Chapter 4

Murata held the reins lightly in his hands and enjoyed his surroundings—just being one with nature and letting himself be. He had an excellent panoramic view of the leafy trees, the shrubs, the road, a pothole in the road, and—a very put out Shibuya Yuuri who kept stealing glances in the direction of a certain blond who was supposed to be his fiancé . Yes, it was all terribly awkward. Murata smirked openly at that. But, then he caught Conrad's eye and the look faded quickly enough. Murata gave a nervous laugh instead.

"Yozak?" Trouble said quietly. The spirit tilted a porcelain face up and shifted back against the man's broad chest in order to meet eyes with him.

"Yes?" The spy smirked a little down at the lithe form resting against him. He knew what trouble was doing.

"I have a little bit of bad news for you. Can you handle it?"

There was a slight rumbling chuckle at that. He leaned in but cut he eyes sideways and enjoyed the dark look that Yuuri was flashing at them. Well, it wasn't as enjoyable as wearing that black garter belt under his silk skirt while working under cover as a barmaid last week. But it ranked up there.

"And just what would that be?" the spy asked quietly.

"Yes, Yuuri is—quite literally—a royal pain right now." The spirit had caught the double black's look, too. "But that's part of the problem."

"I still don't follow," Yozak said pleasantly, pulling back on the horse's reins so that they'd slow to a more casual pace.

"Oh, I'd say 'follow' is an excellent word in this case," Tra'va mumbled. "Right now, we've being followed."

The spy narrowed his eyes and was about to turn back his head to see when Wolfram's hand caught his chin and turned it downwards, closer to pink lips and golden locks. "Don't look," came the mutter with a slight edge to it. "In this situation, we need to make sure that Yuuri Heika is okay. Someone needs to guard him and Murata, who is all brain and no brawn, while the rest of us deal with them."

"Why does it sound like you've got a plan?" he said, suddenly very suspicious of the person sitting in front of him.

"Well, I'd better if I want to get to where I'm going," mumbled the spirit bitterly. "Right now, I'd say that about two nindans behind us, there's…"

"Eh?" He cocked his head to the side. "What's a 'nindan,' anyway?"

Wolfram's features narrowed with impatience. "My people measured the distance between one village and the next in 'nindans.' I guess, your tribe has another term for it. But that's not important right now." Trouble huffed a bit and continued, "I can feel two muddy orange-red auras behind us. There's blood lust in their hearts. I can smell it on the wind, too."

"And the color of the auras… Does color matter?"

There was a sharp nod. "Not…good…"

"So, they're definitely after us?" Yozak asked as quietly as he could.

"That's the problem, I can't tell …exactly. They could be really mad…at each other or someone else. I dunno." There was a frustrated, impatient sigh that followed. "This is going to cause all kinds of delays… Why…oh, why…did that wimpy king have to come along for us to protect?"

Red eyes shot in Yuuri's direction. The two of them glanced at each other at the same time, eyes wide with surprise, and then both looked away in embarrassment.

"Y-u-u-r-i! Yuuri just makes me feel sometimes… He just…" Trouble never finished the grumbled out sentence.

There was a snicker from Murata, who had pieced together that the spirit was grumbling about the double black. Murata's mirth, though, was suddenly cut short thanks to Yuuri coughing into his fist, in a most Gwendalish fashion to get his attention, and then frowning at him.

"I suppose," Yozak said softly to redirect the conversation, "we should just tell everyone."

Tra'va disagreed and told him so with a look. "Let us investigate first. That way, no one gets upset over nothing. Because, if I'm wrong…" Another glance at Yuuri. "I'd hate to look foolish."

"Well, I'd rather be foolish…and alive…"

"I'm already dead… So, the second part really isn't a worry for me anymore."

Yozak gave a very deep sigh. This seemed suspicious…very suspicious. Was the spirit even telling the truth? Are people really out there?

