Ok, well...here in the third chapter I offer you heartbreak, darkness, and a touch of madness. Oh, and you also find out what's ailing Conrad. Seriously though, this came out a lot harsher than I thought it would, but the more I thought about it, the more I kept thinking about what exactly it might cost Conrad to maintain his perfect coolness. And who knew that Gwendal and Gunter would charge into my story and make themselves at home? They're so so cool! And thanks so much for the reviews, and especially to the person who nudged me about anon comments, Fanks! Right, so, just so it's established...I don't own the Maou, the Kyou, or the Kara. And. Here. We. Go.

Gwendal returned to Conrad's room just in time to hear a great crash and the splintering of wood.

"I see he has regained consciousness." His voice was quiet, even dry, as though he was discussing the weather. "I will assume that was his desk."

Gunter sighed. "I suppose so. I had asked for everything breakable to be removed, but, I overlooked the desk. He might not be safe, though, in a room with anything less than bare stone walls. It's breaking my heart, Gwendal. I didn't think he would be susceptible to this—he's half human, and he shouldn't be able to do this."

"He has always had the power to surprise us, though. Remember who he is, Gunter."

"I know." Gunter sounded suddenly weary. "He nearly ripped my arm off when I brought tea. He keeps screaming for Heika."

"Who is with him now?"

"Dorcas. He's sound. I'm sure he's just trying to stay out of Conrad's range. And…Heika? Did you find him?"

"I did."

"Gwendal!" Gunter's exasperation was evident. "What happened?"

"We had a long talk, or, rather, I talked and he listened—about Abby and Anna."

Gunter's expressive violet eyes widened. "And did he hear you?"

"I don't know, but he has gone out for a think and a walk."

"I'll call for an escort…"

"No need. I already did. By the way, the kid's on to us. He called me on the invisible guard."

Gunter chuckled, but the sound was without mirth. "I am so tempted, so very tempted to tell him the truth…to let him see what he has done to Sir Weller."

"It's not his fault. He cannot help who he is, nor Conrad's…condition."

"I know. I know. I just never imagined it could come to this." Another loud crash and a squeal moved both men to action. Gwendal threw up a barrier around his brother as soon as Gunter opened the door.

"Get Dorcas out of here, Gunter."

"I'm on it. Will you be ok?"

Gwendal appraised the snarling, blank-faced visage of his younger brother. "I can manage for now. Keep a sharp eye out for Yozak, and for God's sake keep this wing of the castle clear. I can hold the barrier for some time. Find the Mirror of Matta if you can."

Gwendal felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"He'll come back to us, won't he?" Gunter whispered.

"I hope so, Gunter. I hope so. Now, get going."

The soft sound of the door latching moved Gwendal from his place. Conrad was pacing beside his bed, moving the length of the barrier like a great, predatory cat stalks the confines of its cage. Gwendal shot the deadbolt home, then settled back against the far wall and observed his little brother.

"Conrad…do you know me?" He kept his voice soft, non-threatening.

"Of course I know you. You're the bastard keeping me from my Yuri…you and that purple-haired pansy."

"That pansy knocked you out for a couple of hours. I wouldn't underestimate him."

Conrad snarled again and Gwendal frowned as a slight stream of spittle dripped from the nearly perfect soldier's lips. This was going to end poorly, he was sure of it. Suddenly, Conrad gave a strangled cry and sank to his knees. "Gwen," he whispered, "please make it stop. Please, help me."

"I'm trying little brother, believe me, I'm trying."

"I don't understand what's happening to me!"

For a moment, Gwendal could see the shade of Conrad as he was when he was child. "You have an illness Conrad, one that usually only afflicts full mazoku's—and then only rarely. No one has seen it in a long time. You're succumbing to grief and rage caused by a momentous loss. It happens to demons sometimes."

"Am I going to die, Brother? Why…why won't you let me see Yuri if I'm going to die. I just want to see him. I promise I'll be good."

Gwendal winced. His voice sounded so pathetic and small. "You might die, Conrad," he said as softly as possible. "But, Mazokus have survived and you are strong. I can't let you see Yuri right now…I know you mean what you say and you would never mean to hurt him, but in your anger you would kill him, and just seeing him, or smelling him, or hearing him will be enough to bring that feeling back to your insides—you know, when it feels like a fire dragon is eating you from the inside-out—and you would kill him, and if Yuri dies by your hand, I assure you, Conrad…you will not long live after him."

