~.~.~

Title: Maoh, A Day Late

Summary: Yuri arrives in the other world late, and the race for the Boxes has already begun. Season 2.

Notes: Yuri goes to a peace conference. It's not very peaceful.

~.~.~

Part IV, Chapter 3

Two sides

~.~.~

Shortly after the coronation, a messenger from Big Cimaron arrived.

The poor man's voice shook as he read out the formalities, including Belar's many titles. He looked like he expected to be killed, at the very least. What sort of crime must he have committed to be assigned the task of delivering Belar's no doubt provoking message to the feared Demon Tribe?

Yuri pondered that to avoid thinking about just what the message might contain.

"...Thus, the glorious empire of Greater Cimaron would like to convey the following message," the messenger continued, finally reaching the most important part.

Yuri fought to maintain his composure, even as he broke out in cold sweat. 'Even Belar wouldn't do that, right?' he thought. 'Just, please, don't let it be a declaration of war.'

"Regarding the matter of forbidden artifacts and their use, we propose a peace conference among all the nations," the messenger read out. "To show our goodwill and dedication to this cause, we offer Greater Cimaron's territory on the island of Van Da Via as the meeting place."

Caught by surprise, Yuri completely missed the closing formalities. 'Wait...' he thought, stunned. 'Wait, that's a good thing! A peace conference! That's... amazing!'

The others didn't share his enthusiasm.

"It's a trap of some sort," Gwendal stated, once the messenger had been dismissed, scurrying out as if the hounds of hell were at his heels. Fortunately, there was no RSVP needed. Instead, everyone had reconvened in Yuri's office, including Murata, who had been summoned from the Tomb to give his opinion.

"At the very least, Belar will use this as pretext to attempt to gain political support," Gunter added.

"We can't not go!" Yuri protested. "This is a great opportunity! Besides, Francia and Cavalcade will be there, for sure. We have to support them too."

"What's the point? We have all the Boxes, except the one on Earth," Wolfram pointed out, crossing his arms. "It's not like they can decide to use them against us."

"It's precisely because we have all the Boxes that we have to go. Otherwise, everyone will think we're planning to use them against them!" Yuri shot back.

"Don't forget that Belar probably still doesn't know we have the End of the Wind," Murata reminded them, pushing up his glasses. "In any case, this'll be Shibuya's first official foreign visit as Demon King. Isn't it exciting?"

"We'll send a delegation," Gwendal allowed, "but there is no need for the Demon King himself to attend."

"Of course I'm going!" Yuri protested.

Wolfram and Murata exchanged a knowing look. "Look on the bright side," Murata suggested to Gwendal, "he didn't just sneak out this time."

Gwendal clearly did not see that as much of a bright side.

"So the only question is who will be going with him," Murata continued. He quickly added, "I'm out. I'm have to stay here, to mind the Boxes."

Wolfram sighed. "I'm out too. I'm going to go see my uncle. We've both had some time to cool down, so maybe I can convince him, even just a little."

"Oh, I see," Yuri muttered, drooping a little.

Frowning deeply, Gwendal nonetheless nodded. Their excuses were reasonable. "I will go," he decided. 'Otherwise, who knows what this brat will say or do?'

"What? You? But... but don't you have to stay here?" Yuri wondered, flailing. "To... to keep the castle running and stuff?"

Yuri's questions - showing how little he still understood of statecraft - did nothing to appease Gwendal. "Gunter can handle these matter in your absence," he emphasized the last part, making it clear whose work would actually be left not done.

"Leave it to me, Your Majesty!" Gunter exclaimed. "Though how I wish I could accompany you as well...!"

"You'll need to take someone else too, Brother, if only for appearances," Wolfram noted. 'I'm not sure even my brother can keep up with Yuri's nonsense. I'm not sorry to miss out on this.' As he pondered the situation, something seemed to occur to him. 'Ah. That could work...'

"We'll keep the group small. Wouldn't want to scare the humans," Gwendal said, his mouth twisting almost mockingly. He ignored Yuri's reprimanding look. "It'll make getting out quickly easier as well, when things go badly."