Trouble made a sound—an almost animalistic mix of amusement and annoyance. "Still don't trust me, my night-time husband?" The spirit watched the road that they were traveling on without really taking anything in. The look was vacant, distant. "Make up your mind quickly. Those two are closing in fast. In fact, they've left the road and they're traveling parallel to it—using the shrubs and trees as cover."

Blue eyes hardened at that.

"Okay…fine," Trouble said as a prolonged sigh and then reached down into Wolfram's right boot with a smooth motion so that no one would notice. "Take this," the spirit said and slipped a small, but very sharp, dagger to Yozak. "This is a family heirloom that was given to Wolfram when he turned fifty. He likes the carved rosewood handle." Then, a pinkish eye glanced at it. "Come to think of it, I like it, too…"

Yozak blinked.

"If I try to run off, just throw this little darling into my back and be done with me."

The spy shook his head and handed the blade back. "You know that I can't. And that's not how the kiddo…" He motioned to Yuuri with a nod of this head. "…Operates, either. You can see that in Wolfram's heart. I know you can."

There was a Wolframish "humph" followed by "True enough…" Pink eyes cut past the place where the sage had just ridden by on his horse. "We don't have much time, though. So, here's what I suggest… I'll cause a distraction and you follow me. If all goes well, we'll see what's going on before the others, and we will deal with it if we have to."

Yozak shook his head "no." "I think that's a bad plan. We're supposed to be keeping an eye on you, remember? Let me and Conrad deal with it."

"And, while you're 'dealing with it,' just who will be protecting Yuuri and Murata?" There was a know-it-all tone and a flirty tilt of the head. "After all… If you don't trust me so much, then why would you leave me alone with Yuuri and the sage with a dagger in my possession?"

The spy frowned back. He had to think…and think quick!

"Besides," Trouble said and pulled on the reins in Yozak's hands to get the horse to stop, "I gotta pee."

There was a rustling in the bushes as Yozak's horse came to a complete halt. Was that them? No. Startled, a sparrow flew out of the lush, green leaves and at the sky with breakneck speed. Trouble scanned the greenery—looking for the auras. There! I see them. Yes, in that direction and closing in fast.

"They must be on horses," Trouble muttered, hoping only Yozak would hear.

The spy's eyes widened as he felt a kiss on the cheek from Wolfram's lips.

The spirit jumped down.

"What are you doing, Trouble?" Yuuri said almost hotly. He'd seen the peck on the cheek. And he didn't like the way the spirit just hopped off of Yozak's horse, either. He thought he was stressed enough—yes, "stress" was what he had to be feeling all this time—when Trouble was traveling with Yozak on his horse. Now, he felt much worse because the situation seemed to be more and more out of control with the defiant stare that he was getting at that moment from the blond crossing the road.

"Gotta go," Trouble said flippantly and strolled across the wide road for the shoulder high shrubs that lay just beyond.

"No, you're not. We're all staying together." The double black crossed his arms and scowled.

"No, you're not getting it. I gotta go…you know… Understand?"

Yuuri's scowl morphed into a frown. He was confused.

Trouble turned to Murata and said mockingly, "Honestly, my day husband…I must confess…" With more than a little satisfaction, the spirit could see some "roses" color those cheeks at the words "day husband." A pale hand flipped back Wolfram's hair out of his face. The spirit continued, "I have serious concerns about the viability of your monarchy considering the fact that Yuuri Heika, here, cannot grasp a concept as simplistic as this one."

"You sound like Günter," Yuuri muttered. It wasn't a complement.

Murata's glasses gleamed as he pushed them up on his face with a small nod. Tra'va is doing it again. One minute, the tones and the words are crude and informal. The next minute, the words are smooth, cultured, sophisticated… He smiled back mildly. I wonder if it's an act on your part…or if you simply can't help yourself for some reason…? With a sneaky smile coming to him, the other double black said, "I think it would clear up a lot if you spelled out what you're…needing to do."

