let you return until that time."
"Well, lets hope nothing exciting happens when I'm gone." Murata drawled his words out slowly. Ulrike looked up into the Great Sage's face, her legs suddenly trembling. "I wouldn't be happy if I missed all the fun." Murata stated meaningfully, his blunt words causing the small priestess to flinch slightly.
"Y-your Highness wishes to refuse Shinou's wish?" Ulrike did her best to keep her expression carefully blank.
Murata adjusted his glasses as he stared up into the temple's flying buttresses, and the fading frescos that lay between them. Ulrike held her breath as she awaited the sage's answer—both hope and dread warring in her heart.
The dark-haired boy lowered his head, his smile still plastered peacefully across his face. "Of course not." The Great Sage gave the priestess the slightest of bows. "The Shinou's wish is my command, after all."
The filtered light of the stained-glass windows glinted brightly off Murata's glasses, hiding the slight narrowing of his eyes.
uoamaou
"Y-you…"
"You…pervert!" Wolfram blurted out in an affronted shriek. The blond promptly shoved Yuuri off the bed as he protectively clutched a blanket up to his chest.
"Ow!" Yuuri landed in a sprawl on the cold stone tiles. "Shouldn't I be the one more upset about this, since I never admitted to liking boys to begin with?" The dark-haired boy asked peevishly, fully aware of the current view he was giving his affronted fiancé. Yuuri figured it served the other right for that not-so-gentle shove. Besides, Yuuri thought gloomily, it's not like the blond hadn't already seen it.
Staring at him, Wolfram's face turned beet red and he quickly covered his eyes, unknowingly dropping his shield of cloth and revealing the pale skin of his torso. A torso that was dotted here and there with small red patches that were the exact circumference of Yuuri's mouth.
Yuuri one again stared at those spots, his mouth going dry as memory quickly supplied just how they got there. And if the small stinging of his back was any indication, he didn't get out of the situation unmarked, himself. Suddenly a bit more self-conscious, Yuuri quickly reached over and pulled one of the sheets out of Wolfram's hoarded pile, using it to cover himself up as best as he could.
"Ch-cheater!" Wolfram pointed at him accusingly as he peeked through the fingers of his left hand.
Yuuri rolled his eyes as he painstakingly pulled himself to his feet. Now his butt was hurting, though thankfully not for the same reason as his partner's. "I can't cheat on you with you, Wolfram."
"Debaucher!" the blond shouted out angrily, causing Yuuri to take offense.
"I don't remember you complaining last night!" Yuuri bit out harshly. "So don't act like I forced you!" The dark-haired boy immediately regretted his words, though, as he watched Wolfram's lower lip quiver just slightly.
"Ah, Wolf, I'm sorry." Yuuri scratched at the back of his head apologetically. "I-I didn't mean it."
"No…" Wolfram muttered. "You're right. I'm such a fool." The blond dropped his head onto his upraised knees, his muffled voice couched in misery. "I've broken the first law of being the Maou's betrothed."
Yuuri frowned. "What law?" Sitting back onto the bed, the dark-haired boy forced the other to look at him. Staring into Wolfram's dejected face, Yuuri gasped.
"What happened to your eyes?" The half-Mazoku demanded. He quickly bent closer to stare into the noble's dull eyes. "They've turned gray!"
Wolfram gazed back at him, a sardonic smirk ghosting across his face. "So have yours."
Yuuri's hand flew reflexively to up his face, before grabbing the blond's shoulders in a firm grip. Wolfram's skin was still slick from the oil's leftover residue. Yuuri swallowed hard, trying to ignore the burning ember that slowly flared to life in his stomach.
"What's going on, Wolfram?" he asked, feeling desperate for some unknown reason. Something wasn't right and he was scared. "What law did we break? What's happening to us?"
Eyes clouded, Wolfram quickly dragged Yuuri's face down to meet his in a crushing kiss. Yuuri's stomach was doing little flip-flops in his belly. The dark-haired boy noted with an alien sort of attachment how his hands slowly left Wolfram's shoulders to trail lightly down the blond's bare back.
Wolfram jerked away suddenly, his teeth scrapping painfully across Yuuri's tongue in the process. Panting, the blond rested his head against the Maou's chest. His arms wrapped around Yuuri in an embrace that was part intimate—part restraining.
"Mother's oil…" Wolfram panted out in a way that made Yuuri more than aware of their state of undress. "We need to wash it off before we loose control again."
"You're right…" Yuuri muttered. Unable to help himself, his fingers slowly danced up his lover's side, before crossing over and grasping tightly at the fine haired at the base of the blond's skull. "It's not as strong as last night…" Yuuri's lips moved slowly across Wolfram's jaw. "But I'm still definitely feeling something." He whispered in the blond's ear, causing Wolfram to shiver.
"Your Majesty," The bedroom door echoed out a light-knuckled rap, causing both boys to freeze just as quickly as if they were douse with ice water.
"You didn't have much dinner last night so Gun-Gun brought you his specially made breakfast." There was a slight pause, filled with naughty innuendo. "I would be happy to feed you some. Personally, of course."
A drop of sweat formed on each of their brows as the two boys listened to Gunter's sing-song voice. Yuuri's eye twitched slightly upon hearing the lavender-haired man's self-imposed nickname. Beside him, Wolfram growled.
"I'll flambé him and his 'special breakfast'…" Wolfram threatened with a clenched fist.
Yuuri struggled to hold the angry boy down as the blond muttered obscenities about purple-haired, fiancé-stealing hussies. Yuuri froze as his sharp ears heard the sound of the door cracking open. The Maou suddenly realized the position they were in. Of all the times to not have turned the lock…
"Your majesty," Gunter's head peeked around the thick-paneled door. "Are you awake?"
Yuuri winced as a heavily-ladened silver tray crashed to the floor. Gunter stared at the two naked figures on the bed, his mouth open, but no sound coming forth. Yuuri belatedly tossed a cover over Wolfram and his self, his mouth already moving to do damage control.
"Now Gunter, I'm sure this looks shocking to you…"
Gunter's face was quickly losing color.
"Trust me, it's not exactly what it looks like. I mean, we weren't have sex right there or anything, right Wolf?" Yuuri tossed his fiancé a meaningful look.
"Of-of course not." Wolfram muttered reluctantly. An evil glint flashed in his eyes before the blonde, unable to help himself, added a tiny bit of clarification. "We had sex last night."
A spurt of blood shot from the long-haired man's nose. Quivering, Gunter pointed a trembling finger at the two. The palace walls suddenly shook with the mighty reverberations of a falsetto shriek before poor Gunter's eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted dead away.
Yuuri spun around to glare at his partner. "Feel better now?" he snapped.
Wolfram crossed his arms defensively and stared haughtily at some invisible point on the ceiling. "Yes." He replied, causing Yuuri to smack himself in the face with his hands.
"That scream is bound to draw some attention, you know." Yuuri sighed out tiredly. "What do you think are chances are of putting some clothes on before that happens?"
"Slim to none…" Wolfram croaked out.
Yuuri stared at Wolfram's rapidly graying face in confusion, before following his fiancé's gaze to the open doorway, where a familiar pair of brown eyes was glaring angrily at them.
"C-conrad…" Yuuri swallowed reflexively.