HEELS OVER HEAD

Chapter Thirteen

A ConYuu Fan-fiction

By: Ami

Beta-reader: ProudSnapist a.k.a Sherlockian Slytherin

Alternate Universe. No spoilers.

Standard disclaimers apply.

XXX

The progress of being transported from the dream world to the hole of no return's world was much less pleasant. They could have at least attempted something nicer than treating other people like junk. There were surely more than a hundred and one ways to transport someone other than vacuuming them!

Yuuri didn't lose his consciousness as he felt a strong force sucking him in to the black hole. The howling wind deafened his ears. He tried to open his eyes, but he could see nothing but the pitch- black darkness around him.

A moment later, everything calmed back down. But it was not really the right time for Yuuri to be relieved, since his eyes were still not functioning at all in the night-encompassed world.

Yuuri wasn't exactly worried about what was going to happen to him in the 'middle of nowhere'. What he was feeling at the moment was closer to 'confused' than 'scared'. People might feel proud for being able to travel to various famous international vacation spots, but he might have been the only one in his class---no, in his school, who had ever experienced a trip to the world of the hole of no return! Surely, it was a travel of a lifetime!

The king immediately felt very stupid for his own thoughts.

After waiting for a moment and feeling nothing else but the emptiness around him, Yuuri tried to stand up. He couldn't feel the floor under his feet, but he managed to.

Yes, there was nothing he could brag to his friends about in this place (for sanity's sake; there wasn't even a floor to step on, a wall to place an autograph on or any souvenir markets!). And he started to feel even stupider for being so excited in the first place.

"Took me long enough to capture you."

Yuuri blinked as he heard the very familiar voice.

"But you're not getting away this time. Nobody is going to be able to save you. Not even my dear fairy brother."

From a distance, Yuuri could see a red-colored glow. Slowly, the glow enlarged. The room suddenly turned from hell to heaven. The darkness faded, replaced by Yuuri's favorite color: sky blue. It almost felt like he was floating in the air.

"Where are you looking at? I'm trying to talk to you!"

Yuuri's attention drifted from the astonishing change in atmosphere to the human-sized creature in front of him.

The living thing in front of him resembled a normal human, but didn't really look so. Aside from his black-black suits, he also had fiery red eyes, neat short golden hair and a typical pair of graceful devil's wings. And his scornful face; it was the face he had known for a long time. Yuuri started to think that someone up there might be doing this especially to see his bewildered expression.

"…After Murata, and now Wolfram?" He muttered to himself. But it seemed that the creature had overheard him.

"Don't call me with your acquaintance's name! I'm not him!" The devil snapped, "It's your fault that I look like this! You subconsciously think that he's the one who resembles me the most so you've given me his figure!"

Yuuri held back an urge to laugh, "You'd make a more reasonable brother for him than Conrad or Gwendal."

'Wolfram' glared at him angrily, "If you don't stop with the jokes right now, I'm going to send you straight to hell!"

The king only sighed and nodded. He knew that he was supposed to be really worried. There he was, in a strange, unknown world inside the vicious hole of no return, and there stood a bishounen devil in front of him, whose temper was as short as Wolfram's.

"I'll be quiet. But can I just call you Wolfram? Of course I can also call you 'Oni-san', or 'Akuma-san' or 'Kuro-san'. Well, you pick." (Oni: devil, Akuma: evil spirit, Kuro: black an infamous name for a cat.)

"…Wolfram will be fine."

"Okay."

Wolfram coughed and folded his arms. Not only were his face and figure like the real Wolfram, but his attitude and posture also belonged to the arrogant blond. Just like how he felt about Murata, Yuuri didn't feel that he was facing another fairytale creature.

"You're now inside the hole of no return. I will be the one to judge whether you'll be going back to life, or…" He never resumed his statement, but the smirk he had on his face made Yuuri feel really bad about it. "And I have to also warn you that this is no longer the dream world, so forget the boring rules my big brother told you."

"Big brother?" Yuuri blinked, "…You mean, Murata?"

"Whatever name you gave him," Wolfram snorted, "He's my annoying big brother who wouldn't stop telling me what to do."

"Doesn't it mean that he cares a lot about you?"

"Are you kidding me?" The devil hissed, "You mean treating me like a kid all the time is a sign of affection? For Lucifer's sake, I am five-hundred-year old! Just because he's born two hundred years earlier, he thinks he knows what's best for me!"

The raven-haired boy couldn't hold back his smile. Wolfram really had to meet this guy to see how annoying he really was.

"Well, aside from constantly playing with those evil, noisy dolls… drugging and stripping someone onto my bed… and making me do ridiculously old magic tricks in front of everyone at dinnertime… I don't think he's a bad big brother."

"You don't know him!" Wolfram looked really emotional. Well, he it wasn't like he had been showing any prudence since the first time Yuuri had met him, but he was getting even worse.

"But… we're not going to talk about him right now." He suddenly regained his composure and inhaled again, deeply. "As I have said, I'm here to determine your fate. So you'd better not provoke me."

"Sure. I understand." Yuuri nodded.

XXX

Yuuri was soon taken to another place that Wolfram called the 'room of choices', but he saw no difference between this place from the other. It was still the same blue nothingness everywhere.

