--FINAL CHAPTER—

"Love does not die easily. It is a living thing.

It thrives in the face of all of life's hazards, save one -- neglect."

-James D. Dryden

Chapter 23

He slammed his doubled up fist on the desk. Everything shook. "WHAT…?! What was that?" Gwendal could feel his blood pressure skyrocketing by the second. He was starting to breathe hard, too.

"I'm…sorry. I know that wasn't what you were expecting to hear."

From you? Hell, yes! The look was incredulous. "Heika…!" A snarl followed the word and Yuuri's first instinct was to cower back. But, he knew that everything he just said was true, and it was what he really meant deep down inside. So, there's nothing to be afraid of, he thought.

He glanced at the administrator—now blood red in the face with whitish crease marks from stress around the eyes, grimaced mouth, and forehead. The whole body was tense, ready to pounce if need be.

Well, okay… I can lie to myself right about now. This is scary!

"LISTEN… TO… WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!" Gwendal barked. The glass in the windows rattled. "There's no way I'm going to allow…!" He stood up from his chair. The legs scraped violently against the wooden floor, making an unbearable sound—not unlike nails on a blackboard.

"I'm…I'm sorry…" Onyx eyes looked up at him. "For everything… I really am."

Gwendal circled around the desk, stomping each step as he did so. "'I'm sorry?' you say? SORRY? Well, here's a bit of information for you that doesn't have to be carried by messenger pigeon… 'I'm sorry' isn't enough! And your ridiculous plan—ridiculous socially, politically, morally—won't work!"

"Morally?" Yuuri said, frowning. "What could be wrong with this? And, if it was fine before…?"

"Yes, morally!" Gwendal seethed with his arms crossed against his chest. "Consider everything you've put Wolfram through. You've taken for granted the one person who is truly devoted to you." He approached the double black slowly. "In many ways, you've been a spoiled king. You've never had to deal with lingering doubts and suspicions regarding the people under you. And, even though you insist upon trusting people, I know what the real world is like. I know first hand what it feels like to discover disloyalty among the ranks. You've never had to live with the infighting and back biting that comes from courtly life, either. Wolfram, Conrad, Günter, and I have tried to shield you from that cold reality. Maybe…we shouldn't have, but we did."

"I know you've all done so much for me," Yuuri agreed. It was true, and he couldn't deny it. "But this is what we want, and we're going through with it. I just thought I'd let you know ahead of time…out of courtesy."

Indigo blue eyes narrowed at the double black. The clueless wonder was still not getting the message. "Wolfram is no longer your problem, Heika." He practically hissed the last word.

"He's not a problem," Yuuri said quietly. "I was the problem." He tilted his chin up at Gwendal and hoped his wobbly dark eyes would win him over. That tactic had worked in the past, but not now. He'd try again, then. "Another reason why I'm here…What I've wanted to say to you for a long time…is…Gomen." He bowed as deeply as he could.

Gwendal shook "no" with a dangerous looking frown. He went back to the desk, yanked open a small drawer aggressively, and retrieved a single sheet of folded paper. He waved it in Yuuri's direction. "This says that your engagement has been called off. You agreed to it! Signed it! And that leaves him under my command as a soldier. And, even if he's 'of age' he's still my little brother and I'm the head of the family."

Head…of the family? Yuuri couldn't fight back the smile that had twitched its way onto his face. He just kept having images of a certain blond beauty crushing a scowling Gwendal against her chest. "Is that because Lady Cheri is off on another free love cruise right now?"

Gwendal gritted his teeth and another wrinkle popped up. But it was more than frustration. There was an itch in his heart, one he couldn't scratch away.

"So," he went on, getting back to business, "you won't accept my apology?" Yuuri asked cautiously when the silence between them grew uncomfortable.

"You're the king," Gwendal complained as he shoved the paper back into his desk, "and anyone accepting—or not accepting—your apology is not something you need to worry about." On the other hand, me fantasizing about kicking your ass is permitted. He replayed the image in his head a few times with satisfaction.

"Well, I'm sorry that you disagree…but, as you say, I am king… So, we will continue with our plans…whether we have your consent or not."

A breeze picked up in the room. Gwendal thought briefly about closing the window as he rescued some documents from flying off his desk and onto the rug.

"We?" he said distractedly, taking the stack of papers in hand and straightening them up. "Are you trying to convince me that you've got Wolfram accepting this so easily? I don't believe it." His body straightened into a rigid line as he said, "You never saw the pain in his eyes like I did."

