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Title: Maoh, A Day Late
Summary: Yuri arrives in the other world late, and the race for the Boxes has already begun.
Notes: In the end, Yuri is just a naive kid. But sometimes, that's just what's needed.
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Part III, Chapter 7
I laughed and lived (III)
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The moon had moved across the sky and hung low over the horizon again when Yuri quietly snuck out of the castle. Glancing back, he could see a solitary window still glowing and couldn't help but wonder who had been unable to find sleep that night. Were they also worried about someone, praying for their safe return?
'Of course they are,' Yuri berated himself. 'Everyone is worried about someone. There isn't anyone in this kingdom who hasn't been touched by war.'
He shook his head. There wasn't any time for that. Hurrying down the steps, he began to cross the courtyard, heading for the gate. Even here an eerie stillness had fallen, as if waiting for something with bated breath. The soldiers, the servants, even the horses were gone.
Looking around in confusion and a bit of nervousness, Yuri almost missed the figure standing beside the flower bed. The other person, a boy Yuri's age with bright blond hair, turned at the sound of Yuri's footsteps. For a moment, their eyes met.
"Hey, you!" the other boy barked. "What do you think you're doing? Don't you know there's a curfew in effect?"
Yuri jumped, reflexively reaching up to pull his hood lower. "I-I'm going to see Miss Julia's friend off! If she won't do it, I will!" he exclaimed.
"Lady Julia's friend...?" the other boy repeated, something strange passing over his face before his fine features twisted into a scowl. "You mean him!"
"I don't know!" Yuri stammered. "She said he was leaving at dawn!"
The other boy stared, his expression slowly turning disbelieving. "Are you saying... you're going to see off someone... when you don't even know what they look like?" he clarified, as if unable to believe something so stupid.
"Ah," Yuri drew out, suddenly realizing that there was a definite flaw in his plan. As the other boy sneered, Yuri shouted, "It's none of your business! What about you? What're you doing out here anyway?"
His counterattack his spot-on. The other boy flushed and spun away quickly. "I was just looking at the flowers," he muttered. "I can't believe they managed to sprout at a time like this. ...Is it a sign?"
The mention of flowers caught Yuri's interested, and he moved to stand beside the other boy. The flower bed he was staring at so fiercely was the same one Yuri had looked at earlier that evening, next to the fountain.
But in those few hours, something had changed. From among the dry brown remnants, small blue flowers had raised their heads. Crouching, Yuri carefully touched one. It seemed to stand a little straighter under his gentle fingers, spreading its five indigo petals.
Yuri beamed. "You guys are so strong!" he complimented. "Standing tall all by yourselves!"
"Did someone grow them with magic?" the other boy muttered to himself behind Yuri. "No, that's ridiculous. Who would waste energy on something like that? Not even Mother would..." He trailed off, his lips pursing unhappily. "Well, maybe for these ones? After all, they're named after him..."
But Yuri wasn't listening. The deep blue color of the flowers made him think of the markings on Julia's cloak. It was just a few shades lighter than her eyes.
"I think I've got an idea," Yuri decided. Leaning forward, he plucked the first flower, then another, and another.
"What are you doing?" the other boy asked, finally noticing Yuri's actions.
"I'm making a bouquet," Yuri responded absently, gathering the flowers in his hands. "I'll give it to her friend. That's what people do with flowers, right?"
"You still don't even know what he looks like," the other boy pointed out.
"It'll be fine," Yuri insisted. "I'll tell them I'm making a delivery for Miss Julia, and everyone'll know who I'm looking for, right? Like from a flower shop!"
Unable to argue, the other boy looked up at the moon and frowned. "How are you going to get there? Dawn's less than an hour away."
"Huh? Get there?" Yuri repeated as he glanced up. "Get where? They're not leaving from here?"
The other boy turned to stare at him again, with that same blankly disbelieving look. "They're leaving from the northeast entrance in town," he said flatly. Then, he shook his head sharply and huffed. "Fine! Since you're so useless, I'll take you! But not because I want to go or anything!"
Turning on his heel, he stalked away toward the stables, Yuri hurrying after him, flowers clutched close to his chest. Catching the other boy's eyes, he smiled sincerely. "Thank you," he said. The other quickly looked away, a faint flush staining his cheeks.
Above, Julia stood beside the single lit window. She could feel the pull of Yuri's being, down in her very soul, but she made no move to stop him.
"It's not that I don't want to go," she murmured. "It's not that I don't want to see him off. But... I can't promise to be waiting for him. I won't be there for anyone to come back to, not for him, not for Adalbert... It has already been determined."
She smiled, suddenly, the expression sad but also sweetly gentle.
"No, that's not right. It wasn't determined. It's what I've decided," she said, pressing her hand against her steadily beating heart. "It was only for one night, but it was enough. Thank you. I understand now. No matter how sad or painful, no matter how long it takes, I believe my wish will come true. I will fight for it until the end, in every little way I can. And... I'll believe in them. They will live on, and find happiness."
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"I think the sun's rising!" Yuri fretted, looking up at the sky. The moon had disappeared behind the mountains now, and the sky above had begun taking on the pastel colors of dawn. "Are we really going to make it?"
