A/N: Hello all! I've been stuck in a place without Internet for a few days... so I didn't get to work on this. Also tons of work on our campus paper. So... sorry, sorry, this was later than I intended. But it's partly because I'm trying to revise it for a better ending.

So... I'm finally explaining the Shinou x Murata side of this story! Hooray! It's long overdue. I've been dying to write about it for a while. Like I've already said, I haven't watched the anime in full, which is why it may not exactly match the original plot.

But in any case, thank you to everyone who reviewed! This chapter is for starlight2005, whose birthday is coming up. I'll try to update in time for her birthday! But this author's note is dragging on (as usual, since I love to chatter), so without futher ado, I present to you all Chapter Seven.

Chapter Seven: In Demon Dreams, on the Earthly Plane, a King Descends

"We aren't really asking for all that much, considering that we have you completely in our power. In fact, we're being a little too reasonable, according to my companions. But never mind," Devon said. "The first condition is that the Demon Kingdom is surrendered to us."

"Never!"

"Can you really keep protesting that way even in the face of Lord von Bielefeld's agony?"

Wolfram glared at him. Even when he was incapacitated, he had quite the scowl. "Don't you dare drag me into this!" he hissed, suddenly gaining new energy. "Don't worry, Yuuri, I'm just fine!"

But Yuuri only flinched and paled. "What other conditions?"

"The second is that you and the Great Sage will return to your world, swearing a vow on Shinou's temple that neither of you will come back. As your Great Sage ought to know, if a vow on Shinou's temple is broken, that person will bring great calamity to those who are closest to them."

"What? No!" Wolfram said, sudden horror compounding his migraine. "You can't leave!" By now, he had realized that he couldn't live a life without Yuuri or Murata. "I… I'll follow…"

"No, you can't," Devon said, his cheeks suddenly coloring a brilliant fuchsia.

"Why not?"

"The last condition is that you remain here and marry me."

"NO WAY!" Yuuri yelled.

Wolfram's face flushed. "I would rather die!"

"Prince Wolfram, think about how beneficial it would be. We want to rule the Demon Kingdom, but even we realize that the people would not wholly accept us. Therefore what would be more natural than to have you as consort? That way you could represent the interests of your people."

"Idiot!"

"And I have to admit that you're extremely attractive," he said, looking away.

Yuuri stepped in. "Get out."

Devon raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think that you can eat with your hands tied behind your back?"

"I'd rather try than listen to you prattle on for another moment."

The former cadet sighed. "I was hoping to loosen your ropes for now, but it seems that you don't want me to…"

Yuuri's eyes widened. "Our ropes?"

"Yes, yours and Prince Wolfram's. But it seems that you don't want me to, so…"

Wolfram held out his hands. "Cadet…"

"It's just Devon, Prince Wolfram. I'm not your cadet anymore." He carefully attached another rope to Wolfram's upper arm and then knotted it around the bars, and then untied the ones around his wrist. "That should hold you."

Wolfram's eyes were swimming with tears by the time Devon had finished this process. He had to move closer to the bars, and it was agony, not to mention the new rope around his elbow. He was only glad that the cloth of his jacket protected him to some extent. And at any rate, it was much better than feeling those awful stones digging into his skin.

"Wolfram!" Yuuri said in horror, staring at the marks on Wolfram's delicate wrists. It was as though they had been burned and cut to the bone. Wolfram just shuddered and pulled his sleeves lower down to hide them.

"Let me heal them," Yuuri said, straining to reach through the bars to Wolfram, the tips of his fingers just barely brushing against Wolfram's cage.

"Please don't make me have to move you into another room," Devon advised him, pulling his arm back. "You're not allowed to do that."

"I would actually prefer it if you were elsewhere, Yuuri," Wolfram said, gulping down his nausea at the stew's savory aroma. Yuuri and Devon were both right, much as he hated to admit it; he had to eat.

Devon raised an eyebrow. "Well, that could be arranged," he said, a hopeful note evident in his voice.

"No way," Yuuri said, folding his arm across his chest and glaring at him.

