Kyou Kara Maou Fan Fiction ❯ Hidden ❯ 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Hidden 8

 

The ride to the temple was the physical equivalent of wading through hectares of another person's agony. Yuuri was pale and partially wince with each step his horse took while the others were looking at him with carrying levels of worry and helpless.

 

They all knew how stubborn Yuuri could be but they were too bound by loyalty to the crown disobey him. Half of them were wishing that Yuuri would take back his words whilst the others could not determine if they hated or loved Yuuri's strength of character.

 

Yuuri insisted entering the temple alone, he could not risk them hearing what he intended to say to Shinou. They agreed somewhat reluctantly for it was in their best consideration that he ended the visit early.

 

As his shoes clattered on the cold tiles of the palace of the original king, Yuuri was seriously considering the level of his sanity.

 

Ulrike greeted him with surprise as she looked at the lone figure of the Maou.

“I wasn't expecting you, heika. What a wonderful surprise,” she exclaimed as she graced him with her matronly smile.

 

“I'm sorry to disturb you Ulrike, but I need to speak with Shinou,” Yuuri squeezed the words out of his tight throat.

 

“Sure, I'll help you pass on the message,” Ulrike started at his request, her eyebrows joining her hair. It was unlike the Maou to be so forthright, he was quite a sticker for politeness.

 

“There's no need. I know a way of speaking to him directly. I would appreciate it if you left us alone.”

 

Ulrike gasped at his statement.

 

“There is no need to be surprised. I have known it for a while; I just have yet mastered it that's all.”

 

Ulrike turned even paler at his words. Her petite figure started shaking slightly as she saw the difference in the Maou. His eyes did not smile with their usual compassion; Yuuri's eyes were like the black oil that spilt out from the earth, both lifeless and unsettling.

 

Something inside of her warned of a very messy dispute.

 

“Please leave now Ulrike. What I am about to say is not suitable for anyone's ears.” Yuuri lifted his head to stare at the symbol of Shinou's spirit in the shrine.

 

It was with great courage that Ulrike stood up straight and proceeded gracefully past the Maou and through the doors of the great hall she spent almost all of her life in. She could almost see the power and hostility that radiated and pulsed around Yuuri. That was enough to tell her that Yuuri was keeping an extremely tight rein on his emotions.

 

As the doors creaked close behind him, Yuuri started to chant the song that Anson had taught him as a nursery rhyme. He had not idea what it was then but he was grateful nonetheless.

 

Fire, fire burning bright

Call out to all the spirits on the night.

Light the fire,

Burn the flame

Come to me by virtue of my name.

 

There was a subtle change in the climate of the hall as the spirit of Shinou ghosted in.

 

“Why have you summoned me, Yuuri?” the voice of Shinou resounded in the recess of Yuuri's mind.

 

“I've come for answers.” Yuuri said out loud, uncaring of how silly he looked talking to inanimate walls.

 

“What do you wish to know?” the voice boomed once again.

 

“I want to know if you orchestrated what I am going through now.”

 

The chamber fell into a stunned silence.

 

“Why do you think I would know about it?” Shinou asked, his voice dangerously soft now.

 

“Because you are perceived as the all knowing. If what they say of you is true, you would have foreseen this. You would not be clueless,” Yuuri replied without fear.

 

“You are right,” the voice boomed once again. “I knew this would happen.”

 

“Then why did you not prevent it? Do you enjoy making a misery of my life and those that I care beyond a doubt? What could this possibly achieve?”

 

“I have my own reasons which are none of your affairs.”

 

“They are if they are tormenting the ones I want to protect,” Yuuri rebutted fervently.

 

The silence that fell was so thick a chainsaw would have difficulty cutting through.

 

“Tell me, how much blood I must take to become fully human. Anson did not tell me. This means that she knows that there is a catch that she rather I not know. Since she doesn't volunteer, I will not ask it of her. I will ask of you, the reason all this is happening,” Yuuri said.

 

Shinou replied after a long pause, “You need a more than half of a demon's blood. When you do so, his body may die of blood loss. You could give him a small portion of your blood if you are able to think clearly, but whoever it is must be able to withstand the tear of all your powers. Not that I think there are many who can.”

 

“So basically, I'm back to square one. Either suffer myself or others.”

 

Yuuri burst out in a cynical laugh.

 

“You claim what you do is best for us. Who are you to decide that? You are neither God nor the creator of this world. I thought that it was how it should be, then it struck me. The reasons that the humans fear the demons is because of you, isn't it?”

 

The spirit was hushed.

 

“You could have prevented the divide in your day but you did not. Why?”

 

“There are many things that must be done to ensure the preservation of this world. Your individual desires are insignificant in saving this world. In time to come, you will under that pains I go through to a better end.” With this sage-like reply, Shinou exited this conversation.

 

Unable to decipher the gamut of emotions gushing through his heart, Yuuri did the only thing that he was capable of.

 

He screamed.

 

It started out as a boiling in his belly and bubbled out like a geyser. The sound ripped out his mouth and tore through the shrine. It had pained him to see those around him look at him with worry-tired eyes and be unable to bring them out of their pain. The knowledge that all the pain they had plough through could have been avoided was like salt to a festering wound.

 

Along with his voice, Yuuri's power rippled through the land. Bruise colored clouds swamped the sky and pelleted bean big drops of rain onto his beloved homeland. The sky cried because the Maou wanted it to cry.

 

Demons all around were stumped at the sight. While rain was welcomed in one of driest season in years, this was not what they expected.

 

The sky was a few steps from pouring bathtubs-full of water on them.

 

Wolfram and the others dashed with record speed into the hall. The same thought was running through their brains like a broken tape, what in the world was going on?

 

What they were going to see, they hadn't the faintest inkling but that did not stop them from battering down the doors.

 

Yuuri stood in the middle of the hall.

 

That was not what that nailed their fleet feet to the ground.

 

It was something else.

 

For Yuuri's cheeks shone with tears of blood.