Kyou Kara Maou Fan Fiction ❯ Inexorable Flow ❯ Part 3 ( Chapter 3 )

 

BelleoftheBall: Well, let's hope you'll also like and follow this one ^_^ This one is a bit different, though.

 

Sheinah: ^_^ Well, it's good that the sex scenes please you. They haven't done THAT on many other things yet.

Well, Yuuri and Wolfram still have many things to solve. You'll see in this chapter which ones. But there are even more hazards to come.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou! - It belongs to its respective owners. This fan fiction is not a commercial project, and I'm not making any money from writing it.

Warnings: Yaoi (male x male), Yuuri x Wolfram. Some other pairings. Angst. Adult topics.

A/N 1: Age: Yuuri - 32. Wolfram…let's say he is about the same age as Yuuri just a little older.

A/N 2: Credits go for: Lord Truhan for mentioning “some human stones” and which gave me the idea to include them into the chapter. Also for my beta-reader Melisenda for remembering all the useful stuff from KKM. Also for contributing to this chapter by letting me use her written down opinion about Yuuri and Wolfram's relationship. Thank you. *hughs*

 

Inexorable Flow

 

by chayron (lttomb@yahoo.com), beta-read by Melisenda

 

Part 3

 

Yuuri raised his head as he heard the doorbell ring. He stopped washing dishes and looked around for a towel to dry his hands. Carrying the towel and wiping his hands, he left the kitchen to answer the door. Asami waved at him from behind the glass in the door.

 

“Hey, why would you lock the door in the middle of the day?” he wondered as soon as he was let in. “Oh,” he said after Yuuri stopped in the middle of the corridor and turned around to give him a meaningful look. “Ah, sorry about that,” Asami muttered sheepishly. “Am I being a nuisance?”

 

Yuuri laughed softly. “Nah. Have you forgotten that we agreed to get them out of the way?”

 

Following Yuuri into the kitchen, Asami scratched his head. “Well, yeah, but it was for my sake…”

 

Yuuri waved that off with a light flick of his hand. He tossed the towel onto the table and closed the kitchen door behind them tightly so as to make as little noise as possible.

 

“Put the teakettle on.” He waited for Asami to fill it, then finished washing the dishes that were left in the sink.

 

“So how did it go with Renata?” Yuuri inquired while taking the kettle off the stove to make tea for Asami and himself. Then he took a seat at the table.

 

Asami's face was lit by a huge grin. He plopped onto the chair opposite Yuuri. “She's great. Thanks, man. Really.” He gave Yuuri a wink. “The night was incredible.”

 

Yuuri grinned at him. “Good. So will you two stick together for longer or just leave it at this?”

 

Asami's face beamed again. “We are meeting next Friday. I'm taking her out to a restaurant. You know, the one near the Framada shopping centre?”

 

Yuuri nodded, chuckling. “Yeah, that's probably the most expensive one in the city. I hope she'll have some mercy on you.”

 

Asami shrugged that off with a soft smile. “And where's Wolfram?” he asked.

 

“Sleeping.”

 

“Sleeping? Does he have a hangover? He seemed fine to me earlier.”

 

Yuuri's eyebrow rose. Was Asami that dense or was it the new blinding love that made him so? “We just fucked on this table,” he patted the surface, “I think I tired him out a bit.”

 

Asami flushed red. “Ewww! There's no need to be so lewd!”

 

Yuuri shrugged. “Then stop asking stupid questions.” He burst out laughing after noticing Asami's eyes flitting over the surface of the table. “Don't worry, I wiped it off really well.”

 

Asami gave an awkward laugh. He sighed then. “You two are really something… I can't believe the two of you almost started making out in the bar-restaurant yesterday!” He shook his head, laughing. “I almost had a heart attack! And to think you told me that there was a time when you were afraid to even touch him…”

 

Now it was Yuuri's turn to blush. “Heh… Damn, we get pretty stupid when drunk.”

 

“Especially Wolfram,” Asami stressed.

 

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed, “especially him. It was good that you were there. They would have thrown us out of the restaurant.” Rubbing his forehead, he sighed. “I am not able to say “no” to him.”

