~.~.~
Title: A Day Late
Summary: Yuri arrives in the other world late, and the race for the Boxes has already begun.
Notes: Yuri gathers some friends and sets off on a trip. Also, misery loves company.
~.~.~
Part II, Chapter 5
In the dusk
~.~.~
"Oh, Your Majesty," Celi exclaimed, her deep green eyes widening in surprise, "I didn't expect to see you again tonight. Did you miss me that much?" Her smile turned playfully suggestive.
"You said you're leaving tonight, right?" Yuri said, too focused to pay attention to her flirting.
"Mm? Well, yes," Celi replied, a little puzzled. "I'm going in search of free love. I'll be setting out from a port in Anissina's territory. There's a special private ship waiting for me."
"Do you mind if we come along?" Yuri said.
"Oh, how scandalous!" Celi cheered. "Can it be you've already fallen for me, Your Majesty? But that just won't do! That's definitely forbidden!"
Normally, Yuri would have protested at least a little, but even a beautiful woman pulling him into a rather intimate embrace wasn't enough to deter him once he had made up his mind. Ignoring the way her arms were wrapped around him (and certain other parts were pressed against him), Yuri looked Celi firmly in the eye.
"We need to get to Francia. It seems like there's a Box there," he explained. "Murata and I are going to retrieve it."
That stopped even Celi short. She stared at Yuri with a strange expression, then shook her head and pulled him inside her chambers, Murata slipping in after them. The rooms were almost as opulent as Yuri's, but surprisingly bare of anything personal. There was a notable lack of luggage, half-packed or otherwise, and even clothing. It seemed difficult to imagine that a woman like Celi would travel lightly.
Wolfram had been leaning standing beside one large window, and his eyes widened in surprise as he watched them enter, before narrowing in suspicion.
"How does Your Majesty know the location of a Forbidden Box?" Celi asked after the door had been closed. Her voice was still light, but something had definitely shifted. "Did you receive a special insight? Or has the voice of the Great One been heard again after so long?"
Murata's eyes narrowed faintly at her last words, his chin tilting down in thought. But Yuri simply shook his head.
"Nothing like that. A guy called Josak told us," he explained.
"Oh, that young man?" Celi smiled, though there was a faint shadow behind it. Wolfram's expression also darkened. "He is very knowledgeable, isn't he? He always knows the best gossip~!"
"That's why we're going to go. And I was hoping you could give us a ride out of the capital, at least," Yuri said. "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I don't know anyone else to ask."
"But it's dangerous for Your Majesty and Your Eminence to go alone," Celi said, pursing her lips.
"Yeah, apparently Big Cimaron is headed there too," Murata informed her, looking up with a smile. He had a hunch that would mean something to her and to Wolfram, and it seemed he was right, judging by the faint change in their expressions.
"So we have to get there as quickly as possible," Yuri added his interpretation of the situation.
"I can see you're determined," Celi said. Her smile was faint and a bit melancholy. "If I don't help you, you'll just find another way, won't you?"
"That's right, we'll help," Wolfram spoke up for the first time. His statement drew surprised looks from everyone, together with a certain degree of disbelief from Yuri.
"Oh, Wolfie, does that mean...?" Celi wondered, pressing one hand over her mouth. Her expression was surprised, but understanding.
"That's right, Mother. I'm going with them. It's my duty to protect the king, right?" Wolfram said. His words were somewhat undermined by the clearly disdainful look he threw Yuri. "And this wimp will need all the help he can get."
"How am I wimp?" Yuri wondered irritably. He and Wolfram exchanged glares, making Murata sigh. They were certainly off to a great start.
~.~.~
As they gathered at Celi's carriage, the former Demon Queen turned to look at them seriously.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Your Majesty?" she asked. "You don't need to rush off on your own. You could wait and ask Gunter and my Gwendal to help you. Or even just wait until you're a little more used to this world."
"I don't think we have time for that," Yuri replied, shaking his head. He had already considered those options, though probably not as seriously as he should have. "It's okay! Murata helped me write a note to Gunter, so they won't have to worry."
'Too bad I won't be able to see his face when he reads it,' Murata thought wistfully, hiding his smirk as he climbed into the carriage. He had been the one to write the note, since Yuri couldn't read or write the language of the Demon Kingdom, and he had put quite a bit of thought into the contents.
Yuri climbed in after him and, catching the tail end of Murata's devious expression, stared at him in suspicion.
Lingering outside a moment longer, Wolfram and Celi shared a long look.
"You know why I have to go, Mother," Wolfram said quietly.
"I know," Celi smiled sadly, reaching out to smooth away a stray lock of his bright hair. "But please, just be careful. I couldn't bear it if..."