"Would you two stop fighting already?" Wolfram asked them, irate. "The only reason I suggested it was because I don't want you to see me looking this way."

Yuuri frowned. "But I'd worry about you all the same, whether I was here with you or not."

"And because it's obviously a ploy on their part; if you see me in this condition, there's a bigger chance that you'll agree to their terms."

Devon shrugged. "Hey, whatever works, right?"

"That's foul play," Yuuri complained.

"All's fair in love and war. And this definitely falls into either of the two categories."

Wolfram just turned away, leaving them bickering with each other. He took an experimental taste of the stew and felt his stomach turn. It was good, but he was in no condition to eat. Quickly he covered his mouth.

"Wolf?" Yuuri asked, concerned.

Devon held a glass of water to his lips through the bars, although he almost jerked his hand away when his skin touched the cage. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he was human, not demon. "Here."

Even like this, Wolfram felt a slight rush of gratitude. Devon could easily have treated him poorly, had he chosen to—instead, he was treating them reasonably well. Shinou knew that if Devon had been his prisoner, he would have chosen a thwack on the head and the traditional thumbscrews.

"Thank you," he mumbled as he took a tentative sip, followed by another and another. After a while, his stomach seemed to settle and he heaved a sigh.

"Can you eat now?" Devon asked him solicitously.

"I think so." He took a tiny bite of the stew and managed to swallow it.

"I'll leave your food here for now. I'll return in half an hour to retrieve the plates and things." Devon glanced at Yuuri. "Think over the terms well, demon king. They could spell life or death for Lord von Bielefeld."

The former cadet entered the room with a weary sigh. He flinched at the hand that grabbed his shoulder. "Devon? So what happened?"

"Oh, Dylan," he said, dropping his head. "It's… I don't know what's going to happen. Lord von Bielefeld can be very stubborn at times, and he's not about to let the king agree. Still, I'm sure that the king will give in soon. Lord von Bielefeld has his limits. The esoteric stones made sure of that. King Yuuri will have to give us his agreement at some point."

"Get it soon," the man emphasized, towering over him. "Slit that pretty little blond's throat if you have to."

"We can't do that!"

"And why not? I don't mean do it now. I said 'if you have to'. Only as a last resort. Or are you averse to the thought?"

Devon shrank away from him. "I know, I know," he whispered, looking away. "Whatever it takes."

"Now isn't the time to be soft," Dylan reminded the half-human. "We're so close to reaching our goal. You could be king. We've been working for years to defeat the demon kingdom, and this is the nearest we've ever gotten."

"You don't have to keep reminding me. I'm already well aware of all those facts," Devon said.

"Then why are you still hesitating?" the human boomed out, loud enough for everyone else to hear.

One of the others, a dark-haired man younger than most, sidled over to their side. "It's okay, Devon," he said. He looked sharply at Dylan. "Don't pester him so much. Devon has a lot on his shoulders right now, and you don't have to add to all that."

"Thanks, Alain," Devon mumbled, looking down at his feet. It was so much easier to bluster about defeating the demons when he was in front of Wolfram or Yuuri. Alone, or in the face of his companions, he found it much, much more difficult not to doubt himself. Alain was the dangerous one. He could make anyone do anything, without them even knowing. "I just—"

"You simply don't want to kill anyone. Well, that's reasonable," he said. "Blood is to be avoided at all costs, whether demon or human." He ignored the glares and surprised looks sent his way. Alain was a leader in his own right, and no one questioned him—or not often, anyway (more to the point, those who did never ended up well). "And we'll try not to shed any. But Dylan does have his own point… we must not fail. And to be sure, they'll be searching for us now that we have their king, Great Sage and prince."

"I'm sorry, Alain," Devon said. He sighed, then squared his shoulders. "I'm prepared to do what you ask of me. Whatever it may be."

The human wasn't to be put off. His eyes were penetrating, peering into Devon's. "Do you still doubt?"

He did. But he wasn't about to say anything. "Of course not." But Prince Wolfram could die. But I don't want to betray the Great Sage.