 

“Aww…so nice,” Asami teased. He leaned back into his chair, heaving a sigh. “Hell, you had it all so easy… No looking for someone, no courting, no headaches about presents, no heartbreaks, nothing to worry about. He just stood at your side the whole time.”

 

Yuuri rolled his mug between his hands. “True, Wolfram was the only one and he was always there for me,” he said, musing. “But…” His eyes darkened. “It's not all calm waters as it seems on the surface… Our relationship… It's not that easy.”

 

Asami watched him for a second with curiosity sparkling in his eyes. “Say, Yuuri, did you sleep with anyone besides him?” he whispered.

 

Yuuri choked on his tea. He started coughing. Patting himself on his chest to get his breathing back, Yuuri muttered, “What kind of question is that?”

 

“Oh, c'mon,” Asami gave him a sly smirk. “It can't be that Wolfram is the only one you ever…”

 

Yuuri frowned at him. “I'm a busy man, Asami; I don't even get enough time to think about that.”

 

“That's in Shin Makoku. But what about Earth?” Asami pressed further.

 

Yuuri thought for a few seconds if he wanted to answer the question at all, then sighed. “Hell, I'm a man. Of course I am always tempted and there were a couple of close ones... But you know, a relationship is like a two-edged sword - if I start breaking the rules, I can expect the same. And there's nothing out there that would make me risk my and Wolfram's bond.”

 

“Hmm… What pretentious words,” Asami drawled, but Yuuri only shrugged at that silently. “And what about Wolfram, are you sure that he has never strayed?” He regretted asking that instantly as Yuuri shot him such a look that it froze his body. Why was Yuuri so ticked off today? Those were normal questions - they had talked about these kinds of things a few times.

 

“I'm pretty sure of that!” Yuuri snapped at him. “I know that with Kyota it was more serious than a few kisses, but it's also clear that they didn't go all the way. Actually…” Actually the first truly serious sex he had with Wolfram was a real disaster. He had made Wolfram bleed. The two of them got quite scared, it was such a mess. It took them some time until they gathered their courage to try and have anal sex again.

 

“But it still makes you jealous?” Asami asked tentatively, when it was obvious that his friend was not going to finish his thought. “Your reaction is quite…” Yuuri glared at him again, and Asami wondered why exactly Yuuri was getting angry with him.

 

“It was a long damn time ago! Besides, I like to think it would never occur again... I…” Yuuri clenched his left fist, and Asami became worried that Yuuri would crush the mug in his right hand.

 

“Oh, actually I haven't seen Kyota for quite some time. How is he doing?” That was not a very good thing to ask either, Asami noticed, as Yuuri's face didn't clear of the clouds.

 

“I'm not that sure,” Yuuri said. He lifted his mug to have a sip. “He didn't take it well after Amae disappeared and couldn't settle down for a few years. I'm not sure, really. You also heard Wolfram talking about a new lover of his, but with Kyota, it's… You should ask Wolfram - he really knows more than me.”

 

“And it also pisses you off?”

 

“Yes, it does!” Yuuri snapped at him, his voice a low growl.

 

“Yuuri, what is the real reason behind your vacation?”

 

Yuuri paled slightly, then seemed to become unbelievably interested in the contents of his mug.

 

“Yuuri, is there something with you and Wolfram?” Asami asked tentatively. “Are you…I don't know…Using this vacation to work on your relationship?” He watched Yuuri put the mug back onto the table slowly. Yuuri hunched over the table to rest his forehead on his crossed hands, which hid his face completely.

 

“It's… Asami, I… There is nothing…no ties that I have left here. I've just recently realized to the full extent that I'll outlive everyone I have ever known on Earth. I'm just running like one of those hamsters in that spinning wheel. I'm so tired, Asami. Mearan, Earth, Ekara, Aliran. Who the fuck cares about that? My mother…she's become old. But that… And I have so fucking much time on my hands it's scary. Despite that… You are right,” he nodded into his hands, still not raising his head.

 

Yuuri fell silent, and Asami wondered what he wanted to say. But then Yuuri raised his head to look at him. The man's eyes were desperate.