"Here is the place where I get to know you better. If I think you're nice enough to go back to life, then I'll let you off the hook." Wolfram's voice sounded nice enough, "…But I'm warning you, I'm quite strict about the definition of 'nice'." Nice seemed to take a nose-dive towards bitter at the end there, thought Yuuri as he sweatdropped.

The king could only nod.

"Sit down."

Yuuri was about to complain about the lack of chairs, but as he turned to his back, a cushioned chair had been set for him. And when he turned back to his front, Wolfram was sitting on his own chair, wearing his glasses and flipping his book open.

"I told you to sit down." He repeated, sounding impatient.

The king quickly did as was told.

"Try to relax and be honest while answering me." The devil cleared his throat, "I'm going to start with the most basic questions. Remember to be HONEST."

"You don't have to keep reminding me! Even without you telling me to, I'll always be honest!" Yuuri was offended at the way the devil kept on emphasizing the word 'honest', "Go ahead and ask anything you want! I'll answer ten of them before you blink once!"

"Pretty confident, aren't you." Wolfram smirked, "First question, when you climb down the bed in the morning shortly after waking up, do you usually use your left or right leg first?"

Yuuri was struck speechless.

"...What?"

"I blinked once already."

"But..." The king tried to fight back, "That kind of question is unreasonable..."

"I am the judge. I decide your fate, and the questions that are being used in this lovely occasion are the means to decide your fate." Wolfram glared at him alarmingly, "Answering it or not is your choice. And soon, I have to make my choice too."

Yuuri bit his bottom lip, trying to suppress his anger.

"Don't make it difficult for both of us. The sooner you answer, the sooner I make my decision and the less time we'll waste. Please sit back down now."

Although it was still hard for him to accept the policy, he managed to calm down and keep his head cool. Whether he liked it or not, Wolfram was the one in charge at the moment.

"Left... I think." He replied after inhaling deeply.

Wolfram nodded and made a soft hmm-ing sound before going on with the next question... which was just as random and illogical as the first one.

"There are times when sloppiness takes over and makes you the most foolish person. What do you usually say when you trip over something and fall down?"

"...Ouch... maybe."

"You sure you don't curse?"

"Pretty sure. People around me are quite courteous with their attitudes and words."

"Next, what do you think about the people who like to eat natto?"

"...Do you eat natto in this place?"

"Just answer the question!"

XXX

It felt like hours to Yuuri until Wolfram finally ended the ridiculous interview. After twenty questions, it was over. The last question was just as random and illogical as the rest, asking about what color teddy bear that he liked the most. Wolfram actually hadn't needed to push Yuuri to answer everything honestly, since honesty seemed to be the only way to answer all the questions.

"That's all. Now I'm going to announce the result."

Yuuri held his breath. He didn't know if he had answered all the questions well or not, but he was almost sure that the devil was going to kill him right away.

"You passed. I'll get you back to life in a moment."

"...What did you say?"

"I said, you passed. And I am going to send you back to the real world right away." Wolfram repeated calmly. "You have a problem with my final decision?"

"No! No! It's not like that! But..." Yuuri quickly answered, "I thought you were so eager to kick me down to hell."

"Why would I do that to someone I just met?" The not-so-devilish devil shrugged and smiled mockingly, "Someone has got an active imagination here."

Yuuri sighed in relief, "Because your brother was my guardian fairy, and you hate him immeasurably, I thought you'd use me to get even with him. Your brother also warned me sternly about how dangerous this place was. I just find it hard to believe that I survived the Russian roulette so easily."

"There's no bullet in the gun in the first place." Wolfram snorted as he stood up and produced a black staff in his right hand, "I have exterminated numerous souls before you. Consider yourself lucky that you had my brother as your guardian."

"You mean, you actually let me go for your brother?" Yuuri looked at him disbelievingly, "I thought you hated his guts."

Wolfram stepped forward and pointed his staff to the terrified boy, frowning.

"He likes you," the devil spoke, almost soundlessly, "I've never seen him as happy as when he's with you. He was truly happy during your time together. I almost thought that he wanted to replace me with you. That's plain annoying."

Yuuri held his breath as the edge of the staff started to glow bright red.

"I really wanted to capture you and chase you away. But if I kill you, he would never forgive me. But I had planned to keep you alive in the first place. The interview was just a procedure that had to be held."

The glow felt comfortably warm on Yuuri's cold skin. The king slowly closed his eyes as his consciousness started to fade away.

"I hope I won't have to see you again in this horrible place… wimp."

XXX

When Yuuri slowly came to his senses, he felt like he had slept for years. Feeling nothing but the severe numbness throughout his whole body, he tried to open his eyes; which actually took more effort than he had expected.

Before his vision was completely returned to him, he could hear the delighted voices of his friends. The first voice was Gunter's. The man seemed to be the first one who noticed his wakefulness, and was eagerly calling the others to witness it too. The next was Wolfram, who seemed to reach his bed faster than anybody else. Yuuri couldn't exactly comprehend what he was trying to say, but as usual, his every statement would always have the 'stupid wimp' factor in it; whether it was said implicitly or explicitly.

The next voice he heard was Cheri's high-pitched squee, and Gwendal who was trying to make her speak quieter for the sake of the recovering patient. And last was Anissina's voice, informing everyone that Gisela was on her way.

