Disclaimer: not mine. Nuh ah. Nuh ah. nuh ah.
A/N: Thanks ever so much to those who took the time to read the changes and for the additional reviews. To: XZanayu, Behan, nevynwatcher, TheLadyPendragon, story reader, Neko Serena, DevilsNvrCry, animekitty421, pandawolf, Riku-sia.
Thanks so much minna!
As promised here is Chapter 8... hopefully you'll leave a review...(insert puppy dog eyes... and gets poked in her irises... ouch!)...
anyway... enjoy...
Cursed Heart
Part II Chapter8 Dreams and Faded Ink
The gentle breeze kissed soft raven locks hello as their owner approached the brick railing. The sun's warm countenance slowly rises on the horizon. The dark night sky gradually succumbs to the to welcome the bright hues of daylight. The lush forest on the western end seemed to lose it menacing glower and the quiet village below begins to awaken to another busy day. The stillness in the air breaks as birds screeching "bad omen" passes by in flocks of five or six leaving their echoing shrieks behind.
A small almost bittersweet smile touches the lips of the observer silently taking in the scenery from atop a tower balcony on the magnificent edifice of the Covenant Castle. The royal palace itself is also starting to come alive as its occupants prepare for their chores. But for the moment the this figure in the balcony basks in the tranquil atmosphere of cheerful sunrise without the weight of a whole kingdom resting on his shoulders. In this calm quietude, he can forget just for a while who he is and what he represents. In this few precious moments, his obligations, responsibilities, duties, problems and memories are left behind in a place where they cannot touch him. This peace that lasts for mere minutes is something that he wishes he could have forever.
But reality has a certain way of kicking one in the head when one gets too complacent. He learned that the hard way.
Sighing deeply before squaring his shoulders, the 27th Maou, Yuuri Shibuya slowly turned and walk away. His duties won't finish themselves if he doesn't get to them. He forced himself to walk the winding path down to his office. His footsteps were heavy and reluctant. His gaze a bit hazy from lack of sleep. He would have made a respectable figure if not for the dark circles under his eyes. The stress of the past few months are taking a toll on his body. But he believes that five years of restrained emotions are gradually catching up with him. He touches his temple as he feels the beginnings of a migraine. He should be used to it after all they bother him a few times a day. They grew more frequent recently. But he didn't bother anyone about it. Greta and the others would fuss over him. Gunther alone would be more than bad enough. Headaches are quite normal, he supposes given the things he had to do within the day.
As he nears the ornate doors of his office he saw Conrad coming up to him.
The brunette smiled and greeted him.
He tried to respond but for some reason his facial muscles felt quite numb.
"Yuuri, is something wrong?" Lord Weller's concerned face seemed to go a bit blurry. His eyes feel like they are gonna...close...
"Yuuri!"
He could heard a jumble of voices around him.
He couldn't recognize them. The language was not Japanese, nor was it Mazoku language. Doesn't even sound like English. Instinct tells him it's some form of ancient tongue.
Images flit by some too fast, others too slow. Then something caught his eye. His gaze is too foggy to make out anything clearly. A figure is gliding towards him. That's when he saw her again. As he has been seeing her in his dreams of late.
A very beautiful lady with her blazing emerald orbs full of anger. Full of hatred. She smiles at him holding a gem encrusted dagger in her pale hands.
Her mouth opens to begin the mantra that she always says. As usual he couldn't understand what she was saying but there was a whisper inside his mind. A whisper that repeated itself over and over.
'He must suffer. He must die. He must pay for what he has done. Vengeance will be mine!'
Then there was blood. He never saw blood before. But there was plenty of blood now. Blood on black marbled floor. Blood on the lush yellow carpet. On the carpet laid a still figure covered in blood. Looking closer even as his body trembled, Yuuri stared in shock and screamed...
"Noooo!"
Wide, haunted eyes suddenly opened and saw and intricately carved white marble ceiling of the Royal Chamber.
"Heika! Thank goodness! We we're so worried. Shin Makoku will be a dreary and forsaken place if something bad happens to its most esteemed, dearly beloved, utmostly magnanimous, bravely heroic, great and merciful....." Gunther.
"Oh Dad! I'm so glad you're awake. I told you to take break you never listen tome. Always piling yourself with work that... " Greta.
Ouch!
"Greta, don't hug your father too tight like that he needs to breathe." Conrad.
"Oh, he has woken. Such a pity I can't try my reviving the dead by lightning shock."Anissinna.
Wait I'm not dead.
"How are you feeling your Highness?" Gisela.
Yuuri struggled to move his limbs a bit before replying.
"Like somebody pushed me from a cliff then had a hoard of pandas thrown over me." The Maou replied in a slightly hoarse voice, wincing slightly as he shifted his body to a more comfortable position. "What happened?"
Conrad offered him a glass of water which he gratefully took. Sipping slowly he listened as the green-haired healer replied.
