BloodyPinkRose - Heya!! Another update, sorry it took so long I came back from another holiday two days ago and I had a block and couldn't bear to write but then today happened ... it's two in the morning and I cannot go to sleep till six joy! The house alarm is broken and every half an hour I have to put the code in or else it'll go off and wake the neighbourhood as much as I want to let everyone suffer I can't be selfish, so I have to wait until my step dad wakes at six till I can go to sleep which may mean you might get another chapter in since I'm working on chapter twelve to keep me awake. Well enjoy, I DONT OWN KKM

Chapter eleven: waltz of little lost boys

Murata sighed and gently stroked Shinou's blonde head, the Original King was fast asleep, his head resting lightly against the slightly bumped stomach of the pregnant double black. Murata hated to say it but even he could tell Shinou was getting weaker.

Either that or he was letting things get to him that he shouldn't. Before the blonde was always seen wearing a smile and joking around now there were a few times when he just seemed to be floating around not aware of what was going on around him; trapped in his thoughts.

He found it strange that they hadn't heard from Yuudai, it had been a month and everything had been silent. Shinou had seemed to be distressed when Cheri, Greta and Ulrike had suddenly turned up one day looking as confused as ever.

Carefully moving silently he moved Shinou and crept out of bed; he didn't know what was happening but he had to see Yuudai, he had to understand what was happening. He scribbled a quick note in his elegant scrawl before walking out.

As soon as the door closed Shinou's blue eyes opened half lidded, he stared into space blankly and sighed. He was getting weaker but he wouldn't give in to this, he wouldn't continue as he was. Everyone was worried for him.

He knew it, he could sense as they skittered around him as if worried that he would break should they even send one look at him, sure he wasn't helping their ideas by being in such deep thoughts but he had to plan for after his death if they didn't find a way to save him.

He wouldn't worry his sweet Azalea anymore, he pushed himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed the note. Reading it he smiled and shook his head, he stood up and allowed the paper to flutter to the bed.

'Oh Azalea' he thoughts absently as he walked over to the large window looking up at the lowing sun, he sighed when he heard the paper crunch slightly as it hit the bed, he pulled on his shirt and left the room.

The paper left on the bed forgotten but the message had hit home hard.

' … I won't let you die Shinou, I will save you! … '

Yuudai lay on his stomach limply on his bed, the covers slid off his slightly curvy bare waist. His odd coloured eyes stared ahead blankly as his head rested on his arms. Were they to be doomed this time?

Yuudai could feel the darkness looming over them all, their father was so much stronger this time, he was gathering forces of the undead. Yuudai couldn't tell his brother, couldn't even face him to tell him that his father had managed to steal some of his powers.

The man had been wakening the forces of the dead and he wasn't stopping, he was moving from battlefield to battlefield, it was by some small mercy that word hadn't reached the castle that villages far away were being massacred.

"Was this what you meant when you died?" he mused to himself out loud.

"Why did you hate me my sun, my Haru?" he whispered closing his eyes softly to try and will the tears away.

Puca stood by the door and looked at her melancholy master sadly; she had been the last gift her creator had given her master before he died. The death of Haru had tipped Yuudai off the edge of his barely hanging sanity.

"Well why don't you know where it is!?" Murata snapped at the head priestess and she looked at him in annoyance, she was normally one that knew her place and those socially above her but she was tired of being pushed around now.

She wasn't going to stand from it, not from Shinou, not from Yuudai and especially not from Daikenja! She was going to make sure he realised it if he didn't back off and find his information from somewhere else.

"I cannot tell you because I don't know and even if I did do you really think that Yuudai wouldn't have a spell so that people that had been in his lair couldn't find their way back after he banished them?" she asked shortly

Murata scowled not liking her tone whilst he was running on such a short fuse,

"You have communication with the fates, you must know! I know that you know so why don't you just tell me!" he demanded angrily and Ulrike stamped her foot in frustration, why couldn't he understand.

