CHAPTER TWO: Roundabout Rescue

Author's Note: Thanks to my two reviewers!

Yuuri's Note: Arigatou!

Wolfram's Note: TWO?!? This is an insult! Why have only two people reviewed?!? *idea!* Perhaps it is because I was not in that chapter, to make it more interesting!

Author: Well, that gives me an idea…

Yuuri had walked until morning; at times it was impossible for him to keep his eyes on the trail. When the sun came up, his resolve weakened. He'd been telling himself for hours, "Just keep going, keep going until morning!" over and over again. Now that morning was here, his knees buckled and he fell down in the dirt in exhaustion. His black uniform was streaked with clay, and he was too weary to move anymore. He blacked out rather ungracefully.

Seconds later, someone was shaking him awake. He had not heard the cry, "Yuuri!" from a young voice, nor did he care about waking up. He must be dreaming. He dreamt he was back in Blood Pledge Castle, and this was Wolfram shaking him awake. But unlike the previous day, Wolfram did not threaten him or resort to violence. Instead, he was picked up like a sack of potatoes and thrown sideways onto a horse that was not his. Semi-conscious, he rode the rest of the way back to the capitol with the sun in his face and someone's arm around him, keeping him steady. That was how he knew it wasn't real; Wolfram would never do that.

The next thing King Yuuri knew, he was being lifted again, and carried on foot. He tried to support himself, and wrapped his arms around someone's neck. This ruled out the possibility that it was Yozak, since he felt none of the bulging muscles that covered every inch of that half-mazoku warrior. As he regained a little more of his senses, he noticed that it couldn't be Conradt either, since the waist of his supporter was much too slender, and the stride much too short. Nevertheless, they traveled on, walking on marble floor, so Yuuri knew they were in the castle. And when he heard the voices of Gunter and the maids, he no longer cared about anything. He was home.

When he was ready to open his eyes, he found himself lying horizontal, staring up at the ceiling—the same ceiling he had seen yesterday morning!

"My, it's good to be home!" He said to himself, or so he thought.

"Yuuri!" exclaimed a voice to his right, and the hand Yuuri hadn't noticed was holding his own clenched tightly. He swiveled around to face…

"Wolfram!" He said quietly. Shocked, his eyes widened in surprise. "What are you doing here?

"Looking out for you, of course!" The young voice scoffed. Yuuri realized with hesitation that he was the same as from earlier, and so he asked,

"Wolf, were you the one who found me, and took me back?" Did you really rescue me?? is what he really asked.

Now it was Wolfram's turn to be shocked. "I thought you were unconscious! That you didn't know anything! Wouldn't remember!" He loudly exclaimed.

But he hadn't answered the question, though Yuuri knew the answer.

"Are you ashamed that you had to come and get me?" He questioned naively.

"No, it's not that. It's just—

"Heika!!" Gunter's overjoyed voice sounded as the bedroom door burst open. "Oh I am so glad to see you awake!" Then he turned on Wolfram, "And how dare you not inform me that His Majesty had awakened!!" As they argued, Yuuri fell back into bed with a contented sigh, happy to watch Wolfram's expressions change like seasons, with agility.

Then Gwendal entered, and all went quiet. "I'm afraid there is no time for such nonsense. The reality is this: a band of rebels in the nearby township has obtained several maryoku weapons, and they are demanding we surrender to their foolish terms, or else they will burn the countryside." The finality of his words lingered for several seconds before Yuuri asked, "What terms?"

Gwendal's dagger eyes turned on the young Maou. "It does not matter! We do not bargain with terrorists!"

Conradt, who had stepped around Gwendal during the speech, nodded solemnly.

"They are not to be reasoned with, Heika. They will pillage and plunder, destroy what they can, but they will not be victorious. We will defeat them, with your permission. At your command, we will go to war with them."

Wolfram and Gunter were shocked, and all eyes turned to Yuuri. The black-haired Maou set his chin firmly.

"We will not go to war so easily! I will hold a conference with their leader, and the ten nobles of Shin Makoku! We will solve this peacefully!"

Silence reigned in the castle.

A/N: Ooh, that was a good one, no?

Yuuri/N: Why did you have to send me to war?

Wolfram/N: You wimp, you shouldn't have—

A/N: Okay, you two, cut it out! Don't give away the ending! Let the readers decide if they want more!