"WAH!" He couldn't have said what I thought he said. There is no way he could: 1) Think of an idea as ridiculous as that, 2) Know that I've been having a problem along those lines (but no, I'm as much of a homophobe as I am gay), and 3) There is no way he would have known what that means. The only people in Shin Makoku who would know what that means were Murata, me, and maybe Conrad (but even then I doubt it).

"That's ridiculous, Wolfram!" I turned my face away as I walked over to sit on the bed. Even though I wasn't looking, I knew he had a look of determination on his face to get me to talk. I felt the bed move gently as he came to sit cross-legged on "his" side of the bed.

"Homophobia – unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals and homosexuality."

A perfect definition stated from a book… there was no way he knew all that – it was impossible. I turned to face him so fast, that I thought I had given myself whiplash.
"Where did you –" I couldn't get myself to finish that sentence. I was shouting. Wolfram didn't deserve this. He was trying to help. He was sitting there with paper in his hand, giving me the most adorable and sincere looking "Don't you know?" look I've ever seen.

"His Highness, Murata," He said simply.
Oh, of course Murata, that makes sense –

"Murata! Why would Murata go and tell you a thing like that?!" That traitor! Of course it's his fault. Putting ridiculous thoughts into my fianc – I mean, friend's head.

"Stop yelling," Wolfram complained in a volume matching mine, "I went to the Great Sage for help."

My temper cooled a little (just a little). Leave it to Wolfram to play my emotions like a fiddle. He's one of the few people that can get me worked up so fast.
"Why?" I asked as calmly as I could. He turned away to put the papers on the pillow next to him, but he didn't turn around. I could see the tips of his ears turn red. So cute. I was really surprised that he didn't have a girlfriend… Well, there was Elizabeth.

"You were acting weird in the garden today, wimp. You made Greta worry. So I went and asked Conrad how your meeting went and he said you were uncomfortable because that weird 'Guys can't marry guys' thing you do." So it was Conrad's fault too. Just who was left that I could trust with such things?
"So I went to the Sage to get advice on the subject. I was surprised at how much he knew. Well, I guess he is the Great Sage and al, but he gave me so much information on the subject I had to takes notes so I could remember it all. Who knew humans on Earth had such complicated views on something so straight-forward as a relationship?"

I almost laughed at the idea of Wolfram von Beilefeld taking notes. From what I gathered around the castle, Wolfram wasn't very studious when he was younger. I had heard that getting the boy to sit still was hard enough, let alone get him interested in subjects he deemed 'didn't have anything to do with him'. I wondered if it had to do with the fact that it was to help me.
I lied down and pulled the covers over my body, trying to go to sleep so the conversation wouldn't continue.

"Let's just go to sleep, Wolfram," I sighed.

"But Yuuri, Geika said that I should – "

"I said enough already. I want to sleep!" My voice rose with annoyance.

"I'm just trying to help!" Wolfram gave me an angry pout.

"I didn't ask for it, nor do I need it!" I felt the bed shift again and settle, after which I was sure he had already settled in.

Just before I fell asleep, I thought I heard a whisper,
"Not yet, but you will."

Morning came slowly as the sun started to pour through the large glass windows next to the bed. My mind was starting to wake, but I refused to open my eyes. I felt warm hands around my waist. Thinking Greta had snuck into our bed, I leaned forward to give her a kiss on the forehead, and found that it wasn't my daughter's forehead or even a forehead at all, for that matter. Instead it was my bedmate's lips. I pulled away quickly, as my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.
His pale pink lips parted in a sign and, as if sensing my absence, my name escaped his lips, almost seeming to come out as a pleasant sound instead of a name.
I was so confused. I felt nauseous and heated. My head was spinning. I couldn't tell the difference between fear and want.
Wait, not want. It had to be something else.

In my fragile state, I made a jerky movement to leave the bed, only to fall on the floor with a big crash.

"Yuuri?" Wolfram jumped awake at the loud sound and turned to find me on the floor, looking up at him with the same expression I had on before I fell out of the bed. It must have come off as an expression of fear, because Wolfram began to sneer at me from his 'superior' place on the bed.

"What, did you have a bad dream?" He leaned forward so his head was over mine, "I could make it go away if you just ask for my help." He was teasing me, but for some reason it felt different, like there was a hidden message for me to find. I found my face heat up at his words. Could it have been he was flirting? This was just too much.

"I'm not scared! And I don't need your help!" I stood up to try and look intimidating.

"But the Great S – "

"Geika said this, Great Sage told me that. I don't care what Murata told you!" I was going to beat Murata senseless for talking with Wolf behind my back. It didn't help that Murata was really the only person Wolfram was respectful to when it came to titles. Even when he calls me Heika, it's in a mocking tone. Yes. I was definitely going to beat his head in with my bat. "Where do your loyalties lie, Wolfram von Bielefeld?!" Why I was so annoyed by the idea of Wolfram and Murata was beyond me, but for some reason it made me sick. Twice as sick as I get around gay men.

