Here's the special update! My Beta is the reason why this chapter exists. Before she looked at it, it was only four pages long. But then she gave me ideas and inspiration to fix it up for the better. So it's dedicated to Kate aka 'Neko Kate-chan'.

Title: Into the Indefinite Sky
Author: S.P. Kathrine
Anime: Kyou Kara Maou
Genre: AU, Angst/Drama, Romance
Pairing: YuurixWolfram
Rating: M-MA (R-NC17)
Chapter: Chapter 4 (04) ? (Oooh…this baby is getting rather long…)
Warnings: Angst, Non-Consensual Sexual themes (referenced/implied), AU, OOC Wolfram, possibly OOC everyone else, and any other warning that I might not have gotten to yet, but, most likely will.
Summary:
Wolf had spent his life believing that he was meant for servitude. His master was strict, and often cruel, but he never thought he could be anything more than what he was. One night changes everything and he is thrown into a world that he knows nothing about and given a life he never thought he could have. But a secret he keeps could only throw his life into further turmoil and not to mention the Demon King…

Disclaimer: If I owned Kyou Kara Maou, I would be a VERY happy girl.

Beta: Neko Kate-chan

Chapter 4 - New Chains

They had been traveling for two days and were near to their destination, or at least that was what Wolf had been told. Honestly, he had not even noticed the first day of passage after they had left the inn. He had spent too much time staring at the thin red scar that encircled his now bare left wrist. The enchanted binding was gone, he was a freeman now.

It had happened so quickly, no disruption, no argument. Master Verik-though he was not his master anymore-had not even put up a fight. Strangely, he seemed almost eager to get Wolf away from him as soon as possible.

/ "I release you." /

One sentence, three words, and it was gone. And yet the pain he had faced was something he never wanted to feel again.

/ It had hurt. Truly hurt. As if his entire body was melting from the inside out, his mind being ripped apart. He didn't know if he could handle it. He fell to the floor, curling up around the focal point of his agony, his left arm. By that time he would have willing cut off his own hand himself if it meant that he wouldn't have to deal with this any longer. Hands were around him, holding him close to someone's voluptuous breast. Hilde…

"It's killing him!" she was crying, angry, scared…for him.

Tears fell down his own cheeks as he twisted in her arms, trying to find some way of getting away from the pain.

"He'll have to bear it if he wants his freedom. This is the reason why most slaves stay slaves."

"It's hurting him! Is there anything we can do to stop it!" Yuuri, anxious, worried, kneeling beside him. Three hands touched him. One on his shoulder, one around his back as the last ran fingers through his hair in an attempt to soothe his twitching. Sweat broke out on his brow.

"I can take it back," Master Verik said. "But he'll still be my slave."

"No." That was his voice. Teeth clenched, nails of one hand digging into the wrist of the other. It hurt. It hurt more than any other pain he had ever dealt with before. It was as if every beating was happening at the same time, every horrible event in his life repeated every second. But he would not let them stop it. He could bear this. He had to bear this. Just beyond all of this pain was a promise. The promise of freedom. And he would take it.

It lasted for what seemed like ten eternities before it suddenly stopped, everything halting as if a volcano suddenly decided to return to sleep just as it was about to erupt. It was over. His body became limp and his breath was ragged. Hilde cried and kissed the top of his brow. His wrist burned. He slowly lifted it to his face so that he could see.

"Wolf…" Hilde let out an awed gasp, fully vocalizing exactly how he felt.

The binding was gone. None of the black ink remained of the enchanted chain that bound him to whatever master he was given to. All that was left on his wrist were the slightly bloodied nail gashes from where he had ripped the skin open by his own hand and a bright red scar encircling his wrist. A reminder.

"I-It's gone..." /

No longer would he have to answer to anyone, or accept a beating without fighting. All that was left was a simple red scar where the binding had once been. But instead of feeling the giddiness that should come with his regained freedom after sixty some years, he felt empty. It was as if all of his wishes and hopes had been answered, but the effect was lost on him. How could he celebrate freedom when he was still held captive against his will?