"Don't just assume it'll go bad!" Yuri complained.

Pretending not to hear him, Gwendal said, "I suppose I'll bring Gurrier. He's useful and good at dealing with unexpected situations."

Murata nodded approvingly, while Yuri muttered, "So now I'm an unexpected situation?"

"You should take Weller too," Wolfram said suddenly, drawing surprised looks from the others. "They're old friends, so they'll work well together. Plus, it's what he gets for skipping out on meetings."

"Hey, wait, you're making it sound like punishment detail!" Yuri sputtered.

Gwendal, who had been about to object, reconsidered. It seemed somehow fitting. Poetic, almost.

~.~.~

"Wow, so this is the place Miss Celi wanted to visit! I can see why!" Yuri couldn't help but marvel as he looked up at the island's twin peaks.

However, despite its appearance as a southern tropical paradise, Van Da Via island was overcast and shadowed by dark clouds. The cause was likely the thick pillar of smoke billowing out of the left hand mountain, creating a smog that hung over the island.

"The mountain shouldn't be that active," Gwendal noted with a deepening frown. "Did it get disturbed because of the Box?"

"Wait, that's an active volcano?" Yuri demanded, suddenly worried. Directed by the people in the port town, their party had been heading up a winding road for a while, climbing toward the smoking mountain's peak. "We're not going up there, are we?"

"It should be alright," Conrart assured him. "The shrine on the mountain actually looks over the lava pools. Part of the yearly Fire Festival involves visiting the shrine and casting offerings into the volcano. In fact, I believe we'll be staying at the hotels used for Fire Festival visitors."

That seemed quite likely. The road they had taken was wide and well-kept, clearly meant for those with no intention of roughing it. Nonetheless, Yuri hadn't been trusted with a horse and rode behind Conrart.

As they crested the last slope, a small village of what looked like manor houses came into view. Yuri could see that some were already occupied, colorful flags on full display. In others, maids were running to and from, preparing them for guests.

Those further down the path were still boarded up and closed.

To Yuri's surprise, the architecture of the buildings and even the outfits of the islanders were almost Japanese in many ways. The men who directed them to an unoccupied area were dressed like pole bearers in a festival, and the maids wore robes that looked invariably like yukata under their aprons. They even tied up their sleeves!

As they rode deeper into the visitors' village, Yuri craned his head to get a better look at all the people that swarmed the streets. Although Gunter had tried to cram-session the various countries into Yuri's head, most of the flags and people they passed were completely unfamiliar.

"The delegations from Francia, Cavalcade, and Hildyard are probably on the other side of the village," Conrart told him quietly, realizing what Yuri was looking for. "This event was organized by Big Cimaron, and they likely arranged to have us separated from our allies."

"It's okay," Yuri decided. "We'll see them at the conference itself, and in the meantime, we'll make some new friends too." He was determined to make the best of this opportunity.

The peace conference itself was to take place in an event hall in the center of the village. It was probably meant for dances or something similar, but a grand table had been brought in, chairs arrayed around it.

Counting them up quickly, Yuri wondered if so few counties were expected. Gunter's list had seemed much longer.

"It's because only the main representative will be seated," Conrart explained, leaning over Yuri's shoulder. "That would be you, Your Majesty. Gwendal and I will stand at your back."

Josak would apparently be doing spy-like things instead.

Several delegations had already arrived, but Yuri didn't recognize any of them. Only one had taken a seat - a young woman with pale blue hair and green eyes. Though beautiful, her face was worn by worries and exhaustion, and an almost palpable negative aura surrounded her. Even the other delegates gave her a wide berth. The only one close to her was the young man standing just behind her chair, the ornate handle of a wide sword visible over his shoulder.

As soon as Yuri entered, followed by the two brothers, all eyes turned to him. The delegates began to mutter to themselves, and Yuri could just make out whispers of "double-black" and "Demon King."

The sudden scrutiny made Yuri hesitate. But with the two men at his back, he couldn't back away. Instead, squaring his shoulders, Yuri walked forward into the meeting hall.

The delegates seemed to cower away from him.