Wolfram was angry now. If it wasn't for the fact that I was being stubborn, I would have been on my knees begging for mercy.
"How dare you. How dare you even think that my loyalty lies anywhere but with you! How dare you say that you'll trust everyone, even complete strangers, but you won't even trust the man that sleeps next to you! If you don't want my help, fine! Less work for me, but I know you'll ask for my help soon and because of where my loyalties lie, I will help! I'll be going to the baths now. See you later, Heika."

The way he said "Heika" made my heart ache. I had no clue he would take my comment that seriously. I should have known, though. Serving me was something he took great pride in, and pride is something I had found very precious to the prince. And I had accused him of being fickle in his services to me. I was lucky that I wasn't charcoal. Feeling like the jerk I was, I got dressed and headed down to breakfast, hoping that someone, anyone other than Wolfram, could help me with my "discomfort" (not fear) of gay men. I feared the results of Wolfram's help if I asked for it now.

While the weather was perfect and everything seemed right with the world, everything was not right with me. In fact, I felt like dirt, and not only for my fight with a certain blonde.

No, apparently someone unknown *cough cough Murata cough* spread around the rumor of the phobia I apparently had, and now everyone was running around, trying to find the cure. Everyone except Conrad, that is.

"Why did you have to go and tell Wolfram about it? I know you said it was best to go to him for help, but you should have let me decide," I complained as we sat at the breakfast table. We were alone, since everyone else was busy "helping" me.

"He was worried about you. I can't say no to that boy when he has pure reasons to know." That's right, Wolfram is Conrad's little brother. Somehow that thought kept slipping out of my mind: in fact, I wouldn't be surprised to find that when it comes to romance, he and Gwendal were the protective type. That was probably why they liked the engagement set up so much. They didn't have to worry about me doing anything, but at the same time being engaged to a king kept the perverts away. Wolfram was lucky to have brothers like that.

"Why in the world did he go to Murata? He should have just waited to talk to me. What does Murata know about Earth that I don't? I mean, if he wanted to know about that kind of stuff, he just had to ask…"

Conrad gave me a knowing smirk.
"Would you be able to talk with him honestly about it?" There was a slight pause.

"No," I answered honestly.

"Believe it or not, Wolfram's been asking Murata quite a few questions about Earth. I know because he also asked me these questions. I really think he wants to understand you better and he's realizing the best way is to suck up his Shin Makoku pride and learn about the place you grew up." I was surprised, no, stunned at learning this. Never have I seen Wolfram interested in Earth ways. If anything, I would say he thought they were crazy.

Then again, that's similar to how I thought of Shin Makoku, in fact most of the time I was trying to make Shin Makoku more like Earth in some ways. It took me a while to actually accept some of the customs and no longer think of them as foreign. I thought that maybe that was another thing he had in balance: Earth, Shin Makoku; human, demon; dark, light; water, fire. We were like a living yin yang. It made me wonder if maybe we kissed we would create steam…
No, what? I didn't. Wolfram and I kissing… That image did not just pop in my head! And even though I was against the idea, his heated lips against my cool ones sent shivers up my spine and made my heart flutter without my consent.

Apparently, my face had reddened at the thought.

"Your Majesty, are you okay? You look a little heated." Oh boy, if Conrad had known what I was thinking, I don't think he'd be my most trusted knight anymore…

"I'm fine, don't worry! And it's Yuuri, remember?"

"Right, Yuuri."

"Yuuri!" Greta came running in and started to pull my arm. I almost fell out of my seat. "Yuuri, come on! Anissina came up with something to cure you!"
"G-greta, I – but," I looked down at her. Her big brown eyes looked up at me, her face in a perfect puppy-dog pout that for some reason resembled mine and Wolfram's at the same time. God, when did she learn to do that so well?

"Okay, for you Greta I'll go."
And so I let her drag me to my doom in Anissina's lab.

Okay everyone, that's the 3rd chapter for you. I had no idea it would take this long or be this long. I apologize. I feel like I'm beating around the bush, and I hope to get to the main point now. It's really hard for me at times, since I'm still in slight denial that I like this kind of thing (only 5 months ago I was still a homophobe myself). So I promise that I'm working hard on the 4th chapter at this very moment. I find it ridiculous that it takes me a month to post one chapter.
If you have any ideas of how some of the Kyou Kara Maou characters would solve this " problem " Yuuri has, please tell me. I'm stuck on what to do for the majority of them. I have a slight idea for Anissina and Gwendal and Wolfram of course has already been decided, but I have no clue what the maids are going to try and all the ideas I get for Gunter are scary.
So review with your thoughts and ideas. I'd really appreciate it.

Oh my goodness! My slave driv—I mean friend, has let me type at the end of the chapter! Hooray! I've been helping to type the chapters for her (which she hasn't been forcing me to do at all… -cough- xDD Just kidding). Anyway, I take no credit for the idea for the story or anything! All I do is type!
-whisper- And if I don't work, she strangles me with her scarf…
Ah! She's here! Don't tell her I said anything!! (Somebody please help me … ) – goes into Mr. Corner –
Love, Crazedgurl847.