"Blood will tell, Devon. Just ask yourself which blood you're going to be loyal to." Alain patted him on the shoulder. "You've done very well so far. Infiltrating the castle—only you would have managed that. And your stroke of brilliance in getting the king and Great Sage to come along will make things much, much easier. I'm impressed that you thought of separating the Great Sage from them. You were right; it'll make their escape virtually impossible. As long as they don't know where the other is."

Devon smiled. "But of course we had to keep the king with Prince Wolfram. So that he could see…" he trailed off, the smile dropping from his face.

"So that he could see what was happening to his beloved fiancé," Alain finished. "The ends will justify the means, Devon. We're fighting for what's right. Don't forget that. All we want is for him to agree and swear on Shinou's temple. That isn't so much to ask, now is it? Considering all the injustices humans have suffered at the hands of the Demon Tribe?"

"No, of course not," said Devon. He wondered whether his mother, whom he was told had been a demon, would have agreed about that. Or whether his father, the human, would have asked him to turn his back on his mother's side of his blood. From the precious little that he remembered and had been told, his father had loved his mother deeply—demon or not.

"Go. They should be done eating by now."

Devon wished he'd never left Yuuri and Wolfram—or at the very least, that he hadn't bothered going back to his comrades. He shook his head quickly to clear it of such thoughts.

It was okay that he doubted. But once he started willing himself away from his friends, everything would fall apart.

From somewhere there were eyes watching them. It was not from above, below, or from the side; it was from everywhere, from inside and outside, both down and up, left and right.

And in the center of it all was Shinou, weary of his little priestess's appeals for help and tired of watching impassively. He had changed certain events. Some he had influenced without conscious knowledge of it, he was sure. And he was just one deity of many, but his words carried a lot of weight.

"How I hate you, dear Great Sage," he murmured, looking down on his former lover. Beautiful as ever, somehow more innocent in his current form, with that adolescent body. He admired his loveliness—he had always loved beauty—but he couldn't control the spasm of loathing in his heart.

"Great Shinou, please hear our pleas," Ulrike whispered reverently, raising her hands in a gesture of supplication.

He frowned. He was sick of her continuous nagging. Instead, he turned his back on her, aware that the little priestess would be alarmed by his silence. Normally he wasn't all that vindictive—he even took some of his duties seriously—but this time he simply refused to let her bother him.

It was about Murata, after all, and he hadn't forgotten the Great Sage. Ever. He was the perpetual fly in his ointment, the one sour note in his position as a demigod. His presence on the mortal plane served as a reproach to his eternal life. He looked down at the double black with contempt. There was a time once, when he had urged Murata to come with him, to take flight towards the heavens and welcome death so that they might grasp power in their hands as they had been promised—but Murata had refused point-blank.

"Go if you wish," he had said. "But I'm afraid that I have duties here. And if you took the time to think about it, you would realize that it would be better if you gave up your aspirations for immortality as well." He looked penetratingly at him. "You know that for everything you gain, something must be given up."

"I know that," he had replied excitedly. "But I don't care! I'm on the brink of it, I'm sure. I have spoken to sources in my dreams, of a power that you could never dream of—"

"Power," Murata had said, shaking his head. "You always lusted after it. It always came before anything else. Even before our relationship."

"I'm ambitious," Shinou had conceded. "But so what?"

A week later, he had come to the Great Sage with clouded eyes and a furrowed brow. "I have spoken to the gods. They have named the price."

The Great Sage had looked steadily at him. "And?"

"They want my heart." He had smiled painfully. "I have already agreed to give it to them. I will be dying soon. And I won't love you." His shrug was careless. "I won't love anyone. I won't care for anything but my fancies. No conscience, no restraint. This is the only path I can take."

"What use is that power, if you can't use it for something that you love?" Murata had cried out.

"I can't give it up," Shinou had whispered. "I have been offered a chance many would dream of."

Murata's eyes had flashed with anger. "I, too, have spoken to the gods. They asked me whether I wanted to be one of them."

Shinou lit up. "Then come—please—it would be so much better with you!"

"I am not as selfish as that," Murata had said sharply. "I would never give up my heart. I refuse to exchange it for empty power—power for what? To be worshipped in temples and have my statue garlanded with flowers? No. Never. If I had no heart, I would have nothing to use that power for." He had looked sadly at Shinou. "I only pray that you won't come to regret your decision."