It was as if some kind of invisible dividing line marked an area around him that was somehow unsafe for humans. Yuri's earlier uncertainty was quickly swallowed up by annoyance. He could tell that Gwendal was barely stopping himself from sneering, but Conrart continued to smile blandly, as if completely uneffected by their reactions.

Huffing, Yuri stalked demonstratively to the table and pulled out the chair opposite the lovely young woman and her bodyguard. She didn't cringe away as he plopped down, perhaps a little too much like an angry kid. Her expression was unreadable.

It was better than an outright negative reaction, right?

"Hi!" Yuri greeted her, rather lamely. His smile was also a little shaky. "I'm Yuri Shibuya. It's nice to meet you."

"Flynn Gilbit," the young woman replied. Her lips twisted into a faint frown. "You're the Demon King, aren't you? A double-black."

For a moment, Yuri flailed. He wasn't used to people being so straightforward with him. Pulling himself together, Yuri met her eyes. "Yes," he said as evenly as he could. "I'm the 27th King of the Demon Kingdom."

"You're just a boy..." Flynn mused. But a moment later, something seemed to occur to her. "But the Demon Tribe are said to live far longer than a human. I suppose I shouldn't judge you by my human perceptions."

"Well, that's true, but I'm still just sixteen," Yuri admitted easily.

Behind Yuri, Conrart could see that Gwendal was struggling not to make some expression that would give away his frustration at Yuri revealing this potential weakness. 'It's not that bad,' Conrart thought, trying to offer his brother a comforting smile. 'This way they'll simply think he's a figurehead, because of his looks or his powers. It's not ideal, but there are worse things.'

Before Flynn could say anything else, more people entered the meeting hall. Among them was finally a familiar face - Antoine, followed by his faithful aide Lyla. Smiling, he waved cheerfully to Yuri.

"Congratulations on your coronation," Antoine said, sliding easily into the chair next to Yuri. Taking her place behind him, Lyla gave Conrart a surprised look, then just shook her head, refraining from commenting. "I'm sorry I couldn't attend in person. I had a lot of work that piled up after I was gone for so long." He looked a little sheepish, but at least the strain of his stay in Cimaron had faded.

"That's okay. Your representative was really nice," Yuri said, though all he really remembered about the man was his fancy black beret. "I know what you mean. There's so much paperwork..."

"All that signing..." Antoine intoned.

They sighed simultaneously, commiserating. Gwendal glared down at them both, feeling a twitch start to develop under his eye. And the conference hadn't even started yet.

Soon the delegates from Cavalcade and Hildyard arrived, the latter - Heathcrife - nodding to Yuri but remaining instead with the older man Yuri recognized as being the one sent to his coronation, mostly due to the man's impressive mustache. They were joined by another delegation, which Antoine told him was from Sondergard, Cavalcade's neighbor. All three settled on Antoine's other side, greeting him the familiarity of a long acquaintance.

Yuri had wondered why there weren't any place cards or why no one seemed to introduce themselves. But the reason quickly became quite clear. 'It's like an exclusive club,' he realized. 'Everyone knows everyone.'

Even Antoine, who had apparently never left his country before the mess with Big Cimaron, knew many of the delegates from their visits to Francia, or just from hearsay. Yuri was also instantly recognizable, just by virtue of his coloring, though it was probably the first time many of these people had seen a Demon Tribesman.

The only one who seemed to be unknown was Flynn. Yuri caught several of the later arrivals leaning over to their acquaintances and obviously asking about her. Whatever the reply was, it drew looks of pity and discomfort.

Before Yuri could work up the nerve to ask as well, a small squad of soldiers filed into the meeting hall, their brown uniforms clearly marking them as Big Cimaron troops. The delegates fell silent, though many looked displeased with the show of force.

Belar swept in, his long thick coat trailing behind him. He had made no concessions to the island's tropical climate, and instead wore the same fur-lined lavish garments as during their visit to snowy Cimaron itself.

"Welcome!" Belar declared, smiling without joy. "Take a seat, and we will begin this peace conference."

