Chapter Nine
A ConYuu Fan-fiction
By: Ami
Beta-reader: ProudSnapist a.k.a Sherlockian Slytherin
Alternate Universe. No spoilers.
Standard disclaimers apply.
XXX
It was a beautiful morning, a perfect start for the day. Conrad was making his way to the main hall per Gunter's request to meet him.
Actually, he was feeling a bit nervous about Gunter's reaction to the new 'thing' he had brought home last night. He had never thought that it'd be this tough to find the right 'thing'. But since it had been his fourth time … he couldn't have failed again, could he?
Taking one deep breath as he came face to face with the door, Conrad slowly, but determinedly, turned the knob and opened the door.
Conrad found himself being immobilized momentarily by the sudden blinding rays of light and the loud sounds of 'The Prayer' playing from inside the room.
"Oh Shin Maou, Gunter begs you; please don't do this to us!"
Realizing that it was caused by Anissina's 'for dramatic scenes only' spotlight and sound system, Conrad entered the room without hesitation.
After adjusting his eyes, he could see the image that had temporarily shocked him into immobility. Gunter was kneeling in front of the huge spotlight in a perfect praying pose. Even roses and various decorations had been set in the background. If anyone who didn't know Gunter well enough had encountered this scene, they certainly would have thought that he was a saint or at least, a priest. A gorgeous one for that matter.
Despite having to admit that the scene was stunningly beautiful, Conrad knew that Gunter could stay in that pose for hours without numbing his muscles, and Conrad needed to find Yuuri soon.
"Good morning, Gunter."
Hearing Conrad's voice, Gunter quickly opened his eyes, stood up, turned the spotlight and the sound system off and returned to his usual-self.
"Good morning. For your information, I was praying for you and His Majesty."
Conrad smiled and lowered his head in response, "I can't thank you enough for always caring for us."
"No problem. It's a part of my duty as His Majesty's loyal follower. I must always pray for his happiness no matter what." Gunter cleared his throat.
Conrad waited in silence, knowing what he was about to say.
"I'm sorry to say this, but… it is still not the right thing."
Although both of the men were just as frustrated, Conrad could hide it better with his smile.
"…I understand."
"You'll have to go and find it again today." The silver-haired mazoku ordered firmly, "And this is your last chance. If you fail again, then His Majesty will have to take over the task for you. You know what it means."
"I understand." Conrad replied, looking determined to get a better result.
"I know that it's a hard task for you. But as His Majesty's official fiancé, you're also responsible to uphold his honor. Keep that in mind while you're completing this task." Gunter threw a last desperate glance at the 'thing' before turning around and walking out of the room, "…Don't forget to ask someone to take care of it. I can't let His Majesty see it."
"I will."
Even after Gunter left the room, Conrad couldn't take his eyes off the thing in front of him. He wondered if Gunter and the others really understood the difficulties he was experiencing with the task. Some people gave him countless advices in order to obtain the right thing, while the others told him to get something 'normal' and get it over with. He knew that the second choice was more convenient, but more than just carrying out a tradition, the thing was very important to him and Yuuri. He couldn't just pick a bucket of flowers and bring it home. He needed something more special, more personal. He wanted all the best for Yuuri. It was a bit frustrating, but he'd give it another turn. And this time, he'd ask for more reliable advice. He was determined not to fail again.
Just wait, Yuuri, Conrad smiled at the image of his beloved king, I'll be coming home with the right thing tonight…
Along with the wishful thought, Conrad walked out of the room.
XXX
It wasn't very hard for him to feel the loving presence near him, even before he reached the door. Conrad was happy. He thought that they'd not be able to meet again until the evening.
"…Good morning. What are you doing here, Yuuri?"
Yuuri should have known that he could have never fooled Conrad, of all people. Just what had he been thinking when he had chosen to hide behind the door; the most cliché hideout of all?
And above all, he just realized that his left foot was showing.
"Uh… good morning too… and… well you see… I… uh… want to…"
When Yuuri thought that it had been over for him, Conrad saved him from his own question, "I suppose you want to see it."
Yuuri quickly nodded. Anything for not getting caught eavesdropping.
