God(?) Save Our King! / Kyo Kara Maou!:
"When the Shadows Move"
~~~CHAPTER II~~~
Introductions and Questionable History
"ACHOO...!"
A rather adorable sneeze rang out through the awkward silence, and everyone turned their heads to Sainan who crossed his arms in an effort to keep himself from shivering.
Yuuri then remembered that his cousin is still soaking wet and that he, unlike himself, did not have a towel to dry his hair or warm him up.
"Sai-chan, are you okay?!" he fussed over his cousin.
As Yuuri appeared beside him in a blink, Sainan blinked as his cousin's words rang repeatedly in his head a few times with the voice slowly morphing into a feminine one.
"...You just sounded like Mama Jennifer." he muttered with a sweatdrop.
Yuuri glared while Sainan grinned and continued, "Yeah, I'm fine. No worries, it's just too cold here."
"Ah, let's go inside then!"
Murata smiled at Sainan, "I think I have some spare clothes for you to use. Follow me."
Yuuri, Sainan, and Murata ventured further into the halls. The others could only watch them speechlessly as they left before finally snapping out of their thoughts with resigned and defeated sighs.
After some meaningful glances were exchanged, they also followed the trio albeit reluctantly and anxiously.
.
.
.
Everyone was then led by Murata to the rooftop of the temple which was currently unoccupied as Ulrike seemed to have been having a deep conversation with Shinou back in the Oracle Room. It was mostly for the sake of privacy as the Daikenja greatly insisted to keep the information he was about to reveal classified for other ears.
The rooftop can be accessed through a single staircase that was at the end of the hallway past the Oracle Room. The flat floor is surrounded by the stone railings created by excess surfaces of the building's walls. At the center, there was a translucent blue glass dome—most likely the roof of the Oracle Room—that seemed to have water flowing within it. It was surrounded by four benches in different directions.
Sainan and Yuuri stood side by side after being dressed into dry black clothing that ultimately resembles their normal school uniform. The latter made sure to stick to the former in order to prevent any more thoughts of attacking his cousin before hearing Murata's explanation.
Wolfram protectively clung to his fiancé's other side while Conrad was just a step behind both of them. Günter and Gwendal were not too far behind as both trailed behind the whole group.
When they arrived at their destination, Sainan created some distance from the group as he felt slightly smothered. He went towards the edge and leaned onto the stone railing with his hands in his pockets.
Yuuri would have followed but a warning glint from his cousin's golden eyes told him that the other male needed space to himself. He pursed his lips into an almost sulking pout before opting to take a seat at the nearest bench to Sainan, which was located albeit to the golden-eyed male's right.
Everyone noticed this silent communication between the two Shibuyas.
Murata, who was standing in front of the group and to Sainan's left, smirked knowingly at his friends' antics.
Wolfram just frowned at the familiarity Yuuri was showing to Sainan before taking a seat beside his fiancé and glaring at the other boy.
Conrad smiled amusedly as he stood by the bench that the two boys occupied.
Günter blinked as he watched between the two cousins before glancing at Gwendal, who merely sighed and leaned on the railing like Sainan but with crossed arms over his chest.
"Well then," Sainan began casually as he turned to Murata, "feel free to start explaining."
Murata nodded, "Very well, I shall begin."
"Alright..."
"I shall now explain."
Sainan glared and scowled impatiently, "Just start already, goddamn it...!"
Murata grinned teasingly before adjusting his glasses, causing a mysterious gleam to hide his eyes and transform his grin into an unreadable smile. He rested his chin on his right knuckles while his left hand held up his right elbow.
"To start with, I'll discuss an event that occurred way before the existence of the Originators and the time of the ultimate battle wherein I aided Shinou. Has anyone ever heard of the legend about 'Sanctum'?"
Everyone except for Yuuri and Sainan raised a brow and frowned at that.
"'Sanctum'...?" Yuuri tilted his head slightly, "What's that?"
Sainan kept silent as he listened intently.
"It is an unofficial part of history that existed before the Originators." Wolfram replied to Yuuri's question.
Günter nodded and elaborated, "It was said that before the Originators dominated the entire world, there was a united continent called 'Sanctum' in which every living creature co-existed peacefully which included the Mazoku and Humans. However, there was no proof of this in any existing history books so the knowledge was deemed a myth."