He nodded sharply and offered his hand to help her up into the carriage. Climbing in after her, he waved to the driver and firmly shut the door.
As the carriage set off, the windows carefully covered to conceal its four passengers, Celi turned a surprisingly serious look on Yuri.
"First, we'll head to the Von Karbelnikoff territory," she explained. "My friend Anissina's family rules there, and she has arranged for a private departure for my ship. We'll sail leisurely along the coast for a bit, then head out to sea. I was originally planning to go to Vandavia Island first, but with things being so tense with Big Cimaron, Gwendal forbid it. So I have to head to Hildyard instead."
She pouted, making Wolfram sigh. "It's for the best. What if a Big Cimaron patrol detained you at Vandavia? It would be a disaster," he reasoned, frowning.
"It's so sweet of you to worry, Wolfie!" Cecilie trilled, reaching out to hug him again.
'Oh, so he was worried,' Yuri thought, nodding to himself. 'I see. That's sweet.'
"Is this Hill-yard place on the way to Francia at all?" he wondered, leaning toward Murata.
"Not really," Murata replied quietly. "It's to the east, about three days by boat. Francia borders Cavalcade, over to the west. They're all trading partners though."
"Oh, don't worry, Your Majesty," Celi said, having apparently heard their discussion. "You're not going with me! Once we're out at sea, we'll be meeting up with an acquaintance of mine. He's a merchant heading for Francia. He often deals in rare items, so he'll be able to help you out."
"That's great!" Yuri said sincerely, returning her bright smile with one of his own.
"It is," Murata agreed, pushing up his glasses. "But how did you manage to arrange all that? And when? I don't think even the former Demon Queen could coordinate all that in just the time since Shibuya told you his intent."
Wolfram glared at him, but Murata refused to back down, just continuing to smile placidly. For her part, Celi seemed unconcerned by his questions.
"You're right, even I'm not quite that amazing!" she laughed. "I arranged this much earlier. You see, I already knew about the Box in Francia. Gwendal told me and asked for my help in at least keeping track of it, if not retrieving it outright. We do understand how serious this situation is."
Her knowing smile made Yuri flush a little. "Sorry. I guess I should've had more faith in everyone," he mumbled, looking down in embarrassment.
"It's alright. I know it must be hard for you to depend on people you've just met, who all seem to preoccupied with other things," Celi told Yuri comfortingly. Reaching out, she laid her hand over one of his, squeezing gently. "And I guess it's better to be too decisive than to be too hesitant. I'm glad to know you're willing to act for the sake of our kingdom."
Yuri ducked his head, missing the way Celi's smile became troubled.
"Not to mention that, if things go badly, you will probably the only one who can stop the Box from rampaging," she added quietly.
"Let's try to avoid that," Murata said.
"Of course! I'm sure you'll be able to solve this handily, Your Majesty, Your Eminence~" Celi beamed at them again. "But since you'll be going in in secret, you'll need disguises!"
She seemed thrilled by the prospect.
Everyone jumped as Yuri suddenly surged to his feet. "I'm not wearing a dress!" he yelled, gesturing sharply.
Ducking under his sweeping arm, Murata tried to hide his laughter, while Wolfram and Celi could only stare in surprise. 'That's quite a reflex reaction,' Murata mused, failing to smother his smirk. 'You must have been very traumatized, Shibuya.'
Celi was the first to regain her composure, pouting. "Oh, that's too bad," she began, turning instead toward her son.
"I won't either!" Wolfram declared quickly, subconsciously huddling back against the carriage door in an effort to get out of her reach.
"But Wolfie, you'd look so lovely in one of my dresses!" Celi protested.
"It's out of the question!" Wolfram shot back.
"Ah, but you're the most likely to be recognized, Lord Von Bielefelt," Murata spoke up, his lips still twitching with barely suppressed mirth. "You definitely need a good disguise."
The look Yuri shot him clearly asked how Murata could possibly betray all of mankind like that. When Murata continued to snicker under his breath and failed to show the slightest hint of remorse, Yuri could only turn to Wolfram with pity.
The young nobleman had failed to escape his mother's tender grasp and was once again enfolded in a tight embrace.
"Mother! Stop this at once! Mother!"
His protests fell on deaf ears.
~.~.~
Yuri peered at Wolfram's slumped figure in concern. Not even Wolfram's severe seasickness had been enough to deter his mother from her efforts to "disguise" him, and Yuri's own attempts to mitigate the torture had limited success at best, so by the time they were transferred onto the merchant vessel of Stefan Fanberlain, affectionately called Fanfan, Wolfram had been decked out in feminine if practical dress, which had apparently been meant for Celi's friend Anissina.
The only concession Celi had ultimately allowed, after much protesting from both Wolfram and Yuri, had been to let Wolfram keep his pants on under the dress's long skirt.