"I don't, and I… I never will," Shinou had said defiantly. "So when you die, your body will rot and crumble into ashes like all the rest, your soul will be recycled into some other form, some other body—"

"I have spoken to onegod, and he has taken a fancy to me," Murata had said quietly. "He bestowed a half-blessing, half-curse. I will be reincarnated forever, and my soul will retain all its memories. In exchange for that, I must give up my one chance at happiness."

"Your one chance at happiness?"

"Yes. At love."

"You mean… me?"

Murata had laughed hollowly. "No, not you. You're not mine, so how could I give you up? No, in some far-off future… perhaps never. He didn't specify." He shrugged. "Someone has to stay on the mortal plane to balance out a heartless demigod."

"What good is having your heart if it's only going to be broken?" he had demanded.

The Great Sage had smiled. "I don't care. At least I'll love. At least I'll have something to care for. And I know—even if he doesn't love me—I'll do everything in my power to make him happy."

Shinou had never forgiven him for that, nor for falling in love with that disgusting look-alike of his. Wolfram von Bielefeld was nothing special. He had glanced on his descendant on occasion and noted that he was pretty, but nothing much to speak of. How the prince had managed to wholly capture Murata's attention was beyond his comprehension.

"Please, Shinou, forgive us for whatever wrong we have done to you," Ulrike begged. "Hear us, oh Original King. The Great Sage is in grave danger as well. In the name of the love that the two of you once held—"

His heart might have been gone, but he could still feel certain emotions. Rage was one of them. "All right already!" he yelled out exasperatedly, although what Ulrike heard was something more along the lines of, "I hear your prayers, little priestess."

He glared at the temple, and then down at his former lover. There were times when he wished… no. "I still don't regret it," he said stubbornly. "I told you that I wouldn't."

He was dreaming again. Normally he had weird dreams that he forgot in the mornings when he had woken up. Sometimes he deigned to have prophetic dreams. This time he was talking to Shinou. It was strange to look into the man who wore Wolfram's face and feel, instead of love, bitter resentment.

"I'm reallyhating you right now, you know?" he asked the golden-haired man from inside the cage. Shinou watched him with candid interest, but made no move to help him get out. "You've got a really warped sense of humor."

"Murata, you know as well as I do that eventually your little pet wolf will end up in the arms of the demon king," Shinou said.

"Not if you didn't want him to," Murata said desperately. "If you wanted to, then he and I could live happily together."

"And what of your bargain with the gods long ago?"

"Bargains can easily be changed," Murata said. "I could ask him… ask him to trade this one wild chance at happiness… for anything else. He may take anything else from me. Just not Wolfram."

Shinou just shrugged as though it didn't matter to him one way or another. "If you really wanted to, you could just break out of here with your powers."

"On the other hand, if I did that, they would likely kill Wolfram and Yuuri before I managed to rescue them," Murata said. "I know I'm good, but I'm not exactly all-powerful, am I?"

"We're nearing the conclusion of this little saga. I weary of watching you three and I've decided that it should come to an end soon."

The Great Sage looked at him. "And what will the result be?"

"I haven't decided yet," Shinou said nonchalantly. "There are so many options. Firstly, there's a farfetched one where you escape and eventually end up with your pet wolf, the two of you fleeing this world and leading a simple life by yourselves on earth. That would be fascinating, wouldn't it? But it would bring ruin to the demon kingdom—in the end, King Shibuya Yuuri would become a weak king, without the love of my fiery look-alike to drive him, and make poor decisions, eventually only relying on bad advice. He would be abandoned by many of his men. Conrart Weller and Gwendal Von Voltaire would both die, while Günter von Krist will go mad. Yuuri would be deposed eventually, and then civil war would begin. You would be happy for a while, but what skills could Wolfram apply to a life on earth? He's only ever been raised as a nobleman and a swordsman, and they're not exactly in high demand there. The only solace he has is in painting, and he eventually tires of that as well. And just as he loves you, he'll come to hate you. Love and hate are but twins, after all."