Gwendal and Conrad were silent but their eyes narrowed at the mention of the aforementioned myth they had both heard from their fathers. For some reason, both of their fathers kept mentioning the myth to them at the time of their childhood.
Wolfram's father would have probably done the same to him personally if he had lived long enough to do so.
"Ah, so it's like Pangaea on Earth...?" Yuuri smiled in his analogy.
Murata nodded to his friend, "Yes, that would be the best comparison to it. You see, there was barely any difference between Mazoku and Humans back then. My memories as the Daikenja are quite vague about it since it mostly happened at an early stage of my life. This made me unsure of whether it really was the infamous land of Sanctum.
"Anyway, at the time, the Double Black Demons had a leader. This leader is naturally born with golden eyes despite the Double Black heritage. This is said to be because of the destined connection that the leader possesses with the Five Gods. The leader at the Daikenja's time—if my memories serves me correctly—was a beautiful woman named Senika.
"Senika had long black curly hair with the trademark golden eyes of the Double Black Demons' leader. She was a kind and compassionate woman, and was loved by her clansmen. However, the other people feared her for her great power. This fear led them to believe that all Double Black Demons possess the same frightening power within them.
"The connection she had with the Five Gods also—"
"Wait," Sainan interrupted with a deadpanned expression, "what the hell does all this crap have anything to do with Blondie, Mr. Grumpy Ponytail, Mr. Smiley, and Transvestite calling me a monster?"
"B-Blondie...?!" Wolfram exclaimed in outrage.
"Mr. Grumpy Ponytail...?" Gwendal questioned with an offended frown.
Conrad was silent and raised a brow with the same smile Sainan pointed out.
"T-Tran...Transve...what...?" Günter was just plain confused.
"Sai-chan," Yuuri mildly scolded, "be nice."
Murata sighed as he waved the reactions off, "Would you just let me finish?"
Sainan shrugged as he tilted his head up to look at the blue sky, though he still continued to listen.
"As I was saying," the Daikenja continued, "the clan loved Senika so they started to spread some stories about the consequences once she is killed. The Five Gods will demonstrate their wraths upon all Mazoku, taking all blessing they have bestowed and leaving them as Humans. This was the time when the difference between Mazoku and Humans started to show. This is why you are being called a monster.
"In the end, all the clansmen were murdered and this included Senika. With her remaining strength, she saved one child among the Double Black Demons which was the Daikenja. Now..."
Murata trailed off as he let his arms rest by his sides as he stared straight at Sainan when the gleam on his glasses disappeared.
"You, Shibuya Sainan, carry her soul within you in order to bring justice towards the murderer of the Double Black Demon Clan."
"EHHH...?!"
Everyone shouted except for Sainan, Conrad, and Gwendal—the latter two merely stiffened straight—as they all stood up in shock while staring at the Daikenja with wide incredulous eyes.
Sainan's head snapped to Murata's direction with his golden eyes narrowing into what seems like a heated glare.
"The fuck, Four Eyes...?" he uttered in disbelieving fury.
Murata was undeterred as he calmly gazed at Sainan in silence and expectation.
Everyone else was silent as they watched the two ebony-haired young men engaged into a rather instense stare-off.
"So, Geika (Your Eminence), are you saying that this woman..." Wolfram spoke as he pointed at Sainan's face, "...is like the leader of the Double Blacks?"
This time, Sainan made no reservations with his wrath as he directed his furious orbs at a slightly off guard Wolfram. The wrath within those topaz eyes started to transform them into molten gold. He straightened his posture in an attempt to tower over Wolfram, even if only slightly.
"That's it!" Sainan yelled, "Hear me out, Blondie! I AM A FUCKING MALE, WHICH MEANS I HAVE NO VAGINA! If you want proof, feel free to strip my pants off or grope my chest. God fucking damn it, I hate it when people call me a female!"
Poor Yuuri is practically producing smoke from his ears as a very deep blush enveloped his face with all of Sainan's profanities coming out like how bullets do from a machine gun.
Murata was already covering his mouth with both hands before he decided to turn away, his body slightly hunched over as his shoulders shook with muffled guffaws.
"Y-YOU'RE A BOY?!" Günter and Wolfram exclaimed.