A pair of large hands slammed down hard on Gwendal's desk. The black clothed arms leaned in menacingly, and black slitted orbs promised one thousand and one tortures into the administrator's eyes if he made a wrong move.

"The 'we' in question happens to be yours truly," The Maou seethed darkly, matching Gwendal's mood. Blue spirals of energy wrapped around him with the faint imprint of dragons within. "And you will comply or you will face dire consequences—brother of my beloved or not."

Automatically, Gwendal stepped back. His right foot collided with the chair leg. It almost made him stumble and fall, but he caught himself somewhat awkwardly, ponytail smacking the side of his face.

The Demon King quirked a devious grin at that, gripped Gwendal's shoulder, and forced the man to lean forward for a quiet word. "And what you fail to comprehend is this… Wolfram belongs to us—Yuuri and me—mind, soul…and body. And, I promise you, in time, we will claim all three."

Logan and two fellow soldiers eyed Yuuri suspiciously as he opened the door to the Victorian-styled greenhouse for Wolfram to enter. He understood why he got the looks and smiled down at his shoes sadly. He deserved it, after all, because of everything that Wolfram had gone through. And, he knew that some part of him would always regret that—sneaking away like a coward; not breaking things off with Wolfram the honorable way before seeing those girls back on Earth. But, now, looking back on it, he was sorry that he'd ever been with them. Yuuri knew that he'd messed things up between himself and Wolfram and, socially as well as politically, tarnished the blond's reputation in this world forever.

The double black glanced over—just in time to see Wolfram giving him a strange expression that was a mixture of distrust and confusion. Nevertheless, the blue clad soldier walked in with his head held high.

Once they were inside, Yuuri gestured to a pair of high backed chairs positioned with a grouping of pink, almost blushing, roses behind them. It was unusual to see furniture like that in the greenhouse. So, the ex-prince assumed that Yuuri had asked for the furniture for a specific purpose. Just what, he didn't know.

Wolfram gave a curt nod and took the chair to the right. He crossed his legs casually, followed by his arms. The aura was defensive now and the blond head was tilted curiously to one side. Something was definitely up and he wasn't exactly sure what it was. But he could feel his heartbeat picking up and the strange, tense expression on Yuuri's face made him feel worse, if that was at all possible. Wolfram glanced around. No one was in the greenhouse with them. They were alone.

There had to be a reason for that.

"I'm glad you could come," Yuuri said, taking the seat beside Wolfram and placing the cardboard box on his lap. Wolfram noted that it was white, made of stiff paper, and tied up with string.

"Is there something that is…needed?" the blond asked cautiously. Yuuri's box was a mystery, but he didn't want it to turn into a distraction. At the moment, he had too many questions for Yuuri—first and foremost, his chat with Gwendal that ended a few minutes ago. "If there is something," he went on, "I am at your disposal…"

Yuuri noticed that over the last twenty-four hours Wolfram's sentences toward him tended to be formal and avoided the use of his name and/or the word "heika."

"Well…yeah… Kind of…"

Onyx eyes focused on the box instead of the harsh green eyes that drilled into him.

Yuuri swallowed hard and began. "Things have…changed…and I really feel that we need to understand that… Have a meeting of the minds, I guess…" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "…No, it's not like that… What I'm trying to say…" The double black looked at Wolfram with some frustration. "This was all so easy when I practiced with the bathroom mirror." He chuckled nervously.

Wolfram didn't understand and began to rack his memories for anything that had changed or was out of Yuuri's schedule today.

"…A new start…fresh beginning is what's needed…because I can't do this anymore…and the distance… between us…"

We're no longer engaged and he doesn't need me… I'm being sent away… That's it! Wolfram's jaw dropped and his disbelieving stare intensified.

Yuuri, seeing Wolfram's reaction, found himself far more nervous than before. "…I just hope you understand that…and accept it…me…umm…because…"

This is…goodbye. He's sending me somewhere or I'm being reassigned again. I'm alone. Wolfram nodded and told himself that he was not going to be tearful. They'd ended the engagement before their adventure together. And waking up in Yuuri's arms, feeling his embrace, kissing him those times-- They were just things that happened in the heat of the moment with no permanence. He even said so himself. It was wrong for him to believe otherwise—if only for a second—or to hope for some alternate outcome.