Murata clenched his fists. "That's not the only possible ending if Wolfram and I ended up together."

"Yes, but it's the most rational one," Shinou said in a pleasant tone. "The facts agree with the flow of events, if that ever happened. And then there is one where Yuuri signs a contract being offered by the humans now. The demon kingdom will be surrendered to the humans; you and Yuuri will have return to your world, and Wolfram will be queen, with Devon as king. Wolfram eventually commits suicide on the first anniversary of the day he confessed his love for you, unable to deal with losing both you and Yuuri on top of being forced to marry the traitor who caused all his problems. I suppose he tired of being that Devon's toy, a mere puppet to dress up and sleep with, to mouth words that were put into his mouth." His laugh had a bitter edge to it. "Most fitting."

"Damn you!"

"I forgive you for your insolence now, but be warned that I will not accept it a second time," Shinou said, eyes flashing. "We're long past the days when you could say or call me anything. You're just another mortal now." Murata glared but said nothing. "Of course, the most likely conclusion is that Wolfram will die here. I think that that is what will happen in the end. That way, neither you nor the king will be affected."

Murata went cold. "Dying? No, no! He can't die! Why did you grant me those last few days together with him if you only meant to snatch him away?"

"It was a whim of mine." Shinou sighed. "And because yours is a beautiful love, even if it is so very doomed."

His face was livid. "If you think that neither I nor Yuuri will be affected, you're wrong! If Wolfram dies, so will I! Don't you understand?"

"Defiant as always…"

The Great Sage shook his head. "Show him to me. I want to see him." He raised his eyes to look at him. "Please, Shinou. For my sake."

"All right, all right," Shinou said, grumbling. "But only for now. And it won't change anything; you'll see him, but you won't be able to help him." A hint of sympathy showed in his eyes for the first time. "It might be kinder if I refused."

"You are kind only to be cruel."

"Yes, I suppose that's my nature," he agreed. Suddenly Murata found himself watching Wolfram, who was whimpering in his uneasy sleep. Yuuri had managed to doze off as well, and the demon prince was biting his lips to muffle the sound. Beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead, and his fingers were clawing at the ropes that once again bound his wrists.

"Murata…" Wolfram whispered. He seemed to be looking straight at him, and Murata wanted to rush at him. But Wolfram's emerald eyes slowly crumpled into hopelessness. "He's not there… I'm going mad…" the prince said softly, tears blurring his eyes. "I thought… Murata…"

He saw the burns and cuts on the fragile flesh and felt his heart drop to his knees as his sight gradually returned to normal and he was back inside his cage, staring at Shinou.

He swallowed hard. "You were right. It would have been kinder not to show me."

Shinou looked at him seriously. "This cannot end happily, Great Sage."

"It could!" Murata's eyes were wild. "It could, if you wanted it to! You need only say the word, and everything would be resolved."

"Do you expect me to do that?"

"If you ever loved me, Shinou, you would grant my wish."

"It is precisely because I loved you that I would keep things this way." Shinou sighed. "I loved you once. I don't know whether I'm capable of loving anymore." He paused. "I'm weary of this conversation."

"You're weary of everything," Murata said dully.

"That's true." He walked through the bars like a ghost and pressed a kiss to Murata's forehead. "Stay safe, Great Sage."

The light reflected off his glasses as he repeated his warning. "If he dies, so will I! Do you understand, Shinou?"

Shinou hesitated. "Do not make empty threats. You would only be reincarnated, again and again. You cannot escape this cycle."

"I cannot escape you." Murata's head rested against the bars. "I loved you once."

"Those days are long past, Great Sage." He placed a hand atop Murata's dark hair with some of the old affection that they had held for each other. "Sleep well, and let no nightmares disturb your rest tonight."

Murata passed the rest of the night in dreamless sleep.

"You!" Devon breathed uneasily.

"Me?"

The half-human's eyes were wide with terror and shock. "How did you get out of your cage?"