The former had his hands pressing on his cheeks in great shock at the revelation like the painting 'Scream', while the latter's jaw is practically on the ground.
"YES...! YES, I AM!" Sainan screamed in frustrated confirmation.
Conrad and Gwendal stared in unhidden surprise at Sainan as their mouths were also slightly opened, once more rendered speechless by the newbie.
Yuuri tried to pacify his cousin's wrath as he put up his hands in a calming manner while chuckling nervously at his friends' expense.
"Now, now..." he said sheepishly, "Sainan-oniichan, let's go to the castle. I'll show it to you, 'kay?"
Sainan turned to him with a sneer, "But, Yuuri...! Did you hear them?! They said that I look like a girl! Even that damn Transvestite...! Talk about fucking hypocrisy! Can you believe the nerve of these guys?!"
Yuuri scratched the back of his head apologetically, "Ahaha...I'm sorry about that, Onii-chan."
At the sight of his cousin's sincere smile, Sainan's angry protests were reduced to begruding mutters under his breath as he crossed his arms over his chest childishly to sulk.
While the cousins were immersed in their personal conversations, the others were also rather absorbed with their own thoughts regarding the matter.
Gwendal's eye twitched as he grumbled, "I can't believe it. He's a boy."
"Y-Yeah, I agree...Aniue*." Wolfram mumbled in reply.
{Translation(s): "Aniue" = "Elder Brother"; old-fashioned and very formal}
"Ah~" Günter swooned, "so His Majesty's cousin is Sainan-dono. The Prince of all Double Blacks came to visit us. Ah~ I need to do a welcome party!"
Conrad smiled as he took a step to the cousins and bowed slightly at Sainan as he greeted the boy warmly this time.
"I apologize for our earlier actions, Sainan-dono. Welcome back to Shin Makoku." he said.
Sainan tilted his head slightly, "Yeah, sure...but first, who are you?"
Before Conrad could reply, Yuuri took over with an excited smile.
"This is Conrad Weller. He's like my godfather. He was the one who unintentionally gave my mom the idea to name me 'Yuuri'." he explained.
"Ah, nice to meet you...Conlad." Sainan grinned with an outstretched hand.
"'Conrad', onii-chan. 'Conrad'...Con-rad..."
"Oh, sorry...Conrad."
The man just smiled gently at him as he shook Sainan's hand which surprised the younger male since those warm brown eyes looked at him with so much hostility a while ago.
Once his hand was freed from the Lion's grasp, Sainan turned to address Murata again who seemed to have regained his composure from his short laughing fit. His spectacled onyx orbs were still shining with mischievous mirth though, which is why topaz eyes decided to glare back at him before simmering down.
"Anyway, Four—I mean, Murata Ken..."
Murata's glasses flashed as he smirked, "Yes, Banchou~?"
Sainan flinched while Yuuri and the others stared at the duo curiously.
"'Banchou'...?" Yuuri wondered aloud, "Why are you calling him that, Murata?"
Murata smiled at Yuuri innocently, "Oh~ well, you see—"
"Ah!" Sainan exclaimed, causing the others to jump slightly.
He then slapped a hand over Murata's mouth defnesively but harshly, causing the latter's glasses to be arranged into an awkward angle. Murata grinned beneath the hand as he stared at Sainan with a half-glare for his glasses and a half-smug look for getting the other male flustered.
"That's for calling me 'Four Eyes', Banchou." he communicated through his gaze.
Sainan glared back with an apparent telepathic message of his own.
"Damn you, Murata Ken...! Yuuri didn't know about that part of my life!"
"I love you too~!"
"Onii-chan...?" Yuuri called out.
Sainan snapped his gaze to his cousin and gave a nervously guilty smile, trying to find a way to keep Yuuri's innocent mind from finding out about his dirty little secret.
"Ah, it's nothing...Yuuri. You see, Murata Ken is just being stupid. He can't say my...umm...well, it's just that...no, umm...forget that...uh..."
Murata chortled underneath Sainan's hand, causing Sainan to twitch in irritation which prompted him to elbow the smug Sage. The spectacled high schooler choked but only slightly since the hit was intentionally not hard, letting him snicker a little more.
"Forget it! It's nothing, I swear!" Sainan exclaimed, agitated.