"I am not Shinou, I do not mess and manipulate the fates to my will, I refuse to risk my life and favour to the fates by doing so! If you want to know where Yuudai is then why don't you go and find out for yourself instead of asking for help, you have the knowledge you just aren't using it!" she shrieked

Murata stood still like he had been slapped around the face, the pale haired priestess's voice echoed around the room. Ulrike clasped a hand on her mouth in shame; she couldn't believe she had just said all of that to him.

Murata ignored the watering of his eyes and turned around to leave, he was too sickened to even look at her,

"Shinou may not be the most perfect person but everything that he has done has always been to the benefit of others. Now he is suffering and for what?! For helping his people as they cry out for him, I refuse to sit here and do nothing while watching him slowly die for the goodness he did for others" he spat sadly

Ulrike reached out to comfort him but stopped half way; she didn't have the right to be anywhere near him after what she had done to him, what she had said to him. She sniffed slightly and wiped her eyes as the tears fell.

"At least I know where you stand in all of this and know that if Shinou dies, I will never forgive you" he whispered before he left the room, his head held high despite the fact his heart was still hurting terribly from her words.

Gwendal paused his writing and turned to look outside, an unsettling feeling was clouding his mind, something was coming and he didn't know what it was but that they needed to be ready. The three possible people that knew weren't talking.

He rubbed his left eye and placed his head in his hands for a brief moment.

"Gwendal?" Gunter rushed over in concern when he saw his lover's head cupped in his hands. He carefully placed the tea he brought onto the large desk and manoeuvred round to grasp Gwendal's tanned hands.

"Is everything alright?" he asked pulling the brunette into his arms still concerned over his strange behaviour. Gwendal pulled away after a few moments of silence in Gunter's arms, he hated to admit but he liked it when Gunter sometimes took control.

"Do you feel it?" he asked curiously as he turned to look out into the skies, he wanted to know if anyone else felt what he was feeling. Gunter followed his gaze and frowned when he felt the same strange feeling he had been getting randomly whenever he looked outside.

"Yes, something is happening out there" he replied seriously and Gwendal nodded and turned to look at him.

"We need to prepare for battle, I do not know what the feeling is but it is coming here and unless we are ready I believe we may be in trouble" he mused to himself and Gunter smiled cheerfully and hugged the commander.

"Don't worry Gwen, I'll protect you" he chirped and Gwendal pushed him away with a scowl,

"Do you forgot who is the dominant here?" he questioned irritated and Gunter smirked mischievously.

"Do you not remember that time when I saved your life from Yuudai and made sweet love to you?" he asked innocently and Gwendal blushed and looked away frowning.

"That was a one time thing" he muttered and Gunter giggled

How he loved getting under Gwendal's skin and he knew that secretly Gwendal loved it too.

The two lay together on the large bed in the Maoh chambers, a month may not seem long to some but during that time, the two had become very close. The people had since known of their engagement but they had told the people at that time they weren't ready for marriage.

Wolfram didn't want to be the first to admit it but he was ready, he was ready to tie the knot. Shinou had said that they needed to do it soon and maybe if the situation was different he wouldn't have said he was.

However whenever he thought of being married to Yuuri the feeling just felt so right and he wanted to be married to him. It wasn't to do with the power or anything like that; he just wanted to have an excuse to stay by Yuuri's side.

"I'm ready" he muttered to the reading double black ruler.

Yuuri looked over the book at Wolfram who was using his lap as a pillow whilst reading a book of his own choice. He didn't understand what the blonde was talking about; they hadn't been talking so he didn't know of what he was talking.

"Ready? Ready what?" he asked blinking as he put the book to one side, if there was one thing he had learnt during their month dating it was that Wolfram needed to feel like he was being listened to.

He needed the person he was communicating with to look at him while he spoke. He needed to know that he had the other person's full attention or else he lost confidence in what he was saying and tended to shout a lot.

Wolfram blushed and looked to one side,

"I'm ready to get married" he replied and Yuuri's eyes lit up, if he was serious with himself, he had been ready to get married for a while. Since before Shinou had come back, he had just been in denial with the fact that Wolfram was a male.

But not anymore, he had learnt that you could love anyone no matter the gender and he loved Wolfram very much, it was easier that in their world it was more common for same sex relationships.

