-Title Inside-2

Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou!

I Want It Straight from Your Lips

"Shibuya, are we going or not?" The double-black sage asked as he sat on the fountain edge, waiting for his friend.

"We are..." Yuri said sadly and turned his attention to his godfather. "Since Wolfram didn't want to come to see me off, would tell him that I'll be back soon? I think I messed up without knowing it in front of him... So, could you tell him that I'm terribly sorry? I feel really guilty right now..."

"Of course, your majesty, I will pass on the message." Conrad gave the seemingly tensed double-black a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, Conrad! And, call me Yuri next time!" An energetic smile came across him face and turned to Murata. "Let's go, Murata!"

Yuri jump into the fountain, and Murata followed him. A portal was created, and in a matter of seconds, both teens were gone, leaving Conrad alone to pass on the king's message to his younger brother.

Conrad sighed as he walked towards where Wolfram was. He pitied the king for he had no idea what Wolfram was doing at the moment... He knew Yuri had feelings for his brother; it was just downright unsettling to know that his brother hadn't notice the double-black's small acts of affection and was planning on breaking the engagement without being able to do anything about it. He placed himself in the front door of the royal chambers and knocked a couple of times before entering the room.

"Don't you know how to knock, Lord Weller?" The blonde snapped as he dipped the end of his quill in the bottle of ink.

"I did knock." The brunet said in truthful defence. "Putting that aside, his majesty had asked me to pass on a message."

Wolfram continued to look at the piece of parchment lying on the table.

"Proceed," he stated flatly, trying not to have any sort of feelings wash over him; it surely wasn't the time for such actions.

"His majesty said he will be back soon and that he's sorry for whatever he did without knowing it." Conrad continued to stare at his brother to see what kind of remark he will receive from the blonde.

"Thank you for delivering the message; now, you may leave." Wolfram stated as flatly as he did the first time without looking at his brother and continued writing his letter on the parchment.

Wolfram waited for Conrad to leave the room before heaving a sigh. He remorsefully looked at the half-filled parchment; he didn't like the way his mind worked or how he came to decide on doing this sort of thing. He thought hard and he knew he couldn't take it anymore. If he were to continue this, he knew he would either be hurt even more than he already was or he'll be living his life in pretense. He knew Yuri will come to bring him back anyway... He did it once, there was no doubt he'll do it again. But, he wasn't sure if by the time Yuri had come back, his heart will remain faithful to the double-black or if it will find a way to be someone else's. He bit his lower lip at the mere thought of being in love with someone else. Even though it hurts, it's the truth... There was the possibility he'll fall for someone if Yuri wasn't quick enough in getting back... He felt his eyes water with tears, but he shook his head and breathed in deeply before they had the opportunity to escape from his eyes. Placing his signature, he blocked all the second thoughts about proceeding with this.

"If he loves me, then he'll go after me, right?" He thought desperately; he knew he wasn't all too ready to hand over Yuri to someone else, but he also knew if he continued this, he'll be the one to get hurt the most in the end. "If he doesn't, then he'll stay here... And hopefully, he'll find someone who'll win his heart without having an accident to do so."

He placed the quill beside the letter and covered the bottle of ink. A paper weight was placed on the uppermost portion of the letter and he stood up to pack up his things. It was an obvious answer; he must go back to the Bielefeld territories. He had no more use in Covenant Castle, especially since he resigned his duty as the king's fiancé and personal guard. He approached the wardrobe and memories started to flood his mind. Opening the wardrobe revealed countless numbers of uniforms and night gowns neatly lined up. He bent down to get a bag and placed it at a side. He took all the clothes he could fit into the bag; he left a couple of nightgowns in the wardrobe before closing it shut. He retrieved all the daggers he secretly equipped the room and put them in the bag. Zipping the bag, he spotted the nightgown he used the first night he stayed in Yuri's room. He could remember that helpless look the double-black wore. He chuckled inwardly.

"I guess most of my good memories were created because of him..." He mumbled as he entirely closed the bag and made his way out of the room...
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A couple of weeks had gone by since Yuri's departure from Shin Makoku. The news spread like wildfire and everyone in and out of the country knew of Wolfram's departure and the reason for it. The king himself hadn't the chance to know for he was still on Earth. Though, the Great Wise man of double-black was getting a bad feeling about staying on Earth for so long... Being Yuri's best friend, he immediately shared his thoughts with the other double-black.

"Shibuya, before we left Shin Makoku, was Lord Von Bielefeld acting strange?" Murata asked and sipped from a can of soda in the fast food chain his friend was working in as a part-time job.

"Not really..." Yuri murmured and took a sit in front of his friend for he had finished his shift.

"Are you sure?" Murata pushed; he knew something was up, though, he couldn't really tell.

"Besides the fact he wanted to have some space from me, nothing seems to be suspicious..." Yuri replied as he remembered the blonde asking him.

"Are you sure he wants to be with you?" Murata wanted to be sure before he acted upon his instincts to drag the other teen out of the restaurant. "I mean, you two have been engaged for three years in that world... Aren't you afraid he'll leave you like he did before?"

