Okay, I know it has been a while, but I had a lot of bad luck (deleted stories, lost flashdrive, broken glasses) and all of my Exams for the first part of the semester. But here it is! And one month since my last update (give or take a few days) and I warn people now, if you're emotional person you might want tissue nearby.

Title: Into the Indefinite Sky
Anime: Kyou Kara Maou
Genre: AU, Angst/Drama, Romance
Pairing: YuurixWolfram
Rating: M (R)
Chapter: 19 of ?
Warnings: Angst, NCS (referenced/implied), AU, OOC Wolfram, possibly OOC everyone else, Mpreg
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…

Chapter 19 - Betrayal

Drifting. That's how he felt when he first began to feel a sense of 'self' again. It was as if his body was floating a tub of thick bubbles, surrounded by white foam that blocked his vision, only to be submerged with distorted clarity. That was what it felt like when he awoke, as if he was being submerged, even though he was becoming more aware. His body felt heavy and his eyes barely opened.

There was someone beside him. He was not sure who, but they touched his brow and their fingers were warm. Was he cold? His body wasn't shivering, although his chest felt weighed down, as if he was lying under a boulder…or Adelbert von Grantz.

"It's all right," a voice told him. Feminine, silky, and reassuring. "Just rest. You'll feel much better next time you wake up."

He wanted to say something, but his throat was too dry. Vision was diluted, fuzzy. He turned his eyes to the left and thought he saw green staring back at him. He couldn't be sure. He tried to focus, but he was already drifting in the bubbles again…

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The next time he awoke it was with much more coherence. His body felt fatigued, but not the weighty exhaustion of before. He was lying beneath a thick wool blanket and pillows were propped around him. It seemed as if they were to soften his movement, or prevent it all together. Wolf frowned and slowly pushed himself up with his arms, scooting backwards so that the large amount of pillows that lay him supported his back. He wasn't in pain, which was something he noticed as he resituated himself, but he was so tired that the simple act of sit up left him feeling breathless.

What's wrong with me?

The door had opened just as he was finally comfortable and he wasn't shocked to see Cheri-sama poking her head through the opening.

"Oh, wonderful!" she exclaimed. "You're awake!" She then pushed the door open more so that she could enter, but then shut it behind herself.

Wolf opened his mouth to speak, only to then realize just how parched his throat was. A brief squeak was all that he managed before coughing. Cheri-sama hurried to his side where she poured a glass of water from the pitcher on his nightstand and then helped him drink it, because it seemed his own hands could not grasp it well enough. He drank down half of the tall glass before she pulled it away and set it back on the stand.

"What… What happened?" he asked her. "Something went wrong." He allowed a hand to trail down to his stomach, which was still flat and toned from his training regimen. "I… I don't feel any different… I… I remember something went wrong…"

"The potion tried to kill you," she told her. The way she said it was so blunt and honest that he blinked at her. He had never heard her speak in such a way.

"We were too late?"

"Not really," she said. "But I told you that it was dangerous to begin with."

"And Gisela was able to save me…?" He sighed, head falling to the side and his eyes closing. He was so tired.

"Yes, she was able to save you…and the baby."

Wolf's head jerked upward, eyes wide, fatigue momentarily forgotten. He could not have just heard… No, there was no way that even after all that he had done…

"She…did what?" he asked.

Cheri-sama nodded, repeating the words he did not want to hear. "She saved both of you. She had no choice. It was either save you both or lose both of you. I made the decision."

"You…?" the blonde boy stared at her. It seemed as if the woman he was looking at was not really Cheri-sama. This person couldn't be the woman who had stood by him and supported him, listening to him, holding him while he cried… No, she understood. Cheri-sama knew how he felt and why he felt as he did. She wouldn't…

"How could you?" His voice was shaky, his body trembling all over with the shock of what had been done to him. They had taken away his choice.

The blonde woman stared at him with a sympathetic look in her eyes. Had he any less control of himself, he might have struck her for that stare alone. There was empathy in her gaze, but no apology. She seemed upset that he was hurting, but she did not regret causing that pain.

"Why?" he asked her. "Did you not think that I might prefer death to this?"

Cheri-sama shook her head. "I knew you wouldn't," she explained. "Even though right now you're thinking that you would have been better off, I know you don't want to die. You have so much of your life left… You don't want to throw it away."

"Throw it away?" he repeated, tone incredulous. "My life is ruined. This was my last chance for freedom!"

"No!" Cheri-sama grabbed his hands, which were clenched so tightly into fists that he was on the verge of drawing blood. "Don't you see? You are so strong. Even though you try to fight against that which is your strength. The reason why the potion didn't work was because you didn't want to get rid of the child."

He pushed her away, wrenching his hands from his tender grip and glared at her with as much force as he could muster. "Are you mad!" he demanded. "Of course I want this…it gone! That was why I took the potion!"

"You resolve wasn't as strong as you make it out to be," she replied.

"How would you know? What would you know of my resolve?" he asked spitefully.

"Because if you had truly wanted to be rid of the child it would be gone, the potion would have worked," she told him.

Wolf stared at her, not understanding her words. "What do you mean?" he asked, his tone more confused that angry at the moment.