"I heard from the maids that you brought it home last night. So I thought…"
"Gunter told me to get rid of it before you saw it, so I'm afraid that I can't show it to you." Conrad smiled apologetically, "I'm so sorry for making you wait for so long. I promise I'll find the right thing today."
Despite having no clue at all, Yuuri still nodded and gave his encouragement, like the way the maids had told him to.
"I trust you. I'm sure that you'll find the right thing and make me proud, Conrad. Do your best. I'll be waiting for you right here."
The delight on Conrad's face made Yuuri's heart quiver. Although it had sounded somewhat mushy, he didn't regret what he had just said.
Yuuri held back a gasp as the man lowered his head and placed a peck on his cheek.
"I will not disappoint you again, Your Majesty."
Yuuri had never seen such an upbeat face on Conrad before. And before he realized it, his heart had betrayed his own preference. He could feel it thrashing around in his chest, for both Conrad's happy expression and the kiss.
Be still, my heart.
"I… I… I'm going to… check on… the clouds! You know… err… I wanna see… whether it's going to rain or not today! S---See you later! Good luck on your search!"
XXX
When Yuuri regained his senses, he found himself in the middle of the new garden, looking up at the clouds dumbly. Then he realized that he was definitely not the type who lied.
"…It's sunny…" he muttered to himself, "…It's not going to rain today… I guess…"
Yuuri sweatdropped. For Shin Maou's sake, he wasn't a weather reporter! What on earth was he doing here, staring up at the sky? He needed to think! There were so many problems burdening his mind. Wasn't he supposed to mourn like other common distressed people?
"But the wind feels so nice today…" Yuuri closed his eyes, inhaling the soft breeze in relaxation. For someone who had just discovered that he was now engaged to a different fiancé (and had just been kissed by another man), he was being way too calm, he guessed.
Conrad… my new fiancé…?
Yuuri could still hear Gunter's voice, saying it over and over. Conrad was his fiancé. It wasn't Wolfram. It was Conrad. It wasn't Wolfram here. It was Conrad.
What a far-fetched dream.
Yuuri sat down on the grass, inhaling the sweet scent of the flowers around him once more. It felt so strange. Although it was just a dream, his five senses worked quite well. He had even tried pinching on his own arm, and it had hurt. Yuuri wondered what kind of dream he was experiencing.
"You don't know whether it's just a common dream, or everybody's future."
Yuuri shivered as he recalled Murata's words. Everybody's future? So it was how everything would become in several years down the road? Like how Conrad had replaced his own brother as his fiancé? Like how the awesome half-mazoku had been undervalued by all the people in the castle for failing some mysterious task? Like how the small town had turned in to 'Little Harajuku'? Like how the limited edition of Super Duper Mushy Conrad x Yuuri Romance sold well among the people?
No, it couldn't be a sign of the future. Everything was just way too absurd. It was definitely just a dream. A mere dream. He'd escape the situation as soon as he woke up.
"Mom, please take back your decree to revive the 'Draw the Love Symbol' tradition. I don't think he can do this."
Yuuri, for some senseless reason, ducked his head among the grass. It was Gwendal's voice.
"Ara? What are you saying, Gwendal? You don't trust your own brother?" Cheri's voice followed.
"He has failed numerously, Mother. I have given him a great deal of advice, yet he still failed to find it. Our people are making him a laughing-stock. I'm afraid that it'll hurt his reputation."
Yuuri lowered his head again to make sure that he wouldn't get caught. Actually, he forgot to lower the -cough- other parts of his body, but fortunately, both Gwendal and Cheri was too preoccupied with their conversation to notice his presence.
"I think it'll just boost his reputation up as a man who'll do anything for love. Isn't it wonderful?" Cheri squee-ed.
"I don't think they'll think the same way, Mom. They are most likely thinking that he has no common sense and he has made His Majesty wait for too long." Gwendal sounded really concerned, "I think his biggest problem is that he lacks creativity. Anissina invented the first photo-editor software for him, but all he could do was draw cropped circles. Even Wolfram can do a better job."