"Gwendal, please…I love him so much. Don't let him…" Conrad collapsed all the way to the floor and made a low, keening sort of sound so full of sorrow that Gwendal had to fight to keep from slapping his hands over his ears.

"I know you do, little brother."

"How do you know?" Conrad screamed, mood changing from despondent to vicious in the blink of an eye. He hurled himself at Gwendal's barrier and was tossed back onto his bed like doll.

"Settle down, Conrad!" Gwendal's voice was harder than steel, but he was still surprised when Conrad did as he was told. "I'm going to tell you a little story, brother, about a general who once loved a woman and what happened to him when she was murdered in front of him and he was powerless to stop it. Then you'll know why I am the only one here right now who understands exactly how you feel."

"Yuri isn't dead, Gwendal."

"This is true, little brother. And where there is life, there is hope—that's what Heika always says. So shut up, lay down, and just listen."

Conrad curled up on his bed and Gwendal began to speak softly, but, just in case, he strengthened his barrier and his hard, indigo-colored eyes never broke contact with the sickly, yellow-brown gaze of his little brother.

Yuri wandered the paths of the private gardens until he came to the small wooden bridge that crossed a pond. He stopped, resting his forearms on the banister and tried to sort through his shifting thoughts. He still didn't quite know what he was supposed to think about Gwendal's story. He only knew that there was important information in those few words the older man had spoken, but he felt the meaning was just out of his reach. Not for the first time, Yuri felt like an ignorant child.

"Am I ever going to understand this place…these people?" he mused, out loud. He was eighteen years old and had been the Maou for almost three years. He understood many things in comparison to that first year, but some of the subtleties of the relationships of the people around him still confused him.

It was, he supposed, his particular cross to bear. He understood, cerebrally, that he was raised on earth for a purpose. He came to understand that better as Murata's past had been revealed and their fight to save the original king ensued. Apart from wishing to bring peace and prosperity to Shin Makaku, which he could take little credit for considering that it was Gwendal, Gunter and Conrad who shouldered the lion's share of the work, he often found himself with little to do. So, he traveled back and forth between the worlds, trying to maintain his life as a teenager in one place and as a king in the other. And now…what was he meant to do? Conrad, the one person Yuri relied upon to advise him, to understand him, had been taken from him. Well, perhaps that was a bit of an overstatement, but he still felt the loss and it opened old wounds. When Conrad had accepted the original king's mission—to create the kind of world Yuri wanted—his loss cut through Yuri like a thousand shards of glass piercing him without end. But, this seemed almost worse because Conrad was here—he was HERE in Blood Pledge castle and yet, he might as well have been on the moon. There was no way, despite his glaring contest with Gunter, that his men would let him see his soldier. Yuri knew that now. But, why? What kind of illness could Conrad have contracted that would make Yuri's presence harmful to him? And how was Yuri just supposed to sit back and do nothing in the face of something that might prove fatal to the person he cared most about?

Of course, no one had actually used the words "fatal" and "death," but Yuri was not in the least stupid. He knew what the stakes were even if no one could come out and admit it openly. He wasn't sure if he could take the loss of Conrad a second time. Not now, not ever.

"There you are, wimp. What are you doing out here? Meeting someone, I suppose…I guess it must be that because you certainly haven't been thinking of your fiancé, have you?"

Yuri's shoulders stiffened at the shrill tone of Wolfram's voice, but the baseless accusation simply slid off his shoulders. He'd heard the same tune so many times he stopped paying attention over a year ago.

"I'm just thinking, Wolfram. Any news on Conrad?"

"Conrad. I might have known. He's all you think about, isn't he? You can't even greet me properly before you're talking about him. My brother is not your fiancé. I am!"

Yuri ran Wolfram's words through his internal translator…he liked to call it Understand-what-Wolfram-really-means-this-time-evil-kun! Yuri thought Anissina might approve of the name. Based on the tension in Wolfram's voice, there was no change in Conrad's condition, and it would be best to drop the subject.

"So you never answered me, Yuri. What are you doing out here?"