Shinou made a face. "I'm insulted. I'm nowhere near as scrawny as Wolfram." His eyes kindled with a strange light. "And there is no cage that can hold me. Not even like the one that holds Yuuri and Murata; even the cage of a heart means nothing to me." He grinned. "For I have no heart, and there is no one left whom I love. And by an oath to my temple one is bound forever."

Devon's horror only increased. "Shinou!"

"Good, you remember my name. But then again, who doesn't?"

"Don't kill me!" he pleaded.

Shinou burst out laughing. "You're entertaining. But luckily for you, I'm not here to kill you. All I want is to satisfy an impulse of mine. So—perhaps I will quote my young look-alike—'at ease, cadet'. His laughter was sardonic. "Pitiful half-human, rejected by one of your own bloodlines and used as a tool by another. Your life has been mostly unhappy. The only time you ever felt any true gladness was when Wolfram—that little Lord von Bielefeld—was with you, at your side, guiding you."

"And so I love him. That's the truth." Devon sounded bitter about it. "It isn't like I wanted it to happen. Are you here to taunt me for being the way I am? Or was that all some design on your part?"

"Partly. By it was mostly your doing, not mine. Even if I had not intervened, you would have fallen deeply in love with him, as did all of his soldiers. Although your love is not like theirs. Yours is darker, more powerful… you don't want to just be able to love him. You want to possess him."

Devon looked startled. "No, no, no!"

"Do not contradict me, half-blood. I see more than you do when it comes to the insidious side of love."

"He was the only one who ever—!"

"Your fellow cadets did too. But you're a perverse young man, as most young men are. They looked at you with some interest as well, you know. And I'm sure that you're aware that some of the soldiers there were romantically involved with each other. But no, you wanted Wolfram. You wanted the best. You wanted him because he was the only one who treated you with such affection, and yet you couldn't have him." He smirked. "And your intensity only increased when you saw that Yuuri professed to not loving him—and that he ran to Murata's arms, as though it doesn't matter who loves him. Poor Devon."

He blushed angrily. "Then what do you want?"

"As I said, I only wanted to watch and observe—it's just one of my fancies. I merely want to come to a resolution as to what will happen."

Devon raised his eyebrows. "I suppose you're going to help the demon king and Great Sage?"

"Perhaps." Shinou shrugged. "I could simply let things take their course, but I'm sure to influence them even if only unconsciously. Little half-blood, I'm unsure of what side to take in this fight. Both are captained by fools caught in some vixen's snare. And although men are apt to weaken in the face of beauty, this borders on madness. It's ridiculous to the extreme."

"Am I the first you spoke to tonight?"

"No."

Devon met his gaze steadily. "Then I'm sure that whether you have talked to Prince Wolfram or the Demon King or the Great Sage, you ought to know why and how we are all like this. Whether it has your hand in it or not, fate linked us all inextricably this way. And I don't know the conclusion—and if I guess right, neither do you. You haven't decided yet."

"You see things a little more clearly," Shinou noted. "Those with the blackest hearts are always the ones who can view things with an objective eye."

"Being black-hearted is just a weakness of human flesh."

"So you say. Then close your eyes, half-blood, and dwell upon the consequences of your actions."

And Devon passed the night tossing and turning, his mind filled with barren lands and blood flowing from a blonde demon's wrist.

"Demon King, you are pitiful."

Yuuri looked up, dazed, into the face of the original king. "Shinou," he said, inclining his head in acknowledgement. "I was asleep."

"You still are." Shinou inspected the cage. "Hmm. Just like the Great Sage's. And like him, you could easily escape from here if you chose to."

"You've seen Murata?"

"Yes, of course." Shinou smiled. "But then, this could all be a dream, and then perhaps your subconscious is tricking you."

The double black shook his head. "No, I'm sure that even if this is a dream, one doesn't dream of Shinou without reason."

Shinou grinned. "How clever of you." He idly wrapped a hand around one of the bars. "This sort of thing is child's play for your powers. Why don't you just escape?"

"Without Murata?" Yuuri scowled. "Never."

"But you would do well to act before it's too late, Yuuri. Murata can take care of himself. You know that it would take more than a motley band of humans to bring down the Great Sage. Or, at least, that was what I thought; but apparently just having the life of a single demon prince in danger is enough to bring him to his knees." He shrugged. "The Great Sage has gone soft. And youwere soft from the beginning."