The horse beneath him belonged to Conrad, whose back he was pressed against. The brunette would allow him to ride with no other. Not even Yuuri. He peeked around Conrad's broad back and caught sight of the boy that rode beside, but slightly ahead, of them. He road with a small girl in front of him, who he knew now to be Greta, Yuuri's adopted daughter.

She was a small dark-skinned child, with a wide smile, who liked to sit with him when they took breaks or ate meals. For some reason, knowing that she was Human made her presence more comfortable. She spoke to him, never expecting him to answer her in return, but took care to leave the silence between them if it seemed like he needed it. Greta was a balm on his hurt, lost, and confused soul. He had always liked children, and would often keep those of their patrons occupied while their parents were busy with business or eating.

So he tended to stay by her of his own free will as well. Sometimes, Yuuri would sit with them and try to coax him into a conversation. Wolf would not speak to him. It was his fault that he was here. He and Conrad.

The three of them had stayed in that room for hours without speaking and the morning was partly over by the time everything was finally decided. Conrad had decided that he would return with them to Shin Makoku, so as to undergo a test to see if he was really his brother. Even if he was not, he would be set up with a home and such. They would not leave him to slavery.

He had been shocked by their willingness to take him away from Mas-Verik-He is not my master anymore! Although he was not so trusting as to believe that they had purely innocuous intentions. It was obvious that Conrad only wanted to find out whether or not he was his brother, this 'Wolfram von Breadfed' or something or the sort. Wolf did not want to think about that aspect of his journey at the moment. The repercussions of the truth were not something he believed he could handle.

He had argued of course-although it was a very weak argument. He didn't want to go anywhere with the filthy Mazoku-Although I had not called them that aloud, save once. Yuuri had tried to placate him, regaling all of the 'wonderful' things that he would be able to see and do in Shin Makoku. He hadn't believed him. He couldn't trust Yuuri, that much was obvious, no matter how kind and honorable he appeared.

But then Conrad had asked him, "What person would want to stay in a place where the horses in the stables have more worth than he? Would Shin Makoku be any worse than what you already know?"

He did not know how to answer that question. He wanted to leave, to get away from them, but was sure of the fact the tall brunette man would not allow that to happen. It was in the look in his eyes, the hard yet wishful stare. It was obvious that Conrad expected Wolf to be this person he thought he was, was putting hope into the fact that he would be.

Why? How can they put so much faith in it? How can they expect me to just accept it? I'm not a Mazoku. Not like they are. I don't want to be. How can they force this on me?

In the end it had come down to Yuuri to end the standstill. He had moved Conrad aside and kneeled before the bed, staring him with his deep dark eyes. He had made an offer. He would return with them to Shin Makoku and whether or not he was found to be Conrad's lost brother, he would be given the choice of staying or being given the money to go wherever his heart desired.

It was strange how black those had appeared with so little light. But the black had seemed more real than the brown of the day before, as if it could swallow him whole and he would not care. Those eyes made him want to believe, to hope, to trust in the boy that bore them. Before he knew it, he had agreed and a smile broke out on the dark-haired boy's face. A smile that could melt a mountain. It was then that he knew that he could not trust Yuuri. They had departed not even a full two days later and one he had spent recovering from the effects of losing the Bind. Of all of his insecurities and regrets when he left his old life behind, there was only one made his chest tighten and his eyes itch.

/People were staring and he was tired of being seen as the main attraction in one of those new circus spectacles. The soldiers were already seated on their horses, waiting for their next command. He stood to the side like the outsider he was, Hilde's arms around his shoulders. She had been crying again and did not want to release the hold she had on him. But there was nothing that either of them could do about it.

Master Verik exited the inn and walked to where Conrad was helping Yuuri onto his horse. "Are you sure that there is nothing that you need?" he asked them. "Surely I can sell you some food or drink for your journey?"

"No thanks," Yuuri shook his head after he settled himself. "We've got everything under control." The boy turned to look at Wolf and gave him a smile that the blonde told himself had to be false. "Where are your things, Wolf? You should at least bring some of your stuff with us."

