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Title: A Day Late

Summary: Yuri arrives in the other world late, and the race for the Boxes has already begun.

Notes: Yuri goes to a dinner party. It's a disaster. Then he decides to do something rash (again).

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Part II, Chapter 4

Bare their fangs

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Yuri was pulled out of his thoughts as Nicola touched his hand softly. "Thank you," she said quietly. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty."

"Um..." Yuri looked away, feeling awkward. "I haven't really done anything yet. We don't know where he is or if he'll come back..."

Nicola shook her head. "It's more than enough," she said. "I had almost given up hope. That's the reason I kept putting off choosing a name for this child." Her hands curled around her round stomach. "I felt like, if I chose a name without Hube, it would be over. The last connection between us would be gone. But I understand now. As long as I keep believing in him, there's still a chance."

Under her sincere smile, Yuri blushed a little. "I'll help too. I'll do my best to make sure you two are reunited," he said. "But I don't know how long it'll take..."

"That's alright. I'll wait for him as long as it takes," Nicola said. Looking down at her bump, she added, "But I better start thinking of a name for this little one. I'm due pretty soon, actually."

She looked up in surprise as Yuri placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "Don't choose something weird," he said in a strangely hollow voice. His expression spoke of first-hand experience. "Please, just choose a real name that people actually use. Please."

"Uh, w-well," Nicola stammered, unsettled by his insistence and sudden change in demeanor. "What about Ernest? That's the name of Hube's father. Do you think... he'd like his grandson to be named after him?" She blushed a little, looking uncertain.

Yuri beamed in relief. "That sounds great! You can call him El for short!"

"Then this little one will be Ernst. A name chosen by the Demon King himself can only bring good luck," Nicola decided. "Oh, but what if it's a girl?"

"...Julia," Yuri said, without thinking. He looked surprised by his own suggestion.

Nicola looked momentarily saddened, but she nodded as well. "Yes, I think... Hube would agree too."

She slipped away with another smile. Only after she had stepped out of the room, Yuri realized the full implications of what he had done. "Does that mean I'll be the godfather?" he wondered.

"They didn't have that practice when I was here last," Murata said. "I'm pretty sure that having the person who names the baby be the godfather is a Japanese thing."

"It's not that I'd mind," Yuri added quickly. "I'd be happy to!"

"Well, I'm sure the kid'll be happy to have the Demon King as a godfather," Murata said dryly. 'He's ignoring me again.'

"I'll be the best godfather ever!" Yuri decided. He nodded to himself. 'Maybe I'll do okay on my first case after all,' he thought. 'At least I think I'm making some progress.' "But I wonder what's up with that pretty boy," Yuri mused. "I get the feeling his problem wasn't really with Nicola or even Hube."

"It probably wasn't," Murata agreed. He looked thoughtfully out the same window Wolfram had been standing beside.

'Young Lord Von Bielefelt wants to know about a soldier under another country's banner, who was assumed to be dead and had some issue concerning his arm. He's all worked about family and betrayal. Meanwhile, his older brother is strangely familiar with the arm of a soldier who went missing and is hiding something,' Murata thought, laying out the cards. 'Something like a betrayal, perhaps? Is that what they're covering up? And how does this play into that man's plan?'

"Did you figure something out?" Yuri asked, recognizing his expression.

"Maybe," Murata allowed, frowning slightly. "I'm not sure. I'll get back to you on it, okay? For now, we should get ready for that dinner party you were promised." He grinned, forcing his mood to lighten.

"Sure," Yuri agreed easily. "I hope it goes peacefully. I just want a nice, relaxing meal."

~.~.~

It was the most tense and uncomfortable dinner Yuri had ever attended.

The dinner party that evening managed to beat out even the time his mother's grandparents, both sets, had come to visit and spent the entire meal nitpicking at their child's spouse, at anything they perceived to be unacceptable in Yuri and Shori and at each other.

A flustered and apologetic Gunter had led Yuri and Murata to a cavernous room with only a single round table in the middle. He had then all but prostrated himself as he begged for forgiveness. Apparently, more urgent matters had come up at the last moment, forcing to work through the evening and likely the night.

Although it pained him greatly, he would be unable to break bread with His Majesty, he said, weeping.

Yuri had assured him that it was alright, but he was secretly a little disappointed. No matter how... effusive, Gunter seemed to at least genuinely like him. There was no telling who else would be present at this "dinner party."

He and Murata exchanged a quick look.

Leaning in, the Great Wiseman suggested, "If someone drops a knife, don't pick it up." His half-mischievous smile didn't inspire much confidence in Yuri, who shot his friend a rather unfriendly look. That wasn't the kind of advice Yuri was hoping for.

Instead of sitting down alone, the two of them loitered next to the table until the other guests arrived. They also came two together.

One of them was the young Lord Von Bielefelt. The other - a stunning woman who bore a very strong resemblance to him.

Yuri found himself staring at her, until Wolfram shot him a potent glare.