"I'm just thinking, Wolfram, like I said. Wondering when things got so out of hand."

The blonde man came to stand next to him, adopting the same pose Yuri had taken. Shoulder to shoulder, it was easier sometimes to talk when they didn't have to look at each other. "Want to talk about it?" Wolfram asked.

"I haven't got all my thoughts together yet, but how do you really feel about me, Wolf?"

Yuri could almost feel the shock radiating off his fiancé. He never, ever began a conversation about their relationship and feelings. That was usually Wolfram's line. Late at night, after yet another argument, Wolfram would cry bitterly and try to get Yuri to talk about things, but it was just too awkward for the young king.

"Well, what kind of stupid question is that, you wimpy cheater! You're my fiancé, so of course I will protect you and you are my king, so I will follow where you lead! You know that already!"

"Yeah, I know that…but, it's just that you're always shouting about how I should love you, and how our love can do amazing things like hatch Bearbees…but you never tell me you love me. And…" Yuri broke off, finally struck by an epiphany remembering Gwendal's story. "And…you're never silent. You're always shouting at me, insulting me, and calling me names—even in front of Greta. Do you love me, Wolfram? Do you? Do you, really?"

"Of course I love you, Yuri." Wolfram's voice registered barely above a whisper.

"I wonder," Yuri replied, just as softly. "You know what I think…what I really think? I think you're proud Wolfram. I think you've spent a long time in your older brothers' shadows and this engagement to me...being the consort to the king…has jumped you up a few notches on the prestige ladder. I think that is what you love, Wolfram…not me."

"That's not true! I do care for you, Yuri. Just because you're a cheater doesn't mean I am!"

Yuri waved the comment away. "See? That's just what I'm talking about. You hide your real feelings behind that jealous mask of yours. Believe it or not, I do watch you, you know and I know you are more than the jealous, hysterical man you pretend to be."

"You're only saying that because you still don't understand that it's ok for men to love each other. Your world is a backward place, Yuri, it will just take time."

"You're wrong about that. I fully admit that when I first came here the ease with which this society accepts same-sex relationships shocked me. But that's only because I was raised in a culture which, while it's changing little by little, still sees that behavior as deviant. But, you know what, I've thought about it for a long time—and not just because you and I are engaged but because Shin Makoku is my home, too, and I want to understand it. I've come to the conclusion that gender doesn't make a damned bit of difference when it comes to love. You love the person, Wolfram, regardless of the gender it's packaged in. It doesn't bother me that you're a guy. It bothers me that there is something fundamentally wrong between US. Don't you see that?"

"Yuri…"

The king shook his head and sighed. "It's no use, Wolfram. When I do find someone…I want it to be, well, someone I can't deny. And I guess you won't believe it, but I want that for you, too. I want us both to be happy, and loved, and wanted. I don't want…this."

"Yuri, are you ending our engagement?"

The maou flinched at the disbelief in his fiancé's voice. He didn't want to hurt the man, he'd never wanted that, but he was no longer content to just languish in a relationship that would never be anything close to what Gwendal had found, or his parents, or even Cheri-sama and her various husbands and boyfriends. He wanted…love. And he just didn't want Wolfram as a husband.

"I guess I am."

One moment he was standing at the rail and the next he was flying through the air as a result of Wolfram's right-cross to his cheek.

"You…you wimpy bastard! How can you do this to me? I've given you everything and this is how you treat me?"

Yuri sat up, rubbing his face. He tenderly adjusted his jaw, and waited for the rushing in his ears to settle down. Damn! That punch really hurt.

"Your actions speak pretty loud, too, Wolfram," he whispered. "You are always hurting me, if not with your fists than with your words, and I know you mean well…you don't understand how much I care about you and want your happiness, but this is no longer acceptable. You will not, ever, strike me again. Am I understood Von Bielefeld-kyo."

"Yuri…I'm so sorry…I…" The blonde man threw up his hands and just flopped down on the bridge. "I don't know why I get so angry. I guess, maybe, you might be right about one thing. I want all your attention and it just seems that everyone and everything in your life comes before me. I have to share you with everyone."

"I'm the king, Wolfram. What other way could it be?"