Yuri looked down and thought about it...

"I'm afraid of having a repeat of that... But, I didn't want to engage on something I only thought of as puppy love... A year ago, I knew I was falling for him... Now, I know it's not simply infatuation which kept being his fiancé... I know I love him." Yuri confessed.

"The question is, Shibuya... Does he know that you do love him?" Murata placed his drink on one side of the table and leaned forward to emphasize his point.

Yuri's eyes widened in realization; everything made sense to him... He looked at his friend who had a smile on his face, saying 'he finally got it...'

"Do you think I'm too late?" The double-black asked as he stood up.

"You will be if you don't hurry..." Murata replied with a shrug.

"Come on, Murata, I don't have that much time to waste!" Grabbing the bespectacled double-black's hand, Yuri ran to nearest water source he could find.

"At least, I didn't have to drag him out myself..." Murata thought as he held on his glasses.
-      
Both teens arrived in Shin Makoku safely. Conrad was surprised to see his godson basically leapt out of the fountain, leaving his equally soaked friend, to ask him where his brother was.

"Conrad, where's Wolfram? I want to see him already!" Yuri cried out. "Is he here? Did he go someplace else? Tell me, Conrad! Tell me where he is!"

"Calm down, your majesty..."

"Calm down, Shibuya..."

The two advisors and great sage said in unison.

Conrad and Günter were surprised to see their king frantically searching for his fiancé. They had a feeling the king could sense the blonde's departure from the castle. Though, it was obvious that Wolfram was gone by just knowing he wasn't there to fetch Yuri...

"Your majesty, please dry yourself first..." Günter offered a towel. "You might catch a cold by staying out in the open like this."

"I don't care if I catch a cold!" Yuri insisted. "I want to know where Wolfram is!"

Both retainers looked at each other and were unable to calm down their 'Wolfram-sick' king.

"I'm afraid... Wolfram wouldn't be there in the castle when you come back." Conrad informed the desperate teen and was unable to clearly break the news to him. "He-"

"-broke his relations to you and went back to the Bielefeld lands." Günter continued seriously.

For a second, everyone else present heard the king whimper before tilting his head down in shear guilt and disappointment. The three men looked at one another as if finding answers on what to do next.

"I'll be in my room." Yuri stated glumly as he took the towel from Günter's hands. "I need some time alone... Don't worry; I'll bring in some paper work with me as I think about some things."

Three eyes stared at him as he walked away; he tried to think of it as a lie to get his spirits down... By the time he had reached his office, his hair was dry and he had the towel on his shoulder. He took a short pile of paper work, ignoring the surprised looked on Gwendal's face and went into his room with every intention of locking it if ever the news he had received was true.  He placed the stack of papers on one side of the table and eyed the parchment on his desk which had a paper weight on. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He removed the paper weight, opened his eyes and held the piece of parchment for him to reread. No matter how many times he reread it, it stayed the same. Tears got the best of him and let his knees collapse making him sit on the floor, crying silently...  

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Two days had passed and everyone in the castle could tell the king wasn't taking the news too well. They knew he was thinking on what his next move. They didn't dare to disturb him and no one could tell him the latest news there was... They knew it wouldn't be to his liking...

"Could we go to see Wolfram, Conrad?" Yuri asked his godfather as they took their morning jog.

"We can, but I think it's best to inform Gwendal of your plans," Conrad suggested.

"But, I know he wouldn't allow me to see your brother..." Yuri slightly argued. "Can't we go ahead without informing him? I'll take responsibility of what would be his reaction once we come back; I promise."

"I'm sorry, your majesty." Conrad replied gently. "I couldn't risk your safety."

"Aw, come on, Lord Weller..." A bespectacled double-black made his appearance from behind a pillar. "Could you say no to Shibuya? You know you want to help him..."

"Murata," Yuri called energetically as he halted. "Are you siding with me?"

"Well, let's just say Shinou and I couldn't stand seeing you look so down." Murata replied cheerfully. "Are you one of us, Lord Weller?"

By the time Murata had asked the question, the brunet was standing side by side the double-black king.

"Yuri, is it true?" A brown haired ran towards her father and hugged him. "Are you really going to bring Wolfram back?"

Yuri was surprised by how fast his daughter had run towards him and by how tight her embrace was. From widened eyes, his eyes became gentle and played with his daughter's curly hair and patted it ever so softly.

"I wanted to... But, it seems Conrad wouldn't let me." Yuri said and eyed his godfather. "What do you think I should do?"

Yuri's bundle of energy looked at her father's godfather with her eyes watering.

"Conrad, would you please let Yuri fetch Wolfram?" She asked with a pleading voice which matched her teary eyes perfectly; a pout was present to complete the look.

"Please, Conrad... If I couldn't bring him back, wouldn't it be nice to know that I tried?" Yuri asked, with the same pleading tone Greta used on Conrad.

"They really family..." Murata thought in amusement as he readjusted his glasses. "I wonder how Lord Weller could handle this. I'm glad I'm not in his place..."

"I'm glad I'm not Gwendal..." Conrad thought and smiled for he had found a way to get the king to do what he wanted.