 

“Wolfram… Have you seen how he looks?” Yuuri asked him. “No more than twenty! He has not changed much at all! Soon I'll look old enough to be his father! What if…you know, one day I wake up and he won't be beside me anymore? What the hell will I do with all that time? I… Oh god. I'm so afraid to lose him.”

 

Asami stared at Yuuri for a few seconds. What was going on between the two? “Shit, Yuuri, have you ever talked with Wolfram about this?”

 

Yuuri shook his head in denial. “Not really. Some of it. When I think of all that I have around… It feels as if the world would just collapse like a house of cards if he's not around me.”

 

Asami reached his hand out to rub Yuuri's shoulder. “I think you should talk to him. Wolfram really loves you. Saying all this might not change anything, but you would feel calmer after pouring it all out to him.”

 

Yuuri shook his head. “I'm afraid, Asami. I'm afraid of the answer I might get.” Yuuri shrugged Asami's hand off. He turned his face away. “There's something going on with Wolfram,” he muttered bitterly. “Disappearing somewhere, thinking about something, then looking lost when I ask him about it. When... when I think that he might have found someone… I can't afford to lose him! I don't want to!”

 

Asami stared at him. “So you took him away from Shin Makoku to keep him away from…? Yuuri…”

 

Yuuri's head snapped up. “Yes, I did! What else was I supposed to do!?” he shouted, jumping up from his chair. “I know it's only a temporary measure, but…!”

 

“Yuuri, calm down,” Asami pushed at his shoulders to force him back into his place. “Do you know for sure?”

 

Yuuri's fists clenched. “Hell, if I knew for sure, I'd… You heard how he was talking about that Leahir. And Kyota…”

 

“So you don't?” Asami rubbed his forehead, ignoring the rest of Yuuri's tirade. He was sure that all of it was only in Yuuri's head. Wolfram would not lower himself to fucking someone secretly behind Yuuri's back. Another thing was...even if he did, Wolfram was too smart to be caught like this. But Yuuri's insecurities made him think and see non-existing things.

 

“Yuuri, brooding over all of this only makes you more paranoid,” Asami said. “I can't imagine how you were able to bear it for all this time. How long have you been suspecting him? You've got to talk to Wolfram. Even if it's as you say, then you'd know what to do. One way or another, you'd solve it.”

 

Yuuri's harsh laughter echoed in the kitchen. “Solve it? Yes, sure. All I am doing recently is trying to avoid solving it.”

 

“Yuuri,” Asami interrupted him, “cut it out. The more you think, the deeper you sink in your own suspicions and imagination. You need to clear this up with Wolfram.”

 

Yuuri's fingers played with the mug, then he lifted it to finish drinking the leftovers. He muttered, “Yeah, I know that, and it scares me shitless. And in case there's really nothing happening, I'll just fuck things up.”

 

“Promise me you'll do it as soon as he wakes up,” Asami demanded. “I doubt Wolfram would see it as a very negative thing. He might get angry if it's nothing... but on the other hand, I know that he'll feel flattered by your jealousy.” Yuuri looked at him sideways. Asami sighed. “Have you always been this much of a coward?” He ruffled his hair at the glare Yuuri offered him. “Fine, do what you want.” He got up and turned towards the door. He had no wish for his presence to be Yuuri's convenient excuse in stalling the conversation with his husband.

 

Quieted, Yuuri got up to see Asami off. He knew that Asami was worried about him. He was regretting a little having exploded like that and sharing his suspicions with his friend. It was not like Asami could help him.

 

After letting his friend out, Yuuri climbed upstairs. The bedroom was silent, Wolfram still asleep in their bed. It was quite warm in the house and Wolfram's left leg and part of his right arm were sticking out from under the covers. Yuuri's eyes lingered on the wedding bracelet on the blond's wrist, then rose to Wolfram's face, which was turned to the door. He watched the relaxed features for a while before approaching his husband. They did not have anal sex that frequently - oral, masturbation and other kinds of sex were less messy. But recently...Yuuri was sure that Wolfram had noticed that more and more often, anal sex was outstripping any other activity.

