~.~.~
Title: Maoh, A Day Late
Summary: Yuri arrives in the other world late, and the race for the Boxes has already begun.
Notes: Yuri does something stupid. Fortunately (?), his special brand of stupid has rubbed off on everyone else.
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Part III, Chapter 4
Light and shadows II
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Belar lasted much longer than Murata had expected, though his barbed replies had grown outright vicious by the end of the day.
They hadn't actually accomplished anything at all, except insulting each other's theoretical lineage and tastes in decorations. But if Murata was reading Belar right, the man wasn't in a hurry. He seemed almost amused by Murata's stalling tactics.
As far as Belar was concerned, he had the Demon King and by extension the Demon Kingdom right where he wanted them. If anything, Murata had reassured him that he had no intention of leaving.
'I wonder what his final plan is?' Murata wondered. 'Hostage taking and blackmail? If he announces war on the Demon Kingdom, while the Demon King is in his control, they'll have no choice but to surrender. Or is that too subtle for Belar? Maybe he'll just go for a public execution.'
Either seemed possible.
Murata sighed. 'Yeah, we've gotta get out of here quickly.'
As the long audience finally drew to a close, Murata and Wolfram were greeted by Conrart, who had taken up guard outside the throne room.
"Please allow me to escort you to your chambers," he said politely, bowing.
"That sounds fine," Murata agreed, smiling as he pushed up his glasses. "In fact, there's something I want to discuss with you."
Wolfram's glare turned on him next, but Conrart's expression remained unchanged as the three of them set off through the castle halls. Once Murata thought they would not be overheard, he began.
"We don't have a lot of time, so I'll be blunt," he said in a flat tone. "Did you receive orders from the Great One?"
Stumbling, Wolfram seemed to choke on his breath. His brother's reaction was more subdued, but equally telling. Even Conrart's steady demeanor cracked, as he stared at Murata in shock.
"I see," Murata said, his lips pursing. He shot Wolfram a quick look that told him to wait. "Don't look at me like that. It's not that strange an assumption. There are very few ways for someone to regain a lost limb, you know. The kind of power that requires narrows the possibilities even further. With the Keys and Boxes involved, it even has a kind of logic to it."
He had continued walking steadily, forcing Conrart and Wolfram, once he had recovered, to follow him. 'This isn't really the way I prefer to do things,' Murata thought unhappily, 'but everything else is completely out of whack too, so why not?' Though he tried to hide it, his gut churned uneasily. He'd had trouble pinning down the sensation that kept him so irritable and on edge, but in he had finally understood - it was fear.
Things were moving quickly toward the inevitable conclusion, but Murata couldn't see what that end would be. He was caught blind, like everyone else, and all he could do was hope and believe. It was unsettling. Terrifying.
"That arm is also a Key," Murata said with certainty. His dark eyes met Conrart's firmly. "I don't know what he told you, but you should know his plans are never as straightforward as they may appear. His orders are always meant to maneuver, not necessarily to be followed faithfully. Even I don't know what he's thinking," he seemed almost bitter at the admission, "but I would say there was some meaning in placing a Key so close to its Box."
There could only really be one meaning to that action, and the thought of it was a cold weight on Murata's thoughts. 'What Shibuya said about their meeting, cutting contact with Ulrike like that, and now this,' he thought. 'It's all adding up to just one thing. Did you... run out of time?'
Murata looked away, the expression in his eyes distant and burdened. "And... I don't think we should count on him so much," he added quietly.
They walked the rest of the way in heavy silence. As they reached their destination and paused at the doors of the suite, Conrart leaned in and said, "The guard shift change will be at midnight."
"Should we wait for you then?" Murata wondered, looking up with a smile and lifting his eyebrows suggestively.
Conrart's expression was mask-like as he drew back, but there was a hint of something unreadable in his eyes. As the man smiled placidly, bowed and departed, Murata sighed. 'I just can't pull it off like you, Shibuya,' he thought, shrugging. 'But, I tried.'
~.~.~
At midnight, Adalbert stalked through the castle halls. Since the arrival of the Demon Kingdom and Francia delegation, he had been on edge, expecting something, anything to happen. But aside from speaking to Belar for hours on end, they had done nothing except retire peacefully for the night.
Or was there something else? There had been that strange incident that Weller interrupted. In any case, they almost certainly had what they came for.
Adalbert scowled, remembering how Belar had dismissed him when he tried to push things along. 'He's just letting things drag on to savor his own satisfaction,' Adalbert thought scornfully. 'Pathetic, arrogant fool.'
He expected them to make a break for it during the guard changeover. He had seen Weller making his own rounds earlier and that only solidified his suspicions.
The guards, however, were lax. Stepping lightly, Adalbert easily walked up to the pair guarding the delegates' suite without them even noticing.
"Report!" he barked, watching them jump to attention. It was truly a pathetic sight.
"Sir!" one of them stammered. "Everything's been quiet! They haven't come out since retiring for the night!"