"I'm only going to say yes if you'll go and tell Gwendal that you're going after Wolfram." The brunet said with his famous smile.

Greta seemed to be contented with the answer and began to push her father towards her uncle's office. After a few pushes which was earned a couple of steps, Yuri decided he had no choice but ask Gwendal. Conrad and Murata decided to stay behind; there was no way Yuri could really convince Gwendal with them around...

"You can stop pushing now, Greta..." Yuri said and immediately found his balance once his daughter had stopped pushing him.

Greta held Yuri's hand and dragged him along the hallways; there surely was no time to be wasted when Greta was there to pull Yuri towards the grey haired man's office.

"Here we are!" Greta said as she let go of her father. "Go, get him, Yuri!"

"How could she be so confident?" Yuri thought with an awkward smile. "I guess that's my daughter..."

Yuri wasn't at all sure of what kind of test and questions he'll receive once he goes through those doors. He wasn't even sure if Wolfram will agree in going back to the castle. He wasn't sure of anything that will come his way. He knelt down his daughter's height and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Greta, listen to me; I want you to understand some things." Yuri said as gently as he could while being serious.

Greta nodded; she knew that Yuri was going to tell her something she needed to understand. She just didn't know what it was she needed to understand...

Yuri smiled and patted his daughter's head with a gentle smile.

"Gwendal might allow me to fetch Wolfram, but I'm not sure he'll go with me if I asked him to." He started. "Both you and I know that Wolfram must've went through a lot staying engaged to me. You know how it is to wait for so long, right?"

Greta nodded without making a sound.

"It's tiring; and, I have a good idea how tired Wolfram is... There's a possibility he might not come with me or he wouldn't even want to talk to me." Yuri went on. "If he decided that he doesn't want to make up with me, then don't get mad at him. Blame me, okay?"

Greta had a feeling Yuri would blame himself again...

"Wolfram wouldn't do something like that, Yuri..." Greta said softly with her head down and clenched fists. "If you give up on him, then he'll have no choice but to do that!"

"Greta..." Yuri felt an arrow of realization hit him; what he said earlier was stupid. "I'll get Wolfram to come home and I shouldn't hesitate doing this task; did I get it right, princess?"

Greta looked up to meet her father's determined gaze and a smile was on her face.

"Bring Wolfram back no matter what, Yuri..." She said and hugged her teen father. "If you don't, then I'll make sure I'll become like Lady Anissina and do experiments on you for the rest of your life."

Yuri nervously laughed and made talking to Gwendal as his excuse to get out of the hug. That was a threat he never thought he'll hear from her daughter before... He could tell she was telling the truth, and he didn't like making that as his reality... He knocked on the door and waited for Gwendal's permission to enter. After entering, he closed the door behind him and found himself very nervous.

"So, are you here to continue the paper work you should be doing?" Gwendal asked without looking at the lad himself; very unpleased with the extra work he had been handed for how many weeks of the king's absence and somewhat emotional breakdown.   

"N-n-no... I-I ca-came here f-for a dif-different rea-reason..." Yuri stuttered, trying hard not look at Gwendal.

Gwendal looked up and sensed another batch of wrinkles coming his way; the reason for the king's being there. He saw how pathetic-looking the king was. An amused, yet unnoticeable, smile was present on his face.

"Let me guess; you are here to ask permission from me to fetch my brother from the Bielefeld lands... Did I get that right?" Gwendal asked as he placed the quill in the bottle of ink.

Yuri seemed to have a slight boost of confidence within him which made him stand with dignity and look less pathetic by the second.

Gwendal found the situation getting interesting... It seemed that the double-black was finally going to take a risky step to make his brother happy. He liked the way the wimpy king wanted to do the right thing, for once. It made him curious what would the lad in front of him would react to latest news about his brother... He knew it will discourage the king, but he wanted to know Yuri was that determined to get Wolfram back.

"That's right..." Yuri said, walking towards him. "I want to bring Wolfram back... So, will you allow me to fetch him myself? Of course, with Conrad by my side..."

"Alright; but, don't blame me if come back heartbroken." Gwendal said uncaringly and continued to work on the king's paper work.

"I'm positive I won't." Yuri smirked and turned the other way to tell his godfather to ready himself for the journey ahead.

Yuri stopped by the door and held the knob.

"Thanks."

Gwendal heard the door creak open and shut close.

"Wolfram, you brat, did you have to go this far?" Gwendal thought as new creases formed on his forehead; he thought the king will be responsible for his wrinkles, but he thought wrong...

Greta waited for her father as she leaned on the wall right across the door. She knew her uncle wouldn't be the one to obstruct her father from getting her other father back. But, she was worried... Even she knew about the nationwide announcement Wolfram made a few days ago; she thought it would discourage Yuri if he heard it. Everyone knew the announcement except for one person, the king.  She frowned; she never had thought Wolfram would do something like that. It was just...hurtful. Maybe when her blonde father comes back, she'll ask why he did it. She saw the door creak open and her father came out of it. She immediately put on a hopeful look to cover the frown she had. She didn't want to be the one to tell Yuri about the announcement.