Yuuri tried to speak as he saw the relieved faces of his friends, but all he could muster out was a cough; followed by a series of its kind. He felt so weak, yet so curious about the missing member in the family.

"…Where's Conrad?" He finally managed out, ignoring Wolfram's advice not to talk before his throat felt better. It was the best decision, since he didn't think that he would feel better until he knew that Conrad was alright.

"He's in his room." Gwendal replied, "You don't have to worry about him. Your health takes first priority. Get some rest now."

Yuuri started to get really annoyed. They should be able to understand that he would not be able to rest unless they gave him more detailed information about Conrad!

"I want to see him right now," he exclaimed, frowning.

"You can't." Gwendal quickly responded.

Before Yuuri could gather enough energy to yell, Cheri stepped forward.

"You have just woken up from a long sleep. You're quite unstable at this moment. Gwendal might have said some exasperating things, but sadly, he's right." The ex-Maou's gentle words stopped Yuuri from yelling, but it didn't make him feel better.

"Gisela has arrived." Anissina informed the occupants of the room.

Cheri looked relieved at the presence of the infamous doctor. "First, let's get Gisela to examine you, then I'll come back here to answer anything you want to know. Is that okay?"

Yuuri remained silent. Cheri took it as a 'yes'.

XXX

"It's surprising that you remembered about my son right after waking up." Cheri calmly remarked as she sat down on the chair next to the sullen king. "Usually that sort of thing takes more time to recall."

"…I've been so worried about him… even in my sleep, I keep asking if he's okay… I guess." Yuuri replied with a heavy sigh.

"That's just so sweet," the gorgeous blonde chuckled as she fondled Yuuri's limp hand gently. Her cold fingers felt so soothing on his warm skin. "If you're wondering if he's still alive or not after the extreme stunt he pulled to save you… the answer is yes."

Yuuri looked up at her, "You're telling me the truth?"

"Shin Maou would want me to speak the truth." Cheri smiled, "He was severely injured, but we were able to save both of you in time."

"Then why hasn't he come to see me?" Even to his own mother, Yuuri had never spoken in such a childlike tone. He had always wanted to be acknowledged as a mature man who was able to survive without a mother pampering him, but at the moment, he had come to realize that… being pampered wasn't so bad.

"Gwendal told you that the two of you couldn't see each other at this moment and he's right." Cheri inhaled deeply, "Because my son… he's still in the same condition as you were before…"

Time stopped for Yuuri at that moment as he tried to grasp that fact.

"…Same condition as mine… You mean…"

"Actually, he looked okay at first. Unlike you, he came to consciousness not long after he was taken back here." Cheri explained, "He was so worried about you. We were able to convince him that you're going to be okay, but when he found out that you had been unconscious for more than two days, he refused to take any proper rest and insisted on staying by your side to watch over you."

"It worsened his condition. He collapsed this morning, and hasn't come to consciousness since then."

XXX

If it had taken a total of five days and four nights for Yuuri to regain his consciousness, Conrad needed a full week to finally wake up from his deep, long slumber. The castle sounded like it was having a harvest festival when Anissina broadcasted the news through her handmade loudspeaker. The information was quickly spread all over Shin Makoku. Everyone was celebrating for Conrad's recovery.

Aside from the happy news, another rumor could also be heard among the maids. One of the maids who had stayed in Conrad's room at the time claimed that she had seen the most emotional reunion between the Maou and their infamously handsome commander.

"He was hugging him!" She pressed, "Can you imagine that? Sir Wolfram was in the same room, and His Majesty intimately hugged his brother! He looked so hurt!"

"His Majesty often hugs Sir Gunter too. And sometimes Lady Cheri." One of her friends, who hadn't watched the scene herself, commented. "Sir Wolfram has no problem with that."

"But have you ever seen him attempting the hug himself? Have you ever seen him running with glassy eyes in to someone else's arms? I bet you haven't!" The maid who had been present to witness the occasion looked very excited. "They skipped any conversation, and just held each other close and felt each other's heartbeat to replace their words. Don't you think it's so romantic?"

"You're exaggerating." A maid coughed, "I don't believe that His Majesty would ever betray his own fiancé."

"The engagement was accidental in itself!" Another maid who seemed to support ConYuu (just like us XP) remarked, "His Majesty seems to like to hang around with Sir Conrad better. They often talk about things that we don't understand. Things from that 'other world'."

"It's true, but still, His Majesty hasn't taken the proposal back. It means that he also feels something for Sir Wolfram."

"No! No! It's not like that! Sir Wolfram is the one who refuses it because he loves His Majesty! His Majesty cares about his feelings. That's why he hasn't taken it back."

"Sir Conrad has never made any move even though they spend so much time together. I doubt that he has feelings for His Majesty. Unlike Sir Wolfram who expresses it quite obviously."

"Sir Conrad cares about his brother's engagement. It's the only thing he could do to respect it. He won't make a move until His Majesty takes the proposal back."

"Nonsense! He…"

"Stop it, all of you!" The senior maid was starting to get annoyed by the heated argument, "We're not in a MaruMa fan-girls community at this moment! So stop arguing who'd make a better seme (Or uke -laughs-) for His Majesty!"

All the maids stopped talking, pouting in disappointment that they couldn't determine whose idea was the winner at the time.

"If there's anyone who should be concerned about this, I assure you that it's not one of you." The maid stated, "His Majesty should think about it himself, and decide who is better for him."