Trouble rested a hand on one hip and looked at Yuri with annoyed, bloody eyes. "Okay, Yuuri… When 'nature calls,' you…"

"Oh," Yuuri said, wide eyed and embarrassed. Yes, he was kind of slow on the uptake. This time, he told himself that he'd been out of it, almost brain dead, from riding his horse for so long. And, maybe, he just wanted to not think about anything that the spirit had to say…because…well…it was easier and he wouldn't be reminded that he was separated from Wolfram…or that Wolfram's lips just touched Yozak.

Trouble tucked back a strand of blond hair smugly. "Yup, so that's the thing…gotta go play 'catch the snake'… 'point Percy at the porcelain'… 'whiz'… 'piddle'… 'water a wagon wheel… Oh, and my personal favorite… 'squirt the dirt.'" Trouble smirked evilly while walking off but added, "I'll be done in a minute…since you're so determined to keep up with me." A branch was pulled back and Trouble walked on. "Hey, King-ie," Wolfram's voice called, "I'll be back with a description of my activities…in full, gory detail. One handed or two…? That's the mystery for you."

Yuuri sighed and hung his head. Being mad at Trava for this long was draining him. He really wanted to let go of this feeling and be happy again. No, he wanted Wolfram again. I need him back.

Conrad guided his horse a little closer to Yuuri's and looked at his godson with understanding, brown eyes. "I think Tra'va is baiting you a little." He stressed "little" in a meaningful way. "You might not want to fall for it."

Yuuri nodded. "Patience? Yeah…I think you're right." He glanced at the shrubs. "But I'm going to be feeling foolish if we're standing around here and Trouble takes off."

"I'll follow," Yozak said while tossing the reins to Conrad with a winning smile. A wink followed it.

Conrad, who now held the reins for three horses, his own as well as Wolfram's and Yozak's, felt a little bit like a hitching post. A crooked smile came to him, and, at the same time, he noticed an impish look from his godson.

"I guess you have to follow your own advice about patience. Huh, Conrad?"

"That is very true."

Hands gripped and pulled.

Yozak tore back several broken tree limbs, ducked around others, and jogged a bit harder than his stiff from horseback riding legs wanted to in order to catch up with the blond. On the inside, he understood Yuuri's feelings. If Trouble was just using this to disappear, it would be a major headache to track down the oppositional and defiant spirit. But, something inside told him that he could trust Tra'va. It wasn't logical, he knew, but it was a feeling. And Yozak always went with his instincts.

There was a small clearing of trees. Wolfram's form was standing on the edge of it with his back to him.

"I tried to make my trail easy enough to track. I'm glad I did a good job."

"That you did," Yozak said, taking a look around them as he spoke.

Wolfram's hands rose in the air—feeling the wind, caressing it like a gentle lover. The spirit hummed softly—the song was sad, lonely. The hands moved again. Abruptly, the song broke.

A harsh whisper. "They're coming…almost here…"

There was a rustling of leaves and clomping hoofs. Then, feet jumping off of horses and onto soft earth.

"Better hide," Yozak said while placing a strong hand on Tra'va's shoulder, "it will buy us a little time."

A blond head shook "no." Wolfram's form began to take on a rough edge with a purple glow bleeding through on small, vapored wisps. Yozak's face went blank as he felt the shoulder heat up with a pulsing sensation. His hand dropped away, limp.

The spirit grinned at the direction the enemy would come. Quiet words came. "They're mine. And I would never dream of retreating before the enemy anyway, so…" Sharp fangs began to grow in anticipation.

"Trouble!" he whispered almost dangerously, trying to take Wolfram's hand this time. He gripped the callused hand that knew hours of swordplay only to be shocked again. It had grown blackish brown talons that narrowed down to needle-like points.

Once again, Yozak let go.

Suddenly, Tra'va tilted a blond head up at the man next to him and breathed, "Oh hell…"

"What?" His eyes widened with worry. "Are there more of them?" In a way, he almost hoped that was the case. He didn't want to admit that the transformations were getting to him—even though they were.

Wolfram's head hung low suddenly, like a puppet with strings cut. "Damn it…Yes!"

With only a shadow of relief, he said, "More of them? Over there?" Pointing to where they expected the enemy to arrive.

