Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KYOU KARA MAOU

It is not my property. No profit made.

Thanks to the ones who reviewed.

From Yuuri's pov.

Mention of Homere's Odyssey and Hansel and Gretel by the Grimm brothers.

XX

I know what everyone is thinking. What a stupid wimp he is! My butts are hurting and there's nothing I could do against that: I didn't have a good saddle, someone fishy stole Ao's saddle on the boat. I wonder who has time to waste to steal a SADDLE? For the moment, I've been complaining about the dolour I felt at my rear, but I still manage to restrain myself from sighing and rubbing my rear in order to soothe the pain. My effort are in vain: I got sympathetic looks from Conrad who remained totally patient with me and scornful ones from Wolfram. Well, they're completely used to riding horses, that's not my case.

" I don't have water anymore in my bottle," I said trying to slide the last drop of water out of the bottle into my mouth. " Can someone give me some please?"the drop splashed onto the tip of my tongue.

" Of course, your majesty," Conrad answered me straight away, he frowned at what he thought a negligence from his part " I'm sorry not to have brought more for you, I didn't think about whether it would be enough for you."

" Ah, no worry, Conrad! It's not your fault, really! I think I should start thinking by myself now about what food to carry with me."

I thanked him grateful to the core when he handed me his own bottle. His is still full. My bad, I'm totally surrounded by professionals who must have lived so much as soldiers. They make me want to be like them. They're tough, resisting, solid and well, so strong! Girls must truly pass out when they meet such beautiful, young and responsible men. I sighed in envy and admiraton. Then, Conrad , once again, gave me sandwiches and even sweets, when I started to run out of them.

I don't dare to ask Wolfram to give me...Even though, we've become closer, I must not forget he despises human beings and if he could, he wouldn't have anything to do with them. He disliked them to the point of even rejecting his own brother who, for his bad luck, has human blood in his veins, just like me. So Wolfram who seemed to dislike them because they must have hurt him – I guess- wouldn't want someone like me to drink with my very half-human lips from his very bottle !

Soon, a high brown mountain was in our sight, a very green forest boarded the bottom of the mountain and a few small houses made of wood were placed here and there, like in the pictures I saw in a fairy tales book. One seemed like a huge cake...Hansel and Gretel aren't that far. Some villagers caught notice of us.

I'm the first one to feel relieved.

" Conrad, can I get off of my horse? I think we can walk, now."

" If you want, your majesty. Do you want my he..."

Before he could even pronounce the "l" in "help", I was leaping off but, and my shame almost killed me instead of my pain, fell miserably on the sandy floor, face against dust. I heard a few " oh, poor boy? Did he hurt himself?" around, while Conrad instantly jumped off of his horse, graceful like a film's hero would be, to help me. " Your majesty, were your hurt? Tell me?"

he cupped my chin to make me look into his big hazel eyes. I blushed and laughed as a result of my embarrassment and nervousness.

" Ahahaha, it's all right! I was just clumsy! Will teach me to try to be too fast."

I got to my feet, and swiped the dust off my clothes. On his horse, Wolfram had looked at me with much patience, and I perfectly know he had been ashamed to see me act like this. It's not tomorrow he's going to be ready to present me as his king. He would have preferred someone with more grace and a good-looking appearance, and now, I don't know why...it hurts to know I don't fit that. I chanced a glance at him only to see he was rolling his eyes and tugged at the reins of his horse to step forward.

" Sorry, Wolf," I couldn't help but say.

" Don't," Conrad interfered; his facial expression darkened as he raised his voice, looking at Wolfram's distancing silhouette: " if Wolfram isn't happy to serve you, he still can go back to the castle. We don't need people who are reluctant to be patient!"

Whoo... Something must have picked Conrad's anger. He maybe noticed how self-conscious I was in front of Wolfram. I saw Wolfram tensing at his brother's words, which confirmed me he had heard what Conrad had said.