"That's the very reason why I changed the task to searching for the item instead of drawing it," Cheri replied, still sounding calm.
"And right after that, he started coming home with various weird things."
"You mean, interesting things." Cheri corrected.
"A ravaging sea bear and a giant blue cheese are NOT interesting!"
"Eee? How could you talk like that? The sea bear is quite cute! I named him 'Pochi'!"
Yuuri could immediately understand why Gwendal and Gunter were feeling so frustrated. But he still couldn't understand why Conrad had stupidly brought home such weird things. What could he be looking for?
"…Is that your best reaction to your son's inability to find the right wedding symbol for his upcoming marriage?"
Gwendal's statement struck Yuuri. The fiancé news had been shocking enough to him, and now it had developed in to a marriage plan? Just how far would this dream torture his mind?
"Listen, Gwendal. I can understand that you're concerned about your brother," Cheri spoke in a rare prudent tone, "but I think we have to leave this problem to him to solve. He has done so many unbelievable things for the sake of His Majesty. That determination will bring him to succeed. I always believe in the power of love. He will somehow make it, like all of the other previous times."
"…I understand, mother. I will not interfere again. I will also ignore the bad talk. Hopefully, they'll pass soon." Gwendal sighed, "But I think the most depressing thing for him is that he has disappointed His Majesty so many times."
Cheri nodded, still smiling.
"We all know that… but… remember what I said before to you and your brothers?" She brought one hand up, brushing Gwendal's cheek affectionately. Unlike usual, Gwendal seemed to welcome it. Yuuri had never seen such an honest expression on the dark-haired mazoku before.
"…Try to look through the clouds… because the sky has all the colors we want to see."
"I'm sure that he remembers it too." Cheri's face beamed, "After all… you're my boys."
XXX
"Murata!" Yuuri called for his dream fairy as he slammed the door of his room open, ignoring the questioning look of the guards and some passer-bys.
"Murata! I need you to make me disappear right now! I want to…"
"LOVE YOU! LOVE YOU! LOVE YOU, CONRAD!"
"YUURI, I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT YOU!"
The now human-sized fairy immediately took the dolls apart as he noticed his master's presence. He could only smile innocently at the king's dirty look. The holy ring was shining bright yellow.
"Look, Shibuya! These dolls can also be switched to Yuuri x Conrad mode! See the switch over here? It's…" Murata gulped and immediately pulled the dolls apart as Yuuri's sharp, cold eyes met his.
"Err… Can I help you with something?"
Yuuri turned his eyes to the evil creatures (a.k.a the limited edition of Super Duper Mushy Conrad x Yuuri Romance) and made a mental note to eliminate them as soon as possible. But for the time being, he'd go with his plan: to help Conrad through the task and save him from humiliation.
"I need you to make me invisible." Yuuri stated firmly, "I want to follow Conrad to town and make sure that he'll bring the right thing tonight."
Murata looked a bit puzzled, "Well, do you finally know what the 'thing' is?"
"Briefly, it's a wedding symbol. You should know about Shin Makoku old tradition better."
"Oh," the dream fairy made a thinking face, "I've heard about it. But I didn't know that it was still in use till now."
"Can you explain it to me?" Yuuri sat down on the bed, looking curious.
"Sure, but… oh! Look over there! Gwendal in Cheri-sama's wedding dress is being chased by a lovesick Gunter!" Murata gasped as he pointed to the window.
"What! Where!" Yuuri quickly ran to the window and looked outside to see the hilarious scene.
Murata used the chance to produce a small pack with his magic wand and threw the dolls in to it.
"Where, Murata?" Yuuri was still curiously looking around by the window.
"Sorry, seems like my eyes were playing tricks on me." The fairy smiled innocently as he poof-ed the pack to disappear, "now I'll explain to you what I know about the tradition."
Yuuri nodded and returned to the bed.
