Slight AU. This story follows the novels events except for the fact that no forbidden box was found in Seisoku after searching for it. Most other events remain the same. You don't have to have read the novels to understand this story, there will just be new material for those who haven't.
I don't own Kyo Kara Maoh or any related media.
Hope you all enjoy the story!
It had been about two months since Adalbert Von Grantz had seen the former Maoh and his companions. Staying in Seisoku leading the horse-riding tribe of the desert had been his original plan, perhaps even being a permanent source of intelligence to outside nations in the area, but after hearing some concerning rumors he opted to take a trip out of the country on one of the few departing ships in the country. He's had to pay a hefty sum of money for his passage. His new status as Messiah to the horse-riding tribesmen of the Seisoku desert was growing stale. He could never understand the language of the people who worshiped him, so conversation grew dull quickly. Maxine was always silent and brooding as of late over being stuck so far from home, and that just got on his nerves more. He'd left Maxine in charge for a few weeks and had gone out on a journey towards Blood Pledge Castle. His long-haired assistant had begged him on his hands and knees to come along at first, but one warning look from his large companion looming over him had silenced him quickly. Besides, he didn't trust Maxine alone with Yuuri anyway. After what had happened when Small Cimarron had tried to open a forbidden box, he held a deadly grudge against the half Mazoku boy.
Adalbert on the contrary had developed a fondness for him. That day they had spent together in the deserts of Seisoku, where he had been forced to rescue Yuri from the very people he ruled over, had left its mark on them both.
Adalbert had been surprised to find the boy mysteriously as blind as Julia and visibly starved. His clothes that had fit him so well before now looked at least a size too big, and they were stained with blood. The boys favorite knight, Lord Weller, had failed him it seemed, and Adalbert found himself taking up his role as knight protector and parent (as he'd come to observe from interactions between the two), even if only for a day. He was swept away by memories of his former fiancé as he taught the boy how to eat when you couldn't see by guiding his small hands and as he healed his stupidly self-inflicted hand wound with houjustu. Such a clumsy boy. If Yuuri had let it go any longer infection would have set in. He had gritted his teeth. Was this Conrart's doing? He thought he had more sense than that. His job was to take care of the boy, and Adalbert knew both Conrart's job and his happiness depended on him being well.
He had the same lust for life as she did. Covered in cuts and bruises and bony and pale from lack of food, he still found the energy to smile and to push on. Adelbert could see how tired he was too by the way he stumbled to the bed for a nap. Yuuri had an indomitable soul, because he had her soul. The sparkle in his black eyes as he thanked him for healing his wounds was the same as in her pale blue eyes. She had been born without sight, but that had never stopped her. Her magic ability had been incredible, and she developed her skills without the gift the sight. She was happy, even if she lacked something so many people viewed as essential for success. Yes, he could see why Shin Makoku's citizens so favored Yuuri as their king. The power and will of the White Witch of Shin Makoku lived on still in him. So much power in such a small and fragile looking body. Could he ever truly gain full control over it?
Lord Weller seemed frustrated when he came back to find the boy well fed and healed of his most dangerous wounds. Adalbert didn't know what had occurred between the two, but Yuuri seemed more on edge than usual in the presence of his knight. Conrart would compete for the boy's favor, he could see that. Not that he had an invested interest in being Yuuri's favorite. He had come to care for the boy, but not enough to deal with Conrart's protective nature. Despite the tension, Adalbert could see relief pass between the two, and he knew their bond was still strong.
The search for the forbidden boxes had been indefinitely halted after their search in Seisoku came up empty. Shin Makoku had more pressing matters to attend to, such as the loss of its Maoh.
He'd picked up some rather interesting information on the way there and had sent a carrier pigeon ahead of him announcing his arrival and intended peaceful meeting with the former maoh. He hadn't been sure if Yuuri even still resided in the castle but figured Voltaire and Christ would pass on the information reliably.
He'd received a returning pigeon with a thin sheet of paper tie to its leg. "Come as you will", it said, "But watch your step. Others may not take your return so well. Perhaps we need to talk." Signed Conrart Weller, in the man's small tightly packed script.
Adalbert had laughed, stalling his horse a few miles away from the castle when he'd received it. No doubt his visit was being kept a secret for the time being. The Kings guard dog was still as loyal as ever. He'd earned his title as the Lion of Luttenburg and was truly a force to be reckoned with when he was fighting for something- or someone, as Adalbert had witnessed. He had jokingly heard the king, his most important person and charge, referred to as the kitten of Shhin Makoku by some of his less devoted subjects, a nod to their obvious close relationship. Well, no matter. He was a force to be reckoned with himself. He'd won more battles then Weller had ever witnessed.