He yelped as his companion urged his horse faster, caught between keeping his hood on and clutching at the body in front of him. "We'll get ahead of them," the other boy decided. "I know the route they're taking out of the city."
They raced through the streets, zigzagging as they tried to cut ahead of the departing troops. Turning his horse sharply, he sent them down a narrow alley before bursting onto a wider thoroughfare. But neither the narrow street nor the wide one had a single other person traveling along it. The town stood still, even the shutters on the windows sealed, the drapes closed.
"Where is everyone?" Yuri wondered, glancing around. "We're getting close now, right? So why isn't there anyone else?"
'Is it... that painful?' he thought. 'I guess I really can't understand how hard it must be, to keep watching your friends leave and never return...'
They turned again, sharply, the horse stumbling a little from its rider's rough handling, arriving at one of the inner walls of the castle town. A wide street passed through the gate, framed on either side by fortified towers. "Here, they'll pass through this gate," the other boy said, holding Yuri's arm as he dismounted.
Just as he said, Yuri could see columns of soldiers approaching, some mounted, some on foot. Some already bore injuries from prior battles. He could just make out their serious, grim expressions.
At the last moment, his nerve failed him. His hands shook. How could he go out so lightly in front of those men, when he couldn't even begin to understand their suffering? Some dumb kid like him... He couldn't. He just couldn't.
Yuri stood frozen, his legs locked in place as men began to move past the two boys, hidden just out of sight. His shoulders shook as he curled around the deep blue flowers. Behind him, the other boy had dismounted as well, but he didn't move away from his horse, instead pressing closer to it, hiding his face away from the approaching procession.
Everyone had turned away, a few hidden faces peering out for a moment before disappearing back into their houses. No one could bear to watch these soldiers depart for their doomed mission, from which even Yuri, in all his optimism and naivety, knew most of them would not return.
It wasn't just Julia's friend. Each of those men was someone's friend, someone's family. They had all chosen this path, to lay down their lives for what they believed in.
Even if there was a chance they might survive, it was too slim. To keep on hoping and believing, when you were almost certain to be crushed, was too hard. It was easier to see them as already dead. Better to look away and mourn.
'...It's not fair,' Yuri thought, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. 'How can they fight to survive if everyone's already written them off? You can't give up yet! It's not over!'
To keep watching those you cared for march away, hoping fruitlessly for their return, was too heavy a burden. Everyone in the kingdom had been touched by war and the painful sorrow it brought.
...Except for him. Maybe he was a sheltered, naive kid, but he could do this much. He at least had to try.
Bursting into motion, he ran to one of the gate towers. The door that should have been locked burst open as Yuri kicked it in with more force than he could normally imagine possessing. But that didn't matter. Instead, he raced up the spiralling staircase and out onto the covered passage above the gate.
Narrow windows ran along both sides of the corridor, one facing toward the castle, the other outward, away from the town. Glancing out, Yuri could see the procession of soldiers entering the gate and on the other side - their leader, just emerging, followed by a soldier with bright orange hair and red headband.
He wasn't too late, just barely.
Yuri clutched the deep blue flowers closer and, leaning out the window, let them fly. The blossoms fluttered into the sky and began to fall, gliding down over the soldiers. A slow ripple of surprise passed over the men, some reaching out to grasp a flower or a stray petal.
Taking a deep breath, Yuri gathered all his courage and determination. "Fight!" he yelled, fingers grasping tightly onto the windowsill as he leaned out. It sounded like the crowd cheering for a baseball team, but that was all he knew. "For the kingdom! Go! And... everyone will be waiting for you when you return!"
Maybe it wasn't his place to say that, but Yuri was sure that there were many people who thought and felt the same thing. He was sure they wanted to convey those feelings, just like Julia. After all, the reason he had come there was to make sure those well-wishes reached them.
"I know you can do it!" he shouted. "And I know that you'll come back!"
His voice, alone, seemed quickly swallowed by the still morning air, fading away into nothing. In end, what could just one person do...?
"You won't lose! You are all brave men of the Demon Tribe!"
Yuri jumped, turning in surprise to see that the boy who had brought him to the gate had climbed up as well. He stood beside the next window, having called out his own encouragement as well. He had ducked his head, brilliant golden hair hiding his expression, but Yuri could see that his shoulders were shaking.
"There's no way he'll lose..." the boy muttered, his fists clenching.
The soldiers had glanced back, to see who had called out to them, and realizing he was about to be spotted, the other boy ducked away from the window. Yuri couldn't help but smile, remembering his protests about not wanting to be there at all. It was easy to understand; a man had pride, after all.
"Y-you can do it! Good luck!" A shaking young voice came suddenly in the street below, and Yuri was surprised to a little girl peeking out of through the doorway of a restaurant.
"Give them hell!" a gruff man shouted from an alleyway.
"Don't give up!"
"Good luck!"