"This is great!" Yuuri grinned grabbing Wolfram into a tight hug, the blonde blushed bright and struggled to free himself, he didn't know what he had been expecting but for the brunette to seem so happy.

"But I won't wear a white dress" he began again once Yuuri had let go of him. The Maoh looked confused, was it the whole idea of the dress that the blonde was still mad about or was it something else?

"I guess if it would make you happy I don't mind about the whole dress idea but I can't wear a white dress, if you think about it Murata is over one month pregnant and he is showing now, it may be little but it is noticeable" he continued once realising that Yuuri wasn't going to say anything.

"I don't understand what that has to do with not wearing a white dress" Yuuri replied back slowly still trying to find where he was concerned.

"The white dress shows that the bride is a virgin, I have to pretend I'm showing. Do you see? How can I be a virgin and be pregnant. I will wear a dress but not a white one, if its off white or cream I won't mind but I will not deceive our people" he explained.

Yuuri's eyes lit up as he gained understanding but he had to bite his tongue to make sure he didn't tell the blonde that they were in fact still deceiving their people because Wolfram wasn't pregnant; when he realised that Wolfram was probably fry his ass he decided to keep quiet.

"When should we tell everyone?"

Yuudai didn't want to move yet, he hadn't moved for a good six hours since he had woken up but there was a persistent bug that kept calling his name and true to the fact that necromancers were often known as or called demons when their name was directly spoken they knew.

"Puca would you see to that for me?" he mumbled before closing his eyes again. The pink creature reluctantly nodding though whined her reluctance at leaving the melancholy sorcerer to his own devices.

Yuudai wasn't exactly self loving.

In fact ever since Haru and his hurtful words, Yuudai hated himself and from then had lived for his brother once more. When he had first met Haru, his sun had taught him how to live for himself but he changed and became hurtful.

Puca didn't want to know what would have happened had Yuudai never had a brother, the male would have destroyed himself thinking that what Haru had said was right and that the world would be a better place without him.

Puca bashed into something hard but at the same time squishy and was knocked to the ground, she cooed in hurt before looking up.

Murata narrowed his eyes at the strange pink thing before it clicked that he had seen it before, it was that thing that had been with Yuudai the day he stole Cheri and Greta away. He picked it up and looked it in the eye.

He was done being nice, he was tired and his feet hurt but he wouldn't give up until he found the answers he was looking for.

"Where is he pinkie?!" he demanded, the little thing tittered at him angrily at the insult and he shook it a little, "I'm going to put you down, take me to him or I'll shake the living daylights out of you" Murata continued to threaten.

Puca meep-ed and ran back the way she came, this was one man on a mission and she certainly wasn't going to get in the way. At the same time it might be good for her master to see someone he knew while he was in one of his depressions.

Murata nodded and smiled to himself.

He didn't need that stupid priestess, he had found the way all by himself despite the fact that much of it he had spent riding around outside the castle and randomly shouting the sorcerer's name in annoyance whilst speaking many profanities.

"What a surprise"

Murata noticed that Yuudai didn't seem very surprised, in fact his voice had been very flat. The multi hair coloured male was lying on his stomach in bed with his thin covers slipping off his waist.

Murata didn't understand how he could still be in bed when it was near the end of the day.

"Welcome Daikenja, what brings you to my home?" Yuudai asked and the double black frowned, something was wrong with him. He really reminded him of Shinou recently when he was in one of his spaced out moods.

"Is something wrong" he asked and Yuudai sat up with a sigh tying the thin covers around his waist as he stood before they slipped to the floor, he walked up to Murata and stared him right in the face, his blue and red eyes focusing on him so hard that they crossed.

"Why are you here? Coming here when you are pregnant is not a good idea, using your Majutsu while you are in this state is dangerous when you are with child and you aren't with one but four. You are defenceless if attacked in these lands" he whispered before moving away.

Murata watched him as he walked over to a cupboard holding a strange shaped goblet; he poured an amber liquid into it before he took a sip and moved to sit on the bed. Murata was sure there was something wrong, the other male was drinking.