 

He needn't have released inside Wolfram today. If Wolfram did not need to replenish his powers - and today he did not -,Yuuri rarely released inside the blond, as the process of power swapping was exhausting and sometimes even painful. In spite of that, lately the possessiveness, jealousy and inner disquiet over the blond had taken over his mind. He loved seeing how his powers would manifest in Wolfram's body. The blond then having the ability to use them, and at the same time showing everyone to whom he belonged.

 

Feeling slightly ashamed of himself, Yuuri sat down on the bed. Thoughts like these confused and unnerved him. He was afraid he was turning into a tyrant, trying to take over his husband's life and control him. He knew that there was no way Wolfram would tolerate or live with that. There was no chance that Wolfram would let himself be locked in a golden cage. Wolfram was a man and that's how he wanted to be treated, not like some hot house flower.

 

For Wolfram, it was easier. He grew up in an environment where sword-swinging men could, and did, fall in love with other sword-swinging men. For Yuuri though, he wanted to safeguard Wolfram, to keep him out of any danger or threat. Yuuri wanted to be the Hero, to fight the monster, save the day and then have his woman praise him for it. The thing was, his 'woman' was able to do the same...or even better.

 

Yuuri brushed over Wolfram's uncovered leg with his own. A fine, barely visible layer of hairs lightly covered it. His own legs, where they were not hidden by shorts, were covered with a much more visible sheen of dark hair. Yuuri watched as the blond stirred slightly, his right arm brushing over the sheets underneath, but he did not wake up. Being beside him, unconsciously breathing his scent, Wolfram felt safe enough not to react to anything. That was nice to know.

 

Yuuri's eyes set on the shiny piece of metal around the blond's wrist again. It was the same one he had given Wolfram almost fifteen years ago, with a dent on the side that had appeared when Wolfram fell off his horse and knocked it against a stone. Wrapping his arm around the blond, Yuuri reached to brush his fingers over the bracelet. It badly needed polishing.

 

XXXXX

 

From the television set where he was watching a documentary about the possible formation of the universe, Wolfram turned to look at Yuuri who had just entered the living-room.

 

“Slept well?”

 

Yawning, Yuuri ruffled through his messy hair. He had not even noticed when he fell asleep. “What time is it?”

 

“It's half past four.”

 

Huffing, Yuuri walked over to the sofa and dropped onto it. He still felt somewhat drowsy. He had slept for a few hours. Thank gods Wolfram was not wearing that idiotic T-shirt anymore. This time it was another, much shorter and smaller in size. But he was not sure if he liked how it clung to Wolfram's body to show the lithe contours off.

 

“Do you feel okay?” Yuuri asked Wolfram after a pause.

 

His husband nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“Shall we go shopping? The stores should still be open.”

 

Wolfram switched the TV off and tossed the remote onto the table in front of him. “Hmm? What do we need?” he asked.

 

“Some clothes maybe. But I'd like to get you a gift. But you are quite picky, so I thought about taking you with me.”

 

“Huh? A gift? What's the occasion?” Wolfram wondered, being suspicious, already starting to count Yuuri's sins and speculate whether he had forgotten to include some.

 

There was something uneasy in the blond's voice, Yuuri noticed. Wolfram had never been a huge enthusiast for getting gifts. He liked them, but only if they were more of an innocent kind and didn't have that particular smell of graft or a buy-off. And Yuuri had learned long ago that trying to earn the blond's forgiveness by presenting him something was a hopeless case and only made Wolfram even angrier. But it was not really that in his husband's voice this time.

 

“Well, our wedding anniversary,” Yuuri said. “Soon we'll have been married for fifteen years. I just thought we should use the opportunity.”

 

“Oh.” The emerald in Wolfram's eyes swirled in some strange disturbance which did not go unnoticed by Yuuri. It was obvious that he had not thought about that. “Alright,” Wolfram nodded. “I was also planning on buying some souvenirs for everyone in Shin Makoku.”

 

That was his chance to pry a bit more. “How many of them will you need?”

 

Wolfram closed his eyes while counting. “Oh, hell,” he groaned a few seconds later, “too many.” He hated shopping.