"Hell, no! Right there," Trouble pointed behind them only to smack a finger into the side of Yuuri's nose as he came trudging through some thick brush.

"Ouch, Trouble! What was that for?!" The double black winced as he rubbed the reddening spot.

Blond eyebrows knit together. Now, they know that we're here. Wolfram's mouth was a thin line. 3…2…1… "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Trouble shouted loud enough for people in Big Cimarron to hear. "I tell you to wait and you don't! Why can't you do something so SIMPLE as that?! But, no-o-o….! You won't because you're the all mighty leader!" Trouble yelled it in frustration with talons balled up in rage.

In the beginning, Yozak tried to shush Tra'va. By mid-rant, it was impossible. So, he threw up his hands and decided that he'd just face the two strangers when they got around to attacking.

"What's going on, Yozak?" Conrad asked once Trouble had finished yelling and was busy clinching and unclenching fists in a childish fantasy of throttling Yuuri.

"Well, Captain," he said with his trademark boyish tones to communicate his worry, "we seem to have been followed by two people." He gestured to the shrubs not far from where they were standing.

"We were followed?" Murata said, peeping up from behind Yuuri's shoulder.

"And thanks to our major mistake here," Trouble gritted out, pointing to Yuuri, "they now know… that we know…ABOUT THEM!"

An unearthly growl followed. Everyone stepped back.

There are times when I just wanna smack him. Briefly, Trouble pictured throttling Yuuri again and then felt calmer, taking Yuuri by the collar and saying, "Better move back in case they have arrows." The spirit, with Yuuri in tow by the collar, shoved him behind a tree none too gently. Yuuri could hear the spirit grumble, "Why Wolfram loves you is beyond me."

Conrad and Yozak gave each other a brief nod to signal that it was time to get to work. Only, Trouble calmly walked in between them and kept going. A few paces later, the blond stood in the middle of a small clearing, arms crossed and toe tapping impatiently.

"Well, you two?" the spirit said in a goulish, angry voice. "I'm waiting."

Silence.

"I said that I was waiting!"

Silence.

"Listen, fools, I'm not going to say this again. Come out here…or I'll begin to question your honor as well as your manhood."

"Ouch, that was harsh," Murata said, hiding next to Yuuri behind the tree.

Green leaves shook hard. Then, the shrubs leaned heavily to the left as two men, dressed in dark green hooded robes, entered the clearing.

Both moving as one, they extended their palms out flat--allowing the stones in their hands to glow with a deepening, red color. The light from the sky filtered in through the tree branches. The sunbeams hit the ruby colored stones, charging them with sunlight as they streaked down. The pair gripped tightly and then held the stones before them, almost as in prayer. Thin strands of light, like strings, wrapped the rocks to the masculine palms. Then, they pulled their hands back, parallel. A deep rumble followed, power building and charging.

"Hand over the sword. Now!"

Wolfram's toe tapped impatiently again. The face wore an expression of "You really are that stupid, aren't you?" If Yuuri hadn't been so concerned for Wolfram's body and Trouble's welfare, he would have almost been amused by it—almost.

"Okay, geniuses… And, exactly which 'sword' are you talking about? Obviously, we have more than one here…oh, frightening bandits in green hoodie pajamas…" The tone was dripping with sarcasm. Yuuri liked it, he decided. He took a step away from the tree.

"That one," the first said, pointing to Morgif.

The sword howled with protest at the strangers. Yuuri looked down and waved a hand—trying to shush him.

"Morgif?" Trouble squeaked incredulously, he turned around to Yuuri, stormed in the double black's direction, and shoved him behind the tree again before returning with a self-important swagger. "Morgif? The moaning sword of the demons? He doesn't do anything. All he does is moan like he's got a case of the runs in a public toilet." The spirit made a face like eating a mouthful of sauerkraut.

Morgif moaned a retort that went largely unnoticed.

The spirit shrugged it off. "Boy, you have bad taste. Do you want a sword stolen from the Warrior of Lütenburg?" Pointing to Yozak—who wasn't sure if he should be happy that the spirit just revealed his true identity just to brag about him.