Their report didn't mean much to Adalbert. His instincts were telling him that he was missing something. Something had already occurred.
Adalbert glared at the thick wooden doors, willing them to burst open as the Demon Tribesmen inside attempted to escape. He would cut them down without mercy, even that supposed Demon King and the little lord brat.
Had they already done something? Was this group perhaps just a distraction?
Tension continued to build in his powerful form, muscles coiling in preparation for something. All he needed was some trigger to act.
Footsteps approached, and Adalbert's eyes darted toward the new arrivals. Accompanying the two fresh guards was Weller himself, which only further agitated Adalbert's battle-honed instincts.
"Overseeing the guard change?" Weller asked mildly, that same meaningless expression on his face. "Your dedication is admirable."
Adalbert didn't allow himself to be needled into a reply.
Weller's demeanor was unreadable, a stark change from the sullen, angry man he had once been, but it simply seemed to be the way he had become in the twenty years since. He watched the guard changeover calmly, giving no indication of what he was thinking or feeling.
Adalbert's teeth gritted as nothing happened, the old pair of soldiers quickly departing as two of their comrades took their place.
Had his instincts been wrong?
But no. Watching Weller, Adalbert's eyes narrowed. Why had the man come with the new guards? Why had he lingered there? What was he waiting for?
Abruptly, Adalbert burst into action. The startled guards jumped aside as he stormed up to the thick wooden doors of the visitors' suite and, without even pausing to knock, simply kicked them in.
"Wait!" Weller protested, but the rest of his words were lost as Adalbert stalked into the dark rooms. They were cold, the fires having been allowed to go out. Kicking open to door to the inner chambers, Adalbert felt a frigid wind ruffle his hair and tug at his cloak.
On the far side of the room, one of the windows stood open. A rope of white cloth stretched to it from where it was anchored by one of the beds. As Adalbert leaned out, he could see its long tail flutter beside another window a floor down.
Cursing, Adalbert turned away. "What are you standing there for? Sound the alarm! The Demon Tribesmen have escaped!" he barked to the shocked guards.
Weller had moved past him to look out the windows as well. Adalbert's eyes narrowed as he watched the other man lean out. His expression remained neutral, but something about his eyes was almost melancholy.
Adalbert snorted, turning sharply and hurrying on his way. The hunt was on, and he had prey to pursue. He ignored Weller's footsteps following in his wake. Let the man come. Though Adalbert had no doubt that Weller was playing some game, he didn't see any need to try to stop his inevitable betrayal. In the end, Weller would give Adalbert reason to finally kill him, and that would be all.
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The snow had stopped shortly after they departed from Belar's castle, but it had continued long enough to cover their initial tracks. Instead, thick mist began to roll in as they approached the coast... and their rendezvous point.
"We'll have to ditch the sled soon," Murata muttered.
He was right. Among other reasons, the ground was quickly becoming too rocky and the snow too thin for the sled to still be of use.
"Better hold off on that a bit," Josak said suddenly, his keen eyes peering behind them. "I think they finally noticed we're gone."
Startled out of his thoughts, Yuri glanced back over his shoulder. In the distance, small lights had begun to swarm around the isolated castle, spreading out like sparks from a wildfire. If he listened carefully, Yuri thought he could almost hear their urgent shouts.
"Let's hurry and get to the canyon," Murata said quietly, leaning toward Josak. "We'll have to leave the horses them, but so will anyone who's following us."
Antoine had paled even further, but his hands remained admirably steady as he urged his horse on, Lyla faithfully following. The sled, guided by Josak, followed them, its smooth glide having become rather rough. Yuri hadn't noticed the transition, sitting next to the Box and lost in thought.
However, he couldn't miss the way Wolfram lingered at the outcropping, his eyes turned back toward the castle and the advancing pursuit. Murata fell back with him, the two of them exchanging meaningful looks. From Yuri's experience, Murata was reminding Wolfram not to do something stupid, like running off, for example.
Thinking about it, Yuri realized Murata had been focused on Wolfram since their group had reunited. He couldn't help wondering what had happened between the two to make Murata so preoccupied. That was probably the only reason Murata hadn't noticed Yuri's own distracted tells. Usually, his friend was quite good at determining when Yuri was about to pull some reckless stunt.
"This mist is getting pretty thick," Yuri noted when they dismounted. The area around them had become too rocky for the sled, or even the horses. Stones and outcroppings loomed in the fog and darkness, providing good cover for their escape. "I'll cover for us with an illusion."
Murata and Josak nodded absently, both more focused on the Box. They would have to carry it the rest of the way. "Trying to get out of doing your part, kiddo?" Josak teased on reflex.
"Maybe I should..." Antoine began, sounding uncertain, but Lyla shook her head. It was pretty clear he wouldn't be much help with such a physical task.
"It's fine. Lord Von Bielefelt and I can do between us," Murata said, pushing up his glasses. They had gotten a little fogged over from the high humidity and the exercise. "It's not that far to the rendezvous point."