"Long time ago, Shin Makoku had an important pre-wedding tradition, which was 'Draw the Love Symbol' ceremony. A few months before the wedding, the husband was required to draw the symbol that would be used as his wedding symbol. The symbol is basically boundless and can be anything, but it must represent his relationship with his wife. Some elders said that a bad symbol would cause a bad relationship too. So the husband had to think it over and over before determining what symbol he'd use." The raven-haired boy explained, "However, the tradition has been long forgotten, since not all people can draw well. It'd be good to be engaged to a visually talented artist for a husband, but how is that possible if the husband is a military man who only knows how to wield a sword? The wife would definitely be very troubled."
That's just SO Conrad… Yuuri sweatdropped, …does it make me the troubled wife, then?
"…Due to those reasons, the tradition had been abandoned for a long time." Murata said as he ended his explanation, "But regarding what you have said, it seems that someone reawakened the tradition for some reason. And he modified it to 'Find the Love Symbol' for the ones who couldn't draw."
"I see," Yuuri nodded, "Are there special requirements for the wedding symbol?"
"No, since it comes from the heart. People can basically use anythingas long as it's decent, I guess. There is also a strict rule that prohibits anybody from helping the husband during the drawing ceremony. But we're allowed to ignore that."
The king sighed. A ravaging sea-bear, a mayonnaise-maker and a giant blue cheese were indeed indecent. He wondered how Conrad had decided to bring those things home as their wedding-symbol.
If I can make him bring home a decent thing, then he'd be accepted. Yuuri looked relieved that he came to a conclusion. The task did seem easy.
"Okay then, here's the plan," Yuuri explained, "We're going to follow him in today's trip and help him when it's necessary. I'll tell Gunter that I want to get some rest in my room today, then I'll ask the guards to not let anybody in. After breakfast, I'll come back here. After that, we'll go together to the front gate. I'm sure that we can 'borrow' a horse there."
"All right. Then I'll be preparing myself…"
Yuuri was again forced to close his eyes as Murata's body emitted blinding rays of light. He opened his eyes again to find the boy in contemporary traveler's attire, along with the traveling set, which consisted of binoculars, suntan, digital camera, hat, bandana… and whatever else he had in his backpack.
"Hey, hey, don't you think you're exaggerating?" Yuuri laughed, "What're the compass and the world map for anyway?"
"I've always wanted to do this for a long time. Please don't mind me." Murata replied, almost too calmly, "By the way, it's getting late. You should go to the dining room now."
"Oh, you're right," Yuuri promptly stood up and made his way to the door, "Wait for me. I'll be back soon."
"No problem." Murata looked outside the window and blinked in realization.
"By the way, whom is Sir Conrad getting married to?"
Yuuri pretended that he hadn't heard anything and slammed the door shut.
XXX
Following Conrad was easier than Yuuri had expected, since Conrad seemed to be leisurely taking his time. He even spared some minutes to stop by a wildflower field to get some of the lavender-colored flowers.
After carefully storing the flowers inside his bag, Conrad resumed his trip to a small human village. It was a place Yuuri had never seen before. Everyone there seemed to know Conrad well. As the man entered the town and climbed down his horse, they immediately gathered around him to greet him and ask him questions, mostly about his upcoming marriage and the wedding symbol he was supposed to acquire.
Yuuri could see that Conrad was trying to answer all the questions, but it seemed impossible since they were all speaking in unison, each with a different question.
"It seems that he's quite popular here." Murata commented calmly, smiling at the scene with a relaxed expression, "Oh, look, a cute girl is holding onto his arm tightly! Watch it, Shibuya. Someone might snatch him away from you."
Yuuri faked a smile, "What are you talking about? He's free to go out with anyone. I'm not going to interfere with his personal life. Oh, right! The girl is so cute! They're quite fitting for each other don't you think so? Ha ha ha…"
…So transparent.
Murata tried to hold back his amused chuckle as the king started to stare at the mentioned cute girl.
"Sir Conrad!"
All the people stopped talking as a beautiful lady came out from one of the houses and ran to Conrad with tears in her eyes. It seemed that she was a special person, since the people immediately strove to make way for her to get through.
"Oh, Sir Conrad! Thank you for visiting us today!"
Murata could have sworn that Yuuri's face had slightly tensed as the beautiful lady grabbed Conrad's hand and held it close to her chest.