"Did he say 'yes'?" Greta asked.

"Gwendal agreed; but, I don't get why he said something about my being heartbroken..." Yuri said thoughtfully. "Is there something I should know about, Greta?"

The princess came towards her father and internally flinched. No, she won't be the one to tell him the news...

"I don't know what he's talking about... I know you could bring Wolfram back!" She said in false excitement.

Yuri stared at his little girl for a while; he knew there was something going on without his notice. The staring contest went on until Yuri forfeited.

"I know you're hiding something from me, Greta." Yuri said and sighed. "But, I won't force you if you don't want to tell me."

"I'm sorry, Yuri..." Greta mumbled and held Yuri's hand. "I just don't have the heart to tell you..."

Yuri heard his daughter's words and didn't comment on it. They made their way to where they left the sage and Conrad. The two were having a private conversation when Yuri and Greta came. Both men looking with smiles on their faces; Yuri noted how suspicious those smiles were, but didn't show a doubting expression.

"Well, Shibuya, that was fast..." Murata commented with a bright smile. "So, I presume everything went well, right?"

Yuri nodded.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Murata exclaimed. "Let's put on our disguises on and get going, shall we?"

"Wait, Murata... You mean... You're coming?" Yuri asked in disbelief.

"Is something wrong with that, Shibuya?" Murata asked as if nothing was wrong with the thought.

"Isn't this something-?"

Yuri clammed up and a glare was going towards the other double-black.

"You're going to make your moves on him if I wasn't able to convince..." The double-black pointed an accusing finger towards the sage. "Aren't you?"

"My, my, Shibuya, you sure do have a wide imagination..." The sage's glasses glinted. "I just thought I'd be useful..."

Yuri gritted his teeth as his daughter gave the sage a glare as well.

"Fine; you can come." Yuri said after calming down. "We'll meet you in the temple, so you can put on your disguise as well."

"See you!" Murata turned and waved.

"Don't worry, Greta; I'm not going to let that skirt chaser near Wolfram." Yuri assured his daughter. "You can go with Lady Anissina now."

Yuri kissed Greta's head by bending over.

Greta nodded and ran to her favourite inventor as Yuri called Conrad over to help him with the contacts.
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The three were halfway towards the Bielefeld territories. They have passed by busy market places and horsed men who seemed to be in a big hurry. Black, now brown, eyes looked from left to right and stared at the groups of men which seemed to talk in harsh whispers. He could imagine what they were talking about. The sun was up high above their heads and Yuri was getting worn out. He hasn't taken his breakfast and he took the last gulp of water from his water skin. He looked at his companions who seemed to be just fine.

"I don't to be the one to delay us from our mission, especially since I was the one who insisted on going, but can we get something to eat?" Yuri asked as he slumped over Ao.

The two smiled and looked at their companion; they knew the king hadn't been sleeping that well for the past two three nights of their stay in Shin Makoku.

"Would it be alright if his majesty would have some rest with that meal?" Conrad asked, trying to slip in a joke.

"I don't think resting for a moment would be so bad..." Yuri said dreamily and sat back up again.

Murata chuckled silently as he looked at his friend. It seemed that Yuri was too tired to even notice the pun.

"If I remembered correctly, then there should be a diner close by..." Murata mumbled as he looked at his left without having to squint due to his shades.

Yuri looked at the direction where his friend was looking and saw a posted on a wall.

"Hey, what's that over-?"

"There it is!" Murata drowned out whatever it was his friend was saying with a finger pointed at the diner on the other side of the dirt road.

"Huh? Where is it?" Yuri snapped his head to where his friend was pointing at. "Oh, you're right!

"That was close..." The sage thought.

In a couple of minutes, they reached the diner and parked their horses near some trees where they tied a rope around it to secure their horse. Yuri was smiling; he really was hungry, but he wouldn't let the others know that... They sat on vacant seats near the counter. Yuri rested his head on the table before him and looked at the table beside theirs. There were men having one of those group talks he had been seeing a lot lately.

"I wonder what they're talking about..." Yuri thought with his eyes dropping over tired eyes.

Yuri let himself relax a bit and dozed off in a matter of seconds. His nap wasn't that long; he heard the doors slamming against the walls which made his eyes pop open and made him sit straight up. He blinked a couple of times and looked at the person who woke him up.

The guy seemed to be in a great mood; a grin was spread across his face and he was practically leaping his way to the table were the 'meeting' was held.

"Wahoo! Did you guys see this?" He exclaimed and held out a poster in front of their faces. "Isn't this one of those once in a life time moments?"

"Settle down, Tony; we all saw it a few days back." One of the group members said with matching hand gestures.

"But, this isn't just an opportunity for all of us singletons!" The man named Tony threw the poster away. "If any of us passed the interview, then we could say goodbye to hard work!"

"Tony boy, don't you see?" Another commented as he picked his tooth with a toothpick. "It's only for the Lords and Ladies. Even if it says everyone could participate, Lord Von Bielefeld will pick out the ones he thought would be good enough for him."