Slowly, more and more voices called out their own well-wishes, though many of those that called out remained hidden, barely slitting open their doors and shutters. But that was more than enough. The soldiers who had been bowed as if under a great weight straightened, squaring their shoulders. Their fate was still a heavy one, but... perhaps even just one of them might be able to believe that he would make it back and to fight toward that goal.
Gentle tears slid down Yuri's cheeks again, but as he ducked his head, letting the hood fall over his face, he was smiling.
The first rays of the morning sun broke over the horizon, lightning the path of the soldiers and hiding the faint glow of dissipating magic.
When the other boy turned toward the place where Yuri had been standing, all that remained was a white cloak fluttering to the ground.
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The last wisps of the memory faded away into that same darkness. Slowly, Yuri drew back, Adalbert's slack hand slipping out of his grip.
The man was shaking, his powerful form barely able to contain his grief, the wounds that had been torn open again.
"...I still don't understand," Adalbert muttered. "You were in the past? Why?"
"I don't know what the Great One was thinking," Yuri said, looking away. "But he decided that we should meet. I guess... he wanted to show her the meaning behind her sacrifice."
"But why? Why did Julia have to die?!" Adalbert demanded.
Yuri curled in on himself, his expression pained. "...Because her soul would be reborn as the next Demon King," he said quietly.
For a moment, Adalbert couldn't under his words. He felt frozen, unable to draw breath.
"You... and Julia... have the same soul?" he finally said haltingly. "You have Julia's soul?!"
"I'm sorry," Yuri whispered, ducking as if expecting a blow. "I'm so sorry."
Anger stirred in Adalbert, but it was quickly drowned by his overwhelming grief. All he could see, all he could think of was Julia, Julia in the memory the boy had shown him, Julia's sadness and pain, which he had been so blind to, Julia's determined gaze, restored by meeting this boy, and most of all, the way Julia had smiled and laughed. It had been so long since he had heard her honest laughter...
She had looked at this child like he held all her hopes, like he was the most precious thing. Adalbert could not raise his hand against him.
Would she have looked like that at their children? In his most private moments, Adalbert had tried to imagine the peaceful world she wished for. Living with Julia, raising a family together, growing old... he had wanted all those things. He had fought and killed for the chance to have them, only to discover their future had been snatched away by fate and the decree of the Great One.
Adalbert had spent twenty years blaming the false god of the Demon Tribe, and it came easily to him. The Great One had manipulated and coerced Julia, showing her a vision of this child, knowing she would be unable to throw away his life. It was the Great One's fault...
...But Julia... Julia... had known all along what she was doing. She had chosen to walk that path, just as her dear friend had chosen to march into a battle that could not be won. Except that he had returned, while Julia had not been granted such a miracle.
"Julia... Julia..." Adalbert repeated, a prayer or perhaps a curse. His hand covered his eyes and the tears he could not shed. "Why didn't you tell me, Julia?"
"...She wanted you to live and have a future, even if she couldn't share it with you," Yuri said quietly, slowly approaching Adalbert. He wanted to reach out and comfort the man somehow, but he knew nothing he did would be accepted. "She didn't want you to search for her soul, to be tied down by a one-sided bond. Souls are meant to be reborn without any memories of who they were. She thought it would be too cruel..."
Reaching into his shirt, he pulled out the pendant Conrart had given him. It was warm and smooth in his hand. For a moment, Yuri thought he could feel it pulsing, like a beating heart.
"She loved you very much," he murmured, gently taking Adalbert's hand and placing the pendant in it. "When I heard your voice, that part of my soul reached out for you. It was her one regret, that she had to leave you, that she could no longer be with you. I'm... so sorry."
Adalbert's hand curled around it, recognizing easily its shape and texture. It had once been Julia's most precious treasure. But now...
The darkness around them had slowly dispersed, leaving them once more on the shore of Big Cimaron. As the last of his magic faded out, Yuri swayed and sank to the ground. 'I guess I overdid it,' he thought faintly.
Adalbert looked up at the lightening sky. In the illusion, he had lost all sense of time, but now he could see that it was just before dawn. Soon, the sun would rise, burning away the last of the lingering mist.
In the distance, he could hear voices, shouting orders back and forth. Big Cimaron's troops had finally caught up, free of Yuri's concealing illusion.
Looking down at the boy, Adalbert could see that he wouldn't even be able to stand on his own, much less run or hide.
It would so easy to just leave him. The Demon Tribe would be lost without their prophesized Double-Black King. And the Great One's plan would certainly take a blow as well. It would be easy...
Snorting angrily, he gripped Yuri by the arm and hauled him to his feet. "Let's go, kid," he said gruffly. 'Julia... you were so foolish. But I won't let your wish end here. I'll see it through to the end. That's the choice I've made.'
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((...Why did I feel the need to rewrite episode 52? What was I thinking when I made this plan? It's a mystery...))
((As a side note, the events in the chapter kept shifting around. Several things changed pretty drastically from my original plan. I'm not sure if it's for the best, but there you go. But because of that, I think there might be some inconsistencies with Yuri's reactions early in Part II.))
((Yuri probably didn't show Adalbert all of that. After all, Adalbert only cares about the Julia parts. So, assume there was some video editing on Yuri's part.))