His eyes swept over those assembled as those still standing finally drifted to sit at the table. He spared only a considering look at Yuri, his glare instead focusing on Conrart. Belar's lips drew back in snarl before he managed to gain control of himself and settled at the head of the table.

The seat on Yuri's other side remained empty.

"I think we all know the reason why we have gathered here," Belar began grandly. "Weapons. Dangerous magic weapons that should not be allowed to fall into the hands of those that would misuse them. It is our duty... no, an absolute necessity that we control these objects of terrible power, lest we are all... wiped out."

Flynn's chair skidded back as she stood abruptly, drawing everyone's attention. "We should start," she said, her voice shaking with strain, "with asking the ones who brought this situation about. Tell me, King Belar, where are the delegates from Small Cimaron?"

"It would seem they chose not to accept my invitation," Belar said, with apparent disinterest. "Relations are strained between my nation and theirs."

"We saw them arrive! They're here, somewhere!" Flynn protested.

Belar's eyes narrowed. "And you are? I don't quite recognize you."

"I am Flynn Gilbit of the free nation of Caloria," Flynn announced, drawing herself up with pride.

'Caloria?' Yuri mouthed, staring at her with new understanding.

"Caloria?" Belar repeated. "As one of their territories, you should be best suited to know their movements and whereabouts."

"We are no longer one of their territories," Flynn all but snarled. "After what they did... we will never bow to them again. Never."

Belar appeared disinterested by her proclamation, though it sent quiet murmurs across the table. Still, his eyes narrowed. "Of course, that means you are no longer bound by their laws. How fortunate. After all, a woman could not inherit otherwise..."

The young man behind Flynn growled, his slanted blue-green eyes narrowing at Belar. "That's enough," he said sharply. "Lady Flynn is an honorable woman who has fought to lead her people through a crisis greater than you can imagine!"

Unintimidated, Belar waved away his protests. "Of course, of course," he agreed almost mockingly. "Well, perhaps your old masters were simply too ashamed to show their faces."

His words were meant to infuriate, and they clearly succeeded, but Flynn seemed to just barely hold herself back, realizing her country's unfavorable position, compared to the might of Big Cimaron.

"It hardly matters," Belar dismissed that line of discussion. "They no longer possess any such weapon. It was retrieved by another country - the Demon Kingdom."

His contemptuous gaze turned to Yuri, the eyes of the other delegates following as well. The hatred in it made Yuri flinch, but he refused to look away.

"That's right," Yuri said, keeping his voice even through an effort of will, "I closed the Box in Caloria and took it back to the Demon Kingdom. The Forbidden Boxes were our responsibility since their creation. It was our failure that allowed them to become scattered across the world. For that, I deeply apologize."

"And now you are trying to retrieve that all, is that right? You have already obtained two," Belar noted. "Through various means..."

Flynn's eyes narrowed, even as the other delegates appeared uneasy. "I am grateful to the Demon King and the Demon Tribe," she said coldly, "for removing that terrible thing from my country. The land finally began to calm after that. Now, we may be able to rebuild, someday." She glared at Belar. "Certainly, no one else was able to do so."

"We also willingly passed the Box into Demon Tribe custody," Antoine spoke up, gulping a little as all eyes turned to him. "It was my decision."

Belar's smile was more like grimace, his anger at the mention of those events palpable. "Surely you must see why that would be a cause for concern," he insisted silkily. "Wouldn't it be better for the Boxes to be... distributed among all the nations? Such power should not be consolidated within any single country, wouldn't you say?"

"That certainly didn't stop you from attempting that," a turbaned man further down the table pointed out lowly. "Don't think your incursion into our lands passed unnoticed, Belar."

"We were simply trying to prevent such a tragedy from occurring," Belar countered. "Perhaps if Svelera had not supplied the Box to those who would misuse it..."

The Sveleran delegate drew back with a scowl. "We had no way of knowing what it was!" he protested.

"Yes, these objects can appear quite innocent," Belar agreed, changing tactics again. "In fact, they are simply wooden boxes... until the Key is placed inside."

"So if we isolate or destroy the Keys, the Boxes won't present any danger," another delegate murmured, following Belar's obvious implication.