Yuuri's eyes went over to where Wolfram was sleeping. "Are you here to help us?"

"No, I merely come to observe. And to make conclusions about certain things." Shinou watched Wolfram with interest. "I must admit that he's good-looking—after all, he looks just like me—but why can he bring both the Demon King and the Great Sage to such great lengths? The only thing that sets him apart is his extraordinary face."

"That's not true," Yuuri argued. "He's got a lot of things going for him."

Shinou rolled his eyes. "If you say so. I must ask, though, Demon King—why don't you try to leave?"

"Because I can't."

"Oh, you can. That's a lie. And one ought not to lie to the original king."

Yuuri swallowed. "Because of Wolfram and Murata. I don't know where Murata is; he might get hurt if we try to escape. And I promised Wolfram that we wouldn't go without him."

"But what is the Great Sage? He is only a vessel for soul that will be reincarnated continuously. And it's highly unlikely that he will perish in your flight. Hurt, perhaps, but nothing too bad."

"You're too cold-hearted." Yuuri sighed. "And besides, I don't think that Wolfram's in any condition to…"

"Demon King, I confess that I'm disgusted by your sniveling. You and the Great Sage both. It grieves me to see the two of you reduced to such contemptible beings. I think that you would all be better off without Lord von Bielefeld."

"No. It's precisely becausewe need him so much that we have become, as you put it, 'contemptible'. But you're wrong to think that we're deplorable simply because of that. Haven't you ever been in love like me?"

"I have. I lost him." Shinou shrugged his shoulders. "First I lost him because he had duties and refused to leave with me. I would have given him all the worlds that he would have wanted, had he come with me."

"Maybe he didn't want to. Maybe because you didn't love him enough. If you had, then you would have stayed with him instead of running off, right?"

Shinou's face tightened into a grimace. "Perhaps—but if hehad loved me, he would have come with me. He didn't. I lost my heart anyway, so it didn't matter. And then I lost him to someone who stole his heart and then kept breaking it. Over and over again." The original king's eyes darkened. "But I care not. I lost interest in him centuries ago."

"Then maybe you'rethe pathetic one."

His eyes flashed menacingly. "You and the Great Sage are both becoming increasingly forgetful of your place."

"If you can forget someone so easily, are you really in love?"

"Then it wasn't love. Perhaps love was just a better way to term our infatuation." Shinou smirked. "Is it possible to love two people at once?"

Yuuri raised an eyebrow. "Why, were you in love with two people at the same time?"

"No. I have someone else in mind."

"Then… yes," Yuuri said. "Yes, it's possible."

"It's possible to love someone else the way you love Wolfram?"

Yuuri paused. "Then no, not the exact same way."

"Then I feel sorry for you, Demon King." Shinou's smile was like the edge of a silver knife. "Because that which you think to be love is mere 'infatuation'."

The double black scowled. "What are you talking about?" Suddenly a terrible thought flashed through his mind. "Do you mean to say that Wolfram—"

Shinou merely smiled. "Have safe slumber, little king. Think on what I have said."

Yuuri passed the rest of the night dreaming of twin shadows and of his fiancé clasped in someone else's arms.

"And you are my last visit tonight, demon prince." Shinou smiled at the face looking up at him; it was like looking into a mirror, but Wolfram's face was twisted in pain from his bonds. "Good evening. Soon morning, I think. But no matter. Time has no dominion over me anymore."

Wolfram blinked at him. "Because you are dead."

"Yes."

A glimmer of hope shone behind his eyes. "Are you here to take me?"

Shinou let out an ironic laugh. "If you were going to die, do you really think that you were worthy of being fetched by the original king?"

"No, you're right." The blonde slumped into a sitting position—not really an easy feet, considering that his hands were tied firmly behind his back. "But what did you mean by 'you are my last visit tonight'? Have you been traveling in demon dreams?"

"Yes. Interesting. Infuriating, but interesting nonetheless."

"Have you been talking to Murata?"

"Perhaps."

Wolfram smiled. "Then you have."