He didn't hate Conrart Weller like he once had. The passion he got for imagining the man's blood spilling out deep crimson and hot over his sword no longer there. He wasn't his greatest fan either. The two had come to a truce in Seisoku. Adalbert had always felt there was something special about the child Weller treasured and kept so close. The young man's innocence and outspoken nature could be so irritating, but also nostalgic, like a warm cup of brandy on a cold day. He had a knack for getting into trouble, but Conrart never seemed to dislike him for it. He would toss all his duties to the side, worry for the boy taking priority in his mind over all else.
Adalbert had been fired up at first over a man of Conrart's status demoting himself to caring for a young and inexperienced king. He couldn't understand it. Conrart had never had children of his own in his life and had never expressed any real desire to do so. So why become so attached, to a boy he had never even met until recently? Of course, it had to do with her, he figured out later. Conrart had always had a fondness for Julia Von Wincott and had been crushed by her sudden death on the battlefield. As had he. The desire to hold her one last time in his arms and ask her why, why would she ever need to die for the Shinou? She could have stayed with him, where she was meant to be. He never could change Julia's mind when she had decided on something though. She would have looked up at where she knew his eyes were to be and given him that sad little smile she sometimes gave him when she was trying to explain that things were for the greater good and told him that it would be alright. But it wasn't alright. It had never been alright since then. He had never even known that someone else possessed her soul. She made her own choice to give up her life for what she thought was the greater good. But no one had told him her last wish. He had thought her gone forever until a few months ago. And Conrart had never even thought him worthy to know a part of her had survived!
Damn, he shouldn't let Lord Weller get him riled up like that. The half Mazoku was right about one thing, as much as he hated to admit it. He needed to put his differences with Weller aside if wanted a place in Yuuri's life. Yuuri was peaceful and he would ever forget it if he shed the blood of someone he cared about. It would be burned into his memories forever.
Conrart had met him at the castle gates, which were shut tightly. The sunlight cast shadows behind his slight but imposing figure. He always could be the smallest out of a bunch of warriors, but he would always come out on top. He stood with his sword hanging from his belt but made no move to reach for it. He appeared to be alone, but that didn't matter. He was the type of man who was more than capable of taking on fight with a good-sized group alone.
"Nice to see you again." Adalbert smirked and waved, deliberately lifting his cape to show his weapon was fully sheathed. "I intend for this to be a pleasure visit. We came to an understanding of sorts a while back. I'm assuming it still stands?"
Conrad tried to smile, but it wasn't very convincing. It looked like it was taking a great effort on his part to try be optimistic about the two of them meeting up again. They had been at odds with each so recently. This was an unfamiliar way of interacting for both parties. But he nodded and moved to unlock the heavy castle gates.
That's how they had both ended up in Conrad's new office, with a tray with freshly brewed tea and muffins delivered by Doria, one of the castle maids. The green haired girl had looked surprised to see Adalbert Von Grantz, who had not been spotted in Shin Makoku for over twenty years and had stammered over her polite greeting to the two men. She had hurried off, leaving the tea and muffins to likely go spread the word.
"So Yuuri really has abandoned his place at king?" Adalbert broke the silence between with the question he'd been burning to ask. His tea was pleasantly sweet, but hot as it burned his tongue.
Conrad smiled softly. "No, never Yuuri. He always valued his position as king. He was forced to give it up. It was a joint decision by the royal council. My word would have been overruled if I had decided to vote against them."
"If? You didn't defend him anyway? I thought you were his sword and shield!" Adalbert felt a surge of anger. They had gone through so much in Seisoku to save the king of this pathetic country, and now this sad excuse for an advisor and a guard thought it was okay to throw all that away? "What about Shin Makoku, and everything we all went through to save it from the boxes?"
He was very far away. His eyes were pointed at Adalbert, but they seemed to look beyond him, at somewhere he couldn't begin to guess. "I am, now and for as long as I able to be. We both know even if he weren't king, and I wasn't his sworn protector, that we would have thrown away everything in that cursed country to save him. I gave you his life out in that desert, and you took it, even if he did end up interfering with our plan. You said back at the tournament that all you wanted was to snuff it out like an old candle, but you didn't."