"My mother… she wants to talk to you… could you please meet her now?"
As expected, Conrad nodded and had let her drag him to her house. The other people followed them like faithful believers.
Murata stepped forward to follow the crowd, but Yuuri didn't seem like he was going to move anytime soon. So the fairy paused and turned around to face the king.
"We're not going to follow them?"
Yuuri hesitated for a moment before nodding weakly.
The dream fairy smiled understandingly, "Don't worry. He's just going to meet her mother."
Yuuri was surprised that the encouragement could actually calm his pounding heart down.
XXX
The old lady who was lying in bed looked healthier than Yuuri had expected. Unlike his first bad impression of her daughter, she actually reminded him of a kind aunt who had once lived in his neighborhood.
"Oh, Sir Conrad…" The old lady also did the same thing her daughter had done, and even said the same thing. But Yuuri found it surprisingly a lot less disconcerting. "Thank you for coming back to visit me."
"You have no reason to thank me," Conrad replied politely, "I should thank you for all of your advice. I will never forget them."
"Really? I thought my advice hadn't helped you that much, since you are still unable to find it…" The old woman chuckled, "You came back to redo it again, didn't you?"
The half-mazoku smiled apologetically in response, "Forgive me for neglecting you over and over."
"There's no need to apologize, Sir. You have your own difficulties." The daughter defended him.
Murata watched the change in Yuuri's expression carefully and found it quite entertaining.
"I'm sure that Mom also understands. Right, Mom?"
"I know. I am not blaming him." The old woman replied calmly, still brushing Conrad's hand with her thin fingers lovingly, "Sir, I really hope that I can help."
"You have done enough. It's time for me to make my own decisions." Conrad answered with a determined face, "I will not disappoint His Majesty… and you again."
"That's the spirit. Heh heh…" The weak sound of her chuckle was followed by a sequence of coughs. It seemed that the woman wasn't as healthy as she looked. Or probably she looked healthier only because she was happy that Conrad was paying her a visit.
"…It's time to get some sleep." The brunet pulled the blanket up to her chin, ignoring her soft protests about wanting to chat a little longer with him. She only agreed to close her eyes after he made a promise to pay her another visit later.
After signaling all the people to exit the house quietly, Conrad turned his eyes to the old lady's blushing daughter, "I have to go now. Please take good care of your mother."
"Yes, Sir." The lady, not taking her sparkly eyes off the man, approached Conrad and held his hand again, "Please allow me to escort you to the front gate."
Conrad smiled and nodded.
Yuuri glared at the scene.
Murata really wished that he had had a camera with him at the time.
Waaaait a minute… He DID have one…
…A digital one for that matter…
XXX
Even after arriving at the next town, which was the 'Little Harajuku' he had visited the day before, Yuuri still looked sullen and didn't talk as much as he used to. Murata tried to cheer him up, but it didn't work. Every time Murata asked him what he was thinking about, Yuuri would always smile and shake his head, refusing to say anything about his feelings.
Murata had his own deductions, and the way Yuuri was looking at Conrad confirmed them. Although the problem was quite intriguing, Murata decided that it was not the right time to interfere.
Meanwhile, Conrad, having no idea that he was being stalked, was browsing the things in the antique shop. Since Yuuri seemed have lost interest in helping Conrad out, Murata was left with the job. It was really hard for him not to moan, since Conrad always showed interest to weird, peculiar things.
"Excuse me, Sir, the picture over there…" Conrad seemed to be interested in one of the pictures on the wall, and called for the owner of the shop. He soon realized that it was a mistake.
"Oh, good choice, mister! Such a nice sight! Spectacular!" The owner turned out to be another peculiar old man who was wearing a P.E. uniform. Fortunately, Yuuri was currently too occupied with his thoughts to notice it.
"You won't find this spectacular thing in another shop! The spectacular history of this magic urn started when the spectacular 11th Maou's mother's nephew's friend's grandfather married a spectacular carpenter. At the time, they were everyone's favorite couple. But unfortunately, one day…"
"Thanks for explaining it." Conrad quickly interrupted, knowing that the tale would take at least several hours to finish it. Besides, the owner seemed to be a type who liked to exaggerate his stories.