He then looked over his shoulder:

" I didn't say I wasn't happy," he just stated, although he obviously resisted from saying more. Conrad frowned again and straightened:

" If it's the case, good for you, I don't ask for more...except the fact I want you to show more patience and tolerance towards our king and try not to destabilize him with your contempt. You want someone tougher and fitter as a king, but he could become this person if you try to help him willingly. Otherwise, I don't see how helpful you can be if only what you are throwing at him is your arrogance and spite."

Wow, wow, Conrad, please, calm down! I don't want a fight to start between you two! Even less be the cause of this fight!

Wolfram faced us with a deep frown.

" I will try. I don't need you to say it to me," the light blush on his cheeks spoke to me: I know he wasn't indifferent to Conrad's words. They reminded him, I suppose, of Conrad's status in their family: Conrad was older than him and also more mature than him. Or his words totally angered him because he couldn't stand that someone spoke with him this way.

" Very well. Just remember who saved you two days ago."

" mph," I noticed the green of Wolfram's eyes "flickered" like a flame. " If only he was as dignified as he is when he's the Maou."

He turned around towards the small village with his horse.

xx

In the inn, the men were the ones to serve drinks to the new guests, and women the ones to talk with us and invite us to dance. Hum...I was glad enough to have danced with Beatrice two days ago on the boat because I was not as clumsy and embarrassed as I'm dancing now with a very, very pretty girl with long wavy red hair and dark blue eyes. And this time, I know she's not Yozak (who I wonder what he's up to at the moment). The music is very vivid, with a good rhythm. In my amusement, I stole a peek at Wolfram and Conrad. They were seated around a circular shaped table with a small lunch and drinks upon.

Conrad, who was talking with an old man near them, suddenly looked at me and waved his hand to say to me: " Have some fun, your majesty, we won't leave now!" and he smiled with gentleness. I wish he called me "Yuuri". I smiled back.

As for Wolfram, he seemed that I entertained him as much as I made him fear that I could step on the girl's foot or whatever. He always expecting some catastrophes to happen.

" Who's that beautiful boy who seems to sulk?" my dance partner asked me in my ear. I shivered as I imagined her red lips so close to my skin.

" Er...his name..." I can't tell Wolfram's real name! " Why do you want to know?"

" My sister, over there, you see? She wants to dance with him, she finds him particularly cute and smart..."

" Right, I'm going to ask him if he wants so, too. Wait for me."

She kissed my cheek and the Yuuri inside of me felt his stomach whirl with happiness. I walked back towards Wolfram and Conrad.

" Wolf, there's..."

" Having too much fun, wimp? Looks like you're falling in love with that girl, you don't even realize you stumbled after she kissed you."

Wolfram knows how to make me feel nervous and shy. My eyes almost turned away from his in response. But before I could even look away, he slid his finger against my cheek, nearly thrusting it into my skin, then showed me his finger:

" See, she even left some lipstick on your face."

"...ahahah...Well, I should maybe wash it."

" I don't care, do whatever you want. Just remember...if you fall in love, the volcano may erupt and you may end up killing hundreds of people." I blanched while I stared at him. Ah, I had forgotten that very important and annoying fact. Wolfram raised an eyebrow.

"...Wow, is your memory as short as your little finger? Conrad has told you about it, however."

"..."

" And don't forget you will have to bring her to Blood Pledge Castle if you don't to break up with her."

" I-I'm not dating her...It's just a flirt..."

" Poor girl. She seems attached to you...stop playing with her if you don't want to shatter her heart in thousand of pieces. It's still time."

"...I was just there to tell you her sister wanted to dance with you. She finds you cute."

" Human girls don't interest me," Wolfram answered with such an abruptness that I startled at his voice. I didn't know what to answer, I find Wolfram quite selective right now. Wolfram grew tired of me staring at him in disbelief. He got up and looked at the dance place. " Well, you want to date her or no? Being a king won't allow you to visit her as much as you want, and if no, you will have to bring her to Shin Makoku...and maybe even marry her..."

WHAT?!!

Wait, wait! I was just flirting with no important thoughts ( or perhaps just date her...)or bad ones at the back of my head, nor did I want to break her heart!!

" I'm too young! She's beautiful but...I'm n-not in love..."