Cheri-sama sighed, running a hand through her bangs before reaching out to do the same to Wolf, who pulled away instantly. Catching the issue, she pulled her hand back. "I'm sorry," she said. "I forgot to ask."

"It doesn't matter," he shook his head. "Now tell me what you meant."

She took in a deep, calming breath, as if steadying herself for whatever she was about to say. The fact that she actually needed to fortify herself was abnormal and made Wolf even more unsettled. It made him question whether or not he truly wanted to know. I have to know! He told himself. There is something she had been hiding from me and I have to know what!

"I told you that the potion uses the Maryoku your body is providing the child and uses it to…destroy the fetus," she said. "But while it does do that, the truth is that the potion can only do so if your body wills it to. Normally, if a woman, Mazoku or Human, does have an unwanted pregnancy, they make themselves sick from the force of just how badly they want the child gone and therefore lose the child because of their illness, a miscarriage. With male Mazoku this is impossible after a certain amount of time because their bodies cannot abort on its own. Should that happen both the child and the carrier would die. The potion acts as a reactor, but your body is the catalyst. The carrier wants the child gone completely and so the potion makes your body believe that the fetus doesn't belong, your Maryoku breaking it down into nothing. If your body does not recognize the fetus as such…the potion will disrupt your Maryoku completely and cause it to attack your entire body. Everything will become an enemy."

Wolf slowly took in this information. It's my fault? He thought. How can that be?

After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke, "So…you're saying that my body tried to kill itself…because I didn't want it gone enough?"

"I'm saying that while you may have wanted it gone, you would never willingly hurt another being. You eat meat, but I doubt you could ever kill a beast yourself. You hate the masters that hurt you and I know that might want them to suffer, but could you ever do it by your own hand? I don't believe so. You're just not that type of person. And while you might have wanted this pregnancy to go away more than anything, you never actually wanted to hurt the child. The longer you waited; the more doubts you had. Wolf, the truth is, that I truly believe you might-"

"Get out."

He would not let her finish, he would not listen to her any longer. He wanted her gone. He wanted solitude and turned on his side to project this desire. Cheri-sama seemed to understand at least that much as she stood and moved away from him.

"I shall have dinner brought up to you," she said.

"I'm not hungry so don't bother the kitchen with it."

"Yes, Wolf," she gave a small nodded, opening the door and shutting behind herself when she was gone.

Alone, the daylight slowly dying outside his windows, Wolf curled in on himself, wrapping his arms around his knees as a meager protection from the outside world…and his own turbulent thoughts.

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No one bothered him for hours, and he was thankful for the small courtesy. He spent what seemed like hours thinking, although the questions he asked himself were ones that he did not want to answer and so he spent the time pondering and trying to ignore the very thoughts that entered his mind. A cycle of doubts, disbelief, self-recrimination, and confusion. After hours of this internal rally, he fell into a fitful doze and was not awakened until hours later-well after dark had settled over the land-when a knock on the door caused him to startle awake from his restless slumber.

He ignored it until he heard the call of a small voice from the other side. Greta. Even though his rest had been troubled, his body felt less strained-the fever he had presumed had assailed him that afternoon was gone-and so it he was not drained by the simple act of sitting up.

"Come in!" he beckoned and the door was pushed opened. A small figure rushed forward on quick feet, leaping onto the bed and into his shocked arms.

"Don't die!"

His looked down at the child curled up in his arms, body shaking and his shirt soaking up the tears that were suddenly streaking down her cheeks.

"Gr-Greta…?"

"Please don't die!" she repeated, voice desperate, but softer. "You can't die Wolf!"

"Oh Shinou…" Cheri-sama was there, standing at the foot of his bed, obviously the one that had accompanied Greta on her visit.

"What is wrong?" he asked. "Why is she…?"

"Don't leave me, Wolf," Greta implored. "You can't leave me too! I don't want to be alone again!"

He understood then, at least part of the reason for her behavior. He wrapped his arms gently around her and allowed her to snuggle into his body, hands still tightly clinging. After a while her tears began to fade, although her body still shook with intakes of breaths. Slowly, she slid down his body, although still cradled by it as she curled up. It seemed that it was all right to continue.

"What is wrong, Greta?" he asked her. "I've only been sick with the flu or some other small virus. I should be perfectly fine tomorrow."

"That's what Momma said," Greta frowned, head lying in his lap. "Momma got sick and she kept saying 'I'll be fine tomorrow,' but then she wasn't and she couldn't get up anymore. Momma was gone… And everything went bad and soon Poppa was gone and I was alone. They sent me away to live with Uncle, but he was mean and didn't like me and Auntie was always saying bad thing's about Momma. I hated it there! Hube helped me get away and Yuuri-Papa took me in and everyone was really nice, too, but Wolf is like my other Daddy and I don't want to lose you, too! Everybody else is already gone!"