"But just what do these Keys even look like?" someone else asked.

"It's simple," Belar said, smiling. "They are people."

Across the table, a profound silence held everyone frozen. It was all Yuri could do not to glance back at Conrart.

"Or rather, they are inside people, inside certain parts of members of certain bloodlines," Belar continued, relishing the rapt attention of the other delegates.

"That is correct," Gwendal spoke up suddenly, startling many of the representatives. "For example, the Key we found inside the Ends of the Earth, the Box retrieved from Caloria, was a severed arm."

The look Belar sent Gwendal was acidic. The other delegates appeared sickened.

"To be precise, the Key are continually passed down within the bloodlines of those that aided the Great One in sealing the Originators," Gwendal continued. "However, they are not reborn within every generation, and there is no reliable way of determining who has a Key."

Belar's eyes narrowed, his lips twisting in a smirk. "And three of those bloodlines belong to the Demon Kingdom, don't they?" he remarked.

Gwendal nodded, appearing unconcerned with the implications and the uneasy looks of the other delegates. "And the last belongs to Big Cimaron. The End of the Wind and the Key to it were entrusted to the ruling family of Cimaron," he said.

Everyone turned to look at Belar. Belar glared at Conrart.

The reaction seemed somehow strange to Yuri, and he glanced at Antoine, who also looked momentarily puzzled before his eyes widened in realization. 'I see,' Antoine thought. 'Big Cimaron claims it is the true Cimaron because they are led by descendants of Ancient Cimaron's ruling family. To say they don't possess this Key would be to admit to potential competitors for the throne.'

Not having the benefit of Antoine's insight - whether because Gunter had not had time to cover this aspect of Small-Big Cimaron history, or because the student had simply missed the whole thing - Yuri could only watch in confusion as Belar scowled and regrouped.

"Nonetheless, the members of those bloodlines can be tracked down and... protected," Belar suggested. "For their own safety, of course. After all, some poor man has already had his arm cut off for the sake of another's quest for power." The words were sour on his tongue, and Belar barely kept down his anger. His attempt at a smile was more like a grimace. "What did happen to that arm, after you retrieved it?"

"We burned it," Yuri said sharply. He had been confused, but now he felt himself growing angry. 'Tracked down? And what? Held hostage? Experimented on to see if they have the Key?' he thought. No one had any illusions about why Belar proposed this. It certainly wasn't for the sake of those people.

"We thank you for your concern," Gwendal said much more calmly, but with a frigid undercurrent that brooked no argument, "but as you pointed out, three of those bloodlines are among the Demon Tribe, and we will protect our people, from anyone who wishes to do them harm." He tilted his head, almost mockingly. "We will trust you to do the same."

Uneasy silence fell over the meeting table. The delegates exchanged glances, seemingly unwilling to be the first to speak up.

"Nonetheless," one of the delegates finally said, leaning forward, "you must see how this would a source of concern to us. You have two Boxes and the Keys to use them..."

"What does having the Keys have to do with anything?!" Yuri demanded, finally losing his temper and jumping to his feet. "You're talking like they're things, but they're people! It's because we have them that we'll never use the Boxes! We would be throwing away someone's life!"

"As if something like that would bother a Demon..." someone further down the table muttered.

Yuri glared, trying to find the speaker, but the human delegates wore the same distrustful expressions. His fists clenched, shaking.

But before he could do something foolish and regrettable, Heathcrife stood up as well. His expression was perfectly calm. "I think we'll all learned many things we need to consider carefully," he said. "And I'm sure we are all tired from the journey here. So why don't we adjourn for the day and continue our discussion tomorrow?"

He politely turned to Belar, as if asking for his permission. The king of Big Cimaron frowned, but waved one hand lazily. "Why not?" he drawled, rising to his feet. "After all, we'll still be here tomorrow." His eyes swept over those gathered, lingering on Yuri. He sneered and swept out of the meeting hall, his soldiers following.

As Belar walked past, Heathcrife bowed in acknowledgement. The moment he was gone, Flynn's chair skidded back as she stood and strode out as well. Slowly, the other delegates began to rise and depart.