Yuri's ears picked up his beloved's name from the conversation; a wave of curiosity washed over him which made him stand up and pick the poster Tony threw a minute ago. He sat back down and drowned out the sound of an ongoing argument on the other table.

The sage face palmed and Conrad could only give a sad smile. It was time the king had learned of the nationwide announcement...

"What is all of this?" Yuri exclaimed, after reading what the poster stated, as he stood up and crumpled the poster.

"Shibuya, calm down," Murata pleaded. "We're going to explain everything..."

Yuri took a deep breath and ignored the stares he received. He sat back down and closed his eyes; he couldn't afford crying.

"Explain," Yuri ordered.

"After your arrival in Shin Makoku, Wolfram made a nationwide announcement which states he will be holding interviews for the position of his spouse-to-be." Conrad explained. "We didn't want to upset you more than you already were which made us keep this as a secret."

Yuri tilted down his head, doing his best to hold back his tears. That surely wasn't the place to shed his tears.

Silence took over them and the waitress who placed the meals on their table knew it was something very private, which made her work double-time. Murata knew something like this were to happen. That's the reason why he insisted on coming. He knew Conrad might eventually convince his friend to bring Wolfram back to the castle, but he also knew he would do anything Yuri wanted. He shook his head and sighed. He palmed his cheek and had his elbow firm on the table.

"So, what are you going to do now, Shibuya?" Murata asked in a bored tone.

He didn't receive a response, but he continued.

"Are you just going to give up, after travelling this far? Are you going to go back to the castle and cry yourself to sleep, knowing you were too wimpy to face your ex-fiancé? Are you going to spend the rest of your life wondering what you would've-?"

"Shut up, Murata!" Yuri yelled and pounded his fists on the table.

"Look, Shibuya; I was just asking you..." Murata sat up and stared into the brown eyes his friend was currently wearing. "So, what's your decision?"

"I'm not going back until I talk with Wolfram; the rest is up to his decision." Yuri said firmly and picked up the poster he crumpled.

"That's the Shibuya I know." Murata commented with a satisfied smile on his face and laid back on his seat. "But, eat first; you don't want to let Lord Von Bielefeld know you've been starving yourself because of him."

"Hey, I wasn't starving myself!" Yuri defended himself.

"It would be nice if I had some stationery right about now..." He added in a soft murmur.

"I did tell you I'm here to be useful..." Murata said proudly. "I have some in my bag; but, you have to eat first."

"Alright; I'll eat first." Yuri muttered under his breath. "Just as you said..."

The satisfied sage and relieved retainer had a few cups of coffee as they studied the king in front of them. The king felt uneasy seeing pairs of eyes on him; but, he made no comment of it and ate some bread and soup. A few minutes later, they had the table cleared and the stationery set.

"So, what are you going to write?" Murata inquired with an amused smile.

"Well, some of the usual stuff you see in résumés and something extra." Yuri said, focused on what he was going to write.

Murata looked at the paper instead of the writer and read what the writer wrote. In one of his past lives, he made reading Shin Makoku text upside-down a hobby. Name, age, address, likes, dislikes, hobbies, status and many things you'll see in an autograph book was written in the piece of paper. Well, most of the things we find in them... As an end result, Yuri was capable of filling out two whole non-back-to-back pages.

"Well, that's pretty long... Won't Lord Von Bielefeld get bored of reading it?" Murata nudged, knowing Yuri never wrote that long, except if it was part of his assigned paper work.

Yuri pouted and muttered words of gratitude as the sage chuckled. Yuri smiled and had a feeling this might go well...

"Let's get going!"   
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Interviewees flooded the Bielefeld castle's front entrance and stairwells. Nobles and commoners alike were present, either keeping their thoughts to themselves of sharing it to the person beside them. There was no definite queue, which made Yuri think of the possibility of squeezing in. Murata insisted on going for the back entrance, but Yuri didn't hear him out. Conrad just smiled and insisted on going everywhere the king went.

"I'm going to find my way in and am not going to take a short cut, Murata." Yuri argued." And, that is final."

"Alright, Shibuya; have it your way." Murata shrugged. "Good luck in squeezing through and making it out alive."

Yuri looked at the sea of people and gulped. It would take him a whole day to get past these people! He made a fist and though of his being there. At that moment, he thought of Wolfram and the possibility of getting him back; he couldn't risk it.

"Murata, may I borrow you bag?"

"Uh, sure, Shibuya, but what are you-?"

Murata handed his bag to Yuri, knowing what the other was thinking.

"Well, since the paper you brought along weren't crumpled inside your bag, I thought it would keep the papers in tiptop shape when I present it to him." Yuri answered as he took out a book. "I'm just glad you brought along normal paper sized books to keep them undamaged."

Murata just smiled in gratitude and gave his friend's shoulder a squeeze.

"Don't give up on him, okay?"

After inserting two leaves of used paper in the book, Yuri looked up and smiled at his friend. He placed the book inside the bag and removed Murata's hand on his shoulder.

"Well, I'm off." Yuri slung the nag across his body and made his way to the crowd.