Wolf didn't know what to say. Tears were falling from the caramel-haired child's eyes again, although no longer with the heart-wrenching sobs that had shaken her small frame. What could he say to ease her fears? She was begging him to stay when he so wanted to leave. She was begging to attention, affection, and companionship…all of the things that he himself had begged for those first few months during his slavery. He understood what it meant to lose everything… How could he lie to her and say it would get better when he knew that it would only get worse first? Yuuri was never going to stay only in Shin Makoku…and one day he might never return from his other world. When she grew up she would have to leave, return to her homeland and lose all the people who cared for her. Would she forgive him when she discovered how many falsities he had spoken? Could he even say them? How could he not when her eyes stared up at him with so much hope that he would be the one to provide the stability she so needed? Was there any other choice?

"Greta…" he spoke softly, bringing his hand up to pet her head as Cheri-sama often did to him. "Even when the people you care for are not close enough for you to see them, they still love you and that is something that will never be changed. They might not be there physically, but you will never be alone. I promise you that."

"So you won't go away?" Greta asked. "You'll stay with me?"

This was a question he did not want to answer. It was a trapped that was laid so cleverly and unknowingly by a small child who did not understand that oath she was seeking. She wanted assurance that he was not sure he could give. The one thing he did not know if he could promise her.

"Greta…" he did not know how to answer her.

"I can't lose you, too," she repeated. "Yuuri-Papa is gone so much because he has family and his momma and papa miss him. Conrad is gone too and Hube has his family. And now Gwendal has started leaving!" She clenched her tiny fist. "Everyone is leaving." She let out a deep sigh, something so old and wise for one so small and young. "I know I'm not supposed to be a big girl, I know everyone has stuff their supposed to do and people they love that miss them… But…I miss them, too…" She then stared at him directly, brown eyes taking him in so effortlessly. "I'd miss you, too, Wolf…and you're my family like Yuuri-Papa and Conrad and Gwendal and Hube…so please don't go away."

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It was some time later that he lay there, small child curled up at his side and her hand still clenched in his nightshirt. She had refused to leave and he had not the heart to make her. Not after she had poured every hidden fear she'd kept inside of her-For the sake of appearing strong and more grown for everyone else, he thought angrily-before him. And so he had allowed her to settle next to him and fall into an appeased slumber, mind soothed by the words he had given.

"I cannot say that I will never leave you, but I will never do it of my own free will. And even then I will always find a way back to you."

There were not the words he had intended so speak, but they were the ones that had flowed from his lips. And Greta had accepted that. While still somewhat upset, his promise had calmed her greatly and that was when she had asked if she could sleep with him that night, a common occurrence. He had agreed and so they were as they were, one gently slumbering while the other watched over her. And Wolf had not forgotten the one who watched over him.

"You knew," he said. "You knew what she would ask and you knew I would agree. You laid a trap that you knew I would walk into with eyes wide open." He turned to look into green eyes identical to his own and couldn't even garner the strength to glare, so drained was he emotionally. "You used her. Cecelie von Spitzweg, I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive you."

Her eyes were wide, filled with disbelief. Did she think that he could let what she had done go? Coaxing an oath to remain in Shin Makoku from him was something she had done once before-if by her lingering words alone-but this time she had used Greta. He knew why Greta had come to him, knew that she had probably 'overheard' words about his 'illness' and other things that were 'unknowingly' spoken while the child was in range. He did not know who else was possibly in on this plot, but he hoped it was not Gisela because she was his only remaining confidante. When wondering at how she could have possibly guessed at his plans, his hands ran over the wool blanket, which he then realized had been in his closet, right beneath the traveling sack filled with clothes and other essentials. Then it was all made clear.

Perhaps Cheri-sama had known he would be angry, but simply not the magnitude of his rage towards her act. How could she not possibly know? First interfering with his attempted termination of his unwanted misfortune...and then Greta…the only person he would remain in Shin Makoku for.

"…Wolf is like my other Daddy…you're my family…"

If not for the other occupants in his room, he would have started crying himself. The exact reasons, he did not want to delve into.

Cheri-sama moved closer. "Wolf…you don't understand…"

"Leave, Lady von Spitzweg," he told her, tone calm and deliberate. "If I wish to speak with you any time in the future I will ask someone else to inform you, but at this time I believe it would be best if you were to go. Goodnight, milady."

She stood there for a moment, as if not comprehending his words. She backed way then, eyes still trained on his own, unable to accept the decisive dismissal there. She stopped by the door, turning back as if to speak, only to stop herself at the last moment. She was gone with an almost inaudible click of the door shutting and Wolf refused to think of the hitched breath he could not have possibly heard. Too many crimes had been committed in one day for there to have been any guilt. Just as that afternoon, he knew not the person who had entered his room, for it couldn't possibly have been the cheerful, caring woman that had been so willing to accept and support him these past months.

Or perhaps…this is the true her…everything was done for her own benefit… Is it possible that all of it was a lie?

Yeah, this was my decision for it should all come about. Why? Because like I said, I hate getting rid of great plot devices. And it IS a great plot device. The first part of the chapter was meant to be confusing, although everything afterwards pretty much wrote itself. I took some liberties on Greta's past, as we really don't know much about it, and if you think Cheri-sama is OOC, think about Episode 2. Any other questions, just ask. Tell me what you liked, didn't like, and all that.