The Truth Beyond the Reflection

Chapter 6:Trust and Suspicion

By Sanzaki Kojika

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Kyou Kara MaOh! Characters. I do however, own everything "beyond the reflection." Heh. WARNING: There IS Yaoi in here. YxW and vice versa. I guess you could say hints of CxY, too.

This is a Conrad chapter. I'm warning you now, I'm not very good at Gwendal, Günter, or Yuuri, all of which make an appearance in this chapter somewhere. This chapter is shorter than the last (thankfully for me), but it is the last one I have already fully written up. So, I will try to finish chapter 7 by handwriting before I type it up unless I feel like doing otherwise. I uh think that's all.

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I hurried away from the mirror and out of the treasury. I was so glad to find my little brother same. The only problem was…I didn't know how long he could stay safe. He had sounded desperate. I hoped he would be alright. I hadn't tried to do anything to the mirror for fear of losing him or getting myself trapped. I shook my head. First, things first. I should try and do something about that imposter….

"Gwendal!" I shouted as I burst through the door. He gave me a funny look then after a moment motioned for me to follow. We left the maid in confusion behind us.

"Has Günter left yet?" I asked under my breath. Gwendal gave me a hrad look then shook his head. Good.

"He should be getting ready to depart right now," he explained. When he saw my look, he understood.

"Send for Fon Christ-kyo. We'll be waiting in the library. Let him know it is urgent," Gwendal called back to the maid. I glanced back at the maid to watch her bow and hurry away. We headed towards the library.

"I'm going to presume you discovered something of great importance. About the mirror, perhaps?" Gwendal asked quietly. I looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah, and with my discovery, I can explain two things," I sighed softly. Gwendal cocked an eyebrow. I would explain it all shortly.

When we reached the library, the door was open a crack. I pushed it open the rest of the way to see Günter pacing on the carpet. He still had his riding cloak on. He had obviously hurried over.

"This better be important!" Günter pouted slightly. I closed the door behind us and turned the key in the lock. Gwendal fell down into the chair that Greta had hidden behind just the day before. The way Gwendal moved….I had to wonder if he had even tried to sleep last night.

"So, Conrad," Gwendal glanced over at me, "what did you want to tell us?"

I took a deep breath and moved between the two. Günter undid the clasps on his cloak and sat down in an empty chair.

"I discovered something about the mirror. Well, not just me. Wolfram helped me a lot," I went silent for a moment. Günter and Gwendal exchanged glances. I'm sure they had noticed Wolfram's odd behavior.

"Then why isn't Wolfram telling us?" Günter asked suspiciously. Günter would be the easier of the two to convince.

"Because he's not here."

Günter jumped from his seat and shot me a glare. "What do you mean by that? I saw him just earlier this morning! I think you've gone mad!"

"That isn't Wolfram," I almost whispered the words. Günter sat back down and stared at me with wide eyes.

"I thought he seemed different," Gwendal shook his head, "but how can you be sure? We have no proof." That surprised me. I guess Gwendal was going to be the easier one to convince this time around. Probably because it involved his little brother. I hid my smile.

"I do. I talked to Wolfram just before I ran into you." I moved to the window and glanced out. The sun had barely risen and it cast its glow onto the fountain. The rest of the courtyard was embraced by the shadows. It seemed eerie yet beautiful at the same time.

"You were in the treasury," Gwendal pointed out. I gave him a small smile.

"I know."

Gwendal sighed and leaned his head into his hands. I think he knew what I was implying. Günter, on the other hand, was still confused.

"What in the name of ShinMaOh is Wolfram doing in the treasury?" Günter made a wild motion with his hands.

"He's not." I'm sure I confused Günter even more. He gave me the funniest look. Under different circumstances, it would have been hard not to laugh.

"So, what you're saying is…this 'new' Wolfram, and the disappearance of the old one, were somehow caused by that mirror," Gwendal looked up at me and our eyes met. He knew he was right. And, he had explained it to Günter.

"What do you mean? That's preposterous!" Günter was on his feet again. He was waving his arms wildly about him. "That was a gift for heika! Ohh, heika!"

While Günter flailed about the room, Gwendal joined me by the window. For a moment, we gazed at the glowing courtyard in silence. Then Gwendal let out another sigh. His brows were furrowed more so than usual.

"How can you be so sure that what you saw was the truth?" Ah. I had been waiting for this question.

"Trust me. I know my little brother," I gave Gwendal a challenging look. He grunted and turned away.

"And how does the mirror play into all of this?" Günter had finally calmed down enough to talk. I turned my back to the window and leaned against the ledge.

"Wolfram is inside the mirror. Now, before you say anything, let me explain my theory. Somehow, Wolfram was sucked into the mirror and something else replaced his presence in our world. It looks like Wolfram because they literally switched places. I didn't think to ask him, but I'm sure Wolfram investigated the mirror on his own," I explained. I paused and closed my eyes for a moment.