" It seems it is the first time you've been seduced like this," Wolfram let out with a sigh then he took my hand "Come here. You're such a walking catastrophe."

He dragged me among the dancers- who started staring at Wolf, to my not-big surprise- and...Whaa!! to my surprise!! Wolfram rolled my arms around his waist, and his around my neck, thus making us so close to each other (my stomach was in contact with his) that I felt my body temperature increase...like a useless heater in Summer. I trembled and blushed a bright red. Wolfram stuck his right ear to mine. He smelled very good...

"...What are you doing, Wolf...?"

" As you seem too much of a wimp to tell her right in her face that you have no intention of a serious relationship with her, I'm just showing you how to persuade her to find someone else."

"...Wh-what? But it's a harsh way t-to..." I wanted to look at him but he almost furiously dived my head inside his neck. I had just had the time to see the faint flush over his cheeks.

" Just do as I'm telling you, wimp!!" he sighed and this sigh on my skin made me more deliciously shiver than my first partner's kiss"...See, she's now angry but it seems she won't let you be the only one to have fun." I looked at the direction he was looking at, his words picking my curiousness. She was glaring at me and accepted another man as her dancing partner. Aah...things can change so quickly and suddenly. Soon,she had already forgotten me...I don't know why...I think Wolfram and I could quit dancing but he didn't stop...he even seemed to enjoy that!

" Er...Wolf...we can stop. She has someone else now..."

" I didn't have my dance, wimp, on the boat," he sighed then uncurled his arms from around my neck, mine slowly slid back to my sides. Wolfram gazed at me " but if it's what you want, fine."

Did I... hurt him?...

I couldn't answer as he turned around to join back Conrad...who had been watching us with...maybe with interest, but I couldn't tell exactly for he knows how to hide his feelings. I'm sure he hasn't expected to see his brother and me dancing together. As for me, anytime I'm thinking of Wolfram's body against mine, I felt as if butterflies had invaded my stomach.

xx

Too many strange things happened around this mountain that was why Conrad had been arguing for hours with the guardian of the volcano. This one didn't want to let us climb the volcano (and thus, let me find 'Morgif').

" You don't know what you're doing!" The man said to Conrad, while Wolfram and I, sitting on the terrace of the inn, were listening to them " haven't you heard about all those people who ventured in that cursed volcano and either died or became crazy?! I have enough of all those silly young men who think there's a treasure over there and came back with an air of death on their faces! It has to stop, I'm not always going to put up with people like them!"

" I know very well mister Flow, but I can assure you I will handle all this particularly well."

I wonder for how long Conrad is going to be patient but I began to worry because of what that man was saying. To be scared like this, he must really have encountered serious cases. Children were playing in the garden; I suppose they're his grand-children.

" Is there no other way to go up there?" I said in a sigh. Wolfram, who had had his arms crossed since the beginning of the argument, showed some signs of tiredness and impatience. He sighed and sighed. Then, he looked over his shoulder to observe the bottom of the volcano and the forest around. He looked back at me.

" See, Yuuri, I think we don't have to get that stubborn man's permission. We're losing our time."There was a double meaning in those words...

At the same time, Conrad came back to us with a slight mortification on his face. I easily understood the man wouldn't bow to my godfather's demands.

" Your majesty, I think we'll use another way to go there."

" How?"

He and Wolfram glanced at each other than looked me into the face.

" You'll have to ride your horse again."

A few hours later, we were there, on the volcano. After what had happened with the guardian I'm sure you are wondering how we managed to go there. It's simple: Conrad and Wolfram...and I, indeed, decided to enter the forest by a quite forbidden access- three doors, a gate, a crocodile (?), an artificial lake, and so many ridiculous and dangerous traps were expecting, behind a big wooden door surrounded by trees, anyone who wanted to climb the volcano . So now we're a in HUGE infraction, and I wonder if being a king of a parallel world was worth all the trouble.

A smoke- or steam was escaping from an obvious hole not far away from us.

"...eeeh, Conrad...is that the lava?"