XXX

"ACHOO! ACHOO!"

"Are you okay?"

"Uh… yeah. I'm fine. Someone's talking about me, I guess."

Two weeks had passed. Although he had regained his consciousness, Conrad's body was still weak. His injuries were more severe than Yuuri's, since he had been using his body to shield the king the entire time during the accident. While Yuuri's injuries had almost completely recovered, Conrad still had a long way to go, with an extended period of health examinations and bitter medicines.

"If the foolhardy myth is really true, then you will not stop sneezing for the whole day, stupid wimp."

Wolfram, who had been sitting next to Yuuri all the time, was not pleased. Whenever Conrad and Yuuri had a conversation, he felt that he was easily forgotten, since he didn't understand what they were talking about. The blond made a mental note to learn more about the weird sport that had become the main topic of their conversations later.

"I know that. I never take it seriously." Yuuri looked offended.

"I heard that sneezing one time means that someone talks bad about you, and two times means the opposite." Conrad cheerfully remarked. "His Majesty just sneezed two times. Doesn't it mean a good thing?"

"Really?" Yuuri's face beamed again, "Then, somebody is talking---ACHOO!"

Wolfram snickered, "…So, what does three times mean?"

Conrad chuckled in response, "It means that His Majesty has caught a cold and should return to his room now."

"Eeh! No way!" Yuuri protested, "Are you shooing me away?"

"It was never my intention, Your Majesty. But you should get more rest." The brunet reasoned calmly, "I have to get some sleep too."

"But…"

"Come on, wimp. Let's get back to your room." Wolfram looked annoyed at Yuuri's persistence at staying by his brother's side, "You made a deal with Brother Gwendal to return to your room whenever he tells you to, right?"

Yuuri was still pouting, "I'll come back soon."

"It has been a pleasure to have you visit, Your Majesty."

Conrad had to hold his breath as the king threw him a sweet smile before walking out of the room, "Get better soon, Nazukeoya."

XXX

Wolfram noticed that Yuuri looked a great deal happier than usual. He was even humming the tune he had just learned a few days ago from his mother's piano recital. He had been humming that tune a lot lately. Wolfram really hoped that it was just a coincidence, since…

"A few weeks ago we were still mourning about the accident that had happened to our king, and my beloved son." Cheri had announced at the opening of her performance, "Today, they are all here with us, healthy and happy. I'm here to celebrate it with all of you, the people who I love."

Not many people in the castle had known about Cheri's musical talent, so most of them had gathered to provide evidence of the rumor that the lady had been one of the most talented piano players in the whole nation.

"This song is dedicated to my son who has just returned from his deep slumber. I'm hoping that he had a nice dream, since he slept for such a long time," Cheri had placed her fingers on the large, classic, elegant-looking musical instrument, "It's called… 'Dreamy Brunet'."

The blond stole a glance at the cheerful boy beside him again. Yuuri was still humming the refrain of the newly composed song.

Repressing the bad feeling he had been holding in his chest, Wolfram decided to strike a conversation with Yuuri. He thought that it would help him get rid of his bad thoughts.

"Do you like 'Raven Warrior'?" He asked, looking hopeful.

"Raven… what?" Yuuri looked at him in confusion.

"That's the song my mother made specially composed for you," Wolfram frowned, "How could you be humming my brother's song all the time and not remember the title of your own song?"

The king only laughed lightly. He seemed to be in a really good mood.

"Your mother is a great composer. And 'Dreamy Brunet' is my very favorite. It sounds… well, while I'm listening to it, I can easily imagine Conrad and all the things we have done together until now. It's just… so him." Yuuri replied, looking quite oblivious, "I'm thinking of making lyrics for that song. That's why I have been humming it a lot. I never knew that it was this hard to write something. But I'm doing my best. I hope Conrad will like it."

Wolfram was not satisfied with the answer, but the king's relaxed face and easy words made him feel a bit relieved. Normally, people who were in love wouldn't be able to talk so freely about the one they liked in public. So he guessed… he had been worrying about nothing at all.

"You shouldn't have bothered."

"Oh, no. It's okay. I've been slacking off a lot lately. I have plenty of time to think it o…"

Yuuri turned to his side and gaped. The puzzled blond turned to the same direction to see what was it that had made the king's face look so funny. And he saw a maid, who was trying to balance a tall, tall stack of wigs in the box she was carrying.

It didn't take a famous prophet to foretell the next event. The small girl finally gave up on her steadiness and fell flat down on the floor, face first. While the wigs she had in the box went flying all around the place, a lot of them landed on various weird spots.

Yuuri quickly approached and helped the poor girl stand up. He even offered to collect the scattered wigs for her, but she strongly disagreed with the idea of letting her king do her chores. As stubborn as ever, Yuuri insisted and finally managed to convince her to accept the favor.

Wolfram was not pleased with Yuuri's over-friendliness with the maid girl, so he purposely stayed in his place without doing anything to help.

When Yuuri suddenly turned and stared at him, he could feel his face flaming in embarrassment. The king didn't look angry at all that he had refused to lend a hand, so Wolfram wondered what had made Yuuri look so him so intensely.

"Wolfram."

"Y---Yes?"

The blond held his breath nervously as his fiancé got on his feet and approached him, still wearing the same look.