Yuuri blinked, "Oh, o-kay...?"
Murata and Sainan both gathered their composures before turning to each other again, the young Sage still grinning playfully while the other was seething slightly.
"Anyway," Sainan cleared his throat as he spoke seriously,"you're wrong, Murata Ken."
Murata's grin faltered before fixing his glasses to meet Sainan's solemn gaze.
"Oh...? How am I wrong?" he asked.
The air thickened with increasing tension as the others watched the duo stare at each intensely for the umpteenth time that day.
Sainan scoffed, "You said that I have this wench's soul in me. Let me tell you now: .WRONG."
Murata's eyes widened, speechless for the first time in a long time.
"What...?" he breathed.
"Yeah, you heard me. Stop thinking of that bitch as a compassionate and lovely lady, or whatever. She was just another whore searching for everlasting beauty and life. Nothing more but a selfish, vain, and self-righteous broad..."
There was crisp bitterness and brutal anger within Sainan's tone, accompanied by a taste of sadness caused by unknown reasons...
...but frankly, all Murata Ken could care about at that moment is that Shibuya Sainan insulted one of the few people he dearly held in high regard from his past as the Daikenja.
That is why he fumed and glared swords at Sainan as he tried to take some deep breaths to at least not make an outburst.
"Don't you ever dare to insult Senika-sama in my presence, Sainan." Murata stated darkly.
Sainan stared blankly, "Why be so defensive of her? Is it because she saved your life?"
"Isn't that more than enough to—"
"Are you even sure it was her?"
Murata paused almost in doubt before gaining an ominously emotionless countenance.
"Yes," he answered with confidence, "my memories as the Daikenja—"
Once more, Sainan interrupted him with a mocking chuckle as he ran a hand through his hair in an almost tired manner. He walked over to the doorway leading to the staircase before stopping on his tracks as he looked up at the sky.
A gentle breeze blew around them.
"Enough already..."
Sainan's voice was a mere whisper, but his words still pierced through the eerie silence.
Then, Murata was caught off guard by the tender smile that was directed at him when Sainan turned slightly around to address him and tilt his head lazily.
"You're not the Daikenja anymore, right?" Sainan inquired, "If so, then stop relying on those memories already. You are Murata Ken, and no one else. The only memories you should rely on are the ones that belong to a four-eyed intellectual high schooler who's trying to find a girlfriend."
There was no doubt the atmosphere became gloomy as the audience could only stare in-between the debating young men, stunned beyond belief for seeing their Daikenja so angry and for seeing the playful stranger suddenly turn solemn in a matter of minutes.
However, for Murata, it felt as if a sense of warmth was reaching out to him which made him forget about his anger in the first place.
At that moment, Ulrike came running towards them with impeccable timing.
"Ulrike, what's wrong?" Murata asked calmly yet curiously.
The young-looking Oracle panted for a few seconds before being able to reply.
"T-The...The Five Elemental Gods..."
"What about them?"
"They...They want to meet with their contractor."
At that reply, Sainan frowned and turned his head to the side to look at the ground.
"What the hell?" he mumbled, "Those old geezers already felt my presence here? Damn."
Since he was the nearest to the doorway that leads to the stairway, Ulrike heard him and turned her attention to him curiously.
She smiled amiably, "Who might you be?"
At the mere sight of her pleasant smile, Sainan immediately perked up as he gave her a discreet once-over before smiling back and decreasing the distance between him and the Oracle of Shinou.
"Oh my, how old are you? 600 years...? 700...?" he asked politely.
Ulrike gasped, "H-How did you...? I am 801-years-old."
"Oh, my humblest apologies...you are really young yet look like a lady to me."
"O-Oh, thank you. What is your name?"
Sainan smiled softly both at the question and the sight of the young woman blushing faintly due to his previous words. He then knelt before her as he took her left hand with his right, and then placed a smooth tender kiss on her knuckles.
Poor Ulrike blushed so brightly that her crimson face resembled a cherry, while shyly making an effort to keep looking Sainan in the eye instead of averting her gaze rudely.
"I am Sainan, Milady."
The other males on the rooftop gaped at the sight as they all shared the same thought:
"Did he just flirt with Ulrike?!"
Deciding to get straight back into the business matters, Sainan stood up and looked at Ulrike with a raised inquiring brow.