" I don't think so," Conrad answered me narrowing his eyes at the sight of the hot steam. " Morgif is said to be lying in a very hot water inside this volcano. Moreover, people always say there's an odd singing emanating from holes in the volcano."

The singing reached my ears. It sounded horribly creepy. After what occurred with the mermaid, I'm getting quite distrustful with strange songs coming from nowhere. When you listen to it, it's as if you're listening to an old man agonising because he has an arrow across his chest. My own imagination made me shiver; however we were getting closer and closer from that weird hole so I could not step back anymore. Leaping off of our horses and tying them to trees around, we entered the place.

Our surprise grew bigger. I was under the impression to be in a room of thermal baths except for the ceiling that was a rock purple ceiling, just like the walls. It was a cavern. This world is really getting stranger and stranger. I looked down at the fuming water, and the steam that flew in the air. All the place was humid and I was getting hot, which wasn't very pleasant.

Furthermore, the song is still up in the air...repulsing like a monster waiting for devouring us. Calm down, Yuuri! You should take Wolfram and Conrad as models! Really, the two brothers showed so much sang-froid and self-control!...Wolfram is even reading...

" Wolfram, what does the rest of the legends tell?"

"...Well, the one who has to find the sword in the hot, cursed water of the Van Da Via volcano must go alone in this water and search for the sword... alone."

.......

Abruptly depressed, I was shaking my head as I looked at Conrad, back at Wolf, at Conrad, at Wolf, at Conrad, at Wolf...

" What? Wait? You're expecting me to go inside of it ALL ALONE?! That's scaring, are you hearing that voice? A monster may lurk underneath and try to kill us!" Can they feel how scared I am?

" Nothing of that is expecting you, wimp," Wolfram said, resting a hand upon his hip. " and if so, we will be in time to push the danger back. Well, take your clothes off and dive."

" ...you're crazy! I won't do that!"

Wolfram's face hardened and I swear the emerald green of his eyes darkened like bad clouds.

" Coward! It's your duty as a king to find your own sword! We've been accompanying you since the beginning, now you have to show what you're able to do, on your own!"

He really had no patience. He isn't even in my shoes. I looked at Conrad, despair filling me. I was worrying myself sick. He won't let me go there, alone, will he? Conrad had a sorry expression in his eyes, and a small smile tugged at his lips-which was already telling me what he was thinking.

"...Well...Wolfram is right...This is a first step to prove you deserve to become our king."

...May I remind them I never wanted to become a king?

"...I-I don't know..."

My throat became dry...if Conrad was saying that it meant I had no other way. I wanted nothing more than going back home where I'm only an average boy and not someone supposed to get in danger every five minutes. Damn you, Murata! Because I had to defend you against some stupid bullies, I find myself in danger now!! Wolfram rolled his eyes:

" Don't be scared like that! Go now!" As I swallowed the lump that was in my throat, revealing what fright was making me, he finally stated: " I was sure of that. He's the wimpiest of the wimpiest! Weller, maybe he should learn about king Elrick who died because he was a weak, indecisive man who couldn't even hold a sword! I swear we're going to repeat history with such a feeble and clueless kid, I'm already foreseeing wars and international conflicts!"

" Wolfram, shut up," Conrad harshly said; Wolfram preferred to turn around and sit down at the entrance of the cavern, out of furious impatience.

As for me...his words have totally sent my mood ablaze. I was glaring at his back. Never in my life had I been so insulted and diminished in my own self-esteem. I was already groaning and even if it was Conrad who wanted to talk to me, it was Wolfram I had a few words to tell.

" Listen to me..." I was groaning with anger " I will dive into that water! I will seek Morgif on my own and I won't ask for your help and Conrad's! I'm not an incapable, even if it's all what you think of me! Now sulk by yourself but I won't let you further think I'm an idiot."

" Your majesty..."

" Don't, Conrad! I'm ready!"

I wheeled around and took my clothes off, throwing them aside with anger. I jumped into the water and found that it wasn't as hot as it seemed. I had grown so determined that I advanced into the water with no many problems, contrary to what I had feared. Yes, scared to be scared, that's all me. But I would not give up, even for the shudders that were running all my body and the laboured breathing that became mine.