"The one I want to know about is the painting over there… it…"
"Oh! Another smart choice! Spectacular! The history of the painting started during the 5th Maou's generation. At the time…"
The dream fairy only watched in amusement as Conrad was once again trapped in the owner's labyrinth of words. If it wasn't a dream, he'd probably be dreaming of the word 'spectacular' that night.
"Come on, Shibuya. Stop sulking. Look at…" Murata turned to his side to find that the king wasn't standing there anymore.
Trying to keep his calm, Murata turned around and scanned his surroundings while hoping that his master was still close by. He let out an exasperated sigh as he realized that Yuuri had left the area.
"Shibuya! If you can hear me, please listen!" Murata shouted after making sure that Yuuri was the only one who could hear him, "You can't go too far away from me for too long! Remember about the consequences and your circumstance!"
There was no reply.
"Please get back here at once! Or…"
"Your 'illness' will return to you!"
XXX
As Yuuri returned to his senses, he had arrived in an area he had never seen before. Compared to the market area near the front gate, the place was a lot quieter. There were several small shops and restaurants, but there were only a small number of customers scattered in the area.
How did I get this far? I have to get back to Murata now.
The king glanced at his surroundings and tried to recall the map of the town he had seen with Wolfram the day before. The only thing he could remember was the cute bunny symbol that had been attached on the side of the board. And the worst thing about being an invisible man… was that he could only rely on himself (or one of his kind).
Yuuri sighed quietly, deciding to let his intuition guide his way. After walking around for about half an hour, Yuuri realized that his hunch was just as bad as his memory. He couldn't even find the way to the main district yet, let alone the front gate. The town was like a huge maze. One wrong turn, and he'd come out in the middle of nowhere.
As the sudden exhaustion fell upon him, the king, half-dragging his legs, made his way to the nearest alleyway, only to escape the stinging ray of midday sun. As he reached the place, he crumpled down on the ground, resting his head on to the wall.
Strange… why am I feeling so tired? As if my strength is being drained up…His stomach grumbled, his throat felt dry, and his whole body felt cramped. Yuuri could only compare his current situation with the time when he had felt it for the first time in his room. It felt just as terrible.
But why… Murata said that I wouldn't experience it again… as long as…
"I have taken care of both of the problems. As long as I'm by your side, you'll not have to experience them again."
Yuuri held back an urge to punch the wall in frustration. How could he have forgotten that? Murata had warned him numerous times not to go far away from him for too long! Now that he had been separated from Murata for almost one hour, naturally, both 'problems' came back to him!
"Damn it!" Yuuri groaned, "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! What on earth have I done! I'm digging my own grave!"After hearing his own words, Yuuri quickly realized that the second problem was working inside his mind, creating the other personality, messing up with his true character.
I have to find Murata soon. Yuuri forced his legs to move. Despite being a bit wobbly, he finally managed to stand up. He wasn't sure if he could keep his stamina up for too long, so this time, he had to find the right way in one try.Enduring the stinging pain in his body, the king turned back to the main street and started walking.
XXX
Conrad knew that he was in deep trouble. Still holding onto the 'fantastic' bat and the 'magnificent' mitt in his hands, he had to stand there while trying to figure out how to make the old man in front of him stop talking about the history of the two things without causing too much damage.
"But he hit 30 spectacular home runs a few years before, and obviously all the people wanted to know; how could he have had such a huge upswing in home runs without cheating? It's not possible, so…"
…It seemed that before he realized it, the (one-sided) discussion about the history of the 'fantastic' bat and the 'magnificent' mitt had turned in to Today's Spectacular Baseball News.
Conrad realized that if he didn't make any move to escape soon, the damage would be huge on his side.
"Excuse me, Mister. I want to…"
Conrad paused, and never finished his words.
The owner of the shop glanced at the gaping man in confusion.
"Sir? What's wrong?" He moved his hand around before Conrad's eyes, but the half-mazoku didn't even blink in response. He was looking through the old man, through the crowd, through the main street. His eyes were fixated on a certain alleyway, where stood a certain someone he would've recognized anywhere.