Clinging to Yuuri was useless.

"I'm sorry," Yuuri sighed and pulled the string on the box. "This isn't the way I'd practiced it in my head."

"There's no need…" Wolfram said in a tone he hoped was neutral.

Yuuri shrugged a bit and opened the box. Inside were four small strawberry tarts—plump, red, and sweet. He remembered how much Wolfram loved strawberries and even the scent alone could get his mouth watering. The double black glanced at Wolfram and saw the hungry look mixed in with other emotions that he couldn't identify.

Yuuri nodded at the box. He took one of the tarts and offered it to Wolfram. "Please," he said quietly. Yuuri was a bit surprised when Wolfram didn't take it right away. He wanted it, clearly, but held back. "Please take it," Yuuri said again, much more quietly this time.

His face fell a little. "Fine." Wolfram's tone was a resignation, not a fiery or bratty complaint. Their fingers brushed against each other briefly, which made Wolfram's heart beat just a bit harder. He cursed himself silently and positioned the tart against his lips. He took a hesitant bite. The scent was intoxicating, but Wolfram found himself far from hungry now that he realized being this close to Yuuri was getting to him. Still, politeness dictated that he eat it. After all, it was offered, by hand, from a king.

"You don't like it, do you," Yuuri said. It was a statement, not a question.

"Actually," Wolfram answered honestly, "it's quite good." There was a sweetness that he enjoyed and a tartness that seemed addictive. The blond tried to brighten up. He needed to do more than mope and mourn for something that he told himself wasn't real. Their engagement was just an idea in his head that he couldn't let go of because it had become important—a part of his soul. Wolfram bound his feelings up again in a tight coil, telling himself that he could take it. He was a man. He was not going shatter inside. After all, he'd done it enough times and he always woke up the next morning glad that he hadn't made an ass of himself the previous day by acting out the way he really wanted to. Being Yuuri's shadow for over three years had been enough embarrassment. Don't add to it now. He took a slow, calming breath. Let go and accept this final moment…

Wolfram took a larger bite and enjoyed a fat strawberry. In spite of himself, he closed his eyes and gave an appreciative, albeit small, hum.

Yuuri smiled.

The double black ruffled his raven locks. "I think the problem between us was that it started out wrong…and we kept on going, knowing that everything was messed up and complicated…because it was just too easy to let it stay that way."

The blond chewed the rest of his bite slowly and swallowed. If that was how Yuuri saw it, there was nothing he could have done differently to rectify the situation. And no amount of nagging about "fiancés" and "marriages" would have demonstrated his attachment to the double black in any clearer light. 'Wrong'…you and me…? No wonder we came to this point, huh? He forced a bite of graham cracker crust down his throat. "I see…"

Onyx eyes turned, and he leaned against Wolfram's shoulder in a friendly way.

"So," he said with a slight smile, "hello. My name is Shibuya Yuuri. I'm from Earth. It's nice to meet you."

Wolfram almost choked on his tart. "Eh?"

"What's your name?"

Wolfram blinked at that. Did Yuuri, his ex-fiancé and The King of Shin Makoku, just ask him what his name was?

"S-sorry…?" Wolfram stammered, sending a cloud of graham cracker-spray from his mouth. He placed the back of his hand to his lips to keep more crumbs from flying out.

Yuuri laughed, vastly amused, and Wolfram colored with embarrassment.

"Your name is…?" he pressed.

Wolfram "humphed," popped the last of his tart into his mouth unceremoniously, and chewed to buy time. I guess I'll have to play along with the games of a king. He answered the way his tutors had trained him to all those years ago. "My name is Wolfram von Bielefeld and I am the third son of Cecilie von Spitzberg. It is my extreme pleasure," he said grimly, "to meet your acquaintance." He felt foolish reintroducing himself to Yuuri. But, what else could he do if this was really "goodbye?" His eyes narrowed at nothing in particular. It was easier that way.

"So, Wolfram… Can I call you 'Wolf'?"

A beautiful, well-formed mouth turned down at that.

"Oh…okay… 'Wolfram' it is…" Then Yuuri picked up another tart and handed it to Wolfram. "So, tell me about yourself."

While accepting the tart, he gave an incredulous look.