 

“I think Kyota mentioned something about liking your cologne or something,” Yuuri noted.

 

Content, Wolfram nodded. “Oh, right. A good idea.”

 

“Do you think Kyota has finally found the one?” Yuuri offered in a conversational tone.

 

Wolfram gave Yuuri a little surprised look. “You mean Leahir?” He shrugged then. “No, I don't think so. Leahir is too similar to Kyota. The two of them rather strike me more as…sex-buddies than lovers. I doubt it will turn into something more serious.”

 

Yuuri leaned back into the sofa. Was he barking up the wrong tree?

 

“He and Kyota have recently been visiting us more frequently…” Yuuri drawled while putting his hands behind his head.

 

“Hm? Isn't it because Leahir is trying to strike that deal with the von Christ family?”

 

Yuuri opened his mouth. “W…”

 

“We should visit your parents,” Wolfram said, cutting him off rather abruptly. “Your mother said something about dinner together. Call her. We could just go over after shopping.”

 

Yuuri nodded slowly. “Yes, we could.” Maybe it was not the wrong tree after all.

 

XXXXX

 

Some of the shops were already closing when they got to the mall, but most of them were still open and were going to stay open for another hour or two. Wolfram knew that Yuuri decided to go shopping at this time of day because they both did not like it - shopping tired them. Personally, Yuuri could take no more than two hours or so. Later his head would start spinning and hurting from the varicolored lights and things, plus the noises emitted by the streaming mass of people. Wolfram could hardly take an hour of that. Between trying to deal with the culture shock of being in a world that was not his, and at the same time trying to be both bodyguard and husband, a shopping trip amongst the crowd was close to his idea of torture. He never had or needed many things, so he always preferred sending maids or servants to shop for him. They didn't always bring back exactly what he wanted, but after years and years of having served him, they knew his taste pretty well.

 

“Choosing something for Gwendal?” Yuuri asked when Wolfram took interest in a showcase displaying hundreds of toys. “Going to buy something plushy?”

 

“Hmm…no,” Wolfram shook his head. “Unless it's really…” he frowned before spitting the word out, “…cute. But I thought about buying him some yarn. It's rather the process of knitting that he likes.”

 

Yuuri nodded, agreeing. “A good idea. Well, we still have a few days left, so we'll find some.”

 

Yuuri liked being in a couple. Instead of running around and looking for souvenirs, he could simply join Wolfram in buying something, which was considered a gift from them both. That was convenient. Yuuri turned to another window behind which varicolored bottles of perfume and fragrance were arranged. Wolfram soon noticed his interest and they went inside.

 

After having smelled so many bottles that his eyes started watering, Wolfram finally chose the one he liked the most. He held out his palm for Yuuri, who started fumbling within his pockets, then put his credit card on it. That was also the part of the deal in being a couple, but Yuuri loved that because it gave him at least some feeling of power over Wolfram. Sadly, it only occurred on Earth.

 

“And what about Leahir?” Yuuri asked. “Going to buy anything for him?”

 

Wolfram shrugged. “Why should I? I don't even know him that well. Let Kyota shower him with gifts.” He held out his hand to take the card and the small bag with the bottle from the shop assistant. The blond nodded at her and turned to the exit.

 

“Well, see anything you'd want me to get for you?” Yuuri asked a few minutes later after walking past the various showcases. “Or shall we go to different shops?” he teased, sliding his arm around Wolfram's waist.

 

“Hmm?” Wolfram hummed questioningly.

 

“The adult ones,” Yuuri grinned at him, “to get some handcuffs and dildos. You quite liked the last time you got tied up…”

 

“I just got entangled in my shirt!” Wolfram protested, smacking at Yuuri's hand on his waist. “People are staring at us!”

 

“Hell, you look sexy when you blush,” Yuuri chuckled, not even thinking about getting his arm off the blond.

 

“It's because they are gaping at us and whispering!”

 

“No, you liked the idea,” Yuuri grinned while tugging Wolfram even closer to him, making the blond's step fall out of rhythm, “Seriously, admit it.”

 

“Alright, I liked the idea; now get your arm off!”