"It would be best if you stayed here, your eminence." Conrad suggested before going after his godson.

"My thoughts exactly," Murata muttered and leaned back on the wall near the grand wooden doors with his eyes closed and arms crossed.

Barging right through the crowd with no strategy whatsoever wasn't Yuri's best ideas. He would end up get shoved back, elbowed, bump into somebody accidentally and falling off balance. He spent minutes crawling through forests of feet with Conrad staying close and getting kicked on the chin. He often muttered sounds of discomfort and would stand up once in a while. Feeling weak due to the occasional bumps and kicks, he slightly fell forward, getting caught by someone he wanted to meet the least...

"It seems the reports are true..." Waltorona's voice ringed in Yuri's ears.

Yuri pushed the blonde upon reflex and stood straight for his blood froze.

"I received reports coming from Lord Von Voltaire and some watch guards for your being here." A smirk was present on his face. "It seems his majesty wants my nephew back... Though, I wonder why..."

"I love your nephew and if you're going to ask me to stay away, then I'm afraid I'm going to say no to that." Yuri stated firmly.  


"Stay if you wish; I doubt Wolfram would want a wimpy, naive and insensitive king like you back by his side." Waltorona said with a snort similar to Wolfram's. "If ever my nephew does accept you, then good for you, but don't get your hopes up."

"I couldn't care less about your blessings!" Yuri exclaimed. "Stop taking my time and let me at least talk to him..."

Waltorona stepped aside and mockingly bowed, showing the king the way to a much more crowded area.

"No one's stopping you, your majesty."

The incident made Yuri dislike Waltorona more than he ever did, but he knew better than start punching the noble; after all, he is Wolfram's uncle... He looked behind him to see if Conrad was still there; a sigh of relief escaped his lips as he marched past the blonde noble. After getting far enough, he tiptoed and thought of something that might make his life easier. Ahead of him were groups of people who seemingly were waiting for their turn as they conversed. The crowd looked more like a group of people attending a conference rather than a huge amount of people attending a never-ending interview. He approached the first group of people which were having a deep conversation.

"Excuse me." Yuri said with hand gestures of trying slice through the crowd.

"Oh," two by two, the people started to step back with the same response.

"Thank you!" Yuri would repeat for dozens of times until he reached the stairwell.

"Are these people even here to get an interview?" Yuri thought as he took a step on the flight of stairs ahead of him.

"Conrad, are you still there?" Yuri turned around and saw no one behind him.

He sighed in disappointment and though it would be best to move on. He took note of how empty the stairwell was. Each step he took was another droplet of hope for him. Reaching the end of the stairwell, he saw a fairly neat and straight queue of interviewees.

"So, the smart ones climbed up as soon as they realized they could, leaving the inattentive ones downstairs.." Yuri muttered under his breath as he took his respective place in the line.

Minutes had gone by and none of the men downstairs filled in the position behind Yuri; the line wasn't moving as slow as he had anticipated. One by one, the rejected ones went out of the room, which were guarded with two maids, sulking. The young king didn't know if he should be relieved Wolfram hadn't chosen anyone yet or if he should be worried he will end up like the others... He brought out the book from the bag take the papers he stuck in betweens its page and put it back. By the time he did, there were only four people lining up before him. Another noble walked out of the room, looking defeated. The line moved a couple of steps and the doors consumed another interviewee as the two maids made their reappearance. Yuri wasn't really paying attention to what was happening in front of the line. Not even a couple of minutes passed, the latest interviewee ran past the two grand doors as if his life was in danger if he stayed. Yuri watched the poor man stumble every once in a while until he descended down the steps of the stairwell. Yuri looked back at the line just in time to see the process of gaining entrance. There were only two steps. First is to hand out the form and second is to step inside to have the interview. It was as easy as that; but, Yuri doubted the interview was easy...

"Never show your face in this castle ever again!" Yuri heard Wolfram's shout clearly from the room; it made his heart skip a beat.

Yuri just loved the way Wolfram's voice was toned. He loved hearing it, even if it was made to create insults, he just did. That moment, he just wished that same voice would bombard him with insults rather than not hearing it at all. He knew his faults, his failures and his naïveté. He was sure he could handle whatever came his way.

"May I have your papers, sir?" One of the maids outstretched her hand.

"Oh," was all Yuri could say after snapping out of his trail of thoughts as he handed her the form.

The other maid opened the door, revealing a large room with bookshelves on both sides of the room. There was a large desk and two comfortable looking seats in front of it and a large rotating chair behind it. The maid who held Yuri's form placed it on the desk and bowed before leaving the room.

Yuri was standing a few steps away from the desk. The rotating chair was faced looking at the direction which the windows were. He gulped and his heart raced. That was truly it. He was going to face Wolfram and try to get him back. The chair rotated so suddenly which made Yuri take a step back as a reaction. His eyes were staring at the sitting form of his beloved, but green eyes didn't look at him.

"Speak," Wolfram ordered, looking at the form on his desk, skipping the name section of the person standing in front of him. "But, don't give your name."