Not sooner had I jumped into the warm water than the singing became more and more persistent. And this is that that frightens me so much. Anyone would be afraid of walking in an obscure place with someone- or something- humming you a weird song. Light came to lack, here, because the deeper I was going into the cavern, the further I was getting from the entrance that was the only source of light. Conrad made me inadvertently startled when he asked loudly:

" Is everything all right, your majesty?" he was obviously worried and in his voice, I perceived he hesitated to let me go alone.

I didn't turn around to look at him but waved my hand to signal him I was doing fine. I couldn't see very well. I was afraid that something might bite me in the water or even curl around my foot and pull me underneath the surface. The scaring thought paralysed me for a while as I was unable to make a move, nor look around. The song continued and I knew I was getting closer to the thing that was calling me. I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or not but I knew I had to find this. Maybe another mermaid was waiting for me to give me 'Morgif'. Ulysses , as for him, had asked his men to" fill" his ears with wax to avoid hearing the "sirenians" calling him. He was saved in time.

I won't have the same luck if an evil creature is actually waiting for me to eat me up.

I took in a deep breath and chased away the disturbing thoughts. At the same time, I was beginning to figure out why the guardian wanted to keep people away from the volcano. If people had indeed encountered awful things in that cavern, well, their psychological damages could be explain. Once again, I forced myself not to think about all of this.

Morgif was what I had to focus on but I still had nothing that could be a sword. Minutes had passed since I dared to make my path into the water.

" Do you see something, your majesty?"

" No, Conrad, I'm still searching for it..."

" Do you need help?"

"...No, I'll manage to find it on my own, don't worry!" I narrowed my eyes and bent my knees to approach my face to the water and thus, have more luck to find that damn sword. I paled and gulped.

As soon as I semi-knelt, my butts touched something soft under the water and I quickly turned around with a cry to see what it was. My surprise hit me hard when I recognized:

" Wolfram..."

" It's me, wimp, don't look so scared..." Wolfram replied, annoyed, hand on hip.

What is he doing here? My mind shouted as I stared at him...

Blood came back to my face: he was as naked as I was, though the lack of light prevented me from seeing him entirely. In embarrassment, I averted my eyes. I must have touched his legs with my rear. It was pure mishap of course.

" What are you..."

" I just came to help you out. It seems you're taking a long time to find this sword."

...oh. My eyebrow raised in pure surprise.

" I said I was going to find it alone. Y-you can go back to Conrad..." even if my heart was full of gratitude to see him with me. But I was still kind of angry at him. He looked me into the eye and crossed his arms.

" Don't turn down a help that is given to you, wimp. Moreover, I do have to lend you a hand because we will not be out of the wood if you keep searching for Morgif alone. We don't have much time before the ceremony of your coronation begins in Shin Makoku and...I dare to remind you thirty minutes have passed already."

" Thirty minutes?!!" I couldn't believe it, I had a hard time thinking I could have spent so much time here. By myself. Wolfram nodded and pushed me forward.

" Let's go on. My skin is going to be all wrinkled because of that hot water."

" Are you sure? I said I would get by all alone..."

Wolfram sighed in deep and obvious annoyance then headed towards my right. I ended up realizing he wouldn't go back to Conrad so soon, and my stomach felt very strange at that thought. It seemed I had been lifted up from a burden. This burden...must be fear. Gone...Blown away. It made me more concentrated. So we sought the sword together, like a real team. Eventually, I grew grateful towards Wolfram, I know how much it must cost to him to help someone that he didn't appreciate to a full extent.

Suddenly, I yelled in terrible fright!! something had bitten me like I had dreaded it! Damn! What was that? I stepped back, my heart pounding horribly hard in my chest.

" Your majesty?!" Conrad asked out loud, alerted.

" What's going on, wimp?" Wolfram asked, too, running towards me as much as he could. He looked at me, then at the water, then back at me. Taking me by the shoulders, he made me face him:

" What's happened, Yuuri?"

I could only look at the water with fear now.

" T-there-s...something...here..."