 

Yuuri slid his arm off. Wolfram was as displeased as he tried to show. Even if Yuuri was only a half-blood, he could smell a very faint scent of arousal around the blond. Wolfram wanted him. Wolfram always wanted and never refused him and that was the one of the reasons why he was still reluctant to confront the blond directly. Wolfram loved him. Other things… Yuuri could overlook them if only that would help save his and Wolfram's relationship.

 

“There,” Yuuri pointed at a showcase farther on.

 

Wolfram's green eyes followed the motion and settled on a huge red plate. Yuuri was serious it seemed. Wolfram followed his husband into the store.

 

“I suppose we need some lubricant,” Wolfram said, after casting his eyes over the shelves. He fought his blush down. It was not his first time at a sex shop, of course, but it wasn't as if he was frequenting them constantly. Usually it was Yuuri who took care of that - Earth was his native planet after all.

 

“What kind of taste and smell do you want?” Yuuri asked, while walking over to the shop assistant.

 

“I don't really care, but please, no strawberries this time,” Wolfram muttered. “Or any other sweet fruit, for that matter,” he added.

 

“Chocolate, then?”

 

Wolfram sighed. “I just said: “no sweet”.”

 

“Well, I am not into fruity stuff either, but I like chocolate.”

 

Wolfram ruffled through his hair, nodding. “Alright, whatever pleases you. I like the smell of the current one and it's really good.”

 

Yuuri smiled. “Sure, we can stock up on that one. Now, how about handcuffs?”

 

Wolfram looked at him with his brow raised. “You sure are determined about this, aren't you? Fine, get them, but you are the one that they will be used on.”

 

Yuuri gave him a mischievous grin. “We'll just see about that. Anything else?”

 

“I think handcuffs more or less cover it,” Wolfram muttered. “But grab some more condoms, too. Be sure those are not the stinky ones from the previous time.”

 

“You know I don't buy those anymore.”

 

Observing the rest of the shelves with interest, Wolfram waited for Yuuri to pay for their goods. Some of the articles on display they had tried out, some of their purpose he did not even know. Their sex life was as good as ever - Wolfram had nothing to complain about. He could tell that Yuuri put more effort than he did into spicing it up, but he could also tell that Yuuri liked to feel himself the initiator and the more active of the two of them. Sometimes it would become irritating, but knowing that it gave Yuuri pleasure let him allow Yuuri to do what he wanted and accept it with a feeling of light amusement.

 

With a filled bag they left the shop. Wolfram took it from Yuuri who said he wanted to go to the toilets. Yuuri left, and the blond turned to a nearby stall over which he could see ads of hamburgers, hotdogs and instant food. Wolfram bought hamburgers for himself and Yuuri then looked around. He turned in the direction of an empty bench that was a short distance away.

 

Wolfram jerked away from a passer-by, who, having calmly walked past him, suddenly turned around and threw himself at him. Instead of slipping into Wolfram's pocket, a red stone clattered down onto the white tiles and shattered into hundreds of pieces. Nonetheless, Wolfram could feel a wave of nausea pass through his system. He moved away from the smithereens immediately.

 

When the first plan did not succeed, a sharp blade glistened in the desperate attacker's hand. The prince tossed the bags aside, the boxes and food scattering around on the pavement. Now, from up close, Wolfram could see that despite the dark hair, the man's eyes were muddy green. The hair was obviously dyed. Wolfram's foot caught the man in the stomach even before he could bring the knife down, making the attacker fly into the air and then crash down onto the tiles where he landed on his back heavily.

 

Warning screams echoed in the square, and Wolfram was just in time to jump back as a flash of lightning struck the pavement where he had just been standing. The hair on his nape standing on end, the blond's eyes flickered away from the unconscious opponent and the lightly smoking hole in the pavement and took in the square around him. About twenty meters away from him there were four other men who were summoning or had already summoned their elements. Other three were obviously not element wielders, as they all had Esoteric Stones in their hands and were rushing towards him. All of them had dark hair and wore common clothes on Earth. He could not see their eyes from that far, though. The enemy had him in a tight circle. The square was already half-empty, people running away, with their mobile phones out, apparently calling the police, some women were screaming mindlessly.