"No, it's more than that." Wolfram shook his head. "I remember when my mother was Maou…Her partners, even then, knew they were special. But I've never been special to you, have I?"

"Nothing could be further from the truth, actually," Yuri replied. "No one challenges me as much as you do, and I admire your strength and your courage, and your skill with a sword—I envy you your talent and training, Wolfram. I can't imagine my life without you in it. For God's sake, we share a daughter! How could I raise Greta without you? I don't want to be in this place without you and your antics…I just don't want…."

"To marry me." Wolfram finished the thought. "Do you love someone else, Yuri?"

Yuri stumbled over the direct question. His first thought, of course, was Conrad. He had never exactly admitted it to himself, using the word love, but there could be no denying the truth of his feelings. "I do, Wolfram, but that love is unrequited. It has nothing to do, however, with our relationship. I should have done this a long time ago…somehow though, the time just got away from me. And, to be honest, I didn't want to lose your friendship. You don't know how important you are to me."

"So…you're not leaving me because you want someone else?" Wolfram asked, slowly.

"I'm not leaving you at all, you idiot. I'm just ending an engagement that fetters us both and makes us both crazy."

"How do you do it?" Wolfram whispered something akin to awe in his voice. "How can you say things that should make people justly hate you and they end up loving you all the more for it instead?"

Yuri shrugged and grinned, then thought better of it as pain shot through his jaw. "It's a gift?"

Wolfram laughed then, and Yuri knew that eventually everything would be all right between them. "Hey, Wolfram…let's go see Greta. We haven't been with her, all together, in a long time."

"Good idea, wimp. Let's play checkers. I like it when she wipes the board with your ass."

"Very funny, blondie! C'mon, let's go." Yuri grabbed Wolfram's hand for the first time and laced their fingers together.

Wolfram stared at their hands for a long moment, then shrugged and smiled. "Ok. After she goes to sleep, we can inquire after Conrad, ok?"

Yuri nodded and he walked with his ex-fiancé, hopefully soon to be close friend, back to the castle.

"I guess I'll have to tell mother to send that wedding dress back," wolfram mused as they came out of the gardens.

"What? What wedding dress."

"Well, we were tired of waiting for you, so, mother and I set a date and ordered clothes."

"Are you out of your mind?" Yuri shook his head. "Does anyone ELSE know about this?"

"Just me, mother, and Gunter as far as I know."

"You're a perverted piece of work, Wolf. You know that?"

The blonde grinned and winked. "You have no idea, Yuri…and now you never will!"

Laughing, the two men entered the castle by way of the front door. If Yuri took a moment or two extra to inspect the hinges, Wolfram didn't seem to notice.

Conrad watched the grey-haired man standing between him and freedom. He closed his eyes. His heart felt heavy and sluggish, as though every beat was an effort. He didn't really care if it stopped working altogether. After all, what was there to live for if Yuri was lost to him? His beloved king, ruler, and leader was marrying another—even his death would be preferable to that. Conrad would never be near him again, never touch or hold him.

"Let me go," he whispered, but he didn't know if he was speaking to the grey-haired man or the wavering image of Yuri that danced on the inside of his eyelids.

"I cannot do that, little brother."

Conrad looked at the room's other occupant. He should know this man, he thought. There was something deeply familiar about him. "I'm losing my mind, aren't I?"

"Only if you allow it to happen. You are stronger than you know."

The soldier turned his back to the quiet voice and faced the wall. "I promised to stay by his side, always…did you know that?"

"Yes."

"Then you know it's you preventing me from doing my duty."

"Yes."

"I think you like me like this. You're a sadist, aren't you? Get your kicks from hurting others, eh?"

"…kicks?"

"Yeah," Conrad laughed bitterly. "Kicks, thrills, jollies…oh yeah, you don't know those words do you? Of course not. I've been to his world, spent a LOT of time there. I know things about Yuri that you will never know, that no one else COULD ever know. And he knows me, too. Whatever this sick game is you're playing, old man, understand that you can't ever separate us."

"I would never try to separate you from Yuri-Heika."

"Then what do you call this forced … incarceration?"

"A safety measure."

"I'm going to kill you, you know. If that's what it takes to get out of here, I will destroy you."

"I know that you will try."