"You collapsed nearly three days ago Yuuri-heika. You've been unconscious since then. Your body is over fatigued and stressed out. You've been working yourself to an early grave. That is just not right! You've not been eating properly and are pushing yourself too hard. I can also see that you haven't been sleeping well. What you need most right now is adequate rest, lots of sleep and proper nutrition. I have already prepared the lists of what foods you need to intake and a few energy potions to restore some of your strength."
Gunther hastily added, "You need rest Heika. You will not be allowed to do any work for the next month. Your duties have already been divided between us. Gwendal is doing your paperwork while I take care of diplomatic relations. The Daikenja-sama will assist us with other political matters and will take on some of your figurehead duties. Anissinna and Princess Greta will see to running the household and Conrad will take care of defense and military issues. You have absolutely nothing to worry about."
Except for leaving Anissinna in charge of the palace again.
The dark haired king tried to protest but was swiftly overruled by his protective friends. The doors burst open as his mother entered with a hot steaming cauldron of home made chicken noodle soup.
"Yuu-chan, you're awake! That's good. Now you must eat mama's special chicken noodles to get well real fast!"
Yuuri groaned but can't help feeling a bit better already.
When everyone left to do their appointed tasks, including his mother (who said that she must cook another batch of chicken soup because Shibuya-san is also sick at home with seasonal allergies), Conrad remained for a bit.
"You get some more rest Yuuri." Conrad said standing up and preparing to leave.
"I dreamt of her again Conrad." Yuuri wanted Conrad to stay for a while. "It went further this time though. I saw other images now. There was blood lots of blood. And I saw him Conrad. I saw him lying there dead!"
The sandy haired knight was the only one Yuuri confided his dreams to. Well more like nightmares. After he dreamt the same dream six nights in a row, he approached Conrad about it. Neither knew what to make of it. Yuuri deemed it ridiculous to bother the others about a silly dream.
"Who did you see Yuuri?"
Yuuri just shook his head. "These nightmares are getting to me."
Conrad paced the room a bit. Pondering. He looked at the young king.
"The recurrence of these dreams bother me, Yuuri. I think you should finally go and see Ulrike when you're finally able to go around. Or I can for her for you. She might be of help."
"But Conrad, it's embarrassing to go to the priestess over something so trivial." Yuuri fidgetted a bit.
"They might mean something. There could be some hidden message in your visions."
Conrad approached the bed and tucked the sheets securely around the young man and ruffled his hair a bit. "For now you really just need to get some rest, okay?"
The knight smiled brightly and left the room.
Yuuri sighed. This is bad. He doesn't want to be alone with his thoughts. It was worse than having to do his task with a migraine. He'd rather deal with a room full of bickering, pompous and overbearing court nobles than be stuck here doing nothing for a few hours. He missed his little Greta. Time flies so fast these days. She's an attractive young lady now, who has many suitors and a gamut of activities that takes her away from her father most of the day. If she was still ten years old, she would have been here with him all day just chattering and cheering him up.
Whenever he is alone or idle, unwanted memories would come to haunt him. Memories of the past that he cannot escape. Follies of his idiotic youth. He feels older now. As if he aged five decades in five years. Five years that he spent maturing faster than he ought to be. Fives years of making mistakes and paying for them at high prices.
Complacency.
Stupidity.
Arania.
Infatuation.
Betrayal.
One night of bittersweert kisses.
Apologies.
Silent farewells.
Letters.
Broken hearts.
Wasted time.
Another engagement.
The Lavelles.
Lies.
Treachery.
Treason.
Mundane life.
Boredom.
Politics.
Missing pieces.
Nightmares.
Twin boys with beautiful emerald eyes.
That could have been his.
Regrets.
He took out a worn out pale green parchment that he always keeps in his bedside table whether here or back on earth. The scented paper lost its perfumed aroma long before. The neat and flowing script written in black ink now faded into gray. It doesn't matter though, for the text within is well-read and well memorized that each and every word has been etched deep inside the reader's soul.
Wimp,
First of all, this will probably be the last time that I will and can call you a wimp, so I'm taking advantage of it.
Next, by the time you have read this, I will be long gone. Don't bother looking for me Yuuri like I know your wimpy honor would compel you to do. I will leave no trails behinds. I have finally acknowledged that you can never be mine. What with you viciously clinging to that... that...woman. Acceptance. Well, it's one of the reasons why I have to go. I leave to give you a fresh start. And no, don't stare at this paper like an idiot and close your mouth. Take off that disbelieving look in your eyes. I know you did not think that I had the audacity to up and leave after swearing my fealty and loyalty as a knight in your reign even after everything that happened. But I have things to consider too. I'm doing this for the greater good. No don't you dare roll your eyes when I say greater good.
Did you really think that I'll be fine watching you you tie yourself to someone else after I keep throwing my self at you for twenty years in just a few months, Yuuri? Honestly, even you can't be that gullible. Or maybe you are.