Wolfram knew the lousy handwriting very well... He just wanted to give the idiot a hug and tell him how glad he was for coming; but that would blow up everything. That was not the time to become soft; he must be rough on the lad in front of him.

"Alright," Yuri muttered before he cleared his throat. "I am not the person you would call desirable or irresistible. I'm just an ordinary person you find stupid, childish and unimportant. I'm naive and am called both insensitive and a wimp by the person I love."

Wolfram flinched internally, but he didn't make a comment. He kept on looking at the papers, randomly reading whatever he felt like. But, hearing the other's voice made it impossible for him to concentrate on what he was reading. He hadn't heard the other for weeks and having those words said to him after waiting for weeks, it made him want to drop his fort and tell the other how much he loved him.

"You might ask me where that person is or who he is..." Yuri continued, knowing he wouldn't get the blonde talk to him. "I'm just hoping that person is right in front of me... I was too slow for him. I was too slow that he left without knowing how much I love him. I want him to come back to me, if it were possible..."

Wolfram wasn't paying attention to the person in front of him; he was more interested in reading the apology letter the man wrote. He held back his tears and told himself to calm down. He listened to what the person in front of him would have to say for a little while.

"I know I made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I wouldn't count pushing him away one of them. I wanted to know if he really was the one for me. I didn't want to hurt him nor did I want him to think I will never love him... I knew giving him my all right away might result to something even worse." Yuri said, his heart pounded slowly with such force he was afraid of having it burst; tears were already stinging his eyes and his head was tilted down. "I didn't want to end up regretting he wasn't the one... That's why I made the both of wait for so long... Now that I realized it wasn't mere puppy love which I felt for him, that's when he broke our engagement..."   

"What is your name?" Wolfram interrupted; he couldn't take it anymore.

Yuri looked up to see if the blonde was looking at him.

"I'm the 27th Demon King of Shin Makoku, King Yuri Shibuya," Yuri introduced himself, trying not break his voice. "But, I'm not proud of being the Demon King or having such a high status... The only thing I could be proud of is being the ex-fiancé of Lord Wolfram Von Bielefeld..."

Yuri looked down again, hiding his face. His tears were still intact, but he knew it wouldn't be long before they fall.

Wolfram gave Yuri a glance and put on a faint smile. Silence took over. Neither party spoke or dared to speak.

Yuri knew he was losing it. He didn't know what was in Wolfram mind at that time; he didn't know what judgement he will face. A few more minutes passed by, and Yuri let a tears slip down his cheek; he just knew it was too good to be true.

"Who am I kidding, Wolfram?" Yuri asked with his head still tilted down. "Your uncle was right... I mean; who would like to have someone so wimpy and insensitive like me back by his side? I'm worthless and stupid. I pushed the one I loved the most to his limits and made him leave me. I was slowly killing him inside without realizing it much sooner. I was too selfish to realize you were hurting inside. I pushed you too far; I have finished up all your patience and I'm a sore loser, asking you to come back because of my selfishness and insensitivity."

Wolfram's smile disappeared and frown came to take its place; it wasn't turning out as he planned it... He knew Yuri was going to continue to break down and babble about his faults and imperfectness; he decided to shut him up before the other make himself more miserable than he already was and before he, too, will break down.

"What is your purpose of being here, Yuri?" Wolfram asked sweetly, but at the same time, firmly.

"I came here to bring you back... I want you by my side again, Wolfram. I want you to forgive me and continue to love me..." Yuri cried in between sobs; he was breaking down faster than Wolfram had expected.

Wolfram's eyes turned into slits and stood up; it was time to whip the wimp into shape.

"If that's the case, then why are you crying like a baby?" Wolfram spat. "That doesn't look convincing in my eyes... It's simply pitiful..."

"Pitiful or not, I couldn't help it!" Yuri cried. "I just know you're going to kick me out of your life!"

"Now, what made you think that way?" Wolfram asked in a softer voice and slowly made his way his way toward his weeping beloved.

Wolfram held Yuri's cold hands and caressed it with one of his warm ones.

"That because I'm-!"

Wolfram didn't let the other wail another batch of insults meant to hurt himself; he placed his finger onto the other's lips to silence him.

Yuri looked up with hopeful eyes and removed one of his hands from Wolfram's grasp to remove the soft finger. By that time, he had seized his sobbing which was replaced by hiccupping.

"Wolfram, say it already..." Yuri said in between hiccups. "Don't make me fall for false hope. I've received the same letter twice... Even though, there were only two of them, I want you to know I'm sick of seeing letters like that. I want those words straight from your lips. I know you hate me, want me out of your life and never again to see or hear from me... I can grant that. Either you tell me that you don't love me anymore or say that you want me out of your life, and I won't say anything against your wishes..."

Wolfram withdrew his hands and tilted his head; a dark expression loomed. Silence had once again taken its crown and was impeached after a few minutes of its reign.

"Don't get me wrong, Wolfram..." Yuri recovered his voice and was immune to anymore hiccupping. "I love you... But, I want you to be happy. Seeing the situation, I realized you'll never be happy if you'll be with me... I want what is best for you and at the same time your happiness. I can see very clearly you wouldn't find the happiness you're looking for within me. That's the reason you broke the engagement and are holding this interview, right?"