Conrad watched as the man shifted positions and he could feel the air crackling as the barrier strengthened, but, he could be a patient man, couldn't he? Of course he could. He had been patient for so very long, and he could endure a little longer. Eventually, the older demon sitting across from him would weaken. Everyone sleeps sometime.

A knock at the door startled Conrad from his thoughts and he bellowed as the purple-haired man slipped back inside. "What are you doing here? Get the hell out! I hate you!"

The beautiful bastard ignored him. Conrad hated to be passed over, dismissed, forgotten—the way that Yuri had forgotten him and moved on to someone else. "Yuri!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Yuri!" He howled again, but the gentle voice he loved so much didn't answer him.

"I found it, Gwendal," the lavender-haired man said.

"Good."

The grey-haired demon moved a little to the right and Conrad watched as the pretty one set out a mirror on a small table. Both he and the grey-haired man reached down and placed steepled fingers over the glass and chanted a few words Conrad couldn't catch. They were using maryoku…! Bastards. The man Yuri had left him for was a magic user, too. Maybe if Conrad hadn't been such a filthy mongrel, he could have used magic, too, and then Yuri would have loved him.

Conrad's eyes felt very heavy. He noticed that a bright blue light had surrounded the barrier, then the barrier flickered out. The blue light remained. It was close, like a blanket, and comfortable. But it was still a prison, no matter how soothing.

"Let me out of here! " He screamed. "Yuri! Yuri, help me!"

Conrad struggled, but his eyes seemed to close against his will. Then there was nothing but blackness.

Gwendal shivered and slumped against Gunter's chest. "I will need a long rest, old friend. That was much harder than I expected."

"Yozak arrived just as I was coming back from the treasure room with the mirror. He is waiting for us in your office. You can sleep as soon as we brief him."

"How did you ever get through this…you know…when Abby died and I…"

Gunter leaned over and shushed him. Gwendal was touched by the gesture.

"You're my best friend, Gwendal, and I love you. I couldn't lose you to the darkness, and we won't let Conrad go either."

"Thank you. I don't know if I ever did…"

"There is no need. Your life is thanks enough for me…besides what would I have done with Gisela and Anna both if you'd died, too?"

Gwendal choked out a laugh. "You're right. Let's go see the spy. Conrad will be safe for a while now."

"I've chosen guards that I trust. He won't be alone."

"Good."

Yozak was waiting in his office, just as Gunter said. Gwendal sank into his chair, not caring in the least if he looked as exhausted as he felt.

"Your excellency, if you don't mind my saying…you look like shit."

"Thank you for that astute observation, Yozak."

"What's the matter with the captain, then? The pigeon's message said he's in trouble. It's not the arm again, is it?"

Gunter put his hand on Gwendal's shoulder, signaling to the man he'd take over. "No, it's not his arm. Conrad has Hjerteskaerende."

Gwendal had never seen the red-haired man speechless before, but he just sat in his chair, mouth agape. "But…But how is that possible?" He whispered as his voice returned to him. "He's not a full Mazoku, and…Julia died a long, long time ago—why would this manifest now?"

"It's not Julia, or at least it's not all Julia. I spoke to Cheri-sama this morning at breakfast, and Conrad came in as we were speaking. She told me that Yuri-Heika and Von Bielefeld-kyo have set a wedding date. Wolfram's dress arrived today, as well."

"That little shit! He would pick a dress," Yozak muttered, the he sobered. "I don't believe it though, Your Excellency. I don't believe the kiddo would ever consent to such a thing, and even if he did, which I KNOW he didn't, he would have told the captain himself. No offense, sir, but Yuri would never have let you tell Conrad for him."

"What makes you so certain of this, Yozak?" Gwendal asked.

"I have my sources," he hedged.

"A certain double black with a penchant for turning up when things become interesting and a fetish for obscuring his eyes behind spectacles?" Gwendal shook his head.

"It's a distinct possibility."

"Hn. And is his highness on his way?" Gunter asked.

"Yeah, I shot him a message on my way in. He'll show up anytime I should think. So what's my job—other than, say, keeping Conrad from offing himself or any others before he gets over this."

"You talk like he's going to come out of this alive," Gwendal said.

"Begging your pardon, your excellency, but I didn't drag his sorry ass home from Lutenberg just to lose him now. What about the kiddo. What does he know?"