"Then why didn't you get exchanged as well?" Gwendal cocked an eyebrow.

"Perhaps because only one exchange can be made at a time. Or perhaps, it can only take Mazoku. I am half human after all."

Gwendal and Günter exchanged glances. I think Günter still doubted me, but Gwendal…I hoped he would at least partially believe me. I needed his support. He cleared his throat.

"For now, Günter will continue his investigation of the mirror. Wolfram will be kept under watch, and under no circumstances will he be allowed near the MaOh. The treasury will also be kept under guard to prevent and further exchanges. Conrad will try to find out what he can from Wolfram. We need to get him out of there." Even if Gwendal didn't really believe me, he at least acted as if he did. I was relieved. We could save Wolfram, and Yuuri would be kept safe. Everything would work out….I hoped.

Günter bid us farewell and hurried form the room, barely stopping to get his cloak back on. Gwendal moved back to the chair. I tried to smile, but a nagging thought lingered in the back of my mind. What if I was wrong? Or worse…what if I was right and it was too late? What if we'd never get to see the real Wolfram ever again?

"Don't worry," Gwendal grumbled under his breath. I nodded slightly. There was no was I could possibly not worry even a little bit though.

"Why do you believe me?" I asked after a moment. I was still a little shocked by his support. Gwendal was a logical thinker who always questioned everything. Accepting something as off-the-wall as this seemed, well, a little out of character. There was no way I had given him enough evidence if Günter still was questioning me.

Gwendal grunted slightly and gave me a smirk, "You aren't the only one who knows our little brother." That really made me smile.

"Now, go and take care of that MaOh of ours…" Gwendal shook his head. He always acted like Yuuri was a nuisance, but deep down, I knew he liked him. Everyone liked Yuuri. It was just the kind of person he was.

"I'll see you later," I flashed Gwendal a smile then hurried out of the library. I had barely rounded the corner when I hear Yuuri.

"Conrad!" I guess that meant I didn't have to go and find him. I actually doubted I would. He usually found me long before I ever found him. Sure enough, as I finished rounding the corner, there he was. He gave me his usual goofy grin.

"Yo, Conrad, I need to talk to you…" I stopped in front of him. His grin had faded.

"I heard Greta was here yesterday, but I didn't get to see her…." He pouted slightly. He must have overheard a servant talking; none of us would have told him something like that. We knew better than to. Besides, only Wolfram and I had seen her…well, the fake Wolfram anyways.

"Something came up," I shrugged slightly. We had to keep this from Yuuri. Even Wolfram had agreed. If Yuuri found out…he would probably over react and try to play hero. It was just the kind of person he was.

"And Günter canceled my lessons for a week," Yurri frowned even more than added with a whisper, "Not that I mind-"

I was about to respond to that when he decided to continue. "And, Gwendal's frowning more than usual!" Only Yuuri would notice a thing like that.

"And then there's Wolfram!" Crap. He ran into Wolfram…? "I tried to talk to him but he just brushed me off and told me to talk to Greta! Then he started laughing about how that wasn't possible because she had run off!" Yuuri had a serious look in his eyes, a look I didn't often get to see. He knew something was up. Oh boy…how would I get out of this one…?

"Well, let's just say…it was a rough day yesterday, and the day isn't quite over," I gave him a small smile. He frowned even more.

"But I'm the MaOh, right? Shouldn't you guys tell me when there's something wrong in Shinmaku?"

"Well, there's nothing really wrong in Shinmaku. It's more of a personal problem…."

"But aren't I your friend? And don't you tell friends things when you are bothered by them? I like everyone here in the castle…"

"Well, this problem doesn't really involve me. Otherwise, I'd tell you. I leave it up to the others to tell you if they feel it is necessary," I forced a smile and put my hand on his back.

"How about we go play some catch?" I gently nudged him forward.

"Okay!" Yuuri grinned at me and nodded. Even so…I don't think he bought my story at all. He just realized that was all the information he was going to get out of me. I'd have to keep a close watch on Yuuri now…

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Translation notes:

Fon Christ-kyo: Lord Fon Christ (aka Günter…I would think one would address a request to a maid as so)

ShinMaOh: the first MaOh, or first evil king

Heika: his majesty (in this case)

Mazoku: monster

MaOh: evil king

Okay, like I said earlier, this is officially the last chapter I had written up. I don't know if I'll end up finishing writing chapter 7 (it's already got some stuff done in it), or just directly start typing it…when I get around to it. XD Sorry about making all of your guys wait! Oh, and I noticed that a lot of the reviewers for the last chapter commented on the boot. I don't know…that just amuses me. Hopefully, the next chapter will explain the boot (I might run out of chapter…I don't want to make it too long), and I can give you guys a pic to go along with the story and the boot! Hee hee.