 

Even if there was some distance between the wielders and the ones carrying the stones, Wolfram was impressed by the way the element wielders were able to endure the affects of the stones. As for him…a strategic retreat was the best option or soon they might have him dead. That and half of the mall was going to be destroyed in the process, which would mean that if he survived this, Yuuri was going to kill him later anyway.

 

Wolfram threw himself to the right where it was clear of the humans with Esoteric stones. The element wielder there threw a burst of fire at him, and Wolfram summoned Yuuri's air element to block it. He not only defended himself by dispersing the fire, but also overwhelmed the attacker lifting the man off his feet and throwing him back into the wall of the building where he sagged down, unconscious.

 

Wolfram ducked and skidded aside as another red-colored stone whipped right past him. A wave of nausea and light-headedness almost forced him to his knees. Panting, the prince raised his head. He was glad he had not eaten anything before leaving the house or it would have had him heaving right now. Shit, this was not fun in the least. Wolfram dove to the side and rolled over the pavement to avoid another blast of fire. There was something off with the way they were attacking him.

 

Silence settled in the square as a wall of fire encircled Wolfram and he suddenly blinked out of view.

 

Wolfram looked around. He had opened a gate to Shin Makoku, at the lake he visited frequently. The summer was in full swing. When he and his husband had left Shin Makoku it had been late spring, trees covered in soft greenish buds, only a few trees shyly displaying their fragile blooms. The weather had also been dreadful, nothing to compare to the currently sizzling sun above his head. The surface of the lake was also calm, the peaceful wind hardly stroking the surface, the leaves of the trees stirring lazily only from time to time.

 

Wolfram started as suddenly he saw a wall of fire appear about ten meters before him. His eyes snapped to the side where another column of water materialized in the middle of the meadow. The prince's fire element engulfed the watery substance even before the gate finished forming. A loud explosion tore through the air. The hiss ripped through the air as the water boiled away into a superheated vapor and the man simply dissolved in the conflict between the elements.

 

Wolfram cursed loudly as the fire wielder stepped out of the gate, destroying the one and given the other time to make the transfer between worlds. Behind the man he could see other portals appearing. They had followed him. Because the Esoteric Stones neutralized the wielders' powers, they were not able to take the men with the stones with them, but Wolfram knew that it might appear that he had made a mistake by escaping from Earth. Now he was on his own with the odds against him. Wolfram's mind was still shocked at the thought of the enemy following him and the weakness from the Stones was deep in his limbs, but he had no time for that - he had three element wielders to deal with.

 

One way to win the fight was to intimidate the opponent. And he was good at intimidation, damn good at it. Hell, he intimidated his own husband, the King of Mearan and Ekara.

 

Wolfram lowered his head, smirking. To show your opponent at the very beginning that he had no chance, no hope to win the fight, served the purpose well enough. He raised his hand into the sky quickly. First, he had to keep the air element busy - the man had to be carefully avoided while he dealt with the two fire-wielders. To deal with the same element was going to be easy. He certainly hoped so.

 

A huge burst of raw energy soared upwards from all around Wolfram and an enormous dragon started forming high above his head. At first there were only contours marked by leaping, dancing flames, then the fire surged inside, filling and stretching the shape rapidly.

 

Wolfram ducked a flash of lightening and threw a fireball at the air wielder. That did not do much damage, though, as the wielder blocked the ball with a swish of an air-stream. Wolfram lowered his right arm then. He had created the dragon in mere seconds, but it still was slower that he usually did during his training, not to mention the process had almost made him violently ill. Any other time the bastards would have not managed to so much as blink to say nothing of attacking him. The affect of the stones was difficult to handle.

 

The wielders did not seem to be that frightened, though. Wolfram felt a smile tugging at his lips. Well, Yuuri was a wimp after all. With a light flick of his wrist, the prince sent the dragon after the air wielder, while he himself concentrated on the fire wielders. One of them had already created a few fire lions, the other was already throwing a ball of fire at him. Certain that his control over the element was superior, Wolfram simply blocked it with his arm and, as they met, the incoming fireball simply dissolved while being absorbed by his own element, replenishing his energy.