Wolf turned his eyes away. The blonde had been locked inside Yuuri's bedroom before and after the removal of the Binding so the other boy had not seen his room-otherwise known as a cot inside the storage room. The boy had been allowed to wash himself in Yuuri's basin, but thankfully he and Conrad had left the room. Only Hilde had been allowed in. She had helped him change his bandages and promised to not let anyone else see the bloodstained wrappings. From how they acted, it seemed as if she had been successful.

"He doesn't own anything," Master Verik-his FORMER master-answered for him. "Everything I bought."

Save my mother's necklace, the blonde thought, but it had been something that he had managed to hide from Verik for twenty years. If the greedy man had known of it, it surely would have been sold within hours.

Yuuri's face was indescribable. It was like shock, sadness, sympathy, and pity were all vying for the forefront of his emotions. But then all of it was gone, replaced with a determined smile. "Well that just means we'll have to let you buy all new stuff when we get home," he stated.

I'm not going home, Wolf thought. I'm going into enemy territory.

Hilde gave him a light squeeze before given a look to Yuuri and Conrad. "We'll be right back," she told them. "I'm not about to help him run away." And with that she pulled him along with her around the side of the inn to the backyard. She seemed have decided they were a far enough distance away as she then spun back around and gave him another bear-like embrace.

A low sob came from the woman who held him. "Oh, my child!" she let out. "I don't know if I can let you go!" She blubbered even more, not caring how she looked as she clutched him now that they were alone.

Wolf refused to cry. It hurt to see her like this and he knew that if he started to cry, he would never be able to stop. And Hilde would hurt more from seeing his tears, rather than her own. So he let her hold him until she calmed down, taking in her sadness and pain to steel her strength. It was heartbreaking to watch.

She stretched him away from her and stared him straight in the eye. "You can't stay here," she said. "No matter how much I want you to, you can't." A watery smile came to her face. "I told you that the Great One would give you back your wings. Now you must use them to fly away. Maybe one day, once you've found yourself again, you can come back here and visit an old woman when her time is near."

He stared at her. She was saying goodbye as if they would never see each other again. It was then that it finally struck him that they probably wouldn't see each other again. Words caught in his throat, the blonde unable to say everything that came to mind. He wanted to say he loved her. He wanted to thank her. He wanted to tell her how she had been the closest thing to his mother since he had lost her. But he couldn't.

As if understanding his inner turmoil, she titled her head upwards. "Now," she said. "You are not a slave any longer. Never let anyone treat you like you are one again. Stand with your head tall, your heart towards whatever future you wish for yourself. And when you can't see the path you walk, remember, 'I am FREE. If I can't find a path, I will MAKE one.'"

She hugged him once more. Slowly, he allowed his own arms to wrap around the firmness of her body and hug back. "Thank you," he whispered, the only words he could say. "Thank you."

She laughed then, pulling away so that she could wipe the tears away from their faces with her apron. He hadn't even realized he'd been crying. "R-Remember," she said, her voice hitching. "If you ever need me, I will find you. Now, it is time for you to go."

He pulled away from her and turned away, walking back around the side of the building. Just as he turned the corner he was met by Brutus, who eyes bored into him with shock and something else. Jealousy. They stood a few short inches away from each other, both staring the other down. But Wolf refused to be cowed. He lifted his head just as Hilde had told him to and walked past the young man to where Yuuri, Conrad, and the others waited. He didn't bother to look back. He was finally free. /

Only now he was a prisoner. Conrad would not let him go anywhere on his own. He barely let him leave his sight. There was always a soldier nearby and they tended to stare at him with awed eyes and whisper things among each other when they thought he wasn't looking. But he was always looking. He had learned to never let his guard down in such a way and being trapped in a camp full of Mazoku left no time for reprieve of his defensive alertness. He had to be ready to protect himself when they finally showed their true colors.

He was trapped. He could not run if he even had the initiative to try. But he had given Yuuri a promise and he would not break it. All that he had for decades had been his soul and the goodness of his word to those willing to accept it from a slave. He would not break it even when his mind was screaming at him to run as fast his legs could carry him.