"You…"

Wolfram closed his eyes as the king closed the gap between their faces.

"…Have this on your head."

"Huh?"

He opened his eyes again to see Yuuri who was smiling cheerfully while holding on a long, blond wig.

"This one landed on your head. How could you not feel it?" The king chuckled merrily as he examined the wig carefully. "This one is really well-made. It also has the same color as your hair."

"Yeah, I guess so," Wolfram tried to not sound too disappointed, "Let's go back to your room now. Let the maid take care of this mess."

"Actually I was just about to tell you that. Since I have been feeling a bit dizzy." Yuuri handed the wig over to the maid and apologized to her for not being able to help more. Wolfram watched him in silence and waited. It actually took longer than he had expected for Yuuri to finish his words of apology. He both hated and loved the king for that overdosed kindness of his.

"I'm done. Let's go back now," Yuuri finally left the maid and turned back to him.

Wolfram nodded, waited until Yuuri reached him, and then started to walk again. It didn't take him very long to notice that the king had been staring at him, again. But he wasn't going to expect a lot this time.

"Do I have another wig on my head?" He asked, frowning.

"No," Yuuri replied lightly, "After seeing you in the wig, I just… think…"

"What?" Wolfram looked at him in confusion.

The raven-haired boy smiled and brought a hand up to brush Wolfram's soft hair, "…I think you'll look good with long hair."

Wolfram's sullen silence reaction reminded Yuuri about how upset the boy could become whenever he mentioned about letting his hair grow. He was about to apologize when the blond suddenly turned around and walked away.

Oh no. He's mad at me, again. Yuuri mentally moaned, blaming himself for being so insensitive. He quickly followed Wolfram and walked behind him while trying to figure out a neutral topic to talk about to cool the situation down.

"H---Hey, about the lyric…" He said, "Why don't we write it together? I'll include your name later."

A smile appeared on Wolfram's face, after a long while.

"…Okay."

XXX

"Hey, how are you, half-dead man?" Yozak entered Conrad's room without bothering to knock. Setting the courtesy aside, he just grabbed a chair and sat down casually. "What is it about today? Or did you actually summon me because you missed me?"

Conrad looked hesitant, but he finally managed to let the question out, "Do you happen to have… a pink ballerina outfit among your woman disguises?"

Yozak made a face before shaking his head negatively. Conrad couldn't hide his relieved expression at the response.

"You know what I'm thinking about? Maybe the crash has really messed up some of your memory, Commander. But I believe that you're still sane enough not to think of borrowing any of the costumes." Yozak laughed lightheartedly, "If I get myself a new one, be sure that you'll always be the first person I seduce with it. Rest assured."

Conrad tried to look sincere when he smiled.

"I called you because I wanted you to tell me everything that has happened while I was asleep."

"I see," Yozak seemed to be expecting this and was prepared, "Well, the first big thing that happened after you passed out; His Majesty suddenly woke up."

The brunet nodded, "I know that, but…"

"No, no, no, you don't know a thing. You were asleep, remember?" Yozak made a mocking sound and rested his back on the chair, smiling victoriously, "Have you heard the story in a more detailed version?"

Conrad frowned, "Can you tell me a detailed version?"

"Do you know that His Majesty's very first remark after waking up was 'Where's my Conrad-kun?'. Don't you find it touching? Even in his sleep he's still thinking about you."

Conrad looked slightly taken aback, but showed no other expression, "Thanks for telling me that. I deserve punishment for making him worried."

"Oh man! Don't be so uptight!" Yozak seemed annoyed, "You can look a little happier."

The brunet inhaled again, turned his face away and remained silent. He could probably fool other people, but never Yozak. Having been dealing with his commander's poker face for years, even if the signs were very slight, he could still tell that the man was actually happy to know about Yuuri's concern.

"You know, lately I've been noticing something strange with the boy."

Conrad gave him another stern look, but Yozak ignored it. He had more important issues on his mind other than thinking about how to call his lad king in a more respectful way.

"A few days ago, I saw him in the library. You know, I've never seen him going to that place before, especially since he couldn't read our letterings well. So I got curious and I approached him to find that he had fallen asleep. Guess what book he used as his pillow."

"'Ten Steps to Easy Gardening'! He's learning how to become a gardener! Can you imagine that? A king who's interested in becoming a gardener?"

Conrad also looked bewildered, "Are you sure about that?"

"I reread the title five times to make sure that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me."

"That is indeed strange. I'll try to ask him later." Conrad made a thinking face, "His Majesty has never told me anything about it… I've never seen him take any interest in that field before."

"He sure is interested in fields." Yozak shrugged, "And there's more."

Now the brunet really seemed ready to listen to his friend's words. He had never expected Yozak to have more knowledge about Yuuri than him.

"I've seen him once down the basement. He said that he wanted to develop it."

"What?" Conrad widened his eyes. First gardening, and now he wanted to build the basement up? Those two things didn't seem to be connected, or even too far apart! When had it become so hard for him to read his king's transparent mind?

"I asked him why he wanted to do it, but he said that he didn't know. He just had a feeling that it would be necessary for later days. I've seen the building plan, and it's unnecessarily huge." Yozak enjoyed the rare puzzled expression on his commander's face. The king was probably the only one who could make that face possible. "What do you think about it? Can you explain his weird behavior?"