"Okay… I'll go first, then…" Yuuri picked up a tart and took a small bite. "Yum! …This is good…" He chewed a bit and said, "I'm king here. Not that I ever wanted to be or dreamed that I'd be one. But, I just sort of 'fell into' the job." He snickered slightly at his own joke. But his Japanese nature worried that it would come across as bragging, so he added softly, "It's not an easy life, but I do my best."

"I know you do, Yuuri," Wolfram said with a bitter edge and took another bite roughly. He swallowed without tasting it.

The double black ignored the tone. "Oh, yes… And I have a daughter named 'Greta.'"

Yuuri gave a friendly nudge to Wolfram who understood the game only too well now. "What a coincidence," the blond said in a tone that clearly conveyed the notion that there was no coincidence at all. "I have a daughter. Her name is Greta, too." Wolfram took a slow breath and continued with "And she's everything to me."

Yuuri took another bite. "Well, that's something we have in common."

"I suppose…we do."

Yuuri studied the handsome profile next to him. "Maybe, we could all get together for a father-daughter breakfast or something?"

Wolfram nodded with a bit more enthusiasm. "She'd really like that."

The double black noticed that Wolfram had finished his second tart. He took the last one out of the box and placed the empty box on the floor. Through the glass, he saw the three soldiers from Wolfram's guard loitering outside—pretending to talk, to kill time. But, in reality, they were watching them. Yuuri nodded. Others cared for Wolfram, too. It was a strange sort of comfort. But, he was determined to go on with what he wanted—audience or not.

He turned slightly in the chair and bumped knees with Wolfram, who gladly pulled away. Yuuri nodded at that, too. It was logical.

The double black offered the last tart. Wolfram raised a hand and shook his head "no." "It's yours," the blond said. Ignoring it, Yuuri broke the tart in half while trying to offer it again—strawberries and pinkish goo began cascading down the middle. "Ummm… Wolfram?" his voice nervous, "I think I need help…here!"

"Oh, why would you do such a foolish thing to a gooey dessert…?" Wolfram admonished, taking the piece and trying to scoop some of the lethargically oozing syrup onto it. Yuuri, doing the same, with not much better results, laughed out loud.

"That was fun, you know," the double black said, shoving his piece into his mouth—much to the dismay of the blond.

Cheeks full. Munching followed.

"Ugh!" The blond made a frightful face that sent Yuuri into fits of graham-cracker-in-the-teeth chuckles. A small vein pulsed on an angelic forehead. "If you eat too fast, you'll get sick," he fussed.

Now, it was Yuuri's turn to "humph"—even if it was half-hearted. "And, you'd care about that…huh, Wolfram?" Yuuri said, calming his voice—but the mirth remained.

"Of course!" Wolfram muttered in a bratty tone, eating a large bite, and trying to tell himself that he had no other choice under the circumstances. With a few more impatient bites, he was finished but his slender fingers were pinkish and sticky.

"I'm glad," Yuuri said, leaning into Wolfram's face. Then, his onyx eyes narrowed. "You know, I think you have some strawberry syrup on your face. Let me see…"

Yuuri was close. In fact, a little too close.

Is he going to…kiss me? Should I let him? Wolfram's eyes blinked at that and changed into a brilliant emerald shade. He wanted to pull away. But, there was something akin to black slits in the eyes before him that reminded him of The Maou. It can't be...! … Because Yuuri is…obviously…Yuuri right now.

Wolfram couldn't move. Couldn't think. Time stood still.

The double black had placed his thumb to his own mouth and licked it. Then, resting his palm against Wolfram's cheek, he stroked the corner of the pinkish mouth.

Wait! His eyes! Finally! It was the most wondrous sight he'd ever seen.

"Wolfram," came the voice laced with excitement, "your eyes just turned into emeralds!" The thumb softly rubbed the stain away with swift but gentle strokes. "I love that… I really…do."

Wolfram's heart was beating hard. His eyes had changed back to normal, and he was certain that it was Yuuri who did it!

Yuuri closed his eyes with relief, wrapped his arms around Wolfram's shoulders and pulled him into an embrace. "You're back… It's all right again. It happened! It really did!"

The blond blinked at that. Not being able to breathe.

Then, just as quickly, Yuuri released his hold. But, instead of pulling back, lips came nearer and the face tilted for access. A hand was on his shoulder, urging him forward.

Wolfram braced himself for it. He could feel Yuuri's sugared breath on his face.

Suddenly, Yuuri backed off. He turned away and pressed sticky fingers to his lips—one at a time—instead. But, in a flash, his dark eyes were watching the blond out of the corner of his eye.