Conrart smiled at him, despite his current red-faced scowl. "It was never about Shin Makoku. Dacascos told me a few days ago what you asked him on that ship to Seisoku- if Yuuri was happy where he was. It wasn't for me either."
"Get on with it!" Adalbert slammed a fist down on the table. The tea cups rattled on the tray and tea splashed out onto the tablecloth. "That doesn't explain why you foolishly voted against keeping him on the throne. This was everything he ever worked for and you think its fine to just throw that away, right in front of him? Yes, I care if he's happy! Do you?"
"His happiness has always been important to me. So is his safety however. Adalbert, you were a man of politics once. What do you think would happen if we were to let a young man, still in his teens and so young compared to the average mazoku, rule a country without even his sight or enough control over his magic to defend himself? I have no doubts about Yuuri's capability to manage most of his duties, as he has more than enough counsel. However, he is a target for all of his enemies even more so than before now. How could I agree to let him sit on the throne when I could very well wake the next morning to find a dagger imbedded in his chest, or that he'd been poisoned? I wouldn't want to wake up after that, to know I'd failed him again. I can't defend him from everything all at once. So, the logical decision was to take some of the dangerous factors out of his life."
Conrart had been gripping his tea cup so tightly his fingers were white with tension. This was turning out to be a lot more stress inducing than Adalbert would have liked.
"It may not be what he wanted, but it's what needed to be done. He told me he understood but I know he didn't. I still struggle to know the difference between the two sometimes."
The blood had stopped rushing to Adalbert's face and he had begun to sink into an introspective calm. Conrart always seemed so composed and ready to make decisions. Julia had always been his weak point. No, people he loved were his weak point. He had just never noticed until now.
"Did you do it for him or for you?"
"What?" Conrart's was suddenly less distant and snapped to attention at the question. He got up and leaned against the room exterior doors leading to the balcony. "Both, if I must be honest. I wonder if Yuuri knows that…"
Adalbert clapped a heavy hand on Conrart's shoulder. "You know, you're a lucky man. You got to love Julia and know her. I feel sorry for the people who never had the honor of meeting someone so kind."
"She loved you," he replied. "I could never compare to what she felt for you."
"Yeah, she did. I loved her too. We both lost her."
It was then that two people who spent over twenty years at odds with each other felt a mutual kinship.
"Men like us- killers, traitors- we don't get second chances Weller. Don't waste this one. It kills me everyday to think it, but she's not coming back. But he's here. So, don't forget about him while you're stuck in your own head."
The door to the office creaked and swung open then and Yuuri walked in, seemingly unaware of the present conversation. He was dressed casually today in an oversized long-sleeved sweater that looked to have belonged to Conrart and some jeans he'd brought form Japan. He hadn't bothered to put on shoes. "Conrad? Adalbert? Is that you guys? Gunter told me you'd be here." He could still make out shapes, lights and shadows the last Adalbert had heard, and he carefully mad his way over to Adalbert and rested a hand on his chest. Their height difference was substantial, and he had to stretch just to get that far. It was an old habit Julia had as well to reliably locate who she was speaking to. Some found it odd, but Adalbert found it charmingly nostalgic.
"It is you!" Yuuri exclaimed. "I was so worried, leaving you alone in Seisoku like that. But why did you come back?"
Adalbert noticed the boy still looked thin from his terrifying adventure in the desert. He didn't look much heavier than when he had last seen him. He wondered if he had was depressed or refusing to eat. Well, he was a skilled cook and baker. He'd trying to make something for the boy later on.
Conrad looked uncomfortable at the sudden addition to their conversation. "Adalbert is here for a short vacation form his duties in Seisoku. He came to check up on things here in Shin Makoku."
"I came back to check up on you. Looks like you haven't brought the castle down yet."
"Oh, he's made an effort," Conrart smirked.
"Hey! I'm not that bad" Yuuri tried his best to look offended but was blushing furiously. "Hey, I was originally gonna come here anyway before I found out that someone didn't bother to tell me that Adalbert was coming. I've wanted this for a long time, you know. Adalbert, I want to show you what I've done here and what this country has to offer. I propose we all grab jackets and head out to town. Conrad, we were going to go sometime soon anyway to get some new winter clothes. It's already starting to get chilly."
Reviews are greatly appreciated! Tell me what you thought about the plot and characters in particular. It can be a struggle to get everyone at least reasonably in character.