Conrad hated to admit his ignorance, but he did anyway, shaking his head to the smirking redhead.

"But I don't think it's anything life-threateningly important. Neither gardening or building the basement will endanger him. Maybe he's just developing new interests."

Yozak hadn't wiped the victorious sneer off his face, making Conrad feel a bit wary.

"How about this, the third change I noticed so far."

Conrad didn't answer, but his eyes were quite demanding.

"He asked me to recheck the necklace you gave him and to make sure that it wouldn't break off."

Yuuri should really change more to make Yozak happier.

"I kept it for years, and it has never…"

"I know. I told him about that too. But he insisted on getting it strengthened." Yozak cut in, "He seemed so afraid that he might lose it. Don't you think it's a good sign?"

Conrad stayed silent for a while. Actually, he was more confused than happy at the news. He had just slept for a week, and there were already so many questions about Yuuri that he couldn't answer. Three things that Yozak had noticed: Yuuri's sudden interest in gardening, his sudden desire to have a huge basement for no coherent reason, and the unreasonable concern about the necklace suddenly breaking off and being lost. None of them sounded particularly significant to him, but still, they were also changes he hadn't been able to predict.

Yuuri… what are you thinking?

"Good afternoon, Conrad! It's suppertime!"

Yuuri's cheerful voice snapped both of the men out of their deep thoughts. Yozak quickly stood up, and Conrad wiped his frown off his face, wearing his usual smile. His king deserved the best from him.

Yuuri entered the room with a tray of food, instantly spreading an air of cheerfulness and vitality to every corner of the cold, vast room.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty. You shouldn't have bothered."

"It's nothing. I'm just trying to help." The king replied easily as he set the tray on Conrad's lap and sat on the chair Yozak had left before, "But are you sure you like your food?"

Conrad looked down to his tray and saw a plate of neatly sliced fruit. It didn't take him long to recall its name, and its magic.

"What is it? You don't like this?" He asked.

"One of the gardeners I visited gave it to me a few days ago. It's bitter!" Yuuri complained, "I told the kitchen to prepare something else for you, but they said that this fruit was your favorite and that you always ate it when you were not feeling well."

The brunet chuckled. The king had probably tasted the wrong fruit. There were two types of Yen Berry: the white, and the yellow one. The white one tasted sweet and comforting, while the yellow one was the complete opposite of it. The two types grew on the same tree, and looked alike on the surface, that even the most skilled gardener could be mistaken.

"Your Majesty, it's not the same. This…"

"WIMP!"

Wolfram's voice echoed, followed by the loud sound of a slammed door.

"Just how long do you intend to leave me outside with those flower seeds!"

"Oh," Yuuri blinked in realization and turned to the enraged blond with an oblivious smile, "Sorry. I was delivering Conrad's supper, and I sort of lost track of time …"

"No more excuses! Just hurry! It's getting dark!"

"Okay, I'll be right over."

Wolfram exited the room, still looking annoyed.

Conrad threw Yuuri a questioning look. So the king really had started an interest in gardening.

"Sorry, I have to go now. I have to take care of the new garden before it gets dark." Yuuri stood up, giving Conrad an apologetic look.

"It's okay." Conrad smiled reassuringly, "You seem to be having so much fun. Do you like gardening?"

"Uh well… I know that you might find it strange but…" Yuuri replied sheepishly, "I kind of… have an obsession to build a garden outside of my room, so when I wake up in the morning, I'll be able to see it through my window (I plan to get it enlarged too). You know, it's plain ground right now, but in several months, I'm sure that it will become a stunning flower field."

The brunet looked astonished, "I wish I could help…"

"You can wait until you're fully-recovered to get to the field. For now, you can just help me with any theories." Yuuri remarked with a smile, "I'm really no good at this. I tried browsing through some books in the library, but I can't read well. So maybe I'll occasionally ask about the things I don't understand. Is that okay?"

Conrad nodded.

XXX

Yozak stepped forward shortly after Yuuri left the room. Crossing his arms, he stepped close to Conrad's bed and feigned an annoyed sigh, "Do you think I'm getting thinner? Cause I assume that he didn't notice me at all because I've gotten too microscopic."

"He's just too preoccupied with his thoughts." Conrad reasoned as he took a bite of his favorite fruit. It was a pity that Yuuri had seemed to abhor it due to a misunderstanding.

"But that confirms our first suspicion, about the whole gardening thing." Yozak snatched a slice of the fruit from Conrad's plate and threw it in to his mouth, "I haven't eaten this for like, years. The taste hasn't changed at all."

The half-mazoku lifted up the tray and put it on the table beside him, giving Yozak silent permission to steal more and more slices.

"I want you to watch over His Majesty more intently while I'm recuperating. I'll release you from other duties."

Yozak nodded. He had expected that command ever since he had stepped in to the room.

"Anything else before I set out?"

Conrad shook his head.

"…Actually, on second thought… Yozak…"

"I know," the redhead waved a hand, not even bothering to turn around, "I have to get some books about gardening from the library, right? Because you actually know very little about it. Think about that before you make a promise next time, Commander. No matter how much you want to look reliable in front of that boy."

Conrad sighed, "Thank you for your hard work."

The morning after, Conrad received a message from Gwendal that Yuuri had been transferred back to his world.