The shop owner could only gasp in astonishment as he realized that his most recent customer, along with his 'spectacular' items, had disappeared.
XXX
Yuuri paused his steps again, resting his body on to the wall, trying to catch his breath. Although it felt like he had walked for miles, actually he hadn't even reached the main street. Perhaps he had just walked for several steps from his resting place.
Every time he tried to make a movement, the pain would crash down on him and stop him. His legs had also become so shaky that he could hardly stand up.
I have to find Murata.
Yuuri stubbornly kept dragging his feet, closing his eyes to reduce the pain. It didn't really work. He soon fell on his knees. But it didn't stop him from moving forward. He was determined. Even if he had to crawl, he'd find Murata and make the excruciating pain stop.
"Yuuri!"
Yuuri halted his movements and opened his eyes slowly. It sounded like Conrad's voice, but… he was supposed to be invisible, wasn't he?
He turned to his back and confirmed his suspicion. Conrad had spotted him, and was approaching him fast.
Although it intrigued him how something like that could have happened, Yuuri didn't intend to stay at his place to brainstorm. If he let Conrad get him, how would he explain about his half-dead condition? How would he explain how he had gotten there? How would he explain about everything? He'd cause a big, no, HUGE riot in the castle. The worst case… the storyline of the dream might get changed, or his identity as the owner of the dream might be revealed… which also meant abusing the two most important rules.
Thinking about it only encouraged Yuuri to crawl faster. He didn't want to get caught. He didn't want to make Conrad worried. He didn't want to abuse any rules. And most importantly…
I don't wanna die like this!Yuuri gasped as he felt a hand pulling him to his side. For a moment, he thought that Conrad had caught him and everything was over.
"You're safe now. Be quiet, close your eyes and start concentrating."
Yuuri knew that his lifespan was getting extended as he heard Murata's gentle whisper in his ear. The fairy's arms felt so warm around his dead-cold shoulders. He could only nod and comply with each instruction from the dream fairy. After a short while, he felt a lot calmer and healthier, although his muscles still felt numb and he couldn't move his legs yet. Murata suggested him to rest in place for a short while before going back to the castle to recuperate properly.
"But that was really close, don't you think?" Murata sighed in relief. "It's fortunate that I found you just in time."
Yuuri examined his surroundings. The place looked like an abandoned warehouse. It was dark, dusty and smelled old. But Yuuri decided that he could care less. He didn't even care about the colony of ants near his leg, or about the cockroaches that had been wandering around him.
After using some time to soothe his nerves down, Yuuri remembered about his previous problem. "Conrad… he saw me… where's he?"
"Don't worry. Since you suddenly disappeared before his eyes, he'll likely think that his eyes were playing tricks on him." The fairy laughed, "He's probably at the antique shop to recompense for the bat and the mitt he accidentally 'stole' when he was chasing after you. And I don't think he can escape the owner's lifelong lecture this time."
Yuuri didn't hold back his hilarity this time. The amusing story and the way Murata laughed so freely had somehow made him feel a lot better.
"In the end, I couldn't do anything for him at all," Yuuri sighed quietly, "Sorry that our trip was a waste, Murata."
Murata smiled in return, "Don't sweat it. I'm used to it already."
Yuuri laughed again.
"So many things happened all at once. Although I tried to convince myself that everything was going to be all right, I also couldn't help but think of the… many bad things that could happen to me too. At times like those, I can get really, really desperate." The young king said sheepishly, "I am thankful that I have someone to talk to about my problems. Without you, I might have gone insane. Thank you, Murata."
The fairy only smiled brightly in response. His holy ring was shining bright golden. We all could assume that it meant 'ultimate happiness'.
"I understand that you want to watch over Sir Conrad to make sure that he doesn't cheat on you, but we have to go home now, Shibuya."
Yuuri flushed and faked another dry laugh, "Who do you think I am? Wolfram? We're going home right now! Besides, I can hardly feel my legs at this moment!"
Murata was glad that he had been blessed with Murata Ken's tricky knowledge.
XXX
TBC