"So, you said that those geezers wanted to see me...?" he asked.
Ulrike's blush faded slowly and her flustered expression was replaced with genuine curiosity.
"You are the one that the Five Elemental Gods are calling?!" she asked, stunned.
Sainan sighed tiredly, "Uh, yeah...it looks like it. Anyways, tell them I'm not coming. I always hear them in my dreams. Now that it's been cleared up who I am, I can tell it was them all this time. Frankly, they're annoying whenever they go blah blah blah...
"I know that if go see them now, they'll just scold me even more or something."
"I-I see..."
Sainan stared at Ulrike for a while to see that he might have gone a bit too straightforward with his words since she looked like she was unused to his manner of speech. Then again, there was no way to sugarcoat what he felt about the Five Gods who always disturb his peaceful slumber throughout the years.
The thought of the five oh-so-legendary geezers rang a few bells in his head.
He then turned back and looked at Wolfram who was watching the spectacle with the others in silent observation of his rather insolent behavior.
"Hmm~"
He hummed slightly as he took a few steps to the group as he continued to stare at the former Third Mazoku Prince.
"Hey you, Blondie...! Your name is Wolfram, right?" he asked blankly.
Wolfram scowled, "Yes, and stop calling me 'Blondie'...Girlish Curls."
Sainan's eyes narrowed at the nickname and was about to retort but paused as a memory flash surfaced to his mind.
.
"Show it to me already! The trick you did with the fire...!"
"Whatever, you're such a hassle. Just make your own trick..."
"I can't, I don't have a contract with the elements yet so you do it!"
"Fine brat, give me your hand then!"
.
Golden eyes blinked twice before they refocused on Wolfram's figure while accompanied by a dark smirk.
"Fuck that," he cussed, "I remember you now. In one of my dreams, I met you when I was still a pretty and glamorous soul wandering around with the spirit of the elements. You're that spoiled brat of the Bielefelds."
Wolfram's face turned red with embarrassment and anger, aware that as much as it was a fact that he had been spoiled rotten by his mother and brothers, it still pissed him off to be told that to his face.
It did not help that he could absently hear the others muffling their amusement not-so-successfully.
Before he could yell at Sainan, the other male was already continuing his statement.
"I remember that day. You really were worthy to call, but I am sorry."
Wolfram blinked in confusion, his previously boiling anger forgotten.
"What...?" he asked.
Sainan's dark smirk turned into an apologetic grin.
"I touched your powers too soon when you were still young. I got impatient and slightly irritated at you on that day, so I impulsively led you to a contract with Leo's Flame."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The two young men stared at each other intently as the audience watched in-between them. Wolfram was speechless while Sainan was just waiting for a reaction of sorts.
"Am I wrong, Blondie-san?"
"N-No..."
Sainan nodded in understanding at him before turning to Yuuri who had been helplessly confused for a while now.
"Then, Yuuri...!" he called.
"Yes...?"
"Let's go to that castle of yours. I'm sleepy."
"O-Okay, Onii-chan."
CREDITS
Written by: Sainan01
Edited by: AstridClaire
Characterization of OCs: Sainan01 & AstridClaire
Directed/Revised by: EmSAh
Banner Artist: AstridClaire
Produced by: Sainan01
*DISCLAIMER*
Sainan01, AstridClaire, and EmSAh do not own "God(?) Save Our King!" / "Kyo Kara Maou!"
AUTHORS' NOTES
Sainan01: Thank you, crazy2000! I am glad that you like it and that you think like that. See you in the next chapter! In there, Sainan will discover about Wolfram and Yuuri's relationship.
AstridClaire: Well, I inserted Sainan01's old AN just in case. Anyway, I also gave more insight as to what happened between Sainan and Wolfram since I also got a bit confused while editing it.
For those who are a bit lost, Sainan only vaguely remembers his time in his previous life/lives. He does know that his soul has been reincarnated though, and he only knew the Five Gods as random voices in his dreams. He just found out in this chapter that they are gods.
EmSAh: So far, so good...! Anyway, there is no update on the pairings yet so it's still pretty much the same. If you guys want to make a suggestion, feel free to do so. I have some in mind already, but I need to consult my co-authors about it first. Look forward to it, Minna-san!