XXX

Two weeks later…

Gunter, foregoing his usual grace and dignity, was running to the front door with all of his might. A moment ago, he had just heard from Gwendal that Yuuri was coming back. He wanted to wait for his beloved king in front of the gate and be the first person to give him a warm (or hot), long embrace.

Oh, Your Majesty… Please wait for me, I'm almost there! He thought with a dramatic pose as he increased his speed and blew every unfortunate living thing he happened to pass by off.

When the silver-haired mazoku saw the familiar figure standing right on the spot he had intended to occupy at the front gate, his world cracked, so was his imagination of his melodramatic reunion with Yuuri.

"You're here to greet His Majesty too?" Conrad quickly noticed Gunter (and his flaming spirit) before considerately taking a few steps to his side. "He should be home in a moment. Let's wait together here.

"Yes!" Gunter happily occupied his longed spot.

In less than a minute, a soldier reported that their king had arrived.

Gunter was prepared with his arms stretched in welcome and a wide smile on his face as Yuuri, with Wolfram by his side, walked in. It would be the perfect theatrical reunion he had been dreaming of. The cute king in his arms, and…

"Conrad! What are you doing here? You're supposed to stay in bed! Wolfram said that you're still not allowed to go back to work!"

The legendary swordsman of Shin Makoku immediately opened his eyes and realized that Yuuri had approached Conrad instead of him, and was sassily scolding the man for getting out of bed.

Gunter looked at his pupil's happy face and felt a flaming jealousy in his chest. Oh, I'd like His Majesty to reprimand me too! I want him to discipline me!

So he closed his eyes again and waited for his turn.

"Now, get back to your room! And… oh, Gunter! Thank you for waiting for me. I'm glad that you came! Well, see you!"

But it never came.

By the time he opened his eyes, the place was dead silent. His dream king had disappeared.

Cold, swirling wind blew away some random dried leaves, along with the last piece of hope in the silver-haired mazoku's fragile heart.

Gunter fell on his knees along with the broken shards of his dream reunion.

XXX

"I'm always telling you to take care your own health more than anything, but you never listen." Yuuri was still grumbling as he helped Conrad pull up the blanket and reposition the pillows, "You didn't have to wait for me outside. You know that I would have come to visit you right after arriving here. Do you feel comfortable?"

Conrad sighed. Since a few days ago, he hadn't felt sick anymore. His injuries had also recovered. He thought that he could go back to his daily activities, but Gisela had evilly told everybody that he had still needed bed rest for several more days.

"Your Majesty, I'm really okay now." He tried, although he knew that it would be to no avail.

"Gisela-san knows best when to let you out of bed." The king stubbornly remarked, "Stay here until… eh?"

Conrad turned his eyes to the boy, who looked taken aback by something on the floor near his bed. Then he followed his gaze and saw a photograph. He wasn't sure what photograph it was, but the object in it looked awfully familiar.

"This is…" Yuuri bent down to get the photograph, and stared at it for a long time, "…Have you invented the camera here?"

Conrad shook his head, "What picture is it?"

"Well…" The king kept staring at the photograph, "It's like… a box… with a vase… some flowers…"

Although he had actually seen a glimpse of the picture, it surprised Conrad that he was able to see the object in his mind so easily. It was like he had seen the real thing himself.

"It's so beautiful… where did you get this?" Yuuri asked as he handed the photograph over to the bewildered brunet.

"I… don't know…" Conrad became even more nervous as he realized that what he saw in the picture looked identical to the one he had had in his mind. His feeling was stronger than a mere déjavu. He became so sure that he had definitely seen the object himself, although he couldn't remember when, where and how.

"Strange, I feel like I've seen it before…" Yuuri commented lightly, "Did I accidentally take it with me from the other world? What do you think?"

Conrad managed to keep his cool and replied, "That's possible."

"Then, I'll give it to you." The king smiled, "Don't you like it too? Doesn't it give you some kind of… warm feeling?"

After Yuuri left, it took Conrad a little while to agree with his king's opinion.

XXX

"Hey, Shibuya!"

"Shibuya!"

"Shibuya, wake up!"

Yuuri's eyes fluttered at the familiar voice of his best friend. It took his brain a moment to become fully functional. As he lazily opened his eyes and sat up, he was enchanted by his surroundings. He was up in the blue sky, with cotton-white clouds floating around him and his bed.

While the boy was still trying to comprehend the whole situation, a golden glow appeared in front of him, which was soon forming a certain figure that he had known.

"Murata…" Yuuri glanced at the smiling boy in front of him in confusion, "What are you… where… just say something!"

"I'm so glad to see you again, Shibuya." Murata stepped forward and embraced him. Strangely, Yuuri didn't feel awkward with their closeness. Instead, it felt quite nice.

"Thank you for what you've done. My relationship with my stepbrother has gotten a lot better now. He has even agreed to move back into our house."

Yuuri looked even more confused than before, "What are you saying? Who? Your stepbrother? You have one?"

"Yes, I have one. A very cute one. He has even become more adorable than before, all thanks to you." Murata looked amused at the clueless reaction, "By the way, have you seen the photograph I sent Sir Conrad? Don't you think I'm pretty good at taking pictures?"

Although the situation was still very blurred to the king, Yuuri remembered about the picture, "Oh, that one under Conrad's bed? I've seen it. It turned out really good. Very beautiful."