(Of course, that wasn't to say that Yuri had gotten off scot-free either. Celi had forced him into what looked like a belly-dancer outfit that she insisted was meant for men, really. Murata had gotten off light, with only a long tunic and an Aladdin hat. Clearly, there was no Justice in either world.)
"Are you okay?" Yuri asked, crouching down beside Wolfram.
"Did you come to mock me," Wolfram muttered tonelessly.
"No way," Yuri said, sighing. "Believe me, I feel your pain. My mom's just as bad, you know."
"Your mom?" Wolfram repeated, his brow furrowing thoughtfully.
"I think she always wanted a daughter," Yuri confided in a hushed tone. "When I was a kid, she'd always buy these cutesy dresses and make me wear them. I was so confused for a while... And just before I left, she got this frilly pink apron and kept insisting that I needed to wear it so we could bond by cooking together..."
Despite his complaints, the aggravation in his tone was light and almost fond. Wolfram's miserable expression softened as he watched Yuri reminisce.
"Mother never really tried to force me into a dress before. It's probably your fault for giving her ideas," Wolfram said, shooting Yuri a sharp but short-lived glare. "But you saw what she's like - going after any good-looking man that came into her sight. And when she realized that I took after her in looks, she decided that I was clearly meant to follow her footsteps and become the next great seducer of men."
He huffed, indignant, while Yuri laughed awkwardly. 'So here it's okay between two guys?' he wondered.
They fell into a strangely comfortable silence, watching Francia's port city loom closer. The ship would arrive shortly, and they could already make out the strange shape of the buildings along the shoreline. Yuri smiled, feeling just a bit excited about seeing an entirely new country. It looked peaceful and exotic.
"Your mother..." Wolfram began, "you miss her, right? She's still in that other world."
"She's still on Earth," Yuri confirmed. Tilting back, he looked up at the clear blue sky. "Actually, Nicola really reminded me of her. I do miss her, but everyone's got to leave home some time, right? And maybe I'll be able to see her again."
"You can't go back to the other world?" Wolfram asked, a frown beginning to form on his face.
Yuri shrugged. "Well, Murata and I managed to come here by ourselves. But he said he's not sure we could go the other direction. This world is where our souls belong. We were meant to come here. Going back... It seems like only the Great One can really open the gate between worlds."
"Even knowing that, you still came here?"
"Yeah," Yuri said simply, smiling. "I decided to become the Demon King." Looking up, he met Wolfram's eyes firmly. "I'm sorry for being so childish before. I really am grateful for your support."
Wolfram looked away, huffing half-heartedly. He was probably still seasick, Yuri decided.
"Ah, there you are," Fanderlain called out, coming up behind them. He passed a critical eye over Wolfram's face, seemingly satisfied that the young lord wasn't about to hurl chunks the next moment. Murata followed behind him, pushing up his glasses in that suspicious way of his. Yuri lifted one eyebrow, silently asking what the two of them had been discussing, but Murata only smiled and shrugged in a 'you don't need to worry about it' way.
"As you can see, we'll be arriving shortly," the merchant explained. "So lets get you all ready. Remember, we'll be keeping it vague, to give ourselves more leeway. You're traveling with me, don't explain why or where from. And for goodness sake, don't say we're there for the Box."
Yuri nodded attentively, fixing his turban-headscarf. Despite his assurances that he would be able to mask his double-black colors quite well, Fanberlain had insisted on covering as much of his hair as possible. Feeling a bit miffed, Yuri made sure to cast his illusion while Fanberlain was looking away. When the merchant glanced back, he visibly started at Yuri's suddenly brown bangs and eyes, making the boy grin.
Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Wolfram pulled up the shawl his mother had forced on him as part of his costume. Once wrapped around his head, it covered his bright blonde hair and helped hide his delicate features. Nodding in approval, Fanberlain held out a parasol to Wolfram.
"It's a present from dear Celi," he explained. "It's actually quite a special piece..."
"Does it have a sword inside?" Yuri wondered peering at it.
Fanberlain blinked in surprise. "How did you know?" he wondered.
"Seriously?" Yuri muttered to himself, while Wolfram twisted the handle and unsheathed several inches of the blade, before nodding in grudging approval.
"Looks like we're all set," Murata declared cheerfully, plopping the Aladdin hat on his head and handily covering where his black roots had grown out. 'Let's see how long these disguises last,' he added to himself. 'And who will blow it first.'
~.~.~
Hey, I've been thinking, is Josak his first or last name? His name is listed as Gurrier Josak, in that order, but then Hube is listed as Griesela Gegenhuber in that order too, and Hube is definitely his first name. So... Well, everyone else goes by their first name, so I'm assuming Josak is his first name after all. :/