"Welcome to the Great Demon Kingdom, Your Majesty," the woman said brightly. "I'm your predecessor, Cecilie Von Spitzberg. But you can call me Celi."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Celi," Yuri replied, smiling a little awkwardly. "I'm Yuri Shibuya. I'll do my best to rule the Demon Kingdom well. I hope you'll help me get used to the job..."

Instead of shaking the hand he held out, Celi pounced. Her enthusiastic hug made Yuri choke and Wolfram scowl balefully.

"Oh, I'm leaving tonight in search of free love, but don't worry, Your Majesty!" Celi trilled. "You can count on my boys to help you!"

Looking up from where he had been firmly pressed against her impressive assets, Yuri felt his brow furrow. Although her voice remained light and cheerful, something about Celi's expression was deeply saddened.

"They're really good boys..." she repeated. Then suddenly, her smile was back in full force. "Don't mind my Wolf's temper! He's just so very passionate~!"

"Mother!" Wolfram protested, flushing a bit. "I'm not going to support this... this wimp!"

"I'm not a wimp!" Yuri yelled. "And I still don't want your support anyway!"

Murata elbowed him sharply. "He would be very grateful for your support. Especially given the current difficult situation." The look he shot Yuri made him grudgingly fall silent.

"These are difficult times," Celi agreed, her expression turning slightly downcast. "It's unfortunate that your reign would start with a crisis like this. But Your Majesty handled it so well!" She brightened again. "I heard all about the way you retrieved the Box! And don't you worry, my Gwendal will be sure to find and reclaim the others before they can be used."

"The others?" Yuri repeated. "That's right, there are four of those things. Do we know anything about where they might be?"

"One is in Big Cimaron's possession," Wolfram said, ignoring his mother's disapproving look. "That's why my older brother is so busy preparing our defenses. They made sure that everyone knew they had it, which leaves no doubt that they will soon take action."

Yuri surged to his feet, making the table and the expensive china rattle. "You think they'll use it?! Even after what the other one did to Caloria?"

"I'm afraid that a demonstration like that only helps them," Murata said, his glasses glinting ominously. "Now, they have proof of what their weapon can do."

"We can't let that happen," Yuri insisted. "Isn't there some way to convince them? Or get the Boxes away from them? And what about the other two Boxes?"

"Everyone is looking into that, Your Majesty," Celi said. "I assure you, no one in the Demon Kingdom wishes for a repeat of what happened in Caloria. It is our sacred duty to guard the Boxes and prevent their seal from being undone."

"But Gwendal is so busy with preparations, he'll have a hard time managing this too," Wolfram spoke up again. "We don't have the people or resources to spare for a wild goose chase across the world."

"Finding the Boxes should be a priority! What happened in Caloria can't be allowed to happen again!" Yuri insisted. He shivered faintly, remembering the devastation and the malevolent presence released from the Box.

"Protecting our kingdom and our people comes first!" Wolfram shot back, jumping to his feet as well. "Or are you so concerned with your precious humans you don't care what happens to the Demon Tribe?"

The two matched glares.

"That's enough of that," Celi broke in, her smile insistently cheerful. "Come now, let's not spoil a delicious meal with such heavy talk. It'll ruin your appetite! Your Majesty, try some of this! It's my favorite~"

She spooned something that looked like mushrooms onto his plate, and well-ingrained manners compeled Yuri to sit down and at least try the dish. Across from him, Wolfram did the same. Even as they ate and made stilted conversation, the two continued to glower at each other over the table.

~.~.~

"Well, that was a disaster," Yuri sighed, finally able to slip out the dining room.

"Oh, it wasn't so bad. The desserts were delicious," Murata said in his most annoying tone. He and Celi had carried most of the conversation during dinner, though Yuri at least had managed to settle down enough to enjoy a few of the former Demon Queen's stories.

"Hrm," Yuri grumbled, his thoughts already turning back to the same heavy topics that had plagued him during the meal. "We definitely need to do something about the other Boxes," he muttered.

"Well, you heard Lord Von Bielefelt. They're looking for them. The Boxes have been missing for a long time, so it'll take a while to find them," Murata pointed out. "And the one in Big Cimaron's hands will be an even bigger problem. I doubt they'll just give it up, and trying to force them to do so will lead to war."

Just hearing the last word made Yuri twitch, but he shook his head. "You heard what else he said - even if they find some sign of the other Boxes, they might not have anyone to send. I've been thinking," Yuri said, ignoring Murata's unhappy sigh, "that maybe we should go looking for the Boxes ourselves."

"I knew I wasn't going to like it," Murata muttered, "but this is just too much."

Yuri frowned at him. "I'm serious. I just don't think there's much I can do here. I don't know anything about actually running a kingdom, everyone is too busy to spend time explaining it to me, and they've managed fine until now," he insisted. "I'm not needed here, but looking for the Boxes is something I can do. If anything, I'm the best person to do it, if another one is unleashed!"

"But as you pointed out yourself, you don't anything about this world," Murata argued back, "and I wouldn't know where to start looking either. There's no way this won't end badly."

"If that's the problem, I could help you out."

Both the boys jumped as another voice intruded into their discussion. A tall man stepped out of the shadows, an easy smirk on his face.