Shinou looked startled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ulrike and Murata's style. If they don't deny it outright, it's usually true."

"You have a lot of courage, little demon."

"It's difficult to be courteous when you want to dash your head against the floor. But forgive me, Shinou, I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I'm simply hurting a great deal right now."

"The pain will be over soon."

Wolfram shrugged. "I know." He looked questioningly up at the original king. "I suppose you heard what I said to Yuuri earlier?"

"But of course. Normally I don't pay all that much attention to you and your lot, but this was too interesting to be ignored. What happens here will greatly influence future events."

"I had to say something so that the wimp wouldn't worry. And if I'm correct, my suffering will end before long." He raised his face up to meet the king's gaze. "If this continues, I'll die. If I'm rescued, I'll be free from this. But what are the chances that we'll get away? It would be better if I perished here."

"Yes, it would be."

Wolfram sighed. "Shinou, you're all-knowing. Can you tell me what will happen?"

Shinou shook his head gravely. "No one is all-knowing. I can see many paths leading ahead—and oh yes, I influence them so that what I want to happen happens—but I'm still uncertain of the future. You're greatly mistaken, little demon."

"Let me die, since you have the power."

"Is the pain that bad?"

"It's worse." Wolfram took a long, shuddering breath. "But if it was just the pain, I would tolerate it somehow until I died naturally. But Shinou, at this rate… Yuuri can see me, he will be able to tell that I lied to him. He'll sign the contract, I'm sure of it. That wimp is so softhearted. He would never leave a friend to die, no matter who it was. But if I died before he could do it, he and Murata would get away somehow."

The original king looked away. "Don't talk like that."

"Like what?"

"As though they were the center of your universe. What about yourlife, demon prince? I thought that you had dreams of becoming a noble lord, a model gentleman. Have you given that up already?"

Wolfram shook his head. "Of course not. If I can, I would like to still become all that. But if it meant choosing between me and them…" He held up his mangled wrists. "Please kill me."

"Damn you for being so noble," Shinou said.

The prince stopped, bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"You're a liar," Shinou finally said. "You claim to love Yuuri, and you claim to love the Great Sage, but really, even Yuuri said that you can't love two people the same way."

"I don't love them exactly the same way. There's a difference," he replied. "But just because it's different doesn't mean that one is any less than the other. What I do know, though, is that I would do anything for the love that I have for both of them. The only thing that I would refuse to do is leave them when they were suffering—or give up my feelings for them."

He looked simply up at him, trying to see through the opaque mask of blankness and slight divide that had slipped over the original king's face. "Please, Shinou. I have been loyal to you since birth. I ask only that this all be over soon."

Shinou seemed to come to a decision. "It will come to a resolution before long." He sat down by Wolfram's side. "You really are an extraordinary creature, my beautiful twin. I think I see a little now why they love you so much." He let out a short laugh. "If I had a heart, I might even fall in love with you as well. But by watching Yuuri and Murata, I know that your love can be fatal."

"Then let it end, please."

"I will do all that I can." And coming from Shinou, that was a lot. He stooped down and took the young demon's hands. He ran a finger over the scars and marks, and Wolfram let out a hoarse cry before fainting into a limp heap. "It will be over soon. Until then, walk in the dreaming realm."

Shinou sighed. "Stupid little boy. What can I really do but watch and wait?" He glanced down at his beautiful descendant. "You're a sorry piece of trash, deluded little prince. But I can't help feeling sorry for you." He smiled. "Events have already been set in motion. I'm powerless to do anything now."

And Wolfram passed the rest of the night tangled in a web of black hair and dark eyes, dreaming of the ones he loved.

A/N: Ah... that was so random, but I couldn't resist working on the Shinou x Murata and dream angle. Apologies--another slapdash chapter. I really wish I could get someone to beta this for me, but then again, maybe it's better that I don't. I'd be way too embarrassed. Anyway, I'll try to update soon. Hopefully before the fourteenth, because we're leaving for some ridiculous science thingy. I don't understand why they chose me to represent anyway, since I suck at science. Anyway, as always, more reviews equal faster updates. Arigato for reading!