Wolfram shot him a dark glare but couldn't find any reasonable grounds to protests. Instead, the two boys both bent their shoulders under the carrying pole and hauled the Box up, with Josak taking the other side.
"Let's get going!" Yuri urged, hurrying to fall in step with the Francian pair. He let Lyla lead the way, using the directions Josak had given her.
As they walked, he slowly pushed more and more of his magic into the illusion, letting it spread out over the entire area. Lyla's eyes narrowed as the mist grew almost impenetrable around them and their footsteps faded away into almost nothing. Antoine all but clung to her, and even Josak had moved closer in, the Box and its other carriers following.
Preoccupied with their assigned roles, none of them noticed Yuri gradually move further and further from the group, then fall back and allow them to disappear into the mist.
With his magic so deeply saturating the area, he could almost feel everyone who passed through. A few Big Cimaron soldiers had wandered close, but the mist and shadows had easily confused them, forcing them to circle aimlessly far behind.
Only one had continued determinedly onward, heedless of the mist and the confuddlement illusion.
Yuri breathed in slowly, feeling the dampness of the air as it clung to his skin and leeched into his hair. Magic pulsed through his veins with every heartbeat. He could feel the moon in the sky and the nearby sea. Its pounding waves, still distant, sounded like the second heart that had still not quite fallen silent.
'I have to deal with this,' Yuri thought. 'Just me. It's what I owe to her for saving me three years ago.'
Slowly, Yuri began to make his way to meet him, the man that Julia had loved.
~.~.~
"Alright, this is it," Josak said, carefully lowering his side of the Box. He peered out across the dark sea, then let his eyes sweep down the cliff, there a narrow path led to water. "We're a little early, but they'll be here to get us soon. Keep an eye out."
Lyla nodded sharply, while her king sagged a little, exhausted simply from their trek to the sea.
Behind Josak and the Box, Wolfram simply dropped to the ground, the exertion apparently too much for him. Murata was barely better, bending over and gasping for air. Reaching for his fogged over glasses, he tried to wipe them off with one sleeve.
Murata paused, his expression twisting. "...Where's Shibuya?" he asked, straightening and looking around their group with deliberate care.
It took only a single chilling moment for Josak to understand what he meant.
They had lost the Demon King. Gwendal was going to kill him.
"Did he get lost in the mist?" Antoine wondered, looking honestly worried for the boy.
"He couldn't have," Murata said. "It was mostly his own illusion. He..." His lips narrowed as something very unfortunate seemed to suddenly occur to him. "He would have to do it on purpose," Murata finished quietly. "Wolfram and I were in the back and busy, he went to the front and... Why? What could he be doing? No, it doesn't matter. Of course Shibuya would go back. Why not?"
Shaking his head, honest anger and agitation across his features, Murata quickly collected his thoughts and said, "Alright, I have to go back to find him. Make sure the Box gets to the Demon Kingdom. I'm entrusting you with this."
"I'm coming too!" Wolfram protested, straightening with an effort. He was still flushed, but his eyes were determined. To Josak, it was strange to see the lord brat look so honest and driven. "I can't let you two wimps run off on your own. Even if you find him, what will you do? Not to mention everyone thinks you're the Demon King!"
Josak nodded. "Count me in. Can you imagine what Lord Von Voltaire will do to me if I return without the Demon King or his brother?" he joked, but his expression quickly became serious. "In fact, it would probably be better if you two went with the Box instead. I can get around much easier than either of you, and I know Big Cimaron well."
"Not a chance," Wolfram shot back.
'Isn't this scene kind of familiar?' Murata thought, pushing his glasses up. He was still so very angry, at Yuri and at himself. He should have settled the matter with Wolfram and instead focused on keeping track of Yuri, like usual. What could have possibly prompted this? There must have been a reason, something that Murata missed.
"Alright, we already know how to deal with this," Murata said, glancing at Wolfram. Turning to the Francians, he dipped his head. "I'm sorry to cause you more trouble like this, but please make sure the Box is taken to the Demon Kingdom. You'll be able to arrange for a ship back to Francia there. Don't let them hang around here. We'll find another way back."
'I hope.'
Antoine stared in surprise, then smiled. "Of course. We will be happy to visit your homeland. We'll be waiting for His Majesty there, to formally sign the first treaty between our two nations," he said, making even Murata pause.
"Shibuya will be happy to hear that," Murata mused. "We'll make sure he doesn't keep you waiting."
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((Anyway. You were clearly all unimpressed by the last chapter. Well, you're going to be even more unimpressed by the next chapters, haha... ha... ha... Oh man, they're so bad. Just... why did I ever decide to write something like that? Why? I don't even know. You know how sometimes, you come with this great plan and it sounds totally awesome, and then later you look back on it and think, "Wow, I was so lame. This is terrible." Well, it's like that. And it's honestly too late to change it much...
((And after that, it's like four chapters-worth of wrap up and explanations. Wow. I planned this so badly...))
Maybe I shouldn't post the rest. Just... leave it like this. No ending is better than a bad ending, right?