Letting out a weary breath, Yuri hung his head. "That... didn't go very well, did it?" he wondered.

"It wasn't that bad. You did well, Your Majesty," Conrart said, giving Yuri a smile as he laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Gwendal was less optimistic, but even he seemed less angry than Yuri had expected. "It was always going to be like this. Humans fear and loathe the Demon Tribe. There is no point in expecting anything else," he said, as if it was obvious.

That reasoning didn't make Yuri feel any better. Turning to the only other delegates remaining at the table, Yuri said, "Thanks for your help, Mr. Heathcrife. It seems like I've got a long way to go with this diplomacy stuff."

"It's only natural to be passionate when you're young," Heathcrife replied easily. "Now, rest up. We're in for a long day tomorrow. The hot springs here aren't quite as good as the ones in Hildyard, if I may say, but they're quite nice all the same." He winked, making Yuri smile, before turning to join the delegates from Cavalcade and Sondergard, who had lingered nearby, waiting for him.

"It'll be alright," Antoine added as he and Lyla also prepared to depart. "No one's exactly fond of Big Cimaron either."

Somehow, that didn't make Yuri feel much better either.

~.~.~

The hot springs were quite nice indeed, but rather than being refreshed, Yuri felt lethargic.

As he had first thought when they arrived, the inn was very familiar to Yuri. It felt like a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn - the slant of the roof, the sliding doors, even the sleeping robes they provided.

Yuri remembered the inn his family had visited on vacation, a few years back. He had pushed Shori into the onsen in the back, and they played table tennis until they were completely exhausted, mainly because Yuri had refused to concede to his brother.

Making his way to his room, Yuri sighed. It was certainly spacious and luxurious, perhaps too much so. During the family trip, they had shared a room. During school trips too, and during most of his time traveling around the other world, if only for security reasons. The bed was too large for Yuri but it still looked lonely in the middle of the giant room.

Even though he had prepared for bed, it was still early in the evening, and Yuri suddenly felt full of restless energy. Pacing across the wide expanse of his room, he knew he didn't want to just sit here and brood about the talks or, even worse, his home and family. He needed to do something.

But this time, Murata wasn't here. It was probably the first time in three years when his friend wasn't in easy reach, if only as someone to prod at and bother. Wolfram wasn't there either, for all that Yuri had gotten used to the young lord's presence since arriving in the other world.

He couldn't turn to Gwendal. He would just be bothering the man, and Yuri still found him terribly intimidating. And for all that Josak presented a friendly, easygoing front, Yuri couldn't shake the feeling that he was much like Murata, all hidden thoughts and plans. But Josak wasn't a close friend, whom Yuri trusted no matter how convoluted and manipulative his plans got.

Stopping in the middle of his room, Yuri hesitated. There was only one thing to do, but...

'Oh, just do it,' Yuri chided himself. 'He's really nice! Even if he gets annoyed, he'll still put up with you. It's just for a little while.'

Moving decisively, before he could completely lose his nerve, Yuri stepped out of his room and marched down the hallway to where he had been told Conrart was staying. He only hoped he had the right room, as he raised his fist and knocked.

"Conrad? Are you there?" Yuri called out.

Before he had even finished speaking, the door was pulled open. Conrart regarded him with polite interest, still perfectly arrayed despite having retired for the night a while back.

"Is there something I can do for you, Your Majesty?" he asked.

His expression was welcoming, but the question made Yuri's doubts redouble. 'That's right, I'm a king. I should at least act like it,' Yuri chastised himself. 'What am I, a little kid, looking for attention?'

Forcing a smile, he said, "Sorry, it's nothing, really. I... uh, ran out of towels, wanted to ask if you have any extras."

It was an amazingly lame excuse, and Conrart didn't appear to believe it for a moment.

Looking at Yuri thoughtfully for a moment, Conrart smiled again and stepped aside. "Please come in, Your Majesty," he said, "and I'll check."