His vivid orange hair instantly caught Yuri's attention, and he stared at it in surprise.

"You're that soldier, from Caloria," Murata realized.

"Huh? From Caloria?" Yuri repeated, looking between the other two in surprise.

"Well, you probably don't remember, but he was dressed as a Small Cimaron soldier and helped us after you closed the Box," Murata explained.

"So he's from Small Cimaron?" Yuri said dubiously.

"Nah, I'm part of the Demon Tribe," the man assured them. "Josak Gurrier. I take on special assignments under Lord Von Voltaire's orders."

"You mean spying," Murata clarified. "You were also that old woman who helped us at the wharf."

Yuri did a doubletake in surprise, but Josak only laughed. "You're quick!" he said. "Wasn't my usual style, but a pretty good job, right?"

Ah his laughed faded away down the shadowed corridor, Josak's expression became suddenly serious.

"But like I said, if it's information about the Boxes you need, I could help you out," he said. His gaze was somehow challenging as it settled on Yuri.

"If you know something, please tell us!" Yuri said, squaring his shoulders. "I want to retrieve the Boxes and make sure nothing like Caloria happens again."

"Well, it just so happens that my last assignment was about that very subject," Josak drew out, smirking again. "And it was a success, sort of. You see, there are some very serious rumors about a Box being located in Francia."

"Just rumors?" Murata said, his expression coolly calculating.

"Not just," Josak winked. "It seems Big Cimaron has sent troops there, too. Seems like they certainly believe those rumors. And some of Francia's neighbors have been seen visiting a little too persistently, almost as if they're trying to convince Francia of something, ever since about three weeks back..."

"When the Box was opened in Caloria," Murata said, looking thoughtful. "They're worried, now that they've seen what the Boxes can do."

Josak nodded, looking satisfied.

"But that just leaves one question," Murata continued. "Why are you telling us this? Why not tell Lord Von Voltaire?"

"Hey, don't be like that!" Josak protested, waving his hands disarmingly. "I told His Excellency, but he's already busy, you know? He said he's got no one to spare and ordered me to another assignment." He shrugged in a 'what can you do' way. "But I think His Majesty has a right to know."

Murata met his meaningful smirk with a placid smile, but the implications flew straight over Yuri's head.

"Thank you for telling me," Yuri said sincerely, and promptly turned to go. "Come on, Murata. Let's get some supplies and head out."

For the first time, Josak's composure cracked. "You're just going to go like that?" he demanded.

Far more used to Yuri's methods after three years of friendship, Murata only shook his head. "Do you even know where Francia is, Shibuya?"

"No, but I'm sure other people do," Yuri replied, unconcerned. "If we tell them that's where we're going, they'll be able to take us."

"Others?" Murata repeated.

Yuri nodded. "Yeah. I mean, we're either going to have to catch a ride or stowaway, right?"

Josak made a sort of disbelieving choking sound, but Murata just pushed up his glasses. "I suppose we could borrow a couple horses, but can you even ride one?"

"Maybe," Yuri allowed. "I'm not sure."

"Hey, listen," Josak began, stepping up to his king, "I don't think that's such a good idea. I mean, Big Cimaron's going to be there, and Francia might be peaceful, but it's still deep in human lands. There's no telling what might happen to you. You should take someone along to help you."

"It's not like they're going to know who we are," Yuri pointed out. "I'll disguise myself, and Murata's still all blonde. We'll just be two guys. No one's going to pay any attention to us. If we bring someone, that'll make it more likely that we'll get caught. And like everyone's saying, there aren't any people to spare."

He sounded inexplicably reasonable about a completely unreasonable venture. "Yeah, that's... true, but I'm very good at blending in, and I'm pretty handy with a sword, not to mention I have the inside scoop. So why don't you take me along?" Josak suggested, finally giving up on subtlety.

"But you said Gwendal already gave you another job. It must be something important," Yuri blinked up at him innocently.

Murata watched with a sadistic sort of amusement as Josak tried to figure out how to turn things around. He had probably expected Yuri to just use his position as Demon King to pull him away from whatever Gwendal had set him to. He might even have lied about being given another job, but couldn't back out now. He had probably also had personal reasons for telling Yuri about the Box at all. Murata couldn't quite begin to guess at what Josak aimed to get, but he supposed the information was probably good, if only because it would be too easy to check with Gwendal.

For his part, Yuri looked thoughtful, then determined. "I think I know who to ask," he declared. "For a ride, anyway."

Unified in the face of Yuri's determination, Josak and Murata exchanged a look.

This could not possibly end well.

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This one time, I'm gonna ignore the dub. I can't even understand what Hube and Nicola named their kid there. Naturally, the Ernst/El thing only works in Japanese because L and R are the same there.

I'm not sure if it's obvious, but Josak got ordered away from Francia for the simple reason that Conrad would recognize him. He probably did get assigned another job. I think you can make your own assumptions about his reasons for telling Yuri.

In any case, now I'm going to try extorting for reviews. Let's say... two reviews, or else I'll hold the next chapter hostage... indefinitely.