There was a Wolframish smirk. "Obviously not." Arms folded as Trouble went on, "Do you want the sword of The Lion of Lütenberg?" There was a sweeping gesture towards Conrad. Red eyes narrowed at the strangers. "Nope again!" There was more sarcasm and an incredulous shake of the head that followed. "Wait! Wait! How about the sage? He's got a sword, too. Want it?" Now, there was a sexy smirk. "Maybe, I'll get my hands on it first…"

"Trouble!" Yuuri hissed from behind the tree.

"Jealous," the spirit said and stuck a pink tongue at the double black while Murata chuckled darkly.

The red crystals powered up as an answer. Everybody backed off except Trouble.

"Hand it over or else! Just drop the sword and back away." the second man said as he shot a bolt of red energy into the sky as a warning shot. The blast clipped a high tree branch. It fell delicately with a rushing sound as it hit larger branches below and became entangled.

Red eyes turned bloody dangerous.

"That's cheating!" The spirit turned to everyone standing behind, fully expecting to be backed up on this point. "They can't just do that." A blond head was whipped back to the strangers and then it was cocked angrily to one side with eyes wide. "If you've got powers, use them! Don't rely on toys."

There was another red blast—the warning shot went into the ground near Wolfram's feet that time.

"Tra'va," Murata said, his voice had a commanding ring to it. He knew of the spirit's attachment to him, and he decided it was time to take advantage of it. "I think you'd better…"

He was answered with a toss of the head and a rosey-eyed wink. The head turned forward once again, but Murata was still uncertain.

The thieves shifted the angle of the stones by repositioning their hands. The next blast would hit Wolfram's body for sure.

The stones powered up again.

Underneath green hoods, the men smiled to themselves.

Yuuri shouted out loud as a red burst traveled in their direction. Conrad and Yozak had already pushed Yuuri and the sage down to the ground, praying that Trouble had managed to duck, too.

"Wolfram," Conrad breathed with deep concern. Yuuri was still under him. It was a choice he had to make and he made it. But it didn't sit well with him. What if Trouble had been hit and Wolfram injured? Or worse…? How would he explain that to everyone?

They looked up to see Trouble still standing. There was a huge, purple shield spread out before him. On the opaque shield, there was a bright mark where the energy had blasted against it. Then the barrier faded from view, but the impression in the dirt shifted slightly—telling Murata, at least, that the barrier was still there.

Hands on hips, Tra'va took another step forward. The impression in the dirt moved forward, too, and bent back blades of tall grass.

The second thief whispered in shock, "Blocked? But…we sent out the holy light."

The spirit said sarcastically, "Oi, can you do that out your ass? I bet cha can't."

"Trouble!" Yuuri hissed, crawling out from under Conrad. "Now is not the time!"

"Not rectally possible, huh?" Tra'va shrugged with a crooked grin but added "spoil sport" in Yuuri's direction.

"My first instinct is to use fire, but… 'Mr. Nobody-dies-today-because-I'm-the-maou' would be whining for the rest of this trip, so..." Trouble turned around and formed a large, purple and black sphere in the right hand. With graceful hand movements, the spirit reached into the glowing ball to split the sphere into two, and then, with much effort, hurled both forward.

The gusts of wind were harsh and almost knocked both men off of their feet. But, still, they struggled. The hoods were blown back and their faces revealed. They were, indeed, human.

"Humans! I KNEW IT!" the spirit roared, feral desires filled every word. The bloodthirsty sounds came through the inhales and exhales—reverberating, and growing stronger. "Your kind have been causing my tribe problems for centuries." The blond walked forward, almost stalking prey. Pale hands with taloned fingers pointed at the men.

Yuuri blinked at that. "Murata? Did you know…his hands…the nails?"

"No," the sage whispered back incredulously, "but, maybe, I should have thought about it."

And, with a sweeping gesture from right to left, both thieves were shoved onto their backs, hard against the ground. "You hunted my people, with houjutsu toys like these, for the most frivolous of reasons. And it was your fault that we had to escape—all of us—to the Fire Island southeast of here."