"I knew you'd say so." Murata smiled widely, "By the way, I have a present for you. Well, it's actually forbidden in dream fairy world, but I have decided to take the risk for you, because you have reunited our family."

Yuuri carefully watched as the fairy pulled another photograph out of his pocket and showed it to him with a proud expression.

The king couldn't hold back a gasp as he saw it. It was a picture of him and Conrad: kissing!

"Another good shot, don't you think?" Murata calmly remarked, ignoring his ex-master who had seemed to lose any strength to keep his jaw closed. "I'm sorry for not asking for your permission to take this one, but I couldn't help it, since the two of you looked really cute together."

The fairy did a quick job attaching a red ribbon to the photo before handing it over to the currently immobilized king.

"There are a lot more of these pictures. Just tell me if you want more. Don't worry, I'll come to visit you in your sleep occasionally. If possible, I'd like to take my brother with me. Good night, and see you later."

XXX

Yuuri woke up drenched in sweat. He immediately sat up and looked around. It was his room. Nothing had changed. His bed wasn't floating in the air. He was right here, in the real world, safe and sound.

What a creepy dream… He thought to himself with a relieved sigh, it felt too real…

Then suddenly he felt something in his hold. A photograph.

Yuuri could hear his own heart's loud pound.

No way… He slowly brought the picture up with his trembling hand, no way…

Yuuri felt like he had just been allowed to breathe again after hours without air as he realized that the photograph he was holding was the one he had found in Conrad's room the day before. He still didn't understand how it had gotten into his room, not to mention in his hand, but he was relieved enough that the… err… embarrassing picture wasn't real.

He took another glance at the beautiful picture in front of him. It was strange. Every time he looked at it, he would feel something special, some kind of nice feeling that he couldn't understand. He didn't remember how he had managed to bring it along with him, but he was also sure that the portrait hadn't come from Shin Makoku, a place where camera hadn't even been invented yet. And he was also trying to convince himself that his recent dream was just the reflection of his curiosity about the peaceful picture.

Concluding his thoughts with a break, Yuuri placed the photograph on the table and yanked his blanket away.

As he looked up at the wall in front of him, he quickly realized that his nightmare wasn't over yet.

Attached on the wall was the picture that he had received in his dream from Murata. Not only still having the red ribbon on the top-left side of it, it was also five times bigger than the one he had seen in his dream.

Yuuri might have thought that it had been the worst nightmare he had ever experienced, but actually, the real nightmare hadn't even begun… until he heard firm footsteps of his handsome protector, and most-trusted ally coming closer and closer.

Many people think that us, humans, will not be able to show the best of our efforts unless we (subconsciously) think that it's really necessary to do so. Yuuri had never really thought about it until that time, when he was moving with speed he had never known existed in him; dashing to the wall, taking off the cursed picture, and slipping it under his bed. He was sure he had broken some sort of record by accomplishing the three duties in less than four seconds. And he made it in to his bed just in time as Conrad opened the door and entered the room.

"Good morning, Yuuri. You're up early this morning."

"G… good morning too." The king was just hoping that the man would not notice his dripping sweat.

"…Is something wrong? You look… tired." Conrad considerately turned to get a towel and handed it over to him. As Yuuri nervously reached for the towel from Conrad's hand, he was desperately praying to any Gods who happened to hear him that Conrad would not feel the obvious shakiness of his hands.

"Yes… I mean… no… I… kinda… had a nightmare…" He used the chance to wipe the sweat off. "How embarrassing…that silly dream affected me this much… ha ha ha…"

"Dream?" Conrad smiled, "That reminds me. I went to Ulrike-sama to ask about your dreams a long time ago. I just didn't have the right chance to tell you."

"Really?" Yuuri blinked, "Did you find out what it means?"

"Since you didn't tell me what the dreams were about, I can't really say a lot, but Ulrike-sama wanted to congratulate you on gaining the ability to foretell the future."

The king glanced at the smiling man unbelievingly, "Fore… what?"

"Maou's continuous dreams are signs of the future. They are not always one-hundred percent accurate, but at least, half of the contents usually come true."

A long, pregnant silence filled the room for the next minute.

Being oblivious to his king's shocked expression, Conrad drew closer and widened his smile, "If it's okay with you, may I know what the dreams were about? I'm a bit curious to know how we are all going to be a few years later."

Yuuri soon regained his smile, "Uh, too bad… I can't remember… If only I had known about this, I would have paid more attention."

"I see," Conrad didn't show his disappointment, "Then, I'll be waiting for you outside while you get dressed."

Yuuri tried to keep his smile as he watched Conrad walk out of the room. But as the man's figure disappeared, his smile quickly faded.

Signs of the future?

Yuuri reached under his bed for the picture and pulled it up. He hated to admit it, but it was indeed a wonderful shot. The angle, the lighting, everything was almost perfect. Despite his current discomfort, he looked so willing in the picture. He could even see his arms around Conrad's neck, and Conrad's arms around his waist. It seemed like he and Conrad were in a world of their own, completely content in each other's arms.

Yuuri scolded himself as he tried to imagine how it would feel.

Isn't it obvious! He firmly stood up and inhaled deeply, while kissing another guy, I would never feel…

His eyes fell on the picture again.

…Happy…?

XXX

TBC