"I came here concerning your twin and I need your help" he replied

Yuudai sighed

"I cannot help you as I am"

Murata slammed his fist on the wall angrily, he was sick of hearing that phrase, he wasn't asking for the impossible, he just wanted help even if there was just a bit of information someone knew he would take that.

"Don't tell me that!" he snapped angrily, his shoulders tense.

Yuudai blinked confused he didn't understand.

"If I hear one person say how they can't help Shinou one more time there will be trouble, there has to be someone that can help him, I cannot lose him! Not now when I just got him back; I am in love with your brother and I always have, I won't stand by and watch him die before me again!" he yelled.

Yuudai sighed again,

"You misunderstand, it is not that I don't want to help, I would do anything for my brother but I cannot because he is either going to die or I will. Until we have done what we need to here either one of us will die. I plan on dying to save him but if he is weakening so much I may not be able to" he explained.

Murata's eyes widened,

"I know that nothing is written in stone and the fates can change but at the most I can slow down the time at which we will lose him or I can create a blood bond between the two of us and we can share Majutsu to keep him going longer, apart from that there is nothing to be done" he continued.

Murata slipped to the floor as the colour drained from his face, the reality that he could be losing Shinou again hurt him terribly. "WHY! I don't understand why this has to happen to him! What did he do wrong?" he cried loudly pulling his arms over his head and kneeling on the floor.

Yuudai looked down at him with a face of indifference.

"He hasn't done anything but that is just it, the world isn't fair and the good people aren't always rewarded. My brother and I knew this would eventually happen to us right from when we were just little children. My brother knew he would get very sick and would die unless I could save him and I knew that I would die if I decided to save him. We didn't have to understand, we still don't have to understand but we have to accept it because either way it will still happen"

Murata looked up through his tears, "Why can you be so accepting?! So indifferent about it?"

Yuudai shrugged,

"If I were to break down every time I realised how unfair it was, that wouldn't solve anything. One of us if not both of us will still die. Crying and whining will do nothing but make us feel worse. My brother keeps up the charade of being happy because if he dies he wants people to remember him as a happy person not someone that wasted his life moping because he was going to die, that is no way for one to spend what little they have left."

"You are a sorcerer why don't you do something?" Murata pleaded, he was desperate he just needed something. Some hope to hang on to that he wouldn't be left alone once his children were taken away.

Yuudai slapped him hard, an angry expression on his face.

"Would you get a grip?! What right do you have to be like this, you aren't the one dying! You should be with my brother enjoying what is left of his life not crying all over me!" he hissed trying to hold his own tears back.

Watching such a strong person break down like this, was like watching himself when Haru was dying and the things he was saying were much like Haru said to him. He wouldn't let Murata make the same mistakes he did.

No one should go through what he went through.

Murata looked at him shocked before he seemed to get hold of himself and looked down embarrassed by his out of character behaviour. "I apologise I don't know what I was thinking" he stated calmly.

Yuudai chuckled,

"You are desperate I understand, you are much like myself as strange and hard that may be to believe for you" he smiled softly and Murata looked up in question, it was strange and hard to believe.

"I don't understand?"

"Don't expect you to" was the closed reply.

A dawning of understanding hit him, could it be that someone that Yuudai had loved dearly had died too and he had gone around begging for help only to be turned away and told that he couldn't be helped.

"Will you tell me … will you tell me what happened to your lover?" Murata asked softly and Yuudai looked at him surprised that he had picked up that something similar that had happened had to do with a lover rather than a family member or something.

"I haven't, I haven't told anyone about Haru before" he muttered nervously

Murata stood up and smiled reassuringly catching the nervous feeling from the other, "Well maybe it is about time you told someone about it. Then maybe you can move on and leave this place and join your family. Shinou, he wants you with him back at the castle"

Yuudai nodded shyly and sat on his large circular bed, beckoning for the double black to join him, he wasn't sure he was ready to tell anyone about his sun but maybe, just maybe by telling someone he would be able to forgive Haru.

And maybe forgive himself too.