" All right, I'll check that..."

" No!"

He looked at me with surprise mixed with wonder. Why did I answer so vehemently?

" N-no...I'm the king...and I have to do that on my own...I'll see that myself..." I grew determinate again although, truth be told, I would have given all my cherished baseball equipment to go back home. But now, I had enough of being called a " wimp" or a "coward", I wanted to show them what I'm able to do. " Stay away, I'm going to see what it is."

Before I could "dive", Wolfram held my shoulder. He was stunningly very calm.

" We'll check out together, right?"

"...Okay..."

" I assume it means you agree."

He smiled weakly and I smiled back, having this same strange feeling turning my stomach upside down again.

We counted to three then knelt so that we were now entirely under water.

I found myself stupefied when I saw it wasn't as dark as outside water. And then...I saw it.

That sword.

It was laying against the rocky ground, like an abandoned object. I swallowed my saliva. When I wanted to extend my arm to catch it, I realized something was holding it back. Wolfram had wrapped his hand around mine. He looked at me then slowly let go of my hand. I grinned at him, which made him roll his eyes and me laughing, then reached for the sword.

YAY! I had it now! An overwhelming feeling of fulfilment invaded me and I got up head out of water with my sword in hand. Wolfram did the same and we gave a look at it before both of us cringed at its horrible ornament: what the heck is there a skull face on the front for?! And it is SINGING and making faces at us!! It is alive, isn't it?

I nearly dropped it out of shock, but Wolfram caught it and placed it back in my hand, making me hold it firmly.

" Talk to him, Yuuri, it's Morgif..."

" W-what...?! you want me to talk to a weird, horrible sword!!!" there's absolutely nothing epic about it: it's ugly as hell. It was the one humming so eerily. Morgif- damn, are we really talking about the legendary Morgif that belonged to Shinou?- seemed sad and upset at my words and it pouted its lips: woohoo, woohoo. Is it crying? I really hope not; I can't picture myself comforting an...object. To that and my words, Wolfram eyed me with much disdain:

" Don't judge a book by its cover, Yuuri. It's not a simple weapon. It's yours. It belongs to you now and you better take care of it because you will fight with it from now on. Moreover, beginning your relationship with it on such bad basis could only damage its amazing potential...even if I admit it's ugly as hell."

Ah. Morgif grew more upset and made a seemingly glare at the pretty blond who dared to insult him openly. Teasing Morgif, Wolfram stuck his tongue out, insolent, and I swore anyone would have their hearts melted for such a cuteness. He must have done that without thinking because when he realized I caught him in the act, he slightly blushed then turned around.

" Let's go back, Conrad is waiting for us."

" Yes!"

I looked at Morgif once more and I didn't doubt anymore its power. I felt it penetrating my skin and reached my very soul. He knows it's me...

" Mmmh, so it was you who sang so strangely...You were waiting for me?" I asked him as I lay down in my bed. We had returned to our inn. " Do you know you scared people? You made them sick?" Morgif, tied to my bed head, just wavered his lips. I nodded. " You did. Now, you'll behave." He smiled widely and his eyes almost made hearts.

Wolfram who was putting his pyjamas on smirked at us and said:

" You're speaking as if it was your pet. Don't make him as mellower as it has already become. Shinou would be disappointed in seeing him so soft."

Morgif protested loudly, which made me laugh, before sleep started to bring me to dreamland. Tiredness won against me. In my slumber, voices were perceptible, which sort of surprised me, and I clearly heard a conversation.

" Why did you help Yuuri in the end, Wolfram?"

" Mph...he needed it, that wimp. He was so long I got tired!"

"...does it have something to do with the fact you regretted what you said to him? You were harsh..."

" Don't say that, Conrad! I-I...I only said that for his sake. Only speaking to him too gently as you do, Conrad, will only make him weak and incapable."

" Well...he proved you he was able to go alone there while he was terribly scared. You can't deny his strength. Everyone should give him a try, otherwise, he won't progress."

"...I have already..."

" So you're supporting him, aren't you?"

I didn't hear the answer.

TBC