"Not a lot. He just knows that Conrad is very ill and that it would be dangerous for him to see him right now."

"Yeah, that's gonna hold him, all right."

"Sarcasm becomes you, Yozak," Gunter muttered.

"So who's with the captain now?"

"His room is under heavy guard and we've used the Mirror of Matta to subdue him for the time being. But he's already very lost. He no longer recognizes us as we are."

"And all this because the Boyo might actually get hitched to the bratling—not that that's gonna happen, mind."

"Apparently he's been suppressing everything for so long, he just snapped. Had I been watching carefully, I would have caught this much, much earlier, when it might have made a real difference."

"Gwendal—don't you go blaming yourself." Yozak's smile widened as Gwendal reacted to the casual use of his name. "If Conrad has contracted Hjerteskaerende, then he will come out the other side. I'll bet the bratling's wedding dress on it."

Gwendal leaned back and closed his eyes, resting his head against the back of his chair. He didn't move when the Great Sage appeared, just as Yozak said he would. He listened as Gunter and Yozak filled his highness in on the details, and listened still to the Sage's counsel. It was all predictable. He wanted to frighten them, just a little—neither the Sage nor Yozak had seen Conrad in his current condition. But he was just so very tired.

At first he thought he had fallen asleep and was dreaming—the crash and screams sounded so very far away. Then he gasped and jumped to his feet, following the other men as they raced from his office and down the corridor. The sight that met his eyes chilled him to the bone. The Mirror of Matta had clearly failed in its duty to contain his little brother. The door to his chamber was destroyed, and the three guards were out cold on the castle floor.

"Yuri!" Gwendal grunted out, and they all ran toward the family wing.

Unfortunately, they didn't make it that far. Gwendal saw Gunter seem to fly through the air, his sword ringing as he loosed it from its scabbard. He landed in between a straining Conrad and a confused, frightened King.

"Get Greta and get out of here, Heika!" Gunter bit out.

"But..But Wolfram..!" Yuri objected.

"…will be fine, kiddo. Grab the squirt and make a break for it. We'll take care of things here." Yozak said as he circled around to Gunter's side.

Conrad was breathing heavily, and Gwendal could see that he fighting hard. From the look of their baby brother, laying on the floor, the shiner he was going to have would rival all the punches he'd given to Yuri all these years…put together."

"NO! I won't leave Conrad. I don't know what's going on, but I won't go!"

"Stupid, selfish, spoiled child! Do you want to die? Would you like your daughter to see that?" Gunter's voice was harsh, clipped. "You are useless here. Your highness, get him and Greta to safety."

"Please, Yuri," Gwendal said, still panting. "Take Greta and go. Your daughter must come first."

"You must go…Yuri."

Gwendal was more shocked than anyone to hear the plaintive whisper that came from Conrad.

"I can't…can't…stop. Please, Yuri—run!" Conrad fell to his knees, trembling.

"But, Conrad…?"

"Fool! Get out now! Drag his ass out if you have to, your highness," Gunter shouted.

Greta, who had all this time been hiding behind her father with her eyes squeezed closed, tugged on Yuri's arm. "Daddy…?"

"Gunter…I didn't realize how much you hated me. I didn't know. I'll go. I release you from my service. I'm sorry."

Yuri pulled Greta into his arms with strength he didn't know he had and turned to leave, moving with the speed that only Murata knew he had. Gwendal closed his eyes for a moment then opened them again.

"Yuri-Heika will be safe now," Yozak said. "We had a plan. Greta, too. Now, captain, shall we show you to more comfortable accommodations?"

Gwendal saw it…the moment his little brother slipped away, consumed by the rage inside of him.

"Fuck you, Ginger," Conrad spat out. "Take me if you think you're man enough."

And with that, Gwendal pulled his own sword, and the battle for Blood Pledge Castle, and Conrad's soul, began.

Hn. And there's chapter three. Lots of bridge-building to do now before our lovers can come out the other side, but, Yuri has an idea of what's going on...so I hope he can deliver. Thanks again, so so much, for reading! I think we've hit the darkest part now, and it's on to a happier, snugglier, very smoochable future (well, once we resolve this Hjerteskaerende business)!