Murata listened and readjusted his glasses. "That confirms it."

"Sorry?" Yuuri said, looking at him distractedly.

"Nothing," Murata murmured with an impish grin. He turned his attention to Trouble—who was leering over them with a fang dripping saliva.

The two humans looked terrified, staring up with mouths gaping open.

Murata coughed politely to get the spirit's attention. "I think we should take their 'toys,' if you please, Tra'va?"

"But," the spirit said, feeling angry and more than justified for being so.

"Tra'va…" There was an admonishing tone. "Search Wolfram's heart and learn how we handle these situations."

The spirit looked almost imploringly at Murata. When he didn't give in an inch, Tra'va fisted taloned hands, and growled, "I suppose…you give me no choice." Then, the spirit knelt down next to the men with a little fang still hanging out. Sharp, brown fingernails tore the stones from the humans' hands. "You are most fortunate that my daytime husband is so merciful. I can deny him nothing."

Yuuri, hearing this, blushed bright red down past his neck and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "Sheesh… Did you have to phrase it that way?"

"I don't mind," Murata said, almost a purr as the ruby colored stones were tossed to him.

"Oh, and speaking of 'husbands,'" Trouble said. The spirit stood up and turned to Yozak with, dusty rose eyes and hands clasped together with a pleading, almost childish, gesture. "Can I please have something?" Eyelashes batted sweetly.

"Ummm…what do you need, Trouble?" This was sudden—a little too sudden—and a bit awkward in front of Conrad for some reason that he didn't want to analyze. His face showed nervousness.

"I need you to get me a coil of rope, two apples, and your least favorite shade of lipstick." Wobbly eyes followed. "Wolfram knows that you probably have some makeup with you. So, can I have the lipstick? Please…?"

"Oh…Trouble…" Yuuri said under his breath, feeling very uncomfortable with the direction that the scene was now taking.

Yuuri's tone convinced him to go for it. "Sure, I'll be right back." Yozak flashed Conrad a quick, reassuring grin that he truly didn't feel and headed back to the horses.

Conrad rubbed his chin in thought.

Five minutes later, Trouble had the items requested and approached the two humans with a dangerous, but almost gleeful, leer. The men were both tied with rope to opposite sides of the same oak tree. They were standing with their stomachs pressed against the bark of the trunk. Their faces were turned to the side so that they could glare back—which they did.

"What cha gonna do?" the first human griped. At the moment, his sweaty hair was dangling to one side of his head like matted, brown seaweed from struggling against Yozak who had gotten him into position. The thirty-something year old had white skin, muddy brown irises that seemed to bleed the murky color into the whites, and slash scars on his cheek. He was proud that he had resisted the orange haired man even if it meant that he now had a leaf caught in his hair, sticking out like a cat's ear, waving in the breeze.

Trouble got a defiant glare from the other human, too. The second man, a smaller version of his companion with acne scars and crooked teeth, shouted in agreement. "Go ahead, monster! You're worse than those demons! Freak of nature!" He spat at the ground, but the spirit didn't move.

The first man struggled against his bonds and said, "Go ahead…Shoot us with our own holy light. To be killed by those rocks is an honor for revolutionaries like us…" Referring to the red stones that were now in Murata's hands. Murata stopped his examination to raise a black eyebrow in his direction. Then, he turned his face a little to smirk at Trouble, who returned the sneaky look.

"Yeah!" said the second human. "Kill us! Do it!"

Trouble shook a blond head 'no."

"That's not what I want from you at all!" the spirit said in almost a sing-songy way while shoving an apple into each mouth. "Now, you bite those…or I'll bite you…"

Red eyes flashed. Fangs bared and lunged at them.

As brave as the men pretended to be, they decided that Trouble would be true to that statement—leaving them chewed up and facing a long, lingering death. So, they bit down on the fruit.