Wolfram's face fell. "Stupid," he hissed to himself. He'd done it again—hoped for something that was never going to happen. He'd misunderstood Yuuri again, somehow, and thought that he was going to get some sort of sign of affection because his eyes had changed color. His expression was "What an idiot I am. I allowed myself to hope" and his body visibly withdrew into the chair.

"I can't kiss you, Wolfram," Yuuri said softly.

"I know," the blond answered miserably. He knew this routine so well. He dug his nails into his palms to keep from crying.

Yuuri placed one sticky hand on top of Wolfram's and laced their fingers together stiffly with sugar gluing them in place. "I don't kiss on the first date."

"First…date?" He gave an incredulous stare.

"That's what this is," Yuuri said with a confidence that he truly wasn't feeling "and I wanted to tell Gwendal ahead of time that I'm officially courting you." He could feel the stare intensify. "So…that's why we're with each other right now. Here. Like this. I was afraid…afraid that if I told you, you wouldn't come…or you'd think it was a trick or something like that." From the look on Wolfram's face, Yuuri could see that he'd guessed right (with a little help from Murata, of course). "So, that's why I can't kiss you right now…even if it's what I want…more than anything." He stroked Wolfram's bottom lip with a strawberry-stained thumb.

Wolfram's green eyes spoke the word "Why?" To him, in fact, the whole situation was one big "Why?"

"Well, Wolfram, think of Greta. Do you want her to kiss her 'prince' on the first date?"

"Date?!" Wolfram practically shouted, his voice booming in the greenhouse painfully. Outside, the three members of Wolfram's guard stood at the ready. Maybe, their toothsome commanding officer would need them after all.

An angry steam began to rise from Wolfram's body. "Our Greta's not going to kiss on the first date! And I'm not too happy about her doing it on the second date, either!" The blond angel's face was pruned up and his desperate grip on Yuuri's hand tightened.

Yuuri nodded seriously to that, too. "Fine, I won't kiss you on the second date, either."

"Eh?" Wolfram said, off balance again.

"Well, I wanted you to have coffee with me tomorrow before you go to your budget meeting with Gwendal. But, I can respect your 'no kissing' rule about the second date, too."

"Umm…uh…" The blond stammered, not being able to put two thoughts together again. Somehow, there was a "no kissing Yuuri" situation going on and he'd, ironically, done it to himself.

"Come on, Wolfram… If Greta can't kiss on the second date, we can't either." He leaned in against Wolfram—shoulder to shoulder and whispered, "What kind of parents would we be if we didn't act like good role models for our children."

"C-Children…?" Wolfram managed to choke out.

"Someday," Yuuri said with a bit of a blush, "if…that is…you decide you want to stay with me." His hand squeezed Wolfram's. "While we're courting, you might decide that I'm not the person for you after all. I'm not what you need."

The double black withdrew his hand. Now, both sticky palms were in his lap.

"And just why would I do that…?" The blond raised a suspicious eyebrow that practically spoke the word "cheater."

It felt good—normal—to see that look again. To be with him again like this. "Because," Yuuri said as he wrapped, oh so awkwardly, one arm around the blond's shoulders "you don't really trust me right now" and then leaned in with "and I don't exactly blame you."

A tan cheek rested against a pale one.

The arm withdrew.

"Trust" was always hard for me. It wasn't just because of you…or because of this…the blond thought.

Yuuri sat there in his chair, twiddling his thumbs nervously. He looked uncertain and terribly vulnerable at the moment. I'm failing at this… From his view point, I've done too much. There's no way he'll forgive.

I can't stand this. To see him in pain... I'm the stronger of the two of us, the blond thought, feeling ill at ease. Wolfram took Yuuri's shoulders and pulled him into an embrace, arms locked tightly. Now, it was his turn. He whispered, "I'll tell you a secret."

"Oh?" Yuuri replied with dark eyes glassy with unshed tears and a chuckle that sounded anything but happy. He was never good at masking his feelings.

The blond closed his eyes as he confessed. "Why you brought me here… I thought you were sending me away because you didn't want me…again. I thought… this was 'goodbye,' actually." His voice cracked. He couldn't help it. Tears came.

At that, Yuuri rested his raven head against Wolfram's strong shoulder. "It's 'hello'—if you want it to be."

"I want it."

Author's note: Epilogue coming soon…