You've taken me for granted more times than I care to count for too long wimp. I wonder how you'll fare without me jolting you to the harsh realities of life or nagging at you to clean up your act.
I guess you have someone to take on that role now. Although I don't believe she can be as forceful or effective as me.
I may be one of the most selfish people you know but think on it. If I stay here, I would often wear a sulky expression on my beautiful face which would prompt you to pester me and me to evade your nonsense. It will then escalate to a fight which will lead to some obscene damage of property. It just wouldn't do your reputation any good, especially to the... lady's... family if you're always around violence or you are seen in various shades of black, blue, violet and red.
I love you Yuuri. You know that now. And if you say you don't I might just come back to fry you real good.
Looking back I don't now why you were too dense to realize it because i'm most assuredly not shy about my feelings. Perhaps you think that you were being kind to tolerate me those years. Maybe it would have been better if the engagement didn't go on for so long.
It's your fault for giving me mixed signals. And mine, for interpreting them to suit my purposes.
Sometimes I wish I could hate you like most jilted fiances do. How dare you refuse me when so many in this land would have been more than happy to treasure what you are throwing away? I gave you everything I thought I could give. But somehow, nothing I do was ever enough for you reciprocate my feelings. Am I not good enough for you? Perhaps.
But hopefully, I will be good enough for someone out there. I will try not to be too bitter because I care for you too much to be that way. It hurts to think that I wasted two decades of my life in love with someone who doesn't see me anything more as a friend or a brother. But I will never forget our friendship Yuuri. You may have been a quite useless fiance but you are veritable treasure as a best friend. And I will keep those memories in my heart for always, Yuuri.
Pause for a bit here, Yuuri and return after you take several deep breaths.
Ah, there's the guilt trip. I can almost see it, even when I'm not there. It makes me feel slightly better that you feel guilty, wimp. I know that you are very sorry for breaking my heart. You better be sorry, wimp, because if you're not I'm going to roast you so well done and feed you to the birds...
But that is not my main purpose here.
The objective of this letter is to extract some thing from you.
A promise.
You must promise me one thing, Yuuri and one thing only.
Promise me that you'll be happy. Don't make me regret letting you go, wimp. I will forgive you... eventually. I'm just sad that you're gonna be somebody else's wimp now. I hope she whips you up to be a strong and well-loved maou.
Goodbye Yuuri...
No longer yours,
Wolfram von Bielefeld.
P.S. I'm actually proud of you, Yuuri, for having the courage to do what I cannot. So you better be wearing an ecstatic smile on your face when I see you next. Someday. Understood?
The rain began to fall outside. Thunder roared in the distance.
The twenty-seventh demon king looked on as the skies above conveyed the emotions he cannot seem to openly express.
He fervently tried to erase the vision from his most recent nightmare of the bloodied figure on the carpeted floor looking up with empty eyes.
Dead. Lifeless.
Beautiful Wolfram.
Chapter end...
A/N: Thanks for reading guys. How was it? Hope you leave a review even if only to say you like it or you don't... very much appreciated...
No news of Wolf and twins... sorry... but the aftermath of Yuuri's meeting with the twins and how he learned where Wolf is will be on the next chapter. Part is is all about Yuuri and will only be up to next chapter. Expect to see our favorite blonde on chapter 10...
Anyway, here's a short glimpse from my draft of chapter 9....
"..."Heika, a goodwill gift has just arrived from the kingdom of Avonea. Their ruler King Sigismunde Theodoren Altamaire the Fortieth wishes to establish a stable, working diplomatic relationship with Shin Makoku and he prays that his majesty's reign prosper evermore. He hopes that his majesty will enjoy this wonderful gift as it is one of the most sought after treasures outside of the great Demon Kingdom."
"Gunther, you really didn't just interrupt an important council meeting with the lords of the land because of a present from some foreign king I've never meet did you? I'm sure it can wait unless the king himself or some royal family member had personally delivered the gift."
"Oh no heika. I apologize. The king only sent normal diplomatic emissaries. I'm afraid that I got carried away by my excitement upon seeing the gift. You just finish the meeting if you wish your highness."
"You've already perked my curiousity Gunther and the meeting has become wearisome as we have not yet reached a compromise on one of the main issues. I already asked Gwendal to adjourn it for me. Very well, where is this 'sought after treasure' that has had you so worked up?".... ....
... ... "This, sire, is apparently the work of a great master. A certified true art genius who is highly exalted in several countries."
Silence.
"Err...that's...sought after? It reminds me of..."
"The artist's name is Marflow Dlefeleib, heika."
"Marflow Dlefeleib? Unusual name for a very...um... unusual work."
well, i'm back to studying... sigh... prefinals... wish the week would end... well i'm gonna post chapter 9 after two weeks at the latest. See you guys then... thanks for your patience.
Ja, mata.
83rd Twilight 2009