The spirit removed the dagger from Wolfram's boot and looked at the pretty rosewood handle. The carving was beautiful. It had been made by a true craftsman. Too bad I can't keep this…

"Trouble?!" Yuuri said with disapproval. His body tensed, just watching Trouble's strange attraction to the blade that he didn't even know Wolfram had.

Red eyes narrowed into slits. "Oh, kiss my snowy white butt, why don't you?" The spirit went to the first human, took the knife and began to cut the green robe, the shirt, and then the pants right off of him—leaving a pile of rags on the grass.

"Trouble?!" Yuuri squeaked. He got the "shut up" death glare and decided to hold his tongue.

The other human looked at Trouble with wide, terrified eyes. He would have shouted "No!" but his mouth was full of apple. And, for some reason that his mind could not comprehend, he couldn't open his jaws to let the fruit go, either. He was, however, able to mutter pathetic little screams in his throat—not that it changed anything.

In minutes, both men were standing there, blushing furiously while tied to a tree…wearing nothing but black G-strings.

The spirit grabbed the G-strings, pulled back, and let them snap like rubber bands.

There was an awkward shuffling of feet all around the tree.

Trouble put hands on the humans' foreheads and a purplish-black glow began to form. The spirit's eyes changed color, too—a shade of lilac that darkened slowly as the seconds ticked away. "You followed us but couldn't find us in the woods…" Trouble said to the men in an almost human voice. "You've decided that it's not worth the effort to follow. So, sleep now and wake up when your butts get cold."

Then Trouble let them go and stepped away from the tree.

"So, they really believe that story now?" Yuuri asked.

"Yes…" Then a sudden wicked grin came with the toss of a silver tube in the air. It tumbled three times before Wolfram's hand caught it and pulled the cap off. "Oh… I almost forgot…" Trouble went back to the men while applying the lipstick. First the lower lip and then the upper one. They were perfectly shaped, sexy lips wearing a lovely shade of "Juicy Apricot Nights." Wolfram's lips rolled with slick, sensuous movements. Uncomfortable, Yuuri had to look away for a second. His heart was beating hard.

Trouble tore at blond hair with shrinking talons—getting several broken strands. Then, the pieces of hair were tucked into the side of the G-string of the second human.

"Eh?" Yuuri's mind couldn't process it.

He got a low, sexy snicker from the spirit.

Much to Yuuri's continued horror, Tra'va began kissing the little man on the cheek very, very slowly—leaving huge prints.

Stepping back and admiring the work, Wolfram's voice said clearly, "That should do it." Placing a hand on the first human one last time, Trouble said, "Oh and by the way…the two of you are dating and he's cheating on you. You might wanna kick his ass hard."

And, with that, the spirit gave a sheepish shrug to the group and walked back to them. The steps were jaunty.

"I'm impressed, Trouble," Yuuri said. "I really thought you were going to kill them."

"I wanted to," the spirit said while rubbing the last of the lipstick off on the back of his hand. The victory "strut" turned into a slow paced stroll. "But, it wouldn't change anything, really."

Yuuri smiled at that a little. This was the first serious and honest statement that the spirit had given him. And he liked it. Then, he noticed that Trouble didn't go back to the road but was veering off to the right.

"Trouble?" Yuuri called, "The road is back that way." He pointed.

Tra'va stopped suddenly in front of a bush and began to unhitch Wolfram's trousers with a little effort. "I know that, but I still gotta go. I've got a full bladder now."

"Eh?" Yuuri said.

"Well, you drink all that cider and see what happens to you…right? I gotta go so bad my back teeth are floating." Rummaging around inside the pants, the spirit said, "Let's see if I can remember how this thing's supposed to work."

The pants lowered, showing a white tushie to the group.

"Ewww!! Trouble!"

"Wha?" Tra'va said, looking around right and left, "What'd I do this time?"

"Just…Just... Nothing! But look where you're going!" Yuuri griped, turning on his heel with disgust and stomping away.

"Finally, he gives me some good advice… Oh…Look, a beetle…! I wonder if I can hit it…?" ...'splosh'... "Now, it's a water bug…"

…snickers…