Conrart's room was a lot smaller, which was only to be expected, since Yuri had been given the grand suite that seemed to take up almost half the inn's second floor by itself. The room was also almost entirely untouched. The guest robe still lay neatly folded on the bed and there were no belongings lying around to mark that the room was occupied by someone.

Feeling rebellious, Yuri flopped down on the bed, the previously pristine sheets and bedspread wrinkling around him.

"Have you been to the hot springs?" Yuri asked, though he could already guess the answer. "They're really great."

Settling in the chair next to the bed, Conrart answered, "No, but Josak said they were quite nice, though not quite as nice as the ones in the Demon Kingdom. That might be just his Demon Tribe pride speaking."

"Oh, there's hot springs in the Demon Kingdom too?" Yuri said, rolling over onto his stomach and messing up the sheets even more. Rubbing one cheek against the bedspread, he mused, "I'll definitely have to go. I wonder if they're really different from the ones in Japan..."

Conrart was watching him closely, and Yuri suddenly had the feeling he could see straight through him. There was something very kind and understanding in his gaze, the same thing that had seemed so incongruous to Yuri when Conrart had been their enemy.

"I'm afraid I didn't have a chance to visit Japan while I was on Earth," Conrart said. "Is it very different from America, Your Majesty?"

"Of course!" Yuri insisted, sitting up. "Well, I guess they're alike in some ways, but they're really different too!"

Even if he was now part of the Demon Tribe, Yuri was still born Japanese. He couldn't let that kind of ignorance pass him by.

But before launching into his explanation, he paused. "And call me Yuri," he insisted.

~.~.~

"If you fall in love with an island girl, hm-hm-hm," Josak half-hummed under his breath, quietly making his way through the dark inn hallway. He had gathered quite a bit of information, some of it useful, some probably not, and now it was time to report to Gwendal, before at least getting a little shut-eye.

This conference looked like it would drag on for a while, and they would all need to be in top shape.

'I'd better remind Captain not to spend all night patrolling either,' he thought. Something about that made him pause. 'Come to think of it, I didn't notice him coming in. He can't have gotten that good at hiding. Did he actually go to bed after all...?'

It was late, certainly. The light was off in Yuri's suite, further down the hall, though Gwendal was still awake. Josak continued to faintly puzzle over it as he stepped up to Gwendal's door and lifted his hand to knock.

But something made him hesitate and look down the dark hallway again. There was nothing in sight, but rather, a faint noxious odor...

Without warning, the suite exploded.

The entire wing it had occupied was abruptly engulfed in flames. The outer wall was completely destroyed. The windows of the adjacent rooms shattered, and the building shook under the force of the bomb.

The explosion had sent Josak flying, pieces of shrapnel cutting into his left side as his right bruised from the impact with the floor. His head rang, his vision and equilibrium temporarily ruined.

He was vaguely aware of Gwendal bursting out of his room, taking measure of the situation quickly and saying something. The words were lost in the noise clogging Josak's ears, but he thought there was something far too urgent about his tone.

Smoke was beginning to clog up the hallway as fire ate away at the walls. As Josak blinked furiously, his vision cleared a little, enough for him to realize something was wrong. Instead of backing away, Gwendal seemed to be headed straight into the flames.

"...al! Gwendal!"

Finally, his hearing had recovered enough for him to distinguish another voice calling to his leader. Conrart was quickly coming down the hall, his sword held in his hand, though still sheathed. Hadn't Josak just been thinking about him? What had it been?

Trailing behind Conrart was a slighter figure in a loose robe. The boy and Josak blinked at each other before Yuri hurried to kneel at his side.

"Are you alright, Josak?" he was asking, carefully helping the man sit up.

"'M fine," Josak mumbled thickly, grimacing and shaking his head to clear away the noise and confusion.

"Your Majesty," Gwendal breathed, sounding more relieved than Josak could remember hearing. "Thank the Great One... I had thought..."

Yuri looked up to stare at him in surprise for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization, and he glanced down the burning hall to what had once been his room.

~.~.~

((This chapter got to be too long, mostly because Belar would not shut up. I don't even know, guys. Also, your reviewing efforts were weak last chapter. But I shall give you the chance to redeem yourselves *jk*))