They had broken their fast midmorning and had been traveling for three hours since then. They had already entered the lands of Shin Makoku and Wolf was at the point of no return. It was too late to back out and so he had settled himself behind Conrad reluctantly and rested his head against the man's back. If he was going to be forced into this, the least they could allow him was a rest before he got there.

"It's best not to fall asleep while riding," came to comment from the man he leaned against. "You might lose your grip and fall."

Wolf leaned away from him, body stiffening. Why did this man always seem as if he was chastising him or pointing out some fault he had? At the same time he always spoke in a calm, almost patronizing tone. It's as if he thinks I'm a child, he frowned, but then thought more on it. How old was Conrad? He was a half-blood as well, although he did not know much about them or full Mazoku. How did they age? Was he that much older than him? He appeared to be. Wolf still looked as he had for over two decades, a young Human boy still in his teens. How much older would Conrad have to be to look as if he was a Man in his early twenties?

"Look Wolf!" It was Greta. He turned to look at her and saw her pointing enthusiastically. He gazed from behind the man in front of his once more stretching so that he could see what had the young girl so excited.

And then he saw it. It was a city, rolling and curving around the hillside as if it was a tapestry draped over the landscape. But what stood out most was the tall foreboding castle at the far end, erect and strong on the tallest peak of the area. It was dark, and old, from its appearances.

"That's my home!" Greta told him with a grin. "Me, Papa Yuuri, Conrad, and everyone else lives there!"

"There!" he exclaimed. "That's where we're going? But that looks like the palace of a King!"

"It is!" she replied, not noticing the look of worry that suddenly sprang to her adopted father's face. "Yuuri is the Maou! He's the King!"

Wolf stared at her, allowing her words to sink in. Then he turned his gaze to Yuuri, who and slowed his horse to a stop so as to look back at him. Everyone else had halted as well and yet he didn't even notice.

"Y-You're the Maou?" he stuttered. "You're the King?"

For a moment, Yuuri's eyes wouldn't look at him. They shifted and he just knew that the maroon-haired boy was looking at Conrad instead. Then they were back on him again and he nodded. "Yeah, I am," he started, "but we didn't know how you would take it after every-"

"Shut up," he said and Yuuri did. He didn't even bother glaring at him. He didn't even want to look at him, let along cast an angry stare. He did not know why he had not seen such a thing coming. No, Yuuri had never said he was not the Maou, but Wolf fully believed that it was something important that was kept from him. And he did not believe it was the only thing. But why does it affect me in this way? the blond asked himself. Why do I feel so empty, now? Am I not used to be deceived?

The group stood still not moving until Conrad lightly snapped his reins and clicked his tongue, signaling his horse to move. Yuuri motioned his next and then the soldiers others followed.

Wolf was able to catch the expression on Greta's face as their horse moved along next to him. It was obvious that she felt guilty. How was she to know that they had been keeping things from him? She was only a child. Yuuri's head was tilted downwards, tipped towards the little girl's shoulder, blocked so that he could not see his expression. She looked up at him, her eyes searching for something-forgiveness?-and he shook his head, smiling at her in a way that was obviously forced but still genuine. It seemed as if he didn't want her to feel like she had done something wrong.

She didn't do anything wrong, Wolf thought. You did.

No conversation was made, the assembly moving in complete silence save for the sound of the horses hooves and the group beneath them. Wolf let his eyes wander, taking in the foliage around them. The trail was a straight line to the city before them, but on both sides they were deterred by forestry.

The initiative came then. The need, the want, the demand to get as far away as possible and hope that they couldn't catch him. Slowly, he removed his hands from Conrad's waist and casually titled to the side. Just as he was about to take a quick dive, he felt a hand around his right wrist. A strong, firm hand that was obviously not letting him go.

Conrad did not even look back at him. He simply waited until he reseated himself and set him hand back around the man's waist to let go. Yes, he was a prisoner here with these people, these Mazoku.

I had more freedom as a slave, he thought bitterly. What path have I chosen for myself?