Wolfram looked up and saw tears slipping down Yuri's tan cheeks before he realized it was the same for him.

"Wrong," Wolfram said playfully. "Yuri, when will you ever get things right?"

Before Yuri could question the question, Wolfram grabbed his collar and kissed him with such fierceness Yuri couldn't do anything but submit.

"I...love...you, Yuri." Wolfram emphasized every word after pulling back. "Did you hear me, Yuri? I love you and only you. So, don't say anything that will put yourself down ever again. Can you say those words again? I want it straight from your lips without a hint of hesitation."

"I love you, Wolfram." Yuri said lovingly with a smile with tears still streaming down his cheeks. "I'll do my best not to critique myself."

"Don't just try, Yuri. Do it; besides, you've already got me as your personal 24/7 critique."

"Alright, Wolfram," Yuri said and gently kissed his beloved's lips.

"Say, do you have the letter?" Wolfram asked and chuckled.

Yuri blinked twice and fished it out of his pocket; he brought it everywhere he went.

"Here," Yuri handed Wolfram the letter.

Wolfram smiled with the flames in his eyes burning brighter and brighter and tore the letter into pieces.

"Alright, fiancé; Are you ready to take me home?" Wolfram asked with his arms clinging onto Yuri neck.

"I am," Yuri answered with a smile matching Wolfram's.

Wolfram pulled Yuri over to give him another kissing session. As he did, unnoticeably, Yuri fished out something from his pocket and slipped it on Wolfram's right ring finger. Wolfram pulled back and looked at the ring his fiancé had slipped onto his finger.

"Yuri, what's this?" Wolfram asked as he mused over it.

"Just think of it this way," Yuri smiled ever so lovingly. "It's a sign that people should back off because you're mine."

Wolfram raised an eye brow, doubting something so small could be a warning.

"Where's yours?"

"You can slip one when we get married, okay?" Yuri asked and kissed Wolfram's hand.

"I'll let it go...for now." Wolfram retrieved his hand. "Wait right here; I need to do something."

Yuri nodded and stayed on that spot, removing the remnants of his tears.

Wolfram opened the door and ordered one of the maids to get rid of the crowd downstairs.

"Okay, we can resume." Wolfram chirped and walked towards Yuri.

The two lovebirds kissed repeatedly and passionately until the door slammed open.

"That's not fair! Some-"

One of the interviewees blurted out as a part of an angry mob; but, was silenced after seeing what was happening between the two individuals.

It got the couple's attention which made them stop and made their faces flush red.

"Can't you see we're busy?" Wolfram shouted. "Now, get out!"

The people stood there like statues until Wolfram began muttering something under his breath. Fire was being made into a creature before their eyes, but didn't wait until the creature was fully formed; they ran for it.

"Well, that takes care of things." Wolfram said triumphantly as the fire vanished. "Come on; let's get go back. I bet Greta's worried sick!"

Yuri held Wolfram's hand and slowly made their way to the stairwell, waiting for the remaining people to evacuate the area. Once they took a step on the ground floor, they were greeted by three men.

"I'm sorry for losing track of you, your majesty." Conrad said apologetically with a bow, receiving a wink from Murata.

"So, Shibuya, I see you've managed to get Lord Von Bielefeld back." Murata chirped with a smile.

"It's alright, Conrad; and, don't forget to call me Yuri." Yuri answered.

Waltorona felt embarrassed and looked away. Though, Yuri's eyes were focused on him.

"I'll bring Wolfram home with me." Yuri stated flatly and bowed before ushering his companions to leave.
-
"So, Wolfram, why did you accept me so easily?" Yuri asked as he made his way to the bed.

It was late in the evening and Yuri retired for the night. Wolfram was waiting for him with a book in hand. A lot had happened that day and they preferred not to talk about it till the next day. Wolfram closed the book he was reading and patted his lap for Yuri to rest his head on. Yuri obliged and snuggled his nightgown covered pillow.

"Yuri, I just wanted to know if you were going to come for me because of love." Wolfram answered as he ran his fingers through his beloved's black hair.

"Aren't you tired, Wolfram?" Yuri asked.

"No, I think I can stay up for a few more hours."

"Wolfram, what I meant was; are you tired of me?" Yuri rephrased the question.

Wolfram paused to give it a thought and smiled.

"Nope, if I was tired of you, then I wouldn't have come back with you."

"I'm really lucky, Wolfram..." Yuri said dreamily. "I'm lucky to have been loved by you and to have the opportunity to love you..."

Yuri yawned and closed his eyes.

"I love you, Wolfram..."

Wolfram waited until he heard Yuri snore lightly before answering him.

"I love you too, Yuri..."

Wolfram stifled a yawn, but maneuvered the peacefully sleeping Yuri off his lap and onto a pillow and slid down to wrap his arms around Yuri.

"If you think you're lucky, than I think I'm luckier to find a man who taught me how to love..." Wolfram whispered before getting some shuteye...

The End