 

Wolfram stood still while waiting for their next move. He could hear the dragon roaring and the sounds of elements clashing farther on his left. His creation was keeping the air wielder busy, although it should have killed him instantly. That was quite bothersome, the power of the wielders. The men were obviously ordered not to kill him. He had noticed that soon into the attack. However, the men had not exactly known how far they would be able to push him before dealing the deadly blow. Now they knew, though. Not that he complained. If they were ordered not to kill him, now he could push them to extremes.

 

The fire lions sped to Wolfram, and he created six of his own to counterattack. Roars and growls filled the air when the flaming creatures collided then rolled over the grass seeking to do as much damage as possible, tearing each other apart in a fury of mutual destruction. Wolfram watched how three of his lions sped past the tearing bodies of their comrades and enemies and, with a few long-streaked prances, almost reached the fire wielder. One of the lions scattered into millions of flares as it was struck by a huge fireball, but the other two smashed into the fire wielder. The man, with his throat torn open and flames eating at his body, sagged into the burning grass.

 

The remaining fire wielder had meanwhile created one huge lion to defend him. Wolfram turned aside as a loud shriek came from his left. From the corner of his eye, he was just in time to see the air wielder being engulfed by the flames spat out by his dragon.

 

Three down, one to go.

 

The prince concentrated back on the problem at hand. One of his remaining lions was already dispersed, but the other taunted the larger lion, luring it forward and making the enemy chase him down through the field. Wolfram could feel his fire dragon approaching, a burning wind rising at the powerful lashes of the huge wings. This was amusing. Now, when the enemy had no Esoteric Stones…had they really expected to take him down? He was one of the best fire wielders on the planet, a trained soldier and strategist. That and Yuuri's share of power that was coursing through him made him almost invincible.

 

Wolfram stiffened suddenly as he felt a light tingling in his body. He grinned widely. His husband was here.

 

Not waiting for the effective, but slow, dragon to catch up to him, Wolfram summoned the water element. A huge wave rose from the lake and sloshed over the fire wielder, drowning him and the struggling lions. The hiss at the impact echoed all over the valley, the steam rising. Wolfram let the man choke for a while, then let the water drop and flow away. The unconscious man slumped to the ground. One for the interrogation.

 

“Wolfram!”

 

Wolfram turned to his husband. Didn't it just figure? Just as he finishes the hard work, his powerful husband arrives. Wolfram sighed. He swallowed down the bile in his throat as the wave of sickness shook his body.

 

“Are you alright?!” Yuuri shouted, running over to Wolfram.

 

Wolfram flopped down onto the grass none too gracefully. “Of course, I'm alright.” He was tired as hell, his head was killing him, and he was so nauseous that he was certain that he would never want to eat anything ever again, but he was alive and kicking. Wolfram closed his eyes for a few seconds.

 

Yuuri squatted down and grabbed the blond by his shoulders to take a look at Wolfram's face. He was relieved after assuring himself that his husband was indeed fine. The prince did not look that well, but that was nothing vital.

 

“Thank gods,” Yuuri exhaled as emerald eyes, a bit bleary but lively, met his. He pressed his forehead to Wolfram's. “That scared me shitless-

 

“Eeeehr!” Yuuri shouted in surprise as Wolfram suddenly shoved him away with such strength that he actually rose into the air and hit the ground two meters away from the blond who had thrown himself backwards, rolling and coming up on one knee.

 

Yuuri's water element reached the target first, piercing the hostile fire wielder with hundreds of icicles. Only then the body was engulfed by a powerful blast of fire. The deafening noise made by the sudden collision of ice and fire made Wolfram cover his ears with his palms.

 

From the place where he was kneeling down, Wolfram looked past a smoking hole in the ground where just seconds before they had been talking. Through the rising smoke he saw Yuuri who lay where he had fallen and still had his hand raised, staring at the remains of the fire wielder who had been turned into a pile of muddy ash. “Congratulations,” Wolfram said. “We just killed our source of information. Twice.”

 

Yuuri blinked, then turned to look at his husband. “Well, he shouldn't have tried that.”

 

TBC